Hello everyone, this is J. Van A with the newest chapter of The Princess and the Rose. This chapter is a bit lengthy, but I had a lot to cover before going into the Fort Mantle arc. I've managed to do the ending of this today, which I think can be shown at the end, but it shouldn't affect it that much. Sleep Deprived Van had a hand in writing a decent portion of this chapter, but Delirious Van did kind of take over near the end.

So, I have a couple updates I think you guys need to know if you didn't read the update before I deleted the chapter. Basically, chapter 51 didn't get an email sent out for when it was posted, but I'm sure you guys already know that. Then two more things I'm just going to copy and paste from the other document to save me time.

So, I decided that the whole monetary based system in this AU was a bit off, you know, characters betting five hundred gold because they totally can count that many coins instantly from the coin purses on their belts. Also apparently I made a couple apples worth 4 gold coins in the second chapter. What I did was basically adopt the typical fantasy rpg money system where 100 copper pieces equals 1 silver, then 100 silver equals 1 gold. That way when I use large numbers like five hundred gold, it has a ton of value and would probably need to be carried in a chest. The longest part of this change was going through every chapter searching for the mention of gold and changing it if necessary.

Lastly, you guys know Manu-chann, the artist who drew the cover for this story? Well, Knowledgeseeker66 commissioned her to make a manga for this story's first chapter. I've seen it, and it looks good, I even shared it on my Twitter and Tumblr accounts. So if you guys want to see it, just go on Manu-chann's DeviantArt page, and while you're there, check out some of her other art, it's really good.

Let's move onto reviews:

KibaPT: Blake has a strict exercise regime, so the more fish she eats, the more she exercises.

GrnDrgnzrd: I was tempted to have Pyrrha stab Ruby in the gut to prove her point, but then nobody would trust her after that. Hopefully the notification for this chapter can be sent out.

Yaksher: Truth be told, it was rather difficult to write that fight scene.

TheHuntress77: Comedic value for the most part, and it has a lot to do with her faunus side.

iamking: Yeah, Ruby is a decent fighter, but Pyrrha is essentially the same rank as Qrow. She may have to get past her mindset the hard way, and it may happen in the near future.

Enjoy


"Let me go!" Blake shouted as she struggled against the ropes that had completely bound her to the ship's main mast. "This is completely ridiculous!"

"No, you were beginning to go feral, attacking anyone if they came close," Yang said gesturing to Jaune who was was vomiting over the railing as Pyrrha rubbed his back. On his sleeve, there was a large tear with some blood staining the shirt. His arm used to have a large gash, but Weiss healed it shortly after the altercation. "We needed to tie you up till you calmed down."

"Don't go treating me like I'm some kind of animal," Blake nearly shouted as she continued to struggle.

"To be completely fair, I did this to Ruby when we were younger and she kind of went feral after going on a cookie binge."

"Yang!" Ruby whined as she jumped on Yang's back locking her legs around her while hitting her older sister's shoulders. "I thought I told you to never bring that up in public."

"You did, but I decided against it," she chuckled as she beared with the reaper's assault. After a couple moments of Yang laughing, Ruby jumped off her sister's back puffing out her cheeks giving the brawler a glare. "Anyway, we're keeping you there until we're sure you're not going to go crazy."

"Look, honestly, I'm fine," Blake said with her normal voice as she stopped struggling against the ropes. "Jaune, I'm sorry for clawing your arm. Ok, I wasn't in my right mind before, but I'm better now."

"Ok, so if we let you go, will you promise to not go crazy?" Yang asked as Ruby pulled her dagger from her boot before handing it to her sister. "We're only going to give you one chance."

"Yes, I promise I won't go anywhere," Blake said as Yang walked over and cut the rope. As the rope landed on the deck, Blake smirked. "You can't control me!" she shouted then began climbing the mast, but Yang quickly reached up catching her by the back of her collar.

