Chapter Text
Pyrrha jogged along the corridors of the Dauntless with only the sounds of her breath and echoing steps to break the silence, save when she passed the occasional sentry or open door with on-duty personnel. Though the flagship was carrying more than its normal complement given the craft lost at Beacon and the sudden return of so many students, few were awake at this hour, but for the fourth night now — every night since the attack, or rather since she'd awoken after it was mostly over — Pyrrha couldn't sleep. She was beginning to wonder if she ever would again… or if Weiss would wake. The thought brought with it a deeper frown than that which she'd already worn; that was where she would rather be, at Weiss' side, holding her hand, talking to her, calling her back from wherever it was she now drifted, but when she'd tried to return after cleaning up the doctors refused to admit her back into the infirmary until she slept. Pyrrha scowled and resisted the urge to lash out at the wall, at least physically — the groan of metal echoing down the corridor belied her Polarity's touch. How was she supposed to sleep when at any moment Weiss could open her eyes, unaware of anything that happened after her valiant defence in the vault? How, when at any moment she could slip away, and-? Pyrrha squeezed her own eyes shut and shook her head as though to physically dislodge the terrible thought; no, she couldn't believe that, she refused. Weiss would survive, she would recover, she must, or… or else…
"Miss Nikos? Are you alright?"
Pyrrha blinked at the voice and found herself on her knees, her eyes burning and cheeks wet with tears. How long had she been there? She lifted a hand to wipe at her eyes — at least enough to see, if a bit blurrily — and gazed up to the speaker to find General Ironwood leaning down toward her with a concerned look about him.
"General. Yes, I… I'll be fine." It sounded hollow even to herself, but perhaps he wouldn't notice.
Ironwood frowned a little. "I'm sure you will, but that's not what I asked." He offered his hand to help her up.
Pyrrha gave him a questioning look, pausing briefly before taking his hand to rise. "I'm sorry, I'm afraid I don't understand."
"I think you do." The general paused momentarily and his expression softened a bit. "Dr. Fields is worried about you, you know. She said that if you keep this up, it'll be you in that bed."
Pyrrha turned her gaze aside. "Dr. Fields need not concern herself with me; her effort should be spent helping Weiss."
Ironwood sighed sympathetically. "Miss Nikos — Pyrrha — everything that can be done to help her is already being done; exhausting yourself like this isn't doing either of you any good." He reached to place a hand gently on her shoulder. "She doesn't need you to literally worry yourself sick."
"No." Pyrrha's eyes went to the general's hand, then rose to meet his own. "When she needed me, I wasn't there; I was too busy having Amber's soul grafted onto my own, too weak to endure it and fight my own battle." Clenching her hands into fists, she looked away in disgust from her reflection in the general's eyes. "I should have been there beside her to face Cinder…"
"You're right, you should have."
Pyrrha hadn't expected that, and it showed on her face as she looked back to Ironwood. "…What are you saying?"
Has he lost faith in me already?
"You should have been beside her, and neither of you should've been down there."
"With all due respect, I was there because you and Professor Ozpin asked it of me, and were it not for the attack I intended to decline. I only went with him so that I could protect everyone. If I knew then that I would be useless — worse than useless — I never would have followed him into that lift."
The general's eyes widened just a touch, then took on a sadder air as he lifted his hand from her shoulder to forestall her defence. "It seems I was unclear; we never should've asked. It was incredibly unfair to put that pressure on you, especially without even telling you the whole story. To do it without allowing you to talk to those you trust, and to demand an answer within days, was cruel, and I'm ashamed of my part in it. While I can't speak for Oz and the others, for what it's worth I'm truly sorry that you've been dragged into this, and all the more if you wanted not to be."
Pyrrha blinked in surprise, and for a moment she couldn't find the words to respond. It wasn't just his words that shocked her, though they certainly did, it was the earnestness with which he spoke. When Professor Ozpin apologised it was never so forthright and open, never so… honest. She always had the feeling he was keeping something from her and that, at least in part, his apology was an act; she had none of that feeling now from General Ironwood, only genuine contrition.
"…Thank you, sir. I- …thank you."
Ironwood shook his head. "No, thank you; you've taken on an enormous burden that you didn't even want. Unfortunately, I can't undo what's been done, although given what you — and Miss Schnee — went through to get those powers, you may not want to lose them even if I could."
Pyrrha's eyes narrowed at the memory, but moreso at the state her Weiss had been left in; her voice was firm when she replied. "No."
"I thought as much; I know the feeling."
"You do?"
He nodded. "These didn't come from paperwork and desk accidents." He gestured to the prosthetics that made up almost the entirety of the right side of his body and gave her a small smile.
"Oh." Pyrrha blushed and looked down, embarrassed. "Of course. I'm sorry."
"Don't be, I'm not. There are people alive today that wouldn't be if I didn't have them; I know that, just like I know that Weiss is going to be alright."
"How can you be so sure…?"
Ironwood paused. "You saw them in the tournament, didn't you? Both Weiss and Cinder?"
What does that have to do with it?
"I did…"
"We know Cinder was holding back — she didn't use her Maiden powers in her match — but based on what you saw, how would you compare them?"
Pyrrha bit her lip — it pained her to think thus of her dearest, but… "Weiss is an excellent fighter with unparalleled versatility, but Cinder is the better duellist."
"Diplomatically spoken," Ironwood raised a hand to ward off the defence of Weiss that threatened to follow the look Pyrrha directed his way, "and understandably so. That said, their encounter in the vault was a duel, so how long — in your professional opinion — would you expect that duel to last?"
What are you getting at?
"Without knowing Cinder's actual capabilities, I cannot confidently say, but… one and a half, perhaps two minutes?"
"Four minutes, twenty-seven seconds."
Pyrrha blinked. "What?"
"The transfer time remaining when Oz got back to the panel, so he said. Weiss held her back for four minutes, twenty-seven seconds, and do you know why?"
Pyrrha was awestruck. When she didn't respond, the general's raised hand moved to point a finger to her, lightly touching at the top of her sternum. It broke her out of her trance and drew her gaze down, then back to meet his.
