Author's Note: Heh, nice.
"These are amazing!" Nora said, or at least that's what Pyrrha assumed she said. It was rather difficult to tell while her mouth was stuffed with pancakes.
"Nora," Ren sighed from beside her. "Don't speak with your mouth full."
Pyrrha honestly doubted Nora heard him, too lost in her third serving, but the scene was a familiar one. She hid her laughter behind her hand in an attempt to keep her composure.
"You weren't kidding, she definitely loves this place." Yang had taken the seat across from her - her partner sitting next to her - and she seemed equally as amused by Nora's antics, though she made no attempt to hide it. "How did you know?"
"Oh, just a lucky guess." Pyrrha's smile only grew, and now she was glad she had covered it with her hand. She knew Nora better than most of the people currently sitting at the table, other than Ren of course, but she knew it was best to not show that too early and risk driving them away. "I think Ruby mentioned something about it once, and I've come here before with Team CFVY."
"Yeah, well, whatever she told you was probably true." Yang smirked. "Especially how her and Ren are to-"
"Don't spread rumors, Yang." Ren said without letting her finish.
"Aw, you're no fun." Yang crossed her arms over her chest and sat back with a pout that looked entirely too forced. Whether it was or not, Pyrrha couldn't resist jumping in. Maybe spending too much time with Coco had started to wear on her.
"Together, but not together-together?" Pyrrha's smile took on an edge that she knew looked like her friend's. If she had worn a beret and sunglasses it would only have sold the look even more.
Yang's mood did an apparent flip, her pout not falling away but rather being tossed aside as she grinned in a way that reminded her of Qrow. "So you have heard."
Ren sighed, his shoulders falling slightly as he brought his hands to his face. "I don't know who started that rumor, but I fail to see how it's important."
Ren's rather tame response was contrasted by the choking sounds from beside him as Nora seemed to inhale the remnants of however many pancakes she had managed to fit in her mouth. Her face was a subtle pink as she desperately tried to speak, only to involuntarily cough every time she tried.
Pyrrha caught the slightest glint in Yang's eye and knew without a doubt how those rumors had started. Coco had said, before Yang and Ruby had even started Beacon, that the older sister would love the Beacon rumor mill; Pyrrha hadn't actually needed her friend to draw that conclusion though. She had been just as bad before, only this time it seemed Ren and Nora's… relationship was somehow prime news. She couldn't help but wonder why that was?
"Can we please change the subject?" Ren asked desperately, or at least as desperate as his typically neutral voice would allow.
"How have your classes been?" She was all too happy to give her friend an out, even if it had been her to make it worse. Pyrrha blinked slowly, realizing just how much that sounded like something Coco would do.
"Surprisingly well." Ren jumped on the life line quickly. "We are ranked among the top Teams for our year, just below Team RWAN."
Yang let out a single bark of laughter. "Just below might be a bit of an exaggeration. That team is a powerhouse."
Pyrrha winced at the way she said it however. "Pyrrha is a world renowned fighter, she's probably a little bit more experienced than you guys is all."
"Oh yeah, Pyrrha is dangerous, but I'm confident we could beat her if we had too." Yang looked towards Ren. "Our fearless leader has a few good plans he's been working on for the Festival."
"It's not just her though." Ren continued for her. "Weiss Schnee is a dangerous opponent as well. Not as strong in combat maybe, but she is smart and a better support than we have."
"Plus, there's Ruby." Nora added, finally having managed to swallow the food she had been choking on, but seemingly just as willing to move on from the cause of that. "She's like, crazy fast!"
"It's good their teamwork isn't as good as ours, or we'd be in a lot of trouble." Yang chuckled and ran a hand through her hair. "There isn't a team in our year that can get close to winning when my sister's team takes it seriously."
"So long as Weiss and Pyrrha don't start arguing again." Nora offered quietly, her voice lacking the usually mirth it possessed.
