So a reviewer asked for some Jaune and Ren bromance, and I had already decided to do a Ren chapter next, so here we are! I'm a bit conscious of possibly overusing Jaune in the previous chapters, especially since the last one was, in my head, a Pyrrha/Blake feat. Jaune centric chapter, so please tell me if I'm overexposing certain characters in the story.
Speaking of Pyrrha and Blake, I'm glad nobody got mad at all the dark Pyrrha jokes I snuck in the last chapter. I was really tempted to throw in a line about pennies and Pyrrha breaking coins into quarters. I still have some restraint. I could be convinced to loosen those restraints, though…
Adjusted the title conventions a bit to indicate where we are in the story. Volume 1.5 means it's between Volume 1 and 2, for example. Just assume that each chapter happens a day or so after the previous one unless I indicate a passage of time specifically.
-0-
Volume 1.5 (Wednesday): would you like some coffee with that milk?
Most days, Ren was fine. Most days, Ren didn't need to use his semblance actively, nor did he think much about Kuroyuri, or the image of Nora Valkyrie the child.
Every now and then, though, Ren would wake up with the memory fresh in his mind, an old, unhealed wound that would reopen and all the regret and the anger would come rushing in. It wasn't often enough to be something Ren prepared for, like a sickness of the body one simply lived with, but it was not uncommon that the instances would come as a shock. Those were the times when he would have to force himself not to think. And today felt like one of those days.
This, too, will pass, Ren thought to himself. The last solitary thought he would allow for himself. After all, Lie Ren was a man of few words.
What most people didn't know, however, was that Lie Ren was also a man of few thoughts.
That was why Ren wasn't fond of talking about himself, why he preferred Nora take the lead in any social interaction the pair had. That was why he knew all these stretching exercises, and meditative techniques, and herbal remedies to help clear his mind. Reaching a state of zen, for Ren, wasn't something he did not for the discipline, because it signified a mastery of the martial arts but because he needed to clear his mind of his thoughts.
He was fine when he was thinking about other people, doing things for other people, like when he would cook breakfast for the team during lazy Saturday mornings, or teaching the team some useful stretching exercises, or helping Jaune choreograph something new for their next dance/training session. It was when he was left alone with his thoughts that Ren recoiled in fear. Ren wasn't exactly fond of looking inward because he was afraid of what he would find.
If one's semblance was an expression of their soul, then Ren's semblance simply manifested what he always knew about himself: his tendency was towards repression.
-0-
Welcome to the beginning of theLie Ren and Weiss Schnee group!
Weiss Schnee: I see we finished faster than the others today.
Lie Ren: It might take them a while still. Apparently, Yang is busy complaining more than doing work and Blake would rather read than arrange books. The plants are proving more trouble than they are worth for Pyrrha and Nora as well.
Weiss Schnee: It seems like Ruby and Jaune almost spilled Oobleck's coffee all over his lecture notes for tomorrow. Does Oobleck even use those notes?
Weiss Schnee: Anyway, Ren, have you tried out the new place I scouted a few days ago?
Lie Ren: Yes.
Lie Ren: I went there with Yang during the whole docks fiasco, once she had calmed down.
Lie Ren: The tea was so-so, but Yang seemed satisfied with the coffee.
Weiss Schnee: Knowing that brute, she probably drowned the damned thing in sugar and cream. I swear, she and her sister have terrible taste in coffee.
Weiss Schnee: Would you like some coffee with that milk, Ms. Xiao Long? Ms. Rose, may I suggest ordering something off the children's dessert menu instead?
Weiss Schnee: Ahem. I apologize for taking over most of the conversation.
Weiss Schnee: In any case!
Weiss Schnee: Was the ambiance to your liking? The clientele? Was the service efficient and performed in a diligent manner?
Lie Ren: Er.
Lie Ren: It was difficult to pay attention to these things when my primary concern was ensuring Yang did not fly off the handle, so to speak.
Lie Ren: Incidentally, this Valean turn of phrase confuses me. How does one fly off the handle?
Weiss Schnee: Ren! Focus!
Lie Ren: My apologies.
Weiss Schnee: I suppose I will have to make the trip to Vale myself once we have served our detention. Tomorrow, perhaps? I am rather tired of cold cafeteria leftovers.
