Dandelions and Carnations
Chapter 2: Gerbera
"You will be a warrior."
"You will be a champion."
"You will be a queen."
"You will be a goddess."
"And you will be nothing else."
Those words were what Pyrrha Nikos had been told all her life. From the moment she unlocked her above-average Aura, to the moment she developed her Semblance, those 5 sentences were her mantra. Every second, every minute, every day, those words would run through her head repeatedly. When she built her weapon, she made it fit for a warrior. When she beat her opponents, she did it like a champion. When others asked her for help, she treated them like a queen. And when people called her the "Invincible Girl", she felt like she had become a goddess. Pyrrha Nikos was never anything else.
At least, that's what those around her would say to those who would ask. Pyrrha may have been a fine warrior, a grand champion, a benevolent queen, and a beautiful goddess, but she was lonely above all else. She sat at an extravagant throne at the top of the world, with the best view anyone could have. The scenery was magnificent. But, after weeks, months, years of sitting at the top, Pyrrha couldn't help but ask herself one question.
What good is the view if you have no one to share it with?
"Miss Nikos, could you please tell us about your championship match in the Mistral Regional Tournament?'
"Miss Nikos, please turn this way for just a moment so we can get your picture!"
"Miss Nikos, is it true that you're planning to move to Vale so that you can attend the illustrious Beacon Academy?"
"Miss Nikos, can we-"
"Miss Nikos, what do you-"
"Miss Nikos-"
BAM! The door to the limousine slammed shut as it peeled away from the crowd of reporters. Pyrrha sighed in relief, happy to get away from the reporters.
"Ugh, those reporters are like vicious flies. I can't believe they were waiting outside of the arena like that. Doesn't it bother you sweetie?"
Pyrrha looked up to see a middle-aged woman in a tight business outfit, sitting with her legs crossed on the seat across from her. The black of her clothes contrasted with her deep, crimson eyes and light brown hair. A fakely sweet expression was sprawled lazily across her face as she looked at Pyrrha intently, waiting for a reply.
"...Yes mother, it does bother me," Pyrrha muttered, shifting her gaze to the floor of the limousine.
Jennifer Brown Nikos' smile grew wider and more toxic . She had done so much to train her daughter into the perfect woman, from pouring hours into physical conditions to spending thousands of lien for classes on manners. Jennifer had made sure Pyrrha had become the perfect huntress, and she would let nothing get in her way.
"Pyrrha, remember. You will be a warrior. You will be a champion. You will be a queen. You will be a goddess. And you will be nothing else."
"...Yes mother."
Jennifer's smile morphed into an ugly scowl, as she raised her hand and slapped her daughter across the face.
"Say it like the way I taught it to you!"
"..."
"Pyrrha Nikos!"
"...I will be a warrior. I will be a champion. I will be a queen. I will be a goddess. And I will be nothing else."
"Good. You know that I am doing this for your own sake. Please understand that it is your fault when your mother hits you, okay, darling?" Jennifer whispered, her voice brimming with poison. Pyrrha, not wanting to test how far her mother would go, nodded slightly.
"Ma'am, we are back at the house."
"Good. Prepare the bags and the boxes. We are moving to Vale tonight." Yes… Jennifer thought to herself. Nothing will stand in the way of my perfect warrior.
The rapid, irregular clicking of heels could be heard echoing down the alleyways of Vale, accompanied by the regular ringing of a scroll and the heavy panting of a young girl. Pyrrha placed her hand on the dirty wall to support herself as she caught her breath. Once she had calmed her breathing, she ditched her scroll on a nearby heap of trash, bent over to readjust her heels and continued her way down the alley. With no sense of direction, and no real destination, Pyrrha was without a doubt, lost. But she felt free. She had ran away from her mother, and that gave her a sense of relief. Because no matter where she went, she'd be away from her mother. So Pyrrha wandered aimlessly around the city of Vale, heading towards the outskirts of the city. She eventually reached the edge of the city, and came up to a cliff that was overlooking the shining green forest surrounding Vale.
It's… beautiful. And those flowers below look very nice. They look like they're getting bigger. Wait…
Her legs had given out on her, and she fell forward while looking at the meadow below. You see, in Pyrrha's haste to escape her mother, she had forgotten one important thing.
