From: OzoftheClocktower @ Beacon.edu
Subject: Dead Ex-Wife
To: StudentBody @ Beacon.edu
My ex-wife is dead. I'm throwing a party. Classes are dismissed for the day. If you wish to join me in righteous celebration, there will be free food and punch in the Auditorium tonight at 8. Enjoy the free day and the party if you choose to join me. That is all.
Sent from my scroll
P.S. Glynda, reading over my shoulder, claims I must clarify: it is specifically UNSPIKED punch. If it should spontaneously spike itself, she will know and she will dole out fitting punishments. Personally, I shall just suggest you get creative with your smuggling.
IIIII
— Sean —
"The Witch is dead," Ozpin raised his mug, filled with whiskey rather than his usual cocoa. "Here's to a brighter future."
I smiled at his toast, but it was a half-hearted thing. I understood how he felt. He'd been fighting Salem for as long as the new Humanity had existed. But having been there for her final moments, I couldn't get on board with the celebration as unashamedly as he could.
There had been so much more to Salem, so much that the world would never know. She hadn't struggled or resisted or denied Death at all when Didi came calling. She'd been exhausted and eager for Didi to claim her. Hopeful, even. It felt wrong to completely forget that, even in the midst of the celebration.
But I felt for Ozpin, too. For him, the cultivation of countless lives had finally borne fruit. How could he not celebrate plucking it from the tree? He was now free, just as Salem was now free. And I'd bet dimes to dollars that his internal feelings on the matter were more complicated than he let on.
The worst villain Remnant's Humanity had ever (not) known was gone, now. She'd done more harm to the world than anyone else combined. By a significant margin, too. But in the end, she was a tired, stuck, and cursed Soul, who'd once been undeniably Human.
Her last request in that accursed life brought that essence back to the fore. Before she passed, she asked for a simple guard, a true companion, a loyal pup to watch over her eternal rest. Even after so long, so much evil, the last shreds of Salem's humanity resurfaced in the end.
Beside me, Didi was the same, wearing a half-hearted smile as everyone else earnestly celebrated around us. Taking part in her constant, Endless duties made me respect her that much more. Salem's situation was a unique, but not uncommon one for Didi. From the very beginning to the final end, she granted peace, granted closure to those who needed it most.
In doing so, every death affected her, big or small, beautiful and tragic. She could never be uncaring, never callous or cruel. Every Soul deserved her attention, and she shared that little bit of her Endless self freely as she laid them all to rest. Seeing just one Death she granted firsthand made me love her all the more.
To all of the others in the know, however, Salem was the enemy. There was nothing wrong with that sentiment. They weren't wrong. It was a complex situation. They deserved to celebrate, just as Salem deserved someone to remember her final moments. Didi and I straddled both worlds, celebrating and remembering.
"Did you really have to announce it to the whole school?" Glynda asked Ozpin, as exasperated as she was relieved.
"Yes," Ozpin simply nodded.
Ozpin's email to the students would certainly be remembered. It accomplished what he set out to arrange, however. Below the stage that had been requisitioned for Beacon's staff, students were mingling and having a good time during their night off. The party was flourishing, even if the reason for it was… odd, to say the least.
The subject line 'Dead Ex-Wife' must've caused quite a few students to stop and blink. None of them were in the know. To them, Ozpin's announcement and 'Dead Ex-Wife' party must've seemed out of character. From the outside looking in, it was unusual. Oddly callous, and certainly not what they expected from their exalted Headmaster. But Ozpin was more than willing to shoulder any future side-eyes from his strange announcement.
"They've been spared an evil they'll never know," He said. "They deserve a chance to celebrate, even if they question the 'why'. I wouldn't curse them with nightmares that are no longer needed, but a chance to party will always be welcome by the youth."
The 'Dead Ex-Wife' party had quickly become 'a Thing™'. Most of the school had shown up, lured by free food and drink, and Ozpin's tacit approval to sneak alcohol into his party. Glynda absolutely didn't approve of the latter, but Ozpin wouldn't hear any complaints in his current mood.
When Glynda glared at him, Ozpin just raised another toast, "To the revived hope of a new tomorrow."
