After to long a break on updates I am back and better than ever. When I asked for beta readers I was overjoyed by how many people asked to take part in the writing process for this story, and I thank you all. Though sadly at the end of the day I can only have one Beta and that is TheFlagshipArkos another popular writer in the RWBY fics and I highly suggest you check out his A rose for a champion. As well as I am also writing another story on the side From Shadows to Light, following a Grim on the path to the Light or deeper int the encroaching shadows and would highly appreciate a look at the work. Though without further adieu the next chapter of our regularly scheduled story.
Beta: TheFlagshipArkos
Chapter 8: The Dance
Distressed. That was the most accurate way of describing Jaune's current feelings for his current situation. It was a feeling which emanated from him and encompassed his room. Judgment Day had finally dawned and may Oum have mercy on him for in only a matter of minutes, it would time for the dance, and Jaune was in a panic. It was a deep and abiding panic which clung to him and made it difficult to so much as breathe. Luckily, he had managed to get a tuxedo at the last minute but that was the least of his problems.
His parents were due to arrive that same night, and to add insult to injury he knew Fenris would be there; Velvet's dear, sweet, psychopathic wolf-faunus father. Yet for all these things, he couldn't escape the feeling of excitement that out of all the students at Beacon academy, he was the one that got to take Velvet to the dance. Being able to dance the night away with her truly was the silver lining for the night, though he had to wonder what would come next… after the dance.
"You really need to calm down." Ren finally stated as he watched his leader pace back and forth "At this rate you're going to put a hole in the floor."
"That's easy for you to say, and also how can I put a hole in the floor?" He replied, shaking his head and still pacing around the floor. Finally, he stopped and gathered together the pieces of his suit and laid them out on his bed ready. All the while his mind never deviated from the upcoming trials of the night that he would inevitably have to face.
With his tuxedo ready to go, he quickly turned and moved into the bathroom closing and locking the door behind him with an audible click. Ren simply watched impassively and shifted to a more comfortable position on his bed. The martial artist found it an amusing pastime to observe his leader's panic when it came to dealings with the opposite sex. Though despite his observations, leader's rebuttal had caused a look of confusion to form across his features. Just what had the blonde meant by that final statement?
"In what way is tonight going to be any easier for me than you?" he replied, raising his voice so as to be heard through the bathroom door. "If anything, I am even less prepared. At least Velvet is fairly predictable and not known to do anything rash… Nora is… well… she's Nora." Ren continued, recalling an incident in which Nora had somehow managed to cave in the ceiling to his parents' living room.
"Well you already have something with Nora-"Jaune began as he left the bathroom to retrieve his tuxedo and take it back in, but Ren swiftly cut him off.
"As friends, nothing more, just really close friends!" Ren swiftly interjected, though it was common knowledge to the contrary. While yes, the two were childhood friends, it was more than obvious that Nora was trying to advance their relationship. Instead, it was Ren whom proved the difficult one to fathom. It proved clear to any who saw the two together that Ren obviously cared for Nora, Jaune reflected as he slipped on and began buttoning his tuxedo shirt, but for some reason he seemed hesitant to make any efforts to make his feelings clear on the matter, let alone make attempts to advance his relationship with the Valkyrie to a more 'together-together' kind of position. It really to Jaune at times to wonder just what it was that kept Ren from asking Nora out officially. After all, there was little argument that those two were perfect for each other.
'Though that's the least of my worries tonight' he thought as he set about straightening the collars of his tuxedo shirt. His piercing blue eyes focused solely on the visage of himself in the mirror, but his thoughts were left to wander freely, just so long as they behaved. Thoughts of the potential relationship between Ren and Nora had been an excellent way of distracting himself from thoughts of the night ahead, but it had only been a temporary reprieve.
Quite unbidden, his mind raced back to his mounting fears of everything that could possibly happen or go wrong over the course of the night, and his imagination was pretty vivid to say the least. One such example that his mind seemed to linger on for a rather uncomfortable period of time was the idea of Velvet's father potentially castrating him or something equally horrific to the same purpose. Yet despite the fear welling up within, he remained confident… at least slightly so.
