- Location
- somewhere in the universe
[X] Pyrrha and the sisters that have the lockers right next to you as you all get ready.
-
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Trapped in Amber (RWBY AU)
- Thread starter shepsquared
- Start date
[X] Pyrrha and the sisters that have the lockers right next to you as you all get ready.
- Location
- California
[X] Pyrrha and the sisters that have the lockers right next to you as you all get ready.
- Location
- Somewhere
i am a simple soul: I see Pyrrha; I vote
[X] Pyrrha and the sisters that have the lockers right next to you as you all get ready.
Pyrrha is largely the only reason I read RWBY fanfic; she deserved so much better, and! I also adore stories that play with identity, so this was just the luckiest find for me. Thanks for writing!
edit: in case there's confusion, yes we're playing as Amber/Rosa and there's no guarantee Pyrrha will play a large part of this story, but that also means it's likely we butterflied away what put Pyrrha on her canon path, and I don't have to feel conflicted because yay identity shenanigans and we haven't majorly impacted Pyrrha's personality the way Amber and Rosa's have
[X] Pyrrha and the sisters that have the lockers right next to you as you all get ready.
Pyrrha is largely the only reason I read RWBY fanfic; she deserved so much better, and! I also adore stories that play with identity, so this was just the luckiest find for me. Thanks for writing!
edit: in case there's confusion, yes we're playing as Amber/Rosa and there's no guarantee Pyrrha will play a large part of this story, but that also means it's likely we butterflied away what put Pyrrha on her canon path, and I don't have to feel conflicted because yay identity shenanigans and we haven't majorly impacted Pyrrha's personality the way Amber and Rosa's have
Last edited:
shepsquared
Erratic Aussie
- Location
- Melbourne, Australia
Considering the votes I'm going to call it early so I can get an update out before D&D. Pyrrha & the 'mystery' sisters win.
Taking the First Step P6
shepsquared
Erratic Aussie
- Location
- Melbourne, Australia
Despite what you said to Ozpin you don't try too hard to make it look like you're asleep. If asked you'd say it was because you were too nervous to relax, but the truth is that you're scared falling asleep would mean another nightmare. While enduring Amber's fear and pain was hard enough, you really don't want to risk getting caught by anyone else. It's easier to keep a low profile when you aren't the person who woke everyone up with a scream after all.
You try meditating again instead, but the ballroom full of slumbering teenagers is far more distracting than the serenity of nature you'd found earlier. The sounds of people snoring or murmuring in their sleep were constant, keeping you from finding any sort of natural rhythm to focus on. Instead you find yourself just looking at people as they slept. You try not to stare at anyone for too long, but you find your gaze returning to the people you knew more often than not.
You're pretty sure Nora had fallen asleep hugging Ren, but she's now curled into a ball with one of Ren's arms draped over her. Nora looks pretty happy, but Ren's face looks as serene and untroubled by the world as he did when you were talking to him. On the other hand Weiss manages to look grumpy as she turns in her sleep. Either she's really unhappy with the girls she ended up sleeping next to or she's just uncomfortable with sleeping on the floor. You didn't exactly get to know her earlier, but you wouldn't be surprised if she's never slept on the floor before.
On the other side of the room you can see Cardin in the midst of the guys who'd been flexing earlier. He really didn't make a good first impression on you, and the clear distance between his group and other guys in small groups or on their own would reinforce that if you'd spoken to any of the other guys. As is you'd just be judging them all based solely on Cardin's arrogance, and you're honestly not sure you can blame a huntsman for being arrogant. Everyone knows the grimm are attracted to negative emotions and nothing makes people feel safer than a seemingly invincible huntsman showing up to save the day.
Every time you turn your gaze to Pyrrha and Dew you're struck by how peaceful they both look. You know you spent most of the day trying to look as neutral as possible and its only now that you realise they were both doing the same. Considering Pyrrha's apparently a celebrity you can understand why she'd spend so much time with a beaming smile or the smaller, neutral smile she'd had when listening to other people. You can't imagine why Dew would want to look bored with everything that happens around her though. Maybe she doesn't want to look easily impressed?
