A/N: I dunno what my iced tea bent has been of late. I've always liked it, but recently I've been getting some with every meal I can. It all culminated yesterday when I brewed myself a full pitcher and drank it all while I worked on schoolwork. So, 4-5 litres of peach tea down the hatch in about two hours.
I split my bladder wide open at least three times. Do you think it could be related?
I also swear I have developed dyslexia. I've never had so many typos and just incorrect words to fix in my life. By a large margin. Oh well...
Did you know Pyrrha is really good at fighting?
The answer is no. No, you have no idea how insane that woman is. Her skill is nothing short of superhuman. The level of awareness, body control, reaction times…
Let me put it this way. You know in a movie where the protagonist fights a bunch of enemies and they have the perfect moves and timing to counter everyone? And you go, 'That's super cool, but they're only able to do that because it's been choreographed and rehearsed?'
That's Pyrrha in real life. She's literally an action hero. What, you don't trust this hard won information? Well, let me regale you with my tale of woe. Perhaps that will be more convincing.
It all started in the locker room right before our scheduled bout. I was trying to seriously prepare for the fight, but my teammates were not exactly in a similar state of mind.
"Ten lien to the dude who gets the finishing blow," offered Dove.
"You want to just give me that money now?" Sky mimed a thrust with his halberd. "Oum knows none of you are going to do it. Especially not Foray."
I let out an explosive sigh, catching the rubber ball and flinging it back at the wall. It was a stress thing; it helped me release some of the pre-game tension, so to speak. "You're confident today boys."
"Why shouldn't we be?" asked Dove. "It's a four v one, Glenny."
"Yeah, I know."
"Don't worry about him. He's just proving he's the coward we know he is. Four against one and he's still scared," sneered Sky.
It was all I could do to shake my head and not reply. It was the fact that it was a four on one that worried me so much. Funnily enough I hadn't been so worried when I thought it was going to be all of JNPR. Why? Because I knew with the power duo of Pyrrha and Nora supported by Ren and Jaune we would lose the fight. I didn't doubt that for a second.
Now though, there was something to lose. Does that make sense? It wasn't a foregone conclusion anymore and that keyed me up.
In the little time I had spent in Glynda Goodwitch's class I had found out that she had a talent for matching students together in a way that would challenge one or both. Only rarely, if ever, did she place a student in a position where she thought they couldn't win.
So if she was matching all of us against Pyrrha she probably thought it would be a good match, and I would happily defer to Ms. Goodwitch's judgment of skill levels. Either she thought Nikos versus an entire team would be a good challenge for her - which already spoke highly of her skill - or that it would be a challenge for us.
And that was by far the more frightening option.
"Guys, I think we should all advance at the same time and attack simultaneously from different directions. We have the numerical advantage, so let's not give her one on one or even two on one looks," I suggested, ignoring Sky's insult.
"Yeah, right," mocked Sky. "Listen. You clearly haven't been doing this for long, so why don't you let me take care of the planning?"
"And what do you suggest Sky?" I shot back, switching to throw with the other hand.
The grey armor clad student shrugged. "It's not dust science. No plan needed. We just go in and attack. I don't care how good she thinks she is, there's four of us."
"Okay. So we go in and attack at the same time. It's basically what you're proposing, right? Just with a little more detail."
"Whatever Glenny," he waved dismissively.
"Screw it," I grunted as I whipped the ball as hard as I could. It pinged of the wall and rocketed back at me, rippling the metallic mesh as I plucked it deftly from the air. "It's on your head then."
"On my head? No, you're the leader Foray."
"Oh how I wish that was true," I muttered, locking the rubber ball back in my locker and loading the weapon with dust rounds. I had no fancy ammo carrier, so I just tossed a few more shots into my pockets and called it good. "So we doing this or what boys?"
"Fuck yeah!" cheered Dove.
"Team GRBL, roll out."
Sky visibly winced. "Shut the fuck up, Foray."
