Notes: Well here is chapter 2 of Artemis, I hope you all like it. Please let me know what you think in the reviews, I do read them.
Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY and Also a special thanks to MartunaMajor for proof reading.
Artemis Part II: The Photo
After Pyrrha had successfully navigated the perilous attic and returning with the coveted Christmas decorations, her mission was complete. Now along with her mother Sienna, Pyrrha went right to setting up the decorations, starting with their Christmas tree.
The Nikos family tree wasn't anything fancy. Rather it wasn't even a real living tree. Pyrrha's father would always say it was too much of a hassle to get a live one. Her mother would complain but Pyrrha never really gave much mind. She actually kind of liked their artificial tree. They've used the same tree for as long as she could remember, and that at least meant something. To Pyrrha, it meant that it was just as much a part of their tradition as anything else and she wouldn't have had it any other way.
With practiced speed and precision, Pyrrha had their tree unpacked, assembled, and decorated in record time. Then once she had finished, both her and her mother decided that it was about time for them to take a quick break. That way they could enjoy another one of their traditions, her mother's famous home cooked apple pie.
Leaving the living room, Pyrrha and Sienna made their way to the kitchen which doubled as their dining room. Upon entering, Sienna instantly went towards the stove which had a freshly steaming kettle sat on top of it and a crispy looking pie resting inside. Pyrrha made to help her mother, but was waved off. "I got this honey, go ahead and sit down."
"Yes mother." Pyrrha surrendered before taking a seat at their small kitchen table. She looked up with hungry eyes as her mother careful removed the pie from the oven and began cutting it. "It smells great." She complemented.
Sienna giggled. "That's good, though the taste is what's most important."
"I'm sure it has that covered too." Pyrrha argued.
"Well I guess while find out." Sienna mused as she plated a few pieces of pie and passed them off to her daughter who, received them like a gift from the heavens. "Careful dear, those are still hot." She warned.
Ignoring her mother's warnings Pyrrha grabbed a piece with her bare hands and took a large bite out of it. "Ehmm, so good!" She murmured blissfully as she savored it.
Sienna shook her head and smiled. "You could slow down a little you know? It's not going to go anywhere."
"I-mumm go-umm." Pyrrha tried to speak, but couldn't be bother to stop eating and couldn't get a word out between bites.
"Hush hon, you're going to get crumbs everywhere." Sienna said as she poured herself a cup of tea and made her way over to the table to join her daughter. When Pyrrha ignored her mother by trying to reply with her mouth still full, Sienna pulled out a napkin to shove in her daughter's face who mumbled some form of complaint that also went ignored.
Relenting, Pyrrha set down her half eaten piece of pie to snatch the napkin from her mother and wipe her mouth clean herself. "Sorry mom, your pie is just so good and it feels like I haven't had it in ages."
"I suppose it has been awhile." Sienna mused. "Though, if you had bothered to visit during your last break we wouldn't be having this issue."
That statement made Pyrrha suddenly become sheepish. "Sorry about that." She apologized. "Even though Thanksgiving isn't widely celebrated outside of Vale, it is still considered a major holiday in Beacon. I wasn't really prepared for the vacation and since my teammates Nora and Ren were also originally from around here, they weren't ready either. When I first heard, I had planned to come back home, but when Jaune found out that none of his teammates had any plans for the holiday, he insisted that we should all go and meet his family as a team."
"Yeah, so you mentioned. Though, something has been bugging me about that. Was Jaune's family really okay with that?" Sienna inquired.
"Yeah, I was surprised by how welcoming they were. Oh and I don't think I told you this, you know what was even more surprising?" Pyrrha asked earning her a shrug from her mother. "Jaune has seven sisters! Seven!" Pyrrha declared animatedly. She still remembers the shock and awe she felt during that very long and confusing introduction. It had taken her nearly the whole vacation just to remember who was who.
