34 The engagement

Yesterday, after arriving at home the two of them washed themselves and began to organize things in order to be ready for their departure tomorrow, but before they could do that they would first have to persuade his parents to accept it. If possible, Jaune would like to avoid sneaking away from home without informing them since it could hurt their trust in him and he will need to do many things on his own in the future, which would become much harder.

Today, there would be a lengthy conversation between two parties, one being the Arc couple that were seated in the opposite sofa and the other being Neo and Jaune, with him sitting on the sofa right in front of them and Neo remaining standing not too far behind wearing a maid uniform as it already became her habit over the years despite Jaune's attempts to stop her, but since she's doing it out of her own volition and seems to enjoy it he decided to just leave it alone.

The situation was a bit tense as both parties seemed to have some things that they want to confess to one another, their expressions are serious as the silent and solemn atmosphere permeated at the absence of a third party due to all the sisters being away from the house at that moment.

But the first ones to talk ended up being his parents, as they opened up the conversation with a inquiry.

"You're leaving, aren't you?" Alexandra states in a semi-accusatory tone.

"Huh? So you've already noticed?" Jaune responds with a slightly surprised expression.

"My son, why else would you have prepared your briefcases yesterday at such a hurry? Everyone already knew that, we were just waiting for an explanation from you." Nicholas said in a calm and plain tone.

His family already having an idea of what was going on didn't bother him in the slightest as he was never trying to hide anything from them in the first place, lying and making excuses were never his preferred approach when dealing with his family, so now he could just say the truth and hope for the best.

"Indeed, I'm planning on going on a trip later today. I called you both to inform you of that." He bluntly says, not asking for their permission as much as simply stating a fact.

"Where and for how long? We could also bring the rest of the family and make it into a family trip, what do you think?" His mother suggests showing concern about the idea of her youngest going on a trip.

"The destination will be Sanus, I've been wanting to go there for quite a while. As for how long, I'm estimating anywhere from 2 to 6 months and in regards to company for the voyage well... I would like this to remain more of a personal trip rather than become a family one." He calmly explains, as if what he has said was the most mundane thing in the world.

Hearing this, Alexandra can't help but raise her voice "Sanus!? You're planning on traveling to a whole different continent? And 2 to 6 months, what in Oums name would you be doing there that could take you that long? Are you honestly expecting us to allow you to go there alone and unsupervised?"

"Well... technically I will be also bringing Neo alongside with me so I won't be alone." Jaune offers an argument, meanwhile Neo also nods behind him with a smile on her face.

"This is absurd! How could any sane parent agree to this? You're too young, I will definitely not allow you to go on this trip!" His mother becomes so angry that she almost loses all of her composure at that moment.

"Why? tell me the reasons you're so against me leaving." Jaune, knowing that a direct argument would serve no purpose, decided to instead use logic and arguments to convince his mother.

"You're too young, where have you seen 10 year old children travelling on their own?" His mother stated.

"Firstly, rude. Is having Neo as company not enough in your eyes? Secondly, I've been living basically on my own ever since Saphron left the apartment, I am completely self sufficient due to the game income and I can deal with problems that other 10 year olds can't, so using my age as an excuse is invalid." He starts calmly presenting his counter-arguments to dismantle hers.

But then, his father that has been mostly silent so far also voiced his concerns about this vacation. "Jaune, not all places are as calm and peaceful as Ansel and I am quite worried about the dangers that you might face while we're not nearby. Don't get me wrong! I support you trying to get your independence and pursuing what makes you happy but now is just too soon." He states in a calm way in contrast to the emotional response of his wife.

"Dad, you should know better than anyone from our spars that I can defend myself. Actually, I'm quite confident that I can deal with any opponent without aura and even against those with it, I can escape if necessary. The same can be said about Neo and we'll be covering each other's backs." He says quite puzzled since his dad should already know what he's capable of and not many things can be a genuine threat to him at this point.

"I'm not just talking about problems that can be solved with your fists, there are many people that will try to deceive you or you might be involved in an accident and have to shoulder the consequences, those are the things I'm worried about." Nicholas clarifies with his wife nodding her head and showing support at the side.

