Welcome to Beacon, Part Two
Pyrrha was always – that was probably too strong a word, implying that this was more than her second visit – surprised by how small Professor Goodwitch's office was. It was made to seem even smaller by the bookshelf dominating the left-hand side of the room, groaning with so many tomes on history, legend, and the nature of the grimm that Pyrrha wouldn't have been surprised if Professor Goodwitch could have taken over from either Professor Port or Doctor Oobleck in an emergency. On the other side of the wall was a map of Vale, with red pins stuck into various locations. Pyrrha wasn't sure what the pins meant, but there seemed to be more of them than there had been when she had been here last.
But that had been quite some time ago, when she had asked if there was any way in which she could switch teams, before she and Sunset had come to a mutual understanding.
Professor Goodwitch sat behind a handsome mahogany desk, piled up high with papers and documents. She scribbled something briefly on one of her pieces of paper before looking up at Pyrrha. She smiled, and when she spoke, her tone was a little warmer than usual. "Please, sit down, Miss Nikos."
"Thank you, Professor," Pyrrha murmured. She sat in a revolving chair placed in front of the desk, and her gloved hands fiddled idly with her red sash as she waited for Professor Goodwitch to explain what she was doing here.
"How are you feeling about the start of the new semester, Miss Nikos?" Professor Goodwitch asked politely.
"I'm quietly confident, Professor," Pyrrha replied. "I'm looking forward to some more field missions, and all of our vacation homework is complete." That was not quite true. Jaune still had to do his history essay for Professor Oobleck, as she had only recently discovered, but they were going to have a study session in the library this afternoon to get it out of the way before classes resumed.
"I'm glad to hear it," Professor Goodwitch said. "As you may be aware, the students from Atlas Academy arrived this morning."
"Yes, Professor, I saw them fly in," Pyrrha said. "I wasn't expecting them to be so… well-armed."
Professor Goodwitch snorted. "I think some people enjoy flaunting their power," she said derisively. "In any case, the Haven students will be arriving this afternoon. When classes resume, I think there may be a number of people eager to challenge you in sparring class."
"I imagine you're right, Professor," Pyrrha replied, "but I'm prepared for that."
"I'm sure you are," Professor Goodwitch said sincerely. She paused for a moment. "How are you feeling, Miss Nikos?"
"To be honest, I'm a little confused as to what I'm doing here, Professor."
Professor Goodwitch frowned, pinching her face. "Have you spoken to your mother lately, Miss Nikos?"
Ah. I should have known. "May I ask… who told you about that, Professor? Was it Jaune or Ruby?"
"As a matter of fact, it was Miss Shimmer who came to see me," Professor Goodwitch said.
"Sunset?" Pyrrha asked in surprise.
"She didn't tell me what had passed between you," Professor Goodwitch went on, "only that you had had a falling out prior to your return to Beacon."
"I see," Pyrrha murmured. "No, Professor, I'm afraid my mother and I haven't spoken since I left Mistral. Nor…" She gripped the fabric of her scarlet sash tightly. "Nor do I wish to change that."
Professor Goodwitch was silent for a moment, watching Pyrrha carefully through her half-moon spectacles. "You don't have to tell me what happened," she said gently, "but let me ask you again, Miss Nikos: how are you feeling?"
Pyrrha closed her eyes. "I don't think it was asking too much," she said, "to be allowed to make a few of my own decisions. To be allowed to give my heart to whom I choose."
"You're referring to Mister Arc?" Professor Goodwitch asked.
Pyrrha nodded. "I love him," she said softly, her voice almost a whisper.
Professor Goodwitch's frown was one of concern. "You're still a young girl, Miss Nikos, and Mister Arc is still a young man. If you knew how many students I have seen come through these halls and 'fall in love' for a week, a month, a season, maybe even a year. Be careful, Miss Nikos; these things can leave scars when they end."
"Are you saying that you think it will end, Professor?"
"I'm advising you to be careful," Professor Goodwitch repeated. "In fairy tales, the Prince and the Princess fall in love at first sight and then live happily ever after. Real life is not always as straightforward."
"I see," Pyrrha murmured, by which she meant that she understood Professor Goodwitch was trying to help, even if she didn't agree with her about this. She and Jaune… there was something
real between them, and had been ever since she had unlocked his aura, mingling their two souls together. "My mother lied," she said, "to keep us apart. I could not forgive that. I cannot."
"I see," Professor Goodwitch said. "You carry a heavy burden, Miss Nikos. I sometimes think that the expectations placed upon you are too great." She paused. "It is not my place to advise you what to do in this, but if you ever feel the need to unburden yourself or feel as though the weight on your shoulders is growing too heavy, my door is open to you."
"Thank you for the offer, Professor," Pyrrha replied. "But I'm fine, now."
Professor Goodwitch did not reply immediately. "If you're certain, Miss Nikos, then I won't keep you any further."
Pyrrha got to her feet. "Goodbye, Professor." She turned away and left the office, gently closing the door behind her.
"You should talk to your mother," Sunset said.
Pyrrha let out a little gasp. "Sunset," she said. "You…" she paused. "How is it that you always seem to be here when I come out of Professor Goodwitch's office?"
Sunset grinned. "I have a magical map that lets me keep tabs on everyone." She glanced away. "Actually, that might not be such a bad idea, hmm. Anyway," she added, "you should talk to your mother."
Pyrrha sighed. "Are you saying that because-"
"Don't," Sunset snapped, and there was nothing playful about her tone now or the hard-eyed expression on her face. "Don't you dare."
Pyrrha took a step back. "Sunset?"
"Your mother has been generous enough to grant me a stipend, it's true," Sunset admitted, "but it does not make me her hireling nor bind me to obey her will in everything or lobby on her behalf against my will. And you should know me better than that."
"I… I'm sorry," Pyrrha murmured. Sunset was right, she
should have known better than to suggest such a thing. The truth was… the truth was that it irked her a little, that Sunset had chosen to avail herself of Lady Nikos' patronage even after Pyrrha had attempted to break with her own mother, even after what her mother had done; it irked her as well – and this, Pyrrha was even more ashamed of – that her mother had chosen to favour Sunset with her patronage at all. It wasn't Sunset's fault that she was, in many respects, more fitting in character for the heiress to the House of Nikos than Pyrrha was: ambitious, confident, proud. It wasn't Sunset's fault that she would have made an excellent match with Turnus Rutulus.
None of it was Sunset's fault, but that didn't mean that Pyrrha had to like it.
"I'm sorry," Pyrrha repeated. "I didn't mean to insult you. I forgot… I forgot how important your pride is to you."
"It's fine," Sunset said, her expression softening. "I may have overreacted just a little bit. Anyway, the point is that I really do think that you should call your mother."
"I disagree," Pyrrha said mildly. "Would you forgive your mother if she behaved like that?"
"I've forgiven worse," Sunset replied.
"Really?" Pyrrha murmured. "How long did it take you?"
Sunset hesitated. "Years," she admitted. "Years in which I regretted that… that I didn't have her to turn to. That's why I spoke to Professor Goodwitch; if you won't see sense, will you at least go and talk to her if you need to?"
"I don't want to bother Professor Goodwitch," Pyrrha said. "I'm sure she's very busy."
Sunset shook her head. "Anyway, shall we go to lunch?"
"Yes, that sounds like a good idea," Pyrrha said.
"I'll text Jaune and Ruby to meet us at the dining hall," Sunset said, pulling her scroll out of her jacket pocket. As her fingers tapped the letters, she said, "But seriously, you should call your mother."
"Please, Sunset, let it lie," Pyrrha pleaded.
"She loves you," Sunset insisted. "It was love that made her lie to Jaune about your… status."
"I'm not sure that an action like that could ever be motivated by love," Pyrrha replied.
Sunset looked at her. "You don't think love can ever drive us to do bad things, even terrible ones?"
"I think that negative emotions are more likely a cause of negative actions," Pyrrha said. "Fear, anger… it was not love that made my mother deceive Jaune; it was fear that I might love someone not of her choosing. Fear of losing control over me."
Sunset folded up her scroll. "'Love'?"
"Hmm?"
"You said 'love,'" Sunset repeated.
Pyrrha blinked. A smile crossed her lips. "Yes," she said. "I suppose I did."
