RWBY: MRRN
Volume 2, Chapter 11: The Dance (Pt 1)
Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY. All rights go to Rooster Teeth.
"I hate wearing this," Nasser complained as he put on his tux. "We never had to worry about these kinds of things in Vacuo."
"I hate wearing it too, but it's a special occasion," Math reminded his teammate as he fixed his bowtie.
"Well, not all of us are going with girlfriends, Math," Nasser replied. "It'll probably be boring."
"No argument there," the swordsman agreed. "Well, except for the dancing." He then turned to his cousin, who looked pretty solemn for the big night. He knew immediately what it meant: Coco hadn't made it back.
"Sorry, man," Math told Robin, who quickly put on a cocky smile to hide his hurt feelings.
"It's fine," he assured. "I'll still have fun with my friends there."
"Shouldn't you be going to meet Pyrrha?" Ruo asked his team leader.
"I'll be heading out in several minutes to go with her to the dance," the leader of MRRN answered. "What about you? Aren't you going to meet up with Yang?"
"We talked about it and she wants to meet up at the dance," the White Tiger informed. "She'll be at the front podium for a while to make sure everyone's arrived. Plus, she saved a dance for Blake."
"So Blake's going?" Robin asked.
"Yes," Ruo confirmed. "Yang didn't tell me the whole story, but she managed to convince Blake."
"Well, that's good," Math responded. Just then, his scroll went off. He took it out of his pocket, read the name 'Pyrrha Nikos' and answered it.
"Hey, beautiful," Math answered. "You're ready? Okay, I'll come over." He hung up.
"That's my cue." Mathdon walked out of the dorm and walked down the hallway to Team JNPR's dorm. He knocked three times before hearing Pyrrha reply "Coming" in a sing song tone. Math chuckled at how playful and open his girlfriend had become now.
The door opened to show Pyrrha in a bareback red dress, black heels, and red lipstick.
"Wow, you look amazing, Pyrrha," Math complimented.
"Thank you," she replied. "You look pretty sharp yourself."
"I do my best," the swordsman responded. He looked past her to see the rest of her teammates getting ready. Jaune was putting on his bowtie, Ren was tying his hair into a ponytail and Nora was picking out her heels for the night.
"Hey, guys," Math called out.
"Hey," Jaune replied. "You ready to take Pyrrha to the dance?"
"I am," Math responded with a smile. "What about you, Jaune? Did you get a date?"
"Well…" Jaune hesitantly started to admit. "I asked Weiss and she shot me down. Big surprise there, huh?"
"One day," Math suggested, hoping to comfort Jaune. "You know how she is. She just needs time to…melt." Everyone looked at Math with a very questioning look on their face.
"Melt?" Nora asked.
"I couldn't think of anything better," Math admitted. "But who knows? Maybe she's going to the dance alone."
"She already asked Neptune," Jaune solemnly informed.
"Neptune?" Math questioned. "I don't see them hanging out that much. Why would she ask him?"
"Don't know," Jaune replied. "But if she wants to go with Neptune, then fine."
"Okay. So, Pyrrha, you ready to go to the dance?"
"I am." Pyrrha walked out of the dorm, closing the door behind her and put her hands on Math's arm.
"I'm so excited!" the redhead squealed. "I've been wanting to go to these occasions with someone for a long time."
"I'm excited too," Math replied. After walking out of the dorm building, Pyrrha rested her head on Math's shoulder, allowing him to guide her as they walked to the dance.
Upon arriving, he saw Yang at the front podium. Behind her, many people were already slow dancing, some were sitting at the tables, and others were just trying to hit on each other.
"Aww, you two look so cute together~" Yang cooed.
"Thanks, Yang," Pyrrha replied. "You managed to convince Blake to come?"
"Sure did," the blonde brawler answered. "She'll be coming soon."
"Sounds good," Math spoke. "I hope you and Ruo have a good dance too. Ren is sure to have taught him well."
"It sounded like it was a nightmare for him," Yang chuckled.
"Ren surprisingly takes dancing VERY seriously," Pyrrha informed. "He becomes like a drill sergeant rather than his usual calm self." Yang and Mathdon laughed at the details of Ren's complete change of character when it came to dancing.
"Well, enjoy your night, Yang," Math departed before he and Pyrrha walked into the main area.
