I saw you in a dream

[fatedforvictory]

The dreams had been plaguing her for months. Every time Pyrrha closed her eyes, she was back there on that tower - and it's no surprise, really. It was expected, in their line of work, the trauma that comes along with staring evil in the face - but it doesn't make it hurt any less. She's already berated herself, over and over, for going to the top of that tower. For Jaune, charging in after her, and for...

Well. They already knew how that ended.

It's far past midnight, edging towards two or three AM, she's not sure. Pyrrha sighs quietly, setting down Akoúo from where she was sharpening it. She should sleep - they had a fair amount of ground to cover in the morning. As much as she dreaded what she knew would be waiting for her the moment she managed to sink in to sleep, her body needed the rest. She wouldn't be able to serve anybody if she was tired. She hadn't been able to help the one person that mattered, she'd be damned if she was ever so useless, ever again.

Pyrrha lays down, her sleeping bag snug tight between Ren and Nora. It calmed her, being close to their breathing, the warmth on either side of her. Proof that they were alive, that they were still there - that they hadn't slipped just out of reach the way...

She falls asleep slowly, restlessly - but tonight feels different, somehow...

Comments

[pyrrhic_paladin]

Jaune nodded. It'd be harder to come up with something Pyrrha didn't know, but he'd try. "Her full name is Saphron Cotta-Arc now. She's married to her wife Terra Cotta. They have a son named Adrian."

He tries thinking harder. Something Pyrrha wouldn't know. "Oh! She has a family picture up on her shelf at her home. We're all together my sisters all around me. I'm in pigtails." Embarrassing, but that's not the point right now.

Then came the obvious reality from Pyrrha, but Jaune shook his head. "Pyrrha think about it a second. I don't know about you, but I've never had a dream have a conversation like this with me before. We're both convinced we're real, that the other one is gone. So either one of our imaginations got really vivid suddenly or somehow we're both right."

"You don't have to do anything crazy. You just have to visit Saph. Talk with her and play with Adrian. If somehow I'm wrong and I'm fake then you can just chalk it up to your mind telling you that you should hang out with my sister more before going to Atlas with the lamp."

He holds her tight. "So just promise you'll do that for me and we don't have to have any more serious talk tonight. We can do whatever you want for as long as this lasts."

[fatedforvictory]

Again, details she either knew or could see herself imagining. Still, the nagging sensation persisted, and Pyrrha watched Jaune curiously. He didn't seem surprised, but then, he also seemed like he was trying to work something out - work out what this was? How this had happened? She's reluctant to believe that it could really be him...reluctant to get her hopes up, really.

"Pigtails?" Even if it's a detail her brain imagined, it makes Pyrrha smile. That's just so Jaune, honestly. Her fingers tighten against his shoulders, and she's not sure if she's testing whether or not he's real (he can't be...right? He can't be.)

"No, I haven't," She admits, biting her lower lip. She can't deny that this new, outside of the usual nightmares. "...but you understand how completely off the rails this sounds. I mean...Jaune, I. I saw it. I saw you..." She knows they literally just promised not to talk about it, but she wants him to understand. She knows there's nothing left, beyond a shadow of a doubt. So how can this be? "I can't say I'd be surprised if my imagination finally conjured this up."

"If what you're saying is real," Doubt colors her tone. "...then you've probably been having the same nightmares. Surely we're warranted a break, by now?"

Jaune's ask is not unreasonable, but Pyrrha frowns, discomforted by it. She had wanted to see Saphron again. Their talk had been brief, colored by grief, but Pyrrha had wanted to know more. All she had left of Jaune was his past, could you blame her?

He asks for a promise like it's fair - like she was ever able to deny him anything. Not in life, and certainly not in death. Pyrrha nods against his shoulder, letting out a quiet sigh. "I will. I promise. I'll visit her."

[pyrrhic_paladin]

"Yeah my sisters forced me into them. They really liked playing with my hair for whatever reason." It was also embarrassing enough he's certain that he would have never told Pyrrha about it. So the only way he would know is if she had been in Saphron's home.