Taking a breath to settle his nerves, and with his attire finally complete, there was only one last doubtful thought passing through his mind; 'Am I ready for this?' It was a very good question to ask himself, but it was alas one that he couldn't answer. Taking another shaky breath, he suppressed the idea and focused on the moment. With his nervous thoughts cast aside, he returned his attention to the young man in the mirror and couldn't help but think that he was looking pretty good. This in turn set new thoughts racing through his mind and got him wondering what Velvet would be wearing, though he wouldn't get to entertain that thought very long.
"Hey, some of us need to use the bathroom too!"He heard a slightly agitated Ren from the other side of the bathroom door. Pulled out of the depths of his stupor, Jaune quickly vacated the bathroom only to come face-to-face with his stoical teammate.
"Ready?" He asked expectantly, looking Jaune up and down.
"Not really, but this is as ready as I'll ever be." The blonde replied with a small chuckle and a nervous shake of his head.
"Just be yourself and I'm sure that everything will do fine." Ren replied with a small smile. Taking a breath, Jaune tried to clear his head and dispel his nerves again, or more accurately avoid having a panic attack; which to his credit he was doing quite well at avoiding.
He nodded and with another deep breath, felt his nerves finally start to settle down. In his head he kept repeating his mantra for the night; 'I can do this.' He kept repeating it over and over, feeling the words starting take root and turn into a truth rather than a reassurance. He could do this. He knew he could and he bet that even he, the blonde goofball of Beacon could impress that scary old wolf. With his new-found confidence established, he stepped aside to allow Ren entry into the bathroom, though before Ren could take a single step, a thunderous roar echoed across the campus.
"I'm Queen of the castle!" The voice reverberated over all of Beacon. Before the sound had even fully faded, Ren had started in a mad dash for the door of their room. He would have to stop Nora quickly before something terrible could happen... again.
'Okay, I just have to get through this night and I'm home free.' Velvet thought to herself as she looked into her own bathroom mirror. Her state of mind at that moment was similar to that of Jaune's across campus; though perhaps she wasn't quite as worried about the prospect of being harmed. Yet, at the same time you could easily say she had much more to worry about. Because when your psychotic wolf-faunus of a father comes to your school to basically evaluate how you're doing... It tends to cause a lot of undue stress. This situation was only made worse by the fact that, that same man just so happened to be one of Vale's most renowned detectives, with a stunning career history and a list of achievements a mile in length. But this wasn't to say of course, that she didn't love her father. Of course she did… she just knew how he liked to react to things like boys, and that of course was very poorly.
Although, as always, there was one silver lining; Velvet was absolutely thankful that her mother would be there as well, given that she was one of very few people, capable of calming her father. 'At least dad won't be able to try anything permanent.' She thought happily as the idea temporarily cheered her. It was then her mind quickly turned to horror 'But when mom sees me with Jaune…' To say she mentally gulped at this point would be an understatement.
Where her father was concerned, any boy that entertained the thought of dating his daughter, she thought, remembering his exact words 'Has to be able to beat me.' He had always been one for dramatics. Her mother though, well she was…. overbearing at times to say the least, and at worst, smothering was the only word that could cover it.
Try as she might, Velvet simply couldn't escape her fears surrounding her father. Yet perhaps even worse was the prospect of her mother discovering her crush. She didn't know where things currently rested between her and Jaune, but for the moment, they were going to the dance together and the future was still up in the air and yet to be decided. Then again, anything that could happen could be gone after tonight with her father if he should decide to go on the warpath. But Jaune had already faced Fenris' gaze once on the streets of Vale, and still he wanted to go with her so maybe there was hope yet.
Grabbing the comb from her bathroom counter she started over her final preparations for the evening, and she had to admit that she felt pretty prepared. Though looking in the mirror her eyes were drawn to the biggest elephant in the room… or rabbit… It was of course her ears. They were the one thing she couldn't just touch-up with a few minutes in the bathroom like everything else.
She knew that Jaune was completely fine with her, but his parents would most likely be here as well since many family members would be attending this dance and that in turn had opened up an entirely new fear. 'How will they react when they learn their son is going to a dance with a faunus?' It was the one thought that she hadn't taken in consideration, and given everything else she was stressing about this was probably the worst. She had no way of knowing their demeanor, or if they would immediately scrutinize her based on her heritage. All she could do was hope and pray that they would accept her.
