Ok, here it is. The second to last chapter of 'The sword and spear' and oh boy was this one a pain to write. It took two whole days of sweat tears and some words that I didn't even know existed. And finally I sat back triumphantly with this chapter in front of me. Not going to lie, it isn't my best work by a long shot but I needed to update. Be aware, there will likely be grammar mistakes and errors given that I only half proof read it given the sheer lack of sleep I had when writing this. But without any further ado, here it is. I hope you enjoy.
Jaune was torn from the world of his dreams by a yank on his foot. Feeling the sheets brush against his chest as he began to slide his defensive instincts kicked it and his arms flew out to latch onto the bedpost. He kicked and flailed until what he was sure was a monster released his foot. The blonde curled up under the duvet into a tight ball. Various footsteps sounded from around his bed space but he smiled in the warm and safe zone under the blanket. After all, it is a well known fact that monsters cannot get you if you are under the covers.
Alas, these monsters were far more tenacious than Jaune had anticipated. At first he felt the vibrations through the frame as something grabbed hold of his mattress. His heart sank as he knew what was to come. Frantically he wrapped himself tightly in his duvet and prepared himself. As predicted the mattress under him flipped with such immense force that it sent him flying. A brief feeling of weightlessness overtook him and for that moment everything was peaceful before he hit the floor with a dull thud.
"Morning Jauney!~" Came the sound of Nora's voice. Sure enough, as he blearily opened his eyes, there was Nora stood triumphantly on the frame of his overturned bed. Behind her stood Pyrrha, the champion giggling behind her hand and a smug smirking Ren. He glared and shook his fist at her in mock anger.
"Ah the evil queen strikes again! Is there no end to her villainy?" Jaune cried dramatically as he staggered to his feet. He ruffled her hair and stepped past her on the way to the bathroom.
"Oh, and Nora?" He continued, poking his head back round the door. "Please put my bed back the right way up."
Within around an hour, Jaune and his team were dressed, cleaned and ready to go. They made their way down to the schools huge dining hall. Stepping in through the large double doors, team JNPR soon found their compatriots. Team RWBY had occupied their usual table and were already eating.
Jaune led his team over with a smile and sat down opposite them, smiling warmly before he dug into his breakfast of bacon, sausages, black pudding and hash browns. All the components of a good breakfast, no matter how unhealthy Pyrrha claimed it to be, Jaune couldn't be without his full fry-up.
"Ok, listen up troops! Summer has started so we need to make the most of it!" Ruby cried out with the same tone as the generals in the movies. She reached into her cloak and pulled out a binder so huge and stuffed with paper that Jaune had to question where she had been keeping it. On the front was slapped a post-it note with Weiss' name crossed out and replaced with the words; 'Best summer ever activities' scrawled in red marker. "I have prepared a modest list of activities for us to do."
"Modest? Judging by the size of it, we'll still be here next summer... And is that my binder?" Weiss challenged the caped crusader.
"Oh come on Weiss! It'll be fun~" She whined.
"Fine... What did you have in mind for today?"
"I'm glad you asked. Today's agenda; Shopping! We're going to catch a flight into Vale where we will shop for a while, then this afternoon we will go the the Pizza cabin that just opened up. I booked us a table using Weiss' name. Once we've eaten, we all come home to Beacon."
All around her were a series of approving nods, all save for Weiss who glared indignantly at having had her name dropped for the sole purpose of securing a table. She perhaps wouldn't have minded quite so much if it hadn't have been the Pizza cabin.
"Great! So everyone eat up and meet at the Skydocks in an hour?" Ruby hopped around excitedly and dashed out of the hall in a cloud of rose petals leaving the other's to finish their food in relative peace.
Jaune gulped nervously the moment he set foot on their aircraft. Around him Yang and Nora grinned, seemingly looking forward to seeing him live up to his nickname. The knight had come a long was since the initial flight into Beacon. Since having his aura unlocked, his motion sickness only ever bothered him on the most rough of flights. Most of the time, he found that using a small and controlled flow of aura to settle his stomach worked, although not always.
