Chapter 15
A Change of Scenery
As it turned out, not having a terrible case of nerves was a panacea for Jaune Arc, his erstwhile trademark motion sickness now reduced to merely a slight queasy feeling for the short duration of the Bullhead flight. That he had to basically beg the pilot to let him on board with an outdated student ID went without saying, though the man had eventually relented and allowed him passage. A couple construction workers were his only companions, and they were mostly concerned with getting a brief nap in before having to cart the doubtlessly heavy crates of materials off the aircraft and towards whatever last minute project they were tasked with.
Even with all that, Jaune's first glimpse of Beacon Academy after nearly four months away was still quite the scenic vista. The main auditorium seemed to be completely rebuilt, and the small, temporary construction offices were now few and far between, indicating that only finishing work remained to get the Academy back to normal. The air docks were much as he remembered, functional and clean, and the landing was as crisp and professional as he'd ever had. Seeing them almost bereft of activity, however, was an eerie feeling. While the look was the same, it didn't quite feel like Beacon just yet. Perhaps tomorrow would bring back the hustle and bustle of the students and faculty, but for now, Jaune was left with quiet, punctuated occasionally by the distant sounds of construction.
Taking a deep breath to steady himself before having to search out a professor, he idly glanced about once more before hitting the jackpot. Jaune's eyebrows perked up under his rather sloppy bangs, finding a pensive Headmaster Ozpin looking out over the bay, cane in one hand and his ever-present mug in the other. Figuring that even though the enigmatic professor likely wouldn't help him he'd at least point him in the right direction, Jaune strode over towards the man, the large wheels of his suitcase clicking softly over the seams between the paving stones.
"Umm, Professor Ozpin?"
The barest flinch of surprise was visible before Ozpin's expression grew warm with a soft smile. "Why, Mister Arc, this is a pleasant surprise. Could you hold your thoughts for just a moment?" he stated more than asked, leaving Jaune with a puzzled look on his face as he collapsed his cane, dropping the device into a pocket before he retrieved his scroll. A quick trio of taps unlocked it, opened his contacts and then opened a call, Ozpin speaking into the device as soon as a connection was made. "Mister Coleridge? Do you recall that task I had asked you about three times last week?" he began genially.
"The one you nagged me t'death over?" came the voice that Jaune recognized as the Beacon Groundskeeper, Samuel Coleridge. "Yeh, I'm 'bout 'alfway done wiff it. Not like I don't 'ave other, better things to worry about, Ozpin."
"I see. Well, I'm afraid that work is no longer necessary."
"What!?"
Ozpin gave Jaune a glance before his voice gained another slight measure of mirth. "Also, you owe me twenty Lien."
"What th'ell d'ya mean!?"
"That will be all, Mister Coleridge," Ozpin added before terminating the call amidst a stream of obscenities from the cranky old man. "Now, how may I help you?"
Jaune blinked once in surprise, Ozpin's handling of the cantankerous gardener at once dismissive and amusing. "Well, you see sir, apparently I've been declared legally dead. Which honestly is a real headache."
"Rather inconvenient being thought deceased, I agree."
"You too, huh?"
"A story for another time, perhaps. I imagine you would like to rectify this as soon as possible."
"Yes, sir."
"We should be able to procure the necessary forms in my office," he said offhandedly like Jaune wasn't terrified of the notion of the Headmaster's office even as an abstract concept.
"Oh, okay. Yes, sir," he replied, following the well-dressed Huntsman towards Beacon Tower as he made another call.
"Shaw," came the gruff reply, a metallic twinge in the voice likely from an older model scroll.
"Yes, Professor, I have need of you at the air docks to handle reception. Something urgent has come up that I need to address personally."
"I'll be there in five, sir."
"Thank you, Professor Shaw," Ozpin replied in his typically smooth diction, terminating the call before taking a sip from his mug.
"Sorry to be such a bother, sir," Jaune said softly.
"Think nothing of it, Mister Arc. Would you like to deposit your luggage in your dorm room first? It is but a trivial detour."
"I actually kind of need it. If this takes too long, I'm going to end up spending the night in Vale."
"The dorms are open, effective today, for returning students," Ozpin countered as they walked.
"I didn't know that," he replied, raising his eyebrows in surprise. "Sure, I guess dragging this around is gonna get old after a while. If it's not too much trouble."
"Not at all. Besides, a few alterations to the campus layout have been made, and you likely missed the scrollmail on it."
"Yeah thing's been dead for a couple months now."
"How long have you been back, might I ask?"
"Got back yesterday, actually."
"Ah. We need to get your scroll updated as well."
"Yeah, Ruby said something about the CCT?" he asked, glad that Ozpin hadn't yet pressed him on the circumstances of his absence.
"Yes. Taken offline when malicious software was discovered running on the network. By your sister, I believe."
"Margie?" he asked, blinking in surprise.
"Marguerite, you mean? Yes. She interned here in the CCT office over the summer. The security team is conducting final checks now to ensure all traces of the virus have been purged."
"Sounds serious," Jaune subtly prodded for more information.
"Indeed. Though likely it was just the work of amateurs who had a pet project get out of hand," Ozpin replied, taking a sip of his hot cocoa as they turned towards the newly-built dorm wing.
Jaune regarded him with a barely raised eyebrow at the slight incongruity of the statement, but offered no comment. "This is the second year dorms? I thought those were over by the dining hall."
"A few things have been shuffled as the result of the total loss of the exchange student lodging as well as the damage to the upperclassmen's dorms. It's all one building now, with more flexibility in the team suites."
"Suites?"
"Yes, I can imagine not having to walk down the hall to the showers will be a most welcome change of pace."
"Certainly for the girls. Pyrrha kept asking me to escort her whenever she went during second semester. I think there was somebody creeping on her, but she never would tell me who."
"One of many reasons I'm glad to have you back leading your team, Mister Arc," Ozpin replied with an enigmatic smile on his lips. "Here we are. Your Scroll, please."
"Hmm? Oh!" he replied, handing the device over. A few taps on Ozpin's Scroll coded the door appropriately, and he double checked it with Jaune's, getting a soft beep as the door lock disengaged. Jaune opened the door, plucking his scroll from Ozpin's grasp and wheeling his luggage inside. A cozy common room held a pair of desks with computer terminals, as well as a couple couches faced towards the door, the large television screen mounted above it in full view of them. A single door was on the opposite wall, as well as one to either side of him, all three standing open to reveal a common bathroom separating two bedrooms.
"This new floorplan was adopted to offer a modicum more privacy within teams, as well as allow for students to engage in leisure activities without disturbing their teammates."
"That mean here in the common room, or their bedrooms?" Jaune asked with a slight smirk, remembering Margie's tales of collegiate debauchery.
"Yes," Ozpin replied, reading between the lines better than most would.
"Got it," he chuckled, heaving his suitcase onto a bed and returning to the door. Jaune closed it firmly and double checked the lock with his Scroll. Satisfied, he fell in step with the Beacon Headmaster again.
"We've also had to change the curriculum a bit. Faculty shortage across all four Academies," Ozpin clarified.
"That's not good."
"I'm afraid not, but it does offer some benefits to the students. Opportunities to teach as well as learn from their fellows."
"I don't follow."
"We've instituted a mentorship program for the incoming freshman class, to ease the load on the faculty. Helping with the issues that fall outside the normal academic curriculum. I can tell you from extensive personal experience that the best way to learn is to teach, Mister Arc."
"I suppose," Jaune replied, barely containing his skepticism. There was clearly more going on, but Ozpin was never one to come out and say much, if anything, that could be taken at face value.
"Also, you'll need to resubmit your class preferences for the year."
"Faculty shortage?" he asked, already fearing that was going to be a recurring theme for the school year.
"Your application was purged from the system upon the erroneous report of your demise. In addition, all student files had to be reviewed for errors and falsifications," Ozpin added, a chill creeping up Jaune's spine at the mention of his transcripts. "It appears that for whatever reason, your prep school transcripts were altered and riddled with errors. Why, it even looked like someone was trying to make them appear to be forgeries."
"Heh. Imagine that," Jaune forced through a smile he didn't truly feel.
"I had to toss them out entirely, of course. No telling what was true and what wasn't. We'll just treat you as a second year transfer student. You did manage passing grades in your first year at an institution with equivalent educational standards to Beacon, did you not?"
"Yyyes?"
"Excellent! No need to further complicate things."
"Thanks," he replied, trying to get his pounding heart back under control.
