So Volume 9 Episode 6. That was certainly an episode. Don't get me wrong, I like Bumbleby, but like... hasn;t it been canon since Volume 6? I recall it being made 'official' then. And Jaune having like a two minute backstory for why he's older is kinda lame. Idk, I was kinda hoping for something like the episode where Jinn answered the question and we got a massive lore episode. Still good though, and the actual kiss scene was pretty touching.
On another note, I really hope they get out of the Ever After by the end of the volume. It's great having a smaller scale to focus on characters but I can only take so much. Hopefully Volume 10 sees them return to Remnant and see what's happening in Vacuo.
I will say I'm happy that it wasn't a "Time flows differently here and you're gonna get out of here and everyone's gonna be either dead or a baby" situation though. Jaune just messed up and touched someone's clock without consent.
Anyways, enough about canon RWBY. Here's another chapter of Silver Spectre. Enjoy.
Pyrrha seemed slightly shocked by Weiss's challenge, but nonetheless drew her weapon. Arching a brow, she asked, "What brought this on?"
Weiss grit her teeth slightly. "Just... frustrated. I need an outlet, and given how you are both incredibly skilled and indirectly responsible for my stress, I believe a spar will clear my head."
The red-haired woman tilted her head in confusion. "I don't know what I could have done to upset you. Was it something I said?" She asked apologetically.
Weiss shook her head. "No. Just... some questions you've made me consider," She glanced towards her left, where Ruby floated wordlessly, her expression distant and uninterested.
Pyrrha didn't seem to understand but nodded to the Atlesian and stepped back. "I... well, I don't understand, but I'm willing to help. Shall we go ahead and allow the use of magic?" Weiss nodded. "I presume we won't go too far though. It wouldn't do to injure each other before engaging the enemy."
"Fine by me," Weiss said, walking several paces away from Pyrrha and raising her sword with a flourish. "We'll go on your mark," She declared. Pyrrha nodded, her entire demeanor changing in an instant. Gone was the earnest young woman and in her place was a champion.
For a few tense moments, there was silence. Weiss shifted her weight between her left and right foot, ready to leap towards or away in a moment depending on Pyrrha's first strike. The green-eyed woman held her shield out in front of her, spear loosely held at her side ready to snap forwards blindingly fast.
Weiss let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding when Pyrrha barked out "Begin!" And shot forwards. The white-haired girl danced to the right, Myrternaster flashing upwards to try and score a glancing blow on her opponent.
Pyrrha casually deflected the blow with her shield and thrust her spear towards Weiss, narrowly missing her as she darted out of range, smacking Pyrrha's follow-up thrust aside with her rapier. Stepping back, Weiss lifted her rapier to be level with her head and let loose a series of thrusts.
The general easily blocked her thrusts, moving her shield slightly each time to ensure the blows landed near the center of her shield to prevent one from opening a hole in her guard. Weiss felt a jolt as each blow struck enchanted bronze only to have the air forced out of her by Pyrrha bashing her shield into her chest.
Letting the blow carry her, Weiss fell to the ground and rolled to gain distance, avoiding a swipe from the blade of Pyrrha's spear and attempting to counter with a quick horizontal slash that bounced off a perfectly timed raise of her shield.
Pyrrha lunged forwards to try and strike Weiss, only to have her attack get parried. Pyrrha left no opening, however, quickly raising her shield to defend against Weiss's riposte. She then proceeded to deliver a series of slashes that forced Weiss to deflect and dodge.
Both women were panting slightly, observing each other for some sign of weakness. Weiss found nothing she could exploit in Pyrrha. Her fighting style was rather defensive, but her choice of weapon mitigated her lack of aggression by granting her longer range that let her punish her opponent for failing to break through.
Almost simultaneously, the two women charged each other once again, their weapons flashing out. Silver met bronze as Myrternaster performed intricate slashes that Miló met, the heavier spear beating them aside. Raising Akoúo created blindspots that Weiss tried to exploit, leading Pyrrha to instead focus on defending herself with a solid offense.