"Now tell me, do you think the girl who did that will give up and fade away, or will she fight her way through anything to get back to you?"
Pyrrha felt the tears coming once more, but they were different this time. General Ironwood was right, she should have faith in Weiss. It was Weiss who had saved her, who had shown her that life could be so bright — and yes, so frightening — Weiss who gave her the courage to be not just a weapon, not just the Invincible Girl, but a person with her own dreams and desires. She might look small and frail, but Pyrrha of all people should know better, that inside Weiss had the strength of giants. She would weather this storm… she would come back.
Lost to her thoughts and tumultuous emotions, Pyrrha didn't notice her scroll chime, but General Ironwood noticed his. "Speak of the devil…," he murmured as he glanced at the screen before slipping it back in his pocket with a smile. "It seems there's a patient asking about you in the infirmary."
A faint, indistinct murmur came first, and try as she might there was nothing individual to make out there, everything simply blurring together. Blindingly, painfully bright light greeted her as her eyes cracked open; she tried to shield them with her hands but found it difficult to raise her arms. Weiss had heard some who survived brushes with death describe the experience as being swallowed by a bright light — that part certainly fit — and perhaps one's body did not translate to the afterlife, but if that were indeed where she found herself then those descriptions left out the annoying noise and the pain. It wasn't just her eyes that hurt from the terribly bright light and the pounding in her head either, oh no, her entire body ached — if it was in fact a body — and her abdomen most of all.
She soon began to realise that there was a rhythm to the background noise and a pattern in the brightness. Why would it have a pattern? Did the spirits of the dead have… afterlife décor? Her study of the pattern and pondering over the questions it raised was interrupted by a sudden dimness and a change in the background noise, and she felt herself moving a little. Blurry shapes began to resolve against the brightness, the background noise separated into muffled mumbles and chirps and hisses, and the pain in her middle rapidly rose.
Maybe this isn't the afterlife after all… so then, where am I? And what happened?
Everything was so foggy.
I was doing something…
One of the shapes — people, she realised — was talking to her now, but she couldn't make out what they were saying.
Something important. More important than anything… what was it?
"… need you to activate your Aura. Can you do that for me?"
Weiss' eyes struggled to focus on the woman speaking to her, able to make out what appeared to be a doctor's coat now but little else.
My Aura? That's right… I was fighting someone…
Weiss gave a slight nod in response, willing her Aura to activate and shivering as she felt it wash over her and greatly quicken her body's healing process. She tried to speak, to ask where she was, but found her voice hoarse and her throat dry despite the moist air being pumped through the cannula fitted in her nose.
"Shh, rest now. You were injured quite severely, but we've been taking care of you on General Ironwood's orders, and now that your Aura is active we should be able to transfer you to standard treatment by the time we reach Atlas."
As soon as she heard the word 'transfer' Weiss' memories came flooding back, cutting through the hazy darkness that enveloped her mind like lightning. Yes, she'd been fighting someone — Cinder Fall — fighting with everything she had to protect-.
"P… Pyr…"
The monitors in the room chirped faster.
"Don't try to talk now, just rest; everything will be alright."
Weiss shook her head and struggled to push herself up so she could look around, drawing a deeply concerned look from the doctor.
"Pyrrha… where…?"
The doctor paused for a moment. "Pyrrha Nikos? I'm sorry, I'm afraid she's gone, but-."
Weiss didn't hear the rest, or at least it didn't register for her. She no longer felt the pain in her head, or in her abdomen trying to tear itself open each time she took a measured breath, or in her parched throat or limbs lain motionless for far too long. She only felt the icy talons piercing her heart, squeezing and freezing her from the inside out.
She's gone…? Then why… why am I here…? I failed… I had one thing I could not fail at, and I failed, and now… now she's gone, and I'm still… here…
She had no idea the doctors were frantic over her sudden unresponsiveness or that her monitors had dipped the moment those words hit her. Memories of Pyrrha flashed through her mind bringing tears to flow uninhibited down her cheeks, memories of dazzling eyes plagued by melancholy brightening when they met her gaze, of gentle laughter from the mesmerising smile of a goddess, the warmth and tenderness of her touch over long nights spent baring their souls, her unique scent that Weiss had grown so fond of cuddled up on the rooftop together, the spark as their lips met that first time and each time since — every one of them precious to her, every moment cherished. The talons squeezed tighter; there would be no more memories, no more cherished moments.
She's gone… but they saved me… That was no mercy. They should've let me go too. At least then I might see her again… I might hear her voice…
"Weiss?"
I can almost hear her now… maybe I'm slipping after all…
"Weiss!"
That's good… I don't want to be left alone…
"Weiss, please! Don't give up, not now!!"
I'd never give up on you, Pyr… I'm just coming home to you…
"This isn't you! You don't just let go, you fight, no matter the odds!!"
I did fight… I fought, and I lost, and that's… that's why you're gone, and now… I just want to find you again…
"Please, Weiss… please don't go…"
Don't cry, Pyr… I want this, I want to be where you are.
"You were my anchor… you kept me here… now let me be yours… please come back to me…"
Wait, what do you-?
She felt the spark again, the touch of familiar lips — albeit trembling — against her own, the caress of hair she knew to be scarlet without seeing it and tender fingers against her cheeks. The ice gripping her heart melted — this was no memory. Weiss' eyes fluttered open and through tears she saw the blurred form of Pyrrha leaning over her, only just pulling back, tears of her own falling to land on Weiss — the heiress felt a few but could not see them.
"Pyr…?"
"Weiss!" Pyrrha leaned back in to embrace her, as tight as she dared just now, doing her best to suppress the sobs that still rose in her throat. "I thought I lost you…"
"Are you… real…?" Weiss croaked out, barely above a whisper, the monitors no longer blaring alarms.
"Yes." Pyrrha sniffled and pulled back again, just enough to look Weiss in the eyes and cup her cheek. "Yes, I'm real."
