Omake Time. Comedy/Friendship/Romance Genre
Some humorous banter, and realistic character introspection. Slight AU to the story, but I tried to keep it mostly in character. Some parts may not be for the sake of the plot.
A Friend of Jaune's
Pyrrha Nikos considered herself to be an individual of considerable mental control. Anyone that had to deal with the pressure of being the goddaughter of one of the heads of Mistral, a three time champion competing for her record-breaking fourth victory, and the general mayhem that came with being a celebrity can't let neither their minds nor their emotions run wild. But as she stood in the entrance of the Mistal Tournament LockerRooms, watching Jaune Roma get stabbed, Pyrrha would admit that for once in her life, she panicked.
"Jaune!" She screamed, the concern for her fellow competitor obvious in her voice. She knew something was wrong when her godfather told her to keep an eye out during the tournament, but she never thought someone would try to assassinate a Family Heir…
Not that there weren't plenty of people that were willing to try. But not right before the target was meant to enter an arena in front of thousands of people.
While concerned for the young Roma, the champions current scope of focus was directed on the man that currently had his blade stabbed through Jaune's back, exiting where his heart was. The man was wearing a simple black jacket and pants. His shirt was as red as his dyed hair, and his sword glowed crimson, though Pyrrha wasn't sure if that was just how it had been made or if it was covered in Jaune's blood.
Jaune's body didn't even look like it had had time to react to the blade's sudden invasion, meaning that he got stabbed just now. Good. That meant there was still a chance to save him. If she was fast enough in both defeating this man and getting Jaune to the medics, there was definitely a chance.
"Get away from him!" Pyrrha roared, and with her short sword at the ready, she charged. She expected a lot of reactions to her sudden appearance: the assassin acting shocked and jumping slightly, or him retracting his sword from Jaune's chest to confront her next, maybe even a hidden accomplice appearing to intercept her while he finished off Jaune.
Pyrrha certainly did not expect what came next.
"Oh hey Pyrrha! What's up?" The casual tone of the almost certainly dead Jaune Roma stopped the warrior right in her tracks. Well almost; she tried to stop, but with her sudden forward momentum combined with the even more sudden shock of hearing the voice of a supposed deadman, three time champ Pyrrha Nikos found herself tumbling shamelessly to the floor. As she slowly recovered and picked herself up, she noticed a hand extended out to her.
It was Jaune's hand. The blond boy was smiling at her like he didn't have a care in the world, despite the sword still lodged through his torso. After cautiously taking his hold of his hand to make sure she wasn't imagining it, Pyrrha found herself being pulled to her feet by Jaune's strong, steady hand. Her weapons were forgotten in the light of Jaune's ever brightening smile, which made Pyrrha slightly embarrassed that she so stumbled so easily in front of him.
"You ok?" He asked, his casual tone shocking the distraught redhead back into reality.
"Am I ok?! What about you?! How are you still alive?!" She questioned, raising a pointed finger. "That man stabbed you through the heart!"
Speaking of which, Pyrrha noticed that the sword she had seen sticking out of Jaune's chest just moments before was now being returned to its sheath. The assassin in question definitely hadn't become docile or fearful at the champion's presence, instead he seemed… Bored? Disappointed? Angry? Maybe a combination of all three, but while Pyrrha couldn't read anything from the man's stoic expression, whatever negative emotions this man harbored, she was sure they weren't directed at her at the moment.
"Yeah, Adam does that. It's no big deal." Jaune's tone made it sound like it was something that happened all the time; like the man just bumped into his shoulder on the street.
"What do you mean 'he does that'?! You know this assassin?! And what do you mean 'it's no big deal'?! Of course it's a big deal!" Pyrrha couldn't seem to keep the doubt and accusation out of her voice.
"Of course I know him," Jaue shrugged as he got a few things from his locker. "If I didn't, did you think I would have let him stab me? And like I said, it's not a big deal. He's just letting off some steam. Apparently he had some issues with the bonding experience we went through during our first Grimm Hunt here in Mistral a few days ago."
There were so many parts of that statement that Pyrrha just couldn't process; most of it branching from the fact that Jaune and his blade wielding friend supposedly just arrived in Mistral. Instead of exploring the wonders of the city, visiting the Hunter schools, or just plain relaxing during the Festival, they claimed to have went outside the Kingdoms boarders, fought what sounded like a large number of Grimm by themselves, came out of it unscathed, and Adam seemed bitter enough about it afterward to think that Jaune had earned a sword through the chest.
Before she could voice her many questioning thoughts however, it seemed Adam, the not-assassin, had his own comment to share.
