The dance was nearing, and Pyrrha was both excited and nervous. She and Jaune had continued her dance lessons, and they had even brought Nora and Ren in to form a team dance. Nora, while she was good at dancing, preferred to spin around the room and knock everything over. Ren was inexperienced, yet graceful and controlled. He mostly followed Jaune's example. While they all practiced diligently, the four sometimes got so excited that they forgot about practicing and just had fun, often because of Nora's infectious craziness. However, Pyrrha was constantly worried about what would happen when the dance came. She had composed a few more letters, and although Jaune tried very hard to follow Nora's advice, he wasn't any closer to finding who wrote them. He actually asked her for help, and she didn't have any better luck, although she had told him to ask Ruby, who denied it. Unfortunately for the younger girl, she was next to Yang when he did so, who from that day on made jokes about her and Jaune, ignoring the fact that Ruby hadn't written the letters. The jokes made Pyrrha feel awkward, but she still did nothing. She couldn't bring herself to.


"No! Not my sword!" Jaune cried out, rushing over to a very dizzy Nora. She had just spun around a few dozen times and was now falling towards Crocea Mors, lying against Jaune's bed. Pyrrha reached out her hand and used her Semblance to shift it out of the way, but Jaune wasn't able to stop. He tripped over Ren's foot as he tried to get out of Nora's way and crashed into his disoriented teammate as she fell towards the bed. They both hit the ground hard.

"Hehe! We are so doing that again," she said, effortlessly lifting Jaune off of her and tossing him on the bed.

"You're going to destroy the entire dorm," Ren noted, a tinge of fear in his voice.

"Yes, perhaps it would be best for us to take a break," Pyrrha added, smiling at Nora.

"Oh! Okay," she said, grabbing Ren. He didn't look surprised, and in fact seemed to accept that he'd be involved in whatever crazy idea she had next. However, to Nora's surprise and Ren's misfortune, Jaune grabbed him too.

"Hey, Ren's mine for today!" Nora said indignantly.

"Look Nora, I'm sorry, but I really need to talk to him!"

"I was his friend first! I get dibs!"

"I'm the leader, okay?"

"Leader schmeader! I claim ownership of this Ren; go find your own!" Ren grimaced as Nora tugged at him and Jaune resisted. Pyrrha began to walk over and help him, but she encountered difficulty in prying Nora off.

"Not you too, Pyrrha!"

"Please, just let go. You're with Ren all the time; give Jaune a chance to talk to him."

"Yeah, listen to her!" The blonde agreed.

"Shut up, you two!" Nora fired back. Ren was growing impatient, annoyed, and his arms were hurting quite a bit. Nora and Jaune's nails began to dig into him, and he gritted his teeth before speaking up.

"Just let go of me before I split in half!" He said loudly. Jaune released him, as did Nora. Pyrrha stepped back and her taciturn teammate sighed, brushing himself off.

"I'm sorry Nora, but you'll have to find someone else to fraternize with. Jaune seems particularly urgent," he said. Nora made a face not unlike that of a pouting child, but left.

"You'll regret betraying me, mark my words. I, Queen of the Castle, will not let this traitorous act go unpunished!" Ren watched as his childhood friend hurried off, not looking worried about her words.

"You'd be surprised how often she makes empty threats like that to me," he said to Jaune and Pyrrha, both confused as to why he wasn't taking her seriously. They knew how dangerous she could be. Jaune then moved over to the bed and motioned for him to sit.

"Shall I leave?" Pyrrha asked, moving towards the door. She assumed that they were going to talk about something private.

"If you want. I mean, I don't really mind having you here, but this is a little personal. It's something I'd like to ask Ren about specifically, but I don't want to kick you out or anything," Jaune replied, looking embarrassed.

"Oh? Then I'll be out of your hair. I have studying to do, anyway," she said, quickly exiting the room and closing the door, but not walking away. Instead, she pressed her ear against the door to hear their conversation. She was hoping desperately that he was going to talk about her. She didn't know why she was so hopeful. Pyrrha knew that Jaune had never displayed that kind of interest in her, even after the letters, but she felt a spark of excitement that she couldn't ignore. She felt bad about eavesdropping, but couldn't just walk away now that the thought that they'd be discussing her popped into her head.


