A/N: Well, I had half of this chapter written FOREVER ago, but I never got the chance to finish it till tonight. Ah, the wonders of university and its magnificent ability to take away your will to do anything but write papers. I was also going to split this chapter into two, but it just wouldn't split evenly, so... meh. Enjoy your one long chapter instead!
Also, almost 100 reviews? And 100 favourites? And getting close to 200 followers? Y'all are great! Keep it coming! I love hearing from you. So, as always, let me know what you think ;D
Laws of Attraction
"So, is everyone packed up for Forever Fall tomorrow?" Ren asked, carefully tucking his water bottle and sunscreen into his bag. He picked up StormFlower, carefully popping open the ammunition casing to load tiny bullets.
Pyrrha nodded stiffly, motioning towards the prepared bag at the foot of her bed. "I think the only one who isn't ready is Jaune." She sighed, eyes trailing outside the large window by her bedside. It was dark, the sun long having set. Pyrrha didn't mind- she just wanted her gaze to be directed somewhere other than the faces of her teammates. She had seen enough concern and pity to last a lifetime over the last week.
The box spring squeaked on the other side of Pyrrha's bed as Nora jumped aimlessly upon her own covers, ignoring Ren's request for her to remove her runners before standing on furniture. Pyrrha could almost feel the intensity of Nora's gaze upon the side of her head- ever since their conversation in the bathroom, Nora had been casting a watchful eye upon the redhead to try and find a crack in her armour, or find the moment when Pyrrha would look at Jaune 'the way she looked at Ren'.
Pyrrha still couldn't believe it. For one, she had never been romantically affiliated with someone else before. Her mother certainly hadn't approved of the notion of Pyrrha being intimate with anyone, and even if the stern woman had, the redhead's combat prowess and fame had always been more than enough to turn people away. How was she to know if she really, truly felt the way that Nora insisted she did?
And yet, some niggling part of Pyrrha's brain knew that the bubbly girl had hit the mark with her deduction. Ever since meeting him, Pyrrha had been drawn to him. There was something about how the boy moved so clumsily, so endearingly, that made her heart swell. While she didn't know what 'liking' someone really felt like, she knew that she didn't look at Ren the same way, either.
However, none of that mattered if Jaune wouldn't admit that there was a problem. Nora and Ren had tried to corner the blond over the weekend- both alone and together- but neither of them were able to make him confess as to what in the world was going on.
So, Jaune hadn't joined them on their weekly noodle hunt that Sunday. And, in that day's classes, his regular seat had once again been empty, the blond sitting beside Cardin instead.
While it hadn't been too problematic during the normal lectures that day, the following morning would certainly present an issue to the three stray teammates. The first years were slated to head off to Forever Fall, a large forest known for its eternally-crimson hues that occupied the large northwestern expanse above the city of Vale and Beacon Academy. Based on Professor Goodwitch's cryptic explanation of the field trip, it would be an activity taking place in teams.
Unfortunately, Team JNPR wasn't exactly prepared to deal with it.
The air hung silent for a moment, save for the rhythmic squeaking of the bed. "How come Jaune gets home so late?" Nora pondered aloud, finally averting her gaze from Pyrrha.
The redhead let out a long, tired breath from the moment of levity from the other girl's stare.
Ren sighed, tucking his blades away. "He's become rather scarce since he started fraternizing with Cardin," he commented hesitantly.
"That's weird," Nora complained, the pout almost audible in her voice. "Doesn't he know we have a field trip tomorrow? We need our rest!" With her last word, she flipped, twirling in midair lithely. With her new pose, she landed flat on her back, arms spread upon her coverlet.
In her mind, the blond's face appeared, expression twisted in frustration and fear from their conversation upon the rooftop. Pyrrha frowned, feeling the anger bubbling up at the memory. "I'm sure our leader knows exactly what he's doing." And with that, she effectively ended the conversation, directing her gaze to the glowing green lights of the CCTS tower, obscured slightly in the low clouds of that evening.
She heard Nora murmur, "Mm… I guess so."
Briefly, Pyrrha's eyes flicked over to the orange-haired girl's bed. She was met with worried blue eyes watching her. Quickly, she looked away so as to not restart the conversation- but as she sat by the windowsill, she heard Nora get up from her squeaky bed, felt arms wrap her in a warm embrace around her neck.
"We can punch him on Saturday if he's still being a bum," Nora offered. "We can take down Cardin too if you want."
Pyrrha snorted. "We might have to," she said dryly. "It's going to start messing with our team dynamic soon."
