Chapter 1

Points of Departure

Jaune Arc sighed softly, dropping Crocea Mors onto his belt, adjusted his armor over his hoodie, and shut his locker with a soft metallic click. Picking up his backpack from the bench behind him, the first-year student began walking towards the locker room exit, heart filled with conflicting emotions. He was going to miss them. All of his fellow students. Well, maybe not all of them, he thought, as Russell Thrush and Dove Bronzewing walked past him with an air of faint contempt. Certainly his team at the very least, and their across-the-hall neighbors as well.

He was also headed…home? He still hadn't figured that part out yet. He knew they'd be proud of him regardless, but somehow it didn't feel right. Too many questions to answer. He'd confessed his crimes to Pyrrha, and inadvertently to Cardin Winchester, but he knew that any excuse he made in person to his mother would evaporate like a fart in the wind. Besides, he still needed to play catchup with the rest of his classmates before their second year at Beacon began. Training was definitely on the agenda, but he hadn't nailed down anything concrete in that regard. Pyrrha had offered, naturally, but traveling to Argus was another can of worms entirely. Not for the prospect of meeting his partner's family, but rather the very awkward time he'd spent over winter break with his sister and her new wife.

It didn't help that he felt responsible for holding Pyrrha back, either. She was here to learn just like him, and there was no way in hell that their sessions were benefitting anyone but him.

But at the end of the day, his heart was filled with at least a small measure of pride. He'd done it. They'd done it. Their first year at Beacon was in the books. Final exams completed, grades marked, certificates filed, summer reading lists passed out. That last one was something which he…wasn't looking forward to, if he was being honest with himself. For the next few days, though, Jaune was looking forward to just relaxing…somewhere.

The halls of Beacon were full of students moving about, much like him, engaged in disengaging themselves from the school that had occupied their lives for the last eight months. Teams were gathered here and there, scrolls snapping pictures left and right, especially for the graduating upperclassmen. Robes and mortarboards were the consensus uniform for them, along with exuberance and contagious smiles. That was the goal, he thought. Make it through and then on to the license exam, and then a career as a full-fledged huntsman. He had at least a little hope now, and for that, he allowed himself a small measure of joy.

"Whatcha smilin' 'bout, Ladies' Man?"

Aaaaand it's gone.

"Just thinking about the future, Yang." Jaune answered, doing his best not to rise to the bait and make it three times worse. She'd definitely gotten bolder over the year in regards to teasing him, like it was some sort of challenge to her to get him blushing. Not that it was particularly difficult, but he was definitely getting a thicker hide out of it. "Speaking of, I assume you're headed home for the summer?" he asked as they exited out into the quad.

"Yeah, spend some time on the beach here, party there. The usual," she answered with a shrug. "Thankfully, a full school year of combat training kept my beach bod intact, plus that new string bikini…" she trailed off, favoring him with a lilac-tinted wink. "Should be fun with all the rich tourist boys at least. Or girls, take your pick," she added hastily.

"I didn't know…" Jaune stammered, giving the busty blonde what she'd been after in the first place.

"I'm flexible," she added nonchalantly, shrugging before resting her right forearm on his broad shoulder. "So what about you? Heading home to go hang out with some farm animal and pretend she's your girlfriend for the summer?"

"Yang," Jaune said flatly, beginning to reach his breaking point.

"Oh, Bessie, I've missed you so! Forgive me for ever leaving you!" she continued, raising the back of her left hand to her forehead to enhance the melodrama steeped in her voice.

"Really?" he asked, voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Oh, lighten up," she said, clearly disappointed that he wasn't playing along with her. Getting a stone-faced Arc in response, she shoved off of him with an exasperated sigh. "Fine," she added, in that universal female tone that indicated she most certainly wasn't, complete with eye roll. Well, if he was being honest, she was fine but not like…

Damn it, how did she always get to him like this?

"But seriously, you heading somewhere cool for summer?" Yang asked, breaking his potentially dangerous train of thought.

"Like you would admit anything about me is cool." Jaune replied, slightly raising an eyebrow.

"No, literally, Vomit Boy," she prodded.