Weiss Schnee: Between the classes, the barrage of detention, and our own training in the afternoons, I find there is little time to enjoy a warm, delicious and healthy meal that isn't dust-damned microwaved tuna. We aren't cats! Or heathens!
Weiss Schnee: Don't tell Blake that. She might feel I am being discriminatory.
Weiss Schnee: Anyway! Do you wish to tag along, Ren? You may take Nora with you. My treat.
Lie Ren: I wouldn't mind, but I'd much rather not bring Nora.
Lie Ren: Jaune and I have agreed to distance Nora from coffee since the flapjack incident. And she still despises, and I quote, "leaf water", despite my best efforts.
Lie Ren: Besides, was it not the point of these little meetings to alleviate the stress of handling our partners?
Weiss Schnee: Of course. I simply thought that Nora would be interested in going to Vale with you.
Lie Ren: Goodness, I doubt it. I am not really suited to be anyone's companion when going out for leisure. I understand that I can be a bit… dry.
Lie Ren: I apologize if I am not one for amusing conversation, Weiss.
Weiss Schnee: Please don't undersell yourself. I enjoy your company far more than any wannabe suitor who used to approach me back in Atlas. All they can talk about themselves, or their father's wealth, or some other nonsense.
Lie Ren: As opposed to… my silence?
Weiss Schnee: I wouldn't call it silence. I like to think of it as you being careful with your words.
Weiss Schnee: Besides, there must be something Nora sees in you to stay by your side, after all.
Lie Ren: I
Someone is typing…
Lie Ren: I fear it might be… dependence on Nora's part.
Lie Ren: I think… if we hadn't known each other since our childhoods, she wouldn't be by my side today.
Someone is typing…
Weiss Schnee: Oh.
Weiss Schnee: I'm sorry. Is it a touchy subject?
Lie Ren: I try not to think about it.
-0-
Ren had always assumed that his passing acquaintance with Weiss was one of convenience. (He tended to assume that of most of his acquaintances. In his darker moods, he assumed that was what his relationship with Nora amounted to.) He knew that he was a dreadfully boring man, with hobbies that very few people, especially here in Vale, shared. He knew that Nora's hobbies and his didn't exactly match.
The way it started was innocuous as well. It was just a small conversation during a team dinner: Weiss muttering to herself about how anyone survived the chaotic mess that was Ruby and Nora's friendship, after they began a rather spirited argument over… something, Ren and Weiss had lost track of the conversation as Jaune and Yang had joined the argument, and Ren, feeling pangs of sympathy, offered a reply only she could hear, before suggesting tea to calm her nerves. Weiss refused, citing her hatred of tea because of how it reminded her of Atlas nobles. Ren nodded along. Things snowballed from there.
Soon they would be chatting every few days or so, whenever Weiss became too annoyed at her own team and their idiosyncrasies. It had helped Weiss, who had resolved to be a better and more understanding partner to Ruby, and it had helped Ren, who needed to be more social anyway, Nora insisted. (Well, as social as one could be when their interaction was primarily via scroll, and the occasional visit to Vale in search of places that served good coffee and tea. Unfortunately, most places only specialized in one or the other. Still, the short little meetings, which consisted mostly of Weiss talking and Ren nodding, counted as socializing, right?)
It was also through Weiss that Ren learned much about their sister team, although Weiss was careful not to reveal anything too private for the boy to hear. Still, it had allowed Ren to gain insight into the other girls on Weiss' team, and allowed him to consider them as more than just passing acquaintances. That insight led to him calming Yang down during the weekend Blake had fled. From Weiss' scattered comments about her team, and his own observations, Ren understood that Yang, like him, struggled to keep her emotions in check. She simply put up a different front.
(Much, much later, at the reunion in Argus, Ren would seek out Yang for this very reason. Ren understood that part of Yang, even sympathized with it, and always made sure to be there for Yang when she needed it, even as he felt pangs of jealousy towards Yang's strength, the willingness to confront her emotions head-on. At least Yang could channel that anger into strength – all he could do was hide his.
Still, the moment that Yang realized just how Ren's counteracted her own was the moment the two truly felt a connection with one another. A story for another time.)
