The next day, it took a few hours of riding to get to the nearest train station. The trip on the semi-empty train until Mistral lasted another full day. May did not have much opportunity to look around the city, since they only had lunch in town before boarding an aircraft up to Vale. Only when the ship reached flight did she turn to Oscar to voice her thoughts.
- Oscar, it's been a long time since I visited the capital of the kingdom but... The city seem kinda...
- Empty? - May nodded and Oscar sighed, his shoulders falling as the world weighed on his back. - I did not overdo it when I said that thousands of people died an aunt. Everyone who could fight were summoned to fight grimms army and the cities were unprotected. Contrary to the common, the safest places during the battle were isolated villages, such as yours, where the news of the war did not arrive. There was no panic to attract the grimms. But the cities...
- All they despaired. - Aunt May completed and Oscar nodded. - I noticed that there were a large number of buildings under renovation...
- Yes. But with the fall of Salem and the return of the gods the number of grimms decreased dramatically. We had few reports of attacks, and all of them of weak grimms, in small groups. They will take time to grow in numbers again and this will give us time to strengthen ourselves again. - Oscar lowered his eyes and her aunt immediately put a hand in his shoulder in a gesture of comfort.
- You also lost friends, is not it? I'm sorry. - Oscar clenched his hands in fist on his knees, devastated.
- Yes many. - He answered quietly. - But the wounds will close eventually.
- Oscar ... - May put a hand to her nephew's face and gently made him look at her. The pain in his eyes was heart-breaking. - You're right dear, but it's okay to cry for them. Do not keep it in your chest Oscar.
Oscar opened his mouth to deny it but, he noticed suddenly, he had really been holding back for a long time. He cried with relief a few times, when Blake or Jaune escaped certain death, but soon everyone needed to be up and running again. Even now, with everything over, he had come so concerned to help Remnant rebuild from the ruins that remained that he had not even stopped to breathe. Just living the next day, the next battle, again and again.
- It's okay Oscar. - The hunter felt the arms of his aunt pull him for a comforting hug. He did not even realize he was shaking. - It's all right.
Oscar finally let the weight of years of fears, losses and battles drain out of him along with his tears. He just leaned his head against her aunt's shoulder and let the low sobs wash away the sadness inside him. May only supported him, stroking his back and whispering words of comfort. Neither of them knew how long they stayed like this, but when Oscar finally pulled away, he felt light as he had not for years.
The rest of the trip followed without further events. They arrived in Vale in the middle of the following day, after a little delay with some flying grimms. They descended the landing ramp, tired of hours of constant travel.
- Do you know any hotel for the night?
- In fact-
- LITTLE BOY OSCAR!
Oscar interrupted himself in the middle of the words and tried to turn back in time, but Nora was already on top of him, knocking him to the ground. Even though she was a woman now, her personality remained the same. Which meant that Oscar would be crushed in a bear hug each time they met after long periods of time without seeing each other.
- Nora ... I ... I can not ... breathe ... - Oscar muttered with little air he had left, making the redhead laugh and loose it. She jumped to her feet and held out her hand to help him do the same.
- We miss you SO MUCH! I thought the trip to Mistral was going to take forever! Oh! Are you the Oscar's aunt ?! You are equal! Nice to meet you! I'm Nora Valkarie, and that handsome man approaching us is my fiancé, Lee Ren! REN, HURRY UP!
May and Oscar did not have time to say anything while Nora fumbled around them, not pausing to breathe. Fortunately, Ren was quick to approach, taking his wife's hand. It seemed to anchor her on the floor, giving them a moment to introduce themselves.
- It's a pleasure to meet you, ma'am... - Ren began, reaching out for May, who returned the gesture.
- May Pine. It's my pleasure. Oscar has told a lot about you all.
- He said?! Of course he said! We are all incredible! - Nora declared, puffing out her chest.
- Thanks again for coming to meet us Ren. It's been a long trip. - Oscar thanked him, also greeting the friend with a light hug. Ren put a hand on the younger man's shoulder as a gesture of comfort.
