Chapter 2 – Recreation
AN
Well, you lot have faith in me, don't you? The initial reaction I got when people saw I'd introduced the Arc family into this story was 'don't kill them!' Me thinks I might be getting a reputation for ruthlessness…
Anyway, I can assure you all that no Arcs were hurt in the creating of this chapter. Mega thanks must be given to Arnel for correcting my many mistakes (honestly, how did I manage to write 'dinner' rather than 'diner' all the way through?) and for making me sound less like a middle-aged Brit than I actually am.
"Jaune!"
The cry made Jaune stop in his tracks. He and Ren had just finished setting up his bedroom for the both of them, and had gone in search of their female teammates. They had made it halfway across the courtyard before they had been stopped by a thunderous cry. Jaune turned just in time to see a tall, well-built blonde woman bearing down on him.
"Oomph!" Jaune gasped as he was enveloped in a bone-crushing hug that nearly made his eyeballs pop out.
"Jaune, my little honey bear!" the woman exclaimed while simultaneously cracking his ribcage. "It's been so long since I saw you last."
"Gah… Rose… need… to… breathe…"
"Oh, don't be such a baby. Look at you. Look what a big, strapping hunk you've become. A hug from little ol' me isn't going to hurt you. Not with those big, bulging muscles you have now."
"Rose… you just don't know your own strength, do you?" Jaune managed to wheeze. "Ren, this is my missing sister, Rose. She's a Huntress, herself, although she normally works in Mistral, hence why I don't get to see her very often."
"Very nice to meet you," Ren said offering his hand rather gingerly.
"Well now, aren't you a pretty boy. I bet you have all the girls positively drooling over you, don't you? I just love that little pink highlight in your hair. Oh, you're not gay, are you? I haven't just put my foot in it, have I?" Rose cried in dismay.
"Rose!" Jaune moaned. "Ren's not gay. At least, I don't think he is."
"Jaune!" Ren protested in turn. "Of course I'm not gay!"
"No, no, of course not. I never thought for a moment that you were," Jaune confirmed. "Err, I've never actually asked you. Just why do you have that pink streak in your hair?"
"My person emblem is a pink orchid, remember? Besides, Nora likes it and as she always cuts my hair…"
"Nora! Ah, I said this cutie would have girls hanging round him. Nora's one of your team, isn't she, Jaune? Actually, where is the rest of your team?" Rose asked.
"If you'd been here when we arrived, rather than skiving off down the village, you would have met them already," Jaune pointed out. "Mom's just getting them settled in. We were just on our way to find them, actually."
"Then I'll tag along," Rose decided, grabbing Jaune's arm affectionately. "Damn, I just can't get over how tall you've grown. It can't be that long since I last saw you."
"It's been nearly two and half years, Rose. I know we've talked face to face over the Transmit System, but it's been that long since we've seen each other in the flesh."
"Wow, it seems like only five minutes since I was last here. Time really does fly, doesn't it?" she lamented. "Still, I'm back now and I don't have to return to Mistral for a whole month, so I can spend time with everyone. When do you have to head back to Beacon?"
"We're only here for a few days," Jaune confirmed sadly. He was genuinely delighted to see his oldest sister again after so long, and disappointed that it would be for such a brief period of time.
"Well, we'll just have to make the most of it then, won't we," Rose declared. "Your teammates are sleeping in Violette's room, aren't they? Let's go meet them."
"Okay," he agreed. "Come on, Ren. It's over this way."
The three of them made their way across the courtyard towards a long, low building that had once been a stable, but had been converted by the ever-industrious Luc Arc into a charming cottage-like structure that housed the sleeping quarters of two more of Jaune's sisters, Violette and Harmony. Several trestles were mounted against the white walls of the building, and had an abundance of red roses growing up them. Most of the flowers were finished this late in the year, but a few buds remained to provide some colour.
