Capítulo 692: 35
Chapter 35:
"Jaune-kun...a word," said Sasame as everyone else headed through the door after their evening Aura practice.
"Uh...sure," said Jaune, feeling a bit nervous, for reasons he couldn't quite explain. Normally, Sasame seemed to perpetually put the people around her at ease. However, Jaune got the impression that Sasame was about to talk to him from her perspective as Ruby's sister, first and foremost.
Jaune's plan for Ruby and Pyrrha had worked out about as well as he'd hoped it would. It was an unexpected bonus to learn that the dining hall actually stocked a few bed-trays, primarily for use by the infirmary as it turned out. But once Jaune had explained things, the staff were perfectly willing to loan a pair of trays out to them for Ruby and Pyrrha. After that, Jaune and Yang had made a quick, but careful, run back to the room to drop off Ruby and Pyrrha's meals. In the time it had taken them to make the trip, both Ruby and Pyrrha had gotten their showers and changed into their pajamas, thanking the pair for the meals. Then Jaune and Yang returned to the dining hall to join the others for their meal.
There had been a few odd looks at the remaining members of RYNB and RASP. But without Ruby and Pyrrha, the attention soon wavered and tapered off.
Afterwards, it was business as usual as they adjourned to the rooftop for their evening Aura-training, supervised by Sasame. Now that training had wrapped up for the evening, they were about to head to bed, except for Jaune and Sasame, who remained on the roof until the others were out of earshot.
"Sit," said Sasame, her tone managing to sound inviting and authoritative at the same time.
Swallowing, Jaune did as he was bid, while Sasame calmly seated herself in front of him. "So..." she said, letting the pause drag out, seeming to find amusement in Jaune's discomfort, "...tell me, what do you think about Ruby-chan?"
"What do I think?" asked Jaune, blinking in confusion. He wasn't sure what to make of her question. It was similar to certain questions he'd gotten from Weiss or his sisters. However, unlike them, he got no sense of imminent danger from Sasame, no sense that she was fishing for a reason to berate or punish him.
"Yes," said Sasame cheerfully.
"Uh...well...I think she's amazing," said Jaune. He got the feeling that empty flattery would not work on Sasame, that she would probably see right through it. Despite that, his honest opinion was rather flattering, so he hoped Sasame didn't take it that way. "I'm always floored by what she can do, how much she's capable of. And I can't even begin to thank her enough for everything that she's done, that she's still doing, for me. I wouldn't be even a quarter of the person I am now without her. She's done more for me in just these past few weeks than my family has for the past few years."
"So your situation is similar to hers," said Sasame.
"Yep," said Jaune with a sigh. He laid out his situation for her.
"No wonder she's taken such an interest in helping you," noted Sasame cheerfully. "You've been doing remarkably well, considering how late in your life you started training. That makes it something of a shame that you weren't appropriately trained earlier."
"No kidding," grumbled Jaune, looking down at his crossed legs.
Sasame flicked her tail at him, gently brushing the tip across his cheek. "Don't worry too much," she said. "In many ways, this works to your advantage."
"It does?" Jaune was taken aback by her statement.
"Yes," said Sasame cheerfully. "Because of your lack of training, prior to coming here, you are something of a blank slate. The others have all been trained in the manner that the Kingdoms train their Huntsmen and Huntresses. The skills that Ruby-chan has been teaching you all here are ones that the Mibu are taught during their childhood. Your friends, aside from Ruby-chan, all have Semblances, which makes it something of an uncertainty as to whether or not they can reap the full benefits of this training. You, on the other hand, who have only just unlocked your Aura a few weeks ago, will be free to develop a Manifestation completely according to your will."
"I just wish I knew what I want to do," mused Jaune.
Sasame tilted her head as she regarded him. "Well...I think you might be suited learning the healing arts."
"Huh?" grunted Jaune. "Me...a healer?"
Sasame beamed at him. "I believe so," she said. "The healing arts are all about sharing your Aura with those in your care. There are ways to mitigate your expenditures, so that you can spread your efforts across multiple people, but it goes without saying that a large reserve of Aura is a definite advantage for such arts.
"There are other advantages besides treating the injured. By sharing your Aura with your comrades, you can enhance their fighting ability, and support them beyond your ability at direct combat."
"I...I don't know," mused Jaune. "I mean...I wanted to become a Huntsman so that I could fight."
"Jaune-kun..." Sasame's tone abruptly became quite stern, making him gulp again as he looked at her. "...do you think I'm weak in combat?"
Remembering how she'd casually tossed Ruby's father aside, Weiss' story about her effortlessly crushing a faunus mob, and how she'd apparently thrashed Cardin so badly that he was spooked by the mere sight of her, Jaune swallowed and shook his head.
"Don't underestimate the healing arts," said Sasame simply. "The more you explore them, the more ways you can use them. Technically, using them to directly harm another is a serious taboo, and outright forbidden amongst the Mibu. But that does not mean that healers are intended to be incapable of fighting. While the decision is yours, I thought I might lay out that idea for you...something to consider."
"Okay, thanks," said Jaune. He figured that Sasame might have had a point. Not to mention it would ease his mind a great deal to know that he could help his friends, if they were ever injured in the field.
