A/N: Morning, everybody! Hope everyone's doing well on this fine Friday as always. Admittedly, I don't have much to say before this one, just that we've got another "casual chapter" on our hands. So, I think it's best if I let this chapter speak for itself, especially with a title like that. Let's not waste anymore time up here, shall we? This is…

Chapter 35: Chatting with Parents… and a Genie

…..

There were many things that Gwen wanted to say right now, but the mere presence of Jinn made her hesitate. Not because the genie was intimidating or anything, far from it. The warm, welcoming smile was all but inviting, if oddly contrasted by her cool, blue skin. Sure, the massive size difference was a somewhat jarring, but otherwise, the magical being was fairly friendly all things considered. No, Gwen's hesitancy was two-fold; one reason being because she wanted to ask so many questions… but could only ask one before using it up. Sure, she still had two wishes, but that one question was too important to waste. And the other reason?

Jinn was naked… again.

Thankfully, the blue woman didn't have any genitalia to speak of, so it wasn't completely awkward, but the woman still had her breasts on full display. And the fact that her wrists and ankles were donned in gold chains didn't help matters. Gwen sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "…You're nude again."

"I'm well aware, mistress." Jinn smiled knowingly. "Forgive me, but the human concept of clothing was never one that me or my siblings really understood."

"And yet you wear gold jewelry and chains." Gwen countered.

Jinn simply shrugged. "How else would we accessorize? Admittedly, the chains were the choice of our creator, as it keeps us bound to our relics."

"I see… also, I probably should've guessed that the other relics had their own genie."

The Being of Knowledge raised a brow down to the young girl. "Indeed. But my question still stands, Mistress Gwen." Jinn started floating through the air, rolling onto her back as her head hung upside-down in front of Gwen, her hair reaching the ground. "To what do I owe this visit? Have you decided to use the last question? Oh, or perhaps another wish? I live to serve, of course."

However, Gwen shook her head. "Actually, I just came to talk, believe it or not. …And that's where I'm faced with a problem." She crossed her arms as Jinn tilted her head. "In order to have a proper conversation… questions are required. Not every inquiry can be altered into the form of a statement, especially more casual ones that could slip out any time." She winced a little to herself. "In all honesty, I've been keeping myself on top of things so far, but I have no clue how long that'll last."

Jinn floated back around so she was right-side up, crossing her legs as she placed a hand to her chin. "Hm… quite the quadery you have here indeed, Mistress."

"Also, I'm pretty sure we discussed the whole "mistress" thing."

"Oh, we did." Jinn confirmed, floating around Gwen before cupping the redhead's cheek. "But I love seeing you flustered, so forgive me for still using it, hmhm!"

Gwen's cheeks flushed red, jerking away from Jinn's touch… and the feeling of those against her back. 'Do magical beings have a libido? Because I think SHE might have one.'

However, Jinn waved her hand to her mistress. "Oh, don't be like that, Gwen. Tell you what… for you, and you only, I will make an exception to my rules." She bowed her head gratefully. "After all, you saved my life from that energy vampire… Darkstar, I believe? It's only right that you shouldn't worry about a slip of the tongue… If you should as a casual question, I will answer freely… but if an important one is brought up, be warned; that WILL count as the final question."

With widened eyes, Gwen couldn't help but utter; "W-Wait, really? OH!" Her hands clamped over her mouth… only to see Jinn with her arms folded and wearing a smirk. Gwen deadpanned and removed her hands. "You knew that'd happen."

"Haha! Oh, dearest Mistress, you are going to be SO fun to talk with." Jinn snapped her fingers, and all of a sudden, a table and tea set appeared in the middle of the room, forming from the blue mist that came from the lamp. Jinn made one of the chairs float around and scoop up Gwen, earning a surprised gasp as both of them sat at the table. "I haven't had someone to REALLY talk with in eons."

Gwen watched as the tea pot started pouring its contents into two cups, which slid to either side of the table. "O-Oh, um… I see." The Anodite took the cup, eyeing the tea warily before taking a sip… and her eyes bugged out again. "OH MY GOD, this tea is amazing!"

"Tasty, right?" Jinn took a sip of her own, giving a satisfied sigh. "Developed my own brew over the course of centuries. When you live in a relic where you can conjure anything you want, you find yourself preoccupied with plenty of activities."

At those words, Gwen's smile fell slightly, gazing at her own reflection in the tea. "…To live in such a small place for so long… I imagine it gets lonely."

In mid-sip, Jinn paused, taking on a thoughtful expression. "…Well, I suppose you could say that. However, my purpose for being created wasn't to form any sort of bond with any one person." She raised her hand to the relic. "After all, as a being that holds Remnant's entire well of knowledge, my role is to dispense that knowledge onto anyone who seeks it." She craned her head down slightly. "Of course… there are long stretches of time where I wonder… what WOULD it be like to be able to be more than that?"

"…But those chains are stopping you, I assume." Gwen noted.

"You'd be right, Mistress. So long as we have our respective roles to play, the God of Light will not allow us to be free." Jinn affirmed. "Only when the four of us are brought together will the Gods return to judge Remnant… and see if our freedom will be subsequent to that."

Gwen sighed, tapping her finger nervously on the table. "…I doubt that Remnant isn't in the best of shape to be judged, though."

"Well, it could be worse, I'll say that much." Jinn grimaced slightly. "However, it could also stand to be improved. Grimm still run rampant, Faunus are still seen as second-class citizens… and of course, there's Salem, who wishes for the Gods to finally end her curse by destroying the world." She took a sip of her tea before going on. "And that's not even getting into the more hidden darkness. Human traffickers, smugglers, pirates and thieves…"

"Wow… that's a lot." Gwen surmised. "But… no world can be perfect. Not even ours is."

Jinn shook her head. "Perhaps not, Gwen, but the Gods will judge however they see fit, and if they don't feel as if Remnant's improved from their time away… they'll deliver their verdict accordingly."

"Hopefully we won't have to see that, though." Gwen quickly added. "After all, if we don't bring the Relics together… or let Salem do so… then the Gods won't come." At that moment, she saw Jinn's finger tapping on her cup, the blue woman decidedly keeping her eyes down. Gwen got bad feeling in her gut as she called to her; "…Jinn."

The Being of Knowledge sighed and brought her gaze back up. "You're right, Gwen… technically. The relics CAN be prevented from being brought together… but someday, somehow, they WILL be brought together as fate intended it to be." She raised a hand to stop Gwen from inquiring further. "I suggest you stop yourself here, Mistress… otherwise, a question this important WILL count."

"R-Right… gotta use that last question wisely." Gwen nodded. "I'll just stick with the information you gave me." She gave the genie an optimistic smile. "But hopefully, if that SHOULD happen, we can help snuff out the evil in Remnant to help make it a better world. Starting with Salem, of course."

Jinn smiled back and raised her cup to that. "That is a very good mindset to have, Mistress. You and your team are certainly quite capable, of course." She set her cup down and leaned forward. "But I also suggest on helping your own world, as I'm sure that there's still quite a slew of evil to snuff out here. Such as this "Vilgax" person, and these "Forever Knights" as well."

Gwen's eyes widened in shock. "W-Wait, how did you—" But she stopped herself after seeing Jinn tap her head with a smirk. "…Oh, right, you're a being of knowledge, of COURSE you already know."

"Indeed. You see, Gwen, I absorb the knowledge of the world through the planet's mana itself. Anything that happens on it, I know about it immediately, past, present and future." She pursed her lips irritably as she eyed the walls around her. "Admittedly, that's been a bit difficult considering I'm in here now, but I've still obtained quite a bit of knowledge in my time here."

"So… that means—"

"I know about the Serpent God's tail, yes." Jinn grinned as her sights moved to the nearby crate. "Quite the trinket you've got there, by the way. And I will say that I'm very impressed that this world still has Gods that actually care about it." She rested her chin upon her hands, giving Gwen a knowing stare. "So, I take it that you would like me to watch over the tail, right? Given its importance, I'm not surprised."