"So...Ren." Jaune looked at his friend, who stared blankly back at him, waiting for him to continue. Pyrrha, outside of the dorm, was both waiting and eager.

"You're a, uh...attractive guy." The redhead almost gasped as fear seeped into her deeper than before. If Jaune was doing what she thought he was doing, there would be no chance of him reciprocating her feelings. If he was gay, she'd have to live with the aching feeling of longing and regret that she felt now for the entirety of her time at Beacon, maybe even longer. She wondered if all of his flirtation was for show; perhaps he mostly flirted with Weiss because he knew she'd reject him, and he wanted to hide who he really was. She felt a pang of pity, but it was mostly drowned out. However, she breathed a sigh of relief at what Jaune said next.

"Not that I'm hitting on you or anything; I'm not gay. It's just...you're a popular guy, right? Strong, silent type and all?"

"I wouldn't know. If anyone did have interest in me, I'm sure that they assumed Nora was my girlfriend and didn't pursue it. She and I are together quite a bit," Ren replied calmly, not being flustered by anything Jaune said or asked. Pyrrha couldn't help but be impressed at his composure.

"Wait, really? So...you've never had a girlfriend? Or do you like guys? If you do, no need to hide it. I'm totally fine with that!"

"No. I'm sexually attracted to women." Ren said bluntly. Jaune looked surprised at how honestly he spoke, and Pyrrha had a similar reaction.

"Oh, alright. So, in short, you wouldn't know about relationship stuff?"

"I have been asked out a few times. The dates that Nora didn't crash just didn't go anywhere. I doubt I could answer any questions you might have." Jaune sighed, but seemed undeterred.

"Is it alright if I still ask you? I mean, I do have you here, and besides...I feel like you're someone I can trust. You're a tough guy to read, Ren, but I feel like we have a bond. A bond of brothers! I may have known you for less than a year, and you may hang out with Nora most of the time, and there is the whole thing you have with not talking much, but you're pretty much my only male friend. Back at my hometown, I usually hung out with my sisters and their friends. The guys really didn't like me all that much. I mean, they were jerks anyway so I didn't care, and I had fun with my sisters, but...I really can't explain it. It's not like guys make better friends or anything, but, uh...do you have any idea where I'm going with this? Because I totally lost it," he said. At first, he started with confidence, but began to slowly grow awkward and unsure of what he was saying. Pyrrha, despite her nervousness, felt indignation on Jaune's behalf. His hometown must have been filled with people like Cardin Winchester.

"I can't say I know any more than you do, and as I said, I probably won't have much to offer in terms of advice," Ren told him bluntly, and he sighed.

"But, you are a good leader and an even better friend. I'd be happy to help however I can." Jaune beamed at the taciturn Huntsman, and then his smile fell and he turned serious. Pyrrha heard him getting up and pacing around the room. This was the moment she'd been waiting for.


"It's about Weiss." Pyrrha felt her heart drop. She mouthed the heiress' name, suddenly feeling like she needed to lie down. Her legs were shaking and she grew cold. This wasn't what she'd expected to hear at all. She knew where it was going, of course. She could understand the apprehension and care in his voice. She sounded the exact same way she had told Ruby, then Weiss, and finally Blake about her feelings for him. It was like listening to herself, in a way. This was how she sounded. This was how someone sounded when they were in love with someone they didn't think loved them back.

"Weiss?" Ren asked in surprise.

