Chapter 6: An earnest living?

To all the people who guessed that he has Autism, you win a virtual cookie. Redeem in your mental space for enjoyment. Why Autism? He's not the most socially savvy person at times, which Ruby isn't either. It's all Autism under the DSM-V though, as far as I remember.


Jaune woke up at half-past six. The alarm clock hadn't gone off, but he knew that he was awake. For a moment, his mind corrected itself, looking at the alarm clock once more. He wanted to get out of his bed, to exercise with Summer. Summer was a nice woman, being Ruby's mom and understanding.

It was when he was half-way out of his bed that he realized that today was their family day. His dad had said that they'd go somewhere. He was sure that it would be okay.

It was the certainty that he felt, as he got out of bed and walked towards the shower, opening it up to see nobody in it. With seven sisters in the house, the shower had been occupied for a while. Cold water wasn't very pleasant to shower in, experience had taught him.

Turning the knob and enjoying the warmth over his body, letting him know that he was warm and getting cleaner, he just let his body unwind. He thought about the interactions that he'd had with Ruby yesterday.

The kiss had lacked something. It had been nice, but there was no sign of him feeling what he felt when Summer came to kiss him. It was… nice.

The touches she gave him were nice. She was a nice woman, even if she acted a little sad sometimes. She didn't… She didn't think there was something wrong with him. She just gave him the orders to do stuff and he would. Clear. Concise. Ordered.

He glanced down, noticing that he'd grown aroused. It was an odd reaction, even as he leaned back against the shower wall, letting his hand trace over his manhood, feeling the strong urge to take care of business. Ruby was… uncertain. She couldn't be fully certain, because Weiss would get in the way with Ruby.

Ruby... He tried to imagine Ruby doing the same things as Summer had done. To hug him. To kiss him. To make him gasp and groan. It was impossible, after considerable time of thinking. Ruby loved Weiss more than she loved him. She was just trying to keep him around because she wanted a boy to have as a friend. It'd been seen in his sisters.

The times they came home with defeat scrawled on their name, the crying emotional sessions which he watched silently from the kitchen table, the news that Saphron had finally gotten out of the closet she'd hidden in...

He still didn't quite know why gay people hid in closets. He'd asked a few times to Terra, but she'd just given him a look and Saphron wouldn't stop laughing. It had been showing an interest in his sister's partner! He cared for his sister, even though she'd always been somewhat of a goof.

His thoughts returned to Summer. Her silver eyes had a lustre to them, her smiles always were nice to see. It was as if she saw him for who he was, just a teenager growing up into adulthood. She didn't mince words. She was blunt and honest, and whilst she told him what to do, there was always a reward in store, though he knew that he would do things for her without any reward either way.

He wanted to be of use, to not be thought of as less.

His mother didn't understand, not completely. She'd gone through the classes on dealing with someone with his condition, had joined the organisation for parents, but she didn't know what it was like. She'd never been called a retard, or been thrown into a locker.

None of his sisters really had been bullied, but he had... though it was hard to pin down whether he was being bullied or not. He hadn't noticed the scathing apologies of 'Oh, sorry, I bumped into you, nerd' or the looks. He was just... regular Jaune Arc.

He became aware of a knocking on the glass of the shower, and peered out. "Stop zoning out when I call you, Jaune." The voice of his sister Marble came from behind the fogged up glass, as she fixed him with a look.

"Now... Get out of the shower. I need to look good for when we get out. Dad's got the barbecue today and we're invited too, so it'd be a good time for you to go look like you're worth a bit more than spit and gel."

She wasn't mean, she just wasn't a morning person. He stepped out, getting a towel. Marble merely shook her head, muttering something about annoying little brothers, before she dipped in. With seven sisters, there was little about them that he hadn't seen. Marble pushed past him and turned the water a bit higher, a sigh of relief coming from her as he towelled off. The fresh pair of underwear he had laid out specifically on the sink still laid there where he'd left it.

It wasn't a thing he really liked, change. If it wasn't in the place where he'd left it, he would get a little antsy, a little annoyed. Mom called it 'Jaune's spot', and he took it. Always the same seat, the same set of utensils. He had learned that it was okay to eat with other utensils, but still... the ones he ate with were the best. The nicks and scratches told him a story of years eating well.

As he joined his father at the breakfast table, the man's gaze going up from his food for a moment, he noticed that most of his sisters looked fairly tired. Six sisters, though only five were at the table. The twins looked tired for some reason, their differences in style not hiding their similar appearance. They were pretty, as far as his sisters went, but it hadn't been a great deal to him.

