Sanctuary 9
AndrewJTalon
Experienced.
- Joined
- Apr 24, 2015
- Messages
- 3,612
- Likes received
- 111,427
- - -
Isabel Arc stirred as the front door opened. In an instant, her faculties returned from her deep REM to fully aware. She enhanced her senses of scent and hearing and listened to the footsteps of the person entering the house. Her heart rate slowed and she relaxed as she recognized who it was in an instant.
She got out of bed and headed down the stairs, the red light of the late afternoon sky shining through the windows. She rushed down the steps, every creak and pop comfortingly familiar, dashed through the living room and right into the kitchen.
"Nick!"
Nick smiled at her happily, sitting down at the table. He was filthy, his hair askew, his beard dusty, his clothing covered in dirt and leaves. He set down a leather messenger bag on the table with care though-As though it held something precious.
Lilac thoughtfully poured her father a jug of beer, which he downed happily. While he did that, Isabel hugged him-Something he returned with one massive arm as he drank deep.
"Haaa... Beer, hugs, home: Best things ever," Nick chuckled as he finished. He kissed his wife, as Lilac thoughtfully took the mug and turned away in embarrassment at her parents' show of affection.
"Mmm... You all right?" Isabel asked urgently. Nick nodded.
"I'm fine. Had to take down a few Griffons."
Isabel's eyes shot wide open. Her jaw dropped. Lilac dropped her mug and gaped at her father in shock.
"Griffons?!" They both gasped. Nick nodded.
"Yup. They were pretty tough. Carolina was able to take out their wings with the 50 Cal and Caboose used the rocket launchers to keep them grounded. Damn hard to fight them until we got them on the ground." He brightened. "Then I just hacked them apart with Joxeuse here!"
He patted his trusty railgun sword as it hung off his back. Isabel groaned in exasperation.
"NICK! Why didn't you get me?!"
"Wasn't time," Nick grunted, "They were going to attack Spondel. You couldn't get there that fast and they weren't gonna wait. Sides, you needed your sleep!"
"Why were you in Spondel?!" Isabel demanded, "That's thirty minutes away!"
"Well, we've culled the majority of the Grimm around Radian," Nick said with a shrug, "They called for aid. I wasn't gonna ignore them, Izzy! Not with so many of our best fighters off in Vale!"
Isabel groaned. As much as she might call her husband an idiot, he was perfectly logical when it came to combat.
"Still... Griffons. We haven't seen those around Radian in almost a century," she shuddered.
"Are more of them coming, Dad?" Lilac asked urgently. Nick smiled at his daughter and reached out to squeeze her hand comfortingly.
"Nah. The National Guard's finally in place with their anti-Grimm batteries around the Valley. We should be all right."
Isabel sighed in relief.
"Still, I wish I was with you," she muttered, touching her forehead to Nick's.
"Me too," Nick said with a nod, "I could have thrown you at them, and you could have torn their wings off. Like when we fought that Garuda in Jaipur. Remember?"
"Which one?" Isabel deadpanned, recalling the several battles they had fought to liberate the kingdom of Pandu with their old teammates Prince Arjun and Saia, "We fought three, then the REALLY big one King Duryodhana summoned right in Hastinapur."
Nick hummed and nodded. A furious battle in the middle of a major metropolitan city against a gigantic flying demon Grimm under the control of a mad despot did tend to stick in one's memory.
"Good point. Man, was he a jerk. It wasn't even fun to fight him after a while." Nick held his hands up. "He was all like 'It is useless to resist my power! You have supported Arjun in vain! I am a god and you are mere insects!'"
Isabel managed a giggle at her husband's bad impression.
"He was quite the blowhard," she agreed, "No wonder his own Grimm ate him: Anything to shut him up."
"Yeah, but Arjun totally got the win," Nick nodded, "He hit him last. It's only fair."
Isabel sighed.
"Any word from them?"
Nick's good mood soured and he became a bit pensive. Lilac poured him another beer, which he nodded his thanks to before drinking.
"Radio's picking up some messages. CCT net gets some updates. I hope Orchid's work fixes it soon, cause what I've seen is bad."
Isabel steadied her nerves with her Semblance.
"How bad?" She asked.
Nick heaved a long sigh.
"Jaipur got attacked by one of the factions in Mistral's civil war."
Isabel's lips thinned as Lilac gasped. Jaipur was the biggest trading city between Pandu and Mistral, and one of the busiest ports in the world. It was the gateway to Anima for much of the planet.
"Attacked?"
Nick scowled.
"A Mistralian air battleship attacked with missiles. Hundreds are dead at least, and the walls were deliberately breached in many key areas. They also herded Grimm in to assault the city before they were shot down."
Isabel's jaw dropped.
"That's... Insane," she muttered, "The factions in Mistral need support of other kingdoms to win this civil war. Using Grimm like this will just alienate everyone or make the conflict worse! The only reason you'd do that is..."
Her eyes widened in realization.
"If that's what you wanted to happen," she whispered.
