A/N: T-7. We're almost done! It feels good to finally be finished this story. Has this thing turned into a heist novel? Maybe. The quickest heist in the world, it seems, because we're about to rip through this. I do not feel like ripping it piecemeal into a million chapters.

Let me know what you think!

What We Call Home

Two days were all it took for routines to fall into place.

It was almost a little frightening how quickly Nora grew comfortable in the Cotta-Arc home. The mornings were spent checking in with any and every shop, service and, more often than not, random person who had access to an airship. They scoured the streets of anyone who might be able to get them even partway to Mantle, but their words fell on deaf ears.

Carob continued to send them any information he could find- the man's work as a writer seemed more and more suspicious by the day, with his connections to random informants making him feel more like Lil' Miss Malachite more than anything. Still, the trio was grateful, and they continued to check in with whomever they could.

No matter what, Nora didn't want to have to ask the Atlesian military. Something about going to them boded ill for her.

Afternoons were usually spent helping Saphron more than anything. With the best babysitter of all available- Jaune firmly believed it was him, but Nora, Saphron and Terra all firmly agreed that it was probably Ren who was the best with Adrian- Saphron liked to go grocery shopping while they watched Adrian. Or, Saphron would send them on errands, getting them to explore the city while they were at it.

None of them minded helping around the house, though. Saphron and Terra were willing to take them in so easily; it was more than they could've ever hoped for, to be so well-fed and taken care of for free. "At least with Saphron and Terra, we're not sleeping in cots!" Nora pointed out.

"Or on the floor," Ren added, laughing lightly. While they loved their former guardians, they did not miss the traveling conditions their nomadic lifestyle had wrought.

Terra and Saphron had originally refused their help, but Ren had insisted the help out around the house with chores, too. It was only right if they were taking their hospitality.

So, those few days of peace and quiet were a welcome reprieve to it all. She messaged Caelus often, checking in every morning to make sure the Embers were staying in town for the day and that there hadn't been any major developments while they were away. If Sotz's location was known, then Nora wanted to be in the loop.

It was easy to pretend that their concern wasn't mounting every single day that Ruby and the others didn't pick up their calls; whenever Team JNPR had something to do, the distraction pushed those creeping fears away.

By the third day, Nora was far too comfortable with the mundanity of it all. She sighed, shifting the three shopping bags in her hands laden with groceries from the market. "At least dinner's gonna be great!" she smiled at Ren, the boy already looking weary despite it being barely past noon. "It's our turn to cook!"

Ren rolled his eyes. "You mean it's my turn to cook."

"Pancakes!" Nora squealed, skipping ahead a few paces. "We haven't had them in so long!"

"As long as Terra doesn't mind Adrian eating them for dinner, I'm happy to make them," he replied evenly. Nora knew that he was hiding his joy, however. The domesticity of their entire situation felt… right.

Ren had been right. This was why they were fighting Salem- to make a future where their biggest discussions would be what to make for dinner each day. She felt her cheeks heat up slightly at the mere thought of it, but she wasn't ashamed. A peaceful life with Ren? She'd proudly announce her dream to the world if it meant it coming true, sooner rather than later.

Jaune wasn't around, the boy having gone to help Saphron get some stuff sorted for Adrian's doctor- the little boy had been suffering from an ear infection and it was worrying Saphron to the ends of the earth and back- so it would be their duty to cook that night.

At least, that was supposed to be the plan. As they re-entered the Cotta-Arc home, finding no lights as the others were still with Adrian or, for Terra, at work, Ren's Scroll began to buzz fervently. They quickly put away all of the ingredients, checking their messages before even bothering to do anything else.

Nora bit her lip. Was it from Ruby? Or was it another potential location from Carob? Did Jaune and Saphron need anything?

The message was from Howl. Just a few words, their implications clear.

Target found. Meet at the base 1800h.

Nora gulped, reaching out half-consciously to Ren, grabbing his sleeve. "They found him," she said, eyes fixated on the screen. "They know where he is."

Wordlessly, Ren pulled up tram schedules with one hand, pulling Nora in for a hug with the other. "…We should message Terra about dinner."

"Maybe instead of pancakes, let's leave some soup or something. Something they can reheat easily," Nora added, leaning her forehead on Ren's chest. "We need to go."

