Destiny No More

Chapter 17

It didn't take long for the meeting to finish. Pyrrha relayed all the information she remembered about the various safe houses that the White Fang might be using that Qrow would be going to investigate, but otherwise remained silent. Once the Headmaster had concluded the meeting, she didn't stick around to make small talk.

She was the first one to the elevator and made sure to go down alone, the others all choosing to stay behind and talk about something. Probably something they didn't trust her with.

That's not fair and you know it. A small part of her tried to apply reason, attempting to respect the Headmaster's decision. You know you're not strong enough yet.

It was a difficult thought to swallow, but not one she wasn't already painfully aware of. As the elevator reached the ground level, Pyrrha forced a neutral expression over her face and stepped out into the halls of Beacon. Slipping through the occasional group of students gathered in the hallway, she couldn't help but notice how little the groups seemed to notice her. Perhaps it was a side effect of her former fame, but the way people seemed to ignore her only helped to make her feel isolated from everyone.

Once her team arrived things would be different. They knew how to read between the lines, they knew how to see what Pyrrha was attempting to hide behind her plastic smile and fake enthusiasm. Her friends had learned to look deeper.

Except they wouldn't know any of that anymore.

It was a concern she had chosen to ignore whenever possible. Her friends wouldn't know her, despite the fact she would know them, and it was bound to be an awkward affair and the fact Pyrrha was never the best when it came to social interaction would only make matters worse. There was a good chance she would drive them away, much like how she had driven people away in her past. Or worse, maybe they would learn to ignore her just as the rest of Beacon had.

Pyrrha clenched her hand into a fist in an attempt to stop it from shaking as she struggled to keep her emotions in check. That wouldn't happen, she refused to let it. She had given too much, come too far, to lose everything that made it all worth doing. She had first come to Beacon to seek freedom from her fame, now she had a far more important goal in mind.

Despite her determination, she knew how difficult such a task would be, and if the Headmaster wouldn't even trust her enough to let her try, what hope was there? It was for that reason that, as soon as she arrived back to her dorm room, she began making plans.

Getting to Vale would probably be the hardest thing. The Headmaster had said that he didn't want her going to the city, and she wasn't sure if that meant he had told the bullhead pilots to reject her transport, or if anyone would be watching her to make sure that she didn't try to leave. It was also possible that he simply trusted her to stay at Beacon, in which case she would be betraying his trust.

Ignoring the small pang of guilt at the idea, Pyrrha grabbed the simple sword she had been using to train with. While it worked well enough for training purposes, it wouldn't be ideal to use in a combat situation if she found herself in one. Without her semblance, and with her body still adapting to the new and intense workout she had been putting it through, she would have to be even more careful than usual.

She changed into a more appropriate outfit, despite her reluctance to wear anything of Amber's, she hadn't been able to go out and get a combat uniform yet, meaning she was left with little choice. Sheathing the blade on her side, Pyrrha turned her attention towards gathering whatever lien she could find. Technically, she was probably the poorest person on the campus, but the School had still given her enough money to cover the typical expenses of a Huntress' gear and thankfully she hadn't spent too much of it yet.