"The main reason I made that recommendation is because you have a generous heart," said Sasame. "You took this profession for many of the same reasons that Ruby-chan did, to help others. You have a giving spirit, so it's fitting to develop a Manifestation that capitalizes on it."
"I guess..." said Jaune, scratching his head. "But I'm getting the feeling that this sort of thing isn't something I can just learn on the fly, or teach myself easily. Wouldn't something like that take a lot of specialized instruction."
"More or less," said Sasame. "And I am only visiting after all. I will be departing in the near future. You aren't at a level where you can properly develop your Manifestation anyway, so it's a bit of a moot point at this juncture. However, by the next time I visit..."
"I'll think about it," said Jaune.
"Good," said Sasame, before giggling. "My apologies, we got sidetracked a little. I was asking you what you thought of Ruby-chan."
"And I told you," said Jaune. "Is there something you're getting at?"
"Well...I'm a little bit curious," said Sasame, her eyes narrowing slightly. "But...do you like Ruby-chan."
"Like her...?" Jaune frowned. "Of course I do. She's the best friend I could have ever asked for and...Oh..." His voice trailed off as he realized what Sasame was getting at. "Y-you mean, like...like romantically?"
"Well...just maybe," said Sasame. "I'm merely curious."
"W-well..." Jaune looked down again, his cheeks reddening. "She really is pretty, beautiful even. And she's one of the nicest people I've ever met. I'm lucky to just be able to call myself her friend. But something like that..."
"Don't sell yourself short, Jaune-kun," said Sasame. "Yes, your training is behind the level of your peers, but, in personal relationships, that is not the only measure you should consider."
"W-well...I..." Jaune's blush intensified. "If I'm honest, I think I do have a crush on her. There was this one time she kissed me on the cheek and...well, I could've died happy, right then and there."
Sasame giggled at that.
"You aren't upset?" asked Jaune, remembering how Ruby's other sister had essentially threatened to kill him, if she thought he was trying to get close to Ruby. Granted, that had been back when Yang was venting her frustration over not being able to talk with Ruby. But that was the sort of thing older siblings typically did.
"Of course not, silly," said Sasame. "I think it's sweet and, if you do approach her in such a fashion, I would happily approve."
"Wha-what if I...what if I hurt her?" asked Jaune.
"That depends," said Sasame, tapping her cheek, looking at Jaune with an inscrutable smile. "If it was your intention to hurt her, to play with her feelings and use them to your advantage...you would be signing your death warrant." Jaune felt a shiver run down his spine at the finality in her tone. "But regular mistakes, the kind that happen in regular relationships all the time…those aren't worth threatening anyone over.
"Should you find yourself in such a relationship with Ruby-chan, it's practically inevitable that you'll hurt her at some point, and she you. You will both make mistakes, say and do things you regret. What's important is that you learn to move past those things and continue to care for each other to the best of your ability."
"Are you...trying to set me up with Ruby?" asked Jaune dubiously, scarcely believing that Sasame would do such a thing for him.
"No," said Sasame plainly. "I just wanted to bring it up, since I noticed that you did appear to have some feelings for her. Given what she's been through in her childhood, and having seen what her father is like, I can imagine you understand that Ruby-chan does not appreciate being fawned over, having people try and protect her without her input or agency. Despite knowing that, I would at least like to dote on her from time to time."
"So...what then?" asked Jaune.
"Don't think about it too much, Jaune-kun," said Sasame. "I believe you have every chance, should your feelings grow. The one thing I want to do is advise you. Should your feelings for Ruby-chan grow, don't be afraid to act on them. As you said earlier, she is an amazing girl, and her skills are presently far above your own level. But, when it comes to your feelings, do not hesitate because you hold her in too much awe to remember she is still a person, a girl, at heart. I'm sure that Pyrrha-chan can tell you how desolate your relationships can be, when people put you on a pedestal and shy away from engaging with you, because they hold you in too much reverence to act honestly upon any feelings they might have."
Jaune swallowed and nodded.
"So...I guess all I really wanted to say was...don't worry, Jaune-kun," said Sasame. "More than being her teammate, or even her student, your most important role is as Ruby-chan's friend. You do more for her in that role than in any other. And, if your friendship grows into something more, then it will only be for the better."
"I'll keep that in mind," said Jaune.
"But don't overthink it," advised Sasame. "As trite as such a phrase may seem, 'follow your heart' is perhaps the best advice I can give you in this situation. If you are content with friendship, then stay her friend. But if you wish to try for something more...don't let your fear make you hesitate."
"All right," said Jaune, finding himself thinking about the topic, despite Sasame's advice not to overthink it.
Going down after the others, he and Sasame followed Weiss into their room to see that Ruby and Pyrrha had already finished their meals and gone to sleep. The rest of them went about their evening routines as quietly as they could. Just before going to bed, Jaune found himself staring down at Ruby's sleeping face, marveling at her tranquil expression. He did have to admit, seeing her like that made his heart beat just a little bit faster.
After a good night's sleep, Ruby and the others got up to face the day. To Ruby, the fact that her sparring match with Pyrrha had apparently been broadcast all over the world almost felt like a surreal dream, leaving her wondering if she'd been overreacting the previous night. However, she found herself with something of a rude awakening, when she realized that the consequences of the match were, in fact, very real.