At some point, he even started thinking of them as friends. He didn't think he would find any, not with the way he was. Whenever it was one of those days, that thought had kept him sane.
Don't think about that.
So he didn't.
-0-
Welcome to the Lie Ren and Weiss Schnee group!
Weiss Schnee: Are you okay?
Lie Ren: Yes, Weiss. It's nothing too serious. Just… me being myself.
Weiss Schnee: If you say so. I won't ask anymore.
Someone is typing…
Weiss Schnee: So what do you think of my suggestion of inviting Pyrrha to these meetings?
Weiss Schnee: It would be good for her, I think, to have a break from having to babysit your team leader.
Weiss Schnee: And I look forward to chatting with someone who appreciates coffee.
Weiss Schnee: I believe we have the shared bond of having to deal with… excitable partners, the three of us.
Lie Ren: Then why not invite Blake?
Lie Ren: Are things still awkward between you two?
Someone is typing…
Weiss Schnee: A little, but we're mending things.
Weiss Schnee: Once things are less awkward with her, I would like to have her as a part of our meetings. I can only imagine how stressful having Yang as a partner would be, and I live with her.
Weiss Schnee: Blake and I were never the closest, but I admit I always liked arguing with her.
Weiss Schnee: And after everything… I would want to get to know her better. Understand why she…they resorted to the things they did.
Weiss Schnee: If I am to make the Schnee Dust Company respectable again, I need to understand where the company went wrong and how to rectify the mistakes my father have made. Gaining the perspective of the faunus is vital to that.
Lie Ren: You make it sound like you're using Blake as some kind of… token.
Weiss Schnee: It does make me sound like a bad person, yes.
Someone is typing…
Weiss Schnee: No, I need to stop hiding behind pretty words.
Weiss Schnee: My teammates, they… they force me to be honest with myself.
Weiss Schnee: All my life, I've repressed what I want to truly say. Leaving my family to go to Beacon was my first real chance to express my own desires.
Weiss Schnee: It is difficult, but I find it liberating to express myself freely to all of you.
Weiss Schnee: Blake challengesme, challenges my beliefs, but I appreciate it more than yes-men agreeing with all I say.
Weiss Schnee: I guess I just… I just want to get to know her better. Get to know them better. And show them who I really am, not what is expected of me. It's as simple as that.
Someone is typing…
Weiss Schnee: I'm sorry. This got rather personal. I didn't mean to unload all this on you.
Weiss Schnee: I'm not very good at these kinds of conversations. Back in Atlas, I could only confide in these things with my older sister and my butler. And my older sister is not exactly the most emotionally available individual, even if I love her dearly. And the butler… well, Klein is paid to care about my feelings. Even if he has been very good to me.
Weiss Schnee: I'm afraid I don't know the proper etiquette regarding these things. I've not had much opportunity to make friends.
Someone is typing…
Weiss Schnee: Here I go again, dominating this conversation. You must be getting tired of them, Ren.
-0-
Was he, though?
A part of Ren admitted that he was jealous of Weiss. He, at first, felt a kinship with her, because he had sensed how much Weiss held back and repressed her emotions because of who she was and what she represented. He thought there was a connection there, two people whose default state was to repress their emotions.
He thought.
There were days that his mind would turn to darker thoughts, though. Whenever those days rolled around, a small part of Ren would emerge in his mind, a small part that understood how arrogant it was of him to assume that connection. Unlike him, Weiss was eager to shake off the shackles of her past, to stop repressing herself. She was racing her way through the finish line, the goal she had set for herself. No matter how far it seemed, she was making progress. Meanwhile, He still wasn't even at the starting line. No, Ren wasn't tired of watching Weiss relentlessly try to better herself. He admired it, the same way he admired Nora's perseverance to barrel through life despite the overwhelming sadness that she held in her heart. In his darker moods, he could even admit that he was jealous of Weiss' strength of character. Ren wished he were capable of that, but instead, like his semblance, he hid from the negative emotions.
He was thinking about himself again. He was angry at himself again. He couldn't afford to. Not after everything he had lost. He couldn't afford to lose himself too.
So he pulled a trick he learned from Jaune.
