Author's note: Not much to say this time other than enjoy!
"Try to stay calm," pleaded Nora to her tall, red-haired friend. Pyrrha was standing and resting her forearms and head against the transparent wall of the shower stall. A continuous stream of hot water from the showerhead above was gently spraying her neck, shoulders, and back.
"I'm trying. It's just that… it's… getting difficult to… breathe," said Pyrrha in-between quick and shallow wheezing. Her throat was so tense it felt like she was being choked. At least she was grateful for wearing the swimsuit.
"Take slow and deep breaths," responded Nora in regard to Pyrrha's hyperventilation. "Try to think of happy thoughts! Like… imagine you're standing amidst a beautiful meadow during a sunny summer day. You're surrounded by puppies and kittens! Look up at the rainbow in the sky!" Nora's cheerful voice emphasized her descriptive and caring words, free of any negativity. "Think of me, even!"
Pyrrha tried, steeling her thoughts. Yet, the fear hammered her mind relentlessly. Her courage quickly faltered. She knew if this kept up, she would have another panic attack. "Turn… it... off," she said.
"So soon already?" Nora gently protested for Pyrrha's sake. "You can still-"
"I said," said Pyrrha in a sharper tone than intended, "Turn it off! Please!"
With a sigh of defeat, Nora twisted the shower faucet. After the flow of water ended, she helped Pyrrha step out from the stall and sit down. A large towel was put over her shoulders.
Pyrrha's gripping sensation of fear was replaced by another, powerful, and negative emotion, the one of shame. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I failed yet again!" she self-reproached and buried her face against her palms.
"No need to apologize. I know you're trying your best," said Nora and then sat down next to her.
"Yes, and look how far that has gotten me? I'm still at square one." She groaned when she realized how whiny she sounded. It was not like her at all. She was more disciplined than that. The treatment had taken its toll on her patience and spirit.
For a few hours, she had willingly exposed herself to the very substance she feared as a means of treatment. Nora had stayed with her as support. It was a brittle task, littered with risks. More than once, Nora had to intervene preemptively to stop her from panicking.
"We both knew this was going to take time," reminded Nora.
"I'm still aware of that. I just wish we could've done at least a slight bit of progress. Enough to indicate that our unorthodox method is working," said Pyrrha before she sighed and leaned back against the wall. "We could've been visiting Vale City by now, watch a movie, relax at a café. Instead, I'm wasting your weekend with this curse of mine."
"Hey, don't talk like that! This will help. I'm not doing this just to see you in my bikini, after all! I don't care how long it takes to cure you. I'll stay with you until the end." Nora put her hand on Pyrrha's shoulder in a reassuring manner. "Once this is over, I'll take you to a café. My treat."
Pyrrha managed a tired smile. Her friend always managed to find ways to do that. "Thanks, Nora. You're the greatest."
"Of course!" Nora beamed with self-confidence. "What kind of benevolent queen would I be if I didn't look after the well-being of my subjects?" She stroked Pyrrha's cheek. "Especially you, my dear, brave knight." Pyrrha felt her cheek grow warm as Nora touched it.
After a brief pause, Nora suddenly asked, "Hey? I'm curious about something. After your drowning accident, how did you manage to shower without panicking?"
"What makes you think I didn't panic?" questioned Pyrrha with a thin smile. She took a breath before starting to explain, "After I was pulled up from the icy water and revived, I was rushed to the hospital. Except for the cold shock, the doctors said my vitals were fine. I was allowed to leave the day after. The first thing I wanted to do when I stepped inside my personal dorm at Mistral's combat school was to have a hot and refreshing shower." Her voice faded, followed by her gaze faltering. "It… didn't go so well." She chose not to go into details of what had happened. She assumed Nora understood.
She continued, "I realized my unintentional submersion into the water had affected me more than I initially thought. Over the course of several days, with some discomfort I might add, I taught myself to tolerate showers. Ever since then, I've done all my showers as quickly as I could while avoiding getting water in my face, my weak spot. It's much harder this time though."
