Amity Stadium
The Vytal Festival, a holiday dedicated towards remembering and honoring the unification and friendship fostered between the four major Kingdoms had, unfortunately, become nothing less than each nation's attempt to one-up the others by showing off their own abilities. For Atlas, it was their technology. No one flaunted their innovations more than Atlas and every time the festival was held in their Kingdom, they never lost the chance to show off some new gadget or technology they had been developing either for military or civilian use. With Mistral it was culture. Everything from art to music, live performances, and even food was put on display to show their kingdom's diverse culture and rich historical roots. In Vacuo it was adaptability and survivability. Given that their capital had sprung up around an oasis that was surrounded by desert, their ability to survive the harsh elements of the Kingdom was something no one could scoff at. Much of the time spent was focused on educating the masses on how to properly survive the terrain, navigate the stars, and simply not die either to the heat, Grimm, or the unpredictable weather that they endured all year long. Compared to all this, it would seem that Vale didn't have much in the way to offer. How wrong you would be to assume that.
If it was one thing Vale knew how to do and do well, it was how to throw a festival. To say they went all out would be an understatement. Given that they only had three days dedicated to the actual tournament itself, the preceding weeks were filled to the brim with parades, events, concerts, and every other celebratory event one could think of. They were even themed, ensuring that nothing became boring or stagnant. Ignoring all that, visitors were also treated to a myriad of food vendors, game stalls, and stores selling gifts and merchandise from all corners of Remnant, with a few rumored to even have some items shipped to them from Menagerie as well. All of this was down in the heart of Vale itself. Once you made your way up the stadium proper, it shifted to be more oriented towards the tournament and family events with more food and game stalls with a few small stores sprinkled in for good measure.
Most of these were oriented towards families and tourists in town for the festival. People of all ages were out enjoying the day and simply having fun.
"Winner!" the booth owner yelled, taking a small stuffed tiger from the display and handing it off to Jade.
"Thank you," she said, taking the prize and cradling it amongst her small assortment of other stuffed animals.
"She's going to have her own private zoo by the time we're done," Jaune joked, holding a massive stuffed tiger under one arm as he escorted Jade through the stalls alongside his team.
"That was the plan," Nora said, a cheeky smile on her face.
"You really need to learn to hold back," Pyrrha pointed out.
"Easier said than done," Ren commented.
"It's not my fault these stalls are cheaply made," she groused.
"Nora, the only reason we have that tiger is because your initial throw missed the milk jugs and smashed into the back wall so hard and fast that it caused all three stacks to topple over. The man gave it to us more as a bribe to ensure your next attempt didn't destroy the stall completely," Jaune pointed out.
"I'm just saying, they should make these things with Huntsmen in mind," she replied.
"I doubt there's a scale out there capable of measuring Nora's strength and building a stall capable of withstanding it," Pyrrha leaned over and whispered to Jaune.
The two of them silently laughed at her comment. It was hard not to. Recalling what had happened, the impact hadn't been the worst part. It was the sound of the ball smashing into the back wall, denting it and rocking its neighbor from behind, followed by the terrified look of the stall owner as he shakily took one of the larger prizes from up top and handed it off to them that had people giving them odd looks. Nora had been thrilled, completely oblivious to the looks people were giving them as she handed the prize off to Jade whom she had been attempting to win something for. Needless to say, they'd quickly vacated the area before Nora could cause any more collateral damage or get them banned outright. By this point, they'd worked up an appetite and saw their sister team RWBY sitting at a noodle stall where an oddly family gentleman with a balding head ringed by spiky gray hair and narrowed eyes brought them each a bowl of noodles. Well, except Blake who had a massive bowl of fish instead.
"Hey guys, looks like you've all had a productive day at the gaming stalls," Yang greeted them.
"Yep, we're trying to get Jade here own stuffed animal collection. No little girl's childhood is complete without one," Nora said proudly.
"I hear that. I had some stuffed teddy bears when I was a kid. Those went to Ruby when I got older though."
"I have quite the collection back home, mostly gifts from fans and the like," Pyrrha replied.
"How about you Weiss? Any beloved stuffed animals waiting for you back in Atlas?" Jaune asked.
"Unfortunately no. My father thought such frivolous things to be a waste of money that could be better spent on my education and upbringing," the heiress replied.
"Wow, your childhood really sucked, huh?" Yang remarked.
Weiss turned on the blond with a vexed look. "Says the barbarian who smashed the punch meter to pieces and got our whole team banned from the game stalls," she snapped.
"Wait, what!" Pyrrha said, half-chewed noodles falling from her mouth and back into her bowl.
"It's not a big deal," Yang said, attempting to brush it off to no avail.
"Despite what my partner may think, it really is a big deal," Blake chimed in. "She decided to go all out with the punch meter machine in an attempt to break the high score and, well, she certainly broke something."
"It was like the Patch Founding Day festival all over again," Ruby moaned.
"You guys are the worst," Yang grumbled.