"Not at all, Mister Arc. The less work I have to deal with, the better."
"I thought Professor Goodwitch dealt with all of that stuff anyway."
"Professor Goodwitch has more pressing matters to attend to at present, as you'll no doubt discover."
"That sounds...dark."
"Merely a well-deserved promotion, I assure you."
"Oh," Jaune offered quietly, starting as he realized they'd arrived at the elevator in the lobby of Beacon Tower. "That was quick."
"I've found that time flies with good conversation. Shall we?" he asked as the door opened.
Jaune stepped into the elevator car with a brief glance about, not noticing any changes in this part of the campus at least.
"Now then, since I know this ride will be completely private, I must ask you what you've been up to this summer. Huntsmen coming back from the dead isn't unheard of, but first year students doing so is," Ozpin opined, tilting his head down to look Jaune in the eye over his glasses.
"I was training. My Sensei is a former Huntsman; got out of the game years ago. They helped...tried to help defend Shion. They nearly died, but I was able to help them like I did Amber."
"You've seen her?" he asked, genuinely surprised.
"Yeah, ran into her on Patch," Jaune answered, not sure if he'd screwed up somehow.
"I see. Please, continue."
"Well, once they'd recovered, we still had to hide. Sensei said that at least one of the people sent to attack Shion wanted them dead, or worse."
"I see. Terrible business, personal vendettas. Might I ask who this Sensei was? In strictest confidence, of course," he added hastily.
"No." Ozpin paused to reflect for a moment, and Jaune decided to head off further inquiry. "I swore on my family honor not to reveal their identity. I don't even know their name, but they made me promise all the same, in exchange for training."
"And if I threatened to expel you for insubordination?" Ozpin asked in a casual tone that belied the serious subject matter.
"You wouldn't."
"You seem rather sure of that."
"If you wanted me gone, I've given you more than enough reason already. And even if you did, I still wouldn't break my vow," Jaune added, steel in his voice.
"No you wouldn't," Oz answered with a slight smile after a moment's contemplation. "No one in your line ever has."
"You sound pretty sure of that."
"I'm a keen student of history, though my passion lies in the finer details. People, families and the like. Genealogy would be the technical term."
"I think my great grandmother was big on that too. Never met her though."
"Marlena Arc? Yes, I've read some of her work. Fascinating insight. I could send you a digital copy if you'd like," he added, clearly a subject he enjoyed.
"Sure? I mean, it can't be any worse than Doctor Oobleck's history assignments."
"I'll see to it. After you," he added as the elevator doors slid open.
The slow rhythm of the clockwork gears beneath the green glass floor hid the sound of their footfalls as they both stepped slowly towards the Headmaster's desk. Ozpin took his seat, picking up a tablet-sized scroll and tapping through file menus before he found what he needed. He slid the tablet across the desk, and Jaune caught it just before it reached the edge.
"Fill in the blanks to the best of your ability, everything should be self-explanatory."
"Yes, sir."
"And your Scroll again? I can get it upgraded to the current, secure software while you're managing that."
Jaune absently passed the device across the desk, involved in trying to remember several rarely used personal details required for what he was already calling his resurrection papers. Ozpin set the device onto a corner of his desk, a blue light flickering to life underneath it a second later.
"I'm going to back everything up in the unlikely event something goes wrong."
"Uh, sure." Jaune half-replied, trying to remember the proper spelling of his maternal grandfather's Solitan surname.
"I'll also load that pair of books for you when we're done."
"Thank you, sir," he said, voice barely above a mumble as he concentrated on trying to remember his address prior to their move to what his mother lovingly termed Maison D'Arc while she had been pregnant with Olivia. "I really do appreciate this, sir."
"I would make such an effort for any of my students, Mister Arc," he said sagely, steepling his fingers as he leaned back in his chair slightly. Waiting patiently, Ozpin busied himself with whatever minutiae pertaining to Beacon that he could in between sips of cocoa.
"Hazelnut mocha, sir?" Jaune asked, catching a whiff on the air conditioned breeze.
"You have a good nose."
"My grandparents owned a bakery in Orleans, served a really nice hazelnut roast; went great with Grammy Eloise's madeleines."
"Ah."
"I think that's everything, sir."
"Go ahead and send it to the printer. These requests have to be filed in physical form, with appropriate signatures and countersigned by witnesses."
"How…?"
"File, print, Emerald Tower 1."
"Okay, got it," he replied quickly, the printer under Ozpin's desk beginning to slowly churn out a small stack of forms. The cadence was almost hypnotic, and Jaune felt himself zone out just a bit as Ozpin stood, walking to a small credenza in a forgotten corner of his office. The Headmaster plucked a pen from the top drawer before opening the drawer beneath it and retrieving a wooden box the size of an apple, both actions shielded from Jaune's view by his body.
"I'd forgotten I had this, if I'm being honest," he said absently, taking his seat again and sliding the box across the desk towards Jaune. The expectant look on Ozpin's face prompted him to examine the worn surface of the wood before opening it. An antique silver link chain held a simple golden pendant, shaped in a cruder, or perhaps older version of the twin arcs that made up Jaune's family sigil.
"Why would you have this?" Jaune asked, sure that it was older than he was, probably by a wide margin.
"Tell me, Mister Arc, what do you know about the first of your line?" Ozpin began, loath to repeat information that Jaune might already know.
"Cyrus Arc?" he clarified, getting a nod from the Headmaster as he gathered his own thoughts and memories. "I'm his direct paternal descendant, twenty-third in the line. Cyrus was one of the Lords whose holdings were absorbed into what eventually became the Kingdom of Vale. He ruled Arconis Keep, a castle standing against the Grimm in the days before Huntsmen. He took the Keep from Geb Makarrin, the Monster of the Mists; slew him in single combat. Guess you get to rename things when you're in charge," he added nonchalantly. "I've never heard a good location on it, though. Supposedly it's somewhere around the Bay of Mist here in Vale."
"You're actually standing ten stories above the northwest tower. Its ruins, to be specific."
"How do you know that?"
"I have access to some of the more esoteric historical records in the Beacon Archives. You're also wrong about one thing. Your forebear took his name from the Keep rather than the converse. Cyrus was born Osiris Makarrin." Ozpin paused as Jaune processed the information he'd been given.
"Cyrus killed his own brother?"
"His father. Geb was a valiant, and stalwart fighter, but ruled with an iron fist. He believed that only through discipline, strength, and denial of base emotion could the Grimm be held at bay. A philosophy that sadly led to the Great War centuries later." Ozpin paused a moment to allow his words to sink in. "Geb had forbade Osiris to marry his beloved Gwaelin, a servant to the Queen, seeking to bind another noble house to his line instead. To keep his son in line, Gwaelin was sold into bondage. When he discovered what his father had done, Osiris renounced his birthright and pursued the slavers to the ends of Remnant to rescue her."
"But he returned to Arconis, right?"
"He did. At the head of a rebellion against his father. Their final confrontation would put the tragedies of Autolycus and Patroclus to shame. In the end, Geb could not be reasoned with, and so fell to the very sword you bear on your hip. Cyrus cast off his name, adopting the surname of Arc, as a sign that his dedication was to the land and its people."
"Huh. Arc family fights have a long tradition, I guess."
"I suspect there are many families that could claim the same," Ozpin countered with a conspiratorial smile. "That pendant was the betrothal gift Cyrus gave his wife when they married in secret in a desert temple south of present day Vacuo. She later died tragically in childbirth, but their son Horus survived to continue the line. Cyrus was...a broken man after that," Ozpin said softly.
"I can imagine. Well, thanks for sharing that with me, Professor. Here you go," he said, lowering the relic of his family slowly back into its box.
"Keep it. It is your birthright, after all. Just as much as your blade."
"I...I don't know what to say, Professor."
"A simple thank you will be more than sufficient. Though I would beg a favor of you, now that you mention it."
"What's that?"
"I have to give an address to a small group of guests in the Vigil Garden in," he paused to look up at the clock, "twenty minutes. If you would be so kind as to deliver it for me?"
"Sir!?" he replied, eyes wide in alarm.
