That moment when you meet your friends from university for a new year get together (or an after-new year get together), and we're all talking about where we are in life and what we're doing.

"Oh, me?" I ask, laughing. "I'm writing Fanfiction."

Most awkward silence ever.

"Can I… try answering that question again?"

Now they won't stop going on about how I spend my time writing about Harry and Ron getting it on while Snape watches. I'd correct them on the fandom but I don't think that's the right decision, or liable to stop the teasing, lol. Damn it all.

Beta: College Fool

Cover Art: Kegi Springfield

Chapter 49

It was a stand-off.

The two women stared at one another, neither daring to move as each waited for the other to say or do something first. Amber eyes narrowed as a hand fell to her side, prepared to defend herself if needs be. The others eyes followed instantly, glinting dangerously. She'd been caught, and at the worst possible moment by the worst possible person. All her plans - all her schemes - might soon be in ruin.

And it was all because of one man.

"Hm, this is delicious," Ren said, biting into a pastry. "Would you like some, Blake?"

"Yes, Blake," Nora echoed, voice brittle, face hard as diamond. "Would you like some? Maybe Ren can feed it to you romantically. Maybe I can feed it to you." The ginger girl's hand reached for a hammer that wasn't there. Even so, Blake feared what damage Nora could cause with a scone.

It was a stand-off, alright, and Ren had no idea he was in the middle of it. This wasn't the way my plan was supposed to go, Blake thought piteously. It was official. There was no justice in the world. Or, well, if there was it had taken one look at her record as a terrorist and `noped` its way out of there.

"I'm not hungry," she said, either to Ren or Nora. Maybe to both. "I think you're misunderstanding, Nora."

"Oh, am I?" Nora tittered happily. "Am I?"

"Yes. Yes, you are."

"Maybe you should explain it to me."

"Maybe I should."

"Cool. We should talk in the restroom and leave Ren here, then."

"Maybe I shouldn't," Blake quickly changed her mind. "How about we just remember the fact that we're a team and that this is a friendly occasion, and have a nice time tonight?"

"Dance?" Ren suggested.

Nora's eyes narrowed.

"No dancing," Blake said quickly. Not until she'd found a way to disarm the bomb that was he partner, anyway. "Maybe later," she said. "I… uh…"

"Blake and I need to have some girl-talk," Nora explained.

Blake started to sweat. "Uh…"

"In private."

"Can Yang come?" Blake asked.

"That wouldn't be very private, would it?" It wouldn't, but she'd have a bodyguard at least. Unfortunately Nora shook her head and pointed to the side. "Besides, she's busy. Unless you want to step between that."

The three of them turned in time to see Yang smiling happily as she danced with Jaune of all people, her head resting against his chest. It was a beautiful scene, made all the more so by how their outfits matched so perfectly. Blake would have smiled, almost did, but quickly remembered that she was in the firing line and that a moment's distraction might cost her life.

Damn it. Yang wasn't an option.

"Fine. No Yang."

"You sure?" Nora asked. "You could just walk over there and ruin everything. It wouldn't be hard. Hey, I bet you've even got practice."

"Am I missing something here?" Ren asked.

"Yes." Blake said.

"No." Nora echoed.

The two stared at one another.

"No?" Blake asked.

"Yes," Nora agreed. There was a moment of confused silence before she turned to Blake. "Don't you worry, Ren. We'll sort this out between us. You just sit there and look handsome, okay?" Nora's hand caught Blake's before she could flee.

It was an impressive feat.

No one's ever managed to stop me running away before. I underestimated her!

Sweat started to run down her forehead. She'd long since had nightmares of Adam catching and punishing her for her betrayal. How foolish. She should have realised the true danger was a different redhead and awaited far closer.

Nora giggled and pretended she didn't notice how pale Blake's face was, nor how much sweat ran down her brow or how she dug in her heels as she was dragged in the direction of the women's bathroom. "Come on, Blakey. It's time for girl talk. We can talk about make-up, cute boys, cute boys, and respecting the boundaries around cute boys."

Ren watched the two go. With a shrug, he turned back to watch the dance, enjoying the sight of Yang and Jaune having fun together. Well, it was nice to see things were working out on their end at least.

/-/

On the other side of the hall Cinder clicked her fingers together and felt a wave of dust overcome her as she transformed into her gown for the evening. She smiled as she brought her hand down, sliding through a side-entrance and into the dance with no one the wiser. It felt good to have her plans go properly for once, and that meant without a single bit of fuss, no drama, and certainly no irritating little brother running around with his tentacles mucking everything up. She'd been in and out within a few minutes, and hadn't so much as broken a sweat doing it.

"Perhaps this is a sign of things to come," she mused aloud. "I could certainly get used to it."

