The first few weeks were a blur. Buried in coursework, and maintaining his weekend job took most of his time. According to the older students, the Professors weren’t typically so heavy handed with their assignments but with the upcoming Vytal Festival, it seemed like they were trying to cram as much knowledge into them as possible before the event took place. Understandable, Jaune supposed. Once it began, while classes still continued as usual, most everyone would be focused on honing their skills and competing in the tournament.

The cold slowly receded as Vale’s short winter came to an end, and the first signs of spring began to manifest. Pretty wildflowers grew in abundance in the Emerald Forest, and even Forever Fall bloomed with more colors beyond just the typical oranges, reds and pinks it was known for. The Dust robberies that had plagued the city for months on end had seemingly come to a complete halt, for there were no more news reports on the topic, and Jaune had seen no evidence with his own eyes whenever he was in the city.

That didn’t make him feel gladdened. In fact, quite the opposite. It made him nervous.

Why stop when they hadn’t been caught? Beyond a few mishaps, Roman Torchwick and the White Fang had gotten away with millions of lien in Dust. The only reason they would stop would be because they’d achieved their goals which couldn’t bode well for anyone.

Then there was the mystery of who killed Blake’s contact, and her clone. For someone to sneak up on Blake – clone or not – and take her out in one strike, that meant that they were extremely dangerous. The thought of someone like that skulking around the city made Jaune uneasy. Worse still was the fact that they had seen Blake’s face because of her clone, and so there was a possibility that she’d made herself a target.

She’d seen too much.

Not her fault, of course. Her clone had taken the initiative, not her. But then again, they were one and the same. Anything the clone did, Blake would have done as well. Not that it mattered at all. Jaune was just worried.

“Come ooooon~!” Yang roared, pulling him away from his thoughts. Jaune grunted as her fist pistoned into his shield, forcing him back. “Focus up – or I’ll beat the breaks off ya~!”

She unleashed a furious combination of punches that forced him back further, Jaune hastily setting his feet, planting himself and pushing back. Yang smirked, her gauntlets discharging point blank and blasting her backwards to avoid his counter-thrust.

“What’s got you so distracted?” she asked, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. “It’s not lil ol’ me, is it?”

It was good to see Yang back to her usual boisterous self, and not wallowing in what happened over the break. Not just with the gangs, but with him. Their kiss. Not that he ever doubted she would bounce back, she’d been pretty good for awhile, and they’d hung out plenty – but it was nice that she wasn’t afraid to tease him.

“Sorry,” he apologized, giving her his full attention. “Just in my own head, is all. It won’t happen again.”

“It better not,” she boasted, flexing her arms. “Don’t think you can take me lightly.”

He would never.

They came together again in a clash of steel, her gauntlets taking the brunt of his slashes. Dipping low, she chambered a punch and let rip, striking at his side in a looping hook. Jaune tucked his arm and caught the blow, letting the momentum of her punch carry him away to create some distance. She followed quickly, ducking and weaving before testing his defences; two to the body, one up high, left, left, right, her fists blurring.

Jaune tanked them on his shield, sparks flying, and then darted to the left as she let loose a kick. It caught the edge of his shield and opened his guard, Yang spinning as she planted the foot she kicked with and attempted to hit him with a powerful straight back kick with her other leg. Jaune spun to avoid it, moving the opposite direction, and used his spin to swing at her. Yang ducked, Crocea Mors whistling above her head before she rose with a powerful uppercut that would have rattled his jaw if he didn’t hastily lean back.

Yang had gotten a lot better.

Her movements were much more crisp than they had been the last time they trained together, and the way she cut off his angles was well thought out and executed. Whenever he tried to create more space, she followed him to keep things close, and whenever he attempted to crowd her and use his size, she used her jab to maintain the perfect spacing between them.

It was a very controlled fighting style, so unlike her usual brawling that he had gotten used to. Not that she had ever been unskilled, far from it, but Yang had never been shy about throwing down recklessly because her semblance encouraged it. Someone had obviously gotten in her ear about tightening her style, or perhaps she’d figured it out on her own, but it was much harder to score clean blows on her now.

