Chapter Ten: R & R
"Congratulations. We didn't know what you'd face, but you managed to survive a difficult situation and eliminated a potential threat." General Ironwood walked around his desk towards the assembled Team Spectral. "You even went above and beyond by replacing the sensor in what must have been a rather chilly APC."
"Well, we were in the area…" Jaune muttered. Winter shot him a glare from the other end of the line, but the General simply responded with a wry smile.
"I promised we'd get it done, sir," Winter said.
"I never had any doubt," the General replied, smile a little broader. "How are you all holding up? Any injuries?"
"We've checked in with the medics, sir," Marrow reported. "Arc and I have some scrapes and depleted auras, but nothing too serious. The only recommendation was some rest for the aura exhaustion."
"Well, that won't be a problem," the General said. "As of now, Team Spectral is on R & R for the next twenty-four hours. That's rest and recuperation," he explained upon seeing some confusion upon the faces of the less military half of the team. "In view of the hour, I might suggest you start with sleep. Team dismissed."
As the quartet turned to leave, General Ironwood spoke up again. "Winter, if you could stay for a few minutes?" Winter turned neatly back, ignoring the curious looks from her departing teammates. She waited until the door had closed behind them before she began speaking.
"Sir, if there was anything in my performance that was substandard–"
The General raised a hand, waving her off.
"No operation is perfect, and there's always more to learn. But, like I said, I needed someone I could trust for this mission, and you proved yourself worthy of it. You always do."
Winter looked away, somewhat embarrassed, if warmed, by such praise.
"That said, there was something I wanted to discuss…" The General looked down and stroked his chin as he took a couple of steps in front of his desk. He then stopped as he looked up at her again. "Most of the time, you exhibit near-iron self-control. Few can fault you for your decorum. But there are other times it slips, and you behave impetuously, almost recklessly."
Winter's cheeks reddened with a different sort of embarrassment. She didn't like to admit it, but she knew of what he spoke. Was he just going to discuss the last mission, or was he going to bring up that fight against Qrow again?
"Sir, I'm sorry–"
"Don't be." The General raised a hand again in a placating gesture and began pacing again. "I don't mean it as a criticism. That combination – discipline and fire, that willingness to put everything on the line to win – that's what makes a brilliant officer. It's what brought your team success today. It just needs to be channelled… properly balanced. But I'm sure that'll come in time."
He stopped in front of her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Just don't take too many risks, okay? I don't know what I'd do without you."
Winter felt a pricking at her eye as the former warmth returned. "Thank you, sir. I'll try not to."
"I'm sure you won't," he smiled. He then let his hand fall, and as he did so the smile also fell from lips. "There was another matter I wanted to ask you about. These Grimm were clearly probing the defences around the Amity site. Do you think this was on their own initiative, or was it something more?"
"Salem?"
"We have to consider it," he said with tired eyes.
"It's possible," Winter acknowledged. "But an older Grimm would also explain the pattern. It sensed human activity but was careful in moving against it."
"We don't actually have that many people working on the site."
"No, but there is a lot of construction work." And the giant floating stadium. "I always understood that Grimm sought not just to destroy mankind, but also the works of man."
The General looked thoughtful for a moment, before nodding. "A good point." He turned away and leaned against his desk, his hands grasping its edge. "We know all too little," he lamented. "We know Salem can control Grimm. On some occasions she's directed them as if they were puppets. Yet we know she can't control all of them everywhere, or she'd never have to go to the lengths she has, like in… like at Beacon. And so we're left in the dark as to the extent of her control, and whether her hand is behind any given movement."
Winter could see his hands clench around the edge of the desk.
"Do you think Ozpin knew more?" she asked.
"I don't know," he sighed, turning around. "But I suspect in this matter, he may not have known much more than we do. But in either case, we're left fumbling in the dark. Waiting for the other shoe to drop."
"We won't let it come to that, sir. We'll get it done."
A hint of a smile crossed his lips again. "Thank you, Winter. You should get some sleep too. Dismissed."
"Yes, sir," Winter turned to leave, but lingered halfway. "Our commander probably requires sleep as well," she reminded him.
The General huffed, half-amused. "You're right," he said. "I'll try."
-000-
"I don't know what to do," announced Jaune.
"Jaune?" Pyrrha asked. She looked up from where they were eating breakfast around one of the tables in the mess hall. Oscar too looked on, having paused mid-bite in his curiosity.
"Usually, I'd just take the time to train," Jaune explained. "But…"
"But you've also been told you need to rest up to let your aura recover," Pyrrha reminded him. "It's good advice."
"You're having that bout with Yang!"
"I didn't have my aura completely depleted," she pointed out. "Besides, it's just a light spar."
"What about you, Oscar?" Jaune asked.
"I'm training with Ironwood this morning, then sitting in on a couple of the Academy's classes," Oscar said with an apologetic smile. "I could be free later?"
"Sheesh, I bet no one's telling him to take time off," Jaune grumbled.
"It's not a bad thing to rest," Pyrrha told him. "One of my trainers always used to say that a strung bow loses its spring. Besides, you never struggled to fill your leisure time at Beacon."
"No, I didn't" he said, turning pensive. "I guess it's just some of that stuff just doesn't seem all that important, not with everything going on. And I've got a lot of catching up to do." He hummed in thought. "I do have a bunch of readings Winter wants me to do... or I could look at those police reports again, see if I can work out how we can help with–"
"Jaune," Pyrrha interrupted him, emphasising his name. "Maybe you can do some of Winter's readings, but try to fit something relaxing in today, please? It'll do you good, and leave you better prepared for when we're back on duty."
Jaune hummed in thought. "I guess you're right," he said. "You would know."
"I do," she replied with a prim smile. "Sorry, I'd invite you to join us on our shopping trip, but Weiss was pretty insistent that was girls only."
"Oh, don't worry about that," Jaune shuddered. "Seven sisters, remember!"
"How could I forget?" Pyrrha teased, before looked away thoughtfully. "I… I could always call off the spar with Yang."
"Pyrrha, no," Jaune said with sudden forcefulness. "I know you'll enjoy it; it'll be good for you. Besides, Yang seemed pretty keen on it, so maybe she wants to talk. I'll be okay, I just need to make my own entertainment."
"Perhaps I can help!" They turned to see Ruby Rose standing behind them, hands hidden behind her, looking pleased with herself. "Ta da!" she said, revealing the box of Remnant: The Game she'd kept behind her back. "My own copy was lost at Beacon, but I found this in the library, and Penny's never played a board game before! Wanna join?"
"Aren't you going shopping?" Jaune asked.
"Yeah, I can't get out of that, but I mean after. Penny's on patrol until this afternoon anyway."
"What about the rest of your team?" asked Oscar.
"Well, Yang's sparring, Weiss is having some la-de-da tea party with her sister, and Blake really, really, wants to read," Ruby complained.
"In fairness, she probably hasn't had much chance to since we left Haven," Pyrrha suggested.
"Pfft! And miss out on this!" Ruby gestured towards the box. "So, what do you say, Jaune? Are you in?"
"Yeah, sure, I'm in" he said easily.
"Oscar? We'll be holding it after your classes…"
"I haven't actually played many board games either," Oscar confessed.
"Perfect!" Ruby grinned.
Jaune looked over at Oscar. "What have you played?" he asked.
"Well, there was this one game, Compost King…"
"Oh yeah," Jaune nodded. "We've played that!"
Ruby looked positively offended. "Jaune, that game sucked! And Oscar, you were a farmer! Why would you play a game about farming?!"
"It was really more about resource management…" Oscar's voice dwindled in the light of Ruby's glare.
"The optional rules did make that game more stimulating," Pyrrha said, trying to smooth things over.
"It had optional rules?" Oscar asked in surprise.
"Well, Nora made them," Jaune admitted. "And yeah, they did. But Ruby, you just don't think a game's good unless it involves crushing your enemies!"
"Not that there's anything wrong with that!" said Pyrrha.
