"Next stop, Vana."
Nora woke up from her doze by a female, robotic voice announcing the next stop of the bus she was riding. The lack of sleep from last night had made her drowsy. As the vehicle came to stop at a desolate bus shelter next to a country road, she stepped out and sighed. It felt good to stretch her legs. That three hour long ride had always felt like three millennia.
The sun in the cloudless sky was casting its light over the lush meadows that stretched to the horizon, the grass and the tree leaves rustling in the soft breeze. It was a beautiful sight that helped bringing some serenity to her heart. Nora took a deep breath through her nose, filling her lungs with the fresh scents of flora and earthly soil. For a country girl like her, it smelled like home. It was something those city slickers would never understand. Beacon Academy's gardens could not even compare to this. She looked to the right and saw a signboard that said that the town of Vana was not far down along a gravel road.
"Home sweet home," said Nora to herself as she began walking down the road. She passed by several, long fences, where cows and sheep were grazing the pastures. Each step toward her hometown also brought her closer to her beloved father. She looked forward in seeing him for the first time in four months. Yet, the thought of meeting him also made her chest feel heavy. She knew she needed to tell her homophobic father that she was gay. But when? How? Was there a way to tell him without making him upset?
Her father was usually subtle with his hatred for homosexuals. He rarely talked about it, but whenever he did, he sounded angry, and even a bit sad. She understood why. It was because Jorda had left him and run off with her girlfriend.
Nora had at more than one occasion wished that she was straight instead of gay. In some ways, it would make her life easier. When she had been a couple of years younger, she had tried, or more like tried to force herself to love boys. Back at combat school, she had dated someone; a guy whom she thought was cute, funny, and with similar interests as her. They had cuddled and kissed at a few occasions, but to her confusion and chagrin, it had felt wrong doing so. She had not felt any real passion for him, even though she thought he was a great person. She remembered how sad they both were when she told him that she just wanted to be friends.
Sometime later, she had begun to notice how she was looking and thinking about girls in ways she had never done before. One evening, she had somehow ended up in the same bed with a girl she did not really know. All they had done was talk about all kinds of random and silly stuff while embracing each other. Nothing sexual had happened between them, except for a brief kiss. Her first one ever. Having felt the warmth of another girl, her soft lips against hers, had been a life-changing experience for Nora. The revelation had struck her in the head like a blow from her war hammer; she was a lesbian. She could not be. Her homophobic father would never accept that.
As a last resort, Nora had decided to romantically pursue none other than her childhood friend, Ren, seeing it as the perfect solution. To her disappointment, and then to her fear, she had felt no true love for him either. How could she not? Ren had meant so much to her ever since she was a baby. She had asked him to kiss her for real. Even though he had done so with reluctance, she had felt that the kiss was nothing compared to what she had felt with the girl from before.
On the other hand, if she was straight, then she would not be able to love Pyrrha the way she did.
A short moment later, Nora saw the town up ahead. Vana was a cozy, rural community. With a small population of only a couple of thousand, it was a place where almost everyone knew each other to some degree. Nothing happened without the rest of the community finding out about it. It was a safe place with almost zero crime. Only once or twice a year did a few, common Grimm get close enough to the town borders to cause trouble. The town's own militia could usually handle them.
As she reached the town's central square where most of the shops were located, including her favorite candy store, she passed by many people whom she recognized, waving and smiling to some of them. She was not interested in stopping for some chitchat, however. She had returned home for a purpose, and she wanted that purpose fulfilled.
She knew the town's layout so well that she could navigate her way all the home even if she were blind. After leaving the square and taking a few turns, Nora stopped as she saw the small, one story bungalow house with red walls and black roof.
Look how silly I am, stopping because I need a moment to prepare myself to approach and enter the place that has been my home since childhood.
The circumstances for her homecoming were different this time. Usually, returning home to her father was a time of joy and catching up. Now, however, Nora had no idea what might happen. For the first time in her life, she was doubtful about seeing the one parent who had loved and raised her instead of running away.
Nora approached the house, stepping up on the porch. She pushed the white door open and entered. "Hey! Dad! I'm hooome!" she called out. Heavy footsteps approached, as Brunn Valkyrie, stepped into the hallway.
