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To Survive and Prosper
CHAPTER 10
I woke up so late that the dorm was empty—even Ren was nowhere to be found and he was usually the last person to rise on weekends. Shaking my head and taking a shower, I went to the cafeteria to give myself a decent breakfast. I still have work in a few hours; the decorations at the ballroom were set for the most part, we just needed to finalize its preparations.
Ordering some bacon and eggs, I went to the tables and saw Sun waving at me, brightly smiling with a plate of bananas on his table. I moved toward him and sat at his front.
"Dude, have you heard? Blake's finally coming to the dance!" he said enthusiastically.
I felt relieved from that confirmation. I've both failed to persuade her to stop and get Sun a dance but things were finally looking up for those two. "Yeah, I know, she told me yesterday. Did she ask you out?" I asked.
"She did," he munched another banana before swallowing it. Man, can't faunus get any more stereotypical with what they eat? "Well, she said that she has her first dance saved for Yang. But man, I never expected she'd actually change her mind and even ask me out. What happened?"
"I don't know. Turns out, Yang was crazier than I thought." I said, stabbing a piece of bacon with my pork before putting it in my mouth. "Whatever she did to convince her, she really earned that dance."
"Yeah, you're right. It's nice to have things turning to our favor for a change, we really needed that," he remarked, looking content.
"Amen to that. By the way, are you really coming to the dance with those?" I gestured to his usual outfit, still feeling skeptical over the thought of him attending with an open shirt.
"Nah. I figured that I needed to wear something that's not going to get me kicked out. While it's not really fancy, I'll fit in just fine while still keeping my style."
"Good to hear." I nodded before making more queries. "So, how's Neptune?"
"He's doing fine…" Sun said hesitantly. I was puzzled at his disinclination that I felt like there was something he wasn't telling me.
"Sounds like there's something bothering you. Are you two okay?"
"We're good. I'm just happy that he's following his heart, that's all."
"That's it?" I asked dubiously. "For a second, you were acting a little weird."
"I-It's nothing. We still just couldn't believe we're actually getting dates," he clarified before making a chuckle.
"Yeah, no one's coming alone tonight," I said. Well, not entirely true since Ruby doesn't appear to have a date and Yang doesn't actually need one, being one of the hosts and all but she was able to get a dance saved for her partner.
He silently nodded as we went back into eating at our respective meals while engaging in some trivial conversations. Afterwards, Sun told me he'll see me later at the dance and went his separate way. I went to the ballroom to finish any remaining work that needed to be done before the dance.
Our shift was quick, mostly because most of the arrangement was already taken care of yesterday. We simply picked up where we left off and we were already done before we knew.
"It looks like we're all set!" Yang chirped. The ballroom was transformed to be suited for a school prom. It would surely look dandy once night comes.
"Not quite yet," Weiss uttered, even though everything already looked great after days of planning and decorating.
"What do you mean 'not quite yet?!'" Yang glared at her. "Don't tell me it's still not fancy enough for you!"
"Just hold on for a second, Xiao Long," she went to a table and slightly adjusted the flower vase above it. "There. Now, you can really say we're all set."
Yang groaned as she rolled her eyes. "Remind me never to decorate with you again, Princess Snowflake."
"Trust me. I find that to be very beneficial for both of us," Weiss harrumphed.
Miss Goodwitch approached us from the room's entrance."I take it that everything's in order?"
"Yes, professor. Everything is in place." Weiss gestured around the room. "We kept everything tidy and tested all the equipment. The ballroom is now ready to be used."
"Very good." Miss Goodwitch gave an approving nod as she started tapping on her tablet. "I knew I could depend on you to organize this room. Consider yourselves relieved of your duty. You're going to need your remaining energy for the dance later."
"Understood, ma'am. Thank you." Weiss bowed.
We promptly exited the ballroom. As we were heading back to our dorms, I approached Yang to acknowledge her successful attempt to coax Blake to go to the dance. "Hey, Yang. Good job on getting Blake to finally come. Thought that she's going to stay like that."
