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Arc Household, Domremy
Jaune lay in bed, his head lying comfortably in Pyrrha's lap as she softly stroked his hair. Pyrrha sat in contentment as she played with Jaune's blonde locks. She couldn't find a more perfect way to spend her break. Time away from the press. Time away from Beacon. Time away from team RWBY. Well, most of team RWBY at least. Pyrrha had invited Blake with them out of goodwill and the fact that she was one of the only members of Team RWBY who never did anything to hurt Jaune. Then again, one could make the argument that Ruby never did anything to hurt Jaune as well but in Pyrrha's mind, Ruby merely became the bystander and caved in to the pressure of Yang, Weiss, and the rest of the student body.
Ren and Nora were also here because the two and Jaune were in the process of repairing their broken relationships with each other and Pyrrha thought that now was the perfect opportunity to turn over a new leaf. She hummed a small tune that her mother had sung to her every time she had a nightmare as she began to plan out how to gently reveal to Ren and Nora, and possibly Blake about Jaune's survival.
Blake. The name brought mixed feelings to Pyrrha's mind. On one hand, Pyrrha felt sorry for the girl. She felt that she and Jaune would have gotten along well and the fact that she helped him from the shadows placed the faunus on her good side. She felt that it was only right to let Blake know that Jaune was alive. However, ever since the revelation on the boat that Blake harbored secret feelings for Jaune, dark feelings began to stir in Pyrrha's heart which she desperately tried to fight down. The thought of Blake seducing and taking Jaune for her was something she feared greatly.
What… what if she takes Jaune from me? What if Jaune gets bored of me and goes to Blake? What if… he had secret feelings for her this whole time? Pyrrha's mind continued to spout delusions born from her fear and jealousy. Feelings that could be felt by the blonde boy that lay on her lap.
Jaune looked up and saw the troubled look in Pyrrha's eyes.
"Pyr? You alright?" Jaune asked.
Pyrrha blinked. She looked down and saw Jaune's concerned look. Pyrrha smiled and shook her head.
"Nothing. Just wondering how we're going to tell Ren, Nora, and Blake that you're well… alive," Pyrrha said.
"Oh right," Jaune said as he sat up. He placed his hand on his chin. "We probably should figure out a way to break this to them without… you know."
Pyrrha nodded. She leaned her head on Jaune's shoulder as the two began to think of a… soft way to break it to them. The two deliberated a few ideas before sighing in frustration.
"Hmm, what was wrong with the 'I wait for you guys at a booth' idea?" Jaune asked.
"Jaune… that's literally going to give them a heart attack if they just see you with no lead-up or no explanation from me or Alice," Pyrrha said.
"I mean… I guess?" Jaune answered.
Pyrrha sighed and then blinked. "We just had our first disagreement…"
"Huh?" Jaune looked at her, curious at what she meant by that.
"We had our first disagreement as a couple!" Pyrrha said.
"And we're still together?" Jaune asked.
"Shut up you ass… not every argument ends in a break-up," Pyrrha said.
"You've been watching too many romance movies," Jaune said.
Pyrrha huffed and looked away. Jaune chuckled before lightly poking her cheek.
"So? Are you going to pout all day or are you going to tell your team leader your brilliant idea?" he asked.
"I guess… but only because you asked for it. It's not like I wanted to tell you or anything," Pyrrha said.
"The tsundere doesn't suit you," Jaune said, looking at her with a blank expression.
Pyrrha ignored him and continued. "I was thinking… it should be like your booth idea except me and Alice sit them down and tell them… everything first. And then, we call you over and then voila!"
"How is that like my booth idea?"
"It takes place in your parents' pub."
"So you guys will rent one of the booths then?" Jaune asked. Pyrrha nodded.
"Well, we won't be renting them per se… I'll probably get Alice to get us the booth for free," Pyrrha said.
"Freeloader," Jaune mumbled as he began to play with her hair.
"After this, will you come back with us to Beacon?" Pyrrha asked, ignoring his comment.
Jaune paused for a minute. He looked down and gripped his pants.
"I…," Jaune began.
"It's okay. You don't have to answer now. After all, we have all week to be together and all week for you to think of an answer," Pyrrha said.
