Chapter 35: Peace and Tranquility
The Hunting Hall of Justice
As the snow fell from the sky around their headquarters, the Hunting League of Justice went their separate ways for the holidays. Yang and Blake were the first to leave, wanting to get to the airport in time. Next to leave were Ren and Nora to head to their motel in Mistral. Pyrrha and Jaune left to spend the weekend with Sarah. Krasnaya volunteered to stay behind in case of emergency, despite their new caretaker - Dionysus Monarch - being paid to keep an eye on everything. That left Ruby, Weiss, and Team CFVY.
"Thanks for the new scroll, Coco!" Ruby smiled.
"No problem, Little Red." Coco gave her friend a pat on the back. "It's actually part of my family's new line of scrolls. There's a voice command setting on it now. Just say who you wanna call and it'll call them for you."
"Really?! Cool! Weiss, come look at this!" Ruby held it up to her face as her wife approached her. "Call Weiss Schnee!"
"Did you say, 'call Wise Cheese?'" The scroll asked, much to the women's confusion.
"Uh, no." Ruby shook her head. "No. Call Weiss Schnee!"
"Did you say, call 'White Sheep?'" The scroll called out.
"No!" Ruby fumed. "Call WEISS! SCHNEE!"
"I'm sorry, you don't have a contact named 'Write Cheap.'"
"No!" Ruby groaned in annoyance.
"Sorry." Coco scratched her neck in embarrassment. "I guess there's a few bugs that need to be worked out."
"Here, let me try." Weiss took the scroll and held it up to her mouth. "Call Mistress Ching-Ching Shang Chao-Chao." The trio giggled as they waited to hear the response.
"Got it. Calling 'Yang Xiao Long.'"
Ruby and Weiss stared at the scroll in disbelief while Coco cupped a hand over her mouth to stifle her laughter.
"Oh, hey, Ruby! What's up? Did I forget something at the clubhouse?" Yang's voice called out.
"Uuuuh, no. Just testing the new scroll Coco got me for Winter Day." Ruby replied. "It has a new voice command feature."
"Oooooh, look at you being all fancy!" Yang laughed, playfully. "That must be convenient."
"Yeah, it sure is convenient… and a little racist."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"Uh, nevermind! Merry Winter Day! Tell Blake and her parents I said hi!" With that, Ruby hung up the scroll.
"Okay, for the record; I am not racist." Weiss held up her hands defensively.
"That's not what the scroll says." Coco teased before gaining a thoughtful expression. "... hang on, is Yang Chinese?"
"I… don't know." Ruby admitted before clearing her throat. "Speaking of Winter Day, what are your plans this year?"
"Taking my team to see my family," Coco revealed. "You?"
"Spending some time with my mother," Weiss said with a bittersweet smile. "She's been making some strides in rehab following my father's death and so I'm hoping to properly reconnect with her while I still have the chance."
"Well, I'm rooting for you," Ruby replied with a grin. "Wish I could come with you, but I promised to help my Dad with some charity work back on Patch."
"No harm done, though that does make me wonder what the others are going to be doing this year," Weiss remarked.
"Jaune and Pyrrha said they would be spending time with Sarah and I think Ren and Nora were planning on doing something in Mistral," Coco called out. "Not sure about everyone else though."
Ruby looked over at their building's caretaker as he dutifully swept the floor. "What about you, Dionysus? What're your plans for Winter Day?"
"Oh, nothing, Mrs. Rose." The caretaker shrugged.
"You always say that."
Dionysus chuckled. "Well, what can I say? I'm just not that interesting. Although, I must admit, I do appreciate the idea of spending some more time with the legendary Crimson Crusader. It'll be nice to at least have some company for the holiday, won't it, Mrs. Krasnaya?"
Krasnaya merely grunted as she made her way to the monitor room.
"Alright, well, I'm going to pick up Penny at daycare and then get on the plane to Atlas." Weiss remarked as she picked up her suitcase and kissed Ruby's cheek. "Have fun with your dad. I'll see you on New Year's, yeah?"
"Yeah. Can't wait to meet your mom." Ruby smiled.
"Trust me: she'll love you," Weiss reassured with a grin.
"I hope so. Anyways, have fun everyone!"
"You too, Red," Coco remarked.
Mistral. Greatest Eastern Motel.
Nora was happily jumping on the bed of the room she and Ren had rented for the holiday weekend. In the meantime, Ren was making use of the kitchen's stovetop to make breakfast before they got on with their plans.
"Oh, hey! Someone must have had a party last time they were here!" Nora exclaimed as she pulled several multi-colored balloons out from under the bed. "Why does the black one have a red napkin taped to it?"
"Uh, who knows? Excuse me…" Ren blushed bright red and avoided eye contact as he made his way out into the hallway and called the front desk. "You said you cleaned this place after the last time I was here!"
"And you said you wouldn't steal the amenities." The clerk replied, dryly. "Happy Winter Day."
Ren fumed, hung up the scroll, and reentered the room. "Hey, they must've been drunk! The pink one's got kiss-marks all over it! That's funny!" Nora laughed.
"Heh-heh, it's not that funny." Ren stammered and returned to the stove. "So, ready for the ice rink?"
"I don't know." Nora sighed as she sat down on the bed and began rubbing the pink balloon on her head to playfully build up static electricity. "I don't get what's so fun about skating around in a circle with a bunch of strangers pushing us around."
