A/N: The last chapter of Volume 5! Just like at the end of Volume 4, at the end of the chapter there are a couple of bloopers from the Haven fight's outline.
Also, I just wanted to say that I am viscerally offended that no one made a 'Let's break his legs!' comment when Nora destroyed Mercury's prosthetic. How could you all let me down :(
This is kind of a hectic chapter- lots to get through, although it doesn't feel like it- but I think you'll all like the ending. Let me know what you think!
What We Call Home
"Atlas is our destination. It's the only place we can leave the Relic now."
The sounds of shuffling bodies against the hardwood floor and the sharpening of metal filled the silence. The living room table had been moved to the side that morning when everyone came together at last, needing to perform maintenance on their weapons and unpack (physically and emotionally) what had happened the night before.
Nora pouted, leaning back onto her gear bag far enough that she could look at everyone else upside-down, blood rushing to her head. The bag was certainly bulky, but the rest of the furniture in the living room was taken, so it had to do. At least the floor wasn't too cold to lie upon, the morning sunshine streaming in through the window enough to heat up the place fairly well.
"We need to take the Relic to Atlas?" Ruby didn't bother to look up, too focused on polishing Crescent Rose in its case as she knelt on the floor.
Nora looked around at everyone wearily. She had barely slept, and her eyelids still felt incredibly puffy after her breakdown the night before. Can't we do this tomorrow? she groaned silently.
"That's what Oz said," Qrow affirmed, leaning back into the couch cushions.
Atlas, huh?
It barely took a moment for her, along with everyone else, to realize the problem with that plan. Everybody's eyes immediately fell onto Weiss, the girl freezing in place at Qrow's words, hand paused as she placed a Dust cartridge in Myrtenaster's case. "You've got to be joking," she scoffed, the look in her eyes quickly transforming into fear.
Nora slid back down her bag, focusing on the ceiling. Everyone was too tired to be interesting enough to hold that position upside-down, after all. Holding up a finger, she said wryly, "I mean, bright side, we finally get out of this house!"
She heard the heaviness of Weiss' sigh and snickered, but the pale girl didn't respond.
Qrow said, "Well trust me, I'm not crazy about it either. And without the Spring Maiden here to seal the Relic back in its Vault, it's our best option."
Ren chimed in, "Atlas may be the safest kingdom we have at the moment, but their borders are closed. General Ironwood called everyone back." The skepticism in his voice was clear. After all of the embargos and restrictions, getting into Atlas would be nigh-impossible.
Nora rolled her eyes, closing her eyelids and sinking into her lumpy bag- Grenade charges are not comfy, she pouted- as Qrow replied, "Eh, not everyone. The city of Argus is a ways north of us, and it's the primary trading port between Anima and Solitas. They've got the largest Atlas military base outside the Kingdom. There's no way they'd leave it abandoned, and if we play our cards right, I think there's a good chance we could convince them to escort us straight to Ironwood."
Blake added, "I mean, we do have the missing heiress to the Schnee Dust Company."
"Ex-heiress, actually," Weiss clarified, her voice not hiding her bitterness.
"True, true," Yang replied. Nora grinned, hearing the smirk in the blonde's voice as she quipped, "But if there's a chance of reward money, I say we go for it."
She snickered at the sound of Weiss' annoyed grunt, the pale girl slamming her rapier's case in frustration.
Footsteps, accompanied by the sound of a clicking cane against hardwood, entered the living room as Ozpin called, "Hopefully the first option will suffice."
"Glad to see you're feeling better," Qrow said, presumably to Ozpin.
"Likewise," the former headmaster murmured, "and while I'm sure we could all use more time to recover, I'm afraid time is of the essence."
"Right," Blake said. "As long as that thing's out in the open, its power could fall into the wrong hands."
"Speaking of," Jaune asked, "what does it do exactly? Qrow never really told us."
Curious, Nora rolled over to lie on her stomach. Propping her chin onto her hands, she kicked her feet up behind her and watched the younger boy. Her heart sank in her chest a bit, seeing the dark circles around Oscar's eyes, the limp in his gait. The battle in Haven had not been kind to any of them- her Aura was still barely recovered- but it had been the worst for him.
Sighing in exhaustion, Ozpin said, "Of course." Nora craned her neck upward to see the Relic which he had hung from his hip.
