Welcome! College classes started yesterday, so there's a small chance that updates take a slight bit longer than usual. Don't fear, though, because updates will, at the most, be every ten days.

As always, thanks for reading, reviewing, following, and favoring! (Does anybody know how to make en-dashes on this site)

"Ah, there you are, I hope I haven't kept you waiting for too long," Ren said, approaching Emerald. He had asked her to wait for him at the front of the school, but hadn't specified exactly where in the front he would meet her. As such, he had run late and then panicked slightly when she wasn't within eyeshot. Only when he checked outside did he find her, which was the one place he hadn't looked; in the evening Beacon Academy became somewhat breezy which would not agree with people who were unprepared for the cool winds.

"That's unlike you," she said, turning to acknowledge his presence. "I never took you for the type to leave a woman waiting."

"It seems you have once again underestimated my capacity to disappoint," he replied with a wink. "Although as long as I'm able to please you, I suppose late is better than never." A slight color rose to her cheeks, but she didn't back down. "Or perhaps," he continued, "maybe you'd be kind enough to assume that my delay was entirely intentional? Good things do come to those who wait."

Emerald's eyebrows went up in response to his more than slightly suggestive tone. Her cheeks now displayed an even brighter shade of red. In embarrassment she tucked her hands behind her back, conceding defeat by bowing her head to break eye contact. Ren congratulated himself silently. It pays off to be bold, it seems.

"We should probably go," she finally said, hair being tousled by the wind.

"Oh, of course," he said in surprise, having momentarily forgotten the purpose to his meeting Emerald. She didn't miss the opening in his mental armor, taking advantage of his lapse in concentration.

"Or were you so stunned by my beauty that you forgot why we were here?" She asked, placing her hands on her hips with rekindled confidence.

"I-" Damn, you're closer to the truth than you probably realize. "Well, you're still wearing that bulky jacket, so I couldn't say for sure," he pointed out, gesturing to her large black overcoat.

"Yeah, sure," she drawled. "Nice save."

Ren laughed at her dry words, leading them down the docks to the airship that would bring them close to their destination. The airships that docked at Beacon Academy only went to largest parts of the city, performing lengthy circuitous loops before returning to the school. Thanks to the relatively low volume of travel between Beacon and the city during the school week, students had to plan carefully to avoid getting stuck at an airship station for multiple hours while they waited for a ride. Ren had planned the dinner to last about three hours at most- but if it went longer or shorter, improvising wouldn't be impossible. It was the weekend, after all, so airship schedules accounted for higher levels of city-wide transit. He was confident that he and Emerald would be able to get back to the dorms without sharing a ship with Jaune and Pyrrha.

Ren and Emerald watched over the city during the airship ride, lulled into a comfortable silence by the gentle patter of a light rain against the windows. The rain let up by the time they landed, replacing the smell of the city with the scent of freshly wet earth. The short walk to the Vale Piscator was punctuated by both of their stomachs growling simultaneously as the restaurant came into view, the two of them shared a look and both chuckled.

They made it to the front of the restaurant as the sun began its final descent toward the horizon. Ren had of course planned for this timing; Jaune and Pyrrha would begin their romantic dinner being greeted by a beautiful sunset over the Sea of Sanus.

The inside was just as decadent as the pictures on their website had shown. Large trellises that supported vines divided dining booths from one another, adding a vineyard aesthetic to the privacy of each space. The edges of each booth were lined with already lit candles, which-apart from the small chandeliers-were the only source of light. The end result was a sort of dusky level of light: bright enough that customers could clearly see each other, but also dark enough that shadows were elongated and given volume. Ren immediately decided he liked the place.

A small podium took up the center of the greeting area, which Ren approached. The waitress greeted him politely with a small bow.

"Welcome to Vale Piscator, where we serve only the finest variety of oceanic cuisine! How may I help you?"

"I have a reservation for two," Ren stated, glancing at his scroll to check the time. "Under Nikos." The waitress nodded, but then looked at him in confusion after double-checking her list.

"Just so you're aware, there is a second reservation under Miss Nikos's name in a quarter hour. Is that an error?"

Ren had adjusted the reservation times so that he and Emerald would be seated roughly fifteen minutes before the soon-to-be couple, and had even warned the waitstaff that they intended to take their time. Of course, the venue had gone out of its way to assure him that it wouldn't cause any problems.