---
The rising of the sun fills the ballroom with light and starts waking people up. Considering initiation isn't for a few hours yet you're pretty sure most people would prefer more sleep, but the growing noise that results from early risers like Nora waking up their friends guarantees that none of them are getting what they want. Fortunately Pyrrha is an early riser herself and join her for a quick breakfast before heading for your lockers. You'll always support avoiding a crowd and since Pyrrha's apparently an expert on this sort of thing you might as well follow her lead.
You've got Amber's green cloak in your hands, debating whether or not you should wear it for initiation. It should a be simple decision, since you're just putting on Amber's chosen outfit. On the other hand you've been trying to figure out the point of the cloak for a few minutes. You're pretty sure it's to keep rain and dirt off of your other clothes, but that doesn't make much sense for a huntress. There's pretty much no way to avoid getting dirty in a fight and it isn't raining. On the other hand Amber might have worn it solely to look more impressive and to be able to hide her face with the hood. If that's the case you'd have to agree with her - the cloak does look cool, especially in the wind.
You don't even realise you've tuned everything else out until someone taps you on the shoulder.
"Hey." You turn to see a warmly dressed blonde girl smiling at you, a shorter redhead in darker clothes looking a bit awkward behind her. "Can I just get at my locker?"
"Sure" You say, stepping back so she can open the locker right next to yours. You look at Pyrrha, who had the locker on the opposite side, seeing her smiling at the newcomers. Considering there's at least 700 lockers in here it seems a little unlikely that four of youwould have lockers right next to each other. Then again, you don't know if the lockers that aren't assigned to initiates are empty or claimed by other students. When the blonde girl steps away from her locker she's putting a pair of gold bracelets on - you're guessing their her weapons. She turns back to you and holds out her hand.
"I'm Yang. And this is my little sister Ruby." She says as oyu shake her hand. You manage to fight off a giggle as Ruby ducks her sister's arm when Yang introduces her.
"Amber. And that's Pyrrha." You say, gesturing to Pyrrha.
"Hello." Pyrrha says, beaming at them as she waves. Since they don't react you're guessing Yang and Ruby had already recognised her, but you were proof that that recognition wasn't guaranteed. Sure you've probably got amnesia or something at this point, but it isn't impossible that someone might just be really sheltered.
"Uh, aren't you going to wear your cloak?" Ruby timidly asks, having seen what you've got on your hands. You eye her own red cloak before grinning and dramatically putting it on.
"Of course I am. Cloaks are cool." You say with confidence that doesn't feel entirely earned.
"Right!" Ruby says as she strikes a dramatic pose. "There's no better look for a huntress, especially when you really get moving!" Her enthusiasm is dampened a little when Yang starts laughing, only for her to stick her tongue out at her sister. That gets you and Pyrrha to join in. "You're just jealous." Ruby informs her sister.
"Please. I don't need a cape to look amazing." Yang says, gesturing at her clothes.
It's not a cape!" Ruby protests, only for you to cut her off.
"There's not much point in wearing a cloak or cape with that much hair." You saying, drawing their attention back to you. Yang grins as she runs a hand through the hair in question. "Then again, I'm pretty sure a cloak would be less effort than keeping all that looking good."
"It's worth it." Yang says with a shrug. "So how are you guys feeling about initiation? I know Ruby's looking forward to cutting loose."
"Nervous. It's been a while since I was in a real fight." You say. You don't even know if you're lying - sure you don't remember ever fighting a grimm from outside a bullhead before, but you're also pretty sure Amber had plenty of experience.
"I'm looking forward to it. I haven't fought against the grimm that much and I'm eager to get some real experience." Pyrrha says.
"Really?" Ruby asks, looking surprised. "You didn't get to fight grimm at combat school?"
"I did, but Sanctum prefers to have students focus on learning from each other. There just aren't that many grimm they can let us fight around Argus." Pyrrha answers. That might explain how she became a tournament champion, if that's what her school focused on. Yang nods even as Ruby frowns.
