Author's Note:

Welcome to Chapter 21 of Demi-Human Students of Beacon.

Another dialogue focused one where the characters are further developed and be friends to each other, for the most part at least. I made this chapter short because I did not wish to drone on and on about... ugh, party stuff.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Dance, Dance, Why Should I Dance?

Tonight was going to be just another night.

That was what Faen kept telling himself to steady his nerves, and to prevent his legs from taking him away from the ballroom doors in front of him. Funny, he could stare unwaveringly into the eyes of a dozen Beowolves baying for his blood, but a social event such as the Beacon Dance had him rethinking his life choices.

Of what the Elf was currently wearing, he happened to be dressed in his Academy uniform with the addition of a grey waistcoat and a red bowtie. All part of the men's dress code to the event, though many of the more rebellious students went in what they saw as better alternatives. Faen would much prefer to be wearing his longcoat and have Gwaedh at his side, yet he had sworn, under duress, into wearing this suit to the dance.

His team were very lucky he liked them and saw use in keeping them around. Otherwise, he would see to it they disappeared from the face of Remnant next morning.

Kind of messed up for him to be thinking of such thoughts, but hey, everyone thinks of disappearing their friends every once in a while. Right?

Speaking of his team, the rest of FFOG had gone ahead and were already inside the ballroom. They were far more enthusiastic about attending the dance than he was, and went according to the arrangements made with Team AMRT. His choice to go last was intentional, for it allowed him to meditate for a few minutes before setting off for the ballroom. How much that would help was unknown to Faen, yet he thought it better to have done something than nothing.

Team RWBY and JNPR should also be inside as well, probably up to their usual shenanigans if he knew them at all. Hopefully nothing had exploded since they set foot inside the ballroom. That kind of stuff almost always seemed to happen with them around, particularly RWBY and Nora.

Beyond the doors he could hear calm music playing on speakers, the voices of conversing individuals, and even shoes tapping rhythmically to the music's tune. Well, he was now stood on the cliff's edge. Might as well take the leap and see where he fell.

The first sight that greeted Faen when he pushed open the ballroom doors was Yang. She wore a white dress and stood behind a podium a few paces from the door. Yes, she was meant to be the greeter and one who kept track of who attended the dance. A responsibility meant for another, Faen briefly recalled, yet that was of no importance right now

"Hello there, Faen. My, don't you look like quite the charmer in that suit," Yang playfully greeted him the second she saw who he was.

"Yang, you see me almost every day in this. There is nothing special about it." Faen immediately responded as he strode up to her. Behind Yang, the Elf could see the dance was in full swing, and that she and Weiss had done a good job at livening up the ballroom's interior in anticipation for the dance.

"Geez, chill out a bit. Most guys would be thrilled to take compliments from gorgeous young women," the blonde retorted, her hands planted firmly on her hips.

"Oh we do. I will let you know when I see one," he dryly continued.

The blonde Human scoffed at what he had said, yet did not take it personally. It was a joke after all, and she of all people should know what a joke was. Being the 'joker' of Faen's circle of acquaintances, as she so often touted herself to be.

"Fine, suit yourself!" Yang shot back at him, reminding Faen that, despite being the 'joker', she specialised in bad puns. On the inside, Faen cringed at the pun Yang made, and wondered what God her parents had offended to curse their child with such bad humour. "Well, I've marked you down as present. Hope you enjoy the Beacon Dance!"

"Thank you, Yang. Might I say the ballroom looks... magnificent," Faen said, taking a moment to compliment the Human. 'Magnificent' might be too grand a word to describe how the ballroom looked, but calling it 'great' sounded too mediocre of a word, so he stuck with what he chose.

"Aw, you're gonna make me blush. Really though, thanks, it took quite some doing to get everything like this in time. If you can, take the time to go and thank Weiss as well, she put as much work into organising this as I did." She thanked him, Faen silently nodded back at her show of appreciation. Her reminder of Weiss being a contributor to the ballroom's appearance being committed to the Elf's mind, as he guessed it to be impolite to thank Yang alone for what was a group effort.

He was a somewhat decent person, after all.

Stepping past Yang and her podium, Faen started to scan the room for his comrades. They would not be too hard to find. For wherever they went, his comrades stuck out like an orca does when in a tank full of mackerel.

First, his eyes went over to the long food table, where an assortment of foods was available for the students. While he had expected them to be there, Faen was mildly surprised to see Grey and Tora not hoarding the entire table to themselves. A booming laugh suddenly interrupted Faen's search, and when he looked to the source, the Elf saw the both of them occupying a table together. With several plates stacked high with food.

Tora wore his uniform just like Faen, while Grey... she was dressed in her uniform like them, though she wore trousers instead of a skirt. His best friend had fought tooth and nail, quite literally, to keep the dress the Academy offered she wear from touching her. At least now she was in a good mood

Moving on from the Werewolf and Oni, Faen searched for the others.

On the dance floor he sighted Friesian and Monica trying to waltz together, though it was hard to tell whether that was their intent from where he stood. The two were awkwardly shuffling their feet around like penguins in Faen's opinion, and were sorely not in sync with the music. Still, despite their horrible dancing, both Dullahan and Vampire were also enjoying themselves. They paid no mind to how their dancing appeared, and just carried on regardless of how silly they looked.

Also at the dance floor were Blake and Sun, which he had not expected. The former had not expressed much desire to attend the dance, and appeared to have had a good night's sleep in the first time in ages. What surprised him more was how she enjoyed dancing with Sun, in fact, the Faunus girl was openly smiling.

