Chapter Sixteen: Restraint

"Do-does that m-m-make me a bad p-person? I-I just… I jus… I just want to be happy..."

It dawned on Pyrrha as she looked at Ruby's shocked face, just exactly what she had said and the sheer magnitude of it.

"I-if they break up, I can have Jaune back. I get that happiness back."

It was a thought that Pyrrha had entertained ever since Jaune and Velvet had gotten together, but it was just that: a thought. There is no harm in thinking about 'what ifs', right? As time passed, Jaune and Velvet started to go on more dates before officially becoming boyfriend and girlfriend. The 'what if' situation in Pyrrha's mind became more of an impossibility, slowly fading into the dusty recesses of her mind. That was before today, however.

Today it was no longer a 'what if'; Velvet had put some measure of power to either make or break the relationship in Pyrrha's hands. Truth be told, Pyrrha had no idea if she could really influence Jaune. Especially if he made up his mind… That didn't change the fact that Pyrrha had promised to speak to Jaune for Velvet. She had given her word. So why am I so willing to break it?

The answer was simple: Pyrrha wanted what she had back then. While she enjoyed the friendship she had built with Ruby in the absence of Jaune, she still wanted Jaune back to how he was when he hadn't been dating Velvet. More than that, she wanted Jaune as a significant other. The grass is always greener on the other side, as they say.

Does that make me a bad person? Pyrrha knew the answer immediately: Yes. Yes it does if I'm willing to break up Jaune and Velvet for it… and I told Ruby. If Pyrrha had kept the thought to herself, it wouldn't have been so bad – Ruby would never have known about this inner ugliness. The fact that Pyrrha had just told Ruby her wish, made her feel rotten. Ruby must think I'm the worst, and why wouldn't she? I just said I'd break up two people so I could be happy.

Drip.

The sound broke Pyrrha from her thoughts. When did everything get so blurry? Pyrrha went to rub the misty quality enveloping her eyes only for the blurring effect to return. Oh. I'm crying aren't I?

Through the tears, Pyrrha couldn't even properly see Ruby, how she was reacting to what had been said. Not that it matters. She probably thinks I'm horrible. Pyrrha's thoughts continued plummeting into negativity. Now I don't even have Ruby.

As a quiet sob wracked Pyrrha as she bent over the table. Now I'm alone again, and it's all my fault. The phrase stuck in her head on a permanent loop. It's all my fault. I don't deserve to be happy. It was all a fever-dream; all I am is the Invincible Girl, a champion without peers. Without friends. Without anyone to care for. And it's all my fault. The surroundings started to fade from her awareness – sounds became muffled, the room became monotone in colour - as Pyrrha became more and more trapped in her own thoughts.

He was first person to show me any kindness in a long time, and how do I choose to return the favor? I try and betray his trust. Was I even trying to help him because I wanted to, or just because I was lonely? Pyrrha gave a low, bitter laugh. The only other person who has even treated me nicely and what do I do? I tell her that I want to break my partner's heart.

It all boiled down to a singular thing, a conclusion that made perfect sense to Pyrrha:

I am the worst.

I don't deserve friends, I don't deserve Ruby or Jaune or even Velvet's trust. I don't deserve to be happy. The only thing I deserve to be, is alone.

"I-I don't think you are a bad person."

Ruby's voice pulled Pyrrha out of her mental muck. Pyrrha focused on the blurry figure as much as she could. "I-I… um…" Ruby's voice was trembling as she tried to come up with words. Who could blame her, I dumped a lot on to her. "I don't know what Jaune is to you… but to me, he's my friend."

What little hope Pyrrha had in their friendship started to evaporate; she is Jaune's friend first and foremost, isn't she? "I've been known Jaune since the airship ride here for initiation; he's always been a good friend to me. We even became team leaders together, somehow." Ruby shook her head at the thought, a small smile on her face. "Sure, there have been some ups and downs, but he's always there, y'know?"

Ruby paused as she got momentarily lost in thought. "I think… I think you are more scared about being alone than anything else." Ruby sounded confident in her statement causing Pyrrha to pause and listen. "Just because Jaune is with someone, I don't think he's going to abandon you. He might not have as much time to spend with you or me because he has Velvet, but that doesn't mean he isn't part of your life.

A strange smile appeared on her face. "I… I actually envied you a little," Ruby shyly admitted. "Whenever we used to hang out, he always mentioned how awesome you were." Pyrrha felt heat rising in her cheeks at Ruby's words. "When we started to hang out, I found out he wasn't wrong; you are awesome." Even through the slowly abating tears, Pyrrha could see Ruby's face get red.