"I have my moments, Lady Killer." Yang boasted. "When I say I get things done, I get things done."
"I could definitely see that," I remarked.
She looked back at her tracks before tapping her sister's shoulder "Hey, Rubes. Since you don't have a date. Maybe you could ask Jaune for a dance."
"Yang!" Ruby gave off a faint blush. She was noticeably trying to hold back as I do pretty much the same.
"C'mon, sis! I know you like him. It's not every day you get the chance of having a bold, dashing knight to a dance." Yang teased as I continued to walk and kept my face straight, trying my best not to be embarrassed by this.
"Yeah, I know he's cool, but it's nothing like that," Ruby replied. Yep, I'm definitely not alone in the Tormented Younger Sibling Department.
"Alrighty then, if you don't want him, then maybe I could have him myself," Yang suggested before calling me. "Hey Jaune, you don't mind giving me a dance, right?"
"Yaaang!" Ruby leaned into her sister as she yelled, almost as if she was about to hit her over it.
"Oh, you're jealous! You definitely want him," Yang continued to grin.
"Knock it off, you two," Weiss sternly told the sisters. By the look of her face and the tone of her voice, there is something that is infuriating her. I know Weiss can be quite grumpy, but there was something noticeably bothering her.
"Are you okay?" I was concerned about her mysteriously disheartened behavior.
"I'm fine," she puffed. She's been acting like Sun and Neptune recently but I shrugged it off as just another minor itch. Of course, she's fine, she's dating someone in the same league as her and only wanted a great impression especially since she's a Schnee. Why am I even worried about her?
We went to our respective dorms and spent the rest of the remaining afternoon doing our own thing while getting ready for the dance that we spent an indecent amount of effort we were preparing for.
Glancing at the dorm room's clock and seeing that it was 8:54 P.M. I took one last look at the mirror displaying my own figure that was now clad in formal attire. My hair was combed to be less messy than usual and I donned my good ol' tux, a black tuxedo with red trims and a red bow-tie as well as a gray vest underneath it. Personally, I prefer ties instead of bows. I just find them a bit more stylish while still being simple and relatively more comfortable to wear. But overall, I look fine. I got to be grateful to Viola for providing me with decent clothes over the years.
Putting aside an empty cup from where I consumed tanna from before dressing up since I didn't want any of it spilling on my tux, I decided that I was all groomed up and all set.
The door opened as Ren walked in, donning a tux similarly designed as mine, but with purple trimmings and a bow with matching color. "So, you're ready to go?"
"As ready as I'll ever be," I replied. He gave a nod as I accompanied him to where we would take our date out.
Earlier, Pyrrha and Nora were told to go to a specific location that they marked on our scrolls and we would meet them at exactly 9:00 P.M, no sooner or earlier. We didn't have any reason to object, so we simply complied. The marker eventually led us to the academy's statue monument, where it was empty save for the two of us.
Checking my scroll's clock, it was 8:58 P.M. Meaning we were just in time and just had to wait for a couple of minutes. We both just stood there behind the statue in awkward silence, barely minding each other and not making a sound aside from a single whistle I made to root out uneasiness between us as we waited for our partners.
Yeah, this was pretty much what hanging out with Ren feels like. He definitely doesn't talk unless spoken to or when he needs to. I don't mind that though as I appreciate his straightforwardness and professionalism. He does say and do some very weird stuff from time to time, for example, he talks about the 'machine spirit' or something when he sees someone use any type of technology, proving that a part of him still shared Nora's insanity or is still indoctrinated with whatever machine cult he and Nora used to follow.
As the clock finally hits nine, sounds of footsteps promptly emitted behind us before Pyrrha's voice spoke up. "Are you boys ready?"
Before any of us answered, we turned around and were stunned to see our partners clad in their formal wear, with our eyes widening and our jaws dropping, giving Ren an expression I thought I would never see him sport.
Pyrrha was wearing a long red dress reaching from her collar to her lower leg, still wearing the crown she regularly wears. Nora's pink dress, while being shorter than Pyrrha's, was much more modest, and it suited her bright personality.