This was panning out to be a strange night.

Of the others Faen sought, they were just as easy to pick out from the crowd as the rest were.

Amarantha was mingling among the students, the Naga regularly making sure her tail was always away from where the dancers. Reuel also did not dance, choosing to spend his time talking to a Dryad. Whether either of the two was aware of the envious eyes sent their way, Faen did not know nor believe to be any of his business. Weiss he saw looking alone and despondent, while Pyrrha, stunning though she looked, did not appear all that happy with the festivities around her.

Odori he saw no sign of, which puzzled the young Elf. The Kitsune had left shortly after Grey and Friesian had, so she should be here. She had probably gone off to use the toilet or something. Yet, if that were indeed so, why had Faen not smelt her here or on his way to the ballroom?

It was as his eyes went to one of the refreshment tables scattered around the hall that Faen espied Ruby stood close by one. Not far off he could see Jaune taking sideways steps towards the younger Human. The pair appeared awkward... well, more awkward than was usual for them. Guessing he could try to join them, Faen started to weave his way past other students that stood between him and his fellow team leaders.

No sooner had the Elf reached the pair; Jaune passed his cup of punch to Ruby before striding purposefully to some other part of the ballroom. Curiously, the look the blonde Human wore as he left Ruby could be likened to a soldier going into battle.

"Hello Ruby," Faen greeted the Human girl soon as he reached her.

"Hi Faen. Did you come here on your own too?" Said Ruby, sounding as unenthusiastic as she looked. She, like himself, had expressed reservations about coming to the dance, and appeared justified given how she was stood alone here. Ruby would not be alone for long though, for Faen intended to stay by her side for a while.

"Yes," the Elf replied as he grabbed a cup and filled it with punch. Its fruity scent was a breath of fresh air to Faen, for the ballroom was filled with the smells of dozens of aftershaves and perfumes.

"Same here." Ruby sighed, pensively looking down into the two cups of punch she was holding as she did.

An awkward second of silence passed between the two before Faen decided to bring up what was silently scratching at the back of his mind.

"Jaune looks... determined. I assume he has a reason behind... whatever it is he's doing." Faen remarked as he watched Jaune push his way through other dance attendees.

"Yeah, he's got something to do." She did not go into the specifics of what Jaune had left her for, and he did not feel like asking.

Standing to Ruby's right, a cup of punch in hand, Faen looked on as Jaune continued on his path towards his unknown target. He then stopped, having noticed something else at another part of the ballroom. His attention diverted and locked on what or whoever he saw, Jaune changed his course. The Elf glanced over at the direction Jaune was headed, yet he could not tell what might be the cause for the Human's change in interest.

Well, none of his business to begin with. If the Human could handle it, as he had with his test to stay in Beacon, Faen saw no point in bothering with this matter.

Turning his mind away from Jaune, the Elf tried to think of something else he and Ruby could talk about. Weapons were a no go, for while Ruby would undoubtedly enjoy the topic, she would ramble on for longer than Faen was willing to listen. Classes and studying might not be a good idea either, as this whole dance was meant to take their minds away from it all. Figuring that something inside the ballroom would be the most appropriate choice, Faen spent a few seconds looking around, and found a potential conversation topic.

"I... like the doilies on the tables. Did Weiss think of them?" Asked Faen as he looked over to one of the tables, and eyed the doily on its surface.

"Yup," the Human replied simply, saying nothing more as she sipped from her cup. He waited for Ruby to say anything else, but after a long silence, Faen was forced to accept that topic's failure.

Well that subject had gone him and Ruby nowhere, and the awkward silence that fell over them became even more oppressive and unbearable than before. It was a weak attempt at a conversation, yet it could have led to... he had no idea where it might have led to. Honestly, doilies of all things? He had chosen to talk about doilies?

"Faen, did you think this is how we would be spending our time at the dance? Standing in stupid shoes by the punch bowl and watching other people have fun?" Ruby leaned and scowled at her feet, her eyes focusing on the high-heeled shoes she wore. It was as she sent what passed for a death glare at the footwear she began to teeter on the spot.

"To be quite honest, yes. This is precisely how I imagined tonight would go, except for the shoes part." Faen calmly confessed as he shot a hand to grab Ruby's shoulder, preventing her from completely losing balance.

"Well, I'm kinda glad I'm not the only one. Thanks by the way," his fellow team leader sighed as she steadied herself. The Elf nodded, and the two returned to silently standing side by side, a cup of punch in their hands. Two in Ruby's case.

For perhaps another minute or two, the Elf and Human just stood beside one another, both unsure of what to say or do next. Both were not great conversationalists when it came to 'normal stuff', and the environment they found themselves in was none to their liking. Faen and Ruby were formidable warriors, yet had been cursed by Fate with, of all things, social awkwardness.

All the two needed now was for Jaune to return and they would have a trio of weirdoes who were piss poor in interacting with people.

It was while Faen was ruminating on his and Ruby's shared dilemma, that another came to join them. Slithering past other students, Amarantha silently came up to the punch bowl and filled a cup of her own. Moving to stand at Faen's right, the Naga sighed and drank from her cup before finally speaking.

"Good evening. Mind if I join you?"

"Go on ahead. The more the merrier, I think is how the saying going." Faen was first to reply to Amarantha, turning his body so he could face her properly. The Naga wore a purple version of the dresses worn by most of the other female attendees of the dance, and did not look half bad in it if Faen were to be honest.

