As the sun sets on the horizon of Argus, Team PNNR pulls up to the entrance of the large town on the tractor, causing a few people to stare at them with mild curiosity. The stares don't bother Pyrrha, who has her hood up for the time being to avoid swarms of people recognizing her. Nora looks around and taps her fingers together. "Man… we're getting a lot of attention, and not the kind that I like." she laughs nervously.
Before anyone can react to Nora's statement, they hear a loud familiar shout. "THERE YOU ARE!" Turning their attention towards the source of the noise, they find Ruby charging towards them in a huge burst of rose petals, tackling Pyrrha into a tight hug. "We were so worried about you!" Ruby sobs softly as she desperately grabs at Pyrrha's back.
Pyrrha gives a small hum as she hugs Ruby back, enjoying the warmth. "It's like I said, it'll take a lot more than some Grimm to kill me." She says, smiling down at the silver-eyed girl.
"Ruby! Please don't run off so fast… we can only run so fast." Shouts a young boyish face. Coming around the corner is none other than Oscar, who is being followed by Weiss, Blake, a very drunk looking Qrow, and Yang. Oscar seems to be wearing some brand-new clothes, mainly consisting of a large green cloak that brings out his maturity.
Nora's eyes light up as she sees the young farm boy. "Cute!" She shouts, crouching down to her knees.
Oscar's eyes widen in horror as he realizes what's about to happen. "Nonononono Nora, please! I just got some new clothes!" He pleas, raising his hands in defense.
Unfortunately, Oscar's pleas fall on death ears as, like a cat, Nora shakes her butt getting ready to pounce. "Boy!" She shouts once more, hands touching the ground. "OZ!" She screams as she launches towards Oscar, bricks flying up and breaking apart from the sheer strength of Nora's huge leap.
Oscar gives a small gulp as he knows there is no escape from Nora. He feels a large thud ramming into his chest before feeling engulfed in a death grip as Nora tackles the young boy to the ground, hugging and cooing over him. "N-Nora! T-too tight!" He gasps. He doesn't try to fight against Nora's iron hug any further as he's just happy to know that Nora is okay, so he returns the hug to the best of his abilities in the current situation.
Nora would soon feel a dull pain on the back of her head, causing her to give a groan and roll over onto her back. Neo taps her parasol on the ground before grabbing Nora by the sleeve of her jacket and dragging her away from Oscar, shaking her head disapprovingly. "I swear if I ever become a victim to one of those hugs, I won't hesitate to knock her out." She thinks to herself before smiling softly. "Nah, I think just a bonk will be good enough."
When Neo drags Nora back to the group, Nora quickly hops back onto her feet and gives a sheepish smile. "Sorry, I kinda lost my cool there. I just couldn't help it! He's soooo cute!" She apologizes.
"That's implying you had any cool, to begin with." Pyrrha roasts. Neo covers her mouth in shock from the burn while Ren and Ruby wince.
Nora's jaw drops to the ground as she stares at Pyrrha in disbelief. But her signature smile quickly returns as she finger guns towards Pyrrha. "That was savage P-Money!" She grins.
"Please don't call me P-Money."
"Whatever you say, boss~" Nora snickers before going over to Ren's side.
"How did you manage to beat us to Argus?" Ren asks Ruby.
"Heheh, well that's a bit of a long story." Ruby trails off as she realizes that there's something important that she needs to tell Pyrrha and the others. But that can wait till later. For now, they should celebrate reuniting. "But to make a long story short, we were found by a merchant traveling to Argus, so they gave us all a ride."
"They were quite nice. I'm surprised they had room for all of us." Blake comments, her cat ear twitching softly.
"Damn it! You guys get treated like royalty while I was stuck going through emotional turmoil!" Neo signs with a pout.
Ruby raises her eyebrow at what Neo signed, causing Pyrrha to look at the red hooded huntress. "We'll tell you later," she whispers.
Yang taps Ruby's shoulder, wondering what Neo said to which Ruby translates. She gives a small scoff as she puffs her chest up. "Well, it doesn't help to have the Ice Queen herself with us!" She says, bringing Weiss in close to her.
"H-hey! Not so rough!" The young Schnee whines before crossing her arms.
The group gives a small chuckle at Weiss's agony before Pyrrha looks at Ruby. "So where have you guys been staying?" She asks curiously.
"Oh, just in some hostel. It was cheap and we were very tired when we arrived here." Ruby explains.
"Yeah, and it was in terrible conditions! I swear I could've heard rats and spiders crawling all over the floorboards." Weiss whines once more.
"It wasn't that bad Princess. It beats sleeping outside." Blake teases, causing Weiss to blush softly.
Pyrrha gives a small smile as she puts her hand on Weiss's shoulder. "Well lucky for you Ice Queen, I know a place that will be suitable enough for your high standards." The spartan tells her.
Nora's eyes shine as she gets what Pyrrha means. "You're taking us to your house?!" She exclaims excitedly.
"Oh yeah, you did mention that you lived in Argus." Ren points out, remembering the first night team JNPR spent together, telling everyone where they came from.
"Yep. So, come with me and I'll take you to my place. Just…" Pyrrha trails off with a long sigh. "Just don't let what you see change your perspective on how I am."
"We promise Pyrrha. Nothing will change how we see you. You're our friend and we accept how you are." Ruby says softly, hugging the much taller woman.