Gwen rubbed her neck sheepishly, taken aback by how quickly Jinn had deduced that. "W-Well, if it's not too much trouble…"

Jinn chuckled and placed a hand on Gwen's shoulder. "My mistress, I would be honored to watch over it here for you. I realize that keeping it where enemies could take it is dangerous." Jinn got off her chair and went over to the crate, snapping her fingers to undo the locks. With a flick of her hand, the top flung open, allowing her to see the tail in all its glory. "My word… it's very beautiful."

That got the Anodite to laugh a little. "Hehe, yeah… for being a severed limb."

Jinn reached down and took the tail in her hand, which she held without any issue. "Well, don't worry, Mistress Gwen." She waved her hand and the blue mist of her lamp started to envelope the tail, before it suddenly dissolved and went into the lamp itself. "I will be sure to keep it safe, and should you ever need it, feel free to come and ask for it."

Gwen stood from her chair, bowing her head to the genie in appreciation. "Thank you, Jinn, this means a lot." She signed as a guilty smile came to her features. "Well… I do hate to drink and run, but…"

"I know." Jinn smiled reassuringly, placing her hand on Gwen's shoulder again. "You must want to get home to your family, I understand." She gave her mistress a wink. "But don't be afraid to stop by for a chat every now and then, Gwen. I appreciate the company, and should you ever need it I'd be more than happy to lend you an ear."

The young redhead's smile widened, putting her own hand over Jinn's in solidarity. "Thank you, Jinn. I appreciate it. …Maybe same time next week?"

"Hm, agreed." Jinn nodded as her blue mist began to retreat into the lamp, before she herself began to float away. The two had their arms outstretched toward one another as Jinn said her goodbye. "Until then, my mistress. I look forward to it."

And just like that, Jinn was gone, with time having resumed all around the Anodite. Gwen watched as the Relic of Knowledge floated still, giving it one final nod. "So do I, my friend." She reached forward and used the hand print analyzer to reactivate the forcefield around the relic, and then she strolled out, now feeling much happier than when she walked in. Gwen made sure to take the now empty crate with her as she made her way back up to the main floor… and just as she entered the hub, she caught the end of a conversation her grandfather was having.

"Alright, we'll be there by the end of the week." a male voice said over a communicator. "Take care, Max."

The old Plumber smiled and nodded up to the screen, which Gwen couldn't see from her position. "Same to you, Solomon. Max out." Max turned off the screen before noticing his granddaughter walking toward him, offering her a wave. "Oh, hi, pumpkin! How'd your talk with Jinn go?"

"Pretty well." Gwen set the crate down and approached her grandfather. "Jinn said that she'd hold onto the tail in her lamp and said we'd just have to see her whenever we'd need it." She placed a hand on her chest with a proud grin. "Also, she allowed me to speak freely around her and ask any casual questions I want… I just have to save the important ones in case we want to use the last BIG question."

Max grinned and nodded. "Ah, perks of being the "mistress", huh?"

Gwen's expression did a one-eighty, grimacing at her grandpa. "Don't push it."

"Hahaha! Ah, honey, I'm just messing with you." Max placed a supportive hand to her shoulder. "I'm glad that you and Jinn are getting along so well, really."

"Hm, thanks… by the way, who were you talking to?" Gwen pointed to the console. "I came in just as you got off the phone with… Solomon, was it?"

The old man wore a knowing smile, confirming her question. "Yep, Solomon is an old friend of mine. I actually knew HIS father for a long time, so you could say he's a… family friend." He noticed Gwen raise an inquisitive brow. "…I know, I know, you've never met him before, but trust me, Solomon is a good man with a good family. In fact, the whole reason I called him is because his family actually specializes in Kur and other Sumerian-related subjects."

That's when Gwen's eyes lit up, her interest piqued. "Oh, really? Think they can help us recover the stolen tablet? Or at least get it translated before Enoch does?"

"That's what I'm hoping. Unfortunately, he and his family are out of the country on an important investigation, so they won't be back until this upcoming weekend." Max winked to her and tapped his nose. "But trust me, you'll like 'em. They even have a kid who's a couple years younger than you, so I think you'll all get along great."

"Hm! Neat." Gwen jerked a thumb toward the elevator. "Want me to tell the others when I meet up with them?"

"Of course! I was going to do it, but feel free to give 'em the good news." Max raised a finger to make another point. "Oh, that reminds me, Jaune and Pyrrha wanted me to tell you that they were headed to Ben's first so they could pick up Romulus, so you should meet up with them there. Winter, Tai and Raven are waiting up top with a Plumber transport to bring you there."

Gwen went up and gave her grandfather a hug. "Thanks, grandpa. I'll see you later." With that, Gwen made her way to the elevator, waving to Max all the way as it went up to the hardware store above. 'A family of Kur experts, huh? Sounds exciting! …Though, on second thought, that's a REALLY specific thing to specialize in.' the young sorceress thought to herself. 'Wonder if they specialize in MORE fields than just ancient Sumerian legends? I'll have to ask grandpa more about that at some point…' Gwen felt the elevator stop and she quickly got out of the bathroom, immediately spotting Winter and the others waiting for her through the front door. 'But for now… homeward bound.'

…..

Across town, meanwhile, a certain black and green sports car had just pulled into the driveway of its owner's home, followed closely behind by an orange and cream-colored truck. As both vehicles pulled to a stop, Rex came flying down into a landing, pulling his Boogie Pack in as he watched his friends all disembark. "Ah, casa sweet casa, am I right?!" The EVO sighed at the sight of the humble home. "Gotta admit, a part of me wouldn't mind having a place like this to crash."

"Hey, dude, you're always welcome." Ben offered. "Pretty sure my parents must have SOME extra room."

"I certainly wouldn't mind." Weiss added, moving over to her boyfriend as she rubbed shoulders with him. "After all, I never really got to enjoy living with you back in Remnant, so…"

Rex blushed and rubbed his neck sheepishly. "Ah, haha… w-well, we weren't goin' out at the time, Ice Princess, so—woah!"

All of a sudden, Weiss yanked him down by the collar so that he was eye-level with her, all while she wore a small smirk. "Exactly, darling. If Ben and Yang can enjoy themselves under the same roof, then why can't we?"

"AHEM." The duo snapped their heads around to see Winter looming over both of them, her arms crossed and with a serious expression. "Because if you two know what's good for the BOTH of you, you'll save any reckless shenanigans for when you are BOTH out on your own. Is that clear?" She pointed over to the Blonde Brawler and Omnitrix bearer as well. "And that goes the same for you!"

"Ugh! We KNOW!" Yang bemoaned, throwing her head back in frustration. "We've already HAD this talk with Sandra!"

Just then, the sound of the door opening caught everyone's attention. "She's right, Winter, we did." Sandra piped up as she walked out onto the front stoop of the house, greeting everyone with a smile. "But let's not dwell on that, hm? Welcome home, everybody!"

"Hey, mom!" Ben waved.

Ruby and her team waved as well. "How's it going, Sandra?"

Sandra clapped her hands together as she came over to the group. "Oh, things have been just wonderful, dear, thank you… oh! And I see you've brought the others, too!" She waved over to Rook and Team JNPR as they came over, too. "Hello, kids! And oh… you must be Rook!"

Rook bowed his head to the older blonde. "That would be correct, Mrs. Tennyson. It is truly a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise. I've heard you've been helping out the team quite a bit lately." Sandra extended a hand to the Renonnahgander and he happily shook it. "Always a pleasure to meet one of my son's new friends." She craned her head over to Jaune and Pyrrha, putting on a small smirk. "I take it you're here to bring your little man home?"

The couple nodded to her. "Yeah, it's been a long weekend and we'd like our puppy back now, if it's not too much trouble." Jaune confirmed.

Blake came forward, too… though Sandra was quick to take notice of the catgirl's more… downtrodden state. "Yeah, Sandra, I appreciate you watching Rema while we were gone, but… I kinda need to take my mama duties back up now."

Sandra's gaze was full of concern as the team eyed each other worriedly. "Oh… Blake, a-are you okay? Did something bad happen on the trip?"

"N-No, it's… it's hard to explain right now." Blake shook her head. "I-I just… I want to see my—"

"Say no more." Sandra assured, giving Blake a brief hug, much to her surprise. "You're obviously not in a good mental state right now, and there's only one thing I can prescribe for that…" She went over to the door and opened it up wide. "Grade A Snuggles!" Sandra used her fingers to give a high-pitched whistle, and like moths to a flame… out came the bundles of fur.

