Werewolf Friday is back, my homies! We're getting into the good stuff now. The stuff I was really looking forward to typing. Prepare for character interaction and more world-building! WHOO! Enjoy.

Pyrrha stared at the village through the trees, eyes wide, heart thumping harder than she could ever remember it doing before. This is it, she thought. I'm going into a human village for the first time. Excitement and fear warred for dominance within her.

It had been decided that the werewolves that hadn't grown up with much experience with civilization should be introduced to their first village bit by bit, with one of the humans or recently-changed werewolves escorting them each time. This particular village, known as Burgundy, was a common spot for travelers to stop and rest, so people were less likely to be nervous. Pyrrha, as the leader, had volunteered to go first.

Would the villagers be able to tell that she was a werewolf, simply due to her other-ness? Would any children scream when they saw her? Would they be killed at their first stop?

Then again, what if that didn't happen? She imagined walking down a gravel road, tasting fresh baked goods, and seeing these strange houses up close.

"Hey." Jaune touched her arm, causing her to start slightly. "Sorry. Seriously though, you don't need to worry. The clothes Roman gave you are fine, and Weiss did a good job of brushing your hair. Honestly, you don't look too different from most traders. They're supposed to be a bit rugged."

Pyrrha smiled hesitantly. "You really think I look okay?"

"Better than okay!" Jaune insisted. "I'll stay with you, so don't worry." He held out a hand. "Ready?"

Pyrrha took his hand, immediately taking comfort in the warm, calloused palm as it pressed against hers. "As ready as I'll ever be."

They stepped out of the trees and onto the path leading into the village. A few people glanced up as they passed. "Relax," Jaune murmured. "They're more likely to notice how nervous you are than anything."

"I'm sorry." Pyrrha took a deep breath and tried to stand up straighter, loosening her grip on Jaune's hand just a bit. Her nose twitched as a multitude of new scents hit it: freshly-cut wood, sweet, sugary goods being made in some of the places, and a strange stinging scent that Roman had explained was alcohol.

And then there were the people. The humans and Faunus had such strange, wonderful, alien smells. Any werewolf could easily spend a week just following each person and memorizing the differences between their scents. She had a feeling, however, that doing so would probably give away what she was.

As they passed what was obviously a bakery, Pyrrha couldn't help stopping dead in her tracks as a warm aroma nearly caused her to swoon.

Jaune noticed her expression and laughed. "Nothing like the smell of fresh bread, huh?"

"It's wonderful," Pyrrha breathed.

"Want to buy some?" Jaune asked. When Pyrrha hesitated, he added: "You'll have to go into buildings at some point. I'll do most of the talking."

Pyrrha nodded slowly. "Okay."

Jaune pushed the door open with his free hand and led Pyrrha in. A man behind a counter looked up and grinned. Warmth wafted from the giant ovens behind him. "Well, hey there! Haven't seen you passing through here before." He eyed Jaune's armor. "Ah, a Huntsman. Your kind are always welcome here."

"Good to know," Jaune replied, smiling easily. "We were just walking by and had to know what that delicious smell was."

"That'll be my special raisin loaf, made with the finest cinnamon." The man pointed to a steaming loaf that sat on a wooden board. "If you're okay to wait a few minutes, I'll cut you some fresh slices."

"Sounds good." Jaune gave Pyrrha's hand an encouraging squeeze and leaned against one of the walls.

Pyrrha followed suit, her eyes darting around. She knew that there was nothing to be afraid of, but it was so strange being in such an enclosed area. There were only a few windows, and the one door. At least it smells nice.

"What about you, missy?" the man continued as he started pulling some more wonderful-smelling items from his oven. "You a Huntress?"

Pyrrha started. "Um, no." Thankfully, Roman had coached the werewolves extensively concerning the story they would be telling people. "I'm an apprentice trader. I, and a few others, are learning from Roman Torchwick."

