A/N: So I finally got around to looking through Volumes 2/3 in order to flesh out the rest of this fic, and I've realized just how much of a beast this fic will be. Grab some popcorn and get ready, friends. We're going to be here a while.

Here's another large chapter- enjoy! Thanks for all your continued support. I'd love to hear from you, so leave a comment/PM me :)

Laws of Attraction

With the blankets drawn up to her chin, the light snoring of Nora and Jaune coming from either side, and the taste of chocolate forever imprinted upon her tongue, Pyrrha felt at peace. The coziness which she found while enveloped in her little cocoon of warmth was enough to very quickly lull her to sleep, despite the distressing events of the day. Soon, her body was completely relaxed, a small smile pulling her lips, mind wandering off into a deep slumber.

She soon found herself not in the familiar forests of Mistral, nor the Emerald Forest she had revisited in her dreams so many times as of late- instead, she looked up in wonder, taking in her new surroundings. Tall cabinets covered the walls, the handles almost at her eye level. She instinctively stood on her tiptoes, trying to peer over the edge of the counter. Unfortunately, she could barely see anything other than tools lining the walls, hanging from shelfs and hooks upon every nook and cranny. Boxes upon boxes of small, intricate pieces were stacked high, almost to the ceiling, which felt as far away as a mountain above her head.

She knew this place.

Her eyes fell to her hands- tiny, sweating lightly from the heat pulsing from behind her. She turned around, clumsy and chubby and not really coordinated enough to pivot properly, like she had intended- losing her balance, she flailed a little, a small, high-pitched yelp leaving her mouth as her eyes caught sight of a huge, glowing blacksmith's forge behind her, red and roiling flames within enticing her closer with their curling tendrils.

Before she could hit the ground, a large hand grabbed her- it covered what felt like her entire back, immediately soothing her fear. "Woah there, sweetheart," the soft, low voice murmured. "Be careful, otherwise I'm going to have to send you back to your room."

"But Dad!" she instinctively groaned, leaning backwards into the hand to peer up at the speaker.

Warm hazel eyes smiled down at her, although the man's lips were hidden inside his slightly unruly beard. Sweat and dirt stained his skin from the heat and the metalwork, and his cheeks were eternally flushed a ruddy colour in the hot room. His unruly mahogany hair matched the deep brown apron, covered in black spots and small burned holes. With a fairly built, stocky form and a wide stance, he seemed like quite the imposing individual. However, there was a certain light in his eyes- the dancing flames from the forge twinkled in his irises, showing off his kindness, his joy.

"No buts, Pyrrha," he said, taking a quick knee to speak to her. "I told you to be careful when you're in here."

She pouted, looking down. "Okay," she agreed quietly.

The man chuckled, pulling off his thick gloves to smooth the hair from her forehead. "That's my little fireball," he said sweetly. Before she could sulk, however, he scooped her up, pulling a giggle from the little girl. "So, wanna help your old man here curve a shield?"

Pyrrha felt a burst of light fill her soul, her laughter rising. "You're not old, Dad!" she cried, throwing her arms around his neck.

Her father pretended to stagger back from the weight, but quickly set her in the crook of his arm and approached the table he had been working at on the other side of the room. Numerous tools lined the table, and a broad plate was clamped in place by multiple vices around the worktable. With his free hand, he eased a few restraints on the edges and placed his hand on the center of the plate, leaning slightly down. "I've found a shape I like," he explained, raising an eyebrow defiantly at Pyrrha. "Can you handle pressing this part down for me?"

Pyrrha bounced excitedly in his arms. "Yup!" she giggled gleefully. "Just close my eyes and use my Sem-bless."

"Semblance," he corrected mildly, applying more pressure to the metal. "Let's do it."

And with that, the little girl clutched onto his damp collar tight, closed her eyes, and-

Pyrrha's eyes snapped open at the sound of her alarm clock, the gentle ringing from her Scroll slowly alerting the other members of Team JNPR. Her face was warm, flushed, still burning with excitement and exhilaration and the comforting presence of her father's apron and collar under thick, chubby fingers.

As the others began to slowly shuffle around the room, Pyrrha simply lay there, blinking slowly while the images began slipping away from her mind once more.

