"Something must've gone wrong, Jaune's already half an hour later," Pyrrha pointed out as the rest of Team JNPR huddled together by the punch bowl. They were currently residing in the cafeteria and already had their fill of dinner, with Nora having several extra servings of pie and syrup for dessert. However, as the clock struck six thirty, no one had seen neither hide nor tail of their fearless leader. As expected, Pyrrha was getting nervous.
"Maybe his costume is taking longer to put on than expected," Ren replied as he struggled maintain his grip on Nora's shoulders. Apparently a meter of taffy and a full dinner was not enough to force Nora into a food coma and the hyperactive huntress was jittery for more excitement. "I wouldn't worry until it hits seven. Maybe then we should check up on him."
"Candy! Candy, candy, candy, candy!" Nora barked out as she finally wriggled her body loose and ran hands first towards the Candy Hoard by the back of the cafeteria. Ren groaned in annoyance before sprinting after her, leaving Pyrrha by herself.
"Be careful you two!" She shouted as she watched the rest of her team run off. Her mind was still on Jaune however and each passing second made her heart swell with worry. Finally, she couldn't bear the anxiety any longer and pulled out her Scroll to call him. It rang for a while before entering voicemail, which only served to confirm her suspicions. Jaune would never miss a call from a teammate and his Scroll was perfectly fine this morning. That could only mean something happened and this realization brought her body forward into a stride towards their room.
She passed numerous costumed students along the way, each more spectacular than the next. There were typical Grimm costumes, occupational ones, technological ones, athletic ones, and even comic book characters. But none seemed to point to Jaune hiding underneath them so she continued forward on her quest.
"Pyrrha!" A familiar, chipper voice rang from in front of her. Before her stood Team RWBY, each girl dressed in immaculate Hallow's Eve attire. There was Ruby leading the pack dressed in the most adorable Grim Reaper attire. She had traded in her normal cloak for a tattered gray one that was way too long for her lithe frame. In her hands was a prop scythe, the old timey kind used for harvesting only, that also seemed way too long and big for her to carry around. And to top it all off was a skull mask to complete the undead getup. "Happy Hallow's Eve!"
"Oh, uh, yes. You too," Pyrrha stuttered as she stopped to exchange pleasantries with the team. Behind Ruby was her partner, Weiss, dressed in a white and navy blue ball gown. Her hair was let loose to fall as a white waterfall across her back with a powder blue rose bud tucked behind her right ear. A beautiful blue diamond encrusted in a silver necklace adorned her exposed neckline matched by sapphire and silver earrings and white diamond tiara. "Weiss, you do realize this is a Hallow's Eve party right?"
"Of course I do, Pyrrha," Weiss replied as she stepped forward. "And I am in costume. I'm dressed as Queen Esma Violet of Atlas who ruled centuries ago. And I could also ask you the same question Pyrrha. You look like a goddess ready to meet your worshippers at a temple in Mistral."
"Oh well, I-"
"Yeah you do, girl," Yang concurred as she moved in besides Weiss. "You looking smoking in that outfit, but then again you're not the only one." Her words seemingly ran true if the stares of the nearby students were any indication. Before Pyrrha stood a most scantily clad yet brutal looking Yang Xiao Long, dressed in heavy fur armor designed to leave most of her chest and back bare. Gone were her Ember Cilica gauntlets, replaced by twin prop axes strapped to her costume's belt, each engraved with faux Dust leylines.
"And who are you dressed as, Yang?" Pyrrha asked, taken aback by Yang's attire.
"I'm dressed as the warrior princess, Yena, mightiest woman in all the known galaxies!" Yang declared as she grabbed and spun her axes around for show. Upon closer inspection, Pyrrha, once distracted by the costume itself, then realized Yang had chosen to include heavy war paint in addition to her makeup to finish the costume's design.
"Oh, from that old television series, correct?"
"Yep! Childhood favorite!"
"This is, like, the tenth year in a row that Yang chose to dress up as Yena," Ruby clarified as she popped in between the two. "Ever since we first saw that show, Yang's always wanted to be like Yena."
"Hey! There is nothing wrong with wanting to be a badass and sexy warrior princess that hops around the galaxies slaying monsters and saving planets," Yang countered as she holstered her prop weapons. "Besides, it's way cooler than dressing up as a little reaper every year."
"Hey! Reapers are totally awesome all the time!"