- You must be exhausted. Let's go, lunch should be almost ready.
- Where is the meeting place? - Oscar asked, picking up his suitcase in one hand and his aunt with the other. Nora replied.
- In the Arc's house! They have a huge family and with so many grown up childrens the house was empty! And they have bunk beds!
They laughed and talked on the way to the Arc's residence. As expected, the house was large and spacious, surrounded by a large green garden. The yellow-painted walls were warm and welcoming, giving the building a familiar air. And even before they crossed the entrance gate, Jaune was already opening the front door, smiling at them.
- By the gods! I thought you were tall Oscar! - May could not fail to comment when introduced to Jaune. The boy's hand covered hers and he stood long inches above her head. But the poor boy must have had a heart of gold, because he blushed slightly at the remark.
- I've heard that often... - Jaune smiled to mask his embarrassment. - Please, come in. Weiss and Blake are in the kitchen helping with lunch and Ruby just called me. She and Yang should be here soon.
They all entered the house, being guided into the kitchen by the delicious smell of lunch being prepared. There, a brunette faunus set the dishes on the table while a white-haired lady stirred the pots by the stove. Helping to cook, an older, blue-eyed blonde woman smiled at them. A new session of hugs and presentations followed. They were Blake Belladonna, Weiss Schenne, and Iris Arc, Jaune's mother.
- Please, make yourself at home. Lunch is ready. We're just waiting ... - The bell rang again just then. Mrs. Arc turned to Oscar, who was standing by the kitchen door. - You can answer that for me? Is kind of crowded here.
- Of course.
Oscar turned and went out to greet the newcomers, and after a moment's hesitation his aunt followed. 'It was better to say hello in the open hall than with everyone in the kitchen again,' she thought. She arrived in the room just in time to see Oscar opening the door for a very tall woman with fluttering blond hair. She smiled, carrying a suitcase on each shoulder as if they weighed nothing. May noticed that one of her arms was a mechanical prosthesis.
- Hey Oscar! Looking good! - She bent down to walk through the door with her suitcases and her gaze fell on May. - Hello, you must be Oscar's aunt!" My name is Yang!
Yang approached, dropping a suitcase on the floor to greet May with her mechanical hand. It was cool to the touch, but smooth.
- It's my pleasure. - May began to say, but was interrupted by a female voice outside.
- Yang! You took my ... OSCAR!
May jumped in surprise, as with the arrival of Nora, because her nephew was again attacked by surprise. A red ray struck him in the chest, exploding in rose petals all around him. They swayed in the air and fell slowly to the ground, revealing a young woman dressed in black and red. She hugged Oscar by the waist, being lower than him, and he returned the hug with a shy smile.
- It's good to see you again, too, Ruby. - She released him just enough to look at his face.
- But ..! But..! Yang told me you would not make it in time! - Ruby glared at the blonde.
- Oops. - That's all she said, shrugging her shoulders and heading for the kitchen. Ruby's glare then fell on May, widening in surprise. The older woman noticed that the leader of the team RWBY indeed have beautiful silver eyes, of which her nephew had spoken about a lot.
-And your aunt came too! - Ruby exclaimed. She looked at herself and Oscar, hugged, and jumped away, stuttering and blushing. - Well, I... I'm Ruby Rose. Nice to meet you.
- May Pine. Pleasure is mine, dear. - May smiled, stealing a quick glance at her nephew, who wisely looked away. Her maternal instincts whistled, but she hastened to make no assumptions. - Lets come in?
Everyone gathered and greeted each other with hugs and smiles and then sat down at the table. The lunch itself was delicious and the company, welcoming. May had spent many years alone, or just with Oscar as a company, and the move to a 10-person table was radical, but welcome. Everyone talked, laughed and shared stories and memories.
- And you all live here at Vale? - May asked at one point, sipping her juice. Weiss replied.
- No, and most of us have not yet taken up residence after the war. But we all came to the ceremony. - May blinked, confused.
- Ceremony? - Oscar agreed.