"Yeah."

And so, they got to work. Their ammunitions were reloaded, weapons tuned up and ready to go. Scrolls were charged while dinner was made, the duo quietly making stew and cutting up bread for the Cotta-Arc family to enjoy that night. Nora snuck slices of carrot and celery and apple as usual, but Ren said nothing- they had to prepare for the mission ahead. She needed her energy.

"Should we tell Jaune?" Nora murmured a few hours later as they readied to leave.

Ren shook his head, but Nora could feel how torn he felt as he said, "It's safer this way."

She sighed, pulling out her Scroll anyways. "I'm going to tell him we're visiting everyone. They invited us for dinner," she said. Ren didn't stop her, instead sending her a patient smile. So, she took a few moments to type out a message to Jaune explaining where they would be.

There's no need to put him in danger, right?

Before she clicked the send button, her thumb froze on the screen, panic wracking her system for a moment. How would Jaune feel if he found out they lied? How would he feel if they tried to protect him again?

What was different between keeping him in the dark versus Pyrrha keeping them in the dark?

Her heart leapt into her throat. "No, Ren," she whispered, "we have to tell him-"

Ren sighed, guiding her towards the door. "If they're planning on executing an assault tonight, we tell him without fail," Ren said quietly. "If it's just planning, though, then it's probably best to leave him out of it." Before Nora could argue, he added, "He's already so worried about Ruby."

She groaned, stamping her foot in the ground. She knew it was childish. She didn't care. "I just- why can't it ever be easy, Ren?!" she cried.

He smiled weakly at her. "Then we wouldn't be here."

She slumped over, letting the tension drain out of her body for a moment before willing herself to straighten up. "Okay." She sent the message to Jaune, tucking the Scroll away and skipping ahead. "We've got some trams to catch!"

The smile on Ren's face set her heart at ease. As they set forth, she leaned over and tapped him lightly on the nose. "Boop." And even though they were long past their old barriers of avoiding physical contact and affection, Ren's cheeks still lit up a pale pink underneath beige skin.

Eventually, they found themselves standing in front of the same decrepit building they had visited a few days earlier. Oliver let them in with a high-five and a wide smile, ushering them up to the third floor to join the planning meeting currently well in-progress.

Caelus ushered Nora and Ren over happily. "Buddies!" he cheered, slinging his arms around their necks and forcing them to join him on the sofa he had been lying on before. "You're right on time, ya?"

"Do you need us for an operation tonight?" Ren asked, leaning forward.

Howl nodded, opening his mouth to speak, but Kalian cut the man off before he could say anything. "We do, but only if you're ready," he said, unusually somber.

Nora frowned, unsure of what he meant. He wasn't looking her in the eyes, and his bright red irises seemed overcast.

Ren took one of her hands in his. "Do you… are you sure you can see him again?" he murmured quietly. "You've been dreaming of them more and more lately. If you don't want to-"

"What, you've been having nightmares again?!" Caelus cried. Before Nora could reply, he gathered the girl up in his arms, squeezing tightly. "That's no good, Lil Valkyrie, you're safe now!"

When Nora looked at Howl, his expression was painfully tender- so unlike the usual stoicism he was known for. "We'll do whatever you're comfortable with."

Nora's lip wobbled. She couldn't blink back a few tears that spilled forth from her eyes, wiping them on her gloves. "No," she laughed, voice unexpectedly watery. "I'm going to help." Flashing Ren and Caelus a goofy grin, she added, "What better way to deal with nightmares than kicking the nightmare's butt, right?"

Kalian walked over and ruffled her hair, his face shining with pride. "That's our girl," he grinned.

So, Howl began to lay out the plan.

They had narrowed down the location of Sotz's gang through their own investigations and the network of streetears and informants that ran throughout the city. "It's not just Mistral who's constantly under scrutiny from the lower levels," Howl explained when Ren asked about it. "Everyone is trying to find cracks in Argus'- no, in Atlas' defenses."

Nora and Ren's job was going to be easy. Sotz had his own informants, his own spies; he likely knew that Nora and Ren were in town. So, Nora and Ren were to be distractions, tricking them into thinking that it was only Nora and Ren who were coming to attack.

"We practically advertised that you left us to go to Beacon," Kalian explained. "Sotz's men won't expect the rest of us."

