A/N: All of these long chapters to celebrate me finally having a vacation. It's surprisingly easy writing their interactions, which is always a good thing. Let me know what you think!
Laws of Attraction
"Ugh, I can't believe that they serve dinner so early!" Nora groaned, stomping through the door of their dorm room the moment Ren unlocked it. "Why wouldn't they save any for us? I'm starving!"
The audible growl from Jaune's stomach clearly supported Nora's anger. "This is how I die," he muttered, staggering into the room. "I'm so tired. I'm so hungry. All I want is some food…"
Pyrrha patted his back comfortingly, although the guilt was evident in her voice. "Well, they did say that the kitchen near the front lounge is free to use, right? And it seemed to already be stocked up with some stuff. Maybe we can make something together?"
Jaune moaned, falling to his knees dramatically. "Can't… I'm too weak, just leave me…"
She sighed at his crestfallen expression, stepping past him to finally enter their bedroom. Four beds were spread out along the back wall, with nightstands between the center two beds. Each one had a soft mahogany bedspread and white sheets, neatly folded and pressed into perfection. The walls were bare, but the open window was large, the velvety red curtains swaying gently in the evening breeze. Shelves lined the walls, and enough study tables for all four of them fit into the remaining corners of the room, with a closet on either side. Multiple sets of uniforms were stacked upon each of their suitcases which stood before each bed, accompanied by a stack of textbooks, stationary and a free Beacon coffee mug.
Nora's expression of anger quickly turned to excitement as she saw her suitcase in front of the second bed. "Ooh, this one is mine!" Immediately, she threw her hammer into a corner and jumped upon the bed, bouncing exuberantly.
Ren didn't even blink, instead calmly moving to where his own belongings had been placed at the leftmost bed, beside Nora. "Take off your shoes before jumping," he chided without even looking at her. "Pyjamas would probably be good, too."
"Okay, Ren!" she replied, jumping off the bed. In a flurry of movement, she had gathered up her clothes, toiletries, and a towel from her bags, and was out the door, sprinting to the female washrooms. Ren paid her no heed, instead taking off his jacket, draping it upon the back of a chair, and grabbing his own toiletries to wash up.
Pyrrha found her belongings on the other side of Nora's bed, and quietly began to follow suit. The other two had barely spoken directly to Pyrrha and Jaune for the entire trip back, so absorbed in their own little world. It made her feel awkward- although she knew that they were really kind people, it was hard to not feel like the odd one out when the two of them clearly had their own pace.
"Do you think they're like… together?" Jaune's voice broke her out of her thoughts.
"Hm? Oh, I'm not sure," she chuckled awkwardly. "Potentially? Nora said they weren't, but I think they're at least childhood friends."
"Huh." Jaune looked at the door, mildly impressed. "Well. Go Ren, I guess." And with that, he tiredly grabbed his own belongings and shuffled out the door, leaving Pyrrha alone in the large room.
All she wanted to do was collapse upon the bed, looking so soft and inviting- but she knew that it was probably better to wind down a bit for the day. Guilt gnawed at her alongside her hunger. If it hadn't been for her conversation with Professor Ozpin, the group would've likely gotten to the cafeteria in time for the last dinner call, but since she had held them all back, they had just missed it.
Well. Might as well take a shower instead of beating myself up, she thought tiredly, gathering her own toiletries. It had been a long, tiring day, and all she wanted to do was change out of her combat gear. She would have to put it back into the lockers at some time the next day, but that was a problem for later. For now, all she wanted was a nice, warm shower, since she couldn't grab hot food from the dining hall.
After cleaning herself up, she wandered back to their room. Nora was sitting cross-legged upon her bed, dressed in a black t-shirt and pink shorts. "Ren," she whined, "I'm seriously starving."
Ren sighed, buttoning up his pyjama shirt. "We should unpack a bit first, Nora," he said, setting forth to hang up his clothes.
Nora pouted but joined him without complaint.
Pyrrha suddenly lost her balance when Jaune walked into her from behind. "Oh, sorry!" she said, quickly scurrying to her own bed to put away her toiletries.
The blond smiled wide from the door and gave her a little salute. "No problem, Pyrrha!" he said.
The redhead stared at him, slack-jawed, before she began to giggle. "Um… you look comfortable," she snickered through her hand.
Jaune's head popped up from where he was trying to unpack his suitcase, confusion evident. "Am I missing something?" he asked.
She shook her head, stifling her laughter. He was dressed in a baby-blue onesie with large buttons on the front, the built-in slippers decorated with little pompoms. "No," she breathed, clearing her throat. "No, don't worry about it." Except, why do you always look like a little kid to me?
"Okay," he said, squinting at her suspiciously. He slung his towel around his neck (which drew another laughing fit from Pyrrha, because wow, how did I predict this look on him so perfectly?) before diving back into his suitcase. And with that, the four of them began unpacking their room, putting away their clothes, books, and other personal belongings. However, none of them were the decorative type- so, although they managed to finish an hour later in relative silence, there weren't any decorations set up. Nothing but empty suitcases, boxes, and the presence of books upon all the shelves proved that they had moved in.
