Hello everyone!

I apologize for how late this chapter is. It was supposed to come out last month, but it was a bit more complicated to write than I thought. That on top of my own procrastination and Total War Warhammer 3 coming out a few days ago and... yeah it's late. But it is here now. The next chapter will come out on schedule next month, that I promise, and I'll be back on track. Barring any unforeseen events like the apocalypse.

Also just a fun little note: this officially takes the spot of my longest chapter yet, sitting at over eighteen thousand words (including the beginning and ending authors' notes to be fair) so yeah. It's a big'un.

That's really all I have to say this time around. I don't wanna keep y'all any longer from what you've been waiting for.

On with the story!


Jaune put on the beanie and looked at himself in the mirror.

"I definitely look different," he agreed as he looked himself up and down.

Jaune was wearing a blue beanie that covered his bright blonde hair and a pair of rectangular glasses. The glasses weren't real as he didn't need them to see. Instead their purpose was to help mask his identity out in public along with the beanie to cover his hair. He looked over at Pyrrha. "You do this often?"

"Not too often," she said as she put her own pair of glasses on the bridge of her nose, "but sometimes I want to go out and make sure I'm not easily recognized. You'd be surprised what a pair of glasses and wearing your hair differently can do to help change how you look." She turned to face Jaune, arms held out from her side. "So... how do I look?"

Pyrrha was dressed in a cream blouse under a denim jacket. Blue jeans that hugged her hips and her legs took the place of her normal skirt, and plain white sneakers were on her feet. Her hair was free of its pony tail and flowed down her back in a crimson wave. With the glasses perched on her nose and bereft of the bronze circlet she normally wore, Pyrrha looked... normal.

He smiled widely. "You look beautiful." And she did. Normal and beautiful. In her combat outfit she was every bit the Invincible Girl. Stunning, awe inspiring, and alluring. But Jaune couldn't help but think that she seemed more comfortable dressed like a regular girl. Like Pyrrha.

Her face flushed and she looked away from him, fidgeting. "T-thank you. You look ho- handsome! You look handsome."

Along with the beanie and the glasses Jaune was wearing a grey button up sweater with a collar, the top few buttons undone to show the black undershirt beneath, blue jeans, and his new boots. His cheeks darkened at the praise. "Th-thanks. You look good too. Er, I already said that..."

Pyrrha laughed, her eyes sparkling. "How is it you can simultaneously be a strong handsome man and a dorky boy at the same time?"

"I assure you the strong handsome man part is just a bit. I am, at the core of my being, a dork."

The two of them burst into laughter, their team's dorm room filled with the sound. Nora and Ren were already gone. They claimed it was to go train, but Jaune knew they were just giving him and Pyrrha time to be alone.

When the laughter died down the two of them were suddenly left standing there awkwardly. Now that he knew about her feelings for him things were different between them, even if he wished they weren't. It didn't help that he had next to know practical knowledge on what to do on a date, seeing as how he'd never actually been on one. What if he messed up? What if he ruined today for her?

What if he'd known how she felt sooner?

Jaune was getting tired of what ifs. He was destined to fight the goddess of evil and darkness. He didn't have enough life left to worry about what ifs. Today was Pyrrha's day, and he would give her everything he had.

He stepped close and took her hand in his, giving it a squeeze. His partner flushed crimson and let out and small 'eep!' as his hand wrapped around hers.

"There's this café I heard about that I think you'd like. Wanna check it out?" He grinned widely at her.

Pyrrha smiled back shyly. "Lead the way."


Pyrrha's heart hammered in her chest as the two of them walked through the halls of Beacon hand in hand. Their disguises might work when they were in a crowd of people who'd never met them before, but here in Beacon where they were regularly seen everyone who saw them would know that Pyrrha Nikos was walking hand in hand with her partner Jaune Arc.

Was that such a bad thing? People would talk, but people had been talking anyway. What did it matter if they saw them hand in hand?

"Stop being the Invincible Girl for just a couple days. Just be you. Just be Pyrrha Nikos, my partner and the girl I'm going to take out for a day on the town tomorrow."

Today she wasn't the Invincible Girl. Today she was just Pyrrha, and he was just Jaune, not the Hero of Vale. And today it was just the two of them. He was all hers, and she was all his.

They made their way through the school, drawing more than a bit of attention and leaving a trail of whispers and rumors in their wake as they walked hand in hand to the airship docks. Jaune didn't seem to care, so she tried not to either. Once in Vale things got easier. No one paid any mind to two teenagers out and about on a date. Jaune's new height was noticeable, but that alone wasn't enough to spark recognition thanks to his disguise.

"So where are we going?" Pyrrha asked as they walked, still hand in hand.

"It's this little café called Coco's. Apparently they're locally famous for their hot chocolate. I've been meaning to go for awhile and I thought it would be a good way to start our date."

Her smile widened. "Hot chocolate sounds like a wonderful way to start our day."

The two chatted idly as they walked. It was fairly early in the morning so the streets of Vale weren't crowded yet, but there were people out and about. Some were on their way to work, others seemingly out for a stroll, and some were couples like them. Pyrrha blushed at the idea of the two of them being a couple, but it was true. Today they were a couple. They were on a date, a date he had asked her on, not the other way around. She leaned into his side and wrapped her arm around his bicep.

Jaune looked at her. "You alright?"

The champion- no, Pyrrha, smiled at him. "I'm more than alright."


"Welcome to Coco's! What would you two like today?" the cashier asked as Jaune and Pyrrha stepped up to the counter.

"I'd like a Coco's hot coco and a blueberry muffin please," Jaune said, then looked at his partner. "What about you?"

"Hm..." she studied the menu for a few moments thoughtfully. "I'll take the same, but with a banana nut muffin in place of blueberry please."

"Banana nut?" Jaune gasped, recoiling in mock horror. "You actually like banana nut?"

"It's good for you and tasty!" she defended, swatting him on the arm with a laugh.

"I can't believe this. All this time I've been partnered with a banana nut sympathizer. Truly these are dark days." He sighed and shook his head as he took his wallet out of his pocket. "Oh well, I suppose I can indulge your depravity for today. But we'll be having a talk about this later." Pyrrha giggled at him as he held his card out for the cashier to take. She did so and glanced at the name on it before moving to swipe it through the card reader.

Then she froze and looked at the name on the card again, then up at Jaune, then back down at the card.

He bit down the urge to groan in frustration as he watched the cogs in her head turn and put the pieces together. He could practically see the lightbulb flick on over her head and he leaned forward before she could make a scene. "Yes, I'm that Jaune Arc. But can we please not make a big deal out of it? I'm on a date and I'd really appreciate it if who I am remained a secret." He made a mental note to use cash going forward.

The girl cleared her throat and nodded once. "Y-yeah. Ah! I mean yes sir, of course sir, whatever you say. I-I'll get your order put in right away." She handed the card back to him.

"Um, you didn't run it."

"No charge," she said eagerly. "It's on the house." Before he could protest she darted off into the kitchen.

He felt Pyrrha tug on his hand. "Come on, let's get a table."

"She didn't even give us an order number."

"I doubt we'll need it," she laughed. "Come on." She led him to a table by the window that looked out on the street and they sat down across from one another.

"You seem pretty relaxed about that whole thing," he remarked.

She shrugged. "It's happened to me a few times. The best thing to do is role with it, so long as they don't try to put their hands on you of course."

"Seriously? Guys have tried to grab you before?" Jaune would be the first to admit he was pretty clueless when it came to girls, but even he knew you didn't touch a lady without their permission.

She nodded. "Honestly the girls are just as bad. I don't mean to make it sound like its a common thing, it isn't, but it happens." She smiled tightly. "They only ever try it once however. When someone tries to touch your rear and ends up face first on the ground they wise up quickly."

"Well if I ever catch someone trying to put their hands on you I'll feed them to Talon in little bits," he promised. No one was putting a hand on his partner.

She giggled and rested her chin in her hands, bright eyes sparkling at him. "Oh, is my brave knight going to protect my vulnerable chastity?"

He flushed. "I-I didn't mean to say you couldn't take care of yourself. Sorry, that was dumb of me."

She laughed and reached a hand across the table, placing it on his. "It's okay. Honestly I appreciate it, and I would do the same for you."

"I guess us super stars have to stick together," he joked.

"I guess so," she laughed, hand still on his. Jaune didn't mind it. In fact he turned his hand up and wrapped it around hers, making her face turn nearly as red as her hair. "O-oh..."

"Is this okay?" He asked, suddenly nervous. They'd walked hand in hand the whole way here, but was it different now that they were sitting down?

"Yes!" She said quickly and squeezed his hand as he tried to pull his away. "It's okay! It's more than okay in fact. It's wonderful."

Now it was his turn to blush. "Really?"

"Really. I've wanted to do this for so long, and now that I can..." she rubbed her thumb over the back of his hand. "I intend to make the most of it."

Jaune was saved from having to think of a response to that by the arrival of their hot chocolate and muffins. The two of them dug in eagerly. The coco was delicious, and so was his blueberry muffin. Pyrrha tore off a piece of her own muffin and held it out to him. "Here, try it."

He eyed the piece mistrustfully. "I think I'm good."

"Don't be silly, it's not like your allergic. Just one bite, for me?"

He relented with a sigh and took the offered piece of muffin from her. Reluctantly he popped it in his mouth and ate it, fully prepared for it to be unpleasant.

He was rather surprised to find he liked it. "Huh."

"It's good isn't it?"

"It is," he agreed, then frowned. "I think I just realized my mom is awful at making banana nut bread."

His partner clamped a hand over her mouth and laughed. "Is that why you didn't like it before?"