And on that supportive note we left the locker room to meet our maker.
That… wasn't a great use of that particular literary device, was it? 'Meet our maker' kinda implies that Pyrrha was our mother. Yeah, no. I meant it more like a come to Jesus moment.
Like, we were going to see god.
Because we were going to get absolutely murdered.
In case you weren't catching my drift.
Lining up across from Pyrrha, my insides were absolutely coiling and writhing in familiar snakes. The nervous buzz lit up my stomach and my breathing came much faster than normal, my body beginning to flood me with Adrenalin and pump extra oxygen into my blood. It put me in a weird headspace where I was preparing for the rush of beginning. And make no mistake, it was a rush.
Once you began and started taking action, the nervous buzz just disappeared and it was all action and reaction. There was a feeling of fluidity; some sort of purity in pitting yourself against another person in competition. I had grown to love the feeling in contact sports, but the intensive physical sparring was just a different level. The high you got from winning a battle…
I don't know. I'm probably not doing it justice. But damn, dude. Even if I was more keyed up than usual I just wanted to get it going. And after the usual introductory spiel by Ms. Goodwitch, which went something along the lines of don't kill each other or I'll kill you, we did.
My team rushed forward in a disorganized mob, separating themselves out. Russel, the fastest on foot, pulled into the lead and launched himself into a decent imitation of the Tasmanian devil. Pyrrha just stepped into the attack and backhanded him halfway across the stage with her shield.
It was as efficient as it was brutally effective. Looking back on it I had no doubt that even had Pyrrha been armed with nothing but a butter knife and a garbage can lid she could have finessed the hell out of Russel. But she saw there were more opponents incoming. She needed to act quickly, better her odds, and give herself some breathing room. And so she did, just like that.
Surprisingly it was Sky that reached her second, planting his long legs and using his momentum to whip the halberd into a devastating arc that would have split even the mighty Peter Port in half.
It never stood a chance of connecting.
With all the grace of an acrobat she launched herself skyward, twisting into a corkscrew over the path of the bladed pole. She kicked out at it as it passed under her, driving the point into the ground and causing Sky to overbalance massively. Finishing the move she used her momentum to slash powerfully across his chest with her sword.
I hadn't rushed straight in like my teammates, but had instead flanked around to get a better angle. The shotgun form snapped up, and I took advantage of her distraction and acrobatics to squeeze off a shot.
Only to watch, incredulous, as Pyrrha curled up behind her shield. There was an enormous crash that sounded like someone had dropped a gong from four stories high and she rocked a little under the impact, but I had done no damage to her aura at all.
In the one single movement she had put Sky off balance, delivered a punishing blow, and blocked my shot without seeming to have looked at me once.
That's what they call a tone setter, boys.
Sure enough, Pyrrha dictated the next three minutes of the fight and we only once touched her in a moment of accidental teamwork. Simultaneously I had fired a blast at her feet while Sky stabbed at her from the front and Dove slashed from behind. In one of the most astonishing feats I had ever seen she went airborne again to dodge my shot, used one foot to deflect the the thrust, and caught Dove's sword in her bare hand.
The force of the strike rotated her back around so she could land on her feet. She thrust the point of her spear into Dove's sternum and I could hear the wumph of breath leaving his body from thirty feet away. The hand that gripped his sword then flew out to catch her shield, which had just returned from bouncing off of Russel's face.
The total damages? Six percent off her aura. That's it. Six measly percent when we were fighting her four on one.
It was just impossible to land a blow. If she was fighting Dove or Russel, she would use her spear to give her a massive reach advantage. If she was fighting Sky, she would use her sword and jam herself in close to make his weapon unwieldy. And for me? Well, she would use the rifle form to keep me at bay and prevent me from getting a clean shot as often as possible.
To top all that off, she was incredibly efficient in working to place herself in positions where she only ever had to fight two of us at a time. Coincidently, she also put my teammates between herself and my line of fire as often as possible, and failing that her damn shield would always be interposed between her and any harm.
