Author's Note: Welcome back everyone.
Beta: GeneralMayhem, kpmh2001
Pyrrha examined the box of dust cartridges in her hand carefully, internally debating whether to withdraw a few of the Fire Dust rounds and put them in her belt's satchel or stick with the Gravity Dust ones she already had there. As much as she often preferred adaptability, she came to the conclusion that Grimm wouldn't be an issue within the cities limits, and so decided to stick with her first choice, stashing the second box in her bag before turning to grab another.
"I just don't get why you have to leave all of a sudden." Coco and Velvet had followed Pyrrha back to her room after she had told them she was leaving, Velvet helping in any way she could while her team leader barraged Pyrrha with questions.
"Something came up." She had long since given up trying to come up with an excuse, Coco hadn't bought the last one and Pyrrha couldn't find it in herself to try again.
"In the hour you spent talking with the Headmaster?" Coco, however, seemed to be full of energy. "Is this the same as last time? Is he trying to send you away again?"
"No, no, it's not that, it's..." Pyrrha sighed, closing her eyes and trying to calm herself. "Something-"
"Something came up, so you keep saying." Coco no doubt rolled her eyes as she tossed her hands in the air in annoyance. "Yet you won't say what, or even where he's sending you."
"I didn't say the Headmaster was sending me anywhere." Pyrrha was quick to deny Coco's correct assumption.
"It was pretty obvious." Velvet's voice was soft, almost timid, a stark contrast to the rest of the room and the rather energetic argument taking place . "None of this came up until after you went to talk to him. Was it…" Velvet hesitated for a moment. "Was it related to that person you saw when we were out in the city?"
"No Velvet it's just…"
"Something that just came up?" Velvet offered, causing Coco to look at Pyrrha with a smug expression. Pyrrha nodded in agreement with her statement and turned back to her bag.
Coco waited a moment for more, clearly hoping for some kind of explanation that Pyrrha couldn't give. "That still doesn't tell us what you're doing, or where you're going!"
"I'm going to Mistral for a little while, but I'm not being sent away." Pyrrha tried to reassure them as best she could. "I'll be back, I promise."
"So it's a mission then?" Coco asked.
"Sort of, I… I'm just going to help the Deputy Headmistress for a little while." It certainly wasn't the best lie, but it would have to work. "I'll be fine."
Coco raised one finely kept eyebrow in question. "You don't expect any trouble?"
"N-no!" Pyrrha answered quickly, too quickly judging by the way Coco looked towards Velvet.
"Is that why you've been packing up your combat gear and not a change of clothes?" Pyrrha looked down at her bag, seeing that, true to Coco's words, she hadn't packed so much as a spare shirt.
Pyrrha looked back up from her bag. "It's… good to be prepared?"
"Why do you have to leave tonight? Why not tomorrow morning?" Coco tried to reason.
"If we leave before sundown it will still be night when we arrive in Mistral." Pyrrha answered.
"And you don't see why that's even the least bit concerning to hear?!" Coco looked like she was going to explode for a moment before falling eerily calm, after several deep breaths she took off her sunglasses and looked Pyrrha in the eyes. "Amber, please, you're scaring me. What's going on?"
"I…" Pyrrha kept her stare as long as she could but flinched away from her friends eyes. "I can't tell you, I'm sorry. I want to, but I can't."
Coco wasn't pleased with her response, sliding her sunglasses back on, she asked one final question. "Can you at least promise me you wont be in danger?"
"I'll be safe." Pyrrha said the words, but even she could tell she didn't sound convincing.
"Liar." Coco turned and stepped towards the door, stopping to look back for a moment in the hope her friend would say something to stop her. Pyrrha could only duck her head in shame. The door slammed shut a moment later.
"I'll talk to her." Velvet stepped towards the door as well. "She's just not used to watching people leave. With Yatsu and Fox gone as well… she's just worried."
"I know, Velvet."
"I know you have your reasons for not telling us." Velvet started, opening the door. "I just hope they're good ones." The door clicked closed gently, again contrasting the energy of her team leader.
Pyrrha kept her eyes on the floor, unable to watch her friends leave. "Me too."
Shaking her head, Pyrrha's attention was given something else to focus on. Her brown hair covered the edge of her vision, a constant block in her line of sight that kept her on edge, though it had been an annoyance on her missions against the White Fang she hadn't bothered changing it.
