131

Chapter 131:

Morning came on sooner than Weiss would have liked. Fortunately, the arrangements Whitley had made ensured that the couple wouldn't have to vacate the room until well into the afternoon. As such, Weiss and Ashley were free to sleep in for as long as they wanted. Upon waking up, they decided to take turns in the shower, even though they had gotten quite accustomed to one another's naked bodies the previous night.

While Weiss was cleaning up, Ashley found herself surveying her body. Given how Weiss had been nipping and sucking her skin at various places, Ashley expected to find her body covered with tiny, light bruises. Instead, she found her skin in its usual state, any such bruises and hickeys having already faded. I know Aura is supposed to help people heal faster, but this feels sorta like a cheat, she thought.

"Is something wrong?" asked Weiss, emerging from the shower, grabbing a nearby towel to dry herself off.

"Uh...Well...I guess I was just thinking that Aura is amazing," said Ashley, her hand going up to a place that Weiss had attacked rather aggressively the night before.

Weiss giggled, slipping behind Ashley, wrapping her arms around her front, even as she pressed her face into the fur of Ashley's tail for a moment, before moving past it to look over her lover's shoulder. "Yeah, little bruises like that are nothing." She paused, seeing an uncertain look on Ashley's face. "Is something bothering you?"

"It's weird..." said Ashley, looking at her hands. "Aura is supposed to be this big thing that only Huntsmen and Huntresses, like you, can use. And you just woke it up inside of me, like it was nothing."

"Aura is the power of our souls," said Weiss. "Of course you have a soul, Ashley. So it's only natural that I could bring it out of you."

"Yeah, but..." Ashley frowned pensively. "I don't know...I've never thought about being a Huntress, even after meeting you and Ruby."

"Silly," said Weiss, hugging Ashley tighter. "You don't have to be a Huntress. Did you really think that was the case?"

"Um...Well...I..." Ashley sighed and slumped. "Maybe a little."

"I can understand," said Weiss. "Here, in the Kingdoms, Aura is used only by Huntsmen and Huntresses. But...a continent away, there's an entire civilization, one that uses Aura for everything. You've been listening to Ruby, right?"

"Yeah," agreed Ashley.

"Just because I unlocked your Aura, no one is expecting you to start training to be a Huntress. It's a little late to start training for that anyway." Weiss paused. Though Jaune made it work, somehow...but it's probably better to think of him as an exception, right?

"You don't have to do something so frightening," she continued. "We can talk to Sasame, and she can probably give you some ideas on what you could do with your Aura. The thing I was focused on was making sure you have the strength to protect yourself, at least a little...just in case. That way, even when I'm not there..."

"I understand," said Ashley, her hands coming to rest over Weiss' own.

"Good," said Weiss, dipping her head to kiss Ashley's neck once again.

After finishing cleaning up, they moved to the sitting area, donning the complimentary robes that had been hanging in the closet, Weiss using the interface on the entertainment center to order their brunch. While they waited for their meal, they idled the time away in pleasant conversation, exchanging small gestures of affection. Ashley was curious about just what kind of training she would be getting, and Weiss was only too happy to explain. In fact, as soon as they were finished with their meal, Weiss intended to give Ashley her first lesson, right there in the room.

The food that arrived was rather sumptuous, and they downed it with pleasure, sharing bites of their respective dishes with one another. However, partway through the meal, the reality of what they'd done at the gala, the previous night, intruded.

Weiss' scroll, which had been set to silent, began to buzz. Picking it up, Weiss' glowered at the device as she saw the contact listed, with a complete lack of a thumbnail to match the one calling her. Father...

The scroll continued to buzz, while Weiss stared at it.

"Are you gonna...answer...?" asked Ashley worriedly. She'd only ever seen Jacques Schnee on the screen of a CCT broadcast, often when he was making announcements regarding his company. The thought of being in a relationship with his daughter, of being even tangential to a direct conversation between them, was frightening, given what she knew of the man, especially considering what Weiss had told her.

Instead, Weiss' expression transformed into a smirk. With her thumb, she declined the call. She waited for a few seconds, then her scroll began to buzz again. "Well...it seems he's persistent this time."

Weiss set the scroll down on a nearby cushion, muffling the noise it made, now that it lacked a hard surface to vibrate against.

"Is that gonna be okay?" asked Ashley worriedly.

"At this point, I have a rough idea of the things Father is going to say, and how he's going to say them...not to mention how loudly he'll say them," said Weiss simply. "I'm in no mood to put up with that right now. Maybe later, I'll indulge his tirades. But I'm through dancing on his strings. If that means he cuts me off from the family resources as well...so be it. I will find a way to keep moving forward..." She reached over to take Ashley's hand in her own. "...alongside you."

