"The winner, by Aura depletion, is Weiss Schnee."
The gallery filled with clamor as students clapped or cheered. Team JNPR was especially supportive. Penny waited until she was certain to be heard, then called out, "BXPS wreck!"
"No," said Weiss firmly, jabbing a finger up at Penny.
There was some expected, but sincere, laughter at this interaction. Penny dutifully took a note. So far, she'd tried seventeen different cheers for their team, and none of them had met with Weiss' approval. Well, she'd keep looking. There was no point in stopping her search now.
It was too bad. She'd really liked "BXPS wreck!" It was short, to the point, alliterative, and easily discernible amidst a roar. Oh well.
Down at the stage, Professor Goodwitch was concluding her debrief with the combatants, and a few moments later, Weiss had returned to her place with her team. "Nice job, Weissicle," said Yang. "That improves you to, what, 7-0?"
"Eight," said Weiss. Her satisfaction at being complimented seemed to override her distaste for the nickname. Oh, was that a strategy Penny could adopt? Perhaps Weiss would be less averse to being called Friend Weiss if there was a compliment attached to it. Thesaurus set about analyzing the matter immediately.
Personally, Penny thought the honorific 'friend' was a compliment, but other people were strange about that.
"Now that I think about it," said Weiss, "we all have great sparring records, don't we? Across the whole team, our only losses are to each other and Team JNPR."
"The Headmaster's noticed," Blake said. "He told me the other day that JNPR and BXPS were both in the running to break Team STRQ's record for rookie-team wins. I guess I was supposed to know who that was."
"No one important," said Yang hurriedly. "The point is, we definitely need to compete at Vytal. We'll kick so much butt there!"
"And if we do enter the tournament," said Penny, "it's all the more imperative that we come up with a suitable team cheer."
"No," said Weiss instantly and instinctively.
"Come now, Friend Weiss, surely there is something we can say that would invigorate you! Something that will let you know that your team is at your back and wishes the best for you!"
Weiss scoffed. "I already know that," she said—and then jerked back as if struck. "I… I know that," she said, in a voice full of wonder.
Penny, not understanding, looked to Yang for perspective, but Yang just shrugged. "Yes," said Penny, "you are our Friend Weiss."
Weiss seemed so disoriented she didn't object to the term. Score another for Penny!
"We have time for one more bout," said Professor Goodwitch. Raising her scroll before her, she seemed to inspect something, possibly a bracket, possibly a matchmaker. When she looked up, she began by saying, "I would appreciate if the gallery minds its manners for now. Because our last bout of the day will be Penny Pallas versus Pyrrha Nikos."
The gallery immediately disobeyed as clapping and hooting burst from the student body. Pyrrha, Penny noted, had gotten similar reactions at other times her name was called, but this time seemed about 10% louder than the others.
"I guess they really wanted to see her and me fight," said Penny.
"I know I do," said Yang with a grin. "Go kick her butt!"
Penny looked at Weiss. "Could that be our—"
"No," said Weiss more firmly than ever.
Penny sighed her disappointment.
"Fight well," said Blake. Blake had made several small Team BXPS pennants and was waving one of them now. She was far from the loudest supporter to have in one's cheering section, but by her standards, she was making an outrageous racket, and Penny took it in that spirit.
Suitably energized by her team's support, Penny descended to the stage. Pyrrha had taken the other stairs to get there, such that they approached from opposite ends of the stage. "Hello again," said Pyrrha with a wave.
"It is as delightful to see you as ever," said Penny. "Would it be inappropriate to say I've been looking forward to this?"
"It depends," said Pyrrha. "Why were you looking forward to this?"
"Because every match helps me learn more about myself, as a person and a fighter," said Penny. "I think I can learn more from a bout with you than with anyone else."
To both of their surprise, Pyrrha laughed. "You know, out of all the reasons people have given for fighting me, no one has ever cited self-discovery."
"Is that an okay reason?" asked Penny.
"It might be the best reason," said Pyrrha.
The words filled Penny with glee.
"But I warn you," said Pyrrha with a gleam in her eye, "I won't wait around for you to find yourself while we're fighting. Professor Goodwitch expects us to take this seriously. I fight to win."
"I would have it no other way," said Penny.
