Dreams Do Come True

by DragonoftheEastblue

Do you believe in destiny? I certainly do, and so do two young Huntsmen-in-training who are about to have their lives changed forever. A retelling of events from the end of the Beacon Dance where Jaune realizes and accepts Pyrrha's feelings, and takes the first step on a journey he never knew was waiting for him. World-building/Canon-Restoration. Arkos, Boop, BlackSun, Iceberg, etc

15. Chapter XV: In For a Penny

Chapter XV: In For a Penny

The following morning was thankfully another beautiful one. The sun had already risen, and people were out and about, most likely festivalgoers on their way to enjoy breakfast at the many establishments working hard to accommodate the influx of business. Families and couples were eyeing up the menus eagerly, looking to give themselves the energy they needed to explore more of the capital. One such couple was taking things a tad slower, though the young lady was beginning to feel her appetite awaken, which slowly began to pull her out of her deep sleep.

Nora moaned gently, wrestling with her two greatest pastimes other than causing trouble with Ren: eating and sleeping. Her body would fight over its need to remain in bed and sleep in, and its endless desire for food. This was especially difficult for her, as breakfast was her favourite meal of the day, thanks to Ren's God given skill for pancakes and other breakfast items. Her secret wish was to combine all her favourite pastimes in one; breakfast in bed with Ren. It was a farfetched dream according to Nora, as she had not made any progress in confessing her love to him, nor had he made a move on her. Given the situation, she decided that it was better to remain in bed for a little while longer, to dream for that day when she could enjoy a meal in bed with the boy she loved, and then have some breakfast. In any event, Pyrrha would no doubt wake her, for she always had, given she consistently was the first to rise in the morning.

The ginger pulled on her pillow to snuggle it deeply, as it was strangely more comfortable than it had ever been. She wouldn't have bothered to question this, except for the fact that it smelled different than usual. Black pepper, rosemary, smoked salt, paprika, she couldn't list them all, but it certainly strengthened her hunger and began to bring her out of her slumber.

"Why does my pillow smell so good?" she mumbled, and gently opened her eyes to look at it. They slowly adjusted, bringing into focus a dozing Lie Ren, his head turned towards her with a peaceful expression on his face. "Oh, it's cuz I'm still dreaming. Good..."

She laid her cheek back onto his chest and snuggled closer as she shut her eyes, wanting to enjoy this to the fullest. Unfortunately for Nora, her hunger was winning the battle against her wish to sleep, allowing her brain to begin to process what was actually going on. For a dream, Ren was oddly real, both in touch and in scent, which caused her to open her eyes once again. She took a good look at the boy, her head still on his chest, which she could now feel it steadily rise and fall as he slept; his heart beating slow and just as steady. He inhaled and exhaled through his nose so scarcely that it could barely be heard, but had enough force to push the strands of hair that had fallen on his face to swing. As Nora examined his handsome features, the realization began to strike at her half-woken mind that this was not a dream, and her eyes nearly blasted out of her skull.

'Ren'sinmybedRen'sinmybedRen'sinmybedRen'sinmybedRen'sinmybed!' she screamed in her mind, the words crashing into one another like a fifty car pileup, which she thankfully didn't scream aloud as she had now become frozen like a deer in the headlights.

What in the names of the Gods was he doing in her bed? What happened last night? If they weren't fully clothed, she would have fainted then and there, as that was not how she wanted her first time with him to go. While heavily distracted by her situation, she desperately tried to remember what happened at the party. She remembered the food, the drinking, winning the drinking game...and then nothing. Something must have happened, but all that she could conjure was darkness. Had she passed out and was carried to her room? Evidently, but why was Ren here? Had he also had too much to drink? If so, then why were they cuddling like this? It was then that she noticed that his right hand was on her back, holding her closely, which only made her racing heart beat faster.

'What am I going to do?' she cried, biting her bottom lip.

She knew that she needed to get out of her bed before Ren awoke, for fear of what embarrassing reaction would occur. She didn't know exactly how Ren would react, but she wasn't so naive to think that he would suddenly confess that he loved her as if it were some fairy tale. And yet, if she were to try and leave her bed, there was a very good chance that he would wake up, as he had always been a light sleeper. She was truly trapped between a rock and a hard place, and she had no idea what she was going to do. Could she have Pyrrha assist her? As embarrassing as it would be found like this, it would be much better to have her best friend do so than Yang, who would mercilessly tease them till the start of the new school year.

Nora slowly looked over her shoulder to her fearful frustration that Pyrrha has not in her bed. Where in Remnant could she be? She then began to look for her Scroll, which should still be on her. As slowly as she dared, she removed her right hand from Ren's chest, and reached for her pocket, to which she did not find her Scroll. She looked at her pocket in dismay, but then saw that her Scroll was near the foot of her bed, as it most likely had fallen out during the night. She had no idea how to reach it now, for if she tried to pull it closer with her foot, the boy she was sleeping on would wake right away. To make matters worse, she now realized that her right leg was snaked in between Ren's, and wrapped round his right. Her heart began to pound at the intimacy of their embrace, making it even more that trying to free herself would wake him. What was she to do now?

Like a gunshot in the night, the click of the bedroom door suddenly sounded, causing Nora to see it open in the corner of her eye, and she quickly returned to her original sleeping position, pretending to doze. Fear gripped her as she had no idea who had entered, for she didn't know if Ren had locked the door. Her luck had finally turned for the better however, as it was none other than Pyrrha herself, still in her regular clothes but with her hair down.

"Pyrrha..." whispered Nora, praying it was her, which caused the redhead to jump, as she hadn't expected for her teammate to be awake.

"I'm sorry" Pyrrha whispered back, walking over to her. "I didn't mean to wake–"

"Help..." the ginger pleaded, looking up at her friend with large scared eyes. They thankfully conveyed everything Pyrrha needed to know, but it took her a moment to stop herself from giggling up a storm. She drew closer to her friend and smiled at her.

"I take it you want to not make this pickle you've found yourself in to become overly embarrassing" she said softly, already knowing the answer.

"What am I gonna do?" Nora asked.

"Go back to sleep" Pyrrha instructed. "I'll then wake Ren up and let him think that you just dozed off together, and you aren't aware that it even occurred. How does that sound?"

Having no other real option at her disposal, the hammeress nodded slowly, and closed her eyes. Pyrrha waited a moment to enjoy the view, as it made evermore clear that her friends made an adorable couple. Once getting her fill, the lieutenant placed her hand gently on Ren's left shoulder, and shook him.

"Ren, it's time to wake up" she said.

It took a second attempt to rouse him, which had previously never been the case, suggesting that he had been very comfortable, and did not want to awaken just yet. Nevertheless, he lifted his head and squinted at Pyrrha, her warm smile focusing into clarity, which woke him fully.

"P-Pyrrha" he stuttered, realizing what the situation looked like from the outside.

"Shh" she silenced him softly. "You'll wake Nora. Let me get you out of there and then we'll talk."

Swallowing nervously, Ren nodded, and allowed her to help separate him from his "sleeping" beauty. Nora of course continued to play opossum, and lay quietly until she was given the all clear. Now standing beside the bed, Ren straightened himself and looked at his saviour with flushed cheeks.

"Th-Thank you" he whispered.

"Don't mention it" Pyrrha replied with a smile. "I was wondering where you two had gone last night."

"I-I'm sorry. I tried to put her to bed, but she didn't want to let go. I then got trapped underneath her and I didn't have the heart to wake her so..."

"I figured that was the case. When I found you both in bed last night, I decided not to disturb you. I hope you slept well."

Pyrrha's tone was almost playful, which wasn't a great shock as not only was the situation rather comical, but with Nora still awake, perhaps she could get Ren to admit something; as underhanded as it was.

"A-Again, thank you. I should have texted either you or Jaune to let you know I wasn't coming back to the party, but I was...distracted."

"Yes, I am sure you were."

It was then that Ren began to realize what was happening, and looked at Pyrrha distrustfully.

"You're starting to turn into Yang" he commented, causing her to giggle with her hand covering her mouth.

"Oh Ren, I'm not so merciless. I'm just teasing a little" she defended, which was true. "It was very sweet of you to look after her like that."

"Of course. She loves to go over the top with everything, so I'm always worried about her."

"Yes, she is quite a handful" Pyrrha remarked, before smiling slightly. "Not too much I hope."

"She's been this way for nearly as long as I've known her" he replied, and scratched his cheek as they turned slightly pink. "I wouldn't have it any other way." When he looked back at his lieutenant, the colour in his face deepened further, as she was smiling in a manner that told him he had implied something more profound. "I-I should probably go."

"Alright then. Jaune is already up so there's no need to worry about disturbing him" she informed. "I'll see you both at breakfast."

Ren nodded and bowed in gratitude, if a bit embarrassed, before leaving the dorm room. A pregnant pause came about the moment the door closed, and Pyrrha looked at Nora, who was now on her right side and still pretending to be asleep. A smile of amusement began to grow on the champion's face, as she understood what was happening. She took a few steps forward and knelt before the edge of the bed, resting her elbows on it with her palms propped under her chin. Nora, feeling Pyrrha displacing the bed, shut her eyes tighter, unable to look at her friend after what had just occurred.

"Ren's gone, Nora" the redhead announced, stating the obvious. "You can stop pretending to sleep."

"...What happened last night?" Nora asked, keeping her eyes firmly shut.