Jaune let that statement hang in the air for a very awkward pause before he realized what she was insinuating. "Oh! Oh, no. I hate snow."

"So you and Weiss…"

"Friends. Not close, but friends," he said with only the barest trace of regret. Clearing the air between the two of them had been perhaps one of the most harrowing experiences of his life that didn't include some type of Grimm, but thankfully it had ended well. "Besides, she's interested in Neptune anyway."

"Yeah, but they're gone now," Yang added helpfully. "Now's your chance, loverboy."

"It's not like that, Yang. Seriously, just let it go," he added, more for Weiss' sake than his own. If Yang was this brutal with him, her picking on the Ice Queen would be something to behold.

"I mean it, SSSN headed back to Haven yesterday."

"I thought I heard they were transferring here for senior year?" Jaune replied, loath to indulge in the Beacon gossip mill unless absolutely necessary.

"Nah, Sage is from Mistral proper, and his mother's real sick. Neptune refused to break up the team. Kinda sounds like she's the team mom."

"Bummer." Quite the wit, there, Jaune. "But regardless, I think I've got better things to do with my days than chase after the Ice Queen."

"Like not sucking so bad?" Yang quipped drily.

"Among other things, yes."

"You know what I think?" she asked conspiratorially.

"Preeeeeeetty sure you're about to tell me," Jaune said suspiciously, getting a smirk from Yang. The boy was learning after all, it seemed.

"I think you've got your eye on someone else."

"I think you're barking up the wrong tree."

"You calling me a dog?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Ehhh, if the shoe fits…" Jaune trailed off with a shrug, getting a none-too-subtle elbow in the ribs which his armor thankfully blunted. Mostly.

"Come onnnnn, Jaune. You can tell me. There's plenty of eligible girls at Beacon. Or guys, I'm not judging you. Ren is pretty hot, if I'm being honest," she continued, relentless in her pursuit of getting a rise out of the boy.

"Yang!" he hissed through gritted teeth, voice barely above a whisper. "You voice that sentiment anywhere near Nora and we're both dead," he added sotto voce. "Seriously, I'm not looking for a girlfriend right now."

"Pretty sure one's looking for you," she mumbled under her breath.

"What?"

"Nothing," she fired back quickly with as innocent a smile as a berserker could manage. "Anyway, I can help, if you'd like."

"That's what Saphron keeps telling me."

"Which sister is that again?"

"Oldest. And no, I'm not going all the way to Argus for her to set me up with someone," Jaune added, clearly getting the same treatment from her via the CCNet.

"Seriously though, who've you got those pretty blue eyes of yours on?"

"So, you think my eyes are pretty?" he asked, almost…flirting? Yang cocked an eyebrow at his tone before continuing.

"Don't change the subject," she countered. "Now tell me, oh slayer of song, because you're not getting out of this. If you knew you had a chance, with any one girl in this school, who would it be? I'm genuinely curious at this point," she added in as innocent a tone she could muster, draping an arm across his broad shoulders.

"Yang," he said, imploring her to drop the subject, and failing miserably.

"Way out of your league, stud, but points for ambition," she quipped easily, getting a soft glower from the boy.

"Oh come on, Dork Knight."

That's a new one.

"Every boy, every girl too, has that one special someone they think about, late at night," she began dreamily, her lips creeping closer to his ear.

Need to get out of this.

"The one face that haunts their dreams. The one you'd kill to get a glimpse of in the shower," she added, leaning in close enough that Jaune could feel her breath on his neck now.

Too much, Yang.

"Suds slowly sliding off their smooth skin,"

Brothers help me.

"Wandering where you wish your hands could," she continued, voice a husky whisper now. Blue eyes cast about anxiously, looking for a lifeline, someone to rescue him from his torture, before he finally spotted help in the crowd. "So who…"

"Ruby!" he yelped, his voice cracking and gurgling a bit in his desperation. Or maybe that was just the forearm now crushing his larynx.

"Hey Jaune!" she called back, speedily closing the distance between them as only she could. "Whatcha doin', Yang?" Ruby asked skeptically, an eyebrow raised.

"Just giving Vomit Boy here a goodbye hug," she replied, smiling cheerfully.

