A/N: Based on who was the inspiration for Renora's guardians growing up, I'm gonna need you to imagine all of Caelus' lines to be read in the most terrible Jamaican accent possible. Or don't (if you don't appreciate early-2000's game voice acting… or you're boring… the original acting is so bad that it's wonderful) …I swear the source work is fantastic…
After this chapter, only four more till the end of V4! It's coming up quick!
Let me know what you think!
What We Call Home
It was when Nora heard a familiar, lilting voice that she knew, once again, that she was in a dream. "C'mon, ya lazybones! Get up! The day's not gonna get any brighter, ya know."
Initially, she didn't want to move. Ren's body was warm beside her in their bedrolls, and the atmosphere in the large, abandoned cabin they had hijacked for the night was otherwise cozy and peaceful. She burrowed her head further into her blanket, pouting, ignoring the disturbance. But when she heard the rumble of thunder outside of the building, she bolted upright, a wicked grin emerging on her twelve-year-old face. "Are we storm-diving?" she cried, throwing her sleeping bag off of her. Her voice was piercing against the howling wind of the storm raging outside, and the weary lump in the bedroll next to her which was Ren was clearly unimpressed, the boy shifting and grunting, annoyed at the racket.
Someone else was just as annoyed, and soon, a small pillow came flying out of nowhere, landing right on Caelus' wide, easy-going smirk. "Hey- where'd that come from, huh?" he squeaked, frantically reaching up and grabbing the object.
Kalian sat up in his bedroll bitterly, holding out a hand. Within his palm, his Aura glowed bright red, then caught alight, the Aura-fueled flame casting gentle shadows around the tent. "Shut the fuck up, Caelus," he rumbled, using his other hand to brush bright red hair out of equally-crimson eyes.
Caelus winked, turning back to Nora. "Aw, you're just bein' a bit hot-headed this morning, aintcha? C'mon, lil' Valkyrie, let's go!" He tugged playfully on her bangs, and she tugged on his dark dreadlocks in return.
"The lightning is striking quicker and quicker," Howl intoned. "It may be dangerous. Charging is unnecessary. Our time of arrival is estimated at Friday evening- less than 48 hours. We should have enough charges stored to take us to the next rest stop."
"But that's no fun, right, lil' Valkyrie?" the other man groaned, sticking her tongue out at Nora.
Nora grinned wickedly, pulling on the stubby little poncho and rain boots the Huntsmen had bartered for her and Ren a few towns previous once the rains had begun. They were a little too big for her, but with how much she was being fed, she was sure she'd fill them out soon. Under their care, she had already grown three inches, after all! "We're going storm-diving!" she sang.
The black-haired man chuckled back. "See, she wants to come help!"
"It is raining heavily," Howl insisted, monotone. "You will be drenched."
"I'm not drying you off again," Kalian hissed, muffling his firelight again before burrowing back under his covers. "Be idiots on your own time. I'm sleeping."
In a stage-whisper, Caelus teased in Nora's ear, "Don't worry, he doesn't mean it."
"Take your fucking taser! I'm not saving your ass later!"
"Okay, okay brother, I got it! Besides, Nora'll keep me nice and safe."
The redhead growled, "She's an infant! That's not her fucking job!"
"Don't worry, I got it!" Nora giggled with a salute, holstering the fold-up hammer Kalian had got for her on her hip. She shook Ren awake. "Ren, we're going out to play! It'll be fun!"
Suddenly, Howl's eyes flashed in the darkness, green lighting up. Nora knew exactly what he was doing- running through calculations a mile a minute, his mind racing through different possibilities and outcomes of their adventures. Finally, once he decided that the risk was little enough to allow the venture, he sighed flatly, eyes dimming, clearly allowing the journey despite his disapproval. "I do not comprehend." With that, he lay back down, falling back asleep in a few weary breaths.
At her touch, Ren sat up, rubbing his eyes sleepily. Through the fog of sleep and fatigue, he whispered, voice cracking clumsily with sleep and age, "I'll watch from the door."
"'Kay!" she chirped, and suddenly, she was outside with Caelus. The wind whipped her hair back and forth, throwing the poncho's hood off of her head. She didn't mind, though- storms energized her in a way which she could never truly explain.
Thankfully, Caelus was the same way. With his Semblance turning him into a lightning rod, able to conduct, alter, channel and guide electricity, he was the perfect one to recharge their electric burners and mobile generators. He used every storm as an opportunity to refill their tanks- but also to play in the rain. While she wasn't allowed to touch any metal, she was allowed to keep guard of Caelus while he worked.
Her time captive in the rogue settlement had taught her well, after all. She was more than capable enough to guard him.
