The Following Day, Beacon Academy: Link's dorm
Panic and chaos are the only factors looming around Beacon Academy and the entire world of Remnant after the doubles round match between Link versus Pyrrha Nikkos and Jaune Arc. Many back and forth displays ensued, with the one person team tactically getting his chance to fight both of them individually with cunning words and separating them physically in the fight as well. Despite Jaune being outclassed, everyone watching learned that he has plenty of resilience and heart, regardless of knowing he stood no chance, the strong leader never gave up until his aura and body could not take any more damage. Following his elimination, Link and Pyrrha had their own exciting and technical back and forth, with the one person team gaining the slight edge, though it was a very even exchange of slashes, jabs, kicks, blocks, and blows. Truly one of the best matches in the tournament was tarnished by the ending, which had the competitors in the match confused and lost, due to one Emerald Sustrai. In the crowd, she used her semblance to make Jaune and Pyrrha see each other in bloody, beaten, and nearly dead states, while Link had to deal with suppressing the evil monster inside him emerging after spotting Adam Taurus of the White Fang appears and unsheathing his sword to attack his close friends. Ultimately, what the crowd and viewers at home saw was Link, with a murderous look on his face and in his eyes, seemingly attacking and intending to kill Pyrrha with her back turned, and an already eliminated Jaune, who could have instantly died had he taken a direct hit…
"Are you even listening?" James Ironwood furiously slams his foot into the ground, snapping Link out of his deep trance, as the one person team is clearly not focused on anything the Atlas general is saying
"No." Link speaks coldly. "All you have done for me is almost successfully destroy my reputation or try to arrest me. OR nearly killed Ruby while trying to blame me for an attack on Vale caused by the White Fang, led by an actual criminal."
"I am ignoring everything you just said." Ironwood shakes his head. "You should be listening. After all, you almost killed two students today."
"Those 'two students' are my close friends." Link narrows his eyes
"Irrelevant information, friends turn on each other all the time. This seems to be another example of that." The tall general stares at the student. "You know what they say, no honor among thieves."
"I have never heard of that before and it does not make sense." He sighs. "I am not a thief, neither are Jaune and Pyrrha."
"Stop playing dumb!" Ironwood balls up his fists
"You need to stop assuming that I am talking my way out of this." Link sighs, "Jaune was already down and out, and he inserted himself back into the fight because he thought something was wrong with Pyrrha." He frowns and crosses his arms. "She also thought something was seriously wrong, it was strange. Either way, I held back on my attack and Pyrrha's not going to be out for an extended amount of time, that is a guarantee, she is much stronger than you think."
"Your words mean nothing at the moment, fool." Ironwood rolls his eyes. "It's your words against footage showing you striking an already eliminated student. What you did could have killed him and severely injured Pyrrha Nikos."
"But…" Link furrows his eyebrows. "I already told you, I held back on my attack and-!"
"Yes, I heard you. Frankly, I don't believe you, the reality is that you are probably not as strong as everyone thinks you are, and that you actually intended to kill Miss Nikos and Mister Arc, but couldn't." Ironwood coldly states. "Besides, even if you were right, the public has already formed their own conclusions. And it is not looking good for you."
(Well, lucky for all of you, I figured it out already.) Link balls up his fists, having taken the time in between when he was forced back to his room and Ironwood speaking to him to come to a conclusion. (There is only one person I know who can make people see what is not really there… I need to say something about Emerald and NOW, but will Ironwood even buy it?)
Ironwood continues speaking about Link's vile actions, but the blonde swordsman zones out again and does not listen to a single word that is spoken. That is, until the reprimanded student clears his throat obnoxiously to blatantly interrupt the general
"Spit it out, general." Link mumbles. "What is my punishment?"
"You are disqualified from the Vytal festival tournament and you are to be kept in this dorm until further notice." Ironwood walks towards the student, with Atlesian Knights nearby as backup. "You might get some freedom but don't expect it. Understood?"
"Right, understood, now don't get any closer to me, please." Link stares daggers into General Ironwood, signaling that he is listening, focused, and taking things seriously now
"Do you have a closing statement for me?" Ironwood asks. "Maybe a public statement too? Anything to potentially clear up your name. Perhaps an apology to the world and the students who are supposed to be your friends?"
"I do not have a statement at all. And they are my friends, do not disrespect our friendship, general." Link shuts his eyes and loudly exhales. "If you want a statement, here is one. Don't be surprised if something like this happens again. I'm not the first one it was done to and this definitely won't be the last time. I hope you, your troops, the professors, and everybody keep their eyes peeled. There is a mastermind manipulator here in Beacon and-!"
