A/N: A relatively shorter chapter to set the stage. Volume 4 is almost here. Also, that AU thing I mentioned last chapter is up (Thrown to the Wind), if you're interested.
Let me know what you think!
What We Call Home
Nora shifted, lifting her thighs off her hands to get some blood flow back into the digits, annoyed. "Come on, Ren, hurry up," she groaned, slumping over. She dropped her chin to the dining table, pouting as she watched Ren wave his spatula dismissively at her without even turning around. "I'm hungry," she moaned again, thumping her chin repeatedly against the table.
Nearby, Ruby opened up a cupboard and pulled out a bottle of syrup. Nora's eyes lit up, and instantly, the girl tucked the entire bottle underneath her hoodie, sticking her tongue out at Nora. The orange-haired girl growled, but Ruby didn't budge. "Wait until we're done, Nora," she demanded loftily. Nora dignified that with another growl and a pout.
Jaune laughed, poking Nora's head. She moved her head to the side on the table, giving Jaune enough room to place a plate, fork and knife in front of her. "Almost there," he said. His stomach grumbled quietly as well, and Nora bolted upright in her seat, pointing to the blond fervently.
"Guys, Jaune's hungry too, doesn't that mean we can eat?" she complained loudly.
Ren sighed, turning off the burner on the stove. He moved the skillet off the heat after placing the last pancake onto the giant stack on the countertop. "We're done, Nora," the boy intoned. He and Ruby brought the large plate over to the table. "Everybody else gets the syrup first."
"Okay, Ren," Nora muttered glumly.
Ruby cheerfully placed two pancakes on everyone's plates and pulled out the bottle of syrup from her sweater, handing it off to Jaune when she was done. Eventually, everyone got some food, and Nora was free to enjoy her pancakes at last.
"I'm gonna go see if Yang wants any," Ruby called. "Save some stuff just in case."
Nora nodded quickly, cheeks full. It had been months since she had enjoyed Ren's pancakes- they hadn't had a free kitchen to commandeer during their stay in Huntsmen's barracks in Vale. It was absolutely delicious and she wanted all of it.
Still, she jumped up and grabbed an extra plate, placing two pancakes on top just in case. Jaune raised a brow, impressed. "Wow. Learning restraint?"
Nora sneered at him. "Puh-lease." She quickly tilted the large central plate onto hers, dropping the rest of the pancakes onto her own plate. With gusto, she cut through a bunch of them and shoved the huge cuts into her mouth, humming, pleased. Jaune just rolled his eyes and scowled, chewing on his own measly two pancakes bitterly.
"Why do you even try, Jaune?" Ren chuckled, long having been accustomed to Nora's antics.
The girl banged her fists on the table, mock-upset. "When someone gives you food, it is survival of the fittest! You must grab however much you can! That is how life works!"
The blond pouted, but he didn't have time to reply when Ruby came back down. She shook her head when met with hopeful gazes, so everyone sighed and continued eating their pancakes.
It had been almost a week since they had begun to impose upon the Xiao Long household. Tai was more than happy to accommodate their presence, gladly playing the chivalrous host. Jaune seamlessly fell into a comfortable relationship with the man, often bantering with him and trading bad jokes. They could all tell that the man appreciated it- Yang's dry, awful puns had clearly come from her father, but in her current state, she wasn't in the mood to joke around with anyone. Each time Jaune tried his hand at terrible wordplay, Tai's eyes would light up with gratitude. The man missed his daughter sorely, but all he could do was wait- so, having Ruby's kind friends around brought a little light back into his world.
It was for that very reason that Nora felt absolutely no shame in eating all of his pancake syrup. Ruby had already warned her father about Nora's appetite, so he should've been prepared, she insisted every time she got dirty looks from her teammates and looks of shock and wonder from the blond man.
Cutting another small piece away, Jaune murmured, "This might be the last time we do something like this before we head out, huh?"
"Well, I mean, if we end up anywhere with a real kitchen I'm sure we could figure something out!" Ruby chirped.
Jaune sighed. "Well, my place is pretty out of the way if we're heading to Haven, so that won't be it," he pondered aloud. "What about you two? Do you think we'll pass through your home?"
Nora glanced over at Ren. Their history was… a little more complicated than most. Ren said smoothly, "Our village was destroyed by the Grimm when we were young."
Jaune nodded, face softening. "I remember you guys saying that."
Ren continued, "After that, we were taken in by a bunch of people. We were raised to be mostly nomadic."