Suddenly, as both a child in the moment, and an adult reliving a memory, she was struck by how sweet the scene was. She had never had the chance to do anything like this, not until she and Ren had been found by the three Huntsmen. But god was she grateful.
Suddenly, all she heard was a frantic cry. "Nora, watch out!"
And then, everything burned, every nerve ending alight, every fiber of her being just buzzing with energy. She collapsed under the weight of it all, twitching involuntarily upon the ground. Oddly enough, there was no fear in her heart, although she knew that something had just gone horribly wrong.
So… this is how I go?
Her eyes flashed bright white with energy, then pink power began to crackle over her skin, covering her in a thick blanket. And then, it reabsorbed back into her flesh, filling her body with a surging power.
"Nora!" she heard Ren's cracking, pubescent voice scream, footsteps splashing her way. Finally, the pink faded from her eyes, and she was able to blink and push herself upwards on her hands and knees. Rather than feeling dizzy or weary, though, she instead felt power rushing through her veins in a way she'd never experienced before.
"She's… alright? But… you were struck by lightning…" Caelus whispered in wonde, stopped in his tracks.
Raising her head, she saw the two of them watching her, wide-eyed and terrified. Beside her, Caelus had dropped his toolbox- so, she simply climbed to her feet, picked up the toolbox, and tossed it lightly his way.
She hadn't been expecting the box to, instead of soaring gently to the man, rip straight past his ear and crash into a tree behind him with enough force that a chunk blew out of the side of the wood. Caelus turned to stare at the smoking impact, then back at Nora- and with his comprehension of the pink glow that lit up her pale blue eyes, his grin was a mix of proud and absolutely feral.
"Lightning buddies, lil' Valkyrie," he cackled.
At that, the pink Aura- her pink Aura- crackled back, and she beamed.
And then, her eyes slipped open at last, and she giggled despite herself. What a weird Thursday. Rolling onto her side, she looked at Ren's form, sleeping across from her around the campfire. He seemed to be sleeping fairly peacefully, which was perfect- it had taken a long time for them to settle down after finding Shion Village.
Quickly, she sat up, glancing around the edges of the clearing they had settled into. As usual, they had camped out off the road. With Shion having been invaded by bandits, it was only a matter of time before they would run into the rogues themselves. It paid to be alert.
…maybe we should take turns on watch? She paused. …Nah.
Out of the blue, the boy sat up, rubbing his eyes and glancing over at her before she could even say anything. Silently, he looked down, checked the time, then showed her the screen of his phone- 1 AM. She could see the confusion in his eyes, plain as day. Why are you up? he seemed to ask.
Her heart melted. Of course Ren had sensed her waking up. He always did. She quickly slipped out of her covers and padded over to him, squatting beside his bedroll. "Dreamed of when I awoke my Semblance," she whispered gleefully.
The boy's expression softened, and he nodded. "Good."
She knew what he meant. It was better to dream of happy things than nightmares, after all.
Before she could say anything, though, her eyes drifted over to the other side of the campfire. While Ruby was still peacefully sleeping, Jaune's bedroll was empty. Trading furtive looks with Ren, she pointed at the roll. "Where is he?" she mouthed.
He shook his head, furrowing his brows as his eyes trailed over Jaune's belongings by his bedroll. His armour and weapons were gone, too. Based on some muddied footprints by the side of the campsite, heading off into the trees, it was clear where the blond had disappeared to.
She didn't even need to verbalize it. Silently, she and Ren stood. Magnhild was in her hand before she had even properly righted herself. Ren stepped ahead of her, following the trail stealthily while she lingered behind, keeping the campsite in view through the trees to ensure Ruby would be safe. Thankfully, Ren shook his head as they stepped forward- he couldn't sense any Grimm with his Aura in the vicinity, either. So, she turned ahead, and carefully, they padded through gnarled roots and twisting trees, following Jaune's trail. Despite the darkness of night, the way forward was still quite visible- in the midst of shadows, the path was lit up by innumerable little fireflies, the tiny lightning bugs native to Mistral. Nora felt more at ease in their midst than any night in Vale, and sensing how fluidly Ren was moving beside her, she knew he felt the same.
However, soon their silent journey was interrupted by grunts of exertion and the sound of a blade slicing through the air. Ren's eyes flashed back towards Nora, alarmed just as much as she- what was going on? Was Jaune in trouble? She steadied Magnhild in her hands, ready to confront anyone attacking their leader.
