Author's Note:
Did you know that I did another 1-shot? It's called Through Dark Woods, and features more sadness and violence! Go read that, and tell me what you thought! Also leave a review on this. Do it.
Roman eyed the semi-gaseous apparition with a raised eyebrow. He was usually cautious of any deal, and doubly so when it was offered by a mysterious shadowy figure. Still, he never outright turned one down. There was always the possibility that some profit could be made. And it wasn't like he had an awful lot to lose at this point. Not even Neo's little teleportation trick could help now, it didn't go far enough to get them safe.
"What kind of a deal?" His voice was guarded, but still open to negotiation. He knew that Neo had tensed up since the figure appeared, and would be ready to act at a moment's notice. If anything went awry, he could count on her to get him out.
The figure responded in a slow, wavering voice. "You seek to be free from your current employment." He nodded, and the thing continued. "Then serve me, and it can be guaranteed that you be safe from her…" its voice trailed off for a moment like it was thinking, then returned. "Increasingly hazardous ways."
The offer sounded good, but Roman knew that there was more to it then what was presented. There always was. The first important detail that was being left out was who he would be working for. "And who, may I ask, is making this offer?" He sounded somewhat sardonic, but he didn't care. If that was enough to drive this person away, he didn't want to work for them anyways. The wiry figure responded almost instantly, with none of the mystery that he had expected. "Naze the Eternal."
The first thing that went across Roman's mind was a thought that he suppressed; he was fairly unimpressed. He had seen the footage from when the thing had appeared in public, and this wasn't him. Perhaps the ghostly figure was speaking as a proxy for him. That would make more sense. The second thing that occurred to him he did announce, because it was something that greatly concerned him. "Aren't most of the people who work for you dead?"
While the thing floating immaterially across from them didn't have a mouth, Roman was sure that it would've smiled if it did. Instead however, it responded with "Most, but I've no opposition to working with the living. There would be no sense in working apart while our goals are so close. You want to be safe, I want Cinder's plans to fail when they need to. We could work together on this, and I could make it worth the effort."
Roman's eyebrows raised again, and he said "Are you bribing me?" Naze's response was to say "No, I'm enlisting a saboteur. I can get you out of this town, then give you something that will keep you safe from Cinder's new playthings. As for her…" the thing's eyes shifted to Neo "…changelings are remarkably resilient in the mental department, she will require no additional protection. Now, do you accept?"
Roman was still unclear on the terms their agreement would take, but he could see the potential for the partnership. He didn't want to agree to anything quite yet, but there was no doubt that he didn't want to be in the little town anymore. Things had gotten a little too weird. He took a moment to compose a counteroffer, then said "How about you get me out, and then we talk?"
The shadow figure nodded, and said "This is agreeable. It will be arranged soon." With that, the figure started to fade into the wall. Roman put a hand out, saying "Wait! I thought you said you were going to get us out of here! Now you're just bailing?"
The shade was about halfway through the wall when he said this, and stopped when he finished. It turned back to him, without any readable body language, and said "Patience, if you would, Roman. As I said, these things must be arranged. You will be safely retrieved, simply not now. You will be warned beforehand. Until then, simply remain in here, away from those already corrupted by Cinder." Roman wanted to say something else, but he figured against it. He didn't want to irk his next potential partner.
As the rest of the shade disappeared, Roman considered the offer. He would be working for a dead man. Strange to think about, but he supposed that as long as he got some pay, he didn't care. It would also bring him against Cinder, but he found himself somewhat excited about that. She'd pushed him around for a while now. Causing her some grief would be nice. A smile slowly worked its way across his face. A partnership between the two could certainly be a good one.
Naze knew that he couldn't simply tell Ironwood to let someone like Roman Torchwick through the blockade. Instead, he would have to find a secret way to get them out. His thoughts swirled around in his head chaotically for a moment before he started to pick distinct options.