Her words drove the table to silence, no one quite sure of what to add to that. Pyrrha felt just as awkward, though likely for drastically different reasons. She was the cause of all of Team RWAN's issues, or, at least, a version of her was.
"They haven't actually been arguing all that much lately." Ren said, much to Pyrrha's surprise.
"Could be that they are just ignoring each other again." Yang shrugged. "Kind of hard to tell with Pyrrha. She's usually pretty nice but when it comes to Weiss… well."
"I spoke with Weiss before I left for Mistral." Pyrrha dared to hope. "Maybe that helped."
"At any rate, she's spending way more time with Jaune and Ruby." Nora added as she swiped another pancake from Ren's plate while he wasn't looking. "She used to be hanging out with us most days, which was totally weird but equally awesome! It was like we had a fifth member! Team CFVY two, the sequel!"
Pyrrha chuckled softly as Nora continued to ramble off potential movie names and titles for their team. As she did though, she couldn't help but wonder just how well that had gone. Looking towards Ren, she asked.
"Weiss was… difficult at first." The fact those words came from Ren meant more than most knew. "But… I like to think we are friends now. Or, well, most of us." He whispered the latter, his eyes shifting towards Blake for so brief a moment it had to have been unintentional.
Blake hadn't said very much during their meal. In fact, aside from an initial greeting, Pyrrha was finally sure she hadn't spoken directly to her at all. Whether that was intentional or not, Pyrrha didn't know the girl well enough to say. She liked to think the two of them had been friends, but it had always been a distant friendship. Blake was a naturally isolated person however, and it was fully possible she simply didn't know Pyrrha enough to interact with her, and if that were the case, it would change in time.
"Oh, oh, speaking of Team CFVY!" Nora drew her attention back, and Pyrrha made the grave mistake of taking a drink from her water as she did. "Are you and Coco dating?"
It was Pyrrha's turn to choke as the words hit her. She caught the briefest look of satisfaction from the girl, betraying the fact that it had very much been intentional and that Nora hadn't forgotten about earlier.
"N-no, we aren't dating." Pyrrha said as quickly and nonchalantly as she was able, although she didn't do so well with the latter. "Why would you think that?"
"Well," Yang took that as an invitation, much to Pyrrha's horror. "You two did go to that ceremony together."
"And you do go out a lot." Even Ren jumped in, showing that, despite how he hadn't reacted much, he had felt the same as Nora about what Pyrrha had said.
"It's not like that." Pyrrha groaned. "I was nervous, and they let me have a plus one; Coco was the obvious choice."
"Of course she was." Yang smirked, and any hope of her losing interest was lost.
"Not like that!" Pyrrha quickly added. "And we usually just go shopping when we go out." It wasn't exactly a mistake, since what she said was true, but the moment she had said it Yang's eyes had practically glowed and she knew she had messed something up. "As friends! When we go out as friends!"
"Together but not together-together?" Yang smirked, and though Pyrrha couldn't bring her eyes up from the table enough to see Nora, she could practically picture her victorious smile in her head.
"Unfortunately, Amber has eyes for somebody else." The voice that joined in was, in that moment, the last one Pyrrha wished to hear as Coco pulled up a chair from a nearby table.
Pyrrha groaned. "How much of that did you hear?"
"Oh, Nora started all that just as I walked up." Coco delivered the news like a hammer.
"I'm pretty sure she was waiting for it actually," Velvet added. "She did wave at us as we were walking over after all."
Pyrrha finally lifted her head up to look at Nora, just as the girl had started shoving another pancake into her mouth in an attempt to hide her smile. The fact her eyes were still looking directly back at her gave it away however.
Doing her best to ignore it and change the subject as quickly as possible, Pyrrha turned towards Coco. "Where's Fox and Yatsu?"
"Off training." Coco replied, waving the waitress over for a glass of water.
"Really?" Yang sounded surprised. "Don't second years have combat class every day?"