"Math!" a voice called out, belonging to Imamu. He approached him and the two bro hugged.
"Did you just get here?" he asked.
"Yeah," Math confirmed. "Where's Safirlas? Is she coming?"
"She's taking her dear sweet time," Imamu answered. "She was having so much trouble choosing between dresses and heels." Math sighed at this.
"My sister is always indecisive about the small things," he groaned. "So she'll be showing up soon?"
"Yeah, I'm sure of it," the member of Team IRIS assured. "You're looking sharp by the way."
"You too," the swordsman reciprocated.
"Thank you, because I've got some gorgeous young women to woo." He walked away from Math and approached a pair of 3rd years with a charming smile.
"Oh, geez, dude," Math chuckled. "Well, I'd say we should try and save our friends a table."
"Ok," Pyrrha agreed.
-0-
Ruo, Robin and Nasser had arrived a few minutes after Math did. Upon seeing Yang at the front desk in a beautiful white dress and pumps, the Faunus just stared at her.
"Wow, Yang," he complimented. "You look so beautiful."
"Aww, thanks," Yang replied. "When everyone's arrived, I'll be available to dance. Just remember; I owe Blake a dance first."
"I understand," the White Tiger assured. Then he and his two present teammates walked into the main area, where it looked like the dance was already in full swing.
"Guys!" Math called out as he approached Pyrrha with two cups of punch. "We saved you a table." The three guys then walked over to him and sat down, claiming each of the seats.
"Have the others arrived?" Ruo asked.
"Weiss and Ruby are already here," Pyrrha informed as she took a sip. "My teammates arrived a few moments ago, but Blake-"
"Is right there," Nasser interrupted as he pointed towards the entrance. "And she came with Sun. Joy."
"Why do you dislike Sun so much?" Pyrrha questioned the knife user.
"Because he's such a kleptomaniac," Nasser informed. "He keeps taking my stuff."
"Our stuff," Math corrected.
"Whatever," Nasser dismissed.
"Oh, Nasser," Robin called out. "Guess who else is here~?" He pointed to the entrance and through the doors came Team NGDO. Octavia was wearing a bright blue dress that was off the shoulder and hugged her figure perfectly, had a skirt that reached mid-thigh, and blue heels.
Instead of her seeing Nasser first, Dew was the one to make eye contact with him. She immediately gave him the stink eye, which he had grown tired of seeing from her.
"What is her problem?" he wondered. "I haven't done anything bad to her and she suddenly decides to hate me. What happened to her that made her hate guys so much?"
"You okay, Nas?" Math asked, seeing the expression on his face.
"I'll be fine," he assured before going off to get some punch, meeting Ruby and Jaune there. He turned back to look at the table, seeing Robin walk off to meet with Ren and Nora while Pyrrha took Math to the dance floor.
"Hey, Nasser," Ruby greeted. "Did you come with a date?"
"No," he replied as he took a cup and filled it with punch. "What about you guys?"
"No," Jaune answered. "I asked Weiss and she shot me down. Big surprise, huh?"
"Two things," the knife user stated. "First, no; it's not a surprise. Two, then who did she go with?"
"She didn't come with anyone," Ruby informed.
"What?" Jaune exclaimed. "I saw her ask Neptune."
"Neptune?" Nasser asked with a smirk on his face. "Good thing she didn't."
"Why do you have such a problem with him?" Ruby asked with an annoyed tone.
"He has a problem with everyone," Jaune told the leader of Team RWBY, much to Nasser's annoyance.
"I have a problem with how Neptune only cares about being the 'cool guy'," he explained. "Now, since Neptune is nowhere to be seen, why don't you go talk to Weiss?" He gently pushed Jaune in Weiss's direction.
"I-I can't!"' he replied.
"Dude, go," Nasser insisted as he pushed him a bit harder this time. Jaune sighed as he looked over at Weiss.
She was right there, fixing the flowers on one of the tables. He was certain that she would come with Neptune, considering how she had shown some attraction to the member of Team SSSN. However, after hearing Ruby say she had come alone and, finally catching sight of Neptune with Blake and Sun, he breathed.
"Here I go," he decided as he walked over to Weiss. "No over-the-top antics, no pickup lines…just like you said, Pyrrha."