The heat of the forge still lingered on her cheeks. I still remember you, she thought tiredly, already feeling exhausted, and I always will. I promise.

"Pyrrha, it's time to get uuuup," Jaune moaned from the foot of her bed as he walked by, toothbrush in hand. "We gotta go to claaaaass."

"Yeah," she replied, voice raspy and thick. Clearing her throat, she sat up slowly, running a hand through sweat-soaked bangs.

I should get rid of one of these blankets- it was probably too warm last night. The dormitory had finally increased the heating in the rooms at night, as the season turned colder and colder.

With a sigh, she swung her legs out of bed, grabbed her stuff, and headed off to the bathroom. Her cheeks were cold.

The days carried on, filled with exam reviews and constant questions from professors in order to ensure that all the information from the first half of the term had really stuck. Every day had a different gimmick- some days, they were forced to recite info in front of the class. Others, there were challenges with rewards (once, there was an extra dessert voucher for dinner- Pyrrha had never seen Nora and Ruby so angry at each other). Sometimes, practice exams were the tune of the day. Pyrrha did well, Ren excelled, Nora slept through it all, and Jaune faked a smile. It was about as expected, in those few leading up days.

Thursday and Friday were to be dedicated to combat training, to ensuring that everyone had fully understood the tools they were given in the form of Aura management and basic hand-to-hand manoeuvres. They weren't even given the chance to sit down and watch the matches. Professor Goodwitch instead made all the students, dressed in nothing but their combat gear and nervous fear, stand on the floor around the stage, watching the fights up close. It also allowed the blonde to cycle through students more quickly as she pit them against one another in short, one-on-one fights.

A few rounds had gone by, leaving Pyrrha's hands bunched up in her red sash, gripping it tightly by her sides to avoid any suspicion. Solo battles still made her uncomfortable, and more than anything, she wanted to avoid them when possible in front of an audience.

You can't run forever, her mind reasoned. You'll have to perform eventually. You'll be better off dealing with this now.

And that'll be an eventual problem, the anxious part of her mind argued back. What if you break again?

She wanted, with all her heart, to be like the reasonable part of her mind- that was the part that would guide her to victory. The anxious part, unfortunately, was just a little too good at creeping out of the box in her heart.

The session eventually drew to a close, leaving just enough time for one more round for the day. Pyrrha's round, thankfully, ended up being uneventful- she faced off against an unlucky member of Team TRCS and managed to finish the match without any further incident. Now, Professor Goodwitch stood center stage, nodding approvingly at the previous two competitors, who had performed fairly well in an evenly-matched duel. "Jaune Arc, your turn," she called as the projector screen above began displaying his current Aura levels.

Pyrrha turned to look at Jaune. "Will you be okay?"

Jaune flashed an uneasy smile. "I'm sure I'll be-"

The random match generator the professor was using selected his opponent, bringing their Aura to the opposite side of the screen. Cardin's photo popped up, and immediately, jeering from Team CRDL erupted from the corner as they cheered their leader on.

Jaune gulped. "-fine."

The redhead couldn't help but gulp with him as he stumbled his way to the staircase, onto the stage, and stood in front of Professor Goodwitch's scrutinizing eyes.

The Huntress examined Cardin with the same disapproving stare. "No funny business, Cardin," she growled, low enough to send a shiver through the audience's spines. Everyone knew of the locker incident, after all- and just like everyone had thought, no one wanted to be in Glynda Goodwitch's bad books.

The two young men drew their weapons- Jaune, holding Crocea Mors nervously, and Cardin, with his intricate, hollowed-out spiked mace slung casually over his shoulder. The professor watched them settle down as she walked off the stage, tapping her tablet. Stopping at the bottom of the stairs, she pressed the final button to turn off the house lights, switch on the spotlights, and ding the match bell. "Begin!"

And with that, Cardin leapt forward and swung his mace like a bat towards Jaune's face. The blond took a step back, losing his balance fairly quickly. The taller boy smirked, crouching low and springing forward again, throwing himself into a rapid succession of attacks that Jaune was barely able to fend off with his shield.

Pyrrha could barely watch. The sight of Jaune flailing like a lost lamb- it was too pitiful. He's not meant to fight alone, she thought sadly. He's a much better team player.