"We do, but it's not enough." Velvet added as her friend finished off the first glass and asked for another. "Not if you're trying to catch up to someone." Velvet looked towards Pyrrha.
"You guys have a couple years before you graduate, I'm positive you'll be even better than I am by then." Pyrrha said honestly. Team CFVY were all hard workers and were certainly among the best currently attending Beacon. In a few years time they would be some of the best in the whole Kingdom.
"Can't wait that long." Coco said. "Not with what happened while you were in Mistral."
Pyrrha hesitated. Ruby had made mention of something having happened, but Coco said it was nothing she needed to worry about. The fact she was bringing it up again so soon… what had changed?
"Did the professors ever figure out who those two were?" Yang had stopped smiling, and the rest of the table had gone silent once more.
Coco looked at Pyrrha for a moment. "Female with green hair, some kind of illusion based Semblance I think. The guy had silver hair."
"Emerald and Mercury." Pyrrha's eyes widened in shock. "Why didn't you tell me?!"
Coco winced as Pyrrha drew the attention of everyone at the dinner. "Everything is fine, no one got seriously hurt, and they ran as soon as we confronted them."
It took Pyrrha a moment to calm herself, even if the words were true. She had already seen all of her friends since she returned, and she hadn't heard of any serious injuries, so she knew they were ok. It was just difficult to believe, and a terrifying realization.
Pyrrha couldn't help but glare at Coco. "You should have told me."
"You had other things to worry about." Coco didn't back down. "I wanted to give you more time to process what happened in Mistral before putting more on your plate. Sadly, I let someone talk me out of it."
"We ran into Weiss and Jaune at the training rings." Velvet explained. "She actually came over to ask about you."
"Nosey girl, that one." Coco added. "Wanted to know that you had returned ok. She also wanted us to pass along her thanks, but wouldn't say what for though. Care to fill us in?"
She wasn't certain, but if what the others had been saying about Team RWAN getting along a little better were true, then Pyrrha had a good idea. Still, with the secret that Coco had kept, she wasn't feeling particularly forthcoming. "It's nothing you need to worry about."
Coco rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to Team RNBY, who had remained shockingly silent throughout their conversation. Pyrrha blushed slightly, embarrassed that she had forgotten they were there. Hearing about Emerald and Mercury though… it had caused her to panic.
"Emerald and Mercury are… well, old enemies of Amber." Coco made the excuse for her as best she could. Without explaining the impossibility of her existence, it was about as close as they could get.
"White Fang?" It took Pyrrha a moment to realize who had asked, this being the first time Blake had involved herself in the conversation so far.
"Sort of." Pyrrha answered as best she could. "They work for someone allied with them, Humans who have a common enemy."
"Why would they go after Coco though?" Nora asked.
Pyrrha turned towards her friend with a flat expression. Coco sighed as if she were the one who had the right to be annoyed. "Our Team and Team RWAN were going out to see a movie, their team tagged along too once Ruby told them what we were doing. I was trying to help Ruby fix her team a bit, one leader to another." Pyrrha's glare softened slightly at that in appreciation. "I went to get some fresh air but they used the chance to ambush me. Thankfully Fox had a feeling something was up and brought the cavalry."
"They ran pretty quickly after that, since they were so outnumbered." Yang said. "Disappeared into the city before we could find them."
Pyrrha shook her head in confusion. "How did they know to wait there for you?"
Cocos sighed. "They weren't waiting there, they were following me specifically."
"Why?"
"They were trying to get to you." Coco shrugged. "We went to the ceremony together, maybe they think we're dating."
Pyrrha's face heated up as she groaned. "Why can't my life be easy for just a single month?"
"Heh, I can't believe you just asked that." Coco laughed. "But like I said, everyone is fine. So, please, try not to freak out too much over this. You've got bigger things to worry about."
"Bigger than the White Fang?" Yang asked with a single raised eyebrow. When none of them jumped to explain, she let out a heavy breath. "No offense Coco, but you kinda killed the vibe."
