Chapter 47 - Catch Up
The young girl's eyes fluttered open and Pyrrha felt something unclench within her. Realistically, she knew Ruby would be fine, the doctors had said she just needed rest, but the crimson haired huntress felt a warmth at seeing her partner's groggy argent eyes lock on to her.
"Pyrrha? Wha- where am I? I remember..." she trailed off for a moment before suddenly tensing up, ready to spring out of bed. "Mistral! The Grimm-" Pyrrha quickly leaned over the hospital bed and placed a hand on her shoulder to calm the girl down.
"It's fine, you're safe. You drove off all the Grimm. At incredible risk to yourself" Pyrrha added, glowering slightly. It might have come across as more than that, since the young girl immediately retreated under the thin covers.
"Sorry. I can't really blame you, I did the same thing when I saw you were in trouble."
Ruby popped back out, pointing a finger out dramatically at the older huntress. "That's right, you did! You flew over there straight from the hospital." Pyrrha flushed with embarrassment over the accusation and memory. She hadn't cared to stop at the time, but she had on barely more than a hospital gown when she found out Ruby was in trouble.
"That's right, I did. But I at least could have flown back away or stalled for backup. What I heard about you - you tried to take on all the Grimm by yourself, or at least all the ones on your side! What- what were you thinking? Why didn't you get more backup?"
She's quiet for a moment but then her partner answers "People were going to die. No matter what we did, we didn't have quite enough defenders. I thought- I thought that I could cover the most ground by myself (and I did), but also... I figured if I pushed myself far enough, it'd force my eyes to activate."
Pyrrha nodded her head slowly. There was a level of logic there, but... "That wasn't enough to save you. You could have still died afterwards. And, I know it may be hypocritical of me, but I can't bear to see you die. I almost had to" she finished with a near whisper. That caused Ruby to flinch back more than anything else she had said.
"At least we had Ren and Nora to watch our backs?" She offered. "I- I can't promise I won't risk my life to save others, that's what we signed up for as Huntresses. However," she added quickly "I'll take into account my friend's desires to see me alive too. I'll try to take that into account too, and won't try to activate my eyes like that on purpose."
"Can you not use them without that?" They hadn't discussed much about her partner's magic, despite having it longer than Pyrrha. It always seemed far less instinctual than her Maiden abilities.
"No. I don't think so, at least. It seems to need a level of desperation, I've never activated without that. And perhaps a focus on saving others. I promise from here on out not to try and put myself in a situation where I need to use it to live."
Pyrrha offered a small smile at that. "Good. Being with you has been... my greatest joy in these dark times. I- I don't know what I'd do without you." There was a few minutes of silence between them, just grateful to be together before Ruby's stomach rumbled and the moment was interrupted.
"Whoops. Guess I've been in here a bit?"
"Almost a full day now."
"I better get some coo- food now" she said, trying to get out of bed again before Pyrrha stopped her.
"Hey, you're still tired. This time you can be the one to rest, I'll get you some 'food'" Pyrrha said, putting emphasis on the last word to let the girl know that she hadn't missed the 'cookie' slip, and a grin on her face to reassure her that yes, the food would come with some cookies.
"Yay!" she cheered and Pyrrha quickly went off to get the food from the hospital staff. There was a slight bit of tension between her and the nurse, after she had flown out in the middle of the night to 'throw herself at the Grimm', but they acquiesced and let her take it. The doctor had already cleared her (after patching up a few torn stitches), seeing as the young woman had gotten up and fought monsters, so obviously she didn't need the rest. While Pyrrha was still feeling stiff and sore from her wounds, she had to agree that she was feeling better, and more than could just be attributed to Aura. The fact that she had survived her injuries in the first place seemed miraculous, and Pyrrha had to wonder whether it had something to do with her being a Maiden now.