The simplest thing that he could do was to have gravedigger ghouls construct a tunnel through which they could escape, and collapsing it behind them. Of all the options, that seemed to be the easiest. It would allow them time to sit and think, as well, allowing for easier negotiation. It would also give him time to discuss the plans with Ironwood and Ozpin about resurrecting heroes.
He would have Yang deliver her list to them, when she had it fully prepared. She'd done the majority of the research, but there was still organizing of the information to be done. She took to the work like a fish to water, though, and he knew that it was a good thing she enjoyed it.
The ghouls were dispatched, and would start their digging soon, reaching their goal within several hours. Other factors of the plans had to be checked over as well, Divinity generators being prepared for the living, scholars preparing to go out and share their knowledge, there was plenty to do. Naze started to walk through the halls of the great necropolis he had built, going to those places the generators were being constructed.
Progress was good, and whole of the generators would be completed soon, ready to be given to the living in order for them to be able in the fight against the demons. Naze thought of the few times he had found himself embroiled in conflict with the beasts. It was always a different game with demons than it was with any other foe. They didn't abide by the same rules. They were not beasts of life, or of matter, but of energy. Most were born solely of the power or will of a greater demon, and those greater demons often born from even more powerful ones. There were, and those greater demons often born from even more powerful ones. There were those at the top of the chain, rivaling gods themselves in power, but the times they showed themselves were precious few, and they were rarely as vulnerable as gods. Their power was not limited by how many believers they had. In fact, their power was one of the few things that remained mostly a mystery to Naze. He knew about how they invaded, and some basic information on how they functioned, but there was a great deal he did not know. Where their power came from, if their chain of power ever ended in a single entity, this was why he had been so eager to take the artifact for himself. Perhaps he had acted rashly.
He blamed the reawakening emotions inside of him. It was a blight upon his mind, and it could not end soon enough. Were there a way to purge the remnants of his soul, he would do so in an instant. He dared not attempt to modify his phylactery though. It was very risky though, with a fair chance that, no matter what precautions he took, the phylactery would be destroyed. If that were to happen, it would be the end of him. He would simply cease to be, no fading into the void as others souls did. The only time that his phylactery had ever been truly threatened had been one particularly vicious Paladin assault.
Naze pulled himself out of his thoughts of the past, returning himself to the present. Undead workers assembled great machines, placing the final parts of the generators on and attaching them to each individual system. They would not be activated until being given to their intended recipients. A short distance away, the scholars prepared simple lessons in basic magics, going over it with one-another to ensure that they had not accidentally included any complex workings. Naze walked over to them, and gazed over what they did. Simple things, like elemental magics and basic differentials of those were what most of the lessons comprised of, as well as exercises that could make manipulating mana, or aura, as they would be forced to call it, easier.
Naze approved of these. While it would not crate any radical changes in culture instantly, if they studied it in-depth, they would find a kind of magic for every facet of life. No problem couldn't be solved with magic, it simply needed the right kind.
Naze, satisfied with the progression of the plans, turned his focus back to the orb in his hand. There were other issues to attend to, and information still to gather.
The shade weaved its way through the crowded city, looking, as it always did, at everything. Thoughts rattled around in its mind about what it was searching for, but those weren't the only thoughts. It still had some personality with which to be an individual, just not too much.
He didn't remember what his name had been, but he was fairly certain that he had been a he. He was thinking about heroes. Not only because he had been instructed to find out about dead ones, but because it seemed to stir something in the back of his mind. Was it that he had been a hero at some point? No, that couldn't be it. Heroes didn't become shades. Perhaps had had known a hero. That seemed more likely, but he still couldn't recall quite what was trying to reawaken inside of him.
A large truck pulled out into the road in front of him, blocking his path completely, but he gave it no mind, eyes passing over its contents as he zipped through its walls. No heroes there. He continued on his way, not knowing exactly where a hero's story would likely reside. Libraries and such, of course, but his lord had told him to find more obscure heroes.