Jaune looked at her and nodded in appreciation.
"Yeah. We should enjoy this while we can," Jaune said.
Sieg stood on the other side of the bar, talking to one of the customers. He grabbed a bottle of beer and poured it into the glass. He slid it down the counter down to a customer, who waved in appreciation.
"Never thought a hunter as renowned as you would be here running a bar of all things."
Sieg paused and turned to see Maria sitting on one of the stools.
"I'll have ice on the rocks if you don't mind," Maria said.
"Sure," Sieg said as he grabbed some ice cubes and placed it into a glass.
"You and your wife need to talk to your son. He's going through some things that I figured only a parent can help him deal with. As his teacher, I tried to the best of my ability to help but there's only so much that I can do," Maria said.
Sieg raised an eyebrow as he placed the glass in front of her.
"What happened while he was away?" he asked.
"He had his first kill," Maria said.
Sieg nearly dropped the glass he was holding and looked at Maria with wide eyes. His eyes held mixed emotions as he paused for a moment.
"How long?" Sieg asked.
"A few days," Maria said. "He doesn't show it but he's beating himself up over it. I can feel the negativity that he carries inside of him. He puts on a happy face for Mae but I can tell… he thinks he's a monster."
"Jeanne and I will go talk to him. We've… been there. Every hunter has and will. It's the one thing you never learn at Beacon. The first kill is always the worst and will always be the one that sticks with you," Sieg said.
"Hmmm," Maria said as she downed her drink.
"So what have you been teaching Jaune?" Sieg asked, trying to change the subject.
"I've been sending him through drills. Building muscle, endurance, and stuff. I'm also teaching him about semblances," Maria said.
"Like his ability to control Grimm," Sieg said.
"Jaune… he said that that's a different ability all together from his ability to control and manipulate pure aura," Maria said.
"Pure aura? Sort of like Alice's semblance. Alice can control Pure Aura as well," he said.
"Really? I've never heard of two people having the same semblance except for those of the Schnee," Maria said.
"Hmm, it's strange. Jeanne's family doesn't have a hereditary semblance that I'm aware of. Her semblance, Sunshine, isn't even remotely similar to her parents," Sieg said.
"Hmm, this is all very strange," Maria said.
Sieg nodded and got back to work.
Jaune looked in the mirror as he brushed his hair. His blue eyes flitted nervously between the mirror and Pyrrha as she sat on his bed wearing a brown sweater over a black shirt. She wore a black skirt with black leggings and tan short boots. Nyx sat comfortably in the lap of her master's mate or girlfriend as he called her, watching as Jaune kept fixing his hair in front of the mirror.
"You look great and besides, when did you ever worry about how you looked?" Pyrrha asked.
"Whenever I asked out Weiss back when I was still crushing on her," Jaune said.
"You're not crushing on her anymore are you?" Pyrrha asked.
"No, I have you. Weiss is nothing more than a momentary infatuation," Jaune said.
"I didn't know that you knew what that word meant," Pyrrha teased.
"Haha, laugh it up," Jaune said.
"I'm kidding. I'll go get Ren and Nora ready with Alice," Pyrrha said as she stood.
"Wait," Jaune said. Pyrrha stopped and turned to look at him. She raised an eyebrow as she waited for him to say something.
"Can you get Blake too?" Jaune asked.
Pyrrha pursed her lips, forming a thin line. Blake. Why did he have to ask? Oh right. This was Jaune she was talking to. Pyrrha sighed and nodded. She flashed Jaune a small smile.
"Yeah, sure," Pyrrha said as walked over. She planted a kiss on his cheek and left the room. Jaune sighed as he walked over and sat next to Nyx.
"What do you think, Nyxie?" Jaune said, showing her his hair.
"I don't know why humans need to groom so often. I find it to be a waste of time, Master," Nyx said.
"Well, humans have an emotion that they experience too often called Vanity and some humans are born with lots of it. I wasn't born vain but I do like to look good every now and then," Jaune said.
"Is this one of those moments?" Nyx asked.
