Summary/disclaimer: Time for another chapter of The Spartan and the Legionary. Enjoy the 5500-word chapter. I do not own RWBY or Halo. Monty Oum, Microsoft, 343, and Rooster Teeth do.
Leo was silent as he glanced out the bridge, knowing that their options were mixed to the degree that he had no idea what to make of it for now.
He felt mixed like a slurry and slush. It would end, he wished it to end and it would end with all due haste and ideally before he fell utterly to pieces from the stress of today.
He did not know what was going on, he could not properly think or even fathom the idea the same way, he was a soldier of fortune, one who had been mixed properly into a bigger and more dangerous weapon.
Perhaps it was better this way, knowing that he could not afford to do anything to try and fix it all. He was a soldier, that was it… That would be what he amounted to in the end.
The snores next to him reminded the Spartan that he was not alone at all… He looked down to see Pyrrha, so tired that she did not even seem to be aware he had carried her back to the Infinity.
It almost made him want to laugh if not for the fact that he was so tired that he could not for the life of him possibly wish to relax… He had more to see and do and he had a lot of time to do so.
Yet? Leo could not for the life of himself blame her… He was simply aware of the fact that they worked together as a team.
He liked that, liked the idea of having a partner, a friend… It had been a very long time since he had anything even resembling one. Now? Now he wished he had one.
He wanted nothing more than that. He? He would get one. it was all he had wished for, hoped for, and desired at the end of the day.
"You should know I am going to need to head downstairs soon. The sooner I can get there? The sooner I can relax and get started on the next mission." Leo stated before he sighed, utterly thrown off.
He did not blame the girl who kept kicking her feet like a child. They had been a team long enough that Leo felt more compassion for her than possible… Like he was slipping through the cracks. It felt almost like trying to catch water, droplets falling too fast for him to even consider it.
"Tired?" Leo questioned, raising an eyebrow as she nodded. "Good, you have done a lot of fighting so far… The least you can do is relax, you have been worn down so much that I am starting to think you? You are not human… At all." Leo stated to which Pyrrha hummed.
He did not snark, did not even attempt to try and figure out for now as he looked downwards at the ground.
It was a lot more to try and figure out as of now, something that he could and would need to try and relax. Leo ran his fingers through his hair, utterly annoyed more than tired at the lack of time he had spent fighting the covenant.
He had wished to try and fight them to a standstill but it was still enough. It would always be enough and he knew it, they would continue to relax, knowing it meant little to him at the end of the day.
They had too much upon the edge of the day, it would not be dealt with, not easily. He could not deal with it, for now, this was not something that he could relax about.
Perhaps this would be dealt with before now in ways that he would not deal with as she seemed to try and figure something out, an idea for now… It would not be able to be dealt with this.
Leo sighed as Pyrrha paused, wrapping an arm around him as Leo hummed, pausing to try and deal with her but not having the heart to do anything, she kicked her feet like a child but to be fair? It was more adorable than bothersome.
Leo paused, only thinking of it in ways that he could not allow, not knowing for now what would be dealing with for now, it would keep growing for now, and it would not manage anything more than relaxing.
Leo only watched her emerald eyes flutter open, only unsure to try and figure out something. They had more and more to try and deal with for now.
"You, ok? You have been out for a rather long time…. A long time, honestly, it feels a lot like you have been asleep since you have gotten back." Leo stated as Pyrrha hummed.
Pyrrha would simply seem to hum as she looked before she spoke, she looked to him.
"I am… How are you holding up?" Pyrrha asked to which Leo hummed, rubbing at her fingers.
"You, ok?" Leo asked before Pyrrha hummed as she sighed. "I'm ok, there's a lot of things to try and do, I've been tired of now," Leo stated before he cracked his fingers.
"Meaning?" Pyrrha asked as Leo hummed before he looked downwards for now.
"You are a warrior, Pyrrha. I am very good but you are a good soldier. You will always be a soldier and so will I. I am very good at my job, and apparently? So are you, you will." Leo stated before he paused to try and think of what to try and deal with for now.