But just as quickly, a voice reached their ears, and it took all of her strength to not drop her hammer in surprise. She tucked the hammer away before she could make a racket with it. Nora sucked in a quick breath as a familiar, playful, supportive lilt hit her ears. Before she could stop herself, Nora let her hand snake out and grip Ren's, trying to quell the trembling in her core.
He was shaking, too.
Swallowing dryly, they both stepped through the remaining thicket, until they were perched at the edge of another clearing filled with starlight and fireflies- and the unnatural glow from a light-up screen. A Scroll. Standing in the middle of the clearing, Crocea Mors bared and temple glistening with sweat, eyes glistening in what could only be called tears, was Jaune. He stood in a combat-ready stance, slashing in tempo with commands given by the Scroll, where a video was playing.
Nora's hand flew up involuntarily to cover her mouth, to stifle the gasp that wrenched past her lips. Even from across the clearing, she could recognize the red hair and piercing green eyes onscreen.
It's Pyrrha.
How long had it been since Nora had heard her best friend's voice?
She wanted to collapse into a puddle on the spot. It was Pyrrha.
"I know this can be frustrating," the redhead's tinny, recorded voice said kindly. "And it can feel like so much effort to progress such a small amount. But… I want you to know that I'm proud of you. I've never met someone so determined to better themself. You've grown so much since we started training. And I know this is just the beginning."
As Pyrrha spoke, Jaune allowed himself to relax, letting his sword hang limply by his side. He raised his head, panting heavily, and the grief and frustration upon his face brought tears to Nora's eyes, understanding and recognition dawning upon her at last.
The training videos she made him for the winter solstice holiday- he's using them.
And of course he would. The stark contrast between his skills, although mildly improved from his time at Beacon due to helping with the rebuilding of Vale, and the rest of theirs, was evident. The fight against the Geist had only highlighted the difference in his combat abilities versus the rest of the team. While he had been knocked down again and again without even engaging the Geist, the rest of them had remained on their feet, able to avoid all the Grimm's blows. If anyone needed to improve, realistically, it was Jaune. Add that frustration to the fact that they hadn't been able to save anyone in Shion, and the blond must've been broken.
But Nora hadn't realized that he had kept those training videos after all this time. Pyrrha had spent one long, sleepless night right before the solstice filming an incredible series of step-by-step tutorials on her Scroll, so that the blond could train even without her. At the start of their time in Beacon, Jaune had been far too prideful to seek help when needed- and, although that had changed over time, Pyrrha used to always tell her about how uncomfortable he was training his Aura manipulation with her around.
No wonder he's been so tired lately.
Pyrrha finally concluded, "Jaune… I… I… I want you to know that I am just happy to be a part of your life. I'll always be here for you, Jaune."
The video looped back to the start.
A ragged sigh slipped through Jaune's lips, heavy and exhausted, matching perfectly with Nora's own heartbreak. She instinctively leaned over, pressing her face into Ren's shoulder. The other boy didn't move, but his hand, still holding hers, squeezed and tremored, the muscles in his jaw clenching as he fought to keep his own emotions in check.
But Jaune simply stretched his arms out to the side, cracked his neck, and finally settled back into the offensive stance described by Pyrrha's loving, tender voice.
Silently, Nora pulled her head away from Ren's shoulder and tugged his hand back towards their campsite. He complied stiffly, expression carefully controlled- but the heartbreak in his eyes was evident, too.
When they had finally made it back to the campsite, Nora whispered, "He's trying his best."
Ren hummed. "Let's offer to spar him sometimes."
She beamed. We need to make sure he grows strong like Pyrrha always wanted. "Mhm. We could all improve."
"Yeah." Taking in a shuddering breath, Ren nodded once more, decisive. He placed a hand on her shoulder, and she instantly felt the edge on the sadness which had crept into her heart ease slightly, thanks to his Semblance. "Come, Nora. It's late. Go to bed."
With a bright, still teary smile, she whispered, "Okay, Ren. Night." And with that, they both went back to bed.
Nora didn't dream again that night, only awakening to Ren's gentle admonishments when she wouldn't get out of bed. "Nora, we have to keep going," he murmured. She cracked open an eye and stuck her tongue out at him sleepily, but she was awake now, and soon she was buzzing and chattering away around the campsite.
Unlike the previous weeks on the road on Anima, this morning, the air was slightly different- humid and heavy, it crackled down her spine, hair raising in the static. No wonder I dreamed of storm-diving last night! She grinned wolfishly. Storms in Vale are nothing compared to Mistral. Maybe we can go play if it hits?
The idea was tantalizing.
Jaune's fatigue was evident. She didn't bring it up- but she did pour a little bit of extra instant coffee powder into his thermos that morning as he pulled out the map (which, thankfully, they had picked up from the roadside outside of Shion before they had left) and planned out their course for the day.
