Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

This is commissioned work.

Beautiful long raven locks, smouldering golden-hued irises, a sweet smile on her lips as she applied the red lipstick, taking the time to go and brush it over her lips, tongue flicking a little, before she tasted the cherry flavor, already preparing herself for the party that they’d be attending. 

The others were going through the same hazing as the seniors, her own attendance to the university delayed for several years due to circumstances involving her adoption by her new mother, after her previous mother had seriously failed her in life…and the legal battle that had stretched for almost five years, leaving her to be a little delayed.

But right now, she was beautiful, she was strong, she was the one that had learned how to thrive, the charm that’d been attached to her necklace being a mark of how she had risen from the ashes, her new name something that would show that there was still fire within her, rather than the original one, her surname something that she had opted for, later on. 

A phoenix, symbol of rebirth and renewal, thanks to a charitable donation from her adoptive mother to purge away the pain that she felt mentally, her body otherwise flawless, trained with pilates and yoga and three times a week a simple three-mile run through the park in order to keep herself fit, her body looking gorgeous…

And here she was, looking at herself in the mirror, the final little touches on her appearance, as the other aspirants were gathering, fingers dipping into the little poultice that was to supposedly increase the hydration of the skin, the smell chemical and yet somewhat rose-bud-like with the fragrance, Cinder dabbing it onto her cheeks, letting the faint hint of the supremacy compared to some of her fellow aspirants shine through, just through general attitude. 

The Sorority, or ‘The Upsilon Gamma Lambda Ypsilon Sorority for upstanding young women’ was one of the premier ways for her to socialize. The women that were members of the sorority were connected to some of the wealthiest, most affluent men and women that were roaming around the hallowed yards of Yale, Harvard and Princeton, clearly being a step up from the average, compared towards the people that had their own little fiefdoms, their eyes glinting, with every little moment spent on the game of popularity, of financial wealth gained through the conversations one might have to inspire, network and more…

And she was going to be one of its members. Currently, the elected sorority queen was a younger woman, around twenty, somewhat close to twenty-one, a set of sunglasses that she usually wore, badge on her left tit that showed that she was the proudest girl out there, and a girlfriend that was technically just a member, who had been going through the same hazing the year before. 

Due to her own circumstances, she was a little older, but she was smarter, knowing that compared to these floozies, she was beautiful and divine, the last few little scraps of work done on her face, as she looked at her reflection.

‘Whatever it is, it’ll be done tonight.’ 

She wasn’t going to be subjected to anything that could harm her, which was in the rules of Upsilon Gamma Lambda Ypsilon’s main rulebook, but it might involve a guy or two, something that the girls would later evaluate, with the evidence being supplied to the leader. 

Technically, Sister Superior, but there wasn’t like an official term for it, as far as Cinder knew. Her own place in the sorority would only grow when she passed, her adoptive mother vouching for her, letting her know that she would be accepted, no matter what, her fingers brushing her dress, a nice and slinky red one, with golden trim on the hems, a beautiful thing that would look good on some guy’s floor, sex never being an issue for her. 

She’d lost her virginity early, her body having long-since been tamed by the urges of men, and refined into something through the other men that she had enticed, her eyes never failing to spot one that would be weak to her charms. 

It was all for the benefit of her own rise through the world, leaving not a single stone unturned when it came to making herself become the best woman in the world, the most influential and financially endowed. 

‘One rich guy and then the bag is secured…’ 

“Alright, Pledgees! It’s going to be time for the first task! You know the drill, if you’re a legacy, pee on the test! We at Upsilon Gamma Lambda Ypsilon have a standard for things. Sister Blake has been installed as the one responsible for fetching the tests! Since our founding, not a single Uglee has been pregnant! Getting pregnant is immediately failing your pledge and removal! Not that there’d be a problem with that for me, since I’m a cool chick, but for you girls…”

The younger girl, maybe twenty, maybe twenty-one, handed out the single tests, and there was a line for the bathroom, the women that were taking it with her being the ones who would be getting to do their duty as her stepping stones, the test peed on and then flicked twice to get the droplets off, her eyes seeing the readout, before she smirked, victory going through her, tongue licking her lips, as she knew that she would have this one in the bag. 

‘Who would be so stupid as to get pregnant during their pledge, right? There are other ways to get a guy’s attention, why would you even want something like that?’ 

She emerged and then made her way to Coco, who looked at the test, giving a nod. 

“Good job, sister Cinder, you’ll have to keep in mind that we are not allowing you a pass, simply because one of the Alumni is vouching for you. Miss Salem donated a hundred thousand to the sorority, and we are not making exceptions.”

Her adoptive mother, a woman that could not have children due to some sort of accident in her past, was a visionary, a woman that had seen her once and then decreed that she should have her, during those moments where she had worked in her stepmother’s hotel, the fancy upscale place where her father had dumped her at, her adoptive mother cold in personality and yet warm in her favors, at times when there was no news from her own family, which she only mentioned as ‘her stupid sister and that oaf of a brother’, with no further mention of things. 

“I look forward to joining, Sister Coco.”

She was related to the Adel fashion family, a daughter or a half-sibling to the current reigning queen of fashionistas, Corn Adel, the C being heavy in their family, from Cornelius Adel to Charlotte Adel, the mother who had spawned the young woman, her brown hair accented with a flash of color, the sunglasses lowered a little. 

“Oh, I’m sure that you will. We’ll need to get the other girls’ tests first, Blake’s girlfriend is going to be joining us later in the semester… Sister. Well, I hope you’ll become a sister, Membership is rather exclusive, after all. You’re all going to get your targets after we get to the party… Love the dress, by the way, it suits you.”

This woman was gay, Cinder reminded herself, and she didn’t bear ill will against lesbians, but it still didn’t sit easy with her, knowing that it was yet another little burden that she could take off her shoulders to have the approval. Personal impressions were as important as the professional ones, and she knew that there would be no second chances for when she would fail her pledge. 

You were blacklisted immediately, her adoptive mother Salem having said that she, at one time, nearly failed her own test, which had made her nearly fail, though she had managed to recover the item that they had been assigned to get, Salem never quite elaborating on it, the mysticism that swallowed those words not lost on Cinder, so she would give it her best. 

There was a moment where the last girl came out, Blake, a pretty brunette with a set of kitty ears, looking like she was always fit to be the beauty queen of whatever pageant she entered, moving to the centre. 

“They are all not pregnant, Sister Adel. Let them show them what they have in store for us to let them enter the sorority.”

They weren’t thinking about other things, Cinder observed, as Coco took to the centre, the spotlight being on her, smiling broadly. 

“According to the rituals of Artemis, a huntress is not without her ability to bag a prey! For this year’s pledge, it is to hunt down something that we wish to see, with evidence provided. A woman who joins the sisterhood must prove that she has what it takes to find a target that the Gods assign and then take from them an item that they will present to the sisterhood! We have two boxes from which to draw your targets, one for the sisters that come from outside, and one for those who come inside! For those who are of the LGB orientation, please, make sure to get to the red box! We don’t discriminate, because we’re all sisters!”

The words were flowery, the sweet little words that would tell the others that hadn’t been endowed with a more vaunted position that they would be a part of something bigger, of something better, not like how she had been brought into this sorority’s circle. 

It was purely for the power that she could get from this, the connections. Sisters would be able to help you, through shared lives in university, leaving no stone unturned to help out those who had the same bond of sisterhood within their lives. 

“Now, for the legacies…come along, whilst Blake takes care of the regulars. Please, prospective sisters, let’s get you two the special box. We’re a fair system… the others get to pick from the dregs, but you… You’re the special ones.”

Cinder might actually have to make Coco a friend, her girlfriend Velvet smiling sweetly, the rabbit ears perking up, glancing at Coco, flush on her cheeks, her gaze springing between Cinder and her girlfriend, and someone that was a pretty platinum blonde woman, a set of breasts and a bag that looked like it was worth more than most of Cinder’s own wardrobe on her arm.

“Let’s go and do this, there’s partying to be done, after all.”

There was nothing that seemed to stop the girl from annoying Cinder, her eyes glancing irritatedly at the blonde, who clearly seemed to be more focused on going to the party and having fun, rather than focusing on other, more worthy causes.

Cinder was here to network, not to make fun things and post them on the phone, the other woman reaching into the box, a gaudy golden box with ‘Disciples of Artemis’ and the Greek symbols below it, fishing out a picture of something, Coco speaking up as the picture was turned around. 

“Your target, with the item that you’re meant to retrieve. Please, do your best.”

Her eyes caught sight of someone who looked like a footballer, some sort of scribbling on the back, Coco smiling broadly, as if this was as expected, Cinder mentally rolling her eyes at the thought, as she went for the box, pulling out another picture, after feeling around for whether there were more. 

‘Not even multiple-choice…’ 

That meant that they had done their homework or that they’d just decided to mess with them for this little hazing ritual. Her mother had coached her well, demanding her acceptance, as well as making sure that she was on birth control, with frequent testings for sexual diseases and the like. 

A personal flaw, her mother had once called it, but there was nothing that made her worry more than not knowing what the objective was, turning the picture in her view, the writing on the back telling her what she was going to be needing to retrieve.

‘Necklace’

She turned the picture, seeing a close-up of a face that looked like…

‘Ew. Blonde.’ 

The doofy, dorky look, someone that would never be allowed anywhere near her in any rational sense of distance, with the patches on the backpack that he had making her wonder whether they had picked him as their target just for frustrating whoever it was…

But this could also work to her favor, as the pledge was to get that item and then to make sure that it would be delivered to the head of their chapter, who was currently looking at them, waiting for them to accept the orders that they had been given… or rather, the targets that they’d have to ‘hunt’. 

