Disclaimer: RWBY and all affiliated characters/titles belong to Rooster Teeth, those wonderful geniuses.
The afternoon rolled on and the sun was high in the sky, radiating down on the carnival. Yang looked out over the ocean and saw the rays of sunlight gleaming off the endless blue expanse. Then her seat fell out beneath her and she went plummeting down, she gripped Nora's hand dearly and let out a vicious yell. Her hair flipped up in the air above her as she rocketed towards the ground, whipping about in long golden tendrils. Their was a hiss of pressurized air and the bench came to a slow stop, easing its passengers down to the ground. Yang let out a short laugh and released Nora's hand so that they could remove the safety harnesses.
She climbed out of the contraption and shook her mane of hair out, trying desperately to make it behave and hang appropriately down her back. She closed her eyes and tipped her head back, shaking the hair out and running her hands under it to fluff it up a little. She opened her eyes to the sun and felt the midday warmth on her cheeks and neck. Then she felt a familiar grip around her waist and she lowered her gaze to the bright eyed redhead beside her. She gave Nora a light kiss on the forehead and then looked over her head to Ren standing on her other side. The boy was tugging gently at the hem of his shirt, trying to straighten it.
"That was great." Yang let out another loud whoop. Ren gave her a small nod and Nora yelled out as well. They all headed down to the exit where Jaune and Pyrrha were happily awaiting them. Yang smiled when she noticed their proximity, sure they could just be standing and waiting together but their shoulders were nearly touching and she knew Pyrrha was aware of that fact.
"Did you all enjoy the ride?" Pyrrha brightened up as they exited the ride's fenced in area.
"Yeah, that was a rush." Nora squeezed Yang's hand in excitement.
"It was quite enjoyable." Ren let out another warm smile, Yang was glad he was enjoying the day so much. They all continued walking in no particular direction, heading away from the ride to make room for others who were exiting as well.
"Thanks for waiting with me Pyrrha. Sorry you didn't get to go on." Jaune gave her an uneasy attempt at a grin. He was really embarrassed by his motion sickness. It had reared it's ugly head after the teacup ride and Jaune said that drop rides were just as bad for him so he chose not to participate. Despite his fervid protests Pyrrha had opted to stay off the ride with him and wait for the others.
"That's alright," she blushed slightly, "Besides, I don't believe my attire is appropriate for that ride." she glanced down at her knee length dress and Jaune laughed, "I was happy to wait with you."
"So where are we headed to next?" Yang looked about the surrounding carnival, trying to find an attraction they hadn't sampled already.
"Well, we're supposed to meet back up with Sun and Blake for lunch at around one, so we have like an hour or so left." Jaune pulled a rather crumpled map out of his back pocket and unfurled it in his hands, "We could do something over near the food stalls so we don't have to rush over right after."
"Oooh, or we could go and start eating now." Nora grinned at Yang, knowing she could at least get her girlfriend to agree with her on that one.
"That's true, they had a ton of stuff over there to try." Yang tried to crane her neck around to see the map Jaune was holding.
"I do believe they have some simpler attractions by the food." Pyrrha sidled next to Jaune and poked her head over his arm to look at the map, "There is a House of Mirrors there, I'm sure we could entertain ourselves with that until lunch time." Pyrrha looked up to Jaune and he smiled before looking to the rest of the group.
"So, the crazy mirror house and then grab some food?" Jaune offered up and everyone nodded in agreement. Together they made their way past several of the larger rides, tumblers and scramblers, spinning platforms and a roller coaster type ride that consisted of just the loop. Jaune had been able to ride the looping ride but the others he said were a bit much for him. Pyrrha had offered to wait with him while everyone else enjoyed themselves but they had all wanted to stay together. The drop tower was one of Nora's favorites however and she had convinced Yang and Ren to go with her. The got to the House of Mirrors and there was a very short line outside. They stepped up behind the group waiting their turn and fell to talking amongst themselves.
"Can you believe Blake and Sun are going out?" Jaune asked of no one in particular.
"They do seem rather ill suited for each other." Ren tilted his head to one side in contemplation.
