For the first time in a long time, Pyrrha woke with a smile.
A teammate. A friend. Someone who didn't give her reputation a second thought. She'd almost forgotten what it was like to wake and have something to look forward too, the feeling carrying her all but completely foreign.
She turned on her side.
The ballroom was still completely dark but she could make out the sleeping bag beside her. Yin, his short black hair strewn about and mouth slightly parted as he took in steady breaths, was still sound asleep. That was probably the case for most people in the room; after years of rising up early to train, whether she went to sleep on time or late, she'd always get up right on time for her morning sessions.
She rose up, the fabric of her bag crinkling slightly. Quiet as it was, the ears atop his head flicked about.
Just as she been tempted to ask all throughout yesterday, she felt the urge to reach out and pet the pair of wolfish ears but she knew better than to do something so insensitive. She wouldn't risk pushing away her new friend.
His ears twitched again.
Right, she definitely couldn't risk that. No matter how curious she was about their fluffiness.
A yawn forced it way out of her, eyes closing as she stretched. She should head out and get in a light jog before initiation rolled around. It'd be a far cry from her usual workouts but it was better she didn't risk wearing herself out beforehand.
Despite that she found herself staring at his face once the yawn passed.
Just what was going through that head of his yesterday? Between all the whispers, Ruby and her sister Yang, it had to be obvious to him that she was a celebrity, yet he never asked for details or addressed the matter in anyway before she brought it up. Even then, he shot it down as if it meant nothing, content to just go along as they were.
He called her kind but over the course of a single day he'd single handedly fulfilled the hope that brought her to an academy an entire sea away from her home.
Treating her like a normal person, like any other student here, not some figure to out on a pedestal only to be talked about at a distance or approached to gain something.
"You know, this is a bit of an awkward situation you're leaving me in." Pyrrha nearly jumped at the sound of Yin's voice, his dark eyes settling on her the moment they opened.
"I'm sorry." Pyrrha said a quick apology, hoping she had made things weird. Who wanted to wake up to find someone staring at them? Was there any reason she could give that saved her from being seen as a creep in this situation?
"Don't worry about it. You're not a bad sight to wake up to."
A rush of heat swelled up from within.
Embarrassment was something Pyrrha had plenty of experience with and far more practice than she ever wanted at controlling it. Between appearing on TV, having thousands of eyes on her during the regional tournaments back home, and seeing some of the weirder things people posted about when she made the mistake of searching herself up, learning to deal with it had more or less been a cornerstone of her training.
And she was quite confident in her ability to control it.
The heat rushed forward, heedless of all that experience and she found herself grateful for the darkness around them. Even with the night vision all faunus had she could at least hope he didn't catch sight of the blush no doubt staining her face.
It turned out that all that didn't prepare her in the slightest for what she was pretty sure was flirting?
Should she say something back? What was she supposed to say back? Maybe compliment him? He was handsome but she'd never done something like that. What if she only made things weirder for herself and-
No. There was no point in panicking. What she needed to do was take a deep breath and-
Yin fully freed himself from his sleeping bag and stood up.
"Are you headed somewhere?" Pyrrha asked, quick to do the same.
"Figured I should get a jog before initiation."
That worked out perfectly.
"I was actually thinking of doing the same." Pyrrha said with a smile. "Do you mind if I join you?"
"Sure, lets go."
Together, with Yin leading the way, they made their way out of the ballroom.
What were the chance that the person who just so happened to be the one person who completely disregarded her reputation also shared a similar workout routine to her? What were the chances he'd be able to challenge her?
Anticipation and hope that she knew better than to let grow out of control began to bloom.
She didn't know why but she had a feeling that it was possible, after all, what were the chances that they had ended up bumping into each other in the first place?
XOXO
Pyrrha closed her locker, doing one last check of her equipment and supplies in the chattered filled halls of one of Beacon's many buildings.
Extra ammunition, medical essentials, and of course, her weapons. She had everything she needed for battle, two nice teammates ready to face whatever initiation right beside her and confidence that they would see the challenge through.
A perfect day in the making.
"Don't you agree? Between the two of us, we're sure to form the greatest team Beacon has ever seen." Her locker neighbor said as she closed her own, turning an expectant gaze upon Pyrrha.
Of course, her reputation had to come and put a damper on things.
Pyrrha put on a smile as she locked eyes with the girl. "While I do appreciate the invitation, I've already agreed to join a team with two other students." Pyrrha said, politely turning her down. Now she just had to go find those two and-
"I see no issue with that. I'm more than willing to work alongside any talents who managed to catch your eye."
Of course it wouldn't be that easy to shake this girl off.
Weiss Schnee. If Pyrrha had to chose one word to describe the young woman in front of her it would be elegant. That or arrogance.
Dressed in a nearly pure white outfit with not a single wrinkle or stain to be found and a custom-made rapier at her hip, appearance alone made it clear that she was cut from a different cloth than most. It wasn't just because of her equipment, her pale skin flawless and blemish free other than the faint scar over the corner of her left eye, and her long white hair carefully styled into an off-center ponytail. And she held her head high, almost seeming taller than she really was, despite ironically being as short as Ruby even in her heels.
Pyrrha was not surprised that someone had finally approached her in hopes of getting on a team with her. The surprising part was that it took so long.
Though Pyrrha had to admit, despite doing what she expected of most of their peers, Weiss managed to set herself aside from the pack.
In all the times she'd been approached by someone seeking to gain something through her, this was the first time it'd felt so…level. On one hand, Weiss respect her skills, hence the offer of a teammate, but neither looked up to nor considered Pyrrha to be beneath her, the offer one of mutual benefit.
It was different and, as much as she'd come to despise the things that came with her reputation, she found that she didn't hate it.
