Glynda was worried. Extremely so. She looked around for any sign of trickery or misbehaviour. Having a traitor amongst them preoccupied her to no end. Her students were in danger, her colleagues were in danger, and Ironwood had painted a huge target on their back with the Athlesian fleet at their doorstep, as if saying 'come get us'.
James had only the best intentions on his mind, but that was never enough. She had lost a good deal of students to that sort of thinking. She would not lose anyone else. She had to be alert, she had to be cool headed, she had to be strong.
She walked trough the halls, not one of those previous thoughts showing on her face. To everyone else, she was still the strict and collected combat instructor.
Once again, she had been summoned to Ozpin's tower. She was his constant confidant in the school, and believed herself to be the only reliable one. It was her pride, being able to be there for him. Yet, the headmaster was still extremely snarky, dismissive and calculating with everyone else.
After learning of the old Team Combat instructor's betrayal he didn't even flinch. He wasn't in shock, he just treated it as anything else; which was unusual. If she knew one thing about his mysterious persona for certain, it was that he was quite caring about others.
So not being worried about this at all; was worrying in itself
The doors of the elevator opened, allowing her to enter Ozpin's clockwork office.
"Ah, Glynda. So glad you could come," he said with a smile. After that, he seeped from his iconic mug. It all made her almost break her stern expression into a smile; but she needed to be strong now.
"What did you require, Ozpin? Did you figure out how we'll fix the breach in security Isshin left us with?" Ozpin chuckled at her question, which made her blush with embarrassment.
"It's quite alright, professor Goodwitch, I told you there is nothing to worry about," at that, she raised an eyebrow.
"Nothing to worry about? The White Fang stole an Atlas Paladin! Who knows how many more they got? And we don't even know from where, when or how." He said nothing to that, so she continued. "Do you have a plan or not?"
"I do,"
"You could share it with the rest of us," she gestured to the empty room, but meant Ironwood and his specialist.
Ozpin's smile disappeared from his face as he looked at her behind black eyeglasses.
"That will not be necessary. I already had some contingencies planned for this, but we must wait to see what our enemy will do," Now that was classic Ozpin, waiting for the first move to be made. She preferred to be proactive, but he was the one with hundreds of years of experience, so she limited herself to follow his command.
"Is there nothing we can do?" she meant herself, really. His gaze was still cold, and it made her chest ache.
"There is. I need you to keep an eye on the exchange students. Look into their backgrounds if you must," with that, he dismissed her. "And try to enjoy the Vytal Dance, alright?"
She nodded, and began heading to the elevator. She wanted to object, but she still had her duties as a teacher; and she had to trust Ozpin. He had cared for them for many years, he needed her even if only in spirit.
"Oh, one more thing professor," said Ozpin. Glynda turned around to face him. His expression was… grave.
"What is it?"
"Look into old students that are no longer on the radar. Access their files if you must. Good luck," Beacon kept files of old students tucked away into an old archive under the grounds. They had those both in paper and digital in the server; in case anyone tried to destroy them.
As she rode down, something awful began to pool in her stomach. The thought of one of her previous students turning to the side of the dark mistress upset her.
Had she failed them, perhaps?
Her questions would have to wait. Now was the time for action.
Cinder yawned and graded another paper. She had tested the teams of her class, including the ones from other schools, with a practical and theoretical exam.
Many of them where good on the theory part, but not on the practice; while others were the exact opposite. It all caused her tremendous boredom. She was not a homework person; she had done enough unwilling chores back at the Glass Unicorn. Still, her old team had forced her to do it when she was being too stubborn and the homework was vital to the class. This caused her to put it off until the last minute.
Which was exactly why she was about to have a morning class and yet the assignments weren't graded. She could just power trough and check them all approved, but lately Glynda and Ozpin were on her like a hawk. A week had passed since the incident with Isshin and the White Fang yet the entire Atlas and Beacon staff was still on high alert.
She missed Ruby and Yang. The former hadn't talked to her much lately; and when she did she seemed less passionate and it hurt. Both her ego, and her feelings.
"My, my. Professor Cinder on the teacher's lounge. What a lovely surprise," The door opened an in appeared an old, slightly tubby man in a red uniform. He was professor Port, one of the oldest teachers in Beacon, and one that flirted with female staff and students on top of having extremely boring classes.
