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

17. Chapter XVII: Only the Music

Author's Note

Hello everyone! I hope you're all doing well. Before we begin, I'd like to say a few things. Firstly, I want to thank you all for the incredible response to the previous chapter. I knew that Jaune and Pyrrha finally becoming a couple would get people excited, but the level of passion in both the reviews and PMs was very humbling. So for that, I thank you all.

The next thing to touch on is the confusion about Majesty. A number of you were unsure about it, saying that it seems to be no different than Aura Amp. Therefore, allow me to make things clear:

Aura Amp increases the amount of Aura a person has when Jaune is touching them; like a direct fuel line. It also amplifies the power and effects of a person's Semblance, pushing the limits of said Semblance that the wielder could not do otherwise. It also has a bonus ability to heal, amplifying the natural healing effects of Aura.

Majesty on the other hand, is more different than you think. Majesty greatly increases the physical strength and fortitude of an Arc, allowing them perform incredible feats of strength, and take brutal hits with greater ease. It also allows them to heal devastating wounds, some that would even be considered mortal. However, the difference that I think people are getting hung up on, is that Arcs CANNOT heal other people. They can only heal THEMSELVES [the wielder]. And that is the major difference between Aura Amp and Majesty in regards to philosophy. CRWBY turned Jaune into a healer (or a battery; depending on how you look at it). In DDCT however, the Arcs, and therefore Jaune, are not healers; they are Heavy Shock Troops. One of the many themes of this story is that Jaune is a Knight; not a healer, not a boy, a Knight.

To give this even more clarity, I came up with Majesty back in 2015 after watching the scene of Pyrrha unlocking his Aura. That clicked in my mind, and I began to invent a proper Semblance for him. I only became aware of Aura Amp within the last two years or so, and I was just as disappointed as most by it. Having a Sister Semblance to Polarity (Magnetism as fans have voiced), would be great given that Jaune was trained by Pyrrha, and could now fight more like her. Alas, we got Aura Amp. It's funny how CRWBY once again saw the obvious choice for Jaune and meddled with it to subvert expectations. Sad. Anyways, there is more to Majesty than I have touched on, but that would be spoilers.

Also, funny enough, an OC of mine that I added to the full rewrite has a Semblance very similar to Aura Amp, called "War Drum". However, instead of touching people, he plays a guitar, powering up Huntsmen who hear his music. I took inspiration from the Pied Piper, though it can't heal. He is somewhat of a loner character however, and doesn't like his Semblance very much, therefore he trained heavily in weapons and other fields to make up for his Semblance.

Lastly, there is something else in that vein I want to respond to. I have heard the Paladin comments before, and I have slammed them each and every time. Paladins are the holiest of Knights, and while they are meant to have healing abilities, they come from their faith. Religion is a broken, nonsensical, and criminally unimportant aspect of RWBY. Despite it being a world that must fight monsters for survival, religion and clergymen are no where to be seen other than the Two Brothers nonsense. So while I do agree that a possible outcome for Jaune AFTER the death of Pyrrha would be to become a Paladin in order to be more like her, there is nothing to support it without cemented religiousness. This is exactly why I took the time to establish Pyrrha's piety, as well as introduce two major religions.

I hope this has cleared things up. And with that, please enjoy the chapter :)

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Chapter XVII: Only the Music

The next morning came as beautifully as the previous one. Albion was lively as ever, showing that the Vytal Festival would be busy to the final day. In the dorms, the students were also beginning to stir, equally eager to enjoy the last stretch of the festival. In Pyrrha and Nora's room, Ren slowly awoke, still on his side, and saw his entire world peacefully dozing away. He smiled at the ginger, acknowledging her beauty and her cuteness, as well as her light snoring, which was also cute.

It was amusing how panic-stricken he was the last time they had shared a bed together, and now he felt tranquility that not even his appropriately named Semblance brought. He now realized that both then and now, he felt more rested than ever before, as if being beside her let him sleep more deeply and soundly. Waking every morning with her like this was certainly something he could get used to. Nora then nuzzled her pillow before sighing back into peaceful sleep, causing Ren's smile to grow. She was the cutest girl he had ever met, and probably would remain that way until...

Ren closed his eyes at the notion, feeling that he may be thinking too far ahead.

'What am I thinking?' he thought. 'There's so much more I need to achieve before being worthy enough for those kinds of aspirations.'

He opened his eyes again, knowing that he needed to wake her, but now felt incredibly reluctant to do so. He had this issue when he was younger, especially due to Nora's night terrors robbing her of restful sleep, but he began to develop a better grasp of being stern with her as she grew more energetic, becoming the adult of the pair. And yet, he was now back to not having the heart to disturb her, wishing her to get her rest, especially after they had talked into the very early hours of the morning. However that thought did remind him that they needed to speak to Pyrrha, and more importantly, thank her for her incredibly generous offer.

Ren then lifted his left hand and gently placed it on Nora's right shoulder, shaking her lightly.

"Nora" he said softly, "it's time to wake up." The ginger merely moaned in her sleep, not wanting to be roused just yet. "Nora, it's morning" he repeated, shaking her more strongly this time, but still failed to bring the girl to the waking world. All that remained was Ren's trump card. "Nora, it's time to eat."

This at last caused Nora to slowly open her eyes; always striving to never miss a meal. She blinked several times to register where she was and who was talking, and thankfully, she did not overreact when seeing that it was Ren.

"Good morning, Ren" she said softly, remembering that they had talked until they fell asleep, but nevertheless blushed lightly at their situation.

"Good morning" he replied with a small smile. "I'm sorry I had to wake you, but it's time. I know you could use a bit more sleep, given last night."

"I'm alright actually" Nora remarked, which was true, as Nora was inexplicably rested; more rested than she had been in a while. Furthermore, the sight of the boy she loved lying next to her was definitely waking her and giving her a boost to start the day. "What do we have to do today?"

"I'm not sure past the morning, but we need to talk to Pyrrha about letting us stay with her over the summer. That has to be the first thing we do."

"Right. I'll go shower and then we'll go see if Jaune and Pyrrha are awake" the ginger announced, before rolling over and getting out of bed.

She walked briskly to grab a change of clothes, and headed for the bathroom door, closing it behind her. Ren's eyes naturally followed her every step of the way, getting a better view of her rear as she walked, again impressed by it, as the skirt she wore had always hidden it from view. It was then that he realized that what occurred every morning was very much in play, and he blushed in both embarrassment and relief, for if he had risen first, the awkwardness would've been deadly. Ren got to his feet and began to walk it off, hoping that it would leave before Nora finished her shower. Unable to stop his adolescent mind, the mental image of the ginger nude and lathering herself materialized, and he kicked himself for thinking it, suppressing a small and annoying voice stating that such a view could also become very easy to get used to seeing in the mornings.

Thankfully Nora did not take frightfully long, and both left the dorm to visit their neighbors. Ren tried to turn the knob, and as he expected, found it to be locked. He then fished out his wallet and procured his dorm key card, swiped it on the lock, and at last, opening the door. The pair quickly looked around the room, slightly anxious of what they might find. To both their relief and disappointment, they found their friends cuddling in Jaune's bed, fully clothed, and dozing away without a care in the world.

"Well, isn't that a sight for sore eyes?" Ren remarked, happy to see them as they always should have been. "Not to mention it's such a rarity to be up before them."

"Yeah, but I bet they were up to more exhausting things" Nora pointed out with a grin, as she pulled out her Scroll and took a photo of the sleeping couple. "They're soooo cute."

"Yes they are, and I hate to wake them, but we must."

"Alrighty" the hammeress agreed, returning her Scroll to her pocket and placed her hands around her mouth. "Wake up, lovebirds!" she cried, as per usual choosing the less than subtle approach.

With a start, the couple bolted upright, not at all expecting to be startled in such a manner, and turned to see their friends watching them with amused smirks on their faces.

"Good morning, you two" Ren greeted politely. "I take it you both slept well."

"Uh...yeah" Jaune replied, his cheeks flushed, realizing the situation and what it appeared to be. "What time is it?"

"Nearly eight. I'm not sure if the others are already at the dining hall, but they will be if they aren't in their room."

"Right. We'll get ready then" the blond replied, getting out of bed. "I'll take a shower first then you can use it, OK?"

"Works for me."

Jaune turned to face Pyrrha and extended his hand to help her out of bed, which she of course accepted. As Nora motioned for the door to leave with her roommate, both she and Ren saw the couple share a good morning kiss, causing the onlookers to grin at them. The couple noticed this and blushed, quickly composed themselves, and each heading in opposite directions; Jaune for the bathroom and Pyrrha for the bedroom door, leaving with Nora who watched her with an ever growing grin.

After half an hour, Team JNPR were ready to leave for the dining hall, when Ren stopped them.

"Pyrrha" he said, getting her attention.

"Yes?" she replied.

"Nora told me last night that you want us to stay with you and your mother for the summer, as well as future summers until we graduate."

"Yes I did" Pyrrha smiled. "Will you be accepting my offer?"

The green-clad Huntsman-in-training bowed graciously, which Nora copied.

"We will. I cannot thank you enough for doing this. We will be in your debt, and we will both do everything and anything we can to repay you and your mother."

"Ren, there's no need. I could never allow you both to spend the holidays on your own without a roof over your head, when I have so much room at my home. You owe me nothing."

"But we do" Ren insisted, standing straight and looking at his friend with an earnest expression on his face. "You've offered us room and board for several years. That's an incredibly generous gesture, and neither I nor Nora can accept it without offering more than just saying thank you. I'm a decent cook, so I can prepare meals for everyone while we stay with you. Nora can help with anything that requires heavy lifting, and we can divide the chores that remain between us. Then when we start making money from official Grimm Hunts, we'll start paying your mother back."

The redhead was taken aback by Ren's determination to repay her, and felt a great deal of respect and pride in him as well as Nora. Smiling, Pyrrha took a deep breath.

"I appreciate that greatly, I truly do, and I'm sure my mother will love to have someone to cook with her, but I want you to know that we don't expect you to pay us back. I offered because I couldn't just leave my friends stranded. Also, I'm doing this for more selfish reasons" she explained.

"Selfish?" Ren had trouble believing that. Pyrrha had supported Jaune in his pursuit of Weiss over taking the opportunity to get closer to him. Selfish was never a word anyone would attribute to her, so what was she on about?