"Can we please move along?" Blake's voice chimed in from behind her team. All turned around to face the costumed Faunus who was wearing a distinct lack of her usual favorite color. Instead, she wore a modest, yet long, white kimono decorated with a variety of colored floral patterns. Pinks, yellows, reds, and blues mixed together to create a vision of a woman so vastly different from what Pyrrha was accustomed to, she almost forgot this was indeed Blake Belladonna in front of her. Said woman was trying her best to ignore the party around her, instead focusing on reading a book in her right hand while her other held a closed, oriental folded fan, likely a prop to complete her outfit. Her black bow was still ever present however, somewhat ruining the believability of the costume as a whole, and her hair remained unchanged as well. "I'd rather get this party over with sooner than later."
"Aw, come on Blake!" Ruby chirped. "We have the entire night to forget about boring old school work and stuff, let's enjoy it while it lasts! I mean, it's Hallow's Eve! It's the best time to forget about life and just eat and have as much fun as possible!"
"But I feel exposed dressed like this," Blake responded, bored. "And I'm not a fan of parties."
"Well if the Ball couldn't rectify that, then tonight will," Yang promised as she grabbed her partner's hand, much to Blake's surprise and discomfort. "Let's go crew!"
"You guys run off and do your own thing for now," Weiss said. "I have to look for Neptune. He promised me his costume would be the perfect complement to mine. I shall join you all later."
"Whatever," Yang shrugged as their resident princess walked off into the crowd. "What about you, Pyrrha? Where you off to?"
"And where's your team?" Ruby added.
Pyrrha rubbed her wrist in embarrassment. "Ren and Nora are off by the Candy Hoard, but Jaune's running late. He said he was going to be, because he needed time to prepare his costume, but it's been hours and I am getting worried."
"Jaune's in trouble!" Ruby screeched as she readied her scythe, ready for any enemies of Team JNPR to arrive. "Time to reap the souls of his attackers!"
"Easy, Rubes," Yang cautioned, still holding on to her struggling partner's hand. "I'm sure Jaune just got sidetracked by something. No need to go overboard."
"Well, I should still check up on him," Pyrrha finished as she began walking towards the exit. "Have fun! We will catch up later!" A trio of farewells responded in kind and once again she was free to find her missing knight.
"Alright, just cross the courtyard and head for that large building with the tables of food and drinks by its doors. That's the cafeteria-"
"A café-what?" Tiberius asked as he gently slammed open the last door in the dormitories building to reach the open world. Besides him, other students jumped from shock at the sound and then gazed in wonder at the large, imposing knight before them, no one any the wiser that it was the goofy Jaune Arc underneath the armor.
"Uh, a mess hall? Would that work?" Jaune corrected as he scanned for any familiar faces to warn Tiberius about. He gave the basic rundown of the known people around Beacon such as his team, Team RWBY, the staff, and so on. But he couldn't share mental images with Tiberius, because apparently they couldn't share a same mindscape, so he was forced to find and point out said people in order to clue Tiberius in on how to behave around them.
Tiberius's eyes lit up at the clarification, though they were obscured by the darkness inside the helm. "Excellent! 'Tis the perfect hour for a feast! A cure for my centuries of famine."
It as this same time that Jaune realized, from his analyzing of the very confused looks of the students around him, that Tiberius wasn't mentally talking to him. In fact, it seemed as though Tiberius had been shouting aloud ever since taking control of Jaune's entire body. That needed to be rectified, fast, so as to not make him seem totally crazy. "Okay, new rule. From now on, unless we're totally alone, don't reply back to me. It'll just make us look totally insane to everyone around us. Just follow my orders if need be and we should be fine for the night."
"Very well," Tiberius muttered as he too began to notice the strange looks people were giving him. Unfortunately, even his lowest voice seemed to be fairly loud. Now silent, he slowly made his way towards the cafeteria, Cleft Twilight sitting lazily across his right shoulder held there by his right arm, as if it were truly a real prop and instead not a real weapon.
"Okay, good. Now, we need to find the rest of my team. If I see them, I'll point them out and you need to go talk to them, because they might be worried about me being so late. If we can't find them, then just eat and drink until-" Jaune stopped mid-sentence as his eyes caught the visage of his partner hurriedly walking towards them, undoubtedly on a quest to make sure he was okay. "Okay, scratch that. That's my partner Pyrrha Nikos, the one I told you about, and-"
"By Oum's blessings," Tiberius whispered as he watched as the crimson goddess approach him, reverent of her entire form. His eyes were glued to every movement and sway of her body, her beautiful defining colors of vibrant red and green, and the sheer gravity of her immaculate beauty. He was in stupefying awe.