Fresh tears welled in Weiss' eyes. "But… she said…"
Dr. Fields stepped a little closer, on the opposite side of Weiss' bed from Pyrrha. "I said she was gone, but if you would give me a few moments I'd contact her and let her know you'd awoken and she could come see you." She turned her gaze to Pyrrha. "I honestly don't know what happened, she seemed fine and then suddenly went into cardiac failure. I've never seen anything like it."
Pyrrha shot the doctor a sour look. "You should choose your words more carefully, Doctor." Turning her attention back to Weiss, Pyrrha took her hand and gently lifted it to her own heart. "There… can you feel that? I am real, and I'm right here with you." Her gaze briefly returned to Dr. Fields, carrying a challenging, almost warning edge with it. "And I'm not going anywhere."
"That's…"
Pyrrha kept her eyes on Weiss, studying her expression — shocked as expected given what she'd just heard, but she was dealing with this rather well all things considered.
"That's a lot to take in."
"Yes."
"And it raises more questions than it answers."
"You're certainly right about that…"
"Pyrrha…" Weiss looked from the bed across to the chair where Pyrrha sat, a somewhat doubtful look on her face. "Do you believe it? What they told you?"
Pyrrha looked down to her lap momentarily, fidgeting a little. They'd been given unused officer's quarters at Atlas Academy for the time being, much to Jacques Schnee's consternation — he'd tried to force the issue and bring Weiss back to the Schnee Manor immediately upon their arrival in Atlas, but with her now an adult and General Ironwood blocking any objection on the grounds of security debriefing, his efforts had thus far been stymied — specifically to provide a more comfortable environment than the student dorms for Weiss' recovery and the freedom to speak of this matter without being overheard, but nevertheless it was a bit unnerving to be asked bluntly if she believed the man who had arranged such accommodations.
"I believe that the Maidens and magic exist — how can I not, now? — and that this 'brotherhood' has hidden their existence for longer than living memory at least. And I believe — I know — that there is more that I haven't been told. The rest, about the fairy tales, and the hidden history, and so on, I honestly don't know."
"And you trust them? After what they did to you?" Weiss arched a brow incredulously and leaned a little closer, wincing slightly as the movement sent a shot of pain through her still-tender abdomen.
"No. Only a fool would trust them, knowing what I now know; it pains me to have left our friends and the people of Vale in their care." Resentment flashed in Pyrrha's eyes at the reminder of what she'd discovered in that final meeting at Beacon, but as she looked up to meet Weiss' gaze her expression shifted to one of calmer, more certain resolve. "I trust General Ironwood, alone of them all. He has broken ranks with the others to do what's right, what must be done to safeguard against another Mountain Glenn, another Beacon."
"Are you sure you can? He manipulated you with the rest, tested out that horrible machine on you… you said it was his machine! Don't get me wrong, I've known General Ironwood a long time — he's more or less my uncle — and it's really kind of surprising, but from what you just told me he wasn't exactly going out of his way to keep Ozpin or the others from keeping you in the dark and pretty much forcing this on you."
"He did, yes… but it was clear that Professor Ozpin was in charge of their group. He could have waited until I'd been dismissed to air his grievances with Ozpin's decisions, but instead he did so whilst I was present; he gave me a glance behind the curtain hiding the crumbling scaffold. What's more, he outright challenged Ozpin's demand that I stay at Beacon, not to insist I come with him instead but to extend the choice to me. General Ironwood ostracised himself from this occult brotherhood long before his plans required it for my benefit, to give me the opportunity to avoid becoming a pawn in whatever game it is they're playing."
"That sounds more like the person I know." Weiss smiled a little. "That's … kinda comforting. I really didn't like the idea that Uncle James was a façade all this time. Still… are you sure this is what you want, Pyr? Transferring, I mean? You didn't like the attention you got in Vale, and you'll get a lot more of it here, especially since we're together — not to mention that my father will not approve and try to make your life hell so you'll leave me, or even Atlas entirely…" Her smile faded and she wilted at the thought.
"I am. Running isn't in either of our natures, and this is the only academy whose headmaster we know can be trusted." Pyrrha leaned closer as well to take Weiss' hand for a gentle squeeze and a reassuring smile. "As for the rest… I will never leave you, no matter what your father or anyone else does to coerce me. And while it's true I don't look forward to being the centre of attention, so long as you're with me I can endure anything."
Weiss blushed brightly, but her smile returned much bigger than before. "W-well, ah, I guess there's nothing to worry about then!" Her flustered words brought a giggle to Pyrrha's lips, which only flustered her more, and for a few extended moments they sat quietly.
Pyrrha finally broke the silence. "Are you sure?"
"I… do you even need to ask? Of course I'm sure, I want to be wherever you are. That's why I went to Beacon in the first place, so if you're here at Atlas, then here's where I'll be."
Pyrrha shook her head softly, lifting Weiss' hand to her lips to plant a gentle kiss on its back. "I know you're sure about me, and that you'll follow me anywhere, but being here won't expose only me to difficulties, it will expose you as well. Your father can make your life troublesome too, the paparazzi will invade your privacy as surely as mine if not more. You chose Beacon for me, I know that, but it was also an escape from your family… is it fair for me to make that decision for the both of us?" She sighed, her gaze falling. "The last time I did so I chose wrong. You were right and suffered dearly for my folly, and now I — and you by association — will be forever embroiled in this… this mess." When her gaze returned to Weiss' eyes, her own glistened wetly. "I believe this is the right path, but Weiss… my decisions have caused you such pain already, I don't want to force yet more on you."
Weiss pursed her lips, then reached to cup and caress Pyrrha's cheek. "You aren't. Yeah, okay, some things will be harder here than if we weren't in a city where my father has so much influence and everyone's been following my life since I was born, but… you're right, about everything you said before. We won't run, and Atlas is the only place we can trust to teach us, so…," she smiled and shrugged a little, "I think it's the right path too. You're not forcing anything on me Pyr, this is how it's supposed to be — we talk to each other, decide together, we don't keep secrets, at least not big ones. Let's keep it that way, no matter what anyone else says, okay?" Weiss' smile grew a little and she wiped away a tear with her thumb as it trickled down Pyrrha's cheek. "Promise?"