"Yes. Nora told me what happened to you and your family." The boy tensed for a moment. "I lost my father in the same manner years ago, so I understand how painful that must have been, and has been." Her voice shook slightly with emotion, before she took a step forward and wrapped her arms around Ren, hugging him warmly. "You're not just my teammates, you're my friends, and after what's happened this year and what will no doubt happen in the years to come, I already consider you family. Family stands by one another, and help each other in any way they can. So I ask you both not to feel indebted to me or my mother. I'd do so much more for you."

Ren and Nora were left speechless from Pyrrha's words, touched beyond expression by how much she cared for them. It brought them back to the conversation they had last night that they were no longer alone, that they had friends who would look out for them and never betray them. It was an exhilarating feeling, and both knew that they would pay her back, even if she said they didn't need to. Ren hugged Pyrrha tightly, showing his gratitude with actions rather than words, before being joined by Nora who hugged them both. Jaune watched his teammates with pride and gladness, knowing how much this meant to Ren and Nora. It also deepened his love for Pyrrha, who yet again showed she was always ready and willing to help others. He truly was blessed to have them all in his life. Nora then looked up at him and laughed.

"Get in here, captain!" she called, causing Pyrrha and Ren to open their arms and allow the blond to join in the group hug.

It was a wonderful sensation to experience camaraderie like this; for all of them. Ren and Nora for being alone for a decade, Pyrrha for being placed on a pedestal and unable to make friends, and Jaune who had left the only home he ever knew, feeling like an outsider in his own family, finding a new one, and learning how much of an Arc he truly was. For the young captain, he was starting to believe what Huntmaster Ozpin had said, that it truly was his destiny to make his way to Beacon. If in his first-year he had made such wonderful friends and met the girl that he would marry, what in Remnant would the future hold?

At the moment, the future hopefully would include breakfast, as Nora's stomach suddenly rumbled like a freight train, causing the others to all look at her. The ginger's cheeks flushed pink in embarrassment, and she smiled sheepishly.

"Can we get something to eat? she asked, laughing nervously.

"Yeah, let's go" chuckled Jaune, joined by Ren and Pyrrha, before leading his team down the hall towards the stairs that led out to the path that connected with the dining hall.

λΛλ

Team JNPR entered the hall at last, and after getting their food, walked towards their usual table where Team RWBY were already seated and in the process of eating their breakfast. They looked up at their approaching friends, and Yang began to point at Jaune and Pyrrha with eagerness.

"There they are!" she chimed. "The lovebirds have finally come home to roost!"

"You trying to mock us or praise us?" asked Jaune, taking his usual seat with Pyrrha to his left, then Ren, and finally Nora.

"That depends. Did you do it last night or no?"

The couple blushed, though they fully expected the blonde brawler to ask them this.

"It's too early for us to do anything like that" Jaune replied.

"You sure? Cuz the way you two were making out was pretty intense, and it looked like you were going to jump right into the sack."

"As I told you before, I had no intention to cross that line on the first date" Pyrrha added, standing right beside her boyfriend.

"And as I told you, there are other things one can do with their mouth than kissing" Yang smirked.

"We didn't do any of that either" the blond captain assured.

"And mock you I shall."

"Good ahead" Jaune offered without any ill-will. "And while you're doing that, I'll be doing this."

Without hesitation, the boy leaned to his left and kissed Pyrrha, who was taken aback for only a moment by his sudden act of affection, before shutting her eyes and kissed back. Their teammates smiled proudly at them, happy as ever to see them together and unapologetic of their love. Team RWBY each reacted differently, however. Ruby was once again embarrassed but happy for them. Weiss was also embarrassed, but at the same time was elated, as she wanted Pyrrha to be with the one she loved, and Jaune to be with her after helping Neptune rethink their relationship. Blake was slightly self-conscious and a tad jealous, whereas Yang was visibly annoyed and envious.

"You've got a brass set, don't ya, Arc?" the elder Xiao Long sister remarked, glaring at him.

"No, not really" he replied, breaking the kiss for a moment. "Just an inflated ego from having the most beautiful girl in the world as my girlfriend."

"You do realize that everyone is looking at you guys, right?" she informed. Indeed, many of the other students eating breakfast were watching the new couple with intrigue, surprise, and envy, as once and for all the rumours that they were in a relationship were now settled.

"Don't care. I could never be ashamed of dating Pyrrha, and frankly, I don't care what people say or write about us."

"Well, looks like things went real well last night" came a familiar voice, causing the Beaconites to turn and see Team SSSN walking up to them.

"I told you there was nothing to worry about" added Neptune with a grin. "You got all nervous for nothing."

"Expect for the best, prepare for the worst, capitalize on what comes, as they say" Jaune reflected as the dynamic duo took their usual spots beside the girls they cared for. "Here's your watch, Neptune. Thanks again for lending it to me."

"No problem. Anytime" the blue-haired Vacuan replied, accepting his timepiece back and reattaching it to his wrist.

"Capitalizing is right. You two finally bonked, didn't you?" Sun continued.

"Sadly no. They're gonna go the boring route" informed the blonde, answering for the couple.

"Really? After all that and the way there were making out just now? That's normally the sign of post bonking bliss."

"You would think, but no."

"Could you both please drop this?" Weiss cut in with a frown of disapproval on her face. "We have discussed this at length that neither of them want to rush this relationship. We've spoken to Pyrrha privately, and Neptune told me that Jaune has echoed her sentiments with his own with the boys, confirming what Ren said last night. Let them do what they want."

"Hold it right there, Ice Queen" Yang shot back, pointing at the heiress. "I'm not telling them or anyone else to do anything. I'm teasing the ever-loving shit out of them because it's fun. I can only talk about what I would do if I was in their shoes, and I want them to enjoy everything a good relationship brings. They can ignore me and that's fine, I'll support them as well as the rest of you, with whatever they do. You can ignore what I have to say, but you can't stop me from speaking my mind."

"Exactly!" agreed the Monkey Faunus. "It's what I've been doing to Jaune, and even Neptune. Friends mess with each other cuz we care."

"Life would be boring otherwise" added the Vacuan lieutenant.

"And I would have bugged the heck out of Pyrrha if she hadn't spent the night in Jaune's room" Nora commented before signalling to the redhead with her fingers. "Tonight, you, me, and lots of hot chocolate."

"You see?" Yang announced, gesturing with her hands as if before a theatre audience. "All in good fun."

Weiss maintained her frown, but reluctantly understood what they were all getting at. However, to her surprise, Pyrrha was the next to speak.

"As much as it gets under my skin" she admitted, "I've come to recognize that it's all good natured ribbing. In the end, Jaune and I are finally dating, and I thank you all for that teasing. It honestly did help, as it gave me a great deal to think about."

"Same with me" Jaune added, taking Pyrrha's hand. "I've honestly been a thick-headed idiot, not noticing Pyrrha's feelings until she straight up told me. But since then, I've done my best to make this relationship work, and I owe a lot of that to Ren for being such a good friend, as well as the rest of you. It made me realize just how much I cared for Pyrrha, and that I had to do this right. I couldn't have done it without you, and now, I've found the One."

Everyone was deeply touched by the couple's words, as they knew just how honest they were being. It seemed that in only a single night, they matured even more than they had over the course of the school year. If there had been any doubt that these two were meant to be with one another, it was now being quashed for good.

"You're welcome" Yang accepted, placing a hand on her heart and bowing. "So when's the wedding?"

"I was thinking the summer right after we graduate; what do you say?" Jaune proposed without hesitation, looking to Pyrrha.

"That soon?" she asked, blushing at how certain he was being.

"Sure. I thought we'd take a page out of your parent's book, ya know?"

The redhead smiled as she rubbed her thumb against his hand.

"I'm glad you remembered, but I think I need to meet your parents, and you need to meet my mother before we can tie the knot."

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

"H-Hey!" gasped Yang, her cheeks flushed with a genuine look of shyness on her face. "I was just joking! You guys aren't really gonna get married that soon, are you?"

Her reaction caused the others to look at her strangely, as this was the first time they had seen her like this. Indeed, Yang, for the first time in the year that everyone, excluding Ruby, had known her, was actually embarrassed and flustered. She had thus far shown herself to be shameless, a tad vulgar, and shockingly blunt, but never before had she been straight up embarrassed. Why in Remnant would she suddenly become nervous around the idea of Jaune and Pyrrha getting married right after graduation? She had become slightly subdued yesterday evening at Pyrrha's admittance of thinking Jaune was the man she'd marry, but she had rebounded rather quickly. What was different now?

"Why not?" the champion replied nonchalantly. "I was taught growing up that if you find the right man, then why wait? I truly meant that Jaune was the One, and last night only confirmed it."

"And you feel the same way?" Blake asked Jaune.

"Of course" he replied. "Ren and the others can vouch for me, but I was shaking like a leaf before I left with Pyrrha to the movies. I knew that if tonight went where I thought it was going, then I knew I'd have to cross that bridge. I had to tell Pyrrha the truth that I loved her, and it scared me because I knew that the moment I said it, there was no going back. And you know what? I don't want to go back."

It was an incredibly humbling display by the both of them, and the others were humbled by it, if a tad sheepish, as they felt as if their older siblings were getting married, thus becoming adults and leaving them behind. The couple's words touched Ren and Nora in particular, as they too knew that there was a line to cross, and both wanted to, but were plagued by the fear that it may go wrong. Nonetheless, there indeed was no going back once it was crossed, and they each hoped that sooner rather than later, they would have the courage to step over it. Yang felt the most sheepish of all, as she had seen "Vomit Boy" become a young man in such a short amount of time. Here she was, ready to revel in the freedom granted to her from being away from home, and now, two of her friends were talking about marriage after only a year of knowing each other; at seventeen no less. She honestly didn't know if she could continue to tease them when they were so confident in their love. Weiss, on the other hand, was struggling with other emotions. She was happy for them, she truly was, but there was an envy that burned like the cold in her heart. She said nothing of it, for she knew that no one would understand; perhaps safe for him.

"So, on a less serious note, what do you guys plan on doing today?" Sun asked. "You can only have so much fun planning for a wedding that won't take place for four more years, so how about we do something together?"