"What's up, Amarantha?" Ruby questioned the Naga, following Faen's leading in facing their fellow team leader.

"Nothing at all. That is the thing; many here are not all that keen in speaking with a half-woman half-snake." The Naga answered with a gesture to her lower-half, her voice not wavering in its pitch or tone. It really did perplex Faen how she could keep her voice like that, and secretly thought it to be another reason why people were not big on speaking with Amarantha.

Unfortunate, yet Faen saw few ways he could help her with that problem. All they could do for the Naga was let her stand with them, which was he and Ruby did.

As the three were just about settled into their situation, a short and stocky individual emerged from the crowd of students and marched over to where the three team leaders were stood. It was Halvard, and he wore a smaller version of the suit issued to all exchange students.

Both he and Faen glared daggers at one another, yet made no aggressive moves that might instigate something. Though the Dwarf had broken their unspoken agreement to not involve others in their feud, it seemed he had yet to break the one they had spoken of. Strong though their feud might be, it was to be set aside for events such as this. By no means did their agreement say they were to act all buddy-buddy, only that they not try anything that could turn violent.

Originally they had been forcefully sworn into it by High Mentor Chiron himself after a... incident at a midwinter party during their second year at Vigil. One that was a hundred-percent Halvard's fault as far as Faen saw it. Having given their word and sworn on the honour of their ancestors to keep it, the pair had never once done anything that might see a repeat of that party.

"Good evenin'. How are the three of you?" Halvard asked of Faen, Ruby, and Amarantha while he filled a cup of his own with punch. The Dwarf having to really stretch his arms to do something as simple as that. It was funny in a way, yet Faen made no attempt to ridicule the Dwarf.

"Halvard, we are good." Faen responded through clenched teeth, his mood souring the moment the Dwarf approached them.

"By the punch bowl, eh? No big surprise there I see," the Dwarf remarked as he retreated the cup from his mouth, having downed almost all its contents in one gulp. Turning his attention away from Faen, he looked to Ruby and spoke to her. "What about you two? You enjoying the dance or are you here for the same reason our mutual acquaintance here is?"

RWBY, JNPR, and AMRT were notified of Faen and Halvard's enmity, and were told by him to stay out of it. Both Amarantha and Ruby looked at him first, probably to see whether he minded them speaking to his arch-rival. He made no response to their gazes, and idly waited for the Dwarf to waddle back to wherever he had come from. The sooner the better, in his opinion.

Without any sign he approved or disapproved, the two decided to go for it, and spoke to Halvard.

"I came here for a simple chat and drink," Amarantha answered as she poured more punch into her and Halvard's almost empty cups. The Dwarf expressing his gratitude with a quick and respectful nod of his head.

"The... uh, same reason... I guess. I'm not that great at big parties," Ruby confessed while nervously rubbing the back of her head.

"Ach, that's alright. Not everyone is cut out for big events such as this, believe me." Halvard said with a look of understanding affixed to his face. "All you got to remember is that this whole situation is going to end eventually, and to look forward to the day that comes after. Think you can do that?"

"Sure. That might help, I think." Ruby responded to his advice, and it appeared to help her slightly. "Uh, I'm Ruby by the way. Ruby Rose."

"Halvard Bergson, good fortune and riches to you and your family. Glad I can be of some help to ya." The Dwarf responded with a bow of his head to Ruby, a great big smile on his face. "Well, I got go. I fine evening to you, and may you many a finer night in the future."

Faen cringed at the Dwarf's words and felt a tremendous urge to land a punch right at his dumb nose. It was as Halvard made to leave that Faen and Halvard shared one last meaningful look before the latter turned and departed from the three's company. With him gone, the Elf unclenched his teeth and could breathe a lot easier.

With the Dwarf gone, the trio fell back to silently waiting as the minutes ticked by and others apart from themselves enjoy this social event. The silence, which Faen had earlier tried to fill, returned and the Elf felt no urge to dispel it again. All his prior attempts were terrible, and, given his present company, perhaps enduring this silence was better than trying to talk.

Having set his mind to it, Faen was ready to stand there for the rest of the dance, when he felt a presence behind him and a finger lightly tapped his shoulder. Jumping at the unexpected contact, Faen spun on the spot and looked to who had surprised him. Laying eyes on the person, the Elf was stunned by who he saw. Not because the individual was someone he did not suspect, for he knew of one person in particular who could surprise him like this, it was their appearance that had Faen freeze where he stood.

Before him was Odori, and she was wearing the qipao that he had journey all the way to Vale's upper-class district just to pick up.

The dress itself matched and hugged her closely, just as he imagined it would as it turns out, yet did not constrain her movements. For footwear his partner wore a pair of dark high-heeled shoes. Like most others, Odori had not done up her hair or applied more make-up than she normally wore on a daily basis, but she looked positively radiant as far as Faen was concerned.

"Ehehehe, am I that stunning I render you speechless?" Odori remarked as she stood as though to let him admire her a while longer.

"Oh, hello there Akagi. I am surprised we did not hear you coming," said Amarantha as she and Ruby turned to see what had made Faen jump the way he had. Now that he thought of it, the Elf became silently flustered by how he reacted to Odori's appearance. He should be more mindful of how he acted in the future.

Well, with his partner now here, tonight might not be as bad as it first seemed.