It wasn't long before he had exhausted every possible option short of eavesdropping on individual conversations. While it could eventually yield what he wanted, it would be far too slow. It was early morning, sun just starting to rise over the horizon. He wasn't entirely sure why, but there was a resentment towards that ball of orange light. There was a reason he disliked it, he just didn't know it.
Perhaps some of the more violent inhabitants of the city would have more of a chance of revealing that which he sought. The White Fang headquarters for the area weren't too far, and there was a gathering of people. Perhaps the legacy of some great hero would be discussed there. Without hesitation, he sped off, traveling as fast as a shadow flitting across the ground. Occasionally someone saw him, pointing and staring. He paid them no mind. Some were more sensitive to old and faded spirits then others. "Ghosts" was what they usually called shades, but it was far from the truth. Ghosts didn't serve a master, and often didn't have a purpose. He was the eyes and ears of his master, or at least, one pair of many. There were other shades in the city, but they had a different job. They were watching for signs of demons. An important job, but not one that he envied.
It was soon that he came to the warehouse in which the meeting was taking place. It didn't seem to have started yet, but a large number of people had already convened within the space. Around a third of them were wearing White Fang uniforms, grey masks covering their faces. The other two thirds were all wearing civilian clothing, and talking among themselves in excited voices. He guessed that he had stumbled upon some kind of recruiting event. It could work, they might mention some of those who had died serving the cause.
He settled into the air, hovering above the crowd and waiting for something to start. It was a while before anyone did come to the stage and address the crowd, but when they did, He could instantly tell that they were a rather authoritative individual. He looked out over the number of people, members or not, eyes shielded by the mask be wore.
The shade flew closer once he started to speak, not wanting to miss any possible body language cues or signals that might betray some double meaning. The man began speaking, and addressed the crowd at large. "Brothers! Sisters! I'm sure that you all know about the tragedy concerning our brave leader." He paused, and a few voices rose from those already wearing the garb of the White Fang, confirming this. He nodded, and turned his attention to those who were not. "You see, our leader, Adam Taurus, has been taken captive by those who want to see all Faunus locked up, just as he is now. This has thrown our organization into chaos, and we need your help to right it!" He pointed a finger out at the individuals. His plea was certainly impassioned, that could not be denied. Anger started to roll through the crowd, and people started to shout out against this injustice.
The shade noted that, as this happened, the man making the plea had to suppress a smile from spreading across his face. Obviously whatever he was planning was working. He gestured towards one side of the makeshift stage he stood upon, and said "Now, if you're strong enough to help us right this crime, come up, and take up the mantle of a true hero! It's obvious that these humans are only trying to keep us down! Come, and help us rise!"
The shade's attention peaked at the word "hero", but when the man failed to mention any specifics, it fell again. There had to be some way that he could get the man to talk about it. The burning eyes went to the crowd, pondering the possibility of possessing one of them and making them ask. Unfortunately, he was only a shade, and possessing a person was near impossible for him. He might be able to inspire someone to do it for him, or perhaps ask the man from a crowd, using the plentiful others as cover for his disembodied voice.
He soared down to the level the people were walking at, moving with those who approached the man. For a brief moment he tried to touch the minds of those people before giving up, and preparing himself to speak. It was a difficult task for a shade, but he would manage it. The words had to be readied beforehand, else he would lose the opportunity.
As the group neared the man, they started to speak, saying praises and telling him about their excitement they felt about joining with such a noble cause. The shade took the chance and said, in a wavering voice as he vibrated the air, "Who were some of the strongest White Fang?"
It took a few seconds for the man to finish speaking one of those who had already engaged him in conversation, but when he did, he looked up for the source of the question. He didn't find it, but saw fit to answer anyways. "Some of the strongest?" He thought for a moment, then looked up. "The strongest I can think of off the top of my head wasn't actually a member of the White Fang, but a Faunus warrior before the White Fang was formed. He was a fighter during the first Faunus Uprising. His real name was never known, but he was known as "The Nightingale". He would only battle at night, and would pick enemy soldiers off one by one, He was feared by all who would face him, and bested everyone in his path."