"Jaune!" Pyrrha shouted as she looked around, trying to find any semblance of her partner under the night sky. "Jaune? Are you there?"
"Alright," Jaune said as he prepared for their first human encounter. "Just go up to her and politely explain what's going-"
"Fret not, my Goddess!" Tiberius shouted back, scaring the life out of the nearby students and shocking Pyrrha herself. He began stomping his way to her across the stone ground, each step slamming the earth like a localized earthquake. The sound of clanking metal and crunching pebbles filled the autumn air as they drew closer together. "For your partner, Jaune Arc, has finally arrived to free you from the worry that must have tormented your mind!"
If Jaune could physically face palm himself, he would've. His plans have suddenly flew out the window and into an incinerator.
"Is, is that really you, Jaune?" Pyrrha asked in both wonder and fright as she tried to take in the possible fact that this large, dark, and almost evil looking knight adorned with spikes and Grimm imagery was her lovable, goofy Jaune. It sounded a little like Jaune, but it also almost sounded possessed with its low pitch.
"Why of course it is!" Tiberius replied as he placed the axe down and brought his hands up to his waist to pose heroically, chin up towards the heavens. "Perhaps you do not recognize me, for I am dressed this Hallow's Eve as the one and only hero of legend and ancient pride of the Arc family, Tiberius Julian Arc of the Grimm Hunt, Third Son of Queen Florence and King Julian Arc of the Northern Continent, and Champion and sworn defender of said kingdom and its islands!"
Pyrrha and the rest could only gape at the boisterous introduction. Either someone was playing them all for fools right now, or Jaune Arc has somehow transcended his public image in favor of role playing as an ancient, prideful, and confident knight from their old fairytales. A few moments passed in silence before Pyrrha tilted her head in confusion and asked, "Well, you kind of sound like Jaune and you know his family name, but I still do not know if it really is you."
"Oh, but such sorrow!" Tiberius wailed as he dropped to his knees, sending a plume of dust flying around him from the impact. "My own partner, a Goddess among us mortal men and women, cannot recognize me?" He continued, almost to himself with Jaune mentally groaning in the background of his mind. "Does our bond mean so little? Are words not enough to convey the relationship that we share?"
"R-Relationship?" Pyrrha asked in shock as a faint blush lit up her cheeks. She silently cursed her silly mind for immediately thinking of that kind of relationship with Jaune, though she had no complaints about such an image.
"What must I do, my dearest Pyrrha?" Tiberius asked as he moved to one knee, bowing before her like a true knight before a fair maiden. It all added up to force her blush to grown even brighter and hotter than before. "How must I prove my ties to you as your loving partner and comrade in arms? Tell me, so that I may prove myself! No test is too much! None, I say! For you, my dearest Pyrrha, purest of heart and Goddess incarnate, I shall cleave the whole world in twain to prove myself! Simply say the order, and I shall triumph post-haste and prove the truth of my words!"
She was utterly flabbergasted at the man's words, utterly. Never in a million years did she ever imagine Jaune being able to say even half the things he said to her just now. But, even through the bold statements and hyperboles, she sensed honesty in them. It was as if somehow had supercharged Jaune's demeanor, turning the knob all the way to fifteen out of ten.
There was only one way to be sure.
"Can you take off your helmet and show me?" She asked.
"…"
Shockingly, Tiberius stood silent as both he and Jaune processed the request. They didn't count on that possibility. And as Jaune shouted mentally at what could go wrong while also reprimanding Tiberius for not adhering to his orders, Tiberius kept his silence.
"I mean, couldn't you just stop and listen for two seconds? I know you've been itching to have fun, but remember the codes of conduct! We just laid them out not five minutes ago! For the love of-"
"I can't remove the helmet," Tiberius stated with finality, shocking both Jaune and Pyrrha.
"What do you mean you can't remove it?" Jaune mentally shouted and Pyrrha asked innocently.
"For you see, beauty incarnate, my crimson jewel of Hallow's Eve," Tiberius replied as every word made Pyrrha practically explode in unbridled, shy joy. "There exists a most important test of wardrobe this eve, and to properly win such a contest requires dedication to its parameters. The one with the greatest costume shall win and no doubt the judge or judges shall be watching our every move."