"Did you sleep well?"

His mother asked, to which he gave a soft nod.

"Mom, he looks like he's ready to go and pass out... Ease up on our little Jauney."

His older sister Melissa spoke, as she tightened the sash a little on the bathrobe that she habitually wore whilst waiting for her younger sister Marble to get from under the shower.

"It was alright."

The thoughts of Summer didn't stop, as he looked at his plate. A slice of bread laid there. He grabbed the peanut butter jar and his knife, dipping it in. He didn't like butter much, so he didn't use it, avoiding the small section of the peanut butter that had butter on it, the taste of butter cloying and always hitting the back of his throat like some slimy fiend.

"That's good...Do you want some orange juice?"

His mother would take care of him, he knew. She always did want to help, but he was seventeen and eight months now, no longer the child that had been popped out fresh as number 8 of the family's children.

"Yes, please."

The glass was set in front of him, the decoration on it still. She had turned it the way he liked it. That was good.

"We're going to a place north of here called Forever Falls. You'd like it, Jaune."

His mother explained, his father remaining silent, merely observing. His father did that sometimes, as he snapped back to attention when his wife's hand tapped him on the shoulder.

'Does that mean that Summer is just a bit thoughtful?'

He thought back to her behaviour earlier this week. A pretty woman like her shouldn't be sad like that. It wasn't nice. She deserved to smile and feel good. That's what would make Ruby happy too... Even if Ruby didn't like him for who he was.

"Son, there may be some loud noises... Do you need..."

His father tried, but Jaune figured that it would be okay. He smiled at the thought of getting the headphones again. Music usually helped to drown out the buzz of people talking. Some of his father's friends were nice. Some weren't. He met a lot of new friends of his father's at these places.

'Thanks.'

"No. I'll be okay. It's a family outing, right?"

The man nodded. That made sense to Jaune.

His sisters usually were only dating for a few weeks before they'd either have things fizzle out or not work out. It was one of the times that he had occasionally commented on things when some Jeremy or Monroe came around.

He didn't understand people, but he could spot when someone wasn't genuine. He just had that feeling about someone and could judge how long they would be together. It was more than just a hunch, but it was something that had been proven right time and time again. It was not something of a fancy, but rather the experiences... though it was hard to do at school. People always lied there, about the simplest of things.

The car trip was hectic, as it always was. Six people in one car, with his older sister Marble driving in the second. For a family outing, it was hardly ideal. Mom had packed several snacks for him, specially wrapped in the foil that didn't make the crinkling sound.

Whilst he was with his family, everything made sense. It was familiar, he felt safe. The excitement of being near Summer, to feel that tinge of something more, something... sweet.

"Did you never finish that game?"

His sister commented, as he looked up from the old handheld game, his sister's eyes somehow looking like they were trying to plead with him. It was ordered, it was nice. He was trying to finish the game even faster. It never hurt to beat the old score.

"I started again. I wanted to see whether I could beat my time and my score."

That made sense. It wasn't as confusing as Ruby and Yang. Weiss and Blake would be with them. They would be alright, he guessed.

"So, no longer around your girlfriend, Jaune?"

Jaune shrugged. Ruby wasn't his girlfriend, not formally. She was just there to take advantage, as his social training sessions had told him. She was the smart one, after all. He was just the guy who had required extra lessons.

"She isn't my girlfriend."

He said, though his older sister gave a low cooing sound.

"Widdle Jaune has got a girlfriend!"

The tease, given by a young woman of twenty years and three months and seventeen days, was not too strong, even as his other sisters, at least those he saw, cracked a smile. "Soon you'll be kissing with her."

"She's not good at that." He said, as he refocused on the game. He didn't quite get what was up with kissing.

"Wooh... My little brother's kissed a girl! He's not gay!"

The snort from his older sister was enough to tell him that it was alright, either way, to be gay. He didn't think he'd ever look at a man with the same eyes as he looked at girls he liked. Weiss had been really pretty.

"Johanna, mind your language."

His mother chided, as she switched gears. His father kept his silence, preparing already for the encounters with the people.

"But he's... Ugh. Sooo... How'd it feel? Good?"

He shrugged once more. It was a kiss. He pressed the A button again, letting the character move on the screen.

"She's not a good kisser. We kissed at the cinema. She sat in my lap whilst we gamed and then her older half-sister came in."

He paused. It wasn't really nice to finish it like that, he figured. Jaune knew that he should at least add some commentary.

"I don't like it when she smokes."

The rest was all irrelevant information, as he knew that they would poke fun at him for having kissed an older woman. Summer was nice. He didn't want to let her be dragged through a round of jibes of his sisters.

