Hello, everyone, and happy Friday. We're back with our favorite trader duo: Roman and Neo! Enjoy!
"Well, now!" Roman declared when he saw Yang, Weiss, Nora, and Ren approaching his wagon. "Three young ladies? This must be my lucky day. Or, is it your lucky day?" he added, looking at Ren with a sly wink.
Ren was slightly taken aback by the trader's manner, but recovered quickly. "No, one's enough for me," he replied, ruffling Nora's hair.
"Oh, stop!" Nora giggled and batted his hand away, her face immediately turning pink.
Roman laughed. "Smart man. Sometimes, one is all you can handle."
Neo, who had slipped quietly out of the wagon and approached without the others noticing, rolled her eyes. "You certainly learned that in the last town with those two street girls you picked up."
"Now, now, Neo!" Roman said, tapping Neo's shoulder with his cane. "The customers don't want to hear that story."
"I do!" Yang said immediately.
"Yeah, me too!" Nora added.
"Honestly, you two." Weiss shook her head despairingly.
"Information like that costs money," Roman said, tapping his nose smartly. "Speaking of which, what's your pleasure today? More books for your friend, princess?"
Both Yang and Nora started snickering. Ren decided to save Weiss from the long bout of teasing he sensed was coming. "Sir, do you sell maple syrup, by any chance?"
"I certainly do! I supply syrup extracted from the western forests, where the sugar maples grow like weeds. I also carry honey from some of the finest apiaries, if you're interested. Take a gander." Roman led Ren to the wagon and pointed toward a shelf inside that contained various bottles and jars.
"Mister Torchwick," Weiss said once Ren started looking through the wares. "There is some information I'd like to buy." She withdrew a silver coin and a map of Remnant she had taken from her father's library. "Someone we know wishes to leave Vale, and do so discreetly. Sadly, we know little of surrounding areas: whether or not there are werewolves or Grimm, where there are more dense human or Faunus populations, etcetera." She held out the coin. "I hope this pays for your advice, as well as your discretion on the matter."
Roman took the coin and eyed it carefully before pocketing it. "You have my word," he said, tipping his hat. "And it's just Roman to you, my dear." He spread out the map and looked at it, tapping his chin. "Mind if I mark this up?"
"Not at all." There were several maps in the Schnee household. Weiss had purposefully taken one of the shabby ones, so that her father wouldn't notice its absence. She had also double checked to make sure it wasn't one of the antiques.
Yang and Nora were chatting with Neo, so Weiss decided to browse through Roman's wares, excluding the books, of course. For a modest peddler, he had many good items. There was a box of different perfumes, a few of which could have easily come from Weiss's own collection. There were silk scarves in various colors. There were also more modest, mundane items such as soaps and cooking equipment.
Her eye fell on a box of small, paper packages. She picked one up, reading the hand-drawn label. "Chocolate Cake," it said. Another one said "Shortbread."
Neo noticed Weiss's interest and walked over. "We call those Sweet Mixes. Just add half to a whole cup of milk, follow the instructions, and you have lovely baked goods within minutes. Provided you have a stove and the correct pan, of course."
"I see." An idea occurred to Weiss and she started looking through the packets in earnest. Though she had the ingredients at home, going about the process of baking a batch of cookies all of a sudden would likely arouse suspicion from her father. However, with just a package of mixture, she could easily bake some and be out of the house before he got home from his duties. How long has Ruby gone without cookies by this point? she wondered.
Upon finding a packet marked "Chocolate Cookies," she turned to Neo. Roman was still poring over the map, making marks with a charcoal pencil. "Can I pay you?"
"Of course. Just the one, then?" At Weiss's nod, she held out her hand. "Two coppers, please."
Weiss had to fish through her purse to find copper coins, as she usually carried only silver or gold. "Thank you very much," she said as she handed over the money.
"I hope you enjoy them." Neo nodded courteously. "Let me know if you need anything else." With that, she returned to her conversation with Yang and Nora.
Yang, of course, was obviously flirting with the small merchant. Weiss could tell even from where she stood by her friend's stance and grin. She shrugged and decided to let it be. Just as long as she doesn't get too serious. She'd only be hurt if she fell for someone who has to travel so often. Roman will probably go elsewhere by the beginning of summer.
Ren emerged from the cart holding two bottles of syrup and a jar of what looked like molasses. Noticing Weiss's inquisitive stare, he handed her the jar. "Buckwheat honey. It has a darker taste than regular honey, and is really hard to come by."
"In that case, I can buy it for you," Weiss offered. "It's no problem."
"I have enough. I checked the price tag. But, thanks anyway." Ren noticed the package. "Will that be for Ruby?" he asked, lowering his voice.
"Well, she probably doesn't get the chance to eat them now." Weiss glanced at the package, smiling as she thought of how happy Ruby would be when they met next time.
"It's a good thing Nora wasn't the one turned," Ren murmured. "I don't think she'd be able to live without pancakes."
"True." Weiss heard Roman cough behind her. "Excuse me." She went over to Roman, looking at the map, which was now covered in various marks and notes.
"Well, here's all I know," Roman said, pointing at the map. "The shaded areas are parts known for having lots of Grimm or werewolves. I circled the safest towns and made boxes around less-populated areas that are also relatively safe. I wouldn't recommend they go north of the mountains. I don't know what's there. Over here is a stretch of forest no one goes through, since there's supposed to be a huge werewolf pack there. And I marked the best roads to travel, as well as some waterways if they want to go by boat. Can you read my handwriting?"
"Yes, it's very legible," Weiss said, looking at the map once more before folding it. "Thank you. This will be very helpful."