Sunset rolled her eyes. "You've really got it bad, don't you?"
"Do you find it so hard to believe?" Pyrrha asked. "Do you find it impossible to imagine that our lives might change in the blink of an eye?"
Sunset was silent for a moment. "I… I don't know," she said, "but it hasn't happened to me, nor anyone else I know… except you, apparently."
Pyrrha looked away for a moment. "I… I won't apologise for how I feel about Jaune," she said, "any more than for how I feel about my mother."
"I'm not asking you to apologise."
"But you do think I'm being ridiculous," Pyrrha said.
Sunset was silent for a moment. "I… I worry about you."
"Thank you," Pyrrha said softly, "but I'll be fine."
They left the school building and began to cross the courtyard towards the cafeteria. They could see a great many other students from all over the spacious campus converging there, and many were wearing the grey and white of Atlas that had become familiar to Pyrrha and Sunset through their friendship with RSPT.
Pyrrha's eyes flickered across the crowds for a moment, before she said, "Sunset… may I ask something of you… which you are as likely to refuse as I've refused all of your requests, I must admit."
"Go on," Sunset said warily.
"I do wish that you wouldn't take my mother's money," Pyrrha declared. "It… it doesn't sit right with me. Not because I think you're taking it to be her employee, but… surely you can understand."
"I can," Sunset admitted. "But, since I disagree with you about this… and besides, I need the money."
Pyrrha winced. Now that Sunset had moved the argument in that direction, it was going to be hard to discuss it. She didn't want to suggest that Sunset should voluntarily impoverish herself, and yet, that was what she would have to do if she wished to continue this conversation.
Which was probably why Sunset had said it.
Or perhaps not, because Sunset didn't even give her the chance to respond, continuing on to add, "And so do you."
"I'll manage," Pyrrha murmured.
"How?" Sunset demanded. "Your mother was quite explicit that the stipend she has granted me is for dust and ammunition and combat essentials. I'm not sure how she'd react if I started paying for our trips to the spa."
"I can manage without such things," Pyrrha replied.
"I could say something very unkind about how Jaune will feel once you start to get split ends and your hair dries up," Sunset remarked. "But I won't, because I am a classy lady."
"I thank you for your restraint," Pyrrha said softly.
"Seriously, what will it cost you to keep spending your mother's money?"
"My self-respect?" Pyrrha suggested. "Surely, you can understand that?"
"I scavenged parts from a junkyard to build my motorcycle because of 'self-respect,' don't be like me," Sunset said. "Look, I'll make a deal with you: I won't nag you to talk to your mother, and you will keep spending her money, how about that?"
Pyrrha's eyes narrowed. "And if I refuse?"
"Then I will mention this at every conceivable opportunity," Sunset said, "to the point that I will wake you up in the morning by yelling 'TALK TO YOUR MOTHER' in your ear while you lie sleeping."
Pyrrha covered her mouth with one hand as she giggled. "Really?"
"Really."
"Then I don't suppose you leave me much choice, do you?" Pyrrha said.
"I hope not," Sunset said with a touch of laughter in her voice.
The two of them crossed the courtyard; Jaune and Ruby were already waiting for them outside the dining hall. Jaune… every time she looked at him, it was as if she were seeing him anew for the first time, and every time, it was wonderful.
He didn't need his semblance to glow in her eyes; he was able to do that all by himself.
"Hey," he said, reaching out to take her hands as she approached. "How did it go with Goodwitch?"
"Oh, it was nothing to worry about," Pyrrha murmured. "She just wanted to know how I was… apparently, she heard about what happened with my mother."
"How did she find out about that?" Ruby asked.
"How do you think?" Sunset demanded.
"You told her?" Ruby gasped.
"Of course I told her; somebody had to," Sunset replied.
"There are a lot of things that somebody should probably tell the teachers about, but we're not going to," Jaune pointed out.
"That is completely different," Sunset declared.
"How is it any different at all?"
"It's fine, Jaune," Pyrrha said. "Professor Goodwitch was very kind. She wanted to let me know that I could talk to her, if I needed to."
Jaune nodded. He squeezed her hands gently. "That might not be such a bad idea."
"I'll be alright," Pyrrha assured him.
"Are you sure?"
"Quite sure," Pyrrha said. "Did you two have a good time at the farm?"
Ruby nodded eagerly. "We-"
"Pyrrha! So good to see you again!" the voice that cut across Ruby's words was high pitched, the tone clipped and aristocratic. It was also a voice that Pyrrha would rather not have heard.
Pyrrha's shoulders slumped a little as she said, with a tone of resigned neutrality, "Phoebe, it's been some time."
Phoebe Kommenos pushed her way through the crowd of students. She was tall, of a height with Pyrrha herself, and dressed in the uniform of an Atlas student. Her eyes were dark, and her hair was black as coal and bound up in a messy bun at the nape of her neck. Diamond clusters dangled from each ear, sparkling in the sunlight. Her arms were muscular, as much as Yang or Pyrrha. She was beautiful, with a dainty nose and high, sharp cheekbones contrasting with the softness of her chin… unfortunately, Pyrrha could not bring herself to think that there was so much beauty within Phoebe as there was without.
Three other students trailed in her wake, two strapping young men and a small, slight girl who walked with her shoulders hunched and her head bowed as though she were trying to hide.
Phoebe laughed, a kind of 'ohohohoho' sound that made Sunset's ears twitch. "Yes, it has, hasn't it? Not since you beat me in last year's tournament." She laughed again as she produced a fan from out of her sleeve and snapped it up in front of her face. "I hear you went home for the vacation? I would have seen you there, I'm sure, but I decided to stay in Atlas preparing for the Vytal Festival."
"I'm sure that you will do yourself honour there," Pyrrha replied. "Allow me to introduce-"
"You're sure that I will do myself honour?" Phoebe repeated sharply. "Oh, how very kind of you to stay so, Pyrrha Nikos."
"Phoebe," Pyrrha said, "that's not what I meant-"
"Oh, I'm sure it wasn't," Phoebe said. "You never mean to, do you? You never
mean to humiliate the rest of us, you never
mean to cast a shadow across the world, you never
mean to bestride the hearts of men like a colossus so we must crawl about around your pedestal and seek for crumbs of recognition!"
"That's not fair," Jaune protested. "You can't demand that everyone strive to be the best but then complain when someone is actually better than you!"
"'Better than-'?!"
"Don't waste your breath, Jaune," Sunset said. She smirked. "Entitled mediocrity is blind to the merits of true talent. Anyway, we're done," she added, half-stepping between Pyrrha and Phoebe. "Now, I don't know who you are, but I can make a pretty good guess as to what you are: someone who sucks by comparison to Pyrrha, for which I have… not enough sympathy to make me want to listen to you go on about it, much less force Pyrrha to listen. So take your frustrations and stew in them. Somewhere else."
Phoebe glowered down at Sunset. One of her hands clenched into a fist.
Sunset's hand glowed as she held her magic ready.
"Uh, Phoebe?" the girl behind her murmured tremulously. "Maybe… maybe we should… I mean-"
"Can we just get something to eat?" asked one of the two boys, a wolf faunus with a mane of silver hair and a tail emerging out of the back of his pants.
Phoebe's chest rose and fell. "Fine," she spat through gritted teeth. She turned away from Sunset and then stopped. "I aim to take your crown, Pyrrha," she declared. "By the time the Vytal Festival is over, they won't talk of the Invincible Girl, but only of the one who proved that she was only mortal after all."
"Good luck with that," Sunset muttered.
Phoebe didn't hear her, or affected not to hear her, as she stalked into the dining hall.
Pyrrha sighed. "I'm sorry about that," she said.
"It's fine," Jaune assured her, taking one hand in his and rubbing her shoulder with the other hand. Pyrrha smiled at him gratefully and felt him squeeze her hand for comfort and reassurance. She felt better already.
"Who was that?" Ruby asked.
"Phoebe Kommenos," Pyrrha explained. "One of my… she and I have fought more than once during my time on the tournament circuit."
"A sore loser, I presume," Sunset muttered.
