Weiss looks around at the abandoned courtyard before her, noticing it's not as abandoned as she thought. In the distance, near the fountain, she see Pyrrha just sitting there with her face looking toward the sky. She blinks in confusion. 'Isn't this her training time? Shouldn't everyone be off doing whatever?'
Slowly, she starts to walk toward the red headed girl, conscious of each of her steps. The clacking of her heels echoes through the empty courtyard, and Pyrrha turns to the direction of the sound. "Pyrrha, what are you doing out here?"
She smiles widely and gestures to everything. "I'm admiring the beauty that the Goddess has given us."
Weiss blinks as she looks around, just as she was confused earlier. "Beauty? All I see is bricks and cement."
Pyrrha's smile just widens as her eyes light up. "Look around carefully. Perceive the beauty that is here, the life. Each thing is a work of majesty brought to us by the Goddess."
Weiss huffs. "What beauty can there be in people and bricks?" She shakes her head in discontent and disdain at the notion.
Pyrrha shifts her position to better face Weiss. "The workings of their souls and minds are the most beautiful thing about people. That is the work of the Goddess. She crafted something so complex and amazing with Her very thoughts and will."
The white haired girl's face twists in disbelief. "It's hard to believe that one woman stands in the sky and thinks 'oh, let me create a human,' and it's done." She begins to shuffle her feet before taking a seat next to Pyrrha.
"Ah, but that's the thing. The Goddess isn't a woman, not really. She's an entity, a divine entity, that's very existence predates ours."
"How can you be so sure She wasn't just a human invention?"
"How would we have come about if She had not come first? Where could this world be if She had not willed it? Each creature is much too complex to be solely of human invention. Each blade of grass is as infinitely complex as that of a bird, and so on. Such intricacy and beauty can only be the work of the Goddess." She gestures to the grass and a passing bird in order.
Weiss's frown deepens. "But what of these bricks, these buildings? They are the work of humans. The Goddess didn't will these things into existence like the things of beauty you're going on about."
Pyrrha's smile falters for only a second. "Not directly, no. She created humans and their minds, giving them the tools to make what you see before you. The free will of these architects and builders made all of this possible, and the Goddess gifted them with such possibilities."
Weiss taps her forefinger to her chin. "So, what you're saying is that this Goddess indirectly created everything in existence? This divine being you're so hell bent on praying to is who you think made me, you, the grass, everything?"
"Yes."
"Then, say, the Grimm are created by the Goddess."
"Unfortunately, I would have to say yes."
"So, the destruction and darkness that they create are also created by this Goddess?"
Pyrrha frowns. "Everything has its place. The Goddess has given the Grimm life, and only She knows why."
Weiss scoffs. "Why should I believe in some deity that doesn't care for humanity. Grimm kill thousands a years? Nothing we do will ever rid this world of their taint."
"Have faith that the Goddess will protect you and those you love from them, if the need arises." Pyrrha crosses her legs and looks into the fountain. "Hope is what you need, and faith. Without them, you are lost."
Weiss lets her hand trace the water, barely making ripples. "Protection. Is that what She provides?" Weiss looks up at Pyrrha with sorrow in her eyes. "Do you know how I got this scar?"
Pyrrha shakes her head. "Trials are a part of life. Do not blame the Goddess for mistakes on he field of battle."
Weiss stands indignantly. "Field of battle?!" She turns from Pyrrha in anger. "I was five! I hadn't even grown enough to pick up a sword!" Her voice falters at that declaration before coming back softer than ever. "My mother was a devout worshipper of the Goddess, you know. She prayed every night, giving offerings and celebrating each Sabbat with a fervor I haven't seen since."
Weiss turns back to Pyrrha, tears glistening in her eyes. "She prayed for protection the night I received this." She tentatively touches her scar. "She prayed with all that she had, but it wasn't enough." Tears start to slide down her cheeks. "She died that night. She died! The Goddess did nothing to save her! Why should I believe in someone who let someone I love so deeply, and who loved Her so deeply, die? There's no use."
Pyrrha reaches for Weiss. "I am truly sorry for your loss, but it was Her will. You were spared. Isn't that enough?"
Weiss slaps at Pyrrha's hand. "No. Mother deserved to live. She was everything pure and beautiful in this world. I will never forgive this transgression."
"What if it wasn't her safety she prayed for?"
Weiss' head jerks up quickly to look at the other girl. "What do you mean?"
Pyrrha clears her throat. "Every mother's concern is the health and life of their child. What if your mother was not praying for herself, but for you?"
"That changes nothing. If She could have saved me, what was stopping her from saving Mother?" Weiss' eyes fill with anger, darkening to a degree that no one had ever seen before.
"No one knows what the Goddess thinks. Every move She makes is beyond human comprehension. Maybe your mother's time was up. Maybe you had more to do, and she had done everything the Goddess had set for her. I dare not insinuate knowing what went through Our Divine Mother's mind as she took her follower home, but I will say that you have so much to live for, and the Goddess has given you this chance."
Weiss just stares into the water as Pyrrha continues. "The Goddess loves all of her creations, and your mother seems to have been extremely close to Her. Let your mother have peace and forgive yourself and Our Goddess for what was beyond your control. I assure you, it will lift this burden that you have shown me. Find faith again." Pyrrha pats her shoulder twice before standing. "I'll leave you to think about things." She walks away slowly, barely making a sound.
Weiss watches her leave before turning back to the water. As the ripples disappear, her mother's face appears. The smile there brings a smile to Weiss' as well as tears to her eyes. "Is it true? Did you wish to save me more than you wished to save yourself?" There's no answer, and she didn't expect one. She takes a deep breath before standing and wiping her tears away. The discussion and memories war inside her. "Faith. I think I can do that." A small smile dawns on her face as she looks around, a new perspective lighting everything in sight. "Thank you." Her voice is but a whisper in the wind, but she thinks that the person she wants to hear it will. "Thank you, Mother."
A/N: Philosophy class is such an inspiration. How did I not think of this sooner? I don't know, though. My mind just flowed into this one. I wrote it in less than an hour... *shrug*
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