Howdy, folks, how's it going?
Hope you have all been keeping safe, especially now that shit seems to be getting worse again.
As always, a big shout out to Chaos productions for his assistance.
And as always, I own neither RWBY nor TES.
And now without further ado, enjoy
/
"So, run this by me again," Yang stated, for the sake of clarity, from where she and the rest of the team stood behind Serana, as the latest swell of heat in the training room died down. "J'Zargo got his aura awakened yesterday, so now he and Tristard are testing out how that's affecting his magic, right?"
"Essentially, yes." Serana confirmed, positively unruffled even as the crackle of lightning filled the air, causing the girls to wince.
"Ok, with you so far. But…" A loud explosion cut her off momentarily. "I kinda assumed testing out magic involved more than Tristard being a crash test dummy."
Indeed, when the girls had all entered the training room earlier to pick up their missing teammate, they had nearly suffered a collective heart attack upon seeing him being completely engulfed in an explosion so big only the fact the room was soundproofed likely prevented people from assuming the academy was under attack. And then he'd just stood there, looking no worse for wear as the flames died down around him, and he'd just kept standing there as the catman kept throwing progressively nastier and/or more explosive spells his way.
"Why is he being a test dummy is the question…" Weiss commented, staring blanky as a blizzard was casually thrown at the dragonborn. If Tristard was capable of this sort of madness, he was honestly kind of relieved that she hadn't ended up having hordes of nasty interdimensional critters thrown her way when she'd asked him for advice…
"Oh, you needn't concern yourself with Tristard's safety." The vampire reassured with a dismissive wave. "I know that this-" She casually raised her hand, casting a ward to safeguard them as the girls all winced from yet another particularly large explosion. "-may seem like madness from an outside perspective, but this is really nothing new and they both know exactly what they're doing. It's how we work out the kinks whenever a new spell or magical development occurs. Par for the course, really."
"But how is he just… acting like nothing's happening?" Blake stressed, her feline ears twitching in confusion and no small amount of concern. No amount of aura would have let even the greatest of huntsmen survive this onslaught, and she knew for a fact he didn't have any to begin with, and as far as she could see, he wasn't even casting a barrier of any sort, so how…?
"Oh, that's simple," The vampire replied rather casually, though not without an oddly amused smile. "Tristard's a Breton, and born under the sign of the atronach to boot. The exact importance of these two things would take a fair while to explain properly, but the short version is, he's capable of becoming extremely resistant to magic when there's the need."
As if to emphasize the statement, a bolt of flames the size of a boarbatusk exploded against Tristard's masked face, and it might as well have been a warm breeze for all the harm it caused him, but at that point he raised his hand. By then, he alone stood immaculate amidst a part of the room that more closely resembled the leftover ruins after a volcanic eruption than anything else. Goodwitch was going to have a fit, the girls just knew it…
"Alright, I believe that's as much as can be handled for the moment." He called out, before calmly swiping some ash from his shoulder, before considering the khajiit before him with a curious tilt of his head. "So, how does it feel from your end?"
"Odd." J'Zargo replied, no less casual about this whole thing, but for once surprisingly focused on the subject matter as he stared at his still flaming hands. "The magic feels… stronger, for sure, with this aura enhancing it, but that's causing some issues with finer control. J'Zargo's casting the spells, and even as I try to call upon the magicka that I am accustomed to, it always seems to overshoot the intended amount."
"Aye, I felt as much," The archmage agreed with a nod, as he calmly rolled his shoulder. "I did notice some fluctuations in intensity in those spells, though. I take it you were trying to tap into less magicka for those?"
"Yes, but in those occasions the difference was covered by aura." The catman grunted as he let the flames die down. "More power overall, but less control. A somewhat vexing trade off."
"Hhhhhmmmm, if nothing else, we have more proof that there is a correlation between these two energies. The way one complements the other is surprisingly seamless… Honestly, I suspect your current issue is easily fixed once you figure out and get accustomed to what the new normal is." Tristard stated ponderingly, even as he began walking away from the wreckage, looking to the girls like his body was moving on autopilot even as he kept exchanging comments and theories with his fellow mage, and approached the later, removing his golden mask and handing it over.
