It was a busy day for many students of Beacon Academy. The first semester had finally come to an end, and many were eager to spend their winter breaks back home.
"Time sure flies, huh?" Jaune said as his team approached the academy's air docks. "I can't believe we've already completed the first semester."
The area was nearly filled to the brim with students, likely the most populated it's been since the Initiation. There were several passenger ships docked: Most led to various towns and cities across Vale while a few of the larger ones were marked for international travel.
Pyrrha nodded in agreement at her leader's words. "It still feels like we only just came out of Initiation."
"It's nice to finally be able to take a break from schooling," Blake said, shooting a certain white-haired girl a subtle glance. "Especially considering how hard we've been working."
Weiss merely crossed her arms and smiled. She was still riding the high of seeing the entirety of Team AWBN holding spots in Beacon's top 10 highest academic scores, and top 5 in practical scores. "You've certainly earned it. Though next semester, you'll need to work harder to beat Yang in combat class."
The Faunus turned to her with an incredulous look. "Why me!? If anyone should improve, it's Jaune! He only just made your ridiculous wish come true by eking out the 10th spot."
The blond sent his partner a betrayed look at having been thrown under the bus. "No, please! My brain can't handle it anymore!"
She ignored him, continuing on. "Besides, it's not like the rankings matter at all. As long as we're not flunking out, I don't see what the big deal is."
Blake was correct: Ultimately, the scores and rankings were merely there for students to see how they stacked up against one another. It had no bearing on what classes they took, nor their education overall. In the Huntsman profession, one either graduates or they don't.
Weiss quirked a brow. "Are you saying you don't gain any satisfaction from seeing your name displayed near the apex of Beacon's leaderboard?"
"… Just a bit," the Faunus admitted reluctantly. "But I still don't think it's worth all the extra effort."
The heiress rolled her eyes. "Fine. I suppose we can afford to cut out cramming sessions next term since we've established our dominance so thoroughly this time around."
"Hurray!" Jaune cheered, thrusting his arms to the sky and earning a giggle from Pyrrha.
Ever since their game of truth and dare, the relationships between the members of their team have remained relatively the same. Jaune couldn't continue his dense façade anymore, not when Weiss and Pyrrha had been so forthcoming and direct with their confessions in front of their friends.
"I need time," he told them when they returned to their room that night. It was a request his two prospective paramours respected, though considering how long it's been since then, they were anxiously awaiting his answer.
Blake, for her part, tried to distance herself from her partner to try and smother her own feelings for the blond, but that proved a fruitless endeavor. It was hard to avoid someone when you lived with and shared a daily schedule with them, after all.
Team AWBN made a slight detour away from the busiest area of the docks to where the smaller shuttles lay. Ordinarily, they each would have separated and boarded the passenger ships to their home kingdoms, but Jaune had invited them all to stay at his home for the break. It was a much closer destination than traveling internationally, and offered the girls an opportunity to bond with him on a more intimate level as well. The only one to decline was Blake, who was going to stay with Tukson in Vale and help him with his shop.
"Are you sure you don't want to come with us?" he asked, earning a nod from the girl in question.
"I'm sure. I wanna try to make it up to Tukson for all the stuff we've put him through." Things between him and Blake have improved since their last encounter, but the girl still feels like she needs to do more for the man. "Besides, I want some time to myself. As much as I like you guys, I need my alone time."
"Fair enough." Before she could stop him, Jaune already had her in a hug. "Take care, all right? Tell Tukson I said 'hi.'"
Heat crept up her neck as she felt the warmth of his embrace enveloped her. It seeped into her chest and made her heart race. To her credit, she kept her expression neutral, only allowing a demure smile to slip past. "I will."
After they parted, Pyrrha came up next, also bringing the Faunus into her arms. "We'll give you a call after we land." She leaned in slightly, dropping her volume low. "And, um, while you're at Tukson's…"
"If I come across anything you might like, I'll get it for you," Blake finished for her.
Last but not least, Weiss stepped forward. She stared up at Blake for a moment, not immediately going for a hug like the others. "Remember: No vigilante business while we're away. If anything happens, call us and we'll come back immediately."
Amber irises rolled. "Yes, mother."
It was only then that Weiss hugged her teammate, wrapping her arms around Blake's waist. "Promise me that you'll stay out of trouble?"
Blake draped her arms over the shorter girl's shoulders. "I promise."
With their goodbyes said, Blake went to board her air shuttle, waving at them one last time before disappearing inside.
The rest of their team continued on towards their own aircraft, where they met up with Professor Goodwitch. The older woman greeted them with a soft smile, uncharacteristically lax for those who only saw her at work.
"Morning mom!" Jaune greeted with a hug, which his mother readily returned.
"Good morning dear." She turned her beatific smile towards Weiss and Pyrrha. "And good morning to you girls as well."
"Hello, Mrs. Arc!" the girls greeted back.
"Thank you for letting us stay at your home," Pyrrha said gratefully.
"But of course," she replied. "Why, Weiss is practically an Arc herself at this point." She sent her son a none-too-subtle glance at that before returning her gaze to the redhead. "And since you get along so swimmingly with both her and Jaune, you're entitled to the Arc family's hospitality as well."
Glynda's eyes shifted to their luggage. "Now, does everyone have everything?"
"Not to worry, Mrs. Arc," Weiss spoke up, preening. "I made sure everyone triple checked their belongings before we left our dorm."
The blonde woman chuckled and gently patted the girl's head. "Responsible as always, Weiss." She turned to the others. "Come on then. Let's hop aboard."
They entered the aircraft and got themselves situated. Jaune and his mother took one side while Weiss and Pyrrha took the other. Once everyone was settled, the bullhead closed its doors and began to take flight. Glynda started rubbing circles into Jaune's back to help ease his queasiness. After the initial turbulence ended, Jaune was finally able to relax a bit as his nausea subsided.
"Ah, I can't wait to get back home," he sighed. "It'll be nice to see how everyone's doing since we've been gone."
"Agreed," Glynda said, a fond smile etched on her expression. "I still remember how horrified your younger sisters were when they found out both you and I would be gone for a few months."