"On the Winter Day before we met, my parents took me ice skating in a city where the aurora borealis was at its clearest!" Ren smiled as he set the pancakes on her lap. "It was the best Winter Day of my entire childhood. I thought it'd be nice to relive that with the most important person in my life."
"Aw, you!" Nora blushed. "Okay, I'll give it a shot. But remind me again why we aren't spending the holidays with Jaune and Pyrrha?"
"Don't you remember? We wanted to let them spend some alone time with Sarah." Ren reminded her as he flipped another pancake onto the shortstack.
"Oh yeah. Hope they at least send us some photos."
That night, the couple had donned their winter wear and drove to the outdoor ice rink. Nora struggled at first; her legs wobbling as she slowly slid alongside the wall of the ice rink. In stark contrast, Ren effortlessly glided along the ice with his hands behind his back. He jumped and spun in the air, made figure-eights, and even carved a large heart with his and Nora's initials in the center of the rink. The other skaters clapped in amazement before he slid over to Nora's side.
"Isn't this fun?" He asked.
"Yeah, it's a riot." Nora muttered, sarcastically. Suddenly, she took a misstep and slipped and fell onto the ice with a yelp.
"Oh, my gods! Are you okay?!" Ren bent down to help her up.
Nora's face had turned bright red. "Oh, this was a bad day to wear a skirt with a thong…"
Eventually, Ren had escorted his girlfriend off of the ice and the two sat down on a bench with hot cocoa. At last, the lamp posts were turned off as the aurora borealis began to shine in the night sky. Streams of multicolored lights cascaded through the dark sky and reflected off of the pristine white snow. But what caught Ren's eye was a pair of green and pink lights that seemed to blend together perfectly. He pointed the phenomenon out to Nora, who just melted at the sight.
"See? I told you it was beautiful." Ren nuzzled her hair.
"Yeah, I guess the pretty lights are great." Nora shrugged. "But I still don't see what the big fuss is over the whole skating thing… although, there is this one place I go to celebrate personal victories when I need some me-time."
Ren arched a curious eyebrow. "A place even I don't know about? I've got to see this."
"You sure?"
"Babe, we've got the weekend off and no responsibilities." Ren nodded. "C'mon, let's do it."
An hour later, the couple had driven their rental car to a rustic saloon on the other side of town. Nora was practically bouncing with excitement, but Ren was feeling a bit uneasy as someone was thrown through the window.
"AND DON'T COME BACK!" Someone inside shouted.
"You said this is where you go to relax?" Ren questioned.
"No!" Nora beamed. "I said this is where I go to celebrate!"
They took seats at the bar just as the bartender set down two mugs of beer with candy canes. Nora drank her entire mug in one gulp and let out a loud belch, but Ren couldn't stand the taste. Just then, a woman got up on a stage across from the bar and announced that they would begin the night with karaoke.
Nora quickly took to the stage and grabbed the microphone. Soon enough, the saloon was filled with an upbeat jingle that she began to sway her hips to. As the lyrics appeared on the screen, Nora sang her heart out.
"~ I don't want a lot for Winter! ~ There is just one thing I need! ~ I don't care about the presents! ~ Underneath the Winter Tree! ~ I just want you for my own! ~ More than you could ever know! ~ Make my wish come truuue! ~ All I want for Winter… is yooooooou! ~"
Ren smiled and nodded along to the tune while Nora sang. At one point, he accidentally bumped against a biker and tried to apologize, but just got an aggravated grunt in return. Once the song was over, Nora hopped off the stage and ran to hug her partner.
Nora sighed as she lovingly gazed into Ren's eyes. "There's only one thing that could make this night better."
Ren smiled and leaned down for a kiss, only for his lips to be blocked by cold steel. Nora lifted Magnihild over her head and slammed it down on someone's hand. Before Ren could ask why she did that, Nora quickly shoved her weapon into his hands. The biker angrily turned around and glared at the couple. It wasn't until Nora pointed towards him with her thumb that Ren realized what she was getting at.
"What?!" Ren's eyes widened in shock before he narrowly dodged a glass of beer thrown at him.
Unfortunately, the glass hit someone right behind him, causing a brawl to break out. Ren mostly tried to avoid, evade, and redirect any punches thrown his way while Nora dove head first into the fight. Minutes went by and just when the brawl appeared to be approaching its climax, Nora tackled Ren out of the way of an oncoming patron and the couple stumbled outside. Deciding they'd had enough for the night, they went back to the motel. Ren was digging in his pockets for the keycard when Nora noticed something nailed above the doorway.
"Oh, hey, look: mistletoe," Nora called out with a smile.
Ren blinked before he looked above his head to find that, sure enough, some of the plant in question had indeed been hanging above him. "Huh, you're right. Wonder how that got there?"
"Who cares?" Nora declared before pulling Ren in for a kiss.
As they embraced each other, Ren somehow managed to find the keycard and unlocked the door. They stumbled inside, kicked the door closed, and finally fell back onto the bed.
"We aren't leaving this bedroom until you help me give Sarah a cousin," Nora declared with something resembling a hungry look in her eyes.
"I'm both scared and excited at the same time," Ren couldn't help but admit.
But before they could go any further, Nora's scroll beeped, prompting her to check the alert.