"Wanna try again then?" asked Nora.
Pyrrha rubbed her forehead in an attempt to soothe a headache. She felt her body and mind had been tortured enough, for now. "Certainly not. I need a break."
She and Nora stepped out from the bathroom and put on simple outfits for the weekend.
"I need some fresh air. I'm going for a walk outside," said Pyrrha and opened the door leading out into the hallway. "Do you wish to come with me?" she asked.
As Nora opened her mouth, Pyrrha heard a grumbling from within Nora's belly. Too bad Ren was not around to cook up some of his delicious pancakes together with maple syrup. "Sounds like you have a big void within you to fill up," Pyrrha said and chuckled. "Why don't you go and eat, Nora? Maybe I'll see you at the dining hall later, okay?"
Nora nodded and waved good-bye to her as she closed the door and left.
Pyrrha was in such deep thoughts she paid scant attention to where she was going. Her legs were simply moving on their own accord, taking her in whatever direction she faced. It felt good to walk, instead of standing still within that cramped shower stall. She still felt bad for having failed for hours without making any progress.
Nora is such a good and helpful friend. But maybe I need to talk to someone else? Should I call Jaune? No, I should not disturb him while he's on mission. What about Ruby then?
As she rounded the corner of a corridor, she nearly collided with a tall man with messy, grey hair, holding a coffee cup and a cane. Digging her heels in hard, Pyrrha saved herself from the embarrassment of accidentally knocking down the academy's headmaster. That would have been a fine mark on her reputation.
"Oh, good afternoon, Miss Nikos," said Ozpin and raised his coffee cup in a greeting gesture.
"Good afternoon to you, too, Headmaster," she greeted him back and bowed her head slightly.
"Please, no need for such formalities," said the man with a smile. "Just Ozpin is fine."
Despite his position, he was far from bureaucratic, and remarkably relaxed. Two traits that had earned him plenty of respect from the students, including Pyrrha. "Understood, Headm-," she quickly corrected herself. "I mean, Ozpin."
Rather than bid her farewell and attend to his business, Ozpin decided for some chitchat with the female student. "How are you faring with your partner, Nora Valkyrie?"
"It's going well," she answered. "We've been training and socializing a lot, even on our free time. It really feels we've improved our bonding. The partner switch that you suggested was a great idea."
"Glad to hear your positive response. Not everyone would say the same. I am aware you work well together with Jaune Arc, just as Nora does with Lie Ren. However, you will not always be able fight and perform missions together with your original partner. There will be times where you need to depend on Nora or Ren, perhaps even both. There must not be any weaknesses or mistrust in the relations between the members of a team, or there might be tragedies. Even the thickest of chains is only as strong as its weakest link. That is why I wanted each member to talk, listen, and fight together with someone who is not their original partner."
He paused briefly to take a short breath, as well as a sip from his coffee mug before continuing, "I take it you are aware that, starting next week, your partnership with Nora will end? Instead, you will be paired up with Lie Ren for two weeks."
"I am." Nodding, Pyrrha kept her mixed thoughts about becoming partner with Nora's childhood friend to herself. Whereas Nora was hyperactive, open and talkative, Ren was instead calm and quiet. He was an enigmatic individual who did not open up easily. Bonding with him with for two weeks could be an interesting challenge. Nevertheless, she felt confident that she and Ren would try their best. It was not like they were complete strangers to each other. She could ask Jaune and Nora for help about how to get to know Ren, but she was sure that would be a form of cheating.
While adjusting his glasses, Ozpin reflected about one of the upcoming partner switches. "I am aware of Miss Valkyrie's and Mister Arc's personality traits. I am sure they both have two interesting weeks to look forward to."
Even though humor was hardly Ozpin's strong suit, Pyrrha saw how his lips slightly curled upwards. "I believe so as well. Never a dull moment when Nora's around."
With a smile, Pyrrha pictured all kinds of shenanigans Jaune would have to suffer at the hands of the unpredictable and childish Nora.
