Chapter Eleven
A soft series of heels resonate throughout the empty corridor. The soft hum of an elevator descending fills the silence with a dull thump and ping. Professor Goodwitch calmly strides into the confides and selects her destination. She then straightens out her outfit as the elevator comes to a slow stop and opens once more. Without a glance, she quickly struts out to a familiar coffee maker with an annoyed purpose.
The dim glow of dawn fades in through the many windows of the circular office, illuminating her path. Upon reaching the coffee maker, Glynda pauses and stares at the brewer, a neutral expression clouds over when she reaches up and shuffles her glasses into place. Glynda's manicured fingers wrap around her lavender mug that was already filled with a warm brew.
Swirling on her heels, Goodwitch casually paces toward Ozpin's desk with her mug in hand, taking a silent sip when she finds his chair occupied and facing out the window into the dawn. "This is a rare sight, Good morning Ozpin." A half empty mug simmered upon his desk in warmth.
Ozpin casually rotates around in his chair with a half-eaten donut in hand, causing Glynda's eye to twitch at the sight of the sugary sweet. "Come now, you act like I don't know how to be a morning person. Good morning, Glynda."
Her tender brow arches in disbelief. "I can count all the times you have been here in your office before me on one hand. Excuse me, for not having confidence in your sudden morning appearance as good behavior."
Ozpin merely chuckles at the slight, finishing off his donut and licking his fingers clean of any sugary delight left over. "Did you happen to finish that favor I asked of you earlier this week?"
"Of course, who do you think I am?" Glynda crosses her arms over her bust, shifting her weight upon one leg. "Everything I found is on your desk." A hand exaggerates and sweeps over the emptiness.
With a nod, Ozpin glances around his desk, the smile on his lips slowly begins to dim into a frown. Looking back toward Glynda, he tilts his head to the side in confusion. "Is this one of your terrible attempts at a prank again? There's nothing here."
A riding crop suddenly slaps onto his desk in a loud smack, startling Ozpin to flinch back in fright, just as quick, the crop was gone. After venting her anger, Glynda crosses her arms once more over her chest and strides along his desk in lecture. "Precisely. I found nothing on her, not a thing. There wasn't even a birth certificate, like she does not exist."
Ozpin leans into his chair with his fingers touching at their pointers in thought. That is some unsettling news. No matter who, there is always some kind of trail of their history, for there to be absolutely nothing, is disturbing. Especially if someone of Glynda Goodwitch's caliber was unable to find an ounce of information. She leaves nothing unturned in her search. He should know, there's no where he can hide when he tries to slack off. "Interesting…if not unnerving."
"I agree." Glynda's heels click to a halt, staring out the window in the dim blue. "Are you sure it was wise to grant admission to such an unknown entity? At this point, I do not see any merit in this endeavor."
Ozpin quietly hums, "Hm…That remains to be seen. However, I believe in the approach of keeping the unknown close, so you may study and keep tabs on it. For now, I'll keep a close eye on her, and I would like to ask for your assistance in surveillance."
"Of course." Whirling around, Glynda strides back toward the front of Ozpin's desk, taking a sip from her mug once more. "Considering that she has no history to gauge our surveillance on, what shall we do in the meantime?"
With a conspiring grin upon his lips, Ozpin turns toward his desk and motions for her to take a seat. "For now, we are going to enjoy a little show. This should prove enlightening and give us a base to work with. We will also see what we may be dealing with."
Glynda arches her brow, taking a seat next Ozpin when a screen pops up from his desk. "Exactly, what show are you referring to?" She shifts her glasses into place with the crossing of her legs.
Making himself comfortable, Ozpin holds up his mug with a grin. "Why, a clash of titans, if you will. This should prove interesting."
Turning back to the screen, Glynda notices a display of two figures on an empty clearing in the middle of the Emerald Forest, they seemed to have finished stretching and warming up.
Pyrrha and Ashe were standing apart from one another with small smirks upon their lips. Pyrrha couldn't help the excitement shivering through her body, her arms were shaking in anticipation. It has been a while since she's actually looked forward to a fight. Ever since Ozpin displayed the video of Ashe battling the Grimm during her ceremony, Pyrrha has been itching for a match to test that strength herself.
When Professor Goodwitch announced that Ashe would be unable to partake in their spars during her lecture, Pyrrha was disappointed and annoyed if she was to be completely honest. However, she kept those thoughts to herself, and hoped that the other students would provide a challenge for her during Ashe's absence. After all, a few of them did seem promising.
Pyrrha was only let down even further.
In every match thrown her way, she completely dominated without much effort. Pyrrha did not even have to rely on the use of her Semblance. True, she does not use it all that much. It is better to be used as an ace in the hole. Though, it is getting to the point where people are actively avoiding sparring and training with her. If Pyrrha was to be honest about her feelings…
She is getting a bit lonely.
The only person who has been somewhat fun to fight against is Yang. That is only considering the fact she can take a hit and continue to get back up. That girl does not back down. Even so, that has its limits of pushing her abilities further, let alone her limits. Pyrrha wants to get stronger, to push her abilities to their utmost limits, and break through the ceiling that she finds herself trapped within.
Those jade colored eyes flicker in excitement at the sight of Ashe's stance of confidence. Though she was small, a hip was cocked with a hand upon it, a mirrored and excited grin upon those lips. Pyrrha quickly slid a foot forward. Her left-hand flickering down, a golden shield whirls into existence upon her wrist, her sword extends within her right. "I apologize for my eagerness, but I find it difficult to hold back my excitement and eagerness to start. May we save the pleasantries for later?"
