Rawr, everyone! Another Dragon Tuesday is here, and I'm still kicking! I'm also munching on some Pumpkin Pete's (my FYE FINALLY got some in). It's kinda like Lucky Charms, but with a much lower marshmallow to cereal ratio, which I find completely unacceptable. However, it has Pyrrha's beautiful face on the front of the box, so I can forgive basically anything.
Anyhoo, enjoy!
The following morning before breakfast, Jaune and the rest of Team JNPR left the dorm to check on their dragons, Twiggy in particular. When they got out to the courtyard, they stopped short at the sight of two familiar young girls.
"Hey, Jaune!" Jenny said, straightening up. "Are you going to see your dragons? Can we come too? I promise we won't wimp out like Silvia."
Katie gave Jenny a stern look. "Don't be mean," she muttered.
Jaune folded his arms. "Do Mom and Dad know you're out here?"
"Uh, no. They're sleeping like rocks." Jenny rolled her eyes. "It's not like traveling should make you that tired! They must just be old."
"I left a note," Katie said quickly.
Jaune sighed. "Well, I guess it's okay, then. Just wait until we bring them over."
Jenny nodded as gravely as a six year old was capable of doing. "I will! I promise!"
When Jaune opened Twiggy's stall, the earth dragon tried hiding her head in the hay. "Hey, Twiggy. Don't be like that." He walked over, kneeling next to her. "I'm sorry I put you on the spot yesterday. I didn't think Silvia would get that scared. It's not your fault. She's always been scared of dragons, and we're still trying to figure out how to get her over it."
Twiggy whimpered, putting a paw over her eyes.
"I got two more sisters outside," Jaune continued. "Katie and Jenny, and they really want to meet you. They won't be scared at all. I promise."
Twiggy shook her head. No more small humans! She didn't want to scare anyone else!
Jaune tried for a few more minutes before breathing a defeated sigh. "Okay, girl. They'll be meeting the others, so I'll leave the door cracked in case you want to come out."
By the time he stepped out of the stall, Titan, Freya, and Ao Guang were already lined up. Guang was bouncing up and down, grumbling when Ren kept him from running straight over to the young humans. He wanted to play! And the smallest one looked just as bouncy as he was!
Titan was gaping openly. Twiggy had described the small human to him, of course, but… Did they really get this tiny?! He stared at the littlest one, who was shorter than one of his legs. He just wanted to cover her with his wing and keep her safe from everything! Wait, where was Twiggy? He looked sharply toward her stall, heard a whine from inside, and sighed sadly.
Freya was yawning pointedly at Nora. How many more humans would she have to meet?
When Pyrrha gave him a questioning look, Jaune shook his head. "Twiggy's still depressed about Silvia."
Jenny pouted. "Aw. I wanted to see her!"
"Here," Pyrrha said. "Why don't you meet Titan first?" She led the large fire dragon over, smiling at the eager look in his blue eyes.
Titan stretched his neck forward, warbling a greeting. His tail thumped against the ground when a tiny hand touched his snout.
Jenny smiled. "You're pretty!"
Katie walked to one side, running a hand down Titan's neck and looking at his wings and spines. "He's not hot," she noticed. "Ignis, Brazier, and Blaze are always hot during cold weather."
"Titan's a bit of a late bloomer," Pyrrha admitted. "He hasn't learned how to heat his scales yet."
"I like his scales!" Jenny said, still staring at Titan's face.
When Pyrrha had Titan back off to let the others have a turn, she noticed with some amusement that he was really reluctant to move away. He grumbled a little, though ultimately obeyed. So, he has a thing for kids. I should've probably predicted that, considering how good he was with Twiggy when she was little.
Ao Guang was next, mostly because he was moments away from shoving Ren to the ground. He kept bouncing up and down, though he resisted the urge to pounce, sensing that doing so would probably be a bad idea.
Jenny ran over, giggling as she patted his head. "You're silly! Ooh, pretty eyes!" she remarked, looking at the water dragon's one gray and one teal eye.
Ao Guang tossed his head, fins flaring out proudly.
Katie was smiling up at him. "Are all water dragons like that?"
"Nope," Ren said with a sigh. "I was just lucky, I suppose."
"Oh, you know you were," Nora said, elbowing him. "You love him, even though he drives you crazy."
"Well, he wouldn't be the first," Ren said, ruffling her hair.
Nora stuck her tongue out playfully out at him. As he turned away, though, his words sank in and her face turned bright red. Wait…what?!