When they finally got back onto the road, though, Ruby tugged her arm and pulled her behind the boys. "Nora, can we help Jaune train?" she whispered plaintively. The girl's eyes were wide and worried, silver catching the bright Mistralian sunlight brilliantly.
Nora frowned, surprised by the sudden question- but the red rimming Ruby's eyes and nose were indication enough. "You… did you see him last night, too?"
Ruby instantly nodded, frantic and concerned. "You know? Good. I- I wanna help him," she whispered, deflating slightly. "He was so sad."
"Ren and I think we should give him time," Nora murmured, chuckling as Jaune complained loudly about the map ahead of them. For all intents and purposes, the blond was just as lively as ever. "He's not a great actor, so I'm sure we'll see it if he needs help. But when we reach Haven, we should totally all spar, like old combat practice!"
Ruby grinned, bumping her shoulder into Nora's. "Sounds like a plan. Thanks."
Suddenly, thunder rumbled somewhere in the distance. Nora perked up, eyes bright and eager. Immediately, Ren groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Nora, we're not waiting outside to play in the rain."
"But Ren-"
"No, Nora. There's no purpose to it."
"Ugh, you sound like Howl!" she complained, but the grin on her face didn't abate.
Jaune and Ruby chuckled in unison, the younger reaching up and grabbing the map. "Who's Howl?" the blond asked.
"An old friend," Ren said wearily. "The only one with sense."
"The only one who was boring, more like," Nora snickered, skipping ahead. "If we can find an inn, can I play then? Since we'll have access to a bath after?"
Ren simply shook his head in exasperation, readjusting his bag on his shoulders. Pointing up at the sky, he gestured towards the numerous clouds rolling in, quickly overtaking what had just been a sea of blue. "We should find somewhere to stay. No point getting caught in the rain if we can avoid it."
Brandishing the map proudly, Ruby announced, "Alright. Come on, guys! If we pick up the pace, we can hit the next town before sunset!"
At the talk of finding another town, though, Jaune's face had fallen. "Assuming it's still there," he muttered cynically.
Ignoring his bitterness, Ruby chirped, "Of course it'll be there! This one's supposed to be pretty big!" She squinted and leaned in close to the map, trying to sound out the word at hand. "Hee-gan...bayn-a."
Nora let a giggle slip out at the terrible mispronunciation. Dang people from Vale, it's not that hard of a name!
Calmly, Ren explained, "Higanbana. It's a well-protected village with a popular inn."
Excitedly, Nora held her hand up above her head, mimicking shelter. "Which means, no camping in the rain!" And I can go play in the storm if I wanna! Yes!
"See?" Ruby smiled, glancing back up at Jaune, "everything's gonna be fine!"
That pulled a weak smile from the blond. "You know, we've had a lot of ups and downs. But things could be a lot worse. I really thought we'd see more Grimm."
"As did I," Ren chuckled.
Especially with bandits in the area still after Shion, and no Huntsmen around, Nora thought. At the end of the day, though, their journey had indeed been surprisingly safe. There was no point fretting about the dangers that could potentially find them along their journey- for now, it was time to enjoy the peace they did have. "I guess our luck is finally turning around!" Nora cried. "To Higanbana!"
"To Higanbana!" Jaune and Ren cheered back.
Ruby attempted, she really did. "To Higanbayn... ban-a!"
Make it to Higanbana, they did. The village was, much to their immense relief, thriving despite its isolation. With tall, imposing gates and a high wall surrounding its borders with watchtowers stations every few hundred feet, the center was clearly well fortified. It looked like regular soldiers and hunters were acting as the guards, though, and not trained Huntsmen.
The lack of Huntsmen stirred the familiar doubt and concern in Nora's gut. That suspicion was confirmed the moment the quartet set foot into the local inn, just as the storm finally hit the town. Their Huntsmen's board was just as jarringly bleak as the rest of the ones they'd encountered over their travels thus far. Nora scrutinized it intently while Ren haggled for board, ending up with the team offering to take care of some heavy lifting in the back room in exchange for a reduced rate.
The work was done quickly, and soon they were able to go wash up in the adjacent bathhouse and turn in for the night. Their room was on the second floor, and after enjoying some tea in the common space downstairs for a while, the four decided to head off to bed and enjoy the comforts of a mattress and shelter from the rain which poured incessantly outside. The lightning and thunder had already faded, so it wasn't like she was going to head out there anymore.
Nora had something to do before she headed off to bed, however.
"Hey guys, I'll be up in a sec. Ren, grab my pack?"
