A/N: This chapter was originally part of the previous one, but… you can see that it got a bit too long. Let me know what you think!
What We Call Home
When Ren finally awoke over a day later, they showed him the remains of Pyrrha's armour and weapons. The boy simply chewed on his lip, brows furrowed and locked onto the scraps of metal laying before him. "Her body?" he finally asked, not daring to look them in the eyes.
Nora hung her head, crawling closer to him. She lay her head against his shoulder. Don't make me say it, she begged Jaune silently. Despite all of her ambitions the night before, she knew that it would hurt nonetheless to voice the truth aloud. In that moment, all she wanted was to forget, to pretend it had never happened- to just focus on the heat of Ren's body pressed against her side.
Jaune didn't speak. When Nora looked up at the blond at last, she gasped on instinct. The boy just stood at Ren's bedside, tears silently streaming down his face. He wouldn't say a word, quivering lips pressed shut tightly.
Nora's heart fell into the pit of her stomach. He doesn't want to say it out loud, either. I guess… it's my job. As quietly as she could, she breathed, "We were right… about the fire. On top of the tower."
And Ren covered his face with his hands and began to shake, his shoulders trembling minutely at first, the tremors growing stronger and stronger until Nora was forced to sit up, away from him. The first wail finally ripped free from his lips, a sound so haunting that it pierced straight through Nora's very soul.
She hadn't heard him truly cry since they were young. She had promised herself back then that she wouldn't ever let him weep ever again.
She clenched her hands, fisting the bedsheets bitterly as he wept. Jaune quickly joined him, and the two boys crumbled before her very eyes.
I'm sorry. I'm sorry I couldn't keep my promise. I'm sorry you're crying again. I'm so sorry. She raised her eyes towards the ceiling, feeling the tears refusing to disappear back into her own eyes, hot trails rolling down her own cheeks despite her willing them away. Pyrrha, I'm sorry they're crying. I'll do better. It's just too fresh. I just- I swear to you.
But when she realized that the louder wails had stopped and the anger and frustration had all drained away, the two boys were left almost as husks- almost. Their loneliness remained. Their regret remained.
So, she crawled awkwardly over Ren's body, cursing under her breath when the movement agitated her own wounds. When she was finally situated comfortably on Ren's other side between him and Jaune, she carefully reached forward and re-wrapped Pyrrha's armour up lovingly. After that was put away, she reached out, gently dragging both boys' softly weeping faces into her shoulders, holding them tight.
Her voice cracked as she spoke, and she hated it. Still, she continued on. "Pyrrha's with us. She'll always be with us. It's okay to cry, though."
They fell asleep like that.
By the next morning, though, Ren had come to terms with it. He knew, just as much as Nora- if not more- how to deal with the loss of a loved one. There was no point in cursing the past. They had to move on.
Jaune was still broken, though. And it hurt her so deeply to realize that she didn't know how to fix him.
From then on, they dedicated their entire beings into growing the safe zone in Vale until they could take back the majority of the city from the Grimm. With the CCTS lost, pretty much all contact with other Kingdoms had been cut off. The world was more divided than ever thanks to the White Fang's involvement and the doubt around Atlesian Military technology, too. All of the fear showed in the uncertainty constantly lingering in the back of everyone's minds.
The only way they could communicate for the moment were small, local newspapers- the area housing many of the smaller printing companies had been largely unaffected during the attack, since few people lived nearby enough to attract the Grimm. Therefore, the journalists of Vale were charged with disseminating as much information as they could in the form of small newspapers and bulletins posted around the safe zone. Once those became a regular occurrence, the people began to settle more into a routine- wake up, read the news on the bulletin boards, then eat something and get back to work. It was a positive change.
At least, it was positive for the civilians. The obituaries began appearing within two weeks, and the students immediately began shying away from reading the boards. Too many names upon the pages and pages of deaths uncovered every day were far too familiar to them. It just… it wasn't fair.
Nora, Ren and Jaune avoided those boards the most. They still didn't know how to process it all- people would give them looks of sympathy as the news spread by word of mouth, but it would all just glance off of them. How were they supposed to react? Aw, gee, thanks for your pity! Yup, my best friend is one of the dead ones, isn't it sad? Don't worry, though, we'll be fine!
Nothing was fine. Not anymore.