Hearing the sadness in Pyrrha's voice as she describes what she saw, it hurts. He would trade places with Pyrrha in a moment to save her life, but he's understanding more and more that leaves her with the same pain he feels. Still he wished Pyrrha could be there for her team.

He diverts from that sadness however. Wanting to uplift Pyrrha at least a little "I mean is it any crazier than a giant blue woman in a lamp that can stop time and can answer any question that's not about the future?" Jinn certainly leaves an impression.

The mention of nightmares has him hug Pyrrha just a bit tighter. "Yeah I get them too." he admitted this simply. It was part of the reason he was feeling like this had to be real. If this was one of his dreams then the rug would have been pulled out from under him by now.

Once she makes her promise he smiles bright. It was a good start. Hopefully this wouldn't be a one-off if his hunch was correct. Now it was his turn to fulfill his side of the promise "Thanks Pyrrha. Alright! No more serious talk, we're going to enjoy this break. So uh what you do want to do?" Honestly as far as getting Pyrrha back by some miracle he has only thought as far as holding her tight.

[fatedforvictory]

"I can't imagine why," Pyrrha jokes lightly, reaching up to run her fingers through his hair again, a soothing motion from his scalp down the back of his neck. She liked his hair - she'd always wanted to play with it, but never quite had the courage, before. She was too worried about respecting boundaries, of not letting Jaune know how she felt, in case it would harm their friendship.

And she would trade places with him, without question. It was her fault, the whole thing was her fault. These past few months without Jaune had felt like an eternity (and that's all they had - an eternity without each other).

That did get a laugh out of her, and she can't help her smile, raising an eyebrow at him. "Yes, it does sound rather ridiculous when you put it like that, doesn't it? And this whole business of this being humanity's second time around...it sounds like a conspiracy theory!"

Pyrrha rests a hand against Jaune's lower back, still just marveling at how real he felt in her arms. She knew she'd have to let go eventually, but all she could think about was not yet, not yet.

"I don't know how much of a break we'll get," Pyrrha admits, feeling for all the world like the time is passing too quickly. Who knew when they'd wake up? She knew they had to get up early tomorrow, to continue working on how to get to Atlas. On Pyrrha's foolhardy plan - it was so insane, she wasn't quite sure why she'd entertained it. Maybe being at the memorial had made her feel closer to Jaune - Jaune, ever the problem solver, who would consider something a bit reckless (well, this was a lot reckless) to see if it stuck. "Tell me about your sisters. You...didn't talk of them much." Here and there, and it never seemed to be from embarrassment - well, not embarrassment of them, but of how adorable he was as a kid.

[pyrrhic_paladin]

((ooc: Going to kind of gloss over the family details since we don't know as much and I'm not sure if I can come up with something good enough on the fly.))

"Right? If the others hadn't told me about it I would have never believed it." Of course he had become angry when he first heard about it. It had felt like Pyrrha had died for nothing since they had no plan now. The task seemed insurmountable, but he realized after visiting her statue that he needed to fight like Pyrrha was still with them. To make this world better and make sure Beacon was never repeated.

Jaune nods about not knowing how long they would have. After all real or not this was still a dream which meant time would act funny. They may only have moments or it might last for a long stretch of time.

"Of course!" Jaune responds to her question. After all he never did talk about them. It was a simple request and would even lend credence when she realized everything he was say was true. "Well you already know Saphron..." and he goes and talks as much as she wants to hear. He described his sisters one after another. Most of his sisters are older than him. Only Saphron and himself left home. He talks about his studious sister who wore glasses. She was a bit rigid, but a good person overall. He talks about the mischievous twins and his tom-boy sister who loves camping. He really would go on for as long as Pyrrha would want to hear.

[fatedforvictory]

[ooc: All good! Kind of figured we could have them wake up in a minute so Pyrrha can get her proof that it's real, and then they can start figuring it out in earnest?]

Where Jaune's first reaction was anger, Pyrrha only saw grief, and exhaustion. They were all so tired, and they'd come so far, and yet it still seemed to amount to nothing, over and over again. If Salem couldn't be killed...what hope had they of stopping her? Reasoning with her? She was too powerful to be contained, to evil to be allowed to walk free - what was there to do?