When Nora practically jumped out of her seat to protest giving away her and Ren's location, it was Carob who stepped in. "Look, kid, what was he going to do- attack a Huntsmen Academy? If anything, saying you weren't with us anymore got him off our trail for a bit. It was convenient."

"Besides," Oliver chimed in, "he's probably going to underestimate you two alone- that's where we come in!"

So, Nora and Ren were to go to one of Nick's favourite haunts in Argus. Their goal was to be seen, not caught; they would allow Sotz's men to confirm the duo were back in Argus before going to confront them. "Then," Nora reiterated, trying to remember the convoluted plan Howl had laid out for them, "we distract the grunts, and you sneak in and take out the leaders?"

"I don't think we'll get into bars, even if we pretend to be full Huntsmen," Ren murmured.

Caelus waved off their worries easily. "You two look way older than you did a year ago! So wise, so mature," he cooed, rubbing his dark whiskers against Nora's cheek affectionately. She shrieked and pulled away. When she had finished laughing and crawling half onto Ren to escape, Caelus added, "You'll be able to sneak in, don't worry. Just… know some drinks to order?"

Nora nodded brightly. "Yang likes strawberry sunrises, right?"

Ren sighed, shaking his head wearily. "I don't like this," he muttered, but his woes were drowned out quickly by everyone continuing to explain the plan. After all, they didn't know when the gang would pack up and ditch Argus. The Embers needed to get this done sooner rather than later.

Eventually, it was late enough to head over to The Stormy Seas, a large, rowdy pub at the eastern border of Argus. Before they left the base, Nora sent Jaune a simple message: We're going to hang out late with Howl and everyone, so don't wait up for us! The blond responded quickly with a thumbs-up, leaving Ren and Nora with little else to do but obediently follow Oliver, the young man moving silently through narrow alleys and dark streets like a rat in its nest.

"How do you know this place so well?" Nora asked as they crept through dimly-lit back alleyways.

Oliver grinned, little more than a bright white smile and wide, innocent eyes in the near pitch-black darkness of the autumn evening. "Dad used to work at Sanctum sometimes," he explained. "I used to explore while he was on missions. He said I shouldn't go to this area, because it's not safe, but I'm glad I always went anyways."

Nora chuckled, punching him playfully on the shoulder. "A rebel! I like it."

Eventually, they ended up at the bar in question. The Stormy Seas was a fairly large establishment, all dingy wood and a broken sign out front. Through the windows, it was clear that the inside was filled with cheap neon lighting and flickering bulbs, the faint outline of mismatched decorations on the wall barely visible from the outside. Even from outside the doors, they could hear raucous laughter and disorderly voices inside.

As the duo said their goodbyes to Oliver and slipped into the building, Nora let out a quiet sigh of relief. With the rowdy atmosphere of the bar, with people loudly laughing and chatting and growling at one another, it seemed that people were too busy to pay them any mind. A group of drunk men were pushing each other around in one corner, attracting the attention of most onlookers. Thanks to that distraction, no one paid them any mind enough for them to get ID'd. However, as she looked at Ren, his proud, somber silhouette outlined by dim, amber light mixed with the glow of neon signs of martinis and figures in bikinis lining the walls, she realized that it wouldn't be an issue anyways. Kalian was right. With everything they had gone through, they indeed looked old enough to pass as young Huntsmen.

To her surprise, she barely had the time to blink before Ren's arm was around her waist, dragging her up to the back of the bar. He guided her to sit at the end of the bar, hovering protectively at the seat by her side. "Ren, what's wrong?" she whispered, glancing around. Had he spotted something? Had he already found Nick?

Based on the slight pink tingeing his cheeks (or was it just the neon lights? She didn't know), it was something else. After a moment, Ren murmured, "People were looking at you."

She snorted, waving her hand dismissively. "What in the world-"

But he quietly gestured to her right. Nora paused, following his hand with her eyes. There was a mirror hung up on the wall, showing everyone who was seated at the counter. With Nora sitting at the end, she was clearly in view.