"They had eight children!?" Sienna asked somehow sounding both impressed and horrified at the same time. Pyrrha gave her mother a nod and the woman in question looked like she was in disbelief. "Were they all full blood siblings? Were any of them different parents!?" Pyrrha gave a nod to the first question and a dismissal to the second leaving Sienna looking overwhelmed. "Well Misses Ark must be quite the woman to have managed that. I can't even imagine."
"Oh yeah, she was incredible. She's an ex-huntress I believe and so is her husband, or rather Jaune's dad is a former huntsman." Pyrrha added. "You should have seen how Jaune and his sister all fell in line whenever Mrs. and Mr. Ark were in the room."
"They're both retired then?" Sienna asked, earning her another nod from her daughter. "What do they do now? How are they able to support such a large family?"
Pyrrha looked thoughtful as she tried to think of how best to answer. "Hmm, well I know that their house doubles as a tavern. It's a big part of the reason they were okay with all of us coming so suddenly. When your business is accommodating strangers you kind of get use to it." Pyrrha explained with a laugh. "Also from what Jaune has told me, he and his sisters would always help out with the family business whenever they had the time. Though, since I was only with them for a short time I can't claim to really know how well off they were, but they seemed to be getting by well enough."
"They sound like a good family. I would like to meet this Mrs. Arc some day. Maybe she could share some of her secrets" Sienna mused.
"I'm sure you will some day." Pyrrha declared, causing Sienna's eyebrow to rise.
"Oh, what makes you so sure of that my dearest daughter? What would be the occasion for such a meeting I wonder?" Sienna said as she leaned in closer and gave Pyrrha a knowing smile. "You and this Jaune wouldn't happen to be conspiring to join the families now would you?"
"What?" Pyrrha asked, looking confused for a moment before the Implication of her mother's words sunk in and she choked. "What!? No, we're not… I… ugh!" She groaned in frustration.
"What, are you not interest? Sorry, from what you've told me about him I had assumed…" Sienna began to apologize before getting waved off by her daughter.
"It's alright, I mean you're not wrong. It's just that I've already had this conversation with Lin and I don't feel like getting teased about it twice in one day." Pyrrha explained.
Sienna laughed. "Pyrrha I'm your mother, I reserve the right to tease you. That is especially true when it comes to the men in your life." Pyrrha let out a defeated sigh, causing Sienna's laughter to intensify. "Oh relax, I will spare you from my questioning for tonight."
"Thanks mom." Pyrrha mumbled.
"You're welcome dear." Sienna said as she made to stand up and began gathering up the used dishes. "Now if you're done eating, why don't you help me clean up?"
Pyrrha had to pause and look down at her plate. When she had finished her pie she wasn't quite sure, but all that was left of it now were crumbs and echoes. It kind of reminded her of a field after an intense battle. "Alright mother." She said after letting out a sigh and standing up to assist her mother.
With that Pyrrha and Sienna began hand washing dishes in relative silence. They hadn't dirtied too much during their little break, but there had still been a few dishes left over from Sienna's breakfast that she had been putting off doing. Of course Pyrrha was more than happy to help with those as well.
With the task to distract them, the mother daughter duo fell into a peaceful silence, one that wasn't broken until Sienna posed a question Pyrrha wasn't quite ready for. "Is something wrong honey?"
"Huh, what!?" Pyrrha startled to see or mother looking at her worriedly.
"I asked if something is wrong?" Sienna repeated.
Pyrrha shook her head and waved dismissively. "No, nothing's wrong. What makes you think that?"
"Well, you've been scrubbing the same dish for the last three minutes." Sienna pointed out, causing Pyrrha to glance down at the aforementioned plate and noticed that it now sported a pristine finish.
"Oh, sorry." Pyrrha said with a nervous laugh. "I guess I spaced out there."
"You've been doing that a lot ever since you came back down from the attic. So ill ask again, is there anything wrong?" Sienna explained.
Pyrrha sighed. "You'll think it's silly."
Sienna shrugged. "Perhaps, but I don't really see what's wrong with that. Better to be a little embarrassed than to fret over something minor all day."