Pyrrha had, unsurprisingly, found the same strength from the memorial, from meeting Jaune's sister. She knew her leader would never have given up, no matter the odds. That he'd fight to the last (in her world, he had), impossible or not.

And maybe he was still with her, and her with him. Maybe that's what this was. Stranger things had definitely happened.

Jaune paints a bright picture for her, of him and his family. It's wonderful, really, and she laughs at the antics, asks all the questions she never got the chance to before. Real or not, this is most certainly a gift. He has the same light in his eyes that she saw in Saphron's - perhaps it was an Arc thing, or perhaps Jaune just took after his sisters. "You love them very much."

[pyrrhic_paladin]

((ooc: Sounds about right. Feel free to do that in your next tag ^^))

Jaune answered everything freely. Even things that embarrassed him. Pyrrha deserved to hear it all. To know everything there was to know. If he was gone in her world he wanted her to have as much as possible. Especially because he couldn't be absolutely certain this would happen again. He hoped, prayed, that this wasn't a one-off. If it was though he wanted her to have one last good conversation with him and vice-versa. It'd make things sting less.

He blushes a bit in embarrassment as she points out the obvious fact that he did love his family. "Yeah I do. We might not always get along, but they're still my sisters." He gives a comedic pointed look "Don't go telling them I said anything mushy like that though, they can smell weakness." Of course he just meant it as a joke.

"So anything else you want to know? I'm an open book," he had no reason to hide anything from her anymore and really he wanted to indulge Pyrrha as much as he could given the temporary nature of this reunion.

[fatedforvictory]

Pyrrha encourages the steady stream of answers, and this might be the most in depth they've talked about something. Their friendship was deep and meaningful, don't get her wrong, but they were never truly candid with each other. There were walls they had yet to break down (walls that would have come down in time, perhaps), walls Pyrrha herself had erected because if she didn't, her feelings would be too apparent. But none of that matters now, to either of them, shame a distant memory in the rearview mirror.

If it was a one-off, it was going to be a damn good one, that was for sure. Pyrrha hadn't felt this relaxed, this happy in months, and it's a welcome reprieve, no matter what she was going back to.

"I won't tell a soul," Pyrrha promises with another soft laugh, eyes glittering. Yes, she can only imagine the spitfire family he's painting, and she can easily tell that Jaune would be able to handle all of it. The patient (and occasionally not-so-patient) little brother, who just wanted to make his sisters happy. Even if that meant getting his hair braided, or learning to dance.

So many things, Pyrrha doesn't say, brushing her hair back over her shoulder. She opens her mouth to respond, but then she feels it - she feels the dream beginning to dissipate. She can feel the fabric of her sleeping back, and she struggles to keep Jaune's face in focus. She's sure the panic shows in her eyes, but she doesn't care - she doesn't want to leave, doesn't want to wake up. "Jaune, I think - "

And then it's over, just as suddenly, as Pyrrha can't seem to grasp the vestiges of the dream. It slips right out of her fingers, out of her head, as the morning light filtering in through the window hits her just so, across her eyelids. She can feel the tears watering behind her eyes, trying to hold on to the hazy memory of Jaune's face, the sound of his voice, but she can't.

Waking up crying is nothing new.

[pyrrhic_paladin]

The dream begins to fade and while Jaune was convinced this was real it still sent a fear through him that she's fading. He tries to find anything to say, but the dream fades and all he can muster is a reassuring smile as he disappears from view.

Jaune wakes with a start, like he does most nights. However he's full of adrenaline for a different reason. He's convinced what he saw was more than a simple dream. However he knew he couldn't just rely on his memory of it to get all the details correct. So immediately he pulls out his scroll and starts to write notes. He wrote down everything that happened as he remembered it.

There was something to this, but he couldn't tell the others. Not without some physical proof and right now he didn't want to open old wounds. So he would have to make plans on his own. The one thing he could do was invest in some sleeping pills. He has a theory, that Pyrrha and himself needed to be asleep at the same time. If he wanted to spare Pyrrha her nightmares he would have to go through his own to make sure he was asleep the whole night.