Freya, deciding to get this over with, padded over to the taller of the small humans and politely sniffed her. She was glad when this human pet her head gently. After a minute, she yawned again, giving her partner a pointed look.
"Okay, okay," Nora said, rolling her eyes. "Back to your stall, lazy girl." She led her dragon back to the stall, where Freya promptly returned to her bed and plopped down. "Jeez. You know dragons don't actually hibernate in the winter, right?"
Freya covered her head with her wing and groaned.
Katie glanced at her sister and Ao Guang before slowly approaching Twiggy's stall. "Hello?" she called in quietly. "Twiggy?"
Inside the stall, Twiggy looked up, tilting her head at the unfamiliar voice.
"I'm Katie, Jaune's sister. Do you wanna come out?"
Twiggy blinked, slowly sitting up. The little human was…asking her to come out? She let out a cautious warble.
"You can come out if you want," Katie whispered. "I'm not scared."
Twiggy hesitated, then walked slowly toward the cracked door, nudging it open. She looked down at this new human. She was bigger than the tiny human, but smaller than Jaune. Her blue eyes were just like his. Cautiously, Twiggy bent down to sniff her hair.
Katie smiled, stroking the dragonet's neck. "Good girl!"
Jenny looked over and let out a squeak. "Omigosh, is that Twiggy? Is it?"
Ao Guang jumped at the sudden squeak, then crouched down playfully, snapping lightly at Jenny's arm.
"Guang, no!" Ren quickly scolded. "She's too small to play like that!"
Ao Guang snorted, but didn't try snapping again.
Jenny didn't even notice. She was already running over to Twiggy. "Hi, Twiggy! Don't worry. I'm not a scaredy-cat!" She held out her hand for the dragon to sniff, giggling when the broad, scaled snout touched her palm. "Wow, you really are smaller than the others. Don't worry, I know what that's like."
Twiggy's ears flicked and she felt herself starting to purr. She liked these little humans, and they seemed to actually like her! She looked at Jaune, her heart lifting when she saw the proud smile on his face.
Jaune felt relief flooding his system as his dragon started to perk up. "Thank goodness," he muttered.
Pyrrha touched his arm. "See? She'll be just fine."
"Yeah," Jaune replied. "I just worry about her, you know? It's kinda been a constant thing since she hatched." He closed his eyes, thinking back to the trembling, helpless, lizard-sized creature that had almost died in his arms only a few months ago.
"I know," Pyrrha said, smiling softly. "She's really lucky to have you."
Jaune glanced at her, smiling back. His face flushed a little at the warmth in his friend's gaze. He suddenly wanted to say something, but had no idea what.
Ao Guang watched the two with narrowed eyes. Squawking, he called over to Titan. Now was the perfect opportunity to push them together!
Titan blinked, tearing his gaze away from Twiggy and the small humans. Looking at his partner, he snorted, padding over and lightly butting his head against her side, pushing her against Jaune. He warbled, putting his head down in front of the two.
Pyrrha started to blush at the sudden closeness to Jaune, but couldn't help but laugh at her dragon. "Starving for attention, are you?" she murmured, running a hand down his snout and scratching his neck.
Jaune snickered. "They've been pretty needy lately. Must be because of the cold. They don't get out to play as much."
Nora zipped over. "We should totally have a huge snowball fight once there's enough snow on the ground! Dragons and people! Neptune was talking about it the other day, and it sounds way fun!"
"I'm in!" Jaune said immediately.
Jaune's arm was right up against Pyrrha's. He could feel the backs of their hands touching. Maybe it was elation due to Twiggy's lifted mood. Maybe it was an overall sense of easygoing happiness. Either way, Jaune found himself lightly wrapping his fingers around hers while reaching out with his free hand to stroke Titan's snout.
Pyrrha felt a thrill go up her arm and through her chest at the touch of Jaune's hand. Shyly, she returned the grip, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye. She saw him smiling at her and felt her blush deepening. As Jenny and Katie returned with Twiggy, she felt him squeeze her hand gently before discreetly letting go. Remembering Jenny's loud eagerness to tease him before, Pyrrha understood completely.
Titan glanced between the two, then turned to Twiggy with a quick wink.
Twiggy winked back, her tail thudding happily against the ground as Katie continued to scratch her neck. Today was definitely looking up.
"Hey, Jaune?" Jenny piped up. "Why'd you name her Twiggy?"
"Well, when she first hatched, she was really tiny. Her legs and tail were super thin, like twigs. It just seemed to fit."
Jenny wrinkled her nose. "Seems like a wimpy name for a dragon."