-0-
Welcome to the Lie Ren and Weiss Schnee group!
Lie Ren: No, I'm fine with it.
Lie Ren: I prefer listening to talking.
Weiss Schnee: Still…
Lie Ren: Also, Blake prefers tea over coffee.
Weiss Schnee: What!
Lie Ren: I've been serving her my personal tea leaves, and she's been responding positively to them.
Lie Ren: I've already picked out a teacup for her personal use. Whenever she visits our dorm to spend time with Pyrrha and Jaune, I make sure to give her my finest tea.
Lie Ren: If you want, I can prepare some for you later.
Weiss Schnee: That… that would be nice.
Lie Ren: Also, I highly doubt Pyrrha would be interested in what we do with our meetings. She is very much invested in seeing Jaune live up to his potential.
Weiss Schnee: He is her pet project, after all.
Lie Ren: Don't let Pyrrha hear that from you. Also, he's our leader, so I would like to ask you tone down the criticism.
Weiss Schnee: Of course.
-0-
At some point, Ren realized, he had grown to enjoy being the passive soundboard for Weiss to air her grievances on. The jealousy was still there, but the anger he felt at himself shrank, day by day, bit by bit. He was finding more and more that he could meditate on his feelings without the fear and anger that dominated his thoughts. It was easier to do so when his mind was focused on the people that had entered his life. That had made days like this easier.
He supposed he had to thank Weiss and the others for that. Having to pay attention to Weiss' words, having to ensure he was responding when appropriate, telling her the right words to imply sympathy without being overly familiar, inserting the right amount of information to show he was paying attention to her words, meant he wasn't thinking to himself about himself. It was the same reason he treasured Nora's Nora-ness, the way he had to interpret her confused dreams and make sense of her actions for other people. Their words and actions drowned out the harmful thoughts in his head until they had become manageable.
(Still, it was difficult, sometimes, forcing himself to sleep.)
And now I'm thinking again. This has to stop.
Thankfully, his scroll let out a small sound.
-0-
Welcome to Martial Arcs!
Apprentice Jaune: yo ren
Apprentice Jaune: wanna go w me on a run later after me n pyr are done training
Apprentice Jaune: we can do that yow gah thing you were talking abt the other day.
Master Ren: Yoga.
Master Ren: Also, sure, but why not invite Pyrrha instead? I'm sure she'd be happy you're applying yourself more.
Apprentice Jaune: yeah but you know how she is. she worries abt me too much.
Apprentice Jaune: i know my body can take it. only thing ive ever been good for is my stamina. plus pyr said i have lots of aura. a little pain doesnt matter bc i need to catch up with you guys and my aura can handle it
Apprentice Jaune: plus i can tell she needs a break. she spends too much time training me along her own training + we barely have time to study and relax. she needs a break from my dumbassery
Apprentice Jaune: im askin too much from her already. cant slack
Master Ren: I understand, Jaune. Same place?
Apprentice Jaune: yeah thatd be cool. thanks buddy i owe you one.
Apprentice Jaune: ill do anything you ask my master. just ask politely 😉
Master Ren: Of course, Jaune. Of course.
-0-
Ren had to admit, that got a chuckle out of him. Having little in-jokes with a friend made him feel like a normal person, helped drive away the bad thoughts. Having a friend like Jaune was nice, especially considering their circle of friends. With Ren having grown up mostly with Nora and Jaune growing up with seven sisters, learning that their immediate friend circle consisted primarily of girls must have felt like history repeating itself, but at least now they had each other. It was like having a brother, something he never had growing up. He didn't have a lot of things, growing up, not after the Nuckelavee.
Stop it. Stop thinking about your issues.
But he couldn't help himself. It was in his nature to think about things. Ren's issue was that when days like this happened, he hated having to think.
Stop it.
If left to his own devices, his thought processes would inevitably lead to fear, doubt, and finally, anger.
I have to be brave.
When days like this happened, his focus was on his mistakes, the way his rash decision-making and judgment hurt the people around him. Despite his best efforts, leading with his gut tended to fail: the last time he issued Nora an order, she was almost ambushed by a giant Deathstalker, with only his, Blake, and Weiss' timely intervention saving her. The last time he made a move in combat that was his own, he was flung off the stinger of a giant Deathstalker and almost knocked out.