Cool, that's a doable story. Cheerfully, she played along, "We did a ton of camping, but that's not very good for cooking. Not a lot of electricity aside from when we came upon Dust!"
Ruby's eyes were wide. "Oh, wow," she breathed, fork positioned right below her mouth. "I had… I didn't know."
They both shrugged. It was the past. The orange-haired girl giggled, "So, get ready for a lot of camping, everyone!" She sighed dreamily. "I love camping."
"When you're with friends," Ren added quickly. The boy thoughtfully watched Ruby eat her pancakes for a moment.
Nora nudged him with her elbow. "What's on your mind, bub?"
The dark-haired boy shook his head. "Just thinking about our supplies." When everyone quirked a brow in curiosity, he explained, "I packed enough food in our bags for if… if Pyrrha was with us. Ruby eats the same amount, I've noticed, so I think it'll work out for us."
Without even thinking about it, Nora commented, "Yeah, Ruby, we've got you covered now that your team isn't here-" and instantly, she dropped her fork and covered her mouth with both hands with a small squeak. The younger girl had frozen, fork mid-stab into a piece of her pancakes.
No one had had the courage to ask about Team RWBY, to ask about why Ruby had asked them to help versus her own team. No one had even brought up Team RWBY whatsoever since coming to Patch. And, seeing her reaction, they knew it had been the right choice- it was as if the very mention of her team had broken the girl.
After one long, agonizingly-silent minute, Jaune muttered, "Hey, Ruby, pass the syrup?"
She complied. They finished their meal in silence and went to bed, a sense of trepidation and loss hanging over them all. They were leaving any day now- the snow had grown lighter and lighter over the past few days. But were they ready for the journey? Nora didn't know. They had all lost too many people in the Fall. Three months wasn't enough time for those wounds to heal completely.
They finalized their plans the next afternoon. The group had been quietly chatting about potential routes using some maps Ren had picked up in Vale, trying to make it seem as casual as possible whenever Tai strolled on by. Ruby hadn't told him about her trip to Haven, so they had to lean into the idea that the three Mistralian kids were going on a road trip together after leaving Ruby behind.
It felt a little discomforting to be looking at a map of Mistral after so much time living in the heaven that was Beacon. There were too many familiar landmarks, too many villages, which Nora could remember so vividly from her childhood. Most of them weren't happy memories.
After the destruction of Kuroyuri, life was a blur. The creatures had stalked their trail relentlessly anyways, hunting them without rest. It was all the little boy could do to throw them off the trail by masking their presence and emotions long enough for them to sneak away, over and over again. Somewhere along the way, they came upon a few more dead villagers who had tried to flee- the carcasses had been rotting, bloated and blue and horrifying. The flies had buzzed, one landing on Nora's cheek.
They had both vomited beside the bodies. They had been scared. But, they had found a real hammer and a small pistol and some food amongst the belongings of the dead, and that had been the difference between life and death.
She could still remember the first time they managed to encounter Huntsmen in the middle of the forest, Ren on the brink of exhaustion after over-using his Semblance to mask them from all the Grimm. She had tried to use his knife to stab one of the warriors. The man had laughed, and after figuring out Ren's Semblance and seeing Nora's will to fight to protect the boy, he had taken them in without a second doubt.
Her eyes ran over a small dot on the map indicating a tiny settlement. That was where the man had first brought them. She snorted, checking the date of publication of the map. Ren cast her a curious glance, and she pointed to the date- it had been made over ten years earlier. Ren's eyes clouded over in discomfort and recognition, but to Nora, the image of that settlement still lingered in her mind, a sense of pride and strength surging within her.
She didn't ever regret burning that place to the ground eight years earlier.
It was then that the front door swung open, a chilly wind blowing some snow through the frame before a snow-covered figure stomped into the cottage. As the door slammed shut behind the figure, however, Nora felt her mouth dry up, suspicions growing. Standing in the doorway, stamping his loafers to shake off the excess snow, was Qrow. The man shook his head, tossing most of the built-up crystals in his hair onto the sopping welcome mat.
"Uncle Qrow, welcome home!" Ruby cried, throwing her hands up in the air excitedly.
The man chuckled dryly, leaning his weapon against the wall without even looking at the girl. "Heya, kid," he said warmly, hanging up his cape on the coatrack, "how's it going-" As he spoke, he turned around, taking in the sight of Jaune, Nora and Ren watching him carefully for the first time. The man's expression froze for a moment before growing muddled. While there was obvious discomfort on his face, there was also a hit of rueful pride when his eyes fell onto Ruby once more.