The baker cocked an eyebrow. "Eh? That old scoundrel's taking apprentices now, huh?" He chuckled, shaking his head. "Well, take some advice from me, missy: You look like a nice girl. Don't go picking up all of that rascal's bad habits, okay?"

Pyrrha managed a smile. "I'll keep that in mind."

"Those books he sells are something else. Not that I've ever read them, of course. The titles alone would be enough to make my granddad drop dead on the spot." The baker started setting what looked like scones on another wood pad. "Is that why you've got a Huntsman with you?"

"Yes," Jaune replied, deciding to give Pyrrha a break from talking. "My group and I are from Atlas, and there's a bit of a surplus of Huntsmen there, so we decided to hire ourselves out to people who need us. Right now, we're protecting Roman while he gets his apprentices trained." Since Atlas was so far to the north, it was unlikely that anyone would be able to check and see what the actual number of Huntsmen there was.

"How's the pay?"

"Not too bad. Half of it is in food and access to his wagon. He has a lot of good stuff there."

The baker pointed a finger at Jaune. "Don't tell me you're reading those dirty books!"

Jaune laughed, holding up his hands. "Not me. My friend loves them, though. I prefer reading about heroes' quests and battles."

"Ah yes, nothing like a good old story about heroes and monsters," the baker sighed. "Read one a few months back about a fella who went after this vampire lord that murdered his family. Had some good fights in it. I wish I could remember the author's name…" He shrugged as he started slicing into the bread. "There's the stuff. I got a bit of butter, if you're fixing to eat some of these right away."

Jaune took some coins from his pocket. "We'll take two buttered slices, and another whole loaf for our friends, please. Make it another warm one, if you can."

"Will do!"

While the baker set about getting their food ready, Pyrrha took a look at the other items. There were pale twists of bread that looked like braided hair. There were dark brown squares that smelled like the chocolate cookies Ruby had been given by Weiss that one time. There were light, fluffy things that smelled sweet, but in a way that was gentler than chocolate. She wished she could taste everything.

The baker set two slices on the counter, each bearing a generous amount of butter. He placed a wrapped parcel that held the loaf. "There you go. Enjoy, and tell your friends to stop by. Except for Roman. He'll get thrown in the oven if he shows his face here." The twinkle in his eye hinted that he was probably joking about that last part.

Pyrrha took her slice and smiled. "Thank you."

"You're very welcome, missy. Have a good one."

Despite the friendliness of the baker, Pyrrha let out a small sigh of relief once she was outside once again. She wasted no time in taking a bite of the bread. Her eyes widened. It was warm, like freshly-killed prey, but tasted and felt entirely different. It was mostly soft, but the crust crinkled pleasantly under her teeth. The sweetness of the brown swirls, which she guessed was the "cinnamon," was unlike anything she had ever eaten in the wild. The small, black, berry-like things burst slightly in her mouth, creating a sweet tang that melded perfectly with the rest of the bread. And the butter… Sweet Moon, why didn't werewolves have access to anything like butter?

Jaune took a few bites of his slice, watching Pyrrha out of the corner of his eye. There was an expression of sheer bliss on her face, and he immediately promised himself that he'd do everything he could to show her every good thing possible about life as a human.

They walked through the town, looking at everything they could. Pyrrha was stunned at the vibrant flower gardens that surrounded some of the wealthier houses. She especially loved the rose bushes. Beautiful, but dangerous. And they smell so good…

They went through the center of town, where several market stands were set up. Pyrrha looked at everything, and had to be regularly reminded by Jaune that they were traveling with a trader and didn't have to buy every good-smelling thing they saw. One thing that surprised her was the fact that there were several people selling meat, either fresh or dried and salted, and animal pelts.

"Do people really pay for them rather than just hunting them on their own?" she wondered.

"Not everyone can hunt like a wolf," Jaune murmured.