Ashe swirls her daggers between dexterous fingers before grasping them firmly, "Nn, that's fine with me." With a soft shrug, Ashe looks around the clearing in a glance. "Any rules or boundaries?" Saying that made her feel a bit awkward. When she was growing up, there were no rules or boundaries. Everything was allowed and permitted, just try not to kill your opponent. Though, there was nothing against it.
Pyrrha's grip tightens around her weapons, hunkering down into a ready stance. "Everything goes, no permanent damage or killing obviously. While no boundaries, I ask we stay away from the Academy. I do not wish to be interrupted." Pyrrha does not want to restrict either one of them. She wants a full out fight. Her only hope is that Ashe does not disappoint. Otherwise, she will become distraught and find herself growing bored at Beacon.
"Mm," Ashe slips into a defensive stance, raising both daggers up in a reverse grip. She spent her time watching the spars during her exhaustion, but Pyrrha was the most difficult to draw up an analysis. Pyrrha dominated all her fights. Meaning Ashe doesn't have much information to work with. However, she does know that Pyrrha is a close-quarter combatant. Her defense and offense are both spectacular and fluid.
Her worst match up.
A calm breeze whisks through clearing with the fluttering of grass, spiraling green leaves burst into pieces as Pyrrha rushes through with an explosive force. A blur of gold and red from Pyrrha's sword pings out into a shower of sparks. A blade greets it in kind, parrying off to the side from the edge of a dagger.
Pyrrha expected the parry and once more lashed out in a vertical strike. Instead of parrying, Ashe blocked and fought for dominance in strength. Metal shrieked and whined at the grinding of edges. Pyrrha perked a brow at the struggle, only to be followed by an upward grin of the lips. Ashe frowned and narrowed her eyes in response. Pyrrha easily steps forward without much effort, pressing down and pushing Ashe back with ease, boots gliding and struggling against the moist grass.
Pyrrha is much more physically stronger than Ashe.
Ashe digs her heels into the soft dirt, yet Pyrrha presses forward, her physical build easily dwarfing the secret, mouse Faunus. "Looks like I'm stronger." Scowling, Ashe breaks the overbearing power in a deflective parry. Thrusting her blade forward in retaliation, a shield blocks Ashe's path of attack with a dull gong. Stepping back to give herself some space, Pyrrha does not relent and presses forward.
Each swing of the sword held power, parting the grass and air before her with each whistle of the blade. Pyrrha is a fluid fighter, mixing both offense and defense in a perfect mix. While Ashe could dodge Pyrrha's mighty swings, the shield never faltered in in stalwart defense. Ashe found herself on the backfoot rather quickly. Physical strength has never been her forte, nor will it ever be. She is just too small to fully use immense physical strength. Ashe tightens her grasp upon her daggers, a tiny smirk slithers upon her lips with a small shine to her eyes.
Her expertise lies elsewhere.
Taking it up a notch, Ashe slithers forward and low to the ground. Finding herself under Pyrrha's horizonal blow, she notices the slight widening of jade colored eyes. Stabbing toward Pyrrha's underarm, the duelist stumbles back, narrowly avoiding the blow. Ashe did not let her escape. Chasing after her with an advantage in speed, Ashe slice and dices for the body, small and quick strikes to keep her opponent from re-collecting herself to strike back.
Though she is on the backfoot, Pyrrha found herself able to defend somewhat properly. The difference in speed made it difficult for proper stance. At least the practice against Ruby gave her some basics against high-paced strikes. Ruby uses one weapon and is more predictable. Ashe on the other hand uses two weapons and more difficult to keep track of with a wider spectrum of attack angles.
The left blade from Ashe slashes for her belly, but quick reaction bats it away momentarily with her sword. Bringing her shield back in for the next blow, a whirl of ash and black spins before her. A heel slams into Pyrrha's hand, breaking through her guard with a slight shock. The next moment, Pyrrha finds herself staring down into mischievous honey colored eyes. She couldn't help the slight smirk from forming in response. The message was quite clear.
"Fine, you're faster." Breaking apart, Pyrrha rolls her neck while pumping herself up and loosening her body. "Round two?"
A single dagger flipped through the air in a spectacle, "Mm, after you." Catching her dagger, a resounding bang resonates through the clearing, Ashe barely dodged the projectile in shock. A bullet tickled along her smooth cheek. "Nn…" Ashe hates long range fights, and she has feeling that Pyrrha knows how to keep a distance. With the chime of her bell, Ashe races along the ground, closing the distance toward Pyrrha.
Pyrrha proved her theory correct, pushing herself away, Pyrrha backpedaled in small jumps with her sword now transformed into a rifle. Easily keeping a healthy distance away. Ashe found herself cursing in silence, Pyrrha is lethal with that rifle. A bullet buries into the ground before her, forcing Ashe to change course and round along the outer edge. Repeatedly dodging under such precise bullets is wearing down on Ashe. It's only a matter of time before she slips up, or Pyrrha adapts to her patterns.
Her bow would be useless. Pyrrha's rifle is more flexible and faster. If she switched to her bow, it requires both hands, meaning Ashe would have to holster her blades. Ashe will leave herself vulnerable to a charge and melee combat. The major weakness of using two different weapons for melee and ranged. Pyrrha does not have this drawback. Her weapon can transform at any moment of her desire.
Pyrrha is accurate, terrifyingly so. It does give Ashe an idea, however. Tossing her blade to the side, it propels her under a bullet in a twirl. Recoiling her blade, Ashe quickly snaps the pommels together, shifting her daggers into a thief blade. Kicking off, Ashe barrels toward her opponent in a beeline.