Will she do the same things that she has done to me? Pyrrha felt herself tensing up. Does that mean Nora and Jaune are going to share a bed together? Will she squeeze his chest? Be the first to kiss him? An emotion bloomed within her. Despite its strength and negativity, she could not identify it. Whatever it was, it made her feel uncomfortable.
"Is something troubling you?" asked Ozpin, calmly changing the subject. His stoic expression had returned.
Pyrrha blinked, not having foreseen his question at all. How did he notice? Was it something I said? Had subtle body language given her away? She could shrug his question away, but that would make him suspicious.
"Yes," she began to speak up carefully. "As a matter of fact, something is troubling me. How are you supposed to fight something that frightens you so much that it paralyzes you?" She shifted her feet. She wanted to kick herself for bringing the question out in such forced and awkward manner.
Ozpin paused for a short moment to let her unusual question sink in. "What an intriguing choice of discussion," he said as if delighted that Pyrrha brought the subject up. "Are you scared of something particular, Miss Nikos?"
Pyrrha quickly shook her head. "Oh, no, it's not I who's afraid. It's… my friend." She felt pathetic for not being upfront to such a respectable man. Good job, Pyrrha. Lying will definitely help you overcome your phobia.
Ozpin's piercing, brown eyes narrowed at her, his smile returning. "A friend, you say?"
Pyrrha was sure he was seeing through her lie, but she decided to keep up her charade anyway. "Correct."
Ozpin nodded slowly, respecting her answer. "Fear can be an important motivating factor. Many of our decisions are products of it. We fear the darkness, so we make use of light to allow us to see. We eat because we fear death through starvation. We have children so that we do not have to fear our species becoming extinct."
As much as she agreed with his wisdom on the matter, it was not exactly what she was after. "But, those fears are related to survival. Without light, food, or offspring, we wouldn't exist. What do you do if you fear something that may not be a threat?"
Ozpin moved his hand to take another sip, but stopped just before his lips could meet the cup. "Are you talking about a phobia then? Hmm, that is also quite interesting." He nodded once more, stroking his chin. "Even today, the human mind is a vast and unexplored area. I doubt we will ever fully understand how phobias work. Is this related to the friend you mentioned?"
"Yes. How does one help someone who is scared of water?"
"Aquaphobia?" he asked with a raised, gray eyebrow. "That is an uncommon one. Just like fire, water must be respected and feared, for it is a provider of both life and death. We can be surrounded by an ocean and never drown. However, if a handful of water covers our mouth and nose, then, we will cease to exist. It is eerily fascinating, is it not?" He spoke as if reciting a poem.
Pyrrha had to take slow and deep breath to fight back a mild, nauseating sensation in response to Ozpin's words. "Y-yes, I suppose so."
She had raised the headmaster's curiosity, as evident when he gave her an inquisitive look and asked, "Do you mind if I inquire a little deeper on the matter? Exactly how severe is your friend's phobia, Miss Nikos? There are more than one way to afraid of water."
"It's bad, really bad. Even showers are traumatizing," she explained, unwillingly reminding herself how strong her phobia had grown since last year.
"Hmm, that is severe indeed then. A man who fears water can never find true sanctuary. From time to time, he must succumb himself to what he fears for the sake of hydration and hygiene. Treating or curing phobias can require weeks, months, or even years. Some are never cured. If your friend is so aquaphobic as you claim, then I recommend professional treatment. I know a few, qualified and well-respected psychiatrists who are capable of helping. They have much experience with helping traumatized hunters."
Pyrrha knew Ozpin as a caring and professional man. It's not too late to be honest with him. He's offering me a chance to receive professional treatment. But… I told Nora I would talk to Ozpin if things didn't get better this weekend… The weekend is not over yet.
She reluctantly made her answer. "I'll be sure to tell her. Thank you for your help, Ozpin." The shame of cowardice and self-disappointment twisted her gut so hard it was painful.
