Outside of RWBY(F)'s dorm, two Atlesian Knight-200s are guarding the room. Inside the room, Ironwood is consoling Yang with Ruby by her and with Weiss and Blake on the other bed.
Ironwood: "I'm sorry, but you've left us with no choice."
Yang: "But he attacked me!" she angrily replies
Ironwood: "Video footage and millions of viewers say otherwise."
Weiss: "But Yang would never do that!"
Ruby: "Yeah!" she stands up, obviously defending her sister
Ironwood: "You all seem like good students, and the staff here at Beacon are fully aware that you would never lash out the way you did... under normal circumstances." The entire team looks despondent. "What I believe and hope this to be is nothing more than the result of stress and adrenaline. When you're out on the battlefield, your judgment can become clouded in an instant. Sometimes you see things that simply aren't there. Even after the fight is past..."
Yang: "But I wasn't-"
Ironwood: "That's ENOUGH!" He gives an angry stern, making the whole room fall silent. "The sad truth is, whether it was an accident or an assault, it doesn't matter. The world saw you attack an innocent student. They've already drawn their own conclusions. And it's my job to inform you that... you are disqualified."
Yang's shock turns miserable, she looks to the ground, and Ironwood leaves the room. When the door clicks shut, she turns to her friends.
Yang: "You guys believe me, right?"
Ruby: "Duh!"
Weiss: "You're hotheaded, but not ruthless." she shakes her head
Yang: "Blake?"
Blake turns her gaze away, earning a shocked look between Ruby and Weiss.
Blake: "I want to believe you..."
Ruby: "Huh!?"
Weiss: "What's that supposed to mean?"
Yang's eyes widening, tears forming instantly
Yang: "Blake?" she says her name in a hurt voice
Weiss: "How can you say something like that? Yang would never lie to us!"
Blake: "I knew someone that change. It wasn't in an instant, it was gradual - little choices that began to pile up. He told me not to worry. At first, they were accidents, then it was self-defense. Before long, even I began to think he was right. Until F/n showed me the light." Yang looks up, tears now falling down her face. "But you're not him. And you've never done anything like this before. So... I want to trust you. I will trust you. But first, I need you to look me in the eyes and tell me that he attacked you. I need you to promise me that you regret having to do what you did."
Yang: "I saw him attack me, so I attacked back." she says as calmly as possible
Blake lets out a deep breath as she closes her eyes and smiles, looking at her partner.
Blake: "Okay. Thank you."
Yang: "I think I'm gonna rest up."
Blake stands up with Weiss and Ruby, all of whom are smiling.
Blake: "We'll get out of your hair."
~~~
Outside the room, where Ruby is closing the door, pausing only for a second to see Yang slump forward before shutting it completely. She joins Weiss and Blake in the middle of the hallway.
Weiss: "This is a mess..."
Following the sound of an opening door, Jaune peeks out of Team JNPR's room, with his team peering around the edge in concern.
Jaune: "She doing okay?"
Blake: "She's doing the best she can."
The two teams' attention is caught by a blur heading towards them.
Weiss: "What is that?" she raises her guard, as well as everyone, in case, except Bake
Blake: "It's F/n."
Weiss: "Finally!" She doesn't have an amused look
Weiss patiently waits for him, tapping her foot. Before F/n can get past them and into his Team's dorm, Weiss holds out her foot. Both teams watch as F/n lands face-first onto the ground. Weiss walks towards him, flipping him over with her foot. F/n holds his hands out, shivering, waiting for his discipline.
Weiss: "... And where were you at?" she crosses her arms, giving him a death stare. "Do you know what just happened?"
F/n: "Yeah... I was... I was..." he thinks of several lies until Pyrrha answer for him.
Pyrrha: "He and I got called into Ozpin's office. It was urgent."
Weiss looks at her then F/n.
Weiss: "Is that true?"
F/n: "Yeah!" She looks at him for a couple of seconds before sighing
Blake: "So what do you think happened?" He asks F/n as he gets up
F/n: "She attacked Mercury for 'no reason..."
They all are taken back by this statement
Weiss: "She's your Teammate!" she walks towards him, giving him a pissed stare
F/n: "Chill... I didn't even finish my sentence. She attacked Mercury for 'no reason' because she saw something else."
Weiss: "What do you mean 'she saw something else?'"
F/n: "Unfortunately, I can't say. It's for your safety." He walks over to the dorm's door, grabbing the knob.
Weiss: "We told her that we'd leave her alone. She's feeling a lot of guilt since she got disqualified from the tournament. So, it is best if we let her cry all her tears out."
F/n: "'Cry her tears out?'" This has to have triggered something in him, as he mushes the knob and releases a killer aura, sending chills down everyone.
Ruby: "Um, F/n, you okay?" she reaches her arm towards him.