"We'd better get you some condoms! Mom!"

He frowned at that. Summer said that she would get some. He trusted her to keep her word.

"Simmer down, dear... I don't think he's going to do that very quickly."

Jaune blinked. That just wasn't true.

"Yang offered. She said she'd consider it, because I don't look half-bad. Apparently it helps that I'm helping out too. Blake and her aren't... serious? How does that work?"

Jaune wondered about that aloud, as his sisters started another round of asking questions that weren't logical. He noticed that his character had died. That wasn't good.

As they drove up to the large parking lot that laid before them, he looked up from his game once more. Two hours had passed without further comment from his sisters, something that he was happy about. He could see the massive trees reaching to the heavens, a banner already hung out, showing that it was the Family barbecue that his father occasionally went to, four to five times a year.

His father looked a little more energetic as he stepped out of the car, the wound on his leg not hurting as much, Jaune guessed. His father was good at some days, bad on others. It had been a dad thing, his mother hand explained.

"Alright, listen up... People here are testy at times, so don't make any sudden noises. Some of us have sensitive ears, and you all know the drill..."

The man started the regular speech. Jaune knew it by heart, even with his sisters already sighing, as the man ran through the whole speech once more.

He saw Saphron and Terra, together with their little baby Adrian. Jaune smiled at them. It was nice to see them, even with their baby being strapped like some prisoner from a cartoon series, looking like it wanted to be everywhere aside from the stroller.

"Dad, mom... Hors d'oeuvres. Jaune."

He never quite understood why his sisters looked so uncomfortable with Terra calling them Hors d'oeuvres. They were like appetizers or something? What could that mean in relation to his sisters?

Saphron smacked her wife playfully, whilst his father looked stone-faced. The man didn't appreciate Terra's little jokes, and neither did he appreciate much the fact that both were together. A warmer look came to the man's face as he knelt in front of the little child, starting to amuse the little boy.

"It's been a while, mom."

Saphron spoke, hugging her mother. The blonde count had risen, even with Terra, who had been Indian or somewhere from that place, getting her hugs in as the sole representative of the non-blonderhood.

It'd been an amusing comment from Marble, and since he was the only boy, it had become Blonderhood rather than Sisterhood. He had chuckled as she'd made it, and thus it was as it had been.

"Jaune?"

He snapped at attention when Saphron addressed him, his gaze going to her face. She smiled kindly at him, just like always. "So... What's new, little brother?"

"In what way?" He asked. She could ask him what was new, but he didn't know whether she wanted to know the results of the latest sports game or not. Saphron's smile was understanding, one of the reasons why he felt somewhat better and more at ease around her. It would be a hard challenge for him to list everything that had been different.

"He's got girls interested in him, Saph! Show him your womanly wiles!"

She smiled at him, wrapping an arm around his shoulder, dragging him along. He didn't mind her touching him. She was family. She was comfortable to be around.

"Sooo..."

Saphron smiled, as she tugged the blue dress slightly to the side to get some better leg motion going. Why his sister wore blue when she was going to the barbecue with all of dad's friends was beyond him. "What's her name?"

"I don't have..."

He wasn't sure. Did Summer count as a girl? No. Summer counted as a woman, so she wasn't a girl. That was important, somehow. "Ruby and I kissed." His sister's excited little sound was happy and content. She didn't know who Ruby was, but she could guess from the time when he'd introduced his friends. It'd been bad luck that Ruby had been out on a trip with her dad for that week of the holiday.

She'd loved it when Nora had gone all cool with her tricks. Terra hadn't, mainly because the wall had received another dent from Nora kicking it. Nora had good leg strength.

"Ooh! A kiss!" She gave him that look that was naughty, as if she were really concerning herself with the thought of such an event. "How'd it feel? Come on, tell biggest sister that you liked it!"

"She's... bland. She just did it, and there was no boom, like you told me to feel for."

Saphron looked a little put out, he saw. The smile didn't look so very happy. He wondered if all older girls had that?

"Summer is nice though. Ruby's mom."

Saphron tilted her head, pursing her lips. "She's going running with me and exercising. She said to dad that she'd make me a man." The look on Saphron's face didn't really change from the somewhat worried look.

"Yang, that is, Ruby's sister, said that she'd have sex with me because I help around the house. I don't really know what to feel about that."

It wasn't probably intended to be serious, but he figured he'd say it at the least.

"Weren't you all hyped about the Weiss girl? Wasn't there something about eyes like sapphires and skin like snow?"

