"Oh. My. God. This place looks amazing!" Ruby exclaimed, her silver eyes open wide with awe as she looked around at the large entrance hall, which had been refurnished, decorated, and stocked for the dance.

Every inch of the room was sparkling with balloons were tied to each corner of every table, with matching streamers handing from the ceiling. A large disco ball, glistening like a diamon hung from the ceiling, covering the room in small spots of bright light. Several banners hung from the wall, bearing Beacon's coat of arms, along with the symbol of Vale itself.

"You guys really outdid yourselves." Blake said, her face showing her obvious impression with the scale of the decor.

"Aww come on, it was nothin'." Yang said, waving a hand dismissively, but smiling with pride nonetheless.

"It was a pleasure helping out Miss Goodwitch." Weiss said with a small smile, leaning her head on Ruby's shoulder. "But I'm glad it's finally over, it was quite time consuming... An speaking of time, we should probably go get dressed... The dance is gonna start in a few hours, and we all need showers and makeup." She said, wrapping both of her arms around one of Ruby's and leading her, along with Blake and Yang, out of the Hall.

After almost three hours of showers, doing each others hair and nails, and fitting on dresses and shoes, the girls were finally ready. They all stood before the great doors to the entry hall, listening to the commotion on the inside. Weiss stood tall, her dress pure and white like her hair, standing on a pair of pure white high heels. Ruby was attatched to her arm, her dress complimenting Weiss's quite nicely, her deep red and black giving a pleasant opposite to Weiss's bright white colouring. Yang and Blake's dresses were also resemblant of their natural colouring, with Yang's bright yellow dress giving a sheer, almost glowing effect. It made Blake's flowing black dress look quite bland in comparison, but still complimented it rather nicely. Neo was stood off to the side slightly, looking extremely nervous in her suit, both hands clasped tightly behind her back.

All five girls turned when they heard raised voices and laughter coming down the hallway, Sun, Neptune, Jaune, Pyrrha, Ren, Nora, Coco, Velvet, and Yatsuhashi were all making their way towards the group, each dressed in a suit or dress that complimented their usual colour patterns.

As they approached, Sun took Blake's hand, kissing it gently. "Milady." He said in an almost teasing voice, causing blake's face to flush a deep red colour.

As the dates paired up, they all began to move towards the doors to the main hall, where the sounds of chatter and music could be heard. However, as Ruby's hand reached the handle, a voice stopped her.

"Wait a second..." Coco said, turning to look at Yatsuhashi, dropping her sunglasses so they could all see her narrowed eyes. "You said you had a date did you not...?"

"Yes, I do." He said simply, looking down beside him, where Neo was standing, her face as pink as her hair.

"B-b-but when did... How did you... Do you even KNOW each other?!" Weiss asked, voicing the confusion the rest of the group all seemed to share.

"We met around a week and a half ago." Yatsuhashi explained, Neo gently wrapping both arms around one of his. "I was assisting her in recovering something Cardin had put... Out of her reach. We began talking, and as neither of us had dates for the dance at the time, we decided to attend together."

As he spoke, Neo smiled softly, nodding along in confirmation to his story. The other began giving their respective 'Ooh's and 'Aww's, all except Yang, who frowned. "Wait a minute Neo... Has Cardin been... Bullying you?"

Neo froze as therest of the group glared at her, shrinking back slightly as she nodded. She began scribbling on her note pad. Yeah but I took care of it... He was just giving me some trouble because of my height... Thank god he has no clue who I actally am... He's nearly killed me already...

Yang opened her mouth to say something, but Blake put a hand up. "We can all talk about it later, but for now, let's all just have some fun and enjoy the dance, okay?"

Affirmative mutters swept through the group as they finally entered the giant hall. Loud, booming music and the sounds of dozens of mixed conversations invaded their ears as the doors opened. Almost immediately the group dispersed, Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Sun, Coco, and Velvet all making their way to the dance floor. Neo and Yatsuhashi made their way over to the punch bowls with Yang and Neptune, both couples sipping from their cups, making small talk as they watched the dozens of other couples dancing to the music.

Weiss rolled her eyes as she guided Ruby along the dance floor. "Just relax you dolt... You're stepping on my feet..."

"Sorry Weiss... You know I hate these stupid lady stilts... They're impossible to walk in, I don't see why I couldn't wear flats." Ruby replied, giving Weiss a small peck on the cheek. "I can rub your feet when we're done to make it up to you, okay?"

"That sounds nice... And if you have so much trouble, why didn't you ask for help? I wear heels contantly, I could have taught you." Weiss said, returning the kiss, along with a soft smile.

"Well... I mean Ive been trying to practice. I wanted to surprise you before the dance, so I was practicing whenever I was alone in the dorm but... I still suck..."