"Cherise?" Weiss asked knowingly.
"Cherise," they confirmed in unison, eliciting a small giggle from the girl.
"To be fair, I remember her cooking to be more than edible."
"It's sacrilegious, is what it is. Those poor eggs…" Jaune shuddered. From the corner of his eye, he noticed Pyrrha's confused expression, and quickly pivoted to explain. "Ah, right. Sorry Pyr, didn't mean to make you feel left out. Cherise is my oldest sister, and she only knows how to cook food with a microwave."
"Only a microwave?" she asked, astonished.
Glynda nodded. "It's the only cooking device she knows how to handle, though not for lack of trying. She's admittedly quite skilled at using it, but, well…"
"If it can't be microwaved, she can't make it," Jaune finished for her.
"At least she can make food for herself," Weiss pointed out. "Didn't Saphron nearly burn down the kitchen when you tried to teach her?"
A bark of laughter escaped Glynda. "Oh, don't even get me started on her! I swear, it's in one ear and out the other with that girl! I kept telling her, 'When you're cooking with oil, always watch the stove!" And what does she do? She walks away to chat up her girlfriend!"
"The burn marks took a ton of elbow grease to get off, let me tell you." Jaune squeezed his arm as a phantom pain ran up it. "We almost had to redo the walls."
Pyrrha had her hand over her mouth trying to stifle her rising hackles to no avail. "That's horrible!"
Jaune flashed a grin at her. "You think that's bad? Wait till you hear about the twins…"
-]I[-
For the rest of their flight, Pyrrha listened with rapt attention as her fellow passengers regaled her with tales of their familial misadventures. The redhead was utterly delighted by their stories, unable to contain her laughter at hearing their hilarious mishaps. She was so enthralled, in fact, that she didn't realize that they were nearing their destination until she noticed the turbulence from their descent; and even then, only because Jaune paused his story to gag.
She peered out the window, hoping to catch a glimpse of Jaune's hometown from above before they landed.
The landscape below her was a sea of green, thick with trees whose canopies stretched for miles on end. Further ahead, there was a large clearing by an equally large lake, which she could only guess was their destination.
'It's a lot smaller than I thought.'
The approaching settlement was by no means tiny, but she had been expecting something half the size of Vale; if she had to guess, Arcaesia was barely a third of the capital city. There was a clear layer of gray separating nature from civilization, stretching the entire perimeter save for an opening near the lake.
As they got closer, she noted that the architecture of the buildings composing the settlement lacked the modern flare that she was used to. While not exactly archaic, they were of far more traditional Valean design. She'd like to imagine that this was what Vale looked like before entering the modern age.
Her eyes caught sight of a large building that stood apart from the rest, laying atop a hill that gave it a view of the entire town below it. On closer inspection, she realized that it was a manor house which, while maintaining its traditional design, boasted a few modern amenities, the most obvious of which was a landing pad on its rooftop that their shuttle seemed to be heading for.
Suddenly, her view was obscured as a person's face pressed into the glass from the other side.
"EEK!" she shrieked as she jumped away from the window, drawing everyone's eyes towards her. She quickly pointed towards the window, voice quaking as she said, "T-There's someone outside!"
Their gazes shifted towards the window, where they indeed spotted someone peering into the aircraft. Her fellow passengers seemed to immediately recognize the man to varying reactions: Glynda pinched her brow and sighed, Jaune had an excited grin stretch across his face, and Weiss smiled politely while waving.
Surprised by their lack of concern, Pyrrha took another look at the man outside the window. On closer inspection, she realized that he was almost a one-for-one match with her team leader. Familiar royal-blue eyes stared back at them, filled with mirth as their owner seemed to be cackling to himself. Long, golden blonde hair whipped about in the wind. The only major difference she could make out was the pair of beautiful white wings that flapped at his back, keeping him aloft.
He stared past her and towards Glynda, winking at her teacher with a flirty look before dipping out of sight.
Turning a questioning gaze towards the woman, Pyrrha asked, "Was that…?"
"My husband, yes," she admitted with an annoyed expression. "Ugh, I keep telling him not to fly up to aircraft like that! Does he not fear getting sucked into a turbine one day!?"
"I'm guessing he does this often?" she asked her leader.
"Every time mom comes home," Jaune answered. He learned in close and whispered, "She actually loves it when he does this. She thinks it's endearing."
Sneaking a brief glance at his mother, the redhead noticed the faintest blush on her cheeks as well as her tense expression. She looked like she was fighting back a smile.
Their shuttle touched down a few moments later, much to Jaune's relief. Once the ramp lowered, they exited the aircraft with Glynda taking the lead.
"Make sure you all have everything. We wouldn't want any of you to forget something on this shuttle before it lea-EEEEVES!" The older woman screamed in surprise as her husband swooped down like a bird of prey and plucked her off the rooftop. Her students watched as she was carried away into the skies as Jaune's father performed several impressive aerial acrobatics with her in his arms. Though the couple were quite far away, Pyrrha could clearly hear the man's jovial laughter; which was quickly overpowered by Glynda's uncharacteristically startled tone.
"FERRUM ARC, YOU PUT ME DOWN THIS INSTANT!"
The winged man clearly did not heed the woman's demand as he only flew higher, his pure white wings reflecting the sun's rays and casting a large shadow upon them. For some reason, despite the distance between them, Pyrrha could still hear the flapping of wings…
"Big brother!" a chorus of voices cried from beside them. Pyrrha's gaze immediately swiveled around, only just managing to catch a glimpse of Jaune's panicked expression before he was besieged by a quintet of winged bodies.
A tiny body immediately wrapped itself around his head, blinding him; then another two went for his arms, preventing him from prying them off. A fourth dove at his legs, keeping him in place. The last, and largest, barreled directly into his chest, and was the last push needed to send the towering blond toppling over.
Jaune's muffled groan was just barely heard through the rather symphonious giggling from who she assumed were his sisters. They all possessed blonde hair, though to varying lengths and shades. Some shared their brother's golden locks, while others were a paler yellow like Glynda's.
"You're back! You're finally back!"
