Disclaimer: RWBY and all affiliated characters/titles belong to Rooster Teeth, those wonderful geniuses.
The Vytal Festival was one of the biggest events in the world, drawing crowds from across the globe and significantly affecting the local economy of the host nation. As such, there were a host of side industries which sapped off of this profit and one such industry was of course, tourism. In the months and weeks preceding the Vytal Festival itself, Vale was host to a plethora of carnivals, circuses, stage plays and other forms of live entertainment. So many people came flooding into the city to attend the Festival that there was more than enough tourism and luxury money to go around. This weekend was no exception as a large stretch of beach and the surrounding land was covered in the sprawling expanse of a carnival. Huge rides had been thrown up seemingly overnight, a massive roller coaster, a ferris wheel tall enough that you could see all of Vale spread out before you from the top, dozens of smaller attractions from go-carts to tumblers to spinning swings. The smell of carnival food and sweet confections floated through the air like snow in an Atlas Winter, permeating every business and residence for a block or more in every direction. This was where Nora had decided Pyrrha must make her stand and get Jaune to see how she really felt about her.
The plan was for them all to go to the carnival together, spend the entire day there having fun and relaxing and continually force Jaune and Pyrrha into situations together, over and over and over again until Jaune got the point. Nora even had a secret weapon in store for the end of the day just in case and she had refused to tell even Yang what it was. They all came to the festival dressed casually for once, out of their usual hunter's garb. Atlas had transported hundreds of troops to Vale for the security of the Vytal Festival and they were also overseeing the security of many of the festivities leading up to the main event. This added layer of defense made the students feel safe enough that they came completely unarmed, if the need arose they could always summon their gear from the rocket propelled lockers at the school but hopefully it wouldn't come to that.
Yang and Nora had opted for tank tops and shorts, trying to enjoy the last vestiges of Summer and heat down at the beach as Fall took it's hold on the city. They wore their usual colors, yellow top and black shorts for Yang, white and bright pink for Nora. They shined with youth and vigor, and Yang knew they easily stood out in the crowd. Ren dressed more simply, a slimming green v-neck over a pair of blue jeans and small white athletic shoes so he could move quickly, just in case. Jaune wore his normal clothes, he just skipped on the armor and the sweater today, a simple white t-shirt with a bunny head on the front, denim jeans and sneakers, he tossed his blonde hair back and out of his eyes, completely unintentionally catching the sun just right so it shone and glimmered. Yang saw Pyrrha watch as Jaune laughed at Nora's joke, his piercing blue eyes closed in mirth, white teeth glinting and hair shining like untrimmed fields of wheat. She was right, the boy was handsome, there was no denying that. She let her eyes drift down to Pyrrha, who had wanted more than anything to wear her armor to the carnival, trying to convince them all to do the same. After much cajoling Yang and Nora had been able to convince her to go without. The girl had instead decided on a deep red, strapless sun dress that just matched her hair, thin banners of bronze running down the sides that hugged her hips and the whole thing flared out at the base so the fabric drifted lazily around her as her long legs carried her over the sand. If that wasn't enough to make Jaune fall on his knees and profess his love right there Yang didn't know what would be.
"Gosh Yang, stop staring," Nora gave her a gentle elbow in the side.
"I'm sorry, but have you seen her?" Yang turned to Nora, trying desperately to bring her jaw back up from where she had been dragging it across the ground.
"I know," Nora giggled, "I was staring too, that's why I saw you were." Yang chuckled and put her arm around Nora's shoulders.
"We're hopeless aren't we?"
"Oh yeah definitely." Nora hugged into her side and then they fell apart to just holding hands.
"Alright guys, what do you wanna do first?" Jaune came through the turn stylus last and popped into his place next to Pyrrha, right where they had meant him to.
"The rides are certain to have short lines this early." Ren looked over to the roller coaster with a longing Yang wouldn't have expected from him.
"Yeah but right now all the sweets and stuff are fresh." Nora's eyes went wild as she scanned the area for the nearest source of sugary goodness and found a cotton candy stall, "Oh my Oum! That I need." Nora went dashing off towards the stall without another word and Yang went jogging off backwards, facing their friends.