No one noted her entrance though a few lusty boys noted her passing. That was fine since it only proved her presence, but she still needed to find Mercury and dance with him, if only to be seen by the teachers and allay any possible suspicion. More than that she needed to be seen by Jaune. If he thought she'd spent the night with Mercury, he wouldn't worry what else she'd gotten up to.

Now, if only she could find her errant minion. Curse him. He was supposed to find her, not the other way around.

He's probably off bating Emerald, she thought, not quite as dismissive of him as she'd often been before. Mercury had proven himself an asset of late and, to her surprise and disappointment, Emerald had proven quite the opposite. Cinder's eyes scanned the crowd for the girl, knowing her hair to be more distinctive, and found her off in one corner. There was no sign of Mercury, but what there was a sign of were two Atlas soldiers. Cinder's eyes narrowed. Had Emerald somehow already rung alarm bells with Atlas? That was ridiculous!

"She's supposed to be watching Jaune," Cinder hissed, striding up the steps up onto the second-floor balcony. The view would be better, and she'd be more noticeable to Mercury. Still, what was that girl doing?

Emerald was focused on something on the dance floor, and Cinder tracked her gaze, wondering if it was Mercury and if the idiot hadn't ignored her instructions altogether. It wasn't. Emerald's attention was on Jaune, as it should be. He was dancing with a blonde-haired girl in a black dress, one that Cinder recognised.

He's being kept busy, then, she thought. That's good. He wouldn't notice her absence if he was distracted. That was very good. Absolutely perfect.

Her nails dug into her palm.

Yang Xiao-Long should enjoy such moments while she could. It wouldn't last. Jaune was Jaune Salem Arc, heir to Salem herself, and that precluded him from mingling with such riffraff. Even if Salem might encourage it, the girl herself would not once she knew the truth. She will turn on you, Jaune. Don't be such a fool. He was wasting his time. He was getting involved where he shouldn't. He-

Cinder took a deep breath and tore her eyes away from the sickening scene. No. She wasn't going to let it bother her. It didn't bother her. He could dance with who he wanted. So long as he kept his nose out of her business he could do what he wanted.

Why should she care?

Where on Remnant was Mercury!?

And why did she feel so much rage at the sight of that stupid, blonde bimbo wrapping her arms around her Jaune!

The railing beneath her hands started to sizzle and hiss. A young man who'd been hoping to try his luck with the pretty woman stood on her own did an amazing about-turn and reconsidered his life choices.

/-/

Weiss was no stranger to feeling embarrassed, but it was the first time she'd ever felt embarrassment over her sister, who she normally held as a perfect example of what she wanted to be. As it was, she wrung her hands and tried to find a hole in the ground to hide in when Winter stormed towards Yang and Jaune, the sheer force of her presence enough to make enamoured couples dance worriedly out of her path. Her partner and his date felt it too, and Yang's eyes widened as she saw the Schnee sisters approaching.

I'm sorry, Weiss tried to mouth. She wasn't sure to whom she was apologising, but it was too late to do anything as Winter descended on them.

"Are you enjoying the dance, Mr Arc?" she snapped.

Even Jaune, as oblivious as he was, could sense the malice. Weiss wasn't sure if it was a sign of how far he'd come that he chose not to answer immediately, or just his sense of self-preservation. He looked to her and she shook her head, trying to tell him she had no idea how to handle this. Her plans had been fool-proof.

Just not sister-proof.

"It's a nice night," Jaune cautiously said once it was clear he wasn't going to get away without an answer. "How are you, Miss Schnee?"

"I am fine, thank you for asking. I had just come by to visit my sister and see how she was doing on this special night. It is, after all, a time for all couples to be together, no?"

Weiss cringed.

Jaune winced. "I… guess…?"

"Perhaps we should switch partners for a moment," Winter suggested. Her arctic gaze cut a line between Yang and Jaune and they hopped apart awkwardly. Weiss tried not to meet anyone's eyes as she moved towards Jaune, but she was surprised when Winter pushed her back. "I think it far as your sister I be allowed the first dance with your beau, no?" she asked. "I will return him to you in one piece, of course. Is this satisfactory?"

Winter wanted to dance with Jaune…? Okay no, that obviously wasn't the case given the visible tick mark on her sister's forehead, or how white her knuckles were as she just about crushed Jaune's wrist. Weiss looked to her partner, who was shaking his head wildly. No, no, no, he mouthed.

"S-Sure," Weiss surrendered, doing her best to ignore his horrified expression.

"Perfect. Come, Arc. Let us dance."

Winter didn't so much sweep him away as haul him bodily, and Weiss whispered a prayer for his soul as he was hidden in the crowd. She offered one for her own a second later as she turned to Yang, fully expecting a furious, if not enraged, expression. What she got was a raised eyebrow.