After the battle had ended and Yang had retrieved the lantern from the vault, Ozpin had refused to let it out of his sight. Now, however, he held up the glowing gold and blue lantern for the group to see. Before their very eyes, the object grew in size, until it was the size of Oscar's whole torso. Ozpin's voice rang clear and true through the manor as he explained, "The Relic of Knowledge has a wonderful, and incredibly dangerous ability. Its user can ask any question, and the lamp will provide an answer." He set the object down onto the table, where it balanced perfectly upright. Nora frowned, trying to get a better look at it from her position on the floor. The way the object bobbed up and down made it seem as if it were floating.
She rolled onto her back again, looking up at Ozpin. A few people chorused their intrigue and awe at this explanation, eliciting a chuckle from Ozpin. "Indeed. However, it's not without drawbacks. The lamp cannot tell of events that have yet to happen, and it will only ever answer three questions every one hundred years."
"Well, I guess that's not so bad," Yang thought aloud. "Adds a lot of pressure though."
Nora leapt to her feet. What kind of nonsense was that- three questions only? There was probably some way to get around that. After a moment, she had her answer, zipping around the room to speak to everyone. "Then let's put it to a vote!" she cried. "What should we ask first? Oh! Can we ask for more questions?" Kneeling down beside the Relic, she squished her cheek against the table, taking in the unearthly glow of the lamp close-up. "Can we ask for more questions?!"
It struck her suddenly. We can ask it where Kalian and Caelus and Howl are!
Ren muttered, "They're not wishes." Not a chance, Nora, his eyes read.
Nora sat back on her knees and rocked back to her feet, glaring at him. Don't ruin my fun, she told him silently, propping her hands onto her hips with a pout.
Ozpin seemed to find the exchange amusing, however, as he laughed, "I'm afraid you won't be able to ask it anything at the moment. The questions were used before I sealed it away."
She groaned, throwing her hands up in the air silently. What's even the point of the dang thing then? Slumping over, she stomped back to her bag and lay back down onto the floor.
"Well," Ruby offered brightly, "at least now we know what it is. And we'll be sure to keep it safe!"
There was a chorus of agreement from around the room. After twenty minutes of silent working and weapons maintenance, she yawned, climbing back to her feet as people began to close up their bags. The chatter drifted away from the Relic which was hanging once more upon Oscar's hip. I guess we just get to go now-
"Hold it," Qrow called, stopping everyone in their tracks. There was a sobriety to his voice that was a little bit alarming. Nora immediately sought out Ren's face, frowning as the boy shrugged at her. Qrow beckoned them all to focus, so Nora lay her bag by the side of the room and walked over to the couch upon which Ren was still seated, taking perch on the armrest. She placed a hand on his shoulder, waiting tensely for what Qrow was going to say.
The Huntsman sighed, pushing his greying hair out of his face. "So. We're going to Argus. We'll be leaving in two weeks- the Argus Limited will take us there."
"The whozit-what-now?" Ruby asked, cocking her head to the side.
Qrow stared at her blankly. "A real big train, kiddo," he said bluntly, ignoring her mildly-offended pout. "I've already arranged our fare as a favour with the Mistral Council, so don't worry about that."
"Ok, but there's something else. What is it, Qrow?" Yang asked, settling back into the couch beside Ren.
The man held out his Scroll, holding up a message onscreen. It was too tiny to read at a distance, so Qrow explained, "You can't say a word of what happened last night. To anyone. The official reports will be coming out soon- I spent all night fabricating things to get them to understand."
"So what is the official report going to say?" Ruby asked, worry clear in her voice. "We can't just tell them about the Relic…"
"You're right, kiddo. We can't." Qrow dropped his Scroll onto the cushion beside him and let his head loll back against the couch. "It's not finalized yet, but the Faunus Militia of Menagerie are going to be lauded as the ones who thwarted the attack."
"My… dad is taking credit?" Blake murmured, brow furrowed in confusion.
Qrow nodded sagely. "Yup. It's not entirely untrue, after all- we didn't know anything about the White Fang attack which was orchestrated. Ghira said that since he and your little ragtag team of fighters stopped that assault, and since they promised to help with the rebuilding, they would take the questions from the press." His eyes were kind, rueful. "It's gonna be good PR, that's for sure. Maybe it'll soften some of the more… unsavoury opinions about the Faunus in the lower tiers around here."
Blake grimaced, but she nodded and stepped back at last.
Qrow continued, "So, if anyone asks, we just happened to be there. Leo was a long-time acquaintance of mine- no one will suspect anything."