He took his seat next to Pyrrha and sank into his seat willing the flight to be smooth and painless. It wouldn't do for him to puke in front of Yang a second time, let alone all over her shoe again. Somehow he doubted that the brawler would forgive him for ruining a second pair of her shoes.
The young blonde swordsman cast his gaze out the window and watched the clouds float by. He settled into playing games with himself, using his imagination to pick out shapes in the clouds and try and spot what they looked like, just as he and his team had done with Marron all those months ago. A pang of homesickness welled up and manifested itself within his heart, he couldn't wait to see them again after he had his results.
Pyrrha must have caught the forlorn look on his face because her hand soon met with his, the contact pulling him out of his musings and back into the here and now. He interlaced his fingers with hers and kissed her hand softly. She giggled and heaved a sigh of contentment, resting her head on his shoulder.
The flight passed relatively quickly for Jaune without his motion-sickness taking him to any stage past queasy, much to both Yang and Nora's disappointment. The eight teenagers disembarked into the busy terminal and huddled together to set out their plans.
"Alright. Everyone go off and do whatever you want, meet back here at four thirty so we can head over to pizza cabin Ok? Don't be late or we'll go without you and I'll eat your share." Ruby grinned.
Jaune and Pyrrha set off wandering, pushing through the crowds in the airport and out into the bright sunlit streets of Vale. Neither of them said a word, rather they simply walked without any real aims. The Arkos pair ended up in the Vale gardens, a huge expansive garden commissioned to mark the last royal wedding some ten years before.
In the bright summer sunlight it all came to life, everything from the multitude of vibrant flowers in full bloom to the the sparkling waters of the pearly white marble fountains, shimmering like quicksilver. Songbirds of every variety darted about overhead trilling their unique songs happily as they soared. The two lovers walked at a leisurely pace along the well-kept paths, arm in arm and completely absorbed in their own world.
They walked up to a large pond and sat on an old and weathered bench to watch the world go by. Dragonflies danced about scant inches above the water's surface with such precision that it left the two teenagers wondering how they did it. Tiny fish splashed about as they leapt out of the water sending droplets flying and catching the sun brilliantly like liquid fire. The setting was idyllic to say the least, and Jaune was glad for the opportunity to spend it with his girlfriend.
The two remained sat on their bench, Pyrrha resting her head on Jaune's shoulder and the knight with his arm wrapped around her waist until it came time for them to meet back up with the others. With slightly saddened expressions they stood and began the walk back to the airport, opting to pass through the shopping district along the way and browse the various windows. The champion stopped them in front of a large scale jewellers and looked through the window with wide eyes, admiring the intricacy and craftsmanship of each and every one of the pieces.
One in particular caught her eye in a way that none of the others could, she pointed it out to the blonde who gasped in appreciation. It was a necklace of gold, burnished until it gleamed brilliantly. The main chain was composed of hundreds of fine strands of gold, weaved into one cohesive and complicated whole with various knotted patterns wound their way along its length. Hanging from the front was an emerald cut into the shape of a tear-drop and set into a mounting of gold. It was reminiscent of those hanging from Pyrrha's circlet. Looking to the price tag Jaune found the only fault with it, it was exceptionally expensive.
Pyrrha sighed as turned away from the window, beginning to walk down the road once again. Jaune shot a final glance at the emerald necklace and again to the price tag as a plan began to formulate in his head. From infront of him Pyrrha called his name bringing him back down to earth.
"Jaune, hurry up or we'll be late!" She said with a smile.
"I uh, just remembered I need to pick up a delivery my parents sent me. I'll be right back." He grinned and turning on his heel sprinted off leaving a very confused Pyrrha in his wake. He ran down the street and turned a corner dashing into an alley, taking out his scroll he opened his scroll and typed out a message to Ruby.