Pyrrha smiled broadly, then shook her head as she closed her eyes. She took a deep breath, rising forward on her feet as her lungs filled, until she paused standing on tiptoes. When she exhaled and settled onto her heels, her face was set like flint, full of calm, implacable determination, as if it was her face that had been forged from metal and not Penny's.
In that single breath, Pyrrha had transformed from a painstakingly polite student into the Invincible Girl. Penny was thrilled. This was really happening!
Taking her cue, Penny followed suit and drew Elektra 2.0 into her hands. She saw Pyrrha's eyes looking over Penny's weapon, recognizing it as something new and different, and slightly smiling in anticipation. Penny's excitement grew.
"Begin," said Professor Goodwitch.
The word was still in the air when Pyrrha's first bullet came racing at Penny.
Even as Penny jerked out of the bullet's path, her admiration for her opponent rose. She was sure Pyrrha's weapon had been in spear form when they got onto the stage. Either Pyrrha had covertly transformed it during their preliminaries, or the speed of her conversion and her reflexes were that extraordinary. Both options were testaments to Pyrrha's skill.
Penny retaliated by firing a return shot. Pyrrha somehow wasn't even surprised, crouching instead so that her shield covered her target area and letting the bullet ping off. Already, unshaken by Penny's attack, she was firing again. Penny deflected the bullet with one sword while taking aim with the other.
Five shots they traded this way, either deflecting or dodging the others' attacks while ineffectually shooting back. Analysis wondered what Pyrrha was playing at. Neither of them was inflicting meaningful damage this way, it served only to waste their ammunition—
Oh! That was the point!
Pyrrha's rifle could swap out magazines quickly and painlessly, using technology refined over centuries for just that purpose. Penny's more experimental design could not easily be reloaded; her starting ammo load had to last the whole fight, and here Pyrrha had baited her into wasting half her shots. If she continued, she would be right back in her no-ranged-options predicament.
Tactical genius to match her combat prowess! Was there no limit to Pyrrha's skill?
Penny stopped trying to shoot back and instead dodged one bullet, deflected a second, and bent into a run. On that last shot, Pyrrha's rifle gave the telltale ping that signaled an empty magazine; Penny's count had been correct. Pyrrha had no chance to reload, though, because Penny had devoured the distance between them.
Penny closed to long sword range and swung with both blades at Pyrrha's right side.
Pyrrha caught the attack on her shield, even though it was on her left side and the attack had come from her right; she'd twirled, partly to bring the shield into play and partly, Penny was sure, to conceal how she was reforming her weapon out of rifle mode. Sure enough, by the time Pyrrha completed her spin she was holding a sword. Penny parried Pyrrha's stab and responded with another slash from her other hand. The shield caught that, too, only for Pyrrha to step in with the goal of checking Penny with shoulder and shield.
Penny stepped away, her footwork impeccable, and pivoted into a pirouette spin with swords extended. Pyrrha, despite her height, ducked under the blades to thrust with her sword; Penny only just dodged it.
Penny laughed. This was amazing. This was thrilling!
After several more seconds of clashing metal, the two broke away to reconsider their opponents. Pyrrha was beyond any of the students Penny had sparred with, or even seen spar. Pyrrha was so skilled that Penny's advantages in speed and power were almost negated. Pyrrha was too good to be overwhelmed. It would take something more to break her defenses down. In which case, it was time to leverage Elektra's new abilities.
Penny stepped forward, leapt, and brought her left sword down with terrific force. Pyrrha got her shield up in time to block, but Penny kept up enough pressure to prevent Pyrrha from breaking away.
With Pyrrha pinned, Penny thrust with her right sword. Pyrrha saw it coming and dropped her sword to parry, but while it was in motion Penny fired the gun in her right sword. The bullet connected at point blank range, making Pyrrha flinch but not doing decisive damage; the real value of the shot lay in the recoil. Rather than fight the recoil with her Aura, Penny let it shove her right arm back. Pyrrha's parry deflected air, and she stumbled slightly from the loss of balance, while Penny's arm was now cocked back for a second thrust.
There was a flash of surprise on Pyrrha's face as Penny's right sword lashed out at second time. And then…
And then…
Penny's sword and her whole arm were being invisibly nudged away.