"Oh! What about karaoke?" asked Nora, clapping once excitedly. "We saw a cool place when we were out shopping the other day. It looks like they serve food and drinks too."

"That could be fun" Pyrrha remarked. "I've never done karaoke before."

"Oh you're missing out" Yang informed, fishing out her Scroll. "Which joint was this? Mousai's Karaoke and Cocktails?"

"Yeah, that one!"

"It's got great reviews. I'm down."

"Me too" Jaune agreed, looking at his team who all nodded.

"Hell yeah" Sun grinned. "This is totally our wheelhouse." The rest of Team SSSN grinned eagerly, though Neptune noticed in the corner of his eye, that Weiss wasn't so pleased, whereas the rest of her team were.

"Right, that settles it" Yang announced. "Let's aim for one in the afternoon. We can eat here and save money on drinks."

"You want to drink that early in the afternoon?" asked Blake with a cocked eyebrow.

"It's summer; you can drink whenever" the blonde retorted, earning a supportive nod from the Monkey Faunus. "So everyone can do whatever they want until noon, then we'll meet in front of the main ceremony hall, and go to the karaoke bar together."

Now in agreement, the Huntsmen-in-training continued to eat their breakfasts, looking forward to another day of shenanigans.

λΛλ

Team JNPR emerged from their rooms, changed into their new casual wear. Pyrrha was wearing a jersey tank top with a floral pattern and burgundy background, mid-rise slim jeans, and low-heeled gladiator-style sandals. Nora was wearing a summer mini dress with a spider flower pattern against a deep blue background, a pink purse over her right shoulder, and opened toed low heeled wedge sandals on her feet. She had even gone through the effort of painting her finger and toenails in a matching pink. All of this instantly caught the eye of Ren, who was wearing a men's green denim shirt with the sleeves rolled up, black jeans, and comfortable shoes. He had never seen her dressed like this, as even in her Beacon Dance dress, she had gone for something more minimal. This summer outfit was a different animal all together, and he couldn't stop himself from giving her the one over, with her exposed legs expectedly catching his eye. Nora noticed this of course, and internally was ecstatic that he liked it, returning his looking over by examining his new clothes.

"Well, you went all out" remarked Jaune, wearing a simple Navy blue polo with jeans, as he was surprised to see the ginger's outfit.

"There was lots of cute stuff at the shop we went to the other day, so I figured to spend some of our winnings on new clothes. I can't have just my Huntress gear and the school uniform, right?" she reasoned, smiling brightly as her eyes landed on Ren. "And it looks like you guys did the same. You're new outfit looks really good on you, Ren!"

"Thank you" he replied, suddenly becoming very aware of his tongue. "You look great; even better than you were in your dress, actually."

He hadn't meant to say that final part aloud, and had let it slip in a moment of awe. His heart instantly jumped into his throat, worried that he had said too much, but it descended just as quickly when he saw her smile grow from ear to ear.

"Aww! Thank you!" she returned graciously, shutting her eyes with her cheeks painted pink.

She meant it more than she could express in words, but she knew that slow and steady would be the best way to cross the bridge from friends to lovers. All of this caught Jaune's attentive eye, and he leaned over to Pyrrha to whisper in her ear.

"Mind explaining?"

"Nora's become much bolder since the barbecue" she whispered back as their friends began to talk. "She wants to slowly pull him in so he can make the first move. She decided to go with that dress since she caught him checking her out again when they spent the night together yesterday, since I spent it with you. She even wanted me to do her nails, which was more of a struggle than you would think. She fidgeted the entire time, clearly not used to staying still for so long, but I could tell by the face she was making how determined she was. When they were drying, I asked her about it, and she said that she could never wear the same clothing Weiss wears in battle, so she would make more of an effort to be womanly during our off-duty hours. She wants to keep the ball rolling. "

"I see. Things are going to get interesting" Jaune replied with a grin. "And they'll be spending the summer with you; I wonder what'll happen without me around to prod him along."

Pyrrha was about to ask him a question, when the door to Team RWBY's room opened to reveal them finally dressed in their new outfits. Ruby wore a floral A-line summer dress with red roses on a white background, and metallic gold sandals. Weiss wore a blue and white lace mini dress, white suede high-heel open toe sandals, and white lace wide brim sun hat. Blake finally wore something less sombre thanks to Yang's supportive pestering; a violet knot front crop top revealing her midriff, white Bermuda shorts, and lace-up espadrille flatform sandals. And finally, Yang wore a golden-yellow v-neck crop top revealing both her midriff and cleavage, with daisy duke shorts, and low-heel sandals, which showed off her long legs that her boots usually hid. She topped off her outfit with a pair of golden-orange aviator sunglasses and tied her hair into a high ponytail.

"And we're finally ready" announced Yang with a wide smile.

"That took far more time than it should have" added Weiss with a sigh.

"Why? Was there something wrong?" asked Pyrrha.

"Just the usual suspects being difficult" the blonde remarked, looking to Blake and her sister.

"You didn't have to–" began the Cat Faunus, but was immediately cut off by Yang.

"Yes I did! Honestly, you can't just wear the same dark bleak colours every day; now especially since it's summer. Furthermore, don't you want to look good for Sun? Of course you do. So I'm doing my part as your friend to make sure you look good and have fun for once" she explained, before her eyes fell on her younger sister. "And then there's this little creature."

"I don't like dressing up" whined Ruby. "I can't believe you secretly bought these after tricking me to try them on."

"It's not dressing up; it's just a simple summer dress and shoes."

"Precisely" added Weiss. "And for the record, you wore far more at the Beacon Dance, and technically speaking, your normal combat attire is more complex than this summer outfit. So stop complaining and try to enjoy yourself."

Ruby groaned as Team JNPR smirked at their usual squabbles.

"I think you all look wonderful" Pyrrha complimented genuinely. "Especially Ruby and Blake; those are adorable outfits, and you shouldn't feel so self-conscious."

"Yeah, they're really cute!" Nora added, before looking to Weiss and Blake. "Sun and Neptune will love them, by the way."

"Thank you, I certainly hope so" smiled Weiss as Blake blushed.

"Speaking of which, they're probably waiting for us at the ceremony hall. Let's go!" Yang announced, and led the way with her friends right behind her.

It didn't take them long for them to reach their predetermined meeting point, and as expected, found Team SSSN waiting for them. Neptune was the only one of the group that had bothered to change his outfit, for he wore a navy blue single breasted short sleeved button down shirt with small white dots, a white silk bandana around his neck, matching slim ash-white shorts that stopped just above the knees, and white buck shoes. It was very clear that his attire was all tailored, maintaining his position as the best dresser of the team. Sun's logic was his outfit was perfectly stylish already; therefore it worked for both casual wear and for combat. It was actually a big deal for him to wear a dress shirt and tie for the Dance, which Blake was shocked to learn when he had admitted he felt self-conscious during their talk after they left the dance hall. Sage and Scarlet hadn't changed outfits, though the taller Vacuan was carrying a large duffle bag; its contents impossible to guess.

"Afternoon, ladies" greeted the Monkey Faunus, grinning as he always did. "Looking great as per usual."

"Truly; the blue really brings out the beauty in your eyes" Neptune added, smiling at Weiss as he spoke.

The heiress blushed at the Vacuan boy's compliment.

"Thank you, Neptune. You look rather handsome as well."

"Hey, Wukong" cut in Yang, resting her hands on Blake's shoulders. "What'd you think of this little number?"

The Cat Faunus flushed with the spotlight being placed on her, and wasn't sure of what to say. Thankfully, and without fail, Sun knew exactly how to reply.

"She gets more beautiful every time I see her" he complimented, his eyes reflecting his feelings for the recluse girl. Blake blushed even more from his praise, and felt her heart skip a beat from it.

"See? I told you he'd like it."

"Thank you..." Blake managed quietly, looking up to see his smile widen, and it caused her heart to beat faster.

"So we know how we're getting to the karaoke bar?" asked Jaune.

"Yep!" Yang replied, holding up her Scroll. "Right this way, ladies and gents!"

λΛλ

It didn't take them long to reach the Mousai's Karaoke and Cocktails, which was a much larger establishment than they had first thought. The inside was a large, multi-level single half-moon shaped room, descending to a dance floor, and was very colourful, as it was illuminated by neon lighting fixed to the tables, walls, and ceiling. The stage in the centre of the bar was larger than one would expect, indicating that it could accommodate a full band, and suggesting that the building was originally intended for live performances. The dance floor right in front of the stage also alluded to that possibility, as it too was much larger than would normally be at a karaoke bar. The tables were mostly standard, until roughly halfway into the centre of the bar, where they became longer and curved, surrounded by half-circle booths, allowing the patrons to eat and drink comfortably while watching whatever performance was occurring.

The Huntsmen-in-training were blown away by the view before them, and noticed that the establishment was fairly filled with people.

"This place is great!" cheered Nora, as she had never been to a karaoke bar before.

"Yeah; lovin' the vibe it's giving off" added Sun, scanning the room.

"Welcome to Mousai's" greeted a hostess that materialized in front of them. "How many in your party?"

"Twelve" Yang replied. "You got a single table for all of us not far from the stage?"

"Of course. Right this way" the hostess replied, and led the group to one of the several stairs that connected to the dance floor.

She brought them down to the final level of tables at the foot of the dance floor, with one right in the middle that was clearly large enough for the group.

"Here you are. Just so you are aware, the blue tablet is for selecting which songs you wish to sing, and the red tablet is for ordering your meals and beverages."

The others thanked her graciously as they took their seats. It was no different than how it usually was, with them sitting clockwise with Jaune on the edge on the left side, then Pyrrha, Ren, Nora, Ruby, Yang, Blake, Sun, Weiss, Neptune, Sage, and Scarlet on the right edge.

"Right!" began Yang, quickly reaching for the red tablet and selecting the drink menu. "I know what I want. What about you guys?"

"Banana Daiquiri" Sun replied, causing Yang to tilt her head with an amused smirk on her face. "What? It's got two things I love in it; banana and rum. Were you expecting something different?"

"Nope" she laughed selecting the cocktail. "I'm in the same boat, which is why I'm going with a Zombie. Anyone else?"

"Campari-Orange" said Neptune.

"Oaxacan Old Fashioned" said Sage.

"Mojito" said Scarlet.

