And all of a sudden he was markedly less impressed. Talk about priorities. Were all huntresses weird, or was it just the ones he had the pleasure of knowing? He laughed awkwardly, just because it felt like something was expected. "Speaking of people being quiet," she said, standing with hands on hips. "Get out of there, Velvet. It doesn't take fifteen minutes to get changed. Don't make me come in there and dress you myself."
"I look ridiculous!" Velvet's voice came back.
Coco rolled her eyes. "Yeah, right. As if anything I'd pick could be called that. Get out or I'll send Jaune in."
There was a muffled sentence from within, but it seemed like Coco was serious – and that Velvet knew as much – for the curtain was pulled aside a second later. When the brown-haired girl stepped out, Jaune's mouth fell open.
"I look stupid," she said.
"If you think that, you are stupid," Coco challenged. "What do you say, Jaune?" What could he say? Velvet was dressed in an ensemble that was both smart and casual, with long black tights encasing her legs down to a pair of black, leather boots, short of heel and flared out at the ankles. Trailing up her long legs, she wore a grey skirt to about halfway between her thigh and knee, with a maroon blouse and a cream cardigan over the top. It was all well-cut and sculpted, fitting to her body and definitely showing off her figure which, as per the huntress norm, was nothing short of incredible.
"See," Velvet said, pointing to him. "I look silly."
"You look amazing." Coco cuffed the back of his head gently – very gently, in fact since it didn't break his neck. It was enough to wake him up, but didn't hurt. "Use your words, Jaune. Most of us aren't mind readers." "It looks good," he stammered. "Very good."
"The male vocabulary," Coco rolled her eyes and swooned theatrically. "Ever has its prose been verbose and detailed. You'll make my legs turn to jelly if you're not careful."
Okay, he probably deserved that. Jaune coughed, but quickly recovered. "It does fit you," he said, trying to think of the right things to say. "You definitely don't look silly. I'd say it's quite professional, actually. If anything, it makes you look a little older than you are – but not in a bad way. It makes you look mature."
Velvet hesitated. "Really?"
"Gods, the lack of faith…" Coco rolled her eyes. "Girl, when have I ever steered you wrong?"
"You mean this week?" "On fashion …"
The fact she had to clarify probably wasn't a good sign.
"Never…" Velvet admitted with a sigh. "Or not yet, anyway."
"It's still never. You look great. I'd bang you."
"COCO!"
"If I was a guy, I mean."
"Not better!" Velvet cried, cheeks bright red. "You can't just say that!"
"Why not? I bet Jaune would if he had the cha-mff"
"T-Thank you," Velvet said, nodding to Jaune as he fasted his one good hand over Coco's mouth. His own face was crimson as well, hardly helped by the fact he totally would do that thing Coco had mentioned if he could. He'd have had to be dead to not have someinterest in Velvet. "She means well, but she doesn't have a filter between her brain and her mouth."
"Yeah, I think I noticed," Jaune said. And he'd only known her for an hour or so, too. Confident didn't even begin to describe her. Coco was basically the perfect example of his father's stupid motto. Apparently he was right, all you needed was confidence. Confidence and balls of steel, or whatever she had instead.
Eyes of steel if the dangerous look she was giving him was any example. He chuckled nervously and removed his hand.
Her grin turned vicious. "That wasn't a `no`, you know. Trying to hide the evidence won't make it go away. I bet you're imagining her in some kind of maid outfit right now." He was, but only because she'd brought it up! His cheeks heated up, and that was possibly the most incriminating piece of evidence he could have given, especially if Velvet's `eep` and Coco's grin were any indication.
"I hate you so much," Jaune growled, embarrassment mixing with frustration to come out as anger. Behind him, he heard Velvet gasp at the implied admission. Yeah, well, she could have probably guessed he found her pretty. His face heated up even further. "Some things don't need to be said."
Coco's grin was anything but apologetic.
"The outfit is a winner," Jaune said, turning to Velvet and cringing when she didn't quite meet his eyes. Oh great, he'd embarrassed her too. A part of him wondered if he should try to diffuse the tension, but other than admitting he would have loved to sleep with Coco too, he wasn't sure what to say.
And he was fairly sure saying that wouldn't help.
"T-Thanks," Velvet said. "I guess it's not so bad."
"You'll definitely turn heads," Coco said. Jaune half-waited for her to make a reference to his head, and probably both of them. She held back, however. Maybe it was too obvious. Maybe she was feeling merciful. "I think it'll be enough to make a good impression, but I can't say for sure. We could try the others on?"
Velvet quickly realised that would mean more of the humiliation and shook her head. "I think I'll take this one."
"You sure? I thought you didn't like it."
"I changed my mind." "Sure you did." Coco rolled her eyes. "Fine, fine. If you're happy, that's all that matters. You look good. Trust me on that. You'll do great."
"I hope so…"
It didn't take long for Velvet to change back and for the clothes to be rung up and purchased, with Coco chatting with the attendant like she was an old friend. Judging by how often she shopped here, she was probably considered as such. Maybe she had a relationship with the owner similar to what Ruby or the Malachites had with him.
"I'm really sorry about Coco," Velvet said, having calmed down a little and now standing beside him with her bags in hand. He'd offered to carry some, but she'd taken one look at his arm and shook her head. The irony wasn't lost on her, especially since she was far stronger than he. "She really does mean well, but sometimes I think she doesn't realise that not everyone is as confident as her. I hope she didn't come across as too pushy."
"It's fine. I kind of wish I could be that confident, to be honest."
"Me too…" Velvet sighed. "She can just walk up to a random person and start talking, mostly because it doesn't even cross her mind that they won't talk back. I thought it was arrogance when I first got partnered with her, but it's not. She just genuinely convinces herself she can make anyone a friend if she wants to."
Strangers are just friends you haven't met yet. The old adage his mother had forced into his head came to the fore, but he'd never thought it could work like this. In a way, he saw Coco's – and his mother's point. He hadn't been friends with Ruby until they'd bumped into one another and started talking, and the same went for everyone else he'd met.
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