A/N: Aaand we're back! Hello everyone, I hope you've had a good time so far. There's not really much to report on this time around, so I suppose we'll jump right in? Thank you for reading, and please enjoy chapter fourteen!
Jaune was out, his mother had asked him to head down to the post office to drop off a package for Nicholas. This, of course, was the excuse they needed to get him out of the house and everyone over without his noticing. Claire, the six Arc sisters, and JNPR were scattered about the living room, deep in conference.
"Girls, I know you prefer Muse, but Jaune does not: dinner will be at Green's, and it's not up for debate." Mrs. Arc declared with a playful smile, adding "Green's Diner" to the board.
"But Moooom!", Marron and Rouge whined together. Claire was firm in this, no matter how badly she clearly wanted to laugh.
"I already called, Mr. Green expects us. Now, your father isn't able to get out of Vale, but Blanche is getting the day, so she'll be joining us. Noire, you'd like to pick up your sister?" Noire nodded excitedly. "Right, but be careful: she's a surprise!
"Since we'd have to carry them both ways and space is already going to be an issue inside, it's best if you kids just leave any presents here." Ren, Nora, and Pyrrha nodded in understanding. The Arcs had long since mastered planning birthdays, but the three of them needed to be introduced to their process.
"And speaking of gifts…" Claire turned a meaningful eye on her younger girls. Rouge stood defiantly.
"We've got something, Mom! It's just not here yet." Her little sisters nodded in support. "Why do we always get the eye? What if Noire, Vi, and Blanche forgot?" Noire laughed a bit at that.
"First of all, Rouge, not only did you forget Jaune's birthday last year, you forgot your own birthday once. Second, the three of us already have a gift: Vi is picking it up after this." Rouge sat back down, scratching her head and mumbling something about leap years.
"We'll meet at Green's," Claire wrangled them back on topic, "surprise Jaune with Blanche, and have dinner. After we get back, presents. Ren, you said to not worry dessert?" Her teammate smirked, nodding an affirmative. "Alright then, does anyone have suggestions?"
Verte's hand shot up. "Ooh! I can keep Jaune busy in the morning! I want him to show me how to use Crocea Mors." The older women in the room went from attentive to fixated in the blink of an eye.
"W-what?" Violette gasped. Pyrrha felt her heart speed up in fear, but Verte paid no mind to anyone else.
"Crocea Mors! It's an Arc heirloom, right? Well, I really want to learn how to use it! I bet Jaune would want to teach me, if I asked." Verte finally seemed to catch the mood, and her bright face darkened. "I want… I'll talk to you later, Mom. But I want to hang out with Jaune in the morning." The excited girl was dourer than Pyrrha could ever remember. She recalled Jaune's recounting his struggle to attend Beacon, and she suspected Verte was about to face something similar.
"A-alright then." Claire sounded terribly unnerved, "Verte has Jaune for the morning, does anyone have any group ideas?"
"We could go to the park?" Noire offered. "It's supposed to be nice. Enjoy some sun, maybe a dip in the river?" The younger girls nodded in agreement, but Pyrrha did not miss Claire watching her.
"Well, it could be an option…" His mother hedged. Pyrrha felt she should have been terribly offended by Claire's suspicions, but she could still recall part of her mind suggesting she 'accidentally' drop her towel when Jaune bumped into her the week before last.
"Mom, if we have to eat at Green's, then at least we could do a picnic!" Marron protested, the posse of young sisters backing her up. Claire let out a sigh.
"Alright, we'll head to the park for lunch, make a picnic out of it." Rose and Verte high-fived. "Presents still at the house after dinner, though. I'm sure none of us want to go walking down the trail with gift wrapping.
"Anything else pressing?" No one objected. "Alright then, Jaune's 18th birthday is officially planned! Verte, you and I need to talk." Claire headed for her small study, with Verte and Rose trailing her.
Pyrrha pulled a light jacket from the rack by the door, and stepped out into the cool autumn breeze. The leaves had just begun their turning, hints of red and yellow in the seas of green.
"This is my season now, isn't it? I am the Fall Maiden, and this is my season." The thought was chilling, moreso than the breeze. The past month had made it clear Pyrrha had gained some measure of the powers the Headmaster had sought to give her. She still had not reached out to Professor Goodwitch, hoping to come to the table with some idea of what she could do, but hiding could not remain an option for long.
The door clicked behind her, snapping her from her introspection. Violette was watching her, studying her.
"Going somewhere?" Her voice was calm, almost distant, but those damnable Arc eyes were back.
Pyrrha gulped slightly. "My gift for Jaune is in, I received the message this morning; I was heading to pick it up, since he's out." Violette hummed an agreement.
"Walk with me?" Pyrrha couldn't decide if this was an olive branch or the first move of an ambush, but she nodded in agreement. Violette stepped down to the drive, and she fell in beside the older woman.
Violette did not make conversation, and aside from sharing her destination, the two strolled to town in silence. Pyrrha herself wasn't sure what the right thing to say was, so she wallowed in the empty air.