"Yeah...sure, she is kind of mean...okay, really mean. I mean, her nickname is Ice Queen! And she might be arrogant, cold, judgmental, and have some misguided beliefs about certain things, but...anyway, it's true that she's far from perfect. But no one looks for perfect." Pyrrha felt as if Jaune had slapped her in the face. She knew that he hadn't meant to offend her and that he wasn't talking about her, but all she could think about is how so many people described her. She was the invincible woman. She was a celebrity. She was raised on a pedestal and told that she was amazing, that she was wonderful, and that she was perfect. Pyrrha Nikos was a name associated with perfection. And what hurt even more is that she agreed with Jaune from her own experience. Jaune was far from perfect himself, and yet she'd only grown to love him more the more she learned about him. Even when he admitted that he'd lied his way into Beacon, she only felt love. She didn't feel disappointment or disgust, but kindness and a desire to help. Pyrrha continued to listen, feeling worse than ever.

"Love isn't about finding your soul mate or anything like that. It's when you find someone you love despite all of their flaws, that you know they mean a lot to you. And there's so much I really, really like about Weiss. She's graceful and pretty and smart and strong and confident and she never backs down from anything or anyone. And deep down, she is a nice person. But there's no way she thinks about me the same way I think about her. So...what do you think I should do?" Jaune asked Ren, who didn't answer for a few seconds. In that time, Pyrrha decided to make a rash move. She'd been processing all of her feelings of regret and sadness and a little bit of anger, but what she felt above all was a desire for Jaune to be happy, and if that meant being with Weiss, than she'd help. She mentally screamed at herself to stop as she entered the room, trying to act as if she'd come back from the library.

"Oh, Pyrrha! Did you, uh, hear any of that?" Jaune asked, and next to him, Ren looked a little relived. He had no idea what to say to Jaune. He cared about his friend and leader, but had no idea what to suggest.

"...I did, yes. I had just come back because I thought I forgot something, but I think I have something more important to do now." Jaune looked confused by her words.

"What?" He asked.

"Go talk to her, Jaune. Tell Weiss how you feel."

"But-" Pyrrha interrupted Jaune, not wanting to have to endure the awkwardness of the moment for much longer.

"No flirting, no jokes, no tactics. Maybe Weiss does like you; you wouldn't know because you've been trying to express it in ways that annoy her. Just saying how you feel is the best way to approach her," she said, trying her hardest to sound and look normal. Jaune stared at Pyrrha, wide-eyed. She looked back at him, wondering what he would do next.

"Pyrrha...you are a genius. Seriously, thank you so much! I can't believe I didn't think of that! I just thought that if I came off as confident, she'd like me more. Anyway, I've gotta go. Ren, thanks for listening!" Jaune threw his arms around both of his teammates, first Ren and then Pyrrha, before leaving.

"Do you think he's going to go tell her?" Ren asked.

"Maybe...he might be preparing what he's going to say, though."

"I'm glad you came back when you did. I had no idea what I was going to tell him, you know. I'm not great with advice." Pyrrha smiled.

"I'm sure you have a lot to offer, just not necessarily about things like this." Ren returned the smile and got up.

"I suppose I'll check on Nora now. Unless you need help finding what you came for?" He asked. Pyrrha shook her head.

"I'll be fine. I think you should see if she's gotten into any trouble." Ren walked out of the room, and Pyrrha waited before his footsteps could no longer be heard to sit on the bed, her head hanging down. As she stared at the floor, she wondered if she was going to cry.


It was the next day, and Pyrrha felt no better about her advice to Jaune. He hadn't told Weiss yet, and seemed to be preparing some kind of speech about how he truly felt. He'd been avoiding Weiss the whole day, and he often asked Ren for help finding impressive words. He tried to ask Blake, but she glared at him and he knew that she didn't want to talk. Pyrrha had been stirring the cauldron of horrible feelings that bubbled within her mind throughout the whole day, even during classes. She ended up losing focus and failed to retain any of the information she'd learned. It was only thanks to the note-taking of Ren that she was able to understand what each class had been about. After classes, Jaune went to the library and dragged Ren along with him. Nora tagged along out of boredom, but seemed to know that Pyrrha was unhappy. She had even told her at lunch, looking more somber than usual, to take her own advice. Pyrrha had been shocked and didn't respond, but Nora had left before she could do so anyway. Now, alone in her team's dorm, she sat at her desk and tried to go over Ren's notes to keep her mind off of her sadness. She hardly got started before a loud noise resonated from the dorm entrance.