"They are difficult to master, I'll admit. Tell you what, afte the dance is all over, I'll help you out. For now, try and keep more weight on the balls of your feet and your toes, it makes it a bit easier." Weiss said, gently laying her head on Ruby's shoulder as they continued slowly dancing with the crowd.

The doors opened again, both of the girls glancing towards it as people whispered "isn't she a teacher?" "I think he is too at some other school", some giggling quietly amongst themselves. A pair entered the room, hands held tightly, the woman blushing heavily as she whispered something to her onyx-haired partner. Qrow merely chuckled and shook his head, leaning down to kiss Summer's cheek.

Both Ruby's and Weiss's jaws hit the floor at this spectacle. "B-b-but I thought... Isn't she married...?"

"Um... Yeah... To my Dad... But then why is she with my Uncle Qrow...?" Ruby asked, her face showing nothing but absolute confusion.

"Well, why don't we go ask her? I hate this next song anyways... What the hell does it mean to 'get schwifty'?" Weiss said, rolling her eyes and taking Ruby's hand, leading her off the dance floor.

"Oh, hey sweetie!" Summer said cheerfully, smiling brightly at the girls as they approached. "You two look beautiful!"

"So do you Miss Rose." Weiss said with a polite smile, giving the couple a small curtsy.

"Mom... Why are you here with Uncle Qrow? I thought you'd be coming with Dad?" Ruby asked, her head tilting curiously.

"Well um... Your father and I have been having some... Disagreements lately. And so he didn't see it appropriate to join me. So your Uncle Qrow, being all nice and gentleman like, volunteered to accompany me!" She replied, smiling happily and laying her head on his arm.

"But then, why did he um... Ya know, kiss you?"

"Oh that? We're family, he's like my step brother... Or something... I think? Cousin maybe? Either way, he's family! And family are allowed to give each other kisses, are they not?" Summer said, almost defensively as Qrow chuckled.

Ruby shrugged as she gave her mother and uncle each a hug before the pair made their way back towards the punch bowl, where Blake and Yang were currently giggling away, either unaware or uncaring of the appearance.

"Hey Rubes, what's up? Ya finished breaking the Ice Queen's toes yet?" Yang asked teasingly, sticking her tongue out, earning a reproachful glare from Weiss.

"She's not that bad, she's certainly improved since last time!" The heiress scolded, taking a sip of punch.

Yang merely shrugged, taking a sip from her own cup and smiling, obviously satisfied. "Well either way I think we can call this a complete success."

"Here here!" Ruby said, the four girls tapping their glasses together with a small clink.

Ruby's next words were unheard, however, as the ear-piercing sound of an explosion sounded through the room, sending them flying through the air. The wall had been completely destroyed, a massive amount of debris flying everywhere, one of them striking Yang directly in the back of her head, knocking her out cold.

When Ruby's eyes next open, all she could see was dust and debris littering the ground around her. The sounds of screaming filled her ears as several dozen pairs of legs ran in multiple directions around her. She sat up slowly, her distorted vision taking a moment to finally focus on her surroundings.

People were running ever which way, some to try and aid the people that had been hit by debris or thrown back by the blast, others running to seek cover somewhere. Looking down at the ground, she saw Blake already on her feet, trying to help Neo pull Yang behind an overturned table. Weiss was sitting upright, looking just as dazed and confused as Ruby herself, and Qrow and Summer shouting instructions could be heard somewhere behind her.

Ruby rose shakily to her feet, wobbling her way over to Weiss, helping her to rise as well. "Wh-what the heck just happened..." The heiress asked, accepting Ruby's helping hand, shaking her head to clear it.

"I don't know, but I think-"

BANG.

The sound of a gunshot sent screams, followed by silence through the crowd. All eyes turned to the hold in the wall, where half a dozen figured stood, each brandishing weapons. The one on the far left held a pistol in the air, smoke slowly rising from the barrel, signifying the origin of the gunshot. The one in the middle stepped forwards, her heels making a soft click through the stunned silence.

"Could anyone tell me where I might find the Good Professor Ozpin?" Cinder asked, her voice echoing through the room, recieving only silence in return. "Simply tell me where he is and I'll leave you in peace, if not, well then... I'll simply have to draw him out by massacring his precious students."

The words hung over the crowd, an eerie, forboding feeling sweeping over everyone. Ruby's hand clenched her scroll as her eyes swept across the room, finally landing on her mother. Summer was unmoving, her eyes wide in what was obivously terror as she gazed at Cinder. Qrow seemed to have vanished, leaving Ruby completely unaware of what to do.

"Nobody willing to share? And here I thought Huntsmen and Huntresses were eager to help others... Very well, have it your way." Cinder said, frowning as small flames appeared in front of her eyes, her hands clenched into fists. "Let's see how many will die before he shows up..."