Been quite a bit since the end of the first major arc, huh? Plenty of things happened, for better and for worse. It's not entirely certain how the gang intends to deal with all of these things, though knowing them they're going to be more than willing to confront things as they come. They're quite stubborn like that. Things will inevitably come and try to make their lives incredibly unbearable for them again.

But first, we'll have ourselves a bit of a look into the new Fueled By Roses dynamic, because Ruby, Cinder, and Jaune are all goofs. Of course Cinder tries to deny it but it's very much the truth, for she's now in an environment and state of mind that makes it pop up more frequently. Also, some things are set into motion, hinting at things to come.

Let's begin.

Summer Rose sat idly with her daughter as they relaxed in a gentle sea of swirling rose petals around them. White and red petals fluttered down around them with the nearby breeze causing them to flutter and dance in the wind. Painting a majestic maelstrom of red and white as their capes fluttered and rippled about with the gentle breeze. The winds blowing cool air against the furs on their ears. Summer's especially large tail beautifully waved back and forth behind her, lightly brushing over her daughter's own smaller tailpiece. The gesture made her giggle as she lightly hugged Summer's tail, wrapping herself around it's fluffy warmth. Both of them quite snug as they basked in the peaceful atmosphere.

There was quite a few picnic baskets right next to them that have been thoroughly emptied of all of their contents. Dozens of baskets packed with all sorts of foods, now thoroughly emptied due to the ravenous appetites of the two wolves. Ruby was nicely satiated due to the various lunches and goodies that had been prepared by her dear mother. Summer herself had indulged in some of her cooking, as well as a bit of a warm contribution from her own mother. Ruby hiccuped a few times, which got a gentle chuckle out of Summer.

"Looks like someone ate their fill, hm?" Summer teased while tickling Ruby's tummy, making her giggle and laugh. "That's very good, Ruby. A growing girl like you needs to eat as much as you can to grow up big and strong."

"Mhm! But you can eat a lot more than me, Mama!"

"Oh, I don't know about that." Summer smiled while nonchalantly brushing a few leftover crumbs from her cheek, then playfully licking some of them off of Ruby's after her head shifted into that of a wolf, tickling her again and making her laugh. "It's always important for us to eat our fill to get our energy up nice and quick."

"Okie-Dokie!" Ruby exclaims with a thumbs up, turning towards her excitedly while her tail wagged. "Are you going to teach me how to better use my Light next?!"

Summer looked towards Ruby for a moment, the question passing back and forth into her head, before she sighed and nodded. "Yes, I suppose we'll have to start with that eventually. I wanted to wait on it until we've increased your stamina and endurance to an acceptable level, for this power will take a lot out of you if you're not careful."

"Ah, okay!" Ruby nodded while tilting her head, her tail laying idle. "We did a whole bunch of practicing and training and stuff, about me being a werewolf, and my rose petals! All of that came before working on my Light. Why was it important for us to wait a bit until I was ready to start with it?"

The white wolf nodded while lightly turning towards the rosy fields in front of her. "I wanted to first teach you about self-control and discipline, to make sure that you stay in the right state of mine to use these abilities the right way." Summer turned towards her once she sensed that she was slightly confused by what she meant. "It's important that you're able to control this power because of how powerful it is. If you don't have proper control over it, you're at risk of hurting those you care for."

Ruby's eyes widened, her paws reaching up to cover her mouth. "I am?!"

"Yes. Our light is a sacred and powerful one, but that does not make it inherently kind. If we're not careful, we'll harm those we don't mean to harm with this light, rather than protecting and aiding them." Summer softly smiled, warmly holding Ruby's hands. "Know what's also important?"

"Nuh-uh."

"Empathy and compassion. The kinder and gentler your light becomes, the more nurturing, positive, and beneficial it will be around your loved ones. That's why I wanted to cover these things before we really got started on that portion of training." Summer placed a soft hand atop Ruby's head. Her daughter's wolf ears flicked as she placed her smaller hands atop Summer's. "Do you understand, now?"

Ruby nodded energetically. "Mhm! I got it! One hundred and four percent!"

"Very good." Summer smiles softly as she soon stood up, holding Ruby's hand. "Now then, let's see if we can ask mother to help make us even more picnic snacks."

"Hooray for picnics!"

Ruby cheered as she and Summer walked through the rosy fields, the spring breeze peacefully swirling more petals around them.

Ruby eventually opened her eyes as the sunlight began peeking into them, moving her hand over her eyes to try and block some of it. With the memories of the past waking her up, she couldn't find herself falling back asleep. Eyes fluttering, she pulls herself upwards and yawns tiredly, scratching the back of her neck while her wolf tail fluffed slightly and waved back and forth. At least, it would be, if someone wasn't currently cuddling it.

Jaune had fallen asleep cuddling her warm and bushy, notably large tail again. He couldn't help it sometimes. Ruby was just so fluffy and fuzzy as a wolf that sleeping against her had its own special and unique coziness. She didn't mind it all too much, whatever helped him fall asleep easier, she was more than happy to do for him. Her tail managed to wag a little bit regardless, rather content with the embrace. This lasted for a good minute, and with the morning sun shining on them, they would unfortunately have to cease this embrace for now.

"Jaunnnnee. We gotta get up, now..." Ruby grumbled quietly.

"Zzz...four more minutes..." Jaune calmly denied, hugging Ruby's fluffy tail some more.

"Really? When I ask for four more minutes, I'm stalling. But when you ask for it, suddenly everything makes super sense?"

"Yes, that's right..."

"Hypocrisy, thy name is Jaune Arc!"

"No, Ruby, you don't understand. It's different. You see, your tail is REALLY soft and bushy, and it's incredibly comfortable to hug. It's such a nice feeling that letting go of it just becomes a little bit difficult, ya know?"

"Yeah, and it's also putting you back to sleep!" Ruby pouted as she slipped the tail away from Jaune, to his sigh of disappointment. "Wakey wakey, or your breakfast I'll takey!"

Jaune slowly gets up with a start, glaring right into Ruby's eyes. "You don't have the guts."

"Oh, I think I do. Because they're hungry. Your breakfast will be sacrificed to my belly."

"I will shield my breakfast muffins from you with all my might!"

"My hunger is even mightier! Have at thee!"

Jaune actually tried to playfully fight back against Ruby for the rights of protecting his breakfast muffins. But this battle was swiftly decided already when Ruby turned them over easily and pinned him down, growling a wolf's growl for several moments. The sudden turnover lasted a second, before her eyes shifted back to normal with her fluffy tail wagging delightfully. Jaune sighed and conceded defeat, with Ruby nearly rolling off of him, but he then had his arms around her and pulled her back to him. She pouted at him again as he looked to the side and pretended not to know what was up.

"You're seriously going to keep being silly?" Ruby huffed as she struggled to free herself from Jaune, but he remains firm. Both of them knew she could break out of his grip quite easily, but that wasn't nearly as fun as playing along like this.

"That depends. Are you having fun being silly with me?"