"Professor Port. Are your not chatty enough?" she asked with a neutral expression.
"I'm on a break right now. Students no longer appreciate the past. How are we supposed to learn from it if we fall asleep whenever someone speaks of it? Am I right?" he replied, taking a seat opposite of her. His moustache moved with every word.
"I suppose." she glanced back at the work she had to finish. "Was there something else?"
"So cold miss Cinder, name and semblance not withstanding. Is this really how you treat everyone?" she rolled her eyes.
"Yes," she replied, glaring at the teacher. People deserved warmth and love, but that was in an ideal world. In the real world, no one cared. Everyone was out for themselves. Why should Cinder give them warmth?
"Even your sisters?" he asked. Cinder froze for a moment, before looking at her exams again.
"They are the exception. Is there any point to this, Port? I'd rather grade this awful papers than talk to you right now," he chuckled some despite her obvious anger, which irritated the huntress further.
"I just saw a fellow teacher struggling with her classes. I've seen some of them Cinder," he had spied on her. She was about to threaten him, but he continued speaking. "You teach well, but you are frustrated with your students."
Cinder said nothing. His tone had changed from jovial to extremely serious, not once opening his eyes. Yet if they were, she was sure they would be narrowed. Few times had Port not been happy, which was enough to put the huntress on alert.
"I am. It's like they don't listen. They just do whatever they like it seems," she admitted, even tough it felt weird. What was with her lately? First Winter and now Port. She promised herself she wouldn't open to anyone except her family, why was this happening?
"Every student is different, miss Cinder. They all have their needs and personalities. Maybe you could help hem out outside of classes. If you show that you care, they may heed your teachings more carefully." That… made sense. An exchange of attention. Give them some, they return some.
"That's… not a bad idea. But I already got my plate full at the moment," she said, picking up her papers while getting up. It was almost time for class.
"A teacher always has time for their students. It's a vocation, not just a job," Cinder did not really believe that. She was only here for the money.
"Right. Nice talking to you Professor Port. Maybe I'll return the favour and visit your classes. Maybe now I won't fall asleep." With that remark she left the room, but she could spy Port's amused expression from the corner of her eye.
Ruby opened the door with a slam, and quickly went to her bed and plopped down.
"That was awful!" she screamed into her pillow.
"I can't believe Professor Port went on and on and on! Does that man not have a life?" Weiss complained, mimicking Ruby's actions. Yang followed behind them, letting her bag fall to the floor while smirking all the way.
"Awww! You too are in synchrony with each other, so cute! Right Blake?" The brawler turned around towards her partner.
However, the cat faunus simply shambled to her own mattress, threw her bag on it and started heading for the door. Seeing this, Yang quickly grabbed her shoulder, she was not going to let her get away this time.
"What!" Blake snapped, turning around and glaring at the brawler, who retracted her arm. The cat faunus looked terrible, at least to Yang. Bags under her eyes, lips dry, and more importantly her hair was a mess. She would not have a partner with messy hair.
"We were talking to you Blake, that's all. What's with you?" Yang asked, standing firm. From behind her she could hear Weiss and Ruby shifting to watch them.
"What's with me? It should be me asking you that! How can you be so calm about this?!" Blake asked, shouting every word. Yang did not let it get to her. She was hotheaded, but also knew how to deal wth kids having a tantrum. Ruby had taught her as much.
"Calm about what? School?" she asked with a smile, keeping her voice level. The cat faunus did not seem to like that.
"I'm talking about the White Fang! They are out there, because of me. I could have stopped them at any time, but now they are everywhere, threatening lives. I can't just be here and do nothing." Yang saw Ruby step at her side, eyes strained in sadness.
"Blake, I understand how you feel –"
"You don't Ruby! You can't! You are just a little girl who knows nothing about the world!" Blake screamed, and the Red Reaper visibly flinched at that. Something snapped in Yang as she stepped in front of her partner.
"Listen to me," Yang said, pointing a finger in Blake's face. "I don't know what's gotten into you, but we are just trying to help you, don't take that tone with us. You hear me?"
Blake visibly gritted her teeth, but said nothing else as she turned around and exited the dorm with a door slam.
So many emotions ran trough her. Insecurity, fear, worry, anger, frustration. Blake's reaction after getting back from their pseudo mission was unusual, but she thought nothing of it at the time. Now the brawler realized how foolish she had been.
