oh, cruel fate.

@ofpolarity​​ liked for a starter

Oh wow, another fight.

Dabi halts his stride the second he lays his gaze on a pair of aggressive and heavily inebriated men getting tossed out of the Adonis Tavern. They don’t seem to care about getting kicked out seeing that their raucous argument never ceased. The young villain then notices a crowd already surrounding the two furious men in hopes of getting a front-row seat to a poorly-executed brawl.

But then one of the two brings out a knife and just like that, screams of alarm and fear erupts through the mob of people. Kinda pathetic to be bringing a knife to an unarmed fight, Dabi thinks, but who is he to judge? His attention is soon swerved away by a certain redhead standing next to him, appearing to be watching the shitshow as well. Except, she doesn’t seem to be enjoying it.

❝Hey,❞ He nudges her lightly with his elbow. ❝if you don’t like what you see, you can always stop them, you know.❞ Honestly, he’s just hoping she gets involved in the fight as well. Now that would be an interesting performance.

       This area wasn’t a place Pyrrha thought she would ever find herself. Yet here she was, standing on the sidelines of an increasingly violent fight. Normally, she would have dove in to separate them, but as she was now she was unsure just how much good she would do without her powers. That fact aside, the two men were clearly too drunk to see any sense. Even if she jumped in to try to break them up, chances were it would do nothing to deter them from their fight.

     She cracked her knuckles, a nervous tick, as she argued with herself on what the best course of action was. The gleam of a knife shone almost blindingly. She couldn’t simply walk away, nor could she go in unarmed. 

    well, now wasn’t this an interesting turn of events.

 pyrrha nikos. famed champion, greatly praised fighter, a model student and person overall. among the many accolades she held, she was also ozpin’s chosen to be the next maiden and one of beacon’s greatest tragedies on that fated day. 

      and she was sitting there, as alive as can be.

  it seemed this place and the people were far more capable than she had originally realized if they were able to bring the DEAD back to life. a very useful ability and no doubt the comrades & friends of the woman were thrilled to have her back. but at the same time, it never came without consequence….and it seems a mistake had been made because there is no immediate hostility shown towards the immortal’s presence. no look of fear or bared teeth. and if pyrrha’s reaction means what it does….

      then perhaps being here wasn’t so bad.

     “ My apologies– I didn’t mean to startle you. ” a smile, her tone calm and even as a chuckle follows suit. a facade is what it was, but a masterful one at that. she was so very good at it. the woman extends an arm and a hand out towards the girl, head tilting to the side.

“ I was merely surprised to see someone from Remnant here, let alone the famed Pyrrha Nikos. My name is Salem– it’s a pleasure to meet you. “

       The woman’s voice was low, smooth and chilling. With her pale skin and dark eyes, it fit her well and only added to the unsettling aura that seemed to encompass her. However, Pyrrha was not one to judge a book by its cover, as the old quote stated. Whatever this woman looked like, sounded like, or felt like, there was always more than was at the surface. 

     The smile on the young huntress-to-be’s face remained as she waved away the apology -- she should have been more aware of her surroundings, after all. That friendly, albeit a little tense, smile quickly gave way surprise then slight embarrassment. To think she’d been looking for someone she knew only to find someone that knew of her.

Briefly, Djeeta spent her time without a roommate upon her arrival to Koi. It was strange not having someone around, although the time alone was welcome. She’s used to the hustle and bustle of the Grandcypher, where everyday was filled with spending time with her crewmates. Having time to herself sometimes felt few and far between. It was a peaceful break, but soon she yearned for some company.  Upon learning she had a roommate, the captain was overjoyed. 

Instead of sticking around to greet her roommate, as she should have, she was busy trying to find a good way to welcome her to their apartment. Battles and going on missions with new members was one of the ways she bonded with new crewmates, but in Koi she hadn’t found a way to do such a thing. It was peaceful for all she knew. The next best thing was food and she had plenty of experience under her belt. The blonde had spent her day gathering ingredients to create something close to food from the Skyrealm.  

And picked up a cake.

“I’m home!” Djeeta cheered in response to Pyrrha’s welcome. “Pizza sounds great, thank you! I’m glad there’s pizza in this world! We didn’t really have pizza in the Skyrealm.” She stored the ingredients in the kitchen, happy to make dinner for Pyrrha another time. Perhaps she could make the dessert later, however. It wasn’t an elemental spirit core, but it was close. “Pepperoni is always good.”