"Yes, J'Zargo has figured as much. But then, no venue of power worth pursuing is without some difficulties along the way." The khajiit shrugged his acceptance of the situation, as he also seemingly without even noticing grabbed the thing and wore it, then with a demeanour of mild concentration, a lattice of pale blue energy briefly flashed over his form. "Shall we move on to the next stage and see how it works the other way around?"
"Yes, let's." The breton agreed easily as he stepped back, his stance becoming less relaxed and more focused. "Ready whenever you are."
For a few minutes, neither of the two did anything while the light of J'Zargo's aura flared and ebbed as the khajiit gained a feel for it.
"Alright," He eventually said, with all the casualness of someone going for a walk. "Hit me."
Tristard did just that, throwing a small bolt of flames at the khajiit. It crashed into the momentarily flashing barrier of his aura, and went no further.
"Hhhhmm, requiring conscious effort to keep up is a nuisance, but while it holds, it holds well." The catman reported with that clinical detachment only scientific researchers should be able to pull. "Hardly even felt the heat."
As Tristard began to escalated with increasingly more potent spells, a somewhat blank faced Ruby turned towards Serana.
"You say this is how you figure magic stuff out all the time back home…?"
"Essentially, yes."
"…Your world sounds really weird."
As the smell of ozone filled the air and lightning crackled, the vampire could only chuckle at the conclusion.
/
A while later, when the girls finally got over enough of their surprise at the proceedings to remember why they'd actually come to collect their teammate, the duo's experimentation was interrupted, and the students moved on to the next part of their schedule for the day.
"A little more to the left, please."
Helping team CFVY setting things up for the dance. Which really translated to Tristard doing most of the heavy lifting with his telekinesis spells.
"A little more, a little more…" Coco kept instructing, as the loudspeaker that would've otherwise taken the combined efforts of Yatsu and Yang to move ever so softly floated as requested along one end of the small stage. "There, that's good."
Without a word, the archmage gently let the contraption down, and took the opportunity to glance around. Just because the heavy duty was assigned to him did not mean the others were left idle. Weiss, Velvet and Yatsu were at one of the tables, discussing some options for decorations and layout, while Fox and Blake were setting down the rest of the lighter furniture under the guidance of Tawny, the little racoon girl proving herself surprisingly competent at arranging what they had to make the best use of the space, and Yang and Ruby were taking care of the electrical grid and some of the odder machines he'd placed. Personally, the dragonborn did not see how a "fog machine" was in any way useful for a dance, or in general purposes not related to setting up ambushes, but at this point he was ready to just chalk it up as another Remnant oddity and move along.
"Gotta say, this is progressing fast." Coco interrupted his musings as she came to stand beside him, sounding rather pleased with herself. "With two teams, we'll have this done in no time. In no small part thanks to you, Soverick."
She gave him a pat on the back at the words, and the dragonborn felt relieved he was currently using his local clothes, else his robes might have reacted poorly to the friendly if rough gesture…
"So, there's something I've kinda been meaning to ask you." The brunette kept going without preamble, but Tristard did not miss a sudden… hesitance in the normally confident girl's demeanour.
"Aye?" He curiously prompted, giving her his full attention.
"Well, me and my team are gonna be chaperoning for most of the evening, but I'll be damned if we don't get the chance to enjoy ourselves and have dance or two as well. And, well…" She explained, sounding at once eagerly curious but also rather nervously cautious. "…You think Serana would mind if I asked her?"
…
…
Ah.
Well, that explained why the brunette had been spending a lot more time around the library lately, and why she'd often show up when it was the vampire's turn to keep an eye on Tawny. It was honestly quite adorable, truth be told, to see this new facet of the girl, but unfortunately, it'd probably be better for everyone involved if he nipped this in the bud…
"I am afraid you will be setting yourself up for disappointment here." Tristard replied bluntly, but not unkindly.
"…Oh, I see." Coco replied, sounding rather disappointed. "She prefers guys, uh…?"
"T'is more that she has no preferences whatsoever." The dragonborn clarified with a shake of his head, and the girl blinked at his serious, but honest, tone. "Serana has absolutely no interest in romance or intimacy in any way, shape or form, with anyone. She has her reasons for that, and they are not mine to tell."
"Speaking from experience?" The girl inquired, with a mirthless smirk.