‘The footballer guy probably doesn’t have a problem with a pretty blonde without much upstairs, so I guess I got the easy one…’ 

It would not be too hard to get him, as she looked at Coco, who looked very modest, smiling at her. 

“Those are the two prey that you’ll have to hunt. Get the item that is requested and present it to me with evidence that you have actually met up with the prey and gotten it, it will be returned the next day… but you can return it in whatever way you want.”

She turned the picture over again, and then turned it back. A little necklace hung around his shoulders, below the hoodie, enough time to get a good picture of it obviously not having been a thing…

But it also meant that whoever the target was, would have been observed and picked, no doubt for some reason. 

“Good luck, sister. It seems we have to retrieve some token for our entrance.”

Cinder didn’t really like the thought of some guy who didn’t even have a six-pack, who looked like a dork and who’d probably smell like BO and bad deodorant.

“It’s what we’ve got to do, Winifred, right?”

She thought the girl’s name was Winnie, but she could be wrong. Not her circle, not her interest. 

“It’s Winter, but it does sound similar, doesn’t it?”

She put on a smile, since impressions mattered. no matter what you did, you used the connections to make your own path in life, and the sorority was a good stepping stone for that. 

‘Well, it seems I’ll get the blonde…’ 

At least her guy was white.

That much would be a blessing for her, since there wouldn’t be any rumors of her preferring the darker meat going around, which would be a social death for her. 

She was anything but a woman who would lower herself to the level of being known as a woman who preferred the company of men of non-European descent. 

Her adoptive mother had definitely been an influence there, a picture of herself with a man that had been brown or perhaps half-black found by Cinder in a very dusty box, the wedding ring on the woman’s finger having been a dead giveaway, but she didn’t think too hard about it, since it wasn’t her business.

The woman was cold, frigid and definitely very focused on her own career, something Cinder wanted to do as well, her eyes going back to the photograph that had been printed on paper. 

‘Maybe this’ll be easy… Just a suck and fuck.’ 

The necklace was around the guy’s neck, so he’d have to be fed drunk first. 

She had this one in the bag.

“Let’s go join the others. We’re getting our good luck potion out, something that’ll put some kick in your crotch. Legacies get the good stuff.”

‘Great, ceremonial wine…’ 

She might need to be drunk to get that necklace.

Winter sighed, before muttering something about turning out like her mother. 

The blaring music really wasn’t his style of party, having no real stake in the drinking culture, but being pressed along by some of his roommates, the feeling of being there to just have fun something that had been impressed upon him, especially when his roommate had decided that he’d be making up the numbers.

Growing up where he’d been the one taking care of the stuff that had to be done around the farm with his father, with his seven sisters all having their own things going on, including the boyfriends that they had dated during the time of his teens, it was still something of a change, going to the big city and letting it all loose, not having to wake up at six and finding out that the cows had broken loose, having to run after them for the milking, leaving not a single moment for some peace and quiet…

But it had been nice, as far as life went. Lots of farming to be done, a good meal every night, especially when his mother cooked, and him being sent off to university, thanks to wise investments and a bit of a sponsorship, because Saphron had also been to college and university, where she had met her girlfriend. He wasn’t even thinking about what he’d do later, maybe run the farm and have a few kids, if he met a nice girl here… but that actually required a little more effort than just standing there and looking like he wasn’t going to be much of a moocher, the red cups of beer smelling pretty good, to his nose. 

His roommate was already looking for something, as the girls that were around went dressed in their preppy blazers, Jaune still not really used to the amount of skin that these girls showed. Saphron had said that it was ‘natural’ for them to be a bit looser than skirts and no knees, as had been common, but right now, he could see a girl’s bellybutton. 

A brunette came up to him, smile on her lips, eyes twinkling as she made to sit down next to him. 

“Not much for the crowds, are you? Want a drink?”

He supposed that he shouldn’t deny that generous offer. 

“Why, that’s mighty kind of you, ma’am.”

She was perhaps a year or two older than he was? Maybe two to three, if he had to peg her with a certain age. He was the baby of the pack of sisters, so he’d been used to addressing his older sisters as ma’am and such in public, because things were just like that back in their town. 

“Mighty kind, hmm? Where are you from?”

There was the question that he’d been dreading. They were kind of out in the middle of nowhere, kind of the place where you’d not really be expecting any good people to come from, but at least they had the church to think about, since that was what was the highlight of most of their weeks, the preacher really strict with praying for absolution. 

“Kinda a town in the middle of nowhere, ma’am. The name’s Jaune Arc, I’m from the countryside.”

She looked him over, her eyes giving him that look that he recognized a little, something faintly disgusted, but seemingly willing to at least give him the time to talk with her. 

“The name’s Cinder, I’m from one of the big cities. Pleased to meet you, Jaune. Let’s get you something to drink, it’s a party, after all.”

That it was, and he saw her get up, those nice buttocks fitting that dress really well, as she swayed her hips with every step, the pretty red dress that she wore sticking to those curves, Jaune staring, just a little bit too hard. That had been a fine girl, and she returned, holding a red cup full of beer, the smell of it hitting his nose, the smell different from the beers that his father usually drank after a long day, allowing Jaune a beer as well, letting out a soft little sigh as he felt the brew hit his tongue, letting the bitter taste swirl through his mouth, the beer tasting like piss… but apparently that was just because it was the ‘Canadian Beer’ according to his dad. 

‘Heh, he was a beer snob.’ 

The woman sat down next to him, her own cup half-empty, holding it up for a toast. 

“Cheers, Jaune. Your first party, I take it?”

She sounded nice. 

“Ah, yeah. Kind of came here, didn’t know what to do, don’t really have the whole… y’know, gumption. If that’s a word? Is gumption a word?”

He was such a dork, according to his sisters, that he’d have no way in charming such a hot woman. 

“It sure is, farm boy…”

Farm boy. Not a bad nickname to get, Jaune supposed, knowing that he’d have to deal with his rural upbringing being referenced from time to time, hearing the faint click of something that might be a cruel hint to Cinder’s voice, as she smiled, her long black hair pulled back with a hand, showing her nice earrings. 

‘She does look good, though.’ 

Real good. 

“Well, that’s fine, I guess I learned something anyways, hehe.”

He laughed a little sheepishly, seeing her roll her eyes at him. 

“I’m nowhere drunk enough to deal with you, farm boy… Let’s get some more alcohol in our system, I don’t think I can deal with you sober.”

That was fair. This was a party, after all, which made it all feel a little easier, as he just had to play it cool.

Maybe he’d score her number.

That’d be cool.

Cinder’s eyes looked over the half-drunken blonde, the prey for this silly little hazing ritual. She had to get that necklace, that had been hung around his neck for most of the night, hidden by that damn clunky hoodie, the look of that yokel-like face flustered by a little bit of petting, his blue eyes looking with that faint hint of questions and doubts, as her tongue slid over her lips, the cherry-flavored lipstick making her erase the bitterness of the thirteen beers that they both had consumed between the two off them.

He was hard to get drunk, she had to admit, the feeling of superiority that she had over his immature mindset, having found out that he wasn’t even sure what he should be doing later on in his life, the target that her sorority had set for her making her feel like it was yet another trial for her to overcome, her fingers teasing over the chest, the bounding bouncing thump-thump-thump of the music that came from the speakers keeping their conversation mostly on a platonic level…

Not that she would have wanted anything else, her tongue slickening her lips, as she leaned in, fingers tickling lightly. 

“How about you and I go to your dorm and see whether I can see some of your figurine collections, Farm Boy?”

He was drunk enough; her patience wasn’t infinite, so she would be moving this along, as he looked her over, giving a half-smile. 

“That’s my roommate’s, really. I don’t really collect those things. I’m-”

Her fingers pushed into the thick fabric of his hoodie as she raised an eyebrow. 

“Are you gay or something?”

He spluttered, nearly dropping his beer. 

“No?! Oh my god, she thinks I’m gay! Damn it, Saphron, I knew I should have done the gelled hair spike thing!”

He sounded frustrated with that, and she grinned, feeling a bit drunker and a bit more confident in her own ability to rile him up. 

‘Screw subtlety. I need to get a good reason for obtaining that necklace, and if I don’t act blunt, this virgin isn’t going to be giving me that necklace…’ 

“I was asking whether you’d like to go to your dorm room and shake some sheets, Farm Boy. Are you gay, or does your dick not work?”

She was blunt and to the point, a not-so-pleasant side of her, seeing the red glow spread over his cheeks as he blushed. 

“It works, it works- I’m- I just didn’t expect a pretty girl like you to-Mff!”

She just forced a kiss on him, grabbing his hoodie in her grip and tugging him up. 

“Come on, Farm Boy. I’ve lost patience, and you’ve got an acre to plough, Acre.”

Whatever his surname was, it definitely wasn’t ‘liquid’, because the guy was dense as fuck. She was already getting into that hot horny mood, simply from built-up frustration, toying with the blonde’s little world-view of being a naive simpleton…

‘Better hope that I can knock him out after a bit of hanky-panky… I bet he cums into his shorts when we get to the bed.’

She wasn’t unused to disappointment, and she was not going to suffer this moronic man any longer, as she gripped that hoodie tighter, dragging him along. She caught sight of her fellow pledge-mate sitting on the lap of the footballer, the guy looking down her shirt, obviously smashed, her fellow pledge-mate no doubt having an easier time, rather than this little farm boy…

‘No games to play, no interest…’ 

She might have been right when she’d voiced her opinion that he might be gay, as they walked out, her eyes glancing at him before letting his hoodie go. 

“Get yourself on the path towards the cow pen, Farm Boy. You’re a farmer, so you’d better lead me home so we can do stuff, because I’m not getting a frozen pussy out here.”