"Ah man, we gotta decorate this place," Nora said, settling back upon her bed. Ren joined her, crossing his legs and sitting up straight facing Pyrrha and Jaune's side of the room.
As she had also finished, Pyrrha sat down as well, crossing her knees at the edge of her own bed. Jaune circled around, smiling as he joined her, facing everyone.
"Alright. Team JNPR, we are… officially a thing?" Jaune said, chuckling awkwardly.
Nora threw her hands up in the air, somehow still bursting with energy. "Guys, this is going to be so much fun! Let's figure out a way to decorate everything, okay?"
"We should… probably introduce ourselves," Ren said. "I am Lie Ren, from Mistral."
"And I'm Nora Valkyrie!" Nora cried, raising her hand in the air. "I'm from the same place as Ren, haha. We're childhood friends, so it's kinda crazy that we managed to be on the same team and all, but-"
"Nora," Ren breathed.
"Yes Ren?" she asked, turning her attention fully to him.
He smiled gently, straightening a book on her side of the nightstand that she had thrown into place earlier haphazardly. "Let them speak."
Pyrrha's heart swelled, seeing their interactions. Although she had already watched them from a distance the night before in the large hall, it was still just so… cute to see how they spoke and moved around one another. Even now when they were off the battlefield, it was easy to see that the two of them had learned to move around each other seamlessly. I really hope that one day, I can be a part of that, even just a bit. The idea was comforting.
"I'm Pyrrha Nikos, from Mistral," she said.
"Yup! You went to Sanctum!" Nora cried. With a giggle, she hugged her pillow to her chest and added, "We told you, we heard lots about you!"
Pyrrha laughed awkwardly, unsure how to respond. Am I allowed to ask what they heard? What if it wasn't anything good? What if-
"Wow," Jaune said in awe, "you really are famous, Pyrrha."
"Well, no," she replied quickly. "I just won a few tournaments, that's all. Nothing big."
"Uh-huh," he said skeptically. Turning back to the group, he jabbed a thumb towards his chest, all bravado. "And I'm Jaune Arc! Nice to properly meet you all. I'm kind of a local, but I've been to Mistral while camping when I was a kid a ton."
It was quiet for a moment in the room, before Nora yelled, "We should build tents in here-"
"Nora, not tonight!" Ren said firmly.
Pyrrha snorted. It was as if Ren was her parent, constantly watching over her- and Nora played into the role just as easily, giggling and nodding. "Okay, Ren!" Leaning forward to whisper to Pyrrha and Jaune, she said dramatically in a stage-whisper, "Don't worry. I'll find us some tents."
The atmosphere was so warm that Pyrrha couldn't help but beam at the other girl, grabbing a pillow and hugging it to her chest as well. With the action, however, her stomach let out a loud grumble, sending a flush across her cheeks. "I'm really sorry, everyone," she admitted, looking down at the pillow to avoid eye contact. "It's because of me that you all missed dinner after today."
Nora smiled, oddly gentle. "It's okay, Pyrrha!" Ren nodded alongside her, nothing but understanding in his eyes.
Jaune, however, was not letting go of it so easily. "Pyrrha, while I know we won't really die without dinner tonight, I have to ask… what were you talking to Ozpin about?"
Pyrrha jumped, startled. "You… you saw, huh?"
He frowned. "Um, yeah. You kind of ran over to him. Talking about a mentor, remember?"
"Oh! Right. Yeah, I was," she replied, but mentally, she was kicking herself for her awkward lie. It was clear to see that she wasn't telling the truth.
"So, what were you really talking about?" Nora asked innocently.
Pyrrha looked between the three sets of expectant eyes trained upon her, feeling her stomach sink and the unease from earlier rise up into her throat. "I…" She gulped, trying to force away the discomfort. Thinking back on her conversation with the headmaster, it was clear that he had been lying about something to her- and whatever it was, she wasn't sure if she wanted to find out.
But no matter how long she sat there, it was clear the other three weren't budging. Finally, she sighed. "Look… I was asking about the relics."
"The relics?" Nora asked, cocking her head. "What about 'em?"
Pyrrha smiled, but her heart wasn't in it. "It's just… I wanted to know why they were chess pieces."
"I suppose it was due to the number of students, and the availability of matching items they could use as relics," Ren murmured thoughtfully.
The redhead nodded, but she still swept her hair from her ponytail over her shoulder so she could examine her ends, avoiding looking at the others. "Well, that's what he said," she began slowly. It was hard to piece together what exactly she was supposed to have gained from her conversation with Professor Ozpin. "But, he also said that the pieces we chose could potentially reflect ourselves, and our roles."
"Roles in what?" Jaune asked incredulously. "What, are we in some massive game of chess now? That would be wild."
Pyrrha buried her cheek into the pillow in her arms, letting out a deep breath. "He certainly hinted at it. I don't really know what to even make of it, honestly. There was some talk of endgames, and how rooks are capable of support roles… it's hard to say what he even meant by it all."