"So, Jaune. How do I look?" Pyrrha asked.
"I...uhh I...uhh I...uhh." I was too befuddled to make a proper answer, especially compared to Ren who was quicker to snap out of it than I did.
Pyrrha chuckled. "I'll take that as a compliment then."
I shook my head out of my stupefied state. I cleared my throat and asserted. "A-Alright, everyone. Now that we're here—let's have a night we won't forget, shall we?"
They all nodded before Pyrrha and Nora stepped in and offered their respective partners hands. While I may have held hands with many different girls in my life and this was far from the first time I touched her, I was still astounded when I took Pyrrha's hand. It was soft and gentle that it felt natural and it never felt forced when she held me back. I could only smile at her as I accompanied her to the ballroom with our teammates at our side.
When we arrived, the first thing we saw after entering the ballroom was Yang standing on a podium greeting guests as she spotted us.
"Well, if it isn't Hero-boy and Wonder-girl!" Yang pointed at us with some finger guns. "Good to finally have you guys here."
"Nice to see you, too. You look great by the way." I responded, complimenting her white dress, which seemed to have flattered her. I gazed at the ballroom and saw the results of our arrangement; it perfectly captured the young romantic atmosphere we were aiming for while adding a having a modest amount of spice here and there, courtesy of her. The dance floor was already filled with pairs dancing to the ballad of the tune playing in the room, with the music being administered by two DJs wearing robotic helmets while still donning their tux. "Place looks fantastic. Looks like our work did pay off."
"You betcha!" She pumped with a wide grin, having so much fun it was almost easy to forget that she was still serving a month-long probation for various felonies, which was very light for those types of crimes, mind you. It reminded me how lucky we were that The Great & Powerful Ozpin was really that powerful that he can influence the police force into giving us lenient sentences over a tragedy. But that was not something I wanted to think about for the moment. "Now, what are you waiting for? Go on and have fun!"
We beamed at her for one more time as we moved past her and into the dance floor. I gazed back at Pyrrha while standing in the middle of the floor, ignoring the glances directed at us as some of the most recognizable faces among the freshmen of Beacon.
"So…" Pyrrha uttered, as she slightly bobbed her head down and sported a slight blush.
I stared at her and noticed her nervousness, which puzzled me considering how normal it was for her to be at the center of attention that she would have surely been more experienced in dealing with these types of situations than I was. I decided to ask her to start dancing as I thought it would ease her mind for a bit. "Should we begin?" I held her hand once again.
"Of course," she promptly nodded and returned my offer, putting her other hand on my shoulder as we began to slowly sway to the rhythm of the music.
Turning to my two other teammates, they were in the act as well. They gazed back with bright smiles on their faces as Ren nodded at me. I beamed at them before we went back enjoying our respective partners.
I kept eye contact with Pyrrha's emerald eyes, just enjoying the music and not really caring about the world or anyone else around me (maybe except when I had to watch for other couples so I could not hit them in a rather packed ballroom.) Pyrrha appeared to be enjoying herself. Her dancing was adequate, not that it really mattered to me. The thing that was bothering me is that she would glance at her side from time to time and look somewhat anxious before hastily looking back at me.
"You look nervous. Have you ever danced before?" I asked her gently.
"Actually I did," she answered, not surprising given her popularity. "It just feels a bit strange that I am actually doing it with someone I actually know. Most boys I danced with were strangers that my friends paired me up with."
"I certainly know how that feels." I sympathized, musing at the social events my family dragged me to. "Not a lot of boyfriends back home, do you?" I asked before realizing my poor choice of words. "I-I mean that you don't really have a lot of boys that are your friends, that's what I actually meant to ask." I chuckled nervously.
She giggled. "Next to none." She glanced down. "You were actually one of my first."
"I am?" I pondered, raising one of my brows in surprise.
"Yes, you are. And a good one at that," she smiled brightly at me.