"And then, hahaha, and then everyone just stands there. Staring at him. Seeing he's got no way out this, he... he lifts the chopsticks into the air and shouts: 'I am the Dragon Warrior! Fear me and my chopsticks of power!" Tora boomed with a devilish grin across his face, causing Grey to laugh her ass off. They had done this so many times now, her stomach started to ache from all the laughing she and the Oni had partaken in.

The two had come to the dance as agreed, and immediately cut a way towards the food table. What they found was nothing to boast about, yet it was enough to feed all attendees and two ravenous Demi-humans like them. Both Werewolf and Oni had grabbed what they wanted, which was a lot, and taken a table all for themselves.

Other students repeatedly sent them curious glances, but chose not to bother them.

"My gods that cannot have happened!" Grey coughed after recovering from her latest fit of laughter. She was sure Tora embellished a great many details of this story, yet he was fun to listen to even if it were the case.

"Oh hell yeah it happened. We talked about it for weeks back in Shangri-La, even the Ten Ministers heard of it." Tora continued, his mention of the Ten Ministers drawing a loud snort of disbelief from Grey. He was not done though, for he had one last bit to add to his story. "Chopsticks Chen is what we call him now, and he runs the best noodle shop in all Shangri-La."

"No, you're freakin' pulling leg now." She uttered with a shake of her head, batting a hand at Tora in a dismissive manner to further express her disbelief. There was only so much she was willing to believe, and that this Chen character gained the attention of the Ten Ministers and ran Shangri-La's 'best noodle shop' was more than Grey could handle. Still a fun story, one with a damned good ending.

Storytime done for now, the two returned to their main reason for coming to the Beacon Dance and ate some more from their stacked plates. Not only that, but the two also partook of the punch served here, though Tora had snuck in a little something into the dance to improve it. That something being a flask of store bought sake, or rice wine, from some shop in Vale's Demi-human district that specialised in goods from Anima. Tora bought it for this very occasion, for he expected the punch would not be as satisfactory as they hoped it would be, and they discreetly mixed it with their cups.

Not her first time drinking alcohol, even though she was a year under the legal age in both Vale and Avalon, but not a problem so long as people did not know. Even Faen was unaware she indulged every once in a while.

"My friends, how are the two of you?" Reuel smiled as strode over to his fellow Demi-humans, a bunch of his admirers following the Angel from a distance. Whether he was aware they were shadowing his every step or not was unknown to either Grey or Tora, and decided to not bring it up with him.

"Hey there, Angel. Pull up a chair, we're telling stories over here damn it." Tora gestured to a vacant chair at their table, which Reuel gladly took.

"Yeah, Tora here was just telling me of how he watched an Aura-user killed a bunch of Kamaitachi with only a pair of chopsticks. Can you believe it?" Grey explained to Reuel, a Kamaitachi being a species of weasel-like Grimm with claws likened to farming sickles that frequently threatened the outskirts of Shangri-La.

Sickle-Claws were their name outside of Shangri-La and the surrounding regions of Anima. Fierce beasts they were, easily able to cut off a militiaman's head off with a single stroke of their claws. Some even said they rode or could even generate dust devils, though the Werewolf had doubts on that claim. Dangerous as they were, Grey would not mind having the opportunity to slay a few of their kind.

"Well that sounds... Wait, I beg your pardon?" Said the Angel, a perplexed expression forming on his face as realised what Grey had told him.

"I'm telling you Grey, it really happened. A quick search on the internet is all you need to know I am telling the truth. 'Chopsticks Chen', look him up!" Tora almost yelled, lightly banging his fist on the top of their table while he spoke. He was certainly passionate about this story, so Grey guessed she could at least humour him and do as the Oni asked.

"Fine, keep your knickers on! I'll do just that when I get the chance to," the Werewolf said, lifting her hands slightly in surrender. He would likely keeping banging on about it if she did not. "'Chopsticks Chen'. Honestly wouldn't be the craziest thing to appear in my search history, but it is up there."

"Hah, you want to know what would be the craziest? 'Headmaster throws students off cliff'. Now that is crazy." The Oni smirked, his two companions knowing in an instant what he was referring to. As one, all three Demi-humans turned their heads to the Headmaster of Beacon, who was idly watching as his students enjoyed themselves.

While one hell of an experience, some voices in the student body questioned whether being flung off a cliff into a forest full of Grimm was a morally good practice. For her part, Grey was of the side that did not mind, and believed life-threatening situations like that to be an occupational hazard in their chosen career path. They were training to be Huntsmen and Huntresses after all. Being thrown off a cliff should be the least of their worries in her eyes.

She did not know what side Tora and Reuel were in, but she guessed they were on her side. Both still respected Ozpin and did not take kindly to any exchange students badmouthing the Headmaster.

Still siting around the table, with Reuel recounting the tale of his first flight, Grey picked up a familiar scent drawing close and recognised its owner to be Weiss. Looking towards the direction her scent was coming from, the Werewolf sighted the Human elegantly walk among the students and looking pretty fine in her white dress. Concern for the heiress arose inside Grey when she saw a shadow of melancholy pass through her eyes as she gazed at the other dance attendees.

To see Weiss, one of the organisers of this entire event, to see Weiss, alone and not enjoying herself was both sad and wrong to Grey. Sad in the same way one feels when spotting an abandoned puppy aimlessly wander a street. Wrong because this was a friend of hers. Perhaps the Werewolf could help with her current predicament.

"Weiss, come join us! The three of us are sharing stories right now. You must have one or two fun tales from Atlas to share," Grey cried out to Weiss, a fur-covered hand motioning to the fourth and last vacant chair of their table. As she spoke, Reuel stopped his story for a moment and turned his head over to the heiress along with Tora.