Nick nodded. Lilac moved closer. Isabel reached out to squeeze her hand comfortingly.
"Arjun thinks the same thing," Nick said quietly. "He's getting yelled at by his entire Council to retaliate against all the factions in Mistral, since they're all claiming they didn't do it. But given this happened right after the Vytal attack... He thinks it's a false flag."
"But Mistral's still at war," Isabel sighed, "Which means that the next attack may not be a false flag and it will drag them and every other semi-independent kingdom into it anyway."
"Mm," Nick nodded slowly.
"I don't understand why any humans would do this! This chaos across the entire world all at once doesn't benefit anyone!" Isabel scowled thoughtfully. "It's like something out of the old legends. The Witch Queen of Argus claimed she had a darker, more dread master who wanted to overthrow the world of Men and Faunus..."
"So did Duryodhana, before he died," Nick said gravely. Isabel shook her head.
"At the time I thought he was just insane. All the things he'd done to himself for power... But now..."
Isabel scoffed.
"Not that the words of a thousand year old legend or a dead madman would count for anything."
"We... Have some witnesses from the Vytal attack," Lilac said carefully.
Isabel and Nick looked at her. Lilac shrugged. Isabel nodded slowly.
"We do," she agreed, "But... How much weight will a few teenagers' words have when an entire continent is at war?"
"Arjun would listen," Nick said brightly. Isabel gave her husband a deadpan look.
"Arjun will need proof."
"We'll see what we can do," he said, "We just have to ask them, maybe get their Scrolls and look through the information, maybe go back and see-"
"Nick!" Isabel growled. "They have been fighting for their lives for weeks now! Fighting even though I told you not to put them in! Especially Jaune!"
Nick nodded.
"They needed the rest, I don't disagree," he said, "But we needed the help, Izzy." He brightened in pride.
"You should have seen Jaune! He led his people so well! They never hesitated to obey an order! He threw himself into the thick of it and kicked so much butt! It's amazing how far he's come-"
Isabel rose out of Nick's lap and glared angrily at him.
"He is our son!"
"And he's chosen his path," Nick said calmly. "I'm letting his friends rest and relax because they need it... But they're going to go back out into the fight eventually, Izzy. You know this. He lost too much to stay away."
The healer and the paladin stared at one another. Isabel's gaze was tight, anxious, and angry. Nick's was grave but serene. After a tense silence Isabel sighed deeply.
"Maybe," she muttered, "But I don't have to accept it."
Nick nodded, as Lilac turned away to mind her own business at the sink.
"I know."
Isabel looked out the window. A familiar group of Hunters-in-Training were riding a wagon down the road into the farm.
She hurried out the side door to greet them. She smiled as the outdoor lights came out, illuminating the group in the horse drawn wagon as they came up the drive.
"Hey! How did... You... Do...?"
Jaune stepped out first, covered in blue feathers, grass and dirt. The rest of the teens looked similarly disheveled and exhausted-Save for Nora, who wore a crown of blue feathers around her head.
"... Choux birds?" Isabel guessed, and even with her Semblance of Total Body Control, it was difficult not to giggle.
"Yup," Jaune stated flatly.
Isabel sighed.
"Well, it could have been worse," she said. She beamed.
"And I think you've all earned a reward!"
"Do we get to fry the little bastards up with oil?" Neptune growled.
"No, but even better!" Isabel cheered. "Hot springs!"
"Hot springs?" Everyone not an Arc echoed in confusion.
- - -
Isabel got them a few piles of soap and towels and led them into the nearest stand of trees by the farmhouse. They walked down a dirty path lined with stone lanterns, which Isabel lit with a Fire Dust lighter as they passed each one.
They finally came to a small clearing where a small Fuujin-style building stood. It was boxy and made of dark wood timbers which framed white walls. The faint aroma of sulfur in hot water drifted over their noses.
"A bathhouse?" Neptune asked in immediate interest. Isabel nodded with a nostalgic smile on her face.
"Yes. This was my father Jonathan's wedding present to my mother, Elizabeth, when they built the farmhouse. The Arcs have a lot of relatives from Fuujin thanks to my great-grandfather Kiritsugu Arc. This is just one of many bathhouses they built across the valley thanks to the hot springs in the area."
"Wow," Ruby murmured, "I've only seen these in Mistralian animes!"
Yang opened her mouth but Isabel gave her a smile.
"It's all right. Your arm's waterproofing just had to set. You'll be all right."
"YEAH!" Nora cheered. "This'll be like that time we rested in those hotsprings with those monkeys who used tools! Remember that, Renny?"
"Unfortunately," Ren deadpanned.
"Um," May flushed, "Will it... I mean... Will we all be... Uh...?"
Neptune was practically chomping at the bit. Cardin flushed and tried not to look Velvet's way. The rabbit Faunus also blushed but was smiling softly at her boyfriend. Arslan was glaring death at Neptune, while Yang moved closer to Ruby. Jaune was carefully covering his mouth with his hand and coughing.
