A/N: Hello, and welcome to my story, thank you for giving it a try! I may have three other stories out now, but this was the original idea that got me writing on a larger scale. It took me a good deal of time to really flesh out what had been a short story, and even longer to get it to a point I was happy with it. For those of you who frequent r/RWBY, this had been my submission for the 05/10 WPW prompt, but I've significantly expanded it below. For those that don't, never you mind! A quick thank you to KtyouVsWriting, whose One-Night Brand first introduced me to a key side of Pyrrha. Thank you again, and I hope you enjoy!
Sun Wukong stood outside the Beacon library, grinning cockily at a mildly standoffish black-haired girl. "Hey Blake, how ya been doing?"
The girl said nothing, a single brow rising above golden eyes.
"Well, that food fight in the cafeteria was amazing! But anyway, I wanted to see if you'd like to head into Vale with me this weekend? I know a great café on the Northern Neck, and I think a bookshop just opened up acro-"
"A bookshop?" his companion asked, half question, half laugh.
"Yeah", the blond chuckled nervously, "You're a big reader, and I thought you might be interested in seeing if they've got-"
The young woman cut him off again, "If we're going into town together, then would a bookshop really be the best place to stop? A place where talking to your date is expressly discouraged?"
"People do movies all the time for dates!" he countered.
"Right, and then they talk about it. Are you going to read the exact same book as me? If there's only one copy, will you be over my shoulder?"
The boy's shoulders slumped, admitting defeat. "Gah, you're right, bad choice. The café works, right? We went to one before; not the same one" the blond interjected as the formerly settling eyebrow began to rise again, "It's got a great view, and Neptune really like it and he's got a real good sense of this stuff and there's the bookshop you just said was a bad idea and I'm rambling now aren't I?"
"Yes, you are." She confirmed. "Wukong, don't get so frozen up over this, you being you works just fine." If anything, the girl seemed even more distant, but there was a mild warmth in her voice; a teacher consoling a needlessly worried student. The boy's eyes drifted towards the entrance, his face growing resolute.
"You're right. As always. I can do this, and I don't need to have it all down to a T: a little spontaneity never hurt!"
She nodded, "So long as you make sure the café will have a table held, spontaneity will work."
"Thanks, Counselor" her eyes rolled at the nickname, "I know you've heard it before, but you always know what to say when it comes to this stuff. The in-character thing helps too."
The girl shrugged, "It's a gift".
Neptune rounded the corner just then, picking up his pace slightly to nab Sun and move on into the library. The faunus turned just before they entered, waving goodbye to his mentor: "Thanks again, Cindy!"
"You know I hate that name, Wukong, it's Fall."
Cinder Fall had many secrets. First and foremost, she was under the employ of Salem, the eldritch intelligence which created and drove the Grimm, whose ultimate goal was the destruction of life as we know it. Moving forward from that, Cinder was a master of espionage, of assassination, of intrigue in all its low and high forms. Currently, she was disguised as a student from Haven Academy visiting Beacon for the Vytal Festival.
But there was one secret Cinder kept close. It would not ruin her, per se; Salem would not destroy her for this weakness. Even so, Cinder knew this was something she would keep close. Cinder Fall was a hopeless romantic.
She would never indulge such emotions herself, of course! Love was a distraction, a weakness. Most powerful emotions were that way. They blinded one to opportunity, made one permit flaws that should be eradicated. But Cinder enjoyed watching romance, watching love, at work. She enjoyed seeing others feel those emotions she so ruthlessly controlled. Not to mention it often made her tasks easier.
This oh so personal secret, though, when combined with Cinder's intelligence, cunning, and beauty, had left Cinder the master of an… unorthodox hobby. Matchmaking.
Yes, matchmaking. Cinder Fall, peerless warrior and unmatched intellectual, enjoyed helping people find romantic partners. Whenever she found herself embedded in a long-term infiltration, she found herself indulging in the hobby as means of both relaxation and of misdirection. The activity eased her nerves, yes, but also gave her excuses to be seen talking to a great many people, to be asking questions others may perceive as personal, to be "in the know". It meant that there were people who were all too ready to point out her helpfulness in relationship advice or troubles of the heart as counters to any suspicion over her true aims. What kind of spy or assassin would help someone plan a date? It also provided a way to cloud the judgement of people who could be in the way.
Sun Wukong was one such example. They had met during Cinder's cover at Haven, and though they rarely interacted personally, Sun was aware of her; he provided support to her charade as a Haven Academy student. He had been at Beacon for some time, arriving before most students, and had served as her preliminary source of information on the student body. Yes, the dossiers were useful, but the human touch someone like Sun provided let you into the mind of a person. Finally, Sun was interested in a girl, a girl who was already getting in Cinder's way.