'Ruby, need a HUGE favour. Pyrrha is in the shopping plaza, I need you to come get her and take her to the pizza place. Drag her kicking and screaming if necessary, Ill explain everything later I promise. Do this for me and I will buy you as many cookies as you want. Thanks a million.'
He sent his message and moved back to peek around the corner at Pyrrha, the champion had returned to staring through the window at the necklace. She seemed entranced by it for reasons that he couldn't quite explain. Indeed, he had never seen her look at jewellery in such a manner.
As requested, Ruby soon appeared at Pyrrha's side in a cloud of rose petals. The knight watched on as the two seemed to chat for a minute, Ruby making a series of animated hand gestures before taking the champion's hand and leading her away from the displayed trinkets and out of the square. Pyrrha looked a little uncertain, seemingly searching for any sign of her blonde knight. Moments after they disappeared from view his scroll vibrated with a received message.
'I have done as you asked and shall expect no less that thirty, that is thirty, chocolate chip cookie to be paid in full by the end of the month. Do not try and play me Jaune, don't ever try and play me :P'
He grinned reading her message and emerged from his hiding place to walk into the plaza again, shooting one last glance into the window to mentally note what it was he was asking for, he entered the store. Melodic chimes rang as the door opened, behind the counter an aged man turned to face him.
The jeweller seemed nice enough judging by the warm smile playing about his features. He had kind hazel eyes set below thick black eyebrows. His hair was untidy and hung to just above his shoulders. Rather than the uptight suit that one might have expected in such an establishment, the owner had opted for a casual t-shirt and jeans set up which helped set Jaune at ease.
"Good afternoon young man, welcome to Ambrosius Jewellery. I am Ambrosius, how can I help you? Perhaps a lovely set of earrings for your lady?" the man introduced himself with a smile, producing a set of earrings from under the counter.
"Uh, no thank you. I actually had my eyes set on that emerald necklace in the window." he replied nervously. At his answer, Ambrosius' expression grew grave and a hint of suspicion crept into his voice as he spoke.
"And just how do you propose to pay for such a fine and... expensive piece?"
"I-I have money!" Jaune said as he pulled a large wad of Lien out of his wallet and set it on the counter. It was the remainder of his winnings in the Vytal festival, he had withdrawn it shortly after texting Ruby. He had been saving it for a special occasion and well, this seemed just about as good as any other.
The old man's eyes widened in shock as he counted out the cash slowly and deliberately to avoid any chance of a miscount. Jaune watched on as he placed a portable LED light on the counter and ran each and every note under it to check its validity. After ten minutes of checks Ambrosius sighed and stepped into the window to retrieve the necklace for him.
"It will be a shame to see it go, it's my proudest work to date. Took a whole four months just to weave the strands together. Still it will make a young lady very happy I have no doubt."
"I hope so, she seemed to like it a lot when we were looking in through the window." He replied with a grin running from ear to ear.
Jaune watched excitedly as he set the necklace into an elaborate wooden box and wrapped it up in sparkling golden paper with a large silver ribbon on top before handing it over to the young knight. Thanking him a great many times after, Jaune left the store and darted over to the airport. He was careful to hide the necklace in the pockets of his hoodie until the moment was right. He arrived, puffing and blowing just as the others were leaving. Apologising for his tardiness he fell into formation, giving Ruby a sly wink.
"Did they not have your parcel Jaune?" Pyrrha asked, apparently noticing the absence of any packages.
"Oh, no they didn't have it. It mustn't have arrived yet." He said, internally berating himself for having chosen such a weak excuse. Thankfully she didn't seem to pay it any mind, linking arms with him as they walked. He kissed her cheek.
"Get a room you guys!" Yang called out from behind them, making both teens blush brightly.
They smelt the Pizza cabin long before they saw it, the scent of garlic and various cheeses hanging thick and pungent in the evening air. Such aromas only served to make their stomach growl out a hungry chorus. The building itself appeared rather diminutive when it came into view, a low log building with two large and partially steamed up windows set into the front.
