Chapter 56: Salto

Contrary to people's thoughts, I have not officially put this story on hiatus.


"Well, we're at my room."

He was home again, three days since he had heard about his mother's financial efforts. The pain had been something that he had grown used to, as he looked at his bedroom, the wallpaper still as faded as it had always been, the bed made with the same style that mom always used, with one of the corners untucked.

He moved awkwardly, aware that he had to be careful, Ren's arm under his own, just in case.

"It looks… well, like a room."

Ren was very demure in his words, looking through the room and commenting on it, his eyes catching sight of the decorative pictures of his sisters in varying poses, something that occasionally got dumped in his room because his sisters had to make space for their own stuff. That's what made it suck really badly at times.

"It's my room, I'm… I'm not sure how things will go with the protection detail."

There had been a few Faunus interviewers who had gotten in front of him before he'd left the medical division of the SDC, who had asked questions about his ability to walk, whether he had made a recovery. He really wished that he'd known more about Faunus culture, but Adam had been pushed to the forefront to act as a spokesman.

"Mister Arc is recovering and is able to walk once more. A Prime walks proudly."

He had to find out what that meant, only getting a small article pulled up on his scroll about 'Partner hunting' or something vague like that. It was an opinion piece by a human who had married a Faunus before the Rights Revolution.

Faunus just didn't talk about things like humans did.

"It looks nice, I guess… Is this a picture of your father?"

He nodded, the man bearded and strong, his hand on Jaune's own shoulder, as the man looked inordinately proud of how Jaune had grown in the picture, the man's armour a reflection of the armour that he wore himself, the hoodie looking like it was definitely in the place of the fluffy wool shirt that his father wore under the armour that covered most of his front, the large lance-like weapon that he held in his hands too big for Jaune to wield, yet held anyways.

"Ambrose Arc, yes… There's a shrine in the back of the house, a room that's dedicated to him and the others who were the men of the Arc family. It wasn't- well, we had to move to a smaller home when dad was young and the family was still big, but we don't have many aunts and uncles to remember. Vivian is thinking about adding her own mark to the room, just so she'll be remembered…"

The talk had probably been something private, but he'd overheard it when he was younger, when his father had died and they'd decked out the room. It was private, a sanctuary that had been untarnished for years.

"That's good, to remember your father. Are you planning on adding things from us to the room as well?"

He wasn't sure whether he should mention that he'd already made some space in his mind for a section on Pyrrha, Ren and Nora. Nora had been quiet, looking at the pictures with a wistful expression, checking Pyrrha and Ren.

"We'll take pictures of ourselves too, Rennie. We're going to make so many pictures together that we can be happy together as a team and a family. I'll get pregnant, and we'll have so many babies, Rennie…"

Jaune remembered the sort-of-promise that he'd made to Nora, as Ren nodded stoically, Pyrrha blushing deeply. Pyrrha's problem wasn't that she wanted babies, but that her desires for a life in relative obscurity were working to ensure that her body felt desired by him.

'Sienna… You're a cruel woman, but I love you anyways.'

If Pyrrha was happy, then she would be happy. He knew that he'd not interfere with Pyrrha's happiness, if she was happy doing such things for him, then she was happy. The flush on her cheeks whenever she looked at him and tried to get his attention…

"I- I like your bed."

Pyrrha said that, as she looked at his bed. Jaune thought that it looked a little old-fashioned, being the bed that'd belonged to his father when he'd been a teenager, with Jaune getting the cast-offs from his sisters, as far as it went for furniture. A small closet that'd been put in his room, several of the knick-knacks that Sable had bought on the cheap once, and Saphron's old picture-frames, before Terra had decided that everyone needed a picture of 'Best girl Terra and Best girl Saphron'.

"Don't you be thinking about using that with our glorious leader, Pyrrha! He's ours, but that doesn't mean that we get to frolic about- Ooh, Rennie? Do you think we can frolic about? Jaune's mom said that we're welcome to be at her house no matter what, so do you think that we can…"

Nora started talking really fast, Jaune's attention going to Pyrrha, who nodded softly, her eyes looking at him, green trying to search his blue eyes for some kind of gesture, hint or something else which could clue her in to the reasoning behind his thoughts, her eyes watching him avidly.

His Scroll rang, a familiar tune, the one on the other end definitely Sienna.

"Turn your tv on, Arc."

Sienna's language for being severe and serious, of course.

He looked at his team, giving a smile.

"Miss Khan seems to be willing to show me something on TV, so I suppose it's off to the living room we go! Onwards, team JNPR!"

He hoped that it would be good news, or at least something positive. The worrisome thought in his mind was that there would be some public declaration, yet Sienna definitely had smarter ideas.

As Pyrrha supported him with Ren, Nora bouncing behind him, singing an off-key song about the 'Jungle Queen' or something, some Mistralian tune, if he guessed the rhyme and the lyrics properly, together with Ren's soft 'Nora, you don't pronounce that as' and 'you need to remember the tune, Nora. The jungle queen's song doesn't go like that…' from time to time as they helped him down the stairs and then to the living room, Vivian stretched out on the couch, getting up rapidly. Saphron was busy entertaining little Adrian, the young man looking like he was having the time of his life playing with a small stuffed cow, excited eyes and squeals loud in the room.

