Bare Knuckle Gym
Pyrrha spent the rest of the first day waiting for Blake to come back. Hoping that there was a good explanation. She went on waiting and hoping until she fell asleep, through a breakfast of bland oatmeal in the lobby, and right on until her stomach told her it was lunchtime.
After that she... had to accept the facts. Blake was gone, and she'd taken more than a thousand of her lien.
Everyone said I trust too easily. I guess... I guess they were right. Did she even want to attend Beacon? Was that just... a game or something?
The next few days were... rough. She didn't know anyone, didn't have a scroll, and was painfully aware of how little money she had. Paying the hotel for a full two weeks made sure she'd have a place to sleep until Beacon could legally give her money, but it still left her very worried about how much she had left to spend for food and drinks.
With what she'd spent on the room, with what Blake had taken, she only had five hundred or so left to last her to Ozpin's return. Even then, she hadn't thought to remember how much the assistance would provide.
Meaning she needed income.
But how do I make money without telling everyone I'm Pyrrha Nikos?
It was certainly a conundrum. Pyrrha would be the first to admit that she didn't know much about getting a 'normal' job, but even she knew that little things like giving her actual name was going to be a requirement. Even if she kept it to just the owner, she doubted that they'd let her hide her face the entire time.
...so if I get a job I'll be telling everyone who I am. Which means the entire world will know.
That was going to happen sooner or later, but she was really holding out for the 'later'. Especially with the whole Blake-debacle demolishing the confidence she'd started to feel. About the only thing that was going well was that she'd bought a cheap bandanna from the grocer, adding it to her disguise when she went out to buy the cheapest sandwiches from their deli.
So far everyone seemed to view her as strange, considering that she hid her face and most of her hair behind random articles of clothing, but they also seemed to think her both polite and harmless.
"Which... seventy-eight... is good, but... seventy nine... a real job... eighty... is still out." She murmured as she did push-ups on the hotel floor, ticking off each one. "Eighty one... so what... eighty two... can I do?"
Her only actual skillset, beyond her general education, was as a tournament fighter. It was all she knew how to do. All she'd really ever known how to do.
Maybe a personal trainer? Take less money for them to keep quiet until the semester starts?
It was an idea, but who would she even approach? And how? The lack of a scroll was pretty crippling since it stopped her from easily looking up information. She'd asked, but the hotel didn't have a public one, and according to the hotel staff the nearest library charged hourly to use theirs.
And I don't have the money to buy one.
The only other idea she had was to find a huntsman's gym. Offer herself as a sparring partner to anyone who asked, or offer to help tune up weapons for a handful of lien, and pray to the gods they didn't go around bragging.
That would also solve another problem she hadn't anticipated; boredom.
I can't remember the last time I had so much of a day to just... do nothing.
For someone used to regimented training every morning, then private education sessions, then planned meals, and then scheduled events, and then, and then, and then... the complete lack of any defined plan started to get to her the moment Blake vanished.
She'd tolerated one morning worth of watching television before she'd had to turn it off, spending all afternoon exercising and stretching to try and stay busy. When she'd run out of steam for that she'd moved on to doing maintenance on Milo, and gone to sleep feeling... somewhat better.
Waking up the next morning and realizing she still had nothing to do had nearly made her scream.
By day five she was desperate enough to take a chance.
"A gym?" The same worker who'd taken their reservation looked confused by the question. "We have a small one on this floor if you need to work out, ma'am."
Pyrrha tugged a little at her bandanna, making sure it covered the lower half of her face, then double-checked that Milo was secure on her belt while Akouo rode on her back. "I was hoping something for huntsmen, or at least amateur fighters. Somewhere I could get a spar or two in to burn off energy."
"Ah." He nodded, "I understand. A lot of the ones nearby were closed down over the past couple of months, too many of their clients ended up being White Fang. But the Bare Knuckle is still open I think. Four blocks south, and... two east I think. My brother's been through there a few times."
"Thank you!"
"You're quite welcome, ma'am." He paused before asking, "I haven't heard anything about your partner. I'm sorry that she left so suddenly."
Me too.
"Thank you for keeping an eye out."
He gave her an understanding smile before she said her goodbyes, leaving with the faint hopes that were all she had left.
Was this all a mistake?
It... no. It wasn't. She'd just... just had bad luck to start with, that was all! It was a setback, like an opponent pulling out a semblance her father's scouts had missed. She had to adjust, but it wasn't the end of the fight.
Following the nice man's instructions led her deeper into what she was starting to recognize was the largest faunus-enclave within Vale. She got a few nods from the people who'd seen her at the grocer's, and confused looks from everyone else.
...she really needed a better disguise. While the bandanna, overlarge sunglasses, and shirt cover her hair may have made it hard to realize who she was... it was also more than strange enough to draw attention.
