Hello again! a slightly longer chapter for you today, so far, 'the Sword and Spear' has reached 5,000 views, 7 follows and 45 favorites which is truly astounding. so thank-you to all of you loyal sailors aboard the flagship arkos. and now i present the latest installment!.
The strong smell of fresh pancakes hung in the air as the group sat polishing off their stacks of pancakes. The team had broken out their small fold-away table and chairs they used when hosting RWBY over for card tournaments or breakfast.
Marron had grinned wildly before wolfing down more pancakes than anyone had though possible for a girl of her size. She seemed to like Ren's pancakes almost as much as Nora.
"Master Ren, these are simply delightful, I shall have to get your recipe!"Mr arcs voice boomed out with gusto urging Ren to smile and discuss the various ingredients.
The small group finished their hearty breakfast and lazed elected to laze around as their breakfast/lunch settled. Nora was busy playing pat-a-cake with Marron a wide smile adorning both their faces, whilst Pyrrha and Jaune all busied themselves chatting with the knight's parents. Ren sat with a smirk upon his lips as he watched Nor and Marron, the two seemed as peas in a pod.
"So you all share a room together?" It had been the primary topic that Mrs. Arc had taken upon their entry to the dorm room, the concept that her son was living in co-ed accommodation concerned her deeply, it provided these girls with an opportunity to corrupt her innocent little boy.
"Yes, Ozpin believes that if we are being trained to fight and kill the creatures of Grimm we can be trusted not to do anything...inappropriate."
The frown faded slightly before manifesting itself even more than before.
Mr. Arc chuckled, it was a deep, rumbling sound that reverberated throughout the room.
"Mabel dear, I think we can trust Jaune to be sensible. He is a grown man now, and whether we like it or not, we have to let him make his own decisions."
Jaune beamed at his father. He was placing trust and independence in him, allowing the young knight the opportunity to grow.
"Now that we are fed, courtesy of Jaune's team's hospitality. I think it's high-time we paid a visit to our old friend Ozzy. Jaune m'boy, would you be so kind as to take us to see the professor?"
Jaune led his parents and team down through the halls and over to the base of Ozpin's tower. He walked with his parents, cringing as his father told Pyrrha various embarrassing tales from his youth.
"-and then we heard a loud crash coming from the kitchen, so we run in to find a bowl of cake-mix all over the floor and our little rascal covered head to toe a cheeky grin all over his face. I mean how can you be angry at that?"
Pyrrha and his father both exploded into fresh waves of mirth, their laughter ringing clear across the courtyard.
Behind him Nora carried Marron in piggy-back style and dashed this way and that mimicking a dust-plane and earning squeals of excitement from the younger girl.
The emerald tower loomed over them before long, its heavy stone serving to block out the summer sun and cast them in its formidable shadow. Heading through the main doors and into a grand foyer he led them towards the sole elevator.
"Louis Arc?"
From behind them came the measured tone of the professor they all wheeled around to find the professor himself with his ever present coffee mug and smug expression.
"Ozzy!"
Louis leapt forward and clasped the wily professor into a bear hug.
"Louis, it is good to see you and it has been altogether too long. But if you don't let go then you threaten to crush the life out of me."
The older Arc released him and smiled bashfully. Ozpin's gaze switched to Mrs. Arc a gleeful expression dancing about his face.
"Is that you Mabel? You haven't aged a day, still as beautiful as ever."
Ozpin gave Louis a sly wink earning a chuckle whilst Mabel tried to keep her composure as best as she could. The professor smiled warmly and turned to team JNPR.
"Jaune, your parents and I have much to discuss, might I suggest that you give your sister a proper tour of the campus?"
Jaune nodded.
It was a glorious August afternoon as the five emerged from Ozpin's tower. The sun blazed brightly in a clear blue sky. They shielded their eyes as they adjusted to the bright light. Not wanting to waste the weather they headed off to the lawns via the dorm at Nora's insistence, she insisted on retrieving her trusty Frisbee.
The group walked through the garden, Marron firmly fixed onto her brothers shoulders. She barraged JNPR gleefully with questions which Nora was only too happy answer with growing enthusiasm and rapid hand gestures.
