kobblublu | Call Me Out!

[ She shakes her head. ]

I didn't see you at the tournament either. It was just FNKI and... Penny's team.

[ Weiss honestly didn't care much for Penny, but Ruby had- and she still hadn't wanted to see what had. ]

You never were the type to show off though. It'd be strange to see you in a tournament.

[oh yes, team FNKI.... and penny. penny truly was a tragedy, and everyone had watched that unfold on the big screen.

ishida shook his head slightly.]

No- you couldn't catch me in a tournament. Unless... our team somehow managed to make it to the tournament. Then it would most likely be me and Kurosaki, just like it was you and... Yang? Right?

[right.] You fought really well.

[ She nods. Don't dwell on Penny, don't think about Pyrrha. Uryuu has been great about talking about things without really.. forcing her to do anything. She mourns enough as it is. ]

I've improved since then too, though not being able to practice properly.. I may be a little rusty.

[ishida really isn't someone that pries, or even forces conversation. he is much too closed off himself to really want to even open up at all, much less make someone else open up.]

You could always practice off of me, you know. I bet your father may not like it but it would be better than nothing.

I suppose it won't hurt to stretch a little.

[ She doesn't think he means right now though, after all. ]

[no no, of course not right now.]

Whenever you want to- I'll be ready. I will warn you though, I'm an archer. Can you handle that?

[ She gives him the weirdest 'are you serious' look. ]

Even if I'm not, I'm not planning on only fighting you once. I'm a huntress no matter what my father says- if I lose, I'll adapt and become stronger.

[hm. well when they would fight it would definitely be interesting. ishida pushed up his glasses as he answered her.]

Just don't try and torch me like you did to-... Flynt? Yeah. [where she got scorched instead.]

It's a one-on-one fight, that wouldn't serve any purpose. I'm not an idiot.

[ It's not like she did it just because Flynt was her opponent- she did it because it would give Yang the advantage. ]

Hmm... though you know, I do have the upper-hand here. I know your moves and you haven't a clue about mine.

[total disadvantage.]

Good. [ Her voice gets a little quieter, but she's serious. ] That's how our enemies are. If I can't adapt to that then it doesn't matter.

[...ah. so she was thinking back to what happened again, was she? of course she should be, if he had been involved at all he would be going insane right about now. nothing was settled, everything was an absolute mess- and now she was stuck here in this place with her family. a family she didn't even want to be apart of.

he knew how that felt, he really did.]

Don't worry- you'll adapt. From what I've seen you're especially good at using your head to get any sort of advantage. You're strong, Weiss.

[ Being strong wasn't enough to reach Pyrrha in time. She doesn't know what they could've done- given her a moment's distraction so that Pyrrha could escape, or even just have been able to move out of a fatal position so one of them could drag her off like Blake had to Weiss on the train or Yang after she lost her arm. But from what she could see from the ground, those few seconds when Ruby seemed to stand still before the flash, she knew that it had to be seconds. Ruby had to have watched it happen, and even if it was none of their fault, she can't help but think if she doesn't try better next time, it'll only end with the same result and she'll lose another one of her close friends. ]

I need to be more than strong, Uryuu. I.. survived that day. I protected as many people as I could, and I fought side by side with my friends, but none of what any of us had was enough. Being strong isn't enough.

[ She pauses for a brief moment. ]

Cinder- the woman whose voice went over the broadcast.. she's an archer too. I think she's the same woman Ruby fought at the CCT, and there were arrows at-- Where I found Ruby and Pyrrha's armor.

[ Weiss would've been the first one up there after the flash. She wouldn't have left Ruby alone after something like that, even if she was alone and terrified. You don't leave your teammates alone, and she shouldn't have let her go up there on her own even if they thought it would be faster. It wasn't fast enough. There's a look in her eyes like she's trying to bury everything deep again. She can't show weakness in this house, and it won't solve anything, and she hasn't seen Ishida in so long, it wasn't her place to depend on him. Deep breath. Weiss steeled herself and looked into his eyes. They certainly weren't as bright as they once were. ]

Don't hold back short of a kill shot with me.