"I guess we'll be right back." she waved to the group as she backpedaled and then spun about to catch up with her girlfriend. She made it to the line after Nora and came up behind her, grabbing her about the waist and causing her to giggle in delight.
"Yang did you see?" Nora turned around to face her, not breaking the embrace.
"Yeah, cotton candy, it's delicious." Yang laughed, of course she had seen what the stall sold.
"But look," Nora threw her arm back and behind her to point at the treat. Yang looked up and saw what she meant, it was pink.
"You know that's the color it usually is right?" Yang cocked a suspicious eyebrow at her.
"And that's why it's the absolute best sweet ever." Nora bounced in her arms and spun back around just in time to face the stall keeper.
"We'll take three please." Yang held up her fingers and Nora kept spinning until she faced her again.
"Ya' know there's five of us right?" Nora rolled her head off to one side in confusion.
"Yep," Yang handed over some lien and accepted the three cotton candy stems, "Thanks," she offered to the man before turning away with Nora close on her heels. "One for us," she handed one to her girlfriend as they approached the group. "One for Ren and one for Jaune and Pyrrha to share." she gave Nora a devious smile only to see she had already consumed over half of the thing. Yang simply shook her head as they got back to their friends. "Here you guys go," she handed one to Jaune and one to Ren. They happily accepted them and then Jaune looked around, noticing they were short.
"Here Pyrrha," he tilted the cotton candy towards her and she began to refuse but Yang coughed hard and very pointedly took a piece from Nora's cotton candy and then kissed her on the cheek. Pyrrha took the hint and accepted a piece of the fluffy sugar treat.
"Oh thank you Jaune, that's very considerate of you." She gave the blonde boy a warm smile and he shook his head.
"Don't thank me, Yang and Nora got it for us." he smiled wide and extended the cotton candy stem out towards them as a strange sort of toast, "Thanks guys."
"Oh yeah, no problem. Sorry I couldn't grab enough, I left my Schnee at home." They all laughed at that.
"Where is the rest of Team RWBY? Surely they wanted to come today as well." Pyrrha took another small piece of cotton candy from Jaune, sliding closer to him to do so.
"Weiss and Ruby said they needed to train together some today and Blake said she already had plans today. Which is weird, because it's Blake and she never has plans." Yang shrugged her shoulder indifferently, "She probably thought that with the dorm to herself she could spend all day reading." Yang laughed and Nora punched her in the shoulder.
"Oooorrr," Nora stretched the word obnoxiously, "She could have made plans with Sun."
"Oh yeah, that's totally what happened." Yang laughed and reached for the cotton candy again but Nora pulled it away.
"So mean." she stuck her tongue out at Yang and then ate the remaining pink fluffiness in a single mouthful. Yang scoffed in indignation and felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned to find Ren holding his treat out towards her.
"Thank you for the gesture but I don't really eats sweets," he looked past Yang to the excited redhead behind her, "and I think you will need this more than me." He gave Yang a small smile and she accepted the stick with a nod of understanding and turned to face Nora.
"Oh I'm so mean am I?" Yang pulled a piece of cotton candy off slowly and ate it as sensually as she could, considering it dissolved almost the moment it touched her mouth. Nora lunged playfully at her to grab at the snack but Yang lifted it high above her head, far out of her reach. Yang playfully kept the cotton candy away from Nora while Jaune and Pyrrha reviewed a map of the fairgrounds, looking for something they would all enjoy. Ren stood by and happily watched all the different people walk by, taking in all the sights and sounds of the carnival that he could.
"Oh Jaune, they have a teacups ride." Pyrrha squealed in an unfamiliar, girlishly high pitched voice. Yang stopped running from Nora at the noise and turned to look at the pair reviewing the map. Nora didn't hesitate and grabbed a large chunk of cotton candy, cackling in victory as she devoured it.
"You really like the spinning teacup ride Pyrrha?" Yang asked of her. The tall redhead turned with a look of absolute glee in her eyes.
"Oh yes, it was one of the first rides I ever went on when I was a little girl. My father told me it was called the teacups and I begged and begged for him to take me on it. He didn't want to but eventually he did and it was so much fun. I haven't been on one in so long." Pyrrha turned back to Jaune, "Would you mind if we went there first?"
