Jaune pulled his scroll out of his pocket and checked the time with a frown before returning it to his pocket with a sigh. "How long has it been?" Ren asked him leaning against the wall with his arms folded in front of his chest as outside bullheads landed and lifted off the pad ferrying students and personnel to Mantle.
"Half hour," Jaune answered, mirroring his friend and leaning back against the wall and crossing his arms. "I wonder what's taking them so long," Jaune mused idly, "They said to meet them in an hour."
Ren didn't seem to mind the wait however, he bore it with the same quiet stoicism as he did everything but Jaune felt himself growing antsy. The rest of team FNKI had left ahead of them and their one straggling teammate to get to the club, Flynt told them he couldn't wait since he was expected on stage and Ivori and Kobalt had little interest in staying behind to wait for Nora, Neon and Penny.
Jaune idly watched the bullheads flying through the window as they waited. He couldn't help but think of what Ren had said to him back when they were changing in their dorm.
"Sorry we're late," Neon said rolling down the hall on her skates. Jaune turned to address her but stopped as he caught sight of Penny walking right beside her. She was wearing a light green dress that bared her shoulders and legs and her long copper red hair was done up in a couple braids framing her face and setting a long braid over one shoulder. Her face was positively radiant and drew his gaze to her bright green eyes.
"Woah," Jaune said, not hiding his amazement as she stole his gaze. "You look beautiful," He complimented.
Penny looked away with a pleased smile on her face, he supposed she wasn't used to being so openly complimented on her looks but embarrassed as she was that smile practically lit up the hallway. "Uh… thank you Jaune," she told him, unable to meet his eye, "Neon and Nora deserve all the credit, they helped me a lot."
Neon playfully nugged Penny, "don't sell yourself short girl, you clean up well." Neon and Nora were both dressed up as well, Neon in a little black dress and Nora in a pale pink. But they admittedly seemed rather dull standing next to Penny who not only was looking far more radiant than he had ever seen her but her evident embarrassment was also undeniably cute as well.
"Let's go Jaune, you can gawk at Penny some more later," Nora said, taking Ren's arm and leading him outside where a bullhead waited for passengers.
"I wasn't gawking," Jaune defended, "she looks great is all," he said to her.
"We know," Neon said, walking past him following Ren and Nora as they walked out for the bullhead leaving Jaune and Penny together.
"Uh… shall we go?" Penny asked him nervously.
Jaune nodded, "Sure," he said, turning to leave and she walked out and fell into step behind him. Why was she acting so nervous and embarrassed? Her heels clicked alongside him as they walked out onto the landing platform and boarded the bullhead. They took their seats beside one another and buckled up.
They sat in silence together as they flew across the skies over Atlas and Mantle, Jaune gazed out the window at the increasingly familiar skyline. He kept feeling like everyone was looking at him but every time he looked back at his friends their eyes were elsewhere.
"You look really nice too Jaune," Penny said, suddenly breaking the silence between them.
"Uh thanks," Jaune said surprised by the sudden compliment. She had seen him in this suit before, hell she had helped him pick it out.
Penny didn't say another word and kept her eyes focused out the window as they reached their landing zone and touched down. They piled out of the bullhead and took to the streets walking with Neon leading the way as she usually did. Penny's steps clicked against the concrete sidewalk as she walked beside Jaune.
"I don't think I've ever seen you in heels before," Jaune told her making conversation, "you look taller in them," he explained, even in heels she was still shorter than him.
"I wore heels during the Beacon dance," she explained to him.
"I never really noticed," Jaune sighed giving her feet and legs a glance.
"I am a little nervous," Penny explained to him, "I… I only ever danced that one night at Beacon, and never with a partner."
"Really?" He asked her, "if you're nervous I'll show you how."
Penny smiled at him, "I would really like that Jaune… I can not think of anyone I would prefer to dance with more than you."
A smirk curled Jaune's lips, "Well come on milady," he said teasing her and holding his arm out for her to take. Penny stared at his arm for an apprehensive moment and he could not help but wonder if he had done something wrong before she took it and fell into step beside him with a warm smile coloring her face.
The club was named Siren and the warm inviting look of it definitely set Jaune at ease. Large windows showed a dimly lit lounge on the second floor with patrons sitting at candle lit tables conversing with one another.
Stepping inside he heard the soft rhythmic sound of the jazz music, a single look at the stage he saw a colorful band with numerous instruments and Flynt front and center with his trumpet while holographic dancers spun and twirled on the stage with them. It was a complete contrast to the techno club from last week, it was much calmer than the packed crowds and thundering music. "We should have come here," Jaune told Neon as they walked through the red carpeted club.
"This place isn't really my style," Neon told him with a shrug, "I only really come here when Flynt plays, but I'm glad you're liking it."
Dancers moved slowly with the cool rhythm on the floor in front of the stage. So far it was simple slow dancing and it wasn't crowded with plenty of room between the dancing couples. The bar was not mobbed by drinkers shouting out orders over everyone with several people sitting in the stool and drinking wine and cocktails as they listened idly to the music. Other corners of the club included a dart board and pools table where people played casually.
