A/N: Guest-*Reveals Jaune had another lover* Im gonna lose my shit if she also has a kid with him that she kept secret XD
Oh, don't worry. Rain is one of the few exes Jaune DOESN'T have a child with.
Rain was seriously work-oriented. Cared more about her career than anything, and she was afraid a kid would get in the way of that. So, she made sure she and Jaune NEVER did it without a condom, the pill, or anything any contraceptive. She did NOT want a child. It's actually one of the factors that caused her to break up with Jaune. She was starting to see herself raising a kid with him, and that was a no-no in her book.
Jaune sighed in relief as he put his scroll away. He then realized what he said. "Oh, crap. I shouldn't have said that to her." He then grunted as he was tackled. He groaned before opening his eyes, face to face with Ilia. "Uh... hi?"
"You know... Rain Mustang? THE Rain Mustang?!"
"Uh... yeah?"
"Yeah? Yeah?! YEAH?! YOU KNOW RAIN MUSTANG," Ilia roared as she began to shake Jaune, still obviously straddling him. "YOU KNOW THE WEALTHIEST FAUNUS IN THE WORLD AND ALL YOU CAN SAY IS YEAH?! AND I THINK I HEARD YOU SAY YOU LOVED HER! WHY WOULD YOU SAY THAT?!"
"It was by accident," Jaune's voice vibrated out as Ilia violently shook him. "She's my ex-girlfriend."
"SHE'S YOUR WHAT?!" Ilia unceremoniously dropped Jaune, his head falling on the dirt.
"Ow."
"Y-You dated Rain Mustang? The richest Faunus to have ever lived?! The only Faunus to have ever been named the sexiest woman in the world in that stupid human magazine?! The one woman whose wealth is comparable to the Schnees?! HOW DID YOU END UP WITH HER?!"
"It's not that odd of a story. When I met her, she wasn't nearly as influential as she is now. Her company is ten years old, right?"
"Yeah? What? Are you going to say you dated her eleven years ago?"
"Yup."
Ilia's eyebrow twitched. "Why am I not surprised since it's you?"
"Well, I did technically help her get her business started. Buuut that's when she dumped me. Least it wasn't because there was another guy this time," Jaune said the last part out loud by accident, wanting to think it not say it.
Ilia ignored the last part, grabbed Jaune's head, turned him toward her, and placed her forehead on his, not realizing how... compromising their position was. "How far?"
"Huh?"
"How far did you go with her?"
"Uh... well," he went as he tried to look away from her face.
"Look at me, hero."
"Yes, ma'am."
"How. Far. Did you go?"
"Uh... well..." Jaune sighed. "By some miracle, I don't have any kids with her... despite the numerous nights we've had. But, then again, she always took the pill. And always made me wear a condom."
There was an awkward silence between the two.
"I'm going to kill you," Ilia said.
"I get that a lot."
Howl cleared his throat, making the two look up at him. "You really like riding him, don't ya," he asked Ilia.
Ilia blinked before looking down. She finally realized what she was doing. She then sighed. "I'm too pissed at him to react to this anymore. Still, getting off now," she said as she stood up, Jaune jumping to his feet. When he did, Ilia punched him in the cheek, drilling her knuckles in his face. "I'll let you off with this."
"Thanks," he said, her fist still on his cheek.
'This is too easy,' Howl thought as he watched the two. He then looked at Jaune. "So, superhero, I hear you got the only Faunus bigwig in the world to help us?"
He grabbed Ilia's fist and pushed it away. "Actually, I think I only got a meeting between her and Ghira. She's a businesswoman, so she's going to want to make a proper deal with Menagerie, possibly plan out how she's going to properly help the island."
"Plan? What's there to plan?"
"Road placement, vehicle type, cost efficiency, the works. It's not like Rain can just snap her fingers and have a road dropped anywhere on Menagerie. It takes planning for desert roads to be made. For example, do you know where all the Diablos dens are because I sure as hell don't?"
"Ah. Good point. Oh, bub, think you can put in a good word to your ex to get me a motorcycle?"
"Papa," Kaha went in disappointment.
"What? I haven't had a good bike since I was a drifter in Anima."
"Uh, Howl, she's my ex. She's not just gonna give me one of her company's motorcycles. The most she would do is give me a discount."
"How big of a discount we talkin'?"
"Mm, probably five grand for her Vale Rainstorm."
"I'LL TAKE IT! That's a steal for her best cycle yet!"
"Papa," Kaha groaned.
"Come on, kiddo. Your old man is the only one in the family who can't fly. At least let him have a nice ride."
