Jaune ordered his sisters to stay with the crowds. They’d be safest there, or at least he hoped so, and as their frightened state led to their minds jumping to worse and worse conclusions, none of them put up much of an argument against his decision.
Despite the fact that civilians were running in the opposite direction in a frenzy, it wasn’t difficult to push through and make it to the food court where Nora’s shout had come from. When Jaune arrived on the scene, he wasn’t sure what to expect, but there was panic, blood, and his little sister crying while she trembled in fear.
The odd part was the source of the blood.
“Holy shit, did you get through her aura that fast?!” Second blurted out.
“She was already like that!” Nora responded, wielding a metal chair like a weapon as she eyed the situation with more caution than was normally expected of her.
Emerald of all people had somehow tracked them down, and currently had one of her revolver-sickles pressed up against Zinnia’s neck, ready to end his sister’s life. The other was pointed at them, but she couldn’t seem to make up her mind on who she was aiming at, the barrel drifting between them. For all intents and purposes, she seemed to be the one responsible for all the chaos. And yet, she was the only one actually injured so far. Dried blood stuck to her face and matted her hair. Even with the distance between them, Jaune could tell that her eyes were out of focus, looking at them but not truly seeing them.
Zinnia opened her mouth, her eyes going wide at his arrival, but before she could say anything the blade pressed harder against her skin, causing her to gasp and try to force herself harder into Emerald and escape it.
The mint haired girl laughed when she saw him. Not a short chuckle, not a confident scoff, but something that had a tinge of insanity to it, uneven and drawn out for too long. “There you are, you bastards…”
“She doesn’t seem to be all there…” Ren muttered to him, obviously feeling a bit helpless about the fact that they hadn’t brought weapons with them if the way his hands were clenching was any indication.
Jaune felt much the same way, given that it was his little sister, but none of them had thought that a day of walking around town would end up like this, especially given the relative lack of criminal elements in Mnemosyne when compared to Vale proper. Carrying their weapons would have been a way to constantly draw attention to them, not a necessity to defend themselves on any other day.
Jaune wanted to assure Zinnia that they would save her, but any wrong word could risk setting Emerald off. Instead, he engaged with the criminal, hoping to keep her focus on the people with aura. “How did you find us?”
“Hm?” Now, she smirked. “I had that bastard look up where you live. Tell me where I could find your sisters. I didn’t expect you to show up so soon, but… this is even better than what I had planned!” She erupted into a fit of giggles.
Anger rose up in his gut. “You came for my sisters?!” It was one thing to come after him, and he didn’t think it was above people who would work for Cinder to take hostages if they thought it would get them out of a bind, but to specifically seek out his family felt… personal. He wasn’t going to let her get away with this. And he’d have to hunt down that Watts guy, because he was the most likely Emerald’s source of his information…
“Of course I did,” she spat. “You took someone from me, so I took someone from you. It’s only fair, isn’t it? And I know you goody-two-shoes types love fairness…”
“Took someone from you? None of us have seen you since the failed Vale breach!” Jaune rebutted incredulously.
Emerald scowled, her body tensing which made Zinnia yelp. “You shouldn’t have seen me there!” Part of him wanted to correct her on that fact, point out that Doctor Oobleck had been the only one to notice her which wasn’t really something that she should be pinning on him, but she kept on talking. “Nobody should have noticed a thing until you were dead! But everything has been going wrong since we went to Beacon, and now Cinder is…” She grit her teeth, aiming the barrel right at Jaune’s face. “She was right. It’s all your fault. You and your stupid semblance. If you want your sister back, you’re gonna get me Cinder. Anyone else shows up here, and I kill the girl.”
Zinnia whimpered, and the rest of them had to restrain themselves from just bum rushing Emerald for daring to say it. Jaune couldn’t think of a way out of this, but it’s not like they could just go along with her plan for a multitude of reasons.
The most pressing of which had him exchanging glances with his team. “Why does she think we can do anything about Cinder?” He whispered to them.
The last they had heard she was still at large after the big escape in Vale, and that had been a considerable time ago at this point. Had there been updates on her that they’d missed? Or maybe… Oobleck’s words about “relying on the professionals” came to mind. Had they been kept in the dark about something happening?
Whatever the case, it was clear that Emerald at least believed they were responsible for Cinder… well, being in whatever situation she was in. If they were honest about the fact that they had no clue what she was on about, Jaune didn’t think that she was going to react well, and a quick look towards Ren showed that he was on the same page.
“Do you really think you can get away with this after causing such a scene in public?” Ren asked her, stalling for more time and moving the negotiation on before any problems with the discrepancies popped up.
She frowned. “...it doesn’t matter if I get away. I just need to save Cinder. Then she’ll love me, and she’ll save me like I’m saving her!”
Nora balked. “Wait, you’re in love with her?”
Emerald blushed, but more importantly, she slackened her grip on Zinnia, if only by a small margin. “Shut up! Cinder is… she’s…”
The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.
“She’s hot, right? I totally get it.” Second stepped forward as he spoke.
Emerald tensed right back up, pointing the barrel squarely at Jaune’s semblance now. “Stay back! This is all your fault, just like she said! I’m not going to let you play your games with me!”
Seeing that her attention was focused on their blue friend, Ren slowly started edging his way around the food court, trying to make his way out of her line of sight.
Second Thoughts hummed. “I’m not entirely sure of what you mean. What games? I’m just agreeing that Cinder is a woman worth paying attention to, anyone with eyes would agree with me.”
