Cover Art by CHE3ZY
Before I go any further, I want to say that I acknowledge that I am not a perfect writer and never once thought myself one, but I am trying my best. If you don't like this story that's fine. I don't care. I write this because I find joy in it.
In any case, I'm glad I was able to get this one out sooner than I anticipated. As usual, please leave your thoughts in the reviews section. Your reviews help me improve as a writer. Please forgive me if this one has some grammatical errors. I sometimes miss the errors during my proofreading sessions. Be sure to like and share this fic and don't forget to vote for your favorite OC.
Beacon Academy:
Penny examined herself in the mirror, the rays of the setting sun coming through the window illuminating her. She was currently wearing a light green dress that reached just above her knees with matching heels. She was excited about the dance tonight; she had never attended such a large social gathering before. She looked over at her three brothers as they were putting on their tuxedo jackets. General Ironwood had ordered tailored clothing for them to wear to the dance. The clothing arrived earlier that day.
"The three of you look great!"
"Thank you, Penny," replied Rahm, "so do you."
Penny smiled with her eyes closed, looking sweet and innocent.
Jai was currently inspecting his bow tie in another mirror, adjusting it slightly to straighten it out. Terre, meanwhile, was using a lint roller to get the small number of particles he spotted off of his tuxedo jacket.
Penny went over to her nightstand and retrieved three small boxes before she returned to address her three brothers.
"I have something for each of you," she said with a joyful grin.
The three super soldiers looked at her with curiosity. She proceeded to hand each of them a box. They opened them to see just what was inside. The boxes Terre and Jai received each contained a red rose while Rahm's box contained a white rose.
"Flowers?" Rahm asked.
"Corsages," Penny answered. "I read that these are customary gifts that males give their female dates for formal events such as tonight."
They didn't say anything; they merely looked at the corsages before they looked back at her, nodding their heads.
"Thank you for your assistance Penny," said Terre.
Penny responded by hugging each of them gently, taking care not to wrinkle their tuxedos.
"You do not need to thank me. I am so very happy that three of my closest friends get to be taken to the ball by my big brothers."
A sad smile crossed her face, one that didn't go unnoticed.
"Penny," Rahm said, "is something wrong?"
"N-No," she lied, "everything is fine."
She hiccupped.
"You're a terrible liar Penny. You always hiccup when you lie."
She frowned; her head hung a bit in defeat.
"You know you can talk to us Penny," said Jai.
The synthetic girl sighed.
"I guess I am just a little disappointed that I will not have anyone to dance with tonight. I was looking forward to that aspect of the night."
The three super soldiers quickly glanced at each other before they returned their focus to Penny, each having come to the same conclusion.
Rahm spoke up first.
"Penny, would you do us the honor of dancing with each of us tonight?"
Penny looked a little surprised.
"R-Really?"
Her three brothers nodded, causing her to jump up in joy.
"Oh thank you! I greatly appreciate this kindness."
"It's the least we can do for you," replied Terre.
James Ironwood looked himself over in the mirror, inspecting his mess-dress uniform carefully. Seeing that his uniform was impeccable, the general ceased his inspection. He merely stood and looked at his reflection in the mirror. He wasn't fond of what he saw in the mirror.
While others would have praises and many great things to say about him as a man, he knew the truth. The sins of his past were all he could see. His heart was racing. He felt the same apprehension he felt before he arrived at Beacon.
The image of a beautiful, young woman with blonde hair and green eyes came into his mind.
"Glynda…" he spoke in a soft and melancholic tone.
He knew she would be there tonight. He'd been at Beacon for about a week and a half and he'd only seen Glynda the one time when he arrived. The two had effectively avoided each other during that time, but tonight would be different. There would be no avoiding it anymore. He needed to confront her.
The general reached into his inner coat pocket and retrieved his flask before taking a long drink from it.
A knock on the door alerted Yang, who was in the middle of examining herself in the mirror now that she was ready. She wore a black, strapless dress that ended just below her knees with black heels.
"Coming!" The blonde firecracker hobbled over to the door.
Meanwhile, Weiss was busy finishing up Ruby's makeup. Weiss wore a sleeveless, long, light purple dress with white heels. Her dress had a slit in it to allow for maneuverability. Ruby wore a strapped, red and black, short dress that ended just above her knees. The top portion of her dress was transparent black, and she wore black heels (she referred to them as lady stilts) with stockings.
"Hold still Ruby! I'm almost done."
Ruby gave one of her customary pouts, her eyes glancing over at Blake, who was dressed in a semi-transparent black dress that reached down to her knees with black heels. The cat faunus was busy reading her book at her desk. Yang opened the door, revealing Terre and Rahm, each holding a gift box.
Yang smirked mischievously.
"Ruby! Weiss! Your dates are here!"
Ruby paled, not ready for Terre's arrival. Weiss, meanwhile, doubled her efforts to finish Ruby's makeup.
Yang eyed Rahm and Terre as if they were eye candy with a playful smirk.
"And might I add that they are looking absolutely dashing?!"
"Thank you for the compliment Yang," said Terre.