Jaune nodded. He got up and straightened his hair and stood in front of the mirror. He stared long and hard at his reflection as he tried to think of what to say when he would inevitably see the three again. Seconds turned into minutes as Jaune stood awkwardly in front of his mirror, failing to get single word out of his mouth.
"Why is this so hard?" Jaune said, sighing in frustration. "Right, cause they think I'm dead."
"Nyx, what am I supposed to say? Hey, I'm not dead sorry for making you think I was for the past month and a half when I came back and told my girlfriend I was alive but not my teammates?" Jaune said.
"I don't know. I've never had to deal with something like this before," Nyx said.
"Don't Beowolves live in packs?" Jaune asked.
"No. Some beowolves live alone. I've been alone since I was very young and hunted on my own. I learned from the older Beowolves that I passed on how to avoid hunters," Nyx said.
"I see… wait I'm supposed to be thinking of what to say not discuss pasts!" Jaune said. "Right… let's see… I got it!"
Pyrrha walked down the hall towards the rooms that Ren and Nora were staying in. She had to admit that owning an entire apartment building and having it to yourself was rather nice. It could accommodate for the size of Jaune's massive family with enough room to spare. She often wondered if their family would be this big in the future. Pyrrha shook her head and slapped her cheeks. She was getting ahead of herself again. She and Jaune had barely started to date and now she was looking years into the future. While she felt that Jaune was the right one for her, Pyrrha also knew that things might change years from now and that she needed to take things slow or she might drive Jaune away. She finally had him in her arms and ruining what she had begun to build was the last thing that she wanted to do.
As Pyrrha walked, consumed by her thoughts, she never saw the person in front of her and bumped into them. Pyrrha heard a small cry of pain and looked down to see a young faunus sitting on the ground, rubbing her head.
"Owie," she said as she rubbed her tail.
"Oh, dear. I'm sorry. Are you alright?" Pyrrha asked as she bent down.
"Mae!"
Pyrrha looked up and saw Alice running towards them. Alice knelt next to Mae.
"I'm sorry. I wasn't watching where I was going and I ran into her," Pyrrha said.
"It's alright Pyrrha. Mae, you okay?" Alice asked.
"Who is she by the way?" Pyrrha asked.
"This is Mae. She was there when Jaune came back to Beacon remember? The faunus?" Alice asked.
Pyrrha thought back to when Jaune returned and did remember a young faunus with pink hair that accompanied Jaune. She also remembered that there was an elderly woman with them by the name of Maria Calavera.
"Yeah, I do," Pyrrha responded. "Are you alright, Mae?"
Mae nodded and got to her feet. "I'm sorry Miss!"
"No no! It's my fault. I should be the one apologizing," Pyrrha said.
Alice smiled at the exchange and got to her feet. "I imagine that you're looking for Ren and Nora. That's why you were so focused to the point where you didn't even notice her."
Pyrrha nodded with a slightly embarrassed look on her face.
Alice sighed. "Ren and Nora are downstairs with Blake in the bar. Mom just cooked them up some food and she told me to go get you to see if you were hungry."
A large growling noise reverberated throughout the hall. Alice immediately went on guard, coating her hand in aura and shaping it into a thin blade. Mae hid behind Alice's leg as the faunus's ears twitched in an attempt to find the source of the bestial noise.
"Sorry…," Pyrrha said as she looked down.
Alice and Mae blinked and looked at Pyrrha. "That was you?" Alice asked.
Pyrrha nodded sheepishly.
"Come on. Mom made Pot Roast," Alice said as she dispelled her aura blade. She headed downstairs with Mae and Pyrrha on her heels. As they entered the main bar, she spotted Ren, Nora, and Blake seated at a booth. Nora was animatedly talking about something that Pyrrha couldn't make out from her spot but she could see the exasperated faces of Blake and Ren.
"Hey, guys!" Alice greeted as she and Pyrrha took a seat. Alice sat next to Ren and Nora while Pyrrha sat next to Blake. To say that the air in the room didn't become awkward would have been the biggest understatement of the century.
"So anyway! I had this weird dream right! We were at this tower… I think it looked like the Headmaster's office but everything was destroyed! Like destroyed-destroyed! And there was this weird woman and her eyes were on fire!" Nora said, making grand gestures.
