Pyrrha was quickly turning into the opposite of a morning person. She'd never been an early-riser for the fun of it, but she had at least been more than able to get up with minimal issues. That had changed as of late, leaving her drowsy and irritable, even somewhat grumpy.

Friday night she had tried going to sleep as soon as possible, but she had woken up exhausted. Ren had theorized that she had simply slept too much, leaving her even more exhausted. She'd heard about that happening but she'd never had the issue herself, but even so, she supposed it made sense.

So Saturday she had tried to get a normal amount of sleep, aiming roughly for nine hours.

"I take it I was wrong?" Ren asked, perched on top of his bed still wearing his pajamas. Pyrrha simply groaned in response, a sound not unlike that of a zombie… at least, according to Nora. "I suppose it could just be another symptom of your cold."

That was another thing she had been forced to deal with. Not only was she unable to sleep, her head and stomach ache had been nearly crippling, forcing her to stay in the dorm room for the whole weekend so far.

Her team had brought her food and anything else she had needed. She had insisted that they go out and enjoy themselves and, after a bit of reluctance, they had departed towards Vale. Leaving Pyrrha alone in the room once more.

Their absence helped her headache, though she would never tell them that for fear of offending them. It was mostly due to the lack of noise that gave her mind the rest it needed.

Sadly, it wasn't meant to last as there was a soft knock on the door. Pyrrha rose from her bed, debating on whether or not to even open the door. Glancing back she saw her bed, and the idea was tempting, but there was another knock on the door and she opened it.

Ruby smiled, not the happy easy one she had come to know from the younger huntress but rather one more meant to reassure her. "How are you feeling?" Pyrrha only looked at her with a blank stare.

"OK, right, totally fair. Dumb question." Ruby rambled. "Anything I can do to help?"

Pyrrha thought about turning her away but hesitated. In truth… she was a bit bored. Her team wasn't set to be back for a few hours yet and she didn't want to bother them. She was also feeling better than she had earlier, a little more like herself.

So rather than turn her away, she waved her in. "Mind keeping me company for a bit?"

"If you're sure…" Ruby seemed hesitant, but after it was clear Pyrrha wasn't just trying to be polite for her sake, she accepted.

It was only after they had both sat down, Pyrrha choosing to sit on the edge of her bed, that she realized the error in her decision.

She had no idea how to entertain a guest. It sounded cruel but she had only invited Ruby in on a whim, knowing that she would help alleviate the boredom.

"So…" She tried, hoping her friend would be able to run with the nothing she had been given.

"So…" Pyrrha cursed as it became clear Ruby was just as socially awkward as she was. Well, she cursed internally anyways. Yang would never forgive her if she said something like that around her 'innocent little sister'.

That thought gave Pyrrha the avenue she needed.

"How has your team been?" It was a bit of a boring question, and one more befitting a parent than a friend, but it was the best she could think of.

"Good… how about yours?"

"Good, we've been… good…" And just like that, Pyrrha's conversation had been killed.

Pyrrha sighed. "I'm not very good at this."

Ruby panicked, eyes widening as she waved her hands in front of her. "Wh- no! You're great, I'm just awkward. Yang says it all the time, I'm really bad with people and it can be really difficult to talk sometimes." She rambled on. "I can miss the subtle stuff all the time and I don't really know when not to say something. That's why it was so hard for our team to bond at first, everything is fine now but at first it was a disaster! Weiss was a nightmare, don't tell her I said that, and you're so awesome and I don't know what to say an- I'll shut up now." Ruby cut herself off abruptly, face red with embarrassment at her outburst.

Pyrrha only stared at her for a moment before she broke down in laughter, much to Ruby's mortification.

Her laughter slowly subsided as she brought a hand up to cover the lower part of her face. "I'm sorry." Ruby didn't fail to notice the amusement in her voice, crossing her arms and glaring at her friend. "You don't have anything to worry about Ruby, conversations depend on two people after all. I'm afraid I just don't have very much experience with this."