"Maayyyybeee." Ruby smiled sheepishly, before she closes the distance and placed a tender kiss on Jaune's lips, which dazed him just long enough to move free from his grip and hop onto her feet. She soon yawns again and stretched, her hands shifting to wolf paws as she does so, before going towards the ground on all fours for another wolf-like stretch. The action had her paws across the ground, and her adorable wiggling butt up in the air, in which Jaune briefly glimpses at for a few moments, then the gaze lasted even longer that. "I can feel you staring at my bum, Jaune." Ruby didn't even have to look behind her to know.

"Don't mind me, take your time. No need to rush on my account."

"I knew you were going to be silly!" Ruby laughed while flicking her tail at him, before she stood back up and rolled her arm. "Get your mind out of the gutter, Jaune! Usually, you're the one pulling mine out of it! Mornings are not the time for that kind of role reversal!" She hopped in place as Jaune stood up and rolled his arm as well, before he walked up again and pulled her back into a pretend-sleepy hug. She puffed her cheeks and harrumphed slightly, gently pounding his chest. "Jaaaaunnnee! We have things to do today!"

"Sorry, sorry. I just haven't had quite enough of my morning Ruby. I need at least a bit more of her before I can fully wake up. It's necessary so that I can operate at full capacity. You wouldn't want me to do my tasks on a low energy level, would you?"

"You're such a dork."

"So are you."

"Yeah, well you're an even bigger one!"

"Oh yeah, how about-"

"No, seriously. You're like, really tall compared to me." Ruby casually pointed out.

"...Huh." Jaune blushed slightly. "Anyway, I still need my morning Ruby energy to completely recharge. I'll be bright and awake after a full recharge, promise."

Ruby sent him a pouty look, before she sighed and leaned up to return his hug, her tail waving calmly behind her. He pulled her closer until her head was resting against his chest, and the both of them sat back down on their bed. Jaune repositioned Ruby a bit more, lifting her up so she could properly sit on his lap, which she playfully calls her 'throne'. He returns to cuddling her, gently securing his hug with the both of them basking in each other's presence for a while. Ruby sighed softly while nuzzling against his chest briefly, before looking up to him. "Is this enough?"

"Hmmm...nah."

Ruby rolled her eyes then lightly lifted herself up by Jaune's shoulders, then lightly kissed his cheeks with a soft hum. "How about now?"

"Liiiiitttle, teensy bit more."

Ruby puffed her cheeks again, before she harrumphed and slid her arms around him. "You're having fun being the needy one this morning, aren't you? Alright then, I'll have to try something else..."

Ruby reached upwards and kissed Jaune's lips, this time not separating so quickly. Jaune was appreciative, lightly lifting her up a bit more to get her into a more comfortable position and slid his hands further around her back. She lightly secured her hands around his neck and pulled herself further into their kiss, her tail wagging cheerfully behind her. They briefly pulled away for several seconds, only to close the distance again, Ruby's wolf ears flicking throughout the moment. A light smack of their lips sounded, with Jaune sliding his hands around her hips, with him lightly leaning backwards against the wall and Ruby leaning into him in response. Her breasts lightly pressing against his chest, Ruby lightly pulled back before again giving his lips a gentle kiss, then pulling back for real. They both opened their eyes, and Jaune could see her beautiful, radiant Silver Eyes once more.

"You...awake now...?" Ruby quietly asks after taking several breaths, tilting her head curiously.

"Wide...awake." Jaune smiled. Ruby smiles back and ends up smacking his chest with her hand, before leaning in for another hug and cuddle, nuzzling him as her tail wagged side to side. He gently returns the hug with interest as the both of them basked in their relaxing snuggle, before Ruby truly pulls away and got back on her feet. She turned towards him and tilted her head towards the door, in which case he sighs and also gets up from their spot. "Alright, promise is a promise. I'm up." He soon gathers his things and follows her out, both of them headed for the kitchen. Once they made their way there, Ruby was quietly rubbing her shoulder.

"...Jaune. Can I be honest with you about something?" Ruby began, once she noticed that they were currently alone in the kitchen.

"Of course. Something up?"

"Quite a bit, actually..."

"What's the matter?" Jaune picked up on her solemn tone but continued on putting something together for her.

Ruby calmly takes out her Scroll and swipes a few times, before tapping something on the screen; several video clips began playing in succession.

"The Dark Witch Queen of the Grimm, Salem, is still at large."

"When are they going to find her and get rid of her for good?"

"She's done so much damage to our world, and now she's out to torment us some more?!"

"Can't believe she was evil enough to kill her own daughters like that! She deserves to be destroyed!"

Jaune winced as the scathing words towards Salem's name played out one after another, people throwing all sorts of insults and words of disrespect towards Ruby's beloved grandmother. Eventually she stopped playing the clips and simply placed her Scroll down on the table. Jaune hissed a bit, but focused on finishing making breakfast for Ruby, who was staring quietly at the table, her eyes halfway closed. Her tail lies still over her seat, her wolf ears folded back against her skull. She shook her head as many of the words kept passing through her head.

"People are saying all sorts of terrible things about Grandma. And it's mostly because of everything that Lilith did while disguised at her." Ruby lowered her head as it lightly hits the table. "Lilith seriously messed things up. And there's no way we can seriously do anything about it, because some truths have been all mixed in with the lies, because of Grandma's past. Any attempts at trying to prove her innocence in this mess is going to be shot down even when she genuinely had nothing to do with it." Ruby shook her head. "This is looking really bad, Jaune..."

Jaune eventually finished what he was making for her, then rounded over and pulled her into a comforting hug. "Hey, it'll be okay. Salem's definitely glad that you're in her corner even if everyone else isn't. So long as she knows this, I think she'll be fine." Jaune nodded while kissing the top of her head. "We've got to trust that we can ride through this and make it to the other side. Salem's at her happiest when she sees that her family is succeeding, so keep on doing that and you'll provide massive improvements to her mood."

Ruby began smiling again, sliding her arms around Jaune and returning the hug, her tail softly wagging in comfort before she kissed his cheek. "Okay, I will. Thanks, Jaune." She pulled back and looked at what he made for her, basking in surprise. "Strawberry Breakfast Parfait!"

"Treat yourself." Jaune snickered as Ruby wasted no time eating up the parfait once she saw it. Firm strawberry yogurt, strawberry sauce, actual sliced strawberries, a mix chocolate granola, and whipped cream. She delightfully munched on more of it with a pleasant wag of her tail. She cheered up significantly, even if it would only be for a little bit. Such a strawberry treat for breakfast was just what she needed to improve her mood.

"Surely you made something for me."

Jaune heard, as he turned around and noticed a certain someone swooping in with their wings, before landing gracefully onto the ground. Cinder came on in as she walked past the duo searching for food made for her. He noticed she was wearing a more casual attire for today. She still had her treasured scarf around her neck, though she also wore a light blue, short sleeved jacket with a white shirt underneath, as well as wearing red pants-which had adjustments to fit her tail-with black boots. Though he was briefly struck still when he noticed just how graciously her pants hugged her curvaceous figure. The sheer accentuation it brought to how long and slender her legs were, how wide her hips were, how rounded her rear was, is almost staggering.