A look of annoyance came on his face, as his sister threw those words back at him.

"She's Ruby's ex-girlfriend." Saphron's eyes went wide. Her mouth formed a little O, as she looked at him with that surprised expression, before she gave a very soft 'A-hah.'

"So, eh... How'd that come around?"

She asked, clearly a touch uncomfortable with the subject. He didn't feel uncomfortable. "You two... like, together?"

"She went with me to the cinema. We kissed. The next day, we kissed again. Weiss comes back today, and she might make up with Ruby." Saphron's eyes turned slightly cooler at the words, as she hugged him a little tighter. She didn't seem to be worried for Ruby, but for him.

"That's shitty." He smiled, shrugging his shoulders. He knew well that there were differences between girls and boys.

"Life is shitty, dad says."

Saphron snorted at that, as it was a dad thing to say. She rubbed his back.

"Let's get back, before Terra starts grazing on our sisters." The amusement in Saphron's tone had been there, though she did sound somewhat concerned that it might happen.

Terra looked perfectly reasonable there, looking somewhat bored. He made sure that he looked presentable, his eyes going to the sky for a moment.

'Alright...'

The people gathered were mostly military. Several of the men had really big beards and sunglasses, whilst others seemed to prefer being smooth-shaven, the hair milimetered, seeming to be cut from the same cloth.

"And this fella, he's a tough bastard, served with me when we were blowing up Hussein and his bunch of merry men. Haven't seen him in years."

The man was a veritable giant, standing tall and silent, the dark skin and the facial tattoos just as imposing. Jaune idly wondered why the man didn't have any hair on his head. His bald head was reflecting the light.

"Good to see you again, Barry."

A smile, showing a set of teeth that'd make the Great White Shark go for a dental exam, was enough. "It's been a while, Jackie. Still together with your lovely [expletive] wife, Pasty?" He could see his mother look uncomfortable, obviously having met the tall man before.

'Mom definitely isn't called Pasty...'

"She's still enough to tide me over. You know me..."

The broad grin on the man's face, as he punched his father in the chest lightly.

"If you can't beat em up, you join em in bed!"

Laughter, he noted. His sisters and mother merely stood there, looking like they wanted to be anyplace else than here. Several of the people who'd arrived here had been somewhat different in temperament.

"Frank! FRANK!"

His dad called, a tall man wearing a simple black shirt seated at one of the tables that'd been set up over there at the field, looking worn-down and tired. Jaune could see several scars visible on the man's arms, the large knife that the man was sharpening with a sharpening stone looking dangerous... He looked like he'd seen death, and much of it.

"Jaune, I want you to meet this man. He's one of the guys who's been with the Corps for a long time."

He looked at the man. Sharp blue eyes met his, a tension in those eyes. They looked at him, before switching to his father. "Good eyes, Jack. Reminds me a little of my own kids..." The man sighed, as he looked at him.

"So, you're the Jaune that Jack the Black's been talking about, right?"

The man smiled, though Jaune could see something in those eyes that frightened him a little.

"Yes. That is the name I have."

The man looked at him for the longest of times, before the smile came back again. "You're eh..." Did he just go out and say 'You're scary' or should he keep his silence?

"Good eyes... You've got a bit of your dad in you."

A smile, more genuine, as he motioned for his dad to come closer. His dad obeyed, though Jaune didn't really know why immediately. He could see the insignia on the man's shoulders... Though what exactly they meant, he wasn't quite up to date on. Higher than dad, at least a rank or so.

"Now, tell me who's teaching you how to walk?" Jaune blinked. "Your way of walking. Your dad's not taught you the proper method?" He'd just been walking, so why would he know?

"Got an Ex-Marine giving him the drills. She's a good one." The man named Frank raised an eyebrow at his father's words. "Deployed during that little stint in the sand. She's still got it." The man nodded, before turning his attention back to Jaune.

"Then we'll leave it to her."

The man dismissed the topic, motioning for his dad to come over. "Kid, take a seat." The man pointed at the spot in front of him. Jaune got that feeling that death was watching over him, as his dad got onto the spot next to him.

"You're like... sixteen? Seventeen?"

The man asked, and his father answered for him.

"Seventeen and a half."

The man nodded, seemingly tallying that up in his head.

"That's old enough for a good head start, son. When your dad was young like you, he stood a chance to join the ranks of the tough sons of bitches who serve this country. My father didn't agree much with what I decided to do."

The man's eyes were cold and hard, as if a bad memory had come and passed.