"We missed you so much!"
"We can finally eat homecooked meals again!"
"It's good to see you girls too," he laughed through the pain.
Weiss walked over and removed the one that had been hugging his head. The girl in her hands couldn't possibly be any older than ten, judging from how small she was.
The tyke giggled with a bright expression as she cheered, "Weiss! You came too!"
Her partner beamed and hugged the child to her chest. "Of course I did! How could I miss a chance to see you, Violette?"
The little girl giggled happily in her arms, burying her face into the crook of Weiss's neck.
Suddenly, the rest of the winged girls shot up from their brother to surround the heiress. "Weiss!" they cried, greeting the girl with a much gentler welcome than they did for Jaune. "Welcome home!"
As they crowded around Weiss, Pyrrha moved to help Jaune to his feet. He thanked her, then both turned to look at their teammate, who was handling the quintet of Faunus like a pro.
"Is it always this lively when you get back?" she asked.
"Nah," he answered with a shake of his head. "This is about triple the norm. They're only like this 'cause they've been tortured by Cherise's cooking this entire time we've been gone."
"Hey, my cooking's not that bad," said a woman as she sauntered up to them. "It's not like they were starving, you know?"
Pyrrha had to blink twice as she regarded the newcomer to make sure she wasn't seeing things. Before her stood what seemed to be a younger version of Glynda, with only a few discerning differences. One was the lack of glasses, allowing a clear view of her jade green irises. Another was her height, which matched Jaune's own almost inch for inch without heels. And of course, the large pair of wings which folded together at her back.
Jaune had adopted a cocksure grin as he replied, "I wouldn't blame them if they'd chosen to. Thank Oum Grandma's still around."
The woman rolled her eyes then brought him into a headlock. "Welcome back, baby brother."
He laughed, even as she tried to dig her knuckles into his skull. "Good to see you too, Cherise."
Releasing him, Cherise turned to face Pyrrha, her eyes scanning the redhead once-over. "Jaune's friend, right? I'm Cherise, his oldest sister."
Pyrrha returned the greeting with a brief nod of her head. "I'm Pyrrha, Jaune's teammate."
"Where's Grandma and Grandpa?" he asked.
"Downstairs, keeping warm by the fireplace. The cold's starting to get to them now, you know?"
"Really? I mean, it makes sense for Grandma, but Grandpa too?"
Cherise shrugged. "Guess his body's finally starting to act its age."
Just then, his parents finally descended, Glynda visibly frazzled by her impromptu flight.
"Ferrum, I swear I'll pluck the feathers from your wings if you do that again!" the older woman scolded him.
The Faunus seemed unaffected from her agitated demeanor, returning a teasing taunt. "That's not the first time I've heard that threat, love."
"I'll really do it this time, I mean it! You'll look like a freshly hatched chick by the time I'm done with you!" Even as she laid into her husband for his antics, Pyrrha caught the whisper of a smile on her face.
He laughed, then kissed her forehead. "Well, it certainly wouldn't be the first time you ruffled my feathers."
Her cheeks lit up with a faint blush before reaching for his wing and fulfilling her promise, forcefully plucking a feather from one of his wings and eliciting a sharp wince of pain from the Faunus. She lightly tapped the feather against his head and said, "I promise you that this time won't be enjoyable."
Both Jaune and Cherise mimed gagging at their parent's antics, whose play-fighting drew the attention of their other daughters; particularly the youngest one tucked away in Weiss's grasp.
"Mommy!" Violette's little wings fluttered as she flew away from Weiss and into her mother's arms. Her sisters likewise flocked to their parent's side, no less eager than their youngest sibling at greeting their mother.
Taking a breath, Glynda put on the brightest smile Pyrrha had ever seen on the woman as she greeted her daughters in kind, bending down to wrap her free arm around them as best as she could. "Hello darlings! Oh, I've missed you all so much!"
"We missed you too!" they chorused.
It was like Pyrrha was witnessing a completely different woman. There was no trace of the epitome of professionalism that was the Professor Goodwitch that she'd come to know in the last few months: In her place was Glynda Arc, happily married wife and doting mother of eight.
With the girls preoccupied, the Arc Patriarch moved towards them, eyes trained on Jaune. He held his arms out wide and said, "Welcome home, son."
Jaune stepped forward and hugged his father. "Good to be home."
Weiss walked up to join them, whereupon Ferrum's expression took on a fond tone. Like with Jaune, he held his arms wide and brought the girl into an embrace, which she happily returned.
"Weiss. It's been an age, girl. How have you been?" the older man asked.
"Well enough," she answered. "It's been a challenge keeping Jaune up to snuff academically, but I've managed."
"Hah!" he laughed, much to his son's chagrin. "That's Jaune all right. Never was as book-smart as his mother. Thanks for taking care of him."
She beamed at the praise. "Of course!"
Ferrum's eyes darted to Pyrrha with an inquisitive gaze. He parted from his son and Weiss and greeted her with a proffered hand. "A pleasure to meet you. Miss Nikos, correct? Welcome to our home."
"Thank you for having me," she returned, giving him a firm handshake. Now that he was in front of her without the wind obscuring his features, Pyrrha noted how youthful Ferrum looked. If she hadn't known better, she would have mistaken him as Jaune's older brother. His build was just like Jaune's: muscular, yet lean; likely to aid his flight capabilities.
The rest of the girls migrated over to them once their excitement died down, conveniently lining up and allowing Jaune the opportunity to introduce them to her at last. "Pyrrha, these are my younger sisters: Olivia, Celeste, Azura, Mazarine, and Violette."
As he gestured down the line, Pyrrha quickly noted down each of their features. Olivia was the oldest among them, likely the same age as Ruby though stood just half a head shorter than Pyrrha herself. Her hair was cut shoulder length, and seemed a perfect blend of gold and platinum blonde.
Celeste was the only one of them with glasses, the frames a similar style to that of her mother's. It made her look sharp, and accentuated her piercing blue eyes. Her pale-blonde hair was held back by a light blue headband, flowing down to the middle of her back.
