Author's Note: This is my first time writing a chapter with Ren and Jaune. I hope their characterizations were done good enough.
The Monday morning began with a cloudless sky, letting the sun spread its warm streaks of light unhindered. The winds were causing Pyrrha's waist-length ponytail to flutter slightly. She yawned, having lost count how many times she had done so in the past hour. Her visit up to the rooftop last night had cost her a couple of hours of sleep. As a result, her mind was feeling drowsy, and her body sluggish.
Despite that, it was a small price to pay, for she had had cleared things up between her and Nora. She was planning to have an energizing nap sometime during the afternoon, and then go to bed a bit earlier than usual. Maybe she should also drink some tea. The fresh air helped a bit a little bit at least to keep her focused. She yawned once again, almost causing a tear to roll out of her eye.
"You know, if you keep yawning like that you're gonna end up swallowing an insect. Maybe a hungry birdy will mistake your tongue for a plump and delicious larva and yoink it!" quipped Nora, making Pyrrha giggle.
Nora on the other hand seemed to be more energetic than normal. She fidgeted and bounced around. She had every reason to be excited. Ren and Jaune, the other half of team JNPR, were finally returning after an extended two-man mission. She and Pyrrha were unsure about the mission details, but apparently, it had involved something about a group of archaeologists.
Non-existent or unreliable Scroll reception had made it difficult for Ren and Jaune to keep in touch with their team mates. Bad weather and equipment malfunctions had extended the mission time. After several setbacks, they were finally returning to Beacon Academy, just in time for the new, temporary partnerships to begin.
"How's your shoulder, by the way?" asked Pyrrha.
Nora rubbed her right shoulder and rolled it slowly. "Hmm, still a bit ouchy, but better than yesterday. Thanks to you and your magical hands."
As the girls stood and waited at Beacon Academy's aerial harbor, Pyrrha narrowed her green eyes to focus on a small object in the sky. "Look." Pyrrha pointed a finger at the transport ship heading in their direction. "That must be the one. Right on time."
Nora rubbed her hands gleefully. "Ooooooh I'm so hyped! Ren promised to bring a gift to me! What could it be?"
Pyrrha looked at her. Despite their serious talk last night, Nora was showing no signs of unhappiness. Look at you. You're your typical self, as if nothing happened last night.
She was not sure why, but she was somehow disturbed by how well Nora had taken her words. Nora had agreed without barely any objection, or tried to convince her to think otherwise. It was not like her to be so persuaded so easily. It was almost as if she wished Nora would have at the very least protested in a friendly manner, because that would have been a more predictable and realistic reaction.
Pyrrha sighed mentally. Why do I have to feel so remorseful for turning down Nora's friendly intimacy? I know that I should be happy that she is seemingly doing well, then why can I not get rid of this gnawing feeling that something is not right with her?
The approaching transport ship slowed down to a crawl it until it stopped by a free port. The ship's loud and powerful engines were turned off. The vehicle's wide doors opened, and out stepped a few dozen of passengers. Most of them were students returning from missions or the weekend's pleasantries. A few teachers and academy maintenance staff were there, too, heading to another day at work.
"Do you see them? Do you?" asked a jittery Nora. She jumped up and down, trying to look past all those tall people obscuring her view.
Pyrrha's gaze jumped quickly between each individual, searching for the two teammates. As the last of the passengers stepped out there were still no signs of Ren and Jaune. "I don't see them. Do you think they missed their flight?" asked Pyrrha, sounding both confused and a little bit worried.
Nora stomped her feet. "Must've been Jaune's fault! That cute and clumsy klutz," she said with a giggle.
Pyrrha turned to look at her and frown. "Hey, that's not a fair thing to say about our team leader. I'm sure Ren has overslept or been late before, too," she jested.
Nora shook her head and smiled. "You really don't know Ren then. Good thing that you're gonna have him as your partner soon."
Pyrrha opened her mouth to respond, when she suddenly saw movements in the corner of her vision. She craned her neck, and smiled as she saw two familiar, male teenagers step out through the passenger doors. "There they are."
Jaune and Ren approached the girls, both of them carrying a backpack. Smiles and waves were thrown from a distance.
Unable to contain her excitement, Nora dashed away from Pyrrha toward her childhood friend, yelling, "Reeeeen!" She kicked herself off from the ground and leapt at him with her arms wide apart.