"Is there a beer list?" asked Weiss. "Something from Atlas maybe?"

"One sec" replied Yang, tapping away. "Yeah. Whoa, these names are weird. Eberherz Dunkel, Fedorovskiy Pshenichnyy Lager, Herr der Winterländer Doppelbock–"

"Yes!" gasped the Atlassian, clapping her hands together. Yang may have absolutely butchered the pronunciation of those beers, but Weiss had managed to understand the third one as clear as day. "The doppelbock. It's my favourite."

"Sure. Though it's weird that someone like you who's so fixated on dietary rules, loves carb heavy drinks like beer" the blonde commented.

"I'm allowed one vice" the heiress defended. "And I don't partake all that often."

"Fair enough, I guess. Though...it's not very Weiss–no, no that one doesn't work either. Damn it. Anyways, back to drinks. Hmmm...a White Russky for Blake..."

"A what?" the Cat Faunus asked. "And I don't really want to drink."

"Too late. I'd have suggested a Black Russky, but the White version has cream in it. What about you, lovebirds?"

"A Boilermaker with any stout and smoked whiskey; nothing fancy" replied Jaune, turning to Pyrrha. "You?"

"I suppose something a bit sweet with wine, so a Mimosa would do" she replied.

"Sweet is good" added Nora "Is there a sweet drink category?"

"Mead is sweet" Yang informed the hammeress. "There's a blackberry mead cocktail made locally with syrup from the Forever Fall maples."

"Oooo! Yes please!" the ginger cheered eagerly, but calmed quickly to nudge Ren. "Don't worry, I'll go easy."

She had seen his expression change in the corner of her eye, and while she did enjoy the result of them cuddling, she knew it worried him when she went overboard.

Ren smiled appreciatively, glad she remembered.

"Everything in moderation" he echoed. "I'll have one as well."

"Two of those—though maybe next time you could go for a Tight Ginger Snatch" she continued, saying the other suggestion under her breath, though Blake's sharp ears picked it up and she barely managed to stop herself from laughing. "And a Virgin Shirley Temple for Ruby" concluded the blonde, tapping on the tablet screen and completing their order.

"Thanks" said Ruby in relief, glad that her sister wasn't going to try to get her to drink under the table.

"And now to select the music. I nominate that Jaune goes first" said Yang with a grin.

"What? Why me?" he asked.

"And it has to be a love song."

"Oh c'mon!" Jaune gasped, realizing what was going on.

"Have at it, bro!" Sun encouraged, sliding the blue tablet across the table. "Time to man up."

"I think our definitions of manning up are very different."

"Pyrrha?" provoked Yang.

Jaune looked over at his girlfriend, hoping that she would be merciful and give him an out. Pyrrha was far from cruel, but she was still a girl, and having her boyfriend sing a love song to her was far too tempting.

"I like cheesy romantic love songs" she said at last, smiling a tad coyly. The others laughed at her direct retort, seeing she wasn't going to let him get away from being teased too easily. Jaune sighed and reluctantly picked up the tablet.

"Just promise you won't break up with me if I make a fool of myself" he pleaded.

"You showed up to the Dance in a dress; I think you're good" pointed out Neptune. "And you can sing, right?"

Jaune looked up at Weiss, knowing she would be the best critic, as she had been the unfortunate recipient of his hastily written ballads. Weiss actually shrunk a little in her seat, as she wasn't sure how to respond. Initially she had cringed at his advances, trying so hard to win her over to the point of being annoying. However, after spending time with Neptune, and watching how he, Jaune, and even Sun courted the girls they liked, she had begun to understand what they were thinking. They all meant well, and were simply trying to put their best foot forward while having their own insecurities; excluding Sun as he seemed infallible. She wanted to be honest given her musical background, but she didn't want to appear cruel to the boy who helped her get the attention of the secretly shy Vacuan.

"There's talent there" she said at last, slowly. "You're a decent guitarist, and with practice you could become a proper musician and singer."

"Translation: you suck" Yang remarked.

"Hey!"

"Neptune's melted your heart, Ice Queen, so I have to be the straight man here" the elder Xiao Long countered, pointing at Weiss who blushed, before returning her focus to Jaune. "Now hurry up and pick a song, Lover Boy."

"Give me a minute, will ya?" he shot back, scrolling through the music lists. "I don't listen to popular music so I don't even know what to look for, and I can't really sing if I don't know how it goes."

"Hey, there are headphones under here" informed Nora, pulling out a pair of black closed-back headphones. "Here you go."

Jaune reluctantly accepted the headphones and slipped them over his head, as he continued to sort through songs he hadn't even heard on the radio. The others chatted amongst themselves as he listened, trying to find at least one he liked, and that Pyrrha would as well. Finally, one did catch his attention, and he listened as he read the lyrics.

'This one could work...' he thought, though wondering if he could hit those low notes.

"Arc! What's taking so long?" Yang demanded.

"I think I found one; just let me listen to it a couple times" he answered. After the second listen, Jaune felt somewhat more confident with his chances of performing well on stage, and selected the song to send it to the karaoke queue. "There. I picked one."

"Great! How long do we have to wait?" asked Nora, excited to see Jaune sing to Pyrrha. On cue, the tablet pinged signalling that Jaune was next.

"Well, not long at all" grinned Yang, resting her chin on her palm as she looked at the blond swordsman. "You're up."

Jaune grimaced as he felt his stomach tie itself in a knot, his nerves starting to get a bit shaken, as he looked at his beautiful lieutenant, who smiled reassuringly at him. She could tell what he was feeling, and she leaned to kiss him quickly on the lips.

"For luck" she said.

Jaune smiled as he felt the knot loosen as he took a swig from his pint before rising to his feet and traversed the dance floor to step onto the stage. He stood before the microphone perched atop a stand, and looked down at the screen at his feet, cleverly hidden from the audience's view. As the song loaded in, Jaune looked at the room and noticed that other patrons were looking at him, and he instantly knew that he was being recognized. He could already feel the knot in his gut begin to retighten, but he forced himself to look at Pyrrha, who was smiling supportively.

'Sing to her, not the room' he told himself as the drums began to play, leading in with the guitar right behind. The karaoke screen began to count down to let him know when to start singing, as he took one last breath.

"I been watchin' these wannabe cowboys
Getting turned down like a radio.
I been sittin' here watching you
Thinking of one or two new ways to say no.

But you been tappin' them Tony Lamas
You got one thing on your mind.
And girl, with that body, can't believe nobody's
Asked you to dance all night."

The blond had made sure to look right at his girlfriend when he sang the last line of the first verse, causing her to smile brighter than the studio lights beating down on him, and it gave him the courage to belt out the chorus.

"So let's get ya out there on a hardwood
Spread around a little sawdust
Girl, let's slide like a steel guitar should
Then make this hole-in-the-wall all jealous of us.

These boys don't know how to two-step
Let's show 'em how to honky-tonk.
'Cause I ain't here to drop pickup lines
And you ain't here to talk (nah)

Step, step to the left
Step, step to the right."

The entire room was now focused on Jaune, not only because few people had gone ahead and sang on stage, but because Jaune was actually singing well. His friends were equally raptured, shocked at how well he could truly sing.

"Where did this come from?" demanded Yang, trying to see how the swordsman's previously cringy musical numbers transformed into his current performance. "And did he secretly write this song?"

"It's surprisingly spot on" commented Neptune with a grin.

"He's actually steady and maintaining it throughout" Weiss remarked in surprise, taken aback the most from hearing Jaune's true musical talents, as she had been the recipient of it when it was terrible.

However, it was Pyrrha most of all who was filled with awe. The lyrics made her heart flutter, as they brought back the memories and feelings of that fateful night where she had told Jaune how she felt, and where he stepped up and asked her out. It was that, along with him constantly glancing at her, making sure that the lyrics that spoke most accurately of their relationship were directed right at her with not only his voice, but with his eyes. Every girl fantasized about the boy they loved singing them love songs, that was an indisputable fact, but for Pyrrha, it meant so much more. Jaune was clearly putting far more effort and passion than he had ever done previously, singing from the heart rather than his throat. She could feel his love for her in every word, and it solidified just how much he loved her, and how much she loved him.

When Jaune completed his song, he was shocked to hear the entire bar clap and cheer, proving his performance was far better than he had assumed it was. Not sure of how else to respond, the blond bowed respectfully, and walked off the stage to return to his friends.

"So how'd I do?" he asked as he sat next to Pyrrha.

"You were amazing!" cheered Nora.

"Yes, very impressive" added Ren with a smirk.

"I hate to admit it, but that was great" confessed Yang.

"Damn great you mean" corrected Sun with a thumbs up from the rest of Team SSSN.

"I've got to say, you've out done yourself this time, Jaune" Blake remarked, secretly weak to the idea of being sung to.

"Truly" continued Weiss, fascinated by his performance. "I have to ask, where did you learn to sing so well?"

"Just practice, honestly" Jaune replied sheepishly, taking a sip of his Boilermaker. "Many members of my family pick up some sort of musical instrument, and we all sing together at religious gatherings and large family meals. I just grew up with it, though I'm used to singing hymns, folk, and drinking songs." He at last turned his attention to the redhead beside him, and he felt his cheeks turn pink. "What did you think?" he asked.

Without hesitation, Pyrrha wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him deeply.

"It was cheesy, it was romantic, and it was so on the nose it made me want to laugh; I loved it" she replied smiling against his lips. "And I love you."

Jaune couldn't hold back a smile of his own, and kissed her back as he pulled her closer with his left hand on her hip.

"Easy there, kids; everyone's watching" informed Yang, referring to not only themselves, but the other patrons of the bar.

"Are they jealous?" asked Jaune, trying not to break the kiss.

"Some of'em, yeah."

"Good" he affirmed, causing Pyrrha to giggle in the middle of the kiss, and Ren and Nora to snicker.

"What song was that?" asked Ruby, pulling the blue tablet towards her. "I kinda liked it."

"It's right there on the music queue for our table" Yang replied, pointing to the right side of the screen.

"What genre is this? I've never heard it before."

"It's country music" Neptune replied. "How have you never heard of it?"

"I just haven't, but I want to hear more."

"Hundred Lien says that Ruby ends up with a cute country boy" grinned Yang.

"I'll take that bet" Nora chimed in.

