In-Laws
“This day just keeps getting longer, huh?”
“Certainly, looks that way,” Reese said.
Reese sat next to Jaune on her bed as they waited for his parents and their partners to arrive. “So, how do you think our parents will act when they meet each other?” she asked the knight barely above whisper.
Jaune turned to her. “No clue,” he responded.
“Well, I guess we will just have to wait and see then,” she said. Reese looked around the room Nadir had gone back to cleaning his rifle, and Bolin was laying on his bed reading a comic. Her father had returned to the corner of the room. He had pulled his hood up, so she couldn’t see his eyes, but she was certain he was staring daggers at Jaune. Her mother had sat down at the other desk and was looking through Arslan’s book collection.
About ten minutes after Jaune talked to his mother the door opened revealing the leader of team ARBN looking a little worse for wear but other wise ok. Behind her were Jaune’s parents and partner as they all entered the room, Arslan just slumped down on her bed as Pyrhha followed suit looking to be in about the same state as Reese’s partner. “The headmaster really put up a fight,” Arslan said laying on her back. “I think I could sleep for a week.”
Jaune’s mother looked at the two girls, “You two still have a long way to go if that wore you out. It was four against one.”
Tobias Arc looked at his wife, “They are both teenagers, and you were fighting the headmaster of a combat academy.”
“Even so, they are both more than capable, you saw the way they fought. They should at least have some better endurance to be able to keep up with more experienced opponents.” The two teenagers just groaned in acknowledgement.
Jaune stood and cleared his throat getting his parents attention, “Mom, Dad, Reese’s parents are here as well.”
Jaune’s parents looked around the room; seeing the other adults they stood there staring at their new in-laws for a moment as Reese’s parents stared back. The tension in the air was thick and the six teens looked back and forth between the four adults. ‘This is bad, we need to break the ice before something crazy happens,’ Reese thought.
Luckily Tobias seemed to be thinking the same thing he cracked a huge smile and approached her mother holding out his hand, “The name is Tobias Arc. I’m Jaune’s father nice to meet you.”
“Alyss Chloris,” she said returning the handshake.
Reese father stood and addressed the Arc patriarch, “Will Chloris.”
“And I’m Gwendolyn Arc. I guess now we can finely discuss the irresponsible actions of our children?”
“Yes, although from what I can gather your son is at least very well mannered,” Alyss said. “He seems to want to make this work, and my daughter agrees.”
Tobias retrieved his scroll and began sorting through it until he came to a video file. “Ladies, would you like to see how those to came to that decision?”
“What did they do?” Gwendolyn Arc asked.
“Just watch,” the hunter pressed play and handed the scroll to his wife. The two women then stood next to each other watching the video as Jaune walked up to a crying Reese. Arslan and Pyrrha slowly joined the older women as Reese’s father looked over their shoulders.
Reese felt her face begin to burn as she heard their earlier conversation play from the device. Hearing what he had said again brought back the butterflies in her stomach. ‘Why do I have to be such a sucker for corny lines,” she thought as she pulled her hood over her head. She glanced at Jaune, he was shifting on his feet looking almost as embarrassed as she was.
“Awe, look at my little Jauney acting like a man,” Jaune’s mom said as the video ended.
“MOM!” Jaune said his face turning red at the mention of the nickname his mother and sisters used for him. The women in the room laughed, Reese giggling under her hood as the rest just chuckled at the young knight’s reaction. Pyrrha’s laughter seemed a little strained though, Reese thought.
“What? It was sweet. Oh, I know, I’ll send that to your sister’s,” Gwendolyn said quickly pulling up her daughters’ contacts on her husband’s scroll and sent the video to them. With the message, “Jaune and his new wife being sweet,” attached.
Jaune who had frozen on the spot when his mother said that threw his hands into the air, “That’s it I’m dead. I am a dead man.”
Tobias grabbed his scroll back from his wife, “Honestly son, I think you had better be more concerned for Reese. You know how over protective your sisters can be.”
Reese blinked, her mind racing as she imagined seven angry sister in-laws bearing down on her.
“I can only imagine my sisters turning on me once they realize how it happened, and how none of them were there,” Jaune said as his dad realized what he meant.
“Oh.”
The two Arc men stood silent for a moment until Jaune sighed lowing his head, “I guess I’ll just have to deal with that when it comes.” He sat back down on the bed, leaning against the head board.