Ruby and Weiss gave each other a quick once-over before they ran to the door. Well, Weiss ran since she was used to fighting in heels, but Ruby awkwardly hobbled over.
"Good evening Rahm," Weiss stated confidently, "you're looking elegant."
"Thank you, Weiss," he replied politely, "as do you."
Ruby had her hands behind her back, her front foot moving nervously.
"Hi, Terre."
"Ruby," Terre said with a nod, "you look well."
Ruby seemed to relax a bit, evidenced by her eyes lighting up.
"Thanks! I'm glad you arrived on time."
"As I said before, I'm never late," Terre replied.
Rahm presented Weis with the gift box; Terre followed his example and presented his to Ruby. The two girls took the boxes and opened them. Weiss gasped in surprise, amazed by the white rose. Ruby looked at the red rose with a warm smile.
"It's beautiful!" Weiss' pale blue eyes shot up and met Rahm's gaze. "How thoughtful; just like a true gentleman!"
"I'm glad you like it, Weiss," replied Rahm as Weiss slipped the corsage around her left wrist.
Ruby was still looking at the red rose. She finally looked up at Terre, blushing all the while she did so.
"Thank you, Terre. I love it."
Terre merely nodded, satisfied that she enjoyed the gift. Just like Weiss, Ruby slipped the corsage around her left wrist.
"This is just too adorable!" Yang was practically bouncing up and down in joy. Blake watched the whole thing in silence from her desk. "You all stay right there while I go grab my camera."
"Wait! Yang!"
Ruby's protests fell on deaf ears as Yang retrieved a camera from her desk's drawer.
"Okay, let's do one with all four of you together and then one with each pair!"
Weiss smiled and wrapped her arm around Rahm's. Ruby awkwardly did the same with Terre as she too smiled. Rahm's smile came far easier than Terre's did. Being the most emotionally distant of the three Guardians, Terre initially found the concept of smiling baffling. However, Terre did manage to give a good smile for the camera. It didn't take long for Yang to take the desired photos and it didn't take long after that for all of them to leave for the dance together.
Jaune stood alone by the punch bowl, awkwardly sipping from his glass. The blonde watched the other students dance. His eyes were focused on Weiss, though. She looked absolutely beautiful. He was surprised, however. He expected her to be here with Neptune, not Rahm.
The last time he saw her he was about to give her flowers and ask her to the dance, but he walked in on her asking Neptune to the dance. The whole thing left him utterly crushed. No matter what he did he couldn't get her attention, and it pained him inside. He tossed his cup in the trashcan, turned around, and went upstairs to the balcony. He needed some fresh air.
"You look stunning," General Ironwood looked his dance partner in the eyes, smiling as he did so, "just like you always do."
Glynda rolled her eyes in slight annoyance before she locked eyes with him again. The two were dancing in a remote corner of the dance floor. Glynda had been talking with Ozpin before James tapped her on the shoulder, asking her to dance.
"Flattery won't get you far James," she replied with a slight smirk.
James closed his eyes briefly before he sighed.
"I see that you're still angry with me. You have every right to be."
"Me?" She asked with mock surprise. "Angry? With you? Oh, come now James. Do you really think I'd be angry with a man who broke off the engagement because of his 'work?' I mean it's not like I was deeply in love with him or anything."
The general felt the sting of her words. She wasn't wrong. He had made so many mistakes in his life and committed so many sins, all in the name of protecting Remnant. He often wondered if he still possessed any humanity left. Having Glynda before him, dancing with him, made him feel more alive than he'd ever felt in years. Not a day went by when he wasn't thinking of her.
Not the cold shell of a woman that she had become, but rather the warm, beautiful soul he fell in love with all those years ago. Underneath that cold shell, he knew she was still there. Granted, if anyone was to blame for that shell it was him. She gave her heart to him, and he crushed it. He couldn't afford to drag her into the terrible, dark sins that would come with Project Guardian.
"Glynda," he said.
She merely looked at him.
"For what it's worth not a day goes by when I wish things could have continued between us-"
"But your work came first, right? Clearly, military men cannot get married or have families." Her words held a potent amount of sarcasm and venom in them.
"Glynda," he protested, "you don't understand. It wasn't like that."
"I understand as much as you've told me. Whenever I tried to ask what was so important about your work you merely told me it was classified."
Again, she wasn't wrong. Everything she said was true. How he wished he never went on that expedition into the mountains outside of Mantle and made that discovery in the snow. Had that never happened, he would be with the woman of his dreams right now. But at the same time, the world would be far less safe. He was in a classic damned if he did or damned if he didn't situation. James stopped their dancing, before he took Glynda's hands in his, holding them tenderly.
"I'm sorry Glynda," his voice was filled with regret.
She tried to protest, but he cut her off; he needed to say this.
"I know that a mere sorry can never atone for how deeply I've wronged you. I was and still am a complete ass. What's worse is that I'm so much worse than that, and I can say that I'm glad you didn't have to see it."
She didn't say anything, listening as he spoke.
"I've made so many mistakes Glynda. I've committed so many sins. At this point, I've become so full of regret for the things I've done, but to this day the thing I regret the most was leaving you. Despite how dark my life has become, you continue to be the one warm light that shines through it."