Penny's thrust missed badly.
Open shock broke across Pyrrha's face, shock that mirrored how Penny felt. Plans for counterattacks vanished like a mirage as all Tactical's branch paths went invalid all at once. Penny stumbled backwards instead as she tried to grasp what had just happened, frantically rebooting Tactical as she went.
Pyrrha didn't follow, didn't seize the advantage she'd been gifted. Instead, when Penny was a few steps away, Pyrrha visibly concentrated, and Penny felt force—subtle but irresistible—press against every part of her body. Terror chased it.
Then Penny was being shoved to the side by something different; her optics filled with fluttering purple cape. She heard Pyrrha yelp and saw her thrown from her feet.
Professor Goodwitch had intervened- the first time Penny had ever seen that.
"The match is over," she said, her maximum volume somehow not sounding like a shout. "Weapons down."
Penny instantly dropped Elektra 2.0. Penny didn't see Pyrrha- Professor Goodwitch had interposed herself between them- but she did hear heavy clunks as spear and shield hit the stage.
There was stillness in the classroom, as if everyone in the gallery had sucked in a breath and held it.
"The match is over," Professor Goodwitch repeated. "This is a mulligan. It never happened."
A random voice from the gallery booed; Professor Goodwitch flicked her riding crop in that direction without looking. There was a crash, followed by a woozy apology.
"Class dismissed," Professor Goodwitch said. "Miss Nikos, come here please."
"I wasn't going to-" Pyrrha began. Professor Goodwitch cut her off by gesturing at the (mutinously murmuring) gallery. Pyrrha must have understood, because she didn't try to speak again until the gallery had emptied and they were alone. It took forty-five exceedingly uncomfortable seconds. "I wasn't going to hurt her. I was just... testing to see what I could affect. I would have forfeited in another second or two."
"Why?" said Professor Goodwitch.
"Because I have an unfair advantage," said Pyrrha. "It wouldn't be safe for her if I fought at full power."
Professor Goodwitch sighed. A modicum of tension left her. "Your sense of fair play is a great credit to you, Miss Nikos. I trust you'll be discreet about what happened here today?"
"Yes, ma'am!"
"Then you're free to go."
Pyrrha didn't need to be told twice. She gathered her weapons, glanced at Penny once more, tried to speak without success, and fled the stage.
Professor Goodwitch waited another thirty seconds to be sure before turning to face Penny and sighing. "I owe you an apology, Miss Pallas."
The day's surprises continued. "You do?" asked Penny.
"I never should have allowed the randomizer to pair you with Miss Nikos," said Professor Goodwitch. "I should have just rolled again. It's easy, even for me, to forget all that Miss Nikos can do. And... I'll admit, I was as curious as your classmates about how you and she matched up. I let that intrigue get away from me. I should have known better, and I'm sorry."
Penny frowned as the implications of the words sunk in. "Are you saying you knew she was capable of… whatever she did to me?"
Professor Goodwitch looked thoughtfully at Penny. "Some say that a person's semblance is a reflection of their soul. Whether it's true or not, a semblance is something personal, something unique to that person, something owned by them. No one is under obligation to disclose it.
"For some people, like Miss Belladonna, the visual effects of their semblance are impossible to hide. For others, like Miss Schnee, their semblance is a matter of identity, something that represents who they are. And some," Professor Goodwitch added with frustration, "can't help but blab about it even when it's a tactical disadvantage, like everyone knowing to not use Lightning Dust around Miss Valkyrie. But other people have semblances that are more subtle, or that they're more subtle at using. No one can compel those people to share their semblances, to disclose that extension of their soul and identity."
"Like Pyrrha," said Penny.
"Yes," said Professor Goodwitch.
"But you know her semblance," said Penny.
"I do," said Professor Goodwitch, "but it's not mine to share. Still, you're smart. You can figure it out. I'll give you the smallest of hints. She only meant to affect your sword."
Analysis was already crunching that problem, had been from the moment Penny had first felt that push, only now with more and more of Penny's cycles devoted to it.
When Penny had thrust with Pyrrha unable to block conventionally, Pyrrha had deflected the attack anyway. That effect, whatever it was, must have been her semblance. But she had looked as surprised by the results as Penny. Professor Goodwitch was right. Pyrrha had only meant to affect Penny's sword, which likely would have kept Penny from feeling it at all. Subtlety.