Within a couple minutes it was just me and Pyrrha left standing. This wasn't due to any skill of my own; it was simply that the other three had engaged in direct combat whereas I had hung around the edges and tried to support.
Not that it had done any good. All my teammates were out of aura and I was down to about seventy percent from when one of her rifle rounds had struck me. That's not to say that my teammates were unconscious, mind you. They were still very much conscious and had hopped back up into the stands as they waited for the fight to be over.
"Come on Glenny! Show us how it's done!" jeered Sky.
I ignored him and focusing instead on moving in quickly, sending the last of my ammo to keep her busy while I covered ground. Why in? Well, two reasons really.
One was her rifle. If she kept her distance and decided to peg me with it, there was almost nothing I could do. When practicing with Yang I could catch her rounds most of the time and dodge the rest - but those rounds moved slow as hell. Pyrrha's rifle rounds moved significantly faster and I was nowhere near quick enough to try and do anything about it.
Two, in close was going to be my strength. Well, relatively. If we fought hand to hand that would be my strength. But the closer I could get the better my chances would be. My odds of lasting thirty seconds would go up from zero to twenty percent.
Why did dust rounds move so slowly, anyway?
Question for later. Right now I had a bigger problem.
As I closed in Pyrrha I transitioned my weapon into its lacrosse stick form just in time to meet a thrust from her spear. I instinctively tried to capture the head like it was a lacrosse ball, which was a stupid, stupid move. Attempting to stop a heavy, razor sharp weapon with a metallic mesh was never going to happen.
But sometimes it's better to be lucky than good. The long triangular blade tore through the mesh and speared me in the side, my aura flaring up around the impact. It was a sledgehammer blow that came close to winding me.
As she withdrew I twisted my stick in a vain attempt to trap her spear. With that, the frayed and broken strands got locked into the small crevices and seams of the mecha-shift weapon and effectively glued them together.
The unexpected jerk almost yanked the stick out of my hand, but I clamped down tightly and hung on for dear life.
Pyrrha, to her credit, wasted little time in trying to free her spear. What she realized was that while her primary weapon was out of the fight, mine was too; and where I had no backup to fall upon, she still possessed a large metal disk.
So what did she do? Did she use the flat outside to knock me back like she did with Russel at the beginning? No. She straight up punched me with it. The metal rim thudded into my jaw, shattering the remains of my aura and dropping me to the ground.
And so ended the tale of team GRBL. They were all dispatched by a single warrior in but a few minutes. Their leader, last to go, was now flat on his rear, dazed and disheartened.
To be fair though I wasn't really that disheartened about the loss itself. I had figured it was going to go that way from the opening attacks. What I was pissed about was that Dove had done a small amount of damage to Pyrrha. God almighty, I could already hear him bragging about it incessantly for the next week at least.
"I'm sorry," apologized the angel of death, extending a hand to help me up.
I took it and was hauled to my feet. I staggered drunkenly for a step or two until Pyrrha got a firm hold and steadied me. Pyrrha was earning her assisting the elderly badge and my team was laughing at me for it, but Glynda Goodwitch put a stop to that very quickly.
"Team GRBL? What exactly is it that you find so amusing?"
Their laughter died an ugly death, and they found a way to look anywhere - at their feet, the walls, their weapons - anywhere but at me or the headmistress. The silence did not impress her, however.
"I did not find your battlefield performance at all as funny as you did. Regardless of the skill of the opposition, a four on one battle should not look anything like the lopsided sham I just witnessed. I would like to see all of you in my office at four o'clock. If you have any legitimate conflicts, come talk to me after class. Is that clear?"
All of us nodded and assented quietly, embarrassed at how we had performed. Once satisfied that her message had been received she adjusted her glasses and directed her gaze to Pyrrha.