Smiling, Pyrrha slowly nodded. "Promise."
"Thank you both for coming. I understand you'd like to officially transfer to Atlas Academy?"
"That's right, but…," Weiss looked a little uneasily over her shoulder towards the door, "is all this really necessary for that?" She had been to General Ironwood's office before, but on no previous occasion had he locked the door much less air-gapped it with a hardlight wall to prevent anyone on the other side from listening in, and yet now he had done both.
"For that, no, but I wouldn't have asked you here just to file transfer papers." Ironwood offered the barest hint of a smile. "That just gave a convenient excuse for my itinerary."
Pyrrha glanced to Weiss questioningly, then back to Ironwood when she found no answer. "Then… why did you ask us to come, General?"
"Several reasons, actually. Please, have a seat." The general gestured to the chairs across the desk from his own, waiting for the girls to do so before he continued. "First off, I did want to take the opportunity to welcome you both to the academy, though the term is nearly over. Also, I was able to apologise for what happened to you Miss Nikos, but I haven't yet had the chance to offer the same to you, Miss Schnee; I am sincerely sorry for everything that occurred beneath Beacon — neither of you should've ever been involved in this. I will do all I can to help you both to understand and handle this world you've been brought into, you have my word."
Weiss and Pyrrha shared a look, then turned their attention slowly back to Ironwood. "Thank you, but… it's kind of hard to understand when you barely have any information."
Ironwood sighed regretfully. "That's putting it mildly." Addressing Pyrrha specifically, he asked, "how much have you told her?"
"All that I know to tell."
"Good." Ironwood nodded, leaning forward on the desk a bit and interlacing his fingers together. "Then I don't need to go over that part again."
"You mean you're going to tell us… everything?"
Weiss was shocked. Of course, there wasn't really any way for them to know whether what he told them actually was everything, but after Ozpin had been so secretive and reluctant to even let her accompany Pyrrha as a guard, it was… refreshing.
"Unfortunately no, but not by choice; I worked for Oz for years, and even so I'm all but certain he never told me everything. That said, I'll tell you what I know… if anyone deserves to hear it, it's you."
Pyrrha inclined her head in understanding. "Whatever you can tell us will be of great help, I'm sure."
"Right. Before, we told you that the Maidens were protectors of the world; what we didn't tell you was what they're meant to protect it from ."
"It isn't the Grimm?"
"In a manner of speaking yes, but four women — even very powerful women — can't be everywhere the Grimm threaten, and until recently with the CCT system they couldn't have even known where a major attack occurred until it was over unless they happened to be there at the time. But the Grimm aren't just the mindless horde we've all been led to believe, not even simply cunning; they have a leader, a queen — Salem."
Weiss was a little confused; it wasn't like Grimm had a society after all. "A queen? You mean like an alpha, but for all Grimm?"
"Not exactly." The general sighed and closed his eyes momentarily before continuing. "Ozpin is the only one who's ever seen her, at least that we know of — aside from Cinder Fall now, presumably — but according to him she's human. Or she once was, anyway; 'an ancient witch twisted by dark power and enemy to all the peoples of Remnant' as he put it. She commands all Grimm, even monstrosities like the wyvern that attacked Beacon, but not with the simple desires of an alpha — she's terrifyingly intelligent and powerful, and has had thousands of years to perfect her ways."
"Wait, hold on." Weiss lifted a hand to pinch at the bridge of her nose. "So first it's magic and fairy tales that are real, and now you're saying there's an ancient, evil, human witch out there sending the Grimm after us? Isn't that a little… far-fetched?" It was absurd, but she knew how to be more tactful than to say as much.
Pyrrha's eyes reflected Weiss' doubt as they shared a quick glance. "It is rather hard to believe, even moreso than the Maidens and magic. But if we assume it to be true, why is Professor Ozpin the only one to have seen her? I was under the impression he hadn't left Vale in decades."
"It is, and he hasn't — at least to my knowledge. He's the only one that's seen her because he's been fighting her the whole time."
The room fell silent momentarily. Weiss looked to Pyrrha again — yeah, she definitely felt the same — then turned back to face Ironwood.
"General… Uncle James… you've been through a lot lately. Maybe we should come back later, and you should take some time off? Beacon was… it was really rough on everyone, I think we could all use a chance to recover."
Pyrrha nodded agreement. "Even the greatest of us needs time to recuperate on occasion, sir… there is no shame in it."
Ironwood sighed. "Believe me, I know how it sounds. I had about that same reaction when he and my predecessor told me; the only reason I believed it was because they showed me this."
He tapped at a few holographic buttons on his desk, then made a flicking motion and images began projecting into the air above the desk; an official photo of Ozpin, a decades-older photo of a man with striking resemblance, another from the time of the Great War, another from some decades before when photos were new technology, and painted portraits going back many centuries, all of them showing men that looked eerily like Beacon's headmaster — different in dress and hairstyle, some in hair colour, some with scars or signs of disease, but all things that fashion or the wear of life could explain.
The girls studied the pictures for a time before Weiss finally spoke. "They really do look like him…"
"They're him." There was no doubt in the general's voice. "I've run facial recognition on them and the photos match. The paintings are close enough, but paintings are never 100%; more importantly I had the remains of those here who were accessible genetically tested and they matched exactly as well."
"You desecrated their graves?" Pyrrha looked as shocked as she sounded.
Ironwood turned his attention to her. "A grave is the final resting place of the dead; Ozpin may have died many times but as you well know he's very much alive now, so I don't see it that way, no."
Pyrrha didn't seem to appreciate the distinction.
Weiss was less concerned. "Okay, so it's him and he's been fighting her for thousands of years, but lately he's been holed up in Vale because… he's never beaten her? In all that time??"
Ironwood swiped away the pictures. "So it would seem. Oz gets even more cryptic and guarded than usual when it comes to his past, but it's clear that she's much more powerful than him and he's terrified of her."
"So that's why he refuses to take the offensive even after the recent attacks." Pyrrha looked down and away in disapproval. "And why he was so adamant that I stay under his influence."