It meant less power for her semblance, but it also meant she conserved her aura and took less damage.

Jaune feinted with his sword, and she raised her arm to block an attack that wasn’t coming. Instead, Jaune pressed forward with his shield, shoving her back and off balance. Yang stumbled and he pressed the attack, slashing at her body. Instead of attempting to block, she let herself fall, hitting the ground and rolling back frantically as he followed her, lunging with a thrust. She barely managed to get out of the way, his sword buried in the dirt, and it left him open to a counter.

Releasing his grip, he had to abandon his sword, leaping back as her boot whizzed by his face. When he reset himself, Yang had pulled his blade from the ground and gave it a few swings.

“I’ve got your sword,” she mocked before giving him a sizzling look. “How does that make you feel? Me having my hands all over it.”

Her eyes dipped down in suggestion before darting back up to meet his eyes.

Oh yeah, she was definitely back to her normal self.

Jaune rushed in, but had to abort when she threw his sword at him. Jerking to the side, he reached out and snatched it from the air but he was off balance. Yang fell upon him in a blitz, fists precise and deadly. He managed to block the first two on his shield, but the third broke his guard wide open, hooking his shield and throwing his arm open. Jaune hastily called his semblance, amplifying his aura moments before her fist struck his chest plate.

Jaune grunted as there was a bright flash of light, Yang swearing as the recoil hit her. She flinched back, a pained grimace on her face as she shook out her hand.

“Ow!” she complained, though she was grinning. “That smarts, you know?”

Jaune hastily straightened up as she came again, and they exchanged a furious assault. Stepping in, this time he took the jab on the face of his shield and didn’t back down, his strength amplified. Yang tried to back off but he wasn’t letting her, slicing at her face before kicking at her legs. He almost tripped her but she maintained her balance after a stumbled step, but it was enough for him to launch a punch with his shield.

Yang was forced to cover her face, taking the edge of his shield on her arms. The strength of his punch blew her back, and he rushed after her to keep applying pressure as her aura flared brightly.

“Oh, so this is where you two have been,” a voice called out, and Jaune skidded to a stop. Yang skipped backwards, bleeding off the momentum of his punch before sliding to a stop herself.

Ruby waved cheerily.

“Rubes,” Yang lowered her arms, and Jaune relaxed. “What are you doing here?”

“I was just looking for Jaune,” she answered. “But you’ve already got him busy.”

Yang shrugged. “We can probably call it here. We’ve been going at it for awhile,” she paused, thinking over her words. A soft blush dusted her cheeks.

Okay, so maybe she wasn’t completely  over it. If Yang had known the whole truth of it, that Blake had been between his legs siphoning the cum from his balls while she kissed him, it would have been much harder to act normal.

Wait, Blake hadn’t told her about that, right?

They’d been talking a lot, and he knew that a lot of those discussions involved him. No. She wouldn’t have.

Surely.

Jaune checked the time on his scroll. They’d been training for over an hour, and dinner would be soon. Matter of fact, the sky was much darker than he realized. They’d really lost track of time.

He shook his head. “What’s up, Ruby?”

“I’m going down to Vale, and wanted to ask if you’d like to join me?”

“Oh,” he said in surprise. “Yeah, sure – I’ll come. I’ll just have to have a shower first.”

Ruby nodded quickly. “That’s fine. We can eat dinner in Vale, as well, if you want.”

“Yeah, that’s fine.”

Ruby smiled widely.

Yang looked back and forth between them, a complicated expression on her face.

“Riiight, well – I guess I better go wash off, as well,” Yang said, taking an exaggerated sniff of her pits. “Yeesh. Pretty ripe. Thanks for the workout, champ. Same time tomorrow?”

Jaune nodded. “Yeah, for sure. How about we hit the gym?”

“Yeah, and we can go for a swim after. Sweet,” Yang winked. “Well, catcha later~!”