A part of Nora hated herself for being as empty inside as she was. How in the world would Pyrrha react, seeing how she was handling it all? She knew from the bottom of her heart that the redhead only ever wanted them to be smiling, safe, and happy. That's all Pyrrha ever wanted for anyone.
She wouldn't have wanted them to be so hollow.
But Nora knew that the pain would pass. It would be hard, and it would hurt like nothing else- but it would pass, and she'd hold up their boys as much as she could.
When the fated paper finally came, though, it wasn't how Nora had expected it. The obituaries in the local papers did nothing to do Pyrrha justice. Since they were trying to preserve ink as a limited resource for the moment, there were no pictures printed for most of the names listed. But, thanks to her renown, Pyrrha was given the place of honour amongst a page of dead students. It felt both gratifying to see the tiny, black-and-white picture they had of her printed there, and soul-crushing at the same time.
A monochromatic photo would never be able to truly depict her red and gold and green vibrancy in any way. Anything less than perfect seemed like an insult.
Although copies of the paper were few and far between, it was Team CFVY who managed to get them a copy of their own. "She was such a sweetheart," Velvet murmured, teary-eyed and whimpering. "I just can't believe it."
Coco handed off the copy to Jaune, expression blank. Unlike her usual self from Beacon, the older girl was dressed in simple coveralls, grime and muck coating her from head to toe. Her normal beret was nowhere to be seen, and her hair was pinned back sensibly. The only remnant of her previous persona was her sunglasses, and even those were cracked along the bottom of the frame. "You should keep this."
Jaune frowned helplessly, holding out the paper so Nora and Ren could crowd around on either side, reading the words underneath the photo.
"Of the many students lost during the Fall of Beacon-" Gods, how Nora hated that title, "-the loss which held the most prominence for the public eye was Pyrrha Nikos, age 17, hailing of Mistral. Known as the 'Invincible Girl' by beloved audiences, as a daughter and proud pupil by her mother and teachers, and as an irreplaceable ally and teammate by friends and other students, Pyrrha's flame burned brighter than anyone else in her generation, and she passed while valiantly defending her loved ones from the assault on Beacon. Her beautiful heart and soul shall be remembered for many years to come, and the positive, supportive impact she had on those around her will never be forgotten. She shall be missed."
Nora's eyes grew glassy for just a moment, but she blinked the tears away. It's true, Pyrrha. We miss you.
Jaune thumbed over Pyrrha's cheek in the photo, drawing in a sharp breath. Nora glanced over the photo again, realizing slowly what Jaune was so fixated on.
"I think the photo was from that group interview we did," Coco murmured.
Velvet whispered, "She looked so pretty that day."
Pyrrha had been wearing the earring he had given her for the winter solstice in the photo.
And then, Jaune's mouth pressed into a thin line. He folded up the paper, put it into his pocket, gave a curt nod to their former seniors, and walked back to their room.
"Thank you," Nora said quietly. "We'll… we'll treasure it."
"Let us know if you need anything," Yatsuhashi replied kindly from where he stood behind his team. "We're all from Beacon. We'll look out for you."
"That's right." Coco stretched, then waved her team away. "C'mon, we've got some work to do. Faster we work, faster we get a vacation- which means faster I get to go buy some new clothes. I'm sick of these digs." Her team chuckled in response as they left, but their voices were low and heavy-hearted, still carrying the burden of the obituary in their minds.
Nora and Ren traded glances before following Jaune. It's real, Nora thought, grabbing onto Ren's sleeve.
His warm hand covered hers in reassurance, and she relaxed a little when she felt that it was trembling just as much as hers.
They found him in their bedroom. They heard a soft click, as if something was being closed shut, when they entered the room. Jaune spun around to face them, quickly swiping under his eyes. He gave them each a strained smile. "Time to get back to work, huh?"
Nora sighed, worry filling her heart. In the corner of her eye, she could see the remains of the newspaper discarded on their desk. A large hole was left where Pyrrha's obituary and photo had been. Jaune had clearly cut it out for safekeeping.
She wanted to stay in there for longer, to hide away from the world. Yet, they had no choice but to keep moving forward. I've gotta keep the boys going. "Yup!" she replied cheerily. She reached forward, looping her arm through Jaune's, then dragged him forward. When she passed the other boy, she looped her other arm through Ren's similarly. "Time to see if Professor Port has new orders! I am so sick of being zapped all day now that they're fixing the rest of the grid. Think we could fight some Grimm?"
The other two didn't respond, but after a moment, she heard soft chuckles from them both, and warmth lit up in her belly.