"Oh! I can't wait! It's going to be like a slumber party!" Nora says excitedly, bouncing up and down in place.
"Nora, you do realize that we've all been sleeping together as a team for nearly two years, right?" Ren asks with a concerned sigh.
"But that's different! We're going to Pyrrha's house! That's a slumber party! Not just sleeping in some dorms." Nora explains, clearly showing the huge differences and how this qualifies as a slumber party.
As the group boards onto a trolley, following Pyrrha's lead, the tall spartan looks down at Ruby. "So, were you able to find someone to take you to Atlas?" She asks curiously.
"Heheh, about that…" Ruby nervously giggles as she taps her fingers together, causing Pyrrha to raise an eyebrow.
"Did something happen?"
"Well… kinda. Let's just say that only Weiss is allowed to go back to Atlas." Ruby says before taking a deep sigh which was followed by a long groan. "We're so close! But Atlas just decided to close its borders and keep everyone out."
"Don't worry. I'm certain we will figure out some way to get you guys towards Atlas." Pyrrha says as she already starts coming up with a few plans. She looks towards Neo, who was snacking on a cupcake that she more than likely stole when no one was looking. Pyrrha gives a small smile, counting herself lucky to have an illusionist on her side.
As the group rides along in the trolly, they notice that they seem to be going to a part of Argus with bigger houses and beautiful fencing. Everyone looks around in awe, wondering which house is Pyrrha's, causing her to blush brightly. As the trolley approaches a large house with brass spiked fencing, Pyrrha would pull on a small cord on the trolley, causing it to slow to a halt. "Come on, we're here." She says towards everyone, hopping off of the vehicle. Once everyone was off, the trolley drives away to continue its route across all of Argus. Pyrrha comes face to face with the large brass gate, giving a deep sigh and opening it. She and her friends walk down a fine stone pathway that led up towards the three-story house. The house itself was smaller than most houses in the neighborhood but it's still larger than what most of the team have seen, save for Blake and Weiss. The house was made out of sparkling white brick that had faint traces of gold-colored trimmings that led up towards a deep crimson roof. The front yard was fairly simple, having a few trimmed bushes and several flower beds that were filled with a variety of flowers such as daisies, roses, lilies, and hydrangeas.
"Whoa… your house is huge!" Nora exclaims excitedly as she runs her hand across one of the bushes, admiring how smooth it surprisingly was. Ren quickly pulls Nora away from the bush to prevent any accidents that may occur thanks to Nora's meddling.
"I expected for her to have a pretty big home, considering her status as one of the top warriors in training." Weiss says as she admires how quaint it felt, compared to her own home. She has a hard time explaining why, but it felt more homely and warm compared to her cold and prison-like mansion.
"I'm surprised you're not bragging about your mansion being bigger." Blake giggles, causing Weiss to give a small, flustered whine.
"Of course I wouldn't! I'm not a size queen!" Weiss pouts before realizing what she just said. She looks at Yang in horror who has a huge snarky grin on her face.
"That's what she said!" The blonde blurts out, pointing finger guns towards Weiss.
"I walked into that one…" The Ice Queen sighs, embarrassed at her poor choice of words.
Neo quickly walks up to Pyrrha's side and nudges her. "I didn't expect you of all people to be upper class. You hardly act like it." She signs as she has to walk at a faster pace to keep up with Pyrrha.
"Well, I never liked to flaunt my status around. I wanted people to like me for me, something that only you guys have done for me." She says smiling warmly at her friends. The red-headed spartan ends up right in front of a pair of large oak doors that were easily fifteen feet tall with marble pillars on both sides of it that supported a small balcony. Pyrrha takes a deep breath as she stares at the door. What will her mother and father think of her transformation? What will they think about just seeing her in general? Nearly everyone in Remnant believes Pyrrha to be dead since the fall of Beacon. She gives a deep breath as a black aura envelops her hand. From the top of the large door frame floated down a small house key. The key is in the same place as it always was, almost as if her parents still believed Pyrrha to be out there as they knew she was the only one that can reach the key.
Taking another big deep sigh before she slowly unlocks the large doors with an audible click and opens them. The doors cry as they open to reveal a beautiful grand foyer with large stairs that lead up towards the upper levels. There was a large crystal chandelier hanging over the room that reflected the light and creating small little rainbows in the reflections. Pyrrha steps inside, with her friends following suite as they hear a sweet motherly voice that's fairly similar to Pyrrha's voice. "Honey? You're home earlier than I expected. I thought you wouldn't be back until Friday?" She says as she comes out from a side room carrying a tray of dirty dishes. The woman had short red hair that went down to the bottom of her neck, fairly similar to the way that Pyrrha's is wearing her hair right now, save for the fact that it was more cleanly cut. She wore glasses that made her emerald eyes sparkle with kindness. She looks just like Pyrrha, save for being slightly older.
When her mother's eyes would meet Pyrrha's, the tray of dishes would fall to the floor, breaking all the beautiful plates. Pyrrha gives her mother a small wave and a smile. "Hello, Mother." She says sheepishly.
Pyrrha's mom stared in disbelief before rubbing her eyes to make sure that she's not seeing things. This is no doubt her beloved daughter. While her hair is much shorter than it was during the Vytal Festival and she has a huge scar on her face, this is still Pyrrha. She can recognize her daughter no matter how much she's changed. "Pyrrha…" She mutters softly before running towards the tall woman, eyes getting blurry with tears. She hugs her daughter tightly as she cries softly into Pyrrha's chest.