Pyrrha did not flinch in the least, Ashe expected as much. Her idea is reckless, but most ideas are. Accurate and quick reflexes. Pyrrha is that and more, but instincts can become predictable. When an opponent charges directly from the front, their head and upper body are the closet and most obvious targets. Raising her weapon with the blades on the flat end, Ashe finds a jade eye staring down the end of a barrel. With a crack of thunder, a bullet flies to her forehead. The flat end of the thief sword already in position to ricochet the projectile.
Ashe really underestimated how powerful Pyrrha's rifle was.
The bullet collides and pain appears before Ashe can process what happened. While she managed to ricochet the bullet, it was extremely powerful. Mostly breaking through her parry and barely altering its course. A small amount of blood splattered onto the grass with a large gash across her cheek. It all happened before Ashe could properly defend with aura.
Don't falter.
Whether Pyrrha is shocked or not, nothing shows but a slight widening of the eyes. Either from the blood or Ashe's unflinching form at the wound, it is difficult to say. With just a small delay in reaction, Ashe finally closed the distance. Stabbing her double-sided sword into the ground, Ashe uses it to vault forward in a mule kick. The weapon pulled out and followed her weight, both boots collide into the brick wall that is Pyrrha's shield.
Pyrrha pulls back for a moment, both combatants making eye contact with grins upon their lips. Ashe found herself crotched upon the shield and easily held up by the red haired warrioress. With a thrust of the shield, Ashe flips through the air to a safe distance. The sound of metal shifting echoes within her ears. What was once a rifle within her hands, is now a javelin.
Ashe's brow perks in interest. Pyrrha holds her shield out forward before slapping her javelin within the crescent opening on the side. Her weight shifts forward onto her front leg with a tiny smirk and a shine in her jade colored eyes. Ashe frowns and flinches herself back in response.
She knows that gaze, seen it multiple times. Things are about to get rough for her, aren't they? Her question was quickly answered in kind.
Pyrrha storms forward, a long red ponytail, whipping behind her stout and curvy figure. Not a second later, Pyrrha stood before her in a glory of red and bronze. The shield covered Pyrrha's upper body from Ashe's attack range and assumes a high guard. By leaning forward and with such a height difference, her legs were easily out of Ashe's range. Unless she over-extends for a counter that is easily avoidable. Being so small has many disadvantages to be mindful of.
The javelin thrusts in a blur of red, startling Ashe to lean away with parry of her sword. A fire must be lit under Pyrrha's ass, because the proud warrior does not relent. Pyrrha continues in her forward momentum, not letting up her pressure. Her javelin assaults Ashe in a rain of deadly thrusts and they were not without pin-point accuracy.
Finding herself on the retreat, Ashe backpedals vigorously. Straining to dodge and weave through the rapid piercing blows for her small head and chest. Every step forward Pyrrha took, Ashe is forced to stumble in her smaller steps. She needs to take at least a step and a half to equal one of Pyrrha's. Gritting her teeth, Ashe focuses to find an opening to retaliate, Pyrrha has complete control over the flow of battle. This is why she hates brawling.
Ashe needs to wrestle it back. Dodging low to the ground, Ashe keeps her double-head sword in a defensive position, parrying away the next thrust with a grunt of effort. A small window of opportunity shines through. She lunges through with a clean swipe toward the thigh. While the strike is on the lower end and will do no real damage, Ashe just needs to break her flow.
A wall of bronze metal impacts against Ashe's chest, barely managing to use the handle of her weapon to block the shield. The weight behind the metal made Ashe's eyes widen in shock, before flinging her back with strength and a dizzy head. Shaking away the dizziness, Ashe instinctively tilts her head to the side.
A bullet parts through one of her twin tails.
Clenching her teeth in shock, Ashe finds Pyrrha before her with excitement glistening within her eyes. Already, her rifle is transformed back into her Xiphos sword. The gladiator is not letting her out of reach anytime soon. Pyrrha vertically strikes down with a flex of her muscles. Ashe blocked it to the best of her ability, but the sheer strength that is Pyrrha Nikos, broke through her guard. She nearly disarmed Ashe with the one strike alone.
'I need to get away, fast.' Rolling with the moment, Ashe quickly switches to her daggers for mobility. Within one breath, the titan is upon her. Parrying once more, Ashe uses both daggers to safely deflect the blows in a shower of sparks. In return, she had no offensive power, relying solely on defense. Ashe grit her teeth; it was easy to sense that Pyrrha was holding back and staling it out. Brawls are not Ashe's specialty. That was her teammate's specialty.
The only thing going for her at the moment, was her small stature and superior speed. Her nimble body easily evaded the shield bash in between the sword strikes. Pyrrha surprises her with a new plan of attack. A long and golden greave kicks toward Ashe's body like a whip. Ashe kicks out to block the armor with her shin plates. Once more, Pyrrha's strength dominates the battle.
Throwing Ashe off balance, she makes a last-ditch effort to retreat. Flicking her dagger behind her to the nearby trees, she propels safely away.
The blade never found refuge in the wood. She startles when the metal blade veers off course and flops into the ground. 'Wha—'
Pain.
Pyrrha capitalized on the opening like a champion. Throwing her weight forward, she pulverizes her shield downward. Pummeling Ashe down into the hard dirt with minimum effort. Bouncing off the ground, a golden greaves punts Ashe away toward the forest in a safe distance. Spiraling through the air, the faunus struggles to right herself and slams her blades into the dirt, dragging them into trenches to a forced standstill.
With a cough, she sucks in a deep breath, looking toward her dagger with frustration. 'What just happened?' Why did her weapon veer off like that? Her precision with the blades is second-to-none. Because to miss leads to situations that just happened, but that was unnatural. An outside force acted upon it, but there's nothing or no one around them.