"Knock knock, Pyrrha. Yang coming through." Pyrrha tried to smile as Yang walked into the room, going to the desk and standing next to her. Even she knew that it looked horribly forced.

"So...you screwed up. Big time." Pyrrha didn't look at her friend. She was surprised by her words, but was too unhappy to show it.

"How do you know?"

"Oh, come on. You're totally into Jaune; it's really not that hard to see. I heard from him that you gave some good advice. Then he told me not to tell Weiss under any circumstances and hurried off."

"I see."

"So instead of pretending to care about those stupid notes, how about you do something about your huge mistake?" Yang asked, her hand falling on Pyrrha's shoulder. She leaned down to look at the redhead's face, practically buried in the desk. Pyrrha looked ready to cry, and yet her eyes remained dry.

"I really appreciate you caring, Yang. I do. But there's nothing that can be done. I gave him his advice and he'll either succeed or fail. I...I hope it's the latter, as bad as I feel about that, but what if Weiss does care for him? If that's the case, then I want him to be happy. I don't want to interfere with that." Yang frowned.

"And don't you want to be happy too? Besides, what are the chances that she'll actually be into him? This is the Ice Queen we're talking about here!" She was growing indignant now, annoyed by her friend's attitude.

"...I do want be happy. But I don't have your confidence, Yang. I can't just tell him how I feel."

"Bullshit." Pyrrha, for the first time since Yang had entered the room, looked up at her. She was smiling despite her harsh tone. Pyrrha's eyes followed her across the room as she went to close the door. Leaning against it as it slammed into place, Yang motioned for Pyrrha to get up, which she did.

"Um...what is this?"

"It's Jaune Love Confession training! Pretend I'm Jaune and say what you feel. Go ahead; I won't be embarrassed. You might, but I won't be," Yang said.

"How do you expect me to tell you when I can't even tell him?" Pyrrha asked, absentmindedly shifting her feet in nervousness.

"Like I said, just imagine that I'm him. It can't be that hard. I mean, we're both blonde! Sure, I'm way sexier, but you'll just have to make due with that you've got. Come on, give it your best shot. Think of it like a sparring match. You don't confess, you lose." Knowing that Yang had no intention of backing down, the redhead sighed and gave up. Any further attempts to dissuade Yang would go just as badly as trying to reason with Nora. It just wouldn't work.

"Alright...but can I have some time to prepare? Jaune's doing it..." Pyrrha asked quietly. Yang shook her head almost immediately.

"Nope. This has gotta be in-the-moment."

"But-"

"No buts, Pyrrha. The only words I want to hear coming out of your mouth are words of passion! Go!" Yang walked over to Pyrrha, standing uncomfortably close.

"I don't-"

"No, try again. And meet my gaze," Yang said. Pyrrha was looking at everything in the room that wasn't her face. She tried muster courage, but found that whatever bravery she felt was stifled by fear. She knew that the courage meant overcoming that fear, but she couldn't do it. It was weighing her down like a rock. She struggled, but couldn't make it budge.

"You're being really damn frustrating, you know," the blonde growled.

"I'm sorry," Pyrrha replied softly.

"Don't be sorry. Sorry doesn't help you. Be the invincible woman! Channel that badassery and use it to say what you feel!" As Yang spoke, something inside Pyrrha flared up, like a match being lit and thrown into a bonfire. She suddenly felt a ferocity that she hadn't before, and spoke with more force than she had the whole day.

"I don't want to be the invincible woman! How can anyone love someone who never fails, who never falters? How could you possibly love someone who's perfect? You'd just feel like you weren't good enough." Yang smiled at the outburst, but it wasn't her typical confident, aggressive grin. It had more pity in it than anything.

"So that's what's wrong, huh? You feel like its your reputation that's getting in the way," she said.

"I know it is, Yang. That's how it's always been. My reputation has become my identity. Jaune himself said it; no one wants perfect. And people have always said that I'm fated for victory; there's nothing more perfect than someone who always triumphs," Pyrrha explained, looking Yang straight in the eye now. Saying what she felt was giving her confidence.