"Seriously?" asked the younger Xiao Long incredulously. "From liking one country song, I'm gonna go looking for a country boy? C'mon, sis."

λΛλ

On a farm in Mistral...

"Achoo!" sneezed a boy, reaching for a red handkerchief hanging out of his back pocket.

"Bless you!" came a woman's voice from inside the small house at his back. "And that's what you get for sleeping out in the field!"

"You keep saying that, but I've yet to get a cold!" the boy shouted back with a grin, before blowing his nose.

He was short, roughly 5'2" or so, recently turned fifteen, with short, slightly unkempt black hair, hazel eyes, tanned skin, and freckles on both cheeks. He wore a white shirt that had seen better days, with a number of stitches and patches across it, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and rested behind a pair of orange suspenders. They held up a pair of tough trousers, which also had seen hard use, with the knees both patched, and covered a pair of worn leather cowboy boots.

He walked across the front of his home and stretched as he reached a cast iron hand water pump. He was about to retrieve some water, when something out in the field caught his eye. He brought his left hand to shield his face, clad in orange working gloves, and managed to see something small scurrying through the young corn crop. It only took the boy a moment to realize that it was a fat ground hog, and without hesitation, drew a Colt Single Action Army revolver with a 5½ inch barrel, aligned the front blade with the rear U-notch, and with a beautifully crisp trigger-pull, sent a bullet at the rodent. It hit the pest right in the eye, causing it to flip backwards and fall back to earth, dead before doing so.

"Nice shootin', kid" came a deep voice.

The boy turned his head to his right to see a man he didn't recognize sitting upon a black horse, and smiling politely at him. He was a tall man in his mid twenties, to which he appeared giant-like, as his horse was an impressive beast at eighteen hands tall, sharing Friesian characteristics with black feathering on the lower legs, leaving the boy to assume he was well over six feet. He had shoulder-length jet black hair, tucked into an equally black cowboy hat with a silver band and buckle set around the base of the crown, a visible crease above it, and oval brim. He only had one eye, a gold coloured one, as his left was covered by a black eye patch with a strange symbol of three silver horns forming a sort of triangle. He had a full but short cut beard, which of course was also black, causing his single eye to be more pronounced, especially against his pale complexion. He wore a leather duster trench coat, with matching leather gloves, and trousers with dark leather chaps tucked into cowboy boots with silver spurs; all of which were black. The front was open, revealing a crimson coloured vest with silver buttons, and a black leather gunbelt with a silver buckle around his waist. A pair of modified Colt Walker revolvers were on his hips, along with the handle of a bullwhip being visible behind the grip of his left revolver. On the left side of his saddle was a leather cavalry scabbard, with the polished wooden stock of a rifle naturally protruding out; a finely polished crescent brass butt plate glimmering in the afternoon sun. Similarly polished and shiny, was a long, roughly seven foot spear attached to his back, with a black shaft, and Chiavarina boar hunting spearhead with two out-turned wing guards.

"Lots of varmints this year?" he continued.

"Naturally" the boy replied. "It was a milder winter this year, and the crops are coming in strong. Now all manner of critters are trying to take advantage."

"Speaking of which, mind if I water my horse?"

"Go right ahead."

The man nudged his horse forward as the boy began to work the leaver, allowing water to fall into the trough below the mouth of the pump. He then noticed that on the right side of the saddle was the hilt of a sword. He knew little of them, but from the 10" long hand and a half grip with a riser in the middle and eight-sided pommel, he assumed that it was attached to a mighty fearsome blade.

"What's your name, son?"

"Oscar" he replied. "Oscar Pine."

"Oscar Pine" the man echoed. "Good name. A small piece of advice, Oscar..." With impressive speed, he grabbed the rifle in his scabbard, revealing it to be a Henry Repeater with modified ladder sights, shouldered it, and fired at another groundhog that had emerged amongst the corn stocks. "If you're going to deal with pest control, I recommend a carbine. A .32 calibre pistol can drop varmints and men just fine..." he turned to look at him with a warm smile on his face, "...but it will take a lot more than that to drop me."

Due to the man's sudden action, Oscar had drawn his pistol, and was aiming at his head, believing that he was trying to kill him. Of course knowing the truth made him feel incredibly guilty, and he holstered his revolver.

"Sorry. There's been lots of suspicious people moving around the past year, so everyone's been on their toes" he confessed.

"No doubt. These are strange times" the spearman admitted, throwing the lever and ejecting the case, and decocking the hammer before returning his rifle to the scabbard. "And it's my fault for drawing my weapon without warning, so I humbly apologize."

"What's with all the shooting?" demanded a voice from the house. The two young men turned to see a woman in her late thirties with tanned skin, blue eyes, and long black hair tied into a knot bun. She wore a baby blue Louisa blouse and a long dark grey twill walking skirt that reached her ankles, allowing a pair of brown leather boots to be visible.

"Howdy, ma'am; pardon the noise" he greeted, tipping his hat politely. "I was just helping your son deal with pest control."

"Very much obliged" the woman returned just as politely as she walked up to them and placed her hands on Oscar's shoulders. "However, this one is my nephew."

"Ah I see, well, he seems to be a very capable young man; son or no. Rather good marksman skills if I do say so myself."

"Yes he is" she said in a slightly perturbed tone, ruffling Oscar's hair. "When he isn't napping in a field somewhere, he's out hunting and fishing, and practising with his father's old rifles."

"You make it sound like I skip out on my chores" Oscar remarked, a little annoyed with his aunt. "I've always made sure everything is done before taking off."

"Thank goodness for that" she sighed with a laugh. "I'm Emma, by the way."

"Freki" the man replied, nodding courteously. "Tell me, do you happen to have the time?"

It was Oscar who obliged, and he fished out an old pocket watch from his left breast pocket.

"1:30" he replied before closing the brass timepiece.

"I'm making good time, then" Freki smirked, reaching into his vest and retrieving a long dark coloured cigar, and gestured to the teenager. "Would you care to join me?"

"I think he's a bit young to start that particular hobby" Emma answered for him.

"I wasn't much older than he was when I started; though that does suggest how terrible my upbringing was" he laughed, drawing a Bowie knife, and cut four intercepting lines across the cap of the cigar. He placed it in his mouth and tested the draw, before scraping a match against the pommel of his saddle. "Tell me" he said, lighting his cigar and drawing from it as he flicked away the match, "how far are we from Albion?"

"As in the capital of Vale?" Emma asked with a confused expression on her face. "Thousands of miles. You can't possibly be trying to get all the way there on horseback, are you?"

"I am and I will" Freki replied soundly, taking another pull before placing both hands with the cigar between the index and middle finger of his right onto the horn of the saddle. "It's a long venture; across Mistral, then to the Lang Ocean, then to traverse to one coast of Vale to the other. It may seem mad, but given that the fireworks that were meant to signal the start of a special party I planned to take part in haven't gone off, I can afford to take the more scenic route."

"Special party? Do you mean the Vytal Festival?"

"No; something even more interesting."

Suddenly, Oscar threw his left arm across his aunt as if to protect her, and quickly reached for his revolver, but did not draw. Emma gasped and grabbed onto her nephew, as she now saw what had caused him to spring into action. Seemingly out of nowhere, a large black wolf, the largest that either of them had ever seen, was standing no more than ten yards from them with both groundhogs in its mouth. It stared at them in a curious manner, appearing not in the least to be afraid or concerned by the Humans looking back at it. Oddly enough, neither was Freki or his horse.

"Mr. Pine" Freki said calmly, looking at the farm boy. "You seem to be a good honest lad, but if you try to shoot my friend, I will not hesitate to put one through you."

This caused Oscar to look up at the cowboy in bewilderment. "He's yours?"

"Indeed. Mánagarmr" he called, "put those down and say hello."

Shockingly, the wolf heeded the command, and dropped the groundhogs beside the horse before walking up to Oscar and stopping in front of him, sitting like an obedient dog. He looked up at Oscar with big, almost intelligent eyes, which wasn't difficult as the wolf was roughly forty inches at the shoulder. Now much closer, a white patch of fur that resembled a waxing crescent was visible around his left eye. Oscar had seen some strange fur markings in his time; though only in domesticated breeds were there anything as specific as this. Unsure of what else to do, the boy slowly reached out with his left hand and gently rubbed its head, causing it to make a sound that indicated he was pleased.

"Now say thank you for the meal" Freki continued, sounding like a father reinforcing his son to maintain good manners.

Mánagarmr leaped onto his hind legs, instantly dwarfing Oscar as he was nearly seven feet long from snout to tail, and rested his monstrous paws onto the boy's shoulders. Oscar's knees nearly buckled from the sudden action, as the wolf was far heavier than he had expected, and barely managed to stay on his feet as Mánagarmr began to lick his face.

"Good boy. Now go eat your lunch before it gets cold; or you'll crush the kid."

Again, Mánagarmr heeded the command dutifully, and returned to the dead groundhogs, beginning to eat them; bone and all.

"Forgive him for spooking you. He can be as loud as a thunderstorm, and quieter than a mouse when he wants to be" the cowboy explained fondly. "I found him as a pup years ago, and he's been a good friend. Hasn't he, Svaðilfari?"

The horse shook his large head in agreement, displaying the same level of intelligence as Mánagarmr.

"Sorry for jumping the gun; no pun intended" Oscar said at last, finding his voice. "We've had problems with wolves before, hence why I try to practice shooting as much as I can."

"Oh I don't doubt it, nor do I hold it against you. All, whether they be city folk or country folk, fear the wolf, and one of his size would shake even the mightiest warrior" Freki acknowledged, taking another draw of his cigar. "I think they're fascinating, these children of the night. I'm sure many a Huntsman and farmer would disagree with me on their beauty, but if they were wholly evil, then we would have not domesticated them to bring hounds into the world." He paused again as he brought his cigar to his lips, and eyed Oscar curiously. "Tell me, Mr. Pine" he puffed. "What is your favourite flower?"

The teenager looked at the cowboy utterly confused, having no idea as to why he was being asked such an out of the blue question.

"I don't know...roses I guess" he replied.

"And have you ever considered planting a rose garden?"

"No..."

"It's not a bad idea" Emma remarked, though also confused. "But why are you suggesting he do such a thing?"