"Every time mom made banana nut bread it was awful. Which I just chocked up to banana nut bread being bad because she's an awesome cook. I guess she's just not great at making it." He looked pointedly at her muffin. "Can I...?"

She held it out to him with a smile. "Why don't we trade?"

"Deal!"

The two swapped and Jaune dug into his new treat eagerly as Pyrrha took a bite out of hers. "So speaking of your mother, when will I get a chance to meet your family?"

"Now that I'm out of the hospital they plan to come by the school to meet everyone. They've already met Ren and Weiss." He realized his mistake in mentioning Weiss a split second after doing it, but if Pyrrha took offense to the idea of her meeting Jaune's family first she didn't show it.

"Well I'm eager to meet them myself. I can't imagine having so many siblings, and all of one gender too."

It suddenly occurred to Jaune that he didn't know how many siblings Pyrrha had, if any. In fact, she hardly ever talked about herself. He resolved to correct that. "What about you? Any brothers or sisters?"

"No, I'm an only child."

He leaned forward in his seat. "Tell me about your mom and dad then. You hardly ever talk about yourself."

She smiled softly. "There isn't much to tell unless you want to know about my victories in the tournaments."

He waved his indifferently. "I don't care about those. I already know you're awesome." He grinned. "I want to know about you."

Her cheeks darkened and a pleased smile lit her face. "A-alright. Well, my mother's name is Hera..."


"You didn't."

"I did!" Pyrrha laughed as the two of them walked down the street. "Mom was mortified, but Dad thought it was hilarious. He tried to stop her from punishing me."

"Did it work?"

"Not at all. I was grounded for a week and he slept on the couch for the same amount of time."

Jaune laughed and shook his head. "I never would have guessed you had that in you. You're usually a lot more..."

"Miss goody two shoes?"

"I was going to say reserved, but that works too."

Pyrrha jabbed him in the side with her elbow playfully. "If I were a complete goody two shoes I wouldn't have kept quiet about your transcripts."

"Hm," the blonde boy rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I suppose that's true." He wiggled his eyebrows at her. "I guess you really do have a wild side after all."

"I suppose so," she laughed as they walked hand in hand. They strode on in comfortable silence for several minutes with their hands interlocked. His hand was warm and comforting on hers and she leaned into his side, basking in his warmth as the chilly fall air blew.

Pyrrha had dreamed of this moment for so long. The two of them walking hand in hand without a care in the world and with no distractions. Just two young people on a date and enjoying one another's company.

And yet it was a bittersweet joy, because she knew it was only temporary. When today ended Jaune wouldn't be hers anymore. He would be Weiss's.

Pyrrha didn't hate Weiss. She was jealous, there was no point in pretending she wasn't, but she bore the heiress no ill will. Though she couldn't be sure Pyrrha suspected that she'd had a hand in setting this all up in the first place. If that was the case then Pyrrha owed Weiss. She could have just taken him for herself and left Pyrrha with nothing, but she hadn't. Twice now she'd gone out of her way to help her be with Jaune, and the mistralian girl truly did appreciate that. She doubted she would have done the same for the heiress.

"You okay?" Jaune asked. "You look like you spaced out."

Pyrrha smiled at him and stood on her toes to kiss him on the cheek. "I'm alright. Just thinking."

"What about?"

Her smiled widened. "You."

Her partner blushed cutely and looked away, scratching the back of his head. "O-oh. What about me?"

"Oh, just the usual things." She wrapped his arm around her shoulders and stepped into his side, melding against him as she wrapped one hand around his and placed the other on his forearm. "About how handsome you are."

"H-handsome? Me?"

"Oh yes, you're very handsome. Cute too, especially when you blush."

"... You're just trying to make me blush, aren't you?" he asked as he did just that, face turning the color of Ruby's cloak.

"Maaaybe," she admitted with a mischievous grin. "But that doesn't mean I'm lying. You are handsome and cute." She could almost hear the steam pouring out of his ears and bit back a laugh. She was just getting started. "And smart, and brave, and funny, and so much more."

"Grbl," Jaune mumbled as his head did its best to sink into the collar of his sweater, face cherry red.

Pyrrha tittered and leaned into his side as they walked into the park. "I'm sorry, did I embarrass you?" She guided him out of the way of a tree he was on a collision course with. "I assure you that wasn't my intention," she lied with a little grin.

"I'm sure," he grumbled. "Well... you're beautiful you know."

Now it was Pyrrha's turn to blush. "Y-you think so?"

"You don't get chosen to be on the box of Pumpkin Pete's cereal if you're average looking."

She swatted his arm, laughing. "That's your metric for whether or not someone is pretty? If they're on a box of bad cereal?"

"Hey, I'm sure Pumpkin Pete's has very strict standards for the box models they hire. You should be flattered to be chosen for such an honor."

Pyrrha released him and stepped back, leaning against a tree as she squealed with laughter, no longer able to contain herself. "You're such..." she gasped for air and wiped a tear of mirth from her eye. "You're such a dorky boy!"

He leaned against the tree next to her, laughing as well. "I told you didn't I? I'm a dork at the core of my being."

It took a bit, but Pyrrha managed to regain control of herself. When she did she took his hand and squeezed it. "No, I don't think that's true. I think the dorky boy you've felt like for so long hides the good hearted man that's at the core of who you are."

Jaune flushed and looked away from her, free hand scratching at the back of his head. "J-jeez, Pyrrha. I'm glad we're not in a 'who can make the other blush more' contest, cause you'd be winning handily..."

"Who says we're not?" she teased. "Just because you didn't know doesn't mean you aren't playing." She tugged on his hand and led him along behind her as she began to walk. "Come on! The day is still young." Her eyes sparkled with joy. "We've got plenty of date left ahead of us."


A few hours later Jaune and Pyrrha were sat a restaurant for lunch. They'd decided to go see a movie after leaving the park. To Jaune's delight there was yet another Spruce Willis movie showing in theaters. They were really cranking those things out. He'd asked Pyrrha what she wanted to see of course, but nothing else that had piqued her interest so they'd agreed on the Spruce Willis movie, A Good Day to End Roughly.

"So what did you think?" He asked her as they waited on their food.

"I'll admit, I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. The action was ridiculous and over the top, but it was nice to sit down and watch a movie where I could just turn my brain off and enjoy the show." She tapped her lips thoughtfully. "The name's a bit of a mouthful though. And I found it difficult to follow the story."

"Really? It's a direct sequel to the last movie, Live Free or End Roughly. I thought it was easy enough to follow."

"Ah, that would explain it. I've never seen the other movies in the series."

Jaune gasped and leaned back from her. "You've never seen the other End Roughly movies?!"

"I can't say I have, no." She cocked her head to the side curiously. "Should I have?"

"They're classics! My dad and I watched the first one when I was little!" Without his mother's permission, which hadn't been a good idea. "They're some of the best movies of all time!" He leaned forward. "As your partner and leader I have to correct this. My dad has all of the old movies, I'm sure he'll let me borrow them. We can watch them together!"

Pyrrha perked up, her eyes wide. "T-together? Really?"

"Yeah! We can have a team movie night! I'll get the movies from my dad and the four of us can binge watch them!"

Her shoulders slumped slightly and she glanced away from him. "Oh, right. A team movie night."

Oh. Oh. Jaune cursed himself for a fool, realizing what he'd made it sound like at first. He tentatively reached a hand out to place it on hers, but she withdrew it. "Pyrrha, I-"

"I think our food is here."

Indeed their food was brought to their table just as she said that. Judging by the speed with which the waiter distributed their meal and retreated he knew he'd walked in on an awkward moment. Jaune wished he could go with him as a sudden tense awkwardness settled between him and his partner as they began to eat in silence. He glanced up at her from time to time, but she kept her eyes resolutely fixed on the plate in front of her.

Eventually he decided to break the silence. Today was Pyrrha's day. He couldn't let it be ruined like this. "If you want the two of us could watch them. I don't think Ren would be very interested in them, and I doubt Nora would sit through more than the first half hour without getting impatient."

Pyrrha set her fork down with a sigh, eyes closed. "No, it's okay. I should have... I'm sorry I misunderstood what you meant."

'I should have realized you weren't asking me on another date.'

That was what she really meant, he knew.

Jaune reached out and placed a hand on top of hers before she could pull it away. "You know, for someone who doesn't do much wrong you sure do apologize a lot." He smiled at her kindly. "Don't. You didn't do anything wrong. I was running my mouth without thinking again."

She opened her bright green eyes and looked at him, then at the hand on hers. She turned her own palm up and intertwined her fingers with his. "It's okay. I know today is just a one time thing," she said softly. "I'm not going to fool myself into thinking this is the start of something bigger."

Jaune's heart broke in his chest. Pyrrha had been there for him so many times and through so much. From the very start of Beacon in Emerald Forest through to now, she'd been by his side every step of the way. And even though his duties as a squire and the next Knight Lord of the Order had wound up putting distance between him and his team she had still been there for him. Now it felt like he was failing her in the one thing she truly wanted from him.

"I wish..." he swallowed, blinking back tears. "I wish I could give you what you wanted."

"I do too," she said softly. She lifted their intertwined hands up and pressed the back of his hand against her cheek, holding it there. "I wish... I wish you could me mine. I wish I could have you all to myself forever. It's selfish of me, I know, but... that's what I feel." She opened her eyes and looked at him. They were brimming with unshed tears. His were no better.

"You deserve it," he said hoarsely. "You deserve to have me after everything you've done for me since we came to Beacon." He swallowed harder, fighting back a sudden sob.

"Maybe I do." She smiled weakly and rubbed her cheek against his hand. "But... but I don't think love is about what we deserve. If it was then everything would be so much easier, don't you think?" She made a sound that was half laugh and half sob. "I think love is about what we feel in our hearts, and about what we're meant for. I think some people are just... meant to be. You were smitten with Weiss from the moment you laid eyes on her, and despite how she treated you early on you never gave up. You were braver than I was. You were willing and able to admit how you felt to the one you loved. I could only ever watch you from the side lines and... wish I were her."