Blake might know... Pyrrha cut that thought down at once. I'll... I'll just have to manage.
After a long walk she found her destination. It was a worn-down concrete box of a building, tinted over windows hiding the interior. Faded letters above the doors proclaimed 'Bare Knuckle Hunter's Gym'. A plastic sign told her the hours, while another proclaimed them to be 'Open for Brawling'.
Cautiously pulling the door open, she slipped inside to find a rather quiet business. There weren't really any interior walls, most of the building seemed to be just a single room. An elevated sparring ring dominating the space, while half of the rest of was taken up by old exercise equipment, and the remainder was filled with smaller mats and benches.
There were only a tiny handful of people present. A bored looking girl with scaled skin was sitting behind a little desk near the door, while two men were stretching in the ring. A third man was watching them, but turned around when the door closed behind her.
"Persia!" His voice boomed out, almost echoing. "Stop reading those damned magazines and greet our customer!"
The girl looked put out at the tremendous effort it took to pick her head up from her reading material. "Welcome to Bare Knuckle Hunter's Gym. Prices are on the front of the desk."
Pyrrha had already looked at them, "Memberships only?"
"Yup." The receptionist popped the end of the word. "Paid up front. Fifty lien today gets you in for the month, you can get fifteen off if you pay for a whole year."
That seemed rather... well, cheap? She was pretty sure most places in Mistral charged at least three times that.
You can't afford charity, just accept it!
Walking up to the desk, she quickly took out fifty lien and calmly handed it over. The girl yawned and took it before drawling, "Thanks. Scroll ID?"
"I... don't have one." She admitted.
"Uh huh. No service without ID." Came another bored reply. "We don't hold it or anything, just need to take a screenshot to register you."
"I don't have a scroll."
The girl eyed her, took in her ridiculous appearance, then abruptly raised her voice. "Dad! Think we've got another one!"
Pyrrha blinked, then looked over as the big man came striding their way. He wore a plain green shirt and cargo shorts, revealing thick green scales covering much of his body. His broad face was set in a scowl, feet stomping harder as he approached.
"Another one?" His glare was nearly as powerful as the professor at Beacon's, and she shrank under it. "Bloody hell girl. At least have the spine to wear a white mask like the rest of your idiot friends."
Pyrrah blinked behind her sunglasses. "I'm... sorry?"
A hand took the fifty lien note from the desk and threw it at her. She caught awkwardly, then flinched when he raised his voice once more. "You think I'm an idiot? Not taking White Fang blood money! Out!"
"I'm not White Fang!" She protested. "I'm not even a faunus!"
He sneered at her. "Pull the other one, coward. Out!"
No! This is the only chance I've got!
Desperate, she pushed her sunglasses up. "I swear I'm neither! I need... I just need a place to train! And maybe-"
"Out!" A single step brought him into her personal space, a palm coming up to shove her shoulder.
Her left arm snapped up on reflex, batting it aside while her right drew Milo from her hip. It unfurled rapidly into sword form, the sound of its mechashift apparently sparking the man's own reflexes. His other hand went for the weapon, forcing her to parry it aside with the flat of the blade as she side-stepped around him.
"You just made all kinds of bad choices, girl." He shook his hands and settled into a stance of his own. "Last chance. Out before I throw you out."
"Please." She tried one more time. "I'm not White Fang. I just want to pay for a place to-"
He was fast. He was very fast.
She threw herself to the right, dodging a punch aimed at her skull, training and instinct taking over.
Right handed, keeps leading with it. Balance is perfect. Stance is that of a Valean Combat Boxer. Milo rose, parrying aside another punch, drawing emerald sparks at the point of contact. Aura unlocked, strength unknown, semblance unknown.
Shouts from the other two men in the gym were a distant distraction compared to the rapid punches that were being thrown at her. He stayed close as she retreated, clearly trying to get around to her left side.
Tactics; he's not aiming to hurt me, he's aiming to herd me to the door.
She feinted back, as if cowed, then darted right while getting Akouo off of her back. He seemed to buy the fake, but he was so much faster than her usual opponents that it barely bought her the time to get her shield in place. It rang when he slammed a fist into it, the force of the impact shoving her arm back against her chest.
A sharp thrust at his belly with Milo drew more of his aura away, but he didn't retreat like she expected; he took the blow, uncaring, and then drove both fists into her shield at the same time.
She got a first hand understanding of his semblance when power ripped through Akouo, raced up her arm, and then expanded through her body. The bolt of electricity hurled her from her feet, slammed her against the wall near the door, and left her to drop in a moaning heap onto the concrete.
Everything hurt. She couldn't remember the last time she'd been hit like that.
"You alive?"