Whereas Nora's mother was short and slender like her, her father was instead tall and broad-shouldered, with powerful arms befit for a blacksmith. Nora did not share much resemblance with him, except for his shoulder length, orange hair. An eye patch covered his missing right eye, the result of having accidentally fallen into a well many years ago. "It makes me look wiser," he had once told her about the eye patch.
Seeing her father for the first time in four months, Nora jumped up and put her slender arms around his thick neck, leaving her pink and white shoes dangling over the floor. "Heeey, Daddy!" she greeted him excitedly, kissing the short, thick beard on his cheek. "I've missed you!"
"Welcome home, Pumpkin," Brunn said with a deep voice and gave his daughter a bear hug. As they looked at each other face to face, she saw his warm smile fading. His single, hazel-colored eye looked at her worriedly. "Nora… I have company."
"Who's here?" asked Nora with a raised, orange eyebrow. "Oh..." She received her answer as said 'company' appeared in the hallway behind Brunn. Jorda smiled and waved timidly at her daughter from a distance.
Nora dropped down on the ground again. "Uh, right, soooo… I think I'm gonna head to my room and unpack my stuff. You two go ahead and do your adult stuff for a while without me, 'kay?"
She entered the house, marching down the hall. "Hey, Jorda," she simply greeted her mother as she passed by her, only briefly looking into her eyes. It would have to do for now. First, Nora needed a moment to wind down from the journey and collect her thoughts. She passed through a door with her personal huntress symbol on it, a pink circle with a pink lightning bolt running through a gray hammer at the center.
Her moderately sized room looked exactly the way she had left it since her last visit. Even though she was nearly an adult, it looked like it belonged to a young child. A big, pink carpet with white hearts stretched from the door entrance across the whole room. One of the walls was covered in posters of her favorite cartoons, movies, and comics. The collection of comics, toys, and figurines of fictional characters that had been haphazardly placed on her shelves represented her nerdy side, as well her inability in keeping her room tidy. The wardrobe's doors, the desk's drawers were pink with white, heart shaped handles. A large, ajar window with white curtains allowed warm light and fresh air to stream.
Nora walked over to her bed in the corner and fell down upon the light-purple bed cover. Ah, feels good to be back in my sanctuary, 'Queen Nora's impenetrable castle'.
It was the one place in the world where nothing could hurt her and make her sad. At least she liked to think so. She had spent too many days and nights in here wondering where her mother was, if she ever thought about the daughter she had abandoned, and if she would ever return.
She knew her mother would come here, but had hoped that she would arrive later, so that she could have a chance to talk to her dad alone.
She heard her father's deep voice, and her mother's gentler one, talking in the kitchen. She did not hear exactly what they were saying, but she had a good guess of what it was about. They both sounded relatively calm, which she thought was a promising thing. It was tempting for her to join them, but she did not want to be stuck between them. She did not want to pick any sides, or let one of them use her as a tool against the other. For now, it was best to let the two of them sort their things out, from one adult to another. Hopefully, that could be done without too much anger, pain, and tears being shed.
The conversation in the kitchen continued. Occasionally, her father raised his voice a bit, sounding like he was throwing an accusation or a question laced with all kinds of emotions at the woman who had left him and his daughter. Nora did not want to listen to it anymore. She connected a pair of pink headphones to her Scroll and put on some music, lying down on the bed again.
While the music was drowning out the noises from outside her room, Nora thought, It's strange... my parents are 'together' again after so many years, but not the way I had imagined it. I strongly doubt they'll go back to being together-together. That would be awkward! I gotta hope at least that they can part on good terms. Maybe we can see each other once in a while… like a real family?
Nora reached for her favorite toy since childhood, a plushy resembling a cartoony, Grimm Ursa. She hugged it tightly against her chest. It was not as comforting as being hugged by a friend, something that she badly needed.
I wish Pyrrha was with me now, so that we could just lie here and hold each other.
Just the thought of it made her feel all warm inside. She did feel a bit of shame for having left Pyrrha the day after confessing to her. She hoped that Pyrrha understood that seeing her parents was very important.
Just as the current soundtrack in her headphones ended, Nora heard someone knock on the door. "Nora? Can I come in?" asked her mother.