"Sorry." Coco smiled sympathetically.
"When you walked over," Nora started. "You said that Amber had eyes for somebody else…"
Pyrrha's eyes widened in panic as she looked back towards Coco. She had hoped that the girl might take her side, considering she had lied to her about what happened in Vale. She'd hoped her friend would show some sliver of kindness or mercy after that betrayal of trust.
She was wrong.
"Oh, you mean tall, blonde, and scraggly?"
"Jaune?" Pyrrha couldn't tell who exactly asked because she had slammed her forehead down on the table, if anything it sounded like they all had. She could practically hear the smirk on Yang and Nora's faces'.
"I hate you." Pyrrha muttered softly.
"You know what they say about a woman scorned." The satisfaction in Coco's voice was drowning. "You shouldn't have taken me to that ceremony if you didn't plan to follow through. Playing with a woman's heart, how cruel."
The conversation fell into something more familiar after that, more comfortable. Her friends joking at her expense, not that she was bothered by it, helped to distract her from the realization that Cinder had sent her people after someone Pyrrha cared about. She'd always known Cinder would be coming for her, and that anyone standing beside her would be in just as much danger. Intellectually, she knew that, but seeing it now was so much more terrifying.
She had Cinder's attention, and there was no telling who she might attack next.
Her time off couldn't last forever, Pyrrha knew that much, and in truth she welcomed the distraction of focusing on another potential mission. She'd been filled with hope when the General called for her to meet with him, but it seemed that even here, she couldn't ignore what they had learned. At least Qrow and Winter were there to bear it with her.
"Ozpin told me about the attack, are your friends all right?"
Pyrrha smiled as best she could, grateful that he had taken the time to ask even if she knew he already knew the answer. He never would have invited her here before checking on them to make sure they were taken care of. If not, well, she was certain he would have taken them to Atlas for proper care himself. "They are fine Sir, no one was harmed."
"Then we were lucky." His smile was subtle, but it was genuine. Considering all the stress he had been under, Pyrrha was glad to see it. "But it seems our enemy has not been idle."
Pyrrha nodded grimly. "Emerald and Mercury wouldn't be here without her express orders. She always kept them close before, she might not be far herself."
"From what you saw in your last life, yes, but things are different now." Winter said. "It is possible she doesn't need them since her plans of infiltration can't possibly succeed."
"Maybe, I couldn't really say." Pyrrha answered honestly. "Her team kept to themselves mostly, polite and friendly enough when interacting, but looking back they were always by themselves or trying to keep at a distance."
"Trying not to blow their cover." Qrow muttered. "The fact they did it for months without raising suspicion from Ozpin or me is a bad sign. They know what they're doing."
"So we can't assume they will reveal themselves now unless they desire it." Winter summarized. "That doesn't say whether or not their leader is here."
"We have reason to believe she's not." Ironwood said. "Our intelligence analysts are looking into it now. In a few days time we will be preparing an operation on a potential base of theirs. Meanwhile, Clover will be helping track down the White Fang in the city."
Pyrrha froze. "In the city, I thought we cleared out the last of them?"
"So did we." Ironwood pressed a button on his terminal, and the screen on the wall behind him showed an image of a man with a very recognizable symbol carved into his chest. "Whether it is a small organization or individual acting alone, we don't yet know, but they have been going after Roman Torchwick and his various safe houses."
"Someone who knows he aided us then." Winter stated. "Has anyone claimed the attacks yet?"
"Not as such, but signs of battle indicate Adam Taurus as having taken part." Ironwood said. "Unfortunately, we don't have much to act on at the moment. As I said, Clover is on the job along with a few of his most trusted agents."
"So why call us up?" Qrow asked. "If you don't have anything new for us, and the real brief isn't until tomorrow… isn't this just a waste of time?"