Outdoor sex was uncomfortable, bugs got everywhere and you couldn’t trust the guys not to make so much of a ruckus that you had to explain why someone’s baby batter was dripping down your thighs. 

‘Or the other things…’ 

Bad thoughts, her brow furrowing at the thoughts, trying to suppress that dark urge inside her, knowing that it was yet another moment where she would have to swallow things that she didn’t want to, feeling an awkward moment when she realized that there was a warm arm around her. 

“Hey, are you okay? You were making a scary face.”

She nearly punched him in the face for that comment, only gritting her teeth and giving him that sharp look that would cow any guy. 

“Nothing, just a memory of some really bad sex.”

She wasn’t a virgin by a long shot, nor was she shy and girly…

“If you’d rather not- I mean, alcohol is-”

She grabbed him by the collar, jerking that stupid face of his down, realising that, despite the two of them having sat down, he was the taller of the two of them, looking into his eyes. 

“Shut the fuck up and just walk to your dorm, open the door and let’s get this shit done, shall we? Fuck…”

She wasn’t going to quit the sorority, but this target that they had selected was the type that frustrated her the most. That stiff girl, Winter,  should’ve gotten this little blonde moron for her prey, and she could’ve just had a meaningless fuck, and-

Her phone buzzed, and she growled, actually growled, pulling it out of the bag that she kept with her at all times for her personal effects, her gaze running over the message, a number that she faintly recognized as belonging to the leader, Coco, opening it up. 

‘Remember, you need to take a picture, or it doesn’t count. Sneaking off with your prey’s talisman is not permitted. We are the huntresses, not the meek ones. Even a good huntress knows how to leave the prey coming back to graze.’

She knew that she would have to fuck. That much was implied. Virginity was optional here, and she was by no means a virgin. 

She was on the pill, anyways.

Nobody wanted to have like, a little accident. 

“If it’s important-”

She let go of his collar and then spat on the ground. 

“Just walk, Farm Boy. I’m not going to let you run off to little bitch boy danny or manuel or whatever you fucking ride the ass-crack of and go ‘oooh, this girl hit on me, I’m soooo gaaayyy’., your ass is mine.”

She fucking hated guys that looked good but who were gayer than the latest bitch called Homo Hemingway… or something. 

Who the hell was called Dick Bootygauge, right?

“Ah-okay.”

She smacked his butt and saw him jump, grinning at the reaction. 

“March it, Farm Boy. You’re not going to be getting any better pussy than mine anywhere else… and this is just casual, you know?”

She wouldn’t even shit on him if he was on fire. 

Who would love some loser guy that didn’t even know the perfume brands, right?

He felt pretty damn lucky, seeing the sexy woman enter the dorm room that he currently was occupying, his roommate, a pretty chill guy, save for the figurines that had been stacked to the side, Whoremammaries or something, he hadn’t really been listening, Cinder’s hand grabbing the zipper on her dress and then sliding it down. 

‘Holy guacamole.’ 

Pale skin, very pale skin, golden-hued eyes and dark hair, her head thrown over her shoulder as more and more of that skin was being exposed, soft feminine curves that would be illegal, if there hadn’t been an obvious ‘it’s legal’ from her, her lips painted red with lipstick, as she licked them again. 

“Stunned to see a beauty like me, Farm Boy?”

He could be called Bitch Bull Bastard or something by her and wouldn’t mind it one bit, knowing that it was not someone who could usually attract a woman like this. 

Not with those curves, the breasts that could make him wonder whether those were natural or not, the look in those eyes that had his senses screaming that this woman was not to be messed with…

And the fact that she’d just bluntly asked him whether he wanted to fuck her.

That was a thing that didn’t happen in his hometown, his eyes roving over the fleshy expanse that was being unveiled in front of him, seeing the beautiful features of her body expose themself in front of him, tongue licking over his own lips as he watched her, knowing that her beautiful body was something that would be with him for a night.

‘Not a girlfriend, though…’ 

He didn’t think that he could pull a girlfriend or anything, and she might be doing this as a dare or something… though he didn’t know whether he’d actually made anyone so upset with him that they’d send such a beautiful girl to fuck him. 

“You’re gorgeous.”

She turned, and the dress slid down, slipping onto the ground, the carpet having the dress draped onto it, her pussy covered only with a black lacy thong, something that would have been considered too risque for his sisters, and her eyes looking at him with that haughty, self-assured nature within them, tongue slowly stroking over her lips, eyes glinting, as she bared her teeth in what was almost a mimicry of a pouncing puma or something, Jaune swallowing, as her gaze roved over him. 

“You should definitely show me what you’ve got, Farm boy. I’m waiting.”

She was waiting indeed, Jaune feeling nervous, as she seemed to wait for him, her frustration visibly written on her face, as she impatiently tapped her foot. 

“Ah, sure-”

He lifted his hoodie, only to find her helping him, the smell of perfume in his nostrils, stronger than before, her hands helping tug his hoodie off, and then working on his shirt. 

“I don’t want to be too late. I’ve got things to do in the morning, after all.”

That was sensible, of course, she would have other things to do in the morning, and he felt his pants being loosened, the moment his shirt hit the ground, and she moved without waiting, trying to get his pants loose. 

‘Aww man, I hope she’s not disappointed in me.’ 

He was a bit nervous, because this was the first girl aside from his sisters that’d have seen him naked. His first time was going to be with a hot woman like this, and he hadn’t even gotten her surname yet. 

He’d forgotten to say his own surname, so that meant that they were even, but still, it made him feel a bit… off.

Not that it was a weird feeling of being off, this was university, after all, the place where everyone went to get smarter or something… so it made sense. 

He’d probably want to take over the farm when his father got too old, or maybe help one of his sisters with her own stuff…

He was a family man. 

That was true, and here he was, going to have sex with a girl who was sexually open, free and definitely not shy…

‘I think I like that.’ 

Not that it was a bad thing to take the lead, but for his first time… maybe an experienced girl was better. 

She knew what she liked, after all.

Cinder was done with waiting. After tugging the hoodie off and dumping it on the ground, she worked on his shirt, and saw the necklace. It was something that looked typically like some podunk, little shit-riddled Christian town would have, an etching in the cross that had been made from what she assumed to be silver, something with a birth name on it, some J. Arc or something, and she remembered how it was locked around the neck, her gaze drawn down to his pants, working on them. 

‘If he gets too drunk and passes out, it probably doesn’t count.’ 

She couldn’t stop herself, even if she looked for any kind of gut-

And was pleasantly surprised to find that he was actually very toned with his abdominals, a sign that he definitely worked out… or lived the farm lifestyle, no doubt shoveling cow shit or something into a cow shit pile and making cow shit farm stuff happen…

‘Not too bad.’ 

Could’ve been worse, in her mind, as she pulled the pants open and then tried to guess at what she would have to work with. 

“Is this thing getting hard, or are you too gay to function, Farm Boy?”

He wasn’t even-

‘If that is him hard, he’s got a micropenis or something.’ 

It was one solid little lump, something that looked like it would be small enough to-

‘Guess I’ll have to go and bear with it. Fucking steroid-abusing douchebags with their shriveled dicks…’ 

She didn’t want to go and have to-

“Oh, it’s actually pushed down a bit-”

She jerked his underwear down and felt like she was getting smacked in the face with a large sausage or something, pulling back instinctively, guarding her face, before she looked at what the hell had hit her in the face. 

‘What… the… fuck…’ 

She actually blinked twice, as she tried to gauge dimensions and size. Glancing very sneaking at her arm, currently still raised, and her fingers, and then at what stood there between his legs, her mouth feeling very dry as she swallowed, trying to make some sense of what she was looking at. 

“Ah- sorry, I usually fold it down a bit, it’s called tucking, and-”

She stared at that large hunk of flesh, saluting her. The foreskin hadn’t even peeled back yet, but she could already tell that the head was much bigger, and she briefly calculated circumference…

‘It’s like an arm. It’s like a fucking arm. It’s like a fucking arm…’ 

A girl’s arm, she had to admit, but…

A fucking footlong schlong. 

‘Okay, Farm Boy goes on the ‘repeat offenders’ list.’

“Great, I got dick-slapped by the guy that’s going to lose his virginity to me… Get on the bed, Farm Boy… I’ll get it nice and wet, so it’ll fit into me.”

She definitely hadn’t had a man this big inside her, so she needed to lubricate him up a bit. 

Fingers gripped the base of that shaft, the lightbulb in the room, she could tell, casting a shadow on her, as she felt that hot hard shaft in her grip. 

Pulsing veins, that pale flesh marred only by those veins that showed through the flesh, a cock that had her staring at it and wonder briefly whether the guy was a Faunus or not… before dismissing that thought. 

Her gaze lowered a little, seeing a set of balls. Testicles. Cum factories, if she had to be crude, which she felt like, two heavy orbs that were captured within a wrinkly sack, full of cum, that sex-hungry beast that currently had his dick being stroked by her, no doubt being equipped, loaded for boar or something…

And definitely, she was trying to think about how she’d fuck him. 

‘It would fit…’ 

It had to fit. 

He was going in the book of booty calls, if he was any good. Just shoving a pole into a hole wasn’t good…

But she definitely felt a little better about getting him as her prey for this stupid hazing. 

‘It’s for the whole sorority status…’ 

Salem had told her that joining the sorority would allow her greater connections, so she would have to grin and bear it… but this guy definitely could be a booty call, once she was established. 

‘Thank god for birth control.’ 