[fatedforvictory]

The rest of the morning passes in a haze. Ren and Nora can tell something's up with her, but Pyrrha doesn't want to talk about it (she hasn't for months, why start now?) and they don't push her. What would she even say? She could already envision the deep, aching sadness that would be reflected in their eyes if she told anyone, and that's the last thing she wants. She has enough of it, on her own.

Pyrrha visits the memorial again, this time on her own. It's not an individual statue, but four of equal height - one for each of the kingdoms, a fallen student to represent the losses suffered in Vale. Jaune's outline is unmistakeable, representing his home, Crocea Mors held up high. She can hear the promise she made echoing in her head, and Pyrrha sighs quietly to herself. Of course she would fulfill it. When had she not kept her promises?

The visit to Saphron is pleasant, and Adrian is utterly adorable. Pyrrha very much hopes Jaune got the chance to meet his nephew, but she doesn't ask for risk of bringing even more sorrow to the already typified meeting. Saphron tells her stories from Jaune's childhood, and Pyrrha returns the gesture in kind with tales of his antics at Beacon - the serenading of Weiss and the prank at the dance two incredible highlights that set Saphron laughing until she has tears in her eyes.

It's as Pyrrha is standing to leave, however, that she spots the picture on the bookshelf. It's just as Jaune described, all of his sisters and him, in the middle in pigtails. She can't quite wrap her brain around it - she knew that she couldn't have known that, so if that wasn't in her subconscious, how could she have guessed...?

Pyrrha ponders this all through dinner, and the planning that happens that night, with Ruby and the others. It's as she's sitting to go to bed that she truly has to wonder...was Jaune right? Was it...real?

Well, Pyrrha thought, staring down nervously at her sleeping bag. There's really only one way to find out.

Jaune would either appear again, or the nightmares would start over, but either way, she'd have to put her head on that pillow to know for sure.

[pyrrhic_paladin]

Jaune's day was one of him subtly looking into any information he could on the topic of dreams. Which sadly wasn't much, as far as he could find from just local resources this was a one-off. He could only go by books however since he had no intentions of explaining this situation to anyone. Not for some time. He told himself this was real though, that there was no way it would be so real otherwise.

Then it came time to sleep. Jaune had already decided that even though he was sure Pyrrha had the same sleepless nights he had that he needed to go to bed early and stay asleep. He only took the necessary dose of sleeping pills, no more than that. He didn't want to harm himself, but it did mean he was going to go to sleep and stay asleep. This was something he was actually petrified of given that up until last night it had been this endless cycle of his mind tormenting itself over Pyrrha's death.

This was no different. Because he went to sleep far too early he was placed into one of his nightmares. Cinder, that demon of a woman, killing Pyrrha. Burning her to ash. There was nothing he could do, his limbs felt like they were held down by lead weights.

Thankfully that dream would fade out from his view and suddenly he's in front of Pyrrha. Despite this being a dream she would be able to see him sweating and his labored breathing. He does his best to cover for it by smiling at her.

"So? How'd it go? Was I right?" He was eager to move on from that nightmare to something far more positive. However he couldn't really shake entirely the signs of his panic over the nightmare.

[fatedforvictory]

Pyrrha was nervous to fall into another nightmare, but when she finally manages to toss and turn enough, to get comfortable enough to drift off to sleep (Nora's hand held firmly in her own, her leg tangled with Ren's; they knew she was having a rough day today, and god does she love them with everything she has left), it's not so. There's no nightmare, or if it is there, it fades distantly into the background without bothering her.

No, Pyrrha falls asleep and the swirling colors realign as Jaune comes into view again. Her relief is short-lived when she sees how ragged he looks - she has one guess as to what happened, and she's about 98% sure it's what she was just spared.

"Jaune," She's not fooled by the shaky smile he plasters on for her, and Pyrrha reaches out to him again, smoothing a hand against his cheek, one moving to card through damp hair. "Are you okay?" Neither of them are okay, especially if Jaune is real and experiencing exactly what she experienced, but all the same, she's asking. Offering what comfort she can.

"You were right," Pyrrha reassures him, hands dropping lightly to his, interlocking their fingers and squeezing, a grounding presence. "I don't know how, or why but...you were right."

"And your sister is wonderful," Pyrrha smiles, eyes still searching Jaune for signs of distress.