"Patch is full of weaker grimm, so Signal had us training against them a lot." She says. "We did plenty of sparring against other students, but we all knew the grimm were the real test."
"I didn't really think about combat schools being different like that. You still made your own weapons right?" Ruby asks.
"Of course we did." Pyrrha says as she pulls her sword and shield off of her back. "Forging your weapon is a rite of passage for a reason - Sanctum would never let a student ignore it." Ruby's eyes shine as Pyrrha's sword changes into a spear and then a rifle.
"So cool." She whispers before turning to you with an eager expression.
"I didn't go to a combat school if that's your question." You say, pulling Equinox out with some hesitation. You don't know if Amber made her own weapon, but it feels like a safe bet. You just have to make sure you don't contradict what you said to Pyrrha yesterday. "But I did make Equinox. Though it might be more accurate to say I helped my mom make it." You say, looking down at the collapsed weapon before meeting Ruby's eyes. Not wanting to disappoint her you extend your staff, seeing her eyes sparkle with excitement again.
"An extendable staff." Ruby whispers before grinning at you. She spins as she pulls out her own weapon, which rapidly unfolds to become an impressive looking scythe. "I want you to meet Crescent Rose." Ruby says, clearly proud of her creation. "She's a High-Caliber Sniper-Scythe.
"That's very impressive." Pyrrha says. "You must have worked really hard to master her if you got into Beacon early." Ruby blushes, only for Yang to clap her on the back and beam in pride.
"Yeah. Ruby took down some thugs that were robbing a dust store and Ozpin let her in two years early. She's basically a prodigy." Yang boasts. Ruby squeeks and lunges at Yang in an attempt to silence her as Pyrrha stifles another laugh. You step back and keep quiet. The more you hear about the other students the more inadequate you feel. It sounds like Ozpin goes out of his way to recruit students that are already impressive, but you haven't done anything. You're effectively just here to hide among Beacon's student body.
---
You think if you and Ruby had been left alone that you'd have rapidly descended into akward silence, but Yang and Pyrrha kept you all talking as you headed outside. It's a good way to pass the time, especially since it means you're basically already at the cliffs when Professor Goodwitch tells everyone to head over there. You all fall silent as you arrive, taking your places on what you recognise as catapult pads and silently preparing for what's going to come next.
You know every huntress has what is known as a 'landing strategy' - a way for them to safely deploy from a speeding bullhead without seriously hurting themselves. You were told that Amber's involved using the wind crystal on Equinox to control her fall, but you haven't had much success with dustcasting when you tried it. Hopefully Ozpin was right when he said Amber would help you, but you can't imagine how. She feels just as remote and unresponsive as ever.
When Ozpin arrives from behind the long line of students and starts giving another speech you're struck by how different he seems compared to yesterday. He's more confident and is clearly enjoying himself as he addresses you all. Especially when he talks to the kid who apparently doesn't know what a landing strategy is. Poor guy.
The sudden sensation of flying through the air catches you off guard when you're the first student to be flung into the forest. The surprise last only a moment before you spin, feeling your cloak catch the wind as you orient yourself. It feels more familiar than anything so far, and you can't stop yourself from laughing in pure joy. You feel your hand instinctively twitch towards your belt and you obey what you assume is Amber's instinctive reaction. You don't bother to extend Equinox before waving it, feeling the wind respond by propelling you even higher. Something tells you this more than just momentum and dust. You're soaring through the sky on what might as well be your own power, and you've never felt more free or at home in your own skin.
~~~~~~~~
Ozpin said whoever you first make eye contact with will be your partner. Who do you first meet?
[ ] Dew Gayle
[ ] Nora Valkyrie
[ ] Pyrrha Nikos
[ ] Yang Xaio Long
[ ] Blake Belladonna
[ ] Cardin Winchester
[ ] Jaune Arc
[ ] Lie Ren
[ ] May Zedong
[ ] Ruby Rose
[ ] Weiss Schnee
You try meditating again instead, but the ballroom full of slumbering teenagers is far more distracting than the serenity of nature you'd found earlier. The sounds of people snoring or murmuring in their sleep were constant, keeping you from finding any sort of natural rhythm to focus on. Instead you find yourself just looking at people as they slept. You try not to stare at anyone for too long, but you find your gaze returning to the people you knew more often than not.
