Chapter Eight
"So RWBY got an assignment, and we didn't? The heck is up with that?" Nora was strolling back and forth in the mess, hands on top of her head.
"That's what I was told. Something suddenly came up, and Theodore thought they were best suited for it." Jaune shrugged, although he was a little annoyed he hadn't been able to see Weiss off. They had woken up this morning to the news that Team RWBY had left late last night.
"They'll be fine, Nora. They've survived just as much as we have," Ren reassured her.
"That's not what I'm worried about! We go waaay back with those ladies. It doesn't seem right for us to not be on the same assignment. RWBY and JORNE are like, peanut butter and jelly, or milk and cookies, or mole crab and curry!"
"Are you still hungry? I've never seen someone eat as much as you and retain that kind of figure," Emerald asked, looking at Nora with a tinge of jealousy.
"Aw, thanks Emerald. You gotta eat to stay in shape, need food to fuel your figure! That's what I always say, anyway. And I'm always hungry for mole crab. Vacuo needs to share that stuff with the rest of the world."
"I think they're a little more concerned with the grimm army and Salem than they are with establishing foreign trade right now," Ren said.
"Fair enough, I guess." Nora threw herself into a seat and stole a piece of bread from Ren's plate. Chewing on her grainy prize, she asked, "So have we gotten a new assignment for ourselves yet?"
"No, we're still on standby. We'll go through some more training exercises this afternoon, I have some more ideas I want to try out," Jaune said, pushing his plate away from him and leaning back in his chair.
"You ok, Oscar? You've been kinda quiet," Nora asked, pilfering the last piece of cactus fruit from Jaune's plate as she did so.
"Hmm? Oh, I'm ok. Just been thinking a lot, that's all." Oscar had eaten the least of all his companions, his food mostly just pushed around on his plate.
"Well, if you need to run anything by us, we're here for you," Ren said, smiling at the younger man.
"Thanks, Ren. I've got this crazy idea running around in my head, but I don't know if it'll work or if it's even worth the effort."
"We like crazy, Oscar!" Nora said, eyeing his plate, still hopeful for more food.
"Well… you know how Mr. Polendina made Penny?" Oscar started.
"Yes. He used his own aura and put it into the robot he built," Ren said, brow furrowed.
"What if he made another vessel, and tried to put Ozpin in it?"
There was a mixed reaction to this. Ren and Jaune were taken aback and thoughtful, Emerald looked politely interested and slightly confused, and Nora leapt from the table.
"Oscar! You're a genius! A wonderful, cute, boy genius!" She leaned over and kissed his forehead. Oscar blushed.
That's… an interesting thought, Oscar. One I hadn't had yet. It may be dangerous, given that our merging is that of our souls, and trying to extricate my aura from yours is bound to be extremely difficult at this point, maybe even lethal to you. But, I think we should go talk to Pietro, at the very least, Ozpin opined from his place inside Oscar's head.
Jaune said, "That might just work, Oscar. We'll need to talk to Mr. Polendina and see what it entails, and we need to remember he's lost his daughter, and his lab, and a good portion of his own aura. He might not be up for this kind of undertaking." He looked at Oscar, knowing how desperately the younger man wanted to remain himself, and took pity on him. "If there's anything we can do as a team to make it happen, we will. I promise."
"Thanks, Jaune." Oscar smiled and picked his fork up.
"Alright, team, change of plans. We're going to Amity this afternoon instead."
Half an hour later, they were onboard a manta and on their way to Amity Coliseum. After the attack and subsequent fall of Atlas and the destruction of Mantle, the Atlesian military had flown every surviving airship to Shade, including the floating coliseum with its newly constructed CCT tower. The military, no longer having access to their training facilities, barracks, or armories, had transformed Amity into a gargantuan flying military base. They used it to house off-duty soldiers, as a command center, and to help train the volunteer militia that had sprung up.
They had been running missions nonstop back and forth between Vacuo and the remains of their kingdom, salvaging anything and everything they could. As a result, Amity was one of the most important structures to the war effort in Remnant. Engineers were constructing massive gun platforms that ringed the structure to give it 360 degrees of anti-air coverage, and they were installing hard light generators much like the ones that had once been used to shield Atlas.
It was an awe-inspiring sight. The others had seen it already, but it was the first time Jaune had gotten a close look at it. Even bereft of their kingdom, the engineers of Atlas were undisputedly the best in the world. All you had to do was view this monument to war floating in the sky to know that as the truth.