"I said we were only giving you one chance," Yang said as she began pulling Blake from the post, but the faunus had a firm grip on the mast. Moments later her grip failed and Blake was now being held above the ground. Yang then began walking towards the railing with the faunus at arms length away.

"Yang, what are you doing?" Blake asked her as the brawler neared the railing.

"You were going to run, so you wasted your one chance," she said then Blake instantly realized what she was going to do.

"Yang, no, you can't throw me overboard just because I tried to run," Blake pleaded as she grabbed Yang's wrist and put her feet on the railing to try and push against her. "Yang, please, I hate water." One of her feet slipped causing her to lose her footing with Yang holding her out over open water.

"Well, you seem to like fish, and there's plenty in the sea," Yang said then released her grip.

"No!" Blake shouted as she pulled herself up and wrapped her legs around Yang's arm clinging to her tightly. "Please no, I'll be good, I'll be good."

"Ok then," Yang said then smirked as she lowered her arm down to her side. "Sun, you can come out now."

"So we aren't throwing her overboard," Sun asked from down below as he crawled out the gun port directly below her before climbing up the hull onto the deck. "We weren't really going to throw you in the water, I was supposed to catch you."

"That doesn't make it better," Blake said shooting him a glare as she was now upside down, still clinging to Yang's arm. She then looked to everyone else. "And you guys were ok with this?"

"Well, you did kind of cut open Jaune's arm," Ren tried to reason but shut up due to the glare Blake shot him.

"I thought it would be fun," Nora said ignoring the death glare that was now being directed at her.

"Well, if you kids are done," the captain said approaching the group, "it seems the winds were working in our favor." He paused while gesturing ahead.

"Land ho!" one of the crew members shouted from the crow's nest.

"And that is Jerry, one of my laziest lookouts," the captain said with a small groan. "If he was a good lookout, he would've spotted land half an hour ago. We'll be making port in the town of Belaray soon, so you all should be getting your items and head below deck to bring out your horses as soon as we land. I'm sure they would appreciate the fresh air."


"Are you mad?" Ruby asked Chestnut as she led the horse off the boarding ramp only to get a grunt in a response. "Look, I'm sorry you were below deck for three days, but I couldn't bring you above deck over open water." Chestnut let out another grunt as she turned her head away from Ruby. "Please don't be mad at me," she pleaded as she hugged the horse's neck. Chestnut tilted her head up for a second before tilting down and pressing into Ruby. "Aww, I knew you'd forgive me."

"Land!" Jaune cried as he let go of Clovis's reins before falling onto the ground. "Oh how I missed you."

"Ok, so we need to find a spot to stay for the evening, then we can head to Fort Mantle," Weiss said as she and the others led their horses off the ship while Crow remained perched on her shoulder..

"You guys are heading to Fort Mantle?" Sun asked as he walked with the group. "I heard there was a lot of troop movements there. Why would you guys be heading there?"

"It's none of your concern," Pyrrha told him. "You're here now, so you can leave us."

"Hey, I don't want to go to Fort Mantle, I was never good around soldiers."

"Maybe it's because thieves and knights don't mix well."

"Tell that to Sag-"

"Sun!" a voice called from further down the docks.

The group looked there to see three men standing near a ship with a blue flag with a trident emblem. The first man had long red hair draped over his right eye and was wearing a red jacket roughly similar to a military one with a grey bandanna around his neck along with a cutlass sheathed on his belt. The second man had a dark complexion and green hair, and was wearing a long white coat under a chestplate where a wide grey broadsword was secured to his back. The third man had blue spiked hair and was wearing a fine red jacket with a long blue trident strapped to his back.

"Sun, where were you?" the man with the trident asked as the trio approached the group.

"Oh, you know how it is, Neptune," Sun said with a shrug. "One night you're in Vacuo chasing down a valuable item, next moment you're stuck on the cargo ship heading to Vale hiding from the crew."

"And did you find it?"