"Uh, sure!" Nora put the headphones away and stood up from her bed just before Jorda entered. Mother and daughter looked at each other with either of them saying anything. Nora was to some degree happy to see her again. Yet, she was not sure what to say. Her own mother was still a stranger to her.
Jorda, however, knew what to say, and helped breaking the silence between them. "It's good to see you again, Nora," she said with a smile.
"Y-you too."
"I'm so glad that you decided to come." Her mother began to walk slowly around the room, glancing curiously at the decorations and furniture. "I can't believe my own daughter is training to become a huntress. Tell me, what's it like?" she asked.
"Oh, um… well, the classes are boring. Listening to the teachers mumbling about mumbo jumbo is nothing but a snoozefest," she explained in a plain manner. As she went on, her stoic behavior gradually dropped, giving in to her true, characteristic and unlimited excitement. "But the best part is that I get to travel around Vale and use my trusty hammer to smash and bash Grimm until they're nothing but broken, bloody pulps!" She blinked, and cleared her throat awkwardly, partially composing herself. "Emm, it's… fun."
Jorda giggled softly, amused by her answer. She grabbed the Grimm Ursa plushy from Nora's bed and looked into its red, beady eyes. "I've never seen a Grimm up close, but I know they're very dangerous. Don't you get scared when you fight them?" she asked.
Nora rolled her eyes. "Me? Scared? Nonsense! I never fight alone. I always have Maggy with me."
"Maggy?"
"Magnhild, my weapon. It's even more fun killing Grimm when I have my awesome teammates with me."
"Your teammates? Who are they?" asked Jorda, sounding increasingly more curious with each question.
"There are four of us. First we have our team leader, Jaune. He can be a bit of a goofy klutz at times, but he's still a caring and hardworking guy. Then we have Ren, the most studious and deadly, ninja pancake maker there is."
"Ren?" echoed Jorda, raising her eyebrow. "That name… it sounds familiar to me." She paused briefly while rubbing her chin. "When I lived here, I believe there was a family nearby who had a baby boy named Ren. He was born a few weeks before you. Your father and I knew his parents a bit."
"Bingo! That's the guy!" exclaimed Nora and snapped her fingers, feeling both surprised and happy that her mother remembered him. "Ren's been like a brother to me all my life. Daddy and Ren's parents helped babysitting us from time to time. They're friendly folks, but I hated eating dinner at their place." Nora shook her head, grimacing in disgust. "Yuck! Waaay too many icky vegetables and too little delicious meat. I had to resort to drinking carbonated water with drops of lemon and lots of sugar because they never had any sodas. They don't even serve desserts."
Nora giggled again, less hesitantly this time. "You said you're part of a four-man team. Who is the last person then?"
"Ooh… that would be Pyrrha. Maybe it's better if I show you." Nora took out her Scroll and pressed several buttons. A group photo of her, Ren, Jaune, and Pyrrha smiling and looking into the camera, appeared on the holographic display. "Say hi to team JNPR! The best team in all of Beacon! Pyrrha's the tall and pretty redhead." Nora's gaze lingered upon the photo longer than intended, looking into Pyrrha's non-blinking, green eyes.
She slowly ran her finger down along the flat image of Pyrrha's face, imagining that she could feel the smoothness and warmth of her friend's skin. I miss you. I long to meet you again… even if you'll decline my love.
"She's beautiful. Pyrrha's more than a friend... isn't she?"
Nora blinked, not having foreseen her mother's question at all. "She… she means a lot to me," she admitted and beamed.
Jorda took a step closer to her, and put her hand on her shoulder. "You sound sad. Is everything alright between you two?"
Nora looked at the hand on her shoulder and allowed it to remain there. She appreciated the caring gesture, even though she found it awkward that it was coming from her own mother. She needed time to get used to it. "I… I messed up, real bad. I spoke from my heart when I shouldn't have. I was so stupid. I should've said nothing," she explained and sighed.
"Sometimes you need listen to what your heart says, and do what you feel is the right thing."
If that was meant to comfort me, you're seriously wrong. Nora narrowed her eyes at her mother, asking, "And what did your heart say when you decided to abandon me? Was that the right thing?"