"But they're so cute together. Like he's all bright and open and well..sunny." Yang laughed at Nora's unintentional pun, "and Blake's all dark and mysterious and sneaky. They've got this great balance, like, what's it called Ren?"
"Yin and Yang." Ren flipped his head slightly to one side, kicking the single pink strand of hair back and out of his eyes.
"Yeah like that." Nora beamed with pride, so glad that she had almost remembered the phrase.
"Wait what? What is that?" Yang looked to Nora and then over to Ren.
"It a theory about balance in all things. There is a push and pull that each force exerts on the other. Yin and Yang. It also states that each side has a small piece of the other. So if it was the case, we would find Sun to have a more closed off part of himself and Blake to have a bright cheery side or something that makes her happy like that." Ren gave Yang a smile, content with his explanation and Yang nodded in understanding, mulling it over.
"That's pretty cool, and I think it's true too. I've seen Blake get really happy about stuff. Like her books, or a successful mission against the White Fang, even tuna." They all laughed at Yang's last example and slid forward so they were the next in line.
"Well I think they are adorable together. They each have something to offer each other and I believe they will do splendidly as a couple." Pyrrha looked right at Jaune, nearly boring the words into him. Yang just thought to herself, how could that boy be so dense.
"You're right Pyrrha. It's awesome when people are together and make each other better. I think that's really what it's all about isn't it?" Jaune said and the group voiced their genuine approval of the idea but was politely interrupted by the attendant.
"Okay, it's your turn." she waved them into the house. They all smiled and thanked her as they entered, Jaune and Pyrrha first, then Ren with Yang and Nora in the rear. The girl's eyes lingered on Ren as he entered and he gave her a small nod and a warm smile. She looked away at his attention and grabbed her small lectern, trying to appear very professional. Nora and Yang giggled furiously and followed Ren in.
The mirrors inside were arranged like hallways that guided you round and round the building in complicated patterns until spitting you out the back. The mirrors themselves were all made in such a way that they twisted and distorted your image, causing you to appear shorter, or taller, to enlarge certain areas and shrink others. Yang walked in front of a mirror that enlarged her chest, bulging it out to the sides and shrank her waist to miniscule proportions. She reached up and grabbed her already ample bosom with both hands and hefted it up alittle.
"What do you think Nora?" Nora laughed out loud.
"That's the last thing you need any more of," she pushed playfully at the big blonde's shoulder, jostling her away from the mirror. Nora then stepped into her place but because of her height the mirror instead made her head huge and shrank her torso down, "Aww now that is not fair." Nora crossed her arms in a pout. Yang laughed and picked her up in a bear hug.
"Maybe with that big new head you could remember Yin and Yang. I mean it is partly my name and all." Yang squeezed harder as Nora tried to playfully push away from her. Jaune and Pyrrha found a mirror that made Jaune's shoulder much wider than they were, stretching them out to nearly Cardin like proportions. Jaune flexed his arms and shoulders, trying to make the image bulge even further. Pyrrha let out a small laugh.
"You have been in the gym more haven't you?" she gave him a coy smile and Jaune flustered.
"Oh yeah, I mean not as much as Yang and Nora but I've been trying." Jaune let his arms fall back to his sides.
"Oh Jaune I was playing. You're obviously much stronger than you were." she put a single hand on his arm, just above the elbow. Jaune smiled and slid out of the way slightly so that she could stand in front of the mirror. Pyrrha let her hand slide off of his arm and stepped in front of the mirror. Her shoulders spread slightly in the image, but she was already so slender to begin with that they didn't even grow as wide as Jaune's, "Apparently I need some more time there myself." Pyrrha laughed lightly.
"Are you kidding? You wouldn't have time for anything else." Jaune laughed as well, "You've gotta have time to relax, even you." Pyrrha turned away from the mirror to her partner.
"Well I'm glad I could be here then." They just stared at each other for a moment, a broad smile on Jaune's face and small blush on Pyrrha's until they were interrupted by a yell from Nora.
