Just working through my JNPR lady feels : ) I hope we get to see a full friendship between these two eventually. I really love their characters individually and would love to see more of them working together in the team outside of fighting
RWBY and related properties © Rooster Teeth
story © RenaRoo
Splash of Pink
Separating from the group after another Professor Port exam was simple enough. The boys gave little more than an exhausted wave as she took to the other half of the split in the hall.
It was nearly every student's custom at Beacon to end a grueling Friday afternoon exam by crashing in their respective rooms, and Pyrrha's team was no exception.
Save for her, of course.
Getting permission to use the training room outside of Professor Goodwitch's classes was so simple it truly amazed Pyrrha that others didn't try it more often. All she had to do was ask and sure enough she found herself with additional classroom privileges.
She wasn't going to train too long, just enough to continue honing her skills and ensuring her placement as a fighter among her classmates. It was such a simple course of action that she was honestly surprised to have it interrupted.
Even if Nora tended to be bombastic and predictable at times.
"Whatchodoooooin'?" Nora sang from her side, head seemingly popping into Pyrrha's vision from nowhere.
A little taken aback, Pyrrha blinked at her friend but was quick to respond with a casual smile. "Training exercises is all," she answered simply, waving to the door. "Have to keep my skills strong."
Grinning ear to ear, Nora pulled up her arms and flexed, a maneuver far less impressive in their school uniforms than her usual attire. "I'm all about strength!"
Pyrrha laughed, opening the door. "Believe me, Nora, I've noticed."
"Oh, good," the tiny powerhouse nodded, watching curiously as Pyrrha continued on her way through. "Wait, Pyrrha! Do you absolutely have to train today?"
Pyrrha stopped, reaching for the gym bag hanging at her side. "Why... yes. Yes, I do."
Visibly deflating, Nora stuck out her lip. "Oh... I was... hoping that the two of us could maybe, y'know, do something together."
Cocking her head to the side, Pyrrha considered it thoughtfully. "We could... train together? If you'd like."
Nora groaned, tossing her head back with a roll of her eyes. "Do I have to?"
"No, of course not. It was just a suggestion," Pyrrha answered, dropping to her haunches so she could start to pull her equipment from the bag. "But I would like to train some. You can... watch, if you'd like."
"Can I smack something with my hammer?"
"That's a form of training, sure," Pyrrha laughed.
With a fierce grin, Nora put her hands on her hips. "Lemme go get it! Don't start without me!"
Pyrrha smiled, watching as Nora raced down the hall. "Wouldn't dream of it," she called. When it was obvious Nora hadn't heard her, Pyrrha just sighed and continued to dig through her bag. "How unusual... I wonder what she had wanted to do for bonding..."
Nora's style was something that Pyrrha had grown very accustomed to - all wild swings, projected thrusts, and the occasional wild scream announcing herself.
But Nor was fast and terribly strong, so this lack of form was something of an endearing strength against most opponents. It wasn't how Pyrrha might have done things, but she appreciated watching her teammate at work.
That was until dueling in class led to Nora's complete creaming at the hands of Professor Goodwitch.
"Brute strength alone does not make one a Huntress, Miss Valkyrie!" the professor warned darkly, pointing with the hilt of her riding crop toward Nora. "You will have to reconsider your methods if you want to survive in the field. Or, more importantly, pass my class."
Nora looked up from the floor, still rubbing at the shoulder - the yanking away of Magnhild might have pulled something. And while she didn't seem destroyed entirely, the disappointment she felt was written all across her face.
She looked down and grabbed for the handle of her hammer. "Okay, Professor," she responded, less than her usual chipper.
Pyrrha watched her teammate gather her things and begin to walk off the arena stage as Goodwitch called for her next match.
It was in that moment that Pyrrha decided that her and Nora's sparring should no longer be a one-off thing.
After class, Ren and Nora were already on their way down the hall by the time Pyrrha was able to catch up. She grabbed her friend's shoulder, watching as Nora spun around, blinking in surprise to see Pyrrha being the one to have grabbed her.
"Oh, hey, Pyrrha!" she laughed.
"Nora, about class today-"
"Oh, man, that was wild wasn't it? Gosh. Guess Professor Goodwitch had a few things to say to me, Ha Ha Ha. Ha. heh..." she scratched at the back of her neck awkwardly.
Ren frowned, patting Nora's shoulder gently. "It was just one of those days," he assured her.
Pyrrha bit her tongue and considered her options before looking more focused toward Nora.
"Actually, Professor Goodwitch gave me an idea today, Nora," Pyrrha explained.
Nora's smile brightened and she tossed her head to the side. "Oh, really? That's awesome! What kind of idea?"
"About you and me," Pyrrha explained, watching in the corner of her eye as Ren looked a little concerned toward Nora. "I was thinking that perhaps you and I could train more."
"Like you and Jaune do. In secret. That Ren and I would have no knowledge about. Because we definitely never followed you?" Nora asked, blinking widely.
Ren face palmed.
"Not exactly, but a bit like that, yes," Pyrrha nodded. "I have some strategic ideas about how you could focus your Semblance and-"
"Eh, it's okay," Nora said with a shrug. "I'll just muscle through."
Pyrrha frowned. "That's the exact opposite of what Professor Goodwitch wanted."
"What, really?" Nora feigned, waving her hand. "I didn't really pay attention. Thanks, though, Pyrrha, you're the best-"
"Wait, Nora," Pyrrha called out, grabbing Nora's hand to stop her. "I know this isn't something you maybe want to do, but I think it's important for you to do regardless of if you want to or not."