Then came Azura and Mazarine, the infamous twins. They were identical in every way except which side they wore their ponytails on (Azura's on her left; Mazarine's, her right.) Their sense of style seemed heavily influenced by Weiss.
Last but not least was Violette, who was still held in Glynda's arms. The girl had her hair tied off into twin low-tails, accessorized with purple ribbons. Her eyes, one sapphire blue and the other a sparkling jade green, stared at Pyrrha with open fascination.
"My name is Pyrrha," she greeted with a sincere smile. "It's nice to finally meet you all."
"Likewise," Olivia returned. "I never thought I'd see the day I'd get to meet the girl on the box of our brother's favorite cereal. Hey, between you and me, do you like Pumpkin Pete's at all?"
The redhead hesitated for a moment before answering. "To be completely honest, no, not really. It's much too sweet for my taste. I prefer eating something healthier for breakfast, like fruit." She paused, feeling obligated to offer a positive remark. "The sponsorship was rather enjoyable though, so there's that."
"How much money did they offer you?" Celeste asked.
"Did you get any cool stuff?" The twins followed up.
"Are you friends with Pumpkin Pete?" Violette queried innocently.
Beginning to feel overwhelmed by their questions, Pyrrha fumbled for a response to each. Luckily, Glynda quickly noticed the panic in her eyes and offered some reprieve. "Now, now, girls, let's get settled first before bombarding Pyrrha with questions. I'm sure she'll be more than happy to tell you later."
"Okay…" they rounded.
Turning to her son, she said, "Jaune, Weiss, why don't you show Pyrrha around the house? Perhaps introduce her to your grandparents while you're at it? I'll send someone after you once it's time for lunch."
Both of them nodded with smiles on their faces before leading the redhead off the rooftop and into the manor proper.
-]I[-
Surprisingly, the manor's interior was a lot more modest than Pyrrha had been expecting. There was still a certain level of opulence, of course. It was the ancestral home of a once noble family, after all. That said, it was also rather homely, the décor giving off the warmth of a typical family home.
Jaune guided them through several hallways, commenting on certain rooms and wings as they passed by.
"… And this is the Heritage Hall," he announced as they walked through the hallway completely adorned with portrait paintings. "This is where we hang family portraits of my forefathers and, well, their families."
Pyrrha's eyes scanned the surrounding paintings, impressed by both the realistic artistry as well as the sheer amount of them that lined the walls.
"The portraits are starting to look a bit dusty," Weiss commented, wiping a finger against one of the frames. "Your family still hasn't hired more staff to help around the house?"
Jaune shrugged. "Eh, I'm sure the girls just haven't gotten around to doing their chores yet. It's usually pretty manageable with just us."
Weiss held a dubious expression for a brief moment, "If money is the issue, I'm sure my mother would be more than happy to pay for a dedicated household staff."
"But we already have one?" he replied confusedly.
"Jaune," she sighed, "I mean people whose sole duty would be catering to your daily necessities and upkeep of the manor. Not your security detail."
The blond rolled his eyes. "We'll survive, Weiss. It's not like we have many people to impress nowadays. It's good enough." His eyes glinted with a playful deviousness. "Besides, if I didn't grow up doing my own chores, who'd make the bed every morning back at school?"
Pyrrha giggled as her partner's face flushed. She could attest that as much as Weiss went on about diligence, it was Jaune who handled the menial daily tasks such as that. The heiress wasn't untidy by any means, but it was clear that she was used to hired help.
"Anyways," he continued, "The guest rooms are over here to the right. Weiss, mind helping Pyr choose a room while I drop our stuff off in mine?"
She nodded, handing her luggage over to him before gesturing for Pyrrha to follow her.
"You two will still be sharing a room?" Pyrrha asked her.
"But of course," Weiss replied simply. "Why would we change our sleeping arrangements now, in our own home?"
Pyrrha shot her a confused look. "Your home?"
She received a proud smirk in return. "I'm practically an Arc in all but name, Pyrrha. Even Mrs. Arc said so," Weiss reminded her. "You know that Jaune and I grew up together, yes? I've spent roughly a quarter of my childhood here. I've come to consider the Arcs my second family, just as they consider me one of theirs." She sighed, then whispered more to herself than Pyrrha, "All that's left is to make it official."
Pyrrha suddenly remembered how Jaune's sisters had greeted Weiss, as well as their teacher's words before their flight. She didn't realize just how literal their words were.
She was glad that she convinced her partner to turn their rivalry into a cooperation. She hadn't known just how disadvantaged she was until now.
They arrived at the guest room Pyrrha would be staying in soon enough, where then Weiss showed her what accommodations she would enjoy: a decently sized private bathroom, a large closet, a lounge area, and a king-sized bed. It was not too dissimilar from what she would find within a deluxe suite at a hotel.
"And there's an entire wing of rooms just like this?" she asked.
"Just a hall," Weiss corrected. "Like Jaune said, they rarely have visitors these days, so there's only a few rooms for guests."
Once they dropped off Pyrrha's belongings, the girls met up with Jaune to continue their tour. However, when they found their team leader, they saw that he was in the middle of a conversation with another person: A tall and tanned wolf faunus with wild brown hair that reached his lower back.
{-आपकी उपस्थिति, जौन।}
{आह!} they heard Jaune exclaim. {कृपया उसे बताओ मैं अभी नीचे हो जाएगा। मैं बस अपना सामान छोड़ रहा था।}
Pyrrha was immediately perplexed, as she didn't recognize the language they conversed in. It was a sonorous tongue, melodic in its tones and cadence. It was almost like they were singing a song.
"They're speaking Tellian," Weiss explained upon seeing her partner's curious expression. "It's an auxiliary language that was developed during the Faunus consolidation on Menagerie. You'll likely never hear it spoken outside of there, and even then, it's not exactly common."
The pair of males quickly noticed the girls as they drew closer. Jaune hailed them with a raised hand, while the wolf Faunus gave them a silent nod. Gesturing to his companion, Jaune spoke. "Pyr, this is Volug, my grandmother's personal guard. Volug, this is my teammate, Pyrrha."
"It's a pleasure to meet you," Pyrrha said, returning his nod.