"Dad, I'm not as naive and innocent as to fall for a cheap scam and an accident can happen anywhere at anytime regardless of how 'calm and peaceful' the place is so it's not something that would stop me from travelling at all. So... anymore arguments?"

His mother just looks at him distraught and says:

"Why now? What is your reason for going so far away? Previously you said that you wanted to go to Mistral in order to gain independence and learn to defend yourself so why do you need to go so far now?" Alexandra clearly showed her sadness at the thought of her youngest growing even further apart from them, even if they maintained contact through video calls from Scroll it does little to make up for the time they should be expending together as family.

"Mom, previously I just wanted to stay away from home in order to not be coddled and protected all the time but this time it's different. The world is big and there's a lot to see, I realized that after I left Ansel and now I want to be able to explore it. I want to be able to experience all that Remnant has to offer and I can't do that without leaving."

Technically he's not lying, as although getting stronger and honing his skills is still his first priority and the main reason he's leaving Anima altogether, that doesn't mean that he holds no desire to explore this new world that he finds himself in.

"Than we can all go together! Why are you so insistent on not bringing us along as well?" His mother asks.

"Because if you did then this would just become another family vacation and I've already been in plenty of those, this is supposed to be a chance for me to discover things on my own and be completely free to explore a new place at my own leisure. I know that you two might not like it but you must understand that I also need to have a time for myself every once in a while." He reasons with them trying to justify his choice.

"So why bring Neo along if you're so insistent on exploring by yourself? Isn't this a bit contradictory?" His father calmly points out a point of contention in his argument and stares at Neo who is silently standing behind him.

Jaune shows himself to not be flustered at all by the question and he quickly answers it as if it was already expected "Three reasons, first is that she can defend herself and is trained for combat unlike the rest of my sisters that have at most basic self defense and no aura, second is that she listens to me well and I can trust her to not hinder me in the slightest during this trip and third is that I actually didn't plan to bring her along at the start but she accidently found out my plans and been begging me to bring her along ever since, eventually I allowed it due to her insistence." Neo also backs it up by nodding decisively, showing her consent in this ordeal.

Hearing this, the two adults just give up trying to change his mind and instead move on to try and inquire more about this trip. If they cannot stop it then at least they want to know everything that's going on.

"So when will you leave? Where exactly on Sanus are you arriving? We want to be informed of everything that's planned and you're better maintain contact with us the whole way or..." Jaune just stands and listens as his mother starts fussing and nagging as usual and his father remains contemplative but becomes secretly delighted as this is a sign that they pretty much accepted his arrangements already.

"I'll be leaving this afternoon and-" Jaune starts before being promptly interrupted.

"This afternoon!? And you are just telling us of this today! Couldn't you have done this a bit earlier?" His mother almost shouts in surprise.

But Jaune just ignores it and continues his explanation "As I was saying, the departure will be at the afternoon. Neo and I will leave Ansel a bit later in the morning after I go to master Ferrus and inform him of my absence, then we'll take an airship to Mistral where I'll gather the rest of my baggage in the apartment and once again report my absence to Master Odachi before taking a last airship to Argus, there I'll visit Saphron and Terra since it's on the way before taking a ship at the port. Our landing location will be at the coasts of Vacuo, a coastal town located to the north called Prospero."

"Haah... I don't think I need to say this but try to keep yourself out of trouble, avoid any shady characters out there and don't hesitate to contact us if anything unusual happens." His father finally says.

"And make sure to protect Neo and don't let anything happen to her, she has already become like a daughter to us and I won't forgive anyone that causes her any harm." His mother also accepts it and says some final words.

"Don't worry, I already put her safety even above mine so I'll make sure to keep her safe, but you don't need to be anxious since I plan for both of us to return in one piece, that's my promise as an Arc."

Giving his word seems to somewhat quell his parents worry, but it seemed that they were still waiting to tell him something but were not quite sure of how to do so, so He decided to just straight up ask them about it.

