And Part 3.
Cowboys of Remnant: Sisterly Gifts
"That's a pretty big package you've got there, Cowboy." Yang said with a salacious grin.
Both Weiss and Pyrrha barely avoided spitting their drinks out. Blake looked up from her newspaper, interest suddenly piqued, and all other conversation at the joint RWBY and JNPR table immediately died out as everyone turned to stare at the blonde.
"Yang! That's inappropriate!" Shouted the Schnee Heiress, glaring at Yang.
"Indeed!" The Myrmidon agreed, matching her counterpart's glare. "Highly inappropriate!"
The boxer gave the two her most innocent look, "Inappropriate? What could possibly be inappropriate about Jaune's package?"
Jaune, carrying a large wooden crate in his arms as he approached, flushed and coughed slightly. "Please don't do that, Ms. Xiao Long. Folks'll get the wrong idea."
Yang's grin somehow grew wider, "That's the whole point, handsome."
"Ew, Yang, stop flirting at the breakfast table!" Ruby cried.
"Please, that was barely flirting," the taller girl scoffed. "This is flirting: hey boy, gimme- MPH!"
"Shutupshutupshutup!" Ruby had immediately slapped her hands across her sister's mouth, face completely flushed. "I'm so sorry about her, Jaune. How about a new topic? Like, what's in the crate?"
"Thank you, Ms. Rose," said an equally red Jaune. "And I don't rightly know yet. Just picked it up from the mail office but it looks like it's from home."
"Well, crack that sucker open, Jauney!" Nora demanded, jumping up on the table to get a better view. "Surprise presents are the best!"
"Nora, please don't climb onto the table, it's unsanitary." Ren requested calmly.
"Oops, sorry Ren!" The redhead climbed back down.
Jaune, meanwhile, had pulled out his knife and was prying open the top of the crate with the blade. With a SCRUNCH, the lid popped off, revealing... more boxes inside, as well as a letter on top. The blond gave the letter a quick read through before smiling softly.
"Looks like my sisters sent me some gifts as congratulations for gettin' into Beacon," he explained to his friends.
Pyrrha blinked, "But that was last semester? Why are you only receiving them now?"
"Half the Arc kids are spread out all across Remnant," Jaune elaborated. "It must have taken a while to get everythin' all bundled up."
Yang peered inside the box and whistled. "That's a lot of gifts."
"I've got a lot of sisters," he replied.
"How many is a lot?"
"Seven."
"Se-seven!" Weiss cried.
"Your parents must have a very healthy marriage," Pyrrha intoned with an innocent smile.
"Some would say too healthy," Jaune muttered under his breath, eyes suddenly very far away, before shaking himself and pulling the individual boxes out.
"Alright, this one's from Saphron," A small cardboard box a bit bigger than his fist.
"This one's from Tangy," A moderately sized casket that made sloshing noises when it was moved.
"This one's from Verdy and Coral," A heavy metal case with something dense inside.
"Lilac." Another cardboard box that rustled.
"Aqua," A large wooden chest that made dull clinking sounds when it was jostled.
"And Orchid." A long and thin metal case that also clinked.
"That's quite a few," Weiss noted, inspecting the gifts.
"Must be nice, having a lot of siblings who love you," Nora sighed wistfully.
"It has its ups'n downs," Jaune admitted, smiling softly at the Valkyrie. "I think you'd like them, Nora. I'll introduce you sometime."
"Really!?" Nora leapt over and gave Jaune an absolutely bone-crushing hug. "Thank you, Fearless Leader!"
"N-nora, please," the cowboy wheezed.
"Nora," came Ren's voice from behind her. "Please don't break our leader. We only have one of him."
"Oops!" The redhead chuckled. "Sorry Jaune!"
Jaune took a deep breath and straightened his neck with a crack, "N-no harm done! Just, ah, take a bit more care in the future?"
"Can do! Enough messing around, lets get to opening these presents!"
"Just a sec, the letter said they need to be opened in a specific order," Jaune said, picking said letter up again.
Weiss paused her inspection of Tangy's gift, looking up, "Why the coordination?"
Jaune smiled, "They're always doin' stuff like this. I think it's cause I'm the youngest. They always like makin' any gift givin' into a whole production. Anyways, looks like the first one is from Saphron."