Perhaps Wukong would fail to capture Blake Belladonna's attention, perhaps he would succeed? Either way, he would draw some of the Terrorist-turned-Huntress's focus away from the criminal activities of one Roman Torchwick. Not to mention Wukong himself, one of the more skilled first years at Haven, would be too busy with the courting to notice off behavior from Cinder or Team CMSN. For a small investment of time into Wukong, she gained a source of intelligence, obfuscation, and entertainment. She hadn't even gotten to their rooms yet, and she was already reinforcing her cover AND relieving the pressure on the White Fang.
Team CMSN: Cinder Fall, Emerald Sustrai, Mercury Black, and Noir Stracciatella were taking their first breakfast at Beacon, seated amongst several of the Haven teams. The 'second-years' had varying levels of animation: Emerald was busily chatting away, Mercury reluctantly being dragged along in her wake, Noir obviously silent, and Cinder lost in thought. Torchwick and the White Fang had been raided last night, and the fool was nearly captured! He had narrowly escaped, thanks to the timely arrival of "Noir", but the White Fang's possession of Atlesian Paladins had been exposed.
Roman's escape was essentially the only thing preventing last night from being a complete disaster. Her displeasure was not made easier by her "fellow students" gushing over Wukong and Vasilias' brief part in the incident.
"So where exactly did you guys end up after the highway?" Chloris inquired, hanging off every word.
"Well, Nep and I had already taken a chunk out of the thing, and we haven't ever trained with RWBY, so we sat back in reserve and let them finish it off. Besides, we're in Vale, it's important to not one-up Beacon. Yet." Wukong's smug grin went ear to ear.
"Totally, and it's got nothing to do with the bookworm on RWBY you've been following like a lost puppy?" Sun's smile died a swift death before Nadir's quip, bringing a smirk to Cinder's lips; Nadir was normally a non-entity, but he was a sharp wit.
"Speaking of love-struck puppies", Altan spoke up, if only to save her partner from a 'friendly spar' with Wukong, "Has anyone told Cinder about JNPR? She's got her magnum opus sitting three tables over!"
Hearing her own name, Cinder broke from her studious examination of her meal. "Pardon, Altan?"
"Team JNPR. I've been listening round, and they really need some of your help, Counselor."
For once, Cinder decided not to deride her unofficial title as Haven's Relationship Counselor, instead settling for glaring at the girl.
"Jaune Arc, Lie Ren, Nora Valkyrie, and Pyrrha freakin' Nikos! Apparently, Ren and Nora got it bad, but neither will say any anything. Beacon's got a pool on who cracks first. Rumor is the faculty are in on that pool too!
"But Nikos is the fun one, Cinder. She's got the hots for their team leader, Jaune Arc. Not sure there's anyone in the school who can't tell, 'cept for Jaune!"
"Gay?" What they said about simple answers was usually true.
"Nah, he's been chasing Weiss Schnee for a while now." Vasilias smirked at this, and Cinder began to wonder if JNPR should be her target. Schnee and her team had been causing a great deal of trouble. But she already had Wukong for that, didn't she? He was not able to stop last night, yes, but Mistral wasn't built in a day. She needed to broaden her folio, and Nikos would be dangerous in her later plans for Vytal.
"Well, I'll make inquiries."
Cinder rose from her bed and swapped scrolls, taking up the public device she used with her cover. "I think that will conclude our research for tonight. I'll be heading out for a short time." Emerald and Mercury, now having long been broken of asking what or where, acknowledged her with a quiet "Yes ma'am". She left the visitors' dormitory, and made her way down to the Beacon Library. She did have some homework to see to, after all.
Altan, as it turned out, had been entirely correct about Team JNPR. They were a tangle of romance. Arc was infatuated with the Schnee girl, while Nikos was infatuated with him. Lie and Valkyrie were very clearly mutually interested, but neither wished to be the one to risk their friendship. Realistically, she could scratch the itch using any of them, but if she could only pick one, she had to think carefully. And one was all she would allow herself; juggling multiple independent romances on one team usually resulted in a level of suspicion from her recipients, especially considering she wasn't always very close to them.
Valkyrie and Lie were too easy, in a way. Their records and general hearsay indicated they'd been traveling companions for over a decade by this point. Likely, neither wanted to make a move because they felt the other perceived them in a familial light. Just as likely, they didn't want to risk damaging the relationship with a failed romance. But their time at Beacon would wear this down on its own. An expanded and stable pool of friends meant that the risk of losing their old friendship was not as isolating, and living together for reasons beyond extreme circumstance always fostered tension. No, Arc or Nikos were her better choices.