"Think we can change the channel to VNN?"

Vivian lazily changed the channel, as he was sat down, Lisa Lavender looking rather serious at the viewer, her hand motioning to the side.

"Sienna Khan, ladies and gentlemen, in a special television broadcast."

He could see that Sienna had opted to wear a nice suit rather than her own casualwear, something that made her face pop out, muted colours rather than the rather fetching Mistralian attire that outlined her tattoos.

Jaune privately thought that it would look much better on his bedroom floor, knowing Sienna's desires rather well… or being experienced in 'knowing' those desires rather well. He felt a little awkward at the feeling that went through him at looking at his girlfriend.

"Good day to you as well, Lisa."

That was about as kind as Sienna got to most people who annoyed her, which seemed to be Lavender's spot on the map of Sienna's affections.

Sienna turned to the camera and put on her nicest smile. Jaune remembered that smile very well from their earliest encounters, before Sienna had thawed a little and become… yeah. Interested in him.

"I am here to send a message."

This was going to suck, he just knew it, somehow.

"Nothing political, I'm afraid? We don't really have a political hour here, we are here for the discussions with eminent individuals such as yourself."

Sienna's lip curled up, flashing a toothy grin.

"Oh, I am sure that you will be entertained, Miss Lavender."

Sienna was dangerous, he knew that first-hand.

She looked like she was going to pounce on him, like she always did. The intensity of the golden-orange eyes was fierce, as she smirked dangerously.


Sienna's body was ready, as she sent the message to her deputies to manage the fort for a day, whilst she was doing the biggest political statement in the last month… a case which had to be made for controversial statements. The Albain twins had definitely made their objections, but it was all agreed upon.

'They don't know that I am planning on upsetting the balance of the world a little… But sometimes, you've got to break a few eggs to get an omelette made.'

She had been properly given her makeup at the studio, highlighting her appearance, knowing that it would be something that would be needed to make a televised appearance, her fingers tapping at the side, as she was summoned up with that tart, Lisa Lavender. She sat herself down after she'd given Jaune the command to go and watch the television.

'Simple problems require a simple solution.'

Willow had already forked over the cash required, so it was not like money was an objection, something that would spur on many of the people.

"Sienna Khan, ladies and gentlemen, in a special TV broadcast."

The tart had to make it a 'special TV broadcast', not something that would be given the time of day, knowing that there was more than a little more around this broadcast than most people would know. With Jaune returning home and the Faunus media declaring that he walked once more, the clauses would be voided, thankfully. The people guarding him could be reduced just a little, since Eve's claim was denied… also thankfully.

"Good day to you as well, Lisa."

Cordiality, as she knew it to be, was always needed with humans. Her human studies teacher had been an old bastard, but Sienna Khan knew the political landscape better than most. It wasn't something that she'd forgotten, her dealings with humans having been groomed by Ghira, as she held the aptitude and the ability to be political.

'Smile for the camera. Show them that the tiger has come without bearing arms…'

They were like sheep, and she was a predator that did not quit until she saw the blood flying. The thirst for blood and the predatory urges that came with being something a little bit better than human was something that some Faunus found harder to resist, but the symbiosis of her feelings and her gaze directed to the cameras gave the people the image of strength.

"I am here to send a message."

The minute change in scent by Lisa Lavender was enough to tip Sienna off about how disconcerting that news was, and Sienna's gaze went to the camera operator, the woman looking through the lens, her horns poking up.

It was easier to work with your own kind, especially when you remembered the words of the past, of what had been a 'boom in popularity' after her interview.

'They had no right to riot like that…'

"Nothing political, I'm afraid? We don't really have a political hour here, we are here for the discussions with eminent individuals such as yourself."

Sienna grinned cheekily, aware that it was more than a little political, since she was going to declare something of a personal goal… But the money would be good.

"Oh, I am sure that you will be entertained, Miss Lavender."

That floozy had tried to get intimate with her man, and that was one of the few things that Sienna held against her, the feeling of her blood pumping through her veins harder and faster, burning and writhing with the intent to do something, to make some action happen.

She might not have gotten the time to practice her fighting in the past few days, but it was more important to arrange with everyone the legalities of the message she was to proclaim. It was all legal, according to the lawyers that had looked at the case and come to their conclusion.

"Anything about your marital status, Miss Khan? A lover in the wings?"

The only lover that was in the wings, currently was getting home, with his personal bovine security detail taking up space in his house too, if there was some kind of space for them to do so. With the reports that she had gotten from the people in the know, it seemed that the fight was starting to simmer down, mainly due to Jaune's ability to move again. The lineage would continue, by hook or crook… But that didn't make things easy for her.

"I'd say that there would be wings had, but I didn't go by the Kermit Fried Chicken takeout counter yet, Lisa. Perhaps a boyfriend for you might be found there too, or perhaps a nice young man from my organization? You are getting older, aren't you?"

A catty response, knowing that Lavender would take offence from it, Sienna not letting the Khan bow down to the woman who had so sneakily inquired about her eligibility.

'I need to get laid…'

There was so much more to do around the Vytal Festival, with one of the major threats taken out already, knowing that there would be more Faunus that would be coming to Vale in order to capitalize on the trade of merchants. Everyone needed labour, everyone needed visas and she had to make sure that the message got out.