"Chill, Weiss-cream," Yang said. "I'm not angry."

"You're not…?"

Yang laughed and took Weiss in her arms, subtly hinting she'd take the lead as they joined the dancers. Despite her fear, the blonde wore a cheeky, almost amused, smile. "Nah. Not at you, anyway. A little worried for Jaune but he can look after himself. Besides, it's pretty obvious you're not doing this by choice."

"Thanks." She sagged and placed her own hands on Yang's waist. "I was afraid you'd…"

"Think you were competing?"

Weiss nodded.

Afraid of being dragged into everything, really.

"Ha. Weiss-cream, I think you're possibly the only person not competing with me, which is weird since you're also the one currently blocking me. I take it your sister showed up to throw a wrench in your plans?"

"She still thinks Jaune and I are together."

"I bet the dress hardly helps," Yang said, nodding down to the black outfit she wore. It was, against all odds, completely identical to Yang's, and matched Jaune's perfectly. "There a story behind that?"

"It arrived as a gift," Weiss explained. "I assumed it was from Winter or my father. I didn't even read into it until I saw yours."

"Funny. I got this as a gift too, but I figured it was from some guy trying to catch my attentiion."

Weiss blinked, trusting Yang's words easily enough and also realising that Winter did tend to sign her name on most things she sent. "In that case, who would have sent them…? And why the same dress to both of us?"

"I dunno, but I wouldn't mind finding out. You?"

"I'll help." After all, whoever it was hadn't exactly made life easy for her. Goodness knows what Winter thought of seeing her sister's boyfriend cheating on her with another girl who just so happening to be wearing the exact same dress. Weiss shook her head. "I'm sorry for this again, Yang."

"Don't worry about it. Honestly, I was about ready to cry my eyes out twenty minutes ago and then went to top of the moon in less than fifteen seconds. Even this isn't enough to make me feel bad right now. Spin."

"Huh?" Weiss yelped as Yang suddenly held a hand above her head, but her dance training kicked in and she spun gracefully, stepping back into Yang's body a second later.

"Hey, you're not bad at this."

"Please. I'm a Schnee. I know how to dance."

"Your sister doesn't seem to." Yang nodded in the direction of Winter, who had dragged Jaune to the centre of the dance floor and was holding him close against her. She was whispering something to Jaune, evidenced by his pale face, but she also danced clumsily, stepping on his toes and making him wince every few seconds.

"No," Weiss sighed. "She knows. She's just choosing to conveniently forget."

"Ouch. Vicious."

"Not really. How would you feel if you thought someone was cheating on Ruby?"

"Yeah, I guess so." Yang winced when she saw Winter twirl Jaune about and drag him back against her, his face bouncing off her shoulder. "Eh, he's a tough guy. He'll be fine. Question is; what are we going to do about this?"

"What can I do?"

"We could tell her the truth," Yang suggested.

"If Winter knew the truth then she'd know we got involved against the White Fang. She might even find out about Blake." While Weiss herself wasn't overly upset about Blake being a faunus and ex-White Fang, the same couldn't be said about Winter, who had been through far worse things with the terrorist group. "It's not an option."

"Tell her we're sharing him?"

Weiss' horrified expression made it clear what she thought of that.

"Well come on, Weiss. Throw me a bone here. What options do we have?"

"We're either competing for him or we're not," she said. "The only choices are that he and I are together and you're a close friend, or he and I are together and you're a competitor. She's not going to believe anything else."

"Can't you break up with him? You could use this as an excuse."

"I could, but what do you think she would think of you and Jaune? She isn't going to sit back and ignore it if she thinks the two of you worked together to break my heart at a public event and humiliate me. And no," she added, "my saying I'm not broken hearted won't help. She'll just assume I'm hiding it."

"True… I'd assume the same if it were Ruby." Yang looked at her and sighed. "Fine. You can dance with him a bit to throw her off, but I'm taking a few dances myself. If she wants to think I'm some kind of home wrecker, she can go for it."

Weiss winced. "That's… not exactly wise."

"Pft. What's she going to do, attack me?"

"Actually, she very well might-" Weiss' warning was interrupted as a shadow fell over her, the dance having ended and Jaune and Winter returning, the latter looking satisfied and the former like his life had flashed before his eyes. He was pushed into her arms and he didn't so much lean on her as slump. He looked dazed, confused, and frightened.

But he was in one piece, if a little pale, and that was more than she'd expected.

"Your partner and I have reached an understanding," Winter said. Jaune shivered. "I'll return him to you now. I hope you enjoy your evening."