In preparation, Ren dug his heels in and lowered his stance to steady himself. With a cry of happiness, Nora tackled and embraced him, the impact being so strong he took a few steps back and nearly collapsed to the ground.
"Ohmygod! I've missed you soooo much!" exclaimed Nora with her face buried against Ren's shoulder.
"It's, oof-!" Ren grunted softly in response to the strong hug squeezing air out of his lungs. "It's only been a week, Nora. It's good to see… you again. Can you please let me… breathe?"
Pyrrha thought it was heartwarming to watch Nora and Ren be reunited. Would Nora jump at me like that, too, if we were away from each other a whole week? She approached Jaune and gave him a more regular hug. "Welcome back, Jaune," she said, smiling.
Jaune returned her smile and nodded. "Thanks, Pyrrha. Feels good to be back."
She looked him questioningly and asked, "Why did you two wait so long to leave the ship? We feared you were not onboard."
"Oh, uuh," Jaune looked away and scratched his head, "there was a, uh, a small problem that I needed to take care of first."
"Jaune felt airsick and needed to throw up," explained Ren without breaking his typical, stoic expression.
Nora burst into a hearty giggle. "So the story of Vomit Boy that Yang and Ruby told me about is actually true?"
Jaune's cheeks quickly turned rosy and shot his male teammate a gloomy look. "Aw, Ren, after everything we've been through, you had to tell them that?"
"Airsickness is nothing to be embarrassed about, Jaune. It's more common than you think," replied Ren.
"Did you actually throw up? Are you feeling better now?" asked Pyrrha out of concern.
"Yeah I did," Jaune admitted shamefully, his shoulders dropping, "But I rinsed my mouth thoroughly with water immediately after. I promise!" He let out a weary sigh. "The Arc family curse runs strongly in my veins."
"Curse?" Pyrrha echoed with a frown. She had heard Jaune speak of his family before, but he had never mentioned anything about a curse.
"The curse has followed my family for generations, but it only affects the men. My father, uncles, grandfather, they all get airsick. My sisters, mother, aunts, none of them has it."
Pyrrha couldn't stop herself from smiling, but chose to cover it with her hand to save Jaune from further embarrassment.
She and Jaune turned as they heard Nora's excited and demanding voice. "Tell me! What did you bring me? Come on! Show meeee!" she asked, bristling with eagerness.
"Patience, Nora. I'll show you." Ren put down his backpack, stuck his hand inside, and pulled out an object wrapped in protective clothing. "The archeologist team gave us a couple of souvenirs." He unwrapped the clothing and presented to Nora a fist-sized, white colored, ceramic cat. Except for a missing ear and some minor wear and tear, the figurine seemed to be in good shape. "Humans were more superstitious back then. Some believed that cats with white fur were divine creatures that could keep the Grimm at bay. Others believed that even white cat figures would help. It's a few centuries old."
Nora's eyes sparkled with gratitude, a warm grin spreading across her face. "Oh! Wow! Thanks, Ren!" As tempting as it was to hug him again, Nora controlled herself, not wanting him to drop the figurine. With the utmost care, Nora picked up the ceramic cat and examined it closer. "Daddy never let me have any pets. I'm gonna call you…Mister Eyescratcher. I promise to give you a good home." Nora then carefully wrapped the cloth around the cat again, holding it secured against her chest.
Ren's gift to Nora reminded Jaune of something. "Oh, by the way, Pyrrha, I brought you something, too," he said.
"Really? How kind, but you didn't need to."
Jaune took out a piece of protective clothing too from his backpack, too. As he removed it, he revealed what looked like an ancient spear tip made of an unknown metal. Its shape looked similar to Pyrrha's weapon in its javelin form. She picked up the spear tip and looked at it from different angles. She said nothing, yet her green and expressive eyes spoke loudly of her curiosity. She ran her fingers along the coarse surface. The edges and tip had been sharp and lethal once, but time itself had rendered them dull and harmless.
"Thank you, Jaune for this beautiful gift. I like it a lot," she said with a warm smile.
Jaune smiled in response to her appreciation. "Oh, it was nothing. It hails from the time when humanity had not yet discovered Dust, and had to rely on ordinary weapons to fight the Grimm. The leader of the expedition said the notches indicate the spear has been used well for that purpose. Its wielder must have killed a lot of Grimm."
"Oh! Maybe the spear belonged to your ancestor, Pyrrha!" said Nora.