"What's wrong? The look on your faces seems to say that you still have something to say to me. What is it? There's still something about this trip that you want to ask me about?"

Hearing his question, the two of them just stare at each other and have a silent conversation with their eyes, if he would guess it would probably something to do with deciding which one of them would be the one to say it.

A few seconds later his father sighs and turns back to him before dropping the bomb.

"Son, what are your thoughts on having an arranged marriage prepared for you?" He can barely believe on what just left his father's lips, especially on this day and age.

"W-What?" Comes his very intelligent response.

"Your father and I have taken the liberty to find a fiancee for you, we have also settled on a date for you to meet."

As he was trying to process what he just heard, he suddenly heard a sound of something breaking behind him.

*Crack*

Knowing that there was only one person other than himself and his parents that were right in front of him currently inside the house, he could easily guess who was that made that sound without having to turn around.

And luckily he didn't, otherwise he would've bore witness to Neo showing a very dangerous expression at that moment.

Her position was frozen with her hands seemingly grasping at nothing, showing that she was holding onto something but the shock of the revelation made her drop it to the ground causing it to shatter. Just before the revelation came, she was organizing some decorations, as it had already become her habit along with wearing maid uniforms ever since her misunderstanding.

But the most worrying place was her face, her expression was completely neutral and calm, too calm one might say. But if you were to focus on her eyes then they'd see an endless sea of murderous intent and rage.

So much so that Jaune could feel it from where he was, but he had no time to address her when he himself was completely confused by the situation, so he started to hurriedly enquire them.

"When? Who? And most importantly why? Is there any reason for this engagement to be decided now? Don't tell me this is one of those stories where 'My ancestor was saved by the other partie's ancestor, the two created a bond and decided to arrange a marriage for their successors.' Because if it is, then you'll be disappointed since I-"

"Calm down Jaune, our two families have some history but that's not the reason for this engagement. This engagement was something we thought of recently, as I met an old friend and after catching up we found that our children were around the same age so the topic was raised." His father was the first to try and calm him down.

"And it's not like this is an obligation, as your father said this is more of a whim after having met an old friend of the family, if things don't work out and the engagement has to be dissolved then no one will be offended as a result. So there's no need to feel pressured." His mother then explains to him in a gentle tone.

"And what made you think that I wanted or needed this arrangement?" He questioned.

"Jaune, how many friends close to your age have you made thus far? We thought that this could be the perfect chance for you to make a connection to someone new, even if you disagree with the engagement then at least use this opportunity to meet someone."

"No need, I already have Neo. This should count as befriending a stranger shouldn't it? Besides, if you wanted to introduce me to other kids then you could just organize a normal meeting, there was no need to jump straight to an engagement for that reason, so there must be another reason that you haven't told me." Jaune calmly tore the argument before throwing his parents an inquisitive glance, waiting for them to explain what is really going on.

Neo behind him nods excitedly at the mention of her name, agreeing to the idea that just her is enough and he needs no other company.

Seeing this his mother puts on a pitiful expression and starts explaining "Jaune, as the next head of the family and only male progeny, you're aware that you have a responsibility to carry the Arc bloodline above all your sisters don't you? That's is something that we have decided to leave the choice up to you but at the same time it's unavoidable. Finding the right partner is not an easy task so we must start looking for it early." His mother says as if it couldn't be helped.

"But what if one of my sisters had a male child? Wouldn't this problem be solved then? And it's not like waiting for a few more years would be a big problem as I have plenty of older sisters and I'm still young, so there's no reason to rush and do it right now." But Jaune once again refutes the argument, already knowing that this also isn't the real reason for the engagement.

Jaune is aware that there might be another male Arc in a few years in the form of Adrian, Saphron and Terra's son and his nephew. And even if the butterfly effect of his presence causes him to have a niece instead of a nephew or Saphron and Terra deciding to not have children altogether, he would still be gaining time that he won't have to waste in this engagement.