That still doesn't answer the question… Pyrrha's thoughts wouldn't let her escape it. "How could I not be a bad person when I want to break up Jaune and Velvet, so I can be happy?"

Ruby seemed to deflate a bit. "Everyone has their own low points. Just because you think about something doesn't mean you're bad. At least you didn't act on it." Ruby paused, uncertain before going on. "Not like Yang did."

"I…" Words failed her. Pyrrha never imagined that Ruby would think anything but the best of her sister. I thought they were really close.

"Yang isn't my full sister." Ruby sighed at the thought. "She's my half-sister." In a small part of Pyrrha's mind, something clicked; so that's why they have different last names. "Ever since we were little, Yang has been wondering about her."

"One time, Yang decided that it was time to search for her herself. She put me in a little wagon and took me with her on her journey." Ruby's eyes glazed over in memory. "She must have walked for hours before the Grimm came. If Uncle Qrow hadn't rescued us, we would have died…"

"I know I could blame Yang or think she is some kind of bad person for doing something so stupid, after all, she nearly got us killed…" Ruby's arms started to hug herself as she continued. "But Yang was just scared. She made a stupid choice because she was scared, not because she was a bad perso-"

"What has that got to do with this?!" Pyrrha could see Ruby flinch at the venomous tone as she lashed out. Frustration leeched into her words. "You heard what I said – there is no way I'm a good person. You should just leave me like Jaune did." Pyrrha noticed Ruby cringing at her words, causing her to hold her head in shame at her outburst. A silence ensued.

"Just because you think something stupid, doesn't mean you are a bad person." Ruby's voice penetrated the quiet. "Yeah, Yang screwed up, but we're still here, and I still love her. She was just scared. A-a-and you are too." Ruby's voice wavered as she continued. "Scared of being alone." Pyrrha couldn't deny that as she sat in her seat.

"Jaune didn't abandon you and he won't." Pyrrha didn't look up as Ruby continued. "I won't abandon you." Ruby's conviction grabbed Pyrrha's attention, sharp silver eyes staring into misty emerald ones.

"You're my best friend after all."

Ruby's face became blurry again to Pyrrha as fresh tears coated her vision once more. "…even after all I said?" she asked meekly with a voice so small it almost wasn't even there.

"Yup!" Ruby nodded enthusiastically before flashing Pyrrha a warm smile. "I told you that I'd be there for when you needed to talk to someone, remember?" Dimly, Pyrrha remembered Ruby mentioning that as the importance of what Ruby said sunk in.

Ruby was still her friend. Ruby wasn't going to push her away for what she had said, for wondering just how green that grass was on the other side. Ruby still considered Pyrrha her friend, but not just any friend - her best friend. A best friend? The words seemed foreign in Pyrrha's mind. It evoked memories of the time before the tournaments, back in her early days at Sanctum. Back when she was still an unknown, when she was still considered normal. Back when she still had friends.

Ruby Rose considers me to be her best friend? It added to the emotional mess that she was feeling, but in a more positive way. A positive feeling of happiness floating in a myriad of fears of isolation – of loneliness. She finally had some level of acceptance, not at a casual level of a classmate or an acquaintance, but something greater, greater than even the vaulted position of 'friend' in Pyrrha's mind.

It was a feeling that Pyrrha craved and Ruby had just provided. Pyrrha did the only thing she could think of to do:

She pulled Ruby into a tight hug.

"T-t-thank you."

After a moment, Pyrrha pulled away from Ruby. "I know what I need to do."

It wasn't hard to find Jaune.

In all fairness, Pyrrha knew exactly where he would be, especially considering they were partners and lived in the same dorm room.

"Hey, Pyrrha." Jaune waved as Pyrrha walked into the room, leaning back on his chair. She saw piles of notes sprawled out on his desk. "I think I might actually be ready for this exam!"

"That's good to hear." Pyrrha gave him a tight smile. "You've really been studying a lot lately." Pyrrha took a seat on her bed as Jaune leaned forward and returned to the pile of notes in front of him. How do I broach this? Pyrrha had been trying to figure it out for the entirety of the day, it'd been gnawing at her during the walk to her own room. I suppose the most direct approach is the best. "Hey Jaune, can I ask you a question?"

"Hm?" Jaune leaned back in his chair until he was looking at Pyrrha upside down, a slightly goofy smile plastered on his face. "What's up?"

Taking a deep breath, Pyrrha spoke. "How have you and Velvet been doing?"

