A/N: Hello everyone! I'm back! I took a hiatus for the last few months in order to sort out some stuff. After some family emergencies, grieving, and dealing with university, work, and the lack of creative energy that all this left me with, I'm finally back. Thanks for sticking with this fic!
Please let me know what you think! There are so many people following along, and I'd love to hear from you all.
Laws of Attraction
Professor Goodwitch glanced down at her tablet, checking off the last exchange student on her list as said student sat back down to light applause from those around them. Looking back up at the sea of faces in the stands, wearing uniforms ranging from the desert academies in Vacuo all the way to the wintry blazers of Atlesian schools, she announced, "And with that, I hope all of you find a place you can call home in Beacon Academy. We are so humbled and excited to be able to host all of you during this year's Vytal Festival, which will be coming up sooner than you think."
Professor Ozpin also stood at the front, his characteristic coffee mug in hand. Taking a long, slow sip, he added dryly, "However, do not forget that you are here representing your homelands, and your academies. You wear their names and emblems upon yourselves, and thus, should carry yourself appropriately. We are all ambassadors for our nations, and together, we have been brought here to display the ultimate show of trust across our world."
Suddenly, the whirring of a giant hover motor outside of the amphitheatre echoed throughout the space. The tired man sighed, shaking his head. With that, he left, providing no more context to his statement.
Pyrrha raised her head to the sky, watching as another Atlesian airship zoomed over the amphitheatre. They had been doing patrols of the area all morning, and while there hadn't been any sign of a threat or hostility, the presence of military vessels in the middle of their school made her more than a little unsettled.
With an uncharacteristically wide smile- almost as if to distract from the headmaster's less-than-excited speech and the constant interruptions from the airships- Professor Goodwitch added kindly, "You are the Huntsmen and Huntresses of the future. Take this time before the tournament to not only hone your skills, but also to build bonds between the schools. In the real world, there are no affiliations with academies- there is only us against the creatures of Grimm. We are all allies. Treat each other as such."
The entire amphitheatre burst into uproarious applause as the blonde strutted off the stage, signalling the end of the welcome ceremony. One by one, students of all affiliations began to file out of the room, greeting one another excitedly. The Vytal Festival, which housed one of the most important combat tournaments in all of Remnant, was only a few months away, after all.
Pyrrha's eyes ran over the hundreds of new faces in the crowd streaming around her as they headed to the exit, a wry smile tugging her lips. "Do you think we'll make it far into the tournament?"
Ruby shrugged at her side, seeming nonplussed. "It's alright! We did qualify based on our final exam scores, so Team RWBY and Team JNPR are at least going to see some action!"
"That doesn't mean we'll last long in the tournament," Weiss muttered, eyes narrowly scoping out the other students. "Some of them look like they might even be a threat."
"Oh, c'mon," Nora brushed off all the concerned looks the others wore. "I know we'll be fine! We've got Pyrrha, and Ren, and me… and Jaune, I guess?"
"Hey!" the blond protested indignantly.
She ignored him, waving off his frustration. "We'll figure it out when the time comes! As long as our marks don't dip, we'll be set to enter!"
By this point, the group had finally found their way to the doors of the amphitheatre. There was a huge line curving around the corner already from the dining hall past where they stood, so Ren murmured, "Let's eat at home?"
The group chorused their agreements and began picking their way through the crowd towards the dormitories.
As they walked, Pyrrha's focus jumped between all of the faces in the crowd. Despite being surrounded by so many different people, she didn't feel out of place. With none of the attention residing on her for too long, she was able to just blend into the crowd of Beacon first-year students wandering through the avenue, and the anonymity it granted her was more comforting that anything.
Nora looped her arm through Pyrrha's, murmuring, "I knew there were going to be a lot of people here, but… wowie. It's really really busy, huh?"
Pyrrha hummed in agreement as she followed Ren's footsteps, the quiet young man weaving through the sea of people quite effortlessly.