"Remnant is the best game ever made," Ruby proclaimed. "And anyone who says otherwise is wrong!"
"That's… quite an extreme opinion, Ruby," Pyrrha observed. Ruby turned her implacable silver-eyed stare upon her. "But I can tell you've clearly given a lot of thought to this subject," Pyrrha hurried to add, raising her hands, "so who am I to argue?" She then looked at her Scroll. "Gosh, look at the time, I'd best get ready for that shopping trip!"
"Wait, Pyrrha…" Jaune began, but Pyrrha was already rushing from the table. "Come back," he whispered.
Ruby looked at them with a smug expression. "Well, Oscar?"
"I'll play," he sighed.
Ruby gave a pointed look towards Jaune.
"Ruby, I'd already agreed to play," he pointed out.
"Oh yeah, you did!" she laughed sheepishly, before looking away awkwardly. "Well, four pm in the common room near our dorm. Don't be late!" She dashed off, disappearing in a cloud of rose petals.
"Oscar?"
"Yes, Jaune?"
"Did Ozpin ever say if Ruby's silver eyes had powers other than blasting Grimm?"
"No, but I wish I knew."
"Huh," Jaune said. "Well, I'll see you at four."
-000-
"Four forces stand ready to fight for control of Remnant," Ruby announced as they sat round a table in the common room. "Waging war against Grimm and Man, the Kingdoms of Vale, Mantle, Mistral and Vacuo battle to decide the future of humanity!"
"Ooh, can I be Mantle!" asked Penny.
Ruby glanced at the others. Oscar gave a thumbs up, while Jaune shrugged happily.
"Sure, you can, Penny," she said, passing over some pieces and a deck of cards. Penny cheered.
"Are some of those pieces painted?" asked Jaune, spotting a splash of colour.
Penny held up a miniature Atlesian air cruiser, which had been delicately painted with authentic colours and ship markings. "They are," she said, turning the piece with interest, before carefully setting it on the table. "They're combat-ready," she said with a hint of humour. Ruby giggled.
"I guess someone had a bit of time on their hands," Oscar mused.
"I'm surprised the game was even in the library," Jaune said. "The book selection is a little more… focused than Beacon's."
"What are you saying, Jaune?" Ruby gestured at the board and pieces. "This game teaches strategy, history, probability; it's very educational. Trying to outthink human opponents, while at the same time everyone has to deal with the Grimm: that's an exercise any academy student would benefit from!"
"It's not accurate, though," Penny observed with a sombre expression. "There's a player for each of the four kingdoms, but not one for the Grimm…"
Yeah, Jaune thought with a sinking feeling, guessing from their expressions that his friends were thinking similar thoughts. Of the truth Ozpin's circle had kept secret, the truth they now knew, and were keeping from everyone else. There's no player for Salem.
"I don't know about everyone else," he said, "but I play games to take a break from real life. Oscar, who do you want to play?"
"Oh, I'll take Mistral," the boy said eagerly.
"Guess we're fighting over Vale," Jaune said to Ruby.
"Bring it on!" she replied.
-000-
"Sister!"
Winter smiled as Weiss walked towards her. "I'm glad you could come," she said.
"Always happy to join you," Weiss replied, quickly giving her a light hug, before she started looking around her at the curious combination of elegance and domesticity that made up the lobby. "I'd heard of these clubs, but I'd never been to one before."
"You were too young before you left for Beacon," Winter explained. "Or I would have invited you as my guest earlier."
"I am surprised you belong to one," Weiss said. "If you don't mind me saying, it's something I'd expect of father."
"He does," Winter admitted, as she gestured for them to begin walking towards the reception desk. "He's a member of the West Vacuo Club. It's an old society, dating from the Kingdom of Mantle. Neither you nor I would be welcome, for obvious reasons, but it caters mostly to men of industry with pretensions of grandeur. In contrast, the Daughters of Solitas Association was founded a little later, when the ladies of Mantle began to establish their own clubs."
"I'm still surprised to see you in such a place. I still shudder from the last high-class reception I attended, and I don't recall you enjoying them much either."
Winter chuckled lightly. "Quite," she said. "But I still have a taste for some refinement, now and then. And the club isn't a public venue: it serves as a retreat, a respite, a home away from, well, military quarters in my case. It's a place where one may relax, rather than posture for some preening fool. And the Daughters of Solitas has the particular virtue of having come to cater for a specific clientele."
"Who are?"
"Women in the service. That tends to curb the tiresome company with which we've been familiar."
Weiss peered round. "Should I expect to see Harriet Bree or Elm Ederne around here?"
"I don't believe either's expressed an interest," Winter said, "though they could likely join if they wished. We've had several new special operatives join recently. Other members include officers of the other branches, with a few even joining us from the ranks of independent huntresses."
"They count?"
"They may not have made the oath, but here it's understood that there's at least some huntresses who are in service, even if it's not the service. Much like yourself."
They neared the desk, where a rather formidable, if smartly dressed, older lady stood waiting. "Good afternoon, Miss Schnee," she said. "Bringing a guest?"
"My sister," Winter nodded, knowing that Miss Jackson likely saw the resemblance but had refrained from making any assumptions. "And afternoon to yourself. I wondered if I could please have the use of a guest parlour, and an afternoon tea service for two?"
"Of course," Miss Jackson replied. "The Alexandra room is presently free, and I'll have the service brought to you there."
"Thank you as always, Miss Jackson," Winter said, Weiss chiming with her own gratitude. She turned, gently ushering Weiss towards the door to the right. "As a guest, you only have limited access to the club," she told her. "Of course, should you wish to join, you'd be eminently qualified, and I'd be happy to sponsor you."
Winter wasn't sure what Weiss would make of the club, or whether she'd end up accepting that further invitation. Yet in that moment, she was simply delighted to see Weiss smile.
-000-
Marrow tapped on the otherwise non-descript metallic door.
He heard a gravelly voice from the other side. "What's the password?"
"Password?" he asked, confused.
"Eh, close enough." The door slid open, to reveal the red eyes and rough visage of Qrow Branwen. "Come inside, kid."
He ducked aside, allowing Marrow to enter Clover's quarters. Both Vine and Clover were already sitting at the table, with Clover shuffling a deck of cards.
"Marrow," he waved in welcome. "How's team Spectral?"
"Team Spam." Qrow whispered under his breath. Marrow glared at him, but the man just smiled back.
"Good, I think," Marrow answered Clover. "I mean, it's not the Ace Ops, but I feel we're working well together. Jaune and Pyrrha seem to be doing fine."
"And the Ice Queen?" Qrow asked with a smirk. "I hear her driving is quite an experience!"
"It's… something," Marrow said, not sure what to say. What if Winter heard?
Qrow simply laughed in response, as Clover gave the man a chiding look.
"Well, it's good to hear you're doing well," Clover smiled, gesturing to one of the seats. "Though don't get too comfy: we do want you back eventually."
"Anyone else joining us?" Qrow asked Clover, as Marrow took the seat.
"Just us," Clover said, cutting the deck. "Hare played once, but swears blind that the moon will have to unbreak and the sun set in the east before she joins us again."
"Smart girl." Qrow looked across at Vine and Marrow as he joined them at the table. "So why are you guys still prepared to chance it?"
"There's as much psychology as probability in this game," Vine answered. "I've been told I have a good poker face."
"And you, Marrow?"
"The eternal triumph of hope over experience," Vine offered.
"Hey!"
Qrow laughed. "Well, you guys are in luck. You know Clover's semblance? Mine's the opposite."
"It gives everyone else good luck?" Marrow guessed.
"No, it gives everyone bad luck. We figure they might cancel each other out."
Marrow mulled it over, before raising a finger. "Are you sure it'll work like that?"
"Well how do you think it'll work?" asked Qrow.
"Clover takes all the good luck; you give the rest of us bad luck. Would that create some sort of… probability vortex?"
"I do not believe that is a thing," Vine said.
