A/N: So my schedule has cleared up for the next few weeks, meaning I'm changing my update schedule. My tentative goal will be three-four chapters a week, since most of the story is written already. Upload days will be Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday (optional Saturdays if something is ready). Sunday chapters are guaranteed, though.
Look forward to two completely original chapters coming up (weirdly enough, containing all the OCs possible within restraints of canon) which means I don't have to aggressively transcribe everything from the show while rewatching each episode over and over again to get the conversations right. Yay!
Leave a review to let me know you're still following along!
Laws of Attraction
The sun was setting over Beacon by the time they returned to the dining hall that day. Surprisingly, the large hall was quite empty, likely due to the fact that most students were enjoying the food from the fairgrounds or in Vale. Despite the lack of bodies filling the room, however, dinner was hardly a quiet affair, due to the energy which thrummed through everyone's hearts.
"This is the best day ever. I can't believe Uncle Qrow is here- and on top of that, everyone made it through to the doubles round. This is gonna be awesome," Ruby gushed excitedly. She had quickly slipped out earlier with Weiss, coming back bursting with life after spotting her uncle.
Yang chuckled dryly, "Wow, little sis! Calm down! We can hang out with him tomorrow – I mean, we still have a whole day before the doubles matches."
Nora clanked her fork and knife on the table as she finished up her food, having practically inhaled it upon sitting down. "It's kind of crazy that literally everyone we know got through, though," she insisted brightly. "I mean, it wasn't even just us! Team CFVY made it, Sun got through-"
"Penny did too!" Ruby interjected.
"Well, Cardin's team still hasn't gone," Jaune added, nibbling on a chicken strip at the end of the table.
"It's still odd that the rest of us ended up having our matches on the first day," Blake commented quietly. "I thought we'd be more spread out."
"Well, there are only two days for the team matches. We each had a fifty-fifty chance at ending up on the first day. I'm just glad we didn't have to fight each other," Weiss murmured, poking at her food. She still hadn't recovered from the declined-card situation at lunch.
Pyrrha put on a wan smile. Although she was proud to have moved onto the next round, and to find all of her friends to have done the same, the thought of re-entering the spectator seats made her squirm in her seats. The eyes that had found her from across the stadium… the only person she had ever seen with eyes that golden, that menacing, was Cinder, the third member of Mercury's team.
Why had she stared at Pyrrha like that?
She still didn't know.
"We have time to think about it later," Ren sighed, pulling Nora's tray away from her to stop the bubbly girl from using her cutlery and empty plate as a drum kit. "We should think about who to send for our doubles matches."
"Weiss and I are going for RWBY!" Yang cheered, holding her chest up with pride.
That mention managed to pull Weiss out of her funk for a moment. "I'm honoured to have been chosen, by popular vote."
"And how about you guys?" Ruby asked, leaning her elbows onto the table. "Who are you choosing?"
"Other than Pyrrha, of course," Yang added dismissively.
Pyrrha blushed, shaking her head. "We haven't decided anything yet-"
"I vote Pyrrha and Nora," Jaune interrupted. "Pyrrha's… well, Pyrrha. And Nora is a tank."
"No complaints," Ren responded easily. "I'm already kind of tired of this tournament."
Turning to the redhead, Jaune asked, "Is that alright with you, Pyrrha?"
She paused, voice caught in her throat. No, it wasn't 'alright'- she didn't want to go on the battlefield without the rest of Team JNPR. Their presence had made their victory that day taste so much sweeter than anything she had ever experienced before, and she didn't want to endure the spotlight alone-
"Pyrrha and I can take anybody down," Nora winked. The orange-haired girl reached over and laid an uncharacteristically gentle hand on Pyrrha's own, which she had been resting upon the table, fist clenched and knuckles white.
With the warmth from Nora's hand, Pyrrha finally relaxed. Smiling gently at the shorter girl, then at Jaune and Ren, Pyrrha nodded. "I'm honoured. I won't let you down."