She didn't know what to say to that. He actually managed to catch her off guard, and she was a bit flustered.
"James…"
He let go of her hands, giving her a chivalrous bow.
"Thank you for the dance, Glynda."
Without another word he turned and left her standing there speechless. As James walked away, he thought to himself. The sins he committed in the name of saving Remnant could never be washed away. In the end, however, all that mattered was that humanity survived. He needed the Guardians to complete their ultimate mission.
If anyone could turn the tide against Salem, he believed it was them. He prayed that his work would pay off and that he would finally be able to rest and be with the woman he so loved. As things stood, she was his last chance of salvaging what little humanity he had left.
Pyrrha sat on one of the many chairs that surrounded the dance floor, waiting for her first-ever dance. She grinned as she watched Jai dance with Penny. The invincible girl was dressed in a red sleeveless long dress with a slit, and she also wore black heels. She wore her headdress, making her look like a warrior princess.
When she arrived in the ballroom, she was holding onto Jai's arm while Penny was holding Jai's free hand. Pyrrha couldn't help but think the whole scene was absolutely precious. Penny had asked her if she could dance with Jai first and Pyrrha happily agreed; it was the least she could do to return the kindness Penny had shown her.
Team PGRT's little ginger-haired bundle of joy was half responsible for ridding her of her depression. The other person she had to thank was Jai. She continued to watch the two dance together, both of them surprisingly good dancers. Not only was the scene before her precious, but it was also humorous.
Penny was tiny compared to Jai and yet that didn't stop the girl from dancing her heart out. Pyrrha looked over and spotted Weiss and Ruby dancing with Rahm and Terre respectively, smiling as she did so. Yang and Blake had just finished their dance together with Sun taking Blake's hand, intent on dancing with her next.
Nora was busy leading Ren in her own unique dance, not caring about what anyone thought. Pyrrha couldn't help but admire her teammate's confidence and energy. Speaking of teammates, Pyrrha hadn't seen Jaune since the mid-afternoon.
He wasn't with her, Nora, and Ren when Jai and Penny arrived at their room. Penny looked absolutely adorable in her dress and Jai cleaned up very well in his tuxedo. Pyrrha's eyes darted around the ballroom, searching for any sign of the blonde Arc but finding none. He had said he would be at the dance. Where could he possibly be?
"Pyrrha."
The girl in question looked up and saw Jai holding his hand out to her. She looked over and saw that Penny was busy dancing with Yang, having a blast. Pyrrha looked back at Jai.
"I apologize for the wait."
Pyrrha grinned from ear to ear.
"It's more than okay, Jai," she said with playfulness in her voice.
"Would you care to dance?"
She took his hand, smiling warmly.
"More than anything."
"I must say, Rahm," Weiss said as she looked up at her incredibly tall date, "you are quite the dancer. I take it you've done this before?"
Rahm gave Weiss a twirl before bringing her back. Although Weiss and Rahm looked almost comical with how large the difference in their heights was, the two were easily one of the most graceful pairs on the ballroom floor.
The only other pair that could hold a candle to them was Pyrrha and Jai. Weiss, being from the highest echelons of Atlas high society, was well-versed in ballroom etiquette, especially dancing. There was a reason her fighting style centered on grace. The fact that Rahm was able to keep up with her on the dance floor was nothing short of impressive.
"Would you believe me if I told you that my only experience before this was a few lessons?"
"Really?" She couldn't help but laugh. "I guess you're a fast learner then?"
"I suppose you could say that."
The two continued to dance, their movements becoming one. Rahm looked over and saw that Penny had finished dancing with Yang. Penny took a seat on one of the many chairs, while Yang wandered off.
Weiss looked around for a moment as well before she looked back up at Rahm. She couldn't help but smile. She was having so much fun. She had thought that this night was going to be a disaster when she was shot down by Neptune. She honestly didn't expect to end up joining Rahm in town and then asking him to the dance.
She often found herself surprised whenever Rahm was involved. He had so many reasons to be cocky, but he was so humble. He let his actions speak for him. Her extended interactions with him were relatively few, and she mentally berated herself for that being the case. Good friends were so hard to come by.
"Rahm."
The super soldier in question looked down and met the Schnee's gaze from his tall height.
"Yes Weiss?"
"Thank you."
Rahm looked at her quizzically.
"For what?"
"For coming with me tonight; for being a good friend."
"It's the least I can do."
Ruby felt so awkward. For one, she could barely move about in her heels. She was never one for being all "lady-like" as Weiss put it. She had no idea how Weiss could fight while wearing a dress and heels. She couldn't help but admire her partner in that regard. The second reason she felt awkward was that she, such a small girl, was dancing with an absolute giant. The final reason she felt awkward was that she wasn't much good at dancing.
Terre, however, proved himself to be quite the dancer. Despite all the awkwardness she felt, she couldn't help but smile through it all. To think that she tried to stop Yang from setting this whole thing up. She would need to thank her later because she definitely wouldn't be here without her. She could take on criminals and Grimm without fear, but when it came to the subject of a certain guy, she couldn't help but become the polar opposite.
