Blake's explanation made it all the way up to her reaching the cabin and seeing the tell-tale landscape before the first interruption.
"And that's why you brought that sketch to me? And why you looked like you hadn't been getting enough sleep?" Weiss was both surprised and miffed. "Why didn't you just tell me the truth?"
"What, that I was having strange visions about a place I'd never seen? I felt like a lunatic already." She shook her head. "Frankly, I figured I would get there, and find it was all, pardon the language, bullshit, and come back."
Jaune was the one whose expression had changed the most during the first part of the story. He'd gone from silently enraged, to thoughtful, if suspicious.
The next interruption was when she'd found the glowing man.
Winter's eyes narrowed. Jaune's face looked like he'd eaten something that tasted like feces.
Weiss…"You are telling me that, instead of the weapon you saw in the vision, you found…" she gestured to the man next to her.
"Yes. Floating popsicle-man. And yeah, that's what I named him."
"Naked."
"And spinning, glowing, floating. Yes."
"Well, that explains why he's wearing our spare clothing and didn't have his own Scroll," Winter said dryly.
Hegsih had thought Jaune was easing out of his anger, but he could sense it coming back. But when he glanced at the blond man, he wasn't sure that it was about him.
Blake's tale continued, reaching the tent, and the thermal bag, when Jaune interrupted again.
"I do not like where this is going. Not one bit," he growled.
Blake blushed, and even Hegsih had the decency to look embarrassed.
"Shit." He turned to Weiss. "How's your fortune-telling, dear? Because mine is setting off all sorts of alarms."
"I didn't have any choice," Blake hissed.
"Jaune," Winter interrupted with that unnerving calm she had. "Based on the symptoms she described-"
"Oh, I've no doubt he was dying, that she saved his life, but that didn't mean she had to… to." A suspicious glare his direction. "Or was it the other way around?"
"Whoah, whoah. It wasn't like that at all!"
"Then what the hell… Blake doesn't go around sleeping with every guy she meets. Hell, she doesn't sleep with any guy she meets!"
Blake's face was vivid by now. Weiss put a hand on Jaunes' arm, stilling him. Blake tried to speak, and found she just couldn't force the words out.
"Wait a second," Hegsih muttered. "Just a damned second." He bent down, opening up her pack. Her eyes widened as she caught on, then closed, and she nodded.
Hegsih pulled out a small, translucent orange pill bottle and set it down on the table with a soft slap.
"Here's your answer. She left this." He gestured stiffly to the bottle. "At the cabin. Because the calendar didn't add up. It shouldn't have been necessary. But something screwed with her own personal calendar."
Blake's eyes opened, and he could see the relief. That was, well done, Brownskin.
There was silence around the table. Winter had actually pinked a bit in embarrassment. Weiss looked disturbed but thoughtful.
Jaune was still angry, but it was obvious it wasn't at anyone in the room. He glared at the bottle, then turned his head toward the windows, eyes focused on something in the distance, his jaw clenching. Hegsih suspected there were two fists under the table doing the same. The man seemed offended by the entire world.
After a minute, with some coaxing, Jaune calmed down enough that Weiss continued.
"I won't ask any more about what happened that night, then. I can surmise. And based on your behavior now, it was consensual?"
"Yes. Hegsih was… considerate."
"A complete goof." Hegsih added.
"Stop it."
Weiss allowed a small but genuine smile at the exchange, then it faded quickly.
Winter interrupted, "I am… happy that you appear to have found a… companion, Blake. But that doesn't answer my questions." She turned to Hegsih. "Who are you? Where do you come from? Why are you a complete non-entity in every cross index I've tried. Not just name, but prints, scans, facial matching. And believe me, I've put some resources into this." She paused, explaining. "With the past attacks on our family, we can't afford half measures."
Hegish nodded, sympathetically. "This is going to sound unbelievable."
"Try me," Jaune said. His demeanor had shifted visibly. He was leaned forward, arms on the table, his face more relaxed than they had seen so far.
"Okay. Okay I will. I really am originally from a city called Bergen, in a nation called Norway, though I've lived in another nation for most of my life. I defaulted to that because they... well nominally they do have a King, but it's mostly ceremonial. I was trying to stick as close to the truth as possible when Blake set up the Scroll."
Winter made a tch sound. "And where, pray tell, in Remnant is this… Norway."
"It's not. That's the problem." He could see the disbelief in her eyes. "Seriously." He had a burst of inspiration. "Look, you have access to the scroll I borrowed," her face betrayed nothing, "Look at the search history. Look at my level of complete ignorance, the kind of questions I was asking. 'What is Dust?! How does Aura work?! What is the capital of Atlas?! Does that sound like a native of Remnant to you?"
Winter's eyelids twitched as he hit each point. Good. Yeah. Chew on that. He looked back at Weiss, then Jaune who leaned back. Weiss and Jaune shared a look. "Okay," Jaune said, matter of factly.
"What?" Winter stuttered. "I mean. I can see his argument, but there's no basis-"
"I've seen weirder," Jaune said, calmly. "I've lived weirder. Kid is telling the truth."
Hegsih started to relax, felt Blake do the same beside him.
"That's not the only problem, though."
Good feelings gone.
"One," Jaune counted off a finger. "Something is screwing around with our little family again, and the last time that happened, it caused a lot of suffering.-"
"Before we came out on top," Weiss added, her mouth set in a firm line."
"Sure, fine, but the price was steep." Weiss reached over and squeezed his shoulder.
Second." Another finger. "We still don't know why you are here. I don't trust the puppeteer, how can I trust the marionette?"