Grabbing something from her hastily packed bag she turned towards the bathroom, stopping in front of the mirror she saw her reflection, brown eyes staring back at her. Bringing her hands to her head, she gently pulled her hair back out of her vision and set it in a loose ponytail reminiscent of how she used to wear her hair.
It wasn't as long as her old hair, Amber having kept her hair short, but that offered its own advantage. As much as she loved her hair it had been a pain to work with. Amber's hair… her new hair was easier to control. With it pulled back her peripheral vision was open, allowing her to see just a little bit more, and it wouldn't get in her way when she was fighting.
Pyrrha stepped out of the bathroom, hooking Allos to her new belt and gripping the handle tightly. With the anxiety and turmoil of only a few minutes ago, the leather grip was a welcomed feeling that helped to calm her nerves ever-so-slightly. Next she pulled on the cloak Amber had worn when out on her own.
Whether she had worn it for protection against the elements or to keep her identity secret, Pyrrha would find use with it in the latter. Grabbing her bag she stepped towards the door, looking back on her dorm room. Swearing to herself it wouldn't be the last time she saw it, she stepped out into the halls of the academy.
The sun hadn't started to set when Pyrrha stepped out into the courtyard of Beacon, and yet, Remnant's shattered moon had already found a place in the sky. She had allowed herself to stop for the briefest of moments to appreciate the beauty of the school bathed in the late day sun.
While it was certainly far from the top of the lists, Beacon was one of the many things she was fighting to protect. It was where she found her team, her first real friends in years, and it was where they had become her family. The majority of her time at the school had been spent in class, as it should have been, and she wished more than anything that she could go back to such a simple time. Sadly, life and time were not so easily manipulated. She had been given more than any human who ever lived and she planned to appreciate it, even if it wasn't all she wanted.
Ozpin and Glynda had already been waiting at the Bullhead dock when she arrived, both talking with a third man Pyrrha didn't recognize. As she approached however, it became clear that 'talking' was far too kind a word to describe the discussion going on between the Headmaster and this unknown man.
"You sent him alone!" The stranger yelled, drawing the attention of the nearby pilots.
"Miss Schnee was with him-"
"You didn't know that!" The stranger looked towards Miss Goodwitch, attempting to draw her into the conversation. "Glynda, come on, how do you put up with him?"
"With patience and an iron will, Tai." Miss Goodwitch was the first to notice her, quickly drawing the other two's attention in an attempt to end the argument then and there. The small group that had gathered to watch the drama dispersed quickly as she sent them a glare. "Right on time."
"Miss Nikos." Ozpin nodded in her direction, offering the barest of smiles for a moment before gesturing towards the stranger. "This is Taiyang Xiao Long, an old… student of mine. He's offered to accompany you on your mission."
Pyrrha was taken back for a moment, this was Yang and Ruby's dad? She examined him for a moment, noting his lack of any kind of weapon or armaments. Despite that, he held himself with the confidence and bearing she would expect from any veteran Huntsmen. Turning towards the Headmaster she asked, "I thought there weren't any other Huntsmen in the area?"
"There are plenty of Huntsmen, Miss Nikos, few we can trust to be confidential I'm afraid." The Headmaster explained. "Tai here-"
"Was invited by Glynda." Taiyang answered, glaring at Ozpin. "Once she explained the situation I was more than willing."
"The last time we spoke you expressed your desire to stay safe for the sake of your daughters…" Ozpin looked back at the man, his eyes conveying more emotion than she had expected to see. "I was trying to honour that."
Taiyang's glare softened before falling away entirely. "Yeah, well… someone has to drag Qrow back in one piece." He spared a glance in her direction. "Don't know if I'm quite ready to leave that to the next generation just yet."
"Hmm, yes, I seem to recall that being a fairly typical excuse for your late night excursions." Ozpin smiled at the memory.
"I'll tell Glynda where you keep your secret stash of coffee."
Ozpin coughed into his fist and, by some tremendous force of will, managed to ignore the pointed look from his Deputy. "Time is of the essence, you must be away."
"You'd like that wouldn't you."
"Taiyang, every man from here to Atlas would rather you be as far away from them as possible." He shook his head for a moment, his usual neutral mask falling over his face and washing any expression of emotion from it as he turned his attention to Pyrrha. "He is a talented Huntsman, a strong fighter… and a good man. You couldn't ask for a better partner."
"Aw you're gonna make me blush." Mr. Xiao Long's words went ignored.