"Professor Lionheart is dead, right?" Jaune asked hesitantly.
The man's face clouded, along with Ren's. "…Yeah," Qrow muttered. "Undoubtedly Salem's doing. I couldn't find any Grimm nearby, but it reeked of Grimm in his office when I… found him."
The room was somber, tense, as they all processed this information.
It was Ozpin who finally spoke. "What Leonardo did was… unacceptable," he said quietly. "He has put so many people in harm's way due to his actions. He allowed Salem to hunt down Huntsmen- that is likely the cause of the Huntsmen shortage on Anima as of this moment."
Nora's fingers tightened their grip on Ren's shoulder involuntarily, images flashing in her mind. They had seen so many message boards, so many Huntsmen's profiles, so many dog tags… all of those lives had been lost due to Salem.
It didn't feel real, still- the image they had seen last night still felt like nothing more than a bad dream. There was no way that monster had been real, right?
Ozpin added, "That is why I told you, students. There's no shame or disgrace in abstaining, only in retreat." His eyes were heartbroken as those words crossed his lips.
Before the previous night, Nora hadn't understood the gravity of those words. Now, however, they rang far too clear for her. Retreating meant doing what Leonardo Lionheart had done- what Raven Branwen had done.
Yang murmured, "Vernal- Raven's follower- was dead in the vault when I got there. Cinder and Raven… weren't, though."
"That means they could've escaped." Weiss leaned back on her hands, staring up worriedly the ceiling.
Nora shook her head. "Or it could mean that Cinder stole the Maiden's power from what's-her-name, and now…"
"She's got both Spring and Fall," Qrow said lowly.
Yang fidgeted uncomfortably, fidgeting with her prosthetic.
"Salem was… terrifying," Weiss murmured quietly. "I knew it was bad, but I didn't think…"
"That she'd be such a monster," Yang finished for her, clenching her fists on her knees.
"This goes so far beyond any of us, doesn't it?" Jaune laughed, but there was no mirth in his eyes.
Ruby stood, looking around at everyone frantically. "But that just means we've gotta keep going, right?" she implored.
Ozpin's eyes shone brightly as the two spirits switched before Oscar's voice said, "Exactly. I may not be the best fighter, but even I know that we've got to do whatever we can."
Everyone somberly thought back to the night before. Hazel and Emerald and Mercury- the fight against them had been terrifyingly difficult. They may have won, but that didn't mean that they would always be able to win against that trio. And that was not even counting the fact that they hadn't even properly fought the two Maidens present.
When they had fought one of them, Weiss had almost died.
Finally, Qrow slapped his hands down onto his knees, startling everyone. "Alright kids, your new tasks before we pack up," he announced, stretching his gangly limbs as he stood. "You're going to need new clothes- it's cold up in Argus. Dress warmly. Pack food and supplies for the road, in case something happens. Make sure your weapons are tuned and stocked in case we meet Grimm along the way. The journey's either gonna go real easy, or real rough." His mouth twisted into a bitter grimace. "With me around, in all honesty, it's probably the latter." Pointing a finger at Ren, he added, "We also gotta eat for the next few weeks. Getting groceries is your job."
"Mine?" Ren repeated, eyebrow raised.
Qrow shrugged. "You keep these dummies in line. I've seen you in the kitchen."
Nora sniggered while Ren merely shook his head.
"Other than that," Qrow said at last, pointing at the door, "go live your lives. You have two weeks before we leave Mistral, and I don't know when we're coming back. Rest, relax, do whatever kids gotta do- but make sure you're ready to go when the time comes."
Everyone nodded in agreement, silently taking that final order as the cue to disperse. Soon, with their weapons cleaned and their plans set for the next few weeks, everyone began to file upstairs, chattering quietly about what they were going to do to pass the time.
Before Nora and Ren could leave, however, Qrow motioned for them to stay. Trading glances, they quietly obliged, moving to sit on the couch near him to listen to what he had to say. The man picked up his Scroll again, searching through files with an odd look of defeat on his expression. "You two were looking for some Huntsmen, right?" he murmured.
It felt like it had been forever since they had last spoken to Qrow about this. "Yeah, we are," Nora replied.
Qrow nodded, still searching through his files until he finally stopped, stumbling upon what he had been looking for. "I was able to get some of Leo's files," he began, holding his Scroll out to them to see. "It turns out that not all of Mistral's Huntsmen have been officially confirmed as… neutralized." His lips twisted, almost as if he had a sour taste in his mouth as he said those words. "Many of them are MIA, or at least, they weren't on Leo's radar."