The moment they stepped in, the first thing the noticed was the heat. It must have been from the open ovens visible in the kitchens. All around them groups of people dined on freshly baked pizzas covered in different cheeses, vegetables and meats. The sight alone was enough to make their mouths water. Stepping over to the head waiter, Weiss stepped forward with an air of superiority and confidence.
"The Schnee party, a table for eight." She stated. The waiter read through his list of reservations for a moment, his finger running along the names.
"Ah yes, Miss Schnee. We have your table ready, please follow me." The waiter smiled and lead them to one of the booths at the back of the restaurant. It was comfortable enough with a long semi-circle of padded bench wrapped around a large wooden table. They all crammed in with plenty of room for each person, their booth being deceptively big.
"I've been wanting to come here for ages!" Ruby exclaimed with a wide smile, clearly excited by the whole situation.
When the waiter came over, not five minutes later, both the young Rose and Nora were practically bouncing around in their seats. Nora was busy recounting a lengthy dream that she had had earlier that week, it was an interesting tale filled with both her and Ren's imagined adventures, killing Grimm and selling their pelts.
"Hello there, sorry to interrupt but are you ready to order?"
"Yes, we would like your 'tabletop' deal. Is it reallythe size of this table? Also we'd like it with eight different sections, each one with a special topping for each of us."
"You bet it is, and which toppings would you like?" The waiter laughed. Each of the eight teenagers gave their order for toppings and settled back into their conversation as the waiter scuttled off to the kitchens with their order.
It wasn't too long afterwards that their pizza was brought out. Eight pairs of eyes widened in shock at the sheer size of it. It was a full four feet in diameter and at least an inch deep. It took four waiters just to carry it. All around them, the pizzeria's patrons went silent, each and every one of them in awe at the sheer gargantuan size of their order. Their table was cleared and it was set down. As ordered, the top was split into eight clearly distinct toppings ranging from Yang's spicy meats to Pyrrha's ham and pineapple (much to the disgust of the other seven.) Even the slices themselves were of an unnatural size, each one fully the length of Jaune's forearm. It was going to be a challenge, that much was certain.
A challenge it most certainly proved to be. It was over an hour later that they finally left the place, followed by the applause of the other diners. They waddled back to the airport, filled with an ungodly amount of food. If this was the kind of thing that Ruby had planned for every day of the summer, then Jaune genuinely believed he might not live to see the end of it. Their fearless leader herself was proved incapable of walking after such a large meal, and was instead draped over her sister's shoulder with her arms and legs dangling limply.
"Yang, are we goin' to the moon?" She slurred in her food induced stupor.
"You bet we are Rubes, we're goin' to get some cheese." Yang replied, patting her sister on the back.
"No~ no more cheese." She whined and flailed her arms and legs pathetically.
Before long, the over-full teenagers had staggered their way back to the airport and boarded their flight. The cabin was warm and comfortable, not long after boarding, most of their company had fallen asleep in their seats. Lulled to sleep by the low hum of the engines and the gentle rocking of the aircraft as it forged its way home.
Jaune sat quietly, a tired Pyrrha fast asleep on his shoulder. In his hands he held the necklace's box, he turned it over and over trying to concoct the very best way that he might give it to her and the words he might say. At first he had intended to simply add-lib and improvise but from past experience he knew that he would just end up a stuttering and stammering mess and that simply wouldn't do. He wanted it to be as romantic a gesture as possible.
The knight thought back to the very beginning, the very first date. That night under the willow tree that they had shared their first kiss, the stars shining brightly above them. It was so calm and romantic, he could still remember how nervous he felt before hand, having to keep wiping his hands on his pants because they kept clamming up. It was then he knew exactly what he had to to do.
He resigned himself to wait patiently and with growing trepidation for the aircraft to land so that he might put his master plan into action. He didn't have that long to wait, the dust-plane touched down inside of twenty minutes. Once again Yang hoisted Ruby up and onto her shoulder while she rambled on about astronauts eating the moon.