"Went to a few sticky places where we were needed. Came back with some bullet holes in me and a whole new appreciation of fighting dirty." A smile, one that didn't look friendly. It looked angry, perhaps a little sad. Jaune didn't like that smile. The knife in the man's hands flickered, sliding back into the sheath.

"Your dad was good, but he wasn't good enough to be one of the lucky bastards who died. Listen to me here, kid... When you're in a place where everything's against you, when the world stops making sense and you're about to face some grimy assholes who're going to be making you into a lead sandwich..."

There was a shiver of something that seemed to course through the man's expression, as the man's blue eyes looked into his own.

"You fight. No matter what, you fight the fuckers who are going to try to kill you. You're the meanest son of a bitch in the room, and you're going to be mean and without mercy. If it's you against the world... You'd better put a damn good fight up."

The advice was sound. His father sighed, as Jaune's attention went to his father.

"Frank, I don't think he'll be joining up. He's not..."

His father wanted to say 'he's not right in the head', just like he'd said before. The man, this 'Frank' looked at him with a look that seemed to be forlorn, a little sad and lost. There was some understanding in those eyes that looked at him, with pity and something that he saw within Summer's eyes as well.

"You understand, don't you?"

It was a question, aimed at him. The man looked at him with eyes that seemed to understand the issue at hand, the deliberation that had to be made. A logical progression of events.

"I think I do, sir."

He said, though he could see the man's eyes clearing up. There was no more forlorn gaze, as they looked at his father.

"Keep a good hold on this kid, Jack. You might have a pack of girls, but..."

The man groaned, as he looked up to the skies, as if asking for some sort of guidance. "Guard your boy well. He's got the stubbornness."

"How are Maria and the kids?"

His father guessed, after nearly half a minute had passed. The man gave a sound in the back of his throat, one of those little half-grunts.

"We're going on a picnic to the park..."

The man paused, as he looked straight at him, pulling out a wallet. "Kid, go fetch me a Pepsi. Make it a diet one, the machine's at the parking lot." Tossing the wallet at him, the man looked unconcerned with the fact that he'd just tossed his money at him.

"I trust you, kid."

The man's words were important. He looked at the man's eyes, seeing himself reflected. This man could somewhat understand him.

He walked to the vending machine, not hurrying, but trying to use the advice that he'd gotten from the man named Frank. He saw more of the men and women who wore the same type of clothing as his father did. A man who looked scruffy was currently tugging on the sleeve of a blonde man, who was getting a woman out of the car that they'd arrived in.

'Oh, that's Ruby's dad.'

He waited behind a tall man with pepper and salt hair, an eye patch over his eye that gave him a bit of a pirate-like look. The man retrieved his drink, giving him a look.

"All yours, kid."

"Thank you, Sir."

Politeness was never wrong. Dad wouldn't like it if he was disrespectful. The man gave a grin and a ruffle of his hair. It was obvious that he was too young. He opened the wallet. A picture of a driver's license, the face of the man, obviously a few years younger and a name. F. Castiglione. He pulled out the coins and put them into the machine, retrieving the cool drink.

He put the change into the wallet, making sure that he closed it properly. With the can of Pepsi in hand, he made his way back. The man with the eye-patch had taken a seat on one of the benches, smoking a big cigar that looked like it was definitely fancy. It smelled like an ashtray, though.

"Your Pepsi, Sir."

He said, putting it in front of the man. A wry smirk, as the man popped the can open with the lip and then drank. Jaune placed the wallet in front of the man, knowing that the man would want it back.

"Good kid..."

He smiled at the man. He liked the man, he was honest.

"I like you. You make sense."

The words weren't easy to say to a man who was a stranger, but he could understand the man's thinking. It made sense. A simple black and white. On and off. His father looked a little concerned, but then shook his head.

"You shouldn't. I'm the guy who'd make your mom bring out the chainsaw."

A wry tone, as the man spoke such a joke. He wasn't sure whether to laugh. "I don't know, Jack... I really don't know. I'm thinking of just popping the question about splitting up and then going for another tour... Central park's nice this time of year, I just hope that the kids would like it..."

He bid his farewell, walking back to his family. His sisters looked decently amused, several of them already on their phone, talking or doing some silly things, his eyes catching sight of the blonde man and his wife. His eyes followed them for a moment before he sat down next to his sister Marble.

"You've met your father's old squad leader, Jaune?"

His mother asked. He gave her a blank look. "The man you were talking to, Frank. He used to lead your father when he was still in the Marines."

"He was nice. He made sense."

The words were sensible. The man made just as much sense as Summer did. They were clear. Honest. They didn't hide their smile behind a fake screen.