"Congratulations, Miss Nikos. You should have no problems qualifying for the Vytal Festival. You continue to consistently demonstrate excellent battlefield awareness and exceptional positioning." Ms. Goodwitch turned to the class. "I would like everyone to take note as to how she turned their numbers against them. Miss Nikos put herself in positions that caused the members of team GRBL to get in their own way. This is something that I expect you all will learn in due time. The counter to this is, of course, awareness and strategy on the part of the attackers. Now, we do have time for one more match today. Perhaps Miss Belladonna could-"
"I'll do it."
Even in my half addled state I tried to crank my head around to look at the speaker. This of course produced a sharp twinge of pain in my neck, but everyone, myself included, wanted to see who had the absolute stones to interrupt Goodwitch in the middle of her class. All eyes soon settled on a roguish grin and windswept silver hair.
"Mercury, is it?" the teacher asked. "Very well. Let me see-"
"Actually, I'd like to fight her," said Mercury, gesturing to Pyrrha.
There was an audible gasp. Interrupting twice and making demands? This stranger must have had a death wish. These things were just not done in the presence of Headmistress Goodwitch.
"Miss Nikos has just finished a match. I suggest you find a different opponent." Her tone brokered no argument.
"I'd be more than happy to oblige," Pyrrha replied as she helped lower me into a seat next to Jaune.
"Thank you for your generosity, Miss Nikos, but he will simply have to wait for another time. Miss Xiao-Long, would you be so kind?"
"Hell yeah!" cheered Yang, bouncing to her feet. "You got a match!" She rushed off to grab her weapons as Mercury sauntered down to the arena looking a little disappointed.
"Are you okay?" asked Pyrrha worriedly.
I almost had to laugh at the change in her. While she was fighting she was a confident and bold Amazonian goddess. Off the arena floor however, she would worry, dither, and apologize like a helicopter mom with low self-esteem.
"I'm fine," I assured her. "Mostly. My teeth are aching, half my face is numb, and it hurts to turn my head more than five degrees, but at least I don't need dental work."
"I'm sorry," she apologized again.
"S'fine. Nothing to apologize for. We were in a match and you did what you needed to. Besides, that'll teach me not to think of your shield as an offensive weapon," I chuckled ruefully.
"Yeah, that was an eye opener for me too," chirped Jaune. "I mean, I carry a shield and I didn't think about it either."
"Learn from my mistakes," I groaned. "Sometimes I feel like I'm getting the hang of things and then I fight Yang or Pyrrha going full tilt and I feel like I'm going nowhere at all."
"That just about sums it up."
Jaune and I grinned at each other. The two worst being tutored by the two best. Honestly, we shared a lot in common.
"Yang and I have been practicing for most of our lives. You two are doing very well for how short a time you've been training. You should be proud of how far you've come," Pyrrha encouraged us.
"Thanks mom," I joked, causing the Mistrali champion to flush red. "But maybe at some point it might be good for us to all get together for a little training session. Jaune and I can get some looks at fighting different weapons and styles. I know that's an area where I'm sorely lacking, anyway."
"Yeah, I wouldn't mind that at all." Jaune scratched the back of his head thoughtfully. "You and I could even spar together for the extra practice."
"Damn straight." We bumped fists together in solidarity.
"You could even practice with me!" cheered Nora from the other side of Jaune.
"No!" Jaune and I chorused immediately.
Nora's face scrunched into a pout, arms crossing under her breasts. "Why not?"
"Because I'd rather not be identified by my dental records when I die," I deadpanned.
Jaune nodded vehemently, his face beginning to regain some color after the initial shock. "You're not exactly… the best… at holding back."
"Fine," she grumbled.
I nodded at the tangle of weapons that laid by our feet. "Besides, first order of business is getting Ruby to separate those two."
A particularly loud roar dragged our attention from the conversation to the fight between Mercury and Yang. Currently they were a blur of fists and feet, locked into a brilliant display of martial arts. I was barely keeping up and I trained with Yang almost on the daily. As they progressed I decided to study the way Mercury fought - just for future reference.