Arc seemed to be the better target, at first glance. He was the leader of JNPR, his aim was on a member of Team RWBY, and he held inordinate sway over the remaining five members of the two teams. But it was quickly apparent Nikos was the better target. Nikos had as much pull over their six compatriots as Arc, but she held a noticeable advantage. She was the most skilled fighter in her class, likely better than many of the second-year students. Nikos was apparently even Arc's personal trainer, if the information she'd received from Team CRDL via an Atlesian student was true. So, Nikos would be her target, the goal to push her and Arc together. But how would she do it?
Nikos was not Lie or Valkyrie. Yes, she most likely feared rejection would cost her their friendship, but she had made overtures to Arc. If the boy knew anything about Mistrali culture, he would have picked up on the significance of Nikos training him privately; it was basic custom among Mistrali warriors to express interest by making the offer. But Arc didn't know that, and he probably wouldn't believe if he was simply told. Nikos herself had made verbal advances, though they were all tentative; she was nervous. She was worried enough to not attack the problem head on, but not to a point where she did nothing. And Arc's one-sided interest would hurt the matter further. Schnee had publicly rejected Arc on three occasions now, it was clear to everyone she wasn't interested. Arc was stubborn, though. But you didn't worry about sweets in Vacuo when you had no water. Nikos wouldn't do anything to stop Arc from pursuing Schnee precisely she knew Schnee was not a threat.
Not a threat…
Cinder had an idea. It was bolder than she preferred, more assertive. She preferred the "counselor" role, even if she hated the name, but inserting herself into a problem was occasionally useful. Pyrrha Nikos, four-time champion of the Mistral Regional Tournament. Pyrrha Nikos, international celebrity athlete. Pyrrha Nikos, huntress who sparred second-year students after facing off against a whole team. Pyrrha Nikos, extremely competitive girl with a terrible crush.
Nikos couldn't bring herself to open up to Arc on her own? No problem. She would get a little help.
Cinder had finally managed to relax after the complication at the CCT; why Rose was out there, she had no idea, but thankfully the girl had gone to investigate herself rather than contact a professor. Goodwitch, or even worse Ozpin, would have made the situation far more dangerous. Instead, Cinder had escaped into the student dance and blended with her team, just as planned. A hard night's work complete, Cinder deigned the rest of the evening was suited for bolstering her alibi. And the first step in her newest project.
Arc and Nikos had not come together to the dance, the last chance Cinder had given either when it came to working this out independently. She certainly was surprised to see Arc in a dress, though; a few completely understandable questions later revealed Arc had some kind of bet with Nikos about her own lack of a date. The two had danced together, but their team had joined in quickly enough, and she doubted the crossdressing would aid romance.
Currently, JNPR was resting, enjoying some drinks and a small halt in their revelries. Arc was chatting with Xiao Long, while Nikos was standing beside Valkyrie nearby. Cinder allowed a small smirk to form as she approached Nikos from behind.
"He might not have the legs for it, but he certainly does have the shoulders." Cinder commented as she idled past the two, heading straight for Arc.
She could practically hear the indignation. Good.
Cinder tapped Arc on the shoulder, drawing him out of his conversation. "It certainly takes a confident man to wear that in public." Arc looked unabashed, but she could see him keeping his hand from rubbing the back of his head. "I admire confidence," stated so matter-of-factly it should have been written in stone, "would you like to dance?"
Arc looked as if a Goliath had been dropped on his head, before quickly recovering. "Sure! That sounds great, uh Yang?" He passed his drink off to his equally stunned friend and headed to the dance floor with Cinder, grinning like a madman.
"Cinder Fall, by the way."
"Oh! Nice to meet you. Jaune Arc."
"Jaune Arc… I like it." By this point, Arc's quip about his name and that ridiculous confidence line had long since been in Cinder's arsenal. His grin went wider.
Cinder assumed a theatrical tone: "Ah, am I to be blinded by beauty? Such a brave bravo bowing before me." Cinder Fall of Haven, beyond matchmaking, was a known fan of theatre.
"Sorry, Cinder, I don't know that one."
"'Blood in Mistral', you really should learn the classics. Maybe I can teach you some?"
Arc was still grinning like a loon. This boy would be putty in her hands.