The manta landed, and Jaune and his team disembarked. Jaune felt a momentary sorrow as he did. The last time he had been to Amity, it had been full of spectators at the Vytal Festival, full of excitement and life. Now it was teeming with soldiers and machines of war, and the atmosphere was more dire.
They had gotten special permission to see Pietro Polendina, and now used the ID card that had been given to them to navigate their way to where the scientist did his work. When they reached his room, the door was open and they peered inside. Jaune felt a jolt of shock. Pietro had already been old, but the loss of his daughter and kingdom had nearly killed the poor man. He had lost weight, and his skin and clothing hung loosely from his haggard frame. His eyes, once so bright and intelligent, had had the light go out of them and were now dull and listless. Jaune got the distinct sense that only his duty was keeping the old man moving.
Maria Calavera was present as well, augmetic eyes whirring and clicking as the hunters entered the room. "Jaune! Theodore told us you and team RWBY were back! It's good to see you, young man. And it is good to see the rest of you as well." The tiny old woman hobbled over to them on her cane, and Nora gave her an enthusiastic hug.
Pietro hadn't seemed to notice them enter. He remained in his ambulatory carriage, poring over the screen in front of him and mumbling indistinctly to himself. Maria looked at him pityingly. "He hasn't been himself since he lost Penny. His work is the only thing keeping him going. That and me. If I weren't here, he would have starved or died of dehydration weeks ago."
Jaune's heart seized as Penny's last moments surfaced in his mind again. His sword, piercing her heart. Her soft, soft sigh as her life left her, the blood on his blade as he pulled it free. Real blood. She had died as a real person, and not an android. Jaune jumped as Ren put a worried hand on his shoulder.
"You ok, Jaune?" Rens eyes, warm, worried, and insightful, searched his.
"Yeah. Sorry. Bad memory, that's all." He wiped away a tear that had formed in the corner of his eye.
The rest of his team still looking at him with concern, he walked over to Pietro and put a gentle hand on the old man's shoulder.
"Mr. Polendina? We had something we wanted to ask you, if that's ok."
Pietro started as the hand touched him and he looked around, wide-eyed. "Is that young Mister Arc?" he asked wonderingly.
"It is, sir. It's good to see you, and I wanted to tell you that I'm terribly sorry for your loss."
"As am I, young man. As am I. 'Beyond the dark horizon, our hearts will once more sing,'" Pietro intoned softly, staring into the place only those suffering immense heartbreak can stare.
Jaune could no longer hold it together and fell to his knees, hugging the old man, and together they wept. After some time had passed, and their tears had subsided, Jaune spoke quietly. "I was there with her, at the end. She died bravely, fighting as a true huntress. She saved thousands of lives that day. I'm just so very sorry I couldn't save her."
"It's not your fault, Jaune. She was made to help people. I miss her so terribly much, but I also know trying to turn her away from that path was madness. She would have gone no matter what I said."
But it was my fault. It was it was it was. It was MY sword that did it, me who stopped that heart… His breathing started to hitch again, and then Ren was there, and his mind stilled. He looked at Ren and nodded once. He took a deep breath and got back to his feet.
"What did you want to ask me?" Pietro asked, wiping his tear-fogged glasses down.
"Oscar?" Jaune said, directing him forward.
Oscar's eyes were wet, too, and he had to clear his throat before he could speak. His voice was thick. "I had a question, Mr. Polendina. What would it take to make another vessel, and impart some of my aura into it?"
Pietro considered this for a long, long moment, staring as Oscar as he did so. Finally, he spoke. "It is no trivial matter, young man, to do what you ask. It hurts. Oh, it hurts, to have you soul torn in two, but then there is such joy, to see the life you have created." He trailed off, thoughts doubtless turning to Penny again. "Why would a young man such as yourself want to do something like that?"
"Because, Mr. Polendina, there is a second soul mixed with mine. The soul of a man named Ozpin." Oscar explained everything then, tying together what Pietro already knew of Salem with the new knowledge of Ozpin and how the older soul would eventually overtake his own.
Pietro considered this for a long time, stroking his ragged beard as he did. "It may be possible, but it won't be easy. It took years for me to create my first prototype, and I no longer have my equipment. The files have survived, but I would need to create most everything from scratch. I suppose there is a chance that something survived the destruction of Atlas, but still. And then there is the matter of your conjoined soul. It is one thing to take a portion of a single soul and transfer it, but if what you say is true, separating this man Ozpin from yourself may be nigh impossible."
"I understand. Thank you for considering this matter." Oscar nodded to the older man and stepped back.