Kaha sighed. "At least let Mama know."
"Don't worry. I'll talk to her. So, hero, if she's gonna be here in a week-"
"Or at least call," Jaune specified.
"What are ya gonna do, bub? Gonna look for the other three oases?"
"Actually, I need to learn at least two more of the Beast God Styles. I had to fight an Orochi underwater, and I sucked."
"Uh, Jaune, that oasis was the only one close to the ocean," Yuma said. "The others should be near cliffs."
"And cliffs are near what, my flying friend?"
"Point taken."
"Speaking of flying, I should learn Eagle God Style. I'm alright at aerial combat, but it wouldn't hurt to be better. Don't you know Eagle God Style, Yuma?"
"Yeah, but don't look at me for help. I suck at teaching."
"It's true. He absolutely does," Trifa said. "Couldn't even teach me how to fish."
"Hey."
"The truth hurts, honey," she said as she smiled at her boyfriend.
"Well, I guess it would make sense to learn from the actual Eagle God. Does anyone know who it is?"
"I damn well better who the Eagle God is," Howl went with a chuckle.
"Hm? Why's that," Jaune asked.
"Because she's my wife, bub."
Jaune blinked. "You're married to one of the five greatest fighters on the island?"
"Hey, what can I say, I've got great taste. Booze, rides, and especially women. Takes a special kind of man to marry the most beautiful woman in Menagerie and have the best damn daughter around. Ow, ow, ow," he went as Kaha started to tug at his ear, blushing brightly.
"Papa, please stop talking," she said with her eyes closed.
"Uh, so, could you introduce me," Jaune asked.
"Sure. Our hut is actually on the mountain," he said pointing at it, Kaha releasing her father. "Those wings of yours should help you find it easily. You can visit our place and train with Inai whenever tomorrow. She's the teaching type, so she'll happily help you."
"Thanks, Howl," Jaune bowed.
"Just don't forget my bike."
Jaune rolled his eyes before walking away. "Ah. Trifa, where's my tuna?" Jaune then caught the wrapped fish when Trifa threw it at him. "Thanks. See you guys in about a week."
"A week-long vacation, eh? I can deal with that," Yuma shrugged. "Ow," he went after Trifa elbowed him.
"We still work for the Menagerian Guard."
"Oh, right."
Ilia watched Jaune leave before looking out at the desert. As if on cue, she saw a Diablos jump out of the sand and walk up to something. She saw it was eating a cactus that definitely wasn't there before, realizing it must have been freshly grown by Meakanu. "Jaune was right. We should plan on how to pave the roads on this island. Don't want to ruin the island too much."
"Don't worry, Ilia." She looked at Kaha as the beauty walked up to her. "We'll take care of this island just fine. It's our home, after all."
Ilia smiled back at her. "Yeah. It is."
Later, Blake, Verde, and Argent made it back home, the beautiful mother using her key to enter. "Mom, Dad, Nimueh, we're home," Blake called. No answer. "Mom?!" The lights were on in the house, but no sign of anyone.
The three then walked into the house, heading towards the living room. But as soon as they got close, Blake and Verde stopped, Argent running into Verde. Argent shook his head and spat out some of the stray hairs from his cousin that got in his mouth.
"Why did you two stop," he asked. Had he been standing in front of them, he would have seen both of their faces were beet red.
Verde quickly turned around and hugged Argent.
"Eh?! What?! Huh?! Why?! Whoa," he went as Verde picked him up.
"W-We'll be in our room," Verde quickly said.
"Good girl," Blake nodded before Verde ran off fast enough for Argent to go "WHOOOA!"
Blake then stormed into the sitting room to see and more clearly hear what she dreaded.
Nimueh and Kali were making out, moaning as their tongues wrestled visibly, Nimueh down to her bra while Kali's dress was at her shoulders, her bare legs visible, but Nimueh's hand not visible in Kali's dress. It also didn't help that it was a known fact in the Belladonna household that Kali didn't wear bras. And if the scent wasn't enough, then the sight of empty glasses made it obvious.
They were both drunk.
"MOM!"
Nimueh and Kali looked at Blake, a string of saliva still connecting them.
"Ah. Blake. Welcome home," Kali went in a drunk, slow, and drowsy way.
"Hey, Blake," Nimueh went in the same way as Kali. "Where's my baby boy?"
Blake looked around. "How many of those damn margaritas did you two make?!"
"Hey, we weren't making margaritas," Nimueh pouted.
"Yeah," Kali said as she glomped onto Nimueh, her breasts on the beauty's head. "We were making pina coladas."