Pyrrha was trying very hard to stop herself from yanking Jaune out of that woman's clutch. Or from launching the woman out the window. The night had started off terrible, which was not too surprising, but it had taken a wonderful turn when Jaune came back! He had gone out of his way to cheer her up, publicly humiliated himself to make her laugh. They had danced together, Pyrrha had no idea Jaune was such a good dancer, and even after their teammates had joined them it was grand. Then that woman made such an improper, granted accurate, remark about Jaune's figure and snatched him away! Now here she was again, alone.
No, that wasn't fair. She had Nora, Yang, and Ren staring just as shocked as she right beside her.
"I… did a g… how did…" Yang was apparently unable to form a full sentence, Nora and Ren didn't even bother trying. Pyrrha had to remain calm, Jaune would be back after his dance with that woman.
Ten minutes later, Jaune was still chatting and dancing with the woman. It may not have seemed long to most people, but it was a small eternity to her! And she could do nothing! Well, nothing that wouldn't make Jaune think less of her. But Nora, kind and loving and completely insane Nora, had no such compulsions.
"Oh no, this is not happening." Her fellow redhead stormed across the hall, snatched their leader away, and pulled him towards the remainder of JNPR. The woman seemed mildly surprised, but was still smiling. Jaune was trying to reign back a thunderhead. "Come one, Jaune! We got another performance in five!", Nora's singsong commands further suppressing Jaune's anger as he noted the 'Nothing can stop Nora' voice.
Pyrrha would have to get Nora something nice for that. Maybe some coffee from back home? Just so long as she wasn't there when Nora drank.
The situation did not improve, come the morning. Cinder Fall, a second-year student from Mistral according to Jaune, had stopped by their table to thank Jaune for the good time. Pyrrha felt she was taking this well, right up to the moment Fall dropped the bomb on them.
"I'm aware that missions are underway this week, but I wanted to see if you'd be interested in a spar tomorrow, Jaune? It's important to try your luck against new styles, and I'm familiar with most of Haven's students already."
Pyrrha, Ren, Sun, and Neptune, both joining them in lieu of RWBY, locked up at the question. They understood what was really being asked here, even if Jaune didn't. Pyrrha could not believe the audacity of this woman! Requests like that were supposed to be made in at least a mildly private setting!
Jaune, not noticing the mood of the table, chuckled lightly, "I'm probably not a great choice, Cinder; I'm probably the weakest fighter in my class, not to mention a year below you. You'd probably be better off asking-"
"Another student might make for a better fight, Jaune," The woman smoothly cut Jaune off, "but no one would for a better time."
Jaune's blush was threatening to set his hoodie on fire. "Heheheh, well alright then? The south training yard should be open after 8?"
"Just don't leave a girl waiting, Jaune." And with that, the woman was off, putting far too much sway in her step. The knives on the table were slowly moving towards Pyrrha before she reigned herself in. Thankfully, or perhaps not so, Sun had the table's attention as soon as she was out of earshot.
"Jaune, I have no idea what you did, but whatever it is can you teach me?"
"Huh?" Jaune was completely lost.
"Cindy never calls anyone by their first name, Jaune. And I don't think she's ever asked someone o- over to spar before." The not so silent kick from Ren may have just saved his life, Pyrrha mused. That was not how she wanted Jaune to learn about their sparring.
Jaune, meanwhile, was blushing tremendously, and poorly suppressing a smile: "I can't really tell you anything, Sun. Cinder asked me to dance last night. We talked about stuff, traded numbers too, but that was just so she could reach a Beacon student. Do you think she's…" At this point, Jaune became aware again of other people, and quite correctly decided to not finish that sentence. She loved him, but Gods could he be dense when it came to people.
"Wait."
"Did I just think that? Oh dear." Now was probably not the best time to confront the depth of her feelings towards Jaune, with Fall approaching him. "Or maybe it's the perfect time, Pyrrha", her treasonous mind interjected, "Maybe it's time we do something more than hedge. Cinder is not Weiss, Pyrrha: she's interested."
While Pyrrha battled her inner thoughts, Jaune was thinking of a golden-eyed he had been dancing with just last night, and Nora was planning on how to best pump Sun for information when they were in Vale.
Cinder was in an exceptional mood. Torchwick was in "custody", the Black Queen had entered into both the CCT and Ozpin's records, general distrust of the Faunus was on the rise, paranoia over Vale's security was at an all-time high, and their plans for the Vytal Tournament were set following CMSN's victory. Business was good. Even outside of work, things were going well; she was on a date with Arc, after all. The evening after the Breach, she and Arc were finishing their spar when Arc asked her if she'd like to visit the fairgrounds with him on the weekend. Her inner tactician was not altogether pleased with his choice of venue, but the plan called for her to be a willing partner. Arc practically stood a foot taller when he sat down at his table in the morning.
