Team ROXA was all together in their room; Riliane and Amelia were studying, Olive was reading her comics and Xanthic was taking a nap. A light knocking came at their door and Riliane decided put her scroll down to answer it. Initially she used her semblance in an attempt to identify the pair in front of her. All she could make out was the woman wore earrings and a cross necklace and the man held a metal cane, had a piercing in his right ear, and she assumed the metal on his wrists were cufflinks. "Can I help you?" She asked with a smile.
"Oh, you look just like your mother," The woman said brightly.
"You know my parents..?"
"Yes, of course. Oh," She chuckled and extended her hand. "Sorry, I'm being quite rude. I should have introduced myself first, I'm Claire Picto and this is my husband, Orelon."
"Oh, it's a pleasure to meet you both." Riliane accepted her handshake, "Would you like to come in?"
"Thank you, I'm sorry for coming completely unannounced."
"Don't worry about it. I'm guessing you're here to see Xanthic?"
"Yes, I was hoping so, but it seems he isn't here?"
"No, he is." Riliane let them in and pointed towards her partner's bed, "He's just resting a bit." As the two stepped into the room Olive and Amelia introduced themselves and took note of their appearances. Claire wasn't that much taller than them and her sandy blonde hair was cut above her shoulders. With her deep blue eyes they forgot for a moment that her and Xanthic weren't actually mother and son. She dressed in pastels, a pink pencil skirt with a cream colored jacket over a light blue blouse. All of which stood in a strong contrast to her husband; who wore a long dark grey coat with bright blue trimming, a deep red colored vest underneath that, then a white dress shirt. He had slightly off-white gloves that hold his black, silver, and blue cane, but appeared to be able to walk just fine. Orelon's natural features were about as different as possible from Claire and Xanthic as well, his dark brown hair was tied back in a ponytail and his orange eyes seemed to stand out more against his somewhat tanned skin. It was due to the way that he carried himself that he also seemed far taller than he was.
After giving a formal introduction to the others Orelon turned to look at Xanthic, "Perhaps it is too much for him after all,"
"Nonsense, he's just taking a nap. There's nothing wrong with-" Claire stopped herself and walked closer to her son. Her bright smile faded into one that almost seemed somber, "I don't know how to thank all of you…"
"What do you mean?" Amelia asked.
"I," She hesitated to find the right words, "You got him to open up. I was worried he'd end up hurting himself from trying to hide his ears during all four years."
"Oh," Riliane thought back to her fairly recent fight with Nivens, "You really shouldn't thank us for that."
"It sounds a bit rude, doesn't it?" Claire chuckled, "Nonetheless, I'm glad to see him without his hat outside of the house."
"Um, about that… H-he said something before about when you first found out, but you seem far too nice to do something like that."
She thought for a moment then looked at Orelon with her head slightly tilted. "I assume he poorly worded how you wished to promote his origin," He explained and received nods from the other two girls.
"Ah, that is a difficult subject to explain. Hm… There really is no simple way of putting it, but I want to make it clear to you three that I don't have any intention of forcing Xanthic to do anything. I'm...used to always thinking of things in regards to profit, because that's how my father raised me. When I discovered Xanthic's ears my initial thought was that we might finally be able to settle down our political disputes, but he was wholeheartedly against the idea, so I gave it up completely and helped him disguise as my biological son." She looked back down at the bed, "Though, I do still wish that he'd embrace himself more, because I know it hurts him to hide like that."
"I wish he would talk with everyone more too…" Riliane said quietly, remembering that Nivens claimed he never confessed to his parents about himself.
"Yes… It really is a shame that he seems to lack so much courage considering he's positively brilliant. If we were actually blood related I might suggest he inherited my father's witt." She noticed the girls stiffen slightly.
"You think he's like Lucent Picto?" Olive asked in a way that matched Claire's easygoing tone, but still showed her concern.