Pyrrha gives a small smile before hugging her mother back just as tight, a few tears running down her cheek as well. She's never realized just how much she missed her mother. "I missed you so much, mother." She utters softly, giving a small sniffle.
Everyone looks at the family reunion with a smile, feeling a cozy warmth fill their chest from the sight. Even Qrow, despite his drunken stupor, was warmed by the reunion. The hug would soon end as Pyrrha's mother breaks away and looks up at her daughter. "I knew that you were still alive. My little magnet is too strong to go down without a fight." She says softly, wiping a few tears away. Neo takes note of what Pyrrha's mother said and dots it down for later, a mischievous smile growing on her face.
"I won't go down so easily mother; you can count on that. I still have my flawless record to upkeep." She laughs softly. "I wish that I could stay permanently but, my friends and I are on a mission and we just need to stay here for the night." Pyrrha says, showing off the large group of people that were behind her.
The news that Pyrrha was only going to be here for one night caused her mother to grow a saddened look on her face before a smile grows back at the sight of Pyrrha's friends. "It's a pleasure to meet all of you. I would be more than happy to have you stay here for the night. Anything for Pyrrha's friends." She says warmly. "I'll have to make a much larger dinner though! So many eager mouths to feed!"
"We're sorry for the inconvenience Mrs. Nikos." Ruby apologizes, giving the woman a bow.
"Oh please, it's nothing, and call me Athena. No need for any formalities here." Athena waves off. It's clear that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. "Now, if you don't mind, tell me your names so I can give each of you a proper cup and utensils."
"I'm Ruby Rose, huntress in training."
"Weiss Schnee. It's a pleasure."
"I'm Blake Belladonna."
"The name is Yang Xio Long and don't wear it out."
"I… umm I'm Oscar Pine. Just a farm boy from Mistral."
"Qrow hic and nothing more."
"Nora Valkyre! One of Pyrrha's teammates!"
"I'm Lie Ren, Pyrrha's other teammate from Beacon. It is an honor to meet you." Ren says, putting his fist together and giving Athena a small bow.
"I'm Neo Politan, but you can just call me Neo." The mute girl signs before tipping her hat towards Athena.
"Neo Politan… now why does that sound familiar?" Athena ponders as she swears that she heard that name before.
A small bead of sweat runs down Pyrrha's forehead as she tries to avoid a potential situation. "Well, perhaps you're confusing her name with Neapolitan, the type of ice cream."
"You're probably right dear, but regardless, it is a pleasure to meet all of you. Pyrrha, would you mind showing your friends to their rooms? Dinner will be ready in a few." Athena says as she starts to head back towards the kitchen before remembering the mess she made earlier. "Oh, dear! I was so caught up in the moment that I forgot I dropped all these plates! Clumsy me!" Athena giggles, bending down to pick the shards of porcelain up.
"Let me help mother." Pyrrha offers before her mother waves her away.
"It's okay sweetie, go show your friends their rooms for the night. I'll clean up this mess." Athena says softly, already having cleaned the mess up and putting the shards back on the plate. "If any of you ever need anything, just give me a call. Do feel free to relax in the living room too." Taking one last look at her daughter, she gives a happy sigh before leaving through a doorway into what can be assumed to be the kitchen.
After Pyrrha showed her friends their rooms, with each of them being able to have their own individual rooms, she leads everyone to the living quarters and motions for everyone to sit on one of the leather couches that looked super comfortable. The living room itself had a blue and white color scheme with a lovely glass table in the middle that was being supported by a bronze statue of an Ursa Grimm. There was a mahogany television stand that held a large TV. In the stand itself were shelves full of various movies, some of which that Ruby was able to recognize while others seemed more foreign. Right next to the television was a glass trophy case filled with various gold trophies and medals celebrating Pyrrha's accomplishments in combat. Yang gives a small whistle as she looks at the trophy case. "Damn Pyrrha, that's a lot of gold you have there. No wonder I was never able to beat you back at Beacon." Yang compliments.
"They don't mean much to me anymore. Just objects that will eventually rust and have to be thrown away." Pyrrha says softly as she sits down on the couch. "So, what happened to you guys when you left the train?" Pyrrha asks curiously with a patient smile.
Ruby and her friends give each other a concerning look as they realize what they will have to tell Pyrrha and her friends. They know that the spartan wouldn't react to the news well, but they're prepared to deal with the fallout. Hopefully, it won't be that bad. "Well… you see Pyrrha," Ruby says, beginning her tale about how they discovered to activate the relic of knowledge by calling upon the name Jin. Ruby tells about the history of Ozpin and Salem, revealing that Salem was once a beautiful woman who loved Ozpin, who was known as Ozma back then, and their happy life together alongside the gods of light and dark. She tells about how Ozma died from an illness and Salem tried to beg for the god of light to bring him back, only to be refused and turned to the god of darkness, getting her wish granted. They would tell about how Salem was punished for tricking the gods with immortal life so that she can never be with Ozma until she learned the true meaning of life. Salem would then raise an army to fight against the gods, only for her efforts to result in all of humanity becoming nearly extinct and lose their power of magic.