"Only one way to find out," Clover said with a grin, before he began dealing cards. "Game's five-card Mistrali, nothing wild."
-000-
Jaune looked over the board. Ruby had gotten off to an aggressive start, as he'd expected, placing Vale as the dominant player. But she'd managed to forge an alliance with Mantle. He felt on the back foot, but the two couldn't afford to push at him too fast, what with Oscar proving surprisingly cagy.
Still, he played it safe, simply taking a card and moving some Vacuan warriors to the Valean border.
"So do you have many friends in Atlas?" Ruby asked Penny as the latter drew her card for the turn.
"No," the android girl said, frowning slightly. "As the protector of Mantle, I don't have much time for it. I count Winter as a friend, and even General Ironwood to a degree, but I don't have many opportunities to socialise."
"Well, we get to enjoy this," Oscar said. "I don't know you as well as Ruby does, but I'd like to get to know you better."
"You would?" Penny beamed, looking up from her cards.
"Yeah," Jaune said. "My mother always used to say, 'a stranger's just a friend you haven't met yet.'"
"She sounds wonderful," Penny whispered, as if in awe.
"Well," Jaune rubbed the back of his neck, "she has her moments."
"I hope to meet her one day… oh!" Penny's attention as caught by some glances and hand signals from Ruby. "Of course," she said, and moved several of the air cruisers over the Sanusian Sea, on a course leading towards Vacuo's northern coast.
"I see," Jaune said, narrowing his eyes at the pair as they giggled. "The Vale-Mantle axis of evil is at work."
"Vale is simply trying to preserve international peace," Ruby declared, before nodding towards Oscar. "Your turn, Oscar."
"Got it," the farm boy said. He drew a card, then promptly played another. "Smugglers of Wind Path. Sorry, Penny, I take two of your cards."
Penny clutched her heart in an exaggerated fashion. "I thought you wanted to be my friend!"
"I do," Oscar said. "They're friendly smugglers."
"Then prepare for some friendly retaliation," Penny said, as she reluctantly extended her hand towards Oscar. As he took two cards, she looked towards Jaune.
"You're often in the company of Pyrrha Nikos, are you not?" she asked.
"Well, yes," Jaune answered, unsure of where this was going. "We're partners, and friends." Again, at least.
"Why is she not with you tonight?"
"This isn't really her sort of thing," he said. "And Yang had already invited her to spar. Why'd you ask?"
"It's not because of me, is it?"
Jaune saw Oscar look up from where he was placing an Ursa piece in eastern Sanus, while Ruby's eyes turned towards him like a turret, concern shining through.
How do I answer this? He thought.
Penny continued. "I've noticed she sometimes displays physiological reactions indicating discomfort when around me."
"Ah," Jaune struggled for words. "I'm sorry–"
"Am I doing anything wrong?"
"No!" he hurried to say. "It's nothing you've done wrong, Penny. Quite the opposite." He hesitated. He didn't want to break any confidences, but he also wanted Penny to understand. Perhaps this could help Pyrrha too. "She… she feels guilty. You know… about what happened." When you died, he thought but didn't voice aloud.
"But I told her I didn't hold it against her."
"So did I," Ruby chipped in. "But it's not always that easy."
"Sometimes, I guess, even when the mind knows better, it takes a while for the heart to follow," Jaune explained.
"Oh," Penny said, eyes widening. "I sometimes feel uncomfortable around Pyrrha too. I was worried my programming was in error since I knew of Emerald's role."
"No, Penny," Ruby said sadly, briefly taking hold of her friend's hand from across the table. "That sounds pretty human."
"It does?" Penny's face brightened a fraction.
"If someone's hurt you, even if you know it's not really their fault, things are going to feel difficult around them," Ruby said. As Ruby spoke, Jaune felt a feeling in the pit of his stomach, and yet also a sudden freshness of thought, as if all things became clear. Is that what I've been feeling?
"How do I fix this?" Penny asked, and Jaune couldn't help but echo the question in his mind.
"I'm not sure," Ruby said. "It often takes time; these things aren't as easy as dealing with Grimm. I think positive interactions might help, as you become more confident and comfortable with each other."
Jaune nodded. "I think that might be good for Pyrrha, too."
"And you have to judge if there's a good time," Ruby added. "And do it in the right way. But sometimes just talking about it can help."
You coward, part of Jaune thought, accusing himself.
Penny, however, seemed cheered by Ruby's counsel. "Thank you, Ruby."
"Anytime, friend," Ruby replied. She then tilted her head, as if suddenly thinking of something, before she spoke again. "What about Ciel?"
"Ciel Soleil?" Penny asked. "My teammate while at the Vytal Festival?"
"Yeah," Ruby confirmed. "I know you said she was like Blake if she was ordered to spend time with you…"
"Just like Weiss, you said."
"Yeah," Ruby coloured. "But both Blake and Weiss are my friends, now more than ever. Have you had no contact with Ciel?"
"Only very briefly," Penny said, frowning a little. "We were only on a team for a short time together as it was, to provide cover for my own participation. But she's received several commendations and accelerated graduation."
"Wait, accelerated graduation?" Jaune asked.
"For actions during the fall of Beacon, apparently. She's now a Special Operative."
"She graduated early, and not team FNKI? Or the other Atlesian teams? I mean, they fought too."
"I do not know," Penny confessed. "Parts of her file are quite well classified, and I have not asked. When I saw her, she seemed emotionally affected. I feared I was the cause."
Jaune exchanged glances with Ruby, who was clearly thinking similar thoughts.
"Maybe it's not that simple, Penny," she said.
-000-
A right hook. Pyrrha blocked the swing with her left arm, then struck with her right. Yang took the blow, but grinned as she leaned back with the impact.
Pyrrha had always enjoyed fighting Yang. She'd been the one person amongst Beacon's first years who came closest to Pyrrha in one-on-one fights. And unarmed combat was firmly Yang's territory, increasing the challenge. Neither was going all out in this bout – both had foresworn the use of their semblances, and Aura would soften the blows – but part of Pyrrha still liked to triumph against the odds.
Yang had training on her side, and a significant degree of strength. But Pyrrha was strong too, a mite faster, or so she fancied, and had reach on her side. Moreover… she punched out with her right arm again, deliberately over-extending, leaving a bait that was near impossible for Yang Xiao-Long to resist.
Or that had been near impossible to resist. Yang danced away, eyes glowing in amusement. "Sorry, Cereal Girl. I've learned a few new tricks."
"So I see," Pyrrha replied, moving forward before kicking out with her left foot. Yang took the hit, but spun to Pyrrha's right, drawing close enough to punch with her own left fist. They broke apart again, wheeling round each other.
"So, I've been meaning to ask," Yang said.
Here it comes, thought Pyrrha.
"What's up with you and VB?"
As Pyrrha thought she might, Yang took advantage of her question to dart in, throwing a quick one-two. Pyrrha blocked the first punch, and managed to dodge the second, pulling away again.
"Why the sudden interest?" asked Pyrrha.
"Well, normally I'd just tease," Yang said with a grin, "but we're concerned."
"We?" Pyrrha moved in, throwing a punch of her own, but Yang deflected it with ease before making space again.
"The team. Well, Weiss alternates between that and being annoyed, while I think Blake views you two as some sort of live-action version of one of her novels. But Rubes and I are concerned. And since Nora isn't around…"
Yang rushed in, striking with a left hook before twisting into a spin-kick. Pyrrha was buffeted but managed to jab with her right fist before Yang pulled back.
"So, you thought you'd make me a project?" Pyrrha asked.
"Well, you still seem to hold a torch for him, and from what I see, I think it's returned. You'd have killed to have that sort of attention from him at Beacon." Yang paused, mid-pose, as a quizzical expression passed over her face. "Well, not literally, I hope, but still."