The heiress looked their way, and appeared to toy with the idea. She could do a whole lot worse that much Grey could admit about the group gathered together here.

"No, not right now. Perhaps some time later, maybe." Weiss responded, turning down Grey's offer. "Thank you for the offer, though."

"Really? Tch, fine if you say so." Disappointment filled Grey's mind, and she started to feel even worse about Weiss's lonesome situation. "If you change your mind, you know where to find us. There'll always be a place at our table for you."

The Human thanked Grey, wished the three Demi-humans well, and continued to walk around the ballroom. Why she was like this, Grey could not tell. Had she been snubbed somehow, or did the dance itself evoke some pretty personal feelings in her? Weiss had been beyond ecstatic when she received news that the responsibility of organising the dance had fallen to her, so the second idea was less likely. The first idea then?

Potentially, yet Grey did not know who might have rebuffed her to the dance, so the help she could provide there was limited. Realising now that she should have asked, the Werewolf smacked the side of her head. Maybe there was still time for Grey to get up and go after Weiss, she had not gone far and the night was still young. Weiss did not deserve to be alone in this night which she worked hard to put together.

"Excuse me a moment," Reuel uttered to his two companions before standing up from his seat and following after the Schnee heiress. Well, looks as though someone had beaten her to the punch.

Should have guessed he would go after Weiss, not because the Angel was interested in getting in her pants or anything, but because the guy was helpful by nature. If a friend, or even a stranger, had a problem, Reuel would do his best to help them when asked to. Sometimes when people did not ask for it. Even when the aid would be personally detrimental, he would gladly provide it without a second thought.

It was charming, and a reason why plenty in Beacon had come to like the Angel.

Of course there were limits to Reuel's generosity; he was not a mindless fool. If someone were unjust, wicked, or an absolute jerk in general, then no help would be coming from the Angel. He was also mindful of not being taken advantage of, and acted accordingly when people thought they could try that with him. Something the rest of Beacon were made aware of when he kicked the asses of a team - not CRDL - who wanted to use him to play a terrible prank on a Faunus student.

Beside the Werewolf, Tora leaned in close to her and whispered into her wolf-ears. A wide, toothy grin on his face.

"Hey Grey, bet you twenty Lien those two get together." Whispered the Oni, a large finger pointing over at Reuel and Weiss as the two conversed. Now what she expected Tora to say to her, yet his hushed words had grabbed her interest.

"Not only are you a food connoisseur, a storyteller, and a gambler, you're a shipper as well? What next, you are secretly an internet fashion guru?" She quietly muttered back to Tora, sneaking a little joke in there as well.

"C'mon, you take my bet or not?" Tora growled slightly, his eyes sending a sideways glance over to the pair he was willing to risk twenty Lien on. Following his gaze, she saw the two were still deep in conversation, and from what Grey could overhear, the Angel was doing his best to improve Weiss's mood. If he was not careful, Grey privately thought, he might accidently end up charming her like he had done to his band of admirers.

Speaking of said admirers, the Werewolf shot a look their way, and snorted in amusement at how they were all glaring enviously at Weiss. So childish, and yet so very amusing.

Back to the far more important matter Tora had brought up, Grey started to run through the odds she had of winning his bet. Reuel and Weiss, while friendly, were totally not into each other. If there was anything Grey could be certain of, apart from meat being absolutely delicious, it was that.

However, just because they were not into each other now, that did not mean their relationship could not change. People, especially those at their age, were susceptible to a change in both the moods they felt and the views they held. With that in mind, Grey saw only one way where she could heighten her chances of winning Tora's bet, and it involved applying an old trick of hers. That 'old trick' being a little thing she learnt how to use when dealing with Faen, called 'specification'.

"Fine then. Twenty Lien on Reuel and Weiss not getting together at any point in our first year as Beacon students." Grey said in answer to Tora's question, her teeth showing through her wide grin.

"That's pretty specific," Tora remarked, a brow rising at this newly proposed condition of their bet.

"Hehe, got to cover all my bases. Twenty Lien is on the line after all. Now, do the two of us have a bet?" Glancing over to the subjects of their conversation, Grey saw they were almost done talking to each other. The both of them needed to finish up this business before Reuel returned.

It took a few seconds for the Oni to contemplate what Grey had said. She could practically see the gears in Tora's mind turn as he thought over his own chances of winning if her proposal was accepted. Sure would be one hell of a gamble if he did, for it would raise the stakes a bit, yet that made the bet a whole lot more fun. Not only would it up the chances of her winning, it would also make her victory all the more satisfying to Grey.

The same thought processes appeared to have gone through Tora's head, for the gears in his head stopped turning, and the edges of his lips curled upwards. His answer made all the more obvious the moment he offered his hand to her.

"Hahaha, you're on!" He nearly yelled aloud as the two clasped each other's forearms, sealing their bet.

Grey looked forward to getting that Lien.

If someone said to Friesian he would one day be dancing with a vampire nun at Beacon Academy, he would not have believed them and called them a silly scatterbrained tosser. As it turns out, he would now be eating those words, for the Dullahan was dancing with Monica Dusk right now.

"This is nice," the vampire nun said with a meek smile. She wore no dress, apparently finding what the Academy offered to her too 'immodest', and had gone with the full habit she wore at her convent. It had been strange when they met before the ballroom, but if wearing it made her feel more comfortable, who was he to argue against her choice?