But now, Cinder had to admit Arc had at least some skill in romance. His approach was terrible, from all reports, but with her he had been simple and straightforward. The date proper was turning out quite well, she could admit with a strategist's eye. Jaune had recalled her quoting theatre in conversation, and opened the date with tickets to an early showing of "The Last King in Mantle". The open-air stage in the Beacon Fairgrounds allowed for quiet conversation during the play, or an unobtrusive exit if the performance was lacking. The troupe performing was quite exceptional, Cinder had researched theatre before implanting the interest in her guise, and the two enjoyed the rendition of Mantle's most famous tragedy.
The date then transitioned to a late lunch. Normally she would consider that a poor choice, but the play's terrible selection of start times and her team's early morning bout forced their hand. But Arc rebounded well, leading them to a pavilion serving Vacuoan food. It was not a ramshackle stall, like so many other options here, but almost a proper restaurant beneath the sturdy canvas. Arc again earned points, remembering her disappointment at the dance lacking Vacuoan food. Arc's small talk was weak, he was naturally hesitant and usually turned the conversation towards family, but he was making an effort to appear confident. Appearances were half the battle, as she well knew. So Cinder giggled at the right moments, and smiled when it was called for, and lightly chatted about her own "family" in turn. Arc grew more confident as the meal went on, the tension easing out of his shoulders. By the time the check had come, he looked no different than when he was speaking to his team.
Aside from that mad grin.
Cinder asked, 'on a whim', if they could take a longer route back to the Bullhead, to get a better look at the grounds. Arc happily agreed, and she took his hand before making her way out of the pavilion. The minute effort it took to start moving told her immediately that Arc had frozen at the gesture, as expected, but he had quickly recovered. And he had not pulled free. The young couple happily wandered the grounds, seemingly with no real direction, but Cinder knew precisely where she needed to be.
Emerald and Mercury were keeping tabs on some of the more concerning students, team RWBY and Nikos headlining the list. So when she received a message from Mercury letting her know JNPR and RWBY were outside the games quarter of the grounds, Cinder made sure their path was the green separating food from games. After all, where else would victorious teenagers want to be? Xiao Long spotted them first, eyes going wide in surprise. The berserker was soon joined in her stunned state by the rest of her team.
When Nikos spotted them, Cinder saw the imperceptible twitch of the girl reaching for her weapons.
Good.
Jaune, no doubt feeling rather prideful over the successful date, greeted his friends warmly: "Hey guys, funny running into you all here! I didn't catch the fight, Cinder and I were a little busy: you kicked but, right?"
Rose nodded dumbly, eyes jumping between Arc, Cinder, and their interlocked hands.
"We're up later today, I hope you guys will be there to cheer on team JNPR! And you, Cinder!" Arc's eyes were brimming with hope.
"Miss you in action? Not a chance, Jaune." Cinder waited for an opening, a chance to really drive in the knife. Thankfully, the other blonde was happy to provide.
"Didn't realize the Lady-killer made such an impression in your spar, Cinder. I guess all that one-on-one time with Pyrrha has paid off, Jaune."
Before Arc could reply, Cinder stepped in: "Oh, his swordsmanship is quite impressive, Xiao Long. He's a quick thinker, and I hope a fast learner; there's a few moves I'd love to show him. And if you really have been training him, Nikos, then I suppose I do owe you a thank you for his… improvements." That last comment emphasized by a light squeeze on the lithe arm she was practically hanging off. Xiao Long alone had control of her blush, the teenagers reading exactly what she wanted from her comments. Jaune himself was caught somewhere between mild horror and not-so-childish hope. But Cinder knew when it was time to make an exit, she could tell any more today would push Nikos down, not forward.
"I had a lovely time, Jaune, but I need to head back to Beacon and check on the team." Turning to his friends, she continued "Hold on to him for me, will you?". A mumbled goodbye from Jaune, and she was off.
Almost there.
She and Arc were making their way, slowly, to his dorm room. Arc had a slight limp, leaning against her side as they made their way to the door. He had been hit on the leg during his own match, and Cinder may have been guilty of targeting it during their second spar. She had apologized profusely when he went down like a sack of grain, of course; she'd 'completely forgotten' his leg was injured. Arc, gentleman that he was, had waved it off and simply asked her to make sure he got back to his room.
Just as she had wanted him to.
"So, what exactly is that move you used, Cinder? It felt like my leg was on fire!"
"Technically, it was. I can generate heat, and I shift it into my strikes to burn the target."