She tried to speak, but all she managed to do was groan. "...ow..."
"Brat." The voice was still angry. "I pulled that punch. Get your ass up and out of my gym. Now, before I call the cops and tell them a Fang is trying to shake me down."
Breathing uneven. Heart racing. Electricity on impact or touch, dangerous semblance.. Aura took a sizable hit. This... was a bad idea... after all...no. No. I will not give up. I won't lose.
Collecting herself took a minute. Her fingers wrapped tightly around her weapons, keeping them close as she got one knee under her, then the other. Standing took a bit more effort, but by the time she was upright her breathing was steadying out once again.
A Nikos does not falter. She does not fail. She does not lose.
The man scowled at her, then his lips twisted when he realized she was settling in to a combat stance rather than departing.
She does not lose. She never loses.
"Girl." The word was a rumbling growl. "I ain't going to be polite again. Get out, and tell your brothers in the Fang that they ain't-"
He'd already broken the polite rules of engagement, so she didn't feel bad at all about throwing Akouo at his face mid sentence. An arm snapped up to block the edge of the shield, drawing a pained grunt as he batted it aside.
Pyrrha was already surging forwards, Milo shifting to javelin form as she thrust. He jerked his head back to avoid the edge, then his eyes seemed to widen as she pressed the attack. The long weapon struck high, low, mid, to one side, each strike forcing him to retreat, parry, to growl in pain as she lanced out pieces of his aura.
One of her feet struck Akouo as she drove him past it, kicking the shield back up. Her semblance snapped it back into place on her arm, letting her lock Milo into the notch while she settled back into a defensive crouch. A flick of her finger sent her weapon shifting into rifle form, ready to shoot.
The man's eyes narrowed dangerously, and this time she could see the little electrical arcs starting to form around his knuckles as he brought them both up to shield his face.
Possible ranged use of semblance, be ready to doge.
"All right then. You want a beating, I'll give you-"
A high pitched shriek made everyone wince, then look over to where the receptionist had bounced out of her seat. Her hands actually clapped together in excitement, her eyes locked on to Pyrrha's.
"Oh my gods! Oh my gods!"
Oh. Oh dear. This is a rather iconic look, isn't it?
"Persia! Get back dammit!" Her opponent ordered his daughter. "This one's dangerous!"
The girl was already rushing forwards, sliding to a stop next to her parent. She was still vibrating in excitement, making it rather clear to Pyrrha where this was going.
"Dad! The weapons, that stance! That's Pyrrha Nikos!"
Pyrrha winced, easing out of her combat form. Well. Good job. You could have simply accepted defeat and avoided this, but no. Your pride couldn't take losing even to a professional Hunter.
"...that tournament girl you were sobbing about?" The man only slowly relaxed once she had done the same. "Something about her going missing?"
"She was kidnapped! We have to call the police right now, tell them that she's-"
"Please don't!" Pyrrha felt awful for interrupting, but she absolutely had to. "I wasn't kidnapped, it's quite all right!"
The girl blinked. "But... what happened then? You totally vanished from Mistral, like, a week ago! People are saying you've got to be dead!"
Not seeing any point to her disguise now that she'd all but admitted it, she shifted Akouo to her back so that she could pull her bandanna down. It was easier to breathe without the cloth in the way, and made her features clear.
"It's... a long story." She admitted. "I'm sorry for bothering you, but I'm trying to... um..."
"Lay low?" Her opponent suggested.
She nodded gratefully, "Yes, that."
He snorted. "You're shit at it."
"Dad!"
"Callin' like I see it."
Pyrrha couldn't bring herself to disagree. "I... I'm getting the feeling that you're right."
The man glanced at his daughter, then back at her. "Well, not dressing like a closet faunus or wannabe terrorist would be a good start. Same with wandering into a gym and trying to pay without ID, and ignoring the owner when he tells you get off his property. What are you even doing in my place to begin with?"
"Um..." She shifted uncomfortably. "...I'm not used to... laying low. I needed... a place to exercise."
"You got bored."
That made her sound so... juvenile even if it was true. "Well... yes. I'm used to training a great deal every day. Staying hidden is... confining."
He actually chuckled. "Relax. I've got three other teenage girls just like this one, I know how to read them."
His daughter pouted. "Dad. Be polite! She's the most famous tournament fighter in the world!"
"Bah, tournament fighting isn't real fighting and you know it." A hand rose so that he could scratch at his chin. "Right, well. Suppose I should apologize for being rough with you."
She shook her head, "It's entirely my own fault. I should have simply left as you asked."
My pride wouldn't let me.
"Yeah, but I shouldn't have gone right to my semblance either." He grunted. "Glad you're a huntress prospect or this would be messy... legally and otherwise. Well, what's done is done. Persia? Go get her some water, least we can do for her before she leaves. And you two back there! I don't hear you drunken idiots actually working on your stances!"