F/n turns towards them with a huge smile on his face.
F/n: "Aw, don't worry, Ruby!" He caresses her cheeks. "Hey! Do you know where Mercury is?"
Ruby: "I heard Mercury and his team rushed back to Haven to be with his family. So, until they land, no one can really question him about what happened."
F/n: "I doubt it." Everyone seems to ignore that
Ren: "If there's anything we can do, please don't hesitate to ask."
Ruby: "All right then. If that's the case... Pyrrha?"
Pyrrha: "Hm?"
Ruby: "You be sure to win one for Beacon, okay?"
Weiss: "It's what Yang would want."
F/n: "And for your team..." he leans into her ear. "Remember, don't use your semblance. It'll bring everyone in danger." He whispers
Pyrrha: "I'll... do my best." she gives F/n a nod
Ruby: "I'll be sure to watch tonight in case you're picked!" she says with excitement written all over her face
Pyrrha's smile dips down into worry as she looks away. F/n sighs just by Pyrrha's facial expression.
F/n: "Guess I have to do everything by myself..." He mutters to himself, before receiving a message from Sun. "... Maybe not."
Blake: "Sorry but, I think I've had enough fighting for one year." She tells Weiss
Weiss: "Ditto." A moment passes before she says. "Coffee?"
Blake: "Tea."
The three girls, look at F/n, waiting to see if he's for the invitation.
F/n: "You guys wouldn't mind if I brought Sun?" They shake their heads
The four members of RWBY walk down the hall, and Jaune only closes the door when he sees Ruby disappear behind the corner. Pyrrha continues to look forlorn, until Nora suddenly gets up in Pyrrha's surprised face, grinning madly.
Nora: "You heard the lady! No more moping around!" She backs away to the other side of the room, now clad in pink workout clothes and sweatbands, as she points to Pyrrha. "We gotta get your butt in shape for the big fight!" She starts doing random exercises - running in place, pushups, jumping jacks - while she speaks. "It could be today, it could be tomorrow, it could be the most important fight of your entire life!" She culminates this demonstration by lifting a barbell tipped with 1000 pound weights on each end, holding it in the air and sweating profusely before falling backward
Pyrrha: "Um..." she smiles a little in bewilderment
Ren: "Nora's right" Pyrrha looks at him in his pink apron reading 'PLEASE DO NOTHING TO THE COOK.' "You can't let your concern for Yang hold you back. You need to focus. You'll be defending the honor of Beacon Academy."
Pyrrha:" Of course. I-"
Ren cuts her off as he holds a glass filled with a green liquid making bubbling noises in front of her face.
Ren: "This blend of herbs and vegetables is filled with nutrients vital to your body's well-being."
Pyrrha: "Oh, that's-"
Ren: "Please, there's no need to thank me."
Nora: "Thank you? Ugh, that looks like slime from a lakebed!"
Ren: "Algae contains numerous spectacular properties. See for yourself." He lifts it towards her mouth
Nora sips it down and immediately regrets it, face turning the same sickly green as the healthy sludge.
Nora: "BLEGH!" She goes straight over to the wastebasket and dunks her head in, getting all of the liquid out while continuing to make disgusting noises until she turns back around to Ren. "WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU!? Ugh..."
Ren: "Me? You're the one that wasted perfectly good juice."
Nora: "We're supposed to help Pyrrha, not poison her!"
Ren: "There was absolutely nothing wrong with that."
Nora: "If it looks the same coming up as it does going down, then there's something wrong!"
Neither of them notices Pyrrha's smile at their antics fade once more, though their leader does from the doorway.
Jaune: "Hey, how about we all get some fresh air?"
Pyrrha looks up at Jaune, who grins at his partner.
~~~
Yang, still in the dorm sitting on Blake's bed, looks out the window at the members of JNPR walking in the courtyard outside, Nora marching alongside Ren with Jaune and Pyrrha in the back, all of them looking happy to be with each other. Qrow is leaning against the door, arms crossed and a small smile on his face.
Qrow: "Hey there, firecracker."
Yang is not surprised enough to turn around, she instead gazes down.
Yang: "Hey, Qrow."
Qrow: "So, why'd you do it?"
Yang: "You know why."
Qrow: "All I know is that you attacked a helpless kid. So either you're lying or you're crazy."
Yang: "I'm not lying." she stares resolutely at her uncle
Qrow: "Crazy, got it." He makes a disappointed noise before he walks to the center of the room, hands in his pockets
Yang: "Who knows? Maybe I am."
Qrow: "And here I thought your dark-haired friend was the emo one. Though, I think that's F/n. Remember when he went through that phase." He chuckles
Yang smiles a little bit but once again it turns into a frown.