Ashley smiled and nodded. Then it was her scroll that started to ring next. Unlike Weiss, she hadn't thought to set it to silent-mode, but she hadn't been expecting the angry tirade of a an elitist, racist father. Picking it up, Ashley saw that it was her mother.

"Oh God..." whispered Ashley, her cheeks heating up.

"Well, in this case, I think that's a call you shouldn't ignore," said Weiss, blushing a little too.

Ashley nodded, answering and bringing the scroll up to her ear. "Hi, Mom...Yes, I'm fine...We're still at the hotel...I'll be back later this afternoon...Um..Well...things got a little bit...Uh...Don't worry! Weiss wouldn't let anything happen to me...Uh...Um...No comment..."

Whatever Elowen said next had Ashley's entire face turning red. A second later, she sputtered a few incoherent syllables, before finally managing to blurt out a startled, "Mom!"

Ashley listened to what her mother had to say for a few more seconds, before handing the scroll to Weiss with a mortified look on her face. "She wants to talk to you now."

"I suppose that's to be expected," said Weiss with a small sigh, taking the scroll for herself. "Hello, Ms. Forrest."

"Hello to you too, Weiss," said Elowen over the line, her voice balancing on a fine line between teasing and sober. "From what my daughter has refrained from admitting, I would probably be right to assume that the two of you were...intimate...last night."

Weiss closed her eyes, and decided that there was no reason to beat around the bush. "Yes, we had sex," she confirmed. The look of mortification on Ashley's face was compounded.

"I see..." There was a noticeable pause. "I hope you realize what this means."

Reflexively, Weiss nodded, even though the woman on the other end of the line couldn't see her. "Yes. I relinquished my claim to the SDC inheritance to my younger brother, last night. In all likelihood, I will be cut off from all my family resources for the foreseeable future...if not permanently. It is my hope that, despite that, you would still be willing to accept me."

Elowen was silent for a moment. "You know...when I first heard my daughter met you, I was worried and suspicious."

"I can understand the sentiment," said Weiss.

"I thought, as ridiculous as that seems, you were looking to take advantage of her in some fashion," continued Elowen. "I know that seems absurd, considering the differences between your class and ours. But...I was suspicious of you all the same. Looking back on what's happened between the two of you...I still can't quite wrap my head around it."

"I understand that," said Weiss, with a wry smile. "I can't really explain what happened between us either. It just...happened."

Elowen was silent for another few seconds. "You said you've already given up your inheritance, and that you'll probably be cut off from your money. What about the...other...consequences you warned us about?"

Weiss' expression sobered. "I'm sure they'll come in time," she said, glancing sidelong at her scroll, which was buzzing with her father's contact on the screen, again. "Father has already been calling me incessantly. I haven't answered him yet, since I don't want to put up with what he undoubtedly has to say at the moment. But it won't be long before he transitions from words to actions. I'm beginning preparations for that now."

"That's what I was afraid of," said Elowen. "Weiss...what you're doing...what you're trying to do...it's a tall order. You might have been the heiress to it at one time, but this is the Schnee Dust Company we're talking about. Listen...I...I'm afraid. Protecting us...it might be too much of you."

"Ms. Forrest, please-" Weiss began, wanting to assure her.

"That's why, as a mother..." continued Elowen, cutting her off, "...there's only one thing I want to ask of you. Whatever else, please...protect Ashley. Do whatever you can to keep her safe and keep her happy. Even if you have to leave us to our fates, please make sure that Ashley is safe."

"Ms. Forrest...I can't do that," said Weiss firmly.

A soft gasp over the line was the response.

"If I left you to...whatever my father tries to go through with...that would destroy Ashley's happiness," said Weiss. "That's why I'll use everything I have at my disposal, as modest as my own means might be right now, to protect all of you, so that Ashley can remain both safe and happy.

"And I won't be doing this alone. I may not have the company's connections any longer, but I do have friends, friends who are friends of Ashley too, friends who are more powerful than Father reckons, friends who will be all too happy to fight against him on our behalf. If Father tries anything, I will see to it that he regrets it with every fiber of his being...On that, you have my word."

There was another pause. When Elowen spoke again, Weiss could almost imagine the contented smile on the woman's face. "Thank you, Weiss. Take care of Ashley. It makes me indescribably happy that we would someday be able to welcome a woman like yourself into our family."

"I will...and thank you," said Weiss, bowing her head, even though, once again, there was no way Elowen could see the gesture.

"Goodbye for now," said Elowen. "We'll talk again soon, I'm sure. Could you hand the scroll back to Ashley?"

