The two walked out after Ruby paid for it, smiles on both of their faces.

Ruby spoke first, languidly stretching as she let out a content sigh. "I gotta say, Jaune, you really know how to pick restaurants! That's the best food I've had since I enrolled at Beacon!"

Jaune nodded, guiding Ruby down the sidewalk toward downtown. "I know, right? You'd think it'd be terrible with how small and cheap the place is."

The two shared a small laugh as Jaune kept going, letting go of Ruby's wrist as the two walked side by side. Their eyes wandered as they lapsed into a comfortable silence. Well, 'silence' being a relative term anyway, as there were still the people walking around them, several cars driving along the roads, and the general buzz of the city permeating the air.

Ruby's eyes widened as she spotted a familiar head of blonde hair down the sidewalk.

She grabbed Jaune's wrist, pointing ahead. "Hey, look who it is!"

Jaune looked over, eyes widening a bit as he saw Yang sitting at a cafe not far ahead of them. The older girl wasn't actually dressed in her normal outfit, either, but rather was clad in a pair of skinny jeans and a yellow tank top. On the back of her chair was the same dark-brown jacket she normally wore.

She leaned forward, smiling as she spoke with someone the two couldn't see through the crowd—hidden by a rather large plant. Ruby's eyes narrowed slightly as she tried to get a glimpse of the other figure. "Agh, stupid plant! Can you see who she's with?"

Jaune shook his head, taking a step forward. "Nope. Come on, we'll be able to see when we walk past them."

Ruby grabbed his hand, pulling back slightly. "Wait, no!"

Jaune turned, brow furrowing as he turned to face her. "What's the big deal? We've gotta go past them anyway—why not see?"

"Because I think that might be Yang's old girl!"

Jaune blinked twice. "What?"

Ruby shook her head, pulling Jaune into the entrance of a nearby alley before beginning to explain. "Okay, so yesterday Yang and I went to that club we went to earlier to do something. Yang had to go in the back and then this guy started flirting with me while I was alone. Anyway, he said that I was Yang's 'new girl', which means she must have an old girl. She got really embarrassed when I brought it up, so I think Yang might be there on a date with her girlfriend!"

Jaune nodded a few times, brows still furrowed. "Okay…that still doesn't explain why we shouldn't just walk past."

Ruby sighed. "Yang's been really secretive about this, so she probably doesn't want us to find out. If we see her, there's a chance she'll get mad—"

She looked up and to the right, clasping her hands in front of her as she rocked on the soles of her feet. "Also, I kinda didn't say that I was heading out with you, so there's a very small but very real chance she'll see us and think we're dating…and that plus the other thing will lead to one and/or both of us getting pummeled by an angry Yang."

A chill ran down Jaune's spine. "Point taken."

Ruby nodded, frowning as she stared around the corner—just able to see Yang. "Gah, I really wanna know who that is, though! It's not like Yang to keep secrets like this! Could it be someone we know? Someone famous? Someone infamous? Argh, I have to know! But how?"

Jaune grabbed Ruby's shoulder, pulling her back slightly from the corner. He stared down at her, a completely serious expression on his face. "You really wanna know who this is?"

Ruby nodded, face set in fierce determination.

Jaune gave a faint smirk, taking her wrist and guiding her out toward the sidewalk. "Well, lucky for you I had seven sisters to practice spying on. And I like to think I've gotten pretty good at it."

Ruby nodded a few times, a mischievous smile on her face. "Okay, what's the plan?"

"First, we have to get across the—"

Jaune staggered in his step as a burst of wind flew past him, his face nearly impacting a brick wall. He looked down, seeing Ruby's left arm across his chest. He felt her right hand on the back of his neck, likely trying to prevent him from getting whiplash. Looking back revealed them on the opposite side of the street—though, thanks to Yang's position, were still unable to see the mysterious other girl.

Jaune stepped forward, looking around the corner to find exactly what he was looking for: A service ladder. He guided Ruby to it, gesturing to the ladder with a faint smile. "Step two, get on top of the—"

Another burst of air, and suddenly they were on the roof.

Jaune crossed his arms. "A little warning would be nice."