"It's not about my love life that you should worry about, Miss Khan."

A deflection, more than enough for Sienna to pounce on, giving her opponent a brutal smile, as a thought of Jaune went through Sienna's mind, aware that it would be political when the message was given out.

'First the little steps, then the killer…'

She so loved to feel like she was more important than most people here, knowing that it was indeed, all true. With her power as High leader of the White Fang, she held some sway among the populace, her strategies of deflection clearly something that had worked in the past. After all, the Kingdoms hadn't listed them as domestic terrorists yet.

"Oh, but you should worry about mine, huh? How about you go and focus on your job, miss Lavender? I am here to show the world that the Faunus are a people with history, with pride and with joy! Dedication to making sure that such atrocities do not happen anymore, like the casus belli of the Revolution."

She motioned for one of her aides to cart over the display, the poster for the Vytal Festival already displayed, as she tugged the small tug-line at the top, the cord pulled and the poster replaced.

40th Annual Vytal Festival

Sponsored by the Schnee Dust Company and the White Fang

Getting everything ready for the cooperation had taken out much time, already making the other stresses feel lesser than before. This was only one part of the message that she was going to send, as Lisa Lavender's eyebrows rose.

"Working together with the SDC, Miss Khan? Will other actors not consider you to be shacking up with the enemy? Jacques Schnee has been-"

Sienna cut the woman off, aware that if the story was spun in such a way, it would be more tension. For the great plan to succeed, there would be a need for unity and for control over the news.

"There are a lot of things that can be said, yet Willow Schnee is personally guaranteeing that there will be enough Dust to supply the Amity Collisseum with enough fuel to keep on floating, Miss Lavender. It is a sign of our cooperation that we show, to show the world that Faunus and humanity can work together, in order to ensure that there would be something resembling peace. The Faunus know their place, and humanity knows their place. It is time for us to link hands and ensure that the world will enter an era of prosperity and wellbeing."

Ensuring that she would be a woman that belonged to Jaune was one of her goals, and having to make sure that that was allowed and possible without compromising the organization, was a tricky question. Willow wouldn't understand the subtle nuances that were required in order to endure the strict guidelines that she had to obey for the people to support her, Ghira's voice critical when she was to speak to people, as his support as an older member of their people, one who had been a champion of a Pogrom with a wife who was known to be without mercy and yet kind, was invaluable.

The Khan ruled through the will of Belladonna, with the respectful transfer of power when he had been beaten by her during that fight for dominance.

"This is quite a revelation, Miss Khan. Are you certain that Miss Schnee has been fully aware of the division that it would cause, especially with the riots and the breach of our walls by the criminal element?"

Sienna knew that the woman would get to that part, as she got up. A show of strength, as she straightened her back and gazed at the camera.

"The White Fang has offered a bounty of twenty-five thousand Lien to the person who brings in Roman Torchwick alive, and to those Faunus who hear this: I declare Jihad on Roman Torchwick for daring to bring shame to our people and to slander our good name by acting as if he were our master. We will not be slaves again."

Powerful words, as she spoke them, balling her fist in a show that she was serious. It was a gesture that every Faunus would recognize, the raised fist of rising up for their rights.

Lisa Lavender wouldn't know the nuance, as she inhaled.

"Calls for violence are not allowed, Miss Khan!"

There was a total lack of care for the woman's words in her, as she looked at the cameraman, the Faunus giving a small nod. The camera kept on recording, as she grinned.

"This is about justice. Do you wish to let us live under the boot of some two-bit criminal, Miss Lavender? Are you content in pushing the collar around our neck and treating us like you are our mistress, Miss Lavender? This is about our rights, our autonomy as a people! I have placed the bounty on his head, under the Vytal Accords section three-nine-zero-one, Huntsman provision in dealing with Criminal Ex-Huntsmen."

Sienna took a moment to gather her breath, looking as imposing as she did. This was all about showing that she was Sienna Khan, the High Leader, the one who fought tooth and claw for the rights of the Faunus, as she pushed her chest forward.

"I am the High Leader of the White Fang and am at discretion to declare Jihad under the Menagerian Code, third amendment, ratified post-Founding. Menagerie and the Faunus are not a Kingdom, yet we are still a people. You may not know how to bare your fangs at those who would dare to hurt one of your kind, yet we can. I was nearly assassinated by Mister Torchwick, and I have done what I must, like the King did when he erased the Succession Rights of Mantle and Mistral Post-Great War."

The speech was ad-libbed a lot, with powerful rhetoric. To her, who embodied the freedom of the Faunus, the political willpower of its people, she was in the right. Humanity had taken a lot from them, but they did not take their freedom away from them.

"He's a human! How can you-"

Sienna turned to Lisa, her eyes blazing.

"He got people killed, Miss Lavender. Mister Torchwick has been declared a traitor to Faunuskind, and that is which shall be recorded in the records. I am the High Leader and the Faunus shall listen to me, because I did not climb up to this level by being a weak and feckless leader."

She turned to the camera again, looking sternly.

"Hunt him down and bring him to justice, after twelve hours. Roman Torchwick, if you do not surrender, we will be justified. Any child of the Faunus is to hunt you down, regardless of age and strength. Do not make us your enemy, surrender obediently and take your sentencing."