"So now we're banned from participating in any more of the games. Thankfully the city covers the costs of damages for every stall here given that Huntsmen are prone to accidents but they're not taking any chances and want to limit the damage as much as possible."
"That's understandable," Ren replied. "Nora almost threw a baseball through the back of the last game stall we were at. I'm pretty sure it'll be the last game we play today."
"They just can't handle our destructive awesomeness," Nora said proudly. "Yang and I are the Destructive Duo."
"Double D's for life," Yang announced proudly, slapping Nora a high-five to a chorus of groans from the people around them.
"What did I do to deserve this?" Weiss moaned.
The conversation continued like that for the most part with their teams chatting amicably. Occasionally Weiss would steal a glance over at Jaune before looking away whenever he felt her eyes on him. The pair hadn't spoken to one another since her sister revealed to her what had transpired between them. She still felt rather irritated by that, not only for how her sister had acted but how it had probably painted her as a result. Weiss had become quite content with her growing friendship that she and Jaune had fostered and, while her friends showered her with boundless encouragement, she wasn't quite ready to venture discovering if Jaune would be interested in making it something more intimate. While before it had felt like a long shot, her sister's interference made it seem all but impossible at this point. Towards the tail end of the conversation, she noticed Jade had started asking him something. Given how he was leaning down to hear and was nodding along it seemed somewhat important.
"Boy, I'm stuffed. How much longer before the two-person bouts start?" Yang asked, patting her stomach for emphasis.
"We have another half-hour before we need to start making our way to the stands," Ren replied. "Have you decided who's going to be representing your team?"
"As team leader, I put careful consideration into- "Ruby began.
"She flipped a coin. Yang and I will be fighting in the doubles round," Weiss interrupted.
"And I approved of the decision," Ruby quickly inserted, attempting to maintain the visage of a mature team leader.
"We choose Nora and Pyrrha to represent us for obvious reasons," Jaune replied.
"Honestly we could've just sent in Pyrrha alone and expect the same results," Nora pointed out, much to the champion's embarrassment.
"Nora," she whined.
"Looks like we got some time to kill. Want to just walk around for a while until they call us?" Yang suggested.
"Actually, Jade had another idea," Jaune said, walking over to Weiss.
"What do you mean?" she asked, a bit surprised.
"She wants you to come play some of the games with her," he said.
"Really?" Weiss asked.
"Please," Jade pleaded.
"Now that I think of it, Ruby and I had something we needed to do," Yang said.
"We do?" Ruby asked, confused. After getting a look from her sister she quickly amended by saying, "oh, yes, the thing that you told me about that I totally remembered just now," she said.
"Smooth," Yang groaned.
"There's a bookstall here I've been meaning to check out as well," Blake said, excusing herself from her team. "I'll meet you guys at the stadium later."
"We should probably take these back to our dorm. It'll be less of a hassle for you all than lugging them around all day," Ren said, grabbing the oversized tiger. "I'll make sure Pyrrha and Nora make it to their fight on time."
"You three have fun," Nora said with a devious smile.
They watched as everyone abandoned them, leaving Weiss standing awkwardly before Jaune.
"Subtle," he grumbled, shaking his head as he spoke. "So, shall we go?" he asked.
"O-of course, lead the way," she replied.
/-/
If anyone were to take a look at Weiss right now, they'd no doubt see the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company walking through the gaming stalls looking confident, composed, and in complete control. Years of tutoring had drilled the ability to maintain an imperceptible mask that few if anyone was capable of seeing through. On the inside, however, Weiss was a bundle of nerves. While she was obviously annoyed and even fairly irritated with her team for abandoning her so easily, she was more concerned with Jaune himself. They still hadn't taken the time to talk about what had transpired between himself and her sister. All the while they had walked she'd looked for opportunities to strike up a conversation, playing and replaying scenarios and role-plays in her head of how the conversation might go. None of them felt satisfactory and the fact Jaune hadn't broken the silence between them was something she was becoming increasingly grateful for. His focus was mainly on Jade and keeping her within eyesight. The stalls were crowded, especially now just before the next bout of fights. The area would quickly clear of traffic once the matches started but for now, the stadium was congested with people who were killing time until the announcement went out for the doubles rounds to begin.
"Let's try that one," Jade said excitedly, pointing to a nearby stall.
"Alright, let's see what they've got," Jaune replied, staying close to his sister as they approached the stall.
The owner spied them walking his way, offering them a warm and inviting smile as he saw the prospect of yet more customers to spend lien on his game. Walking up to it, Weiss' eyes roved over the stall, taking in the game and its objective. It appeared simple enough. Players were given a small gas-powered rifle with a cork stuffed into the end of the barrel. Their objective was to aim and shoot one of the prizes on the back wall. If they hit their mark, they had a chance of knocking it off its perch and onto a net in the back where it would be collected.