The boy narrowed his eyes, but after a moment he relaxed and did as asked. She smiled gently back at him as he left, leaving her alone with the innkeeper.
The tall man at the counter crossed his arms, raising a brow at her, unimpressed. "Look, girlie, what do you need? Your work is done for the night." The man watched her a little warily, still mildly uncomfortable with seeing how strong she was when picking up full barrels in his storeroom.
She shook her head, pulling her Scroll out of her pocket. Pointing to the Huntsmen board on the wall beside the counter, she murmured, "I have two things to ask."
"Sure, go ahead," he motioned, sorting through his files as he awaited her question.
"Do the names Kalian, Caelus or Howl ring a bell?"
The man paused, thinking to himself for a moment. His eyes raised while he pondered on those names, as if to find their photos pasted on the ceiling somewhere. Finally, he shook his head, shrugging. "Can't say I have," he admitted. "If their photo isn't on the board, then the best I can say is that they passed through here at the most. Their names would be in the book if they stayed, and," he quickly flipped through his register, "I don't see any entries for those in the last… four months."
"Cool," she replied, but the words were bittersweet. While it was good to hear that their photos hadn't been taken off the board due to their deaths, it was still worrying. Oh well. We have a lot of Anima to cover, still. "Second thing- I have a name to cross off."
Instantly, the man bristled. Dark brown eyes flashed with anger. "…We don't have many names left to cross off," he muttered bitterly.
Nora's smile faltered, brow furrowing despite herself. Scanning through the board, she found the photograph she was looking for. Quickly pulling up the picture of the Huntsman's face on her Scroll, she turned the screen to face the innkeeper and pointed at the picture on the board. "We passed through Shion Village before we came here. They were attacked by bandits, and he was the only survivor we found," she explained solemnly.
The man's eyes widened, and he wrenched the Scroll out of her hands before she could stop him. "David- no," the man croaked, zooming in on the picture in his hands. "No, he-" Glancing up furiously at her, he spat, "Did you leave him there?"
She took a step back instinctively, but recovered in just a breath. "After the bandits came the Grimm. The tracks were still fresh. He… passed shortly after we arrived."
The innkeeper deflated, all of his anger and outrage falling away at once. He collapsed his elbows onto the table, running frantic, worried hands through his hair, focusing on his breathing. Clearly, the man was trying to hold himself together, so Nora turned away, looking back up at the board until the man addressed her again.
In a few minutes, he straightened up, handing her the Scroll. "He wanted to head to Vale. Said that he'd be better there, since the world's been crazy around here lately." His voice had grown numb. "I told him to stay. I guess… I won't be able to tell him 'I told you so' this time."
"A friend?"
The man bit his lip and sighed wearily. "Something like that."
Nora understood well enough. Stepping towards the staircase leading up to their room, she nodded towards him. "I'm sorry for your loss," she murmured.
He didn't reply, so she headed up to her room. Ruby and Jaune gave her curious looks when she entered with such a somber expression, so she pushed a light smile forward onto her lips. "Man, I'm so glad we have beds again!" she chirped. Instantly, the two relaxed and turned back to their light conversation, leaving Nora more than enough space to get ready for bed.
When she slipped under her blankets, though, Ren sat on the side of her bed, looking down at her face blankly. "Heya, Ren," she murmured, giving him a bright smile. "What's up?"
"…His photo is gone downstairs," Ren whispered.
Her smile faltered for a moment. "You… were a little distracted in Shion, so I took care of it."
"Nora…"
She shook her head, rolling over onto her side to lean comfortably while looking up at him. "It's okay. I get it."
Seeing ruined towns like that hurt Ren more than it would ever impact Nora. She knew that. She didn't mind taking care of the extra stuff in order to give him some space to grieve.
After a moment, Ren's expression relaxed, and he gently pressed a large hand against the top of her head. She instantly felt a wave of security wash over her and relaxed into her pillow. "Thanks, Nora."
Extracting one arm free from her blanket, she reached up and tapped him lightly on the nose. "Boop!"
He chuckled. "You're not gonna go play in the rain?"
"Would you let me?"
He shrugged. "I'll always stand watch."
Her stomach turned into a puddle of goo, and she had to fist her sheets tightly to hold herself back from leaping up to hold him at his simple sweetness. Instead, she shook her head. "There's no lightning," she pouted, pointing at the window. And indeed, there wasn't, just a steady rainfall drenching the town.
Ren shook his head ruefully, smoothing out her hair with one last stroke. Then, he walked over to the other side of the room, leaving Nora to sleep the night away.
Tucked under warm blankets, Nora didn't dream that night.