"Good man," Nasser smiled as he clinked drinks with Ruby.
By now, Yang had her dance with Blake. She then looked around, trying to find Ruo-Jian. She felt a tap on her shoulder from behind, looking to see Ruo-Jian.
"Well, hello," she greeted her date. "I hope those lessons from Ren helped you out."
"It was like a dream and a nightmare all at once," the Faunus replied. "Ren takes dancing TOO seriously."
"Pyrrha told me," Yang informed. "So, you ready?"
"I am," the White Tiger assured as he started slow dancing with Yang.
This moment was too perfect for him. He was certain that he'd mess up on the dancing; other than accidentally stepping on her heel a few times, he did well. He couldn't help but gaze at the beautiful young woman he was falling for, who had agreed to be his date, and had to endure suffering just as he had.
"Yang, you're…" he tried to get it out, but couldn't.
"Yeah?" she asked.
"Well…" Ruo chuckled. "So this is how Math felt around Pyrrha for the longest time."
"What is it?" the blonde brawler of Team RWBY. Ruo sighed.
"I just never realized how beautiful you were and not just on the outside," he said. Yang just smiled warmly at him as she placed her arms on his shoulders.
"How else am I beautiful?" she asked. Ruo could see that this was not teasing; she genuinely wanted to know.
"Well…you're kind, you're fun to be around, you're upbeat, you always have our backs, whether it's in a fight or if we're feeling down," the Faunus answered. "What do you think of me?"
"I think you're someone who may come off as really stoic, but once people get to know you, you're actually a pretty good person," Yang answered back. "You're funny with the way you can be so quirky sometimes, you have a good heart, and…despite everything you've been through, you're a really kind person when people get to know you."
Ruo's ears flattened against his head and a blush was on his face as they continued dancing. Yang giggled at her date as he tried to hide it, but he couldn't, not from her.
"Let's head outside," she suggested.
"Outside?" Ruo asked. "As in the balcony?"
"Yeah," Yang clarified. She grabbed Ruo's hand, leading him away from the dance floor and up the stairs. Unknown to either of them, Robin, Nora, Ren and Ruby caught sight of the two leaving the room.
"Oh~" Robin chuckled. "What do you think they're up to?"
"Gross!" Ruby replied.
"You'll understand when you're older," Nora assured. "So, are we going to go check on them?"
"Spy on my teammate and his possible girlfriend?" Robin asked with a scowl of disbelief before changing to one of content. "Why not?"
"Alright," Ruby agreed as the four students secretly followed Yang and Ruo to the balcony.
Nasser was standing by the punch bowl, just looking at everyone enjoy the dance. Math was seen dancing with Pyrrha while she laughed a few times. Sun was dancing with Blake, who Yang had managed to come and enjoy the night. He watched as Ruo and Yang made their way up the stairs leading to the balcony with Ruby, Robin, Ren and Nora following them, making him chuckle.
"Seriously?" he said to himself. Just then, he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned to see Octavia.
"Hey," she greeted. "What're you doing here by yourself?"
"Just watching the dance," Nasser replied as he sipped his punch. "You?"
"Some of the guys came over, trying to ask us to dance," the redhead informed. "Gwen's already on the dance floor with Sage."
"From Team SSSN?" Nasser asked for clarification.
"Yeah," she confirmed. "He's actually a real nice guy. Bit introverted, but nice."
"Did Dew...?"
"She did." Octavia sighed, disliking her teammate's distrust of young men.
"Seriously, why does Dew hate guys so much?" Nasser asked.
"That's not really for me to tell," Octavia answered. "It's very personal for her."
"That stinks," the knife user responded as he drank from his punch.
"Well, want to dance?" the redhead offered. Nasser stopped drinking and looked over to her with a somewhat nervous scowl.
"Well…I wasn't planning on dancing," he admitted. Octavia chuckled.
"Not dancing…at a dance?" she questioned. She took Nasser's hand, leading him to the dance floor as the music started to adopt a more energetic beat.
The two present members of Team MRRN laughed as they danced with the women they loved; Math with Pyrrha and Nasser with Octavia. As the music picked up more, they started dancing more wildly and joyfully. While they were dancing, Pyrrha caught sight of Jaune at the table, looking as if he was depressed about something, stopping her dance.