"I'll put together a list of what I need and send it to Winter. She oversees the salvage missions to Atlas. Maybe her men can start to collect some things for me. We'll also have to convince some people to divert resources to this matter, which won't be an easy task. But I'll see what I can do."
"Thank you, Mr. Polendina," Oscar said again.
"Please, just call me Pietro. And you are very welcome. Stop on by anytime, these old bones could use the company."
"What, getting tired of me, old man?" Maria griped without malice from the chair she had sat herself down on.
"Never, Maria. You keep me going. It is nice to see faces untouched by time though," Pietro teased, and there was a hint of his old shine back in his eyes as he said it.
"Yeah, I'm wrinkly. So what," Maria said, but she smiled as she said it. "Now go on, you youngsters. We'll let you know what we find out." She shooed them from the room.
Once they were in the hall, she looked at them with gratitude. "You coming here may have been the best thing you could have done for him. Giving him another shot at his life's work may put a bit of verve back into that old codger. Thank you, sincerely."
"Not a problem ma'am. We'll try to stop by more frequently, if time allows," Ren said.
They left then, waving farewell to Maria, who waved back and then stumped back into the room.
Nora looked at Jaune as they walked away, her eyes still slightly red from crying. "I didn't know you were still hurting about Penny, Jaune. I guess I never really thought about it, but you would have been one of the last people with her, huh?"
"Yeah. I was. Can we not talk about that right now Nora? I need some space."
"Oh, ok. Yeah sure." Nora stopped talking and looked hurt.
Ren took her hand in his and squeezed it. She squeezed back, but they both looked troubled. Jaune was in deep emotional pain, and Ren could see the darkness falling around him like petals of jet black, so heavy the other man was almost entirely obscured. He would have to talk to him about it, if Jaune would let him.
"You really going to go through with it, if Dr. Polendina can pull it off?" Emerald asked Oscar to break the silence that had fallen.
"I think so, yeah. If Dr. Polendina doesn't give me good odds I'll probably wait, so we don't lose Oz before we face Salem again, but Ozpin agrees it's something to try. He likes the idea of having a body that won't die, so that he won't have to keep taking over the lives of other people."
Ren spoke up. "That's something I hadn't considered yet. If Ozpin gets a body like the one Penny had, he could theoretically use it forever."
"And, to clarify," Emerald continued, still talking to Oscar, "This man's soul you have inside of you is Salem's old partner? And he's been cursed, just like her?"
"Not just like her, but still cursed, yes. She was cursed due to her selfishness and hubris; Ozpin was cursed because the Gods thought he was the one could unite humanity and show Salem what it means to respect life and death. He can't rest until the Brothers return and pass judgment on us, but if they don't like what they find they're just going to destroy the world, which is what Salem is counting on," Oscar said.
"Well damn. I had gotten some of the real story there towards the end, when me and Hazel got you out, but I didn't know the specifics. That's rough, Oscar." Emerald shuddered as she recalled the things they had done, at Cinders insistence, to 'make the world better'. She wondered, not for the first time, if Cinder had known what Salem was really after.
"Yeah, it is. Silver lining, though, I never would have met all of you, or Ruby and her team, if Ozpin's soul hadn't chosen mine to reincarnate into. Even with everything that has happened I don't regret meeting all of you," Oscar said, smiling at his friends.
"You really are one of a kind, Oscar," Ren said, patting him on the shoulder.
"Yeah, you are. We're all glad to have met you as well," Jaune said earnestly, pain still showing behind his smile. "Let's hope Pietro can pull off a miracle."
I hope he can too, Oscar. You know as well as I do that I hate this part, when I end up overwriting the person my soul has chosen. And you are one of the purest and kindest souls I've had the honor of inhabiting, with a strength of character that exceeds most anyone else's I know. This is an option that may end that cycle, once and for all, Ozpin said.
"Thank you all, for listening to me and acknowledging this idea. You guys still up for a training session when we land?" Oscar asked.
"You betcha!" Nora exclaimed. She looked sidelong at Jaune, who was still brooding.
"Hmm? Yeah, let's go over some formations. I could use a good workout," Jaune said.
Two hours later, after an intense training session, Jaune stood in the showers, letting the lukewarm water run over him. He needed to talk to someone about Penny, but he didn't know how to broach the subject. The only person who knew the truth of the matter was Weiss, and she hadn't judged him for it. He felt a wave of gratitude towards her, but still he worried. Ruby had been closest to Penny, and Ruby was in rough shape mentally right now. Would telling her what had transpired break her newly formed resolve? That wasn't something he wanted to risk, but he knew his friends all deserved to know the truth, and Dr. Polendina deserved to know the truth.