"Oh now this is just rude." she and Yang were both standing in front of a rather wide section of mirror that caused their legs to bulge outwards. They both sat their staring at an image of themselves they found very unflattering. Ren chuckled slightly and Nora turned on him, "And what about you chicken legs?" she stepped to the side, removing her image from the mirror and allowing Ren to be reflected in it. Ren's already thin form was not exaggerated too greatly, probably because he was a couple feet further from the glass.
"See Nora. It is just us. Maybe this mirror is like a portal to the future." Yang waved her hands about in front of the glass mysteriously. "I mean we do eat a lot." Nora crossed her arms again.
"That's it. We are going to the gym twice a day from now on." she gave Yang a triumphant look.
"I mean, if you think you can keep up with all this." Yang had stepped in front of another mirror and flexed her arms. The image in the glass had outrageously huge biceps, the muscles extending far above her head. Nora grimaced and they all laughed good naturedly. Yang leaned forward and gave Nora a short kiss on the lips.
The group continued through the convoluted hallways, winding their way past more ridiculous mirrors and continuing to compare themselves and strike poses based on what they saw. By the time they emerged, Nora wasn't the only one feeling hunger pangs and they meandered over to the various food stands the fair had to offer.
"Where did they say they would meet us?" Yang searched the crowd for her partner and her newfound boyfriend.
"I dunno really. Blake said over by the food and then they went running off together." Jaune craned his head high, trying to see Blake's big bow bouncing along above the crowd. There was a tap on her shoulder and Yang spun around. She followed the hand up and up and saw Sun hanging from the branch of a tree by his long tail. Blake was leaning against the trunk, enjoying the coolness its shade offered.
"Well hi there, looking for us?" Sun pulled up slightly and then released himself, finishing a small flip to land on his feet. Blake shook her head with a small grin and walked forward to where he was.
"How long have you two been there?" Yang gave them an incredulous look and Sun laughed.
"Well I was waiting up there, looking out for you all from the top and Blake was just sitting there in the shade, Sun looked up and tapped his chin thoughtfully, "Probably something like ten minutes." Yang groaned and turned to Jaune.
"We are the worst hunters ever." Yang let her head drop and the rest laughed.
"So what's for lunch Jaune?" Sun looked expectantly to the boy.
"There's so much here, I have no idea where to start. Any ideas Pyrrha?" Jaune found the girl next to him.
"Well this fair is from Atlas right? Why don't we have some Atlesian food then? It's sure to be authentic." Pyrrha gave him a smile.
"Sounds like a plan to me, lead the way." Sun gestured grandly forward with his hand and the four headed off together.
"We'll catch up with you guys. Gonna grab our stuff over here." Yang jerked a thumb over her shoulder towards some other stands and Jaune nodded.
"Alright, see you in a minute." Jaune waved as the group headed towards the bright red banner of an Atlesian stall. Yang waited until they had faded into the crowd slightly and regarded her remaining two companions.
"So 'Operation: Get Jaune to Notice Pyrrha' is going really well so far if I do say so myself." Yang crossed her arms in smug satisfaction.
"Operation what now? You're starting to sound like Ruby." Nora laughed and Yang uncrossed her arms.
"Well she came up with the name. I told the rest of the team about our plan and you know how she gets. I guess it kinda stuck in my head." Nora and Yang laughed but Ren just shook his head solemnly.
"But, if something more doesn't happen I believe they will go back to normal once we return to school." Ren continued to shake his head as the looks of realization spread across Yang and Nora's faces.
"We've kind of done everything we can haven't we?" Yang looked to Nora who had an all too familiar, devious grin.
"I've still got my big secret. I promise you it will work. Those two aren't leaving here the way they came in." Nora rubbed her hands together and cackled quietly.
"Just promise me they'll leave with all their limbs." Yang put a firm hand on Nora's shoulder.
"I promise nothing." She leaned up and gave Yang a quick kiss, "Now come on, I'm starving." Nora grabbed Yang's hand off her shoulder and pulled her off towards a stand that had large racks of meat spinning on rotisseries.