This was exactly what the shade needed. It intensified its attention, taking special note of every word. "The Nightingale was killed by an act of trickery by the humans that took many of their own men's lives as well. They sent hundreds into a forest, and while The Nightingale killed them, they set the forest ablaze. Even after being wounded in the forest, he was able to fight his way out, and only succumbed later to his wounds. He was one of the deadliest Faunus who ever lived, and he served to further the cause of his people, just as you will, once you start training."
The faces of those who heard this were filled with awe at the story. For such a hero to be so great would take massive dedication, and they didn't know if they had the capability to be the same as him. Some of them responded with zeal, though. They wanted to rise to the challenge, and prove that they were every bit as good. The shade stayed a little longer, trying to get more names or stories, but the masses of people around the recruiter were too large, and his weak voice was blocked out. He was forced to leave, knowing that there would be nothing left for him there. As he returned to the streets, he started to send the information to his master. It was only one, but it would have to do for now. His search wouldn't end there.
When Amber saw what Nora had done, it was hard to feel sympathy for her. No one who did something like that with their bare hands could be given much sympathy. That wasn't a very Paladin-like attitude to have, but it was the only one that she could seem to muster for the girl.
Jaune and Pyrrha had stayed the night at their home, and she was glad to stay with them, making sure that Pyrrha's wound did not worsen. The two teens, proud trainees to become Hunters, were completely dejected, and it broke her heart to see. She had never imagined Hunters as being susceptible to morale issues. They were always portrayed as unbreakable, the strongest that humanity had to offer. This was a much more humanizing experience.
Amber was sitting on the floor, back to the wall, watching Jaune and Pyrrha. Jaune was still asleep, laying still on the cot that had been given to him, breathing slowly and peacefully. It was good, because through most of the night he had been fitful, talking in his sleep and having nightmares. Pyrrha had fared much better, sleeping soundly in spite of her injury.
Now she was walking around, getting herself accustomed to the limited vision that she now had. Amber had to say, she was doing very well. If she had not healed the wound herself, she might have doubted its severity. Pyrrha had more abilities then combat, it seemed. She was able to move gracefully, and even seemed to possess some kind of sense of what was now outside of her vision. Amber decided to ask about this, saying from her resting spot "Pyrrha, how are you doing that?"
Pyrrha stopped her footwork and turned back to Amber, a puzzled look on her face. "Do what?" Amber pointed to her feet vaguely before clarifying "It looks like you can see everything close to you, but you can't, right?" Pyrrha gave her a small laugh, then shook her head. "No, I can't see. Do you know how aura works?"
Amber considered a moment, then nodded. "Yes, to some degree. I can't really use it myself, other than the Light, so I probably don't think of it in the same way you do." Pyrrha nodded, and started to explain little about it. "My aura tells me when I'm about to bump into something, warning me of the danger. It's not quite sight, but it's not too dissimilar." Her expression changed, and she tilted her head, slightly confused. "Why, what is aura like for you?"
Amber considered the question deeply, unsure of how she would respond. She had never felt what Pyrrha's aura felt like for her, so how could she describe the differences? She decided that the only way she would be able to really convey what the Light did for her was to compare it to the time when she'd had no light in her life. With that mental image in her mind, she took a deep breath and started talking. "When I didn't have any light in my life, I was sad, depressed, and my life was pretty bad. I never even really went outside. But then I found the Light, and, well…" she gestured to herself "I think that the change is obvious. To me, I guess, the Light is hope. I was in a terrible rut, but I always hoped that things would get better. When I found the Light, it gave me more energy, and more power to do things that I never really knew I wanted to do. I couldn't even speak to a stranger before, but now I do it pretty regularly." She let out a sigh, feeling for the glowing warmth inside of her. She looked down, and found that her hands were shaking in spite of herself. It was difficult for her to talk about, especially to someone who she knew as little as Pyrrha.