Ruby stepped back, tapping her index fingers together as she at least had the decency to look guilty. "Sorry—I'm just excited! What's step three?"

Jaune dove prone, crawling toward the edge before flipping himself over, producing his scroll. "We make sure they can't see us from below, and take a picture with our scroll's camera."

Ruby's eyes widened as she followed his lead, scooting her way back to the edge of the building. "How did you come up with this?"

"A lot of trial and error."

She heard the shutter of his scroll, Jaune pulling it back and looking down. Though, when Ruby looked over, all she saw was Yang.

She blinked twice. "Wait, where's—"

"She must've gone to the bathroom or something. This just means we wait."

Ruby nodded, laying back on the hot, concrete roof as Jaune held his scroll up. He had it facing backward, the screen toward the other end of the roof as he took a video. "Wish I had my cloak to lay on."

"Hey, do you want to be comfortable, or hidden?"

Ruby frowned, laying her head back in her hands as Jaune continued to video. She looked up, tilting her head as she tried to see his scroll's screen. "How will we know when she's back?"

"We'll check the footage."

Ruby gave a small pout, turning herself around and crawling toward the edge. She looked up, brow furrowing as she saw the scroll shaking slightly. "Does doing that make your arms tired?"

"Oh yeah, definitely."

Ruby crawled forward, crouching as low as she could as she tried to see through the camera.

"Get down!"

Ruby yelped as Jaune pulled her onto his chest, his eyes meeting hers in a stern glare. "Your head was too high up! You have to stay low or they'll see you!"

Ruby groaned, laying her chin on his chest. "But this is so boring!"

"It's not even been a minute, Ruby."

Ruby sighed, turning around and laying her head back against Jaune's chest. More comfortable than the concrete roof, at least. She absently took out her scroll, holding it up to video and attempting to mimic what Jaune was doing. Though, unlike him, she was at an angle she could see through it.

Through her scroll's camera, she saw her sister leaning back in her chair, drinking from a coffee mug across from an empty seat. She frowned as she waited, arm propped against Jaune's shoulder as the two simply watched.

Ruby looked down at Jaune after a second. "You said you used to do this to your sisters?"

"Oh, yeah, all the time. Was always nice knowing who I could blackmail and with what."

Ruby gave a faint chuckle, Jaune giving her a smile as the two's eyes met. "So, how long would you normally be spying on them?"

Jaune shrugged. "Anywhere from ten minutes to three hours. I lived in a pretty small town, so me and my friends would usually go rooftop to rooftop following them. Then I'd usually blackmail my sisters into getting me ice cream or something stupid like that."

Ruby giggled, looking back up to her scroll to find Yang was no longer in her chair. "Huh, looks like Yang got up, too."

Jaune pulled his scroll back, frowning as he rewound the recording. "Hmm…something's not right. Let me just…"

His eyes widened as he saw Yang look directly at the camera before standing.

He bolted upright, wrapping an arm around a yelping Ruby as she nearly fell. "We've gotta go, now!"

"What? Why would—"

BANG!

The two froze, eyes wide as they saw a blur of yellow fly onto the rooftop, rolling into the concrete in a crouch in front of them. Jaune didn't move an inch, heart barely beating as he saw Yang slowly rise, cracking her neck as red eyes stared between the two.

Ruby looked at Jaune, catching his eye before looking back at Yang. "Umm…this isn't what it looks like?"

Yang stared between the two, calmly walking toward them as Ruby stood back upright. Both her and Jaune were silently panicking, saying their prayers and mentally arranging their last wills to their respective families. Both were fairly certain Yang was going to pummel them—and in Jaune's case perhaps throw him off the roof entirely.

Jaune went to step in front of Ruby, only for his hip to hit against hers as she went to do the same. The two stared at each other, looking back to Yang as she stopped mere feet from them. Jaune cleared his throat. "Yang, I know how this looks, but—"

"Shut it, vomit-boy."

Jaune promptly did so.

Ruby gulped, gazing at her sister as she shuffled her way in front of Jaune, pressing her back flat against him. Jaune didn't question it, placing his hands on her shoulders in an empty gesture of comfort.

Yang looked between them before her eyes flashed back to lilac, crossing her arms as she glared at them. "Do you two have any idea how pissed off I am?"

