A Month Later...
By now, Erik has already delivered all the information he gathered about Beacon—and about Blake. The transfer goes through without complications.
The payment arrives quietly, deposited directly into his account.
No messages follow.
No questions are asked.
For the moment, everything remains calm.
Erik lets out a slow, relieved breath.
The first semester has gone well—better than he expected.
He sits across from Pyrrha at the cafeteria table, leaning back slightly as she scoops up a piece of pancake with her spoon and holds it out toward him. He raises an eyebrow, amused.
"You know I can feed myself," he says.
Pyrrha smiles, unfazed. "I know. But I want to do this."
She doesn't pull the spoon away.
After a brief pause, Erik leans forward and takes the bite. He chews, then hums thoughtfully.
"Alright," he admits. "That is better."
Her smile widens, satisfied.
"I told you," she says softly.
She scoops another piece, a little smaller this time, and offers it again. Erik doesn't comment now—he just accepts it, resting his elbow on the table as he eats.
Pyrrha watches him with quiet contentment, clearly enjoying the simple closeness.
Today the cafeteria at Beacon Academy is unusually crowded.
Team RWBY sits around one long table, joined by Team JNFR, with Erik and Pyrrha sit beside team JNFR. Trays of food are scattered across the table, half-eaten meals and cups pushed aside to make room for notebooks, scrolls, and idle elbows.
Everything feels normal.
Too normal.
Suddenly—
BAM!
Ruby slams a large notebook onto the table with both hands.
Every head snaps toward her.
Pyrrha flinches slightly. Jaune nearly drops his drink. Erik blinks once.
Ruby coughs, straightens up, and clears her throat.
"Sister. Friends. Weiss."
Weiss immediately scowls. "Hey!"
Ruby ignores her and presses on, standing up slightly like she's about to give a speech.
"Four score and seven minutes ago," Ruby says dramatically, "I had a dream."
Yang grins, leaning back in her chair. "This oughta be good."
"A dream," Ruby continues, "that one day, the four of us would come together as a team—and have the most fun anyone has ever had, ever!"
Weiss narrows her eyes, staring at the notebook on the table.
"Did you steal my binder?"
Ruby flashes a peace sign with both hands. "I'm not a crook."
Blake tilts her head, curious. "What are you talking about?"
"I'm talking about kicking the semester off with a bang," Ruby says proudly.
Yang smirks. "I always kick my semester with a Yang."
Silence follows.
Then—
Pyrrha just smiles.
Erik lifts one hand and lightly facepalms.
Frost shakes his head. "Yang, that was a bad one."
Nora doesn't even hesitate.
She grabs an apple from her tray and hurls it straight at Yang's face.
Thud.
Yang growls as the apple bounces off her forehead.
"Booooooo!" Nora shouts happily.
Ruby claps her hands together, undeterred. "Look, guys, it's been a good two weeks. Between new exchange students arriving and the tournament at the end of the year, our second semester is going to be awesome. But classes start back up tomorrow."
She taps the notebook dramatically.
"Which is why I've taken the time to schedule a series of wonderful events for us today!"
Weiss folds her arms. "I don't know whether to be proud or terrified of what you've planned."
Blake exhales quietly. "I might sit this one out."
Weiss turns toward her. "Sit out or not, I think however we spend this day, we should do it as a team."
Nora suddenly says, "I got it."
Everyone turns too late.
Nora grabs a pie from a nearby table and lifts it high—
Weiss opens her mouth. "I for one—"
SPLAT.
The pie slams directly into Weiss's face.
The cafeteria goes silent for exactly one second.
Nora points dramatically at Ren.
Erik exhales slowly. "It seems there's going to be a food fight."
And then all chaos breaks loose.
Nora is the first to move.
She flips an entire table without warning, sending plates, cups, and food flying in every direction. Several unfortunate students scream as mashed potatoes and pudding rain down on them.
Ruby lets out a delighted gasp. "FOOD FIGHT!"