"You never do, Pyrrha," Jaune beamed at her. She blushed, but a lightness settled over her heart as she finished up her meal. Jaune's counting on me. He needs me. I'll make him proud.
At last, the dishes were cleared away and they went their separate ways. Everyone else either wandered back down to the Beacon Cliffs to play at the fairground stalls, or went back to the dormitory. Pyrrha took a different path, taking her time as she headed to the locker room. While she didn't strictly need to maintain her gear after every single fight- not even weapons-crazy Ruby was that meticulous about Crescent Rose- but after that satisfying win in the tournament, it felt right.
Taking care of her weapons always put her in an extremely relaxed state. The routine of carefully cleaning and polishing the metal until it gleamed was one her father had taught her the beauty of, and she tenderly revelled in every single stroke of the polishing cloth against the intricate metalwork. By taking care of Miló and Akoúo, it was as if she was meeting her father halfway with each touch.
Gods. Dad, I miss you.
She sighed heavily, hanging her head between her knees for a moment. The emotions threatened to rush back, the black box desperately trying to seize the opportunity for weakness. She shut down those thoughts immediately, swallowing down the frustration and hurt, focusing on breathing. In, out- 1, 2-
When she had finally finished putting away Miló in her locker, a voice from the doorway startled her. Thankfully, the relaxed mask that had slipped onto her features after her quiet moment of reflection remained intact, and she was able to smile cordially at the man as he sipped his coffee, despite the maelstrom of emotions that surged up as she saw him. "Professor Ozpin. To what do I owe the pleasure?"
Why are you talking to me alone again like this? It's barely been a few weeks since our last conversation. What is going on?!
"I wanted to congratulate you on the wonderful win, Miss Nikos," the man said smoothly, sauntering slowly into the empty room. "You proved to be the anchor for your team, and although you may not have landed the finishing blow, it was your skill that led JNPR to victory today."
She shook her head, straightening up. "With all due respect," she began carefully, "I still think my team had a major part to play today. Jaune provided tactics, Ren was our decoy, and Nora was our strength. I can't possibly claim credit on my own."
To her surprise, the Huntsman simply grinned at that, sipping heartily from his cup. The smile, for once, truly reached his eyes. "You've changed, Miss Nikos," he intoned. "You've found your resolve, your reason to fight. I'm proud of you."
The redhead closed her eyes, mind immediately racing off to an image of her teammates. Indeed, she had found her reason to fight. "My team is my reason to fight, sir. They've become my family. I want to protect them." Clenching her fists by her side, she opened her eyes, staring straight into his eyes through his glasses. "I will protect them, and everyone else. That's why I want to be a Huntress."
For some reason, the man seemed pleased. "And, if you knew you could save them from an even greater darkness, would you take the opportunity?"
"Of course," she replied instantly.
Professor Ozpin nodded, eyes misting over thoughtfully. "I may call upon you again, Miss Nikos. The time may be sooner than you are expecting. But for now," he turned away, casually walking out of the room, "I do hope you enjoy the rest of the tournament. Fighting alongside your friends in sport like this is a rare opportunity, and is one of the greatest joys a Huntsman can experience." With that, he was satisfied, and wandered away from the locker room.
After the headmaster's footsteps faded down the hall, Pyrrha sighed, taking a seat on a nearby bench. An… even greater darkness? Darker than the Grimm?
Now that the professor was gone, and she had a moment to reflect on that idea, a shard of fear sliced through her heart. Her anxiety, her fear- all of it was nothing but a potential magnet for Grimm. Thus far, she had been lucky- her only meltdowns, secret and hidden, had occurred in Beacon itself, far away from combat. She wouldn't be so lucky forever. The twisted voices which steeped her heart in shadows and doubt would one day be nothing but a liability.
Would she be able to resist the darkness of something even more powerful than the Grimm?
She bit her lip, standing up tall and looking into the mirror that lined the wall. The figure looking back at her, wearing its mask of confidence and pride, looked nothing short of noble, silhouetted in the dim lighting of the flickering lamps above and the shadows of the rows upon rows of dark, stilled metal cases.