"I've heard enough." Ironwood turns and abruptly leaves the dorm, but the door does not shut completely, as his Atlesian Knights follow closely behind
(That was a complete disaster and not productive at all.) Link sighs and stares blankly as the Atlas personnel exit his room
Slam!
The door to his room is shut at last, leaving him alone in an empty room, to his own thoughts. Although he appears calm and confident about his innocence on the outside, it is another story on the inside. Link worries what his friends and Beacon professors think now, has their perception of him changed? Do they think he really tried to kill two students and close friends on an international stage? Only time will tell, as he has not seen any of his friends since the match's end the day prior. He was quickly ushered back to his room by Atlesian Knights and two human Atlas soldiers. Absolute silence afterwards, as presumably per General Ironwood's orders, Link was to be kept in his dorm until the general got the chance to speak with him
SLAM!
The door opens again, this time with an even more violent slam. But instead of another tense conversation with Atlas military, who Link expected it to be… In barge multiple people, his friends to be exact: Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, Yang Xiao Long, Coco Adel, and Velvet Scarlatina
"H-Hey!" Link stands up and smiles warmly. "I know it has not even been a full day, but it is so good to see all of you again-!"
"YOU!" Yang storms toward Link, roughly grabs him by the collar, then violently slams him backward against the wall
"Whoa!" The blonde boy's eyes widen in shock, but does not actively push away the hands on his tunic or break her grip
"YANG!" Ruby dashes towards her sister and attempts to pull her away by wrapping both arms around her sisters waist and frantically pulling
"Listen, Ironwood refused to listen to me and I am okay with that, his opinion means little to me, but I expect you guys to at least have an open mind." Link simply stares into Yang's eyes, showing no fear, but no sign of fighting either
"Yang, please put him down." Weiss pleads. "He will never be able to answer properly if you're threatening to punch him every couple of seconds."
"Grrr…" Yang frowns
"Well this certainly is surprising." Blake weakly smiles. "The person being the most civil to Link is coincidentally his biggest admirer and critic."
"Hmph!" Weiss turns her head and hides a faint blush. "My dislike for him does not matter right now, he is still our friend."
(She dislikes me… But called me her friend? Riiiight.) Link almost cracks a smile out of amusement
"Okay then." Yang releases her grip on Link. "Talk."
"Manipulation. That is what happened." Link turns his back to the group of girls and looks outside once more, "I defeated Jaune, you saw it with your own eyes. Then he got up and started talking erratically, he was acting like Pyrrha was injured and in need of help. Same goes for Pyrrha, she thought Jaune was seriously hurt, but none of that was true." He sighs. "Remember when I told the story about your uncle defending the woman who saved my life, the one I was tasked to kill unknowingly?"
"Y-Yeah?" Yang narrows her eyes. "But what does this have to do with-!"
"Stop." Link cuts her off. "Remember I then told you all about the fake assassination of Carter from the Black Hawks mercenary group?"
"Okay?" She sighs. "Yes, we remember everything you told-!"
"Answer the question." Link sighs again, turns around, and looks to another team RWBY member for some patience or last to be understanding
"Yes." Blake mumbles. "They tried to get in your head, but made a crucial mistake and you figured out their trick."
"Correct." Link nods. "The person behind those hallucinations was Emerald, your supposed friend. She was also behind what happened today, I had already defeated Jaune. I do admit I lost control and let 'it' take over… I saw someone, an evil person."
"Who did you see?" Weiss asks
"I…" Link shakes his head
"Come on then, tell us." Yang extends her arms again
"N-No." Link shakes his head and side steps to avoid Yang's grasp. "Look, it does not matter who I saw, 'it' almost took over, but I promise I held back when I struck Pyrrha, she will be back on her in no time. She is probably moving around as we speak. Emerald is playing us, her games fooled me, Pyrrha, and Jaune. Now those same mind games are working on all of you."
"Link." Ruby sighs. "Emerald wasn't there yesterday. Mercury told us something has been going on with her head recently and she's been resting in her dorm."
"That's impossible." Link's gaze falls to the bed on his right
"Except it isn't. She hasn't been seen at the colosseum ever since they defeated Coco and Yatsuhashi of team CFVY." Ruby mutters
"Come on…" He shakes his head again, this time furiously. "You cannot just take his word as fact."