"She's been talking about it to us for ten minutes straight… surprisingly, the details aren't changing this time," Ren said.
"That's a new one. Nora's dream stories always get retconned or new things get added to them every time she brings up the same dream," Alice commented as she grabbed some bread from the breadbasket.
Pyrrha sat in silence, thinking of how she was going to prepare them for Jaune's arrival. As she wracked her head with ideas on how, she also cursed herself for not preparing for this on the way over. She was so busy dealing with her emotions and how she felt ever since Blake revealed her feelings that she never really got a chance to prepare Ren and Nora for what was about to happen.
"Pyrrha, are you alright?"
Pyrrha snapped out of her reverie and saw Blake looking at her oddly. The faunus always had that same curious gaze that was commonly attributed to the animal which she inherited her traits from.
"I'm fine," Pyrrha said. "Just in thought about being in the same home that Jaune grew up in," Pyrrha said.
As soon as she mentioned Jaune's name, the mood visibly dropped as Ren and Nora went quiet. Blake looked down at her plate, not bothering to meet Pyrrha's gaze.
"Yeah," Ren said. "Jaune would be glad we're here at his home."
"Say… Alice. Do your parents have any cool and or embarrassing stories about your brother?" Nora asked, trying to lighten the mood.
"They do. But as you can see," Alice gestured to her parents running around and taking orders from various customers.
"Do you?" Blake asked.
"I do. But they also involve me so I might not tell them," Alice said.
"Sooo," Pyrrha said awkwardly. "Remember that question I asked Blake back on the boat."
"No," Nora said as she nibbled on a loaf of bread.
"Yes," Ren replied.
"How would you two react if I told you Jaune survived the fall and was actually training and recovering from his experience?" Pyrrha asked.
"That's oddly specific but I guess I'll answer first. First, I would apologize to Jaune for not being there for him for all the challenges and torment that he suffered at the hands of the student body of Beacon Academy. Then I would punch him for not telling us that he was alive the entire time," Ren said calmly.
"That's… expected," Alice said.
"I would hug him! Just hug him! And then break his legsh for not telling ush shjat he wash alive!" Nora said with a mouth full of bread.
"Nora, swallow your food before speaking," Pyrrha said.
Nora swallowed the massive chunk of bread that was in her mouth without choking and repeated her sentence.
"I would hug him and then break his legs. But… most of all, I would do what Ren said. We were his teammates and our job was to be there for him in his time of need. Even if we didn't like the way Jaune got into Beacon, it wasn't justified enough for us to just stand aside and watch him go through all that. And besides, he had a reason as to why he had to do it the way he did it. Wanting to get out of your parents' shadows and carve your own path. To make them proud of you and what you want to be. I felt that he genuinely wanted to help people instead of some idealistic nonsense about heroism or need to be famous," Nora said.
"Wow Nora… I never thought that you thought about me in such a way," A voice said.
Nora froze. That voice. It couldn't be. This had to be some sort of trick. Something that Pyrrha had set up to spite them all on how they had turned their backs on their team leader back at Beacon. She shakily turned around and her eyes widened significantly.
There in standing in front of their table with a tray full of drinks and food was Jaune. He was there in the flesh right in front of her. The same goofy smile. The same messy blonde hair. The same blue eyes. Even the Oum-forsaken Pumpkin Pete's Hoody albeit it looked a little worse for wear. Jaune grinned and set the tray down in front of them. The smell of food was ignored as Ren, Nora, and Blake sat there motionless.
"Jeez Jaune… have a little more grace will you?" Alice said, smiling softly.
"Well, I was going to come here and take your order but Mom called me over when I got down to bring your food over here," Jaune said, rubbing the back of his head.
"J- Jaune?" Nora's eyes began to water as her hand shakily reached out for him. Ren was in a state of shock while Blake's eyes narrowed as she gazed at Pyrrha.
"JAUNE!" Nora jumped from her seat and tackled Jaune to the floor. The sound of crashing turned the heads of everyone in the pub. Jaune groaned and felt his hoodie become wet as he looked up. Nora had her arms wrapped around him as she sobbed into his hoodie. Jaune looked at her with guilt in his eyes and began to rub soothing circles on her back.