Her question made Jorda avert her gaze from her, unable to look at her accusing eyes. "My heart… said nothing at all," said Jorda, her voice laced with shame and regret. "If it had at least whispered to me… then maybe both our lives would have been different and better today. If only I had a fraction of your courage, then I wouldn't have run away from my family."
Hearing the sadness in Jorda's voice made Nora feel a bit of guilt. She did not regret her choice of words, but maybe she could have said it better.
Nora looked down on her feet, and saw another plushy that she was meant to pick up from the floor last time she was home. She idly kicked it away, sending it against the wall and then bouncing down on top of her bed. To her surprise, she heard a muffled giggle behind her. She turned around and looked disapprovingly at her mother. "What's so damn funny?" she asked as if she had just been ridiculed.
Jorda covered her smile with her hand, trying to keep her small mirth in check. "Oh, I'm so terribly sorry, dear. It's just that, I can see you're still being a kicker."
Kicker? Nora said nothing and raised an eyebrow, waiting for an explanation. Jorda cleared her throat and tried to assume a straight face. "When I was pregnant with you, you kicked around so much that it was difficult to sleep at night. You were an active kid even before you were born. Your birth was quick and easy, as if you were in a hurry to leave and explore the world."
What her mother said was amusing news to her. "Sorry for ruining your sleep. There's no stop on the Nora train," she jested and giggled briefly. "I'm always been a hyperactive, spontaneous excitement seeker. Daddy said that as soon as I learned how to crawl around on my tiny arms and legs, he often had to double-check on me to make sure I didn't crawl somewhere where I wasn't supposed to. I learned how to run before I could walk. As a kid, I liked to run off to climb trees, explore the meadows and hills. All kinds of crazy adventures that left me with bruises, cuts and dirty clothes."
"Your story remind me much of how I was as a kid." Jorda walked up to a framed picture hanging on the wall. It depicted a crudely drawn Grimm. "Did you draw this?" she asked.
Jorda's question and the drawing itself brought an uncomfortable, almost painful tension in Nora's stomach. She was not sure if she wanted to answer her, knowing that it would likely make herself upset. "When I was about six or seven years old… Ren and I once competed in who could draw the scariest Grimm. My messy doodles were chanceless against his work of art. I almost turned green with envy. His mom then came in. She's so calm and caring, just like him."
She paused briefly and then continued with a lower voice. "As he showed her his drawing... she smiled at him, hugged him, and told him how proud she was over his talents. I unintentionally ended up ruining their touching moment by crying. It felt odd for me to be comforted by someone else's mother."
"Nora… why are you telling me this?" asked Jorda carefully.
Nora could not stop her lower lip from trembling as she relived the memory within her. Her chest and throat tensed up. "Because… it was at that moment that I realized you were truly gone!" she answered with a croaked voice. "I stopped hoping that you would return, and finally accepted that you had abandoned me forever." As she looked down, she saw a single tear fall from her face, dripping down on the floor. "For just one time in my life, I wanted to know what it's like to have a mother who hugs me, saying how much she loves me, how proud she is over me."
While sniffling and wiping away her tears, Nora suddenly froze as she felt a pair of arms gently embrace her and pull her in. "I do love you, Nora… and I'm proud of what you've become," whispered Jorda into her daughter's ear. Such motherly words were the sweetest music for her.
I'm hugged… by my mom… for the first time… She was not sure how to react. Had Jorda tried to hug her on their first meeting, she would have likely pushed her away. Now, however, all she could do was to tremble in her mother's warm and soft embrace. It feels strange… yet oddly good.
She felt Jorda tighten her arms around her, hearing her sigh sadly. "I've missed so much, things that I'll never get a second chance to see. I never got to watch you take your first step, or hear you say your first word," her mother said.
"That's… your own fault," whispered Nora.
"I know, and I'm so sorry."
Her mother's sad words touched her heart. Like a delayed reflex, Nora slowly put her slender arms around Jorda. For a short moment, mother and daughter remained silent and enjoyed the hug as good they could. The hug told Nora how sorry Jorda was for what she had done so many years ago, and that she was truly trying to correct her mistake as good as she could. Nora allowed some her resentment to fade away, and turn into passion and forgiveness instead.
