Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction based on multiple existing anime/manga series. The characters and settings used in this story belong to their respective owners and creators, and no copyright infringement is intended. This story is purely for entertainment purposes and is not intended to infringe upon any existing intellectual property. I do not own any of the original works that inspired this fanfiction, and I fully support the original creators and their works.
I'm also exceedingly exceedingly exceedingly rarely chilling in JaxWolf4's (Author of Nah, I'd Adapt and Zenin Days) Discord Server. It's a chaotic lobotomy mess. Not for the faint of heart.
Here's the link:
Disc: HrPrTeam
-Story Start-
Alex's curt answer to Violet's question was met with a curious look from the girl. "Pardon my accusation, but are you perhaps a prude?" Her lips lowered to a contemplative thin line and a tilted head.
Before he could respond, Pyrrha's eyes twitched, and her body language was even louder than any word that could be spoken.
Violet had acknowledged her with a turn of her head, as the two were practically inches away, seated from one another. "I apologize for the discomfort, as you can see, there were no other options where I could adequately face my darling-" Pyrrha's shoulders stiffened, and the crowd enjoying this scene cooed. Violet continued unperturbed. "Standing on the table during lunch would be a rather unpleasant sight, would it not?"
Her smile turned from indulgent to polite, almost professional within an instant, causing Pyrrha to freeze for a moment. "Sincerely, I do mean my apology. I wouldn't dare be so brazen as to offend the Reigning Mistral Champion."
Pyrrha digested that information and nodded sharply, her lips lifting from a frown to a grim line. "I'm not offended personally, but you've made my friend and teammate uncomfortable, coming up so strongly and causing a scene-" She gestured at their fellow diners around them, observing the situation.
Pyrrha's lips parted, and she was about to add something, but not before something strange interrupted her.
Alex could see it, flying in slow motion.
His amber eyes casually followed its trajectory as it was headed in blinding speed towards that very audacious girl.
It wasn't anything dangerous, so he didn't block it.
Besides, shady salesmen and women get what they deserve.
The loud splat of a tomato hitting a shocked Violet, staining her face and clothing, had broken her out of her calm and confident exterior.
Silence reigned for an instant, and he could hear the perpetrator roar aloud.
A valiant war cry.
"FOOD FIGHT!" Ruby roared as, immediately following her roar, Nora had begun to wildly throw food.
It was akin to leaving a lit candle in a room filled with gasoline, as everyone followed suit and began to throw food as well; students, foreign or not, had their clothes stained with lunch.
Normally, Alex's sheep instincts would have led him to follow the crowd, but this was just plain stupid.
As food whooshed through the air, he stood up and grabbed his final plate, guarding it as if his life depended on it, holding it close.
Pyrrha immediately followed his example in leaving, abandoning the stupefied Violet to the spreading chaos.
Alex's sharpened instincts and reflexes allowed him to avoid all projectiles, even those specifically intended to hit him.
He turned around only for an instant to try and figure out who had it out for him for some inexplicable reason.
'Of course it's that guy,' Alex thought with festering irritation, seeing Sun throw bananas and all manner of vegetables at him.
With a rushed step, he managed to safely weave past the dining hall and exit it into a large hallway of Beacon Academy, Pyrrha following close by.
"I didn't quite manage to come out unscathed." She gestured good-naturedly at her calf, having been hit by what appeared to be a muffin.
"What a waste of good food," Alex grumbled like an old man as he was poking his last plate with a fork.
Pyrrha nodded, "Yeah, but I can't help but be grateful to whoever started it." She chuckled in visible relief.
"It was Ruby. Didn't you hear her?"
"It was?"
"Yeah, she also threw that tomato. Then Nora followed up. This is probably that scheme they cooked up that I didn't want in.... hopefully, otherwise there's something else I need to try and avoid."
"Oh... well, I was a bit preoccupied to hear anything in the dining hall." She smiled a bit awkwardly.
"I understand, personal space, right?"
"She was close. Too close...But that's not all of it, to cause a scene like that and to come up so strongly to you, when you clearly-"
Alex interrupted. "She wants something out of me, don't worry, I figured that out. She's being pretty obvious about it." He nodded reassuringly.
Pyrrha smiled warmly, "I've got experience with this. Strangers approaching me trying to get something out of me, using my fame... though never so, so... forwardly." She expressed utter dismay.
She gestured at herself, "In any case, if you need advice about dealing with those kinds of people... I'm here for you."
"It's cause I'm a dude." Alex shrugged, trying to disperse his teammate's perplexion at the forwardness.
"Sorry?" Pyrrha blinked in slight misunderstanding.
Alex finally finished his meal with one final bite, gulping and responding. "She probably thought batting her eyes suggestively and giving me a warm embrace would make me fold."
"I-I don't know how much of that explains it, but... did you?" Pyrrha arched an eyebrow, leaning into the wall and looking deep into his eyes with radiating suspicion.
"You saw, didn't you? Sure, she's pretty good-looking, and I ain't gonna pretend it wasn't pleasant, but I'm not that gullible." He shrugged.
At his answer, he could feel Pyrrha's stare boring into him. "So you did like it," she stated as a simple fact.
Huffing unconcernedly, he casually voiced his opinion. "Sure? Doesn't mean she ain't tryna get something from me."
Pyrrha sighed, considering that. "But what if she was genuinely charmed by you? No strings attached?"