"That's her teammate, Mercury knows her better than you." Yang crosses her arms, unmoved by the one person team's words
"Yeah, their other teammates are staying with Emerald from what little Mercury told me, they estimate she'll be good to walk around on her feet by the time the final round begins." Ruby weakly smiles. "Luckily for them, Mercury already volunteered to be the one participating."
"Just stop." Link shuts his eyes, "They are not good people and they manipulate, Ruby. That is what they are… They are not your friends either. Why do you think I have never trusted them and acted awkward or hostile around them?" He crosses his arms and taps on his body with his fingers. "I knew who they were, but you guys were already acquainted with them, so I needed something to prove they were around back then."
"I don't know, this all seems like backpedaling to me." Yang narrows her eyes, "Like… You don't want to take responsibility for your actions, so you're blaming someone or multiple people you don't like, now you expect us to believe they were people from your past?" She scoffs. "If what you said is true, why didn't you tell us they were part of your past during that emotional day. Why are you telling us revealing 'truths' when you're in trouble?"
"What are you implying? That I am lying? Yang please…" Link balls up his hands, opens his eyes, and internally hopes this will somehow turn around in his favor
"Link." Blake speaks up. "When you're angry, you let your emotions take over, right? Such as, in your match against Jaune and Pyrrha, you admitted to letting the twilight demon take over." Blake suddenly refuses to make eye contact with Link. "I want to believe you, Link. But the odds are stacked against you and right now your word is not good enough."
"She's right." Yang mumbles. "You're using your past to frame Emerald, when you could have told us ages ago. If she was really a part of your past." She takes a step back and follows suit in refusing to make eye contact. "Now that it's been made very clear you don't like her, that doesn't help your reasoning there, and your emotions got the best of you."
"So, neither of you believe me?" Link's head snaps back up and his eyes first glance at Yang, then Blake, but neither make any sign or effort to disagree
Instead of answering his question, Yang turns and leaves the dorm without saying another word. Blake takes a step backwards, then another... And another, until she quietly leaves the dorm in a less dramatic way
"Ruby? Weiss?" Link turns his back to his other friends whilst doing his best to contain his emotions. "Give me something. Any words at least."
"I..." Ruby nervously paces back and forth, on the verge of hyperventilating, before she abruptly storms out of the room
(Not you too.) The blonde boy's emotions shift towards sadness as this friend group crumbles in front of his own eyes
"It doesn't look good for you, Link." Weiss mutters, with no sarcasm or snark in her voice, as she expresses her real emotions, "We don't always see eye to eye b-but..." She hesitates as she cuts herself off
"But what?"
Her silence is deafening, Link shakes his head, but there is a sign of hope as Weiss does not exit the room just yet
"Coco? Velvet?" You've been quiet throughout all of this."
"I can see where you're coming from with the hallucinations and manipulation theory, but our cases are different." Coco begins, though not in a good way, "I choked under pressure. I thought I saw Yatsu with me, when I should have been paying more attention to the kid hiding in the trees." She sighs. "All of us in the colosseum saw what you did… And I don't think you can argue with that. I'm sorry, Link."
Coco takes off her sunglasses, wipes away a tear, and loudly sniffs before disappointingly leaving Link's dorm
"Velvet?" Link's releases the tension in his balled up hands, hopefully that the girl he just took out on a date will believe him
"Everything just transpired and I will always be by your side, Link. B-But…" Velvet's voice audibly cracks. "R-Right now… I need some time to think about everything."
The rabbit faunus awkwardly walks backward until she lightly bumps into the door. She blushes in embarrassment, then quickly speeds out of the room. One by one, everyone who entered has either scolded the one person team or expressed their disappointment, then ultimately left and seemingly severed ties… Except for Weiss, who uncomfortably dusts off her skirt, despite it being clean, flawless, and ironed neatly. Link sighs in frustration, though not aware that the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company is still in his room. Then, she clears her throat and stops messing around with her dress
"Link?" Weiss whispers quietly
"Oh Weiss, you're still here…" Link coldly speaks, his optimism fading. "Why don't you go join the rest of them?"
Silence.
Followed by more silence..
Until…
"B-Because I-I-!" Weiss stammers. "I believe you."
"W-what?" Link gasps as sadness consumed him and the blonde boy loudly sniffs, which makes it clear that he is on the verge of tears
"You heard me." Weiss rolls her eyes, but a weak smile forms. "I believe you, dunce. Ever since you told me and everyone else about your past, I know you have no reason to lie. As much as it hurts that you hate my home, it took a lot of courage for you to open up and tell your story. Didn't it?"