It's not like Jaune pretends to postpone having romantic relationships forever but considering how many things he needs to do in such little time, he just doesn't have any to spare for such matters. His current line of thought is: 'Save this doomed world first, there will be plenty of time for such pursuits later.'

His mother hearing his denial for the second time just sighs in frustration and decides to come clean "You want the real reason? Fine! I'm just doing what's necessary in order to make sure I'll get to see my future grandchildren."

"Huh?" Comes the response from Jaune that alongside Neo becomes shocked with the brazen response.

But now that Alexandra's sore point was touched she wouldn't stop until she got to rant about it "How long? How long ago was the last time your eldest sister came to visit? You at least had the decency of calling home and visiting often but how am I supposed to be assured that I'll get the chance of seeing her children if she has any when she maintains so little contact? I have no issues with her dating a girl, the problem is that she decided to live so far away and haven't introduced this girl to us yet despite already starting to plan their marriage! Does she think of us as being so narrow minded?"

"Honey, calm down-" Her husband tries to step in to soothe her.

"And what about your other sisters? Aquamarine and Violet are about as antisocial and shy as you get, Rouge has started pursuing an career as a vocalist of band and is expected to not stay in a place too often, Opal and Lazuli are still too young and show no interest in the topic and with Rosemary's adventurous personality is unlikely that she'll settle down so soon, seeing that your sisters were hopeless I decided to put all my remaining hopes on you but as the years passed you were farther and father from home and didn't show a bit of interest in romance. Can you blame me for resorting to such drastic measures? Isn't this the least I deserve after giving birth to 8 children!?"

Her husband than hugged her and finally managed to start calming her down "There there, just take a deep breath and calm calm down, getting so worked up is not healthy for you."

After getting a few seconds to regain her composure, Alexandra than turns to Jaune again with a defeated expression and speaks in a low voice.

"Please Jaune, all your mother wants is to be able to hold one of her grandchildren. Can you at least try it, before mercilessly trampling on your poor mother's dream? If you don't like who we arranged than you can end it and we won't make another arrangement without your knowledge."

There was still a few points where he could argue, but seeing his mother's expression Jaune felt all the words get stuck on his throat. Seeing the person that gave him so much ever since he came to this world be so heartbroken was a big weight on his conscience. Despite still being against the idea, he found himself hesitant to straight up deny it in front of her.

But unbeknownst to him, his mother was internally grinning as she watched his expression. Over the years it was not only Jaune that learned a lot about his parents and used it to get what he wants, as the inverse was also true.

One thing that they've learned over the years about their only son is that Jaune is someone that's: 'weak against the weak and strong against the strong'. That means that when faced with forceful coercion or threats he won't back away a single inch, at most he will pretend to be affected on the surface but will disregard it when he needs it, that is one of the reasons that they didn't oppose more strongly when trying to stop him from going to live in Mistral, since all that this would accomplish would be to have him go without their knowledge, so they opted to make concessions to at least remain in contact.

On the other hand, Jaune is relatively easier to be convinced when the other party asks him from a lower position of power. So when his mother started acting 'pitifully' and 'helpless' she managed to scratch his conscience thanks to his compassion. Of course this doesn't work for every stranger he meets, he just has a soft spot for his family which makes this much easier to pull off for them.

Seeing no harm in doing something nice for his parents, he decided to entertain their idea. He has no plans to add another thing to use the time in his schedule such as an engagement when he already is having a lack of it, but going on a single meeting will cause no harm and an extra connection can come in handy in the future.

"Fine, so who is this friend that you've been talking about?"

"Well... although we met each other a few years ago and forged our friendship thanks to sharing similar views on a issue, it could be said that our meeting was facilitated thanks to our ancestor's shared history." His father was the one to respond this time.

"And when exactly was that meeting? What history did our ancestors share?"

"A few years before your birth and our ancestors can be said to have fought together, but to explain this I would have to talk about some very old history. Do you mind?"

"There is still an hour until our airship arrives so sure, we have some time." Neo although still a bit dazed, also didn't show any resistance to the idea.

"What do you know about the faunus revolution?"