Volug regarded the redhead for a moment, then turned to Jaune. {वह मजबूत लगती है। यदि आपने पहले से ही एक साथी पर फैसला नहीं किया है, तो वह एक अच्छा उम्मीदवार है, हालांकि मैं मिस वीस का आदी हो गया हूं।}
"He said 'Likewise.'" Jaune translated.
{मैंने ऐसा बिल्कुल नहीं कहा।}
Weiss came up to the Faunus and gave him a hug, to which he lightly returned. She looked up at him, seemed to ponder to herself for a moment, then spoke in a slow, unconfident tone, {आपसे दुबारा मिलकर अच्छा लगा।}
Volug smirked in amusement and gently patted her on the head. {आप अभ्यास कर रहे हैं। यह अच्छा है।} He turned to Jaune, who seemed to slightly tense. {सबसे अच्छा होगा कि आप सावधान रहें। मेरे ढीले होंठों के खिलाफ एकमात्र समाप्त हो रहा है।}
"Oh!" Pyrrha exclaimed as she turned to her partner. "You can speak it too?"
"Barely," Weiss lamented. "Only small bits I picked up from Jaune and his family here and there. Certainly not enough for casual conversation with Volug."
"Can you not speak Common?" Pyrrha asked the wolf Faunus, to which she received a shake of his head.
"He never felt the need to learn it, says he prefers actions over words," her leader explained. "He can understand it just fine though."
{मुझे यकीन है कि आप इसके लिए अपने भाग्यशाली सितारों को धन्यवाद देते हैं।} Volug said to Jaune.
"Ah, I see. That's commendable in its own right, I suppose," she said diplomatically, though privately she added, 'If a bit strange.'
Jaune let out a breath. "Well, I guess since you girls are here now, I can take you to go see my grandmom. Volug was just telling me that she's getting impatient."
"Then let's not keep her waiting any longer then." Weiss said, then gestured towards Volug. "Volug, if you could take us to her?"
He bowed his head slightly, then immediately began leading them deeper into the manor.
-]I[-
It took longer than Pyrrha expected to arrive at their next destination, having taken more than a minute of walking and descending stairs even with their relatively brisque pace. It was much like traversing between classes at Beacon, though thankfully they did not need to cross an entire courtyard to reach their destination.
When they finally came to a stop, she saw that they arrived at a lounge area, furnished with a multitude of elegant yet seemingly comfortable couches, armchairs, and loveseats. On one such piece of furniture, placed closest to a roaring fireplace, sat a pair of greying blondes cuddling and seemingly unaware of their arrival.
One was a man, visibly wizened by age and hardship, yet could still be called handsome. His silvered hair was styled in a taper fade, its volume still full despite his years. A short, well-groomed beard covered the lower half of his face, obfuscating a chiseled jawline and giving him an air of sophistication.
The other, a woman, leaned against him. Though strands of silver were interwoven within her long, platinum blonde hair, it could not be said that she looked elderly. Her laugh lines, while pronounced, gave her the countenance of maturity and elegance, picturesque of a motherly matriarch. Large, white wings folded over herself like a cloak
{लेडी लीन। लॉर्ड एरेरियस,} Volug called to draw their attention. {जौन आ गया है।}
Jaune let out a small chuckle as he waved towards them. "Hey Grandma. Hey Grandpa."
With a spryness unbefitting her age, the woman leapt from her seat, large wings unfolding from behind her as she wrapped both them and her arms around Jaune's frame. {ओह मेरे प्यारे पोते, मैंने तुम्हें याद किया!}
{हे, मैंने भी आपको याद किया, दादी,} Jaune echoed as he returned her embrace.
"And is that Weiss I see, too? Come here, dear!" Leanne excitedly gestured for Weiss to get closer, to which the heiress did so happily. "Oum, look at you! You've gotten so much more beautiful since the last time we saw you!"
"Thank you," Weiss said, beaming under the praise. "You, on the other hand, haven't seemed to age a day since then."
"That's what I keep saying!" exclaimed the man on the couch. "But she never believes me!"
"Aes, are you still loafing around?" Leanne scolded him. "Get up! Aren't you excited that your grandkids are finally home?"
"It's okay Grandma, I know Grandpa's been getting slow in his old age," Jaune said teasingly. "We don't want him throwing out his back now, would we?"
A vein visibly throbbed on his grandfather's brow. With a small grunt, he lifted himself off the couch and said in a booming voice, "Just 'cause I'm old doesn't mean I can't still discipline you, boy!"
Rising to his full height, Aerarius Arc cut an imposing image. The man was massive, standing just as tall as Jaune yet completely bulging with muscles. If Pyrrha were to measure the circumference of her head and his biceps, she wouldn't be surprised if she came out with the smaller number.
With his large, bulky arms spread wide, he shot his grandson a menacing grin. "Now come here and give your grandpa a hug."
Both Weiss and Jaune came forward, allowing the elderly man to wrap them up in each arm.
"It's good to see you, Grandpa Aes!" Weiss said as she was easily lifted off her feet.
"You as well, dear," Aerarius replied gently, then turned his head to address his grandson with more gusto. "And what about you, Jaune? Aren't you also happy to see me?!"
"Grandpa…" Jaune forced out with gritted teeth as his grandfather squeezed the life out of him. "My spine…"
"Whose back is gonna give out first, hm!? Mine or yours!?"
"Aes!" Leanne scolded her husband once more. "Don't break our grandson!"
"We're just playing, dear! Isn't that right, Jaune?"
There were several distinct cracks as Jaune struggled in his hold. "Uncle…! U-Uncle!"
"You don't have one!" he laughed. "Though not for lack of trying!"
"AES!" Leanne flushed. "Let him go!"
"Fine," Aerarius released Jaune, who collapsed to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut. "Looks like playtime's over, boy."
Pyrrha rushed over to her team leader, worry clear on her face. "Jaune, are you all right!?"
"I can't feel my legs…" he whimpered, further exacerbating her panic.
"He'll be fine," Weiss said as she too was let go, though much more gingerly than Jaune had been. "You know how much of a drama queen he is."
