Hello, hello, hello! Welcome back to another episode of, Ren's... DARE!

*crickets*

Today, we have Nora being... Nora, and Sunflower doing random stuff! Like eating!

Yeah! So stay tuned, and read on my dear audience, because it's time to begin!

Yang's Arc P. 4: Out on the Town

He looked down to check his scroll. "It's twelve, Yang."

"Huh, time flies I guess."

"Was that a pun about one of our previous rides?"

"Nope. But thanks for telling me!"

He mentally face-palmed again. I really must stop doing that, thinking to himself about the mistake he just made.

The park grounds were roaring with activity now, screams and shouts galore from every direction. Crowds surged in for the afternoon rush, and lines got so long to the point where Yang had just temporarily- she made sure to put emphasis on that word- given up on trying to force Ren onto another ride, leading them back around to the food courts.

"So, what're you in the mood for? Candy? Or more candy?" She picked up a piece of crystallized 'sugar' dust , turned it over in her hand, and tossed it back into the bin.

He made a wide, sweeping gesture with his open hand at the lines of supposed 'food' stalls. "Is sugar all they offer here?"

"Well, they've got flavoured sugar if that's more up your alley." They were perusing the aisles upon aisles of stalls lined up just for the afternoon rush, and none of the options were proving themselves to be particularly healthy nor delectable in Ren's eyes. "Watermelon, grape, apple, grapple..."

All he saw was multicolored sugar in front of him, food coloring and saccharose galore. To no surprise, his stomach didn't even growl once at the sight of the treats. "I think that an actual meal would be, 'up my alley,' Yang. All of this seems like things Nora would eat."

"Well, we can always get outta here. Our tickets let us come and go, so…" She trailed off as Ren spoke.

"Would you have ideas for a venue? Or would we wander aimlessly as we have been."

"Probably do a little of the last one you said." He raised an eyebrow at Yang, making her tilt and bring her head back in exasperation. "Okay, maybe we'd just wander a lot."

He shook his head, the prospect of just… wandering still not quite as appealing. "Yang, I would much rather know where I'm going before I walk. Especially in an open environment."

"Okay… we're going… outside!" She gave him two thumbs up, and he just shook his head.

"Not what I meant, Yang."

"Aw, come on, Ren! Get a sense of humor! You're reminding me of Blake too much!"

"The same could be said for you with my own partner."

A moment of silence passed before Yang started chuckling, Ren looking at her curiously. Waving a hand to show that she was okay, she spoke.

"I was just wondering what it'd be like if Nora and Blake were to spend a day together. They're, like, the two last people I would think I'd see together anywhere."

Ren entertained the thought as well, and found it difficult to even think of how either would end up in their respective situation. Unless a certain someone gets dared at a fated late-night game, he thought to himself. Hm...

"Perhaps my partner would drag her outside? Nora is rather active."

"Blakey wouldn't budge. She's always nose deep in her books and stuff, like you."

"... Thank you?"

"If you wanna take that as a compliment, go for it." Another pause. "Heh... but I bet you don't read the stuff that she does, though."

"Should I ask?"

"If you really wanna know." They made eye contact, and Yang winked.

He broke eye contact, blinking a few times. That probably means no, Ren thought.

"I'll refrain from doing so. How else would they end up together then?"

"Ooo, are we doing scenarios now? Sounds neat."

"It's to distract me from the lack of food in my stomach."

"Oh, get over it flower-boy." He got out a short, 'ahp,' of protest before Yang kept talking. "I'll start, though. It'd have to be something important enough to get Blake outta bed… maybe the promise of fish?"

"Are you really playing on her faunus mentality?"

Yang just shrugged with arms bent and palms up. "Don't fix it if it ain't broken, right?"

He sighed. "Mmm."

"Maybe Nora would take us on some fishing trip, and… we'd all ditch, or something?"

"And what would we remaining six be doing?"