Their weapons loudly clanged together for what felt like minutes but was only a matter of seconds, a cacophony of metal that rang out loudly over to roar of their blood as they tried to find a gap. Eventually, as suddenly as they began, they both leapt back.
Weiss, recognizing that Pyrrha was the greater physical fighter and that she had only lasted due to her speed and quick thinking, began to move her aura in preparation to use Inherent magic to create distance and allow her to use her stronger glyphs.
Pyrrha seemed to recognize that she needed to change her strategy and shifted her grip on her unique weapon, moving her grip to hold it closer to the blade with one hand gripping it further back. Calling her weapon a spear was a bit incorrect. It was closer to a short gladius blade on a spear handle.
Her current grip provided Pyrrha with better control of the blade while sacrificing range and thrusting strength, betraying her intention. She meant to get in close and overwhelm Weiss. The ex-heiress felt her lips quirk upwards into a competitive smirk unbidden.
In a burst of speed that was clearly enhanced by magic, Pyrrha was on her in an instant. But Weiss was ready, thrusting her right hand out and launching a jet of flames from her palm. Pyrrha's enchanted armor kept the flames from doing any serious damage, but the red-haired woman instinctively stepped back.
That was all the opportunity that Weiss needed, darting back and pressing her thumb into the dust on Myrternaster's hilt, coating the blade in ice dust that she swung in a wide arch, throwing a wave of chilly mist towards Pyrrha.
The sudden shift in temperature caused Pyrrha to wince, but she was otherwise unbothered as the mist passed over her and dissipated. Her green eyes darted to where Weiss stood several paces away, rapidly drawing a glyph.
Weiss slammed her palm into the magic circle she had quickly drawn and filled with a small amount of dust, sending a small lance of lightning towards Pyrrha. Her opponent raised her shield to block it, but doing so covered her vision as Weiss drew another glyph much lower, sending an arc of energy outwards.
Pyrrha shrugged off the bolt only to have her feet swept out from under her by the arc, though she performed a quick feat of acrobatics and twisted in the air to land in a roll. Wasting no momentum, she shot forwards to try and keep Weiss from activating another glyph.
Unfortunately for her, Weiss was good. While her swordplay wasn't anything to scoff at, it didn't give her any advantage over Pyrrha, who was clearly the better fighter on a physical level. But her magic certainly did.
A blast of white light shot from the glyph, exploding against Akoúo with enough force to knock her back slightly, halting her momentum. Taking advantage of the distraction, Weiss drew yet another glyph, this one meant to rapidly fire shards of icy glass at Pyrrha.
But her concentration was interrupted when Miló flew by her, grazing against her shoulder pauldron and creating a flash of sparks as it did. The glyph quickly spluttered out and failed as she stopped drawing due to her shock.
Pyrrha was panting slightly in front of her, arm outstretched from having thrown her spear towards Weiss, who was confused. Why had she thrown her weapon like that? Now she had only her shield, and Myrternaster was fast enough to sneak a few blows in around it.
Weiss wasn't sure why Pyrrha had hurled Miló like that, but she wasn't going to waste this opportunity. Perhaps she had tried a last-ditch effort to finish the match only to miss? She didn't know. All she cared about was the fact that she was bearing down on Pyrrha as she stared at the ground wordlessly.
But when the red-haired woman raised her friend with a confident smirk, Weiss realized she'd made a mistake. A flash of purple was all the warning Weiss got before she felt something whoosh past her, clipping off a few strands of her hair as it did so.
Pyrrha easily caught her weapon, which Weiss now saw glowing with the tell-tale purple of gravity dust, and twirled it to face Weiss, whose momentum was too great for her to halt her charge and fall back out of range.
So instead she pumped her aura through her body, strengthening her muscles as she prepared to defend against the coming onslaught. As her sword arm drew back to position her blade diagonally across her chest, Pyrrha lunged forwards.
Each strike from Pyrrha was measured, a perfect mix of power and control, speed and direction. A strike to her abdomen that Weiss deflected, a slash directed her side that she was forced to throw her whole weight against to defend, a thrust that Weiss narrowly avoided followed by a sweep that she didn't quite dodge right, clipping against her greaves and throwing her off balance.
