The Date With Winter, Part 1 - By Sift Green
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AndrewJTalon
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"You look great, son! You'll really knock her socks off!" Nick exclaimed as he gave Jaune a firm, reassuring pat on the back."
"Your father is correct, Friend Jaune," Penny agreed. "Your preparation time was utilized very effectively."
"Thanks." Jaune took a calming breath as he stepped out of JNPR's room and into the hall, his father and Penny close behind. Nick grinned a bit wider than usual, which was saying something.
"Now I need to go apologize to your mother for running out on the meeting." Nick turned and started walking in the opposite direction from where Jaune needed to go. "You go have fun with your girl!"
"I will." The words slipped out of his mouth reflexively, startling Jaune a bit. Then he squared his shoulders and did his best to own those words. "I will."
And so Jaune exited the dormitory, Penny following behind, somewhat confident that he had cleaned up nicely and wouldn't immediately embarrass himself standing next to a woman as elegant as Winter. He fiddled with his tie to make one hundred percent certain it was straight, and to keep himself from messing with his hair. He had managed to comb down the few parts that wanted to stick up and wanted them to stay combed down long enough for the date to actually start.
"Hey, Dad," a voice called out a few moments after he and Penny had cleared the doors.
"Hey, Theodore." Jaune paused and turned to face his son with Winter. "Do you need something?"
"I'm here to help you, actually," Theodore answered as he stepped away from the wall he had been leaning against.
"That makes sense." Jaune nodded thoughtfully. "You have advice about your mother, then?"
Theodore shrugged non-chalantly.
"Eh, not advice per se." Theodore reached into his pocket and pulled out some anti-nausea medicine. "I'm just here to give you this for the flight and to tell you that I looked up what's going to be Mom's favorite cafe here in Vale."
"You did?" Jaune took the medicine, checked the recommended dosage, and popped the pill dry.
"Yeah, it does exist in this time period, and the reviews are good," Theodore revealed. "It might be a better destination than wherever you're currently planning to take Mom."
"Really? Where is it?" Jaune smiled. That was fantastic news and a great idea.
"It's near that library with those guardian sphinx statues. Let me send you the exact address." Theodore pulled out his scroll and quickly typed something on it. Jaune's own scroll gave the message-received sound, so he pulled it out and put the address into his map app.
"Okay, I know where that is," Jaune confirmed after scrutinizing the map for a bit. "Anything else I need to know before I pick up your mom?"
"Nah, you got this," Theodore shook his head with a grin. "I mean, I did set up a surprise she won't like, but that's on me, not you, and it will give you a chance to show off how kind and caring you are!"
The white-haired boy promptly disappeared through one of his teleportation glyphs.
Jaune stared at the empty space for a long moment before running his hand down his face and heaving a mighty sigh. Part of him wanted to hunt Theodore down and make his son explain himself, but the rest of him acknowledged that he didn't have time to do that. Whatever it was, he'd just have to deal with it whenever it came up. In any case, he couldn't imagine Theodore doing anything that would sabotage the date, so Jaune could safely put the exchange on the back burner and not worry about it until it became relevant.
"Well then... I suppose..." Jaune muttered in exasperation. "Hey, Penny?"
"Yes, Friend Jaune?"
"Winter's still meeting us at the airfield, right?"
"Specialist Schnee is, and she's on her way," Penny cheerfully confirmed.
"Then let's just go to the airfield." Jaune stood straight and began walking with purpose, reading the reviews of the cafe he'd be taking Winter to as he went.
The walk to the airfield wasn't long, and it wasn't hard to spot the Atlasian beauty in the crowd of people going back and forth. Winter stood slightly to the side of the main thoroughfare, wearing the same outfit she had been wearing that morning with the addition of what could generously be called a suit jacket but was more a pair of sleeves made of suit jacket material, the same color as her pencil skirt, to go with her sleeveless blouse. If the jacket was buttoned up, it would have covered her bust and not much else, making the addition to her ensemble seem just a bit risqué despite the blouse being there to make everything kosher.
"Jaune!" Winter smiled as she saw them approach and waved them over. Jaune could see a hint of the same nervousness he felt lurking in her eyes. "Do you mind if we use my personal airship instead of a public Bullhead? I have priority docking throughout most of the city."
"No, that'd be great," Jaune managed to keep his own nerves out of his reply. "Where's your ship?"
"This way." Winter gestured for Jaune to walk beside her, and the two of them made their way through the crowd at a sedate pace, both doing their best not to let their anxiousness show and doing a good enough job that the only people to notice were themselves and perhaps Penny walking at a respectful distance behind them.