"Done already?" Ashe looks up to find Pyrrha thumping her weapon against the shield. Adrenaline still pumping through her body in anticipation. The rising sun in the distance, showed off just how majestic of a warrior she truly is. Pyrrha smirks at the sight of Ashe's eyes. For a brief moment, she thought red flickered across Ashe's eyes. The girl must still have some fight left within her.
Gritting her teeth, Ashe rises to her feet while looking at her dagger. "Lucky shot." Pyrrha smirks at the comment. "I'll admit, you are the better duelist." A hand rubs onto her chest, the pain still lingering. She knows Pyrrha held back, else she probably wouldn't be standing. "That's not exactly my specialty after all."
Pyrrha's curiosity is intrigued, "Oh? What is your specialty then?" Her brow perks when Ashe holsters her blades.
Ashe traces one gloved finger across the trim of her hat mischievously. "Step into my territory, if you dare." Slowly, she backpedals into the forest to be swallowed by the shadowy depths.
Her body was growing a bit hot. Looking down at her hand, it vibrates with the boiling of her blood. Pyrrha smirks at the new feeling coursing through her body. Excitement. Something that she hasn't felt in so long. Limbs moved on their own, the trees and shadows welcome her in their cold embrace.
Pyrrha has never really fought in a forest against a humanoid. Grimm, yes, but a person? Not completely. The most similar was an arena that terraformed with some trees, but it was small. How will Ashe fight? What new abilities will Ashe show her? How is she going to react against her opponent in this new setting? Will she learn something new and improve? This wonderful feeling, Pyrrha does not want to let it go.
She lost track of how far in she traveled. A twig snaps under her foot, a sense of dread quickly fills through Pyrrha. She's not alone, a presence is watching her. Raising her weapons defensively, Pyrrha cautiously watches her surroundings. The foliage was thick and only a few beams of sunlight broke through.
A rustle sounds from the canopy above.
Pyrrha whirls upward, shield up defensively and sword poised to strike. Nothing. A twig snaps from behind, causing Pyrrha to blindly lash out in a horizontal swipe. Her sword cuts through the air. Pyrrha feels a cold tap on the back of her neck.
"One."
Once more, Pyrrha spirals out with her shield to bash away her opponent. Surprise dwells within her body, but she keeps a calm and collected outlook. Pyrrha manages to capture a tail wind of a figure disappearing into the thicket.
Creeping forward, Pyrrha keeps her defenses up and poised to counter. A large log lays upon the ground with a few branches. Silence reigns in her surroundings in another visual sweep. With a small hop, Pyrrha jumps over the log to the other side. A dull thunk against wood suddenly sounds out. The log is suddenly pulled to the side with a dagger embedded into it, a branch snagging onto Pyrrha's ankle in the leap and tumbling her to the ground.
A shadow descends from above and buries a blade upon the ground near her neck. "Two." Ashe smirks and repels herself into the concealing shrubs once more before Pyrrha could retaliate. Finding herself on the forest floor, Pyrrha shows a rare fit of anger and slams her fist into the ground. Ashe is counting the number of times she could have killed her.
That's extremely annoying.
Pulling herself up, Pyrrha takes a deep breath. 'I need to calm down and adapt. This isn't the same as the tournament.' Clearing her head, she exhales and takes a ready stance. A cool breeze brushes along her exposed skin with a whisper of a whistle.
Spiraling out with her shield, a dull throb slams into the bronze. An energy arrow easily shatters under her strength, but her gaze turns downward to greet her opponent. Ashe is crotched before her with a wicked grin, her leg already sweeping across the forest floor in a rustle of leaves. Bracing herself for impact, Pyrrha is surprised at Ashe's leg power.
She buckles under the blow and loses balance, a dagger thrusting toward her chest for another count. With a heavy scowl, Pyrrha's pride won't allow it. Activating her semblance, Pyrrha takes control of Ashe's metal blade and forces the blade to go wide. Shock and confusion etch upon Ashe's face, bringing a vindictive grin upon Pyrrha's.
Going for a quick counter, Pyrrha strikes with her closest hand, the shield. Jabbing forward, Ashe shows her flexibility and contorts backwards. Avoiding the blow as it skims along her nose. Ashe's right leg snaps upward, slapping against Pyrrha's elbow to disengage the appendage.
Twisting back, Pyrrha avoids a dagger flying across her cheek, setting her at an awkward posture. Flipping away to create distance, Pyrrha finds Ashe already gone with only a soft chime from her bell in her retreat. Her brows furrow in thought.
Why is it so difficult for her to feel Ashe's presence? She has trained so hard to feel blood lust and honed her instincts when something feels off. Pyrrha prides herself on her skills that she's worked hard for. 'I might not be the best but…I am not bad either.' With a sigh, Pyrrha holsters her weapons, "How about we stop here for today?"
Ashe suddenly pokes her head out from a tree, upside down with a hand holding onto her hat. "Mm…If you want." Pyrrha perks a brow when Ashe disappears back into the trees and leaps down casually with a sway of her curvy hips. "That was fun."
Pyrrha nods in agreement, "Fighting in an actual forest, is much different than a tournament." She rolls her shoulder in a stretch, "Remind me not to fight you in a forest."
Ashe grunts and rubs at her tender chest, "I'd prefer avoiding you first."
A hearty laugh escapes from Pyrrha, something she hasn't done in quite a while. Normally, someone saying that would dampen her mood. But when she saw the thrill of a challenge within Ashe's eyes, she knew Ashe would fight her again and again.