"So…uh…Terre," she said sheepishly, not looking him in the eye, "are you having fun?"
In truth, Terre couldn't really fathom what was "fun" about the event, but it seemed Ruby would be happy if he went along with it.
"Of course. I'm here with you," Terre thoughtfully replied. "...Are you?" Terre returned the question.
Ruby blushed. She was expecting him to just say yes, but for him to say that she was the reason was something she wasn't prepared for. She was so happy Yang was too busy dancing with Penny to see her right now. Granted, Yang did promise to not tease her tonight. The young huntress in training quickly composed herself before she responded.
"Yup! I just wish that heels were comfortable to wear," she laughed.
They continued to dance, Terre leading them. Ruby looked over and spotted Blake dancing with Sun and dancing near them were Pyrrha and Jai. Weiss and Rahm were off to the side, and they looked absolutely graceful as they danced. Surprisingly, Penny was now sitting by herself. Ruby looked around, hoping to spot Yang, but she wasn't there. She looked back up at Terre and smiled.
"I…I'm really glad I'm here with you Terre," she sounded so nervous.
Terre moved to reply.
"I-"
"Pardon me Ruby."
The two looked over and saw Penny standing there, waving with an innocent smile.
"May I borrow Terre for a dance?"
Ruby felt a combination of irritation and relief. Her heart started pounding the second she told Terre she was happy that she was here with him. Penny's interruption provided some momentary relief, but at the same time, she couldn't help but feel a little bit annoyed at the interruption.
Had it been anyone other than Penny, she probably would have yelled at them to buzz off. Ruby knew that Penny's relationship with her teammates was one of siblings. Whenever she talked with the synthetic girl, she would always speak so highly of her "brothers" and would always express how happy she was when she was with them.
Terre looked down at Ruby, his gaze asking if it was okay to dance with Penny for a while. Ruby quickly composed herself and smiled at him before she looked over and gave Penny the same warm smile.
"He's all yours Penny, but I want him back soon. Got it?" Ruby's voice was mischievous but serious at the same time.
"Understood Ruby!
Ruby stepped away, allowing Terre and Penny to dance. Ruby watched them for a second before she went over and sat down on one of the many side chairs.
Jaune sighed as he looked out towards Vale from the ballroom's upper balcony. The blonde had a lot going through his mind. Mainly, though, his thoughts lingered on a certain Ice Princess who didn't even notice he existed. Honestly, though, it didn't matter anymore. She was with someone else at the dance instead of him.
The only positive thing about the whole night, in his opinion, was that Weiss didn't end up going to the dance with Neptune. Actually, that wasn't true. There was one other positive thing about the night. Pyrrha came with a date. He was very happy that he wasn't going to have to embarrass himself by wearing a dress to the dance. He laughed softly.
"Guess I caught a break there," he said to himself.
"Caught a break from what Vomit Boy?"
Jaune's head whipped around and caught sight of the one and only blonde firecracker of team RWBY. He dreaded how she continuously referred to him by that nickname. She was never going to let the fact that he vomited on the airship ride to Beacon go. She would hold it over him forever.
He sighed.
"You're really never going to let that go, are you?"
"Nope," she replied with a cheeky grin.
Jaune rolled his eyes in slight annoyance. She strolled over to where he was standing with a slight sway in her hips, the heels she wore were mostly responsible for that. Yang rested her arms over the balcony's railing and looked out towards the city.
Jaune glanced over at her, curious as to what brought the one and only Yang Xiao Long out here. He decided to ask.
"Has the dance left you bored already?"
Yang scoffed in mock disbelief.
"Let's get one thing straight here Vomit Boy," she poked a finger in his chest, "no party is ever boring when Yang Xiao Long is there."
There was an underlying threatening tone in her voice. Even though she was clearly joking, Jaune would rather not risk pissing a bruiser like Yang off. He threw his hands up in surrender.
"Got it!"
Yang smiled.
"Good. Glad we got that settled," she said as she ran a hand through her hair. "To answer your question, I just needed some air is all."
"Same," he replied.
She raised a skeptical eyebrow.
"For some reason, I can't explain, I feel like there's more to that answer."
Jaune didn't say anything. Instead, he turned his gaze back toward the city. Yang smirked slightly; she loved it when she was right.
"Oh come on Jauney-boy, tell little old Yang what's got ya down."
Jaune sighed again.
"I'd honestly rather not talk about it."
"Is it because Weiss came to the dance with Rahm?"
"What?" He lied. "Of course not. Why would you think that?"
"Wow, you are a terrible liar. You know that right?"
He didn't reply, his face turning a deep shade of red. Yang could have tortured him further, but she refrained from doing so. She rested a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"Jaune," she said, "I think you need to accept that Weiss probably just doesn't like you that way. There's a saying, you know, about how there are plenty of fish in the sea."
Jaune couldn't help but chuckle at that, earning a curious look from the blonde bombshell.
"It's funny because you're the second person to tell me that."
"Oh really? Who was first?"
"Pyrrha."
"P-Money!" Yang yelled with excitement.
Jaune looked at her with an amused look.
"P-Money? That's your nickname for her?"
Yang shrugged.