It was hardly a cry to claim herself 'immortal' however, being slightly more resilient than the average person and having vast amounts of elemental magic beyond the greatest of Dust casters hadn't saved Cinder, nor the previous women she and Raven had slain for their mantles. Pyrrha snapped herself out of it as she realized that her eyes were glowing and the metal food tray was starting to heat up, something she quickly cooled down with a gust of chilling wind... which caused more than a few startled cries through the hospital. "Sorry!" She cried out on instinct before fleeing the scene.
Back in the hospital bed, Ruby was still waiting there, looking out the window, lost in thought before she realized Pyrrha had returned. "Oh! I was just... thinking. Ah, sweet sweet cook- wait, what's that other stuff?" She asked suspiciously. The plate indeed had a good, triple helping of cookies (so slightly below average for a Ruby-sized 'meal') but it also had some broccoli, meat, and mashed potatoes as well.
"Food. Plenty of good food to make you nice and healthy... and then you can have your cookies." She pouted slightly and Pyrrha sighed, magnetically pulling out a metal bowl of fresh strawberries she had hidden behind her back when she entered the room. Seeing Ruby's face light up was a sight that filled her with a warmth she didn't understand or rather was beginning to understand but didn't want to think about.
Choosing to enjoy the moment, she sat down beside the girl, pulling out some comics she had picked out from the stand beside her bed. "You must have been really distracted."
"Yeah, I was just thinking about how Mistral was doing and..." her muffled voice trailed off as she swallowed and saw the comics Pyrrha was holding up. "You got my comics!"
"Yes, well, Nora found them tucked away in your room. You've been working hard, but I think you can take the time to relax now. Besides, X-Ray and Vav #39 has a really good twist to it." She said as she passed Ruby the comics she had been reading.
"Ahh! Spoilers!" The short girl cried out, covering her ears with both hands, only to realize that she was dropping her comic towards her food, snatching it out of the air with lightning fast reflexes. Pyrrha couldn't help giggling at the adorable look on the little reaper's face, but decided to stop teasing her, miming zipping her mouth shut as she sat back to read the comics along with her partner.
Eventually, she had to leave the hospital. Ruby had been feeling pretty tired after her meal anyways, even with her previous rest. Not all that crazy when she considered the massive amount of Grimm the girl had destroyed. Thanks to her efforts they had miraculously protected the town from any damages in the attack, which meant there didn't need to be any rebuilding... from the Grimm attack. The panic beforehand had caused some significant damages that they were still trying to tally. Something made more difficult by Lionheart's meddling.
Checking in on Sun, Blake, and Neptune revealed the depths of the former headmaster's duplicity. Taking out the Hunters would have been hard to miss, even with the slow elimination he did to start. Which is why he had bribed (and supposedly threatened) officials that did the census counts.
"How did we miss this?" Sun exclaimed, looking over the reports that Neptune had handed him. They were in Oasis, the Primary combat school of the city. No adults were there either, Lionheart having eliminated even those teachers over the summer break. Some of the reports had been dug up from his files, others were what they could gather from the city. Using students from secondary combat schools to fight when they had no other options was one thing, but everyone was hesitant to bring in primary school students to big battles. They were good at collecting paperwork and information however, so there were a number of younger students rushing in and out of the school to lend a hand.
The former White Fang member sat on the desk close by Sun, shuffling through the papers. "Headmasters of huntsmen academies were given a large amount of power to wield when the King of Vale - who was Ozma all along - made them. It was supposedly to protect the hunters from being manipulated overly by the councils, and so they could act with decisiveness in times of need, but..." Blake said, reading over the reports. There was a hint of pain in her tone as she spoke that reminded Pyrrha that even of the people willing to remain here and 'accepting' of the wizard, there was still a good deal of mistrust towards him.
"Did you notice anything like this beforehand?" Sun asked Pyrrha. "I haven't been here the longest (something which Arslan is quick to remind people of), but I didn't notice anything weird when I was here."
The Maiden shook her head. "No. While I travelled to the city often enough for my tournaments and training, I was a student of Sanctum, in Argus before going to Beacon. Lionheart... he never quite struck me right for some reason. I guess we know why now." There was no mirth in her voice as she said that, everyone reminded of his treachery and the clash at Haven.