"She's not coming to the cafeteria, she's not here until mandatory curfew, spends all day in the library. It's awful. Maybe if I talk to her…" Yang pondered the Red Reaper's suggestion. Blake had been partly right, in that Ruby had not been trough much, which the brawler was grateful for, but it also made it hard for them to connect outside their social awkwardness. Resolute, Yang turned to Ruby.
"I'll talk to her Rubes. I feel this kind of thing is right up my alley," she said with a sad smile.
"You sure?" Weiss asked. The heiress knew of her past, some of it, and she was glad she seemed to remember.
"Like my hair is beautiful,"
"But… I'm the leader. Blake is my friend, I should be the one to –" Now Yang kneeled in front of Ruby, interrupting her speech while placing her hands on her shoulders.
"–You are the leader, but you have to trust your teammates. You shouldn't take on everyone's problems on your own," Ruby looked at her with strained eyes, but nodded.
"Alright," she said, taking a breath.
"I say we let her be, then talk to her. Maybe she'll snap out of it in the mean time," Weiss suggested.
"What if she doesn't?" Ruby countered.
"That's when I have put my idea into motion," Yang said, knocking her fists together.
"You're not gonna literally try to knock some sense into her, right?" the heiress looked scared at Yang wicked smile.
"That was my first idea, but now I have something else in mind. You okay with that Rubes?" Ruby nodded.
"Okay," with that, some tension seemed to release from the room.
"Alright you two. How about we finish that assignment Port gave us?" Ruby and Yang collectively groaned, which put a smile on Weiss' face.
"Team CRDL," she handed down the papers on the team's desk without sparing a glance. "Good team combat performance, poor individual one. Barely pass theoretical exams. You need to do better."
"Anything for you teach." said Cardin with a poor attempt at a sensual smile. Cinder snapped at this, drawing midnight and pointing her weapon to his neck.
"Do it for yourself, understood?" the barely adult man gulped, but nodded. His entire demeanour became meek and nervous.
"Y-Yes." His team looked away, hoping to not get caught up in their leader's mess as the other students laughed or gasped at the display.
"Very well," she sheathed her weapon and proceeded with the handovers. "Next, Team RWBY."
She stepped in front of the team's desk. She smiled for a second at seeing her sisters, then returned to having a stern expression as she saw the B in RWBY struggling to not slam her head into the desk.
She would have liked to simply drop the papers in front of her loudly to wake her up, but Port's word came to mind. 'Show that you care'.
"Hey!" Cinder was loud enough to wake her but not so much she would be startled. Blake's head shot up as she looked at her professor. The cat faunus had dark bags under her eyes, and her face looked gaunt; a departure from the healthy young woman she had meath nearly a month ago. Her notes had also plummeted, from a previous A to a measly C- this time.
"Yes… professor," she said with a yawn.
"Day is for class, night is for sleeping. It would be… ummm… healthy if you keep it that way, since you don't look so good these past dew days," Blake looked at her like a zombie before nodding. The professor then turned to the remaining team members and handed them their papers; all containing a red A mark.
"Your team coordination has plummeted," she stated.
"Sorry." Ruby said with a sheepish smile.
"Sorry is not enough. You need to be better. Got it?" Ruby nodded meekly as Cinder left for the last recipients of her handovers.
She stepped in front of JNPR, a really problematic team for her. They had both the best huntsman of their year; probably their generation, to carry them trough any problem in Phyrra. Yet on the other extreme they had a boy that tried his best but was still dead weight in her eyes; Jaune Arc. Nora Valkyrie was pure brute force while Lie Ren was a speedy glass cannon. Alone they were weak, together strong, much like RWBY. Yet her sisters could hold their own, but she wasn't so sure that could be applied to the team in front of her.
However, things had changed somewhat.
"Ren, well done. You can analyse situations with a cold and calculated mind. That's the best any team could ask for," she said, handing him his paper with an A+ mark.
"Thank you." He answered, tone laconic and polite.
"Valkyrie, you should focus more on studying. While this is very funny," she swung an exam with a D- on it, that also had many red markings over ridiculous answers and doodles. She liked it, someone who was successful by being themselves. Yet, at some point, that was bound to stop being effective. "You need to be serious about this. What you learn here could save your life. Pay. Attention. Or I'll make you." With that, she let it fall into her hands. The red haired girl simply smiled with her eyes close.