"Public speaking and the ability to inspire others in the most dire of circumstances is a critical part of a Huntsman's job, Mister Arc. Also, as I will be rather busy making a call to Councilman Wolfe to get this paperwork pushed through as quickly as possible, I will be unavailable. I already have the speech written," he said smoothly, tapping at a tablet Scroll for a few moments before the printer began spitting out yet another sheet of paper even as Ozpin pushed the larger packet of paperwork across his desk. "Signatures on pages two, seven, fourteen and sixteen, initials only on the rest," he added, retrieving the single sheet of paper containing his speech. He looked it over one last time for errors before scratching something out with a single stroke of his pen. Satisfied, he folded the sheet and passed it, the pen and Jaune's Scroll across the desk to Jaune. "Please do check the Beacon intranet for the course catalog for the upcoming year. I can only extend your eligibility for classes so long."
"Yes, sir."
"And do hurry. You don't want to be late."
"My mother always said I'd be late to my own funeral," Jaune joked as he rose, pushing the stack of papers towards Ozpin.
"Let's hope it doesn't come to that," he replied with a cryptic smile.
"And thank you. For everything," he added, extending a gauntleted hand towards Ozpin, who accepted it graciously despite the overeager handshake that followed.
"Please, think nothing of it. You have a bright future here at Beacon, and I would be remiss if I ever let that light be extinguished."
"I...umm...better get going then," he said, slipping the speech into his left pocket, and his new pendant into his right, rather than fumble with armored fingers to try and work the clasp. He stepped quickly to the elevator, finding the car still there and waiting for him.
Ozpin watched the door close from his desk, his eyes narrowing as the boy vanished from his sight. He retrieved his weapon from his pocket, extending the cane and using his thumb to turn the spherical head of the Long Memory a quarter turn, a soft amber glow coming from it before he extinguished it.
With a gesture, a large hardlight display flickered to life above Ozpin's desk, displaying a list of folders. He selected one, and a tiled matrix of thumbnail photos sprang to life. Zooming in, he quickly scrolled through the assembled pictures, finding nothing of note. Humming softly in disappointment, Ozpin flipped back to one picture in particular, expanding it and studying the facial expressions carefully.
Ruby Rose and Jaune Arc were clearly elated, in the foreground with the rest of teams RWBY and JNPR behind them with beaming smiles, the eight of them wearing their Vytal Festival Tournament medals with pride. Even through the smiles, experienced eyes could see the relationships there on display.
The two team leaders had arms over each other's shoulders, Nora Valkyrie clearly had an arm wrapped around Lie Ren's waist, with Pyrrha Nikos's attenton ever so slightly upon her team leader, if her warm smile was any indication. Weiss Schnee had a smile on her face that was far removed from her normal public facade, and Yang Xiao Long was giving a boisterous hug to both her and Blake Belladonna, the latter blushing slightly at the attention. Oz gave a soft smile of his own at that, before pulling up the dorm assignments, switching a pair of teams and smiling a little more. One worked with the assets they were given, after all, and the future of Remnant was far less random than anyone would guess.
Not if he had anything to say on the matter.
"Advanced wilderness survival?" Jaune mumbled to himself, the class and elective options available to him dizzying in their variety. It seemed like specialization was now the name of the game at Beacon, rather than having a monolithic program of classes. A soft, and now annoyingly familiar, buzz alerted him that the class was already full, much like everything else he'd tried to select. The mandatory second-year curriculum had the obvious entries; combat class, Grimm studies and the like, but they were being afforded far more latitude in the rest of their course load. Well, the royal they, as Jaune found his options rapidly dwindling as the elevator reached the lobby and he exited the car.
Two steps onto the marble tile and he was stopped short, no pun intended, his path blocked by the diminutive form of Professor Thumbelina Peach, the horn-rimmed glasses perched precariously on the tip of her nose a dead giveaway of the elderly woman's identity. A yellow knit shawl graced her shoulders, and her eyes squinted to look up at Jaune for a moment before recognition dawned on her wizened face.
"Well, then, Mister Arc. Looks like you're not dead after all."
"No, ma'am," he replied, forcing a smile. He'd never felt at ease with the slow, nasal drawl of the woman's voice, or her seemingly lethargic demeanor. He once heard another student swear up and down that she was a banana slug Faunus.
"Well then. I suppose I'll have to deal with your antics in my class again."
"Actually, I don't know if I'll have anything with you this year. All the electives seem to be full," he said, carefully not mentioning that he hadn't even considered Peach's botany class as an option.
"Then you'll just have to deal with me teaching Grimm studies then."
"Oh, heheh."
"And of course you finished all your summer reading assignments," she stated more than asked, getting a nervous, frozen grin in response. "Your stunned silence is very reassuring," she droned, walking slowly past him to the elevator.
Once she was out of earshot, Jaune looked at his scroll again, backing out the elective selections before spotting the time display in the upper corner. "Crap!" he shouted, taking up a brisk trot towards the lobby doors as he shoved the device into his pocket. I could have sworn that elevator ride was faster on the way up! his panicked self thought.
The dash to the western side of the campus went quickly, helped by the relative lack of foot traffic, and passing through one of the rows of tall columns that accented the architecture of the campus he finally arrived at his destination. The small plaza was mostly occupied with folding chairs set out on the paving stones, sixty or so in neat rows facing a small mahogany podium with the twin axes of Vale in polished silver on the front. To the right of this was the simple circular dais upon which burned Beacon's Vigil Flame, an eternal monument to the fallen Huntsmen whose names were inscribed upon the dark granite slabs that stood along the border of the garden, the shrubberies behind trimmed to geometric perfection.
Thanking his good fortune, and his footspeed, Jaune straightened himself out for a moment, checking his appearance. A slight twinge of fear made itself known at the notion that he might have misheard the headmaster, but it was banished from his mind at the sight of red hair, cascading over bronze and leather, as Pyrrha Nikos knelt next to one of the panels. She looked just like he remembered, a peerless Huntress and flawless beauty in one exquisite package. Her voice was barely audible as he approached his partner from behind, his steps filled with trepidation. His assertions to Yang aside, this was the reunion he was truly worried about, Pyrrha's fierce protective streak well known and at times a bit smothering to him. Still, he could no longer put this off, and so he took a deep breath, pondering exactly what to say to her.
"...always be there with us, Jaune. I still can't believe they just...put somebody in our dorm. On our team. They've already moved their things in like they belong there," she said with the slightest hint of simmering anger.
Jaune's lips curled into a confident smirk, his words leaving them even before he could stop himself. "That guy really sounds like an insensitive jerk," he began, smiling a bit more as Pyrrha bolted to her feet. "Let's take him 'round back and beat the crap out of him." Pyrrha turned, her green eyes wide in shock as she saw a living ghost before her. "Sorry, couldn't help…" he managed before she crashed into him, her arms gripping him tightly as if he might disappear again, "...myself. Shhhh," he added, returning her hug eagerly, his hand stroking the back of Pyrrha's neck just above her gorget, reassuring her as he felt a sob wrack her frame. "I'm here, okay?"
"Where? How?"
"I'll explain everything once we've got everyone together, I promise."
"But…"
"I promise, Pyrrha," he half-whispered into her hair, which smelled faintly of jasmine, another sob threatening to overtake her as she mumbled something into the side of his neck. "What was that?"
"I'm sorry," she whispered hoarsely.
"What? No, Pyrrha, I'm sorry, okay?"
"No, you...I...we…" she began, fumbling for the words.
"It's okay. I promise."
"But…"
"Pyrrha? Look at me," he softly implored her, taking half a step back out of her embrace. Pyrrha gasped softly as she felt his hands cradle her cheeks, Jaune's thumbs gently wiping at her tears. "I'm sorry, Pyr. Truly," he added, gazing directly into her eyes. "I don't know everything that happened, but it doesn't matter now. None of it. I'm here, you're here. We're here. Together. Okay?" he said softly, her heart beginning to race with the proximity and Jaune's gentle touch. Pyrrha simply nodded, blinking the tears from her eyes, the beginnings of a smile on her lips drawing one out of her partner as well.
"Okay," she replied, her voice a ragged whisper.
"Now that you're here, Pyrrha, there's something I've been wanting to talk to you about all summer."
"What is it, Jaune?"
"Well, until it died, I was watching the Scroll videos you sent me. Training with them. You really were a help, you know?"
"I was trying to be," she said with a smile, her right hand now resting on Jaune's shoulder.
"Well, I got to the last one. Where you were talking a little more at the end?"
"Yes?" she prompted him, her own nerves on edge now.
"When you said you were just happy to be a part of my life? You really meant that, didn't you?"
"I meant every word, Jaune. You're special to me. Important. I..."
"You're important to me, too, Pyrrha. Sometimes I don't think I say it enough. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me, and I wouldn't be where I am without your help," he said, never breaking eye contact with her.