"Which means," Ren said slowly, "they weren't on Salem's, either."
Nora quickly scrolled down through the list until one familiar portrait stood out to her, burning red hair and fiery hooded eyes standing out from the crowd. "Kalian's one of them, Ren," she murmured, reading the text by his image. His location was completely unknown, but his last mission had been completed properly. He hadn't been 'lost on a mission' like everyone else. There was a high chance that he had just been living his life with the others, completely unaware of the witch hunt Salem was running against the Huntsmen.
We're going to find them. The hope which flushed through her soul began to burn, embers catching alight. Even if Cinder had gotten away, they at least knew that Kalian was likely safe- and if he was safe, Caelus and Howl were, too. The thought of Pyrrha's murderer escaping still sent white-hot fury crashing through her heart, but for now, Nora had to focus on what they could accomplish- finding their former guardians.
Qrow took back his Scroll and stretched, sauntering towards the door. "You kids don't do anything reckless, okay?" he called back to them over his shoulder.
As he walked out of earshot, Nora murmured, "So. Wednesday?"
"Wednesday," Ren said, pulling out his Scroll. They still had a few days until their appointment with Miss Malachite, and even more time to kill after that. "So- what now?"
She rolled her eyes, walking up the stairs without hesitation. "We go to sleep!" she announced. "I'm still exhausted from yesterday!"
Ren followed her obediently, an eyebrow quirked upwards. "Nora, you're not going to be able to sleep tonight if you nap now, and we both know it."
Feeling emboldened by the newfound hope from the list procured by Qrow, Nora glanced over her shoulder and winked teasingly at Ren. "Aw, are you just angry 'cause you can't join me for my nap?" She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively at him, all in gest.
The boy's face had never grown redder in his life.
Nora cackled her way back into the room she shared with Ruby. When the other girl pointed out how flushed she looked, however, her laughter died down to a rosy giggle, disbelief at her own comment the only thing she could focus on. Oh my god, I cannot believe I said that.
The very thought of teasing Ren like that would've been unimaginable just a few weeks earlier. But everything's different now, Nora thought idly, sprawling back onto her coverlet. The very thought of how close she had grown with Ren over the past month still caused butterflies to flutter in her stomach, and with the knowledge that Haven and the Relic were safe, she was finally able to actually think about her relationship with Ren.
Ruby came over and poked her forehead slowly, a snide grin on her face. "You having fun there, Nora?" she snickered, leaning on the bed beside the orange-haired girl.
Nora winked. "One day," she sang airily, "you'll know what it's like to grow up."
Ruby rolled her eyes and headed towards the door. "Oh my god, you're just like Yang sometimes," the girl laughed, waving as she stepped outside. As the door was closing, however, Nora heard Ruby say, "Hey, Ren, are you okay? You look like you have a fever…"
Nora snorted, rolling over onto her stomach and squealing silently. Almost two whole weeks of just hanging out and looking for clues. This won't be bad at all!
And, as predicted, it wasn't. Nora lounged around for the next few days, allowing her Aura to recover completely. She had gotten far too used to feeling completely drained while working to restore Vale, and it was a terrible feeling. She wanted to give herself the time she needed early on so that she would be ready for when they set forth to Argus.
It was a good choice. Wednesday seemed to roll around in the blink of an eye, but when it came time to head back down into the lower tiers of Mistral, Nora felt more than ready. With Magnhild on her hip and the same cloak around her shoulders as before ("Just in case," Ren insisted worriedly, and she was more than happy to oblige) they headed back down into the cesspools of Mistral.
Miss Malachite's headquarters were just as packed as their last visit, but Nora paid them no mind. As long as they didn't bother her and Ren, she wouldn't bother them.
Miss Malachite's eyes flashed excitedly when she saw them. "Ah, the little darlings are back," she cooed, beckoning over one of her bodyguards. The man listened without hesitation, taking a quiet order from her before disappearing into a back room. As Nora and Ren approached the table behind which Miss Malachite sat, the guard re-emerged and lay down a Scroll next to Miss Malachite.
The woman pushed the Scroll over to Nora and Ren with one ringed, pudgy finger. "There's your info, sweeties," she purred, pulling out her fan. The woman brushed her blond hair out of her eyes, unfurled the purple lace fan, and covered the bottom half of her face, peering over the edge of the fan with curious eyes. She was clearly still alert, looking for something in particular within their reactions.