And he was- he had proven his salt all the way back in initiation. If only he could realize that himself.

It only took thirty seconds for Jaune to already be spent from blocking against Cardin's attacks. The blond was hunched over, leaning on Crocea Mors' blade like a crutch, catching his breath desperately.

Cardin stood in front of him, the mace back up and resting upon his shoulder. A wicked, mocking grin only added insult to injury when he laughed uproariously at Jaune's exhaustion.

Jaune frowned, quickly gathering up his remaining energy and channeling it into one attack. He ran forward, swinging his blade wildly at the other boy, but Cardin neatly dodged out of the way. Jaune clearly wasn't expected the evasion- as he turned back surprised to look at the taller boy, Cardin wound up and threw out another attack. On whatever dregs of adrenaline remained in his system, Jaune reflexively held up his shield so that when the attack slammed into him, he wasn't thrown- too far, at least.

The shield clattered helplessly upon the floor, leaving a defenseless Jaune armed with only his sword. Without pausing to reassess the situation, he picked himself up and tried to swing his blade.

Pyrrha winced as she watched Cardin easily block the attack, using his height and stockier frame to his advantage, bearing down on their now-locked weapons. She clenched her fist tightly upon her lap as she distantly heard the two fighters exchange words, but she wasn't able to make it out. All she could see were their faces- Cardin, with a menacing smile, and Jaune, struggling to keep to his feet.

Unfortunately, whatever Jaune said was cut off by a well-placed knee to the stomach, dropping the boy to the ground. Pyrrha winced as the blond's sword clattered on the stage, almost feeling the pain that Jaune's grimace was sharing with the audience.

Rather than stop after incapacitating him, Cardin raised his mace. The sickening grin on his lips as he hovered above Jaune, ready to slam the spiked weapon into his opponent, was barely registered in her mind before she reacted. Pyrrha's hands were at her side, ready to call Miló in an instant, legs tensed to fling herself into the ring to stop him.

Thankfully, after the locker room incident, Professor Goodwitch was very wary of Cardin. Before Pyrrha had the chance to launch herself onstage, the match buzzer rang loud and clear throughout the auditorium. She blinked rapidly as the houselights turned back on suddenly, signalling the end of the lecture. The clicking of the professor's boots were more than enough to shut the tall boy down. "Cardin, that's enough!" she commanded, walking towards the pair. She cast him a disapproving look until he relented and walked away, then held up her tablet to the screen and highlighted Jaune's Aura bar, sent straight from his Scroll. "Students, as you can see, Mr. Arc's Aura has now dropped into the red. In a tournament-styled duel, this would indicate that Jaune is no longer fit for battle, and that the official may call the match."

Although Cardin had already stepped back, simply leaning on his mace as though nothing tiring had just occurred, Jaune was still catching his breath on the floor, clearly winded. Pyrrha bit her lip and watched the professor turn to look at him, a resigned sigh escaping the blonde's lips and into the microphone which was clipped to her cloak. "Mr. Arc, it's been weeks now. Please try to refer to your Scroll during combat. Gauging your Aura will help you decide when it's appropriate to attack, or when it is better to move to a more... defensive strategy." Bemusedly, she added, "We wouldn't want you to be gobbled up by a Beowolf, now, would we?"

Cardin scoffed, loudly muttering, "Speak for yourself..." as he swung his hefty weapon up onto his shoulder and sauntered away, still sneering.

Professor Goodwitch ignored his comment, simply putting away her tablet and facing the crowding students in front of the stage. "Your exams are next week, but this training extends beyond that. Remember, everyone, the Vytal Festival is only a few months away! It won't be long before students from the other kingdoms start arriving in Vale, so keep practicing! Those who choose to compete in the combat tournament will be representing all of Vale!"

Pyrrha's eyes were still locked onto Jaune as she spoke, even as the class bell rang, dismissing them for lunch. She could dimly hear Ruby squealing excitedly with Yang nearby, but her eyes were solely focused on the blond head, hanging in shame and defeat upon the stage while everyone else left the room, trying to beat the lunch lines.