"It looks like you're choking him," she stated flatly.

"Nah, he'd'a said something if he was!" Yang replied cheerily, planting a fist none-too-gently into the side of his ribcage.

"I don't think he can breathe, Yang," the younger sister clarified, her voice dipping into slightly peeved tones.

"You sure?"

"He's turning purple," Ruby added, now definitely annoyed.

Yang afforded her victim a brief sidelong glance. "It's a good color for him. See?" she offered, hoping her little sister would drop the subject. Unsuccessfully, it would seem.

"Yang Xiao Long, you let him go this instant!" she shouted at the blond brawler, the closest Yang had seen to Ruby being actually angry in quite some time.

Not that she was going to give in to her precious little snowflake of a sister.

"Or…" she replied, challenging her team leader.

"Or," Ruby began, lips curling into a wickedly mischievous grin, "I'll tell Dad about your new swimsuit."

Yang's eyes blinked twice in a panic before she spoke, softly now. "You wouldn't."

"Try me," Ruby replied, brow furrowed and a slight, determined frown curling her lips. Those silver eyes held an intensity that reminded Yang of Summer, on the few occasions when her stepmother actually had to crack the whip at her.

"Fine," she relented, quickly releasing Jaune and allowing him to collapse messily at her feet, gasping for air like a landed fish.

"You okay, Jaune?" Ruby asked, helping him to a seated position.

"I'll live," he croaked.

"What is wrong with you?" she angrily demanded of her older sister.

"I'm just messing with him, like I always do."

"You misspelled assaulting," Ruby corrected her, getting an eye roll from Yang. "Do I need to remind you that if it wasn't for him finding his semblance when he did, I wouldn't be here?!" she added, clearly not backing down.

Yang's posture visibly wilted at that, averting her gaze from her sister. "I try not to think about that day, sis," she said softly. Sadly, she wasn't the only member of the student body who felt that way. Daring to glance up, she caught Ruby absently scratching at her chest, near the top of her sternum. Yang grimaced, remembering the two fresh, parallel scars there, less than an inch long, but matching the much worse entry wounds in her back, put there by a desperate Emerald Sustrai during what the press were calling the Battle of Beacon.

The student body was still trying to move on from that whole mess. The Vytal Festival three weeks later had certainly helped lift spirits, even with the somber mood and mourning bands worn by every competitor. Answers were in short supply, as the staff had been deeply involved with trying to keep their students focused on their studies above all else. If mentioned, they had discussed it in the abstract, as an example of the necessity and price of vigilance above all else. Still, that price could be steep, and everyone had gotten a cold reminder of that fact.

"Ruby?" Jaune asked, hoping to keep his friends from fighting any further.

"Yeah?"

"It's okay, I promise," he said neutrally, the faintest hint of a smile twitching at the corners of his mouth as he rose to his feet.

"Yeah, listen to your boyfriend," Yang cut in, trying to lighten the tone.

At least she's shifted her point of aim.

"He's not my boyfriend!" she screamed, drawing the attention of everyone within a hundred yards for a moment before they returned to their lives. Ruby's face blended perfectly with her cloak for several seconds before she slowly regained her composure. "He's more like the sister I never had," she said firmly.

"What?" Jaune blurted, already dreading the answer.

"Don't you mean brother?" Yang asked suspiciously.

"I already have a brother." Ruby declared matter-of-factly. "You know, loves dad jokes."

"Excuse me? I'm hilarious."

"Yeah, whatever. Belches at the table."

"That's a sign of appreciation in Mistral."

"The entire alphabet?"

"Gifts like mine are meant to be used."

"Unhealthy obsession with punching things."

"Fair." Yang shrugged.

"Whereas my sister has fine table manners, impeccable fashion sense, offers caring, loving support,"

"Hey!" Yang protested at that last one.

"And has the legs to pull off that white dress."

"Umm," Jaune fumbled.

"Got me there, Jaune boy." Yang admitted with a smirk.

"Joy," he replied darkly.

"So what're you doing for summer, Jaune?" Ruby asked as they began walking again, getting the conversation back on track, or trying to anyway.