"I'll drink to that…" The only other member of Ozpin's inner circle there with us muttered. Qrow was both an enigma and a very easy man to know.
I chuckled, "You'll drink to anything, Qrow."
Qrow fell silent for a thoughtful moment, "… I'm thinking of going clean, actually. New day and all, yeah?"
"The world was just saved, Qrow," Glynda deadpanned. "We don't need a sober you to herald a whole new apocalypse."
"I'm not that bad…"
"You are."
"Well, since I won't be assigning Qrow any new missions," Ozpin said, wetting his lips with a sip of whiskey mid-sentence. "And since he's here, he'll have time to spend with his nieces. I'd imagine he might want to be sober for that."
"During? Maybe. Afterward? Just the opposite," Qrow snarked. "Those lovable gremlins require at least a full flask to recharge after I've suffered through their usual antics."
"Oh!" Didi perked up. "If you don't want them, I'll take them. I'm always eager for more Family."
Qrow was surprisingly quick to shake his head, "I wouldn't give up those girls for the world. Their chaos is my chaos."
"Look at them down there," He nodded toward the rest of the party, specifically Yang and Ruby, as his nieces laughed and ran around in good spirits. "Neither has stopped moving since the fun began. Ruby's on a sugar high if I've ever seen one from her. And Yang learned from me well, if that bottle she's been smuggling all night is any indication."
"Bottle?" Glynda's head snapped Yang's way. "Why, I'll have her running laps in the morning-!"
"You'll do no such thing, Glynda, my dear," Ozpin cut her off. "Leave the children to their youthful indiscretions."
"You'd never catch her anyway," Qrow chuckled. "You never caught me when you were my meddlesome senior, after all."
"Not for lack of knowledge or effort," Glynda grumbled.
Qrow's chuckles petered off as he watched Yang and Ruby mingle below, "…Summer would be so proud, so happy to see them happy. Raven… well, Raven."
"Raven," Ozpin just nodded.
"That bitch," Glynda snarled. All of us blinked at her swearing, "What? She deserves to be called worse."
Qrow sighed, "Unfortunately, I can't deny that."
"Are you going to tell her the news?" I asked him.
"I should," Qrow admitted, taking a long pull from his flask. "She's still a Maiden. But I think she can live with her one fear a little while longer."
Glynda nodded in satisfaction, "Appropriate. She brought it on herself. The moment she felt something real, such as completely reasonable fear, she acted on it in entirely the wrong way. I don't think I can ever forgive her for giving up the cause as she did."
"It's in the past now," Ozpin sighed. "For good. We're calling the curtains on a more difficult era tonight. In the morning, we begin anew. Even without the most pressing of them, the world won't be without problems. Fortunately, we're in the unique position to train the next generation to deal with them."
"And so we shall," Glynda nodded. "That said, it may be a good idea to alter the curriculum somewhat."
"Not too much," I cautioned. "The Grimm-tide lacks direction now, but it won't just go away. They'll always be a problem for Remnant."
"Yet, without the Witch behind it all, Humanity might begin to make actual progress in pushing back," Ozpin said.
"I was hoping to add an optional course for crime fighting," Glynda revealed. "As the Grimm become less of a priority, certain unsavory elements of the Kingdoms will no longer be so necessary."
Didi smiled brightly, "We can help with that! Team Black Wilt has a bit of experience in that field."
I snorted a laugh, "That's an understatement. Make it a student-led elective or club, and they'll do a better job than any of the staff."
"Yes, yes, things to keep in mind," Ozpin casually and dismissively sipped from his mug. "For tomorrow. However, tonight is not a night for work. This is a moment of victory, of celebration. Enjoy yourselves. That's an order."
Glynda made to grumble, but Ozpin cut her off before she could truly start, "That order was specifically meant for you, Glynda. Here. Take this. Drink. Relax. Have. Fun."
Grumbles turned to sputters as Glynda found herself with a very expensive bottle of wine from Ozpin's stash in her hands. He wouldn't hear any complaints or denials from her. Which was undoubtedly for the best. Glynda needed a night off, and she wouldn't take one unless coerced.
Eventually, she gave in to Ozpin's order. With a huff, she used her Semblance to pop the cork and upended the bottle raw. No glass. Just wine straight from the tap for a woman who so badly needed it.