"YOUR RECIPE ALWAYS INVOLVES ALCOHOL!"
"It's the secret ingredient," they went in unison.
"Oh, gods, I need to do something about you two before Dad or Jaune shows up."
The beauties blinked twice before pointing. "Ghira's already here," they said in perfect unison again.
Blake looked to see her father, eyes white, jacket gone, and lying on the floor looking like a dead man. In one of his hands was a glass that smelled of pina colada and alcohol. "DAD!"
"He was such a lightweight," Nimueh giggled.
"He couldn't handle five glasses of our drink," Kali went as she also began to giggle before rolling around with Nimueh, the two giggling before they went back to making out.
"WOULD YOU TWO STOP MAKING OUT ALREADY!"
"Spoilsport," the two moms went in unison as they pouted at Blake in what would look adorable to anyone else, but was absolutely annoying to Blake.
Blake groaned as she massaged her temples. "I need to fix this. I have to clean this up before-"
The door opened. "I'm home," Jaune called.
"Fuck," Blake hissed out.
"Aaah," Kali went as she crawled towards the front of the house, which also looked dangerously sexy. "He said he's home. He sees this as his home. We're family. I'm so happy," she went dreamily.
"Hey. I'm the one who should greet Jaune when he comes back home. I'm his wife," Nimueh pouted as she glomped Kali this time, playing with the Cat Faunus's breasts.
"You don't need to be so selfish," Kali pouted. "You should share him."
"I don't even wanna share you," Nimueh pouted.
"Aw," Kali went. "You're so selfish," she said as she turned toward her drunken lover.
"Yes. Yes, I *hic* am." The two then went back to kissing as they fell to the ground, Kali on top of Nimueh.
Blake was panicking. She threw caution to the wind when she heard Jaune's approaching footsteps and just grabbed Nimueh and her parents and unceremoniously tossed them into the kitchen.
"What the?" Blake jumped before rigidly turning to see Jaune, the man raising his eyebrow at her. "Uh, Blake? Why did I hear a crash?"
"Oh, uh, there's a rowdy area in Menagerie where some of our more violent Faunus spend their days. You probably heard another window getting broken," she went sheepishly, laughing nervously.
"Uh-huh. I'm going to choose to believe that."
"Phew," Blake went.
"But only because I brought you this," Jaune said as he held out the webbed fish.
"What is it," Blake asked before she sniffed it. Then, her eyes shot open as her ears pinned upward. "I-Is that-" she went in excitement.
Jaune then grew a claw and gently cut the webbing open to reveal the somehow still alive and still fresh tuna fish.
"Freshly caught at the new oasis we made. Thought you might like it."
". . . I absolutely know I'm going to regret this."
"Huh? WHOA," Jaune went after Blake grabbed him, and yanked him close to her face. "But I really don't care."
She then smashed her lips onto Jaune's.
Before the hero realized it, he was kissing Blake Xiao Long.
Blake parted from Jaune, a string of saliva connecting them.
"Uh-"
Blake then swiped the fish. "That didn't mean anything, Jaune," she said as she walked away with the prize. "It was just a thank you for my dinner."
"Uh... Uh-huh. Wait a minute." Jaune shook his head. "What do you mean YOUR dinner?! You're gonna eat that entire thing by yourself?"
She looked back at him with a raised eyebrow. "Really, Arc? Did you forget how much we ate at the Vytal Festival when we were Beacon students?"
"Uh... good point. Do we... have any leftovers?"
"Ask my mother. She's in the kitchen, possibly sucking Nimueh's face."
"Come again?"
Blake jumped. "Uh... Could you... choose to ignore that part, too?"
"Yes. Yes, I could."
"Wait, really," Blake asked as she turned towards Jaune with a shocked expression.
"Blake, you pretty much just saved me. Do you have any idea what would happen if I walked in and saw your sexy mother and my sexy wife in the same room making out?"
"I'm going to slap you," Blake went with slit eyes.
"Do that, and I WILL walk into that kitchen."
"Ooh, you are evil."
"Well, I am the Grimm King, after all."
"Tch. I hate you, Arc."
"Not a big fan of you either, Xiao Long."
The two glared at each other as they came face to face, staring challengingly into the other's eyes. Then, they both snickered before laughing.
"You're an idiot, Jaune. Worse than Yang."
"And you're stubborn, Blake. . . . More stubborn than Yang."
"Hey!"
"It's the truth."