"Yeah, have fun, Weiss," Yang said, taking a step back. "Go dance with your boyfriend. I'll hang with my team. Save me a dance for later, though."

Weiss mouthed a thank you to Yang as she took Jaune's hands, gently leading him out to dance. The poor boy looked shell-shocked. Yang watched them go and earned a nod – suspicious as it was – from Weiss's sister. Thankfully the older Schnee didn't see the need to talk to her privately, so Yang shrugged and headed back to Ren, who she'd seen hovering off to the side.

/-/

Despite the situation, she still couldn't feel all that bad. Having her dance interrupted sucked but she meant what she'd said to Weiss. Her mood had already done a one-eighty once tonight and she was too thrilled to feel upset about this, especially when Weiss and Jaune were just covering for one another. If it had been any other girl she might have been jealous, but Weiss was just so against it, it was funny. The whole night was funny - especially her sorrow and agony earlier. It all seemed so much more amusing when she could look back on it and realise how wrong she'd been. Her smile stretched from ear to ear, even as the next song started and her date - no, her boyfriend now - danced with another woman.

Boyfriend...

That had a nice ring to it.

"Trouble in paradise?" Ren asked when she came near.

Yang grinned. "Shut up, you."

"You seem to be in a markedly better mood than you were earlier." He chuckled. "Things went well, I take it."

"Shut up," she repeated, this time with a pleased blush. He'd seen right through her, of course. Not that it was hard when she wore a grin wide enough to split her face in two. "I don't see your date anywhere, buster, so you can't be teasing me about mine. Where is she, anyway?"

"She's in the bathroom talking to Nora."

It took Yang a second to notice the wrongness in that sentence.

"Talking to Nora? As in, you didn't come with Nora?"

"I came with Blake."

Uh-oh… Yang looked towards the public restrooms, which – to Nora's credit – hadn't yet exploded in a ball of fire and brimstone. Somehow that made it worse. Ren was oblivious, of course, though she had to wonder if he actually was or was just acting oblivious because it was easier than dealing with the situation.

"How long have they been in there for?"

"Ten minutes or so. Why?"

Yang winced. "You came with Blake to help her out with her problem, didn't you?"

"She didn't have a date and was worried Sun might realise she lied to him." Ren shrugged. "I offered to help since I didn't have anything else to do and I am the team leader. She accepted, even if we're only together as teammates and friends."

"And, just so I know, did you explain this to Nora?"

"No." He blinked. "Should I have?"

"I'll go rescue Blake."

Not even the threat of immediate and toilet-based violence could dampen her mood as she left her leader behind, and she grinned widely as she pushed past a few queuing girls, apologising and explaining that she was just looking for someone the entire time. The toilets set aside for the dance were relatively nice, but they were crowded with girls checking make-up in the mirror or waiting for the cubicles. It wasn't hard to figure out where Blake and Nora were, since there was one cubicle sealed shut with two girls outside it, balancing awkwardly as they tried to control their bladders. One, a girl with bright green hair swept over one side, and two strange markings on her cheeks, banged a fist on it.

"Come on!" she half-cried, half-whimpered. "You've been in there for ages. I'm dying out here!"

"No interruptions!" Nora's voice came back.

Yang sighed and pushed past the girl, winking to show her she wasn't trying to push in front. She rapped a fist against the door. "Nora, that you? Is Blake in there?"

"Yang?" Blake's voice sounded. "Yang, help me!"

Yep. Guess that answered it. "Give me a second," she whispered to the desperate girls outside. She pressed her arm against the door and tested it. It was locked. Not that it could stop her. "Nora, if you don't open this door and come out I'll knock it down."

There was a pause from within.

"Not by the hairs on my chinny, chin, chin!"

"I'll tell Ren," Yang threatened.

"You wouldn't!" Yang's silence was threat enough and after a few short seconds the door unlatched and crept open just a tiny bit. One of Nora's eyes appeared through the crack. "You wouldn't," she repeated.

"Try me. What are you doing in there, anyway?"

"We're having a conference," Nora declared. "A girl-to-girl agreement. A team meeting."

"You're threatening Blake, aren't you?"

"Why would you even think that!?"

"Help me!" Blake wailed piteously from within.

Yang raised an eyebrow.

Nora laughed nervously.

"Come on out, Nora. The three of us can talk in the corridor and no one has to be the wiser. People are dying for the toilet out here." Yang glanced to the lime-haired girl who was dancing from one foot to the other. "Let's talk about this like adults. Okay?"

The door closed again, but Yang breathed a sigh of relief – as did those waiting outside – when it unlocked fully and opened. Nora sulked out, Blake in tow, and Yang was vaguely surprised to find that her teammate was in one piece. Nora wasn't a particularly violent or vengeful person, constant threats of broken legs notwithstanding, but it didn't even look like either of them had been crying, shouting or accusing one another at all. None of the things she'd expected to see.

