Sun Kissed Skin
Her eyes glanced over the ink stained paper in her hands while a sigh of remorse. The thoughts about events soon to follow sent a jolt down her spine as her arm constricted in nervousness. Jaune looked over to see a tense Pyrrha staring at a piece of paper.
"Hey Pyrrha what's wrong? you seem off, is it something to do with that letter you got?"
" Let's have a look see" The paper quickly snatched from Pyrrha's grip into Nora's magnetic hands
"No Nora thats private! Please don't mess around with it!" Pyrrha's small whimper was enough to call Ren's attention and grab the paper from Nora. Handing it back to the owner he patted Nora's head and ruffled her hair.
"Nora, what did we talk about?"
"If I make someone sad, friendships will then go bad', sorry Pyrrha its a bad habit..." The blood rushed and Pyrrha stood flustered folding the paper neatly back into the envelope and into her desk drawer.
"Pyrrha we agreed no secrets, we're a team, we're here for you. Just promise me I don't have to wear a dress again" Jaune put his hands on his hips and tilted his head followed with a soft smile. Her eyes glanced down with an emerald glint.
" The letter was simply from home, my parents were just telling me that they were doing okay and wondered how I was doing. It seems they want me to visit during my free time between classes and missions if possible."
"Ooh oooh! can we come? I've always been curious about famous little Pyrrha's home. Does your mom make good food? My mom makes good food but I'm always curious about other people's mom's cooking. Is it good? do they just say its good because its what they grew up with? do they share recipes? Can I get the recipes?"
" I'm sorry to say that my home isn't as exotic as one might think. I don't object to the team coming along but it's up to you all if you'd like it seems it will be a simple dinner to talk about school." Pyrrha let out a fragile smile while putting the letter back into her desk drawer.
"Then it's decided! we're going over to Pyrrha's!" Jaune exclaimed with head held high.
"Yay sleepover!"
" Nora.. we're all roommates.. its always a sleepover" Ren said with a sigh.
" Oh " Nora's expression had drastically changed with the realization.
"I still can't wait though, I'm curious how our star team mate grew up! Let's go as soon as possible. Looks like we have a good week off starting tomorrow anyways"
"Very well, I'll contact my parents ahead and set everything up for our visit"
Later that night
The shuffle of the bed sheets and slight movements from a happily asleep JNPR team echo through the room. Pyrrha tosses and turns in her bed slowly unable to sleep. Images of her parents and home life blurrily flash through her mind. Mouths open with snarls at the edges of lips, broken pieces of housing lie on the ground, a young pyrrha sits in a corner eyes widened with her ears covered by her hands. clawing at her skull hoping to rip out the noise. Fingers pointed at her, adults turning their children away, people averting their gaze. Pyrrha had sat up in her bed with her knees at her chest. Her face hidden behind the safety of her knees and arms the comfort of her still warm clothes from her blanket embracing her, keeping her emotions just barely in check. Suddenly a shuffle in the distance alerts the shaken hero. She looks into the dark letting her eyes adjust to see a dark pink onesie with a slight scent of hot chocolate.
"Here, looks like you need this. Pyrrha"
"Nora...Thank you.. I didn't wake you did i?"
"Sort of, I'm a light sleeper so its no biggie. Kind of craved some of my dad's special feel goody hot chocly"
"That's.. a very unique name for hot chocolate"
"Pyrrha… something's really bothering you isn't there? It has something to do with your parents and that letter doesn't it? Or something more than that? The way you tossed around in bed.. I've seen it before it must be something really serious"
"Nora I'm astonished, you never seemed like these things bothered you."
"Yeah, I am a little ditzy but that doesn't mean I can't see. People seem to forget that I graduated along Ren not the top student but definitely not the worst. " Nora's smile had become a thoughtful and slightly confused expression as Pyrrha had taken the warm mug and held it close to her lips inhaling the steam that gave her a fuzzy feeling inside. The tense feeling had eased away slowly dripping off her body to her toes and out
"You're right. My past wasn't all stardom from the very moment I opened my eyes. My parents and fate had decided a large portion of my life for me. My father was very caring, loving and supportive. My mother was a very disciplined person and was very keen on a proper upbringing for me to succeed, which is understandable for a person of her caliber. I've told you about my aura right? its quite unique and handy and my mother had taken quite the liking to her daughter's gift. She had plans to make me a star no matter the cost and the cost was quite…. deep." Pyrrha sighed and took a sip of the deep brown liquid
"I'm guessing your father and mother didn't exactly just compromise did they?" Nora had looked down imagining what had followed.
"You're right." Pyrrha's face grew darker.
"My father had tried to defend me saying that a young girl like me shouldn't have to be put through so much. It did not turn out very well as that disagreement had spurred on their divorce. The stress became very evident on my father and he had fallen ill, I ended up being the Pyrrha on the cereal box by doing as my mother, who at this point became my manager, to support my father who had become too ill to properly support us"
"I had no idea you had so many dark moments Pyrrha" Nora has put her hand on Pyrrha's arm
" I can't say I'm completely over it but its in the past so it would be a waste of the present to obsess with it. The thing I'm most afraid of is everyone's reaction to my family, my home, and maybe even my past. My father intends to discuss my future during our stay there, I fear for him that this might be about a will"
"It'll work out Pyrrha. It always does, maybe not in the best way or the worst way but it'll work out."
"Thank you Nora, your company and this feel goody hot chocly has helped immensely we should get some sleep for tomorrow is going to be very busy"
"Alright, Good night Pyrrha, get some sleep okay?" Nora's concerned expression met Pyrrha's face dimly glowing with a hint of confidence, the aura Pyrrha would always have and in that moment she knew.
She knew things would be okay.
(note: This is a new project I've been working on a bit now and then. No promises on immediate updates because I don't want to rush this, I got a good feeling about this, please review this if you find ANYTHING not your liking. Input is important to me so please feel free to throw in your 2 cents yeah? )