A/N: And thus, we begin to see the actual players of Nora and Ren's lil' backstory. It's fun writing non-RWBY characters in this context- it fleshes out Remnant for me, which has become so focused on the melodrama of the Maidens.
Let me know what you think!
What We Call Home
"I'll stay on our radar," Dudley muttered quietly, avoiding eye contact with the other three.
"If anything happens," Ren said, humourless in his exhausted pallor, "you need to let us know."
Nora immediately bristled at the sight of Dudley's lower lip curling into a sneer, her fists clenching by her side. They had spent the last six hours on and off the roof of the train, driving north through the ice and snow, and yet he had the gall to reject their help?!
Thankfully, the sneer quickly faded in resignation as Dudley's shoulders slumped over, the man massaging his temple and turning away from them. "Fine," the man said at last, clearly ending the conversation.
Jaune jabbed his thumb towards the door. "Let's go." His eyes roved over Ren's pale, haggard face. "We should get some rest."
Thankfully, their sleeper car had been further forward on the train, leaving all their personal belongings intact. Nora was quick to run to the dinner car to fetch some warm food for Ren. The long spell outdoors in sleeveless clothes would be easily enough to knock him out with a fever with his Aura so low, so she needed to get him warmed up as soon as possible.
As she carried a tray of soup and sandwiches for her teammates back to the cabin, her heart continued to glow with pride nevertheless. They had managed to pull it off. For six hours, they had cloaked the train periodically, with Nora managing to single-handedly fight off the few Griffin Grimm that had been able to find the Argus Limited despite their best efforts. Her boys had done an amazing job, and although Ren was exhausted and Jaune worse for wear after using so much of his Semblance, she knew that they were proud, too.
The passengers knew that they had been the ones to protect the train rather than Dudley. Perhaps that had been the reason for the older Huntsman's anger. Their panic had taken a long time to subside, necessitating Ren's Semblance for far longer than Nora would've liked. Thankfully the panic had died down after she explained to the passengers their plan on the speaker system; the passengers had banded together and worked to calm down, easing some of Ren's workload.
The food, piping hot complementary as thanks for their protection, would be nowhere near as satisfying as the beams and words of appreciation she received on her way, countless people standing up to open the doors from one cabin to another so that she could focus on carrying her food. Everyone was alive thanks to them and they didn't want her to forget it.
Just as quickly, however, was her crash back into reality. Not everyone. Dudley's partner had been lost. And Ruby and Yang and little-boy-Oz and Qrow and-
No, silly, she thought wearily, too tired to properly scold herself, they'll be fine. We'll see them in Argus. She couldn't let herself dwell on everyone's safety. They'd be alright. They had each other, and Nora would see everyone again.
Still, casualties had been kept to just one. That in itself was better than to be expected after facing off an entire pack of Manticore Grimm. Her mind flitted over to Kalian and the crew. I can't wait to tell you everything. She could see their pride now- seeing her protecting an entire train with Ren! Caelus wouldn't even be able to handle it. Hell, even Howl would be impressed.
As she wandered through the narrows halls of the train, her eyes roved over the faces of the passengers, the warm mahogany embellishments on the furniture, the drab, blurry paintings lining the cabin walls. The last time she had been on a train like this had been a few years back. Their destinations hadn't been big towns, the train nothing more than a tram carrying passengers between decently-sized settlements on the south side of Anima. Still, she remembered the journey with fondness.
It hadn't just been Caelus and Kalian and Howl. There had been others back then, too. But they were gone now.
I guess it's not so bad. At least Ren and I were more prepared for the Fall. At least we could be there for Jaune.
As she finally entered the carriage with the team's sleeper car, she paused, cocking her head. There was a man standing in front of their room, his profile in clear view. Her heart jumped up into her throat as pale fingers brushed back equally-pale blond hair atop his head, trimmed short and neat against the sides and back of his head. Thin, wire-framed glasses seemed lightly tinted in the dark train carriage, his skin standing out even more against a dark suede pea coat. Nora glanced down at her outfit, the splash of whites and pinks and pale blues so vibrant compared to the man's drab green slacks and leather boots.
The only colour she could see on him appeared when he held up his left hand, fingers curled, ready to rap on the door; a distinct splash of orange on the end of his sleeve, practically glowing in the warm, dim lighting of the cabin.
This was the figure she had seen before the attack from the Manticores. She cleared her throat. "You're… Carob, aren't you?"