She pushed through the crowd and swung herself up lithely onto the stage after Professor Goodwitch left. Approaching the tired blond, she bit her tongue, stopping all the words which wanted to escape so desperately as she walked closer. I could help you- just say the word- it's okay, you're going to be okay-

"I'm starved; let's go get some food," she offered instead, alongside a welcoming hand. After all, Jaune hated it when she brought up his academics, his training, his Aura. So, she stayed away from it. It was better than risking his friendship.

With a strained smile, Jaune wordlessly accepted the offered hand, pulling himself up. He winced a little, clutching his stomach- the knee had probably hurt a lot. Pyrrha's fingers itched to reach out to his cheek, to activate his Aura, but she managed to clench her hand and simply pat him on the shoulder, guiding him gently to where Team RWBY and JNPR were waiting.

Soon, they were seated in the dining hall, taking up a good section of one of the long, unassuming brown tables. "I just can't believe that the Vytal Festival is happening here," Weiss insisted. "And in our first year, too? Do any of you realize how lucky we are?"

"I'm sure it just hasn't hit everyone yet," Yang commented. "I mean, what are the odds that we'd get to see it in our home? Normally, we'd have to travel all the way to Atlas, or Mistral- ooh, or maybe even Vacuo!" The feisty girl pouted, crossing her arms. "Aw, now I want to travel. Dang it."

Pyrrha laughed softly with the rest of the group, but out of the corner of her eye, she couldn't help but watch Jaune's reaction- or lack thereof, to be more precise.

"Ooh, but guys, something super cool happened!" Nora suddenly exclaimed, drawing all the attention back to her.

"What is it?" Blake murmured, eyebrow raised skeptically. She didn't even look up from her book.

"So!" the orange-haired girl announced, shifting into her storytelling mode. "There we were, in the middle of the night…"

"It was day," Ren cut in mercilessly as he ate his broccoli.

Nora leaned in towards Blake, who was still paying her no mind. "We were surrounded by Ursai…"

"They were Beowolves," Ren supplied, nursing his coffee cup.

"Dozens of them!" she jumped up, waiting expectantly for her audience to respond. Jaune was too focused on his food to respond, Yang was almost asleep, and Blake was still lost in her book. Weiss made a pointed effort to ignore her, filing her nails instead of listening- so, the girl shifted her attention to Pyrrha and Ruby. Trading looks, the two girls politely nodded to Nora, urging her to continue her story.

"Do you have any idea what's going on?" Ruby whispered.

"None at all," Pyrrha confessed. The smaller brunette saw Pyrrha's eyes wander worriedly back to Jaune, who was still picking at his food clumsily. Ruby frowned, and Pyrrha could only shrug in response- what could she say?

That was all the encouragement Nora needed, steamrolling Ren's quiet addition ("Two of 'em," he attempted to clarify) to say "But they were no match… and in the end, Ren and I took them down, and made a boatload of Lien selling Ursa skin rugs!" And with that, she sat down, crossing her arms and smiling smugly.

Ren let out a heavy sigh, waving his cup to demonstrate his point. "She's been having this recurring dream for nearly a month now."

Now that Nora had settled down, Pyrrha asked gently, "Jaune? Are you okay?"

Being addressed directly snapped him out of his stupor. "Huh? Oh, yeah! Why?"

Ruby leaned forward, explaining awkwardly, "It's just that you seem a little… not okay…"

At their words, the rest of their two teams tuned into what Jaune would say, watching him with concern.

Jaune laughed uncomfortably. "Guys, I'm fine. Seriously! Look!" He struck a pose, holding out a thumbs-up, nervous chuckles spilling from his lips. His eyes darted across the disbelieving gazes of the rest of the students, until they landed on Pyrrha- and just ask quickly, they darted away.

Pyrrha sighed lightly, following his gaze to where it fell behind their table. The redhead instinctively bristled at the sight a few rows down, where Team CRDL was surrounding someone.

"Hey, isn't that… Velvet?" Nora murmured, the light smile she wore slipping from her face fast.

And it was indeed Velvet from Team CFVY, the quiet Faunus girl they had met their first weekend at Beacon. However, this time, she didn't have Yatsuhashi to hide behind as Sky Lark, one of the other CRDL members, mocked her rabbit-like ears. Pyrrha's heart sank in her chest as the four boys laughed uproariously and Velvet shrank in her seat, unable to get away.