While Jaune was quite glad that Cinder was trying on some new clothes to match her more relaxed state ever since everything happened with the Glass Unicorn, the fact that she chose such tight pants was only going to point out one of his greater weaknesses. Because now he couldn't help but imagine what it might have been like for Cinder to put them on, to have her sizable and shapely rear being hugged by them while she was sliding into them. The imagery had nearly distracted him from the fact that she was speaking with him again.

"Hey! Anyone in there!?" Cinder snapped her fingers several times in front of Jaune's face, and he blinked and shook his head to regain his focus. Cinder stepped back and folded her arms with slightly slanted eyes. "What were you off daydreaming about?"

Jaune tried to come with a myriad of things to say aside from what he was actually thinking, and thus settled for a compromise that was technically the truth: "I was just thinking about and appreciating how fantastic you look today." This seemed to do the trick, sincere about it as he was, for Cinder blinked as nearly all of her irritated confusion went away and was instead replaced with embarrassed but confident pride.

"Y-Yes, that's right! You're absolutely correct to bask in my beauty! I-I can understand why you would be starstruck by it!" Cinder's self-confidence shining through, along with a laugh, relatively amused Jaune. After a moment of deciding he walks closer to her before pulling her into a hug, which surprised her quite a bit. "H-Huh? Hey, w-what's with the sudden hugging all of a sudden?"

"No reason." Jaune replied simply and honestly. "I just felt like hugging you. You're very huggable."

"H-H-Huggable...?!" Cinder sputtered, completely red in the face from so many compliments at once, not fully realizing that compliment she happily accepted from Jaune sent her tail tapping the ground with glee. She soon shook her head. "D-D-Don't distract me! Surely, you've prepared a superior creature like me a similarly superior breakfast?!" She blinked as she could see something being passed to her, noticing it was Ruby passing it to her while eating her parfait. "What's that?"

"Red velvet cinnamon rolls! Jaune was prepared!" Ruby beamed brightly.

Cinder blinked at the batch, which was quite sizable given who it was being given to. It was like red velvet cake was split up and turned into breakfast cinnamon rolls. She sniffed them slightly, wincing as a vicious growl from her belly told her to actually eat the treats rather than just observe them. Conceding to her hunger, she takes one and bites into it. Her casual curious look brightened significantly as she quickly eats a few more in rapid succession. The cake itself was moist and fluffy, icing was rich and creamy, the sweet and tangy flavors delicately and perfectly balanced. Each of them melted in her mouth, flavorful frosting, rich texture and all, sent Cinder cooing with delight as she held her cheek.

"Shhoooo ghooood..."

"Knew she'd like them." Jaune smiled while rolling his neck. Quietly, he watched as both Ruby and Cinder cheerily dug into and eaten their breakfast sweets with great vigor, turning this into even more of a relaxing morning for the both of them. Both of them express their happiness and contentment with their tails, Ruby's wagging back and forth, while Cinder's tapped the ground more gently than before. The sight of it made him smile all the more, glad to contribute to them having a pleasant start to their morning, especially when it came to Ruby's mood. Their beauties shined through all the more with their happy smiles.

"Alrighty, so I've set about some relaxing time since everybody's been working so hard." Ruby noted after having eaten her fill, as Oscar and Penny both entered the fray going over some things through the former's Scroll. "You are ready for a bit of a relaxing day, aren't you Cinder?"

"Tch, I'm always ready. That's what makes me so superior." Cinder scoffed with a confident smile, unknowing of the velvet crumbs left on the side of her cheeks. Everyone resisted the urge to laugh. To her credit, she ended up noticing as she quickly wiped her face of said crumbs without changing her expression in the slightest.

"I think we could all use a bit of a break; we all put in a lot of effort to try and get Vale in order." Oscar suggested while going through his Scroll. "Pyrrha and Nora have a pretty good idea on how to go about this while she was thinking about this, so maybe we should give it a try."

"Sounds good to me!"

"I have made notes of the destination. I can lead us there whenever we are all ready." Penny sent forth with a raised hand, getting everyone's attention again, and their agreement soon afterwards. "Oh, this shall be quite a fun experience! It's been a while since we did something like this, let us gather everyone and leave as soon as we can!" As she and Oscar made their way out to wait for them, Cinder turned towards Jaune and lightly rubbed her arm.

"What is it, Cin?"

"I-If I... when our period of relaxing time ends...um..." Cinder blushed slightly. Hearing him call her 'Cin' when they were now together as they were brought much more warmth to her than she expected, and she wasn't completely sure what to do with it sometimes. "Say that I do superb in these coming missions, which will be a certainty since I'm a superior creature...will you make me lunches that aligns with my performance?"

"Heh, you're already thinking about food. Alright, it's a deal." Jaune chuckled, especially at her enthusiastic beaming eyes at the agreement. He also saw that Ruby's eyes were gleaming at the prospect, and he quickly realizes that he was likely going to make something for Ruby again as well, for both of them at the same time. He sighed while scratching the back of his neck. Well, this was to be expected. Both of these ladies' appetites were monstrous, and he was a commendable cook and baker. Them having personal access to those skills was bound to draw out more of this eagerness.

Though, Cinder broke off from it just a bit, turning away. "...Also...I w-want...want a k-k-kiss. J-Just to get me into a better mood..." She muttered with a bright blush, looking away with a pout when she heard Jaune and Ruby snicker. "D-Don't snicker! I swear I will eat BOTH of your lunches if you mock me so!"

"You're so silly when you're embarrassed, Cin."

"H-HUSH!"

Jaune outwardly laughed while Cinder glared at him with increasingly heated cheeks. Nevertheless, he granted her desire when he allowed himself to come close to her and pull her against him. She still pouted angrily at him but did not resist. She looked him in the eyes, before they pushed forward and kissed. Cinder felt warm and toasty to Jaune, feeling her clutching onto him via sliding her hands under his arms, her tail sway quickening to indicate her delight. The scent of strawberries and red velvet cakes, she basked in the scents Jaune currently exuded and soothed herself with them, which had her pull back her arms and instead place her hands on his chest so he could better hug her closer. The shift had Jaune rub her shoulders gently within the embrace while he felt a cozy heat emanating from Cinder and keeping him warm as well. And through his slight shoulder rubs Cinder relaxed even more into their kiss, briefly parting to push into another, feeling the warmth within her chest increasing.

Soon enough, both of them separated as they took more time to breathe. They pulled away from each other, with Cinder clasping her hands with a small smile, her tail wagging happily at her request being fulfilled. Then she blinked as she saw Ruby smiling knowingly towards her, before she turned around and coughed into her fist.

"My preparations are complete; we may leave now."

"A kiss is part of your preparation process?" Ruby questioned with a snicker.

"Occasionally, of course. It's best not to ponder it too deeply. And I told you not to snicker!"

"Truly superior preparations, Cinder." Ruby played along with a graceful bow.

"I'm quite glad you agree, Ruby." Cinder smirked while waving her hair slightly. Though she did turn back towards Ruby with a more forward gaze. "...It's been four months since I've joined this guild. And it's been two since I've become a... sister wife." Cinder sighed while lightly curling a strand of hair around her finger. "How do you think I'm doing?"