"You okay?" Yang asked her, concerned.

"No," Blake said. "It's terrible."

"She shout at you?"

"Worse."

Yang raised an eyebrow but ushered the two out of the toilet, winning applause for her efforts, even while Blake and Nora got their fair share of evil – and in some cases curious – glances. Not that either of them noticed, of course. Nora was too busy giving Blake the evil eye and Blake was too busy keeping Yang positioned strategically between them.

"Okay," she said once she'd brought them to a quieter spot. "I think I've got the basics down. First things first, Nora, you can't kill Blake."

"I know that," Nora said, arms crossed. "I was mad at first obviously, but I decided to think about it and calm down. Blake is my partner, after all. I wouldn't hurt her."

"No, you can't break her- wait, really!?"

"She didn't shout or scream," Blake confirmed with a sigh. "She did something far, far, worse."

"I decided to be a true teammate and best partner ever," Nora declared. "Even if Blake stole Ren's attention and took advantage of our friendship and stabbed me in the back." She nodded when Blake winced at each accusation. "Even then, I'm not going to turn on her because I'm the best teammate ever and I know it's not her fault."

"Huh, that's surprisingly mature of you," Yang said, impressed.

Blake groaned. "Wait for it…"

"Because it's not Blake's fault," Nora said. "After all, Ren is the handsomest man alive so it makes sense she'd fall in love with him."

Yang stared at Nora, who nodded her head as if she'd realised the meaning of life. She stared at Blake afterwards, in time to see the faunus cradling her red face in her hands. She also checked their surroundings, just to make sure people with scrolls weren't going to jump out and declare her pranked. Nothing. Nora was deadly serious.

Oh Gods…

"I can't blame Blakey for that," she continued. "I mean, who wouldn't fall for him? The only reason you didn't is because you like Jaune instead. Maybe if I'd been a better teammate I would have noticed and helped Blake, but I didn't." Her head fell. "I'm the one at fault."

"You're so far off the mark it's ridiculous!" Blake cried. "I'm not after him."

"But I'll get better," Nora said, ignoring her. "This isn't the end though, Blake. Even if we're partners and even if I'll accept you loving Ren, that doesn't mean I'm going to move aside and give up on him. From now on, we're rivals."

"We really aren't!"

"Rivals in love."

"Please… stop talking…"

"Rivals for Ren's heart," Nora said, earning a shudder from Blake. "So yeah," she turned to Yang, who had been watching in silent bemusement. "I'm not going to go crazy and hurt her. Don't worry. I'm not even mad, just fired up!"

Fired up, huh? A quick look to Blake showed she wasn't quite as energetic about the idea, her hair frazzled and sticking out at odd angles and her shoulders slumped, head tilted to one side. Yang could almost imagine her soul drifting out of her mouth and away.

"Anyway, I'm gonna go steal Ren for a dance," Nora said, giggling as she slipped past. "Catch you later!" She jogged off before Blake could give chase, not that Blake ever would. She was too busy looking vacant and horrified.

"So," Yang coughed, hiding her smile. "You and Ren, huh?"

"Don't start."

"You'll have to move fast if you don't want Nora to get a foot up."

"I will stab you."

"Good luck, Blake," Yang mock-cheered, holding both hands out, thumbs up. "Fight for your heart!"

Blake sighed.

"I should have stayed with the White Fang..."

/-/

Jaune smiled as he swung Ruby about the dance floor, his third partner in the last few minutes, but that was fine. His stamina was enough to keep going even after Weiss and Yang had pleaded for a break. The night had started to calm down somewhat after Winter left, drawn away by some Atlas soldiers and looking a little worried as they rushed off somewhere. He'd seen General Ironwood and Ozpin leave too, but since he'd spotted his Big Sis up on the balcony he figured it wasn't anything to be worried about.

Either way it had given him a chance to get back to Yang, and for Weiss to ditch him like she had an allergy. He'd danced a little longer with her, and with a few others. Pyrrha had taken a dance or two, looking curiously good in her tuxedo, and he'd even been surprised by Blake, who clung to him with wide eyes and steered him as far away from Nora as humanly possible. Eventually, Yang had teased and wheedled Ruby into a dance with him, and though she'd looked nervous at first Yang had assured her it was okay.

Ruby calmed down quickly once they were going, and quickly got into the swing of things. She wasn't a good dancer per se, not compared to him, but she was light and quick on her feet and the times when she did step on his toes, he barely even noticed. Not everyone had a grandchild-hungry mother forcing dancing lessons on you.