"Hey, what do you know? Jaune and Pyrrha did send us some photos," Nora cheered. "Mind if I take a look?"
"Go ahead."
Nora unlocked her scroll and found a picture of Sarah sitting on Pyrrha's lap while she opened a present and Jaune took the picture as a selfie.
"Aww: they look adorable together!" Nora squealed out.
"Yeah. Who'd have thought Jaune and Pyrrha would make such good parents…"
"...I still want to boop," Nora called out with a "Come hither" look on her face.
"Yes, ma'am…"
Patch. Off the coast of Vale.
Taiyang and Raven had just finished setting up a Winter Day tree in the living room when they heard a rapid knocking noise at the door. Zwei barked happily as he recognized the scent of the person on the other side of the door. Taiyang's smile grew wider as he rushed to the door and opened it up to see his youngest daughter.
"Ru-baby!" He cheered and brought her into a tight hug. "I'm so glad you could make it for Winter Day! The kids at the orphanage are gonna love you!"
"Hrrk! Can't… breathe…" Ruby groaned, tapping on her dad's bicep to signal him to let up.
"Oh! Sorry, sweetie." Taiyang relaxed his grip. "I'm just so excited to do some charity work with my little girl!"
"Yeah, I'm excited, too." Ruby nodded, catching her breath. "Aunt Raven, are you gonna come with us?"
"Y'know, I'd love to, kiddo." Raven nodded, absentmindedly, as she continued decorating the house. "But due to, erm, legal reasons I'm not really allowed within fifty feet of orphanages, schools, or anywhere else where young and impressionable minds can be persuaded to join a certain tribe. So I'm just gonna stay here and prepare for your dad's Winter Day party."
"Oh, yeah? Do you guys have Winter Day punch?"
"Yes, we do, and here it is." Raven reached into the pantry for a bottle of spiced rum, uncorked it, and took a swig.
"Heh-heh, she is Uncle Qrow's sister." Ruby whispered to Taiyang, causing them both to chuckle.
"I heard that," Raven growled out before blinking in contemplation. "Speaking of siblings though, any chance you know how Qrow and Yang are doing at the moment?"
"Qrow's with Winter in Agent Green's old beach house and Yang's in Menagerie with Blake and her parents," Ruby explained. "Said they wished they could come but weren't able to arrange a flight. They expressed their best wishes to us though."
"That's good to hear," Raven said with a grin. "Well, you two have fun."
"Hey, wait, before we leave, I just thought of something," Ruby suddenly declared. "Couldn't Aunt Raven use her Semblance to…?"
"NO!" Raven and Taiyang suddenly yelled out at once in a panicked tone, causing Ruby to jump in fright.
"Eheh, sorry, sweetie, but our team has a strict 'No portals' policy during Winter Day and by extension the days surrounding it," Taiyang said with a sheepish chuckle as he tried to calm his daughter down.
"How come?"
"There was…an incident during the week of our team's first Winter Day together," Raven explained with a haunted tone and look in her eyes before giving a shudder. "I'll never be able to look at fruitcake the same way after what happened that year."
"What's that supposed to…?" Ruby began to ask before shaking her head. "Never mind: I don't want to know. Let's just get going."
One hour later, Taiyang went ahead to meet up with the orphanage's director and caretakers while Ruby put on the special costume for the occasion. After helping with the pizzas and drinks, it was time for the main attraction. "Alright, kids! Gather around!" Taiyang called, bringing the children into a group. "She'll be here any second now!"
Suddenly, a swarm of silver rose petals that looked like snow sprinkled into the room and Ruby Rose - dressed in a white fur coat with blue make-up - sped into the room. "Ho ho ho!"
The kids cheered with delight at seeing the Winter Maiden come to visit them.
"Now, kids, I've been told that you all took a vote to decide what gift you want this year." Ruby smiled. "So what'll it be? A new toy? A video game?"
"DJ Loco-Motion!" The kids cheered together.
"DJ-what now?" Ruby tilted her head, curiously.
One of the older children stepped forward with a tablet they all shared and showed Ruby a commercial for the toy. It was a toy train that could run on a track, puff real steam, and play music that anyone could download onto it and remix it to sync with the turns of the wheels.
"Heh-heh-hey, that is a pretty cool toy."
The orphanage's director pulled her aside with a worried expression. "Mrs. Rose, I appreciate you doing this for the kids, but try not to get their hopes up. That toy's pretty hard to find this close to Winter Day."
"Don't worry, ma'am. I won't let the kids down." Ruby smiled and turned back to the kids. "Alright, everyone! DJ Loco-Motion it is!"
To avoid ruining her costume, Ruby changed into her regular outfit and set it aside as she raced all the way across the bay to get to Vale. Unfortunately, she soon discovered that the director's warning was correct. Everywhere she went, the toy stores were completely sold out of DJ Loco-Motions. Eventually, the sun began to set and Ruby knew the kids would be waiting for her.
Ruby sadly leaned against a toy store window, wondering how she was going to get the toy for the kids. But as her gaze fell upon a cartoonish picture of the Winter Maiden, an idea popped into her head. "That's it!" She smiled, eyes lighting up with delight. "I'll go straight to the source!"
