Chapter 16: The Resolve to Choose

Talon was sitting on his bed, putting some maintenance on his weapon Dark Premonition. The tournament was continuing and his team was still doing well. It was night right now, so there wasn't much to do. Ren and Nora were off doing…something or other. So with a little down time, and as such having time to kill, he decided to check his weapon over. Things were going well. Unfortunately, after living with his father for as long as he did, he knew it couldn't last. No offense to his dad of course, just with his semblance it gave Talon early on that things will go downhill at some point. So he knew he should cherish it while he can. Suddenly Pyrrha entered through the door.

"Hey Invincible Girl." Talon greeted. Pyrrha however jolted a little in surprise.

"Oh uh…hey Talon." She said, doing her best to smile. Talon looked at her a little surprised.

"Something up?" He asked. Pyrrha seemed uncomfortable.

"Oh no no, I was just um…talking to Professor Ozpin. He um…congratulated our team, and gave me some praise. I um…really just feel uncomfortable with how people uh…seem to put me on a pedestal so I've been trying to…you know get myself grounded again." Pyrrha tried to explain. Talon starred at her for a while in confusion. Something was definitely up with Pyrrha, but it seemed she didn't want to talk about it.

"Ok, if you say so. But Pyrrha, do remember we are teammates. If there's something wrong, I am here if you need to talk." Pyrrha's eyes widened at that before smiling.

"Thank you Talon. I know, and if I do need to, I will make sure to let you know." Talon nodded. He wasn't sure if she would, but it was necessary to at least let her know should the situation arise.

*Time Skip*

Talon hated when he was right. The next day of the tournament came, and it seemed like it was going to be an exciting day. Of course that's how days always start, but then they always go further downhill. It came to the single matches finally and the match that was highlighting the day was Yang against Mercury. The match began and proceeded pretty well, at least until the end. Talon was watching, it happened right in front of him, and yet he couldn't believe what happened. The match had pretty much ended, and yet for some reason Yang had suddenly jumped at her opponent and attacked him out of nowhere. This resulted in injury and Mercury being taken away. Yang was now in trouble and likely to receive some form of punishment. Talon was currently standing outside his team's doorway, waiting as General Ironwood was inside talking. After a while Ironwood came out and looked at Talon before nodding and taking off. Talon wanted to immediately go and check on Yang, but decided to give her time. After a while, everyone but Yang came out of the room.

"This is a mess..." Weiss said, sighing.

"How's she doing?" Talon asked, just as the rest of his team opened the door to their room, outside of Pyrrha who was sitting on her bed.

"She's…doing the best she can." Blake answered. The pause she made spoke volumes.

"I heard Mercury and his team rushed back to Haven to be with his family. So, until they land, no one can really question him about what happened." Ruby supplied.

"If there's anything we can do, please don't hesitate to ask." Ren offered.

"Well then. Pyrrha…make sure you win one for Beacon, okay?" Ruby requested.

"It's what Yang would want." Weiss added. Pyrrha looked down a little before looking back up, trying to look confident.

"I'll... do my best." The three of them soon left, leaving Team PLTN to their devices. Pyrrha started looking down, lost in thought until…

"You heard the lady!" Suddenly came the voice of Nora, who somehow had changed into workout clothes in less than 5 seconds. She was now in front of Pyrrha grinning madly. "No more moping around! We gotta get your butt in shape for the big fight! It could be today, it could be tomorrow." Nora says all while doing various exercise moves as a way to get Pyrrha pumped up. "It could be the most important fight of your entire life!" She finishes by lifting a bar that seemingly appeared out of nowhere that on the ends had writing that said 1000 lbs. Nora held it for a few seconds before it proved to be too much and she fell over. Talon walked over and inspected the scene before him.

"How much does that actually weigh?" He asked, knowing there was no way it was 1000 lbs or it would've fallen straight through the floor.

"350…" Nora replied groaning. Pyrrha was unsure of how to respond to this, though Nora's antics did amuse her.

"Nora's right." Pyrrha hears the voice of Ren, who when she looks is for some reason wearing an apron that says 'Please do nothing to the cook' on. "You can't let your concern for Yang hold you back. You need to focus. You'll be defending the honor of Beacon Academy."

"Of course. I-" Pyrrha tried to begin. Ren suddenly puts a glass filled with green liquid in front of her.

"This blend of herbs and vegetables is filled with nutrients vital to your body's well-being."

"Oh, that's-"

"Please, there's no need to thank me." Nora had other thoughts about this.

"Thank you? Ugh, that looks like slime from a lakebed!"

"Algae contains numerous spectacular properties. See for yourself." Ren gave some to Nora who actually tried some before regretting it and proceeding to vomit up the liquid in a trash can.

"BLEGH! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU!? Ugh..."

"Me? You're the one that wasted perfectly good juice." The two proceeded to argue a little about the matter.

"Ren, unfortunately I have to agree with Nora." Talon said, holding the juice in his hand.

"Et tu Talon?"

"I would prefer what I'm consuming to actually taste good, not taste as if I've consumed liquid moss. Besides, I think we need to relax. There isn't much any of us can do to better prepare with so short amount of time. Let's relax and enjoy our time." All of them looked at each other before nodding.

*Time Skip*

The team spent some time enjoying the festivities of the tournament. Pyrrha eventually finds herself with Talon while Ren and Nora off doing something else. Talon is currently eating some cotton candy.

"I actually never had cotton candy before. I'm glad I could enjoy some. Want any?" he offers to Pyrrha.

