[ The foyer seems to pinken, brightening like a clear sky touched by the first rays of sunlight. Pyrrha's laughter subsides but her the joy colouring the environment remains; seeing him for the first time in (what feels like) several days, it's easy to get swept up in irrepressible positivity.
Did he say other work? Reminded of something, Pyrrha reaches for his hand, temporarily forgetting that this is the sort of thing she ought not to be doing. ]
[ His gaze drops at their joined hands, he's somehow more hyper-aware of the sensation than she is.
...
He yanks his hand out of hers, but quickly maneuvers in a way that appears natural, standing behind her, hands on her shoulders as he ushers her to lead the way. Go, FRIEND!! ]
[ Noticing the change up, Pyrrha wisely declines to comment on it, deciding it's probably for the best. Four days of missing him may have clouded her sensibilities. ]
Of course. It's not a far walk, but I'll tell you if you're getting warmer or colder.
[ Is he going to keep his hands on her shoulders all the way up the stairs? Because zero complaints. ]
[ Of course he isn't going to keep his hands on her!! Gosh, climbing the stairs is already difficult with her directly in front of him. Jaune keeps his wandering eyes elsewhere, like the best friend he vowed to be. ]
...Did... did you get a pet lizard?
[ Let's start with the wild guess out of nowhere. ]
[ That's the sort of thing she'd be excited to show off to Nora, not something she'd waste Jaune's time with! But, as that can be construed as equipment-based, she answers, ]
[ She turns the knob and the door opens. Creaking, of course, because why kind of steampunk house door would it be if it didn't creak a little? Pyrrha isn't sure if Jaune has even been in her and Nora's room before - if he has, it wasn't because of her inviting him. The differences between Nora's side and Pyrrha's side are fairly blatant, although Nora's isn't quite the hurricane zone one might expect.
Quickly, Pyrrha leaves Jaune in the doorway and steps past her bed, picking up something and revealing it to him with a bit of a flourish.
There are considerable scratches in the wood and a slight fold in the metal of the tip, but - look! A weapon! Despite it failing to live up to Milo's standards in every possible way, she looks pretty happy. ]
Nora and I went shopping while you were away. [ And this is what Pyrrha bought, instead of new boots. ] What do you think?
[ It's definitely not the Milo that Pyrrha talked about reforging, but he's still pleased to see it nonetheless. It means his partner will be out there and fighting alongside him sooner than he thought. ]
Well? Knowing you, you could turn a paperclip into a deadly weapon, so you'll definitely kick some monster butt with this thing, heh. May I...?
Pyrrha, however, is filled only with fondness at seeing his blatant act of property destruction and most likely unsafe weapon usage - after all, she is a RWBY character, and they're all crazy as a bag of hornets. There's also the fact that she's always had a weakness for Jaune. When he does things like this, she does not singularly react as she should.
So, here they are. With a hole in the wall and her brand new javelin protruding out of it. Some little bits of drywall fall into Nora's comforter.
Walking over, Pyrrha wraps a hand around the shaft of her weapon and pulls it out in one smooth, firm yank. She makes it look effortless, largely because it was exactly that. The wood is somewhat old, yes, but how useful would a weapon be if she couldn't unearth it from various surfaces at a moment's notice? ]
Uh.
[ She's worried about the hole in the wall, now. ]
Can you help me move Nora's dresser? I think we can cover it up.
[ She shifts a bit. It puts her even closer to him as he moves toward, but it's not actually for the sake of proximity. She doesn't want to let him near that hole now. ]
... You don't hammer a hole in drywall. You plaster it back up.
Fortunately, it wouldn't have taken both of them to move the dresser in the long run - she just hadn't wanted to leave him out of the process. It's metal, though, so with a wave of her hand, it slides across the carpet and sets up against the hole.
You know what. Let's move on. She holds up her javelin again. ]
That was a pretty good throw, actually. Want to help me break this in?
[ At the offer, he just laughs kindly. ] C'mon, will you at least let me rest up so I can go at full strength?
[ he just got back two seconds ago!! ]
Thanks for not being mad, though... y'know, about the whole leaving thing. I've been wondering if I maybe just overreacted, but... it still feels like it was for the best.
[ Her smile takes a somewhat blander, more forced turn. She's hoping he won't notice. It's harder to keep her shoulders upright as she's so rebuffed, even knowing there's a rational reason for it. ]
Of course. We all need time to ourselves once in a while.