True to her word, Jaune grinned and shot Pyrrha a playful wink before rising to his feet, seemingly completely fine except for some minor aching in his back; as indicated when he began rubbing it with a wince.
"And who's this?" Aerarius asked with a raised brow, gesturing to the redhead.
"I'm Pyrrha Nikos," she answered, meeting his gaze unwaveringly. "Weiss's partner in Beacon and Jaune's teammate."
"Nikos… Nikos…" The older man tested the name over and over again, as if trying to recall something. "I've heard that name before. The name Achilles ring a bell to you?"
"It does, in fact," she confirmed. "He's my uncle."
A look of nostalgia glossed over his face. "Great fighter, your uncle. Nicholas and I betted on a few fights of his back in the day."
She agreed with a nod. "He taught me everything I know."
"Is that so? I hope to see you in action then!" He held out a hand towards her, which she confidently took and shook. "It's good to meet you, Miss Nikos. Welcome to our home."
"Thank you for having me," she returned.
"I'm Aerarius, but you can call me Aes." He gestured towards the Faunus woman, who walked back to his side, allowing him to wrap an arm around her. "This is my wife, Leanne."
"Nice to meet you," she said with a soft smile. "It's been a while since we've last seen a new face around here. I hope you enjoy your stay with us."
"I'm sure I will."
"We'll make sure of it," Jaune said confidently, with Weiss nodding beside him. The statement made Pyrrha blush somewhat, and earned a sincere smile from her.
The elderly couple sat back down and gestured for the teens to do the same. Volug stood diligently at the couple's side, posing in such a way that Pyrrha couldn't help but be reminded of a guard dog.
"So, Miss Nikos-"
"Please, call me Pyrrha." she insisted.
Aerarius laughed. "Pyrrha then. Has my grandson been treating you well?"
"I believe he's done a marvelous job at executing his duties as my team leader. Beyond that, he is a great friend, one I treasure dearly."
"That's good to hear," he said with a satisfied expression.
"Jaune's always been good at making friends," Leanne said proudly. "Such a bright child."
"Couldn't fight worth a damn, though," Aerarius added with a teasing grin.
Pyrrha quirked a brow in surprise. "Really? Jaune has consistently ranked within the top three fighters of our year, so forgive me if I find that hard to believe."
"It's true, Pyr," Jaune admitted nonchalantly. "I absolutely sucked. Like, hard sucked."
"The boy was always too nice! He kept holding himself back 'cause he didn't want to hurt anyone."
"That's usually a good trait to have, dear."
{जरूरी नहीं कि एक लड़ाकू, मिलाडी के लिए।}
"See, even Volug agrees!"
"That just makes it all the more impressive that he's come as far as he has now," Weiss said in Jaune's defense.
"I'm lucky I had such great teachers," Jaune said humbly. "I doubt I'd even know what Aura was without them."
"Please, you wouldn't be that bad."
"Eh," he shrugged. "Call it a hunch."
It was at that moment that a new person entered the room, a cat Faunus with short orange hair dressed in green. Her lilac eyes flashed for a brief moment before turning to the floor as she bowed. "Sorry for intruding, but Lady Glynda has requested Jaune's help with making today's lunch."
"Ah, right." A soft chuckle escaped him as Jaune stepped towards the woman. "Thanks for letting me know, Lethe. I'll head over right now."
"Is it lunch time already?" Pyrrha asked.
"Not quite," he answered with a laugh. "Come on, this is a great chance to show you the kitchen. Grandma, Grandpa, we'll see you in a bit!"
With a brief wave and flashing of smiles, the teens bade the elderly couple and Volug farewell before following the cat Faunus's lead.
-]I[-
The kitchen wasn't nearly as far away as the living quarters were, so they arrived within a few moments. Already, a pleasant scent wafted into Pyrrha's nose before she even stepped into the room. When she did, she was greeted by the sight of several kitchen utensils and appliances floating around and operating themselves around a spacious cooking area.
Glynda stood at the center of it all, her head constantly swiveling back and forth to keep track of everything she was controlling. Even then, her own hands weren't idle: While one was controlling the various utensils, the other was paging through a cookbook. It was like watching a maestro conduct an orchestra; an impressive sight, even if the music of a busy kitchen was a bit cacophonous.
With a small upward glance, Glynda smiled their way, specifically at Jaune. "Ah, good, you're here."
"What's on the menu?" he asked.
"Pan-seared rainbow trout and fries. Freshly caught this morning, courtesy of Lethe and Lyre."
Jaune couldn't help but laugh, turning to Lethe with a grin. "Guess you and your sister really missed our cooking if you went to the trouble of catching it yourselves."
The feline Faunus shrugged, unashamed. "Can you blame us? Mordecai would have helped too, but he was doing errands around town."
"Speaking of, will he be joining us for lunch?"
Lethe shook her head. "He won't be getting back till much later, so he said not to wait up."
"Jaune, would you mind julienning the potatoes and fileting the fish?" Glynda called.
"Yes, Ma'am!" Jaune made a show of saluting his mother before setting off to do as she asked. Just as he was about to get to work, a hair-tie floated in front of his face, lightly tapping his nose. "Oh, right. My bad, mom."
Taking the hair-tie, Jaune pulled his hair back and tied it up into a short ponytail, neat and out of the way. As he made to wash his hands, Weiss asked Glynda, "Is there anything we can do to help?"
"No, no, dear, it's fine." Glynda assured her. "I just needed Jaune's help with the finer work. Just the two of us will do."
"Grab a seat at the dining table," Jaune said as he skillfully started cutting up a potato. "I'm sure my sisters already set it up. Go and chat with them for a bit. I'm sure it won't be long 'til we're done."
The girls stared briefly at his back before Weiss led them away to the neighboring room, where they were welcomed by a familiar chorus of voices.
"Hello again," Pyrrha greeted in her usual way as her eyes roved over them.
Jaune's sisters were already sat around the table, organized from youngest to oldest. There was another girl there, a Faunus dressed in maroon and black that looked nearly identical to Lethe, with the only notable difference being her slightly longer braided hair. She greeted them with a quiet wave and said, "Welcome home, Weiss."