"Oh, yes… You'll have to forgive me, but I cannot condemn my father as everyone wishes me to." She took Orelon's arm before continuing. "I agree completely that what he did was terrible, but he was still my father and I loved him dearly. He used to be considered one of Remnant's greatest, you know, founding both a company and a city outside the kingdoms while raising me on his own because my mother left him for being too ambitious. My father was the reason that scrolls were invented, so I don't believe all of a man's great qualities should be forgotten because of a fault in judgment." Claire sighed, "Unfortunately many people don't share my philosophy."
"So, um…" Amelia fidgeted in her desk, "Sorry, nevermind."
"Are you certain?" Amelia nodded silently, she was embarrassed for drawing so much unnecessary attention. "Alright then." The room was quiet for a while until Claire changed the topic, "If you don't mind I'd rather like to learn a bit more about you ladies." All three agreed and talked about themselves in turn. Olive was very open about her family, but they all noticed Claire was biting her tongue to avoid sharing her opinion on the Braz Clan. The other two talked more about their school life than home. As Riliane shared she could feel Orelon's harsh gaze. It seemed like he was about to ask her something when they all heard a squeaky gasp.
"Fa-father what're-" Xanthic's initial shock passed as he noticed Claire was also present. "Mom… What are um… Why are you here?" He stood up and despite his shaking leg, had perfect posture as he adjusted his shirt to look more presentable.
"We were in town for our annual meeting with the Vale branch, so I thought we might stop by after speaking with Ozpin." Claire explained to him. "Sorry if I'm being too bothersome, but I just really wanted to see how you were doing. And your teammates all seem highly capable, I'm a little surprised you don't talk about them more."
"Right, um, sorry I guess…"
"Nono, I don't mean... Well I suppose it's partially my fault for not asking more often." She saw Xanthic was still really uncomfortable with the situation and walked over to hug him. "It's good to see you again, Sweetie," She said quietly. His reaction to her touch was the complete opposite of when Riliane attempted to comfort him. His body relaxed completely and he even wrapped his arms around her in return.
"Good to see you too, mom…"
Claire lightly ruffled the top of his head before she stepped back and addressed the others. "Perhaps as an apology for intruding we could treat you ladies to a meal?" With no reason to refuse, they accepted the offer.
"Perhaps you should invite the other four," Orelon suggested to her. "You wished to meet them as well, did you not?"
"Oh, you're right, Dear. Team CODE I think you referred to them as," She turned to Xanthic briefly to check. He nodded and she continued. "It won't be much of an apology then, but would you mind if we asked them to come along as well?"
"Not at all," Riliane answered.
Olive giggled, "The more the merrier, right?"
"I'm glad we agree on that," Claire chuckled.
Xanthic's heart skipped as he realized something. "Um, d-don't you think it'll be difficult to find somewhere to seat so many people without a reservation?"
"Hm…" She thought for a moment. "Oh! That café we went to last year. Would you mind calling them, Orelon?"
"Of course, My Dear. I will wait for you with Jasper." He kissed her cheek before leaving the room.
"Shall we then?" Claire asked after Xanthic hid his ears with a black and yellow hat.
"Yeah, CODE's room is just a few halls down," Amelia lead the way.
Claire had struck up a conversation with Riliane about her parents as they walked. Their discussion and journey were cut short as they ran into the four they were looking for. "What great timing," Riliane smiled. "We were just heading to your dorm."
"What for?" Eve asked while Celeste eyed up Claire.
"Mrs. Picto?" The short girl wondered aloud.
"Just Claire, if you don't mind." She held her hand out, "It's a pleasure. You're Evelyn, right?"
"No, that's Eve." She gestured at her teammate.
"Oh, sorry. I'm afraid my husband is better with names than I am. It's Celeste then?"
"That's right," They shook hands. "This is D'art and-" Celeste sighed as she saw her partner smirk.
"I'm Owen." Claire had to take a moment to process the new voice in her head.
"Right, Xanthic told me about your semblance. It really is something spectacular, never having to wonder what others are thinking."
"Yeah, but you often hear too much. Like how you're thinking about my tail."
"I'm sorry, please believe that I meant no offense-"
"I know. Don't worry about it."
"Thank you, Owen."
"Nah, I just figure you can't be that bad if the first thought your son had when we met was about how awesome my arm is." He flexed and the two chuckled. "He can get annoying occasionally, but to each their own, right?"