"You've been fantastic, Cinder. Absolutely fantastic. Sure, we've had a few bumps in the road, but every road isn't always a smooth one." Ruby patted her shoulder. "You see how much Jaune adores you."

"H-He does..."

"And you absolutely adore him. So do I."

"Yes, w-we do."

Ruby nodded, before she pounces forth to happily and affectionately hug Cinder, igniting a startled blush from her. "Nothing for you to worry about, then, sister wife!"

"H-Hey! Why are you hugging me too?!"

"Because you're soooo huggable!"

"Curses! Look at what you've started, Jaune Arc!"

Jaune shook his head as he followed after the two energetic women, while scratching the back of his head. The two of them have been getting along rather well when it comes to being co-wives. Cinder had willingly considered Ruby to be the 'dominant' wife, but that was pretty much in name only, as acknowledgement of Ruby knowing Jaune longer and better. Ruby still insisted on them both being treated as equals, and the compromise held up pretty well so far. All the while, he felt like he was kind of catering to whatever they desired whenever they wished, which was absolutely fine by him; he was always happy to have a helping hand in seeing them smiling, getting along, and having fun. That was plenty enough a reason and reward to indulge them, with their shared affection for him providing a nice benefit in of itself.

Whenever they needed him when they're in a bind, he'd definitely be there for both of them. That was something he swore.

Argus.

One would describe that the city was placed around a rather idyllic and beautiful hilly terrain and was even built atop some of it. Its southern edge was bordered by high technological walls that were several stories tall, with a large gate allowing passage inside. Being a port city between the continents of Anima and Solitas, it has the extended benefits of being granted several of Atlas' technological contributions so that interactions between them can progress more smoothly. The Atlesian forces stationed in Argus have been its primary defenders to any threats towards the city and its people. It's a sensible approach; if it's going to occupy Argus and thus protect any transfers and trading of goods, then the city better be well and truly protected to make their presence somewhat bearable. Responsibility for its protection has been placed heavily on Atlas forces because of this, and they intend to hold up to their agreement to make sure Argus was safe.

This included areas where citizens were expected to simply sit back and relax, to escape the numerous troubles that would plague them outside of Argus to a degree, such as the northern coastline. The glistening water was bright and shiny this time of year, with the oncoming breeze being cool enough to be refreshing without being unbearably cold in the process. With the slight increase in heat in the upcoming season, it was an ideal place for people to enjoy the warm sun above and the cool ocean before them. All in all, it was such a beautiful place to have a bit of a break from the world for a while, and portions of the coastline have long been fashioned into a functional resort for anyone who was interested in indulging in the beach season.

Hence, why it was Nora's suggestion, which got Pyrrha's confirmation. Both ladies who were now leading their friends to their current destination.

"The temperature is nice and cozy and warm. Excellent!" Nora beamed with a clap as she was clad in a pink, polka-dotted swimsuit, her orange hair bristling slightly in the oncoming breeze. Nora's eye patch kept comfortably over her right eye, given a more pretty pink design with the imagery of a pink heart with a thunderbolt striking through it. It might as well be a cute eye patch, if she was going to be wearing one. "It's so nice and breezy out here! I knew the beach season was upon us, and it's amazing!" She exclaimed with an energetic hop in place, somewhat nonchalant of her bosom and rear following suit by each of them jiggling slightly.

"Fortunately, it doesn't seem to be all that crowded here, either." Pyrrha calmly noted, her own swimsuit clads in colors red and gold with a graceful beach wrap around her waist. Her crimson hair was currently undone, letting it flow freely with the oncoming breeze, the sun beaming down on her as she held her hand over her head with a smile. It caused more than a few male and female passersby to trip over themselves when they got a good look at her smile and her freely flowing hair. "We managed to pick a nice and calming day after all. I didn't think it would do well because some people are still on edge, but it looks like everything's going smoothly."

Nora and Pyrrha both stretched while overseeing the beach ahead of them, the water occasionally washing up to them before pulling back. Both women, as well as quite a bit of their female companions, were robust yet notably feminine, watching them coming up once they confirmed everyone had room. And once this was confirmed, everyone had taken to indulging in several beach activities after settling into the spots of their choosing.

"I think I'll take the shade, if everyone doesn't mind too much." Blake hummed while sitting under a parasol with a chair, her shades pulled up as she gingerly got to catching up on one of her books, flipping through it to get to her bookmarked place. Her tail idly waved behind her with her ears twitching, wearing black and purple with her own wrap around her waist, her breasts gently rising and falling with her calm breathing, her feline eyes glowing softly under the shade. "I've been meaning to find some time to read up on this one."

"C'mon, Blake! The beach isn't a place for reading all day!" Yang exclaimed while lightly sitting next to her, with her ample bosom gently squishing together in her golden sun themed swimsuit, each pattern surrounded in flames. "We were looking forward to downtime like this for a while, we gotta make the best of it! At least join me for a little wager and game before you decide to start chilling in the shade."

Blake raised an eyebrow at this, before she sighed and closed her book, setting it to the side and standing up. "I guess it would do me some good to be a bit more out in the open." She pushed some of her hair away from her face as it flows gracefully with the wind. "Alright, what do you suggest?"

Yang smirked. "Race you to the water. Winner gets the Loser's desserts. You in?"

Blake rolled her eyes. "And here I thought that you were going to probably offer something more substantial."

"Heh, so are you saying you decline my challenge?"

"I never said that." Blake replied casually, rolling her arms and stretching her slender legs with a readying flick of her tail. "You can say goodbye to your strawberry ice cream for today, Yang."

"That's the spirit! Now, on your mark-GO!" Yang called out, as she and Blake immediately dashed off into the distance, with Yang wearing a fiery and determined smile on her face, while Blake's expression remained reserved and aloof even as she was running high speeds alongside Blake.

"Blake was actually goaded into one of Yang's silly games." Weiss sighed with a shake of her head, lightly adjusting her swimsuit, white with blue snowflake designs, and a bit of her family sigil around her skirt. She folded her arms while watching the duo cross the distance of the beach in little time at all. She then brought her attention towards Pyrrha, seeing her basking in the sunlight. She smiled softly, before she came to her senses with a shake of her head. She turned towards the waters; head tilted. "Hm. Being so used to the cold over at Atlas, such warmth and heat like this is rare for me to experience. Not bad, just, different."

"Is that right?" Cinder huffed while flowing her hair slightly, with a hand on her hip. Fittingly enough, she was also wearing a fitting white and blue swimsuit, only hers had a marine shade of blue compared to Weiss's lighter shade and accompanied a flamelike pattern to hers with a gold trim. They mostly had the designs of dragons in mind. Her horns glittered nicely atop her head, and her tail was relaxed on the ground currently. "I'm rather surprised you didn't melt on the spot, with how more accustomed you are to the cold."