"It's small but very comfortable," Isabel went on. She then gave Neptune a knowing look. "And segregated by sex."
"Wha-Oh," Neptune drooped in disappointment. Arslan held up a hand to strike him. "N-No! No! That's cool! That's-Totally cool, Mrs. Arc!"
Jaune choked back a little laugh. Ruby and Yang snorted as well. Ren smirked very slightly. Arslan lowered her hand as Neptune sulked a bit.
"Now, girls to the right, boys to the left," Isabel ordered, as she pressed some Lightning Dust into an electrical receptacle and the entire bathhouse lit up, "Get washed up, grab your towels, and dive in!"
- - -
On the men's side, Jaune slid into the hot water with a soft sigh. The warm waters of the hot springs just seemed to ease his stress away as he sank down and sat on the cement bench. It wasn't a huge bath-The female side out of necessity took up about two-thirds of the available space, as evident by the tall wooden wall separating them-But it was roomy enough for about ten men to not get uncomfortable. It was also open air for the moment, and he looked up at the stars as they shone down through the gaps in the trees.
"As much as I appreciate this, Jaune," Neptune grumbled, sitting down near the lone rock in the center of the bath, "Your mom is no fun. I mean, Mistralian hot springs are all about appreciating the beauty of the female form in its natural glory!"
"You do realize his mom and his sisters are over there, right?" Cardin asked, sitting down in one of the deeper parts of the bath as he scowled at the blue haired young man, "And my girlfriend?"
"I wouldn't peep at her!" Neptune protested with his hands up, "I mean, not much!"
Cardin glared and lifted a fist. Neptune waved his hands.
"I mean... I'm only joking! Really!"
"Yeah, it's fine," Jaune said with a nod, "But can you tone it down a little, Neptune?"
Neptune frowned. Ren slid into the bath and began to meditate in silence. Neptune sighed.
"Yeah. Sure," he mumbled. "Just... I dunno... I miss my team, ya know? I don't know if they're alive or dead and-"
He immediately looked over at Jaune, his eyes wide in realization.
"Shit, Jaune, I didn't mean-"
"I get it," Jaune grunted, his eyes downcast. His neck was tense and his fists clenched. Ren too became tense. Cardin grit his teeth and glared at Neptune. The blue haired young man opened his mouth, closed it, opened it again, then looked down at his hands in the hot water. He sighed.
"I'm sorry," he mumbled.
"It's hard on all of us," Ren said calmly. "It will... Take time to heal."
"I just... It's so unreal," Neptune continued, unable to meet anyone's eyes, "One minute, everything's fine. We lost the tournament but... Ya know... We did our best. Then everything... Everything... It all falls apart."
He gripped his knees tightly.
"... I thought I knew where I stood with my team," he muttered, "Sure, Sun would always run off to do his own goddamned thing, but in a fight? There was no one more dependable... Until now."
Neptune glared at the water. It began to swirl around him in a small whirlpool.
"My best friend ran off on me. All just for a girl. In the middle of a fucking war. That's the kind of shit even I wouldn't do," Neptune growled, "Not in the middle of a disaster! Okay, I'm a horndog! I admit it! But you don't just... Just abandon your friends in a fight for pussy!"
The water churned angrily, becoming frothy. Neptune shut his eyes.
"Now I don't know if that bastard's alive or dead! I don't know about anyone else! I don't know and it's pissing me off and I can't do SHIT ABOUT IT! I can't even joke and lighten the fucking mood properly! I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO, ALL RIGHT?!"
The waters surged up around him, before falling away. Neptune panted hard with his eyes shut tightly. He tried to regain his calm.
He felt a hand touch his shoulder. He started and looked up. Jaune stood there with his towel tied securely around his waist. His face was stony but he was forcing his calm calm.
"I know," he said quietly. "I know."
Neptune grimaced then looked away. He let Jaune's hand linger for a few moments longer, before brushing it off.
"Come on. Despite what Scarlet says, I'm not interested in anything involving men in a bathhouse," he muttered.
He looked back up. Jaune smirked a little.
"You do try a little too hard," he observed.
"Yeah, you compensating for something, Neptune?" Cardin asked with a toothy grin. "Miss your boyfriends?"
"Oh fuck off, I'll have you know I've gotten more women than any of you combined!" Neptune shot back with a scowl, but on the inside there was a smile. "Beacon was just a rough patch for me!"
"Sure it was," Jaune said as he walked back, "That why you couldn't dance with Weiss until I made you?"
"I uh... Well..." Neptune shrugged, "Again. I was thrown off. She came on so aggressively! I'm not into that, which is why Arslan and I will only be friends... Unless she drops the tsundere act."
"I get the feeling she sees you as an annoying little brother," Jaune said, "And given how many siblings I have? It's a familiar sight."
"Ha!" Neptune laughed, "I'll win her over! And May! And Orchid-Okay maybe not her," he amended at Jaune's glare, "You can't begrudge me dreams of having a harem, bro! Not with your record!"