"B-brave?" He wiped his sleeve over his brimming eyes. "I wasn't being brave. I was being an idiot. I never told Weiss how I really felt, I just made bad advances and spouted off stupid one liners that only made her resent me more as I kept bothering her. I was never genuine with her, not like you were with me. If I'd just taken a step back, given her space, and actually used my head maybe I could have realized how stupid I was being towards her." He placed his other hand on top of hers. "Maybe I could have seen your feelings for what they were."

"M-maybe," she agreed as her lips trembled. Both of them were on the edge of a breakdown, and they were both fighting to hold it together for the sake of the other. She turned her head and kissed the back of his hand. "But you couldn't. Because at some point along the way you'd fallen in love with her, and love makes people do silly things all the time. As you got to know the real Weiss Schnee you didn't become less enamored with her, but more. And... the same is true for me. The more I learned about you, the more I fell in love with you. How could I be upset with how you felt about Weiss when I understood it?" She looked at him, both their visions blurry with tears. "Jaune... tell me how you feel about Weiss."

"H-hey." He moved his other hand and cupped the one he was holding with it. "Today isn't about her okay? Or me. It's about you, and making you happy. I'm not going to do that to you."

"Jaune, you being happy makes me happy. I've invested so much time into you because seeing you smile makes me smile. Please, I want you to tell me how you feel about her. I want to know what you love about Weiss." She smiled weakly. "Then I'll tell you what I love about you. Because I want you to know and telling you and getting it off my chest will make me so, so happy."

He cleared his throat and tried to blink the tears out of his eyes. "O-okay. I... at first I just thought Weiss was a really pretty girl. She made some comment about me being 'tall, blonde, and scraggly' that I stupidly mistook for a compliment and thought she was into me. Eventually I figured out that wasn't the case at all, but by that point I'd already been infatuated with her. She was just... so elegant and beautiful. She moved with a grace that left me in awe, and while she tried to act cold and aloof I could tell that there was more under the surface. And the more I learned about her more in awe of her I was. When I found out she was a part of the Schnee family, one of the richest and most influential families on the face of the planet, I was floored because I figured she'd never even so much as glance my way, but... I was also stunned by her bravery. Weiss could have had anything she wanted in life, taken any career path she wanted. She could have gotten a job in the SDC, or as a professional opera singer, or something else and lived comfortably without ever having to worry about her safety or needs not being met. Instead she chose to become a huntress, and even chose to attend an academy outside of Atlas. Instead of living a safe cushy life she chose a path that would put her right in the path of danger, fighting creatures that wouldn't care who she was or how much money she had. She chose to become a huntress when she could have been anything else and been just fine. That told me that she was brave and independent, and cared about other people enough that she was willing to fight for them."

"That was amazing to me. I came to Beacon because I felt like I had to in order to live up to my family's legacy. That's not to say I never wanted to come here, I did. Ever since I was a little boy listening to my grandfather's stories about his adventures I wanted to grow up to be just like him. But Weiss didn't have that. She didn't come from a family of huntsmen and huntresses. She came from a family of the rich and powerful and willingly chose to leave that behind. Now that I know her better I know there's more to it than just that. Weiss isn't just doing this to protect people. She's fighting to clean the stain from her family's name, to turn it into a force for good. She wants to fix the damage her father has done to the SDC's good name and heal the hurts it's caused to the faunus community. She's not just fighting against the Grimm. She's fighting against her own father. I could never do that if I were in her place. Her strength of character, her stubborn refusal to give up, her beauty and grace, and the warm caring heart she hides under her icy exterior... all of that and more is what I love about Weiss."

Pyrrha began to shake. For a horrified moment Jaune thought he'd gone too far despite her request and was about to burst into tears. But the sound that came from her wasn't sobbing.

It was laughter.

"I-I'm sorry," she said between giggles. "But so much of what you said is in line with what I think about you." She sniffled and wiped her sleeve over her eyes. "I just think it's funny."

"Honestly the reason I first decided to make you my partner was because you didn't know who I was. I'd already been approached by others who sought to team up with me because they knew who I was, so I guess they thought that by sticking with me they were guaranteed to succeed if they had the Invincible Girl at their side. But you didn't know who I was. I hoped that if I could partner up with you before you really found out you could get to know the real me and you wouldn't let my reputation change your opinion of me." She sighed. "Looking back it wasn't the best plan. I got lucky with you. You could have been like so many people I'd dealt with before, treating me like an idol to be looked up to rather than a person, or resenting me for my skill as a fighter, but you didn't. You just treated me like... well, like me. Really you all did. Ren, Nora, Yang, Blake, Ruby, and even Weiss once she got to know me better. But there was something special about you. I could tell from the moment it was revealed that you didn't have aura that you didn't have any training or experience to speak of. I didn't know how you'd managed to get into Beacon in the first place, but here you were." She giggled. "And you were the most interesting mix of frightened and stubborn I'd ever seen. 'Pyrrha, I made the torch. Could you at least humor me for five more feet?'" she said in a very rough approximation of his own voice.

Jaune laughed. "H-hey! I was proud of that torch!"

"Yes, you were." She squeezed his hand. "So proud. Proud to the point that you'd gotten it into your head that you had to do it all on your own." She smiled softly at her partner. "And you did try to. Don't think I didn't notice. But without someone to show you the way forward you were just beating your head against a wall, hoping it would break before you did. Fortunately for your remarkably thick skull," she leaned forward and tapped her finger against his head, "you came around."

He grinned at her. "Is this supposed to be you telling me what you like about me or a roast session that's been long in the making?"

She swatted his arm. "I'm getting there!" she laughed.

"I was happy to help you train because I knew you were serious about staying in Beacon despite being at a great disadvantage compared to everyone else. After Initiation and Forever Fall you understood just how dangerous it was to be a huntsman, but you were still determined to try. You could have packed your bags and gone home, gone where it was safe, but you didn't. You stayed with us, with me, and put your heart and soul into it." She smiled. "I was proud of you. You lacked many of the advantages the rest of us had. You didn't have a modern mecha shift weapon, someone to train you, or even a semblance, but you fought on regardless. That's what I've always admired about you Jaune. When you set your mind to something nothing will stop you from achieving your goal. Sometimes you get too focused or you don't stop to think, but you know what you want and you go for it no matter what." Her smiled turned sad. "Not like me. I've always been hesitant to express how I truly feel if I think it could lead to conflict. I know it doesn't seem like it, but that's the truth. Put me in an arena against a human or faunus opponent, or up against a Grimm, and I'm focused. But I can't find it in myself to argue with someone close to me or in a position of authority, or say something that I feel might hurt their feelings, even if what I have to say is in their best interests."

She let out a breath and held his hand in both of hers. "What I'm trying to say is... I admire you Jaune. I admire your tenacity and drive, your courage in the face of any odds. I admire how you care for the people around you, how open you are with what you feel. When you smile it's like the sun coming out from behind the clouds." She brushed her fingers along the inside of his palm. "It makes me feel warm."

Well if he hadn't been scarlet faced before he sure was now. Was it hot in here? He was pretty sure it was hot in here. He tugged at the collar of his sweater. "W-wow. Pyrrha, that's-"

And then the clapping started.

Both of them nearly leapt away from the table as the restaurant exploded into applause. Servers and customers alike smiled widely at the two of them as they cheered them.

Jaune leaned over to Pyrrha. "I kinda forgot we were in a public setting," he whispered to her.

"Me too," she whispered back, eyes wide.

The squire held up a hand. "Check please!"


"So what are the odds those people know who we are?" Jaune asked Pyrrha as the two of them walked down the street.

"Well we named each other and Weiss multiple times, so... probably pretty good," she replied as she swung their interlocked hands back and forth between them. She felt strangely... light. Talking about it and telling him how she felt had removed a weight from her shoulders. That wasn't to say she was magically and suddenly over him, oh no. She knew she was still head over heels for her partner. But now he knew too, and they could handle it together like partners should. And besides, she still had plenty of date left to go.

He sighed. "Great. And the odds of someone recording us and putting it on Dust Tube?"

"I'd be amazed if it wasn't already uploaded."

"Greeeeat..." he groaned.

"It'll be fine," she assured him. "People will talk about it for maybe a week and then forget about it. That's how these things go."

"I'm not worried about me, but I am concerned about how this could affect you and, well... Weiss."

"We'll be fine, I promise." She smiled at him sidelong. "Weiss and I both aren't strangers to a little public controversy. Like I said, it'll blow over in time and it'll be like it never happened. She's mature enough to not let it get to her."


"Her strength of character, her stubborn refusal to give up, her beauty and grace, and the warm caring heart she hides under her icy exterior... all of that and more is what I love about Weiss."

Yang Xiao Long waggled her eyebrows at Weiss as she hit replay on the video again. "Eh? Eh?!"

The heiress buried her burning face in a pillow and groaned as Amare squealed and cheered in her mind. "That dunce..."


"Yeah, you're right," Jaune agreed as they walked down the street. "Well what do you want to do now?"

"Hm... I don't know. Any ideas?"

"I didn't really do that much planning," he admitted shyly as he scratched at the back of his head in that cute way she liked so much. "I thought it would be better to have a loose idea but just let the cards fall where they may rather than trying to write up a full itinerary."

She had to agree that his was probably the best approach. It let things be more natural between them. "Alright then, why don't we just walk around until we find something that catches our eye?"

He grinned widely. "Works for me."

They did just that, strolling around the city for nearly an hour until something caught the red head's attention. "Hey, what about that?" She pointed to a building across the street from them.