"I'm back, Nora… sorry I didn't tell you or Ren I was still kicking," Jaune said.
"That's it? That's all you have to say?" Ren said as he stood from his chair. His bangs cast a shadow over his eyes as he looked down at him.
"I think we should take this somewhere else," Pyrrha said, placing a hand on Ren's shoulder. Ren looked at his current team leader and saw the look on her face. Knowing that look all too well, Ren sighed and nodded before wrenching his shoulder free of Pyrrha's grip.
"Nora? I can't get up if you keep hugging me like this," Jaune said.
"NO! YOU'LL DISAPPEAR AGAIN!" Nora wailed as she tightened her hold.
"Okay! Getting… hard to breathe!" Jaune said.
"Nora, come on. We need to go talk," Pyrrha said as she tried to pull Nora off. Nora resisted and clung to Jaune. Pyrrha sighed and looked at Ren, Alice, and Blake. The four pulled hard and managed to pry the crying Nora off Jaune, allowing the poor boy to breathe and stand.
"Let's go to mine and Alice's room," Jaune said as he walked past them.
Ren remained silent as he gazed blankly at his former leader's back. Blake shot glances between Jaune and Pyrrha and followed after him. Pyrrha, seeing Blake's gaze, sighed and walked after them with the rest following behind.
As soon as they reached Jaune's room and closed the door, the air changed. Ren walked over to Jaune and slugged him in the face, causing Jaune to stumble back.
"REN!" Pyrrha grabbed his arm. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?"
"Hehe… I deserved that," Jaune said as he rubbed his cheek.
"How could you?" Ren said, quietly. "How could you sit there and pretend that nothing happened? Did it make you happy to see me and Nora suffer because of our mistakes? We blamed ourselves for weeks while you were running around doing Jibril knows what? Well? Jaune?"
Jaune looked down.
"You're right. I should've told you and Nora that I was still alive. But… part of me was afraid. I know that's not a good excuse but you have to understand. I didn't know if I could trust you two," Jaune said.
"Trust us? Jaune… how can you say that?" Nora asked.
"You two… I trusted you to have my back after Cardin exposed me after the Forever Falls incident. But… you just stood there and watched. You two didn't actively hurt me nor insult me but the both of you just stood aside and let the student body rip me apart," Jaune said.
Ren and Nora looked down. Everything he said was true. They did nothing to help him and all over a bunch of papers with nothing but words. All the shame that they felt. The guilt that they harbored. Jaune had thrown it right back at their face. He was right. How could he trust them when they didn't even stand up for him back at Beacon?
"So what… about Pyrrha?" Blake asked.
"S- She knew that I was alive the entire time. She was the first person I went to go see when I got back to Beacon," Jaune said.
"I see… and Alice?" Ren said.
"Alice and I can sense each other through a weird twin bond that we have. We can feel each other's emotions and whether or not the other is still there," Jaune said.
"So that's why she denied your death the entire time," Blake said.
"What about you, Blake? You seem to be taking this well," Alice remarked.
"I'm not… I'm just better at controlling myself. But if you want to know how I felt right now, I feel hurt and glad at the same time. Hurt that Jaune never told us he was alive and happy that he survived," Blake said.
"Blake, I never got to thank you back at Beacon for all the times you got the teachers whenever Cardin or another one of the students were… you know," Jaune said.
"I- It's nothing, Jaune," Blake said, her cheeks slightly turning red. Pyrrha caught this and walked over and gripped Jaune's hand.
"What matters is that they know," Pyrrha said.
"Wait… I still have some things to ask Jaune," Ren said.
"Ask away," Jaune said.
"Why?" Ren said.
"Why what?" Jaune asked, confused.
"Why can you sit there and not look at me and Nora with hate? How can you still see us as your friends after we abandoned you like that?" Ren asked, his voice getting louder with each word. Nora looked at Ren sadly and placed her hand on his shoulder.
"Because… I don't know. I understood why everyone was so mad. I lied to get into an academy that everyone worked their ass off to get into while I just got in with a free ride so I get it," Jaune said.