"I don't know what you're talking about," Jaune stated flatly. Neptune scoffed.
"Come on! Ruby's all over you! Weiss couldn't stop talking about you just before we broke up! Yang, I mean, she clings to you and Pyrrha..."
He trailed off at the angry look on Jaune's face. He bowed his head.
"Fuck," he muttered, "I'm sorry..."
Jaune grit his teeth and worked his jaw. Ren reached out to rest a hand on his forearm. Jaune stilled, but the fury was still in his eyes.
Cardin sighed.
"Yeah... Well..."
Nick Arc chose this moment to bound into the bath, his towel secure around his waist.
"WOOHOO!"
He jumped in, causing a massive splash that drenched every man in the bath. Jaune rose out of the water sputtering.
"DAD! WHAT THE HELL?!"
"What?" Nick grinned through his now very wet beard, "It's a bath! You jump into baths!"
"Don't make me throw you out again, dear!" Isabel shouted over the wall. Nick huffed, sat down, and crossed his arms like a petulant child.
"Hmph... Just wanted to have some fun," he muttered. He shook his head and looked at the scowling boys. He brightened.
"Rough day?" He asked.
"For some of us," Cardin grunted, glaring at Neptune. Neptune winced.
"I'm sorry. Really," he emphasized. "Just... Kind of lost without my friends."
"Well, good news!" Nick said cheerfully, "I have news about that! And some for you too, Cardin!"
Neptune and Cardin instantly perked up.
"Really, Mr. Arc?" Cardin asked. Nick nodded.
"Yup! It's a big mess without the CCT but we've got volunteers at the city hall and Militia HQ writing down radio messages. I've got the handwritten ones back at the house but I memorized a few about your friends when we got responses!"
"That's great, Dad!" Jaune said with a tight smile, "Anything from Atlas? Or-Or Menagerie?"
"Some," Nick allowed, "I had to tell your mom them too, she'll be telling the girls. Anyway! The Jolly Roger, Scarlet's dad's ship, has joined the Valean Defense Forces and has been assigned to defend against any further attacks from the White Fang. Scarlet and Sage are aboard and just fine."
Neptune sighed in relief.
"Anything about Sun?"
Nick frowned and shook his head.
"Nothing beyond him going to Menagerie. Sorry about that."
"No, no, that's great news," Neptune grinned, immediately looking like a weight was lifted from his shoulders.
"Anything from Vale about my family?" Cardin asked urgently. Nick turned and nodded to him.
"Turns out Councilman Winchester is one of the few survivors of the Valean Council. He's been organizing defenses, leading the survivors, trying to do diplomatic... Stuff... He's just fine. Nothing about your mother or sister though." He frowned.
"Sorry."
Cardin shook his head, managing a little smile.
"No... It's okay. They were both out of the country at the time-They should be all right. I'm just glad to hear my dad's all right."
"I always liked his speeches," Nick mused, "Very violent! He smashed the podium one time! Definitely not boring!"
The absurdity made Jaune scowl.
"Wha-Since when do you watch politics, Dad?" Jaune asked in disbelief. Nick grumbled.
"Your mother makes me watch during election years. Hmph." He looked to his son.
"As for your other friends? We think Weiss made it to Atlas. They've sealed their borders and gone to AlerCon 2 though, so news is hard to come by. Mistral's in full on civil war right now and all of Anima's up in arms, so they're obviously busy."
"I see," Jaune murmured, "At least she's all right... Probably."
Nick nodded. He clapped his hands.
"Well now... Enough doom and gloom. This is a place to relax! Duty will still be there in the morning. But we must rest to remember what we fight for."
Ren nodded in approval. Cardin grinned. Neptune's smile became much more relaxed.
Jaune managed a small smile at his father, who even now looked like a wise, skilled warrior of old. He was half the reason he wanted to become a Huntsman in the first place, after all. These moments where he was every bit like their forebears. The Arc Knights of old.
"To start with..." Nick slid next to Cardin with a grin. He clapped him on the shoulder. "So! How did you and Velvet hook up? She's a real cutie and a spitfire! Reminds me of Izzy when we started dating!"
... An Arc Knight of old who was gossiping like a teenaged girl. Jaune grimaced. Cardin sputtered.
"Uh, um, w-well uh... It kind of started when I pulled on her ears-"
"Oh! She's into that sort of thing, huh?"
"N-NO!" A pause. "Sort of?"
"Dad!" Jaune groaned.
"Come now Jaune! As fellow men, we must salute our brother in achieving the dream of many," Nick said, holding a fist up in the air while crying manly tears, "Dating a hot girl who is also a powerful warrior! Girls who can't kick your ass are boring! Isn't that right honey?"
"Absolutely!" Isabel shouted back. Neptune paled.
"Can... They hear everything we're saying?" He muttered.
"Just me!" Nick laughed. "Whispering's for DORKS!"
- - -
Hot Springs Part 2 will come soon. Everyone will be in towels, there will be nothing sexual about it, so let's all stay cool. Worse comes to worse I'll post the girls' side on QQ only.