Because it's the same expression she holds against a challenging opponent. "I'd rather you not. I would love to fight you again. It seems that I lack in more guerilla type of battles, where you excel. The practice and experience would be most welcomed."
"Mm. I could use a strong sparring partner myself. I'm out of shape and need to work on my close combat skills." Looking herself over, Pyrrha perks a brow when Ashe scowls at her short figure. "For…Reasons."
Pyrrha closed the distance between them. "I have a question, if you may." All she gets is a grunt. "Why didn't you use your semblance?"
"Mm? I did."
Assuming a thinking pose, Pyrrha looks bewildered. "When? I never noticed it."
Ashe shrugs nonchalantly. "It's a passive aura. Something I can't control or turn off." She did not elaborate further than that.
Pyrrha stares down at Ashe in thought, cupping her chin. A passive aura? That's exceptionally rare. Not many of those exist. While anyone can awaken their semblance, not everyone does. She would like to assume the chances are one out of fifty, but that's just her own speculation. Without anything to back it.
So then…What exactly is it? Her curiosity is rising. Pyrrha didn't notice anything affecting her through out their spar. Her movements were normal and so were her thoughts. The environment was not altered or fabricated in anyway. First half of their spar went in her favor. It was easy for Pyrrha to keep track of Ashe in the open field.
That changed when they shifted to the forest. For all her training, Pyrrha could not track Ashe in the least. She would simply vanish and fall back into the back of her mind. Like her…Pyrrha snaps toward Ashe, "Presence? It has something to do with that, doesn't it?"
Ashe stares up with a twitch of the nose, "Mm…Scary how fast you figured it out."
Pyrrha chuckles, "Well, I did have plenty of clues. From when I first met you and how difficult it was to keep track of your presence. It was always something I found odd. I might not be the best tracker around, but I'm not bad." Its one of the reasons she decided to train harder in tracking and sensing while at Beacon.
"What about yours?" Pyrrha finds Ashe inspecting a dagger. "I have a hunch, but I'm not sure. It only affected my daggers and not my body, something that you can control at a distance and not just around you. Neither was there some kind of…physical attribute that I could see." Ashe glides a finger along the blade's edge before holstering it. "Does it deal with magnetism or something along the lines? If it was telekinesis, it would have affected my whole body."
Ashe grunts as she feels her daggers quaking and her bell chiming erratically. With a 'tsk', Ashe retreats a safe distance. Glancing down at her blades, she looks back toward Pyrrha who is staring toward her with a sheen of sweat upon her skin. Lips tight and thin. "Magnetism? Polarity? It only affected my metals."
Raising a finger with a smile, Pyrrha uses her semblance to jiggle Ashe's bell. "Close enough, but it's Polarity to be more accurate."
Ashe scowls into a pout, "Nn, that's fair. I don't think I would ever want to fight you all out in a brawl. That would be suicidal on my part."
"Yes, well, the same can be said for me. Fighting you within a forest would be foolish. After all, you could have killed me multiple times without my notice. I have to see the object for my polarity to quickly activate. Otherwise, I have to stand still and become vulnerable to search out for metal." Pyrrha offers a hand toward Ashe, "We just have different areas of expertise, that's all."
Taking her hand, Ashe looks up with a smirk, "Mm, just means I know what to work on during our next spar."
Pyrrha's hand lingers within the grasp for a moment in shock. "Our…next spar? You don't mind doing this again?" That's surprising. No one has ever wanted to continue fighting against her. Especially if they find out what her semblance is. Its why she wants to keep it a secret.
"Mm, I don't see why not. Its good exercise and I prefer strong training partners." Turning with a stretch, Ashe slowly walks back toward Beacon with a sway of her curvy hips, feeling energized after a good workout. "I'm going to kick your ass next time. I still owe you a good hit."
Looking at her hand for a moment, a soft smile breaks out upon Pyrrha's lips. Its refreshing, having someone banter about kicking her ass. Something that she hasn't heard since the early days at Sanctum. Catching up to Ashe, she walks beside her, letting her hip bump into the small girl. "I'd like to see you try." Pyrrha laughs when a hand tries to push her from the side but fails.
The two reach Beacon and part ways after agreeing to keep their semblances a secret.
It does not take them much longer to reach the gates of the academy. Both girls make a deal to keep their semblances secret between them. Neither wishes to let anyone else know and want to keep their edge for as long as they are able.
With a promise to meet up for lunch in the cafeteria, the two girls part ways to take their showers and freshen up.
Finding her way back to the dorm, Ashe opens the door and is met with a peculiar sight. Weiss is at her usual spot at the spare desk studying, while Blake is laying on her spare bed reading a book. Both intruders spare a glance from their comfort zone and nod with their own greetings.
"Morning, Ashe." Short and simple, Blake's style of conversation.
"Good morning, Ashe. Where were you?" And of course, Weiss always proper and demanding.
"Mm, morning." She should really get used to people being into her room by now. "I was sparring with Pyrrha." A soothing shower sounds really nice.
Blake only has a half ear into the conversation, losing interest. Weiss perks and gives Ashe her attention. "Oh? Pyrrha did not rough you up too much did she? No one has been able to stand up to her, not even me. I will soon though. I hope you at least lost gracefully, not like that Winchester."
Ashe frowns in annoyance, "I didn't lose. We came to a draw." What is it with people and assuming she's weak? Just because she's short?
Blake lowers down her book, Weiss stares toward Ashe in bewilderment, "What?"
Reaching toward her bathroom door, Ashe rolls her eyes, "I said we came to a draw. I didn't lo—"
The door slams open into Ashe's face, two booming voices spilling out in shock with wet flops on the ground.