[she was right and he should have really understood that from the beginning. she didn't just fight for her school, she was fighting for her life and for the lives of those around her. so many people were injured, were killed, and many of them had been close to weiss- he was sure of it. yes, if it had been him he would be feeling the exact same, he would want to train day and night and be ready for when the attacker struck again.

that woman, cinder, she would pay for what she had done to weiss and to vale.

he didn't realize that he held such power as well, that he could very well be the key to all of this. if weiss trained against him, an archer, then she would be able to know how to deflect proper attacks- she would have the biggest advantage over everyone else. she could fight, she could win, he was certain of it.

it pained him to see her like this, however. she was always so... stubborn, like a wall- but now it felt like she had crumbled and wanted nothing more than to be put back together again. he could help her- and he definitely would try and mend her the best he could. he just wanted to see her happy, nothing more and nothing less.

what should he even say to her? "You fought so well though" "Don't worry, you have me at your side" "I know you'll beat her eventually"

he could say so many things- but he was certain they wouldn't be enough. she didn't need to hear how tough she was, she just needed to focus on the present.]

....Alright, I promise I won't hold back.

[ishida took another step towards her. say something to reassure her, idiot, something that would make her feel....]

You're not alone. You'll never be alone while I'm here. [...less lonely.]

[ Of everything he could've said, those two sentiments were the ones that Weiss appreciated the most. She nodded firmly at the first one, though her eyes quickly turned to a questioning expression as he stepped closer. Her lips moved to form his name, but he spoke before she could ask.

She wasn't alone. Weiss held her breath, something clearly changing in her expression. She'd felt alone since she got home. She'd felt alone since she'd stepped on that plane. And here was someone saying they'll be there for her, so she won't have to be. And this time she actually had the courage to disobey her father and take it. She didn't care if he was part of the staff- he was her friend. She'd embrace that, whether her father wanted her to or not. ]

Thank you. I-

[ The briefest of moments passed before Weiss stepped forward, gave him a very quick hug before backing up and tilting her chin up. ]

No one will believe you if you tell them i did that.

[well he certainly hadn't been expecting that. he had just chosen to say what he figured would cheer her up the most- and while he had been right, what he hadn't been expecting was for her to suddenly give him a hug after what he had said. even though they had known each other for a while now- he hadn't thought weiss had found him to be that good of a friend. he should have known better though, really, since he had always thought of her as someone extremely close to him.

ishida froze when she hugged him, his arms raised up a little like he didn't know how to react properly, really. he just stared down at her as she moved away from him. she was right, though no one would really believe him if he said she gave him a hug. not like he was about to spread it around or anything.]

Wha-... I... [pull yourself together man!!] Who would I even tell?

[since he really doesn't talk to anyone else....]

[ The second she'd stepped onto that plane, she'd expected not to have anyone. She'd expected those who she had thought of as part of her life before to have either moved on or felt as though she abandoned them, much like she had all of her life in Atlas in favor of becoming someone she thought she could be proud of. It's only natural for her to get a little emotional when the one person she had felt closest to back then still didn't want to leave her now. ]

I don't know. You have a team, don't you?

[ Don't you have any friends Ishida, seriously.. ]

[....hm, true, he does have a team- but he doesn't really contact them much.]

I only really talk to them about matters involving the team itself. Or when Inoue tries to give me leftover bread from her part-time job...

[yeah ishida has a real interesting life.]

I'm very tight lipped.

[ Uryuu, you need to bond with your team some more. Even Weiss managed that much. ]

Wouldn't she get in trouble for stealing bread? I thought most places sent their leftovers to charity.

[ Like you can talk miss food fight.. ] I appreciate it.

Stealing? Ah, no, it isn't stealing. I think they let her take any leftovers because of her situation at home. It is like a charity, in a sense.

[she is a poor person okok but he won't say that to weiss.]

Perhaps you shouldn't be taking them then.

[ Uryuu stop stealing charity. ]

I don't! I said she tries to give me some bread too!! I wouldn't steal from her either!!

[HE IS NO CRIMINAL!!!]

[ Are you sure?? Weiss is ready to judge.

..But she seems to decide she believes him. ]

How did you manage to live in the same room with three other people and claim you're not that close to them?

[ Listen she knows things she never wanted to know about all three of them. ]

[....okayyyyy.... well... er....

so maybe they are close to him, big deal, but it's not like they talk to each other very much.]

I mostly listen to them, is all. [but they are his friends, honestly.]

It can take a lot to learn to trust new people.

[ Though.. Weiss perks up a little. ] Do you like them at least?

[ She's going to get him to talk to her. She'll do the listening this time. ]

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