"Spending lots of time with Bessie, probably," Yang chimed in, drawing a glare from the blonde swordsman.

"Who?"

"You don't wanna know," Jaune opined.

"Your competition, Ruby," Yang insisted.

"What?"

"You didn't know? Playboy Jaune's got a girl back home, and you here at Beacon."

"Not. My. Boyfriend!" Ruby growled through clenched teeth.

The third party to the sisters' tiff fell silent, tuning them out as best he could, still reeling a bit from Yang's earlier verbal (and physical) assault.

He spied a small group of students was in their path, gathered around two in particular; Pyrrha Nikos, resplendent in her full battle gear, and a tall, muscular girl with straight, platinum blonde hair reaching the middle of her back. Her skin was deeply tanned, product of a lifetime under the Vacuan sun, eyes a sparkling shade of topaz. A simple brown leather jerkin covered the upper half of her torso, tooled with intricate tribal designs, covering a halter top in a pale cream color. Dark blue shorts had hems just above her kneecaps, with a wide girdle-style belt almost concealing her abdomen. A pair of brutally spiked cesti, appropriately named Pain and Suffering, were connected by a short chain, dangling over her chest from the back of her neck. She was a whipcord-taut example of a young huntress in her prime, as evidenced by the diamond-shaped gold medal likewise hung from her neck, denoting her status as a Vytal Festival Tournament champion.

"Hey, Yang?" Jaune asked, fighting back a grin.

"What?" he got in response, interrupting a doubtlessly vicious noogie about to be delivered onto the scalp of a now-headlocked Ruby Rose.

"I never gave you an answer to your question from earlier," he said warmly, finally having an angle to get back at Yang.

"Which one?"

"Something about a shower?" Jaune continued, leading her into the trap.

"Oh, really? Well, I'm all ears," a distracted Yang said, not relinquishing her hold even as Jaune leaned in to whisper in her ear.

"Sable Carter," he hissed, barely avoiding giggling at Yang as she turned on him with eyes wide, irises a vivid blood red now as he grinned like a maniac.

"Fuck. You." Yang growled through gritted teeth.

"Language!" came the muffled, but clearly irritated, voice of her younger sister.

"I mean, I do love bronze on a woman. Just not the kind you win in the consolation round," Jaune added offhandedly, enjoying the thrill of flirting with death for some strange reason.

Yang wheeled on him, dropping Ruby before slamming a fist into her open palm with the sound of a thunderclap. "Maybe Ruby can console your parents at your funeral," she said with a malicious grin, eliciting a nervous chuckle from the object of her ire. Before she could make good on the many ways she was pondering to beat him into a fine paste, a massive, bronzed hand clapped down on her shoulder.

"Yang Xiao Long! A girl after my own heart!" came Sable's boisterous voice from behind her. Yang's eyes became narrow slits, conveying that Jaune was nowhere near off the hook before she turned around.

"Hey, Sabes," she said, sounding a little dejected.

"Don't you be getting down on me, girl," she said with the magnanimity only a winner could muster. "You were a hell of an opponent, I ain't gonna lie. You just got a little…" she trailed off, looking for the most diplomatic word she could find, "…predictable," Sable finally settled on.

Yang rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Ugh. You sound just like my Dad," she groaned.

"Huntsman?"

"One of the best," Yang conceded. "Back in the day, anyway."

"Then I'll take it as a compliment," Sable added. "If I hadn't seen your semblance in action in the previous rounds, you probably would have taken me by surprise."

"That's reassuring," Yang replied glumly. "About as reassuring as watching your opponent literally vanish right in front of you before beating you into the ground."

"Semblance. Can't help it. As a kid I wanted nothing more than to be invisible. Comes with being six foot three when you're twelve," she added, shrugging her massive shoulders. "If it's any consolation, you were the first person all tournament I had to use it on. Plus I've got three years on you. Still can't believe you Beacon guys got two first years into the semis."

"We're just that awesome!" Ruby piped up helpfully, garnering a chuckle from Sable.

"Damn straight, girl," Sable replied with a smile, bumping the younger girl's comparatively tiny fist.