"I believe so, yes. I've worked for him in this for years now, and we've had plenty of disagreements, but I never thought he'd stand by after something like this. What good does all the watching and planning do if we don't act when we're faced with threats? How can we ever win if we never take action against Salem, only respond to her moves with too little, too late?" Ironwood shook his head sadly. "If only I'd realised earlier, maybe this all could've been prevented…"
"You can't blame yourself for that… if we could turn back time, I think we would all make different choices." Pyrrha turned an apologetic look to Weiss and reached to give her hand a soft squeeze.
Weiss returned the squeeze, holding Pyrrha's gaze — oh, how it hurt to see the pain in her eyes, the guilt she carried; if Weiss could go back she would destroy that damned pod the moment she laid eyes on it… or better yet whisk Pyrrha away from Beacon entirely, forget about the tournament, and let Penny win by default.
"All you can do is learn from it, try not to let it happen again, and above all don't let it break you…" She turned her attention almost reluctantly back to Ironwood. "That's all any of us can do."
"You're right." Ironwood didn't sound happy about it — of course he wasn't, why would he be? None of them were — but he nodded. "To that end, I have a proposal for you. Miss Nikos heard me mention before that I intended to fast-track the most promising Specialist program students. That is of course at their option, but I'd like to extend the offer to both of you as well. Given the timing of your transfer, placing you in the standard classes would be of little value, and although I'm certain you would have no trouble passing the practical exams with flying colours the course material may give you some difficulty purely by virtue of difference from what you took at Beacon. If you prefer to join the normal classes regardless, I won't stop you, however if you would like to be part of the accelerated Specialist program I have something different in mind for you."
Weiss blinked curiously. "Different how?"
"For the next few weeks — until the end of the current term — you'll be receiving personal training in combat, Aura techniques, and small-unit tactics from Specialist Schnee, the Ace-Ops, and myself. During this period we'll be learning from you as much as you are from us and developing the program that we'll implement for the other candidates once the term has ended. When that happens, you'll be joined by the others and continue as before, only in small teams that will be undertaking field missions as well. I can't tell you much more than that because frankly, it'll depend on what we discover from training you, if you're willing, but I can tell you that you that the hours will be long, the pace intense, the standards second to none, and the focus strictly on combat and warfare — the goal of this program is to produce superior soldiers to take the fight to Salem, not hunters operating as they see fit."
Pyrrha and Weiss shared a look, an unspoken question passing between them before the former spoke. "We are grateful for your offer, General," she kept her eye on Weiss to confirm until she received a small nod, then turned her attention fully to Ironwood, "but we have some questions. Are hunters and soldiers not already one and the same in Atlas?"
"Of course. They are to an extent, however a graduate of Atlas Academy and a Specialist are not one and the same. The academy is run by the military, but graduates are not obligated to join except those on the Specialist track; they explicitly intend to enter the service upon graduation, and so their classes are tailored to reflect that. They're guaranteed a place in the Specialist Corp when they graduate but obligated to serve at least five years as well, and most make a career out of military service."
"And we'll be Specialists, so… we'll be joining the military?" Weiss arched a brow.
"That's right, but you'll be part of a new program; instead of the full four year curriculum, we aim to complete your training in twelve to eighteen months — depending on your individual performance — and with better field results."
"That's all well and good, though I must admit the idea of being obligated to five years thereafter is less appealing when we've no idea what that may entail." Pyrrha's eyes were wrought with concern as she glanced to Weiss. "I have no objection to the commitment itself, but if we were to be separated…"
Ironwood lifted a hand. "Allow me to ease your mind, then — you won't be. I'll even include it in your contracts that you must be assigned together, but to be honest it isn't necessary; Specialists exist outside the normal rank structure and answer only to the general and their own commanders, and currently when it comes to personnel assignment that means Winter and myself. And although it is an obligation, it does come with certain perks as well — steady pay, housing, access to the best of Atlesian engineering, all the Dust you need, not to mention support staff and the knowledge that not only are you making the world a better place, you'll never be left to do it alone."
Weiss caught Pyrrha's eye and arched her brow, receiving a slight tilt of the head in reply. "In that case, we're in."
"That's enough."
Ironwood's voice beside her echoed faintly as well in Pyrrha's ears from beyond the glass through which she'd been watching Weiss and Elm's match. She let out the breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding as Weiss rose from the knee she'd been driven to; she'd given a good showing, but in the end had been caught by a heavy blow from the much larger Elm, and following on it several more before the general had called a halt.
He keyed the mic again. "You were doing very well, Weiss. What went wrong?" It wasn't an accusation, but the leading question of an instructor.
Weiss took a moment to think and catch her breath a bit more before touching her earpiece to reply. "She was faster than I thought and guessed where I'd be?"
"Perhaps. Come up to the booth and we'll go over your performance." Ironwood took his finger off the button and glanced to Pyrrha. "Do you agree?"
Pyrrha bit her lip lightly — she didn't like to openly contradict Weiss on such things, certainly not behind her back, but… "No, General."
"What do you think went wrong for her?"
"It was the same pattern… she used the same attack pattern for that final exchange as for the second and eighth, and only slightly modified for the fifth. Elm caught it and knew where she was going and how to slip her guard; she caught it before, too, but wasn't fast enough to counter."
Ironwood nodded. "And what would you recommend to prevent it in future?"
"Avoid patterns, create openings, and control the rhythm. In a case like this where she has a distinct speed advantage, a counterattack strategy would have been preferable — bait Elm into attacking and counter before she could recover."
"Hm." The general's tone seemed approving enough, but there was something else there as well, something that nettled a corner of Pyrrha's mind. He didn't entirely approve, she thought, but before she could ask about it he turned to the other side of the room. "Bree, are you ready?"
Harriet stood from where she'd been sitting with her team against the far wall and saluted. "Yes, sir! Always."
"Good." He turned to address Pyrrha as well. "Your turn. For now, don't try to force your new power — if it feels natural you can use it, but that's not why we're here today. But remember, this isn't a normal sparring match — there's no ring out, no fair and unfair. Take it seriously and don't hold back, either of you."