"Not my own, but I've seen enough people try their luck to know what to expect." He replied evenly, showing the girl an apologetic smile. "If you do invite her for the dance, and make it clear that it is simply meant to be a casual outing between friends, I believe she'll be quite amenable to the idea, she doesn't get opportunities to attend events like this often. But if you are hoping for something more? I'm afraid all you'll get is a polite, but firm refusal."
…
…
…
"Well, I got some thinking to do, I guess. I appreciate the honesty if nothing else." Coco eventually replied with a disappointed sigh, although to the girl's credit, she was quick to recover, giving him another pat on the back, this one fortunately much gentler. "What about you? Got a date in mind, already?"
"…Beg your pardon?" The dragonborn replied uncomprehendingly, caught off-guard but the sudden lurch in the conversation.
"Is that a no? Because if so I'm sure a certain-"
"Oh Coco!" Velvet, who neither of them had noticed approaching, suddenly interrupted her team leader with a loud, and rather exasperated tone. "Why don't you come help us decide on the table decorations? Style is supposed to be your specialty, isn't it?"
With surprising firmness, the rabbit faunus dragged her team leader off, without allowing the brunette to get another word in edge-wise.
Tristard could only blink at the sudden development. Noticing a sudden lull in the activity in the room, he looked around to realize that the others had all stopped what they had been doing to watch the conversation with varying degrees of interest, from Fox's raised eyebrow to Blake's extremely focused scowl, and everything in between, and now they'd been noticed they were scrambling to go back to their duties.
What was that all about?
/
As he approached the library, Jaune took a deep, steadying breath. The situation was not looking very good for him at the moment, but he liked to think that he was able to learn from his mistakes. Going at it alone was getting him nowhere, so he might as well ask for some advice. And he knew just who to ask.
Sure enough, as he entered and surveyed the place, there the person he was looking for was, reading through several different books at once as was the usual. Heck, it was such a common sight in the library nowadays that even the students visiting from other academies had already gotten used to it and ceased with the weirded-out looks.
"Hey, Tristard." He called as he approached, after glancing around to make sure nobody was there to eavesdrop. "Taking a break from setting stuff up for the dance?"
"Just so, Jaune." The archmage replied jovially, with a slight nod of acknowledgement in the blond's direction. "What brings you here?"
"I was… kinda hoping for some advice." Jaune said expectantly, deciding it best to be upfront as he took a seat at the table stacked high with piles of books.
"Oh?" Tristard intoned curiously, and with a flick of his wrist the volumes he'd been reading placed themselves in said piles, as the dragonborn gave the blond his full attention. "What troubles you?"
"Well… It's Weiss." The young man admitted, slumping forward despondently as he allowed himself to spill out his troubles. "I wanted to invite her for the dance but… well, you were there at my last attempt." He pretended not to notice how the dragonborn cringed at that. "Nothing I do seems to win her over, no matter how confident I try to act. Flowers don't work, serenades don't work, nothing works! I just… don't know what to do. What do you think I should-?"
He raised his head to give his friend a hopeful look, only for the words to die in his mouth as he noticed the look on the man's face, one that Jaune had never even known Tristard was actually capable of. A look of utter, uncomprehending, mystified confusion…
…
…
…
"…Jaune," Tristard eventually spoke, slowly, like he was thoroughly lost and still trying to piece things together even as he spoke. "…Why come to me with this?"
"Uuuh, because you've given me really solid advice before, and I was kinda hoping you'd do it again?" Jaune replied hesitantly. He did not really know what he had been expecting the dragonborn's reaction to be, but this had certainly not been it…
…
…
"Again," The archmage reiterated, after a slow blink. "Why come to me for this…?"
"I mean… let's not mince words here, you're a freakin' hero, Tristard." Jaune tried to explained, gesturing vaguely towards the man. "You always seem so… self-assured, so ready to handle anything that comes along. I kinda… thought for sure that someone with the kind of life you'd had would have some idea on how to get girls to notice you?"
Silence stretched out between the two of them, as the dragonborn considered the young man with a near statuesque stillness, the uncomprehending confusion in his expression slowly giving way towards… disbelief?