His mother looked a little sick though. Saphron wasn't looking too peachy either.

'Perhaps they ate something bad?'

"Honey, Frank isn't a man who's a very happy man..."

His mother cautioned, though he didn't know why. It made perfect sense to him. For one action, a reaction. Truth was better than the lies.

The day continued, with his father drifting from person to person. It was more an Arc outing that occasionally involved them talking, as they knew how much their presence meant to his father. He wasn't sure about himself, though. Jaune thought that his father probably would've liked it better if he'd kept quiet.

As he made his way into the toilets, smelling the strong scent of cleaning agents and stale urine, he caught sight of the man who'd been tugging on Ruby's dad's sleeve, standing near one of the urinals. The smell of alcohol around the man was almost like a visible wall, as he went for the urinal that was two away from the man, doing his business. The flushing sound was audible, as the man staggered out. The click-tap of something dropping to the ground made him look around, spotting a phone that'd fallen onto the ground.

Indecision warred inside him. Should he go and call out to the man about his phone dropping, or should he collect it and hand it to the man? What would his dad do?

'Probably shout at the drunken man to pick his phone up.'

He slid his zipper up, making sure that he was presentable once more before washing his hands three times. He didn't like to be gross. Clean hands saved lives, and washing three times got all the germs off. Probably. He picked up the phone gingerly, noticing that it was the same make as Summer's phone.

Turning it around, he saw that – Taiyang Xiao-Long - had been written on a piece of note on the back. 'Oh, I guess...'

'A brother of her dad?'

They wouldn't share the same name, then... Strange. He'd better find the man.

He caught sight of the man lurching over to the seat of his brother or cousin or something, sitting himself down and grabbing the long glass of alcohol that'd stood there half-full.

"Eh, sir..." The man looked up at him, his eyes red...

'Oh, wait, they're naturally red...'

"What's the matter, Tai? That little wife of yours made you pissed again, you blonde asshole?"

The man's voice was irritated, as Jaune put a smile on his face, like he'd been taught how to do in classes.

"You dropped your phone, sir... "

He held out the Nokia phone, the battered-looking phone having some life left in it. The man looked at the phone for the longest of times, before he set the beer down. The blonde man who'd been seated at the table with his apparent wife looked faintly amused. His wife, who had been called the 'little wife' by the man, looked less amused.

"Oh, you're not the fucker of my sister... Sorry, I thought..." The man's attention went to the other man.

"Tai, I didn't know you had another kid! Two girls isn't enough, so you had to pork some leggy blonde with nice tits, did ya?"

"Qrow, you're drunk... You'll have to apologize for my partner, he's often left his wits at home..."

The man's voice was just as affable as before, even as the man looked him over again. "Oh, you're one of Ruby's friends, aren't you?" The woman at his side looked at him with a renewed interest, clearly trying to piece together how things like that functioned.

"We're friends, yes. She's a good friend."

He didn't mention that she'd betrayed him. That wasn't a good thing. People got upset if you spoke the truth.

"And... And Summer?"

The man asked, concern in his voice. "How're Summer and my little sunny girl?" He supposed that the man meant Yang.

"Her girlfriend is coming back. Ruby's girlfriend is coming back soon too. Your ex-wife called Summer."

The man's eyes closed, as a humourless chuckle came from the man's mouth.

"Tai, dear... Is that the Texan woman?"

The woman asked, as her husband sighed, nodding.

"Summer's regularly chatting with Rae..."

A sigh came from the man's mouth, lengthy and with a sad tone that he perceived.

"Not much for us of team STRQ, right Qrow? We've always been left out in the cold. No calls, no nothing."

He thought the man looked a little sad there. The drunken man, who apparently went by the name of Qrow, spoke up.

"Raven's always been a cold bird... Real hellion when we were younger, though. Look, we got matching tattoos."

The large crow tattoo on the man's arm looked impressive, as a picture was held up. It was faded and tattered, a woman who definitely looked like Yang with dark hair holding up her arm which had a Raven tattoo, the younger version of the drunkard smiling at the camera. Summer and Taiyang stood there with looks on their face that showed how dumb they thought it was. At least, that's what Jaune thought.

"Hey, kid?" The drunkard pulled the picture back into the wallet that it'd been stuck in. "Thanks for getting my phone. It'd be hell to track down where I've been and find the bloody thing again, so... Yeah. If you see Sum, tell her that the Crow owes you a pint. She'll get the message."

"Stop making alcoholics, Qrow. Just because you've got a bit of a problem, it doesn't mean that other kids are going to do the same..." Ruby's dad was sensible, as he looked at his wife, whose face looked a little worried.