Upon entering the dining hall with her friends, Ruby abruptly felt eyes on her from nearly every student in the room, more than a few of them whispering to one another. Ruby felt chills run down her body from all the attention, stiffening up nervously. Oh my God! Is this what Pyrrha had to go through for so long? How is she still sane?
A light hand rested on her shoulder and Ruby turned to see Pyrrha smiling encouragingly at her. "Don't worry about it," said Pyrrha softly. "Just relax and do what you've always done."
Ruby blinked, surprised to hear such advice coming from Pyrrha. But, then again, Pyrrha was right. Unlike Pyrrha herself, Ruby didn't have a reputation and image to live up to (not that Pyrrha was keen to live up to that image anymore). She had no reason to change her behavior, just because people were suddenly watching her more closely, particularly since she wasn't doing anything wrong.
Deciding to accept Pyrrha's advice, Ruby took a deep breath, then let it out slowly, doing her best to allow the tension to bleed out with her exhaled air. Sure, she could feel the pressure of eyes, but she supposed that it wasn't all that different from what she had gone through in the Mibu Clan, where people had watched her intently because she was "the Outsider," who'd been unofficially adopted by the Mitarai family. That had been worse, because there had been some actual hostility from some people. Compared to them, the mostly curious looks she was receiving now were a walk in the park.
Getting their trays, they made their way to their preferred table. As she seated herself, Ruby sensed a familiar Aura approaching her from behind. Turning to look, she broke into a smile to see Velvet, along with three other people she'd occasionally seen at a distance, after they'd returned. "Hi."
"Hello, Ruby," said Velvet warmly. "Can we sit with you?"
"Of course," said Ruby, shifting to make some extra room at the table, her teammates shifting with her. Velvet's petite form hardly took up any space, which could also be said, more or less, for two out of three of her companions, the only exception being the tan-skinned mountain of a man who sat next to Velvet.
"I'm glad we came at the right time," said Velvet, gesturing to the others who were sitting down with her. "This is my team."
"Nice to meet you," said the brown-haired girl sitting across from Velvet, her school uniform supplemented by a black beret over her wavy hair, and a pair of sunglasses over her brown eyes, which she lowered with her fingers upon meeting Ruby's gaze and grinning. "I'm Coco Adel."
"Fox Alistair," said the young man seated next to Coco. He was definitely the strangest-looking member of their team, having burnt-red hair that almost matched the brownish-red of his skin. His eyes were a blank, white color, seemingly devoid of iris or pupil. When his spoke, his voice was soft and whispery, almost to the point of being inaudible. However, there was...something...to it that allowed it to carry to everyone at the table, even over the general din of conversation filling the dining hall.
"Fox isn't much of a talker at first," said Coco, patting his shoulder. "Don't let his looks get to you. He's a nice guy underneath it. Of course, once he gets to know you, you can't shut him up."
Ruby giggled, remembering both Dougal, Sora's Imperial Guard, and Chinmei, one of the Goyosei. Dougal's appearance seemed calculated to inspire fear, and Chinmei, with his dreadlocks and overall wild look, looked like the Mibu equivalent of a street-tough. However, both of them had proven to be unfailingly kind and helpful.
"And I am Yatsuhashi Daichi," added the enormous young man sitting next to Velvet, bowing his head, with its close-cropped black hair. His eyes were narrow to the point that it was impossible to tell what color they were, only the black of his pupils being visible. Interestingly, in spite of sporting such an impressive stature, there was something about him that was serene and easygoing, undercutting his intimidating size.
"I'm Velvet's partner," he continued. "I want to thank you for looking after her while we were away."
"Yatsu!" protested Velvet weakly, her cheeks turning pink. The reaction was understandable, considering the phrasing almost made it sound as though Velvet was a child who'd needed to be babysat, rather than an accomplished second-year student of Beacon Academy.
"Well, we wouldn't need to worry if you'd just stand up for yourself," said Coco teasingly. "I mean...Come on! Letting a bunch of first-years bully you like that..."
"Well...I..." Velvet's ears folded over and she slumped slightly, before sighing in defeat.
"That's what I said...more or less," said Weiss.
"I'm surprised to see you getting along with her, Schnee," noted Coco.
"Coco!" admonished Velvet. "Be nice. Weiss is a friend, and she's been nothing but polite to me."
Weiss sighed, lowering her head slightly. "Yes...I have had issues with faunus, in the past. However, my family's bad reputation is almost entirely my father's doing and I am trying not to get sucked into making generalizations."
"I get it," said Coco. "Sorry about being terse there."
The rest of RASP and RYNB, as well as Sasame, introduced themselves to Team CFVY. All the while, Ruby felt the pressure of people's eyes coming and going. Apparently, "Team Coffee" was one of the more popular second-year teams at Beacon, to the point of Coco being something of a minor celebrity. Despite that, they proved to be quite friendly and amiable. With them present, Ruby felt a lot more at ease, even with the number of people looking their way. Even when the topic turned to her match with Pyrrha the previous day, she didn't find it overly uncomfortable.
"You've got moves, kid," said Coco, smirking over her sunglasses at Ruby. "I bet not many people can say they got a draw against the Invincible Girl."
"Um...well...I..." Ruby blushed and looked down.
