And here's the next chapter! Very, very different from what I'm used to writing but I hope you enjoy it!

She watched her students dance with a small smile. She remembered being young and the only thing having to worry about was finding a date. Her smile, what little of one there was, disappeared as she saw Ruby dancing with that horrible machine. She felt disgust well up in her throat as it and Ruby smiled at one another, laughing together as they struggled to waltz.

"Care to dance?" It was Ironwood, and he was offering her his gloved hand. She eyed it before shaking her head.

"I'd rather get mauled by an Ursa," she said. She felt a twinge of pride as he retracted his hand, his gaze steely.

"Very well," he said. He stood next to her, watching the students. She crossed her arms.

"I noticed you brought your abomination with you," she said.

"Penny came here on her own, I had nothing to do with her being here." She glanced over at him and saw him smirk as he watched it dance. "And she seems to be quite smitten with young Ms. Rose." Her lip curled as she watched it.

"Let's hope for her sake it finds someone else."

He took a sip from his drink as he watched people swarm the dance floor, crowding around the stage where the dj stand was waiting.

"Trying to steal my look?" a familiar voice asked. Jaune looked over and saw Yang looking at him, a grin on her face. She was wearing a sleeveless white dress, the skirt showing off her legs. It was less conservative than his own dress but it was the same shade of white and the general design looked similar. He grinned back at her as she took a place next to him, leaning against the table he was standing in front of.

"Maybe I am, Yang? We both know I look better in this than you." Yang laughed.

"In your dreams, Arc." Yang made herself a glass. Jaune took another sip before asking.

"You come with anyone?"

"Nah," she said. "You?" He shook his head. She held up her glass and he clinked it with his own. "To stags," she said. He drank deep, draining the glass. Yang looked off into the crowd, a content smile on her face. She pointed out a girl in a black dress and red stockings, a silver rose necklace hanging around her neck. He cocked his head at the red head she was talking too; her light green dress and freckles running down her shoulders and arms.

"I'm glad Ruby found a date though." Yang said. Jaune smiled as Ruby and Penny talked; they looked happy.

"Where are Blake and Weiss?" Jaune asked.

"Blake doesn't like parties and Weiss wanted to keep her company." Jaune raised an eyebrow.

"I'm guessing Ren and Nora came together?" Yang asked. He nodded. "And Pyrrha?" He looked away, and took a sip, pretending to drink from his empty cup.

"She came with someone," he finally managed, his voice muffled with the cup on his lips. Yang cocked an eyebrow.

"Really? Someone asked her out?" He shrugged and lowered the cup.

"I guess." He looked over at the other side of the room, and saw a flash of crimson outside. Pyrrha was out on the balcony, pacing, a worried look on her face. Where was her date? What kind of a guy ditches his date on the balcony? He set the empty cup down on the table. "Can you watch that for me?" he asked, not waiting for her reply.

She paced back and forth, playing with her hands before stopping at the railing.

Was I too vague back on the roof top? Did he not understand?

"Pyrrha?" she spun around. He was on the balcony. He was here, he did understand! She smiled at him and stepped away from the railing. He rubbed his arm and looked around the balcony. "I saw you all alone out here and wanted to know where your date went. I'd like to at least know what kind of a guy my partner's dating."

Oh. He didn't.

"Well, the guy I'm interested in doesn't care that I'm a famous athlete. When we first met he didn't even know my name or how I could get into Beacon. And when I told him that I was the Mistral Champion he didn't suddenly start treating me any differently. He didn't put me on a pedestal or start bragging about how's he friends with me or start showering me with fake praise and affection." She stepped towards him. He kicked at noting, looking down at the floor.

"He sounds amazing."

Are all boys this dense?

She stood in front of him, and slipped her hand into his. He looked up at her.

"Jaune, you're the guy I like. You're the date I had in mind." His eyes widened in disbelief.

"Me?" She nodded.

"But, don't you deserve someone better?" Her expression fell a bit; was she wrong about him, did he consider her different, too good for him because she was famous? He let go of her hand. "I mean, you're absolutely beautiful Pyrrha. You funny, you're smart, you're kind, and you're super talented in just about everything. Why me? I'm a huge screw up. I'm a cheat, I'm a liar, I'm spineless, and I'm terrible at pretty much everything I do. And I'm probably the most average looking guy here. What could you possible see in me that would make you like me that way?"