“I brought a cake!” She declared, placing the box down and opening it to display a white cake, lightly holiday decorated (it looked cute!). It read Welcome Pyrrha! and beside the fact Djeeta didn’t make it herself, she’s rather proud of it.

       Pyrrha watched with a quiet smile as her new roommate bustled about the small kitchen, opening and closing cabinets and drawers. It was nice to see that the kitchen would be well stocked between the two of them. For now at least, the pizza would more than suffice -- they could cook together later on. The redhead glanced at the clock -- the pizza wouldn’t be long -- before her attention was brought to the box.

     Clasping her hands together, Pyrrha couldn’t help but gasp in surprise. It touched her to know that her roommate was just as excited to get to know her as well. Her smile only widened. “That looks wonderful! Thank you, Djeeta.” A small chuckle. “It’s nice to see we were both on the same page, more or less.”

“If only you knew.” Good god did the great deities above not bless him with endurance. His low endurance was the lowest trait he had to his name. Well, for now in a place like this it was not the most needed thing. He had his way of handling things that would require the labor of that sort. 

“Aww come on, what are friends for? Besides, I want to treat you. You can take care of it next time, how about that?” With that, he took her hand lightly and began to drag her towards the canal bridges across the way towards the middle of the area of the city. The tasty eats were in that direction, and they were not gonna quiet her stomach without their aid. “Do you have any allergies or distastes?”

           Admittedly she was a little shocked to find her hand in his. They were friends, yes, however there was a part of her that wasn’t sure if this was even in his nature. Shouldn’t she know whether or not this was a common occurrence between the two? She kicked the thought away and took the couple steps to walk besides him. 

     “That sounds fair,” she acquiesced finally. 

         while she wasn’t exactly a morning person, the morning shift at the statice library was the only slot that fit in her schedule. with WPNS opening in the afternoon, the young rose figures she might as well get a head start on the day. the insomnia and constant nightmares would’ve kept her up anyway so… taking on too many jobs for a just-turned-adult was how ruby was… coping. anything to busy her mind – to delay those inevitable parasitic thoughts. 

         sleep deprivation also had its downsides. already almost done with her second latte of the morning, she’s once again wrestling with the books. it was only her scheduled in the morning so she has time to fix her mistakes. but something about today was… – nothing was going right. books carelessly dropped in transport, a groan escapes her small frame as she squats over to collect them.

         ah, and there was a person at the worst time. silver eyes dart between the books and whoever must’ve been waiting on the other side of the counter. ❛ oh um – uh, okay! ❜ quickly, hands slide the books in a small pile to be gathered easily later. standing back up, ruby has to blink – five times before her brain registers who it is. it’s been a few months since she last saw pyrrha with no communication at all, so to see her here was… more than a surprise. 

         a warm smile can’t help itself upon rosy cheeks as her eyes glisten with relief.

         ❛ pyrrha !! anything for you, what do you need? what kind of book are you looking for today? – you know, i was looking for you these past few months so who would’ve known you were cooped up in the libraries? probably the university one since that one has a bigger selection because… because i’m sure i would’ve found you if you were here! – uh, heheh, how… how’ve you been? oh – you wanted a book right? did i already say that…? ❜

          She recognized the voice as soon as she heard it, but she was still caught off guard upon seeing the girl. This was Ruby Rose, her friend, yet there was something that was off about her. Something Pyrrha couldn’t put her finger on. Green eyes scanned over the girl on the other side of the counter before finally meeting her gaze. 

     “Ruby..! I didn’t think that --” she cuts off at Ruby’s rambling, still trying to figure out what’s different. Shaking her head, Pyrrha dispels the thought and musters a smile. “I didn’t think I’d find you here. Truthfully, I didn’t expect to run into as many friends as I have so far, but I am not complaining. I’ve been a little confused, but I’m all in one piece it seems.”

     Of course, those words held a deeper meaning despite her obliviousness. 

     Her hands fall onto the counter between them and her fingers tap the surface lightly. She wasn’t exactly sure what she was looking for, and the mention of a University makes her think maybe she should head there after. The redhead leans forward, eyes filled with determination. “Actually, I’m not quite sure what book I want, I was hoping you could help me? I need more information about this city, Koi. Any information really, I was thinking of coming here and then maybe checking out the Amaranth Library as well...”

       Things like this tended to all happen very quickly and simultaneously slow at the same time. The cyclist looked to have been paying close attention to their surroundings; they seemingly dodged around the people going about their day to day routines with expert ease. However, as the saying went, ‘you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover,’ and it certainly applied here. 