"Yeah, yeah," he said reaching into his robe before pulling out a golden dagger and tossing it to Neptune. "Now we can return the artifact to the monks of the Hallowed Oasis. Before I forget," he turned to the group before gesturing to his team. "Guys, this is Scarlet, Sage, and our noble we tolerate-"

"Hey!"

"Neptune." He then turned to the guys before gesturing to the group. "Guys, you know Pyrrha," he began before continuing, "this is Jaune, Ren, Nora, Blake, Ruby, Yang, and Weiss. They were on the ship with me, but they're heading to Fort Mantle tomorrow."

"Greetings," Sage said giving them a slight bow.

"Hello there," Scarlet said giving them a wave.

"Hello ladies," Neptune said giving them a smile that seemed to sparkle for a second before the smile went away. "Wait, Weiss? As is Weiss Schnee?"

"The princess?" Scarlet asked.

"I thought she was killed?" Sage asked looking to Weiss.

"Be quiet," Weiss snapped at them looking around to make sure nobody heard them. "There's a reason I kept my identity a secret, and I would appreciate you not telling everyone."

"So the story of you dying?"

"False," Weiss answered him. "Look, I needed to disappear, and I did. It wasn't exactly my idea that I died, but it helped avoid suspicion when I travelled."

'Well, this is getting boring, and I have that job Ozpin needs me to do,' Qrow thought as he cawed before flying off. 'I'll be back soon.'

"Well, while you guys talk for a bit, we're going to find a stable and buy some supplies. We'll meet up later," Pyrrha said as she, Ren, Nora, and Jaune grabbed the reins of their horses and began walking into the town.

"So where have you been all this time?" Neptune asked her as he walked up. "The last anyone had heard, you were at the castle at the time of…" He paused as he realized what he was about to say. "I'm… sorry about your mother. The noble families close to yours were freaking out when they heard the news, my family even hired an escort to bring me home for a month when they heard the news just to make sure I wouldn't get attacked by the White Fang."

"Has your family been involved in the enslavement of faunus in the past?" Weiss asked him as she crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"No."

"Well then, your family's fine," she told him then realized how cold she was sounding. "Thank you though. It's been a difficult time after the death of my mother, but I've been managing. I've made plenty of friends and have been enjoying my travels, except for a few key situations I would rather not go through again."

"So you're an adventurer now," he said with a grin as he crossed his arms leaning back a little. "I still remember the sheltered princess who was too shy to speak with anyone at her family's own party."

"It's strange how nobles act when they meet each other," Sage remarked as he walked over to Yang. "I've been travelling with him for years, and it's still strange every time I see this."

"I haven't seen Weiss interact with any other nobles, but you're right, this is weird," Yang said as Weiss and Neptune laughed at a joke he made about pompous nobles.

Ruby saw Weiss and Neptune and was annoyed for some reason she couldn't put a finger on. She could feel her cheeks puff out a little bit, so she quickly breathed out before anyone would notice.

"Hello there," Scarlet greeted her. "I couldn't help but notice your unusual hair color. It's very unique."

"Oh, thank you," Ruby said as she turned to face him.

"So, if I were to judge by your armor, I would say you were a knight," he said then looked her over, "but your weapon appears to be a large farming scythe modified to be used in battles. So, either you're a knight using a farmer's weapon, or you're a farmer wearing armor."

"Well, I'm… I don't really know," Ruby said as she thought to herself. "I was a farmhand when all this began, but I don't know if I can call myself that anymore."

"In all honesty, it doesn't really matter what you call yourself. Farmer, knight, they're just titles," he said causing Ruby to raise an eyebrow. "I've had many titles: sailor, private, pirate, and now adventurer. I've stopped caring what people call me, maybe you should too."

From a short distance away, Blake mounted Nightmare, but the sounds of footsteps trying to be silent caused Blake's cat ear to twitch. She reached to the back of her belt gripping the hilt of her shortsword before leaping off her horse backwards landing behind the person pressing the blade against their back. She was about to push her sword forward, but then she saw the familiar robe of Sun.