Pyrrha didn't let up, slamming her shield into Weiss's stomach with a punch and bringing it up with a slam that surely would've broken Weiss's nose had she not thrown her head back to let it soar harmlessly above. But she wasn't helpless against the assault.
Gripping Myrternaster's blade with her right hand, she drove it past Pyrrha's guard and struck a glancing blow across her vambraces, though no blood was drawn. Pyrrha likewise gripped her spear to have more control as the two began trying to overpower each other.
By now their spar had gained quite an audience, with cheers ringing out across the improvised training yard as members of the Rebellion rooted for either their general or their mysterious new heroine. But neither Pyrrha nor Weiss noticed, too engaged with the spar to care.
The two broke away, Weiss trying to deliver a quick feint thrust as she did so only for Pyyrha to bat it aside with her shield and thrust Miló forward. Weiss parried and followed up with a slash from above that Pyrrha countered with an upwards sweep that met it and knocked the lighter blade aside.
Weiss danced back, magic swirling in her palm only for Pyrrha to slide her hands down her spear handle, gripping it tightly at the base and swinging it like one would a greatsword. The much greater range forced Weiss to cancel her spell and throw herself into a dodge.
Pyrrha followed up by slashing diagonally upwards, but Weiss darted forwards past the bladed part of Miló and raised her blade to end the match.
But a flash of gravity dust embedded into Pyrrha's gauntlet pulled her spear back into a shorter grip faster than Weiss could react, allowing Pyrrha to use superior leverage to best Weiss's lunge and follow up with a slash that she was forced to take, scratching a line across her armored chest.
Weiss, now sorely regretting closing the distance, needed to put space between her and Pyrrha and thus threw a punch to her stomach that made Pyrrha grunt in pain and allowed her to back away. To her shock, cheers broke out as she stepped away from her opponent, who likewise only just now seemed to notice the audience.
And it was quite the audience. What seemed like the entire Rebellion was watching her and Pyrrha fight, with quite a number seeming to be cheering for her of all people. She noticed Amber seeming to scream her name, though she couldn't quite hear.
She could definitely hear Nora as she screamed for Weiss and Pyrrha to stop standing around gawking and start trying to stab each other again. Weiss rolled her eyes almost fondly then turned her attention back to Pyrrha, who had also been observing their (not so) sudden audience.
"They seem to be enjoying this," Weiss spoke breathlessly.
"Mhm. I know I am. It's been a while since I've gotten to spar with someone new who pushed me this far," Pyrrha complimented. "And while General Daichi is a great friend and warrior, he is a bit more... predictable than you," She teased.
Weiss smirked. "Well then," she twirled her sword and re-entered a fighting stance. "Shall we give them a finale to remember?"
Pyrrha smirked right back. "Yes. If you think you can keep that is."
At that, the two exploded into motion. Weiss dragged Myrtenaster behind her, blindly drawing a glyph she knew by heart behind her shoulder before thrusting forwards in a lunge. Pyrrha blocked her attack and tried to counter, but Weiss leapt away with a slash that she was forced to defend herself against.
As she darted away, Weiss activated her glyph and fired a dart of magic at Pyrrha before drawing two more in quick succession, one pulling Pyrrha forward with a yelp and the other firing a series of weak but fast beams of magic.
To Weiss's shock, Pyrrha let herself be pulled and threw herself to the ground, throwing her spear forwards and catching the base to give herself greater range, swinging it at Weiss's feet. She leapt over the blade but was caught by a powerful blow when she brought it up in a slash that slammed into her silver armor.
Pyrrha then shocked Weiss even further by tossing Miló into the air and activating the dust, sending it rocketing to the ground with enough force to knock up a cloud of dirt that blinded Weiss long enough for her to dart forwards and deliver a kick that sent her sprawling.
Weiss rolled away as Pyrrha used her gravity dust to pull her spear back, only this time she didn't catch it and instead allowed the blunt end to slam into Weiss's stomach and bounce off. Weiss tried to catch it and disarm her, but Pyrrha was too quick and brought it back to her.