"I know," Ruby's eyes widened, making it clear she hadn't meant to say that out loud. "I'm sorry th-"

"No, you didn't say anything wrong." Pyrrha brought her legs up onto the bed, hugging them against her chest. "I never had very many friends growing up, and once I started fighting, it only seemed to drive everyone away."

"Pyrrha, I-"

"But that's all changed since I started here." She was quick to add. "My team is great and we have all grown really close, that was expected though… but, I've also made other friends and I don't want to ruin that friendship. I was trying so hard but lately… I've just felt so out of it."

Ruby stayed silent for a moment, making Pyrrha feel all the more awkward.

Ruby looked down to her scroll for a moment, before looking back up. "Let me show you something." She stood from her chair, moving towards the door in a hurry. "It's not very far."

Pyrrha rose hesitantly, unsure whether or not she was feeling up to the task of moving through the halls. She hadn't even gotten properly dressed yet, having spent the majority of the day in her pajamas so far.

She thought for a minute, deciding with a sigh that she would go. "Give me a moment to change into something more… appropriate."

Ruby nodded, and waited patiently while she changed. It took her longer than she would have liked to accomplish such a simple task, having to choose between her combat attire and her school uniform didn't make the matter any easier.

In the end, she chose her combat gear. She wasn't sure why really, the school uniform would have been easier to slip into but she felt more at ease with her armour on. A part of her wished she had kept her weapon in their dorm, missing the familiar weight of it on her back, but she brushed that aside as she stepped out of her bathroom.

"Follow me." Ruby was already halfway out the door before Pyrrha had fully comprehended what it was she had said. She only had time to grab her scroll before dashing out of her shared dorm.

Ruby waited at the end of the hall for her, nearly vibrating with impatience as Pyrrha followed after her. The second she had finally caught up Ruby started off down the hall, moving at a pace that was difficult for Pyrrha to match, even with her longer strides.

She wasn't entirely sure how long they walked, nor could she tell where they were heading. They had taken a number of turns down halls that Pyrrha hadn't recognized, before leaving the dorm building through an exit she hadn't known was there, though to be fair most of the halls ended up looking very similar if you hadn't spent ample time in the school. She had thought she was more than capable of finding her way around the school, until recently that was.

The halls always seemed to mislead her, or maybe she had simply become complacent and always took the same path. Either way, it had become obvious she still had much to explore in the prestigious school.

Ruby, on the other hand, appeared very familiar with the layout of the campus. She never seemed to get turned around and she didn't hesitate in her choice of directions. She eventually led her to a building situated a little farther off the campus, closer towards the bullhead docks.

They entered the smaller building and Ruby stopped at a window, turning to Pyrrha and gesturing for her to come closer. When she obliged she was surprised by what she saw.

The window was perfectly located to give a stunning view of the harbour and ocean beyond. The sun's light reflected off of the waves and created a dazzling display of light as the ships sailed about in the distance.

It wasn't exactly what Pyrrha would have called a breathtaking scene, there was no other worldly beauty about it, but there was a sense of calm and grandeur to it that she could admire. She turned to see Ruby looking away from the window at the wall behind them.

Pyrrha turned to see a line up of picture frames, all with images of what she had to assume were past students and, judging from the trophies in each, most had been taken at the Vytal festival tournament, if she recognized the iconic arena correctly, though a few did seem to simply be team photos.

There must have been dozens of them, but light from the window was beaming down on one row in particular. Ruby's eyes were fixated on it as she simply watched.

Pyrrha looked at the photo, seeing a team of four students, each smiling brightly, with a trophy in between them. It didn't take long for Pyrrha to figure out why Ruby cared so much about that photo.

The woman with the white cape looked so much like Ruby.

Her mother…

It had to be, the similarity was simply too much to be coincidence and Pyrrha spared a glance to her friend, trying to figure out what she was supposed to say.

Ruby smiled softly. "Whenever I'm sad, or feel like I'm failing at something… I like to come here."

