Authors Note: Kicking this off with a Yang… please, I assure you I have a good sense of humour… ok, good might be subjective.
Don't forget to review and enjoy the chapter.
Yang had expected a nice restaurant, if only because of how dressed up the two of them were, but she still found herself caught off guard when they stood outside the establishment looking in.
"Season 53" Yang read the small sign out loud. "This place… seems a little expensive."
"You'd be surprised." Jaune winced at her glare. "Ok the owner owes my dad a favour for saving his brother a few years ago, he recognised my name when I called and let us jump the line."
"That doesn't really change the price of the food though…" Yang winced and hoped he didn't think her shallow. She was more than willing to pay for her food but she wasn't sure if she would be able to. She regretted not bringing more lien, not that she had much more to bring in the first place.
"Oh don't worry about it, my treat." Jaune's easy smile said it didn't bother him and Yang allowed it. He had probably taken a look at the menu beforehand and knew it wouldn't be too bad. Still, Yang made a note to not get anything too expensive.
There was no ring of a bell or immediate greetings when they entered the door and they were made to wait in a short line to be led to their seat. It wasn't a long wait, though the time was enough for Yang to get a look at the other people inside.
She was hesitant to call them customers due to how well dressed they all were. They seemed deserving of another title all together, one that Weiss would probably have known but Yang was utterly lost for.
Everyone was dressed up in fine clothes, something that might have been expected, but these all appeared of a far higher quality than anything she had. Except the dress that she was currently wearing, courtesy of Weiss. She made a mental note to thank her for helping, as well as to come up with a financial plan to pay her back. It would likely take a couple instalments.
The waiter came back and got Jaune's name, checking it against a list, before leading them further into the restaurant. As they were taken towards the back however Yang couldn't help but notice the looks and glares from the other patrons.
A few men noticed her and made sure to trace their eyes over her, several of the women looking on with jealousy or anger as if it were her fault. Most were older, likely married, couples. Though a few tables were composed of groups talking amongst themselves.
A table full of men in expensive looking suits watched her as she walked by, or rather watched a part of her. Yang grit her teeth and tried to not focus on their eyes digging into her back. Jaune wrapped an arm around her and the lustful looks at her turned to glares at Jaune.
She wasn't sure if it was intentional or not, Jaune not seeming to notice, but either way it was oh so satisfying to watch their face's turn sour.
The table they were led to was somewhat out of the way, a fact Yang was thankful for, but as also next to a rather large window that gave a view of a garden area that seemed to surround the restaurant. It was a surprisingly diverse garden with a myriad of colours and strange looking flowers.
Small butterflies Yang had never seen before flew by the window, landing on the branch of a small tree.
It was beautiful and no doubt expensive to maintain. As the waiter set the menus down she opened it slowly, knowing that the prices would no doubt be inflated due to the view alone.
Yang felt the blood rush from her face as she saw the list. Something that sounded similar to a steak was easily double the price she would have seen elsewhere, something like fish was even worse. Hell, even the drinks were probably pricier than any club or bar she had ever been to, and these ones didn't even contain alcohol in them. She didn't dare bring herself to look at the desserts.
"Is… something wrong?" Jaune looked concerned for a moment but it didn't seem to be the prices.
"N-no, I'm just… trying to decide what to get." That was another problem. Some of the food she was familiar with, at least in part, but most of it had strange names and descriptions that she could only really see the ingredients for.
"Heh heh, yeah." Jaune chuckled nervously. "I can't read most of these." Yang's relief must have been evident. "Judging by your expression, you can't either?"
"It all sounds like something Weiss would eat." Yang replied.
"I didn't really get a look at the menu before setting everything up." Jaune set the menu down. "I'll probably just ask the waiter." He turned in his sea, looking for the waiter.
Yang's panic began to grow as the wiater got closer however. Jaune said he hadn't taken a look at the menus, did that mean he hadn't known how expensive some of it would be before offering? Could he really afford to pay for both of them like he had offered?
As the waiter approached Yang was forced to put aside her thoughts. She would just have to hope for something on the cheaper side and pay what she could. She probably had enough for her food, she just hadn't expected to spend so much so soon into the date.
"I'm sorry to be a bother but I need to ask you something." Jaune kept his voice as even as possible but whispered so as to avoid attention. Judging by some of the smug looks coming from the other tables, multiple people had figured out what was going on or at the very least had come to an idea.
Yang couldn't place the waiter's accent as he spoke. "What seems to be the problem?"
Jaune looked to her for a minute, blushed, and swallowed his pride. "Can you recommend something from the menu, I can't really tell what sounds good."
The waiter didn't seem agitated, nor did he seem upset, he simply opened up the menu and gestured to one of the options. He gave a brief description of the food, instead putting it in normal people words. They were both having steak with a side of some special kind of pasta.
To drink, Jaune surprisingly knew what he wanted. "A Bottle of Vacuan Red please." The wiater left and Jaune turned to her. "What?"
"You know an awful lot about wine, anything I should be worried about?" Yang raised one eyebrow but smirked.
"My mom has a lot of wine." Jaune blushed slightly. "That sounds worse than it is. Dad goes out on a lot of missions, some take him a little farther away than others. He always grabs a bottle for the two of them to share when he gets back."
"That's sweet." Yang smiled. "I'm guessing she has a bit of a collection then?"
"Yeah, though in their defence, they drink most the bottle the first night he gets back." Jaune replied.
"That… doesn't do much for them." Yang chuckled softly. "Though I suppose that explains the seven sisters."
The waiter came back with their food before too long and they were left to eat in silence. Yang was thankful for the break in conversation while it lasted and she focused on her food.
