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Saturday had come and so was the dance, Pyrrha already saw the anxiety present as some eagerly prepared to court others that evening. For JPBY and WRRN it was training in the morning then a beak all afternoon. Time seemed to fly by as Jaune needed to eject himself as the girls got dressed.
"How do I look?" Pyrrha asked as Yang dug a brush into her hair while on the edge of her bed.
"Hm, I'd say downright sexy," She replied in earnest. "You're gonna knock 'em dead looking like that."
Adjusting the turtleneck Pyrrha could only see her top half in the bathroom mirror, which was fine. The pure red dress extended to her ankles and covered everything but her arms. It was all meant to look simplistic and, with the opposition colors being her face alone. That's all she hoped he'd focus on tonight, not her body but Pyrrha herself.
"He's never seemed to care about anything else about me." Jaune had spent a lot more time with Blake than her, not that she was jealous as the two were fighting terrorists the whole time. "Still, I'd like this more if we had gone on that date."
Taking this slow and seeing how he felt about the close proximity would be the purpose of tonight. Just to see how comfortable he was with it and open up more to him, talk and get to better know who he was. Has seven sisters seemed like a good topic, she'd already met them but it felt safe to go with.
"There is also Amber to considered and her angle in this." What was this girl trying to do? Really just trying to nudge them together, good for Pyrrha but it doesn't seem like Jaune has caught on. "If he has a girl inside his head one would think she'd be able to explain things better."
Pyrrha eyed Blake, the Faunus tying her bow as the final touch of her outfit.
"I suppose we're all decent to let him in?"
"Hm, yup." Yang said and Blake nodded.
Jaune was quick to slip in after the door was opened and his eyes immediately glossed over each of them. Blake didn't seem to notice and Yang struck a pose with a grin. Finally, he settled on Pyrrha, the dress she wore matched her hair so it ended up being two blobs of one bland color sandwiching the rest of her body. She noted how slowly he moved up, only stopping to lock his blue pupils with her emerald green.
"You look nice." Jaune smiled as he said so.
She returned the look in kind. "Thanks, you do too."
"I'm not even in my suit?" He looked down at his hoodie and jeans, Pyrrha felt her cheeks begin to burn with embarrassment.
"Anyway, I got something for you." He made for his bed and she tried to look surprised when he drew out a simple brown box and placed it on his bed.
Blake leaned over from nearby, curiosity taking hold as Jaune took lit his gifts. The corsage grabbed her attention first, such things were intended to signify importance and honor. The chocolates were accepted kindly and the card was opened with one hand. The front had in bold red lettering 'I'd walk through fire for you!'
Opening it though revealed in more simplistic font the words 'Well not fire because that's dangerous'. 'But a super humid room, but not that humid because of my hair...'
'We're friends, cut me some slack here'
Her nose exhaled air sharply as it always did when you were failing to hold back a laugh. "T-Thank you Jaune." She brought him into a hug and the two embraced for a moment.
"You're welcome, now I need to take a shower real quick." Excused himself as Pyrrha took out the corsage and donned it onto her wrist. She was glad he picked a combination of white with blue swirling on the petals. Anymore red might have completely overpowered anything else she had.
She also tried her best to ignore the friend part of the card. As increasingly difficult as that was...
Beacon Academy was a massive place, one that was perhaps overbuilt to hold way more people and functions than it actually did. Hench why there was a ballroom for times like this while other places just used the auditorium as a multipurpose structure. The dorms were built as in between these places as possible to minimize the distance students had to travel in the mornings. Getting lost was impossible since other groups were traveling towards the ballroom.
The exterior of the place was unchanged but the interior has been carefully decorated. Tables were carefully placed to allow for somewhere to sit while not sacrificing space for standing and walking, which they were a lot of. The stage of course was used to accommodate the large speakers and operated by someone while likely didn't want to be in the dance itself by his casual attire. Red and white streamers were hung on the railings of the walkways above. The decor was not too much and left without complying with anyone's kingdom's preferences, probably because they were an international crowd.
Yang had immediately grabbed Blake and began pulling her away.
"Come one I want to find my little sis, I know she's going to try and hide from me the whole time." She turned and gave a subtle eye wink to Pyrrha.