"That's it?" Nora asked.
"Yeah. I'm not really one to hold grudges and besides, you two and Pyrrha. You three were my closest friends back at Beacon. It just felt natural for me I guess," Jaune said. "Jeez, that sounded so cheesy and cliche…"
"It kind of did," Blake said, giggling.
Ren shook his head and smiled. Even after all that, Jaune was still Jaune and he never changed.
"Are you coming back to Beacon?" Nora asked. Alice and Blake looked at Jaune, curious at how he was going to answer.
"I don't know yet. I'll think about it while we're here," Jaune said.
"Oh…," Nora visibly deflated. She looked disappointed but still held out hope that he would say yes. It would be nice to get the old team back together.
"How about you tell us what you did while you were away?" Ren asked.
"Okay but before I do that, I need to show you guys something, and please promise me Ren, Nora, Blake. Please promise that you won't freak out," Jaune said.
The three nodded in confusion. Jaune whistled and a small black puppy came crawling out from under Jaune's bed. The puppy sniffed the air and hid behind Jaune's leg as she peered out and looked at Nora, Ren, and Blake suspiciously.
Nora's eyes gained stars as she immediately dove for Nyx. Alice slapped her forehead and formed an aura arm to restrain Nora.
"Nora down. He just said not the freak out," Alice chastised.
"But! But! Look at it! It's so cuuuute!" Nora said.
Blake looked down at the dog, feeling apprehensive. It wasn't because she was a cat faunus or that she had a bad experience with a dog as a kid or anything. No, Blake loved animals. It was the dog's eyes. They were red. And not a normal shade of red either, no, this shade was extremely unsettling. It was almost as if that dog was a…
"Grimm," Blake whispered. Ren heard her and immediately backed away, placing his arm out in front of Blake, Alice, and Nora.
"Huh?" Jaune looked at Ren with a confused expression on his face.
"Jaune," Ren said. "T- That's a grimm isn't it?"
"Yeah. But she's friendly, see?" Jaune picked up Nyx and held her out to Ren, who looked at the Grimm puppy apprehensively.
"Jaune, I don't mean to burst your bubble but Grimm aren't known for being docile," Blake said.
"She is!" Jaune said. Nyx barked. Pyrrha walked over and took Nyx from cradled her in her arms. The grimm pup snuggled into Pyrrha's chest as the champion stroked her soft fur.
"Trust me," Pyrrha said. "I met Nyx when Jaune crashed his funeral. She's completely docile. She's unlike any Grimm I've ever seen before."
Ren and Blake looked at each other before being shoved to the side as Nora rushed past them and grabbed the grimm pup from Pyrrha. Nora rubbed her cheek against her as Nyx licked Nora's face. Ren looked at the two completely dumbfounded at what he was witnessing. A grimm puppy licking Nora's face instead of fighting tooth and claw to rip it off.
Blake was going to a similar crisis as she watched Nora, Pyrrha, and Jaune all spoil the little creature with affection.
A thought crossed through both of their minds simultaneously.
Were we wrong about them this entire time?
After a few moments of just staring and deliberation, Blake was the first to move and walked over to them. She tentatively reached out and petted Nyx. Upon contact, she was immediately shocked and pleased at how soft the fur felt. It was softer than anything she had ever felt in her life. A smile appeared on her face as she continued stroking it.
Seeing Blake not get her hand bit off, Ren walked over to pet the grimm as well. The grimm nudged her snout against Ren's palm as he petted her.
"See. She's gentle," Jaune said.
"But how?" Ren asked. "Grimm attack humans and anything they make on sight."
"I don't know. I just woke up with it," Jaune said. "The ability to communicate and control grimm."
"Is it your semblance?" Blake asked.
"The more I think about it, the more I don't think it is. There are lots of things about it that don't add up. People can't have more than one semblance as a semblance is a manifestation of their soul but I have the power to completely manipulate aura as well as talk to grimm. I think… I think it's something else," Jaune said.
"Your power to control the Grimm and your aura control are abilities that your mind calls semblances in an attempt to comprehend them."
Isla's words reverberated inside Jaune's head.