"It really was a magnificent match," said Velvet, squeezing Ruby's shoulder. "You should be proud of your skills."
"Thank you," said Ruby softly, though her blush wasn't going away anytime soon.
"I was surprised by your Semblance," commented Yatsuhashi, looking to Pyrrha. "Is that how you became such an accomplished fighter?"
"You could say that," said Pyrrha, her shoulders tightening and back straightening nervously.
"How so?" asked Fox softly.
"Well, I normally try to keep from using my Polarity in overt ways," said Pyrrha. "I stick to minor adjustments on attack and defense so that my opponents don't realize what I'm doing. It gives me a bit of a psychological edge in my fights."
"Even though I could feel something off with my weapons, I couldn't figure out what she was doing until I managed to push her hard enough to use it openly," added Ruby.
"It's definitely one hell of an edge," said Coco.
"Which makes it all the more impressive that you were able to tie with her," noted Velvet, beaming at Ruby, making her flush all over again.
"You're definitely gonna be the bees' knees for a while," added Coco.
"But I don't want to be the bees' knees," protested Ruby frantically. "I just want to be a normal girl with normal knees."
"Come on, don't be like that," admonished Coco playfully. "It's good that you don't want to let your head get swollen, but you shouldn't let that stop you from being proud of the things you do. You've got skill, that's a fact. You should own it, not shy away from it."
"She's not wrong," said Velvet, hugging Ruby around the shoulders. "You should be proud of your accomplishments."
"Besides, it's not as though Pyrrha here seems all that upset by having her record broken," added Coco, having seen Pyrrha nod along with both her and Velvet's advice.
"Well...I was getting tired of being the Invincible Girl," said Pyrrha, looking down. "Not that I would take it easy on Ruby; I respect her far too much to do that."
"It was a fine match," said Yatsuhashi confidently. "Anyone who watches that should be able to see it."
"No kidding," agreed Coco. "There are third and fourth-years here that aren't that good."
Now Pyrrha and Ruby were both blushing.
"Uh...Why don't we talk about something else?" suggested Jaune, seeing that both Ruby and Pyrrha were getting a little unnerved by the constant praise and focused attention.
"And what do you suggest?" asked Blake.
"Well, I'm curious about what kept your team away for so long," said Jaune, looking over at Coco.
The answer, as it unsurprisingly turned out, was Grimm...lots and lots of Grimm. Apparently, it wasn't uncommon for Search-and-Destroy missions to run long, as any assessment of Grimm numbers in a given area was always rough, at best, and their constantly fluctuating behavior meant that said assessment could change over the course of a few hours. The three active members of Team CFVY had arrived at their mission-site to find that there had been a lot more Grimm than they'd initially expected. Fortunately, the number was not so overwhelming that they had been in danger of being overrun. But it had turned the process of clearing them out into a tedious, protracted one.
From there, the conversation ran into some of the Grimm they encountered, the tactics they used, and other information, which proved surprisingly educational for the two first-year teams, and a welcome distraction from the topic of Ruby and Pyrrha's now-viral sparring match. Everyone was so engrossed in the conversation that they nearly missed the bell signaling the final ten minutes before the first class of the day, meaning they had to rush in order to finish their meals and get to their classrooms on time.
It seemed that even the teachers were aware of what happened, though they were kind enough to limit themselves to briefly congratulating Ruby and Pyrrha when they entered the room, rather than making a big deal out of it in front of the class. Ruby was happy to lose herself in her work, and forget about the commotion over the previous day's sparring match. Unfortunately, they were abruptly reminded at lunch when Ruby and Pyrrha once again found themselves at the center of attention. Ruby wished that Sasame was there with them. But Sasame had parted ways with the rest of the group after breakfast. Where she'd gone and what she was doing were a mystery, and Ruby suspected they wouldn't see her again until dinner.
This time, there was something new to the mix...hostility. It wasn't all that intense or pervasive, but Ruby felt it quite clearly, such emotions being the ones she had trained to be the most sensitive to. At first, she thought that the simmering resentment being exuded by some of the people around them was directed at her. However, she began to realize that it wasn't her at the center of that...but Pyrrha. Why?
"Uh oh..." said Yang, who'd been keeping tabs on the whole affair with her scroll, in between classes (and during class, sometimes, when she could get away with it).
"What is it?" asked Blake, leaning over to read over her partner's shoulder.
"Apparently the match is making a huge stir, over in Mistral," said Yang. "I guess a bunch of people weren't happy to find out what Pyrrha's Semblance was."
"Her Semblance...?" Now Ren joined Blake, reading over Yang's opposite shoulder. "Oh..."
"I'm almost afraid to ask," said Pyrrha weakly.
"What's going on?" asked Weiss.
"This one guy apparently sent a complaint to the administrative committee for the Mistral Regional Tournament," said Yang. "He's demanding that they revoke Pyrrha's tournament titles."
"Why on earth?" gasped Weiss indignantly.
"He's claiming that Pyrrha cheated," said Blake, still reading over Yang's shoulder. "He's saying that Pyrrha's Polarity gave her an unfair advantage over her opponents, and that she obtained her wins through deceit."
"That's not...entirely untrue," said Pyrrha with a sigh.