Nora didn't care, though. Let the woman do what she wanted. As long as she has info, it's all good.
Ren grabbed the Scroll and brought it closer, letting Nora take a look. There were a few photos on the screen, all of which were focused on the train station Nora recognized that they themselves would be visiting soon. The Argus Limited sign above the station bay made that clear. None of the images were timestamped, but as Ren silently point out with a finger, based on the dates on the newspapers some of the waiting passengers were reading, the photographs had all been taken quite recently- a few days before they had arrived in Mistral, at most.
And, in all of the pictures, Nora found familiar faces staring back at her.
She immediately tugged on Ren's sleeve, eyes wide and sparkling as she began jumping in place. How could she not? How could she hold back? "Ren," she squealed, "they're going to Argus!"
His eyes lit up, a relieved smile crossing his face. "So it would seem," he murmured, stepping away from the table. Tugging Nora backwards, Ren said to the information broker watching them, "Thank you for your assistance. We'll be going now."
Nora stayed behind for a moment, taking one last lingering look at the photographs. Caelus' braided hair seemed even more wild than usual, his grin stretching from ear to ear; Howl's expression would be considered stern by anyone else, but she could practically hear the lilt in his voice based on the tiny smile curling his lips; and Kalian's scowl was present as ever, but in the photo, he was handing a little girl a balloon, avoiding the girl's wide, toothy smile with a light, clumsy blush on his cheeks.
They were all alright, for better or for worse.
She finally allowed Ren to pull her out of the tavern, the two slipping back into the street as obscurely as possible. "I can't believe how lucky that is," she thought aloud. "We're going to be able to find them, Ren!"
"It's certainly a good turn for us," Ren replied evenly.
Nora smiled, bumping her shoulder into his lightly. Even though he sounded calm, the smile on his face just wouldn't fade away.
As they turned the corner, almost back at the long stairs which would begin their journey upwards back to the tamer parts of Mistral, however, a rank stench suddenly hit Nora's nose. She immediately backpedaled, furrowing her nose and looking around. "Ren, do you-"
"Yeah," he muttered, smile replaced with a tense grimace. "That… that's blood."
And something more, she thought to herself. Magnhild was strapped in its holster as always, so she pulled the weapon out, keeping it tucked out of sight underneath her cloak as she began following the smell. Ren did the same, keeping StormFlower hidden, but she could hear the slight clink of the blades leaving their sheaths around his thighs.
Ducking into an alleyway, the source of the scent was quickly located. Nora swallowed down the disgust which immediately rose up into her throat. Despite the scant lighting amidst the perpetual rains in lower Mistral, the bloated corpse was easy to make out, the congealed blood and swarms of flies surrounding it an easy giveaway.
Ren reached over and raised the collar of Nora's cloak before doing the same to his, putting an immediate barrier between their faces and the stench. "His throat was slit. We should go, Nora," he murmured.
She didn't move, eyes transfixed on the man's stern jaw, the bloodied purple hair, the large, solid swatches of indigo ink marking his arms and face. "Ren," she whispered, not even bothering to look at her partner, "isn't that… Varin?"
Varin had never been happy as a member of Sotz's gang- always too hotheaded, too egotistical, to ever stoop so low as to feel comfortable in their presence. But Nora remembered Varin well. He had been incredibly powerful- having a Semblance that essentially caused invisibility was a scary thing to have to face, especially as a child. He had always been in the shadows, waiting for a chance to strike- to take whatever glory he saw was his.
And yet, here he was, lying dead in an alleyway in Mistral. Varin would have been incredibly difficult to take down. Who had been responsible?
She didn't know- however, even with all his strength, Varin had never explicitly hurt her nor Ren. For that, she couldn't help but feel sorry to see him like this.
There was one off thing about the corpse, however- almost matching his hair, the flesh around his neck was almost purple. It wasn't due to the rotting of the corpse, though. There was something else foul in the mix.
Ren put it into words for her. "That's the same colour left when Qrow got stabbed by Tyrian."
But Ruby had cut off the scorpion Faunus' tail, right? How could he have done this?
Ren silently pulled her away, gripping tightly onto her hand. It was one thing to hear about it, to see the names crossed off the boards and the lists on Qrow's Scroll- it was another to see Tyrian's work first-hand. His fingers were trembling in hers as they made their way back up to the manor, the two of them immediately going to their rooms to process what had happened.