"I certainly hope he hasn't caused you any trouble. I know he sometimes acts a bit out of character and speaks without restraint."
"Yeah…" Owen thought about the last time Nivens showed up. "Everybody needs some sort of release when things get bottled up."
"You might have a point there. This sounds a bit pathetic coming from his mother, but I wish he would just say what he's thinking in the first place." She sighed but clapped her hands and a smile was on her face again, "Sorry about that."
"No worries," Celeste said. "So why were you looking for us?"
"Ah, right. I was going to ask if you wouldn't mind joining us for a meal, my treat of course."
"That'd be great, we were just going down to the cafeteria."
"Well we were planning on going a bit further out, I hope that doesn't damper your own plans."
"Not at all. I'm sure wherever you've chosen has far better food than here."
"Is the food here that bad?" Claire asked as they began walking out.
"Not really, it just gets a bit repetitive."
"Hey, Cel?" D'art asked.
"What?"
"Why're you acting like that?"
"I'm not sure what you're talking about."
"You're being super formal. What, do you really care about first impressions that much?"
"Aren't you just caring too little? You kinda represent an entire country here."
"Yeah, but it's better to have an honest impression than not actually getting to know anything about someone."
Claire nodded, "While I tend to agree with that sentiment, D'art, there are many people who prefer formalities." She smiled, "Ms. Shade, if this apparent act is because of our families, then I'd like to assure you that I have no quarrels with the Komoris. In fact, I've never been one to support violence, but one must appreciate the quality of their craftsmanship."
"Of course, you can't find a sword like a Komori Blade anywhere else." She said proudly.
"Yes, though I still wish there wasn't a need for anyone to cary blades. But that's just a little fantasy of mine, as long as the Grimm are around we'll still need huntsmen and huntresses." Wanting to change the topic, Claire looked at D'art, "Since you brought it up, would you mind telling me about The Ridge? I've never found the opportunity to visit."
He laughed, full of pride, "Where to begin…"
D'art was able to go on about his homeland until they reached Beacon's air dock and were greeted by Orelon and a young man with orange hair that was held back by a pair of brown goggles. He wore a dark purple vest over a black dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up. "Let's see if I can get this right," The man weaved his fingers together to crack his knuckles and pointed to each of the students in order. "Twintails is Ms. Avadona, Olive's got two-toned hair, the ursa pelt belongs to the Guardsman D'artagnan, black braids is Eve, Owen's got Atlesian enhancements, the shortest is Ms. Shade, and scarfie is... Amethyst?"
"It's Amelia actually," She corrected him and noticed Celeste was containing herself from getting upset about the short comment.
"Oh, my bad, miss." He extended a leather-gloved hand to her, "I'll remember it this time, Amelia."
She accepted his handshake awkwardly, "And um, you are?"
"Right, sorry 'bout that." He bowed slightly and spoke to the group as a whole, "I'm Jasper, the Picto family's pilot."
"Pardon me," Orelon spoke up, "But shall we get going?"
"Of course sir." Jasper opened the door at the front of the ship and jumped into the cockpit. A moment later the wooden panel of wall in front of them folded down. Olive was the first to go in with a 'wow,' then Xanthic followed. He helped Riliane and Amelia up. His friends were surprised by two things; that the ship still had plenty of room after everyone boarded and that Xanthic seemed so genuinely happy to be inside. The trip into Vale was brief, but Xanthic was still able to show off his favourite feature of the ship; that it could fly with the entire wall still folded down. They all quickly realized that the reason he was fidgety on their flight to The Ridge was because he didn't like closed rooms, but he apparently loved flying and heights.
They all maintained casual conversation until arriving at their destination. It was an elegant balcony café. A large pearl colored awning provided shelter from the bright sun while still allowing ample light. Half of the circular tables were arranged in a circular pattern that made them look like flower petals. They sat in an order; Orelon next to Claire, then Xanthic next to her with Riliane on his other side, Celeste was quick to take the next seat, D'art sat between her and Eve, with Owen, Amelia and Olive filling in the last three chairs. Everyone ordered their own drink along with a dessert and the conversation resumed.