She smirked, flashing her teeth. Jaune would love this, she just knew it.

"Miss Khan, this-"

Lavender was talking, but Sienna had little patience for that.

"Riots and distress are one thing, Miss Lavender, that Roman Torchwick has caused. Enough is enough. What if he causes irreparable harm to the Vytal Festival? Are you defending a criminal who has tried to incite tensions and lead to a race war? Already, General Ironwood is above Vale with his warships, a man who does not think fondly of our people. Are we to take it laying down that armed warships are floating above the Kingdom of Vale, oppressing us like Atlas oppresses Mantle?"

Political discussion, fierce rhetoric, it was all that she had available to her to ensure that the Faunus had their slice of the cake. Ironwood was a despotic general, who did not think anything about the Faunus. There were few Faunus in Atlas, up in a good position…

Not that it mattered in the long run, because she knew that there was a good chance that she would be able to get things done in her personal life after the Torchwick situation was taken care of.

She sat herself down, looking at Lisa Lavender with a pleased, smug smirk on her face.

"I am still in my power to publically announce a bounty, Miss Lavender. If someone wishes to do the right thing and get a lot of Lien for one criminal, that is their prerogative."

The words would definitely spur on thought from the people, as she smirked once more, flashing her teeth. With Torchwick taken out, at least by the people wishing to cash in, it was more or less free time for her, since arrangements for the Vytal Festival were being made already by the people below her.

There would be no hesitation when it came to doing the will of Khan, no halting the path that she had set them up, and there would be time to go and visit Jaune and his family.

'I need to go shopping… Now that he's home, I can visit more easily…'

The business with the Vytal Festival took a lot of time, but now that most of the meetings were done, she had the time to go out and do things personally, even if Willow didn't want to go drinking with her anymore.

"It's still… It is a manhunt."

It was, but that wasn't really her problem. It was a problem if people started to doubt the word of Sienna Khan, and the money was good. She'd made sure that everything was arranged with the bounty office.

"It is a man who has committed crimes against the Faunus people, Miss Lavender. If someone wishes to have the chance to earn some sweet money by fighting a known criminal and traitor to humanity, then I would not stop them. There are Huntsmen out there who would be glad to make a lot of money."

It was natural to her, who fought at the upper echelons of the White Fang, to wish to make some money. It was natural to desire the thrill and the thirst for power, skill and a rough fight.

She really needed to get laid.

'I'll visit Jaune… Yes, that's what I'll do. He's home, able to walk… somewhat. Time to take the plunge.'

She had to get a lot of meat for the traditional gift… so a visit to the butcher shop would be needed. A visit to the drug store as well, just a little after that. Traditional gifts for the family. Menagerie's best…

'I'd best go and buy some of the best gifts… I wonder if there was something in the east end's shops…'

"Miss Khan?"

She snapped her attention back to Lavender, the tart having rambled on whilst she was thinking about getting gifts for her lover's family.

"What? I'm thinking about where I need to go shopping next. Make it quick, Lizzie."

The short and curt mangling of the woman's given name was probably a faux pas, but Sienna had better things on her mind, like gifts for the family, as well as informing Jaune that he'd be having her visit.

"Shopping? How can you think about shopping right now?"

Sienna fixated her attention on Lisa Lavender, frowning.

"Don't you eat food, lady? Alright, people watching, you've got 12 hours before the bounty goes into effect. After that, you're dead meat to the Faunus, Torchwick. We are not your slaves. Never again. Faunus lives matter!"

She got up and strode out, a queen who was in the process of departing.

It went down as one of the awkward moments on television, with a 'Don't you eat food?' meme being made, with Lisa's surprised face showing clearly that that wasn't the first question she'd expected.

At a butcher shop in the east end of Vale, Sienna looked at the cuts of meat on display, putting her finger to her chin as she regarded them. Nice and pricy meat was something that was given to families of your partner.

'It has to be a good and expensive cut…'

"Are you sure?"

The flunkie behind her was tall and imposing, as she nodded.

"Tradition must be observed. One kilogram of flesh for each family member, in order to pay back the flesh taken."

It was of course, completely normal. She was fucking Jaune, and she would be with him for his life. If she noticed him stray, she'd take her pound of flesh back. It was how things went.

'Diren de Rou is still something that we cook…'

It was a high honour, of course, it had to be given to those who had been harmed in order to soothe their bellies of anger.

"I'll take this, this and this, this and this, and… Hmm…"

She took a gulp from the plastic bottle that she'd appropriated for the use of her brandy, needing the drink to soothe her mind a little. Gifts like this were going to be something that she would share with the family, and perhaps… she felt a little nervous.

Being introduced to the other side of the family, to represent herself as the partner to the young man of a household after he'd pinned her down and made her submit, in the good way, that was something that made her feel a little nervous, perhaps a bit more than she should. She'd been beaten by Eve once, yet she was not going to give up.

"Wrap it all up, we'll go and visit tomorrow… It's best to give some preparation…"

And field questions, of course. There'd be questions for her about why she had placed a bounty on the head of a criminal, and that would be something that made her evening rather tiresome.

She grabbed her Scroll and dialled Jaune's number.

"I'm coming to visit your family and be formally introduced tomorrow. Expect me, Arc."

She had to go by the drug store next…

Why did he have to have a large family? Most Faunus only had one child, with twins being rare.