When they'd broken apart, though, Pyrrha had used it again. Not just against Penny's arm, but against her whole body. And not to deflect harm… but as a test. She'd said she was trying to understand the extent of her power over Penny, and Penny believed her.
And that "extent" was different than, greater than, what she could do to any of their classmates.
Because Penny wasn't like any of her classmates in one key way.
"Pyrrha can manipulate metal," Penny said in a small voice.
Professor Goodwitch didn't confirm, but she also didn't deny. She just repeated, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have let that fight happen. I put a stop to it as soon as I realized the danger."
Penny felt her insides freezing. "Which means now Pyrrha knows…"
"Pyrrha doesn't know anything," said Professor Goodwitch. "But she might suspect some things. You still haven't told anyone, have you? Not even your own team."
"No," said Penny, a sick feeling of shame joining her fear in a toxic slurry.
"As an acquaintance of mine would say," said Professor Goodwitch, "bad news isn't wine. It doesn't get better with age."
"I'll keep that in mind," said Penny.
"You are dismissed," said Professor Goodwitch. "And I will take steps to ensure that I don't pair you against Miss Nikos again."
"Or Miss Valkyrie," said Penny.
"Good catch," said Professor Goodwitch. "It seems like most of Team JNPR is off-limits for you. Although I suppose there's always Mr. Arc."
"Jaune is my friend," Penny said carefully, "but I'm afraid a duel between me and him would be as unfair as a duel between Pyrrha and me."
A minute smile snuck onto Professor Goodwitch's face. "You're not wrong."
Yang was sitting in the dorm room and studying on her own. This was a free period in their schedule, and while Yang normally liked to reserve studying for their scheduled study periods, she was also a responsible person and knew when she needed to put in more work. More importantly, she had a lot on her mind and didn't particularly feel like peopling at that moment.
She was honestly getting very little actual studying done.
She was zoned out enough to be startled badly when Weiss sat on the corner of the desk and said, "We need to talk."
"Well," said Yang, "this is random."
"Not random," said Weiss. "You're the only person I can talk to about this."
Yang's first instinct was to quip something about not knowing she and Weiss were that close, but as she took in Weiss' expression and general agitation, Yang knew that wasn't the mood to go for. "Alright, shoot. What's on your mind?"
Weiss hesitated for a moment, like a dam shuddering on the point of bursting, before the words spilled forth in a rush.
"Our teammates are weird."
"Well, yeah," said Yang flippantly. "What else is new?"
"I'm serious," insisted Weiss.
"So am I," said Yang. "This is a team of weirdos. Between us and JNPR, this is probably the weirdest hallway on campus."
"You're not that weird," said Weiss with increasing annoyance. "Ew, I did not enjoy saying that."
Yang laughed. "And you wouldn't be saying it if you knew me better. I haven't unpacked everything weird about me yet. I may not be as weird as you or Blake or Penny, but I'm still a long way from normal."
"You're the most normal, so I can talk to you about this," said Weiss.
"See, this is part of what I mean. This much stubbornness? You're in, like, the 95th percentile of stubborn, to go through all that and still want this chat. But alright," Yang said before Weiss could protest again. "What's got you riled?"
"There are things about our teammates that bother me. And not in a "willing to use my toothbrush if I'm not looking" sort of way," she added with a fierce look at Yang, who betrayed no repentance. "I mean in a genuinely unnerving and unnatural way."
"Okay," said Yang.
The response seemed to leave Weiss wanting more. "Are you going to take me seriously?"
"Honestly, I am," said Yang. "You just haven't said anything that worries me yet."
Weiss raised an eyebrow. "Really? You're not worried about how Penny skips every meal to eat on her own, but there's no evidence that she eats here in the dorm either? Or that she's never, ever tired, no matter how hard our classes are? Or that her memory is photographic and her time sense so accurate you can set your scroll to it?"
"Nope," said Yang brightly with a pop of the 'p'. "And I'm not worried about how she never sweats and never stinks, even though half the time she runs a shower she never actually gets wet. And I'm not bothered by how social interaction seems like a foreign language to her, or that she locks up when she's surprised or confused, or that she doesn't seem to have a sense of smell at all, or that she doesn't even own a bra but has zero jiggle."