I returned the smile, beneath it lies a semblance of shame when I remembered that I was still using her as a meat shield that I intended to use in our next mission, along with everyone on my team. I kept my positive manner as I didn't want her or anyone to notice my insecurity and just want to enjoy that moment, without anything including my own self ruining it for me.
As I continued to dance with Pyrrha, I looked around the other partners in the ballroom as they had a pleasant time. One that caught my attention was Sun and Blake happily dancing with each other. Seeing them both contented was uplifting since both of them used to be dispirited prior to this.
Blake spotted me and flashed a smile. I returned the smile to her and glanced at the side to see her teammates standing by, all with satisfied looks on their faces. Given all the crap and drama that we have to go through this week, it was nice for good things to happen to us for once.
Minutes went by in Pyrrha's comforting company, and we eventually stopped. Giving her another warm stare, I escorted her to our table. I did not let her go until she was seated comfortably on her chair.
"There's plenty more where that came from," I said with a confident grin.
"Can't wait to see what you have to offer, then," she said, feeling as content as ever.
I turned back and looked around the ballroom, seeing the various ways I could pass my time on. "I'm just gonna roam around and explore. Need a drink?"
"I think I'll be fine, but thank you," she replied.
"Okay then. I'll be back before you know it." I gave her one last nod before walking away.
I headed to the buffet to get some free food, which I found to be the best part of these types of gatherings. Social events can be very boring, but on the bright side, you get to eat something nice without wasting a single lien whether it's a fine cuisine or a delicious dessert.
I found myself frozen when I saw that I was being approached by the Great & Powerful Ozpin himself. He was still wearing the same apparel as he has always been wearing, which I couldn't blame him enough since it was already formal enough for himself. What irked me the most is that he still had his mug with him. I'm not sure if that's the same mug or if he had several mugs of similar design.
"Enjoying the night so far, Mister Arc?" He asked, grinning at me.
I'm enjoying it as much as you enjoy seeing me suffer if that's what you're asking, I thought. But as much as I wanted to answer him with that, I'm afraid that I had to stay on his good side especially considering the power and influence he possesses to keep our punishments at a relative minimum. Otherwise, I'd only be making him happy to throw me into even worse predicaments as retribution. "I can't really say that I don't," I answered as politely as I could.
"Very well. You should continue to enjoy it while the night is still young. Like one's youth, it should not be taken for granted. Events such as these give you a chance to ease your anxiety before an upcoming storm," he said.
Considering it was scheduled a day before we have our first mission, it won't be a surprise if this was our last chance to celebrate before our possible demise. "Well, If anything I'm going to make sure that this won't be my last."
"I can reassure you; you are guaranteed to see more nights with the likes of this." Ozpin smiled at me before turning his head back to the dance floor. "If you think about it, fighting and dancing aren't so different. They are both considered art that requires physical prowess that the two are occasionally combined. [1] One example of their similarities would be two partners interlocking, although one wrong move in the ballroom merely leads to a swollen foot while one wrong move in the battlefield can potentially be lethal."
That analogy almost ruined the relaxed state I was having during the party. He just had to remind me of my dangerous responsibilities while I was trying to enjoy a night that in his words: 'gives me a chance to ease my anxiety before an upcoming storm'. What a flatulent asshole.
He continued, "You happen to be proficient at both fields, have you not noticed?"
"My family taught me everything I need in life, and I'm grateful for that," I answered humbly and I was actually being sincere because I didn't have any more reason to lie to Ozpin since he already knows the truth about me.
"Your family does deeply care about you; I hope you act the same to those around you. It's not every day that friends are able to come together like this. Time has a way of testing our bonds, but it's nights like these that can help keep them stronger than ever. Nights like these are ones we'll never forget."
Watching the ballroom again I could see Ren and Nora dance for a bit before being tangled together in an embrace, that image warmed my heart. While I still don't like Ozpin, I can definitely see what he's coming from.
"I shall be off now. Please have a nice evening. I have plans for you tomorrow," he said before walking away.