The next day, they finally received their new phones, courtesy of Professor Oobleck. The man knocked speedily upon their door, standing upright under the frame when they finally opened it, refusing to step in. "Ah, here you are! I've been looking for you. Glynda sent me with these," he handed Ren the phones, "and I wanted to give you three an update," the sprightly Huntsman explained at a breakneck pace. "I went to Patch briefly to check in. Miss Rose has awakened, although I'm sure Qrow has already informed you, and Miss Xiao Long is healing nicely. I know that you were close with Team RWBY, so give them a call sometimes." His eyes softened. "You must remember to stand by your friends in trying times such as these. They will remind you what is worth fighting for- the ones who are left."
"Professor-" Jaune tried, voice cracking.
The man held up a hand, stopping Jaune in his tracks. "No, Mr. Arc. Beacon is no more. The day when I am able to welcome you back into my lecture hall, you may call me your Professor once again. Until then, I am just a Huntsman." He paused, getting ready to leave the room- before he left though, he raised a brow and pointedly added, "And it's 'doctor', anyways. I didn't spend all that time working on a doctorate for nothing."
"Sure thing, Professor!" Nora saluted good-naturedly, giving the man a cheeky grin. She knew he hated being called that.
To her immense relief, the man just rolled his eyes and waved them off. "I'll be off, now. Stay safe. Do work you're proud of. Call your friends." And with that, he zipped out of the door, leaving the three of them alone in their room once more.
Ren efficiently set up each of the old phones and input everyone's relevant contact data into them. He handed them out, directing, "Make sure you add all important info from your Scrolls into here. We don't know how long we'll be using these."
Silently punching numbers into their new phones, Nora couldn't help but giggle. "I haven't used one of these since I was a little kid," she murmured fondly, raising her eyes. Ren caught her gaze, grinning knowingly back. "He would always get so angry at us for messing with his phone."
Ren shook his head ruefully and went back to transferring data between the two devices. On the other side of the room, however, Jaune was preoccupied with something else. Nora paused in what she was doing, watching the blond fidget with the phone pressed to his ear, nervously tapping fingers against his knee.
Finally, it seemed like he got the answer he was looking for. "Mom?!" he cried, bolting upright. Instantly, relief washed over his face, and he collapsed back onto his cot, anxious laughter slipping through his lips unchecked. "Oh my god, Mom. You picked up. I can't believe this signal is even reaching you- you know what, I'm not going to question it." He paused. "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm in Vale. Helping rebuild it, what else? No, Mom, I'm a Huntsman-in-training, remember? I've got to stay if I can make a difference." Another pause, and Nora felt a light touch on her arm. She looked up, then pulled Ren's hand resting upon her arm into her own, gently dragging him to sit by her side. He complied, a tender smile on his face that surely mirrored her own.
Jaune was smiling as he ran through his hellos to all of his sisters and his father. How long had it been since Jaune had truly smiled?
We're gonna be okay, Nora thought wryly. Not perfect, but good enough. Don't worry, Pyrrha. Our dumb boys will be okay.
And that was all that mattered.
Ren punched in a number onto his phone. "I'm going to check on our patrons," he murmured.
Nora nodded absentmindedly. She didn't like calling the Huntsmen who had sponsored their entry into Beacon- it wasn't as if they had a close connection to them anyways. Their sponsorship had been more of a PR move by a few wealthy, old-blood Huntsmen once they had seen just how skilled the two youngsters were in combat. It had been pure coincidence that the Huntsmen who had actually raised Nora and Ren had been dirt poor, desperate, and in the same area as a visiting Professor Ozpin at the time. The headmaster had lamented aloud at how 'such talented students wouldn't be able to attend Beacon due to something as measly as entrance fees'. The wealthier Huntsmen, eager to win over the headmaster of Beacon, had promised to send Nora and Ren on the spot. The rest was history.
Nora didn't care, either way. She had just wanted an escape from Anima, which was why she had accepted it. Best to leave talking to them to Ren. Ren had always been much better at pleasantries, anyways.
However, there was no answer. Suddenly, a pang of homesickness hit her in the stomach. Maybe it was because she had been thinking of her life as a trainee, but she was feeling very sentimental out of the blue. So, Nora punched in a very different set of numbers once the black-haired boy shrugged, putting his phone down- he was, as expected, totally nonplussed about not being able to reach their sponsors. When he saw the number Nora was putting in, though, his eyes lit up, and he leaned forward, waiting expectantly.