One that Blake caught onto and reluctantly allowed herself to be pulled away. The dance floor had some already in it but the bulk was situated around it. While Pyrrha might have wanted to jump right into the dance she followed the example of the many instead and stepped away from the doorway with Jaune.
"You said you have experience with dancing?" Pyrrha asked.
"Yup started learning how to move when I was eight." He sighed. "I didn't want to at first, I thought it was too girly at the time."
"Let me guess, your sisters hounded constantly about it?" While being an only child didn't mean she could understand anything about siblings.
He nodded. "Yeah, that's what happens when you have seven sisters that all like dancing." He smiled while recalling the times his sister urged him to join them. "It was certainly fun when they got going."
"What made you want to become a Huntsman in the first place?"
"Well my father and grandfather were warriors, I always thought it only made sense for me to follow along. Like an unofficial tradition." He explained. "I wanted to be a hero and help people, that's about all there is to it."
Pyrrha believed it full-heartedly. "He is quick to rush to others in need, even if he doesn't fully understand the scenario." That last part is something that can get him into trouble.
There was a long stretch of silence between them, it was agony for Pyrrha as she rattled her head for something to say. The rest of the room was lucky with friends and couples chatting back and forth, laughter echoing out from some. Then there were the two of them standing there quietly.
"Everyone else seems like they know what to do here."
It was so simple when thinking about it or watching others. Pyrrha had a far harder time putting anything into practice.
"Wanna get a drink?"
"Oh, certainly." Any good excuse to not be talking was fine... well no it wasn't, but having one would feel better.
They walked around the gathering crowd in the middle as the music drew more and more to the dance floor. The tables set aside with snacks were easy enough to reach, there Pyrrha could see Ruby blatantly trying to hide her embarrassment as Yang likely called out how beautiful she looked. All to the amusement of her team leader. Weiss for her part was in her element here and spent her time trying to ease the younger girl's tense body. The redhead was almost surprised when a cup was held before her until she remembered that's why she went here and accepted it.
"How obnoxious was it?" Jaune asked.
"Hm?" She occupied with taking a sip to answer any other way.
"Being famous in Mistral? I know you came here to avoid it all but it must have been more unbearable than mentioned." He asked.
"It was extremely obnoxious..." Her mind wandered back to that picture of Pyrrha and her mother, it was just of them on a park bench. Those idiots in the media can really be denser than lead. "That wasn't all though... It felt like at times I couldn't take to men without them seeing me as a prize they could never have..." She was quick to notice it.
There had been plenty of parties after her victories were being near someone had them feeling somehow inadequate. Few would straight up leave her presence but it soon became impossible to form any meaningful connections. Even on a friends level.
"That's what you don't realize when placed on a pedestal. You become someone larger than everyone else even if you never wanted or intended it."
There was a long silence as Jaune regarded her and seemed to ponder her words. He stared into the crowd, studying the couples gracefully guiding themselves around the floor. Then the slow music usually played for these occasions came on. Jaune looked as if he wanted to slap a hand to his forehead in a sort of eureka moment.
"Time to dance?" Jaune offered a hand.
"Dance?" She asked almost confused.
"It's why we're here isn't it?"
Pyrrha chuckled, she needed to stop feeling nervous, this was the moment she wanted and wouldn't let pass. Feeling a little more of her old confidence coming back. She accepted the hand and allowed him to guide her onto the dance floor. Her hands held onto his shoulders as Jaune led their movements. The blond boy smiled happily. She studied him for a moment, blue eyes that didn't shine with boredom as she'd feared, but instead with a simple enjoyment of his own.
This was better than what she hoped for. She never had any chance to be with someone like this, stepping slowly as the dance dictated. Gently hanging onto Jaune while trusting him to guide her through the motions, he moved with experience and followed his teachings well. It felt like something in a romantic film, a lonely warrior meeting a kindly and clueless interest. Yet it was so real. This was the moment she was looking for when coming here. Pyrrha only wished circumstances could've been better in Vale... that they could really interact in the typical environment and without a permit tag along... Pyrrha wished there was some way it could be perfect, but was more than willing to deal with the hand she was dealt.