“Yeah, bye.”

When Yang was gone, it just left Ruby. She skipped over.

“So – how’d you do? Did you beat her?” Ruby asked teasingly.

“It was more of a draw,” he said. “We had a few bouts, but things were evenly matched. Though we weren’t really going all out. I noticed Yang is fighting a little differently.”

Ruby nodded. “Yeah, after you went to Atlas, dad started working with her and putting her through the ringer. I guess after what happened with – well, you know – she was motivated to get stronger, and dad was all for it. He really gave her a thrashing for the whole week, but she’s a quick learner – when she wants to be.”

So that explained it.

“He told her she relies on her semblance too much. Not just that, but her aura in general.”

“I suppose all of us can be guilty of that,” Jaune admitted, sheathing his sword. He more than anyone knew just how potent aura could be. “So did you do any super special training?”

Ruby pouted.

“Dad made me train without my weapon,” she complained. “Urgh, I hate it. I’m just not good at it, and I feel so pathetic how weak I am without Crescent Rose,” she sagged. “And it’s boring and lame and… bleh.”

Jaune chuckled. “Well, it’s like you said, right? You’re weak without your weapon. That’s something that an enemy can exploit.”

“I know, I knoooow,” Ruby pulled a face. “Dad says that all the time. So does Yang. It’s just… I’m so clumsy at it, I don’t know… it just never sticks.”

“We could work at it together, if you want,” he offered. “I’m not super great at unarmed combat, but I’m no slouch. At least when it comes to grappling. If you want to learn striking and don’t want to ask Yang,” he smirked as she poked out her tongue. “You should go to Ren. I have a feeling he’d be a really good teacher, and his martial arts might be more your thing than Yang’s style of striking.”

“You’re probably right,” Ruby worried her lip between her teeth. “Maybe I will ask him, but… I’d really like to train with you. If… if you don’t mind.”

“Yeah, of course. Anytime, Ruby. I mean it.”

Her smile was radiant.

Jaune showered and changed into some fresh clothes, and then let his team know via text in their group chat that he would be skipping dinner. When Weiss pressed, he said he was going to Vale with Ruby. Nora immediately began spamming suggestive emoji, and then Blake began asking if it was a date in the most roundabout way possible while Weiss started typing in all caps to tell Nora to cut it out. He was forced to close the app.

There had been a lot of eggplants. It might have confused him once, but not any more. He’d had plenty of time to experience and learn these sorts of things.

With Yang, he definitely knew that she liked him. She wouldn’t have kissed him like she had, otherwise. But Ruby was a little more difficult. Yeah, she’d kissed him on the cheek which was unusual for her, but that was still within the realms of friendship.

But was this what it was? A date? They’d been to Vale together before, but that was then and this was now. Now that Blake had brought it up, he couldn’t stop thinking about it.

If he spent a little more time than necessary trying to make his hair neat and tidy, so what?

Ruby was waiting for him outside the dorms, dressed in a pair of ripped jeans and a red and black hoodie, and white sneakers. A black choker encircled her neck with a little rose pendant hanging in the middle, the metal tinted red.

While winter was retreating, the nights could still be very cool.

“I want to go to a few places,” Ruby revealed as they boarded the airship bound for Vale. “A new comic released today that I’ve been waiting for since – well, forever . Urgh, I hate monthly releases. They suck! And this one was delayed because the author went on hiatus. And then I have to swing by and pick up some new ammunition I ordered. They don’t do deliveries since they’re a small store. Then we can get something to eat.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Jaune said.

Ruby led him to a large, colorful store in the commercial district that was incredibly busy, even at this time in the evening. People of all ages were lined up, browsing, loitering outside, glued to their scrolls or taking pictures, reading through their brand new purchases – and a few were even dressed up in costumes, mostly teenage girls.

Inside the store was more than just books or comics; they had all sorts of different merchandise from figurines to clothing, toys, electronics, posters and stickers, and more. Cartoons, anime, video games – for anyone deeply involved with any of those, this was the place to be.