He seemed to use a style that heavily centered around kicking. If I had to compare it to something it would be some crazy blend of taekwondo and capoeira accentuated by guns in the heels of his boots. He primarily used sweeping, scything strokes to strike and snap kicks to fire off the guns.
The big wheeling strikes I was confident I could deal with, or at least avoid. Blows like that were powerful but took a long time to get from point A to B. The guns, fast kicks, and quick footwork I was less certain about.
And he chains it all together so fluidly and effortlessly you don't really have time to deal with one before the other is cocked and coming.
"Nasty," breathed Jaune.
"I know." I pointed at the aura meters. "He's giving Yang a run for her money."
"No, your face Glen. You've already got a nasty bruise on your jaw. All… purpley. And a little red too."
"I'm sorry," called Pyrrha.
"Nothing to forgive," I repeated, slowly being conditioned into such a response. "I have a feeling I'm going to suffer greater pains at the hands of Goodwitch later."
"Why did she ask for you as well?" Jaune wondered aloud.
I watched glumly as Yang activated her terminator eyes and put an end to the fight and the class. "I don't know exactly. But I'll be able to tell you soon enough."
Well, soon enough wasn't really all that soon. First I had to make it through Professor Peach's class, which became a challenge in and of itself. It just so happened that my injury coincided with the lecture on hematoma and internal bleeding. I was summoned to the front and used as an example of what such bruising might look like. Why use PowerPoint when you had such a prime specimen in front of you?
"Like this," Peach had said, tilting my head to catch the light better. "Except it will often be over a significantly larger area and won't look like an imprint of whatever he got hit in the face with."
That, combined with the stiffness that got worse the farther I was removed from my fight, didn't exactly put me in a brilliant mood by the time I piled into the Headmistress' office with the rest of my team. The office was well organized and minimalistic, as befit the strict teacher.
We all just stood and fidgeted quietly, not wanting to broach the subject of our impending lecture and risk inviting more wrath upon ourselves. The only noise was a ballpoint pen scratching itself across an essay as she finished her grading. Once she had completed it she set the papers aside in a tray and stared us down.
"You all know why you're here, yes?"
"Detention? Ow!" Dove rubbed the side of his head where Sky had smacked him,
"Mister Lark!"
"Sorry." He quailed under her gaze for a moment, managing to appear actually ashamed of himself.
"No, to answer your question Mister Bronzewing, you will not be serving a detention. None of you have broken an official school rule." An audible sigh of relief came from all involved. "But I did find your performance and attitudes today disappointing in the extreme. The three of you especially have been training for far too long to be acting like this anymore."
"But…" began Sky, carefully choosing his words. "Wouldn't that be the responsibility of the leader? Our performance?"
The Headmistress' eyes narrowed, and she let Sky squirm in silence for a moment. "I would be very careful playing games with me, Mister Lark."
"I'm not playing games, Ms. Goodwitch."
"Do you take me for a fool, Mister Lark?"
Shy shook his head quickly. "No Ms. Goodwitch."
"Behavior trumps everything. Do you know what that means?"
Silence followed the question, Sky either unwilling or unable to respond. I couldn't help a smug smile from spreading across my face at that, but I wiped it off quickly as the Headmistress' eyes flicked to me.
"Think on it then, Mister Lark. May I continue now? Unless anyone has any more objections?"
No one dared take her up on her offer.
"Very well. This team is, if I am going to be frank, a disgrace."
There were several flinches at that, as well as bowing of heads. I knew that she wasn't really talking to me, but even so I had to bite my young to keep from taking it personally.
"How long have you three been training for this? Six years now? And you've learned what being a hunter is all about, yes? It is nothing to do with the power, or status, or wealth that come with such a position. It is about preventing lives from being wiped off the face of Remnant. Saving people, and allowing humanity to hold onto islands of light in a sea of darkness. Do you understand this?"
"Yes, Ms. Goodwitch," we chorused.
"Do you? Then why would you mock your teammate instead of encouraging him? Laugh at his injury?"
