'The deal was a scam.' Stephen vehemently thought.

The amount of efforts he needed just to clear the sawdust or any other dust that permeates the room was harder than he thought. It made him wonder when was the last time Fletcher's cleaned his workshop. Yet despite that, somehow there is barely any mold. So far, he haven't rearrange the whole workshop as Fletcher got an order and the schedule was tight. In all, he got times to clean the workshop in one hour. Not enough for moving and rearranging things.

It's been a week since the deal was made and Stephen at least spent four hours from 8 a.m. learning carpentry. Turned out by the craft that Maroon mentioned was Fletcher didn't only worked on just bow and arrows. If some particular request come in, he could do construction work and even small handcraft. It made Stephen tutelage fall under general carpentry and DIY handcraft. Truth to be told, this is what he wanted to learned in previous life as life skill.

Shame that he needed to cook and clean after Fletcher. His complaint about the workshop was heard but Fletcher just proudly stated that it was better than Shang's house, the blacksmith in the village. Stephen heard that the man has his ores in the bedroom, something that Fletcher saw when he carried him after big party in the village.

For the first week his tutelage can be summed into learning basic skills that every carpenter need to know. From how to measure things then calculate what was needed, how to cut things, scribing, and knowing the tools. There is also the joke and some kind of rites of passage that Fletcher did to him. Namely looking for skyhook.

Stephen was made to take a tour around the village, searched it to other carpenter and other hard labor workers as they said that others borrowed it after being told to for quite long. In total he went to three carpenters, two blacksmith, and stonemason before he was told to look for Joe, which was last seen with Fletcher.

He only found Fletcher at the workshop with no one he can identified as Joe. Turned out it was all a joke as Stephen asked who Joe is.

Joe mama.

Whoever brought up this Joe mama's joke on Remnant need to be put on a stake. He spent hours for an obvious joke that other used on him. Regardless, it was a nice joke even if it annoyed him for the next hours. In fact, now he understands how much fun messing with someone is after spending hours doing carpentry without joke in between.

"Steve, don't space out. Those nail won't be nailed by itself." Fletcher's voice snapped him from his thought. "Space out once again and you will spend this day measuring and setting things out."

Stephen continued his work with grimace. Be it in this life or before, he dislike and almost downright hate working with number. "Yeah, my bad."

Currently he and other hard labor workers was doing a restoration for recently destroyed room. Someone was playing with fire Dust before it exploded and set the room in flame. Luckily it didn't burned down the whole house. Not all building in Kuroyuri especially houses was made with bricks and cement.

"What should I do after nailing the joist?" There are only a few joist to be nailed and the day was still long. Fletcher ponders as he look around the half finished room. "Nothing."

"Nothing? So I can go home?"

"Not exactly," Stephen stop hammering the nail as he looked at grinning Fletcher who was not far below him. "There is time until dawn for you to arrange the workshop."

Unfortunately before Stephen could say anything, he continue. "If you want to train, consider it as physical training. You spent too much time training your aura anyway. Gotta spent time some physical activities if you wanted to become a Huntsman. Besides, spare the militias from your bullshit new skills. They don't need a kid to beat them with skill that who knew where and when you learned it."

"If you're thinking about asking idle hunters then you're out of luck, they are out anyway."

There it went his excuses.

"Fine.. I'll arrange the damn thing." Stephen resumed his work and began hammering the joist.

"Yeah, you'd better be."

It was done. After hours of tiresome work on moving things around and arranging it Stephen could finally rest. Training was skipped and forgotten as he straight up come home and move to the bed.

If only.

Stephen was jolted awake as someone shake him up. "Hey Steve, what are sleeping for?! Wake up!" With irritation he punched out at whoever wake him up. "Eh, what gives?!"

By the lack of resistance or any grunt of pain, they dodge it completely. Which set him off even further. "What is it?! I'm tired god damn it!" Stephen opened his eyes and saw Fletcher's annoying grin. "You have ten seconds." With it Stephen shadow stretched and three Jinmenken reared their ugly heads at Fletcher with tongue sticking out.