Opening the case revealed a brand-new scroll and a small letter. Opening the letter, Jaune read it aloud. "'Dear Jaune, Terra and I were overjoyed when we heard the news and Adrian thought it was pretty swell too!' Ha, that's cute."
"What is?" Pyrrha queried.
"Adrian is my nephew and he's barely a year old. There's no way he knows what they were talkin' about."
Weiss smiled, "Ah, that is cute."
"'Terra helped me set this scroll up for you as a replacement for your old Mokia. You're going to need something more modern if you want to make it as a Huntsman! I expect to see you in Argus over your summer break! We can go sightseeing and I'll introduce you to my friends! Love, Saphron. P.S. Terra and Adrian say they love you too.'"
"Awww," practically everyone around the table cooed.
"Wait, your sister lives in Argus?" Pyrrha asked, her gaze suddenly calculating.
"She does indeed, Ms. Nikos. Why do you ask?"
"I'm from Argus. Maybe we can visit her together and I can introduce you to my mother afterwards?" She proposed coyly.
Jaune smiled, "That sounds wonderful. I'd love to."
Pyrrha felt her heart soar, in no small part due to the stinkeye Weiss was sending her way.
"Well, this is nifty," Jaune said, inspecting his new scroll. "Never been all that great with technology but I'll learn. Looks like the next one I'm supposed to open is from Tangy."
Seizing the casket, he lifted the lid off to reveal an ornate glass bottle filled with an amber liquid. Worked into the bottle's surface were the words "The Evil Brewing Company, Est. 80 AGW."
"Ha! Looks like Tangy's newest venture took off! Tangy is a pretty successful entrepreneur," he explained for the benefit of his confused friends. "She's got her fingers in lots of pies, from shippin' to security. And now apparently brewin'! Let's see what's in the letter..."
He unfolded the small square of cardstock, and read the short note inside. "Dear Jaune, Congratulations on being accepted into Beacon. This whiskey is part of the first batch from our new distillery. Please share it with Weiss Schnee and Pyrrha Nikos. Cordially, your sister Tanya.'"
"Tanya?" Yang asked. "I thought her name was Tangy?"
"Her name's actually Tangerine but we call her Tangy. She's not a fan of Ma and Pa's namin' style."
Weiss sniffed disapprovingly, "While it's nice to have some recognition, I hardly think it's appropriate for your sister to be gifting you liquor in order to promote her business."
"Can't say I agree, Ms. Schnee. Out on the trail, a shot of whiskey can do a fella a world of good, especially right before bed or right after a fight," Jaune replied. "Tangy might be a bit cold but she's clearly lookin' out for me with this gift. That she can promote her business too is probably just a bonus to her."
"I suppose," the heiress conceded. "I merely have a poor opinion of those who place business before family."
"As you should, Ms. Schnee, as you should," Jaune agreed readily. "But the thing about Tangy is that, when push comes to shove, she'll drop everythin' to be there for her family, and she knows we'd do the same for her."
"Hmm," Weiss hmmed. "I think I should like to meet Tangy at some point."
"I reckon she's mighty keen to meet you too. Now, the next one I'm supposed to open is... Lilac's!
Cutting open the cardboard box revealed...
"A coat?" Ruby asked.
"Well, I'll be..." Jaune murmured, his eyes wide as he pulled it out of the box and unfolded it. "It's just like Pa's!"
Standing up, the cowboy pulled his poncho off and swept his arms through the dark brown duster's sleeves. The cut of the coat was quite long, coming down to just past his knees, and stiffer than he expected. Tapping the coat, he could hear the dull clink of a harder material insde the lining.
"Lilac really outdid herself with this one!" Jaune laughed. "Even has the ceramic armor sewn in!"
"Nice trenchcoat," Blake teased, speaking up for the first time.
"Duster, Ms. Belladonna," Jaune replied with a hint of reproach. "It's a duster."
"Hm."
"I think it looks great on you, Jaune." Pyrrha said with an encouraging smile. "You look very dashing. Did Lilac make this?"
