Here we are at Chapter 23. The views keep coming, so thanks you guys. Time to see how the team's doing since their little throw-down with Torchwick. I do not own RWBY or Tales of Berseria. They belong to their respective owners. Here's chapter 23. Enjoy.

Chapter 23: Matchmaking – Part 3

"Are you seriously telling us that you lost some of your new machines, machines that YOU said would never be stolen in the first place?!" Glynda exclaims.

A few days after RVWBY's battle with Roman Torchwick, General Ironwood had paid Ozpin another visit to inform him about some of his new tech being stolen. Ironwood stood before Ozpin's desk, with the headmaster sitting in his usual chair, and Glynda standing on his right.

"Look, I'm still figuring out all the details myself, but that's basically the situation here. This can only mean that our supposed enemy is more sophisticated than I realized," Ironwood says defensively.

"Of course you wouldn't have realized that sooner. You're confidence in your machines and your forces had left them vulnerable," Glynda says.

"Enough, both of you. This kind of talk will not help anyone. For now, James, I suggest you take extra precautions to make sure this doesn't happen again. WITHOUT disturbing the people of Vale and making them feel nervous. Aside from that, we should continue our normal routine and try to make sure this doesn't get any worse," Ozpin directs them.

Glynda sighs, "Very well, Ozpin," she agrees.

"Fine. Then I better get going," Ironwood says and turns to leave. However, as he walks away, he suddenly stops. "Actually, there's one more thing I wanted to discuss with you that's made me a bit curious," he says as he turns around and walks back to them.

"And that would be?" Ozpin asks, raising an eyebrow.

"I met one of your students some time ago. She said her name was Velvet Crowe. Something seemed different about her when we met. One of them being that she said she was a first year here because of some family trouble. Care to explain that to me?" he inquires.

"It is true that Velvet Crowe is a first year here, though she's older than the other first-years. She applied and got accepted into this school two years ago, but then had to leave because something happened with her family. She has only recently come back to start her training, though she arrived a week late and had to be placed on an already formed team. Knowing how skilled she is and how much potential she possesses, I let that slide and allowed her to take the initiation exam, which she passed with flying colors," Ozpin explains.

"Family trouble? Yes, she mentioned that when we talked, but didn't give any specifics. What happened exactly?" he asks.

"She wouldn't say, and I didn't pry. I could tell that it was a very unpleasant experience for her, and I'd rather not stir up any painful memories for her. Is that a problem?" Ozpin asks.

"Well, no, but doesn't it make you wonder what exactly happened. Shouldn't you try to know everything about your students?" Ironwood counters.

"You forget, Ironwood. This is Beacon Academy, not Atlas Academy. You may feel like you have to know everything about your students, but I do not feel the same way. Family matters are between family, which WE have no business in. More importantly, I will not run my school the same way you run yours. I want to earn my students trust, and that means knowing when to give them some space. I can tell Velvet is someone that has been through a lot recently, and I will not put her, nor any of my students, through more stress than is necessary. They are studying to become warriors, which will involve living difficult lives. But that does not mean that every single part of their lives have to be painful and difficult. Do you understand?" Ozpin retorts.

Ironwood thinks for a moment, and then sighs, "I apologize. As a general, I have to be wary of a lot of things that I do not know about," he says.

"You are doing your job, James. I won't blame you for that. But not everyone is our enemy. And in this day and age, we need to make more allies, not enemies," Ozpin replies.

…

Meanwhile, late at night, the members of Team RVWBY are in their dorm room, studying. Each member had a textbook on their lap while they sat on their bunks.

"So Yang, did you finally finish that essay for Goodwitch? You know, the one you had to do after hitting her in the face with a pie, which was intended for either me or Ruby," Velvet asks with an unamused glare.

Yang laughs nervously, "He-he-he, well, I was able to finally get it done yesterday. She gave me a little, uh, motivation," she replies.

"Like what?" Ruby asks.

"Saying that I couldn't attend the school dance if I didn't get it done by then," Yang groans. "I'm just glad it's finally done, and out of my life."

Just then, Weiss's head bobs up, "Hey, that reminds me. You guys DO know how to dance, right?" she asks.