The final pair, sitting side by side meekly. She chose the blond boy first.
"Arc, you've gotten better. Well done," she simply handed him his C marked paper with a nod of approval as the boy fist-pumped. She was glad he had not given up and was actually improving. However…
"Nikos," she handed her her own paper. It had a B-, a long shot from the constant A pluses she displayed in all other classes and her previous exam. "Your notes have gone down." she asked. The girl looked away, as if ashamed. She also seemed tired, much like Blake, though she at least looked healthy.
"I-I know. It's just…"
"It's my fault." Arc said from beside them. "She had to help me study and train, constantly. Maybe that's why…"
"It's alright Jaune." she said with a smile. Cinder did not like this. Sacrificing your own well being for others who were not your family was, not good. The face of a former teammate of hers sprung to mind.
A girl named Gretchen, who gave her everything for everyone else, and while leaving her brother in pain.
"It's not alright if it compromises your team's performance," she stated. Pyrrha and Jaune looked at her with surprise. "If there is one thing I will not tolerate, is people dragging others down. Got it?" Both teens nodded. With that done, Cinder returned to her desk.
"Alright! Today…" she said, beginning to scribble on a glass board the classroom had. "… we'll discuss how to assist an incapacitated teammate. Now you must be –"
Ruby was on the ground, bloodied and beaten, looking up towards her opponent.
Nora Valkyrie jumped, intent on stomping her face with her food in order to end the match.
She would not allow it. She recovered, and with a deft move of her fingers activated her special move, 'Dragon Fist'.
It propelled her upwards, activated instantly, and made her invincible. It was enough to reverse the situation. Now Nora was and the ground and Ruby could take the offensive.
She jumped and kicked. Nora blocked; but it was not over. Punch, punch, kick, overhead, throw, special move. In seconds, Nora's Aura was in the red, and with a final, cinematic move that used up all her power she defeated her in style.
K.O!
"Nooooo!" Nora screamed, falling backwards into the floor.
"YES! Another victory for Ruby!" The red reaper got up and did a taunt dance, moving her hips in one direction and her arms in the opposite.
"You cheated! Throwing fireballs is cheating!" whined the Mace user.
"If it's in the game, it's not cheating," Ruby singed with a toothy grin.
"Ruby will use all manner of underhanded tactics to win Nora. It's just how she plays. We all have to deal with it," Yang said, looking up from the magazine she was reading from atop the beds.
"I demand a rematch!" Nora screamed, getting up.
"Sorry," Yang quickly bolted from her bed to Ruby's bedside, knocking the red haired girl into the wall with a simple nudge while grabbing the controller out of the air. "Time for mama Yang to teach you a lesson." She said with a devilish grin. Ruby's toothy grin turned sharp and evil.
"Oh we will see, dear sister." she said, imitating an evil voice.
Weiss groaned. She tired of this behaviours, especially because it was her and Lie Ren who were doing the group project peach had given their respective teams. Ren did not seem to notice, or ignored the antics. She was thankful for that, for he proved a helpful if silent partner.
"Reeeeeen! Do something! They took my spot!" At the girl's exaggerated cries, Ren sighed.
"Nora, you agreed that once someone lost, their spot was open. Wait for your turn." he said with a calm that even Winter would be jealous of.
"As your partner, you are supposed to help me!" Nora shook her best friend, but even so his expression did not change. A vein popped in Weiss' forehead.
"How about you three help us out instead of playing videogames?" The heiress said, glaring at her teammates who were pretty much smashing their controllers in their game rage.
"Sorry, Ice Queen, but we suck at Peach's classes. Dust and biology is your thing."
"And if you studied with me, maybe you'd learn a thing or two."
"But I don't use dust," Yang had a point, which frustrated her.
"Don't you use special Dust rounds Ruby?" she asked her partner.
"Umm… I don't really make the bullets myself, so I don't really need to learn, I guess," with that said, Yang patted her on the back.
"That's my sis. Don't get distracted now." Knowing she could not convince her partners for help, Weiss turned to the other person in JNPR's room that had been helpful.