"RUFF-RUFF-RUFF!" One by one, Zwei, Romulus and Rema all came charging out of the door and toward their respective owners, earning a cheer from them.

Ruby held her arms out for her corgi as he jumped into her arms "AH! Zwei! Hahaha!" She laughed as she spun around happily, allowing him to lick her face. "Hehehe, were you a good boy for Sandra? Oh, I bet you were! Yes, yes!"

"Ah! Rommy!" Pyrrha knelt down, allowing Romulus to leap at her and start snuggling up with her.

Jaune came in and gave him some much-needed pats on the head. "Hah! Hey there, boy! How's it goin'? …Did you get bigger since we left?"

Pyrrha rolled her eyes at that. "Jaune, he obviously didn't…" But after flexing her hands on the wolf pup a little, Pyrrha's brows furrowed curiously. She inspected Romulus from several angles before making her conclusion. "…You know what? I actually think he MIGHT have actually gotten bigger!"

"Puppies will do that to you." Sandra shrugged. "Trust me, I was amazed by how fast my past dogs have grown, too." The woman set her sights over to Blake, her concern growing again as she saw the catgirl still standing, even as Rema sat at her feet. The young woman wore a smile… but a sad one. Sandra could just tell.

"RUFF! Ruff-ruff!" Rema barked as she jumped onto her mother's leg, who only then bent down to meet her.

"Oh, yes, hello sweet baby." Blake cooed as she scooped Rema up into her arms, holding the pup as close to her chest as possible. Rema relentlessly began to lick her cheeks, which Blake chuckled through. "Hmhm, yes, thank you. Just what mommy needed."

Sandra couldn't take it anymore, and by the looks on everyone's faces, none of them could either. She went up to Blake and knelt down next to her. "You know, I've always liked to think that dogs help bring out the best in people." she said, garnering Blake's attention. "Their natural instinct is to help those who their close to, or to those who show them the same love they want to give." Sandra smiled and nodded to the two. "And I can already tell that Rema's helping you out quite well."

Blake stared at her for a moment before going back to Rema, the cute pup beaming back happily. With a heavy sigh, Blake hugged Rema again. "…Yeah, you're right, Sandra. Honestly, since I adopted Rema, I feel… like a ton of weight has been lifted off my shoulders. Not all of it… but still a good amount."

There was a short pause before Sandra continued. "But Blake… not everything can be solved with just the happiness of a warm puppy, as sad as that is." She reached out and put her hand to Blake's shoulder again. "I know it must be difficult, but I would like to hear about what happened. If not now, then later on would be fine, too."

"We're all here for you, Blake." Yang assured, stepping up behind her partner. "I know everything that happened back at base was… a lot, but if you need anyone to talk to about it," she gestured out toward their group of friends, "you've got a lot of options."

Another moment of silence passed, with Blake closing her eyes for a moment to collect her thoughts. "…Thank you, everyone." She stood up with Rema in her arms. "But right now… I think it's best if I just be alone with Rema for a while." Blake wore a smile, one that was a bit more genuine this time. "We'll talk about this later, I promise. I just… need to decompress."

"And that's fine." Sandra assured, giving Blake another hug. "You take all the time you need, dear. We'll be hear when you need us." Blake bowed her head to the Tennyson matriarch, making her way inside shortly after. "…Does this have anything to do with the Forever Knight attack from yesterday."

"A little bit." Ben answered. "But of course, it's not our place to divulge full details."

"Of course, honey." Sandra sighed, staring at the front door. "I'll be sure to wait until she's truly ready."

"I'm actually kinda surprised, Mrs. Tenny—er, Sandra." Ren corrected himself, remembering that the woman liked to be called by her first name. "You handled that as if Blake was your own daughter. Even though you've only really known her for a week."

Sandra grinned to the green ninja somewhat sheepishly. "Hmhm, well… I wouldn't be lying if I didn't say this wasn't something I've thought of…" She glanced back to her son and put an arm around him. "I love my son with every fiber of my being, don't get me wrong… but a part of me HAS always wanted daughters."

"Ha, gee, thanks mom." Ben rolled his eyes.

With an affectionate ruffle of Ben's hair, Sandra smooched him on the cheek. "You're welcome, honey. Now, how did your vacation go?" She scanned the crowd before noticing the absence of a few people. "And where's Raven and Tai? And Gwen, too, I thought she'd be with you at least."

Rex jabbed a thumb over his shoulder. "Ah, Gwen had to hang back at Plumber base for a little while. Raven and Tai are bringing her hear after all's said and done."

"Oh, what did she have to do?"

Before anyone else could answer, Nora zipped right up, eager to finally get in a word. "Oh! OH! It actually has a TON to do with our trip! Sandra, you won't believe it, we actually met THREE gods!" The energetic redhead held up three fingers. "Count 'em, THREE!"

"W-Wait, what?!" Sandra's eyes widened considerably. "Y-You actually MET these gods you were talking about?"

"Sure did!" Ruby nodded excitedly. "We met Ah-Puch, the Mayan god of death, Ek-Chuaj, the Mayan god of war, and—brace yourself—QUETZALCOATL himself!" She pulled out her scroll and pulled up a picture that she had taken of all of them after that night, showing it to Sandra immediately. "He even gave us his severed tail after Cinder cut it off!"

Sandra leaned in toward the picture… and her eyes nearly bugged out of her head. The team were all gathered together and smiling from ear to ear, all of them posing in front of or with the massive, feathery tail. The woman blinked and rubbed her eyes, trying to make sense of what she was seeing. "I… th-this can't be—"

"Trust me, mom, it's real." Ben affirmed. "I know it's a bit much…"

"Hah, to say the least!" Sandra spun toward her son, grabbing a hold of his shoulders. "Baby, do you know what this could MEAN for the state of the world if people find out that actual gods exist!?"

But Ben just shook his head. "I don't think we have to worry about that, mom. These guys have existed for thousands of years, remember? If they can stay hidden for THAT long without anyone else finding out about them, I doubt we have to worry about—" HONK-HONK! "Huh?"

Everyone turned toward the road at the sound of the approaching horn, where they saw a white armored Plumber vehicle pull up to the curb. The car came to a stop, with Gwen, Winter, Tai and Raven all came piling out of it, before it then started back down the street. "Sorry for taking a while, you guys." Gwen placed her hands on her hips, scanning her eyes across the team. "Hope we didn't miss too much."

"Gwen!" Pyrrha exclaimed. "Your timing cannot be better. We were just mentioning to Sandra about how we met the gods this weekend."

"Oh, great! …Er, wait, where's Blake?"

The group eyed one another awkwardly at the question before Jaune answered. "Uh… she wanted some alone time after… you-know-what. She'll be out later, I think." The realization dawned on Gwen quickly and she nodded to him, allowing Jaune to change the subject. "So, uh, how'd your meeting with Jinn go, Gwen?" Jaune asked. "Did she agree to watch the tail for us?"

The redhead strode up to the group with a confident nod. "As a matter of fact, she did! If we need to use it, all we need to do is go to her and ask her for it. …Er, well, maybe not ASK her for it, but just make a simple request." She placed a hand on her chest. "Because I'm technically the only one who can ask for it without that counting as using the last question, but that's a whole other story entirely." That earned several incredulous stares from her friends before Gwen waved the whole thing off. "Point is, yes, she's got the tail."

"…Alright, now I'm VERY confused." Sandra conceded.

Raven crossed her arms and mumbled; "Join the club…"

Tai cleared his throat and smiled out to everyone. "Ahem, well, now that we're all here, why don't we get to filling Sandra in on what's been going on, hm? I'm sure she'll wanna hear PLENTY of what went on during your vacation, right?"

"Yes… yes I would." Sandra opened the door, ushering the others to come inside. "And the first thing I want to hear is everything on this whole "god" business. And please, feel free to go into detail."

…..

So, that's just what the team did. About an hour and a half passed as the teens told Sandra about their various escapades over the course of their weekend away, and to say the woman was astounded would be an understatement. Her jaw hung open several times as they recounted their adventures through the Mexican jungles and traveling to the great Aztec pyramids, all in the pursuit of finding these gods. And of course, hearing about how they faced down the Ministry with the help of Quetzalcoatl himself was simply astonishing.