"I'm glad everything worked out." Ruby whispered as their dance came to an end. She didn't look keen to stop and Yang waved a hand for them to keep going, mid-conversation with Weiss, so he smiled and kept hold of her.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

Ruby giggled. "Just things," she said. "You shouldn't worry about it. I was just afraid things would be bad or that someone would be hurt."

"Are you in trouble?"

"Not now." She slapped his chest with one hand and grinned. "Don't worry."

Jaune nodded and gave Ruby time for a little spin before they came back together, her back to his chest and one arm wrapped about her waist. "Do you mean with hurt feelings?" he asked.

She glanced up at him, shocked. "You knew?"

"I'd be an idiot not to have noticed, Ruby."

Her cheeks darkened. "Y-Yeah, I guess so. Was it that obvious?"

"A little, yes."

Ruby ducked her head and didn't say anything for a few moments. They danced on with her refusing to meet his eyes, until she had a chance where they were pressed together and her head was tilted to the side. It let her pretend she wasn't embarrassed, even if he could see how red she was.

"I'm just glad no one got hurt," she whispered, "even if it wasn't as subtle as I'd hoped."

"I'm glad, too," Jaune said, smiling. "It would be a shame to see people torn apart over something like this. Over a guy."

"Doesn't it feel weird for you?" she asked.

"A little," he admitted. "But I try to stay out of it as best I can. I don't want to influence anyone and make their decisions for them. That feels unfair."

"I guess so. You're probably right." She giggled lightly. "I guess you're not as blind as you look."

Hey now, that was a little uncalled for. He gave her a little pout and she giggled again. Even if he wasn't aware of all the social norms of regular people, he was still an intelligent person. It was just that he'd basically come into a new world with no knowledge about how it worked or what it meant when people did or said something.

It was hard, but he was getting used to it all.

"Thanks for being such a good friend," Ruby said, hugging him tightly.

"It's fine," he said, holding her in return. "He's a great guy. He won't hurt anyone if he can help it."

Ruby paused. "Eh?"

"Ren," he clarified. "He's a good guy. Even if Blake and Nora both like him I'm sure he won't hurt either of them if he can - h-hey, why are you looking at me like that?"

Ruby was giving him the flattest look he'd ever seen from her. It was a bizarre mixture of annoyance, disappointment and someone who had just been surprised and then realised they really shouldn't have been.

"You're talking about Ren," she said, voice equally flat. "Ren, Nora and Blake."

"Yeah. Weren't you?"

She sighed.

"You weren't? Who were you talking about?"

"No one, Jaune…"

"It doesn't sound like no one."

"It doesn't matter." She shook her head and laughed. "And I take back what I said. You're exactly how you look."

"That feels unfair…"

"Don't worry. It's not a bad thing." Ruby smiled as the dance came to an end and stepped back. She glanced back to the others. "Make sure you have another dance with Yang, okay? She should be your last dance of the night."

"I will, I will."

Ruby made to move away but stopped at the last second. The dance had ended with her arms around his neck and her looking up at him, still a little annoyed, but also amused for some reason. That faded as she stared at him, and she cocked her head to the side.

"I'm not going to give up. This is me saying she should be happy as well, but I'm not giving up entirely, you know." Giving up on what? She must have seen his confusion for she rolled her eyes, and it did feel a little emasculating to have someone two years younger do that. "You'll figure it out in time," she said.

Her eyes flicked to the side, to where Yang and co stood, as if to make sure no one was watching. When she saw it was clear, she stood on tiptoes and pressed her lips against his cheek. It was a sudden and chaste thing, and over before he'd realised it had started. Left behind was a wet sensation on his left cheek, and him with an open mouth and wide eyes. Ruby's face was red, but she smiled as she stepped back.

"Thanks for the dance. It was fun."

She was gone a moment later, hiding her face from his view as she hurried back to the others and practically threw herself at Pyrrha. The taller redhead looked down and asked a question, then smiled at whatever the response was. Yang asked something as well, but Ruby shook her head and didn't answer. By the time he reached them Ren was already being dragged out onto the dance floor once more, and he casually side-stepped the exhausted man's grasping hand. Sure, he could have saved him, but Ren kind of deserved it for being so oblivious to the feelings of others.

Whatever the case, Jaune bowed low before Yang and held out a hand.

"Another dance?"

She smiled and placed her hand in his.

"I thought you'd never ask."

/-/

"Ozpin, this is serious," General Ironwood hissed. "The CCT has been breached and several guards were injured, not to mention the interloper did goodness knows what to the terminals. This is no laughing matter."

"Am I laughing, James?" Ozpin asked. True to his words, his face was uncharacteristically firm. "I am giving this matter the dignity it deserves but there is little we can do. There were no witnesses and it will take time to determine what this intruder did. Until then you will only alarm people if you continue to frown like that."

