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The taste of autumn brushed against his chapped lips, filling the inevitable cracks with mulled cider. Cinnamon spice gilded his tongue and the corners of his mouth twisted upward in perfect unison with the punchline of an unseemly joke from Jaune. Pyrrha voiced her confusion with a practiced “hmm” while Nora chimed in with an enthusiastic “I don’t get it!” which meant Jaune was grasping at straws. Ren was singled out for his innocent enjoyment of holiday treats and expected to recall Jaune’s epic at length.
With but a turn of his head, Ren deflected everyone’s attention and bit back a chuckle. The three of his teammates squabbled like chicks over a worm while he entertained the company of a peculiar young adult novel: Ninjas in Love. He and Blake had struck up a conversation complaining about either Yang or Nora, leaving everything else to fall into place like cogs. Now they were book club buddies (but only on Wednesdays after 9).
"Ahem! REN! Did I forget to inform you that dining halls are for eating? Put your book away or I’m dipping it in your gravy. How’s that for food for thought?"
Ren snorted at the empty threat but snapped his book shut anyway while his digit was tucked between inked lines of escapism. He glanced towards his teammates, his friends, his family, and said in a gentle tone, “It’s not that I’m not grateful for you guys. I thought simply being here was, you know, proof enough that I appreciate the company—”
Nora wailed at him, “Stop, I’m going to start crying!” while Jaune and Pyrrha grinned at each other.
His leader spoke first, “I don’t mind if you read while we’re yakking our tongues off. I mean, I’d be kinda shocked if you weren’t at least partially tuning in. We are kinda… loud.”
Pyrrha chimed in, “I agree with Jaune. You’ve no need to prove anything to us, Ren. Isn’t that right, Nora?”
Nora stuck her tongue out and blew a raspberry in Ren’s face while she threw her arms around him. “I know, I know. I just like giving him a hard time~”
Ren stared at his food, unable to find the words he wanted to say. If it meant anything at all, he set his book aside and began his meal while his friends all stayed with him.