As Weiss backpedaled to create distance, Pyrrha threw her spear to the side and activated the gravity dust again, sweeping her hand from left to right, causing it to fly in an arc and slash through the air as though being swung before it slid back into her grasp.
Weiss wasn't sure which was worse. Trying to fight at a distance and having to deal with the unpredictable ways she fought with gravity dust, of getting in close and letting her overwhelm her with superior strength. And with how quickly she could draw Miló back to her or throw it towards her, there was no way to bait her into one strategy and then exploit her weakness.
Glyphs would take too long to draw, and her swordsmanship wasn't enough. There wasn't a single tool in her arsenal that could surpass Pyrrha's constantly shifting style. Absent-mindedly, Weiss began to twist the aura she had been gathering in her palms. There was one thing she could do.
But as soon as the thought entered her head she threw it out. The necrotic black flame she had used in Shion was the spark that incited her argument with Ruby, and it wouldn't be good to announce herself as a necromancer to the entire Rebellion. Not to mention that she wasn't sure she could use it nonlethally, and while she wanted to win, she didn't want to kill Pyrrha.
Instead, she considered how Pyrrha had been besting her in their clashes. Her strength wasn't something she could match, and there was no easy counter to her strong defenses. But the odd ways she attacked with dust gave her an idea. Did she think she could match a Schnee when it came to dust?
Pressing her hilt and filling her blade with crackling electric dust, Weiss lunged forwards as Pyrrha lunged to meet her charge. At the second before impact, Weiss activated the fire dust as well, sparking a reaction that created a small explosion, blasting Pyrrha's annoyingly simple yet complex weapon aside.
She tried to draw it back with gravity dust, but Weiss wreathed her blade in ice dust and struck it out of the air before thrusting towards Pyrrha, who raised her shield in time to block it. But the spot where Weiss struck began to freeze, a thin layer of ice covering the surface of the shield.
Pyrrha again drew her sword back, this time with a swipe that would've struck Weiss's shoulder had she not deflected. The red-haired woman performed a quick series of slashes that Weiss guarded, each blow spreading more ice along the spear.
Eventually, the ice dust enveloping her blade began to run out. Weiss decided to make the most of what remained and swung it outwards, dispersing it and sending small shards at Pyrrha, who didn't have time to react. None of them did any serious damage, but a few thin scratches now decorated her arms and face.
Going for a quick thrust to end the match, Pyrrha gasped when Weiss smirked and activated the gravity dust in her own sword, sending out a pulse that sent Miló flying. More shocking was the fact that the ice coating the blade interfered with her ability to draw it back to her. She was now disarmed.
Weiss gave her no chance to react, darting forwards and relentlessly assaulting her guard, her blows gradually forcing Pyrrha back as she tried to find a way through her guard. It was only a matter of time before she-
Pyrrha's shield seemed to grow larger as it flew towards her face, bashing her skull and making her fall back with a cry. A quick kick to the gut left her breathless while a chop to her left arm left her disarmed. Her eyes went wide, only for them to go even wider when she heard the sound of steel sliding across leather.
A knife was at her throat before she really even understood what had happened, Pyrrha's hand holding her by the collar while the other pressed a small dagger she hadn't even noticed against her throat. Her blue eyes darted from the knife to Pyrrha's face, which had the most humble smile Weiss had ever seen on someone who had managed to thoroughly embarrass her like this.
"Looks like I won!" She teased. Weiss just gulped in response. Dimly she wondered if there was anything she could do to break out of this situation had this been a real fight. Perhaps necromancy could be used to surprise Pyrrha, but she was so close that it likely wouldn't end well for Weiss.
Seeing no way out, Weiss raised her hands. "I surrender."
The crowd let out a loud cheer, though she did hear some groans of disappointment as a few pouches of lien were passed around between spectators. Pyrrha offered a hand and pulled her to her feet, leaning close to be able to be heard over the crowd.