"What?!"
"You tied with Pyrrha?!"
Ashe holds her painful nose, allowing her world to stop spinning and removing the black spots within her vision. Whoever did that is getting their ass kicked. Ruby and Yang both stand within the doorway, the criminals behind the deed, both are soaked with hair clinging to their bodies. Surprisingly, Ruby has a golden towel wrapped around her body that fits more like a dress. Yang is holding up a bright red towel that is smaller and more revealing.
Must have grabbed the wrong towels in their haste.
"What the hell is wrong with you two?! Ruby, why do you keep throwing doors open whenever I try to open them?" Rubbing away the pain at her nose, Ashe holds out a hand before either could respond. "No, wait. Why the hell is all of team RWBY in my room to begin with?" She has never had this many people in her room before.
Silence reigns through at the room with small droplets of water. Blake, Ruby, and Yang swivel their heads toward Weiss who perks up and looks between her three teammates before scowling. "What? Why are you all looking at me? I had nothing to do with this…What?!"
Yang raises her hand as if to speak, causing Ashe to turn her direction with an emotionless expression. "Well, you know how we planned to go out dancing tonight?" Getting a nod in return, she motions a hand to Weiss. "This primadonna found out this morning and demanded to go as well."
"P-Primadonna?!"
Yang shifts to Blake, who is looking on in amusement, "Which means that Blake changed her mind and decided to go, because she thought it would be hilarious to see Weiss stick out like a sore thumb and most likely embarrass herself."
Blake shrugs nonchalantly, "It's true."
Weiss whirls at Blake in shock, "Blake!"
Finally, Yang jabs her thumb toward Ruby, "And since three of us are going, that means—"
Ruby thrusts a hand up into the air with excitement, "I want to go too! What's team RWBY without their trusty and most beautiful leader!"
In good fun, Yang thrusts out her arms and hands with spread fingers, shaking them in jazz hands. "Ta-dah! Team RWBY's first Girl's night out…Plus one." A soft plop of cloth echoes out afterwards.
Yang glances at her body, "Uh, whoops." Casually reaching down, Yang grasps the fallen towel and covers her modesty with a flirtatious wink to the embarrassed gazes of Weiss and Blake. Ruby rolls her eyes with an annoyed scowl. Ashe looks at her own chest and squeezes at her smallness.
Some girls get all the luck.
"Yea, yea, hope you all enjoyed the free peepshow. Leave your tips at the door. C'mon Ruby, let's finish up." Ruby could only squeak out a response when Yang grabbed the back of her towel and yanked her into the bathroom with a slam of the door.
"Well, that just happened." Both Weiss and Ashe turn toward Blake who shrugs her shoulders.
Apparently, her bathroom has been hijacked by all of team RWBY. So much for freshening up before lunch. Who knows how long it will take for Ruby and Yang to finish? And if Weiss and Blake are waiting for their own turn as well, there's no point wasting time here. With a huff, Ashe leaves her room. "I am heading out for lunch with Pyrrha. I'll be back later." Ashe made a quick escape before either could respond.
Not a moment later, two figures swoop in on her small stature. Weiss politely coughs into a fist to catch Ashe's attention, "If you do not mind, I—"
"We, would like to join you as well for lunch." Blake leans forward after interrupting Weiss with a grin of a Cheshire cat that caught the canary.
"Hmph!" Weiss turns up her nose with a haughty expression, "Before I was rudely interrupted. We would like to join you for lunch. Yang and Ruby take forever, and we would like to hear more about your spar with Pyrrha."
Ashe shrugs her shoulders, "Mm, it's just the cafeteria though." Not like she could stop them even if she wanted to. The cafeteria is open to everyone and they can sit wherever they want. However, there is one thing that is still bothering her. "Why were you all in my room? No one answered that."
Weiss and Blake share a glance at the question, before turning to each other with a tilt of their heads and back to Ashe, giving her a look as if she should already know the answer by now. Their simultaneous answer was more annoying than amusing.
"You have a bathtub." "You have a bathtub."
Ah, right. The bathtub. Sometimes Ashe has the urge to throw it out the window, but it has spoiled her lately.
Weiss and Blake make small talk while choosing their meals. Tuna sandwiches and fries for Blake, a grilled chicken salad for Weiss, and a club sandwich for Ashe with a bowl of fruit. Of course, she did not forget her block of cheese.
They are soon joined by Pyrrha and Jaune with their own lunches. Pyrrha did not even have a chance to set her tray down before being drawn into a vicious interrogation about their duel by Weiss. Ashe smirked at Pyrrha's plead for assistance. Ashe felt vindicated from the body blow when Pyrrha balked at being abandoned.
Ashe's pettiness knows no bounds. "Hey Jaune, can I ask you something?"
Jaune looks up toward Ashe with a tilt of his head, "Um, sure. Yea, go ahead."
"Do you know how to sew or do embroidery?"
"Uh…Perhaps…Why? I'm gonna be honest, I was totally not expecting a question like that." He was prepared for many things, but that was not one of them.
Reaching into her back pocket, Ashe pulls out a familiar white handkerchief and hands it over. "I trying to find someone to embroider a pattern on this, so I know it's mine. I remember you saying you had seven sisters and you seem like a complete pushover. So, I bet your sisters made you do most of the housework and learn tricks of the trades."
Jaune lips pucker as if he sucked on multiple lemons at once. How does she know? Is it that obvious? "I should totally hit you for that."
"But you won't."
Damn her, why is she always right? Jaune grumpily snatches the cloth from her hand. "Fine, what kind of embroidery do you want? Fair warning, I can't do anything complicated."