Does he really think about himself that way?

"Well, aside from treating me like a person and not dehumanizing me because of my status, I think that you have a lot of courage; you were brave enough to take on Beacon's entrance exam without any kind of training. I think you're really humble; you came to me for help after you told me how you got into Beacon, and if I'm honest you ignore every good thing you've done to focus on the bad. You're a good friend; looking out for Weiss when Cardin was harassing her. And," she gave him a coy smile. "I think you're really cute."

He began to blush, and she slipped her hand back into his.

"So, Jaune Arc, will you be my date?" He squeezed her hand and smiled at her.

"Yeah, if you're sure you want me." She heard a cheer erupt from inside the ballroom and she looked over his shoulder to see Stupid Thugs take the stage. She was still amazed Weiss had gotten them to play here. Jaune looked back as well.

"Care to dance?" she asked. He looked back at her and nodded. With a smile she led the way to the dance floor.

She leaned over the railing and smiled as Penny danced in the crowd surrounding Stupid Thug's stage. She wasn't comfortable being in a crowd like that (at least one that didn't involve moshing) and she didn't really like that kinda music but she wanted her… girlfriend? to enjoy herself. She saw her sister take the spot next to her.

"Having fun?" she asked.

"Yeah! I'm really glad I came." She felt her sister wrap he arm around her shoulder. "You and Weiss did an amazing job."

"Ah it was nothing. Weiss did most of it." She heard her sister sigh. "Too bad she didn't get to experience any of it."

"You think they're doing okay? You hear from them at all?" Her sister shook her head, her hair rubbing against her.

"I haven't heard from them so I guess they're doing oaky." Ruby giggled as she watched Penny do the robot. She felt her sister let go of her shoulder. "So… you and Penny? You think it'll be serious?" Ruby turned to her sister.

"Maybe? I'm… I've never dated anyone before so I'm not entirely sure what to do." Yang chuckled.

"Something tells me it's probably the same for her. Just do what feels natural and be yourself."

Be herself…

She looked down at the silver rose necklace, an old necklace her mother had left behind, and she felt her expression fall. Yang titled her head to the side.

"You okay, Ruby?"

"Yeah, kinda."

"Kinda?"

"It's just… do you think mom would have been okay with… this?" she pointed at herself. Her sister blinked, confused.

"What? You being Goth? Ace?" She shook her head and realization dawned on her sister's face. She gave her a comforting smile and drew her into a hug again.

"Of course she would have been, Ruby." Ruby buried her face into her sister's shoulder and hugged her back.

"And Penny? Weiss, Blake? JNPR? SDVJ? The professors?" She felt her sister start to run a hand over her hair.

"I'm positive they'll all be okay with it when you tell them," she said. Ruby had a hard time believing that. Penny would probably understand and be okay with it but the others… she was worried about what they would do or think of her when she finally decided to tell them. Her sister stopped petting her head. She broke the hug and held onto Ruby's shoulders, looking down at her. "Do you want me to be there when you decide to tell them?" She nodded. "Even if others reject you for who you are you'll always have me, Ruby." Her sister gave her one more hug, and Ruby returned it.

They broke their hug and Yang motioned over to Penny with her head.

"Go have some fun, Ruby." She nodded and turned to head towards the stairs. She stopped and turned back towards her sister.

"Yang?"

"Yeah?" Ruby smiled.

"Thanks for being so awesome." Her sister smiled back and gave her a thumbs up.

"No prob, sis!" With that Ruby turned towards the stairs.

"Well, what would you like to know?" Blake asked. Weiss' eyes flicked upwards as she thought for a moment.

"Well, what is Menagerie like? It's the home of the Faunus, right? I know that the Faunus were given it after the Great War and that humans tried to confine them there before the Faunus Revolution but it was your people's ancestral home, right? What kind of government does it have? What's its environment like?" Blake frowned.