"Kinda taking 'her hands, they set my heart ablaze' a little too literally there, in my opinion."
She turned to the blond as the opened the door, pleasantly surprised: "Why Jaune, have you been reading the classics?" He smirked proudly.
"It's only been a couple of weeks, but I think I'm making real progress!"
Not bad, not bad at all. In another, far more ridiculous life, she might have considered taking him under her wing for that. Instead, she wouldn't actively try to kill him next week; he was going to have a very busy time, that was certain.
Mercury and Xiao Long were up in two days, and Nikos would fight the Atlesian android in four. Nikos was almost certainly the prospective Maiden, if Arc's mentions of her seeming out of sorts were any indication. The White Fang were in place, the matches were set, and she would be watching Nikos like a hawk come the attack. The plan was ready, and tonight was the night!
Tonight, Pyrrha Nikos would get her man.
They stopped outside his door as he struggled to fish for his scroll. Eventually, Cinder reached into his pocket herself to retrieve it. Arc couldn't meet her eyes when he mumbled a thank you. He swiped the lock, and began to push the door open when Cinder made her move.
"Thank you for the wonderful night, Jaune." She was close to his face, he was looking back at her, frozen. Their faces inched closer, her hand went to his neck, and she discretely pushed the door ajar with her foot.
It was a light kiss, she didn't need anything overwhelming for her purposes; just enough for it to be easily noticed. And the polite cough from inside the room heralded her escape. She cut off the kiss, stepping back from Arc.
"Goodnight, Jaune." And with that, she turned and briskly walked away, seemingly embarrassed by being caught. She made her way to the unoccupied room around the corner, and pulled the receiver from her back pocket. When the door was securely shut, she turned on the device, eager to hear whatever the bug she planted on Arc's hood picked up.
"Pyr…" Arc sounded displeased, which she supposed was reasonable. Someone had just interrupted his first kiss, after all.
"Jaune. I need, I need to talk to you. I have to tell you something." The resolve in Pyrrha's voice brought a triumphant smile to her face. Just the right amount of pressure, and anything can change.
"I love you, Jaune."
Perfection.
Disaster!
This was an unmitigated disaster! The plan was perfect, the execution textbook, the responses clockwork! It should have worked perfectly! The correct response to Nikos' confession should have been surprise, embarrassment, a little concern. But Arc would realize quickly that Nikos' affections were worth so much more. Pyrrha Nikos was his teammate, his partner, his closest friend! They shared intimate secrets, private moments, been invaluable to the other as a person. Nikos offering her heart should have been an opportunity to leap at. And what would stand in his way? A girl he met two weeks ago, one who'd gone on at best two dates with him? Who wouldn't even call him her boyfriend? Nothing! There were shorter lived marriages! Arc should have dove headfirst into a romance with Nikos, or at the very least asked her to wait long enough for him to end it with Cinder.
Instead, Arc had refused her entirely! Rejected her! He said he cared deeply for Pyrrha, but wouldn't betray Cinder like that. Betray Cinder? Not following the script was betrayal! The confession only spiraled out of control. Nikos was heartbroken, and while Arc tried to console her, her response to the rejection was an obvious one.
Lash out.
Nikos revealed that Cinder was toying with him. Valkyrie had been asking questions, it seemed, and had learned about "Counselor Fall". The story Nikos presented to Arc was devilishly close to correct. Cinder wasn't really interested in him, she was using him. She was using him as a practice dummy, a warmup before going back to Haven. Nikos was quick to emphasize the return to Haven; how could Cinder and Jaune expect to maintain a relationship not two weeks old across a continent? Surely that pointed to her commitment. Nikos brought up her comments at the Dance and the Fairgrounds, painting Cinder as shallow, only after Jaune for his looks.
By this point, Arc's patience gave way, he began to challenge Nikos' assertions. So what if Cinder made innuendo? It was about time someone cut Xiao Long down to size, after all. They hadn't spoken about her departure, but they still had a week with the tournament going, and another to finish the festival. Belladonna and Wukong were a pair, did their relationship have to mean nothing as well?
Voices rose, tears flowed, injuries small and forgotten were dragged out and into the light. Nikos was smothering, a mother hen who extolled Arc's ability one moment and then sheltered him from any harm the next. She wasn't open with her team, either, keeping her affections buried until the worst moment. And there was till something bothering her that she wouldn't speak of!