"Oh, who cares about the team dynamic," Nora rolled her eyes. "I'm more worried about you." With one final tight squeeze around her neck, Nora finally released her and skipped off to the bathroom, ready to wash up for bed.
As the trio crawled into bed for the night, turning off the light and quietly drifting off to sleep, Pyrrha's eyes remained open. She was troubled. Not by the future field trip, because realistically, she would probably be able to figure out a way to cover for their clumsy leader- but for Jaune himself. She still couldn't fathom why in the world Jaune would ever spend time with a guy like Cardin. Especially when all they've ever done is torment him! she thought in frustration, rolling onto her side. Although her mind raced with different explanations, there was nothing that seemed even remotely possible. Jaune had explicitly showed that he didn't like Cardin, after all- and it wasn't likely that the blond was about to forget all the times the bully had harassed him over the last few months, either.
It just didn't make sense.
She huffed and tucked the sheets around her chin, forcing her eyes shut. Whatever it was, until Jaune tried to face his mistakes or reach out, there wasn't anything they could do. There was no point seething about it. She couldn't deny the fact that her heart still ached, just a little. This heavy pit in her stomach, the weight of Jaune's betrayal- she was getting sick and tired of feeling it. It was almost easier back when she was alone.
The one saving grace of the next morning was the brilliant field of red that filled Pyrrha's vision as far as the eye could see. The first-year students all trailed helplessly after Professor Goodwitch, who was their supervisor for their field trip. One of the professors who specialized in teaching the seniors, a sweet, overly pink woman named Professor Peach, had lovingly asked the group to collect something needed for her research- something vital, she had said. It peaked Pyrrha's interest, at least, and it gave her the opportunity to finally venture into Forever Fall, which was a region for which entry was prohibited by the Academy due to its large Grimm population.
She breathed in deep, keeping her strides long and even, chin raised, taking in the beautiful scenery through eyes wide with wonder. With little glimpses of blue sky and fluffy white clouds peeking through the endless rain of red leaves from the tall trees above, the sight was truly picturesque. And, with the freshness of the chilled air entering her lungs, she couldn't deny that this was exactly what the group needed after the long midterm exam period. She tightened her grip upon the jar she had been assigned and kept going.
Professor Goodwitch strutted smartly through the forest trail, not even bothering to look back at the students as they rushed to keep up with her. "Yes, students, the forest of Forever Fall is indeed beautiful. But we are not here to sight-see. Professor Peach has asked all of you to collect samples from the trees deep inside this forest, and I'm here to make sure none of you die while doing so."
They all stopped as she spoke, looking around in fascination at the new surroundings. Somewhere behind them, Pyrrha's ear caught the distinct sound of Jaune yelping, accompanied by the clinking of jars. She didn't get a chance to investigate, though, as the professor continued, "Each of you is to gather one jar's worth of red sap. Look to your instruction manual upon your Scroll for further explanations." She held up her own jar, filled with a viscous, nearly opaque plum-coloured syrup. "However, this forest is full of the creatures of Grimm, so be sure to stay by your teammates. We will rendezvous back here by 4 o'clock." With one final, stern examination of the waiting students, she finally gave them all a small smile. "Have fun!"
At this, the group scattered, the professor simply strolling off to a small bench off the right side of the path. Nora and Ren beckoned for her to come along, the former skipping off noisily after Team RWBY, who had already bolted off into the distance in excitement. Pyrrha smiled, but after hearing another yelp from Jaune, she immediately turned and tried to find him.
However, Jaune was not making his way towards her, like a small part of her had hoped. Instead, he stood holding an entire case of empty sap jars, a guilty expression on his face as he looked between her and Cardin, who was holding onto the back of his hood.
"Come on, buddy – let's go!" Cardin said lowly, walking off in the opposite direction alongside his own team.
Pyrrha felt her brows instinctively furrow, and she couldn't hide the disappointment in her eyes as she saw Jaune's torn expression. Why is he acting like there's even a choice to be made? she wondered to herself. The blond met her eyes only for a moment before turning on his heel and trailing after Cardin, arms laden with the jars.
I guess he's made his choice.
She sighed, following after Nora and Ren with a heavy heart. In the distance, she could see Ren finally catching up to Nora, grabbing onto her shoulders. Even from far away, Pyrrha could see how tired Ren was already, his chest rising rapidly as he tried to catch his breath. However, Pyrrha felt her frustration at Jaune melt away a little as she watched Nora spin on her heel, a brilliant smile upon her face as she reached out one dainty finger and lightly tapped the boy on the nose before skipping off again.