[pyrrhic_paladin]

He immediately leans into the hand on his cheek. The physical touch helps bring him down just a bit. "Y-yeah I am now." Jaune tried to keep a brave face and leave it at that, but his expression falters in moments. He just couldn't keep anything from Pyrrha anymore.

"I wanted to test one more thing. I went to bed early, earlier than I thought you would." After all she likely had the same amount of insomnia as he did. "Turns out we both have to be asleep for this connection to work. Otherwise we have the same kinds of dreams we normally would." He'd let Pyrrha fill in the blanks on what his dreams these past months had entailed.

When she says he was right he smiles a little more genuinely though it maintained the edge of someone who had just exited a nightmare. "See? I told you. This is way too real to just be a dream."

Hearing what she had to say about his sister Jaune smiled "I'm glad she had somebody to talk to. It can't be easy for her." his tone was a little sullen on that last part. Of course, Saph was grieving in this Pyrrha's world. Her little brother was dead after all.

Not wanting to dwell on the negative he changed the topic "So now that you're convinced what do you want to do now that we've got a while before either of us wakes up?"

[fatedforvictory]

Pyrrha just strokes her thumb across Jaune's cheek for a moment, smiling sadly. She knows there's probably nothing she can say to make it better - nothing she can do to take it away. If there was, she'd do it in a heartbeat, but she's glad he's not going to great lengths to hide it - as if she wouldn't be able to recognize the same pain in other people.

"Jaune," Pyrrha's tone has a light note of reproach in it, the kind of tone you'd take with a child who knew they weren't really about to be punished. "You didn't need to do that to yourself. I...know what that's like." Her imagination doesn't have to stretch very far, but it hardly matters when Jaune looks so tormented by it. "...maybe we should decide on a time."

"It's too real to be a dream, but too bizarre to be real life." Pyrrha corrects with a soft snort, pulling him in to another hug. She smoothes her hands down his back, gentle and solid and warm, letting him feel that she was real. That she wasn't about to disintegrate into a million pieces.

Pyrrha doesn't tell him what he already knows - that his sister is suffering, likely his whole family is suffering a heartbreak she can barely fathom. If she felt this way, imagine what people who have had the pleasure of knowing him his entire life are feeling...

"I don't know I...how can this be? And...why? Why now? And how?" The last repetition is said with wonder, gratitude Pyrrha can't aim anywhere in particular except, perhaps, the gods, infused into it.

[pyrrhic_paladin]

Being scolded by Pyrrha while not ideal oddly felt nice, but he let out a sigh. "I had a feeling you knew what it was like, which is why I had to test it. I didn't want you to have to go through a nightmare without reason." He was very willing to subject himself to it to keep her protected. "Yeah that's a good idea. Let's try to be asleep by 11 PM." It was a little on the late side, but it would mean they'd be sufficiently tired and wouldn't keep the other waiting for too long.

He lets out a laugh along with her "I mean everything's felt way too unreal. I mean all that stuff Jinn showed the others." Jaune practically melted into the touch just enjoying the moment.

"I don't know how it happened. I tried to figure it out, but I couldn't even find a fairy-tale that matched. There's only one thing I'm certain of. There is more than one Remnant. At least two we know for certain, but there might be more. The only obvious difference is you and me, so maybe that's why?" He shook his head "We don't know enough, but I've got a feeling this isn't going away."

As he held Pyrrha tight the gears in his mind started to turn. Something he had said started to settle. Finally forming an idea which was punctuated by him exclaiming "Right, Jinn!" the bright Jaune was totally back now, broken away from the anxiety of his nightmare.

"I remember team RWBY told me how Jinn showed them visions of the past like they were real. What if we could change how this dream looked like that too?" He considers this carefully. "I know, why don't you try imagining the room you're staying in right now?" he was going with the safest option he could possibly think of separated from any of their trauma.

[fatedforvictory]

"Of course I do." Pyrrha murmurs, tucking her face in between Jaune's shoulder and neck, just holding him. It's a miracle just to be able to do that, to let him know that he is loved and cared about so deeply. And if it helps banish the nightmare, but all means. "Neither should you." Pyrrha nods at his suggestion; it's a decent hour, tired enough to fall asleep but early enough to have a decent amount of time together.