"U-uh hey, would you mind not stabbing me in the back?" Sun nervously asked her as he raised his hands in the air.

"Why were you sneaking around?" she asked him as she sheathed her shortsword.

"I was avoiding stepping in horse dung. You would not believe how many people just leave that stuff on the ground," he said gesturing to the manure on the ground where he came from. "I also wanted to talk to you."

Blake looked down and saw she was stepping in a piece of horse manure. "Ugh!" she groaned as she stepped out of the manure before scraping her foot against the ground. "So what did you want to talk about?"

"Well, I was just wondering if you would want to go somewhere and maybe get some food," he said giving her a smile.

"Well-"

"Oh no you don't," Neptune interjected turning away from Weiss before walking to Sun. "We have been stuck here for two weeks because you snuck onto a ship to steal a bunch of bananas on your way back after retrieving the gold dagger. We are dropping off the dagger with the monks, then we're going back to Mistral."

"But Neptune, if we are going back to Mistral, that means we're going to have to travel over the water," Sun said causing Neptune to tense up.

"Well, maybe we can stay for a few days," he said looking off to the side.

"Nope, you're right, we should go," Sun said as he grabbed Neptune's arm and began pulling him towards their ship.

"No, I'm perfectly fine not going over water," Neptune told him as he tried to pull his arm back.

"The sea is fine," Scarlet said with a smirk as he walked over grabbing his other arm pulling him back. "Your family provided us with a ship and a crew making me your captain. You have nothing to fear."

"That smile is not reassuring," he nearly shouted planting his feet on the ground in an attempt to stop the guys from moving him.

"Well, you should be fine if you remain in your quarters for the trip," Sage told him as he reached down grabbing Neptune's legs and lifting him off the ground. He then turned back to the group of girls who were now looking amused at the spectacle in front of them. "If you four and the others are spending the night in town, there is an open air hot springs near the outskirts of town. It should be vacant since we left. They even have their own stables."

"See ya," Sun said giving the girls a wave as the three of them carried Neptune away.

"Hot springs, huh," Yang said raising her hand under her chin thinking for a couple moments. "Well, it has been a while since I had a proper bath. I'm fine with it."

"I'm fine with going to a hot spring," Blake agreed with her. "I just hope it is not mixed bathing."

"Wait, you two are just fine bathing with others?" Weiss asked them.

"Yeah," Yang said raising an eyebrow, "it's not uncommon for people to go to public bathhouses. Ruby and I would always go Patch's bathhouse every other week. Wait, don't tell me you've never gone to a public bathhouse?"

"No, of course not, I was raised to-"

"Thought so, well, this is going to be interesting," Yang said with a large grin. "Ok, let's find the others and tell them to meet us at the hot springs."

"Actually, I was thinking of doing some shopping," Weiss said to them. "Ruby, do you want to come with?"

"Yes, actually, I was thinking we could get some supplies," Ruby said as she turned gesturing for Weiss to lead. "We'll see you two at the hot springs."


"Ok, so this request is from Commander Ironwood from Fort Mantle?" the woman from behind the desk asked as she filled out the request form. The man simply nodded in response. "Ok then, I just need your name so I know if you are a person who is capable of filing a request like this."

"My name is Qrow Branwen, an elite knight," Qrow said as he signed the paper before smirking. "Can I see that request form?" he asked her before she handed him the paper. He used his quill pen to draw a wing symbol pointing to the right. "Thank you, and make sure this request goes on the board within the hour. The more adventurers that see this, the better."

"I will, Mr. Branwen," she said then turned from Qrow and headed to the back room.

"Making me sound old," Qrow mumbled to himself as he walked out of the Adventurers' Guild building into the marketplace. As he walked down the street, he saw Ruby and Weiss walking to the different stalls carrying some supplies while others remained in their horses' saddlebags. "Well, maybe I can finally talk to those two," he said to himself as he walked towards them.