At least she did not need to wear her shades during the dance. Monica had really nice eyes, and it was a shame she needed to cover them up during the day.

"We look terrible... but nowhere nearly as bad as that guy." Friesian chuckled as the two looked over at a student from Beacon received the scolding of a lifetime from Professor Goodwitch. His crime? Coming to the dance in a banana costume.

Most who were in attendance laughed, as was the student's intent given how he soaked in the laughs. Other scowled at this breach in the dance's formal dress code, but those people were a bunch of sourpusses in Friesian's eye.

Headmaster Ozpin quickly came to his rescue, and let the student continue to attend the dance provided he go back to his dorm and change into more formal attire. The student, as it turns out, had come prepared, and needed to only unzip his costume to reveal he wore a suit underneath. That got a quick chuckle from Ozpin, and drew a new wave of laughter from the few other students who were watching, though Goodwitch might not have approved.

"Oh that absolute mad lad," the Dullahan's head chuckled from its place on his belt.

Dress attire of variable appropriateness aside, the Beacon Dance had turned out to be a pretty swell occasion. Sure people had bumped into his head more times than he could bother to count now, nevermind how both he and Monica looked like right bell-ends with the way they were dancing.

In spite of all that, he was enjoying this night, as was Monica. That was half of the reason why the pair had come to the dance together after all.

The Vampire had been nervous to join him on the dance floor, but had overcome her nerves, leading to where they were now. Her inexperience in dancing was obvious from the start, for example, Friesian had to tell her what to do when they started and repeatedly felt her foot step on his. All of them minor inconveniences, for they got round to dancing in the end. Granted, not in the way the others were, yet that did not overly concern him or Monica.

Continuing on with their dance for a few more minutes, both Dullahan and Vampire eventually tore away from the dance floor to take a break. Finding a vacant spot where they could stand together, the two found Nora and Ren there as well, having also decided on taking a break from dancing. Joining them not a moment later were Sun and Blake, the additional company welcomed by all who were present.

"Hey there Sun. Glad to see you're here too Blake." Friesian said as he exchanged a fist-bump with the former, and shared a look with the latter. He had seen the two on the dance floor prior to this encounter, and had been surprised by what he saw.

Blake was not only in a dress, but had also been dancing and laughing to her heart's content. He had not heard her laugh in so long the sound was strange to his ears. Things were still not fully okay between Friesian and Blake, but no way was he ruining this night for everyone because of that. Perhaps the dance might help patch things up between the two.

"How are you all enjoying the dance? I think it has been rather lovely so far," Monica asked of the four others stood with her and Friesian.

"It's been pretty great! I'm hanging out with some great guys and I got the perfect partner to spend the dance with." Sun happily replied to the Vampire's question. Beside him, Blake smiled at the remark Sun obviously made about her and lightly shook her head at him.

"Same here though I wish they'd liven things up a little or expanded on our options for drinks. Ah, what I'd give for a maple syrup fountain right about now," Nora said with a dreamy sigh. Having said that, the Human started to openly salivate; most likely imagining how different the dance would be with such a... unique fixture. Would probably be a bitch to make, but might totally be worth it for some god-tier pancakes or waffles.

Damn it, now he was starting to imagine how good a maple syrup fountain could be.

"I see we're all having fun. Especially you Blake, it's honestly nice to see you smiling again," said Friesian to the assembled together group. Perhaps a bit offhandedly, for he had blurted those words out so his mind could move away from images of maple syrup fountains. Regardless of why he said what he did, it had worked, and none of the others reacted negatively, which was a big win in his opinion.

"Huh, thanks Friesian. It took a bit of convincing, but I came around to the idea in the end." The Cat Faunus replied to him, shooting a look over her shoulder. Following her gaze, Friesian saw it land on Yang, who was stood beside her sister, Ruby, their conversation impossible for him to hear. He was not blessed with a superior sense of hearing, unlike his teammates.

A second was needed for Friesian to piece together what Blake had said, and he let a wide smile grow on his face upon making the realisation. They already owed Yang a ton of thanks for readying the ballroom into what it was now. Learning this meant they all owed her a little more.

Looking for the second person who helped set all this up, and was owed just as many thanks as Yang, the Dullahan saw Weiss sat on one of the chairs by the ballroom's halls. With her was one of Friesian's latest friends, Neptune. Both were talking to one another, and appeared to be having a fairly fine time together, which was pretty nice. At the very least, Weiss deserved to be happy tonight; hopefully being with Neptune would help her achieve that.

"Well, I believe that is another thing we should thank Yang for." Ren commented, voicing Friesian's prior thoughts about Yang.

"Wait, is that who I think it is?" Monica questioned, her eyes focusing on something behind Friesian. The same time she did that, Friesian could hear some kind of commotion start to rise up, with a few voices letting out a laugh. Whatever was going on he just had to see for himself.

Turning to where Monica was looking, all six of them blinked at least three times to make sure what they were seeing were real. Friesian actually slapped his head's cheek to make ensure he was not dreaming. Even then the Dullahan thought he should pinch himself to make doubly sure.

The cause of this rising commotion, Jaune Arc, was striding through the other attendees of the dance, unperturbed by the looks and laughs directed his way. Not surprising given what the Human boy was currently wearing. For in place of the suit Jaune had worn when the Dullahan last laid eyes on him, Jaune wore one of the dresses issued to the girls for the dance. How and why there was a dress that fitted him exactly, Friesian did not think he wanted to know.