Pyrrha attacked this time, taking advantage of her opponent's hesitation to throw herself forward. She hit Yang's torso with her right fist before swinging with her left. Yet Yang parried the left with her robotic arm, before she brought her own knee up into Pyrrha's gut. Pyrrha shrugged off the pain, used her right arm to hook under Yang's leg and pulled up. Yang fell back, thrown off-balance, but turned her fall into a roll that brought her back onto her feet.
"Nice moves," she said. "But I'm serious. You had months together on the way to Mistral. So why haven't you moved forward?"
Pyrrha growled inwardly. She wasn't sure if Yang's prodding was due to genuine concern or simply trying to throw her off her game. Maybe both. She wouldn't let it get to her. She stalked forward aggressively as Yang danced back and forth. As Yang skipped that bit closer, Pyrrha pounced. She twisted, kicking out with her right foot. As Yang staggered back, Pyrrha took several steps closer, keeping some distance before punching out with her longer arms. Yang took several knocks before she ducked down and drove forward, sending a quick flurry of punches at Pyrrha's torso. Pyrrha backed away, trying to maintain some distance.
Yang looked at her with narrowed eyes. "Hell, it's been over a year since Beacon," she said between deep breaths. "So why haven't you done anything?"
Pyrrha charged forward again, all thought of reach suddenly forgotten. She swung first with her right fist, then with her left, then her right again, moving right into Yang's space.
"Because it was my fault!" she yelled.
She threw another left hook, but this one was stopped dead. She looked and saw Yang had caught her fist with her cybernetic arm, holding it fast. "Now why would you think something like that?" Yang said.
Pyrrha stilled herself and looked at Yang. Yang looked back with calm eyes and a raised eyebrow. Pyrrha allowed her feelings to subside, taking time to slow her breathing.
"Perhaps we should have a quick break," Yang said, before letting go of Pyrrha and walking to their bags at the edge of the gym room. She pulled two bottles of water out of one, tossing one bottle to Pyrrha before opening one herself. She took a quick swig and looked back at Pyrrha. "So, why's it your fault?"
Pyrrha looked away in thought, absent-mindedly opening her own water bottle before taking a mouthful. She almost hoped the question would go away, but Yang kept looking towards her.
Pyrrha sighed, before finally speaking. "You know what Ozpin offered me before everything went wrong."
An expression of distaste crossed Yang's face. "Yeah. Can't say I liked the sound of it."
"They were desperate."
"Doesn't make it right."
Pyrrha exhaled again. "I have often wondered," she said, "if I could have stopped it – the fall – if I'd volunteered sooner."
"I thought they were the ones who told you to wait?"
"They did, but maybe if I'd pressed? Or… or afterwards, when everything was falling apart. When Cinder took the powers and killed Ozpin. I wanted to go confront her, to fight her. But Jaune stopped me, said we had to call in the teachers, persuaded me not to do it. Afterwards… I resented him for it."
"Because you thought you could win?"
"I didn't know if I could," Pyrrha exclaimed with a wave of her hands. "But what if there was a chance? Afterwards, it was all I could think about. What if I had taken that chance, however slender if might be? Could I have stopped her? Could I have saved lives, lives that were lost due to my inaction? Or that were caused by my actions, even, setting the whole thing off by killing Penny!"
"Now I'm going to stop you there," said Yang, raising a hand. "Ruby never blamed you for that. I don't think even Penny blames you for that. You were set up. If not you, Cinder and her team would have tricked someone else into it. Hell, I was set up too!"
Yes, you were, Pyrrha thought. No lives had been claimed on that occasion, but Yang knew what being manipulated by Emerald felt like, just like Pyrrha. "You're right," she said.
"And in case you haven't noticed, Penny's back now."
"She is… but those that lost their lives in the Grimm attack are not so easily returned. Some of which might have been saved, or so I thought, if I'd stepped up when destiny called."
"By which you mean going to face Cinder by yourself." Yang frowned. "Pyrrha, you're good, but you're not that good. Goodwitch and Qrow together couldn't do it, and if hadn't been for Ruby's eyes going off, I'd be short an uncle. And then there's what happened at Haven–" She cut herself off, eyes widening. "That's why you did it, isn't it? Why you went off at her? At Cinder."
"In part," Pyrrha looked down. "When she mocked those she'd slaughtered, I was so angry. At her, and at myself. But I also swore not to stand idly by again."
"Pyrrha, you could have died. You would have died, were it not for…"
Pyrrha found herself touching her scar. "For Jaune, I know. It's ironic: at Beacon I was a but a moment from propelling him away in a rocket locker. To keep him safe, I thought. Yet when I did face her, he's the one who saved me."
"So has all that changed your mind?" Yang said, walking back into the ring.
"It's given my head cause to rethink things," Pyrrha reflected. "The heart… the heart is harder to convince."
"Isn't it just?" Yang said. "So where does Jaune fit into all this?"
"Well, like I said, I resented him for holding me back from facing Cinder. More than that, all I could think was that my feelings had made me weak; my feelings for all of you, but especially him. I felt fear of losing you all – fear of losing him – had prevented me from doing what was necessary, whether it was accepting the transfer, or facing Cinder or whatever…" she trailed off.
"So…?"
"I pushed them away," Pyrrha realised. "I spent the entire road to Mistral pushing my team away. Telling myself I had to discard attachment to do what I must. And I fear I expressed myself in a very intemperate fashion."
"Okay," Yang nodded slowly. "Okay. Now I'm beginning to realise why that house in Mistral felt so on edge when I arrived." She put a hand on Pyrrha's shoulder, before looking her in the eye. "That whole idea of feelings making you weak, though? You know that's bull, right?"
Pyrrha laughed, half-ruefully, half in joy. "I was prepared to throw everything away, and I nearly did. And then Jaune awoke his semblance, had the power to save my life, not despite but because of his feelings. What greater demonstration could I have that I was wrong?"
-000-
"This… is civilised," Weiss confessed, enjoying the leather back chair she was sat upon before she took another sip of her tea. The room was bright and airy, with large windows letting in the light of the setting sun. Two walls of the room were filled with antique books, while Winter sat across from her in a similarly luxurious chair, while between them, placed on a low table, were the tiered dishes of a full afternoon tea service, with a variety of finger sandwiches on the lowest dish, followed by warm scones with several jams and clotted cream, while on the top tier were a variety of sweet cakes and pastries.
"I thought you might like it," Winter smiled, lowering her mug from her own lips.
"It seems very well run, too," Weiss added.
"Miss Jackson runs a tight ship," Winter explained. "Something that I'm sure comes from her time as a Master-at-arms in the Air Fleet."
"Blake would love these books," Weiss said, looking at the shelves, before a worried look crossed her face. "Or would that be an issue? Is this the sort of establishment that bars Faunus?"
Winter waved her worries away. "I can't speak for private prejudices, but the military tends to be more open in these matters than some in civilian life, and the Daughters of Solitas follows suit. Marrow Amin wouldn't be able to join, but that's because he's a man. But if someone like Neon Katt graduated and enlisted, she likely could… although Brothers help the club then."
Weiss giggled. "That is something to picture," she said. "Blake would be far more decorous."
"If your friends are interested, I could invite them with you on some occasion," Winter offered.
"Blake might be interested," Weiss pondered. "But I'm not sure if Ruby or Yang would appreciate this place. One can always try, though."
"I have to admit that when I first met Ruby Rose, I feared she might be a destabilizing influence. Especially when she turned out to be Qrow's niece." Winter took another sip of her tea. "I am glad you found friends, though."
"I've come to realise," Weiss said, "that our childhood had its… issues. Ruby, Yang, Blake: they've all helped me enormously. I'm a better person for their influence."
Winter found a smile impossible to resist. "I told you once you had a choice: to follow our father's wishes, or to continue to explore Remnant, and yourself. I'm glad you've chosen the latter, and that you've found people you trust to accompany you." She paused, ruminating over her sister's journey. "I am sorry that I missed you in Mistral, though."