"Mhm." He nods
"Exactly. You are honest, show a lot of integrity, are very wise, have a big heart, and you really care for everyone you love." Weiss nods. "And while I do not know about Emerald being involved. What I do know is that you would NEVER do something to endanger the lives of Pyrrha and Jaune. You are innocent in my eyes, Link. The truth will come out, your name will be cleared, and I will help if you need my support."
Link turns around, revealing his face to Weiss as tears are visibly seen going down his cheeks. He walks to her and suddenly wraps his arms around her waist for a big hug, going out of his way to even slightly lift her in the air too. Weiss' earlier blush that only recently faded, returns with a more darker color spread across her cheeks
"Thank you." Link notices the blush spread across her face and chuckles without noticing the slight redness on his face as well
"What's so funny?" Weiss tries to frown, but her friend's chuckling prevents her from keeping a serious tone or expression
"Nothing. I just would have gone completely insane if all of you did not believe me." Link's chuckling quickly dwindles. "While it hurts knowing that my friends think I would harm the lives of Jaune and Pyrrha-!"
"I know." Weiss cuts him off by hugging back tightly, something very uncharacteristic of herself. "As much as I'm enjoying this moment, Link. I do have to head back to the colosseum soon. My team feels like Yang and I's match is today, since we're getting closer and closer to the next round."
"Oh… Okay." Link sadly puts her down, then hesitates in letting Weiss go, but eventually does so, "If you do get selected today, good luck Weiss. I will be rooting for you and Y-!" He shakes his head and revises his sentence. "I will be rooting for you."
"Thank you." Weiss nods, "And hey, no matter what happens next, know that I'm on your side. We used to be at odds way too often, most of that was my fault though so I am deeply sorry."
"It is okay Weiss, I-!"
"Ah bahp bhap bahp, I am talking mister." She smirks. "My point is despite our problems, you were always there when I needed help, regardless of our mutual disdain. Especially when team SLVR attacked me, oh my goodness. You could have not shown up and gone back to eat with my team and Pyrrha's team in peace while I took a beating, but you didn't. Instead, you defended me against four people you never met before or knew anything about. They could have been really dangerous and yet, you still fearlessly defended me."
"You bet I did." Link smiles weakly. "And I would gladly do it again if you found yourself in another difficult spot."
"Thank you." Weiss smiles, "Ever since that day, I've thought about how nasty I have been to you, whether it was me in your face being rude and nasty, or the way I talked about you to others. I have not been a good person, and I want to change that." She oddly beams with hope. "I hope you can forgive me."
"Of course I can. People's true colors were shown today. I honestly did not expect you of all people to stand by my side, but what matters is you are by my side, and that means everything to me." Link sits on his bed and sighs deeply, "This isn't over by any means, Weiss. The truth will come out eventually."
"I hope it does and as soon as possible." Weiss turns, slowly walks to the door, and stops when she turns the doorknob, "Take care of yourself and please don't get into any more trouble. You are the one who saves people." She smiles. "Mister one man team."
"Even you are joining in on that, huh?" Link chuckles. "No guarantees, but I will try my best."
He waves goodbye as the normally arrogant member of team RWBY leaves with a genuine smile on her face. Weiss exits, gently shuts the door, and slowly walks away, but suddenly stops to look back at the blonde boy's room. She shakes her head and continues walking; the big hug from someone that used to be her enemy at one point replays in her head and tugs at her heartstrings
"What even was that?" Weiss sighs before she calmly inhales, exhales, and flashes a big smile. "I was not expecting THAT in the slightest, but it felt nice."
Moments Later, more as within seconds of Weiss leaving, a gentle knock is heard. However, it is not on the door, but on the window to Link's room
"Hm?" Link turns his head to the left
What he sees is a familiar foe crouching on the stone ledge directly outside his room… The tiger faunus, leader of team SLVR, and brash Skylar Harrison. She is balancing the same way Link and Neptune did when the two of them, alongside Sun, spied on team RWBY at the start of the new semester
"What's up?" Skylar smiles and knocks on the window again, this time with more urgency. "Mind letting me in? I'm kindaaa losing my balance out here."
Link stops as he reaches for the window, unsure of who his current friends are, but the smile on Skylar's face convinces him otherwise as he slowly opens the window to not hit her with it
"Thanks." Skylar hops into the room and nods in approval. "Not bad, you're living well here. Four people in here and it's crammed to hell, just one person though? And it's perfect."