Ozpin hid a smile of victory behind his mug. Qrow laughed, "Thatta girl, Glynda! I knew you had it in ya!"
"More than you, reprobate," Glynda faux-glared at him when she came up for air. "I'll drink you under the table."
Qrow's eyes practically sparkled, "Them's fightin' words… Are you sure you can keep up?"
Glynda scoffed, "You're not the only one Ozpin has driven to drink. I simply still know the benefit of some sobriety."
"This is going to get out of hand quickly…" Didi muttered to me.
"So quickly," I nodded, muttering back. "Knowing these two, they'll find themselves in the same bed come morning."
Ozpin joined our muttering conversation, "Shall we leave them to it, then? I suddenly feel the need to make the rounds. This is my party, after all. I would be honored to be joined by the man and woman of the hour, even if no one else will know it."
Smiling at that, I offered Didi my arm, "Shall we?"
Didi gladly took it, laying a hand in the crook and pressing herself into my side, "Oh, yes, I'd like to see the children having as good a time of this as we are."
The three of us dismounted the isolated stage, leaving Qrow and Glynda to their 'definitely-not-mating-ritual'. We joined the crowd of students as they chatted, danced, and snuck drinks. Almost immediately, someone called out to Ozpin.
"Headmaster, hey! Great party! Uh… sorry about your ex-wife…?"
"Don't be," Ozpin replied. "Really. Don't be."
"~ヾ(・ω・)" Cass suddenly popped out of stealth beside us. 'Good riddance, then~!'
"Thank you, Cassandra. Your well wishes are welcome," Ozpin said, casual as can be.
"(ಡ‸ಡ)" She frowned when none of us so much as flinched at her surprise appearance. 'Oh, pooh… You're all no fun.'
Ozpin raised a lone eyebrow, "No fun? I did arrange this whole party, did I not?"
"ヽ(ˇヘˇ)ノ" Cass threw her hands up without a care. 'I could've done better. Where are the fireworks~? The death sports~?! At the very least, I demand ONE (1) orgy~!'
Ozpin took a sip. "Sounds like the parties of my youth. Society has regressed so much. Such a shame, that, such a shame."
I chuckled, "Don't engage her, Oz. You'll surely regret it sooner or later."
"(╯✧▽✧)╯" Cass cheered right on over my advice. 'No, he gets it~! Engage me~! Encourage~! Return to righteous hedonism~!'
"Oh, my," Ozpin 'exclaimed', his voice completely flat to the point of hilarity.
"Cass has, as the kids are calling it, 'absolutely no chill'," Didi said, hiding her giggles with her hand.
"(¯ . ¯٥)" Cass deadpanned. 'Didi. My Deathly bad bitch… Bats have no need for 'chill'. Not even Babs has any. She just hides it the best of us.'
"It's true," I nodded in easy agreement. "She told me she'd skin me alive if I pulled out on our first time together."
"(◎ ◎)" Cass stared with wide eyes. '… Mood.'
"It is something of a mood…" Didi considered aloud.
Ozpin sipped from his mug and deadpanned, "No comment. Gods, no comment. I've quickly come to regret this conversation."
That set me laughing from my gut, "Fair enough, Oz. Fair enough."
"Yes," Ozpin nodded. "I think this is where I take my leave. Enjoy your night, Sean, Didi. I'm going to go spread the good word of my dead ex-wife."
"(・・;)ゞ" Cass gave a salute as he left to wander the rest of the party. '… What a legend. Unbothered and thriving. He's a role model.'
Chuckling, I cast my gaze out into the crowd to check up on the others. Apart from Cass, there seemed to be a bit of romance in the air. The irony was clear and rather amusing. Potential couples (and one throuple…) putting in work as we all celebrated Ozpin's dead ex. One disintegrated relationship giving rise to wholly new ones. It seemed appropriate.
As I looked up, Yang finally succeeded in luring both Jason and Alice out onto the dance floor. Oddly, she seemed to be focusing her efforts on Alice more than Jason. But I suppose my daughter was the one who needed the most convincing. Yang took Alice by the hand and dragged her into having fun. She spun Alice, leaving her speechless by pure force of personality as Yang began grinding to the beat. Jason, amused and bemused, followed after.