Jorda withdrew from Nora and wiped away unshed tears from her eyes. "I should be going now. I need to rest. It's been a pleasant, yet also long and emotional day to have met both you and your father."
I can agree with that. "You're leaving already? But we just met. Can't you stay a while longer? You can rest here, if you want."
Jorda shook her head slowly. "Sorry, dear. There are too many memories in this house… and not all of them are pleasant. I'll go to the local hotel instead. Do you want me to come back here tomorrow morning? Before you return to the academy?"
Nora smiled. "Yeah… that would be awesome."
"Goodbye, Nora. It felt really good to see you again," said Jorda as she backed toward the door.
"Likewise. See ya tomorrow."
Pyrrha let out a drawn out and quiet sigh while in bed. It was past midnight, but she was unable to relax and fall asleep. Things had been uncomfortably quiet ever since Nora had left the academy. It had felt strange for her to spend nearly a whole day without hearing Nora's merry laughter or listening to her exaggerated stories. Even though she was a small girl, Nora took up a lot of space around her friends with her big heart, always being seen and heard, sometimes more than they liked. Pyrrha opened her eyes and looked at the empty bed in the distance.
She stood up and moved her bare feet as quietly as she possibly could over to Nora's bed. The bedding had been neatly made. Not by Nora of course, but by Ren. She sat down on the edge for a few seconds before she laid herself down. Even though all of the beds within the dorm were identical, Pyrrha believed Nora's felt more comfortable. Yet, something about it was missing. To lie in Nora's bed without Nora felt as wrong as lying in a cold bed without any bedding. If the orange-haired, bubbly girl was with her now, she would be holding her close, keeping her warm and comfy.
If she were here, she would probably be resting and rubbing her face against my chest, her 'boob pillow' as she comically refers it to, thought Pyrrha and smiled to herself, holding back a giggle.
She put her face against one of the two pillows adorned with pink hearts and took a slow, drawn out breath through her nose. The pillow smells like… maply syrup and Nora's flowery perfume. It reminded her of Nora, and filled her with a sense of longing. She dug her fingers into the pillow. Pyrrha realized how much she dearly missed her friend. Even though she knew Nora would return tomorrow, it felt like that was an eternity away.
"Can't sleep, huh?" Pyrrha gasped quietly from the inquiring whisper, and flung her face up from the pillow. Even though the room was dark, the moonlight shining through the window glass provided her with enough illumination to see that Jaune was looking at her from his bed next to Nora's.
Pyrrha was thankful that the dim lightning hid her blushing face. "Y-yeah, I'm just going to drink some water and then go back to bed. Sorry for waking you up," she explained while she got out of Nora's bed, hoping that she did not come off as too awkward.
After only taking a few steps toward the bathroom, Jaune's curious whisper stopped her dead in her track, "Pyrrha… why were you lying in Nora's bed, hugging her pillow like it's a teddy bear?"
Pyrrha fidgeted, her mind racing to come up with any kind of passable explanation to save herself from the embarrassment. Relax, it's not like you're a thief who's been caught stealing.
"Are you alright?" Jaune asked with apparent concern in his voice after a few seconds of silence.
His question made Pyrrha realize what she needed to say and do. I lied and held back information from him about my health. I won't ever do it again. "No… I am not alright." By being honest to him, Pyrrha managed to make herself relax just a little bit. "Come, let's talk somewhere else. I don't want to wake up Ren," she whispered.
"Oh, okay." Jaune sounded confused, but did as he was told as he quietly got out of bed, wearing his blue, full-body pajamas.
Pyrrha walked back to her bed to put on her morning gown and a pair of slippers. She and Jaune then sneaked their way out from the dorm, carefully closing the door behind them. Unhurriedly, they walked side-by-side down along the dark and quiet hallway. Pyrrha kept her gaze down, her hands into the pockets of her morning gown. She said nothing.
I brought him out here… and now I'm not sure what to say. He must think I'm strange.
"What's on your mind, Pyrrha?" Jaune broke the silence between them as they neared the end of the corridor. "Is… is it about your fear of water? Did you have a nightmare?" he asked, keeping his voice low.
Pyrrha slowly shook her head, still looking down at the floor. "No, it's something else."
"You know you can tell me anything. I don't want to be the last to find out that my friend is not feeling well, again."