"Where are Arc and Nikos? They could help," she said with disdain. She liked Phyrra, but Arc had been unbearable this last few weeks. With the dance so close, his flirting had gone to levels she could hardly tolerate anymore; to the point she seriously considered simply freezing ad leaving him in a closet until the Beacon Dance was over.
"They're training on the roof." Ren said simply, eyes still glued to the paper he was writing.
"You mean fu –"
"– Nora." Ren groaned.
"–rnicating. Yeah, that," Weiss arched an eyebrow. Arc and Nikos? Together? The useless idiot and the prodigious champion? She could not see it, besides, he was interested in her, wasn't he? Why did she care?
"You think so?" she asked, cheeks pink as she imagined the scene.
"I don't. Jaune is too dense, Phyrra is too passive. Without some miracle, I doubt anything will happen." Ren said with his neutral tone.
"That's a bit harsh," it was hypocritical coming from Weiss Schnee herself, who constantly chided Ruby for her behaviours and mistakes, but the way Ren said it so easily rubbed her wrong.
"It's just facts. Take them or leave them," Weiss said nothing, lips pursed in silence. Noticing she did not say anything, Ren continued. "Where's Blake? I thought this would also be of interest to her, even if she is unsociable," Team RWBY said nothing for a moment before Yang spoke.
"She's… not feeling well lately."
"Because of the White Fang thing?" Nora asked, now resting on the floor with her arm propped on her elbow and holding her head.
"Yup. We were thinking about what to do with her," Ruby said, eyes still glued to the screen but not playing so fervently anymore.
"Just let her be, she'll talk when it's ready?" Ren said, for once looking away from his work.
"I don't think that's a good idea dude," Yang now turned to look at the ninja or whatever he was, glaring.
"Time heals all." He stated, as if he was wiser than anyone else. Weiss hated that.
"Not everything. Some things, left alone, just linger and fester." Ren looked at her with an arched eyebrow, but said nothing else. The heiress was thankful, she didn't feel like talking about her mother.
"Aaaanyway," said Nora, now hugging Ren from the back. "Have you guys got dates for the dance?"
And there it was. The question that should have come first.
"You got one?" asked Weiss. Nora was attractive for sure, but she really wasn't approached by many guys.
"Sure I do. Right, Ren?" she smiled happily at the huntsman-in-training who simply sighed.
"There is no escape,"
"No there is not!" She hugged him tighter. Weiss turned to the two sisters.
"You two?"
"Nothing to report." Said Yang, apparently happy.
"I'm not going," Said Ruby simply.
"Yes you are!" Yang said with indignation.
"I'm not!"
"You have to, it's time you socialize."
"I socialize enough! With weapons!"
"You gotta get out of your shell!"
"I refuse!"
"Alright! Enough you two! I get it." Weiss said with a groan. "Ruby, it would be good for you to go. Socializing is important."
"Easy for you to say. Who are you going with?" Ruby's question caught her off guard; especially because it had been bothering her for some time.
"I… was thinking of…"
"That blue stud that was with Sun?" Weiss' face went red, mostly because that description was accurate.
"How did you…"
"You were chatting him up bad. I loved it!" Said Yang with a toothy grin.
"Yeah, well, he still has to come, so…"
"Are you seriously waiting for him?" Yang asked.
"Wh-What of it? It's tradition. The man invites the woman." Weiss said, reciting what her mother taught her.
"Screw that. If you want a piece of him, you gotta snatch him." Said Yang with a fist pump.
"I'm not snatching anyone!" Weiss said with indignation.
"You know what I mean, princess." Weiss growled, and went back to work.
"Whatever." With that, she went back to work.
However, she could not deny she was tired of waiting for Neptune. Yang was right, she was Weiss Schnee, heiress of the SDC and huntress in training. Her sister was a specialist in the Atlas military, and she had considered her good enough to train her. She could do it. Weiss Schnee could do it.
She would invite Neptune Vasilias to the Beacon Dance.
Cinder thought she had gotten scot-free with her 'punishment' of house arrest and night patrol. She had been wrong. It was an excruciating experience. While Beacon had an interesting if a bit confusing layout, it was exciting to wander it.
But that had lost it's appeal after a week of non stop routes trough it, with no one to talk with, the school dead silent due to curfews and the fact that it left her no time to do anything besides go to sleep once she finished.
She really needed to stop underestimating Ozpin.