"You see? This is what you need to tell Jaune! You need to let him know that you're not some perfect badass who always wins and looks good doing it! Let him know that you're every bit as real and every bit as human as everyone else," Yang exclaimed, getting excited.

"But he knows that already. He's always known. He didn't even know who I was and yet he wanted to be my friend."

"Yeah, but maybe hearing it from you would be better. And if you tied it into how you truly felt, it might make him realize that he doesn't have to worry that he's not good enough or whatever stupid reason he has for not making a move. Because, trust me on this, he likes you more than you think. How couldn't he? You've been by his side every step of the way, from initiation, to Forever Fall where he killed his first Grimm, up to this very day. You've never given up on him, Pyrrha, and you're exactly the kind of person he needs in his life. You're someone who will tell him that he's good enough." Pyrrha hadn't cried today. She hadn't even cried yesterday after she found out how Jaune felt about Weiss. She felt like it, but her eyes had remained dry. But as Yang spoke, she began to feel tears fall down her face as a big grin slowly formed. Yang was smiling right back, and was just about to point out that she was crying, when Pyrrha threw herself upon the blonde and gave her a massive, crushing bear hug.

"Yang, you're amazing! You're wonderful! Thank you so, so much! I'll never forget this!" Yang patted her on the head and groaned.

"Ugh...you're crushing me...now I know what Ruby feels like," she choked out. Pyrrha quickly let go, giving her standard apology, and as she went to sit back at her desk, Yang swooped in and stole the seat from her.

"Yang?"

"You think we're done here? Wrong. Now you know what to say...you just need to know how to look. We, my friend, are going Scroll shopping!"


"That's a little too flashy for me."

"Not for me! Alright, Pyrrha...how about this one?"

"Um...that's...incredibly indecent."

"What? I think it looks fine. It would really show off your-"

"Oh, how about this one?"

"I was just going to say-"

"What's your opinion on this, Yang?"

"Too plain. Are you seriously sure you don't want the other one?"

"No, I'm fine. This one looks nice." Yang and Pyrrha were browsing for dresses for the dance, and while Yang had already found three that she was trying to decide between, Pyrrha proved to be a pickier shopper. In their excitement they hadn't yet realized it, but it had been hours since Yang came into the JNPR dorm. Before the two friends knew it, Jaune, Ren, and Nora returned.

"Oh, hello!" Pyrrha said cheerily. The three looked surprised but happy. They noticed her odd behavior throughout the day, and even though she attributed it to a lack of sleep due to a late night of studying, they were worried.

"You seem to be feeling better," Ren noted.

"It's all thanks to Yang," she replied. Yang grinned proudly.

"Yep. Now we're shopping for dresses to wear to the dance. Pyrrha's kind of fussy, though. Can you believe that she didn't want to wear this?" The blonde showed Jaune, Ren and Nora the dress she had taken a liking to. Jaune turned bright red, Ren's eyes widened and his mouth hung open slightly, and Nora smiled.

"That looks nice!" She said. Pyrrha was surprised. She didn't expect Nora, who dressed so modestly, to be interested in such a piece of clothing.

"It's practically underwear. Pyrrha's entire stomach would be exposed. How can you even call this a dress?" Ren asked, containing his shock much better than Jaune.

"Wha-what is that?" He mumbled.

"Can you imagine Pyrrha in it?" Yang asked deviously, giving Pyrrha a coy look. She found herself getting almost as embarrassed as Jaune was.

"No! No way!" He said quickly, his eyes looking downward. Yang tossed the scroll back to Pyrrha and waved at her before leaving.

"Good night, you four. And Pyrrha, you're gonna have to decide on something to wear sooner or later."