I will never run. I'll figure out a way to do it. My friends need me.
The words were hollow, but in the moment, they were all she had.
Her Scroll beeped in her pocket. Opening it up, a message from Jaune inviting her to the fairgrounds for dessert flashed on the notifications screen. She sighed, sending back a quick confirmation- but she couldn't deny that her mood had instantly lifted upon seeing his name.
Nora may be teasing me all the time about Jaune, but honestly? She's not wrong.
He always knew how to bring warmth back into her heart.
With that in mind, Pyrrha wandered out of the school grounds and down towards the Cliffs. As she approached, the sound of music and chattering visitors echoed through the path leading up to the fair, the lights from the numerous stands illuminating a darker evening sky.
"Where in the world is the deep-fried ice cream?" Pyrrha mumbled aloud, peering down the aisles of stalls awkwardly. Jaune had been quite vague about the location of the stand he and Ruby had been visiting, so she wasn't exactly sure where to go. As she searched, there was no sight of a long red cape, nor a head of shaggy blond.
A crimson cloth caught her eye. Ducking into the stall behind the figure, she called, "Ruby?"
She did not find a red cape attached to her young friend. What she did find, however, was a long red scarf, wrapped around the neck of a familiar, portly man who looked up at her in surprise from the counter of the small hot chocolate stall she had stumbled into.
"Is that Pyrrha Nikos I see?" the Faunus rumbled, a deep, belly-shaking laugh falling through his lips. His cheeks were just as red as she remembered, jowls trembling as he smiled and waddled on over to her. The umbrella he leaned on was just as old and rickety as always, and his curly horns still barely poked up out of his tousled nest of hair.
"Professor Tumnus?" Pyrrha replied, shocked. That shock very quickly slipped into cold, detached politeness. Her thoughts turned back to their last conversation, and a wave of anger washed over her once more. She hadn't spoken to the man since before her father's workshop had been dismantled.
"It's good to see you've been well!" Tommie Tumnus cried, immediately slapping a genial hand on the girl's shoulder. "I saw your match today. Came up with a couple of other Huntsmen from Sanctum, and we were all blown away by your progress. The fight was excellent!"
You are part of the reason Dad's workshop is gone.
With enough ice in her smile to make even Weiss proud, Pyrrha quickly pushed the shorter man's hand off of her and stepped out of reach. "Thank you, sir."
The Faunus froze at the silent rejection, furrowing his brows. "What's the matter-" but in the next moment, a spark of realization flashed through his eyes. He sighed, running pudgy fingers through his curly hair. "I see. Your mother wasn't lying when she said you weren't pleased about your father's smithy, eh?"
Wordlessly, Pyrrha turned on her heel and stalked away.
"Don't be like that, Pyrrha! Come, come have a cup of tea with me like old times, huh?" the man chortled, catching up to her with ease despite his stockier frame. "It'll be my treat."
She didn't respond, merely scanning the crowds for the fabled ice cream shop where Jaune and Ruby were hopefully waiting.
Professor Tumnus shrugged, stepping back. "Well, like mother like daughter, I suppose."
Pyrrha raised a brow, glancing over her shoulder coldly at the man. After a moment of internal deliberation, she finally asked, "What do you mean by that?"
"Well," he began, expression parodying innocence, "we brought her up with us to Vale- all paid for, of course- after her generous donation to Sanctum. Thought it would be a nice gesture, since you're the star of the show here!" He pinched his nose, affecting frustration. "And yet, she left barely a day later! She didn't bother to stay for even the opening ceremony."
The redhead froze, feeling the blood drain away from her face. She had known that her mother wouldn't come to her matches, but to leave Vale entirely after their exchange?
"But I see she didn't even get to give you those lovely new blades. She custom-made them for you, you know. I wonder what happened to them?"
"No, I saw the weapons she brought me," Pyrrha mumbled, brow drawn up in thought. "I just refused."
With a regretful smile, the Faunus nodded, leaning forward on his umbrella with both hands. "Hmm. You want to keep using the ones your father made, eh? He had designed that blade and shield before you were even born, you know."