It was no secret that faunus have it rough, but Velvet had to wonder at times whether there was someone out for her in particular in the grand game of life. Given the situation with Cardin, her overbearing father and her current standing with Jaune, she really had to wonder if the hand she had been dealt in life was some higher power getting back at her for some forgotten crime.
Though these kinds of philosophical debates were best left for a less stressful time, or when she had more time to think about it… maybe with a good therapist. But that was neither here nor there. She picked a good time to finally break out of her quandary when she finally heard a voice from outside the door belonging to a certain gunner.
"Velvet, are you almost done in there? I still need to get ready." Coco's voice sounded slightly impatiently from the other side of the bathroom door. Though to be fair she had been waiting for nigh on thirty minutes, and had long since finished her latest edition of 'X-ray and Vav'. The gunner had never been much good in entertaining herself, but luckily for her the door quickly opened revealing her faunus teammate. She was about to speak up, but Velvet had taken her breath away and she was just going with a friend.
"S-so, how do I look?" Velvet asked timidly as though she were already talking to Jaune himself.
She watched as Coco lowered her shades, her eyes widening before she gave out a loud wolf whistle and a big thumbs up.
"At this point you're going to make Arc bark." She offered suggestively with a small smirk. Velvet's cheeks turned a deeper shade of red than had yet been discovered. "I think you're more than ready to knock-"
"I'm Queen of the castle!" sounded a war cry from across campus.
"What was that?"
"What the hell?"
Both girls sounded off completely unaware of the current devastation rocking part of the school, neither spoke for a long while until at last Coco broke the silence.
"Wasn't that arcs teammate?" She asked struggling to remember a name but remembering the face… and the damage that its owner could cause
Velvet quickly placed a hand to her chin in thought "I think so, but I'm not entirely certain-"
"Off with their heads!"
They both were interrupted from their respective trains of thought by another equally loud shout which was in turn followed by a very loud and girlish scream coming from a group of boys from the sound of it. Both teammates looked at each other for a moment, and in that instant came the unanimous thought in their minds to not to get themselves involved. Their decision was only further justified as they heard yet another girlish shriek echo throughout the school making both the hairs on the back of their next stand up.
"No matter how many Grimm we face, or their types, I want it on record that I am so happy we aren't those guys right now." Coco stated quite bluntly, before walking past Velvet and closing the door behind her intent on getting ready herself for the night.
Time ticked by now as Jaune waited by the entrance to the school's dancehall. His mind was still hotly alive with adrenaline from trying to resolve Nora's quick bout of destruction over pancakes. He wasn't sure if either his or Velvet's parents had arrived yet, but his nerves once again continued to grow. His parents aside, he was still nervous at the possible aspect of running into Velvet's dad by himself, because last time he saw him he was pretty certain he was being eyed like prey… helpless prey. He would have given it some more thought, but the sight that graced his eyes made his jaw drop, and his heart skip a beat.
"How do I look?"
The question was so simple, yet Jaune took a moment to process Velvet's question over her appearance, which he was finding hard to not stare. Her face, though naturally beautiful in Jaune's opinion looked even more breathtaking with the makeup she had on. It accentuated her eyes, and her lips. Though the biggest thing was her dress, it was a long flowing shoulder-strap dress which complimented her curves and was coloured a deep scarlet. Overall, she looked beyond amazing in his still slowly processing mind, though he quickly saw more scarlet as she blushed from the continued stare.
"Beautiful…" he finally blurted out with a goofy grin etched across his face. Velvet looked away a bit shy from the bluntness of the statement.
"Thank you." She replied softly. It seemed to be the only thing she could think of at the moment as far as he could tell, but he still smiled. Though a quick awkward silence occurred between the two whilst other couples passed by. A few murmurs came from the two though no one seemed to care enough to interrupt the moment.
"Shall we?" Jaune didn't skip a beat and offered his hand in a very storybook manner breaking the tension. She nodded taking his hand as he led the both of them into the ball room. Entering the dance hall, he noticed the dozens of other couples already inside already and well underway with festivities or already dancing, all except for Ren and Nora. The two were stood off to one side of the room and chatting animatedly among themselves.
"Does anything get explosion out of a suit?"Jaune overheard, accompanied by Nora's laughter. That was before he caught sight of two faces that brought a slight grimace to his face and a very audible gulp which Velvet easily heard.