"Dunno. Dancing? Clubbin'?" She nudged him with an elbow and a raise of her eyebrow. "Partying?"

Maybe, no, and never again. "Those all seem like things that you would do, Yang."

"It's 'cause they are!" She smirked, and Ren just shook his head at the nonchalant honesty that she carried. "So when they finally got to the fishing spot, they'll be like,"

He put an arm in front of Yang, his feet planted. "Stop."

Looking down at the arm across her collarbone, she looked at Ren. "Uh… not what I was going for. But su-"

"No, Yang." She looked at him, and he rose a very, very shaky finger; shaky wasn't part of Ren's demeanor, and Yang looked at he was pointing at.

One orangette.

Of course, reflexes kicked in, and Yang shouted.

"HEY N-MMMMPH!" She was about to call out Nora's name before Ren clapped his hand over her mouth, promptly interrupting the blonde. Looking around frantically while still clamping his hand over the blonde's mouth, he pulled her towards an unmanned stall, pushing her onto it as they hid behind the wooden frame. Yang pried off the hand after getting over that initial moment of shock, eyes skeptical.

"Ren, didn't know you wanted to escalate things so quickly," she said jokingly. "But seriously, what the heck was that about?" She shrugged out of his grip, which he let lax as he spoke.

"If Nora were to see me here…" He trailed off, and peeked over again. Luckily, it doesn't seem as if she noticed anything out of the ordinary; she was still harassing some poor stall-keeper about cotton candy before he looked back and relinquished his grip fully. "My apologies."

"Yeah, yeah. But why're you so scared?"

"For years I have gotten acquainted with Nora's patterns, her reactions, what she'll say in a situation." He stopped to peek over again before looking back at Yang. She noticed that instead of the calm, stoic demeanor that he was so respected for in the first-year class, it was replaced with darting eyes and nervous ticks.

"Okay?... Dude, where're you going with this?"

"I fear the unknown, Yang. And this situation, if I were to be seen with you, classifies itself in the 'unknown' reaction category."

She sighed and rolled her eyes and head. "Oh, come on. How bad can it be?" She started to walk off before Ren grabbed her shoulder with surprising force, planting her back on the board. Looking around and laughing awkwardly, she said in a quieter voice. "Uh, Ren? You're attractin' some attention to us…"

"I can't let you do that," he said, apparently ignoring the last bit of what she said. He also didn't seem to notice the strange glances that people were giving them, Yang noticing some parents covering their children's eyes as they walked along to give them a death glance. "As far as I know, she sees you as a possible threat, and I don't know what will happen to either of us if I'm seen during my… hiatus from the dorm room."

"You mean your dare."

"Yes, my dare."

"Okay, can you let go, now?" He did, and she brushed off some dust from the back of her shoulders. "So, since you're apparently terrified of Ms. Pancakes, what now?"

"..."

"... Planet Remnant to Lie Ren? Hello? Does anyone copy?"

I'm going to regret this.

"You were saying something about going outside for lunch?"

The grin that Yang put on, near devilish, only confirmed Ren's assumptions.

Meanwhile, with Nora...

"So, so, so so so so... you're outta candy, huh?" The man opened his mouth to speak, but Nora interrupted him. "Well I don't believe you! So what's your excuse?"

"You literally just ate all of it, you crazy bi-"

"WOAH! Language! You're gonna have to watch it, unless you want me to call in my best friend."

"Best... friend?"

She unhooked Magnhild from it's place on the back of her hip, unfolding the handles and transforming it into the mighty warhammer that's seen many a Grimm. She hoisted it into the air, everyone around her instantly backing up at the sight of the deadly weapon.

"My best bud. You wanna say hi? She loves making new friends."

"Okay, okay, okay! Lady, I swear, I don't have anything left, okay!? Look around you, you're freakin' surrounded by stalls of candy! Please, just go... terrorize one of them or something!" She looked around her, not noticing a pair of green and yellow dash behind her in any direction that wasn't the orangette.

