(A/N: I wonder if Pyrrha could use her magnetism semblance to really fuck shit up. Imagine just scattering some iron in the air, sprinkling some fire dust in and turning it into a Gael-force wind storm. Would be quite a chaotic mess, that's for sure.)
My addiction to SM64 Extreme Hack references (this Author's Note being a reference to Super Mario 64: Masters Challenge) was around all the way back here, too. And it has only gotten worse for the remaster. Also, I forgot my POV markers.
"This was a good idea, wasn't it!"
"It sure was! He looked so scared in there!"
A door creaks open.
The cool breeze of the rooftop stands in contrast to the tense atmosphere of the classroom they just exited.
They are both in cheerful moods seeing the reactions of their prey. Now they sit waiting to close the jaws on it and swallow it whole…
"Has he responded yet?"
"No!"
"He's probably coming up here right now. Just wait a few minutes."
Unfortunately, there is no wind chimes or other things out here to keep time. All they have is the digital clocks on their scrolls. Roughly three minutes pass by, and there is still no response.
"Still nothing!"
"Work the charms, Pyrrha. You saw how he reacted all those times before."
"Alright, I'll send another message."
I'm waiting for you Jaune… ≺3
"Done."
"We have all the material in the world to mentally break him."
"Oh yes! After this he will finally leave! And I will finally get a break!"
"It will be a grand time. For all of us. Now just get up here Jaune…"
The waiting continues. But not for long.
*Ping!*
Pyrrha's breathing stops. Her grip begins to tighten. And tighten. It almost looks like she will break the scroll entirely, but her hands release it and return to the typing position.
"What did he say?"
…
The typing begins. But this is not normal typing, this is the typing of someone on a mission. The finger presses down severely on each of the keys, causing a very loud tap. Weiss notices.
"Pyrrha? What are you doing?"
"Typing my response."
There was more venom in that voice than a Queen Cobra. Even someone as oblivious as Jaune would notice that. If he was here.
Weiss knows that this can mean only one thing. She leans over the scroll to confirm her fears.
No.
Yep. It actually happened. The one outcome that should have been impossible has occurred. They both thought that there might not be any reactions at all, but to have him drop out like this on the homestretch?
That was not supposed to happen. He was supposed to come up to the roof, and get insulted for hours by both of them. And they would have got to watch Jaune crumple in real time.
But it was not to be. And someone is having some real trouble accepting that reality, if the text she is currently typing is any indication.
Weiss doesn't read much of it, but… *sigh*
"Pyrrha, hand me the scroll."
Nothing. The typing continues on.
"Pyrrha."
She goes and bumps her in the shoulder. Pyrrha merely slumps down slightly and continues typing. Weiss can't risk any more taps. Myrtenaster is made of metal…
She's seen this kind of thing before too. The best thing right now is to just let them exhaust themselves, and then try to talk…
By this point, is anyone even entertaining the possibility of this 'talk' actually happening? Of course it doesn't.
But this is one of the most agonizing waits of her life. The breeze calms down as the typing continues. Seconds turn into minutes. But still her hands glide from letter to letter, unfazed by the world.
Finally, after around 10 minutes, she presses send. The warrior has finally been exhausted of her energy. But there is one last trick…
Pyrrha throws the scroll backwards.
*BONKBONKBONKBONKBONKBONKBONKBONKBONKBONKBONKBONKBONKBONK*
The scroll ricochets around like a puck in ice hockey. Weiss quickly jumps and puts down a glyph to stand on. It was a good thing too because at the speed that scroll is going, it is powerful enough to cut through skin.
Pyrrha stands up and silently walks out the door. Somehow the scroll manages to completely avoid both her and the door as it flies along. The door closes, leaving Weiss alone with the high-speed projectile.
Her eyes can only follow the scroll as it hits wall after wall after wall, making a sharp noise with every hit. It even goes into the corner a few times. There are some Decidedly Vexatious Dust chambers that just refuse to do that no matter how she manipulates them…
The wait finally draws to a close as it finally slows down enough to be grabbed. Weiss gets it on the first try and brings it up to eye level.
She begins to properly read the text that was sent…
Her eyes get big. Really fucking big. So big they break outside of her head…
Jaune is still in his dorm relaxing. He's just about to download the new Grimm Wars 2 DLC; Waking the Tiger. This new DLC adds a lot of new objects, a new "Merlot Island" map, and, the star of the show, a zoo featuring rideable tigers. Yep.
The idea of riding a tiger into a horde of Grimm is irresistible to a teenage boy such as Jaune, so he clicks download almost instantly. The pack is about 69% done when-
*clears throat* Nice.
*Ping!*
...that happens. It's from that restricted number again.
"Screw it. Let's see what she has to say."