Trying to emulate her partner and inject some cheer into the situation she changed the topic. "Thanks for your help Blake, you've been making fast work of all the paperwork. I guess all that reading you do came in handy."
The cat faunus snorted a bit. "My reading is mostly for pleasure." A second after she spoke, she realized what she said, blushing a bit as Sun and Pyrrha tried to contain their chuckling, knowing some of the books Blake tended to read, Neptune just looking slightly confused at their reactions. "Ahem, anyways, dealing with this stuff actually relies more on my skills with the White Fang. We had to keep track of our supplies and missions, stuff like that."
They continued to work on the files for a bit before a bell struck off in the distance and Pyrrha looked up. "I should probably be on my way." She felt guilty for that, but there was still hours of paperwork to deal with and she really didn't have much by way of skills in that regard. There were other friends she wanted to check in with too.
"No prob, glad to have you here." Sun said with an easy smile. Despite the obvious tiredness from the work, he had a way of keeping things cheery. That, and there might just be a wave of good feelings from the victory over the Grimm.
"Again!" Boren Tenka's voice rang out in the gym as Pyrrha stepped, the large man picking himself up from where he'd fallen in the ring. Denim Euchre looked down at the man, shaking his head slightly as he took up a stance opposite him.
"Knocking you down all day won't help you improve" the one-armed man said. "Besides, we have other people to train. Cool off a bit and see if you can help out- Pyrrha!" He turned around, seeing her. She also saw him for the first time since the battle too. He had a new scar over his face, claw marks running down his cheeks, left eyelid, and nose. His stubbier arm seemed to have new wounds on it, fresh bandages covering it. In spite of his injuries, Denim looked more content than he had been in a long time.
"It's good to see you Pyrrha" He said, hopping out of the ring and clasping good arms with her.
"Good to see you too. I didn't realize you got injured worse in the battle, I'm so sorry. If I hadn't dragged you into this-" he waved her off.
"Don't be. It was definitely a new experience, but I'm glad I was able to help. Ultimately, I didn't get hurt much more than I was before. Fighting bandit tribes and hordes of Grimm, definitely not what I saw in my future a couple weeks ago." He let out a bit of chuckle. "I just reached forty, thought my tournament fighting days were waning even before my arm was lost, and now it's like I find I'm only halfway there. There's still so much for me to do."
"Speaking of" Boren said, landing down with a thud beside them. "When are we going after Raven?"
Pyrrha froze up for a second at the thought of fighting that woman again. Of getting carved up and bleeding out again- "We have a lot to do in Mistral before we cover anything like that." The words came out automatically, easily and without betraying her fear.
His sparring partner sighed. "Stop badgering people about that. Let's focus on helping the current lot get in shape. What do you say Pyrrha, wanna help us get these whippersnappers in shape?"
"Don't you care about getting your revenge? Hasn't she taken enough from you? Maybe you can forget about your arm, but I'll never forget what she did to my sister."
"I haven't forgotten anything" Denim said, his voice harder, but controlled in volume unlike Boren's near shouting. "We'll do our best to stop her, but I'm not going to let myself be consumed by revenge either. Not going to let her take that away from me too." The larger man scoffed and just walked away.
The tournament champion cleared her throat and said to Denim "I'd be glad to take you up on your offer." She was worried about Boren too, but if the older fighter couldn't reach him, how was she supposed to?
Around the gym other fighters trained, practicing against dummies and occasionally each other. Steel clashed on steel, warriors pushing at each other for dominance. Shots rang out from the target range and others went through katas. It was an impressive display... for anyone completely unused to combat. As it was, Pyrrha winced from second hand embarrassment at the display.
There was a large number of people practicing, but it was clear that most of them had next to no training. Their 'moves' were shaky and new, or overly flashy recreations from movies. No real trainers about to help guide them properly, fix up their stances (professional trainers tended to be rich, and most of the people with money had already left). Gris was trying his best, but the gym was pretty packed for jsut the owner to deal with. She had her work cut out for her.