Far from smoothing out his expression, Ironwood's scowl deepened. He did nod, however.

"Winter will investigate the scene of the crime," he said. "She is a specialist for a reason so if there is anything to find, she will find it." He nodded to the woman, who saluted and rushed back to the CCT. Ozpin wondered if he should point out James ought to have asked permission for that, but he let it go.

They were all allies, after all.

"If she finds anything, see it forwarded to myself as well."

Ironwood nodded. "Of course."

The two continued on in silence. Glynda had been with them earlier but had returned to the ball once it was clear there was nothing that could be done, while Oobleck had offered to check the Bullhead docks to see if anyone suspicious had arrived or left. Peter had also mentioned something, though it eluded his memory at the moment, much like many of the things Peter said.

"So close to the Vytal Festival," James mused. "This is no accident."

No, Ozpin thought. Someone breaking into a tower, disabling a number of guards and uploading some mysterious program onto one of the most powerful terminals in the Kingdom probably wasn't an accident, or if it was they were dealing with someone who had a prodigious clumsiness. Still, he understood what his old friend was really trying to say, even if he liked to mire his words in needless pomp and ceremony.

"We will increase security for the festival, James. I would have done as much already with the White Fang running rampant. You know that."

"I still believe you should allow me to station some of our new soldiers here."

"Your machines-"

"Soldiers," he corrected. "They are more than mere machines, Ozpin."

"Your soldiers," Ozpin amended, rolling his eyes. "I will consider it, old friend. Until then, I am in charge of the security for the event and I shall place my faith in the hands of huntsmen and huntresses, as I have for centuries." He coughed. "We, I mean. As we have. On that note, I'd appreciate it if you stopped trying to convince the council to put you in charge of security."

Most people would have been embarrassed to have been caught out. James Ironwood simply shrugged one shoulder and ignored the request entirely.

"I hope you're not making a mistake, Ozpin."

"I will do my best, old friend."

A loud rustle from the nearby trees interrupted their conversation, and while Ozpin showed no outward reaction he prepared himself for combat. James, as ever, was somewhat less subtle and pointed his gun in the direction of the noise.

"Show yourself!"

There was another rustle, followed by a moment of awkward silence, before a young man in a suit stood with his arms raised in the air. Though Ozpin didn't recognise him, he felt he'd seen the boy before. What he was doing in the bushes did not need to be explained due to the fact the top two buttons of his shirt were undone, broken, and his bowtie had been yanked to one side. His jacket was muddy and his silver hair ruffled. There were also several red marks about his mouth where lipstick had smudged.

"I dropped my scroll," the boy said, with what Ozpin felt was remarkable poise.

Ironwood's gun dropped. He sighed heavily into his other hand.

"For the love of everything…"

"I dropped my scroll," the student maintained, voice flat. The bush rustled again and Ozpin pretended he couldn't see the two brown ears poking several inches over the top. "I'm still looking for my scroll right now."

Ironwood stared at the student, then at Ozpin. With a sigh he put the gun away.

"Good luck with the search."

"Thank you, sir."

As the two walked away, Ozpin wondered if anyone noticed their hurried pace, or what the students would think of it if they saw.

"I take it we're going to pretend we didn't have to see that," James said.

"Already ahead of you, old friend. Already very far ahead of you…"

/-/

Lavender's breath came out in short pants as she rushed through the halls of Beacon, her skirts clutched in her hands. It had taken a while to get ready and get in, what with the walk from Vale to Beacon, impossible for anyone who wasn't essentially immune to any Grimm, but she was here now and ready to make her big entrance. She'd find her prince charming and sweep him off his feet once and for all.

With an excited gasp she reached the doors to the ballroom and cast them open, bathing herself, and her beautiful red dress, in light. Everyone would turn towards the doors. Everyone would notice her. And then, before them all, she would step forward and touch his cheek with one gloved hand.

It would be perfect.

And true to form, the plan worked perfectly. Every single person in the ballroom looked her way. All two of them. The one on the left stood a little taller and leaned on his mop. He was somewhere between fifty and sixty and only had half his teeth.

"Hello, little lady," he said.

Lavender's wide eyes stared about the hall, her spirits falling. Her arms fell with them. "W-Where is everyone?" she asked. "What about the dance?"

"That thing ended over an hour ago, little lady."

What!?

S-Sure, she'd taken more time getting ready than she'd anticipated – she had to look perfect, after all – and yes, the trip to Beacon had been a long one, but surely she hadn't taken that long. Lavender swallowed and looked around, as if to make sure it wasn't a joke and that everyone was simply hiding behind one of the nearby pillars. They weren't, of course. The entire area was empty.