"Understood. I hope everything will turn out right for her. She is free to visit me at my office whenever she wants to discuss a treatment." Having finished the last drop of coffee in his mug, Ozpin indicated with a smile and nod that he needed to leave. "Stay afloat, Miss Nikos. Have a good evening and weekend."
"Thank you. You, too." As he walked past her, Pyrrha craned her neck to look at his back while he was walking away. Despite feeling bad for having declined his help, she found his words to be inspiring. She felt ready to continue her fight against her phobia together with Nora.
Nora was sitting at a familiar place where students routinely came to fill hungry bellies and quench thirsts while socializing with each other; the dining hall. The ambience of clinking utensils, clattering dishes and multiple voices resonated throughout the sizable room, mingling together with all kinds of aromas.
She sighed heavily while resting her head on her hand. As hard as she had tried, she simply could not find the appetite to finish her lunch. Even her favorite, delicious chocolate pudding had tasted like bland ooze and remained half-finished.
Pyrrha was not the only one who felt bad for the failure within the bathroom earlier. Nora wished that things should have gone better, but she could not say that to her. It was her duty as a friend to help Pyrrha stay motivated and optimistic. She felt it was partially her fault why the treatment had no work.
Her white Scroll rested before her, silently taunting her. How easy it would be to give Ren and Jaune a call and tell them what was going on with Pyrrha. Maybe the two of them could be more of a help than Nora, who felt inadequate. An urge swelled within her. She reached for the Scroll and opened it.
After tapping the holographic display a few times, the profile image of Jaune's familiar, blue-eyed, and blonde-haired head was brought up. Nora's finger hovered over the 'Call' button. One more tap could mean the difference of solving Pyrrha's problem, or making it worse. Were the odds in favor or against?
Clenching her fist, Nora grunted and closed the Scroll. No! I will not so recklessly gamble away my treasured friendship with Pyrrha! My lips have been sealed by a promise. Trust between friends was precious and fragile. If broken, it could be repaired, but it would never be the same as before.
Still, Nora felt she wanted to talk to someone. No, she needed to. Anyone who could listen to her and ease the pressure within. How can I do that without breaking my promise?
The orange-haired girl's brooding was interrupted by a merry laughter. Craning her neck, she saw two familiar, teenage girls, sitting at another table nearby. She smiled and walked over to them.
"Hey, Blondie and Ice Princess!"
Yang Xiao Long and Weiss Schnee looked at her as she sat down on a free seat in front of them. Yang welcomed her with a grin. The aristocratic Schnee acted in a more reserved manner, and simply nodded to acknowledge her presence.
"Sup, Nora?" asked Yang.
"I dunno about you two, but I'm seriously enjoying the partner switch together with Pyrrha! It's crazy fun! Can't believe the academy didn't think of this any sooner. What about you?"
"I know, right?" the blonde girl agreed. "We're having the joy of our lives." Yang boisterously slapped a hand onto her partner's slender shoulder, almost causing her to spill her bowl of yogurt. "Isn't that right, Weiss?"
"Right," the Schnee responded dryly and rolled her eyes.
Nora's gaze fixated upon a wooden basket filled to the brim with dozens of ripe oranges between Weiss and Yang. The sweet aroma of citrus made her mouth water, reinvigorating her appetite. "Where did you get all those delicious oranges from?" she asked.
Weiss began to explain. "With the partner-switch going on, a lot of two-man missions appeared on the mission board. I suggested yesterday that we should have escorted a group of travelers through an area with a light Grimm presence." Her cyan eyes shot daggers at the blonde-haired girl next to her. "Someone, however, instead signed us up to pick oranges at a plantation within a safe zone."
Yang noticed the sharp gaze aimed at her. "Hey! The mission info clearly said we would be rewarded with a basket of oranges! Fruits can be expensive. Have you ever seen any grow on a Grimm's body before?"
It was strangely amusing for Nora to watch the petty conflict between Yang and Weiss. I wonder what silly fun stuff Ruby and Blake are up to.
"We're huntresses, Yang, not common fruit harvesters. Next time, we should-" Weiss' protest was abruptly interrupted as Yang lodged a small orange in-between her jaws.