[ Not really. It was Weiss that had the power to drive him away; it's Weiss he's thinking about now. It's hard not to be cognizant of that, to wonder what it means.
Still, she did promise to be a best friend. There's no better place to start than right now. ]
Would you like to talk about what happened? I don't mind.
[ Waiiit until you hear about his camping trip with the other woman, Pyrrha!! ]
It's not worth it. [ He says, as he goes on to talk about it anyway-- ] I think she's so convinced about being alone that she doesn't wanna be wrong. There's nothing I can do for someone like that.
[ Setting the javelin to lean aside, she sits down on her bed. The pat she gives the space beside her is far from suggestive, her expression schooled and furrowed with concern.
Sit. Let's talk. ]
You know, I felt similarly when I was first - brought here. [ Resurrected. ] No one wants to be wrong, Jaune. But... do you think it could be possible your lives took such divergent turns, it's hard for both of you to understand what the other went through?
[ Weiss has always been prickly, proud, utterly sure in her convictions. Pyrrha isn't sure what Jaune hopes to accomplish against that. ]
If you want to convince her she's not alone, then... I think it will take longer than one talk.
[ He sits down beside his partner with ease. She gets it! She's right, but it's something he's known, because this is entirely a case of two people not knowing the other side of the story. ]
I want to understand her, but she gets all cold every time I try. If it's gonna take more than one talk to get through to her, then... well, it shouldn't be me.
[ He's convinced that he'll just make it worse at this point. The difference now is that he's just accepted it for what it is and trusts Weiss to figure things out on her own. Or at least through Ruby if she hopefully comes back (he's been assured that she will!). ]
You can't be everything for everyone. No single person can.
[ Even though he wants to be, for the girl Pyrrha believes he still loves. He'll bash his heart to pieces against ice in the process; it's the last thing she wants for him. Later, she'll think about what's happened, and what will happen, and the fact that Jaune so quickly turned down her offer to spar and then wrecked the lower floor with Weiss - and maybe, just maybe, she won't want to be in this house anymore.
But we're not there yet, are we? In this moment, she focuses on being the friend she promised to be.
With a cheekier tone, lighter without being dismissive or irreverent, she adds, ]
You know, Nora's proven to be quite good at this sort of thing. Maybe she could speak to Weiss.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Did he say other work? Reminded of something, Pyrrha reaches for his hand, temporarily forgetting that this is the sort of thing she ought not to be doing. ]
I have to show you something!
no subject
[ His gaze drops at their joined hands, he's somehow more hyper-aware of the sensation than she is.
...
He yanks his hand out of hers, but quickly maneuvers in a way that appears natural, standing behind her, hands on her shoulders as he ushers her to lead the way. Go, FRIEND!! ]
Shooould I guess what it is?
no subject
Of course. It's not a far walk, but I'll tell you if you're getting warmer or colder.
[ Is he going to keep his hands on her shoulders all the way up the stairs? Because zero complaints. ]
no subject
...Did... did you get a pet lizard?
[ Let's start with the wild guess out of nowhere. ]
no subject
[ She slows down a little bit as they turn down the hall, toward her and Nora's room. He has time for one more guess, perhaps two. ]
Care to try again?
no subject
[ That's something a girl would be excited to show off, right? ]
no subject
Definitely not a cactus. -- Boots are warmer.
[ Oh look, it's her door. ]
no subject
[ ...it's not lingerie, right? Pyrrha Nikos, this is entrapment! ]
Whatever it is, now I'm really curious! I-I think...
no subject
Quickly, Pyrrha leaves Jaune in the doorway and steps past her bed, picking up something and revealing it to him with a bit of a flourish.
There are considerable scratches in the wood and a slight fold in the metal of the tip, but - look! A weapon! Despite it failing to live up to Milo's standards in every possible way, she looks pretty happy. ]
Nora and I went shopping while you were away. [ And this is what Pyrrha bought, instead of new boots. ] What do you think?
no subject
[ It's definitely not the Milo that Pyrrha talked about reforging, but he's still pleased to see it nonetheless. It means his partner will be out there and fighting alongside him sooner than he thought. ]
Well? Knowing you, you could turn a paperclip into a deadly weapon, so you'll definitely kick some monster butt with this thing, heh. May I...?
[ He reaches out, hoping he can try holding it. ]
no subject
While he's examining it, Pyrrha continues, ]
I was thinking we could do some of the missions people are offering money for completion. You, Nora and myself.
no subject
The task board, right? I've been thinking the same, between the three of us we could actually tackle some of the bigger ones. Heh, Team JNP!