"What's wrong?" she asked as they were approached by two people.
One of them was a fairly tall man with chiseled features, built, and with a combed head of blonde hair with a short trimmed beard, though what stood out were the eyes, those blue eyes. He was wearing a set of black pants as well as a red waistcoat upon which was pinned a number of medals, showing a long and successful military career to any whom might examine them.
Next to him was a slim, middle-aged woman a little taller than Velvet with long dirty blonde hair tied back in a pony-tail. Compared to her companion she had very soft features, inset by bright emerald eyes. She was wearing a long, flowing black dress and a locket around her neck. Though both of them had one thing in common, they were both wearing ear to ear smiles.
"Junior!" his Dad called as Jaune released Velvet's hand just in time for his father to crush him in a bear hug, his mother right behind the man.
She shook her head "Do you really want to crush him right here?" she joked.
"Oh right!" Jaune's father laughed and dropped Jaune to the ground allowing him a few seconds to catch his breath before he turned his attention to Velvet. "Well are you going to introduce us Junior?"
He nodded "Mom, Dad this is Velvet." He introduced watching her step closer.
"A pleasure to meet you." His Dad said, extending a hand which Velvet reached out to shake. "My name's William Arc, I'm Jaune's father and this lovely woman next to me is Rachel, my wife." He continued, motioning over to his wife releasing Velvet's hand.
"She's so cute." Jaune's mother exclaimed causing William to laugh and Velvet to blush "See I told you dear he's just a late bloomer." Quickly the tides began to turn as Jaune felt his own cheeks redden.
"Aww Mom…" Jaune complained, earning a slight giggle from Velvet.
William only laughed a little louder "I think your embarrassing the poor boy." He came to Jaune's defense a little late, but he figured better late than never.
"So I see you're all dressed up," he pointed out earning a nod from his father.
"Your mother insisted that formal meant military dress… You know how she is, always looking for any excuse to get me back into my old uniform" His father replied with a sigh earning a quick punch to the shoulder from Rachel.
"Better safe than sorry." His mother responded with a chuckle "But never mind that tell us about how you met Velvet, I want all the details." She spoke curiously which didn't surprise her son. This much had after all, been expected.
Jaune cleared his throat in anticipation for beginning his story "Well…"
"Arc!" He was about to begin when he heard something behind him that set him on absolute edge. Turning around, he was met with the sight of his current favorite wolf Faunus. He quickly noticed though that Fenris' gaze was not on him, and following realized it was on his Dad who had an equally firm gaze.
Fenris started to move closer now, a woman right behind him who he could only assume was Velvet's mother who looked mortified. "I'm surprised to see you slink back into Vale! What happened, was country life not where it's all at?" He taunted as William started moving towards the Faunus on a collision course.
"Well we can't all be chasing cars all day like yourself dog." He jeered back. Jaune quickly looked to Velvet he looked just as horrified as himself.
'Were not even here ten minutes and already it falls apart…' Jaune mentally thought watching this unfold, wondering if he shouldn't just grab Velvet and dive for the nearest cover with her until all of this blew over.
They were stood directly in front of each other now, the size discrepancy completely obvious with William standing half a head over the wolf, though Fenris still continued without so much of a hint of fear in his eyes.
"Such big talk coming from a bipedal bitch." He stated with a predatory grin whilst William looked him over once.
"You got fat." He replied to the thinner wolf as both went silent for just a moment.
Jaune's mind was racing in absolute terror right now. Every bad thought everything that could go wrong 'Why?! Why?! Why?!" his doomed thoughts were cut off as both the fathers started laughing, all tension disappearing between the two as they shared a quick and firm embrace.
"15 years Bill…15 years." They released each other as Fenris grinned wide. "Where have you been all this time?" he asked curiously.
"Raising a family. Same as you if I recall?" he replied warmly whilst Fenris turned to face Jaune's mother.
"Rachel it's wonderful to see you." He stated taking her hand and offering a quick peck before returning to his own wife. "Alice this is William and Rachel Arc friends of mine from back in the day." He introduced as William mimicked his 'Friend's' earlier actions and placing a quick peck on her hand. His smile vanished for a moment however, when he looked over at Jaune to see that same predatory wolf faunus' eyes sizing up the 1'st year. Obviously Jaune realized, the good will was not extended to him as with his parents.