"Come on Ren!" Nora said, pulling her own date along helplessly, "Let's dance."
Jaune watched them leave and turned back to Neon only to see her also walking over to a tale where Ivori and Kobalt were watching their teammate perform. Jaune looked over at Penny who was still holding the arm he had offered her, she too seemed to be taking in the scenery of the club.
"Are you ready to dance?" Jaune asked her, he wasn't really sure what he was supposed to do next since the rest of his friends had run off leaving the two of them alone together.
"We do not have to if you do not want to," Penny told him, "I uh… I could do anything."
"I can do anything too," Jaune said with a chuckle, "but what would you like to do?"
"I… I do not think I am ready to dance," Penny told him looking at the dancers swaying together and holding each other close.
Jaune nodded in agreement, the slow and soft rhythm did seem a little intimate for just a couple of friends to dance to. "We don't need to dance yet if you don't want to, how about a game of darts or pool?" Jaune asked her since she looked rather lost and stressed about his question.
Penny nodded to him and they approached the game lounge where other patrons were enjoying themselves with their idle games.
"Have you ever played any of these games before?" Jaune asked, remembering a small pool table in one of Atlas Academy's rec rooms that she supposed she might have tried.
Penny shook her head no, she was being strangely quiet tonight. "Alright you're going to kick my ass at this," Jaune told her, remembering just how badly she had thrashed him at every little game they'd played while healing together. Penny was too good for him and probably any other person he knew, chess especially had been frustrating, it was like playing against a computer on the highest difficulties, every move was logical and he had no mean to defend himself from her cold and efficient strategy, not that he was ever particularly skilled at chess to begin with.
"You sound quite certain of your own defeat," Penny told him.
"I know what to expect from challenging you, you're a machine and I'm a mere mortal" Jaune told her picking up a pool cue, he inspected it like he had an eye for that sort of thing and grabbed a bit of blue chalk for the end. The balls were already racked up for them and Jaune demonstrated striking the cue ball and breaking the assembled balls apart scattering them across the table. A striped ball fell into one of the corner pockets.
"That means I'm playing stripes," Jaune explained to her, "meaning you're solids and will try to pocket the solid colored except the eight ball, that's saved for last, if you accidentally sink the eight ball before the others you lose, as long as you sink balls in your color you can keep taking shots."
Penny nodded as Jaune lined up another shot sinking another striped ball into a corner pocket and missing on his third shot.
"Your turn," Jaune told her.
Penny nodded and took a cue and chalked it up just like him and lined up a shot. The cue ball ricocheted off the sides twice before striking a ball and sinking it. She did it again and sank two balls this time and continued on and on making elaborate angled shots with perfect precision.
"See I knew you'd be a natural," Jaune praised her with a grin as she circled around the table for another shot.
Penny smiled a little and continued to sink shots across the table. "This isn't very difficult for me," she explained, sinking the rest of the solid colored balls before setting her eye on the black eight ball. She sank it, Jaune didn't even tell her that she needed to call her shot, he knew whatever pocket she named she would sink the shot with ease there was no point.
"You win," Jaune said, moving to sink the striped balls still scattered across the table for the simple pleasure of it. "I should take you to a pool hall sometime, I have no doubt we could con people into playing you for cash, no one would suspect a girl like you could beat them."
Penny giggled, "That would be illegal Jaune," she told him watching as he struggled to pocket the rest of his balls scratching the cue more than once.
"I'm just saying if you wanna ever quit being Mantle's own personal superhero you could definitely make it as a pool shark, I have no doubt you'd be just as good with darts too. I bet you could get straight bulls eyes if we tried."
"I have an internal targeting system so yes I could," Penny told him, "that would not be fair."
"Why not?" Jaune asked her, "it's your natural ability."
"I was not born naturally," Penny told him, "I was made."
"I was made," Jaune said, "maybe not like you but people are made, that doesn't make you less of a person."
"I think you have a natural ability to make me smile," Penny told him.
That surprised Jaune and he struck the cue ball a little harder than intended and it jumped and rolled across the carpet table. "Uh… really?" Jaune asked her grinning awkwardly and scratching the back of his head before bending down to grab the white cue ball.
"Yes," Penny told him as he set the cue ball back onto the table, "You always seem to have something to say that will make me happy."
Jaune took his shot and sank the final ball leaving the table clear save the single white cue ball. "I guess that's all of them," Jaune said, not really sure what else to say after her compliment. He set his stick back on the rack and looked back to the dance floor where the music was a faster paced swing now. "Shall we dance?" Jaune offered her.
"Are you sure you are finished losing to me?" Penny teased.
"I knew what I was getting into," Jaune defended, "but if you're still not feeling up to dancing I understand."
Penny shook her head, "There is not very much else for me here," she told him, "aside from winning games, I cannot enjoy a drink from the bar or eat."