"You wanna die of scurvy, Weiss? Then eat up!"
Nora snickered, loud enough to catch Weiss disapproving glance. Fun things always seemed to be going on with team RWBY. I bet it would be super-duper fun to be Yang's partner for two weeks. Wow, the things we could do together! Someone should suggest to Ozpin to let us have inter-team partnerships?
Weiss groaned loudly and removed the orange from her mouth. She looked at Nora while pointing an accusing finger at Yang. "You see what I've been dealing with for almost two weeks? And I thought her sister was childish. I can't wait to be with Blake for the second, upcoming partner switch. At least she can be reasoned with."
Seeing how Nora was hungrily looking at the basket like a starving orphan, Yang took the largest of oranges and tossed it to her. Nora nodded and smiled to show her gratitude. As she began peeling the fruit with her bare hands, she asked, "Guys, do you have any phobias?"
Yang and Weiss exchanged confused looks. The question was odd, even from someone like Nora. "Phobias? Is that a disease?" asked Yang with a smile.
"No, you dunce!" reproved Weiss to Yang. "She's talking about irrational fears, like heights or snakes. Why do you ask, Nora?"
Nora tried her best to pretend that there were no ulterior motives behind her question. "Just making conversation! We all fear something, right? What're you afraid of?" she asked while chewing noisily on a big slice of orange.
Weiss crossed her arms and huffed softly. "My phobias are my own to deal with. I don't want any rumors to be spread around here."
Her words did not resonate well with Nora. Hmm… just like Pyrrha.
Nora shifted her gaze away from Weiss over to Yang instead. As expected, the energetic brawler proved to be more open. "I fear being strapped to a chair in front of a large mirror and watch in horror how people armed with knives and scissors come and…" Yang shifted nervously upon her seat, breaking eye contact, which was unusual for her.
"And… torture you?" A horrified Nora attempted to finish her sentence. Yang's fear sounded far more nightmarish than drowning.
"Even worse! They cut and shave my hair until I go bald!" Speaking about her fear made Yang shudder. She ran her fingers through her precious, golden threads. "Don't worry, my darlings. No one's ever going to hurt you."
Weiss and Nora blinked at Yang, unable to comment her anticlimactic answer. That's… not what I expected. Nevertheless, if that was truly her fear, then there was no reason to question or ridicule her. Nora knew phobias could work in strange ways.
"What about Blake and Ruby then?" asked Nora.
A playful smile spread across Weiss' pale visage. "Blake? She's scared of Zwei, the dog living in our dorm." As Weiss looked at Nora, the orange-haired smiled so widely Weiss feared she was going to bleed from the corners of her lips.
"Y-you have a dog?! Inside your dorm?" Nora blurted loudly, attracting some attention from nearby tables. She quickly shook her head.
Right, gotta focus! FOCUS! Don't think about cute and fuzzy dogs! Once Pyrrha feels better, we're heading over to RWBY's dorm and meet Zwei! "What about your sister?" she asked Yang, struggling to contain the excitement within her.
Yang seemed glad that she asked, and began to tell a family story. "Ruby used to be terribly scared of spiders. When we were kids, as soon as she saw one inside our house, she would shriek and beg me to get rid of it. I remember her staying up a whole night after seeing one crawl and disappear behind a bookshelf inside her room."
Nora reacted to how Yang spoke in past tense. "What you mean she used to be scared?" she asked. Her face grew cold and white as the blood was being drained. "Is Ruby... dead?"
Yang chuckled heartily in response to such a morbid question and shook her head. "No, silly! After she woke me up in the middle of a night to deal with yet another spider, I realized I had to help her in a different way. Therefore, one day I lead her into our basement, which was like a spider lair, full of webs and all kinds of creepiness. I sat with her on the stairs for over an hour."
The more Yang talked, the more curious Nora grew to hear the rest of the story. She stopped eating her orange and focused instead on the girl in front of her. She motioned to Yang to continue.