"Jaune, I…" she began, already strained emotions threatening to crack as she leaned her forehead against his. Her eyes closed serenely as she took a deep breath, steeling herself for what she was about to say. Jaune could feel the tension between them, apprehensive at what Pyrrha would tell him. What he didn't expect was her eyes flitting wide, her smile evaporating quickly. "Oh no," she whispered.
"What?" Jaune asked, Pyrrha's worried expression easily rubbing off on him.
"You don't hear that?" she asked, taking a large step backwards and out of his grasp.
"I...oh, hell," he said, finally picking up on a distant sound, not unlike the wail of a steam locomotive rapidly bearing down on him. "Pyrrha," he said plaintively, looking to escape his doom.
"Be brave, Jaune," she replied, biting her lips as he sighed, setting his face into a mask of stoic determination.
"One does not fear what must be," he pronounced with what authority he could muster, spreading his arms wide and accepting his fate. A moment later, a pink and black missile hit him square in the gut, knocking him to the ground with a not-insubstantial weight now resting upon his abdomen. Looking up, he found what he had expected; a bubbly, cheerful Nora Valkyrie looking down at him, her turquoise eyes sparkling mischievously.
"Hey, Nora," Jaune deadpanned.
"Heyyyy, Fearless Leader. Sooooo... How've ya been?" she asked so sweetly that even Jaune understood the question was dangerously loaded.
"Nora," Pyrrha began, doing her best to mitigate Nora's exuberance and potential rage.
"Oh, hey, Pyrrha! I found Jaune!" she added cheerfully, sitting up atop him. A quick, almost malevolent glance dared him to try and escape her sight. Pyrrha couldn't help but smile at her friend's cheerful tone. Nora had been one of the few bright lights in her life over the summer, and her offbeat charm was never unwelcome to her friends. "And you, mister. You've got a lot of explaining to do!" she added, jabbing a finger into the tip of his nose.
"I know, Nora. I never meant for any of this to happen, and I'm sorry that I made you all think I was dead."
"Pssh. I knew you weren't really dead," she said dismissively, .
"You had me cook a charity benefit pancake breakfast so that you could erect a twenty foot tall statue of Jaune on the Beacon campus," Lie Ren said, tempering his partner's wild assertion with ease born of experience. "Twice."
"I was preeetty sure you weren't really dead," Nora corrected, her gaze sliding away from Jaune's, trying to feign innocence.
"I am glad to see you safe, Jaune," Ren added, grabbing Nora by the sides of her ribcage and lifting her off of his friend. Pyrrha helped Jaune return to his feet as well, and he was finally able to get a good look at the rest of his team.
Ren had shed the loose, Animan-style tunic for a tailed, double-breasted sleeveless coat in the same style, green with silver trim that allowed much more freedom of movement. Compression sleeves covered his arms in black graduating to a subdued pink at the wrist that nearly matched his small shock of magenta hair, capped by embossed steel bands at the bicep. Stormflower now sat on magnetic holsters at mid-thigh, with a crimson braid that accented his hips, tied into an intricate knot at the small of his back. The trousers were still white, but with silver-trimmed, open-toed black boots on his feet.
Nora now wore a simple white shirt, the small, heart-shaped window over the decolletage now bearing a diagonal cut through it. This was covered with a short-sleeved black jacket with pink stripes on the arms, red lining peeking through at the collar. The boots and fingerless gloves were largely unchanged, though her pink skirt was decidedly poofier than the previous year.
"Looking good, you two," Jaune opened with, getting a peeved eyebrow raise from both Ren and Nora before he relented, taking a step forward and embracing them both, Nora's fierce return hug driving the breath from his lungs. "I promise I'll explain everything that I can, but I've got to do something first. Which reminds me, what are you guys doing here?"
The three of them shared a look of concern and confusion, worrying Jaune further until Pyrrha turned to her right, and he followed her gaze to the lower half of the granite panel she'd been talking to. Blue painter's tape bordered a box twelve inches wide and three tall, a few letters freshly engraved in the same font as the hundreds of other names adorning the memorial.
Jaur
"They couldn't even get your name done in time," Pyrrha lamented softly.
"In time for what?" Jaune asked, already dreading the answer.
"Seriously?" Nora countered, her voice precariously close to anger once again.
"I…"
"SEE! I told you! But nobody EVER listens to me!" screamed an all-too-familiar voice that punched Jaune in the gut for what it portended. Sure enough, he turned and was greeted by the shocked faces of his entire family, save Olivia, who was red with rage at the injustice of it all.
"Umm, hi?" Jaune said simply, trying to force a smile before he was trampled to death, or worse.
In retrospect, what surprised him most was that Violette was the first of his sisters to reach and bury him in a fierce hug. Ivy followed soon after, and beyond that, he lost track of everyone. It didn't help that Vi was blubbering through barely coherent apologies, giving Jaune pause at his normally catty sister's change of heart. He shushed her softly, even given that she was older, returning the mass hug as best he could. "Hey, everybody. It's okay. I'm here, all right? I'm really, really sorry, and I promise I'm going to explain everything in a minute, okay?"
The group of sisters mobbing him couldn't muster a coherent, unified response yet, and thus he simply let them wear themselves out, with him as their rock in the storm. After a moment, Jaune opened his eyes, looking to his parents, who stood with teary eyes as well. Surprisingly, a haggard but still smiling Terra was present also, cradling a tiny bundle in her arms. Terra was slightly tense, unsure of how her new family would handle such a momentous reversal of fortune.
Jaune managed to extricate himself from his sisters with minor difficulty, the sea of blond hair parting to allow him passage towards their parents. His pulse roared in his ears as he briskly stepped forward, jaw set as he approached his father, who was beginning to show apprehension through his joy.
"Jaune, I know that…" he began, trying to make peace before a blindingly fast right hook from a gauntleted fist cut him off and launched him into the first row of chairs.
Swift, decisive, and without reservation, kohai. Every strike must be made to end the fight. Your enemy will not allow you another, he remembered in an adrenaline-fueled burst of clarity.
"Jaune!" his mother screamed in horror, her daughters stunned to silence. "What the hell do you think…?"
"That's enough, Rose," her husband interjected quickly, righting himself with the ease of someone who took such abuse for a living. "I earned that one," he admitted, a wary respect in his cobalt eyes. Jaune himself was still visibly seething, his right fist still clenched should its use still be warranted. "That one," Renard Arc emphasized, far better practiced in stubbornness than his son. "I know you're upset, and I am sorry for…"
"No," Jaune growled, stopping Renard dead in his tracks. "I get it, Dad. You had to help the family get through things, give them time to grieve, and to move on. Heal the wounds. I might not have the best grades here at Beacon, but I do pay attention in class," he said as evenly as he could manage given his anger.
"Then why…?"
"Apologize to her!" he shouted, pointing to Olivia. "You wouldn't let her go through the process because she was being difficult!?" he nearly screamed in anger.
"Jaune...it's not that simple."
"Oh, do tell," he retorted sarcastically.
"Huntsmen are getting scarce across the entire Kingdom, Jaune. There's been some kind of manpower shortage in Mistral, and if you can even find someone for a funeral detail, the cost is astronomical. I ended up pulling two of my mentors out of retirement for it, and one of them is missing an arm!" Renard barked, beginning to lose his cool. Funerals in Orleans were always a problematic affair, as city ordinance forbade cemeteries within the walls of the city, much like countless towns and settlements across Remnant. "I was burying my son. I'll be damned if I was going to lose another child!"
"You could have asked my team."
"They were grieving too, Jaune. They had to recover just like we did."
"Ren could've handled it with his Semblance," Jaune countered, feeling the high ground slowly slipping from his grasp.
"I didn't know that, Jaune."
"Did you ask?"
"How the hell was I supposed to know? I was barely keeping it together myself. I had to be strong for your mother and sisters and just bottle my own emotions. I couldn't grieve, Jaune. Not yet. I can only pray to the Gods that you never have to make that decision, son."
Jaune sighed heavily, his anger subsiding to a slow simmer as he closed his eyes. "How long did you actually hold on to hope, Dad?"
"You are my son, Jaune. Even when I knew I should have, I never gave up," he added, his eyes misting over.
"You've got a funny way of showing it."
Renard paused, rubbing at his jaw for a moment. "Perhaps I do," he said softly, "But it's no less genuine, Jaune. You are, and will always be my little boy. Maybe I need to forget that sometimes."