Looking it over Weiss immediately noticed where the difficulty lay. The cheaper and easier to obtain items were lined down on the bottom. Being mostly small stuffed animals or cheap plastic toys, they were a cinch for even a child to hit. A simple grazing shot would no doubt be enough to send it careening onto the net and possibly even the back of the stall. The higher up you went the more difficult the prizes became. Some looked downright impossible given how large they were. It was obvious those were the prizes that required more than one shot and thus more purchases by customers unwilling to lose or eager to impress their friends or a date.
"I want to get that one," Jade announced.
Glancing to where Jade was pointing, her eyes were immediately drawn to a stuffed bear. It was a pristine white in color, modeled like so many teddy bears she'd seen before as a young girl with its arms and legs pointing out. A white lace ribbon was tied around its neck with snowflakes knitted into the lace fabric. It was cute and certainly something a girl Jade's age would want. It would make a nice addition to her already growing collection of stuffed animals' team JNPR had won her throughout the day.
Handing the owner a few lien cards, he handed off the rifle to Jade. Even with how small the gun was, it looked rather cumbersome in her small hands. With some help from her brother to steady it against the counter, she took aim at the bear and fired off a shot. It whizzed through the air, completely missing the bear and hitting the tent instead.
"That's a miss. You get two more shots," the owner set, quickly resetting the rifle.
"Aim down the sights, alright," Jaune gently instructed.
"Ok," he said.
This time Jade took more time for preparation. She crouched down, lining her eyes with the sights, and adjusting her crouch until she had the bear within view. Her legs, unfortunately, weren't used to the awkward position and they trembled from the effort. Regardless, Jade pulled the trigger and they watched as the cork sailed through the air, brushing past its ear by a hair.
"Oh, so close. One more shot," the man said.
"You got this Jade," Jaune said encouragingly.
Once more she positioned herself and her legs began to wobble. It was at this point that Weiss glanced around, checking to make sure no one was watching. While her honor and integrity as a Schnee would have her feeling disgusted at what she was about to do, she'd learned since coming to Beacon that there were times when exceptions to the rule could be made. She figured that this was one of those times, so long as she didn't do anything to help her cheat that is. Having already had her weapon on her in preparation for their upcoming fight, Weiss placed a hand on the chamber containing her gravity dust before concentrating on Jade's legs. Beneath the soles of her feet, small, imperceptible glyphs appeared. As soon as they were summoned Jade's legs stopped wobbling and she was able to steady her aim more easily. As the young girl lined up her shot, Weiss' gaze moved to the prize wall only for her to notice Jaune looking back at her. For a moment, she thought he'd noticed and was about to call her out on it. However, just as quickly, he turned his attention back to prizes just as Jade fired off her final shot.
The cork whizzed through the air, this time right on course with the bear itself. Everyone held their breath as they watched the bear take the hit and stumble backwards. A triumphant smile spread across Jade's face in anticipation of what was to come. The bear leaned back before righting itself once more, wobbling around on its perch a little before settling into its new position.
"Oh, no dice," the owner said.
"But I hit it," Jade said in disbelief.
"Sorry kid, you have the knock the prize off the wall to win. Better luck next time."
"But I hit it," she said, quieter and obviously disappointed.
"It's alright Jade. That's not an easy prize to win. Why don't we try one of the other stalls," Jaune suggested.
"No, it has to be that one," Jade said adamantly, pointing to the bear.
"Jade," he said more firmly.
"Please," she pleaded, giving him her best begging look.
Jaune stared her down for a moment, obviously taking the time to form some sort of argument to persuade the five-year-old to choose a different game. After a while though he relented, carrying on a quiet conversation with her before she nodded. He took some more lien from his pocket, handing it to the owner before taking up the rifle.
"You'll only get one shot," the owner pointed out.
"One shot is all I need," he replied confidently.
He took a position, bracing the rifle against his shoulder before aiming down the sights and at the bear. With the seriousness of his expression, he looked quite confident in his ability. It took her a moment to figure out why his stance looked so familiar. She'd seen Pyrrha stand the exact same way when they'd been practicing at the range. Given that her weapon also transformed into a rifle, it made sense she would train Jaune on how to properly handle one. After a few moments, Jaune took a deep breath, let it out halfway, and fired.
They all watched with bated breath as the cork flew straight and true towards its target. It hit the bear right between the eyes, a perfect shot. Unlike with Jade's, there was no dancing around on its perch. The force from the cork had been enough to send it leaning backwards until it fell back and onto the netting below.
"Winner!" the owner announced, loud enough for everyone nearby to hear.
He quickly went to retrieve their prize, handing it off to Jade with a kindly smile before replacing it on the shelf with another none descript stuffed toy.
Jade stared at the bear, looking disappointed and a little dejected. Weiss chalked it up to her near miss on the final shot. Even with the heiress' undisclosed aid, the shot hadn't been enough to send it toppling overboard. It honestly wasn't surprising. Given the angle of the shot, it was a flip of the coin as to whether or not it would be enough to push the bear over. She might have had a better chance were it already on the edge but, as it was, it had been nowhere near falling over. What truly surprised her, though, was when she walked over to Weiss and held it out for her to take.