"Jaune," Tristard eventually said, his tone incredulous, one that to the blond just screamed 'are you fucking serious…?', like he'd sometimes heard from his family… "My entire life has been nothing but a sordid mess of cultists, thugs, warriors, sorcerers, power-hungry lunatics, lords and outright deities trying to either kill me for the most varied of reasons, from simple muggings to wars to feeling threatened by my mere existence, and everything in between, or obtain my power for their own uses be it through political intrigue, or manipulation or outright force and coercion, and me struggling to stay alive and free despite their best efforts, to speak nothing of the myriad of situations that should not have been any of my business but I invariably got dragged into regardless, all the way up to and including ancient prophecies that'd dictate the fate of the world itself. What part of that made you think I've had any time or inclination to learn how to "get girls to notice me"?!"
"I mean, I- wait, seriously?" Jaune did a double take, startled by the words. "You've never had anyone interested in you? But… you're a hero!"
"Oh, I've had people expressing an interest, for sure. My housecarl back in Whiterun, for one, to say nothing of the many times pompous nobles and foreign dignitaries tried to saddle me with marriages for the sake of politics after I became Archmage." The dragonborn conceded, grumbling out that last part distastefully. "Like I said, however, I never had the time, or the inclination, to woo a potential spouse. I have never been the one to start anything, Jaune, nor have I ever reciprocated whenever someone else did. I have absolutely no clue as to how to even begin, and I honestly don't understand what you think being a "hero" has anything to do with it or why even if I had any knowledge on the matter, the costumes of my home would be of any use to you. To quote my mentor Paarthurnax, you're likely better informed than I."
"Not even… your first friend, Sylara?" The blond asked with a respectful hesitance.
"Nay. We were partners against the world, that's how we defined ourselves to each other." The dragonborn freely admitted, having long since come to terms with that particular loss. "We were more than friends, more than family, but we never really saw each other that way. And I should know, we tried to act like we figured lovers would for a while, but there really just wasn't anything there. We just got bored and decided to go back to how things always were between us fairly quickly."
"What about Serana?"
"Pfft, oh Nine above, no." The Archmage snorted, amused at the very notion. "She is like family to me, a sister that I never had. And like I told Coco, even if I had been interested, I'd have been doomed to failure."
"Oooookk…" Jaune hesitantly accepted the reply, figuring he probably shouldn't ask for elaboration. "What about Blake, then?"
Tristard made to reply, raising a finger… and then he froze.
…
…
…
"What about Blake…?" He repeated, in a tone of blank confusion.
"I mean, you two seem to get along very well." Jaune answered, speaking like it was something kind of obvious. "Whenever I see your team she's always by your side, and she clearly thinks very highly of you. Have you never noticed how she smiles when looking at you? Smiles, Tristard, from Blake, the girl whose first impression I've had was wondering whether she was even physically capable of the act, what with how gloomy she usually appears otherwise. I mean, clearly I am no expert of the subject, or I wouldn't be so desperately in need of advice, but even to me it just seems… kinda natural?"
…
…
Tristard… had no idea what to make of that statement. Blake, interested in him…? Surely, Jaune was misinterpreting the situation? Of course, looking back and parsing through all his interactions with his teammate, the dragonborn could admit that there was some truth to what the boy was saying, and now that the notion had been brought to his attention, there was… an odd satisfaction to it? Which in itself was confusing. For certain, Blake was a beautiful young woman, even for the high standards of this world, and her smiles all the more so, and he did always feel in higher spirits when he saw them, always felt particularly comfortable in her presence whenever they were discussing something pertaining to their common interests in literature and the finer points of the tales they shared, a peace that he had never really felt with anyone else, and it felt particularly aggravating when he felt that peace being threatened by others and-
…
…
…
…
…
…Oh.
Well, this was… a new development.
"You have… given me some things to think about, Jaune." Tristard eventually stated, his voice and his expression heavy with the weight of epiphany, before he shook his head and once again focused on the younger man. "But back to the matter at hand, while I am afraid I can't give you the help you seek, and am indeed very far from qualified to do so, there is something I can do."
"Yeah?" Jaune prompted, leaning forward eagerly.
"First, tell me," The dragonborn inquired, his expression searching. "What is it that makes you feel drawn to Weiss?"