"Yep!" Jaune replied while twisting his torso around to get a feel for the coat's weight. "She's a great tailor, sewed a lot of my trail clothes. Sure, we can get mass-produced stuff out where we live but they don't stand up that well to wear and tear. If you want somethin' that'll last a long time, you gotta make it yourself."
Apparently satisfied with the fit of his new duster, he opened the letter than had been laying underneath the coat. "'Dear Jaune,'" he read aloud. "'Congrats on getting into Beacon! I'd been hoping to get this done before you set out from home but the stitching took longer than I'd thought. You might be disappointed at the lack of color, but I thought of that in advance. Check the inner pocket on the left side...'"
Jaune did so, pulling out a square of large blue cloth embroidered with a number of small white fleur de lys. With a smile, he immediately tied it around his neck.
"'A bandana!'" He continued to read. "'It should add that bit of panache you need.' There's a lot more but it's mostly stuff about Ma and Pa and how the neighbors are doin' and whatnot. I'll finish the rest of it later."
"Dang, Cowboy," Yang purred. "That looks mighty fine. But I'd bet it'd look better on the floo-" She was cut off as Ruby jumped on her back and wrapped her arms around her neck.
"I'msosorryJaune," Ruby babbled. "Shesnotnormallylikethis!"
"She absolutely is," Blake snorted.
"I-it's fine, Ms. Rose," Jaune blushed again.
Yang just grinned, completely unmindful of the venomous glares Weiss and Pyrrha shot at her, or her sister attempting to strangle her.
"M-moving on! The next one is from Aqua! It's... wow!" The cowboy was left speechless at the gleaming pieces of armor inside the chest from Aqua. "She really went all out."
"Solid workmanship," Pyrrha noted, inspecting one of the bracers inside. "Lots of Huntsmen choose not to wear armor as it can restrict your movement, but there's something to be said for the protective power of Aura-enhanced armor."
"Yep!" Jaune agreed with a rap to his current breastplate. "My Pa wears armor so I figured it was probably a smart move. I'll try this on later but let's take a look at her letter..." He paused upon seeing the small manuscript tucked into the lid of the chest. "On second thought, maybe I ought to read that later. Aqua usually has a lot to say. I think Orchid is next."
Jaune pulled the lid off of the narrow package, revealing... a white metal scabbard. "Huh. Wouldn't have thought Orchid would have gotten me something I already had," he tapped the leather sheath strapped to his side. "Lemme check her letter."
He unfolded the rolled up printer paper that had been stuffed into the mouth of the scabbard. "'Jaune. It's also a shield. Love, Orchid.' Wait, what?"
"Ahhh!" Ruby cried. "You got a mechashift! And I wanted to be the one to help you build one..." She pouted.
"Tell you what, if I ever build my own weapon, you'll be the first person I go to for help, Ms. Rose," Jaune promised, to Ruby's delight and Weiss and Pyrrha's annoyance. "Now, how do I..." With a little finagling, Jaune was able to attach the scabbard to his offhand and deploy it into a shield, revealing the twin yellow crescents of the Arc Clan on the front. "Huh, that might actually be really useful down the line. Better start practicin' with it."
Pyrrha cleared her throat, "I would be more than happy to show you the ins and outs of sword and shield combat, Jaune."
"If it's not too much trouble?"
"We're partners. I would be more than happy to."
Jaune gave her a warm smile and her heart skipped a beat, "Then I'll definitely take you up on that. Thank you, Ms. Nikos."
Ah, she probably wouldn't be able to stop smiling all day.
After swapping his new scabbard in and making sure Crocea Mors fit in right, Jaune approached the final package. "Alrighty, just the one from Coral and Verdy left. They stuck the letter on the outside of this one..." he pulled it off and began to read. "'Dear Baby Bro,'... It's gonna be one of those letters, ain't it?"
The snickering from around the table did not help.
He cleared his throat and continued reading. "'Dear Baby Bro, Congrats on getting into Huntsman school! Meet any cu-' Ah, I'm not gonna read that part. Or the next line. Actually, I think I'll just keep this one to myse-"
"'Meet any cute girls yet?'" Came a voice from over his shoulder. Jaune jumped and turned towards it, fist raised, only to freeze when he saw Blake's smirking face.