"As am I," Weiss said, "but it wasn't your fault. And perhaps it worked out for the best: while I had an unfortunate stay with the Branwen tribe, it put me in place to meet Yang."
"Branwen tribe… Raven Branwen?" Winter guessed.
"The very same. And I can assure you she's by far the least pleasant of the two siblings. But as I said, that put me in Yang's way when she came to confront her mother."
"Hmm… perhaps for all our differences, your friends and I have more in common than I realised."
"Perhaps," Weiss said, a slight upturn to her lips. She placed a small sandwich on her plate, taking a dainty bite, before putting it down again. "What is your issue with Qrow, anyway? We've had our occasional frustrations, but we wouldn't have made it without him. He's a capable huntsman."
"He is," Winter granted. "I don't doubt his skills. We've had the opportunity to work together, and while he's undisciplined and can be intensely frustrating, he's a highly competent huntsman."
"So, what is it?"
"He drinks."
"Oh." Weiss fell into a pained silence, doubtlessly thinking of the same individual Winter was. "He's stopped," she said after several seconds.
"He told me. I'm… I'm glad for him."
"Do you think…?"
"I'm not sure we should get our hopes up."
-000-
Marrow looked at his cards. He glanced at the cards face-up on the table, then back to his own hand.
"This seems statistically unlikely," he said.
"Now you're just giving the game away, kid," Qrow scoffed. "Why don't you take a page from Vine here, he's not letting anything slip."
Vine looked up from his own hand, which he placed face down on the table. "Marrow, I'm beginning to have second thoughts about this theory of yours. You suggested a probability vortex?"
"Hah!" Marrow laughed. "Yeah, we're swirling in it!"
Clover chuckled before looking over at Qrow, who seemed a little downcast. "Cheer up Qrow. It may not have worked as we'd hoped, but I'm having a great time. I've never had such a challenging match, even if there's a little…" he gestured to the others, "collateral damage."
"Yeah, I suppose," Qrow said grudgingly. "We just have to find some people we don't like to join the two of us."
"You seem disappointed?" Marrow asked. "Even in a card game, giving everyone around me bad luck seems a useful thing. And in a fight…?"
"Yeah, in a fight it can be handy… provided I'm surrounded by enemies," Qrow said gruffly. "But like Clover, I can't turn it off, and I can't pick and choose who it effects. And sometimes my misfortune strikes those close to me… like a curse."
"Let's not give up," Clover encouraged him with a smile. "There may be other ways to control it, and mine seems to temper it at least."
Qrow conceded with a grunt. "I hear you."
"Just don't let Mister Arc boost your semblance," Vine added.
Qrow barked a laugh in response. "Right. We'd probably cause an earthquake, or a plague of locusts, or something."
"Was it your semblance that motivated you to become a huntsman?" Marrow asked.
"No," Qrow snorted. "I didn't exactly sign up to become a huntsman, not as such."
"You didn't?" Marrow said, perplexed. He glanced at the others: Vine was hard to read as always, but Clover looked unsurprised too. "You know you are one, right?"
"Cute, kid." Qrow replied, before looking at Clover.
"Your choice, Qrow," Clover said with a shrug. "For what it's worth, I trust them both."
Qrow looked again at both Marrow and Vine, before seeming to make up his mind. "Fine," he huffed, "but don't pass this along. What I mean is, my sister and I… we never went to Beacon to become huntsmen. We went to become better bandits. That's what we were, thieves and murderers. That's all we'd ever known."
"Ah, the Branwen tribe," Vine said in recognition.
"You've heard of us?" Qrow asked, to which Vine inclined his head. "Yeah, we grew up as members of the tribe. Can't say I liked it: it was they who always told me I was a bad luck charm. But I couldn't imagine anything different."
"What happened?" asked Marrow.
"People: Summer, Tai… Ozpin. They showed us another path was possible, another life, even despite my curse. Ultimately, I took it. Followed them into becoming a huntsman, and as we became aware of this war, I became Ozpin's agent."
Qrow looked down, clenching his jaw in sudden reflection. "I'd trusted him, completely and utterly. Especially after Sum –" He stopped himself as he choked back something. "Especially after. He gave me a place, and I thought that if I just followed his lead without question, we'd do good. But he had no plan. He didn't know what he was doing, didn't believe he could win, he just let me believe he did!" He looked back up. "A lesson for you gentlemen, don't ever place that much trust in someone."
"But he still led you to a better path, right?" Clover offered. He held up his hands in a placating manner. "I'm not saying he didn't make mistakes, but he still helped show you that path. And you're the one that took it. You're doing good. You're standing here in defence of the world."
Qrow gave him a sharp glance but seemed to chew over his words. "Well, I'm sitting right now," he eventually said, gesturing to his chair, "but perhaps you're right. Perhaps that's why I was so angry with him."
"Could be," Clover replied. "But I'm glad you're here with us now, and not playing bandit."
"I mean, if you were a bandit, we'd have to arrest you," Marrow joked.
"I believe we already have," Vine said.
Marrow sputtered in response, but Qrow laughed loudly. "Hah, yeah. Welcome to Atlas!" He looked around the table. "Eh, you guys are alright."
-000-
Pyrrha ducked under Yang's fist, before sweeping out with her leg, cutting Yang's own out from beneath her. Yang fell, and before she could roll round Pyrrha sprang forward, placing a knee on Yang's back and pinning her arms.
"This one's mine, I believe." She released Yang from her hold and stood up, holding out a hand. Yang grasped it, pulling herself up.
"Guess it is," Yang said. "That makes, what, 6-5 to me?"
Pyrrha raised an eyebrow. "I don't believe numbers work that way."
Yang stuck her tongue out. "What can I say, maths was never my strong point."
"Clearly not," Pyrrha chuckled. "Another round?"
"In a moment," Yang said. "You know, I never thanked you."
"Thanked me? Whatever for?" asked Pyrrha.
"For going with Ruby, you and Team JNPR. For watching her back, when I didn't."
"You couldn't, Yang. Ruby and all of us knew that. And it's not me you should thank," Pyrrha replied. "It was Jaune she reached out to, and Jaune who corralled the rest of us into going. Were it entirely up to me, I fear I'd have been just as likely to charge off all by myself."
"Yeah, but you didn't, and I'm grateful for that. You were there for her when I wasn't, and if it stopped you from doing anything foolish, all the better." Yang turned her eyes away, looking suddenly pensive as she ran a hand through her hair. "Did I ever tell you about my mom? Our real mom I mean, not my birth mother?" she said, looking back at Pyrrha.
"Not really," Pyrrha hazarded. "I don't think Ruby's mentioned her much either."
"I'm not sure how much Ruby remembers," Yang said. "She was so young at the time, though I'm sure she remembers something. She used to go to speak to Mom's grave fairly often, back before she left Patch. She – Summer Rose – led their team at Beacon, team STRQ, alongside Dad, Uncle Qrow, and, well, Raven. And when Raven up and left Dad and baby me, she moved in to help out. But even after Ruby came along, she never let me even suspect I wasn't her daughter too. I only found out after."
"She sounds like quite a woman."
"She was. To me she was super-mom. She loved us, baked cookies for us, tucked us in at night. But she didn't just tell us stories, she was a story: a badass huntress, slayer of monsters. She was a hero in every way.
"And then one day, she didn't come back."
"I'm sorry," Pyrrha said softly, taking hold of Yang's shoulder and giving it a squeeze. "That must have been difficult."
"It was, for all of us," Yang said. "Ruby was torn up, Dad just shut down. I had to step up to look after Ruby, and I made some awful mistakes. But that's not why I'm sharing this. What I'm saying is… well I've always tried to care for Ruby, to be there for her since Mom… isn't. And for a long time, she was just so cute and adorable, my baby sister. But as she grew older, particularly these past couple of years, it seems she looks more like mom with every passing day. Sometimes I catch myself when I see her, wondering just who I'm looking at.
