A day after having every last screw built into Crescent Rose described in detail to him by Ruby, a man is surprised when it's Yang that comes up to him to chat. From her demeanor, she was pleased, presumably because he managed to help her sister break out of her shell. He'd gathered that Ruby's social skills are lacking in every sense of the term.

Cornering the man with a forceful hand blocking his path, the man finds the already famous Yang Xiao Long looking intently at him. "Yo," she said, a bit too matter-of-factly considering she was denying progress. Looking him up and down, she judges him at least somewhat positively, considering her catty raising of an eyebrow. The rumors had already spread about her being promiscuous, though so far she'd just seemed to know what she wanted and went about taking it.

Noting that Yang's arm was still blocking him, the man responded by saying, "Hello." He would imagine trying to push her aside would be beyond futile. "Can I help you?"

"Well, stud, you can." Smiling, Yang released her arm from the wall and attached it to her hip. "This is gonna sound a bit weird, but hear me out; I want you to go on a date with me. And Ruby."

Though the man can't tell exactly what's happening, he's fine with it regardless. Trying to gather whether or not Yang was lying, he would consider that the rumors about her openness were true. Realizing he'd just been thinking and haven't actually given the blonde an answer, he blinked.

Yang giggled in an adorable fashion, saying, "And that's three for three; a bit of phrasing and all the boys go quiet." Patting the man's shoulder, she puts on a more serious face. "Look, you met my sister, right? It sucks to say, but she's not exactly… like me, in the whole, 'social butterfly,' thing."

The man can see where Yang was coming from. During the team meetings, when Ruby wasn't fighting, she was silent, small, and looked to be actively trying to disappear; only after he got her started in weapons did she stop looking afraid to speak. "So… what, you want me to just hang out with her?"

"Like I said, date," Yang chuckled. "Seriously, I said the same thing to the two other guys she halfway hit it off with and they couldn't respond, either. I love Ruby, but she needs to step outside her comfort zone and make some other friends; she freaking blew up our teammate on her first day, so… yeah, she'll need some help to start."

"I think I see what you– wait, wait a sec, blew up?"

Yang's face told a story of disbelief. "Yes, as in she actually just freaking exploded. It's okay, though, they're friends now. Mostly. Not really, hence why I need your help. Just let her tinker with your weapon a bit and see what happens; I'll be there so she doesn't lose it, but you get to tell your team we went on a date together! I already know you enjoy gloating to them, seeing as you basked in your own glory when Ruby came up to you."

While it was more of a general hangout than a date, the man was fine with Yang's proposition. His weapon could use some maintenance, plus Ruby seemed to be a master at the craft. There was also the benefit of lording going out on a date with Yang over his team, so that was cool.

Nodding, you say, "Sure. Got any–"

Interrupting, Yang gets comfortably close and whispers, "Who knows, maybe you might hit it off with one of us~" Upon seeing the man's eyes divert downwards towards her bursting cleavage which she very clearly purposely put there, she smiles and says, "Being nice to my baby sister will definitely make you cuter."

Meeting Yang's eyes, the man said, "Understood," with a self satisfied smirk. "What time works for you?"

The next day, the man met Yang and Ruby and their team at Beacon's workshop. Yang warmly welcomes him by hanging off his arm. Ruby rolls her eyes, saying, "Yang! C'mon!"

"What?" Yang asks in the most fake defensive tone possible, adding in putting her hand over her mouth. She was really playing it up, one would assume because she wanted Ruby to feel more comfortable; if she was focused on Yang, she was a bit less focused on the man, or at least, she was slightly more at ease with him around. "Just wanted to say hi~" Looking to him, she says, "Is your weapon ready to go? He said it's all yours, Rubes!"

Ruby's eyes lit up immediately, and she asked, "Really!?" She was suddenly shaking with excitement, her hands vibrating near her face.

Unwilling to deny a cute girl's enthusiastic wish, you respond with, "Go for it," and hand Ruby your weapon. It's not really a common practice for a hunter to hand over their weapon to someone they barely knew for upgrades, but Ruby seemed to know her Crescent Rose better than she knew how to walk. You see it as a nice way to get to know her better, plus get some more firepower. Being surrounded by three other cute girls was nice, as well; you recognize Weiss from her legacy, and you quickly gather that the dark haired girl was named Blake.