Carob Wood lifted his eyes after a moment to look at her, movements sluggish and dazed. Instantly, Nora sighed, recognizing the outline of a flask in his coat pocket- the same outline she had grown so used to seeing on Qrow. He hasn't changed. Still, the narrowed eyes which peered at her through tinted lenses, framed by thick blond lashes and enough distrust to unsettle even her, seemed to relax slightly upon seeing her face. "Little Nora Valkyrie," he murmured slowly, tucking his right hand into his pocket and waving in greeting. "It really was you who saved the train. I heard it was a group of young Huntsmen, but to think it was you-"
She strode forward, smiling in camaraderie at the middle-aged man. "I mean, you certainly weren't doing anything," she said. Despite the frankness of her words, she couldn't help but relax in relief. The tattoo on Carob's hand, the mark on his sleeve- it really was him.
Okay. We're okay. We're on the right track. Argus was going to bring them answers after all.
The door swung open suddenly, Jaune sticking his head out of the frame to see Nora holding the tray. The tall boy sent a confused look towards Carob, sidestepping the elder to help Nora. "Hey, I got this," Jaune said, quickly relieving her of the tray while she scooped up the towering stack of sandwiches she had been balancing precariously upon it. Pointing at Carob with his chin, Jaune asked, "A friend of yours?"
She nodded brightly. "Yup! C'mon. We're eating dinner." She nudged Jaune with her elbow to return to the room. "You too, mister." Her voice was mockingly-commanding, ordering him into the room.
A smile quirked his lips, but he wordlessly complied, following into the sleeper cabin after Nora and Jaune.
Ren was seated on his bunk, resting his head against the side of the bed frame. When they walked in, however, he quickly slipped down to kneel on the carpet, clearing aside Jaune's small pile of comics and Nora's backpack so that they could set the trays on the floor, as there were no tables in the cabin. The shadows under his eyes were evident, a pang of regret striking Nora's heart when she saw just how clumsy his movements were. "Ren, after dinner, you're sleeping, okay? No buts."
Ren smiled. "I won't argue with that," he replied. However, as Carob stepped in behind them, Ren's eyes widened, back straightening involuntarily while Jaune carefully placed the tray of soups on the floor. "You-"
"Of course Little Ren would be here, too," Carob laughed, the tint in his glasses unable to hide the amusement in his eyes. "You two always were inseparable."
Jaune glanced uneasily between Nora and Ren, hand inching towards Crocea Mors, the sheathed sword resting on Jaune's bunk. "Um, guys, who is this?"
Carob nodded at Jaune in greeting, leaning against the wall with crossed arms as Nora took a seat beside Ren. "I'm Carob Wood. I'm an old ally," he said to their leader. "Don't worry- I'm here to chat. Haven't seen these kids in a while."
Glancing worriedly between Nora and Ren, the younger nodded. "Jaune Arc. I'm their teammate."
Nora rolled her eyes, twisting her body to look at Jaune. She waved the boy over before busying herself with setting up dinner for Ren. He looked barely capable of balancing upright on his knees, he was so tired. "We said we were looking for our mentors, right? Carob is one of their old teammates."
"We travelled together often when we were younger," Ren added, obediently taking the covered soup from Nora and removing the container's lid.
At that admission, Jaune's face immediately melted in a genial smile. "Well, in that case, welcome!" He picked up one of the many sandwiches Nora had carried over from the dinner car, offering it to the man. "You're welcome to join us for dinner. I can't guarantee you'll get a lot after Nora's done with it, but…"
The elder waved his hand dismissively despite the small smile in his eyes. "I'm good. But, us traveling together was a while back," he said, heaving out a heavy, clearly-intoxicated sigh. Nora wrinkled her nose at the scent of whisky trailing him into the room. "You all did well, protecting this train."
"And why weren't you helping?" Nora cried between mouthfuls of her sandwich. "You and I totally could've kicked butt! With your lightning and my-"
"He has lightning too?" Jaune threw his hands up in the air in disbelief. "Does everyone have a lightning-related Semblance?"
"You would know that they're more common than most elemental Semblances if you paid attention in Professor Goodwitch's Aura classes," Ren hummed, pouring out cups of tea for everyone from the thermos Nora had brought.
Jaune pouted like a young child, but Carob chuckled humourlessly at their banter, his smile falling away in the blink of an eye. "I wish I could've, but I'm not a Huntsman anymore."
Ren frowned, spoon paused halfway to his mouth. "What do you mean?"
Carob shrugged, and Nora winced, mouth twitching into a frown despite herself as he reached a hand into his coat and pulled out a flask- the metal shining in the light of the cabin, cool metallic silver reflecting into her eyes.
"…Snow and Star's deaths weren't your fault." She kept her words crisp, leaning back against the bed behind her.
"Neither was Cara's," Ren added.
None of the deaths suffered by Sotz and his gang had been Carob's fault.
It had been ours.
She wouldn't say it, though.
But, as the man unscrewed the cap of his flask and tilted it back, throat bobbing as he took in a few weary gulps, Nora knew his thoughts on the matter.