The careful balance that had been maintained as Jaune leaned back was shattered, causing him to fall backwards. He flailed about, trying to grab onto something to stop his descent. Pyrrha tried to stop him from falling but couldn't cover the distance fast enough as Jaune landed on his ass. "Ow…"

"I'm sorry!" Pyrrha helped the blonde boy back up gently. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah-h, I'm okay." Jaune shakily came to his feet. "S-see? Good as new." There was a slight warble to his voice as he got back into his chair, turning around back to his desk. "Well, I need to get back to studying now. It's been nice talking with you Pyrrha." From Pyrrha's vantage point, she could see Jaune furiously scribbling away at some paper. As in actually unintelligible scribbles.

"Jaune?" Pyrrha raised a single eyebrow at the hunched over form of her partner. Taking a step forward, she put a hand on his shoulder, the boy jumping in his seat at the touch. "Is everything okay with you and Velvet?"

"I… uh…" Jaune's hand stopped its movements as his chair slowly swiveled to face Pyrrha, his eyes downcast. "I don't think it's gonna work out between us."

It looks like Velvet wasn't wrong. Still, I should see why it's the case. Pyrrha walked back a few paces before sitting down on the nearest bed. "What went wrong?" Jaune merely groaned before his elbows rested on his knees, upturned palms supporting his chin. "Did you two have a fight…?" Jaune shook his head, Pyrrha's mouth scrunched up into a frown. "Why won't it work out then?"

"Well…" Jaune's posture stooped lower. "I think she's gonna dump me?"

"Huh?"

Jaune gave Pyrrha a forlorn look as he repeated himself. "Yeah… it kinda surprised me, too."

That… that doesn't make any sense; Velvet said Jaune was avoiding her, so I would have thought that he was going to dump her? "Why do you think that?" Pyrrha kept her voice level as she addressed the distressing teen. "I thought Velvet was very interested in you…"

"That's what I thought too!" Jaune's head stayed anchored to his hands as he mumbled. "I mean, I think she was into me – I know I was into her - maybe I was just wrong? Or maybe I did something wrong?" His eyes panned up until they looked at Pyrrha, misty. "When a girl stops talking to you, that's bad right?"

"Stops talking to you?" Pyrrha's confusion only grew. I thought Jaune was avoiding Velvet, not the other way around. "What do you mean, Jaune?"

"Well… like…" Jaune struggled with words. "For the last… few weeks – I think – Velvet keeps stopping herself in mid-sentence." The boy sighed as his posture drooped further. "It's like she had something on her mind that she was too afraid to say…"

"That's funny, Velvet was telling me the same thing about you a few hours ago."

Jaune's head finally left its anchor, blue eyes holding a glimmer of hope in them as his mouth numbly moved. "W-what did she say?" He wilted almost as soon as the words left his mouth. "I-i-is she doing okay?" Jaune asked hesitantly, melancholy seeping into his tone.

"Not particularly since you started to avoid her. Jaune, Velvet was curious as to why you were avoiding her." Pyrrha pinched the bridge of her nose as she sighed. "I don't think she wants to break up with you. Quite the opposite in fact." Looking Jaune square in the eyes, Pyrrha continued. "She thinks you are breaking up with her since you've been avoiding her for a while."

"Weird." Jaune gave a self-depreciative chuckle as he looked down at the ground. "Maybe that's what she wants for us."

Pyrrha had enough.

Emotions, bottled up from semesters of having to deal with this… this boy had broken the metaphorical bottle. The anger, the loneliness that came from having to deal with Jaune, the sheer amount of time wasted on his blond ass, who was so focused on his little damn world that he didn't realize how he affected people; how he hurt them.

How he had hurt Pyrrha, as unintentional as it was. How he was causing Velvet such anguish as well. Yet he didn't even realize what he'd made them suffer through?

Something within Pyrrha snapped.

SMACK!

Jaune went flying from his chair, landing roughly on the ground, a large red handprint on his face.

He looked like a hurt puppy, like when a dog runs into a glass door and doesn't know what had hit him. The look of someone not knowing why their partner just slapped them off their chair. Pyrrha idly noted that about thirty seconds ago, she'd be helping him up. Not now. "W-w-what was that for?!"

Whatever sense of politeness Pyrrha was feeling left her as her mouth opened. "How dare you!" She didn't even give him a chance to speak as she strode over, her emerald eyes staring daggers at him. "No, what the hell is wrong with you?!"

SMACK!