He followed her finger and his eyes lit up when he saw what she'd pointed out. "An arcade? Yeah I'm down. I didn't know you liked them."

"I've never been to one before," she admitted. "But they seem fu- eep!" Pyrrha was cut off as Jaune literally swept her off of her feet and into his arms.

"Never been to an arcade?! Time we fix that!" He ran across the street (after looking both ways of course) and up to the arcade, Pyrrha in his arms the whole way.

She squealed with laughter as he carried her like it was nothing. Pyrrha was hardly a small woman. She was six feet tall and athletic, hardly someone most people could just pick up and carry. But he managed just fine, like she weighed nothing. "Put me down!" she laughed giddily and privately wished he'd never put her down.

Eventually of course he had to. He set her on the ground when they were across the street and she straightened her shirt. "You didn't have to carry me you know."

"I know, but I wanted to," he responded with his bright smile that made her blush. He took her hand in his and led her through the front door of the arcade. "Come on, you'll love it!"


Some things in life were universal. Arcades were one of those things.

No matter where you were, no matter what city or kingdom, arcades were all full of flashing lights, loud noises, bad overpriced food, and enough kids to populate a school, at least when school wasn't in session. There were teenagers too, and a few adults, including some guy in a tattered red cape cussing out a claw machine as he inserted more coins in it, but most of these places made money off of the younger kids. Or more accurately their parents.

He looked back at Pyrrha. "What do you think?"

She blinked as she looked around. "It's certainly... a lot. Where do we start?"

"First we get some coins for the machines." He walked over to a row of coin machines. "The amount of coins you get for the amount of lien you put in is listed on the machine."

"Hm..." she inspected the listed amounts. "How much do you think I should get?"

"That depends on how much you want to play. I'd say we should start with twenty coins apiece, that way you can get an idea of what you do and don't like."

They purchased and pocketed their coins and made their way through the arcade. With it being school hours there were few kids in the building, the few that were most likely playing hooky. Not that he could really blame them of course. He'd never liked school either back home.

The first game they played was an on the rails shooter, 'House of the Grimm.' It was simple and straightforward, two plastic handguns wired to the game that they used to shoot low pixel Grimm that leapt out and tried to jump scare the player before getting gunned down. They made it to level 3 before they both got knocked down, first Pyrrha, and then Jaune a bit later. They decided to move on and find another game rather than insert more coins to continue.

"It's probably nitpicking on my part, but after fighting actual Grimm I can't help but pick up on all the inconsistencies in that game," Pyrrha said as they searched for another game to play.

Jaune nodded in agreement. "That used to be one of my favorites in the arcade back home, but now that I've gone up against the real thing it's kinda lost it's appeal." He shrugged. "Like the guns. No way handguns could take down an Ursa in two shots. You'd need at least three just to get through the skull, and you'd probably need to empty the whole magazine if you aimed center mass."

"I suppose that's the point though," she considered. "You don't want the Grimm to seem actually scary in a video game. You want them to look weak and easy to kill."

"I never thought about it like that," he mused as they walked. "I wonder if they actually put that much thought... into... hey, what about that?" He pointed to a machine that had caught his eye, drawing Pyrrha's attention to it.

"Move and Groove Revival?" She cocked her head to the side, curious. "What is it?"

He led her over to it. "It's a dancing game. You see those arrows on the platform? You step on those in time to when they appear on the screen. The better you do the higher the score you get at the end. It'll make more sense after you try it. If you're interested?"

She smiled. "Absolutely."

The two of them inserted their coins and stepped onto the two platforms. Jaune selected a song for them, one of the slower beginner ones so she could get a feel for how it worked. She caught onto it quickly, stepping in time as the arrows reached the top of the screen. By the end his score was higher than hers, but not by much. "Think you're ready for a tougher song?" He asked her.

Her emerald eyes shined. "More ready than you."

He laughed. "Oh you are on. You might be able to take me apart in a spar, but in this court..." He selected the highest difficulty song available. "I'm the king." He started the song.

Arrows flew up the screen at break neck pace. Jaune moved immediately, feet dancing across the platform and tapping in time with each arrow. Pyrrha stumbled a bit at first, taken off guard by the speed, but she got her bearing quickly and began to dance across her own platform skillfully. However she was still new to the game, and the gap between them steadily grew as Jaune moved and grooved. It may have been unfair of him to jump the difficulty so high on her, but she'd asked for a challenge and by the Lady he was going to give her one.

And then his pad stopped working.

"What the-" Jaune tapped his foot on the arrow again, but it didn't budge. He moved onto the next one, trying to recoup his losses and keep his lead, but it didn't budge either. He tried every single one. All of them were stuck. "What on Remnant?"

"Oh, did your machine stop working?" Pyrrha asked as her scored quickly soared past his. "What a shame." She bit back a laugh, eyes sparkling with mirth.

Jaune's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "I never thought you'd be the type to play dirty Pyrrha."

"Me? I'm sure I don't know what you mean." She couldn't stop the grin that spread across her face. "I guess you'll just have to accept your loss with dig-"

Pyrrha shrieked as Jaune's fingers danced across her waist, tickling her. He reduced her to a giggling mess in seconds as she struggled in vain to break free of his grasp, but his goal had been accomplished. He released her and went back to dancing. "Huh, works fine now." He grinned. "What a coincidence."

In the end Jaune did win handily, though Pyrrha made a good showing of herself all things considered. But that wasn't going to stop Jaune from basking in the glory of his victory.

"Thank you, thank you," he said as he waved to an imaginary crowd. "No flash photography please. I'll be signing autographs later."

Pyrrha rolled her eyes, but there was no denying the smile on her face. "Well if being a brave knight doesn't work out for you then at least you could have a promising career as a professional dancer."

"No reason I can't do both. I can just groove the Grimm to death, they'd never see it coming." He showed off a few intentionally bad dance moves which earned another laugh from his partner.

"No, I don't suppose they would," she giggled. "Do you want to do another song?"

"Sure, you can choose this time." He leaned against the guard rail as she flicked through the available songs.

"What about this one?" she asked as her choice came up on the screen.

"Shine, huh?" He smiled and stepped onto his platform. "That's a good one, let's do it!" She stepped onto hers, chose the song, and as one they moved to the beat as the song began to play.

"Baby, it's time to make up your mind..."


Two hours later Pyrrha walked out of the arcade hand in hand with Jaune. She cupped a hand over her mouth and yawned. The day was beginning to wind down. The sun wasn't quite setting, but it would be by the time they returned to Beacon.

A pang ran through her at the thought. The day was almost over. Despite everything they'd done today she wished there was more. She never wanted this day to come to an end.

"You okay?" Jaune squeezed her hand. She smiled softly and squeezed back.

"Yes, I'm fine. I was just thinking is all." She stared into his cerulean eyes, so bright and full of compassion, and forced herself to look away from him. "It's starting to get late. I guess we should head back to Beacon..."

"Agreed," he said, either not noticing or choosing not to comment on her tone. "Come on. There's a bullhead pad just a few blocks away."

The two walked hand in hand in silence, Jaune humming a tune to himself, one of the ones they'd danced to back in the arcade. Pyrrha stepped in close and leaned into his side. In response he put his arm about her shoulder and she took his hand in both of hers, cradling it as she closed her eyes, confident that he wouldn't let her fall as they walked. And he didn't. His arm around her shoulders guided her out of the path of any obstacles in their way. She knew she could always count on him to look out for her, no matter what. She hoped he knew that the reverse was true too. No matter what, Pyrrha would always be there for him, be it in battle or in life. She would always have his back even if the whole world was set against him. She possessively wrapped his arm around her so that it was not simply draped over her shoulders but wrapped around her. He didn't try to move his arm away, and in fact squeezed her gently, pulling her against his side as she melded against him with a sigh. He was so warm...

All too soon their walk was over. They reached the landing pad and loaded up on the shuttle taking people to Beacon and settled into their seats, his arm still about her as she tried to take advantage of every second remaining to her.

The trip back took about ten minutes, but as far as the champion fighter was concerned it was about twenty minutes too short. When her feet touched down on Beacon soil she felt a weight settle on her shoulders that wasn't Jaune's arm. Reluctantly she untangled herself from him and faced him, finding herself unable to look him in the eyes, either because she was afraid of what he would see or because she would burst into tears at this day ending far too soon. "I had a lot of fun today," she said softly.

He took her hands in both of his. "I did too. I'm glad you enjoyed it Pyrrha." She didn't have to look at him to know he was grinning at her with that charming smile of his.

She cleared her throat and pulled her hands out of his. "I... I guess we should get back to the dorm then."

"Hm? Why's that?"

Now she looked up at him. His head was cocked to the side in confusion, one eyebrow raised. "Because... our date is over?" she asked uncertainly. "The day is over now..."

He laughed. "Over? No it's not." He stepped in close and slipped a hand about her waist. She gasped as he pulled her in close and placed his other hand on the back of her head, cupping it. "I told you. I'm yours all day today, and the day isn't over yet. I've got one last thing planned for us."

A strong gust of wind buffeted Pyrrha from behind. She turned and saw Talon standing before them wearing his saddle. Hanging from said saddle was a large wicker basket. A picnic basket. "We've still got to have a romantic dinner in a secluded place after all." the knight hauled himself up into the saddle and took off his beanie and fake glasses. There was no point in using disguises anymore after all. The blonde boy extended a hand down to her. "Sound like fun?"

With a smile she took the hand and with his help seated herself in front of him, her back pressed against his chest. She gasped as he wrapped an arm about her waist, keeping her securely against him. "Alright Talon, you know where to go. Take us there."


Jaune and Pyrrha flew over the Emerald Forest.