She understood what he referred to. Jaune had been the last in their team to find out about her aquaphobia, and that she was going through therapy. He had taken it well and not made any fuss about it. He had, however, calmly stated that they should have told him sooner, before he had unwittingly made her uncomfortable by talking about the heavy rain from earlier.
Jaune's caring words inspired Pyrrha, and made her reveal what was troubling her heart, "Nora loves me."
To her surprise, Jaune chuckled. "Of course she does. She loves everyone, well except for Cardin and his goons. That's our Nora," he said with an amused smile on his face.
"No, Jaune." Pyrrha raised her gaze from the floor to look into his blue eyes. "You don't understand. She loves me!"
The true meaning of her words finally struck Jaune. His eyes widened, and his smile faded. "I… I didn't know," he said apologetically, looking remorseful for having chuckled at her.
"A day ago, I didn't know either. I have no idea how long she's had feelings for me… but I think it's been going on for a long time, possibly even from when our team was formed. She confessed to me, and now she wants to know, sooner rather than later if there can be anything between us."
"And… how do you feel about her loving you?" asked Jaune, his surprised expression lingering.
Pyrrha was not sure, but she believed she felt a gentle breeze caress her, sending a shiver through her. "I'm scared, Jaune," she whined, rubbing her arms.
"About what? Shouldn't you be… happy?"
She lost some of her composure as she raised her voice a bit. "If I decline Nora's love I fear it will hurt our friendship. If I accept it I might cause even more damage in the long run! What if we start dating and form a relationship, only to find out that it's not working? If we break up, can we truly go back to being friends? What if we end up hating and avoiding each other?" She let out a drawn out sigh, her gaze sinking down into the floor again. "I'm scared that things won't work between us. I care about Nora, and it feels like no matter what I choose, we will both end up heartbroken."
Pyrrha felt tears building up in her eyes, and reached up to wipe them away before they could be shed. I wished he did not have to see me in this. Everyone tend to look at me as a strong, willful woman. And look at me now, crying while dressed in slippers and morning gown.
"But… what if it does work between you?" she heard Jaune ask. She looked at him expectantly with a look of confusion, wanting him to say something more.
"Look, Pyrrha, I'm far from the best guy to ask when it comes to giving advice about romance and stuff. I've never been in a relationship before," Jaune admitted sheepishly with a goofy smile, scratching his neck in an awkward manner. "But, when you grow up as the only brother among six sisters who talk about the handsome guys they're dating, you learn a thing or two. A brother can only take so much."
Pyrrha nodded, but then reacted to a contradiction in his words. "But, Jaune, I thought you said you have seven sisters."
Her friend began to explain, smiling while doing so. "Citrine, my seventh sister, never talks about boys... and she never will."
Pyrrha frowned at first, but then she believed she knew where Jaune was taking this, why he was talking about his sisters at all. "Citrine, does she… like girls?" she asked carefully, not wanting to unintentionally insult Jaune and his sister.
To her relief, he nodded. "Yeah, she admitted it to the whole family about two years ago. It wasn't really a big surprise for us. We had sort of known it for some time. Last year, Citrine was happy to tell me that she's in a relationship with a girl who she's been dating for several weeks. I grew curious and asked why she loved her."
"And, what did she say?" asked Pyrrha, interested to hear more.
"At first, she talked about how good it felt to be with her, and then how sad she felt whenever she was not with her. It was the latter that made her realize she was in love with her."
His words inspired Pyrrha to think about Nora in a way she had never done before. "When I'm with Nora… it feels like it's so easy to smile. I don't know how she does it, but she always knows how to make me laugh even when I feel down." Her words, void of hesitation, flowed smoothly out of her. "Her presence radiates such positive energy that makes me feel all warm inside, silently telling me that everything will be alright." It was not until after that she finished talking that she realized how widely she was smiling.
I'm… suddenly feeling warmer.
Jaune smiled too, seemingly pleased to have brought a smile upon her face. "And… how do you feel now that Nora is not here with you?" he asked.
"I feel cold… and lonely, as if something is missing within me. I miss her, Jaune."
"Nora followed her heart and took a risk when she confessed to you. Maybe you should follow your heart and take a risk, too?" suggested Jaune.