"No, I'm not going to go back to them. That part of my life is over, I'm now here with you."

The woman was insecure, even as she flicked her gaze between him and the blonde man. "He looks like you... You haven't been cheating on me, have you?" The man winced, his gaze looking at Jaune with an apologetic look.

"Unless he's somehow magically been made into my oldest daughter's twin, I'm innocent on all charges, Sandy." The frown was enough to make the man raise his hands, as if to ward off an assault. She looked a little annoyed.

"My sisters would complain a bit if Dad wasn't my dad. Mom would too... I'm not his son, Miss Xiao-Long." He didn't know what else to say. Was this social interaction? Did he do right?

"Honey, he looks just like you..." The woman's words were inherent with a certain nervousness, as the man tried to shush his wife. Jaune decided that the better part of valour was getting out of a bad situation.

"I'll buy the kid a drink... No, nothing alcoholic. Trust me... We're men." The arm slung over his shoulder didn't exactly inspire him with confidence, as the drunkard left the two people to have their little quarrel.

"You've got to forgive my buddy Tai... His wife's nice, but the poor girl is so insecure, 'specially after Tai had two gorgeous babes for a wife." Jaune could imagine that. Summer was very pretty and nice.

"Now, kiddo... Take it from me, if you've seen Summer, you know what a hot babe that is. M'niece, Yang, I'm sure you know her..." Jaune nodded, as they swaggered up towards the vending machine, the man plucking out a different wallet, motioning for him to pick a drink out. "She's the real go-getter. She'll go far. Whatever she does... She'll be a star." The look on the man's face, as the money went in and the can dropped.

"Summer... Yeah, Summer was hurt the most when Raven left us. My twin sister, always the serious one." A sigh came from the man, as he held up his phone.

"We got these because it was a four way deal. Tai keeps his in his pocket at all times. Mine's in the back pocket, Summer's always near the left pocket. Kid... Keep your friends close and they'll last you a lifetime. When I lost my wits, there was Summer to pull me out from the muck. She's a great woman, and if you ever need a role model, she's the coldest, hardest, bad-ass bitch there is. A real Marine, not like me. Should've been dead six or seven times if she didn't bail me out." The man swallowed, as he looked up.

"Sure, we've all got our issues. Summer doesn't come to these events no more, Taiyang comes but brings the wife..." The man sighed. "Probably not, anymore. She's a wreck with suspected cheating... Taiyang's been with too many beautiful women... Told him it'd never work out. Sure, she's insulted Yang a few times, but she really took a shine to lil' Ruby."

"Listen, kid... Do what feels alright,okay? Join the Marines, don't join the Marines, be a good guy and things'll come onto the tracks and derail that train. If you love someone, never let em go..." The man took a swig from a hip flask, the strong smell of alcohol in the air.

"It'll cost you, if you do." The bitter look on the man's face, his hand scrubbing at his cheeks. "But you've got a life ahead of you, Kid. Give Yang a greeting from her dear uncle Qrow, will ya?" The man sauntered off, Jaune watching the argument between the husband and wife duo be deflected by the drunken man plopping down once more on their table, giving the woman a different target.

He wasn't sure what to do now. Should he go towards the safety of family, or should be brave the worries of the day?

"Hey, kid." The tall black man spoke, his shadow looming over him. "You're Jack's son, right?" The man patted his shoulder, Jaune feeling uncomfortable, as he looked at the big broad man.

"The name's Barracuda, but you can call me Cuda. Your pa helped me out in a tight situation back when he was on the call." There was something threatening about the man, if it could be said to be such a thing.

The man's veneer was amicable, but the hidden threat that he felt was unnerving. "So... I was wondering... Did lil' Jack's son get himself properly kitted out for the kind of job he did with his sweet lil'[racial expletive] croissant of a wife?"

'I'm not sure what he means with 'getting kitted out'.'

"I'm... not sure? I'm getting trained up under a-" The hand patted his shoulders again. The huge black man smiled, eyes glinting. A loud laugh, like 'Haw Haw Haw' came from the man's mouth. It wasn't pleasant to the ears.

"Don't be worrying about no lil' mothafuckin' pansies... Just let Barracuda give you the down-low. It's all about the twist. Hold em by the neck, then pull... Real close, so they're clenching up. They get a bit of a gasp coming, right when they're all tense... then poof, best feeling there ever is." The pat on his shoulders rattled his knees, as large fingers, easily the size of sausages, wrapped around his shoulder. "When they resist, just grab em by the hips and just push straight forward. Knocks the wind out of em, and- Oh, hello Cap'n Frank. I was just teaching Jack's lad about how to properly get a good dip in-"

"Zip it, Sharky. Kid, come, your mom wouldn't want you to hang around this degenerate."