'This is more trouble than it's worth, but I will not give them the problem of a disloyal daughter of the household.'

There was a certain level of decorum expected of the lady of the house, as Kali had exemplified. Sienna had a brief vision of dressing like the woman, being the gracious host and ensuring her man was happy and content…

'Yeah, as if that'll ever happen.'

There would need to be discussions on who got to have the man first, after all. Willow was one of her best friends, inasmuch a human could be called that, so there would be at least no struggle in the bedroom.

If there was, it would be interesting.

"Alright, I'll take this."

She wouldn't be unprepared!

She was so going to take some great liquor as well. Things went better with alcohol, after all. A visit to the liquor store and getting some really good liquor to wash things down…

'Let it not be said that Sienna Khan does not do her best to please her man's family!'

There would be sex.

She balled her fist and grinned dangerously.

She had needs.

She was going to have SO much sex that the bed would need replacing.

Sienna wanted to come to visit tomorrow.


With his team heading to Beacon once more, they wouldn't be able to keep things as they were, as Adam was setting the table for the family to eat, Camellia giving him a dangerous look, whilst Vivian looked like she wanted to take Eve out back and beat her senseless. They had been the most vocal proponents against the Faunus staying with them, though Salmon seemed to be in a great mood.

'I don't think Camellia will take that well…'

His sister was still fragile, remembering that time when he'd been right in time and had to talk his family through things, doing the best he could to at least soften the blow that Sienna would be giving, being a Faunus and all that. Camellia was temperamental, at worst. With Mint currently leaning over the kitchen sink doing some dishes, it was perhaps a moment to slowly broach the topic.

"Mom?"

The questioning tone, as his mother looked a little worried.

"Yes, dear? I was thinking, do you need something? If it's something that you need, I can buy it. There is still a bit of money left…"

That wasn't the problem, Jaune knew, yet his eyes were firmly on the sisters that were listening in. Terra was trying to make sure that Adrian would keep still, Saphron flashing a worried and concerned look at her mother, Vivian was still glaring at Eve, who had opted for a smaller white top than usual… The other stuff was in the washer, it seemed, and Eve's large breasts looked like they were going to be popping out.

"No, I… My girlfriend wants to come and formally introduce herself, and… if we don't have anything tomorrow, perhaps we can… you know, eh… do things without too much fuss?"

That sank in for a moment, Coral looking at him with betrayal showing in her eyes, as if he'd just said that she wouldn't be getting any more assistance from him.

He didn't quite get the sentiment, but he knew that he loved his family. To gently deliver this news was definitely-

Vivian laid her weapon on the table.

"A girlfriend, right? A huntress?"

He nodded. He thought that Sienna was a huntress by most standards. She certainly could beat up a lot of people when sparring, so it was at least at a level that would intimidate him.

"Yes, she's… probably one? All I know is that whenever we have a match, I'm the one on my back."

The whip she wielded was something that definitely made him trip up more than once, and it wasn't unusual for her to 'capitalize' on him having fallen down to take some liberties. She had a very healthy sex drive, he knew from personal experience, especially after she'd just gotten heated up from the spar.

"Sounds like a good and strong woman. Is she the girl with the green hat?"

He shook his head. Pyrrha was… well, special was a word for it. Someone who wished to be in the background and just assist him at achieving his dreams was not going to be the one who would have his heart. He was still a little upset with Sienna for achieving that, but it was in her nature.

"No, she's… she's a little older."

Eve chuckled softly at that, shaking her head softly, as if disagreeing with the 'little older' part. Saphron gave a warning look, and every sister at the table turned to Eve, who shook her head empathically.

"Not me, I'm not the girlfriend you are looking for."

Mint and Camellia held back their comments, silenced by Eve's dismissal. He looked at Adam, who was seated next to Salmon, turning a little paler, as Salmon's hand was…

'Okay, I definitely-'

Salmon's sharp look at him with that hint of 'Do not fucking dare give a comment about what I'm doing, I know where you sleep' in her sharp blue eyes, as she leaned a little closer to Adam. It was a very forward move, but he steeled himself. Strength, and there'd be the gentleness.

"She is who she is, and she's been assigned to be my bodyguard after what has happened. Mom, please. She's just a bit older, wasn't dad older than you as well?"

He was going for the weakest link, his mother nodding softly.

"Well, it's not as if it's going to be a Faunus, after all. You damn animals need to know your place."

His mother didn't go in against Camellia's words, and he knew that it would be a moment of testing boundaries. There was propriety to consider, Camellia's fragility making him feel responsible. It hadn't been a good month, not after what had happened to the pregnancy and her decision afterward.

'Mom didn't really want to accept it…'

Neither Eve nor Adam responded, Adam trying to look everywhere else but at one of the Arc siblings, Eve snickering softly at the thought.

"Oh, we've got a place right here for him, you know? A good place, nice, warm and cozy, right for a man of his standing."

It was teasing innuendo, as she placed her hand on her chest, trying to look pretty, the expression on her face as beautiful as most women he'd somehow attracted. Willow's rather cool expression contrasted with the flaming excitement that Sienna brought, Eve's rather sultry manner and lack of care about such little things as him being in a relationship already, was just adding the fuel to the mix, and then there were the girls at Beacon.