At first, Alice snapped out like a puppy. Yang wouldn't be deterred. She'd gotten her foothold, and she didn't back down or give up easily. Slowly, Alice gave in. She began dancing with the blonde bombshell. And that was when Yang struck her second blow, physically pulling Jason between them.
Alice's cheeks practically exploded with blush, but sunk-cost fallacy kept her from backing out and giving Yang that advantage on the battlefield of Jason's heart. Even then, she didn't realize that her heart was on that same field. Or that Yang was running seductive circles around them both.
"She's good for them," Didi commented.
I nodded, "Really brings them out of their shells. But then, if it were going to be anyone, Yang is probably one of the best for that. She's got a certain spark to her personality that's hard to resist. And she's certainly not afraid to have fun. I doubt she'll become a permanent fixture between the two of them, but she's a good catalyst to get them moving at their own pace."
"┐(シ)┌" Cass shrugged, smiled, and cocked her head. 'Plus… threesome.'
Didi chortled, "Indeed. It'll be a beginning to remember."
Continuing to look around the party, my eyes found Damian and Ruby next. Neither was the type to dance (Dance of Death not included), but it seemed like there was just as much progress being made there. Ruby was rambing on and on about something or other, as she did, with big hand gestures. Damian listened so intently, so completely, that he could've been taking notes. He probably was. Mental ones, at least.
Ruby had his whole attention, and she didn't even realize it. She had him eating out of the palm of her hand, just by being herself. And all Ruby had to do was rant about weapons and cookies and killing Grimm. Damian likely would've painfully and thoroughly disabled anyone who interrupted them. Little man was down bad.
"Shame any relationship that develops between those two will be 'long-distance' by necessity," I said.
"We can chaperone and facilitate their dates, though," Didi suggested.
"Sure," I nodded. "A bit of timey whimey management to keep things reasonable, too. Outright combining Earth and Remnant will cause all sorts of problems. But just syncing them up so Damian and Ruby can text, call, and visit on the same timeline isn't difficult. Making things run in parallel is relatively easy, all things considered."
"(o_O)" Cass stared. 'Dude… Casual dimensional fuckery just so Damian doesn't lose his first murder-crush… We're so spoiled.'
I shrugged, "They're cute together. I like cute things. I'm willing to expend a bit of effort to keep this one alive."
Didi smiled at me, "I love how you don't even recognize how above and beyond you're willing to go for those you care about, Sean."
I sheepishly scratched the back of my head, "It's not that above and beyond…"
"(„¬ᴗ¬„)" Cass side-eyed me knowingly. 'Heh, it is. You love us. You care enough to mess with interdimensional causality.'
"Anyone would do it if they could," I rolled my eyes.
Didi joined Cass's knowing look, "Debatable. Highly debatable. But then, that's what makes it so special."
Huffing slightly, I ignored them until my eyes fell on Jaune and Pyrrha. Then, I casually commented, "Well, that's going better than the first time around."
Jaune, it seemed, had actually noticed Pyrrha constantly looking at him. He still didn't seem to believe it, but that was progress. Nervously, he'd even asked her to dance. They were adorable, both blushing as red as Pyrrha's hair. Baby steps were still steps, though, and unlike the first time, Jaune wasn't so focused on Weiss that he blinded himself to every other girl around him.
"Did my new nephew and new young friend find love back then?" Didi asked.
"Not until it was too late," I sadly shook my head. "And how it ended that first time around… I'm sure it haunted Jaune for the rest of his days."
"Oh, dear," Didi sighed sympathetically. "This is a pleasing development, then. I'll be rooting for them."
"As will I," I agreed.
"( : ౦ ‸ ౦ : )" Cass made a big show of looking around. '… Are there more blondes here than there should be?'
I blinked, looking around, too. Cass was right. There were more blonde heads than expected. And a few were much too short to be Beacon students… One, who couldn't have been older than 13, was gorging herself on all the sugary treats the party had to offer. A second was sneaking around the party to spike the punch. She must not have gotten Glynda's warning about doing just that…
A third was bouncing between group after group throughout the party as if she perfectly belonged. She made new friends as easily as breathing, and she was laughing and grinning the entire time. A fourth ran around the party, trying to manage the first three while constantly worrying at her lip. A dark-haired woman stayed by her side, more amused than worried as she carried a curious baby on the verge of toddling.