"It's completely ridiculous!" scoffed Weiss.
"Yeah!" agreed Nora with all enthusiasm. "It's not like there was a rule that you couldn't use your Semblance...was there?"
"No," said Pyrrha.
"And it's not as though deceit in a match is inherently wrong either," added Blake. "A lot of fighters keep their best moves secret, whether it's a Semblance, or a weapon's special function."
"Everyone has cards they want to keep close to the chest," said Jaune with a teasing smirk. "After all, we went over a month, before we finally learned that Ruby's sword is actually two swords."
"I'm sorry!" squeaked Ruby, briefly borrowing Pyrrha's habit, making everyone else at the table burst into laughter.
"There's nothing wrong with that, Ruby," said Pyrrha, having had her spirits lifted a little. "I didn't tell anyone about my Semblance either."
"So...the sum total of all this is...what?" asked Nora, looking at Yang.
It was Weiss who answered. "Basically, one of Pyrrha's previous opponents is still sore that he lost, and wants to use Pyrrha's Semblance as an excuse to pretend he didn't. It's all just so much sour grapes."
"Oh...okay," said Nora.
"I always did feel a little bad about it," said Pyrrha.
"You don't have any reason to," Ren assured her. "It's a legitimate strategy...and a brilliant one."
"It speaks volumes about your skill and control," added Blake.
"Besides, if your Polarity was such a game-breaking advantage, then we wouldn't even be having this conversation in the first place," said Weiss. "You would have won your match with Ruby and, aside from some excitement over the affair itself, the whole world would be none the wiser.
"But Ruby proved that you can overcome even a powerful Semblance like that through skill and determination. The only reason people are talking about this at all is because Ruby was good enough to force you to use it openly. If she can fight you to a draw, in spite of your Semblance, then people who get upset over a so-called 'unfair advantage' are just whining because they don't have the will to do what Ruby did."
Ruby and Pyrrha both blushed furiously under the collective praise, though they both felt better.
"Weiss isn't wrong," said Yang. "The tournament committee issued a response blowing the guy off, saying that Pyrrha followed all the proper procedures, and that her strategy was legit. This Liu guy is still hacked off about it, apparently."
"Liu...?" Pyrrha blinked. "Liu Bai?"
"That's him," said Yang, turning her scroll around to give Pyrrha a look at the portrait of the young man making the complaint. It was an image of a stone-faced young man with narrowed, grayish-blue eyes, peering over a pair of small spectacles that rested on the bridge of his nose. His white hair stood up in a cluster of spikes, spreading out from the top of his head. The portrait went down far enough to give them a view of muscular shoulders, bulging from beneath the straps of a dark-blue muscle-shirt.
"It is him," said Pyrrha with a sigh.
"Who is he?" asked Ruby.
"He was my final opponent during my second run through the tournament," said Pyrrha. "Of all the opponents I faced, all four times, he's the one who gave me the hardest fight. He was...intense. I guess he was really bitter about losing, because he never entered the tournament the other two times I did."
"So he's just a bad sport," said Nora, as Yang pulled her scroll back.
Ruby frowned, looking down at her plate, thinking about the edgy atmosphere around them. Now she had an idea of what that hostility was all about. It seemed that Pyrrha's former opponent wasn't the only one upset to learn the truth about her Semblance. There seemed to be quite a few students at Beacon who didn't like the idea of Pyrrha having what they might have considered an unfair advantage.
"Well...it's nothing to get worked up over," said Weiss. "I can guarantee that it won't have any effect on things here, at Beacon."
"Don't be so sure," said Ruby. "There are a few people here upset about it, I think."
"Oh...?" Weiss glanced around, probably looking for people foolish enough to glare openly. "If they are...then they're imbeciles. That's all."
Ruby couldn't help it. That statement made her giggle.
"Now then, let's finish eating," said Weiss. "We have our free-period training to get to."
The rest of the day went by rather normally, despite the slightly tenser atmosphere than usual. Of course, just because Weiss' assessment of the situation was right didn't mean that people would magically turn off their resentment of Pyrrha. However, it also seemed that none of them were willing to act openly on their hostility.
As Ruby had expected, Sasame met them at dinner. They enjoyed their meal with relative ease, despite Ruby and Pyrrha once again being the center of attention for most of the students. But even that was wavering. Other students could only spend so long staring, if nothing was going to come from it. Since neither Ruby nor Pyrrha offered any response and no one seemed interested in doing anything more than staring, the intense gazes soon wandered off. Because of that, Ruby was tempted to believe that things would be back to normal by the next day.
Unfortunately, while Beacon's students were apparently willing to move on for the time being, the rest of the world was not so accommodating. Wrapping up dinner, Ruby and the others prepared to head up to the roof for their evening Aura-training...only to be interrupted by a message from Glynda, sent to Ruby and Pyrrha's scrolls, suggesting they turn on the news. Curious, RASP, RYNB, and Sasame adjourned to RASP's room and turned on the projector, bringing up the Vale News Network's channel.
At first, it seemed nothing out of the ordinary. The news opened with a report of another Dust-freighter being lost, which made Weiss' expression darken. It then moved on through the usual line of reports about civil affairs in Vale, as well as reports on recent crimes (which had fallen considerably since the arrest of Roman Torchwick). Finally, about fifteen minutes in, the news reached the story that Glynda apparently wanted them to know about.