"Well, I don't think that 'Red' would have been a unique nickname for her. My nicknames are unique with my very own Yang seal of approval."
"I take it that Vomit Boy is one of them?"
"You know it!"
The two shared a laugh. Jaune couldn't deny that Yang certainly had a great sense of humor. That was easily her most defining trait alongside her confidence, which could honestly put any girl to shame. Yang composed herself, getting serious again.
"Look Jaune," she said, "I get that you're upset about things not working out with Weiss but brooding here out on the balcony won't do you any good. You should be inside having fun."
"Look who's talking," he replied, "you're out here instead of with your date back inside."
"What date?"
Jaune looked at her in confusion.
"You don't have a date?"
"Nope," she said simply.
Jaune could not believe what he heard because what he heard made absolutely no sense.
"But how? You're Yang Xiao Long. You could have come here with any guy you wanted."
She shrugged.
"I wanted to try out the whole going by myself thing. I already went with a date to my last dance and so I figured it would be interesting to try something new."
"Oh," he replied, "I guess that makes sense."
Yang laughed before she quickly composed herself. She smiled at the blonde before an idea popped into her head.
"Want to go dance?"
"W-What?" Not only did he find himself caught off guard by her question, but he also found himself a bit red in the face.
"Don't worry Vomit Boy. I'm not going to bite, although I may nibble," she said with a mischievous smirk.
"Yang! Not funny!"
The blonde firecracker couldn't contain her laughter. Messing with him was simply too funny and too easy.
"Oh come on, I'm just kidding. It'll be fun, and besides, it's not like you're a terrible dancer, right?"
"I'm not," he muttered.
"Great!"
Yang grabbed him by the arm and tugged him back toward the ballroom. Jaune, meanwhile, looked a little bit afraid as to what was waiting for him ahead.
"Have you been having fun Terre?"
Terre regarded his little sister with a blank look.
"In all honesty, I'm still trying to fully grasp the concept of fun."
"Well, I am certain that you will soon. Ruby has certainly enjoyed herself tonight and I am willing to bet it has much to do with you," Penny said with an innocent smile.
Terre looked over and spotted the girl in question watching them with a smile from her seat. Terre regarded the small black- and red-haired girl for a moment, studying the happiness emanating from her.
"I…suppose you're right."
The two continued dancing for another few minutes until a familiar voice caught their attention.
"It looks like those dance lessons certainly paid off."
The two turned and spotted General Ironwood standing there. The two immediately ceased their dance and diverted their full attention to the general.
"Sir," they both said.
"Forgive the intrusion, but I need to speak with Terre here for a moment."
Terre and Penny shared a look. Penny looked upset that their dance was cut short.
"Excuse me Penny, but we'll have to cut the dance short. Why not see if you can go dance with Rahm?"
Penny seemed to relax upon hearing that suggestion. She nodded in agreement before turning her attention to the general.
"Sir," she said with a polite bow before she took her leave and proceeded to walk over to where Rahm and Weiss were.
The general watched her go with mild interest before he returned his attention to Terre.
"Let's go somewhere a bit more private, shall we?"
"Am I good to go?" A voice spoke in Emerald's ear.
Emerald looked around the ballroom, eyeing Ozpin, Ironwood, and Goodwitch in particular. She was dancing with Mercury, doing her best to blend in with the crowd of students. She leaned in and whispered into Mercury's ear.
"All clear Cinder. Ironwood, Ozpin, and Goodwitch are in the ballroom."
"Excellent," said the feminine voice, "I'm going in. Keep me updated."
"Enjoying yourself?"
Ruby looked up from her seat and was surprised to see the headmaster of Beacon step up by her side. She nodded in agreement.
"Yes! Everything's fine! I'm just not much of a fancy pantsy... dancey girl."
Ozpin smiled.
"Well, you can't spend your whole life on the battlefield, even if you may want to."
Ruby crossed her arms, looking slightly annoyed.
"Yeah, that lesson's been floating around a lot lately."
Ozpin stared out at the dancing couples.
"If you think about it, fighting and dancing aren't so different. Two partners interlocked, although one wrong move on the ballroom floor merely leads to a swollen foot."
Ruby looked down at her own feet.
"Or a twisted ankle."
"That too," he said with a small laugh. "It's not every day that friends are able to come together like this. Time has a way of testing our bonds, but it's nights like these that can help keep them stronger than ever. Nights like these are ones we'll never forget."
Ruby smiled at the words of wisdom. She looked back over to where she last saw Terre and Penny, and to her dismay, Terre was nowhere to be seen. Despite the fact she was a terrible dancer, she was looking forward to dancing with Terre again.
Penny was currently dancing with Rahm while Weiss was off to the side talking to Professor Goodwitch.
"Yeah…" Ruby replied, "they really are."
Ruby stood up from her seat.
"I think I'm going to grab some fresh air. Thanks for the talk Professor Ozpin."
"It's always a pleasure Ms. Rose."
Ruby turned and headed towards the exit. As she walked there, she turned and looked back at all the couples dancing together. The one thing that caught her by complete surprise was seeing her sister dancing with Jaune. Jaune may have been clumsy in combat, but he was a surprisingly good dancer from what she could see. She giggled slightly before she looked forward again as she neared the exit. The door was open, granting an unobscured view of the campus. Ruby leaned against the door and sighed as she looked up at the fractured moon.