"Well, you had quite a bit to drink."

"I know, and I can't remember anything after winning the contest" the ginger moaned, finally opening her eyes. "What did you mean that Ren had to look after me? What did I do?"

"Oh nothing dangerous or embarrassing" Pyrrha explained. "After winning, you came to join Jaune, Yang, Ruby, Ren, and myself. And, as I agree with Yang's assumption, you became jealous of Jaune and I cuddling, so you decided to hug Ren and snuggle him."

Nora's eyes bulged out of her skull, her face turning redder by the second.

"N-No...I didn't really do that, did I?"

Her reaction caused Pyrrha's smile to grow, and she leaned in closer.

"You did, to which you then buried your face in his chest and said 'Renny, you smell good'."

The Mistralese Huntress-in-training did her best to impersonate her friend, and while she wasn't sure of how well she had done, the reaction it got from Nora was worth it. Her entire face was scarlet, and her lips quivered, unable to utter a word. It all became too much for her to bear, causing her to grab her pillow, and cover her head with it, clutching at it tightly. Pyrrha began to giggle at her, which quickly grew into laughter, as she could faintly hear the ginger squealing from behind the shield of cotton.

"Oh don't be so shy, Nora. You should have seen how much you made him blush. You were both so cute!"

With surprising speed, Nora took a swing at Pyrrha with her pillow, which Pyrrha dodged with a duck before pulling her friend into a tight hug.

"Let me go, Pyrrha!" Nora cried as she clutched onto her friend's arms.

"Nora" the redhead giggled "I'm not trying to be mean. It was very cute, and it can only mean brighter things in future."

"No! It's so embarrassing" she cried, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. "Nothing else happen, right?"

"No, you fell asleep right afterwards, and Ren then carried you to your room."

Pyrrha's explanation only made the situation worse for Nora, who looked up at her friend in horror.

"H-He picked me up and carried me?" she repeated. When Pyrrha nodded, Nora became very quiet and tried to hide behind the redhead's arms. "D-Did he have trouble? Was I too heavy?" she asked. Her question took Pyrrha by surprise, as Nora had never shown any concern regarding her weight before.

"No, not at all" Pyrrha replied. She paused for a moment, as she wasn't certain of what to say to reassure her.

Seeing Nora self-conscious about her appearance was yet another new development. It had only occurred once before when she asked for her help in getting a dress for the Dance, which Pyrrha had obliged despite feeling depressed from Jaune asking Weiss out over her. Other than that, Nora was always bursting with confidence, so to see her so shy about her weight was a shock, as only just the day before had she boldly proclaimed her thick thighs were something she was proud of. It was then that Pyrrha knew what to say, and smiled mischievously.

"Besides, Ren certainly doesn't seem to mind, given how much he checks you out; your 'thunder thighs' especially, as you call them."

Nora squirmed and she bit her bottom lip, not sure if she should feel happy, or so embarrassed she could die.

"I-I'm gonna go shower!" she hastily announced, wiggling out of her friend's grasp, and briskly walked to the bathroom, shutting it behind her. Pyrrha giggled once more as she got to her feet.

"Make sure to leave some hot water for me!" she called.

"No!" Nora shot back through the door. "I'm using it all because you teased me!"

Pyrrha laughed, and stared at the bathroom door for a moment, before walking to it and knocking twice.

"What?" Nora demanded.

"Since I was in a better position to notice than you were, Ren was rather embarrassed" she explained. "The kind of embarrassment that comes from being close to a woman whom you haven't crossed the line with, but you know it is there. What I mean is, Ren's reaction was how a man who knows it's not right to get so close to a woman, unless you're in a relationship with her. In my humble opinion, I truly believe that Ren does see you as a woman, for if he only saw you as family, there would be no reason for him to be so flustered. Don't you think?"

The redhead paused for a moment, waiting for Nora to respond.

"OK..." came her voice timidly, which Pyrrha could tell meant she understood what she meant.

Satisfied, she stretched her arms to the ceiling, knowing deep down that today was going to be an eventful one.

λΛλ

The students of Beacon slowly gathered into the dining hall, though there were a noticeable amount of them missing. With the tournament now over, many had decided to eat out, leaving the hall feeling larger than usual. Even at the regular table that Teams RWBY and JNPR sat at, had fewer people seated. Team SSSN had yet to appear, though they had been invited the night before to join them, and Nora was strangely absent. She had told Pyrrha to go on ahead to breakfast without her, which did cause some concern from the rest of her team. Nevertheless, they had gone to the hall without her, and continuously looked towards the large doors, hoping to see her enter.

Just before those doors was the ginger in question, hesitating to set foot into the dining hall. She had spent a longer time than usual getting ready, as her mind had been swirling with thoughts about what had occurred between herself and Ren. He may have been able to lift her without issue, which a part of her was overjoyed it had happened, whilst being annoyed she couldn't remember it. However, the fact they had shared her bed as they had, caused a myriad of other questions to pester her. Did she have bad breath? Did she smell bad? Every little thing that normally never came to mind, was trying to get through a metaphorical hatchway to her psyche, all at the same time. She was so stressed, that she had no idea how she was going to face Ren. Thinking over Pyrrha's observation, which did uplift her spirits somewhat, there was still the issue of interacting with Ren knowing what she now knew. This was always, of course, her greatest fear; not being able to continue the relationship they had had for so long because of romantic feelings making things overly awkward.

'Don't think about that now' she thought finally, trying to calm herself. If she wanted to avoid causing any more suspicion, she needed to join her friends as soon as possible. Taking a deep breath, she clapped her cheeks with both hands, and marched towards the others.

"Good morning!" she said cheerily. "Sorry for being late! I needed to take care of some stuff."

"Where you hung-over?" asked Blake. "You did drink quite a bit last night.

"No no I feel great, don't worry" Nora dismissed, which was true. When her eyes finally fell on Ren however, she felt herself instantly tense up. The image of his handsome face peacefully sleeping beside her came to mind, an image she would keep close to her heart until it became an everyday routine, causing her heart to skip a beat. 'Don't make it awkward!' she told herself. "Good morning, Ren!~"

"Uh, good morning" he replied, also trying not to act awkwardly. "How did you sleep?"

"Great! You?"

"S-Same."

"Oh, I forgot to say yesterday, the barbecue was great! You're cooking is always the best."

That, along with her bright smile, greatly eased Ren's nerves, allowing him to return her smile and act more normally.

"Thank you, Nora, though Sun and Neptune deserve equal praise for their part. Speaking of which, since you decided to take your time this morning" he said reaching over to a covered plate that rested before the ginger's regular seat, and removed the top to reveal a healthy stack of pancakes. "I thought I would go ahead and make you some pancakes."

Nora looked at the stack, and then to Ren, before her heart soared and she smiled from ear to ear.

"Thank you, Ren!~" she cried, hugging him tightly. "It's exactly what I wanted for breakfast. How did you know?"

"A feeling" he lied, but very glad to see her reacting as she was. "You should eat before they get cold."

"Yes sir!~" she replied with a salute, and grabbed the syrup dispenser on the table, bathing her breakfast in amber gold.

The rest of her team watched them with soft smiles on their faces. The couple who couldn't admit it aloud they were in love with one another were back to normal, which gave Jaune and Pyrrha hope that it wouldn't be much longer until they finally cross the line that divided friends from lovers. On the other side of the table however, Yang was observing them with a coy smirk, and began to nod at them approvingly.

"First taking her to bed, then making her breakfast; very nice, Ren" she complimented, raising her eyebrows in a suggestive manner.

Ren's cheeks became red, not only because he knew what the blonde was implying, but that he didn't want Nora to know, for fear of what her reaction would be. To the hammeress' credit, she managed to disguise her initial shock through eating before replying, and acted if she hadn't been made aware of the truth.

"What?" she asked ignorantly.

"You had a bit too much to drink last night" informed Blake.

"Then when you came to join the rest of us, you starting hugging Ren and passed out, so he carried you to bed" continued Yang, leaning in for effect. "And he never came back."

Ren swallowed as discreetly as possible, and tried to come up with a proper response to avoid suspicion. He was anxious of Nora's reaction however, and that caused him to hesitate, fearing that the wrong explanation could make things very uncomfortable. Before he could speak, Nora herself exclaimed her surprise.

"Really?" she said, turning to look at Ren with an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, Ren! I promise not to drink so much from now on."

Once again, her behaviour and facial expression warmed his heart, causing him to smile.

"It's fine. Everything in moderation, as they say."

"Which she clearly doesn't know anything about" remarked Weiss, eyeing Nora's breakfast.

"But it's so good though!" the ginger defended.

"Hey!" cried Yang, snapping her fingers. "You two aren't getting away that easily. I want to know why you didn't come back. Did you two decide to share that bed or not?"

This comment was much more difficult for the couple in question to weather, and both their faces began to flush. Thankfully, they would not have to face the blonde's onslaught alone, as their teammates had been expecting the elder Xiao Long sister to ask such questions.

"Given that Ren and I are roommates, I can assure you that he was sleeping in his own bed last night" defended Jaune.

"Same with Nora" added Pyrrha."

"I'm sorry for not texting either of you. I just decided to go to bed early" Ren continued, very grateful that they had come to his rescue.

Yang eyed the four of them distrustfully, not entirely sure if they were telling the truth, but decided to let it go for now, as Ren and Nora would obviously act very differently if they had consummated their love.