And she didn't know whether it was this lighting, or the fact that they were in a bar surrounded by people who were clearly old enough to be there unlike them… Nora looked completely unlike herself. She looked like an adult; strangely attractive, alluring. The light caught her hair, almost making the orange hue pulse a surreal red; her pale face and rosy cheeks were completely washed of colour, smoothed out by the glow of pink and blue signs above her. Her eyes were strikingly pale, lights reflecting off of it almost eerily, her pupils the only solid thing on her face aside from the line of her open, full mouth. All of the mismatched colours neutralized her clothes as well, shadows and highlights only accentuating her curves as she sat on that high stool.

And in the reflection, she could see other people in the bar looking at her, something in their gaze that she hadn't ever really seen before.

No, she had seen it in one person. In Sotz.

Predation.

We need to go. The realization that Ren had stuck her at the end of the bar so that he could act as a buffer came a moment later, and unknowingly, she reached out and grabbed his hand. Then, she signalled the bartender, and as calmly as possible, ordered two strawberry sunrises. "Just like Yang likes them," she said with a smile, trying to keep the growing unease out of her voice.

Ren squeezed her hand. "Yeah."

So, the drinks came. They were surprisingly sweet, but the underlying taste of liqueur was cloying. Yang probably would've said to get the virgin ones, huh? Thankfully, they were weak enough that while she felt slight warmth at the back of her throat from the drink, nothing was actually happening to her awareness.

Nora pouted. Having a drink at a bar… this wasn't how she had expected the first time to go. Idly, she murmured, "This would've been fun with Pyrrha, huh?"

Ren's breath caught in his throat for a second before he relaxed again. "She would prefer something warm."

"Maybe a…" Nora's eyes skimmed the menu on the wall fruitlessly. "…I don't know which ones are made hot."

"Are any of them?"

"I hope so!" she groaned. "It would suck to have to drink it cold always! What do they do in Atlas?"

Ren smiled, shrugging wryly. "Who knows?"

The light conversation carried on, but despite the superficial ease they both carried, the goal of their mission stayed firmly affixed in their minds. They sat and sipped on their beverages, making sure to glance around every once in a while and search for any familiar faces. Unsurprisingly, they didn't catch anyone they knew; still, for the better part of an hour, they made sure to quietly chat and smile, ignoring the creeping sense of discomfort that only grew with every passing minute, with every ring of the chime above the front entryway, with every clink of ice and sigh of relief and bark of laughter and angry yell which echoed through the building.

Finally, she murmured, "Do you think that's enough, Ren?"

He nodded, taking one final look at the crowd as subtly as he could. "That should be fine." Quickly, he pulled out money for their drinks and handed it to the bartender. Nora grabbed onto his arm gladly, and the two of them stepped out of the bar as inconspicuously as they could.

The moment the door slammed shut behind them, Nora let out a sigh of relief and sagged into Ren's shoulder. "Oh my gosh, that was terrible," she groaned.

He looked just as weary. "Agreed. Let's hope that was enough, though." Checking his Scroll, he said, "Oliver will meet us a little ways up once we're done. Are you ready to go?"

She smiled, nodding brightly. The fresh air was invigorating after stagnating in the scent of liquor and sour, unwashed bodies for an hour. "Time to report back!"

So, the duo began retracing their steps. It was a little difficult to follow the exact route they had originally taken with Oliver, but thankfully Ren had marked down the path on his Scroll, and Nora had taken a photograph of Howls' map. Navigating the city with so many shadows around was still a little unnerving, though.

Halfway back to the meeting point, they ducked into an alleyway they had taken with Oliver. It was dark, but it only stretched a few hundred feet, so she wasn't very concerned. Their steps echoed wetly on damp ground, unnaturally loud in the narrow walkway.

Suddenly, a voice caught her attention. Nora froze, grabbing onto Ren's shoulder. "Wait," she murmured, pausing. "Did you…"

"I heard," he said grimly, glancing at the map. Nora watched as his finger traced the route they needed to take, along with where the voice had likely come from. "It sounded like-"

"Looky here, boys and girls," that same booming voice rang out through the air, suddenly right behind them. "We've caught ourselves a couple of rats."

Nora felt ice run through her veins as she instantly lowered herself to the ground, Magnhild flying into her hand in the blink of an eye as she spun to face the speaker. Ren reacted similarly, legs tensed, StormFlower drawn. They were ready to jump. Verticality would be their friend.