These numbers, Nora cared about. The people who were sometimes on the other end of the ten-digit code actually mattered to her. Yet, there was no ringing- no answer.
This concerned her. Although she had never once really called them during their entire time at Beacon aside from the first night to tell them they had arrived, the Huntsmen who had raised them would never not be available to talk during a time of crisis. She just knew it. Was it just that she was out of range, or had something happened to them over the last eight months?
Jaune's battery began to protest at his long call once it hit twenty-five minutes, and the blond reluctantly moved to hang up the phone. However, his expression soured suddenly, and Nora and Ren could only watch as the blond approached the black-wrapped parcel still sitting solemnly upon their shared worktable. He hummed every once in a while, grunting to acknowledge what was being said on the other end of the phone. Unwrapping it with one hand, the blond retrieved Pyrrha's circlet, the formerly-shining piece utterly dull, devoid of life, in the dark room. Shakily, he sat back down, his eyes locked on the metal now resting in his lap.
"No, Dad," he whispered. "I don't know how to contact her family… No, I don't think we'll be able to, the CCTS is down. I don't think they were close, they had a pretty strained relationship when she was here. Yes, I know she was a celebrity- doesn't change the fact- she said I was a good leader, okay? I was good… yeah, it probably was all thanks to her- wow, thanks. That's not funny." He let out a harsh bark of a laugh. "Yeah. It hurts- no, I'm not okay. Dad, I-" Jaune cast a guilty, heartbroken glance furtively at Nora and Ren, then lowered his voice further, "-I only wish you could've met her, too. She was… amazing. I really-"
But the rest was too quiet, too muffled to hear, as the blond turned to face away from his two teammates still seated at the other end of the room.
The conversation quickly wrapped up from there. Ren sighed, stepping out for a moment to grab some water. Nora ran her hands through her hair, throwing herself back onto her bed, letting her arms lay limply out by her sides. There was only one thing in her mind.
…does Jaune know?
When she didn't hear the blond say anything after hanging up the phone, Nora finally sat up, concerned. He had been on-and-off with his quietude and his tears for the weeks following Qrow and Professor Goodwitch's delivery. She just wished she knew what to say to snap him out of it, since it sounded like he was falling into the latter once more.
Jaune was motionless. He slumped over in his seat, clutching onto the circlet with all of his strength. His knuckles were white and ashen with how tightly he held onto the metal, but it was only when a tiny rivulet of blood began to drip down the scuffed golden piece did Nora become alarmed. She sprang forward, yanking the circlet out of his hands. "Jaune, what are you doing?" she cried, shrilly.
He scrambled to get it back, and she once again saw the almost possessed fervour in his eyes, she knew it was time to talk about this. "Ren?" she called over her shoulder, summoning the other boy. "Ren, come quick!"
"What is it, Nora-" The boy's initial reaction was of weary frustration when he first entered the room, but the moment he saw the imbalanced look on Jaune's face, he calmed down completely. Nora quickly tossed the boy Pyrrha's circlet, blocking Jaune's way forward when the blond tried to cut around her and grab it away from Ren. With a firm grip, Nora grabbed both of Jaune's shoulders and guided the blond to sit back down upon the edge of the bed, holding him there. Thank goodness I'm strong enough to hold up at least ten of me, now, she thought absently. The building work had done wonders on her muscle tone. Jaune began to struggle against her grip, but she held on tight. Otherwise, I'd never be able to keep him here.
Finally, the boy calmed down. Ren placed Pyrrha's circlet upon their nightstand after wiping away Jaune's blood, then ran out of the room. He quickly re-entered with a wet washcloth in hand, getting to work on cleaning up Jaune's wounds. They had already almost healed completely thanks to the blond's abundant Aura, but the blood remained, a sickly reminder of what the boy had been doing to himself. "Jaune, you can't do this," Ren murmured. "Pyrrha wouldn't want this."
Jaune looked blankly at his hands, as if it were the first time he had even realized what had been going on. "But I couldn't save her," the blond whispered at last. "You don't understand. She- she was going to- she would have given it all up for us. She knew she couldn't win, but she did it anyways. How am I supposed to just…?" He let out a shuddering, gasping breath. "How can this be all that's left of her?"