"Of course," said Weiss. "Goodbye, Ms. Forrest." She handed the scroll back to her girlfriend.

Ashley picked it up again. "Mom...Yes, I understand...Thank you...I love you too...Bye."

Hanging up, Ashley set the scroll down and turned to Weiss, tears running from her eyes. "I love you," she said.

"I love you too," said Weiss, leaning in so that they could indulge in another kiss.

They held each other for the next few minutes, not caring that the remains of their meal were growing cold on the table in front of them, nor that Weiss' scroll continued to buzz intermittently, showing her Father's contact every time. Finally, they found the wherewithal to finish their meal. Then they decided to get dressed. Much to Ashley's surprise, but not Weiss', Klein had apparently gone through the trouble of getting their regular outfits laundered, while they'd been at the gala, so they were able to put on clean clothes for the day. Once done, after confirming how much time they had left in the room, Weiss began to walk Ashley through the process of Tempering her Aura.

"Thank you for agreeing to meet with me," said Holly, smiling over the table at Pyrrha. "I imagine it must have been difficult to find time in your busy schedule for this."

"It wasn't that hard," said Pyrrha. "Since it's the Vytal Festival, I have a substantial amount of free time."

Indeed, time wasn't an issue for Pyrrha. The festival meant no classes, which meant no homework, no projects, and no missions. Besides that, Pyrrha and Ruby were supremely confident in their skills and teamwork, sufficiently so that they felt no need to try and cram in any last-minute training to prepare for their match in the doubles round. When it happened, they would enter the match, and do what they were trained to do.

Inclination, however, was another matter entirely. Pyrrha hadn't been pleased when Holly had called her, politely requesting a chance to meet and talk. Pyrrha hadn't really wanted to. Her first impulse had been to turn her former-manager down on the spot. But the documents Holly had sent over Pyrrha's scroll were nothing, if not persuasive.

And so...here they were, meeting discreetly at a table in a corner of a small cafe, Pyrrha dressed casually to avoid drawing too much attention to herself, staring across the table at Holly, who smiled pleasantly as he lifted her cup to her lips, and took a sip of its contents.

"That's good for you...I suppose," said Holly. "But still...your time could be put to much more...efficient...use, could it not? Here in Vale, there are so many opportunities for someone with your record."

"I have all the opportunities I need at Beacon," said Pyrrha firmly.

"If that were true, we would't be having this conversation, now would we?"

Pyrrha grunted at that.

Holly sighed. "I hope you appreciate just how hard I've been working on your behalf, Pyrrha. Thanks to a great deal of negotiation, the majority of your sponsors have agreed not to drop you, despite the controversy that came of that...match."

"I suppose that's good," said Pyrrha, frowning.

"Your parents are certainly grateful for my intervention."

"Is that why you suddenly have complete access to our financial records?" asked Pyrrha.

"As a manager, managing the finances of my charges also includes managing the finances of those who are dependent on my charges," said Holly. "And we both know that your parents have been...less than wise."

Pyrrha's eyes narrowed.

Holly sighed dramatically. "It's such a common problem amongst the nouveau rich, after all. Those who, before, had a limited income suddenly find themselves in possession of more wealth than they had previously imagined possible. They can be so quick to discard their previous frugality, and even go so far as to lose track of just how much money they do have."

"I'm well aware of that," said Pyrrha. "What disturbs me is that, even though you claim that managing my family's finances is your responsibility, you don't seem to have been doing a good job of it."

"I can only advise," Holly deflected. "At the end of the day, I am still beholden to the will of my clients after all."

"Is that so?" asked Pyrrha. "I seem to remember you advising my parents to purchase a particular kind of airship."

Holly sighed again. "Well...you know how your mother gets. You come by your stubbornness quite naturally after all. And your Father, as much as he blusters, is surprisingly easily persuaded. I merely sought to limit the damage to the best of my abilities by guiding them to the least-expensive model possible."

"How kind of you," grumbled Pyrrha.

"Come now, don't be like that," said Holly. "I'm doing everything I can. But your parents..." She shook her head slowly. "As you can see for yourself, they are in rather dire straits, even if they themselves do not realize it."

Pyrrha had indeed seen for herself. The documents Holly had sent her had been a list of her family's accounts, including their income and expenditures. It had shocked her to the extreme. Her parents' spending habits were beginning to outstrip the income from her endorsements, even if a few had dropped her after the controversy of her match with Ruby. Even though Pyrrha had declared that she would no longer be seeking to actively support them, they had pressed ahead regardless, apparently believing that, in the end, Pyrrha would still be there to bail them out of whatever hole they dug themselves into. They were still ahead for now, but that would soon be changing.