Three more blondes had found a corner of the auditorium to claim for themselves, one just sitting gloomily, the other writing away on her scroll, and the last glaring at everyone who tried to come near. Realization and a wide smile came over my face as I took all seven of them in.
"Oh, perfect! Beautiful! The cavalry's here! Didi, my Death, how would you like to meet your new nieces?"
Didi blinked before her smile spread to match mine, "Do you even have to ask~?"
IIIII
— Jaune —
Last night was kinda one big blur. But, like, a good blur…? Jaune thought so, at least. It'd been his first party that wasn't centered around family. Nope~! Not an Arc-head in sight~! Just new friends and good times, a whole new era for Jauney-boy~!
He talked with Ren, joked with Nora, and… flirted with Pyrrha…? Oh, gods, was that right? She hadn't shot him down?! Wait, no! She'd been the one to initiate! What the heck?! That couldn't be right! But as far as he could remember, that's what happened…
They even danced together! Well, that was good news, at least. Jaune was completely confident in his dancing. Having seven sisters would do that to a growing boy. Which was lucky, 'cause from what Jaune remembered, Pyrrha hadn't known how to dance. Like, at all. Jaune even got to teach her!
He wasn't sure how he managed that… He remembered muscles and curves enough to drown in. And lidded eyes and blushing cheeks and-! Jaune was getting heated just thinking about it! Was it something in the water-… err, punch? He only had a few shots of the tequila Yang snuck into the party, but the headache he was sporting now, come morning, said he must've had more at some point.
Still, Jaune managed to push through his first hangover. He washed, dressed, and got moving in search of breakfast. Glorious, glorious breakfast… A painfully familiar scent lured him into the dorm kitchens. Bleary-eyed as he was, Jaune didn't even question why the smell of his dad's waffles would be spreading throughout the dorms.
He wasn't the only one lured toward the smell. And with the familiar smell, Jaune's hungover mind fell into the rote of habit. The first head he found was obviously little Amber's. Jaune gave a hug and kiss on the top of her head, without recognizing the red hood or the embarrassed squeak.
The second was obviously Lavender, so serious, so melancholic. She got a hug without the kiss as she preferred, and Jaune didn't notice the black hair or the suspiciously twitching bow. The third was obviously Hazel; her usual mischief was unmistakable. She was strangely, loudly quiet this morning, though… As if her expressions were speaking for themselves.
Jaune continued down the line like that, greeting each of his 'sisters' in turn. Then, the pattern continued where it should have ended. He found little Amber again and blinked.
"What the-…" Realization was slow to come, even as he looked back at those he'd already greeted and saw his new friends, not his sisters.
Jaune looked down, though, and yep, that was definitely Amber, his youngest sister. She was grinning up at him and bouncing in her seat as she usually was. So Jaune's mind gave a shrug, and he started greeting his sisters all over again, this time in truth. Amber got her hug and top-of-head kiss all over again. Lavender got her hug. Hazel's hair was ruffled. Jade leaped to hug him before he could hug her. Sable and Coral got kisses on their cheeks, the first practically snapping at him in her usual testy way, and the second looking everywhere but at him. Lastly, Saphron got a mutual hug, and Jaune took a moment to coo over his only nephew.
"Waffles?" He asked the table. "Thanks, Dad."
Nicolas Arc sounded very, very amused as he replied for some reason… "You're welcome, son. Have a seat. I'll have a plate right out for you."
He took a seat across from his mom… and that was about when his mind began catching up with his usual routine. The rhythmic tapping of fingers against the table was like a soundtrack to his slow, dawning realization.
Neck almost creaking, Jaune looked back right, past his sisters. Ruby… Blake… Cass… Nora… Weiss… Pyrrha… Barbara… That couldn't be right… All were various shades of amused, embarrassed, or mischievous. But if he was at Beacon…?
