The seminar finally came to an end, and people started rising from their seats.
Jaune stretched the moment he stood, his arms lifting high above his head as his back arched slightly. A faint series of pops ran along his spine, and he let out a quiet sigh of relief. Sitting still for that long had left him feeling oddly stiff.
"Finally," he muttered under his breath.
Around him, the rest of the attendees were already beginning to disperse, though not without conversation. Small clusters formed almost immediately, voices overlapping as they discussed everything they had just learned.
Some were focused on the Stalkers, comparing the different types and speculating on how dangerous each one might be. Others seemed more interested in the mechanics of the Shadow Realm itself, debating theories about the Surface Shadow and Deep Shadow layers as if they were already preparing strategies.
Jaune glanced around, catching bits and pieces of conversation.
"…six arms, did you see that thing…"
"…if it's not true teleportation, then the distance still matters…"
"…what happens if your shadow gets separated too far…"
He exhaled quietly, rolling his shoulders once before relaxing.
The seminar had been… informative.
A lot of it had stuck with him. The structure of the Shadow Realm, the way shadows functioned, the connection to the soul. That part in particular lingered in his mind like a quiet echo that refused to fade.
But if he was being honest, not all of it had been gripping.
Beyond the major points, the latter half of the session had drifted into technical explanations. Dense, layered, and filled with terminology that felt like it had been designed specifically to test the limits of human attention. Important, probably. Necessary, definitely.
Still…
Not exactly thrilling.
Jaune pulled out his phone as he stepped down from the elevated seating, his thumb swiping across the screen out of habit. Almost immediately, a notification popped up.
Group chat.
Ren.
His eyes scanned the message quickly, and a small smile tugged at the corner of his lips. A small party. At his place.
Again.
Of course it was.
"Something interesting?" Pyrrha's voice came from beside him, warm and curious.
Jaune turned his head slightly, holding up his phone just enough for her to see.
"Ren says everyone's getting together at my house tonight."
Pyrrha leaned in just a bit, reading the message before her expression softened into a gentle smile.
"That sounds like a nice way to relax after all of this," she said.
Jaune huffed lightly, slipping his phone back into his pocket.
"Yeah, I mean, I'm not complaining," he admitted. "Just…"
He trailed off for a second, his brows knitting together as a thought crossed his mind.
"Why is it always my house?"
The question hung there for exactly half a second before the answer arrived with absolute clarity.
Jaune blinked once.
Then twice.
"…never mind," he muttered.
Pyrrha tilted her head slightly with a teasing look. "Hmm, you figured it out, Jauney boy?"
"Since when do you start me that? But... yeah," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "That was a dumb question."
It really was.
Blake and Weiss were both staying in LUCID provided dorms. Nice ones, sure. Probably better furnished than all places in Vale. But they were still apartments and studio spaces. Even if everyone living in that area were awakened individuals. Noise complaints still existed and neighbors probably didn't appreciate late night chaos.
Yang and Ruby had their own house, but Taiyang was there now. That alone made it less ideal for… whatever their version of a "small party" usually turned into.
Oscar, Pyrrha, and even Mocha all lived with their families.
And then there was him.
Jaune Arc. Owner of a conveniently empty house.
Well...
Not completely empty. Ren and Nora were living with him, which only made it even more suitable as a gathering spot.
And then there was the other reason.
His father. Missing and branded as a terrorist. That alone made his home… different. Less oversight and much fewer questions.
More freedom, essentially.
"…yeah," Jaune said again, this time with a small shrug. "Makes sense."
Pyrrha didn't tease further, nodding and falling into step beside him as they made their way out of the seminar room along with the rest of the attendees.
By the time they stepped out into the open air, outside of the secret underground base, the time had already reached 7.30 p.m.
Jaune let out a small breath, his gaze drifting toward the parking area.
"Alrighty," he said, fishing his keys out of his pocket, "guess we're heading to my place."
Pyrrha smiled faintly. "Lead the way."
Jaune unlocked the vehicle with a quiet beep and slid into the driver's seat as Pyrrha settled in beside him. As the engine started, his thoughts drifted briefly, unbidden, to a past moment that still lingered with embarrassing clarity.