Ruby spoke first. "Like a wasp-nest that just got knocked over?"

Jaune went next. "Like an Ursa after getting a pitchfork stuck in its hide?"

"Like a dog with an itch in the one place on its back it can't scratch?"

"Like a streamer that just lost at a video game for the 587th time?"

Yang shook her head, taking a step forward before grabbing Jaune's shoulder with one hand, Ruby's with the other. Her eyes narrowed between the two, both squeezing their eyes shut and bracing themselves.

"Alright, Yang, that's enough."

Both their eyes opened, flicking to the left as Yang did the same—lowering her hands. There, the three saw none other than Weiss staring at them. She looked…well, let's put it nicely and say she looked better than when Ruby'd seen her that morning.

Weiss was clad in a white tracksuit, her eyes flicking between the three as she shifted her weight to her left foot. Her feet were covered in tightly laced sneakers, her arms crossed as she glared at them. "I don't like that they were spying on us either, but they look like they're about to pass out."

Yang stepped back, clicking her tongue as she smirked. "Wet blanket."

Weiss glared back. "Meathead."

"Ice Queen."

"Dunderheaded bimbo."

Jaune and Ruby stared on, too afraid to speak as the two argued. Though, despite them continuously calling each other names, there was a sort of playfulness to it…well, at least on Yang's part. With Weiss…well, given her monotone voice as she did so, they could just as easily have been genuine insults.

Jaune leaned over, lowering his voice. "Uh…are they always like this?"

Ruby shook her head. "Usually they're a lot louder."

The two stopped after about a minute, Yang at last unable to come up with a comeback and holding up her hands. "Okay, I yield. Now, back to the matter at hand—"

She turned, sending Ruby clinging to Jaune as he protectively wrapped his arms around her.

Yang rolled her eyes, a faint chuckle slipping from her lips. "Re-lax, Rubes! You act like I'm actually going to hit you."

Ruby placed her head over Jaune's chest. "I know you won't hit me—which is why I'm protecting him."

Yang slowly shook her head, smiling as she stared at Jaune. "I won't hit vomit-boy either…well," her eyes narrowed slightly. "Provided he gets his hands off you, that is."

Jaune staggered back, leaving Ruby slightly bent over still.

Ruby shot up, clearing her throat before looking between the two. "So, uh…it's Weiss?"

Yang blinked a few times, face blank. "What?"

Ruby looked away, clearing her throat. "You know? 'The Old Girl'? The one you blushed so much about? I mean I never would've figured Weiss of all people—not that I'm complaining! I'm really happy for you, I just figured it would've been someone from Signal or one of the girls you—"

"Ruby."

Ruby kept going. "—graduated with. I mean I was pretty sure it would be Malorie—she seemed more your type."

Yang sighed. "Ruuuby?"

Ruby either didn't hear her or didn't care. "Or I guess Julia? She was nice, but I figured—"

"RUBY!"

Ruby yelped as she shot back, bumping back into Jaune as Yang shouted.

Yang took a slow breath, only to give a faint laugh as she stepped back. "You really thought the Old Girl was Weiss? Ruby, Stick-in-the-Mud Schnee over here—" Yang paused, frowning as she facepalmed. "Great work, brain! Where was that thirty seconds ago?"

She shook her head, still smiling as she continued. "Anyway, Weiss has never even been in a club—much less been a regular with me. Besides, pretty sure if I tried putting the moves on her I'd end up with a very, very cold shoulder."

Weiss stared between the two for a moment, confusion plain on her face. "I…what now?"

"Ruby thought we were on a date."

Weiss walked over, clicking her tongue and crossing her arms as she looked away. "As if."

Yang mocked being hurt, laying a hand over her heart and giving a faux-shocked expression. "Are you saying you wouldn't want the hottest girl in Vale on your arm?" she smirked, framing her face with her hand. "Maybe I could warm your heart and your bed a little~"

Weiss gave a faint smirk as she gestured to the right. "Oh, please. I'm far out of your league, no-brain brawler"

Yang leaned in, cocking an eyebrow. "Says the girl wearing a tracksuit."

"Yet I still look better than you."