"Hello, everyone!" Pyrrha piped up, getting a chorus of 'heys' in response, before she took up station next to her partner, an identical silver medal glinting in the sun against her cuirass.

"And you…" Sable added, pointing a finger directly at Pyrrha. "Red, if I had figured out your semblance ten seconds later than I did, you'd have eaten my lunch."

"It was a close call," Pyrrha concurred with her typical humility.

"But did you have to launch my boys into the cheap seats? Took an hour for security to find them," she asked, a pale eyebrow raised accusingly as she patted her weapons affectionately.

"I didn't realize you weren't wearing them anymore," Pyrrha conceded.

"Fair point. Anyway, my team's waiting on me," she began, turning to leave before she stopped and faced the group again. "Yang, Pyrrha? You two are gonna go far, mark my words. I look forward to watching you two square off in two years. I can only hope it's in the finals. John? Ruby?" she asked tentatively, hoping she got the names right, or close enough at least. "Don't you let these two slack off one bit. Or I'll come looking for you," she added mostly in jest.

"Yes ma'am!" Ruby replied exuberantly. "Yang! Drop and give me twenty!" she barked at her sister, who looked at her with droll, half-lidded eyes. The blonde sister shifted her gaze to Sable, who had an eyebrow cocked in amusement, trying her best to contain herself before the dam broke and she fell into a fit of hysterical laughter. This turned out to be virulently contagious, and soon everyone was joining in, save for Ruby, who was fuming at these people who were flouting her authority.

"You guys take care, okay?" Sable asked, before finally moving down the main walkway and out of their view.

"She really is something, isn't she?" Pyrrha asked with only the barest hint of bitterness.

"I'll say. Jaune was practically drooling over her just now," Yang contributed cheerfully.

"I…see," she replied hesitantly.

"She's just messing with me," Jaune reassured his partner.

"I surmised," she replied, favoring everyone with that soft, genuine smile that she only gave to her closest friends. "Can I borrow Jaune for a moment?"

"As many as you want, Red," Yang fired back easily, giving a quick wink. "We need to get going anyway. Come on, Rubes, we're gonna miss our flight."

Without another word, the youngest of the group darted forward, scooping Jaune and Pyrrha both into a hug. "I'm gonna miss you guys," she declared simply, a slight sniffle heard from Ruby as she squeezed them tightly.

"Gonna miss you too, Ruby," Jaune replied, tearing up a little himself at the prospect of seeing his first friend at Beacon walk away, no matter how temporarily.

"Aww, young love," Yang snarked happily, and Ruby wheeled angrily upon her.

"Why do you have to ruin everything?"

"It's…" she began, before her smile evaporated under the younger girl's ire. "Sorry," she mumbled. "It's just…my thing, ya know?"

"We know, Yang. We know," Jaune chided her gently. "Get over here," he added, both he and Pyrrha opening their arms to embrace their friend. Yang obliged with a soft grunt of protest, embracing them both briefly before stepping back with a smile again.

"You take care of each other, okay? Don't want Vomit Boy missing out on school next year."

"You're not exactly making a good case for me coming back, Yang."

"Pfft, you love it."

"I'll do what I can," Pyrrha chimed in, a slight hitch to her voice as the sisters departed. If Yang or Ruby noticed this, they didn't say anything, but Jaune knew her far too well to let it slide, opting to wait until they had a modicum of privacy before he spoke.

"Something wrong?"

"I…something's come up, Jaune," she said, clearly uncomfortable.

"What's the matter, Pyrrha?" Jaune asked, taking both of her hands in his, squeezing gently to reassure his partner. She took a deep breath, looking back up into his eyes, seeing only concern there, and smiled again.

"It's about the Tournament."

"Pyrrha, you fought as well as you could have. We've been over this, come on," he reminded her.

"No. It's…there is a clause in my contract with Pumpkin Pete's. It was triggered when I made the tournament finals."

"Oh? What's going on?"

"I…have to go on a promotional tour this summer. All over Remnant," she confessed, emerald eyes downcast.

"Oh, that doesn't sound so bad," Jaune tried to reassure her.

"But I won't have very much time to work with you. Your footwork still needs improvement, and…" she began, already rambling nervously.