"Well then let's go," Jaune said, taking her hand and leading her to the dance floor as they listened to the upbeat rhythm. Penny observed the dancers around them and how they moved to the thrum of the bass and the wail of the trumpets. Flynt was using his semblance and all four copies of his killer quartet blared on their instruments.
Jaune faced her and took her hands in his own. "Alright," Jaune said, hoping to ease her a little as he readied himself. "Just watch me," he said, guiding her as he helped mirror the style of dance. He was far more familiar with this style of dancing, it was far more like the ballroom dancing that he had learned with his sisters.
Penny kept her eyes intently on him as they moved together across the dance floor. Every move he showed her she mirrored almost perfectly moving with him in perfect time. "You're a very quick learner," Jaune praised her taking a step back and twirling her which she did gracefully before stepping back into his arms to step with him over the dance floor.
"Thank you," Penny said, "It helps when you have perfect memory," she explained to as their circled each other on the dance floor stepping around each other, there was a mechanical grace to her, while she mirrored his movements or seemingly copied from dancers around her she seemed to add her own style. It was precise and efficient in its own manner with little movement wasted.
"Just another natural talent then," Jaune told her with a grin and gave her another spin, "you're full of them."
The music flowed through them both as they moved together. As the music built to a faster pace they managed and as Penny watched and observed him or the other dancers her style and grace improved with each movement as the beat of the music sped up. They circled each other moving faster and faster and with greater ease and familiarity. Jaune found himself lost in the dance, it came naturally to him as his numerous years learning to dance slipped onto him like a well fitted glove. Penny responded in kind, she melded with his movements until they moved as one like a single well oiled machine and as the dance came natural and they gazed into each other's eyes.
The music built to a high crescendo with the trumpets blaring on a high nope and Jaune pulled her in and dipped her down holding her suspended above the floor as the song ended. He realized he was panting from exertion and his brow was sweaty, Penny of course showed no signs of exhaustion and only stared up at him with her emerald green eyes. They stayed like that for a long moment and Jaune realized he was holding her bare thigh.
"Uh sorry," Jaune said helping her up and removing his hand from her thigh feeling as red as Ruby's hood.
"No it is… alright," Penny told him, breaking her gaze with him to look down at the dance floor. The next song started slow and steady compared to the fast paced song they had just finished. "That was… intense, it was wonderful," she told him.
Jaune tentatively took hold of her shoulder and began their next slow dance together circling each other and swaying to the music. "I'm glad you enjoyed it, it's hard to believe that that was your first time dancing with another person. You would have turned a few heads dancing like that back at Beacon."
Penny smiled a bit at his compliment, "you are blushing," she told him melding into his touch as they started their second dance.
Jaune chuckled awkwardly at her, "Yeah… it was a little intense for me too," he admitted to her feeling guilty, "I'm sorry I was a little handsy there at the end," he apologized.
"I already told you it was alright, I uh… I actually liked it," she confessed.
Jaune's eyes widened at that, "really?" he asked her.
Penny simply nodded in response and settled close against him as they continued their slow dance and she rested her head against his chest. "Your heart is racing Jaune," she told him with a smile.
"Is it?" he asked nervously, what was with her tonight?
Penny nodded, "why is it beating so fast?" She asked him looking up at him as her head rested upon his chest.
"I don't know," Jaune admitted looking down at her and into her eyes.
Her gaze held and transfixed him, there was a heat to it, an intensity he had never seen in Penny before.
"Jaune… these last couple of months, since we faced Vasily you have become my friend, you have come to mean so much to me," she explained to him, "you became my friend Jaune but you have become more than that to me. Jaune, if I had a heart beating in my chest it would be racing with yours, and if I had blood it would be coloring my cheeks red with embarrassment, if I could sweat my palms would be sweaty. I wish I was a braver person Jaune, I wish I was better with words than I am because right now more than anything I want to tell you how I feel."
Jaune stared down at her stunned as she rambled to him. They stopped dancing and simply stood together as the rest of the dance floor moved around them unheeded by them. "Just tell me," Jaune told her cupping her cheek reassuringly, "I'll listen."
Penny raised herself up on her tiptoes and pressed her lips against his. She kissed him, soft nervous lips locked with his and he found himself pulled away from the dancing and the music. He melded into the kiss drawing Penny into him and deepened it as instinct took hold and she became the only person in his world.
Hope you all enjoyed this weeks chapter. This one was a little difficult to write as I constantly was rewriting scenes since nothing I wrote was satisfying me, I always felt like I could be doing better with this chapter since it is such an important one but a deadline is a deadline and I had to come to terms eventually. I hope you liked it and are eager to see what happens next. What do you think of this chapter and Penny's confession? Could I have done better? As usual I would like to thank MidKnightMoonglow99, DrknssRules1, Firefly25 and MajorBrony95. Wish you all to stay happy and healthy in these difficult times and I'll be back next week.