You're pretty sure Nora had fallen asleep hugging Ren, but she's now curled into a ball with one of Ren's arms draped over her. Nora looks pretty happy, but Ren's face looks as serene and untroubled by the world as he did when you were talking to him. On the other hand Weiss manages to look grumpy as she turns in her sleep. Either she's really unhappy with the girls she ended up sleeping next to or she's just uncomfortable with sleeping on the floor. You didn't exactly get to know her earlier, but you wouldn't be surprised if she's never slept on the floor before.
On the other side of the room you can see Cardin in the midst of the guys who'd been flexing earlier. He really didn't make a good first impression on you, and the clear distance between his group and other guys in small groups or on their own would reinforce that if you'd spoken to any of the other guys. As is you'd just be judging them all based solely on Cardin's arrogance, and you're honestly not sure you can blame a huntsman for being arrogant. Everyone knows the grimm are attracted to negative emotions and nothing makes people feel safer than a seemingly invincible huntsman showing up to save the day.
Every time you turn your gaze to Pyrrha and Dew you're struck by how peaceful they both look. You know you spent most of the day trying to look as neutral as possible and its only now that you realise they were both doing the same. Considering Pyrrha's apparently a celebrity you can understand why she'd spend so much time with a beaming smile or the smaller, neutral smile she'd had when listening to other people. You can't imagine why Dew would want to look bored with everything that happens around her though. Maybe she doesn't want to look easily impressed?
---
The rising of the sun fills the ballroom with light and starts waking people up. Considering initiation isn't for a few hours yet you're pretty sure most people would prefer more sleep, but the growing noise that results from early risers like Nora waking up their friends guarantees that none of them are getting what they want. Fortunately Pyrrha is an early riser herself and join her for a quick breakfast before heading for your lockers. You'll always support avoiding a crowd and since Pyrrha's apparently an expert on this sort of thing you might as well follow her lead.
You've got Amber's green cloak in your hands, debating whether or not you should wear it for initiation. It should a be simple decision, since you're just putting on Amber's chosen outfit. On the other hand you've been trying to figure out the point of the cloak for a few minutes. You're pretty sure it's to keep rain and dirt off of your other clothes, but that doesn't make much sense for a huntress. There's pretty much no way to avoid getting dirty in a fight and it isn't raining. On the other hand Amber might have worn it solely to look more impressive and to be able to hide her face with the hood. If that's the case you'd have to agree with her - the cloak does look cool, especially in the wind.
You don't even realise you've tuned everything else out until someone taps you on the shoulder.
"Hey." You turn to see a warmly dressed blonde girl smiling at you, a shorter redhead in darker clothes looking a bit awkward behind her. "Can I just get at my locker?"
"Sure" You say, stepping back so she can open the locker right next to yours. You look at Pyrrha, who had the locker on the opposite side, seeing her smiling at the newcomers. Considering there's at least 700 lockers in here it seems a little unlikely that four of youwould have lockers right next to each other. Then again, you don't know if the lockers that aren't assigned to initiates are empty or claimed by other students. When the blonde girl steps away from her locker she's putting a pair of gold bracelets on - you're guessing their her weapons. She turns back to you and holds out her hand.
"I'm Yang. And this is my little sister Ruby." She says as oyu shake her hand. You manage to fight off a giggle as Ruby ducks her sister's arm when Yang introduces her.
"Amber. And that's Pyrrha." You say, gesturing to Pyrrha.
"Hello." Pyrrha says, beaming at them as she waves. Since they don't react you're guessing Yang and Ruby had already recognised her, but you were proof that that recognition wasn't guaranteed. Sure you've probably got amnesia or something at this point, but it isn't impossible that someone might just be really sheltered.