Nora continued, "Everyone looks so different! I wonder if anyone is going to be assigned to our dorms."
Jaune shrugged. "There is a section of our building that's going to be given to exchange students, so we'll probably see them around. It's sure gonna be busy, though!"
"For sure," the redhead assented absentmindedly. "I'm sure it'll be-"
And then, she saw it.
Flashing, fiery golden eyes caught her attention from underneath an archway on the side of the path. Pyrrha's breath jumped up into her throat, the girl instantly stiffening up slightly in trepidation. The figure in the shadows couldn't be seen clearly due to the day's waning light, meaning that all she could see was that smoldering gaze. It was almost as if those yellow eyes were burning as they surveyed the crowd.
It sent chills up her spine.
"Pyrrha, what's wrong?" Nora asked, noticing her distress.
Pyrrha glanced down at the shorter girl briefly, then snapped her eyes back up to the figure in the archway- but they were gone. Was it just in my head?
She let out a long, weary breath. "Nothing, Nora." The other girl pouted, but didn't comment as Pyrrha kept walking. Unintentionally, the girl lengthened her strides just a little- just enough to get away from where she had seen that hidden figure. The pit of her stomach was heavy, the same sense of dread and confusion hanging over her from when Professor Ozpin had spoken to her the day before.
She closed her eyes, breathing in, out- 1, 2- and exhaled, letting the tension ease off her shoulders. In the blink of an eye, her mask was back in place, and the group carried onwards to their dorms. Something's going on, and I don't know what, she thought to herself, but I don't think I like it.
They all found themselves back in their communal lounge shortly thereafter, hanging out on the couches. Since so much of the day had been taken up by the final intake of students from different academies, their classes had been cancelled for the day- instead, they had been assigned a group of readings which the two teams seemed bent on avoiding for as long as possible.
Pyrrha didn't mind the chatter. It was a nice way to unwind before classes began the following day, and she definitely needed that, especially after the unease that had been hanging over her head all day. Allowing herself to simply sit back and take in the pleasant atmosphere of her friends was comforting.
Amidst the conversation, however, there was one person who was still even more silent than Pyrrha herself. Blake was just as quiet as she had been after the White Fang incidents at the end of the previous semester. The dark circles around the girl's eyes had only grown darker by the day, her hair becoming a little more disheveled each time Pyrrha saw her.
Ren noticed her concerned gaze towards the exhausted Faunus. Leaning over, he whispered, "Something's wrong with Blake, right?"
She started, looking at Ren with wide eyes. He smiled grimly back at her before turning his attention back to Nora, who hadn't even lost a beat with her storytelling even when Ren had lost interest for a moment.
Okay, if even Ren can tell something is wrong, then we need to do something about this.
Lifting herself off the couch gingerly, Pyrrha stepped around the many friends seated haphazardly on every bit of furniture around them. Soon, she found her way to Ruby. The tiny girl was seated on one of the couches, raptly listening to one of Yang's stories. And, perfectly enough, Blake was reading quietly in the other side of the room- far out of earshot. Tapping her on the shoulder, she whispered, "How has Blake been?"
Ruby's expression fell slightly, guilt clouding her features. "She hasn't been doing great," the girl whispered back. "We… we don't really know what to do for her."
"Let me know if you need anything," Pyrrha murmured, placing a hand on the younger girl's shoulder. "I know it can't be easy to watch her go through this."
Ruby squeezed her hand gratefully before shifting back to Yang, letting her sister continue her story.
Suddenly, a knock on the door caught their attention. Standing in the open doorway was a handsome young man, eyes glinting mischievously as he took in the sight of the two teams. Waving casually at the crowd, he called, "Hey, Team RWBY! I knew I'd find you all here!"
To Pyrrha's surprise, Blake perked up. "Sun? What are you doing here?"