After all, Nickel Point's Semblance could tear up the earth itself. They needed to be ready to jump, otherwise they'd be knocked off balance and crushed.

Nick was just as grotesque as he had always been. In the darkness of night, it was difficult to make out his features properly; even in the faint glow of distant streetlights, Nora could still see his disgustingly-lascivious grin, chin wobbling as he guffawed. His rotund stomach protruded further from his tattered, fur-lined coat than Nora remembered, and his greasy hair was frazzled and unkempt.

With heavy footfalls, he approached the duo. Nora's grip on Magnhild's handle, fully extended into a hammer, grew tighter with every step. "Should we fight?" she whispered.

"Not without the team," Ren breathed.

She nodded, thinking back to the map- to their best escape route. They both could easily climb up the side of one of the nearby buildings- there was a pile of crates just to the left behind her which would be the perfect staircase. The roofs were generally slanted and shingled in Argus to avoid trapping too much weight from snow. Nick wouldn't be able to make a journey across the rooftops, but Ren and Nora were more than agile enough to pull it off. She and Ren would both be able to navigate to a safer part of town before jumping off into a main thoroughfare, blending in with the crowd. They'd be able to get away easily.

Nick slurred, deep voice so unnaturally pleased by his find that it sent shivers down Nora's spine. "I knew it was you two. Goin' for drinks, huh? I woulda bought you a round if I'd've known." He laughed, gut shaking and head reared back. "Aw, you don't look too happy to see me. You should, though- I've been-" and he hiccupped, stumbling for a moment before righting himself, "-wanting to see you for so long."

"Say nothing," Ren said, barely audible even to her.

Nora bit her tongue, fighting back the urge to run, holding her ground. She could fight him if it came down to it. It didn't change the fact that one of their old abusers was drawing closer.

She hated it. She hated everything about it. They needed to fight or flee, one or the other.

…She just didn't want to freeze.

Then, Nick stepped forward and entered the light of a weak streetlamp, and Nora almost gagged.

Nick's face in the light was horrifying. The skin on one cheek going down his chin and under his collar was mottled and twisted, puffy scar tissue clear as day even in the faint light. Nora sucked in a breath, tearing her eyes away from the sight and focusing on his hands instead. His Semblance always manifested in his hands. They had to watch his hands.

Watching his hands was a great way to avoid acknowledging the fact that she and Ren had probably been responsible for those scars.

"But look at ya, all grown up. I heard rumours, ya know," Nick cooed, clapping his hands together excitedly. Nora frowned, tensing up as she saw that familiar Aura begin to glow, concentrating between fat ringed fingers. "The boys'll be so happy to hear you've turned into such lookers, too."

She felt Ren shift imperceptibly by her side. They would run for it soon.

Suddenly, an alarm began to scream through the air. It was the familiar siren of the Atlesian Military; Nora had heard it a few times over the past few days, always in the distance, far from the Cotta-Arc home.

Nick froze, the playfulness in his eyes vanishing in an instant, replaced by bitter hatred. "Dammit," he growled, straightening up despite his inebriated state. Pointing at the duo, he said, "We'll pick this up later, brats."

She didn't know where the boldness came from. "We will. Are you ready to have everything be burned to the ground again?"

Nick's nostrils flared, rage twisting his face into something truly monstrous. "You're going to burn, you-" But the sirens were growing louder and louder. The man turned tail and walked away, shoving away his clear desire for combat in favour of skulking out of the alleyway as fast as he could.

Ren grabbed Nora's arm. "Put it away," he murmured. Silently, she obeyed, holstering Magnhild and following him out of the alleyway. The sirens became louder and louder- but something was off. Why weren't any of the classic flashing lights of the military's patrol vehicles lighting up the area?

The answer was simple. The moment they stepped out of the darkness, two familiar faces were upon them. Oliver looked halfway to tears, the teen muttering, "I called the others and they're coming if I don't call back in two minutes. Are you guys okay? What happened?"

Nora barely processed his words. Her eyes were locked on Jaune's face, his expression a mix of fear and disappointment. In his hands was a Scroll. The sound of the sirens was coming from the device, not any patrol car. "Jaune, did you…?"

"This doesn't look like 'hanging out'," Jaune muttered icily.