"Now...as you've seen, your mother and father have continued to be reckless with their spending habits," said Holly.

"Then we need to change their habits, not enable them," protested Pyrrha. "At this rate, me earning more for them would only encourage them to spend even more."

"You may be right," agreed Holly. "But we can work on that. In the meantime, their current situation must be addressed, don't you agree? And it's not as though it would be all that hard for you. There is plenty that can be done."

"I'm not leaving Beacon," said Pyrrha.

"Oh heavens no!" agreed Holly with surprising conviction. "Right now, in the midst of the Vytal Festival, with the tournament still in progress...that would be the height of folly. Though...perhaps next year..."

"I'm not...leaving Beacon," repeated Pyrrha, furrowing her brow.

"That doesn't necessarily have to happen," said Holly. "For example, even when the festival isn't forthcoming, there are still exchange programs that could allow you to spend some time at Haven, where you could do some good...even temporarily."

"That's..." Pyrrha was shocked that she was actually considering this. She'd been determined to leave that kind of work behind, completely.

But maybe...just a little bit, she thought. As soon as she got through to her parents and curbed their reckless spending, then she could move on...right?

"Of course, we need to begin laying the groundwork," said Holly, closing her eyes and gently rubbing her temples. "Perhaps we should start with your boyfriend..."

"I'm not leaving Dove," said Pyrrha, straightening up, getting a strange feeling of pressure receding from her head.

"That's...a shame...but not a deal-breaker," said Holly, frowning pensively. "It's a shame. He certainly put up a good fight in the previous round of the tournament, even if his team ended up losing anyway. He might actually be quite marketable...if he weren't so plain-looking. Perhaps if we touched him up a little..."

"No," said Pyrrha firmly. "Don't rope Dove into this."

"At this point, he's a part of this, whether you like it or not," said Holly. "He is in a relationship with you after all, with all the baggage that entails. I'm sure that a mature young man like him has learned to accept the consequences of his actions, hasn't he?"

Pyrrha frowned.

"Besides, a caring boyfriend would be willing to help you, wouldn't he?" added Holly. "You aren't the kind of person to hook up with a boy so heartless that he would insist you abandon your beloved parents, or fail to extend a helping hand in their-in your-time of need...right?"

Pyrrha's brow furrowed again.

"But we don't need to worry about that much, not at this juncture," said Holly, remaining as composed as ever. "For now, let's focus on the tournament itself, that will be your first great opportunity."

"It will...?" asked Pyrrha, feeling more and more troubled.

It always went this way with Holly. She would start with outlandish proposals, things that Pyrrha would reject out of hand. Then she would shift things to more attainable goals, goals which, ultimately, would lead Pyrrha to that outlandish end that Holly had suggested or implied initially.

"Moving the goalposts" was often used to describe people changing the definition of success. When a person succeeded, the person who wanted to impede them changed the idea of what success meant, so that the first person was still found wanting. But Holly's approach worked in the reverse of that. She always set the goal at something that Pyrrha would never want to do, then gradually shifted it closer, before leading Pyrrha from goal to goal, until she reached a place she'd never wanted to be at, before she could even realize it. And it always seemed to work every time.

Pyrrha had declared her desire to stay at Beacon. On the surface, it appeared that Holly had acquiesced to that. But her proposal of participating in an exchange with Haven, next year, was something that seemed much more reasonable. But there was a part of Pyrrha that knew things wouldn't stay like that. Once she was at Haven, Holly would want her to stay there. An exchange would be extended, then become a transfer. Then, before she knew it, Pyrrha would have left Beacon behind...just like Holly wanted.

And now, she was no doubt doing it again, working from a completely new angle.

"Your participation in the tournament will be an incredible boon," explained Holly. "With a record like yours, a victory here has the potential to completely wipe away the silly controversy surrounding that match."

"I have confidence that we can win the tournament," said Pyrrha. After all, she knew how strong Ruby was. After the doubles round, she didn't question Ruby's ability to win the title.

"Not 'we'..." corrected Holly, making Pyrrha gasp sharply. "You...It needs to be you, Pyrrha. The Mistral Regional Tournament made your name known across the world. The Vytal Festival Tournament will cement your name in history. To that end, you need to see this through in its entirety. That means that it needs to be you who goes on to the finals. Do you understand?"

"My team..." Pyrrha paused, furrowing her brow. "We..." she amended. "We've already decided. Ruby's going to the finals."

"That is unacceptable," said Holly simply. "This is important Pyrrha. It's so much bigger than one person's pride, however important that team leader of yours might be to you. This is for your parents, after all. You owe it to them to give nothing but your best efforts."