"Infusing someone with Aura and throwing them through a full grown Goliath isn't exactly what I consider quality bonding time." While his tone was clearly aggressive and hostile, Pyrrha had to admit it was impressive how the man's eyes remained neutral and his expression never betrayed him.
"But you admit it was bonding time!" Jaune immediately countered, a smug grin spreading across his face.
"If your definition of 'bonding time' is watching someone throw themselves down the throat of every giant Nevermore they see, and get covered in Grimm blood and gore in the process, then yes you and I have bonded quite a bit." Pyrrha saw what she could only assume was the stoic man's version of a smug grin spreading on his face, which was a barely visible change as a whole, just a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth.
"Two times! Two times that happened! And you weren't even there for the second one. You were too slow. Besides, it got the job done didn't it?!" Jaune exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air. "And it wasn't too bad; I washed off afterwards."
"The blood may have been gone, but that didn't do anything for the smell." Adam crossed his arms as he furrowed his eyebrows, seeming to recall the memory. "Do you know how many times I almost vomited on the ride back between your Grimm stench and shitty piloting?"
Jaune gasped in mock offence. "How dare you! First of all, I have excellent piloting skills! I always take my airship wherever I want it to go, be that outside the kingdoms or through a flock of Nevermore. Secondly, you dare complain about my B.O? Excuse me, but I seem to recall a certain spiky-haired redhead staying at my place during training a while back, and he didn't exactly smell like a basket of roses!"
Adam must have assumed a simple grunt was an adequate form of response, but Pyrrha could tell that, in his own way, Adam took offense to the comment, but didn't see a point in pursuing it further. Instead he shifted the conversation onto a different topic, something about a rose Jaune had. Pyrrha on the other hand couldn't help but chuckle lightly at the banter, her previous state of confusion and hostility replaced with one of quiet amusement. While it might have been viewed to be a heated argument with lots of insults and comebacks, Pyrrha could tell their was no malice behind any of the words. These two, different as they appeared, got along well. Jaune's eyes seemed to glow brighter with each joke he made, and this… Adam's stone cold expression seemed to soften slightly with every smooth retort he delivered. Anyone could tell that these two had been through a lot together, and were nothing short of close personal friends.
...
Friends huh?
It had been a long time since Pyrrha had used that word.
In the time since she had won her first tournament, Pyrrha's whole world had changed. Sure she had become a famous celebrity, an aspiring Huntress in training, and a role model for the next generation; but people like that were viewed differently as a whole. Sometimes they weren't even viewed as people; more like a product that had a status quo to be kept with the general public.
Slowly, Pyrrha was viewed as such an idol. She had to constantly put up a fake smile in front of the paparazzi and her "adoring fans". Her friends at Sanctum had gradually distanced themselves from her, claiming they were just holding her back. She desperately didn't want them to. She wanted to tell them they were wrong, that they were the only ones giving her any sense of normalcy between being the Goddaughter of one of Mistral's Family Heads and a worldwide celebrity. But sadly, it wasn't enough; Pyrrha just woke up one day, completely isolated from everyone.
Anyone new she met only had something to gain by associating with her. Hunters in training just wanted to have the "honor" of being beaten by her, not even bothering to try since they figured she would beat them regardless. And those that did try just wanted the "glory" of being the one who defeated "The Invincible Girl". Anyone else was either a star-struck fan, some weird pervert, or both.
Now Pyrrha wasn't ignorant. She knew she was an attractive young women. She also knew that many men and even some women throughout Remnant were also aware of that fact and felt attracted to her. Even some of her opponents at the tournaments risked ogling her… "physical assets" while they were in the middle of a match. Granted, it made Pyrrha feel justified and a little bit better when she broke their nose, but it still made her feel uncomfortable. And then there were the suitors. Some were after her Godfather's level of influence in Mistral, thinking being in a relationship with the most likely Alexandrian heir was a good way to get it. Others were love sick fans who thought she was their one and only, that the two of them were destined to be, even if they had never met before.
And of course there were always a few egotistical males that came to her with full on marriage proposals. Despite the generous offers of having the "honor" to be their "soulmate" once she accepted the engagement, Pyrrha turned down each and every person to approach her. And in all honesty, it almost saddened her to do so, since she was so starved for any kind of normal human interaction, but there was just one thing that everyone kept to do wrong. It wasn't that she thought she was too good for them, but they all just seemed to have these... ulterior motives; influence to gain, a reputation to boost, or just another attractive girl to "conquer", so to speak. There was always this one thing that made it hard for her to open up, to drop the celebrity idol facade she wore. It was…
*Buzzzzzzzz* Would Jaune Roma and Pyrrha Nikos please report to the arena, your match will begin shortly. *Buzz*
The PA's announcement broke Pyrrha from her musings.