Ashe shrugs with a wave of the hand, "I don't know. Maybe my initials or something. I will leave it up to your stylish taste."
"You think I have style?" Hope beams within his eyes.
That's her cue to leave. Bursting to her feet, Ashe grasps her lunch tray and looks over the ragtag group. "I will head out first, I still need to freshen up and maybe take a nap."
"H-hey, Ashe, you didn't answer the question."
With a wave over the shoulder, she quickly retreats and discards her trash. Back in her dorm, Ashe cautiously knocks onto her bathroom door. Thankfully it is empty, allowing her to take a quick shower and hop into bed with a towel around her neck.
A curt knock on the door forces out a grumble before she plops her hat back on. "Nn, it's open."
With a crack of the door, a familiar head of white leans on through. Ashe groans and plops back onto the bed. What is it now? She would very much like to take a nap before their outing. She had her lunch, showered, and now is primed for a nap. "Mm? What?"
"Sorry to bother you, but Yang wanted me to let you know that we will be leaving at around 7:00 or so."
A hand lazily waves in acknowledgement, "Mm." Ashe snuggles her blanket for warmth.
Weiss crooks a brow with a neutral expression, "Are you really going to take a nap?" Weiss rolls her eyes at the affirmative grunt. Closing the door, Weiss returns to team RWBY's dorm.
Sitting on the floor is Yang brushing Ruby's hair. Both girls are in their pajamas as Blake is once more in her bed reading. Yang doesn't even look up from brushing Ruby's hair. "Did you tell her?"
With a scoff, Weiss closes the door to make way for her bed. "Of course, I did. Who do you think I am?"
"A spoiled brat." A pillow smacks against Yang's shoulder. "Not helping your case."
Ruby rolls her head to peer around, "Now, now, be nice to Weiss. She's just…" A look of concentration rolls over her face, "Weiss."
Blake and Yang snort in amusement when Weiss scowls and sits upon her bed while crossing her left leg over the right. "I swear, you two are so childish. Definitely sisters." Crossing her arms, Weiss turns to Blake, "So, what do you think about Pyrrha's recap about their spar, Blake?"
Closing her book, she feels this is gonna be a bit of a lengthy discussion. Weiss will hound her relentlessly for her opinion. Turning on her side, Blake props up against a pillow, "Which part? I mean, it's Pyrrha we are talking about. If she says they came to a draw. Then they came to a draw."
"That's just it though. Pyrrha is at the top of the ladder board in all of Remnant academies. Renown analysts, critics, and professors state that she could become a Huntress without attending an Academy, and still be ranked highly above average."
"Pft." Yang waves the brush around in Weiss's direction. "Okay, so she's strong. What's the big deal? I mean, there are tons of people out in the world that are strong and not public."
Light blue eyes flicker toward Yang, "Normally, I would agree with you…Correction, normally, I would never agree with you—"
"Feelings mutual, Princess."
"But this is Pyrrha we are talking about. The Invincible Girl, who has never been touched in any of her fights." Weiss switches her legs around, waving one hand up in thought. "Do you know how many odds you have to defy for something like that in our age bracket? Everyone has a different weapon, different style of combat, and no semblance is the same. It is abnormal."
Blake morphs her face into concentration, shuffling around the bed, "So, what you're trying to say is…Pyrrha's situation is extremely rare, a statistical nightmare." Realization begins do dawn onto her face, "Yet, she admitted that someone forced her into a draw. Meaning, that the probability of a series of convenient flukes in their spar to force a draw, is astronomically small, border line impossible. Which means the only other possibility…Would be if they were equally as strong to force the draw."
Weiss nods and leans back, "Exactly. One genius? Fine. But two? What are the odds? Granted, fully trained huntsman with experience could still humble them quite well, all of us in fact. But it is unheard of."
"So, what you're saying is," Weiss turns toward Yang, who grabs Ruby by her waist, causing said girl to squeak in surprise. She then easily pulls to rotate Ruby behind her and hands over the brush. "We need to step our game up. Because we will be left behind, right?"
Blake frowns, "If we were even on their starting line at all."
Yang scowls in Blake's direction while Ruby brushes her hair. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Professor Goodwitch has paired everyone up at least twice against Pyrrha, and even make her fight through a gauntlet if you haven't noticed. Yet, it is like she's bored. Even when fighting bout after bout." Blake gives a soft shake of her head before laying onto her back. "It's like we were never even on her starting line to begin with."
"Well, why not spar with them and ask for advice?"
Blake and Weiss swivel at Ruby's comment. Yang perks up but allows Ruby to keep brushing her golden locks. One of the only few people she will allow to touch her hair. "What do you mean, sis?"
Ruby shrugs her shoulders, "I mean, I sparred with Ashe. Granted, she mopped the floor with me, but she gave me some advice on how to improve. Like, actual advice. Not Dad's advice or just—" Ruby places both hands upon her hips and speaks in a mocking 'dad' voice. "Practice harder, Ruby. Study more, Ruby. You need to figure it out on your own, Ruby."
With a sigh, Ruby goes back to brushing, "I mean yea, it sucked to get my butt kicked so easily, but I learned so much. I already have a ton of new ideas I want to try, and a new training schedule. I mean, it's not like I have anything to lose, and everything to gain. Just wish I didn't get my butt kicked so thoroughly."
Weiss stared at Ruby for a moment in bewilderment, "That…might be a good idea, Ruby. I honestly wasn't expecting something like that from you."
Ruby chuckles and waves her hand toward Weiss, "Ah, well, ya know. I have my momen—Wait, are you trying to say I'm dumb or something?"