There was something unnerving about watching Carob finally stop, letting out another world-weary sigh, bony, callused fingers twisting the cap back onto the container. The movements were robotic, too smooth for the bleary eyes watching them all. The actions were practiced, automatic.
Nora was getting pretty sick of seeing alcohol plying every adult she knew. She missed the straightforward, unyielding rigidity of Professor Goodwitch. She missed the espresso-drunken Professor Oobleck. She even missed the prideful clumsiness of Professor Port, and the kind, yet iron-like words of Professor Peach. None of them had walked around Beacon with glasses in their hands, flasks in their pockets.
"If you're not fighting, then what are you doing?" she asked, unwrapping another sandwich and taking a hearty bite.
Carob replaced the flask in his hand with a small notebook. "I'm writing again," he said. "It's not exactly lucrative right now, but it'll do." Nora briefly glanced at Ren- the boy seemed to have heard the weight to those words, too. But with Jaune sitting there, still clueless as ever as to what they had gone through, it didn't really feel right to bring it all up. They could find another opportunity. They had many days on the train left, after all.
As they spoke, however, Jaune's Scroll began to ring incessantly. Immediately, Nora leapt to her feet, rushing for Magnhild while Jaune picked up the call, crying, "Dudley, what's happening?"
"More Grimm spotted on the radar!" Dudley's voice cried, anxious and tinny through the speaker.
"How many?" Jaune asked instantly, climbing to his feet.
Nora already had hooked Magnhild to her waist in its holster, walking towards the door despite straining, still-frozen muscles. "Jaune, orders?"
The blond screwed up his face tight, only opening his eyes to look worriedly at Ren. The other boy was far too tired to get on top of the train once more, let alone use his Semblance. "Ren, go to Dudley and get on the speaker system," he said at last. "You work on calming the passengers down. Maybe it'll make them think you're using your Semblance again- like, a placebo effect? Then Nora and I can climb back onto the train."
Ren nodded sagely, but the moment he climbed to his feet, he lost his balance. Surprisingly, despite his intoxication, Carob's arm darted out and helped the boy keep his balance. "I'll take you to the conductor's room, then," the man said.
With the plan settled and Crocea Mors in Jaune's hand, Nora nodded at Ren and Carob and burst out of the room. The nearest emergency exit was at the end of the next car, so she rushed through the connecting doors and swung open the latch, pulling it up just as Dudley's command to armour the train seemed to go through, the metal plates returning to the sides of the cabin.
Thankfully, the monsters which had decided to approach the train were once again nothing but Griffins. They were much stronger in the air, but due to the onslaught of ice and snow from the perpetual snowstorm blowing through the mountain passes lining their way to Argus, their wings could not sustain their flight for long. So, the two creatures landed near Jaune and Nora, growls and snarls echoing through the frigid air.
Nora grinned. "Ready, Jaune?"
Jaune looked green. "I think I ate my sandwich too fast."
She snorted. "Let's go!"
The first one took little effort to take down. She managed to jump off of Jaune's shield and smash the creature's head down onto the top of the carriage, keeping her strength in check to not knock the train off balance. Then, with it pinned down, Jaune ran forward and sliced clean through its neck. No fuss, no mess, the rancid ashes streaming off into the wake of the train rumbling forward.
The second one was smarter. It jumped and dodged their attacks, lashing out with its curved claws of rigid bone. There was no contest, however, and soon Nora had managed to sweep the creature off its feet, sending it teetering off the edge of the train.
Nora shifted Magnhild into a grenade launcher, firing off a Dust-laden explosive with relish. "And stay out!" she called mockingly.
To her surprise, the creature's body began to disintegrate before her attack even landed as its mask suddenly shattered, crumpling under the assault of bullets. She frowned, turning around only to find another figure standing on top of the train.
Her smile couldn't be restrained as recognition kicked in. She should've known Carob wouldn't be travelling alone. "Oliver?" she said as she walked over to Jaune, bracing him with a hand on his shoulder as the blond promptly kneeled over the edge of the train and threw up the contents of his stomach.
Bright, keen eyes looked over to her, his warm, umber-brown skin glowing in the pale afternoon winter light. Full lips curved into a friendly, eager smile. "I came to help!" the fifteen-year-old boy cried, holding up a gun that still looked far too big for his body, even after all these years. "Carob told me that you could use the help."
Nora rolled her eyes, patting Jaune's back until he could totter back up to his feet. "Let's go inside, Jaune," she said, shivering as the ice continued to strike her bare shoulders.