This would not be dealt with for the time… Yet? He had a fair deal with sorts of problems like this.
He was utterly unsure of what to see and do, something about it all seemed only to ruffle his feathers. They were at war with the Covenant, he had been there before and it had consumed him, cut him up, and made him exhausted for now.
He had a LOT of anger on his mind, something that cut his brain to pieces would always cut his brain to pieces. He was too relaxed for now.
Both soldiers were utterly unsure of what to figure out at the time being, all of it cut and dealt, something that was madness to him and madness in his tone that would not end a single good way.
This was a measure of mercy that was going to make him relax for now as she looked downwards at the ground, unsure of what needed to be done.
Yet? There was just too much, something as she paused to herself, unsure of what needed to be dealt with for now, there were a lot of things even if it all came down to a little mercy.
Perhaps it was odd, perhaps he did not even know himself but he did know he enjoyed fighting her and helping her. The ideas would continue to be best dealt with more and more with such ideals.
She yawned, pausing only to look upwards at the steel grey ceiling, she knew the entire time she could influence parts of the ship with her semblance but it might kill her if she was pushed to her limits trying to be that powerful, unsure of what was going on.
The idea of it seemed only to surprise him, knowing that he could and would be able to relax, more and more tired, and knowing that if anything? He could be relaxed, unsure of it but willing to push himself toward the edge.
The girl hummed, hugging his arms as he sighed before she paused, thinking that it could and would be dealt with sooner or later, they had time to deal with that.
He hummed, pausing to think for a moment as he looked at her, there was a second of pause in his actions as he looked at her, knowing that she could utterly pause to relax.
They would not be utterly thrown for now, knowing that the next move would be dealt with for now.
"Are you ok?" Pyrrha asked as Leo nodded, pausing to think. "There are a lot more soldiers that I see myself fighting, there will be too much work for a Spartan to deal with," Pyrrha stated before she sighed to look at the time.
"Well, no. I am tired, thrown off, no… There are a lot of times I do not feel our answers." Leo stated before he paused to himself. "Are you going to be, ok?" Leo questioned before she seemed to pause to himself.
Leo yawned before looking at himself as he seemed to be utterly unsure of what to try next. He cracked his fingers before he hummed to himself before he relaxed to himself.
"Are you going to be unable to fight when we get back to the battlefield? Because I do not think we are going to be fighting through covenant without reinforcements. The more soldiers we fight? The more we are going to need to be relaxing… And I do not even know what is going on." Leo stated before Pyrrha hummed and looked to the side.
She would not be able to do much for now, knowing to do something before she sighed to be dealt with for now, there were a lot of measures of mercy.
Perhaps it could do with a reset, for now, knowing what would be dealt with as she clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth.
She knew more and more that whatever came next meant he would be fighting tooth and nail to stop it, they would probably well be dying to something in the brush.
Perhaps it would be best dealt with but he knew more and more that whatever he threw at Pyrrha would shatter like glass against the wall.
"You want me to stay here a while or am I going to be able to talk to Captain Lasky?" Leo questioned, pausing only as a holographic version of Roland showed up at a small projector in the corner of the room.
"Don't need to, I've already told him, Spartan… It ain't like he's going to do much now anyway, he's got so much on his plate with dealing with the UNSC and Atlas and the fact that now he's more or less getting set up." Roland said as Leo blinked.
"He's the guy who's going to be busy running all ops on Remnant… Brass ended up saying that he'll be dealing with all operations now that we've found a previously uncharted planet." Roland said as Pyrrha yawned.
"So, he spoke to the council and Lord Hood?" Leo asked, raising an eyebrow as Holland nodded.
"Yep. Not exactly easy given it all, but he has. We are to stay the course to try and save the planet and a UNSC agent will come to see if we are ready to try and set up here." Roland stated before falling silent, totally knowing what would go on.
He knew more and more that trying to appeal to such a thing was a problem, one which he could not exactly stop. It would be a miracle if he could but also a miracle to know what would be done next.