He's… right. Ever since she confessed to me. I've looked with doom and gloom, about the worst that could happen. I should've instead thought about the opposite.
"Thank you, Jaune," said Pyrrha and gave him a hug.
"N-no problem," replied Jaune shyly, surprised by the hug. "That's what friends are for, right?" As the hug ended, Jaune looked around to his left and right, appearing a bit nervous. "Can we go back to the dorm now before we have to explain why we're prancing around in the corridor in our pajamas?"
Pyrrha was about to agree, when she suddenly remembered something else that was troubling her within. "Wait, I need to ask you something about me, and you need to be honest. Please, no white lies."
"What is it?" Jaune looked a bit worried, as if expecting to hear something grim.
"Jaune… is it true that I snore in my sleep?"
Nora was preparing to tuck herself into her comfy bed after a long day. Her second meeting with her mother had been as brief and emotional as the previous one. This time, however, she did not regret having met her. Instead of boiling rage and ice cold sadness, she experienced a more bittersweet sensation. It was definitely an improvement. She hoped to feel even better after seeing her mother again next morning.
She had talked with her father at the dinner table, and asked him what he and Jorda had talked about. His response had been that he would tell her about it later, as he needed more time to let everything sink in. Nora had chosen to respect that and not pry, despite her overwhelming curiosity. She wanted to know if things were improving between them or not.
Suddenly, Nora sharpened her ears as she heard distant sounds of metal clanging against metal, coming from outside her opened window. She knew exactly what the clanging was and where it was coming from. She left her room and exited through the backdoor, taking her to the backyard where a large, wooden shed was located. With each step she took toward it, the clanging grew louder. As she opened the shed's pair of doors, a wave of warm air washed over her together with the smell of burning coals. As the daughter to a blacksmith, both sensations were more than familiar to her.
The shed was her father's workshop. Tables and shelves stood loaded with multiple tongs, hammers, saws, files, and other tools of various forms and sizes. In the corner was a stone furnace with smoldering coals within. Crowning the center of the workshop was a sizable anvil, its surface bearing multiple nicks after having been used for a couple of decades. Standing by the anvil was Brunn, wearing a blacksmith's apron and gloves, repeatedly hammering a glowingly hot piece of metal. He was so into his work that he did not notice the doors having been opened behind him.
He's so into his work that he doesn't even notice me coming? So typical of him. Some things never change. "What are you working on, Daddy?" Nora asked curiously.
Her father's arm stopped in mid-air. He craned his neck to look and smile at her. "Just finishing a task I was supposed to do earlier. Someone's horse needs a new set of shoes," he explained and resumed hammering.
She walked closer to him, standing on the other side of the anvil. "Need any help with some heavy work? Remember, I am stronger than you," she said and flexed her slender arms, referring to her Semblance which greatly increased her strength far beyond her father's muscular arms.
Brunn chuckled. "You sure know how to make your father feel manly, Nora. Why don't you be a good girl and fetch me the horseshoe tong from over there." He gestured toward a nearby bench.
Nora approached the bench, picked the right type of tong, and gave it to him. She had helped him with his work before, and could identify the name and purpose of every tool within the workshop. Her father had even taught her the basics of blacksmithing. She knew how to make simple, crude, yet still useful items.
She had initially thought that she would follow her father's footsteps and line of work, but that had changed when Ren said that he was going to a combat school in order to become a huntsman. Nora had not wanted to spend her days inside a cramped and hot workshop while her best friend was adventuring and killing monsters, so she tagged along and immediately realized she made the right decision.
Her father raised the unfinished horseshoe and examined it closely before putting it on top of the burning coals within the furnace. "How's Magnhild? Is it still working?" he asked while waiting for the horseshoe to become warm enough to be shaped.
"Maggy? She's still awesome at crushing Grimm bones! They break like dry twigs!" she said and grinned widely.
He nodded and wiped sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand. "I'm glad to hear that. That was my life's greatest and proudest work."
His words brought back pleasant memories for Nora. She remembered how she had assisted her father as they spent days and nights, getting dirty and sweaty as they forged the pieces for her weapon. Magnhild's creation had been a proud family project that had made their bonding even stronger.
