Dance With Me

"Psst. Wake up."

Neo sat up and blinked her eyes open. She tried to pinch the bridge of her nose, but accidentally used her right hand.

"You said five minutes till. It's five minutes till."

Neo's scroll was on the floor next to the couch. ᴛʜᴀɴᴋ ʏᴏᴜ ʀᴜʙʏ.

"Listen Neo. I've been thinking. What do you really gain by fighting them?"

Neo stood up. ɪ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ɪ ᴅᴏ ɴᴏᴛ ʟᴏᴏᴋ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴍᴜᴄʜ. ᴍᴀʏʙᴇ ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴡɪʟʟ ʟɪsᴛᴇɴ ɪғ ᴛʜᴇʏ sᴇᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ɪ ᴀᴍ sᴛʀᴏɴɢ. She began to stretch.

"Listen to you how?" Ruby crossed her arms.

Why lie? She'd just read it after the fight. ᴡʜᴇɴ ɪ sᴀʏ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴇᴠᴇɴ ɪ ᴄᴀɴ'ᴛ sᴛᴏᴘ ᴡʜᴀᴛ's ᴄᴏᴍɪɴɢ.

"Neopolitan Jones." Ruby's voice was stern. Neo wasn't sure where she got the Jones from. "You are my friend and I love you." Ruby put a palm on each of Neo's cheeks and squeezed her face. "But if that's all you're planning, you might as well leave now."

Neo looked around the study. The two were alone and the door was, at least mostly, closed. "And I-"

Nubu appeared in the doorway. "Miss Neopolitan. Your presence is requested outside."

Almost.

Neo grabbed her umbrella and followed. Nubu led them out of the building, then through the front gate, and finally to a field next to the estate. Taking no chances with collateral damage. Probably wise with Nora fighting.

"Hey, Ruby." Jaune was waiting with the others. "If any Grimm come, you and Ren will have to take care of them. Is that alright?"

Ruby spared a glance for Neo. "Of course."

"All right. Nubu, you're... good at fighting, right?"

Nubu bowed to him. "Yes, Master Arc. I came in fourth in last year's Mistral regional tournament." She pursed her lips. "Almost third."

"All right, don't worry about it. Let's form up and get ready."

The three stepped into the center of the field. Neo joined them, ten feet away. She couldn't concede range to Nora with no ranged weapon of her own.

"Miss Rose, give us a count, please."

"On the count of three." Her voice blared. "One. Two! Three!"

Neo brought up her umbrella and dashed forward, only to find herself tumbling back. Of course. She kept a grip of her umbrella as Nubu pushed on it, flying across the snow for another fifteen feet. She could see Nubu, crouching, braced on the ground. Neo's scroll popped out of her pocket and flew behind her. "Nora! High!" Yelled Jaune. She was already firing grenades into the air.

Neo opened her umbrella. The sudden resistance made it stop in midair. Nubu tumbled backwards, while Neo's momentum pivoted her past it in midair. She landed in a crouch, her umbrella above her, and stayed still while the grenades landed.

That cleared most of the snow. There was a gap between shells, so Neo closed her umbrella and ran forward again.

Nubu was up. She did something with her wristband and threw her spear, which started firing dust out the back end like a rocket. She ran behind it before being lifted into the air. She'd connected her spear to her wrist. And a semblance to keep it aimed and steady.

Jaune had his sword out, right behind her. "Nora, flank!" The girl shot above Neo's head, spinning.

Nubu got to her first. Neo sidestepped her spear and kicked her as she flew past, but Nubu caught Neo's leg in her free right hand and pulled her off balance. Neo opened her umbrella again and held on as tight as she could. The deceleration tore Neo's foot from her grip and Nubu skidded to a stop. Neo landed on her feet.

Jaune arrived swinging. Neo kicked his sword hand, followed by his shield. He stumbled back.

Nubu and Nora were both behind her. Neo turned and stepped away, towards Jaune, to avoid a spear strike. Nora swung her hammer, but she thankfully did so on Neo's left side. Neo blocked with her umbrella.

Nubu stepped around her, away from Nora. Jaune was on his feet. They formed a triangle around Neo, with Nubu to her right and Jaune behind her.

"Nora, flush!" shouted Jaune. Nora swung her hammer again. Nubu retracted her spear's point and grabbed it around its middle like a staff. Neo blocked Nora with her umbrella and blocked one staff strike with her right hand, leaving her back open.

Jaune stabbed her back with his sword, sending Neo flying, losing grip of her umbrella. She lost more aura tumbling before she threw herself from the ground with her left hand, landing on her feet facing the group. Her eyes were pink, of course.

Kicks worked with Jaune earlier. Can't fight three people with only two limbs.

Neo ran back towards them.

Again, Nubu was first. She stabbed with her staff, regrowing the spear tip. Neo leaned to dodge the strike and grabbed the spear in her hand. She dipped into a wide stance and brought the spear down on her leg, flipping Nubu over her head.

"Nora! Low!" Nora, now closing with Neo, struck the ground with her hammer. The shockwave popped Neo off of the ground, and in that moment she saw Jaune jumping over Nora's head for her. Neo would have to take the hit, fly into Nubu, and incapacitate her before the others closed again. She didn't have aura for another exchange, and she needed breathing room to retrieve her umbrella.

Jaune shrunk up behind his shield and impacted like a cannonball. Neo took the force on her right palm. She shot back, turning around and readying her fist. Nubu rising from the ground and turning to face her.

"Pyrrha, now!"

Nubu froze, her expression blank. Neo's punch landed. The girl's body spun a full circle before landing.

All four combatants were still.

"I'm done fighting," announced Nora. Neo checked Nubu's aura and found it intact. Neo grabbed her arm and tried to drag her to her feet. She wasn't tall enough to get her off of her knees, but Nubu finished standing up on her own, picked up her weapon, and walked back to her house.

Neo went looking for her scroll. The others followed Nubu inside.