They split up, trying to direct the people as best they could. Pyrrha took the people shooting, having more experience with firearms (and such practice having less chance of aggrivating her still healing wounds). "Alright everyone, let's go over some tips. Make sure to steady your weapon, holding it out straight in front of you. If you have the opportunity, hold your gun with both hands..." More experienced soldiers and Hunters could fire from the hip or off hand and pull it off with great accuracy, but these people weren't close to that level.
Everyone was quick to follow her instructions, which was nice. It was likely just because of her status, she heard a few arguments from younger people on the other end of gym at Denim. Wondering 'how good could his swordsmanship possibly be if he lost an arm', at least until he schooled them properly, disarming them in seconds (he really had improved a lot, to the point that Pyrrha actually wanted to spar with him properly at some point; without her semblance or magic, she thought he could actually give her a bit of a challenge now). The contrast with everyone slavishly hanging off her words was quite different, though her 'students' would often ask for 'cool moves' to learn while she tried to get them back on the basics. She couldn't help but be reminded of her fallen partner at that.
"Happy about something?" Denim said, wandering over after she finished. "I just noticed you smiling."
"Ah, it's- just remembering someone." There wasn't a need for other words, the older man nodding in understanding. "Thanks for coming out here, I'm sure you have a lot going on."
"Glad to help, and it's really no problem. I can do some things, but really, the ones bringing this city back together are everyone else. I'm just... a symbol."
"Don't sell yourself too short - I was getting taken off the battlefield, but I saw what you did even while injured there. That kind of power? That's something else. To say nothing of you inspiring me to get back in the fight."
"If only I could help Boren get past his own demons." The large man was hacking away viciously at a training dummy, everyone giving him a wide berth. Maybe Ruby could help? She was so much more than Pyrrha was. At least people were starting to praise her on an equal level to Pyrrha, though she hoped the pressure of fame wouldn't be too much for her once she got out of the hospital.
He nodded. "Don't worry about us, he'll be fine. Just needs some time. Have you seen the others around?"
"Not really. Haven't seen Lavender or Avery, though I heard he's acting weird. No sign of Mary, and Umber... well I ran into him once."
Walking through the town was a very enjoyable experience. Argus was her home, but she loved Mistral too, and to see it safe and sound filled her heart with joy. There was still some fear, some worry among the populace, but it was starting to lessen. People from Menagerie and Mistral were getting along well, a lot of the old traces of racism and problems washed away by the new reality they were dealing with together. Of course, there were some parts that still annoyed her, like the new moniker the people had found for her.
"So you really fought alongside the Savior of Mistral? Wow, and people said you were almost as good a champion as she was back when she fought in tournaments" one fan gushed at him. She was a cute young girl (though nowhere near as cute as Ruby), but Umber didn't seem particularly interested in her, though he had the practiced politeness Pyrrha did down pat.
She wasn't the only one with a title. Ruby was called the Red Cloaked Slayer, Nora the Lightning Queen (a title she adored). Even Ren she had heard referred to as 'Calm Dragon'. She still thought Ruby was more the savior than herself, but she was glad to have praise for something actually worthwhile. The numerous ballads of her deeds and hearing people naming their babies after her felt like a bit much, even still.
"Well, thank you, though I don't think I'm anywhere near as strong as she is, especially now. I'm just proud to have fought by her side against the forces of wickedness." Pyrrha frowned at hearing Umber say those words. There was nothing wrong with them, just... not the kind of message she wanted to spend.
"Don't sell yourself short" Pyrrha called out, making herself known to them. He looked on, slightly surprised and nervous. "You fought hard and I heard you even pushed back Raven for a bit when we fought the bandits, that's as much as I ever did." To the girl she said "And I appreciate your praise, but really I only came in for the last few minutes of the battle. All the other defenders did so much more than me."