Nora frowned. She didn't want to see Qrow. All she could ever think of when she remembered the man was the day he and Professor Goodwitch had delivered Pyrrha's armour to them. That wasn't exactly a day she wanted to be reminded of constantly.
Qrow shoved his hands into his pockets, ambled over to the four teens, and took a seat on the sofa armrest beside Ruby. Affectionately mussing her hair, the man crossed his arms and looked over the map and travel routes marked down. "Hm," he muttered, "looks good."
Jaune frowned. "What are you doing here?" he said lowly.
Qrow raised a brow, mildly amused momentarily. "Um, blondie, last time I checked my family lived here," he pointed out. Nora turned to Jaune, worry growing in her chest when she noticed the tension in his neck, his proverbial hackles raising in response to the Huntsman, his expression growing darker by the second.
It's not just me, then. "Jaune," she murmured as a warning, reaching over and tugging his sleeve. At her touch, the boy seemed to snap out of it, shaking his head quickly. The anger faded, replaced quickly with subdued bitterness, frustration. She looked back at Qrow, heart sinking further as his eyes filled with understanding, regret.
With a heavy sigh, Qrow ruffled Ruby's hair and stood up. The man commented, "Where's the old man, Ruby?"
"Who're you calling 'old man'?" Tai protested from the top of the stairs. "I'm the same age as you, man."
"And yet, I'm so much cooler," the more somber man snickered, standing up.
Although his tone had been light, as Tai came down the stairs, it was clear that he was not happy to see Qrow. His expression was set, only hardening further when he saw his fellow Huntsman interacting with his daughter and friends. "Qrow. Kitchen. Now."
Instantly, Qrow understood what was going on. Nora glanced uneasily at her friends, growing concerned- what was going on? Yet, they had no choice but to sit still and watch as Qrow shoved his hands into his pockets again, slouching on over to the kitchen where a stern Tai awaited him. The blond man commanded, "Kids, stay there. We need to discuss something."
Ruby frowned, fidgeting with the map in front of her. "Guys, what was that about? Did something happen with Qrow in Vale?"
"We didn't hear about anything," Jaune replied lowly, his eyes still reflecting resentment towards the Huntsman that had brought them Pyrrha's remains.
Nora stood up, stretching briefly before tiptoeing to the door of the kitchen. Ruby frantically waved her back, hissing, "No, you can't! Dad said to-"
"Look," Nora soothed, beckoning her teammates over, "if there was anything we were good at at Beacon, it was spying."
The younger just gawped at them as the trio snuck in unison over to the kitchen door, seamlessly stacking their heads on top of one another behind a potted plant by the door so they could all listen in as closely as possible. After a few moments of chewing her lip and debating with herself, Ruby finally gave in and joined them, plopping herself at the bottom of the stack. As quiet as mice, they all leaned forward, listening in to the conversation curiously.
"-have his cane?"
"Yeah. We recovered it in the basement… but she was dead. We really were too late."
"Qrow, I cannot believe you," Tai whispered furiously at the far end of the kitchen. They all had to strain to hear, the words were so contained.
"Believe what exactly, Tai?" the weary Huntsman replied.
Tai scoffed. "I cannot believe you went along with Oz. I cannot believe you let him choose Pyrrha-"
"Pyrrha knew the risks," Qrow cut in bitterly. "She knew what she was getting into."
Nora looked up at Jaune, the boy's expression concentrated and horrified. They're talking about what happened that night. They know.
"It doesn't matter, she was a child!"
"She was a grown woman, Tai. Calm down."
"She was the same age as Yang, Qrow. My daughter! My little girl!" Tai spluttered incoherently for a moment.
"Yang's not exactly a kid anymore, either. She made her choice- that's why…"
"You expect me to just say 'oh I guess it was a casualty of war, all for the greater good'- no way. No way can I do that." He sighed, then added, losing some of his fury, "They're all just kids. She was their teammate, Qrow. You of all people know how it feels to have a teammate taken away. And at least we were adults, we had already graduated when we found out everything- how the hell do you think they must've all felt? They're just kids."
"Tai, she made her choice."
"The kids won't say her name. They always look like they're about to cry." Now, Tai just sounded as if he were on the verge of tears, too. "I know Ozpin has his plans, and I know that you are all doing something so important for our world- but she was just Yang's age. People loved her."