Nora insisted, "Jaune, we-"

"We'll explain once we're back at base," Ren said calmly. Nora's heart broke as she saw the pure shame resonating in his eyes as he looked at Jaune. "We need to get out of here. They might be close still." Before stepping forward, however, Ren let out a long, heavy sigh, then reached out to brush Nora's hair out of her face- a surprisingly tender display of affection, coming from Ren in front of others. "Are you alright?"

She smiled back, absolutely exhausted now that the adrenaline was beginning to fade away. Nick's voice was gone completely. "Yes, Ren," she sang quietly. "Let's go, okay?" Turning to Jaune, she repeated, "Okay?"

There was still a myriad of doubts in Jaune's eyes, but he reluctantly nodded. "Okay. Oliver, lead the way."

"Got it," the younger replied, waving them forward.

The trek back was thankfully uneventful. Unlike the road there, Oliver stuck mainly to brightly-lit streets. "If anything happens, we need liability," he said. "I'm a minor, you're not Huntsmen. Howl said we needed to remain visible. The military will take our side if something happens."

With those precautions in mind, the quartet eventually made it back safe and sound to the Ember's base. Howl immediately demanded a report, so Nora and Ren gave it easily; Howl always preferred to have the information sooner rather than later, after all. Carob disappeared to comfort Oliver, who was still far too shaken up after seeing their near-showdown in the alleyway to properly participate. Despite all that fighting the Grimm, Nora thought ruefully, he's still not okay with fighting people.

It was fair to be scared. Nick had been one of the people to take away Oliver's father. She didn't begrudge him that fear. She was still shaking a little, too.

"How did you get there, Jaune?" Ren asked whilst Howl and Kalian were engaged in planning quietly. "Why aren't you back at Saphron's?"

"I messaged him, buddies," Caelus said, leaning forward around the back of Nora's chair and wrapping his arms warmly around her neck. "I thought he was in the loop so I wanted to know his Semblance. Gotta slot him in the battle strategy, right?" Disapprovingly, he added, "Lil' Valkyrie, Lil' Ren, you didn't tell your friend anything, ya? He's your comrade! What the heck're you doin'?"

"We were going to explain before the actual mission," Nora said glumly, melting into Caelus' comforting hold. Looking at Jaune, she pleaded, "We wouldn't go without telling you. Promise." When Jaune's hurt didn't fade, she repeated, "Promise, Jaune. We wouldn't do that to you. No way."

Jaune looked like he was going to cry. "Then tell me now," he whispered, leaning forward in his seat, hanging his head between his knees. "Please. Tell me now."

And Nora's heart shattered. Desperately, she glanced over to Ren, but the other boy seemed just as tongue-tied.

…okay. Okay. It was her job to keep her boys together. That was her promise to Pyrrha and she'd keep it forever. I'll keep them together.

Sliding out of Caelus' hold, she shifted along the couch and wrapped her arms around Jaune's shoulders, squeezing tight. "Jaune," she whispered, "we'll never keep you in the dark. You need to know that. Just as you can't keep us in the dark. We promised each other, right?"

"Never again," Ren added. "We were planning on telling you after tonight. We wouldn't go willingly into something dangerous without telling you."

Jaune shuddered, tears falling from his eyes. Nora simply held him tighter. What else could she do, when he was clearly thinking that he was going to lose them, just like he had lost Pyrrha- feeling guilty and alone and in the dark? "It's not an easy story, though," she said.

"When is it ever?" was the only weary, cracking response.

Sighing, she looked at Ren. "Explain for us?" she breathed.

Ren shifted along the couch to wrap an arm around Nora and Jaune, too. "Okay."

And, he did.

Ren quietly filled in all the details- everything they had been keeping from Jaune for all this time. After Kuroyuri, they had been found by a group of bandits, formerly part of the main Branwen Tribe, led by Sotz. Varin and Nick worked with him. They were fallen Huntsmen, having joined the Branwens for the clout after being kicked out by the Huntsmen's guild. They were pushed out of the tribe nearly as fast.

"Do you know about the Branwens, Jaune? Beyond what anyone said at Haven?" Nora asked. When Jaune shook his head, she quickly outlined everything she knew about them. The information was enough to make Jaune turn green.

"But- but that's Raven and Qrow-"

"There's a reason I don't like Qrow," Nora breathed. "Association is enough."