She got into a running stance, flashed her aura, activated her Silver Eyes, and raced all the way to Atlas. But despite what any onlooker might have assumed from what she saw, Ruby was not actually heading to speak with the Winter Maiden, herself. Instead, she raced to the PlayCo toy factory in Atlas to plead her case to the shift manager. And after no small amount of persuasion, she was finally able to purchase a DJ Loco-Motion.
"Thank you again, Mr. Crinkle." Ruby beamed as she shook hands with the manager. "The kids in Patch are going to love this."
"Well, it's not easy to see us part with the very last DJ Loco-Motion of the season, Mrs. Rose, but after everything you've done for Remnant, it's the least we can do." The manager smiled. "Schönen Wintertag und ein frohes neues Jahr (Happy Winter Day and Happy New Year)."
"Uh, you too." Ruby nodded and ran off, silently wishing she'd paid more attention when Weiss tried to teach her German. Regardless, she had acquired a DJ Loco-Motion and was well on her way back to Patch. But just as she was about to cross the bay, something in a department store caught her eye.
"We interrupt this program to bring you an emergency bulletin," a nearby TV - which had previously been broadcasting a Winter Day special - suddenly blared. "A deadly high speed chase has broken out between local authorities and the fugitive mad scientist Dr. Albert Albino, aka Silverback along Metro Lane. Citizens are advised to stay indoors until the crisis is dealt with."
"Wow, crime really doesn't take a holiday," Ruby couldn't help but remark. Unable to turn a blind eye to such an emergency, Ruby loaded up Crescent Rose and dashed towards Metro Lane.
When she arrived, the gorilla faunus had incapacitated the police officers and broken into a local museum. Ruby put on her Grimm Reaper mask and raced inside just in time to redirect one of his shots away from an exhibit and out a window. She set the toy down and glanced around the area to see the warped ceramics and twisted metals.
"Geez, you bad guys work fast when you wanna wreck stuff, huh?" She quipped.
"For your information, I hadn't even started." Silverback scoffed. "Can you believe they call these hunks of atrocious garbage 'art?!' A waste of public funding!"
"Cool motive. Still a crime."
Ruby activated her silver eyes and semblance to remove the magazine from Silverback's weapon and discard it. Once she returned to normal speed, she flipped Silverback into the air with Crescent Rose. Unfortunately, he landed on the DJ Loco-Motion.
"NO!" Ruby cried. She rushed over and shoved the mad scientist off of the broken pieces of plastic. "No… that was the last one…"
"Oh, how terrible." Silverback chortled, sarcastically. "I broke your precious toy."
"It wasn't for me." Ruby explained, trying to put the pieces back together. "It was for a bunch of kids who really wanted it."
"Pah, they'd have been better off with a book."
Ruby gave up on repairing the toy and mournfully stood up. "Don't you remember what it was like when you really wanted something…? And that awful feeling you got when you didn't get it?"
"Yes." Silverback sneered. "I often have you and your friends to thank for that."
"I was talking about Winter Day."
"Oh, that over-commercialized drivel." He scoffed. "Corporate-sponsored tidings of 'season's greetings' and fraudulent feelings of jolly."
Ruby angrily pointed in the scientist's face. "Y'know, for someone who claims to be an expert in human and faunus advancement, I'd think you'd know something about the importance of spreading good will! Especially to little kids who need it! I'd like to think those kids would grow up and help spread that good will…"
Silverback's expression softened as his enemy sadly made her way back to the toy. "A not unworthy sentiment, I suppose."
Ruby heard him pick up the ammunition magazine and reload his weapon. "You can go ahead and use that on me for all I care… I couldn't feel any worse."
"If you insist!" Ruby turned around just in time to see the blunt of Albino's weapon before it collided with her face.
When she woke up, Ruby could see Silverback tinkering with something at a workbench. She stumbled a bit due to the blow, but eventually made her way to the workbench to see that the DJ Loco-Motion doll was almost fully repaired. "What're you doing?"
"You'll be happy to know, Mrs. Rose, that your words - as cliche as they were - actually resonated with me." Silverback took a moment to shake Ruby's hand. "So, I propose a temporary truce in honor of the holidays. You'll have the toy ready within the hour. I'm even making a few improvements as well."
Ruby arched a weary eyebrow as she watched him tinker. "It's not gonna blow up, is it?"
"Rose, it is Winter Day." Silverback reasoned, evenly.
"Okay…" Ruby rubbed her forehead. "But why'd you hit me?"
Silverback shrugged. "You hit me first."
Ruby ultimately decided to trust the mad scientist and helped him in any way she could. Once it was finally repaired, Ruby rushed back home to grab her Winter Maiden costume, plus a few items from the snowman she'd made earlier, and escorted Silverback to the orphanage.
"I won't wear it!" He grumbled.
"Oh, c'mon! I'm the one wearing the dress and the make-up!" Ruby placed a top hat on his head and wrapped a scarf around his neck. Then, she entered the orphanage. "Greetings, kids! I've returned with your toy!"
The orphans cheered in delight.
"And I brought a friend to help me; Abominable the Snowman!" Ruby stepped aside to show the gorilla faunus holding the toy train, causing the children to recoil in slight fear.
"Just give them the toy and take me to jail." Silverback insisted.
"You sure it's not gonna, y'know - ka-pew?" Ruby made an exploding gesture with her hands.
"Oh, for goodness sake, just give it to them!"