"You okay, Pyrrha?" Math asked her.
"I'm fine," she answered. "I need to go check on Jaune."
"Alright," Math replied. "I'll go see if I can find Safirlas. Haven't had much time to speak to her lately." While Math went to go find Safirlas, Pyrrha walked over and placed a comforting hand on her team leader's shoulder.
"Hello," she greeted.
"Hey, Pyrrha," Jaune replied. The redhead sat down next to him with a concerned look.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
"I just don't get it," Jaune answered. "I was honest and didn't try any pickup lines with Weiss just like you said. I asked her to dance and she still said no, even though she's not here with Neptune."
"I'm sorry to hear that," she apologized. "Sometimes, we just like people who don't like us back. It's unfair, but that's the way it is."
"I just don't get it," the leader of Team JNPR spoke again. Pyrrha looked over to see Weiss, sitting by herself and drinking some punch.
"I'll talk to her," she insisted as she left Jaune by himself at the table and walked over to Weiss. When she saw Pyrrha walking to her, she stood up and greeted her.
"Hello, Pyrrha," she greeted. "Are you having a fun time?"
"I am," she answered. "May I speak with you for a little bit?"
"Sure," Weiss answered as the two girls walked over to a secluded table in the corner and sat down.
"Jaune told me he asked you to dance with him," Pyrrha brought up. "He didn't try any of his usual schemes, did he?"
"No," Weiss answered.
"Then…I don't see a reason why you can't give Jaune a chance," the redhead replied a stern tone. "Sure, I may not approve of his ridiculous schemes and ideas of wooing you, but his heart is true, so I must ask…why won't you give Jaune a chance?"
"All my life, boys have only cared about the perks of my last name," Weiss answered.
That answer nearly set Pyrrha off. To her, Weiss just said that she thought Jaune was shallow and only cares about her last name. It sounded like she was calling him a gold digger. Jaune was a lot of things, some only she knew, others everyone knew…but he was not shallow nor a gold digger.
"Pyrrha?" Weiss asked after seeing the serious scowl on the Amazon's face.
"Do you truly think that poorly of him?" she questioned. Weiss raised an eyebrow in confusion.
"What do you mean?"
"Do you honestly think Jaune's only interested in you for your last name?" she questioned again. "Jaune is a lot of things, but he is not shallow enough to only want you for your heritage. You and I both know him better than that!"
"Pyrrha, you do not get to tell me what I should know," Weiss replied.
"I'm telling that you are unfair towards him," she replied. "His ways of wooing you were…less than ideal, but his heart was always in the right place. I understand if you're put off by that, but I will not tolerate you thinking of Jaune as just some shallow pretty boy who only cares about your name."
"You don't know what it was like growing up," Weiss shot back. "Every young man I ever met only ever cared about my last name. They only cared about me being the daughter of one of Remnant's most powerful men."
"I know that pain too," Pyrrha informed the Schnee heiress. "Many young men approached me only because of my status as a Tournament champion. I once felt the same way, that every young man would only care about my status as a Tournament champion. But I was wrong…and so are you. I realized that if we're ever to find happiness with someone, then we need to stop thinking that every person only cares about what we are, not who we are."
Weiss was quiet for a little bit. At first, she did think terribly of Jaune because of her first impression of him. On the day of the initiation, he had come off as very flirtatious, cocky, and disrespectful of people's personal space. Then again, she was no saint herself during her first few weeks at the prestigious Academy.
Over time, she warmed up to Jaune, though remained dismissive of him due to his advances on her. Deep down, she thought he was only interested in her because of her family heritage. Like she said, many young men only wanted her for her family name, which had made her a little distrustful when it came to dating.
But now, she felt a little guilty for thinking that of him. She had known him for almost a year and she thought back to their encounters.
Never once did he ask about her family name. Never once did he bring it up. Sure, his ways of wooing her fell short, but he seemed genuinely interested in her as a person rather than the heiress to the SDC.
"Weiss," Pyrrha spoke in a much more gentle tone. "As your friend, all I'm asking is that you just give Jaune a chance. You don't have to be his girlfriend, you don't have to like everything he does…just give him a chance."
Weiss sighed. She looked over at Neptune, who was having a fun time without her as he hung out with Sun and Blake. She wished it was her he was having fun with, but it wasn't. She then looked over to Jaune, who was now by the punch bowl by himself.