"Thank you, Lyre." Weiss took the opportunity to properly introduce Pyrrha to the feline Faunus. "Pyrrha, this is Lyre, another one of the manor's guards and Lethe's younger twin sister. Lyre, this is my partner, Pyrrha."
"Nice to meet you," Lyre said with a smile. "I see you've met Lethe already. Just so you know, I'm the fun sister. Lethe's a bit of a stick-in-the-mud."
"I'm standing right here, you know," Lethe reminded her sister with a deadpan.
"Oh, I know. That's why I said it."
"It's nice to meet you, too," Pyrrha returned. "I'll admit that I'm a bit surprised to meet two pairs of twins in a single day."
"You're one lucky girl, then," Cherise joked. "Be glad you don't have to live with them, though. When Az and Maz were younger, we could hardly tell them apart. Even mom had a bit of trouble at first."
"And when they fought," Olivia added on, "Gods, it was awful. They'd pretend to be each other to get the other one in trouble."
The twins in question only snickered among themselves, apparently unremorseful of their past actions.
"How about you, Pyrrha?" Celeste piped in. "Do you have any siblings?"
"I'm afraid not," she answered. "I'm an only-child. It's why I'm a bit fascinated with your relationships with each other."
"It has its ups and downs for sure, especially by having so many. Weiss is a bit more balanced in that regard."
"I have my own issues to be fair," Weiss replied. "But yes, having only an older sister and younger brother is much more manageable."
"Lucky you," Cherise noted dryly. "I bet you never have to deal with Whitley stealing your makeup or clothes."
"If I did, there'd be a bigger problem I'd have to deal with."
They all giggled at the heiress's joke and continued conversing for several more moments. Pyrrha got to learn a bit more about the Arc sisters.
Cherise, for instance, was working as a teacher at the local school, having taken a page out of her mother's book.
"I love working with kids," the eldest Arc sister said fondly. "It's easy for me since I'm used to it. With there being such a big age gap between me and my youngest sisters, and with mom being away for her job, I've become something like a second mother. Well, third mother: Grandma took good care of us all."
"I've met her. She seems like such a sweet woman."
"She really is. Grandpa always calls her his Guardian Angel."
The redhead couldn't help but agree that it was a fitting name. "Speaking of guardians, who do you two guard?"
"The girls," the cat Faunuses said in unison.
"All of them?" Pyrrha said with some surprise. "But aren't you assigned individually?"
"Are you talking about Volug?" Lethe asked. "His duties are a bit different from ours. He's not just a guard. He's a servant. Kinda like a personal butler for Lady Leanne alone."
"Volug's employment is actually from Grandma's family back in Menagerie," Cherise explained. "Her brother, Granduncle Rafael, is married to Volug's chieftain. He was sent here on her orders."
Lyre made a face. "It can be so annoying to talk to him sometimes. I still don't understand why the Hatari tribe insists on using Tellian so much. All the rest of Menagerie speaks Common nowadays."
"They're traditionalists," her sister replied.
"Tradition to use a language forced upon us?"
"You could make the same argument for Common."
"Ugh, whatever. All I'm saying is that I think he's a weirdo."
"I didn't know tribal culture existed in Menagerie," Pyrrha remarked. As far as she knew, all of the Faunus there were immigrants from the Four Kingdoms.
"It's mostly faded out," Lethe explained. "Despite what they might teach you, there were indigenous Faunus that lived on Menagerie prior to the Great War. They were just so relatively few in number that when the mass influx of immigrants came, most of them were subsumed. Lethe and I, for example, are descended from the Gallia tribe, which was the first tribe the immigrants came into contact with.
"The tribes that still exist independently live further inland, where the more dangerous wildlife and Grimm thrive. Contact from them is sparse, but they still somehow manage to survive out there. It's impressive, really."
"What's impressive is how much you wanna share the dog's bone."
"Really? In front of the children?"
"Oh please, like they haven't heard their parents—"
"Lalalala, I can't hear you!" Olivia started yelling while plugging her ears.
Before she knew it, Jaune and Glynda had come back with food in tow, the latter's semblance carrying several perfectly plated dishes to the table. Pyrrha could spot Lethe and Lyre visibly salivating, while the Arc sisters were only slightly less obvious in their eagerness to dine.
When her plate was set before her, Pyrrha was pleasantly surprised by how professional it looked. Despite its humble ingredients, the dish was plated in such a way that it wouldn't look out of place at one of the higher-end restaurants she's visited. The aroma was heavenly, stimulating her salivary glands into overdrive with just its scent alone.
"You're in for a treat," Weiss told her. "Mrs. Arc's cooking would give even the most seasoned gourmet chefs a run for their money."
"Nothing beats a homecooked meal made with love," Jaune said proudly, his cheesy remark earning him a few smiles and giggles.
Ferrum and the Arc elders came in at that moment, with Volug trailing slightly behind. "Ah, looks like we came just in time."
"That you did," said Glynda. "Now hurry and take your seat so we can start eating. Our poor guards seem practically starved."
With that, everyone dug into their meal with gusto. Soft moans echoed around the moan as the flavorful fish struck their tastebuds. Pyrrha was especially delighted, having been completely surprised by how perfectly the meat was cooked: Tender, juicy, with a slight crisp from the sear. The accompanying glaze that coated the fish was also quite pleasant, enhancing its flavor with its zesty sourness with just the barest hint of sweet. The fries were also well made, lacking the usual oiliness that usually came with it while still being crisp, and salted to perfection.
The food was gone in a matter of moments, everyone so thoroughly engrossed with consumption that conversation didn't start till they had all finished.
"I can't believe we went so long without you," Ferrum said, wrapping an arm around his wife. "Please don't leave again."
Glynda let out an amused sound. "Unfortunately, you'll have to make do with a week."
"That was delicious," Pyrrha said gratefully to Jaune and Glynda, her praise being echoed by the Arc sisters as well.
"Thanks for cooking!"
"Delicious as always, Mom."
"And you too, big brother!"
"I'm glad you think so," the Arc matriarch replied. "I was starting to worry that I've lost my edge."