"She begged me to take her away. My poor sis was so scared she couldn't even move." Yang's words vividly reminded Nora of how Pyrrha had been paralyzed from fear. "I then left her there, and locked the door."
Both Nora and Weiss were surprised, shocked even to hear how dark Yang's story suddenly turned. Weiss gave Yang a disapproving look. "You locked your own sister inside the basement? Knowing she was scared?"
"What was I supposed to do?" Yang defended her actions, but there were traces of shame and regret in her words. "I couldn't be her personal spider slayer ready to swoop in and save her all the time. Besides, those eight-legged freaks weren't even dangerous. They were more scared of her."
"Did it work?" asked Nora, eager to hear the conclusion of the story.
A proud smile spread across Yang's face while she nodded. "It totally did! The next day, I saw her handle a spider on the wall by herself, with a bit of difficulty though. To this day, she still feels uneasy when in the presence of spiders, but she no longer lets the fear take control of her."
Nora thought deeply. Can I help Pyrrha in similar manner like Yang had done to Ruby? The last time Pyrrha was forced into deep water, she had panicked. Throwing her in a second time would likely only make her fear worse.
Can I force her into the water without the actual use of force? A crazy plan began to take shape in her head.
"What are you scared of, Nora?" Her thoughts were suddenly disturbed by the inquiring voice of Weiss. "You asked us both, and about Ruby and Blake. How about you answer your own question?"
Nora's gaze sunk to the table, watching her fingers fidget with the orange peels. "I fear two things," she began quietly. "The first is not being able to help my friends when they need me the most. The other is…," she tried to say the rest, but realized she did not have the courage to do so.
The two girls in front of her looked at each other again. They had expected a funny or wacky answer, not a gloomy one from the typical happy-go-lucky Nora. Nora felt Yang take her hand and give it a gentle squeeze. "Is everything alright?" she asked.
The confused, yet caring way they looked at her made Nora smile. Daww! So awesome to have such caring friends! I feel my heart's gonna melt!
It was tempting to tell them that she was trying to help Pyrrha overcome her fear of drowning. Once again, the seal of a promise stopped her. Getting more people involved, even if they were friends, could complicate things further for Pyrrha. Nevertheless, talking and listening to Weiss and Yang had helped. She felt brighter, more hopeful.
"Thanks! I gotta go now!" said Nora before she stood up "I'll visit your dorm sometime soon enough. I wanna meet Zwei! Thanks for the orange!"
Before she walked away, Yang tossed her a second orange. "Give it to Pyrrha, will ya? See you later, Nora!" Both girls waved her off as she headed to the exit.
"That was odd," said a confused Yang.
"What do you mean?" asked Weiss.
"Didn't you notice?" Yang frowned at her teammate. "Have you ever seen Nora hesitate before? She's so wild and impulsive even I get envious at times."
"You mean when she talked about her fears? Yeah," Weiss nodded. "I didn't see that one coming. I'm sure she's fine though," she said and resumed eating the rest of her lunch.
"You didn't see? Are you turning blind, Weiss? Maybe your eyes need a bit more vitamin-See."
Ginger drops were suddenly splashed onto Weiss' face, as Yang squeezed a large piece of orange in her hand, giggling while doing so. "Hey! What are you doing?!" Weiss protested, shielding her face with a raised hand. Yang acted childishly by squeezing a second piece.
"Yang!" Weiss raised her voice. "Stop squirting all over my face!" She froze when she realized what she had just said. The red color upon her face stood out in stark contrast to her pale skin. Chuckles and laughter were heard around her from nearby students, with Yang's being the loudest. "Bah! I'm going to the dorm!" Weiss stormed out to escape the embarrassment.
End of chapter 3
Author's note: The scene was supposed to end right after Nora left, but I decided to extend it slightly and include a bit of humor from Weiss and Yang.
What did we learn from this chapter? Nora is scared of two things. One of them is not being able to help her friends. What do you think the second is?
And finally, my own phobias are mainly spiders and heights. I also feel a bit uneasy with deep, open water. What are yours?