"You… could say that," Pyrrha admitted. "The good news is that she's a couple of years older than I am, so we shouldn't see very much of her. Hopefully, she'll keep whatever is between us… between us." There were a great many rumours about Phoebe Kommenos, some of them rather unpleasant: a reclusive stepsister who had rarely ventured out of the house for reasons unknown; the fire that had killed her mother and sister; allegations of match-fixing against less wealthy opponents; sparring partners injured, some quite seriously. Some said that Phoebe had had to go to Atlas Academy because her reputation would have followed her to Haven. Pyrrha wasn't quite sure that was true, and in any case, these were only rumours, but at the same time… she didn't want someone like that turning her ire on Jaune or Ruby simply because of their association with her.
"Hopefully," Sunset repeated. "If not, we'll deal with it, but for now, why don't we get inside before all the desert goes?"
"That sounds like an excellent idea," Pyrrha said softly.
They went inside to find that, on this occasion, Team RSPT had beaten them into the dining hall and were already sat down at the usual table that Team SAPR and their friends habitually chose. The queue was bigger than normal today, thanks to the presence of all the Atlas students, but nobody tried to grab their seats while they were queuing up; perhaps RSPT had made it clear that they were saving them for someone. Pyrrha selected her lunch – gammon, with pineapple, boiled potatoes, and a vegetable selection – and sat down opposite Penny.
"Good morning," she said. "Or, I suppose it's 'good afternoon' now, isn't it?"
"It's a good something," Twilight said. "I suppose," she added in a softer tone.
Pyrrha looked up from her meal. "Is everything alright?"
"We got called to the General's office, that's all," Rainbow answered. "So that he could ream me out about what happened at the docks."
"You saved us at the docks," Pyrrha pointed out.
Rainbow nodded. "Okay, he wanted to ream me out about what happened
before the docks."
"That makes a little more sense," Pyrrha conceded. She blinked. "General Ironwood? He's here?"
"Indeed," Ciel said. "General Ironwood is leading our forces personally."
"You mean the unnecessarily large forces parked overhead?" Sunset said as she sat down on Pyrrha's left.
"No, we're talking about the forces here to defend Vale against the White Fang… and anything or anyone else," Rainbow said.
Sunset snorted. "You Atlesians always have to be the hero, don't you?"
"You're an Atlesian yourself," Twilight said.
"A little," Sunset said with a shrug, "but you know what I mean."
"If you are referring to the way in which our nation freely sacrifices of itself for the security of its fellow men, then yes, we know what you mean," Ciel declared.
Sunset looked at her for a moment. "Sure, let's go with that."
"Hey, guys," Jaune said as he sat down on Pyrrha's right. "I'm a little surprised to see you here."
"Why?" Penny asked. "Where else would be at lunchtime?"
Jaune shrugged. "Nowhere in particular; it's just that with the Atlas students arriving, aren't there some of your old friends you haven't seen for a while?"
"I don't have any old friends at Atlas," Penny said. "I only have you." She paused, and her face became a little downcast. "Do you not want me to eat with you?"
"Nobody's saying that, Penny," Ruby assured her as she, at last, took her seat next to Sunset. "Jaune was just surprised that you didn't know anyone from your own academy. Although I suppose you did arrive in Vale pretty fast."
"We always enjoy your company, Penny," Pyrrha said.
"Yeah, please don't take what I said the wrong way," Jaune added.
"Besides, just because we can sit with other Atlesians doesn't mean we have to or that we should," Twilight said. "Getting to know one another, forging friendships across schools or continents, isn't that part of what the Vytal Festival is all about? Isn't that why students arrive at their host schools so early?"
"I couldn't agree more," Sun said, appearing from out of nowhere as he sat himself down on the edge of the bench next to the Rosepetals. "'Sup guys, any of you seen Blake?"
"Where did you come from?" Sunset demanded.
"I was… around," Sun replied. "I couldn't help but overhear, seemed like a good moment to drop in."
"Hey, Sun," Ruby said with a smile. "Are you excited about all the Haven students arriving?"
"I wouldn't necessarily say 'excited,'" Sun acknowledged, scratching his cheek with one hand. "More… a little bit nervous."
"But you'll finally get your team back together," Ruby pointed out. As far as Pyrrha was aware, Professor Ozpin had wanted the rest of Team SSSN - pronounced Sun, like their leader - to follow the example of Team RSPT and join Sun at Beacon early, but Professor Lionheart had put his foot down and refused to allow them to do so until the rest of the Haven students arrived.
"Yeah," Sun conceded. "That's why I'm a little bit nervous."
"You're afraid about what they're going to say?" Rainbow asked in between a mouthful of pasta.
"I'm afraid of what some of them are going to say," Sun admitted. "Actually… nah, make that all of them; even Neptune won't be totally cool about this."
"You should be worried," Rainbow declared. "You're a terrible leader."
"Rainbow Dash!" Ruby cried reproachfully.
"What?" Rainbow demanded. "You ran off to another continent, ditched your team, and you've left them leaderless and with a man down for the last semester."
"I ran off to another continent and ditched my team," Penny pointed out.
"And that was very wrong of you, Penny," Ciel said.
"Yeah, but not as bad as it would have been if you'd been team leader," Rainbow explained. "If I'd pulled that kind of stunt, the General would have stuck me in the brig for the next four months."
"Wouldn't that just exacerbate the problem?" Penny asked innocently. "Then Team Rosepetal would still be a man down and without a leader."
"It goes without saying that Rainbow Dash would not have retained her leadership – or indeed her membership of Team Rosepetal – under such circumstances," Ciel declared.
Penny's eyes widened. "Does that mean Sun is getting kicked out of his team?"
"Scarlet might try," Sun confessed. He paused. "How would this General guy-?"
Rainbow, Ciel and Twilight all made noises as if they were about to start choking on their lunch.
"'This General guy'?" Rainbow repeated. "'This General guy'?"
"It's not like you said his name," Sun replied without much defensiveness.
"You've never heard of General Ironwood?" Twilight asked in astonishment.
"Only Atlesian arrogance would assume that everyone must necessarily have heard of one of
your senior officers," Sunset said. "Would you expect Atlesians to know who Professor Lionheart is?"
"Who?" asked Penny.
"Precisely," Sunset said.
"You are an Atlesian," Twilight reminded Sunset yet again.
"I like to think that I can take a step outside of your society and examine it critically."
"You mean you weren't happy there," Twilight said.
"Not particularly," Sunset admitted.
"Anyway, it doesn't matter what his name is; he's not here anyway," Sun remarked.
"Uh, apparently he is," Ruby said. "He came with his fleet."
Sun looked at her. "What fleet?"
Everyone stared at him. Even Pyrrha found herself rather surprised to hear that.
"The, uh, the Atlesian fleet?" Jaune suggested. "You know, all those ships filling the skies over Beacon and Vale."
"I hadn't noticed," Sun said, prompting Sunset to groan in frustration. "Anyway, do any of you know where Blake is?"
"Your team is about to arrive filled with just recriminations, you may in fact be about to be voted out like the loser on some game show, and on top of that, you're so spectacularly unobservant that it's a wonder you haven't walked into the mouth of an ursa major, but sure, the important thing is where you can find your girlfriend," Sunset growled. She rolled her eyes. "Sweet Celestia."
"We're sorry," Pyrrha murmured, "but we haven't seen Blake all day."
"Did you talk to her team?" Ruby asked.
"They hadn't seen her either," Sunset answered.
"She came aboard the
Valiant for a little bit," Rainbow said. "The General – General Ironwood – apologised to her for… the way I got a little carried away when I found out, you know. But she left before us, and I don't know where she went after that."
Sun sighed dispiritedly. "I can't think where she'd be. I've looked everywhere."
"Maybe she doesn't want to be found right now," Jaune suggested. "She'll show up eventually, but if she wants to be left alone… maybe just give her her space?"
Sun looked at him. "Would you give Pyrrha space?"
Jaune looked at her. "If Pyrrha wanted me to, then sure." He hesitated. "Which, uh, kind of reminds me… we haven't really been on a date yet… I mean I don't know if you really want to go on a date because I probably should have asked first, but I didn't because I'm such a moron, and I didn't think this through, can we start over?"
Pyrrha covered her mouth with one hand as she laughed. "There's no need. I would love to go on a date with you, Jaune. What did you have in mind?"
