Fate's Wild Card Ch.19 (Released)

Pryce presses his lips in a thin line, trying to come up with a good excuse, but he simply can't think of one that would work for this mess. Not because he lacks the ability, but because Weiss would immediately call bullshit on anything he tried to pass off as truth, so that's not a viable option. And despite her saying she didn't want things to go public, he has the distinct feeling she'd be petty enough to expose the truth herself just to get back at him if he tried to lie about it.

And he wants to have Pyrrha on his side. Well, she already seems to be on his side since she clearly didn't appreciate Weiss's comments—otherwise she wouldn't have mentioned them. So maybe if he sounds genuinely sorry and regretful, it should be okay. That means he needs to look appropriately remorseful. 

Besides, he can tell that Pyrrha is one of the good ones.

Intentionally, he lets his rabbit ears droop slightly. 

Yeah, that should be enough.

"Pryce?" Pyrrha calls out, concern evident in her voice. "Are you alright? You went quiet there for a moment."

He lets out a tired sigh and rubs the back of his neck. "Weiss is just... angry at me about something that happened before initiation."

"I could tell that much from her harsh comments, but what exactly did you do to upset her this badly?"

Well, time to be brutally honest.

"Remember what happened earlier this morning? When I dealt with that idiot who was bothering me in class?" Pryce begins carefully. "Well, kinda like that and back before initiation, Weiss threw some very... ugly words at me. I wanted to shut her up."

That seems like a reasonable start.

But then his partner's expression grows more serious, her green eyes narrowing dangerously. "Pryce... you didn't hit her, did you?"

Okay, he definitely could have worded that better.

"Nothing like that," he raises his hands in surrender. "I did the first thing that came to mind since she wouldn't stop running her mouth, and that was by... kissing her."

Pyrrha visibly recoils at that revelation, blinking several times in rapid succession as she seems to process what he just said. "I'm sorry, what? You kissed her to make her stop insulting you?"

That sounds dumb, hearing it from another person. But he nods and proceeds to give her partner a complete summary of the entire insane situation—how Weiss somehow thinks kissing leads directly to pregnancy, how she's convinced she's carrying his child, the completely backwards fairy tale about how babies are made, and how his attempt to fix it by dragging the pompous girl to the infirmary completely backfired, hence why Weiss is so angry with him.

Pyrrha goes through a wide range of expressions during his explanation—confusion, disbelief, concern, and even amusement. Her eyebrows climb higher and higher as the story unfolds.

By the time he finishes, Pyrrha is clearly struggling to maintain a serious expression, but she finally breaks into giggles despite her best efforts. She covers her mouth with one hand while looking at him with her now sparkling green eyes.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't laugh, but..." She takes a breath to compose herself. "Okay, I can see that kissing her was rather... impulsive of you. I've never heard of someone using that particular method to stop an argument. That's definitely a first."

"Probably not the brightest idea I've had, I'll admit," Pryce concedes with genuine regret.

"But it's just..." Pyrrha shakes her head in amazement. "It's hard to believe someone could be this… naïve. I mean, where did she even get such ideas? She seemed so.. Educated at the very least."

"I have no fucking clue, but it's the truth!" he adds quickly, his voice rising slightly in frustration.

"And I believe you, Pryce," Pyrrha replies, her tone reassuring but the smile never leaving her. "I suppose I should go talk with Weiss to clear up this... strange misunderstanding. Can you imagine if word of this got around the school?"

Pryce's ears flatten against his head as he considers the implications of that. And the thought makes his stomach churn. "Yeah, I really don't want to think about that."

A girl screaming that she got pregnant against her will... everyone would turn on him immediately and he wouldn't be able to escape, he could fight two or four but then get overwhelmed and lynched, meaning no escape. His new life at Beacon would be over before it really began.

"So you'll explain everything to her? And that I'm genuinely sorry for... that?" His ears remain drooped, showing his sincere regret.

"I will, don't worry," Pyrrha smiles warmly, though there's still mirth dancing in her eyes. "I just..." She bursts into another fit of laughter, wiping a tear from her eye. "I never thought I'd be explaining how babies are made to my new teammate, but I guess there's a first time for everything."

"Thanks, Pyrrha. I really owe you one for this."

"Just try to think before you act next time, alright? There are usually better ways to handle difficult people than..." She pauses mid-sentence, a slightly awkward smile spreading across her face as an idea seems to occur to her. "Wait just a minute. Didn't you tease me about being impulsive too? Something about throwing my spear without thinking it through?"