The next day, they got Qrow to take them into a Huntsmen's mission center. Using his ID, it was easy to open up the lists of Huntsmen still active around Mistral.
They reported his death. Qrow said nothing as Ren spoke to the weary clerk, the man tight-lipped and weary through it all.
Nora winced, seeing the clerk nod sadly at Qrow. It clearly wasn't the first time he had been there in recent days. How… how many people did you try and find, Qrow? Although she wondered, though, she didn't bother asking. He wouldn't have told her anyways.
But, like everything else, time moved onwards, and soon Nora and Ren were simply spending their time with their friends. Seeing Team RWBY together again made Nora's heart burst with pride. The four girls had all changed so much, but it was all for the better. Ruby was more confident, but more knowledgeable, too. Blake wasn't as reserved, laughing and smiling freely after having stood up against the White Fang. Yang was much mellower, her anger slow to burn compared to before, and Weiss was kind and patient and much more empathetic. Everyone had grown, and they spent most of their time together, catching up and trying to reconnect after suffering the distance that had separated them all so cruelly.
It would've been a complete lie to say that Nora wasn't jealous- she was, undoubtedly. It still made her feel happy to see Ruby and the rest smile like that, though.
Jaune and Oscar found their own routine, too. Ever since Ozpin had designated their next destination, Oscar had been in control full-time, giving the young boy more than enough time to practice sparring with Jaune. The duo training together worked out surprisingly-well- Oscar was able to work on his stamina in combat, while Jaune was able to work on controlling his Semblance by revitalizing Oscar's Aura every time the boy was ready to run out. The two seemed to spar for hours, and their skills were improving by the day, having found new determination after the fight at Haven.
Qrow was working with the Mistral Council and with Ghira Belladonna most days. Most nights, however, he went off into the slums, only coming back in the wee hours of the morning. Ruby was losing sleep by waking up every time to get her uncle tucked into bed and sobered up by his next duty, but she never called him out on it. Nora had told Ruby quietly about the list of Huntsmen Qrow had had to report. The younger girl's eyes saddened and she went straight to give her uncle a hug, but she didn't bother him about drinking nightly after that.
He needed to cope. Nora could respect that, even if she didn't approve of the methods.
Overall, their life in Mistral wasn't what she had expected to experience when heading out from Patch all those months before, but now, Nora was content to simply spend time with whoever was around most days, giving Ren some space to relax whenever he needed it. They often took walks together in the middle and upper tiers, exploring the safer nooks and crannies of Mistral's sprawling mountainside city. It was the adventure Nora had always dreamed of having, back when her days had consisted of begging for scraps and pity.
Now, she was strong, and Ren was by her side. Haven's rebuilding process was already underway. They had won one battle, at least.
Only one more fight left in Mistral, she told herself over and over again, trying to prepare herself emotionally for when she finally did it.
The last day before they boarded the trains, Qrow banned them from training. "Go out!" he insisted, frustrated. "You kids need to go out and live a little! Go wild! Just… y'know, don't get in trouble."
"Don't get caught is what he's trying to say," Yang commented, winking at the others.
Qrow rolled his eyes good-naturedly and shooed them away from the downstairs hall they had turned into a practice dojo. "Get out and explore the world. You have 24 hours left till the train departs." And, after reluctantly wiring each of them a little bit of money ("You better not spend it on something stupid, you ingrates," he groaned when Ruby tackled him in excitement) the group went their separate ways, eager to check out Mistral one last time.
Nora told Ren to wait downstairs, holding her breath the entire time as she got ready for their outing. All their bags were packed- for Nora, there was only one thing left in her bedroom, still not packed away.
It was now or never.
Her fingers shook as she closed the bedroom door behind her, the delicate box sitting on her table. As she removed the lid, however, she heard a knock on the door. "Ren, don't-"
But Ruby and Yang were the ones who walked in instead. Wordlessly, they smiled, closing the door behind them and coming to join her in front of the box. "C'mon, Nora. Did you really think we would leave you hanging?" the blonde chuckled, whistling when she looked into the box.
"What in the world are you two doing here-" Nora protested, but Yang held up a hand, cutting her off.
"You took care of my little sis when I couldn't," Yang murmured quietly, eyes shining with warmth. "Let us help you, okay?"
Ruby reached over and grabbed Nora's hand. "Go enjoy yourself today!" the younger requested, eyes sparkling as she looked at Nora.