The newcomer flicked his blond hair out of his eyes and winked at the tired girl, skipping into the room. As he moved, Pyrrha saw the long, golden monkey tail curling behind him. That very tail was apparently prehensile, as it curled around, picked up the handle of Blake's teacup and held it out to her when he had walked close enough to her. The boy knelt down in front of her, smiling softly before mussing up her bangs and waving to the rest of the room.
"Hey everyone!" he announced cheerily. "I'm Sun Wukong, from Haven Academy! Although, if anyone of you are from Vacuo, hit me up- I'll always be a Vacuo boy at heart."
Team JNPR made their introductions, but to Pyrrha's surprise, Team RWBY didn't bother. "Do you all know each other?" she asked, confused.
"We met during the, um… at the end of last term! Sun came to Vale early," Ruby explained awkwardly, biting her tongue when she realized how close she'd been to talking about the White Fang attack that Blake had gotten involved in.
"Well, Sun, it's nice to meet you!" Nora chirped, saluting the boy playfully from where she sat. "Where's your team?"
"Oh, the guys? They're unpacking and exploring. I've had a bit more time than most to explore this place," Sun admitted.
Yang crossed her arms. "I'm honestly surprised you haven't met Jaune and the gang earlier, considering you've been here for weeks."
Sun struck a silly pose, lightening the atmosphere a bit. "I like to keep a low profile, y'know," he joked.
"How long have you known Blake?" Jaune asked.
Sun shrugged, monkey tail swishing back and forth. "We met a couple of weeks ago, no biggie," he said. Turning his attention back to Blake, he explained, "I just wanted to check in. See how things were going with you, that's all."
"I'm fine, Sun," Blake protested, standing up and pushing past him. "You don't need to check on me like this." Her tone was sort of bitter, almost angry. "Nothing's wrong." And with that, she stalked out of the room, ignoring the calls of her teammates.
Sun scratched the back of his head, embarrassed. "Well, I guess I'll go check up on her again!" he announced, but the bravado in his voice was muted.
Ruby deflated as she watched Blake and Sun disappear. "What should we do, guys?" she pleaded, burying her face in her hands. "Blake's been upset ever since the night at the docks. It's been weeks!"
Weiss, who had been filing her nails quietly up to that point, sighed. "Blake's business is Blake's business," she stated matter-of-factly. "She agreed that we're a team and that she'll come to us when she needs us. I'd say that that's all we can do."
"Yeah, lil' sister," Yang murmured, affectionately hugging Ruby. "Blake is dealing with some stuff. We'll help her when she needs it, don't worry."
"Okay…" the youngest one pouted.
Pyrrha surveyed over the whole scene worriedly. Her heart ached for the other team, for Blake, and for the poor boy whose face had fallen when Blake had left him behind. Is this what we looked like to RWBY when Jaune and I were going through our own struggles? she wondered.
She had no time to ponder the thought when her Scroll vibrated in her pocket. For what felt like the hundredth time that week, Pyrrha opened it up, ready to delete the message before reading it in full.
The text upon her screen, however, was quite a bit shorter than the previous messages berating her for not coming back to Mistral for the holidays. It's about your father.
She paled, jumping to her feet. Everyone's eyes snapped to her. Pulling her mask snugly on, she flashed everyone a calm smile, desperately trying to calm down her racing heartbeat, to shove all the questions that instantly spilled forth in her mind back into the little black box where they belonged. "I've got to run!" she said brightly.
Jaune opened his mouth to interject, alarm growing in his expression, but she cut him off. "I'll be back in a bit. See you later!"
In less than ten minutes, Pyrrha had sprinted to the school library. "Hello!" she breathed, trying to hide her heavy breathing, trying to remain collected.
"Hello Pyrrha," the librarian said with a smile. "The usual address?"
"Yes please, that would be wonderful," she replied, her mask still firmly in place.