Nora's shoulders dropped and she sighed. "Why?"
"Because I just do," Pyrrha sighed. "How about... if I promise that you let me work with you, you can pick something else I'll do with you in return-"
"Let's shop."
Pyrrha blinked. "Excuse me-"
"Go shopping! C'mon, Pyrrha! You said anything!" Nora grinned.
Rubbing her temples, Pyrrha let out a sigh. "Okay, fine. We'll go shopping."
Nora cheered enthusiastically and Ren shook his head.
There was more truth to Professor Goodwitch's words than Pyrrha had originally been willing to admit.
Nora's swings were erratic, her core often unbalanced. The faster the battle, the better she did. But for longer frays...
Well, it was something to work with at least.
Pyrrha was still impressed with how well Nora held her own. Her joyful exuberance really did distract from the quick wit and intricate thought required behind some of her split second maneuvers.
After all, one could not swing such a massive hammer without first perceiving what direction it would be hitting.
But with just a little foresight of her own, Pyrrha was again and again able to completely dismantle Nora's attacks when she wasn't avoiding them entirely.
With a few good swings in, Nora laughed and wiped the sweat from her brow, Magnhild rested over her shoulders. "Whoa, that was quite the work out!" she declared. "I know I'm sweating! So we better clean up if we're going out today-"
Surprised, Pyrrha shook her head. "Nora, we're not shopping today. And that was not a work out. You didn't land a single hit on me-"
"What? Of course I didn't! You're Pyrrha!" Nora blanched.
Shaking her head slightly, Pyrrha put her hands on her hips. "Nora, just because I'm a trained fighter does not mean I'm not your peer. Your skill can match or surpass my own. I have no doubts of that."
Snorting, Nora stepped closer. "I didn't mean I couldn't hit you because you're Pyrrha Nikos. I meant that I won't hit you because you're Pyrrha! You're one of my friends."
Pyrrha frowned, unimpressed. "You hit Jaune in sparring class just the other day."
"Yeah, but that's Jaune," Nora hand waved. "I can totally hit you."
"Show me," Pyrrha demanded.
"Do I have to?"
"Yes, absolutely yes," Pyrrha responded, barely able to blink before Nora was in full swing, releasing a curdling call of attack. "Whoa!"
Pyrrha dug her heels into the ground and raised her shield just as Nora threw herself into the strike of Magnhild. The sturdy structure of Akoúo did not yield to the force of the warhammer, but Pyrrha's body was stubbornly knocked back all the same, keeping her upright through willpower alone. The ring of the shield and the hammer broke out across the training hall, echoing far into the chambers and blowing back form the force of them both.
In the aftermath, the two girls looked around surveying how far back their own things had been knocked from the benches.
"Whoa," they said in unison before grinning to each other.
"Now that is a training session," Nora laughed.
Pyrrha grinned. "I agree." She hummed, bringing a hand thoughtfully to her chin. "Which puts me in mind of some ideas..."
There was something almost poetic about the two of them being called to the sparring floor the following week.
While Jaune's indignant whine at not being paired with Pyrrha did make her heart ache slightly, sending him a sympathetic look as she walked to the floor, she couldn't hide her leased smile for long.
Nora was nearly bursting with excitement as she raced down the stairs, nearly knocking over their competition on the way.
It was such a change from her usual demeanor when called on that even Goodwitch's eyebrows were raised curiously.
Leaping to her spot, Nora stood in a hunkered stance, Magnhild out before her and a wicked grin on her face. She only looked away from the slightly unnerved opposing team when Pyrrha lined up alongside her, smiling knowingly.
Pyrrha nodded and unsheathed her own sword and shield before readying in stance.
The match was called, Goodwitch backing away from the arena, just in time for Pyrrha and Nora to smirk, Pyrrha falling back to the surprise of absolutely everyone in the hall, including their confused opponents.
Raising her shield while sheathing Miló, Pyrrha dug her heels into the ground, polarizing herself in place as Nora pulled back for a charged swing.
"Allow me to introduce..." Pyrrha called out.
"WARHAMMER!" Nora cried out gleefully before striking Akoúo̱ with all of her power, her whole body vibrating with the strike just as Pyrrha would have had she not secured herself first.
The vibration tore across the arena, knocking both of their opponents back immediately, out of the ring and out of the boundary line.
"A-a-a-a-and th-th-th-th-that's h-h-h-how i-i-i-it's do-uh-uh-uh-ne!" Nora preened, whole body still vibrating from head to toe.
Pyrrha looked worriedly toward Professor Goodwitch, watching as their instructor already began putting back all the decor of the chamber back in order. There was a small curve to her lips that some might have missed, but Pyrrha didn't. And, given the bright eyed joy radiating from Nora, Pyrrha was willing to bet that her friend hadn't missed it either.
"That almost makes it worth it," Pyrrha sighed. "Almost..."
Nora was bouncing with excitement as Pyrrha released a low sigh and began to pack a purse.
"I almost never carry these," she reminded her friend.
"Really? I love my bags!" she preened in response, throwing a large hobo filled to the brim over her shoulders. She grinned excitedly at Pyrrha.
"What's that full of?" Pyrrha asked with a laugh as she closed her clutch with a snap.
"Huh? Oh, well of course," Nora giggled, opening her bag up to Pyrrha to reveal Magnhild folded up. "What else kind of shopping would we do without weapons?"
Blinking once, Pyrrha found herself smiling and reaching for Akoúo and Miló. "But of course!"
Gleefully, the two nodded to each other before heading out to the courtyard for a night on the town.