Jaune walked straight up to the sturdy, wooden door and pushed it open. He entered into a narrow entrance hall that separated his sisters' respective bedrooms. Not knowing which room his mother had put Pyrrha and Nora in, he called out. An answer came from the room on the left, Violette's bedroom, so he led Ren and Rose into it.
"Hey, guys. Look who decided to show her face," Jaune announced, gesturing at his oldest sister who had followed him into the room. Rose ignored his comment and pushed past him roughly.
"So you two must be Nora and Pyrrha! I'm so pleased to meet you. Sorry I wasn't here to meet you but I had things to do in town," Rose said, hurrying over to Jaune's teammates who were both seated on a single bed, obviously in discussion with Sy Arc, who was perched on the other single bed in the room.
"About time you put in an appearance," Sy scolded her daughter. "Nora, Pyrrha; this is Rose, my eldest daughter, although you would never guess it from the way she acts."
"Hi, Rose. Nice ta meet ya," Nora chirped, standing to greet the new arrival.
"Ah, you're Nora, aren't you? Jaune's told me a lot about you in his letters. Nice job you've done with Ren's hair, by the way."
"What can I say? I'm naturally talented in so many ways," the orange-haired girl admitted shamelessly.
"And you must be Jaune's partner," Rose said, turning to Pyrrha. "Wow, he wasn't kidding. You really are beautiful."
"What? Jaune said that?" Pyrrha gasped.
"Oh, he said a load of other nice things about you, too. I've kept some of his letters if you'd like to see, assuming Jaune can't come up with a suitable bribe to convince me not to."
"Rose!" Jaune protested.
"Whatever he offers, I'll beat it," Pyrrha announced fiercely.
"Oh, no, honey. You don't have to beat Jaune's offer. In fact, if you match half of it, and the letters are yours."
"Rose, you are a truly horrible person," Jaune growled.
"Nah, she's awesome," Nora disagreed. "Pyrrha, when you get those letters, I want to see them, too!"
"We'll see," Pyrrha replied mysteriously.
"Rose, stop teasing your brother," Sy reprimanded her daughter, although without much conviction.
"Never incriminate yourself by putting anything in writing," Ren advised his friend. "Trust me, it will always come back to haunt you."
"Good advice," Jaune agreed. "A little late… but good advice, nevertheless."
Sy laughed out loud. "Oh, my poor little knight. Never mind. Well, I think we have your teammates all settled in here. Luc is planning a barbeque for tonight, but is there anything specific that you all want to do this afternoon?"
"Actually, I thought I'd take the guys into the village and show them around," Jaune proposed.
"Oh, that sounds like a grand idea. I'm still a little stiff from the journey, so stretching my legs would be very appealing," Pyrrha declared.
"Sounds good to me," Nora agreed. "Actually, dinner sounds like it's some time away. Is there anywhere to get a snack in town?"
"Ha, it sounds like you get to take your friends to Bennie's, bro," Rose noted. "It's a little diner and jukebox joint that's popular with all the teens around. Jaune practically lived there before he headed off to Beacon."
"You're going to Bennie's? Oh, mind if I tag along? I could just go for a milkshake around now," Adele said eagerly.
"I'll pass. Since I've moved to Mistral, my tastes have become a little more sophisticated than just burgers and milkshakes," Rose announced in a superior tone.
"You've been banned from the place again, haven't you?" Jaune said knowingly.
Rose glared at him. "It was just a stupid misunderstanding. I swear I didn't mean to throw that slice of pizza. My hand just slipped."
"Jeez, you're back five minutes and you've already been thrown out of Bennie's. I don't know how you do it, sis," Jaune lamented.
"It's just her natural talent for causing trouble," Sy confirmed. "Now, why don't you kids head out? I have lots to do, so you all go and enjoy yourselves. Oh, and Jaune?"
"Yes?"
"I know you haven't got Rose's aptitude for causing mayhem, but behave yourself, okay? You have a way of finding trouble."
"He certainly does," Ren agreed.