"For a whole silver piece, I hope so." Roman grinned. "You know, in my line of work, I've only seen two kinds of rich people: the stingy kind and the generous kind. Glad you're of the latter category."
"Well, being stingy doesn't make many friends," Weiss replied with a smile. "Thank you again for your help, Mister-uh, I mean Roman."
"My pleasure." Roman tipped his hat. "I hope you and your friends visit again soon." He noticed Ren hovering in the background. "Ah, made your decision, did you?" He eyed the bottles and jar. "Found the buckwheat, huh? Good choice. That'll be four silvers."
Ren paid Roman and called over his shoulder. "Nora, you are not allowed to drink this syrup or honey until it's on an actual pancake, okay?"
"Okay, Ren!" Nora chirped while crossing her fingers behind her back.
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, the group bid farewell to the merchants and went back to town. Weiss slipped the folded map into her bag along with the cookie mix. She knew Jaune was drawing up plans for the best days to visit the werewolves. Once she knew when they'd be meeting next, she'd bake the cookies right away.
Imagining the way Ruby's eyes would light up when she saw the treats caused Weiss to smile to herself during the entire walk home.
…
Jaune glanced at several pieces of paper, where he had noted the different days and nights when larger Grimm/werewolf hunts were scheduled. He also looked at the calendar to see what days were ideal for daytime hunting and which ones were less likely to have impromptu Grimm hunts. Jotting down a few notes, he eyed the paper he was currently writing on. It looked like the next day they could meet would be two days away. After that, they'd have to wait three more days.
He breathed an inward sigh. This would be so much easier if they didn't have to sneak everywhere.
Once again, he remembered his conversation with Pyrrha, and how much she wanted to bridge the gap between werewolves, humans, and Faunus. A smile came to his face as he imagined having the luxury of visiting his friends whenever he had free time, without worrying about the Church or Elders condemning him.
Ruby and Blake would even be able to come home, if they wanted to. The image of Ruby walking down the streets at night as a wolf entered his mind, and it was so absurd, he let out a short laugh. That would definitely be something.
He was glad that Pyrrha would probably be able to come to most of these secret meetings, though he hated the thought of her being isolated by her own pack. Even though he hadn't known her for very long, she was one of the nicest people he'd ever met. Why couldn't her pack just see that and forget about all that stupid "destiny" talk?
If we do manage to make peace, she could live in Vale, he thought. Building her a small house near the woods would be easy enough. And she'd get along well with almost everyone. I can see Velvet liking her a lot.
The sound of thumping feet outside his room jolted him from his thoughts, and he quickly shoved his papers into the drawer of his desk. His little sister Jenny opened the door.
"Jaune, Mom says it's time for dinner."
"Coming." Jaune got up and followed Jenny to the dining room.
The Arc household was one of the few homes in Vale that had multiple rooms and more than one floor. The Schnee home was the only one bigger, which was ironic considering the fact that only two people lived there.
Jaune sat down at the table, smiling as the scent of stewed venison and mashed potatoes wafted over him. He bowed his head as his father said a brief grace.
"For the bounty of God and the Maidens, may we be truly grateful. Amen."
All was silent for a few minutes, except for the muffled chewing of ten people. Eventually, Jaune's mother spoke.
"Jaune, we've noticed that you've been out of the house a lot more often lately. Going on extra hunts, disappearing for hours…"
Jaune barely kept from freezing in the act of putting some potatoes into his mouth. Thankfully, he had the presence of mind to just look mildly surprised. "Well, I'm a Hunter. It's my job."
"You've been doing twice the work I've been doing," Mary said. "That's saying something."
"We know you're still mourning Ruby and Blake," Jaune's father said. "It's understandable, trust me. Throwing yourself into your work is one of the best ways to handle grief. However, if you overexert yourself, you or your teammates could end up badly hurt, or worse."
"We're fine, guys," Jaune protested. "I'm trained in healing, remember?"
His mother smiled gently at him. "Just promise you'll be careful. I know you're a grown man, but I'm still your mother. I'm allowed to worry."
Jaune returned his mother's smile. "Okay, Mom. I'll be careful. Honestly, the extra work has been good for me."
"That's good," his father declared, taking another helping of venison. "Many Huntsmen fall into depression when they lose friends, and don't do anything for a long time. It's good to remain productive. You do still have a duty, after all."
"You can also talk to us about it, if you need to," Mary added. The other sisters nodded adamantly in agreement.
"You can have my dessert, if you want," Jenny offered, her young face earnest and serious.
Jaune gently ruffled her hair. "Thanks, Jenny. You can eat your share, though. You need the sugar if you want to grow big and strong like Nora."
Jenny grinned. "Nora's the best. I hope nothing bad happens to her when you're hunting." She went back to her food, oblivious to the somber mood that hung over the table in response to her innocent words.
Jaune thought of his team. They had come close to losing Ruby and Blake, and the danger of their profession was still very real. In all the planning and sneaking they were doing, it was easy to forget that. "Me too, Jenny," he muttered. "Me too."
I just love writing Roman and Neo as good guys. Roman just reminds me of Doctor Drakken from Kim Possible in so many ways. He'd be a slightly more intimidating, semi-murdery Doctor Drakken, but still! He's that villain everyone wants to see turn into a snarky good guy.
I saw the Volume 4 trailer, and am very hyped. I'm a bit split on the animation. On one hand, the Grimm and scenery look freaking gorgeous. On the other, the way the humans' faces look will take a bit of getting used to. It's not bad, by any means. Just different. I also like that they seem to be making the fights a bit more stylized. Since Monty's raw genius with detailed fight scenes will probably never be replicated, it makes sense to me why they'd go that route. That way, the fights will still look good in their own way, even though they won't be Monty-good.
Anyway, praise Monty and peace out!