Weiss goggled at Yang. "None of that matters to you? Even a little?"
"It's pretty funny sometimes," said Yang. "She doesn't know how humor works, so I get to corrupt her to the Way of Puns. If she ever cracks a joke that makes everyone groan, I might just cry from pride."
Weiss crossed her arms. "You're still making fun of me, and I do not appreciate it."
Yang schooled her features. "Penny's weird, I get it. I said that at the beginning. But 'weird' doesn't mean 'bad'. It's not like she's part grimm, she's just not normal. Heck, I'd rather have a weird Penny on my team than a normie like Cardin, you know?"
"Believe me, I know all about Cardin," said Weiss with a scowl. "But why is she so weird? And don't say that's just how she is."
"She had a sheltered upbringing," said Yang. "Kinda like you, except that your sheltered upbringing made you all cold and jagged. Like a…"
Weiss saw the grin forming on Yang's face. "Don't say it."
Yang said it.
"Go to hell, Yang Xiao Long."
"If you take me there, sure."
Weiss shook her head. "The thing is, your idea doesn't explain everything, or even the most important things. Her being sheltered doesn't explain why she never seems to eat." She leaned in, her eyes narrow in their focus. "And it certainly doesn't explain what happened against Pyrrha."
Yang couldn't chirp back this time. The outcome of that duel truly was strange and suffered no explanation Yang could throw at it. They both knew Professor Goodwitch had never intervened in a bout- let alone intervene like that. "Have you talked to Pyrrha about it?" said Yang cautiously.
For the first time, Weiss faltered. "I was hoping you would, when the time came."
"Why? It seems like you're always looking for an excuse to talk to Pyrrha."
"Yes, but I'd rather talk to her about… other things."
"Riiiiight." Yang considered this for a moment, but only a moment. "No, I don't think I will."
"Why not?" demanded Weiss.
"If it's really important, I'm sure Penny will tell us eventually," said Yang. "If she hasn't told us yet, there's a reason. I'm fine waiting until she's ready."
"And if it impacts the team?" said Weiss.
"So far, the only impact I see is it puts your panties in a twist."
"Until we have to go out to the field and we can't do rations planning because we don't understand her food situation."
"I'm filing that under 'bridge to cross when we get there'," said Yang. "It doesn't matter yet."
Weiss crossed her arms in a huff and stepped away so she was still in Yang's line of sight, but with her back turned. Yang could tell this conversation was not going at all the way Weiss had hoped and that the shorter girl was regrouping.
Weiss turned around. "What about Blake? She's your team leader, you care about that, right?"
"Is this where I learn where you two went the night of the concert?" said Yang.
"There's not actually much to tell," said Weiss, sounding disappointed herself. "I felt Blake leaving shortly after the music started, followed her to an open corridor, and heard someone talking to her, saying they needed to catch up. Then they heard me and turned around, Blake said, "Another time," to whomever it was, and they left. When I asked who she'd been speaking to, she gave me no good answer."
"That's it?" said Yang. "You gave her stinkface for days because she didn't have a conversation with someone she knew?"
"And I got over it," Weiss said. "I told her it was her business."
"That almost sounds mature," Yang said, "except here you are bringing it up again, which means you didn't actually get over it."
"I would have if she didn't keep disappearing," said Weiss. "I get wanting some alone time. Gods know I need alone time from you and Penny sometimes. But we have scheduled alone time, and she's disappearing at other times on top of it. Jaune told me she's skipped at least one leadership class, too."
Yang made a 'go on' gesture.
"Well, something's obviously bothering her," said Weiss. "And if it was an innocent something, she'd tell us."
"Yeah," said Yang sarcastically, "the same way she told you she was a Faunus?"
"That's not the same thing," said Weiss, but her expression told Yang this was mostly reflex.
"You sure?" said Yang. "Is it really so weird that someone would wanna have a chat with her friend without being overheard?"
"It doesn't seem very friendly," said Weiss.
"Which you'd know because of your vast experience with friendship," said Yang with full snark.
"Hey!"