"Oh, just because I think it's funny" Freki replied with a grin, only adding to their bewilderment. "Do you believe in destiny, Mr. Pine?"

"I don't know. I think we have more control of our lives than people want to admit."

Freki laughed. "Well said! Although, I do believe that the Gods have plans for some, if not all of us, to some degree. I believe that things happen for a reason, and there are very few coincidences in life. It's why I know that you and I will meet again, and I do have some inkling as to why. All roads lead home, as they say, though in this case, all roads lead to the aforementioned party. As for my rose garden comment, well, I'll leave that one to surprise. Till the next time, Oscar Pine, and good day. Ma'am."

The man in black tipped his hat before placing his cigar in his mouth, and took Svaðilfari by the reins, guiding him to the road heading west, and brought him to a trot. Mánagarmr, already finished with his meal, immediately followed his master, and kept pace with him as they resumed their journey. Oscar and Emma watched them go, none the wiser as to what the cowboy had been on about. As he pulled away from them, they could hear the opening line of a slow song he was singing.

"The world was young, the mountains green. No stain yet on the Moon was seen..."

His words held a weight to them that neither could describe, though it felt as if time itself was held within them. Time long since forgotten and countless secrets lost forever. It only added to Freki's mysteriousness, which aunt and nephew were interpreting differently.

"You meet some queer folk on the road these days" she remarked, placing her hands on her hips. "Polite and good-natured, mind, but queer nonetheless."

Oscar was only half listening, as he hadn't been able to take his eyes off the odd spearman. He squinted at him as he rode away, and he rubbed his eyes with his left thumb and index finger, before taking another look. For a moment, he had thought that Svaðilfari had two tails; or perhaps that Freki himself possessed one. Had he been a Faunus? He had no animal ears and tail, or any other typical biological identifications, so had he just mistook the man's coat for a tail?

"Something wrong?" asked his aunt.

"No I'm fine, Aunt Em. I just thought I saw something. It was nothing" he reassured, realizing his foolishness.

Emma looked at him suspiciously, before quickly turning to the house and briskly walking away. She entered the home, and before the front door could close, she re-emerged with something in her hand. She marched right up to her nephew and placed it strongly on his head, revealing it to be a khaki-coloured Stetson hat.

"Wear a hat! Honestly, you'll be more freckles than face before long" she scolded, before returning to the house to continue her daily tasks. Oscar watched his aunt as she walked, and chuckled at her motherly temperament.

'Yeah, I guess she's right' he thought, adjusting the hat. 'It was probably the sun making me see things.'

With that, the farm boy worked the pump to fill a bucket with water, and headed towards the animal pens, secretly eyeing parts of the farm where perhaps a rose garden could be planted.

λΛλ

The first-year Huntsmen-in-training continued to enjoy themselves at the karaoke bar, drinking, and now snacking, as they chatted away. No one had gone up to sing again, however, some were secretly waiting for their turn. Other patrons had become inspired to take a crack at the microphone, and it took a while before the uptick in amateur singers calmed. When it did, the patient ones took full advantage.

"Alright, let's do it, boys" said Sun with a grin, causing his teammates to nod excitedly. The others all turned their attention to them, and were unsure of what was going on.

"What are you doing?" asked Blake.

"You'll see" he assured, before shifting his eyes to Weiss. "Sorry in advance, Ice Queen."

The heiress frowned in confusion, and was about to ask what he meant, when he and the rest of Team SSSN scampered off to the stage, carrying the odd duffle bag they had brought with them. It was only when they positioned themselves before the microphones, did she and the others realize what they were doing and what they had brought with them. The bag held cases containing musical instruments: an electric guitar for Sage, an accordion for Scarlet, a small set of drums for Sun that was certainly missing a few parts to be considered a full kit, and lastly for Neptune, which took Weiss by surprise, was a violin.

All of this had now caught the attention of the patrons, who hadn't been expecting for there to be live music. The waiters and waitresses were also unaware of this, and weren't exactly sure what to do, given that they all recognized Team SSSN. That hesitation gave the Vacuans all the time they needed to prepare themselves, and thus began to play.

"When the Hunt is over, and the battles won
There's a land far to the south where we go to have some fun.
The taverns they are plenty, the alcohol is free.
The parties last all through the night, and the alcohol is free.

Whoa oh oh!
Tonight we drink together
Whoa oh oh!
Tomorrow we may die.

Yo ho, Vacuo!
Far to the south where the cactus grow.
Tequila and a donkey show
Vacuo, Vacuo!
Yo ho, Vacuo!
Far to the south where the cactus grow
Take me away from the ice and the snow
Let's go to Vacuo!"

The Beaconites began to laugh, safe for Weiss, as they now understood why Sun had pre-emptively apologized. The Atlassian folded her arms disapprovingly, irritated not only by the lyrics of the song, but by her inclination that they had written this song after the disagreement they had at the breakfast table a few weeks ago. On stage, Neptune glanced at her and gave her a genuinely apologetic look, never wanting to insult her. He nevertheless sang along with his teammates, and played his violin beautifully, especially during the pause before the final chorus, which did cause the heiress's frown to soften. When Team SSSN concluded, the bar erupted into applause, which they ate up graciously, and soothed the employees' woes. The Vacuans returned to their table triumphant, assuring the crowd they would sing again, though Neptune maintained his rueful expression.

"So how'd you like that?" Sun asked with a roguish grin.

"Very nice" grinned Yang. "I might actually visit Vacuo now."

"Of course" sighed Ruby.

"It does explain a lot" remarked Ren, causing Nora to snicker.

"Also, nice job playing on that sad excuse of a drum kit. No offense, but it can't compare to my eight-piece kit with double kicks and seven cymbals."

"Hey, there's only so much we can smuggle from home. Also, sick."

"Thanks" the blonde replied, picking up her glass, "I'm a real drum-beater for good drum kits."

Weiss' eyes nearly rolled out of her head at that, though more due to the fact that her friend's instrument of choice was drums than the poor pun. Neptune, now back beside the heiress, nudged her gently with his elbow to get her attention.

"I'd visit Atlas in a heartbeat to see you, even if you're annoyed with me" he said softly. Weiss' cheeks turned slightly pink, and she took his hand to assure no harm or fowl.

"I'm not annoyed with you, or the childishness of the song" she replied, which was a bit contradictory. "Though, you never told me that you could play the violin."

"Vacuans like to sing just like anyone else, and fishermen certainly have a knack for songs and storytelling" he explained. "You get a lot of sea shanties being sung in local taverns, so you'll see lots of violinists entertaining patrons, or giving them musical aid when they begin to sing. I really liked it so I picked it up. I'm not that good at it though."

"No, you are good" she defended. "Not incredible, but with practice you could very well become an exceptional violinist."

"Practicing is the issue; not much free time to do so."

"Why don't you two make a date of it?" offered Pyrrha. "Neptune's violin playing with your singing; combine your interests and skills together, as it were."

"Speaking of which, why don't you go up there and sing, Weiss?" offered Ruby.

This caused the heiress to frown once again, and she took her pint with her free hand.

"I am a classically trained opera singer" she deflected, taking a sip. "I doubt they have such music in karaoke form, therefore I will decline from singing."

"Then just sing your own songs from memory" the Monkey Faunus stated, pointing out the obvious.

"I don't think anyone here would want to hear opera" she deflected again, in a tone that made it clear she was not interested in the slightest. This caught Jaune's attention, as he more than anyone, was aware of just how talented of a singer she was. So what was really the issue here?

"Fair enough" Yang added, taking a swig of her Zombie. "Opera's pretty boring anyways." This caused Weiss to glare at her, but she ultimately remained silent.

"I think it's rather nice" Pyrrha defended.

"I agree" Ren added, reaching for a nacho. "Though I understand why people our age not appreciating it as much as it deserves." Nora eyed the nacho and opened her mouth expectedly, causing Ren to smirk and feed it to her.

"Along with plenty of other things" Jaune noted, before getting to his feet. "I'm gonna take a leak. Anyone else?"

"I think I will as well" replied Ren, joining the blond after Pyrrha had moved out of the way for him to leave the booth.

When they were both out of earshot, Sun looked at the ginger with a proud smirk.

"So you two finally got together, huh?" he asked. "That explains the new clothes and makeup. Is this a date, or will it be tonight after this?"

This comment caused Nora's face to flare up, not expecting anyone to say such a thing.

"W-What?" she squeaked.

"Together; as in dating."

"W-We're not toge–" she began her tired response, but was immediately cut off.

"Oh, shut up, Nora" snapped Yang with a sigh before turning to address Sun. "No, they're not together yet, but she's head-over-heels in love with him. It's going slow, but we are working on it."

"Still?" the taller blond remarked in surprise with a cocked eyebrow. He then chose his words carefully, as he remembered his interaction with Ren the day before. "I thought they sealed the deal after they left the roof party; but then again, I figured they were together when we first met weeks ago."

"We all did, but no."

"Wait" Nora spoke up, "did everyone think that Ren and I were–"

"Yes" everyone said in unison, causing the ginger to look up to the ceiling in despair, before promptly dropping her head onto the table with a dull thud, groaning in frustration.

"I told you" said Pyrrha, though of course not in a mocking tone. "But I stress that it is, in the long run, a good thing."

"Is it?" she asked incredulously without lifting her head.

"It's all due to behaviour" Weiss explained.

"Exactly" Blake agreed. "You two have always acted like a really close couple, and what you just did only amplifies that."

"What do you mean?" Nora asked, lifting her head this time.

"He fed you that nacho without hesitation" Yang pointed out.

"So? We've always done that."

"Friends don't do that, Nora. Couples do that."

"We've done that."

"You flung food at her, to which she caught it with her mouth" Weiss rightfully pointed out.

"Exactly; Ruby and I used to do that all the time when we were kids."

"Still do" Ruby admitted with a smirk. "I would use my slingshot to fire candy at Yang from across the house."

"That's an excellent way for someone to choke" Pyrrha remarked with a worried expression on her face.

"Only a couple times" the younger Xiao Long sister defended. "I'm a great shot."

"In any case, there are clear forms of conduct that are meant to be between couples, as opposed to mere friends" the heiress continued. "You need to be more assertive in what is and is not appropriate until you both cross that line."