Pyrrha sighed, scooting backwards in order to get off the bench and confront the bullies. No way would she watch someone be ridiculed like that-

But in a moment, she relaxed. A green cloak, standing tall above all others, began weaving through the tables and benches towards Velvet, a look of determination on his stoic face. Her own team was coming to save her.

Jaune turned back to face his food, picking at a carrot sadly. Now that she knew Cardin would have to leave their innocent upperclassman alone with Team CFVY backing her up, she brought her focus back to him.

Should I say anything? Looking at everyone else's concerned faces, she drew up all her courage, shoving her concern about his potential reactions down her throat. With everyone backing her up, it was as good a time as any to bring it up publicly.

"Jaune," she began, "Cardin's been picking on you since the first week of school!"

"Who? Cardin Winchester? Nah… He just likes to mess around! Y'know, practical jokes!"

"He's a bully," Ruby insisted.

Jaune scoffed, but his eyes were agonized. "Oh, please! Name one time he's 'bullied' me."

"In the hallways, in class," Ruby said quietly.

"He just creamed you in class," Blake muttered, deadpan, as she finally put down her book.

Weiss looked up from her nails, annoyance mixed with pity and scorn upon her delicate features. "Let's not forget the locker incident," she announced. "You're practically famous for flying."

Now, everyone's eyes were up and locked on Jaune, awaiting his response. The boy raised his hands sheepishly, attempting to laugh off the continued stream of evidence. "I didn't land that far from the school!"

Pyrrha reached out a hand, placing it upon his back. "Jaune, you know if you ever need help, you can just ask."

"Ooh!" Nora cried, a wolfish glint in her eyes highlighting a feral grin. She stood up from her bench enthusiastically. "We'll break his legs!"

Before Ren could reproach her again for her plan, Jaune insisted, "Guys, really, it's fine! Besides, it's not like he's only a jerk to me; he's a jerk to everyone." With a jab of his thumb, everyone's eyes were back on Velvet, who was still suffering her tormentors as Yatsuhashi attempted to break through the endless maze of tables and passing students.

"Ow! That hurts!" Velvet cried, finally relenting as Cardin tugged on her ears. "Please, stop…"

Cardin howled with laughter, turning to his team. "I told you it was real!"

Russel ran a hand through his pale blond mohawk, eyes bulging out of his head in disbelief and disgust. "What a freak!"

At last, Cardin caught sight of the lumbering giant making his way through the crowd, so he let go of her ear. Before anyone could even blink, Velvet scampered off towards her teammate, hiding behind him as soon as she slipped through the crowd. The tall, quiet boy gently led her out of the room, normally serene eyes glaring daggers at Cardin as they left.

"Atrocious," Pyrrha growled. "I can't stand people like him."

Surprisingly, the one to agree with her was Blake, the quiet girl seething uncharacteristically. "He's not the only one…"

Pyrrha ignored her comment and turned to face Jaune, but the blond was already on his feet, picking up his tray still filled with uneaten food. "Jaune, wait up," she called softly, but he didn't hear her.

Oblivious to his misery, Yang leaned her hand upon her hand, expression wistful. "It must be hard to be a Faunus."

As he left the group behind, Pyrrha let out a heavy sigh. Suddenly, she felt a gentle weight upon her arm. Ruby had taken Jaune's seat by her side and now leaned lightly upon Pyrrha's side, rueful smile a bit comforting to the redhead. "Well, let's just hope we nail midterms," Ruby murmured. The young brunette knew about all of Jaune's academic struggle, being his one close friend outside of their team. "Let's work hard, okay?"

The redhead smiled back, leaning her head on top of Ruby's. "Yeah," she responded simply, relishing in the warmth from the tiny girl's body at her side. "I guess that's what we're here for, right?"

"Yup!" Ruby chirped. Pyrrha could feel the girl shake from small chuckles, the feeling reverberating through her own body. And Ruby was right- during the next week, they would be having all of their exams. For the moment, all they had time to do was prepare. And in order to succeed, there was no point worrying about anything else- not Cardin, not her mother and father. All they had to do was make it through alright.

A knot in her stomach squeezed tight, quickly stealing her appetite away. She pushed away her tray. Somehow, she knew that she needed to do well, if for no other reason than to be ready to help Jaune with the struggle ahead.