Winter glared at him but was cut off by the General before she could say anything. "I wanted to offer each of you the opportunity to back down." Each of them fell silent, and after a few moments of nothing, Ironwood continued. "Given what we have learned about our enemy, that truly defeating her may be impossible, I wished to give each of you the opportunity to stand down… I wont think less of you for it."
Shockingly, Pyrrha believed he wouldn't. That was the only thought she could truly process in that moment. He was offering them an out.
"I won't run." It took Pyrrha a moment to realize she was the first to speak, even though the silence had stretched on for several moments. "Impossible or not… I can't run. I'll be hunted for the rest of my life because of what is inside of me, running isn't an option."
"I'm not asking you to run, nor am I saying we will not help if you are in danger." Ironwood quickly explained. "But if you wish to step back… There is no shame in that."
Pyrrha was silent for a long moment, a moment in which she was very aware of Winter and Qrow watching her. Would they think less of her if she took that offer? She didn't think so. They were good people, even if they weren't what most people would call kind. She was even fairly certain her friends wouldn't think less of her for it. Coco would probably be thrilled to have her step back for a bit.
"Most of my life has been impossible." Pyrrha said. "When I started training for tournaments some people said it was impossible for me to beat the current champions at such a young age. When I won they said it was impossible to do it again. Eventually they called me invincible and said it was impossible to lose." She took a deep breath to steady herself, balling her hand into a fist to stop it from shaking. "I died, however, and what happened next should have been impossible. By all rights, I shouldn't be here, and yet I am. Now I wield magic." She looked the General in the eye. "You say Salem might be impossible to beat… what's one more impossibility?"
She could see the pride in his eyes, even before he smiled. "You continue to amaze me."
"Good speech." Qrow bemused. "But a 'yeah' would have been enough."
"It seems your offer has been rejected, sir." Winter added. "You're stuck with us."
"Then your next orders are to prepare for a trip to southern Vacuo." Ironwood nodded as they all stood up.
"I wasn't aware you gave me orders, General." Pyrrha smirked slightly, desperately trying to ease the tension that had built up in the room.
"Perhaps it's time we rectify that." He pulled two small cases from his coat pocket, setting both down on the table in front of him for them to grab. Opening them, Pyrrha saw a pendant similar to Winter's. A small metal star with a red gem.
"A… broach?" Winter smacked Qrows arm.
"It's the symbol of a Specialist of Atlas." Winter explained. "The red is meant to make you stand out, it serves as your rank and a sign of your authority."
Pyrrha's eyes widened. "You mean-"
"If you accept them, you would both officially be Specialists of Atlas." Ironwood nodded.
"Would…" Pyrrha hesitated. "Would I have to leave Beacon?"
"I have no intention of stealing you away from Beacon and your friends." The General smiled softly. "We have a few agents stationed more permanently at various locations throughout the world. Specialists are more like Huntsmen than Soldiers, they just agree to serve when called."
"Your duties may take you away," Winter stepped over to her with a subtle smile on her face as she set a hand on her shoulder. "But you can always return."
Pyrrha stared down at the small pendant before looking up to Qrow. He seemed just as hesitant as her.
"Are you sure about this James, my Semblance…"
"It would be my honor to have you at my side, Qrow." Ironwood replied. "You're a friend… if you want to say no, you can."
Qrow hesitated, but eventually chuckled somewhat nervously. "And let Winter hold this over my head? I don't think so. I'll accept it, but don't expect me to call you Sir."
"I wouldn't expect you to." The General smiled, turning towards Pyrrha. "What will it be?"
Taking a deep breath, Pyrrha nodded. "It would be an honor, Sir."
"Congratulations… Specialists."
Ironwood waited for them to leave before letting his smile fall away. They were nervous, not that he could blame them. The nature of their war had just changed and he could see the edge each of them was carrying. They were jumpy, and he only hoped that they would trust him as he had them. They were officially Specialists now, though he knew that alone would never earn their trust. He hoped his actions had done that.