Ruby set up a track for the train to run on and Silverback flipped the switch to turn it on. The children gathered around as the train began to circle the track and puff real steam from its plastic funnel. But instead of singing a childish song, it began to tell them a traditional Winter Day story. While initially put off, the children sat and listened with interest.
"See? I told you I improved it." Silverback smiled, crossing his arms with pride.
"I kinda liked it better when it beat-boxed." Ruby admitted. "But this is nice, too."
After the party, Silverback made good on his word and surrendered himself to the police. It didn't matter much to him anyway; he would be able to escape in less than a week and continue his agendas. But just as he was delivered to his cell, he spotted a familiar huntress leaning in the doorway.
"What do you want?" He groaned. "I delivered my end of the bargain."
"Well, I wanted to thank you for your help." Ruby stepped away from the table to reveal her surprise.
Silverback blinked in surprise. "A tinsel Winter tree."
"I know, it's kinda cheesy but-"
"No, no, it's fine. We had one just like it when I was…" Albino swallowed and held his hands behind his back. "It's very nice. Thank you."
Ruby nodded and made her way out to let the guards lock the cell. But she stayed behind long enough to see Silverback plug the tree in and watch the lights twinkle. With a warm smile, Ruby left to finish the holidays with her father and aunt.
Mistral.
"Zzzzzzz…"
"Sarah! Wake up! It's Winter Day's Eve!" Pyrrha called from downstairs.
"Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…"
"Sarah, I'm making pancakes!" Jaune added.
"Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…"
Soon enough, a pair of footsteps echoed from the hallway outside of Sarah's room. Jaune and Pyrrha opened the door to see that not only was their adoptive daughter still asleep, but half of her body wasn't even on her bed. Pyrrha tiptoed her way over to Sarah's bed and gingerly picked her up. Much to their surprise, Sarah was still sound asleep as she lay limp in Pyrrha's arms.
"Okay, maybe Ren was onto something about the narcolepsy suggestion he made." Jaune remarked to himself.
"Yeah, we'll need to remember to call someone after the holidays," Pyrrha said with a nod all while smirking as Sarah unconsciously snuggled into her chest. "At least she's comfortable with us, meaning it won't be long before she's accepted us as her family."
"Mama…"
Pyrrha froze upon hearing what the young girl had called her in her sleep before smiling and kissing Sarah on the forehead. "Guess we don't have to wait as long as we thought for her to accept us… but I still need her to wake up."
"Leave it to me…"
Pyrrha watched in confusion as her husband made his way to the closet where they kept their weapons. A few seconds later, she was sitting through the most obnoxious song she had ever heard in her life while Jaune rapidly strummed the chords of his guitar and sang.
"~ We'll swim through the lakes and climb up trees! ~ Hunt fish, bugs, bears, and honeybees! ~ There's endless possibilities! ~ And no, that's not hyperbole! ~ Our motto's 'CAMPE DIEM!' ~ And that means I'm telling yooooooooou-! ~ Pyrrha, this is my favorite part. ~ We've got-!"
"Okay! Okay! I'm up! I'm up! I'm up!" Sarah cupped her hands over her ears and ran downstairs to breakfast.
"Huh. Who knew being annoying was a superpower?" Pyrrha joked.
"Well, I did grow up with seven sisters." Jaune shivered. "It was my only defense."
"Speaking of which, how are your sisters doing, if you don't mind my asking?" Pyrrha couldn't help but call out.
"They're fine." Jaune nodded, absentmindedly. "They're all off with their own wives or husbands. Some are at my parents' house, some are at their own houses, the important thing is none of them are here."
"Oh, come on: you're just being dramatic. Still, it's nice to know that they're doing alright at the moment," Pyrrha said with a good natured roll of her eyes and a smirk.
"Actually, while I think of it, I wonder how Ren and Nora are doing right now." Jaune remarked.
"I'm sure they'd tell us if they ran into any trouble."
"...really?" Jaune called out with a raised eyebrow.
"...okay, Ren will tell us if they run into any trouble."
"That's better," Jaune said with a nod. "Speaking of which, do you think we should send Nora and Ren some photos?"
"I don't see why not," Pyrrha replied with a grin.
The couple made their way downstairs to see Sarah groggily filling her plate with breakfast and carrying it to the dinner table. She almost nodded off until Jaune lightly pulled her chair out for her and sat her down.
"I do hope you'll be able to stay awake long enough to open your presents." Pyrrha remarked.
Sarah suddenly found herself feeling fully alert. "I…I'm getting presents?"
"Oh, sweetie," Pyrrha called out with a melancholy grin, having been unable to miss the hurt and wonder in her adopted daughter's voice. "Why would you assume you wouldn't?"
"Well I…I don't remember the last time I ever got a gift," Sarah admitted with a subdued frown. "The folks at the facility in particular made it clear that monsters like me barely deserved to eat."
"Is that so?" Jaune dangerously remarked as he started to walk over to where they kept their weapons. "Pyrrha, remind me where Ciel said they suspected the people in charge of that facility were located?"
"Jaune you are not leaving me alone with Sarah to hunt down her tormentors on her first Winter Day," Pyrrha declared with a no-nonsense tone to her voice.
Jaune just sighed in response as he came back. "You're right, you're right: we can always hunt them down later."
"Good boy."
After breakfast, the family entered the living room to sit next to the Winter Tree and open presents.