It didn't take long for her to lead him to a rather unique-looking aircraft with a tapered cockpit and fuselage with four nacelles arranged in an X-shaped configuration. Long, ribbon-like banners in the ice-blue color the Schnee family favored were attached to the nacelles in such a way that they'd trail behind the airship while in flight.
Jaune let out an appreciative whistle. "That's a beautiful ship right there."
"You like it?" Winter preened. "It's a 1991 Taggart Cloud-skimmer, a perfect blend of utility and grace. They only made ten of this model, and my family owns all of them. Two of them have never been flown; they're supposed to be graduation presents for my younger siblings."
"And I'm guessing you got this one when you graduated from Atlas Academy?" Jaune asked, and Winter nodded in confirmation. "How much does maintenance cost? 'Cause if there's only ten of them, you can't have that many spare parts lying around..."
"More and less than you'd think," Winter started to look a little bashful. "Every part is a custom order... but Taggart became a subsidiary of the SDC in '95, so each order is discounted. Fortunately, Taggart built the Cloud-skimmers to last, so it hasn't happened very often."
They then boarded the Specialist's airship, and Winter gave him the ten-cent tour, briefly showing him the Cloud-skimmer's rooms, from the cargo and passenger spaces to the sleeping quarters, high-end kitchen, and bathroom for when a trip could take you away from civilization for weeks at a time. It was without a doubt the most luxurious airship Jaune had ever seen, and as they entered the cockpit and prepared for departure, he found himself sitting in the second most comfortable chair he had ever sat on.
Winter received clearance to depart without any real fanfare, and Jaune experienced the smoothest takeoff of his life to that point. As the vessel cut through the sky, Jaune directed Winter to the docks closest to the cafe Theodore had told him about. The two of them spent the flight engaged in mostly meaningless yet pleasant small talk about the city's skyline that lasted until they landed. The two of them departed the private airship while Jaune checked his scroll one last time to make sure he knew how to get to their destination. As they left the airship, with Penny trailing behind, Winter casually slid her hand into the hand Jaune had left unoccupied with his scroll.
She sent a demure look his way, which Jaune returned with a bashful smile. The two of them made their way through the streets in silence, Jaune leading the way. Roughly five minutes later, their destination was in sight.
"The Checkmate Cafe," Jaune read the building's sign aloud. The facade was made up to look like a castle with bricks in a black-and-white checkerboard pattern. A handful of the waitstaff could be seen milling about through the windows in outfits that vaguely resembled pawns, while the till was manned by a woman whose uniform resembled the rook piece. A chef came out of the back to put new pastries in the display case, their hat stylized to resemble the bishop piece.
"A chess-themed cafe?" Winter sounded intrigued.
"Not just themed," Jaune explained. "The tables all have holographic game boards built in that can play every variant of chess recognized by the Four Kingdoms Chess Association, as well as a few other classic abstract strategy games like Go, Checkers, Halma, and Stratego, just to name a few. You either pay for the food you eat or the games you play, whichever one ends up being cheaper on a slow day, or whichever one is more expensive on a busy day. With the festival going on, it's a slow day, and they have a ton of free tables..."
"Are you sure this is what you want to do with me?" Winter asked with the air of someone trying hard not to sound like they were bragging. "I was the reigning champion of the Atlas Academy Chess Club, which let me play a game with Grandmaster Troff. I managed a draw. Everyone agreed I could have become a grandmaster myself if I had applied myself to the circuit."
"Well, I learned how to play from my Great-Grandmother, and I didn't always lose," Jaune matched her tone.
"Your Great-Grandmother Arturia?" Winter sounded eager.
"The one and only," Jaune confirmed with a proud nod.
Winter looked at the cafe with hungry eyes before glancing back at Penny. A hint of hesitation crossed her face.
"Are you going to come in with us, or...?"
"My mission is to provide security, not to intrude on your date, Specialist Schnee, Friend Jaune," Penny answered cheerfully. "I am more than capable of providing overwatch from that bench over there in my incognito mode."
Penny placed a pair of sunglasses on her face while pulling a collapsed hat from her pocket that popped out into a fedora. She placed the hat on her head while pulling a bundle of cloth from her pocket that unfolded into a trench coat.
"Are you sure you'll be fine by yourself?" Jaune asked.
"I am currently sharing cat videos with Friend Whitley," Penny replied as she pulled the trench coat on, buttoned it up, and cinched the belt at her waist. "I am sufficiently entertained."
With that, Penny turned and left them for the bench. Jaune and Winter looked at each other again.