"No, that's correct. Our two groups will be dining completely separately, but we reserved tables at the same time."

"Oh, I see," she said, writing something on her list with a look of relief. "If you would follow me, I will show you to your seats."

"Thank you."

The waitress led them to a small booth built into the wall of the building. They sat underneath an arch, their view of most of the other tables cut off by more trellises. Ren worried for a moment that Pyrrha's table would be out of view, but his anxiety was soon dispelled when he noticed a small, empty table near the opposite edge of the restaurant. Framed by large sliding glass windows, Pyrrha's table would afford an unparalleled view of the sunset and the ocean. Ren pointed as much out to Emerald as they sat.

"Wow," she said, sounding genuinely impressed. "You really care about these two, don't you? Those seats must've been expensive."

"They were," he confirmed, smiling. "But Pyrrha was the one who paid for them. And I definitely care about them, a great deal. They've treated me very well since we formed our team, I want to return the favor."

"And the way you're doing that is by setting them up?"

Ren laughed. "That's the gist of it. Jaune and Pyrrha share a mutual romantic interest, but they're not the most. . . honest with their emotions. I hope this dinner acts as sort of a push in the right direction."

"And that's why you're here, to act as a sort of safety net?"

"Exactly. I'm very sure that my presence wouldn't be necessary if they were just a little bit more brave. However, Pyrrha asked me to come along, so I told her I would. If all goes well, we'll just provide a silent overwatch from our hidden position."

"I can do stealth," Emerald grinned.

"I can think of nobody better," Ren agreed. "It's getting hot, I'm going to remove my coat." He stood from his seat and unbuttoned his overcoat, hanging it on the coat rack that was conveniently placed next to the table. Emerald joined him, beginning to remove her jacket. She sighed with relief when the garment was removed, as if it had greatly restricted her movement.

Ren knew he was immediately in trouble. Emerald's dress was, considering her normal fashion choice, surprisingly modest in the front, the high neckline rising to encircle her throat. Although the dress accentuated her features masterfully, it was the back that was the most dangerous part.

Where modesty had been the rule for the front, it was thrown to the wind for the back. Emerald's entire back was exposed to the air, from shoulders to waist, leaving nothing to the imagination in terms of form and musculature. Had he not been at least a little prepared, he wouldn't have been able to look away at all. He managed to shift his vision to the table as Emerald hung up her coat, giving him an extended look at her flank from his peripheral vision.

It also reveals her side nicely, he thought, biting his lip. Too nicely. This is bad, I need to be careful not to stare. Of course, while he was worrying about being rude he also realized that Emerald wouldn't mind. In fact, she'd be more than happy to catch him staring, it would be more ammunition to tease him with. Suddenly, being caught took on a whole new level of importance.

He sat back down, watching Emerald as she did the same. I need to compliment her, she deserves that much at the very least.

"Your outfit is stunning, you really make that dress look wonderful," he said simply, causing Emerald to turn away slightly to fidget with her menu. "But isn't that high neck a little stuffy?" he asked in genuine curiosity. Unfortunately for him, Emerald had a retort prepared.

"Are you saying you'd like to see me wearing less?"

Damn! I misstepped, and now I'm paying the price!

"Ahh- well," he stuttered, completely unprepared to fire back a quick rebuttal, "the dress suits you, as it were." Ren brought up his menu to hide the flush on his face. I lost big time on that one.

"Does it make you sad not to see a large amount of my skin?" She raised both her arms to adjust her ponytail, turning to the side to expose her mostly uncovered flank to him. She casually flexed her back muscles as she rolled her shoulders.

"That's not necessarily the case," he answered carefully, barely preventing his eyes from wandering over her skin. "It's just that one eventually gets used to seeing certain things, and sudden deviation from the standard can be. . . jarring."

Emerald narrowed her eyes, no doubt considering pressing the verbal attack. She could easily have done so, Ren was fully on the defensive. But, luckily for him, she relented. Smiling, she changed the subject. "Have you decided on what you want to eat?" she gestured to his menu.