It felt liberating to hit him. A small, remote part of Pyrrha's mind knew that violence was wrong. Pyrrha was done listening to that voice, that restraint.

"Do you know why Velvet came to me today? Do you?!"

"T-t-t-to sa-a-ay that… um" Jaune's eyes nervously darted around as if there was a right answer to the question. "S-s-he's du-u-umping me-"

SMACK!

There was no part of her that felt sympathy for Jaune as a matching handprint branded Jaune's other cheek.

"W-w-h-hy a-a-are y-"

"Velvet was in tears."

Jaune's words died in his throat. "Huh?"

Pyrrha took a step back before plopping down on a bed. Her anger was simmering down still but ever-present, seeping into her words. "Velvet was in tears because she thought you - you! - were going to break up with her." Pyrrha glanced at Jaune, seeing the gears turn in his head as he stared, dumbfounded. "She's worried sick that you are going to dump her because you keep avoiding her, and because she can't find you or talk to you, it's been wreaking havoc with her mind."

"R-r-really?" It took a herculean effort to resist moving from her spot as she watched the blonde process the information. "But… but that means…"

"Yes, Velvet doesn't want to break up with you." The hard edge in Pyrrha's tone softened as she shook her head. "She really does like you. Why else would she ask me for help?"

It finally clicked in Jaune's head, his blue eyes widening at the realization that he, he was the one who was screwing up. Pyrrha watched him scramble to his feet and head towards the door.

"I-I-I need to find her!"

"I… uh… I screwed up."

No shit, genius, Pyrrha thought as she watched the Jaune admit his blunder.

Pyrrha kept a respectable distance from the pair. To be completely truthful, Pyrrha felt more than a bit awkward even being near them – I've already done my part, I don't need to be here – but had decided she might as well see it through.

At the present, all Pyrrha could see was a sheepish Jaune talking to Velvet. Velvet… looked like she had seen better days. She was barely holding herself together - if Jaune screws up, it's going to be like the library all over again. Pyrrha really didn't want to see the Faunus reduced to tears again.

"I thought… well you…" Jaune glanced towards Pyrrha in a silent plea for help before turning back to Velvet. "You were acting… different. Not the bad kind of different!" Jaune held up his hands in distress. "Just more… um, quiet? I thought I'd messed up something and you were mad." Jaune's eyes started to travel down, as if he couldn't face Velvet. "I really wasn't sure what was going on."

Velvet was looking increasingly less distraught and more confused as Jaune continued. I would be, too, if I was in her shoes. The faunus's eyes darted between Pyrrha and Jaune, asking an unspoken question; what was going on?

"I tried to act like nothing was wrong, y'know?" Jaune's voice drew Velvet's attention back to him as he looked back up at her, "But it just kept feeling weirder, like there was something you wanted to tell me but wouldn't… I thought maybe you didn't want to be around me, so I figured that maybe I should give you some space. But…" Velvet's expression changed as it started to click in her head about what Jaune was talking about. "Well… that didn't really help I guess…" Jaune's head hung in shame. "I just thought you didn't like me anymore."

Velvet stared blankly at him. "Jaune, I-I didn't want space…" Jaune's head came up and he stared uncertainly at his girlfriend, waiting for her to say something. Anything. Yet as seconds dragged on for Pyrrha, the faunus remained silent and still.

Jaune, meanwhile was fidgeting, not dealing well with the rather prolonged quiet. "Erm… you're being quiet again."

"H-huh?" Velvet sounded surprised at the comment. "I guess I-I am."

"So… are you breaking up with me?"

It took a moment to sink in, for Velvet's eyes to widen as she held her hands up. "What?! Why would I want that!? Jaune, I love you!"

A very pregnant silence ensued as Pyrrha processed what Velvet had said. She loves him? Wait a moment… was that why she had been acting awkward? It made sense to Pyrrha from what little she knew about Velvet - I would have trouble telling someone I loved them, too.

"I-I-I-I um, you don't…" Velvet's flustered voice tried to find words, yet failed miserably. "I mean, uh… I really lik-"

"I love you, too."

Both teens now had matching blushes as they looked at each other. "I… I was really scared when you started to act different because I didn't want you to go." Jaune gave her a smile. "So I love you too."

"I wanted to say it." Velvet mumbled as she smiled for the first time, relief clear in her voice. "I just… I just couldn't bring m-myself to do it. I couldn't work up the courage a-a-and when you started to avoid me, I didn't know what to do…" Tears started to roll down Velvet's cheek, "I… really t-t-thought you were gone…"

Instead of responding with words, Jaune closed the distance between the two and pulled Velvet into a hug, Velvet latching onto him in return while standing on her toes to kiss him in one fluid, familiar motion.