"Though you grew up in Mistral, you may find it not quite as you remember it. While a bastion from the Grimm, one does not need to wander far to find trouble. I trust you will show the necessary caution." Pyrrha nodded her head at his words, Taiyang simply waving his hand and stepping onto the Bullhead with Miss Goodwitch behind him. Whether by design or not, Pyrrha was left alone with the Headmaster.
"How much does he know?" Pyrrha asked in a hushed tone.
"He will know everything we do soon enough, now is not the time to keep such secrets. Glynda is seeing to it now." Ozpin paused, appearing deep in thought for a moment before looking past her. "It seems farewells are in order." Pyrrha looked over her shoulder to see Coco and Velvet standing some distance away. "Miss Nikos, good luck."
The Headmaster turned and stepped away from her, a few seconds later she heard the growing sounds of footsteps from behind.
"I'll be fine, Coco." Pyrrha said before she had even turned around. "I promise."
"How am I supposed to believe that?" She chuckled bitterly. "You won't tell us why you're going, what you'll be doing, or why it has to be-"
"Let me see your scroll." Pyrrha interrupted her friend, holding out her hand expectantly.
"What?" Coco didn't look happy to be interrupted.
"Let me see your scroll, please." Pyrrha tried again.
Coco looked confused, but after a moment pulled out the device and handed it over. "What does this have to do-"
"I'm sorry I can't tell you everything and, no, it won't be safe." Pyrrha explained while she flicked through the various apps and settings of Coco's scroll. "But I hope this helps a little." She handed it back, Velvet's own scroll dinged softly in her pocket.
Coco looked at it for a long moment, looking up in confusion. "You connected your scroll to our team network?"
"So long as I'm within range of the towers you'll be able to see my Aura." Pyrrha waited for both of them to check their scrolls to make sure. "I'm not going alone, I have the Professor and a professional Huntsman with me, and I'm not weak either. I'll be fine."
Coco and Velvet wear at a loss for words, neither one able to speak. Pyrrha understood why. Aura was a Huntress' greatest strength, because of it they were able to do the impossible, and to allow them to see it constantly… It was a sign of complete trust. They were her friends and she knew they would never do her harm.
"Amber…" Coco stared at her scroll for a moment. "Be careful… please, I've got a bad feeling about this."
Pyrrha stared back at her for a moment, internally struggling with how to respond. She trusted Coco, she trusted all of Team CFVY as a matter of fact, and she wanted to be honest with them. Looking back at the Bullhead, she remembered what the Headmaster said about the time for keeping secrets.
She couldn't tell them everything now, if by some miracle they did believe her then there was no way they would let her go without them and the last thing she wanted to do was drag her friends into this; she could make a promise however.
"When I get back, whatever you want to know, I'll tell you everything." Pyrrha locked eyes with Coco's sunglasses for a moment, before looking at Velvet. "I promise."
"I'm gonna hold you to that." Coco said finally, and though she didn't sound happy about having to wait, the idea that there would be a later time seemed to be enough. "Oh, and when you get back, we have got to do something about that hair."
Pyrrha chuckled softly, nodding in agreement before pausing. After a moment of thought, she pulled both of them in and did her best Nora impression. After several long seconds she let go of them and stepped back.
"I'll be back before you know it." She hoped it would truly be that easy. Turning around she boarded the Bullhead with a determined pace.
As the Bullhead took off, Pyrrha looked out the open door and watched her friends wave their final goodbyes to her. As Beacon slowly shrunk into the distance, her mood slowly turned sour. Qrow was in danger, as was Weiss' sister, and she would never be able to live with herself if she failed to bring them both back safely. She didn't know Ruby and Yang's father, but if he was even half the Huntsmen that they were, then she knew he would be up for the challenge.
"So… Ozpin said there were some things I needed to be filled in on but didn't give any specifics." Taiyang looked between them.
Pyrrha looked towards Glynda with a deadpan expression, the older woman looking away with a soft blush.
"I thought it would be better if it came from you."
Pyrrha didn't buy it for a second and rolled her eyes but didn't say anything. Instead she focused on the task of explaining the impossible. This wasn't the kind of topic someone could simply bring up, but it was also something she would need to get better at explaining. If she planned on being honest with Team CFVY it wouldn't hurt to practice now.
"How would you react if I said that I could tell you the future?"
Author's Note: I'm back from leave, though it was short, I had a blast. Sadly this chapter ended up being a bit short but I don't have any segments to add that would fit right so sadly shorter it is.
As always I hope you enjoyed the chapter and I encourage you to review and let me know what you think. Hopefully the next chapter will be a bit easier coming out.
Sincerely, SE