"Say Winter Day!" Jaune called out as he brought up his scroll to take a picture.
"Winter Day!" Pyrrha and Sarah said together as the picture was taken and Sarah began to open a present.
Sarah's joy was cut short, however, as the sound of growling suddenly filled the air. "...you wouldn't have happened to get me a pet, did you?" she nervously asked.
"No and if we did we'd make certain that it was docile enough not to growl for no real reason." Pyrrha reached out her hand and used her semblance to summon her shield as she cautiously rose to her feet. Suddenly, a pack of rogue beowolves burst into the house and lunged towards Sarah, only for the leader to be impaled by a spear.
"Don't. Touch. My daughter." Pyrrha growled out before using her semblance to send her shield spiraling through the air, slicing the heads off of all the beowolves before they could hurt Sarah as a result.
"As impressive as that was, that felt a bit too easy," Jaune cautiously declared as made to get his own weapons even as the freshly killed Grimm began to dissolve. "Grimm don't just randomly attack, as the majority of them are docile following Salem's defeat and those that aren't docile don't generally attack humans unless they feel they have an advantage, so we can't relax just yet."
Indeed they couldn't. Within seconds, more grimm appeared from the shadows. Pyrrha tried her best to hold them off while Jaune grabbed Sarah and bolted towards the kitchen. He threw open the pantry door and spotted the briefcase that held his armor. He shoved Sarah inside for protection, but wasn't fast enough to grab the case when an ursa tackled him. He still had his shield and sword, so he wasn't completely helpless, but the ursa was pushing him back.
"The case! Gimme the case!" Jaune shouted as his shield was knocked aside by the ursa. "THROW ME THE CASE!"
At last, Sarah managed to pull the suitcase out of the pantry and threw it at Jaune's feet. Jaune stepped on the activation button and the case immediately flipped open. He slipped his hands into the gloves as they popped out and clenched his fists as he pulled the case up to his chest and let it clasp around his shoulders. He spread his arms wide as the rest of his armor spread over his body until at last his helmet clasped around his head. He aimed both hands at the ursa and used the propulsion devices built into the palms of his gloves to blast the ursa away.
While Sarah continued to hide in the closet, she watched as Jaune and Pyhrra seamlessly fought together against the remaining grimm invaders. Pyrrha threw her shield and spear, using her semblance to control their momentum as they cut down several grimm at once before returning to her. At last, Jaune remembered a feature built into his armor's gauntlets.
"Pyrrha, Sarah, get down!" He shouted.
Once his loved ones ducked, Jaune activated the fire dust in his gauntlets and they blasted through the specialized lenses built into the knuckles. He spun in a circle, cutting through the grimm with a circle of lasers until the fire dust ran out.
"Huh…" Pyrrha remarked as she stood back up. "You should lead with that next time."
"Yeah, sorry, boss. I can only do it once." Jaune replied, shrugging off the red-hot gauntlets.
Whatever Pyrrha could say in reply was quickly cut short as a certain girl knocked her to the ground in a desperate embrace.
"Mama!" Sarah cried out as she held onto Pyrrha like a lifeline.
Pyrrha, though a bit surprised by what her adoptive daughter had called her, while awake no less, simply held the girl close as she sobbed. "It's okay: Mommy's here."
"And so is Daddy," Jaune remarked as he came over and patted his adoptive daughter on the head. "I promise, no one is ever going to hurt you if either of us can help it."
The girl just nodded in reply as she snuggled deeper into the embrace. "Don't leave me…" Sarah called with a whimper before falling asleep yet again.
"Never." Jaune and Pyrrha responded in unison.
Jaune merely smiled as he watched Pyrrha kiss the sleeping Sarah on the forehead. "Happy Winter Day, Sarah: I hope your dreams will be pleasant now."
The couple decided to postpone Winter Day and get some rest.
"We'll need to remember to contact Ruby and Jasmine at some point: something tells me they'll be interested in how so many rogue Grimm were in a single location, especially as it potentially means there's a rogue Alpha running around somewhere," Jaune couldn't help but remark.
"Agreed, but in the meantime…" …and that was all the warning Jaune got before Pyrrha grabbed him and threw him onto the mattress in their bedroom.
"Pyrrha?" Jaune couldn't help but ask as his teammate and lover pinned him to the bed.
"Shh," she remarked as she put a finger to her leader's lips. "I'm not sure if it's an adrenaline high from the earlier fight or something else entirely, but I'm feeling way too pent up at the moment."
"What are you…?" …and that was as far as Jaune got before his eyes widened as Pyrrha peeled her top off and tossed it onto the ground beside the best.
"Jaune, I love you, but with all due respect, shut up and ravage me." Pyrrha called out with a seductive voice even as she shimmied out of the rest of her clothing…right before giving a pleasant yelp as her lover flipped her over so that Jaune was on top of her.
"You really want to give Sarah a sibling, don't you?" Jaune teasing declared even as he removed his own clothing.
"Yes, now shut up and kiss me."
"Yes ma'am."
Adel Manor. Vale City.
"This is a bad idea." Fox couldn't help but remark as Coco pulled the van into her parents' driveway.
"Shut up, Fox." CVFY's team leader smirked. "No way in hell was I gonna let you sulk around the clubhouse for the holidays. Besides, Big Red practically begged for monitor duty tonight."