"It was a good match," She admitted, shaking Weiss's hand and giving a smile to the audience prompting more cheers. Despite her slight disappointment at her loss, Weiss had to agree. Not only had she gotten to test herself against a fearsome warrior, she was too exhausted to care about what had been stressing her out before.
"I agree. Thank you for the spar, General Nikos," She bowed respectfully, which inexplicably caused even more cheering. Had they expected her to be a bad sport?
"Please, it was my pleasure. And there's no need to be so formal. Feel free to call me Pyrrha. It wouldn't do to have my friend refer to me so formally," The red-haired girl smiled at Weiss kindly, her eyes shining. Weiss couldn't help but smile back.
"So we are friends now?" Weiss asked. Pyrrha flushed slightly and waved her hands in a bit of a panic.
"Yes! Er, that is, as long as you want to be! I understand if you don't see me as one-" She spluttered only to stop as Weiss began to laugh loudly.
"How is it that you manage to be the fearless general of the Oniyuri Rebellion one moment before becoming a nervous mess the next?" She teased, causing Pyrrha to blush even more.
"S-sorry. It's just... I haven't exactly made a lot of friends. Comrades, yes. But few people I can truly call my friend."
Weiss nodded back. She understood how that felt. Growing up in the Schnee household had left her almost entirely isolated from her peers. Until Ruby came into her life, she was alone surrounded by a sea of people. "I understand. I'd be glad to consider you my friend, Pyrrha."
Pyrrha smiled nervously back. "I see. Thank you, Weiss. I have to say though, this must be one of the strangest ways to befriend someone."
Weiss shrugged. "Not really. I made some of my closest friends sparring with them, and I've certainly had weirder interactions that led to friendship." She thought fondly of those early days in her relationship with Ruby when she believed the ghost had been haunting her for some nefarious end. How stupid she'd been to not see her for the gift she was.
Pyrrha chuckled. "You'll have to tell me about that sometime," She said. Weiss paled slightly, regretting making a slip-up like that. Fortunately, Pyrrha didn't notice the change in demeanor. "Now I believe General Daichi is wanting to speak with us."
Weiss nodded, grateful for the distraction. As she followed Pyrrha to where the large man stood speaking to Sun and Fox, she completely missed Ruby's conflicted expression as she walked by.
Ruby Rose was not happy. To be quite honest, she had every reason to be upset. She had been cursed and had her soul forcibly ripped out, been stuck with only one person to talk to for over a year, and said person was currently partaking in activities that Ruby did not support all in the name of helping her.
But that wasn't what left the silver-eyed girl so upset. For some strange reason, she felt anger and some other unknown emotion bubble in her stomach as she watched Pyrrha and Weiss converse after their match. The fight had been a spectacular display of skill that ordinarily would've left Ruby squealing with excitement at the action.
But something hadn't seemed right as she watched Weiss expertly battle against Pyrrha. It had been a spar not too dissimilar like the ones she used to have with Yang, but... different. Watching the two talk casually afterward only heightened the strange emotion she felt.
Suddenly, Pyrrha blushed at something Weiss said and the emotion surged up to even greater heights. Ruby didn't know what it was, but she didn't like it.
As the pair walked away, Ruby sat behind deep in thought. Eventually, Weiss got far away enough that she was tugged along, though she hardly seemed to notice. The two ponytailed women were talking to General Daichi about something, and Ruby flew forwards hoping it would distract her from her thoughts.
"Are you sure?" Pyrrha asked, a hint of worry creeping into her voice. Ruby wasn't sure what had been said, but now she was getting concerned.
"Yeah, my men confirmed it. The enemy force has met up with reinforcements from the southeast and has turned around to engage us." Sun explained, shocking Ruby. How had they already got reinforcements?
"How have they already gotten reinforcements? There hasn't been enough time to send a message to Mistral, let alone deploy more soldiers," Weiss parroted the question Ruby had just asked.
"They aren't from the capital. The reinforcements are carrying the banner of House Altan," Fox explained grimly. Weiss and Ruby tilted their heads in confusion, but Pyrrha grimaced.
"House Altan? They are loyal to the king, sure, but they've never caused us any trouble before. Why fight us now?" She asked, to which Sun shrugged.