"Of course not," Jaune looked back at the map in his hands, "It's right over there, c'mon guys." Yang yanked the cotton candy away as Nora tried to sneak another giant clump away from her and followed the rest of the group. She ripped off a big piece and put it halfway in her mouth, letting a large piece hang out and then made sure to catch Nora's eye with her own. Nora tackled her in a hug and mashed her mouth against her, she grabbed the cotton candy and spit it out to the side, then attacked Yang's face with another kiss, free of interference this time.
The teacup ride was rather nearby, close to the entrance of the fair and as Ren had thought, there wasn't a long line yet. Their group filed in behind just a few other people to wait for the current round of passengers to finish up. Yang watched as the cups went whirling about. The ride seemed to be based on three circles, one big one that spun, three little one inside that which spun the opposite direction and then multiple 'teacups' on each of the smaller circles which spun on their own. It was dizzying to watch but looked like an incredible amount of fun.
"Oh Ren, will you go on it with me please?" Nora was pulling on Ren's arm and the boy was watching the cups spin by.
"I'm sorry Nora, I would really rather not. Perhaps Yang would like to." Ren turned to her, a small smile on his face.
"Are you sure Ren? I can sit this one out so you can ride together, no problem." Yang laughed, trying to reassure the boy that she wouldn't feel spurned.
"No, really. Spinning rides like this don't always sit well with me. Thank you though Yang." he bowed his head ever so slightly in thanks and then turned back to Nora, "Go on Nora, you'll enjoy it more with her." He gave her another small smile and she relented.
"C'mon Yang, he's right. Sometimes after these he gets sick." Nora laughed and pulled Yang towards the ride's entrance.
"Oh hey, it looks like it's just us then." Jaune smiled at Pyrrha and swept his arm out for her to pass by.
"Oh yes, it does." Pyrrha smiled and stepped past him towards the entrance. A worker came over and opened the gate to allow them in. The previous set of passengers was just exiting the other side and there were still plenty of teacups empty for them to take. Nora and Yang found one on the far side which Nora swore looked like it spun faster than the rest and Jaune and Pyrrha took a bright blue colored one near the middle. Everyone took their seats and attendants made a quick round to ensure that everyone was strapped in properly.
The ride began spinning and Yang realized it was even more dizzying to be inside than it was to watch. The different spinning directions combined to be very disorienting and the cups twirled fast enough that everything outside of the cup was blurred. Occasionally the cups from separate circles would draw near each other in the center and the spinning would sync up in such a way that you could see the other passengers for a moment. Nora cackled wildly as the cups twirled about, both arms up in the air, squealing with delight. Yang couldn't help but smile at how much she was enjoying herself, this seemed like exactly Nora's kind of ride, absolute chaos and confusion. Yang threw her hands in the air as well and whooped at the top of her lungs, letting herself go and enjoying the moment with Nora.
Their spin brought them towards the center and Yang saw a bright blue cup approaching, it must be Jaune and Pyrrha's. As their rotation slowed slightly at the apex of the turn Yang caught a glimpse of the inside of their car. The spinning force had pressed Pyrrha and Jaune up against each other and Pyrrha's face was alight with laughter but Jaune didn't look as happy. That was all she saw before their cups whirled apart again and they were lost in the sea of colors outside the cup again. Was it possible that Jaune was uncomfortable with how close he and Pyrrha were? No, no way, even if he didn't like her like that, which couldn't be true, but even if he didn't there's no reason he would feel uncomfortable around her. Yang decided she would just have to wait until the ride came to a finish to find out. A few more seconds of twirling and the ride slowly eased to a halt. Yang and Nora both exited the ride, absolutely ecstatic at the experience and begging for more. They made their way to the exit where they could see Ren waiting, a happy smile on his face.