Umber frowned seeming quite confused for a second, but he shook that off his face and replaced it with a winning smile she'd be hard pressed to match on her best day. "Yes, it is as Pyrrha says, Mistral is strong when we stand together, united." Again, not wrong, but just something about his cadence set her on edge, not that she let that show. Umber finished signing a poster she had of him and she ran off, delighted.
"It's so good to see you again, Miss Nikos" Umber said respectfully. "Is young Miss Rose alright?" At her nod he clapped his hands together. "Wonderful. Your partner is quite gifted as well. Together, you two could make - well, are making quite the change around here." She suppressed a wince at his words, aware that the young man placed her on something of a pedestal. She decided to try and educate him.
"I'm glad to help, but honestly I feel that the others were more instrumental to saving the city." As they walked she gestured a hand at some of the Menagerieans mingling with the Mistralians. "We wouldn't have gotten those reinforcements if it wasn't for Ruby's teammate, Blake, and she in turn helped get Sun and the other students on our side. Ruby herself was the one who really stopped the Grimm at the Battle for Mistral, and even then, Ren and Nora saved us. Can you really say that I'm still the 'savior' when you see all of what they've done?"
"Yes" he stated bluntly, looking her in the eyes. "I understand that you're humble, noble, and kind. These are great traits for a leader. But I still see you as the one that brought everyone together. The one with the skill at arms, the one with the magic to accomplish incredible feats, and for us to rally behind. You may be hesitant, I know you've heard a lot about what the other leaders we have trusted in have done, but I see that as- another good quality to have. Pyrrha, you're incredible" his voice raised slightly as he spoke, stepping away slightly to give her space as the others on the street heard and started chanting her name.
"PYRRHA! PYRRHA!" She turned back confused and he just had a slight smirk on his face as if he'd just won that argument. She pulled down the hand she had been about to wave back to the crowd with, frowning at both him and her own instincts.
Letting go of a breath she drew in, she let the young man walk away. He was wrong, but there was only so much she could do to convince him otherwise. She had other people to talk to, like the Council, her friends, the other gladiators- she realized with a start that she hadn't asked him about where they were. She'd check in with Mary and the others another time then.
Days passed by and she found herself at the top of Mistral, on Haven's grounds. The damage from their brawl still generally untended too, but the place was a bustle of activity and cheer, though some politically savvy part of her detected a slight tension in the air, and she said as much to Ren and Nora when she sat down with them.
"It has to do with who's going to be the new official headmaster. Sun and Arslan are both top candidates, and there's some dispute over who's most suited for the role, as well as how to get new hunters into the academy and trained up" Ren explained.
"I have an idea on how to settle it!" Nora declared, possibly a little too loudly. Pyrrha was pleasantly surprised that her name hadn't been 'volunteered' to be the next Headmistress of Haven (despite having no teaching inclination or mentioned desire to take the position), until she caught another look at the atmosphere and how some of the students looked at her sitting with Ren and Nora and figured out what was up. It was good to have teammates who had your back.
"Pancake eating contest?"
"... Well now I'm gonna go with that! That's even better than what I thought of."
Pyrrha considered risking her sanity by asking what her own method was (and what metric of better she was using) but was too curious about the topic matter to go down that rabbit hole for the moment. "What are the usual ways of choosing the next Headmaster?"
"Usually, all hunstmen academies have a vice headmaster to take their place if the headmaster isn't available or dies suddenly. Then they would usually take over the role until a vote from the rest of the staff could be held. If the staff were to ever be reduced below fifty percent, then it would be a decision formed by all licensed huntsmen of the kingdom. A situation like this, no adult huntsmen or huntresses, no staff, and a traitor headmaster? It's completely unprecedented." His eyebrows only raised a tad and his voiced ticked upwards a bit, but Pyrrha could tell that Ren was pretty interested in what he saw going on.