“You’re clairvoyant!” Emerald laid it out as if it were fact. “Cinder figured it out before it all went wrong, but we didn’t realize just how powerful of a semblance it was…”
Jaune blinked. They thought his semblance was clairvoyance? That… wasn’t too far off the mark, he supposed, and it would explain some things…
Second took a moment to think that over. “Well, Emerald, if you know that I’m able to see the future, then surely you’re aware that I know how this ends, right?”
She shook her head, her hold on Zinnia slackening again. “No, there’s weaknesses to every semblance. There are limits to it. I just-”
Taking a risk, he interrupted her. “You can call it what you like, but I do know you Emerald. I know that you were a street rat that Cinder picked up, which is why you’re so devoted to her. I know that you currently live for her approval. And yet I also know that you weren’t entirely on board with her plan to wreck the Vytal festival.”
“You’re wrong!” Emerald shouted, more and more of her attention falling to Second. Jaune had no idea how much of what Second had said was true, but it at least got a reaction out of her. Zinnia grew more tense even as the tears streamed down her face as Ren vanished from her line of sight. She knew that something was going to happen soon, even if any ideas she might have would have more basis in movies than reality. “I’ve always supported Cinder, and I always will!”
The act of shouting, however, seemed to cause her some discomfort. She winced, and made a motion as if to grab her head, but she stopped herself from pulling a weapon out of play for even a moment.
“You can love someone and still have doubts,” Nora chimed in. “Re- er, Jauney-” She quickly corrected herself, not wanting to draw attention to Ren’s absence as he quickly but quietly made his way into one of the restaurant fronts, looking for some sort of weapon. “- is a great team leader, but if he’s being dumb about something I have to call him out!”
Emerald frowned, growing defensive. “Cinder is perfect, there’s no need for me to doubt her!”
“There’s no need to lie, Emerald,” Second replied in a chiding tone. “I know the truth. Those doubts you have, they’re just going to keep piling up. Eventually you’ll decide it’s too much and switch sides, joining us.”
Emerald glared at him, looking like she was one second away from blasting a hole in his forehead before he continued. “Or, you could listen to what I have to say. After all, Cinder wouldn’t be a problem for us if she was just living a romantic life with you.”
She hesitated. “...What do you mean?”
“I mean I know what she’s attracted to. You want more of her attention, don’t you? If you made a few changes here and there, you could find that her eyes are on you just as much as yours are on her.”
Jaune could hardly believe that this was how they were keeping his sister alive, but if it worked, he would do whatever it took. “Everyone has a type, right?” he added on. “And if the next time she sees you, you check a few more boxes that she likes, would that really be a bad thing?”
He couldn’t see Ren anymore. Did none of these stupid restaurants have something he could use to take her out?! There was no way of telling how long this stalling tactic would work, and if someone else showed up…
Fuck. His sisters had probably already called his dad, and there was no doubt that the man would rush over immediately. If he just charged right in, Emerald might kill Zinnia before he could even get close… Did his dad know anything about hostage situations? To Jaune’s knowledge, the man had just been up against grimm for… well, as long as Jaune had been alive at the very least.
“I already know what she likes!” Emerald asserted. “You really think I don’t?”
Second scoffed. “Oh really? What does she like, then?”
“Power.”
Nora rolled her eyes. “I mean, yeah, that much is obvious, but that’s clearly not what she likes in a person. That’s what she wants for herself.”
Emerald faltered at that, and out of the corner of his eye he saw Ren making his way out of a kitchen with… was that a pan? There was a sizable knife in the other hand, and Jaune knew that Ren was at least experienced with those, though the form would be different that what Ren practiced with…
“W-well what do you think she likes, then?!” Emerald demanded.
“She likes people who challenge her,” Second answered. “Not some moron who thinks he can beat her in a fight, but someone who can keep up with her mentally and stand on even ground in a game of wits. Up until this point you’ve just obediently followed her orders, right? You should try being more independent, show her that you can do things without her.”
“Challenge her…” Emerald repeatedly thoughtfully, the blade falling even further from Zinnia’s throat.
“You should also do more squats!” Nora declared.
“...squats?” Emerald wasn’t the only one who gave Nora an odd look at that suggestion.
Nora being Nora, however, just nodded along as if it were self-evident. “Of course! Everyone likes a nice butt! You have to start squatting more, maybe go to the gym with her. You can wear yoga pants, she can wear yoga pants, and then when you’re nice and sweaty you can-”
As Nora painted a picture for her, Emerald grew less and less aware of the girl she was supposed to be holding hostage, and the moment that there was enough leeway, Ren struck, smacking her over the back of the head with the pan he had acquired as hard as he could.
Emerald’s eyes rolled back as she collapsed, and the rest of team JNR(S?) rushed in to extract Zinnia.
As he held her close and tried to console the crying girl, reassuring her that “Everything is alright now, Zinnia. I’ve got you, she can’t hurt you anymore,” there was a groan.
Ren, who had been kneeling down to pick up Emerald’s weapons, was forced to leap back as she swung a blade wildly at him.
Jaune pushed Zinnia behind him, trying to shield her with his own body as Emerald stood back up.
They’d stopped an imminent death, but a smack to the back of the head wasn’t going to take out someone with aura.
And now, Emerald had no hostage restricting her from going all out on them.
With no real weapon beyond a kitchen knife in Ren’s hand, the battle kicked off with a gunshot.