"I see." Pyrrha looked at the stands. Hm. If we made sure to not bite our prey and only kill with our claws, the pack could potentially make some extra money. She didn't know much about money, but she guessed that a few good deer pelts would probably be enough to get at least half of a loaf of that wonderful bread. She mentioned this to Jaune, who, to her surprise, laughed. "What's so funny?"

Jaune shook his head, trying to suppress his laughter. "Sorry, sorry. You should probably let me handle any money-related things, though."

"Was I wrong?" She tilted her head.

"A bit. If we got a really good deer pelt, it would definitely get us more than a loaf of bread," Jaune assured her. "And that's for just one."

"Oh." Pyrrha looked at the stands again. "I suppose humans value things differently."

"I guess so." Jaune nodded. Truthfully, he hadn't really thought about it before, but it made sense that werewolves would value seemingly mundane things like bread while treating things like pelts and fresh meat as commonplace. There really is so much we can learn from each other. "So, what else would you like to see?"

Over the course of the day, Pyrrha had found herself feeling braver and braver, to the point where she was willing to talk to some of the merchants under Jaune's supervision. That, combined with the confidence that came with a full stomach, caused her to say: "I'd like to see the church in this town."

Jaune's smile faded. He shuffled his feet nervously. "Uh, are you sure about that?"

Pyrrha shrugged. "You said I looked passable, and nothing has happened while we were here." She frowned. "You…don't actually think I'll get struck by lightning if I enter, do you?"

"No," Jaune muttered. "I mean, Weiss went to our church several times since she kissed Ruby, and nothing bad happened." He rubbed the back of his neck. "But, I mean, would you be…okay? Some of the sermons say things that are a little…" He looked at the ground. "And some of the paintings can depict scenes of…hunts. Not all of them are for Grimm…"

Pyrrha realized what Jaune was trying to say, and touched his arm. "I appreciate your concern, but I already know how most of humanity feels about me. Being in an actual church won't change that." She smiled softly at him. "If I get nervous, I'll let you know."

Jaune nodded. "Okay. I'll stay right with you."

"Thank you." Pyrrha took his hand again, surprised at how natural the gesture already felt to her.

The church was larger than the one in Vale, and was made of gray stone. On either side of the door was a gorgeous stained glass window, which Pyrrha took a moment to admire. The one on the left had an abstract pattern of pink, light green, orange, and yellow. The one on the right contained brown, red, blue, and white.

"Beautiful," Pyrrha breathed. She remembered a time, several years ago, when some of Cinder's pack had returned from a raid. One of the adults had gotten several shards of glass in his paw, and had spent most of the night pulling the pieces out. Pyrrha had looked at one, and trembled at the thought of something as clear as water stinging someone in the same way stone or metal could. So, this is what it's really used for…

Jaune waited patiently for Pyrrha to finish looking at the windows. It occurred to him that some of the colors were shades that she had never seen before, having lived in the forest for most of her life. He checked the sun. There shouldn't be any sermons happening right now. That's good, at least.

When they stepped in, Pyrrha instinctively pressed close to Jaune. The air immediately changed, smelling almost ancient. There was a certain oppressiveness, but also a sense of openness. The interior was relatively spacious, with several wooden pews. What immediately drew Pyrrha's attention, however, was the giant stained glass window that overlooked the front of the church.

The same colors from the windows outside were used, along with others, which made up the outlines of four women and a tall, bearded man who stood in the center, arms outstretched in a welcoming gesture.

"Are those…?" Pyrrha breathed.

"God and the Maidens," Jaune affirmed. "What do you think?"

"They're…beautiful," Pyrrha gasped. They don't look at all like they would smite me. Her gaze fell on the figure on the far right, which was clad in mostly white and blue. "She looks like how the spirit of the Moon is sometimes described in our stories."

"Yeah?" Jaune looked at the Winter Maiden, tilting his head. "Hm. Who knows? Maybe they're the same being. The story you told us did take place in the winter, after all."