"Yeah, I do like to go to the club every now and then. Knowing how to groove comes with the territory. That, and breaking guys' hearts when I won't dance with them," Yang replies, smirking.

Weiss scoffs, "Please, I mean actually dancing. Not whatever it is you do. Ruby, Velvet, how about you two?" she asks as she looks at them.

"Not really. I'm not really a fancy, pancy…dancy girl," Ruby says, groaning at the thought of having to wear a dress and heels.

Meanwhile, Velvet thinks about this, "Um…I really don't know how to dance either. It never came up back home," she says. "No reason to know how to dance when you're locked in a cell for three years."

"Seriously?! Well then, I guess we'll just have to fix that little problem, won't we," she says.

"What do you mean?" Velvet asks, already not liking where this is going.

Weiss just smiles, "You'll see…"

…

"You CAN'T be serious?" Velvet flatly asks Weiss.

The team is in one of the empty classrooms, and Weiss had set her scroll to play some music on it.

"Oh, I assure you, I'm quite serious. If you are planning on going to the dance, then you need to learn how to dance. Luckily for you, as an heiress with musical talents, I am quite experienced in this field. That's why I'm going to teach you two how to dance," Weiss replies.

"Yeah, I'll help out too," Yang says as she steps up next to Weiss and then leans close to her, "You were planning for this, weren't you?" she whispers, to which Weis subtly nods in response.

"Come on, why do we have to do that?" Ruby whines.

"You, Ruby, are the leader of this team. This is a special event and we must show ourselves in a proper manner. As for you Velvet, you've made quite a name for yourself here, which has spread to us as well. Being able to dance that this special occasion is a necessary step. It's not that bad," Weiss explains.

"I think I'd rather be eaten by a Beowolf," Velvet mutters.

"Oh, stop it. Look, the sooner you two learn how to dance, the sooner you can leave. And we will not be leaving until you get it right," Weiss berates them. She then begins playing some music on her scroll. "Now then, first I'll show you how to dance with a partner in a setting such as this. Yang, can you waltz?" she asks the blonde.

"Pfft, who do you think you're talking to?" Yang replies with confidence.

The two walk into the center of the of the room, and Yang places one arm around Weiss' waste and the other in Weiss' right hand while Weiss places her one free hand on Yang's shoulder. The two then move one foot after the other in proper form, never losing their footing. Ruby and Velvet watch from the sidelines, each with their own thoughts. Ruby was a little mesmerized at seeing the two dance so splendidly, while Velvet had the sudden image of herself and Ruby in that position, making her blush.

Velvet quickly shakes her head to get rid of the image, "Yeah, right. Like that would happen…right?" she wonders.

Yang and Weiss continue to show how it's done, both looking like their enjoying themselves.

"Truth be told, I'm a little surprised a brute like you knows how to dance like this," Weiss compliments her.

Yang smirks as she spins Weiss around under her arm before pulling her back in, "You'll find that I'm full of surprises," she replies.

The two continue for a few more minutes until the song ends and Yang spins Weiss around one more time before the two separate and bow to each other.

Weiss then looks at Ruby and Velvet, "Alright, that's basically what you two need to learn how to do. So, we'll have both of you dance together next so I can instruct you two at the same time. Now then, chop-chop," she says, clapping her hands together.

"Ah, forget it, I'm out of here," Velvet says as she tries to leave, but then one of Weiss' glyphs appears in front of the door, barring her exit. "You sure that's a good idea?" Velvet asks as she narrows her eyes at Weiss.

"Hey, if you leave, then you'll be hurting Ruby's feelings. I think she may want to give it a try. Ruby?" Weiss gestures to Ruby.

Velvet looks at Ruby, and sees her fiddling with her fingers a bit, and looking a little nervous with a slight blush.

"W-well, maybe we could…give it a try," Ruby says nervously.

Velvet looks surprised, "Ruby, you can't be serious?" she asks her.

Ruby walks up to Velvet, clasps her hands together, and gives her…the puppy dog eyes, "Velvet, do you think we could try just this once. Please?" she begs her.

Velvet tries to look away, but can't help but get caught in those silver eyes of hers, especially when they start tearing up a little bit.