"This is for you. I wanted to win it myself but…" she said, trailing off in a disappointed tone.
Weiss was honestly speechless. She'd naturally been assuming all this time that Jade had been attempting to win the bear for herself. She'd never considered that she might be attempting to win her something. Certainly Jaune, given that he was her brother, but not her. Thinking back, the little girl's insistence that it needed to be this particular bear made more sense. Its very motif was something that fell in line with her family's sense of style.
Slowly, she knelt to the ground, taking the bear into her arms. Before Jade could react, however, Weiss quickly snatched her into a tight hug as well.
"I love it. Thank you."
Whatever negative feelings Jade might have had quickly disappeared as she embraced her sudo-older sister. From her position Weiss was able to see Jaune as well, a warm smile spread wide across his face. Whatever mixed feelings she'd had before regarding her sister were quickly washed away. It was obvious that, despite Winter's interference, Jaune didn't think any less of her.
/-/
Weiss walked beside Jaune, cradling her new bear in her arms as they made their way towards the stadium proper. Jade was hanging off Jaune's hip as he carried her through the crowds. With the recent announcement calling for all participants to make their way to the stands, a sea of people had begun moving all at once. With this in mind, Jaune had rightly decided to carry her rather than let her walk on her own to better keep track of her. All they needed was for her hand to slip from his before Jade was swallowed up in the crowd. It was a scenario that neither of them wanted to experience.
"You really like that bear, don't you?" Jaune said.
"I've never had anything like this before. At least, not some gift that wasn't from a potential suitor looking to curry favor with me," she replied.
"So what you're saying is that Jade is ahead of the pack," he remarked with a grin.
"By a large margin," she said, sharing a laugh with him at her joke. "I was honestly surprised when she handed it to me. I didn't expect her to give it to me, let alone want to win it for me."
"Well, Jade is a very empathetic person. When you mentioned you never had any stuffed animals or toys as a kid, she decided to remedy that by winning you something on her own. She was very determined to be able to get you something nice."
Weiss was momentarily surprised by this revelation and stole a glance towards the young girl. With her head laid against her brother's shoulder, she looked to be half asleep, cradled in his arms as they made their way through the crowd to the stands. She couldn't help but smile at her. Time and time again this little girl surprised her with her determination and honesty. She was certainly the best of them all and she was grateful for being able to be such a large part of her life, even if the beginnings of their relationship had been a bit rocky.
Making their way into the student section of the seats, they quickly found their teams waiting for them. Ruby waved to them excitedly as they made their way over, with Jaune taking a seat and positioning Jade so she could sit on his lap while they watched the fights.
"Oh, nice bear. Did Jaune win that for you?" Yang asked teasingly.
"Actually, Jade won this for me," she said proudly, taking no small amount of pleasure in seeing the blonde's smirk erased off her face.
"Oh, that's so cute!" Ruby gushed.
"AND NOW FOR THE DOUBLES ROUND, WELL SPIN THE ROULETTE TO DETERMINE THE TEAMS AND PLAYING FIELD," Port announced loudly.
Upon the large screens, a pair of roulettes appeared, spinning vigorously before landing on a pair of familiar faces followed by a pair of unfamiliar ones.
"TEAM RWBY VS TEAM FNKY AND THE FIELD THEY'LL BE PLAYING ON WILL BE URBAN AND FIRE!"
"WILL BOTH TEAMS PLEASE MAKE THEIR WAY DOWN TO THE ARENA FOR THEIR MATCH?" Oobleck said.
"Welp looks like we're up," Yang said, stretching her arms as she made her way to the arena elevators.
"Indeed," Weiss said, taking a small detour over to team JNPR. "Jade, could you hold onto this for me? I don't want to lose it while I'm busy with our fight."
"I'll keep him safe," Jade replied, giving her a serious, resolute look as she clutched the bear tightly to her chest.
"We'll have to give him a proper name after," Weiss said, giving the girl a small pat on the head before following after her teammate.
/-/
Weiss adjusted the bear where it sat on her bed, moving it ever so slightly until it was perfect. Stepping back she admired the new addition to her private space. Simple yet elegant and something that she would certainly come to cherish. She didn't have many things that could be categorized as such. Aside from her weapon which had been based on her sister's own saber, everything she owned came courtesy of the Schnee Dust Company and had their company's logo slapped on it somewhere to ensure you knew it was such. The bathrooms in their mansion were even stocked with rolls of toilet paper that had large blue snowflakes on them. It was a disturbing concept made even more so when you considered the fact that, had he been capable, her father would have purchased the Atlas Water Company if it meant he could change the water to include the appearance of tiny snowflakes filtered into it. This small treasure would be one of the few possessions she had that would never include her family's logo and she would make certain of it.