She slipped her lips around the head, tasting the cock for the first time, trying to keep her face a sultry seductive siren’s stare, as she tasted the undeniable taste of a man, the pheromones and more mingling with that smell that wasn’t fully-

Okay, she might not like giving head all that much, but it was what was expected. She was more a fucker than a sucker, but it was what would be the thing that’d bring herr the best results, making his cockhead wet enough, pulling her jaw open and then gobbling up more of his cock, hands gripping her head, tangling in her dark mane of hair, her throat clenching, trying to get the ghosts of the past to stop coming out, gagging on that cock as she almost threw up, not wanting to think about it, as she pushed herself down deeper on that cock, her throat wrapping around that manhood, half of that pole in her mouth, but not further than her gag reflex would allow, as she tried to massage him, tasting the dregs of pre-cum that splattered onto her tongue, throat moistened by the flavor of precum, as she felt him squirt.

It was obvious that he was just eagerly and excitedly awaiting what she could give him, but his cock seemed to not be getting any harder, or bigger-

It grew bigger. 

“Cinder, oh- Oh holy Mary, mother of Jesus!”

His balls were nice and plump, full of the hot spunk that he no doubt was brewing within, fondling them lightly, like stress balls wrapped within soft, leathery flesh, her head feeling lightheaded at the gagging that she did, tasting more of that cock, letting her body enjoy the mouth-feel of that manhood, before she pulled her lips back, panting like some dog in heat… or in the heat, as she looked up at him. 

“That ought to get you wet enough… Don’t think that you’re anything special, Farm Boy.”

She felt his hands let go of her hair, the throbbing cock that stood erect making her wonder whether it would be best to just let him have his way with her on her back…

‘No, that would give him too much power.’ 

She wasn’t a loose-pussied slut, but he was big. 

Bigger than she’d seen before. 

“You’re breathtaking.”

She gave him the middle finger. 

“Say that to my face again after you nearly choke me out with that dick, you douchebag. I’m not- Farm Boy, lie down on that bed, I’m not getting you to give me muscle sprains by letting you be on top of me. I’m in charge and I can walk my ass out of here with just a little ‘too-de-loo’ or whatever they call it. I’m taking that virginity, or else you can go and be a faggot ass-fucker for all I care, you’re not getting anything more. Hump a fucking sock, if you want, get on that bed and I’ll fuck you. I’m done with this shit.”

He was obedient enough and Cinder actually felt a little hint of trepidation, as that thing stood up still, and she got onto the bed. 

‘Should fit… It should fit in, right?’ 

She wasn’t usually this nervous, but she didn’t expect this farm yokel to be equipped for ploughing the field. 

“Thank you, Cinder-”

Her finger pressed to his lips, and she decided that she’d better be quick, because mushy-mushy shit made her feel sick. 

“This is just a fuck, not a damn ‘oh, I fucking love you, I wanna be with you, oooh-gaaahhh’ moment, Farm Boy. If you want that sort of shit, go and ask your sister or something for your daily blowjob, you inbred dirt farmer.”

‘She told me that it was a bad habit to insult… but I don’t feel like patience is a virtue anymore.’ 

She was a lot less controlled than Salem, the mother that she’d see as her real mother, rather than her sisters, who’d been similarly adopted. 

Cinder held no love for those two bitches. 

“But-”

She tapped his nose. 

“The boy who shuts the fuck up, gets fucked, Farm boy. I can strut my butt out of here and leave you blue-balled, or I can do the nice thing and fuck that little shrimp dick of yours. No fucking kissing either. This isn’t lovey-dovey sex shit you see in your gay faggot dramas.”

She resorted to insults, because she didn’t do feelings. 

“Yes, ma’am.”

‘Fucking farm boy…’ 

The things she did for power…

He was off the list. 

Dick aside, she didn’t need some weak-ass bitch that would cry about her pussy being so damn good.

Her body would thank her for that, as she got on top of him, rubbing her pussy against that big cock, feeling the head be damp with that slimy precum, the feeling of heat against her pussy lips making her feel like this was a bad idea, as she thrust her hips down. 

‘Oh!’

It was big. It was thick. It was the feeling of him sliding into her and her eyes going wide at the feeling of his cock sliding in deeply, her body halting, only a faint blush on her face, before she slid down further.

‘Oh!!!’

She wasn’t panting. She wasn’t enjoying this. That large hard cock pushed deep into her, leaving not a single millimeter of her pussy unstimulated, the veins that had criss-crossed over that massive meaty cock almost like a dildo, shoving in deeper with her hips thrusting down, twisting-

“Motherfucking bastard, you better not- ugh… ugh… fuck.”

He looked at her in awe, that awestruck expression weak, as she gritted her teeth and-

Pop.

His large member was now inside her womb. She could feel it penetrating her cervix, letting her feel that massive cock slipping in deeper, her whole body feeling like it was floating, trying to push herself down harder, and then finally gave up. 

There was still a little bit that kept her from fully impaling herself onto the cock, feeling that thick slab of dickmeat pushing against her, her eyes closed tight, as she forced herself to-

‘Ohhh….’ 

She was making sounds that she had never made for another man, as her pussy was on fire, stretched by that massive cock, her eyes opening and finding that she was going to be-

Strong arm wrapping around her neck, pulling her in, face to face with him, and feeling how he pushed himself up into her, eyes rolling back as she came, pussy squirting as his cock slid in deeper, letting her feel how full she got stuffed, mouth opened in a wordless, primal sound, as she felt like her life was swiftly zooming past her, as she looked into blue eyes, his arm holding her pinned to his chest, and light thrusts butted that cockhead into her womb. 

‘He’s-’ 

“I’m going to come, Cinder. You’re- You’re- Oh.”

She didn’t know when, but his mouth was against hers, as she felt the streams of white, warm sperm blast right into the depths of her body, a warm tingly feeling shooting through her with every single rope of sperm that blasted deep into her, her tongue dueling with his tongue, as she could feel those massive balls blasting the seed right into her depths, eyes unfocused, as she felt her pussy squirt, mixing cum and her own juices, drooling over his balls, gasping when their lip lock broke, and she swelled with heat inside her body, as she pulled back, spluttering. 

‘He kissed me! Damn it!’ 

She didn’t-

She looked at her belly, a thick tube of flesh there, small pumps of cum still oozing into her jam-packed womb, her cock-taking hole feeling very stuffed. 

“That-”

Her head was pressed down against his chest as his hand pressed the back of her head. It made her pussy feel even wetter, as she smelled the sweat, the smell of sex, her body tingling, as she felt the cum leaking out around that softening cock.

“You were… woah. Amazing.”

He grew a little harder. Cinder made an incredulous sound, as she felt both turned on as well as annoyed by the fact that he was getting hard again, her body twisting a little, trying to get off his cock, and rolling onto her back, her head turning to look at his cock…

Which was currently growing flaccid, hitting her side with a ‘splat’ sound, the smell of cum thick in the room, as she felt a little lost for words.

“Hah… Oh… Oh, that was great. D-Did it feel great for you as well?”

She wasn’t going to deign that with a response. Her voice probably was shaky, quivering, not…

‘Okay, goals…’ 

That thing was getting hard again. 

The thick shaft that was already swelling up there, the sight of it making everything feel like it had been just as intended, feeling his large hand rub over her side, touching her-

‘It’s just for entering the sorority… Just for entering the sorority… Get the necklace, make him swear to not say a word…’

Her hand wrapped around that cock and her fingers squeezed, slick with juices, jerking him. 

“I’m sure you can get hard again, Farm Boy.”

It was big in her hands. Bigger than she’d thought it would be. Her mouth felt dry, as she jerked a little faster, getting him hard again, knowing that this was probably too much to do for the guy, but feeling charitable for a moment, knowing that he’d be the type of simple farm fool that’d-

‘I’m not horny, I’m just…’ 

She had to tire him out a bit…

Fingers sliding over that slick dick, gliding over the pale hard shaft, as she scooted back a little, between his legs, looking up at him, before she spat on that dick and then used her spit to lube him up more, before she licked her lips. 

“You’re new to this kind of thing, so I’ll take good care of this big hard cock… Consider yourself lucky that I don’t like leaving a sad puppy like you all pent up like this.”

He was a fucking beast, she had to admit to herself, with how engorged that cock of his was with the veins bulging, the balls almost like two stress-balls captured within a little bag, and her eyes looking up and down, trying to gauge whether she would take the plunge and actually be the one getting on her back to let him take her missionary-style…

‘Doggy style isn’t good…’ 

She was not going to tear her asshole open with that dick slamming into her and the guy deciding that anal was an option. 

‘Not going to happen…’ 

“I’m- You’re-”

She was too good for him.

“Just take it as a drunken mistake, you little asshole”

She had to get that necklace.. She had to get that necklace. 

Her hand grabbed the necklace and then turned it, grabbing the little clasp that kept it locked to his neck and then tugging it off, tossing it onto her dress. 

“Let’s not get your throat choked off like some little farm bitch caught in a snare, boy… I’m going to ride you like a fucking cowboy bitch… Cow-bitch, heh.”

She’d seen some cow Faunus at class a few weeks ago, so it was not too bad…

‘Fuck… I think I actually might like it if he got a cowboy hat on and just told me to bend over…’ 

Curses, she was getting distracted. 

“Ah- We don’t really-”

She lightly tapped his nose. 

“Shut up. I’m thinking about fucking your brains out because I’m drunk, don’t let me get sober and decide to leave this dick hanging.”

As if she would. It was so thick that it would put many a dildo to shame, and left her to wonder if this couldn’t become a regular thing…

‘Damn it… I wouldn’t have to hang around the guy if he hadn’t been a target and yet, it feels so fucking good.’ 

It was one thing when the dick was long, she had experience with that, but thickness and length? Girthy cocks that stroked every inch of her pussy were rare, and if he worked on his clothes a bit…

‘Fucking honest bastard…’ 

It stood hard and erect. 

“Yes, ma’am.”

He was polite, a smile curling her lips, as she got up, and rubbed her pussy lips against his cock again.