"Good morning ladies and gents!" said a familiar voice, causing the Beaconites to turn and see it was Sun who was speaking, accompanied by the rest of Team SSSN. Instinctively Weiss made room for Neptune to sit beside her, as did Blake for Sun, who began to blush when he smiled at her. "So what do we have on the chopping block for today? Now that the tournament is over, we can relax and check out the city together."

"That's not a bad idea actually" agreed Yang. "What're you up for?"

"Anything and everything."

"If it's all the same" began Jaune, "I'd like to call in a favour."

"A favour?" echoed the Monkey Faunus.

"Yeah. Since Pyrrha and I are going on our date tomorrow, I was kinda hoping that I could get some new clothes, since I don't have any good civies. I'm terrible at that sort of thing, so I was hoping you could help me out, Neptune."

The Vacuan lieutenant now understood what he was getting at, and nodded with a smirk.

"You got it, man" he replied.

"Shopping sounds like an excellent idea" chimed Weiss, putting her hands together.

"Yeah, we can split up between the girls and the boys, and then meet up for lunch or something" added Yang, very happy with this idea.

"Bleeeeeeeeh" groaned Ruby, sticking her tongue out as she dropped her head. "I hate shopping."

"Oh suck it up, sis. You need to be a girl sooner or later."

"I'm very much a girl!" Ruby shot back.

"Then be quiet and come shopping with us!"

The younger Xiao Long looked at her sister sourly, but ultimately relented.

"That reminds me" realized Pyrrha. "I forgot to ask, what is the dress code for the restaurant you reserved for our date?"

"Nothing really. It's not a crazy fancy place or anything, but I want to look good, obviously, so I'm going to get some new clothes" he replied. "And like I said, I really do need a wardrobe change. I can't just be in armour all the time, and I can't go on our date in armour or in the school uniform."

"Alright then. I'll look for a new outfit as well" Pyrrha replied.

"You don't have to."

"If you are, then why shouldn't I?"

"I want to look good for you."

"And I for you."

"But I told you yesterday that you look good in anything, and I meant it."

"I know you did, but I still want to put extra effort for you, just as you are putting extra effort for me."

"I love you more, no I love you more, no I love you more, no I love you more" mimicked Yang in a mocking voice. "We get it, you two. You better not get too lovey-dovey after tomorrow or else I'll go insane!"

"No promises" the couple said in unison, causing them to smile at one another, and the rest of their team to snicker.

The Huntsmen-in-training continued to chat as they ate, not in the biggest of rushes to head to the shops. After all, it was their time to relax and enjoy the remaining week or so of the Vytal Festival before the end of the school year, and they would all be returning to their homes, most of which were in the other three Kingdoms. It would be months before they would see each other again, and potentially longer before all three teams would be in the same place at the same time. Every second mattered, and they would make the most of them.

λΛλ

The group left the academy after finishing their breakfast, and headed to the Commercial District, which was far more active than usual. While many shops had opened booths on the fairgrounds to serve the influx of tourists, the main shops were still open; to not only serve their usual clientele, but also tourists that happened not to want to go to Beacon. It was here that the group now found themselves, and were now dividing in two, heading in opposite directions and looking for the best shops to enter. The boys found one that caught their eye, more so Neptune's as it was his wheelhouse, and entered it.

"So what exactly are you looking for?" he asked Jaune.

"Don't know exactly. Nothing flashy or over the top" the blond swordsman replied. "The restaurant isn't some fancy place, and I requested that we would have privacy. I need something nice not just for this date, but for others in future, and just for going out in general."

"Half a dozen new outfits it is."

"Hang on–"

"What about you, Ren? Looking for anything you need?" Neptune asked, turning to the green-clad young man.

Ren paused for a moment, genuinely thinking the offer over, before remembering a previous conversation.

"I might as well. My wardrobe is just as sparse as Jaune's" he replied.

"Then let's get to work."

It was a rather humorous experience to say the least. Team SSSN were running around the shop, trying to come up with as many outfit combinations as possible for their friends. Jaune had some experience with this, as his sisters that were old enough to care about shopping, would drag him along to not only help with carrying their bags, but for his opinion; which was never what they wanted to hear. Ren on the other hand, was far more out of his element than he thought he would. He obviously did not have the experience that Jaune had, as he was lucky to have any clothing at all, but the only skill he had acquired other than keeping Nora in line, was cooking. He wasn't aware of the many, and seemingly convoluted rules that came with matching tops and bottoms. After a point, he realized that it was better to simply let Neptune guide him without putting up too much of a fight, other than some particular colour choices that he simply didn't agree with.

After an hour, which felt much longer to Ren, the boys finally left the shop victorious, each carrying a pair of bags.

"Mission accomplished" Neptune said, smirking proudly, before fist bumping Sun.

"I am never doing that again" Ren groaned.

"C'mon, it wasn't that bad" Jaune chuckled. "Try doing this with three older sisters during a massive sale. Now that is Hell on Remnant. Besides, we got some pretty good stuff, and have plenty of time to spare."

"I suppose."

"Thanks again, guys" the blond added, turning to look at Sun and Neptune. "We owe you one."

"Think nothing of it" Neptune replied with a wave of his hand. "I owed you one for helping me get together with Weiss, so this was a good way to start."

"And besides, we all got girlfriends now, so we have to look good for'em, you feel me?" Sun added. "Speaking of which, you and Valkyrie get up to anything last night, Ren?"

Ren nearly tripped, not expecting the question. "W-What?"

"You and Nora. You both disappeared early from the party and you never came back. I figured you two went to have some time alone."

The green-clad Huntsman-in-training cleared his throat as he composed himself, feeling his cheeks warm. How naive of him to think that he had entirely avoided the subject after what happened at breakfast.

"No, I just brought her to bed since she drank too much, and I decided to call it a night" he deflected.

"Same bed or no?" Sage asked with a grin.

Ren's face reddened further, as while he of course had done nothing with Nora last night, they did indeed share her bed, and he couldn't conceal his emotions as seamlessly as he would have liked.

"N-No. Nora and I don't have that kind of relationship. We're not together-together" he partially lied. It was beginning to bother him to use the phrase Nora had coined, especially after the conversation he had with Jaune about its implications.

"Dude, seriously?" Sun asked, eyebrows raised and looked between both members of Team JNPR. "I kinda didn't believe the others when they said it last night, but wow. Why?"

Ren sighed in exasperation, never in his life thinking that he would become the centre of attention like this. Jaune ribbed him with his elbow playfully, enjoying that the tables had turned.

"Ren, buddy, let's talk" the Faunus began, wrapping his right arm around Ren's shoulders. "Be honest with me, you're into her." The boy in question tried to protest, but he was shut down immediately. "C'mon, stop being so uptight. It's just us boys here, so let's talk openly. Let's accept that you two aren't a thing, as hard to believe as that is, but you do think she's hot, right?"

Ren opened his mouth, though having no idea what to say.

"Of course he does" Jaune answered for him.

"Jaune!"

"What? It's true; you told me yourself."

"In private!" Ren shot back, his cheeks now properly red, which caused the blond swordsman to laugh, as it was a treat to see his friend so animated.

"Alrighty, we've confirmed you're a warm blooded man, wonderful. Now!" Sun continued, paying no mind to Ren's panic. "She's clearly into you, so why haven't you made your move?"

Ren stayed quiet, steadying his breathing. This was his first time having a boy's talk, talking about girls and relationships, so it was rather overwhelming. He had spoken about Nora with Jaune privately of course, but that was exactly the difference; privately. He hardly knew Team SSSN, so talking about the details of his relationship with Nora was out of the question. At the same time, he knew that they were just acting like any other group of guy friends would, which was a strangely pleasant experience; despite the hyperventilation.

"It's complicated" he answered at last. "Also, there hasn't been an appropriate opportunity."

"What about last night? When you two were alone?"

"She was drunk! I'd never take advantage of her like that!" Ren fired back, fuming.

"And no one would ever think that you would, but having some liquid courage at a party, and then having some time alone, does present a chance to relax and talk more openly about stuff. Take me for example. Blake and I had some beer, and she really loosened up. We ended up cuddling together on one of those beanbag chairs after having a great time laughing with the others." His explanation seemed to calm Ren somewhat, allowing the Faunus to get to the point of his argument. "It's clear to all of us that you and Nora would make a great couple, and last night would have been a great time to take things further; not right in the sack, but further along so that you don't get yourself into the friend-zone. You've got to be clear with a girl about your intentions. Also, making them wait is far from a good idea. She might be really into you, but she ain't gonna wait forever. What happens if another guy who's much more willing to give her attention shows up and sweeps her off her feet?"

That hit closer to home than Ren would have liked. At the Beacon Dance, he had noticed some students checking Nora out, and for the first time in his life, he had felt jealousy. He made an effort to dance with Nora the entire night, which she seemed to have very much enjoyed. The idea of her being with another man made his guts twist. Would she really give up on him if he made her wait too long?

"That won't happen" cut in Jaune, causing them all to look at him in surprise. "Nora's only got eyes for Ren, and that's not changing any time soon."

"You know her better than we do, but you never know–"

"No, I do know" Jaune insisted with a grin. "Because I'm not gonna let him be as dumb as I was with Pyrrha. I'll get them together come Hell or high water. I swear to the Gods and the Great Lancer I will."