"Ugh, how saccharine. Someone pass me a sick bag."
Pyrrha might have almost expected that to come from Sunset, or possibly even Rainbow Dash, but instead, the voice was higher-pitched than either of them possessed and belonged to a cat faunus – her tail was visible, curling up behind her back, twitching gently back and forth – who had appeared at their table in a rainbow burst. Like the other Atlas students, she wore the grey and white uniform of the northern academy, but she seemed particularly ill at ease in it, as if she couldn't wait to burst out of it and into something more casual. Her hair was a rich red, with neon blue streaks in the bangs that fell over her forehead, and worn in twin tails that jutted out from the sides of her head. She had a heart tattooed onto her left cheek which the blush she was wearing did not conceal. Her eyes were blue and seemed very sharp.
Currently, this newcomer had her arms around the shoulders of Rainbow and Twilight, practically draping her body over both of them.
"So,
these are the people you've been hanging out with for the last few months, huh, Dashie?" she asked, her sharp blue eyes scanning the members of Team SAPR. "I'm so forlorn. You've thrown me away for a baby, a fried breakfast-"
"A what?" Sunset demanded.
"You know, the hair," the cat faunus said. "It makes you looked like grilled – ooh, a barbecue! That's what you are, that's even better. A baby, a barbecue… something starts with B… bumpkin!" Her voice assumed an accent that sounded a little like Rainbow's friend Applejack as she addressed Jaune. "Come on, now, boy, I bet you ain't never been more than eight miles outside of home before you came to Beacon, ain't that right?"
Pyrrha coughed. "Excuse me, but I don't think we've been introduced."
"Hey, listen to that one, so refined."
"Neon, stop," Rainbow said in long-suffering resignation. "This is Neon Katt, the White Fang's agent in Atlas Academy."
Pyrrha's eyebrows rose. "The… White Fang."
"Oh, don't worry; I'm a harmless kitty cat, really," Neon said, pinching Rainbow's cheek and pulling on it. "It's just that I accept what Dashie here and others like her run away from: that we faunus are just superior to all you puny humans."
Jaune stared. "That… sounds kind of-"
"True," Neon insisted. "We have a range of abilities that you lack, not to mention the advantages of our extra limbs. We're just better than you, in every way."
"Not in brains," Rainbow said, extracting her face from Neon's grip.
"Oh, intelligence is overrated!"
"Is that right?" drawled a tall, slender man with skin nearly as dark as Ciel as he strode over to join them. He had accessorised his uniform with the addition of a dark fedora atop his head and a single black glove covering one hand. "What up, Dash?"
Rainbow got to her feet. "Hey, Flynt. It's good to see you again. How you doing?" She held out one hand, which the man – Flynt – clasped warmly.
"Oh, the beat goes on; you know how it is," Flynt said. "Improvising from one note to the next, just like always." He glanced at Neon. "Meanwhile, I bet you're playing some of the old favourites, huh, Neon?"
Neon made a cat's paw with one hand, waving it in a dismissive gesture. "Oh, relax, Flynt, you know I don't mean
you. You're my favourite human."
"Gee, thanks, now how about you stop bothering Dash and come get something to eat?"
Neon's stomach rumbled loudly. "That… might not be such a bad idea," she admitted. "See you around, Dashie!"
"You'll make sure of it, won't you?" Rainbow replied.
"You know it!" Neon cried cheerily as she skipped away, her tail shaking behind her.
Flynt touched the brim of his hat with his forefingers. "Ladies," he said, before turning around and following Neon back towards the lunch queue.
Rainbow sat down again.
"She was…" Pyrrha began, and then trailed off because it was hard to properly describe exactly what Neon was.
"Yeah, she's something alright," Rainbow agreed. "But she's good at what she does."
"Annoying people?" Sunset suggested.
Rainbow grinned. "That too," she admitted, "but I was actually thinking about killing grimm, but yeah, that works too."
"I must say," Pyrrha murmured, "I was expecting Atlas students to be more… regimented."
Rainbow rolled her eyes. "How long have you known the four of us, and you still think the rest of Atlas is a bunch of robots?"
Penny hiccupped loudly.
"I'm sorry," Pyrrha apologised. "It's just that they say that Atlas emphasises discipline and conformity above individualism and free thought."
"Atlas
does emphasise discipline," Ciel declared, "but that does not mean that, in more off-duty situations, certain students cannot show their… freer spirits."
"People say a lot about Atlas," Twilight murmured, "and most of it isn't true. They say that Atlesians don't have friends, only co-workers, but you guys know that that's not true. I'm sure no other academy has to put up with the amount of malicious gossip that assails Atlas."
"Greatness attracts envy," Rainbow observed.
"True," Sunset said, "but we all know which of the four academies warrants the description 'great.'"
"Yeah," Rainbow said. "Atlas."
"Oh, and how many Vytal Tournaments have been won by Atlesians?" Sunset asked.
"A few," Rainbow replied. "More to the point, how many Atlesians keep the world safe?"
"Huntsmen from all four kingdoms and beyond keep the world safe," Ruby insisted. "Not just Atlas."
Rainbow glanced at her. "Yeah, you're right, that was… I didn't mean anything by it. I'm just-"
"Proud of your academy," Pyrrha said. "There's no shame in that, so long as we all remember that-"
"That both Beacon and Atlas are head and shoulders above Haven," Sunset declared.
"Hey!" Sun cried. "Come on, guys, that was uncalled for!"
"What would Cinder think to hear you say that?" Jaune asked, a slightly teasing tone in his voice.
Oh, that was right, Cinder Fall would be arriving with the Haven students. She was going to let Sunset know when they were making their approach so that Sunset could meet her at the docks.
Pyrrha… Pyrrha couldn't exactly say why, but there was something about Cinder that she hadn't liked when she had fought with them, and that feeling had not abated. But it was irrational – Cinder had been very decent to them all, even arranging somewhere for them to stay at Haven before they returned to Beacon at the end of the vacation – so there was no real cause for Pyrrha's feelings towards her.
But that did not mean those feelings were not there.
Sunset smirked. "I might actually tell Cinder that, just for the pleasure of hearing her response."
"What makes you think she'll have a response?" Penny asked. "Won't she just get upset?"
Sunset shook her head. "Cinder isn't the kind of person to get upset; she's the sort of person to have a cutting remark to use to get even with you."
Before any of them could say anything more, the doors to the dining hall were flung open, only for the doorway to be immediately obscured by several smoke bombs, spewing out mingling blue and purple smoke in clouds which blended together to creep slowly into the cafeteria.
Pyrrha got to her feet. What was going on? Was this a practical joke or something more serious? Was this a test of some kind?
Rainbow and Twilight did not look in the least alarmed. Twilight laughed nervously. "It's nothing to worry about," she said. "It's only-"
"The Great and Powerful Trixie is here!" proclaimed, well, the Great and Powerful Trixie presumably, as she strode through the smoke and spread out her arms wide on either side of her, as though she were waiting for the applause of some great crowd in the arena or on the stage.
Trixie – presuming that it was she – was a young woman of average height, with purple eyes and long silver-white hair combed down one side of her face, even as the rest of it fell down her back below her waist. To her Atlas Academy uniform, she had added a purple cape, longer than Ruby's, decorated with stars of gold and silver.
She stood like that, posed waiting for her acclaim, for a good few moments before she appeared to realise that all she was going to get were bemused and nonplussed stares from everyone in the cafeteria.
Another figure emerged from out of the smoke, another girl with aquamarine highlights streaked through her purple hair. Her blue eyes shone as she wrapped one arm around Trixie's shoulder. "Come on, Trixie. Why don't you save it for when there's a spotlight, huh?" She steered the Great and Powerful Trixie towards the lunch queue, and as she did so, she held out her free hand for a young man with round spectacles and hints of a ginger goatee growing on his chin to take hold of.
A pony faunus girl, whom Pyrrha presumed to be the final member of their team, followed behind them. She was tall, as tall as Pyrrha herself and as broad in the shoulders as Yang, and the Mohawk into which she had styled her dark pink hair. She had a scowl set on her face as she followed her teammates. Her tail, the same dusky pink as her hair, hung flaccid and motionless behind her.