Jaune's head slowly turned back over all of his sisters, then to where his dad had taken over the dorm kitchen to make his trademark waffles, and finally to where his mom was sitting and watching him with a storm in her eyes. He gulped.
"Uh… H-Hey, Mom…"
Juniper Caine-Arc nodded back at him, "Good morning, Jaune. Wonderful for you to join us. We have quite a few things to talk about."
"Can it, uh… Can it wait for after breakfast…?" He asked half-desperately. "I think I need some food in my stomach before my brain starts working for the day."
Fondly, Mom's eyes softened, "Of course, Jaune. Eat up. I'm sure you've been missing the taste of home. Your new friends already seem quite fond of your father's breakfast skills."
Barbara nodded from the background, "With waffles like this, I can see why you married him."
"Waffles~!" Ruby exclaimed. "Glorious golden waffles~!"
"They're not as good as Renny's pancakes…" Nora pouted.
"Waffles beat pancakes, every time," Blake opined.
"You take that back!" Nora snapped.
Weiss nodded firmly and haughtily, "It's true. Objectively true."
"More structure, more texture, in-built syrup catchers… the facts aren't in your favor, Nora," Pyrrha winced. "Sorry…"
"Noooooouuuu~…" Nora whined. "This is slander! Propaganda! Big Waffle has you all by the balls!"
"A big waffle?" Ruby cocked her head and beamed a smile. "Sign me up~!"
"No matter how many times you claim it, Big Waffle won't spontaneously become a thing, Nora," Ren said, wandering into the kitchen with the others.
"A shame. It would be a worthy conspiracy to break up," Damian shook his head.
Right behind them, Yang sported a victorious and smug smirk. She was even strutting. Genuinely strutting. Jason and Alice, on the other hand, were looking everywhere but at each other. Despite that, they kept gravitating toward each other, only to jump apart temporarily when their hands touched.
Barbara looked at them and raised an eyebrow, "Well, I'll be damned. That's some progress if I've ever seen it."
"N-Nothing happened!" Alice hurriedly exclaimed.
"… Something happened," Jason instantly caved and contradicted Alice's denial.
"Something glorious~" Yang purred.
"(°ロ°) !" Cass exclaimed. 'She's a legend! A conquering queen! All hail, the Blonde Bombshell of Threesomes!'
Yang pretended to buff her nails on her shirt, "Your recognition is welcome. It's good to be Yang Xiao Long~…"
Most of the room just stopped and stared at Yang in her smug victory until the telltale sound of scroll typing started up. Then, everyone turned to look at Coral. Jaune's older sister just waved nonchalantly, "Don't mind me. Just taking notes. For reasons. Blonde Bombshell Threesome Queen makes for some good inspiration."
Barbara looked between Coral and Blake, smirking as if she'd suddenly figured something out, "Oh, interesting~… Blake, do you see what I'm seeing?"
Blake shook her head. Barbara leaned in to whisper something in her ear. Suddenly, Blake sat straight up at attention, her eyes locked on Coral, "No. Fucking. Shot. I'm a huge fan of Cora Arch's work. I just have to pick your brain."
"Cora… Arch…?" Jaune wondered aloud.
"I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about," Coral deadpanned. "Certainly not in front of my family…"
"Darling," Mom chortled. "If you think your dear mother doesn't know, you're deluding yourself. I don't necessarily approve… But I've come to accept your chosen career."
Coral stilled and slowly turned to stare at her twin, Sable, "… Snitch."
"I didn't tell her jack!" Sable snapped back at her. "You think I'd bring that evil onto myself after you made me beta for you?!"
Just as slowly, Coral began to nod, "Fine. I believe you. We'll just have to go down together."
"No way," Sable scoffed harshly. "I just edited your perversion. Accept responsibility for your crimes against humanity."
"They're masterpieces, not atrocities," Blake firmly defended.
"Agreed," Barbara nodded. "You've got talent, even if polite society won't recognize it."
Coral blushed and looked away, "… I just use it to vent my personal issues. I'm broken. I get it. No need to defend my twisted feelings."
