"You said you were going to do it," Weiss hissed. "You told me directly – I'm going to ask Pyrrha out finally. And yet here we are, weeks later!"

"Listen. Weiss. Listen," Jaune whispered, and looked around the living room, making sure no one else was nearby to listen. Luckily, the coast was clear. "Just because I say I'm going to do something, doesn't mean I'm actually going to do it."

"So you're a liar, is what you're trying to communicate to me," Weiss said.

"No…" Jaune said. "Maybe a coward?"

Weiss glared at him.

"Right, that's not much better," he said. "Look, you don't know how nerve-wracking this is for me. What if I screw everything up?"

"She is going to say yes, Jaune. You could ask Pyrrha out by slapping her face with a live fish and she'd still say yes," Weiss said. "Please, if you won't do it for yourself, or for her, then do it for me."

"For you?" Jaune frowned. "Why?"

"Because, Jaune, she's been acting passive-aggressive towards me ever since I moved in here!" Weiss said. "And lately, she's been tending heavily towards the aggressive. Honestly, I'm starting to feel worried for my safety."

Jaune looked at her quizzically. "You're exaggerating."

"Am I, Jaune? Let me enlighten you about some events that have taken place under this very roof, then."

Weiss walked into the kitchen, pulling back her sleeves as she got ready to wash the dishes. She stopped halfway to the sink, realizing Pyrrha was already there, well into the task that should have been hers.

"Pyrrha? I thought it was my turn to do the dishes?" Weiss said.

"Was it?" Pyrrha said without taking her eyes off the sink. "Must have been my mistake."

"Well, I can take it from here if you'd like," Weiss said, stepping forward.

"No, it's fine," Pyrrha said. "I don't mind cleaning up after other people."

She looked over her shoulder and stared at Weiss.

Intensely.

"Does anyone have a three?" Ruby asked, her eyes darting from her cards to the other players at the table.

"Not me, sorry," Pyrrha said.

"Nope!" Yang said.

"Aw." Ruby pouted. "A four, anyone?"

"I have a four," Weiss said immediately. "But what will you trade me for it?"

"Name your price!" Ruby exclaimed eagerly.

Weiss looked at her cards, contemplating what she needed to secure her victory.

"Are you sure about this move, Ruby?" Pyrrha said.

"Why wouldn't I be sure…?" Ruby asked.

"No reason," Pyrrha said. "It's good that you trust Weiss to such a degree, though."

Weiss looked up, prepared to declare what card she wished in trade for her four, only to find Pyrrha staring at her.

Intensely.

"So the goal is to knock the other person off the stage," Jaune said. "The more damage someone's taken in total, the harder they'll fly when you hit them. Got it?"

"I think so?" Weiss looked at the screen dubiously. "This game sounds inane. And stupid."

"It's not inane or stupid!" Ruby shouted, jumping onto the sofa and pointing an accusing finger at Weiss. "It's only for the most hardcore of competitors! Take that back!"

"O-okay, sorry, you don't have to yell at me," Weiss said, honestly a little afraid for her life.

"It's actually more strategic than you think," Jaune said. "You don't just wanna rush the other guy. Sometimes you wanna take your time, analyze the opposition. Maybe they'll make a mistake and you can take advantage of that."

"That does sound more intricate than I originally thought," Weiss conceded.

"Yeah, and that is the best way to play the game sometimes. Being patient…" Ruby said grudgingly. "I bet you'll do really well because of that, Weiss."

"Yes. After all, we all know Weiss for her lack of impulsive and shortsighted decisions."

Pyrrha walked around from behind the TV to the front, and stared at Weiss.

Intensely.

Weiss stirred in her bed. She poked her head out from under the blankets and glared at her bedside clock. It was three in the morning, why had she woken up all of a sudden?

She turned to face the wall instead, but stopped when she noticed a strange shape on the chair next to her closet. A… human-like shape. Terrified, Weiss grabbed her Scroll and turned its light on that corner of the room. What she saw nearly gave her a heart attack.

It was Pyrrha, sitting with her shield on her lap. She was cleaning it with a cloth, slowly gyrating in the same perfect motion. And all the while, she stared at Weiss.

Intensely.

"P-Pyrrha?" Weiss croaked. "W-what are you doing?"

Pyrrha turned her shield so it was upright in her lap, then slowly ran her finger around its edge. "I could cut myself… or someone else… with this, if I was careless."