"That's fair," Pyrrha smiles, amusement alight in her eyes despite all of the grave truth that Jinn had told them. It was kind of funny, if only in it's utter absurdity.

"I've never heard of such a thing." Pyrrha admitted, pulling back enough to look at Jaune quizzically when he mentioned more than one Remnant. "...I don't understand, how can that be? Are we the only difference? And if that's so...have we made other things different, by virtue of each of us surviving?"

She's glad to see he's banished the nightmare entirely, but for one wild, wheeling moment, she thinks he's going to suggest they ask Jinn. Pleasantly, that doesn't seem to be the case - Pyrrha has no idea how they'd go about that anyway, besides one of them stealing the lamp, which was bound to be trouble.

"Okay," Pyrrha says slowly, following Jaune's logic. This wasn't a vision of the past, however, but a vision of the present. Still, it was a dream, above all else - Pyrrha knew she was asleep. So at the very least, it was a lucid dream.

She closes her eyes to focus - imagine that, closing her eyes in a dream - and conjures up the room she's staying in. It's her friend Linnie's place, and Team JNPR was staying in the office, sardines on the floor. It's cramped, but it's better than staying outside - and it wasn't like they needed a lot of space anyway. The room materializes around them as Pyrrha wills it to - small, with a desk and bookshelves, and a pile of sleeping bags at their feet. There's one window that looks out to the sound, the Atlas base twinkling in the distance.

[pyrrhic_paladin]

"I don't want to say anything for certain on the how yet, but I remember the God of Light called Remnant an experiment. I think that means they could have repeated things trying to get something right." It was just a guess though, he wasn't overly certain about this one.

"There's probably some differences we created. Our semblances at the very least mean we're good for different things." Not to mention the gap in skill in combat. He was sure Pyrrha was still much better than him.

Stealing the lamp had crossed his mind, but he decided they were going to need that for the future. Whatever question was asked had to be in service of protecting the world.

He watched with amazement as Pyrrha's concentration made the room come into view. He smiled bright as sunshine at Pyrrha "You did great!"

Jaune looked at the unfamiliar room, noting the three sleeping bags with a sad little smile before his attention turned to Pyrrha. "This should be more comfortable than sitting around in an empty place anyway. I was having a hard time relaxing in a weird place like that."

Emphasizing his point he starts to remove his armor and sit it aside, leaving him in that Pumpkin Pete hoodie he always wore.

[fatedforvictory]

"That's an interesting theory," Whether or not Jaune is correct, at least it's a place for them to start. Pyrrha, on the other hand, is honestly just trying to wrap her brain around the enormity of it.

"We're also very different people. I wonder if...the same events have happened to you as they have to me, and if you've reacted in the same way?" Pyrrha speculates, tapping a finger against her chin thoughtfully. And yes, while Pyrrha may be more technically skilled, Jaune was undoubtedly the better leader, and perhaps even in a healthier place emotionally because of that.

She's rather not steal from her friends, if it was avoidable. They had enough trust issues with Ozpin that she didn't need to pile on any more.

It seems to have everything just as she left it - just, minus their teammates. Luckily, they breeze over that with little more than a sad, knowing smile - she'd much rather bask in Jaune's excitement that it had worked. "I wonder if you could change it as well. I'd imagine so, anyway."

Pyrrha sits down on the sleeping bags, just watching Jaune take off his armor - her own was still in place, but she could remove it easily with a tendril of her semblance, and for now she's just content to watch Jaune, as though he might disappear if she looks away for too long. The Pumpkin Pete hoodie makes her hide a snort, muffling it against her knees as she draws them to her chest. "...still wearing that, I see."

[pyrrhic_paladin]

"Well you went with Ruby to Haven, you boarded the Argus limited with her and the Grimm made it so you had to split up. Everyone made it to Argus and you stayed with somebody you knew I'm guessing. So far it's the same."

Jaune thought for a moment, he could mention the Memorial, but that'd be kind of sad. So instead he asks "So what's your plan to get to Atlas?" Because everyone else seemed bereft of ideas he assumed Pyrrha would have to take the task like she often did.