Silence. Absolute ashamed silence.
"Why would you give such a halfhearted effort to defeat your opponent? There is such a thing as evil in the world. If someone meant harm to a town or kill an official and you were called upon to stop them, not only would you be dead now but the people you were charged with protecting would be too.
"Behavior trumps everything, gentlemen. I know you all have had your differences. Frankly, I could care less whether you become friends or not. In fact, in this line of work, you will often have to work with people you do not get along with personally. All I expect is you complete your tasks to the best of your ability. Am I clear?"
"Yes Ms. Goodwitch."
She nodded. "Very well. I expect to see improvements the next time I see you or we will be having a longer talk. You are free to go. Except you, Glen. I would like to speak with you a minute longer."
"Yes ma'am," I said.
The others filed out without complaint, which was a little surprising to me. No shoulder bumps, dirty looks, or whispered threats. I guess Glynda Goodwitch's little speech had a greater impact than I thought - that, or they just wanted to avoid another lecture by doing so in her hearing.
One of those things I'll have to find out later, I suppose.
As the door closed behind me I stood there and waited for the telling-off to continue. Instead she sighed and sat back in her chair, gesturing for me to take a seat across from her. Slowly I lowered myself down into the furniture, unsure of what was going to happen next.
"That's quite the bruise," she said.
I grinned wanly and then winced as the expression tugged at my face. "So I've been told. Peach even used me as an example for her class."
Ms. Goodwitch gave a half-smile back, which set me at ease. "Did she now?"
"Yes ma'am. It'll be a good lesson to me. I'm trying to work out getting some training against different weapons and styles already."
"That's admirable, Glen. I hope you know most of what I said was not directed at you, though you would do well to learn from it."
Wow. Almost a smile, my first name, and a clarification. Truly the heavens have opened and blessed me with this moment.
"Yes ma'am."
Ms. Goodwitch clicked on a small electric kettle behind her and opened a drawer in her desk, pulling out a tin and a two small cups. "You knew what I was talking about in regards to actions, don't you Glen?"
So I guess that little smirk wasn't missed after all.
"Yes ma'am." She gestured for me to continue as she selected a bag of tea from the tin, so I did. "You're just saying that the ultimate determination of what people value and believe is what they act on, not what they say."
"Precisely. Glen, you have pleasantly surprised me."
I preened silently under the praise. I wasn't going to admit it, but having my ego stroked was enjoyable particularly after the rest of my team had been put on blast. Now I wasn't going to ask her to keep going, but… it'd be nice if she kept going.
"Thank you ma'am."
"You're doing well in Port and Oobleck's class, I notice," she continued. "All of that is new information, isn't it?"
I shrugged. "Sure, but most of it is just rote memorization. And then for Oobleck's class I have learned enough of the, uhhh… broad strokes I guess, of history that I can make connections for meaningful learning."
"Interesting. What about Professor Peach's class?"
"I've been over most of it before, so it's pretty easy. I find the applications fascinating though. And potentially very useful."
"And my class?"
"Aahhh…" I hesitated, putting my diplomacy to the test. "It's harder than the others, for sure. But it's also because it's… built around cumulative learning."
"Yes. Most of the students here have been training in combat since they were in the age range of ten to twelve. That puts you at a significant disadvantage." A soft whistle began to emanate from the kettle and steam began curling from the spout, signifying that it was beginning to boil. "Don't think I haven't noticed the improvements you've made and the effort you have put in. But it will take much more than that to defeat a hunter trained opponent."
"Would Pyrrha count?" I joked.
Goodwitch did not reply immediately, instead taking the kettle from its stand and poured hot water into one cup. "Would you like some tea, Glen?"
I didn't really want any tea. Well, not hot tea anyway. If it were iced tea though… that would be a different story. But she already had gotten the second cup out, so I felt it was polite to accept.
"Yes please."