It was the day before the dance, and Pyrrha had finally decided on a dress and had it delivered. Jaune, too, had a bit of a dilemma in finding the right outfit, but Yang was there to help. He had put on his suit, bought a bouquet of flowers he knew Weiss liked, and was prepared to go off and tell her how he felt. Pyrrha, despite her anxiety, couldn't help but be supportive. She had refrained from making her feelings known, choosing to wait until he had asked Weiss. If she reciprocated his feelings, she would do nothing, no matter what Yang said. However, if she didn't, Pyrrha would ask him on the day of the dance.

"So...Pyrrha. Do I look alright? Weiss is really, really detail-oriented...but you already know that," Jaune asked. He stood in the hallway outside of the JNPR dorm, preparing to go to team RWBY's dorm and ask to see Weiss. Pyrrha nodded and grinned.

"You look great." She said. Jaune had no idea how much she meant it. His normally messy hair was combed back, giving him a very refined look, and his black suit made him look quite classy. Everything about him was symmetrical.

"Alright, I'm heading out. Wish me luck!" Pyrrha did so, and watched as he walked off before going back to their dorm. Her smile hid her anxiety, and yet what Yang said gave her confidence. She knew what she wanted to tell him now. Despite being wracked with nerves, knowing why she felt the way she did made her feel better.


Jaune walked down the hall, a spring in his step. He was glad that team RWBY's dorm was so close to his; he wouldn't have to wait long to meet Weiss. Clearing his throat, he knocked on the door and soon heard light footsteps hurrying towards it. He knew before she opened the door that it was Ruby who was going to answer.

"Oh, Jaune! What brings you here?"

"I'm looking for Weiss...I want to tell her something important." Ruby sighed.

"Sorry, Jaune, but she left a few minutes ago. She didn't say where she was going." Jaune didn't look deterred by her words.

"It's fine; I'll find her. Thanks!" He hurried off and waved. Ruby stuck her head through the doorway to look at his retreating figure, looking confused before returning to what she had been doing earlier: polishing Crescent Rose. Jaune, meanwhile, turned a corner and practically knocked into Professor Port. When he went to give the portly man an apology and help him up, he was laughed off and praised for his energy. Port told him to continue on his way, and he did so gratefully. From that point on, he slowed down a little so as to avoid knocking into any more people. As he rushed by, he caught a glimpse of white out of a window, and stopped running. He saw Weiss walking around near the courtyard and his smile grew wider. Going as quickly as he could while making sure that he didn't hit anyone, he went to get down to the ground level and find her. By the time he did so, he was out of breath and had slowed down considerably, but as he jogged ahead he saw her. He was going to go up and say what he had been holding in for so long, but saw that she was already talking to Neptune.

"So, Neptune...I know that we haven't known each other for very long and this might be coming out of nowhere...but, if you're interested, would you like to accompany me to tomorrow's dance?" Jaune's heart sank. The flowers in his hand seemed to wilt and the dark night seemed to grow blacker around him. Turning around to go back to the dorm, he walked away.


Well, it's been a while since I've written for this story due to being focused on my other story and having a bad case of not knowing what to do next, but I was inspired to continue Help and so I have! I feel good about this chapter, but I had no idea how angsty I could make things get. Holy crap. This story is far more Arkos-centric than I thought it would be. I'm turning this into what is basically my own retelling of the whole dance arc minus all of the non-Arkos stuff, even though I intended for it to be a story revolving around Pyrrha's interactions and friendships with team RWBY's members. Anyway, as always, criticism is more than welcome! Also, I especially had fun putting a spin on the Ren/Jaune bro moment from the show. I wish Ren had more screen time!

In my eyes, Yang is someone who would allow Pyrrha to let loose a little. Her confident, assertive personality is a far cry from Pyrrha's humble and soft-spoken demeanor. I think Yang would encourage her to be a little more confident and honest. She, like Pyrrha, can be quite nurturing and supportive, as seen from her relationship with Ruby and exchange with Blake in Burning the Candle. When someone's feeling down, Yang will give them the push to get them back up.

I didn't really go into detail about what I think Pyrrha and Blake's dynamic would be last chapter, but in my defense I can't really put a finger on it. Obviously, Pyrrha would be very sympathetic to her, being a faunus and all, but there's not much else I can say.