A firm, purposeful knock drew her attention towards the door. Looking to her teammates, each of them gave her a quizzical look that she mirrored. None of them were expecting any guests and, considering that she was the only one on her feet and not lounging on her bed, it fell to her to answer the door. Smoothing out her combat uniform, she stepped towards the door and opened it, ready to give their guest a formal greeting but choked on her words when she saw who it was.
"Afternoon sister," Winter greeted.
"Winter. I wasn't expecting your visit," Weiss said, closing the door slightly to hide the state of their room.
"I purposely refrained from informing you to make it a surprise. While I do wish to visit and meet your teammates, I was also hoping to look over your accommodations and ensure that they are up to standards."
"O-of course, please come in. I believe you'll find our accommodations are quite satisfactory. Oh and despite how they may appear, our makeshift bunkbeds are quite stable," she informed her as she stepped back to let her sister in.
Winter stepped inside, giving their room a once over with an expression that gave away nothing. Weiss knew she was carefully scrutinizing everything, schooling her expression in such a manner that you had no idea what she was thinking until she decided to inform you.
"It is adequate," she said, causing Weiss to exhale in relief. "While I can't say I approve of your methods, if Headmaster Ozpin believes your method for rearranging your beds is suitable then I see no reason for me to complain."
That comment caused the girls to exchange worried looks. None of them had taken it upon themselves to inform Headmaster Ozpin of Glynda of what they'd done with their beds. The fact that neither of their teachers had taken the time to inform them had been all the reason they'd needed to keep things as they were. Of course, if something did go wrong, they'd have been in for a world of hurt but it was better to beg forgiveness than ask permission. At least, they hoped it would be.
"You must be Ruby Rose," Winter said, eyeing the young girl.
"Y-yes, it's a pleasure to meet you," Ruby said, hesitantly attempting to curtsy but failing miserably if Weiss' expression was anything to go off of.
"The youngest team leader and student in Beacon's history. That's quite the accomplishment. You should be proud."
"Thanks?" Ruby said, uncertain of whether she should be thankful for the compliment.
"You must be Yang Xiao Long, Ruby's older half-sister."
"Yep, that's me," Yang announced proudly.
"I'm also told you're responsible for the wholesale destruction of an establishment known locally as The Club," she rattled off.
"Uh, oh, you know about that," Yang said, her smile quickly wilting.
"However, the fact that it was run by a local crime syndetic was one of the prevailing factors that led to you getting off with a misdemeanor."
"R-right," she said sheepishly.
"And Miss Belladonna," she said turning to Blake. "You've no need to wear that ribbon. I've long been aware of your Faunus heritage, even before my sister informed me."
"Yea, what if I prefer to keep it on?" she asked threateningly, the bow twitching uncomfortably on her head.
"If you insist," Winter replied without much fuss. "I've met your parents, by the way. They're very polite and respectful people. Truly, they are worthy of the respect and reverence your people show them."
While her comment was by no means an insult, you wouldn't have thought that had you taken a look at Blake's face. Her expression looked like she'd just been given the gut-punch of her life. Obviously, there was some baggage to unpack there that no one was willing to touch just yet.
"Hmm, this is new," Winter said, moving towards Weiss' bed. She picked up the bear, holding it gently in one hand as she examined the stuffed toy. "A gift from your paramour?" she asked.
"Paramour?" Yang asked.
"Yes, I assume Mr. Arc- "she began.
"Jaune's sister Jade gave that to me actually," cutting her sister off before she could hand Yang any more metaphorical ammunition. "She won it for me at one of the festival games."
"I see," she said, giving it a more scrutinizing gaze. "I approve. I'll be sure to give her my thanks when I go see them."
"You're going to talk with Jaune?" she asked, confused and a little suspicious. "Why, if I may ask?"
"To apologize for my behavior," Winter informed her. "After our last conversation, I thought it only appropriate that I go over and apologize to them both for my actions."
"I see," Weiss said with obvious relief. "That's good. I know he'll appreciate that."
"I'm sure he will," she said, taking a moment to place the bear back in its previous spot and adjusting it slightly so it was sitting just right. "I had better be going. It was wonderful to see you again Weiss," she said, giving the girl a slight hug before letting herself out of the room.
"You know, now that I've met your sister, I had so many questions about you that were suddenly answered," Yang replied.
"I'm not sure if that was an insult or a compliment," Weiss replied.
"Hey, Weiss, what did your sister mean when she called Jaune your Paramour?" Ruby asked.
Before she could answer, Blake leaned down and whispered something into the young leader's ear. A confused look was already present on her face before surprise blossomed over it followed by peals of laughter from the girl.
"Blake, what did you say to her?" Weiss asked in an annoyed tone.
Blake said nothing, merely giving the girl a cheeky smile in response. It was Ruby who answered her question though.
"Weiss and Jaune sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-"
"Blake!" Weiss snapped.