"Okay, okay, jeez." Fletcher stepped away with his hands raised. "We're having a party and you're invited."

"A party?" Stephen tried to remember the date and other things that could worth for festivities. "What party? I don't remember something worth celebrating."

"Yeah it happen when you're cleaning the workshop." Stephen's frowning and disbelieving stare was all Fletcher got as response.

'What could even happen when I was away? I didn't remember someone's pregnant in the village.'

"I'm serious, this is not a prank or practical joke. I swore it." Stephen observed Fletcher for awhile before his Jinmenken walked back into his shadow. "Jeez, no matter how many times I saw those things they're still disgustingly creepy."

Stephen ignored his remark and get out of the bed. "Is there a dress code?" Stephen asked as he thought about the clothing he owned. He doesn't own much and its pretty much lack colorful variation. "Nope." Fletcher popped the p.

"Wear anything you want but.. you don't need to wear your mask you know?" Stephen could only stare at Fletcher blankly. His hand was holding the mask he's about to wear. "People won't be bothered with it."

Fletcher still remembers the first week when Stephen took off his bandage. The kid shunned him, the adult pointing their fingers at him, and lot of people even held pity and sadness for him. Stephen himself didn't care about it and showed the scar proudly without saying anything. Unfortunately, he became a reminder of threat that prowled outside their safe haven. They thought that he became jaded through his harrowing experience and then, they felt saddened for him.

Suffice to say, Kuroyuri and lot of Mistralian settlements have tight familial community. It's great thing and all of that but at some case, it raises mob mentality in how people perceive emotions. And Stephen, who became the reminder of Grimm as threat evoked their empathy to felt pity, sadness, and possibly helplessness. It went unnoticed by small numbers of Grimm.

Yet still Stephen didn't blame then. The next day after the first attack, he started to wear medical mask. Even though there is no problem even if he didn't but he did anyway. The people then realized their mistakes before they apologized and treated just like everyone else. Not as survivor of Grimm attack.

"If you say so." Stephen place his mask on the drawer near his bed. Stephen then grinned at Fletcher. Although his scar turned it into crooked Glasgow smile as his teeth and gum on his left was showing, it conveyed amusement instead of intimidation. Shame his emotionless half-lidded stares turned it into morbid amusement.

"People wouldn't mind if I just went into the party in casual right?" Said casual was grey hoodie that covered black t-shirt combined with short cargo pant and sneaker that he wears with short stock. Most importantly it was the clothes he wore in the day working as carpenter. "Because I, don't give a fuck anymore. If you told me sooner, I'll probably changed."

Contrary to annoyed expression, Fletcher laughed jovially as he slapped Stephen's shoulder. "Ha! Like I said wear whatever you want as long as it's not weird." Stephen felt the urge to kick Fletcher out then crashed the party with the strangest getup he could think of before he squash it down. "Did you just baited me?"

Fletcher's grin toned down hearing his accusation. "Shame it didn't worked out huh."

"Whatever, just lead the way."

Stephen treaded behind Fletcher as they walked across Kuroyuri. Not long after, they reached the place where the party supposed to be held. Out of all place, they decided to held on lumber camp just right at the outskirts of the village. The place where hunters usually gather around when they're bored.

He could see the lively atmosphere filled with lights and decorations before he even reached the place. Idle chatter and jovial laugh replaced the usually desolate place when the night came. By the look of it seems like they're the last one to arrive as there are no other people going in with or before them.

He knew all the people that was gathered in here. The militias and hunters who occasionally sparred with him, the workers that taught him about carpentry in passing, and some of Maroon's neighbors.

The festivities atmosphere stopped as if it was paused when he stepped into the camp. All attention turned toward them, especially Stephen.

"Finally arrived eh?" Maroon walked from the only spot that wasn't being lighted in the camp. "Get over here lad, your spot is right here." He motioned to his side.