He had one hand around her waist and resting on her leg, the other holding her hand as she rested her head on his chest. The squire smiled down at his partner softly as she stared out on the forest with a sigh.

"It's so beautiful," she whispered as trees passed below them. "I haven't been here since Initiation, and I never took the time to just... take it in." She glanced back at him. "I guess you know it pretty well though, since you and Nathaniel came out here so often."

"Well enough," he said as he looked out on the sprawling forest below. The setting sun cast a golden glow on the forest, and with fall upon them the leaves of the tall trees turned the forest into a mosaic of yellows, reds, and browns. "We never went that far from Beacon itself, no further than Talon could fly in a day. Though that's still well beyond the ruins where we found the relics."

She hummed thoughtfully and nestled against him, her back molding against his torso. He leaned back in the saddle a bit to make her a bit more comfortable. She was warm against him. It was... nice.

"Do you remember Initiation?" she asked him as she brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

He laughed ruefully and shook his head. "Remember? How could I forget? I nearly died in the opening minute. Talk about a reality check."

She laughed and shook her head. "Yes, I'm glad I caught sight of you when I did. Any longer and, well..."

"Splat goes the Jauney," the blonde boy said with a chuckle. Talon shared in his amusement but didn't say anything, letting the two of them have their moment. He patted the Gryphon's flank in silent thanks.

"Yes, splat goes the Jauney," she said with a shake of her head.

"You know... I never did thank you." He said softly as he took her hand back in his.

"Thank me? For what?"

He smiled. "For saving my life, for unlocking my aura, for protecting me during the initiation. And for putting up with me as long as you did. I wasn't a very good partner for awhile. You've been there for me so many times and I never said thank you. So I'm saying it now." He leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. "Thank you Pyrrha. For everything."

His partner's face flushed as crimson as her hair and a pleased smile spread across her face. "I... well... you're very welcome, but you never needed to thank me. I'd happily do it all again."

"That makes one of us," he quipped. "Free falling through the air, pissing of a Deathstalker in its own lair, and getting catapulted by said Deathstalker halfway across the forest? No thanks, I'm good."

Pyrrha laughed loudly. "I was terrified at the time, you know? You'd just been launched into the distance by a Deathstalker and now it was chasing me through the forest trying to cut me in half. Not one of my finer moments." She tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Hm... thinking about it, I think I agree with you. I'd rather not live through that again."

The two of them laughed as they flew through the reddening sky and fell into a comfortable silence for the last leg of the flight, nestled against one another. In time they reached their destination, a tall hill bare of trees that reached above the three canopy. The crumbled stones of some old ruin dotted its top, but there was enough open space for Talon to land and let them dismount. Jaune took the picnic basket off of his saddle and the Gryphon took off, leaving them alone.

"So..." Pyrrha looked around. "I take it we're safe here? Neither of us have our weapons."

"It's safe," he assured her as he took a picnic blanket out of the basket and spread it out on the ground. "Team RWBY cleared the area of Grimm yesterday and Talon is on patrol. Nothing's getting past him." That and Jaune had the Light and Hazel's dagger tucked into the waistband of his jeans. If a Grimm did somehow manage to get past the Gryphon Jaune was confident he could handle it. He sat down and patted the space next to him. "Come on, take a seat."

She eased down next to him and stretched her legs out with a sigh. They were sat facing the sun as it lowered in the sky. "This is a beautiful spot. You can see Beacon in the distance, and with the forest stretching out on every side..." she sighed. "How did you find this place?"

"We stumbled across it during our excursions," he explained as he opened the basket and started pulling out food. "Nathaniel thinks it may have been artificially built up by whoever put these ruins here to serve as some kind of lookout." Even back then Jaune had thought this would be a perfect spot to take someone for a date. Of course at the time he'd thought it would be Weiss he'd bring here, and while he might be able to in the future, he didn't think he would. He wanted this to be special for Pyrrha, and bringing someone else to this spot would feel like he was cheapening that. Whatever happened he wanted this to be their place. "We've camped up here a couple times. In fact, we're sitting right on top of where we made camp." He took a wine glass out of the basket and held it out to her. "Thirsty?"

"A bit. What do you have?"

"Some bottles of water, tea, and..." he pulled a sizable glass bottle full of maroon liquid out of the basket last of all. "This. Mistralian red."

His partner looked at the bottle in surprise. "You snuck alcohol onto school grounds?"

"Nora did actually. She can be surprisingly sneaky when she wants to be. Would you like some?"

She held her glass out to him with a smile. "I would in fact, thank you. I never took you for a connoisseur of wine."

"And rightly so," he laughed as he drove the corkscrew into the cork and popped it out. "I've touched this stuff maybe once like a year ago back home." He tipped it and poured it into her glass just like how his father had shown him. "My dad picked it out for me. He knows his stuff when it comes to alcohol. At least he says he does." He filled his own glass then set the bottle to the side where it would be safe from getting knocked over. That bottle had not been cheap. "I-if you don't like it I've got plenty of other stuff to drink like I said."

She brought the glass to her lips and sipped. She lowered it and smacked her lips with a smile. "No, it's good! I've never been much of a drinker either, but I can tell this is very good wine." She looked at the spread of food laid out before them. "You went to so much trouble for me..."

"You deserve it," he said as he brought his own glass to his lips and took a sip. He fought the urge to pull a face. "And it wasn't just me. Ren cooked most of this himself and kept it warm. I couldn't have gotten this all set up without everyone's help."

"We really do have a good group of friends, don't we?"

"Yeah, we do." He smiled as he recalled how eagerly everyone had pitched in to help set this all up for them. From clearing the area around this hill top of Grimm, to Nora sneaking in alcohol and Ren cooking the food, everyone had done their best to get everything just right for the two of them, even Weiss.

Especially Weiss.

He chuckled and shook his head ruefully. Once, the heiress would have eagerly helped Jaune get a date with Pyrrha just to get him off her back. Now it was because she was trying to give back to the champion girl who'd done so much for him. Because things were different between Jaune and Weiss now. They hadn't spoken of it yet, but Jaune could feel it. He just wasn't sure how to broach the subject with her. Did he just ask her out? Could it really be that easy now?

Jaune shook his head and forced it out of his mind. Today wasn't about Weiss. It was about Pyrrha. If the heiress found out he was thinking of her when he was supposed to be wholly focused on his partner then she'd beat him over the head with a sheet of ice, and rightfully so. "Are you ready to eat?"

"Of course, I'm eager to see what Ren's prepared for us."

Jaune removed the lid off of a pot of ramen, steam wafting up into the sky. They ladled a healthy amount into their bowls before placing the lid back on to keep the food hot.

"Oh! I almost forgot!" Jaune set his bowl aside and reached back into the picnic basket, withdrawing two candles in brass candle holders and a lighter. He set the candles down in front of the two of them and lit them. "There, now the ambience is complete. Bon Appetite!"

"I think it's bon appetit," Pyrrha laughed as she dug in.

"Eh, same difference. Probably."

The ate in comfortable silence. By now they had both said most of what they wanted to say to each other, and all that was left was for them to enjoy one another's company as they ate the mistralian banquet laid out before them. Ramen, sushi, tonkatsu, and some stuff Jaune didn't even know the name of but was very good all the same. Pyrrha dug into it eagerly, likely basking in the delight of having authentic food from her home nation made by someone who knew what they were doing.

"Jaune?"

The squire froze momentarily, a piece of sushi halfway to his lips. "What is it? Grimm?"

"No. I was thinking... now might be a good time to talk to her about Ozpin and the Fall Maiden."

Jaune popped the sushi roll into his mouth and ate it thoughtfully. "It might be."

"You don't know when you'll have another opportunity to be alone with her like this. And we don't know when the headmaster will approach her about it. We need to talk to her before he does, for her own sake."

"I know, but..." He looked sidelong at her as she ate. Her crimson hair shone like fire in the light of the setting sun, and her eyes sparkled happily as she ate. "I don't want to ruin this for her. This is the happiest I've ever seen Pyrrha. If I tell her about all of that it'll be ruined, and I don't want her to think that all of today was in service of convincing her to refuse the powers if and when he offers them to her." He swallowed and took another piece, popping it into his mouth. "Besides that, we could be wrong about him. I agree that a lot of what we do know is adding up in a way that I don't like, but there's still information we're missing. I want... I hope that we can trust Ozpin, but before I'm absolutely sure about him one way or another I need to know the full story of what happened to Amber that day, and the events leading up to it. Until then I don't want to say something to Pyrrha only to find out that I've stuck my foot firmly in my mouth."

"I understand, and you're right. We should be sure we're correct before doing anything. But if we are right, what will we do when he extends the power of the maiden to young Nikos? Are you sure you can convince her to say no?"

"Pyrrha doesn't care about power. The idea of becoming stronger won't tempt her, but she will be tempted by the idea that she can use it to save people. That said, I do think I can convince her to refuse it."

"And if she chooses to go through with it anyway?"

"Then I'll stand by her no matter what. Whoever attacked Amber won't be able to ambush Pyrrha the same way. I'll kill them if I ever get my hands on them."

"A good answer." The Gryphon fell silent for several moments. "You know, its ironic that we're planning to convince Pyrrha to refuse the power of the maiden. She really is a near perfect choice for the position."

"I know." Pyrrha was strong, smart, wise beyond her years, and a combat prodigy. Most importantly she was compassionate, caring, and humble too. She always strove to protect others from harm and guide them to the best of her ability. Just like she had him. She really was a perfect candidate to receive the powers.