The redhead felt a blush rise to her own cheeks, and she quickened her pace slightly to catch up. I still can't believe she actually has a reason for doing that to Ren, she thought in amazement. Her smile only grew as she noticed that Nora's pace, although still brisk, had slowed down considerably to accommodate Ren's slower gait. They're so sweet. I hope Ren realizes it one day.
When she finally caught up with Nora and Ren, the two had already gotten to work on harvesting the sap. Collection spouts had already been drilled into the trunks by previous students, allowing them to simply collect the slow-moving syrup with ease. She stretched, smiling at Ruby and Blake who were working nearby on their own trees.
Her fingers moved deftly, placing her own opened jar underneath a tap and releasing the flow of syrup. The thick, viscous liquid crawled into her jar lazily, and she leaned forward, resting her forehead against the smooth, earthy brown bark of the tree. It was soothing, almost calming, just watching the sap dripping steadily into the jar. The movement of the liquid was constant, purple slowly creeping up the sides and coating the clear bottle, turning it opaque. After a few minutes, she was almost able to see her own reflection in the top of the liquid, glossy as it settled near the top of the jar.
As she turned the handle of the release valve and spun the spout upwards to prevent the rest of the syrup from dripping out, she felt all the tension release in her shoulders. The movement had been almost hypnotic- now, she felt more relaxed than ever as she capped her jar, heart warm with satisfaction.
"I'm done," she called out quietly. "Does anyone have extras they need help with?"
Ren peeked at her from around his own tree, holding out an empty jar. "Apparently, this stuff is sweet," he explained dryly. "Nora ate all mine, so I'm confiscating her jar."
"I'll fill it up for her," Pyrrha chuckled, looking around for another tree to check.
In the distance, a low howl echoed, frightening a small flock of crows into flight. Pyrrha immediately looked up from her jar, eyes following them curiously. Their dark, sleek bodies contrasted sharply with the pale blue sky, but their speed was what sent a dark shadow across her heart. The birds were fleeing something. As that understanding filled her mind, the calm that had filled her vanished in an instant.
Another roar filled the air, but this time, it sounded a lot closer. Pyrrha heard Ruby murmur, "Did you guys hear that?"
Suddenly, three bodies crashed through the undergrowth, scattering red leaves everywhere in their wake. Russel, Dove and Sky were sprinting towards the main path with all their might, with Russel looking back the way they had come, screaming, "Ursa! Ursa!"
His terrified eyes were so transfixed upon what lay behind him that he ran straight into Yang. Pyrrha picked up the lid to Nora's jar of sap, capped it tight, and straightened up, brows furrowed as she focused in on what the boy was going to say.
Yang picked him up by the front of his shirt, unfazed by his appearance. "What?! Where?" she demanded, shaking the boy who was still running frantically, despite his feet not even touching the ground anymore as the blonde held him up.
Russel squealed, "Back there! It's got Cardin!" His trembling fingers pointed the way they had come… in the direction of the howl.
The jar fell from her fingers, her entire body going numb, locking in terror. "Jaune!" she cried, eyes wide with horror.
Ruby's voice brought her out of it, the younger girl's tone becoming authoritative. "Yang! You and Blake, go get Professor Goodwitch!" Russel slapped Yang's hands off his collar, the startled blonde releasing him so that he could run after his teammates. Yang and Blake nodded briskly at Ruby's order and followed him.
As she watched them go, a single thought filled her mind. Ursai travel in packs. Pyrrha locked eyes with Nora and Ren, the two having dropped their own jars, looking just as startled as she had felt only moments before. "You two, go with them!" she commanded, pointing at Yang and Blake's retreating figures. Pulling out her Semblance, she summoned Miló and Akoúo into her hands, shifting her stance low with sword and shield ready. "There could be more!"
As they nodded and ran off, Pyrrha heard mechanical gears whir beside her. Turning around, a smile crept onto her lips as Ruby grinned determinedly at her, Crescent Rose fully extended in her hand. And behind Ruby, Weiss stood at the ready, her own Dust blade drawn.
"Let's go," Ruby murmured.
"Right," Pyrrha and Weiss replied in unison, and Ruby spun on her heel and burst forward, taking point whilst Pyrrha and Weiss followed behind. That formation didn't last long, though- the redhead sprinted as fast as she could, legs pumping, heart racing, her tongue thick in her mouth as she tried to swallow around the lump in her throat. She very quickly overtook even Ruby, the two smaller girls calling her to slow down to no avail.
You better be okay, Jaune, she thought over and over to herself, ignoring her friends' calls. I need you to be okay.