He heaved a deep sigh and raised his face to the water. It shut off the moment he did. Right. The rationing. He sighed again, left the stall, and started to towel off. When he went to locker where he had left his gear, Ren was there, getting dressed as well.
"Jaune, can we talk about earlier?" Ren asked, concern in his dark eyes.
Jaune had a moment of déjà vu then, a memory where Ren was in a towel fresh from the showers and Jaune was asking him for advice, except this time Jaune himself was in a towel. "Yeah, I suppose we'd better." Jaune sat on the long bench in the middle of the room.
Ren sat patiently, perfectly relaxed, as though he hadn't a care in the world. Jaune knew that he could hold that position until the sun went out, if he chose to. Ren was just like that.
"When Atlas fell…" Jaune began. Ren sat and listened attentively, eyes still warm, friendly, and concerned. That look was what gave Jaune the strength to push forward. Ren emanated a trustworthiness that whatever Jaune said would be met without judgment or anger, and Ren would still be his friend.
"When Atlas fell, the fight went poorly. Cinder was taking cheap shots at civilians, and we were trying to fight her and protect who we could. We were off-balance, not fighting at our best. Then Yang fell from the walkway. Blake tried to save her, but her ribbon wasn't long enough, and Yang just missed catching hold of it." Jaune paused, that old memory fresh again in his mind, and then continued.
"That put a dent in our already shaky resolve. We thought we had just watched a friend die, right in front of our eyes. Neo had appeared from somewhere and was keeping Ruby occupied. She pulled Blake in too, when Blake went after Cinder. Then Blake, Ruby, and Neo all went over. Blake could have saved herself and Ruby, but when she hooked Gambol Shroud onto a walkway Cinder burned straight through it, and they fell from sight." Jaune remembered all of this as clearly as if had happened yesterday, even though it had happened so very long ago for him.
"Two more companions, gone. Me, Weiss, and Penny were the only three left. Cinder, still killing indiscriminately, was now laughing at us. She got Penny next, that grimm arm of hers extending unnaturally, all five claw fingers going straight through Penny's chest. Weiss took over then, dueling Cinder by herself while I ran to Penny's aid." Jaune paused here again, and the moment stretched into minutes. Ren remained calm and patient, waiting placidly for Jaune to continue. Eventually he did.
"She was still alive, barely, when I got to her. She looked at me with those huge green eyes, real human eyes, and told me to finish her off so Winter could get the Maiden power. I argued, and tried to start healing her. She told me it was too late, and that it was ok, Jaune, it was more important to keep the power out of enemy hands. Her eyes were wide, and calm, and reassuring. She was decided, she knew that was the best option we had.
"And damn me, Ren, I did it. I ended Penny on her terms, to make sure Winter got the power. I felt her life slip away as my sword pierced her heart. Her real, beating, human heart. The real, red, human blood on my hands as I pulled my sword free and threw it to the ground."
Jaune paused here, tears streaming from his eyes as they fell fast and thick to his lap. He looked at Ren with anguish. "It was me, Ren. I couldn't save Penny, and worse, I was the one who finished her off. I did it because she told me too, did it because it made sense tactically, and now her blood stains my hands, my soul, and I don't know how to tell everyone else."
Ren stayed quiet for a moment, then spoke softly. "Jaune, I forgive you. You were put into a terrible situation and did what you had to do. What happened is a burden no one should have to bear. Think of it this way. Penny asked you to do it. She knew what it meant, knew what was at stake. If you hadn't done it, you would have gone against her final wishes. And if you need to blame someone, blame Cinder. Blame Salem, for setting Cinder against us. You didn't kill Penny, Jaune, she was killed by the enemy. All you did was make sure the enemy didn't benefit from it."
"It hurts, Ren. It hurts so damn much. Decades have passed for me, and still that wound is raw, and ragged, and still my soul feels dirty." Jaune's hands were clenched into fists in his lap, and tears still fell from his eyes.
"That is what sets you apart from our enemy, Jaune. Do you think Cinder feels that stain? Does Salem? You have empathy, they do not. I don't know what happened to Cinder to make her so broken, and we know Salem has been corrupted. It's that pain that makes you human, Jaune. That pain is our advantage in this fight. We've already learned the lesson that the Gods wanted Salem to learn, that she still refuses to learn."
"Why does being human have to hurt so much?"