"In other news," opened Lisa Lavender, the VNN's primary reporter, "videos of a sparring match at Beacon Academy have gone viral across the world, particularly within Vale and Mistral. One of the match's participants was none other than Pyrrha Nikos, four-time winner of the Mistral Regional Tournament, who was fought to a draw by her opponent in the match, marking an abrupt end to the champion's streak of wins, stretching, unbroken, all the way back to her first public bout."
Lisa's face was replaced by some clipped footage of the match, showcasing one of the many heated exchanges between Ruby and Pyrrha, as Lisa's voice carried on in the background.
"Footage of this match was recorded by Beacon students, and then shared on video-sites across the net, quickly becoming a sensation in all four Kingdoms. Of particular note is the revelation of Pyrrha Nikos' Semblance, which has been identified as Polarity, a magnetic Semblance that enables her to manipulate metal objects, which experts have identified as a major factor behind Ms. Nikos' previous record.
"The revelation triggered some outcry from Ms. Nikos' previous opponents in the Mistral Regional Tournament, claiming that it afforded her an unfair advantage over the competition. Such allegations have been roundly dismissed by the tournament committee and the spokesperson for the Nikos family.
"Presently, very little is known about Ms. Nikos' opponent, who has been identified as Ruby Rose, a fellow first-year student at Beacon Academy. Our own investigation has learned that Ms. Rose is considerably younger than the norm, having entered Beacon by special invitation at the age of fifteen. The circumstances behind the invitation have not been disclosed at this point. When questioned, a spokesperson for Beacon Academy declined to comment, and simply reiterated their commitment to ensuring their students' privacy.
"It is known that Ms. Nikos has received a wide range of sponsorships and endorsements from companies in Vale and Mistral. At present, it is unknown how this match, and its outcome, will affect those. Prominent combat experts predicted Ms. Nikos' winning streak to continue all the way through the upcoming Vytal Festival Tournament. We'll have more as the situation develops."
"Honestly," scoffed Weiss, turning off the screen, "'As the situation develops...' They're treating this as though it's some kind of scandal."
"I don't think it's that bad," said Jaune, before looking over and seeing the horrified look on Ruby's face. "Ruby...what's wrong?"
"I...I just didn't think about it," said Ruby. "Pyrrha's sponsorships and endorsements are important, right? What if I ruined them for her?"
"Don't be silly," said Pyrrha, wrapping Ruby in a friendly hug. "I'll be fine. I don't know exactly what the fallout will be, but I don't need sponsors, if they're willing to drop me that easily. My parents might be upset by it, but I don't mind that so much, not when I'm happy with the progress I'm making here."
"O-okay," said Ruby.
"Hmmm..."
Everyone turned at the sound of the faint, thoughtful hum to see Sasame, still staring at where the screen had been. "What is it?" asked Blake.
"Oh!" said Sasame, almost seeming to snap out of a thoughtful daze. "I was just thinking about how amazing this CCT system is. It's only been a day since the match and, already, the news has spread across the world. In the Mibu Clan, it would take days, at least, for this kind of news to reach our settlements. By the time it had spread across all our people, it would probably have become old news where it originated. I can understand why Sora-sama envies this technology so much."
"That's true," said Ren, sounding a little tired. "However, the downside of it is that it also allows small things that should, rightfully, be considered unimportant, to be built up as a significant event."
"That's right," said Yang. "This really shouldn't have needed a story on the evening news. When you get down to it, it's videos of a sparring match that people keep sharing around, and that's what spread it out to the point that someone thought it was actually newsworthy."
"Be that as it may, it is a minor tradeoff for having the ability to communicate instantly, across such distances," noted Sasame, "to say nothing of all the media you have access to."
"Yeah...I'm still not used to that," admitted Ruby.
"I wonder why Professor Goodwitch wanted us to see this, though," said Jaune.
"Considering that their match made headlines, it was probably to give us a heads-up," said Yang. "I mean, odds are that reporters and journalists are gonna be looking into this for a while. That might make it tricky if Ruby or Pyrrha wants to go to Vale while this is a thing."
Ruby tensed, pressing her lips tightly together in a nervous expression at the idea. In contrast, Pyrrha was calm...but resigned. "That's probably the case," she said. "I still remember having to deal with the paparazzi in Mistral. I hope things don't get that bad."
"Papa...papa-what?" asked Ruby, having not heard the word before.
"Paparazzi," said Blake. "They're freelance photographers that shadow famous people in order to get pictures or video of them, mostly for tabloids and gossip magazines."
"In other words, scum-sucking parasites only a thin line away from being stalkers," said Weiss. "In fact, considering what some of them do in order to get their material, I'd go so far as to call them actual stalkers."
"Eewww..." Ruby shuddered at the idea, hugging herself and rubbing her arms with her hands.
"It can get very troubling," admitted Pyrrha. "However, I doubt that the teachers will allow anyone like that up to Beacon."
"Yeah, it'll be when we go to Vale that the trouble will start," said Yang.
"In that case, we should probably delay plans for any trips for a little while," said Ren, "at least until this whole affair blows over."
"I guess I'll have to tell Ashley I won't be able to see her for a while," said Ruby slightly despondently.