She poured the second cup carefully and slid it towards me. "Miss Nikos is a prodigy of her generation as far as her combat abilities are concerned. She is already on the level of many of the fourth year students we would graduate in that regard. My thoughts were more in line with Roman Torchwick."
"He has been known to pop up from time to time," I joked.
The teacher's emerald eyes met my hazel, and seemed to look through me. "And you have met him twice now."
"Not on purpose, but I suppose that's a moot point."
"It is. Of more concern to me is that on both occasions you nearly were killed."
"I… yeah. Yeah, I was. But the second one wasn't so bad, really. The doctors said I probably just passed out because of the exertion, you know? I probably would have recovered - enough to be conscious again, anyway," I said.
"Were you scared?"
"I… hmm."
The tea in my cup radiated out in blonde tendrils, diffusing into the hot water as I honestly thought about the question. What was it like? How did I explain it? Would I explain it?
"Glen, I do serve as the school's counselor from time to time. Anything we talk about would be confidential, of course - but if you do not wish to talk you do not have to," she said kindly.
I shook my head. "No, no. It's not that. It's just… I needed a second to consider the question. I'll do my best to explain it. It's not that I wasn't scared while it was happening. I was scared, but it… it didn't really matter then," I explained. "Not while everything was going on. Like in the store, I needed to… direct Coco and Velvet to take care of my leg so I wouldn't bleed out in a few minutes. And then at the docks it was a whirlwind from trying to fight Torchwick to taking care of Blake to taking care of myself. My fear was secondary because there were things I needed to do that mattered more and panic would just cloud my judgment. Does that make sense?"
"It does." Ms. Goodwitch took a sip from her tea as she waited for me to continue.
"Okay. So I'm not really scared when it's happening. But afterwards I am. After I got shot in the convenience store I was terrified. I just kept thinking of what might have happened, how I could have bled out on that floor, or how I could have been shot somewhere else. I would get really startled by loud noises for a while after and I couldn't deal with a pistol. And I was scared after this one too, but… I don't know. It wasn't the same."
"It wasn't the same? How so?"
"I dunno. I was… I guess it would have to do with the fact that I had more control over the situation. Which, I don't know… it created more stress in the moment, I guess, because my decisions really mattered. But afterwards… sure I realized things might have gone differently, but I still had control. I chose and I chose well enough to survive, which was some kind of comfort I guess."
"And how was that different the first time?"
I disguised my consideration with a sip of the tea. It had steeped well enough by this point, and I was pleasantly surprised by the flavor. It was some kind of green tea and citrus, and heavy on the citrus.
This would make a really good iced tea, actually, part of my mind noted idly.
"I guess there's a certain terror that comes with helplessness," I said. It was an interesting experience to voice my thoughts like this instead of mulling it over in my mind to come up with my definitive answer first. "I couldn't do anything. When he was holding me hostage I was more or less at his mercy. That was the part that really terrified me afterwards. Not really the bleeding out, I don't think. But not doing anything, not being able to do anything, and then even when I tried it still didn't really make a difference. Helplessness is terrifying- to me, at least."
Ms. Goodwitch considered my response carefully. Unconsciously I found myself mimicking her as she drank from her cup. "Though from what I hear, you were at his mercy at the docks again. Why did that not scare you the same way this did?"
The tips of my mouth moved downwards as I thought about it. "I guess… huh, I don't know. Huh." My frown only deepened as I considered the issue that had been presented me. Maybe I had been wrong in my original assessment. Or maybe there was something else that I hadn't considered yet.
"But I did choose it," I said finally.
"In what way?"
"I could have ran away when Blake first went after him. I could have ran away halfway through the fight or when she got knocked out. But I made the choice to stay. And even if that choice ended up costing me my life, at least it was mine to make." I grinned for a second. "Doesn't mean it wasn't a stupid decision. But it's a far cry from being helpless."
"You're certainly insightful Glen."
"I blame my mother, naturally."