"Well…" The blond paused, carefully considering how to put it into words. "She's the most beautiful girl I've ever seen, almost like an angel. And she's also the smartest girl I've ever met, and she's constantly striving to be better even when she's already damn near perfect. I admire that, I guess."
…
…
…
"Jaune," The dragonborn said, and the tone nearly made Jaune flinch, it was way to eerily similar to the one his father would use when he was about to explain why whatever it was he was doing was foolish… "Do you like Weiss, or just the image you have of what she's like?"
"U-uh, what?"
"Tell me, Jaune, beyond her beauty, behind her smarts and drive, what do you know about her, exactly?"
Jaune made to reply… and then his jaw clamped shut as the weight of the question hit him in full.
What did he know about Weiss…?
"…Well, she's the heiress of the SDC, and… she's, she's…" The boy replied hesitantly, trying really hard to come up with the proper words. And failing miserably.
"And there you have it, why your efforts to win her heart were doomed to failure." The dragonborn didn't pull any punches, and the words certainly felt like it to the blond. "You just made this picture in your head of a perfect girl, and that is what you're chasing, if I am understanding correctly, simply for the sake of it being something a "hero" would do, which is, in and of itself, an asinine logic. What reason would Weiss have to see you as anything different from all the other sycophants she's had to put up with throughout her life? Because let me tell you, if there is one thing that girl has absolutely no patience for, it's people making assumptions about her, for good or for ill."
…
…
…
"…I really fucked this up then, uh?" Jaune eventually muttered despondently, unable to really disagree with the archmage's harsh but true words no matter how much he wanted to…
"Mistakes are a part of life, Jaune, everyone makes them. You and I are no different." Tristard replied, his tone now kinder and more patient, he believed he had gotten the message across. "What matters is what you learn from them."
"So… what should I do now?" Jaune asked once again, and this time, it actually felt like the appropriate question.
"Well, now that you are aware of the problem, if you still intend to try to win Weiss over, and truly try to know her instead of what you believe her to be, I will not try to dissuade you, but personally?" The dragonborn smirked, obviously amused by something that escaped Jaune's notice. "I'd try not to be so focused on this one goal that I'd lose sight of everything else going on around me. Mayhap I was not the only one that missed something that in hindsight should be obvious about someone I interact with regularly. Food for thought."
Jaune blinked, not really understanding what Tristard was getting at, but he was certainly going to take it into consideration.
"Well, guess I'm gonna head back to my room and give this some…a lot of thought, then." The blond concluded with a nod as he got up. "And Tristard… thanks."
"Any time, Jaune, any time." The dragonborn replied with an approving nod, briefly watching the young man walk away. As soon as he was out of sight, Tristard fell deeply into thought.
Blake, uh…?
…
…
"Uh, Tristard…?"
Eventually, he was drawn away from his musings, and looked to the side to see the diminutive figure of Tawny, who was adorably holding out a book.
"Found that volume you were looking for." She said, with that tone of accomplishment only a child was capable of, drawing a chuckle out of the dragonborn.
"That you did, Tawny, that you did." He acknowledged, taking the book and patting her on the head, earning him an adorable pout. "My thanks, little lady."
"Is everything alright…?" The racoon girl surprised him by asking, staring at him with unexpected focus as she begun hugging her own tail. "You looked like you were thinking really hard…"
"Oh, it's nothing too serious, I assure you." The dragonborn replied, with a bemused smirk. "It's just… I think I have just realized I may have feelings for someone."
"You mean Blake?" She said, sounding mildly surprised, making Tristard double take at her. "I thought you were boyfriend and girlfriend already…"
…
…
…
Eh, out of the mouth of children, uh?
Maybe he should do something about this…
/
Back in the dorm room of RWBYS, Blake sighed.
She had been making an effort to relax with one of her favorite books, but for the last thirty minutes she just be staring at the same page, she just couldn't focus on it with all the things currently occupying her mind.
For one, there was the ongoing situation with the White Fang's activities in Vale. It ate at her to think of how low the organization she'd dedicated so much of her young life to had fallen, and the things they might be planning that'd make them fall even further. That Torchwick and Adam might be planning. In all honesty, the girl was self-aware enough to admit to herself that she'd have probably been spending many sleepless nights digging into every bit of information she could possibly find about them, and ignore everyone and everything else in the process. Alas, almost dying the last time she did try to rush into things on her own had given her… perspective, and with that perspective came patience. She was willing to heed her teammates' advice and leave the White Fang be for the time being.
