Jaune held the door open for Pyrrha, as she quickly followed him out. With a final wave, and a friendly smile, he looked back to the cashier. "Thanks again, have a good night!"

As he closed the door, Pyrrha noticed the look the cashier gave them. A knowing look, that said she had multiple assumptions about the young couple. All of which were more than likely wrong. But, better those assumptions than her getting recognized. That would've been much more difficult to deal with.

"Well, this has been pretty easy so far." Jaune said, falling in step beside Pyrrha. "That's shop three we've managed to cross off so far. Guess we've been lucky so far."

"I suppose we have." Pyrrha answered, looking at Jaune. It wasn't hard for her to keep her mind focused. Though she was pleasantly surprised by how well Jaune could present himself, given the chance. His usual choice of attire wasn't bad in her eyes, but it wasn't particularly flattering to the boy underneath.

But, even if the clothes he'd chosen for this endeavor weren't fancy either, they held character. They reflected her partner in a different and more serious light that she could appreciate.

"So, where do we look next?" Jaune asked, checking his scroll. "There's a dust shop, a department store, a materials shop, then there's this dance hall-"

"Let's check the dance hall." Pyrrha said quickly, before catching herself. "I-I believe it would be the most likely place for trouble to hide, don't you think?"

Jaune nodded, giving her a pleasant smile. "Make sense, that seems like the sort of place." He then motioned ahead of them. "Should be this way."

The two huntsmen in training continued their trek through the streets of Vale. Adjusting their outfits as they went. Pyrrha's goggles resting atop the crown of her head, where her headdress once sat. She was not personally a fan of having her hair down. It was very easy for it to get in her way, once she started moving. Though she would admit, the goggles did help hold everything in place, for the time being. Jaune didn't worry about those things. His simple cloth strip mask was just hanging around his neck in a loop. Pyrrha did wonder in its simplicity, and childishness. How effective would that be? How effective would any of their outfits be if someone tried to recognize them? True it wasn't their usual attire, but she couldn't help but feel it wouldn't matter for much.

Though, there wasn't much she could do about it either. She hadn't been recognized, yet. So there must have been some benefit to it. If they did get discovered or recognized, they would just need to handle the situation as it went. Better to think on… other issues.

"So… have you made any progress?" Pyrrha asked, looking up towards the dimming sky. "Any new ideas? Or plans?"

"… You mean with Weiss?" Jaune asked, looking toward her, thinking. "I have one or two ideas."

Pyrrha nodded, urging the boy to continue. She may have held feelings for the boy, but this was the uncomfortable reality she faced. He didn't see her the way she wished he did. The way he wished Weiss did. But it was not her decision to make, or her mind to change. Better she try and face what she could of it, learn to be at peace with it.

She was sure the pain would go away, eventually.

"Well, I've no problem hearing them, at least." Pyrrha said, doing her best to be reassuring. "You know, be a second opinion, and all."

Jaune smiled brightly at her. "Well, if you don't mind, I do have something I wanted to ask her out to."

Pyrrha ignored the twinge in her chest, smiling and nodding. "What would that be?"

"There's this dance that Team CFVY is putting together for the Vytal festival." Jaune said "I'm thinking about asking her to it."

Pyrrha nodded, feeling the twinge in her chest worsen.

As the pair continued ahead, they failed to notice how the crowd began to part around them. This was to be expected. On some level, all animals knew when a storm was brewing, and knew when it was best to stay out of the way. Whether they knew it or not, Pyrrha and Jaune walked at the eye of that storm. Anyone who spared them a glance, could see a boy, walking ahead, unaware of any changes. They saw Pyrrha as well, walking behind him with a tight smile and a downer look to her eyes.

And they knew well enough to steer clear of both. Praying for the boy's safety all the while.

"I'd heard there was going to be one this year, I hadn't realized it was already getting so close." Pyrrha answered, trying her best to sound as vague as possible. She hadn't been closely observing the calendar at all.

"It's still a few weeks away, but they should be starting set-up soon." Jaune continued blithely. "I'm thinking if I ask her now, it'll be my best chance."

"I'm sure it would… come as somewhat of a surprise." Pyrrha answered, knowing that Jaune had made other attempts in the past. "… If I can ask, how exactly are you planning to ask her this time?"

Jaune looked back at her with a devilish smirk. For a moment, it was enough to have her forget how uncomfortable this conversation actually was for her. She thought Jaune had a fairly wonderful smile. Seeing a hint of deviousness to it only added an alluring charm to it. Jaune was harmless. But he had a smile that was sweet poison to her.