Yang playfully punched her arm before turning back to the now far more relaxed duo. "Well, now that that's settled, how come you two are in Vale, anyway?"

"Ruby lost to Jaune and she bet him lunch she wouldn't."

Yang snorted at Weiss's comment, looking between the two. "Really? You lost to him?"

Jaune frowned, unable to ignore the sting of her words. "I'm not that bad…anymore."

Ruby glared at her sister, gesturing to her cheek. "Yeah, he's gotten way better. I bet him lunch that he couldn't hit me during our fight and he managed to deck me in the face and pin me! That's more than you usually do."

Yang glared at her, expression unreadable as she approached.

She was two feet away when Ruby realized what was about to happen. "Yang! No! Wait—"

Her pleas fell on deaf ears as Yang pulled her into a headlock.

Ruby gave little yelps and growls of resistance as Yang aggressively ran her fist over her hair, smirking down at her. "Really? He's gotten that good, huh? Maybe I'll have to test him out myself."

Jaune shrunk back, shivering at the thought of fighting Yang. "I prefer having all seven of my cervical vertebrae intact, thanks."

Yang smirked at him as she released Ruby, the shorter girl staggering back over to Jaune. Though, after a moment, she grabbed her purse, unzipping it and producing the two black booklets from within. "Oh, I picked up our passports by the way."

Yang gave a faint smile as she grabbed the two, opening them both before handing one of them back to Ruby—stuffing the other small booklet in her pocket. Her faint smile rapidly turned into a smirk as she leaned closer. "So, how'd it go, Malachite whisperer?"

Ruby frowned, holding up her left hand. While her aura had mostly healed the damage over time, there were still some clear signs of damage. "Well, when I tried to go in the door guy wouldn't let me. Then he pushed me down the stairs where I scraped my hand and my nose turned into a blood waterfall."

Yang's eyes widened, eyes flashing red as the air around her seemed to tick up a few degrees. "What did this guy look like? Might have to pay him a visit." she cracked her knuckles, flexing ember celica open.

Ruby placed a hand on Yang's shoulder, shaking her head. "Don't worry. Jaune and Miltia took care of that."

Yang looked up, catching Jaune's eyes for a second before he looked away. Her eyes flicked between him and Ruby before she walked over to him, at last getting him to look directly at her. "What did you do, exactly?"

Jaune's face tinted pink as he looked away, clasping his hands. "Well, the guy pushed Ruby down the stairs so I…I umm, got a little angry." he began shifting on his feet, his hands moving as if he were a scale. "I may or may not have sworn at him in Mistralean before punching him…"

Yang stared on.

"...in the face…"

Yang's eyes widened a bit.

"…through the door."

Yang slowly nodded, a faint smile on her face as she pat his shoulder. "Well, not what I'd have done, but that's pretty decent pain for what he did. Did you stomp on him afterward?"

Jaune shook his head, hands unconsciously clasped over his groin. "No…Miltia's high-heels were enough for that."

Yang's brows furrowed for a moment before it clicked, a laugh slipping from her lips as she patted his back. "Yep, that's Miltia alright."

She stepped back toward Weiss, the two pairs looking at each other for a moment before Ruby cleared her throat. "So, uh…what do you guys plan on doing now?"

Yang and Weiss turned to face each other, both shrugging as they looked back. Weiss spoke for the two this time. "Well, the plan was just to come out here to 'let the room air out', as your sister calls it. We finished our coffees at that cafe a few minutes ago."

Ruby nodded a few times, slowly migrating toward Jaune as she looked around—fingers tapping together as she hoped someone would break the inevitable awkward silence.

Fortunately, Jaune had her covered. "Well, we'd planned on going to the movie theater to watch 'The Duchess Approves'—since someone's apparently never seen it."

Yang stared at him. "Is that someone named 'Yang'? The heck is The Duchess Approves?"

Weiss turned to Yang. "It's supposedly the best movie Tyra Andrew's has ever been in. I can't say I've watched it either."

Jaune stared between the three before slowly shaking his head. "Okay, if you've got no other plans, you need to come see this movie with us."

The two looked at one another, Weiss shrugging as Yang turned back.

"Alright. Lead the way."