Ren continued on as Jaune fought to process the information, explaining how they had been treated in that camp. He explained their roles as bait, as fodder, as chew toys and punching bags. He explained how his Semblance had kept them useful, and how Nora's strength had kept them protected from the worst of it.

Nora was grateful that he didn't explain why they finally decided to burn the place to the ground two years after their capture.

But after weeks of running, they had managed to find a small camp in the middle of a storm. One man had been hunched over by a generator, and the moment he had seen the two starving, broken children, he had called over a redhead, and together they had scooped Nora and Ren up and taken them to warmth and safety.

Caelus ruffled Nora and Ren's hair, planting wet kisses on each of their foreheads much to Ren's chagrin. "And thank the Brothers we did, ya? I got my two best little buddies!" he beamed.

"So why are you hunting them?" Jaune asked, face pale and drawn tightly.

Caelus held up one hand, counting reasons off his fingers in turn. "Well, they hurt Nora and Ren," he began, face twisting into an unnaturally vicious scowl, "they've been eyeball-deep in crime for years, they've looted most places in Anima, and…"

"Somehow," Ren said, "they found out who saved us and took us in. They killed the Ember leader. They killed Cara, too- she had a healing Semblance- because she refused to help fix the damage left from the fire."

"You kiddos aren't the only one looking for revenge for your friends," Caelus said darkly.

Nora smiled, poking Jaune's cheek. The action startled him, his tense expression falling away into confusion. She said, "We spent like, almost seven years running around with the Embers, protecting villages and doing odd jobs. They taught us to fight properly. I think Howl was a better combat instructor than Glynda but don't tell her that," she added in a whisper. Looking over to Kalian and Howl and Carob, the latter having joined the other two after calming down Oliver, Nora said fondly, "They… they gave us a home and a purpose. At least, until we went to Beacon. Then we found you and Pyrrha!"

"Is the heart-to-heart done, or can we share the plan?" Kalian growled, taking over their attention. Dark circles ringed his eyes. "Nick saw you, right? He knows you're here, so it's time to get everything started."

Caelus rubbed his hands eagerly together, an evil grin splitting his face. "There's a storm coming, Lil' Valkyrie," he cackled, "and I've got so much fire and electric-Dust."

Nora's grin was just as manic at the mere thought of it. She was ready.

Ren murmured feebly, "Please don't tell me we're going to blow up all of Argus."

"All of Argus?!" Jaune squeaked.

Before they could continue, Howl held out his hand. "That can wait. For now, you all need to rest." He walked over to Nora and Ren, kneeling in front of them. With a small, gentle smile, he said, "You did well today."

Nora smiled at him, then Ren. "We didn't run," she said.

Kalian grinned proudly from where he stood at the back of the room.

"You should go home," Howl reiterated. "We'll contact you when it's time. We need to plan transport of shipment and ammunition and such first, and you need to ensure you have enough ammo to sustain a fight against their lower ranks. Good?"

There was little room for debate in his words, as always. So, everyone nodded, said their goodbyes, and headed their separate ways.

On the last tram back to the Cotta-Arc house, Jaune murmured, "I feel like we should wait till Ruby gets here."

"We can't," Ren replied. "We don't know when they'll be moving on."

"What they did to us? They're still doing it to kids apparently," Nora whispered. "Kalian and everyone's been hunting them for so long, they can't let them slip through their fingers now."

"It's pure chance we're here at the same time. We're lucky," Ren added.

Jaune took in a deep, shaky breath. Suddenly, he ruffled his hair furiously, drawing the worried attention of every civilian onboard. "Ugh," he cried at last, "I can't stop you, can I?"

"No," Ren smiled, "but you can know that we're not doing this alone- not by a long shot." Not like Pyrrha, Nora's mind supplied sadly.

Jaune sighed, every inch of the tall, broad boy emanating absolute, dejected defeat. "…I guess we're gonna go fight some people later, then. I'll go polish my sword."

His strangled yelp from when Nora launched herself at him, locking her leader in a vice-like hug, rang brightly through the air. Nora didn't care one bit. They were going in together, and there was going to be a storm, and, and-

And when she finally faced off against everything she'd been drowning out and pushing away for so long, she'd have all her teammates by her side. There was no way they would lose.