"Coral, my dear niece," Sean's voice entered the scene, comforting and confident. "You're perfect just the way you are. 'Twisted feelings' won't make us love you any less. Especially not when you've made something good from them. You're selling books, aren't you? You're published, no? Some people relate, appreciate, and understand you, so you can't be as 'broken' as you think you are. While you're here, take some time to talk with Blake and Barbara. I think it'll be good for you."
"… Mm," Coral gave a little nod.
She was always weak to Uncle Sean's comfort. All of the Arc Siblings were, really. But Coral was the worst off. He could make her day just by sitting with her as she wrote, and make her week when he helped.
"Thank you, Sean," Dad said, coming to deliver Jaune's waffles. "I don't know what all of that is about. I doubt I want to… But thank you for always steering my daughter away from wallowing in that damned self-loathing of hers."
"Sean, perfect," Mom smiled at her younger brother. "Now that you're here, we can have that overdue conversation. Everyone, while it's a pleasure to meet Jaune's new friends, I think we'll need a bit of privacy for this."
"No, don't worry! We get it!" Pyrrha reassured. "Family matters. Take as much time as you need!"
"Wait, wait-!" Jaune said in a hurry. "You said I could finish breakfast first!"
Mom stared at him for a moment before sighing, "… I did say that. Eat up, Jaune. You'll need your strength and wits before I'm done with you. Meanwhile, I'll have another conversation that needs to be had with your uncle."
An eerie smile spread over her face as she turned to Sean, "Little Brother… Won't you introduce me to my new sister-in-law? And my niece as well? I'd very much like to hear your excuse for why I've seemingly missed your wedding and adoption…"
"Err…" Ruby shifted awkwardly. "Maybe we should give the Arcs a bit of privacy anyway…"
"No, no," Damian shook his head. "This is when we get ourselves some waffles and settle in to enjoy the show."
Sean chuckled at that but didn't take any offense, "It's something of a story, Sis. But first, it would be my pleasure to introduce you to my other half and the child we've 'stolen' for ourselves. Didi, Sister. Sister, Didi. And Alice, come meet your aunt!"
Jaune watched Didi smile beautifully and win over his mom with that single expression, "Hello, Juniper~! I'm ecstatic to call you my newest sister. Simply ecstatic~!"
Alice shuffled over as well, "Yo, uh… Auntie…?"
"Cousin!" Jade exclaimed, as friendly as ever.
"Cousin…?"
"Cousin~!"
Mom tried to stay stern, but she was visibly wavering already, visibly restraining herself from leaping up to happily hug both Didi and Alice, "… And the story, Sean?"
"It was love at first 'sight', but the first real meeting was a long time coming. On Death's door, I fell into Didi's lap," Sean explained, and everyone listened intently. "Quite literally. She held me and stroked my hair and nursed me back around. She saved me from drifting onward, Endlessly. She gave me a whole new lease of Life, and I'll never fully repay her for that."
"Oh, Sean…" Didi blushed. "You know you don't have to."
Sean smirked at her, "Yet, you'll never get me to stop trying~…"
Dad came back with another heaping plate of waffles for the table, smiling, bright and boisterous, "A true romance! I love to hear it! Welcome to the family, Didi, Alice!"
"Welcome to mine," Didi shot back teasingly.
Dad laughed, "Oh, I like her already!"
"In my experience, it's impossible not to like Didi," Sean joked. "Of course, I'm biased."
"No bias needed," Jason chuckled in the background. "Everyone likes Didi."
"(￣ー￣（＿ ＿（ " Cass nodded firmly in agreement. 'She's the best. It's just the objective truth.'
"I still missed the wedding…" Mom grumbled.
"To be fair, there hasn't been a wedding yet," Sean said. "We'll get around to it when we do. For now, we're happy 'just' pledging ourselves to each other forevermore."
During the introduction, Jaune tried to drag out his waffle for as long as he could. But all fluffy, crispy, syrupy things come to an end. He slowed on the last bite, looking up and around. Mom hadn't noticed yet, still fixated on Sean, Didi, and Alice. But Dad had.
Nicolas Arc leaned in close for a quiet heart-to-heart with his only son, "No more putting it off, Jaune. But before your mom tears you a well-earned new one, I just wanted to say… I'm proud of the man you're becoming. So proud. And terrified.