Yang: "I saw my mom." She looks at Qrow's sudden stop and shocked reaction from the corner of her eye. "I-I was in a lot of trouble. Took a pretty hard hit. But when I came to, the person attacking me was gone. And I thought I saw... her. Her sword, like the one in you and dad's old picture."
Qrow: "You're not crazy, Yang." He turns and nods, smiling sadly. "That was your mom, all right. Let me guess - she didn't say a word, did she?"
Yang: "How did you know that?"
Qrow: "I don't see my sister very often, but she does try to keep in touch... whenever it suits her."
Yang: "Wait. You mean you talk to her? That was real?"
Qrow: "Yeah, she found me. Had a tip from my most recent assignment and wanted me to give you a message."
Yang: "Why didn't you tell me sooner!?"
Qrow: "I was tryin' to wait for the right time, and this sure ain't it. But I guess you deserve to know. She wanted me to tell you that she saved you once, but you shouldn't expect that kindness again. Raven's got an interesting way of looking at the world that I don't particularly agree with. And she's dangerous. But you're a tough egg, kiddo. Shouldn't let this tournament thing get'cha down. You had a slip-up, sometimes bad things just happen. I say it's time you move on."
Yang: "Move on to what?"
Qrow: "Well... Raven let some info slip before she took off. If you ever wanna track her down, I think I might be able to help."
He glances back at Yang, who looks at him with her full attention.
~~~
In the twilight, Pyrrha sits alone outside the dining hall, head bowed as the wind rises. She sees the air blow a single orange leaf onto the cobblestones at her feet, and she looks at the fall colors with a face of total fright, remembering the sight of Amber in her comatose state and the choice weighing her down. Jaune cuts through her flashback
Jaune: "Hey." She turns her head up to see her lover with a bouquet of roses. "I hope these at least cheer you up."
Pyrrha stares at the flowers a smile appearing on her face for a second.
Pyrrha: "Thank you, Jaune."
Jaune's beam fades as he sees her still-tormented face, and looks to the far end of the building as Nora and Ren come around, the latter carrying a cotton candy, a tub of popcorn, and a drink to sip on.
Nora: "Uh... come on, Ren. Let's go back to the fairgrounds. I'll win you another stuffed animal." She drags him away from Jaune and Pyrrha's private scene
Jaune looks back to Pyrrha and takes a seat next to her.
Jaune: "You were the first person to ever believe in me, you know that?" He manages to get her to look at him as he laughs in sadness to himself Even when I told my parents I was going to Beacon, they told me not to worry if I ended up having to move back home. How depressing is that?"
Pyrrha: "I'm sure they didn't mean that."
Jaune places his hand on top of hers before they start holding each other's hand. This time, a true smile forms on her face.
Jaune: "I guess... I'm just trying to say that... you've always been there for me... even when I didn't deserve it. And I can tell there's something on your mind, so... I don't know. How can I help?"
Pyrrha: "You're already doing it."
Jaune quickly matches Pyrrha's smile with his own, and the two stay there for a long moment, but as an additional autumn leaf joins the first, Pyrrha's expression darkens once more.
Pyrrha: "Jaune..." She gets up from her nestling
Jaune: "Hmm?"
Pyrrha suddenly takes her hand out from his, looking away
Pyrrha: "I don't know what to do."
Jaune: W-What do you mean?
Pyrrha: "Do you believe in destiny?"
Jaune: "Um... I-I don't know. I guess that depends on how you view it."
Pyrrha: "When I think of destiny, I don't think of a predetermined fate you can't escape. But rather... some sort of final goal, something you work towards your entire life."
Jaune: "Okay. Uh, yeah. I can see that, sure."
Pyrrha: "Well... what would you do if something came along that you... never expected? Something that had the potential to stand between you and your destiny?"
Jaune: "Like what?"
Pyrrha: "Or what if you could suddenly fulfill your destiny in an instant, but at the cost of who you were?"
Jaune leans over, attempting to place his hand on her shoulder
Jaune: "Pyrrha, you're not making any sense."
Pyrrha stands up away from his touch, holding herself as if on the verge of tears.
Pyrrha: "None of it makes sense! This isn't how things were supposed to happen!"
Jaune gets up as well, spreading his arms in confusion.
Jaune: "I'm sorry! Please, I-I'm just trying to understand what's wrong."
Pyrrha: "I've always felt as though I was destined to become a Huntress - to protect the world... and it's become increasingly clear to me that my feelings were right. But..." She turns to look at Jaune. "...I don't know if I can do it."
Jaune: "Of course you can. The Pyrrha Nikos I know would never back down from a challenge. And if you really believe it's your destiny to save the world..." He moves towards her, confident in his answer. "you can't let anything stand in your way."
Despite Jaune's intentions, this doesn't bring relief. Instead, Pyrrha looks absolutely shattered, covering her mouth as she begins to sob.