"Because we also experience love, and joy. We know the bonds of friendship and family. Those bonds hurt when they break, but they give us strength as well. Salem is a hollowed-out shell of a person that has been filled with pure spite. She destroyed her own bonds and can't remember the joy they used to bring her. She has people following her, whether by manipulation, or fear, but when it comes down to it, she's alone. We still have each other, pain and all."
Jaune hitched a breath in and let it back out slowly. He still felt raw, but getting everything out in the open, turning it over with his words and examining it while Ren listened and consoled with his soft, comforting voice, was helping. "Thanks, Ren. For listening. You've always been a good listener. You've also gotten pretty damn good at talking things out, too. I remember when you barely used to say anything."
"It isn't an easy conversation to have, and you took the first step in talking to me. It was brave of you to open up. And you can thank Nora, for me being better at talking things through. Me and her have done a lot of talking these past weeks. She's really made me examine myself and think about how I feel, and getting to know your feelings is easier if you talk about them." Ren paused, and then continued. "Speaking of the women in our lives, I take it Weiss knows all this, as she was still there when it happened?"
"She does, yeah. We haven't talked about it yet. I've been afraid to bring it up."
"Talk to her next. She knows Ruby better than me or you and will be able to help you prepare Ruby for the conversation. I also think you should have a talk with Ozpin. He might be able to give you some help, especially in dealing with the out-of-time experience you had. I can't think of anyone better to go over that than a man who has lived for millennia."
"Ok, yeah, I will. You're a good friend, Ren." Jaune hugged the other man then, tightly. Ren stiffened slightly, then hugged Jaune back.
When they broke apart, Jaune came to the realization he was still clad in just a towel. "Ah. Maybe should have put some clothes on first."
"Hey, no better way to be vulnerable than when you're naked," Ren said, a little uncomfortable but trying to make light of it.
"Uh. I guess not." Jaune cleared his throat. "Right, well, meet you at dinner then, yeah?"
"Yes, I'm sure Nora has already eaten her food and is wondering what's taking us so long. Thanks for opening up, Jaune."
"Thanks for listening. I feel better now, really."
And Ren could see it. The jet-black petals were no longer falling around Jaune, and while he still had a grayish aura, it was a far cry from the abyss he had been in earlier. "It's what I'm here for." Ren got up then and left the locker room.
Jaune sat for a minute, thinking about what Ren had said. The enemy killed her. All you did what make sure they didn't benefit from it. It felt a little hollow, but that was likely just the grief. Besides, it was right. The idea of Cinder with double her strength didn't bear thinking about. She was monstrously strong as it was. Ren had listened, and not condemned him. A part of him still felt like he should be condemned, but it was a start. Jaune dressed and left to rejoin his team.
"Is Jaune ok? He seemed really down about something earlier," Nora asked with concern as Ren joined her, Oscar, and Emerald in the mess hall.
"He'll be ok, yeah. We had a good heart to heart. He's still grieving the loss of Penny. He just needs time." Ren started in on his food.
"They had a hard time of it, didn't they? Cinder and Neo took them all on and won. Cinder is pretty intimidating." Oscar said, toying with his fork.
"They did. All we can do is keep training, so we're as prepared as we can be for our next encounter," Ren said.
The group was silent for a while then, even as Jaune eventually joined them. The mess hall was unusually full that evening, benches filled with older groups of Vacuan huntsmen. They were raucous, swapping tales of daring and courage. When the call had gone out after Atlas had fallen, many hunters from across Vacuo had returned to Shade to aid in its defense. There was a strong sense of nationalism from these hunters. The other academies had all fallen, but Shade still stood. Would still stand, if they had anything to say about it. The other kingdoms had been weak, but Vacuo was strong. The other huntsmen were failures, they were not.
It was tiring to listen to. Ren, Nora, and Oscar had faced their share of scorn from groups like these. Ren knew that other teams, CVFY, SSSNN, FNKI, and ABRN among them, had also been shown derision. Those hunters had failed their academies, failed their kingdoms. Ren almost envied the Vacuans and their lack of knowledge about what the enemy was really like.
"Jaune, is it ok I go visit the White Fang? We still have down time and I have a promise to keep," Emerald asked, looking embarrassed.
"Hey, that's a good idea!" Nora said enthusiastically. "We can all go visit Fen!"
"I mean, sure, we can go, but who's Fen?" Jaune asked, puzzled.
"Fen's a little boy we met yesterday. He's an orphan. Blake's parents agreed to take him in and watch after him with the rest of the Fang, and we promised we'd visit," Nora said.
"Ok. Yeah, it'd be good to get out into the city away from this for a while," Jaune said as he gestured broadly at the room full of boisterous hunters.