Pyrrha giggled. "Yes, I suppose you're right."
"Of course I'm right, now spill already." Sienna urged, causing Pyrrha set down the dishes she had been scrubbing to dig into her pants pocket and a moment later she retrieved the photo she had found earlier in the attic. Sienna seemed to still as the Photo came into view. "Wh-what do you have there honey?"
"I found this photo in the attic," Pyrrha explained as she passed the old polaroid to her mother for inspection. "On the back it says to my two angels, Pyrrha and Artemis. I was just wondering if you happened to know this Artemis." She explained with an easy shrug. However, her shoulders became stiff when she noticed how rigid her mother had become since accepting the photo. Her mother's brows were creased and her eyes looked panicked. "Mom, is something wrong?" Pyrrha asked becoming slightly worried.
Sienna didn't respond at first so Pyrrha reached out to her mother, but when she touched her arm the older woman was startled, causing her body to jerk and knock a ceramic bowl she had clean off the counter. The bowl was sent tumbling down to the tile floor below and shattered into pieces. "Oh no, look what I've done!" She said as started to reach down to collect some of the pieces only to be halted when her daughter reached to catch her out stretched hand. Sienna glanced back up to meet the worried eyes of her daughter and gave her a questioning look.
"Let me," Pyrrha offered and when Sienna's questioning look persisted Pyrrha added. "I have aura remember? I won't cut myself."
"Oh, right, thanks dear." Sienna replied after a moment's pause and then she quickly straightened up and handed the photo back to her daughter. "And to answer your question, Artemis was a family friend from back before you were born. We haven't really seen each other in awhile so it's no surprise you don't remember them." She explained before marching towards the door.
"Mother?" Pyrrha asked, wondering where her mother was going.
"I just remembered that I need to give your father a call. You know, make sure he isn't dead or something." She said jokingly while waving her scroll around for Pyrrha to see. Then she disappeared into the living room.
"Well that was strange." Pyrrha thought aloud before she took another look at the red haired woman in the photo. "Is she Artemis then? So she's a family friend? Hmm, why would she be holding me then? And who is the other baby?" Knowing she wouldn't get any answers to these questions right now she let out a tired sigh and pocketed the photo before going to work cleaning up the broken bowl.
As always Pyrrha had a lot of questions, but was quite lacking in the answers department. One thing she could be sure of though was that her mother was hiding something. That response wasn't normal and that meant that this photo meant something, something big. So she just had to figure out what that something was.
After leaving her daughter behind to clean up her mess, Sienna soon found herself pacing the living room while staring at her scroll like it were a coiling viper. She had just hit the call button but the suspense was already killing her. She knew this day would come eventually, but that didn't make her any more prepared. She had secretly hoped she would never have to have this conversation. Did that make her a selfish person? She wasn't really sure, but the uncertainty was painful enough.
The scroll was now on the fifth ring and Sienna wasn't sure if she was relieved or mortified that her husband wasn't picking up. He was busy she was sure, this could wait. I wouldn't be right to drop something like this on him while he was on such a dangerous and important mission she tried to assure herself.
Then after the sixth ring Sienna was about ready to give up, but then she heard an audible hiss as the speakers of her scroll came to life. On the other end she could hear the faint sounds of a rumbling bullhead engine. Sienna found it slightly odd since her husband had left on his mission some time ago and she had assumed he would have already arrived, but she didn't have much time to think further on that before a familiar voice came through. "Sienna?"
Sienna's heart soared at the sound of her husband's voice and the promise of support she desperately needed, but it quickly sank when she remembered what she need to discuss with him. "Hello dear, I-I umm, there is something I have to tell you." She said nervously.
There was a pause on the other line. "Honey is everything alright? It's not like you to call while I'm in the field." Sienna's husband inquired. Concern was now evident in his voice.
After taking a moment to breath Sienna spoke again. "Darion, she knows."
There was another pause and some mumbling in the background. "Wait who are we talking about? What do they know?" Darion replied.