As she neared the dorms for her seventh lap, she heard noises in the night. Grunts and pants, along with the clash of metal. She looked around, ready for anything.
She focused her hearing, and detected it's direction. It was coming from the roof of the west dorms. She looked up, but the building was tall enough from ground level to block sight from below. So she jumped, using the wall as support to jump further while enhanced with Aura.
She was ready for intruders, or two horny teenagers fucking. But no, she only found the one and only Pyrrha Nikos on top of Jaune Arc in a compromising position, weapons thrown aside.
"Am I… interrupting something?" she asked with a smirk. Both teenagers quickly recovered. Jaune was simply sheepish, but Pyrrha was bit red. It was obvious their relationship was one sided. Still, it was none of her business. What was her business was her patrol. "It's past curfew. What are you still doing here?" her smile disappeared, replaced by narrowed eyes and pursed lips.
"I… We were just training," Said Jaune. It did not sound like an excuse, and would explain the clangs she heard.
"So late? Why?" Cinder asked. This time, Phyrra stepped up, clearing her throat and recovering her composure.
"Well, we figured normal training wasn't enough for Jaune, since he has a long way to go, so I'm helping speed things up, that's all." Pyrrha said. Her eyes, however, told another story. She was exhausted; she was giving everything to the boy. Cinder turned to Arc.
"No wonder you improved so much," she looked back at Pyrrha. "However, your own grades have fallen in tandem with the rise of his Nikos. Am I right?" sheepishly, the champion nodded.
That weak wimp was dragging down his teammate, sapping her strength little by little. No, that was wrong. She was just helping him but, her memories of her childhood, where she could not do anything; and her time in Beacon, where she watched Gretchen destroy herself for others. Something dark came over her.
"Arc! Come here!" she said, loudly.
"Y-yes?" Jaune was clearly startled as he walk towards Cinder before standing in front of her straight as a ruler. She would set things right.
"I want you to try and hit me with your sword," she ordered.
"What?!" Jaune retreated at her request.
"Did I stutter?" Cinder was dead serious, looking with lowered eyelids and a strained face.
"I-I mean. I don't want to hit you,"
"If you don't, I'll fail you," at that statement, both teens froze up.
"Are you serious?" Jaune asked once again.
"Have I ever joked?" she countered. With gulp, Jaune picked up his fallen weapons and stood in front of her. The Rooftop was big enough that they had enough space to move without fear of falling off.
"W-Wait. Professor Cinder, this is not necessary." Said Pyrrha, stepping in front of Jaune.
"I disagree, now move," The Mistral Champion did not move. In fact she stood her ground, staring at her with a glare.
"No," that simple answer nearly made Cinder frown. Was she defying her? This was the first student that had done that. Did she think she was stronger than her?
"I will fail you too," she answered, tone laced with steel.
"If you must," she really was going down with him. But before the two women could say anything else, Jaune pushed Pyrrha slightly with the back of his hand.
"It's okay Pyrrha. You've done enough." he said with a smile.
Jaune got into a stance, while Cinder remained with her arms crossed, waiting for him nonchalantly. The boy let out a shout, and charged at her with his sword raised above his head. He swung for her, but she simply stepped to the side and kneed him in the stomach. The boy dropped to a knee but he wasn't hurt, Cinder made sure of it.
"Useless. Again." She said, looking down on the boy. Jaune remained in his position, but delivered a backhand slash. The huntress simply leaned back to avoid the blow. The knight closed the distance once again, using his shield in a poor attempt to bash her with it.
She kicked him in the chin by raising her leg, then brought it down to to strike the top of his head. Once again he kneeled to the ground.
"Useless. Again." Now the boy glared at her. He tried to get up, but Cinder didn't give him the chance as she kicked him on the face and left him face up on the rooftop.
"Stop it!" Pyrrha shouted, but Cinder paid no heed. She wasn't looking at a boy, she was looking at herself. Her weak self, who could do nothing but take her abuse no matter what she did, because she still had a modicum of respect for life and civility.
"Look at you," she said as she brought down a foot into his chest, forcing him to lay down and possibly cutting his air supply. "As you are, this is the only thing you can do, lay down and take whatever the world throws at you without being able to defend yourself. How weak can you be?" she asked him.