He taps the message. It fills the screen with various words, both bolded and not. What is the message? Oh boy…
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"No? No?! Did you really just say no? You have a lady literally throwing herself at you and you say no? I don't believe you! You have someone who is willing to butter you up and sing your praises and you deny her?! This is a new level of obliviousness for you, Jaune. Can you not see what is right in front of your face? Something that is right there, desperately begging you to claim it as yours? Are you really going to cast that aside like a plastic bag? Is that really what you think of me?! DO YOU KNOW ALL OF THE PAIN AND SUFFERING THAT I HAVE BEEN THROUGH?! DO YOU KNOW HOW LONG I HAVE SAT AND WATCHED YOU BRUSH OFF EVERY SINGLE ATTEMPT TO GET YOU TO EVEN LOOK IN MY DIRECTION?! DO YOU KNOW JUST HOW MANY TIMES I HAVE HELD IN MY TEARS FOR YOU?!
But it's all for nothing. You just throw it away like a toy that you outgrew. Let me tell you something, Jaune. That was not just a toy. That was my heart! That was my heart reaching out for yours, taking a leap of faith, sure that you would catch me… And you didn't. You let me fall. YOU LET ME FALL INTO A PIT OF SPIKES! AND EVERY TIME YOU COME AROUND, EVERY TIME I HEAR YOUR NAME, MY HEART TWITCHES.
And you know what that does? It sends a jolt of pain. It starts screaming out for you, Jaune. IT SCREAMS FOR YOU! IT'S TRYING TO GET YOU TO HELP ME! But of course you don't see that. You never see that. You never see anything. Because that's just how you are. Oblivious. And you know what kills me on the inside? You know what just makes the pit of fire that my heart rests in even hotter?!
I tried to help you Jaune. I really, really did. You know why Ozpin knew about those transcripts? I TOLD HIM. I told him because my naive little mind thought that getting you gone would make you realize just what you had around you. Realize just what you would lose. Just WHO you would lose. And you would come out of your little cocoon of ignorance and fight for it. But of course it blows up in my face. OF COURSE HE KEEPS YOU AROUND! OF COURSE I HAVE TO WATCH YOU FORGET ABOUT ME! I SAW IT IN YOUR EYES TODAY! YOU HAD COMPLETELY WRITTEN ME OFF!
But that's just how it's going to be, isn't it. You will get your training, fight off the Grimm, and I will just be in the background. A forgotten leaf, not by your side as your loyal partner, oh no, no, no, MY HEART WILL NEVER GET TO HAVE THAT! I AM JUST STUCK FOREVER AS A DISTANT MEMORY! AS A FIFTH WHEEL! AS A MERE STEPPING STONE THAT YOU STOMP ON! THIS IS MY PUNISHMENT! THIS IS WHAT I GET FOR BEING AN INVINCIBLE GIRL! THIS IS WHAT I GET!
And this is the end too isn't it! I can't go back. I can't reverse what I've done. Now I am stuck, watching my defeat every single day. This is my life now. You may not believe it, but I still love you, Jaune. Despite what you make me do. Despite how you make me feel, despite your awkwardness, despite your lack of skill, despite everything! But even if this all works out in the end, and you survive everything that will be thrown at you like I know you will, you will never take me. I am damaged goods now. I have lost the one thing I wanted more than anything. The fight is over. Over. Over. Over. Over. OVER. OVER. OVER! OVER! OVER! STOP TORMENTING ME! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
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. . . . .
Psychopathic is the only appropriate word to use. In a way, my improving writing skills were both a blessing and a curse, blessing because the general structure of everything gets better, curse because the crack stuff that I ended up doing crosses over from hilariously bad into that uncanny valley 'cringe' territory. SOiB is right on the other border, on the edge of cringe and well written.
See why Pyrrha isn't nearly as prominent in the remaster? This is why. I didn't trust myself to not repeat...that. And, not having the focus on her is better in general. Avoiding clichés and all that.
After several minutes of processing, Jaune finally finishes staring at the message. This not only confirms the sneaking suspicion he had that Pyrrha was the one who told, but also gives a look into her mental state… yikes.
If he could still see that emotion quadrant it would probably be a massive mess of lines flying all around the screen right now. But what should he do about this? What CAN he do?
He doesn't know. One thing he does know is that all the love he ever had for her fell out of him the moment that tree hit. It would be even worse to lead someone on than to be oblivious.
Jaune is surprisingly not as fazed as one would think.
"Remember, today is a good day. Good day. This is out of your control. Focus on the spar."
He decides to practice some stances for now. Grimm Wars 2 is now in the background, destined to remain untapped on this day…
(A/N: Every time I think I'm gonna put something in one chapter, my mind makes it into two. What the hell man?!)