"I probably can since we're both sharing this dream." He doesn't feel like testing it just this second though, he liked the idea of just getting cozy with Pyrrha in this new place. They had plenty of time to test the limits.

He pouts a bit at her laughter "Oh come on not you too! You were on the box, you can't tease me about it too." There isn't any real frustration in his tone, this was the kind of banter they've been wanting to have since the other left their lives.

Suddenly he seems to get an idea "Hey take out your scroll a second." Once she does he plops down next to her and closes his eyes in concentration. A scene appears on Pyrrha's scroll. It's clearly from Jaune's perspective as he stood in a blacksmith's shop.

"This is the place I got my new set of armor and weapon upgrades. It's actually the first time Ruby's seen me take off my armor." Jaune explains.

The scene plays out with Ruby breaking into laughter, going cross-eyed over the cuteness of the bunny and falling to the floor laughing before the video stops playing.

[fatedforvictory]

"Yes, we did. It was a near thing, though. I assume you also ran into all those Grimm?" They hadn't had Jaune there to amplify Ren's semblance, so it had been a tough fight. Pyrrha had helped where she could by uncoupling the train cars and making them go faster with her magnetism. Her and Ren had exhausted themselves with Nora defending from any Grimm that caught up - but it was very, very close. "I just wonder if there are significant diverges. In the details...very interesting."

The mention of Atlas, their dire need to get there and their utter inability to do so had Pyrrha shifting uncomfortably, shamed blush high in her cheeks. She didn't like the idea of breaking the law for the greater good (what made her qualified to decide that? What made Ozpin?). Pyrrha averts her eyes as she admits to it, but she does admit to it. "We're using Weiss as bait. I'm to escort her to the base and distract the guards with my Mistral champion status. We reckon they'll be too starstruck to question Weiss properly. Ruby will hide in her suitcase and they'll hijack the aircraft."

After Weiss' long recovery from Cinder's attack, the girls had all been a lot clingier - for good reason. Weiss had adamently refused to be entirely separated from the group the way the plan required, and Pyrrha didn't blame her - she'd been on her own, away from her team, her partner, once, and they all knew how that ended. It's how Ruby convinced her to separate on the train - as much as she didn't want to leave team RWBY, she was even less willing to leave Ren and Nora. "And yourself? What's your plan?"

It's a valiant effort to stifle the laughter, but not entirely successful. It feels good, makes her heart light, to talk and joke like this. "I'll never forget the look on your face when you found out I was. It's...not a particularly healthy cereal, I have to say. I've no idea why they have athletes promoting it."

Pyrrha takes out her scroll obligingly, scooting a little closer when Jaune sits down next to her, letting their sides press together. She's less shy than she was before - what's the point, when it can all be taken in an instant? Her eyes widen when Jaune manages to cast a memory onto her scroll, and she watches in fascination as he gets his new armor and Ruby loses it. She...doesn't remember making Ruby laugh that hard, and it's a rare and beautiful thing. Of course Jaune would be able to do that - what couldn't he do?

"I always meant to get you a new one." Pyrrha says absently, smile still amused at the edges of her mouth. "I thought...maybe for Christmas. Something with Nora's face on it, I think Nora, Ren, and I talked about it."

[pyrrhic_paladin]

As she stated her plan Jaune looked surprised. Not just that Pyrrha would come up with this plan, but that they had come up with the same plan.

Seeing how embarrassed she was he decided to momentarily tease her. "Pyrrha Nikos I am surprised with you! Breaking the law like that." He quickly drops the faux-offended expression very quickly in favor of a smile "I came up with the same idea."

"It was when I visited the memorial to you. I saw an Atlas airship flying over and it just kind of hit me." Everyone wasn't on board at first, but they went with it when they realized it was what they needed to do.

"If you need it, you can trust Saph and Terra to help you. Terra works in communications and can walk you through how to shut down the tower safely." He figures it wouldn't hurt to help her.

When Pyrrha scoots closer to him Jaune wraps his arm around her mid-section. There really wasn't anything for them to be embarrassed about anymore. They were going to share as much as they could with each other now.