"It became the home of the Faunus. We were spread out on all the other kingdoms like you humans were but we didn't have a solid home in the old days. We had to travel a lot or humans would kill us, or enslave us." She tried to keep the venom out of her voice as she thought of what the humans who gave her people that island must have been thinking; their smug faces. "It's almost entirely desert; full of dangerous wildlife and plenty of Grimm. Aside from the settlements on the coast there aren't very many towns or anything. The city where I grew up was cramped and overflowing with people." Weiss' face fell as she listened.

"As for the government, we only really have the one big city and a handful of settlements on the outskirts, so there isn't a complex government system like in the other kingdoms, no Council, no Academy Headmasters. We just have a Chieftain and that title is hereditary, taken by the eldest child. The current Chief is Hōzuki Ghira." Weiss made a face at that name.

"Ghira… Wasn't that the name of the leader of the White Fang?" Blake nodded.

"He was the leader but has since resigned and let Sienna Khan take control. He was the founder of the White Fang, and under him it was just a peaceful protest organization. He saw how humans were still hateful towards our people even after the Revolution and wanted to sway people, get them to understand that humans and Faunus aren't too different. But it didn't get him very far and it wasn't until Khan took over that the White Fang started to get results."

"I… I see," Weiss said. She cocked her head to the side. "Do you think he is a good leader for your people?" Blake was taken back and looked away.

Her father's face as he screamed at her to leave if she truly believed Adam and Khan were doing the right thing. Her mother yelling at him to calm down. Her fear and anger as she ran, leaving the only home she had known.

She looked back at Weiss, meeting her eyes.

"He… he's a good man; he cares about his people and just wants what's best for them." She rubbed her arm sleeve. "Anything else you wanna know?" Weiss nodded.

"The Faunus don't actually worship the Grimm, do they?" Blake chortled.

"No, that's just a myth. We worship the Ishvara; our holy pantheon. Most of them are animals so when the humans needed more excuses to kill us they made up that our gods were actually Grimm. Though our main creator god, Mother Devi, is our most human looking deity, aside from her cat head."

"Interesting. Do your people believe in an afterlife, like the Brothers Church, or reincarnation, like the Followers of Dust?"

"Reincarnation." Blake looked Weiss over as a thought popped in her head. "What are your religious belief, if you don't mind me asking?" Weiss smiled.

"I don't mind at all. I'm a Follower of Dust." That made sense, given her family's history with Dust. But the Faunus being Grimm worshipers was mostly permutated by the Brothers Church. Then again, given her father's views of the Faunus it wasn't too surprising he would believe that and tell Weiss that. Weiss looked away, and rested her hands behind her back.

"Do… do Faunus not like having their Faunus parts touched?" Blake held back a laugh. She had never had her ears called that before.

"We generally don't like strangers touching our 'Faunus parts'. But most of us are okay with allowing people we trust touch them." Was Weiss blushing?

"If you want to stop wearing your bow in the dorm room, I really wouldn't mind. I noticed you stopped wearing it before we go to bed but if you want to let them out more I won't complain." Weiss looked back at her and smiled. "I think you look good without your bow," she said.

Blake blushed; she had heard every insult under the sun about her ears but it was still rare for a human to compliment them.

"Thank you, Weiss. That really means a lot to me." She reached up to her bow, and slowly undid it. She flexed her ears; it always felt good to let them breathe every now and again. Weiss' eyes darted up to her ears and her smile grew slightly. "Anything else you want to know?" Weiss chewed on her lip for a moment before shaking her head.

"I think I'm good at the moment. Thank you, Blake, this has been very informative." Blake gave a smile.

"Any time, Weiss," she said.

She rested her head on his shoulder, the music blaring at the ballroom audible even from the water gardens. Ren couldn't handle loud noises too well and yeah she would have liked to be on the dance floor showing everyone up but he was more important.

"You doing okay, Ren?" she asked.

"I'm fine, Nora." He rested his head on top of hers. "And thank you for staying." He said. "I know it can be hard missing events like this because of me."

She slipped her hand into his and gave a gentle squeeze.

"We've always been together. Some party is not nearly important as you, Ren." She smiled, and nuzzled his shoulder. "Besides, this is much more comfortable then getting grinded on by some random person." Ren chuckled.

She felt him move his head and then a soft set of lips kiss the top of her head.

"Boop," he said. She felt her cheeks grow warm and she raised their held hands and kissed his hand.

"Boop," she said.