She stepped into him, pushing her face against the fabric of his shirt and inhaling his scent. It wasn't anything special… at least not by the standards of what she'd seen in romance movies where girls would swoon and sway. He smelled like cologne and whatever he'd eaten off the buffet table.
His hands settled on her back. "Pyrrha…?"
"Just… just give me a moment," She whispered.
A moment for what, she didn't know. Her instincts were telling her that she messed it up somehow and that she should push off and away. He held on, not firmly, but just waiting for Pyrrha to be done with her task. To get comfortable again and stop tensing up, he was sweet in this.
"I never thought this would happen you know..." Pyrrha felt him stiffen at learning this. "Finding someone who just sees and hears me... It's nice to be proven wrong."
"Well," Jaune slid his hands across her waist into a sort of hug. "I'm happy if you are."
Pyrrha couldn't help but laugh, burying it into his suit. "...Ozpin has to lift the lockdown after the tournament begins. Why don't we have that date when we can?" Hope-filled her voice as every second Jaune didn't reply stretched on.
"Hm, I suppose the Headmaster would have to at that point." He nodded slowly. "I don't see why not, sounds fun."
Her grin grew, threatening to slip her jaw off if the redhead tried any harder.
Amber felt Jaune's body relax as he parted from Pyrrha. Amber may not be there in person and is highly likely to never get the chance, but it felt nice to feel him go through the motions. Pyrrha finally summoning the courage to just say something was good. Not that Amber was going to judge her for it, personally she never found someone she liked in a romantic sense but figured it must be hard to say 'I like you romanticly'.
Her words also hit Amber. Being seen as powerful and unassailable, a prized jewel that cannot be taken and leading to people never truly getting close. She got those feelings, even if Amber's lonesome road was more of self-imposed isolation for the good of everyone including herself.
"This should be with better outside circumstances." It was more than a rocky start with her seeing him as having a mental illness. Running off to fight the White Fang also made her upset and any chance of having a normal outing as teens should. "Any chance of that was lost some time ago... making do with what's available is all we've got."
Thinking about it, there is a chance Jaune wouldn't be here without Amber's involvement and that was not a good thing to think on. He did try to enter school with false transcripts and lacked training, tried to shove off help, and had to deal with Cardin. Even without Emerald and Mercury harassing them the fact they could get into the school so easily was worrying. Would Beacon and by extension Vale still, become the chaotic place it is now? Just though different events? The Maiden powers were a big stepping stone but wanting it implies Cinder wants to use it.
"Questions to be posed and pondered later, now it's time to relax."
It was nice to know Jaune was able to get some semblance of normal in this chaotic new life he had. That would not always be the case, Cinder was out there and the only hope Amber had was knowing that the pyromancer was likely scrambling to scrape together a force to threaten the Vytal Festival.
"You move Fall, let's see how well any of your planning helps now." Amber smirked victoriously.
Cinder had been patiently waiting by the school for days. Leonardo had been working to find what she needed and scheming still had to wait for an opportunity. The Beacon dance was today and so was her best chance to break into the CCT, install the virus, and make Ironwood nervous by forcing her way past his guards. All a part of a long-dead plan and ruined contingency.
Adam was still in control and tangible support he was still withholding from her until the festival began. Cinder was forced to adapt anything she made to his desires while loading his men with what little dust she had left. When her scroll finally began to ring she felt a ting of hope within her as she answered.
"Leonardo, tell me everything now." She purred.
"Jaune Arc grew up in a village called Ansel in southeastern Mistral, it's not exactly a frontier settlement but close enough. Attended school there but I couldn't find anything about friends there." There was a short pause before the man continued. "He has a large family, however, seven sisters, and all but one live in Ansel with their parents."
That could work, harass Arc's family and maybe he would take his team away to Mistral. She would have a far better shot at Ironwood's ship and m drawing out Ozpin's Hunters without them here.
"His family isn't in Mistral though, they left the Kingdom some time ago." He explained nervously.
Cinder took a long breath before responding. "That is not what I wanted to hear Leo..."
"Left to the Vytal festival and are currently somewhere in Vale."
Cinder halted in her thoughts for a moment before a vicious smirk formed on her lips. "Really now? Do tell."