"And what do you think of this?" he heard Weiss ask Ruby as she held up a ruby encrusted necklace. "I think it would fit you well."

"I don't know, I'm not one for jewelry," Ruby said waving off her girlfriend. "We should head to the hot springs soon, the others are probably waiting."

"At least try it on," Weiss insisted as she stepped behind Ruby before putting the necklace on her.

"Huh, she was right, it looks terrible," Qrow said as he leaned against the market stall getting their attention before giving them a confident smirk. "Hey kid."

"Uncle Qrow!" Ruby exclaimed as she bolted forward giving him a hug. "It's so good to see you. Why are you in Atlas? How did you get here?"

"I had a mission, and I took a ship," he told her. "Also, I appreciate you taking care of… my bird till you landed."

"It was fine, he didn't bother us much, though he did squawk in my ear," Ruby told him causing his smile to fade.

"Yeah, sorry about that," he said with a small chuckle as he rubbed the back of his head. "So, I heard from… a reliable source that a certain someone was possessed by a demon." He paused as he looked down at Ruby concerned. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, Uncle Qrow, I'm fine," she said as she felt him wrap an arm around her in a comforting hug. "I'm surprised you aren't freaking out."

"Well, I was… surprised when I found out," he told her. "You were lucky you had Goodwitch with you, otherwise it may have turned out badly. I've seen what happens when a demon possesses a child and the demon isn't exorcised. An abomination is more deadly than any warrior you may face."

"Have you ever faced an abomination?" Weiss asked him as Ruby backed out of his hug.

"Once, on a mission shortly after Ruby was born," he told them. "There were reports of a demonic possession in a small town a day's ride from Vale. They needed someone who couldn't be affected by its magic, so I was the only skilled knight able to go."

"Why were you the one not able to be affected?" Ruby asked him.

"Well, mages have a certain resistance to mind-altering magic," he explained before he just realized what he had just told them.

"You're a mage?" Ruby immediately asked him. "How could you not tell me?"

"Well, while I am a mage, I'm not a strong one. Also, my magic isn't that useful, or controllable," he said as a large black bird landed on a nearby market stand letting out a croak. "It was probably better for you to not know I was a mage. I can cause bad luck around me, which can be useful in a fight, but not for being around loved ones. It gets more dangerous the more into the fight I get, so being calm allows my magic to not be as dangerous. There was a reason I became a farmer, kid, many reasons."

"So, you hid being a mage so you could have a normal life."

"Yes, though my sister could have easily of had a normal life as her magic is good luck," he said as the black bird near him croaked somewhat angrily. He turned and pointed at the bird. "I will deal with you in a bit, so be quiet or go." The bird squawked before flying off.

"What was that about?" Weiss asked him. "Is that one of your birds?"

"It's nothing that important, and no, that was not one of my birds," he said mildly annoyed before turning back to Weiss and Ruby. "Also, my reliable source informed me of something else." He gave them a cocky grin causing both of them to gulp. Then he paused for a second before turning away from them. "I have some things I need to take care of, though, I'm happy for you two. Finding someone you love is a rare thing, so don't let anything stop you two from being together."

As he began walking away, Ruby was silent before sprinting forward. She quickly moved past Qrow before turning around and slamming into him in a tight hug. "Thank you," she said burying her face in his chest.

"No problem, kid," he said leaning down giving her a hug. "There are things I wish I could tell you, and some I probably should, but the one thing I can tell you is that I am proud of you, always have, always will."

"Goodbye," she said as she let go of him.

"See ya, kid," he said then ruffled her hair before walking away.


"Took you long enough," a familiar voice said to Qrow as he walked down the alley. "It's not nice to keep someone waiting, especially family."