As Ruby tells her story, she can see everyone's face react in shock to the truth of everything and that this is humanity's second chance. She notices Pyrrha's face changing the most as everything becomes revealed. Changing from shock to sympathy, and now to an unreadable expression. Ruby continues with her story and tells about the god of light's mission for Ozma to find the four relics and unite them when humanity has been united. When the four relics would be brought together, the gods would return and judge, determining whether humanity is worthy of living alongside them again or they should be destroyed once more.
This ultimatum from the God of Light rubs Pyrrha the wrong way as she ponders over what right the gods have to determine whether they should live or die solely based on whether they're united as a race. A small scowl starts to grow on her face, which would only intensify when she hears what happens next. While knowing the fact that Ozpin and Salem reunited and had a family didn't surprise her, and hearing about their falling out disappointed her, she wasn't prepared for what was to come next. It was revealed by Jin herself that Salem can't be defeated. There isn't a single way that you can kill her in this universe as she will simply come back to life. Hearing this news causes Pyrrha to squeeze her thigh tightly, nails digging into her skin. "So… you're telling me that Salem can't be killed, right?" Pyrrha asks Ruby, who only nodded softly. Pyrrha starts to shake with frustration as her feelings start to tilt over.
Ruby quickly looks at everyone else, noting Ren's silent shocked stare who simply couldn't believe the tale he was told, yet he knows that Ruby would never lie about something like this. Nora is equally as shocked, looking down at her hands before clenching them into a fist, a look of determination replacing her shocked face. Neo remained silent and unreadable, having closed her eyes in thought, most likely processing over everything that was told. Ruby turns her attention back to Pyrrha and gently puts a hand on the shaking woman's shoulder. "But just because we learned about this-" She says before getting cut off.
"It's useless. It's all fucking useless!" Pyrrha yells with anger as she stands straight up. "Everything we were fighting for, every minute of training, every god damn plan we have against Salem is all useless now! She's unkillable!" Pyrrha stomps around the living room, her heavy footsteps sending vibrations across the mansion. She then realizes something, a lock of stunned silence growing on her face before her lips gently utter. "He died for nothing…"
Oscar cautiously steps towards Pyrrha. "What did you say?" He asks.
Pyrrha glares at Oscar as she thinks about who is responsible for everything. For keeping this secret from everyone. For training children to fight an unwinnable war, being sent off like sheep to the slaughter. She lets out a war cry and grabs Oscar by the throat and slams him into a nearby wall, pinning him against it as she chokes the poor farm boy. "IT'S YOUR FUCKING FAULT THAT JAUNE IS DEAD! HE DIED HOPING THAT WE COULD WIN THIS WAR BUT NOW THAT SACRIFICE IS MEANINGLESS IF WE CAN'T EVEN KILL SALEM!" Pyrrha yells in the boy's face, eyes engulfed in a fiery rage that burns her very soul. This is a rage that she hasn't felt since the day Jaune died, not even her encounter with Cinder caused her to burst into such an intense fit of anger and hatred.
Everyone is taken aback by Pyrrha's sudden actions and tries to pry her off of Oscar, only for her to push them all away with her semblance. "Pyrrha! Stop this! Oscar didn't do anything!" Ren cries out trying to calm their leader.
"Pyrrha calm down! I was as pissed as you are but that doesn't mean Oscar deserves this! He's a victim of this as well!" Yang shouts, running back in to pry the spartan away from the farm boy, only to be pushed away with little effort.
Pyrrha's hate-filled stare pierces through Oscar's soul as he tries to tear her hand off of his neck, choking and gagging from the intense pressure. "P-Pyrrha! I-I'm sorry!" He apologizes with weak and watery eyes.
Pyrrha shakes her head in fury as she raises her fist letting out a loud cry of rage before throwing it forward. Oscar closes his eyes, prepared for the punch only to feel nothing coming. He opens his eyes and sees Pyrrha's fist inside the wall of the room, having broken through the hard brick wall and creating a hole. "Where… is he?" Pyrrha asks in a menacing tone.
"He's gone Pyrrha. Ozpin has disappeared ever since the truth came out. We can't bring him out." Ruby explains as she walks forward to put her hand on Pyrrha's arm to get her to gently release Oscar. Pyrrha takes a deep sigh and lets Oscar go, who quickly scrambles away from the tall spartan out of fear. Ruby sees the fear in Oscar's eyes and feels something build up inside of her, something that she refused to acknowledge for the longest time but seeing how Pyrrha treated Oscar is starting to cause it to spill over. However, before she's able to say anything, she calms herself down and tries to reassure herself that in hindsight, Pyrrha lashing out like this should've been expected.
"When he comes back. I want to talk to him and ask him what he sees in us. Does he see us as warriors or just pawns for him to control?" Pyrrha growls as she turns her back towards Ruby.
"Pyrrha, I know what you just found out is devasting but, that doesn't mean we need to stop fighting. We may not be able to defeat Salem, but we can stop her. What matters is that we save Remnant from her plans of uniting all four relics together. We can still save lives Pyrrha." Ruby says softly, trying to give Pyrrha her confidence back.
"You don't get it, Ruby!" Pyrrha shouts turning around to stand over the young huntress. Ruby can feel her anger building back up as Pyrrha tries to ignore the red hooded huntress's attempts at trying to calm her down. "If we could have done something, Beacon would have never fallen and Jaune would still be alive! But with everything I know now, there's no point in even trying!"