"Well, it's not like you had definitive plans anyway," said Yang.
"And she probably wouldn't appreciate being mobbed by the press either," added Weiss. "If they found out you were seeing her, you can bet that they would start following her around too."
"Yeah...that would be bad," said Ruby.
"Well, it's probably best to just move on," said Weiss. "We've wasted valuable time over this already. We should get to the roof and get what training we can in."
"That sounds like a plan," agreed Ruby.
"My," said Ozpin, turning off the video hologram hovering over his desk, "I wasn't expecting this to become such a noisy affair."
"You underestimate the media's desire for a story," said Glynda. She sighed and looked down. "However, the fault lies with me. It did not even occur to me that students would actually record a sparring match, not when they are already recorded by our own cameras for later analysis."
"Well...Ms. Nikos is a world-renowned champion," said Ozpin. "A champion is generally the one who is challenged, not the challenger. The fact that she volunteered to fight, and issued a challenge to Ms. Rose, would have immediately stirred people's interest. The fight following that was nothing short of spectacular, and its outcome unforeseen." He chuckled dryly. "It's rather amusing that we can count ourselves lucky that Ms. Rose didn't win the bout, as this would have become an even bigger, messier affair."
"Very true," agreed Glynda.
"And so...what of campus security?" asked Ozpin.
"I've made it clear to the staff that visitors must be screened carefully to ensure that no members of the media infiltrate," said Glynda. "We should have no issue with reporters or paparazzi sneaking into the school."
"Very good," said Ozpin. "And what of Mr. Xiao Long?"
"He has made no efforts after being returned to Patch," said Glynda. "However, I was informed by Signal's headmaster that he has taken an extended leave of absence. At present, he remains at home."
"No news is good news, I hope," said Ozpin.
Glynda shook her head. "I am appalled by his complete unwillingness to accept reality."
"As am I," said Ozpin, "though it is not wholly unexpected. From the very moment he found out about Ms. Rose's presence here, his mind was already set on what to do. From there, he went on to set any excuse he could in order to justify it, even if it was just to himself. At this point, so long as he does not attempt to force himself back onto campus, or otherwise make himself a disruption to Ms. Rose's life, there is very little we can do."
"My worry is that the news will find out about his relation to Ms. Rose," said Glynda. "That would be quite the juicy story, and could keep the press on her trail for months."
"Unfortunately, there is nothing we can do beyond the boundaries of Beacon itself," said Ozpin. "Both Mr. Xiao Long and the press are free to speak and listen as they see fit. We shall simply have to hope that the link is not uncovered."
"And what about our response to their queries?" asked Glynda. "I've had requests for interviews with both Ms. Rose and Ms. Nikos."
"You may forward those requests to both of them," said Ozpin. "Just make it clear that it is entirely their decision, and that they are under no pressure to participate. You may also convey as much to the press, and urge them not to press the issue, if Ms. Rose and/or Ms. Nikos decline."
"All right," said Glynda. "Is there anything else?"
"Not right now," said Ozpin. "That should be all, for the time being. We too shall have to wait and see how the 'story' develops."
As the week progressed, Ruby and her friends hoped that the story surrounding her and Pyrrha's sparring match would eventually go away. However, each day seemed to bring with it a slew of new articles and blogs talking about the match, speculating about the factors that had influenced the outcome...and about Ruby herself.
Due to her past fame, Pyrrha's history was already well-known. It helped that her past was completely scandal-free, with no dirty laundry or closeted skeletons waiting to be dragged back into the limelight. Because of that, much of the curiosity was focused on Ruby herself. Having spent the better part of the past six years outside the Kingdoms, Ruby had very little history, aside from her earliest years on Patch. There were no records of her at any Combat School, or any other known institution. As such, there was a great deal of speculation about who she was, where she was from, and how she was trained.
The day after watching the story about their match on the news, Ruby and Pyrrha had both been notified by Glynda that various news outlets were requesting interviews, with Glynda stressing that both Ruby and Pyrrha were under no pressure to agree or even answer.
The real shock came near the end of the week, when RASP and RYNB made their regular visit to Beacon's mailroom to collect their mail.
"What is this?!" exclaimed Ruby, her eyes wide and her jaw slack at the massive bundle of letters stuffed as neatly into her mailbox as the staff could manage.
Normally, it was rare to find even a single piece of mail in her box, as she had no one that she corresponded with, generally only receiving the occasional piece of junk-mail. And even that was rare. The world's dependence on the CCT extended to advertising, and students were more likely to have advertisements mailed to their scrolls, rather than their actual mailboxes. Because of that, checking the mail was a perfunctory activity, done every few days, after dinner, and before they went off to their evening Aura-training.
"I figured this might happen," said Pyrrha, opening her box to reveal another, even more densely-stuffed, mass of letters than Ruby's currently held.
"What is it though," Ruby wanted to know.
"Fan-mail," said Pyrrha with a sigh. "I've gotten quite a bit since I came here, but not this much in a while."
"Fan-mail..." Ruby grunted, having to exert a surprising amount of strength to compress the letters enough to fit them out of her mailbox. She began to look through the letters.
"Figures," commented Yang. "They don't have your CC-Address to send messages to, so they send you regular letters instead."