"I'd offer you coffee, but it's old." Link shrugs
"Nonsense, I would love some." Skylar chuckles. "Now be a good host and fetch me some coffee."
"Okay, I will do that." Link nods, walks to his desk, and turns on the coffee machine on said desk, now he waits for it to warm up the day old liquid. "Are you here to yell at me too?"
"No way. Why would I-!" Skylar frowns. "Wait a second. What do you mean yell at you too? Did I miss something?"
"Five out of six friends believe I did it. And they're very upset at me about it." Link eyes the machine until it starts beeping. "Other friends did not even come, so I can only assume their mind is already made up."
"How is it that we only met a few days ago, but I feel like I know you better as a person than they do?" She scoffs in disappointment. "You are all about loyalty, respect, and love. So what do you gain from hurting your friends?" The tiger faunus slaps the frame of the bed furiously. "This is some bullsh-!"
"Skylar." Link shakes his head. "But I understand the anger. I know exactly what happened, but they wouldn't believe me. It was all caused by this girl who's name is-!"
"No no, save it." Skylar taps on the frame with her claws. "I knew the general was going to be at your dorm soon enough and decided to follow in my own way."
"What do you mean?" Link raises an eyebrow
"It means that I have been standing on this ledge, near your window the entire time." She laughs. "Save your breath. There is no need to make a pitch for what I've already bought."
"Really? Just like that? What made you so sure?" Link gently smiles as he pours coffee, fixes up a sweetened version, walks back over, and hands her a mug of coffee with milk and sugar
"How'd you know?" Skylar smiles. "Normally I'm a black coffee person but I was feeling something sweet today."
"Lucky guess." He shrugs his shoulders. "Even the people who prefer black coffee don't mind milk and sugar every now and then. I do need an answer to my question, Skylar."
"Since you're dying for the answer, fine. The heiress." Skylar takes a big whiff of the warm coffee and sighs in relief, "This is lovely. They sell the good stuff over here in Vale, huh? But anyway, I have been on your side ever since it happened. Someone looked off, the series of attacks you landed that finished the blondie, Jaune. Well, that's usually it for any huntsman or huntress in training, but he persisted on getting up and limping his way back to his teammate? The way he was trying to grab her as well was bizarre. She was on her feet, and he was grabbing her legs and reaching at the ground, was he disoriented?"
"Your guess is as good as mine." Link shakes his head
"I have to give credit to his toughness since… No offense to him, but he's one of the weaker ones in this tournament." The tiger faunus slightly giggles. "But that girl with the red hair, Nikos. She is the complete huntress, and way tougher than the word being spread around. What did they say? 'Unsure of her condition' my ass. She's the toughest bitch in this tournament, tougher than ME even."
"Everything you said is factual and very accurate." Link returns to his desk to grab the only chair in the room, "So how did Weiss convince you?" He carries the chair over to his bed, sets it down, and sits in front of the team SLVR leader
"She is the most skeptical, insufferable, catty, stuck up girl, and heiress to the Schnee Dust Company... The definition of privileged. And yet, she was the only one so far to declare her loyalty." Skylar makes quick work of her coffee, enjoying the taste of the hot beverage. "A girl like her, with that kind of status? To have a friend like you, let alone be on your side? I expected her to not even be here when you got escorted back."
"That is what I was expecting too." Link chuckles in amusement at their similar assumptions
"Looks like saving her against us really changed her significantly." She rolls her eyes, but with a present grin, "Hell, she might even have a thing for you now with how you made her go all red!" She leans forward, punches Link's knee, and winks. "You're welcome."
"Are you condoning assault?" Link smirks
"I got carried away, alright? But hey it worked out for everyone, things happen for a reason as my mother would say." Skylar springs up to her feet and marches to the coffee machine, not satisfied with one drink. "The entitled Schnee changed, I changed, and now we're both your friends... Although, I may not be too far off when I say she has a thing for you."
"Stop." Link chuckles
"Alright alright, but you know what I am trying to say." She pours herself more day-old coffee. "Isn't it funny how things worked out?"
"Yes, tell me about it." Link glances at his door, the image of Weiss gracefully exiting still in his head, "Tell me something else... More specifically what the rest of your teammates think and what I do to convince those who don't believe me. I can only assume those who didn't come like Fox, Yatsuhashi, Sun, Neptune, Nora, and Ren already think I'm guilty."
"Pfft, don't even stress." Skylar bursts out with laughter. "Violet adores you, Leo has too much respect for you, and Ryker is already suspicious about a third party being involved." She returns with another milk and sugar coffee mug. "That tells you a lot about my team, doesn't it?"