They were going out for lunch.
She had forgotten to eat lunch.
Ah. I'm falling. AH! I'M FALLING!
Pyrrha quickly readjusted herself and used her Semblance to tug on whatever piece of metal that was on her body.
I know! I'll use the Scroll to pull me up!
Nothing happened.
… I left it in that alley. On the trash bags. When I probably needed it to call my mom to pick me up later. And I when I need it to save my life. WHY AM I SO STUPID?!
Pyrrha was quickly approaching her destination, and could only brace herself for impact. Activating as much of her Aura as she could, she prayed to whatever god was out there that she would make it out alright. Luckily, someone heard her prayers, as she landed in a bed of red carnations. Pyrrha inhaled sharply as her back impacted the ground and a jolt of pain ran through her body. An audible groan escaped her lips as she rolled onto her side and rubbed her back in an attempt to relieve the pain she felt in her joints.
"I swear, no more cliffs from now on, no matter how beautiful the view is," Pyrrha muttered. She lay there, looking up at the clear blue sky.
I wish I could fly… just fly away from everyone, away from all of my troubles.
Pyrrha sat up and now that she was in the middle of the flower field, she looked around and saw how beautiful it was up close. She marveled at the colors that striped the fields around her, and saw more flowers than she had ever seen in her life. But, she was snapped out of her daze when she heard someone approach and speak to her.
"Don't sit on the carnations, you'll squash them."
Pyrrha looked up at the boy standing in front of her. He was a little taller than her, and wore casual clothing. His jeans were worn and tattered, and a black hoodie was hanging around his waist loosely. His white t-shirt had a single amber crescent opening downwards, and had visible stains spotted all near the bottom. An unzipped backpack was slung over one shoulder loosely, with it's contents messily stuffed into the bag. Everything about this guy screamed pathetic, but to Pyrrha, there was some interesting air about his presence.
"Uh… look, I'm sorry for being so blunt about it, but could you please-"
"Carnations… is that what you called them?" Pyrrha replied.
"Wait no! I'm so sorry please don't hurt me I just really like this field of flowers and carnations are really pretty and you can only find red ones here in the field so I thought I would confront you about sitting on them and pleasedon'tbeatmeupIneedtogotoschooltomorrowand-" the blonde boy's flustered ramble was cut off by the sound of Pyrrha breaking out into laughter.
Yeah… He's definitely interesting.
"Hi. My name is Pyrrha Nikos."
"Uh… hi. The name's Jaune Arc. Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue, ladies love it. At least, I think they do. I don't know, I haven't used it on any girls yet."
"Oh, and am I not a girl to you?"
"N-no, that's not what I meant by that at all! I meant that I haven't said that line at all yet, and really it's a stupid line so-"
"Jaune, it is quite alright. I was trying to make a joke."
"Oh… um…"
Jaune and Pyrrha stood around awkwardly, both of the uncomfortable with the silence.
Well… isn't this just great Pyrrha? Your first real conversation in Vale and you've already gone and killed the mood. Think, girl, think! Okay, so we're in a middle of a meadow. With flowers… and I landed on the carnations! Go with that!
"So, Jaune, could you please tell me more about these carnations?"
"Dianthus caryophyllus, carnation or clove pink, is a species of Dianthus. It is probably native to the Vale region…" As Jaune rattled off facts about the carnations, Pyrrha stood there, amazed at how much someone could say about something so simple like a flower.
If I haven't said it before, I might as well say it now. He's really interesting. Like, really really interesting.
After a short exchange, Pyrrha grabbed Jaune and pulled him all around the flower field. He would give her a ton of facts about that flower, and she would give him all of her attention. And, by sunset, they had exhausted themselves even though they were only talking. Because while they were talking, they were both doing something they hadn't done in a long time. Having fun and enjoying life.
And they had found someone to do that with.
They had both found a friend.
Hello once again. I'm late because I'm lazy. Gerbera L. is more commonly known as a Transvaal Daisy and can be found in red and yellow.
Next is Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie. Guess the flower.
Thanks for reading. Please review.