Arc was selfish. He endangered others by faking his way into the school, he refused to be helped in anything unless his hand was forced. People needed help sometimes, and it was foolish and selfish to refuse it. And he was ignorant! Dense! She'd practically thrown herself at him, how could Arc blame her for him not noticing? All the while he was chasing Schnee, who obviously wasn't interested. And then he'd started spending time with Her. Cinder Fall was, to Nikos, a hussy who intended to toss Arc aside as soon as she got what she wanted, and Arc was playing right into her hands!
By this point, the shouting had gotten so bad Cinder didn't need the bug. She could hear it through the walls, several doors down. Nikos had eventually stormed out of the room to stay with RWBY. Arc had left as well, muttering about crashing in the common room.
Cinder could feel herself losing control, feel herself start to panic. She reigned in her fears; she was Cinder Fall, she could win through! This was a bad spot, yes, but she'd faced worse! Could salvage this! She needed a new plan. She headed for the library, schemes buzzing in her head.
The new plan, put lightly, was as blunt as a hammer. It didn't feature the careful nudges and misdirection she normally employed. Those had only led to her completely misreading Arc's minute details. The new plan did not leave room for these mistakes: Break up with Arc, place Nikos in danger, allow Arc to save her. Ending it with Arc removed herself from the conflict, and she needed an extraction anyway. Nikos' part in the plan played right into Arc's own desires, rather than hers. Arc wanted to be a hero. More than anything else, he wanted to uphold his family legacy and be the knight in shining armor. Cinder could make Nikos into the damsel he rescued. The rescue would mend their rift, bolster Arc's flagging emotional state, give Nikos another opportunity to open up, and set an atmosphere where rash decisions could be made without remembering a fight most of the Beacon student body had heard, let alone heard of, before breakfast was served.
She could feel the eyes on her team, on her, the moment they entered the cafeteria. She could hear the whispered conversations. News had gotten around quickly. The Haven table was deadly quiet when they sat down. No one spoke the entire meal. The table normally occupied by JNPR and RWBY was a house divided. Nikos sat at one end, the girls forming a wall between herself and the enemy. Lie occupied neutral ground, a lone bridge connecting Valkyrie to the exiled Arc, who sat on the other end of the table. None of them appeared to have had much sleep. Cinder felt eyes on her, and turned back to the other half of the table.
Nikos was glaring fit to kill.
Pyrrha was going to kill her.
How dare she do this!? She walks into their lives and plays with their emotions, and then this? Pyrrha had returned to the RWBY dorm with her friends, Ren and a reluctant Nora staying with Jaune. Ren wanted to fix this, Nora wanted to beat Jaune into a pulp and then fix this. They both meant well. Meanwhile, RWBY had taken it upon themselves to adopt her until such time as JNPR could be whole again; Ruby was not doing well with two friends fighting, but Yang acted like she's seen and done it all a thousand times before. Yang's utter calm was probably the reason she wasn't a complete wreck right now.
They'd been holed up in the room, surreptitiously trying to distract Pyrrha from her misery, when Ren entered. Alone. A small part of Pyrrha began to panic at what Nora would do to Jaune, but she repressed it; he brought this on himself, he let that woman into their lives.
"Cinder Fall just broke up with Jaune."
No one moved. No one even breathed. Ren's words were too busy crushing them all into the floor.
Weiss eventually managed to grind out a word: "What?"
Ren was utterly uncomfortable in sharing this, Pyrrha could tell, but he went on: "She came to see Jaune after breakfast. She told him she didn't want to keep this up if the current situation was the result.
"Her exact words, from what Nora heard, were 'I enjoy theatre, Jaune, but not drama.' She mentioned this or that about being a team leader and good will between the student bodies, but those were afterthoughts."
The news had led to Pyrrha grabbing her weapons and making for the training yards. She always trained in the morning, so Pyrrha would find her and kill her. Simple.
How dare she do this! That, that, that BITCH! That absolute bitch! 'But not drama' indeed, this was her fault! Pyrrha would make Cinder Fall regret humiliating her, humiliating Jaune! A small part of her pointed out Jaune being humiliated wasn't too bad, but the rest of her squashed it; she had a bitch to go impale.
She was in the training yard, as usual, and Pyrrha was on her in an instant. Her strikes were wild, fueled by rage, while she got some very satisfying hits in, Fall was in control of the fight before too long. Pyrrha found herself in a very new situation, one she had long given up on encountering; she was losing. Through what she supposed was bloodlust, Pyrrha could tell that Fall was winning this fight. That only made Pyrrha angrier, and she attacked with even more fury. The bitch wasn't wearing metal, but that simply meant Pyrrha had to do this the old-fashioned way. She overbalanced herself on a thrust though, and the bitch knocked Milo from her hands. Pyrrha dove at her. She'd claw out the bitch's eyes with her fingernails, if that's what it took! The woman was a martial artist though, and Pyrrha quickly found herself thrown across the yard and her aura depleted. She was on her feet and beginning to charge her target when she felt a weight from behind crash into her.