He hardly noticed the ring of people that had formed around them as they danced. He only had his eyes on him; the way his body moved with the rhythm of the music. The flash of his electric blue hair as the lights flashed over them.

His face was slick with sweat, his movements in perfect sync with the rhythm of the music. Their eyes locked; a deep need in his blue eyes.

Sun gave him a toothy grin and motioned with his tail for him to get closer. Neptune gave him a nod and an excited grin.

He heard the crowd 'oooo' as they got closer, their bodies touching as they danced. Sun used the tip of his tail to trail up from Neptune's chest to his lips, and bit his lip. Neptune grinned, and put his hands on Sun's shoulders.

They leaned forward, their lips meeting, the crowd's cheers in their ears.

She hummed along as the film came to a close, the two leads dancing together as they sang their final duet. She'd watched this film dozens of times growing up and it still hadn't lost its charm or the feeling it gave her when she watched it. She looked up at Blake as the credits began to roll. She never did ask Blake why she didn't want to go to the dance. She cleared her throat, and Blake's ears twitched before she looked over at her.

"Yes, Weiss?"

"Why did you not want to go to the dance?" Blake bookmarked her book and set it down in her lap.

"Dances and parties aren't really my kind of thing. They're too loud, the music is obnoxious, and I don't like being in a crowd full of people I don't know bumping into me, or rubbing up against me. Everyone gets all sweaty and it's gross having a stranger's fluids all over you." Weiss nodded in understanding; she had never been to any kind of 'traditional' school dance, do she had no idea if they were really as bad as Blake was making it sound. But she had been to several dances and parties after her concerts, and they had all been pleasant, aside from having to dance with the suitors her father wanted her to take an interest in.

"I see," Weiss said. She looked back down at her scroll, the credits rolling, her mind drifting back to the dances she had to do with those smug boys. They didn't care about her, not as a person, not as a woman, they only cared about her family's money and the privilege that would come with wooing her and having her name. Her nose wrinkled in disgust as she thought of them.

"I take it you didn't like the ending?" Blake asked.

"Huh?" Weiss looked over at Blake. Blake motioned towards her scroll, to the rolling credits.

"You made a face," she said.

"Oh. I was just thinking about how I haven't had a good dance experience either." A thought struck Weiss as the music playing during the credits changed. She exited out of the film and set her scroll off to the side before sitting on the edge of her bed. "Would you care to dance?"

Blake's ears stood up and her cheeks turned red.

"Here?" Weiss nodded. "Why?" she asked.

"All my memories of dancing where with men my father was trying to set me up with. They didn't really care about me, just my name and my money. And… I don't know if you're aware but I'm also… not straight." Blake cocked her head to the side.

"You're gay?" Weiss nodded.

"I am, though I haven't come out to my family. So those dances were even less fun than you can imagine." She gave Blake a smile. "And I thought since we both have had bad experiences with parties that we could enjoy it in our own way." Blake turned and sat on the edge of her bed, her legs dangling off the edge.

"I suppose," she said. "What did you have in mind?"

"I was just going to put on some music we can both agree on and dance."

"That…" she smiled slightly. "Actually doesn't sound too bad." She leapt down from her bed, landing without a sound. Weiss grabbed her scroll and stood up.

Weiss cycled through the music on her scroll before finding an appropriate song. She set her scroll down on the bookcase as the music began to play. She offered her hand. Blake hesitated before slipping her hand into Weiss'.

"You know how to ballroom dance I assume?" Weiss asked as she placed her other hand on Blake's waist. Blake gave her a grin.

"I'm a fast learner." Weiss grinned back, and began to waltz.

Blake wasn't kidding, after stepping on her feet a few times she was matching Weiss' movements almost flawlessly. They moved together with the music, offering each other smiles as danced.

The song came to an end, faster than Weiss wanted it to, and Weiss let go of Blake's waist, and tried to let go of Blake's hand. Blake squeezed and Weiss looked up at her. Her ears twitched as Blake met her gaze.

"Maybe we could dance for a little while longer?" Weiss smiled.

"That sounds lovely."

She made her way through the crowd of dancing people, the pounding bass of the music giving her a headache the further into the crowd she went. Ugh, why couldn't they have picked better music for this party?