“That’s the spirit, Farm Boy… No fucking kissing this time, okay? We’re not dating.”

Five minutes later, with his dick buried to the root inside her, she was tongue-fucking his mouth-hole, just feeling how he let her pussy stretch around that cock of his, muffling her own squeaks and indecent sounds with just a feverish kissing assault, knowing that she would-

‘Yes, yes, yes, yes, fucking yes… oh God fucking yesssss!’ 

She came again, on that thick hard dick, taking a moment to take a deep breath, sweat dripping from her forehead, down onto him, eyesight blurry, as she tried to form words, finding that there were none forthcoming, her whole body trembling, as she fought for breath, wanting-

‘If he fucking grabs my head and-’ 

Fuck. 

He was just a farm boy, not some guy that’d help her with her status, but here he was-

‘You don’t have to do this, Cinder. You know what Salem said.’ 

She should be rational. 

“Fucking cum inside me, you motherfucking farm bitch, fuck me like you fuck your sisters and your damn inbred momma!”

He grew even bigger inside her, as she grabbed his face and then pressed her lips against his, feeling herself ascend to heaven for a moment as a cataclysm of cum seemed to flush out of her system, her whole nervous system firing off on all cylinders, as she came, feeling that hard rod inside her depths pulse and throb, not quite ready to get off again, and when she felt him finally reach that peak, it was a low, guttural sound that came from his throat, as he came inside of her. 

He was out cold, though, her hand going for her phone, grabbing it and then checking the app, before selecting the leader’s name, and then grabbing the picture app, snapping a picture of her, on top of the guy, obviously buck naked, and then sending it. 

‘Mission completed. Back tomorrow morning.’

It was just a stupid little fling… He got off, she got off, it would all be water under the bridge. 

It was what she told herself.

“Welcome, sister! Let’s all have fun!”

The cheerful way that she was greeted, handing over the necklace, something very Christian of sorts, Coco taking it and holding it up, before shrugging and tossing it into a little box, where several other items laid. 

“Alright, that’s a lame one… But I guess we can’t have that much luck with cool necklaces. Remember, the pregnancy test is on the fifteenth, Sister Cinder. Welcome to Upsilon Gamma Lambda Ypsilon, sister!”

The hug was nice, Cinder supposed, but right now, the cum was leaking through her underwear, with how improvised she’d managed to book her escape from that room, having scrambled for the dress when that roommate came in, and had started to lay into Jaune for bringing a ‘strumpet’ into the dorm room. 

‘Wasn’t any of my business…’ 

She checked her phone, putting the test in next, a notification for her own health checkup on the first.

‘That’s about two weeks before…’ 

She wouldn’t get kicked out of her own sorority by being irresponsible, after all. She had plenty of time to get used to this lifestyle. 

Jaune groaned, trying to box things up. To say that his roommate had not been happy to see him in the morning was an understatement. Cinder had managed to get out of the dorm room unscathed, but the volume of his roommate was rising, and he definitely was getting kicked out. 

‘No girls over at night…’ 

Well, that had been the lease that he’d signed, he’d have to find another place to stay at, hopefully a place where he could…

‘Damn, I can’t find my necklace…’ 

Cinder had tugged it off after she probably had something snag on it, the whole thing being more of a gift from his auntie for being the first boy born, and his mother had said that it was kind of like a good luck charm, but still…

‘I think she threw it on her dress…’ 

“... out, out! Why would you even be with a slut like that, when there was a perfectly good man for you?!”

‘Well…’ 

He definitely should move out.

Cinder sat there, numb and unblinking.

“Miss Fall?”

She stared at her results, not quite prepared for them. 

‘No, no, that can’t be… that can’t be- oh- oh no, that can’t be.’ 

She had been using birth control, religiously. It was like, a religion, one pill before dinner, because she always-

“Miss Fall? Are you alright?”

She was pregnant. 

‘I can’t get pregnant, I- I can’t be pregnant-’ 

She hadn’t had sex for a week! 

Not after she had been with that blonde farm boy, she could’ve had a fling with some guy that looked hot enough, the other sorority sisters having had their fun with her. She’d been a little sick for the few days afterwards, after getting dicked deep by the Farm Boy.

“This is… news.”

She looked at the readout, the doctor that had done the bloodwork and lab testing giving her an understanding smile. 

“Of course, a pregnancy is a big thing. It was lucky that we caught it, due to the heightened levels of pregnancy hormones and a recent chemical flush.”

‘Chemical flush?’ 

Her face must’ve shown something, as the doctor seemed to understand. 

“Semen sometimes remains in the womb for a few days, able to impregnate an ovum- An egg, when ovulation occurs. Did you forget to take your birth control?”

She was-

‘I didn’t forget. I didn’t forget.’ 

She got her backup strip of pills, when the ones that she’d popped the day before the hazing ritual had been gone, and she knew that she should have enough for the rest of the month…

‘We’re going to have to do-’

Flush. The word sounded hollow, as she thought back to everything. 

‘Okay, did I get drugged? Did my sense of timing go off? Did I have time to take it?’ 

She didn’t have time to forget, and she felt very slightly panicked right now, knowing that she had to-

‘It’s his kid. It’s his baby.’ 

Blue eyes, blonde hair, killer dick…

“That chemical flush… I remember being a little sick for a few days.”

If it had flushed the pills out of her system, then she might’ve gotten pregnant…

“It is something that some women use to drive off the side-effects of oral contraceptives to purge the system clean for surgery, Miss Fall. Not something to take lightly, but it is good for making sure that ovulation occurs, due to the chemical markers that induce…”

She had tuned out, and she got up, taking a deep sigh and then nodding.

“I’ll deal with this when I can deal with this, doctor. I… I need to think. No need to inform my mother of this.”

She walked out of the clinic like a zombie, finding herself back at the sorority house, entering her rooms, almost bumping into the dorm lady, who was technically the owner, an alumnus of the sorority, the woman smiling lightly. 

“Careful, dearie… You’d better take a rest, you look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

She was pregnant. 

She was pregnant…

She sat down on her bed and patted her stomach. 

‘Pills!’ 

She went for the pills and then opened the strip, seeing the pills there, and then turned it over. 

‘Okay, that’s the brand I use, and-’ 

She turned it over, noticing the very tiny lettering. 

‘Wait…’ 

A dawning horror came to her, as she realized that these were not her birth control pills. These definitely weren’t her birth control pills, because they didn’t have the number on it. She remembered the feeling of the number against her tongue, every time she took a pill and these were-

‘There’s no numbering. Someone tampered with my pills!’

She popped one of the pills out, and looked at it, featureless pill laying there in the palm of her hand, grabbing a bottle of water and then taking it. 

‘There’s a reasonable explanation for this. There has to be a reasonable explanation for this.’ 

She didn’t let others into the room that she had managed to get thanks to a bit of careful politicking and ingratiating, the other bed that was there being unfilled as of yet, and there would have been no need for anyone to pry into her personal affairs…

‘This is going to be rough…’ 

Pregnant.

She was pregnant. 

She could kiss the sorority goodbye…

‘It’s the first of the month, isn’t it?’ 

Cold ration asserted itself, as she straightened her shoulders and then grabbed her phone. 

She glanced at the necklace, currently still hung from one of the pins on the wall, meaning to return it to the blonde, if she ran into him somewhere, but right now, it was not to be the case. Her classes were mostly in the morning, and he must have them in the afternoon, or at least, in different buildings. 

‘Do we have to deal with this…’ 

She didn’t know, but she needed to deal with this. 

“Hello? I’d like to schedule an appointment.”

Jaune groaned, seeing how his luck had turned, having been removed from the dormitory, and being unceremoniously kicked out due to being with ‘a hot lady’, who had disappeared, having to spend time with his sister and her wife. 

Not that it wasn’t good to have time with your family, but she’d given him that grin and then asked where the necklace was… and he’d fibbed and said that it was somewhere nice and safe, without even knowing anything. 

Right now, he was going to get a sandwich and-

A flash of dark hair and a black dress, something that looked pretty suited for a funeral or something, came to the edge of his vision and he saw her, striding confidently, her expression so cool that seeing it by daylight made his heartbeat a little faster, turning around in the line and pushing past her. 

‘Alright, you’re going to track her down and ask her whether she’s seen it…’ 

It was just a stupid necklace, replaceable, but still…

It was the reason he could talk with a smoking hot babe like that. 

“Hey- Cinder?! Cinder!”

Her head turned and he could see those golden eyes narrow, gaze directed to him with that faint hint of scorn or something else in her eyes, stopping at least, letting him catch up. 

“Hey, eh… I kind of eh, lost my necklace, it might’ve gotten pinned into your dress or something and- and I’d like to get it back, Cinder.”

Her eyes looked at him, making him shudder at the gaze that it directed to him, before her voice, thick with emotion, spoke. 

“I have it in my room… Could you come to the sorority house tonight at… maybe eight? I am on my way to an… appointment.”

He smiled at her, feeling relieved. 

“Thank you so much. I… Thank you, Cinder. You’re an amazing person.”

She looked all choked up, her eyes slits, as she breathed heavily. 

“Just be there, okay? I’ll- If I can’t give it to you myself, I’ll have someone else hand it to you.”

He smiled, feeling very relieved at the good nature that she had, telling him that she’d hand it over to him. 

“Okay, I’ll be there around eight, maybe. You take good care of yourself, okay? I’d… You’re amazing.”

Her expression looked very scary, her voice a little choked, maybe due to emotion, or maybe due to her anger. 

“Just… I’ll see you later. I really can’t be late for my appointment, Farm Boy.”

Things would be alright. 

Things weren’t alright. Things were not alright and she almost broke, looking at that honest face that looked at her, unaware of her going towards the clinic to get his child sucked out of her, feeling sick to her stomach, which was not related to the pregnancy. 