Ren felt incredibly humbled by his captain's words, which also caused Team SSSN to nod in approval.

"You're a real bro, Arc" grinned Sun, pointing at him with a pistol gesture with his free hand. "Alrighty, we got some time before we meet up with the girls. Wanna hit the arcades before then?"

With unanimous agreement, the boys made their way to the local arcade, ready to have some fun.

λΛλ

The girls were on a similar venture. They had thrown themselves significantly harder at the shopping part of their outing, and as a consequence, left with many more bags in tow.

"That...was fantastic" said Yang, smiling in satisfaction as she clutched two fistfuls of bags.

"Yes, yes it was" Weiss agreed with a similar expression on her face and holding just as many bags.

"There were so many cute outfits here. It was actually a lot of fun" Nora added, holding bags of her own.

"Surprisingly. Their selection of tailored Faunus clothing was impressive" continued Blake, smiling contently at her own haul.

"And there were good discounts thanks to the festival" Pyrrha remarked, though held a much more conservative number of bags.

Ruby on the other hand, had nothing, but was last to exit the shop, lurching forward in exhaustion, and dragging her feet as if her shoes were made of lead.

"That was the worst..." she groaned. "I should have gone with the boys..."

"You see what I have to put up with?" the blonde said frowning, gesturing to her sister. "I'm lucky enough to have a sister close to my age, and I can't do anything with her. I can't go shopping with her, can't talk about boys, she won't let me do her nails, and the one time she let me do her hair, she made me cut it."

"What happened?" asked Weiss.

"I thought she would look cute if she grew it out, and she did by the end, but she kept whining until I gave in and cut it short again" Yang replied with a sigh.

"It was hot and itchy, and it made fighting with Crescent Rose dangerous" Ruby shot back.

"You could have tied it up or let me braid it" her sister countered.

"It takes so much time! I could be doing so many other things!"

"You might be cute as a button, but I can't wait for you to grow up. Speaking of which, you should have seen how things went when she started going through puberty. Me, being the older sibling, decided to give our poor dad a break, and said that I would be the one to help her buy bras and other stuff. As you can guess, Ruby wasn't up for it, so I had to convince her that bras are titty holsters. Worked like a charm."

This caused Nora to cackle, with the others all giving the short captain appropriate looks. It did not shock any of them that it had been the case growing up, as Ruby had shown to be rather resistant to dressing up for the Dance. The girl in question had no reply other than sticking out her tongue, which always seemed to be her final resort. Blake then looked at her friend, eyeing her carefully before speaking.

"I really can't see you with long hair" she offered with an understanding smirk. "Short works better for you."

"Thank you!" the younger Xiao Long cried. "And you...look great as you are. I don't know how you'd look with short hair, but I'm going to say long hair is the better look."

Blake winced. "Me with short hair? And look like my mother? No thanks."

"My mother keeps her hair short" Pyrrha said defensively with a slight frown. "It couldn't be as bad as you're implying."

Yang looked over to Weiss and nodded acknowledging the signal, and passed her bags over to the blonde. She then arranged their teammate's hair so that it looked more or less as if it had been cut shorter.

"...Then again..." admitted the redhead, not wanting to insult her.

"Long hair it is" nodded Yang.

"Perhaps we could braid it" Weiss suggested, "as in a long weave."

"Maybe, maybe."

During this exchange, Nora began to play with her own hair, considering some options of her own.

"Should I grow out my hair?" she asked. "I mean, it used to be long when I was a kid, but I've kept it short for the past few years."

Pyrrha looked at her friend, trying to imagine her with longer hair, whilst acknowledging what the ginger was thinking. Once again, Nora was concerned about her appearance, no doubt with Ren at the forefront of her mind.

"We can experiment if you'd like. Should we ask for Ren's opinion?" she asked with a slight playfulness in her voice.

Nora's cheeks flushed instantly, but she wasn't going to go down so easily.

"Only if we can ask Jaune for his opinion about your bikini" she fired back with a mischievous grin, causing Pyrrha to blush deeply.

"You bought it?" gasped Yang, her eyes as wide as her smile.

"But it's too revealing!" Weiss objected, having been against purchasing it earlier.

"Nora!" Pyrrha hissed, as she wanted to keep it a secret, but realized it was too late now, and glared at the ginger, who was grinning in victory. "Yes, I purchased it. I have every right to."

"Atta girl" grinned Yang. "Planning to get frisky over the summer? Make love on the beach? Very romantic."

The redhead's face was nearing the same shade as her hair, causing her to stutter.

"N-No! If I ever were to go to the beach with Jaune, I would wear one of my swimsuits that I already own! I just bought this one for the future! And it's not skimpy! There were far worse ones in that shop. It's a nice normal bikini. Honestly, why does everything have to be sexual with you?"

"Pyrrha, honey" the blonde began, leaning forward with a cocked eyebrow, preparing to drop a great deal of wisdom on the Mistralese champion. "The reason we wear bikinis is one, to get a boy's attention, and two, to keep his attention when we get him. It's about showing off the goods, which you've got plenty of after toning your body like you have for being a pro athlete for so long. There's no point in hiding it now."

Pyrrha swallowed shyly at Yang's words, but managed to compose herself and hold her ground.

"I bought it because I thought it looked nice, and it was on sale. I'll wear it when I deem it appropriate, thank you" she replied. Yang continued to gaze at her before finally straightening her posture with a sigh.

"Fine, do as you like. Just don't get mad at me when you're sitting there next to him wishing you were in the bikini, and not whatever you've currently got."

"I'll keep that in mind, thank you, Yang."

"Ladies, as much as I love talking with you" began Weiss, dabbing her forehead with a handkerchief. "If we're going to continue shopping or chat incessantly, I am going to need something cold to drink."

"Oh! There's a coffee shop over there that has iced drinks!" pointed Ruby excitedly, who began to walk briskly towards it with the overheated heiress right behind her. They stopped when they heard Yang giggle behind them, and turned to see what she was laughing at.

"Hey, want to pop in here for a sec?" she asked, pointing to her left.

The girls looked to where she was pointing, and began to blush, as the sight made them recoil slightly. The shop was a lingerie store, with the mannequins in the window display, wearing sexy bra and panty combinations.

"Since you four have boyfriends" she scanned her finger across Pyrrha, Nora, Blake, and Weiss, "why don't we get you some sexy underwear for your dates? Ya know, just in case."

The four blushed even deeper, each thinking about the blonde's suggestion differently, but all felt too embarrassed to take her up on the offer.

"Let's get those drinks, shall we?" proposed Weiss, setting out once again for the coffee shop, tailed closely by the other flustered Huntresses-in-training. Yang watched them leave with a smirk on her face, folding her arms.

"Kids" she remarked, shaking her head. "You'll come back for my advice sooner or later."

Chuckling to herself, she made her way to the coffee shop, making a mental note of the lingerie store's location for future use.

λΛλ

After they had all acquired beverages, the Huntresses-in-training learned that the coffee shop had an open veranda on its roof that overlooked the river. To their good fortune they found it was vacant, allowing them to relax and talk more openly. Pyrrha and Weiss began discussing how they expected their dates to go, as the Atlassian had indeed made reservations of her own in two days time. During this conversation, Yang was looking over Blake with a proud smirk on her face. The Faunus finally noticed this, and looked at her friend in confusion.

"What?" she asked timidly, knowing that anything could come out of the blonde's mouth.

"It's good to finally see you" Yang replied, only causing Blake, along with the others, to become even more perplexed. "Look at you. Ears out, tail out; the real you finally out here with the rest of us. Nice to meet you, Blake the Faunus."

Ever since the party the night before, Blake hadn't bothered to wear her bow or hide her tail. No one had said anything before they left for breakfast, and Blake hadn't tried to correct it while they were shopping, suggesting that it was premeditated and not an oversight on her part. Now that Yang had made herself clear, the others all began to smile at Blake, also feeling some pride in her no longer hiding her true self. As for the Faunus in question, she began to blush bashfully, realizing how natural it felt to be herself again, and how her friends had noticed. She was about to speak, though not knowing exactly what to say, when Yang fired a comment that struck close to home.

"Man, Sun really did a number on you, didn't he?"

The raven-haired girl's face lit up like an oven burner, and her now freed ears shot upwards to the sky.

"W-What? W-We didn't do anything!" she defended in a panic.

"We know; you share a room with us" Yang grinned, enjoying her friend's reaction. "Sun's bold, but he isn't that bold. What I meant was how smitten you've become with him. We saw how close you two got last night, cuddling with him on that beanbag like a cat after having a bowl of milk. Did you two finally plan you're date before you fell asleep?"

"N-Not yet" she answered, her eyes dropping to her lap.

"Really? What are you waiting for?" asked Weiss in surprise. "Team SSSN will be going back to Vacuo in less than two weeks. I can recommend some restaurants and get you a reservation if you'd like."

"Yeah, now's the time. Seriously, you've must've fallen for him pretty hard to let him play with your hair like that" Yang added. "I mean, that's the only way I would let a guy touch my hair."

"If the restaurant Jaune and I go to tomorrow is of fine quality, I can recommend it" offered Pyrrha with a smile.

Blake's flushed face only grew darker, as her ears folded backwards against her head. Unfortunately without her bow, this was now visible to her friends, and it only gave them ammunition to embarrass her further.

"Look at her ears!" squealed the blonde as she pointed. "They fold back when she's shy! Oh she's so cute!"