Fox couldn't believe that he let himself get dragged into a holiday he'd never celebrated before. But what was even more unbelievable was Coco's attire; the fashionista had shed her usual expensive outfit and donned a more modest tracksuit, not only that, but her hair was devoid of all products and was tied up in a messy bun. Once they arrived at Adel Manor, Coco pulled into the driveway just as the last of the maids were leaving the grounds.
"Merry Winter Day, Anita!" Coco waved, politely. "Enjoy your vacation, Clara! Give your family a big hug and kiss for me, Gemma!"
"Merry Winter Day, Coco!" The maids waved back in unison as they drove off.
"Your family's maids get Winter Day off?" Fox asked.
"Of course." Coco smiled. "They deserve it more than anyone! And dad pays them well enough that they don't have to come back to work until after New Years."
"Aw, that's so sweet!" Velvet gushed. "Your parents are the nicest rich people I've ever met!"
"They're the only rich people you've ever met." Yatsuhashi chuckled before gaining a thoughtful expression. "Well, aside from Weiss. And Svetlana. And I guess technically Team JNPR? Are they rich?"
"Nah, they're just well-off." Coco waved him off.
The team exited the car and grabbed their luggage from the trunk before making their way to the front door. Coco rang the doorbell and the door immediately swung open. Her parents picked Coco up in a big hug and dragged her inside.
"Merry Winter Day, Coco-baby!" Mr. Adel beamed.
"Merry Winter Day to you, too, daddy!" Coco laughed.
"Have you been eating enough lately?" Mrs. Adel squeezed her arms tighter around her daughter's waist. "You feel thin."
"Oh, mom." Coco rolled her eyes before nodding towards the door. "By the way, I brought my team with me."
"G'day, Mr. an' Mrs. Adel!" Velvet waved, politely.
"Thank you for having us!" Yatsuhashi bowed with respect.
"Mr. and Mrs. Adel." Fox nodded as he lingered in the doorway. "I hope my presence here doesn't inconvenience you, but Coco was insistent that I spend the holidays with you. My name is Fox Alistair… I'm blind."
"Oh, we're no strangers to handicapped kids in this house." Mr. Adel smiled as he escorted Fox inside.
"Oh, my! I love your-!" Mrs. Adel stopped herself as Velvet hastily whispered something into her ear. "-lightish-red clothes."
Once he was inside, Fox quickly took notice of the scent of cookies baking in an oven and the sound of Winter Day music playing on the radio. He was clearly in a large room - possibly the foyer - and he heard Velvet and Yatsuhashi taking off their shoes. He politely knelt down to untie his own boots when he heard Coco speak up again.
"Where're Toma, Mate, and Van?"
"Well, Toma's spending the holidays with his family at his wife's cottage in the mountains." Mrs. Adel explained, only slightly disappointed. "But don't worry, he'll send gifts and a postcard later."
"As for Mate and Van, they decided to buckle down and stay in Pharos for midterms." Mr. Adel added.
Despite being slightly upset at not seeing her brothers, Coco's smile widened. "Well, Fox, so long as Toma won't be needing it, you can stay in his room!"
Fox didn't argue, he just picked up his luggage and followed Coco upstairs to her brother's old bedroom. Inside was a grand piano, a cello, a record player, and several records on the shelves. The bed was at the far end of the room.
"Yeah!" Coco smiled, leaning in the doorway. "You should be nice and cozy here!"
Fox arched an eyebrow. "'Nice and cozy?' The sweatpants? The oversized hoodie? I've never seen this side of you before, Coco."
"You've never seen any side of me." She chuckled.
"Funny." Fox deadpanned.
"Well, what can I say? Out in public, I have a certain reputation to uphold. I was pressured to be Coco Adel, fashionista heiress to the Adel fortune… I wanted to make sure I lived up to it." Coco shrugged with a smile. "That's what I like about coming home! I can just relax and be myself."
"Hey! Hurry up, everyone!" Mr. Adel called from down the hall. "I'm about to plug in the Winter Day Tree!"
"Daddy!" Coco called out as she ran down the hall. "That's my job!"
After leaving his suitcase on the bed, Fox made his way downstairs to enjoy the company of his friends. Soon enough, dinner was ready and Mrs. Adel brought a large turkey from the kitchen and sat it down on the table while Coco and her father laughed about previous Winter Days.
"Ha ha ha! This little girl was crazy about Winter Day!" Mr. Adel laughed as he carved the turkey. "We used to hire the maids to come up with a new hiding place for her presents every year so that she couldn't peek!"
While Velvet, Fox, and Yatsuhashi laughed, Coco set down her mug with a slightly distraught look on her face. "... you mean, the Winter Maiden hid them, right?"
"Oh, uh, of course, sweetie."
Just then, Mrs. Adel walked in with a package behind her back and approached Fox with a smile. "Fox?" She cleared her throat to earn his attention. "Coco tells us that you're on your own for the holidays this year. And we never let anyone go home without a gift."
Fox felt the older woman set the package down on his lap and he looked up in her direction. "But… I don't have anything for you."
"Nonsense, dear, your friendship with our daughter is more than enough."
Fox opened the package and felt a large sweater inside. He slipped it over his head and quickly realized that it was a couple sizes too big. Regardless, he thanked Mrs. Adel for it and enjoyed the dinner. Later that night, he went to Coco's room at the behest of her parents to see if they wanted to play a board game.
