Destiny No More

Chapter 33

Pyrrha examined the box of dust cartridges in her hand carefully, internally debating whether to withdraw a few of the Fire Dust rounds and put them in her belt's satchel or stick with the Gravity Dust ones she already had there. As much as she often preferred adaptability, she came to the conclusion that Grimm wouldn't be an issue within the cities limits, and so decided to stick with her first choice, stashing the second box in her bag before turning to grab another.

"I just don't get why you have to leave all of a sudden." Coco and Velvet had followed Pyrrha back to her room after she had told them she was leaving, Velvet helping in any way she could while her team leader barraged Pyrrha with questions.

"Something came up." She had long since given up trying to come up with an excuse, Coco hadn't bought the last one and Pyrrha couldn't find it in herself to try again.

"In the hour you spent talking with the Headmaster?" Coco, however, seemed to be full of energy. "Is this the same as last time? Is he trying to send you away again?"

"No, no, it's not that, it's...." Pyrrha sighed, closing her eyes and trying to calm herself. "Something-"

"Something came up, so you keep saying." Coco no doubt rolled her eyes as she tossed her hands in the air in annoyance. "Yet you won't say what, or even where he's sending you."

"I didn't say the Headmaster was sending me anywhere." Pyrrha was quick to deny Coco's correct assumption.

"It was pretty obvious." Velvet's voice was soft, almost timid, a stark contrast to the rest of the room and the rather energetic argument taking place . "None of this came up until after you went to talk to him. Was it..." Velvet hesitated for a moment. "Was it related to that person you saw when we were out in the city?"

"No Velvet it's just..."

"Something that just came up?" Velvet offered, causing Coco to look at Pyrrha with a smug expression. Pyrrha nodded in agreement with her statement and turned back to her bag.

Coco waited a moment for more, clearly hoping for some kind of explanation that Pyrrha couldn't give. "That still doesn't tell us what you're doing, or where you're going!"

"I'm going to Mistral for a little while, but I'm not being sent away." Pyrrha tried to reassure them as best she could. "I'll be back, I promise."

"So it's a mission then?" Coco asked.

"Sort of, I... I'm just going to help the Deputy Headmistress for a little while." It certainly wasn't the best lie, but it would have to work. "I'll be fine."

Coco raised one finely kept eyebrow in question. "You don't expect any trouble?"

"N-no!" Pyrrha answered quickly, too quickly judging by the way Coco looked towards Velvet.

"Is that why you've been packing up your combat gear and not a change of clothes?" Pyrrha looked down at her bag, seeing that, true to Coco's words, she hadn't packed so much as a spare shirt.

Pyrrha looked back up from her bag. "It's... good to be prepared?"

"Why do you have to leave tonight? Why not tomorrow morning?" Coco tried to reason.

"If we leave before sundown it will still be night when we arrive in Mistral." Pyrrha answered.

"And you don't see why that's even the least bit concerning to hear?!" Coco looked like she was going to explode for a moment before falling eerily calm, after several deep breaths she took off her sunglasses and looked Pyrrha in the eyes. "Amber, please, you're scaring me. What's going on?"