Pyrrha started to walk over to her, interested now in the conversation more than her retraining of her body. This made Amber feel a little better, but her hands still moved uncomfortably. Pyrrha sat down across from Amber on the mat that covered the floor and shook her head. "I can't remember a time when I couldn't use my aura. It's always been there, and I've always worked at strengthening it." A curious expression came over her face again, and she said "You lived without being in touch with your own aura for that long?"
It was uncommon, she knew, but for her it was a reality. Most people were able to start using their own aura during or slightly after puberty. She was one of those rare exceptions. She nodded, and Pyrrha shook her head. "I can't imagine what that must have been like. Well, you've become very strong, maybe not physically, but I can really feel how powerful your aura is now. I never would have guessed that you had a problem." Amber smiled. That meant a lot to her, coming from a Huntress like Pyrrha.
The two of them sat, looking at each other silently for a moment before Pyrrha's gaze drifted over to Jaune, and a slight air of distress came over her. Amber asked "What's the matter?" in an inquisitive voice. Pyrrha shook her head, and put a hand to her face. Her voice was muffled, but Amber could still make out the words. "He's going to blame himself for what happened to me, I know it. He already has, hasn't he? I just wish I could make him see that it isn't his fault. I don't want him doing that to himself."
Amber nodded. It was true that Jaune had been showing guilt. His dreams were disturbed, and he had talked less while awake. She wanted to do something about it, but she didn't know if there was anything for her to do. She might be able to provide some temporary relief, but the only long-term fix would be him talking with her, and them settling the problem.
Jaune started to stir, and Pyrrha scooted over to him, putting a hand gently on his head. His eyes opened slowly, and Pyrrha leaned over him, looking into his face. Amber had managed to track down a medical eye patch, and the small disk adhered to Pyrrha's now useless socket. It was white, and seemed to obstruct a large portion of her face, in spite of being fairly small. Amber wished that she had been able to find a more elegant solution, but it was the only thing that she had found. Pyrrha had joked that now she could have one more accessory to go with the bronze circlet she always wore. It was good that she managed to stay positive in a situation like this, though. It would help a great deal in her recovery.
Jaune peered blearily back up at Pyrrha for a moment before cracking a forced smile and saying "Morning." In an unconvincingly cheerful tone. This obviously was something of a blow to Pyrrha, who reacted as if he had spoken some curse, turning away from him and putting a hand to her face again. He straightened up instantly, and, to his credit, seemed to be fully awake. "Pyrrha, what's wrong? Is there anything I can-" He made to put a hand on her shoulder, but as soon as he touched her, she rounded back on him, grabbed his arms, and pulled him into a kiss. Amber felt her cheeks blush bright red, and she felt the need to get up and do some chores. She was just about to stand when the kiss broke, and Jaune was left looking rather stunned. "Jaune, it wasn't your fault! Please, you have to accept that!"
There was a silence between the two, in which Jaune apparently required several seconds to process the radically different signals he had just received. Pyrrha waited patiently, but as Amber started to lift herself from the ground, she shot her a sidelong glance that seemed to say "I want you here". Amber complied and sat back down, hoping that things wouldn't get any more awkward. She felt as though she was intruding on their privacy. When Jaune responded, he said in a questioning voice "Pyrrha, what's the matter? What brings this up now?"
Pyrrha looked him delicately in the face, and said "Jaune, you were having nightmares. I don't need to hear from you what they were about. Please, you have to forgive yourself about this. Otherwise, you'll drive yourself into the ground." Jaune got a hard expression, and his eyes drifted from Pyrrha's face to the floor. Silently, he nodded. "Ok, I will."