"Hey Yang," Yang turned to face Nora as they walked and felt a familiar poke on her nose, "Boop." This wasn't the first time Nora had poked her in the nose or forehead. She did that a lot, but she never said 'boop' when she did it. Yang hugged her back anyways, she knew the poking was a sign of affection from her and figured she must just be happy and just in a particularly silly mood right now. They got to the exit and looked back for Jaune and Pyrrha. Over against one wall Yang saw what had been wrong with Jaune. The boy was curled over the side railing of the attraction, very evidently vomiting into the bushes. Poor guy, she had forgotten he got motion sick really easily. Pyrrha was gently rubbing his back and saying something to him that they couldn't hear. "Oh no, he got sick? I'll go grab him a water." Nore leaned up and kissed Yang on the cheek, "Be right back." She went trotting off into the crowd, looking for a concessions stand that sold water bottles.
"Yang, I want you to know that meant a lot coming from her." Yang looked to Ren in surprise.
"What? That kiss? Really? We kiss all the time. That was barely a peck." Yang turned back and saw that Jaune was sitting up now on the side of the fence. An attendant had come over to make sure he was okay and they were talking.
"Not that. When she poked you just then and said boop. I leave it to her to tell you exactly what that means but just know that it means a great deal." Ren bowed his head forward slightly and smiled at her as Nora returned.
"Okay I got some." she held the water bottle up triumphantly, "You'd be amazed though, three lien for a lousy bottle of water." she giggled and Yang leaned down to kiss her slowly on the lips, "Oh," she giggled once Yang pulled back, "What was that for? I mean not that I'm complaining but just uhh...wow."
"On nothing, just thought it was sweet what you did." Yang smiled and Pyrrha and Jaune arrived.
"Here you go Jaune." Nora handed him the water bottle. He took it and sipped slowly.
"Thanks Nora. I guess I didn't really think that one through." Jaune laughed and Pyrrha smiled meekly.
"I am sorry Jaune. It didn't occur to me that that ride might make you feel ill." Pyrrha had real concern and regret in her eyes.
"Oh hey, no problem," he stood taller to emphasize how not sick he was feeling now, "Did you enjoy it?"
"It was wonderful, I felt like a little girl again, if only for a moment or two." Pyrrha beamed a radiant smile, the largest Yang had ever seen on her and Jaune laughed merrily.
"Then it was totally worth it. Besides," he waved a hand dismissively, "I'm used to this whole vomit thing. I do it almost every time I ride the airship up and down from Beacon." Jaune and Pyrrha both laughed.
"Oh yeah, Vomit Boy." Yang punched him lightly in the shoulder, "You've come a long way since then." He rubbed his shoulder where she had jabbed him in mock hurt.
"Thanks Yang. I'm still fragile compared to you though." They all laughed until Ren cleared his throat lightly.
"It's not like me to make requests of this sort. But, would you all mind if we rode the roller coaster next? I would like to today but I don't want all of you to have to wait overly long in line to humor me." Ren looked expectantly at the group. That was perhaps the longest single stream of words Yang had ever heard the boy speak. He was right too, he never requested things of the group, he was usually more than happy to just go with the flow so for him to make this request, he must really want to ride that ride.
"Yeah come on let's go." Jaune laughed and grabbed Ren by the wrist, pulling him off towards the coaster, "Why didn't you say so man." Ren stumbled and caught up before gently freeing himself from Jaune's grip.
"I didn't want to intrude on the day." The rest of the group caught up to the two boys, Pyrrha fell in next to Jaune, eyes full of concern again.
"Jaune, are you sure? You're feeling better and this won't make it worse again? If you'd like I can wait off the ride with you until they have finished." Jaune turned to her, jovial light back on his face.
"Are you kidding? I love roller coasters. I just don't do really well with spinny rides, or the ones that like drop you straight down and shoot you straight up in the air. It always feels like my stomach is gonna fall out of my feet." Jaune rubbed his belly again and Pyrrha giggled behind a demur hand.
"Well, if you're sure." They reached the line and there were already quite a few people waiting their turn.
"Ahh I see, I'm sorry we walked all the way over here for nothing."
"What are you talking about? Get in there ninja boy." Yang gave him a gentle push and forced him into the line. They all laughed and followed behind.
"Yeah this line isn't even that bad Ren. Don't sweat it man." Ren nodded in thanks, "Not that we wouldn't wait for you anyways but we all wanna ride it too." Nora slid over by Ren and leaned over by his ear, she whispered something the rest of them couldn't hear and he picked his head up.
"Thank you everyone. It would seem I'm just not used to this sort of friendship quite yet." They all smiled at the boy.
