Pyrrha Nikos

"Oh, I'm sorry!"

You feel your body stiffen as you recognize the voice, friendly and considerate, and you turn to speak to the girl before she can leave. You're met with an almost breathtaking sight.

Pyrrha Nikos stood there in the doorway, one hand on the handle and the other pressed to her chin. She was dressed in her Beacon uniform which hugged her body wonderfully. Emerald eyes stared into you as she continued to speak.

"I didn't expect anyone else to be here. Forgive me, I'll leave you alone."

"No! It's no trouble, really," you blurt out to her. "I wouldn't mind the company."

With a soft smile, she nods to you in thanks and steps out into the night air to join you at the railing. You felt a part of you regressing to your old, awkward self as you drank in the sight of her. She was tall enough to match you in height and walked with an air of grace and strength that nearly intimidated you into silence. Almost. Her flowing red hair cascades down her back in an elegant ponytail that could put Weiss to shame. As best as you can, you school your features and attitude, well-aware that her fame and talent worked against her like a double edged sword and while you would love to add her to your harem right away, the rest of you stopped yourself from assaulting her with your powers right out of the gate, and as you've discovered with Emerald and Glynda, sex was far more satisfying when trust was shared.

"So you... come here often?" you ask lamely.

She giggles at your question while you internally berate yourself.

"From time to time. It's peaceful up here at night, helps me think," she answers. "But this is the first time I've bumped into someone else."

"What can I say? I felt like some fresh air could do me some good tonight," you reply as you regain your composure and proceed to introduce yourself. "I'm Michael Hazelton. It's a pleasure to meet you."

She politely shakes your hand. Soft. You expected a warrior like her to have rougher hands, but instead they're surprisingly soft.

"The pleasure is mutual, Mr. Hazelton."

"Please feel free to call me Michael. I never liked the whole Mister thing, even from my teachers."

"If that is what you wish," she agrees. "Although I take it you already know who I am?"

You chuckle sheepishly.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to come across as rude," you apologize. "You probably get sick of all the recognition."

"From time to time it does get tiring," she admits with a small frown. "But it's no trouble. If you were rude, I would've excused myself already. The way you're handling yourself is actually quite refreshing."

You can't help but grin at the remark.

"So my ice breaker wasn't too cheesy?"

"Oh it was bad," she answers with a smile of her own. "But it reminded me of someone close to me, so I can forgive you."

You immediately know who she was talking about; Jaune, and it put a bad taste in your mouth. It's not like you held anything personal against the guy as things progressed the way the show was written, but now that this world was as real as yours with a meaningful dynamic between the characters, you felt compelled to try and woo the championship fighter as your own. If Jaune remained as dense here as the way he was written back home, you had no problem shifting things about.

"How close to you? If you don't mind my asking," you venture carefully.

She hummed in thought.

"He's a good friend. Driven, caring, if a bit irresponsible with his studies, and I find his goofiness charming. He was the first one here to see me as just Pyrrha Nikos and not by any of my titles. And... he's not bad looking either," she explains with a faint blush.

You notice she doesn't mention he's the leader of her team. Probably for good reason; to keep other potential hecklers like Cardin off the knight's back.

"I feel like there's a but somewhere in there."

"I'm... not sure," she admits, wondering how much she should confide in you. "I'm sorry, we just met. I shouldn't be talking about these things to you."

"It's no hassle," you say reassuringly. "I'd imagine it's the reason why you came up here tonight. If something is bothering you then it'd be better to talk to someone about it instead of keeping it in, and I've been told I'm a good listener."

She looks to you with surprise but you can also tell that she was searching for any signs of deception in your eyes. Finding none, she smiles kindly and takes a deep breath.

"Alright then. Lately I've been looking at him... differently. He works so hard even when everyone expects him to quit. I've never seen anyone with a drive to improve like he has, and no matter how many times he loses, no matter how many times he gets knocked down, he always finds a way to get back on his feet and keep pushing. At first I just admired him because he never accepted sitting down in failure as an option, but now when I look at him I... I feel strange."