Currently the students were sharing about their class trip to La Crête and Owen couldn't contain himself anymore and had to ask, "Excuse me, Orelon. I've been wondering about something for a while now, when we were at The Ridge a man approached us named Basil. He said he was a friend of yours."
"I see," Orelon leaned back in his seat. "Well, first of all, I would greatly prefer that you not refer to me so familiarly." "Secondly, it is quite rude to invade one's mind after asking a question," He made eye contact with Owen, "I am perfectly willing to answer your questions."
"Sorry, Mr. Picto," Owen laughed nervously, "Bit of a habit."
"Anyways, 'friend' really is not an accurate term to describe our relationship. I assume you brought him up because of his unique perspective on faunus, which I will to assure you I do not share, though it is understandable to some extent."
Amelia attempted to conceal her sudden anger, "Sorry if this is rude, but do you find Humanity's perspective to be understandable as well?"
"Naturally I do not believe that the eradication of faunus is even remotely a condonable concept. If one were to ignore for a moment the absurd morality required, it is hardly plausible without declaring a full scale war, which we've already seen as a faunus victory."
It was Claire who continued from that, "But it was that same war that I can understand why there are some people that will hold grudges against the faunus."
"Because they decided to fight back?" Owen asked.
"When speaking of Mantal do you feel rage for their greed? Or rather pity at their economic state?"
"What do you mean?"
"Your generation is almost completely unaffected by the Faunus War now, but it was a war. Humans and faunus killed each other and it can be difficult to forgive those that took away your loved ones." She turned to Orelon, who was still perfectly composed.
He let out a short sigh, "My father was a huntsman recruited near the end of the war. He was killed and his body was never recovered. So I believe you will have to forgive me if I can sympathise to some extent with those that dislike your race."
Riliane grew anxious from the hostility growing around them, "I'm sorry about your father, sir. Maybe it'd be best if we found something else to talk about?"
"This has gotten far too dark for our first meeting," Claire agreed. "I feel like we've learned so much about you all that we should share more about ourselves… Hmm…" She tried to sort through her usual topics of conversation which were business, politics, Xanthic's schooling, and books she's read.
"What about how the two of you met?" Riliane suggested. "I mean Mistral and Keshiki can't be much farther away from each other."
"Oh," She lit up. "Would you care to tell them, dear, or should I?"
"You are far better at telling that story than I am," Orelon answered.
Claire smiled, "Well then, it's actually thanks to the faunus war when you think about it. My father decided to hold a banquette after Keshiki was officially recovered and invited our business partners along with other important families from around remnant. Orelon's family was included on that list, but both of his parents had already passed and it was actually our first time meeting." She giggled, "He was completely stiff from nerves when he approached me to introduce himself. I just had to accept his offer to dance, but it was almost as if the orchestra knew that we'd be married one day and they started playing a slow song. His face turned such a shade of pink I wasn't sure how much more attractive he could get. I'm not sure if Xanthic's mentioned this before, but our home is on the edge of the forest, so we often have a few guards to take care of wandering grimm. It just so happened that that night an Ursa Major attacked. While everyone else was panicking, Orelon moved without thinking. He took two swords from the coat of arms we used to have hanging and the way he fought was so masterful, each movement was so precise and purposeful, I think nearly every woman there fell in love. My father spoke to him for a moment and after finding out his brain was just as exorcised as his body, offered for him to stay with us and gave him a job in the company. It made me kind of sad that he moved out so soon, but apparently he wanted to be self sufficient before officially asking me to go on a date. He finally proposed after four years."
Two of the three faunus at the table were still uncertain about how Claire could speak so naturally about her father. Eve was giving her the benefit of the doubt, though, because Xanthic thought so highly of her. "If it was your first time meeting," Celeste asked, "Then why were you so nervous?"
"That is because until the moment I laid my eyes upon Claire I never believed in love at first sight," Orelon explained frankly. "Truthfully, I had no faith in love whatsoever. Yet a mere glance at her smile lit a flame in my heart that still burns today." He noticed Celeste quickly glance at Riliane before looking away, both of them had a blush. Orelon nodded once to himself before addressing D'art, who was trying to contain his chuckling. "Is there something I said that you find humorous?"