"I d-don't understand-"

Pyrrha shushed her loudly, making Weiss jump. "Go back to sleep, Weiss," she whispered. "No one will ever believe you…"

Shaking violently, Weiss slid back under her blankets.

"I feel like that whole last thing didn't happen," Jaune said.

"Yes, well, that's rather the problem, isn't it?" Weiss said, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hands. Now that he looked closer, it did seem like she hadn't been getting much sleep. "You need to ask Pyrrha out, Jaune. Do it, or I will do it for you."

"Hah, imagine if you ended up dating Pyrrha by accident!" Jaune said.

"This is not a joking matter, Jaune Arc!" Weiss shouted.

"Alright, jeez! I'll ask her out," Jaune said. "You'd think your life was on the line or something."

As if on cue, Pyrrha walked into the living room. She looked at Jaune and Weiss, her brow furrowing in concern when she noticed Weiss backing up against a wall, sweating rivers.

"Is Weiss okay…?" she asked.

"Oh, she's fine. It's just the Vale weather, she's not used to it yet," Jaune said. "A-anyway, Pyrrha. I wanted to ask you if you wanted to – wanted to – you know – go out to eat or something?"

"Sure, I'd love to do that," Pyrrha said. "It's kinda early for dinner, though, don't you think?"

"I meant like… a date…" Jaune said, his voice gradually lowering until, by the end, it was barely audible.

Pyrrha froze where she stood, her eyes going wide as saucers, and Jaune feared the worst. He shouldn't have caved to peer pressure. This was terrible. Everything was terrible. Pyrrha would never look at him the same again, and he'd-

"O-okay," Pyrrha stammered. "I-I'll go on a date with you, Jaune."

"You will?" Jaune blinked. "Okay! How about, tomorrow? And we don't have to decide where to go now!"

"Yeah, we'll… figure something out," Pyrrha said. "This will be fun. And – Weiss, are you sure you're fine?"

She leaned forward and stared at Weiss.

Intensely.

Like someone concerned for their friend.

"I-I'm okay…" Weiss said, sliding down the wall inch by inch. "C-congratulations…"

JAUNE ARC WILL RETURN IN

JUNIPER: STORM'S ECHO

Jacques walked into his penthouse apartment and immediately stomped over to his alcohol cabinet. It was pouring rain outside. The storm had caused a shortage in his building, and that had turned his already miserable day into an even more miserable night.

This couldn't be happening to him. It was all the fault of that snake Cordovin. And the dead coward. And Ironwood, who had been so ready to believe the accusations. And most of all, that accursed daughter of his!

Jacques grabbed a bottle, but it slipped from his grasp and shattered on the ground. He swore and kicked the floor in frustration. What else did he have to endure?

"It seems the walls are closing on you quickly, Mister Schnee."

Jacques jumped back. "Who's there?!"

He scoured the darkness, and eventually found the source of the voice. A man stood near the windows of the apartment, a glass of Jacques' best scotch in hand. His features were indiscernible in the darkness, but somehow, Jacques understood he was not a person to be trifled with.

"Who are you?" Jacques said. "What are you doing in my home?"

"Is this your home now?" The stranger raised the glass to his lips. "Not a bad choice. How would you like to spend the rest of your life here, instead of behind bars?"

"What are you talking about?" Jacques looked around, half expecting to find others lurking in the darkness. But they were alone.

"It's a simple matter, Mister Schnee. I'm sure a man of your caliber can understand," the stranger said, exasperated. "You have something I want. And in exchange for that, I'll ensure you'll serve your sentence in peace and luxury."

"…What is it that you want?" Jacques asked.

"That is something I will disclose in the future, once I have your trust and you have mine," the stranger said. "But I assure you, you'll find it a trivial matter, compared to what I have to offer you."

"This is madness. You expect me to trust you?" Jacques shook his head. "How can I be sure you can actually help me?"

"You don't have a choice. But I can tell you one thing to quell your doubt, and you would be wise to listen," the stranger said. "This is a dark, dark world, and soon enough it will be even darker. But I'm not afraid, and neither should you be. Because I, Mister Schnee…"

The stranger turned. Lightning struck behind him, illuminating him for a split second – just long enough for Jacques to see a face framed by a thick black mustache, and eight yellow rings, humming with power.

"…I have friends in dark places."

If you read the chapter in the first few days it was released, yes, the Juniper story had another title. A much suckier title. So I changed it. Yay for the power of editing!