Pyrrha sat down again. "You're right," she murmured. "People who say that Atlesians have no individuality have no idea what they're talking about."
The rest of lunch passed more calmly, but Pyrrha found something itching in her mind: Penny's words when asked why she was still sitting with Team SAPR after the arrival of the other Atlas students.
"I don't have any old friends at Atlas, I only have you."
Those words had been spoken in a tone that was so… so monstrously cheerful. Penny spoke so blithely – as she spoke blithely about a great many things – but in this case, it was particularly… wrong. There was no better word that Pyrrha could think of; it was wrong that it should be so.
It might seem strange for her to be thinking this way, considering that she had so very few friends of her own, and considering that she and Penny were alike in that they shared many of the small number of friends that they each had, but at the same time, it bothered her. It would have been unfortunate for anyone, but especially for someone as sweet-natured and cheerful as Penny.
Pyrrha just couldn't understand why it should be so. And thus, as soon as lunch was finished and everyone started to get up, she said, "Penny, may I have a word with you, please… in private?"
Penny's mouth opened, but no words came out. She glanced at Twilight; a movement of her eyes so slight that Pyrrha might not have caught it if she hadn't been paying attention.
Pyrrha kept her own brow from furrowing as she wondered why Penny would need to look at Twilight for permission to speak alone with a friend.
She knew that Team RSPT meant no harm and intended much good, but all the same, there were times, when it came to Penny, when there was something ever so slightly off about the way they treated her. They watched her, they spoke for her, and at times, it seemed as though she needed their permission before she could do things. Or speak to people, as now. Pyrrha might have given some credence to Sunset's belief that General Ironwood had set three trusted fellows to protect the daughter of some VIP while her dream of becoming a huntress was indulged, but moments like this made her doubtful of it. This was not the behaviour of bodyguards; it was more like… well, Pyrrha would have said "gaolers" if it were not for the fact that Rainbow, Twilight, and Ciel were all too decent – and seemed to care too much about Penny – for that to be the case.
But then, why did she look at Twilight?
Twilight, in turn, gave a barely perceptible nod of her head, at which point – these ruminations of Pyrrha's had taken but an instant – Penny smiled at her. "Of course, Pyrrha! Is there anywhere you'd like to go?"
"Just outside should be fine," Pyrrha said softly, and as the group began to leave the cafeteria, she hung back from the rest, walking more slowly. Penny did likewise, an earnest expression on her face.
Sunset's scroll buzzed as they reached the doors. She pulled it out of her pocket and opened it up. A grin grew upon her features. Her tail twitched with eagerness. "Cinder's here!" she proclaimed eagerly.
"I don't suppose she flew in by herself?" Sun asked, sounding more hopeful than expectant.
Sunset gave him a look that verged upon withering. "She's not you," she declared tartly.
"Right," Sun muttered. "So, the rest of the Haven students are here too," he added. He looked more like a man facing a firing squad than reuniting with his friends after a long absence. "Wish me luck, guys."
"Good luck," Rainbow said. "You'll need it," she added sotto voce.
"I'll catch up with all of you later," Sunset said as she started to walk towards the docking pads. "You're going to be in the library, right?"
"Yeah," Ruby agreed. "Say 'hi' to Cinder for us."
"Sure thing," Sunset said, setting off with an eagerness in her step. Sun followed at a rather slower, more forlorn pace.
"Why does Sun look so upset?" Penny asked.
"Because he knows he has done something wrong," Ciel declared, "and his own guilt manifests as fear of the judgement of others."
"One need not necessarily feel guilt to feel shame," Pyrrha suggested. "I think that Sun believes that what he did was, if not right, then at least not wrong; it is only the fact that he does not believe his teammates will see it in the same light that makes him fearful."
"Perhaps," Ciel conceded. "We have not a window into his soul to say for certain."
Jaune looked back at Pyrrha, his brow furrowed slightly. "Are you okay?" he asked, slightly anxiously.
I'm not the one who might not be alright, Pyrrha thought. "I'll be fine," Pyrrha assured him. "I won't be long."
Jaune still looked a little puzzled and a little concerned, but he nodded and walked away with Rainbow, Ciel, and Ruby, who waved to them.
"Catch up quick, you two," she urged.
"I hope so," Penny replied. She looked at Pyrrha. "Not that I don't enjoy talking to you, Pyrrha; it's just that-"
Pyrrha laughed gently. "I understand, Penny, don't worry," she said, as she reached out and took Penny gently by the arm, steering her away from the path that led from dining hall to library and leading her across the courtyard in the direction of the great statue that stood sentinel in the centre of the open space.
Twilight lurked a little way off; she did not follow the others but rather halted some distance away, standing awkwardly on the grass just off the path, watching them but too far away to hear any words that might pass between them. Pyrrha didn't object; as long as she wasn't actively seeking to eavesdrop, then she had no right to do so.
In any case, her attention was for the most part reserved for Penny as they wandered – the smaller girl guided by the taller – across the grass and under the shade of the trees until they were standing at the edge of the water that surrounded the dark statue.
"What do you think?" Pyrrha asked, as a way to break the ice. She had known Penny for quite some time now, but at the same time, she couldn't really say that they had shared any time alone, without anyone else from Team RSPT present. It was part of the slightly concerning pattern; they didn't seem to like leaving her alone. "I know that it's supposed to be inspiring, and it is… but at the same time, I find it ever so slightly foreboding."
Penny blinked. "Why?" she asked.
Pyrrha pursed her lips together. "It looks very grand," she said, "until you think about it. The huntsman has his sword raised in triumph, while the huntress is resting her axe upon the ground. They act as though they've just won a victory, and maybe they have… but the beowolf is there, lurking underneath, waiting for its opportunity; it is as savage and as fierce as ever, and they are unaware of it. I think… I fear… that the statue is here to remind us that evil is always present in the dark places of the world and will never be wholly rooted out."
Penny looked up at her, a frown creasing her youthful features; she really did look very young, Pyrrha thought. "But," she protested, "you're Pyrrha Nikos! You can't be afraid!"
Pyrrha covered her mouth with one hand as she chuckled softly. "That's very sweet of you to say, Penny, but there are many different kinds of fear, just as there are many different kinds of courage. I fear no one when I step into the ring, if that doesn't sound too obscenely arrogant; in battle against the grimm or even against the White Fang, I fear very little for myself, but that doesn't mean that I'm not afraid. I fear… I fear to lose Jaune, to lose any of my friends, to let down those who depend on and believe in me. Most of all I fear to fail."
Penny stared up her. "May I tell you a secret, Pyrrha?"
Pyrrha nodded solemnly. "You may tell me anything you wish, Penny, and none of it shall pass my lips without your leave."
"I, too, fear to fail," Penny confessed.
That was interesting, and unexpected too, another forceful reminder to Pyrrha that she didn't know Penny nearly as well as she could. Why did Penny fear to fail? What expectations had been placed upon her? Who
was she? "To fail as a huntress?"
"More than that," Penny replied. She looked at the statue again. "If what you say is true, do you think that it's impossible for us to save the world?"
"'Impossible'?" Pyrrha repeated. "I would hate to think so." She hesitated. "May I make a confession of my own? In my most fanciful dreams, I should like to do exactly that: to drive back the grimm, to vanquish them even from the farthest shores, to wipe all trace of them from the world and give back to mankind dominion over all places. The height of egotism for a mere tournament champion like myself; I must be letting my reputation go to my head." She smiled self-deprecatingly.
"I wish for that too," Penny said. "I wish it so that no one would have to be huntsmen or huntresses anymore, and none of my friends would have to fight and risk their lives the way they do now."
Pyrrha smiled. "That is a thought both kind and generous, Penny, besides being rather ambitious."
"It's what I was-" Penny halted, abruptly in the middle of her sentence.
"Penny?"
"I was given my team," Penny confessed. "Mis- General Ironwood assigned them to me personally. He gave me Rainbow Dash to be my team leader, who's his top student, and Twilight and Ciel are both so talented. I need to prove that I'm worthy of everything that's been done to me and everything that I've been given."
"I see," Pyrrha murmured, although she didn't really see as much as she would have liked to have seen. Why had Penny been given so much? Why had General Ironwood assigned his top student to be Penny's leader?