It only took a few moments to stumble upon a small clearing dominated by the hulking black figure of a giant Ursa, stalking up to a cowering Cardin, the normally giant boy looking utterly helpless in front of the beast. They all stopped at the edge of the clearing, surveying the unbelievable scene with wide eyes. "Oh no!" she breathed, watching the monster raise its hefty paw, ready to swipe it across Cardin's body.
However, the attack was met with a resounding clang as out of nowhere, a familiar white shield sprung open and blocked the blow. Her eyebrows shot up in disbelief, jaw hanging open slightly as Jaune leaned forward, braced his stance… and held off the weight of the Ursa.
Oh my goodness, she thought, eyes transfixed upon the scene- red leaves dancing around their forms- the giant creature leaning down, bearing its entire being upon that one giant paw- Cardin laying down, mouth agape in shock- and Jaune standing strong, veins popping up in his temple and neck from the exertion. The image she had seen of him so many times in her mind emerged unbidden, and suddenly, Jaune was the warrior upon the Great War statue personified.
He was powerful.
Maybe… maybe he can do this. She knew in that moment that she just had to give him a chance. To prove himself to us. She didn't think the words, but her heart knew what she really wanted to say.
To prove himself to me.
The whirring of Weiss' blade caught her attention. Tearing her eyes away from the scene, she held out a hand to stop the pale girl. "Wait!" she whispered fiercely. "Give him a chance." Weiss obeyed wordlessly, and Pyrrha's eyes were back on the battle playing out in front of her.
Jaune quickly pulled his shield away from the Ursa's paw, using the momentum to slash at the creature's stomach. The Ursa growled, losing balance, then throwing down its other paw to flatten the boy. The blond rolled to the side and back onto his feet, jumping high into the air to dodge another quick swipe of its paw towards his legs.
Pyrrha felt a wicked grin grow on her face. All of his movements, his reflexes… they were what Professor Goodwitch had been working on with them during combat practice. Jaune had never been able to utilise these skills during training, but seeing them here proved that they had clearly stuck, even though he couldn't do it whenever he wanted to.
Suddenly, the Ursa landed a blow in Jaune's stomach, knocking the boy twelve feet clear behind him. She winced, by the grin was quickly back as the boy stood up again and charged forward. Another hit landed, and Jaune rolled behind the creature from the impact.
That's it Jaune, check your Aura! Be careful! she coached silently, biting her lip in glee as she saw the boy look down at what was presumably his Scroll.
Apparently dissatisfied with what he found, Jaune straightened up, face twisting in anger, and ran head-on towards the charging shadowy monster. As the Ursa lunged forward, raising its paw to slice him to pieces, Jaune raised his sword and swung back, readying himself for the final blow.
Pyrrha's heart dropped to the floor, the world shifting into slow motion as she analyzed the situation. He's completely open, she realized, watching the boy's shield hover around his waist, so far away from where the monster was about to strike. He's going to die.
Almost instinctively, the redhead raised her hand towards him, summoning her Semblance from deep within herself. She let it wash over her body and zip like lightning through her extended fingertips, travelling invisibly through the air, attaching to the cool metal of Jaune's armor. For just a moment, she watched her dark red Aura flow across him, caressing his body, before leaping off his arm onto his shield. The glow surrounded the white, tainting it red- and with a slight curl of her finger, the glow dragged his shield upwards.
And suddenly, the world was back to its normal speed. The shield blocked the incoming blow, and Jaune used the creature's surprise to duck under its body, pushing the paw away from him and clearing a path to its neck. Finally, as the giant Ursa flailed in the air, Jaune leapt up and swung his blade clean through the Ursa's neck, decapitating it. Its body and head fell, separated, the blood from the wound indistinguishable from the crimson red of the leaves littering the ground.
He did it. He really did it. Relief and pure, unadulterated pride flooded her senses. With that, she dropped her arm, withdrawing her Semblance back into her body, cutting off the glow which had formed around her hand before the blond could notice what she had done.
"Uh… what?" Ruby asked from her right.
Pyrrha shifted to look at her, then Weiss, who was equally amazed. "How did you…?" the white-haired girl asked.
Pyrrha's smile widened, understanding dawning. She didn't ever bring up her Semblance, after all. "Well, Ruby has her speed, you have your glyphs." She shrugged, eyes locked back onto Jaune's trembling shoulders as the blond stood back up. "My Semblance is polarity."
Ruby innocently murmured, "Whoa, you can control poles…"
The redhead bit her lip in amusement as Weiss jumped in. "No, you dunce! It means she has control over magnetism!"
