RWBY Silver Eyed Warrior Chapter 5: Changing Thoughts (Patreon)

(A/N: The first few chapters are summary are over on Webnovel. Fair warning, if you aren't looking for R-18 content, I recommend sticking with the main story. It will be the main focus of this so I can get in some practice with updating too stories and actually writing that kind of stuff.)

XOXO

Corvo moved his spoon, watching the few pieces of his remaining cereal float around the milk at the bottom of the bowl.

He was going to Beacon. He was no longer a virgin. He had a girlfriend. All big changes within the last few days. At some point he started thinking he’d be waking up from the longest most vivid dream he’d ever had and was still waiting for that shoe to drop. Hard to believe this all happened because he just so happened to grab the last of some dessert from a candy store.

Life was so random sometimes. A good random right now. At least he thought so.

Neo was still a mystery.

“Corvo!” He snapped his head up looking to his side. “We’re still going to check out that new bakery that opened up, right?”

“Yeah.” He said, nodding to Ruby. All that big stuff might be happening, but it didn’t suddenly do away with plans they already had.

“Just don’t forget to be back by 12:00 for some extra training, you two. Yang’s going to be by too.” Mom said from the kitchen looking over at them. “We’re going to be working on your semblances.”

“Alright!” He and Ruby said together, both rushing through the rest of their breakfast.

All those big changes might not be stopping the plans they already made but it was changing their usual schedules around a bit. Mom always did help them with their training but with the both of them now headed to Beacon, she was trying to get in as much of that as possible before their two weeks were over.

And he definitely needed practice with his semblance.

XOXO

Walking down the crowded streets of Vale alongside, Corvo found himself glancing as his scroll far more than usual.

Random icons. Some mundane pictures about what she was doing. Not so safe for work pictures that forced him to keep his scroll’s display on its lowest possible brightness least others see. He’d told her he’d be busy and it didn’t seem to bother her too much, their texts filled with a bunch of scattered things he didn’t always know how to respond to.

Surprisingly normal all things considered. He’d seen Yang spend a lot of time on her scroll the few times she dated.

As he closed his scroll, he found himself stumbling back, bumping into what felt like a wall. A hand grabbed his wrist, instantly pulling them out of the way of the merciless crowd and in front of an alley while steadying him.

“I’m sorry. I should’ve known better then to focus so much of my attention on my scroll in a place like this.” With her red long hair pulled into a neat ponytail, vibrant green eyes, and a kind smile in place, a young woman noticeably taller than himself, stood across from him, releasing his wrist.

“Ah, it’s my bad too.” He said, waving her off. “I was doing the same thing.”

Turning away from her, he began to look around but found no signs of Ruby. Had he really been so lost in his scroll that he hadn’t noticed them get separated? It looked like he'd walked way past the stores they were planning on visiting too. He was going to have to double back and call her.

“Excuse me.” Just as he was about to rejoin the crowded streets, the woman spoke up, her smile dropping a little. “I’m new to Vale and I’m a little lost. You wouldn’t happen to know how to get to this building would you?” She held up the plain scroll in her hand, showing off a map, a nearby destination marked a few streets down. “I’m not sure if it’s me or the map but I seem to be walking myself in circles.”

“Oh, yeah, I know that place. It’s one of those expensive hotel buildings, but-“ He paused. Someone lost was asking him for some help, naturally it was a given that he should give that help but he should cover his basis too. “-actually, give me a second.” Pulling his scroll open again, he shot Ruby a text, explaining what he was to before slipping it in his pocket. “Alright, I can show you the way.”

“Thank you so much.” The tall redhead said, her head bowed slightly to him.

Rejoining the crowds, this time with her in tow, he diverted from his intended course, taking to streets with less people as they left behind one of Vale’s many commercial streets.

“You seem familiar with the city? Are you from here?” The redhead asked, moving up to walk beside him now that there was space.