"Argh, why does that have to be so good?" she mentally groans. "…Fine, we'll do it," she sighs.

She's no match for Ruby. The two of them step forth and enter the same position as Weiss and Yang.

"Now then, I think it would be better if Velvet tries to lead during this little session, so Ruby, just try to follow her lead. Follow my instructions and match the rhythm of my clapping, okay?" Weiss instructs them. "Velvet, right foot. Ruby, left foot. Now Velvet, left foot. Ruby, right foot. And repeat," Weiss says, clapping a slow rhythm for them to move in tune with.

The exercise starts out slow, with Ruby trying got follow Velvet's lead, while Velvet is focused on making sure she doesn't step on Ruby's toes. She is wearing metal boots after all. At point, Ruby accidently steps on Velvet's left foot.

"I'm sorry!" Ruby yells in apology.

"It's okay Ruby. Didn't really feel it. Just be careful okay," Velvet replies.

"Oh, okay. I'll try," Ruby says.

"Keep going. You're starting to get the hang of it," Weiss says from the sidelines.

Yang leans in, "This was a good idea for our plan," she says.

"Of course it is, who do you think you're talking to? Anyway just make sure to live up to your end of the bargain," Weiss reminds her.

Yang sighs, "Yes, mam," she says.

The two watch as Ruby and Velvet start to get the hang of it, moving a little faster than before. As they get the hang of it, they each find themselves locking eyes with the other, unable to look away. The two of them ae in their own little world as they stare at each other while dancing, starting to ignore Weiss' voice completely. They keep moving to the sound of the music being played, and Velvet even spins Ruby around a few times. However, at one point, because her attention had been focused solely on Ruby, Velvet accidently steps on Ruby's left foot.

"Ow!" Ruby yelps in slight pain.

"Ruby, I'm sorry! Are you okay?" Velvet asks, concerned.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine. This is our first time doing something like this, so I guess it's expected," Ruby replies, calming her worries.

"Still, I should've been paying attention," Velvet says.

"If you weren't paying attention to her feet, then what WERE you paying attention to?" Yang teases them.

The two blush and quickly separate from one another.

"Enough Yang. From the looks of things, we still have some polishing to do, but we should be able to get you two into proper form in no time. Let's keep going," Weiss says.

"Wait a minute, has anyone seen Blake?" Ruby asks out of the blue.

The group all turn their heads and find no sign of the cat Faunus.

"Wasn't she just here a second ago?" Weiss asks, making Yang shake her head in response.

…

Later that night, the girls, minus Blake, return to their dorm and get ready to head in for the night.

"I'm first in the shower," Velvet says and grabs a towel and her pajamas before heading in the bathroom.

The others sit on their beds waiting, but Yang uses this opportunity to do some digging.

"So Ruby, I'm just gonna come out and ask it. Do you like Velvet?" Yang asks with a knowing smirk.

However, Ruby's innocence blocks the idea, "What do you mean? Of course I like her. She's our friend and our teammates," she says, not getting the hint.

Yang facepalms, "Not what I meant, little sis. I mean do you 'LIKE' like her? As in more than a friend," she reiterates the question.

At finally understanding what Yang was asking, Ruby starts blushing and gets nervous, "W-what?! What are y-you talking about? It's not l-like that, I swear!" Ruby stutters as the other two don't buy it.

"Oh please, do I need to remind you of the incident earlier today. You were staring into Velvet's eyes like they were the most beautiful gemstones in the world. Then of course, there was the time we found the two of you snuggling close to each other on her bed, sound asleep. Then, there was the time where your nose started bleeding after seeing her naked. Shall I go on?" Weiss lists off previous occurrences with a knowing smile.

This makes Ruby blush up to her ears as she pulls her hood on to hide her face.

"Ruby, it's nothing to be ashamed about. Just admit it and you'll feel better. We won't hold it against you," Yang encourages her.

Ruby glances one eye up at her and slowly pulls her hood down, "You promise?" she asks, feeling a little anxious.

"I give you my 'big sister' word," Yang replies, holding a hand up as if she's in court.

Ruby looks down and sighs, "…Okay…I like her," she finally admits.