But she wouldn't accept them because she wanted it. While recent revelations had shown him that there was a good deal about his partner that he had never realized he still knew her well enough to know that she would accept the powers of the Fall Maiden because she regarded it as her duty to do so, not because she wanted to. What Pyrrha really wanted was to be just Pyrrha. Not the Invincible Girl, not the Fall Maiden, just huntress in training Pyrrha with her friends and teammates in Beacon. If she did take the powers then that would change everything. She would be distanced from the rest of the student body, perhaps even taken out of classes altogether like he had been. Ozpin might allow her to remain on team JNPR, or he might remove her to limit the number of people that could influence her. Well, he could try to do that. Jaune wouldn't let that happen, nor would Ren, Nora, or the girls of RWBY. But she would still be distanced from others by the power she wielded. She would never have a normal life, whatever that might be for a huntress. Whoever had attacked Amber would come after her too, and even if they were captured and killed that didn't mean that others wouldn't be sent to replace them. There would always be the worry of assassins in the dark, waiting for the moment to strike and take the powers for themselves. That wasn't acceptable to Jaune. He was aware it was selfish of him, but he would not let that be done to his partner, regardless of the reasons why. If Ozpin wanted Pyrrha as the maiden then he would have to get through Jaune first.

"Hello? Jaune? Remnant to Jaune, come in Jaune." The blonde boy was startled from his ruminations as his partner laid her hand on his shoulder. "Is everything okay?"

"Y-yeah, sorry." He shook his head. "I was just thinking."

She smiled. "I could tell." The smile fell from her face as she looked at him closely. "Is something wrong?"

"Not at all." He placed his hand on top of hers. "I was just thinking about... what I love about you."

She froze, eyes going wide. "W-what?"

Well it was technically true he supposed. "I've been thinking about it since we left that restaurant. And I figured that since I told you what I thought of Weiss, well... it was only fair I told you what I think about you as well."

"I love how humble, brave, and honest you are. You've done all these incredible things, become a world renowned celebrity, won multiple championships, be the face of the world's greatest cereal brand- stop laughing, you know it's true."

"It's really not," she giggled. "But continue."

"You've done all these awesome things but you've stayed humble and down to earth despite it all. You do what you feel is right and you don't give up on anyone, even when they don't deserve your help. You inspire so many people, including myself, to push on and achieve something." He smiled and scratched the back of his head. "Do you uh... remember that hoodie I used to wear?"

"The one with the pumpkin pete's face, of course." She giggled. "It was so cute on you."

He flushed pink. "I won it in a box top raffle. Fifty Pumpkin Pete box tops for one hoodie."

"I thought that was the case. I remember they were doing that back when they were sponsoring me."

"I won it because of you."

She blinked. "W-what?"

Jaune sighed and leaned back on his hands, staring out over the sea of trees. "Back home I was never much of anything. I didn't play sports, I was middling in school, and I hardly ever read. The only thing I actually cared about was being a huntsman, but Mom wouldn't let Dad train me, and no one else in the village would teach me without my parents' permission. But I didn't want anything else in life. So I just kind of... existed. I went to school, came home, tried to train with grandpa's old halberd, failed miserably, and just meandered my way through life. Then one day I wake up for breakfast and see Mom got Pumpkin Pete's cereal from the store. On the front of the box was this beautiful girl with red hair and a bronze circlet. She looked confident and heroic, like what I wanted to be. She was on a whole other level from me. She had to be someone special if she had been made the face of this product."

"Then as I was eating I noticed the contest for the hoodie. And... I don't know. I just felt this urge to do it, to do something that I could actually achieve in life. Fifty box tops for a hoodie? Why not, it's not like I had anything else going on in life. If I could get enough box tops and earn that hoodie... then I could achieve something all on my own, just like that beautiful heroic girl on the front of the box. It may have been a stupid goal, and I ate way too much of that cereal, but... It was my goal. Mine and no one else's. When I sent out the box tops and got that hoodie in the mail it... it was the first time I'd ever succeeded in something I'd set out to do. I wore that thing everywhere, no matter the weather. Not a good idea honestly, but I guess it was just a badge of pride for me. I knew without a doubt that I'd earned it and no one could take that from me."

"And it was because of you. Because I wanted to be like that girl on the box of Pumpkin Pete's." He sighed and shook his head. "Sorry I went on a complete tangent there. I don't know why, it's just a silly hoodie."

Pyrrha slipped her arms around his and rested her head on his shoulder. "No, it isn't just a hoodie. It was the first sign of who you would be. When you set your mind to doing something you don't let anything deter you. It's just like I said back at the restaurant. Your tenacity is one of your best features Jaune, even if it can get you in trouble." She giggled. "Though I still find it hilarious that you didn't recognize me when we met face to face despite buying that much of a cereal box I was on. You really can be clueless sometimes."

"H-hey!" He laughed. "In my defense you give off a much different feel in person. The real is you is so lively, active, and much cuter."

She flushed and buried her face in his arm. "C-cute..."

"Oh yeah, super cute. I mean not as cute as Zwei, but cute."

"Oh? You're comparing me to a dog now?" She raised an eyebrow at him.

"Am I wrong?"

"Fair point." She let him go and took another sip of her wine with a smile as he followed suit with his own glass. It was a bit easier to get down now that he was more used to the taste, but he doubted he'd ever drink much of the stuff. "The sun is going down," she said softly. "There's only a bit left hanging over the tree canopy."

"Yeah," he looked out on the sun as is gently lowered in the sky, bringing on the onset of night.

"We'll have to go back to Beacon soon." She finished off what little wine was left in her glass and set it aside.

"We've got time," he assured her. "The sun going down doesn't mean the day is over."

"I know, but... we have to go back eventually. We can't stay out here all night."

"I guess not," he agreed softly. "I enjoyed today you know. I really did. Spending time with you was really nice. I wouldn't trade it for anything."

"I wouldn't either." She leaned into him again and he put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her in. She hummed contently and rested her head against his chest. "Jaune, today was the happiest day of my life. I know it was just a one time thing, but thank you for giving this to me. Thank you for helping me be just Pyrrha today, and thank you for letting me be with you."

He tilted his head down and rested his cheek on top of her head. "Of course Pyrrha. I was happy to do it for you. Being able to do something for you after how much you've done for me... I can't express how much it means to me."

"But..." she let out a shuddering breath. "I want to ask you for one last thing before the sun goes down."

"Of course. Name it, and if I can I'll give it to you."

"Well... It's not so much something you can give as it is something you can take."

She looked up at him, her cheeks pink. "I want... I want you to kiss me. To be my first kiss."

Jaune froze, wide eyed. "Y-you want... me to kiss you? Are you sure? I mean your first kiss is... I personally don't think that's something that should just be given away, you know?" Call him old fashioned, but Jaune felt that kissing someone on the lips should be saved for when you were really sure about them.

"I'm sure. In fact I'm positive." She spun herself around and sat herself in his lap, legs on either side of him. Her face was flushed, but there was no denying the determination in her eyes. "I want you to kiss me. I want you to have my first kiss. I can't imagine anyone I'd rather give it to." She glanced away from him, suddenly nervous. "U-unless... you don't want to kiss me. I-I'm sorry, this is probably your first kiss too isn't it? I shouldn't have just-"

Jaune cupped her face in his hands and and stroked his thumbs over her cheeks. She gasped and looked back at him, eyes wide. "I do want to kiss you," he said softly. "But only so long as you're sure."

She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath, then let it out. "I'm sure. I promise you I am." She opened her emerald eyes and looked at him with naked love and adoration. "More sure than I've ever been in my life." She put her arms around his neck and interlocked them.

The two leaned in closer, both nervous and unsure, but neither wanting to move away or break it off. Both sure that they wanted this and, in this moment, each other.

As the last rays of the setting sun disappeared behind the trees of the Emerald Forest Jaune Arc and Pyrrha Nikos kissed one another for the first time.


It was chaste and nervous. Neither had any real experience with this, and both could feel their hearts hammering in their chests.

But for Pyrrha it was the most electrifying moment of her young life. Heat flowed through her in a tidal wave and she leaned into it, arms about his neck as his hands moved from her face to wrapping around her hips, holding her closely as the kiss broke off and they leaned back slightly, breathing hard. They looked at each other, burning azure and shining emerald gazes meeting gently in the short distance between them.

Then they kissed again. She wasn't sure who initiated it, nor did she care. She simply leaned into him, chest to chest, and did everything she could to deepen the kiss as a fire burned desperately in her for the boy she had loved for so long. They broke off again, panting for air, but the pause was shorter this time and they went back in again, gripping each other tightly as she molded her body against his and brushed her tongue against his lips, moaning into his mouth.

Then she felt something press against her from below.

Jaune and Pyrrha both froze mid kiss. She broke off and leaned back a bit, face aflame. "J-Jaune..."

He looked away from her and released her waist, as scarlet as she was. "S-sorry, It's just- I couldn't- I didn't mean-"

"It's okay," she said softly as she got off him with incredible reluctance. She glanced away lest her eyes wander somewhere they shouldn't. "I-it isn't your fault. I'm not mad, I promise."

In truth she had the opposite problem. She wanted him badly. Had wanted him badly for a long time, and now when they were closer than they had ever been, more intimate than they'd ever been... she felt in that moment she could have him and give herself to him. Here, alone in the wilderness with no one to bother them and both of them in the mood for it, a part of her said that all she had to do was make it clear she was willing. All she had to do was get back in his lap and kiss him...

She screwed her eyes shut and shook her head. No! She couldn't do that to him! Even if he would enjoy it, and she felt confident he would, Jaune's first time should be with someone he truly loved on a deeper level. It shouldn't just be the result of hormones running wild between the two of them. He would regret it later, even if she wouldn't.

She tentatively reached out and placed a hand on his. He didn't pull away, thank goodness. "I think it's time we head back."

"I'm sorry..." he whispered without looking at her. "That was your moment and I ruined it."