"You need another reminder, let me know," Jaune replied, the barest hint of a cocky smirk curling his lip.
Renard gave him a brief glare, more of a narrowing of the eyes before he nodded solemnly, beginning to crack a smile afterwards.
"Are you two done?" Rose asked pointedly, and her son and husband both winced slightly, knowing full well the significance of her sharp tone.
"Yeah, Mom."
"Yes, dear," Renard muttered, idly shifting a chair back into position with his foot.
"Good," she said firmly, taking three quick steps to crush her only son in a hug that gave bear traps a run for their money. "Don't you ever do that again, Jaune," she whispered hoarsely, her tears beginning to flow in earnest.
"I'm sorry, Mom," he said softly, fighting his own guilt at making his mother cry. "Really, I am. I'll explain everything, I promise."
"You'd better," she growled in her best angry mom tone.
Jaune's arms were still firmly around his mother when a soft, burbling coo could be heard over the slight murmur of crowd noise. Jaune turned his eyes, finding Terra fussing over her son with a tired, but beaming, smile. The new mother was placating him with a pacifier for the time being, her attention focused on Adrian rather than the rest of her family.
"That's…" Jaune began, his emotions more than a little conflicted seeing the boy. While the concept of fatherhood, no matter how distant, had been a little weird, seeing the boy there in the flesh was simply surreal.
"That's Adrian. Your son, Jaune," Saphron said from his side. He was so distracted by everything that he hadn't even heard her approach. Sensei would have had him spitting up blood for inattentiveness like that. Then her words sunk in, or rather the fact that she'd spoken them in earshot of everyone.
"Saph?!"
"It's okay, Jaune. They know."
"I thought you wanted to keep that a secret!"
"We did. Then we thought you were dead. I...I wanted Dad to know we still had a little piece of you around."
Jaune looked to his father again, who was regarding him with a curious look, one Jaune had never seen before. "Your mother's right, Jaune. Not many men would do what you did. Especially lying to your own father to protect a secret," he added with a pointed glance.
"I didn't!" Jaune retorted, getting a raised eyebrow from Renard Arc. "Technically?"
"Ren," Rose Arc gently prodded her husband.
"You can let go of me now, Mom."
"No."
"Okay," Jaune replied, quickly surrendering the point. "But I do want you all to meet my team. Hey, guys! Come over here, there's someone I want you to meet. A lot of someones, actually," he clarified, managing to wrangle his mother's hug down to one arm. Pyrrha, Ren and Nora approached, appearing a mite cautious with the rambunctious Arc clan giving them all sorts of different looks. Pyrrha looked especially terrified, given the awestruck gaze of Olivia and Violette, and was almost pale as she came to his side.
"Okay, everybody, these fine people are the rest of my team here at Beacon. Pyrrha Nikos," he indicated with a free hand.
"The Pyrrha Nikos," Olivia whispered reverently.
"No, just a Pyrrha Nikos. Due to popular demand, she comes in six packs now," Jaune replied, trying to defuse his partner's trepidation. Judging by her nervous smile, it wasn't working nearly as well as he'd hoped. "Nora Valkyrie," he continued. "She's the quiet one," he stage whispered, getting a harumph from the girl. "And my one and only brother, since somebody couldn't give me another one, Lie Ren," he finished, reiterating a gripe the rest of his family knew all too well. "Guys, this is my father, Renard."
"Just call me Ren," he said magnanimously.
"That might cause confusion, sir," the younger Ren replied evenly.
"Oh? Mistrali?" Renard asked, taking in Ren's appearance.
"Close enough," the younger man confirmed.
"My mother, Rose. In order, my oldest sister, Saphron. Marguerite, Violette, Olivia there with the weapons," he continued, breaking Liv out of her trance.
"Hi," she said with a tiny wave of the hand, still starstruck it seemed.
"Pearl, Peri, and the best little sister in the world, Ivy," he finished, ruffling the young girl's hair for emphasis, getting a squeak of protest from her.
"And this is Terra, my sister-in law," he said, regarding the out-of-place woman with a welcoming gaze. "And her, well, our, son, Adrian. It's a long story," he added, unsure why Ren and Nora were looking so confused.
"You're not...married?" Pyrrha asked, surprise writ large upon her face.
"Oh, damn it, not you guys too!"
"What?!" Saphron asked with a combination of mirth and shock in her voice.
"Well, someone thought it was a good idea to tell all of our friends that Terra and I were married," Jaune grumbled.
"I blame Yang," Nora piped up. "Now, I didn't believe it for a second," she added with a beaming smile.
"You were demanding trial by combat with anyone who wanted to be Adrian's godmother," Ren interjected.
"Not helping," Nora replied melodically through her toothy grin.
Jaune could only chuckle at his teammates' antics. The return to what now passed as normal for him was definitely a breath of fresh air. His family, both parts of it, was here with him, and life was beginning to look up for the first time in weeks. Wait…
"Dad?"
"Yes?"
"Why are you all here?"
The look on Renard Arc's face would have been priceless to Jaune, were he not on the receiving end of it. His father was dumbfounded beyond any measure Jaune had ever seen, and he grew more unnerved as the moment stretched on. Catching a glimpse of movement, his gaze slipped over his father's shoulder, seeing the rest of his audience beginning to gather at the entrance to the Vigil Garden. Many were faces that he didn't recognize, but the few he did stood out.
Coco Adel stood solemnly in her typical mixture of browns and blacks that somehow never managed to look actually drab, a grim set to her normally haughty smirk, Gianduja slung easily over her shoulder. Her trademark black beret and sunglasses were in place, bringing her outfit together in typically flawless fashion. Velvet Scarlatina was a short distance away, taking a knee to speak with a young Mistrali girl no older than eight. The girl was wearing a formal kimono in flawless white silk with a black obi, a ridiculously tall woman standing beside them identically dressed. The third member of the apparent Mistrali family was an older man, no taller than Weiss in heels, the long hilt of a nagamaki rising from the scabbard at his waist to eye level for him. His outfit consisted of the full armor of a traditional Mistrali warrior poet, lacquered leather scales overlapped in an ornate pageantry of blacks, reds and golds, a full helm held under his arm.
Behind them was a nattily dressed Flynt Coal, his easygoing charm and snappy threads muted by the tired look on the young man's face. Neon Katt was at his side, a gaudy miniskirt and scandalously short top not quite matching her short, spiked orange hair. She was wearing what looked like white synthetic leather boots with platform soles, until Jaune realized that they were in fact prosthetics. He'd wondered what had happened to the ebullient girl after the Battle of Beacon, and now he had his answer. Speaking with Flynt was an older gentleman in an Atlesian Army uniform, a black beret perched above a grizzled, scarred face that still somehow projected some measure of warmth behind the stony visage. Doctor Oobleck was the only member of the Beacon faculty present, and even his typically manic energy seemed muted.
The briefest of moments had passed as he took the tableau in, Sensei's drills on observation having myriad uses beyond picking apart an opponent's defenses. Then the realization pooled in his stomach like he'd swallowed five pounds of lead shot.
"He didn't," Jaune muttered, dread already foremost in his mind as he reached into his pocket. He read the first few lines on the paper Ozpin had given him, his free hand his face as he pinched the bridge of his nose in resigned exasperation. "He did," he muttered darkly.
"Son?" Renard asked, still unsure of where the problem lay.
"Dad? Can you get everyone settled? I've...I've got a speech to give."
"You?" he replied, eyes wide in shock.
"I'd be offended, but...yeah, me." Jaune sighed, giving his mother a brief hug to tide her over before he finally broke free of her embrace. "I've got to do this, Mom. Should be just a couple minutes, okay? I'll be right over there, I swear," he added, knowing full well how paranoid his mother could get when she entered mama bear mode.
"We've got reservations at the Greenbriar afterwards, Jaune. We can get everything straightened out over dinner. Adding one more to a party of thirteen shouldn't be an issue," he added, Jaune doing the mental math and realizing that his team had been included in the invitation.
"Okay. Mind if I invite our sister team? They're in Vale right now."
"I'm not sure they could fit us in, Jaune," he said skeptically, though his son knew that the financial outlay was likely the issue.
"You wanna meet Weiss Schnee again, Mom?"
"Yes!" Rose replied with wide eyes.
"That's dirty pool, son," Renard grumbled.
"A fight worth having is a fight worth winning," he echoed again, a faint thought that he hoped his father wouldn't react the same way Qrow Branwen had.
