Where Vale had situated itself within walls and natural barriers, Vacuo had buried under the ground, and Atlas had built massive sky scrapers, Mistral had defended itself by building on and into the steep cliffs that seemed to rise straight from the lakes. Or the rich parts did at least. Grimm rarely climbed to high into the mountains, and machine gunners and huntsmen made short work of flying Grimm. Small homes with terraced gardens lined up and down the mountains and an intricate system of cable cars connected the mountains.

Jaune was standing in front of one of these houses, all dark wood and dusky pink stone with flowers in the window boxes. The building almost felt like a second home to him, he mused as he lifted the heavy door knocker.

"Jaune's here!" The door was ripped open to reveal a tall older woman with sparkling green eyes.

"Yeah well, bring him in." A gruff voice yelled from inside.

The interior of the house was much the same as the outside, with a blend of the rustic and the modern to it's character. Though it's halls rang with emptiness, where once they would have been filled with laughter and the din of hunters in training.

"You've gotten skinny," The man said as he eyed Jaune up. "Ren not feeding you enough?"

"I moved out, and I haven't lost any weight." Jaune smiled. He never had lost weight, but the old man perpetually thought he was too skinny.

"She's out back son." the man said as Jaune passed through his lounge. "Been awhile since she's had any visitors, she'll be glad to see you."

"She always is." Jaune said with a weak smile. It was a tradition for them, ignoring the goliath in the room.

It was a short walk through the house, through an empty hall past empty rooms. Once the house would have been filled with the clamour of a young huntress at the top of her field, but now it rang with the sound of silence.

He felt a pang of guilt as he sat down in the yard, a small patch of grass and a porch. A small fountain over to the side, fed by the waterfall that ran through the mountain city.

"Hey there Pyrrha," Jaune said as he settled down in front of the stone, reaching out to run his fingers over the engravings before slipping off the bronze band he wore and setting it on top of the stone. It had been cast to look like a smaller version of her circlet, they had all gotten them. A way to remember her. "Been awhile huh? Since I last came and visited. I've been busy, well everyone has been, life -" Jaune cut himself off. "Life moves on."

He stopped for a moment and looked around the small yard, imagining what It must have been like for Pyrrha growing up. Training there day and night, honing her skills, becoming the best. It hadn't been enough, being the best was never enough he had learned. You just had to survive.

"Everyone sends their love of course, we all still miss you," Jaune said as he picked at the grass in front of him. "I think we always will. That's how these things work, right? A big lonely hole that you can't really fill up. I guess that's good though, it keeps us human."

The stone sat silent while a creek gurgled and the air hung thick, like a lightning storm was coming. He hoped there wasn't, he didn't want his flight delayed.

"I have plenty of news of course. You remember me telling you about Weiss and Ruby?" He paused for a moment, knowing no response was coming. It didn't bother him. Being able to talk to the memory of his partner was enough, a sort of catharsis. "They did break up, so Nora would have owed you twenty lien. Do you remember that night? In our dorm after Yang snuck alcohol on campus? The four of us made silly bets. You and Nora bet on Weiss and Ruby, she thought they would be a fine couple, but you were convinced they would break up. You were pretty drunk that night, and you were blushing redder than your hair." Jaune paused for a minute to compose himself. "It seems like such a silly detail now, but I remember it so clearly, you and Nora yelling, and Ren joining in because goddamn if he isn't more vocal when drunk. Alcohol does weird things to people."

"Ah well, I moved out of Ren and Nora's two month's ago now. I'm flatting with Ruby, so don't worry, I'm not in any danger of starvation." Jaune had a slight grin. "Flatting with her is going pretty well. It's good to be around someone who isn't acting all coupleish all the time. I mean neither of us are particularly good cooks like Ren, so that sucks, but we manage. There are lots of cookies and strawberries."

"Though there is news on the annoyingly sickeningly sweet couple front, Ren is ring hunting. He dragged me along to help. Which went about as well as you can imagine, they all look the same to me. Ruby said that Nora is also ring hunting, so Ruby and I have a running bet that they propose at the same time. I stand to make 50 lien when they do. You would have told us to knock that off by now I think. That we're getting a bit too old to be acting like teenagers." Jaune said, a smile curling the edge of his lips. "I suppose at twenty-three I'm supposed to be past all of that, but we were robbed of what was supposed to be the best years of our lives. You more than anyone." He was silent for a moment as he thought. "I think we have earned the right to act like kids a bit longer."

"And speaking of kids, Yang and Blake want another one. Sera's about to graduate kindy and start elementary school - you remember me telling you about Serafina right? The little girl they adopted? Anyway, they want another one, a sibling for Sera. That and Yang loves being a mum. You were right about that too, that Yang would love being a mum." Jaune paused. "You always were right about almost everything, and keeping an eye on us all. I hope you're still doing that, I can always use an extra set of eyes, I seem to get injured so easily." Jaune joked. "I'd better go though, I can't talk forever. My mission was pretty hectic, and I haven't eaten yet, so if I stay out here too long, your mother might drag me inside. I'll see you when I next drop by okay?"

He brushed the dirt from his pants as he stood up, stretching his arms above him and revelling in the feeling of his joints popping.