It was at this point that Pyrrha decided that her presence was not needed. My job is done, they are back together, and I believe that's my cue to leave! Her heels clacked rapidly as Pyrrha left the corridor, leaving the two to their reunion in privacy.

"Hey, wait!"

Jaune's voice stopped her, and Pyrrha turned around towards him. He was still holding Velvet, but the girl was whispering something in his ear as he nodded along. Reluctantly, the two let go of each other before Jaune jogged over to Pyrrha. Velvet followed closely behind, her hand clasped together with his.

"Thank you." The two of them smiled at Pyrrha as Jaune talked. "You really saved us… I-I would have screwed us up big time…We owe you big time."

"It was nothing!" Pyrrha gave a weak wave of her hand. It was the opposite of nothing, but you don't need to know that. "It wouldn't do for one mistake to end what you two have." Pyrrha put a hand on Jaune's shoulder as she gave a shaky smile. "No harm done, partner."

Pyrrha flinched as she found herself pulled into a hug. "You're the best, Pyrrha." Whatever response she had died in her mouth as she accepted the hug. Velvet stepped up to Pyrrha with her arms half opened, trying to decide if it was okay to hug the girl. Pyrrha gave her a smile and a nod, so the Faunus joined in and made it a group hug.

"T-thank you," Velvet mumbled, barely audible to Pyrrha. "Thank you so much." The tone of Velvet was so far removed from the uncertain, shaky one she had earlier that it was almost unsettling.

Eventually Pyrrha was released from the hug, the two taking a step back from her. "I'm really lucky that you're my partner Pyrrha. You're greatest partner… no," - Jaune corrected himself - "friend, anyone could ask for."

There was no hesitation or tremble to his voice, nothing that would show him as saying anything but the truth. He truly thinks nothing else of me, doesn't he?

We're friends and nothing more.

It almost hurt Pyrrha to admit it as she watched the two walk away, but it was the truth. She was Jaune's friend, and that was that. I guess that's it then, huh?

It felt weird to think about it that way, but it also felt… better. Like she was no longer being held down by the what-ifs anymore. It felt like a knot in Pyrrha's chest finally started to loosen as Jaune and Velvet disappeared around a corner. That knot had been tightening for longer than Pyrrha cared to remember. It felt... invigorating. It wasn't all the way gone, but it felt like it was easier to breathe. It was a start.

I suppose I should get back to studying now. Pyrrha glanced at her scroll. Time had slipped away from her over the course of the day. Perhaps dinner while studying would be far more apt, now that I think abou- "Ooph!"

Pyrrha felt small arms close around her midsection as something warm pressed up against her back. An oddly familiar sensation. A smile started to creep onto Pyrrha's face.

"Hello Ruby."

"Aww." Pyrrha could practically hear the pouting in the younger girl's tone as the warmth pulled away. "How'd you know it was me?"

Pyrrha turned around, giving Ruby a look. "Only you or Nora would do that, and since you were actually trying to be quiet, well, let's say it narrowed it down a bit."

"Oh." Ruby fidgeted with her fingers. "So um… did it work out?" Ruby blurted out awkwardly. "With Jaune, n'stuff?"

"Yeah." Pyrrha looked back at where the two had left. "It got figured out… they're still together. Stronger than before even." Her tone became distant. "I think they will be together for a long while still."

"That's good." Ruby's voice was nervous. "A-are you going to be okay with it?"

Pyrrha looked back to Ruby; she was playing with the hem of a sleeve, worry was all but pouring off from her, is she worried about me? It made Pyrrha feel… special that the girl was worrying about her.

"I think so. I hope so." Pyrrha shook her head, the long red ponytail swishing behind her. "Jaune and Velvet are happy, and I won't get in their way. That'd be selfish." She gave a long sigh. "Plus, Jaune thinks of me as a friend and a friend only. So I suppose that's what we are." Pyrrha gave a feeble smile. "Friends."

"But he is still you're friend!" Ruby pointed out. "Plus you have me! See, you aren't alone!"

"I suppose I'm not." Pyrrha gave a small chuckle before pulling the smaller girl into a gentle hug, Ruby gladly accepting it. "I do have you."

Grumble

"Whaaaaaaaa what was that?!" The loud noise startled Ruby and made her flail about, backpedaling.

"I… may have skipped lunch," Pyrrha sheepishly admitted to Ruby's horror.