"So what exactly is this ride?" Pyrrha looked up at the heavy metal beams crisscrossing above their heads, "I've never actually been on one before." She looked about between them as if that was the most normal thing in the world. Jaune's mouth fell open and he had to physically shake his head to dissipate the shock.
"I thought you said you used to go to fairs with your Dad?" Jaune regarded her curiously, "How have you never been on a roller coaster?"
"Well yes," Pyrrha laughed nervously and cleared her throat, "That was when I was very young and there are certain height requirements for these rides. By the time I was tall enough to ride something like this my father's focus had shifted and I was already devoting all of my time to my training." She clasped her hands behind her back and looked to the ground, "I haven't been somewhere like this since I was eight years old." But then she turned back up to them all with a bright smile, "But now I'm here with all of you and I am having a glorious time." Jaune smiled broadly when she recovered and Yang laughed.
"Don't worry Pyrrha. I think you'll really like this one." Yang smiled at her.
"Yeah it just goes really really fast and takes really tight turns. It's kinda like being in a little race car." Nora giggled and looked above their heads where a car went whipping past, rumbling loudly against the tracks.
"Oh that does sound fun. Is it really that exciting though? How different is it from our combat training?" Pyrrha again looked expectantly at the group.
"I don't know about you guys, but I can't move that fast so I think it's a blast." Jaune laughed and they all shuffled forward slowly with the line.
"I believe most of the thrill comes from not being the one in control. When we perform our maneuvers we have absolute control of ourselves. In the car, you are strapped in and subject to it's will. That is what makes it exciting for me at least, giving over to the car and allowing it to do as it will." Ren looked up with a smile at the cars whizzing by.
"That could be exciting yes, a little scary too but I'm sure it is very safe." The line slid forward again and they reached the boarding area. An attendant came by and asked how many were in their group, they told her five and she split them into three groups. Pyrrha and Jaune went to the front car, then Yang behind them and Ren and Nora in the third seat. They all filed to their spots and waited for their car to arrive. Nora practically jumped in once it pulled up to the station, they all sat and Pyrrha regarded the seatbelt curiously. It was just one large lap-belt, the seat just a big bench.
"Is this all the safety precautions there are?" She hesitantly sat down on the bench.
"Yeah, it's way more than enough." Jaune plopped down next to her and strapped them in with the belt, "It's totally safe, trust me. Plus, we've got our aura right? No worries." Pyrrha glanced back at the rest of the train of cars. Yang looked back as well and saw that they were the only obvious hunters on board. Pyrrha took a deep breath and faced forward. The car eased out of the station and she yelled over the rattling of the wheels.
"When will it start going fast?" Yang could see Jaune's shoulders shake with laughter.
"It climbs a big hill, then slides down. You'll know." His voice carried easily back to Yang and she smiled, it would be fun to watch Pyrrha's reaction. She craned her head around to look at Ren and Nora. Nora was as excited as ever, white knuckle gripping the front of her car, eyes gleaming with anticipation. What surprised Yang was the look of anticipation on Ren's face as well. He looked, excited, he never looked like much of anything but he was definitely excited. The cars jerked and Yang spun forward again, she couldn't wait to watch Pyrrha's first roller coaster ride. The train slowly climbed the hill, the metal gears underneath them clacking loudly with each turn bringing them closer to the top.
Yang let out a loud whoop as they approached the peak and heard Nora echo her sentiment behind her. Jaune thrust his hands into the air as the front wheels reached the apex, and then they were over. Pyrrha screamed in terror and they fell perhaps ten feet and took a sharp one hundred and eighty degree turn before beginning to climb another hill. Yang had seen the fake drop from the bottom and knew it was coming, she knew very well though that Pyrrha wouldn't expect it. She laughed as she watched Pyrrha trying to regain her composure, she was clutching the front of their car desperately. Jaune's shoulders were shaking with happy laughter but Yang couldn't hear what they were saying over the sound of the tracks. They approached the top of the second hill and Yang prepared herself, this was the real one and the fun was just about to start. She let out another wild yell and heard Ren this time shouting behind her. She had never heard him shout, even in combat.