"I see. Come on, kids, let's get settled so Jaune can do his thing, okay?" Renard reminded them, ushering the gaggle of Arc daughters and Terra to occupy a row and a half of the carefully arranged chairs with Pyrrha, Ren and Nora sliding in next to them.
Jaune read quickly through his speech twice, leaving the second half be for the moment, as that was the easy part of it. Satisfied that he hadn't been given something in Old Solitan, and having a pretty good grasp on how to pronounce everything there, he walked over to the podium, taking his place behind it and placing his speech on top of it, weighing it down with his closed scroll against the gentle breeze blowing through the poplar trees behind him. He tapped the tip of the slender microphone attached to the podium, getting a satisfactory pop from the set of speakers to either side of the audience.
That singular noise sparked a wave of motion in the small crowd, the one thing that stood out to him was Coco's slack-jawed amazement as she lowered her sunglasses to confirm what she was actually seeing. Perhaps his tale truly was out of the ordinary, but having actually lived it, Jaune was beginning to feel a little peeved at how impossible everyone seemed to treat his very existence. But that was not the reason he was here right now, and so he shoved it into the dark recesses of his mind as best he could.
"Can I have everyone's attention, please?" Jaune asked, hoping he sounded more confident than he actually felt at the moment. "If you'll take your seats, we can begin shortly." The crowd slowly took their seats, and Jaune was simultaneously nervous and glad for the presence of his family and teammates. They both reassured him and were the people he least wanted to disappoint, and so he took a deep breath, and began to read.
"Colleagues. Friends. Family. We gather today to honor and remember those who have fallen in defense of life and liberty. From time immemorial, and with names and titles more varied than the Lost Nations of Remnant, Huntsmen and Huntresses have fought against the darkness that threatens our world. Through their training, their skill, and most importantly their courage, Huntsmen stand between civilization and the abyss that threatens to consume us all." He paused here momentarily, his own feelings on the fall of Shion not something he was proud of.
"It is not a burden shouldered easily, nor is it a peaceful life. So many stories that will never be told, so many moments, lost to the Grimm. Those precious few who heed the call to serve their fellows will never know the true depth of gratitude owed them. We can only honor their service, preserving their names and legacies to posterity, and to inspire those who take up the fight in their stead."
"And thus, as we do at the start of every school year, we add the names of Beacon Academy alumni who have passed beyond the veil, their names now engraved upon the memorial before you," Jaune added with a slight flourish of his hand, thinking better of it almost immediately. What other memorial would you be talking about, Yak Boy? he could almost hear Sensei berate him.
Banishing that thought from his head, Jaune began to read once again, each name spoken with as much reverence and respect as he could muster. Most of the names elicited a quiet nod, or a shed tear, perhaps even a softly whispered prayer from someone in attendance, his own guilt ramping up yet again as he saw the sadness before him. He would never allow himself or any of his friends to end up on a wall somewhere; not if he had anything to say about it.
"Fox Alistair. Lawrence Appleton," he began, before having to pause a moment to skip over his own, crossed out name Thanks, Ozpin. Never would've remembered otherwise, he mused dryly, before the next name truly gave him pause.
"Sable Carter," he said a little more softly than the first two. While he hadn't known her beyond passing interactions during the Vytal Tournament, the notion that a strong, confident Huntress like Sable had been plucked from the world at her age was quite sobering.
"Harriet Cedar. Ray Crawford. Samantha Crowne. Yatsuhashi Daichi," he continued, giving a quick glance to an openly weeping Velvet, Coco's stony face betraying little as she comforted her teammate, his own eyes misting over a bit.
"Midori Fujimori. Ivori Goldsmith. Darren Graves. Jarrod Lamp. Leonardo Lionheart. Penny Polendina. Peter Port. Marten Reed. Kobalt Schwarz. Julia Tamarind. Oliver Umber. Sylvia Wren." Jaune paused again as he finished the list, hearing a choked sob from somewhere. He chose not to find the source, lest he lose his now tenuous bearing before the conclusion of the ceremony.
"May their souls find the peace they forsook in life, and their memories give us hope when all seems lost. Thank you all for your attendance; may your pain fade with time, but your memories never dim." Jaune took a deep breath and exhaled, waiting for the crowd to stand and begin mingling before he stepped down from the podium, his fingers trembling slightly as his nerves finally caught up to him. His eyes were downcast as he closed in on his family, feeling a hand close over his own.
He blinked and smiled softly at Pyrrha, her reading his turbulent emotional state a welcome gesture. "You did wonderfully, Jaune," she said with a soft smile of her own, patting the back of his hand.
"Thanks, Pyr," he said, looking up and into her eyes, reminded once again just how beautiful his partner truly was.
"I believe we were promised an explanation, oh Fearless Leader?" Nora chimed in, irrevocably breaking the moment. Jaune caught Pyrrha blushing slightly at her friend's bluntness, as well as a narrowing of the eyes from his mother of all people. This spiked Jaune's adrenaline once again, as it was a universal sign that Rose Arc had a mystery to solve, and Dust forbid anyone get in her way.
"Not here, Nora. Dad? How about we all wander over to the dorms? It's not far, and we won't be interrupting anyone else here. Plus, we're going to need some privacy for this."
"That's not a good sign," Renard Arc said dryly.
"Besides, you'll probably want to get a look at the new dorms anyway, and the girls too."
His father sighed softly, logic overcoming his need for immediate answers. "Lead the way," he said with resignation in his voice.
"And you expect us to go along with this, Jaune?!" Rose Arc demanded, the fourteen of them crammed into the common room of Team JNPR's suite.
"I gave my word, Mom," Jaune gamely tried to placate his mother.
"Gods save me from stubborn Arc men!" she scoffed, daring anyone to gainsay her.
"Yes. He is a man, Mrs. Arc. A brave, kind and honorable man, and the best friend I've ever had," Pyrrha pronounced, her back straight as she waded into the emotional morass. "He does all of you credit with how he's conducted himself since getting to Beacon, and I'm not going to stand aside and let my friend, my partner, be talked to like this!" she continued, Nora taken aback by the show of temper from the normally calm Pyrrha. The only person Nora knew calmer than her was Ren, and that was saying something. Rose's eyes were wide at the outburst as well, the fire and conviction on display cowing even her maternal ire.
"Pyr?" Jaune began quietly, hoping to get things calm again. "Thanks, but I've got this," he said, patting her shoulder before turning to his mother. "Mom, I know you don't like this. You've made it super clear, okay? But if I can't keep my word, what kind of man am I? Certainly not one worthy of bearing the sword, or the crest, let alone my name," he admitted, remembering and digging for the pendant he'd been gifted. "Couldn't even wear this," he added, dangling the jewelry up for his parents to see. Rose regarded the bauble with skepticism while her husband examined it carefully, his expression a mixture of curiosity and disbelief.
"Where did you get that, Jaune?"
"Professor Ozpin had it, said he'd forgotten completely about it. Supposedly belonged to Gwaelin Arc," he added offhandedly, stopping when he saw his father's face pale at the revelation.
"Jaune, that pendant hasn't been seen in our family's hands for over two hundred years. The only Arc family heirloom older than that is Crocea Mors," Renard said solemnly.
"Oh, umm, cool? I mean, it's back in the family again, right?" he said with an awkward grimace. It was just a necklace, right? "Mom? You think you could do me a favor here? You were always good with the girls when it came to jewelry." he asked, wiggling his gauntleted, and not particularly dextrous, fingers.
"Jaune, I love you, but you're hopeless sometimes," Rose said, rubbing her temples before she let out a sigh of maternal frustration. "C'mere," she grumbled, taking the chain from him and deftly working the clasp with a surgeon's fingers. "You really need a haircut, son," she half-whispered near his ear before she leaned back, her job done for now.
"I know, and thanks, Mom. How's it look?"
"You were born to wear it, Jaune," his father said. "Quite literally, but still. Just don't be giving that away to impress some pretty girl."
"Dad, it's a family heirloom, of course I'm not going to lose it."
"Well, it was also used as a betrothal gift in the early days of our family."
"I...oh," he replied softly as the realization hit him, not noticing Nora gently jab Pyrrha with an elbow. "Yeah, that's definitely not in the cards for a while."
"You'd better not be getting any girls pregnant either, Jaune," Rose chimed in.
"Like he could even get a girlfriend, Mom," Violette interjected with a sneer before Jaune could reply, her emotions having settled into her normal, barely concealed hostility.