If she hadn't already found herself a pair of teammates, she would've agreed to team-up with her but that wasn't the case. Deciding on their fourth member wasn't a call she should make on her own.
"I am not against the idea but we should find them first. They should have a say in who they team-up with." Pyrrha said.
"Of course." Weiss wasn't thrilled by the answer, her polite smile dropping a smidge but nodded along. "Lead the way."
Pyrrha stepped back from her locker and made her way down the hall where she'd seen Ruby and Yin disappear down. With initiation now less than an hour away, there was a certain anxiety in the air that all the scattered conversations couldn't completely mask. For every person who talked a big game there were two more silently stewing in their anxiousness. Some had their friends to boost their confidence and others were all alone, about to face initiation with nothing other than their weapons and skills.
Whatever their situation, soon all of them would have to prove that they had the right to be here.
"-exactly! No more awkward small talk, no more trying to make friends. It'll just be us, my precious Cresent Rose, and the Grimm." Ruby's excited ramblings helped single them out from the crowds in the locker lined hall. She'd just closed her locker, in the middle of talking with Yin who leaned on the one beside her.
"Did you forget teams are made up of four here? There's at least one more person who you'll have to make friends with."
Ruby's shoulder lowered. "Ugh, why'd you have to remind me?" She suddenly perked up. "Oh, do you think Pyrrha would mind if brought Yang onto the team? With her we could pass this whole thing, easy peasey."
"Pretty sure she's teaming up with her friends."
Ruby clicked her tongue. "That traitor."
Pyrrha found herself smiling as they approached the two. So far Yin came off as the reserved sort, the range of emotions he showed off frightening small, while Ruby was the complete opposite, talkative and bubbly, only restraining herself when her awkwardness caught up with her. Thankfully, they got along just fine from the look of things neither put off by the differences.
"Ruby, Yin." Pyrrha called out, the two turning to her. Yin pushed off the locker he was on while Ruby ran towards her.
Both were ready for combat, Ruby back in her get-up from yesterday, cape, pouches, and weapons in place. Yin, on the other hand, was dressed far differently compared to the casual clothes he'd been in yesterday.
A plain long sleeved black shirt that while not tight, hugged his defined muscles enough to actually show off his lean build, cargo pants that were similarly colored, and dark combat boots. Strapped across his chest was a thin black vest with a variety of pockets while a pair of handguns were holstered at his hip. And placed in a strap on the back of the vest was a thin black pole about the length of the case he'd been carrying around the other day.
He looked less like a modern-day huntsman and more inline with depictions of kingdom soldiers she'd seen in history books or over in Atlas.
"Hey, Pyrrha, we-" Ruby stopped short, slowing her run to a stop.
"You!" Weiss exclaimed, an accusatory finger pointed at Ruby.
"Uh, hi." Ruby said, awkwardly looking everywhere but at Weiss. "Uh, its nice to meet you?"
"Don't try and act like you're clumsiness didn't almost injure the both of us." Weiss haughtily chided her, briskly walking forward. Ruby turned on her heel, a burst of crimson petals suddenly taking her place and swirling behind Yin in the blink of an eye. The petals retook the shape of Ruby, her silver eyes peeking out from behind Yin.
Weiss, even more surprised than Pyrrha by the sudden use of a semblance, stopped her approach and Pyrrha quickly took the chance to steer the conversation.
"Weiss, this is Yin and Ruby, my teammates." She said as she stepped between them. "Ruby, Yin, this is Weiss. She's offered to team-up with us."
"What?" Weiss whipped her attention to Pyrrha, disbelief sprawled across her face. "That child is really a part of your team?"
Pyrrha nodded. "Ruby may be younger than the rest of us but in my opinion that only speaks to her talents. Not many could make it to Beacon at her age."
Weiss clicked her tongue. "I suppose you have a point." She begrudgingly admitted before turning back to the other two. She looked Yin up and down. The whole time her frown remained firmly in place and, to Pyrrha's dismay, Weiss's lingered on the wolfish ears atop his head a touch too long.
She, like anyone who took the time to watch the news, was aware of the accusations against the Schnee Dust Company regarding faunus. Whether or not there was truth to that, Pyrrha hadn't planned on using that to frame her view of the girl, but if she had a problem with Yin because of what he was then-
Weiss extended a hand, ignoring Ruby in favor of looking up at Yin. "It's a pleasure to meet you." She said, tone even.
"Likewise." Yin shook the offered hand without issue before stepping aside.
"You traitor." Ruby whined, a half-hearted glare shot Yin's way before she straightened herself up. "I'm really really sorry about what happened before."
"Uh-huh." Weiss sounded completely unconvinced, her hand retracted before Ruby could even think to shake it. "As long as you don't plan on running around causing anymore explosions, I'll accept it. For now."
"Well, what do you two think?" Pyrrha asked before an awkward silence could set in between them all. "Should we team-up with her?"
Yin shrugged.
Reserved as he was Pyrrha was sill surprised someone could be so nonchalant about who they might be spending the next four years of their life with. Especially considering who it was. Then again, he had no idea who'd she'd been so maybe he didn't know who Weiss Schnee was. It could be possible if he was one of those people who didn't bother with keeping up with current events, concerned only with what was going on in their immediate life.
She couldn't tell when it came to him.
"…Sure?" Ruby answered after looking between them all of them, the answer sounding more like a question.
Pyrrha held back a sigh. Hopefully she didn't just mess up the team composition by introducing Weiss into it.
The intercom system set up throughout the building flared to life, the chatter all around them quieting. "All first years are to report to the Emerald Forest. I repeat, all first years are to report to the Emerald Forest." Professor Goodwitch's voice's came through, leaving them with the simple instructions.
Initiation was finally upon them.