You raise a brow and ask the obvious question.

"Strange how?"

"My body heats up, my heartbeat quickens, and my stomach just twists and turns in on itself, but not like I'm disgusted either. I... I don't even know how to explain it."

You give her a small, knowing smile, a smile that makes her avert her eyes in embarrassment, a faint blush on her cheeks.

"You're crushing on him, and you're crushing hard," you tell her.

"Don't say it so obvious like that..." she mumbles as her entire face turns as red as her hair. "Is this... okay though? To like him more than just a friend?"

"Well that depends. Who is it?" you ask.

She hesitates at your question, stopping just short of saying the name that was already obvious to you, as if confirming it would justify all her misgivings. As the seconds tick by while she wrestles with her indecision, you decide to answer the question for her.

"It's Jaune, isn't it?"

She purses her lips together and nervously taps at the railing with her fingers.

"I never said that," she says softly.

"Well to my knowledge there are only two Huntsmen in this school our age that you talk to, and Lie Ren doesn't really fit the qualities you listed so that pretty much narrows it down. To be fair, he's lucky to have a partner like you. It's unfortunate he's so hung up on Weiss."

"Ugh, please don't bring her up," Pyrrha says with an uncharacteristic tone of discontent. "I get it that she's pretty, smart, and talented in her own right, but she just acts so cold to people, and she's seems especially cruel to him, unnecessarily so. I can't count how many times he's trudged back to the dorm in a downtrodden mess from her rejections. It's like she wants him to hurt, and I just can't stand it."

"Weiss is cold to be sure," you agree, though internally you knew for a fact she was undeniably hot. "But she's like that for a reason. She's grown numb to any idea of dating and courtship because of her status, because people chase after her for renown and money, not for her. It's pretty easy to see when you learn how to read people. Jaune's inability to take a hint has her thinking he's the exact same way. Let me guess; he was smitten with her since day one."

Pyrrha gives a wordless nod.

"He would give her the world if he could, but she wouldn't even spare the time of day for him. It's just so... frustrating that he keeps chasing after her and not..."

"And not stop to look at you," you finish for her.

She gives an exasperated sigh.

"I don't know what to do. I really don't. Am I not obvious enough? Am I too tall or strong? Do I intimidate him? Is it my fame?"

You rub the back of your head and give it some honest thought. You didn't just want to say he was a dense idiot because she would immediately think poorly of you but you also didn't want these feelings of hers to fester, so you instead opt for a more... responsible approach.

"I think he does know, but doesn't want to compromise the friendship you share."

She gives you a perplexed look.

"Is it really that simple? He just wants to see me as a friend and nothing more?"

"Jaune is in a precarious situation here at Beacon. If it wasn't for you, he'd probably be dead. He's not going to see you as someone who he should be romantically involved with because you've stepped into the role of a mentor and a teacher. He respects you immensely for that, so he turns to other girls to try and date. Not that it's any fault of yours, that's just how things ended up."

Pyrrha chuckles sardonically at the thought.

"I never thought I'd regret helping my partner improve."

You can feel her mood dropping the longer she thought about your words. Cupping your chin thoughtfully, you're then struck with an idea.

"Hey, how about a spar?" you offer with a charming smile. "Some physical activity might do you some good, get your mind off things."

You can tell she was about to rebuff you, but then you notice a change in her eyes, almost like a sparkle. To your delight, she nods her head in approval.

"You know what? I think you might be right. I'll meet you down in the Arena in half an hour," she agrees with a smile, then turns to leave. "Just don't disappoint me."

"Yes ma'am," you readily answer.

You swear you could see an extra sway in her hips, your eyes drawn to those sheer pantyhose and thigh-length plaid skirt. The mere thought has you nearly drooling on the spot, but you quickly compose yourself just in time as she turns her head to flash you a confident smirk. Pyrrha Nikos knew you were staring at her, and she liked it.