I don't want to lose you too.
That was why he was relieved Jaune was made leader, despite his deficiencies: at least the team's lives weren't on his shoulders, and Ren already had too much of a burden as it were, dealing with his own baggage. He could barely take care of Nora!
Stop. It.
(It was a relief then that, despite the rocky start, Jaune had proved an excellent leader, despite the shaky combat. It just meant the rest of the team had to fill in the holes in their formation. Plus, he enjoyed Jaune's unusual team training exercises, like the synchronized dance routine they had been working on for the better part of a semester. It was very amusing to watch the normally incompetent Jaune be the best at something, while the Invincible Girl struggled to perform a simple kick-step, kick-step, body-roll. It wasn't rocket science!)
That got a chuckle from him, a small sound that would have been difficult to hear, even in the silence of JNPR's dorm room. Ren was thankful that nobody was around to observe him move from anger to smiling to himself as he recalled his antics with team JNPR. No matter how angry he became towards himself, that had always calmed him. He never thought it possible with anyone but Nora, but somehow…
But he was rambling to himself again. He turned to his scroll instead.
-0-
Welcome to the Lie Ren and Weiss Schnee group!
Lie Ren: Ah, by the way.
Lie Ren: Apologies in advance if I don't respond to your messages later, Weiss.
Lie Ren: Jaune and I plan on doing some extra training later. Knowing Jaune, it wouldn't just be some light jog and a quick spar.
Weiss Schnee: I understand.
Weiss Schnee: You do need a break from my constant bellyaching and complaining.
Lie Ren: I wouldn't put it like that.
Weiss Schnee: Ren, please. I'm perfectly aware of my own shortcomings.
Weiss Schnee: I am doing my best to overcome them. That's why I'm glad you don't cast too much judgment on me.
Weiss Schnee: Nevertheless, I do wish you would sometimes exert the same effort to reprimand me like you do to Nora. I want to be a better person,Ren. And I need everyone's help to do that.
Weiss Schnee: I hate it when I lash out without hearing out the other side. I hate it when I say something in the heat of the moment and can't apologize afterwards. I've apologized to Blake already, but…
Someone is typing…
Lie Ren: I'll keep that in mind, Weiss.
-0-
When Jaune had admitted his own forged transcripts to the rest of the team, after he had admitted it to Pyrrha and they began their night training, Ren was the only one who had confronted their leader about it. It wasn't a day like today was, thankfully, so it was easy for Ren not to be mad at Jaune, per se, even if what he did was dangerous and could potentially harm the rest of their team. However, if their leader were incompetent, Ren and Nora could die. And Ren couldn't afford that. So he took Jaune to the rooftop and checked to see if Cardin was eavesdropping before laying out his issues with Jaune's actions.
Ren didn't raise his voice often, and he wasn't about to start now. He was tempted to, but it wasn't worth it, not when his team leader didn't seem worth it. He simply motioned for the two of them to sit. He merely wanted to list all the myriad ways that what Jaune did was stupid. Impress upon him the dangers of their profession, the selfishness of what he had done. Ren wasn't angry at him. He just couldn't understand why Jaune would do such a stupid thing.
Until Jaune talked about his father. Talked about his family. Talked about the legacy he felt he needed to live up to, talked about how he was never good enough, talked about realizing they lived in a world where monsters could kill his sisters at any given moment and he would be helpless to do anything about it, talked about not wanting to watch his friends fight and potentially lose their lives while he was busy being the idiot stuck in a tree.
After all that, how could Ren be angry at him? When Jaune admitted how stupid he was being and wanted to better himself? That he needed everyone's help? Jaune had made that mistake with Pyrrha. He did not want to make that mistake with the rest of his team. And Ren, despite himself, admired that. Wished it desperately for himself. Wished that he didn't need to be brave and alone, that he could confront his own negative emotions with the help of Nora and everyone else instead of going at it like he was some paragon of masculinity, carrying the world on his shoulders.