Pryce's ears twitch as he realizes where this is going. "That's... different. Like TOTALLY different."

"Is it though?" Pyrrha's smile grows a bit wider, which only confuses him. "Because from where I'm standing, kissing someone to win an argument seems... well, at least as impulsive as throwing a spear to save someone's life."

What?

He opens his mouth to argue—because honestly, one could have killed him while the other was just embarrassing—then closes it, realizing that after Weiss' situation he knew that better not argue anymore.

"I mean," Pyrrha continues, clearly warming to her playful teasing despite her slightly awkward delivery, "at least when I threw my spear, I was trying to help you. Your… uh…kissing strategy was purely for... what did you call it? Shutting her up?"

Was this her attempt at teasing?

"When you put it like that, it sounds worse," Pryce mutters, his ears flattening slightly. But not because she was right, not even remotely close.

"So I guess that makes us even now, doesn't it?" she said with a strange but playful tone, which felt very awkward.

"Yeah, yeah, we're even," he concedes with a slight eye roll. As long as she was going to help him.

The redhead clears her throat before she holds up a finger with mock seriousness. "But just so we're clear, Pryce—if we ever get into an argument, you cannot use that particular tactic to win. I'm warning you right now."

Pryce stares at her for a moment, then lets out a short laugh. "Are you seriously putting a ban on kissing as an argument strategy?"

"I'm establishing boundaries," she says primly. "Professional partnership boundaries."

"Right." He throws his hands up in defeat. "Fine, no kissing my partner to win arguments. Got it."

"Good." Pyrrha nods with satisfaction, then seems to realize how the conversation has shifted and clears her throat again. "Anyway, I should probably go talk to Weiss before our next class starts. The sooner we clear this up, the better for everyone involved."

"Yeah, probably a good idea," Pryce agrees, grateful to move past the awkward territory they'd wandered into. "Thanks for the help."

"Of course," she says, her expression softening back to her usual warm demeanor. "That's what partners are for, right? Helping each other out of... unique situations."

Well, at the very least Weiss' very stupid situation will be soon solved.

"Right, well, I'll leave you to handle that conversation," Pryce says, stepping back and giving her a small nod. "I'm going to head to class early—get a good seat and all that."

"That's very responsible of you," she says with a slight smile, adjusting a strand of her red hair. "See you soon."

"Yeah, responsible. That's me," he replies dryly, already turning to walk away.

And with no further ado, they part ways, and Pryce shoves his hands deep into his pockets as he starts wandering through the academy corridors. The truth is, he has no intention of going to class early—he just wants to explore the place a little more while it's busy, because it would look strange to be walking around at night. Plus, there's apparently a curfew, which is dumb in his opinion.

The environment within the academy grounds is completely different from anything he's accustomed to. Everything is clean, well-maintained, and pristine in a way that feels almost alien after years of grimy streets and run-down buildings. The few times he'd been in places like this, it was to steal blackmail material or case potential jobs. But it's also pretty crowded, with other students moving between classes, chatting in groups, or hurrying to various destinations. He notices a couple of other Faunus scattered throughout the crowd—more than he expected but still a clear minority. The comment from that blacksmith a week ago resurfaces briefly, but he pushes that thought aside.

However, with all the ambient noise and chatter filling the corridors, his rabbit ears pick up something different—a sound that doesn't quite belong with the rest. It's subtle, almost lost in the crowd noise, but distinct enough that he can isolate it. His ears swivel toward the source, and he turns in that direction.

Curious despite himself, he starts following the sound, weaving through crowds and down less crowded hallways. The strange noise comes again, a little clearer this time, confirming he's moving in the right direction. But as he continues tracking it, he finds himself in increasingly empty corridors until he's walking down a hallway that's completely deserted.

His ears twitch again as he catches the same very specific sound—a soft, almost musical humming that strikes him as oddly familiar, though he can't quite place it.

He frowns, his instincts immediately recognizing that this feels like a trap—an empty hallway, a mysterious sound leading him away from crowds, nobody around to witness whatever might happen next. Every survival instinct he's developed over the years is telling him to turn around and walk away.

But nobody else seemed to hear whatever he'd been hearing, so it was probably specifically aimed at him. He needs to know what's going on. Besides, according to Ozpin, Beacon Academy is supposed to be a safe place, right?

And he is aware and prepared.

So he ventures forth, following the sound to what appears to be an empty classroom—smaller than the lecture hall he'd been in earlier. The humming stops abruptly.

That's when he feels something cold and sharp press against his neck, and another point of pressure against his back right where his kidney should be. He didn't even hear a thing—not a single footstep.