"I'll… never… give up," she had not given up either, but it only pushed her beyond her breaking point, and made her a murderer. All of Rhodes training and kindness, thrown away in a single night.
Cinder's gaze softened as she removed her foot from his chest.
"You cannot be like this Arc. Just persevering is not enough. That is why," she went down, and pulled him up from his breastplate. He was heavy, but her Aura helped her with that. "I'm going to train you," she said finally.
"What?"
"What?!" Both Jaune and Pyrrha were understandably shocked.
"I'm going to help you get stronger so that you don't get swept away here, and also," she turned back to look at Phyrra who had her weapons drawn. She really would give everything for this boy. "So that you don't have to compromise your own studies. Got it?"
Both teens looked at each other, before nodding to the teacher.
"Good," she turned back to Jaune. "At this time, simulator F-3. Every. Day. Miss one, and we are done," Jaune nodded meekly. "Now go away. I need to talk to Nikos here." she said, pointing back to the red headed champion.
"Got it. See you at the dorm Pyrrha," With that, the boy bid goodbye before heading to the building's stairs.
Now alone with Cinder on the rooftop, Pyrrha shifted awkwardly from side to side.
"So… that happened," she said. The huntress arched an eyebrow.
"Was it that strange?" she asked, feeling a little insecure about her approach. Just a little.
"Well, I really thought you were going to hurt him," Pyrrha said, holstering her weapons. At this, the Ember of Mistral scoffed.
"Even if I tried to hurt him, he would probably be fine. He has an immense Aura capacity," And that was it, neither woman said anything else, which left them in an uncomfortable silence. That was, until Pyrrha broke it.
"Are you really okay with training him?" she asked.
"It kills two birds with one stone. He'll improve, and you'll have less workload." At this, the huntress-in-training narrowed her eyes.
"Why are you doing this? Why help me?" she feared this question would come. Port's words once again rung in her mind.
"Well, you are my students. It's kind of my job to help you. But the real question is," Cinder looked at Pyrrha straight in the eye, making the younger woman freeze up. "Why are you helping him? Even if you were in love or something, this is too much."
The Champion looked away. She looked vulnerable, not invincible at all, not like a huntress, but like a girl. A girl that could only do what others told her. It reminded her of herself. Why did so many things make her remember that? It was in the past. That girl was supposed to be dead and left with the corpses of that awful stepmother and sisters.
Pyrrha turned her head towards the moon, a soft wind making her ponytail blow away like a banner.
"Do you believe in destiny?" she asked.
"Do you mean –?"
"That you have a singular goal that you are supposed to accomplish, no matter what," Destiny. It was… something her real parents taught her. It used to be common in Mistral to view destiny like that, but in the more modern times less and less people believed that.
"Yes" she answered, without hesitation. Pyrrha turned towards her with a melancholic expression.
"What is yours?" That… was too personal. But she had never been asked before; and so she answered.
"To be free." Pyrrha's expression didn't change, she simply turned her emerald eyes back to the moon. "Yours is…?
"I believe I'm meant to be a huntress, who helps others no matter what," the young woman brought a hand to where her heart was. "Even if I have to give up a piece of me to do it."
She did not know why, but Cinder reacted. She reached for the girl's shoulder, turning her towards herself.
"You're going to destroy yourself Pyrrha." She looked down.
"I know. But I would still do it." How? How could she just… be okay with that? Tied down forever to a duty that asked her to give up everything? She didn't deserve that, no one did.
"I won't allow it." Pyrrha looked up at her, eyes wide in shock. Then, her expression softened, and she smiled, eyes glassed as if she were about to cry.
"Thank you." She grabbed the hand in her shoulder. It was warm. But as soon as it came, it was gone. "I better go back. I guess I'll be leaving Jaune to you," she said, going towards the stairwell that led into the building.
"I'll make a huntsman out of him. You'll see." She didn't particularly like the boy, but if it made Pyrrha's life easier, then, it was alright.
The young woman nodded, and disappeared into the dorms.
Cinder was alone in the windy rooftop. The huntress hugged herself for the first time in a while, and looked at the shattered moon.
"Destiny, huh"
A/N: That is it for chapter 8 part 2, hope you enjoyed it. Next, we'll have Ruby and Yang talking to Blake, some action, and then the Beacon Dance followed by Mt. Glenn. That is all for now.