(Every now and then, Ren would consider the idea that perhaps he and Jaune would have been better off ignoring their fathers and their advice. Sometimes, Ren felt that their fathers' words were more of a curse. Ren was told to not be afraid, to be brave, and where had that gotten him? And so much of Jaune's defects in personality could be attributed to some old-fashioned notion of masculinity he seemed to have inherited from his father. Jaune's mother and her sisters were much better at giving him advice, even if he inherited a lot of habits traditionally seen as feminine. Besides, Ren was the same, having raised Nora pretty much by himself. Personally, Ren found himself admiring Jaune's mantra about strangers and friends more than the saying about confidence. He desperately wished he could believe in strangers and friends more, despite himself.)
It was the second time in his life that he was glad that his semblance allowed him to repress his negative emotions, because he did not want to say anything in the heat of the moment that would destroy his relationship with his leader. Instead, he sighed and reached out with his hand in a conciliatory gesture.
Jaune, forever the massive dork, tried to go for a fist bump instead. Ren acquiesced. It was the first fist bump he had ever performed, and he had to admit, it felt nice. The two of them laughed and laughed at how silly they looked, awkwardly trying to connect their fists together on the rooftop of one of Remnant's greatest combat schools, watched over the broken fragments of the moon above. By the time they left the rooftops, they had made a silent pact to watch each other's backs. Nothing more needed to be said. They weren't exactly the talkative sort when they were together, and one conversation wouldn't change that.
Still, Ren felt, maybe they could try.
That was the exact moment that Ren felt that Beacon could actually be a place he called home, that he could consider the people around him family, the same way he viewed Nora.
(The part of him that bristled at the idea of calling Nora just family was thankfully silent.)
And, well, if someone from his family asked for his help, then how could he say no?
So he promised, to himself, that he would help Weiss be a better person, despite his own shortcomings. Help Jaune fulfill his potential. Help Yang balance herself and find some form of peace. Help Blake, help Pyrrha, help Ruby… Maybe that way he could be a better person too. Maybe they could help each other. That promise made days like this much more tolerable.
The negative emotions lessened, just a little bit.
-0-
Welcome to Team RRAYNNBW!
SunnyLittleDragon: GODS ARRANGING THE BOOKS IN THE LIBRARY IS SO BORING
SunnyLittleDragon: no offense blakey :3
SunnyLittleDragon: THERE ARE WAY TOO MANY BOOKS ON BOARBATUSK AND BERINGEL ANATOMY HERE
SunnyLittleDragon: IT'S LOOKING PRETTY GRIMM GUYS
SunnyLittleDragon: get it?
Queen of the Castle: booooo
Big Kitty Goth GF: stop whining and itll be done faster yang
RedLikeStrawberries: yeah yang at least you aren't trying to organize prof oobleck's notes and materials
Vomit Boy: doctor oobleck
Cereal Girl: Honestly? That sounds much better than tending to Professor Peach's rather… aggressive plants.
Queen of the Castle: Who?
SunnyLittleDragon: the plant science prof? isnt everyone taking that class
Queen of the Castle: Not me! Also, isn't that the class that always has substitutes and teaching assistants take over?
SunnyLittleDragon: still so weird how formal you type
Vomit Boy: trust us we stopped asking questions a long time ago
RedLikeStrawberries: but yeah, peach herself isnt around very often
SunnyLittleDragon: anw im so DONE i need to unwind
SunnyLittleDragon: YO VB YO REN
SunnyLittleDragon: YOU BOYS DONE?
SunnyLittleDragon: we should hang out again, grab some pizza, hit the arcades
SunnyLittleDragon: i need to redeem my honor
RedLikeStrawberries: oh are you doing ddr again? i want in
SunnyLittleDragon: sure sis.
RedLikeStrawberries: so i can watch jaune dance circles around you
RedLikeStrawberries: plus ren getting mad at you missing the body-roll is hilarious
SunnyLittleDragon: what? how can you betray me sis?
RedLikeStrawberries: not my fault jaune and ren are better dancers than you
SunnyLittleDragon: still cant believe VB is better than me at ddr
Vomit Boy: you're just mad I got more style
Vomit Boy dabs on SunnyLittleDragon!
SunnyLittleDragon: did you just
SunnyLittleDragon: dude VB your memes are so fkn outdated
SunnyLittleDragon: dork
SunnyLittleDragon: this is why you got no game
RedLikeStrawberries: jaauuune stop adding random commands without telling me
RedLikeStrawberries pouts at Vomit Boy!