"Well, some people are more important than you, Raven," he said taking his flask from his belt before taking a drink. From a dark corner of the alley, a woman with long black hair and red eyes wearing a magic chainmail suit and an assortment of red armor consisting of gauntlets greaves and a chestpiece. On her belt was a red ōdachi that despite it's length, Qrow knew could be drawn at fast enough speeds to deflect an arrow. "So, why are you in Atlas, and why now do you decide to show your face?"

"A lot has changed since I left, and not for the better," she told him as she approached. "Dark forces are converging here and are a danger to everyone, including the tribe. You should come back."

"They'll be fine," he said leaning against the wall before taking another drink from his flask. "If anything, they are the danger to everyone."

"They raised us… and you turned your back on them."

"They were killers and thieves," he told her as he went to take another drink, but Raven swatted his flask out of his hand.

"They were your family."

"You have a very skewed perception of that word," he said as he kneeled to pick up his flask before standing back up and leaning against the building. "I have a family, one that I care for, one that I would do anything for. What about you? Have you ever even seen Yang? Have you ever watched her grow? We were there when you were not, Tai, Summer, and me."

"That is not why I'm here."

"Cut the crap," Qrow said as he moved from the wall and stood in the middle of the street. "I'm talking about your daughter, not the fate of the world, or the tribe, or any of that shit. I am talking about Yang. Just once, go see her, she's at the hot springs. Talk to her, then you'll see. Be a parent, just once."

Raven was silent for a while before turning away from him as shadows consumed her body. "Maybe you should follow your own advice, brother," she said then curled over before turning into a bird and flying away.

"Yeah, shut up, it's not the same between us," he said then tried to take a drink from his flask only to realize it was empty. "Damn."


"Alright, ladies, let's do this!" Nora exclaimed as she ran into the hot springs with a towel wrapped around herself.

"It is dangerous to run in a hot spring," Pyrrha said as she followed her. "You might slip from the wet stones and injure yourself."

"She'll be fine," Blake said as she followed them. "She's agile enough, and she has a rather hard head, so she'll be able to take a hit."

"Are you two coming?" Yang asked as she made sure the towel was secured around her chest. "You showed up a bit late, but we all should head in together."

"We'll be in soon, sis," Ruby said as she removed her cloak and folded it before placing it in a basket.

"Fine then," she said as she entered the hot springs.

"Do we really have to be naked?" Weiss asked her, her own face red from embarrassment at the thought.

"Yes, otherwise you can't properly clean yourself," Ruby said to her as she removed her boot. "Yang and I would always go the the public bathhouses when we were younger and yes, it is embarrassing, but it's better than being dirty. You never really went to a bathhouse before?"

"No, my family had private baths in the castle," Weiss said to her as she took off a gauntlet, "Nobody has seen me naked before."

"Well, you shouldn't worry that much about others seeing you, and also, if we stay together long enough, we'll see each other like this more often," Ruby said with a smirk causing Weiss's face to turn an even darker shade of red. "I wonder how awkward this is for the boys?"


"So…" Jaune trailed off as he sat in the water.

"Ssh," Ren silenced him as he leaned back resting his back on the pool wall letting his long hair float in the water. "We are fine sitting in silence." From the other side of the wall, there was the sound of a crash and Nora laughing causing Ren to cringe. "Partial silence."

"Ok, no talking, I'm fine with that," he said then moved away from Ren before relaxing against the wall of the pool.


"Come on in, the water's nice," Yang said getting Ruby and Weiss's attention. The two entered the water and Yang acted like she tensed up. "Oh, that's strange, the water seems Weiss-cold."

"How long have you been waiting to use that one?" Weiss asked her causing Yang to chuckle.

"Much longer than you'd think," Yang replied before a bucket sailed through the air hitting Yang in the face. "Nora, what was that for?" she asked as she rubbed her nose.

"It wasn't me," Nora said from the other side of the hot spring.

"That was a bad pun, and you know it," Blake said as she held another bucket preparing to throw it.