By the time they had finished, Sandra was starting to wonder just how this could all be possible. "Wow… just, wow! My son and his friends actually fought alongside a Serpent God. …And he gave you his TAIL as a gift?!"

"Yep! That's pretty much the gist of it!" Nora said as she leaned over the back of a chair, one that Ren just so happened to be sitting in. "It was a crazy time, lemme tell ya." She reached down and ruffled Ren's hair. "But we all managed to pull through with only a few hiccups along the way! All in all, sounds like a good day's work, right?"

"Perhaps, but still, what happened that day IS worrisome." Ren noted, moving his head to the side. "After all, if Salem can send Grimm to this universe, then what's stopping her from just sending more?"

Gwen, however, was quick to point something out. "Ren, don't you remember? Cinder said that the Grimm are affected negatively by the Earth's sun." She glanced outside, her gaze setting out toward the sky. "For some reason, the light from our sun must be more powerful than the one on Remnant's, otherwise, something like that shouldn't be happening."

Yang folded her arms, taking Gwen's words under consideration. "Yeah… and here I thought the only light that could hurt the Grimm was the one from Ruby's Silver Eyes."

"It is." Winter confirmed, putting a thoughtful hand to her chin. "It just sounds like the Earth's sun is capable of harming them only a small bit." The specialist shrugged as she thought up a comparison. "I would best compare it to… a bad sunburn rather than ACTUALLY being burnt to a crisp."

"That… actually makes a lot of sense." Ruby concurred, only for her features to contort in irritation. "Ugh, now if only I could actually USE these stupid Silver Eyes instead of just carrying them around with me!"

Gwen reached out and pat Ruby's hand. "Don't worry, Ruby. I promise, I'm going to help you find a way to help bring out your inner power… somehow." She gave her a wink and a knowing smile. "It might take us a little while, but I WILL help you get those Silver Eyes up and running."

Ruby smiled back and bowed her head. "Thanks, Gwen, that means a lot."

"I must admit, this is still quite a lot to take in." Rook conceded, bringing everyone's attention to him. "Gods, myths, cults, these Grimm beasts and mystical Silver Eyes that bring about their destruction… when I first came to Earth, I did not think that I would be met with more supernatural occurrences." The Revonnahgander rested his elbow upon his knee, setting his chin on his hand. "Do not misunderstand; it is very exciting, but still a substantial amount to process as a Plumber."

Ben gave Rook a light jab to the shoulder. "Ah, don't worry, dude. Trust me, you'll get used to it. Gwen and I've been dealing with this kinda stuff along with all the alien junk we deal with for a LONG time." He jerked his thumb over to Team RWBY and Team JNPR. "And remember, you're not alone in being new to all this, either."

Jaune offered the Revonnahgander a smile, extending his hand. "Yeah, man, you're among friends here. We'll help each other understand this crap if it kills us."

"I would prefer not to have my life ended." Rook said as he returned the handshake. "But I appreciate the kind gesture, Jaune. Thank you."

"Ahem, so, given everything that's happened to us over the weekend…" Weiss started, the former heiress wearing a rather serious look. "I have to ask… what's next? Not only do we have the Ministry on our backs, but they've got an alien hunter on their side now who obviously knows what he's doing. I don't think I have to explain how bad that is."

"Weiss is correct." Pyrrha said as she cradled Romulus in her arms. "Plus, now we have to deal with the Forever Knights going after the Armor of Ishtar, and let's not forget that we've also got the Collective still on the loose as well." She glanced down to her lap worriedly. "Is it ALWAYS like this on Earth? With villains popping up every week?"

"Yeah, pretty much." Ben deadpanned. "Hate to burst your bubble, but with all the enemies I've made over the years, I'm not surprised that new AND old ones are cropping up right now." The hero wore a slight pout of annoyance. "Believe me, though, wish it wasn't the case."

Raven suddenly stood up, wearing a serious expression of her own as she pointed across the room to all of the teenagers. "Hey, you kids don't start with this, okay? All of you have handled far worse in the past, remember? The Ministry hasn't been able to stop you yet, so the Collective and Forever Knights shouldn't give you much trouble."

Tai pointed over to Ben, or more specifically, the Omnitrix. "Besides, with that watch, it's hard NOT to lose. Plus, the rest of you rookies have been getting better and better by the day." He grinned out to all of them proudly. "Trust me, you guys have this in the bag. The only time when I'd probably be REALLY worried is if you actually had to FIGHT one of these gods."

Ben turned his head down to the Omnitrix, finding that Tai did have a point. As good as all of his aliens were, there was only a few he knew of that would be able to go toe-to-toe with a god… and only one that could definitely take one out. And since he wasn't able to USE that one, that left the rest up to his own skill… and possibly having to stop holding back all together. And doing that was dangerous. "…Well, whatever happens, Tai, I'm at least glad to know that all of you have our backs." he said with a shrug.

"At least when you get back from Remnant, that is." Yang smirked to her mother. "Gotta have that alone time, after all." Raven's cheeks flushed red, whether out of embarrassment or frustration, Yang didn't know. All the same, she laughed out loud and moved her attention back to Ruby. "By the way, Rubes, didn't you have some… gifts that you wanted to hand out?"

Ruby gasped and her hands flew up to her face. "AH! I almost forgot!" Using her semblance, Ruby rushed over and grabbed one of her bags, bringing it back over to Sandra, Raven and Tai. "Ta-da! I got you guys some souvenirs!"

The adults were surprised to say the least. "Oh! Why Ruby, you shouldn't have!" Sandra exclaimed.

"Maybe not, but I wanted to." The Hooded Huntress beamed as she rifled around in her back, pulling out two necklaces made out of wooden beads. One was painted green with white patterns on the beads, while the other was red and black. "First of all, for Sandra and Raven, I got you necklaces!"

Raven's lips parted in shock, a slight gasp escaping her throat. Ruby bought… a gift for her? She saw Sandra take her necklace joyfully. "Oh my goodness, Ruby, it's so pretty! Where did you find them?"

"Just at a little knick-knack store. I had a feeling that you ladies would like them." Ruby handed the red on to the former tribe leader. "C'mon Raven, it's yours!"

"I… Ruby, I-I don't know what to say." Raven reached out and took the beads into her hands, feeling the texture of the carved wood rub against her fingers. She had to admit, the necklace was definitely her style. Blake and red was always her preferred color combo, and she couldn't help but smile at Ruby's thoughtfulness. "I'm… I'll be honest, I'm very touched that you would even think to get me a souvenir."

Even as she tilted her head, Ruby's smile was unrelenting. "Aw, c'mon Raven. What, did you think I'd just forget about you?" She shook her head in denial. "Because if you did, ya might wanna think again." Ruby bowed her head just a bit, hiding behind her hair. "Think of it as a thank you… for making Yang and my dad happy."

This gave Raven a bit of pause. "O-Oh, I… you're welcome, Ruby." The woman set her eyes onto her daughter and Tai, the duo giving her a pair of thumbs up. She hesitated for a moment before taking a deep breath and going forward, placing a hand on Ruby's shoulder. "But… I want you to know something. If you need any help at all, with anything, don't be afraid to ask." Ruby's head snapped up in surprise, seeing Raven smile down at her. "After all… I want to become a part of this family again, and you're as much a part of it as they are."

Slowly, Ruby's smile came back and she gave Raven a hug, taking the older woman off guard. "I appreciate that, Raven. Thank you so much."

"…You're welcome, Ruby." Raven reciprocated the embrace, placing her hand on Ruby's head as everyone watched on happily… and while Yang and Tai both raved silently in the background.

'Progress. Is. MADE!' The father and daughter thought simultaneously as they pumped their arms up and down. After that, though, Tai cleared his throat. "Ahem, well that was very sweet, you two. But, um… Ruby, I don't suppose you've forgotten about your dear ol' dad, did ya?"