"And have they decided on anything?" Pyrrha asked, crossing her feet under her.
"They're still talking things out, Lord Hood and General Ironwood are discussing something upstairs and he's more or less asking if we have a moment to talk about the consequences," Roland stated before he sighed.
He knew more and more that if they were thrown to the wolves and kept going? There would be hell to pay, the entire thing simply made him impossible to deal with, knowing that he would have to punch through another issue. How did humans deal with this? He could not tell, not at all when it came down to it.
Still? He was going to be a good AI and make sure everything went according to plan at the end of the day, something he could continue to relax for now.
They had work to do? He would do it, there was just nothing else he would rather be doing than talking and chatting to his friends, preparing for the worst, and knowing the worst would be something he could deal with either way.
Yes, if anything. It would be fun, so much fun that he would explode from trying it at the very end of the day when all was over for now.
He felt weighed down by duty, muffled by indecisiveness, he felt like it was pouring cement into his bones and then bludgeoning them with a sledgehammer. Perhaps he had known and perhaps he had wished to become better but it would not have mattered.
Such things felt tiring as Pyrrha yawned, her body cracking and twisting like a worm. She felt drained, and exhausted, yet full of life and eager to continue fighting the Covenant by the end.
She was a soldier, one who had been on the frontlines of a battlefield before. She knew Ozpin saw her as the ideal soldier and one who was a better fit to lead the team… And it hurt.
Did she enjoy being a skilled warrior? Yes, but it was clear that was ALL the world saw regarding Pyrrha Nikos. A soldier, a warrior, one who acted as if a trophy, a statue, and an unyielding piece of stone.
She hated it and not just because she wished to be free of it, she wanted to relax, to be a soldier and an idea that she was nothing more than a symbol.
She did not blame Jaune for being one, wanting to see him grow but telling her that he was too dense to try and see her feelings. She cared and wanted to help him, yet? There was just nothing left to this before or after.
She wanted to deal with it in her way and she wanted to relax for now. it was clear she wanted Leo to see in some sort of mannerism that would keep growing more and more.
Leo looked at her with concern, utterly interested in what she was. It was clear he saw her as a warrior but not as some superweapon, not some elite death commando that brought death to all who had been on the frontline.
She would act, and she would continue to keep being a soldier with all such little precision for now, it meant something which could be dealt with for now and good.
The idea of it seemed to mean little and he would be done for now and he relaxed for now at the time being while it all ended all around him.
Such things would be beyond it all done for now… She wanted to relax for now to keep growing and would it be done? She wanted to keep growing for now and he paused to keep looking upwards and into the sky, utterly unsure of what would be done at the time being.
They had a LOT more to deal with, an idea that she could not deal with and would continue to grow through it all at the end of the day, there was too much to see and even do. it would not relax; she did not wish to relax for now.
Such energy made him want to cry and scream at seeing it all end again and again now, tired for now… It would not end, not now and not ever. It meant something more than he could comprehend.
Yet? It made sense for her to keep growing, cutting, digging through something he had on his idealistic measure.
Leo sighed and reclined back against the wall, pausing to make him wish to relax.
He paused and looked over at Pyrrha, making him sigh as he realized just what was going on. It made little sense, an idea now he just did not grasp… Not now.
"So, any plans after this giant tournament or are you going to be winging it?" Leo asked, pausing to question for now what it was.
Leo paused, utterly tired, exhausted, and utterly thrown for a loop. He had been exhausted and tired for so long that it was hurtful and even tiresome for now… He wished to get it all over and done with… And it meant exactly what had been done next.
"I don't know," Pyrrha stated, crossing her legs under her for now.
"You do not know what is going to happen in this giant tournament… I do not think you have ever seemed to be aware of until then?" Leo asked, raising an eyebrow as Pyrrha rolled her eyes.
"I'm too tired to think," Pyrrha said to which Leo chuckled.
"Ah. The woman who cuts through Covenant like butter does not think… Good." Leo said before he paused. "I do not normally do crap like the beach… But it was fun, I had some fun dunking you like a toy into the ocean." Leo said as Pyrrha paused.