Before Blake could stop her, Yang pulled her into a tight hug, rocking back in forth like a child receiving a teddy bear for their birthday. This was a very unexpected reaction for Blake, as she had been conditioned to expect insults about her racial traits, not praised for them. It was now becoming a bit too much for her to handle, and she needed a moment to breathe.

"P-Please let go" she begged, feeling as if her face was on fire.

"Fine. We'll talk about this later. We'll go over when and where the date will be, and give you tips on what to do."

"Yeah..." Blake said quietly, which Weiss noticed, along with the look in her eyes.

"Now, girls!" Yang announced, clapping her hands together. "Let's turn our attention to Nora." The ginger looked up at the blonde with the straw of her iced tea in her mouth, her big turquoise coloured eyes looking at the others confused, as she had not been paying close attention to the conversation. "What's up with you and Ren? Seriously, I don't even fully believe that nothing happened last night when you two left, so let's just get to brass tacks and you tell us what's really going on."

Nora's head snapped back, pulling her lips from the straw before coughing.

"We-We didn't do anything" she managed to say after recovering. "I mean, we aren't together-toge–"

"Oh shut up!" cut in Yang, no longer accepting her go-to excuse. "Maybe you aren't together, but you are definitely into him hard. So stop pretending and be honest with us. The boys aren't here, so answer once and for all: do you like him or not?"

Nora looked at her friends nervously before glancing at Pyrrha, who was smiling in amusement as if to say, "What's the harm?"

Sighing, the ginger replied at last. "Yeah, I like him."

"Alright! The ball's finally rolling!" cheered the blonde, leaning forward in excitement. "Now! Why aren't you two dating then? You came to Beacon together right?"

"Well, yeah. We've been friends for a long time, and we wanted to become Huntsmen together" Nora replied honestly.

"And how long have you liked him?" asked Weiss.

Nora blushed. "For just as long as I've known him..."

"Which has been how long?"

"Ten years..."

Other than Pyrrha, they all raised their eyebrows.

"Oh" said Weiss.

"That explains a few things" Blake admitted.

"That explains a lot" Yang corrected. "Wow OK, now I get why it's so complicated. You're childhood friends and you like him, but he might see you as a sister. Right, we need to rethink how we approach this."

"That isn't an issue" informed Pyrrha. "Jaune and I have already seen him check her out, which is all according to plan as Nora started wearing her skirt to attract him. He also said you were pretty in your dress, didn't he?"

Nora blushed. "Yeah, he texted me afterwards. That was a huge relief, as I've never worn a dress before."

"Alright, that's a good start. Nice initiative, Valkyrie" the blonde grinned. "So have you tried to take things further?"

"It doesn't have to be anything extreme, unlike what Yang is undoubtedly thinking" added Weiss, causing the brawler to raise her eyebrows suggestively. "Have you ever spoken to him about your feelings?"

"No..." Nora replied sheepishly, looking down at her drink.

"What's holding you back?" asked Yang. "If he's checking you out, and with the way he acted at the party last night, I think now's the time."

Nora began to play with her beverage nervously, rotating the cup in her hands.

"...I just don't know how he's going to react" she expressed at last. "I don't want things to become so awkward that we can't be friends anymore. I don't know what I'll do if that happens."

"If you've known each other for ten years, then there's no way he would just stop being friends with you" rationalized Blake. "I never got that vibe from him."

"I agree. And you're making it sound as if it will be the end of the world if he doesn't return your feelings right away" the heiress addressed. "Not that I don't sympathize with your situation, nor do I believe he won't return your feelings with his own, but having that outlook is certainly not helping things."

"But it will be that bad..." mumbled Nora.

"Nora, c'mon" Yang gasp. "There's no reason to get so bent out of shape here! Why are you thinking like that?"

The ginger shifted uncomfortably in her seat, knowing that she could easily clear things up, but was hesitant to do so. She then glanced up at Pyrrha, who was giving her a soft understanding look, as if she understood exactly what she was thinking.

"It's up to you" she said gently.

Nora looked between her teammate and the others, who were now paying close attention, as there was a visible shift in tone. She finally sighed deeply, breathing in and out from her nose, and began to speak once more.

"Ren and I have been together since we were kids. Yeah we grew up together, but not like we were neighbours or something like that. We're orphans, and we first met in his village called Kuroyuri. I lived on the streets, and Ren and his dad found me when I was being bullied by some local kids. After that, the village was attacked by Grimm, and we were the only ones left. Since then, we've been together, looking after one another, and promising that we would become Huntsmen together. He's more than a friend to me, he's been my one and only family, but I've felt even more for him for a long time. I can't tell him because I can't imagine my life without him. If he doesn't like me like that, or if him knowing what I really feel makes things super awkward, I'm scared I'll lose him. I don't know what I'll do if that happens."

When she finished speaking, the others stared at her in mute astonishment. Of all possible explanations, this was not one that any of them had assumed would be the case. A wave of guilt washed over them after learning of the tragic truth, robbing them of any possible reply. They had all gone into this conversation believing it was just normal girl talk about boys, but this was a horse of a different colour. This caused an awkward pause to materialize, but thankfully was broken by Pyrrha, who reached over and took her friend's hand gently.

"I've only known Ren for a short time" she said with all the tenderness of a saint, "but I think I know him well enough that he would never leave your side because you have feelings for him. And I think deep down you know that too, Nora."

Nora looked up at the redhead, and squeezed her hand.

"I know but...I just don't want things to change" she groaned in tired desperation. "I mean I do, but not if it means losing what we have. I want things to remain exactly as they are, having the same relationship, just with...kissing and stuff."

"Well...your relationship with him would naturally change if you both cross the line between friends and lovers" pointed out Blake, choosing her words carefully.

"I disagree" countered Pyrrha. "Your boyfriend or husband should be your best friend; or at least, a very close one. There is no way to have a happy and healthy relationship with your partner if you cannot get along passed physical attraction. You shouldn't have to hide things from your best friend after all, so why would you with your spouse? I was told a long time ago that knowing if someone is right for you, is if you respond to them with your heart, your mind, and your body. It's not an exact equation, and it doesn't have to be divided perfectly three ways, but they all need to be present for the relationship to work. Now tell me Nora, what do you feel for Ren with your heart?"

The ginger paused for a moment, feeling very shy saying the truth in front of her friends, but realizing the advice Pyrrha had just given her, she pushed past it.

"I love him with all my heart."

"And with your mind?" Pyrrha continued, smiling at her friend's response.

"The way he treats me, always putting my needs before his, promising to protect me, his conviction in becoming a Huntsman and making sure that we would never go hungry again. His kindness, his patience, his bravery, and how he understands me so well without even talking; I know he's all I could want in a man."

Pyrrha smile grew with a hint of mischievousness.

"And with your body?"

Nora's cheeks darkened, but she couldn't help herself from smiling.

"Well, it's only fair that I check him out if he keeps checking me, right?"

The redhead giggled and squeezed the ginger's hand. "Then stop worrying and make him truly yours" she encouraged. "And we can go on that double date before summer vacation begins."

Nora squeezed back. "Thanks, Pyrrha" she replied.

While not all of her anxiety had been alleviated, this conversation with her teammate did give her some clarity, and hope that things would be alright.

"Any time."

"Hang on" interjected Yang. "Why am I a pervert for bringing up getting in bed with your boyfriends, but you're not for bringing it up right now about Ren and Nora?"

"Because there is a world of difference between speaking of sexual intercourse like an overly hormonal teenager, and speaking on the matter like adults" Pyrrha replied calmly. "I didn't tell Nora to jump into bed with Ren, but to think about their relationship thoroughly and responsibly. They are not only my best friends, but my teammates, and I want what's best for them. See the difference?"

Team RWBY nodded, agreeing with her assessment. Yang on the other hand, pushed her lips to the left corner of her mouth, knowing that Pyrrha was indeed right, despite not wanting to admit it.

"Yes, mom" she said at last, drinking from her iced coffee.

"Tee hee, more like big sis" commented Nora, wrapping her arms around Pyrrha, and hugging her tightly. Her words touched the Mistralese greatly, and she returned the hug with just as much passion.

"Just a moment" Weiss broke in, placing her iced coffee on the table she was seated at. "I don't want to come across as heartless, but I need to clarify what you said. You and Ren grew up on the streets?"

"Yeah" Nora replied, not showing much sadness in the fact. "With Ren when we were eight, and as far back as I can remember for me."

"That's...horrible, and I truly am sorry for the both of you. Once more, I don't want to sound cruel or unsympathetic, but how did you both enter Beacon without graduating from a Primary Huntsmen Academy?"

"Yes, you never did explain to me how you did that" commented Pyrrha casually.

"You knew?" asked Weiss in shock, Blake remaining silent.

"Of course" the redhead replied, not mentioning Jaune as it was his choice to share the truth of his acceptance to the academy. "So how did you enter?"

Sitting up properly after letting go of her teammate, the ginger answered her friends.

"Ren handled it, so he would be better to explain it than me, but we basically just filled in the paperwork as best we could. Ren said that since the village was destroyed, there wouldn't be any way for them to prove we were lying anyways, and I guess it worked. We had our own weapons and had Semblances, so we could make it in. We filled in what we could, and made up what we couldn't. I don't remember my parents, but I do know that my name is Nora. My last name, 'Valkyrie', was just something that sounded cool that I saw in a poem from a book that Ren bought to teach me how to read. I decided to make my own symbol, the hammer, copying Ren's lotus, since I thought it would help and it would be cool to have. Even my birthday, January 20th, is made up. Ren and I think I'm seventeen, well, eighteen now, but we're not sure either. So yeah, that's how we did it."