'I'm in a position that'd be envious by anyone but me… How am I going to introduce Willow to them? Sable would freak. Probably. Sienna might already be too much to handle, given that Camellia is going to explode and Sienna might not be able to stop herself.

"That's what I mean! He'll be putting a child in you and then he'll turn his back on humanity, rather than staying with his kind! You'll be leaving again and letting him handle the baby, and it'll die!"

Camellia's protectiveness came to the fore, as Vivian added her arguments, Jaune's eyes going to the other sisters, gauging their expressions. Mint laid a hand on her best friend's thigh, trying to calm her down.

"He's a young man, Cam. He'll know what the best option is. If he wants children, then like your sister Saphron, I'm willing to-"

It sort of clicked in his mind. They were friends, in much the same way as Saphron and Terra were 'together'.

'That's going to go over well with mom… Yep. If she doesn't faint at another of her daughters being gay, that's going to go over like Jacques Schnee getting hit by thunder.'

"No, you don't have to. Jaune is a smart boy, he wouldn't be with a Faunus, right? Those murderous animals were trying to kill him, they don't know what a good young man he is."

He winced a little. Sienna was going to be like throwing an active Dust crystal into a crowd.

Jaune didn't think that he'd have the ability to restrain himself, as the conversation drifted a little.

"He'll do the right thing and introduce her. She'd be a nice girl, a strong- Oh, she was older, right? Jaune? Does she have bigger breasts than we do?"

He shook his head. Sienna wasn't really… gifted in that way, not with her body being as trained as it is.

"Oh, I bet it is that Winter woman who came by, with that stoic guy who looked like he was going to be, eh… General Ironpooch?"

It had the effect of making him laugh, as his sisters speculated about his girlfriend.

"She's a very passionate woman. If you give her a chance, I'm sure that you'll like her."

Sienna was a good woman at her core, he knew that well. She loved the Faunus and him, or so she'd said. She at least had the dedication, as more questions came.

"Whatever she is and whoever she is, it is my decision to love her."

The words were more determined, as he took a deep breath. His legs still wouldn't work very well, and he couldn't move very fast, but he was getting ready to be a Huntsman again, Vivian nodding her head softly.

"That's a man for you, I guess… Well, we'll see what kind of woman she is. If she's decided to go and just fuck you for the whole Arc experience, I reserve the right as eldest to beat the ever-loving shit out of her."

His oldest sister flashed a grin which was much like his father's, the burning ambition in her eyes something that he'd always respected, even though he had been the deciding vote in some of the house's decision. It had been a time when he'd been forced to push himself to be the one who could support the seven sisters that he'd loved when he'd been younger, who had not really supported him when he'd been adamant about becoming a Huntsman, but he'd tried his best.

Camellia was the fragile flower, Salmon was upbeat, Coral was Coral and Sable was the one with the greatest ambitions, as the others let their desires drift them to places that had made them get what they wished. Saphron was a responsible older sister, but even she listened to her wife and her oldest sister.

"I don't think that she'll go down so easily, Viv. She's quite a woman, heh. Sienna's a whole different animal compared to most."

He swallowed midway, feeling his stomach rumble a little. It really was dinner time, and he was getting hungry.

"Senna, hmm… Sounds like a girly name. What colour is associated with that, or is her surname not a colour?"

Sable asked, and Jaune thought about it for a moment, trying to remember the colour lessons from the primary school.

"I think it's an earthy brown colour, but… Ehh, Eve? Would you say that's correct?"

A small nod from the cow Faunus, who smirked dangerously at him. He thought it a little strange that they'd not responded that badly to him saying that he was dating Sienna, but perhaps it'd go alright?

'They're pronouncing it a little awkwardly, but I guess that's just right…'

He felt a little relieved, as his sisters started to talk about who was getting to dish up the potatoes, Adam looking a little more relieved for some reason, as Salmon was rubbing her hand over her cheek, giving him a look that clearly kept on telling him to keep his mouth shut.

'Well, they are dating… But they are being kind of sneaky about it. I'm glad that mom doesn't mind…'

It was no big deal for him, he knew, but his mother wasn't really dealing well with things that disturbed her after Camellia.

"She's just a little older than you, isn't she?"

The questions came, and he nodded. Sienna was, what? Twelve years older?

"It's not that much."

Twelve years, she was nearly thirty… he guessed. He really hadn't been willing to ask how old she was, Adam putting several potatoes on his sister's plate and doing the task of preparing them for her, Salmon looking inordinately proud, whilst Eve did something similarly for Saphron, Saphron just letting her do it, whilst Terra looked terribly amused by something.

"Oh, a few years are nothing, dears. Your father was eight years older than me, but a man who loved every one of you dearly. It is such a shame that you girls cannot really date… Such a shame, after what happened to Camellia."

There was a wistful hint, as Saphron cleared her throat.

"W-well, we've got Adrian here, so at least someone got married?"

It wasn't what mom needed to hear. It wasn't a traditional marriage, which would make it much more agreeable for his mother. That Camellia got a child out of wedlock with a Faunus had rankled their mother greatly, as it was improper for a woman to be with a child, and that it had been a Faunus child as well…

'There was that warning from Ozpin.'

"Jaune, will you marry your girlfriend?"