"Oh, you never know. A big, strong, kind, generous, brave and handsome man who looks like he'll be even better looking when he gets older? What's not to love, huh, Pyrrha? It's violent, err, Violet, right?" Nora asked, cracking her knuckles loud enough to be heard across the hall and three doors down. Vi got the message loud and clear, her already fair skin going slightly paler at the threat of violence from a maniacally grinning Nora. Pyrrha's hand on Nora's shoulder turned the shorter girl's head far enough to see the slight shake of the head she was being given.
"Did you guys bring your luggage too?" Jaune asked his team, desperately trying to change the subject before his emotionally charged family got into each other again.
"Yes, Jaune," Ren replied in his smooth, even diction.
"Okay. Dad, do you think you can take the family and give us a minute? We'll meet you at the Aurelius statue in...fifteen minutes or so? Then you'll all get the grand tour courtesy of Vytal Tournament silver medalists Team JNPR!" he said, trying to sell it as best he could.
"You'd better not…" Rose began.
"No, I'm not going to disappear again! Nora would break my legs first."
"Guilty!" Nora chirped with entirely too much cheer for Jaune or his parents to feel comfortable.
"All right. Potty breaks everyone. We're not going to be stopping every fifteen minutes," Rose chided her girls, well-accustomed to riding herd on eight kids. Everyone shuffled out of the room, leaving JNPR a moment to breathe.
"Sooo, whaddya think?" Jaune asked.
"Violet keeps ragging on you and she's gonna regret it," Nora growled.
"I'm used to it, Nora, I promise."
"Doesn't make it right," she grumbled, her dark mood easing a bit when Ren's hand found the nape of her neck, eliciting a soft, shuddering coo of pleasure from her.
"How 'bout you, Pyr? I know Liv and Vi can be a bit much, but I think everyone else is fine with treating you like I do."
"Nobody treats me quite like you do, Jaune. But yes, they're a wonderful family. I can see so much of them in you. Like Nora said, what's not to love?" she added with a blush.
"That's the spirit!" Jaune replied, glad to have at least some backup dealing with his sisters and parents for the rest of the day.
"It's good to see another Huntress in the making as well," Ren added with a soft smile of approval.
"And, oh my gosh those weapons of hers look really nice," Nora added, channeling Ruby Rose for a moment.
"Oh, thanks for reminding me!" Jaune crowed, his eyebrows shooting upwards in the excitement he felt in finally fulfilling a promise. "I've got something for you two."
"You really didn't have to, Jaune," Ren reassured him.
"Oh, shush, Renny! Gimme the goods, Jaune-Jaune!"
He went back into his, well, their bedroom, hoping Ren wouldn't mind the bed he'd already picked out for himself. Opening his suitcase, he pulled out the wooden box he'd been given what seemed like decades ago, returning to the common room and handing it to Ren.
"Jaune, this…"
"Isn't from me," he quickly interjected, causing Ren to arch a brow in confusion. "Open it," he added with a knowing smirk. Ren complied, lifting the lid of the box slowly before his eyes went wide.
"Jaune, this is definitely too much," he began, pulling a pristine pistol slide from the box. It belonged to an Atlesian CP11, deep bluing giving the metal a glossy black finish that gleamed in the light. Lovingly engraved into the side opposite the ejection port was Ren's personal emblem, a lotus highlighted in gold against the dark metal. The classic lines were enhanced with a new style compensator, identical to Olivia Arc's Fang katar.
"Ooh, pretty!" Nora opined. "That'll look really great with your green! Which one will you use it on?"
"There are two, Nora," he informed her, pulling its mate from the box with a soft chime as the slabs of metal struck each other.
"Oooooh, what'd I get?" she asked, her excitement barely contained now.
"I think it's that paper, Nora," Jaune said, trying to keep his calm before Hurricane Nora unloaded on them all.
"Umm, okay?" she said, cocking an eyebrow in confusion, plucking the slip of well-worn paper, wrinkles and a few stains marring the sheet. "Flour, eggs, sugar, cheese… This isn't a present, it's work! What the hell?! Ren gets sweet weapon upgrades and I get a shopping list?" She tossed the paper aside, only for her partner to pluck it easily from midair. "This is the worst kind of discrimination! The kind against me!" she railed as Ren read the list, his eyes going wide as realization set in.
"Where did you get this?" he asked Jaune, his voice overwhelmed with awestruck wonder. Even Nora was halted mid-rant at the normally stoic Ren's emotion. Jaune simply moved his left hand to the hilt of Crocea Corax, gently jiggling the Tigan weapon braid affixed to the pommel.
"Ren? What's the matter?" Nora asked, a twinge of familiarity nibbling at the edge of her thoughts at Jaune's gesture.
"This is Bunică Mari's recipe for papanasi."
Nora gasped in shock, looking to Ren, then the recipe, then Jaune, then back to the recipe, and one more time to Jaune. "Ren?"
"Yes, Nora?"
"I know I said, but...may I? Just this once?" she asked in a hopeful tone.
Jaune and Pyrrha both could only wonder at the strange conversation their teammates were having for the moment it took Ren to think over his response.
"Sure," Ren said, shrugging slightly.
Jaune didn't have time to blink, as Nora leapt into his arms with her legs wrapping around his abdomen before she grabbed both of his cheeks and planted an energetic kiss directly on Jaune's startled lips. She hummed happily through it all, several long seconds passing before she finally let go and dropped to her feet with an electric smile.
"Not bad, Fearless Leader, but still not good enough for this Queen," she mocked him gently, Jaune's words sputtering uselessly before they'd made it out of his mouth. "You can have him though, Pyr-Pyr." Pyrrha was too shocked to be angry at the giggling Nora, her jawbone halfway to the floor. "You're making us some, Ren!"
"We're going to dinner soon, Nora,"
"Now, Ren!" she barked petulantly.
"Tomorrow morning, Nora. I promise."
"Aww, but…"
"Tomorrow," Ren reminded her firmly. "Tonight, we're going to have dinner with Jaune and his family."
"Aaaand what about...dessert?" Nora asked, a dangerously mischievous grin tugging at her lips as she waggled her eyebrows.
"Yes, Nora. After dinner," Ren reassured her with a slight smile.
"Okay!" she replied, back to her usual high-energy sweetness.
"What just happened, Pyrrha?" Jaune whispered.
"I don't know," she answered, blinking slowly at the madness she'd welcomed back into her life with open arms.
"Oh, you guys are going to love papanasi. They're like donuts, but...more! And bigger!"
"Glad I could make you happy, I guess. Casian wanted me to tell you he's very proud of you, by the way. He's quite fond of you both. Magda, Elena and Nicolai, too," Jaune added helpfully, noting how Nora's expression darkened at the mention of Casian's family.
"I would never have thought he'd take on a gadjo as a student, Jaune. He does wield a sword, though," Ren added thoughtfully.
"He didn't."
"Oh."
"Please don't make this a thing, guys. I already have Yang nagging me about my Sensei, and it's annoying, even if it's only been two days."
"We worry, Jaune. And we have every right to," Pyrrha countered, pulling his shoulder so that he faced her. "This team wouldn't be the same without you," she said softly, her eyes misting over slightly.
"Okay. One more time, I'm really, really sorry about everything that happened. I've already told you everything I can, I promise. I just want to get back to being Team JNPR again, okay?"
"Okay," Pyrrha half-whispered, a bittersweet smile blooming on her face. She squeaked in surprise when Jaune leaned forward and embraced her, Nora quickly dragging Ren and herself into the lovefest as well.
"I love you guys," Nora said, squeezing her three teammates fiercely.
"I love breathing, too, Nora," Jaune gasped out, prompting her to release them all.
"Party pooper," Nora grumbled.
"We can all hang out together tomorrow, okay?" Jaune pleaded, trying to placate Nora before she got into mischief that even Ren couldn't rein in without significant collateral damage. "Maybe catch a movie or two?" he suggested, hoping to get some agreement from his team so that he could catch a few of the films he'd missed from the last few months.
"That sounds lovely, Jaune," Pyrrha chimed in with a warm smile.
"Cool! I hope you don't mind me taking the bed next to the window, Ren. I got used to fresh air when I sleep over the summer."
"I don't have a problem with it, Jaune, but…"
"Good! It's just nice to finally be able to give you girls some privacy," Jaune said cheerfully.
"What are you…?" Nora began before she understood the implication. "Nope! Not happening!"
"Nora, I respect you two too much to…"
"Nope!" Nora interrupted him.