"I..." Pyrrha felt as though she were trying to work her way through a fog. She didn't notice that Holly's smile had taken on a quality of smugness.

"It shouldn't be hard for you, Pyrrha," she said. "From what I've heard, your friends care a great deal about you. If they do, then, surely, they know how important this is to you, how great your need is. If you were to simply talk to them, I am sure that you could help them to understand that you have a responsibility to represent your team, your school, and your Kingdom in the finals. Surely Ms. Rose is more than willing to shelve her pride for your sake. There's always next time, after all."

"Next time" would probably have Pyrrha not be on Ruby's team, or even fighting for Beacon, if Holly had her way. Despite being aware of that, Pyrrha was having a hard time bringing that to the forefront of her thoughts at the moment.

"And so...the first thing you will need to do, after our little meeting has concluded, is contact your leader, and inform her that you wish to be the one who participates in the finals," said Holly.

"I..."

"It's for your parents, remember? I know they can be a handful, Pyrrha. But they've done so much for you. It's the least you could do. Just think of the boon to their finances that this would be. Once you win the tournament, the offers will pour in."

"I..." Pyrrha closed her mouth, feeling...strangely tired. She prepared to open her mouth, planning to express her willingness to at least try Holly's idea. However, before she could say a word, a calloused hand came down on her shoulder.

"I think that's enough," said a firm, masculine, familiar voice.

"Huh?!" grunted Pyrrha, jolting upright, blinking furiously, as though she'd just come out of a daze.

Across from her, Holly was no longer smiling, instead scowling furiously at the person now standing behind Pyrrha.

Pyrrha glanced at the hand, before her eyes followed the arm it was attached to, up to the person standing behind her. She blinked. For some reason, it took her longer than it should have to recognize him. "D-Dove...?"

"Hey," said Dove, smiling down at her, before frowning and turning his gaze to Holly. "Right. Negotiations are over. Pyrrha's parents made their bed, and now they can lie in it. If they're set in their habits, I'm sure you can talk them out of it. You're pretty persuasive, after all...aren't you?"

Holly's eyes narrowed dangerously. "That's heartless of you," she said. "How could you possibly suggest that a daughter abandon her parents to their fate?"

"When her parents apparently see her as nothing more than a workhorse to support their bad habits, then I think it's perfectly reasonable to kick 'em to the curb, come what may," answered Dove. He looked down at Pyrrha again. "You said they needed to learn to live like adults, right?"

"I...I did," said Pyrrha, before grunting, a sore feeling in her head.

"Yeah, you've had more exposure than's good for you," said Dove, gently pulling her to her feet. From there, he began to gently guide Pyrrha towards the door of the cafe, casting a look over his shoulder at Holly. "From now on, you stay away from her."

"That's hardly fair," said Holly. "Pyrrha came to me of her own free will, you know."

"Sure she did," said Dove skeptically, before guiding Pyrrha out the door.

Holly stared at the door for a long moment. Then she growled softly, baring her teeth. "If that's the case then...Fine. Plan B it is."

"Dove...please, wait!" protested Pyrrha, as her boyfriend led her along the sidewalks towards the docks. "I...I still need to...that is...my parents, I..."

Dove spun her around, turning as well, so that they were face-to-face, Dove's hands firmly clasping her shoulders. Pyrrha gasped softly at the intensity of his expression, including his normally hidden eyes. Then, Dove yanked her closer, kissing her hard. His right arm slipped around the small of her back, pulling her body flush against his own, while his left hand rose up to the back of her head, keeping her from pulling out of the kiss.

Pyrrha's breath stopped in her throat as she felt the hard contours of his muscles through the light shirt he was wearing. It felt so good to be held by him, when he wasn't wearing his usual armor. She resisted at first, but Dove refused to let her pull away and, gradually, she relaxed into the kiss, her hands slipping from pushing against his shoulders to wrapping her arms around them instead.

All around them, people stopped and stared at the sudden public display of affection. A few even recognized Pyrrha and Dove, pulling out their scrolls to snap quick pictures, while others blushed, averted their eyes, and continued on their way. Pyrrha and Dove paid them no mind, their thoughts and feelings focused entirely upon one another.

Finally, Dove relented, letting Pyrrha pull away, gasping for breath after the intense and extended kiss.

"Better?" asked Dove.

"Yes..." said Pyrrha uncertainly. "But...I'm not sure why."

"Because you're away from her," said Dove. "She was getting to you good, but it should wear off in a while."

"What should wear off?" asked Pyrrha.

"Her Semblance," said Dove plainly.