They stopped at a blacksmith's shop, of all places. The two stepped in, bell affixed to the door announcing their entrance. A mountain of a man with a great, black beard stood behind the counter.
"Good morning, how can I help you?" His smoke-scratched voice seemed comically high to Pyrrha, but she restrained herself.
"I've an order to pick up: under Arc?" The man nodded before heading back. Violette and Pyrrha waited patiently as they heard the man rummage, yet again not holding any conversation. The smith returned with something Pyrrha certainly hadn't expected: a large breastplate, as well as a pair of gauntlets. The white of the armor gleamed, bright bronze trimming the edges.
The smith boxed the armor quietly, pushing it across to Violette. "I'm more than pleased with how it turned out, let me know if it needs any repairs down the line." She nodded, and accepted the box, bending beneath the weight.
"If you'd like…" Pyrrha offered, but Violette shook her head. She did get the door for the older woman, of course.
"Where do you need to go?"
"A shop just past Muse."
"Lead on, then." Pyrrha wasn't sure what the point was, but Violette clearly wanted something from this. She headed down the street, the box clinking behind her.
Violette halted mid-stride when she saw Pyrrha turn to the store. "You can't be serious." Pyrrha smiled a bit, but walked in regardless, again holding the door. Violette stepped in behind her.
The young woman, April if she recalled, manning the counter waved cheerily to Pyrrha. "Ooh, well you're a prompt young lady, I like that! I've got it right here, miss Pyrrha!" She laid Pyrrha's purchase on the counter, and all three women admired it. "I think the detail work came out perfectly, what do you think?"
"It looks grand, thank you for all the work?" She rang Pyrrha up for her purchase, not mentioning the price with Violette behind them.
"If you need anything else, though, you know where to find us." April closed the lid, and Pyrrha took it up.
"Thank you again for your work, April, please have a wonderful day."
"Have a good day, and let me know how Jaune likes it!" As she waved a final goodbye, Pyrrha could feel Violette watching her.
"He means a great deal to you, doesn't he?" There was no anger, nor clinical examination, only true curiosity.
"He does. To me, and to all of us."
"But a great deal to you." She nodded, not wanting to truly say the words.
Violette watched her for a few moments, considering. "I am sorry, Pyrrha. I let my own anger blind me, and I've treated the three of you unfairly because of it." Pyrrha certainly hadn't expected that.
"Huh?" The woman smirked at her.
"Not always so poised, I see."
"But, why change now?" She would have assumed Verte's announced intentions would drive Violette further away, if anything!
"Because of that," Violette gestured to Pyrrha's gift, "and this." She rattled her box. "This is my peace with Jaune, my accepting his life, my telling him I know he has changed. My little brother would not need armor were he still his old self. If I am to truly mean that acceptance though, I need to accept JNPR.
"But your gift? What I see is that you don't just know Jaune, you understand him. He isn't just a huntsman to you, a warrior, he's as much the boy we knew as the man you know. The others will see that too, even if it won't be consciously. I had to come to terms with his changes, Pyrrha. You did not have to: it is simply him to you. I'm sorry."
Pyrrha was struggling to come to terms with the small revelation, but managed to mumble a weak "It's no problem." Violette laughed lightly at her expense.
"Now, let's get these back before my errant little brother does: we'll stash them in my room." She turned back to head for the Arc home. "Oh, and Pyrrha?"
"Yes, Violette?"
The woman smiled at her, for the first time. "Please call me 'Vi', that's how my family addresses me."
Pyrrha was a little glad Vi led the way, she wouldn't see her beaming smile.
Jaune had spent way too much time debating "The first three reasons" he'd think of. "I hate riddles!
"Ok, options are: the girls are planning a birthday thing, the girls are planning a prank, and the girls are planning something related to Pyrrha. Has to be one of those three, right? But what if it has to do with JNPR? No, that was thought four, Jaune, Ren said three. But would he be that exact?
"Of course he would, it's Ren! Okay, those three are pretty scary. If It's birthday, I got another week before something happens, and I wouldn't want to spoil it anyway. I've spent the last two weeks on eggshells in case of prank, and I can't really do more. If it's Pyrrha…
That was a realm of possibility he had avoided debated the longest. "Could they be trying to set us up? The girls did ditch us at Muse, but would Nora be part of that? Does Nora think of Pyrrha and I like that? There was the training session, and she bought me some time during the Festival, but I screwed those up, didn't I?
"They could be just trying to mess with both of us, and I know the five of them would be about that. So, more eggshells then? That's not a solution, Jaune! I could confront them? No, Nora looked way too cagey for that.
"You know what? I'll wing it: that works out, right?" Pyrrha was his partner because of it, he got into Beacon, he led JNPR, he'd been at the Breach. Trusting his gut had paid off a lot! Also, way less stressful than what he'd been doing.
Thinking of stress, Jaune fiddled with the letter he'd gotten at the post office. He'd checked with the desk, since he was up there, in case anything for JNPR had arrived.
'Pyrrha Nikos: Vale, Bar Village. Arc Household? – Thetis Nikos, Mistral, Mistral.' Pyr's mother had written.