"Meaning?"
"Meaning that my victory shall be assured so long as I wear my full costume all night and that I act just as the great Tiberius himself did in the times of old. I shall play this role incessantly, until the final judgement, and that shall ensure my reign as champion of Hallow's Eve tonight," Tiberius explained with one last heroic pose from before. "But, do not fret my dearest Pyrrha, for I can still prove that I am indeed truly Jaune Arc."
He knelt down once more and beckoned her to move closer. She did slowly, still unsure of who or what lay beyond the darkness of the helmet. Once she got in close, Tiberius moved forward ever so slightly so that their faces nearly touched, skin to metal. "Now, look into my helm and witness the face of the man who has fought besides you countless times. Watch as the truth makes itself known to you, my beloved Goddess."
As Pyrrha gazed into the black void, she squinted to make sense of any facial features behind it. But as the seconds passed, slowly the darkness receded and the unmistakable face of Jaune Arc manifested itself in front of her. Wide blue eyes, wild and short blonde hair, and large sparkling smile met her eyes and instantly she felt both relief and amazement.
Truly this was her partner and, amazingly, also not. Somehow, he had managed to transform himself into the knight he'd always wanted to become. And somehow, all it took was for Hallow's Eve to get him to come out of his normally shy and uncourageous shell, if even had one.
"Wow, Jaune," Pyrrha gasped as she stepped back. "It is really you."
"A thousand apologies," Tiberius replied as he picked up and hefted Cleft Twilight. "My lateness must have weighed heavily upon your mind, my dear. But let us not dwell on such negativity!" He motioned for her to return to the cafeteria with a mighty wave of his hand followed by him pointing his axe forward. "Instead, let us return to the revelries at hand! Let us return to our friends and comrades to dance, sing, and feast until dawn's new light!"
"Hahaha!" Pyrrha chuckled as she began to settle down and enjoy this new, rejuvenated Jaune Arc of Hallow's Eve role playing. "Yes! Let's!"
"You and I are going to have a serious talk when we get a quiet minute," Jaune ordered shrilly as Tiberius ignored him.
"After you, my Goddess," Tiberius offered with a deep bow. Pyrrha's blush returned full force once more as she almost didn't know how to handle such chivalry. Normally such mannerisms from others were mere pleasantries and pseudo-mandated societal ticks, but all of this coming from Jaune of all people, and to such a degree, it made her heart flutter like never before. In truth, she loved the typical Jaune Arc, who treated her like a human being instead of the Goddess of Victory everyone else envisions her as. But to indulge in Jaune's playing this one night and accept that role with him so openly passionate with her, it was almost too much to handle.
And she absolutely loved it.
"Thank you, sir knight," Pyrrha thanked with another giggle as she strode forward, back to the cafeteria with Tiberius automatically followed a few paces behind her.
"Out of the way all who dare cross my partner's, my Goddess's path!" Tiberius warned with such a deep roar that no one else around the two dared to interrupt or challenge his words. "Know that should any of you so much as dirty her robes or evaporate her beautiful smile with your insolence, you face the unfettered wrath of Tiberius Julian Arc, Goliath of the Grimm Hunt!"
"Jaune, please," Pyrrha said as she tried to calm her partner down, almost scolding him. "There is no need to threaten or be rude."
"Fear not, for I merely jest!" Tiberius laughed uproariously. "I shall not maim or cut, but all should know that I am serious about protecting my lady in combat, my shining garnet of Beacon. For I shall fight the entire army of this land if it would preserve your safety and jubilance this night."
For so long it was Pyrrha who had protected Jaune out in the field and in the classroom while it was he who had promised to one day protect her. Oum knows he tried again and again while out hunting Grimm and always his promises had the same nervous tone and honesty underscoring them. But to hear Jaune promise the same thing tonight, now almost oozing never before seen confidence and pride, it made her actually believe in his words for the first time.
And as she neared the doors, with the others around them staring at Jaune in awe and wonder, fear and caution, she truly felt as though he was the one protecting her tonight.
And in his own little trapped world, Jaune couldn't help but wonder at Tiberius's good first impression on Pyrrha. Perhaps, there was something to be learned through his ancient bravado.
Gonna take this story slow for now. Small chapters will replace the once large chapters I wanted to write. But, stay tuned for more and I hope you enjoy it.
Remember to please review and favorite. Every little bit helps.