Jaune’s eyes darted around, curious.

He followed Ruby as she navigated the aisles and shelves, slipping by people effortlessly. It was really busy inside, though she had no trouble making her way through. She was pretty small, after all. Jaune didn’t have such luck.

“Excuse me, thank you, can I get by? Thanks. Excuse me,” he said as he finally made it to the shelves that contained comics. The ones from Mistral were called manga, and that was what Ruby was looking at, eyes scanning each shelf for her prize.

“Where is it, where is it, where is it,” she muttered, brow furrowed. “Don’t tell me it’s sold out already! Argh, I should have skipped classes today. I knew this was going to happen.”

“What’s it called? I’ll look too.”

There were a lot of comics here. Hundreds.

“A Huntress Trapped in Another World,” Ruby said, growing agitated when she couldn’t spot it. “No, no, no – damn it, where is it?”

Jaune helped her look. Starting at the opposite end, he browsed through several shelves but couldn’t find it. Everything was ordered in alphabetical order, so he tried A and then H, not knowing what they considered the first word for sorting.

“Found it,” he said before blinking. “Er – wait, there are heaps of different ones. Um, what volume are you after?”

Ruby skipped over quickly. “135.”

It wasn’t there. At least, as far as he could tell.

There was 134, 133, 132, 131, 130 – but no 135.

“I’m going to tear down this whole building,” Ruby said darkly, scaring a few people beside her who overheard her words. “I’m going to destroy it!”

“How about we ask one of the workers?” Jaune suggested.

Though that proved difficult. The place was so busy that the workers were swamped, so it took some time to track one down to speak to. He didn’t bother going to the counter, they were engrossed in scanning and receiving payment, and the line was long.

He finally cornered a girl coming back from her break, her eyes widening, startled as he approached her as soon as she left the staff only area.

“Hi,” he said, smiling apologetically. “I’m looking for – uh,” for a moment, he almost forgot the name. “A Huntress Trapped in Another World? Oh, the latest volume – 135.”

“Oh,” she said, smiling politely. “We have them behind the counter since they’re a popular new product. Just ask for it when you get to the checkout.”

“Yes!” Ruby pumped her fist, her sudden shout making the worker flinch. “This place is the best!”

Ruby explained why after they lined up.

“A lot of people collect and stuff, especially for the really popular series because you never know how long they’ll keep them in print. Some people buy up a whole lot of them because of it, and don’t leave any for anyone else. They suck,” she said seriously. “They suck a lot. But some of these things can get really expensive in a few years. It’s normally more of a problem with early editions, though. You’ll find a bunch of volume 1 or 2’s online for thousands of lien. But people still try, you know – just in case. There have been a lot of really iconic moments in popular series in later volumes that people want copies of in years to come, and all of a sudden, you can’t find it.”

Jaune smiled. “You know a lot about it.”

Ruby puffed herself up. “Of course. I’m a real fan, after all. You gotta know these sorts of things. If you want to just read them, though, you can typically find them online. People scan the pages and upload them,” she pouted. “A lot of people disagree with those sites, and – well, I feel bad that the creators don’t get paid for their work that way, but some of the older stuff, you just can’t find it to buy it, so the only way to read it is through those sites.”

Thankfully, they still had plenty of copies behind the counter. Ruby beamed happily as the woman slipped it into a protective sleeve and bagged it. Once it was paid for, they quickly retreated out of the store.

“That place was pretty intense,” he said as Ruby skipped by his side, swinging her bag back and forth.

“You should read it with me,” she said, waving her bag. “I think you’ll really like it.”

“I won’t know what’s happening,” he pointed out.

“You can read my copies, I have them all,” she said. “Though I’ll have to get dad to send them in the mail. Or you can read them on one of those sites, I’ve already paid for them so… I don’t feel too bad about it,” she paused. “But only if you want to!”

Jaune nodded. “Sure, I’ll read it. If you think it’s good, then it must be.”

“Hehe~!”