"Frankly, you scared the shit out of us. And I'll be honest, I'm still terrified. For you, champ. The path you've chosen isn't an easy one. I know that firsthand. But there's something to be said about you defying us to choose it for yourself. I've gotta acknowledge that decision and where it means I've gone wrong.
"So as proud as I am, as terrified, I'm also sorry… We held you too close and almost smothered you. You had to break free to be true to yourself and your dreams. I won't say you did it the right way… but I get it. I get it, I'm proud of you for doing what you thought you had to, and I will always love you. That's unconditional, champ. I've loved you since I first held you, and I'll love you until the last, even if this damned line of work takes you from me early."
Jaune felt a lump form in his throat, one he struggled to swallow around as manly tears formed in his eyes, "I-I-… I won't, Dad. I won't leave you early. I swear."
Dad smiled sadly, "I know you won't, not if you can help it. But a Hunter's work isn't often so kind. That's the path you've chosen, we can't delude ourselves of the reality. But it's a necessary path. That's why I'm so proud… That's why I'm so terrified…"
The emotion in his dad's eyes struck Jaune speechless. The pain of loss, most of all. In that moment, Jaune knew what his parents wanted to shield him from. Still, he resolved himself to his decision.
"Dad… I need to do this."
Dad just wrapped an arm around his shoulder and pulled Jaune into his side, "Haaa… I know you do, champ. I know. Doesn't make it any easier for a father to accept… But that's life, isn't it? It's up to each of us to choose what we value most, what we're willing to die for. You're old enough to make that choice for yourself, and I'm going to respect it.
"Just… be patient with your mom, yeah? She was hit hard by your leaving without a word. She'll come around after she gets all the worry out of her system. Take it on the chin, champ. You do deserve it after all."
Jaune deflated slightly at the reminder, "Yeah, that's fair… I kinda fucked up."
"Kind of, young man…?" Mom's voice cut into their heart-to-heart at the end.
Jaune looked up just in time to see his Beacon friends flee the danger zone. Which… also fair. He wouldn't be so lucky. The only thing Jaune could do was accept his fate.
Putting on his best smile, he turned to his mom, "I've made a severe and continuous lapse in my judgment, and I don't expect to be forgiven. I'm just here to apologize…"
IIIII
[AN:
[AN: So, just wanted to give an update on the current state of my writing process. I planned to focus just on the Dead End for a little while longer, but I've found myself burning out of it more quickly than I expected. I think I've come up with a suitable compromise to preserve my writing motivation and not just immediately put this story back on hiatus, though.
I'm going to finish out this RWBY vacay arc. But then, I'm going to put the Dead End as my second priority while I make a return to The Grind Book 2 my first. What that means is I'll be attempting to write two stories at once yet again, but I have hope it'll go better this time.
That's because after the RWBY arc, the Dead End is going to stay pretty firmly in the bar. Sean's stories make for mostly standalone chapters, where I can write one, focus on something else, and then return to write another without nearly as much disruption as other stories would have.
So, Dead End chapters would be less frequent, but they would still be coming somewhat consistently. Muse-wise, though, I've had some really fun ideas to return to The Grind with, and ASOIAF currently has my ADHD by the hyperfixating balls lol. I have much more motivation to write it than the Dead End right now, but I also think it's a little too soon to completely abandon the Dead End. Thus, the compromise. I know I have a bad track record of focusing on two stories at once, but I have hope and a workable plan this time!
We'll just have to see how things go, 'cause I suspect maintaining my current routine will just end up with my muse dying a horrible and abrupt death. And I'd kinda like to avoid that lol.]
[Edit: Since writing this AN for my patreon, I've already started The Grind again. Mostly just keeping it as is for posterity. There are four Grind chapters already posted on my Patreon, with one more on the way before I put it on pause for the Dead End chapter (like I promised here^). If you'd like to join the early chapter Patreon crew, I'd love to have you. I usually keep about 50k words ahead of my public releases on Patreon, so there's quite a bit of content there if you do join. (pat reon.com/dryskies_btb)
Also, since I'm just now realizing that I forgot a Sunday chapter last week (Sorry about that, folks…), have a double-post today to hopefully make up for it. Be sure to refresh the page so you don't miss the second chapter :]