"Maybe, but if people underestimate her, that'll be their mistake," Jaune said, grinning proudly at his dragon. "She's the smartest dragon in our year, and she'll be one of the best fighters in all of Remnant. I'm sure of it."
Twiggy's chest puffed out at her partner's praise, even as her heart squirmed uncomfortably. She hoped she'd be able to live up to Jaune's expectations. She still wasn't sure how she felt about fighting.
Jaune felt his Scroll buzz and took it out of his pocket. "That's Mom. Looks like it's time for some breakfast. You two go ahead while we feed our dragons."
"But we wanna help!" Jenny protested. "Pleeeeeaaaaaase?"
"Oh, okay," Jaune sighed. "The dragon food is kept in a storage shed over here, along with the meat and apples. Now, their diet at this age generally consists of…"
…
Blake and Weiss arrived at breakfast before Ruby and Yang. Both girls still bore bags under their eyes and a thousand-yard stare due to residual test anxiety. Weiss nibbled at the edge of her toast, wondering when they'd get the exam results.
"Stop it," Blake said, glancing at her teammate.
"Stop what?"
"Stop freaking out. You have that look on your face you get when you're having a panic attack, but are trying to hide it."
Weiss huffed. "Schnees never have panic attacks!"
Blake snorted. "Then, you aren't even human. If I lived in Atlas, I'd have a freakout a day."
"It's really not so bad," Weiss protested. "The winters are much prettier. There's probably a foot of snow on the ground by now."
"That must be a joy for anyone who needs to shovel."
Weiss shrugged. "Most of the streets and driveways are plowed. Besides, it adds to the Yule spirit, don't you think? I mean, a pine tree with lights covering it is beautiful, but add some snow to the branches, and it's simply mesmerizing."
"True," Blake allowed. "Still, I prefer warmer weather myself. Back in Menagerie-" She quickly cut herself off, snapping her mouth shut.
Weiss looked sharply at her friend. "You're from…?"
"Shh," Blake hissed, still kicking herself for that slip. "Don't tell anyone! If people knew where I'm from, it'd be about the same as painting a Faunus sign on my forehead."
"I won't tell!" Weiss promised. "I've kept all your other secrets, haven't I?"
"Yeah, sorry," Blake sighed. "Just paranoid, I guess." She glanced around. None of the others had arrived yet.
Weiss hesitated before quietly asking: "Is it nice there?"
Blake bristled a little, but forced herself to remain calm. Menagerie wasn't meant to be "nice." It was an overly-crowded island given to the Faunus to shut them up. Still…
"The sunrises in the desert are beautiful," she admitted. "And…the marketplaces have a certain charm to them. Still, it's mostly full of thieves and poor merchants who are struggling to get by. Not many resources, after all."
"I see." Weiss looked back at her plate, her gut twisting uncomfortably. "What would…make things better there?"
Blake thought for a moment. "Well, it would be nice if it became more of a center of trade. Boats rarely go there unless they're ferrying Faunus who want to get out or even fewer Faunus who want to go back. There are a lot of fish and plants and other things that are only found there in abundance, so there could be some potential if more ships went there."
"More outside interaction, then?" Weiss tilted her head. "That seems rather simple."
"Tell that to all the big companies who don't want to be seen trading with the 'island of animals,'" Blake grumbled.
Before Weiss could think of a response, she noticed Ruby and Yang coming into the dining hall with their father. Trotting at their side was…
"Oh my goodness!" Weiss gasped, her eyes shining. "Who's this handsome boy?" She held out her hand, giggling as the small dog immediately bounded over and started licking it. She felt Blake hurriedly scooting away.
Taiyang laughed. "Man, Zwei likes you already. Sorry you didn't get to meet him yesterday. He was in my suitcase."
"Who's a good boy? You are! Yes, you are!" Weiss was cooing, scratching Zwei behind his ears. Her heart leaped as the dog sat down at her feet, thumping his hind leg. She couldn't remember the last time she'd been near a dog! Her father never allowed any animals besides dragons on the Schnee properties.
Blake was torn between smiling at how weirdly-adorable Weiss was acting, and cringing at the slobbering animal a few feet away from her. After a moment, Taiyang's words sank in and she turned to gape at him. "In…your suitcase?"
Ruby plopped down in a seat across from Weiss. "So, who wants to see the Yule lights tonight?" she chirped.
"I'm in!" Yang said. "And we need to hit the park in a few days. They'll be lighting up the entire square and all the trees. There's gonna be a bonfire, and gingerbread cookies being sold fresh!"