It had not been a coincidence that Nora had decided to have a war hammer as her weapon. Many years ago, she had been practicing horseback riding in the forest together with her father. She had been doing well, until she had run into a lone Beowolf. The Grimm had spooked her horse and caused her to fall out of the saddle and twist her ankle. She would have died, if it had not been for her brave father's intervention. Although he was only a blacksmith with no combat training or experience, he had still managed to kill the Beowolf by crushing its skull with his blacksmith hammer. It was that fateful moment that had inspired Nora to pick a war hammer as her choice of weapon. Every swing she made, every Grimm she killed with Magnhild, was in honor of her father's bravery and skill.
Nora's thoughts returned from the past and back to the present. "You usually don't work this late. Are you alright, Dad?" she asked.
At first, Brunn said nothing as he used a tong to take the reheated, unfinished horseshoe from the furnace and back to the anvil. "I'm fine, Nora. It's just… seeing Jorda again brought back a lot of good memories… and a lot of bad ones." His face furrowed, and his fingers tightened the grip of his hammer. "At least I'm glad I met her instead of that wretched lesbian who made her leave us both! I'm not sure what I would've done," he said contemptuously.
Nora noticed how the sounds of her father's hammering were getting louder. The glowing piece of metal on the anvil looked like it was on the verge of breaking.
"Damn homos! What good are they, other than bringing misery around them and helping us go extinct? As if the Grimm weren't bad enough," he said angrily.
Nora tensed up as she listened to her father voicing his homophobia. She felt her heart throb within her, as she gathered all her courage to ask a question that she had kept within her for years. "Do you really hate all homosexuals? D-do you even… hate… me?" she whispered.
Just as Nora uttered the last word, one final and powerful clang resonated throughout the workshop as her father's hammer broke the horseshoe in half. She held her breath, finding the silence within the workshop to be eerie. Despite the warmth from the burning coals, Nora felt so cold as if she was naked amidst a blizzard.
"D-dad?" Her voice trembled, just like her body.
Brunn remained still, almost as if frozen in time, save for his trembling hands. He turned his head around to shoot a thousand daggers with his single eye at Nora. "What did you just say?!" he spat out. "Did Jorda return to corrupt my only daughter and turn her against me?!"
Nora had stood before dozens of Grimm and felt excitement instead of fear. Now, however, she felt as scared and defenseless as when she had met her first Grimm as child. Instead of a dark monster with no soul, it was her beloved father. "S-she didn't do anything! It's who I-I am," stammered Nora, the words almost choking in her throat.
Brunn threw away his hammer and tong recklessly. "So what are you going to now, Nora?! Run away like Jorda did?! Are you going to break my heart and abandon me too?!" he shouted accusingly, his face red with anger.
His heavy and loud words, spiked with anger and hatred, rained down upon the small and fragile form of Nora. She needed to focus to not let her trembling legs send her down on her knees. "No! I'm not Jorda! I'm your daughter, and I love you, Daddy! No matter what you might say or do, that won't change." she whimpered.
He responded to her with a deep, annoyed grunt before he strode forward, moving his long, heavy-set legs toward the workshop's exit. Panic settled in within Nora. Her deepest fear was manifesting before her very eyes. No! I must stop him!
Nora took a quick step to the side, placing herself in front of Brunn's path. "No! Don't leave, Dad! Stay and talk! I need you to accept me for who I am! Please!" Her emotional pleading was ignored as she was easily pushed aside like the small girl she was. Despite her superior strength, she could not bring herself to use it against her own father. With wide open, teary eyes, Nora watched him walk away from her, feeling powerless to stop him.
"Daaad!" she shrieked at the top of her lungs. Her words fell on deaf ears, as he kept going.
End of chapter 16
Author's note: Here's some more trivia. As you already by know, Brunn is based on Odin. Just like the god, Brunn is missing an eye. Odin once sought out Mimisbrunnr (Mimir's Well) wanting to drink from its water in order to achieve omnipotent wisdom. The Well demanded a sacrifice, and so Odin tore out his right eye and cast it into the Well. He was then allowed to drink, and got what he wanted.
Brunn killing the Beowolf is a reference to Odin killing Fenrir, a monstrous wolf. In the original story however, Fenrir then also killed Odin.
Citrine is a yellow gemstone.