Snatching your weapon from your hand, Ruby immediately places it on a workbench and begins combing it over. You take the opportunity to properly introduce yourself to Weiss and Blake, saying, "Pleasure to meet you. I'm another team captain, same with Ruby; we worked together on an assignment, and–"

"And I asked him to help Ruby break out of her shell," Yang whispered, interrupting you.

"Ah, I see," said Blake, looking to Ruby, already disassembling things.

"Careful," Weiss started in a bratty tone. "In our first meeting, she–"

"Blew up? Is that real, or did Yang lie to me?"

Weiss' expression darkens. "No, she was telling the truth. My first meeting with Ruby ending with an explosion." Parsing the traumatic memory, she says, "Enjoy yourself."

Now that your presence was adequately explained and you were properly introduced, you peek over Ruby's shoulder and watch her trace her fingers over every inch of your weapon. You overhear her muttering things like, "…compact Dust engine…. standard caliber rounds… carbon fiber handle… Dust infused blade… could be lighter with some work…. Oh, gravity Dust might help…"

You share a glance with Yang, who shrugs, silently saying, "Yeah, it's her thing." Nodding her thanks, she looks at Blake disassemble her multi-part weapon; you're impressed to see how much she'd put into it, considering it was part cleaver, part katana, part kusarigama, part pistol. "Ruby poured over it when Blake first brought it out to clean," Yang laughed.

Blake looked to the side, a bit embarrassed by the interest in her weapon. "I mean, it's really just some cobbled together junk when you get down to it…"

Considering Gambol Shroud had a million transformations and a certain elegance, you respond with, "It's still pretty cool. And is that Dust in the ribbon?"

With a pleasant smile, Blake nods, "Yes. It's mostly for strength so it doesn't rip."

"And because it looks really cute," Yang said fawning over Blake's ribbon-clad arm.

"And because it looks really cute," Blake said, rolling her eyes.

"You shoulda seen us in the forest! She kicked ass with this thing," Yang continued, pointing to Gambol Shroud. "I, meanwhile, unloaded into a Nevermore's mouth with a buncha shotgun, you know."

Moving to Weiss after nodding your approval, you see the telltale elegance of a Schnee. Her rapier defined a formal weapon, and the revolver mechanism was perfectly fit in between decorative wings that held the blade in place. The rainbow of Dust she had slotted in also showed of the heiress' potential and variability; the multicolored slots meant she could do any sort of elemental attack, plus mix it up mid-combat. The build was definitely fitting for an heiress, and her form of maintenance was ensuring everything was clean and sharp.

"Myrtenaster," Weiss stated, noticing your interest. "A Multi-Action Dust Rapier."

Approaching Weiss as an heiress, you say, "Sounds impressive! I'd love to see it in action."

Smirking, Weiss said, "You'll get your chance. Ruby said you were pretty effective in training if I remember correctly, and I wouldn't mind a spar."

"I'll take you up on that," you say, suddenly excited to face a Schnee in combat. No doubt Weiss would have plenty of grace and experience that would be pretty useful.

Finished watching Blake and setting up with Weiss, Yang moved to her own weapon. Knowing that you were watching, she made an extra effort to look badass by flexing her arms downwards with a burst; her bracelets unfolded into gauntlets, which she then removed and placed on the table. "Cool, right? Like I need an excuse to flash these guns!" she said, pumping her own arms to show off her muscles, then motioning to her weapons on the table.

You stroke Yang's ego by saying, "Yeah, they're pretty sweet," deliberately avoiding specifying between her muscles and her guns. Of course, you've already seen Ruby's weapon before, but you're still impressed as she tinkers with it, switching off with your weapon as she meticulously tightens bolts and screws. The large scythe easily weighed as much as Ruby herself, so her aura control must be astounding if she was able to swing it around so easily, not to mention when it's folded. Due in part to Yang's substantial cleavage occupying your view thanks to her bending over to work on her own weapon, you find your mind wander towards the other uses for high aura; aura and stamina went hand in hand, so you imagine both Yang and Ruby would be able to make good use of their control in the bedroom.