She saw Penny in the crowd, and she smiled; she looked like she was enjoying herself. They couldn't be playing for more than a couple more minutes, she could wait till they were done to hang out with Penny again.

She exited the crowd and left the building. It was warm out and there was a bit of a breeze. The stars and moon were hidden behind dark clouds. She took a deep breath and felt her body relax as she exhaled.

"Huh?" There was a flash of movement on the rooftops across from the ballroom. She squinted her eyes; she could make out a figure in dark clothes running across the rooftop before disappearing from view. Wasn't Beacon's Cross Continental Transit System that way? She scowled and made her way in the direction that the shadow had been heading.

She reached the front of the CCT, a sense of unease settling in. She took a step towards the stairs, when she noticed a leg sticking out of the bushes. She walked over to the bushes, parting them.

"Hey, are yo-" she screamed and fell backwards. The man was an Atlas soldier, blood dribbling down his chin and his neck was twisted to an unnatural angle.

She started to hyperventilate as she scrambled to her feet; that man was dead, someone had murdered him, at her school. She backed away from the body, shaking her head, her hands shaking.

Whoever did this had to still be nearby. She took a deep breath, held it, and then exhaled. She pulled her scroll out and punched in a few numbers. She looked back and could barely make out her rocket locker soaring through the air. A moment later her locker crashed down in front of the CCT, opening up and raising Crescent Rose out of the locker. She grabbed her weapon, the familiar feel of the metal comforting her and helping steady her nerves. Whoever had thought of rocket lockers was a genius.

She turned back towards the CCT, and after a deep breath, she entered.

Bile rose up in the back of her throat as she walked in. There were four bodies, all of them soldiers. One lay in a puddle of his own blood, a bullet hole in his chest. Another was slumped against the railing on the stairs, his torso contorted and bent; his spine snapped in two. She gagged at the third body. His belly had been cut open, the wound cauterized, his spilled innards charred and blackened. The fourth's helmet had been caved in, and a puddle of blood surrounded his head.

She stepped around the bodies and puddles of blood, walked up the stairs, and pressed the button to call the elevator. She heard a ding and the doors opened. She grimaced.

The walls of the elevator were smeared in blood and bullet holes peppered the walls and ceiling. The bodies of two soldiers were slumped on the ground; one had a gaping charred hole in his neck, and the other a multitude of smoldering stab wounds in his stomach. The cramped elevator reeked of copper as she stepped into it.

She held her breath as the elevator ascended. She felt herself start to grow dizzy before the elevator stopped and the doors opened. She exhaled the stale air and sucked in fresh, not from a blood drenched elevator, air. The room was dark aside from the illumination from the computer screens. They all glowed an ominous green, a black queen's chess piece flickering on the monitors. She swallowed, her throat dry, as she walked towards the receptionist desk.

The computer screens went dead and the room was enveloped in total darkness. Ruby tightened her grip on her scythe.

A flash of bright orange and her eyes widened as several flaming spears were hurled at her. She leapt out of the way, taking cover behind a desk. She peeked around the edge and saw a shadow moving through the darkness. Orange eyes burned from the shadow's face and she saw two swords form in the shadows hands, the blades glowing orange hot, illuminating the shadow's black clothes.

She stood up and fired three rounds at the shadow; head, throat, heart. The shadow deflected each shot with her swords, her speed almost inhuman. Ruby stepped back as the shadow lunged at her, her blades an orange blur as she swung. She dodged them, feeling the heat of the blades as they missed. She swung her scythe, hoping to connect. She hit nothing and the glow of the blades disappeared. Her head swiveled to and fro as she strained to see the shadow. She heard a ding and spun towards the sound, firing off several rounds.

The door to the elevator opened and General Ironwood walked into the room, looking more than a little miffed. Ruby noticed the fresh bullet holes marking the wall behind him. The computer terminals around her flickered back to life, the green glow gone, and the lights in the room came on. The glare the general gave her was icy and she had to resist the urge to squirm under his harsh gaze.

"Ms. Rose, would you kindly tell me what you are doing here? And why you tried to shoot me?"

And that's it! Now fair warning there's gonna be about 3 chapters of nothing but rwby/jnpr interactions before we get back to the plotline.