"No! Jaune, no." She took his hand in both of hers. "Jaune, look at me."

He did as she asked, but was unable to look her in the eyes. He very pointedly had his legs tightly crossed.

"I'm not mad at you," she promised. "You didn't do anything wrong, I promise. It's just..." she flushed. "A natural reaction. It's okay. H-honestly..." she cleared her throat and looked away from him. "I... liked it." It told her that on some level he truly did find her attractive.

"Oh," he squeaked. "Okay then. W-well I'm glad your aren't mad at me."

Pyrrha pushed herself to her feet and offered him a hand. He took it and she helped him up. "I could never be mad at you for that. I was... getting excited too." She cleared her throat awkwardly. "So you don't have anything to be embarrassed about."

"Yeah, well... yours is a bit less obvious than mine, you know?"

She banished the images that conjured in her head before they could take root. "I know."

They stood there awkwardly for what felt like half an hour but couldn't have been more than two minutes. Eventually Jaune spoke up.

"P-Pyrrha, I... you... today is about you, and I don't want you to do anything you'd regret, or... or not do something that you'd not regret and... and..." he groaned and rubbed his face with his hands. "If you wanted... to do... you know, that, I wouldn't... I wouldn't regret it. Lady, I sound so stupid right now..."

On an impulse she stepped in and hugged him tightly. "No, I understand what you're trying to say. And... Jaune I think you're attractive. I won't pretend I haven't thought about it, about us, but I know you're lying. Or at least I know you would regret it when your head had cleared. I don't want to take that from you. You kissing me is enough. In fact it's more than I ever thought I would get and for that I will always be grateful. But you can't give me everything, nor should you." She looked up at him with a smile. Then a wink. "You have to save some things for Weiss after all."

She swore she could see the steam pouring out of his ears.


Half an hour later Talon landed back at Beacon.

Jaune slid off of his back and helped Pyrrha down, then took the saddle off of the War Beast and threw it over his shoulder as the two walked back to their team's dorm room. Despite the awkwardness that had occurred earlier both didn't feel weird around one another, thank goodness. Jaune would have hated if it had all ended with them being unable to look at one another.

They reached the door to the room and he pulled out his scroll to unlock the door. He froze just shy of tapping it against the lock as a thought occurred to him. "Hey, Pyrrha?"

"Hm?" She cocked her head to the side curiously as he turned to look at her.

"Would you like to sleep with me?"

In the silence that followed the sound of a dropping pin would have been deafening.

It took Jaune an embarrassingly long time to register just what he'd said could mean as Pyrrha's face went from pink to maroon in record time. "N-not like that!" He quickly amended "J-just... in the same bed is all I meant. S-sorry it was a dumb que-"

"Yes," she squeaked. "I would like that."

"Oh." He cleared his throat. "Okay then. Let's uh... go inside then?" He tapped his scroll against the lock and it popped open, letting them in. Ren and Nora were still gone, bunking with team RWBY so the two of them could have the room to themselves.

It suddenly occurred to Jaune that it had been Nora's idea for herself and Ren to vacate the dorm room for the night, and he was pretty sure why she'd thought to do that. He flushed again as he set the saddle down in front of his bed. Really it had been a day for awkward moments and blushing.

"I'm going to go change into my pajamas," the crimson haired girl said as she scooped up her sleep wear and darted into the bathroom. Jaune changed into his own sleep wear, a plain t-shirt and shorts, and sat on the edge of his bed. He fiddled with his hands as he waited for her to come out. A couple minutes later she did, dressed in her modest brown pajama top and bottoms. She smiled shyly at him, hands clasped behind her back.

He smiled back and pulled the covers back, getting into bed. She followed suit and crawled in behind him, laying next to him as he pulled the covers up over the both of them. The two of them stared at one another quietly, both a little pink in the face.

"Jaune?"

"Yeah?"

"The light is still on."

"Oh." So it was. With a sigh he made to pull the covers back. "I'll get it."

"No need," his partner said as she lifted a hand and flicked her finger at the light switch. It flicked down, draping the room in darkness.

"You know your semblance is pretty handy," he chuckled. "Must make a lot of things more convenient."

"It does," she agreed with a smile. "Though I try not to abuse it. I don't let it replace things I can do normally without it."

"Except for turning off the lights," he teased.

"Okay, sometimes I'll abuse it. Just every now and then."

They shared a laugh and fell into silence. After a bit Jaune spoke up. "You know you don't have to hug the edge of the bed. We just spent the whole day on a date and made out." To say nothing of the other thing they'd almost done. "I don't think a little cuddling would be such a bad thing."

In response she sidled closer and nestled up against him, putting an arm around his shoulders as he slipped his around her neck and placed his hand on her back. She rested her head in the crook of his neck and closed her eyes as he kissed the top of her head, taking in the scent of her hair.

"Goodnight Jaune," she whispered into his collar bone, her warm breath washing over him. "Thank you so much for everything."

"Of course Pyrrha. I'll always be there if you need me. Always."

"I know," she murmured as she began to drift off, the adventures they'd gotten up to finally catching up with her. "And I'll always be there for you too."

Before she fell into sleep entirely Pyrrha tilted her head up and looked at her partner adoringly. He looked down at her with a soft smile and tilted his head down.

Intertwined with each other in bed, Jaune Arc and Pyrrha Nikos kissed one another for the last time.


"It's mocking me."

Sky Lark sighed in exasperation without looking up from his tome. "The catfish is not mocking you Dove."

"It absolutely is!" He retorted as he jabbed a finger at the river. "Just look at him, swimming in circles there, mocking me..."

"It's a fish. Fish swim as they please. Mocking you has nothing to do with it."

"Then why hasn't it swam off yet? I've tried to grab it three times now, and it's still here. The bastard knows what it's doing."

Sky glanced up at his brother, then immediately regretted that decision and looked away. "Where the hell are your clothes?!"

"They got soaked so I laid them out to dry. Why do you ask?"

"Because you're buck ass naked, that's why!"

Dove scoffed. "Oh come on, we're family and we share a dorm room. It's nothing you haven't seen before."

"Doesn't mean I like seeing your private bits. Can't you put on some spare clothes?"

"All my spares are back at the temple."

"Then ask Mother to make you some!"

"I'm not going to bother her with something like that!"

"She can literally just make you clothes out of thin air! It would take literally zero effort on her part!"

"Yeah well... sometimes you just gotta let it all air out."

Sky groaned and shook his head. "God damnit Dove."

"Hey! Don't take Mother's name in vain!"

"God, genius. Not goddess. As in a dude."

"Still," he said petulantly. Sky didn't have to look at his brother to know he was pouting.

The mage and squire in training sighed. "Look, can you please put some clothes on? That or go somewhere else so I don't risk being flashed by you every time I look up."

"I will. As soon as I catch that damn catfish!" With that Dove leapt into the water. He resurfaced with a clenched fist held in the air. "I got it! I got-"

"A rock."

"Eh?" Dove looked at what was gripped in his fist and blinked. "Aw, where'd he go?" The squire looked around in the river for his quarry. He found it directly behind him, staring up at him with its head poking out of the water.

Before Dove could move to grab it the catfish sprayed a stream of water in his face, leapt out of the river entirely, slapped him across the face with its tail, and swam off.

Sky stared, wide eyed. "I uh... I guess it was mocking you. Huh. This place is weird."

Dove cursed and shook his fist at the retreating animal. "I'll get you for that you bastard!"

"Please tell me you didn't just make a catfish into your sworn rival..."

"I will have my vengeance you hear me?! I will have it!"

"Of course you did." Sky shook his head with a sigh as a horn blast rang out in the distance. To the north, so far that Sky could barely make him out, Cardin stood atop a hill, blowing into the Horn of Wrath. He was getting much better with it, Sky noted. It no longer sounded like he was strangling a cat with laryngitis, but instead like an actual horn.`

It had been two weeks since they'd received their new armor and gifts. At least it had been in this place. Outside in the world roughly two days had passed according to Vaya. That still boggled Sky's mind to no end, but he couldn't deny how useful it was. This place would be a perfect training ground for new knights. For every week of training they received only a day would pass outside. They could receive an entire month's work of training in less than a week. An entire year's worth of training in less than two months. They could even make a self sustaining colony within this place. There was plenty of resources to be had, and so long as they used them responsibly a prosperous community could be established within the sanctuary. He had been contemplating suggesting that very thing to Elder Malach whenever they returned to the wider world. His people would be safe in here.

"I wonder how things are going in the village," he wondered aloud, staring up at the sky overhead.


Deargis sprinted up the stairs to the wall top, rifle in hand.

Blackhands was still ringing the bell for all he was worth and shouting at the top of his lungs as armed militia flooded to the wall. Was this it? Was the big attack they'd all known was coming?

She slammed up against a crenellation and peered around it through her scope, hunting for targets.

Five people were running to the village as fast as they could, two of them carrying the fifth between them with their arms over their shoulders. The other two were firing behind them at their pursuers as they ran. Behind them was a pack of Beowulves running on all fours after their prey. The Grimm were rapidly closing the gap between them. Even from here she could hear their howls. Hungry, primal sounds that instilled an instinctive fear in anyone who heard it.

The pealing note of a vehicle's horn grabbed the fox faunus's attention. She turned and saw a large truck, one of the few vehicles they had, round a corner and make for the main gate. Opal was sat in the driver's seat and was laying on the horn. Deargis caught onto her plan immediately.

"Tae gate! Open tae bloody gate!" she yelled at the top of her lungs. People scrambled to obey and she leapt off of the wall, letting aura take the force of impact as she hit the ground. Opal's truck skidded to a halt in front of the gate and she blew the horn again. Deargis leapt into the bed of the truck and helped two other women in before the gate opened wide enough to let the truck through.