/-/
Pyrrha sat at their dorm's desk, staring at a textbook as she attempted to read the words on the page but found herself unable to concentrate. Earlier, just after she and Nora had won their team's doubles match and secured a spot in the finals slot, she'd been called up to the Headmaster's office. It had been quite a surprise, one that had her wracking her brain for something that might go a long way to explaining why he would have called her. Most of the reasons she'd come up with had been quickly swept away when she found General Ironwood and another man whom she later learned was Ruby and Yang's uncle waiting for her in attendance. The meeting had started with her feeling confused and ended with her conflicted. She wanted to talk to someone about what had happened, namely Jaune but found she couldn't muster the courage.
Stealing a glance over to said boy she saw him sitting on his bed with Jade leaning up against him as he read from one of the new books they'd purchased at the festival. With the prospect of drumming up more business thanks to tourist revenues, more than a few bookstores had set up a small store on the pavilion. Jaune and his sister had taken the time to look through these places, coming back with a few books that looked interesting. They'd spent most of their off time reading with any training they might have done being put off until after the tournament for obvious reasons. Jaune had even purchased a few books centered around basic home repairs in preparation for their move into his late sister's home. He didn't know what kind of state it was in and wanted to be prepared either to handle the repairs himself or at least perform a patch job until he could afford to have a professional take care of the problem.
Pyrrha couldn't help but feel a little envious of Jaune. He was her age yet he knew exactly what he wanted to accomplish and was already laying the foundation for himself. She, like most of the people here, were merely focused on graduating and starting their careers as Hunters, pushing off thoughts about where they'd operate out of or what jobs they'd prioritize until the time came. Granted, they'd start laying the foundation for that life when it drew closer. Their 3rd and 4th years would be interspersed with missions that they'd take both within and outside the kingdom. Still, it bothered her that Jaune, who had nothing to his name, was not only making plans for his future but putting things in place to ensure they'd happen when he graduated. She couldn't help but admire him for that same reason. It was simply one of the many reasons she could think of that had given Professor Ozpin reason to name him their team leader.
She was drawn from her thoughts when a sharp knock sounded from their door. Turning to her teammates, each of them shot one another a quizzical look. No one had been expecting any visitors it seemed. Being the closest to the door, Pyrrha got up and when to answer when another round of knocking sounded.
"Can I help you?" Pyrrha asked, opening the door and momentarily startled by the woman standing there.
For a moment she had expected it to be Weiss. Her hair, clothing, and the overall manner in which she held herself was strikingly similar. However, it became quickly apparent that this woman wasn't Weiss. Not only was she taller and more developed but she was wearing an Atlas Military uniform and had a long saber strapped to her hip. At a glance, Pyrrha would have guessed she was a relative, possibly a sibling, or even her mother, though she looked rather young to be the latter.
"Yes, I'm here to speak with Mr. Arc," she said in a professional tone.
"And may I ask who it is that's come to visit?" Pyrrha asked, growing suspicious of the woman.
"It's all right Pyr, we've met once before," Jaune said, coming up to the door. "Hello, Miss Schnee. I didn't expect to see you again anytime soon," he said, either ignoring or overlooking the look of surprise on Pyrrha's face as he confirmed her suspicions regarding her relation to Weiss.
"May I speak with you privately?" she asked.
"Sure," Jaune said, gently nudging Pyrrha out of the way so he could exit.
"Jaune- "she started.
"It's all right Pyr. I'll be fine. The conversation will be short," he said, sounding as if it was a statement of fact.
Pyrrha didn't say anything, merely watching from the door as he motioned for Winter to follow him. He led her to one of the nearby common rooms which, as expected, was empty. Even at this hour, most people were spending the day either with their teams or their loved ones at the festival. Jaune was one of the few who choose to remain at Beacon for the simple fact that he wanted to avoid the crowds as well as give him enough sleep to be able to sit through the last of tomorrow's fights. He walked inside, keeping his back to her in what must have been a brazen show of confidence either in his ability to escape should things go south or in the belief that this was simply a matter of them talking.
"Well," he said, leaning against the wall rather than taking a seat, "you wanted to talk?"
"I came to apologize," she said, earning a cocked eyebrow in surprise from Jaune. "After speaking with my sister, she agreed with your sentiments regarding the intrusiveness of my actions by looking into your past with your permission."
"Huh, well that explains a few things," he mumbled.
"Pardon?"
"Oh, uh, I had noticed Weiss acting weird around me earlier today. I couldn't figure out why but I'm guessing she must have felt embarrassed by what happened and thought I might judge her for it."
"From what I've seen you haven't treated her any differently."
"How do you mean?"
"I visited her before coming to you. I saw the bear you won for her sitting on her bed. I approve."
"Ah, so she told you I won that," he said, his cheeks turning a dusty shade of pink from embarrassment.
"Actually, she said your sister won it for her. She said nothing of your involvement."
The smirk Winter wore at the sight of Jaune's dumbfounded expression was about as close to a shit-eating grin as anyone had ever seen. His face turned an even deeper shade of pink, nearing red, as he mumbled something unintelligible under his breath.
"Walked right into that one," he said, loud enough for her to hear.
"Do you accept?" she asked.
"Hmm?"