Pyrrha turned around and began walking to where they had left their jars, snorting lightly as she overheard Ruby whisper, "Magnets are cool, too…"
Weiss called, "Wait, where are you going?"
"Yeah! We gotta tell them what happened!" Ruby insisted.
Pyrrha rolled her eyes lightly, the relief turning her a little giddy now that all the adrenaline had worn off. "We could…" she began, "or perhaps we could keep it our little secret?" And with that, she walked away. After a moment, she heard the other two girls follow her lead, but they remained silent until they reached the previous clearing, giving her some much-needed time to think.
So… he can fight. He just needs training. I wasn't crazy to believe in him. A small sigh escaped her. It doesn't change the fact that he did lie to get into Beacon. That won't change.
However, Pyrrha couldn't help but counter that point with the other truth that had solidified in her mind as she went over the last few minutes once more. My feelings for him… they won't change, either.
Because no matter how much frustration and anger and resentment she had felt over the last week due to the blond's actions, nothing could change the fact that the moment she had thought of him in danger, she had run harder than she had ever run before.
And when she saw him hold off the Ursa…
Her heart was still pounding in her chest from the exhilaration, from the pride.
By the time they had arrived, Professor Goodwitch was just breaking through the trees with Yang, Blake, Nora, Ren, and a terrified Team CRDL in tow. "Where is the Ursa?" she demanded, crop drawn.
Smugly, Pyrrha gathered up the scattered jars of sap in her arms, handing Nora and Ren their own as they approached. "Jaune took care of it, himself."
The professor raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "You mean to say… he took it on alone?"
"Yup!" she replied brightly. "Well, Cardin was there, but the Ursa disarmed him fairly quickly, so Jaune just defended him while he was at it."
Nora's eyes bulged out of her head. "He took it on alone?" she cried.
Professor Goodwitch crossed her arms, thoughtfully watching Pyrrha's expression for any sign of a lie. After a moment, she murmured, "Huh. It seems Jaune has more potential than I thought."
As she said those words, the crunching of leaves behind her drew Pyrrha's attention. Jaune and Cardin entered the clearing, the former looking proud, the latter looking nothing but sheepish.
"Jaune, Cardin- are you alright?" Professor Goodwitch asked sternly, although her eyes betrayed her concern.
Jaune nodded resolutely, and Pyrrha couldn't help but bounce a little as she saw just how straight his shoulders were, how much taller he was walking. It was like whatever dark cloud had been hovering over him had suddenly dissipated. "Yes ma'am," he replied, voice strong. "I think we'll be fine."
The professor walked over to him, examining his frame up and down. Finally, she placed a hand on his shoulder, squeezing lightly. "I'm proud of you, Jaune," she said quietly, drawing gasps of awe from the onlookers. "You did well."
Jaune's face flushed bright pink to the tips of his ears. Praise from Glynda Goodwitch was not something to be taken lightly, after all. "Thank you, ma'am," he said.
And with that, the professor spun around and faced the class, who had all gathered in the area due to the commotion. "It's almost 4 o'clock," she announced. "Head back to the main road. We shall wait for any stragglers there, and then we'll be off. Good job today."
A few whoops of excitement filled the air, and the group began to meander back to the initial path. Pyrrha lingered back for a moment, eyes still locked on Jaune. Cardin scuffled past him towards his team, hunched over and embarrassed- but her focus was strictly upon the blond.
Suddenly, a small hand pulled at her sash, drawing her attention away. "I think he dealt with whatever was going on with Cardin," Ruby whispered. "Maybe we should give him a second?"
Pyrrha smiled. "That sounds good," she replied quietly. The younger smiled and skipped off towards Yang, immediately bursting animatedly into a retelling of what had happened to her sister.
Before she could really think about what Ruby had said, Nora slipped in beside her and linked arms with the redhead. "So, um… something good happened while we were gone, huh?"
Pyrrha chuckled, following the group with Nora's arm squeezing around hers. "Yeah, I guess. You can tell?"
Nora giggled evilly. "If you were any redder, I'd say you were one of the trees here, Pyrrha."
The redhead covered her face with her free hand, embarrassed. After a moment, though, she whispered, "Maybe he's not as bad as I thought."
"Good," Nora replied matter-of-factly.
Ren fell in beside them. "Think he took care of Cardin?"
"Probably," she relented.
"Good," he said.
And with that, their field trip was officially over. Pyrrha felt her heart still racing in her chest, even as they left Forever Fall. She had learned a lot during this trip.