"I think Sun is likely to be the headmaster, by virtue of supporting the 'right' side in the Battle of Haven while Arslan (along with everyone else) was duped by Lionheart at first. Still, whoever is the headmaster of Haven, the other will probably be 'chosen' to teach at Oasis." It went without saying that they hardly had enough people with the skills and desire to take on the roles turn them away. Pyrrha wondered if Blake would stay here with Sun. She had seemed pretty close to the Haven team leader.
"Sooo..." Nora butted in "How's Ruby doing?"
"She's fine. Thanks for grabbing those comics of hers, Nora. She really liked them." An undecipherable look passed between the two of them.
"Was she the only one? I seem to remember a certain huntress in Beacon reading them too." Pyrrha blushed at Nora's words.
"Yes, they were a good way to pass the time till she woke up. She resting again now, but the doctors say she should be alright. Oh, and thank you for the strawberry recommendation Ren, she loved them even more than the cookies." That look passed between them again, and Pyrrha finally said "What?"
"Have you-" "-Asked her out on a date yet?!" Ren began and Nora finished.
"What!?" Hey eyes widened and she wondered how they had figured out.
"It was fairly obvious" Ren stated, having either read her mind... or she had just said that last part out loud, Pyrrha couldn't figure out which.
"C'mon, you guys will be so cute together, just like, Ruby plus Pyrrha equals boop!"
"I-I, don't know what you're talking about. Now, I really have to get some reconditioning in before I see the council." Her friends pouted as she made her way to leave.
Pyrrha turned away and made a few steps to leave, she really did have some appointments she could get to, but... she was the 'Savior of Mistral', of course she had places to be. She could cut out every moment of free time or training and she still wouldn't be able to make it to everyone trying to meet her. The young huntress knew she was trying to run away from a slight bit of turmoil over her own feelings.
She understood that she couldn't run from this, and more importantly, she'd promised not to hide things from her friends. Swiveling abruptly, Pyrrha marched back to them.
"I'm sorry if Nora was out of line" Ren began. "We just wanted-" he cut off at her raised hand.
"No, I'm sorry," Pyrrha said, stressing the word to show her sincerity and to show that it was more than just her 'catchphrase' as Jaune had once joked (another bittersweet memory to add to the confusing mix of emotions she was feeling). "I said I wouldn't keep anything from you guys. So as to whether we're friends or uh, 'friends', I don't know" Pyrrha said with air quotes around Nora's version of the word.
"It's fine, it's fine, you came around to your senses way faster this time" Nora said. "Soooo, you and Ruby..." Her orange haired friend's excitement obviously couldn't be contained.
"I- It's hard to tell. Truthfully, I didn't have much interest in anyone before meeting Jaune. A few people I could recognize as attractive, sure, but... nothing like with him. It clicked right away, for me at least." Pyrrha gave a sad smile, remembering how oblivious he had been, right up until the end when she had made it fully clear. Those thoughts made her think for a moment of Cinder and the powers she now had.
Even if she liked being seen as a savior and literally worshiped by some far less than she ever enjoyed being the 'Invincible Champion', she wouldn't trade the vengeance she got on Cinder for anything. Despite all the turbulence and upset in the world and the hidden truths that were revealed, that part of her soul could rest easy knowing he had been avenged.
A hand waved in front of her face. "Sorry! Just got lost in thought for a moment there." Ren nodded, appeased (with either her explanation or for stopping her from entering another funk). "With Ruby, it's been different. I mean I've practiced with both of them for a bit but with Jaune it was more as a teacher- youknowwhatImisspoke" she hastily blurted out, her cheeks rapidly becoming the color of her hair.
"They seem very similar at first glance." Nora, cocked her head to the side, confused. She held out her hands in front of her as if to measure their proportions even with neither present, coming up with very different pictures. "Not like that, personality wise. I'm worried I might just be transferring my feelings from Jaune on to her, and that wouldn't be fair for either of us." Nora opens her mouth, but Ren places a hand on her shoulder to let Pyrrha continue.