"Pfft, hardly. I simply find this heat to be a nice change of pace, that's all." Weiss huffed with folded arms of her own. Both of them stood next to one another, with gentle cool mists unhindered by the heat Cinder was giving off. Both of them stood idly, with both of their gazes trying to match the other. Throughout it all their mutual cold and warm beauties matched up with one another, with both pairs of long shapely legs right next to one another, their hair flowing in the breeze. "What about you? You're not going to end up overheating, are you?"

"Tch, as if. My flame mastery is obviously superior to you and your ice." Cinder scoffed, making Weiss roll her eyes. "Unless you're looking to prove otherwise, in a contest of hot and cold?"

"Heh, you'll regret challenging me. I've had more than enough practice in this game with Yang!" They began their own game of hot and cold, where the opposing force would lose if they felt their opposite element more than the other. The winner depending on whether Cinder shivered more, or if Weiss sweated more. Given how two minutes already passed and neither of them showed even a hint of doing either, their competitive drives were strong and long lasting indeed.

Ruby and Penny were closer to the water, knee deep into the cool ocean waves. Penny smiled as she balanced her sun hat, flowers decorating it and providing her plenty of share over her head. The water sparkled around them whilst Ruby picked up something shining underneath, which was a shell. "Look at this, Penny! This shell's giving off a bit of water energy. I think some of the animals here have become more Aura sensitive!" Ruby exclaimed with a smile, her black and red swimsuit hugging her cutely, paired with a frilly skirt with red rose patterns. "I can definitely feel some of their Auras pulsing through the waves!"

"That would mean that their maneuvering skills are going to greatly improve." Penny beamed, adjusting the hat in her head, lightly pulling on her own green and black swimsuit with the designs of turning gears with a sword through them. "Their echolocation is likely to improve to the point where there able to hear clearer and subtler pulses of Auras all around them."

"You mean they'll be masters at Aura Echolocation?!"

"That would be it, yes!" Both Ruby and Penny jumped up in jubilant unison, which caused quite a few things to noticeably bounce along with their bubbly mood.

"Imagine finding each other by following the echos off of one's soul." Ren hummed while rubbing his chin. "I might have to try that when I have the chance. It sounds handy in a pinch, when you can't depend on your eyes."

"I definitely don't have the finesse to do something that precise with my Aura." Jaune sighed with a depreciative chuckle, standing next to Ren whilst in their swimming shorts, with both of their muscled physiques gaining more than a little bit of admiring female attention as they were passing by. He shrugged. "But I wager you'd be able to manage it easily, Ren."

"Possibly. It's another skill that could be useful, is all. For some people, it's crucial." Ren lightly patted Jaune's shoulder with a small smile. "In any case, let's take it easy with the shots towards yourself, alright?"

"I agree with that!" Ruby exclaimed immediately, and Penny raised her hand with a cheerful agreement as well. "I keep telling you not to worry about what you can't do, Jaune! Because you're awesome at what you can do really well!"

"I know, I know..."

"You say that, yet you keep needing reminders." Ren chided.

"Hey, you know I can toss you into that water, right?"

"That would require you to catch me first...and you can't." Ren folded his arms as Jaune made for a grab at him, which he easily sidestepped. "Too slow."

"You're really trying my patience, man!"

"I do have to agree with Lie Ren. Your agility is inefficient to try and catch him as you are now." Penny raised a hand helpfully, with Ren nodding sagely and Oscar facepalming. Jaune simply sighed.

"Penny, sometimes the way you try to help me somehow only hurts me."

"Really? I don't see an injury on you."

"It's an invisible injury on my pride..."

"Ah yes, the art of psychological warfare." Ren nodded sagely once again. "Truly, Jaune's biggest weakness...well, that and women wearing tight pants. Especially when the butts that they hug are Ruby and Cinder's." He folded his arms and nimbly dodges another attempted grab from Jaune, dancing around him effortlessly. "I only speak the truth, brother."

"Some truths are not meant to be spoken aloud! How could you throw me under the bus like that, man?!"

"Enough time has passed where we're given free reign for a little teasing, don't you think?" Ren smiles with a bit of smugness.

"Oh yeah?! How would you like it if I came at you over Nora's thighs?!"

"I would consider it an ineffective attack, because I have already embraced the truth." Demonstrating this, Ren has kept his arms folded as Nora took her due to perfectly jump atop his shoulders from behind, cheering with her fists out about a perfect landing, whilst her thighs gently squished against both sides of Ren's face. "And apparently the truth has recently chosen to embrace me."

"Damn right I did!"

Jaune groaned, shaking his head of water that managed to splash on him. "Come on, dude. Why can't you just let me win?"

"If I did that then it's not a competition anymore, is it?"

"If it was then I'm losing badly!"

"That would mean you are quite bad at the game, Jaune. Perhaps your efforts in these particular contents have also been inefficient. Improvement rate needed as soon as possible in order for efficiency to be at competent levels." Penny once again sounded off, which caused Jaune to sigh again.

"Penny, please stop trying to help me..."

"Should I not try to help my friends?"

"...Alright, I guess I'm just not allowed to win today. Cool, awesome." Jaune lightly massaged the bridge of his nose. "Why'd you have to say it like that, huh?"

Ruby sighs at this, seeing that Jaune was both intentionally and unintentionally being given a bit of a good-natured hazing. She gets up from her current spot and hops over, before she gently hugs Jaune's arm, squishing her adorably plump bosom against him. "No frowns for you today, turn it upside down!" Ruby smiles, her tail wagging behind her. "Pretty please? I'll give you lots of hugs!"

Jaune looked towards her with a small smile. "Well, you drive a hard bargain. And since you asked nicely..."

"I asked super nicely!"

Oscar meanwhile was chuckling while lightly shaking his head. "Penny, you've got to take it easy. You've been giving Jaune a bit of hard time during that entire thing."

"Oh? Have I?" Penny quickly turned to Oscar, and she unknowingly startled him with how her bust swayed noticeably in her swimsuit due to the swiftness of her movement. He briefly shifted his eyes away while reaffirming what he previously said to her. "Goodness, I didn't mean to offend Jaune."

"We know you didn't, which is why he's shaking it off rather easily." Oscar reassured her with a nod. "It's all in good fun at the end of the day. You're fine, Penny."

"Mhm. Okay." Penny smiled as she lightly hugs Oscar, which brought him a bit of panic from how close they were due to her wearing much less than she usually did, though he quickly collected himself with a cough.

Weiss and Cinder were still in the midst of their fierce contest, glaring at each other with folded arms. Though eventually, Cinder shivered just a bit more than Weiss sweated, which both of them knew, for the latter stomped the ground in frustration.

"I win. Obviously." Weiss huffed while flipping her hair with a smile.

"Damn it! We're going agai-" Cinder paused as she observed Jaune and Ruby in her peripheral vision, before she glared back at Weiss. "...Another day, Schnee."

Weiss simply waved at the fuming Cinder as she stomped away from her. Pyrrha watched her leave with a tired sigh. "Must you taunt her like that, Weiss?"

"If she insists on going on and on about her superiority, she better be prepared to prove it whenever it's challenged. And I've won the challenge this time." Weiss huffed. "I'm prepared to engage with her on any challenges she tries this behavior. Unlike her, I accept my defeats with grace and dignity."