“Yep, spent my whole life here but soon I’ll be seeing all of Remnant.” Yang always just talked about the thrill and being good at fighting. Ruby obsessed over being like mom and heroes in books. Corvo personally found the idea of being able to see more than the only city he’d ever known exciting and huntsmen traveled all over. “Assuming I do well anyways.”

“Do well?”

“I’m going to be heading to Beacon this year.”

“Really? I don’t mean to be rude, but you seem rather young for that.” She said.

“I am but I got lucky and ended up being moved ahead two years.” He admitted as they turned the corner onto another street, beeping cars passing by.

“Coincidentally enough, I’m in Vale for the same reason. I’ll be attending Beacon in two weeks and arrived ahead of time to try and get acquainted with the city.”  She released a light laugh. “I keep ending up lost more often than not, however.”

Corvo, interest sparked, actually paid her a little more attention. Her casual clothes, a simple dotted white shirt tucked into a short black skirt with a thigh length coat draped over them, stocking covered legs, and plain loosely tied shoes, didn’t scream huntress in training.

She was good looking though. Really good looking. Beyond just the kind beauty of her face she filled out her shirt and-

“Are you okay?” She questioned, looking down at him curiously.

Corvo snapped his attention away from her, beating down the heat rushing up to his face. What was that? He never really bothered checking out people like that before.

“Uh, just surprised.” He said, hoping none of nervousness he felt creeped into his voice. “I guess there’s a chance we’ll be classmates. Maybe even teammates.”

“Indeed. I wouldn’t mind the idea. I imagine you’re quite talented if you were moved ahead.”

And somehow that simple compliment made it worse. Why did it suddenly feel like he was being forced to front of a classroom to introduce himself or some project?

“No, no, just a little lucky.” He was used to be told he was good at fighting and even believed it but after running into Neo, he’d been reminded Signal was just one small pond, fighters far stronger than him all over Remnant. “I need to focus on getting better if I want to really do well at Beacon.”

“If nothing else, with a mentality like that I’m sure you’re a hard worker.” The redhead steps slowed and he turned to face her. She was looking around at a few of the nearby buildings. “I do believe I finally recognize where I am. Thank you for your help.”

He smiled up at her. “It was no problem.” Taking out his scroll again, he began to take off. “I hope you enjoy getting to know the city.”

“Wait, please.” Again, before he could fully take off, her call stopped him. He turned around to find that kind smile of hers actually dropped for one that was a bit smaller. “I don’t actually know anyone in the city. If you aren’t against the idea, would you mind meeting up with me again and showing me around?”

Extra training from Mom. Still hanging out with Ruby. Then whatever he and Neo had going on. There was a lot more on his plate than he expected going into these two weeks before school, but he still had some time had his hands. He wouldn’t be much of a huntsman if he didn’t take that time to help someone asking for it.

“Sure.” Corvo agreed. To his surprise she stepped forward, holding her scroll out. “Oh right, you’ll need my number. Obviously.” Muttering to himself, he took the offered scroll and input his information, name included. “I guess I should introduce myself too. I’m Corvo.” He said as he returned the scroll.

“I’m-“ She pasued for just a moment. “-Pyrrha.”

“Cool, I guess I’ll see you later, Pyrrha.”

Her smile shifted as she took her scroll, her cheeks actually reddening a bit as it widened. “And I’ll be sure to call you, Corvo.” That wide, and if he wasn’t mistaken, embarrassed smile stayed in placed as she stepped back and waved before taking off, her sweater and dress fluttering.

He clapped his cheeks once he realized he was tracking their edge.

What was wrong with him? He gets a girlfriend and suddenly he’s admiring another woman when that normally wasn’t something that crossed his mind? That couldn’t be normal.

He was supposed to be loyal and have eyes only for the person he was dating.

XOXO

As she stepped into her hotel room, Pyrrha closed and locked the door behind her.