"Pyrrha," he said softly, calmingly, stooping down to look her in the eye again. "I was already thinking about that. As much as I would love to spend the summer with you, I don't think it would be a good idea." He continued softly.

"What?" she asked, confused, and to Jaune's eye, hurt.

"I know you, Pyrrha. I know that you are driven beyond anything I could ever hope to be."

"Jaune…"

"Let me finish," he interrupted. "I am so thankful, grateful, for everything you've done for me. I'm a better fighter, and a much better person, thanks to you," he said warmly, garnering an equally warm smile from his partner. "I don't want to hold you back anymore," he stated softly, Pyrrha opening her mouth to speak before he cut her off again. "I know you don't mind. And I know I need the help. Believe me, I know. I know that you enjoy spending time with me, and I do too. I also know that you're not getting anything out of it for yourself. I know you're going to have at least some spare time over the summer, and I want you to use it to work on yourself. You don't let it show, but I know you're not happy with losing. It's okay for you to be selfish for a while," he added firmly.

"I don't suppose you're taking no for an answer then?" she asked him, a dissatisfied smirk on her face.

"Team leader's orders, Pyrrha," he confirmed. "Maybe you can learn some new stuff to teach me next year?" he tacked on, getting that warm Nikos smile blossoming on her lips now.

"That sounds wonderful," she replied happily, regarding him for several moments before she wrapped her arms about his shoulders, pulling Jaune tightly to her. "You're the best partner I could ever have hoped for Jaune," she whispered, eyes watering just a bit.

"Only because you're such a wonderful example," he countered, the compliment getting a soft sob from the recipient.

"Awwww, look at these two. Isn't that just the sweetest thing, Ren?" Nora Valkyrie asked cheerfully from behind him.

"It certainly is, Nora," her partner answered serenely, the barest hint of a smile indicating how happy he truly was.

"Hey guys!" Jaune piped up, happy to have his team together one last time before they went their separate ways for the summer. Pyrrha must have been reminded of their imminent separation from the softly disappointed look on her face as Jaune pulled away.

"You still haven't given us an answer, Jaune," Ren reminded him politely.

"Answer?" Pyrrha asked, again out of the loop.

"Yup! Me and Ren got a summer job helping out the Sheriff in Silverlake. We're finally," she began, growling the word, "gonna be deputies!" she finished with her typical hyperactive cheer.

"I'm sorry, Nora. It wasn't my fault," Jaune hastily apologized.

"You're our fearless leader, Jaune. Everything is your fault," she chided him.

"That's my line, Nora. Besides, things just kept…coming up," he added, not mentioning the Breach of Vale or Battle of Beacon by name.

"We know, Jaune," Ren replied placidly. "We were there," he tacked on, remembering how shaken his friend had been on both occasions. "I talked to Sheriff McAllister yesterday, and he's still willing to take on a third, maybe even a fourth, Pyrrha."

"I don't think I'll be joining you," Jaune said softly, favoring them both with a soft, reluctant smile.

"Awwww," Nora protested. "You could at least earn some extra Lien," she added, still trying to wrangle the wayward Jaune.

"I need to train. A lot," he said firmly. "I need to be the teammate you guys all deserve," he continued softly.

"But, Jaune…" Nora persisted, coming dangerously close to whining now.

"I know. I'm a good leader, and a good friend to you all. You all keep telling me that, and I am listening. But you guys are all that and more to me. Maybe, next Vytal Festival, I'd like to be in the doubles round," he added with a little bit of a mischievous smirk.

"Over my dead body," Nora countered darkly, cracking her knuckles.

"That reminds me!" Pyrrha interjected, only slightly unsure that her fellow redhead truly wished to murder her partner. "I have something for you all." Reaching under her left bracer, the Mistrali champion slid three smallish envelopes from their hiding place, fanning them out for her teammates to take one each.

"What's this, Pyr?" Jaune asked hesitantly.

"Like I was telling you, my appearance in the tournament finals triggered a clause in my endorsement contract. That's why I can't join you in Silverlake, Ren. The upside of that clause was a bonus," she said, smiling. "And I'm sharing it with you," she added, folding her hands in front of her.