"I'm glad to hear, but..." Link glances at the floor
"Right, what should you do? I know you want me to answer that, but to be honest with you, my answer won't help you." Skylar shrugs. "And I don't mean to slander your friendships with the people you named or the people who yelled at you today, but…"
"It's okay, Skylar." Link nods. "Give me your honest answer."
"Alright." She sighs. "If they were really your friends, they would have given you the benefit of the doubt or at the very least waited until concrete proof comes out to shut down your argument. But they didn't even do that, besides the heiress at least."
"You're right, it's not helping me." The one person team's expression of hope drops instantly
"All I'm saying is you show them respect, compassion, and trust. You told them about your life my friend." Skylar shakes her head. "I have only told my life story to my team and you. Based on what I know about you and how we relate, I will say this. From one damaged soul to another… You must really trust someone to pour out your heart like that. They chose to shun you, wall you off, and to potentially stop being your friend... That tells me they were never loyal to begin with." Skylar stops drinking halfway and hands the mug to Link. "Go on, you need this more than I do."
"Coffee?" Link raises both eyebrows in confusion
"Yeah, how else are you gonna prove you're innocent, by taking a nap?" She snorts
"Good point." Link nods and takes the mug. "Good answers too, it may not be what I want to hear, but it is the reality of the situation."
"No kidding, it sucks but that's just how it is sometimes." Skylar fidgets with her metal hand that looks semi-realistic. "I'll get going and give you some time to yourself, you clearly need it right now. Just remember that you do have good people around you, don't let those who turned their backs on you get in your head."
"Right now, I don't know what to think." Link sighs. "I thought I had it all figured out, but having almost all of my friends think I would actually do that… Makes me reconsider everything. However, I must give you a big thanks, Sklar. At least I know where you stand in all of this."
"You already know it." Skylar slaps Link's shoulder, then pulls him into an awkward hug
(Ummm?) Link chuckles as he accepts the embrace and hugs her back, which garner a slight jolt from the tiger faunus. "You haven't done this before have you?"
"S-Shut up, I've only hugged my mother before and she initiated all of them,." She gently slaps Link's head before pulling away and heading for the window
"Thanks for stopping by, it means a lot to have your support." Link flashes a smile
"Look, we're gonna be on our way back to Haven as soon as the tournament ends, right. SO, before we leave, you are gonna show my team around Vale." Skylar turns back and smirks. "Lunch is on you as well."
"I have no problem with that." Link nods as he finishes the coffee and waves at Skylar. "Take care of yourself."
"Will do… And cya, until we meet again mister one man team." Skylar winks again before she leaps out of the window and aims for the nearest tree, using her claws to halt her momentum, allowing the tiger faunus to drop down to the grass and elegantly land on her feet
However, as soon as Skylar walks away far enough from his window, Link finishes the coffee, puts the mug down on his desk, then angrily pushes over the chair he was sitting on. A pounding headache kicks in, along with an overwhelming feeling of anxiety and fear, causing him to overthink and move around erratically. First, Link flips his mattress off the bed frame, boots the wooden frame, moving it in diagonally, his pillows fly and are scattered everywhere, blanket remains under the mattress, and finishes off his moment of intense anger by tipping over his bookshelf, with all of his books crashing to the ground!
"What happens now? They said they would be here for me, but when it was time to choose whether to believe me or not, most of them scurried off!" Link leans back first against a wall and slowly slides to the ground, "I need to talk to Pyrrha. She is how I prove my innocence, at least to myself if anything. Seeing her back on her feet will confirm what I already thought regarding-! No!" He stops himself. "Not what I thought… What I know!"
Link continues to run his hand through his hair and stares angrily at the ground, contemplating the words said to him by his newest friend, Skylar
"In a lot of ways, she is right. Throughout our entire time at Beacon, I went out of my way to defend my friends, figuratively with words and literally with physicality. I tried to kill General Ironwood when he 'killed' Ruby, I was there for Blake before Yang convinced her about the dance, and whenever Yang asked me to do something, I always did it, no questions asked." Link closes his eyes and continues to seethe. "I supported Coco when she lost, even did her the favor of taking Velvet out for a date to get her mind off everything and show her a good time. Speaking of Velvet... Has she already forgotten about everything we've been through this year?"
