A/N: So I took a week to write the AU fic, so that's all done now! If you have any ideas for other AUs or the like, let me know- I'm always looking for fun little challenges/projects. But now, it's back to this one. And hoo boy, did I miss not having a word count. Y'all have no idea how much I had to cut out of Thrown to the Wind to keep to my (admittedly self-imposed) limits.
If you're reading along, drop a comment! I'd love to hear what you think.
What We Call Home
The next morning, everything was different. The innkeeper could even sense it- there was a heightened air of camaraderie that hadn't really been there before. As Ren checked out and Jaune made sure that everyone's packs were fully stocked, the innkeeper winked at Nora while handing Ruby a little bottle of sunscreen. The bright, pale girl wasn't ready for the sun Mistral would bring, after all. "So?" the elderly woman asked. "You young'uns figured it all out?"
"We're Team JNRR!" Nora announced proudly, saluted the woman with an enthusiastic beam. As she said this, everyone paused, sharing a tender smile amidst their work.
The wounds from Pyrrha's loss still hadn't healed- but after suffering the stagnation that leaving those wounds caused, feeling the edges of it shift, move, find life from within- it felt good. They were still alive. They could move on. And their wounds were finally getting enough oxygen to fully heal.
"Sounds good," the woman crooned, straightening Ruby's hair affectionately after the younger girl had finished slathering sunscreen clumsily over face. "You kids be safe now, y'hear?"
"Thanks a lot, ma'am," Jaune replied with a smile. With that, the four of them left the inn, heading out of the village at last. It was time for their journey to begin fully.
The map the kind villagers had provided was more than enough to guide them to the next town. The weather persisted, giving them clear skies that gave no indication of the fire and smoke columns which had tainted the sky the night of their earlier battle. The next few days were nothing but playing games on the road, of mindless chatter- Nora's favourite part was definitely finding berries growing in the woods, since Ren could always remember which ones were poisonous, and Nora went to bed with a full tummy without even needing to dip into their provisions excessively. Each evening, they would circle around a cozy campfire off the main path, quietly chattering. Nora was infinitely grateful that Ren had insisted they bring some cooking supplies, despite how Ruby had been so against it- although pots and ladles and cubed stock added more than a few pounds to their packs, it was wonderful getting to curl up with a hot bowl of food each night.
By the time they reached the gates of the next village, they were light-hearted and jovial, despite being more than ready to find an inn once again. Although the town borders were small, it was quaint, well-maintained, and the agrarian community was more than happy to welcome Huntsmen (although technically still in-training) to deal with the problems bothering their livestock. Apparently, a large Grimm had been rampaging through the area, sweeping past their village a while earlier in order to head for other townships.
Nora's fingers twitched for Magnhild excitedly when she heard that it had been a Geist. Geists were so rare, the shadowy creatures masters of possession and animation. She hadn't seen one for almost three years- not since Kalian got his butt kicked by one, but that more fun to watch than anything. Howl saved him anyways. She pouted at the memory. Dumb Howl. He should've let me join in!
Jaune clasped his hands humbly in front of the village leader, whom they had met by mere accident after walking past the woman while she was chopping firewood. "So does that mean we can have a place to stay for the night if we take care of the Grimm tomorrow? We haven't actually slept in beds since we left the last village."
"I'd like a mattress," Ruby added glumly, cracking her neck side-to-side. She hadn't yet mastered the art of sleeping on thin bedrolls, and was constantly complaining about soreness after sleeping on roots by accident.
"Well," the prim woman hummed, "we can't exactly guarantee that you'll be successful in the extermination, so if you'd like board, it might be better to just pay…"
They all traded glances. Nora poked Ren's pocket which contained his wallet, where they kept most of their shared funds. They had to save as much of their money as possible- there was no point spending all their Lien before they reached the Kingdom of Mistral, after all. It was so much easier to barter services in order to get lodging.
The air was still for a moment, the woman glancing over each of them expectantly. Finally, Jaune shrugged, pointing at the dark-haired boy to his right. "Ren… can cook?"