Leo was utterly silent, almost driven by the identity he held for so long. It had made him amused to be around someone who was not constantly appearing to be something he could handle for now and he wished to keep dealing with at the same time.
There was too much to keep doing, something that was beyond him and it would keep being would that for the time being. He would not be able to do more than keep swimming through that sort of ocean.
It made him want to keep growing again and again and he did not want to keep going for now, it would not allow him to be done and dusted.
He paused to let Pyrrha speak for a few moments, a few ideas that he could not wish to keep fighting more.
"You should know exactly because I've been a soldier that I am not…" Leo stated before he paused to keep thinking at the end of the time being.
He did not wish to keep doing something for now. He paused to keep growing before now and he paused for a moment to keep growing for now.
"I'm not as much a people person," Leo stated before he paused to himself. "There is a lot else on my mind besides that, but I'm trying to push myself to the goal of being at least 20, maybe 30% of that," Leo stated before he paused, relaxed, and tired now.
He was too interested, too unwilling to do something, for now, he wished to relax, to find solace in it all. He did not, he could not, perhaps. It did not matter much to him, he survived.
"You enjoy handling jobs where you might die?" Leo heard as he shrugged.
"I die doing what I got to do to help people who know what to do. I die on the frontlines so I can help save people who are going to die fighting for nothing." Leo stated as Pyrrha hummed.
"Why? Too exhausted to think of life differently?" Ollie asked, raising an eyebrow as he paused. "Because I am a Spartan, I was trained from birth to do this. I am good at what I do, I enjoy doing what I am asked to do so others will not be able to suffer. If that would mean suffering to help others? Then I will suffer." Leo stated as Pyrrha frowned.
"That isn't life," Pyrrha stated as Leo hummed. "It is not. You are not some disposable tools to take care of an enemy and then be discarded." Pyrrha stated to which Leo hummed.
"I am a soldier, Pry. I have a job to do, I am good at it, and I keep people alive. Is that not what being a huntress is? Doing the dirty work of some soldiers so others can live?" Leo asked as he raised an eyebrow.
Pyrrha sighed and lay prone on her back, cycling her legs like a human motorcycle. It was a common exercise, meant to try and massage one's legs so they could relax and act as they were needed to now. He grabbed one of her legs.
"Keep going, I'll spot you," Leo stated before Pyrrha sighed.
"Why do you enjoy fighting so much if the war is over? There will not be any other enemies to fight and you and the others will die doing it." Pyrrha said as Leo hummed.
"Because when you have a special set of skills? You have very limited things you can do with them. I do not have much more than the military, Pyr. They raised me. I have been a Spartan since I was a kid." Leo stated before he sighed.
"And that means you owe them even if you are going to die doing this?" Pyrrha asked to which Leo shrugged.
"We all die eventually, it only matters what you die doing and how you decide you're going to be going out," Leo stated before he sighed and then looked to the side, still wondering.
He did not know how to answer her words. It was hard to do so without coming off as a hypocrite and he knew that. He was good enough to come off as it matters.
There was a lot more to this than before as he paused to keep relaxing for now and then seemed to be utterly relaxed.
"You, ok?" Pyrrha heard for now as she paused to keep relaxing for now.
"I do not know what to say or do next," Pyrrha stated.
"Hmm," Leo stated before he paused to keep looking. "Tired, yet?" Leo questioned before he raised his eyebrow and then paused to keep thinking.
"Because you are swinging your legs like a windmill and I am just wondering if you are tired at all… You're acting like you can do this all day." Leo stated.
"I have to keep myself from falling asleep, I'm too energetic to sleep," Pyrrha said to which Leo hummed.
"Fair enough," Leo said before he paused. "I did enjoy the beach if you think I didn't, it's not exactly something I'd try again anytime soon," Leo stated as Pyrrha hummed.
"Too amused at playing around on the beach?" Pyrrha questioned as Leo hummed.
"More like I'm not even close to tired of the damn beach and I don't want to look stupid down there," Leo stated before he sighed and looked downwards at the ground.