The big man didn't comment on the insult, clearly something being understood.

"Don't let the sharks catch ya, Frank. They smell it when you bleed, and 'cuda's going to watch you swim, Frank." The threatening tone was seemingly normal for the man, who nodded, shrugging.

"I'll keep that in mind for when I go fishing, Sharky. Now go bother some other girl or something, the kid's here with his dad and he isn't going to be taking up your bad habits." Jaune felt decidedly uncomfortable as the man's tongue slithered over his lips.

'Oh, that man isn't a good man.'

He'd already seen his mother's response when his father had joked about with the man, the natural proclivity for strong language and the expletives that some of dad's old friends busied, the black man ambling away. Clearly, there was something wrong with the man.

"You shouldn't hang around Barracuda, son. That Faunus' got a few screws loose... Not bad if you need back-up, but..." The man's voice trailed off, as the blue eyes laid on the man.

"Nothing to worry about. Just relax. I'll keep an eye on him." There was a finality in that voice, showing that the man would keep his word. Frank nodded at his mom, who gave the man a look of unease, yet gratitude.

"I'm not sure I should take Mister Barracuda's advice."

He said to himself. His sisters looked at him quizzically. He told them what the man had said. His mother turned pale in the face, whilst his sisters looked at the man as one single entity, obviously disturbed.

"No, I would hope that you'd not do that to the girl you love..." Saphron said, diplomatically. "It's not... How do I explain this?"

"I know about sex. I'm not ten, Saphron." The bemused smile on his sister's face was shared by most of his other sisters.

"It's like Marble when she's having sex, but with less smacking about. She gets really loud when she thinks the house is empty."

"Marble Arc..." His mother's somewhat annoyed tone of voice, as she looked at her daughter, who was shrinking back. "I TOLD you to keep an eye on Jaune, but you invited your boyfriend over? Have you lost your m- no, wait, don't answer that, I don't need to know that."

"It was one time!"

An embarrassed Marble said. Jaune corrected her. It was good to correct mistakes. The number made mom look even more hawkish.

"So... a few times? I mean, I wasn't hurting anyone?"

He corrected his sister. It had kept him up for most of the night after the sounds had stopped. The clear rendition of exactly what his sister had been shouting for her then-boyfriend to do to her made Marble pale whilst most of his sisters hid a smile.

"We will have words about this. A deal is a deal, Marble."

The looks of his other sisters, who still had been able to go and hit the clubs in town on those evenings, were as if butter wouldn't have melted in their mouth. Marble pouted a little.

The barbecue was nice. There had been meats of all different varieties, for those who enjoyed such things. Jaune saw mister Barracuda eat what seemed to be a massive lambsrack, the man's mannerisms crude.

"Don't worry about Barry, he's from Florida. They're always a bit uncouth there, honey." His mother's gaze was able to split rocks, or so it looked. There would be an argument in the car, he knew. His mother disapproved of dad's occasional cussing more than she let on.

"I don't see why you're friends with him."

His mother said, pointedly. His father looked tired, as he let his gaze go around. Jaune could see that the man didn't want to talk about things. His mother pressing the man would undoubtedly make them have another argument.

"It's... He helped me out of a tight spot. You've got to remember the friends you've got, honey." Jaune could understand that. Yang was nice, even if she didn't do things sometimes that he approved of. She teased, she was bold and upbeat, but she also was caring.

He'd like a wife like that. Summer had said something about training him for that job.

On the trip back, he wondered whether it would be acceptable to call Ruby tomorrow. If things were going better with Weiss, was he still necessary?

As he crawled into bed, he had resolved himself to call in the morning. Summer might want to know that he was available again. She made sense. Ruby said that he'd made her somewhat happier when he was around, so why not?

It wasn't like his friends would be back soon. Nora said that Norway was going to be amazing.

Ruby said that she liked having him around...

He thought of Summer again. He smiled at the thought of the woman. She was warm.


A chapter in which there's no lewd stuff! No teasing! Just a family outing to a barbecue with dad's friends and other military people. (Whenever you think of America, you think of barbecues.)

Summer again in the next chapter! We've seen most of team STRQ!

To the people who recognize some of the brave soldiers that were met in this chapter... Yeah. I'm a fan. Barracuda's language was censored because... yeah, censorship in comics!

He acts differently around his family alone than with his friends, obviously.