RWBY Silver Eyed Warrior Chapter 9: Taking A Chance (Patreon)

She had to hold back.

Envy, maybe anger. She couldn’t say for sure what turn things would take but her fights always went the same way. The way her opponents looked at and treated her, already having put her on some kind of pedestal or using her as a goal post, would change by the end of them.

But all those people were strangers. As much as she hated it, she’d numbed herself to feeling the worst of what those changed looks brought.

If Corvo looked at her like that-

She needed to hold back.

Pyrrha’s fist lashed out only for it to be blocked by a forearm, a fist shooting for her face. She avoided the swift blow, her next swing, packing more force than intended, habit and instinct running free from her control, forced him back. He was quick on the rebound already rushing her, prepped for more swings at her.

Despite her state, hair pulled into a hastily done ponytail and a some of her skirt tied up, she was moving about just fine, mostly unimpeded. Her sweater did get a little in the way, but she preferred to keep it on.

As she fended off, blocked, and countered Corvo, it quickly became obvious that he had a fair bit of training when it came to hand-to-hand combat. Good reaction time. Plus, the strength to go with all it, his clothes likely concealing a frame built up through a lot of practice.

His fist grazed her cheek, while her longer reach allowed her to strike a hard blow to his cheek. Again, harder than she intended.

But he returned instantly.

Above all else, he had a persistence she didn’t often see. It was almost like he didn’t feel pain from any of the hits he received, barely flinching or hesitating. His next hits came faster, her counter avoided for once, his tempo speeding up.

Or maybe he was using the pain as fuel?

The next blow she blocked actually forced her shaking arm back a little. Before she could follow up, more of those same hits came in, one striking her cheek, a harder retaliation forced out of her.

Corvo seemingly having given up on defense entirely, took her swinging fist straight the face, forced back onto unsteady feet across the giant metal training room they were in.

That one had definitely-

“Come on, Pyrrha.” Corvo said as he prepared himself for another charge. “You don’t have to hold back.”

Surprised forced her to pause for a moment even as he sprinted at her.

Until that he hadn’t managed a single clean hit. On the opposite end all he’d taken was increasingly painful hits from her. And that last blow had been dead on to his face, Pyrrha herself aware of what kind of pain that caused.

But there was a grin on his face. One of pure excitement. Not annoyance. Not Anger. Not frustration.

She clenched her fist a little tighter.

She could pretend and dream for one day, maybe even these whole two weeks if he agreed to meet up again, but she wasn’t stupid. Once they were at Beacon everyone around them would know who she was and would have something to say, he likely to pick up on that talk.

Maybe, just maybe, before any of that happened, she could take a chance?

XOXO

Corvo’s back hit the ground, hands clutching at his burning nose, his aura shield having already crackled away and pain spread all across his body.

First it was Neo. She popped into his life out of nowhere and starting shaking it up, not just relationship wish but combat wise. She was in a whole different league than him, completely untouchable without his semblance.

And now Pyrrha.

“I’m so sorry!” Pyrrha rushed over to his side. “I didn’t realize your aura was already low. I wouldn’t have-“

“You’re freaking awesome!” He exclaimed, jumping to his feet and stepping in closer to her. “Is your weapon some kind of gauntlets like my sister or are you just that good at fighting without it? Are you self taught?”

“Cor-“

“Or did someone teach you? Why were you holding back at the start?”

“Corvo!” He was forced to remain in place, hands placed on his shoulders. Pyrrha had lowered herself slightly, her minty breath brushing past him. No longer focused on that fight they just had, the heat of embarrassment began to rise up. It skyrocketed when one of her hands one of her hands left his shoulder for his face. Strangely enough she wiped at it, pulling the hand to reveal the sleeve of her red sweater had darkened further. “You’re bleeding.”

“Oh, well you do hit hard.” He reached up, wiping away at it himself.  “It happens, nothing to be all that worried about it.”

“I…I suppose so.” Pyrrha said. While he blew out some of the blood she took a step back, giving him an odd look. “I imagine your classmates say you’re very dedicated when it comes to training.”

“Try, chill out, its just training, you’re doing too much, or, their favorite, weirdo.” Corvo admitted, shrugging. He’d been a little worried that after he figured out, she was stronger than him, she might react the same way but that wasn’t going to happen. Not after what he saw.

At least he hoped not. He was really liking her.