Jaune blinked as her free hand casually slipped into his, her fingers slipping between his own. His eyes darted to her in surprise as they continued to walk, and he watched as her ears turned bright red.

He squeezed her hand, and she squeezed back, her cheeks darkening.

“T-This is okay, right?” she asked shyly.

“Yeah,” he said, voice soft. “I don’t mind.”

...Ruby was just the most ridiculously cute girl sometimes, wasn’t she?

It was funny that the simple act of holding hands could make his heart race like it did, especially after everything else that had happened with Nora, Blake and Weiss. There was just something incredibly sweet and innocent about it that caught him completely off guard, and as they walked down the street, hand in hand, he found that he didn’t want it to end.

The small store Ruby ordered her new ammunition from wasn’t far away, only a few blocks. Small though it may be, they had a lot of stock available, everything from firearms and parts to knives, swords, axes and many more different bladed weaponry.

The man behind the counter was huge. Though not too much taller than Jaune, he was wide . Literally built like a wall, his shoulders were so broad he had to be as wide as Jaune was twice over. His arms were thick and muscled, riddled with scars, his torso like the truck of a tree. A brown scruffy beard concealed a square jaw, his brow heavy furrowed as he went over some paperwork.

He got the feeling that this wasn’t someone to be messed with. A former Huntsman, most likely, if the claw-like scars on his arm and the general aura he put forth was any indication.

Ruby pranced over to the counter without a care. “Hello~! My name’s Ruby Rose, I’ve come to pick up my order.”

The man looked up, and he stared at Ruby silently for several long, tense seconds before nodding.

“I’ll be right back,” he said, voice gruff.

“Great~!”

Jaune browsed some of the wares as Ruby waited by the counter. There were a lot of different things on offer, even armor. There was a suit of full plate in the back corner arranged on a mannequin, the steel gleaming under the fluorescent lights. White enamel with golden trim, the helm was pointed with two golden wings pointed back from the ears. The chest plate had some type of bird pressed into the steel on the front; a hawk, or maybe a phoenix?

Jaune thought it was pretty damn cool.

There was a cabinet filled with daggers nearby. Longer than a knife but shorter than a sword, about the length of his forearm – maybe a little more. He hadn’t been looking for anything himself, but…

“Here,” he heard the man return, setting down a box on the counter. Ruby was practically bouncing up and down in her excitement.

She’d already paid in advance, so she scooped it up and pressed it to her cheek, nuzzling it like it was a teddy bear. The shopkeeper arched an eyebrow but didn’t say anything, simply returning to his paperwork.

“Thank you~!” Ruby bowed before rushing over to Jaune. “These are going to go  so hard . I can’t wait.”

“Anything special about them?” Jaune asked as they left the store.

“These babies were specially designed to breach the bone plating on Grimm,” Ruby said happily. “Armor piercing, basically – but I already have some similar ones. The difference with these is I can more easily modify them with Dust. Remember when I was talking about combining different Dust types together in my rounds?”

Jaune vaguely recalled her mentioning something like that once.

“These will make it way easier to do.”

Anything to do with weapons was a sure fire way to put Ruby in a good mood. Not that she hadn’t already been in one, but she was practically floating down the sidewalk now that she had her new bullets. Jaune chuckled.

“Come on, there is a really nice burger place we can go to. Everyone has been talking about it on Kitkot, though it’ll probably be really busy because of it.”

Busy was an understatement. The place was jam packed with a line almost out the door, but if the scent wafting from the kitchen was anything to go by, it was worth it. Jaune felt his mouth instantly water as the smell of fatty sizzling beef patties and caramelized onion met his nose.

Though the line was long, it was moving fast. Dozens of workers moved behind the counter, so they didn’t have to wait as long as they feared. A group joined the line behind them, their voices boisterous.

“Damn, this place is rocking,” one of the guys said. Jaune glanced back curiously and saw they were of similar height, though that was where the similarities ended. Dark skinned, his hair was shaved tight around the sides, black, while it remained longer on top, slicked back into a short ponytail – and it was a shocking bright pink color. He wore a cream colored short sleeved jacket over a black, long sleeved v-neck shirt. “Good call, Reese.”