The rest of team RWBY awkwardly turn away from her questioning gaze and let their thoughts churn Ruby's idea around in their heads. "Urg, you guys are the worst!" With a huff, Ruby leaps up onto her bed to pout.
Standing to her feet, Weiss calmly makes her way out of the dorm, "I am heading to the library to study. I will return after a while." Without waiting for a response, she was out the door.
Reaching the library was a quick affair, searching for the material she wanted was another. Still, she was diligent and never one to back down. Before long, Weiss found the book she was most interested in. Regretfully, it was on the top shelf.
Looking around, she huffs before stretching on the tips of her toes. Weiss can feel her manicured fingers stroking along the spine of the book, attempting to wiggle it free. A large hand suddenly reaches over her own and easily grasps the book. Weiss turns to the source and finds a familiar shade of green and spectacles staring at the book.
"Advanced Fencing and Tactics Volume IV. That is quite the interesting read. You are quite diligent and studious, Ms. Schnee." Handing over the book, Weiss politely grasps it into her fingers. "As impressed as I am, today is a weekend. Shouldn't you be relaxing for the next academic week?"
"Professor Ozpin, good afternoon. I have some spare time, so I wanted to study and further myself. I was hoping this book would have something to help me grow stronger." Weiss politely nods her head toward Ozpin, clutching the book against her thighs.
Ozpin hums quietly, "Oh? Well, may I give some advice, Ms. Schnee?"
"Of course."
"As wonderful it is to see you studying a book for combat. It is just that, a book." Ozpin raises a hand with his index extended, "When it comes to physical combat and spars, there is one thing that reigns as the undisputed king. Experience. My advice to you, would be to work together with your team. Spar with one another, conduct battle scenarios and tactics, help one another with your strengths and weaknesses. You have my word that in time, you will see growth."
Light blue eyes flicker around in deep thought before she gazes up toward Ozpin. Politely nodding, she expresses her gratitude for the advice. "Thank you for the advice, Headmaster Ozpin. I will put it under consideration and talk to my team about such topics."
"Wonderful, now if you shall excuse me. There is something I am looking for." Bidding his farewell, Ozpin paces around Weiss as he feels her watching his retreat before walking off in her own direction. Ozpin adventures deep into the archives and soon surrounds himself in solitude. Finding the shelf, he was looking for, Ozpin casually raises a hand and skims through the folds of books.
Beacon is one, if not the only, academy that houses records of military feats and battles. After all, they provide great material for students to research and learn. Especially if they plan to join the standard forces and military. Of course, all confidential materials are removed and left with only the minor details.
However, if it is about a dispute that is deemed 'resolved', then restrictions are more often removed. For example, say there was a terrorist group of faunus that used to run rampant for a couple of years. But then mysteriously vanish and disappear without a trace. With the passing of a few years, confidential restrictions will be raised, simply because the information is old, useless, and no longer relevant.
Grasping the thin booklet, Ozpin pulls it from the shelf and takes a seat on a nearby table. A soft pop of his back from a stretch signals his growing age. He fingers over the title and the resource, "Primal Fang, by Mistral and Atlas Military Information Divisions."
Ozpin quietly hums at the thin booklet. It was no thicker than the width pinky. Opening the booklet, he checks the index for his topic of interest. After all, he already knows the basic knowledge surrounding the Primal Fang. No, he is looking for something more specific.
Finding the page, he is looking for, Ozpin flips the page to find only two-pages worth of knowledge. Humming to himself, he shuffles his spectacles into proper position. Only two pages? Oh well, he will at least gloss over it. Ever since Ashe's spar with Pyrrha, he has had a prickling thought that he has heard about that style somewhere. He can not for the life of him remember where. Ozpin vaguely remembers James and Leonardo complaining about a forest fairy of sort.
"The Battle of Mistral Forest."
Reading over the contents, his features slowly begin to droop down into a frown with each sentence. What is this? The title is completely misleading. The Battle of Mistral Forest? No, this was no battle.
It was a massacre.
Two companies of Mistral and Atlas military forces engaged the Primal Fang after being tipped off their base of operations. The Atlesian forces engaged with the main force of the Primal Fang as the Mistral forces were to flank with their superior knowledge of the terrain.
Basic tactics for two different forces. Their different disciplines and chain of command would no doubt cause conflict if they fought together. So, the Mistral forces were to encroach from the rear and through the dense forest during the distraction. Only, that is not what happened once the company sized force entered the forest.
They were slaughtered. Nearly down to the last man.
Barely a handful, if that, managed to escape and live to tell the tale. According to their reports, they did not run into any opposition, but something was picking them off one-by-one at frightening degree. It did not take a genius to know they were being hunted. They only had one thing in common and that was during their frantic escape from the forest.
Maniacal laughter.
They never saw the source, only a tiny silhouette disappearing with their comrades into the foliage, or their bodies left for dead in a pool of red. It chased them relentlessly in glee till they escaped from the cursed forest. To this day, it is the greatest military blunder for Mistral. One of the main reasons that relations between Mistral and Atlas is so tense.
Ozpin closes the booklet and props his elbows upon the table with his fingers intertwined. Leaning forward with a neutral and disturbed expression, he repents the last phrase within his mind. The survivors were interviewed separately, but they all referred to the phantom with the same moniker.
"The Demon Fairy of the Forest."
(A/N) Chapter Eleven finished!
I had a bit of fun with this one, hopefully the Pyrrha and Ashe spar was done well. It was more of them measuring up to each other rather than going all out like an actual fight. Let me know what everyone's opinion on their spar, if it was done well or not. Next up is the club and a return of a familiar face! Gonna be fun to write that character, I have been a bit excited for them.