"I guess that's our cue…" Jaune said, standing up from the locker room bench. Similarly, it seemed the announcement had interrupted his discussion with Adam. Jaune walked to the door with an air of confidence and pride, but also a certain sense of calm that was uncommon in almost any of Pyrrha's challengers.
As they left the locker room and walked down the hall, with the event of Jaune's friend literally stabbing him in the back behind them, Pyrrha took another glance at the blonde knight. Jaune didn't seem like most of the other people she had encountered in her time as a champion; or most other people in general, if his conversation with Adam was anything to go by. When they had first met in the middle of the Cyber Coliseum, he had been polite. He didn't worship her like some lovestruck fanboy, or immediately try to propose like the suitors. He also didn't seem to only be interested in fighting her; but he didn't seem intimidated by her presence either. He was just… polite, and that was it.
OK... that wasn't it completely. There was also the fact that Jaune was strong. Really strong. Stronger than anyone that she had met that was the same age. It baffled her how no matter how many times she hit him or how hard, Jaune just kept coming at her. From his sword play to his Aura weapons, and even his apparent control over fire, Pyrrha would be the first to admit he was impressive. Whatever kind of training he went through must've been harsh. Though it probably wasn't as bad as Jaune and Adam made it out to be. Two people taking down multiple Giant Nevermores, and more importantly a Goliath?! And what was this about Jaune jumping down a Grimm's throat? That was just plain crazy, only an insane person would even try that... Or maybe someone actually strong enough to pull it off. Whatever he had been forced to endure, Jaune had survived, and came out of it all looking no worse for wear. He must have an incredible amount of Aura, or maybe a powerful semblance. Given the fact that he survived a sword to the chest, and seemed not to even flinch, both options were certainly possibly and equally likely.
It also didn't hurt that Jaune was one of the better looking men she had met in her time, but Pyrrha thought it was shallow to judge someone solely on their looks. Even if someone came from a questionable background or had made some mistakes in the past, or even had a few secrets to hide, it didn't matter to Pyrrha. She always wanted to judge someone for themselves, and she would do so on a case by case basis, trying not to shove people into categories and stereotypes. That was why she didn't have a problem with Faunas in general, but she did have a problem with the White Fang. Now Jaune… Pyrrha didn't really know what to make of him at the moment other than some generic observations. He was courteous, seemed straight forward, and had a few surprises up his sleeve, but she just couldn't pin anything about him personally yet. There were just too many unknowns, too many things that she didn't know. She just hadn't spent enough time around him yet, and it filled Pyrrha with excitement at the thought of doing so, given the proper chance.
Pyrrha, for the second time that day, stopped in her tracks. This time though she didn't fall; instead she stopped outside the opening the pathway gave to the arena, just barely standing in the shadows. She had shocked herself with her own thoughts. Did she really want to spend more time with Jaune? Get to know him more? Maybe even be able to call herself… his friend.
It was baffling how something so simple could seem so foreign to her. She hadn't had anyone that she thought of as a true friend for so long, it would be a dream come true to finally have someone like that at this point in her life. Especially if that person was Jaune. Maybe if they spent enough time together… he might think of her as something… more. Pyrrha had to mentally beat down a blush at the small voice in her head that kept quietly repeating the thought, along with some… bolder ones as well.
Noticing her sudden stop, Jaune turned back to face amazon. He had already crossed the threshold of the passageway, stepping into the sunlight that filled the stadium. Their eyes met as he held out his hand to her for the second time that day.
"You coming Pyrrha?"
And there it was. The one thing that everyone else did wrong. The one thing that no had done for her in so long. He had called her by her name. People were always titling her "The Famous Pyrrha Nikos" or "Ms. Nikos" or "The Invincible Girl". And when people did call her by her first name, but it was always filled with some sort of undertone. Either they said it with envy or jealousy at her skills or some type of awe and worship at her status. When Jaune said her name though, it filled her with nothing but warmth and joy. His eyes seemed to have this spark behind them when he looked at her that gave a charming glow, and his voice was as smooth as silk. He was simply calling Pyrrha, Pyrrha. And it was amazing.
"Yes. Thank you Jaune" Taking his hand, she replied as warmly as he had offered. with a gentle leading hand, Jaune pulled Pyrrha forward. And as she stepped out of the shadows, Pyrrha's world seemed to grow a little brighter... a little more hopeful... and a little less lonely…
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Hope you enjoyed. It took me forever to get the final version of this down.
I know Jaune and Adam wouldn't usually be so loose lipped in front of other people, but since this Omake focused on Pyrrha, I decided to write them like that. Let me know if it worked well or if anything else seemed in or out of character.