Pyrrha nodded. "I understand."
"Copy." Harriet looked to Pyrrha with a cocky grin. "Ready to find out what 'elite' means, Miss Champ?"
Pyrrha glanced at her. Harriet reminded her of many of the fighters on the tournament circuit, the ones who would posture and preen as some sort of psychological tactic before a bout. She never much cared for that sort of thing herself, but so long as they took their losses in stride she didn't hold it against them… she'd never lost to one to say how that might go, but there was after all a first time for anything.
"I'm ready when you are."
They headed downstairs, passing Weiss and Elm along the way — Weiss had a half-felt smile and a wish of good luck for Pyrrha, which she accepted with a smile of her own — and soon took their places at opposite ends of the training hall before hardlight structures formed between them.
She wished she knew what was being said in the control booth. Weiss had wanted to go first to redeem herself for her loss to Cinder, despite all reassurance that she had nothing to seek redemption for; her inability to secure a clear victory against Elm — indeed, circumstances being what they were when the general halted the match, what could only be called an apparent defeat — would have certainly shaken her. She wished she could offer her own words of encouragement, could soften whatever criticism the general and Winter had for her. And General Ironwood's partial-approval of her appraisal still rankled her; it was a good strategy, one that had served her well against bigger and stronger opponents on a number of occasions, so why did he have reservations?
Pyrrha drew her weapons and closed her eyes, forcing her thoughts to quiet — this was not the time for them, not when battle was at hand. As soon as she heard Ironwood's signal to begin, her eyes snapped open and she adopted a mobile guard, scanning the arena as she moved between the barriers.
It took only moments for Harriet to find her, and as Pyrrha expected of her, she rushed straight in for the attack. She was fast, of that there was no doubt — faster even than Ruby — but nevertheless Pyrrha caught the first quick flurry upon Akoúō's face, dancing aside when Harriet attempted to bypass the shield and giving her exoskeleton a little nudge with Polarity to slip past a punch and throw off her balance enough to land a slash of her own with Miló across Harriet's exposed ribs.
Harriet stepped out of range for a following strike. "Oh, you've got some moves! Well, so do I!" She darted back in and sidestepped a thrust, then ducked a slash, and in close began unleashing a barrage of blows. Pyrrha parried here, blocked there, mixing in her own ripostes and kicks and shield strikes where she had an opening… or could create it with weapon or Semblance. She took a few hits in the process — she may be called the Invincible Girl, but even undefeated as she was it wasn't a very accurate moniker — but were she to guess, by the time her shield met Harriet's fist and sent both women skidding back a couple metres, Pyrrha had gotten the better of the exchange. She immediately flicked Miló into spear form and leapt forward to-.
"Stop." The voice on the speaker belonged not to General Ironwood, but to Winter Schnee, who had been silently observing thus far.
"The hell?" Pyrrha landed lightly in front of Harriet, who looked as confused as she was and far more frustrated. "We were just getting started!" Harriet looked from Pyrrha to the booth and back. "That can't be it, right!?"
"I would expect not, but…" Pyrrha frowned slightly; Harriet was right, they'd barely begun. Surely the general hadn't seen enough to make an assessment already…
The door leading up to the control booth opened and drew their attention to Winter, whose disapproval was clear as she strode over to the combatants.
"Ma'am, what's going-?"
Winter cut off Harriet's question with a raised hand on her approach, but her eyes fixed on Pyrrha.
"Is this a game to you, Nikos?"
"I'm… sorry?"
"You were expressly told to take this seriously and not to hold back, but you've done nothing but that since this exercise began. Why? Do you not consider Bree a worthy opponent?"
"I… don't understand what you mean. She's an excellent opponent, and I am taking her seriously."
"No, you aren't."
"Why do you think that?" How could Winter say such things? She took every opponent seriously, and she was treating Harriet with no less respect than any other!
"Because if you were, this fight would've been over in seconds."
Harriet fumed at that. "Hey, wait a minute! It sounds like you're the one that thinks I'm not good enough!"
Winter glanced to her. "It isn't about your skill," her eyes turned back to Pyrrha, "it's about her unwillingness to use her power."
Pyrrha frowned. "General Ironwood told me not to use it unless it felt natural, and it doesn't yet."
"I'm not referring to your Maiden power, Nikos."
"…My Semblance? I've been using it!"
"To toy with her!" Winter stepped closer, her eyes narrowing a bit. "This is not some tournament where your objective is to impress the audience with your skill and make them think it's simply talent and training. We're here to prepare for war; lives will be on the line, not just yours but the people beside you and behind you, and it's your job to protect them by neutralising the threats in your way as quickly as possible, not playing with them like a cat with a mouse."
Pyrrha was taken aback by the accusation. She hadn't been playing with Harriet… had she? It was true that she always tried to use her Semblance subtly, to conceal its power in the arena, but wasn't it only sensible to not let one's opponents know one's full strength? Her coaches had always taught her as much, but then this wasn't the arena. However, the one time she hadn't…
"You want me to use it more forcefully… after what I did to Penny?"
"Yes." The lack of any hesitation whatsoever made Pyrrha tense. Did Winter not care at all? "In fact, I want you to in part because of what you did to Penny."
Pyrrha was horrified by what she heard. "Because of… I killed her!! You want me to intentionally try to kill Harriet, too!?"
"That is exactly what you should be trying to do."
"This is a training match!!"
"No, this is an assessment, one which you are supposed to be treating as an actual battle, and every time you draw that blade in battle it should be to kill your enemy as swiftly as possible."
"How can you stand there and ask me to do that? To kill one of your own people? I may not know Harriet well, but I know she is not my enemy!"
"What's going on down here?" All eyes turned to the door, where Weiss had just emerged with a worried look about her. She looked to Pyrrha and Winter, clearly in the middle of arguing, and approached with a frown. "Did something happen?"
"No, and that's precisely the problem." Winter glanced to Pyrrha, then back to Weiss. "But perhaps you can help."