"What's the purpose of chess again?" Nora asked, swinging her legs back and forth upon her bed.
"To protect the king, right? As long as he lives, you can win the game," Jaune said, although his furtive glances towards Pyrrha showed his confusion.
She smiled, although her brows were still furrowed, the topic unsettling for her. "Although some pieces hold more value than others, the king is definitely all that matters. Everyone else…"
"…Is expendable," Ren finished.
An eerie silence fell over the room, all four of the students staring awkwardly at their feet. Although she hadn't wanted to say it, Ren's words struck a chord in Pyrrha.
Jaune stood up suddenly, drawing everyone's attention. "Ugh guys, who cares?" he cried, pumping his fist in the air. "We did it! We passed initiation!"
"Well, duh we passed, we're awesome!" Nora cried, jumping up and joining Jaune.
The blond nodded vigorously. "Yeah, exactly! Who knows what the heck politics are? For now, we should be happy!" Pausing, he reached out a hand to Pyrrha, warmth shining from his eyes. "What do you say?"
The orange-haired girl cheered, "Why don't we celebrate? There's only one thing to do!"
Pyrrha glanced between Jaune's inviting hand, and Nora's enthusiastic expression. "What… one thing?"
With an ominous glint in her eye, Nora grinned wickedly, pointing at Ren. "Ren… it's showtime."
Wordlessly, the dark-haired boy stood, opened up one of his suitcases, and reached inside. With a flourish and the most serious expression possible, he shook out a piece of fabric, threw it in the air, and held his arms out. Taking the cue naturally, Nora jumped behind him, sliding the fabric's strings around Ren's waist and tying them into a bow.
Spinning on his heel, Ren pointed at the perplexed duo with a spatula he had procured out of nowhere. His expression was deadpan, but his apron – a pretty pink which matched Nora's shorts – read, "Please do nothing to the cook" framed by two little pockets.
"What." It wasn't even a question- Jaune was just too shocked for words.
"I hope you like pancakes," Ren sighed, walking towards the door. "The next four years... We're going to be eating a lot of pancakes." And with that, he left the room, leaving an eerie silence as Jaune and Pyrrha tried to comprehend what just happened.
Nora snickered. "I like pancakes a lot, okay? Ren's real good at making them for me." Hopping to the door, she called in a sing-song, "Come eat and cheer up, okay? Otherwise, I'll eat them all!"
Pyrrha looked at Jaune, who was just as shocked as she was. His eye twitched- the corner of her mouth began to curve upward. Suddenly, the two of them collapsed into their beds, crying of laughter. "What- the- heck?!" Jaune gasped.
"I don't even know!" Pyrrha giggled helplessly, the image of Ren's serious expression paired with the bubble-gum pink apron forever imprinted behind her eyelids. "I didn't think Ren even owned something like that!"
Jaune howled, "Oh, you know Nora bought it for him."
Pyrrha snorted, imagining how the scene of Ren opening it up for the first time must've looked. "Well, she knows Ren best, I guess. After all, 'do nothing to the cook' isn't exactly how those aprons normally go."
Jaune wiped his eyes, calming down after a moment. "Yeah, well… I think it suits him."
"Agreed," Pyrrha smiled, sitting upright on the bed. Out of the blue, Jaune's hand was back in front of her, ready to help her up.
"Look, Pyrrha," he murmured, still trying to suppress his giggles, "I know that you're worried about how this is going to end up, but…"
"But?"
He smiled, all earnest affection. "I think that we can handle whatever happens. Together. Team JNPR did kind of kick butt today, after all."
And with that, Pyrrha's heart melted. She took his hand without anymore hesitation, letting him help her up.
"Now, shall we mosey on down to the kitchen? See what treats Ren'll be cooking for us?"
Pyrrha chuckled, "You know, I'm pretty sure that they're probably done by now."
"Then I think it's time we get going," he grinned mischievously. And with that, the two of them wandered towards the kitchen, only to find a nearly comatose Nora, an exasperated Ren, and a stack of nearly twenty pancakes almost demolished aside from one last slice.
That night, with food in her belly and warmth in her heart, Pyrrha dreamed her usual dream. She was running through the trees, chasing Grimm- however, this time, the trees were from the Emerald Forest, the shimmering green ever-present even in her mind's eye. The battle went along swiftly, and by the time it was over, she had barely gotten warmed up. And, just as usual, people came up to her to praise her, to give her thanks. They were kind, welcoming- black shadows of figures speaking to her as if they had been friends all their lives.
Out of the blue, arms wrapped around her waist, squeezing tightly. She twisted her torso around to see who this stranger was- why were they so close to her?
The head of ear-length orange hair gave it away, as this newcomer squeezed her waist with so much force Pyrrha had to wonder whether the Grimm were really a force to be feared after all in comparison. Over the dark figure's shoulder, she could see two other people waving as they jogged up to her- long black hair with a pink streak, and a mane of shaggy blond.
That night, she slayed many, many more Grimm in her dreams. And yet, she never stirred into wakefulness even once. She had never slept so peacefully as she had with the three of them welcoming her home after the battle.