Nora, Yang and Ren found their way to the table where the other two couples, or at least one couple and one on the way, were already eating and waiting for them. Yang flung down her cardboard container, filled high with a large mass of noodles along with a sizeable portion of meat. Shoved to the corner of both her and Nora's boxes was a small amount of salad, nearly buried beneath the well cooked beef and rapidly soaking up the mixture of grease from the noodles and juices from the meat. Ren's platter had a wide variety of fruits and vegetables next to a small amount of chicken and a small, delicate looking cupcake.
"Well you two found your favorite place didn't you?" Jaune looked hungrily at their plates.
"Oh yeah, you should have seen it. There was so much meat." Nora grabbed her fork and began digging in.
"I was just pleased to find a stand serving fresh fruits and vegetables. They're a local farm that decided to come sell to people here and at the Vytal Festival." Ren showed his plate as he sat down.
"And what's with the cupcake then?" Sun gestured at it with the fork in his hand.
"Oh," Ren smiled, "That was because today has been such a good day. I wanted something a little sweet for myself and they assured me these were delicious." Ren scooted the cupcake slightly to the side, allowing it to rest more evenly on the cheap platter.
"I was just glad they had these little salads as part of the meal," Yang held up a few juice soaked leaves of lettuce on her fork, "or else Ren might make us drink some of that 'healthy juice' stuff he makes." Both Jaune and Pyrrha had to hide their laughter.
"Like a smoothie? I bet that's delicious." Sun looked over to Ren, "You've gotta make it for me sometime."
"I have a glass every day, I'd be more than happy to share." Ren gave the Faunus boy a polite nod and lifted a small fork full of diced veggies to his mouth.
"So how's your day been?" Yang looked across to her partner as she slurped up some noodles.
"It's been very nice. I'm happy to see all the different people at the fair." Blake smiled and looked around them at all the people sitting and eating or milling about, "It's very refreshing."
"I was telling her she shouldn't wear her bow but she wouldn't take it off." Sun smirked at her and took another bite.
"Yeah, well she probably already pretty embarrassed to be walking around with you." Yang mocked the boy and he just laughed.
"Yeah you're probably right. I know I'm just happy to be here with her." Blake blushed a little under his praise, "I mean who would have ever thought she'd agree to going out with me of all people?" Sun shrugged his shoulders in disbelief.
"Oh stop that Sun." Pyrrha smacked at his shoulder, "You boys never think highly enough of yourselves. Here I thought you were so confident."
"Well yeah I mean, I am. But, have you seen Blake? She's like, way out my league." Sun smiled and his tail whipped quickly back and forth behind him.
"Apparently I don't think so," Blake reached up and grasped his hand on the table top, wrapping her long lithe fingers around his strong calloused ones. Sun looked down at their hands and smiled.
"Yeah I guess you're right," Sun gripped her hand back, "Now I just wish I had gone for it sooner." Yang looked across to Jaune, he wasn't particularly involved in the conversation but he was listening, paying attention and watching on. She so hoped that he was at least getting the hint. Running into Sun and Blake and hearing the way they had ended up getting together could not have been more convenient. Yang had to wonder if maybe Blake had mentioned it to Sun and the boy was playing along. Either he was a sincere guy who was opening up about how he felt for Blake or he was a good friend, willing to throw in with them and help Jaune and Pyrrha at a moment's notice. Yang decided those were both good things and she would happier if either was true.
"You're tellin' me," she laughed out, "Can you believe how long it took me? I probably never would have even realized I liked Nora if she hadn't taken that first step." Yang looked very pointedly at Pyrrha.
"I think you blondes just need an extra push." Nora gave Yang a playful push with her shoulder and Yang laughed, Nora stretched her neck up and put a greasy kiss on Yang's cheek.
"Well if you two are finished over there, do you know when you'll be ready to head back to Beacon?" Blake looked at her partner specifically.
"Uhh, we weren't quite finished yet actually. I think we wanted to milk the day a little more." Yang motioned as subtly as she could with her head and eyebrows over at Jaune and Pyrrha. Blake nodded her head slowly.
"Okay, because Sun and I were thinking of taking a walk along the shore together. I'm not sure when we'll be done, so please don't wait on us." Blake looked around the group to make it obvious that she intended to address everyone.