Yang laughs and launches herself into the fray, dodging a thrown roll and retaliating with a tray. Jaune panics. Ren sighs and accepts his fate.
Frost ducks as a pie narrowly misses his head.
Blake disappears into the chaos.
Erik grabs Pyrrha's wrist.
"Come on," he says calmly.
She nods instantly.
They move together, weaving through overturned chairs and flying food with surprising ease. A cupcake narrowly misses Pyrrha's shoulder. Erik steps in front of her without thinking, blocking it with his forearm.
They reach the cafeteria doors just as another table crashes behind them.
Outside, the noise becomes muffled.
Pyrrha exhales, laughing softly. "That escalated quickly."
Erik glances back at the doors, where the sounds of shouting and laughter continue. "As expected."
She looks up at him, still smiling. "You didn't want to join?"
"Its not our war and I prefer not being hit by baked goods," he replies.
She laughs again and slips her hand into his.
Behind them, Beacon's cafeteria descends further into chaos.
Erik squeezes Pyrrha's hand lightly.
"Much better," he says.
She nods in agreement.
And together, they walk away.
A few steps away from the cafeteria, Erik and Pyrrha slow their pace.
Two unfamiliar students stand near the path ahead of them.
One has messy blond hair and a visible monkey tail that sways lazily behind him. The other has neatly styled blue hair and carries himself with casual confidence.
"Whoa, chill out, man," the blond says, raising both hands. "I got it."
The blue-haired student sighs. "I told you. I've got it."
"You better," the blond replies. "People here are, like, the coolest. No offense to you guys."
"None taken," the blue-haired student says dryly.
Erik glances at Pyrrha, mildly amused. Curious, he approaches with her at his side.
"Hey," Erik says calmly. "What's up, guys?"
Both of them turn.
"You exchange students?" Erik asks. "I'm Erik Lioren. Beacon Academy."
He gestures slightly toward Pyrrha.
"And this is my girlfriend, Pyrrha Nikos."
The blue-haired student freezes.
"Wait," he says. "Pyrrha Nikos? As in the Pyrrha Nikos? Pride of Mistral? The Invincible Girl?"
Pyrrha blinks, then smiles politely.
"Yes. That was me."
The blond's eyes light up.
"No way," he says, grinning wide. "That's awesome! Dude, that's so cool."
He turns toward Erik, clearly impressed.
"So what's it like," he asks, "having Pyrrha Nikos as your girlfriend?"
Erik pauses for a moment, considering the question.
Then he shrugs.
"I don't really think about it that way," he says. "If I did, I'd probably start having expectations. Or intentions."
Pyrrha tilts her head slightly, curious. "Intentions?"
Erik glances at her. "And I don't want that."
Her expression softens.
The blond laughs. "Man, that's actually kinda smooth."
He sticks out his hand. "Name's Sun Wukong."
Then he points his thumb at the blue-haired student beside him.
"And this cool guy here is Neptune Vasilias."
Neptune nods. "Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you both," Pyrrha says warmly.
Sun leans back a little, hands behind his head, still grinning.
"So Beacon, huh?" he says. "Gotta say, this place lives up to the hype."
Erik nods. "Most of the time."
Sun studies him for a second, eyes narrowing slightly-not suspicious, just curious.
"So," he says, grin returning, "what's your deal? Strong, silent type?"
Erik thinks about it for a moment.
"Efficient," he says. "Quiet when I don't need to talk."
There's a brief pause.
Then Sun laughs.
"Man," he says, pointing at Erik, "you're alright."
Neptune glances between them, then gives a small nod of agreement.
"Yeah," he says. "I can see that."
Pyrrha smiles, clearly amused, her hand still resting comfortably in Erik's.
Neptune looks past them toward the cafeteria doors, where muffled shouting and crashes can still be heard.
"Is that normal here?" he asks.
Erik exhales quietly. "This is just one of the special occasions."
Pyrrha laughs under her breath.
Sun's grin widens. "Yep. I think we're gonna like it here."
To Be Continued...