"I've got an idea or two." Jaune said "One of them involves a guitar."

"…"

Pyrrha merely nodded in response. His answer provided context for some of his recent actions in the dorms. She'd wondered both why, and truthfully where, he'd managed to procure a guitar. Worse, his practice had been rather dreadful. He'd improved though, in the short time since he'd gotten a hold of it.

Nowhere near enough to impress most.

Were he to ply her with it though…

Pyrrha shook her head. "That sounds like a rather… romantic, gesture Jaune."

Jaune nodded. "My mom said if you want someone to notice you, you need to make it easy. Maybe it's a little overboard, but it works in the movies, right?"

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"Right." Pyrrha agreed. It worked in the movies. The cheesy, overblown romances depicted in cinema and those trashy soap-operas she didn't secretly adore. Certainly not the ones where the dopey farm boy melted the heart of the big-city girl. That would be so blasé. Ignoring, of course, that she has no knowledge of where or how such a word entered her vocabulary.

"…" Jaune looked at her, confused at first, his face growing pinched. "Are you ok?"

"Hm?" Pyrrha hummed.

"You look a little upset." Jaune said, slowing his stride.

Pyrrha felt her eyes widen, before schooling her features. Trying to make them more neutral. Though she couldn't help but feel a minor twinge of annoyance. Of course he couldn't notice how she felt any other time except this moment. "It's nothing, I'm fine."

"…" Jaune stopped walking altogether. "Okay, what'd I do? Is it really that bad of an idea?"

"N-no." Pyrrha said, trying vainly to correct the course. "It really is a nice gesture, everything's fine."

Jaune gave her a bland look. "Pyrrha, I might be slow, but I've heard my mom say that to my dad enough times to know what it actually means."

"…" Pyrrha felt her cheeks flush with warmth. For a brief moment, she debated how best to handle this change in direction, before deciding a direct approach would be the most effective. So she blew a steady breath, and began to weave through the minefield of conversation. "Jaune… can I ask you something?"

"Of course." Jaune said, without hesitation.

"What exactly is it that you like about Weiss?" Pyrrha asked. "You seem so set on getting her to go out with you. Yet she's been fairly clear and firm in her answer."

Jaune looked at his partner for a moment, confused. But, as his gaze lingered, it grew contemplative. It was a question he hadn't expected to answer, because the answer seemed obvious. But, of course, when actually asked to answer it, the matter suddenly became quite muddy indeed. Pyrrha knew it wasn't easy to say with certainty what specifically charmed her about Jaune. She knew what things he'd done to have the effect, but the qualities?... Well, putting words and ideas to them took time. But kindness and warmth sprang easily to mind.

After a moment, having come to a stop on the curbside, Jaune gave an answer. "Well… She's smart." He said. "Something I know I need to work on… She's cold, but underneath it, she's incredible. She's graceful, talented- I mean we've all heard her sing, right?" Jaune shrugged. "Dunno, I just like her. Plus she thinks I'm cute, sort of, she told Ruby once."

'No she doesn't, she was being sarcastic.' Pyrrha thought bitterly. Though had she said it, the sentiment would've been a genuine one. "… I don't mean to be critical Jaune, but aren't those reasons a bit-"

"Shallow?" Jaune offered.

"…yes." Pyrrha answered. "I can't really say what it's like, asking someone out, or trying to go on a date. But liking someone based on their abilities rather than who they are just seems shallow to me."

"But isn't that how it starts?" Jaune asked. "You see the parts someone's willing to show, then more of who they are as you get to know them?"

"Perhaps." Pyrrha agreed. "However, we already know Weiss. She doesn't seem like she's got anyone she has an interest in."

Jaune pursed his lips, and the two walked for a few moments in silence.

"… I know it's not a good reference." Pyrrha said. "But none of the stories I've read or seen about this sort of thing work like that."

"How is it supposed to work then?" Jaune asked incredulously. "The guy comes riding in on a horse like a knight and whisks her off to happy ever after?"

'Well, ideally.' Pyrrha thought, briefly imagining Jaune lifting her onto a white stallion and cantering off together into the sunset. "It doesn't need to be that, but they need to be interested in more than just what you see about her. She would need to see more about you, too."

"I already said she thinks I'm cute… in a scraggly sort of way." Jaune repeated.