“Look at it this way, Jaune. This is payback for leaving home the way you did,” Jaune’s mother said with an evil grin.
Jaune groaned as Alyss looked at Gwendolyn, “What are you talking about? You keep bringing up how he left home.”
“My son should not be attending Beacon,” the sniper said turning to Reese’s mother, causing him, Reese, and Pyrrha to tense up. “I don’t know how he got in since he never attended a combat school, nor did my husband or myself train him. He has always wanted to be a hero like us and his grandfather, but he is the youngest child of eight and the only son. So, we did not really want him in any danger.”
Reese’s team and parents froze for a second, until Will Chloris started laughing. This unsettled most of the teens as they watched the stoic man laugh in such a genuine manner with his wife smiling at his side. “Like mother, like daughter,” Alyss said rubbing her head.
“What?” Reese and Jaune said in unison.
“Jaune is in a similar situation as your father was when he started at Haven. Main difference is that I didn’t meet him until he was a third year and I wasn’t drunk,” the older woman smiled at her daughter. “He had barely any experience with his weapon and had it not been for an old hunter taking him in he wouldn’t have stood a chance. What I’m saying is it looks like we both have a weak spot for awkward underdogs.”
“Even now, I don’t get why he did, but I’m thankful for it every day. The reason I hadn’t received any training is because I was orphaned at a young age and I never was able to stay in any one place to long, bandits don’t like to leave survivors,” Reese’s father explained. “I got in to Haven on almost sheer luck, and somehow I’m here today,” Will shrugged finally letting his hood down again to show his now friendly smile.
“That story sounds familiar,” Tobias mused. “Wait a minute, you’re the one they call the Phantom Ranger, right? The student of Halt, the Valean King’s Ranger.”
“I don’t really like that name, but if we are discussing code names then I believe it is safe to assume that you are the Warden of the Wilds, and your wife is the Stone Sniper?” Will said.
“Correct,” Tobias answered.
“Wait, am I the only adult in the room who is not famous?” Alyss asked looking at the other three adults as the teens were all shocked for not the first time that day that. As the other adults looked at the shorter woman with amused grins Alyss huffed and crossed her arms puffing out her cheeks and mumbling, “Stupid hunters, what does a diplomat got to do to get some recognition huh?”
The adults all started laughing again as they all watched the green haired mother stomp over to her daughter, “Reese your father is being mean to me again.”
“What am I supposed to do, Mom?” Reese said shocked at how her usually very straight-faced mother was acting.
“Make him stop.”
“How? Last I checked he was a better fighter than me,” Reese smirked as a thought crossed her mind. “Also, last I checked you were the only non-hunter in the room.”
Alyss Chloris recoiled in shock as her daughter smirked up at her. Getting a laugh from the other teens as well. “If it is any consolation Mrs. Chloris just about everyone in this room could kick my butt,” Jaune said.
To this Reese’s mother, looked at Jaune for a moment before turning on her husband, “How come our son-in-law, who we have known for a total of forty minutes, is nicer to me than you and our daughter?”
“Maybe he is just trying to get on your good side so that you don’t try to kill him,” Tobias said. “I remember doing the same thing with my mother-in-law. Granted she was trying to kill me.”
“Dad,” Jaune said.
“Yes Jaune?”
“I was just being honest. I stink at one-v-one.”
“He is very good at planning strategies in a pinch. So, he excels as a leader during team spars though,” Pyrrha interjected.
“Well that says a lot coming from the Invincible Girl,” Tobias said.
Jaune’s mother smirked as another idea passed through her head, “Why don’t we test that?”
“What do you mean?” Jaune asked.
“Myself, Tobias, and Mr. Chloris.”
“Just call me Will.”
“Ok, well the three of us against your team. Heck, why not both teams?” the Arc Matriarch said. “This will be your punishment for your irresponsible actions last night.”
“That sounds like a wonderful idea,” Reese’s mother agreed.
The two fathers shrugged, “Sounds like fun,” Tobias said.
“It would be nice to see how much my daughter has improved.” Will mused.
All the teens paled thinking that this was not going to be an easy fight. “Do we have a choice in this?” Reese asked.
“No,” the adults chorused.
“I’ll let the rest of my team know. We should head to a training hall,” Jaune said pulling out his scroll to call Ren, as he walked out the room. “Let’s go.”