"Uh, aren't you going to wear your cloak?" Ruby timidly asks, having seen what you've got on your hands. You eye her own red cloak before grinning and dramatically putting it on.
"Of course I am. Cloaks are cool." You say with confidence that doesn't feel entirely earned.
"Right!" Ruby says as she strikes a dramatic pose. "There's no better look for a huntress, especially when you really get moving!" Her enthusiasm is dampened a little when Yang starts laughing, only for her to stick her tongue out at her sister. That gets you and Pyrrha to join in. "You're just jealous." Ruby informs her sister.
"Please. I don't need a cape to look amazing." Yang says, gesturing at her clothes.
It's not a cape!" Ruby protests, only for you to cut her off.
"There's not much point in wearing a cloak or cape with that much hair." You saying, drawing their attention back to you. Yang grins as she runs a hand through the hair in question. "Then again, I'm pretty sure a cloak would be less effort than keeping all that looking good."
"It's worth it." Yang says with a shrug. "So how are you guys feeling about initiation? I know Ruby's looking forward to cutting loose."
"Nervous. It's been a while since I was in a real fight." You say. You don't even know if you're lying - sure you don't remember ever fighting a grimm from outside a bullhead before, but you're also pretty sure Amber had plenty of experience.
"I'm looking forward to it. I haven't fought against the grimm that much and I'm eager to get some real experience." Pyrrha says.
"Really?" Ruby asks, looking surprised. "You didn't get to fight grimm at combat school?"
"I did, but Sanctum prefers to have students focus on learning from each other. There just aren't that many grimm they can let us fight around Argus." Pyrrha answers. That might explain how she became a tournament champion, if that's what her school focused on. Yang nods even as Ruby frowns.
"Patch is full of weaker grimm, so Signal had us training against them a lot." She says. "We did plenty of sparring against other students, but we all knew the grimm were the real test."
"I didn't really think about combat schools being different like that. You still made your own weapons right?" Ruby asks.
"Of course we did." Pyrrha says as she pulls her sword and shield off of her back. "Forging your weapon is a rite of passage for a reason - Sanctum would never let a student ignore it." Ruby's eyes shine as Pyrrha's sword changes into a spear and then a rifle.
"So cool." She whispers before turning to you with an eager expression.
"I didn't go to a combat school if that's your question." You say, pulling Equinox out with some hesitation. You don't know if Amber made her own weapon, but it feels like a safe bet. You just have to make sure you don't contradict what you said to Pyrrha yesterday. "But I did make Equinox. Though it might be more accurate to say I helped my mom make it." You say, looking down at the collapsed weapon before meeting Ruby's eyes. Not wanting to disappoint her you extend your staff, seeing her eyes sparkle with excitement again.
"An extendable staff." Ruby whispers before grinning at you. She spins as she pulls out her own weapon, which rapidly unfolds to become an impressive looking scythe. "I want you to meet Crescent Rose." Ruby says, clearly proud of her creation. "She's a High-Caliber Sniper-Scythe.
"That's very impressive." Pyrrha says. "You must have worked really hard to master her if you got into Beacon early." Ruby blushes, only for Yang to clap her on the back and beam in pride.
"Yeah. Ruby took down some thugs that were robbing a dust store and Ozpin let her in two years early. She's basically a prodigy." Yang boasts. Ruby squeeks and lunges at Yang in an attempt to silence her as Pyrrha stifles another laugh. You step back and keep quiet. The more you hear about the other students the more inadequate you feel. It sounds like Ozpin goes out of his way to recruit students that are already impressive, but you haven't done anything. You're effectively just here to hide among Beacon's student body.
---
You think if you and Ruby had been left alone that you'd have rapidly descended into akward silence, but Yang and Pyrrha kept you all talking as you headed outside. It's a good way to pass the time, especially since it means you're basically already at the cliffs when Professor Goodwitch tells everyone to head over there. You all fall silent as you arrive, taking your places on what you recognise as catapult pads and silently preparing for what's going to come next.