Immediately, Nora cheered at the thought of Ren's cooking, giggling as Ruby covering her face embarrassedly with her palm and Ren pinched the bridge of his nose in shame at their leader's silliness. However, his words seemed to have a positive effect on the stern village chief- the woman quickly broke down into hearty peals of laughter, finally chuckling out, "Is that so? Well, in any case, I'm sure if you want a few free nights here, you could make yourselves busy with our smaller problem for now. There's a small murder of Nevermore that have taken up residence right in the older oaks outside of our borders, and they've been harassing our cattle and our farmers. Get rid of those, and we'll be good to go."
"Don't you have any Huntsmen?" Nora asked.
And, just like the rest of the people they had met by that point, the woman had the same answer.
"Something's going on with the Huntsmen of Mistral. I couldn't tell you what it is, but let's just say we haven't seen your sorts around for a long time. We'd appreciate all the help we could get."
This sent a jolt of concern through Nora. She frowned, casting a worried glance towards Ren. The boy clearly felt the same way, pulling out his phone quickly and punching in the long-memorized numbers while Jaune gathered details on the Nevermore nest. The quiet boy crossed his arms, holding his phone up to his ear- but after a moment, he brought it down, shaking his head wearily. "No answer?" Nora mumbled, more of a statement than anything.
They had little time to fret about it. Jaune waved them all over, pointing out the location of the nest on their map. "It's a little farther into the forest, on the edge of a nearby clearing, apparently, but we should be able to reach it through this path."
"But can't they just… y'know, fly away?"
Ren hummed thoughtfully. "Not if we trap them underneath the canopy. No Nevermore can stay mobile in the trees."
"Then what're we waiting for?" Nora cried, jumping tall. She clenched her fists, feeling excitement surge through her body. This is what she was built for. "Let's just knock 'em back into the trees, and block their way until they're taken out!"
The other three traded amused glances, while Nora puffed up her chest proudly. "You're not wrong," Ren sighed at last.
With that general game plan in mind, Jaune was quick to devise a strategy. He had always been their best tactician- it warmed Nora's heart to see him planning out an encounter, just like he used to. He's okay, Pyrrha! she thought to herself. He's doing okay.
And he was. By the time everyone had understood their scheme, twilight was just on the cusp of the horizon, and the forest had begun to quiet down of its normal wildlife, leaving behind the growing squawks and screeches of the avian Grimm, the blond's eyes were fiery and lit up with determination. "Let's go!"
"Yeah!" the others cheered, and soon, they were on their way.
The plan worked perfectly. Ren masked their presence, allowing them to sneak up to the Nevermore nesting ground unnoticed. Then, it was only a matter of Jaune capturing their attention from within the trees, Ruby using her speed to zip past and slice down all the trees supporting their numerous, lofty nests, and Nora hammering each falling tree, nest and demon under the cover of the canopy above so they couldn't fly away. Then, the extermination began.
The entire conflict took less than five minutes, aside from the one, final giant Nevermore that headed the flock. It had been slumbering over a nearby ridge, choosing to fly over right as Nora murmured happily, "Well, I guess we're all done for the day!" After its horrifying screech filled the air, though, they had quickly darted up into the trees, and the orange-haired girl had stepped onto Ruby's scythe blade, the younger girl spinning around and sending Nora flying towards the creature. Then, Nora hammered its head down into the treeline, Ren blinded it with StormFlower, Ruby sliced its wings clean off, and Jaune decapitated the maimed demon, leaving behind nothing but acrid smoke and ash and an eerily-still forest in the night.
"Can we eat now?" Nora groaned, totally unfazed by the conflict. It was so quick, after all- how could it have even dented her energy?
The others saw it differently, though, as they gasped and panted for breath. Jaune showed her a shaky thumbs up, and she grinned wide, wrapping Ren's arm over her shoulder to help the tall boy limp back to the village. Jaune and Ruby clung to each other exhaustedly, complaining mockingly the entire way home about how unfair it was that Nora was still raring to go. "Why is food the only concern with you? Were you not even hit once? I just want to sleep!" Jaune groaned. "I got beaned in the head by a baby Nevermore! This day sucks."
And she simply chortled haughtily, and they all laughed, finally entering the village with cheer and joy in their faces.