She squeezed her eyes shut, biting the inside of her cheeks. I know.
"Was so proud when you were born- brought the designs to the Academy to show them off. The original designs were hardly practical, mind you. The shield was ridiculous! It was practically a tank! No real use." He tutted, but his expression was amused, nostalgic. "What a doting dad. Wanted to keep you safe."
She clenched her fists, digging her nails into her palms so hard she swore they broke the skin. Of course he did.
With a dreamy sigh, the man added, "And when he found out your polarity was like his- he could heat up and bend metal, and you had polarity?" Professor Tumnus whistled, impressed still at the memory. Then, he sighed, disappointment seeping into his tone. "It's really too bad he wasn't able to handle the battlefront that day. When it came to you, I don't think I've ever seen a prouder man."
And he couldn't have had a prouder daughter.
"Stop it," she whispered.
"Hm?"
She turned around, drawing herself up to her full height. Breathing in, out- 1, 2- her mask slid in place, cool professionalism oozing out of every pore. "I know how you feel about my father and his… passing," she stated neutrally. "Please refrain from speaking of him any longer if you do not respect him."
Without even giving the man a chance to continue speaking, Pyrrha strutted down the lane, leaving the disgruntled Huntsman behind. She walked with such speed and ferocity that people parted for her, the path clearing with one look at her glinting emerald eyes. Whispers trailed after her ponytail, which swayed with every step. "Isn't that Pyrrha Nikos?" the crowd began to mutter as she stormed her way through the fairgrounds.
Her chin was still held high.
Her father had made Miló and Akoúo for her with every bit of love he had. He had designed them to keep her safe, had tailor-made the specific alloys and infused them with slight traces of Dust in order to aid her polarity once he had discovered her Semblance. He had taken every bit of care to keep them shined and ready for the day she was big enough to strap Akoúo onto her bracers, to hold Miló's hilt in her hands.
Her father had loved her, and she loved him, whether he had really run away from the Grimm or not.
Suddenly, a hand waving to her caught her eye. "Pyrrha, over here!" Ruby called from a small stall tucked into the side of the path. "Try this!"
She froze in place, blinking at her friends. Seated on Ruby's right side was Jaune, the boy waving to her with a spoon hanging out of his mouth. His eyes were creased into crescent moons, lips turned up into a giddy smile from around the silverware. Pulling it out of his mouth clumsily, Jaune added, moving to the empty seat beside him and patting where he had been sitting, "We saved you some! Come sit!"
Numbly, she took the offered seat between the two, obediently accepting the spoonful of melting chocolate ice cream from Ruby. The taste was sweet, the cream ice-cold, sending shivers down her spine. There was still warmth, though, on either side of her- in the tiny seats crammed into the small stand, Ruby was leaning against her, and Jaune was sitting close enough that their thighs were touching as he leaned his elbow on the counter, resting his chin in his hand, watching her with a contented expression.
"It's good, right?" he probed, eyes sparkling in the evening lights.
She leaned into Ruby, closing her eyes as she ate another spoonful.
Her father had loved her, and she still loved him. Miló and Akoúo were eternal proofs of that. The professors at Sanctum, her mother, the media… no matter how they depicted him, she would always know the truth- that he was the strongest man she had ever known, and she would surpass him only to make him proud.
Her friends loved her, and she still loved them. Sitting under the awning of a pop-up ice cream store in the twilight, lit up by ethereal, welcoming strings of lights chaining together each tent in the fair… only friends would do this with one another. She had found the people she had always wanted in her life.
She opened her eyes, mask slipping away, genuinely savouring the flavour of the treat. Smiling sweetly at Jaune, she sighed. "You're right. It's delicious."
Ruby cheered happily at her admission, but Jaune's reaction was stifled a little as he kept his eyes trained on her, questioning. She didn't look away, gaze meaningful.
Jaune cared about her, and she still loved him. She would protect him, no matter what. At the end of the day, nothing else really mattered.