"Traitor," Jaune grumbled. "Okay, gang. Let's hit town!"
"This place is pretty cool," Nora noted as they walked down Jiayuan's main street.
"I guess there are worse places to grow up," Adele agreed.
As Jaune had previously stated, it had been a short walk to the village. Exiting the Arc's property via a short path, they had soon found themselves in a narrow lane that led straight into the outskirts of the settlement.
Jiayuan was one of those places that was probably too big to be called a village, but didn't quite qualify as a town. It had a fair share of shops, inns, residential homes and even a small industrial estate. What it lacked, however, was much in the way of entertainment for the teenagers who lived in the area. While Jaune had spent most of his teenage life either attending the local school or undertaking Huntsman training with his family, he'd been forced by a lack of options into spending his remaining spare time at home, mostly reading comics and books, or listening to music. When he had occasionally ventured out, however, it was inevitably to Bennie's that he went. He found that he was genuinely excited to be taking his friends to the place he loved so much.
"The architecture around here is very interesting," Pyrrha noted as they walked.
"Oh, yeah. Jiayuan is actually quite old, certainly as far as settlements outside of the Vale area go. There's the remains of a defensive wall around the place, and the ruins of a castle over the hill. I guess that's what first got me interested in stories of knights and stuff, messing around the place. There's a lot of history to this village and a lot of really old buildings," Jaune explained.
"Certainly a lot of stone seems to have been used in the construction of the buildings," Ren observed. "From where Nora and I come from, wood is more commonly used."
"Ah, well, there's a pretty big quarry just outside the village. Actually, they used to export a lot of stone to Vale via barges. There's a canal nearby, too."
"Quite an industrious little place," Pyrrha noted with approval. "I rather like the feel of the village, too. It feels… secure. Homely, I guess would be a good way to describe it."
"Yeah, but it can be pretty dull, though," Adele pointed out. "That's why I moved out as soon as I could. Jiayuan is no place for a fledgling artist with a taste for alternate lifestyles."
"You're probably right," Jaune agreed. "Still, it's a nice place to raise a family, I guess."
"That was probably a hint, Pyrrha," Adele told the redhead in a stage whisper.
"Adele!" Jaune protested, flushing to his roots. Pyrrha had turned an interesting shade of red, too.
"I don't know, Pyrrha," Nora said in a tragic voice. "Could you be happy here, living a simple, domestic life with your husband, Jaune? Running a home and satisfying his constant, carnal needs? Do you think you can manage eight kids? You do have child-bearing hips, after all…"
"Umm, Nora? I think that's enough with the teasing," Ren advised. "Both Jaune and Pyrrha look ready to kill something and I'm sure you don't want that something to be you."
"Oh, I'm joking. They know I'm joking," Nora said dismissively, before catching sight of Jaune's expression. "Err, maybe I'll be quiet for a while."
"Good plan," Jaune agreed.
"Jeez, you guys are so easy to wind up," Adele teased.
"For that you're buying your own milkshake," Jaune informed her. "Actually, we're nearly at Bennie's. It's just around the corner. I'm really excited to be showing you guys this place and… oh, no."
"What is it?" Pyrrha asked, alarmed at her friend's sudden change in mood.
"Jaune, what… oh, I see. Bannion," Adele noted sourly.
"What?" Ren enquired. "What's a Bannion?"
"Not what. Who. Fred Bannion. That creep lounging against the wall over there with his idiot friends," Jaune noted. "Trust me, this guy makes Cardin Winchester look like a sweetheart."
"Jaune got into trouble a few years back for getting into a fight with the jerk. Personally, I think you did the right thing by whacking him, bro. There are too many people afraid of that moron and his gang around here," Adele noted sourly.
"We'll just ignore him. I'm not letting that idiot ruin a great day," Jaune declared in a determined voice.
"That sounds like the best plan," Pyrrha agreed. "We're here to have fun and relax, not waste our time on hoodlums."