"They're both kind, and caring, and can come up with deep and encouraging speeches when needed. Both-" she struggled for the right word for a moment "Uncomplicated. They are who they seem to be. They... they see me for who I am, never judging me for the fame I have, or that which I shun. Jaune didn't know me at first, but even then, he always treated me like another member of the team. Too much so, at times" she frowns a bit at that while Nora laughs and Ren raises a hand to his mouth, as if to cover a cough, but she knows better.
"Ruby's been as close to an equal fighter as I had at Beacon, and even in our travels since. She showed me compassion in my period of loss, but never coddled me. She's got a core of steel." Pyrrha meant that metaphorically for her determination and steadfast attitude even in the darkest times, though she had peeked at the younger girl's abdomen once or twice during training to see that as metaphorically physically true too (if anyone asked she'd point out that she was only human afterall!).
"Surprisingly insightful too. She figures out things, sees patterns that others don't. Looks into things- even figures out things about me and how I'm feeling before I've fully realized them."
"She doesn't get how large her presence can be. She can inspire a whole room just by being there. When she leads the charge (and she's always leading the charge, despite how much danger that might put her in), it seems like she can rally a whole city. She's... a hero. My hero." Pyrrha snapped her head up at Nora's giggling "What?"
"Wow Pyrrha, you've got it bad. I can guarantee you, this is not transferring your feelings from Jaune over to her." The Mistralian champion looked a bit embarrassed. Looking back on her speech it was easy to tell, but it had seemed so confusing in her mind. "Well, except in transferring the same mistake you made last time; you haven't asked her out yet!"
Ren, the voice of reason, countered "True, but she was still unsure at the time. Talking things out can and was here, very helpful in figuring out one's feelings."
"Thank yo-"
"That being said, now that you do know, there is no reason to hesitate" Ren, the traitor, added.
"I- I can't. Not right now. There's too much going on" Pyrrha pleaded. Her friends were having none of it.
"When will things be calmer than at the moment? Or, even more important, should you hold back just because things will be busy? You're both huntresses - famous heroes now - and will have a lot to do. But that doesn't change what your feelings are." Ren's words struck with pinpoint precision again, with Nora chirping in to hammer them home.
"Yeah! You like her, she's your partner, we're all here, strike while the iron's hot!" Nora wiggled her eyebrows but Pyrrha curled inwards a bit.
Ren narrowed his eyes and added "Are you worried that Ruby doesn't feel the same way? I know that's what held you back from Jaune but-"
"It's different!" Pyrrha shouted, before covering her mouth, realizing the attention that might draw to herself. "It just... is, okay?"
Ren paused for a moment "You mentioned Ruby being 'surprisingly insightful', is that why it's different?" The former champions thoughts came to a halt at his question. Was that it? It could be, at least part of it.
"Maybe. I do worry that she's noticed sometimes, but just hasn't said anything to make things weird between us." Part of that was true, but even as she said it, Pyrrha knew which part was the most true: She was afraid. Afraid of being rejected, afraid of losing her partner, afraid of driving a wedge forever between her and one of the few slivers of hope she had had these past few months. Afraid that things would change when so much had already faltered and she needed a rock to cling on to in this storm, and Ruby was the steadiest person she knew.
Even as the Fall Maiden and every other title under the sun the people could heap on top of her, Pyrrha was restrained by fear.
"We can help sleuth out her feelings for you!" Nora offered.
"Nora..."
"What?" She countered, snapping back at Ren. "We just want to help both our friends out. If we find out how Ruby's feeling we can let Pyrrha know and they'll be happy together!"
"And if she gives a different response than you're expecting?"
"...Then we'd tell that too. Come on, this will be fine" Nora said, and already her feet were beginning to go up and down on her tip-toes.
"No wacky hijinks?"
Nora hesitated. "10% of standard wacky hijinks."
"Deal."
Pyrrha nodded at her friends. They seemed to be getting on so much better than they had been at the hospital - sure, they had entered the hospital together, but it had been clear there was some tension between them at the time, so she was glad to see it clearing up. "Alright then, thank you, again. For what you're planning, but most importantly for listening to me and helping me figure things out."