The villagers fed them wonderfully as thanks for dispatching the Grimm. And, when they were asked who they were, they announced that they were Team JNRR of Beacon, and the words felt so right in Nora's heart that she couldn't stop smiling for the rest of the meal, although her teammates attributed that joy to the fact that they gave her extra portions happily. It wasn't JNPR, but it was something else- something that now felt whole, tangible. And that was more than she could've ever hoped for, without Pyrrha.
The village chief was more than happy to provide accommodations for the teens that evening. "Hell, stay longer if you'd like," she insisted as she showed them her guest room. "God knows we needed those little demons taken care of."
There were only two beds, but each one was fairly big. Nora slung her arm over Ruby's shoulders excitedly. "Sleepover!"
Ruby smiled sweetly, eyes soft, and Nora grinned back. Ruby was one of them now, and she was going to make sure the younger girl knew it.
The older woman crossed her arms, leaning against the doorframe. "I told you kids- we could all use a few more hands around here." Raising a brow, she added as an afterthought, "Not for cooking, mind you. We're good enough on our own. Stay, and you earn your keep as fighters." As she walked out of the room, she muttered under breath, "Goddamn kids telling me they'll cook for keep- what is this, Vacuo?"
Jaune blushed, and everyone chuckled ruefully as they unpacked their toiletries and pyjamas. It was all in jest, though, and they knew it. So, now that their lodgings were secured and food in their stomachs, they were more than ready to settle into bed.
It was barely two minutes after they had turned off the lights when Ren muttered, "So… by the way… JNRR isn't colour-related."
"Oh my god, Ren," Nora groaned, tossing one of her gloves, which had been resting on the nightstand between the two beds, at him.
Ruby simply snorted, and in the darkness, Nora could see Jaune's silhouette sit upright, pick up his pillow, and smack Ren lightly. "Come on, Ren," the boy grumbled. "Does it really matter?"
"Well, traditionally all the teams were named after colours, just as all children are, after the Great War-"
"Okay, cool story Professor Oobleck, but it's late!" Nora insisted, throwing her other glove at him. She giggled evilly when she heard a soft yelp- direct hit. "What would we even be called, anyways?"
"Well," Ren mused, "Since this is sort of Ruby's mission, shouldn't she be at the front?"
"But I'm the leader," Jaune whispered pitifully, and everyone chuckled on instinct, each person instantly able to imagine the classic dejected pout that always accompanied that tone. Nora was happy to hear it, though- the name JNRR was one he was proud of. He was their leader. He had brought them together in the end, and she would follow Jaune forever, just as she had promised upon meeting him at Beacon nearly a year earlier.
The quieter boy continued, "If she's at the front, then 'ranger' would work, right? R-N-J-R?"
"Okay wise guy," Nora began, swinging her legs over the side of the bed to face him, "'ranger' isn't a colour, duh."
Jaune paused, cocking his head as he leaned back against the wall behind him. "Well, rangers are associated with forests, and wildlife, so I guess… it's green?"
Ruby mumbled, "I think it works either way. It doesn't really matter what we're called." The seriousness in her quiet voice calmed the other three down, and everyone paused in their antics, allowing her to speak. "What matters is that we're together, right?"
Even in the darkness, Nora could see Jaune's bright smile flash. "You got it, Ruby."
"So, since we don't care, we're going with JNRR! Glad we're agreed," the orange-haired girl cheered, basking in the amused snorts of her friends as everyone settled back down. Nora tucked herself back under the covers, smiling victoriously to herself. Anyways, it's JNRR. JNRR's cooler than RNJR, anyways. And with that thought, she contented herself to her dreams.
The Mistralian air really was getting to her, as she was vividly whisked back in time once again. These dreams had become more and more frequent over the past few days since arriving on Anima- too many memories were associated with the greenery they found themselves traipsing through day after day. Some of them were lovely, and warm, and wonderful.
Unfortunately, that night, she found herself somewhere she had never wanted to return to.
The world drifted away, and the next thing she knew, she was freezing. Her bones were protruding from her skin pitifully under her stained white t-shirt, and she wrapped thin, frail arms around bruised, bony knees with what little strength she had. "Ren, I'm scared," she whispered.