"My apology," she clarified.
He was quiet for a moment, considering her words carefully before he slowly nodded in affirmation.
"While I don't approve of what you did, I am grateful that you took the time to come and apologize. I should also probably apologize for my behavior. While I don't approve of your methods, I may have overreacted to it given the circumstances."
"It's understandable. Weiss reacted in much the same way when I spoke to her about it," she said, taking note of the small smile Jaune had at hearing her mention Weiss. "I'll be more considerate in the future to avoid any further mishaps."
"That would be recommended, yes," he replied.
"With that out of the way, I'll take my leave. Enjoy the rest of the festival, Mr. Arc. I look forward to seeing how your team fairs in the tournament."
/-/
Teams RWBY and JNPR sat in the stands, waiting in anticipation for the final round of fights to begin. Given that both teams had a member who had made it to the finals, namely Yang and Pyrrha, they were excited to see the outcome. They were mostly in agreement of it coming down to their two teammates though there was some speculation on Ruby's part of whether or not her friend Penny would prove to be a challenge. The roundabout way she spoke about her friend's capabilities was odd like she knew something she wasn't comfortable revealing to the rest of her friends, though Jaune simply chalked this up to her usual social awkwardness. Jade was sitting on Weiss' lap, talking amicably to her about the bear they'd won for her the other day. She'd been trying to come up with suitable names for the stuffed toy, all of which were simplistic and sweet in the way that only a child could come up with. Currently, she was set on naming it to snowball though that seemed to be a little on the nose.
"You think Mercury has a chance at beating Yang?" Ruby asked.
"Judging from their fight with CFVY, I think he'll pose a challenge. Aside from your sister's semblance giving her an obvious edge, I can't think of anything that might help him pull out a win aside from his semblance."
"Any idea what it is?" she asked.
"No idea. I didn't see anything listed but there's a possibility he might not have it unlocked or he may be keeping it an unknown factor."
"Is he allowed to do that?"
"I would assume they'd have it listed if it wasn't. Pyrrha intentionally kept her semblance a secret during her tournament days. It was something her manager had thought up as a means of giving her a mysterious edge. You know, the invincible girl with the unknown semblance. She didn't really care for it though she told me she seldom used her semblance during her fights."
"Yea, she doesn't exactly need it, does she?"
A soft giggle sounded from her right. Looking over they noticed Weiss, smiling warmly as Jade said something, causing the two of them to laugh. It was an adorable sight, one that had Jaune smiling in turn. It was also something that didn't go unnoticed by Ruby who looked between her two friends. A devilish smirk spread across her face as an idea struck her and she quickly jumped from her seat.
"I need to use the restroom," she announced. "Weiss, could you keep my seat warm for me?"
"Ruby- "Weiss began in an annoyed tone.
"Thanks. Love you," she said, speeding off and leaving a trail of rose petals in her wake.
"Honestly, she can be such a child sometimes," she grumbled.
Despite Ruby's unceremonious and quite obvious attempt to act as her wing woman, Weiss couldn't help herself from glancing over to the now vacant seat next to Jaune. She waited a few moments, silently debating with herself about how proper it was before she finally gave in and changed seats, hoping Jaune wouldn't think too deeply on it. He apparently didn't as he neither said anything nor gave any indication that it bothered him. She considered that a good thing and decided to fill the silence with something she'd had on her mind for a while now.
"My sister came by yesterday to inspect my team's dorm. She mentioned she would be stopping by to offer an apology for how she'd acted."
"She did. We've buried the hatchet, so to speak," he replied, looking somewhat uncomfortable about the subject.
"Good, I'm glad," she said. They were silent for a moment, nearing the point of awkwardness when she spoke again. "I'm sorry again for what she did. It was uncalled for and, honestly, I was so embarrassed to know she'd done something like that. It's not something she's ever done in the past so I didn't think to warn you or intercept her."
"You don't need to apologize," he said with a chuckle. "Honestly, if there was anyone I had a low opinion of it was her, not you. I believed you were mature enough not to go to such lengths and I'll admit I was a bit surprised and even a little pleased to know you'd chewed her out for it."
Weiss felt her heart flutter a little from his praise. While it was honest and mostly directed as disappointment towards her sister, the fact that he didn't think any less of her was still reassuring.
"She did say something interesting that I haven't been able to get off my mind lately."
"Oh?" she said curiously.
"You know how I've mentioned how I wanted to put off jumping into a relationship until after I'd graduated Beacon and gotten Jade and I settled?"
"Yes, I believe Yang asked you about it at Jade's birthday. I take it Winter convinced you to reconsider?" Weiss asked, feeling her heart rate beginning to quicken.
"Well, we spoke about it and she pointed out the fact that four years is a long time to wait. Add to the fact that we're in a school full of hormonally driven teenagers and staying single can be a bit of a challenge."
"That argument wasn't what convinced you, was it?" she asked, knowing he placed greater value on the person he was in a relationship with rather than simply being in one.