Team RWBY gazed at the hammeress silently, unsure of what to even say. Ruby and Yang felt pangs in their hearts for Ren and Nora, as they had experienced similar things in their lives. Neither of the Xiao Long sisters remembered their birthmothers. Yang remembered her step-mother, Summer, but not too much more than Ruby, as both their mothers died in strange circumstances when they were very young. Raven, her birthmother, which she learned from her Uncle Qrow muttering while drunk years ago, was killed only two days after she had given birth to her. It was truly cruel and unfair to the girls, to lose their mothers before getting to know them, but it was also a blessing, as the one most hurt was their father, Taiyang, who knew them first as teammates, then friends, and then lovers. The pain was so great, that he chose to never speak of his late wives, leaving his daughters with a mountain of questions.

Weiss could only feel pity for the two, as her parents were still alive, and she had lived an incredibly comfortable life in one of the richest families in the world. The very fact that Nora hadn't received even basic schooling, and she and Ren had to learn on their own, showed just how much more they had to struggle. Blake on the other hand, was in a rather tight bind. She too had falsified her transcript to enter Beacon to protect herself after fleeing from the White Fang for what happened in Mantle. She had no negative feelings towards them for cheating, obviously so, instead felt just as much pity for them as Weiss did. What made her so anxious however, were her own secrets that rested atop the guilt of lying for long. They were being honest, while she was not, causing Pyrrha's words to pierce her like arrows: "You shouldn't have to hide things from your best friend after all, so why would you with your spouse?"

All of these thoughts were occurring simultaneously, leaving the Huntresses-in-training in an extended pregnant pause, causing both Pyrrha and Nora to notice the expressions on their faces.

"Is there anything wrong with them forging their transcripts?" asked Pyrrha cautiously, admittedly doubly biased as her friends, and her boyfriend, had done just that.

She was of course someone who respected the rules, but she was also someone who deeply valued character, and the characters of her entire team, were wonderful. She would gladly drag her own name through the mud for them, but knew that Huntmaster Ozpin wouldn't fight with her if she argued for them all to remain at the school.

"No, of course not!" replied Ruby.

"Yeah, who cares?" added Yang. "And we won't tell anyone." Blake nodded in agreement, as she knew that anything else would be grossly hypocritical.

Pyrrha's and Nora's eyes then rested on Weiss, who had yet to speak. She was even more of a stickler for the rules than her Mistralese counterpart. Would she be able to let this go?

"Weiss?" the redhead asked, her face saying more than her words. That intent was clear as day to the heiress, who sat up straight in her chair, and looked back with a cool and measured expression.

"Do you think so little of me that I would betray my friends?" she asked directly, though not in an insulted tone. "I said nothing about Blake being a Faunus and a former White Fang member, because she's my friend and a good person. So are Ren and Nora, and I will carry their secret to my grave."

The ladies of Team JNPR blinked in surprise, not expecting her to be so verbose. However, that was exactly how Weiss was; direct and clear, despite utilizing a more extensive lexicon. She valued the same things that Pyrrha did, and would hold fast in her beliefs, giving Ren and Nora the same treatment as Blake. Pyrrha smiled at the white-haired rapierist, pleased with her response. Nora was even more so, getting to her feet and hugged Weiss, who froze for a moment, before relaxing and returned the hug. Blake watched her friends hug it out, but was lost within her own thoughts as she processed what her teammate had just said. The guilt she possessed from keeping so many secrets had just tripled, and she knew that she couldn't suppress it for much longer.

"Thanks, all of you" the ginger said genuinely, smiling brightly at the girls before her as she sat back down.

"Think nothing of it" Weiss replied, with the others joining in. "However, I do have another question that I must ask. What do you plan on doing for the summer holidays?"

Nora, who had returned to her iced tea, blinked in confusion, removed her lips from the straw and swallowed audibly.

"What?"

"You said that you and Ren are orphans from outside the capital. Where then are you going to spend the summer months before the next school year begins?"

The ginger sat silently, looking back at the Atlassian girl, drawing a complete blank.

"I...haven't thought about it actually" she admitted, her face scrunching slightly like a child who got caught stealing a cookie before dinner. "I guess we'll stay at the school."

"Can you?" asked Blake, secretly planning to take advantage if it were possible.

"I don't believe so" Weiss replied. "I doubt that the Huntmaster would be willing to make an exception, for if we tell him the truth, could get you both expelled."

"Then Ren and I will camp out. We've done it before."

"Nora!" gasped Pyrrha at the absurdity. "You can't live out in the woods until the autumn."

"OK, a hotel then."

"For over two months?" pointed out Blake. "Can you guys even afford it?"

"Well, if we combine our cut of the prize money, we could" Nora suggested. "If not, then we can go on Hunts to make money."

"Students cannot legally accept Hunts until their senior year" informed Weiss. "And even then, they receive temporary Huntsmen licences from the school to do so, which I very much doubt you will be able to forge. Furthermore, if you were successful, you would be caught instantly since your pay would be sent to the school Treasury; unless you go to the outskirts of the Kingdom were wiring money is much more difficult, and then be paid in liquid cash. Regardless, you won't be able to find a vacancy in Albion as they have been booked since last year for the Vytal Festival, on top of the fact that it is peak vacation season. Only the most expensive hotels would have rooms available, and you will be out of money in under a week."

Nora played with her cup uncomfortably, realizing just how caught she was between a rock and a hard place.

"We'll...figure something out..." she mumbled, not sure of what else to say.

"No" said Pyrrha, placing a hand on her friend's shoulder. "What you and Ren are going to do, is come back with me to Argus, and you'll spend the summer with my mother and I; and every summer and winter holiday going forward until we graduate and you and Ren can get an apartment together."

Nora's head snapped up at this, and looked at the redhead in shock.

"P-Pyrrha...we can't–"

"Yes you can and you will" she cut in gently, smiling sweetly. "Tell Ren, and I will call my mother to let her know. Trust me, she will be more than willing to house the both of you, especially with how quiet the house can get when I'm away at tournaments, and now in Vale for school. And besides, you said that I'm behaving like a big sister. Well...family looks out for one another, right?"

The thunderess stared at the Mistralese champion in astonishment with her mouth open, her mind being blown away by this incredible act of kindness. Tears began to form in the corners of her eyes, and without another moment of hesitation, jumped into Pyrrha's arms and hugged her so tightly, that it was as if she were afraid that the swordswoman would be taken away from her.

"Thank you!" she cried, pressing her face into Pyrrha's neck, desperately trying to fight back her tears. Pyrrha mentally laughed at the sheer strength of the hug, impressed that Ren was strong enough to not be crushed. She felt just how relieved her friend was, and pulled her into a return embrace. "We owe you!"

"Anything for my friends. You don't owe me a thing" the redhead replied, cradling Nora until she calmed down.

Team RWBY quietly watched them, touched by the kindness of Pyrrha's generosity, and smiled contently at their sisterly moment. Blake, while also touched, was now struggling with her guilt once again, feeling spring's end drawing closer, and her time ticking away.

λΛλ

It was late in the evening aboard the KAASVeðrfölnir, and her prisoners in the brig were sitting in their cell, feeling crushed by boredom trying to wear them down. Torchwick at least was making use of his time by going over his plans again and again, ironing out any wrinkles and feeling for chinks that he may have missed. Neo was napping against her father's shoulder, while Mercury and Emerald sat in silence, wanting to know why they were being left to rot in their jail cell.

At last, something new occurred. The sound of marching boots emerged out of the silence, as a pair of soldiers appeared before them with serious expressions on their faces.

"Stand up, Torchwick" said one as he pressed onto the panel on the side of the cell to shut down the barrier.

"Finally" he replied with a grin, and gently tapped Neo to wake her, who woke instantly. She looked between her father and the guards with worry in her eyes, which Roman did his best to sooth without speaking. He then rose to his feet and stepped forward, allowing the second soldier to bind his hands and feet. "Hopefully this won't take too long, but don't wait up for me if it drags into the unholy hours of the night" he added theatrically, before being forced to walk with the soldiers out of the brig, after the cell was closed once again.

When the soldiers left with Roman, Neo gripped her clothes tightly, fearing what would happen next. While she wasn't happy with the plan of leaving her father behind and going to Vacuo with Mercury and Emerald, she was even more fearful of what would happen to them if Roman failed to parley with the General. Would they all be taken back to Atlas, or would they be separated with no chance of freedom, as the Order were already operating outside of the rule of law. These thoughts scared her greatly, and she was visibly shaken. This did not go unnoticed by the others, Emerald especially, who then stood and sat beside the other girl, taking her hand and squeezing it. Neo looked up at her in surprise, but could see that Emerald was being genuine, and squeezed back appreciatively.

Mercury watched the both of them carefully, mulling over the situation and the potential consequences.

'You better know what you're doing, Torchwick' he thought, not liking his fate being in the hands of someone else, but knew he had no other choice.