Having a Maiden had proven useful, more so than he had ever considered, though it wasn't just that reason that he had offered her the position. She was good, but she wasn't quite at the level for something like that when it came to purely combat skill, even with the Maiden powers and her magic. A Specialist needed more than a powerful Semblance after all, they needed to be well rounded and prepared for whatever may come. While Pyrrha had much to learn, there was no doubt in his mind that she was a good person. She wouldn't sit by and do nothing, she couldn't.
She would make an excellent addition to the Ace Operatives. Despite his rough personality, so would Qrow. There were few operatives as experienced as him, even within the Atlesian military. His ability to turn into a bird would be useful of course, but he also had the courage to stand up for what was right, even against a man like him. Ironwood would need people like that to pull him back if he ever went too far. Something that had become an all too possible reality, as he continued to rely on his Semblance more and more with each passing day.
The war… everything had changed, and yet it was the same. With their current manpower and technology they couldn't kill Salem, nor could they wipe out the Grimm. They needed to consolidate and build up their forces, prepare for whatever the Queen of the Grimm had planned, and be ready to move on them the instant they attacked. He couldn't be everywhere at once though, which was why he initially envisioned the Ace Operatives, to act in his stead should he be elsewhere. Adding a Maiden to that would change things drastically, if only he could get more.
He knew for a fact Raven Branwen would never accept, because he had already offered. She had turned him down, even after he offered her double the previous payment agreed upon for her protection of southern Mistral. She had agreed to uphold that end of the bargain however, how Colonel Aurelian had talked her into that he didn't know.
The Summer Maiden had been lost for decades now. Ozpin had tried finding her, as had Ironwood and Headmaster Theodore of Shade, but they had all come up empty. She was a ghost, hiding somewhere in the vast deserts of Vacuo. Perhaps that was for the best. If Salem had her, they would have known by now. Of that much he was certain. While he didn't know exactly what it did, he was sure the Relic of Destruction would have made taking the rest of the Relics easy. So long as the Summer Maiden remained hidden, no one could use potentially the most dangerous Relic of all.
The Winter Maiden was another matter entirely. Fria had lived a long life, and she had been powerful in her time. Sadly, all the power in the world could not stop old age. She was currently being kept in Atlas, under the best possible conditions, but her health was in constant decline. It was only a matter of time before she died. Months, maybe a couple years if they were lucky, and she would pass on and the Maiden powers would have a new candidate. A candidate neither James nor Fria were willing to take a chance on.
The Scroll call connected and Fria's face appeared before him. Though she was sick, she smiled softly for him.
"James, to what do I owe the pleasure?"
"Fria, it's good to see you, I only wish we could have this conversation in person." Whether it was the look on his face or the sound of his voice he would never know, but the way she looked at him made it clear she had figured out why he had called.
"Have you found a candidate?"
He hesitated. The candidate in mind had been trained for this, selected because he trusted her and knew she would never harm the people of Atlas. "I have, though I wish it weren't necessary."
"Don't we all James, don't we all." Her smile fell somewhat. "What changed your mind?"
"Developments with the Queen, I'll… You remember what I told you about the Fall Maiden?"
"The one back from the dead? I doubt I'll ever forget."
"We've learned something else that… we don't have as much time as we thought. The candidate should be on her way now." James heard the sound of a door opening on Fria's side of the call.
"Salutations, Miss Fria! General Ironwood said we should meet."
"Take good care of her, Penny." James prepared to end the call. "She has much to tell you."
How he hated making choices like this.
Author's Note: I'm back. Brief hiatus turned into a three-ish month long vacation… oops? This is my first work since being back so I apologize if it is a bit rougher than the standard norm. Trying to get back into the swing of things and pick up all the plot threads I left off on. Hopefully it's good.
As always, if you enjoyed, or didn't, be sure to let me know by reviewing or messaging me. I always look forward to the feedback.
Sincerely, SE