‘You can do this, you can do this…’ 

A little flash of what might have been… what could have been. He was a simpleton, too honest, stupid…

‘Don’t grow a conscience now, Cinder… You’re a survivor. You’re a survivor…’ 

He’d never need to know. It was just a hookup, something for her future…

“Miss Fall? Don’t worry, we’ll have you prepared for the procedure in no time.”

“Ah… yes. Thank you for the quick… appointment.”

That fool might have-

‘You’re ice cold. You’re ice cold. You’re ice cold, you’ve been through worse… You’ve been through worse, Cinder Ella Fall…’ 

She staggered out of the clinic, making her way back with a taxi, and then got herself into bed. The clerk had said that there would be an appointment made for a check-up later, but she barely heard it.

A knocking on her door woke her up, and she got out of bed, wincing at the pain that she felt from the procedure. 

‘It’s just for the future. It’s for the future… It’s for the future, for the connections…’ 

She wasn’t a mother. She would not be a mother. 

She would never be a mother. 

She would be strong, she would be independent…

She would be…

“Cinder? There’s a guy standing in front of the house, he says that you told him to meet you there… He looks like a dork.”

She straightened, giving a moment to find her voice. 

“Yes, it’s the guy from pledge night, sister… I’ve got to give him that stupid necklace back. Give me a minute, I need to freshen up. We can’t dress like slobs when we are out in public, after all.”

She splashed some water on her face in the bathroom, looking at her face, the sunken, hollow eyes, the expression that looked… scared. 

‘You’re cold as ice, you’re cold as ice… Nothing can crack that ice, because you’ve been through worse. It’s just a clump of cells, just… Just a bit of a removal…’ 

She made sure to look as beautiful as she could, before she made the trip down, finding him there, looking like some sort of zoo animal that had escaped, several of her sisters talking… or rather, chatting with him, putting a smile on her face. 

“Ahh, Mister… Whatever your surname was, I believe that you will want this?”

Her eyes caught the inscription on the back as she held it out, the blonde guy taking it and then putting it around his neck, giving a sheepish sigh. 

“Could you fasten it for me?”

She did, wordless, breathless, as she couldn’t-

“And it’s done… I think that concludes our business, Farm Boy.”

Her voice was steadier than she felt, as she smelled that scent, faint cologne mixing with body odour, her body twitching, as she felt her lower body clench, pain shooting through her body, as she gasped, trying to keep herself steady. 

“Yeah… I guess you’ve been a godsend, huh? Thanks so much for bringing it back, it was a gift from my aunt, she’s… well, she’s had her struggles in life, so she wanted to pass it on to me. Only nephew that she has, so… Ah, I’m not bothering you, am I?”

One of her sisters from the sorority beat her to the punch. 

“Beat it, bitch! She’s not interested!”

Cinder didn’t know, she just didn’t know…

“Ah, yeah, I guess… Thanks so much for giving it back to me, Cinder. Have a great day- eh, night… See you?”

She kept herself together. 

“Yes… Maybe. Who knows, hmm?”

She made it to her bathroom just in time, before she threw up, letting everything in her stomach gush out, holding the porcelain and just letting it all splatter all over the toiletbowl, her body throbbing with pain, as those words came again, as more bile and vomit came out, her already empty stomach churning with vile acids, as she puked. 

She made her way back to her bed, after nothing came out anymore, rinsing her mouth out and laying onto the bed, looking up at the ceiling. 

‘It was the right thing to do. It was the right thing to do. I… I did the right thing. They told me that it was the right thing… I did the right thing… I can’t have a baby now, I’ll be ugly…’ 

Tears drifted down her cheeks like the act that she had committed upon herself, the pain still present in her belly, as she tried to reason with herself.

‘It has all been for the best. It was the best option… It was the best option, because he didn’t want a baby. Yes, yes… that’s right. It was just a fling. It was just a fling and it was great sex…’ 

She drifted off.

Jaune sat down on the couch, his sister’s wife currently busy with screaming into her phone, a high-pitched string of Indian words being vomited out, with the one receiving them being similarly loud, and the fact that her mother probably was deaf was a thing… because he hadn’t met the woman. Sure, Terra and him had been in pictures together, when she’d draped herself over him and acted all cutesy, whilst Saphron was around, but that was just how she did things. 

“She’s learning to deal with her mother… Oh, you’ve got Auntie’s necklace back, I see… So… How’d you lose it, huh?”

Saphron, ever the bothering sister, sat herself down next to him, leaning against him, toying with the necklace’s chain, made from silver, his aunt probably having decided that he’d need some holy silver to bless him in life. 

“Just… eh, lost it in my former roommate’s room.”

He wasn’t going to admit to having lost it after getting his first time taken by a beautiful young woman that was a bit older than him. 

“Really? Didn’t you lose it to a giiiiirl?”

She was being a bother, as usually was the case. Once she’d gone to university, she’d just came out as gay, got a girlfriend, decided to study Lesbian Dance Theory with a minor in secretarial work, and right now was gainfully employed as a secretary for some company, with Terra being the systems engineer working a Defense contract, allegedly. 

“You know me… I’m-”

She poked his cheek. 

“I know you, Jaune. Did a girl nick the necklace?”

It wasn’t exactly stealing, it’d been more like, it’d gotten tangled in her dress. She wouldn’t steal a necklace like that, of course not.

“Oh, eh… It got caught up in a dress, and I got it back. You know, back when-”

Saphron waved her hands.

“No, no, Jaune, we’re not getting back to that thing…”

No need to pull that old cow out of the fridge, then. 

“Just… I went to a party, girl and I talked, the necklace got loose and it landed in her dress. She returned it earlier today.”

Saphron gave that patented ‘you’re talking shit, boy’ look, as she crossed her arms underneath her breasts, humble, in comparison to Cinder. 

“Are you sure that there wasn’t any hanky-panky, mister? I’m-”

Terra interrupted. 

“He got kicked out of his dorm for bringing a girl over, Saph. If he got laid, that’s none of your business.”

Saphron pouted.

“But I wanna know!”

Terra looked at him, giving a smirk. 

“But if she’s hot and into girls, bring her over. Saphron likes threesomes.”

Jaune really doubted that. 

“Not the type to go for girls, I reckon… I mean, she said that it was just a drunken thing.”

Saphron’s ‘eeeehhhhh!’ grew louder than an air raid siren.

“YOU GOT LAAAIIIID?!”

That he had.

“No, Saphron, I was suppressing my urges for Terra all this time, but you caught me. I hired a hooker to pretend she’s Terra and then blow her back out, whoop-tee-doo…”

The sarcasm was so thick that you could cut it and use it as bread, probably. 

“Come on, come on… Tell me what she looked like, come on! I wanna know! The Ugly Social is in three months, I can’t wait to hear about the new members’ fun times!”

Terra’s sober voice cut through Saphron’s pleading. 

“Yes, you can, Saphron… It’s just a social event for all Alumna… Don’t worry about my little Saffran stick, Jaune. If she bothers you, she goes into the naughty corner.”

He didn’t think it would be that bad. 

“It’s fine… It was just a… I guess we both got a little drunk.”

He looked at the back of the cross that he had hanging around his neck, the letters etched into the back being something fairly traditional, smiling a little as he read it. 

Forgive, and you will be forgiven.

He’d forgive her for being a little rough with him, because Cinder was a pretty hot babe… and it’d been great.

He could forgive her for being a little brusque.

A gentle brush over her body from a large hand, and her hands holding the little bundle of joy, turning her head to see the proud blonde giving her that warm smile that had her almost glowing with happiness, feeling how the warmth suffused her, as she could hear his voice soothe her. 

She didn’t know why, but she felt a little airy, her body trembling as she felt the little bundle of joy in her hands shift a little, as she lightly played with that cute little face, her gaze meeting the man that had won her heart, happiness and understanding. 

“I love you, Cinder.”

Her voice was quiet, responding in kind. 

“Love you too, Farm Boy.”

She turned her gaze back to her child.

A skull stared back at her, and her body felt cold. 

“You killed me, Mama.”

The joy that she had felt before faded into ashes, cinders turning to embers and then to mere chilled ashes, the swaddled child- the skeleton, staring at her, as she felt cold. 

A cold breeze caressed her body, as she felt her body almost retch, the child in her arms staring at her, empty eye sockets accusing her of the death that she had caused by going to that appointment, Cinder feeling like she was being smothered, weight resting on her, as she could hear the cry of a child, its voice asking her once more.

“Why did you kill me?”

Cinder sat up straight, her breath racing, realizing that she was wrapped in her sheets, pain was flashing through her groin, realizing that she was bleeding from her vagina, her body pained, as she remembered what she’d heard at the clinic.

‘It’s bleeding… The bleeding continues for a few days, if I have to…’ 

She got to the bathroom, letting it all bleed out, trying to focus on the things that mattered, knowing how it felt to be on the toilet, alone and in pain.

‘I… I killed it.’ 

She threw up again. 

It didn’t feel good. It didn’t feel good at all.

“Sisters, it’s time for the test!”

Cinder barely listened, still feeling slightly dazed, her body still recovering from the procedure, the bleeding having stopped, thankfully. It wasn’t going to stop, as the pain had faded, her life feeling muted, as she kept on having the dreams. 

She’d taken to taking sleeping pills, enough to go blacked out, dead asleep.

She took the pregnancy test and peed on it in the bathroom. 

There was no indicator of pregnancy. 

She handed it to Coco, before getting back into the group, hearing the faint murmurs. Several of the group looked unconcerned, unbothered, talking very quietly among themselves, and Cinder could see Winter coming out of the bathroom, her expression looking like freshly fallen snow, as she handed the test to Coco, more mechanical in her motions than anything natural. 