"Nora, what are you doing?" Pyrrha asked her as she filled a bucket before dumping it on her back washing off the soap.

"Well, I don't really get many chances like this to prank Ren," Nora told her as she tried to climb the wall between the two baths. "I can't miss it."

"Actually, I've been meaning to ask you this, but you and Ren," she began causing Nora to look at her. "Are you two…?"

"What? No! No-wah!" Nora yelled as she slipped off the wall landing on the ground. "Ow." She recovered then stretched her back. "No, we're not like that. We've always been together, but not together-together. We've known each other since we were kids, and we… grew up together, but not together-together."

"Oh, ok. I was just curious because I've only ever seen you by his side," Pyrrha told her as she walked over and entered the pool.


"So, how's your first experience in a bathhouse?" Yang asked Weiss who was sitting in the water with her knees brought up to her chest facing away from the others.

"I-it's ok, for the most part," Weiss answered her as she tilted her head down having her chin touch the surface of the water. "Though, I'm used to my private bath back home, but this is much better to clean myself than streams and rivers."

"Yeah, one would think that," she said then a large black bird with red eyes flew into the bath landing on the large stone set in the middle of the pool. "Ruby, is that Qrow's bird that came with us?"

"Huh?" Ruby asked looking over to the large stone and saw the bird. "No, that's not Qrow's. It looks like the bird that was bothering Uncle Qrow at the marketplace."

"Uncle Qrow is here? What is he doing in Atlas?"

"I don't know what he's doing in Atlas, he just said he had a mission," she answered her. "Oh, did you know Uncle Qrow is a mage?"

"He is? So I guess that means that my mom is too. Well, I guess it would make sense since dad isn't a mage for me to also have magic," Yang said as Raven cocked her head to the side.

'So, she's a mage. What kinds of magic does she know?' Raven asked herself as she looked at Yang intently. 'What kind of magic did she inherit?' She could feel smoke fall from her body. 'Should I talk with her? She must hate me.' She stopped the smoke from falling off her body. 'I did leave her father, but I did not leave her alone. She's so much like her father, but she is a bit too much like me.' She stretched out her wings before flying off. 'I'm sorry Qrow, I can't talk with her, I just… can't.' As she flew from the hot springs, Ruby and Weiss exited the water to head to their rooms.


"Ok, I think I'm done here," Ren said as he exited the water wrapping his towel around his waist. "If I stay in there any longer I'll pass out from the heat."

"That actually sounds like a good idea," Jaune said in agreement as he exited the water, but soon after he managed to get out, he slipped on the wet rock causing his feet to hit Ren's knocking him off balance.

Jaune managed to land on his back hitting the stone hard. Then Ren landed on Jaune causing him to cringe as Jaune elbowed him in the abdomen. The two were motionless for a couple moments before Ren started to pick himself up before freezing at the sight of his towel besides them both.

"Jaune, look at me," Ren said looking him in the eyes.

"What are you talking abou-" he asked as he began looking downward.

"Look at me," he interrupted him as Jaune looked back up to Ren's eyes. "I am going to slowly get up. You need to keep looking me in the eyes until I retrieve my towel."

"Ok, I can do that," Jaune said as Ren slowly began picking himself up.

From the wall, unbeknownst to them, Nora managed to climb up the barrier between the two baths. As her head popped over the wall, she caught the sight of Ren on top of Jaune with both hands on each of his sides. "Ha!" she shouted catching the attention of both guys.

"Nora!" Ren yelled at her as he jumped up off Jaune only to be tripped by the bard's legs and the wet rock falling back into the water. That entire spectacle caused Nora to laugh and Jaune reach down covering himself up. Then Nora managed to laugh too much causing her to lose her grip and fall off the wall with a loud crash.


"Did you hear that?" Weiss asked Ruby as they were relaxing in their room. "it sounded like someone crashed into a pile of buckets."

"Nora?"

