Destiny No More

Chapter 57

Pyrrha's hands rested on her thighs as she worked to control her breathing. The exertion from her heavy exercise didn't go away, but it did diminish as the fresh air filled her lungs. Her legs had nearly given out by the end of her workout, although the satisfying feeling of soreness helped to distract her from what was currently eating away at her. Her lips tugged down in a frown, The mere thought of the upcoming event enough to sour her mood.

Coco and her had gone shopping the last two days, the fashion obsessed girl using it as an excuse to shop for her own dress for the upcoming dance. They'd spent pretty much every spare moment Pyrrha had looking for something for her to wear. Initially, she had just gone with the intention of trying to look professional, but as the days had gone on, it became clear Coco was not operating under the same idea. The girl had made it her personal mission to find something that Pyrrha would look 'amazing' in; despite her own insistence that wasn't necessary. That had proven harder than expected.

Though Coco would never say it, that was entirely due to Pyrrha's body. While Amber had never been as well defined as Pyrrha was, she was still a Huntress and thus had the body to match. Toned and defined, Amber had no doubt been a very pretty girl once; combined with Pyrrha's intense drive and training and she'd managed to refine that, but no amount of working out could remove scars. As awkward as it was to admit, Pyrrha hadn't done well at avoiding those.

Even if you ignored the most obvious example, on the grounds that it was technically Amber who had lost the fight with Cinder, and thus her most defining scar wasn't her fault, there were still many more to try and account for. Her hands still had some discolouration from when she'd over used her powers against the White Fang. As soon as whatever backed up the maiden powers had been drained, the flames had lost their magical quality and turned on her. The damage was minimal, but it was still visible even with her Aura trying to heal it.

Tyrian Callows had done far more damage however, whether due to some kind of semblance or the venom he used, his attacks seemed to linger unlike any other. She had a dozen new scars up her arms and legs, not to mention the various cuts on her back and shoulders that had driven away Coco's idea of an open back.

In the end, Pyrrha just wasn't ready for that kind of publicity again. The scars would lead to awkward questions at best, and she wasn't sure she could smile her way through the whole event if half the people there were giving her pitying looks. She would have gone in her combat outfit if Coco hadn't threatened to burn it if she tried.

They'd settled on something not too unlike what she had worn to the dance, only in black rather than red, and a more traditional collar that dipped down her chest slightly; not enough to show anything but it was a far cry away from her last dress. The key addition had been the sleeves that reached down to her elbows; which hid the majority of her scars. Not all of them of course, a few on her forearms were still visible along with the one on her face, but it was better than nothing. Coco had clearly been dismayed by what she claimed was a 'boring waste of cloth' but Pyrrha didn't mind. She wasn't trying to impress anybody, and so didn't care if she looked good or not. The night was going to suck no matter what she wore so she had just settled on what felt comfortable.

The second that they'd gotten back to Beacon, she had made her excuses and ran off to train. The stress of shopping aside, she just needed some time to herself. She appreciated Coco's efforts, and for all that she would complain, Pyrrha was grateful she had friends who cared so much, but even with two days to think about it her reluctance hadn't subsided.

A couple hours of rigorous exercise was just what she needed to clear her mind however, and now that her body was so tired, she couldn't work up the energy to feel concerned about the next couple of days. Combine her physical exhaustion with the Maiden powers she had spent another couple of hours training, and she was ready to collapse.