It was good, better than what she usually ate, but she wasn't sure if it was really worth the price tag. If anything, she was fairly certain her dad had made a meal or two that tasted better. Once they had finished their main food the waiter returned.
"I trust the meal was satisfactory?" He spoke slowly but Yang was surprised to find it didn't feel like he was talking down at them.
"Yeah, it was really good." Jaune turned to her. "Or I thought so at least, how about you?"
"It was good." Yang answered honestly. "You really know what's good on your menu."
He bowed slightly. "Thank you madam. Will that be all for this evening?"
Jaune looked to her for a moment before answering. "I think so."
"Excellent, I shall return with your cheque."
Now came the moment she had been fearing. Yang dug into her purse for her card, freezing as Jaune looked at her.
"What are you doing?"
Yang sighed. "I appreciate you offering to buy, I really do, but it's incredibly expensive."
Jaune looked at her card as she attempted to hand it to him. "The food was expensive, yeah, but we aren't paying for it so…"
Yang's brain skipped a beat as she tried to understand what he said. Was he suggesting they leave without paying?
The waiter returned with a smile on his face. "Everything has been taken care of, you are free to go." Jaune returned the smile before standing up.
"Ready to go?" He held out his hand, offering it to her as she stood.
"W-what just happened?"
Jaune looked confused for a moment before turning back to her and figuring out what she was referring to. "Oh, well my dad saved the owners brother. As a favour he lets Arcs eat for free at his restaurants."
"W...what?" Yang supposed it made sense but… the food was just so expensive! She took his hand and rose from her chair. "Where are we going?"
Jaune smirked. "Nowhere fancy."
As they made to leave Yang kept looking back, expecting to see the waiters coming for them to demand they pay. She caught sight of the one who had served and billed them, he smiled and waved, but nothing more.
"You can literally eat here as much as you want?" Yang couldn't help but ask.
"Yeah, but we don't really do it often. We've only come here once or twice, only when we came to visit Vale." Jaune said. "With there being ten of us though, we could probably single-handedly bankrupt him." He chuckled softly. "I don't think he knew how many kids my dad had when he made that offer."
Yang laughed softly. "I bet that was a surprise."
The conversation went on from there. Jaune talked about his parents some, on Yang's request. Nicholas and Juniper Arc sounded amazing and Yang hoped to be able to meet them one day.
In turn she spent a little while talking about her dad and what it was like growing up on Patch.
Before she knew it they had found their way to the Vale's Central Park. The dense and packed urban areas giving way to a lush green section of the city that looked beautiful in the moonlight, the sun having set over an hour ago.
Thankfully the park was mostly abandoned, only a few couples walking around doing much the same they were.
Jaune directed them off the main path and to a side section right along a small river that ran through the center of the park. The shattered moon reflecting off the water, causing part of the water to glow white while the rest was a dark purple.
It was breathtakingly beautiful, it was also something she never would have expected to find in the city.
"Pyrrha and I have stopped here a few times when trying to get away from her fans." Jaune looked to her. "I thought you might like it." He led her to a bench that overlooked the water, but was otherwise obscured from view by bushes that surrounded it.
He put an arm over her shoulders and she leaned her head on his side. They sat like that in silence for some time. Simply enjoying each others company.
A quiet conversation crept up, not really focusing on anything. They talked about Beacon, about their teams, and about the upcoming festival. When those topics finally ran dry, they talked about home with Jaune going into great detail about all the little things he missed about Ansel and his house.
Eventually however, even that conversation ran its course, and they were once again left in silence. In truth, Yang loved it. Jaune was warm and she could smell some kind of cologne on him, it was a little strong but the fragrance was so very… Jaune.
She scooted in a little closer as a breeze went through, attempting to stay warm in his embrace. She wished that moment could have lasted longer, but eventually it came to an end.
"It's getting late." Jaune spoke softly. "We should start heading back to Beacon." He didn't make any effort to move and she wasn't inclined to either.
She turned her head up slightly, seeing his blue eyes looking out over the water. There was a sparkle in them Yang hadn't noticed before. It was very possible it was just the moon reflecting in his eyes but whatever it was it left her lost for words. He noticed her staring and turned to look at her.
That's when she moved.
Her lips locked onto his and she felt that familiar heat creep up her neck and burn at her cheeks. There was no electricity or shock, not that she had come to expect any. Jaune was far too familiar for that. Instead, it was a simple warmth that welled up inside her. A warmth that left her giddy and at a loss for words.
She felt the burning in her lungs and yet she still held it a second longer, even as the burning grew worse. The second she pulled away she gasped for air, Jaune doing much the same.
She rose slowly, offering her hand out towards Jaune with a smirk. "Consider that payment for the food."
Jaune took her hand and she pulled him up. "I guess I'll have to take you out more."
They turned back to the path, hugging each other tight. "Yes, you will."
As much as she had enjoyed herself, Yang knew what she had to do. After all, she couldn't let Jaune take her on something so special without doing the same for him.
Whether he knew it or not, Jaune had set the bar pretty high. Now she had to follow that up.
Yang had a date to plan...
Authors Note: Welp, that's a thing… however will Yang top it? Find out next week on DRAGON BA… wait… wrong show.
Hope y'all enjoyed the chapter, and as ways leave a review. It helps out a lot for the story progress, lets me know what works and what doesn't.
If you'd like to help in a more serious way I have a pat reon. Mostly it's to let me know your thoughts on ideas before they come out, and I've been thinking about putting chapters up there early. That wont affect my upload schedule here at all, the way I write is that I stay a chapter ahead from what's posted, I might start uploading the most recent chapter there to get reviews on it the week before it goes live. Think of it kinda like rooster teeth first with RWBY.
Idk, well see. In the meantime, hope you liked the chapter and I look forward to hearing your thoughts in the review.
Sincerely SE