"Did you Really kill a giant death-stalker?"
The young girl's eyes grew wide as Nora recounted the tale from their initiation.
"-and if it hadn't been for our fearless leader it might have squished us into syrup!"
Jaune chuckled,
"Naaah, you guys would've found some way to beat it without me."
Not soon after they reached the same lawn under which their leader and his partner had shared their first kiss. They ducked under the willow and out of the blistering sun. Jaune lifted Marron off of his shoulders and setting her down on the light turf with a ruffle of her hair. Before slumping against the tree.
Deciding it was too warm, the knight pulled off his armour and piled it besides him before removing his hoodie so that all remained was his plain black T-shirt. He huffed desperately as he tried to cool himself down.
Pyrrha turned slightly pink at the sight. Her harsh training regimen had taken its toll, he wasn't the noodle armed teenager he had been. He was now a great deal more formed the redhead smiled to herself
'he's gonna need some bigger t-shirts'
The five spent the afternoon in relative peace. Nora and Marron had been enjoying a game of Ultimate Frisbee and had, after much coaxing and a fiendish use of Nora's most adorable pout, persuaded Ren to join in. The two lovers sat together under the tree peacefully napping in the summer heat. She sat with her head against his chest and her legs draped across his own. Comfortable smiles adorned their faces, they were the visage of young love and happiness.
Marron shot a glance over to her brother and frowned ever so slightly. She was more than happy that he had found someone whom he loved and who loved him in return, but she couldn't shake a slight feeling of jealousy. No longer would she have his brother's undivided attention when they were around one another. She would have to share him with the Champion, he might even lose interest in her like their older sisters had done and simply ignore her.
She shook the thought from her head. Jaune wouldn't ever do that, he'd said it himself, Pyrrha was his second-best friend, and Marron still held top spot. Nevertheless a small seed of doubt was planted, and besides Jaune couldn't spend all his time with Pyrrha. They young brunette waited for her chance and the next time the Frisbee came towards her she half-heartedly reached for it, letting it fly over towards the snoozing pair. On her way to retrieve it she detoured towards her brother and gave his shoulder a light shake.
Jaune opened his eyes groggily to see his little sister beaming what was perhaps the cutest smile he'd ever seen. He gave her a quizzical look. The young girl simply presented the bright-yellow Frisbee to him with a pleading look in her deep green eyes.
"Pleeeease Jauney?"
The knight couldn't help but chuckle as he carefully extricated himself from under his partner. He positioned his hoody between her head and the rough bark of the tree and gave her forehead a light kiss and went off to join in the game with his sister, a triumphant smile shining across her features.
'Butter wouldn't melt'
When Pyrrha awoke she noticed two things; the sky had darkened slightly and blazed bright orange due to the impending sunset, and secondly that Jaune was gone. She sat up and arched her back until she heard a series of popping sounds. Standing up she looked around. Lying on the grass not far away were the three remaining members of her team and little Marron.
They were all on their backs with their heads together staring up at the sky and pointing to the various wispy clouds that had blown in while she slept. She could hear snatches of their chatter.
"Ooh! Ooh, look Ren! That one looks like a sloth!"
The champion chuckled, whenever the team took time out of their busy schedule they often cloud-gazed and Nora would always point out clouds claiming they either looked like sloth or pancakes, even if they never did. She heard Marron giggle.
"Nora, that's not a sloth! It's an otter!"
"Yeah! If that's a sloth then I'm a Grimm's uncle"
The dulcet tones of the knight piped up. The three voices broke into a friendly debate with Nora and Marron debating if it was an otter or sloth and Jaune proclaiming that it looked more like a turtle. Pyrrha walked over to join them.
She knelt on the grass beside her boyfriend's head, it was springy and cool to the touch. Leaning over his face she gazed right into the unfathomable lakes he called eyes.
"Actually, I believe it looks like a beowolf in a party hat."
"Hello beautiful"
his signature smile dominated his features as she kissed him sweetly. As she pulled away she noted that his skin had a more reddish tone to it than his usual post-kiss blush. No doubt a result of his prolonged contact with the harsh rays of the sun, she chuckled to herself.