"Huh. I guess there is. Kay, thanks!" She gave such a wide grin that made her eyes shut close, put Magnhild back in its place behind her hip, and skipped across the stall. Without even speaking another word, she just started to eat the candy, and the cycle repeated.

Back to Sunflower...

"Yang?"

"'Sup?"

"When I asked for an actual meal, I was hoping we would be able to reach our destination in a more... timely fashion."

"Aw, come on. You can go without for like, ten more minutes right?"

His stomach growled as if it were on cue, making Yang look at the lotus warrior to see him twitch an eye. "Perhaps that gives you your answer."

"Well, you wouldn't settle for sugar, so you'll have to settle for waiting too."

"I hardly think that's fair."

"Sucks to suck."

He sighed and just kept walking, flamboyant blonde at his side still walking as if she didn't have a care in the world. "Do you even maintain a schedule on a daily basis?"

A warm breeze blew through the air, heated by the sun that was now proud in the sky. "Eh. I sleep, wake up, do stuff, repeat." He looked at her with a deadpan gaze. She just shrugged with her shoulders and a small shake of her head. "What?"

He just sighed and looked towards the windows that were displaying several mannequins and toys, eye candy for the passerby. "Nothing."

"Ya'know, you and Weiss are similar." She looked at him, but his eyes were still glued to anything that wasn't Yang. "Obsessed with being tidy and on time, blah blah."

He looked over at the blonde with a raised eyebrow. "Because making things orderly makes for an easier life, Yang. She understands."

"But you don't get bored of having everything so... clean?" He gave her a pointed look that conveyed his answer. "Okay, I knew the answer to that one."

"Mmm."

"But come on! It's that routine that makes you guys so grumpy all the time!"

Ren rose an eyebrow at the word. "I would hardly call myself grumpy."

"Okay, yeah, maybe that one only applied to Weiss." He looked at her again, and lilac rolled. "Okay, so it's just Weiss. I know you're not a grumpy dude, dude."

Ignoring the repeated use of dude as his rapidly-changing nicknames for the day, he stopped and gestured towards a small cafe. From the window, Ren could already see small bowls of noodles and laidback customers drinking coffee and tea, his stomach rumbling in desire. "Can we stop now?"

"Aw, but I was just getting started!"

"That's why I asked if we could stop."

She put on a fake wince. "Ouch. Maybe you are grumpy, flower-boy."

He didn't even bother rolling his eyes or shaking his head as he walked forward and went into the cafe. His senses were greeted with the familiar aura of a relaxed environment, mind flashing back to the many trips he spent here with his team for anything from study trips to days out on the town. Eyes were met with the sight of people sitting back in their chairs, clacking away on their keyboards on scrolls, laughing with friends, or simply sitting alone to enjoy the atmosphere. Ears were met with the raucous laughter of several people who valued friendship, the quiet chattering of those looking at a book together, and the oh-so familiar noise of tea and coffee machines hissing in the background that were busy making the life-fuel for many in this room.

Taking a deep breath in, the air full of coffee and mediocre food that Ren would have to settle for, he let it out as he felt someone bump his arm.

"Yo, Ren. You okay there?"

"Savoring the air."

"... Right. Well, I'm gonna go get us a seat. Thanks!" She winked and walked off, swaying her hips as always and eliciting several men's gaze to be focused on her as Ren just twitched an eye at the realization that she was ditching him so that he could pay.

Again.

Shaking his head, he walked over and got in line for the register, looking up at the menu that was displayed on the large overhead monitors. Other than noodles, several small sandwiches were being offered for a reasonable price, as well as ridiculously overpriced cookies and a cake that cost a small fortune.

Who on Remnant would pay 20 Lien for a slice of strawberry cream cake? He questioned himself, and was only more surprised when he saw someone walk past him with a whole cake, net worth at approximately... a lot of Lien.

After the next orders were taken, he settled for a simple meal for the two of them, all while saving his wallet of lien from suffering crippling hunger. Stepping forward, the man at the counter gave a warm smile.