Ruby frowned, staring at all the letters, not sure she liked the idea that so many complete strangers were bombarding her like this.
"You're under no obligation to read them," said Weiss. "Depending on the contents, it may be better to throw the lot away."
"But isn't that...disrespectful?" asked Ruby.
"It's up to you, but you are here to become a Huntress," said Weiss. "You came to be scrutinized by your teachers and peers, not random nobodies in Vale who suddenly think they're experts at assessing someone's combat skills. I'm willing to bet that half of them are from people blasting you for ruining Pyrrha's record."
"You don't know that, Weiss," replied Pyrrha. "And I doubt there will be that many negative ones. If anything, people are usually happy to see a celebrity taken down a peg or two."
"If you're going to insist on reading them, let's at least get back to our dorm," said Jaune.
They returned to the dorm room and began to sort through the letters. Pyrrha was right in that not many of Ruby's letters were negative, only about two total, though they were both profanity-laced tirades about her being a "little brat who must have cheated." Ruby got uncomfortable after reading the first few lines of each and set them aside, where Weiss promptly shredded and disposed of them.
The rest were surprisingly positive, from people gushing over how amazing it was that she'd done so well to others saying her techniques looked beautiful. The one thing that made Ruby distinctly uncomfortable was that many of her so-called "fans" seemed more inclined to use their letters to rant about Pyrrha. It seemed that Pyrrha was right that people wanted to see her taken down a peg.
Reading so many letters and realizing that so many people were thinking about her, and what she'd done, made Ruby feel distinctly uncomfortable. She set the letters aside, not really sure what to do with them all. There was no way she could keep them, not at the rate they might start coming in at. But just throwing them away felt disrespectful.
Then she heard a faint, pained gasp from beside her. Looking over, Ruby saw Pyrrha, her eyes fixed on one of the letters in front of her, tears gathering in her eyes and her hand over her mouth. "Pyrrha, what's wrong?"
"I'm sorry," said Pyrrha, looking up at Ruby. "It's just..."
Jaune leaned over to look at Pyrrha's letter and gasped as well, his face flushing red with anger as he bared his teeth. Ruby had never seen Jaune look so outraged. "I can't believe this!" he exclaimed.
"What is it?" asked Ruby.
"This woman wrote me," said Pyrrha. "She said her daughter was a huge fan of mine. But when they learned about my Semblance, her daughter broke down crying because I was a cheater, and destroyed all the memorabilia she'd gotten."
"And this woman is basically writing a letter condemning Pyrrha for leading her daughter, and other impressionable children, on like that," said Jaune.
"Disgusting," said Weiss with a very un-Weiss-like snort.
"Oh..." said Ruby, looking down. "I feel sorry for that girl."
"What?" asked Yang skeptically.
"Well...she got angry because she thought Pyrrha cheated, so she doesn't understand how these things actually work," said Ruby. "And she doesn't realize how hard Pyrrha trained to use her Semblance as well as she does."
"That is true," said Sasame, who'd been sitting off to the side while Ruby and Pyrrha read their letters. Her tail stretched out and gently brushed the tears from beneath Pyrrha's eyes. "Children lack the ability to understand the full context of what they see or experience. If anything, it's the mother's fault for not understanding the truth about your skills, Pyrrha-chan."
Pyrrha nodded, a smile working its way back onto her face.
"I think that's enough," said Weiss, gathering up Pyrrha's unopened letters. "No more for today. We have better things to do with our time. We'll hold onto them, if you want to read them later, Pyrrha. But I think you should just toss the rest. It's just going to be more of the same."
Pyrrha sighed and looked at the pile of letters in the wastebasket. Those had been the ones condemning her and accusing her of cheating, or mocking her for finally having her seemingly-endless winning streak broken. However, resting on the desk were a few that encouraged her to keep trying, people saying they still believed in her. However, she had discarded the ones that had contained insults or accusations against Ruby. "I suppose so."
"You're here as a Beacon student first and as a celebrity last, if at all," said Weiss. "You're under no obligation to respond to, or even bother with, things like this."
That's true, thought Pyrrha. Back in Mistral, she'd been required to go through her fan-mail on a regular basis, and draft up replies to several of the letters she got every week. That had been a painfully tedious process, but one that her agent had insisted was necessary to maintain her image.
In the end, it always came back to that, her image. It had been out of her desire to leave that image behind that she'd come to Beacon in the first place. She'd become friends with Ruby and Jaune because they didn't know about her image. Weiss was right. Maintaining her image was secondary, if not unnecessary to her life at Beacon. She didn't have to worry about what people outside of school, or even outside her circle of friends, thought about her. She was free to be Pyrrha Nikos: student Huntress, not the Invincible Girl.
"We burned a good chunk of our training time on this," noted Yang. "I want to get caught up on this Aura-stuff so we can move on to the next step already."
"All right," said Pyrrha, setting aside the remainder of her letters. She'd decide what to do with them later.
They entered the hallway, heading up towards the roof, when Pyrrha was stopped by a buzz on her scroll. Pulling it out, she frowned at the notification that popped up on her screen.
"What is it?" asked Ruby.
"I'm going to have to pass on training," said Pyrrha with a sigh. "My parents are calling."
Status de energia semanal
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