'So that's what happens when you eat six slices of pizza the size of your arm...' Jaune thought with some amusement.
Stepping off the plane Jaune feigned his motion-sickness, he stood off to one side, doubled over and watched the others walk off towards the dorms. As expected, Pyrrha soon stepped over to his side and began to rub his back with a concerned expression. Standing up straight Jaune took her hand in his own and began to lead her off towards the gardens.
"Jaune? Where are we going?" She asked.
"I don't think I can sleep at the moment, I thought you might like a walk and some fresh air after all that pizza." Her replied. She nodded in return and a smile graced her features as they walked. The blonde led her unerringly towards the old willow tree. Pyrrha seemed to cotton onto the fact because before long she was walking at his side rather than being led.
After a short walk they passed under the old tree's eves and stopped. Jaune looked his girlfriend in the eyes, admiring as he had all that time ago, the way the moonlight caught her bright emerald eyes. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the small box, holding it in between them.
She took the wrapped box and tore off the paper revealing the Ambrosius Jeweller's crest. With an element of uncertainty in her eyes she slowly opened it to reveal the gold necklace. Her eyes widened when she saw it and she raised her hand to her mouth to conceal a gasp. The champion's eyes sparkled brilliantly as they welled up with tears. Within an instant Jaune found himself wrapped in a tight hug.
"You looked really upset when you couldn't buy it so I thought I'd get it for you."
"Jaune... I love it! I love you!" she grinned and kissed him deeply, tears of joy streaming down her cheeks. "Help me put it on."
She turned around and shifted her hair out of the way exposing her neck to him. Jaune picked up the necklace and draped it around her neck. It took him a few moments to re-fasten the clasp given it's fiddly nature and his clumsy hands. He signalled the OK by leaning forward and kissing her neck tenderly. She shivered at the contact. Turning back around she kissed him once again.
"Do you remember the last time we were here?" He asked only a little above a whisper.
"Of course, how could I forget the night that my Knight swept me off my feet."Pyrrha nuzzled into his neck.
"Our first kiss... I was so nervous, and now look at us."
She pulled back a little looking deeply into his eyes, the moonlight shining down upon them and illuminating them in a way that seemed to make them glow, like two heavenly beings.
"Well now that you've said that, it would be a shame if we didn't kiss again wouldn't it?"
"That it would." He grinned.
Edging ever so slowly forward, feeling her breath tickling at the skin of his neck he pressed his lips to hers. His whole body coming to life at her touch, such love born in his eyes that no-one could hope to match. They stood there, two lovers aglow, their lips locked in a kiss of timeless passion. Their love plain for all the world to see, it was so picturesque and perfect that neither of them wanted it to end.
When at long last they pulled apart, neither said a word. For what words could possibly do their love justice? In silence she took her hands in his and began the walk back to their shared bed, wandering the winding paths back through Beacon's gardens and into the residential block and along the hallway to their dorm room.
Opening it with a swipe from his scroll the two entered and both made for the bathroom. They brushed their teeth and swiftly changed into their pyjamas before climbing into bed. With practised ease they settled into their respective sleeping positions. Jaune folded his arms under his head and Pyrrha rested her head on his chest, listening to his heart beat as gradually the two fell asleep in unison.
There it is, I hope you liked it. I appreciate that this isn't up to my usual standards and partially I blame my continuing fight with writers block. I will most likely finish this before I go any further with 'A Rose for the Champion'. Drop me a review and let me know what you think. Next time I bring this whole saga to a close in the results day chapter. It will most likely be a little shorter than all of the others thus far. As always please do follow and favourite. Because there are few things that make me as happy as reading through the new follower messages that I get in my e-mails.
Please be sure to check out my secondary fic 'A Rose for the Champion' and let me know what you think of that.
Thank you all for reading and as always, I'll see you all in the next chapter.