The two walked to the end of the pews, knelt before the shrines at Jaune's urging, and then approached. Pyrrha looked at the smaller portraits of God and the Maidens, as well as the offerings of coins and food. There were also several candles.

"When we thought Ruby and Blake were dead, we lit candles for them," Jaune explained in a hushed tone. "It's a way of asking God and the Maidens to take care of them."

"Wouldn't the Maidens do that anyway, though?" Pyrrha wondered. "Do they need candles?"

Jaune frowned thoughtfully. "Well, I guess they would anyway… I don't know. The candles are more for our comfort, I guess."

Pyrrha looked at the shrines for a long moment. "Does it matter which shrine the candles go on?"

"Not really. People usually put candles on depending on what season it currently is, or which season the person died in, or what season was the person's favorite. It depends. There's no rule."

After a moment of consideration, Pyrrha picked up two unlit white candles, which sat in a box near the shrines. She looked at each of the shrines, then stepped up to the one in the center, which represented God. Touching the wicks to another candle, she lit them and placed them in two empty holders. If you truly are a God of all of us, please take care of my parents, and please help us bring our people together, she thought.

When she turned around, she saw that Jaune was waiting silently, head bowed in a respectful gesture. She smiled at him as he looked up.

"Ready to go?" he asked.

"I'd like to see the paintings, then yes," Pyrrha replied, taking his hand once again. "Thank you."

They walked around the church, looking at the different paintings. Most of them depicted scenes from the story of how the Maidens softened God's heart and were given their powers. Some showed heroes triumphing over the Grimm. As Jaune had warned, there were a few that showed Huntsmen slaying werewolves. One of them had a huge, exaggerated beast with red eyes and a mouth filled with fangs. A spear was being shoved through its body, gushing blood from both sides. Jaune squeezed Pyrrha's hand as she looked at it. Another one that caught her attention depicted a warrior battling with a pale, manlike creature with red eyes and fangs.

"What is this?" she wondered.

Jaune looked at the painting. "Oh, that's a vampire."

"The baker mentioned them. What are they?"

"Supposedly, they're humans and Faunus who have given their souls to the Devil himself. In exchange, they get turned into beings of great power. It's said that they can speak to the Grimm, and even control them." When he was little, stories of vampires had always kept him up at night. "They drink the blood of their victims. If a lord or lady, one of the original vampires, does it, the person is turned into a lesser vampire and loses their soul."

Pyrrha shivered as she looked at the creature in the painting. "Are they real?"

Jaune shrugged. "Not sure. There haven't been any around Vale, but I've heard traders say that they've seen towns that have been totally destroyed by just one vampire."

"I hope we don't see any," Pyrrha murmured.

"Hopefully, though I bet you could take one in a fight." Jaune squeezed her hand. "Want to get back to the others? The bread's starting to get cold."

"Yes, of course," Pyrrha replied.

They walked back to the wagon, not realizing that they were still holding hands until Sun glanced at their hands and raised an eyebrow. Jaune pretended not to notice as he offered the loaf of bread to the others. By silent agreement, the humans let the werewolves have the warm loaf to themselves.

The werewolves tore large chunks from their shares with their teeth, eyes rolling back in bliss as the warmth and sweetness filled their mouths with so many unfamiliar tastes and sensations. "Okay," Neon said with her mouth full. "I call dibs on going into town next."

"Not without me!" Flynt insisted.

"Ren and I can go with you," Nora said eagerly. "I wonder if any of the places serve pancakes."

Roman walked over to Jaune and Pyrrha. "So, your first visit went without a hitch?"

"It was incredible," Pyrrha said, eyes shining excitedly.

"We met a baker who seems to know you," Jaune said with a laugh. "Talked a lot about how you're a rascal who sells dirty books."

Roman grinned. "Good to know that I'm building such a winning reputation. I actually sold a few today, along with some spices. Burgundy is always good to me, so we can stay as long as you like."