For a few seconds, Pyrrha stared at him. In his mind, he could practically hear a ticking sound as her addled brain caught up to what he'd just said. Then, her expression changed in a flash, transforming into one of shock, with Dove's brain conjuring up an accompanying "Ding!"

"Her Semblance!?" Pyrrha exclaimed. "Holly has a Semblance?"

"Yep," said Dove, relaxing his hold on Pyrrha, so that they could continue walking, though he kept a firm grip on her hand as he did, almost as though he were worried she might bolt back to her manager, should he let go.

"H-how...how do you know?" asked Pyrrha.

"I looked into it," said Dove. "I had a hunch, after seeing her working on you, last week. She was a little too good at talking you around. So...I did some digging."

"What kind of digging?" asked Pyrrha.

"Yang might have pointed me in the direction of a good informant," said Dove cryptically.

"You went to Junior?" asked Pyrrha, remembering just what informant he was referring to.

"Yep," said Dove. "And, believe me, it was worth looking into. That woman's bad news."

"I...I don't understand," said Pyrrha.

"To put it simply, her Aura's unlocked and she has a Semblance, a pretty nasty one at that," said Dove.

"What is it?" asked Pyrrha.

"It's called Persuasion," said Dove. "Pretty straightforward, huh?"

"So...she can persuade people?" asked Pyrrha, her forehead furrowing.

"Yep," agreed Dove. "It's not straight-up brainwashing, not right away. But, when she makes suggestions, asks favors, or makes offers, her Semblance works through her voice to make people more inclined to agree with her."

"That makes sense," said Pyrrha.

"The scary thing is that, the more she talks, the more its effects build," explained Dove. "Longer conversations, multiple conversations, the more she talks to you, the deeper she can sink her hooks inside her head. If you stop talking to her, the effects start to fade, but not all that fast. If she can start up another conversation with you, before the effects fade entirely, then she can quickly compound its effects, make them last longer, become more ingrained. Given time, she can start to dictate how you are, the actions you take, to the point where, even if it's months since you've seen her, you'll still be under her sway."

Pyrrha found herself staring off into space, her mind working furiously, yet also seeming to be a set of wheels spinning in place. The more she talks to you, the more she controls you, she thought to herself.

That explained a great deal. Pyrrha remembered, all too well, when she had first come to Beacon; how hard it had been to shed her persona as the Invincible Girl. During their post-Initiation orientation day, when Weiss had been acting up, insisting that she be the one to lead their team, it had taken every ounce of Pyrrha' will to defy that, and say "no" to her. The effort had nearly made her sick, before she'd been forced to leave.

It had quickly gotten easier, amongst her friends at least. But there had still been moments, even a month or more later. When her parents had called after the scandal that had broken out over her and Ruby's sparring match, Pyrrha had cut them loose, but had almost succumbed to the impulse to rush back and make amends.

And, during the previous week, or even today, it had been all too easy for Holly to start talking her around. Pyrrha shivered, fighting her way through the fog in her head.

After all, Holly had been "persuading" her for years, talking Pyrrha into doing things she hadn't really been interested in: endorsements, sponsorships, photo shoots of questionable nature, even signing up to be put on the front of the box for that ridiculous cereal... She'd continuously shaped Pyrrha, changing what she said, how she said it, and how she acted, molding Pyrrha in ways that had become ingrained into her at a subconscious level.

"So, that being the case, this is the rule," said Dove firmly. "You don't talk to her again, not in person. She can't use her Semblance over the scroll, thank God. But you won't see or speak to her directly. If you ever see her, you leave where she is, before she gets a chance to start talking. That's the rule now."

Pyrrha nodded weakly. Maybe it was a bit domineering for her boyfriend to dictate her actions to such an extent. But it was clearly a decision to keep her away from a woman, whose influence was, quite literally, corrosive. Honestly, Pyrrha realized that she'd probably needed someone to put their foot down, with regard to that. Even without her Semblance, Holly was all too likely to bring Pyrrha running with a few well-chosen words over the scroll, just like she'd done today.

And yet, there was a feeling, one that gnawed at her, even as Holly's influence faded from her mind. Guilt...The realization that her parents were on a downward spiral. Pyrrha had left them so much; all the money from her sponsorships and endorsements, the investments they'd made with some of the profits on those things; Pyrrha had left all that for her parents, choosing to live solely by her means as a Huntress. Despite all that wealth, it apparently hadn't been enough for them. Her parents were spending money on ridiculous frivolities, behaving as though they had an income equivalent to the likes of the Schnee Family. Even after they'd supposedly trusted everything to Holly...

Pyrrha gasped, the realization hitting her like a slap across the face. "My parents!"