Pyrrha felt herself growing exasperated. She couldn't force him to change his mind, but she would love for him to see some reason. "So if I told you that I thought you were cute as well, would that change anything?"

The words left Pyrrha's mouth half a moment before she could stop them.

Jaune looked at her for a moment, and she saw a faint dusting of red flush onto his cheeks. "…Well, I wouldn't not appreciate it." He shook his head. "But, we're partners, it's different when you say something like that."

"… Partners. Right." Pyrrha said dryly, suppressing the defeated feeling that grew in her chest. Here she was, trying to do the same thing as him, and having just as much luck with it. Felt like someone had shot her in the chest with an arrow, and it just wouldn't go away. She hated acting like it wasn't there. "It just seems strange that you would go to so much effort for someone who doesn't seem to care for you."

Jaune paused for a moment, then gave Pyrrha a warm smile. It was a childish look, youthful and brash, but all too sincere in its joy and warmth. The kind of smile she wished was directed at her more often. "Well, I'm not going to know unless I keep trying… right?"

Desperately, Pyrrha wanted to tell Jaune he was wrong. She understood that Weiss viewed him, at best, as a friend and little more. More the loss for the three of them, really. But who was she, to say he was wrong? It wasn't her place to convince him otherwise. Not when her council was sought purely for how he may go about his wooing, not whether he should. The only other person he could seek council from was Ren, who at times seemed almost as lost.

"… I suppose you're not wrong." Pyrrha answered, though she knew it wasn't the answer she wanted to give.

Jaune nodded, his smile only growing brighter and happier. Only worsening the pain Pyrrha felt. Making her wish it would all end sooner. That they could just arrive at the dance hall already and hopefully find something to fight. Any solace she could find, was in knowing things couldn't, for the moment, get any worse.

The pair paused at a crosswalk, waiting for the light to change. A crowd of people gathering at the corner, waiting with them...

No, that wasn't right. Pyrrha's eyes ghosted briefly over them. They weren't looking at the light. Most had their gaze averted from it, or seemed to the moment her green eyes washed over them. There wasn't anything particularly notable about most of them. Except, for maybe a dogged and hungry look to them that niggled at the back of her mind. Niggle, another word she couldn't place.

But she could place the feeling in her gut that things were about to get very uncomfortable for her.

"Everything ok?" Jaune asked, looking at her.

"… I have a bad feeling." Pyrrha said, eyes locking to the light. The moment it changed, Pyrrha began to briskly cross the street, urging Jaune to keep pace with her. She kept her ears open as she did, paying close attention to how the crowd reacted.

They quickly began to try and keep pace with her.

Pyrrha swore under her breath, fears confirmed.

As they reached the other side of the street, Pyrrha began quickly considering options. They needed to disappear, quickly.

"Hey Pyrrha!" a voice called from the crowd. "Hold on a moment!"

Pyrrha flinched as she heard name be called, but tried to force herself to keep walking. Making sure Jaune kept pace with her.

Unfortunately, Jaune didn't realize the danger they were both in and turned to look behind them.

"Don't!" Pyrrha hissed.

The crowd took that as confirmation.

"It's her!" another voice chimed, their body surging forward through the crowd after it. "Ms. Nikos, a moment of your time, please!?"

"Wha-?" Jaune questioned.

Pyrrha grabbed him by the shoulder and began to pull him forward. Despite all probability, the situation had, in fact, gotten worse. So much worse. She'd have taken fighting every member of the White Fang in the city over this.

Before the two could make it more than a dozen steps, half that score in people appeared before them. Stepping out from the cover of alleyways, beneath the waiting booths for buses.

Cameras in their hands.

They began flashing rapid fire, temporarily blinding the two and causing them to come to a complete halt.

"Prizefighter's Monthly wants to know: How are you feeling about the coming tournament?" One of the camera men asked.

"Any comment on the state of Beacon academy?" Another asked.

"Who's the guy?" A third leered.

"I'm not free to comment at this time." Pyrrha said, trying to regain her composure and resume her flight.

She was, however, too late.

The crowd caught up to them once more, completely enveloping them. Voices rising in a chorus of questions, each drowning out the one before it in an incoherent roar.

"Uh… Friends?" Jaune asked, trying to shield his eyes

"Worse." Pyrrha answered, both tiredly and aggrieved. "Paparazzi."

"I resemble that remark!" One of the cameramen retorted.