They crested the hill and Yang watched as Pyrrha physically recoiled from the drop, she pulled her head back far and pushed at the front of the cart, hopelessly trying to stave off the fall. They plummeted down the track and Yang yelled as loud as she could, relishing in the adrenaline rush that came with the fall. Pyrrha wailed in terror and threw her arms around Jaune's midsection, clinging to him all the way down the slope and into the twits and turns below. The car jerked this way and spun that way, the ride flew through a series of tight turns and then a large wide one that banked so hard they were perpendicular to the ground. The train slowed as they approached another, smaller hill and begin to climb for the final part of the ride. She watched as Pyrrha released her leader and fussed with her hair, trying to reassemble herself. Jaune laughed again and put a comforting arm over Pyrrha's shoulder. She jumped at the initial contact and then leaned into his arm. He moved his head close to her ear and said something that Yang couldn't make out. Whatever it was must have worked though, because as they approached the final peak Pyrrha raised her arms high into the air alongside his.
The second part was not nearly as exhilarating as the first but made for a good finish to the ride. Yang was impressed to see Pyrrha keep her hands up the entire time, even if her yells weren't so much of excitement and a rush as they were ones of fear and horror. They reached the station and climbed out quickly to make room for the next passengers. Yang turned first to her girlfriend and gave her a huge smile.
"That was such an awesome ride," she caught Ren's eyes as well, still wide with happiness.
"Oh my Oum I know. Did you hear Pyrrha? That was awesome." Nora bounced up and down, still riding the high from the ride.
"Yes, I did not expect her to react that way." Ren said and they all laughed as Pyrrha and Jaune came over to them by the exit.
"That was one dusting awesome coaster." Jaune smiled at Pyrrha first and then the rest of the group.
"Oh yes, it was-" she stopped and took a deep breath, still trying to steady herself, "it was quite an experience. Although I must say, I did enjoy it once I recovered from the initial shock." She smiled and looked at the ground, "Thank you for helping me with that Jaune."
"Everyone has it rough the first time. But, it's fun isn't it?" They all nodded and voiced their agreement to his statement and made their way out of the roller coaster's area.
"Can we go again, oh oh oh, can we do it again?" Nora was still bouncing as they came out near the entrance of the ride. The line now extended out past the sign for the coaster and wrapped around the edge and out of sight.
"I dunno, that line looks pretty long." Yang craned her neck around to the side to try and see the end of it.
"I think I may need a rest as well before getting on another ride. These last two were rather intense." Pyrrha looked about, trying to find an equally exciting alternative to replace Nora's request.
"We could try out some of the games." Ren motioned with his hand towards the boardwalk and a row of game stands. There were classic games like baseball throwing and trying to get a hoop over the neck of a bottle but also more advanced ones, like a simulated shooting range and a "Vigor Tester" which was like a hammer strength tester but had no feasible limit to how hard you could hit it and measured your strength on a scale from 'Baby Whelp' to 'Legendary Hunter'.
"Now that sounds grand." Pyrrha smiled at the suggestion, happy to have something that seemed attractive to everyone.
"Look at you with all the great ideas today Ren." Yang laughed and the boy smiled gently. They all headed off towards the boardwalk together.
A/N - Alright, the carnival day begins with a blast and it would seem that operation get Jaune to notice Pyrrha is working so far. This section was originally supposed to be about one and a half chapters with the second half of chapter 17 being back at Beacon. However as I wrote it out...it got much much longer. They will be at the carnival until next Saturday and the chapters are all rather long, like this one, so please enjoy. I think having this particular group together is offering lots of chances for development and interesting interactions we maybe haven't seen before in Clubbin'
I hope everyone reading is still enjoying it as much as I am and I would like to thank you all for the wonderful support. We have recently been clocking in the highest view counts this story has seen. We broke 400 in a single day earlier this week and then broke 300 for only the second time ever yesterday. So thank you very much everyone, I love to know that people are reading my stories and it makes me really happy to know your enjoying them. To Amalgam24, linksword01, brain6pop, Goodge12 and bri333865 thank you for following and welcome to the group. I can't wait to hear what you think of the story going forward.
The next part of their carnival adventure will be out Tuesday so stay tuned for that. I hope you enjoy.
-Zach