"O-Oh, I see. I'm sorry. I'll just…" She nodded to the door and dropped her head. No more words came out as she sulked her way back outside, doing her best to ignore the old man's pitying gaze as she did.

Outside in the corridor, she finally allowed her shoulders to slump. No special moment. No prince charming. No knight in shining armour and no romantic dance under the moonlight. Lavender raised her hands into the air and growled in frustration.

"Are you alright?" someone asked from behind.

She recognised the voice. More than that, she recognised the words – the very words he'd said to her when he'd rescued her from the crumbling building that she had – maybe technically – caused. With a gasp, she spun around to stare into his beautiful pink eyes.

He looked tired and was carrying two plates of pancakes.

"Are you alright?" he repeated. "You looked upset."

He was – but – and right when she…? Lavender's brain turned to mush. Talk about not being the moment she'd wanted, or the first impression. She'd been a hair's breadth from going full Grimm mode in her anger. As it was she tried to find something to say but only managed an awkward squeak. Her words, so carefully prepared and practiced, failed her.

"Eh…"

Ren blinked, clearly uncertain what she was trying to say. He glanced down to the pancakes in his hands. "These? They're for my teammates. They're arguing about something, so I thought it might calm them down. Or one of them, at least. Are you lost? I know Beacon can be confusing for transfer students. I can guide you back to your dorm if needed."

No. Not quite. Or maybe she was lost – in his eyes. No, that sounded way too sappy. What was she supposed to say? What was she supposed to do?

All of Uncle Watts' tips had flown away.

"Or I can leave you alone if I'm bothering you," he said, misreading her silence. He chuckled and ducked his head as he stepped past. "My apologies for bothering you. Good night."

He was leaving. Her eyes widened. Desperation kicked in. She wanted her special moment, not to have him remember her as some silent weirdo in a corridor who couldn't say a word and stared at him until he left. She'd spent so long getting ready, fixing her hair, making her way to Beacon, sneaking in, and only for it all to culminate in this single moment in a corridor. She couldn't let it slip by. She had to do something.

Anything!

Without thinking, Lavender Arc moved.

/-/

Weiss cracked an eye open as the banging on the door sounded. She growled, checked her scroll, then rolled over and decided to ignore it. It was six in the morning. They'd been up past midnight. She was not getting up so early. Not even if it was her father at the door.

The visitor didn't agree and continued to band their fist on the door.

"Nooo," Ruby whined from her bed, cocooned in her blankets. "I don't wanna go to school…"

The banging continued, and Weiss made a gross miscalculation when she got angry and hurled a pillow at the door. It flopped weakly against it with a slapping sound and the banging did stop. For a moment. Sadly, she'd also revealed that she was awake, so when it started again it was much more insistent.

Weiss clenched her eyes shut and tried to ignore it. If she managed it for long enough then someone else would get up to handle it. That was the plan anyway, but Ruby groaned and wound herself deeper into her blankets, while Pyrrha pulled a pillow down over her face and curled into a ball. Jaune, as oblivious as ever, slept through it.

"Damn it," Weiss finally hissed, realising she wasn't going to be saved by anyone else and that their visitor – who was soon to be a dead man – wasn't going to stop. She reached for her clothes, thought better of it, and stomped bare foot to the door.

Bags under her eyes, hair poking out at odd angles and lips peeled back into a snarl, she tore the door open.

"WHAT!?"

Yang, Nora and Blake stood on the other side, as exhausted as they, but dressed and armed. Yang stood at the front, one fist raised to knock again, and let out a long sigh.

"Ren's gone missing."

Ruby whimpered and huddled deeper into her sheets.

Pyrrha screamed weakly into her pillow.

Jaune snored away.

Weiss sighed. "Give us ten minutes."

"Nooo…" Ruby whined brokenly. "I don't wanna rescue someone…"

"Best make it fifteen."

Ah, the Salem Arc school of romance for strong independent and shy women. It is tried and tested after all and hey, it worked on her father. And so the dance comes to an end. I know it's not the climax that the ten or more chapters built it up to be, but you all likely know why by now so I don't want to belabour the point. There was a lot of POV jumping here, however. I didn't want to let it drag on for two or more chapters. Not when it didn't have to and no huge climax was on its way.

From next chapter on it may feel like a little like I'm writing a line under it, at least in terms of it being quickly forgotten by everyone. Not the outcomes, of course. Jaune and Yang are, if nothing else, official now, except to Winter, of course (As are Mercury and Velvet, I guess). I just mean that things will move on quickly and bring back the core plot of the story, which is Salem, Hentacle, and the basic premise of the good guys versus the bad guys with a protagonist who has loyalties in both camps.

Next Chapter: 11th January

P a treon . com (slash) Coeur