It had been difficult to keep up hope that Jaune was still alive when he hadn't joined them on the other side of the portal in Vacuo. His absence, along with team RWBY and Penny's, cast a dark shadow over their relief at having gotten most of the people from Atlas and Mantle to safety. There's no telling what might have happened to anyone who didn't make it out in time before the portal vanished.
But Nora refuses to assume the worst. She's always been an optimist, always trying to look on the bright side of things and not fall into despair, even when times are tough. And right now, times are looking pretty darn difficult, what with their missing friends, the threat of Salem lurking on the horizon, and the challenges of settling the refugees in Vacuo and coming up with a plan for how to fight back against Salem's next move, whatever it might be.
The only time that Nora has struggled more with putting on a brave face was, well, in those first few months after they lost Pyrrha. In the aftermath of the fall of Beacon, trying to keep from falling into despair had been a nearly impossible task. But she hadn't let herself give up then, she reminds herself, and she certainly isn't going to give up now.
Jaune might not be dead. Right now, they just don't know where he and the others are. They might be safe somewhere trying to make their way back home. Or who knows? There are so many possibilities of what could have happened to them. There's no point in just assuming that they're gone forever.
Until she knows what happened for certain, Nora refuses to assume the worst. That puts her at odds a bit with Ren, who has always been a bit of a pessimist, and has a habit of assuming the worst. For the most part, their opposite perspectives make their partnership well balanced, so long as they listen to each other. Deep down, Nora knows that Ren is trying to protect her from the potential devastation if it turns out that their friends aren't coming back after all.
But Nora refuses to let this hope die, not until she absolutely has to. It's one of the few things she has left to keep her moving forward these days.
So, when she hears that the members of team RWBY have been found alive and well on the outskirts of Vacuo, her hope surges so high that for a moment she almost forgets how to breathe. Without a second thought she hurries to find Ren and Oscar, rushing them over to finally see their long-lost friends. She has no idea how the two of them are feeling about the news, but she can't bring herself to ask, not when it feels like her heart is going to beat out of her chest.
It turns out that there's a fifth person who's returned from wherever they've been stranded: Penny is there as well. She and the members of team RWBY seem exhausted and a bit worse for wear, but otherwise okay. Nora beams at them, so glad to finally have her friends back.
Jaune isn't with them, however. And judging by the looks on their faces, he isn't hiding somewhere nearby, waiting to jump out and surprise them. Nora's heart sinks, her smiling fading as a sense of dread fills her. But she forces herself to ask the question anyway. "Where's Jaune?"
After all, until she knows for sure, Nora can't give up hope.
Her friends look stricken at the question. "Nora," Ruby's voice is quiet and hoarse, and she trails off before saying anything else, her eyes welling up with tears.
"I'm sorry," Penny murmurs taking a step forward and looking at Nora sadly. "Jaune didn't . . . he's gone." She swallows hard. "I'm so sorry."
Even though she knew, deep down, that it was a possibility, Nora wasn't prepared for this. Belatedly, she recognizes the sword and shield that Penny is holding. They're Jaune's. And Pyrrha's sash is wrapped around Penny's waist.
"No!" Nora doesn't realize that she's the one screaming until she feels Ren's arms around her, like he's trying to hold her together and keep her from falling apart. Well it's much too late for that. Her knees buckle and Ren catches her, kneeling and easing both of them to the ground. He clutches her to his chest as she screams and shakes and sobs hysterically, even as his own tears trail down his face and into her hair.
Later, Nora will manage to pull herself together and ask Penny about what happened. She'll hear about how brave and selfless Jaune was until the very end, about the sacrifice that he made. Penny will apologize endlessly and Nora will reassure her that it's not her fault. A tiny, horrible part of her will resent that Penny made it back to them and Jaune didn't, but she'll refuse to take that out on Penny.
She'll sob out her pain and somehow put herself back together again and figure out to keep moving forward. But for now, her world has shrunk down to her and Ren, mourning Jaune together. The last two members of team JNPR left standing.
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