'he'll feel it tomorrow.'
Jaune checked his scroll, it was beginning to get late. With a sigh he hefted himself to his feet and collected his armour and hoodie from beneath the tree. Slinging the plates over his shoulder he returned to the group who also busied themselves to return to the residential block for a well earned rest.
The knight shot a message to his father asking where they could rendezvous for Marron's return. He received a swift reply informing him that they were lodging in the guest wing. The group moved relatively quickly across campus to the relatively unused guest wing. It was kept clean in readiness just in case a dignitary or parent decided to visit. They knocked on the room which housed the Arcs. The door was swiftly opened by Mr. Arc.
Marron hopped down from Nora's back and proceeded to hug the Valkyrie goodnight. Nora eagerly snatched the smaller girl into a light bear hug, a wide grin plastered across her face. Ren gently shook her hand and smiled one of his rare smiles.
"It's been a pleasure getting to know you Marron, sleep well."
The tiny brunette made her way over to Pyrrha and gave her a light hug, the Champion bidding her a good night's sleep. Finally she turned to Jaune. The knight wrapped her into his arms for a few moments and released her ruffling a hand through her hair as was his custom.
"Goodnight Jauney!"
The smallest of the Arcs beamed a toothy grin to her brother who smiled in return.
"Don't forget to come see us train tomorrow, I can't have my bestest buddy in the whole world come to stay without being there to cheer us on."
"I'll be there Jauney, I promise!"
He drew her into another hug before kissing her head and wishing her a good night. Mr Arc gave his son a brief hug before ushering little Marron into their accommodation. The door closed with a resounding 'click' that echoed throughout the empty hallway.
Finally, after their long and tiring day, team JNPR returned to their shared room, Ren and Nora walked together as she talked the stoical boy's ear off. Behind them trailed their leader and his partner. The strolled at a relaxed place with her arm around his own.
"My family seemed rather fond of you, Marron especially."
Pyrrha nodded thoughtfully.
"Your father seems to be on our side, I'm not quite sure about your mother. She seems to be rather unsure of me."
"She'll come round. She's always been really protective of me, but give her time and she'll see just how amazing you are."
The team arrived at their little room and prepared for bed. Jaune gathered his towel and pyjamas then hit the showers. He let the warm water flow over him as he pondered over the day's events. He had enjoyed the afternoon with his sister and his team in the sun. It had reminded him just how much he had missed his 'Bestest-buddy' in the time since he had left home for Beacon.
His father and sister had seemingly accepted his Red-head with open arms, but Pyrrha was right. His mother had seemed...a little frost towards her. The knight reassured himself that she would come around with time.
Jaune finished his shower and switched into a loose pair of lounge pants and a plain snugly-fitting white t-shirt, having finally got around to buying a more age-appropriate set of PJ's the previous weekend. He returned to the dorm and lumbered over to his bed to settle down for the night.
Before long he heard a faint rustling followed by soft footfalls. They came closer and closer, stopping at the edge of his bed.
"J-Jaune, are you awake?"
His girlfriend's rich voice rippled through the air in a whisper. He opened his eyes to find her stood by his bed, the pale moonlight reflected in her bright emerald eyes.
"Pyrrha? Is everything OK?"
he replied drowsily, trying not to wake Ren and Nora. His Champion frowned slightly.
"No, I can't sleep, I just can't get comfortable."
Jaune looked up into her sparkling eyes, the had an element of expectancy to them that he had only seen a few times before. He considered his options before scooting over to make room for her slender form next to him. He opened up his duvet to accept her and she climbed in next to him.
The Champion lay her head on his chest and relaxed as the rhythmic rise and fall of his breathing lulled her towards sleep. He wrapped an arm around her tenderly and closed his eyes. The red-head sighed contentedly.
"Much better." she mumbled before slipping into the realm of dreams, a warm smile etched upon her face. The knight chuckled quietly before submitting himself to sleep's warm embrace.
Can i get an 'Awh' from the audience? i hope you enjoyed it, it has been by far one of my favourite chapters so far to write. As always, follow, favourite, review and PM with any ideas for the plot, and ill see all of you, in the next chapter