Good natured jeering came from the other two faunus huntsman present, but she saw them walk away from the edge of the ring to resume their stretching. His daughter gave her one more starstruck smile before racing off, leaving the two of them to stand awkwardly alone.
Before she leaves...
Her heart sank. "I can't stay?"
He eyed her, then seemed to sigh. "Girl... Nikos, I just run a gym. I don't know what you're doing in Vale, or doing in this neighborhood to being with. Quite frankly I don't really care. What I do care about is my business. Having you here would be bad for that."
"Why?" She asked quietly.
"Because this is faunus territory, and to the authorities that means White Fang territory." He shook his head. "All my competitors were closed down because they were supposedly training those lunatics. I know for a fact most of 'em weren't, just an easy excuse. We get cops or undercover cops in here every other week or so, checking our registry, making sure I haven't unlocked aura, that kind of thing."
She lowered her eyes, understanding. "If they found me here, they would think you abducted me. That you're holding me for the White Fang."
"Got it in one, girl. I'm sorry for this. You seem earnest enough, if a bit naive. But I like owning my gym more than I like whatever fortune a teenage celebrity out slumming it could offer me."
I couldn't even offer him a fortune to begin with.
"Look. I'll keep my mouth shut, and make sure my daughter does too. Same for those two idiots back there." He said gruffly, but kindly. "No one will know you were here, all right?"
"I... thank you." Pyrrrha managed. "I'm sorry for being a bother."
"Don't be. Sign something for Persia, don't tell anyone I picked a fight with a seventeen year old, and we'll call it all even."
Finding her smiling mask, she nodded and agreed to the little deal. They let her stay for a while, until she'd finished her water and he'd confirmed that she wasn't suffering side-effects from his semblance. Her grip was steady, and balance perfect when he ran her through a few short exercises.
She finally got his name, Dusty Röt, and thanked him again when he suggested she vary up her disguise a bit.
"Otherwise you'll get everyone thinking the same as I did." He told her. "I'm guessing most of the people you've met think yer an ashamed faunus as is, and I'd bet that you've been lucky so far. First cop that rolls through is going to slam on the breaks and grab you, thinking you're hiding your face for worse reasons than you are. I'd at least ditch the shirt on your hair, maybe shave it down close."
After that she signed Persia's magazine; ironically one proclaiming that she was missing on the cover. The other girl giggled endlessly about that, but thankfully agreed to her father's demand to keep quiet about meeting her.
Then she was back out on the streets, her unfortunate disguise in place, shuffling back to the hotel with her head hung low.
That went well. What is your next plan, Pyrrha? Pretend to be a faunus after all, join the White Fang? Her bandanna caught her sigh, warm breath tickling her chin. Stupid pride. Stupid idea.
What was it about her that stopped her from being able to think ahead properly? She should have known that a Huntsman's gym wouldn't just let a random girl in to train. That they'd need to register her, know her name, verify that she wasn't a criminal. That police would watch such places to make sure they weren't unlocking aura illegally.
Or training terrorists, apparently.
Not that it mattered now. That had been her only real idea, and it had been a bust. Considering what had happened the last time she'd tried to trust someone's kindness, she also had less than good odds that they wouldn't reveal her stopping by. Meaning she might have to find a new hotel, maybe even before her two weeks were up.
All of that combined to leave her trapped in her hotel room until Ozpin returned. But even when he did, even if she got a small stipend... what could she do with it?
She still couldn't go out in public.
Maybe I should just go to Patch island, to the school there.
It would certainly get out that she was there, but at least she'd have a place to train, to relax. She'd have a little time before the media and police swarmed her. Before her parents arrived to scream at her, to try and drag her away.
Could I stand my ground?
Knowing herself as she did, she doubted it. If she practiced her speech enough, she could probably say something to the reporters and police. Maybe. But the moment her parents arrived... she would cave, as she always had.
Then she would be back in Mistral, doomed to do nothing but play her part.
She was so morose by the time she made it back to the Wall Hotel that she used the side door rather than the front; she couldn't stomach the idea of talking to anyone right now. All she wanted was a hot shower and bed, never-mind that it wasn't even noon.
Maybe tomorrow she could come up with something else to try.
Opening her room's door, she pulled her weapons free and threw them on to the spare bed without looking.
The sudden yelp jerked her head around...
...to see an even dirtier and more disheveled faunus girl cautiously lifting her head from where Akouo had nearly hit it.
Pyrrha blinked a few times.
Feline ears slowly flatted down against the other woman's head.
Silence reigned for nearly a minute before her guest found her voice. "Um... hello, Pyrrha."
"...hello, Blake."
Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."
Thanks, Kat