"That being said, I stand by what I said to you previously, that being best friends is important to a healthy and strong relationship" Pyrrha reminded. "It's good that you two are as close as you are, and not so shy that doing things such as feeding one another is too much. However, I do agree with everyone that feeding each other is a couple's thing. Jaune and I did so with dessert on our date yesterday."

"I know I know" Nora moaned. "It's just so natural for us to do stuff like that. I didn't even think about it; I just wanted a nacho."

"For what it's worth, we're pretty sure he likes you" Sun added with Team SSSN nodding. "He thinks you're attractive at the very least."

"That we know" confirmed the redhead. "Jaune and I have caught him checking her out many times; he did so when we met up before joining all of you."

"I put all of this on for a reason" Nora explained, holding up her manicured fingers.

"Checking her out doesn't exactly equate to emotional interest though" Blake remarked fairly.

"You sure?" countered Yang. "You check Sun out every chance you get, so it must mean something."

Blake's face instantly ignited, incredibly embarrassed as she thought that she had been discrete in her admiration of the other Faunus.

"I-What?" she stammered.

"You're taking your sweet ass time, but I guess you're enjoying the view while you wait" the elder Xiao Long sister continued with a smirk. "Sun's not my type, buuut I can't blame you."

The Cat Faunus was left speechless, unable to form a proper retort, and could only flatten her ears against her head like a nervous cat. Sun on the other hand was obviously grinning with pride. Nora was snickering at all of this, glad that she wasn't the only one being teased.

"Wow, right under the bus" she said.

"That's what friends are for" Yang declared nodding her head. "And there's a lot of porn under this bus too."

"What?"

"Blake's really into porn" Yang explained.

"No I'm not!" Blake gasped, horrified by the accusation, her ears pointing to the ceiling.

"You have a bookshelf full of it, Blake."

"Those are romance novels!" Blake defended, recovering quickly. "Just because you think they're dumb, doesn't make them porn!"

"Damien opened the door to Rebecca's chambers, not surprise to find it unlocked" recited Ruby, causing everyone to turn their heads. "He knew what it meant, confirming his assumptions at dinner had been correct. Damien's eyes widened as he saw Rebecca lying on her bed. She was on her right side, wearing a thin nightgown that left nothing to the imagination, revealing just how curvaceous her body was. The look in her eyes was that of both desire and nervousness, hoping that he could come but was so anxious that she didn't know what to do now that he had.

'Sir Damien...' was all she could say. For Damien, it was all she needed to say.

He closed the door gently behind him, and walked towards her, knowing that words were no longer needed. He ran his right hand gently up her leg as he leaned forward and captured her lips, knowing she needed to be soothed, and there was only one way to do it. It's porn, Blake, and it's filth."

The Cat Faunus was utterly speechless, and once again flattened her ears in shame, being fully humiliated by her captain. Yang on the other hand was overjoyed. Her eyes were as wide as the open-mouthed smile that was on her face, and she extended her hands out towards her sister.

"Has the day finally come?" she asked excitedly. "Can we finally talk about boys and dating?"

"No" Ruby said flatly.

"But you read her porn!"

"Not on purpose!" the sniper shot back, her cheeks now turning red. "I just wanted to know what she's been reading all this time. And since she always leaves books on her bed, I decided to look, and there it was."

"Then why did you memorize it?" asked Nora rightly.

"Well, as a sniper, she has a rather photographic memory" defended Pyrrha, feeling sorry for both Ruby and Blake.

"Scarred me is more like it" Ruby muttered, sipping from the straw of her Shirley Temple, causing her older sister's face to fall.

"Are you going to file Blake for insubordination?" Weiss asked with a smirk.

"Maybe."

Blake wished she could fade away, as while she could defend herself that just because some of her romance stories turned erotic, as any relationship would, didn't make them porn, it felt like a moot point. And for all of this to occur with Sun present, was beyond embarrassing. Sun, during all of this, was smirking, and he then rested his hand on the red-faced girl's shoulder.

"I wouldn't call that porn, actually" he defended. "Lots of romance novels written by women have that in them, because the story and payoff is important, whereas porn is just sex. Lots of girls and women read them so making fun of her for it isn't fair. Just a bit of advice, beautiful: take stuff like that, and let it roll off your back like sand on a sand crab so it can never be used against you. Jaune and Pyrrha have already done that, so take a page out of their book and keep on rolling."

"How can you of all people be so mature at times like this?" demanded Yang, not liking to be disarmed.

"Hey, I'm not so boring of a person that I'm a one-note flute" the Monkey Faunus countered. "I party hard so that when I need to be serious, I can be without taking the fun out of being a Huntsman. Life is too short to be serious all the time. My dad likes to say that 'If you don't want to die regretting not finishing the important things in life, do you really want to die knowing that you didn't enjoy the best pleasures in life?'. I think he's totally right, so I do my best to do both."

"That's a very good mindset" agreed Pyrrha with a smile. "My father had a similar sentiment, though he did believe in delayed gratification was the better way of living, therefore you can enjoy the pleasures of life to their fullest."

"That explains everything" the blonde brawler muttered, taking a sip of her drink.

"Well now" came a strong voice, causing the first-years to turn their heads to see that it was Olivier speaking, joined by the entirety of his team, as well as Team LION. "What a merry gathering we have here."

"Olivier!" gasped Pyrrha with a smile. "What are all of you doing here?"

"We were just walking by, when we heard some people leaving the bar mentioning that they saw Pyrrha's boyfriend singing" replied Robin with a grin. "We figured we'd pop in for a moment to say hello. Now, where is the fellow?"

"Currently in the washroom. Why?" the redhead replied.

"We'd like to meet him" Olivier answered with a smirk. "I meant what I said during our match."

"You want to talk to him now?"

"If possible, however, if we are interrupting your festivities, then it can wait a bit longer; so long as it is before we return to Mistral."

Pyrrha paused for a moment. "Does that also include our match?" she asked.

The senior captain's smirk grew. "Of course, ma chère demoiselle."

"Well, why don't you boys grab some seats and some drinks while you wait for him to come back?" Yang offered with a smile, her eyes resting on Ivoire.

"Unfortunately we will have to politely decline; one, for that we are still on duty, and two, I think that our wives would be a little upset with us having drinks with such lovely young ladies" Olivier replied, recognizing the intent of her offer. Yang's smile immediately fell into a shocked expression.

"You're all married?" she asked bewildered.

"Nearly" Allen replied with a smile. "Ivoire and I are engaged, and we'll be having a double wedding this summer after graduation. A notion a tad shocking for you kids, but as they say, 'The best men are married because marriage makes men better, and the best men, marry'. You are naturally invited, Pyrrha, though now that you are dating Mr. Arc, your mother won't be your plus one; so you may bring both."

"If he passes, that is" René reminded.

"All of you wish to see if Jaune is worthy of being with Pyrrha?" asked Weiss curiously.

"Certainly, Lady Schnee" Robin replied. "Pyrrha is our precious underclassman and national pride. The man who captures her heart must be of equal merit."

"More importantly, though it is rather unprofessional, we cannot help but see Pyrrha as our little sister" Olivier continued, his smirk turning into a soft-hearted smile. "We want what is best for her, both as a Huntress and as a woman, therefore we must judge this Jaune Arc for ourselves. Though given how he ran off with you after winning the tournament, we like what we see thus far."

Pyrrha's face flushed at her mentor's words, smiling from how they touched her heart.

"Thank you, all of you. That means more than you know."

"You are very welcome. Although..." Olivier remarked, scratching his chin, "we would like to test his skill with the blade..."

"You promised you wouldn't" the Mistralese champion reminded, slightly nervous at a master of the sword facing Jaune so early.

"I meant in regards to threatening him" the senior corrected. "After we judge him based on his character, a friendly spar would not be too cruel, non?"

Pyrrha hesitated, struggling with the idea of them fighting. She didn't want Jaune to be injured accidentally, knowing just how much of a gap between himself and Olivier there was, but also thought that it would be a good learning experience for him. Would it lessen what her mentors' thought of him too drastically, however?

"Kind of a bold statement coming from a bunch of supposed masters and top seniors that got their asses handed to them by us first-years" Yang ignorantly joshed with a cocky grin on her face.

This caused the seniors to eye her with stony gazes, including Olivier, who despite the comment, maintained a pleasant smirk. Yang mistook this as a successful blow to their ego, and was about to take a victorious sip from her Zombie, when she noticed a lock of her blonde hair, the specific lock that hung from the front of her parting, float gently on to the table. Her eyes nearly bulged out of her skull, as she looked at it, and then up at Olivier, who was now smirking triumphantly.

"Ah, the audacity of youth" he said calmly.

Before anyone could stop her, Yang vaulted over the table and threw a punch right at the rapierist's face, hair ablaze. Before it connected, Olivier fired his sword from its scabbard, catching it with his right hand, and turned it clockwise so that the flat of the blade blocked the enraged Huntress-in-training's attack. Just as quickly as the punch was blocked, and just before Yang realized what happened, her vision was filled with the points of swords and the muzzles of pistols. During all of this, Olivier had not even flinched, nor had the attack moved him or his weapon. When Yang registered what had just occurred, she immediately felt a cold sweat forming on the back of her neck.

"Here is some friendly advice from a senior who has learned a thing or two" the Mistralese captain began, giving Yang a shove with his sword, causing her to be knocked back into her seat, before sheathing his weapon. "The life of a Huntsman is that of toil, pain, discipline, and commitment. It demands everything of you, and if you do not respect it, you will be lowered into the ground, like so many of our comrades before. We have adhered to the demands of the Hunt, and have trained these long years, with our graduation in three weeks time, thrusting us into the cruel world where monsters roam. We were asked to join the tournament at behest of Huntmaster Ozpin, and for confidential reasons. Thus, we fought, but not at anywhere near our true strength. You young bucks show promise, but you are far from being true Huntsmen. Enjoy these moments of peace while you can, but never brush aside your training. The world is a dangerous place, and the beasts of darkness will tear out your throats if you allow them even an inch of leeway. Keep your swords and your wits sharp, for that will be the difference between returning to the warmth of your homes and loved ones, and returning to them in a box to be buried. À dieu, mes amis, and Pyrrha, I will contact you when we may have our match, and to have a word with Monsieur Arc."