Jaune's eyebrows flicked up in surprise as he began fiddling with the envelope. "Thanks, Pyrrha. You really didn't need to…" he said, trailing off as his eyes grew wide. "Ummm, Pyrrha?"

"Yes?"

"There's twenty-five thousand Lien in here," he stated, awestruck.

"The bonus was a hundred," she clarified, blushing a bit.

"This…this is too much," Ren chimed in, shock evident even on his normally placid face.

"We won as a team, Ren," Pyrrha retorted. "And I'm sharing the rewards of that success with my teammates. My friends." She emphasized, eyes watering at the word.

"Pyrrha, I…" Jaune began, shaking his head.

"Don't," she replied, taking his hands in hers, a warm smile curling her lips. "I want you all to have this. Not like I need the money."

"Thank you," he said softly, looking back up into her emerald green eyes, as close to tears as she was.

"That's a lot of pancakes," Nora added softly, still blinking at her good fortune.

The Mistrali girl snorted softly, her calm visage soon crumbling into mirth as laughter took her and Jaune both.

"Never change, Nora," Jaune said once they had calmed down.

"You got it, cap'n!" she fired back with that salute of hers.

"And you, Miss Nikos," he added, a hint of accusation in his voice now. "I should reprimand you for stealing my thunder."

"Oh?" Pyrrha asked nervously.

Jaune shucked his pack, digging around inside and retrieving a bundle of black cloth, presenting it to his partner. Curious, Pyrrha accepted the gift, pinching a couple points and allowing it to unfurl. Her eyes went wide as she recognized the garment, sleeves and hood flopping loose under gravity's pull, her teeth biting the inside of her lips lest she betray her emotions to the simple cartoon bunny staring back at her.

"I figured; you like borrowing mine so much, I might as well get you one of your own," Jaune began, scratching at the back of his scalp. "At least you won't have to keep smelling this one to check if I did laundry recently," he added, recalling her repeated excuse for the behavior. At last a smile started to show itself, even as Pyrrha shook her head.

"So dense…" she whispered softly, Jaune's hopeful smile dwindling a bit.

"Yeah, I suppose you could've got your own. Company girl and all that," he said dejectedly before she stepped forward and threw her arms about him.

"I love it," she stated simply, close enough that he could feel her breath, hot on his neck.

Followed by a hint of moisture on his cheek.

Returning the hug, Jaune patted her back, reassuring his partner and friend that everything was all right.

"Well?" Nora prodded.

"Oh!" Pyrrha replied, stepping back before shucking her weapons, leaning Miló and Akoúo against her leg before donning her present. The hoodie draped over her form loosely, the hem well below her hip line.

"You always said you liked your hoodies loose, so I got you my size," Jaune added obliviously, causing Pyrrha to blush again. Nora merely offered a slightly peeved glance at Ren, who likewise shook his head at his friend's utter lack of awareness when it came to women.

"So how do I look?" she asked hesitantly.

"Pyrrha, you'd look beautiful in a potato sack," Jaune replied instantly, Pyrrha's blush deepening at the compliment. "That being said, I think I've got you beat when it comes to ball gowns. Barely," he added without a shred of shame or embarrassment, pausing her thought process for the briefest of moments while she remembered his gesture from the dance from what seems like ages ago. Without warning, the normally soft-spoken huntress erupted into sparkling, genuine laughter, her frame contorting a bit as the emotional release hit her, her weapons clattering unnoticed to the ground.

"I think you'd look better in a tux, Jaune," She finally was able to reply.

"I'll keep that in mind, Pyrrha. If you don't have a date next year, that is," He prattled on cluelessly.

Nora swung her gaze at Jaune, eyelids half closed over a nearly neutral look of disappointment before she shook her head softly.

"What? You want me to wear a dress?" he asked the team short-stack.

Nora's brow furrowed in frustration. "What I want… is for you to get a…"

"Hold on," Jaune interrupted, fishing in his pocket for his obnoxiously ringing scroll. Looking at the display for a second in shock, he tapped the screen and lifted the device to his ear. "Hey, Saph, I'm kinda in the middle of something, can I call you back in like, five minutes? Okay, yeah, talk to you in a bit," he finished, tapping the call closed. "Sorry, Nora, you were saying?" he added absently.