"Yeah, it was probably Nora," she replied. Moments later she could hear the sounds of two people walking past their door and one of them was laughing. "Yeah, it's Nora."

"So, if Nora and Pyrrha are out of the hot springs, that means that Blake is the only one with Yang," Ruby said as she looked back at the door.

"Actually, no," a voice said from behind the two causing them to look and see Blake in the corner of the room grabbing a book. "I left the hot spring before you two. Don't worry, I'll be leaving, I just needed to take back that book you borrowed." She then headed to the door before opening it. "Good night."

"Good night, Blake," Ruby said as she waved to Blake as she closed the door behind herself before heading across the hall. She then turned to Weiss. "So, I've been thinking, what are we going to do after all this is over?"

"What do you mean?" Weiss asked her, somewhat confused.

"After we deal with things at Fort Mantle, what do we do then?" Ruby asked her. "I'm sure you'd head back to Franwell with your family, but I probably wouldn't be able to follow. You're a princess, and I'm a commoner."

"We'll make it work," Weiss said as she walked over and placed her hands on Ruby's shoulders. "I might be able to convince my father to allow me to continue travelling."

"There is another option," Ruby said then silent for a bit before continuing. "I could possibly travel to Atlas and become a knight then we can be together. I'm sure with my skill, I could become a knight at the castle."

"Well, you probably wouldn't start at the castle. You might train to be a knight in the city," she said then thought of a solution, "but if I put in a good word with my father, he might allow you to skip the training and be stationed at the castle. The job may be difficult, but I'm sure you'll pick it up after a while."

"I am a fast learner," Ruby said confidently as she gave Weiss a smile.

"So, instead of talking about what we should do for the future, or focusing on travelling to Fort Mantle, maybe we should focus on what we should do tonight?" Weiss asked as she reached over to hold Ruby's hand.

"Well, we are alone," Ruby said with a smile as she pulled Weiss's hand closer to herself before leaning in to kiss her. Just as their lips connected, the door to their room immediately opened.


"Damn, why didn't anyone take me out of the hot springs when they left?" Yang asked herself as she tried to walk down the hallway only to keep nearly slamming into the wall due to dizziness from the heat. "Which room was mine and Blake's? I think it was seventh room on the left, or was it the right?"

She kept walking down the hallway counting the doors, but was distracted by the sounds of Jaune and Ren arguing. She then lost count of which room she had passed, so she had to turn around and count the doors. After figuring out where she was, she quickly made her way to the seventh rooms.

Looking to the two doors, due to her dizziness, she nearly fell into the right door. "Ok then… I guess this is my room," she deliriously said as she opened up the door and took a step in. She was immediately greeted by the sight of Ruby and Weiss kissing. "What is… what is… what is happening here?" she asked them as she took another step into the room, but before she could get an answer from them, she fell to the ground and passed out.


Ok, lot of stuff happened in this chapter, so let's recap.

Group gets off the ship after dealing with Blake going feral. They meet the rest of SSSN introducing themselves (enter Neptune doing noble things). Qrow put up a mission request from 'Commander Ironwood' then see's Ruby and Weiss accepting their relationship. Raven appears and Qrow calls her a bad mom. Hot springs stuff (to be honest, at that point Delirious Van began to take over). Horrible Yang pun. Jaune and Ren have an uncomfortable moment. Ruby considers becoming a knight. Then Yang found out about Ruby and Weiss's relationship.

I think I covered all I needed.

I know I'm making Raven seem different from canon. I did borrow a couple lines from Volume 4 chapter 4 with their exchange. It seemed fitting. Anyway, did anyone catch what I hinted at in that scene. It wasn't exactly hidden, but it wasn't blatantly said.

So, with this calm chapter done, I can get back to the serious arc. I have been planning this for a long time, and I really hope I can get it done properly. It is going to be a semi-long arc, spanning over four to six chapters unless I decide to do some really long chapters.

So, I will see you later.

Have a nice day,

-J. Van A