That was the tipping point. That was the moment that Ruby couldn't hold it in any longer. "Oh, will you shut the fuck up about Jaune you selfish bitch!" Ruby yells, her silver eyes dilating in rage, catching not only Pyrrha off guard but everyone else in the room. "No one was prepared for what happened on that day! Not even Ozpin and trust me, I'm as upset with him as you are but I'm willing to see my mission through because it's my duty as a huntress to protect the people, no matter what stands in my way! What even is your goal to fight alongside us?" Ruby rhetorically asks. Pyrrha opens her mouth to answer only for Ruby to interrupt the girl. "No! I will answer that for you! You're fighting because your "boyfriend" died, and you want vengeance! Working alongside us is the quickest way for you to accomplish that goal!"
"B-but Ruby, you don't get it! I loved-"
"Don't you dare interrupt me while I'm talking! I know you loved Jaune, you wouldn't stop fucking talking about how much you loved him back at Beacon! And now you're out here seeking vengeance against Cinder for killing Jaune. But you're completely ignoring everyone else's feelings about Jaune in favor of your own!" Ruby shouts with rage as steam can be seen coming out of her ears. Yang is hugging Blake tightly, having never seen her younger sister act like this. Ruby's anger was so intense that it even brought Qrow back into being sober! "Do you truly think that you're the only one that loved Jaune? What about Ren? Or Nora? Or his family? OR EVEN MYSELF!?" Ruby paused as she dropped the bomb that she's held inside of herself for so long. "Before you say that he's the first person that ever made you feel like you ever belonged, or that he was your first friend, I want to tell you that he was my first friend at Beacon too! He made me feel like I belonged in a place that I thought I was too young to belong in! I loved him too! Yet I let you talk to me about how head over heels you were for him! I still wanted to be friends with you and help you get together with Jaune, even if it meant that I could never be with him!" Ruby pauses as she catches her breath.
The room was silent for a brief moment as Ruby paused, too scared to try to say anything. Everyone knows that it's best for Ruby to get this off her chest and that this will help her calm down. Ruby would soon continue her rant towards the spartan. "You don't think I was mortified by Jaune's death?! Fucking hell, I should be more depressed about it than you are! I WAS THE ONE THAT FAILED TO SAVE HIM! Yet look at me now! I'm standing here with my friends! I've gotten over his death because I know that there's no bringing him back! All I can do now is proceed onward and fight in his name and honor his life! But you're standing here! Still not over his death and having a temper tantrum like the fucking child that you are!" Ruby yells, pointing her finger at Pyrrha who is too stunned and shaken in fear to dare speak against the smaller woman. "You remind me of Salem. Nothing but selfish over the person that they "loved" who saved them from an isolated life. It's time to get over his death Pyrrha. It's time for you to fucking move on." Ruby finishes as she takes a long breath before glaring at Pyrrha.
Pyrrha returns the glare with intensity, her fist trembling as she raises it, prepared to strike at Ruby. Yet despite that, Ruby didn't flinch. She stood her ground and stared at Pyrrha, causing her fist to shake even more. Pyrrha lets out a loud frustrated scream and quickly lowers her fist before stomping past Ruby and leaving the living room. As Pyrrha walks past everyone, Neo could faintly see the smallest of tears building up in Pyrrha's eyes, causing her to reach towards Pyrrha out of concern, only for the spartan to ignore her attempt. Pyrrha's anger-filled steps can be heard echoing throughout the mansion, only to be silenced with a ginormous slam of the wooden doors, proceeded by silence.
Ruby looks towards where Pyrrha left, a glare still on her face before her face softens as she stumbles back, tears forming in her eyes. "Oh my god… why did I say that? I-I didn't mean it!" She utters softly starting to cry, at which point her team comes up to her and wraps Ruby in a warm embrace.
"You didn't say anything wrong, Ruby. She needed to hear it." Weiss assures the young girl, who was crying into the group hug.
Nora, Ren, and Neo look at the hug and then back towards the door, giving a small sigh. "Should we go after her?" Nora asks.
"No. Let her have some time to cool off. She needs to think about everything that Little Red said." Neo signs as she sits down on the couch and tips her hat downward, creating a small shadow that covers her eyes.
As Pyrrha stormed away from her house, she starts thinking to herself, not paying attention to where she's going. 'What right does Ruby have to say all that? She doesn't know how it feels. She has no idea what it's like to be unapproachable because of your status.' Pyrrha thinks, as with each thought she grumbles softly. 'She had friends back at Signal, so she was never lonely for a long period of time. I was lonely my entire life, and it's all thanks to my fame.'
Pyrrha doesn't know how long she's been out or where she is, but when she looks up, she recognizes that she's back at the lower parts of Mantel. The sun was slowly lowering on the horizon, painting the sky a beautiful cool yellow color with some dark purple patches. The area she was in had a few benches on the sidewalk. Across from the benches were large hedges, with a stone archway in between the two, creating an entrance. Looking at the spot, she starts to remember that this is the local park. It always was very pretty, even in the harsh cold weather of Argus. But she believes that stopping to take a look at the flowers is just a waste of time right now, she has a lot of other stuff on her mind.
Sitting down on a wooden bench, she takes a deep sigh as she throws her face into her hands. Instead of feeling angry or frustrated, now she feels sad, recalling what she did to Oscar, needlessly choking him for a reason that he can not control. As she reruns the events that just happened, one thing that Ruby said stuck out to her. "You remind me of Salem." She could hear Ruby say that phrase inside her head over and over.