- Yes, but maybe I missed it, with all that I told you. - Blake continued the explanation, her voice calm.
- Since none of us ever officially graduated as hunters, the Vale Council decided to hold a ceremony to grant us our certificates. - Ruby sighed with those words, catching May's attention.
- And honor our deeds in the war! - Added Yang. This time Ruby groaned in disgust on the other side of the table.
- And they're having a great party! - Nora added equally lively. Ruby seemed to sink further into her chair.
- Yes, it will be a formal event, with all the pomp they can add. Of course the place will be full of photographers and journalists. By the Gods, Ruby! - Weiss explained, but she broke off irritably when Ruby banged her head on the table, looking defeated. - There is no use crying over it.
- But I do not want to go... - Ruby whined anyway.
- Ruby hates to be in the spotlight. - Oscar explained, watching May's lost gaze.
- Everyone's gonna be looking at us! And Weiss will force me to wear heels! - Ruby stood up, pointing dramatically at her teammate. Weiss just rolled her eyes and they all laughed.
- And when will this party be nephew?
- Tomorrow night. I thought we could spend the afternoon shopping. I do not have any formal clothes for the event. - Oscar pointed to the combat gear he wore. - Actually, I have nothing that does not fit in a suitcase.
- I know what you mean. - Ren said, and all the hunters at the table agreed. - We've spent so much time traveling that we do not need more than that for a long time.
- It was fun trying on my old clothes. I could not get into any of them. - Jaune commented and Yang laughed.
- It is true! You needed to have seen Ruby trying to get into her old clothes at home! - Yang laughed even more with Ruby trying to shut her up without success.
- But Ruby has not grown much these years. Maybe a few centimeters at most. - Oscar remarked, and Yang almost gasped with laughter. Even Weiss and Blake chuckled.
- No, no! I mean that the shirts did not go through her brea- Ruby finally attacked her sister, falling with her from the chair to the floor and covering her mouth with both hands. The desk burst out laughing.
No one but May noticed that Oscar took advantage of Ruby's indignation to disguise his reddish face. He obviously understood what Yang meant.
The rest of the day continued in a rush. All went shopping together and Ren and Nora joined Oscar and May to look at homes for sale in the city. Everyone went to bed exhausted, only to wake up with more confusion the next morning. Weiss and Nora managed to drag Ruby by force to a beauty salon, where all the women spent the afternoon prancing. Oscar took advantage of the free afternoon to advance a visit to some houses that caught the attention of his aunt, having in mind a list of details that she had passed to him.
- What did you think of this one Oscar? - Jaune asked, stretching his head out the second-story window. - Wow! We can see Beacon from here! I can see that they have made good progress in rebuilding the school.
- After the Wyvern was destroyed the military finally managed to clear the school of grimms. Now it's a matter of time before the school opens the doors again. - Ren said, scanning the cabinets. - The furniture here is very tasteful Oscar, totally different from the last house.
- Yes, that place looked like a dollhouse! And believe me, I'm an expert on them. - Jaune nodded.
- Actually, I really liked this house. - Oscar commented, sitting down in the large double bed by the wall. - There's everything my aunt wanted in a house, and it's also decorated to my liking. I would not mind spending a few years here...
- You said you'd stay in Vale for some time. It has to do with the history of you teaching magic, does not it? - Jaune asked, stepping out of the window to sit on the opposite side of Oscar in bed. Ren also approached, interested in the subject.
- Yes. As I said, I am the only person who actually possesses a technical knowledge of magic. The council of kingdoms has entered into an agreement for me to immediately train as many teachers as possible so that they can pass on knowledge to their realms. Apparently the case of teenagers blowing up things in fights is more and more common. No one knows how to deal with magic yet and it just comes up, loaded with strong emotions. - Jaune nodded.
- It is true. The girls taught us something, but nothing technical, just what they learned from Professor Ozpin.
- It's almost like a mixture of semblance and dust. We can manipulate nature and even the notion of time, but it consumes our aura. - Ren added.