Isabel Arc stirred as the front door opened. In an instant, her faculties returned from her deep REM to fully aware. She enhanced her senses of scent and hearing and listened to the footsteps of the person entering the house. Her heart rate slowed and she relaxed as she recognized who it was in an instant.
She got out of bed and headed down the stairs, the red light of the late afternoon sky shining through the windows. She rushed down the steps, every creak and pop comfortingly familiar, dashed through the living room and right into the kitchen.
"Nick!"
Nick smiled at her happily, sitting down at the table. He was filthy, his hair askew, his beard dusty, his clothing covered in dirt and leaves. He set down a leather messenger bag on the table with care though-As though it held something precious.
Lilac thoughtfully poured her father a jug of beer, which he downed happily. While he did that, Isabel hugged him-Something he returned with one massive arm as he drank deep.
"Haaa... Beer, hugs, home: Best things ever," Nick chuckled as he finished. He kissed his wife, as Lilac thoughtfully took the mug and turned away in embarrassment at her parents' show of affection.
"Mmm... You all right?" Isabel asked urgently. Nick nodded.
"I'm fine. Had to take down a few Griffons."
Isabel's eyes shot wide open. Her jaw dropped. Lilac dropped her mug and gaped at her father in shock.
"Griffons?!" They both gasped. Nick nodded.
"Yup. They were pretty tough. Carolina was able to take out their wings with the 50 Cal and Caboose used the rocket launchers to keep them grounded. Damn hard to fight them until we got them on the ground." He brightened. "Then I just hacked them apart with Joxeuse here!"
He patted his trusty railgun sword as it hung off his back. Isabel groaned in exasperation.
"NICK! Why didn't you get me?!"
"Wasn't time," Nick grunted, "They were going to attack Spondel. You couldn't get there that fast and they weren't gonna wait. Sides, you needed your sleep!"
"Why were you in Spondel?!" Isabel demanded, "That's thirty minutes away!"
"Well, we've culled the majority of the Grimm around Radian," Nick said with a shrug, "They called for aid. I wasn't gonna ignore them, Izzy! Not with so many of our best fighters off in Vale!"
Isabel groaned. As much as she might call her husband an idiot, he was perfectly logical when it came to combat.
"Still... Griffons. We haven't seen those around Radian in almost a century," she shuddered.
"Are more of them coming, Dad?" Lilac asked urgently. Nick smiled at his daughter and reached out to squeeze her hand comfortingly.
"Nah. The National Guard's finally in place with their anti-Grimm batteries around the Valley. We should be all right."
Isabel sighed in relief.
"Still, I wish I was with you," she muttered, touching her forehead to Nick's.
"Me too," Nick said with a nod, "I could have thrown you at them, and you could have torn their wings off. Like when we fought that Garuda in Jaipur. Remember?"
"Which one?" Isabel deadpanned, recalling the several battles they had fought to liberate the kingdom of Pandu with their old teammates Prince Arjun and Saia, "We fought three, then the REALLY big one King Duryodhana summoned right in Hastinapur."
Nick hummed and nodded. A furious battle in the middle of a major metropolitan city against a gigantic flying demon Grimm under the control of a mad despot did tend to stick in one's memory.
"Good point. Man, was he a jerk. It wasn't even fun to fight him after a while." Nick held his hands up. "He was all like 'It is useless to resist my power! You have supported Arjun in vain! I am a god and you are mere insects!'"
Isabel managed a giggle at her husband's bad impression.
"He was quite the blowhard," she agreed, "No wonder his own Grimm ate him: Anything to shut him up."
"Yeah, but Arjun totally got the win," Nick nodded, "He hit him last. It's only fair."
Isabel sighed.
"Any word from them?"
Nick's good mood soured and he became a bit pensive. Lilac poured him another beer, which he nodded his thanks to before drinking.
"Radio's picking up some messages. CCT net gets some updates. I hope Orchid's work fixes it soon, cause what I've seen is bad."
Isabel steadied her nerves with her Semblance.
"How bad?" She asked.
Nick heaved a long sigh.
"Jaipur got attacked by one of the factions in Mistral's civil war."
Isabel's lips thinned as Lilac gasped. Jaipur was the biggest trading city between Pandu and Mistral, and one of the busiest ports in the world. It was the gateway to Anima for much of the planet.
"Attacked?"
Nick scowled.
"A Mistralian air battleship attacked with missiles. Hundreds are dead at least, and the walls were deliberately breached in many key areas. They also herded Grimm in to assault the city before they were shot down."
Isabel's jaw dropped.
"That's... Insane," she muttered, "The factions in Mistral need support of other kingdoms to win this civil war. Using Grimm like this will just alienate everyone or make the conflict worse! The only reason you'd do that is..."
Her eyes widened in realization.
"If that's what you wanted to happen," she whispered.
Nick nodded. Lilac moved closer. Isabel reached out to squeeze her hand comfortingly.