A look of realization graces her face. Was her anger the fault of everything that's happened? What if she never met Neo or reunited with the others? What would happen then? Would she end up becoming another Salem? Filled with so much hatred that she just wants to see the world burn? She's not entirely sure what could have happened, but it made her realize that her rage, her bloody path of vengeance needs to end, for if she's to continue down the hate-filled path, her destiny will be like that of Salem's. This isn't a fate that she will go down, she will make her own destiny and not become like Salem.
With a look of determination, she holds her head up high, feeling like nothing can take her down now. When she does so, she notices one lone maple leaf skittering in the wind, causing her face to soften. "Is that…" She says softly to herself, watching the leaf closely. She sees it skittering into the park. She has the feeling that she should follow it, but she's not sure why, only that she should. Walking into the park, eyes focused on the leaf, she sees it hit against a stone pedestal before skittering away. Pyrrha slowly trails her eyes up and takes a step back in shock as she sees what's in front of her. In the middle of the park stood a tall bronze statue of a very familiar-looking man, shield in one hand and a sword raised into the sky with the other. At the base of his feet stood a plaque that read "In honor of Jaune Arc, one of the many students who fought valiantly at the Fall of Beacon."
Pyrrha simply stares at the statue, her emotions welling up inside of her as she feels her heartache. Her silent stare would soon be interrupted as she hears a feminine voice right next to her. "They did a good job catching his image didn't they?"
Turning her head to the side, she spots a blonde-haired woman with deep blue eyes. In her hands was a boutique of white windflowers and yellow snapdragons. She looks very similar to Jaune, but different enough to know that it's not him. Perhaps a family member? Regardless, Pyrrha turns her attention back to the statue. "Yeah. It's very lovely. But why here of all places?" She asks, figuring that she's a local resident.
"He was born here, on top of having family here too." She says softly. "He and the rest of the family were considered residents here and when we learned of the news, the city wanted to erect the statue as soon as possible to honor him. Everyone was surprised to see him leave for Beacon, but it's where he wanted to be." She pauses as she looks up to Pyrrha. "I'm just glad that he was surrounded by such amazing people."
Pyrrha looks at the stranger, takes a deep sigh, and looks down to her feet. "He should be standing here." She utters, a tinge of sadness lingering on her voice.
"He is. We may not be able to see him, but his soul will always be with us." The blonde woman says, causing Pyrrha to look up from her feet and stare at the stranger with tears building in her eyes. "He… was always someone that never wanted to give up. He was like that since he was a little kid. On that day, he knew that he had to do something. He had to protect everyone, and he was prepared for the consequences. I don't think he would ever regret his choices, because he knew that a huntsman would know that there isn't a choice to make. And a huntsman is what he always dreamed of being, just like his father and grandfather." She said in a depressed tone, sniffling softly as she remembers his smiling face.
Pyrrha gently rubs her eyes as she hears all of this coming from the woman. He held the same beliefs as she did when she went to Beacon. He was willing to put his life on the line to protect someone, even if it meant certain defeat. That alone makes him a hunter that's worth more than all the professional huntsmen combined. "Jaune never got to graduate but he was… no is a huntsman." She tells the stranger, facing her with a warm smile on her face. "I think you're right. His soul is with us, for it is in passing that we achieve immortality. Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all. Infinite in distance and unbound by death." Pyrrha says, remembering that these were the exact words that she spoke to him all that time ago in the Emerald Forest in order to unlock his aura.
The Spartan's statement causes the stranger's eyes to light up as a small trail of tears runs down her cheek. "Thank you! It means so much to hear you say that." She says happily.
Pyrrha gives the woman another smile before hearing a familiar masculine voice in the distance. "Pyrrha? Are you there?"
Pyrrha turns her attention around and spots Ren, Nora, and Neo at the entrance of the park. They must have gone down to try to find her after everything that happened. The three spot her and start to make their way towards Pyrrha. As they approached, Pyrrha realizes that Ruby was right. That she was being selfish and putting Jaune up on a pedestal. She ignored the sorrow of her team and his family. She would turn around to look for the woman, wanting to say something to her, only to find that she's gone, the flowers placed on the base of the statue. She couldn't have been imagining things right?
Before Pyrrha could dwell on this any further, the three approach the spartan. "Pyrrha, are you feeling…" Nora trails off before giving a big gasp as she identifies who the statue is.
The four of them stand in brief silence as they stare at the statue. Ren looked at it in slight shock before sorrow took over his face as he remembers his departed friend, Nora gives a small sniffle, wiping a tear away from her eye while Neo takes off her hat in respect. Pyrrha breaks the silence as she looks at everyone. "Ruby was right. It was selfish of me to believe that I was the only one suffering from Jaune's death. I've been a terrible leader and a terrible friend. I'm so sorry." She sniffles as she rubs her eyes.
Ren places a firm hand on Pyrrha's shoulder, with Neo placing her hand on Pyrrha's lower back to comfort the tall spartan. "Pyrrha, don't blame yourself. We all knew how much Jaune meant to you and if we were put into your situation, we would recognize that we would behave in a similar way." Ren tells her softly with a comforting smile.
"We heard what you said to Cinder back at Haven. Please Pyrrha… you mean a lot to us. We love you! We're a family so please stop believing that your life has no meaning beyond vengeance." Nora tells her with passion, her voice cracking every now and then as the emotions all catch up to her.