They were questions that she was curious to know the answer to, but not so much so that it took precedence over her duty to the friend standing in front of her. She reached out and put one hand on Penny's shoulder. She was surprisingly cold to the touch. She said, "I… I asked to speak with you because I didn't understand how someone so sweet as you could be as friendless as you say, but… but now, forgive me my presumption, now I think I might. When people, however well-meaning they may be, place their expectations upon you… they also throw up walls around you at the same time, don't they?"
Penny stared into Pyrrha's eyes. "My father is a very important man," she said. "Twilight says that he's the smartest man in Atlas. And General Ironwood… My father wants me to live up to my potential; he says that nothing is more important than that."
"I know how that feels," Pyrrha murmured.
"And General Ironwood wants me to protect Atlas, and the world, maybe even save it one day, if that's possible," Penny continued. "I… I want that too. I want to make sure that nobody has to die, none of my friends or anyone else. I'd love it if nobody had to fight. But what about what else I want? Doesn't that matter?"
"It matters to me," Pyrrha declared, "and to Ruby, and I'm sure that it matters to your teammates also."
"I… I don't know," Penny replied, her voice small and soft and a little fearful. "Rainbow let me stay here at Beacon when she ought to have taken me home to Atlas, but only after she'd talked to General Ironwood first. Because Rainbow, Ciel, Twilight, they're all General Ironwood's people, not my friends. If they had to choose… I'm afraid they'd choose him over me."
"But we would not," Pyrrha insisted, "Ruby and I." She paused. "I… I do not know what lies in store for us, Penny. I do not know if it is possible that we might do our work so well that there is no more work to be done for huntresses in the future. I do not know if our skills are equal enough to our ambitions that we may achieve the outsized destinies we yearn for. But I do know that we need not fight alone, either of us. Despite the walls around us, we have both been fortunate enough to find friends who will stand with us against all perils." She smiled. "You're not alone, Penny."
For a moment, Penny stared up at her, standing still with Pyrrha's hand upon her shoulder. Then she stepped forward, wrapping her arms around Pyrrha's waist and hugging her tight, so tight that Pyrrha felt it even through her aura.
"Thank you, Pyrrha," she said. "You can count on me as well."
Pyrrha gently placed both hands on Penny's back. "I do not doubt it," she whispered. "Now, I think we should probably rejoin the others, don't you?"
XxXxX
Weiss was not having lunch in the cafeteria; rather, she and Winter were lunching upon an isolated veranda on the west side of the Beacon canvas; very few people knew about it, and even fewer frequented it, but Weiss found this place of ivy-coloured pillars and fountains decorated with statues of roaring lions to be peaceful, elegant, and tasteful. She wasn't sure exactly what it was for normally, but as she and Winter sat – alone, Flash having given them some privacy – nibbling on pastries and berries, with the fountains burbling away in the background, a sense of calm had descended over her.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a trio of Atlesian dropships flying low on patrol; it was the one thing at present that was disturbing her calm.
"Winter," she began, "it's not that I'm not happy to see you, but-"
"But what am I doing here?" Winter asked.
Weiss smiled, if only with one corner of her mouth. "You must admit, your presence begs the question."
"How do you know that I didn't come to see you?" Winter suggested.
Weiss' eyebrows rose. "You didn't fly two thousand men over here to pay me a visit," she replied. "Atlas didn't fly two thousand men over here in order to wait for the Vytal Festival tournament."
"Atlas may not, but I did get myself assigned to the expeditionary force so that I could come and visit you," Winter insisted. She picked up her china teacup and sipped it. "As for what Atlas is doing here… isn't it obvious?"
Weiss sighed. "The White Fang," she whispered.
"They aren't gathering dust for a firework display," Winter muttered. "The General is concerned about the students coming to Beacon for the Vytal Festival; Atlas was concerned about the stability of its trading partner. I was concerned about you." Winter folded her hands together in her lap. "It seems that you've made a habit of brave but foolish decisions while you've been here at Beacon."
Weiss frowned. "You're not just talking about the locker, are you?"
"I'm also talking about the apex alpha in the forest."
"How do you know about that?"
"If Father knew about that, you'd be on a ship back to Atlas by now," Winter informed her.
"I'm training to be a huntress," Weiss insisted. "Does Father think that I won't be in danger?"
"You mistake the man if you think such concerns would influence his decisions," Winter reminded her. "Fortunately, Professor Ozpin has chosen to respect your privacy."
"Not completely," Weiss pointed out.
Winter chuckled. "As a courtesy to me, he filled me in on a few details on what you've gotten up to over the last semester." She sipped from her teacup again. It was nearly empty when she set it down. "I admire your courage, Weiss, but you take too many risks."
"It seems like you may also need reminding that I'm training to become a huntress," Weiss said.
"'Training,'" Winter emphasised. "You're not a huntress yet. There's no need for you to throw yourself into danger too soon. There's no need for you to involve yourself with the White Fang anymore."
"I wasn't planning to involve myself with the White Fang the first time," Weiss pointed out. "It just… happened."
"Hmm," Winter murmured. "Well, it need not happen again."
"Are you sure about that?" Weiss asked.
Winter cocked her head slightly. "What do you mean?"
"You said it yourself: they aren't stealing dust for the fun of it," Weiss said. "They're planning something, something that has even General Ironwood himself concerned. And with the behaviour of the grimm in Vale… the world is growing darker, isn't it?"
Winter rose from her seat and walked towards the archway with one hand upon the hilt of her sabre. "Beacon is the only world you need concern yourself with at present, Weiss," she declared.
"But-"
"Whatever the White Fang is planning, then Atlas will stop them," Winter declared. "We are an army possessed of all the accoutrements of modern warfare, skilled and resolute, mustered under one of the great captains." She looked at Weiss and smiled to show that she meant no insult when she said added, "We do not require the aid of children." Her boots tapped upon the floor as she approached Weiss and the table at which she sat. "Attend to your studies, master our inherited semblance, and leave the White Fang to us. There is nothing for you to be concerned with."
XxXxX
Sun fidgeted like a child, shifting and shuffling uncomfortably beside Sunset, who tried her best to ignore him as she watched the Haven students arrive.
Or rather, she watched the airship which could only be carrying the Haven students as it drew near to the skydock, passing through the ranks of the Atlesian cruisers as it made its approach. The civilian airship, a skyliner of the same sort that had carried them all to Beacon at the start of the last semester and which had born Team SAPR across the seas to Mistral and brought them back to Beacon once again, was larger than the Atlesian warships immediately surrounding it, and doubtless a good deal more comfortable to travel in, although, of course, any one of them could have ripped the skyliner apart in a matter of moments.
The airship's wings beat lazily up and down as it made its final approach, turning side on towards the cliffs that marked the boundary of the school grounds. These skyliners, unlike the Atlesian cruisers, were too large to actually set down upon the docking pads, and so – as they had done last semester – it would have to extend a plank for the passengers to disembark.
"So you said her name was Cinder Fall, right?" Sun asked, in the tone of a man trying to distract himself.
"That's right," Sunset replied, still looking at the approaching airship. "Do you know her?"
"I've heard the name," Sun answered, "but she wasn't much of a people person, kept to herself; her whole team did."
"Mind you, I don't suppose you got to spend much time with any of your fellow Haven students, did you?" Sunset mused.
Sun laughed nervously. "No, I guess not."
The tap tap of heels upon the stone path alerted Sunset to the presence of Professor Goodwitch, who approached the docking pad only to stop not far away from the two waiting students. She regarded them both over the top of her half-moon spectacles. "I can understand why you are here, Mister Wukong, but your presence is a little harder to explain, Miss Shimmer."
"I met a Haven student in Mistral, Professor," Sunset said. "I'm here to welcome them to Beacon."
"I see," Professor Goodwitch murmured as the skyliner docked, its ramp extending out to touch the edge of the docking pad. A door upon the side of the skyliner opened, and Haven students began to emerge.