But as it turns out, the far more mundane activities of a student's life did not come without their own unexpected developments. Mostly pertaining to a certain man from another world.
Ever since they had first met, Tristard had never been anything but friendly, always willing to lend a hand to anyone that needed it. In all honesty, while that did cast him in a far more favorable light than most humans she had met before coming to Beacon, she hadn't thought much of it at first. Not until she truly saw how willing he was to stand up for others. Not until her secret was out, and never once did he judge her for it, for what she was and the things she'd done, offering her nothing but understanding and assistance. Not until he saved her life. And when his own secrets were revealed, and she realized the kind of man he was, in spite of, or maybe because of, the kind of life he'd lived? How he'd never let the weight of the world keep him down for long? She found it all, found all of him… admirable.
The cat faunus shook her head and sighed, she couldn't really pretend she didn't understand what was going on anymore. It had never been her intention, and it certainly hadn't been in her plans, but she… cared for Tristard. As more than just a friend. She had been down this road before, and she recognized the signs. She just hadn't thought to acknowledge them until now because…
At that moment, her musings were interrupted by the opening of their bathroom's door, and out walked Yang, finally done with another of her inordinately long sessions of hair grooming.
"Ah, that's the stuff." The blonde sighed in satisfaction with a flick of her golden locks, before she threw herself on top of her bed, making herself comfortable before throwing Blake a curious glance. "So, Blakey, dance's coming up, uh?"
"I suppose it is, yeah." The faunus replied in a non-committal tone, making a show of turning a page from where she sat the room's desk.
"Sssssooooooooo, ya got an eye on someone for yer date?" The blonde asked, obviously completely ignoring the unspoken message.
"Not particularly." Blake replied with a clipped tone.
"Really?!" Her partner replied with mock surprise, overly dramatic gasp and everything. "No one? Not even a certain magic man from another world? Dang, kitty cat, that's kinda sad."
Blake did her level best not to rise to the bait, trying very hard to not let any hint of frustration show through her expression. Yang was a great friend most of the time, but she was also like a shark, if she smelled blood in the water, she'd be relentless.
"I have no idea what you're talking about." She grunted, making a show of not even looking the blonde's way.
"Blakey, please, you think I didn't notice how closely you were paying attention when Coco was talking to him earlier? That sure as hell didn't feel like the look of someone who didn't care." Yang shrugged. "Although I guess if you're so sure, that's a good thing. If he's on the market, I might give it a go myself."
…
…
…
Slowly, very slowly, the cat faunus turned her head to stare blankly at he partner.
"…Excuse me?"
"I mean, why not?" The blonde asked airily, curling a lock of hair in her fingers. "He's strong, he's friendly, he's fun, he's nice. I sure as hell wouldn't mind having those arms wrapped around me out in the dance floor, and maybe even moving things back here for an after party-"
"Stop." Blake all but hissed… and then she blanched as the blonde threw her a knowing, shit-eating grin. Dammit, she fell for it…
"Bbbbuuuuuussssted." Yang said in a smug sing-song tone. "Don't lie, Blakey, ya like the Storm Caller."
"…Fine, you're right." The faunus relented with a weary sigh. "Is it that obvious?"
"I mean, haven't you noticed how much time you spend with him? How you immediately snap to attention whenever of a hint of someone else being interested pops up? It's adorable, kitty cat, and frankly, makes me feel kinda jealous." Yang replied teasingly. "And heck, even Ruby's noticed, which should really be all the answer you need. Which kinda really begs the question, why aren't you doing anything about this?"
…
…
…
"Because it worries me." Blake eventually replied, deciding that trying to avoid the subject at this point was an exercise in futility. "Yes, I do care about Tristard. He's… He's a good man, someone that I have found myself admiring, because he's all those things you've said and more. It's just…"
Memories of days gone by passed through her mind, of a certain masked face, and the way it had changed over time.