Pyrrha carefully put the cloth around the spear again. "So what was your mission actually about? Something about archaeology?" she asked, eager to hear more.
Jaune was about to speak up, but was interrupted by a growling coming from within him. He rubbed his stomach and whined, "I would like to tell you both, but can we go to the dining hall first? We didn't get to eat much after we woke up."
"I could use some real breakfast, too," agreed Ren.
"To the dining hall it is then! Team JNPR has been reunited! Woohoo!" cheered Nora.
At the dining hall, Jaune was hungrily devouring multiple pancakes together with a large bowl of cereals and milk. Ren ate his own breakfast in a calmer manner, but he too displayed more than regular appetite, much to Nora's amusement.
"If you keep stuffing your face like that, Ren, I'm gonna end up using your chubby belly like a drum," she teased.
"We've been eating nothing but bland canned food, powdered milk and cheap noodles for nearly a whole week," Ren replied to his defense.
Jaune nodded in agreement while munching his food. "Yeah, feels good to sink my teeth into something different for a change." After swallowing the last of his pancakes, he turned to the girls and asked, "So what have you two been doing while we were gone? Have we missed anything?"
Pyrrha and Nora exchanged looks, before the former began to explain, "Hmm, not really. Nora and I've trained and studied hard together. We went out shopping and visited a cozy cafe last Saturday. And-"
"And we went swimming!" interjected Nora before Pyrrha could finish her sentence.
"At the beach?" asked Ren.
Nora shook her head and grinned. "Nope! At the academy's awesome swimming pool."
Jaune's spoon of cereals came to stop just in front of his mouth. "Swimming pool? Here, at Beacon?" He looked at Ren, who seemed surprised too, judging by his raised eyebrow.
Nora snickered, delighting in their shared confusion. "Believe it! The famous world explorer and tomb raider, Nora Valkyrie, found an ancient and hidden pool beneath the academy. The water glistens with magic!"
"What Nora is trying to say, "began Pyrrha, "Is that there is actually a swimming pool in the northeastern section of the academy. Not many seem to know about its existence, and we think it's best to keep it that way. It has become our own little place to relax around here. Wouldn't want to ruin it."
"That's right! Meaning you two better keep your traps shut about it! Or I'm gonna go hammer time on your legs!" Nora addressed to both guys in front of her, but focused her piercing gaze on Jaune.
Jaune gulped. "I-I can do that," he said while smiling nervously. "Pretty cool that there's a pool around here though. I should go and see it sometime. I knew it wasn't mistake to pack my swim trunks when I moved to the academy." He turned to his dark-haired teammate. "Wanna go with me, Ren?"
"No thanks," Ren simply said.
Jaune sighed in disappointment. "Even after a weeklong mission you still don't want do something fun and relaxing?" He turned to look at Nora and Pyrrha again. "I bet you two have had a lot of fun at the pool."
In response to Jaune's words, Pyrrha recalled everything that had happened at the pool the past few days, Nora pulling her in, reawakening her fear and triggering a panic attack, the horror of watching Nora sink to the bottom. It was a collection of nightmarish memories. Yet, something good had also come out of it.
Thanks to Nora, I've found the courage I need to fight my fear rather than co-exist with it. It's likely going to be a challenging fight, but I'm confident that I will win in the end.
"Pyrrha? Hello?"
"Huh?" said a confused Pyrrha as she snapped out of her trance like state as she realized Jaune was trying to get her attention.
"Are you still with us?" he asked. "It looked like you drifted away for a moment."
"I did? Sorry about that. Yeah, Nora and I spent plenty of time swimming, splashing and diving." She smiled and brought her hand through her hair in an awkward manner.
Nora attempted to change the subject. "You two left the academy in a hurry last week." She shifted her gaze away from Jaune over to the childhood friend. "Ren, you said goodbye to me with a text message and not to my face! How could you? I thought we were best friends forever," she asked melodramatically, failing to bring false tears out of her eyes.
Having grown up with Nora and her playful and spontaneous attitude, he was unaffected by her exaggerated, emotional plays. "I'm sorry, Nora. You and Pyrrha were training outside the academy."
"Yeah, there really wasn't enough time for a proper goodbye," added Jaune in Ren's defense. "We realized the flight that was supposed to take us to the mission area was leaving within an hour. We had to hurry to pack our things."
Pyrrha nodded understandingly. "Are you going to tell us now what your mission was about? You mentioned something about archaeologists?" she asked curiously.