“And it seems that we have an expectant mother! Sisters, wish her a good and happy life!”

Cinder realized that it could very well have been her, leaving the sorority. Winter sounded defeated, as the cheers for her to leave came from the other sisters, the feeling of alienation rippling through her, as her eyes went to Coco, who was the leader, with her fellow vice-leaders, justified in banishing Winter from their sorority. 

“Life brings challenges, and a huntress of Artemis is never caught by a man! We are the huntresses of Artemis and no mother shall be among us!”

‘Yes, I’d imagine that it would be-’

Cinder’s blood ran cold. Her eyes looked at the faces that were arranged around her. The group dynamics were important, they kept her alive during her early years, and she knew still how to anticipate the shifts in people. 

“Unfortunately, those are the rules, even if you are a child of a sister of our flock, Winter. Pregnancy is the end, since you cannot be a member after becoming with child. We are the huntresses of Artemis, the maiden goddess.”

Coco’s voice was almost regretful, but Cinder could sense that there was something almost gleeful about it, her eyes glancing to the other members that had been a part of their pledge, making out the lack of concern in those that were ‘alternative’, their own little talisman retrieval missions no doubt not having had them come into contact with men… or not making it count too much. 

‘In-group preference… Salem said that it is one of the ways that the people control and police each other.’ 

Not to be outdone by the others, she filed it away, Winter leaving with her head hung low, Cinder putting on a smile, but inside, raging like a storm. 

‘The hormone would flush out of the system… It’s fifteen days since I had the procedure, so it doesn’t show…’ 

She breathed out, letting it simmer in her mind, letting her attention go to the feeling that she had, her mind starting to make it all up, simply from inference. 

She sat at the counter in their little personal relaxation space, a soda in front of her, when she spotted one of the new girls, part of the ‘regular’ part, getting up with her drink and then joining them. 

“Hello, sister…”

She drew a blank, but the helpful ‘Maria’ came from her, so Cinder continued. 

“We’ve made it through the hazing, didn’t we? What did you have to get?”

Maria was a trove of information, hearing from her that it was supposed to be a button from someone’s jacket, and the gushing ‘oh, we made out’ that she got from Maria was just enough to confirm her suspicions. 

Sex, especially when you had the ‘security’ of birth control, was not something that was shirked, but pregnancy was guaranteed to put you out of the sorority. 

‘That rules out accidents…’ 

She caught the president and her girlfriend just as they were making their way out, giving a smile. 

“Hey, Prez, I just wanted to thank you for your help.”

It was ingratiating behaviour, Coco lowering her glasses just a little, looking her over, a smile on her lips. 

“Looks like you dodged a bullet, Cinder. Winter flunked out… and will have to deal with the baby in her own way. That’s the rules, though.”

Cinder nodded, feigning relief. 

“Oh, I was absolutely terrified… Drawing that blonde dweeb was something that I didn’t really… You know? Who’d ever go for someone like that, right?”

Coco snorted. 

“Hey, don’t hate the players, an Alumna suggested them as a perfect target. You know us, we’ve got to do what the Alumni tell us to, if we want to keep funding going solid for the year.”

Cinder’s faint smile was enough, laughing conspiratorially. 

“He was horrible. Just a few little things, and then actually having sex… Disgusting, don’t you agree?”

She had killed his baby. She had killed her baby. 

Anger was like a burning and raging fire inside her, no longer kept to cinders, but rather to a burning and raging torrent of heat and flame, as Coco laughed. 

“Oh, I’m not for the guys. Since I got instated as the President, we’ve had a few girls flunk out, the world’s a weird place nowadays… But I’m glad that you got through. Say, do you want to go and drink with us? There’s a spot at the bar, if you’d-”

Velvet smacked her girlfriend, pouting. 

“Coco, you’re hitting on a girl again… Let’s go, let’s go…”

The president was dragged away and Cinder was left, looking at the two of them, sipping her drink and then making her way towards the dorm mother’s office, knocking on the door twice and then hearing the quiet ‘come in’, seeing the woman currently sitting in her comfortable chair, a cup of tea in her hand, her kitty ears perking up, as the older woman smiled. 

“Ahh, Cinder… Welcome, take a seat, take a seat… What can I help you with?”

Cinder’s smile was polite, sitting down, a cup of tea poured for her by the Faunus woman, who looked very comfortable in the kimono-like garb that she preferred to wear, at whatever season she found herself in. Her daughter wasn’t very much better, Cinder noted, but she wasn’t here to chit-chat. 

“Hello, Miss Kali… I’ve got a few questions about the rituals… Was the whole grab box with the details of what we had to get there in your time?”

The woman laughed softly. 

“Oh, sweetheart, we just had to draw paper from a hat. I had to fetch a tie… And we all knew who had a crush on who, so when my Ghira was the target… Did you have a nice boy that you got matched up with?”

Cinder closed her eyes, before she gave a smile that didn’t reach her eyes, acting like the perfect girl. 

“Oh, he was kind of… Different than expected. I think the president may have given us a harder task than expected, the LGB people got a separate box, after all.”

The woman laughed. 

“Times change, Cinder. I remember back in the day when we allowed boys in the dorm… Oh, it was fun, but ever since the last… why, maybe the last eight years, it’s been a little more…”

The woman seemed to struggle to find a word for it. 

“Diverse. My daughter is a part of the… community, after all. We… we can’t judge them for feeling about the same gender for… for reasons, of course. Not that I’m a bigot, but…”

Cinder offered a smile that she didn’t feel, her hand patting the older woman’s. 

“Don’t worry about it, Miss Kali. I’m… I’m sure things will be fine. I’ve had sex before, so…”

The woman’s ears perked up, as she leaned forward. 

“Was he good? Oh, oh… Don’t tell me, don’t tell me… Just show me that face, when you think of him.”

She thought back to that moment, and remembered the little details…

“Oh… That’s very good. You’re glowing, Cinder. Didn’t things work out?”

She lowered her gaze, before responding. It was best not to meet people’s eyes when you were lying, because they could tell. 

“He was… not exactly the type I would go for. Not…”

‘I killed his baby. I killed our baby.’

“Not precisely the guy that I’d like to hang around.”

The woman’s eyes were warm, as she felt a hug. 

“Oh, dearie me… You’re crying. Do you want a tissue?”

She nodded. 

“Yes, please.”

She definitely shouldn’t have messed this up, of course not, as she dabbed at her eyes. 

“So… Are you going to ask him out? Usually, the president picks the best type for you, and if it works… a huntress bags her prey. It’s- ahh, it’s not really all that… good, you know, not with the… girl on girl thing, but…”

Cinder’s small watery smile was enough, as she breathed in a little deeper, and then sighed. 

“Just… incompatible, beliefs-wise. You know… people can look one way on the outside, they can just… just be horrible people on the inside.”

She was being more honest than she’d have liked to, but the woman was someone who managed to draw you in with her warmth and personable nature, likely why she was the one who had been selected to be the dorm mother slash manager. 

“I’m sure that you’ll be wiser in the future, Cinder. There’s always a new sunrise, you know?”

It might be.

“Maybe… Maybe I’ll rise from the ashes, like a phoenix.”

She was a survivor.

It had become a pattern, two months down the line. The same pattern, repeating every time. Now that the hazing had been done, she was a full member of the sorority, and the new hopefuls that were recruited during the spring were gathering. 

She could see the division between those who liked girls, those who liked guys, the ones that swung both ways and the favorites that Blake, Coco and Velvet had, ear-marked for them.

Through her questions earlier, she had managed to glean that there were groups amongst the sisterhood, seeing how the Blake/Coco/Velvet threesome at the top had their own weight to the recruitment process. 

A pretty redhead, green eyes and impeccable skin, was one of the new aspirants, seeing how the ones that envied her crowded around her. Cinder didn’t think about it, keeping her options open, never quite engaging too deeply with the ‘special assignments’ that had to be completed by the sisters, taking the ones that involved no physical intimacy. 

Sex didn’t feel anymore, after that. 

The redhead was a new, non-legacy member, but she could see that she’d been led into the other room with an offer. Pretty red hair, a body that had definitely earned the athletics scholarship that she’d been briefly mentioning during the general introduction, and her body looking fine…

But still, given the ‘special honors’.

The special little assignment, the way that it had gone with her and Winter, the girl having settled in some other dorm, paid for by her daddy, no doubt, with not a mention of the baby.

A fate that could have been hers, if she had not taken care of it. A pattern that was unfolding, the signs being there, Cinder recalling some of the questions during the interview with the president, her eyes glancing at the redhead’s back, knowing that there might be a task given that’d seen the redhead pulled out…

‘This is the second hazing I’ve attended…’ 

She would meddle, just a little bit. 

The group cheer, the shared drinks that were to commemorate the rites of Artemis, the way that the girls all glowed with their first official ‘quest’...

‘I wasn’t like that.’ 

The dark whisper in her ear told her that no, she had been exactly like that. Haughty, self-assured that there would be no consequences…

“Now, brave little huntresses, go and find your prey! Let’s get to the paarrrtaaaayyyy!”

The president looked so cool with her sunglasses that the act almost convinced her. She could see herself, strutting like someone who knew the world was her oyster to crack…

And then, the world changed. 

The party, where most of them were at, was rather boring, many of the drunken frat guys looking down her top, but Cinder had a mission, finding the redhead standing next to some blue-haired guy that looked like he was some sort of aviator, with those goggles a damn cheesy look for a guy…

And trying to hit on her. 

Tapping the redhead on the elbow, she cleared her throat. 

“Hey, I’ll have to borrow her for a moment, she’ll be right back. Sorority business, Prez wants to see her.”

The president was currently throat-pounding her girlfriend, and she could see Blake grinding up against her newest girlfriend. The girlfriend who had been her girlfriend for a while after the party had dropped out of university, so there was enough to say about that. 