Hegsih flinched. Then he got angry himself. "I'm no puppet. I am no one's puppet," he growled.
Jaune cocked an eyebrow at that. "Kiddo, we're all someone's puppet, sometimes."
And stop calling me kiddo. You're not that much older than me.
The eyebrow went up another notch as if he'd read Hegsih's thoughts. But Jaune continued. "And third" Another finger. "You appear to have, ahem, taken liberties with our daughter-in-function, and the Belladonna's only daughter-in-fact, without what I would consider a minimum of consideration." To Hegsih's shock, It was Blake who answered with some anger.
"Dad, we told you, it was not exactly voluntary when-"
"Oh, I'm not talking about that time." He looked at the two of them. "Am I?"
Their anger faded a little, replaced by a slight guilt, but she rallied again. "I'm a grown woman, Jaune."
"And I'm ancient, cynical, and entitled to look out for your well-being, and I dare you to take that tone with Ghira and Kali."
That quieted her down. "Well. Yeah. That's going to be a thing."
"Will they care that I'm human?" Hegsih suddenly asked.
Several pairs of eyes blinked, then considered. Wiess spoke first. "Ghira and Kali Belladonna? No. No, they'll care about whether you make their only child happy," Weiss smiled sadly. "They won't care about anything else. Now my father would have had a fit."
"Your father is already having fits over you being engaged to a Huntsman without significant assets to his name." Jaune laughed without humor. "Jacques Schnee isn't a racist, he's a classist. He's an equal opportunity asshole if you're poor." Weiss made a face, and swatted his arm.
Winter just rolled her eyes, before speaking again. "Regardless, I have more questions, about your… alleged world." Weiss gave her a look, which she returned.
"I think that can wait a bit, Jaune inserted quickly. I'm sure Hegs here," using the more familiar version for the first time, he nodded, "is overjoyed to help Atlas with their research in the very near future." Another eyebrow.
"Actually, yes I am." Hegsih said honestly. "I'm fascinated by the differences in military technology, hell technology in general, between the two worlds. For example, the complete replacement of hydrocarbon-based society with Dust-based, the lack of space technology, the apparently tenuous nature of long-range communications. Why-" He felt fingernails dig into his arm and got his eyes out of the clouds and back on the table.
Winter was watching him with eyes like slits, fingers poised on her scroll. Jaune looked like he was about to have some sort of fit. Weiss… was shaking her head sadly.
"I'm sorry, he gets like this every time the subject comes up," Blake observed mournfully.
"Oh, he has got to meet Ruby Rose-"
"Jaune…" Weiss warned.
"Well, it's going to happen. And I want to be there."
Hegsih grimaced and looked an apology at Blake, who only smiled enigmatically.
Weiss cleared her throat. "Winter, if you could excuse us? We need to ask some more personal questions."
Winter hesitated, then considered, "Hegsih, you may have permanent loan of the Scroll. I will reconfigure it to remove the other accounts."
"And ensure it stays monitored," he added. Her face tightened. "It's okay, Specialist Winter. I expect that. Hell, I would do that if our positions were reversed." He stood and offered his hand. "I'm not your enemy. I've learned what is your enemy, and I would help you fight them." She breathed in through her nose, and took his hand briefly, nodded to the rest, and excused herself.
The door closed.
"Like I said. A whole bottle of giggles."
"Excuse me?" Winter's sister rebuked.
"I said that out loud, didn't I?"
Weiss was disapproving, but Jaune had a hint of humor on his face, and Blake was shaking quietly.
"Sorry. It's been a while since I've met someone wound that tightly."
"Winter has…a history with our father and her current responsibilities weigh heavily on her shoulders. I'm sure Blake has told you some things, though hopefully she has been somewhat discrete."
"Yes, mom."
"Which does lead to our remaining question." She looked them over carefully.
"Blake, Hegsih… can I ask the exact nature of your relationship?"
"Lovers," Blake stated, tilting her chin up, daring them to object. "Tentative," Hegsih said at the same time, with a smile. They looked at each other in surprise.
Weiss narrowed her eyes.
Hegsih snorted softly, then became more serious. "Look, I know Blake has been… through some things. We talked about a lot of them." He looked at Weiss, "that really was part of the reason she delayed coming back. It wasn't just bullshit to put off her closest friends," he nodded with satisfaction as Weiss absorbed that. "She considers you two something between adopted parents and big siblings, so I don't see the point in lying to you. I'm completely smitten with her. And it isn't just the ears." But goddam they are something aren't they? "Right now? I'm sure it's at least half infatuation, but she's just… fucking incredible." He squeezed her hand and felt her reciprocate. "She single-handedly hauled my frozen ass out of that hole with brains and muscles combined. I've seen her terrified, but she powers through it. She… she has some serious trauma, and I swear to you, I won't add one more ounce to that."
He turned his eyes to the woman beside him. "I told you, Blake. I'll take whatever you will give me. I'm betting you thought that meant the minimum you would allow." He paused and added more sofly, "It means the other way too."
Blake stared at him, eyes stinging. She felt tears collecting on her cheeks. "You… you damn… guh." She sniffed, snottily. "Dammit."
"I will be dipped in shit."
They blinked, turning back to Jaune.
His face was soft, a slight smile on his lips. Shaking his head slowly, he continued "Baby girl has found a suitor." Blake blushed.
Weiss looked thoughtful.
They wrapped up quickly after that. Weiss excusing herself to make a quick call first as Jaune, Blake, and Hegsih made small talk. The couple were relaxed for the first time since the call back at the cabin. Even more-so in some ways. They stayed within arms-reach, making sure there were small touches. Jaune's face looked like it might start hurting, he was grinning so much.