"Shall we?" Jaune offered his arm.
"We shall," Winter took his arm, and the two of them crossed the street.
"Your father is correct, Friend Jaune," Penny agreed. "Your preparation time was utilized very effectively."
"Thanks." Jaune took a calming breath as he stepped out of JNPR's room and into the hall, his father and Penny close behind. Nick grinned a bit wider than usual, which was saying something.
"Now I need to go apologize to your mother for running out on the meeting." Nick turned and started walking in the opposite direction from where Jaune needed to go. "You go have fun with your girl!"
"I will." The words slipped out of his mouth reflexively, startling Jaune a bit. Then he squared his shoulders and did his best to own those words. "I will."
And so Jaune exited the dormitory, Penny following behind, somewhat confident that he had cleaned up nicely and wouldn't immediately embarrass himself standing next to a woman as elegant as Winter. He fiddled with his tie to make one hundred percent certain it was straight, and to keep himself from messing with his hair. He had managed to comb down the few parts that wanted to stick up and wanted them to stay combed down long enough for the date to actually start.
"Hey, Dad," a voice called out a few moments after he and Penny had cleared the doors.
"Hey, Theodore." Jaune paused and turned to face his son with Winter. "Do you need something?"
"I'm here to help you, actually," Theodore answered as he stepped away from the wall he had been leaning against.
"That makes sense." Jaune nodded thoughtfully. "You have advice about your mother, then?"
Theodore shrugged non-chalantly.
"Eh, not advice per se." Theodore reached into his pocket and pulled out some anti-nausea medicine. "I'm just here to give you this for the flight and to tell you that I looked up what's going to be Mom's favorite cafe here in Vale."
"You did?" Jaune took the medicine, checked the recommended dosage, and popped the pill dry.
"Yeah, it does exist in this time period, and the reviews are good," Theodore revealed. "It might be a better destination than wherever you're currently planning to take Mom."
"Really? Where is it?" Jaune smiled. That was fantastic news and a great idea.
"It's near that library with those guardian sphinx statues. Let me send you the exact address." Theodore pulled out his scroll and quickly typed something on it. Jaune's own scroll gave the message-received sound, so he pulled it out and put the address into his map app.
"Okay, I know where that is," Jaune confirmed after scrutinizing the map for a bit. "Anything else I need to know before I pick up your mom?"
"Nah, you got this," Theodore shook his head with a grin. "I mean, I did set up a surprise she won't like, but that's on me, not you, and it will give you a chance to show off how kind and caring you are!"
The white-haired boy promptly disappeared through one of his teleportation glyphs.
Jaune stared at the empty space for a long moment before running his hand down his face and heaving a mighty sigh. Part of him wanted to hunt Theodore down and make his son explain himself, but the rest of him acknowledged that he didn't have time to do that. Whatever it was, he'd just have to deal with it whenever it came up. In any case, he couldn't imagine Theodore doing anything that would sabotage the date, so Jaune could safely put the exchange on the back burner and not worry about it until it became relevant.
"Well then... I suppose..." Jaune muttered in exasperation. "Hey, Penny?"
"Yes, Friend Jaune?"
"Winter's still meeting us at the airfield, right?"
"Specialist Schnee is, and she's on her way," Penny cheerfully confirmed.
"Then let's just go to the airfield." Jaune stood straight and began walking with purpose, reading the reviews of the cafe he'd be taking Winter to as he went.
The walk to the airfield wasn't long, and it wasn't hard to spot the Atlasian beauty in the crowd of people going back and forth. Winter stood slightly to the side of the main thoroughfare, wearing the same outfit she had been wearing that morning with the addition of what could generously be called a suit jacket but was more a pair of sleeves made of suit jacket material, the same color as her pencil skirt, to go with her sleeveless blouse. If the jacket was buttoned up, it would have covered her bust and not much else, making the addition to her ensemble seem just a bit risqué despite the blouse being there to make everything kosher.
"Jaune!" Winter smiled as she saw them approach and waved them over. Jaune could see a hint of the same nervousness he felt lurking in her eyes. "Do you mind if we use my personal airship instead of a public Bullhead? I have priority docking throughout most of the city."
"No, that'd be great," Jaune managed to keep his own nerves out of his reply. "Where's your ship?"
"This way." Winter gestured for Jaune to walk beside her, and the two of them made their way through the crowd at a sedate pace, both doing their best not to let their anxiousness show and doing a good enough job that the only people to notice were themselves and perhaps Penny walking at a respectful distance behind them.