“But they just don’t know how to enjoy a fight, right?” He asked, give her a slight smile while putting some pressure on the side of his nose.

Concern still present, Pyrrha did slowly smile. “It certainly does sound that way.”

He was right then! At first, she’d been holding herself back but after some encouragement their battle turned into a more one sided challenge of him getting by on the defensive for as long as he could. And she’d really focused in on her attacks, giving him almost no opportunity to even put distance between them.

Like Neo, she was so strong that even with his semblance, he didn’t see himself coming out on top in any instance.

After he handled his nosebleed, Pyrrha undoing the ties to her hair and dress, they left the square shaped room behind, headed through the quietly humming walls of the public training facility and stepped outside back onto the streets of Vale.

“Thank you for today, Corvo.” Pyrrha turned to him, a wider smile that reached her eyes in place. “I really did enjoy all of it.”

The heartfelt thanks felt kind of strange at first but then again, they’d both admitted to not really having any friends of their own. Besides it felt less like he’d been touring around the city and more just hanging out instead.

Not something he often did with anyone beyond his family. And now Neo.

Corvo tensed up, shivering as he jumped away from something gliding over his neck.

As if summoned by his thought of her, Neo stood just behind where he’d been. And for once she wasn’t in disguise out in public though she was making a little effort to look different, hair styled into something of a messy ponytail, and usual clothes traded out for less noticeable ones.

The dual colored eyes and hair were still the kinds of things that stood out. Why was she out and about without using her semblance? What was she even doing here?

She pointed at Pyrrha.

“Oh, this is Pyrrha, the one I told you about.” Corvo said before, after a sign from Neo gesturing from herself to Pyrrha. “This is Neo, my girlfriend.”

XOXO

Pyrrha was already taken by him. Corvo might not have picked up on any of it but the moment the word girlfriend left his mouth, that confused smile of hers dropped out of existence, the redhead tensed.

Neo’s plan all hinged on one simple thing she didn’t have much influence on. Pyrrha liking Corvo.

Conveniently enough, Corvo did all the heavy lifting there. Or maybe it was more accurate to say Pyrrha did. She wasn’t at all interested in being shown around Vale, going out of her way to get him to walk all around the mall with her, both dodging attention from those who thought they recognized her while trying to get to know him. And Corvo, simply by being himself, got her to like him, the two going as far as to call themselves friends.

But that wouldn’t have been enough. Not for what Neo needed to make happen.

And then they walked out of those training rooms he brought her to.

Corvo had lost that fight, the satisfied smile and eager look in his eyes enough to give away that he’d actually enjoyed himself. While Pyrrha couldn’t take her eyes off him.

Neo had done enough research to figure out she lived her life conforming to that ideal huntress image everyone painted of her, not so much as a hint of bad publicity to be found despite how well known she was. Not much room to have friends or be close to anyone if they stepped up to her with an image already in their head about her.

There’d been some particular recordings that caught her eye though. In her first tournament, before she was known as Pyrrha Nikos the invincible or whatever title people liked to attach to her, she’d smiled in all her fights. That smile had been nowhere to be found in the recordings that followed, replaced by polite one meant for TV.

She hadn’t enjoyed what she was doing in a long time, too worried about what others thought of her. Then Corvo, stubborn enough to actually enjoy a fight he couldn’t win, came along, oblivious to who it was he was challenging.

Corvo had really made what was to come far easier, but the rest would need her to do the heavy lifting.

Neo smiled up at the much taller Pyrrha, a hand held out for her. She tentatively reached up, shaking the offered hand with that polite smile she had so much practice with. Pointing up at, Neo gestured between all of them, looking at Corvo specifically.

“Really?” Corvo asked after a moment. Despite that he looked to Pyrrha. “Neo wants you to hang out with us?”

“Are you sure? I wouldn’t want to intrude on anything.” Pyrrha said, just as, if not more surprised than Corvo. Neo just smiled up at her as Pyrrha took a glance around, picking up on the few eyes starting to be drawn from others on the streets. “But if you don’t mind, I’ll go.”

Easy enough start.

If there was anything the two of them had in common, it was that sticking around in one place was risky, but Corvo wanted the people he knew to actually meet her as she was. She doubted that it would work out smoothly, but she’d try it where she could.

Neo took lead of their group, smiling to herself.

This should be an interesting day.