[ In his excitement, Jaune hurls the spear and drives it through a wall. (This is not a gag tag.) ]
no subject
Pyrrha, however, is filled only with fondness at seeing his blatant act of property destruction and most likely unsafe weapon usage - after all, she is a RWBY character, and they're all crazy as a bag of hornets. There's also the fact that she's always had a weakness for Jaune. When he does things like this, she does not singularly react as she should.
So, here they are. With a hole in the wall and her brand new javelin protruding out of it. Some little bits of drywall fall into Nora's comforter.
Walking over, Pyrrha wraps a hand around the shaft of her weapon and pulls it out in one smooth, firm yank. She makes it look effortless, largely because it was exactly that. The wood is somewhat old, yes, but how useful would a weapon be if she couldn't unearth it from various surfaces at a moment's notice? ]
Uh.
[ She's worried about the hole in the wall, now. ]
Can you help me move Nora's dresser? I think we can cover it up.
no subject
Uh... I... I can fix that. Just-- just need a hammer and some other... bits.
[ Yep, a hammer is exactly the thing he needs to be holding right now. ]
no subject
[ She shifts a bit. It puts her even closer to him as he moves toward, but it's not actually for the sake of proximity. She doesn't want to let him near that hole now. ]
... You don't hammer a hole in drywall. You plaster it back up.
[ What was he planning to do... ]
no subject
[ Mansplaining really doesn't work when he has no idea what the hell he's talking about either. ]
no subject
Fortunately, it wouldn't have taken both of them to move the dresser in the long run - she just hadn't wanted to leave him out of the process. It's metal, though, so with a wave of her hand, it slides across the carpet and sets up against the hole.
You know what. Let's move on. She holds up her javelin again. ]
That was a pretty good throw, actually. Want to help me break this in?
[ SPARRING :D ]
no subject
[ he just got back two seconds ago!! ]
Thanks for not being mad, though... y'know, about the whole leaving thing. I've been wondering if I maybe just overreacted, but... it still feels like it was for the best.
no subject
[ Her smile takes a somewhat blander, more forced turn. She's hoping he won't notice. It's harder to keep her shoulders upright as she's so rebuffed, even knowing there's a rational reason for it. ]
Of course. We all need time to ourselves once in a while.
no subject
[ If his answer to Pyrrha's question about the heiress wasn't very definitive a few nights ago, then it should definitely be now. ]
no subject
Still, she did promise to be a best friend. There's no better place to start than right now. ]
Would you like to talk about what happened? I don't mind.
no subject
It's not worth it. [ He says, as he goes on to talk about it anyway-- ] I think she's so convinced about being alone that she doesn't wanna be wrong. There's nothing I can do for someone like that.
no subject
Sit. Let's talk. ]
You know, I felt similarly when I was first - brought here. [ Resurrected. ] No one wants to be wrong, Jaune. But... do you think it could be possible your lives took such divergent turns, it's hard for both of you to understand what the other went through?
[ Weiss has always been prickly, proud, utterly sure in her convictions. Pyrrha isn't sure what Jaune hopes to accomplish against that. ]
If you want to convince her she's not alone, then... I think it will take longer than one talk.
no subject
[ He sits down beside his partner with ease. She gets it! She's right, but it's something he's known, because this is entirely a case of two people not knowing the other side of the story. ]
I want to understand her, but she gets all cold every time I try. If it's gonna take more than one talk to get through to her, then... well, it shouldn't be me.
[ He's convinced that he'll just make it worse at this point. The difference now is that he's just accepted it for what it is and trusts Weiss to figure things out on her own. Or at least through Ruby if she hopefully comes back (he's been assured that she will!). ]
no subject
[ Even though he wants to be, for the girl Pyrrha believes he still loves. He'll bash his heart to pieces against ice in the process; it's the last thing she wants for him. Later, she'll think about what's happened, and what will happen, and the fact that Jaune so quickly turned down her offer to spar and then wrecked the lower floor with Weiss - and maybe, just maybe, she won't want to be in this house anymore.
But we're not there yet, are we? In this moment, she focuses on being the friend she promised to be.
With a cheekier tone, lighter without being dismissive or irreverent, she adds, ]
You know, Nora's proven to be quite good at this sort of thing. Maybe she could speak to Weiss.
[ at least the mental image is funny. ]
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)