Amber wasn't the best at detecting lies, but she had told more than enough of those kinds to recognize someone pretending to accept help. Her own family had been on the receiving end of hers, and Pyrrha was being lied to now by Jaune. She knew better than to call him out, though. That would only make the situation worse. She had to wait for the right moment, when he was alone. Pyrrha looked like she didn't fully believe it either, but she backed off. "Alright, good. I just…" her voice drifted off as she searched for the right words to express the turmoil she felt when she saw Jaune looking at her with regret. "I don't want you to hurt yourself."
Amber felt as though she were being very intrusive now, and the urge to leave grew even further. She didn't, however, and merely tried to push herself against the wall further so that she might appear less there.
Pyrrha sighed heavily, then put an arm out towards Jaune, pushing herself off the ground. "Come on, Jaune. I want you to help me with something." Jaune raised an eyebrow, and cast an inquisitive took at Amber. She shrugged, having just as little a clue as he did about what was in store. "You're going to help me get over this." She said, pointing to her eye patch. "And then, we're going shopping."
Amber felt a smile start to cross her face again. She didn't know if that meant Pyrrha was actually going to look for some sort of stylized eye patch, but there was some small part of her that hoped she found a really nice one.
Pyrrha and Jaune walked off towards the exit, and Jaune looked back at Amber as they did so. "Thanks for letting us stay! And for fixing us up!" She waved, feeling a sense of fulfillment wash over her. She wanted them to do well. Not just in her recovery, but in everything they set their mind to. They could do it, she believed in them, if they stayed together.
Jaune quickly realized that Pyrrha's injury was something of an odd thing. While she couldn't see with it, she could still detect things close to her, such as a curb that she might trip on. This was the result of years upon years of training. But, while her functions in that regard were relatively unaffected, she had still lost considerable abilities. If she was looking for a paper, she could simply walk right over it, without the faintest idea that it was there.
Another something had come to his attention. While she was somewhat disabled, she was still lightning fast. One exercise that she suggested involved him throwing dodgeballs at her. Her challenge would be to remain at an angle where she couldn't see the balls coming, but still be able to dodge them. She did this with relative ease, Jaune didn't hit her once, but once she was tasked with catching the balls, she started to fall apart. She started to get hit by everything, and her confidence started to go down.
Jaune could see what was going on fairly clearly. She was able to move fast enough to dodge them because a dodge was something that could be pulled off quickly, and didn't take much finesse, but a catch required more coordination, and was impossible to make happen quickly enough to outpace the ball.
It wasn't long before the frustration got to her, and Pyrrha started to get upset. Jaune suggested that they take the opportunity to go shopping, and with some convincing, she agreed.
The two of them set off towards the shopping district, and Jaune asked what they were looking for. Pyrrha, who had calmed quickly after nearly losing her temper, smiled and pointed to the white pad on her eye. "I thought that this looked a little drab, so I figured that we could find something better."
This surprised Jaune greatly at first, not because Pyrrha was concerned with its look, but because he hadn't known that one could simply purchase eye patches. It seemed quite a strange thing to stock in a store, but Pyrrha laughed, assuring him that it wasn't all that odd. Hunters lost eyes, it was a simple fact. Most were able to avoid such a specific injuries, but those who weren't were an untapped market. It could be a very lucrative business, if done right. And of course, the shops that stocked them had more than just eye patches. They were usually general Hunter supply shops.
It wasn't too long after that that the both of them were looking over options near the back of a store. Pyrrha wanted to make sure that she got one that was comfortable, and fit her well. Aesthetics were a secondary concern.
One thing that surprised Jaune was the number of designs and styles that were available. He had expected them all to be simple, like a pirate's eye patch, but there were a multitude of differences between them. Some were like he expected, a simple flap held in place by a single strap, but most were larger than that. Pyrrha seemed to gravitate towards the larger ones that covered around an eighth of the face, bending with the curvature of the face. After some time, she decided on a style, and started to look through designs. The one that she wanted was her personal symbol, the shield and spear that she had used throughout most of her life. When she asked the person manning the counter however, she found out that custom designs like that took around a week to come in. Jaune didn't think that this was much of a problem at first, but that was when it came out that Pyrrha thought the eye patch she had was already starting to feel uncomfortable.