“I don’t know why you guys ever doubt me.”

Reese was a short girl with light green hair swept to the right and light skin, two black markings beneath her teal eyes. She wore a purple hoodie atop a baggy mauve sweater, and a pair of black shorts. Under her arm she was carrying a skateboard which went with the elbow and knee pads she had on.

“How about the time you led us to that horrible fried chicken place where Bolin found a cockroach in his fries?” the first guy joked.

“That wasn’t my fault, Nadir!”

The other guy who must have been Bolin shook his head. He was of a height with the first guy, skin lightly tanned, his features reminding Jaune a little of Ren. Black haired, he was lean and broad, a yellow sash around his waist and one looping over his left shoulder overtop a dark blue vest.

But the most eye-catching of the four was the final member of their group. A girl with dark skin and wavy, platinum blonde hair, she wore a yellow robe with a single, loose fitted sleeve over a black tube top, black pants and a red sash around her waist. Just at a glance, Jaune could tell she was strong. Her shoulders and exposed arm were lean with hard, compact muscle, her olive eyes sharp as they caught him looking.

She met his eyes.

“Yes?” she asked gruffly before pausing, giving him a once over. Her brow furrowed. She had very angular features, making her expressions very expressive. Pretty, but capable of looking incredibly fearsome if she wished. “Are you a Huntsman?”

“Still in training,” Jaune said.

Her face smoothed over. “You’re a Beacon student, aren’t you?”

Jaune nodded. “That’s right.”

Ruby peered back at them, curious.

“So this will be our competition, huh?” Nadir smirked. “I think we’ve got it in the bag.”

Jaune didn’t rise to the bait.

“You’re from one of the other schools,” he stated.

The girl with the platinum hair nodded.

“We are.”

If Jaune had to guess…

“Haven?”

Her lips twitched. “That’s right.”

It seemed that some of the other students were beginning to arrive. Penny was the only other student from another academy that Jaune had met, and she was from Atlas. These were the first Haven students he had ever encountered, and at a glance they appeared formidable.

He turned to face them fully and saw them tense, as if he were about to attack.

Jaune offered a hand to the dark skinned girl.

“My name is Jaune,” he introduced himself. “Jaune Arc.”

She blinked before grasping his hand firmly. Her grip was strong.

“Arslan,” she answered in kind. “Arslan Altan.”

The others relaxed.

“I’m Reese,” the green haired girl chirped, though Jaune had gathered that from overhearing their conversation. “Reese Chloris.”

“Bolin Hori.”

The pink haired boy thumped his chest. “Nadir Shiko.”

Then as one, the four focused on Ruby. She eeped at the sudden attention.

“Um, er – ah! I’m Ruby,” she squeaked. “Ruby Rose!”

Arslan looked between them. “Partners?”

Jaune shook his head. “No, we’re on different teams.”

“Ah – she’s your girlfriend,” Nadir nodded sagely. “She’s cute.”

Ruby’s face turned bright red.

“Nononono, we aren’t – that isn’t – we’re just friends!” she stutter-screamed, getting in Nadir’s face. He flinched because she’d used her semblance, rose petals flying everywhere. Reese gaped in shock while Arslan blinked, startled at how fast she’d moved. “Friends! Friends!”

“Woah, okay, friends,” Nadir raised his hands defensively. “I didn’t mean anything by it!”

Ruby glanced back at him, mortified.

“It’s okay, Ruby,” he said. “They didn’t know.”

“I’m not saying I – I mean, I wouldn’t be – that is, it’s just we aren’t and – t-there wouldn’t be anything wrong with – ahh, I can’t speak,” Ruby looked like she was about to cry. “Ahah – ahahaha~! I’m dying. Social suicide. I’m dead.”

Reese giggled.

“I like you,” she declared happily. “You’re funny.”