Ruby shot her head up and she let out a laugh. "Pfft—HA! You kidding, dad? Gimme a sec." She separated from Raven and went back to her bag, rifling through it before getting a solid hand on what she bought for him. "Okay, close your eyes!" Tai did as instructed and waited… only to feel something very felt-y get put on his head… along with a few surprised snickers from everyone else.

…And Rex couldn't help but belt out a laugh. "BHAHAHA! Ay dios mio, are you KIDDING me?!"

"W-What?" Tai muttered, still keeping his eyes closed. "W-What's going on?"

"Um… w-well, Tai, hehehe… let's say that Ruby's chose an interesting look for you." Raven replied.

"It was kinda my idea, too, actually." Yang admitted, making Tai shiver in fear. "I saw this while we were walking through the capital and I pointed it out to Ruby. We both agreed that it HAD to go on your head, dad."

At this point, Tai was starting to freak out. "Okay, what the heck did you two do to me?!"

Ruby giggled and grabbed a nearby mirror. "Open your eyes and see for yourself!"

The very second that Tai cracked his eyes open, he was met with the sight of himself in the mirror with an absolutely huge hat on his head. As he thought, it was made of black felt, though it also had several white embroidered patters on the underside and on the edges of the very wide brim. …And it also had several dangly bits hanging off the brim, too. He lowered his head to see even more patterns on the main part of the hat, but it did nothing to satiate his bafflement. "…Ruby?"

"Hmhm, yes?"

"What in the name of the Godly Brothers did you put on my head?"

Weiss held back her own laugh as she explained. "I-It's called a sombrero. It's literally the Spanish word for hat, but it also refers to these types of Mexican hats in general."

"The one you're wearing is actually one of the fancier ones." Rex elaborated further. "Usually the kind that entertainers wear. Like mariachi bands, dancers, and other stuff like that." The EVO glanced to the side with a slight smirk. "…But they're also associated with stereotypes, so in a way, they're kinda one of the most well-known parts of Mexican culture."

Tai took the hat off his head, scrutinizing it from every angle. Yang and Ruby's amusement gave way to anxiousness as he looked over it. "So, um… do you like it?" Ruby asked.

"Are you kidding me?" Tai said… before breaking out into a huge grin. "It's the craziest hat I've ever seen! I freaking LOVE it!"

"WOO-HOO!" The sisters cheered, giving each other a high-five. "Score one for us, sis!" Yang exclaimed.

The blonde man placed the hat back upon his head, much to everyone's delight. "You can say that again. I can't wait to show the teachers back at Signal, they'll be so jealous!"

Raven rolled her eyes as she reached up and pulled the brim over his eyes. "Hm, right. Just be sure to not where this thing TOO much, alright dear?" She moved her head down so that he could see her. "Not that I don't get your excitement, but this hat isn't made for every situation, I hope you know that."

"Ah, don't worry, Rae." Tai assured after taking off the sombrero. "I won't wear it during any… intimate moments, if that's what you're worried about." He wore a toothy grin as he suddenly put the sombrero on HER head next, making her gasp. "Ha! But I'll say this; you make it look good! Hahaha!"

The others in the room couldn't help but laugh, too… at least until Raven lifted the hat off with a slight glare. "Oh, so that's how it's going to be?" The Spring Maiden quickly plonked the hat back on Tai, this time pushing it so far down that his eyes were buried inside it. "Hm! Hope you enjoy your new hat." she crossed her arms victoriously.

That got the group REALLY laughing up a storm, especially when Tai fell back into the nearby chair. "Gah! H-Hey! C'mon, Rae, I was just kidding!"

As the laughter settled, though, a thought suddenly occurred to Weiss, and she started rifling around in her own bag. "Oh! That reminds me, I've got something for you, Winter."

"Oh, really?" Winter raised a skeptical brow. "If it's one of these sombreros, I swear, I'll never forgive you."

"Psh, relax. I'd never make you wear one of those… even if it'd be hilarious." Weiss assured, pulling out the Aztec pyramid snow globe and handing it to Winter immediately. "Ta-da! I think you'll find this MUCH more to your liking."

Winter's hand covered her mouth, trying and failing to stifle a gasp. "Ah! A snow globe? Weiss, you shouldn't have!" She plucked the glass dome out of her sister's hand and immediately jostled it around a little, kicking up the snow that floated around the great Pyramid of the Moon. "Oh, this will go nicely with the others I have back home." She reached out and pulled Weiss into a hug. "Thank you, Weiss. I love it."

Weiss held her head up high, her pride swelling inside of her. "What're little sister's for, hm?" She peeked one eye open, glancing up to her sister. "By the way, aside from the Forever Knights being utter jerks, how was your weekend?" She nudged her elbow against Winter's knowingly. "I imagine that being here with Kenny all weekend must've been a REAL highlight, wasn't it?"

Gwen wore a nervous expression as she saw Winter wince at that. "Oh lord, I don't like that face. Winter, I swear if Kenny did anything weird or—"

"Oh, heavens no, Gwendolyn, Kenny has been nothing but kind to me." Winter stopped the Anodite before she could even suggest anything to the contrary. "It's just… as much as I'd like to tell you, I—" Knock-knock-knock! Winter paused as everyone set their sights to the door, taken by surprise.

"Hm, wonder who that could be?" Sandra went over, peeked into the peephole, and then smiled as she immediately opened the door. "Oh, Kenny! You picked a very good time to swing by."

"Hey, Aunt Sandra." Kenny greeted as he strolled in. "I just came by to see if Winter was still—" But then he cut himself off when he saw not just Winter, but his sister, his cousin, Rex, Team RWBY and Team JNPR all there as well. …Also, Tai was wearing a sombrero for some reason. "Oh… huh, I thought you guys would still be back at base. Guess I was wrong." He gave them a greeting wave. "How's it going, guys?"

The younger redhead was curious yet defiant as she rose to meet her brother. "Kenny!" She marched up to him and pointed at his chest. "Funny you should show up right now. We were actually talking about your weekend with Winter." She furrowed her brow as she pointed to the specialist. "And she's not exactly in the mood to talk about it. Mind explaining WHY?"

Kenny blinked in surprise before moving his sights over to Winter, seeing the hesitancy in her eyes. Almost as if she was silently asking; "Should we tell them?"

A sigh escaped the young man's throat as he nodded to her. "Best to rip the band-aid off now." He matched Gwen's expression with his own, addressing his little sister with utmost seriousness; "Gwen, the whole reason why Winter doesn't wanna talk about what happened this weekend is because WE went on our first date, and she knows that you and Weiss will—"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!"

Everyone's hands clamped over their ears as the two girls shrieked in utter glee, their high-pitched voices being enough to even make Zwei and Romulus bring their paws over their own ears. "…Do that." Kenny deadpanned.

Nora could feel her ears ringing, bringing her pinky up to her ear to try and rub away the pain. "Man, and I thought I could get loud."

Rook was rubbing his ears as well, which were much more sensitive to the loud noise. He looked to Ben and asked; "Do human females always react like this when romance is the topic of conversation."

"Only when they get excited about it." Ben grumbled.

A few seconds later, Blake suddenly came rushing down the stairs with Rema in tow and her weapon drawn. "I heard screaming, what's going—" But she came to a stop the second she saw Gwen and Weiss jumping in excitement together, leading her to glance over to Kenny and Winter. "Lemme guess, you guys went on your first date?" The couple nodded to her, making her sigh and sheath Gambol Shroud. "Well, congratulations, but I hope you know what you've just unleashed."

"Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, OH MY GOSH!" Weiss and Gwen came together, lacing their hands with one another as they jumped up and down. "They did it! They finally DID IT!" the former heiress cried in delight. "They got over themselves and actually WENT ON A DATE!"

"AAAH! I know!" Gwen hollered joyfully. "This is so awesome! AH!" She gasped and the duo snapped around to their older siblings, who were now both clearly unamused by what was happening. "Okay, you guys have to give us ALL of the juicy details!"

"Was there dancing? A stroll through the park?" Weiss asked relentlessly. "OH! Or maybe a picnic under a moonlit night?!"

Kenny and Winter glanced to one another, the latter answering; "…We had dinner and went to a movie."

"Ah, the classic first date route." Gwen nodded in approval. "Very respectable. I bet you went to a pretty great place to eat, right?"