"How may I help you, ma'am?"

Ren already had his mouth open to say his order of two sandwiches, but closed it after the last word the man said. He blinked a few times. And rose an eyebrow.

"Did you just... call me ma'am?" He involuntarily brought his voice down a bit lower than usual, not noticing it as his disapproving gaze bore into the cashier.

The man's eyes flared up wide and his jaw dropped. "Oh, oh, oh shoot, I'm sorry!" He ran a hand through his hair while mumbling something about that being the second time today. "I thought you were a... Oh, jeez. Here, uh," he grabbed a pair of tongs, "would you like a free cookie?"

It really wasn't that big of a deal, but... "Sure." He pointed towards a sugar cookie, something that should sate Yang if she didn't like the sandwich, and the man grabbed a small bag to put it in.

"Okay, sorry, sir. May I take your order?"

"One egg salad and one turkey-avocado sandwich," the man clacked a few keys and it appeared on a screen in front of Ren, "along with chamomile and a black coffee."

"Coming right up, sir. And again, sorry for the inconvenience." Ren just nodded his head slightly as he paid the total noted on the machine in front of him. The man gave him the bag and a small beeper to notify him when his order was finished, and Ren grabbed two water cups before making his way out of the line. Finding Yang in the set-up of tables wasn't that difficult; that mane of blonde hair that she carried around with her couldn't be matched by anyone else.

She was still engrossed on a game on her scroll- a fighting game from the looks of it- when Ren pulled his chair back, making a screeching noise that made her look up, then at the bag. She paused the game and gave a wide grin.

"Oh, Ren! Don't tell me you got a goodie just for me!" He just gestured the bag forward, and she opened it to reveal a small sugar cookie. "Daw. Never knew you had a heart in there, flower-boy."

He rose an eyebrow. "Still going with my nick-names?"

"Yep." She bit into the cookie as an excuse to stop talking, and the beeper lit up with a loud, repeating drone that informed them that their order was ready already. Ren just narrowed his eyes as if to say that Yang was lucking out for now, and stood up to retrieve his order. Finishing the cookie already, she dusted her hands off to the side of the table and kept playing the same game on her scroll.

Ren got to the designated area for the retrieval of orders, and a woman came up to him hurriedly with his order, a small note attached to a brown that contained the receipt and a coupon for twenty percent off his next purchase along with a small plastic tray with the two drinks.

If I get called ma'am again, I just might try to get my whole meal for free, he thought to himself with a bit of mirth as he nodded a thank you and took the items in each hand. Weaving his way through the small line that seemed to always be there, he made his way back to the table to see Yang playing that same game. He set down the tray first, and Yang looked up with another grin.

"Thank you, waiter!" She said in a sing-song voice, tilting her head left and right slightly as she did so.

Ren ignored the pun and set down the rest of the items, taking out the two sandwiches and setting them in front of each other. She took her coffee and held it in her hand, taking a sip immediately without even waiting for it to cool as Ren just looked at her as if she had three heads, hand still in the bag.

"How?..." He trailed off as she looked up from her sandwich.

"Semblance." She took another sip. "Lets me take the heat in more than one way. Comes in handy for stuff like this."

"Hm. I see." Unlike Yang, he set his tea to the side to cool for a minute or two when he got to the table, and he continued to gra-

Wait. Continued to grab?

At the bottom of the bag was something fairly cold, and he took it out to reveal a small piece of strawberry cream cake. Baffled by the discovery, he looked back to the register to try and find the man who had taken his order. The man was apparently already looking over at his direction, and when he made eye contact he just gave him a small thumbs up. Ren nodded back to him, and when his gaze returned to what was in front of him, the cake was gone.

"Wow, Ren! You really know how to spoil a girl..." She had already taken the cake and opened the small, see through box, small plastic fork already pecking away at it. "No wonder you and Nora are such good friends!"