"Don't call for him," a roaring voice guffawed from the edge of the clearing, out of view. "You get to just sit tight here, girlie."
She curled in on herself, wishing more than anything that she could simply disappear. Sitting alone in the center of a wide open area surrounding by trees, the shadows on all sides were more than enough to haunt her nightmares forever. She winced, tugging the cuffs which dug into her ankles. She just wanted to get them off, they hurt so much- the wounds weren't allowed to heal, constantly opened and reopened thanks to her eternal bindings, the scent of blood dizzying her constantly. Why did they keep staking the chains binding her into the ground? Why were they doing this to her?
It was a pointless question. She knew why they kept trapping her in open areas. She knew why they kept leaving her alone, separating her from Ren. She knew what new contracts meant, and she was terrified.
From the sidelines, she heard Ren's quiet voice sob, "Nora, wait for-" and then, a resounding slap cut through his words, silencing him with a pained yelp.
"Silence, brat!" an authoritative voice commanded. "Do as you're told. You want her safe? Then hide us."
There was a whimper, and Nora sobbed aloud, "Ren, help me," tugging even more desperately at the chains. Unfortunately, the iron stake in the ground trapping her in place had been dug in too deep, and she couldn't free herself.
The bushes rustled, and she glanced up, terrified. Glowing red eyes exited the shrubbery, flashing in the darkness. In the light of the moon, the fangs of three large Creep Grimm were revealed in the shadows, tinted red with blood of victims past and the wash of red from their eyes.
Nora trembled, tugging at the stake in the ground even more frantically. "Please, please, I'll be good, I'll fight, please let me go," she begged, voice rising into hysterical octaves. "Please!" The reptilian Grimm stepped closer and closer, and she gagged, retching her achingly-empty stomach's meager contents onto the ground by her side as the pungent scent of their flesh, the heat of their heavy, panting breaths, and their low growls and excited clicks, approached her.
If they didn't do something, she was going to die, manacled and chained to a stake in the ground.
And then, a flash of light appeared. The biggest Huntsmen of the crew stepped out into the clearing, glowing blue for a moment before slamming his hands into the ground. The energy which shot out of his hands sank into the earth, and the ground between him and the Creeps began to roll and ripple, as if the earth itself had turned into an unrelenting ocean's tide.
That included the ground underneath her, too. She was picked up by the force of the shockwave, and all she could do was hold onto the stake and pray- pray that she'd be alright, that she'd land, that the monsters wouldn't eat her and that Ren would find her. She shut her eyes and held on and cried, the world spinning and flashing in the dead of night all around her.
It was finally over when she heard a bone-chilling voice cackle, "Good job, kiddo. Let's go save your little friend, hm?" Each word dripped acid and venom, and Nora flinched just from hearing it.
But then, familiar arms and safety and love wrapped around her, and little Ren was sobbing into her hair as the chains were undone. "Nora, I'm sorry," he wailed.
Now that she was back where she belonged, she collapsed against him, voice rising as well as her cries grew. She paid no mind to the promise of food from the Huntsmen watching their exchange with sickening amusement. She had Ren back, and she was okay, and that was all she could hope for.
And her eyes opened.
Back in reality, with Ruby breathing softly by her ear, Nora sighed, knowledge of the world now not enough to ease the racing of her heart. She knew why she had been caught in that situation back then. She knew why those monsters had manipulated her and Ren for those few scarring years.
Eight-year-old children were the perfect forms of bait- imaginative enough to conjure monsters in their mind beyond compare, yet old enough to comprehend the horrors of the world. Their fear was palpable, tangible- and, for Grimm, delicious.
She had been bait affixed to the lure, and Ren, the camouflage hiding the hunters.
The thought made her shudder.
Almost mechanically, she sat upright, reaching over to her pack, which was resting against the side of the bed. She removed her large headphones and Scroll, pulling out the device and slipping out of bed as carefully as she could, avoiding any unnecessary movement so as to not wake Ruby. Popping the headphones around her ears, she tiptoed out of the room into the hall.