"But she doesn't just look like her, she's so like her. She's brave, and fearless, and good. A hero just like mom. Hell, she's even got magic in her silver eyes, just like Mom apparently did, and we learned from Maria just how Salem felt about those.
"So sometimes I just look at her, and I worry. I worry that if I'm not there, then one day… one day…" A tear rolled down Yang's cheek.
"…She won't come back either." Pyrrha voiced, pulling Yang into a hug.
"Yeah," Yang said faintly, returning the hug before wiping her eyes. "Look at me," she huffed in frustration. "I'm supposed to be helping you!"
"We're friends. We help each other."
"Yeah, you're right," Yang said, lips turning upward. She pulled back from the hug, though kept hold of Pyrrha's arms. "But the reason I share all that is to help you understand just how grateful I am. To you and the rest of JNPR. For those months… you were guarding she who is most precious in my life."
"And we'd do it again," Pyrrha affirmed. "It can't compare to your own feelings, but Ruby's dear to all of us. I speak for both myself and Jaune; I know he cares for her deeply. He's owed at least as much thanks as I am."
"Oh, I'm trying to thank him," Yang smirked, letting her arms fall. "I'm trying to fix him up with a hot girlfriend who's totally into him. Know anyone like that?"
"Yang!" Pyrrha cried in a flustered tone, blushing.
Yang simply snickered. "I'm working on it."
"To change the subject a little," Pyrrha began, to which Yang simply rolled her eyes. "There is something I wanted to ask you. You mentioned your birth mother?"
"Raven, yeah. You met her. In battle, but I guess that's how she rolls."
"Quite," Pyrrha said. "When you went to confront her in the Vault, did she say anything about what happened to Cinder?"
Yang's eyes narrowed. "Pyrrha, don't get obsessed about this. It was bad enough seeing you two go at it the first time." Pyrrha made to speak but Yang waved her arm. Her robotic arm. "I know what it's like to take a heavy loss like that."
"I'm sorry," Pyrrha said, staring at the reminder of Yang's own wound.
"Oh, don't you get guilty! I get enough of that from Blake!" Yang griped. "It wasn't your fault! I was reckless, but the man who's most responsible is now at the bottom of Argus Harbour."
"How… how do you feel about that?"
"You mean the killing him part?" Yang mulled the question over. "I think I have it fairly easy. For me, he was Blake's terrorist ex who haunted my nightmares. Most of me is just relieved he's gone. It's harder for Blake. She knew him, before he went all in on going to Nutsville. She'd been close to him. I can't imagine how that feels like, having something end like that. But she's coping; we're working through it.
"But I know how being hurt by someone like that can eat away at you. You haven't let it stop you like it did me for a while, and I respect that. But don't go crazy about it. If I'd tried to chase Adam down alone, I'd have just gotten myself killed."
"I'm not going crazy about it," Pyrrha insisted. "I think maybe I was when I faced her at Haven, but like I said: that showed me I was wrong about at least some things. But I think we should be ready if there's a chance of her popping up again. What did your mother say?"
"About Cinder? Nothing," Yang scoffed. "That's dear old birth-mom for you, useless as always. Vernal was dead, and Raven had the relic, so I could guess there'd been a fight. There was no sign of Cinder. No idea where she'd gone, since I came down the lift, but I can't see Cinder having just given up on the relic. She had to have lost. My best guess is that Raven killed her. My birth-mom might be a terrible excuse for a human being, but she's a good fighter."
"Wouldn't she leave a body?"
Yang snorted. "I don't know, I could see her melting away like a wicked witch from a story. But more seriously, the vault was surrounded by a chasm. It could have gone down there. Since she flies, if she were still alive, she'd just come right back up. And where else would she go?" She shook her head. "I don't know, but I do think she's dead."
"But you're not certain?" Pyrrha pressed.
"Can't be," Yang admitted. "But you swear you're not going to go off on some crusade?"
"I promise," Pyrrha reassured her, "I just want to be prepared."
"Well in that case, time for another round?" Yang said with smirk. "You can try to equalize my score…"
-000-
"So, Jaune…?" Ruby said as she drew her card for the turn and looked over the board.
"Yes, Ruby?"
"I hear you really could've done with a gun in your last mission…" she teased.
"Ruby! How did you hear about that?!"
"A lady always keeps her secrets," Ruby said smugly, before laying a card down. "Explosion of Dust: All units in a target region are destroyed. And I'm picking… the East Vacuo Desert."
Jaune looked at the region, where many of his amassed warriors were stationed. "Of course you are," he sighed.
"Now don't be like that, Jaune, that's just the way the game is played!"
"I know," Jaune acknowledged, eyes flicking to the cards in his hand, his remaining forces further in, and then to Penny's pieces, lurking just to the North. "So, are you going to move in?"
"Yep!" Ruby aggressively pushed most of her Valean forces into the now vacant territory… just as Jaune hoped. "So, what are you going to do?"
"About East Vacuo?"
"No, about getting a gun!"
Jaune shrugged. "Well, it's not that easy. As much as having the ranged option would have made me feel better, I still don't have any real firearms training. I'm going to try get some, but until I know I won't shoot either myself or my teammates, there's still not much point. Plus, I don't exactly have room for a large weapon."
"You could let me work on Crocea Mors…" Ruby trailed off suggestively.
"Even if I let you, I'd still have trouble aiming it," Jaune said, "and that's assuming it even can be aimed well. I never understood how Dove could aim his thing."
"Hallshot," Ruby interjected.
"Gesundheit," Jaune responded. Ruby rolled her eyes.
"I'd do a good job!" she insisted.
"I'm sure you would," Jaune assured her. "But I've also been thinking of the team, and I'm thinking I need something with a little more kick."
"What do you mean?" Oscar asked, looking up from where he'd been sorting his own pieces.
"Well, most teams have someone with a little heavy firepower if they need it," Jaune explained. "Team JNPR had Nora and her grenade launcher. Team RWBY has you, Ruby. CVFY had Coco and her minigun. Even the Ace-Ops have Elm and her rocket launcher. Spectral's versatile, but we're missing a little in that department."
"That does make some tactical sense," Penny said, nodding.
"Jaune, if you're worried about aiming a pistol, a bazooka's a whole other thing!" Ruby argued. Then a gleam entered her eye. "Although…"
"It's grenades," Jaune cut in, anxious to stop whatever crazed engineering scheme Ruby was suddenly cooking up in its tracks. "I've already been practicing using these hard-light disc grenades Doctor Polendina gave me, so I'm thinking of carrying a few more explosive ones too. It won't fill the same gap, but it gives us a few options, and lets me do more from a distance than just shout rude words."
Ruby looked a little chagrined. "Grenades do make sense," she said grudgingly. "But it's boring."
"Ruby, I promise I'll sit down with you at some point in the future to work up a special weapon," Jaune said. "It just won't be for a while. My training with Vine starts in a few days, I'm meeting Winter again tomorrow and I've got a bunch of reading for that. That's all on top of my regular training. I've still got so much to learn." Like getting my combat skills to where they should be. Or catching up on what I've missed from combat school and what we've all missed from the years we should have had at Beacon. Or somehow learning how to track down a murderer…
Ruby's expression softened. "You do train a lot," she allowed. "Okay. But you promise?"
"Arc's word," Jaune assured her. "I just need to get ready for whatever you throw at me."
Ruby smiled. "Well, you can start by learning how to defend Vacuo! It's your turn."
"That's very kind of you, Valean oppressor!" Jaune threw back, before drawing his card for the turn. He glanced at it, but he already knew what he was going to play. Taking the chosen card from his hand, he threw it down: "Sandstorm: All ground units in the target regions are disabled. Except, what's this, oh yeah, Vacuan warriors are immune to environmental hazards!"
"Noooooo!" Ruby groaned as she saw what was happening. "My poor men!"
"And I'll just use my remaining warriors here," Jaune grabbed the pieces in the Hadarish coast, "and attack the now defenceless troops in the East Vacuo desert."
Penny gasped.