His mother asked him that question, as he breathed in sharply. The unblinking gazes of each of his sisters was on him.

"I'd like to? If they agree to the terms, yes."

Willow would have some kind of marital contract, and Sienna would probably forgo that part, but it'd mean getting three children with the deal. Whitley was a nice kid, responsible, willing to be a little brother.

Weiss and Winter would be a little tougher…

They actually seemed interested in him, even though Willow was someone who wouldn't be up for sharing him with too many individuals. Sienna was tolerated, and Sienna tolerated that.

"I'm sure that it'll be fine, dears. He's planning on marrying her. Isn't that wonderful? Jaune, my dear, does she have a good job? You're still a student, and she's not some useless layabout, is she?"

Adam and Eve suppressed a grin, as Jaune took a deep breath, steadying himself against the thoughts that pervaded his mind about how they would react.

"She's a bit like Vivian, someone who doesn't really give up until she's satisfied, even if she's eh… a bit too overzealous…"

There was definitely that television interview or whatever it had been. Sienna had been blazing and fiery in her actions, without ever giving an inch of space, someone who moved first and then gave thought about the consequences.

"but she's someone I love."

Willow was the opposite, able to both be as seductive as a vixen and calculating as an old fox. Her way of being his love interest, if he could term it so, was to wait and play the gambits that she had already set up, reminding him of the fact that she could crush him if she so desired, but not letting things progress further until she thought he was ready.

"That's great, Jaune. I'm happy that you found her. Even if she's got horns, we won't judge, right?"

Saphron looked at each sister, before Vivian gave a shake of the head.

"Nah, if she's a beast that's just going to be trying to drop your guard and then snatch away what we've built here, we're going to be putting her through hell. My little brother won't be treated like filth by some beast with a thought for getting some blonde guy to bang her like a drum."

Sienna quite liked being banged like a drum, Jaune thought, yet didn't mention that. He took a deep breath.

"I'm not going to stop loving her, even if you all object. She's a wonderful woman and I am very happy to have known her."

Adam and Eve nodded, Eve teasingly grinning at him.

"And we're going to be making a nice movie together, won't we? Your ass will be on the screen, or else my name isn't Eve Taurus! It's going to be amazing, even if she's not comfortable with acting out a bit."

He had that distinct image of Eve haranguing Sienna into doing a movie like that, whining at her friend for not doing a porno with her and Jaune. Sienna would likely see it as a challenge and then there'd be some kind of struggle and… and she'd be getting herself in his pants again, huffing about the pair of them making the best porno ever.

'Gods help me if Sienna actually gets motivated to make a porno.'

He was still recovering, and Sienna had a habit of biting and encouraging him to be rougher. If she wasn't bleeding by the end of it, or at least feeling the burn of exercise, Sienna Khan would just wind up the dynamo and make sure that he was feeling it in the morning.

That's how it always went with Sienna. If she didn't get her way, she'd explode.

In more ways than one, he knew.

Well, at least they thought not so badly about her.

"When will Senna be coming around?"

He had to correct their way of speaking her name. It was Sienna, not Senna, but he couldn't quite get a word in, as the sisters started to talk about dresses, tomorrow and 'showing the Faunus that there was an Arc family that lived here'.

He really didn't think that he should have mentioned it, but Sienna was coming, she'd want to get to know the family and make sure that she was accepted, and he would make it so that she would be accepted.

"Around… ten, maybe? She's still finishing some work at the place she works at, so usually she doesn't get out of the office after she starts at seven-ish…"

He hoped that it'd be like that.


Willow Schnee stared at the drunken Sienna Khan currently in her guest room, laid on the couch with a large bottle of liquor in hand, amber liquid sloshing about, as the woman drained the bottle.

"I just fucking did it, Willow. I just went like 'I want to see your family, get introduced' because I want to, and I didn't think- What will they think about me? I've heard Adam get in a tiff with the Liga girl from his sisters, and the others don't seem to really like us much either, understandable."

Willow gently sighed, the Faunus on the couch looking like she needed to go home, the brief 'visit' to 'discuss the bounty' having turned in to a lengthy mope session for the younger woman. It was really something, as Willow shook her head softly at the thought.

'You don't have it easy, do you?'

Jaune would be coming to her, she knew. The patient game had to be played, for maximum enjoyment to be had. It would be a sweet challenge, something to burn the minor aches from their body, as she'd show him what a woman who had been desiring the touch of a man for so long could do to him.

Contrasted to Sienna, people might think her reluctant, yet there was something delightful about having the control over a strong, sexy man. Not in the slightest to let that control slip and see a beast that craved her rise. There was a delightful little whisper in her mind about him just ravishing her.

"Well, at least you're brave enough to announce your presence. I still haven't had sex with him yet."

It was a cool admission, something only done in the privacy, as the door opened and Whitley peered in, his little girlfriend peering over his shoulder. They were a cute pair, she surmised, as a soft little sigh came from her lips.

"Mother, I will be going to bed, and Ruby will be… you know?"

Sienna raised her head and gave a look at Whitley, then at the silver-eyed girl.

"Yo."

Ruby squeaked.

"You're Sienna Khan!"

Willow nodded, as she placed the maternal smile on her lips that comforted her children when she'd been personally distressed. Their talks hadn't been about business for a long while.