In short order Jaune and his team were out of the school and on their way to the White Fang encampment. Once again, Jaune was struck by the sheer mass of people that lined every street. Cramming the populations of two cities together would tax any infrastructure, and it was a glaring reminder of what the refugees and natives were up against. If there hadn't been any riots yet, it wouldn't take long if they couldn't get people spaced out and properly taken care of. It didn't help that there was already bad blood between Atlas and Vacuo without the added stressor of forcing the two peoples to live with each other.
Jaune could see numerous construction projects as they traversed the city, from old buildings being refurbished to plots where new buildings were going up. There were tents and cookfires everywhere. As they walked, the only thing he could think of was how terrible the death toll would be if Salem attacked in force. The people here were way too cramped for comfort. He wondered what Vacuo had for shelters, and if there were more being constructed. He'd have to ask.
The White Fang had set up near the southern edge of the city, right inside the massive sandstone wall that ringed everything in. A pair of faunus waved them in through a gate set into a dilapidated fence, and they could see that the White Fang were operating out of an old, much-abused warehouse that had patched walls and a rust-pocked roof. As Jaune and his team approached, a large airship flying the flag of Menagerie landed in a wide, open area next to the warehouse.
"I wonder if that's the supply ship," Nora said. "Sun and his team might be back!"
Kali, Ghira, and several others came out of the warehouse as people began to disembark from the ship. Kali waved at them, and a small figure broke away and rushed over to them.
"Miss Emerald! You came to visit!" Fen cannonballed into Emerald's knees, hugging them tightly.
"I certainly did. I said I would, remember?" Emerald ruffled the small boy's mouse ears and produced a small bag of candy from one of them.
Fen beamed, smile wide across his face. "Wow, thanks! And did you see? The supply ship finally got here! A lot of the adults were worried, but everything is ok!"
"I don't see Sun, though," Nora said, frowning.
"Who's Sun?" Fen asked, pulling a caramel out of the bag Emerald had given him.
"An old friend of ours. He was supposed to be with the transport. I don't see any members of his team, either," Ren said.
"Let's go see what's going on," Jaune said, walking towards the ship.
As they approached, Ghira was talking to a woman and frowning prominently. As Jaune caught sight of the woman's face, he thought she looked familiar, and after a moment it clicked. It was Ilia, Blake's friend, and a one-time member of the radical sect of the White Fang that had operated under Adam Taurus.
"Totally irresponsible! Sun was supposed to stay with the ship and protect it. And you're saying that he's off on some wild goose chase in the deserts of Menagerie?" Ghira's voice was rising, and several faunus were murmuring to each other.
"Mr. Belladona, Menagerie is still in good hands. The militia and police force are more than capable of handling the grimm, and the protection of the supply ship wasn't a problem for me and my team. As odd as this may sound, I trust Sun on this. We had a solid lead on the Wild Woman of the Wastes, and Sun is convinced she may be the lost Maiden."
"Lost Maiden or not, he had a mission to fulfill, and he abandoned it. I'll be having words with Theodore about this."
Ilia shrugged, then caught sight of Jaune. Her eyes widened, and she hurriedly excused herself from the fuming Ghira. "Jaune! Sun said you and Blake's team were missing! Is Blake ok?"
"Hey, Ilia. Yeah, her and her team are fine. We, uh, had a bit of a detour, but we made it here," Jaune said.
"Are they in the city?" Ilia asked.
"No, we're not entirely sure where they are, except that they're on a mission, they got dispatched last night." Jaune said. "What's this about Sun and his team?"
Ilia frowned slightly. "Well, you know what Sun is like. While he and his team were waiting for the ship to get loaded up, they were exploring the city. See, the thing is, there have been rumors in Menagerie for decades about a woman, an eagle faunus, that roams the desert, killing grimm and helping wanderers. She's a local legend, but has never really been more than a mythological figure, or so we thought. In the last few weeks, after the attack on Atlas and Mantle, more and more people from outlying communities were coming to Kuo Kuana. Most of them talked about increased grimm activity, and more than one told tales about a woman with a proud crest of eagle feathers, dressed like an ancient tribal warrior, who had saved them from grimm."
"And Sun, being Sun, wanted to find her and see what the deal was?" Nora asked.
"Pretty much. For what it's worth, I think someone needed to check it out and see what was really going on. Sun convinced me it should be him. Seeing Ghira's reaction, I'm not sure that was the smartest idea, but it's too late now," Ilia shrugged.
"Yeah, Sun isn't known for thinking things through too thoroughly," Ren said. "This wouldn't be the first time he's gone off on his own. At least he's got his team with him this time."