Ruby moaned pitifully.

“So, is this joint any good?” Nadir asked, attempting to steer the conversation away from this disaster. Jaune shot him an appreciative look.

“This is our first time here,” Jaune said. “It has good reviews, and the place is packed. A good sign. Did you guys just arrive?”

They nodded.

“Our ship docked an hour ago,” Bolin said. “We were sent ahead as representatives of our academy. The rest of our students will be arriving next week.”

“And to make sure a certain monkey doesn’t make a mess of things,” Arslan muttered.

Jaune tilted his head. “Pardon?”

She shook her head. “Don’t worry about it.”

A monkey?

“Hmm,” Reese cupped her chin, leaning in closer to get a better look at him. “I feel like I’ve seen you somewhere before.”

“I don’t think we’ve met,” Jaune had a bad feeling about this. “I’ve never been to Mistral before.”

Her eyes narrowed as her eyes darted all across his face. “Even so, you look so familiar…”

It could only be those damn tabloids. If they had reached Vale, they had no doubt reached Mistral. Thankfully she didn’t seem to click on, shrugging and leaning back.

“Oh well. Oh – look! The line moved!” she exclaimed, pointing.

Jaune ordered a double cheese burger with extra pickles and onion, some curly fries with their home made secret sauce, and a chocolate milkshake. Ruby got just the regular cheese burger and waffle fries, and some popcorn chicken bites as well as a strawberry shake. There were no tables available, so they ended up sitting at one of the benches out on the street. The team from Haven joined them when they received their order, crowding around.

“Damn, this smells good,” Nadir hastily unwrapped his burger. “I’m starving.”

The bun was soft and warm, as if it was freshly baked straight out of the oven. The beef patties were thick and well seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic and onion, and some herb he couldn’t place. The cheese was cheddar, and when he bit into it, hot juices exploded across his tongue, filled with flavor. The patties were moist, the tang of the cheese cutting through it perfectly, and the ketchup and mustard were the perfect accompaniment; not too sweet or overpowering. The caramelized onions had the right amount of sweetness and char, and the freshness of the pickles brought everything together.

“Mmm, this is good~!” Ruby kicked her feet back and forth.

The fries were crisp and the secret sauce was tangy and different, addicting. The milkshake was incredibly thick and ice cold, and Jaune found himself devouring his food as if he hadn’t eaten all day.

Arslan was watching him with an amused expression.

“Oh, that hit the spot,” Nadir licked the grease off his fingers, having already inhaled his burger. “Best burger I’ve ever had. They don’t make em like that back home.”

“Do you guys know of any skateparks?” Reese asked around a mouthful of fries, chewing loudly. “I haven’t been able to hit it since we left, Arslan wouldn’t let me skate on the ship.”

“Because it’s rude, and we are trying to set a good example,” Arslan reminded her teammate dryly. “That’s why we were picked to come early, remember?”

Reese pouted. “I know, I know  – but I need to skate! I’m going to go insane!”

“Um, er – there is a large skate park about ten minutes from here,” Ruby spoke up. “It’s all outdoors, it’s open to the public twenty-four seven.”

Reese perked up.

“Sweet!”

“We have to report to Beacon first,” Bolin said.

“Aw man, come on – we don’t all have to be there, right?” Reese begged. “Arslan is our leader, they probably only need her anyway.”

“All of us will be present,” Arslan said calmly. “You can skate tomorrow.”

“Urgh, I have to wait another day?” Reese scoffed. “Tyranny. Who wants to overthrow the dictator? I’m down for civil war.”

Nadir snorted at Arslan’s unimpressed look. “Good luck with that.”

It was nice to see how other teams interacted. Jaune knew that his own experiences were probably not the norm. It wasn’t just because of the strange relationship he found himself in, dating all of his teammates. He just doubted that other teams had such complicated figures like the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, or a former White Fang member, or… well, a Nora.

Nora was one of a kind.

When they finished their meal, Jaune and Ruby showed them the way back to Beacon.