Sienna was still struggling to breath but pressed on. "It's Pyrrha, she knows! She knows about Artemis!"
There was a clatter on the other side of the line this time and more murmuring, this time more panicked. "What, are you sure!? How!? When!?" Darion responded.
"Yes I'm sure, and just now I guess, she found a photo in the attic and has started asking questions. What do I tell her Darion?!" Sienna asked, her voice sounding desperate. Her eyes were becoming watery.
Sienna could hear her husband taking a deep breath of his own on the other side before replying. "Calm yourself Sienna, you said she just found out? How much does she know?"
"She doesn't know anything substantial, not yet anyway. I told her that Artemis was just an old family friend, but I don't think she believed me and don't know what to do now." Sienna explained.
Darion let out a long sigh. "Well since it's come to this there's only one real thing we can do," He began causing Sienna's hopes to rise before he crushed them. "We tell her the truth."
"No!" Sienna felt the word rip itself from her lips before she could do anything to stop it.
"Sienna?" Darion spoke softly.
"I mean, I thought we weren't going to tell her until she was an adult. That is what we all agreed on, right? We can't just go back on our word." Sienna explained.
"Sienna listen, we knew this day was going to come eventually. She has a right to know and besides, Pyrrha isn't a kid anymore. She is already seventeen and is smart enough to make her own decisions in life." Darion reasoned.
"B-but, wh-what if she does-doesn't." Sienna tried to speak, but was finding it more and more difficult. "I just, don't want to lose her Darion." Now she really was crying.
"I know Sienna, trust me I do, but do you really think this will change anything? You're her mother and she loves you. That is just a fact, and nothing can take the time you've spent together away from you." Darion assured before his tone became a bit more serious. "The only thing we could do to turn her away is to continue lying to her like this. So I think the best thing we can do is to just rip off the band-aid now so we can get back to being a family sooner rather than latter."
Sienna wanted to argue, but she knew her husband was right. There wasn't any way around this so she may as well stop stalling and just hope for the best. "You're right, I will tell her." She said with a sigh. "Are you going to let the others know about this?"
There was a groan on the other side of the line. "I guess I should huh? She might not like the fact we're going back on our promise, but hey it's only a little early."
"Alright, well I guess I'll leave you too it then. Be careful out there dear." Sienna declared.
"Yeah, you too and tell our girl that I miss her for me will you." Darion said.
Sienna felt herself starting to smile. "Will do, goodbye honey." With that Darion said his own farewell and the call had ended, allowing Sienna a brief moment to settle herself before she heard footsteps approaching from the direction of the kitchen.
"Mom?" Sienna heard the voice of her daughter call out to her from behind. Startled Sienna spun around to see Pyrrha approaching her and she could also make out the worry in her girl's eyes. Pyrrha was already half way into the room and Sienna hadn't noticed her enter. She had to wonder how long she had been there and if she'd heard any that conversation. "What was that about just now?" Pyrrha asked. Sienna took that as a yes.
Sienna had to take a moment to gather herself before replying. "Pyrrha, we need to talk."
Until just now it had just been a suspicion, a nagging thought in her head spurned on by that photo, but now Pyrrha was sure something was wrong. She had only caught the tail end of her parent's conversation, but from what she had heard they were hiding something. It was something big, something that they were afraid to talk about. That was very concerning.
Luckily it didn't seem like Pyrrha would need to pry it out of them since they had already decided she was ready for this is, whatever it was. That was a good feeling she supposed. However, it still didn't seem like this was going to be an easy conversation. That much was clear by the way her mother had made it a point to sit her down before starting or at least trying to anyway. Her mother would repeatedly open her mouth like she was about to say something only to snap it shut again and look away with a more pained expression each time.
Pyrrha had to wonder what could be so bad to make her mother act like this. It couldn't be that one of them was sick, could it? It couldn't be cancer, could it!? No, Pyrrha shook her head to dismiss that thought. It just didn't fit. Based on what she caught of the conversation between her parents, whatever it was that they were hiding was something they've been holding back for a while. If one of them were seriously ill, surely she would have noticed something was amiss by now.