It didn't take long for her to lead him to a rather unique-looking aircraft with a tapered cockpit and fuselage with four nacelles arranged in an X-shaped configuration. Long, ribbon-like banners in the ice-blue color the Schnee family favored were attached to the nacelles in such a way that they'd trail behind the airship while in flight.
Jaune let out an appreciative whistle. "That's a beautiful ship right there."
"You like it?" Winter preened. "It's a 1991 Taggart Cloud-skimmer, a perfect blend of utility and grace. They only made ten of this model, and my family owns all of them. Two of them have never been flown; they're supposed to be graduation presents for my younger siblings."
"And I'm guessing you got this one when you graduated from Atlas Academy?" Jaune asked, and Winter nodded in confirmation. "How much does maintenance cost? 'Cause if there's only ten of them, you can't have that many spare parts lying around..."
"More and less than you'd think," Winter started to look a little bashful. "Every part is a custom order... but Taggart became a subsidiary of the SDC in '95, so each order is discounted. Fortunately, Taggart built the Cloud-skimmers to last, so it hasn't happened very often."
They then boarded the Specialist's airship, and Winter gave him the ten-cent tour, briefly showing him the Cloud-skimmer's rooms, from the cargo and passenger spaces to the sleeping quarters, high-end kitchen, and bathroom for when a trip could take you away from civilization for weeks at a time. It was without a doubt the most luxurious airship Jaune had ever seen, and as they entered the cockpit and prepared for departure, he found himself sitting in the second most comfortable chair he had ever sat on.
Winter received clearance to depart without any real fanfare, and Jaune experienced the smoothest takeoff of his life to that point. As the vessel cut through the sky, Jaune directed Winter to the docks closest to the cafe Theodore had told him about. The two of them spent the flight engaged in mostly meaningless yet pleasant small talk about the city's skyline that lasted until they landed. The two of them departed the private airship while Jaune checked his scroll one last time to make sure he knew how to get to their destination. As they left the airship, with Penny trailing behind, Winter casually slid her hand into the hand Jaune had left unoccupied with his scroll.
She sent a demure look his way, which Jaune returned with a bashful smile. The two of them made their way through the streets in silence, Jaune leading the way. Roughly five minutes later, their destination was in sight.
"The Checkmate Cafe," Jaune read the building's sign aloud. The facade was made up to look like a castle with bricks in a black-and-white checkerboard pattern. A handful of the waitstaff could be seen milling about through the windows in outfits that vaguely resembled pawns, while the till was manned by a woman whose uniform resembled the rook piece. A chef came out of the back to put new pastries in the display case, their hat stylized to resemble the bishop piece.
"A chess-themed cafe?" Winter sounded intrigued.
"Not just themed," Jaune explained. "The tables all have holographic game boards built in that can play every variant of chess recognized by the Four Kingdoms Chess Association, as well as a few other classic abstract strategy games like Go, Checkers, Halma, and Stratego, just to name a few. You either pay for the food you eat or the games you play, whichever one ends up being cheaper on a slow day, or whichever one is more expensive on a busy day. With the festival going on, it's a slow day, and they have a ton of free tables..."
"Are you sure this is what you want to do with me?" Winter asked with the air of someone trying hard not to sound like they were bragging. "I was the reigning champion of the Atlas Academy Chess Club, which let me play a game with Grandmaster Troff. I managed a draw. Everyone agreed I could have become a grandmaster myself if I had applied myself to the circuit."
"Well, I learned how to play from my Great-Grandmother, and I didn't always lose," Jaune matched her tone.
"Your Great-Grandmother Arturia?" Winter sounded eager.
"The one and only," Jaune confirmed with a proud nod.
Winter looked at the cafe with hungry eyes before glancing back at Penny. A hint of hesitation crossed her face.
"Are you going to come in with us, or...?"
"My mission is to provide security, not to intrude on your date, Specialist Schnee, Friend Jaune," Penny answered cheerfully. "I am more than capable of providing overwatch from that bench over there in my incognito mode."
Penny placed a pair of sunglasses on her face while pulling a collapsed hat from her pocket that popped out into a fedora. She placed the hat on her head while pulling a bundle of cloth from her pocket that unfolded into a trench coat.
"Are you sure you'll be fine by yourself?" Jaune asked.
"I am currently sharing cat videos with Friend Whitley," Penny replied as she pulled the trench coat on, buttoned it up, and cinched the belt at her waist. "I am sufficiently entertained."
With that, Penny turned and left them for the bench. Jaune and Winter looked at each other again.
"Shall we?" Jaune offered his arm.
"We shall," Winter took his arm, and the two of them crossed the street.