"Their sacrifices for peace will not be forgotten," Ruby said flamboyantly, as Oscar laughed at her antics. She scooped her pieces up and returned them to her side of the table. "You'll rue the day you made an enemy of me, Jaune!"
"I'll have to live with that." Jaune gestured towards Penny. "Your turn, Penny."
Penny looked at the board, and then at Ruby. "Don't worry, Ruby, I shall avenge your brave soldiers!" She drew her card, then turned her attention to her pieces, particularly the air cruisers just north of the Vacuo coastline. "My air cruisers can move two spaces, so one," she moved them into the closest sea region, "and two." She pushed them towards the now vacant Hadarish coast.
"I guess you almost got me, Penny," Jaune said as the android girl beamed. "Except… trap card!"
"What?!" the girl cried.
Jaune displayed the card. "Tempest: All air units entering your territory must immediately stop, and then roll to see if they need repairs!"
"Oh no!" Penny said, before reluctantly picking up enough dice, one at a time. She rolled them, and her face fell further, as a number had to be returned back to her home territory.
"It's okay, Penny," Ruby encouraged her. "You can repair them, and then we'll make him pay!"
"Yes!" Penny said, easily cheered. "You were fortunate with those last two cards, Jaune," she told him. "With the number of possible combinations, you can't always count on drawing at the right answers at the right time."
"I didn't," Jaune shrugged. "I've had both those cards since the beginning of the game and held onto them. I didn't know for sure what the game might bring, but I could figure out what the two of you were going to do beforehand…" Jaune froze, struck by his own words.
"Jaune?" Penny asked, before glancing at Ruby and Oscar.
Figure out what they were going to do beforehand.
"Jaune?" Oscar tried.
Jaune remembered Qrow's words. The targets are all people who've been outspoken against Atlas, and particularly against James.
"Dissidents, people who disagree with Ironwood," he mumbled, pulling out his Scroll and pulling up the reports.
"Remnant to Jaune…?" Ruby called out.
A part-time writer. Of interest to our case is that his recent and most notable essays have had a political bent. That Major – Braun? – down in Mantle.
"Political victims, but they're all small fry. Not anyone too important, just enough to get attention," he muttered. "We could draw up a short-list… possible targets."
"Jaune!" Ruby yelled.
Jaune looked up. "I've got to call Winter," he said. He made to pull his Scroll to his ear, but Ruby reached out, stopping him.
"Jaune," she said firmly, "is whatever you're thinking about something that can be done immediately?"
"Er…" Jaune thought over. It'd take time to draw up the lists, let alone act on them. "No, probably not."
"And how would Winter feel if you interrupt her time with Weiss before her R & R is over?"
"…She'd probably be quite angry."
"And, dear friend of mine, how would Weiss, my teammate, feel?" Ruby urged further.
"Yeah, she'd be miffed too," Jaune admitted.
"So maybe this call can wait until at least after Winter's leave is over?"
Jaune glanced at the clock on the common room wall. There were at least a couple of hours to go. "You're right," he said reluctantly, putting the Scroll to one side.
"Very well," Ruby said. "Back to the game!"
They continued, but Jaune's attention wandered. He kept turning his notion over. Every now and then he picked up his Scroll, although to Ruby's grudging relief, it was simply to make the occasional note. How to do this? He thought. We need to get people to trust us, but relations aren't good.
He was aware enough of the game to realise it'd swung round. While Penny had resumed her attack – and he'd been less diligent in warding it off – Oscar had finally moved beyond the wall of Grimm he'd set up to land his armies in Eastern Sanus. Ruby had pulled everything back from Vacuo in a frantic attempt to defend Vale's core territories.
"Hey Jaune, you don't mind if we have a truce for three turns, do you?" Oscar offered at one point.
His mind on other things, Jaune waved it through. "Sure, Oscar."
Ruby was not impressed. "JAUNE!"
-000-
"So," Yang said as they relaxed on a bench. "Back to Vomit Boy."
Pyrrha sighed. "You're not going to let this go, are you?"
"I care too much for you to do otherwise, Cereal Girl. Now seriously, did he know how you felt, about Beacon and all? Did Ren and Nora?"
"They may have got the gist of it," Pyrrha said. "I expressed a number of sharp remarks."
"Hmmm…" Yang looked away, taking the occasional sip from her water bottle as she narrowed her eyes in thought. "And Jaune? Does he know how you felt – how you feel – about him?"
Pyrrha sighed more deeply. "He might," she allowed.
Yang looked at Pyrrha. "That sounds a little uncertain."
"We've kissed…" Pyrrha admitted.
"Oh!" Yang grinned. "Tell me more!"
"…During the fall."
"Oh." They both sat in silence for a moment before Yang spoke again. "Okay, that's not fantastic timing."
"No," Pyrrha said, gritting her teeth. "I though I was about to charge off to fight Cinder. I just wanted to have that moment, before I… before I…"
"Before you died," Yang said, finishing for her. "Did you speak about it afterwards?"
"No."
"And then you spent the next year pushing your whole team away, including him?"
"Yes." Pyrrha's curt reply was laced with regret.
Yang placed a comforting hand on Pyrrha's arm. "Hey, this isn't insoluble. Although I take it you can see how that'd send mixed messages?"
Pyrrha gazed at the floor. "All too well."
"So, you had some fights. That happens. Nobody's perfect, not even you." Yang smiled to rob her words of any sting. "But that doesn't mean you have to give up. Tell him how you felt, what you were going through. Clear up the mixed messages. Jaune's a decent guy, and he cares for you. He'll understand. But only if you talk to him about it."
Pyrrha gave a frustrated huff. "It just feels so difficult. Jaune… Jaune's not just someone I'm attracted to, he's my best friend. And I hurt him, I hurt all of them. But since Haven, things have been getting better. It feels like we're friends again. I don't want to lose that. I don't want to risk rocking the boat."
Yang nodded. "I can get that. But I can tell you, you might want to clear the air anyway, even if you're just happy being friends. And if you do want more, then I think you have to do something about it. Using words."
Pyrrha gave a brief, mirthless, laugh. "I've never been good at that," she said. "I shied away from expressing my own feelings at Beacon. I used to think if only he would simply notice me, the fact that I couldn't say how I felt wouldn't matter. Now he might have, but we both have trouble saying anything. If only I'd been so tongue-tied when pushing him away. I'm such a coward."
"Hey," Yang said, nudging her shoulder. "The woman who faced down a Maiden in single combat is not a coward. This sort of thing's just not one of your natural strengths. And really," Yang joked, "you have so many talents, complaining you don't have this one is a bit much for the rest of us!"
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be," Yang smiled. "it's just… well, you both have to learn how to use words sometime, Pyrrha. Just be honest."
"'You can't get it wrong if it's the truth,'" Pyrrha remembered. "Some… advice I remember," she explained. And gave.
"Sounds like good advice."
"Yes, Nora thought so too." Practice what you preach, Pyrrha.
"Besides which, I think we both know we don't always have the luxury of time." Yang held her robotic arm in front of her for a moment, before shaking her head and lowering it. "And I'm not even talking about anything traumatic. I hear Jaune has his fan club down in Mantle now."
"How do you know about that?!"
"Who doesn't know about that?" Yang laughed. "You can't exactly hide those casseroles."
Pyrrha gave her a flat stare.
"In my defence, they are great casseroles," Yang added.
"Traitor."
"Hey, if I'm offered those casseroles, versus whatever the mess hall provides, I'm taking whatever the Mom squad is giving Jaune anytime. Food-wise that is. And maybe you need to get a move-on if they're not to lure him in with their culinary wiles."
"Yang…" Pyrrha groaned, shaking her head. Yang simply smirked, but then her gaze turned thoughtful as she clapped Pyrrha on the shoulder.
"Look, the way I see it is that both of us have had wake-up calls about seizing the moment. Maybe you still need to process that, but think about it, will ya?"