Pyrrha thought harder. Could they be losing the house? She pondered. No, surely not. Her family wasn't rich, but they always lived well within their means and it didn't seem like they were cutting back on spending, so it couldn't be financial problems. Pyrrha also considered the possibility that her mother was having another child. She knew it was something her parents wanted, but she quickly dismissed that notion as well. Such news would have been joyous and wouldn't call for this level of secrecy even if it were for the sake of surprising her.
Pyrrha ran through a few more possibilities in her head, but none seemed to fit. It was like trying to complete a puzzle without any of the border pieces. She was just making shots in the dark without anything to go on and as a result, she wasn't getting anywhere. Fortunately she was saved from her own thoughts when her mother finally worked up the courage to speak.
"Pyrrha," Sienna began. Her voice was uncertain but steady. "I, we, I mean your father and I. You know that we love you right?" She asked as she met her daughter's eyes.
"Yes, of course I do." Pyrrha replied immediately, however it seemed to do little to dispel her mother's worried expression. Pyrrha didn't like where this conversation was going. It almost sounded like some sort of intervention, or perhaps a break up, but that couldn't be it.
Pyrrha didn't need an intervention, or at least she didn't think she did, but she supposed that was normal for those with a problem. Still, she was fairly sure that wasn't it and her parents couldn't break up with her even if they wanted to. She was their child whether they liked it or not and they were stuck with her. However, that thought invited a far more probable and unsettling thought. Her parents were a couple, and couples could break up.
"Could this all of be about my parents getting a divorce!?" Pyrrha thought to herself causing her mind to descend into full blown panic mode.
Now that Pyrrha really thought back on it, her parents didn't always get along. Even just a few hours ago her mother had been complaining about her father's actions, or rather lack thereof. However that was a minor thing at worst. She needed more so she tried to come up with any instances that would point in that direction. Thankfully nothing jumped out at her right away, but she didn't know how far back this went. Everything could just seem normal now because their relationship had always been shaky.
"Could that be why they were waiting for her to become an adult? Wait, didn't they mention another woman being involved earlier?! Has her father been cheating on her mom!? That couldn't be, there was just no way!" Pyrrha screamed internally.
"Pyrrha, listen." Sienna said breaking Pyrrha free from negative thoughts and causing her to refocus her full attention on her mother. "There is something you need to know about me, about your-our family." Pyrrha was biting her lip now to keep herself from screaming. Her mother's phrasing was not helping her nerves right now. "You see the truth is," Sienna paused. "Oh Oum, where do I even begin with this one?" She asked herself.
"Well, you could start from the beginning." Pyrrha suggested while trying desperately to keep her voice even and not let her panic show.
"Hmm yeah, I guess that could work." Sienna replied before a thoughtful look came over her face. After a moment she looked like she had decided on what she was going to say and begun again. "You see Pyrrha, you know how I use to work as a nurse right?" Pyrrha gave a nod allowing her mother to go on. "Well at the time, the place I worked at was a small clinic a few villages away from here. That's the place where your father and I first met." Pyrrha raised a questioning eyebrow. "What?"
"When I said the beginning, that wasn't really what I had in mind." Pyrrha deadpanned.
Sienna let out a soft laugh, but there was no mirth in it. "I know that, but this is related." Pyrrha looked skeptical. "It is just trust me." Pyrrha sighed and motioned for her mother to continue. "Right, like I was saying. I met your father at that clinic a long time ago. However, what's important here isn't the fact that we met, but rather his reason for being there that day. Do you know why he was there, Pyrrha?" Sienna asked suddenly sounding serious.
"I don't know." Pyrrha replied easily. It wasn't like she could have known the answer since she wouldn't have even been born yet and this was the first time one of her parents had spoken about the time they met. In hindsight that was actually kind of odd. She now found herself wondering why she had never heard this story before, luckily she wouldn't have to wait long to find out.