Still looking pale and weary, Jaune complied, and she helped him follow Oliver down the nearest ladder and into the first cabin they could reach. Then, they all rushed to JNPR's cabin where they could set aside their weapons and dry themselves off. Ren had already returned after calming down passengers throughout the train, stating that no other Grimm were detected.
The soup was still fairly warm somehow, and Nora, wrapped in a blanket, immediately began scarfing it all down as Carob took his place once more leaning against the wall. Oliver slipped down beside Jaune, a genial smile on his face. "I'm Oliver," he explained. "I'm going to Argus with Carob."
Jaune looked a little overwhelmed by the new faces coming in one after the other. "And… you guys also know Nora and Ren?"
"Where's your father?" Ren asked when Oliver affirmed Jaune's question. Nora nodded- while it was good to see Oliver, the boy having been even smaller than Oscar the last time they had seen him, she had been used to dealing with his father, an old friend of Howl's.
Oliver's smile twitched. "Dad died."
She gasped, looking at Ren. The boy looked similarly shocked. How had they managed to take him out? Who had done it?
One look at Carob's resigned sigh told her the answer.
"Oliver wants to travel with Howl and the rest now that Gregory's gone," Carob shrugged, fingers tapping mindlessly against the outside of the pocket containing his flask.
Nora's smile nearly split her face in two. "Ren," she cried, tugging onto his sleeve, "that means the intel was right!" Seeing Jaune's confusion, she explained, "Our guardians, Jaune! We were right! They're going to be in Argus!"
They're okay. They're safe. Salem hasn't found them yet, unlike all those other Huntsmen who she picked off because of Professor Lionheart.
Despite his fatigue, even Ren had to beam at the thought. "We're lucky they're safe."
"But why didn't they pick up their Scrolls?" She frowned, pulling hers out. The signal was still weak, too weak to contact anyone away from the train. "A check-in would've been nice. But wait, why are you all meeting up?"
"You received intel, and so did we." Despite his aloof, still hazy manner, Carob's grin was feral- a hunter seeking its prey. "We have unfinished business with Sotz's gang."
Nora's hackles raised almost instinctively at his name, but she bit it down, instead focusing on drinking up her soup. When her bowl was drained, she said brightly, "Well, you don't need to worry anymore! He's dead."
And then, strangely, Oliver and Carob traded looks of disbelief before Carob began to cackle. His gruff, thick voice rang hollow, filling the cabin with a strange air of unease. When the sound finally died down, his expression fell somber, calculating. "What are you talking about?"
Swallowing down a meager bite, Ren explained, "We found a Huntsmen's board with his photograph. He was pronounced dead-"
"He's not," Oliver muttered, a flash of anger in his eyes. "He found a way to kill my dad."
"This guy you're looking for," Jaune asked, absolutely baffled by what was going on, "is he going to be in Argus?"
"Apparently he's made a new setup in the outskirts of Argus."
And everything in Nora's body went numb.
Carob continued quietly, eyes glazing over as he explained the situation. "He must've been trying to throw people off the scent, but Howl left us a trail. Sotz is in Argus, then they're moving on. They've been stirring up some pretty terrible business, and it would be in everyone's best interest if we finally managed to shut it down."
"…Varin's dead," Ren said. "We found his corpse in Mistral. Murdered in a back alley."
Oliver paused, then turned to look up at Carob. Oliver hadn't ever interacted with Varin, so it was fair that he didn't know. Carob simply sighed, massaging his temples. "Good riddance," the man said. "One less headache to deal with."
"He wasn't the worst of them," Nora found herself saying. She felt detached, however- detached from the whole world, body hollow. "He didn't hurt us…" For fun, she added silently, dreamily.
Carob brushed off her quiet words. "He still helped kill Snow, and the others. You should hate him more." There was understanding in his eyes, though. He knew what Sotz and the rest had done to Nora and Ren.
Then, Carob straightened up, beckoning to Oliver to join him. "We'll bring you to the crew once we're in Argus," he said. "For now, it's late. We have a few days left in the journey. You kids need to get some rest." Cracking his neck to either side, he glanced out the window. Mutely, Nora's eyes followed his gaze. It was dark outside; night had fallen without any of them noticing it in their little sleeper cabin. "If other Grimm attack, it won't be that hired Huntsman taking care of it, I'm guessing."
"It won't be you, either," Nora scoffed, but there was no heart in it.
Carob smiled- bitter, weary. "You're right."
And with that, he gestured to Oliver, who obediently stepped out after a rueful wave to the trio seated on the floor. Then, the man closed the door behind him, leaving a completely mystified Jaune, an exhausted Ren, and Nora, who knew that there would be no rest now that she knew what monsters they were truly heading towards.
He's alive.
She almost wanted that demonic form of Salem back as her opponent. At least then, the monster they were approaching wouldn't know what she looked like when she was broken.