The moment was startlingly touching, and Nora's eyes misted over before she could stop it. She stiffly nodded, feeling utterly out of her element- still, when the two girls motioned for her to start removing her jacket so she could put on the dress inside the box, she complied.
It took a little manoeuvring, but eventually, the gorgeous pink Mistralian robe was on, the white sash tied in a lovely (if a little lopsided) bow. Her orange hair was pinned back onto the nape of her neck in a simple, elegant twist, and, although Nora had no idea where she had procured it from, Yang managed to doll her up in some minimalistic makeup. They had even managed to find little slippers for her, the silken material so unusual compared to her combat boots.
Finally, the two sisters took a step back, proud smiles on their faces as they looked at Nora.
The orange-haired girl shuffled over to them, immediately grimacing when she felt the fabric constrict around her legs. "Guys, I don't know," Nora whispered. "Isn't this like… a little too much? It doesn't suit me at all!"
"What are you talking about, Nora?" Yang laughed. "You look smokin'! You could give any of those 'refined young women'," and she curtsied mockingly, adopting a silly affectation for those words, "in the upper levels a run for their money."
Nora chewed her lip, staring at her hands. "It's… not weird?"
Ruby grabbed her hands while Yang opened the door, the younger girl murmuring, "Pyrrha would be so happy right now."
Any retort Nora could've made immediately died in her throat, choking up slightly at the thought. She hadn't ever really discussed her own insecurities with Pyrrha- with the thought of Ren finally falling for her having felt so far away back when they were at Beacon, there had never been any point- but the mere mention of her name was enough to conjure up the image of the redhead.
…Pyrrha would've loved this. They're right.
Pyrrha had always adored her and Ren together, after all.
She stepped out into the hallway, only to be greeted by an excited Blake and Weiss, the two girls biting down their words of approval. Weiss jammed a thumb towards the stairs. "He's getting impatient," she whispered, her glee oozing out of every pore.
Nora gulped. Well. Time to see what he says.
And so, she began taking careful steps down the stairs, the slight swishing of her dress and slippers against the wooden floors the only sound in the house as the four girls upstairs held their breaths.
Ren was sitting on a couch, facing the front door. Halfway down the steps, the floorboard creaked, alerting him of her presence. The boy glanced over his shoulder, muttering, "Nora, what took so long-"
And his eyes fell onto her, words drying up in his mouth, eyes widening into saucers as she finally reached the landing. He jumped to his feet, walking around the couch to face her properly.
Nora flashed an awkward grin at him. "…Does it not suit me after all?" she offered, trying to break the tension as she approached him. "I mean, that's fair, but-"
Ren's fingers were shaking as they tilted her chin up to look at him. Swallowing thickly, the boy could only stare at her in awe. Nora melted at the touch, at the sight of his pure, adoring shock.
"…Let's go?" he murmured when he finally found his voice again.
She smiled fondly. "'Kay, Ren."
So, he held out his arm for her. She grabbed onto it with a giggle, and the two headed out of the manor. Before they left, however, Nora made sure to look back over her shoulder and wave triumphantly at the four girls who were silently screaming, smiles impossibly wide and expressions full of pure joy as they watched the adorable nature of the couple.
Ren took her everywhere- they wandered from the lowest tier (the lowest they would dare to go without Nora's weapons, her hammer stowed away with her belongings in the manor) all the way to the upper marketplaces. They walked slowly, savouring the sights and sounds and smells- trying tea at different teahouses, people watching, strolling through the gardens that littered the more well-to-do areas of the city. Some people stopped to stare at Nora, her skin too pale, hair too fiery, eyes too blue to be wearing such a traditional gown, but Nora didn't care.
After all, Ren wouldn't stop smiling. She had never seen him so at peace.
And so, they meandered the day away, finally ending up in a small, secluded balcony garden outside of an area populated mainly by fabric stores. The view was breathtaking as the sun set, rays of golden-red melding so seamlessly into a cloudless, moonlit night sky. By their side was a tiny pond, a few lovely magenta lotuses floating serenely at the water's still surface.
As evening turned to night, Nora found herself enraptured by the moon. It felt odd to be looking up at the moon like this. How long had Nora associated the image of the moon with the Fall- with Pyrrha? How long had it been since she had been able to truly, properly bask in its glow?
She didn't know.
A tiny part of her screamed, Isn't this sorta like forgetting Pyrrha?