After practicing her form and aim for a bit she flew back down to the lower levels to talk with the council. Being able to fly was more liberating than she ever thought it would be. Back then she had only thought it would be possible by her semblance and would eventually run out, as well as having to be attached to a metal platform of some kind. Using magic was... incredible. Especially since she didn't have a reason to hide her abilities anymore and could just openly fly down the mountainside. The beauty of Mistral, something she had always appreciated, was given a whole new perspective from above.
At the council building herself, she entered with a bit of trepidation. She'd never actually been inside the thing before, and it felt a little odd to enter as a student- not that she technically was one anymore, but it still felt that way at times to Pyrrha.
Inside she was directed to the meeting room where she saw the (remaining) councilors, as well as Blake's father, and Oscar.
"...So there's no chance of Ozpin- Ozma coming back any time soon?" Councilwoman Galday asked. Oscar half shrugged until he caught sight of Pyrrha, his expression brightening.
"Pyrrha!"
"Ah, hello everyone."
"Miss Nikos, it's a pleasure to have you here." "Greetings." "Thank you for coming here."
Ghira Belladona greeted her a bit more enthusiastically, getting out of his chair to walk over and shake her hand. "Pyrrha? My daughter's told me much about you. Thank you for your efforts."
She shook her head. "Thank you, Mistral couldn't have stood without you and your people coming from Menagerie."
"Ahem. We are grateful, for both your efforts, but we have much to get through, if we're to get you caught up and plan our next move." The councilman looked tired, far more haggard than she remembered the one time he had presented her with a trophy from a tournament win.
"Right, Councilman Lilywhite has a point" Councilwoman Sen spoke up. "Miss Nikos, the city has survived, but we're still in a precarious position. Our huntsmen depleted, many of our citizens deserting, all the... revelations of the supernatural, etc. We're going to need strong huntresses like yourself to help rally and unify the people. I hope the council can count on your assistance?"
It sounded a lot like being a symbol for the people, but... "Of course, I'd be happy to help."
"Good." Then the hardened woman turned to Oscar. "Now, this boy here has been making some claims to have 'been Ozpin reincarnated' before the battle but is suddenly backing out of them."
"No, it's not that, just that... Ozpin is speaking to me right now. I'm sure he'll come back, eventually. Showing everyone all his mistakes was rough."
"I can confirm it, Oscar can hear Ozpin's voice." Then, Pyrrha's brain caught up to the rest of what was said. "Wait, you can't hear him anymore?" The boy just shook his head, looking down. There was a mix of emotions caught on his face, from sorrow to anger to confusion, and everything in between.
Terrence rubbed his head. "So it's all true then? All the myths and the like are real? A man lives insides a boy's head and has been puppet mastering the whole world?"
"I mean, that's a kind of uncharitable interpretation..." Oscar began as Pyrrha spoke up.
"Magic is real, and most fairy tales have at least a speck of the truth to them." As she spoke, she channeled her magic, eyes lighting up, and calling a small breeze forth before turning it into a tiny dark rain cloud, hovering above her hand, crackling with thunder inside before turning that into a burst of frost. Her control wasn't perfect, some of the ice covering the end of the table nearest her, but the display did a decent job of wowing the council.
"Well that's... quite something" Rhea Galday said, the older woman looking a bit faint. "And to think we didn't even know that it was you, Miss Nikos, that was part of the 'group from Vale' Miss Rose mentioned. We really are lacking information."
Noh Sen just snorted roughly. "Nothing we can do about that, it's not like news is going to come bursting through that door. We need to send out feele-" The door to the council room she was pointing at burst open, traitorously. Sun burst into the room, instantly drawing a slight glare from the otherwise warm Ghira.
"A bandit party is on the march to attack Mistral! It's huge and they'll be here soon!"
A/N: Alright, this chapter went through some revision, realized there was a lot things to add and change. I'm pretty happy with it now though and hope you're all enjoying the story.