Pyrrha felt the corner of her mouth tilt upward into a smile. "Yes, 'mother'," she replied. As the gleam entered Yang's eye, Pyrrha realised that was a mistake.
"Speaking of mothers, what did yours say when you got to Argus?"
-000-
Oscar had won the game. Apparently, the affable farm boy hid a cunning and scheming mind. Ruby had fallen first, following swiftly by an unfocused Jaune. Penny had held out to the end before being overwhelmed by the Mistrali legions. Not that Penny had minded all that much: the ginger android had loved her first boardgame experience, excitedly asking when they could play again.
Both she and Oscar had left now, leaving Jaune and Ruby to tidy up all the pieces.
"You can probably call Winter, now," Ruby told him. "I can clear up."
Jaune looked at the clock, seeing a few minutes to go before R & R was officially over. "It's okay, Ruby," he said. "There's a couple of minutes to spare, plus I want to help. It was fun. Sorry I was a little distracted at the end there."
"No problem, Jaune," Ruby said, being extra careful when picking up the painted pieces. "I think we all needed a break, even if some people couldn't quite get their minds off work."
"Yeah." Jaune scratched the back of his head awkwardly, but Ruby looked up and smiled to show there was no heat behind her remarks.
"So, are you back at Amity tomorrow?" he asked.
"Yep! That or the convoys," she said happily. "Back on the school run?"
"That and everything else." Jaune handed her the remaining cards.
She placed them neatly into the box, then closed the lid. "Well, that's everything," she said, picking the box up. "I'll see you, Jaune."
"Ruby, wait," Jaune said, biting his lip for a moment, before looking back at her. "I… I wanted to apologise. I'm not sure I ever did. And thank you. I know… I know how difficult we could be on the road to Mistral, and that made things hard on you. I'm sorry about that, and I wanted to thank you for your help."
"I'm pretty sure you did, Jaune," Ruby said. "It's not like you were the difficult one anyway, and I know your team was having a tough time. We all were." She pursed her lips. "I worried I was a bad leader, who'd lost her team. You guys followed me when no one else did, and we got through it all in the end. As much as times were hard, it helped me. I just hope I helped you guys too."
"You did," Jaune insisted. "Like I said, you gave us a direction, something for my team to hold onto when it seemed we might just fall apart. That helped so much. And I was right: your team did get back together."
"You were," Ruby said. "And so I can tell you stop worrying about that whole trip. It was tough, for all of us, but we grew and got through it. We can move forward and leave the past in the past. You'll see."
Jaune nodded thoughtfully, considering her words. "Thanks Ruby."
"Happy to help," she smiled as she began moving toward the door. "Night, Vomit Boy!"
"Night, Crater-face."
-000-
They'd spent hours at the Daughters of Solitas. The tea service had been taken away long before they left – after they'd enjoyed the sweets and pastries of the final course – and Winter had spent the evening listening to Weiss's adventures, although her heart had seized at some of the riskier endeavours. She'd always found the club a comfortable environment, but none so much as today.
All such things must come to an end, of course, and so the two sisters had regretfully left to return to the Academy. They'd made their way through the Academy's hallways, and were chatting inside Weiss's quarters, where her teammates were apparently yet to return.
"And what about you, Winter?" Weiss asked.
"Me?" she asked in surprise.
"You've been General Ironwood's aide for several years. How are you finding it, being back on a team?"
Winter tilted her head for a moment in thought, not having anticipated the question. "It's an interesting experience," she ventured. "I worked with others while serving as the General's aide, so it's not alien to me. But it has been some time since I've had consistent subordinates."
"And the teammates?" Weiss pressed.
"I've worked with Marrow before, so he was a known quantity," Winter replied. "Keen, a little inexperienced, but he's talented. He wouldn't have made it onto the Ace-Ops if he wasn't. As for Miss Nikos, she's proving to have the capacity to keep a clear head upon her shoulders, something perhaps even more valuable than her fighting abilities."
"Pyrrha always excelled at Beacon," Weiss said.
"As for Mister Arc… I seem to remember you mentioning him a few times in your letters."
"Please don't hold that against him," Weiss blurted out, to Winter's surprise. She raised an eyebrow in response.
"He apologised for all that business long ago," Weiss continued, "and I misjudged him too. We've both grown since then, and I wouldn't want to be judged for my youthful follies." She paused, then added, "though don't tell him I said that."
"You have grown," Winter smiled. "But why wouldn't you want him to hear that? Afraid he'll restart his unwanted suit?"
"Hardly," Weiss said with more composure. "But I don't want things to be awkward. I'm not sure we'll ever be close, but he's trustworthy. And he stuck by Ruby when the rest of us didn't."
"That wasn't your fault," Winter pointed out.
"True," Weiss acknowledged. "But still, I'm grateful to him for that. He's a better man than father ever was."
Winter gave an unladylike snort. "That's hardly difficult."
"Better than many of the others we used to meet, too," Weiss added. "Speaking of our father, what is going on with this election business? He's never sought office before."
"No, he hasn't," Winter said, "although he's never been averse to power. I presume he believes this is the only way of enforcing his will. I'm not privy to his counsels, but I know he and the General have often been at odds over the years. They've had to tolerate and work with each other, apparent affronts like my own enlistment aside, but that has come to an end over the matter of this embargo. Relations are now especially poor, and the special election in Mantle offers the chance to tilt the balance of power."
"Couldn't he just let Robyn Hill win? I hear she wants to end the embargo too."
"She does. They're agreed on several issues. But she's no friend of the SDC. And whoever holds the seat will likely be able to steer the direction of the whole council. The odds may be in Robyn's favour, but he has his backers in Mantle. He's selling himself on his skills as a businessman, and many in Mantle just want good jobs and the economy moving again."
"Why doesn't General Ironwood just end the embargo?" Weiss asked. "Just end it as an issue."
"Because we need to keep news of Amity from leaking to Salem." Winter frowned. "We were both infiltrated and outmanoeuvred at Beacon. And while we know of some of those responsible, there are others we don't know of. The General's concerned, and worried that if a hint of this leaks, she'll come for us, long before we're ready."
"I guess," Weiss said, sounding unconvinced.
"It's not likely to matter at this stage, anyway," Winter added. "Neither candidate is likely to be supportive of our other measures, and any supporter of the General who did run would be most unlikely to be elected. We will have to see how we can manage with the council against us."
"A depressing thought to end the night," Wiess mused, though her lips lifted as Winter place a hand on her shoulder.
"Perhaps," Winter said. "But it was lovely to spend time with you, Weiss."
The girl brightened. "You too, Winter. I always have time for my sister." She glanced at the clock. "It's just past nine. What are you going to do now your leave is over?"
"Sleep, I imagine. I'm officially back on the clock if anything happens, but I don't currently have any duties scheduled until tomorrow morning."
Winter's Scroll began ringing.
As Weiss giggled, Winter pulled out her Scroll, surprised to see the name displayed as the caller. "Speak of the dark brother," she said.
"Our father?"
Winter shook her head. "Arc." She answered the Scroll. "Mister Arc, how can I help you?"
"Ah, er… Winter," the boy said. "I've got an idea…"
Author's Note:
Part of what pushed me into writing this story was that I could include some light-hearted chapters, something Fallen Maiden's premise really didn't allow for. Not that that story was unremittingly grim (Fallen Maiden had its lighter moments, and for that matter this chapter has its heavier ones), but it just didn't really have scope for episodes like in this. And while the premise of this story means certain challenges will be coming down the road for our heroes, for the moment at least they still have room to breathe.
I confess, coming up with a name for the private members club Winter invited Weiss to (once I knew that's where they were going to meet) proved trickier than what such a small matter would seem to be. Then the phrase came to me, which seems to fit both its present niche, but also is probably a subconscious nod to the nice little one-shot story "Daughters of Solitas" by Selene Sokal on FFN, featuring a team up between Weiss and one Nora Valkyrie (who it seems many presume to have been of Solitas origins, before she was abandoned).