Like the Atlesians who had preceded them by a matter of hours, the Haven students were all dressed in their school uniforms; Sunset had to admit, that amidst every accusation that was levelled – unfairly, according to those stalwart patriots of Team RSPT – against Atlas, it was
Haven that possessed the sinister, ominous-looking uniform. All Haven students were dressed in black jackets, single-breasted, with silver piping and high collars that revealed only a touch of the – equally high-collared – white shirts they had on underneath. Each jacket had a white armband upon the right, reminding Sunset a little of the golden band that Pyrrha wore around her own right arm. She wondered idly if there was some Mistralian significance to it, except that Blake also wore a band of silver around her arm, and she was neither Mistralian nor pretending to be such. The Haven boys wore black trousers, while the Haven girls wore plaid skirts of grey and black, with white socks or stockings which, like their Beacon counterparts, they appeared to be allowed to tailor in length.
The Haven delegation was led out of the airship by a young woman about of a height with Yang, or perhaps just a little shorter, with a swarthy complexion and a bushy mane of pale blonde hair. She stretched out her arms and rolled her neck as though she had a crick in it as she walked briskly, with a certain leonine grace, across the docking pad, leaving two boys and a girl with black marks painted on her face – whom Sunset took to be her teammates – to rush to keep up with her.
More students spilled out of the airship, spreading out across the docking pad and moving in a loose cluster across the pad itself, before funnelling back together as they approached the path that led to the school.
"Not yet," Sun muttered. "Not yet."
"Dude!" the irate cry sprang from the lips of a tall, lean young man with blue hair as he emerged from the airship and caught sight of Sun. He put Sunset in mind of Flash Sentry, not just in the colour of his hair but the style of it too, the way it matched his eyes. It inclined her to dislike him from the first.
Not that he appeared to notice Sunset one way or the other as he moved swiftly across the docking pad, murmuring his apologies as he forced his way towards the waiting Sun Wukong.
"Neptune!" Sun cried, spreading his arms out wide as though he was expecting a hug. "Dude!"
"Dude?" Neptune repeated. "What the hell, man? Lionheart makes you team leader, and then a couple of weeks later, you've totally ditched us to come to Vale? If you wanted to attend Beacon, then why didn't you just apply for Beacon?"
"It wasn't something planned; it just… kinda happened," Sun explained – badly, in Sunset's opinion.
"You
stowed away aboard a cargo ship, how does that 'just happen'?" Neptune demanded.
Sun shrugged. "It seemed-"
"Like a good idea at the time, sure it did," Neptune muttered. He sighed. "You are the worst team leader ever. And one of the worst friends too." He shook his head. "But I can't stay mad at you, dude; it's great to see you again, come here!"
He pulled Sun into an embrace, which was enthusiastically reciprocated. Sun said, "Oh, it's good to see you too, buddy. You're going to love it here, and I can't wait for you to meet Blake."
"'Blake'?" Neptune repeated, stepping back away from Sun. "Who's Blake?" He noticed Sunset. "Is this Blake?"
"No, dude, that's Sunset," Sun said, as though it explained everything. "Sunset, this is my buddy Neptune; Neptune, this is-"
"Sunset Shimmer," Sunset said. "Leader of Team Sapphire. Welcome to Beacon, I suppose."
Neptune beamed. His teeth gleamed in the late afternoon sunshine. "Well, with you as the reception committee, I am feeling very welcome, sunshine."
"Sun
set," Sunset corrected him. "And is that supposed to be smooth? Because that was… that was, no. Listen, I have some experience with blue-haired guys, and I-"
"Sunset!" Cinder cried. "And here I thought you were here to see me." She pouted. "But it seems I can't compare with the charms of…" She waved one hand idly towards Neptune. "Nolan, is it?"
"Ignore him," Sunset said dismissively as she walked up to Cinder, subconsciously matching the swagger in the other girl's step. "That uniform suits you," she said. "Better than that… whatever it was you were wearing for the hunt."
Cinder smiled. "Yes, it turns out, black is one of my colours," she agreed. She looked down at herself. "I'm still not convinced by this skirt, though."
"Don't take it too hard; I'm not sure anyone can really pull off plaid," Sunset said. "Once you see the Beacon uniform, you'll agree there's a hint of 'unwearable by design' about the skirt choices. Although Atlas seems to have gotten away with it."
"Yes, well, Atlas gets away with a great many things, don't they?" Cinder asked, turning away to gesture to the fleet hovering overhead. "Like invading other kingdoms, for instance."
"I think invasions generally involve a lot more fire and slaughter," Sunset suggested.
Cinder chuckled. "Only if the occupied party is prepared to resist. But what sane politicians would stand against the might of Atlas?"
"I'm sure they had permission to come here, else it really would be an act of war," Sunset said. "I mean, they're a bit of an eyesore, but I don't think they're doing any harm."
"No?" Cinder asked, sounding surprised.
"You disagree?"
Cinder was silent for a moment. "I don't trust them," she admitted, "flaunting their power over the rest of us. This is but the most extreme example of typical Atlesian behaviour."
"Team Rosepetal is going to love you," Sunset muttered.
"Hmm?"
"Atlas students," Sunset explained. "Friends of ours. One of them in particular, Pyrrha and Ruby are very fond of."
Cinder grinned. "Don't worry; I'll be on my very best behaviour. But seriously, Sunset, doesn't it bother you the way that they hoard power? The fact that they could crush us all if they wanted to, and there's nothing we could do to stop them?"
"My tail, there isn't," Sunset growled. "There's plenty we could do to stop them." Her hands glowed green with magic.
Cinder smirked. "Semblances and huntsman training? Personal power and courage? Against the Atlesian ships and armies? Do you think that would be enough?"
"I didn't say it would be easy," Sunset said. "But… yes, I think so."
"It hasn't worked for the White Fang yet," Cinder pointed.
"Have you got an alternative, or are you just trying to attract grimm with all your despond?" Sunset asked.
"Oh, I don't believe they're invulnerable," Cinder declared. "It's just that, when opposing a great power, it's always best to have the assistance of an equivalent power of your own… if only such a thing or one could be found as powerful as Atlas."
"Not that one is needed," Sunset said. "Atlas is our friend, after all."
"Of course," Cinder agreed. "This is all simply… hypothetical."
"So," Sunset said, changing the subject as she looked around, "where's your team?"
"Oh, they're just getting my things," Cinder said idly. "Ah, here's Emerald now."
Emerald consisted of a brown legs partially obscured by knee-length socks; the rest of her was completely obscured by the large stack of suitcases under which she was labouring, a pile which swayed from side to side as she made her way awkwardly across the docking pad, panting a little as she went.
"I told you I didn't need any help, Cinder," she said, sounding more than a little out of breath. "I can take care of everything."
"Yes, and what a wonderful job you're doing," Cinder told her. "Now be a good girl and keep hold of everything until we reach our room."
"Of course, Cinder," Emerald replied.
"Alright, everyone," Professor Goodwitch declared, her voice rising across the crowd of Haven students. "My name is Professor Goodwitch, Combat Instructor at Beacon Academy. The headmaster will welcome you all later this evening, but for now, let me be the first to welcome all of you to Beacon Academy. Please follow me, and I will show all of you to your dorms."
XxXxX
The library was rather crowded and – it had to be said – rather loud at the moment as well. All the members of Team SAPR – minus Sunset – Team YRDN, and Team RSPT were all present, scattered around a cluster of tables underneath the large library windows. Some of the young students were working, and others were not. Pyrrha was attempting to help Jaune with the history homework which he had left too late; Dove and Ren were trading knowledge in plant science, where Dove was very familiar with the flora of western Sanus and Ren with that of Anima; Twilight and Rainbow were writing one another's essays for Grimm Studies, balancing Twilight's ability to quote large chunks of textbooks from memory with Rainbow's greater understanding of what actually worked in combat. On the other hand, Ciel was quietly reading King Zoroaster's account of the Great War which, while scintillating, was not relevant to the curriculum, while Yang, Nora, Ruby, and Penny were sat around a board laden with little plastic miniatures playing
Remnant: The Game.
"Yang Xiao Long, prepare yourself!" Ruby demanded. "As I deploy the Atlesian Air Fleet!" Yang gasped as Ruby began to push the plastic Atlesian cruisers across the board.
"Which one?" Penny asked.
Ruby looked at her. "Huh?"
"You said you deployed 'the' Atlesian Air Fleet," Penny explained. "But there is more than one, isn't that right, Ciel?"