"Don't know. Beats me. My best guess is that someone they care about was in the retreating army and managed to sway them into acting."
Yatsuhashi nodded in agreement. "If I recall correctly, their eldest child recently came of age. Perhaps she joined the army for a chance at glory and they are now trying to bail her out of this situation?"
Weiss frowned. "That may be it. Nonetheless, this presents a problem. It's one thing to fight the central army, but if we start facing off against the private guard of every single noble in Mistral we stand no chance."
Ruby nodded in agreement, though no one saw. This situation had no easy answer. If they fought then that might cause other more neutrals to panic and side with the king. But if they fled then they risked being wiped out if the enemy caught up to them unaware.
Pyrrha sighed deeply. "Perhaps we can capture the heir to house Altan and ransom her back to her family in exchange for peace? It will be difficult, but I'm confident we could strike swiftly enough to end the conflict before it can lead to too many casualties."
Yatsuhashi scowled slightly. "I'm not sure that's the best idea. They can only go so far before they'll need to return to their territory. If we turn around now we can outpace them."
"But then we'll be giving up the advantage," Weiss countered. "If we strike now and breakthrough, then it will take time for Mistral to deploy another army to face us. Retreating only allows them to consolidate their troops with the forces of neighboring nobles. We'll be overrun."
"I don't see this as worth the risk. Retreating to safer ground and preparing for a fight is the best option," Yatsuhashi argued. "It's how we've always survived."
"It's also why you've been stuck in a stalemate for a decade," Weiss shot back. Ruby winced at her words but couldn't find fault in them. The Rebellion's tactics had been very defensive and reactionary, prioritizing survival over success.
Yatsuhashi and Fox scowled while Sun just sheepishly laughed. "That's harsh. But kinda true. I'm with Weiss on this one. House Altan's forces can't have strengthened them too much, so we can knock them out of the picture quickly before they can cause more problems."
"But doing so risks angering the nobility in the region. Neutral parties may feel threatened and throw their lot in with Lionheart, while our allies may stop supporting us after seeing us attack a noble family unprompted."
Ruby didn't exactly think it was unprompted, but she still understood. Their allies and supporters in the western half of Mistral might not see the full picture, and would instead see the Rebellion changing targets from their enemy to a mostly uninvolved party and panic. Still, fleeing probably wasn't the smartest idea.
Weiss clearly agreed. "Retreating when we have the advantage may sow seeds of doubt in those same allies, and undo all the good recruiting me has done. If we do this right, we'll not only achieve a decisive victory but discourage other neutral groups from involving themselves with Lionheart."
Pyrrha stepped between the two with her arms outstretched. "Please, we won't get anything solved arguing out in the open like this. We'll discuss this in the strategy tent in an hour. For now, let's all just cool our heads."
Yatsuhashi grit his teeth but otherwise agreed, nodding at his fellow general's words. "Very well. I will retire to my tent for now. Call on me if anything new arises. Come, Fox." At that the two men walked off, leaving Weiss to stand with Pyrrha and Sun.
For a moment there was an awkward silence. Ruby shifted her weight on her feet as she waited for someone to say something to break it. Eventually, Pyrrha let out a sigh.
"I understand that it may seem frustrating, but he means well. He is just concerned with the Rebellion's survival."
Weiss rolled her eyes. "I see that, but he's far too paranoid. War is won by taking risks. Having him be solely in charge of decisions leads nowhere."
Sun shrugged. "I'd take a general who's too cautious over one who's too reckless anytime." Ruby and Weiss both couldn't help but nod in agreement at that. "Moving on to something lighter, that was an impressive fight, you two! I could barely keep up!"
Weiss and Pyrrha blushed slightly, which caused Ruby's strange feeling from before to creep back with a vengeance.
"I'll say!" An energetic voice loudly exclaimed from behind them. "Weissy was all 'Whoosh!' and then Pyrrha was like 'Wapow!' and Weiss was sent flying!"
"Nora, I think we all saw," Lie Ren's calm voice followed after his companions. The duo approached them with slightly worried expressions but nonetheless seemed to be happy to see them.