The house was dead silent. Leaving all of the lights off, she made her way to the balcony on the second floor of the house. She couldn't hide her pleased smile when she saw stairs lead up from it to the roof, and she followed them happily, taking a seat upon the shingles as gingerly as possible. No point in waking up everyone sleeping still, after all.
There was only a little bit of music still saved up on her Scroll. She had spent so much time listening to music on the CCTS that she had gotten rid of most of the songs she had once saved onto the device itself. She sighed, scrolling through her meager collection. There had been no way to know that she should've kept all of her old playlists- how was she to have realized that the CCTS would fall?
Still, she managed to find a few nice songs to relax to, and she leaned back against her hands, tilting her face up towards the sky. It was a clear night once more, the crumbling moon and stars shining even more intensely than normal. She closed her eyes and let herself drift away in the melodies playing in her ears, focusing on the feeling of the gentle breeze brushing her hair against the nape of her neck, on the texture of the roof tiles under her calloused fingertips.
Sometimes, she wished that she could have forgotten the memories which haunted her. At least that way, she wouldn't have to think about the dark days anymore. However, she knew that there was no need to forget the sadness of the past. There had been plenty of joy in her life- after all, she had only found a reason to live after the fall of Kuroyuri.
The air shifted ever so slightly, and she couldn't stop the loving smile that quirked up her lips. "Hiya, Ren," she whispered.
Gentle hands removed her headphones and slipped them down around her neck, pulling her hair up to rest overtop of the connecting headpiece. She opened her eyes and smiled as Ren took silent steps to sit on her right side, the boy staring up at the stars. From her seat, his face was awash in the moon's light, his thin pink eyes glittering in the starlight. Her heart swelled up, and she reached out a careful hand to brush his hair behind his neck, allowing it to slowly sway behind him in the nighttime air.
"I felt you leave," he murmured. "You… you've been dreaming more lately, haven't you?"
Oh, how she wanted to lean on his shoulder. She didn't, instead, reaching over a finger and gently tapping the boy on the nose. "Boop," she whispered, confirming his words with the action. Of course Ren understood. He always did.
"What happened?"
So, she told him. There was only one secret Nora would ever really keep from him, and that was of her feelings towards the boy. Aside from her love for him, she knew she could always lay her heart bare for him to see. He'd stand by her always, no matter what.
When she was finally done recounting the memory, Ren stated calmly, "Those days are over, and they'll never be back."
Pale yellow eyes, surrounded by hundreds of beady red, flashed in her mind. "I know. He's gone. We survived him." Nudging his side playfully, she added, "We've survived everything, huh?"
"Always," the boy affirmed, but there was a hint of sadness in his smile as he looked up at the moon. Nora shifted, following his gaze. She knew why he would be sad. The moon was beautiful indeed, but it would never be as magical as it had been once upon a time- before Pyrrha was gone. The image of her ashes floating away on the wind against the light of the moon still burned in Nora's mind.
It hurt.
"But still," Nora pressed onwards, "why are we still looking for them?"
Ren was quiet for a moment. It was hard to pinpoint exactly why they needed to find the Huntsmen who had protected them for so long after they found freedom from their initial jailors. As children still, they had been nothing more than burdens to the crew for the longest time, their guardians not allowing them to fight until they were so much older. Sending them off to Beacon must've been the greatest blessing, allowing the Huntsmen to finally continue on their own journey without the two teens weighing them down.
And yet, when Ren finally replied, Nora already knew his answer. After all, his answer lay in the memories they shared. It lay in Howl's piercing, analytical eyes, normally so blank, appraising their skills with something one could only call pride; Kalian's surprising kindness, the man's normally fiery temperament warm and soothing whenever they had nightmares; Caelus' infectious laugh, encouraging Nora and Ren to misbehave, even joining in on their tomfoolery, because hell, they were kids and he'd be damned if they didn't enjoy themselves. It lay in the feeling of home the Huntsmen had always cultivated amongst themselves.
Home.
Those Huntsmen had been the first people to ever give her a home. And, while her place wasn't really with them anymore, she wanted to show them how much she'd grown- how far she'd go to defend the places, and the people, to which her heart belonged.