"Not yet," he replied, smiling gratefully, "but there's no need to rush. The guests of honor have only just arrived." Emerald diverted her attention to the side, in time to see a waiter usher Pyrrha and Jaune to their table. Pyrrha much overshadowed her companion, sporting a scarlet full-length sleeveless dress hidden underneath a heavy winter coat. She handed the coat to the waiter when he offered, revealing that her long hair was let down and flowed freely over her back.

Jaune wore a sharp suit, sporting a black bowtie to match his jacket. His pants looked freshly pressed which, considering his normal sense of fashion, was quite a feat.

"He cleans up nicely," Ren commented, impressed.

"Meh," Emerald shrugged, "your suit looks better."

"But they're nearly identical," he responded, confused.

"He's got a bowtie. I'm more of a necktie kinda girl," she said, eyeing Ren's black skinny tie. "They're sexier, more powerful."

"Really? I didn't know." Emerald shrugged. "I suppose I could see what you mean, though," he continued. "Bowties have an innocent quality to them." Emerald nodded in agreement, still watching Jaune and Pyrrha.

"They look kinda awkward."

"Give it a couple minutes," Ren advised, turning his attention to the extensive menu. "Their nervousness will subside once they see the menu. Probably."

Emerald chuckled, looking over hers as well. Ren chose his order relatively quickly-the Grilled Neptune's Bounty-but kept his menu raised as a facade so he could watch Emerald. Her eyes didn't skim over the menu choices; she looked at each item carefully, as if missing the slightest detail could create some sort of drastic problem. Almost as if she was trying to commit them all to memory. No, she's not memorizing, he realized. She. . . can't read very well. His eyes widened.

Ren looked back to his menu in earnest, taking more time to read over each option. His choice wasn't going to change, but the last thing he wanted to do was call attention to Emerald and make her uncomfortable.

"What is Dem-Demersal?" she asked after a minute, chewing over the word in her mouth. Ren considered the fact that she was comfortable enough to ask for advice a monumental show of trust.

"Demersal? It refers to fish that feed from the bottom of bodies of water, like cod or flounder," he explained.

"That's what I want," she immediately said.

"I-are you sure? Bottomfeeders have a reputation for being kind of dirty fish. . ."

"Then don't you think it's fitting? We were both the street rats of our perspective worlds, starting at the bottom" she said wryly, smiling. Ren blinked.

"Comparing oneself to a fish in a complementary manner? That's new."

"I've got some surprises for you up my sleeves," she said, leaning forward. Ren matched her, minimizing the distance between them.

"You're not wearing sleeves." Checkmate.

"You know," she said, completely ignoring his comment, "I had to buy a dress, this dress, specifically for this occasion."

"Oh really?" Ren questioned. "I'm flattered you actually considered this meeting important enough to buy it." His smile grew as he backed her into a corner. "But I thought you said you already had a dress? Could it be that you couldn't stand the idea of looking bad in front of me?"

"I-shit!" She turned away, blushing furiously. "I forgot I told you that!"

Unfortunately, Ren's gloating was cut short by the arrival of their waitress. Once they gave their orders, they took a moment to watch Pyrrha and Jaune. As Ren had expected, the awkwardness of their conversation had worn off now that they were busy admiring the menu. They talked easily, and while they were just out of earshot, it was easy to see that they were enjoying themselves. Pyrrha at one point even reared her head back to laugh, before becoming self-conscious and covering her mouth. Jaune didn't notice, laughing along with her. Ren and Emerald watched from their table, making small-talk about the happy pair.

"It looks like you weren't needed after all," Emerald said. Her voice didn't carry any hint of rudeness.

"Heh, I suppose not. I told Pyrrha that she's got the confidence she needs, but she just doesn't know it yet. I'm glad she seems to have found some of it," he said smiling. "We can probably focus on our dinner without worrying too much."

"Good thing too, here it comes!"

Emerald licked her lips eagerly as her plate of pan-seared fish was placed before her. "Please be careful with the plate, miss, it's very hot," the waitress warned. Emerald ignored her, rotating the dish to her liking. Halfway through the motion, she pulled her hand away with a hiss. Ren gave her a pointed look refraining from touching his own dish as it was given to him. After refilling their glasses of water, the waitress departed.

"Go ahead," Ren said, gesturing to her food. Emerald dug in immediately, having barely saved herself from drooling on the front of her dress.