Tires skidded on dirt until they caught traction and it leapt forward like a wild stallion out of the gate towards the fleeing scouts. Deargis stood up in the bed and aimed her rifle over the roof as the truck raced through the open plain. It was hardly perfect conditions for aiming shots. The vehicle rocked and bounced on the uneven terrain and made lining up a shot difficult.

The lead scout's first shot drilled a hole right between the lead beowulf's eyes. The second hit the one behind it center mass, but wasn't a killing blow. The third put it down. By the time she'd killed a third Grimm the truck skidded to a halt and swung around to present its side to the Grimm, like a ship lining up a broadside.

The other two scouts opened up with their semi automatic rifles as Deargis loaded a fresh round in the chamber and squeezed off another shot that took down another Grimm. Opal drew her sidearm and joined in the covering fire as best she could from the driver's seat as the five scouts dragged themselves into the truck bed, the two that had been carrying their wounded companion helping him in before leaping up and pulling in the two others.

Deargis bashed her fist on the hood. "Go go go!" Opal responded by slamming her foot down on the gas pedal and peeling off at high speed back to the village, the Grimm in hot pursuit. Four of the scouts fired at their pursuers as the other two knelt by the one they'd been carrying and hastily started pulling bandages from their bags. For a split second Deargis didn't recognize the man. So much blood soaked his dark skin that his features were obscured, the left side of his face a mangled ruin.

Then she registered the single remaining dog ear on the right side of his head.

"Cy!" She knelt next to him and cupped his face as the other two tried to wrap the gash torn across his stomach as the truck rocked and bounced. "Cy, it's okay! We've got you now, yer gonna be fine!"

The dog faunus coughed and hacked. Blood spattered over his face. "Grimm..." he croaked. "Ambush..."

"Oi don't talk, ya hear me?! Just save yer strength until we get home!" She wiped a bloody hand over her face, trying to clear the tears fogging her vision. Cy had been one of her closest friends since she'd been a girl, and at one time they'd been more than friends. He couldn't die here, she wouldn't let it happen.

"Tried to..." he hacked. More gore spattered over his face. "Get them out. Couldn't... couldn't save..." Tears spilled down his cheeks, cutting clear lines through the blood and the grime on his ruined face. "I'm sorry... Deargis..."

Cyprus's eyes glazed over and he fell limp. His last breath left him in a rattling gasp.


That night Deargis stood with the others around the kiln as Cyrpus's body was gently pushed into it. As was customary his body would be burned to ash, which would in turn be used to nurture the soil that grew their crops beyond the wall. Even in death he would continue to aid his kin. Beside Deargis Cyprus's sister wailed and clutched at her husband, face pressed into his chest. He was no better, tears pouring down his face as he clutched her to him and shook with sobs. All throughout the village people wept and mourned. Twenty seven people were dead, ambushed by the Grimm in the forest. Only four had survived the attack. Every single one of the dead had been people Deargis had known personally and in many cases had trained to fight. They had been her people. Her responsibility. Her failure.

In a tight knit community like theirs every death affected everyone, and to lose so many in a single night was a devastating blow. Everyone grieved, though their sorrow would surely draw the Grimm in closer. But what else could they do? They could not simply turn off their emotions and ignore the loss they had suffered.

Deargis fought a losing battle against her own grief, trying to stay strong in front of everyone. Her eyes were wet, and sobs broke through to shake her body as Elder Malach spoke.

"Cyprus Morrison's last act was to save as many of the people under his command as he possibly could. Bleeding, mortally wounded, and in an impossible situation he led them out of the ambush and to safety, covering them every step of the way until his body could no longer move on its own. it is thanks only to his bravery and tenacity that any of our sisters were returned to us safely." The faunus elder swallowed hard, a single tear running down his cheek. "His sacrifice will not be forgotten by we who still live. None of their sacrifices will. They fought to protect us and our homes. There can be no greater sacrifice than the one made to protect those you love, and we will honor their sacrifice with our courage and our faith. Mourn, but do not fear. Our kin are at peace now, and no further harm can befall them. Let us look to the defenses of our home and of one another. No matter what happens Concilon Sanctas stands firm in the face of evil! For the Lady!"

"For the Lady!" The crowd intoned as the kiln was shut. Slowly people began to disperse. Some went home. Others went to their assigned positions to keep an eye out in case the Grimm attacked. So far it seemed that without prey to pursue the elder's wards were keeping them at bay, but it was only a matter time until they found the village. When that happened every remaining able bodied man and woman would be needed on the wall.

"Deargis?"

She was drawn from her dark thoughts as a gnarled hand was placed on her shoulder. Elder Malach squeezed her gently. "It wasn't your fault my dear."

Deargis broke down. Everything she had been trying to fight back burst out of her as she fell to her knees. The elder wrapped his arms around her and held her gently as she sobbed. "It was! It was mah fault! I should have checked in on them! Instead I-I decided not to just so I could get a bloody shower faster!" She clutched his robes in her hands and pressed her face against his stomach. "I should have called," she sobbed. "I should have gone out there and made sure they were safe! They were mah people, mah responsibility! I failed them!"

"Deargis, you have done everything you possibly can since this all started. You have gone above and beyond your duties, as have all of your scouts. It is only because of you and your people that Sanctas has gone hidden this long. But you cannot work yourself to death. We need you girl. You are our chief protector, and we need you at your best. Please, go get some rest. You have earned it, and you need it. I'm calling off all further excursions beyond the wall. We need every hand here where they can be of the most help." He helped her to her feet and led her by the hand to her home, staff tapping the ground before him. Deargis let him guide her, too distraught and broken to stop him. He pushed open the door to her house and led her in. "Please granddaughter. Rest. Come the morning we will begin work on our defenses here and will need you at your best for that." He hugged her gently before stepping back and making his way out the door, shutting it behind him.

Numbly she staggered into her bedroom and collapsed into her bed, not bothering to take off so much as her boots. She laid in her bed and stared at the ceiling without truly seeing it. The memory of Cyprus's ruined face haunted her, staring back at her with wide, grief stricken eyes.

"I'm sorry... Deargis..."

She clenched her eyes shut and pressed the palms of her hands against them as she was struck by another wave of grief. Why had he apologized to her? He had actually been there, he had saved as many people as he could! He had done everything she should have. He was only dead because she had failed him. Because she had failed them all.

And now the Grimm were coming for the rest of them. They would descend on Concilon Sanctas like a black tidal wave and slaughter everyone she'd ever known. Her mother, her father, her grandfather the Elder, everyone. And she couldn't do anything to stop them but lay here and cry like a child.

And then she realized that wasn't true.

She bolted upright as a sudden epiphany struck her. She couldn't stop the Grimm. But she knew who could.

She leapt out of bed and ran out of the house without even bothering to shut the door behind her as she sprinted through the town, coming to a halt before the massive stone gates leading into the mountain.

Those five huntsmen were in there somewhere, as was whatever they were looking for. She didn't know what it was and she didn't give a damn either. If it and they could save her home then she'd drag them all out kicking and screaming if she had to, and damn the consequences.

Deargis took a deep breath. Let it out in a shuddering wave. Cyprus and her people hadn't died for nothing. She wouldn't let that be how their story ended.

She ran into the mountain.


Well talk about going from zero to one hundred. Things are beginning to intensify at Sanctas. Will Nathaniel and team CRDL be able to stem the tide of darkness with their new gifts, or will this sanctuary be reduced to ruin?

Really the majority of this chapter was a bit of a love letter to both Pyrrha Nikos and the Arkos ship (and an excuse to make bad name puns for popular movies and games). Though I am a White Knight man through and through Arkos is really a very special ship in the RWBY community for a lot of reasons, and Pyrrha of course is a very special character who, no matter what, will always live on in our hearts. A lot of this chapter was dedicated to fleshing her out, and shedding some more light on her attraction to Jaune. In the show it can seem admittedly shallow, as though she simply likes him because he initially had no idea who she was. Personally I think that though that is the reason why she decided to partner up with him at first she didn't truly start developing a romantic attachment to him until around the Jaunedice arc, where she began to get to know who he truly was better, flaws and all. Despite being at a significant disadvantage to the others he really is trying to better himself and be the person he wants to be. He just needed a little help and some guidance on his path, which she gave to him.

Like I said, though White Knight is my OTP for RWBY now and forever Arkos holds a special place for me, and I hope that was shown here. I really want to do Pyrrha justice. She deserves a happy ending.

But life is not always about what we do and do not deserve. Sometimes the good die young and the wicked live long and fruitful lives. Sometimes a character's story ends badly.

Sometimes. But not always. Sometimes in the end good triumphs over evil and light breaks through the clouds. Sometimes fates are averted and those who should have died live on, and those who should have lived on die. Who can say for sure what the future holds for anyone, good or bad? I certainly can't say. Because that would be spoiling the story. ;)

Also as a fun little easter egg for those who may not have noticed or didn't know: Jaune's story about how he got the pumpkin pete's hoodie comes pretty much verbatim from the JNPR anthology manga which was written and illustrated by various authors, waaay to many for me to list here. If you think team JNPR are the real stars of RWBY like I do then you'll enjoy reading it, so I highly advise checking it out sometime!

If you're enjoying the story so far then please follow and favorite it so you can be notified when more chapters are uploaded! If you have a friend that likes RWBY, RWBY content, fan fiction in general, or you just think would enjoy this story then please share it with them! If you want to further support my works and myself as I strive to establish myself as an author then please consider following the link below to monetarily support me in my quest to be the very best, like no one ever was. Just copy and paste it into your browser bar, close the spaces, replace the (slash) with the actual / symbol and you'll be good to go. A big, BIG thank you to my two Knight-Lord level patrons Lufftewaffle and Scout!

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