     It was the boy’s right of way, that much was obvious, but apparently not obvious enough to the cyclist because as the boy stepped into the crosswalk the cyclist made no indication of stopping. Only a few steps away but having realized what was about to happen, jumped toward the boy. Pushing him out of harm’s way, she turned just before hitting the ground so that the boy would land on her rather than the hard street.

“pyrrha nikos?” penny turned at the voice, eyes widening at the sight of the older huntress-in-training. how was she here? she had died at beacon, a fact that had led to many tears when ironwood told her. penny wasn’t sure how this was possible, but it made her heart soar. pyrrha was alive!

penny nearly launched herself at the older girl but hesitated as pyrrha kept talking. oh. she felt guilty over what had happened. that wasn’t right. penny didn’t blame pyrrha for her destruction, the guilt laid with someone else entirely, and she hated how upset pyrrha seemed.

penny walked towards pyrrha, gently grabbing her hands when she was close enough. “there is nothing to apologize for, pyrrha nikos.” 

“what happened was not your fault. it was cinder fall’s. i do not blame you for anything. and look!” she let go of pyrrha’s hands, spreading her arms wide and doing a little twirl to show off her new appearance. “my father rebuilt me better than ever. i can even fly now!” her voice softened as she took pyrrha’s hands in hers again. “please do not blame yourself.”

       Her throat felt all choked up and her eyes stung as she blinked away the threatening tears. She was stronger than this. She was stronger. Still, as Penny so delicately took her hands into her own, Pyrrha couldn’t help the way her breath hitched ever so slightly. The redhead shut her eyes tightly before blinking once again. “I would still... I would still like to apologize to you.”

     Maybe Penny didn’t blame her, but she definitely still blamed herself. Though, it did make Pyrrha feel a bit better to see her standing here in front of her. She seemed whole enough as she twirled (at which Pyrrha laughed quietly). 

       It was true. She had never been one for colder weather. She endured it when she had to, but when she had a choice she would always, ultimately choose warmth. Something in her genes that made her a little more sensitive to the cold, is what she had been told in the past, but whether that was true or not she wasn’t sure. So even though she could put up with it, the weight of his coat over her shoulders was a welcome surprise.

       Out of all the people from Remnant Pyrrha expected to see, Penny was one of the last she’d expect. Seeing her ginger curls -- longer than what she remembered -- bouncing behind her as the girl skipped along minding her business had the huntress to be frozen in place. It felt as if the breath had been sucked out of her lungs, much like it had when...

     She hadn’t known. Of course she hadn’t known because had she known, she would have never used her Semblance like she had. Then again, seeing all those sharp weapons aimed right at her. In the moment, Pyrrha hadn’t seen any other way to escape. She would have been killed. However in protecting herself, she had killed another. A friend. 

     Pyrrha called out without thinking. “Penny... Penny..!”

“We could, but it would be the shortest run ever. I wasn’t built to have high endurance. It’s my weakest subject.” Even Shirley and the prez had more speed and endurance then he did, and he was the former king of the entire world back home. Granted he never really needed such a thing, since with all the technological advances back home he had more than enough sources to not worry about such things. 

They both looked to each other as they listened to her own stomach making it known that at least one of them was hungry. He chuckled at this, finding it rather cute. Least she had an appetite. “I think they do. They have several by the canal paths around where that movie theatre and shopping district is. Why don’t we go and head over there together? My treat.” It was only fair. 

She was his first friend here after all. 

       Again, she laughed but this time it was a little louder than before. With his long legs and physique, the redhead had no doubt that he could be an amazing runner. He just had to work on his confidence apparently.

     “Oh don’t be silly! I’m sure you could hold out just fine,” she assured him. Even if he wasn’t exaggerating, everyone had to start from someplace and with the right conditioning, maybe he could even keep up with her. “But that can wait.”

         ❛ a-ah… well – ❜ ruby didn’t really want to pressure her into anything but… ❛ we can get some hot coco after! there’s nothing better than defrosting your fingers with a nice, hot mug! c’mon, it’ll be fun !! ❜

       Lakeview Lofts had become a place Pyrrha frequented often enough. Not only was it along the route of her morning runs, but Lelouch lived there as well. With the amount of time she spent around the building, she was surprised when she caught sight of a familiar head of blond hair. The haircut was different, but there was absolutely no mistaking him for another person.

     Jaune Arc.

     Almost immediately a smile found its way to the redheads face. Her eyes scanned over him looking for any sort of visible injury. After everything, he was safe. She was glad to see him, however she couldn’t pass up a chance to sneak up on him. Hands clasped behind her, she approached him quietly.