Before he can react, he's pushed firmly inside the classroom, the door closing behind them with a soft click.

"Hey, Neo," he says calmly, not bothering to turn around. "Should have known it was you."

He can practically feel her satisfaction radiating behind him. Anyone else would be freaking out of beg but he knew his girl's unique way of playing.

"So…I guess you couldn’t wait to drop by for a visit, right?"

The pressure against his back disappears along with the fake danger in his neck. So he takes the chance to turn around.

Neo stands there wearing Beacon Academy uniform just like his new teammates, red plaid skirt, stockings of mismatched lengths, and a brown jacket over a tan vest and crisp white shirt with a red ribbon tied at her collar. Except that she was in her preferred disguise, the black twin-tails with white bows adorning each side, and bright green eyes but they flashed the usual color for a moment. If he didn't know better, he'd think she was just another student.

'Miss-me?' She signs with her hands.

Before he can answer, she steps forward and pinches his stomach hard. 

"Hey!” He swats her hand.

'That's-for-not-texting-me-back-yesterday. I-told-you-I-wanted-details.'

Pryce rolls his eyes. "I was pretty busy with the ceremony, team formations and a lot of bullshit occured."

Instead she pouts angry and moves to pinch him again but this time he is ready. He catches her wrist and pulls her close.

"Alright, alright, I get it," he says, "You're pissed. Message received."

Neo tilts her head, keeping her expression before she breaks free and smooths down her skirt and adjusts one of her white bows.

"So," Pryce straightens up, rolling his neck "I'm guessing you didn't break into Beacon just to be… you. What's going on?"

Neo's expression shifts to something more serious as she speaks. 'Remember-bitchy-boss-I-mentioned? That's-Cinder. She-thinks-you're-loose-end. Wants-you-dead.'

She gestures around us, then points at herself and makes a slicing motion across her throat.

Pryce just blinks at her, processing this information. Then he lets out a long, exasperated sigh, his ears drooping as he scratches the back of his head.

He'd already regretted accepting that job despite the good pay back when he was caught and coerced into joining Beacon, but now he's regretting it even more. It's coming back to bite him in the ass in ways he hadn't even considered.

"Wait..." he gestures with a hand as the full implication hits him. "She sent you to kill me?"

Neo grins and nods enthusiastically, bouncing slightly on her toes like she's just been asked about her favorite hobby. Which, knowing her, isn't far from the truth.

"That explains the knife to the throat," he mutters, rubbing his neck where the blade had been pressed moments earlier.

He looks into her fake green eyes again. "So this bitch doesn't know about us?"

Neo shakes her head emphatically, then blows him a playful kiss, her eyes sparkling with mischief despite the topic.

That was definitely a problem he hadn't expected. Someone out there wanting him dead was bad enough, but having them unknowingly send his own girlfriend to do the job added a whole new layer of fucked up to his situation.

"So…" he says after a moment, spreading his hands helplessly, "what are we going to do now?"

Neo shrugs casually, as if the answer should be obvious, then tilts her head with an innocent expression that doesn't fool him for a second. 'Do-you-want-to-die? I-will-miss-you-though.'

"No." he says flatly, without hesitation.

Neo giggles silently, her shoulders shaking. She claps her hands together once and gives him an enthusiastic thumbs up, clearly pleased with his answer.

"Right..." Pryce says dryly, "glad we cleared that up. But seriously, Neo, what's the plan here? You can't exactly go back and tell this boss of yours that you couldn't find me or didn't want to do the job, and I can't simply leave this place."

Neo holds up one finger in a 'wait' gesture and places her other finger under her chin in an exaggerated thinking pose, tapping it thoughtfully while she thinks.

Pryce tries to wait patiently for her to work through whatever scheme she's making up

But then she stops and looks at him with a very wide grin—the kind that usually means she's a great idea, in her perspective. Before he can ask, she pushes him backward.

Pryce stumbles in surprise but doesn't resist, letting her guide him until he ends up sitting on top of one of the classroom desks. Then she hops up and straddles his lap, wrapping both arms around his neck and kissing him deeply, sneaking her tongue inside.

After a moment, she pulls back with that same mischievous grin.

"Okay," Pryce says, slightly confused, not complaining. "You lost me. How exactly will that help?"

“Easy. Fuck-me-really-hard. As-rough-as-possible-don’t-hold-back. And-I-will-go-back-limping-and-bruised-to-lie-and-gain-more-time-for-a-new-plan.”

Does that even count as a plan or Neo is just very horny?