"Jaune, just what happened that night?" Nora propped her hands on her hips, exasperated by his tight-lipped silence on the subject. The not-knowing was still the worst. "You're always either falling apart, or completely quiet. If you just told us what-"
"I don't need to tell you anything," was the cold reply. It came so out of the blue that it sent a chill down the spines of the other two.
Nora shared a horrified look with Ren. The normally-stoic boy stood, tensing up. "Jaune, you're not the only one-"
"Really?" Jaune spat suddenly, taking paces back away from them both. "Because it sure damn feels like it."
"We're your team, you can tell us-" Nora tried to reason with him, but he wasn't having any of it.
Cutting in, the blond cried, "No, I can't! The only person I could ever tell anything to was- was- dammit!"
It was Pyrrha.
Nora could still remember Pyrrha's face when she first found out about Jaune's secrets. What those secrets were, the redhead had never shared- but Nora remembered the look of heartbreak etched on the beautiful girl's face, how she had so disappointedly looked at the blond boy during their first few months at Beacon. Jaune did have secrets. Nora could acknowledge that. Pyrrha wasn't happy about them, but she had stuck by the boy, anyways. She had been his partner, after all. It made sense that Jaune would have felt closer to her than to Ren and Nora.
But Pyrrha was gone, whether he liked it or not, and her loss and this sudden aggression was hurting everyone, not just him. Why couldn't Jaune see that?
And then, it struck her. Jaune's… never lost anyone he loved, has he? It suddenly all made sense- his volatility, his heartbreak, his emptiness. Nora and Ren grieved, but they knew the stages through which healing lay. Jaune, on the other hand, was experiencing the hell which was loss for the first time, and he wasn't ready for it.
Ren quietly walked out of the room, then returned a few minutes later with a mug of tea for the boy. "Drink this," he offered, pressing the warmth into Jaune's hands.
The boy stared at the tea, the veins in his hands growing more prominent as he clutched it tight. "Why the hell aren't you upset?!" Jaune screamed suddenly, throwing the mug against the wall. The ceramic shattered, tea spilling everywhere, rolling down the wall just as fast as the tears which dripped down the blond's cheeks. Nora winced on instinct, but she didn't react otherwise. She knew how he felt.
She had been here before.
Their leader wasn't done. "Why are you just accepting this? Pyrrha's gone! She's not coming back! She couldn't- I couldn't- but she- I never- just, how the fuck are you two so calm?!" His chest heaved with the exertion, with the pain clearly tormenting him. He trembled, eyes glassy and hollow, lips quivering with every haggard breath.
They didn't respond.
Softer, he mumbled, "How can you tell me to just 'move on'? I can't move on. It was Pyrrha. I- I can't forget her." He fell to his knees, utterly lost, broken. "How can life go on now?"
They didn't respond for the longest time. How could they?
"We've lost a lot of people, Jaune," Nora said quietly. Jaune didn't move- he had become almost catatonic, staring blankly at his open hands resting in his lap, eyes dull. It suddenly felt as if she was watching something far too personal- so, she averted her gaze, keeping her eyes fixed upon a small ladybug that had settled on her collar. It had flown in through the still-shattered window. It moved so idly, its red, black-spotted back shining in the daylight- on any other day, she'd show it off excitedly. Now, however, it wasn't the time.
Ren continued for her, "We watched our families die when we were young."
She sighed. "The people who took us in were Huntsmen. Some of them were killed, too," Nora said.
"They asked us to do some awful things."
"They made us do some awful things. We don't speak about them, now."
"We've seen innocents die as well." Ren sighed, placing his hand on Jaune's shoulder in solidarity.
Nora grabbed the blond's hands, squeezing tight as she stepped closer, looking up into his face, willing him to see the sincerity in her gaze. She carefully picked up the washcloth Ren had dropped and continued to wipe away the remnants of blood on his hands. "But that doesn't make Pyrrha's loss easier. We loved her, Jaune. More than anything."
"She was family." Ren's voice shook, although he kept his eyes trained firmly on a cloud in the sky. "She is family."
Tears filled Nora's eyes, and she immediately tried to blink them back. She didn't like crying. She was sick of it. Yet, Jaune's eyes grew wide, seeing the uncharacteristically vulnerable expression on her face. Swallowing heavily, she murmured, "And we miss her more than anything. Gods, Jaune, you have to know that."
