𝐈𝐧 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐃𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐬 (English)

Chapter 36

Jaune stared up at the girl sat on his chest and wondered why he wasn't screaming. Trivia had let go of his mouth so he absolutely could, and no matter how skilled she was there were four people in the room who would respond like a bomb had gone off. Pyrrha was dangerous enough on her own, and Trivia didn't have her weapon drawn. He might even be able to wrestle her to the ground himself and keep her pinned there.

And yet he didn't.

It was something in her mismatched eyes that had him staying quiet.

Trivia looked like she was happy to see him. Like she'd missed him, in the short day and a half since Cinder had been run out of Beacon and Trivia had to flee with her. Her smile was less cocky and more hopeful, with a fragile quality to it as she made a few quick signs with her fingers.

As if he was in the right headspace to put their shaky sign language lessons to any use!

He couldn't decide who would have more reason to scream at him for sneaking out his room in the dead of the night with a wanted criminal. Pyrrha, Nora and Ren would be furious, but any of Team RWBY would have ripped his asshole open. Then there was Glynda, who might have scattered his body parts across the Emerald Forest for it. And yet there he was, slipping on some pants and sneaking out the dorm with the diminutive girl, despite the fact that her team leader had tried to murder him in much the same manner.

His aura was up this time, however, and he was ready for anything. The two of them padded silently to the common room, where Jaune eventually sat on one of the seats and Trivia, without hesitation, hopped onto his lap with her back to his chest. Then, she twisted, still in his lap, to wrap her arms around his neck and hug him.

A soft, surprised laugh escaped him as he returned it. "I missed you too," he said, running his hands up and down her back. Trivia felt cold, and he could tell she'd been outside all night. "You're freezing. Don't tell me you sat in the forest all afternoon waiting for a chance to slip in."

Trivia pulled one hand back and began to sign, but quickly realised she needed both. Their lessons hadn't progressed to a point where he could fully understand her, so she settled for signing with one hand and crudely pantomiming with the other. It took work, but he was slowly able to piece together some of what she was saying, especially when he mentioned Cinder by name, and she pointed to herself and wriggled two fingers like legs running.

"You've run away from me?"

The small girl nodded proudly, though whether she was proud of him for understanding it or herself for escaping Cinder, Jaune didn't know. Trivia's thoughts on Cinder were made clear when she rolled her eyes and pantomimed a mouth yapping.

"She tried to blame you for what happened? Or she was being too mouthy?"

A nod and two fingers to indicate the second, and then Trivia leaned into him and poked at his neck with a mournful expression. Jaune still had his hands around her, holding her in his lap, and was surprised to find he didn't feel threatened at all when her hands stroked his neck, close enough to strangle him.

"I'm okay," he said. "Cinder almost got me, but Blake managed to save me – and that's a miracle in itself. If she hadn't gotten curious..." He didn't want to think about how close he'd come. "What about you? Won't you be in danger now?"

Trivia scoffed and made a stabbing motion with one hand.

"Not that I doubt you but there are three of them." Trivia shook her head and pantomimed a mask. "True," he said, "There's the White Fang as well." She looked shocked. "Oh, we know about them," said Jaune, a little pleased to have surprised her so. "I accidentally ended up in Adam Taurus' dreams and got the plans for Beacon from him. Told General Ironwood and Ozpin. We're prepared for them."