"Same here," Jaune agreed. "I haven't cooked anything since that thing with Blake happened."
That certainly got his sisters' attention.
"Blake?" they queried.
"My partner at Beacon," he explained, turning his gaze towards his grandfather. "You actually might have heard of her, Grandpa. Remember the Belladonnas?"
Aerarius returned a nod. "Yeah, I do. Good folks, they are. I'm still kinda miffed that they handed over the White Fang to a bunch of radicals. Their daughter's your partner?"
Seeing their brother nod, they bombarded him with a slew of questions.
"What does she look like?"
"Is she nice?"
"Do you like her?"
"How come you didn't bring her home?"
"Girls, girls, one at a time, please," he pleaded with his hands raised. Fishing out his scroll, he pulled out a picture of their team and passed it around. "Blake wanted some time to herself, so she declined coming home with us. She's a nice girl, just a bit impulsive. We get along pretty well, I think."
"She's pretty," Violette remarked. "I wanna pet her."
"Violette, just because the guards let you pet them doesn't mean everyone will," Mazarine admonished.
"I'm sure if you ask nicely, she'll let you," Jaune said reassuringly, earning a small laugh from his teammates.
Glynda made a face as the topic of Blake was brought up, something her husband immediately caught and commented on. "You seem to have a differing opinion on the girl, Glyn. Care to share?"
She closed her eyes and huffed. "Let's just say that I still resent her for making me think something awful had happened and leave it at that."
When his son flushed at his wife's words, Ferrum immediately continued to press the issue. "Come on, it couldn't have been that bad. What, did you think she took Jaune's innocence?"
"Dad!" Jaune yelled, earning a grin from the older man. "Why is that the first thing you think of!?"
When Glynda refused to respond, his grin only widened, and he began to snicker. "No way! You're serious!?"
Glynda scowled even as her cheeks reddened. "So what!? How could someone like that even dare to joke about defiling my little baby boy!?"
"MOM!"
As their absent teammate suddenly became the Arc family's topic of discussion, Pyrrha shared a look with Weiss, who only returned an amused smirk. The redhead idly wondered if Blake was doing all right; and couldn't help but think that she dodged a bullet, as Glynda began to list off all the reasons why the Faunus girl wouldn't be a good fit for her son.
-]I[-
"Thank you, come again." Blake said with a wave as she bid their latest customer farewell.
Tukson had immediately put the young girl to work when she arrived, making her work the front while he organized stuff in the back. Despite her usual standoffishness, Blake had easily slipped into the part of a store clerk. She put on her best smile (however slight it was), and acted like she wanted to be there (which she did, but not really to work.)
As it turned out, having a beautiful young woman work the front counter drew a lot more business than the bookstore normally saw. It started small at the start of the day, with only a few browsing customers and a couple regulars; but of the few young men that frequented the store, some had not-so-discretely taken pictures of Blake and made posts on their social media accounts about the 'hot goth Faunus chick' working the till.
Because of this, a slew of people had come to visit Tukson's Book Trade to take a look for themselves. Blake had been annoyed at first, but then quickly realized an opportunity. Thus, she made it apparent to those looking to shoot their shot that the more they spent, the more willing she was to give them the time of day. A demure smile here, a flirty glance there: As a result, the bookstore had seen record-breaking sales on her very first day.
She'd have to thank Yang sometime in the future for the silent lessons she imparted during their inter-team outings. Watching the buxom blonde play some poor saps for favorable deals had been both enlightening and entertaining.
Blake idly wondered if such tactics would work on Jaune, but then quickly shook the thought from her head. She realized quickly that her partner was more likely to run from her than fall for her if she tried the Yang approach.
Not that she would, of course.
… Try to seduce Jaune, that is.
… Because that would be absurd! Why would she even do that? She didn't like the guy.
'I-I mean, I do,' she admitted, then quickly corrected herself. 'But, like, not in THAT way!'
Blake Belladonna absolutely did not have any romantic feelings for her partner, Jaune Arc. This was what she told herself time and time again since their vigilantism came to an end.
… So why was it that she was already missing him, despite it only being less than half a day since they've said goodbye?
It could be because she was missing her team and not Jaune specifically. They were her roommates, after all. They lived together for an entire school semester now.
Yet whenever she thought of Pyrrha or Weiss, her heart did not ache as it did when Jaune crossed her mind. It was not their smiles that she subconsciously yearned for.
Deep down, Blake knew that she was, in fact, falling for Jaune, but hoped that it would turn out to be just a crush. The whole reason she was even working at Tukson's for the break was to get some time away from him to evaluate these feelings she was trying oh so hard to deny.
But as they say, "Absence makes the heart grow fonder." At the end of this break, Blake would have her answer: Either her feelings would fade, or they'd get stronger.
The bell rang as another person walked into the shop. Glad to have something to keep her occupied and away from her thoughts, she greeted them just as Tukson instructed her.
"Welcome to Tukson's Book Trade, home to every book under the sun. How may I help you?"
AN:So, uh, yeah. The thing I knew would happen happened. My bad XD.
This chapter was a long time coming, and stalled for a multitude of reasons. Personally, I think the foremost reason is simply because I'm entering completely original territory. I don't have any guidelines to help me along with this next arc, nothing to reference whenever I get stuck. I'm flying by the seat of my pants until ABWN gets back to Beacon. I do have a rough outline for what I want to happen during this arc, but it's very much barebones. I can't promise that I'll have another chapter of Heroic Age out by any sort of schedule.
One thing I want to mention was the introduction of "Tellian." It's a language I made up in reference to the Ancient Language of the Tellius series of Fire Emblem games. I had originally wanted to use that font, but it was too much of a hassle to try and get it to work. As an alternative, I loosely translated it to Hindi. For any of you who know the language, please forgive me for butchering it. The alphabet just looked really pretty, and I wanted a language didn't share characters with romantic languages to help simulate a truly foreign experience for the reader.
I'm very grateful for all of you who have eagerly and patiently awaited the continuation of this story. I hope that I'll return to the point where you guys aren't surprised to see the update alert.
Until next time.