"Ren, Nora, it's good to see you. Anything to report?" Pyrrha asked with a warm smile. Nora just stretched and let out a loud groan.
"Nope. Nothing important ever happens when I go scouting, but when Sun or one of his people goes out they always find something important. It's not fair."
Ren looked exasperated with her antics, but Ruby could tell by the twinkle in his pink eyes that he found it amusing. "I'd much rather have nothing new to report than have bad news to give."
Nora pouted. "Yeah, well I'd rather have good news than nothing. But it's always the same. We go out and find nothing but a few Grimm."
"It wasn't just Grimm. Apparently one of the scouts saw some bandits." Ren offered, but Nora just rolled her eyes.
"Oh yay! Bandits in Mistral. That's about as exciting as finding sand in Vacuo."
Weiss arched an eyebrow while Ruby's heart sank slightly. "Bandits? I'd have thought that they wouldn't want to be anywhere near the Rebellion. We'd simply cause each other more trouble than is worth."
Nora shrugged. "Most like to hide when we come around, but sometimes you get the type that likes to scavenge battlefields for goodies. Usually, they aren't so well armed though. No need to resort to scavenging when you can just raid villages."
"Well armed? How well armed?" Pyrrha asked concernedly.
"Shiny armor, most of it looking enchanted. Probably better armed than us, to be honest."
Weiss and Ruby shared a concerned glance. "A group of bandits with enchanted weaponry? This close to the capital? I can't think of many groups that would be that brazen," Weiss worriedly muttered.
Ren shook his head. "It's not the Branwen tribe. We'd know. They're not exactly subtle. It's probably a group that got lucky raiding a fort and is getting reckless trying to creep closer to the capital, where all the wealth is. But even then we shouldn't have to worry about a fight."
"Not like they could do much against you!" Nora cheered, draping an arm over Weiss's shoulder. "Don't think I forgot about that show. We only caught the tail-end of the fight, but wow! Am I glad you're on our side!"
Weiss blushed while Ruby just frowned. Why was that feeling back? And why did it seem to get stronger looking at Nora with her arm around Weiss?
"Nora, personal space," Ren chastised, dragging his friend off of Weiss who shot him a grateful look. Ruby felt relief as she did so, and felt mirth bubble up in her at Nora's pouting face. "Although I'm curious as to why you chose to spar?"
Weiss simply shrugged. "I was feeling stressed and needed an outlet. Pyrrha was nearby and was willing to assist, so we sparred."
Nora wagged her eyebrows at that. "Oh? You and she blew off some steam? Did she help fulfill your needs? Left you sweaty and breathless?"
Weiss and Pyyrha both turned scarlet at Nora's words, while Ruby had a very different reaction. For some reason, the idea of Weiss and Pyrrha being... together... made her very confused and upset.
"Nora!" Weiss cried, much to her and Sun's amusement. The pair laughed loudly while Weiss seethed, Pyrrha hid her face, and Ren pinched his brow and shook his head with a sigh.
"Oh? Was I right? Did you two 'spar' all alone? Were you prodding each other's defenses? Trying to pin each other down? Helping each other de-stress?" Her eyebrows wagged up and down as she leaned forward with a smug grin, only for Ren to gently swat the back of her head.
"Nora. We were there. We saw what happened. Stop being annoying," Despite his words, he still had a fond smile. "Besides, it's none of our business what two grown women get up to in private."
Weiss and Pyrrha grew even redder, but Ruby hardly noticed. What Ren said was right. She knew they weren't, but if Weiss and Pyrrha were to start... well, it would be none of her business. Why should she care?
Maybe... because for her it would mean less time with Weiss? She was the only one she could speak to, and while Ren was a great comfort, conversations with him were one-sided. But that explanation didn't quite sit right.
"Alright, let's stop before they both explode. Seriously though, that match was intense!" Sun cheered, generously tossing the three girls a lifeline. Weiss and Pyrrha both seemed grateful for the escape, but Ruby kept thinking.