"It's a pleasure to meet both of you." Alice said, finally speaking up as Fenris walked over and gave his daughter her own crushing hug.
"You look so beautiful my little princess." He stated with Jaune seeing the menacing wolf quickly switch from a caring friend, to a hard-ass, and then a loving father in mere moments. The fluidity of Fenris' emotions was baffling to say the least.
Velvet replied "It's good to see you too Dad." He heard her state with a groan. Though she was quickly released and left to gasp for air, just as Jaune had been a mere minute before.
"Arc, we need to catch up." He stated as Wiliam nodded. The two walked off together with Rachel, Fenris close by though Alice stayed near the two for a quick moment.
"You know your father." She stated giving a hug to Velvet before nodding towards Jaune himself "It was very nice meeting you Jaune and also." He watched her quickly move her mouth towards his right side and whisper.
"Don't let him scare you. He's just protective." She stated knowingly before hurrying off after the other parents. Though for the briefest moment both teens felt their respective minds shatter at what they had just watched transgress before them.
Velvet shook her head, finally managing to get out of the stupor their parents had left them in. Her mind deciding that in no way could she understand what had just happened and settled upon the idea that all four of their parents were simply crazy and beyond saving. Though, she quickly remembered where they were and turned her gaze to Jaune seeing him starting to get out of his own daze. "Well that was a thing." She joked hearing him chuckle in response.
"Yeah… I don't think I've ever seen him like that before." She heard Jaune respond before she gave her own nervous chuckle. "So do you want to dance?"
"Yes!" she quickly responded before taking a quick breath and elaborating "I'd love to." She stated quite a bit calmer this time before taking his hand. She heard the music shift to something a little slower as she and Jaune took their places amongst the other students. Then for a moment everything else had vanished around them to her as the dance began.
Taking the first movements of the dance, the thoughts of her parents and the fear of his parents vanished. They twirled as the others around them mimicked the movements, and as they did the thoughts of Cardin and his bullying faded. They took a stride now to their steps that added in helping her fear vanish. For that moment in their movements, in the flow of the music, the overlapping sounds, all that was left was her and Jaune as the flow of dance alleviating her worries.
Though as they danced, the occasional misstep ignored, the fun of the moment lasting she did get one feeling strangely. She felt as if she was being stared down by something, and that almost seemed at the moment her world came flooding back. Everything rushed forward in a manner similar to a surge of electricity, snapping her out of her tranquility, which quite easily irritated her to no end. Though the sudden snap out of her daze made her realize the song that had only just started when they began was no longer on, in fact she could feel the slow burn starting up in her muscles.
"How long have we been dancing?" she asked feeling the brunt of exhaustion coming on, even as the two of them started to slow down.
She watched as Jaune shrugged "About 30 minutes." It made her eyes widen at the loss of time.
Suddenly curious she turned to her head to the side eyeing their parents. Her father seemed to be still conversing fully with Jaune's Dad and her Mother was still talking with Jaune's Mom. Though Velvet could see her Dad's eyes occasionally flick to her and Jaune making her gulp.
'Apparently his friendship with his Dad does not extend to him.'
The song ended and with it Jaune and Velvet came to a stop, to which she was eternally grateful. With the end of their dance Velvet was quickly led off to the side as Jaune got them both a cup of punch, and with it a good breather from their dancing. Taking the opportunity, both leaned against the table, their thoughts on the punch which quickly refreshed them. With an audible breath she finished the drained the last of her drink and turned to Jaune who was still drinking it as quickly as he could, a sight which made her laugh softly.
He obviously heard her and turned his face to hers "What?" he asked a little confused.
"You were drinking your punch like a fish out of water." She joked watching him laugh a little at the joke.
"What can I say? We were dancing for a long time." He rubbed the back of his head whilst she had a warm smile settle onto her face.
"You two moved quite well together." A voice interrupted them. Turning, they saw both of their fathers standing just off to their side. A grin was plastered onto William's, but on her dad's she still saw that look, that look that said he was still trying to size up Jaune. It was quite a concerning sight, the only consolation to which was the presence of Alice, her mother. Surely her mother wouldn't let her dad do anything as extreme as last time… surely.
"Thanks Dad." Jaune replied first watching Will shoot a grin to both of them.