All he could get out was a small, 'uh,' as she finished the small slice in the next few seconds. "No... problem."

She wiped her mouth with her hand, which Ren suppressed a wince at since there were napkins right in front of her, and looked at him. "Are you gonna eat standing up?"

He promptly took a seat as Yang put the box back into the bag, an act of cleanliness that surprised for just a moment before she opened up her sandwich box and started to voraciously chomp on it, dispelling any thought that he had of neat and tidiness as bits of avocado went on the table without a second thought. He subtly put a napkin closer to Yang to intercept some of the crumbs, and opened his as well. Yang looked up from her victim of a sandwich, and grimaced.

"Oum, what is that Ren?"

"It's an egg salad sandwich," he answered nonchalantly. Grabbing a napkin, he put it neatly on his lap as he took the sandwich and bit in, much to Yang's disgust.

"Dude, how do you eat that? You're putting a salad in your sandwich!"

He made sure to chew and swallow before speaking, something that his partner for the day or his actual partner didn't do. "I consider it quite appetizing." He sipped his now cooled down tea, sweetness coming through.

She shook her head and kept at her own sandwich, already three quarters of the way finished as Ren took another bite of his sandwich.

What's wrong with my sandwich? He looked down at it. It's perfectly edible. Nora and Jaune had the same reactions as Yang when I first ordered it... Hm. I'll have to ask Pyrrha. She seemed to be okay with it. He took another contemplative bite, but his train of thought was knocked loose by a loud burp emitted from across the table.

"'Scuze me," Yang said with a fist over her mouth. Ren just sighed and kept at his small sandwich, Yang taking to throwing the box into the bag from which it came and playing on her scroll as she waited for Ren to finish. "Oh, thanks for the meal by the way. Appreciated it."

Ren nodded as he put down his cup after another sip. "Not a problem." Ignoring the fact that my wallet feels much skinnier, no problem, he said to himself.

"Yaknow, since you've been so nice today, Ren, I think I'll treat cha' to something for dinner tonight." She grinned, and Ren stopped chewed his sandwich with narrowed eyes and a tilted head. "No, it's not sugar." He didn't lose eye contact. "And yeah, yeah, I'll pay." Satisfied with the answer, he kept chewing and listening. "Just a fast-food joint, a noodle stand to be more specific for you."

He finished his cup of tea, and the sandwich came quickly after. Tossing the wrapper and a napkin that contained his sandwich into the bag and crumpling the top to close it, he nodded an agreement, the last bits of his sandwich in his stomach. "Alright."

"Sweet!"

"But... isn't the rest of your team coming back tonight? I think we should have an early dinner."

"Nah, don't worry about that." She literally waved it off. "They're not back until ten or so." She grinned. "You're not gettin' out that easily, Ren."

"Shucks," he said half-heartedly. Standing up smoothly and straightening out his tunic, he took out a two lien card and placed it on the table, Yang stretching as she stood up.

"Alllright. We're all fed now, so that means that, lucky for you, we can't go straight back to the amusement park. That means that we're gonna be walkin' some more, so get ready."

"I'm ready." Leaving the cups and tray behind, he threw the bag of empty sandwich and cake containers away into the bin, and made his way to the exit, savoring the smells of coffee and tea for the last time that day.

Some notes for this chapter: I'm not really sure if Magnhild has a compact storage mode like other weapons, (crescent rose, ember celica) so I just went scarce with it and made up some folding shiznit on the spot.

Also, I remember reading a fic where Ren just said, 'shucks,' to when he was about to get knocked out by Yang during a spar, and I could never get that out of my head. I hope it didn't come off as OOC, but I can imagine him saying that in his normal tired voice. Just... shucks.

School's starting up in a few days for me, so I hope to pump out another chapter before I hit that major roadblock. Maybe a short chapter with Nora if worse leads to worse.

Lastly, thank you for the support on other stories if you're a person who reads all of mine. I see you guys. I see you.

Much love, much love~