Jaune: "Pyrrha?" He realizes his mistake
Pyrrha: "Stop..." she turns away from him
Jaune: "Did I say something wrong?"
Pyrrha: "STOP!"
She holds her hand out, black energy surrounding it as she unintentionally uses her Semblance to push Jaune's armor and its wearer into the dining hall column. He weakly watches her from his spot above until she opens her eyes and realizes what she's done.
Pyrrha: "Jaune!" she lowers her hand and lets him fall to the ground, finally letting the tears come as he looks up. "I'm... I'm sorry..."
Jaune: "Pyrrha, wait!" His outstretched arm does nothing to stop her from running away, and he faces the ground, cotton candy still discarded beside him. "What did I say?"
Secretly behind a bush, Sun was watching the whole scene. He picks up his scroll, calling someone.
Sun: "Yeah, It's as you expected."
F/n: "Do you remember the plan?" His voice comes from the scroll
Sun: "Yeah! Should I get into position?"
F/n: "Yeah. You stop it once I get you the signal, got it?"
Sun: "Got it!"
~~~
Somewhere else, F/n hangs up his scroll, before continuing to drink his cup of lemonade with Blake and Weiss.
Weiss: "You should tell that rascal that it is rude to leave without finishing his meal."
F/n: "I'll be sure to tell him but..."
He stands up, alarming the two.
Blake: "Where are you going?"
F/n: "I have something urgent to do." He walks away. "I'll be back... hopefully." He mutters that last part
Weiss and Blake look at each other, shrugging.
~~~
At the cliffside docking bays down the main alleyway and under the floating Amity Colosseum, Ruby walks up to the end of the line waiting to get in the transport up to the arena. She turns her seeing several familiar students, but her attention is most caught with a familiar rabbit Faunus snapping photos of people. Ruby steps out of line and approaches her from behind as she continues taking pictures with her camera until she notices who's behind her.
Velvet: "Ruby, how you going?"
Ruby: "Hi, Velvet! What're you up to?"
Velvet: "Oh, you know. Just working on my photography. Do you wanna see?" She offers her camera to Ruby, looking extremely delighted. Ruby immediately notices that Velvet didn't even get pictures of people's faces, only their weapons
Ruby: "That's... better." She steps away as she grins in forced approval
Velvet: "I'm... sorry to hear about your sister. Is she doing okay?"
Ruby: "Yeah, she's fine, heh. Thanks."
Velvet: "I think it's just awful what people are saying about her. Yang's such a nice person."
Ruby: "Well, I'm glad someone thinks so."
Velvet: "Most people don't know what it's like on the battlefield. I mean, even experienced fighters can get scared and start seeing things. If it happened to Coco, it can happen to anyone."
Ruby: "Coco?"
Velvet: "Yeah. She swore she saw Yatsu with her in the forest during the fight with Emerald and Mercury, but he never even made it out of the geyser fields. Stress-induced hallucinations, apparently."
Ruby: "Yeah..." She turns her head away in thought, only to look back at Velvet after a quick flash startles her
Velvet: "Oh! Sorry."
~~~
Back in the Colosseum, people are back in the stands cheering and ready for entertainment as Ruby descends down the steps to an open seat. Despite everything that's happened, she's smiling widely, looking around at the assembled crowds... until her stupefied eyes see a familiar, glaring face on the other side of the arena.
Ruby: "Emerald's... here?"
As if sensing she's being watched, Emerald leans forward to glare at Ruby, who suddenly gets up with a worried expression and runs towards the exit tunnel. Checking to see if no one's around, she enters a door labeled with a yellow maintenance sign and finds herself inside of the Colosseum. She walks forward with determination as the announcers' voices are heard, muffled behind the brick walls.
Oobleck: "All right, it's now time to begin the randomization process for our next fight!"
The sound of the roulette is heard faintly, but what makes Ruby stop in her tracks is the sight of another unexpected "friend" stepping out from a nearby tunnel, completely unharmed and definitely not going home.
Ruby: "Mercury?" She squints to make sure
Port: "It looks like our first contender is... Penny Polendina from Atlas..."
Ruby: "What are you doing?"
Port: "And her opponent will be... Pyrrha Nikos from Beacon!"
Ruby's head dips in thought until she realizes the awful truth.
Ruby: "No..."
Mercury: "Ooh, polarity versus metal. That could be bad."
Ruby glares at her new opponent, reaching back to grab Crescent Rose, only to remember she doesn't have it on her. Mercury simply grins maliciously and sets himself up in a fighting pose.
~~~
Outside, the arena's center is lifting back into the air, and an oblivious Penny is grinning wildly, with her fellow redhead Nora cheering excitedly from the stands, even getting Ren to let out a reluctant "Yaaay..." Pyrrha, face, and body are still filled with depression, she looks to the ground while the stage finishes being set up.
To Be Continued...