He remembered teasing Pyrrha once about how he had gotten his driver's license before she did, finding it oddly amusing that someone as capable as Pyrrha had yet to learn something so mundane.
At the time, it had seemed a little like harmless banter.
That memory quickly shifted to the consequences of that comment. Pyrrha had not responded immediately, but she had not forgotten either. Later, in a quiet and calculated act of retaliation, she had tampered with his coffee, lacing it with an overwhelming amount of chili sauce.
Jaune had sensed that something was off with his weakness sense, but he had unwisely chosen to ignore it, only to regret that decision the moment he took a large sip. The taste had been unbearable, forcing him to spit it out almost instantly.
What made the situation even stranger was Mocha's reaction. Rather than being put off, she had casually taken the cup and finished it herself, describing it as a new experience.
To be fair, however... Mocha was a weird pervert so that was actually quite normal. At least she hadn't decided to do anymore weird seances after that one experience with the Sleeper.
In any case, that alone had been enough to cement the moment firmly in Jaune's mind, a sharp reminder that underestimating Pyrrha, even in something as trivial as a joke, was rarely a good idea.
The rest of the drive passed with light conversation, the earlier environment of the seminar faded further into the background with each passing minute.
By the time they arrived, the time was already around eight. Though it was still relatively early for a night.
Jaune pulled into the driveway, noting immediately that there was already more noise in the house than usual.
"Looks like it started without us." he said, turning off the engine,
Pyrrha smiled. "As expected."
They stepped out, making their way toward the front door. The moment it opened, the atmosphere hit them in a warm and lively manner.
Voices overlapped and laughter threaded through the air like a constant undercurrent. The faint clink of bottles and the hum of music playing from a speaker somewhere in the background.
Jaune stepped inside, slipping off his shoes as his gaze swept across the room.
Everyone was already there, scattered in small groups either conversating, playing video games or just generally enjoying themselves.
And then—
"Jaune!"
Yang's voice cut through the noise like a spotlight snapping into place.
He turned just in time to see her striding toward him, a wide grin on her face and a bottle in her hand. She gave it a small shake, the liquid inside sloshing audibly.
"Got your share right here," she said, holding it up like a prize.
Jaune blinked.
"That, alcohol?"
Yang's grin widened.
"Yep."
He stared at it for a second longer.
"This is... uh... new?"
It was. They had done gatherings before. Plenty of them. But alcohol? That hadn't been part of the equation.
"…how did you even get that?" he asked.
Yang's expression shifted into something almost proud.
"Oh, that was easy," she said. "We raided Uncle Qrow's stash."
Jaune paused. "…you what?"
"Ruby, Blake, Weiss, and I," Yang continued casually, counting them off on her fingers. "Team effort."
Jaune opened his mouth to respond, but she wasn't done.
"Raven was there at the time," Yang added. "When we told us what we wanted, she just… gave it to us."
There was a beat of silence. Then Jaune snorted in a small fit of laughter. Of course she did. For one brief, shining moment, Yang and Raven had aligned perfectly.
A shared goal and a mutual understanding.
Qrow's liquor supply.
Jaune could already imagine how that was going to go when Qrow found out. Annoyed, probably. But unlikely to be actually angry.
Not when it was them.
"…that's kind of hilarious," Jaune admitted.
"Right?" Yang said, clearly pleased.
Pyrrha stepped in beside him, greeting the others as the conversation flowed naturally around them.
Jaune reached out, taking the bottle from Yang as she handed it over.
"So," he said, raising a brow, "why alcohol?"
Yang's grin turned just a little more mischievous. "Because, Jauney boy" she said, leaning in slightly, "we've got fun plans tonight."
Jaune frowned slightly.
"…what kind of plans?"
Yang straightened, lifting her chin just a bit as her smile widened. "The fun kind, obviously." she drawled out with a glint in her eye.
A pause.
Then, with absolute confidence—
"We're going clubbing."
She gestured toward the bottle in his hand.
"And this," A small shake. "Is pre gaming."
.
.
AN: Back. Had exams, couldn't write