Blake playfully punched Jaune's chest before looking up at him. They stared at each other for a while, an awkward silence hanging over the two. Then, it was just quiet between them. Before Blake or Jaune realized it, they were leaning towards the other, both closing their eyes as their lips drew closer.
BONK. "Ow."
The two jumped before looking towards the kitchen, seeing Nimueh on the floor with Kali sleeping on her breasts.
"Hm? Hey. Jaune. You're home. Come get some dinner. I think there's at least one pina colada left." Nimueh then laughed in an adorable yet drunk way.
Jaune stared at his wife before gulping. Then, he sighed. "Can you deal with your mom?"
Blake sighed. "Wouldn't be the first time I had to help her to bed. Worst part is that I can't even blame her. Her pina coladas are to kill for. Still, she's gonna pay for it tomorrow," Blake giggled.
"That bad of a hangover, huh," Jaune asked as he gently lifted Kali and placed her arms around Blake, the older mother wrapping herself around her daughter, snoozing away.
"Like you wouldn't believe. She's going to be meowing all day tomorrow."
"Meowing?"
"You'll see."
Jaune then looked at another corner of the kitchen. "What about your dad," he asked as he looked at the still-unconscious Ghira.
"He's actually better. He'll complain about a headache for about ten minutes or so before going back to business as usual."
"Good. There's something I need to talk to him about."
"Hm? What?"
"Just some business. I think you should be there for it, too. I would have liked for all Belladonnas to be present, but~" He looked at Kali.
"Point taken."
Jaune then lifted Nimueh in the Princess-Carry, the beauty's face still a bit pink as she hugged Jaune while still giggling. Jaune just stared at her before turning. "Well, see you tomorrow, Blake."
"Hold on there, Jaune." He stopped with a bit of a jolt. "You're not planning on doing anything to your wife while she's drunk, are you?" He didn't answer. "Jaune?"
"Alright, here me out-"
"Jaune! There's no consent! Wife or not, you should still-"
"Well, what if she initiates it?"
"She's drunk!"
"Never stopped her before."
"Wait, what?"
Jaune looked away sheepishly. "Yeah, ever since she modified her own body to be able to experience inebriation, we found out she's a... horny drunk. Just look at your mom."
Blake looked down at Kali. "But... MY mom a horny drunk."
"Then you know what happens, happens. Byeandseeyoutomorrow," Jaune went as he bolted.
"Arc, WAIT!" Too late. Blake even heard the door to his and Nimueh's room slam shut. Blake groaned. "He's worse than Yang."
Kali giggled, getting Blake's attention. "And what are you laughing at, mom?"
Kali looked up at Blake, eyes glazed from alcohol, and booped her nose. "You lllliiiike him," she said with a purr.
Blake stared at her mother emotionlessly. "You're kidding, right?"
"Come on, sweetie. You liiiike him."
"Mom... I'm not Ruby."
"Then don't hesi*hic*tate like she did. Go get that pretty boy and make me some grandkittens."
"So THAT'S what you're after."
"No. Nooo. . . No. I don't need a whole liter of adorable kittens that will come and love me and call me gram-gram or grand-nyan or be impossibly adorable. I just want you to be happy."
"I'm married to my best friend. Plus, I have a daughter."
Kali giggled. "Verde. Verde. Green." She snickered. "Her name means green. I love that girl."
"Then you should be happy you already have a gran-"
"She would make a great older sister to your child. Just look at how well she takes care of little Arie. I have such good grandkids."
Blake's ears perked up at a chance. "See, mom? You already have a granddaughter and a grandson who loves you. Aren't you happy with that?"
"Nooo," she whined cutely. "I want more grandchildren. More grandbabies. Kittens, this time. Verde was five when you adopted her. I wanna raise a Belladonna from birth," she whined.
"I'm a Xiao Long, so not going to happen," Blake said as she tucked her mother in.
"I wanna be a real grandma," she muttered as Blake placed her father next to her mother. Blake then nudged Kali toward Ghira's arm, smiling when her mother snuggled and clung to it, purring away as she slept.
"You are a grandma, mom. The best one there is. Just like you were the best mom ever." She then kissed her mother's cheek, Kali's ear swishing after Blake did that. "I love you, mom."
Ghira then groaned, making Blake giggle before kissing his cheek, making him sigh in relief and comfort. "Don't worry. I love you, too, dad." She then left the room and quietly closed the door. She took one last look at her parents with a smile. "Pleasant dreams, you two."
With that, she closed the door on her drunk parents.
It was a new day on Menagerie. The sky was clear, not a cloud to be seen, the sun shining brightly, a warm breeze blowing. A beautiful day indeed.