It was around an hour that they had been doing this by that time, and Jaune had been simmering in guilt the whole time. He felt awful for what he had caused, but did his best to hide it from her. On top of the guilt, he didn't want her to know he was still pained about it. That would only make it even worse. If she knew, he would feel like he was disappointing her even further. He kept a plastered-on smile throughout the entire time.
Eventually Pyrrha let out a sigh, and said "I don't think we're going to find anything that I really like too much. It would probably be best to just order the one I want and wait for it to be delivered." She looked over at Jaune, and noted the brief expression of distress that he quickly covered up. She didn't say anything about it, but she turned away, feeling grief herself over Jaune still not having forgiven herself. Both of their drops in mood were interrupted by a smooth, monotone voice for behind both.
"Why wait?" Both of them turned, finding Naze standing a small distance away, an even look on his pale face. In his hand, he held an eye patch, and appeared to be offering it to Pyrrha. She looked at him a second, stunned, before asking "What are you doing here?" Her voice sounded somewhat suspicious, and Jaune couldn't blame her for it. It was pretty weird that he show up like that now.
Naze responded by offering the patch to Pyrrha again, and saying "Nothing too much. You've made contacting you rather difficult, you know. But I can't say I blame you. You've a quest, and you set off to complete it. Not uncommon among people like yourselves, but allow me to help you; Nora is too strong. You won't be able to defeat her, and even if you did, you would lack the means to reclaim her. You can help, though. Whether you are aware or not, demons are affecting others around the world now, and I'm sure that with your firsthand experience with these creatures, you can imagine how catastrophic a large scale infestation would be. What I propose to you now is that you abandon your allegiances with your friends, if only temporarily, and serve me. I would have you combating the problem directly, and it would provide you with the experience and equipment to confront Nora and emerge victorious. How say you?"
Pyrrha looked to Jaune with an apprehensive expression. It sounded like they were going to be used, but the lacked direction as it was. This was the only thing they could really do, as if they attacked Nora again, they were sure that they would lose more than an eye. Hesitantly, Pyrrha reached out and took the eye patch that he was holding out to her.
It was made of a lightweight metal, thin and colored bronze, the same as her circlet. Whatever metal it was, though, was not bronze, as it was resilient, and didn't bend at all in her fingers. She turned it over a few times, inspecting the rest of it. Her sigil was inlaid in the front, standing out in a different hue than the rest of the metal, a slight depression marked its edges. The bands that would hold it on her head were some kind of soft elastic material, and it was already shaped in smooth grooves. When she tried to chance the contours, the metal refused to move. She couldn't imagine that something so ridged would feel good against her skin, but she went to put it on anyways, removing the one she had already.
The cool metal soothed the muscles of her face, and the structure of the thing made it fit perfectly. At first she simply enjoyed it, but then something occurred to her. "Why is this fitted so well?" She was suspicious again, and Jaune started to question the same thing.
Naze's response was a nonchalant shrug, and the words "Master craftsmen have a way with perfection. Now, your answer?"
Pyrrha looked back at Jaune again, not wanting to answer for him. He gestured for her to come to the side with her, and they soon started to speak in hushed tones. "What are we going to do? I mean, we can't just give up on Nora, can we?" Jaune was obviously in distress about it, and Pyrrha felt the same way. Pyrrha sighed, and said "Jaune, I hate to say this, but think about this rationally. We had every advantage last time, and she still managed to…" her voice trailed off as she realized that saying any more on the subject could make Jaune regret taking her along again. Instead, she shifted to another subject. "We're bound to learn something from him, and it's obvious that we need to get more powerful before we try again. IF we do this, we'll come out stronger than before, and be able to save Nora! It's an indirect route, but the only one that we can take."
Jaune sighed. Her reasoning was irrefutable. "Alright, fine." He stepped over to Naze again, and nodded. "Alright, we'll do it. Just tell us where to go."