- Weiss was very pleased, commenting that this could drastically reduce the use of dust on the market, depending on how the magic affects people's daily lives.
- She completely abandoned the Schenne company, did not she? - Oscar commented curiously. He thought he heard Weiss commenting on it the night before. - She will be one of my pupils in magic classes. She said she had been trying to use her glyphs, replacing dust with magic, and getting great results.
- It is true. I think she's the liveliest of all this magic story. - Jaune commented. - She been commenting how eager she is to learn more about it.
- You two came a long way since our first year at Beacon, have not you, Jaune? - Ren said, disconcerting the blonde.
- Well, yes...
- Jaune did not get along with Weiss at the academy? - Ren smiled at Oscar's innocent question, and Jaune blushed.
- Well I...
- Jaune was in love with Weiss at Beacon. This included serenades, catcalls and flowers. - Jaune moaned with embarrassment and buried his face in his hands.
- Thank you for the description in detail Ren. I think you've been spending too much time with Nora.
- Seriously? I thought you were in love with Py... - Oscar stopped. - I'm sorry.
- It's all right. Pyrrha left a hole on me that will never really disappear, but today I am able to think of her for everything she has done for me with affection, and not only for the pain that her lack does. - Ren agreed with a sad smile.
- We all miss her.
- And beyond that ... Looking back today, I realize how my attraction to Weiss was childish. - Jaune continued. - She was beautiful and haughty. I had a cd with her songs at the time and I was always struck by the emotion she carried in her voice, but personally she was distant and restrained. It was a challenge, you know? I wanted to be worthy to unearth a sincere smile from her.
- And it was not the same with Pyrrha? A challenge? - Oscar asked, engulfed in their brief moment of confidence. The memories he had of Pyrrha belonged all to Ozpin. A bright young woman, whose flame burned too fast, but lit the path for her friends to the end. Unfortunately, these memories always brought a bitter taste of guilt to his mouth.
- No, not at all. See, if Weiss was a princess, tall in a tower and out of reach, Pyrrha was ... - Jaune sighed. Oscar already knew the friend's romantic side, inclined to poetic metaphors. The last time Oscar pointed this out, the blonde had blushed, mumbling something about 'being the effect of living with seven sisters'. - Pyrrha was an unreachable goddess. I could idealize that one day I would be worthy of Weiss, but Pyrrha? I could not think of anyone alive on earth who could be worthy of her.
- Nora and I were something... Gradual. - Ren said, his voice low. - We lived together for so long that I never considered a world without her. Then in the middle of a battle it finally dawned on me that she was no longer a little girl, but a woman.
- And you took your time for it, did not you? - Jaune laughed, and Ren agreed, slightly embarrassed.
- Well, Nora pointed out a lot of pretty obvious signs that I've missed over the years.
- What about you, Oscar? Who was your teenage crush? - Jaune asked suddenly, making Oscar take a little jump in surprise. He swallowed hard.
- Well I...
- I thought that was obvious. - Ren commented with a small smile, making Jaune blink confused and Oscar flushing slightly.
- Obvious? What do you mean?
- Well, you just needed to look at him every time he looked at- Ren's phone rang at that moment and he excused himself to answer. Moments later he hung up and turned to his friends. - Nora said the girls will be ready soon. We should lock up here and get ready too.
- Sure, I'll send a message to the realtor and make an offer at the house on the way. - Oscar got up, along with the others, to leave.
- Hey! Oscar has not said anything yet! - Jaune complained, accompanying his friends to the exit. - That's an offense! We were talking from heart to heart here!
- Well, that gives us a good excuse to repeat the dose, does not it? - Ren suggested amiably. - And that gives you a chance to guess.
- If you tell me it was Mrs. Calavera, I will not find it funny! - Jaune answered and the three of them continued talking and laughing outside the house.
Oscar found himself thinking about the past on the way back to the Arc's house. How all of them have changed and how his feelings have matured over the years. Feelings that until today he could not define or name. Absently, he found himself wandering and thinking of her.