Pyrrha was at a loss for words. She didn't know all the details but it wasn't difficult to piece together. Yang and Ruby talked about their dad from time to time, even their uncle, but they never really talked about their mother.

She remained silent, watching the photo and trying to think of something- anything- to say. In the end, she had nothing. There were no words she could think of to help her friend.

Pyrrha heard a soft sniffle and looked back to her friend, noticing the beginnings of tears in her eyes. Panic set in immediately as she tried again to find something to do. In the end, she could only think of one thing.

She reached out and pulled Ruby into a hug, she was awkward at first but when Ruby returned it without hesitation she gradually grew used to it. They stayed like that, for how long she wasn't certain, but it was nice.

Eventually Ruby pulled away, wiping at her eyes and pointendly looking anywhere but Pyrrha's own. "We should probably head back now."

Pyrrha considered doing just that for a moment but decided she hated the idea of staying cooped up for a moment longer. "How about we go get something to eat instead, I could use the fresh air and time away from my room."

"I'd like that." Ruby's smile returned.

Pyrrha was already mostly turned away when something caught her attention out of the corner of her eye. She glanced back at the pictures, her eyes falling on one in particular.

Ruby had nearly left the room by the time she looked back, stopping as she glanced back to see that Pyrrha wasn't following her, but was instead focused on one of the more recent pictures.

It was still a few years old, but the team in it would have only graduated a couple years ago. She didn't recognize them, not as professional hunters or as people she would have met in person. At least, she didn't recognize three of the four.

The forth one was the object of her focus. The girl had a light brown complexion and shoulder length brown hair. Overall she was fairly ordinary, there being nothing flashy about her like so many of their peers.

Yet Pyrrha couldn't manage to pull herself away, instead focusing on those brown eyes that seemed to stare back at her. There was something wrong with them, not with what was there but rather what wasn't there.

Her headache, which she had failed to notice until now, grew worse the longer she stared at it.

"Pyrrha?" Ruby's voice was concerned, no doubt noticing the way the champions hands shook with… she wasn't sure what they shook with.

She took a breath, breaking away from the photo with momentous effort, and following after her friend.

"See somebody you know?" Ruby's question was a fair one, but it only served to remind her of the woman in the photo.

"I thought I did," She muttered to herself before shaking her head. "but I was mistaken."

"Are you sure?" Ruby's voice was quiet, but it was made all the louder for the fact that it matched her own thoughts.

"So what do you wanna go eat?" Pyrrha changed the subject, doing her best to fight past the headache and nausea she could feel. "I think I'd be up for a trip to Vale if you can think of any place in particular."

Ruby's face brightened, any look of concern disappearing in an instant. "I know just the place!"

It turned out that the place Ruby had in mind just so happened to exclusively serve ice cream. Pyrrha shuttered to think how Yang would respond if she knew she was taking her younger sister out for ice cream so close to dinner.

Yang always had a maternal streak but it would probably be ok… probably.

In truth, she couldn't find herself too concerned since she was enjoying herself. It was perhaps the first sense of fun she had had in quite a long time. She loved her team, and they offered to take her out constantly, but lately she had been feeling too sick for it.

When the year had first started they had made it a point to spend at least a couple hours together every weekend, as a way to build team bonds. It had worked splendidly, so well that she felt it no longer necessary.

That wasn't to say she didn't enjoy spending time with her team, she really did, but she felt that their bond was close enough that they didn't have to any more. They weren't slited or hurt by her decision to stay in, knowing full well she was simply not feeling well.

She did feel a little guilty, however, about denying them and then heading out with Ruby only a few hours later, but she knew her team would approve. They had been trying to cheer her up since she had come down with whatever it was she had.

It had already been a few weeks… no, wait, it had actually been a bit more than a month… hadn't it?

Her sense of time had been off, the days beginning to blur together in a mix of hazy memories and sleepless nights. Her mind began to turn to her nightmares until she shook her head, dispelling the notion before she could think on it further.