SunnyLittleDragon: how are you doing that?
Party Pooper: In any case, I don't mind. It would be nice to go to the arcade again.
SunnyLittleDragon: WAIT A MINUTE
SunnyLittleDragon: how come you dont wanna go clubbing w me, VB, and our new friend sun but your cool going to an arcade?
Vomit Boy: mb bc he doesnt want to babysit your lightweight alcoholic ass
SunnyLittleDragon: the hell VB when did you grow a spine
Party Pooper: No, do not worry, Yang. I don't mind having to take care of you when you hit your four drinks.
Snow Angel: What is this about?
Party Pooper: That's her absolute limit before she passes out.
Vomit Boy: one-drink Yang thinks she can dance
Party Pooper: two-drink Yang is nicknamed 'Vomit Girl'.
Queen of the Castle: And three-drink Yang gets weepy and discovers she might like girls!
Queen of the Castle fistbumps Vomit Boy and Party Pooper!
SunnyLittleDragon: it was one time! and I said sorry already nora!
Queen of the Castle: You sure were feeling sorry when you were crying into my lap!
SunnyLittleDragon: AHHHHHHHHHHH
Someone is typing…
Party Pooper: In any case, I'm not averse to visiting the arcade instead of ruining our livers and Yang's shoes even more. Perhaps not today, though.
Party Pooper: Weiss has already returned to the dorms and I'm rather tired after getting in some extra exercise and training.
Big Kitty Goth GF: how are you and weiss done so early?
Snow Angel: As it turns out, Ren's semblance is very useful in calming down chickens. We were done ages ago. Thank you, Party Pooper.
Party Pooper: No problem.
RedLikeStrawberries: you got the chicken feeding assignment? i love that place! still weird that beacon has a farm though
SunnyLittleDragon: fine. I need some time to practice anw so i can whoop VB's ass. you gotta teach me ur moves ren! you gotta help me!
SunnyLittleDragon: also, you need a better name. hang on
SunnyLittleDragon changed Party Pooper's name to Master Ren!
Big Kitty Goth GF: kinky
SunnyLittleDragon: oh, master! please teach me your moves! ill do anything!
Cereal Girl: You don't want that, Yang.
Queen of the Castle: Yeah, Renny's a real slave driver if you let him teach you anything.
Vomit Boy: Ren, buddy, go easy on Yang, alright?
Master Ren: Of course, Jaune. I'll do anything you request, as long as you ask politely. 😉
Queen of the Castle: kinky
Someone is typing…
Big Kitty Goth GF changed Master Ren's name to Ren-sensei!
Big Kitty Goth GF: there. less perverted. happy now Snow Angel? stop pming to do this stuff, ruby n jaune could do it
Snow Angel: Thank you.
Cereal Girl: I don't know, there's still something so delightfully depraved about Yang calling Ren sensei…
Cereal Girl: Just me?
Cereal Girl: Um… wrong chat?
Queen of the Castle: Preach it, sister!
-0-
Dust-damned meebs, he voiced in his head, but the tone it took didn't sound angry. And to Ren's delight, he allowed the emotion to bubble to the surface. For the first time in a very long time, he felt comfortable showing an emotion that was focused on him.
It wasn't an easy process, unlearning a skill he had spent a lifetime developing. He knew that it was necessary for his survival, but being in Beacon, being with Nora and the rest of their new friends, showed Ren much about himself that he had long tried to repress. But Ren was willing to give it a try.
He was still afraid of himself, of the emotions he found within him when a day like this happened, but that was alright. It was easier to calm himself when he thought of his friends and all the refreshingly normal things they were doing, in between learning how to kill fantastical monsters of darkness. Who knew he would find a hobby, of all things, doing dance choreography? Who knew he would enjoy Valean superhero fiction with Jaune, Yang, and Ruby, that he would come to despise Mistralian cartoons after meeting two of its most shameless fans in Blake and Pyrrha? Who knew he would find common ground with Weiss Schnee over partners, coffee and tea, of all things?