"Thanks, Ilia," Jaune said. And then, "Alright team, we're here, let's help get these supplies unloaded."
Team Journey got to work, and the faunus gladly accepted their help in unloading the ship. With the extra hands they made short work it. Once they were done and inside the warehouse, Kali served them all tea. After taking a sip, Jaune could see why Blake preferred it to coffee. Kali brewed fantastic tea.
Ren and Nora sat with their backs to a crate, Nora with her head rested on Ren's shoulder and Ren with his arm around her. Emerald had produced a small leather ball from somewhere and was playing catch with Fen. The young boy had a surprisingly good arm for his size and was laughing cheerfully as he played. Jaune's heart warmed at the sight. Oscar sat cross legged on a woven mat, watching the mouse-eared boy and street thief turned huntress with a smile on his face as he sipped his own steaming tea.
Ghira and Ilia joined them, and Ghira still had a thunderous expression on his face. "I still can't believe that Sun would pawn off his responsibility like this. I thought he had grown."
Kali put a hand on his arm. "We weren't there in Menagerie with them, dear. It's entirely possible that he made the right call. The supply ship got here, our people are all still safe, and we have company. Let's just enjoy the night."
Ghira heaved a sigh. "You're right. Doesn't mean I like what he did, but you're right." He took the cup his wife offered him and drank deep, then looked at Jaune. "I don't believe that we've met yet."
Jaune stood and offered Ghira his hand. "Jaune Arc, Mr. Belladona. Team Lead of Journey. I was with Team Ruby in the Ever After."
"Ah, yes. We heard about you." Ghira firmly shook Jaune's hand as he eyed his tarnished, well-worn armor. "The Rusted Knight, in the flesh."
"That's what I was called, yeah. But please, just call me Jaune. That may as well have been a different life."
"You're much younger than I had imagined," Ghira said.
"Time passed differently there," Jaune said, not wanting to make a conversation out of the topic.
"Fair enough," Ghira said. "So, do you think Sun made the right call?"
Jaune paused, considering. "Hard to say, sir. What do you know about this woman that he's after?"
"She's a myth, a legend. A woman who lives in the wastes of the desert, killing grimm, appearing to lost wanderers. The stories are spread by people who have spent too long in the sun, drunk on prickly pear liquor," Ghira scoffed.
"You don't believe there's any merit to those tales?" Ren asked.
"Not much, no. There may have been a woman like that at one point, but if she was still around you'd think we'd have solid evidence of her existence."
"Mr. Belladona, the number of sightings we had gotten in recent weeks gives more weight to the tales than you think," Ilia said. "I believe them."
"Just drop it, dear," Kali said firmly to her husband.
"Fine, fine. He just better not show back up empty handed," Ghira growled. He stooped to pick up the ball, which Fen had just missed, and tossed it back to the boy.
"Thanks Poppa Ghira!" Fen caught the ball and threw it back to Emerald.
"Aw, he calls you Poppa? That's so sweet," Nora gushed from her seat by Ren.
"It was his idea, not mine," Ghira said gruffly.
"Don't let him fool you, he likes it," said Kali. "He may growl, but my Ghira has a soft heart."
"Hmm," growled Ghira, as he lowered himself onto a rug.
They spent the next hour happily chatting with the Belladonas and the various other members of the White Fang who stopped by. Jaune recognized several of them from the fight at Haven, including the brothers with the ram horns. Fen had tired himself out and was nodding off in Emerald's lap while she gently stroked his back.
As they talked, a thought occurred to Jaune. "Mr. Belladona, have the Schnees offered any assistance to your cause here? I had a chance to speak with Whitley and Willow yesterday, and Whitley mentioned that they were trying to help with the refugees," he asked.
"We haven't spoken yet. I had heard that Jacques died with Atlas, but I know very little about the son that's now calling the shots. There's a lot of bad blood between that family and the faunus," Ghira said.
"You've met Weiss, right? All of Jacques' children take after their mother and grandfather more than they do him. I think you could really start making amends if you worked together," Jaune said.
"You have a point." Ghira stroked his beard, contemplating the idea. "I'll reach out to them. Maybe if we present a united front we can get more done. And, it's a great chance for the Schnee's to start cleaning the stain off their name that Jacques left."
"I think that the heirs have already started with that, given that Winter and Weiss both broke away from the family so Jacques couldn't control them. Not to mention the work Whitley has started here," Jaune said firmly, looking Ghira in the eye.