She was happy, so was Ruby, and she didn't need to go and ruin that with such thoughts.

Speaking of her companion, Ruby has elected to get a rather large bowl of strawberry ice cream and was alternating between using her spoon more as a shovel to eat and wincing as the cold caused a brain freeze… before swiftly repeating the cycle again and again.

Pyrrha hid her amused smile behind her milkshake. It had done more for her spirits than she would have thought. She was almost able to ignore the sense of wrongness in her head as she enjoyed it.

Almost.

In the end, however, she found herself looking around the small diner at the varying patrons, all of whom were enjoying their own treats or talking with the people around them.

And yet that sense of wrongness remained, that sense of being watched.

Ruby noticed her scanning the area quickly, a clear sense of worry on her face. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Pyrrha lied. "I just-" Her words froze in her mouth as she looked out the window beside them, staring at the far side of the street.

There was a man watching them, she was certain of it. Being watched by the public was something she was used to, but this was different. The way the man watched her… it was different, not a fan or a hater. It reminded her almost like how Professor Ozpin looked at his students, with a observant, silent glare that carried no emotion in particular.

The longer she stared at him the more she began to realize how difficult it was. Her eyes kept wanting to look away, she had to move them back every few seconds.

She could feel her headache beginning to return, but there was more beyond that. It hurt to look at him.

"Pyrrha?" Ruby's worried voice snapped her out of it.

She was being obscured. She'd allowed her fear of nightmares to interfere with her perception of the real world.

As she looked back towards her friend though, she saw that Ruby's eyes were in the same direction hers had been.

Pyrrha looked back across the street, the man having disappeared, before looking back towards her friend.

"Ruby, did yo-"

"Pyrrha!" The girl in question jumped, Ruby doing much the same, as they both looked over to see Nora running over towards their booth. "You're feeling good enough to come to Vale!"

The girl smiled brightly for a moment, before the dots connected in her head and she realised something. "And you didn't tell us!"

She didn't sound particularly hurt by that fact, but Pyrrha still felt herself panic at the possible accusation there.

"No no!" Pyrrha stood from her seat. "It was a spur of the moment thing, I swear!" She attempted to reassure her friend. "Ruby and I decided to go out for a bit once I was feeling well and I didn't want to bother you all."

"So you took Ruby out on a date instead?" Nora's eyes widened with a sense of fascination.

Pyrrha felt herself choke on something, possibly her dignity, but most likely just air.

"N-no!" She yelled, ignoring the laughter from her team that followed closely behind Nora. "It's not like that, I swear!" Pyrrha frantically looked to Ruby. "Tell her it's not like that!"

Ruby could only blush, almost assuredly in embarrassment, but it seemed enough to confirm Nora's assumption as the girl pulled Pyrrha into a tight hug and lifted her off the ground.

"Don't worry Pyrrha, as your teammate I fully support you!"

Pyrrha looked around wildly, searching for any sign of support from her friends, but found only amused smiles and snickering. Nora set her down, eventually, and turned her attention, and teasing, on Ruby.

Pyrrha pointedly ignored the desperate look for salvation from the younger girl and turned towards Jaune and Ren who were both content to watch from a safe distance. A Nora aimed in someone else's direction was always a good thing after all.

The group spent the next few hours talking, not about anything important but it was friendly. Nora kept teasing Pyrrha and Ruby for the remainder of their time in Vale, and Pyrrha knew Yang was going to find out about it.

She was already dreading the next day's breakfast.

In the meantime however, Pyrrha was just glad to spend time with her friends.

Author's Note: This chapter was… eh, it gave me a bit of trouble at the start but it ended up being where I wanted it to be so… eh. The difficulty probably came as a side effect of taking a week off, always harder to come back after a break. Hopefully moving forward will be easier.

I Hope you all enjoyed and as always remember to leave a review and let me know your thoughts. Positive, negative, constructive, or not, they all help me get a sense of how things are going.

Sincerely SE