"Oh uh…no actually. I'm not too fond of overly sweet stuff, especially after that cereal deal." She said, referencing the Pumpkin Pete's cereal that she had an endorsement with. Pyrrha's face kind of falls a little as Talon continues to eat.

"Are you ever going to speak about what's troubling you?" Pyrrha looks up in shock.

"Huh? I don't-" Pyrrha says before Talon cuts her off.

"Pyrrha…we're teammates. I'd like to think even friends. I have seen many things, and experienced depressive ideas numerous times. It's not hard to tell that something is on your mind and that it's weighing you down. You're not even as talkative as you usually are, so something is bothering you." Pyrrha kind of realizes this and feels even worse. "I don't proclaim to know what it is or if I could help you, but sitting there and letting it cloud your mind is not going to help. So even if I can just lend an ear or something, I am willing to do so." Pyrrha stares at him for a moment, before smiling fondly in a sad way. They sit there for a while as a breeze blows by. A single maple leaf floats by as Pyrrha watches it tumble in the wind.

"I…I don't know what to do."

"What do you mean?"

"Do you believe in destiny?" Talon is shocked by this question, and also confused on how it is relevant. He gets a far off look while thinking about it though.

"Destiny huh? I guess that depends on the circumstances." He replies.

"When I think of destiny, I don't think of a predetermined fate you can't escape. But rather... some sort of final goal, something you work towards your entire life."

"Really? Huh…well then, I guess you and I are the same."

"Really?" Pyrrha is shocked by this.

"Yeah. I've never really thought of it as destiny though. But a final goal that you work towards, that I agree with 100%. It's what defines you, and gives your life meaning. It's what you will be remembered for." Pyrrha smiles at this, before getting sad again.

"Well... what would you do if something came along that you... never expected? Something that had the potential to stand between you and your destiny?"

"Like what?"

"Or what if you could suddenly fulfill your destiny in an instant, but at the cost of who you were?"

"Pyrrha, what are you talking about?"

"Because I don't know! None of it makes sense! This isn't how things were supposed to happen!" Pyrrha exclaimed as she stood up, losing it.

"Pyrrha!" Talon exclaimed, standing up and grabbing her shoulders. Pyrrha halted in her rant in shock, before being slowly guided back to her seat by Talon. Talon sat next to her and sighed. "It certainly seems like you're in a situation. A rock and a hard place situation by what you said." Pyrrha didn't confirm nor deny the statement, which Talon guessed was confirmation enough. "Pyrrha, let me tell you something I came up with as a motto." Pyrrha looked at Talon, who looked back with a serious look. "Think with your mind, act with your heart. Keep your heart strong, keep your mind in check, and you may survive the storms to come."

Pyrrha looked at Talon in shock and confusion.

"What…does that mean?" She asked for clarification.

"It's something I came up with over the years." Talon looked down and then at his hand. "I know, more than most what it means to live through dark and troubled experiences." Talon starred at his hand for a while before looking back at Pyrrha. "As a result of living alone a lot, one tends to get stuck in their head and think. Which, for me led me to start having thoughts that were…I guess philosophical in nature. Eventually I came up with that saying as a sort of reminder of how to not let myself go down depressive roads based on these thoughts and what I saw in people I encountered over the years." At this Talon held up one finger. "First, some people tend to over think things. Their minds wander and toward thoughts that make them question if what they are doing is right or not. Or they think and think, but don't actually act until it's too late. I admit I'm usually guilty of that one." Talon held up a second finger. "Second, some people act without thinking, which leads to misunderstandings. Further, some people face a hardship and feel devastated, then experience more which leads them down dark roads that…well they don't walk away from." Talon put his hand down and looked toward the sky. "I want to live. I want to enjoy all I can out of my life. So, I made that saying. Think with your mind on all the facts, and then act on what your heart feels is the right choice. Don't let your mind overwhelm you, and keep your heart strong to weather the storms that come, from both the choices you make and the random experiences life throws at you. If you do all of this, you may just make it through whatever comes your way." Pyrrha was stunned. It was such a simple way to view things, and honestly it made a ton of sense. She wasn't sure how to respond.

"So…just follow what I think is right…based on all the circumstances?"

"Pretty much. You know yourself better than anyone, and I know you will make what you feel is the right choice. Just calmly think about it, and decide. The three of us will stand by you whatever you choose. So long as you stay strong, you will make it through whatever happens." It was at that moment that Talon suddenly found himself being hugged. Talon was shocked as he wasn't hugged that often, nor was he ever hugged by Pyrrha, but here he was. He slowly hugged back. "I'm guessing that helped?" Pyrrha started to laugh a little before she pulled back with a few tears threatening to escape.

"More than you could know." She composed herself. "I didn't take you for a philosophical type though."

"Like I said, when one is alone for a long time with dark thoughts…those thoughts start to feel like home. I'm not sure why they turned out that way, they just did." Pyrrha laughed a little.

"Seriously though, thank you. I feel…relieved." Talon smiled.

"Just doing what I can Invincible Girl." Talon replied.

*Time skip*

Talon sat in the crowd as Pyrrha was chosen for the upcoming match. He hoped his speech and motto helped. It wasn't like a mantra he said over and over again; just something he remembered when things were getting rough. Pyrrha slowly came out onto the field, with Penny also coming out as well. Talon looked at Pyrrha, examining the way she held herself. She still acted like whatever it was bothering her was still on her mind, but now she seemed to hold a sense of determination, a sense of resolve. He only hoped that she would be able to weather the consequences of her choice, just as he has had to weather the consequences of his.

Have a Pleasant Halloween: aka just eat a bunch of candy for yourselves due to covid screwing things up as usual.