"Yes." Her own Father spoke up now "I didn't know you could move so well Arc… Besides the occasional misstep." He muttered that last part only for Velvet to watch him get an accompanying smack from her mother.
"Be nice dear." They both felt the urge to laugh at him as he rubbed the back of his head in pain, though luckily for Jaune's sake he didn't. Though it didn't stop William from booming with laughter.
Her father complained "You don't have to hit so hard…" which only served to make William laugh harder.
"It's these moments why I've missed you Fenris." He stated before slamming a hand onto his wounded friends back causing her Dad to stiffen out.
He turned with a very dangerous glare to William "That's never stopped hurting." He said redirecting his hand to his back. They watched as he momentarily nursed the pain before turning to Jaune "Well Arc it was nice meeting you."
She watched as her father extended a hand to him which he took 'What is he doing?' she thought only to watch Jaune slightly wince from there shake.
"I look forward to seeing you again 'soon'." He stressed the last part before releasing his hand and giving Velvet a hug "It was nice seeing you again Princess. And I do wish you would message us more often."
She nodded "I will." She replied before getting one last kiss on the forehead form her father, and a hug from her mother.
"And make sure not get distracted." Her mother teased looking to Jaune with a wink making her blush at her straight-forwardness.
She watched her parents start to depart only to hear a very loud yawn come from William "I suppose that should be our cue as well."
"It is getting late." Rachel shrugged before turning to Velvet "And it was wonderful meeting you Velvet, we must have you over for the holidays." She added with a smile before giving a hug to Jaune. "And take care of my baby boy." She stressed tightening their hug.
She laughed at that "I'll try."
"Do take care." William stated before embracing Velvet surprising her immediately.
'Wow this is far too tight.' She thought realizing she lost all air flow, only to be released a moment later.
He laughed "Try not to get into too much trouble Jr." she watched him add with a wink making both teens flush.
'Was everyone so forward?' she had to wonder while Jaunes parents finally departed leaving the two teens to themselves.
"Hey Velvet do you want to get some air?" she turned seeing he was starting to sweat, though she doubted it was from the room.
She followed him as he led them both to the balcony overlooking the courtyard. Stepping outside the world seemed to change in an instant. The loud dancehall sounded muted outside, and the warm air was replaced by the refreshing coolness of night, but possibly the best change was the stars out above the two of them completing the moment. Both teens found their hands on the railing of the balcony as they stood quietly once more. The silence wasn't an awkward one, but more of a brief break from the earlier madness of their parent's farewells.
"So…" she looked seeing the blonde was struggling for words "Tonight was fun." He said with a soft smile.
"Tonight was perfect." She replied with a smile of her own as each other's hands met on the railing, Jaunes tightening around her own. Her heart quickly skipping a beat at the contact from him.
It was silent for another moment before he continued "Hey… If you're not busy would you like to…"
'Is he asking me out?' she could feel her heart stop with time freezing for his next words.
"Maybe see a movie?" he asked, time suddenly springing back to her as she looked to him.
Her brain struggling as she spoke "I'd love to." She replied looking to the knight, her hand rotating on the railing and intertwining with his own. Both hands moved off the railing slowly as Jaune stared into her eyes, whilst she gazed back in. Time moved steadily as a hand found its way behind her shoulder as their bodies moved closer, heads tilting as his lips connected to her own. Their bodies pressed into one another as the kiss deepened, both melting into each other's embrace, the world fading out between the two of them.
Pyrrha watched the two from the other side of the doors, her heart ripping apart at the sight. Mustering her strength she turned and ran from the dancehall fast enough to where no one could see her tears. She rushed quickly back to her room as she threw herself onto her bed, her mind racing. 'You won this one battle Velvet. This is not over…' she mentally repeated crying into her pillow.
Now it looks like i'm taking a sledge to Pyrrha and i'd agree perhaps I am, but I assure you all that it will get better for her just wait there is a plan in regards to her. As well as with the recent loss of my employment i'm attempting to devote more time into writing given as I have way to much free time not to spend productively. Well anyways next chapter I have planned is Jealousy though still subject to change, and that will be a time skip by a few days. It will be basically the Fallout chapter as we see Pyrrha start the offense against our heroine whilst we see some of the others reactions.