You're getting ahead of yourself big time. It's only been a few weeks, and you've only really met Ruby three times worth mentioning and this tinker party marks the second notable interaction with Yang. Your wandering mind was likely brought on by the fact that you were currently staring down Yang's shirt; still bending over her Ember Celica, her jacket, scarf, and tank top more than perfectly framed her breasts as they hung down. They lightly swung as the blonde breathed and shifted position, and she didn't seen to mind or notice where your eyes were. Remembering you had some tact, you tear your eyes away and look to your own weapon as opposed to Yang's heavy artillery.

Crescent Rose was in pieces. Ruby had neatly aligned all of the individual parts of her scythe along the workbench, and the man's weapon was broken down across from it. It was a bit frightening to see his weapon in pieces, but he had to think that Ruby wouldn't do anything that crazy if she couldn't put it back together.

Seeing as Ruby didn't have any cleavage due to her top, the man finds himself able to easily focus on the girl's hands, currently putting together a puzzle of parts until they formed a complete piece. What was once a random assortment of metal was transformed into an extendable handle; the blade on the end came next, followed by the firing mechanism, then the folding scythe blade, neatly forming the frankly massive weapon.

"And, whew!" Ruby whistled, wiping her brow. Looking cheerily up to the man, she forgot any sort of anxiety and explained, "I just installed a new Dust port, so she should be able to add a bit more power and range!" She looks to the other pile of parts, which has a few new gizmos the man didn't recognize.

Feeling the need to ask what's going on with what could easily save his life and how it's been modified, the man points to a small black object with a picture of a purple Dust crystal. "What's this thing?" he asked, knowing Ruby would be able to explain it.

Without skipping a beat, Ruby replies with, "Oh, that?" She shrinks away and blushes as she says, "It's a modified Dust engine I designed that should make your weapon a bit easier to handle." Twiddling her fingers, she continues with, "I've got twelve in Crescent Rose; they react to sharp movements, so they make your weapon lighter when you're walking around, but they stop working when they move too much."

"So… your weapon only gets heavier when you swing? That means–"

"–your weapon gets heavier right when you attack, increasing the power!" Ruby interrupts, her eyes glowing due to finding a kindred spirit. "I usually fold up Crescent Rose when I'm running around so it works then, but you might need to keep your hand steadier than normal when you dodge. One good crystal should last you about a month!"

What Ruby lacked in social skills, she more than made up for with weapon knowledge. With a smile, the man congratulated her, "That's amazing! And it's your own design?"

Clutching her cape, Ruby puts it up to her face to hide. "Oh, it's not that cool…. I was just scrawny as a kid and needed some help… Nothing special."

Yang surprises Ruby as she wraps her arm around her shoulder. As the smaller sister jumps up in fear, the blonde says, "That's my genius sister for you! I'm brawn, but she's brawn AND brains! You've seen her in action; you know what she can do." She flashes a smile with a genuine thanks behind it, glad the man could help her sister branch out. Judging from Blake and Weiss' surprise and pleasantry, he imagined they've yet to see Ruby so excited talking to a stranger.

"Stop! Stop, Yang!" Ruby whines, trying to free herself from Yang's one-armed hug. "I still need to reassemble his weapon!"

"Look at you being so embarrassed! It's so cute!" Yang giggled, continuing her torture. "But fine; arm this guy up to the teeth!" Releasing Ruby, she backs off while her sister sprawls across the table.

Ruby looks at all of the parts of the man's weapon spread across the table for a moment. "Okay, so if I put that there…" She trails off for a moment, then starts inaudibly mumbling.

"Something wrong?"

"Uhh…" Ruby says, weakly. "W-where does this part go?" She holds up one of the many unassembled pieces of the man's weapon.

Both the man and Yang share a look with each other, then break out laughing. Surprisingly, he noticed the infectious giggling take hold of both Weiss and Blake as Ruby mashed two weapon pieces together in defeat, having forgotten the order in which everything was put together. As everyone laughs, she meekly tried sorting out which part went with each other to fix her mistake.

After recovering from his giggle fit, the man pulled up a chair next to Ruby and started helping her piece his weapon back together. 15 or so minutes later, his weapon is considerably lighter to carry around, and it got some firepower upgrades as well. Despite her blunder, Ruby genuinely improved everything about the weapon, allowing him far more options in a fight. Another bonus was that he knew more about the rest of RWBY's weapons, thus furthering his knowledge of how to better team up with them. All in all, it was a very successful afternoon.

As everything wraps up, the man set off to do a bit of practice with his new weapon. The new weight settings would require some getting used to, after all.