His last sentence had me frozen as I began to wonder what he meant by that. When I stopped spacing out, he was already gone. Knowing him, he would have kept me in the dark even if I had the chance to ask him about it and it worried me deeply. I wanted to forget about it at the moment so I went back to focusing on the party.
Scanning around the ballroom, I spotted some of my teachers; Professor Port was telling one of his tales to Doctor Oobleck. That was when I found where Ozpin went, he was standing beside Miss Goodwitch who I saw was invited by someone who looked like the Atlesian guy on the hologram that day. He really might or might have not been the same person.
Before I tempted myself to approach Ozpin and confront him about what he was planning, I saw Ruby alone behind the punch table, looking downcast. Whether she was feeling alone or was still haunted by that night, I had a friend in need.
Grabbing a marshmallow and dipping it in the chocolate fountain before eating it whole, I put on a friendly face and approached her. "Hey," I said, prompting Ruby to look up and face me across the table. "You alright?"
"I'm fine. I'm just not really feeling this up." Her expression was a little better than I expected, but she was undoubtedly perturbed by something. Likely because she still didn't forget about the tragedy last Tuesday. She was wearing a dark red dress that still fits her perky goth persona but she didn't seem to be comfortable in it.
"Not really your kind of party, is it?" I asked.
"I guess you could say that," she nodded. "Don't get me wrong. I like parties as much as the next guy, but I'm not really into fancy parties where you dance with someone and stuff like that."
"You'll learn to appreciate it," I gave her a comforting smile. "I didn't like these types of parties either, I thought it was just so people could play matchmaker with you. But it also helps because you get to learn with others more." I turned to the dance floor and saw Sun and Blake who appeared to be making their way back to their seats after they finished dancing. "Blake looks like she's having fun," I added before taking a sip.
"I'm really happy for her," Ruby beamed before frowning once again. "It's just too bad that I can't say the same for Weiss."
That shocked me greatly that I would have almost spat out my punch had I not been able to swallow it first but I almost choked because of it. "What do you mean?"
"Weiss came alone. She said that she had too much to focus on to worry about boys," she clarified.
Didn't Neptune ask her out? I asked myself silently. Looking at my side and seeing Weiss all alone, trying to make a wilting white rose stand in vain before looking at Neptune who was chatting up with Sun and Blake. Thinking about what Neptune said yesterday and how Weiss acted earlier, I guessed that Neptune actually turned her down and both of them ended up coming here alone. "Oh, yeah. I see that..."
"It sucks. I know Weiss can be a bit unbearable sometimes, but she's not really a bad person. Once you get to know her, she's actually an okay friend; shopping with her yesterday was pretty fun. It's pretty upsetting to see her alone," Ruby commented.
I found myself feeling pity for Weiss. While I disliked her attitude and we weren't really on the best of terms recently, she can sometimes be a decent person to be around on a good day. I could still remember having a pleasant conversation with her after our first day of class and I believed she deserved better despite everything else about her.
After it was apparent that Neptune had finished his conversation with Sun and Blake, I finished my punch and decided to confront him about this. "I gotta go. Try to have fun for a bit. We might not even have another party like this."
"Trust me, I'll try." Ruby made an assuring nod yet she didn't seem to be making any promises judging by the expression on her face. Eh, no matter, she'll find a way to enjoy this party one way or the other I thought.
I inconspicuously trailed Neptune, blending with the crowd full of well-dressed students as he walked right up the stairs to the second floor. I did receive glances from some students but they were oblivious to my intentions that they immediately ignored me. Well, aside from a few of my admirers who were infatuated with seeing me in a tuxedo. I might have made one of them faint just by grinning at them back.
Taking the stairs then taking a short walk through the halls of the second floor. I followed Neptune to the balcony, where he was leaning at the banister and staring up at the night sky.
He heard my footsteps entering the balcony and turned around to face me. "Oh hey, Jaune." I just noticed he still has his goggles on his forehead while wearing that tux. Typical huntsman fashion sense. "Sooo, what's up?"