"What are you on about? Didn't you accuse her to her face of being suspicious because she was love-struck by me when we just met?"
Pyrrha shrugged helplessly, "...Love at first sight?" Her tone was clearly dubious.
"Now you're on her side? Look, you don't even believe it yourself." Alex pointed his fork at her with a displeased frown.
"Come on, humor me." Pyrrha snorted lightly, the air around them lightening up.
"Love at first sight. Right, let's go with that." Alex grunted, waving his hand dismissively. "She fell for me because she just wants something out of me. And if she doesn't want anything out of me, then she fell for me because she just wants my body."
He hummed, looking at the ceiling as he contemplated aloud. "Or she fell for me because she wants the feeling of power of sleeping with someone who's known to be strong."
"In any case, it's a bloody scam. For men and women alike." He pointed his fork at her.
...
That had forced a laugh out of Pyrrha. "Pfft, I thought you were cynical when it came to romance. I never knew you were such a true romantic, Alex. I can't help but feel humbled~" Her tone was teasing.
As she giggled wholeheartedly, Alex sighed. "If what I said makes me a 'true romantic', then I guess I am." He agreed with her absentmindedly.
Love.
What a peculiar concept it was; He had always believed genuine love impossible.
Yet, he had been proven wrong.
As he considered that, his left hand unconsciously traced the hilt of Excalibur.
Though they spoke amid quietude, the chaos and racket from inside the dining hall was deafeningly loud.
Which prompted this individual's appearance. "Miss Nikos, what in tarnation is going on in there?!" Glynda's no-nonsense, stern tone and frown made themselves evident.
"Food fight, Professor Goodwitch," Pyrrha answered casually, having broken off her giggle.
"Food waste, Professor Goodwitch," Alex added casually, as he held his empty plate and fork.
Not responding, the professor clicked her tongue, and her heeled steps were concerningly loud as she broke into the dining hall with an air of fury.
"...They're going to be in trouble, aren't they?" Pyrrha wondered with a concerned smile.
"Probably. I'm not helping them clean up the mess."
"What makes you so sure that's the most of it? Though I hope clean up is the only punishment."
Alex shrugged. "Our teams, minus John and me, are practically in detention by not being able to leave Beacon at all, so she can't go beyond that, I guess."
"Hope you're right-" Before she could complete her sentence, the door to the dining hall burst open to showcase two individuals leaving.
A surprising duo of individuals.
"W-Weiss?" Pyrrha stuttered at the sight of her partner; the look of sheer rage in her usually composed expression caused her to freeze.
And that was not all, as Weiss hurriedly passed them by, holding the wrist of a girl with a titanic grip.
That very girl was the very same brazen one that had tried to seduce Alex.
She had a very peculiar expression on her face as she was dragged by Weiss.
It was neither confident nor professional, nor did it carry any of the sly amusement she'd displayed earlier.
In fact, it looked as if she was...
"Sad?" Pyrrha's stupor was exchanged with confusion once more, as her line of thought seemed to align with Alex's for a moment as her head traced their distancing figures across the hall.
"Her sales pitch flopped," Alex confirmed, his own flavor of interpretation included.
The impression had little to do with the food staining their clothes or the juice dripping from their hair. Something in the expression of both girls looked particularly concerning.
Especially Weiss's.
Pyrrha shook her head, her smile settling into a thin, determined line. "I'm-"
"Yeah, go help your partner. Don't wait for me." Alex nodded at her look, gesturing with his fork to head towards the two. "I've gotta return these."
"Mhm, see you later."
His headache detection meter was going haywire, so he knew what awaited Pyrrha in her chase.
Thus, he gave his honest wishes. "Good luck."
Without a word left unsaid, she rushed towards the distancing backs.
Alex hadn't left yet, his immovable amber gaze fixed on her distancing figure.
He would have advised her not to butt-in, this was probably Weiss's own personal business.
He didn't know what connection she and that scammer had, but her emotional state was certainly something unusual, just like yesterday.
For a moment, he couldn't help but feel empathy for his friend not managing to catch a break.
Nevertheless, he didn't stop Pyrrha; she was always better than him at these things, which wasn't much of a compliment.
'I'm trying to have it both ways... why?' He thought to himself with an odd realization.
He felt relieved that Pyrrha had gone ahead and butted into Weiss's business.
Weiss herself had asked, at least from him, to let her handle things; she'd be fine.
He respected that decision; he honestly did.
Even if it would hurt her... hurt her, he'd respect her resolve.
Yet, he hadn't advised Pyrrha not to do the very thing he wouldn't allow himself to do.
What? Was it acceptable simply because someone else had chosen to interfere?
Of course it's fine; it never bothered him.
Why is it bothering him now?
...
He thought about it for only a moment.
The answer was plainly obvious; in hindsight, he just never actually gave it any consideration.
"Ah. It was that simple; that makes sense."
Sighing, he turned around on his heel to head back to the dining hall, Glynda's shouts ever so audible in his ear.
A ping echoed in his mind at that very moment.
A quest, yet another one.
A sub-quest, yet another.
He read it carefully, and once more, it demanded of him to tamper with the lives of others unnecessarily.
Once again, underestimating the people involved.
Once again, threatening bodily harm.
That wasn't enough.
"Leave them alone, for fucks sake." Exhaustion marred his tone as he shook his head and proceeded in his intended path.
[I cannot do that. For your sake.]
To Be Continued!