Ren knew he wasn't the most emotionally stable of people, despite his outward appearance. But that was fine. Bit by bit, he was improving. He had four years to go in Beacon, and friends to help him. Maybe not today, but in the future, he could perhaps be left alone with his own thoughts. In the future, perhaps, he wouldn't wake up randomly with thoughts of revenge constricting his throat, of fear choking his body until he couldn't breathe. There was no need to rush. Today was just one of those days.
So instead, he began preparing Weiss' tea.
-0-
Welcome to the Lie Ren and Weiss Schnee group!
Weiss Schnee: I will never understand everyone's obsession with these nicknames and silly group names.
Weiss Schnee: Did you know that Ruby insists on naming all of team RWBY's group chats as pollination? What does that even mean? Are we all flowers? Is Ruby even aware of the implications of the name?
Lie Ren: I see.
Lie Ren: Nora insists on naming our team's chat "juniper berries".
Lie Ren: No one quite knows why, but I suspect Pyrrha might have an idea. She refuses to explain, however.
Weiss Schnee: Our teammates are so weird, Ren. It's a miracle we remain sane despite their insanity.
Weiss Schnee: Still… I suppose there is no harm in the names.
Weiss Schnee: Thank goodness Nora taught me how to do this.
Weiss Schnee has changed the group's name to White Lotus!
Weiss Schnee: That tea you recommended proved wonderful, Ren. Very calming. I may develop a taste for it beyond the things served for informal tea gatherings in Atlas.
Weiss Schnee: Considering my personal color and your symbol, and to honor the name of the tea you suggested that has come closest to convincing me of the merits of tea, I thought this was a fitting name for our little group.
Weiss Schnee: I hope this is fine?
Lie Ren: I appreciate the sentiment, Weiss. I'm glad you enjoyed my recommendation.
Lie Ren: Although, if we do go through with your idea of inducting new members into this circle, the name may have to change.
Weiss Schnee: We'll cross that bridge when we get to it.
Lie Ren: Also, I will admit… I was worried my recommendation would not be up to your standards.
Weiss Schnee: Don't be silly, Ren.
Weiss Schnee: My standards may be high, but they aren't perfect. Not yet, anyway.
Weiss Schnee: I may not like to admit it, but I value everyone in our team's opinions and suggestions. Yes, even from your, ahem, "Fearless Leader".
Weiss Schnee: Don't tell him that. It'll give him the wrong ideas.
Weiss Schnee: I suppose what I wish to say is you all at least reach up to my standards. Even if Ruby and Yang can be insufferable sometimes, and Jaune could be such a dork, and Blake can be, well, Blake…
Weiss Schnee: …And Nora, bless her, still hasn't paid me for the Lightning dust she, ah, appropriated the other week….
Weiss Schnee: …And Pyrrha fawning over her partner is the one blemish on one of the most perfect women I've ever met…
Weiss Schnee: Comparatively speaking, I suppose I have no complaints about you.
Lie Ren: …thank you? I'm… flattered?
Weiss Schnee: It's a compliment, Ren! Honestly! Why are the boys in our little group so bad at receiving them?!
-0-
Don't worry. They'll assign each other nicknames. Eventually.
I know I said I was gonna do some Jaune and Ren bromance, but I ended up focusing more on Ren and Weiss bonding instead! Also, it's nice to write a Ren chapter without having to use Nora front and center, and instead keeping her to the background.
I also tried reducing the prose sections in length, at least at the beginning, to differentiate Ren from Blake, whose prose sections were gargantuan because Blake tends to withdraw unto herself and overthink. I like exploring the idea of a character who just wakes up after a few months and realizes, damn, I'm changing and it's thanks to the people surrounding him. How would a character react to that? I think that sometimes they accept it as positive, and sometimes they fear what they're becoming. And as Ozpin says, fear itself isn't a concern, but who you become when confronted with that fear. Will you be proud of who you become?
Hence why I wrote Ren like this. This is how I interpret Ren's volume 4 and 7 arc as well. Tell me what you think of his characterization here in the comments! I'd love to talk about it!
One last note: what are your favorite RWBY ship names? On an unrelated note, I'm running out of names for the various chats between characters, and I need inspiration… who knows, maybe I'll make omakes based on the silliest group chat names that people like…