Having finished his breakfast, Ren began to explain. "We signed up to protect a small group of traveling archaeologists who wanted to examine three sites within Grimm territory in search for ancient items and lost history."
"Does that mean you slept in the wilderness? How did that work out for you?" she asked.
"It wasn't the first time for me. Jaune and I took turns as the night watch."
Jaune, however, cringed. "Man, I can still feel bugs crawling all over me. It wouldn't stop raining on that Friday. Thank god the third dig site had a small cave that we stayed at for the rest of the mission. The archeologists were really friendly and taught us a lot cool history. My favorite moment was when-"
A thud was heard as Nora suddenly slammed her palms down on the table. "Bla-bla-bla! Get to the fun part! Was there any action? Did you kill a bunch of Grimm?" she asked with a toothy grin.
"Uh, not that many. The area is known to have a low Grimm presence. There was a small pack of Beowolves along the way to the first dig site, and then there were just a few boarbatusks around the second one. Other than that, it was a peaceful mission."
Jaune paused as he looked at Pyrrha. She realized she was yawning, much to her embarrassment. "Yeah, I know, Pyrrha, the story is boring. I don't blame you."
She blinked and looked at the two boys with a guilty expression. "I'm terribly sorry! It's fascinating, really. It's just that I didn't sleep very well last night."
The team continued talking about what had happened to them while they had been away from each other. I need to tell Jaune and Ren about what happened to me when I drowned. I will tell them, eventually, but not yet. There is someone I must talk to first.
More students finished their breakfasts and left the dining hall. Soon, there were only team JNPR and a few others left.
Ren stood up. "We should get going. The meeting in the amphitheater will start in ten minutes."
As hundreds of students stood assembled within the amphitheater, the meeting officially started when Headmaster Ozpin entering the stage. While holding a cane in his hand, and his white, coffee mug in the other, he began by saying the students of Beacon Academy were the first to try out the new and experimental partner exchange program. He smiled lightly when he mentioned that the results the faculty had gathered had been highly positive. There had been some few and minor problems. Overall, he and the rest of the faculty were pleased and decided to continue with another partner exchange for two more weeks. He then simply walked away and left.
The strict and business-like Glynda then took over. She repeated the same instructions she had given the students two weeks ago. All partnerships needed to spar with each other a few times and evaluate potential flaws in fighting techniques. They must also within two weeks leave the academy at least once to perform a two-man mission. Glynda sharply told everyone to carefully read the mission details. She did not want to see any injured or dead students because of stupid bravados. As Glynda finished talking, a large holographic screen displayed the new partnerships.
To her sadness, Nora watched how her name and portrait were separated from Pyrrha's, and was instead connected to Jaune's. The many months she had spent together with Pyrrha had been great. However, the last couple of weeks had been even more precious, especially the last several days when they have had the dorm for themselves. She recalled the many moments that they have had together, just the two of them. Sadly, the memory of those two weeks had been blemished by what Pyrrha had told her last night.
Does Pyrrha really think I'm only playing around that? That all I want is just some cuddling?
Nora wondered where she had done wrong. Had her verbal and psychical hints been too weak? Had she failed to read Pyrrha's signals? She should have been honest to her yesterday, but that moment had already passed. Opening her heart to her now would only cause more damage, and make Pyrrha distance herself further. Her heart was still aching, as if she had been stabbed.
Am I doomed to live with this pain for the rest of my life?
"I guess we are now officially partners then." Nora heard Jaune's voice, and realized he was talking to her.
"Yep! It's gonna be fun!" she responded with a grin, showing no signs whatsoever how she was actually feeling. She was good at that.
"Make sure to bring him back in one piece, Nora," said Pyrrha, giggling.
Nora snickered at her. "Don't you worry, Pyrrha!" She turned back to look at Jaune, eyeing him like a hungry predator getting ready to pounce him. "You do trust me, right, Jaune?"
"O-of course I do. We're partners," the blonde team leader replied with questionable confidence.
Nora already missed having Pyrrha as her partner. At least the two of them were still in the same team. Nora figured she would simply need to try to have as much fun as possible with Jaune. She hoped Pyrrha and Ren would enjoy themselves together.
Just as the team left the amphitheater together, Pyrrha stepped away from her teammates. "I gotta go and take care of something. I'll see you all later at the dorm, okay?"