"Really? I wouldn't mind changing up my wardrobe a bit though there's no way I'd get rid of this for good. If you want why don't you try imagining what it would look like and I can try it on?

[fatedforvictory]

The surprise just makes her shy about it, but Jaune's teasing tone is light - she didn't think he'd think less of her for it, but she's glad to be proven right. She can't say it surprises her that he had the same idea - where do you think she learned it from. "I'm full of surprises, Jaune. You just haven't had the pleasure of seeing them yet."

"Naturally," She manages a smile, though she looks down to avoid any melancholy over the idea of the memorial. "It was the same for me. But there was no airship, I just...was thinking about what you would do. You would do whatever it took, and you always thought outside the box and - it sounded crazy, but I just threw it at the wall to see if it stuck."

"That's a big ask. I've only just met her." But it would be helpful...could Pyrrha really do that? Ask them to risk so much for a stranger, in the name of her dead brother?

"It was more of a gag gift," Pyrrha admits, glancing back up at him as Jaune wraps an arm around her middle. She chuckles quietly, tossing her head back as she closes her eyes and obliges. The article of clothing appears almost instantly, once she manages to grasp it in her mind - it's Nora's face, obnoxiously printed on the front, cross-eyed and with her tongue sticking out goofily. Ren and Pyrrha's faces are also there, pulling funny faces, but Nora's is larger, front and center. The rest of the hoodie is the exact same shade as Jaune's current one. "We just thought - well, it would be funny. No one would ever guess."

[pyrrhic_paladin]

He has a sad smile as she talks about how she came up with it. It's a warm feeling that she was thinking about him and what he would do. Especially when she needed it most.

Jaune shook his head about her saying it was a lot to ask of her. "Saph has known me my whole life. She's going to know how you came up with that idea without you even telling her." This was the kind of crazy plan he would definitely do "Besides, you, Ren and Nora should consider yourselves part of the Arc family."

When he sees the hoodie appear right in front of him he laughs out loud. "Oh wow that's great! Maybe when I get to Atlas I can have one of these made. I'm sure everyone will love it." Without a hint of hesitation he moves to pull off the Pumpkin Pete hoodie. In the moment he completely forgot about the fact he would be shirtless in front of Pyrrha, letting her see the results of his training until he covers it up with the new hoodie.

[fatedforvictory]

She's always thinking about him. Every breath she takes she knows she has because of him - she's reminded every step of the way that she carries the torch in his name. Pyrrha's fairly certain that Jaune feels the same way in his world, based on their conversations.

"...I'll consider it. If I get a chance to see her again." And if she can explain to everybody else why she knows the Saph's wife works in the communications tower. Pyrrha can't exactly name her source, can she? The mention that they should consider themselves part of his family puts a familiar lump in her throat, and Pyrrha leans to rest her head against his shoulder. "...of course we do."

"If you feel so inclined," Pyrrha stifles a laugh into her hand. Jaune immediately moves to put it on, however, which she...wasn't fully anticipating. Of course, Jaune didn't wear anything underneath the hoodie - she knew that by now, she'd seen him change before, in the co-ed dormitory - but she hadn't quite remembered. Pyrrha remembers that it's rude to stare but - he's different, more toned, new scars that have in actuality faded into old scars, by this point. She averts her eyes a few moments too late, blush in her cheeks intensifying subtly.

[pyrrhic_paladin]

"Good, don't be too happy about it though. You're adopting seven high-energy sisters you're going to have to visit when this is all over. Hopefully Nora can tire them out for you." He was teasing, mostly.

Even if he had the sense to be embarrassed about changing in front of Pyrrha now Jaune wouldn't want to get out of sight of her for that long. Maybe when they were more comfortable that his wasn't just going to shatter in a moment.

Jaune seems to miss the blush and goes right back to curling his arm around her middle. "I feel like I should give you something too." He considers for a few moments "Oh right! It's not as fun as this hoodie, but I was thinking of an upgrade to Miló to go along with Nora's." He summons up Miló in its javelin form as she would remember it. "I was thinking maybe finding a way to get a conductive cable added it to it. That way you can hit an enemy while Nora holds onto the cable and sends electricity through it."