"I'm doing fine. How about you?" I replied calmly while feeling somewhat cold to him.
"Just getting some fresh air," he answered.
There was a pause for a few seconds. I kept staring at him while his sight wandered. "So, how's your partner?" I asked.
"Yeah, about that..." Neptune nervously uttered. "Listen... I kinda... screwed up."
"I know. You came to the dance alone, didn't you?" I queried him before he could admit it himself.
He shamefully nodded. "Yeah, b-but I didn't lie to you when I said that Weiss asked me out, I just ended up rejecting her."
I looked away for a second, musing about how she displayed affection to him. While it was baffling that she was enthused with him out of nowhere since they first met, she didn't really deserve to be rejected by him like that. "Why did you turn her down like that? She was like your best chance!"
"Look, man, I wanted to take her out. I really do!" he claimed before looking down in regret. "I just realized that it won't work out..."
I raised my brow puzzled. This was coming from a guy who flirts with anything that has a pretty face and he pretty much blew his chance with one of the girls who are actually interested in him. "What do you mean?" What won't work out?"
"It's kinda silly. Really," he gave a faint chuckle before making eye contact once more. "Would you promise not to tell anyone?"
I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms as I hesitantly took his word. "I cross my heart and hope to die, just tell me what's wrong."
He sighed before finally confessing. "I can't dance."
My eyes widened as I froze for a second. "Excuse me?"
"I can't dance, man—really!" he spurted. "I may be talented in some fields but dancing isn't one of them. Yeah, I know our team made some music but all I did was compose and use a software to make it sound like I was singing! [2]"
I glanced at my side and sighed. "That explains it then." Although laughably pitiful, I empathize with him. It's perfectly understandable that you don't want to make a fool of yourself of trying something you know you can't do, but I wish he would have told me that sooner instead of making me think that he got a date.
"Look, dude. I know I just made her lonely down there and it's my fault. Take her, I think you deserve her a lot more than I do. You're like everything that I'm not, just please don't tell anyone."
He's partially right, he's not a lying, cheating lowlife like me. I don't think I deserved her either but if Weiss was to cheer up then she deserved to be with someone she actually likes.
"Do you really like Weiss?" I asked him.
"Yeah, I mean I really don't know her too well yet, but she seems pretty cool," he answered. "I know I shouldn't have rejected her like that, but like I said, she's better off with you. You're a lot cooler than me anyway."
So he really did learn some humility. I doubt it's going to last long because old habits die hard but I should still give him credit where it's due. As much as I want to use this opportunity to make up for not helping Weiss last Tuesday, I was not letting two of my friends be lonely tonight. "Thanks, but... I think you should be the one taking her. I mean, she approached you. And don't worry about dancing, I think you'll be fine."
"Yeah, but what am I going to tell her, man? I don't think I could show my face to her ever again after I blew my chance with her," he fretted.
"Don't think about that too much," I reassured him. "Just talk to her. No pickup lines. No suave moves. Just be yourself."
"You sure about this?"
I firmly nodded, "I trusted my Mom when she told me that. I haven't found her to be wrong on anything so far."
"You're such a momma's boy, aren't you? Not that there's anything wrong with that, I love my mom too," he took a deep breath before brightening up. "Well, if that's what got chicks into you, I'll take your word for it. Just remember not to tell anyone that I can't dance."
"Your secret is safe with me," I nodded. "Go talk to her. I guarantee it'll make her night."
"Thanks, Jaune. You're too good for this world, I really mean it." He went close to me and offered me his fist.
"Don't mention it," I said, bumping his fist with mine in an amicable manner.
After he walked past me and exited the balcony with his newfound confidence, I just stood there alone, feeling the breeze of the ballroom's exterior.
While I was happy that I did help out some of my friends, it only made me wonder if I had gotten too close with my colleagues. I knew that I had to make bonds with them so that they could aid me through this school year, but I know that eventually, I would have to abandon these people one way or the other. I pray that it wouldn't have to come to that.