The group continued on their way down the street towards the diner. Unfortunately, the young man known as Bannion saw their approach and pushed himself off the wall, obviously intending to block their way. Three other young men and one girl copied his movement.
"Well, well. If it isn't Jaune Arc, himself. Back in town are you, Jauney?" Bannon sneered. "Someone said you'd got into Beacon Academy, but that's bullshit, right? A wimp like you would never get into a combat school."
"Funny you calling me a wimp, because I seem to remember beating the crap out of you a while back," Jaune retorted, halting a few yards away from the disreputable-looking group.
"You got lucky," Bannion spat. "Who are these losers you've got with you, then? I recognise that slag of a sister of yours, but who are these weirdos? I like the pink streak in that faggot's hair, by the way."
"Jaune, can we just kick the crap out of them now and be done with it?" Nora asked mildly. "No matter what we say, this is obviously going to end in a fight and we might as well get it out of the way. It shouldn't take more than a minute to polish off these morons, anyway."
"It might not be a bad idea, Jaune. Nora has a lot of unexpended energy that needs to be worked off. It's probably best just to let her use it up this way," Ren said unexpectedly.
"Really?" Jaune challenged his friend. Ren was normally the calming influence of the group.
Ren just shrugged. "That guy's a jerk, and I agree with Nora that this will probably end in violence no matter what we do. If it makes her happy, let her deal with it."
"Aw, Ren, you just really get me, don't you?" Nora gushed. "So, Jaune, can I deal with these idiots? Can I? Can I? Please!"
"What are you fruit loops on about?" Bannion demanded. "Do you really think this tiny girl can beat all of us? Have you all been sniffing Dust crystals, or something?"
"Allow me to explain," Adele announced, stepping forward. "Bannion, once again you have proved yourself to be an idiot and this time your stupidity has landed you in deep shite. You see, my brother really did get into Beacon and is just back here on term break. He decided to bring his teammates with him to visit and this 'little girl' as you refer to her is Nora, a Huntress in training. Basically, any one of this bunch could whip you and your dumbass friends with one hand tied behind their backs."
"Yeah? Like I'd believe a weirdo like you, Arc. You always were away with the fairies," Bannion taunted. "Bring it on, I say!"
Jaune sighed. "Okay, I can see where we're going with this. Just don't beat on them too much, Nora."
"Oh, yeah!" Nora growled with satisfaction.
"Err, what?" Bannion muttered, suddenly less sure of himself.
He didn't have time to say anything else. Although Nora wasn't as fast as someone like Ruby, she could still move like greased lightning when she wanted to. In the blink of an eye, the large, leather jacket-wearing thug suddenly found the small, ginger-haired girl just inches away from him. His eyes widened in surprise, but it was far too late for him to react. Nora's punch caught him squarely in the stomach with enough force to lift him off his feet and send him flying backwards. He landed in a heap at the feet of his four comrades who all stared at his fallen form in horror.
"Next!" Nora cried, and leapt forward.
Her next target proved to be a tall youth with spiky, green hair wearing a t-shirt bearing the image of some obscure punk band. He barely had time to raise his arms in defence as Nora's boot smashed into the side of his face. Watching impassively, Jaune was sure he saw the boy's whole face contort and reform, like a lump of Jell-O dropped on the floor, before he fell limply to the ground. Two down, three to go.
"Shit, spread out!" the sole girl of the group cried. Jaune remembered her name as being Simone, and that she was a complete pain. Her 'classy' outfit consisted of ripped jeans and a vest with a neckline that didn't so much plummet as just was completely non-existent. He'd heard that she'd hooked up with Bannion before he left for Beacon and he hadn't been surprised. Those two deserved each other.
Perhaps Simone shouldn't have called out, as it immediately drew Nora's attention to her. Seeing the trainee Huntress's eyes turn towards her, Simone gave a startled yelp and began to back up. She got two steps before a pink blur flashed towards her and she was thrown through the air, conveniently landing in a trash can across the street. She lay amongst the scattered garbage, not moving.