Her lips quirked up slightly at my immediate retort. "Naturally. And for the record, I do not believe that your choice to aid Miss Belladonna was a stupid one. A courageous one, maybe, bold at the worst. Your decision to follow her into the docks in the first place hunting criminals, however…"
My hands came up defensively. "To be fair though, I thought the likelihood of the White Fang robbing the shipment right in front of us that one night was impossibly low. And then for it to not just be some White Fang grunts, but Roman Torchwick as well?" I sighed heavily. "That was just bad luck."
"Perhaps. But do you think that you are acting a little more recklessly than you might otherwise?"
"More recklessly? I don't… I'm not sure. I haven't thought about that really." One of my hands idly scratched at the scruff on my chin. "I don't know. It's possible."
She flipped open a small gold pocket watch on her desk and stared at the hands for a second before clicking it shut. "There are two things that you might bear in mind then, Glen. One is that aura does not give you carte blanche to take greater risks. No amount of aura can protect one from foolish decisions made because of a false confidence. Does this make sense?"
"Yes ma'am."
"Secondly, you do know of the situation you are in, correct? The more exposure you are given, the higher the possibility of you being discovered by those who might wish you, or all of Remnant for that matter, ill. And the latter is of particular concern to me." Her face twisted into annoyance. "It is partially for this reason as well that I disagreed with Ozpin's desire to place you on a team, but that is neither here nor there. What's done is done and we will simply have to make the best of it."
I nodded briefly, her words seeming to crack open a tap that trickled cool water into my stomach. "Yes ma'am."
The worry on my face must have shown however, and Glynda's countenance softened a hair. "We will do our best to keep you safe and prepare you. I just want to caution you to take more care and consider the consequences of your actions."
"Yes ma'am. I understand."
"Behavior trumps everything, Mister Foray. Now, I apologize to cut this short, but I must be off for a meeting. I appreciate you taking the time to talk with me." She stood, gathering up a folder and her riding crop as she ushered me out the door.
"No problem. Have a good day, Ms. Goodwitch," I waved.
"Good day to you, Mister Foray." With that she stalked off, leaving me standing on my own.
And I didn't even finish my tea, I thought morosely. I didn't even learn what kind it was.
Shrugging off my disappointment, I began the trek back to my dorm. Idly I pulled out my scroll and noted I had three missed calls from Yang. Flicking off the silent mode (I had just been in class after all, and I didn't want it going off) I decided to call back to see what all the fuss was about.
The scroll rang through and was sent straight to voicemail, so I left a short message asking what was going on.
Huh. Well, if it's important I suppose she'll call back soon. Right?
A/N: Not the most substantive chapter, perhaps, and not really the most plot driven - though once again little bits and pieces are shifting. Still, at least the fight with Pyrrha was fun to write.
Partially though, I wanted to do a little reflection over Glen's recent turmoil. Some guest scrub who couldn't be bothered to ID himself (read in the facetious tone, please) made what I thought was a good point about there being a lack of cool down and reflection / reaction to the latest incident. So, I did a little of that here - I hope it's okay for essentially an add-on. As for Blake being callous, well, yes? And no. I have at least thought that one out a little - which is probably my default state.
Me: "I've thought it out a little."
Attentive readers: "Not a lot?"
Me: "Nope, but it sounds good right now so I'm going to commit myself to it."
*2 Chapters Later*
Also Me: "Maybe I shoulda thought that one out a bit more. Sheeeeeeeet. Oh well, let's work with it."
Attentive readers: "Sumbitch."
I swear even Le MAO's Colt probably has a more well thought-out plan than I do. But that's what makes my story so organic right? Right. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.
But in the continuing endeavor to improve my writing I wanted to give myself a little space to, well, think about it, and consider perhaps getting someone to beta it. Maybe help me before I make those mistakes that are probably a result of my impatience to keep pushing the story forward. So, as I am an actual scrub in regards to this website, I'm open to thoughts and suggestions.
Anyway, hope you guys are doing well. Catch you on the flip side!