"Sorry, I was just… I was thinking about how popular Xanthic would be with the ladies if he talked like you."
"Hm," He completely ignored that it was meant to be a joke, "I expected his mannerisms to differ while here; however, Xanthic has always been popular among women around his age."
"Wha- Really?" As they went on Xanthic blushed and looked down.
"I don't understand why you're so surprised," Claire laughed. "My son is a perfect gentleman and an excellent dancer. Besides being so considerate of others, he is positively brilliant. I already know my company will be in good hands."
Orelon curled his gloved fingers around her hand and spoke in a low voice, "You should not speak as if you approbate your mortality, my dear."
"You fret too much, dear." Claire kissed her husband on the cheek, but then noticed Xanthic's leg shaking and shifted her focus. "Are you alright, Sweetie?"
"S-sorry!" Xanthic jumped in his seat as she touched his shoulder. "I-I, um, sorry…"
Claire frowned, "We could discuss something else if you'd prefer?"
"Coul-could I um…" He swallowed and kept his head bowed, "Might I be excused for a moment?"
"I suppose so," She watched sadly as he quickly fled from the tables. "Has he been like that often?"
"Yeah…" Riliane admitted. "On the occasions he doesn't run we usually end up in a fight…"
"Oh dear… That doesn't happen often, does it?"
"It used to be at least, but I think we finally have everything cleared up between us."
"I see… I certainly hope you haven't been pushing him too hard. Xanthic's always had difficulty with confrontation, so if there's a misunderstanding it'll tend to fester." Claire sighed, "I just wish there was something I could do so he'd trust me more."
"You don't need to do anything."
"Pardon?"
"Xanthic already trusts you more than anyone else," Riliane explained. "He- well he didn't tell me that, but he avoids letting anybody touch him. Earlier today though, when you hugged him, he stopped thumping the floor and I could sense his shoulders relax."
"You are surprisingly perceptive, Ms. Avadona." Orelon said blatantly.
"Dear," Claire whispered to him, "Saying something like that…"
"Right, my apologies," He didn't look apologetic at all. "My intention was nothing more than a compliment."
"I know," Riliane forced a smile, "And thank you. By the way," Her smile became more genuine, "On your wrists, those are cufflinks, right? They have an interesting shape."
"So you can even identify the detail of something so small?" He raised his right arm up so the others could see what they were talking about.
"Yep, though that's really only because they're made of metal."
"I see. Then Xanthic's explanation was accurate."
"What do you mean?"
"Despite having a sound oriented ability himself, he was rather timid while describing your semblance to us."
"It is a bit complicated, I think. Or at least it's just difficult to explain, it'd be the same as any of you trying to describe color to me."
"The mechanics are simplistic; however, your perception itself is what intrigues me most."
"You sound more like a scientist than a businessman," Olive joked.
"Is that so?"
"Orelon's always been the inquisitive type," Claire explained proudly. "I once found him in the middle of the night reverse engineering our holographic screen projector."
"They were still a rarity at that time," He pointed out.
"It is amazing, though, how much technology advances in only a few years," She said thoughtfully.
"Sorry about that," The students were unsure for a moment if it was Xanthic or Nivens who came back.
"It's alright, Sweetie." Claire's face was full of concern, "You're not feeling ill, are you?'
"No, I'm fine. I think it's just… being at Beacon, and especially because of Humanity, I've been thinking about…" He smiled at her with his eyes closed, "Nevermind, you shouldn't worry about it. I'm fine, I promise."
She sighed softly, "Alright then…"
Silence passed as no one knew how to break the current atmosphere.
Orelon used two fingers to uncover his watch, "Pardon, I must regretfully take my leave. It was… Interesting to meet all of you, farewell." He stood and kissed Claire before walking away.
"Where's he going?" Olive asked.
"I don't recall exactly," Claire told them. "He had scheduled a meeting of some sort today."
"Without you?" Riliane asked.
"Aren't you above him, businesswise?" Celeste added.