Then placed her back against its cold surface, trying and failing to slow the rapid beats of her heart.

Head to a different kingdom. Attending Beacon had just been a convenient way to accomplish that goal, her hope that, so far from home, she wouldn’t be so easy to recognize. A stupidly naïve hope that was quickly crushed.

On the way here, every other student with the same idea about seeing the city early had recognized her. That she’d expected. But when she got settled in and got to exploring, her weapons and armor left behind in this room, she still got looks. It started as familiarity and if she didn’t leave quickly full blown recognition that’d ruin her whole day.

Of course she’d be recognized. She wasn’t just some student who knew how to fight, Mistral having propped her up as some hero and protector to be. All in the name of maintaining spirits within kingdom walls and lowering the frequency of Grimm attacks on their walls. After all, if everyone believed they would be safe, that was one less thing to worry about.

None of those people took a moment to consider how all that had changed her life, she having been far too young and naïve to see the consequences that would come from going along with all.

She’d almost given up hope, resigning herself to making one last attempt at making friends free of her reputation once she got to Beacon, just idly exploring her new surroundings until then.

She’d never expected to literally walk into one who didn’t give her a second look. He’d been so quick to discount her after their bump, she no different than anyone else on the street to him. And yet, he was also kind enough to put off something he’d clearly been in the middle of just to help that same stranger.

And even then, it hadn’t been because of something like her looks, which still would’ve been a step up than someone entirely focused on her reputation. He hadn’t given her much attention right up until she started a conversation and revealed she too would be attending Beacon.

As if flipping a switch, he’d been genuinely excited to talk with her, an innocent determination to him as he talked about training. Not only that but she noticed it. All the unwanted interviews and attention she dealt with had helped her keep her composure but as soon as she caught his attention, he’d started checking her out only for his own endearing embarrassment to put a stop to it.

To top it all, she stepped into new territory and managed to get his number.

Friends, best friends, teammates, maybe more. She didn’t know how far it would go, or how far she wanted things to go for that matter, but she wasn’t going to pass up this chance for a genuine connection with someone beyond just her mother.

All the better if it was with someone cute who shared the same interest in training as her. Hopefully she didn’t do anything to mess it up.

XOXO

Legs swinging along the edge of a rooftop, Neo adjusted the red coat she wore, taking in the mix of weapon cleaning oils, faint floral scents, and that distinct smell that all clung to and came together to form that Corvo smell.

The bit of work she did today had been a bore, Roman having taken up some kind of long term agreement with people somehow shadier than him. Instead of having them do anything interesting it was all robbing dust en masse. Most of the jobs he didn’t care to let her in on in an attempt to avoid any spilled blood and attention.

She didn’t mind though, just using the day to text Corvo. She intended on having them meet up again, but he’d been busy with his family.

And that peaked her curiosity. What kind of family allowed him to live so blindly unaware of himself? One so good that he never stopped to consider he might be compromising his own happiness? Or, far more likely, one that’d kept him so buried in their expectations and beliefs that he had no choice but to turn away from aspects of himself to please them?

Curiosity peaked, she’d deciding on paying him a little visit. And, as it just so happened, he’d left her both the means and the excuse. His coat, left behind due to the rips, all of which she’d fixed up herself, had his wallet in there, address on one of the two IDs within it.

Imagine her surprise when, on her little trip, she caught sight of Corvo himself walking alongside a girl who looked almost identical to him. A little distracted swiping through his scroll led to them splitting up, he bumping into a redhead Neo instantly recognized and guiding said woman somewhere, Corvo eventually handing over his number.

She’d admit, it was little entertaining to watch him slap himself out of checking out the redhead before rushing off in the direction of that lookalike of his, probably telling himself some nonsense about how he should be acting rather than focusing on what he wanted.

What they had was special, not to be forced to be bend to the rules that others followed.

If he wanted Pyrrha Nikos, then Pyrrha Nikos he would have.

But first, that visit.