"Arjun thinks the same thing," Nick said quietly. "He's getting yelled at by his entire Council to retaliate against all the factions in Mistral, since they're all claiming they didn't do it. But given this happened right after the Vytal attack... He thinks it's a false flag."
"But Mistral's still at war," Isabel sighed, "Which means that the next attack may not be a false flag and it will drag them and every other semi-independent kingdom into it anyway."
"Mm," Nick nodded slowly.
"I don't understand why any humans would do this! This chaos across the entire world all at once doesn't benefit anyone!" Isabel scowled thoughtfully. "It's like something out of the old legends. The Witch Queen of Argus claimed she had a darker, more dread master who wanted to overthrow the world of Men and Faunus..."
"So did Duryodhana, before he died," Nick said gravely. Isabel shook her head.
"At the time I thought he was just insane. All the things he'd done to himself for power... But now..."
Isabel scoffed.
"Not that the words of a thousand year old legend or a dead madman would count for anything."
"We... Have some witnesses from the Vytal attack," Lilac said carefully.
Isabel and Nick looked at her. Lilac shrugged. Isabel nodded slowly.
"We do," she agreed, "But... How much weight will a few teenagers' words have when an entire continent is at war?"
"Arjun would listen," Nick said brightly. Isabel gave her husband a deadpan look.
"Arjun will need proof."
"We'll see what we can do," he said, "We just have to ask them, maybe get their Scrolls and look through the information, maybe go back and see-"
"Nick!" Isabel growled. "They have been fighting for their lives for weeks now! Fighting even though I told you not to put them in! Especially Jaune!"
Nick nodded.
"They needed the rest, I don't disagree," he said, "But we needed the help, Izzy." He brightened in pride.
"You should have seen Jaune! He led his people so well! They never hesitated to obey an order! He threw himself into the thick of it and kicked so much butt! It's amazing how far he's come-"
Isabel rose out of Nick's lap and glared angrily at him.
"He is our son!"
"And he's chosen his path," Nick said calmly. "I'm letting his friends rest and relax because they need it... But they're going to go back out into the fight eventually, Izzy. You know this. He lost too much to stay away."
The healer and the paladin stared at one another. Isabel's gaze was tight, anxious, and angry. Nick's was grave but serene. After a tense silence Isabel sighed deeply.
"Maybe," she muttered, "But I don't have to accept it."
Nick nodded, as Lilac turned away to mind her own business at the sink.
"I know."
Isabel looked out the window. A familiar group of Hunters-in-Training were riding a wagon down the road into the farm.
She hurried out the side door to greet them. She smiled as the outdoor lights came out, illuminating the group in the horse drawn wagon as they came up the drive.
"Hey! How did... You... Do...?"
Jaune stepped out first, covered in blue feathers, grass and dirt. The rest of the teens looked similarly disheveled and exhausted-Save for Nora, who wore a crown of blue feathers around her head.
"... Choux birds?" Isabel guessed, and even with her Semblance of Total Body Control, it was difficult not to giggle.
"Yup," Jaune stated flatly.
Isabel sighed.
"Well, it could have been worse," she said. She beamed.
"And I think you've all earned a reward!"
"Do we get to fry the little bastards up with oil?" Neptune growled.
"No, but even better!" Isabel cheered. "Hot springs!"
"Hot springs?" Everyone not an Arc echoed in confusion.
- - -
Isabel got them a few piles of soap and towels and led them into the nearest stand of trees by the farmhouse. They walked down a dirty path lined with stone lanterns, which Isabel lit with a Fire Dust lighter as they passed each one.
They finally came to a small clearing where a small Fuujin-style building stood. It was boxy and made of dark wood timbers which framed white walls. The faint aroma of sulfur in hot water drifted over their noses.
"A bathhouse?" Neptune asked in immediate interest. Isabel nodded with a nostalgic smile on her face.
"Yes. This was my father Jonathan's wedding present to my mother, Elizabeth, when they built the farmhouse. The Arcs have a lot of relatives from Fuujin thanks to my great-grandfather Kiritsugu Arc. This is just one of many bathhouses they built across the valley thanks to the hot springs in the area."
"Wow," Ruby murmured, "I've only seen these in Mistralian animes!"
Yang opened her mouth but Isabel gave her a smile.
"It's all right. Your arm's waterproofing just had to set. You'll be all right."
"YEAH!" Nora cheered. "This'll be like that time we rested in those hotsprings with those monkeys who used tools! Remember that, Renny?"
"Unfortunately," Ren deadpanned.
"Um," May flushed, "Will it... I mean... Will we all be... Uh...?"
Neptune was practically chomping at the bit. Cardin flushed and tried not to look Velvet's way. The rabbit Faunus also blushed but was smiling softly at her boyfriend. Arslan was glaring death at Neptune, while Yang moved closer to Ruby. Jaune was carefully covering his mouth with his hand and coughing.
"It's small but very comfortable," Isabel went on. She then gave Neptune a knowing look. "And segregated by sex."