A chorus of stifled laughter came from the table behind him, as he lowered his hand. "It's very rude to read other folks' personal correspondence, Ms. Belladonna." Jaune said with a frown.
Blake shrugged, her lips still smiling. "Maybe. But I've never considered myself polite. The next line of the letter was 'Careful when playing that guitar of yours in public or you'll be fending off girls with a stick.'"
This time the laughter wasn't stifled.
"Would you like to read the rest of the letter for me, Ms. Belladonna?" Jaune asked pointedly.
Blake tilted her head, considering it, before smirking again. "No, I don't think I will." And returned to her seat.
Jaune sighed. "Well, most of the rest of the letter is just teasin' me about... things. Although, the last paragraph is different. "'Also, we decided that your peashooter ain't gonna cut it anymore and talked to Old Nell to convince her to come out of retirement for one last commission. Which you'll find in the box. Enjoy, Baby Bro. Love, Verdy and Coral.' Wait, they got Old Nell to make somethin'? There's no way. They've gotta be pullin' a prank."
The cowboy stared down at the box with wide eyes, almost unwilling to touch it.
"Uhhh, who's Old Nell?" Nora was, of course, the one to ask the question they were all thinking.
"Nell Goldstone," Jaune answered absently, eyes still locked on the case.
"NELL GOLDSTONE!?" Ruby shrieked, causing a good portion of the cafeteria to quiet down and stare at her. The little reaper immediately pulled her hood up and covered her face until people started looking away.
Jaune, unaffected by the outburst, nodded. "Yep, Nell Goldstone."
"Perhaps you could explain who this 'Nell Goldstone' is? For those of us who aren't in the know?" Weiss asked pointedly.
"You don't know who Nell Goldstone is!?" Ruby snapped incredulously. "She's the best weaponsmith on the planet! She pioneered dozens of techniques that are used in modern mechshifts! There's guaranteed to be at least one of her designs in all of our weapons, maybe more! She retired ages ago though. Said she was done making weapons and wanted a quiet life. Until now..." Ruby stared at the box, the hunger in her eyes deeply disconcerting. "Jaune, please open the box," she stated very calmly.
Jaune gulped before undoing the latches of the case, revealing a pair of shining revolvers. Ruby's squeal of joy was so high-pitched as to be inaudible, except to Blake, who winced.
"They're just revolvers," Weiss muttered.
"They're not just revolvers!" Ruby cried. "They're beautiful. Look at the tooling, it's all custom! Do you see that sheen? The frame is reinforced with Gravity Dust! The ivory grips with the maker's mark carved in! The cylinders, they're almost perfectly flush with the barrel! They're amazing! They're magnificent!" Ruby fell silent as she was overcome by paroxysms of joy.
Jaune quietly closed the box. "I think we oughta get Ruby to the Infirmary."
Ruby snapped out of it. "I'm fine! I'm fine! I was just... really excited."
"You don't say," Blake murmured dryly.
"Don't get me wrong, I reckon the only reason why I'm not reactin' the same way as Ruby is because it hasn't quite sunken in yet. Give it a few minutes." He began packing the boxes back into the big crate. "Meanwhile, I'm gonna get this stuff back to our dorm and try to process... all this."
"Here Jaune, let me assist you with that," Weiss said with a gracious smile, moving forward to help.
"Allow me, Jaune," Pyrrha intervened, stepping in Weiss's path. "I need to head back to our dorm regardless."
"Why you! You're only doing this to interfere!"
"Interfere? Interfere with what?" The champion replied innocently.
"You know damn well what!" The heiress declared, stomping up to the taller girl. "I won't take this lying down!"
"Fight Fight Fight!" Nora chanted and was subsequently joined by Yang.
"Guys, we shouldn't do this here!" Ruby tried to mediate, to no avail.
Blake sighed and went back to her newspaper.
As the conflict escalated, Jaune despaired at his chances of getting all of his things before violence erupted.
"We should get out of here before it devolves further," A quiet voice murmured from behind Jaune, causing him to jump for the second time today.
Turning around, Jaune saw Ren holding the rest of the packages from his sisters and tilting his head towards the door.
"Ren, you are an absolute godssend," Jaune muttered as they scurried out of the cafeteria. "Thank you."
"Anytime Jaune, anytime."