"...Do you?" Pyrrha doubtfully smiled. Weiss looked back at Pyrrha with folded arms, slightly wavering under such a calm and focused glance, before she huffed petulantly and turned away with a strut, clearing her throat.

"...Arguing about the uncertain results of a contest is not ungracefully refusing defeat, that's asking for confirmation and clarification. That's a completely different and complicated matter."

"I'm sure it is."

"Then why do you sound like you don't believe me?!"

"I'm simply saying, I know what sore winners and losers look like, and I know what graceful winners and losers look like. I should know, I've been all four at some point or another." Pyrrha shrugged. "I'll know the difference, Weiss. Remember this; the moment you demonstrate differently...know that you'll be hearing it from me."

"Why must you be like this...?" Weiss uttered while blushing in defeat, in which Pyrrha smiles sweetly and lightly patted her shoulder.

"Friends have to check each other sometimes, that's all."

In the midst of Pyrrha casually teasing Weiss, Cinder eventually caught up to Ruby and Jaune. Seeing as Ruby attached herself to Jaune's arm, she immediately understood what to do next, rounding Jaune and proceeding to hug his other arm, pressing her breasts against him.

"For the love of-you too?"

"Ruby, what has this fool been saying?" Cinder asked Ruby first.

"Everyone's sort of hazing him down a wee bit, so I was hugging him to help him feel better and improve his day!"

Cinder scoffed. "Tch, he has nothing to worry about. I'm here. That should be proof enough of him having a supreme day." She watched as gears turned in Ruby's head, seeing that she was thinking of something else. Ruby soon smiled as she leaned over and whispered something to Cinder, in which her eyes widened as she pulled her head back slightly. "W-W-What?! What in the...what would that even?!"

"Don't worry, Jaune knows what he's doing. This is an occasional thing for us." Ruby smiles knowingly. "It's a nice little bonding activity. There's nothing to worry about."

"Yes, a-although..."

"Come on, don't sweat it. It'll be another sister-wife bonding activity!"

Cinder blushed profusely, before she sighed and shook her head. "I am a superior creature; this shall not deter me. I shall do it!"

"That's the spirit!"

Jaune sighed as he sets himself down on the sand, closing his eyes and running a hand through his hair. "Good grief, Ruby. You really are serious if you're going to share this with her too..." He tried to sound more exasperated than anything, but it didn't last very long as Ruby created a nice and cozy patch of gentle rose petals for herself and Cinder to lay down on as a larger spirited and provided them some shade. Much of his exasperation soon fades a bit once Ruby and Cinder got settled, and thus he was left to witness the both of them in their relaxed beauty. Well, somewhat relaxed, Cinder was still embarrassed enough to be a bit twitchy.

Jaune was somewhat left trying to collect himself with a breath, as both Ruby's and Cinder's bikinied butts were prominent and on display. Both beautiful, of course. Sure enough, he collected himself with a shake of his head to focus, for this task was very important. And since he did this often for Ruby, and would likely start doing for Cinder, it would probably take a bit more focus than usual, so he had to prepare himself properly.

"Oh, Jaune. You should probably start with Cinder's, first. She's new at it." Ruby suggested. Indeed, she hasn't been exposed to this kind of pampering just yet, so it would do well for her to know and feel what it's like.

"Is that okay with you, Cinder?" Jaune asked, just to be sure.

"O-Of course it is! W-Who do you think I am?!" Cinder tried not to stutter and insisted on voicing her confidence that wasn't quite complete. She tried to quell her shyness, but to her irritation, it peeked through just a bit. Jaune didn't mind it though, it was quite cute.

"Okay then." Jaune nods while his hands softly glowed with Aura. He braced himself and his eyes steeled with knightly determination. Until he finally wills himself to proceed onward without hesitation.

Hands firmly graced Cinder's rear, and she couldn't help but sharply gasp; though once the calming and soothing Aura similarly spreads throughout her body, along with the feeling of gentle compressing and kneading of her rear, she soon sighs and allows herself to lie down and relax fully. Ruby smiled softly at how Cinder managed to adjust rather quickly, simply waiting her turn whilst observing the sparkling water to her side.

Jaune continued to find Cinder's rear to be quite pliable and plushy to the touch, gently compressing and kneading it as if it were dough, with his Aura providing a warm and soothing warmth that kept her feeling cozy. Akin to a well upholstered cushion, it was very soft and had quite a bit of give when he kneaded the plumpness before him. Its fleshiness gave it a pillow-like softness that yielded nicely to his gentle pressing and squeezing, deforming slightly until he occasionally took a break. It tends to leave them swaying and wobbling until they settle back into their rounded and curvy shape. Jaune gathered whatever knightly strength that he could to remain focused on his dedicated task to help her relax, but Cinder's relaxed posture has more than confirmed his success in the matter.

Now he would attend to Ruby.

"This is...on occasion...?" Cinder sighed as she lightly turned her head towards Ruby, who smiled and nodded where she stood.

"Sometimes, and it feels even more healing when he uses his Aura to do so." Ruby hummed once she felt Jaune's hands begin to rub, massage, and knead her rear as well, sighing while lying her head to the side. "I tend to get carried away sometimes when it comes to running and kicking, so massages like this tend to help heal my thighs, hips and legs a bit quicker and smoother than leaving them to heal on their own. Heals the occasional pains right up, and it helps my muscles around these areas rebound back from trauma easier." Ruby snickered while her tail fluffy wags. "It definitely feels super nice and brings much health to them that can be sustained. The muscle recovery and gains are a happy bonus!"

"I agree...oh so much..."

Jaune was quite glad that Ruby was right in the money on this one; they were both enjoying his attention immensely regarding this. Massaging Ruby's rear was more familiar to him by this point, so he felt his pace begin to even out and balance. Ruby's butt was adorable to him. It wasn't quite as sizable as Cinder's was, but it was still cutely rounded and bubbly in its own way. And rather than Cinder's managing to be more workable and pliable whenever he touched them, Ruby's was much firmer. It was indeed supple like Cinder's, though in the manner that they didn't quite surrender to squeezing or pressing or movement. Instead, his hands softly squished into them without them ever giving in too much due to a firm yet pleasant resistance. Relaxing his kneading on them after enough time allowed them to adorably bounce in a rather springy manner, a quicker rebound into its own cutely curvy shape.

This massage was a noble task of great importance, one which left Ruby very happy and healed after treatment, and he was glad that Cinder trusted him enough with this kind of affectionate attention as well. Their high activity and improvements out on the battlefield as well as their huge appetites tend to balance each other out and thus leaving them fuller, cuter, muscular, voluptuous, and powerful. Perhaps this was an underlying motivation as to why he likes feeding them food as much as he does, though it was still mostly to see that they're happy with eating whatever they asked him to make. If anything, this was simply a very happy bonus that he wouldn't mind at all.

"Alright, all done." Jaune noted as he stretched his arms, though he visibly deflated a bit once he noticed that quite a few passersby have noted him with rather envious gazes. He truly hoped that this didn't come back to bother him later down the line, but he had a feeling that it would find a way, regardless. He had already accepted that he wasn't that lucky...then again, he'd already consider himself beyond graciously fortunate with Ruby and Cinder by his side.