The place was still silent besides Maroon voice. Stephen turned to look at Fletcher who was grinning and nodded to him. He didn't know what are they celebrating but since everybody was someone he know then probably it was about him. Still didn't gave him a single clue about what but he didn't want to ruin the atmosphere by asking the wrong question.

As Stephen finally stand besides Maroon, the man begin to talk in loud voice. "You all know the madlad beside me right?" the audience cackled with resounding aye. "Then I'll keep this short. You know how much I'm bad at this."

"He's been living among us for months but we all know that this little shit doesn't feel quite home yet. Which is why we're all here." Maroon place his hand on Stephen shoulder. "This can be considered late homecoming party or things like that. In all this months he mingle around us, he trained with us, we taught him things, yet he still think that he's not properly here among us and I don't want that. WE, don't want that."

Maroon looked at Stephen in eyes. "You're one of us Stephen. This, is your home now. We know you still couldn't accept it as deep down, we all know you still have some attachment to your old home and it's okay. We understand. But remember this, you're our family. We're sorry if we couldn't conveyed it properly but all of us accepted you in here. So you don't need to keep to yourself at times. Even if after this you still didn't accepted us as a family then consider all of us friends in here."

Maroon broke his eye contact with Stephen and looked around to the people who came.

"Don't you all agree with me?!" With shout everyone answered him with agreement

"Yeah Steve you're one of us!"

"Cheer up kiddo, don't be glum all the times. We can know that."

"You grew on us like mushroom Steve-O!"

The target of their agreement and encouragement was looking at the ground before he looked up and a responded with his voice barely heard by the crowd. "I.. thank you.. for all of this…"

"What was that kid? We can't hear you!"

"I said thank you, you bastards!" Everyone laughed at the trembling in his answer.

"Then what are waiting for? Let's start the party! Pass the food and the drink!"

"Aye!" with it, the festivities atmosphere continues even stronger than when Stephen stepped into the camp.

After so long, Stephen finally felt at home. ' Yeah, I've ignoring this people for my memory of past life.' He looked around at the laughing people with juice in hand. ' Family huh.. I guess this rowdy people can be considered my family right now.'

Stephen close his eyes and took a gulp.

' Thank you.' Months after being transmigrated, Stephen felt his mind settled down in acceptance. With it came in a sensation of something that flowed from and into him. It then turned into wave and overwhelms his sense for awhile before it also settle down.

"Stephen?"

Stephen opened his eyes and saw that everyone was looking at him strangely. He was confused before he realized that his Aura and Nen was flared. He ignored their gaze as he observed his power. Both intertwined in harmony before finally fused. Achieving what he's trying to do in the past months.

In that moment, his world exploded in myriad of colors and sensation. All felt beautiful and noble to him. To him, the world and everything within including him looked and felt like it was made of waves and motes of lights in different composition and colors. All flowed and move rhythmically in set of rules he don't understand.

He stopped perceiving everything when he felt another wave touch him. Shaking him slightly. He looked at the wave that looked like a person with a string of their flow escaping from the top of their head. Instinctually, Stephen knew that this is Maroon.

"Stephen! Are you alright? You're flaring you aura and your nose is bleeding! What's going on?!" Maroon voice snapped him back to reality as everything that he saw and felt was muted. The world returned to how he perceive it normally. "Nothing, I just thought that I could enhance my sense and it failed. There's nothing wrong."

Stephen then whipped his blood. "Look, the bleeding already stopped."

"If you're sure.. you should ease down on your training." Maroon and many other still didn't look convinced but they let it aside as Stephen seems to be fine. "I'm sure. Let's just keep the party going alright?"

He waved at them before taking a few food from nearby tray and sat down. ' The flow and wave of all thing huh..' it felt like it drained him just for perceiving the world in new way. Something he needed to work with if he's going to use it extensively. But at least, he could finally fused both Aura and Nen and use that power.

'What a fascinating power..'

AN: We're few chapters away from reaching canon. Both this fic and RWBY. Please leave your thoughts so I can improve this fic.