Ghira gazed back. "Yes, and who has he been helping the most, I wonder? Is everyone getting a fair shot, or is he prioritizing old Atlesian families?"
Jaune paused. He had assumed that Whitley was trying to help everyone, but that hadn't come up in the conversation. "I got the impression he wanted to help wherever he could, but I don't know for sure."
"Then I'll be sure to ask." Ghira heaved himself to his feet. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Jaune. And thank you all, for stopping by. I should get some more work done, before the day is over. If you'll excuse me." With that, he walked away.
Jaune watched him go, mulling over his interactions with the fearsome faunus chieftain. Ghira was a levelheaded, intelligent man, and Jaune could sense the weight of experience the other man carried. He wondered how Whitley and Willow would handle the meeting with him. It's in their hands now, I guess. I trust that they'll come to an agreement.
"I know he didn't say it, but Ghira was impressed with you, Jaune. Believe me, he would have let you know if he didn't like you," Kali said as she gathered teacups.
"Thanks, but I'm not too worried about what he thinks of me. I'm hoping Willow and Whitley treat him with the respect he deserves," Jaune said, still watching the door that Ghira had gone into.
"I hope they do too, but that's between them and him. Ghira has been doing this for a long time. He knows what his people need and isn't afraid to humble himself for their sake." She made her way around the circle to Emerald and the now sleeping Fen. "Oh, bless his little heart. Emerald, I'll show you where you can lay him down."
Emerald stood, making sure to jostle Fen as little as possible, and followed Kali deeper in the warehouse. Nora watched them go, smiling sleepily. "Fen has the right idea. I'm bushed. Ren, you think you can carry me back to Shade?"
"Sorry, Nora, I don't think I can cover that distance carrying that weight," Ren said.
"Hey, watch who you call fat, pretty boy," she replied, elbowing him in the side.
"Nora, you aren't fat. That was just a comment based in logic," Ren said matter-of-factly.
"And I was just teasing you. You still gotta work on joke recognition, love," Nora said.
"Ah," Ren said, seriously.
"Well," Oscar said. "Should we start heading back?"
"Yeah, may as well. Should get some rest in case Theodore sends us out tomorrow," Jaune said.
"Hey, can you guys let Blake know I'm in town, or give me a heads up when you know what her team is up to?" Ilia asked.
"Sure, we'll let you know when we find anything out," Jaune said.
Once Emerald returned with Kali, they all said their farewells and headed back to the academy. When they had covered about half of the distance, one of the frigates above the city maneuvered slightly and barked out a shot with its massive railgun. There was the sound of dull thunder from the impact somewhere out in the desert. Jaune looked around, alarmed.
"Are we under attack?" he asked.
"Well, kinda always," Nora said. "That ship probably just spotted a blindworm or something. Every once in a while a juicy target like that gets close enough for the ships to flex their muscles. The alarms will sound if the walls are in danger."
"What, exactly, is a blindworm?" Jaune asked.
"They're very large grimm that can burrow at alarming speeds through the sands of the desert. They can't see, but have fantastic tremor sense. The old ones can get to be several hundred feet long, if what we've heard is true," Oscar said. The ship above fired again, and its neighbor took a shot as well. The group paused, but after a moment and no sirens, they continued.
"Yeah, I've been dying to fight one. CVFY and SSSNN have both taken one down, and I want a shot at one too," Nora said wistfully, hand absently going to the haft of Manghild.
"Let's hope we don't have to any time soon," Emerald said. "Those things freak me out a little bit."
"Wait, you're actually scared of something?" Noras asked, incredulous.
"Hey, if you like the idea of subterranean grimm that are way faster than you in the desert, that you can only track by the bow wave of sand that they make, and that can swallow a person whole, then I don't think I'm the one with a problem," Emerald said.
"But if it swallows you whole, you can kill it from the inside!" Nora said. "I heard that's how Coco and Velvet killed theirs."
"I think I'm with Emerald on this one, Nora," Jaune said. "I'm gonna have to brainstorm some ideas on how to fight those things that don't involve my team getting eaten."
"Ah, you're no fun," Nora said.
"I'm sure you'll get your chance eventually," Ren said, lacing his fingers through hers. "Just have patience."
"Fine," Nora said, now swinging her hand and Ren's back and forth between them.
Before long, Shade loomed before them, and once they entered the building, they all retired to their rooms for the night. Sitting in bed, Jaune checked his scroll, looking at Weiss's name in his contact list. It was dark, meaning that she was out of range. He sighed. He hoped she was staying safe, wherever she was. He turned the light off, said goodnight to Oscar, and went to sleep.