"Indeed." Winter said with a knowing grin. "Kenny certainly knows his pizza places."

That response gave the two girls a bit of pause. Admittedly, not what they were expecting, but pizza was pizza, so not entirely out of left field. Weiss steepled her fingers eagerly. "Well… I'll bet it must've been quite the romantic movie, right? What'd you go see?"

Without fail, in unison, both Kenny and Winter responded with; "The Batman."

And just like that, Weiss and Gwen were REALLY thrown for a loop. "…Huh?"

"Oh, HELL YEAH!" Yang shouted in approval with a pump of her fist. "Awesome choice, guys." She set her sights onto her own boyfriend and tilted his head to him. "Actually, I'm kinda surprised that YOU haven't taken me to see that yet, Green Boy. Would've thought a new Batman movie would be the first thing you'd have me see."

"Heh, okay, yeah that was a bit of a mix-up on my part." Ben admitted. "I'll see about getting us some tickets for tomorrow's showing, 'kay? Maybe stop by Mr. Smoothies before that?"

Yang pecked him on the lips immediately after. "Sounds like a plan. Thank you, baby!"

However, Weiss and Gwen were still thrown for a loop. "…Your first date involved pizza… and Batman." Weiss uttered, feeling her eye twitch a little. "Gwen, I feel like we've been hyping this up in our heads a little too much."

"Well, to be fair, my first Valentine's Day with Kevin was a bit similar." Gwen shrugged. "Chinese food and Deadpool made for an interesting combination." She saw Weiss' eyes widen to the size of dinner plates when she mentioned that. "…Hey, we can't ALL have amazing first dates at Mexican restaurants and personal late-night flights, now can we?"

Weiss took a deep breath, collecting herself and getting back on track. "You're right, I'm sorry, I really shouldn't be so judgey." She gave her big sister and Kenny a supportive smile. "In all honesty, I'm just glad to see that you two are happy with each other and FINALLY in the dating game." She bowed her head to them apologetically. "Sorry if we made you guys nervous about this whole thing."

"We'll try to reign ourselves in more, promise." Gwen added.

"Thanks girls." Kenny bowed back. "That means a lot."

Winter pointed a stern finger to the two younger sisters. "And we'll be sure to hold you to that… but for now, I think it's best if we all head home." She focused on Gwen and Team JNPR specifically. "After all, I'm sure that Natalie and Frank will be wondering where we all are by now."

"Yeah, good point." Jaune agreed as he and his team stood up, with Pyrrha taking Romulus up once again. "So, I guess we'll see you guys later on."

Raven gave him an affirming nod. "Yes, we'll be gathering back here in the evening to say our goodbyes." She pointed to Team JNPR, eyeing Nora especially. "Now remember, just because I won't be here for a couple of days doesn't mean any of you should slack off on your training. In fact, I'm going to be having a special pair of eyes on all of you, someone I can trust who'll report your progress back to me and be sure to keep you in shape."

Ren bowed to her respectfully. "Of course, Raven. We'll be sure to not disappoint Agent Six in your absence."

Much to everyone's shock, though, Raven simply smirked and shook her head. "Hmph, whoever said it was Six, Ren?" She waved her hand to them, ushering the team to get going. "You'll find out who it is in due time, but until then, I suggest you all get going."

"Yeah, you're right." Gwen agreed as she went to the door as well, followed closely by Rook and the others. But just as she was about to leave, she suddenly spun around as she remembered something else. "Oh! Wait, I almost forgot. When I was leaving the base, Grandpa Max had just got off the comms with someone who's apparently an expert on Kur and Sumerian myths. Hopefully by the end of the week when they're back in town, we'll be able to get some help in deciphering the tablet, and hopefully be able to beat the Forever Knights to this armor."

"Oh, that's great news, Gwen!" Ruby beamed, with excitement and relief filling everyone's eyes. "Who are they?"

"Not entirely sure right now." Gwen shook her head. "All I got was a name… "Solomon"."

"Huh… cool name!" Yang pointed out. "Sounds like a badass treasure hunter or something."

Gwen opened the door and gave her a shrug. "Well, we'll just have to wait to see who this guy is, but I just hope he can be of some help. We'll see you later, guys!"

The Omni-Hunters exchanged their goodbyes before Team JNPR climbed back into the Proto-TRUK, with Kenny taking Winter and Gwen into his car to drive off after them. Once they were gone, Sandra sighed and clasped her hands together. "Well, since this'll be Tai's last meal here for a while, how about I cook up something special for all of us? Who wants some Veggie Spaghetti?!"

Ben's face grew pale at his mother's words, almost as if he were told he'd be dead in two hours. And his expression wasn't exactly reassuring to the others either. "Oh god, help."

…..

On the opposite side of town, meanwhile, Kevin had arrived back at his mother's house with his entourage all intact, the Osmosian smiling back toward the passengers in his backseat. "Ah, home again and it feel's so… huh?" Kevin stopped himself the very second he saw just how upset his friends were. More accurately, Sun and Ilia were particularly upset, with Neptune staring at them nervously, afraid they'd go off at any moment. Penny was… being Penny, smiling in the front seat like she didn't have a care in the world.

"Uh… guys?" Kevin piped up hesitantly. "Everything okay?"

"Gee, what do you think?" Ilia replied as she opened up her door and walked out, with Sun right on her tail. Kevin, Neptune and Penny were out after them in seconds, the two Faunus not wasting any time in getting their luggage from the back. "Can you even BELIEVE that guy?!" the chameleon girl exclaimed. "Acting so high and mighty even while he LAMBASTED us?!"

Sun grimaced as he hauled his backpack up over his shoulder, not even sparing a glance to his best friend. "Yeah, no kiddin'. I usually just let crap like that roll off my back… but after what he said to Blake? Nuh-uh, no way am I lettin' that jerk off the hook."

Ilia raised her hand up to him. "Amen to that." Sun high-fived her back as the two stopped at the door. "I mean, seriously? Where the HELL does he get off in being that big of an asshole?"

Kevin furrowed his brow as he, Neptune and Penny went up to the front step, quickly getting inserting himself into the conversation. "Trust me, Ilia, I get it. The Knights piss all of us off, too. But right now, I don't think you should let 'em cloud your mind this much." The two Faunus were surprised at his words, leading him to explain. "Back when I mutated for the second time in my life, Gwen kept saying that I shouldn't focus on what gets me angry, and that we'd find a cure eventually so I shouldn't give up hope."

Sun and Ilia eyed one another curiously. "So, what you're saying is…"

"That you two should save your anger for when you actually GET to the knights." Kevin advised. "Festering in it will just lead you down some dark paths…" He lowered his head briefly as he remembered what lengths he went to try and find a cure on his own, born of his own self-anger. "I know I took some."

"…Ah, you're right, dude." Sun sighed, turning to face Ilia head-on. "Being pissed off isn't gonna get us anywhere in the long run, right?"

Ilia pursed her lips, frustrated that the monkey boy was so right. "Yeah, I guess you've got a point."

Just then, Penny came up and suddenly put her arms around the two, her beaming smile increasing as she brought them in for a rather strong hug. "Hooray! Just what I wanted to hear! Of course, friends shouldn't be festering in their own rage. Rather, I think it'd be optimal to celebrate our home coming with some fun home activities!"

As she said that, the front door opened behind her, revealing Evelyn on the other side. "Now there's a good idea, Penny." the dark-haired woman approved, having heard the redhead through the wood. "Welcome back, kids! Did you have a good weekend down in Mexico?"

"Heh, we sure did, mom." Kevin came up and gave his mother a hug. "And lemme tell ya, we've got LOTS to tell ya about."

"Oh, I'm sure." Evelyn gave her son a small peck on the cheek. "I can only imagine how exciting it must've been…" She set her sights onto Sun, Neptune, Ilia and Penny in concern. "But… is everybody okay? I heard a lot of yelling out here after you all pulled in."

"Um… yeah, that might've been us." Sun said with a guilty expression, while Ilia's hand went to her neck. "Sorry 'bout that?"

Evelyn went over to them and extended a hand. "W-Well are you alright? Did something happen on the trip? If something's the matter, or if there's anything I can do to help, feel free to tell me."