And something rare was happening today. Blake was cooking.
The usual cooks, Kali and Nimueh hadn't gotten up yet, for obvious reasons. In fact, Blake didn't expect her mother to get up at all today, and she had no idea when Nimueh would get up, so she tried her hand.
She's nowhere near her mother's level, but she can make some basic food. She would never starve, that's for sure. She at least knew how to make scrambled eggs and cut up some fruit. Plus, they had a rice cooker and toaster. Making some toast should be a synch. Of course, there would be no tuna. As she promised Jaune, she ate the entire thing by herself. The freshness and flavor of the fish alone made her want to kiss him again.
She stopped whisking the eggs when she thought that, sighing as she leaned on the counter. "What is wrong with me," she asked out loud. "Why do I keep... KISSING him? We're not even that close. We're friends. Friends of friends. Makes sense for Ruby to do something like this-"
"HEY," Ruby went from a comic bubble.
"But me? I'm happily married to the love of my life with a beautiful daughter."
"So am I," Ruby said from the comic bubble again, Blake waving it away.
Blake took a deep breath to calm herself. "It was because of the fish. It was because of that delicious, juicy, meaty fish. . . Oh, gods, if he brings me a damn school, I might actually sleep with him."
"I heard that."
Blake jumped before looking behind her. However, when she did, she had to shield her eyes. "GODS OF REMNANT, WHAT THE HELL, NIMUEH?!"
"What," the literally shining beauty asked. "All I did was have a damn good night."
"THERE'S AN AFTERGLOW AND THEN THERE'S SHINING LIKE A FREAKIN' LIGHTHOUSE BEACON! WHAT DID JAUNE DO?!"
"Sweetheart, I'm almost tempted to let you find out just so you could understand," Nimueh said as her glow finally died down as she walked in, stretching to the point her joints popped. "Seriously, that man knows how to make you feel like a woman," she said as she walked up to the stove to finish Blake's work. "Mind getting more eggs? Arie and Verde should be waking up soon."
"How do you know?"
"I know my son, Blake. He's an early bird. Didn't you tell me that Verde likes to get up early, too?"
"Y-Yeah. I did," Blake said as she walked over and grabbed more eggs.
"Ew."
"Something wrong?"
"Your eggs are bland."
"Huh?" Blake looked to see Nimueh had a fork in her hand, the beauty looking down at the eggs.
"Did you even salt and pepper this?"
"Was I supposed to?"
Nimueh sighed before stabbing another egg and holding it out toward Blake. Curious, she took the bite.
"Mm," she groaned. "It's like eating a sponge."
"See why seasoning is important? How have you been eating all this time?"
Blake's ears drooped down as she looked away with a blush while rubbing her arm. "M-Microwaved meals."
Nimueh stared at Blake before sighing. "And Kali's been teaching me how to cook. You do realize that Jaune does most of the cooking in our house, right?"
"He does?"
"Mhm. However, after this trip, that might change. Still, you should probably learn from your mom. She's a really good cook. Has quite a few interesting recipes."
"Like the pina colada," Blake asked with half-lidded eyes.
"Oh, hell yeah. Those were damn good, Blakey. Gave me quite the night."
"I don't wanna hear it," Blake said as she turned away.
"Not like I wanted to see you kiss my husband, but that happened."
Blake jolted. "You... saw that?"
"Sweetie, I'm mentally linked to Jaune. What he knows, I know. Plus, I'm the type who remembers."
"Then you remember what you did to my mother," Blake went as she turned toward Nimueh with an angry blush.
"Forgetting your father, are we?"
Blake blushed even harder. "I thought he just got drunk."
Nimueh scoffed. "Like Kali and I were going to let him off that easily."
"Can we please stop talking about this?"
"Sure. The kids are up anyway."
"Huh?"
"Morning," Verde yawned as she walked into the kitchen.
Blake jumped before seeing her daughter. "V-Verde. Good morning, honey."
"Morning, mom."
Blake looked to see that she was holding Argent's hand, the boy swaying like a zombie before yawning loudly.
"Arie, cover your mouth when you yawn like that. Not gonna throw food down that tunnel," Nimueh said.
"Sorry, mom. Good morning," he went as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.
"Morning, sweetie. Enjoy sleeping with your cousin?"
"Her hair was really soft," he said dreamily as he hugged his cousin.
"You let him sleep in your bed," Blake asked her daughter.
"Too risky to let him out last night," Verde shrugged. "It was oddly comfy, though. Like sleeping with a teddy bear."
"Mm," Argent went in annoyance. "I'm not a teddy bear."