A dark silhouette in the corner of her eye caught her attention. She looked over and spotted a figure clad in black, running across the rooftops of the buildings across from her. Ruby's eyes narrowed in suspicion. She quickly looked behind her and noticed that no one else was registering what was happening. She turned back to spot the direction that the figure leaped over the top of the building and out of sight. Without a second thought, Ruby took off in pursuit.
"Wow you weren't joking. You really can dance!"
"Told you," Jaune replied with a slight smirk.
The two were slow dancing. Jaune had his hands on Yang's waist while her hands were on his back.
"Hey, don't get all overconfident with me Vomit Boy," Yang said with her signature mischievous smirk. "Where did you learn how to dance, though?"
Jaune shrugged his shoulders.
"I grew up with seven sisters and I was used as a dance partner for all of them."
"Seven?!"
Jaune merely nodded.
"Yeesh! And here I thought one sister was a handful. Don't know how you managed to survive that."
"I'm still trying to figure that out."
Yang giggled, clearly amused by his response.
"That was funny. I'll give you that Jauney-boy."
"Glad that you're having fun at my expense Yang."
Yang scoffed in fake offense.
"Listen here Vomit Boy. You're dancing with an absolute bombshell right now. If anyone is having fun it's you," she said as she gave him a playful wink.
"You got me there. This night was pretty bad until you showed up."
"Told you so. Your night went from sad and depressing to fun-filled all because you got to YANG out with me." Yang said before she smiled, holding her head high with her eyes closed.
Jaune didn't say anything.
"What? Not funny enough?"
Jaune simply stared at the blonde firecracker with a deadpan reaction, clearly unamused by her pun. He saw how Yang's eyes narrowed dangerously at him. Thinking fast, the leader of team JNPR cleared his throat before speaking up.
"Oh yeah!" He laughed, trying his best to make it sound genuine. "Sorry, it just took me a second for it to register is all."
Yang beamed a smile at him, her eyes closed.
"Oh good. For a minute there I thought you didn't appreciate comedic gold. That would have been bad…for you at least."
Jaune gulped nervously.
"Uh…how bad?"
"Broken legs."
He didn't need to be told that again. Her tone of voice held no deceit in it. She definitely would have broken his legs if he hadn't laughed.
"But we don't need to worry about that," she said with one of her playful winks, "you've been on good behavior."
Jaune laughed nervously, his cheeks flushing a bit.
"Y-Yeah…"
Yang raised an eyebrow at Jaune's nervousness before she smirked mischievously.
"Do I make you nervous Jauney-boy?"
"W-What?"
She leaned a bit closer.
"Do I make you nervous?" She almost whispered.
Jaune struggled to speak as he found himself staring into her lilac eyes that looked up at him seductively.
"Is it that you can't believe that you're dancing with the hottest blonde at school?"
Jaune's face was quickly turning bright red, earning a laugh from Yang.
"Yang!" He yelled. "Not funny!"
"You're right," she struggled to keep her laughter under control, "it's hilarious!"
"You're the worst. You know that right?"
Yang stuck her tongue out at him playfully, clearly having fun with the whole thing.
Terre and General Ironwood were currently standing out on the ballroom's balcony, away from prying ears. They only spoke once they were absolutely certain that no one could eavesdrop on them.
"What did you wish to discuss sir?" Asked Terre.
General Ironwood clasped his hands behind his back while he looked out towards the city.
"The last few days have made me think very carefully about what the course of action moving forward should be," Ironwood kept his gaze focused on the city. "The witch's pawn escaping was a colossal failure, but as I said before, the fault lies with me."
James was convinced that had Zero-Three-Seven not been limited on equipment, the fight would have played out very differently.
Terre listened intently as the general continued to speak.
"Since our progress has momentarily stalled, I've given much thought to the upcoming Vytal Tournament. As of now, you three will not be participating in the tournament. I don't want the three of you distracted from the greater objective, and so I think I've come up with a solution to avoid a repeat of the last two incidents."
Terre continued to listen carefully.
"I know this may sound risky, but no war was ever won without taking risks. Since the WRAITH suits are out of the question, I'm, therefore, giving you free rein to send more than one man out at a time."
When the general had been briefed by Terre about the strategy of sending out one man at a time a few weeks ago, the general agreed that it was the optimal strategy to help mask their presence and avoid the attention of Ozpin. The incident with teams RWBY and JNPR interfering and the incident with Salem's pawn made the general realize that utilizing only one man was no longer feasible.
If Zero-Six-Nine and Zero-Three-Seven had backup in those respective scenarios, then this conversation would not have been happening. James was sure of it. The WRAITH armor would've only made a difference in the fight against Salem's agent. The added protection would have better shielded Zero-Three-Seven from the unstable magic and the warehouse debris.
Terre nodded, silently agreeing with everything the general said.
"Yes sir," replied the Guardian, "but what of Penny?"