"But…"
"You are not separating me and Ren, Jaune, and that's final."
"What if he accidentally sees you naked, Nora?"
"Pssh, like that would ever happen," she scoffed easily.
"You can't say that for sure!"
"Yes I can."
"No, you can't."
"Yes, I can," she retorted, beginning to grind her teeth.
"How?"
"Because, Fearless Leader, if Ren's going to see me naked, it won't be an accident," she concluded in a stage whisper, complete with a devious smile.
"There are better ways to announce our relationship, Nora," Ren calmly pronounced.
"Yeah? Well...Jaune was being a stupidhead," she replied, crossing her arms with a grumpy frown.
"Really?" Jaune asked. "I'm so happy for you both!" he added with a smile. "I mean, it was always gonna be you two, right, Pyrrha?"
"Right," she said with a nervous smile, obviously conflicted about the news.
"Well, I guess it's you and me then, partner! Need help moving any of your stuff into our bedroom?" Jaune asked, pausing for a moment at Pyrrha's blush.
"That almost sounds like you two're married, Pyrrha," Nora interjected mischievously.
"Oh, heheh. That's...preposterous, Nora. We've never even been on a date," Pyrrha added, the smile on her face slipping ever so slightly.
"Sorry. Didn't mean to make you uncomfortable, Pyr," Jaune said softly, scratching at the back of his neck.
She sighed lightly in response, glad to have Jaune back to his mostly normal self, it seemed. "It's all right, Jaune. You didn't mean to offend, I'm sure."
"Yeah," he said, pausing a moment. "Have any of you been to the Greenbriar before?" he asked, changing the subject before the conversation died. "They've got the best cheddar biscuits!" he added, trying to sell the place and placing the focus away from his family, for Pyrrha's sake at least.
"Still want papanasi," Nora grumbled under her breath.
"Tomorrow, Nora," Ren reminded her gently, punctuating it with a brief, nuzzling kiss to the top of her head. Jaune and Pyrrha both smiled at the dopey grin such a small gesture could get from the normally hyperkinetic girl.
"S'not fair you can do that now," she mumbled in complaint.
"Would you like me to stop?" Ren asked her.
"Nooooo," she pouted.
"Because I can, if you want…" he began before he was silenced by Nora smashing her lips into his.
"You're lucky I love you, Ren," she gasped when she finally released her boyfriend.
"I'm well aware," he replied simply with the warmest smile Jaune had ever seen on his friend's face.
"I think we're all lucky, Nora. I don't think I could handle those kisses on a daily basis," Jaune said with a chuckle.
"Because my man is the best boyfriend in Remnant! So sweet, and kind, and beautiful, and…" she trailed off, a manic giggle heard as she thought of something perhaps better left unsaid.
"And?" Jaune asked, regretting it instantly when he saw her turquoise eyes light up with extra mischief.
"And he gives the best slothback rides!" she proclaimed gleefully, leaping onto Ren's back. Her arms draped over his shoulders and crossed over his chest, her powerful legs getting a firm grip around his waist. "Onward, faithful steed! Your Queen commands you take her to dinner!" she demanded before resting her chin on Ren's shoulder and nuzzling affectionately into his neck. For his part, Ren dutifully bore her madness in stride, much as he had done for a decade now, but with a bigger smile on his face. The two lovers teetered briefly before Ren found his footing, and then the door, taking them into the hallway and towards their rendezvous with the rest of the Arcs.
"I swear, those two," Jaune said, chuckling softly before an idea hit him, a mischievous grin of his own forming as Pyrrha's smile grew more nervous at what her partner's mind had come up with. "I bet we can beat them to the statue, Pyrrha. I've got more practice with this," he added, leaning forward and presenting his back to his partner.
"You're being silly, Jaune."
"That's not a no."
She gave a soft giggle at his statement, the sheer absurdity of the situation putting to bed any doubts she had. Her partner, her Jaune, was back, and in every way that counted. "No, it wasn't," she agreed, hesitating a bit before awkwardly crawling onto his back.
"You've never done this before, have you?" Jaune asked her, his hands lifting her by the back of her toned thighs.
"Not really, no," she confessed sadly.
"Well then, hang on. And get the door?" he asked her, Pyrrha electing to use her Semblance rather than risk losing her grip. This turned out to be a prudent decision when Jaune began to slowly build up speed as he ran down the hall, Pyrrha barely recognizing her own voice as her shrieks of joyful terror filled the corridor.
Nora gasped in surprise and outrage when they blew past her and Ren, her brow furrowing in anger soon after. "Such an affront to the Crown will not be forgiven, knaves! After them, my steed!"
OMAKE
This was the original Jaune/Blake scene from the previous chapter, before someone reminded me how a throwaway line in a forgettable episode of canon contradicted it. To the fine reviewer who pointed that out, thank you.
"Oh, hey...Blake…" he trailed off, his eyes flicking upwards for the briefest of moments.
Her amber eyes caught the movement easily, and combined with the look of worry that bordered on distaste, her heart sank. She'd never thought Jaune of all people would harbor any ill will towards her heritage, especially after he'd stood up to Cardin on Velvet's behalf, yet here it was.
"Umm, I know you might not want to hear this, Blake," he began hesitantly, all four girls now on edge. "But I don't know that you really want to be walking around in public like that."
"Jaune?" Ruby asked, her eyes wide in shock.
"I mean, I know I'm not an expert, and never can be, but I practically grew up in the Faunus quarter of Orleans. I mean, jeez, my grandmother would lay into you something fierce for..."
"What the hell, Jaune!?" Yang demanded angrily.
"You're right, that's not important. Just suffice to say that most of my friends growing up were Faunus."
"Wait…" Weiss said, now more confused than ever.
"Not that I had that many," he muttered, "but they always had it rough! Even in a progressive city like Orleans. To belittle their struggle by playing at being one yourself isn't just rude, it's cultural appropriation." Blake's look of horror had now transitioned to utter confusion as the blond idiot babbled on. "It trivializes what actual Faunus go through every day. I would've thought you would be sensitive to things like that."
"Umm, Jaune?" Blake tried to interject, her feline ears slowly returning to normal from their pinned back position.
"Now, now, Blake. Don't interrupt him," Yang chided, doing an admirable job of not breaking out into howling laughter.
"Thank you, Yang. Anyway, if you want to express your 'inner cat'," he began, complete with air quotes, "there are better ways to do it." Blake fixed him with a cold stare that even Jaune could properly interpret, and he began to backpedal. "Don't get me wrong! I mean, I've always kind of seen you as a cat. I'm no tailchaser," he continued, the pejorative used for humans who fetishised Faunus a surprising part of Jaune's vocabulary to Blake, "but they really look good on you."
"Now you're hitting on my partner, Jaune?" Yang asked, her voice dripping with innuendo. The shit-eating grin she now wore wasn't exactly dissuading him from feeling like it was the Yang Xiao Long comedy hour once again.
"No! It's just...I mean, you've always been kind of catlike, you know? A cool, aloof beauty that'll claw your eyes out if you pet her the wrong way. But under all that, she's got a cute, playful side. Honestly, that's Blake to a T." Jaune stated sagely.
"He's not wrong," Weiss remarked wryly, her eyes rolling even as Yang's went wide at his insight.
"I know you're not a racist, Blake."
"Understatement of the year," Yang muttered through her smile.
"I just don't know that you've thought through what your actions might make others feel."
Yang finally lost it at that one, devolving into snorts of intermittent laughter that had Blake blushing and trying to hide a smile herself.
"I'll keep that in mind," Blake at last conceded, smirking softly.
Jaune took a deep breath and sighed, glad that the tension had been dispelled at last. "But seriously, where did you get those?"
"From my mother," she replied, her smirk growing further.
"Wow, that's...unexpected. Because those are really lifelike, they even…move..." he trailed off, squinting slightly as he leaned forward a hair. "Fuck me, those are real, aren't they?" he said softly, facepalming in shame.
"YES!" all four girls replied in unison.
"Blake...I am so, so sorry. I didn't know! Wait...How the hell did I not know?" he demanded, scratching the back of his neck.
"Don't feel too bad. These three couldn't tell for an entire semester, and I lived with them," Blake offered dryly.
"Seriously?" he asked, looking at the rest of Team RWBY, who were various degrees of embarrassed at the revelation.
"Jaune?" Blake began, and his heart sank in shame.
"Yeah?" he replied timidly.
"That is without a doubt the stupidest thing I've ever heard you say."
"I know," he said, hanging his head.