"That's awfully kind of you, Evelyn." Ilia smiled sadly. "And don't worry, nothing bad happened on the trip… technically. We're fine, it's just… we kind of didn't have the best homecoming back at base."

"Oh…" Evelyn paused to think about that before realizing what it must've been. "Oh lord, does it have to do with the Forever Knight fiasco from yesterday? I-Is there any news on what they wanted?"

The teens winced a little as Neptune rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Well, kinda-sorta. We know they wanted to steal some sort of valuable tablet… which apparently, they succeeded in." He glanced over to Sun and Ilia, who decidedly kept their gazes low. "But uh, let's just say that their new king paid us a call, and he didn't have ANY nice things to say 'bout Sun, Blake, Ilia or Velvet."

"Dear god, I should've known." Evelyn muttered, her palm covering her forehead. "Kids, I'm so sorry, I—"

"Evelyn, it's okay." Ilia interrupted, the chameleon girl setting her hand on the older woman's shoulders. "You really couldn't have guessed what happened. But don't worry. The words of the Forever King stung, yes, but if anything, they've also strengthened us to want to stop his plans."

Sun gave a thumbs up. "Yeah, what she said. We're gonna beat his ass, take back the tablet he stole, and make sure he and his chumps will ever hurt another alien again… and hopefully he'll NEVER get to hurt a Faunus."

Gradually, Evelyn's smile returned and she breathed out, hoping to let go of some of her worries. "Well, I'm glad that you kids are taking the high road here." A brief frown settled across her features, thinking back to a long time ago. "Devlin told me about one of his encounters with the knights… and they still despised him even though he appeared completely human. They're utterly repulsive human beings…" She shook her head to try and change the subject back to a better one. "But let's not focus on that right now, hm? I want to hear all about your weekend. It must've been quite the experience, I'm sure."

"Well… it wasn't exactly all that it was cracked up to be." Neptune admitted. "I mean, we did have a blast, but we didn't really get a lot of time to relax since we ran into a LOT of trouble while down there."

Evelyn raised a curious brow at him. "…Trouble? What do you mean?"

But before the blue-haired boy could go on, Kevin put a stop to it. "Uh, why don't we wait until AFTER lunch before we give ya the full details? It, uh… might be a bit much."

"Kevin Ethan Levin." Evelyn stated, folding her arms defiantly. "I married your father while knowing that he was a fully-fledged Plumber. Let me remind you that I've had to deal with him going off on SEVERAL dangerous missions, some which he didn't even tell me about, for YEARS." She raised her head up to her son. "I think I can handle whatever it is you kids had to deal with down there."

Kevin eyed his compatriots and they simply shrugged, leading him to grumble a bit. "Hm… well, okay, if you say so."

"I know so." Evelyn opened the door again and ushered everyone in side. "Now come on, you can tell me all about it over lunch."

Just as everyone was about to walk inside, though, they heard the call of a certain bird come from above, only for Qrow to suddenly appear right out on the front lawn. "Ahem, sorry but were you guys forgettin' someone?"

Immediately, Evelyn's eyes lit up and she actually went back out of the house to meet him as he stepped to the porch. "Oh, Qrow! Welcome home! I was wondering where you were, actually. I would've thought you'd have hitched a ride with my son."

"Eh, the car was crowded." Qrow shrugged. "An' the kid's already got a lot to handle, so I thought I'd just fly back." At that moment, a whiff of something rather delectable came to Qrow's nostrils, and his head perked up toward the house. "Ooh, what'chya got cookin' in there, Ev? Smells amazing…"

Evelyn smiled and put a hand to his shoulder, leading him inside. "Oh, you must be smelling the pie. It's cooling off, but should be ready to eat soon. Come on, kids, and get your sweet tooth's ready! It's blueberry!"

And just like that, the teens all clamored inside, their noses all enamored with the sweet smell as well. However, Kevin stuck back for a moment, a skeptical eye taking note of how his mother seemed a bit too eager to bring Qrow inside. 'No… no, it can't be.' He instantly denied in his head. 'Mom and the old man? Impossible… at least I'm pretty sure.' Kevin eventually went in as well, but after that, he couldn't help but keep a curious eye on his mother and Qrow for the rest of that lunch.

…..

In the next town over, however, a certain bunny girl had been virtually silent for the whole ride over, even as the rest of her team talked amongst themselves. Velvet could feel her gut twist into more and more knots as the car ride went on, her mind stuck on that one moment during Enoch's big monologue. How he had so casually called them animals without an inch of remorse… it reminded her of the treatment of Faunus back in Remnant by so many other hateful people. For her, though, she couldn't help but replay a certain set of words that he had spat so venomously…

"Oh, dear child, I have nothing but sympathy for you. So close to being human… but then some sort of deity deemed you worthy of those damned animal parts, as if it's some sort of sick joke."

The words hadn't been directed to her… but they still stuck with her nonetheless. She screwed her eyes shut, trying to drive those words out of her mind… but was only met with a concerned voice. "Velvet?" the bunny girl shot her eyes open to see Yatsu, Cooper and Fox all looking toward her, all visibly concerned. "Are you okay?" Yatsu asked. "You haven't said anything in a while."

"O-Oh, I…" Velvet tapped her fingers together, mentally scolding herself for getting caught up in her own worries yet again. 'I have GOT to stop doing this.' She cleared her thoughts and tried to come up with an answer. "I-It's just… I've been thinking about how soon we're leaving. It feels like we've only been here for a few days, not a week, you know?"

"Well, I guess you've got a point." Fox shrugged. "But… are you sure that's all?"

"W-What other reason could I—"

"Vel, you and I both know you were bugged by what that asshole said about you, Ilia, Blake and Sun." Coco said bluntly, taking the bunny girl off guard. Everyone else was a bit surprised, but at the same time, they also knew that Coco made a strong point. Thankfully, they'd just pulled into Cooper's driveway, leaving her free to park and spin back around to Velvet. She pulled her sunglasses off, her eyes filled with concern. "I know you must feel pretty awful, but I'm being a thousand percent serious when I say you don't have to keep it bottled up like this."

Cooper reaffirmed Coco's words without hesitation. "She's right, Velvet. If it's bothering you this badly, you can tell us. Hell, vent at us if it's really making you upset." He and Coco smiled to her softly. "We're your friends, after all."

With her throat suddenly feeling very dry, Velvet swallowed back any crying that might've been brought about by their words. 'The time for crying is over.' she resolved in her head before taking a deep breath. "…Thanks, you guys. It's just… Enoch's words hit ME pretty close to home." Her eyes went out the passenger window and up toward the sky. "You see, my mother is a Faunus… but my father is human. So when Enoch said that we were so close to being human… it made me think "what if?", you know?"

A short silence followed before Coco reached out and put a hand to her best friend's shoulder. "Vel, first off, don't listen to anything that asshat says. Anything that comes out of his mouth is dead fuckin' wrong and you KNOW that."

"W-Well, of course, but—"

"But nothing." Coco pressed, upholding her stance. "You are, in my humble opinion, a cute gal who can kick ass with the best of us. It shouldn't matter WHAT race you are, Faunus or human, you're awesome regardless."

Yatsu was quick to point something else out. "Besides, in all cases where humans and Faunus breed, the Faunus gene is the one that's dominant, so there's no way you COULD have ever been born human." He jerked a thumb over to Coco. "So really, she's right, no matter what you look like, you're still awesome the way you are."

"…Thank you for the kind words." Velvet sighed. "It's just… as a Faunus, things are much more difficult, you know? Being jeered at just because you have an animal part sticking out of your body…"

"We know, believe me." Fox assured. "But trust me when I say that, if we've stuck by you for THIS long to help you through that, you can be damn sure we won't stop now."

Coco gave a nod of resolve. "Exactly. We'll be by your side through all this shit, Vel. Whether it comes from those asshole extremists in Remnant, or the Forever Jerks over here on Earth."

And it was there when Velvet let a few tears loose. She'd told herself she wouldn't cry… but to be fair, tears of sadness and tears of joy were two different things. Velvet wiped her eyes dry and lowered her head to her friend. "Th-Thank you. Thank you all so much. I honestly cannot express how lucky I feel to have all of you as my friends."

"No problem at all, Velvet." Cooper said as he squeezed her hand. "Really."