"Yes, you are," Verde went in a cutesy voice as she squatted down and hugged her cousin, rubbing her cheek against his. "You're my cute teddy bear."
"Nooo," Argent whined adorably. "I'm not cute."
The mothers giggled at their children, enjoying the sight.
"Mornin'," Jaune yawned as he walked in.
"Uncle, where's your shirt," Verde asked, a small blush on her face as she looked up at her fit uncle.
"Ask your aunt," Jaune said as he looked at his wife, who stuck her tongue out at him. "Glad I have spares."
A groan was heard, and everyone looked toward it.
"Et Tu, grandfather," Verde went with a raised eyebrow.
"Forgive the lack of attire, sweetheart," Ghira groaned as he rubbed his forehead. "Blake, would you kindly brew some tea for me?"
"Of course," Blake said as she took out the necessary ingredients to make tea. She may not be much of a chef, but she is damn skilled at making some damn good goddamn tea!
"Glad to see you're up, Ghira," Jaune said.
"Are you? Should I be worried," he asked as he walked into the sitting room, Jaune following him and sitting across from Ghira.
"Hopefully not. It involves Menagerie."
"Mm. Are there problems with the oases?"
"Thankfully, no. It's about future roadwork." Ghira stopped rubbing his head before looking at Jaune, eyes now fully awake. "Ghira, I think I can improve Menagerie even more than before."
Ghira stared at Jaune before placing his hands together on the table. "You have my attention, son."
Jaune took out his scroll and showed Ghira pictures of the desert he had taken on his mission. The sandy dunes, the sparkling ocean, and of course, the newly formed oases. He even took a picture of the first settlement and the new tunnel he finished for Laehoa.
"These photos are beautiful, Jaune," Ghira said as he looked through Jaune's scroll.
"Thanks, but that's not what I wanted to show. Look at the desert. Seems too rugged to just drive so much as carriages through, right?"
"Oh, absolutely. Menagerie's desert has been untamed and untouched for years. It wasn't until your arrival that we were finally able to colonize it."
"And I'd rather not wait years for it to be safe to travel," Jaune said. I have a friend who might be willing to help. Road pavement, vehicle donation, Dust generators that would protect the roads from being destroyed by an angry Diablos, the works."
"Do you, now?"
"Yes, sir. We just need to be able to convince her when she calls next week," Jaune explained to Ghira as Blake walked in and placed his tea in front of him, but he was already sober thanks to his interest in this business deal.
"My, my, being the Hero of Remnant-"
"ONE of the heroes, Dad," Blake called from the kitchen.
"Blake, watch your fingers."
"Hm? Oh! Good thing we have Aura."
"You would have cut your finger. Here, hold your hand like this."
"D-Do you have to be so close to me?"
"Hm? Are we feeling embarrassed, Mrs. Xiao Long," Nimueh's voice went sensually.
"O-Of course not!"
Ghira cleared his throat. "As we were saying, it truly is helpful to be so privileged with knowledge and aid. Who is this friend of yours, anyway," Ghira asked while sipping his tea as Verde and Argent sat down, Nimueh and Blake bringing in breakfast. Today's breakfast was rice with ham and scrambled eggs with toast, as well as a fruit salad made by Blake.
"Her name is Rain Mustang."
Ghira spat out his drink in Jaune's direction, but Jaune was able to avoid the liquid completely by bending back. Blake dropped the two plates of food she was going to give Argent and Verde, but they were able to catch their plates without a single grain of rice falling off. Nimueh was surprised by the father-daughter reaction, but the plates she was carrying slid off her arms and onto the table, almost magically sliding in front of Jaune and Ghira.
Ghira was coughing violently as he patted his chest.
"Rain Mustang," Blake yelled. "THE Rain Mustang?!"
"Who's she," Argent asked Verde.
"Beats me," she said as she took a bite of her breakfast, Argent following his cousin's lead.
"M-Menagerie's going to receive aid from the wealthiest Faunus to have ever lived," Ghira coughed out in disbelief.
"Oh, that's who she is," Verde said as she bit her toast. "Hm? Wait, the wealthiest? Mom, how come you never told me about such an important Faunus?"
"I CAN'T BELIEVE SUCH AN IMPORTANT FAUNUS WAS BROUGHT UP, AND BY YOU, OF ALL PEOPLE," she yelled uncharacteristically at Jaune. Before even he could react, Blake already grabbed him by the shoulders, shaking him. "HOW DO YOU KNOW THE WORLD'S RICHEST FAUNUS?!"