"Thank you for letting us know Blake, I hope you two have a splendid time." Pyrrha looked out over the low slung food stands at the now descending sun, "I believe you'll have a wonderful sunset to watch." Blake followed her eyes out over the tents and rides and saw that sun and clear blue sky all around it.
"You're right, I think we will." Blake gave the other girl a kind smile and her bow twitched at a small crinkling noise. She glanced over and saw Ren very carefully unwrapping his cupcake, pulling the paper cup away in a slow methodic circle. He lifted the morsel to his mouth and took a careful bite.
"Really enjoying that aren't you?" Sun asked and Blake kneed him silently under the table, Sun started at the impact and looked at her. Blake gave him a reprising glare. Ren swallowed the bite slowly and addressed Sun.
"I don't often eat sweet things, or unhealthy foods at all really. So, when I permit myself I prefer to enjoy them as much as I can." Ren gave Sun a polite smile and Sun laughed a little nervously.
"Sorry," another short laugh, "I guess I just spend too much time with Team RWBY. Have you seen the way Ruby goes after cookies and brownies and stuff?"
"Oh yes, she must train an incredible amount to balance that out." Ren laughed and Yang joined him.
"That's my little sister. She does everything at full speed. She and Weiss are actually training right now." Yang laughed again and they all sighed, missing the little brunette but also relieved to not have to keep up with her.
"So you guys wanna get going?" Jaune stood and took his and Pyrrha's trash.
"Oh thank you Jaune." Pyrrha went to stand but stopped as he picked up her garbage.
"Yeah we're almost done here. Just one sec." Yang said and dove back at her food. Nora lifted a single finger on her left hand to indicate she also only needed a moment. As if to reinforce her sincerity she began aggressively slurping up her noodles. Jaune shook his head and laughed, then went to pick up Ren, Blake and Sun's trash as well.
"Thanks Jaune, you don't have to do that." Sun went to stop him.
"No, no it was your treat. It's the least I can do." Sun shrugged as Jaune continued to collect their stuff and then headed for a trashcan, "Be right back." Jaune walked away slowly, desperately trying to balance the large pile of cardboard plates and plastic wrappers he now had. Yang looked up from her plate as she continued to slurp until she thought Jaune was out of earshot. She bit off the noodles and swallowed quickly then leaned across the table to talk to Pyrrha in a hushed voice. She wasn't hiding it from the rest of the table, just making sure Jaune didn't hear.
"Alright Pyrrha, you gotta go for it here. Time to make your move." Yang leaned back quickly and returned to eating as Jaune deposited his load in a trash can and turned back. Pyrrha understood her meaning and nodded quickly. Yang and Nora finished their food, tilting the small containers up and shoveling the last bits down as they stood.
"So where to?" Yang tossed their plates in a trash can and wiped her mouth with their last napkin before depositing that as well
"Well we're gonna go for that walk" Blake grasped Sun's hand gently.
"Yeah, it'll be good after that lunch." Sun stood close to her, his tail drifting slowly back and forth.
"Alright, you two have fun." Nora gave them a smile.
"Don't do anything I wouldn't do." Yang winked at her partner who sighed.
"That doesn't rule out much." Blake said and then she and Sun waved and they all watched them go a short distance before turning back to each other.
"I did see they have a large spinning swing set up near the water's edge. Is that something everyone would enjoy?" Pyrrha looked around at them all, finally resting on a rather worried looking Jaune.
"I think it'll be okay." Jaune gave her weak grin, not very reassuring.
"It's really slow Jaune, not fast. It's supposed to be kind of relaxing." Yang patted him on the back, "You'll be fine." Jaune chuckled uneasily and the group headed out. There was a considerable line for the ride and Yang thought she knew why. It was later in the afternoon now and the sun's rays were bouncing off the ocean with the first inklings of sunset. The swings, close to the water as Pyrrha had said, would give a gorgeous view of the ocean on one side and Vale as it's lights came on for the night on the other.
The line moved faster than she expected and they only had to wait through two rounds of passengers before it was their turn. There were a large amount of swings, Yang figured it must hold at least a hundred people. They found five swings relatively close to each other and took their seats. Jaune sat and Pyrrha rested a hand on his shoulder before taking her seat.