"Nora," Jaune called out irritably. "Do not litter!"
"Sorry," Nora yelled back, before spinning around and catching her next victim unawares. Her intended target this time was a hulking young man wearing tracksuit bottoms and a wife beater whom everyone referred to as Bubbles. Jaune had no idea where that nickname had come from, but he'd never heard the guy called by anything else. Bubbles towered over Nora and must have been twice her weight, but it did him no good. Shuffling her feet, Nora hit him with a beautiful right hook, before following it up with an uppercut from her left. Bubbles fell like a lead weight.
The one remaining gang member was by now panicking. The boy was called Clint and had long, straggly blonde hair which looked like it hadn't seen shampoo in months. Clint was wearing jeans so dirty Jaune couldn't tell if they were meant to be black or blue. The boy backed away from Nora with his hands held in front of him in supplication.
"Hey, doll, let's take it easy, 'kay?" the boy pleaded.
"Doll?" Nora repeated in puzzlement. "Hmm, do I like being called that? Maybe if Ren called me that it would be okay, but from you? Nah. Prepare to die!"
"Not the face! Not the face!" was all Clint had time to yell. Nora must have been feeling especially considerate that day, as she did indeed avoid marking the boy's face. Instead, she just kicked him squarely in the nuts.
"Ooh, I can't look," moaned Jaune.
"Indeed," Ren agreed in a sick voice.
"Ah, that's better," Nora declared happily, before looking at the assorted bodies lying on the ground. "Thanks for the fight, guys. I was feeling a bit tense, but this has really helped! So, Jaune, is the diner this way? I'm hungry."
"Uhh, yeah, just up ahead, Nora," Jaune confirmed, carefully walking around the prostrate body of Clint, who was whimpering softly to himself as he rolled in the dirt.
"Nora, I think I love you, you know that?" Adele said admiringly.
"Of course! Everyone loves me. I'm adorable," Nora exclaimed. "I'm also very hungry. Jeez, come on, you guys. I'm starving here."
"Sorry, Nora gets a little excitable, at times," Pyrrha apologised to Bannion's inert form as she walked past him. Jaune had no idea if the boy heard her or not.
Deciding to forget the incident, Jaune led the group towards a single story building that had smoky windows running all along its length. Mounted on the roof was a red neon sign that said 'Bennie's' in signature form. It was in this building that Jaune had spent a considerable amount of time, listening to music on the jukebox and supplementing his mother's healthy cooking with huge, greasy burgers and the odd pizza.
As they approached, Jaune could see numerous faces pressed up against the windows, all watching them approach. He realised that the fight had taken place in full view of the diner and had obviously attracted quite an audience. Hopefully, they wouldn't be refused admission because of it. Having one Arc family member banned from the place was quite enough for one day.
Realising there was only one way to find out, he pushed the swing door open and marched into the diner. A smile automatically crept onto his face as he took in the familiar red, leather booths and the brick walls covered in posters and memorabilia. The group had barely entered when a rotund man with an apron wrapped around his waist bustled up to them.
"Jaune Arc?" the man exclaimed. "I thought it was you! But they said you'd been accepted by Beacon. What are you doing back here?"
"Hi, Giorgio," Jaune replied in greeting. "I have gone to Beacon. I'm just back during term break. These are my teammates, come for a visit. Once I told them what an awesome place you had here, they all wanted to come and check it out themselves."
"Ha! Well, welcome, welcome all," the man announced happily. "My name is Giorgio and I own this joint. Err, Jaune, Rose isn't here with you, is she?"
"Nah, we left her at home. Adele is here, but you know she won't cause any trouble," Jaune assured him.
"Good, good. Look, I've got nothing against your sister, but when she starts throwing food at other customers just because she doesn't approve of the songs they picked on the jukebox, that's when I have to draw the line."
"I total understand," Jaune agree. "Besides, she always did have weird taste in music."