Link looks to the canteen on his hip and immediately gives in. The blonde boy unhooks it from his belt, opens it, and downs the alcohol he has inside the liquid holder. Next, he slumps over, head barely touching the mattress, and reaches for his scroll. Link opens his communication device, only to see footage of the tournament match replaying yet again, before promptly shutting the scroll and tossing it off to the side
Several hours later
"Ugh."
Link sits up and instantly picks up his scroll, then opens it and to his disappointment, there is only one message waiting for him. The message is from Weiss, which makes him smile temporarily. Following this, he checks on news regarding the tournament, with headlines he has not read himself yet
"Hm, let's see…" Link starts. "Link disqualified, I know that. Beacon under scrutiny, expected that. Pyrrha Nikos back on her feet so soon after a vicious attack, understandable-!" His eyes dart back to the headline. "Wait what?"
The blonde boy rapidly taps on the screen to watch the video in full screen, and it does not disappoint, as Pyrrha walks down the courtyard to a standing ovation from other Beacon students cheering her on after the incredible match that ended in controversy
(I knew it! When was this posted?) Link notices the time stamp that says 'two hours ago', the recency of it makes him quickly stand and sprint out of his room
…
Minutes later, Link is another hallway in the dormitory wing of Beacon Academy, pounding away on the door of team JNPR's dorm
"Who is it?" Nora speaks
(She will never answer if I speak.) Link narrows his eyes, decides not to answer, and changes his approach to gentle knocking
"Hello?" Nora opens the door and instantly frowns upon seeing a friend who is now public enemy number one. "What do you want?"
"Where are Pyrrha and Jaune?" Link asks politely. "Are they here, resting?"
"Stay away from us." Nora throws the door with tremendous power
"I said-!" Link catches the door, his tone changing from concern to serious. "Where are Pyrrha and Jaune?"
"First you hurt my teammates." She shakes her head. "Now you're here, catching an attitude when you are in the wrong? Are you trying to start more fights? If that's what you want then-!"
"Nora." Ren swiftly puts a hand on her shoulder and slowly eases her back, inside the room. "Jaune is here resting."
"That is great news." Link sighs with relief. "Where is Pyrrha? And look, Ren. I promise I'm not trying to pick any fights, this is urgent! I need to speak with her."
"Okay." Ren sighs. "Pyrrha just left, not too long ago. Professor Ozpin called her to his office."
"Thank you." Link nods. "Now that I am here, I should ask. Where do you and Nora stand on what happened?"
"I think..." Ren shoots him a quick glare. "You already know."
The quiet, more reserved member of team JNPr closes the door and that Is all it takes for Link to get the message
"That did not go well at all." Link narrows his eyes and runs off, knowing where he must go next, (What are the chances Pyrrha believes me?)
Choosing willingly to not answer his own question, Link continues his journey, first having to out of the dormitories and head to the quad, with the crossroads leading to different areas of Beacon
Minutes Later: Beacon Tower, Ground Floor
Having already been to Beacon Tower before, alongside knowing the route to the elevator that leads to Ozpin's office, Link quickly makes his way there. He sprints as fast as he can right before Pyrrha approaches it herself, as she is hesitant in entering
"Hello, Link." Pyrrha's voice echoes throughout the hall as she can feel his presence
"Pyrrha… Hi." Link continues approaching her until he is right behind his friend. "I'm so happy to see you're okay."
"Are you?" She turns and eyes him suspiciously
"Not you too." Link takes another step closer, looking right into her eyes and shortening the space between them. "Look at me Pyrrha."
"O-Okay." Pyrrha briefly looks at the walls before meeting his gaze
"I am happy to see you again and thrilled to see you on your feet." Link nods. "If you don't believe me, that is up to you, but at least listen to me before casting judgement."
"R-Right, I suppose that is fair. I do not know what to make of it all." Pyrrha grabs her own arm and squeezes it nervously, "Based on the match footage, you are clearly guilty. My team almost convinced me as we were being treated as well… But my quick recovery has me second guessing everything that was said to me." Her eyes glimmer with hope. "You didn't put everything into that final attack, did you?"
"Of course not." Link smiles and shakes his head
"I fell into an unconscious state, but when I woke up, my aura was back to normal and my injuries healed rapidly." Pyrrha reaches around to feel her back, where she was struck. "You only made it seem like it was a big attack based on the look on your face, and the speed of it all."
"Y-Yes, I have been told that already." He sighs
"Then, there was that flashing light that blinded everyone, whether that was intentional or not on your behalf, it left your attack up for interpretation." She shakes her head. "But rather than knowing you held back, a lot of people think you wanted to seriously hurt us."