It was quiet. Nora felt something hit her head- glancing up, she saw the tears beginning to trickle down Jaune's face, stacked above hers. Ruby's face below hers was in a similar state. As quietly as she could, she motioned to Ren to take Jaune back to the couches, and she moved to guide Ruby. As they floated silently back to their previous seats, however, they heard Qrow whisper, "I know. I'm sorry, Tai. I wish it could've been different. I thought it was gonna be different."
Quickly, Nora took a tissue from a nearby box and wiped Ruby's cheeks, holding it over her nose. Obediently, the younger girl blew her nose, and Nora whispered, "They're walking out. Can't get caught, right?" On the other couch, Ren was making sure Jaune wiped his face in the same way.
In a few moments, the two men walked out of the kitchen. Avoiding eye contact with the four teens, Tai stumbled back upstairs, and Qrow ran his hand through his hair, exhausted. "Time to go," he muttered.
Ruby teetered to her feet. "Heading out already, Uncle Qrow?" she asked thickly.
The man grunted in affirmation. "I'll be back at some point. Got some rounds to do. If I don't see you kid… take care."
"'Kay," she murmured softly. "…Love you. Be safe."
At that, Qrow spared a glance over his shoulder at the heartbroken quartet watching him. His smile wasn't convincing at all, thanks to his furrowed brow and the shaky sigh that slipped past his lips. "Love ya too, kiddo." And with that, he wrapped his cape around his shoulders, picked up his weapon, and entered the elements once more.
The moment the door shut behind him, Ren had already pulled out his phone. "What're you-" but the dark-haired boy shushed Jaune before the blond could interrupt, pressing numbers and putting the phone on speakerphone before anyone could blink.
Nora leaned forward, looking at the contact ID when he held the phone out. "Why're you calling Glynda?" she murmured, confused.
"If both Ruby's dad and uncle know, then Glynda must too. There's no reason Ozpin wouldn't keep her in the loop. She was his right-hand at Beacon."
Everyone glanced at one another, wary but curious. The phone began to ring, the shaky connection between the island of Patch and Vale causing the signal to drop out intermittently. Eventually, though, the other end clicked, and the blonde's voice murmured, "Glynda Goodwitch speaking," in a tinny, yet still stern voice.
Ren held a finger up to his lips to shush the crowd watching in antsy anticipation, awaiting their answers. "Professor?"
"Mr. Ren. How may I be of service? Have you left Patch yet?"
"No," he said smoothly, worry lines etched deep into his brow. Nora's fingers twitched. How she longed to smooth those lines away- No, not right now. Stop it, Nora.
The boy continued, "We had some questions, and we think that you may have the answers."
"Well," she replied, "if I can help, then I'd be happy to."
"Thank you," he said cordially, then paused, clearly trying to formulate the best way to breach the topic. "We were wondering-"
Before he could say anything else, however, Jaune interrupted him abruptly. "Why did Professor Ozpin choose Pyrrha?"
Silence.
After a few painfully-slow heartbeats, the Huntress replied, "…Mr. Arc. I'm assuming Miss Valkyrie is there as well. If you haven't left Patch yet, then am I wrong to assume Ruby is present too?"
No one answered, looking at Jaune worriedly. The blond's frustration was nearly tangible, the tension so heavy they could feel its weight hanging on their shoulders. At last, the woman murmured, "I wish I could give you more information, but I'm afraid now isn't the time."
"What the hell is that suppo-" But the woman hung up, and they were left listening to a dial-tone.
"She knows what happened to Pyrrha." Nora wasn't even fully aware of who had said that- the words may as well have come out of her own mouth. She was numb. Everyone seemed to be in on this- was it a conspiracy? Why would all the adults just not tell anyone?
Why didn't Pyrrha tell anyone? Why didn't she tell me?
But there was nothing else they could do. It was Ren who moved first, folding up his map and packing it in his bag neatly. "We need to move soon," he said quietly.
Ruby nodded. "In two days. We'll rest tomorrow, then leave after that."
Nora pumped her fist determinedly. "It's time to figure out what in the world is even going on."
"Who knows," Jaune breathed. The blond looked dizzy, as if he were about to collapse. He tottered to the bathroom, leaving the other three behind.
On instinct, Nora reached for Ren's hand as she watched the blond's back disappear around the corner. Long fingers wrapped automatically around her own, squeezing comfortingly. She let out a long, slow breath.
"We'll figure it out," she repeated quietly.
"We will," he asserted.
And that was that. Two more days, and then, they'd start their journey. It was time to get to the bottom of this.