"You're just as important to the rest of us. This isn't a one-sided relationship where you give everything to all of us and expect nothing in return. We all share in our trust and love; we all value each other equally. You helped me realize that this is what I have been missing my entire life." Neo signs as she gives Pyrrha a small hug.
Pyrrha gives a sniffle as she looks amongst her friends, wipes her eyes before giving a small sniffle, not wanting to break down in front of everyone. But she couldn't help it. Her friends loved her so much that they're ready and willing to see past Pyrrha's faults and her selfishness to find the heart of gold that laid underneath layers of cold hard steel. They wanted to stay by her side. She doesn't deserve friends like these. She gives a loud bellow as she falls to her knees, causing Ren, Nora, and Neo to crouch down and hug her tightly. Pyrrha returns the tight hug, sobbing into their shoulders as she lets her tears flow. "I'm so sorry for ignoring how you guys felt about losing Jaune. My selfishness and anger prevented me from realizing that many more people suffered losing him than just me." She sobs. Moments would pass in silence as no more words needed to be said. They all perfectly understand one another and forgive Pyrrha.
Team PNNR all huddles together, letting Pyrrha cry out several months worth of tears and sorrow. As several minutes pass, Pyrrha's sobbing would come to a silent stop as with one last sniffle, she stands back up on her feet, wiping her eyes and looking at the statue of Jaune Arc. "Jaune… I think he knew that he wasn't going to survive. But he knew that the world still needed me to protect it, so he went in my stead. And he fought till the very end." Pyrrha says softly as she reminisces the previous battles Team JNPR had together.
"He was a protector. It's no wonder why he loved using a sword and shield so much." Nora smiles, taking another sigh as she looks at the statue.
"Typical of our leader." Ren smiles.
Pyrrha takes another sigh as she turns towards her team. "It's time for me to fill that spot that Jaune left for me. To be your leader. And it's time for me to… move on. It'll be hard for me to fully move on, but I know that with you three around, you will help me move past my sorrow."
"Of course, we will Pyrrha, it's only natural for us to help our friend, we love you." Ren tells Pyrrha with a smile.
Neo gives a small smile as she mindlessly plays with her hat. "You know, in a roundabout way… Jaune was the reason he brought us all together as Team PNNR. I thank him for letting me be able to meet all of you. It's a debt that I hope I can repay one day." Neo signs with a fond smile, not sure on what else she should say.
"Being here with us is enough. That's what Jaune would say." Pyrrha tells the short pink and brown-haired woman. "But now, we must press on and continue towards our goal to protect Remnant. Jaune may not be here with us physically but he will always be with us in our hearts, protecting us like he always has."
Team PNNR stands in silence once more, staring at the statue of the knight. Ren breaks the silence as he looks at Pyrrha. "We should head back to the house now. Ruby has been worried sick about you ever since you left." Ren tells her.
Pyrrha's face softens as she nods her head. "Right. I need to talk to her and apologize." Pyrrha says as they all turn around to leave.
Neo puts her hat back on as she looks at her friends. "You think we can stop and get some ice cream along the way? I'm certain that Ruby and the others would love some apology ice cream." She signs, the cold weather reminding the criminal of her favorite dessert.
"Of course. It'll be my treat. Ice cream for everyone!" Pyrrha giggles, causing Nora to give a loud gasp of happiness.
"Heck yeah! Ice cream always tastes better with friends!" Nora shouts happily, holding her hand out for Neo. Neo gives the ginger a high five with a playful wink as they all leave the park, talking about what flavors they're going to get.
Pyrrha lingers behind as she goes back up to the statue. She stares at it quickly, noticing an airship flying off in the distance, causing her to get a small idea. She will put a tab on that idea for later as she takes one final look at the statue. "Thank you, Jaune. Thank you for everything." She says softly before turning around to catch up with her team.
After a trip back to Pyrrha's home, they go back into the living room, cones of ice cream in tow as they see team RWBY and Oscar, smiles growing on their faces as they're so happy to see Pyrrha back. Ruby goes up to Pyrrha and looks up at the taller woman. "I'm so sorry Pyrrha! I didn't mean to say all of that!"
Pyrrha shakes her head and holds the ice cream cone in front of Ruby. "Don't apologize Ruby. You were right. I was being selfish and acting like a child. I'm sorry for ignoring how you felt about Jaune and thinking that he was only important to me." Pyrrha apologizes. "Now take an apology ice cream. Let's enjoy this last moment of us being together before we have to split apart."
Ruby gives Pyrrha a big smile, hugging her tightly before letting go and taking the ice cream cone. She gives a big bite into the frozen treat, causing her eyes to sparkle. It's cookie dough! Her favorite flavor! She lets out a happy hum as she takes another eager bite. "Mmm! Thank you, Pyrrha! Cookie Dough is my favorite!" She thanks, taking another bite before letting out a small pained scream. "Gah! Brain freeze!"
Everyone gives a small laugh at Ruby's dismay, holding their own ice cream cones, save for Oscar. Pyrrha walks up to the young farm boy and gives him the other ice cream cone, this one being chocolate. "I'm sorry too, Oscar. I shouldn't have done that to you. But always remember, you're your own person. You're not Ozpin so don't apologize on his behalf." Pyrrha smiles.