Olivier removed his hat to bow, as did the others, and promptly turned to leave. However, Allen caught a glimpse of Neptune's violin, and his face lit up with excitement.

"Dear Neptune! You were playing here?" he exclaimed.

"Yeah, my team and I wanted to play, since we found out online that this place had a stage that doubled for live events" the lieutenant replied, though a little shaken by what had just occurred, and he now eyed the man distrustfully.

"Then let us play together at last!" the minstrel cheered, reaching for his lute. Unfortunately for Allen, he would not be allowed to make music this day, as Ian grabbed the back of his collar, and threw him over his shoulder.

"We're leaving" the Bear Faunus said flatly.

"No! Put me down! I can at last perform before a great audience!"

"We're on duty, you attention loving twat" Ian reminded irritably, and turned to leave while ignoring his teammate's protests, when his eyes landed on Blake. "You, cat girl, have we met before?"

Blake blinked in surprise, not expecting to be noticed.

"No, I don't think we have" she replied, though had trouble looking him in the eye, for fear that he truly did recognize her. Ian held his gaze for a moment longer, before deciding to let it go, and walked off with Allen.

"Well" said Sun at last, not quite sure what to make of what had just occurred. "That was fun."

"Fun my ass" growled Yang, feeling terribly ridiculed. "I can't believe this. They freakin' threw those matches against us!"

"Hey, at least you got to fight legit" the Monkey Faunus shot back, visibly annoyed. "Neptune and I had to fight those guys, same with Pyrrha by the way, so I'm not happy knowing that we got thrown around for kicks, and then given the win like a kid getting a cookie and told to go away."

"Yes, but I can promise you that I fought the both of you seriously, for we all have the bruises to prove it" offered Pyrrha honestly, understanding exactly what they were feeling.

"I told you that masters would not fight at full strength against inexperience students" reminded Weiss, before turning her attention to the redhead. "And you, as their disciple, knew full well they were not fighting seriously."

"Certainly" Pyrrha replied, no longer hiding the ball, but taking care not to say too much. "However, the injuries I sustained from those matches were indeed real, giving myself, and the others, a very real match; from a certain point of view. Furthermore, do not forget that the Vytal Tournament is meant to be for fun and entertainment. I believe we should take Huntmaster Ozpin's words to heart, as he did explain clearly that he wished to extend the tournament so that Sun and I could fight in the grand finals and entertain everyone."

"Whatever" groaned Yang, knocking back the rest of her Zombie. "And can I ask what's with you Mistralese and getting married super early?"

"I've said it many times, Yang. When one finds someone who matches with you in your mind, heart, and body, sharing values and morals, then marrying them sooner rather than later is only natural. My parents married early, my mentors married early, even Jaune's parents and other members of his family married early. It's not so inconceivable of a notion."

"Maybe, but the walking peacock was right; shocking as Hell" the blonde muttered. Her head then jolted when something clicked in her mind. "Now I get it. You're a devout religious person, so it got you going when you found out how many siblings he has."

This caused Pyrrha's face to burn.

"W-Well, yes, having large families is quite common with more orthodox couples" she explained. "Jaune's family are also religious, so they naturally had numerous children."

"And you always wanted a big family?"

"Well, yes..."

"And you're planning to have lots of kids with Jaune?"

Pyrrha's blush deepened. "We've discussed it, but–"

"So there you go" Yang finished.

"You truly don't listen when I speak" she sighed, drinking her Mimosa. "To be certain enough to bring children into the world with someone, requires much more thought than simply having a handsome jaw line and a nice rear. Jaune is all I could want and more."

"No kidding" the elder Xiao Long sister smirked. "Just make sure those kids come around after Jaune puts a ring on your finger."

"Of course they will" Weiss defended. "Neither Jaune nor Pyrrha would be so irresponsible."

"What am I being accused of now?" asked Jaune, appearing at last with Ren beside him.

"Knocking Pyrrha up before you get married" Nora informed her captain with a grin.

The blond's face actually paled rather than turning pink.

"Given that my father would shove me in an 18" Naval gun, and fire me into the Vytal Sea if I did, I'm gonna go about having kids the right way" he affirmed. "What do you think, Pyrrha?"

"I think that would be most wise" she replied, smiling that once again they were on the same page, as she moved out of the way for both he and Ren to retake their seats. "Though, I doubt he would be that furious with you."

"I'm his only son with seven sisters; I get just as little freedom as they do in regards to dating. He even threatened me that if I knocked anyone up, there would be severe consequences; being launched from a cannon was just the tip of the lance."

"Can't be worse than my dad" remarked Yang. "He would keep an eye on us at school."

"The fuck?" Sun questioned in disbelief with a frown. "How could he do that? What's his problem?"

"Ruby and I went to Signal" the brawler sighed. "Dad teaches at Signal."

"Oh no" winced the Vacuan Faunus. "Oh that explains why you're super eager to start dating. You have my sympathies."

"And since I've struck out yet again today, along with being humiliated, I want to have some fun. Enough talking, let's sing!"

The three Huntsmen-in-training teams carried on for several hours more, taking turns in singing, and even a bit of dancing, which Team JNPR once again stole the show. Team SSSN returned to the stage for a number of songs, due to the great demand of the crowd, to where they even began to take requests. With another day behind them, the students returned to their dorms, exhausted, but happy, wondering what tomorrow would bring.

---

Author's Note:

So...a few things XD

I fully admit that this is the most "fan-fic" chapter of the lot, but I nevertheless did it all for a reason past fluff. The primary point of course was to show the characters finally able to relax and enjoy themselves. I've mentioned this before, but one of the major problems with RWBY in regards to character development, is that they don't spend time together outside of "plot". It makes it very hard to believe that they're friends, so having scenes like these, especially given that they're teenagers, is important. I've unfortunately come across a number of RWBY fans who greatly disagree with me, claiming that moments like these are for "shit slice-of-life anime" and "RWBY is about fighting, not emotions". I shouldn't have to say how profoundly dumb and depressing that is to hear, but that is bull-crap on every level. Bloody simpletons.

The next part is the casual wear for the characters. I must confess that it took me hours to put together each outfit for Teams RWBY and JNPR. It honestly took me less time to design armour and heraldic achievements. I don't know if that says something about me personally, having a better eye for gear than I do for regular clothes, or because I'm a man and clothes should be either cool or functional, but I did my best.

Then we have the songs. I've gotten back into country music during the past five years, and decided to look around at the modern stuff. I can't say I'm totally thrilled, but when I stumbled across "Ain't Here to Talk" by Jake Owens, I belly laughed. I honestly thought of how to incorporate it into the story, and I think I did fairly well. Of course, you'll be the judges of that, but I found it too good to pass up. The same goes for Team SSSN's song, which is a parody of Alestorm's "Mexico".

And then we have the special guest appearance of Oscar. Hey, Kerlongsj Evert Orlejov, remember when I said that I didn't ship Ruby with anyone? *picks up guitar* I LIIIIIIIIED! Right! Let's talk about RoseGarden, shall we? I really like RoseGarden on paper. I think that a cute, good hearted, country boy, would be a great match for Ruby. The problem of course, is that Oscar is a disappointing disaster. Now, as a country kid myself, I'm very disappointed on how that background doesn't shape his character in any way; making him tough or good with guns for example. And while that is a large part to Oscar's blandness, there is the major issue of Ozma eating his soul. That is what kills RoseGarden dead in the water; because Oscar is turning into Ozma. Not only is that creepy, a thousand year old man with an underage girl (and confirms that Yang is a terrible sister in not noticing her sister crushing on Oscar), is that it raises many questions. Does Oscar truly have feelings for her, or is Ozma puppetting him to keep him from panicking over losing himself? Well, that topic was abandoned from the get-go with Oscar, which was a major red flag for me in V4.

Putting that aside, I find that Oscar is such a wasted opportunity. For me, RoseGarden writes itself, where you could have had Ruby be Oscar's guide, them bonding over leaving their parents behind (aunt in his case) as well as firearms, and having Ozpin give Oscar dating advice while Yang does the same for Ruby. As for his training, I thought it was painfully obvious to make him a magical gunslinger/cowboy, but given that I haven't even been able to find fanart, means that I'm either alone or the fanbase is beyond dead.

This is of course why I spent a great amount of time developing him and his abilities. And since we're here, I might as well cover it. You know Diego's weapons? Reina de Rosas Rojas (Queen of Red Roses) and Rey de Espinas Negras (King of Black Thorns)? Those are Oscar's. I mentioned before that Diego was in invention for DDCT, as his spot on Team LION was meant for Wilhelm. I invented Diego to show off his weapons, which were meant for Oscar. In my full rewrite, after Oscar and Sam separate, Oscar is left greatly weakened, and in need of developing his own style and weapon. Weiss then decides to train him herself, thus making him a duelist with both the sword and the gun. He obviously trains to be a wizard of course, but his style revolves around the duelist archetype, taking inspiration from Zorro, Little Joe Cartwright, and Luke Skywalker. His weapons were then made by Freki, though he comes up with the names (though he goes with Italian because I think it sounds better).

This is why I call my version of RoseGarden, "Guns&Roses".

And at last, we have Olivier dropping a bomb on the kids. This was to show that there is a difference between students and fully trained Huntsmen. The show couldn't give a rat's ass on the matter, so I took great care in showing that our characters need to train hard. The road is indeed very long, and it will take time for them to be ready. The show has no sense of pacing whatsoever, rushing everything from world-building, to character development, to plot, to emotional growth, etc. I can't stand that nonsense, as you cannot rush art. As I keep saying, do it right or not at all.

And while we're here, let's have some fun in sharing other songs that work for the couples:

Boop: "Thunder Thighs" by Ted Nugent.

BlackSun: "Animals" by Manowar.

Iceberg: "Baby, It's Cold Outside" by Dean Martin and "Uptown Girl" by Billy Joel.

Guns&Roses: "Wild Irish Rose", "Little Bitty" by Alan Jackson, "Take me Home, Country Roads" by John Denver.

Everyone: "Rose Tattoo" by Dropkick Murphys.

And that's it for this chapter, so cheers and see you next time.

Oh yeah, chapter 10. James is finally crazy which means he'll die soon, Jaune still doesn't care, Nora and Ren are still broken, and Cinder is even more likely to get away with Pyrrha's murder. I need a drink...