"Penny will compete in the tournament. I've got a student in mind to act as her partner as well as her handler. The three of you can't be everywhere at once, which is why I'm looking into bringing in extra Specialists to embed themselves into the crowds and help tighten security. I want Penny where our forces can see her, and the same extends to Rose, Schnee, and Nikos."
Terre processed the general's words. While he understood where the general was coming from, he didn't feel comfortable about leaving the security of Ruby, Penny, Pyrrha, and Weiss in the hands of others.
"Sir," said Terre, "is it wise to entrust their safety to others?"
"I understand your concerns. The three of you have done an excellent job in keeping them safe, but if the three of you are needed elsewhere then this is the only other option."
Terre didn't like it. He understood, but he didn't like it.
"Will Penny's handler know of her true nature?"
"Negative," replied the general.
"Understood, sir."
The general reached into his coat's inner pocket and retrieved a flask. He opened it and took a sip of the alcohol before closing it and putting it back.
"As of now, I want you three to stay alert. We need to be prepared for whatever-"
A beeping sound interrupted them. Terre immediately checked his watch, the culprit of the noise.
"What's going on?" Asked General Ironwood.
"It's Ruby, she's engaged in combat."
"Go!"
"Yes sir!"
Without a second thought, Terre leaped off the balcony and sprinted in the direction where his watch was tracking Ruby's location. The super soldier passed by the entrance to the ballroom as he sprinted off. Emerald caught sight of him as he sped off, her eyes narrowed slightly.
"Watch out," Emerald spoke discretely through her communicator, "you've got company headed your way."
As Terre burst through the front doors of the CCT he saw the unconscious bodies of Atlesian soldiers. He paid them no mind as he ran for the elevator. The super soldier scoffed in anger as he saw that the elevator would take too long to come down for him. Terre ran for the stairwell, intent on going up the many flights of stairs to get to Ruby. Terre became a blur as he jumped from one level to another. It didn't take Terre more than thirty seconds to scale the tower from its base to its top. Terre broke down the door to the main hallway before he ran down the hall at full speed. The super soldier glanced at his watch, following its guided path. The main doors to the main room of the CCT were coming up. Terre didn't even bother to stop and open the doors. Instead, the doors were blown apart by the super soldier's overwhelming strength.
"Ruby!"
A quick glance around the room showed that Ruby was on the floor, holding Crescent Rose. She was alone. The girl in question was scared and speechless. She certainly wasn't expecting her date to break down the steel doors as if they were cardboard. Terre was by her side in an instant. He bent down beside her.
"Are you hurt? What happened here?"
"Terre…" she was speechless for a moment, trying to figure out what to say, "I-I'm fine. I was fighting some masked woman, but she disappeared right before you came in."
Terre helped her to her feet. Ruby found herself blushing as he did so.
"Thanks," she said sheepishly, "how did you know I was here?"
"I was out looking for you when I heard a fight coming from the tower," he lied.
Terre observed the damage done by the short battle before he looked back at Ruby.
"Come on," he said as he took her hand, "let's get you out of here."
"Is this night what you were expecting?"
Pyrrha looked up at Jai and smiled as they danced. Her beautiful green eyes met his light brown eyes. The machine-like super soldier gave her a twirl before pulling her back towards him.
"No," she said, "it's far better than I imagined."
Pyrrha felt like she was on top of the world right now. Yesterday she was depressed with her self-esteem and confidence at an all-time low, and now she felt like she was a new woman.
"I'm glad you're enjoying yourself."
"It's all thanks to you and Penny."
"I think Penny deserves the credit."
Pyrrha giggled, earning a raised eyebrow from Jai.
"There you go again with your humility. It's one of your many admirable qualities."
"Thank you, Pyrrha."
"No," she replied, "thank you Jai. I'm really happy I came here with you."
The two continued their dance. As they danced, Pyrrha caught sight of Jaune dancing with Yang on the other side of the dancefloor. The scarlet-haired champion of Mistral was caught a bit off guard by the sight. She was under the impression that both Yang and Jaune came by themselves tonight. She watched them dance for a moment, taking notice of Jaune's impressive dance skills. Yang wasn't half bad either.
Part of Pyrrha wished she could have danced with the blonde, but at the same time, she felt like she wouldn't want to trade this dance with Jai for anything. She had to admit, though, that she rather preferred seeing Jaune dance with Yang than Weiss. Make no mistake, Weiss was her friend, but she felt that her friend's cold treatment of Jaune was a bit unwarranted.
As Jaune twirled Yang the blonde's blue eyes met the gaze of her green eyes. They both looked a bit surprised to see each other. To shatter the semi-awkward vibe, Pyrrha shot him a warm smile, one which Jaune returned. They broke eye contact and they both returned their focus to their dance partners.
"Jai," Pyrrha said, trying to distract herself from the moment of eye contact.
"Yes Pyrrha?"
"I was wondering…" Pyrrha looked away for a moment in slight embarrassment. "Would you help me train for the Vytal Tournament? I could use a sparring partner."
"Of course," he replied.
Her green eyes lit up with excitement. She didn't doubt he would say yes. He was always there for her when she needed him.
"Thank you, Jai."