"Your father came to our clinic to get his new baby girl her first check-up." Sienna declared dryly and then paused to allow the words to sink in.
Pyrrha froze, she had heard what her mother said, but something about what Sienna said just didn't compute. It was almost as if her train of thought had been completely derailed and was sent spirally into a black hole. Then after what seemed like an eternity, but what had likely only been a few seconds, Pyrrha finally found her voice again and said the only thing she could come up with. "I beg your pardon?"
Sienna let out a deep sigh before meeting her daughter's questioning gaze. "The day I met your father for the first time was a very special day for me. If only because it was also the first time I met you, Pyrrha."
Pyrrha's eyes widened and her mouth feel open. For a moment she struggled for something to say and when she did speak her words came out hoarse. "No, but th-that can't be. That would m-mean, I'm not, you're not my..."
"I'm not your mother Pyrrha, I'm sorry that we've been lying to you about this for so long. We just figured it would be easier for you." Sienna explained.
"Wait, but if your not my mother, who is, and where are they!? Did something happen to her!?" Pyrrha spat a little bit louder than she had intended.
"She is alive and I assume well, if that is what you are asking. As for who she is, do you still have the photo you showed me earlier?" Sienna inquired.
Pyrrha gave a nod and retrieved the photo from her pocket for their inspection. This had all started when she showed it to her mother, or rather stepmother this photo, so it made sense that it was connected somehow. "Is it this woman, is she my real mother?" Pyrrha asked while pointing to the red haired women in the picture. Sienna gave a nod. "So is she Artemis then?"
"No." Sienna replied curtly. "That is indeed your birth mother in that photo, but Artemis isn't your mother." She said before motioning to one of the two babies cradled in the women's arms. "This is Artemis. She is your twin sister."
"Oh," Pyrrha replied before performing a double take. "Wait, my what?!"
"You have a sister, Pyrrha. You also have another mother. The question is, would you like to meet them?"
The next day, Pyrrha had decided to make good on her promise to come visit her manager Lin at her family's gym, if only to get out of the house for a bit and clear her head. The workout certainly helped, but once she had finished it she found that it wasn't enough to keep her distracted, so she turned to her long time friend and manager for advice. Perhaps an outside perspective could do her some good.
"And that's what Sienna told me." Pyrrha declared in exasperation, ending her explanation of yesterday's events. Recounting everything that her mother or rather stepmother had told her had proven to be almost as painful as hearing it the first time.
Lin didn't answer at first, her eyes just started back at her friend and client like she had grown a second head. Though in fairness, that wasn't that far from the truth in this case. "Wow, that is. Just wow. I can't believe Sienna's not your real mom, I mean you're all the woman ever talks about. Well there is that and pastry recipes." Pyrrha let out a light laugh. "On top of that you also have a long lost twin sister. That is huge. This seriously sounds like the plot of a bad soap opera. You're not going to come down with some sort of incurable disease or slip into a coma now are you?"
"No Lin, I'm fine." Pyrrha said while shaking her head. "Really though, what do you think I should do about this?" She asked, her tone hopeful.
"What, you're asking me?" Lin shot back with an eyebrow raised in inquiry.
Pyrrha expression fell. She seemed slightly taken back by Lin's response, but pressed on. "Yeah, well I mean. I have no idea what to do about this situation and I don't really know who else to turn to for advice on the matter. I'm sorry if you don't want to."
"Whoa there kid, it's not that I don't want to help you out, I just don't know what to tell you." Lin interrupted. "I mean, if I were in your shoes I would probably be getting checked into an institution right about now, because this shit right here is completely insane."
"Lin, you're not helping!" Pyrrha complained with huff.
"Sorry, this is just so far outside my usual territory." Lin said apologetically. Pyrrha relented, but still looked like she was waiting for a proper answer. "You really want my advice?" Pyrrha gave a nod. "Alright, but I think your asking the wrong questions here."