"GAH!"
"What happened?!" Mr. Adel couldn't help but ask as his guest stumbled back into the living room.
"I walked in on Coco having sex with Velvet and Yatsuhashi…at the same time," Fox revealed with an unreadable expression on his face.
"I thought you were blind," Mrs. Adel pointed out, not quite understanding why such a sight would bother him.
"I've got an earpiece that gives me a sort of artificial sight in a pinch," Fox explained while tapping his ear, "And even then, my being blind doesn't stop me from hearing what happened."
"Ooh, sorry to hear that." Mrs. Adel said with a wince.
"It's fine: believe it or not, this isn't the first time this has happened…this week."
"Yeah, that's not surprising." Mr. Adel nodded. "Coco was quite the heartbreaker before she went to Beacon. Honestly, though, the real surprise is that she welcomed Yatsuhahsi into her relationship with Velvet. We didn't think she liked boys."
Fox shrugged. "Yeah, well… I'm sorry, sir, but do you mind if I take a walk?"
"Oh, not at all. But when you get back, the missus and I will have a hot chocolate mug with your name on it."
"Thank you, sir."
With that, Fox grabbed his coat and scarf and took a stroll through town. As he walked, he thought about his old life back in the Kenyite tribe and how they never really celebrated Winter Day. He was starting to feel guilty about coming when his friends were trying to get him into the holiday spirit but nothing seemed to be working. Why was this holiday so special when he hardly ever thought about it?
Suddenly, his semblance picked up a stray thoughtwave from a house across the street; it was a little girl crying.
"Bobby's wrong! He's gotta be! There is too a Winter Maiden! She helped fight in the Menagerie War and stopped Salem! He'll see! She'll eat the cookies I made just like she does every year!"
Fox's heart sank as he could sense the sadness in the girl's mind. A smile crept over his lips as he came up with a brilliant idea to reinforce her faith. Using his Sharp Retribution to climb up a tree next to the house, he leapt into the air and landed on the roof. His smile widened as he sensed her excitement at hearing him walk across the roof towards the chimney. He could also sense that she was sneaking downstairs, so he squeezed his way down the chimney and somersaulted towards the Winter Tree and picked up one of the presents the girl's parents had left behind earlier. By the time the girl arrived downstairs, Fox projected an image of the Winter Maiden into her mind over him and he silently shushed her. The girl cupped her hands over her mouth to suppress her squeal as she ran back upstairs.
Before Fox made his way back up the chimney, he smelled the plate of cookies next to him, picked one of them up, and took a bite. "Mmmm, homemade." He thought, pleasantly, to himself.
Once he was back outside, he continued down the street and allowed his semblance to reach out towards anyone close enough. As he continued to munch on the homemade cookie, his earpiece picked up on something else across the street. A man was rapidly approaching an elderly woman from behind with something in his hand. Fox choked down the rest of his cookie and ran halfway across the street, cocking his weapon as he did. But he stopped once he heard the man speak.
"Hey! Lady, wait!" He stopped the old woman and held out a present to her. "You dropped this a few blocks back."
"Oh, thank you!" The old woman smiled and lovingly pinched the man's cheek, making him blush. "This is my grandson's Winter Day gift! He'd have been heartbroken! Thank you so much for getting it back to me, young man!"
"Heh, no problem, lady." The man smiled and waved her off. "And Merry Winter Day!"
Fox smiled at the random act of kindness before continuing on his stroll. For his last stop, just as the clock struck midnight, he was drawn to a choir singing inside a church. Discreetly, he made his way inside just as the minister concluded his sermon.
"And as we celebrate the gifts the Winter Maiden has blessed us with this season, it is also important to remember our loved ones and all they've done for us. Those who we see everyday. Those we will see tomorrow. Those who are no longer with us. We must all remember the people who've touched our lives and honor their love by spreading kindness and good will. Not just during this lovely season, but all year round. Let us strive to spread the Winter Maiden's message to whomever needs it."
"Amen." The crowd nodded.
Fox's smile widened as he made his way back to Adel Manor.
Coco, Velvet, and Yatsuhashi woke up on Winter Day morning to the sound of a piano being played in another room. The throuple quietly put on their robes and made their way out to the hallway when they heard a familiar voice begin to sing.
"~Have yourself… a merry little Winter… let your heart be light… from now on, your troubles… will be out of sight~"
Velvet cupped her hands over her heart in joy as she and the others made their way down the stairs.
"~Have yourself… a merry little Winter… make the Yule-tide gay… from now on, your troubles will be miles away~"
Yatsuhashi grinned as they drew closer to the room the song was coming from.
"~Here we are as in olden days… happy golden days… of yore… faithful friends who are dear to us… gather near to us… once more~"
At last, they found Mr. and Mrs. Adel standing outside of Toma's bedroom, sipping hot chocolate and enjoying the music. "... and he said he didn't bring a gift…" Coco whispered, happily.
"~Through the years… we all will be together… if the fates allow… hang a shining star upon the highest bough…~"
Inside the bedroom, Fox was putting his semblance to good use as he remembered the song he'd overheard from the church and danced his fingers along the ivory keys of the piano. For the first time, he understood the true meaning of Winter Day.
"~And have yourself… a merry little Winter… now~"
To Be Continued