Ciel looked up from her book with an expression of mild irritation. "While it is true that from a strictly organisational point of view, the fleet might be considered a single entity under the command of General Ironwood, operationally, the entire force would never be committed to a single battle or campaign. At present, the fleet is deployed into several battlegroups at stations near and distant, including the Home Fleet defending Atlas itself, the Mantle Squadron, the-"
"Yeah, fascinating, I'm sure," Yang said hastily. "But it doesn't matter whether or not Atlas has one fleet or twenty, or whether they wouldn't really send them all into place or not. It's just a game, Penny; it's not real life."
"I see," Penny murmured. "Many games seem very unrealistic."
"That's because they're designed to be fun," Ruby said. "Like the fun I'm about to have flying straight over all the grimm to attack Mistral directly!"
"Or at least you would, if I didn't have this trap card," Yang proclaimed. "Giant Nevermores! If I roll seven or up, their feathers will slice into your fleet-"
"And bounce harmlessly off the armoured deck; that is, assuming the creatures themselves are not annihilated by our long range fire before they get anywhere near close enough to engage," Ciel said, turning a page of her book. "Did the makers of this game assume that our ships were armoured out of paper? Or that they are wholly without weapons?"
"It's a game!" Yang said, rolling her eyes. "You must be fun at parties." She leaned closer to Ruby. "Why are you friends with these people again?"
Ciel turned another page. "The parties I prefer are a little too adult for board games. As you may find out if you take the etiquette class this semester."
Yang looked up, while Nora and Ruby looked around.
"'Etiquette class'?" Nora repeated.
"Yeah, etiquette class," Rainbow groaned. "Because I really missed
that being here."
"At Atlas Academy, all students are required to take an etiquette class," Twilight explained. "The aim, as stated by the first headmaster, was to produce students who are acceptable at a dance and invaluable in a shipwreck."
"In the absence of a professor, one of the upperclassmen will be taking the first year class," Ciel went on. Her voice became a little quieter. "And I shall be assisting."
Rainbow snorted. "You're going to be a TA?"
Ciel looked at her.
"I mean, that's great," Rainbow said. "Really happy for you."
"Thank you," Ciel replied courteously. "The class is compulsory for Atlas students but open to any other students who wish to attend."
"Yeah, that'll be a hard pass from me," Yang said. "I mean, what do you even learn in that class, how to arrange doilies?"
"That comes later, after you learn how to fold napkins into swans," Ciel replied.
Yang stared at her. Ciel's expression gave nothing whatsoever away.
"But seriously," Jaune said, "what
do you learn in those classes?"
Ciel was silent for a moment. "How to comport oneself with grace and dignity, how to address people of different social standings, how to dance, how to dine. In a few words, how to behave."
"Jaune?" Pyrrha said. "Are you interested in this?"
"Sunset already started giving me lessons," Jaune admitted. "There's no harm in taking them as part of a class, right?"
Pyrrha frowned. "When did Sunset start giving you etiquette lessons?"
"In Mistral," Jaune said, as though that ought to have been obvious. "I didn't… want to embarrass you."
"Jaune," Pyrrha said softly, reaching out to take his hard, "you don't need to worry about that." She paused. "That said," she added, "it might be interesting to see how Atlesians behave."
"Hmm, it doesn't sound like a lot of fun to me," Ruby said. "Sorry."
"I find it a tempting idea," Dove said, "but right now, some of us
are trying to study."
"Thank you," Ren said quietly.
"Indeed," Pyrrha murmured. She raised her voice a little. "Ruby, have you done
your essay for Doctor Oobleck?"
"Uh, yes," Ruby said, her voice hesitant. "I have absolutely done that and will not be rushing to do it tonight."
"You're always welcome to join us and work on it now?" Pyrrha suggested.
"But I'm just about to win," Ruby protested.
"Not if I roll seven or up you won't," Yang said. Pyrrha couldn't see the roll; she only heard the dice hit the table before Yang cried out in triumph.
"All my soldiers!" Ruby wailed.
"They were probably robots," Yang said dismissively.
"Hey," Rainbow yelled. "We're sitting right here!"
"Hey, guys," Sunset said, emerging into view from behind one of the bookshelves. "What's all the fuss about?"
"Ciel is teaching etiquette classes," Penny declared.
Sunset's eyebrows rose. "Really?"
"I am assisting," Ciel corrected.
Cinder followed Sunset. "Of course, if there's one thing everyone knows about the Atlesians, it's that their behaviour is always scrupulously proper." The smile that played upon her face was not quite sufficient to suggest that she was being facetious, but it came close. She inclined her head towards Pyrrha. "Pyrrha."
At least she didn't call me 'Lady Pyrrha'. "Cinder," Pyrrha replied, "how are you finding Beacon so far?"
"I'm liking it fine, although Sunset's only just begun to show me around," Cinder replied. "Good afternoon, Jaune, Ruby."
"Hey, Cinder," Ruby replied. "Looking forward to the semester?"
"Oh, I think we're going to have a lot of fun here," Cinder declared. "This is going to be a year to remember, I can feel it."
"So, you're Cinder Fall, huh?" Yang said, getting to her feet. "I'm Yang Xiao Long, Ruby's sister. Thanks for having her back out in Mistral against that grimm."
Cinder took Yang's hand languidly. "Of course; as Ruby said, we're all huntsmen, all kindred in a common purpose."
Yang chuckled. "That's my little sister. Always knows just the right way to put things. Anyway, this is my team, Team Iron," she gestured to Ren, Nora, and Dove. "Lie Ren, Nora Valkyrie, and Dove Bronzewing."
"Good afternoon, Miss Fall," Dove said.
"Greetings," Ren offered, with a bow of his head.
"Good to meet ya," Nora cried.
"Charmed," Cinder murmured. She glanced away. "Iron… spelled Y-R-D-N?"
"Yep," Yang agreed. "It's probably cheating to mispronounce two letters, but I guess there's only so much you can do with a Y or an X to start things off."
"Quite," Cinder agreed. "And I would guess you four would be the Atlesians that Sunset mentioned."
Now it was Rainbow's turn to get to her feet. "Team Rosepetal. I'm Rainbow Dash; this is Ciel Soleil; that's Twilight Sparkle and Penny Polendina over there."
"Hello!"
"So," Cinder asked. "How was it flying over on an Atlesian man-of-war?"
"Actually," Penny said, "I-"
"It was tight quarters," Rainbow said, cutting Penny off, "but we were fine. We Atlas students are used to a little discomfort."
Cinder chuckled. "Of course. Atlesian soldiers are as hard as the northern lands they came from. I'm sure a lot of people are very glad that you're all here. With your forces present in such numbers, what can threaten us?" She didn't wait for a reply; rather, she looked down at the board game spread out on the table around which Ruby and the others sat. "Ah, you're playing
Remnant. Who's winning?"
"I was about to," Ruby muttered disconsolately, "before Yang pulled a trap card on me."
Cinder laughed. "Yes. That's why I like this game. So much more realistic than chess or draughts or such like."
"Ciel doesn't think it's very realistic at all," Penny said. "The Atlesians only have one air fleet, and it got destroyed by nevermores."
"Perhaps not realistic in that sense, then," Cinder conceded. "But… if you consider chess and such strategy games, as useful as they are, they are too… too pure. All the pieces move in set ways, they can be predicted, they can be controlled. Even the queen is a pawn of the player, and the other player is all you really have to worry about. But a game like this… reflects the randomness of real life. Consider what's happening over Vale right now: Vale deploys its huntsmen away from the city, seeming to leave Vale vulnerable." She bent down over the table and pushed away the plastic models around Vale, out into the surrounding countryside beyond. "But then, who should take their place but the gallant forces of Atlas?" She picked up the plastic Atlesian ships and set them down with a tap over Vale. "Now who could have predicted that? It would never have happened in a game of chess." She straightened up. "Of course, the question now becomes 'what will happen next?' What will the next trap card be? What random act will throw all the plans of kings and generals into disarray?"
"Nothing throws Atlas into disarray," Rainbow said. "We're ready for anything. Whatever comes next, we'll handle it."
"Really?" Cinder asked, her smile wide and bright. Her voice, when it came next, was a delighted purr. "Hooah."