You know every huntress has what is known as a 'landing strategy' - a way for them to safely deploy from a speeding bullhead without seriously hurting themselves. You were told that Amber's involved using the wind crystal on Equinox to control her fall, but you haven't had much success with dustcasting when you tried it. Hopefully Ozpin was right when he said Amber would help you, but you can't imagine how. She feels just as remote and unresponsive as ever.
When Ozpin arrives from behind the long line of students and starts giving another speech you're struck by how different he seems compared to yesterday. He's more confident and is clearly enjoying himself as he addresses you all. Especially when he talks to the kid who apparently doesn't know what a landing strategy is. Poor guy.
The sudden sensation of flying through the air catches you off guard when you're the first student to be flung into the forest. The surprise last only a moment before you spin, feeling your cloak catch the wind as you orient yourself. It feels more familiar than anything so far, and you can't stop yourself from laughing in pure joy. You feel your hand instinctively twitch towards your belt and you obey what you assume is Amber's instinctive reaction. You don't bother to extend Equinox before waving it, feeling the wind respond by propelling you even higher. Something tells you this more than just momentum and dust. You're soaring through the sky on what might as well be your own power, and you've never felt more free or at home in your own skin.
~~~~~~~~
Ozpin said whoever you first make eye contact with will be your partner. Who do you first meet?
[ ] Dew Gayle
[ ] Nora Valkyrie
[ ] Pyrrha Nikos
[ ] Yang Xaio Long
[ ] Blake Belladonna
[ ] Cardin Winchester
[ ] Jaune Arc
[ ] Lie Ren
[ ] May Zedong
[ ] Ruby Rose
[ ] Weiss Schnee
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- Pronouns
- He/Him
Your not gonna let the dice rolls decide our partner? That would have been more interesting. Just my opinion though.
[X] May Zedong
Well Imma choose this gal because she is named after one of China's bloodiest and brutal Tyrant that China has ever seen. She should be an interesting one.
[X] May Zedong
Well Imma choose this gal because she is named after one of China's bloodiest and brutal Tyrant that China has ever seen. She should be an interesting one.
- Location
- Florida
[X] Dew Gayle
[X] May Zedong
My top four 2 choices
[X] May Zedong
My top
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shepsquared
Erratic Aussie
- Location
- Melbourne, Australia
Your partner is pretty important and I'll have complete freedom to make the final team almost anything I want, so why not let you guys choose?
May is a canon character, though she's pretty much a blank slate. She was in the JNPR vs BRNZ fight and died off screen. Apparently she's named after some sort of purple mushroom.
Multi-voting or whatever it's called is on by default? Didn't know about that, guess I'm fine with it.
- Location
- Florida
I'll probably par down my vote if the tally gets tight enough.
- Pronouns
- He/Him
...Oh silly me!
I didn't know that she was a cannon character and is named after a mushroom. I thought that her names was too similar to that Chinese leader.
shepsquared
Erratic Aussie
- Location
- Melbourne, Australia
Miles and Kerry claim that its purely coincidental, but I haven't been able to find anything about a zedong mushroom so who knows. It certainly isn't influencing anything about her for this quest....Oh silly me!
Khona Moshr
Pink Flamingo Cabal Healer(they/them)
- Location
- Alabama
- Pronouns
- They/Them
[X] Pyrrha Nikos
I will say I'm fine with anyone but Cardin and Jaune winning.
I will say I'm fine with anyone but Cardin and Jaune winning.
shepsquared
Erratic Aussie
- Location
- Melbourne, Australia
Fair warning, Jaune is a fair bit different from canon. He might not know what a landing strategy is, but he awakened his aura years ago and is probably better with his weapons than most initiates.
- Location
- California
[X] Pyrrha Nikos
shepsquared
Erratic Aussie
- Location
- Melbourne, Australia
Vote for all three of them then.
[X] Nora Valkyrie
[X] Pyrrha Nikos
[X] Lie Ren
[X] Pyrrha Nikos
[X] Lie Ren
[X] Ruby Rose
Cloak buddies.
Cloak buddies.