The librarian pointed to an empty CCTS terminal before continuing on with her work. Pyrrha jogged over to the terminal, catching her breath the best she could. She sighed, breathed in, out- 1, 2-
You have to call her, Pyrrha.
The redhead hadn't replied to her mother even once since their conversation at the start of the winter solstice holiday season. Her mind was racing. What could her mother be hiding? What would she say?
Eventually, the girl connected the call, straightening shoulders and fixing her hair before her mother's sharp visage appeared on the screen.
"Hello, sweetheart," her mother said, the normally warm words almost emotionless. There was no pretense in this conversation. The woman was angry.
Pyrrha gulped. "Hello, mother. How are you?"
The woman sighed on the other end, examining her fingernails. "Really, Pyrrha, after what you did over the last few weeks, I really wish you'd drop the act." Glaring up at the screen, Pyrrha nearly winced, the daggers in her mother's eyes nearly stabbing into her physically. "You've caused me a great deal of heartache this time."
Pyrrha looked down at her hands, balled tightly at her knees. "I… I'm sorry mother, but I needed to stay here."
"Nonsense. Your professors told me the students were free to leave. I don't like lies, young lady." Before Pyrrha could speak, however, her mother let out an even heavier sigh. "Oh well. I suppose you've suffered enough."
The younger frowned. "What do you mean?" Suddenly, the message that instigated this call popped back into her mind, and she nearly jumped out of her seat. "What did you mean by your text? It was something about Dad, right?"
The woman chuckled. "Yes, about that… I just wanted to let you know that we've finished cleaning out the workshop. Renovations to remove the forge will begin soon, and are scheduled to be done by next month."
Her breath caught in her throat, terror filling up every pore. "Wait, so-"
"Sanctum will enjoy most of the materials in their own smithy, and there are a few Huntsmen here who were more than happy to fund the renovations in return for some of the more polished weapons. Isn't it wonderful? The house will finally be ours again."
The woman continued to speak, but Pyrrha's eyes glazed over, the image of her father's hearth the only thing in her mind. The tall shelves, the blazing flames, the anvils and hammers and nails and metal bins and water baths and her father-
Gone. It's gone. Dad's gone.
Her mother called her name, bringing her attention back to the screen. "Well, Pyrrha, your second term is starting. Do me proud," she said confidently, just as she always did.
Pyrrha's ears were rushing with wind, barely able to make out the sound leaving her mother's lips.
"Who are you?"
It's all gone.
Her voice, her expression- everything was controlled by her mask. Her entire body had gone rigid, riding on autopilot as if her life depended on it. "I am Pyrrha Nikos."
The woman smirked, calculating, acerbic. "I love you, my daughter. This is all for you. You will see in time. But for now, you'll do well, Pyrrha. Don't forget. The Vytal Festival is coming, and you will shine on the world stage as you were always meant to." With a self-satisfied smile, the woman disconnected the chat, leaving the young redhead for what felt like forever on an empty call, head spinning, body rigid, heart utterly broken.
A large, warm arm around her bare shoulders is what finally brought her out of her stupor. "We're not going to ask," Jaune murmured, helping her stand up straight. "We waited for a while, then saw you sitting here." He peered at the screen, expression torn. "The call ended like, ten minutes ago according to the timer here, Pyrrha."
Thin arms wrapped around her waist, and she could feel Nora pressing her face against Pyrrha's back. "We're here now though."
As she pulled away from the desk, Ren wordlessly held out a hand. Pyrrha took it, feeling a wave of artificial tranquility wash over her. After a few moments, she nodded, released it, and the four of them went back to their room in the dormitories, Nora's light chatter and Jaune's silly comebacks filling the void Pyrrha's stunned silence created. They didn't speak about the call, but they didn't leave her side, either, even when they came back home.
Home. Looking around their four-person room, Pyrrha slumped over on a chair, letting her head hang in her hands for just one moment- just one second for the pain to show through the chip in her mask.
This is the only home left now.