Nora inhaled intensely through her nose, mouth closed and jaw set almost angrily, before Ren spoke up beside her. "I think we have time to have a meal at the new IKOP before our flight to Silverlake, Nora."

"We do?" Nora asked hopefully.

"If we don't tarry, yes."

"You make a compelling argument," she concluded sagely, grasping her chin. "C'mere," she said at last, pulling Pyrrha and Jaune into a fierce hug. "You guys take care of yourselves, okay?"

"Always, Nora," Jaune said softly. "Ren? Stay out of trouble?" he added needlessly, though the lavender-eyed warrior knew exactly who he was referring to.

"Whenever possible, brother," he replied with a placid smile and slight bow.

"You think they still have that red sap syrup?" Nora queried of her partner.

"I think that was a limited promotion, Nora."

"Awwww," she replied, crestfallen as the two childhood friends began to meander down the path towards the docks.

"Jaune?" Pyrrha asked quietly.

"Yeah?"

"There's one more thing I'd like to give you before I leave."

"Oh?"

"But I'm not sure if you'll like it."

"Don't be silly, it's from you, right?" he replied, getting Pyrrha's smile back in response.

"Close your eyes."

"Umm, okay," Jaune said, confused but trusting his partner implicitly.

He heard a shuffling of cloth, but little else to give him a clue as to what was coming before he felt her hands circle around him, starting at his hips and following the beltline around to just above his tailbone. He could feel her doing...something… back there, but this quickly slipped from his thoughts. Pyrrha's proximity was intoxicating, even before he felt her lips press to his cheek. Brothers, he could smell her, a light jasmine scent over the odor of her leathers. The kiss lasted far too long to be called a mere smooch, until at last he felt her hands on his hips again. She leaned back a bit as Jaune released a breath he hadn't even realized he was holding. Green eyes looked with affection as azure flitted open to meet their gaze, his blush overpowering her own. Hesitantly, Pyrrha backed off a step, releasing her partner and favoring him with a softly mysterious smile.

"So how do you like it?" she asked, getting a blank stare from Jaune for several seconds. Pyrrha flicked her eyes downward briefly, drawing his attention to the red sash she had tied there. On his frame, it barely reached past his knee, but still provided a splash of color to accent his largely monochromatic color scheme.

Craning his neck to better gauge his new look, Jaune couldn't help but notice that his partner had given him the one off her own hips. "Pyrrha…" he began, moved by the gesture "I can't…"

"I've got plenty, Jaune," she reassured him.

"I guess now everyone will know my partner is the great Pyrrha Nikos," he mock grumbled, scratching the back of his blonde head. "Guess I'll need to work even harder to be worthy of that," he added with a slight grimace.

"You'll always be my partner, Jaune. And I'll always be yours," she replied, her blush intensifying ever so slightly. "For as long as you'll have me."

"I… I can't even imagine being with anyone but you, Pyr," Jaune said, voice barely above a whisper.

"Likewise," she agreed, her smile growing wider.

"How do I look?" Jaune asked, planting his fists on his hips, affecting the most heroic pose he could conjure.

Pyrrha took a couple steps back, taking full advantage of the opportunity to give him a thorough ogling.

"Wonderful," she said at last, stepping forward to embrace him once more. "I need to get going, Jaune. If you change your mind, give me a call? I can make time for you, all you have to do is ask."

"I know," he said simply, squeezing Pyrrha tightly to him. "You take care of yourself out there, okay?" Jaune admonished her.

"You too, Jaune," she replied, eyes misting over. "See you later?"

"You bet!" Jaune said with only the hint of a sniffle.

He put on a smile to watch his partner walk down the quad towards the docks, getting a friendly wave before she was indistinguishable from the rest of the crowd. Sighing softly, Jaune turned around, looking back towards the school that had been his home away from home for the last eight months. The arches, trees and gardens framed the more substantial architecture well, dorms and lecture halls rising behind and leading into the dominant landmark of the entire campus, Beacon Tower.

"Time to make a call." Jaune said to no one particular.