Ruby held onto Terre's arm as she wobbled in her heels, her face showed irritation.
"I hate these stupid lady stilts," she muttered as she tightened her grip on Terre's arm. "It's a good thing I've got you to balance me out."
Terre raised an eyebrow at her statement.
"Didn't you fight that intruder with heels on?"
"Yeah, but I wasn't nervous when I fought her."
"I…I make you nervous?"
Ruby's face turned red. She couldn't believe she just said that; now she was backed into a corner. She was glad that Yang wasn't here to tease her about this. She needed to change the subject quickly if she wanted to salvage the conversation.
"Oh, uh, no…I meant lightheaded."
That got Terre's attention real quick.
"Are you feeling ill?"
"Just tired," she lied, "I kind of don't want to go back to the dance." That wasn't a lie. After her encounter with the masked woman, she wasn't excited about the dance anymore.
Terre hummed in understanding.
"Would you like me to escort you back to your dorm?"
Her eyes lit up in joy.
"That'd be great!"
Instead of heading back to the ballroom, they walked back in the direction of the dormitories.
"Ruby."
"Yeah?"
"Do you recall any distinguishing features from the woman you fought?"
Ruby shook her head.
"Not really. She wore a mask so I couldn't tell you what she looked like, but she fought with glass and used flaming arrows as weapons."
"I see…" Terre mused to himself for a moment, taking in the information that Ruby provided. Based on Ruby's description, this woman was the same one Jai fought. Salem's agent had infiltrated Beacon, but her motives were unclear. He would need to inform the general about this. "Thank you for that Ruby."
It didn't take long for them to arrive at the dormitory building. Ruby looked up at the stairs that led to the floor she lived on with dread. It was hard enough to wobble on level ground in her heels, but now she would need to climb the stairs. Terre took notice of her dread. Without a second thought, Terre lifted Ruby and carried her. The small Huntress was blushing fiercely.
"I'm so glad Yang isn't here right now," she said under her breath as Terre carried her up the stairs.
Not more than a minute went by before they were in front of the door to Ruby's room. Terre set the still blushing girl down gently. She avoided eye contact, too embarrassed to look the giant in the eyes. Her fingers began to play with her hair out of nervousness. It took her a moment before she mustered the courage to speak.
"T-Thank you for taking me to the dance tonight," she said shyly, "I…I really enjoyed it."
"The fact you enjoyed yourself is reward enough Ruby," he replied, "have a good night."
Terre moved to leave.
"Wait!"
Terre stopped. He turned to look at her again.
"Yes Ruby?"
The young Rose approached him awkwardly. She motioned for him to lower himself closer to her level; his height dwarfed hers. Terre did as she asked until he was at eye level with her. The super soldier was unprepared for warm lips to press themselves against his cheek. Ruby pulled away, blushing intensely as she did so.
"Good night!"
Without leaving an opportunity for the shocked super soldier to ask any questions, Ruby bolted into her room and closed the door. Terre stood there in absolute confusion as to what had just happened.
"What just happened?" He asked himself.
Cinder let out a deep exhale before she stretched her limbs, hearing satisfying pops as she did so. Mercury was removing his tie while Emerald sat on her bed. Seeing that she had managed to relieve the tension in her body, Cinder turned her attention back to her two followers.
"You all did great work tonight. Emerald," she locked eyes with the green-haired girl, "if you hadn't alerted me to Terre approaching this whole operation may have been over."
Emerald smiled. "Just doing my job Cinder."
Cinder nodded.
"I believe that tonight's actions by Terre have proven that he, Rahm, and Jai are more than mere students."
Mercury and Emerald nodded in agreement. There was no way that Terre could have known that Ruby and Cinder were fighting. Unless of course, he had inside information of sorts.
"What do you think he and his teammates are?" Mercury asked.
"More likely than not the three of them are the handlers for Ironwood's robot puppet," replied Cinder. "They're probably not really students and I doubt that their names are their real ones. I have a hunch they're Atlesian special forces of sorts."
Emerald looked a bit surprised upon hearing that.
"Really? But they're so young and-"
Cinder shot Emerald a glare that silenced her.
"You really think Ironwood is above using teenagers to supplement his forces? The elite of Atlas are all the same. Everyone is merely a tool to further their own agenda."
Mercury was leaning up against the wall with his arms crossed.
"So, what do we do?"
Cinder didn't look happy. It was bad enough that she had the Harvesters to deal with; now she had Ironwood's pawns to deal with too.
"For now, we proceed as normal, but take extra care to keep an eye out for those three."
I'll admit it, this chapter didn't have much action, but it did have a lot more character development. I didn't feel the need to showcase the fight between Cinder and Ruby. It wouldn't have played out any differently. It was about time I addressed Ironwood and Glynda a little deeper. I know, Ironwood is going to be in for a very rude awakening when he finds out Salem is immortal. The Guardians are the best, but even they can't kill an immortal witch. That will be an interesting bridge once it's crossed. Looks like Jaune found himself a date haha. Terre is as confused as ever with Ruby's kiss lol. Looks like the boys are on Cinder's radar even more. What will this mean for the boys going forward? Tune in and find out. See you all next time.
-Dude64