"Yes. I have to say, Pyrrha, that I haven't fought many people who pushed me as far as you did," Weiss complimented.
"The feeling is mutual. It was a fine match," Pyrrha agreed. "I always feel as though crossing blades is the best way to understand someone. Wouldn't you all agree?"
Weiss and Sun nodded, while Nora gave a half-hearted shrug and Ren shook his head. "I can't say I agree. For me, fighting has always been a means to an end. A necessary fact of life, but not one I enjoy." He spoke softly.
Weiss frowned at his words, surprised. "I would have thought you enjoyed it, given how often you train?"
"Well, it's kinda different for us. We had to grow up fighting just to live," Nora answered. "Things haven't always been this easy going. I can't say I agree with Ren, but I certainly get where he's coming from."
Ren gave her a grateful smile. "I train so that one day I can put my weapons down for good. Until then I will keep fighting, even though I don't enjoy it."
His words seemed to resonate with the others, who all gave him respectful nods. "Dude, I never really saw it that way. I mean, I just kinda realized I was good at fighting and decided to make a living doing it. Your motivation is so much cooler."
Pyrrha nodded. "I agree. Fighting for an end to the conflict is a noble goal. I apologize if I have been insensitive in asking for a spar in the past."
Ren shook his head. "I don't mind. Even if I don't enjoy it, it makes me better. And I need to be better in order to protect the ones I love."
Ruby's eyes went wide at the word. For some strange reason, it sent tingles down her ghostly spine. "Love." She repeated wordlessly to herself, wondering why it seemed to have such an effect on her. It wasn't like she'd never felt it before.
The gentle love of her mother. The warm love of her father. The almost overbearing love Yang had for her little sister. The innocent adoring love she gave each of them back. The love she had for her friends, like Jaune and Weiss.
Only... she didn't feel the same way about Jaune as she did Weiss. Jaune was her endearing, goofy, kindhearted best friend. Weiss was... different.
She was stubborn and standoffish, more headstrong than anyone she'd ever met. She was warmth under layers and layers of ice, a more loyal friend than any other if you managed to worm your way into her heart.
She was sharp and quick-witted, the smartest person Ruby knew. She had learned forbidden magic from a bunch of tattered journals and tomes in her free time. Yet she could also get such tunnel vision that she didn't see the other options she had, like her insistence on staying in Mistral after it became clear that the translator tome wasn't in reach.
She was both the definition of a storybook hero and the exact opposite. She nobly sacrificed her life of comfort to aid her friend, throwing herself into danger for the sake of Ruby and making her feel giddy. But she was also willing to do whatever it took to do so, no matter who got in her way.
She was strikingly pretty, though not in a way that left Ruby envious. She was willing to admit that she unfairly compared herself to her elder sister growing up, but Ruby simply felt awe every time she realized just how pretty Weiss's eyes looked, or how dashing she looked in her armor.
She was... Weiss. Calling her a friend... wasn't right. And best friend didn't cut it either.
Unbidden, the word Ren had said came back into the forefront of her mind and Ruby's eyes went blind. The unknown emotion Ruby had been feeling seemed so obvious now. She'd been jealous. Jealous of Pyrrha, even if she hadn't actually done anything, because she wanted to be in her place.
She wanted to have Weiss's eyes only on her, to have the world fade away and leave nothing but the two of them. She wanted to make Weiss smile and blush as Nora's teasing had. She wanted to do all of those things Nora teased Weiss and Pyrrha of doing. She felt like an idiot for not realizing it sooner.
She was in love with Weiss Schnee, her best friend.
Slowburn. Though it's less of slowburn and more of stacking a bunch of logs and then waiting to light a spark that starts the whole fire. Though the fic isn't just going to end when they confess; Ruby's still dead after all. To that end, not much progress this chapter but hey. I've been progressing the plot a lot. I needed to write a romance chapter in this Adventure/Romance fic.
I usually have more to say but I'm hungry and have an assignment due at midnight so I hope you enjoyed and feel free to comment/review. They always make my day even if they are just a few words criticizing my writing. Thanks for reading, see you next time. Have a nice day