She shook her head. That sentiment wasn't true, not at all. Pyrrha wouldn't want Nora to feel sad forever about her loss. It had always been Nora's job to keep Pyrrha smiling, after all. It wouldn't do for Nora to let her sister down.
"I'm glad we did this," Nora murmured, eyes locked onto the pieces of the crumbling moon, shining ethereally in the darkened sky.
"Did what?" Ren mused.
"This." She gestured to the dress on her body- it was fairly tiring to wear, requiring proper posture for the material to stay upright, and the slippers were starting to chafe, and she felt more than a little naked without Magnhild, but… she still felt beautiful. She felt like she belonged. "Today was…"
"I'm glad, too." Ren paused. "This… this was everything."
She frowned, looking up at him. His profile in the waning light was striking- stern, solemn, yet more expressive than ever before. "What do you mean?"
He reached down, squeezing her hand lightly. "My goal for so long was to get revenge for my parents," he said slowly, picking each word out with painstaking care. "All I wanted was to make sure that that kind of tragedy never happened again."
"Well, we sure did it," she laughed gently, squeezing his hand back. "We took it out."
He shook his head. "But now, we're still fighting. And I'm happy to do it, but…" He let out a long, contemplative sigh, eyes falling to the side.
Nora leaned around him, watching where his eyes focused. He was looking at the tiny lotuses blooming in the pond. Glancing up at him confused, she asked, "But…?"
"I guess I just didn't have a real, tangible goal for the past few weeks," he admitted at last. "So now, it feels nice."
"What does?"
He smiled, eyes soft. "Having a goal again."
She hummed, leaning against his arm. "And what's the goal, mister? Lay it on me."
He snorted, and she felt his hand pull away, only to reach up and rest in her hair, holding her head against his side. "We'll make a world where we can do this."
She froze. "What, and not have adventures anymore?" she scoffed after a moment, pulse quickening as the implications of his words began to sink in. He- doesn't really mean that, right…?
He shook his head. "We'll always be fighting- as Huntsmen, or otherwise. But… I've decided."
"Decided on what?" Her mind was racing a thousand miles a minute.
"This kind of peace with you- that's why I'll fight Salem."
"…So you just want me to wear this dress again, is what I'm hearing. Jeez, I didn't know you disliked my normal outfit that much-"
"Nora…"
"Yes, Ren?"
When Ren reached over and cupped her cheeks, his fingers burning just as hotly as the red flushing his face all the way to the tips of his ears, and he kissed her under the moonlight, Nora felt the heat from his touch transfer into her pale skin, her heart finally finding true peace for the first time since stepping foot back into Mistral. Her mind was made up, too.
They pulled away for a moment, quietly panting for air. She could still feel his lips just millimetres from her own, his breath warm against her skin.
"Wow, Ren. First kiss in the moonlight? That's a little cheesy, even for you."
He simply kissed her again, but he couldn't hide his smile against her lips.
She was going to find her guardians, yes- she would fight forever to avenge Pyrrha, yes- but as Ren's lips moved perfectly against hers, and she felt herself melt into his arms as if she was born to be in his embrace, she knew that she was going to help Ren fulfil his goal, too.
She didn't belong in Mistral, and that was okay. She belonged with her team, her friends, and with Lie Ren, and she couldn't think of a better place to be.
-end of volume 5-
A/N: And that's that! I'm likely going to take a little break from posting this fic for a while to really properly sort out V6. There is so much time between JNR getting separated from RWBY+ and their reunion in Argus that things are going to go wildly off-track in this fic for a bit. I hope you're all ready for some great heists, some angst, some relived trauma, and some good, good closure.
Most of the bloopers below are from the Haven fight, since most of the other chapter outlines were just transcripts or one-liners to give me more room to work creatively. Hope you enjoy!
*****BONUS CONTENT FOR V5!
[Haven]
Mercury comes at 'em what a good good boi we stan
Tryin to kill them like a lil evil wizard
And he is like fuck you and nora's like well y'know what? Y'know what bub? I'mma ruin your day
She's like I'mma break your legs bruhhh
she does the thing and he's like well big fuck
…
So Hazel's having just a shit day now ain't he
So he's approaching oz yet again like a fucking dolt and the princess is like 'yo I got you girl' and she and Nora wreck shop
…
Just slams the hammer right into his arm, the crunch is SICKENING
Cute lil-boy-oz throws up, sucks to be him I guess