"We need to get you to the cafeteria!" Wasting no time, Ruby grabbed Pyrrha's hand, and sped off, nearly dragging the girl as a whirlwind of rose petals follow the two.

Who knows, Pyrrha thought as Ruby led her by the hand off to the cafeteria at break-neck speeds, maybe I'll find someone who wants to be with me.

After all, nothing's holding me back anymore.

Editor: ASouthernRussian

AU: I'VE DONE IT!

NO MORE WHAT-IFS, NO MORE WRITING JAUNE DIALOGUE (at least for a while), THE MOST HATED BANE OF MY EXISTENCE!

Jaune's dialogue is a plague upon my house, because I am beyond rubbish at writing it.

Okay, I was able to deliver, right as promised, chapter sixteen. I have a couple of things to address here, however I have three things that are very important that need to be addressed first;

1. I am uncertain if I will be able to get out a new chapter on the first Friday of December. I'd like to say I will, but I'm about to get stupidly busy in real-life, so I'm not going to make any promises. I will try, but if I don't expect a chapter in mid-December or in January to be completely honest. I am really sorry about this! X_X

2. This is a big milestone in the story. Acceptance has grown far more than I thought it was going to. The style has changed greatly as well as the length and scale of the project. What do you, the readers think? What have you not liked about these sixteen chapters? What have you liked? What would you like more of? While I may not be writing, I will be outlining, and I would like to know your thoughts! I know what I think, but I have a different view considering I'm the bloke writing this! Tell me what you think, and I'll try and see if I can make it even better! :D

3. I… I really don't want to do this. I know you guys get excited about Acceptance, and I'm excited too! But sometimes… it goes over the line. I'm only going to say this once.

PLEASE STOP THREATENING ME TO WRITE FASTER, IT WON'T WORK!

I don't like being threatened, and normally I would ignore it, if it wasn't the fact that it keeps happening! I can get having a cliff-hanger can be annoying, but if I hadn't done it, I wouldn't have put out a chapter for a quarter of a year since it'd be a massive chapter instead of three, more manageable ones.

You need to understand that I do this for FUN, I am in no way morally obligated to continue this. The threats just make me go slower because I lose motivation.

That is all I am going to say on this matter, on to the other stuff;

I owe a lot to my editor; ASouthernRussian, without him this would have just been complete and utter garbage. Seriously. A round of applause for him! (also he got paid in a Yang shirt and a Vytal Festival Poster, yay!)

Originally this was the only chapter I was certain on a name for, 'Friendship', but Restraint seems more apt. Pyrrha is no longer restrained by Jaune, no longer is the what-if holding her back.

I'd like to point out that Ruby would be best able to communicate how close she is to Pyrrha by calling her, her best friend. It's more than that, but in her head, 'best friend' is the only thing that makes sense for Ruby's feelings. I assure you, this is not a friendship story - okay, there is some - but the point is not them being friends but being in a relationship. I just like my slow burn it'd seem.

Oddly enough the 'There are no strings on me' song popped up in my head towards the end.

If I missed a review reply from last time, I'm really sorry! X_X The last few weeks have been crazy stressed for me, classes, work, writing this, new episodes (squeee!~), and my Threezero Ruby Rose getting here broken! If I missed a response, feel free to tell me! It's not because I don't want to talk, I've just been haywire recently! D:

I was planning on doing another omake, but I just simply ran out of time, so I only have two this time around! I'll have the other one for the next chapter, I swear!

Jaune and Velvet's issue was… odd. I actually didn't figure out what it was until middle of writing last chapter. Honestly they just serve as a catalyst for Pyrrha's development and the subsequent Pyrrha/Ruby stuff. They are the two most insecure characters in a relationship, so its little wonder that this happened to them, yay self-doubt!

As always, thank you for reading, and the extremely kind words (and useful feedback) you dudes and dudettes leave in reviews. Seriously, thank you guys! :D

Thank you for reading and have a great day!

Omake: The Importance of commas

"You are the best, Pyrrha"

Now without a comma…

"You are the best Pyrrha"

One of the many Pyrrhas looked giddy, while the rest were furious at the speaker for picking a favourite.

Omake: Renora

SMACK!

Nora and Ren looked at each other, hiding behind the door, as Pyrrha knocked Jaune off his chair. Time to get out of dodge as the saying goes. Their retreat was made in silence, at least until Nora spoke.

"Welp, looks like Pyrrha has finally snapped. Do you think we can visit Pyrrha when she is in jail or...?"

"I hope so Nora, I hope so."