After ten minutes of drawn out silence, Ren and Emerald leaned back in unison with heavy sighs, their plates clean. "Oof," Emerald huffed, taking a swig of water. "That was great."

"I couldn't possibly eat more," Ren agreed, wiping his lips with his napkin. "I do not feel inclined toward dessert."

"As much as I'd like to disagree, I can't."

"Oh!" Ren said in surprise, interrupting to stare at Pyrrha and Jaune's table. "Look, it seems they're leaving." Sure enough, Jaune had stood, extending a hand to Pyrrha. She took it, allowing herself to be helped from her chair. When she lowered her hand as if to release his, Jaune suddenly intertwined their fingers, giving her a knowing smile. She blushed, but gripped his hand tightly in return. They did not separate their hands as they left, save for the short time it took them to put on their jackets, after which they returned to each other once more.

"Looks like everything worked out," Ren said in slight relief. They may not realize it, but now that their affections were out in the open, their lives had just gotten much easier. No more witnessing awkward and uncomfortable conversations.

"They're. . . kinda cute," Emerald said thoughtfully.

"Not that I disagree, but I didn't take you for the overly romantic type." Emerald merely shrugged.

"Eh. Can't argue with the facts." She scratched her chin, rethinking her statement. "They're cute now. I'll give it. . . five days."

"Five days?"

"Five days," she confirmed. "Until they're hanging off each other like kids in love."

"To be fair, they are." Emerald groaned lightheartedly.

"Check, please."

"How was your dinner?" the waitress asked as they put on their jackets at the entrance.

"Excellent, thank you," Ren responded for them both.

"Actually, if we could buy one of your bottles of champagne on the way out, that would be great!" Emerald asked the waitress.

"Of course," she responded, a smile lighting her face. "If I could see your ID? Just a formality," she assured.

"Sure thing," Emerald produced her school ID from a pocket, flashing a smile as she handed it over. Ren waited until the waitress was looking at it carefully to whisper to Emerald.

"What're you doing? We're not of age!" he hissed. He was interrupted as the waitress looked up, handing the ID back.

"Just let me grab that for you," she said to Emerald, accepting a wad of Lien. "Thank you for your patronage."

Emerald turned to him. "Not of age? My ID says differently," she teased, sliding the card back into her pocket. "Like I said, I've got tricks up my sleeves."

"You know, I half expect you could walk into a store and straight up leave with all their items, without anyone batting an eye."

"You'd be surprised," she winked.

As they stepped out of the airship onto the docks, they were immediately greeted by a cold wind. It whipped their hair about, forcing them to rush to the safety of the main building to escape the cold. A freestanding wall gave them shelter; they leaned against it, side-by-side.

"Haah, damn it's cold."

"No kidding," Ren agreed. "We should get back to the dorms before we freeze." Emerald nodded, stepping away from the wall and then turning to face him.

"Thanks for taking me out," she said, bashfully presenting the bottle of champagne. Ren reached for it without missing a beat, placing his hand on top of hers.

"I had an excellent time, I should be thanking you. Are you sure you want to give me this?" he asked, removing his hand from hers to grab the neck of the bottle. "You know you don't owe me anything, right?"

"Sure, but I thought it would be a nice gift. Do you not want it?" she asked, her eyes narrowing in warning.

"No, I'll take it, gratefully," he said quickly. He turned the bottle and admired the ingredients list for a moment. "Oh wow, not only would this be really good for drinking, but I could also use it in some excellent food!"

"Then I'll expect you to cook for me soon."

Ren nodded in agreement. "It's a promise."

As soon as he met her eyes there was a slight rushing noise, as if the wind had somehow cut through the stone behind him to fly directly into his ear. His vision made a very slight jump; if he had been distracted he would've completely missed it.

Emerald stood still in front of him. Then, without warning, he felt a warmth on the side of his face. He met her eyes, puzzled, but received no response other than an eyebrow raised in confusion.

But a pair of soft lips had definitely just pressed against his cheek. If only for a moment, he was sure he hadn't imagined it.

"What's up? You look like you're surprised."

"Ahh-no. It must've been my imagination, sorry," he said, shaking his head.

She grinned, turning to walk away. "I'll see ya later!" He met her over-the-shoulder wave with one of his own, before heading in the opposite direction to return to his dorm. I should get some rest, my head feels fuzzy.

Must be the cold.