Tap-tap-tap! Everyone suddenly came to attention after hearing someone knocking against a window, only to see Ironwood and Glynda standing outside. The two had followed them there in a rental car… and the five young adults had forgoten about them. "Ahem, sorry if we're interrupting a… moment here." Ironwood apologized. "But having all of you to handle introductions would be nice."

"Oh! Right, sorry!" Cooper apologized as they all filed out of the roadster. "We, uh, just had to talk with Velvet for a sec."

Glynda bobbed her head in understanding. "It's quite alright." She turned to Velvet, offering a smile of her own. "And Miss Scarletina, I want you to know that if anything is bothering you, you can always confide in me as well. As headmistress of Beacon, I wish for all of my students to feel mentally well, so if you feel the need to talk, I'm more than willing to help as well."

"Thank you, Professor Goodwitch." Velvet bowed respectfully. "That certainly means a lot. But for now, how 'bout we head on in and we can introduce you to Cooper's parents?"

"Sounds wonderful." Glynda agreed, following the team up to the porch. "I've been looking forward to this for quite a while now."

Ironwood stood up straight, making sure his tie was adjusted appropriately. "No kidding. If Cooper's this smart, then his parents must be geniuses."

Cooper tried to hold his tongue as he knocked on the door, opening it up a moment later. 'Eh, you might be disappointed, sir.' He called into the house; "Mom, dad, we're home! And we've brought guests!"

"Oh! Welcome home, honey!" A woman's voice came from inside the house.

Another voice piped up as well, this one much closer. "Haha, we were wondering when you'd arrive!" From around a nearby corner, a bearded, brown-haired man stepped into view, and Ironwood and Glynda were a bit taken aback by the apron he wore on his torso. …Along with the fact that he was covered in flour. "Please excuse the mess. We had a little mishap cooking bread earlier and—" He cut himself off when he noticed the two adults standing with his son and his friends, and seeing how well-dressed they were, he knew they must've been important. "Huh, you DID bring some guests with you, didn't ya?" The man called back into the kitchen for his wife. "Sweetheart, come here! We have company!"

"I'm on my way, honey!" the blonde woman said as she strolled into view, taking off a pair of oven mits before using her own apron to wipe her glasses clean of some steam. "Hah, the bread's coming along well, in case you were wondering." She put her glasses back on… and immediately grinned at the sight of their new guests. "Oh goodness, Cooper, you should've called ahead! If I'd known we'd be having visitors, I would've started making lunch half an hour ago!"

Cooper's hand went to his neck, chuckling at his parent's usual behavior. "S-Sorry, mom, but this was kinda short notice…"

Ironwood and Glynda, however, were taken aback, to say the least. They were expecting genius-level scientists, but what they were met with was… a relatively normal, if a bit odd, couple. "…Are you as thrown off as I am?" Glynda whispered.

"Oh, definitely." Ironwood replied. "But I suppose that's on us for assuming." The general cleared his throat and spoke up in his full voice. "My apologies for coming over unannounced. My colleague and I just arrived here yesterday and we were hoping to get the chance to meet you." He extended his human hand to Cooper's father, giving him a nod. "My name is General Ironwood, it's a pleasure."

In an instant, the couple's eyes lit up, recognizing the name. "Oh! You're the man that Cooper's been talking to us about!" The brunette brought his hand up and returned the handshake. "General, the pleasure is all mine. My name is Connor Daniels, and this is my wife, Clara."

Clara came up and shook Ironwood's hand next. "It's an absolute honor to meet you, General. Cooper's told us all about you…" Her eyes shifted toward Glynda, and her smiled widened. "Oh! And that must mean that you're Professor Glynda Goodwitch, right?"

"Oh, yes, that would be me." Glynda stepped forth, offering her own handshake. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mrs. Daniels."

"Please, call me Clara." the matriarch of the house insisted. "Everyone does. I have to say, our son's been very eager to tell us all about you and the general here." She bowed her head to the headmistress respectfully. "It's obvious that he holds the two of you in high regard, and we're honored that you want to enroll him in your Huntsmen Academy."

Glynda and James glanced to one another in surprise. Cooper had been talking about them? They set their sights onto the young genius, who had decidedly turned his head away out of embarrassment. The duo both smiled to him before going back to his parents. "Well, Clara, your boy has been such a big help to us in helping rebuild Vale that it was obvious to offer him a place at Beacon." Glynda assured.

"Exactly. Plus he's practically become a fifth member in Team CFVY, so there's another reason." Ironwood turned his head to the team of four, giving them a nod. "They've certainly helped all of us quite a bit as well. We're lucky to have them by our side."

"Good to hear!" Connor said, only for the realization to dawn upon him. "Wait… today's Monday, isn't it?"

The six Remnant natives and Cooper all shared knowing looks before the blonde gave a heavy sigh. "…Yeah. Yeah, it is, dad." He saw the sadness in his parents' eyes as he confirmed their thoughts. "It's time for us to head back to Remnant. There's still a lot of work in Vale that needs to be done and Beacon needs every available team to help with that. …And since we're only part-time Omni-Hunters…"

"It's okay, honey." Clara came up and placed her hands on her son's arms, giving them a reassuring squeeze. "We told you that we understood, and we're standing by your decision, no matter what."

"Thanks… I'll be home every weekend to visit, though." Cooper leaned in, giving his mom a hug. "I promise."

Connor came up and joined in, patting Cooper on the back. "That sounds great, son. We'll make sure to keep the rooms neat for you." He turned to Team CFVY, urging them to come over and join in. "And that goes for all of you, as well. Come and stay for however long you like, you'll always have a place here."

The team couldn't help but grin happily as they came over for the group huddle. "Thanks, Mr. D." Coco said with a slight bow of her head. "We appreciate it, really."

Once Cooper and Clara broke their hug, the woman clapped her hands together eagerly. "Well, all of you might be headed out, but before you go, I DO want to hear about your weekend away." She moved her eyes back to Goodwitch and Ironwood, ushering them to follow them to the kitchen. "And you two, I want to hear everything you can tell us about Remnant and the academies before you leave. Come on, we'll fix you up a nice lunch and everything!"

The headmaster duo were surprised, but still very taken with the hospitality. "Oh, how nice of you!" Glynda bowed. "We'd love to join you for lunch."

"Yes, I… admittedly haven't eaten much today." James said as he placed a hand over his stomach, which grumbled lightly. "And the second I walked in, all the delicious smells in this place just sent my stomach into overdrive, hehe…"

The group all laughed at that before Connor waved his hand toward the kitchen. "Well, follow me! We'll get you set up with whatever you'd like." And so, the group followed the Daniels family into the dining room, the teens ready to tell the tale of their great weekend adventure.

…..

A/N: And there we go! Like I said, a very casual chapter this week with a lot of it involving plenty of character interactions and just getting back to the norm of things post-vacation. But of course, we can't ignore that conversation between Gwen and Jinn at the start, now can we? Seems our favorite genie's willing to make some exceptions to her rule of questions with her mistress involved, but even then, only with casual questions. Any big, important questions? Those will count as using the last question, so Gwen's still gotta be a little careful. But at least Jinn's agreed to watch over Quetzalcoatl's tail for them, so there's that!

But like I said, a lot of this was just helping to settle back into the norm of things, mainly getting the parents caught up to speed on everything… along with delving a bit more into the local Faunus' reactions to Enoch's venomous insults. As you can probably tell, they ain't taking too kindly to 'em, so the Forever King had better watch his back. That said, we also got some great family bonding between Ruby and Raven, too… along with Tai receiving a very over-the-top present. Oh, and a few more details regarding how Winter and Kenny's date went, of course.

So, with all that being said, Next Time! We're back to story-centered action as our heroes gather together to say goodbye to Cooper, Team CFVY, Tai and Raven, at least only for a little while. However… they also get the chance to say hello to a certain someone coming FROM Remnant before getting set up with their next mission. Six is setting them up to scout out the museum the Knights broke into, hoping to find some answers… as well as intercept a certain sorceress who might be attracted to its new rune exhibit. Next time; A Charmed Arrival. Thanks for reading everyone, and I'll see you next time! And, as always, stay safe out there!