Oscar takes the cone happily. "Thank you Pyrrha, I will try to remember that. I may have his soul inside of me, but I'm still my own person." Oscar says with determination before looking at the large hole in the brick wall. "I'm just surprised that you were able to punch a hole through that brick wall. Did that hurt?" He asks.
"Nah not really. When you've trained so much like me, you're able to break things without feeling much pain. I'm certain Yang can testify to that." Pyrrha giggles as she sits down.
"You know it!" Yang winks, raising her ice cream cone in the air in a mock toast motion before taking a bite from the dairy treat.
Ruby sits next to Pyrrha and gives a nervous giggle. "So… I'm guessing I'm banned from the No Cuss Club?" She asks.
"Oh, you definitely are. I never knew you had it in you! Hearing you swear was certainly something." Pyrrha laughs, putting her arm over Ruby's shoulders and bringing her into a small side hug.
"Heh, well… I learned a thing or two from Yang." She laughs softly.
"I still can't stop thinking about it… it felt so wrong to hear you swear." Weiss stated as she crosses her legs.
"Yeah! So much for being pure and innocent!" Nora giggles, devouring her ice cream cone.
"Do you guys really have to make such a big deal about me saying fuck? I'm not some innocent little girl anymore. I just don't like swearing." Ruby says with a sigh, not really liking the commotion.
"Yes, we have to. You're Little Red, you're like the shining beacon of purity!" Neo signs, having already finished her ice cream cone. Ruby gives a deep sigh as she knows that they won't let her live this down.
After several minutes of talking and joke-telling later, everyone has finished their ice cream as they all sit with each other. "So… what are we going to do? How are we going to get to Atlas?" Blake asks, reminding everyone of the major roadblock that's in front of them.
"Actually, I have an idea." Pyrrha says with a smile, catching everyone's attention.
"And what would that be?" Says a drunken voice coming from behind them. Qrow stumbles into the room and crosses his arms, staring at the group of young adults. He seems very skeptical about whatever Pyrrha's idea is, dead set on believing that they're at the end of the road.
"Well… the idea is that we steal an Atlas Airship." Pyrrha says with a firm look, indicating that she's not joking. Neo's eyes sparkle at hearing the idea, it's been so long since she's stolen something and now they have a good reason to do so!
"Oh, what a wonderful idea Magnet Girl! But there are so many problems with this plan. For one, how are we going to be able to steal it? Two, none of us know how to fly the damn thing." Qrow growls as he crosses his arms, determined to just give up.
"Are you forgetting that we have the master of illusions here?" Pyrrha says, gesturing towards Neo, who puffs her chest with pride. "Neo can disguise all of you as Atlas Soldiers and even as Weiss's luggage. Once you guys get far enough, the disguises will drop and you can remove any of the escorts that will no doubt be sent with Weiss." Pyrrha explains, having thought carefully about this plan. "And the airships have an autopilot option that can get everyone to Atlas."
"While I'm not sure why, perhaps something to do with Ozpin's memories, I have the feeling that I can pilot the ship with confidence." Oscar told Qrow who simply rolled his eyes.
"A feeling that you can pilot the ship doesn't matter, and with my luck, something bad will happen that will ruin the disguises." Qrow yells.
Ruby takes a deep sigh as she clenches her fist, getting tired of Qrow's willingness to give up so easily. "Uncle Qrow, it's time for you to stop being such a negative Nancy and look at the bright side of things. This is an excellent idea that we can easily execute thanks to Neo and Oscar. So don't put a damper on everyone's mood just because you're so lost in despair that you think the best option is to drown yourself in alcohol and give up!" Ruby rants to her uncle, catching him off guard. He looks down at the flask that's in his hand and then back up to Ruby. He stares at her and for a brief moment, he swore that he could've seen Summer, Ruby's mother. Ruby's stern face would soften back into a gentle smile. "Now, if you could keep up with us younglings, we would love to have you along with us." Ruby says, holding out her hand.
Qrow gives a laugh as he tosses the flask away. "You're just like your mother, you know that Pipsqueak? She always had a way with words and convincing even the most stubborn of people to do what was for the best." He says, grabbing his niece's hand.
"Excellent. With our plan set, all that we need to do is put it into motion. We can do that tomorrow. For now, we should all rest up." Pyrrha says with a smile.
Everyone nods in agreement and heads off to their respective rooms with Neo following Pyrrha into her room. Pyrrha gets ready to set up an air mattress for herself, only for Neo to tap the spartan on the shoulder. "There's no need to set that up. This bed is big enough for the two of us. Come on in, there's nothing wrong with sharing a bed between friends." Neo signs with a devious smile.
Pyrrha blushes brightly at the idea and starts to stammer over her sentences before hiding her face with Jaune's hood. "D-don't be so forward with such things you bitch!" Pyrrha cries in embarrassment before taking a small sigh. "L-let's just hope no one walks in on us and get the wrong idea." Pyrrha says climbing into bed.
Neo giggles softly at Pyrrha's embarrassment. "As long as we keep to our sides of the bed, everything will be fine. Now good night Pyrrha." Neo signs with a small yawn.
Pyrrha gives a deep sigh as she calms herself down. "Good night Neo, just try not to cling on to me."
"No promises~" Neo signs with a mischievous laugh. Pyrrha gives a small groan and turns off the lights with a clap of her hands. Soon the two would drift away to sleep, ready and prepared for the big day that's ahead of them.