"I knew it!" Yang exclaims.

"YANG!" Ruby whines.

"Sshh, quite, or else Velvet might hear you," Weiss shushes them.

"Anyway, Ruby, I think it's good that you've finally found someone you like. More importantly, it's someone I think I can trust with you. Otherwise, I would've thrown them off the top of Beacon tower," Yang playfully warns her.

"Really?" Ruby timidly asks.

Yang jumps off her bed, gets onto Ruby's, and wraps a supportive arm around her shoulders, "You're my little sister, and you always will be. But, even I need to understand that you're growing up. At least I feel a little bit more at ease since it's someone I know. But, no matter what, I've got you're back," Yang comforts her.

"Thanks Yang," Ruby replies.

By this point, Velvet comes out in her pajamas and goes to sit on her bed, "The shower's all yours," she says.

"I'm next," Weiss quickly says and rushes into the bathroom with her stuff.

"Oh, I'll help with your hair Velvet," Ruby says and jumps off her bunk to comb Velvet's hair like she usually does.

Meanwhile, Yang watches on from Ruby's bunk, "Of course, I'll still need to give her the 'big sister' talk before I can let them start dating. But, if Ruby ever found out, she'd never let me hear the end of it," she thinks.

A minute later, Blake walks in, looking slightly exhausted.

"Blake, took you long enough. Where have you been?" Yang asks.

"I was at the library, going over some stuff from our investigation. Guess I lost track of time," she says as she sits on her bunk.

The other three look on, a little concerned.

…

While Velvet is asleep, she opens her eyes and finds herself right back in the white expanse that she hasn't seen in a while.

"It's been a while," she says to on one in particular.

"It's good to see you again, Velvet Crowe," she hears the voice of the woman in the white hood behind her.

She stands up and turns around to see the woman, "I guess it has, Summer Rose," she greets her.

Summer Rose smiles, "How have you been Velvet?" she asks.

"I'm sure you know. I find it hard to believe that you could send me here and not know how I'm doing," Velvet replies, hand on her hip.

Summer giggles, "I guess you have a point…I see you've gotten close with Ruby. I'm glad to see it," she says.

"What are you talking about? You asked me to protect her? I'm just fulfilling my promise to you," Velvet says, looking away with a slight blush.

Summer walks up to her, "Velvet, don't lie to yourself. You deserve to be happy. Part of that is…well…falling in love. There's nothing wrong with that," she says.

"Really? Even if it's your daughter?" Velvet asks as she stares her in the eye.

"I've watched you for a long time Velvet. I know that you would never hurt Ruby. You have gone above and beyond to protect her. You wouldn't do that if you were just fulfilling a promise. Velvet…it doesn't help to lie to me…or to yourself," she offers her some soothing words.

Velvet thinks on her words, "I just…Why would Ruby want to be with someone like me? She knows the truth about me. She could do much better than…me," she solemnly says.

"Come on. A mother knows best, and I know that she likes you. You would be perfect for each other," she says.

"I doubt that. Even if I do say I like her, I'm not sure it would work out," Velvet replies.

"And yet, the two of you are always appears happier when you're together, if the two of you snuggling together is any indication," she woman chuckles with a big smile.

This makes Velvet blush, but she shakes it off, "What about those dangers that Ruby may have to face on this 'dark path' you mentioned when we first met? Any chance you can tell me about what they are?" she asks.

"Unfortunately, I am not omnipotent. I can't see everything. You'll have to figure that out for yourself," she says.

"I see. I guess it's just business as usual then," she notes.

"…It's time for me to go, but we'll see each other again soon. Take care Velvet…And don't sell yourself so short. Follow your heart, and it will never fail you," she says as everything goes white.

…

Velvet wakes up in her dorm, still dark out. She glances at Ruby, who is sleeping peacefully in her own bunk. She slowly closes her eyes as one last thought dwells on her mind.

"…I like Ruby…"

And that's the chapter. Getting a few things out of the way as we get deeper into Volume 2 of the story. If one won't admit something to themselves, then others will have to help them to do it. What awaits Velvet and Ruby in the future? Until next time, please Read and Review.