I was so caught up in my own cogitations that I did not hear the footsteps coming from the heels of a certain redhead. "Jaune?"
"Oh, Pyrrha." I turned my head out of surprise. "So, how's the party?"
"So far it's been great; Ren and Nora are having so much fun," she answered before giving me a worried look, stepping a little closer. "Are you okay? Is there something bothering you?"
I held my blush. "N-N-No! I-I'm doing fine. You know these parties, they can get rowdy enough that you need some time alone."
"Uh-huh." She slowly nodded with hesitation. "Well, you don't mind if I stay here with you for a minute?"
I shook my head lightly. "No, not at all. Why would I ever shun away the presence of my partner?"
"Well then." She proceeded to move closer until she was next beside me on the balcony.
Once again we were gazing at the nightly scenery of Beacon together. The scenery was vast enough that you could see the Beacon tower in all its glory there. Looking away from the view and at Pyrrha, her beautiful face was appreciating Beacon's landscape peacefully.
Turning my head down, I saw that her hand was resting on the stone balustrade beside mine. I was tempted to hold it, hesitantly guiding my hand to hers. I know I already held her hand on our way to the ballroom and during the dance, but this was different—we were alone with each other, and holding hands in this situation was a sign of affection that indicates something beyond friendship.
"Jaune..."
I immediately shook my hand away from hers when I was hovering my palm over the back of her hand. "Yeah, Pyrrha?"
She turned her head to me. "I just wanted to say that I'm very grateful to have you as my partner and teammate."
"You're quite welcome..." I answered, almost stammering for a second.
"You've been a great friend and leader; for these past months, I cannot be more thankful for that. You've given me something I thought I would never have."
"Never have what?"
She gazed back to the balcony. "You see, I've been blessed with incredible talents and opportunities. I'm constantly surrounded by love and praise, but when you're placed on a pedestal like that for so long, you become separated from the people that put you there in the first place."
That's what I'm also worried about. Aside from my guilt of upholding an image that I don't deserve, I also have to preserve my humanity before I become too much of an idol. It's cool being known more than just plain ol' Jaune Arc sometimes, but at the end of the day—that's just who I am. It's no wonder I get along with Pyrrha, she was bearing the same problems that I'm trying to face or am preparing to face.
She faced me again. "Everyone assumes I'm too good for them. That I'm on a level they simply can't attain. It's become impossible to form any sort of meaningful relationship with people," she said before turning to me with a smile. "And then I met you. When we met, you didn't even know my name. You treated me just like anyone else. And thanks to you—I've made friendships that will last a lifetime; I cannot be more thankful than that."
I smiled back knowing how she is appreciative of me. But at the same time, I couldn't help but feel stricken at my own conscience that I managed to successfully gain her respect to further my selfish intentions. Our friendship may be genuine, but unfortunately—I still have my own plans on staying alive so I could live long enough to see my old boring life back, and it even might cost her if things get too desperate.
There was a short pause afterward. Pyrrha then caught her breath. "I'm rambling, am I?"
"No worries. I'm grateful to have you too as well. We'll get through this together," I said to her reassuringly, not only as her partner but also as a friend and a teammate. Even though I was more than grateful for having her as my glorified trainer and bodyguard while I'm on the same team as her, I was able to appreciate her company beyond those things. I don't think I'll be alone for a while so long as she's by my side and I believe I should be thankful for that.
She looked at me brightly and went to stay at my side for a few more minutes until she decided to leave. "I'm going back downstairs. I'll see you there."
I watched her leave the balcony before I found myself to be alone once again, only this time—I felt peace within myself after spending some time with her and looking to the bright side of things; feelings of self-conflict suddenly vanished.
Maybe I shouldn't think about my own problems too hard for now.
=o=
1. This is true. Due to the vast similarities between dancing and fighting, there are several martial arts and fighting styles that originated from dance or vice-versa. My fighting style, for example, mixes fencing with figure skating.
2. This had more or less explained why Neptune's 'singing' sounded odd when I listened to them the first few times.