"It's not the first time I've felt this way for someone." She admitted, to her partner and to herself, as she stared down at her lap. "And things… didn't end well the last time. I didn't think I'd ever feel like this again, and now that I do… I'm afraid of things going down the same road again."
…
…
…
…Blake dared to look up, and to her surprise, Yang was no longer casually sprawled in her bed, smiling teasingly. Instead, during her admission, the blonde had sat up straight, and was now staring at her with a surprisingly serious, yet sympathetic look on her face.
"Blake," The blonde said gently. "I get that you had a bad experience, and I'm not gonna ask for details if you don't want to speak about it. But if you let one bad experience color your entire world and leave you too afraid to ever try something again, how are you gonna be happy?"
…
…
…
"I mean, it's not like this is supposed to be a commitment for life or anything." The blonde continued with a shrug, when it was clear that her partner had no retort to give. "It's a school dance, just a night meant for us to have fun. And while it seems to me like you'd have even more fun if you tried going with him, there's no rules saying it has to be more than that. I mean, what do you have to lose? If it doesn't work out, it doesn't work out, but at least you tried. If you don't do anything, you're just gonna keep wondering about it."
…
…
…
"Eh," Blake couldn't help it, she found herself chuckling. "The world must be coming to an end, for you to be giving out actually helpful advice."
"I'm an older sister, kitty cat, actually knowing a thing or two about a thing or two on occasion comes with the job description." Yang replied with a cheeky grin. "So, what are you going to do?"
"…I think," Blake replied at length, putting down the book and getting up from her seat. "That you make a surprisingly convincing argument. And that I should do something about this."
She walked towards the door, and as she opened it, she glanced back at her grinning partner.
"Yang… thank you."
"Eh, no worries, Blake. Just save one dance for me and we'll call it even." The blonde dismissed with a wave of her hand, shooing her away. "Now go get'im."
With a smile and a nod, Blake walked out the door. As soon as she left, Yang smiled sadly.
Being a good friend could be difficult, sometimes.
/
To the cat faunus' mild surprise, she actually found who she was looking for coming the other way down the hall.
"Tristard." She called.
"Ah, Blake." He greeted back, and Blake noted curiously that there was… something different to him. A nervousness that hadn't been there before… "Just who I was looking for."
The two of them stood there, looking at each other, for a fairly long while, neither quite sure what to say.
"So, I-"/ "I was-"
Both of them flinched.
"Oh, my apo-"/"Sorry abou-"
They both laughed awkwardly, Tristard rubbing the back of his head and Blake fiddling with her fingers.
"By all means, you go first." The dragonborn prompted politely.
"Oh, no, no," The cat faunus replied with a wave of her hand. "You go first. It's fine, really."
"Well, if you insist…" He ventured uncertainly, and when she nodded, he took a deep, steadying breath. "So, as I'm certain you know, we have this… dance, coming up."
"…Yeah?" She prompted.
"Well, I really understand very little of how the local costumes for such things go, but I suppose that I do have an interest in attending and learning said costumes." Tristard blurted out awkwardly, his usual jovial and confident demeanour nowhere to be seen. "So with all of that in mind, I believe I could use some help, so, I was… wondering if you'd do me the honor of being my… "date", I believe is how the expression goes?"
…
…
…
For a long, torturous moment of silence, the dragonborn feared he had messed something up. Then Blake begun laughing, a merry, beautiful sound.
"Yeah, that's the expression." She confirmed, with a dazzling smile. "And I'd love to."
/
And that's that.
In case it wasn't entirely clear, Tristard's not really meant to be dense, and certainly not anything even remotely near to the Black Hole Tier Density that many an anime protagonist has. It's just that he never really felt romantic attachment before, and so while he understands the concept from an outsider's perspective, like very quickly picking up on Pyrrha's crush, he never really thought about it as related to himself and thus didn't realize what the signs meant until it was spelled out for him.
Also I feel the need to point out that this story and a lot of the moments you're seeing in it have been in the works since way before recent developments of the show, and I am sticking to those plans. And although I don't really care for some of those developments, as an olive branch, allow me to point out that Yang doesn't really specify who she's jealous of.
Next time, we have the dance. But before that, we'll be closing this year with the next chapter of Ere We Go, Pluz Ultra!, so look forward to that.
Cya all on the next one, take care and stay safe.