Ruby soon sits up and stretches her arms with a yawn, whilst Cinder does the same while her tail lightly thumps the ground. She lightly had a hand on her chin with a soft blush, feeling more relaxed than she did before. Even her previous frustrations at losing a contest to Weiss have been rendered a distant memory. She was almost offended with herself for not having this sort of experience earlier or even asking about it.

"Butt massages...and he gives these to you from time to time...?"

"When we find opportunities for it." Ruby admitted with a cheery smile. "So don't be afraid to ask for some whenever you feel like it when you're tired. Jaune will happily take very good care of you!"

"I see..." Cinder hummed while still feeling a bit warmth in her face, her tail calmly tapping the sand next to her still as she palmed her face. Ruby wasn't bluffing about the Aura massaging effects from Jaune; due to channeling the healing Aura during his massages and then having the Aura gently and soothingly spread outwards throughout their bodies-particularly their lower halves-, Cinder's back, thighs, and legs felt truly rejuvenated. She was new to being so sincerely and affectionately pampered, and she's definitely going to add massaging and kneading to that particular aspect. Already, she could feel a strong desire to indulge herself in this feeling whenever she could. But if she were to just sit back or lay down while Jaune took very good care of her with promises of feasts and/or massages, she would have to keep ensuring that she was worth that luxurious affection. Whatever the case, she knew that she wanted even more of this. "I will have to keep all of this in mind for the future..."

Suddenly, they heard something stopping in place with a stomp.

"It's my win." Blake deadpans while holding up a V-sign, as Yang was seen pounding the sandy ground with her fist.

"Nooohohohoooo...my strawberry ice cream...please forgive me...!" Yang bitterly muttered in defeat, before she hopped back up and dusted off her hands. "Ah well, what can ya do! It is what it is! There's plenty of desserts to go around!" Yang slid an arm around Pyrrha and Weiss while saying this, both of them sighing a bit but unable to resist the allure of sweets and desserts. "Heeeey! Ruby! Let's hook ourselves up with something nice and tasty, and stuff our faces!"

Ruby beamed while hopping next to Yang with a twirl, a sway of her tail and a flick of her wolf ears. "Treats and sweets are super neat!"

"Yeeeaaaah!" Both sisters cheered in unison.

"Now that that's been taken care of, I think I'll be getting to my book again." Blake hummed as she did indeed pull her book back from before, returning to her place before Yang interrupted her.

"You're really determined to see that book through. Is it even that good?" Cinder rolled her eyes as she eventually gets up and leaves with her alongside the others, where one would observe how Cinder and Weiss were around even when it came to shapely legs, Blake and Cinder had admirably ample rears, which some would briefly follow with their eyes while they walked with their other friends.

"I find this series about the trials and tribulations of feline tribes to be quite immersive, actually. Obviously, it isn't for everyone, but I find it quite fun to read through."

"Whatever you say."

"Bow before the Queen of Thunder!" Nora exclaimed with a cheer and her arms thrusting upwards, as Ren casually carried her around, with her brawny yet voluptuous feminine thighs still gently resting against the sides of his face whilst riding atop his shoulders. His face remained neutral, yet also comfortable and at peace with this arrangement.

"Oh, Nora..." Pyrrha smiled idly and peacefully at her ever-energetic friend.

Yang and Ruby helped themselves to a few cold strawberry lemonades, as Ruby quickly wagged her tail at the delightful refreshing cold that it brought her. Throughout it all, Yang ended up snickering once she realized exactly what had Cinder in such a blushy mess earlier.

"Ah, so she had herself a massage, eh?"

"She seemed pretty embarrassed by it. I knew that she would be. I don't think she's had a lot of people who actually took good care of her before she met all of us. But now she's much more relaxed and open to being pampered and attended to." Ruby hummed while sipping her lemonade. "She's shaping up to be an awesome sister-wife, for sure."

"Heh. I told Jaune that he would enjoy the benefits and access to the Ruboobies and Rubooty. And now he's got a dragon set of those with their own kinds of benefits!" Yang chuckled while sipping her drink and whipping her hair. "You sure you're both repaying him properly for how much he obviously enjoys spoiling the both of you? And I mean really enjoys spoiling you?"

"We always show our gratitude, for Jaune is our hubby in shining armor." Ruby smiled fondly.

"Just makin' sure. Expressing gratitude is important in things like this, ya know." Yang rolled her arm, then briefly pounding her bountiful chest, jigging them slightly. "Still! Just in case you ever need help, don't forget that I'm here for the assist. Family always looks out for each other."

Ruby smiled as the sisters warmly hugged. "Thanks, Yang."

Yang nodded as she released Ruby, before turning on a heel and moving towards Cinder, who was munching onto something from her plate. Yang leaned in rather curiously. "Heya, what's that you got there, Cindy? Wait, no way! Is that sunny citrus cheesecake?! Yo, Jaune! Lemme get a slice over here!"

"Gotcha covered!"

"I've rarely eaten so many delicious desserts...they're all so wonderful...!" Cinder mutters while her tail delightfully tapped the ground, with the citrus of her dessert seeming to really bring most of it to life for her. "I haven't had nearly enough..."

"With how much you're eating, it's no wonder you're so much bigger and softer in your dragon form. Lotta heft and fleshiness to it." Yang lightly leaned over Cinder's shoulder with a knowing smile. "I bet that's why you enjoy being massaged more by Jaune in that form. There's soooo much more of you for him to give attention and care to, ya know? There'd be so much more of you to play with, and so much more of you to love." Yang grinned as she saw Cinder's growing redness on her cheeks, losing herself to imaging being loved and doted on and attended so while her draconic form was bigger, fuller, and more voluptuous. Not to mention being so much more massive, she would be able to reward Jaune with the coziest of cuddles and hugs to her softer and warmer, plump dragon body. She imagined that such an appearance might make her much warmer and friendlier appearing to younger children to smile and play with. The thought and mental images of these aspects made her smile warmly to herself, whilst keeping her blush red and cute. "Now doesn't that sound nice?"

"That does sound rather nice...very nice, in fact." Cinder eventually admitted.

"Truuussst me on this one, Cin. As someone who supported him and Ruby since they met and then got together, he definitely likes the two of you with slight bits of pleasant plumpness, in some areas more than others. Means there's a lot more of you two to cuddle. And I know you both really like your cuddles." Yang clapped her shoulder slightly. "So don't worry about splurging a little more whenever you want. He'll definitely indulge it. Am I right or am I right?"

Cinder cleared her throat with calm dignity, even though she was still red-faced. "I will admit...the thought of being doted on whilst in a much plumper form, is rather...enticing." She shook her head. "Nevertheless, I stand by the mindset of only indulging myself in such doting when I've properly put in the work that bears fruit to that kind of treatment and reward."

"Hey, I respect that. You're alright, Cin."

"I'm more than alright, I'm superior." Cinder huffed. "By the way, when Jaune first met Ruby, you also indulged in Jaune's cooking whenever you desired, right?"