λΛλ

Roman was brought to a room in a part of the ship he had seen many times before. It was where he had been interrogated when he had first been captured weeks ago, and he knew he was being taken there to be questioned once again. When the door was opened, there sat a plain metal table with three chairs; one facing the door and two with their backs to it. Roman was brought to the single chair and was made to sit upon it, before his restraints were then attached to the table which was fixed to the floor.

"Thanks a bunch, boys" he said to the two soldiers. "Make sure you come back to get me on time so I don't break curfew. I can't make my parents worry about me, ya know."

"Silver-tongued as always eh, Torchwick?" said a strong voice, causing the soldiers and their captive to look at the doorway to see Ironwood enter calmly, his arms behind his back.

"There's my favourite General" the gangster exclaimed, grinning playfully. "I have to maintain my skills even in confinement, after all. Did you miss me as much as I missed you?"

"Hardly" Ironwood replied, gesturing to his men with a quick tilt of his head, causing them to salute and leave the room. "I've been too preoccupied with wiping out your friends and their forces, and enjoying the lovely tournament" he continued, pulling the chair on the right and sitting upon it. "Instead, I could now use a break from all the paperwork you've caused me to deal with. So, let's try this again, shall we? I'm sure you've been brought up to speed by your cellmates."

"Yes I have, though I'm curious to know what happened to beastie boy and his pets?"

"Oh, Taurus? He left without a fight."

"Colour me shocked" Roman sighed sarcastically, causing Ironwood to chuckle. "And he didn't pay my fees."

"You have my genuine sympathies" the General replied. "You remained loyal to the end, never saying a word or giving us information regarding their plans. I respect that, which is more than I can say for your friends who showed no such regard for you, and ultimately left you to our mercy."

"Oh how will I ever recover from this?" the redhead answered, maintaining his sarcasm.

"Well you won't be going anywhere for the foreseeable future. With that in mind, why don't you share with us what else you might know about Cinder Fall and her allies? There's no real point to keeping quiet any longer, as they don't care about you, and will in fact try to kill you if given the chance; if you have any valuable information, that is."

Roman chuckled at that, as this was already setting the table for his own plans. Behind the mirror of the wall to his right, was an observing room where Huntmaster Ozpin, Deputy-Huntmistress Goodwitch, Qrow, Major Schnee, and Penny stood, watching and listening in to the interrogation.

"You think he'll talk?" asked Qrow.

"What other option does he have?" Winter replied. "He would be a fool to remain silent thinking She would send a rescue party."

"Indeed" added Ozpin, eyeing the gangster. "Torchwick is many things, but not a fool. He's thus far shown to be as crafty as a fox, allowing himself to be captured to later infiltrate the White Army. He is resourceful and cunning, making a great deal of sense to why he was scouted out by the enemy. How far could he climb if given the chance, I wonder?"

"Tell you what, Jimmy; can I call you Jimmy? I'll give you that keeping mum on what I know about the enemy would be dumb. But, it would be equally dumb to offer up that information without a substantial trade."

"Correct" admitted Ironwood. "However, this is not a simple situation we find ourselves in. We can't just offer you a plea bargain. Don't forget, you have a rap sheet a mile long from your years operating in the capital's underground, so under normal circumstances you would never be able to negotiate down your sentence with the hope of parole. Furthermore, you've decided to dip your toes into a whole new pond, moving up from organized crime, to terrorism, treason, endangerment of a civilian population by attracting Grimm hordes, grand larceny of military property, and aiding in the mobilizing of troops against a state without proper declaration of war. So you've moved from criminal court to military court, which gives me the legal power to do as I wish, as you've stolen my equipment; in addition to the fact that given who Cinder Fall is, all of this is off the books anyways. I'm sorry to say Torchwick, but you're up shit's creek, especially since we doubt you even have valuable information to trade in the first place."

Roman eyed the Atlassian General for a moment, before grinning at him.

"Trust me, Jimmy, I know quite a bit, and I'm very aware what I've gotten myself into" he replied.

"Do you now?"

"Oh yes" Roman insisted playfully. "They say never to look a gift horse in the mouth, but fuck that. I made sure to get the ins and outs of my employers, so I've garnered a great amount of information that I'm sure that you will find most useful."

"If you even have any, which I don't believe you do, as that level of information would not be shared with someone of your standing."

Roman simply maintained his grin.

"Come now, my dear General, you of all people should know the value of gathering intel before making any decisions; know thy enemy, and all that. Right, let's not beat around the bush. I'm fully aware of your Maiden's...chastity belt or whatever you call it, so I know exactly what's going on here and what you're up to. My job was to get Fall and Taurus in position to attack Albion, take down the CCT, and kill Calico. I was to then play around with your toy robots in the meantime, and then when it was over, we part ways for good. I knew right away that I was going to be left high and dry by the end, so I took the proper precautions to keep me afloat when shit hit the fan. You're right that the information you want to know wouldn't be given to an expendable tool like me; so I just got that information on my own. So, shall we parley?"

Ironwood stared at the gangster with a great deal of caution. He certainly spoke as if he knew what he was talking about, and knowing the name of their Order was a large piece of evidence to that. However, what was he to gain from all of this? If he truly did have knowledge of the interworking of their enemy's plans, then he knew of its value. What could he want in return that was equivalent to it?

In the observation room, the rest of the Order was having similar thoughts.

"Does he actually know about Her and what's been going on?" asked Glynda, sounding as uncomfortable as Qrow and Winter looked.

"As I said, cunning and resourceful" echoed Ozpin, leaning forward and pressing a button beside a microphone. "Let's see what he wants, James."

His voice was transmitted to Ironwood's earpiece, giving him the green light to proceed.

"Let's. We shall be the ones to judge the value of whatever information you have, so let's start with what you want out of this. Remember, you're in a lot of hot water, and we're off the books here. Freedom is not on the table, so what do you want?"

"I never expected my freedom would be up for debate, but what I want is the release of the kids; no strings attached" Roman replied, straight-faced.

This took the Order by surprise, as it was nothing they had expected; which meant there had to be a major catch to it.

"That is rather noble of you" Ironwood remarked, equally straight-faced. "So why would you of all people make a trade for their freedom over your own?"

"Because I'm just that kind of guy; a big softy deep down" the gangster replied with a toothy grin. "Those kids know nothing of what's going on. Sustrai, the green-haired girl, is just some petty thief; which I'm pretty sure you already know. The same goes for Black, who doesn't have the past of his father. He actually killed his father in self-defence, so he can be pardoned for killing an infamous assassin. Why set him on the path of his old man by making him a criminal with the charges you're leveling at me? The same goes for Neo, the mute girl. These are just kids with nowhere to go, taken advantage of by Fall, so they shouldn't take the fall for her; forgive my pun."

"We're fully aware of the first two, so you're assumption is correct. However, we also know that Neo, as you call her, is an associate of yours. We can argue for a lesser punishment for them, but not for Neo, as she very well could be sent back to your gang."

"No" Roman stated strongly, "all three; no charges or convictions or punishments. No strings attached of any kind. I'll take their place and give you the information you need, held indefinitely."

"If you even have information of such value for us to being to consider accepting your demands" Ironwood retorted calmly. "We're going to need something to work with here."

"Sure" Roman replied, leaning back in his chair and looking to the ceiling for a moment. "I've got one. If you kill Fall, her half of the Fall Maiden's powers will return to Calico."

This perked the ears of the Order, as it was the first piece of news they couldn't corroborate, but it was something that they alone were aware of being an issue; what would happen to the powers of a Maiden if they were divided, which they had believed to be impossible.

"And you know this as a fact?" questioned the General.

"Why do you think Fall was so desperate to kill Calico?" proposed the redhead rationally. "Her objective was Calico, and solely Calico. The tower would fall after restoring the Maiden's powers."

Indeed this made sense, but Ironwood was never one to take things on their face. He eyed the gangster carefully, trying to decipher his body language, as well as what he had already said. Ironwood had devoted a great deal of time to Roman, spending hours over the course of the past several weeks interrogating and observing him. His reaction to Neo being excluded from the deal was what caught his attention most. Given she was one of his associates outside of Cinder's group, he would have more of a history with her, but what sort of history? She was rather young, and her having a past with Roman suggested that she had begun working with him at an even younger age. Just who was she?

In conjunction with Neo, was Roman's tone regarding Cinder, not only during this interrogation session, but every one previously. Pieces began to fall into place for Ironwood, and he decided to test his budding theory.

"You're afraid of Cinder Fall" he proposed more than accused. "That's why you agreed to work with her and remain quiet in my custody. Only at half power, and she was too much for a small time crime boss like yourself to fathom, so you caved. It's why Taurus, who loathes Humans, worked with you. I don't fault you for it, as finding out that such things as the Maidens being reality would rattle any man, but now I have to wonder if this is just a way for us to get rid of her for you."

He hadn't fully intended his comments to be so belittling, but he now felt that he had enough of the high ground to begin pushing Roman's buttons. Indeed, some buttons had been pressed, but not in the way that Ironwood assumed. Roman locked eyes with the White Army General with a surprisingly piercing glare.

"Not fear; a deep seated loathing" he replied steadily and coldly. "Let me be clear, I never had any intention of working with Fall; the same goes for Taurus. He couldn't stand Fall, and as you can clearly see, fully expected this plan to fail. He criticized her plan for months, and it doesn't shock me at all that he retreated as soon as he realized that she had failed. I don't know what deal he was offered in the long run to join up with Fall, but I do know he respects her boss, so he isn't out of this game just yet. Fall needed us for her plan to work, and she came back to negotiate after we both told her to fuck off. In the end, she fucked up, so I'm not falling on the sword for her."