“Ah, I’ll have to go for a bit… See you later, Neptune?”

The redhead was naive. The guy had been checking her out, making her know what his intentions were, seeing the foul ploy at play. Her two ‘sisters’ that her ‘mother’ had as her biological daughters, had been bitches, playing the coy game, never having to be there to help their mother with the ‘special service’...

“Yeah, see you… Oh, your friend can join us too.”

She put on a smile, but mentally made a note to kick the guy between the legs, and then make sure that he couldn’t have the pleasure of being anywhere near her with his dick.

“Maybe, blue fella…”

She straightened a little, gripping the redhead’s elbow tightly to make her come along. 

“Let’s go. We’ll talk outside, okay?”

A quick nod, and then they were outside, Cinder putting on the best smile that she had, as she knew that there were eyes on them. The redhead would need the advice, and she wasn’t going to let this conspiracy last for very long. 

“Hey, what was it that the president wanted me to… This wasn’t ordered by the president, was it?”

Cinder smiled, a slightly more genuine smile. 

“I’m here to help… And I’m not from the government.”

She got a look that didn’t get the reference, but she brushed it off. Old time jokes that her adoptive mother had said from time to time when she’d had a glass of wine and was just relaxing after a harsh day of harassing her ex-husband… 

“Is the blue-haired smurf your… guy?”

The redhead nodded, and Cinder immediately pushed past any embarrassment. 

“Anything you need to go and get?”

The redhead pulled out the picture and then she saw the thing that she was supposed to get. 

‘Well…’ 

Cinder smirked. 

“Then we’re going to get that. Don’t worry, just let me do a little thing… Do wait here for a moment.”

She walked into the party, the guy manning the drinks enough, and she retrieved a glass of beer, a simple glass, something that she’d…

‘And woops…’ 

Setting it down onto one of the tables after a sip and then getting up, the coaster that it was set on placed lightly on one side…

‘Alright, now to skedaddle to the bathroom…’

She waited two minutes, before she returned. Her beer looked flat, and she grabbed the glass, before going outside again, handing it to her. 

“Don’t drink that.”

The stirring stick that she pulled out of her purse was just a little thing that her mother had told her to carry at all times. If she wasn’t careful… well, she was careful. A lot more careful now, really. 

“Annnd… the magic stick goes…”

‘That’s a roofie.’ 

Someone just wanted to score some action with one bad brunette…

Disgust, as the redhead looked three sheets to the wind, clearly shocked by what had happened, but to Cinder, it was just your average weekend. 

“Oh, relax… Now, we’re going to Bastard Smurf and getting him a drink, and then, you are going to walk your little pretty red butt over to his dorm room… A selfie with the guy and retrieving his goggles should be fine enough. I do assume that you are a virgin.”

She didn’t look the type to be hanging about with football players. 

Definitely more of a wholesome girl, Cinder filed away in her mind a few suggestions for a more… worldly clothing style. 

“Th-thank you. I’m-”

Cinder placed a finger against the redhead’s lips. 

“Just doing a sister a favor, Red… let’s give smurf boy a drink.”

Twenty minutes later, Cinder was slowly following behind the two, her sisters left at the party, as Cinder feigned being sick. The finger down the throat mustard vinegar trick always was a solid one, as she definitely felt sick…

But that didn’t mean that she’d let another girl go the same way that she was, reaching the two of them. 

“Hey, lovebirds…”

The guy was so out of it that he looked at her and almost slurred something, the redhead holding him up. 

“Dorm. Let’s get him to the dorm, okay?”

Those must’ve been some strong roofies…

She’d have to thank the host for the strong drugs. 

The police would be interested in a little anonymous tip-off. 

“Okay, baby smurf is in bed… Strip, Red. Get those clothes off, and then undress him.”

Cinder lightly made sure that the guy’s junk was suitably placed. 

Appearances were everything when you were trying to con someone. 

Her mother had taught her well…

Very well.

“And… I’ll just get out of the room for a moment…”

The phone buzzed, a message showing, the redhead giving her a panicked look.

“She’s asking for a picture, she’s- she’s asking for a picture and I don’t-”

Cinder only smiled cruelly, the final part clicking into place. 

It wasn’t just a ‘ritual’, though it probably had its origins in that sort of thing. 

It was a way to get the ‘troublesome’ girls out of the way. 

She remembered that time…

“Take a picture. Pussy against that dick, spit on it if you need to make it slick, and then just… selfie. Snap. Pop. Take the damn goggles too, since you’ve got them.”

She was sick to her stomach now, stepping out and hearing the soft nervous little whimper from the redhead.

‘So naive… you would’ve had too much to drink and then baby smurf there would’ve put a little fucking kiddo smurf into you…’ 

Disgusting. 

“D-done.”

She got back into the room to find the redhead grabbing her clothes, getting dressed really quickly. Cinder had to admit, if she were bisexual, which she most certainly was not, she might’ve given that girl a third and fifth glance, because she was a stunner. Definitely the type that’d be putty in the hand of some bastard…

“Okay… And now…”

She handed the redhead her shoes. Nice sneakers, she had to admit. 

“Stomp the guy in the crotch, so he’ll feel like he got laid.”

The redhead actually did that, and then grabbed the goggles, Cinder clearing her throat. 

“Send that damn picture first. It’s still watermarked with the time. You got sexed, you got the talisman, boom, you’re one of us. Come on, let’s go, let’s go. Oh, grab that can of deodorant and douse yourself with it. It’ll help sell the thing, since we’re getting out of here, now.”

She grabbed the redhead’s hand and then nearly bumped into some blonde guy with a monkey tail, who was carrying a tray of what looked to be craft beers into the dormitory, passing him by, not giving a single word to her newly minted ‘friend’ until they were on their way out of the area, slowing down a bit. 

“What- what do we do now? I, I sent it, and-”

Cinder let go of the young woman’s arm, relaxing a little. 

“How about we go and get some pancakes? I heard IHOP is still open… Consider it my treat… After we go by the house and deliver the talisman. Pres loves to…”

She paused, before the redhead spoke up. 

“She loves to… what?”

A cruel little smile tickled Cinder’s lips. 

“Have an eager beaver.”

A lesbian pun. She might even get to be funny. 

They would get some pancakes after Cinder had Red delivering the ‘talisman’ to Coco’s door, the president not being there, but with the envelope that had the goggles stuffed into them being practically dumped into the mailbox that had been fastened to the wall, it was all that could be done. 

She didn’t expect perfection, even when she was being fussed over by Miss Belladonna. 

“Now, dear… Take these. Such a terrible, terrible thing… Good that you noticed it.”

Of course, she had to play the part of the ‘victim’, with Red having ‘ran into her’ half-passed out on a bench. A fabrication, Cinder making a ‘brave face’.

‘Just like Mother made me learn to guide the guests into comfortable surroundings.’ 

She didn’t care one whit, as she and her friend were walking down, the IHOP open, thankfully, and her new redheaded friend and her getting some damn pancakes…

“Thank you for the help, I… I didn’t really think you’d-”

Cinder shrugged, as she cut into her pancake. She wasn’t a barbarian. 

“Consider it… assistance. You’re in the Athletics and sports thing, right? Scholarship, model contract… Perry Sports or something?”

The redhead smiled, giving a small sigh, before she speared a piece of pancake.

“Pyrrha, Pyrrha Nikos. But… But I didn’t think…”

The girl was obviously less worldly than Cinder was. 

“That you’d have your first time with Goofy Smurf? Oh, I don’t think he’s going to be happy. Hopefully, you got him some blue balls. Serves him right.”

She wasn’t a vengeful- no, she was a vengeful person. 

“You’re… Candy?”

Cinder corrected. 

“Cinder. Like the sparks in the hearth. I… picked a better name, when I was adopted.”

The redhead- Pyrrha, smiled, a pretty smile, Cinder felt nothing. 

“It’s… Why did you do it? You could’ve left me to figure things out, to… I don’t know, do things. I’m- I don’t really drink, you know, and-”

Like raw, bloodied meat in front of starving wolves…

Cinder would have to admit that they ran a slick plan here. 

“I had my pledge and that stuff earlier in the year… There was… There was a girl taking the test with me. Assigned to a complete dork, someone that wouldn’t know what really to do with his body, real… hurr durr, type, right?”

Pyrrha only nodded, following along with her, and Cinder spoke. 

‘Winter is a good example…’

“She got pregnant. She got knocked up, because she forgot her birth control due to… stupid stuff, and… well… took care of things, with a bit of extra help. The other one, well… she dropped out of the sorority. It happens, she and I weren’t close or anything, but we got put in the same group for a little quest.”

Vague enough to-

Cinder realized that she’d said too much, had dirtied the truth with her lies and deceit, spilling the truth without any motive…

A hug was all that she got, as Pyrrha, she should refer to the redhead as Pyrrha, a name, rather than a face, hugged her. 

“That’s so sad… Are you okay? Were you close?”

Cinder could only give a crooked smile. 

“Not really. Almost like a person I only barely knew… I wonder how she’s doing. The sorority is really strict with the no pregnancy thing, after all.”

Pyrrha returned to her seat, leaving Cinder feeling a little… dirty. 

“Welcome to the sorority, Pyrrha. Sororitas Invicta.”

The words felt almost dirty, leaving her mouth, but Pyrrha looked like she needed this little lesson. 

It was…

It was a little bit of redemption.

“Sororitas Invicta?”

She supposed she should keep that in store, for when Pyrrha got taught the official definition of the motto of the sorority. 

“Just… remember that you’ll be taught the meaning of that, once you’re accepted, sister. You’ll know.”

Sisterhood, unconquered.

What a fucking joke. 

This was commissioned work.