"That's all the more reason," Claire explained. "Does your uncle oversee every transaction, Celeste? Riliane, do both your parents go over each individual document?" Celeste gave a quiet 'no' and Riliane stayed silent. "Work needs to be appropriately delegated out in order to be efficient."
"Shouldn't you at least know what his meeting's about?" D'art questioned.
She shook her head lightly, "I'm simply not that good at remembering factual information like that. Names and dates are often lost on me, unless I take the effort to actively memorize them."
"Wouldn't that make things kind of difficult?" Amelia asked carefully.
"Sometimes, but Orelon is so patient and helpful. As both an employee and my husband, I really am lucky to have him."
Owen noticed Nivens roll his eyes, "Doesn't look like you agree with her."
"She could do so much better," Nivens thought back. "I'm honestly surprised he was willing to leave her alone with all of us."
"H-he's not that bad," Xanthic added, "Just kinda scary…"
"Creepy and annoying are more like it. He had you cooped up in the library so often you've read every book they own."
"I learn better that way though…"
The two began just going back and forth with each other like that, so Owen quickly lost interest. After checking to confirm his hunch on Celeste's current thoughts he turned to his other teammate. Eve was looking at her tea that was only half empty, "Are you alright?"
She looked up to meet his gaze briefly, "This'll sound weird, but it felt like he was staring at me."
"Orelon? Yeah, I thought I noticed him looking at you an awful lot considering you never said anything to him."
"Is there any chance you were able to pick up anything from him?"
"Sorry, his mind's set up a lot like Vincent's. He has almost perfect control."
"Almost?"
"Yeah, the one thing I can tell you for certain is that he's completely in love with Claire. He never stopped thinking about her. Everything he said, he was thinking about how she would react."
"Is that what love is like?"
"I think it's just him," Owen shrugged. "I've never met anybody who thinks like him before."
With Eve no longer responding to him he peered next into the mind of Claire. Her thoughts were organised, but they were out in the open. "I shouldn't have let the conversation stop like this. Oh, how did we manage to get to such unpleasant topics? I just wanted to share a meal and get to know them all better. Perhaps I can still salvage this, but the longer it takes to think of what to say the more awkward it'll be."
Owen smiled with content, there's no way somebody with such honest thoughts like that could ever be purposefully harmful. "Maybe since it's nice out today, we could hang out in the park for awhile?"
Amelia nodded silently and Riliane smiled, "The sun does feel good today." Celeste was quick to jump on board with the plan after that and nobody else argued with the idea. They headed out after finishing the little remains of their food.
With the more freeing setting almost everyone was more comfortable and they were able to have a normal conversation.
The sun began getting low and after insisting on paying for dinner Claire walked them back to the airfield. Xanthic hugged his mother goodnight and the students all boarded, all except Eve that is. She looked Claire in the eyes, "Would you mind if I spoke with you for a moment?"
"Of course not," She held a hand up telling Jasper to wait. "What is it Evelyn?"
Eve stepped away from the airship a bit, "I wanted to say thank you."
"There's no need. Today really was more for my own satisfaction," Claire chuckled.
"That's not what I meant," Eve shook her head slightly and Claire became somewhat confused. "I found out the other day that Xanthic ran into an old friend of mine and… You see she just needs…" She sighed, "I don't know what she needs actually. But Xanthic took care of her, went out to eat and paid for a hotel. Even though I know he had no reason to, he probably doesn't even like her. He said he only did that because of how you raised him though, so I wanted to say thank you."
"Oh, I see… Well, I suppose you're welcome then. Really though, if Xanthic doing that was so monumental in her life, I think all she needs would be spending more time with the friend who cares so much about her, they would give a heartfelt thanks to the mother of someone who helped them."
"It's not that simple with her…" Eve said looking down.
"If I may, Evelyn," No objection was given, "Often when things seem the most complicated an easy solution works best." Their eyes met again and her smile was able to reassure Eve, if only a little bit. "You should probably be on your way now."
"Right, um… Goodnight Mrs. Picto." Eve went back to the ship and joined the others in waving goodbye while mentally insisting to Owen that he shouldn't worry about what they talked about.