"Correct." Link narrows his eyes. "And right now, I promise you that my intentions are not and never will be to hurt any of you guys."
"I..." Pyrrha hesitated
"This is probably too much for you to take in right now, so I can give you some space if you would like." He nods. "Just give me a chance. I do not want to get used to having my other friends distancing themselves from me."
"No, I..."
She looks down before taking a step closer towards her friend, and wrapping her arms around Link for a tight, firm hug
"Pyrrha…" Link whispers calmly
"I didn't know what to think, but now I think I know the truth." Pyrrha mumbles. "You always told us you would protect your friends with your life and be there for us. Then you did what you did, and I initially thought your words were just lies but... Deep down, I did not want to believe you would hurt us."
"..." Link does not say anything at first, instead he keeps hugging his friend, prior to eventually opening his mouth. "I have a valid reason but only Skylar and her team believe with absolute confidence. Weiss is on my side too, she knows I am innocent, but even she was skeptical about some of the story. Maybe you would like to-!"
"Yes." Pyrrha nods, "I want to hear everything you have to say." She speaks softly while slowly pulling away from their warm embrace
"That is what I like to hear. Can we talk right now?" Link asks. "It might take a while."
"N-No." Pyrrha sighs, "We cannot speak right now. Professor Ozpin is waiting for me any second now." Her expression drops. "And I have to be at the colosseum soon for the finals, there have not been any brackets announced or anything of the sort so I will not know who I will be fighting, now that the doubles round has wrapped up."
"Oh, that is okay then. I understand." Link nods. "I also think they will likely not allow me back into the colosseum, not that I would want to deal with a hoard of boos."
"How about tomorrow morning?" Pyrrha smiles. "Crack of dawn? A little bit after?"
"Sounds like a plan." Link extends his hand. "Whenever we wake up is fine with me."
"Link…" Pyrrha grins. "We're past handshakes." She proceeds to shake her friend's hand, but then pulls him into another hug. "I'm happy too by the way. To think you would have changed in such a violent manner was impossible to me."
"Never." Link hugs tightly, rubs her back, and sighs in relief. "I will always be by your side until the end."
"Thank you." Pyrrha lightly taps on his back, signaling she will let go soon. "I am really happy you caught me right before I entered the elevator, this was nice." She backs away once more until the censors on the elevator detect her and the doors rapidly open
"More like thank you for hearing me out." Link nods in approval, a big grin present on his face. "If you're chosen tonight… Good luck, I will be watching, supporting, and cheering for your victory."
Pyrrha enters the elevator, turns back to Link, and mouths the words 'thank you' as the doors shut and she is swiftly taken all the way up to Professor Ozpin's office
"That's right!" Link speaks out loud. "I wished Weiss good luck and I still have that message from her. Let's see."
The blonde boy makes his way back to the dormitories, puts his head down, grabs his scroll, and opens Weiss' message, it is a still image of her and Yang, smiling as they emerged victorious over team FNKI of Atlas, along with text that simply says 'I hope you were impressed'
"Oof!"
Ruby's cry is loudly heard as she and Link crash into each other unknowingly due to lacking awareness. The former falls to the ground, backside first, while the latter just manages to stay on his feet
"R-Ruby, hey." Link smiles and extends his hand. "Are you okay? I'm sorry."
"O-Oh! I'm fine… And it was probably my fault anyway." Ruby nervously takes his hand and accepts the kind act. "Thanks."
"No problem." Link holds onto her hand and squeezes it gently. "Ruby, please. I hope your mind has changed, even a small change goes a long way."
"I..." She quickly slips her hand out of his grasp and takes a step back. "I don't know how to feel Link."
"This isn't fair Ruby, and you know it." Link sighs, his eyes dropping to the ground, "I will do anything for you and if the roles were reversed, I would not trust strangers without any evidence." He shuts his eyes and shakes his head. "I've talked with you, sparred with you, fought for you, and more. This-!"
"I just don't know, okay!" Ruby shouts in frustration. "Everything is too fresh and not enough time has passed to change my mind now. I should get going… I'm sorry Link."
"Ruby." Link picks up his head. "Let's talk, don't run aw-!"
However, when he opens his eyes. she was already gone. Ruby's astonishing speed helps her escape the tough and awkward situation before Link can even finish his sentence, but as quick as she leaves, a look of anger on Link's face forms. The blonde's hands slowly, shakily, and angrily ball up into fists that turn his fingers and knuckles red from the built up pressure
(Weekly updates? We'll see :P)