"Wha-Oh," Neptune drooped in disappointment. Arslan held up a hand to strike him. "N-No! No! That's cool! That's-Totally cool, Mrs. Arc!"
Jaune choked back a little laugh. Ruby and Yang snorted as well. Ren smirked very slightly. Arslan lowered her hand as Neptune sulked a bit.
"Now, girls to the right, boys to the left," Isabel ordered, as she pressed some Lightning Dust into an electrical receptacle and the entire bathhouse lit up, "Get washed up, grab your towels, and dive in!"
- - -
On the men's side, Jaune slid into the hot water with a soft sigh. The warm waters of the hot springs just seemed to ease his stress away as he sank down and sat on the cement bench. It wasn't a huge bath-The female side out of necessity took up about two-thirds of the available space, as evident by the tall wooden wall separating them-But it was roomy enough for about ten men to not get uncomfortable. It was also open air for the moment, and he looked up at the stars as they shone down through the gaps in the trees.
"As much as I appreciate this, Jaune," Neptune grumbled, sitting down near the lone rock in the center of the bath, "Your mom is no fun. I mean, Mistralian hot springs are all about appreciating the beauty of the female form in its natural glory!"
"You do realize his mom and his sisters are over there, right?" Cardin asked, sitting down in one of the deeper parts of the bath as he scowled at the blue haired young man, "And my girlfriend?"
"I wouldn't peep at her!" Neptune protested with his hands up, "I mean, not much!"
Cardin glared and lifted a fist. Neptune waved his hands.
"I mean... I'm only joking! Really!"
"Yeah, it's fine," Jaune said with a nod, "But can you tone it down a little, Neptune?"
Neptune frowned. Ren slid into the bath and began to meditate in silence. Neptune sighed.
"Yeah. Sure," he mumbled. "Just... I dunno... I miss my team, ya know? I don't know if they're alive or dead and-"
He immediately looked over at Jaune, his eyes wide in realization.
"Shit, Jaune, I didn't mean-"
"I get it," Jaune grunted, his eyes downcast. His neck was tense and his fists clenched. Ren too became tense. Cardin grit his teeth and glared at Neptune. The blue haired young man opened his mouth, closed it, opened it again, then looked down at his hands in the hot water. He sighed.
"I'm sorry," he mumbled.
"It's hard on all of us," Ren said calmly. "It will... Take time to heal."
"I just... It's so unreal," Neptune continued, unable to meet anyone's eyes, "One minute, everything's fine. We lost the tournament but... Ya know... We did our best. Then everything... Everything... It all falls apart."
He gripped his knees tightly.
"... I thought I knew where I stood with my team," he muttered, "Sure, Sun would always run off to do his own goddamned thing, but in a fight? There was no one more dependable... Until now."
Neptune glared at the water. It began to swirl around him in a small whirlpool.
"My best friend ran off on me. All just for a girl. In the middle of a fucking war. That's the kind of shit even I wouldn't do," Neptune growled, "Not in the middle of a disaster! Okay, I'm a horndog! I admit it! But you don't just... Just abandon your friends in a fight for pussy!"
The water churned angrily, becoming frothy. Neptune shut his eyes.
"Now I don't know if that bastard's alive or dead! I don't know about anyone else! I don't know and it's pissing me off and I can't do SHIT ABOUT IT! I can't even joke and lighten the fucking mood properly! I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO, ALL RIGHT?!"
The waters surged up around him, before falling away. Neptune panted hard with his eyes shut tightly. He tried to regain his calm.
He felt a hand touch his shoulder. He started and looked up. Jaune stood there with his towel tied securely around his waist. His face was stony but he was forcing his calm calm.
"I know," he said quietly. "I know."
Neptune grimaced then looked away. He let Jaune's hand linger for a few moments longer, before brushing it off.
"Come on. Despite what Scarlet says, I'm not interested in anything involving men in a bathhouse," he muttered.
He looked back up. Jaune smirked a little.
"You do try a little too hard," he observed.
"Yeah, you compensating for something, Neptune?" Cardin asked with a toothy grin. "Miss your boyfriends?"
"Oh fuck off, I'll have you know I've gotten more women than any of you combined!" Neptune shot back with a scowl, but on the inside there was a smile. "Beacon was just a rough patch for me!"
"Sure it was," Jaune said as he walked back, "That why you couldn't dance with Weiss until I made you?"
"I uh... Well..." Neptune shrugged, "Again. I was thrown off. She came on so aggressively! I'm not into that, which is why Arslan and I will only be friends... Unless she drops the tsundere act."
"I get the feeling she sees you as an annoying little brother," Jaune said, "And given how many siblings I have? It's a familiar sight."
"Ha!" Neptune laughed, "I'll win her over! And May! And Orchid-Okay maybe not her," he amended at Jaune's glare, "You can't begrudge me dreams of having a harem, bro! Not with your record!"
"I don't know what you're talking about," Jaune stated flatly. Neptune scoffed.