"Well, never mind that. Introduce me to your friends," Giorgio insisted. "I particularly want to meet this amazing young lady who whipped that waster Bannion's butt. Who are you, dear lady?"
"I'm Nora," she said introducing herself. "Shucks, I didn't do anything special."
"Nonsense, you, my sweet young thing, are remarkable. Allow me to bring you our extra special chocolate sundae as a reward, on the house. A special treat for a special girl."
"Oh, Jaune, I love it here already!" Nora declared happily.
"I bet you do," he replied, before turning back to the owner of the diner. "These are my other friends, Ren and Pyrrha."
"Pyrrha?" the man repeated, blinking owlishly at the tall redhead. "Oh, my life! You're Pyrrha Nikos!"
"Shush, keep it down, Giorgio! We don't want everyone to know who she is," Jaune scolded him.
"Sorry, sorry," Giorgio replied quickly. "Oh, my stars! The Pyrrha Nikos, in my diner! Come, let's get you seated, somewhere discreet. Take the end booth, there. It's big enough to accommodate you all easily, and is nicely out the way. There are menus on the tables and I'll be over to take your drinks order in a moment."
"Thank, Giorgio," Jaune said gratefully, before leading his team over to the booth indicated. He stood aside to let the girls slide in first, allowing Ren and himself to bookend the curved booth. Naturally, Ren sat with Nora to his side, and Jaune was next to Pyrrha, with Adele in the middle. They all grabbed a menu each, and began to inspect it enthusiastically. Clearly, watching Nora demolish those thugs had given them all an appetite.
Jaune eagerly looked at the menu like it was a long lost friend. It was amazing to think it had only been a few months since he'd last been in this place, but it seemed like a lifetime ago now. Figuring that there would be plenty of meat being served at the barbeque that night, he began to look at the pizza options.
In a surprisingly short amount of time, his friends had made their selection and Giorgio was summoned to take their order. Various sodas and milkshakes were also requested, and the gang settled back to await their meal. Something, however, still didn't seem right to Jaune.
"Music!" he declared suddenly. "I'm going to hit the jukebox, guys. I'll be back in a moment."
"Can I come and help you pick?" Pyrrha asked, a little plaintively.
"Of course. Come and give me a hand," he replied instantly.
Happily, Pyrrha wriggled out of the booth and followed Jaune across the room to where the jukebox was located. It was a large, old-fashioned thing, which was lit up in a multitude of reds, yellows and blues. With practised efficiency, Jaune pulled out a handful of change from his pocket and duly began to pump them into the machine.
"Any special requests?" Jaune enquired.
"Oh, umm, let me see what there is," Pyrrha said, nervously running her finger down the selection list, before frowning. "I, err, don't really recognise a lot of these bands, I'm afraid."
"You're kidding. Most of these bands are from Mistral. Look, you've got Arrival, Arrowsmith, Van Pagen…"
"I guess I never really had the chance to listen to much music growing up," she explained sadly. "I was always too busy and my mother only really liked classical music."
"Oh," Jaune said, feeling terrible for his partner. Mistral was famous for its films, bands and youth culture in general. It sounded like Pyrrha had been denied experiencing any of it. Suddenly, he began to understand just what a lonely childhood she must have had. On the spot, he came to a decision. "Well, don't worry, because you're in the company of a musical expert. Let me make the selections and you can tell me what you like as you hear them. I suggest we start with a few kick-ass rock'n'roll tunes, and I'll throw in a few power ballads, too."
"Okay, that sounds grand."
"Say, back in Mistral, did you get the chance to go to the movies much?" Jaune enquired.
"No, very rarely, actually. It wasn't often I could visit public places like movie theatres, not without getting mobbed."
"Do you want to go see a few movies sometime when we go back to Vale? They have a pretty neat multiplex in town and they normally show some pretty good stuff."
"You're… you're asking me to go to the movies with you?" Pyrrha gasped.