"Where are you going?" asked Jaune.
"Umm, I need to go and do some… girl… stuff," she awkwardly explained. "Don't worry, I won't be gone for long." With that said, she disappeared down the hallway.
"Girl stuff, huh? Man, I grew up with seven sisters and I still can't figure out what that means."
"Some mysteries are not meant to be answered, Jaune," said Ren.
Nora knew of course where Pyrrha was going, but kept her lips sealed. She hoped things would go well for her.
The elevator ride up the tower felt slower and longer than Pyrrha had anticipated. It was her first time going to the headmaster's office. She felt excited, yet also nervous, as she was not sure what exactly what would happen next.
What should I tell him, and what will he say to me?
All she knew that she needed to see him. As elevator stopped and opened its door, Pyrrha stepped out. She saw a set of double doors in front of her. Taking a deep breath, Pyrrha knocked a couple of times. She knocks were weak. She wondered if he would hear them.
"You may come in," she heard Ozpin reply from the other side of the door.
Okay then… let's do this. I know I can. I need to, thought Pyrrha to herself as she opened the door and stepped inside Ozpin's sizable office. The headmaster was sitting by his desk, looking at her as if he had been expecting her.
"Hello again, Miss Nikos," the older man greeted with a simple smile.
"Hello, Ozpin," greeted Pyrrha in return. She made sure to refer to him by his name instead of his title. He preferred that.
The man gestured at one of the free chairs in front of his desk. "Please, have a seat. Can I get you some coffee?"
Pyrrha shook her head. "No thanks. I'm not much of a coffee person. I prefer tea," she said and approached the chair a bit slower than usual. Her legs felt heavy. She sat down and tried to make herself comfortable.
"That can be arranged as well." Ozpin walked over to a tea set at a nearby, smaller table. He took a kettle and poured steaming water into a white porcelain cup before putting it on a saucer. "It is a pleasant surprise to see you," he said as he placed a tea bag next to the cup so that Pyrrha could handle the brewing process the way she wanted it. He walked over to her, teacup and saucer in hand. "What reason brings you to my humble office?"
She showed her gratitude with a courteous nod and smile as she accepted the hot beverage from him. "Well, three reasons really, to be more exact." She lifted the tea bag and dipped it into the cup. The steaming water began to change color as it soaked and absorbed the herbs within the bag. A sweet and flowery aroma rose to her nostrils.
Ozpin took his own coffee mug and leaned against the edge of his desk, just as Pyrrha began to elaborate on her visit, "First of all, I want to apologize to you for… lying to you when we met in the hallway a couple of days ago." She paused briefly to let her confession sink in. "I don't have a friend who is scared of water." The shame made her focus her gaze on the cup in her hand. "I'm terribly sorry. I didn't mean to. It just… happened."
"Apology accepted then," said Ozpin, casually taking a sip from his coffee.
Pyrrha looked up and saw that his composed and friendly expression remained unchanged. She had feared that the headmaster would give her at least a friendly berate for lying.
"Please, go on. I am listening," he said, urging her with a simple hand gesture to continue.
Pyrrha tasted her tea. Hmm, taste like honey and chamomile. "The second reason I'm here is because… I want to tell you the truth." She averted her eyes away from his. "It is I…who is scared." She experienced a sensation of relief as soon as those words left her mouth. Ozpin was the second person she admitted her phobia to, and likely not the last.
It felt… easier to tell him than Nora. I take that as a sign of my improvement.
A short moment of silence passed before Ozpin broke it by asking, "Do you mind if I ask you what the source of your fear of water is? Is it because you have been through a drowning accident?"
Pyrrha widened her green eyes slightly. "How did you know?"
The man's lips curled upwards. "I did not. I merely assumed, and judging by your reaction it seems I was correct. Do you wish to tell me what happened? I do respect if you rather not."
She hesitated for a second, but then realized that talking to more people about her accident could be nothing less than helpful. "I will." She paused to drink some tea as if it was liquid courage. The words began to flow quite smoothly out of her, pausing only for brief moments. "Last year I was… training on a frozen lake. I stepped through the ice… and I couldn't swim up because of my armor. Luckily, someone pulled me up." She told Ozpin the short and less dramatic version, not including the unpleasant details about dying and being revived.
Ozpin nodded sympathetically. "Many people develop a form of aquaphobia after a traumatizing experience related to water, particularly drowning."