"She's my ex-girlfriend," Jaune warbled out due to Blake shaking him. "Deja Vu," he went after Blake stopped shaking him. "It's Ilia all over again."
"You... dated... Rain Mustang," Blake went in disbelief.
"If it means anything," Jaune began. "She wasn't rich or famous when we dated."
Ghira thought about it. "That makes sense. Even Argent is older than her company."
"I am? Neat."
"Are you saying you dumped her before she became rich? I feel like this is karma somehow," Blake said.
"Actually, she dumped me."
There was a silence in the room.
"Forgive me for smiling," Blake said as she indeed smiled, arms crossed, looking down at the hero.
"You're lucky your dad and daughter are here."
"And what would you do if they weren't?"
"You don't wanna know. . . But, my son and Verde are here, and they make a surprisingly good team... soooo... Arie, new game; Verde, one thousand for whatever you want." Jaune then wiggled his fingers, making Blake raise an eyebrow in confusion.
Blake's eyes then widened when she felt two pairs of hands on her waist before looking down to see two pairs of shining eyes. "You. Wouldn't. Dare," she said to her daughter and nephew.
They then grew glowing, devious, crescent moon smiles. "We. Would," they went in perfect unison. Then, they began to tickle Blake, the beauty laughing as the three fell to the ground, all of them laughing.
"Well, threatening my daughter aside, I'm truly amazed you knew Lady Mustang, Jaune."
"I'm the reason her company was able to start at all."
"Really?"
"Yup. Made some investments in her idea and paid for her kickstart, and the rest is history. She even gave me my car."
"I really liked that car," Nimueh went as she sat next to Jaune, head resting on her palm, looking up dreamily. "Only thing I liked about her."
"Nim..."
"Hmph."
"Anyway, after her business began to grow... she decided to dump me, saying that she couldn't be my girlfriend and a successful CEO at the same time. It was either me or the business." Jaune sighed. "Wasn't the first time a woman I loved chose their career over me."
"Wait, does that mean this Rain lady could have been my mom," Argent asked as he stopped tickling Blake.
"And there it is," Jaune and Nimueh went in unison.
Jaune sighed. "Yes, Arie. Had things worked out... you would have been a Horse Faunus."
"NO!"
Everyone looked at Argent in surprise.
"N-No," Ghira went.
"If I was a Horse Faunus, then I would be growing a Pony Tail instead of a Warrior's Wolf Tail!"
Everyone stared at Argent with wide eyes before they all burst out laughing at his silly reasoning. He really is still a kid after all.
Ghira studied the pictures Jaune took, contemplating the right decisions to make. "Hm. Thanks to Meakanu, we can grow entire forests, so the Diablos might not be so aggressive, seeing as we'd be providing more food than they could handle."
"True, but we should still leave plenty of desert sand for them to feel safe. Hide away from prying eyes. Plus, it would be a great warning. Wherever you see sand, assume there's a giant monster with a club for a tail that might kill you."
"A bit of an extreme example, don't you think, Jaune," Ghira asked with a sweat drop.
"You weren't smacked by one," Jaune deadpanned.
"It might also be safer to keep some desert land," Blake chimed in. "Who knows what changing an entire continent's ecosystem might do? There could be wildfires and avalanches, and Menagerie does get hit by some pretty powerful hurricanes from time to time. The few palm trees of Kuo Kuana have caused a lot of damage to huts."
"But the roads must absolutely avoid the desert. We've agreed on that, right," Jaune asked.
"The protected desert, you mean," Ghira corrected. "You theorize that the largest of the oases is in the very center of the desert. We're going to need a road leading to that."
"Right. This would be a lot easier if we had an actual map of the desert," Jaune said.
"Well, no one's been able to map the desert, Jaune," Blake said. "We're just now able to settle parts of the continent, and the only one powerful enough to even attempt it is sitting in my parents' house, and I don't even know how you would begin to graph the desert."
Jaune thought about it before a thought came to him. He then grabbed his scroll and looked for a certain contact.
"Jaune," Blake asked as she watched him stare at his scroll.
'Ah, Amico, I wasn't expecting to hear from you so soon! Cosa posso fare per lei (What can I do for you)?'
"Hey, Dante. I'm trying to map an unknown area. Does the King's Glaive have an echolocation feature?"
'Ah, trying to uncover the secrets of Menagerie's desert, eh?'
"Dammit, Amanda."
'She's a tenacious one, that girl.'
"Love to know where she is."
Meanwhile, in a small hut.
"Achoo," Amanda went softly.
"Are you alright, deary," asked an elderly Dog Faunus.