"You think Weiss will talk me into it? That she would even agree with you?"
"No, I think you require the proper motivation and she can provide that." Winter turned to Harriet once more. "Bree, your new target is Weiss. No mercy."
Both Weiss and Pyrrha's eyes widened in shock; Harriet looked uneasy. "Ma'am? She's unarmed…"
Winter drew her sabre in the same motion she turned to face Pyrrha. "You have your orders, soldier; don't make me repeat them."
"Winter?" Weiss shrunk back a bit.
Harriet's gaze flicked between Winter and Weiss. "… Yes Ma'am." She raised her fists and advanced toward Weiss.
Pyrrha moved to intercept but was herself blocked by Winter. "What is wrong with you!?" She attempted to push past and found Winter's blade flashing out at her throat, forcing her into an awkward parry and backstep that still resulted in a nick at her Aura.
"You'll have to try harder to get past me, Nikos." Winter immediately pounced, her sword as quick as lightning; she may not move as fast as Harriet, but her greater reach and leverage led to the same effect, and she was far more precise — there was no room for error here. She pushed Pyrrha back with a rapid exchange, landing a few light blows and taking a few in kind but more importantly driving her further away from Weiss.
Weiss was dodging Harriet as best she could, but with no weapon that wasn't very well; Harriet was faster than even her glyphs could move her — aside from her time dilation at least, and that would leave her absolutely defenceless soon enough — and far more skilled at unarmed combat. She was saying something — Pyrrha thought she was asking Harriet to stop, but she couldn't make out what was being said exactly; in any case it didn't stop Harriet from attacking, or even really slow her down.
Why? Why would she do this? Why would she obey that order… why would Winter even give it? There has to be a better way than this, it's madness!
Maybe Pyrrha could go over Winter, use the terrain to her advantage? She slashed high to force Winter to duck and leapt into a descending kick over the counterslash which she used to propel herself skyward and back, then kicked off the wall behind her to launch herself up to the top of a nearby hardlight pillar. Good, Winter was trailing behind; from the top she could-. Pyrrha barely had time to react as a group of summoned beowolves rushed at her.
You're in my way!
She slid under the claws of the first and dispatched the second with a thrust to the throat as she regained her feet, catching the third's strike on Akoúō and spinning just out of reach of the of the fourth to cut down the first, then leaping through the gap to plunge Miló into the third's heart and kick the fourth off the top of the pillar on her way toward Weiss… only to find Winter blocking her path once more.
Pyrrha didn't have time for this; from the corner of her eye she could see Weiss trying desperately to defend herself against Harriet, who easily slipped her guard to deliver a vicious body blow — the sound of it tore at her heart — but Winter was between them, and far too good to simply slip past.
No choice, I'll have to go through her and take the hit.
She clenched her teeth, braced herself, and leapt straight for Winter's head with Akoúō leading — normally she would never do something so reckless and easy to avoid, it left her wide open, but Winter would have to move to avoid it and that would clear her path.
Winter moved — slashing at Pyrrha's exposed back as predicted — but rather than continue onward to Weiss, Pyrrha was caught in midair by a charging, solid-white manticore that slammed into and threw her diagonally back into another of the barriers, and though she twisted to land on her feet Winter was once again on her as soon as she touched the ground.
There!
She knocked Winter's sabre wide and darted forward, using her shield and the barrier's edge to block Winter's line of attack only to find the blade split into two and the smaller suddenly threatening her on a different line, cutting off her path. "Not that way either. You'd better hurry, her Aura was already low."
Sweat began to chill Pyrrha's spine, and not from exertion. She gave a battlecry and pressed the attack more fervently than she had in any tournament bout, trying to drive Winter back toward the others, heedless of the strikes that slipped past her guard and taking no pride in those she got past Winter's.
Not fast enough… she's not moving fast enough, not going down quick enough! Fine, if she wants me to use my Semblance more, she can have it!!
"Weiss!!" Pyrrha hopped back a step and thrust out her shield hand, a black aura emanating from it and surrounding the larger of Winter's blades to rip it free of her hand and fling it toward the younger Schnee.
"Good!" Winter spun back herself and flicked out her now-empty hand, causing a huge spike of ice to form from a glyph on the ground and capture the sailing sword in its crystalline heart. "But not enough." And again she was on Pyrrha, this time augmenting her single, smaller blade with a summoned swarm of tiny nevermores that demanded Pyrrha's shield.
Weiss cried out and slid along the ground behind the ice spike, her Aura evaporating under a hard blow delivered by Harriet, who swiftly pursued.
Weiss, no!!
Winter was right, it wasn't enough. Even throwing away her opponent's weapon like that, it wasn't enough. Weiss was still in trouble. Weiss still needed her. She was still in danger. She was in danger… because Winter had put her in danger. How could she do that? Her own sister! A burning fury lit in Pyrrha's heart and was manifested around her eye in Maidenfire.
This ends now!!!
Pyrrha caught Winter's sword on her own and planted a powerful kick in her abdomen, sending her back a few paces and buying enough time to throw out her hand and pull . In the middle of leaping upon Weiss, Harriet suddenly jerked sideways with a yelp of shock and pain and a twisting of metal to slam into the ice hard enough to shatter it to pieces and continued through to land roughly, her arms bent in an unnatural way. In the same motion Pyrrha threw her shield through the swarm with all her might, obliterating the summons and the glyph that brought them.
Winter looked pleased as she turned her gaze to Harriet. "Very good," the elder Schnee began, however if she thought now that Pyrrha had unleashed her Polarity more fully they were done she was sorely mistaken; Winter had endangered Weiss, and whilst Pyrrha was not quick to anger, once driven to it neither was she quick to calm. Her eyes widened with a gasp and she barely managed to bring her shorter blade up in time to parry as Miló came for her, now in its spear configuration and arcing with lightning. With an electric crack it blew her weapon from her hand to sail through the air.
"Stop!"