"I wanted to get help earlier, but I was ashamed and scared, thinking that I could handle it myself," said Pyrrha. "What would people think of me if they were to know that something plain like water scares me?"
"It is brave of you to come see me. There is no reason to be ashamed of what you fear. The first step is to acknowledge its existence. There are hundreds of listed phobias, and aquaphobia is one of the more common ones."
"I do have some good news though. I've managed to treat myself a bit, much thanks to Nora. She has helped me with some effective…yet unorthodox methods." Pyrrha chose not to mention Nora pulling her into the pool, or tricking her to dive in. She saw no reason to let Ozpin know that.
Ozpin gray eyebrows were raised. "Miss Valkyrie, you say?"
"Yes," she said with a single nod, "she has given me a lot of emotional support. It was her suggestion that I come and talk to you."
"I am glad to hear that you are seeking aid from a friend of yours," he said and smiled in a pleased manner.
"Nora is a… wonderful friend, but sadly, I fear her efforts aren't enough for me to be fully cured. I would like to talk to someone, a professional. You said before that you could help me get in touch with a therapist. Is that option still available?"
"It most certainly is." Ozpin walked around to the back of his desk, pulled out a drawer and picked up a white card. "This is the business card to Tawny Katz, an associate of mine that I can personally recommend. She is a well-educated therapist with nearly twenty years of experience in her field of work. She specializes in hunters and soldiers having been traumatized in the line of duty, but also on their free time."
Pyrrha took the card and studied it. Tawny Katz; the name was familiar to her. She knew she was a renowned psychologist, having written several books and appeared in media a few times.
Ozpin placed the coffee mug down on his table and said, "You do not need to say everything to her on your first visit. Try and acquaint with each other at first." His eyes narrowed his eyes and spoke with a more serious tone. "However, you must absolutely be fully honest when you talk to Tawny, Miss Nikos. Do not leave anything out. Remember, she is not there to judge, but to help you. In order for her to do so, she needs to be able to understand you and your connection with your aquaphobia. Everything you say will be confidential between her and you."
His soft voice returned as he continued, "If she informs me that you are unfit to continue your training because your phobia puts yourself and others at risk, I will have no choice but to put your training on hold until she decides that you are better."
Pyrrha nodded slowly and gulped at the realization that her dream as a huntress was still in the risk-zone. "I-I understand that very well. I promise to not lie or hold back anymore! I really wish to become better as soon as possible," she firmly stated, radiating determination.
Ozpin smiled in response to her positive attitude. "That is good to hear. Would you like me to contact her for you? Or, do you wish to do it yourself? If you do, make sure to mention my name."
Pyrrha thought about the two options. She preferred the second one, but feared that she might doubt and procrastinate. "I… think I would prefer if you do it for me, please."
"Very well. I will contact Tawny today and give her your number and E-mail. She should get in touch with you within a couple of days. She lives in Vale City, so you are likely to miss classes when you meet her. You do not need to worry about that. You will have full permission from me."
"Thank you very much, Ozpin," said Pyrrha with a warm smile. She drank the last drops of her tea and placed the cup and saucer down on Ozpin's desk. "Thank you for the tea, and for your time. I'll be leaving now. Good bye." She stood up, bowed her head one last time before making her way over to the door. She stopped with her hand on the door handle as she remembered something, "One last thing, back at the hallway, did you know I was lying from the start?"
"You are an excellent student, Miss Nikos, but you are terrible at lying. It does not suit you at all. No offense."
Pyrrha frowned. Am I really that bad at it? "None taken. Thank you again." She left his office and entered the elevator that would take her back to the ground level.
Inside the elevator, Pyrrha let out a sigh of relief. It felt good to be reminded that she was still on the right track, having taken another big and important step to cure herself of her phobia. She glanced at the mirror on the elevator wall, and realized she was smiling. The smile looked thin and felt forced, however, as if wanting to hide her true expression.
It did not make sense to her. She had finally talked to Ozpin, and was already looking forward to meet her therapist. In a short amount of time, she had made a tremendous leap of progress to find peace within herself. Yet, something was still making her body feel tense, and filling her mind with doubt. What is preventing me from feeling happy?
End of chapter 7
Author's note: This was perhaps not the most exciting chapter. The main purpose was to bring in Ren and Jaune into the story. I also wanted team JNPR to hang around with each other a bit. It's been a while for them. Next chapter you'll probably get some action!