Jaune shook his head as he looked at them. "Enough of that for now. Let's go out. The Festival's started already and we should enjoy the week you guys get off."
They nodded and walked out of Jaune's room.
The Festival of Israfil was a rather joyous affair. None of them except for Pyrrha and the Arcs had ever been to something so large. Even Pyrrha could say that this was better than any social function that she could ever go to. The simplicity enhanced the joy she felt as children ran around screaming. Jaune and Alice led them to the town square where a massive statue of the Goddess Israfil stood.
Many of the villagers placed bouquets at the foot of the statue while some people paused briefly to pray. The statue was a large gray statue made of stone. It was worn down, showing its age but the others could make out its features. It depicted a woman with hair tied in a bun. Two bangs framed her face, reaching past her jaw. The woman was dressed in a robe that resembled the floral pattern. A pair of massive butterfly wings extended from her back.
"Is that?" Nora asked.
"That is Israfil. The Goddess of Life. One of the Seven Principal Deities of Remnant if you don't consider the fact that the Gods of Light and Darkness are more prominently worshipped than the other five," Alice said.
"Excuse us for a moment," Jaune said as he and Alice walked up to the statue. They each pulled out a flower. Jaune placed a violet down while Alice placed down a gold daffodil. The two muttered silent prayers before nodding to each other and walking back.
"I didn't know you two were religious," Ren said.
"Eh? Well, it's not like I don't pray while I'm at Beacon," Alice said.
"She does. She does every night before going to bed," Nora said.
As the group chattered amongst themselves, Blake stared at Jaune's back and steeled herself. She needed to do this. She needed to do it now. If she didn't, her eyes drifted over to Pyrrha, who was happily talking to Jaune. A seed of jealousy planted itself deep within her heart as she stared at Pyrrha.
That should be me talking to Jaune… Ugh! Calm down Blake. Don't let your emotions take you. It's not like Pyrrha and Jaune are dating… right? Blake thought as she looked down and clenched her fist.
Her eyes drifted back to Pyrrha, who laughed at something Jaune had said. She inhaled and reached out to poke Jaune's shoulder. His broad… delicious… Blake blinked.
She placed her hands on her cheek and breathed. She tapped Jaune's shoulder. He stopped and turned around.
"Jaune," Blake said, twiddling her thumbs.
Pyrrha eyed Blake suspiciously while Alice, Ren, and Nora turned to see why the others had stopped.
"Yeah. What is it Blake?" Jaune asked, his usual smile adorning his face.
Blake felt her heart start beating faster as she struggled to get the words out of her mouth. She kept trying to speak but nothing would come out. It was as if the words were stuck inside her throat and refused to climb out, preferring to die within the walls of her larynx.
"I… I uh…," Blake stuttered.
"Huh?" Jaune looked at her confused. "I what?"
"I'm hungry! Do you know any good food stalls?" Blake blurted out. She saw Alice, Nora, and Ren slap their foreheads behind Pyrrha and Jaune.
Jaune blinked for a moment before nodding. "Yeah, there's this stand that serves really good fishballs. I think you'll like it."
Jaune grabbed her hand which made Blake's face turn red as he dragged her off to the stand. Pyrrha walked after them at a slow and subdued face while Alice walked next to her.
"Hmmm. It seems that your competition is starting to make her move," Alice said.
"She… I…," Pyrrha said. She was seething on the inside.
"Pyrrha. Just tell her that you're dating Jaune. It's not that hard," Alice said.
"I want to but… I feel like I'll break her if I do," she said.
"But you have to. You two will just be leading her on if you don't do anything," Alice said.
"...," Pyrrha looked ahead at the two in silence as Jaune ordered two sticks of fishballs for him and Blake.
"I'll do it when we get back to Beacon but for now… let's just enjoy the festival," Pyrrha said. Alice nodded as she grabbed Pyrrha and Nora's hands and dragged them over to Jaune and Blake.
The Festival went swimmingly for the group as they danced and played the week away. Over the week they were there, Ren and Nora got along extremely well with the villagers as well as the orphans that lived there. The two could sympathize with the children's plight about losing their parents and the matrons thanked them afterward.