"So Ren and Nora are getting married then?" Pyrrha's mother said from where she leant against the door frame. Jaune speaking to Pyrrha was as much for her as it was for him. She missed her daughter dearly, but hearing people speak to her made her feel closer to Pyrrha. "About damn time."

"Seems like it Thetis," Jaune said as he raked a hand through his hair. "Been waiting for this for a long time."

"You're staying for dinner right?"

"If you'll have me."

"That wasn't really a question," Thetis said as she grabbed Jaune's wrist and pulled him into the house. "You're helping me cook."

"Yes ma'am."

"Don't be a smartass." She sighed. "Shame about Weiss and Ruby."

"What happened?" Peleus yelled from the lounge, he was Pyrrha's stepfather, having raised her from the age of three.

"They broke up," Jaune yelled back. "About a month ago now."

Peleus just grunted.

"But Ren and Nora are going to get married." Jaune said, supplementing the lull in conversation as Thetis handed him an onion and a knife.

"Bout damn time," Peleus said. "You had better convince them to come visit me before the wedding."

"I'm sure they'll be by."Jaune said with a smile.

The dinner was simple fare, Carbonara with lamb cooked in a tomato based sauce, eaten as they watched the sun set behind the mountains on the other side of the valley before Jaune bid Pyrrha's parents farewell, insisting that he had to get to the Air docks before his flight left for Vale.

Despite what she might say to the contrary, Ruby Rose hated to be alone. No, that wasn't quite right. She didn't hate being alone, but sometimes she just needed someone else to be around, someone to sit in companionable silence with. And as she sat in her near silent apartment, listening to the gentle hum of the fridge, she really needed someone to be near.

She had passed over the whiskey in favour of some tea Blake said was good (Though unlike Blake she filled it with milk and sugar, something blake would say was a sin), and had shut off the light screen after flicking through all the channels. She was now listlessly thumbing through her scroll, searching for anything that might catch her fancy.

It had been two weeks since she'd last had a drink, one week since she'd last seen Jaune, and one day since she had started therapy. Since she had had the courage to call a therapist and have an urgent assessment appointment.

And she felt weak.

Despite Jaune's assertions that there was strength in the weakness, she felt weak. Like she shouldn't need therapy. That she should be stronger.

She had addressed this with the therapist, a bear faunus named Eurwen. Eurwen had said this was a normal feeling, that your mind was failing you. Eurwen had asked her if she ever blamed her body when she was hurt, ever declared that her body should have been stronger. When Ruby shook her head, feeling all too small on the blue patterned couch, Eurwen had told her that the mind was the same. That it could be damaged or get sick, but it was the same as the body, not it's fault.

Ruby supposed that there was some small comfort in that.

But it didn't stop her feeling weak. And wishing that the tea in her mug was something stronger.

Get up, do something else.

She could hear Weiss' voice in her head, scolding her like when they were still at Beacon. Occupy yourself, stop moping. Or study.

Reluctantly, Ruby pulled herself into a sitting position on the couch. Look for something that needs to be done.

"I already did everything." She said aloud. "And now I'm talking to myself. First sign of craziness and all."

"Second is looking for hairs on the palms of your hands," Jaune said from where he rested against the edge of the door frame. She hadn't heard him come in, and he stood there with an easy grin on his face. "How have you been?"

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" Ruby asked. "I'm okay, I guess. How was the mission."

Jaune shrugged as he dropped his backpack on the floor. "Same old, same old. Kill some Grimm, get some Lien. I stopped by Pyrrha's parents on the way home, and they would have forced me to the hospital if i was hurt. They say hi, and that you should visit. I think they're lonely. I guess it can be when you only have a small family." Jaune said as he walked over to the fridge, grabbing a can of lemonade. "Seriously though, how have you been?"

Ruby pulled her knees up to her chest. "I went to therapy."

"And?"

"And it was scary."

There was a pop as Jaune opened his can. "You don't have to talk if you don't want to."

"Good because I don't." Ruby stared at her hands, picking at the shimmery red polish she had painted on her nails the night before.

"Do you need a hug?"

"What?"

"Your down, hugs help sometimes. Do you need a hug?" Jaune said with a grin. "You've known me how long? You had to know this was coming?"

"Yeah," Ruby said, standing up and walking over to him. "Hugs are good." She sniffed. "Even if you stink."

"I did just get off an airship," Jaune said before taking a long sip of his drink. "But I'm glad that I can help. Even just a bit."

Ruby nodded. "Hey Jaune?"

"Yeah?"

"Did you feel weak when you started therapy?" Ruby looked up at him searching his face for answers.

"Yeah." Jaune's face was stone, blue eyes staring into the distance as he remembered his first session, trying not to be recognised at the therapist's office.

"Thanks."

"For what."

"Making me feel normal." Ruby pressed her ear against his chest, listening to his heartbeat and prosthetics whir, listening to the sounds of life.

"Anytime Rubes."

So, this was unfortunately a late update, I was about halfway through the chapter a month and a half ago, and then my HDD died, deleting everything. I lost a lot of things (some very important), and I had a lot of schoolwork on my plate at the same time, so this got pushed until I had time for it. But now I am finished with my bachelors degree! So I have time now! you know, untill postgrad starts. As always, a massive shout out to Bryce for Betaing.