Winter backpedalled and Pyrrha pursued, and no longer was it only Miló crackling with lightning, little arcs dancing now and then over Pyrrha's body as well, evidently having burnt away her hair tie as her hair now spilled free and flowed as though it had a mind of its own. She called on her manticore for aid, and as it swept down between them, tried to make a break for her sabre in the ruin of the ice formation as more glyphs winked into existence to launch ice shards at Pyrrha. The charging beast hardly fazed Pyrrha — she vaulted over it, stabbing downward in an aerial pirouette to pierce its back with a thunderclap and sprinting to cut Winter off, her weapon whirling to knock aside the projectiles that she didn't leap and twist to avoid. She flung the sword aside with her Semblance just as Winter reached for it and caught her with a kick to bring her back upright, launching into a brutal flurry that, for all her skill, Winter had little hope of defence against with no weapon to parry. Pyrrha's spear spun and stabbed, striking with blade and haft both; Winter tried to defend herself with conjured glyphs, but the blows shattered them like glass, and she could only evade so many.
"Nikos, stop!"
Pyrrha did not stop. The lights in the room went red.
Winter desperately leapt back, her Aura wavering after the exchange — if it could be called such — and called up a line of glyphs to escape at speed, only to find Akoúō slamming into her legs from behind and depositing her hard on her back with the air driven from her lungs.
"Pyrrha!"
Pyrrha pounced onto the fallen Winter, and as she descended, she triggered Miló's rocket blast and wrapped it in her Polarity. She landed atop Winter, pinning her beneath a hand and knee with the entire length of her spear's blade driven into the ground a hair's breadth from her head, the arcs from both the weapon's charge and the damaged floor singing Winter's hair and skin.
"Are you happy!? This is what you asked for! You wanted this!! "
The lightning faded along with the Maidenfire as she took hold of Winter's collar and leaned in close, staring daggers into Winter's eyes.
" Never put her in danger like that again. Ever. "
She felt hands on her — other hands, not Winter's; those were accounted for — pulling her away and released her hold to see who they belonged to.
The other Ace-Ops; of course.
More precisely Vine — the rest were still running over, but his Semblance let his arms reach her to pull her away from Winter — along with General Ironwood. She let herself be pulled off the other woman and back to standing, casting her gaze about for Weiss, but when she found her and made to move toward her Pyrrha found Vine unwilling to let her go. Immediately the Maidenfire returned and she twisted, calling Miló spinning back to her hand.
"Let her go."
General Ironwood's words gave Pyrrha pause. She halted her blade, her gaze flicking from Vine at the corner of her eye to the general ahead and back.
"Sir, she nearly killed-."
"I saw what she did, Zeki, and I saw what led to it. Let her go."
Vine hesitated for just a moment before releasing Pyrrha, who stepped away to approach Weiss at an urgent pace, stowing Miló and dismissing the Maidenfire as she moved.
"Are you alright?"
Weiss was tense, trembling as she briefly checked her over. Finding no immediately apparent injuries, Pyrrha wrapped her in an embrace but try as she might — and try she did — she couldn't seem to soothe Weiss' nerves.
"Winter… Harriet…"
Weiss' voice was soft and unsteady, trembling as much as her body. Pyrrha held her closer; she could feel Weiss looking at them over her shoulder, feel tears against her neck.
She must be so hurt… so terrified of what they might do, these people she thought she could trust…
"I know Weiss, I know… I can't believe they did that to you, but I promise, I won't ever let them hurt you again…"
"Are you sure about her?"
"Sure? No. I can't be sure of anything, not when it comes to this, but… I believe in her. She's young and has some rough edges, but she also has incredible potential."
"Rough edges? She's dangerous. Undisciplined. You saw it yourself, she ignored multiple direct orders, first to use her power and then to stop using it. How is that someone to believe in?"
Ironwood simply smiled in silence for a moment.
"What?"
"I was just thinking how alike you are."
"What!? We aren't the slightest bit alike; I would never disobey orders like that!"
"Really? I seem to remember having to physically hold you back when your sister called in tears, upset that her father was on one of his tirades and had turned his anger on her."
Winter sputtered momentarily.
"Well that's-!"
"It could've caused a national incident. The press would've had a field day."
She was turning redder by the second.
"You know there are still people around here that think we were, ah, 'fraternising' after that, what with the broken furniture and you storming out with your jacket half-ripped?"
"That's ridiculous! You and I-."
"I know."
"Who are they!?"
"It doesn't matter."
"But your reputation-!"
"Winter, it doesn't matter. But this is what I meant, how you're alike. Your protective instincts."
"I would have never let Weiss come to actual harm."
"I know that, or I would've stopped it the moment you put Bree on her. I think Weiss knows it too, although you might've shaken her confidence a little. But does Nikos know that? This was only the third time she met you, and the first with Weiss there."
Winter's gaze fell a bit.
"You knew she didn't; you were counting on it. You got exactly what you wanted from her — her protective instincts came out, you just didn't count on them being so strong or her taking it so far."
"I suppose."
Ironwood stepped closer. "Winter, you know what your sister did for her at Beacon. You know what she means to Weiss; did you think Weiss meant less to her?"
Winter met his gaze briefly, then turned hers aside with a huff. Ironwood smiled at the petulant answer.
"Are you honestly upset that she does, knowing how Weiss feels?"
"… No."
"That's good. She needs you to be a good sister…"
Ironwood laid a hand on her shoulder and turned a concerned look to her despite his small smile.
"Now are you sure you're alright? You took quite a beating out there…"
"I'm fine… nothing Aura and a few days' light duty won't fix."
"No."
"No?"
"No. Not light duty, rest."
"But I-."
"Rest, that's an order."
"Oh, so you're back to being the general now?"
"If I have to be."
"Fine… I'll rest. Tomorrow. After that, no promises."
Ironwood sighed. "Has anyone ever told you stubborn runs in your family?"
"Once or twice."
"Alright; rest tomorrow, then we'll see, but you have to try to get along with Nikos."
"… Fine."
"Good. You're going to be seeing an awful lot of each other, and that goes double if she ends up being your sister-in-law."
"Ugh, you're terrible!"
Ironwood chuckled. "Just trying to look out for you."