"No, and, if I were to be perfectly honest, I'd been considering how viable it really was for a while. Ultimately, I decided your sister was right. Don't tell her I said that, by the way," he said, earning a small laugh from Weiss as she nodded in agreement, "however my problem is how they'll take to Jade."
"Jaune, she's a sweetheart. I doubt there's a girl on Remnant who wouldn't fall in love with her after a few minutes of being around her," she said, her complement going completely unheard by the five-year-old as her attention remained fixated on Yang and her fight.
"They'd fall in love with the idea of Jade you mean. I don't doubt the possibility of the girl I start dating immediately taking to Jade as an older sister of sorts. My problem is, would she be willing to remain in a committed relationship, knowing that Jade and her needs would take a greater priority?"
"Oh," Weiss said, starting to see where he was coming from. "I see what you mean. That would be problematic."
"Yea," he agreed with a tired sigh. "I'm open to the idea of having a girlfriend. Honestly, it was something I was determined to achieve when I first started out wanting to be a Huntsman. Now, though, I have to consider the fact that any girl I start dating may not be comfortable with filling the secondary role of a guardian. It honestly wouldn't surprise me if most of the girls here were scared off at the prospect of being what is essentially a young mother when they'd rather be this," he said, motioning to the arena.
Currently, Mercury, Yang's opponent, had launched what appeared to be two dozen wind Dust rounds into the air. They circled over them like a flock of vultures over an animal carcass before descending in rapid succession onto Yang. On the overhead monitors, they could see Yang's aura take a dip but they both knew that this would only fuel Yang's semblance and trump card. Sure enough, with flaming hair and blood-red eyes, she sprang from the smoke like a blond bullet. They turned back to one another, certain that the end was near and that Yang would be claiming the victory for this match.
"I can see your point," Weiss said, her voice being nearly drowned out by the roar of the crowd. "but maybe you're thinking too deeply about this," she replied.
"What do you mean?"
"You're thinking of what woman here at Beacon would be willing to be with you in spite of Jade when in fact you should be looking for the right woman who would take you both," she said.
As she spoke, she found her hand moving without her realizing it until she was squeezing his hand in hers affectionately. Momentary surprise blossomed on Jaune's face as he looked at their hands, the wheels in his brain slowly turning, before looking up to her. For a moment she thought he might retract his hand from hers. However, he didn't. He looked at her, seeing the determined gaze she had locked on him. She was nervous, even a little scared. This was the boldest thing she'd ever done and she was having to fight back the urge to spring from her seat and run. The only things keeping her in place was her determination to see it through despite the gentle rejection she assumed was coming and the fact that her lap was currently occupied by Jade. However, Jaune didn't remove his hand and instead his own fingers begin to tighten around hers. His expression was soft, warm, and only for her. She felt like time had stopped around them as a wishful thought soon set in as her new reality. Unfortunately, like all good things, they never last.
"Ahh, my leg!"
The couple's attention was quickly torn back to the arena. The scene before them was difficult to decipher. Mercury was on the ground, clutching his leg with a look of immense pain to match his cries. Yang stood a couple of feet away, looking pissed and yelling something back. On the overhead screens, however, a video replay showed Yang turning around and firing off a shot into his leg. It wasn't difficult to understand what must have happened but even with all this evidence, neither of them could believe their eyes.
"What the hell," Jaune breathed.
Moments later, Atlas soldiers stormed through the exits and entryways leading into the arena. Yang's expression quickly soured when they trained their guns on her, all but confirming what everyone watching was thinking. Even still, it was too much for them to take as fact. Something about this wasn't right.
As the scene before them unfolded, the couple glanced at one another, their expressions filled with uncertainty.
And low I heard a cry go out as if in one voice and it was with the voice of the WhiteKnights saying "Called It!"
Apologies for the lack of updates. Been busy here and haven't had much time to write. I promise more updates will be soon to follow for "Ice Dragon" and "Archangel Re" so be on the lookout for those.
I'm sure many have been chomping at the bit in anticipation of whether or not Jaune and Weiss would finally get together. I had originally wanted to postpone this until the Mistral Arc where I'd include some awkward moments between the two of them as they struggle with coming to terms with their feelings before someone spilled the beans. As with all writing, however, sometimes inspiration takes hold, and I thought this small moment would be something wonderful. Unfortunately, they're getting together just before the shit hits the fan, so their relationship is going to become a long-distance one for a time. I already have some saucer moments lined up and in mind so you can expect it to have an "M" rating. I also have something of a character arc in mind for Jade, one that I'm sure many of you will love and appreciate, so you have that to look forward to.
The Vale/Beacon is coming to an end. At the most, I think there'll be two, maybe three chapters more before its finished. It's an exciting time. I'm honestly eager to start on the Mistral Arc but I'll hold off until it's time. I'll also refrain from taking on the Weiss/Jaune pairing to the story. While it's obvious to most, not everyone may see the WhiteKnight pairing starting out and I don't want to spoil it.
Until next time.