RWBY had caught up to her, all four piling on and beginning to drag her away. Pyrrha felt herself coming down from the battle fury, but she was no less angry.
"How dare you! You Bitch! How dare you do this to him, do this to us! To me!"
Her friends were literally dragging her from the room at this point. They wouldn't let her do anything rash, they were good friends like that.
She hated them for it.
Cinder watched, from her seat in her island of empty chairs, as Xiao Long kneecapped a student on a live broadcast. She smiled. Something was going her way again.
For possibly the first time in her life, Cinder had allowed her hobby to make work for her work. The previous day and a half had been dogged by deathly silences and hard glares from the Beacon students and staff, as well as a great amount of distancing from her Mistrali 'classmates'. Cinder Fall was the center of the biggest drama of the year at Beacon, and no one wanted to be part of that. Cinder herself was too busy trying to haul back her anger at the sheer ridiculousness of it all. The insanity of it! She'd been dating Arc for two. Weeks. They'd been on a single proper date. Most of their conversations had been entirely skin-deep. Why, how, could Arc choose her over Nikos? It made no sense. He'd taken the break-up surprisingly well, she had to admit; she expected the tears and curses she would later receive from Nikos, not a solemn nod.
The drama at Beacon had put a target on her back, made her the sole center of attention. The plans she had laid out could move on without her active involvement, she knew, but being such a target was uncomfortable. She couldn't gather information from the students, couldn't lay down another alibi or begin a new scheme if no one would stay within 30 feet of her. She knew, however, that all eyes would be somewhere else very soon. A part of her even thought the negative emotions from the incident would help her cause. If Nikos' insanity was any indication, the students at Beacon were wound very tight.
It would be a shame if someone snapped.
Cinder was victorious, and now she awaited her prize!
The Nikos-Polendina fight went exactly as planned, and the attack was officially underway. Terror in the streets, mayhem in the skies, blood on the walls. Exactly as planned. This was how her schemes were supposed to work: flawlessly.
She had spotted Nikos and Arc entering the Tower with Ozpin, and she gave chase. She had not yet confirmed the location of the Fall Maiden, but she knew the players well enough to guess what was happening. At the bottom of the elevator shaft, she found the chamber they'd been hiding her prizes in; they'd even framed one for her.
Arc and Ozpin had their backs turned to her, no one could stop the arrow as it took the Maiden's life. She could feel the power rush into her, and she knocked a very confused Arc aside with contemptuous ease. Oz ordered his students to flee. That served her purposes as well, she had a wizard to kill before she could see to her own needs. Ozpin had been an exceptional challenge, she had been nearly killed more than once, but she was victorious in the end. As the corpse fell back into the elevator shaft, Cinder took off for the roof. Her plan required her to be as dramatic, as visible, as possible. Like a moth to a flame, Nikos would be drawn to her.
Sure enough, Nikos had come. Alone. That was concerning, as Arc had been with her in the basement, but Cinder knew he would be on his way. She needed to drag this out, then. The Mission was an utter success: Ozpin dead, Maiden dead, Cinder Empowered, Beacon in shambles, world unity shattered. This? This was for her own pleasure. So, Cinder did not simply fly into the air and hurl fire onto the roof until Nikos was obliterated. She fought the girl, with knives and hands and feet. But even with her newly gained powers, perhaps because of them, Cinder could not drag this on forever. She shattered the girl's aura again, and winged her. She had to wait, to buy time for Arc's arrival.
Nikos had given up, she had accepted her imminent death. Cinder was more than a little pleased at the thought of the emotional swing the girl would be on shortly. But she formed her bow, and nocked an arrow; didn't want to give Nikos any ideas, after all.
"Do you believe in destiny?"
Really? That was what she went with when she saw her death take physical form? Cinder heard it then.
Footsteps.
Arc was coming! And none too soon, even Nikos was looking perturbed by the long silence that followed her apparent final words.
If only to buy another second, Cinder decided to answer the girl: "Yes."
The steps had stopped, he was here! She drew her arrow back, and peered to her side to make sure Arc had the ri-
Rose?
Why was Ruby Rose here? Where was Arc!?
Looking at the scene, the young girl let out a wail and brilliant white light burst from her eyes. The force of the eldritch power blew Cinder clear off the tower, searing her face, her body, every fiber of her being.
But one though rang clear above the pain.
"Where did my plan go wrong?"