"You kidding? I sure did! That's how we became such fantastic friends. That and I provide the unarmed combat to his armed fighting style, where Ruby mixes both. Why do you ask?"

"Just curious." Cinder hummed in amusement while her eyes briefly flicked to Yang's buxom breasts, as well as her vigorous yet curvy figure. A bit more defined than Ruby's similarly powerful figure-further emphasized by her werewolf heritage-due to being a bit older, but it was clear that both sisters have benefitted from and greatly enjoyed Jaune's cooking over the years they've known each other.

And now she shall, too. Having a slender and curvy yet powerful human form, as well as a chubby and curvy yet similarly powerful dragon form, shall do her various wonders.

My journey towards becoming an even more powerful, yet also pleasantly plump, dragon shall continue!

Yang smirked, happy to have set Cinder further down a worthwhile path in which Ruby and Jaune both will appreciate and approve of.

Meanwhile, Oscar and Penny remained by the water, observing the crystal clearness it currently displayed before them. Admiring the reflective surface, Oscar managed to forget for a moment that he was quite close to Penny, and along with that gentle reminder was the fact that she smelled really nice today for a nice day at the beach. Her hair was undone much like the other women, which means it was flowing more freely and majestically than usual. Even the occasional glowing cybernetic lines across her skin ended up making her look even prettier whenever they were at their brightest, particularly when her eyes similarly lit up whenever she's truly excited by something. Penny provided her own futuristic allure that left him captivated whenever he stopped to truly look at her.

His thoughts must have been getting away from him, for it took him a few minutes to realize that she has called him twice already. He briefly shook his head to refocus himself. "H-Huh? Oh, sorry. What is it, Penny?"

Penny hummed while gazing far out into the water. "Do you think I'm improving somewhat? In my Magitek Magic? I still feel like there is quite a way for me to discover uses for my power. What do you think?"

Oscar turns towards the water as well, pondering. "Well, magic and technology/science do tend to butt heads a lot when it comes to their cores, so it's understandable that you feel like there's still some things hindering you. But if you ask me, you don't have anything to worry about." Oscar nodded slowly. "Your mixed powers of magic and science means you can make the impossible probable, and the improbable possible. That's a very useful and incredible power to have. I'm sure you'll get even better at it with time and experience."

"Right." Penny eventually turns towards Oscar again and smiles. "With the abilities such as these, I would be able to help everyone a lot more than ever before. I wish to increase my proficiency in order to meet this end."

"And that there is why you definitely have what it takes, Penny. You're one of our most capable allies because of this, which makes you one of our most reliable. That's something to remember."

Penny smiles softly towards Oscar, scooting closer to him and kissing his cheek, which git a brief jolt out of him once again. "I'm grateful for your support, Oscar. Please keep supporting me so that I can also keep supporting you, Ruby, and the others."

"R-Right. Leave it to us!" Oscar managed to push through his beginning stutter and nod affirmatively, before turning away and trying to catch his breath from the sight of Penny's beaming smile and sparkling eyes.

Ruby could see the two of them out the corner of her eye and was nodding ever supportively in their direction. Before long, Pyrrha came up by her side and sits next to her, while Jaune was on Ruby's other side and holding hands with her. The three of them stared out into the ocean as the sun continued shining radiantly.

"How ya doing, Pyrrha?" Ruby asked her kindly.

"I'm well, Ruby. Thank you for asking. I've just been thinking to myself about our recent successes, and what they might mean for us." Pyrrha nodded while keeping her gaze towards the sun. "There was once a period in my life, in which even though I desperately wanted it, I didn't even know what victory even meant to me. Although I think I'm quite sure of it now." Pyrrha briefly pushed her hair to the side as she observed everyone else either messing around, playing, teasing each other, or simply relaxing. "If I'm able to create or make possible the circumstances in which joyous times like these can be made to last...then I consider that to be a meaningful victory."

"That right?" Jaune hummed with a small smile.

"The glory and prosperity of my friends, is my ideal vision of victory." Pyrrha nodded to Ruby. "Ruby. I'll keep doing my part to ensure that I can bring even more eminence to the Red Riding Hood Guild."

"Great! I'll be counting on you the whole way, Pyrrha." Pyrrha nodded fondly to Ruby, before she stood up to join the others. Ruby watched her leave while she kept holding hands with Jaune. "Everyone's deserved a breather for today for all their hard work. Pretty soon, it's back to business. It definitely won't be smooth sailing, with everything that's happened." Ruby muttered as Jaune gently lifted her up and placed her on his lap. She turned her head up towards him knowingly. "You'll be there to help me at every turn, won't you Jaune?"

"Of that, there's never going to be any doubt. You know I'll have your back and support you with whatever you need however I possibly can, Ruby. That's what husbands do. And that's especially what a knight should be capable of doing for his Queen's sake." Jaune declared as he held Ruby's hand within his own.

"I know you're capable of it. And I'll keep proving that I'm worth that kind of dedication."

"Guess that's settled, then."

"Not...quite yet...hm..." Ruby ends up turning fully towards him and pulling him closer to her for a warm kiss. He has managed to prepare for it a bit, his hands already sliding around her waist to set her comfortably on his lap to make it cozier for her. Though she was not still for long, having one of her paws enlarged slightly and press against the back of his head so he couldn't pull back as much. It wasn't for much longer before she straddled his lap and kept him locked in place, her embrace rather strong. He didn't mind, though. This was more than alright with him.

Until it was time to head out to another adventure, Ruby would ensure that she and her friends enjoy this cozy atmosphere while it lasts.

Ruby and Cinder in this kind of dynamic is a fun experience for me.

Usually it's Ruby who's somewhat not knowing what she's doing regarding romance in stories involving the element, and Cinder's usually the opposite due to being quite a bit older. And usually they're either unaware of each other, indifferent to each other, or at each other's throats.

But because of the circumstances and influences they experienced in this world, Ruby is the one who knows a lot more than Cinder and ends up guiding her through a few things, including how to simply sit back, relax, and enjoy being pampered by their shared husband. She's even referred to as the superior wife in this relationship by Cinder without a fuss, though it's firmly in name, and mostly due to knowing Jaune before her and being involved with him longer. Ruby's the first between two equals, and Cinder shows clear respect of that. That's as far as it'll go.

Cinder, who's almost never gotten this kind of attention, comfort, or kindness before for a majority of her life-the rare few times she did she's either had that happiness stolen from her or she left it behind due to her lack of faith in making it last-, insists on putting in the effort and work to make sure she's worth being given all of that. Thus the possible negative effects of being spoiled so much is drastically lessened because she knows not to take these things for granted.

Jaune is of course happy to see them having fun and is more than glad to contribute to their good moods by spoiling them both. And he's also prepared to come to their defense and support whenever they might need it. Much love and affection they have for him.

He ain't beating the ass-man allegations, tho. Not a chance.

At this moment he won't be beating the other allegations either. Some are sillier than others, others are more serious, and a few are a bit of both. But all that is for another time.

Next time, off to newer adventures!