"I don't know if it's hard to look silly considering I've barely been to the beach since I was a kid," Pyrrha stated.
"Why? Something stopping you and did not want to go anywhere?" Pyrrha heard.
"No, too busy with training," Pyrrha stated to which Leo hummed.
"Fair enough, business before anything else," Leo stated.
"I'm beginning to think business is all your used to," Pyrrha responded.
"No, but it's something I'm used to," Leo stated before he sighed.
"How about a deal?" Pyrrha asked to which Leo hummed and raised an eyebrow.
"Which is what?" Leo asked before he crossed his arms.
"If I tie you in a fight tomorrow? You must agree to go on a walk with me, no missions, no contracts on trying to do a job that does not have to be done. Just a walk around the city, relaxing, getting to enjoy life within trying to relax." Pyrrha stated as Leo hummed.
"Still trying to get me to act less like a soldier and more like a citizen?" Leo asked before he raised an eyebrow and then paused to think of what was coming next.
He did not at all need to know what was going on, too interested in what was to say and do more and more with problems with this for now and for good, it meant something that he could not defend against for now.
There was a LOT more to try and deal with for now, he had a lot of issues with it all for now, and for good reason, it would all be slapped down to the ground and then ground up for now with more to try and do.
So much to try and figure it all out, the measure of which he could not have allowed him to deal with it for now and again and again and again with such a thing.
All he could do was laugh at how it had been done for now, it was a lot more to try and do and do with for now and he could not allow this to go beyond it to the end, there was a lot more to try and deal with.
He had something else to see and do, too thrown off for now, he had been unwilling to see and do it for now and he would relax as he paused to think.
"You are a soldier and I am a soldier. We are both good at our jobs in different ways." Leo stated as Pyrrha continued cycling. "Would you like me to step out? Allow you to get dressed so I can talk with you again?" Leo asked to which Pyrrha nodded.
"I heard my clothes were delivered," Pyrrha stated before Leo hummed. "Can I ask something, Roland?" Pyrrha questioned as the chuckle of the AI was heard.
"Sure, whatcha need?" Pyrrha heard as she looked at Leo.
"Do you have any files I can read while I am here? Not security… Entertainment, I left my scroll at Beacon." Pyrrha stated.
"Ah. Yes. There should be a tablet filled with videos from the lovely little UEG near your bedside… Since your friends with Spartan Cerule? I was told to tell you both that you will be sharing rooms across the hall… Leo should be across the hallway. Infinity is massive so you better ask him… Plus Spartan Lasky does not want anyone running around the ship without an escort, badass super warrior or not." Pyrrha heard as she nodded.
"Of course," Pyrrha said before she turned to Leo. "I'll talk in a few minutes?" Pyrrha stated to which Leo shrugged.
"If you need anything? Ask Roland." Leo said before exiting the room. "You know, I'm still new to this ship, but I'm still never going to be used to the fact that we have an AI," Leo stated as he walked to his room.
"That, or the fact this ship is the biggest gun in the entire fleet and it is being used for peacekeeping? Because I cannot keep trying to understand how a ship like this gets an army of Spartans as a backup." Roland stated as Leo entered his room.
"Yeah, well… Things changed, I guess." Leo stated as he slowly walked the length of the room.
"You like her, don't you?" Roland asked as his hologram appeared in Leo's room.
"She is a friend, what of it, Roland? There are a lot of things I feel about Pyrrha, and most of them are good. She is a good warrior; she is very good at her job when it comes to it." Leo stated as he cracked his fingers and then looked to the ground.
"You know what I mean, you and her act a LOT closer than it could be like this, there is a lot of stuff you probably feel about her. I have seen some camera footage, she can kick ass, doesn't she?" Leo heard for now.
He rolled his eyes and let it all end again and again. It felt like it was falling upon him like snow as he slowly changed into his clothes…. All of it hurt, all of it was hitting harder and harder with each little second.
