"Ruby, please, use your chopsticks," Weiss admonished under her breath, cutting a glance towards her team leader, "This is supposed to be a proper formal dinner."
With a sigh, Ruby put her fork away and picked up her pair of chopsticks. It took a few seconds to get right, her fingers fumbling for a moment before she could get them lined up properly.
"Did you not practice at all?" Weiss asked with a twinge of annoyance as she expertly demonstrated her control over the utensils by picking up a sliver of meat. Ruby watched for a moment to make sure she had the motions down, then resumed eating.
Yang, having no problems, didn't even miss a beat in her meal. "I tried to get her to, but she just wouldn't listen."
"It's hard to get used to!" Ruby protested with a glance over to their guest.
"I suppose it is a bit difficult," Velvet, the fifth member of the party, agreed. She wasn't expecting the attention and could only smile weakly. To hide from the newfound observations she quickly picked up a slice of meat, dipping it in sauce before eating it. She wasn't thrilled to be eating meat, but she didn't want to upset her new friends by refusing their companionship. Luckily there was a bit of ginger and various garnishes to help mask the flavor.
"So, Velvet, what exactly happened on your last mission?" Blake asked, already halfway through with her plate.
Velvet shook her head, "I don't remember that much, just that we made a mistake. There were too many of them. I don't think I'd be here if it wasn't for Weiss's sister."
"What was Winter doing on a mission?" Yang asked, turning to look at the white haired heiress with raised eyebrows.
Weiss simply shrugged, twirling a sliver of meat with her chopsticks. "She didn't say, just that she was looking for a prize."
Blake raised a hand to shush the other two, more interested in Velvet's story than the side commentary.
"Like I said, I don't remember much." Velvet said quietly, wincing as she adjusted her posture, "I got separated from Yatsuhashi and Coco. Fox was with me, but I lost sight of him. The last thing I remember is getting thrown to the ground. Then your sister, uh, Winter, was there to pick me up. She said they were already rescued, but I haven't been able to see them yet."
"I'm sure they're fine," Weiss said with a soothing tone, putting a reassuring hand on Velvet's. "Especially if they're under Atlasian care."
Velvet nodded, blankly staring down at her empty plate. Ruby felt a pang of guilt at the obviously distraught faunus, knowing she was just suppressing her pain.
"Hey, Velvet." Ruby chimed cheerfully, snapping Velvet out of her trance. "If you don't mind, could you pass me another slice of meat?"
Velvet looked up and nodded, eager to be of use doing something to take her mind off the rest of the team. Something about the simple request calmed her down and she eagerly fulfilled the younger girl's wishes. The faunus winced as she cut another strip of meat for her friend, since she normally had a vegetarian diet.
"Now, Ruby, not so much. This isn't cheap or easy to get, you know." Weiss chided, already done with her meal, chopsticks resting neatly by her plate. Similarly, Yang had taken the hint and already set hers down, though much more haphazardly.
Ruby tried not to groan, already tired of her teammate's nagging.
"But there's so little," She protested with a pout, slurping the strips down. "Why is this susha… shasham… sashush… fancy meals always so small."
"It's called sashimi, and because you're not supposed to just wolf it down!" Weiss hissed, just barely resisting the urge to kick the other girl in the shin.
"It's fine, I don't mind." Velvet chimed in, a cheery grin on her face. When all four of the other girls turned to look at her, she could feel her cheeks turn bright red.
The air remained quiet for the next few seconds, before Weiss spoke up.
"Velvet, could you be a dear and collect our plates?" She requested with a bewitching smile, perking the faunus back up.
"Oh, yes, of course!" Velvet declared as she tried to stand up. She had to put a hand on the table to steady herself, as when she stood upright she revealed the gaping wound on her left thigh. The skin had been flensed back, the meat stripped out with a knife. She tried to walk around the table, but her leg wasn't able to support any weight. Before she collapsed, Weiss grabbed her by the arm and held her upright.
"Sorry, my leg's been acting weird ever since I got back." She apologized profusely, collecting the plates to carry them to the kitchen to be washed.
Yang watched the crippled faunus limp away, reaching over to wipe blood from Ruby's cheek. "That was an interesting dinner."
"Thank you, it's a Schnee family specialty." Weiss replied with the nod of her head.
"Does she… know her leg is missing?" Blake inquired, licking her lips clean.
Weiss shrugged. "She will when the drugs wear off, but by then she'll be stored away in the freezer."
Blake nodded, drumming her fingers on the table. "What about her teammates? I don't want an angry Coco hunting us down."
"Already taken care of," Weiss smirked, "Officially, she was killed and eaten by the Grimm. It's how we usually report how our 'guests' go missing. They're not going to be looking for a body, and there's plenty of ways to get rid of the evidence. As long as it's taken care of quickly, of course."
"Ooh, does that mean we can have her arms next week?" Ruby exclaimed, almost drooling at the thought. Something about the experience gave an almost intoxicating feeling.
"All in due time, Ruby. All in due time." Weiss smiled happily.