"What do you mean?" Pyrrha asked now sounding curious.
"Well," Lin began. "You keep asking what I think you should be doing, but this situation isn't so simple. There isn't really any right or wrong way to go about this. So I think you should be asking yourself what is it that you want to do." Lin explained, getting Pyrrha to give her a confused look. Lin sighed. "Do you want to meet these people or not?"
"Yes, I want to meet them!" Pyrrha instantly replied.
"Then don't you already have your answer?" Lin inquired.
"Yeah sure, but I can't just pop in on them out of nowhere like that. Won't I be bothering them?" Pyrrha replied.
"Why can't you?" Lin inquired and when she was met with a frown, she rolled her eyes and went on. "I mean you wouldn't even be going through all of this confusion if everyone else hadn't been keeping so many secrets from you. At this point, I think you're entitled to some answers, kid."
Pyrrha hummed in thought before speaking again. "But do you think that they'll like me?" She asked, suddenly sounding very small.
Lin let out a soft laugh. "What you think they're going to be disappointed?" When Pyrrha remained silent and failed to meet Lin's eyes she sighed. "Gees girl, we really need to work on your self-confidence. I mean you're the Pyrrha Nikos, and I know you hate it when people put it that way, but you know that you're kind of a big deal. I'm sure any mother or sister would be proud of your accomplishments, but even if such things didn't matter to them, I have yet to meet someone as easy to get along with as you."
"You really think so?" Pyrrha asked, still sounding a bit skeptical.
"Well, you can be a bit annoying sometimes. Like right now for example." Lin jabbed her tone suggesting it was a joke, Pyrrha's scowl suggested she didn't find it very funny. "However, I think you're a sweet, honest, and hardworking kid who just wants to reconnect with her family and I believe they will see that as well."
Pyrrha took a deep breath and once she let it out, a determined look came over her face. "Alright, I will go see them."
"Good," Lin said with a nod of acknowledgement. "So now that's decided, when're you going to do it?" She asked.
Pyrrha looked thoughtful for a moment before replying. "Yesterday my mom, Sienna, told me that my dad is going to contact my birth mother. They're going to let her know that I've found out the truth so she won't be surprised if I show up suddenly. They also gave me her address, but it's nowhere near here."
"Oh, where do they live?" Lin asked.
"The island of Patch apparently, it's a small settlement only a few miles off Vale Kingdom's coast." Pyrrha replied.
"Wow, they were that close?" Lin asked. Pyrrha gave a nod. "Small world it seems, though I guess when most of it is infested by monsters it makes sense. So I assume you're going to go see them after you get back to Beacon?"
"I'm going a day before actually." Pyrrha corrected. "I'll leave a day early so I can get back before classes start up again. That will give us some time to actually get to know each other."
"Ripping the bandage off right away, a bold strategy, I like it." Lin declared before looking thoughtful for a moment then speaking again. "Want me to come with?" She offered.
"W-what?" Pyrrha mumbled almost sounding startled.
"I'm asking if you want me to come with you to Patch." Lin repeated.
"What, I can't ask you to go to that much trouble! You've just got back from Vale and you got a lot of work to do don't you?" Pyrrha reasoned.
"Hey as your manager, maintaining your mental and physical well being is part of my job. Since this is clearly bothering you a great deal, it is in my best interests to help you sort it out. Also this is a huge event in your life and as your friend I want to be there to support you. Monty knows you might need somebody in your corner for this fight." Lin explained.
Not really being able to argue against that, Pyrrha let out a defeated sigh before speaking. "Thanks Lin, it means a lot."
Lin smiled. "No problem kid. Now come on," She said waving Pyrrha to get up. "We still need to do some weightlifting and here in ten minutes Liza should be coming in. Though Liza is a bit of a newbie, she is in the aura league as well so I can see about setting up a meet and greet/sparring match. Then we call it a day and get to packing."
"You're the best, Lin." Pyrrha said with a laugh.
"You know it!" Lin declared.