It wasn't that he expected something bad, Pyr got along great with her Mom. Mostly. He was just… worried, and he couldn't really say why. Jaune walked inside, stood by the stairs, and called out: "Pyr? You in?"
From upstairs, he heard her reply: "One moment, Jaune!" Pyrrha drifted down the stairs soon enough, with a dazzling smile. He felt himself smile in response, but held up the letter to her.
"You got mail, partner." She quizzically accepted the envelope, read the cover, and gasped in excitement. She hooked an arm under his and pulled both of them outside. Pyr slipped her finger under the lip, then froze. "Pyr?"
"I just… let's go get some coffee, I'm not sure I'm ready yet." She sounded more than a little conflicted, but he understood worrying about family plenty. He messaged Rouge, so someone would know where they were, and they headed back towards town.
Pyr watched the letter in her hand intently for a long while, but eventually she slid it into a jacket pocket and turned to Jaune.
"As of this morning, Team JNPR has Vi's approval." She announced, putting her brightest smile on.
Jaune let out a giddy, relieved laugh. "Really? That's great! Man, I was worried she was never going to come over, how'd you do it?"
Her smile turned coy, maybe a little devious, and Jaune felt his heart pick up. "Why Jaune, you can't ask a girl to tell you all her secrets. It's not gentlemanly." She lifted her head up: "You know, I can be quite persuasive."
"Hehe, I believe that." He bumped into her playfully, and she knocked back, laughing a bit in turn. They chatted about how Pyr was liking Bar, as well as their training regimen, until they reached The Redeye; he unhooked his arm from hers and held the door open. He got them both coffee, as well as a muffin for himself, while Pyrrha grabbed a table in the back. He set her drink before her, dropping into the opposite chair.
"As a heads up, I think my sisters are up to something." Pyrrha hesitated a moment, watching him over the lid of her drink. "No idea what, but I think it involves you: Nora's helping them, too."
"I'll… keep my eyes open?"
"Probably for the best." He took up his own coffee, and began to unwrap his food.
The letter sat unopened on the tabletop for several minutes, Pyrrha too busy snatching parts of his muffin to read it. Once their baked distraction was eliminated, Jaune coughed a bit, and nodded to the letter.
"I suppose I have to open it eventually, don't I?"
"Pyr, don't sweat it, it'll be fine." She nodded, and took up the note, cracking the seal easily. She scanned it for a moment, jumping between frowns and smiles, then began again out loud.
"Pyrrha,
"I am unbelievably relieved to have received your letter. Your friend, Sun, passed it on to me three days after the Attack, and those were the worst three days of my life! I can't express how worried I was when I saw what happened at Beacon, and my heart go out to all of your friends and classmates who faced that. When you get this, please write back so I know where to reach you. I'll include an address, and an explanation.
"There have been some difficulties in Mistral, dear. Your fight caused… a great deal of trouble. Your being out of reach in Vale was likely for the best, as the legal and public troubles were no small thing, but they have greatly been resolved, thankfully. The Mistrali government has decided that Atlesian tampering in the Vytal Festival Tournament is to blame for what happened in your fight specifically. Miss Polendina -" Pyr's voice cracked, and she lowered the letter. Jaune took hold of her hand, and she resumed with some effort.
" - was not a person, according to them. Were she, then what happened would have been impossible. You are not at fault for any wrongdoing. Public opinion has been more varied, I'm afraid; some terrible things have been said and written, but we've been combating that.
"I'm sure you don't want me to spend the whole letter on terrible things such as this, though. I am well, and will be in Vale! The call has gone throughout the kingdoms for all Hunters to take up Vale's cause. I may not be able to fight as I once could, dear, but I still hope to aid in some capacity. I understand if you cannot, but I hope you could find the time to come see me in Vale, dear. Of course, I would love to see your teammates again; please, send my regards to all three of them.
"I love you dear, never stop striving, never stop believing. Mom"
They sat together, drinking their coffee and considering the letter.
"I had no idea my…fight was causing such an issue, we've heard nothing here?" She looked questioningly to him.
"Past the depot, it's a quiet town. If we do go to Vale or reach out to Goodwitch, we can get details." She nodded in vague understanding.
Pyrrha was clearly struggling with the letter, on a knife's edge: she was back in the ring with Penny, or she was thinking on their meeting with Ozpin, or considering what her mother had been through in Mistral. He couldn't know what for sure, but whatever it was, it was tearing her up.
"We", he squeezed her hand for emphasis, "can handle anything that comes next. Your team has your back, Pyrrha; I have your back. No matter what, Pyr, you have me." She took a strengthening breath, sat up in her chair, smiled weakly at him.
"Thank you, Jaune, it means a lot." He nodded back in agreement.
They had known it before, but there was no escaping it now: they had to go back to Vale, and soon. But Jaune wasn't about to let his partner be swallowed up by fear and doubt, so he couldn't let himself either. As Pyrrha stowed away the lette, he did the same with his worries, focusing on the here and now.
They went back to drinking their coffee, and tried not to think about what waited for them past their safe haven.
Post: I'll see y'all next week.