"What about them?" asked Dove.

Pyrrha whirled around to stare at him. "That's why they've been doing this. The whole time I've been at Beacon-No! Before that, even-Holly's been talking to them, 'persuading' them, the same way she did with me. She's deliberately steered them into spending more than I've made for them, to pressure me to come back and continue to support them."

Dove paused. "Oh...I get it."

"I need to do something!" said Pyrrha. "I've got to get Holly to stop, maybe..."

Dove gripped her shoulders, forcing her to look him in the eyes. "No," he said firmly.

"But-!" Pyrrha began to protest.

"No," Dove repeated. "You don't talk to her again, understand. Right now, that impulse to rush back to her, that's what she wants, that's part of how she's hooked you. Don't give into it."

"But...my parents..." Pyrrha's eyes began to overflow with tears. "At this rate, they'll go through everything. How are they going to live after that? I need to do something."

"Not you," said Dove, before breaking out in a smile. "Not alone."

"Huh?"

"Pyrrha, you don't need to be the Invincible Girl anymore," said Dove. "You don't need to shoulder everything by yourself. You've got friends here, who are willing to do what it takes to help you. You've got me. It's okay to depend on other people now."

"O-Oh..." said Pyrrha, her panic fading. "But...what do we do?"

Dove grinned. "Well, the first thing is to break your parents away from that woman. After that...it's gonna take a little work."

"But how do we get them away from Holly?" asked Pyrrha.

"Well...I may have gotten a head start on that," said Dove.

Oscar shifted nervously, staring at the screen in front of him. He'd figured it would be tricky, setting up a terminal call to speak with his aunt. However, it had been easier than he'd thought. But the last thing he'd expected had been to be allowed to come up to the call center in Beacon Tower itself. All around him, actual Academy students were seated at terminals, talking to friends and family out in the settlements, or on other continents entirely. Even if he'd participated in the tournament, Oscar felt a bit like an intruder to this space.

"Are you okay, Oscar-kun?" asked Natsuki, taking a seat next to him.

"I-I'm a little nervous," said Oscar, ducking his head reflexively. "I'm worried Auntie Em might still be a little mad at me for doing that."

"It seemed like she was all right with it before," said Setsuna, looking down from behind Oscar.

Their assigned terminal had room for two chairs, allowing Natsuki to sit next to him. But that was the extent of it, Setsuna and Miyu needing to stand behind them to be seen by the person who would appear on the other side of the screen.

Natsuki rested her hand over his own, and she gave him a confident smile. "It'll be fine," she said.

"Y-yeah," said Oscar, taking solace in the warm feeling of her touch.

Neither of them noticed Setsuna and Miyu sharing a glance behind them. Setsuna's eyebrow rose subtly, while Miyu merely smiled wryly.

Finally, the spinning Beacon emblem vanished, replaced by the image of a woman all too familiar to Oscar. His new friends were a bit taken aback. Given the resemblance, they would have quite easily taken this woman for Oscar's mother, rather than his aunt, given that she shared the same tanned skin and messy black hair. Her olive eyes were alert and observant, taking in everything at a glance.

"H-hi, Auntie Em," said Oscar nervously.

Emalee's smile almost had a predatory quality to it, one that had Oscar breaking out in a nervous sweat as her gaze focused on him in particular. "Hello, Oscar," she said. "It's so good to see you're well, after you went and entered the Vytal Festival Tournament without so much as a 'by your leave.'"

"I...I didn't mean to," said Oscar, flinching back.

"I'm sure you didn't," agreed Emalee with surprising ease. "I'm sure you got dragged into it through one of Maria's schemes. Where is she, by the way?"

"Uh...Not here," said Oscar.

Truth be told, even though she was supposed to be his chaperone, Oscar didn't know where Maria was at the moment. In fact, she seemed to have gone off on her own on a fairly regular basis lately. He had no idea where she went, but figured that inquiring was likely to get him another smack on the shin with her walking stick, the last thing he wanted.

"I should have known," muttered Emalee. "Well, she can't hide forever. I'll have words for her, when she gets back."

Oscar got the feeling that at least some of those words were the sort that would get his mouth washed out with soap, if he were to use them himself. However, he knew better than to suggest that.

And then, in a flash, as though her previous attitude had been nothing more than a flickering illusion, Emalee' face broke out into a radiant smile. "In any case, now that that's out of the way, Oscar, why don't you introduce me to your new friends. I'd very much like to learn more about them."

"O-okay," said Oscar, a little taken aback by the sudden change in her mood. But he rallied and moved on. "A-anyway, these are friends of Ruby's, from where she used to live."

"It's nice to meet you," said Natsuki, not needing any prompting. She bowed her head towards the screen. "I'm Shinomori Natsuki-er...Maybe I should call myself Natsuki Shinomori."

"Why is that?" asked Emalee.

"Well, the name order is different, where we come from," explained Natsuki, grinning awkwardly.

Oscar supposed that would be one of the more awkward parts about anyone from the Mibu introducing themselves to people in the Kingdoms. It had taken him a little bit to get used to the idea of people introducing themselves with their surname first, rather than their given name.

Still, Emalee took it in stride. "It's nice to meet you, Natsuki," she said. "I hope Oscar hasn't been causing you any trouble."

"Oh! Not at all!" exclaimed Natsuki. "Oscar-kun's great. He's really nice, and a lot of fun to hang around with." She paused. "Even if he was being a little mopey, after he found out Ruby-chan already had a boyfriend..."

"Did you really need to bring that up?" grumbled Oscar, giving Natsuki a wan glance sidelong.

He relaxed a little when he felt Miyu's hands rest on his shoulders. "Oscar-kun is quite dependable," she said. "I'm sure that you could see that, if you were able to watch his match."

"I was," said Emalee, her eyes going up to Miyu.

"This is Ibuki Miyu," said Oscar. "She was my partner for the match."

"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Pine-san," said Miyu, bowing her head politely.

Oscar gestured to the last person in their group. "And this is Nagi Setsuna."

"Nice to meet you," said Setsuna, bowing his head as well.

"Well, you're all so polite," observed Emalee. "So many youngsters these days have no manners."

"Well, we do want to make a good impression with you, Pine-san," said Natsuki, smiling radiantly.

"I'm glad to hear that. It looks as though Oscar will be in good hands with you three." Emalee's smile faded slightly. "But how in the world did you all end up fighting in the tournament?"

"It's a little...tricky to explain," said Oscar nervously.

"Well, I suppose we can give Pine-san the truth," said Natsuki.

"You were considering lying to me?" asked Emalee, her voice suddenly getting harsher.

"No, Ma'am," said Natsuki sitting up straight. "It's just...it's a little complicated, partly because it involves Ruby-chan and her friends."

"Please explain it to the best of your ability."

"R-right," said Natsuki.

The four of them laid out the situation for Emalee, talking about Sasame's proposed exchange between Beacon and the Mibu, with Ozpin recommending that the youngsters Sasame had brought with her participate in the tournament to establish the existence of the Mibu and the nature of the skills, as well as the potential they held, with Oscar being tapped to fill out the roster of their team, on Maria's recommendation.

"That's quite the strange situation you've gotten wrapped up in, Oscar," said Emalee, once they'd finished.

"Y-yeah, I guess..." said Oscar nervously, making Natsuki giggle next to him.

"And you're not going to be in the next round?" asked Emalee.

"N-no, once is enough for me," answered Oscar.

"I wouldn't mind having him as my partner though," said Natsuki.

"Oh...is that so?" asked Emalee, her gaze fixing rather pointedly at Natsuki.

"Yep," said Natsuki, completely unaware of the raised eyebrows Miyu and Setsuna were directing at her back. "I mean...he's got some great moves. He did awesome in the last round...But I guess you saw that."

"That's true," said Emalee. "But...Natsuki...what do you think of Oscar outside the ring?"

"Huh?" grunted Oscar, feeling his cheeks heat up, though he wasn't sure why.

"He's great!" declared Natsuki. "He's really nice to be around, and he's always so kind, and...uh..."

For some reason, Natsuki's voice trailed off. Oscar glanced at her in confusion, shocked to see that now Natsuki's cheeks were heating up.

"A-anyway, it's great that we'll be able to spend the festival together," finished Natsuki, apparently unable to bring herself to say anything more.

Oscar felt an uneasy lump form in his throat, upon seeing the teasing smile that formed over his aunt's face. "Well well...it seems you've taken quite a liking to my boy, Natsuki. Be sure to treat him well."

"I will," promised Natsuki.

Oscar flinched as Emalee's eyes went back to him. "And you, Oscar, make sure you think things through, when it comes to what happens afterwards."

"Uh...Yeah..." said Oscar, confused. What does she mean by that?

For some reason, his uncertainty merely seemed to amuse Emalee. "Now then...what have you four all been doing for the past week. I want to hear the details."

"We'd be happy to tell you," said Miyu.

For the next hour, they laid out the details of the time they'd spent practicing and training for their match, their explanations fascinating the woman on the other end of the line. For his part, Oscar felt a strange sense of satisfaction, the feeling that, even though he'd actually spent very little time at the festival itself, his time here in Vale was being well-spent.