"Okay," Weiss answered. "If you're so insistent, then I'll spend time with him tonight, though I can't promise anything other than that."
"Fair enough," Pyrrha agreed. "I'm sorry for taking a harsh tone with you."
"Thanks," Weiss replied. She stood up from her seat and walked over to Jaune.
-0-
"Well, Ms. Xiao Long and Ms. Schnee certainly did a good job picking up where Team CFVY left off," Goodwitch complimented. "Everyone seems to be having a good time."
"Indeed," Ozpin agreed. Ironwood approached Glynda and extended his hand.
"May I have this dance?" he asked, now that the music had taken a slower tune. Glynda reluctantly took his hand and walked with him to the dance floor.
Ozpin's scroll vibrated. He reached into his pocket, pulled it out and opened it, reading the name 'Kijivu'. He then answered it and put it next to his ear.
"Hello," he greeted.
"I hope I didn't catch you at a bad time, Professor," Kijivu asked.
"No, not at all," the Headmaster assured. "What is it?"
"We learned something about the Iron Knights," the VSU Captain informed. "We managed to get one of them to talk. It looks like they have a post to the north of Vale."
"Are you certain the information isn't misleading?" Ozpin asked.
"I'm certain of it," Kijivu answered. "He mentions someone who is working with their leader, Nachtfel, but he doesn't know his name."
"Do we have a description?" Ozpin requested.
"All he said was that he was a tall man with white hair," Kijivu informed. "He also said he fought with…wires."
Ozpin realized who it was, but dared not say his name. He realized then who the Iron Knights were really working for.
"I'll approach the Council tomorrow to send a search team," the VSU Captain informed.
"That won't be necessary," Ozpin replied. "I can handle this."
"Are you certain?" Kijivu asked. "The Iron Knight we got to confess talked like he was very dangerous."
"I'm certain," Ozpin assured. "I'll have a team sent out in the morning to investigate. If what the Knight said is true, then we'll determine the best course of action from there."
"Ozpin, I don't like this," Kijivu expressed. "These Iron Knights are more organized and stronger than we thought."
"Which is why we handle it carefully," the Headmaster responded. "I will send a team in the morning. Once we discover if the Knight's claims are true, we'll decide the best course of action."
"Very well," Kijivu reluctantly agreed. "I trust you. But before I hang up, who do you plan on sending?"
"They're capable of handling this," Ozpin assured before hanging up. He then looked over at the two members of MRRN present, Math speaking with his sister and her teammates and Nasser on the dance floor with Octavia Ember.
"You cannot be serious about sending them, can you?" Alan Kura asked as he approached Ozpin with a cup of punch, having overheard some of the conversation.
"They're capable of handling this," Ozpin insisted. "They've fought them before."
"But Mathdon and Nasser almost got killed," Kura brought up.
"Which is why you will go with them," the Headmaster informed. "We need to know if the Iron Knights really do have a post to the north."
"Then what do we tell them?" the Grimm studies teacher asked.
"You don't tell them anything until you get there," the Headmaster replied. Alan raised his eyebrows.
"You're sending them in blind?" he questioned. "They need to know beforehand, otherwise-"
"I have faith in them," Ozpin interrupted. "They know what to expect from these Iron Knights."
"Ozpin-"
"This is a reconnaissance mission," the Headmaster informed. "They are not to engage the enemy unless they have no choice or until we determine our best course."
Alan Kura didn't like this. They knew the Iron Knights were not just a bunch of angry mob people; they were trained fighters and their leader was even more dangerous. He wanted to trust Ozpin's judgment, but after seeing Team MRRN nearly die was giving him doubts.
"As soon as we're able to discover what's going on, it'd be best to send them back," Kura insisted. "As you said, it is reconnaissance."
"We will speak more of this tomorrow," Ozpin replied. "For now, enjoy tonight." Before walking off, Alan looked back at the Headmaster.
"If Glaucus finds out about this, he won't be happy," he warned him.
"He understands that we must do what is necessary to keep Remnant safe," Ozpin assured. Alan sighed before leaving the Headmaster by himself.
Author's Notes: I hope you're still enjoying this Fanfic so far. Again, if you have any constructive criticism on how I could improve this story, please let me know.