"Yeah, well, only if you're interested, that is. I wouldn't want you to…"
"Yes!" Pyrrha shouted, loud enough that most of the other patrons of the diner turned to look at her. She blushed and ducked her head. "That is to say, yes, I'd love to go to the cinema with you sometime."
"Cool. When we get back I'll check out what's showing and we'll make a decision what to see then," Jaune replied, totally missing the look of unabashed joy that had crept onto the redhead's face. "Now, let's pick some rockin' tunes!"
Jaune made his selections and the first song started playing as they walked back to the booth.
Just a small town girl
Livin' in a lonely world
"I don't believe I've ever heard this song, Jaune. I think I like it," Pyrrha said with a smile.
"Pyrrha Nikos, welcome to the world of rock'n'roll," Jaune exclaimed happily.
They stayed at the diner for several hours and everyone agreed it was a pretty cool place. They had all eaten more than they had probably intended, probably as the food was so good. Nora Valkyrie was the sole exception to this, as she had declared, several times, that she could have eaten more. A whole lot more. In fact, she'd stunned the unprepared Adele by how much she had eaten.
"I can't believe you put away a double cheeseburger, two portions of fries, a massive chocolate sundae, and stole one of Jaune's slices of pizza! Where do you put it all?" Jaune's sibling demanded of the hammer-wielding powerhouse.
"Oh, I've just got a fast metabolism," Nora had explained. "So, this barbeque your father is planning, will he have chicken wings?"
Adele just nodded in shocked silence.
Pyrrha laughed. "Don't worry, Adele. Nora will soon work off all those calories."
"Yeah, I'm like a high octane engine! I need a lot of fuel, but my performance is amazing," Nora bragged.
"That could be taken the wrong way," Jaune muttered.
"So, I have to say, I was very impressed by that place, Jaune," Pyrrha informed him. "I've never really had the chance to hang out somewhere like that."
"You know, there are some pretty good diners in Vale," he replied. "I know Ren and Nora have found a couple of cool places to go."
"Only because Nora is incapable of passing a restaurant without wanting to go in," Ren explained.
"Hey, I can't help the fact that I like to try new things," Nora objected. "Thanks to my adventurous nature we've found some great places to eat!"
"Yes, and we've also had to sneak out of at least one fancy restaurant because you ran up a huge bill that we had no means of paying," Ren pointed out. "That's one place we can never go near again."
"Pah, their crepes were average at best," she said dismissively.
Adele burst out laughing. "I can't believe what a great time you guys have," she exclaimed. "From what Rose and Mae have told me, I thought attending Beacon was pretty tough and demanding. You all sound like you're really having fun."
"It can be pretty demanding," Jaune confirmed. "We have to work pretty hard most of the time. Of course, these guys are so good that they just make it all look easy."
"Hey, fearless leader, you're no slouch either," Nora pointed out. "Besides, you keep us out of trouble. I doubt I'd ever be on time for class if you didn't keep reminding me."
"And Ren reminding you… and Pyrrha for that matter," Jaune grumbled.
"My mind is on other higher things," Nora said with a shrug.
"Like pancakes," Ren suggested.
"Pancakes! Jaune, we have to go back to Bennie's for breakfast before we leave! I saw they did a breakfast menu and I have to try their pancakes," Nora beseeched, practically drooling.
"You know, Jaune, depending on how good your father's barbeque skills are tonight, we may never be able to get Nora to leave this place," Ren said wryly.
"Then we're doomed. My dad is the king of barbeque."
"Really?" Nora exclaimed. "Then what are we awaiting for? Let's head back to Jaune's house as fast as we can. Mr Arc might need a hand getting the grill lit!"
The four of them stood in bemusement and watched Nora speed off in the direction of the Arc house, leaving them in a cloud of dust.
Pyrrha turned to a slack-jawed Adele. "See what I mean about her burning off calories?"
Adele just nodded. Really, what else was there to say?