Jaune nodded. "This seems like a good place to get the werewolves used to things."

"How was the church?" Weiss wondered. "Did you see it while walking around town?"

"We went in," Pyrrha told her. "And I didn't get struck by lightning."

Weiss smiled. "That's good to know. When everyone's more acquainted with the town, I would like to attend a sermon."

"I'll go with you!" Ruby said. "It's been a while since I've been to one."

"Make sure you wear that scarf," Weiss warned. "We don't want your bite peeking through." She touched Ruby's shoulder, where the scar from her bite acted as a reminder of the night everyone's lives had changed.

Ruby rolled her eyes. "Well, duh. I won't forget that." She kissed Weiss's cheek. "You worry too much."

"I think I worry a sufficient amount," Weiss huffed, trying not to blush too obviously at Ruby's open affection.

Ruby giggled, snuggling into her side. "That's what I love about you. Among other things."

Roman rolled his eyes. "Okay, I'm gonna go sort through some stock before you two make me cough up rainbows, or something." He walked by Neo, who was giggling and talking in hushed tones with Yang. "Neo! Stop flirting with the Huntsmen, and help me!"

Neo ducked her head, her face turning bright red as she hurried after Roman toward the back of the wagon.

Blake walked over to Yang, leaning against a tree and smirking. "Taken a liking to Neo, huh?" she muttered.

Yang shrugged. Her cheeks were flushed, but her grin was entirely unashamed. "She's pretty cute, and since we'll be traveling together for a while, why not?"

"You definitely are her type," Blake acknowledged. "Just don't get too distracted." She elbowed her best friend playfully.

"Hey, I could say the same about you." Yang glanced toward Sun, who had just finished wolfing down his chunk of bread and was leaning contentedly against the wagon.

Blake's cheeks darkened. "Oh, shut up!"

Pyrrha did a round through the camp, making sure each of her packmates were still doing okay. Roman reminded her that, if anyone was going to transform, to do it far away from town. She returned to Jaune's side, yawning softly. "I might actually be too tired to transform tonight," she murmured.

Jaune nodded in understanding. "You saw a lot of new stuff today, and you gotta sleep sometime." He looked carefully at her. "So, are you okay? I know the paintings at the church were a little…"

"I'm fine," Pyrrha assured him. "It wasn't exactly surprising. It just goes to show that we have a great deal of work to do." She touched his hand. "Thank you for being so patient with me."

"Hey, don't mention it," Jaune replied. "It was fun. Seeing how you reacted to stuff that I'm used to…it was really interesting. Enlightening, even."

Pyrrha smiled. "Well, I'll be sure to return the favor. One of these nights, you're going to have to run with the pack."

Jaune shook his head. "That sounds fun, but I feel like I'd be left in the dust within minutes."

"We'll slow down for you," Pyrrha promised. "It would be fun. Please?"

Jaune glanced at her hopeful smile, feeling himself giving in immediately. "Well, if you don't mind going way slower than you're used to, sure." He allowed a teasing smirk to come to his face. "It would be pretty irresponsible to leave 'your human' all alone in the woods, after all."

Pyrrha burst out laughing, her cheeks turning bright red in the process. "Oh dear… You are not going to let me forget that, are you?"

Jaune snickered. "Nope!"

The two continued to talk and laugh until, as predicted, Pyrrha dozed off less than an hour after sunset. She curled up near the fire, still smiling in her sleep. Jaune watched her for a minute before placing his cloak over her and following Ren, Nora, and Yang into the woods for a Grimm patrol. They were acting as Roman's bodyguards, after all.

I figured that, after making you guys wait so long and making you suffer so much, you deserve some nice, healthy doses of cute established White Rose, as well as pre-Arkos adorableness.

I'd like to wish everyone a happy holiday season, whatever you celebrate. Be safe, and enjoy your time with your loved ones.

Peace out!