"And it's double ironic," Yang plowed on, "because Penny is dying to be friends with you, but you're always too high and mighty to let her in. Some partner you are."
"I don't have to sit here and listen to this!"
"You don't have to, sure, but you will, because you know I'm right."
It had been a gamble—the most provocative thing Yang had said yet—but Weiss didn't explode against it. Instead, she frowned and looked away. "This isn't even about me. This is about Penny and Blake and the inexplicable things they've been doing lately."
Yang gave a wry grin. "You know, if we're talking weirdos, we have to include you, too."
"You seem determined to insult me."
"Nah, insults are what you lob to inflict harm. I'm trying to help."
"You could have fooled me."
"And we'll keep working at it."
"I'm just saying," Weiss said, "that if either or both of them have some deep, dark secret and our team suffers because of it, I'm blaming your lack of curiosity."
"And if they have some boring, whatever-grade secret and the team doesn't suffer for it," said Yang, "you'll apologize for being nosy."
Weiss narrowed her eyes to bore into Yang. Yang held her ground.
"You're on."
"Doctor Polendina."
Pietro wearily looked up from his keyboard. "General," he said without inflection. It had been a while since Ironwood's last visit, longer than usual. Pietro was never happy to see the other man, but at least it broke up the monotony.
"I have good news for you," said Ironwood, though his face was devoid of cheer. "We had another successful operation just a few hours ago. You'll have more test data coming in shortly."
"Well, we can always use that," said Pietro. "Continuous improvement and so on."
"That's the least enthusiastic I've ever heard you," said Ironwood conversationally. "You do love continuous improvement, don't you?"
"I love helping people," said Pietro. "I haven't been able to do much of that lately."
Ironwood's face hardened. "You know why that is. You know why I had to put you on restriction."
Pietro nodded. "I know. It's close to what I expected."
"You should be grateful we came up with this arrangement so you could keep working," said Ironwood. "By the letter of the law, your punishment should have been much more severe."
It killed Pietro that Ironwood was demanding credit for being "lenient", but he was wise enough to hold his tongue.
Ironwood took a calming breath. "Regardless, you are still helping people. Every time you advance Project Lamplight, the Atlas military gets stronger, which means the Kingdom can expand and grow. People have better chances to spread to new places and live happier lives. Did you know," he added, "the past five years have seen the most new settlements established in Solitas since Atlas rose?"
"I didn't know that," said Pietro.
"We're pushing the grimm back. Lamplight is bearing fruit." Ironwood's face tightened. "Just imagine how much more progress we could be making if both projects were going this well."
Pietro hadn't apologized for this, and he had no plans to. Then again, Ironwood didn't seem to really expect an apology.
"That said," Ironwood went on, "this is the last test data I expect to get for another few months. I'll be going to Vale soon to oversee preparations for the Vytal Festival, so the project will be on hold until afterwards."
"I understand," said Pietro. His mind was still keen, it still effortlessly inferred. "That means I have four months to design and implement any upgrades before you return."
"That's right. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated." After a moment's quiet, Ironwood said, "I am glad you're continuing to help with this. As long as you keep on helping, I'll keep my promise. When I see your daughter, I'll make sure you get to talk to her."
Pietro nodded. He knew the terms. He was on work-arrest: he couldn't leave these few rooms, and he had no connections to the outside. Any tools or data he needed had to be brought to him. He couldn't be trusted with anything that would let him send signals or materials out of his gilded cage.
It was a cage, yes. He was confined here, and focused on weapons and prosthetics. Some for general military use; most for Project Lamplight in particular.
As long as he kept working, and stayed productive, he'd have a chance to talk to his daughter again.
It was all that kept him going, some days.
"Of course," Ironwood said in a poor attempt at comradery, "you could accelerate that. Tell me what you did with her, or where you sent her, and I'll be able to arrange a meeting sooner. I'd even give you more access—we'd renegotiate all your accommodations."
Pietro gave a laugh that could have been a cough. "If you think I'd do that, General, you don't understand why I sent her away in the first place."
"You're right," said Ironwood. "I don't."
Ironwood placed a data drive on Pietro's desk and left Pietro alone with his work.
This completes the first major story arc for "War Machines". Starting next chapter, the pace and stakes start to rise. I can't wait!
Next time: The Other Self