Weiss smiled. "Sounds like fun! Can this handsome boy come with us?"
Zwei yipped, bouncing up and down on his hind legs.
Blake was slowly shaking her head. "How…How do you keep a dog in a suitcase?
…..
"Come on, buddy! You can do it. Breathe right here. Just- No!" Sun groaned as Huo's head darted forward, snapping the apple off the pointed stick. "Oh, stop looking so smug!" he muttered, glaring at Huo's obvious smirk.
"He's not gonna do it, Sun," Neptune called over from Nymph's stall.
"You don't know that!" Sun snapped. "Hm. Maybe I need to find something he won't eat…"
Sage and Scarlet arrived at that moment. "Sun, are you trying to make your dragon into a living barbeque again?" Scarlet asked, putting his hands on his hips.
"I'm telling you, it's a great idea!" Sun insisted. "He's not big enough to engulf everything with flames yet, so now's the best time to try it. It'll totally work."
"None of the fire dragons have started breathing fire yet," Sage noted. "That won't be until next semester."
"Hey, Huo was able to heat his scales before anyone else," Sun pointed out. "He can pull ahead of the others in this too, right buddy?"
Huo swallowed the apple, licked his teeth, then opened his mouth for another.
Sage rolled his eyes as he opened the door to Zircon's stall. "Good morning," he greeted.
Zircon chirped happily, padding over to nuzzle Sage's chest. The wind had been loud last night. He hadn't liked it at all. He wished Sage would sleep in the stall with him.
When Scarlet entered Nimbus's stall, he saw his dragon staring at a corner. One of his eyes kept twitching from one side to the other. "Hey, boy."
Nimbus snapped to attention, closing his misbehaving eye and warbling a greeting. He really wished he could make himself look at things right…
Finally giving up on getting a roasted apple for breakfast, Sun tossed the pointed stick to the side and patted Huo's shoulder. "Ah well. Are you happy with the extra treats, at least?"
Huo snorted. He was, though eating too much could cause one to get lazy. He had very successfully saved his partner from over-indulging. He was a genius.
"Hey, Nep!" Sun called. "You need to come with me to the mailroom later on. Mom and Dad sent me a care package, and I told them how much you liked Mom's salted caramels from last time."
Neptune finished replacing the hay in Nymph's stall and kissed her nose before emerging. "She didn't have to do that," he murmured.
"Hey, she wanted to!" Sun grinned. "It's no problem." As he spoke though, he noticed a slight shadow passing over Neptune's face. He knew why, of course. Neptune likely wouldn't be getting any packages from his own parents.
It wasn't that the Vasilias family hated him. They just…didn't seem to care. They were the kind of rich, preppy people who were in their element throwing meaningless cocktail parties during sports matches. They hadn't been paying attention when Neptune wandered off as a kid to almost drown in the swamp. They didn't even remember why their son was afraid of the water. Once, they forgot about his fear entirely and signed him up for the school's swim team. That entire year had been a nightmare.
Sun's parents, while distant, at least gave a damn about him. They just preferred to let him make his own mistakes and learn to be independent, which he was fine with. Neptune had never quite learned how to be self-sufficient, and was instead caught in this weird limbo between trying to be a cool guy who needs no one, and trying not to lean too obviously on the people around him.
As far as Sun was concerned, Neptune could lean on him as much as he needed. He glanced toward Nymph's stall and smiled. With Nymph around, though, he probably won't need to for much longer.
Team SSSN finished caring for their dragons and headed toward the cafeteria. They could see the other families who had been arriving since the end of exams, and hurried to introduce themselves to Taiyang and the Arcs.
Sage couldn't help but notice that Neptune wasn't flirting with Jaune's older sisters. That was strange. The blue-haired teen was usually very quick to flirt with any attractive woman he met.
Then again, Sage realized. He really hasn't done that since we got to Beacon. He didn't flirt with Weiss, Yang, or anyone when we first met them. Hm. Maybe being a Dragon Rider has made him more mature.
Yes, that was probably it.
Sure, Sage. That's totally the reason. Also, some more Arkos/Team Sloth tidbits for you. You're welcome.
Have I mentioned that my absolute favorite scene with Weiss was when she first met Zwei? Because holy crap, I have never wanted to cuddle my snow baby so much! I headcanon that all of the Schnee kids secretly love dogs. I also headcanon that they snort if you get them laughing hard enough. Whitley's snort is the loudest.
Next week will be a very special chapter, so stay tuned!
If you like what you see and want to show extra support in exchange for rewards, my P/atreon is Solora Goldsun.
Peace out!