"Come on! Ruby's all over you! Weiss couldn't stop talking about you just before we broke up! Yang, I mean, she clings to you and Pyrrha..."
He trailed off at the angry look on Jaune's face. He bowed his head.
"Fuck," he muttered, "I'm sorry..."
Jaune grit his teeth and worked his jaw. Ren reached out to rest a hand on his forearm. Jaune stilled, but the fury was still in his eyes.
Cardin sighed.
"Yeah... Well..."
Nick Arc chose this moment to bound into the bath, his towel secure around his waist.
"WOOHOO!"
He jumped in, causing a massive splash that drenched every man in the bath. Jaune rose out of the water sputtering.
"DAD! WHAT THE HELL?!"
"What?" Nick grinned through his now very wet beard, "It's a bath! You jump into baths!"
"Don't make me throw you out again, dear!" Isabel shouted over the wall. Nick huffed, sat down, and crossed his arms like a petulant child.
"Hmph... Just wanted to have some fun," he muttered. He shook his head and looked at the scowling boys. He brightened.
"Rough day?" He asked.
"For some of us," Cardin grunted, glaring at Neptune. Neptune winced.
"I'm sorry. Really," he emphasized. "Just... Kind of lost without my friends."
"Well, good news!" Nick said cheerfully, "I have news about that! And some for you too, Cardin!"
Neptune and Cardin instantly perked up.
"Really, Mr. Arc?" Cardin asked. Nick nodded.
"Yup! It's a big mess without the CCT but we've got volunteers at the city hall and Militia HQ writing down radio messages. I've got the handwritten ones back at the house but I memorized a few about your friends when we got responses!"
"That's great, Dad!" Jaune said with a tight smile, "Anything from Atlas? Or-Or Menagerie?"
"Some," Nick allowed, "I had to tell your mom them too, she'll be telling the girls. Anyway! The Jolly Roger, Scarlet's dad's ship, has joined the Valean Defense Forces and has been assigned to defend against any further attacks from the White Fang. Scarlet and Sage are aboard and just fine."
Neptune sighed in relief.
"Anything about Sun?"
Nick frowned and shook his head.
"Nothing beyond him going to Menagerie. Sorry about that."
"No, no, that's great news," Neptune grinned, immediately looking like a weight was lifted from his shoulders.
"Anything from Vale about my family?" Cardin asked urgently. Nick turned and nodded to him.
"Turns out Councilman Winchester is one of the few survivors of the Valean Council. He's been organizing defenses, leading the survivors, trying to do diplomatic... Stuff... He's just fine. Nothing about your mother or sister though." He frowned.
"Sorry."
Cardin shook his head, managing a little smile.
"No... It's okay. They were both out of the country at the time-They should be all right. I'm just glad to hear my dad's all right."
"I always liked his speeches," Nick mused, "Very violent! He smashed the podium one time! Definitely not boring!"
The absurdity made Jaune scowl.
"Wha-Since when do you watch politics, Dad?" Jaune asked in disbelief. Nick grumbled.
"Your mother makes me watch during election years. Hmph." He looked to his son.
"As for your other friends? We think Weiss made it to Atlas. They've sealed their borders and gone to AlerCon 2 though, so news is hard to come by. Mistral's in full on civil war right now and all of Anima's up in arms, so they're obviously busy."
"I see," Jaune murmured, "At least she's all right... Probably."
Nick nodded. He clapped his hands.
"Well now... Enough doom and gloom. This is a place to relax! Duty will still be there in the morning. But we must rest to remember what we fight for."
Ren nodded in approval. Cardin grinned. Neptune's smile became much more relaxed.
Jaune managed a small smile at his father, who even now looked like a wise, skilled warrior of old. He was half the reason he wanted to become a Huntsman in the first place, after all. These moments where he was every bit like their forebears. The Arc Knights of old.
"To start with..." Nick slid next to Cardin with a grin. He clapped him on the shoulder. "So! How did you and Velvet hook up? She's a real cutie and a spitfire! Reminds me of Izzy when we started dating!"
... An Arc Knight of old who was gossiping like a teenaged girl. Jaune grimaced. Cardin sputtered.
"Uh, um, w-well uh... It kind of started when I pulled on her ears-"
"Oh! She's into that sort of thing, huh?"
"N-NO!" A pause. "Sort of?"
"Dad!" Jaune groaned.
"Come now Jaune! As fellow men, we must salute our brother in achieving the dream of many," Nick said, holding a fist up in the air while crying manly tears, "Dating a hot girl who is also a powerful warrior! Girls who can't kick your ass are boring! Isn't that right honey?"
"Absolutely!" Isabel shouted back. Neptune paled.
"Can... They hear everything we're saying?" He muttered.
"Just me!" Nick laughed. "Whispering's for DORKS!"
- - -
Hot Springs Part 2 will come soon. Everyone will be in towels, there will be nothing sexual about it, so let's all stay cool. Worse comes to worse I'll post the girls' side on QQ only.
Last edited:
