RWBY Through Worlds

12: Made by Make-Believe

[Have you figured out why the same song is at the beginning of each chapter yet? My guess is half of you don't actually play it, since I often don't.]

The surprise was a huntsmen licensing ceremony.

Ironwood had decided to grant them all their provisional licenses early.

It was a nice gesture--though Shine pointed out to Wally that it also ensured he could have them on his payroll.

"Hey, honey, do you think we could not look at the potential ulterior motives?" Wally asked, while eating some of the provided cake. "I think he was just trying to do something nice. I mean, look at them."

They seemed happy about it, though less excited than they would have been a year ago.

However, Pyrrha was not.

"I really don't think I deserve this," she told Ironwood plainly. "I lack the experience of the others."

"I think the hardships you've endured since the attack at Beacon more than qualify you," Ironwood said.

That hurt.

"Enduring hardships do not make you a huntress," Pyrrha said.

"Come on Pyrrha, this way all of us can be ones at the same time," Nora urged. "Don't be such a Debbie Downer."

"I just feel I have not earned this yet," Pyrrha said.

"How could you not have earned it?" Jaune was incredulous. "More than any of us, you earned it."

"I agree," Ren said.

Pyrrha pursed her lips and shook her head.

"Well, I'm not taking it back," Ironwood seemed to find Pyrrha's self doubt sort of amusing, though he didn't laugh. "I guess you feel like you need to do more work first, feel free to train in your down time, but you could still go on supervised missions even as a student. You were practically qualified even when you started at Beacon. I wouldn't worry about it."

Pyrrha tried to smile and walked away to sit on the bleachers.

Jaune joined her.

"Pyrrha, is something wrong?" He asked. "You just don't seem...as happy about this as I would have thought. Or about anything."

"Oh, I'm happy," Pyrrha said. "Just...not for this...it just feels...I don't know... inconsequential."

"I guess...but still, you earned it," Jaune insisted. "Or...do you not want to be a huntress anymore?"

Pyrrha stared at her hands. "Jaune, have you asked yourself what being a hunstmen means in light of what we now know?" She asked in a low voice.

Jaune looked sober. "Actually yes...but, I think...I mean it could still do some good. At least it's not illegal for us to interfere anymore."

"Somehow, I don't find that incredibly reassuring," Pyrrha said. "I...I'm sorry, I shouldn't be putting a damper on the party. I think I'll just go back to my dorm, rest for a while. I'm tired after our adventure earlier."

She wasn't really that tired from that, it had been light compared to the training she'd done right before Beacon fell--and to her that was where her body still was, she wasn't out of practice like Yang had been or Weiss before leaving their homes.

But she felt mentally exhausted from trying to figure all this out.

Jaune didn't like how much Pyrrha was reminding him of how she acted right before Beacon fell.

It made him feel paranoid.

"Hey, you can at least stay with us," he said. "Even if you don't want to celebrate, I mean, it's like a big deal to the rest of us, right?"