"And what were you offered to reconsider this partnership, if fear wasn't a key part?" Ironwood asked. "You say you loathed her, and yet you stayed loyal all this time. I'm sceptical of why you would go this far, both in faithfulness and in meticulousness in digging into Fall's overall plans to learn about the Maidens."

Roman remained steadfast.

"Because when she threatened to murder my daughter if I didn't help her, I had no choice" he retorted with venom on his tongue. "You keep using the word 'loyalty'. There isn't a fucking ounce of love, respect, or loyalty in me towards that fucking whore. I've imagined a thousand different ways to kill her, but I'm not stupid enough to think I can without her being unaware of the attempt, like killing her in her sleep. And maybe I'm a bit prideful, because I want her to know it was me who killed her. Letting you know about the Maiden's powers returning to Calico allows us to both get what we want. I hate that I can't be the one to pull the trigger, but as long as I can be the one to call for her death and she knows it, that's good enough for me. So give her my regards."

The Order was now on full alert with the gangster's revelation. This finally explained Roman's behaviour entirely, from getting involved with these larger than life affairs, to never breaking under pressure, and now, to the identity of the girl named Neo.

"This gives us an incredible amount of leverage" Winter commented. "We could gather a vast amount of knowledge from Torchwick if he holds that much animosity towards Fall, as well as by keeping his daughter in our custody. The General finally got under his skin, and caused him to reveal this important secret. I knew he would make a mistake sooner or later."

"Don't get your hopes up" warned Qrow. "Torchwick's been too smart to fuck up now. We need to be careful on how we go about this, Oz. Let's take a break and go over our options."

"Agreed" Ozpin said, leaning forward once again to activate the microphone. "James, join us in the observation room. We have things to discuss."

Ironwood made no motion to leave, and continued to stare at Torchwick in silence. Penny, who was standing at attention, unconsciously tightened her fists as she looked at her General, sensing she knew what was wrong.

"James?"

The Atlassian Huntmaster remained silent for a few moments longer, before at last making moves to pause the interrogation.

"I see. You've given us a lot to think about, Torchwick, so we'll need some time to contemplate on it. Sit tight for a minute while I discuss with my colleagues" he said as he began to rise to his feet.

"I believe I said we shouldn't beat around the bush" Roman shot, his glare still razor sharp, and halting Ironwood. "You and I both know that you don't have time. The ball is already in motion and you've been forced to make calls you never thought you'd have to this early. So let's cut the bullshit, and play ball. Do we have a deal?" He maintained his gaze with Ironwood as he extended his right hand, determined to get what he wanted.

"With all due respect, Torchwick, as someone who's been part of this for nearly twenty years, I don't think you know just how deep the rabbit hole goes" the General replied, trying to leave once again.

"No, Jimmy, you're the one who doesn't know how far this goes."

The two men held their gaze in a deafening silence, neither having any intention of breaking or submitting to one another.

"James" Ozpin called again, finally getting his friend to fully stand.

"One moment" the General announced, turning his back to the redhead, and he reached for the door.

"Salem already has the Spring Maiden under her command" Roman fired directly, burrowing his eyes into Ironwood's back. This caused the Order to recoil, as this was something they had no knowledge of whatsoever.

Ironwood was the only one who remained composed, and he turned to face Roman once again. However, while he appeared unfazed on the surface, Roman knew that his revelation had shaken his captors.

"Yes, I know her name; though I like to call her Turkey-Head." Roman then paused as he saw a change in Ironwood's eyes, causing him to grin. "Oh Jimmy, don't tell me you haven't even met her after nearly twenty years of preparation. Well, she's not the talkative type, so I can't really blame you. Anyways, the Spring Maiden has been serving Turkey-Head for over a decade, so if you don't kill Fall, you'll be falling even further behind than you already are."

The silence returned, causing Roman to grin wider.

"What? Cat got your tongue, Jimmy? Eh, that's fine; I think I've had enough fun with you for now. How about we shake things up a bit?" The redhead turned his attention to the mirror, seeming as if he was looking through it. "The little bird of Branwen is watching us, isn't he? How about you tag out with him? I bet we would have a lot fun chatting together."

"I very much doubt you would have anything to say to him" said Ironwood at last, not willing to give the gangster any more ground.

"I don'know about that...I think that he would like to hear what I have to say. After all, wouldn't you want to know how your dear big sister has been doing?"

This piece of news was devastating. The members of the Order within the observation room turned to Qrow, who stared at Roman with muted anguish and torment.

"Qrow..." began Winter, but the macabre Huntsmen couldn't hear her, for his entire focus was on the grinning gangster.

"But if we go into the long hours of the night, which I don't doubt that we will, I'm going to need some cigars and whiskey" requested Roman, folding his arms like a customer at a restaurant. "Be quick and get some for me would you, Jimmy?"

Not a fan of being ordered around, Ironwood prepared to put his prisoner in his place, when the door opened to reveal Qrow.

"There he is" Roman said smirking. "Just as brooding as they say. Are you up for a chat?"

Qrow pulled the remaining chair that had its back to the door, and sat on it without breaking his harsh gaze at the gangster. He produced a glass and placed it on the table, before pulling out his simple flask and poured its contents.

"Give him a cigar, James" Qrow said coldly, sliding the whiskey to Roman, clearly not happy with any of this, but determined to talk with the redhead.

Ironwood hesitated for a moment, before slowly returning to his seat, and fishing out a cigar from his inside breast pocket. He then produced a guillotine-style cigar cutter and snipped the cap, which caused the gangster to sneer.

"I take back all the nice things I said about you" he remarked. "Straight cutting cigars instead of V-cutting like a heathen."

If things had been different, Ironwood would have laughed at this, but instead he reluctantly handed the cigar to Roman, who accepted it, and sniffed.

"Very nice aroma. Is this from Menagerie? Must be since no leaf grows like this anywhere else."

He stuck the cigar between his lips, as the General reached into his coat for his lighter, when to his surprise, saw Roman produce his own. Ironwood could have sworn that the man had been thoroughly searched for any weapons or tools, with even his hat being seized. How had he managed to conceal it, for while it was no larger than the average metal sparkwheel lighter, it wouldn't have been difficult to find on his person. Had he been keeping it hidden since his arrest, or had one of his three inmates given it to him? Of course, that begged the question as to how did they get the lighter passed his men? Ironwood made a strong mental note to question those on duty to find out how this happened, though there were more important things to deal with at the moment. He watched the gangster press the flame against the foot of the cigar, allowing Roman to puff it to life, carefully rotating the cigar to make sure it was fully lit. Roman then took a draw and rolled the smoke in his mouth, retrohaling it out of his nose, before removing the cigar from his lips.

"I retract my retraction. This is a damn fine cigar" complimented the gangster as he took up his glass, sniffing its contents appreciatively. "Mmm. So's this. Is that hickory I smell?"

"Are you done?" growled Qrow in a low voice, not in any mood for small talk.

"Just a moment" Roman replied, sampling the whisky and nodding his approval.

He then placed his glass onto the table and returned his cigar to his mouth, allowing him to extend his right hand between the two other men. Without breaking eye contact, Qrow paused for only a moment before shaking Roman's hand, accepting the terms. The ginger kept his hand extended, making it obvious he wanted Ironwood's agreement as well. With less resistance than everyone expected, James shook it.

"Now I'm done" Roman said, smiling in satisfaction.

"Good" Qrow seethed as his friend let go of Roman's hand and leaned backward, while the Branwen heir leaned forward. "Now start talking..."

---

Author's Note:

So, a few things to cover. The first is, more fluff. I am sure you are all very excited. Again, I am not against fluff; I just want to do in a way that furthers the plot, which it does.

One of the things that I would say is a theme of this story, is strong relationships. I honestly wanted to differentiate DDCT from other fan-fiction, not simply by the quality of the writing itself, but by not being just typical fan-fic romance. Pyrrha's view on relationships, as is Weiss', are my own, so I took a great amount of care of how to implement it in the story. It was never meant to drag things out and blue-ball, so I made sure that the conversation between Pyrrha, Nora, and the girls, made things abundantly clear.

What it also did, was show more of what Ren and Nora's relationship truly is. Again, I am beyond disgusted with what CRWBY have done, and will do before the end of V8. I know I've whinged about this before, but the more I edit this story, the more I see the discrepancy between myself and the writers. Speaking of which, I was also able to show that the cast actually like one another, something that the show has failed to do for at least six volumes. Characters of any show or story should communicate, especially if they are meant to be friends. And given that they're teenagers, these are the conversations they should be having. Also, kinda important in developing their characters and the story overall, for it effects how it progresses. See? Never without a point.

And now to the big part of this chapter. Once again, our boy, Roman, is here to show he's large and in charge. I wasn't kidding that I had plans for him, and we are still only touching the surface; more to come :). I'll let the scene speak for itself, and you will have to wait for when the consequences begin to bear fruit.

Is there anything else I need to address? Oh yeah, we've just hit 200k words! Another milestone. And guess what? We've still got a long way to go. Cheers, thanks for reading, see you next time, and brace yourselves for the return of V8. They are going to dangled Pyrrha's corpse in our faces again, I just know it. Gods help us all -_-