"Pyrrha will always be our family," Ren reiterated. "But so are you. You and her…"
"We love you, too," Nora whispered. And she did, she truly did- she loved Pyrrha a bit more, she knew it- but Jaune was like a little brother, someone who she wanted to protect and nurture. She wanted Jaune to grow up strong, and now that Pyrrha wasn't…
Oh my god, she really won't be here anymore…
…now that Pyrrha wasn't here anymore, Nora knew that she had to be the one to ensure that Jaune grew into the Huntsman Pyrrha had always wanted him to be. The redhead had believed in their leader, more than anyone- it was Nora's duty to follow that dream until the very end.
Jaune's eyes were wide with shock. "Guys, I didn't-"
"It's okay," she soothed, squeezing his hands tighter.
"And it's okay to cry about it, Jaune," Ren murmured gently. The blond's shoulders shook slowly, growing more and more violent as the sobs began to wrack his entire frame with grief. "It doesn't make you weak. It makes you human."
"We've all lost something. A lot of things," Nora whispered, brushing Jaune's hair out of his puffy, reddened eyes. "But we're here together. We've made it this far. We have to keep going," she gulped, "whether we want to or not." She paused, taking a deep breath, choking the tears. In the quietest, calmest voice she could muster, Nora added, "Pyrrha would want that."
At this, the blond's eyes overflowed, and he lunged forward, wrapping his arms around Nora's and Ren's necks, clinging onto them for dear life. Nora traded a broken look with Ren over Jaune's shoulders, and a sob worked its way up through Nora's lips as she saw thick, slow-moving tears flowing down Ren's cheeks, too.
"Yeah," the dark-haired boy whispered, his sorrow and grief all Nora could see. "She would."
What other choice did they have?
And so, life continued on without Pyrrha.
The sun still rose, the clouds of smoke above Vale eventually clearing away to clouds heavy with late springtime rains. The flowers still bloomed, and the rebuilding projects made the city beautiful again. Although the Grimm still flocked to Beacon day after day, their progress re-establishing Vale as a viable living space marched on.
Jaune healed. He still cried, but only at night, when he thought they couldn't see. He didn't blow up at them anymore, though. Nora sometimes poked Ren awake, and they would crawl onto his tiny cot with him and lay on top of him until he protested, giggling. He wasn't alone.
Ren never cried again. He was sad, but he didn't cry. For that, Nora was grateful.
Nora continued being her bubbly self, bringing laughter to the camp as they slowly pushed the boundaries of the safe zone all the way to the outskirts of Vale. They found meaning in the work, and toiled away straight through the hottest month of Vale's (oddly early) summer without complaint.
Nora had planned so many camping and beach trips for their little family, awaiting the early Vale summertime with Team JNPR. Every time she saw just how bright and sunny the world could be as she continued helping with reconstruction, she ached inside. It was insane to think of- her original plan had been to put Pyrrha in a cute bikini and make Jaune drool over her. The redhead would've protested, and she'd have blushed in that way that always caught the blond's eye, and Nora would've orchestrated the whole affair with an evil glint in her eye.
It's not like Ren would have stopped her, anyhow. He'd just sit under a beach umbrella embarrassedly, and she'd go back to him afterwards and sit with him and sigh, because he wouldn't realize that she was in a swimsuit- he'd look at Nora and just see her for who she was, and she'd boop him on the nose and continue to love him for his denseness anyways.
But that wouldn't happen now. And in the end, Nora, Ren and Jaune never went to the beach under that sweltering Vale sun, before the odd storm season began.
It wasn't okay. Nora wasn't happy, not truly- but over time, the emptiness in her heart began to heal. She had lost everything and everyone, in the past, over and over and over again. Her life up to that point had been punctuated by loss, after all. But she knew that there would be light again. She had picked up the pieces in the past, and she knew she could do it again. Ren and Jaune were still by her side, at least.
That didn't mean it was fair that she couldn't ever see her best friend again.
And even though she affixed a smile to her face every time she interacted with civilians, grinning wide and putting all of her energy and trademark cheeriness into her tasks from the Huntsmen rebuilding Vale, it didn't stop her from pausing and drawing in a shuddering breath every time she caught Jaune looking up at Beacon's broken silhouette in the distance. Every time she saw that longing, broken look on his face, she couldn't help but purse her lips and swallow down the sadness in her own heart.
She was too scared to ask, but she knew. Jaune had either figured out Pyrrha's feelings for him, or had understood how much he loved the redhead, during the Fall of Beacon. Or maybe it was both. Nora didn't know which one would be worse.