Jaune, who still walked around without batting an eyelid at how he was being laughed at, approached Pyrrha. The Mistral Champion laughed at Jaune as well, before the two started a short dialogue with each other. Again, the specifics of what was said between the two were unknown to Friesian, yet that mattered little. For the blonde Human took Pyrrha by the hand and started to lead her to the dance floor.

This was going to be something Friesian had to see.

"Ren. This... is... happening!" Nora cheerily proclaimed, drawing Friesian's attention to her.

"Wait, what 'is happening'?" Was all Ren could say before Nora grabbed him by the wrist and hurriedly chased after their two teammates.

Still confused as Ren was not a moment earlier, Friesian and the others were amazed as they watched Team JNPR dance as a quartet together. The music, as though responding to their dance, shifted from the calm and somewhat classical sounding stuff that played thus far, to a more upbeat and modern tune. Friesian, who had been stunned into silence when he saw Jaune, started to cheer JNPR on, as did the three others who still stood with him.

Watching Jaune with an amazed expression on his face, Friesian was stunned even further as he saw how synchronised JNPR were, almost as though they had practiced beforehand. If they had, it spoke well of their ability to plan ahead. In the event that they came up with this dance on the spot, well, Friesian had nothing but respect for the team of Humans if that were the case.

Soon, Friesian, Monica, Blake and Sun were smiling like a bunch of pollen drunk Pixies as JNPR split up and started dancing in pairs.

"Now that's a mad lad," Friesian declared to his friends, pointing a finger at Jaune as he and Pyrrha danced together. All they did was nod and admire their ability to dance, particularly Jaune who was damned good at it surprisingly.

Yes, tonight was really turning out to be something unforgettable to all.

Elsewhere in the ballroom, two Demi-humans stood beside a window and watched the dance around them. A Kitsune and an Elf.

Both had decided it best to seclude themselves from the others a bit for their own reasons. The Elf's reason was as simple as it was predictable; he did not like others and wished to be separate from all those he perceived as noisy rabble. Of the Kitsune, her reason, though similar to the Elf's, was less focused on her disdain for others. No, she just wished to be with the Elf and nothing else.

"He looks a fool," the Elf grunted as both he and the Kitsune watched JNPR finish dancing as a team, then split up into pairs.

"Faen, stop being a bore and enjoy yourself. Opportunities like this are rare of people like us," the five-tailed Kitsune chided her companion before sipping from her cup of punch. Unlike him, she thought the display JNPR's team leader put up to be amusing.

He looked ready to say something that would likely be an attempt at justifying his view, yet he bit back that sentence and looked away from the dance floor.

The two left Ruby and Amarantha earlier so they could stand here together. Faen had been somewhat reluctant to leave the two young women alone, which irritated the Kitsune to no end, yet he changed his mind quickly. Ruby and Amarantha had not argued against their departure, and even encouraged they do so if it meant they could enjoy the dance. Good, they understood he was hers, not theirs.

Casting her eyes on the faceless mass of people in the ballroom, Odori spied on everyone that was of some note.

Of her and Faen's team, she saw Friesian standing with Monica, Blake and Sun. She saw no indication that they might come over to where she was stood, nor could she see any sign that Friesian was aware that they were here. A good sign, for it meant he would not bring that Vampire with him.

Grey was easy to spot, as she, Tora and Reuel were sat at a table and sharing stories. They were too preoccupied with their stories to bother her and Faen, which satisfied Odori. Amarantha the Naga joined them, sitting on a chair they had left empty for anyone who was interested. The three already sat together welcomed the Naga with open arms, and immediately began to chat with her.

Teams JNPR and RWBY were doing their own things as well, though Ruby could not be seen. Where she was, and what she was doing, did not matter to Odori for she was not a 'rival' as the Kitsune identified her other female associates. She was young, and there was one other person she was on the particular look out for.

Yasmin Doronlas; her most intense of rivals and the person she despised most of all in Beacon.

She had reasons for hating the Elf-Dracon, her bitchy behaviour and inflated superiority complex being two of those reasons. A third and main reason she had for feeling nothing but contempt for Yasmin was her interest in Faen. Since arriving at Beacon the wretch had manipulated her partner into wasting time and breath on her, all because they had a shared Elven lineage and equal combatants. Or so the both of them claimed, yet Odori knew far better.

Yasmin wished to steal Faen from her, keep him all to herself and mock Odori with the sight of their deepening relationship. She refused to stand by and allow this newcomer to usurp her place at Faen's side. The Elf was hers and hers alone.

Much to Odori's relief, that accursed half-breed was nowhere to be seen. She might be up to something though, the Kitsune would not be surprised if she had devised some scheme to snatch her partner away from Odori, and she had been vigilant for any sign of Yasmin. Still, hours had passed since the dance began, and yet there was still no sign of the Elf-Dracon. If she knew what was best for her, Yasmin had better not attend the dance at all.

Certain she and Faen would not be disturbed for the time being, the Kitsune turned her attention back towards Faen. She found him staring out the window, his eyes focused on the Moon staring back down at them in all its broken glory. An opportune chance for them to speak.

"The Moon is quite lovely tonight," Odori remarked. It was as good a conversation starter as it could be with someone such as Faen.

"It sure is, though I will admit there to be something nearly as radiant as it before me." The Elf uttered in a low enough voice that only she would hear him. Touching, yet Odori had to contain herself from laughing at his choice of words.