"Oh, I'm fine, ma'am. Just a little sneeze."
"Oh, dear. It must be those darn allergies. You know, my baby boy suffered from the sniffles. Kept sneezing whenever it was allergy season. But a nice meal always made him better," the old woman said as she placed a bowl of oatmeal in front of Amanda.
"Thank you." Amanda was about to eat when she heard sniffling and crying. She looked to see Laurance, spoon in his mouth, tears flowing down his cheeks.
"It's so good. It's like my grammy came back to life."
"I'm glad you like it, deary."
"Thank you for letting us stay with you, Mrs. Lassie."
"Oh, no need for thanks, deary. I'm just happy to have company again. Haven't seen my puppies in years. They were good boys and girls." She looked at a picture of a Dog Faunus couple and some kids. "If only... they didn't join that horrid Taurus boy."
"As in Ada- Oh. Oooh. I'm so sorry, Mrs. Lassie," Amanda went, genuinely sorry for the old woman's loss.
"It's fine. Eat up. Eat up. You have a hero to record, don't you?"
"OH, CRAP! SHE'S RIGHT!" Amanda then tried shoveling the oatmeal down her mouth smacking Laurance to make him hurry, the man reluctantly doing as he was told. He so wanted to enjoy the oatmeal. Mrs. Lassie giggled at the sight of her house guests.
'I knew you would need that feature. Its code to activate it is XX-X-XXX.'
"XX-X-XXX. Got it. Do I need to know anything else?"
'The echolocation sadly only goes out about a mile wide. It was all I could manage with the supplies I had when upgrading King's Glaive. Fortunately, it can be upgraded with the right supplies. I'll send you the list.'
A notification popped up on Jaune's scroll.
"Hey, I have this."
'Ah. How fortunate. Now you just need Ms. Sandy to craft it.'
"What?"
'It's very complex, Amico. Not to be rude, but I doubt anyone on Menagerie could craft the compo-'
Blake swiped the scroll out of Jaune's hand. "I take offense to that," she said, the tick mark on her head practically visible for all to see.
'M-Mrs. Xiao Long! H-How much of that did you hear?'
"I'll have you know that there's a brilliant mechanic on Menagerie. I'm sure she can upgrade Jaune's motorcycle as well as anyone else in Remnant."
"She," Jaune and Dante went in unison. Blake glared at Jaune, making him raise his hands in defense.
"She's one of the hardest working Faunus on the island who can fix anything, even New Mantle tech. If she can't fix your echolocator, then I'll not eat fish for a week."
"Whoa! Blake! Isn't that a bit extreme," Jaune asked for his friend's safety.
"Shut up," she went calmly, squeezing Jaune's lips shut.
'Judging from my friend's reaction, you really trust this mechanic of yours.' Blake's ear twitched, something Jaune noticed. 'Very well. I'll also send the blueprints and schematics to further help your friend. Best of luck, Jaune.' With that, Dante hung up.
Jaune then grabbed Blake's hand, freeing his lips. "Blake, are you hiding something," Jaune asked sternly as he took his scroll back.
Her ears dropped. "Um, Tiana isn't actually... a mechanic. She's more of a jack-of-all-trades kind of frog."
"Frog," Jaune asked with a raised eyebrow.
"She's a Frog Faunus. She was one of the smartest and most determined people I knew. She protested with me when we were kids, but she spent more time doing honest work to save money to... open a restaurant. She's the best chef I've ever known, save for my mom, and is a whiz at machines so she could better take care of her place should the need arise."
"You're trusting the upgrade to the echolocator of my King's Glaive, the same echolocator that will finally give a detailed map of all of Menagerie, which will make road building infinitely easier... to a restaurant owner?"
"It... sounds really bad when you say it like that... but trust me, Jaune. She can do it."
Jaune stared at Blake, looking into her pleading eyes. Then, he sighed. "Don't make me regret this, Blake."
She smiled. "Thank you, Jaune."
Jaune then walked away, Blake following him out of curiosity, the rest of the family following. When they got outside, they saw Jaune standing in front of the estate, back turned to them. Then, he put his fingers in his mouth and whistled.
Moments later, a screech was heard. Everyone looked towards the horizon to see Neverflame flying towards them, the King's Glaive in its grasp. Then, with a mighty cry, it tossed the bike to its master.
Jaune easily caught the huge motorcycle by its seat as Neverflame flew away screeching, Argent waving it goodbye.
"Right then," Jaune said as he placed the bike on the ground, looking at Blake. "Shall we see my Menagerian Mechanic?"