Leo hummed and changed into his clothes, a black tanktop that exposed his arms and a part of blue pajama pants as the Spartan-IV paused, thinking of what was coming next… He didn't stop, didn't wish to try and deal with it for now… There was a LOT more to this, something about it all made him pause, thinking of what was going on.
He wanted something else to happen, he would best deal with it for now and exhaust all such options… At least when it came down to it.
He slowly yet surely walked to the door, placing his clothes in a pile next to him. it was REALLY odd doing laundry on a capital ship big enough to be considered a small city in itself.
Leo slowly yet surely seemed to walk across the hall, pausing only to sweep some of his hair away from his face… He would not allow it to get in his way, wanting to relax for now, wanting to do something for now.
Leo paused, thinking of it for now in ways he could not understand, he was too tired, too exhausted to do more than relax. He had been willing to entertain notions he had not been willing to do such things.
"Pyrrha?" Leo questioned, leaning on the wall as he did so, tired of it for now.
He had been willing to do something else but now? Now he felt concerned, exhausted even at his efforts and he quieted down slightly, knowing what was to come next.
"I'm in here," Pyrrha stated before she paused to think as of now. "I'm dressed," Pyrrha stated as the door slowly beeped.
Leo hummed and simply stayed silent, wishing to do more than relax… Wanting to think of what the next mission was.
He stepped inside and looked at Pyrrha who wore a crimson tank top with her emblem open it, pausing for the moment to let it all end sooner rather than later.
She poked her black shorts and looked at him as he slowly yet surely walked the length of the room, too interested in anything to deal with it all.
Leo cleared his throat and looked to the ground as he slowly walked closer to the bed where she sat and then slowly yet surely plopped down next to the woman. She crossed her feet under her, resting her pale hands on her unblemished knees as she thought of what she wished to tell him now… There were a LOT of things.
All such things had to be handled for now and for good reason when push comes to shove at the end of the day when all of it was to be done and dusted.
"You all good?" Leo questioned to which she nodded. "Good… You want to make any snarky moments or try to convince me I can be more than a soldier?" Leo asked.
"You are," Pyrrha said.
"And you are more than a champion. I've seen plenty of soldiers, most don't rip through Covenant like their tinfoil unless they're either a damn spartan or beyond human." Leo said.
"I've been looked at like I'm…" Pyrrha went to say as Leo hummed and took a seat next to you.
"Like a thing? Like a toy people want to model rather than a person? Like a statue people want to aspire to be?" Leo questioned.
"Yes," Pyrrha said, looking at her feet.
"And you dislike… Which? That you inspire people or that you are held to a degree you constantly match? Your one of the most gifted warriors I've seen that ain't a spartan." Leo stated. "I'll take the frown and guess it's the idea you aren't perfect?" Leo asked.
"Hmm," Pyrrha said, looking down.
"If you aren't? Then let people see you… Do you want to talk about the Spartans? I've heard the propaganda about us, we're invincible war machines that never fail, that always win and we don't even die… We're just missing in action." Leo stated.
"Why?" Pyrrha asked.
"Because it was a war, we weren't winning… We were BUTCHERED by the Covenant. Pretending we were unstoppable was the only way to win." Leo stated.
"But the stress?" Pyrrha asked.
"Let's deal with you first," Leo said. "If you want people to see you as more than Ms. Prim and Proper? Stop acting like it. Try this, you're letting the cracks show, letting the fact you are similar show… Does that not feel good?" Leo asked as he raised an eyebrow.
Pyrrha wanted to say something… But she couldn't. She knew what he meant. Rather than trying to be the pillar? Why not be part of those holding it up? It wasn't an easy question to shrug off.
"You, ok?" Pyrrha heard from Leo.
"I… Believe I might be." Pyrrha stated.
"It isn't a weakness to be flawed, Pyrrha… Every soldier is, even the badass ones."
Author Notes
Phew. Another chapter is done! I want to point out that the next chapter will be 900-6500 words and will be showing more and more of Pyrrha and Leo talking and setting up the next few episodes. Until then and the 2-10 months? Lighting Wolf out!