"Hello. I'm fucking drunk, Red. Willow? Do you have more alcohol here? I need courage, before I go and fuck my man."

Ruby was curious, apparently, as Willow sighed. Whatever the girl knew, she knew. Jaune was not someone who easily let himself be waylaid by such things, and the cat had to be skinned one day.

"I rather doubt that they would agree to that, at first. You are the leader of the White Fang, after all."

Sienna raised a balled fist and made a hissing sound, the low 'glug glug glug' as she downed the bottle with an 'awww yeahhhhh' from her lips, getting up, angry eyes peering at Willow.

"And you should just do like I do and grab him by the cock and tell him that you want him to fuck you, Will! For the love of the Brother Gods, you're a tease! Don't you know that you've got him moping too, huh? I've been hearing from Adam that he's been talking about how he misses you."

Sienna was talking utter nonsense, of course. Willow Schnee did not thirst for the attention of a young man with the ability to make her feel safe.

Not openly, like Sienna did, anyways.

"That may be so, yet I have given him an ultimatum."

That he had gone home was just as insurance. When dating formally, there were certain rules to observe, at least in Atlas. Her father was dead, but she was aware that he knew the rules.

"Oh my god, you're dating Jaune!"

Whitley looked at his girlfriend, giving a quiet laugh, as Ruby turned to him.

"You could have told me! I knew that she was freaky-deeky when we saw that- that- that what Yang and Blake were watching! Oh gods, she's into him! She's into him and she wants to have cute Faunus babies with him!"

That might be accelerating the timeline just a bit too much, yet Willow was willing to settle for the second baby… or something. They'd figure it out, during the first threesome.

"Does that mean your mom likes him too?! This is horrible, Weiss has been doing squeaky-squeaky pillow-stuff, when she thinks I'm asleep! She's been mumbling in her sleep about him! This is terrible, Weiss' mom, don't do it! You'll hurt her!"

That was a small obstacle that was thrown in front of her as well. It was not that she wouldn't like to be with Jaune, yet the circumstances of her husband's death, the children that all had their opinions on Jaune and the… rather horrid fact that her daughters both seemed to think that he was like a scrumptious buffet…

'Quite frustrating.'

She went for her man, of course. Jaune would not escape her grasp, even if he wished to. Not that he would, of course. His reactions, his responses… Everything told her that he was quite devoted to her.

"My dear, if Weiss cannot bear to be challenged by her older sister and her mother, she is simply too fragile to be with a man like Jaune."

Any daughter of her had to have some grit, in order to defeat whatever laid opposing her, Winter hadn't quit after the first moment, after all. Her own dark thoughts were a signal of that, perfectly wrapped in a bundle of nervousness, knowing that Sienna was ahead of her by at least a small league. She'd had more contact with him, obviously. She'd been more involved, and Willow hadn't had the chance to take him yet, even though the offer in the bedroom had been there, during her despairing moment.

"But but, she's- She's your daughter!"

Sienna snorted, drawing Willow's annoyed gaze, sighing deeply.

"My sisters aren't that easily discouraged, Ruby. If Mother wishes to make her move, then allow her to. We met thanks to Jaune, didn't we?"

The girl remained silent, as Sienna laughed.

"What's one woman for a man who can grab them, huh? Don't you know that most Faunus Huntresses who can afford it, have one man to share with their other female team members? That's what we call claiming, girl."

Ruby looked like she was going to be in a crisis, as Willow ran a hand through her hair.

"You should go home and rest. You'll be meeting the family tomorrow, Sienna."

Sienna got up from the couch, a playful grin on her face, soused with liquor, swaying to her and then placing a hand on her.

"Oh, don't you worry. I'm going to do my best. Sienna Khan is a woman who doesn't give up until her man is giving her what she wants, ha! C'mere!"

Sienna kissed her suddenly, a little unexpectedly. Willow felt just a touch of awkwardness, as Sienna strode off to Whitley, hugging him suddenly, mumbling something in Mistralian that sounded like 'Hug for you too, lil' kiddo' and then Ruby's turn came, as she squeaked. Willow knew that Sienna definitely had drunk enough, as she departed the room, sighing softly.

"Well, I guess the cat is out of the house now. Drunk, too."

Ruby started to giggle helplessly, as her son shook his head at the joking tone that she had taken.

Willow supposed she'd go to bed now, after having listened to Sienna's worries.

For her, it would be just another workday.

"Mother, do you wish me to arrange for a date with Jaune with you?"

Whitley just had to make that offer, as she sighed. It might perhaps just be for the best to go to bed early.

"That will not be necessary, Whitley."

She could date, when she had the time. Managing a global company and having to assign new staff that she could trust to a certain extent was something that many people forgot about.

When the Vytal Festival was in swing, she at least had a few weeks off for vacation time.

International holidays were great.

It'd be time for her to sweep the board clear of all challengers and then claim the prize.


Another chapter, with a much-requested time skip. Whatever happened in those three days? Something, which I skipped because people thought it was a little too 'slow' with the pacing and focusing too much on things that they think don't matter at all. So, time-skip. The hospital arc was something that was set up to show something, but if people go and complain about the pacing and stuff, well... think of this story as a dance. Not all dances have only fast motions. You wanted a quicker tempo, so I upped the tempo.

Leave a review if you'd like!