"Ehehehe, is that your best attempt at sounding romantic? Did you practice saying that in front of a mirror for an hour?" The Kitsune asked her team leader, with a slight smirk on her face. She understood what he had meant, yet it was far more fun to toy with the Elf a little than to say a simple thank you.

Faen's face did not change, though there was a slight twitch to his right eye. Oh yes, there was delight to be had when annoying him, particularly when watching how he contained his annoyance. Yet she knew better than to push him too far, everyone had their limits, and while curious, Odori preferred not to be on the receiving end of his full wrath. Perhaps she could get someone else to trigger Faen, and then she could watch from the sidelines as he deliciously ripped them apart in the midst of his rage.

It was in the midst of her fantasies that Faen looked away from Odori and returned his focus to the Moon hanging in the sky outside.

"You have been spending too much time with Grey," Faen sighed more to himself than to her. He closed his eyes for a few seconds, considering his next words carefully, before opening his mouth to speak again. "A simple compliment was all that was. Nothing more."

"Whatever your intent was, I thank you for it. Not only that, but I must thank you again for retrieving this dress for me." Odori looked down and admired herself, going so far as to run the back of her right hand's fingers against the fabric of her left sleeve. Receiving a sneaky sideways look from Faen as she did. "You are a good friend, Faen."

"You're welcome," he replied to Odori, his eyes now back on the window. "Now that we are talking and are alone, of sorts, I must ask you something. Where were you? I did not see you, nor could I catch a hint of your scent. Mind telling me where you were off to, instead of the ballroom as you said you were."

Oh yes, it had been inevitable Faen would bring up that little matter.

"Ah, there is no need for you to be worried about that. I needed to quickly go to the locker room is all," Odori responded as convincingly as she was able, "my locker was not properly closed after today's Combat Class you see. I remembered it as I was halfway here, so I took a slight detour to make sure I locked. Don't want anyone shifting through my things or trying to steal my weapon."

"I see. Well, it is good you realised that in time, yes?" There was a hint of scepticism in Faen's voice, there was no way he could hide it from her. On a similar vein, she could not completely hide the fact her words were a lie nor could she hide her true actions forever.

She had not come earlier for she had been off 'hunting' in the woods a good distance away from the Academy's main complex. She had to use her Semblance to slip away and slip back into Beacon undetected. An Atlesian soldier patrolling the Beacon grounds near the ballroom had nearly caught her, a momentary lapse of concentration making her suddenly appear from nowhere right in his field of vision. She reactivated it in time, and was long gone from that place by the time he and his squadmate went off to investigate.

That had been close, far closer than any of the previous times she had been nearly caught sneaking to the woods. She was getting sloppy, and that did not sit well with Odori. If the Kitsune wished to carry on with these small incursions of hers, she had to exercise far more care, for she had no wish for anyone to learn of that pastime of hers.

In time, perhaps, Odori might tell her white-eyed team leader of her actions in the nearby woods. Now was not the time though, and she still needed to be unquestionably sure of he would take it.

Putting those thoughts from her mind, Odori returned her focus to Faen and the dance, as she sought to take pleasure in both. For a time the pair stood at the window, speaking of a myriad of topics that entered their minds. From some of the most recent rumours that had begun to circulate around the Academy, to more personal matters such as happenings in days long past. Nothing too outstanding, yet by no means was it boring for either of the two to chat about these things.

After a time, Odori extended an offer that they dance together, so see whether that activity was a worthwhile undertaking. To her mild annoyance, the Elf flatly refused, stating her had no interest in dancing.

It was as they were set to debate on the matter, that they both heard a pair of doors be hurriedly opened not too far from them. Not too big of a deal, yet when those same doors burst open more forcefully did the pair take an interest in what was going on. Whilst everyone else was distracted with the music and dancing, Odori and Faen looked over to the source of the noise to see what the matter was. What they saw caused Odori's nostril's to flare and a sense of anger began to ripple through her entire being.

Yasmin had finally deigned to join the party.

With her, however, was a strange sort of entourage as the Elf-Dracon was accompanied by a pair of Atlesian Soldiers. What struck her as all the more curious was that Yasmin had her weapon in its carbine-form out and ready to use it.

All three frantically looked around them in search of something, or someone, but their search was evidently fruitless judging from their frustrated expressions. From where they were stood, Odori overheard Yasmin let out a frustrated curse and marched over to Headmaster Ozpin. The Atlesian Soldiers that came with her keeping on the lookout for who or whatever they had been searching for.

The Headmaster was quick to mark her approach, and listened intently as she began to hurriedly explain whatever troubled her. Unfortunately, Odori could not hear what was being said between them; too much background noise was preventing her from knowing what secrets they were sharing. The Headmaster's face turned grave as she finished, and whispered a few quiet words with her before walking off to say a few things to Professors Goodwitch and Taupe in turn.

There was something amiss going on, Odori could practically smell it.

Perhaps tonight was not as grand as everyone else currently believed it to be.

There we go, another chapter done.

Not too much I can say here except for that this chapter could have been longer. Perhaps another two-thousand words longer at least. Yes, I initially planned for a segment focused on Yasmin's perspective with a bit of action thrown into it, but the idea did not fit with what I had in mind for the chapter so I ditched it.

Oh well, there is the next chapter.

References:

Kamaitachi - A Japanese yokai with the appearance of a weasel with sickle-like claws that ride around in dust devils, or so one version of them is depicted. I went with the weasel version because it fit with the theme of Grimm looking like animals.

I will see you all when I next see you.