Blake marveled at how there was virtually no racism against the faunus that lived in the village except for the few old people that made racist remarks here and there. This was the place she wanted to make the rest of the world like. A place where humans and faunus lived and laughed together. She could honestly see herself settling down here. A small island away from the mainland where people live like people instead of having to worry about the concerns and problems of the people in the kingdoms.
It was their second to the last day before they had to go back to Beacon. Jaune smiled as Blake and Alice got into a competition at the dart-throwing booth. Nora and Ren were at the strength tester with Nora about to destroy the machine. Jaune shuddered at the amount of damage that he had to pay for after that and prayed that Nora wouldn't go all out. He turned to Pyrrha, who ate ice cream right next to him.
"Hey, Pyrrha. There's somewhere I'd like to go with you," Jaune said. Pyrrha looked at him a bit confused and nodded. Jaune grabbed her hand and led her through the streets and out of town.
"Where are we going Jaune?" Pyrrha asked.
"Somewhere Alice and I went to a lot as kids. Trust me, you'll love it. But we have to get there before the sun fully sets," Jaune said. Pyrrha nodded as he led her through a path. Eventually, the path gave way to a cliffside, and Pyrrha's eyes widened. It was beautiful. The sky was lit up in a myriad of oranges and violets as the sun dipped over the horizon. The water reflected the color of the setting sun as a gentle breeze blew over her face.
"I loved coming here as a kid and watching the sunset. It's where Alice and I got into our stargazing hobby," Jaune said.
"It's… beautiful," Pyrrha said, marveling at the sight.
"I wanted to take you here because this place is special to me and I figured that since…the week is almost over, we'd spend a bit of time here," Jaune said.
"That's so sweet of you Jaune," Pyrrha said, planting a kiss on his cheek.
The two sat and watched the sun disappear below the horizon as day became night. Pyrrha leaned her head on his shoulder as the two began to watch the stars slowly appear in the sky. Remnant's Moon watched over the two, casting its faint white light on the couple as they sat there in comfortable silence.
Pyrrha lamented at the fact that Beacon only gave them a week. She would be separated from Jaune again the day after tomorrow if he didn't accept it. Her green eyes glanced at the side of his face which was solely focused on the ever-expanding sky above them.
"Jaune? Remember what I asked you at the beginning of the week?" Pyrrha said.
Jaune looked at her as she moved her head off his shoulder.
"Yeah, why?" he asked.
"Have you thought of a response?"
"Yes, I have," Jaune said. Pyrrha's eyes widened as Jaune told her his answer.
HAHA! I know the lot of you thought I died or something but no! I LIVE! NOT EVEN THE GENTLE SIMPLE SAILOR AND COLLEGE CAN KILL ME! HAHAHA! Anyway, I know you all waited for this chapter to come out so here it is! The ending might not be up to your standards so allow me to explain! I shall create a poll that will determine the future arc because I have drafted up two ways the plot could go and I like both so I decided to let you, my lovely audience, decide which one I should pick!
Path 1: Jaune goes back with them to Beacon and is either A. Placed on a solo team (cliche) or B. Team of five with Team PRAN (Also cliche). This path would showcase a reunion with the rest of Team RWBY, confrontations between Jaune and CRDL, as well as the standard progression of the plot to the Fall of Beacon and the Vytal Festival. He would also get pulled into the conspiracy of the Maidens, Salem, and Ozma.
Path 2: Jaune says no and he continues on his journey with Maria and Mae, meeting and learning how to harness his powers as well as learning the true huntsman life. That way, he develops as a hunter on his own without any influence from Ozpin or his inner circle as well as hiding him from Cinder and Salem. However, he would not meet with the rest of Team RWBY until the end of the Arc which would showcase the fall of Beacon.
Remember, both paths lead to the same result. Jaune being dragged back in to watch or participate in the Vytal Festival depending on which path he takes and participating in the Battle of Beacon. Let me know what you think in the reviews and the poll which will go up today after this chapter is posted. Remember. Poll ends next week so go crazy.
Also, here ya go.
discord. gg /V54pcwA
This is a server where we discuss things. Normal things. Trust me. It's the most normal server on discord. Just your normal server. Feel free to join it if you want! :3