"You'll be okay Jaune. I think you'll really like it." She let her hand slide off his shoulder and brush the swing on it's way down then took the seat right next to his.
"Yeah, just try not to puke while it's still going or it'll get all over us." Nora hollered up from behind him, far too loudly. Several of the other passengers near Jaune looked at him nervously and he gave a shy wave. The ride started up with a gentle sway and began slowly spinning. The easy force of the machine let the passengers swing out in a huge arc, carrying them over the water and the walkway around and around in a giant circle. As they picked up into the air the swings swayed slightly in their places and spread out so everyone had room to extend their arms and legs out to the sides and feel like a bird. Yang glanced over and saw Nora holding her arms out behind her and leaning forward, pretending to be an airship, complete with engine noises and gunfire imitations. Yang laughed merrily and stretched her hand out towards her playful little girlfriend. Nora heard her ringing laughter and stretched out to her as well, they reached as far as they could but couldn't quite reach and so they both just laughed.
Yang looked forward and saw Pyrrha watching Jaune. The boy seemed to be doing alright, he was staring out over the ocean as they passed and then down at the ground as they went over the fair. Then Pyrrha held out her hand much the same as she just had and Yang felt a pang of regret. Pyrrha had wanted to try and hold Jaune's hand on the swings. That was a pretty romantic idea and a really good one from Pyrrha, but there was no way she could reach Jaune even if he reached out to her as well which wasn't very likely given how shy he was. Then Yang gasped as Jaune's swing started to drift closer and closer to Pyrrha's. The Mistralian girl was slowly working her fingertips in a come hither type motion and Jaune's swing was obeying. Yang looked closely and could see a faint auric glow around the boy's seat, emanating from the metal bars that held him up in the air. The steady drift finally caught Jaune's attention and he looked over to Pyrrha. Her hand was still outstretched but she had ceased the small movements of her fingers, simply holding her hand out and his swing in place. Jaune cocked his head to the side and Pyrrha nodded gently. He reached out his hand and took hold of hers, maintaining that eye contact the entire time. Yang watched and just as their hands met his swing went slack and the weight transferred to their grip. Pyrrha's timing was impeccable and Jaune didn't notice a thing.
Yang looked over and saw Nora watching as well, her eyes glued to the sappy little scene unfolding in front of them. The redhead turned and found Yang's eyes as well. They smiled at each other and laughed quietly, not wanting those two to overhear them. The ride began to slow and Pyrrha and Jaune were forced to release hands. They drifted to a slow stop and were asked to disembark by the attendant on the mic. They walked over to the edge of the platform and waited for Jaune and Pyrrha to join them.
"You saw what I saw as well right?" Ren asked as he approached.
"Oh I know, I might not even need my big secret weapon at this point." Nora giggled with excitement.
"And I was so excited for it too." Yang gave her a joking grin. Pyrrha and Jaune finally made their way over to where they were all standing and Yang noticed they were no longer holding hands. She sighed internally but smiled for them as they approached, "You two enjoy the ride?" she put more than a hint of tease into her voice, hoping they would catch her drift. Pyrrha blushed considerably but Jaune just laughed and rubbed the back of his head.
"Oh yeah that was a lot of fun." he turned to Pyrrha, "Thanks for convincing me to go on." Jaune gave her a warm smile and she returned it underneath scarlet cheeks.
"Of course Jaune, I'm glad you enjoyed it." Pyrrha looked down at her feet and shuffled slightly.
"We should move," Ren gestured around them and they noticed they were some of the only passengers from the previous round left and the next set of riders were already making their way towards the swings. They all shuffled out the exit and back out into the walkway.
"Okay, this way." Nora grabbed Yang's hand, pointed off into the distance and began marching away without waiting for a reply from the others. Ren laughed quietly and shook his head and Jaune just shrugged. They all went lumbering off behind her, trying to keep up with her rather quick pace through the thinning crowd. Yang allowed herself to be towed along behind her, just trying not to barge into too many people on the way. Before she knew it they were all standing at the base of the giant ferris wheel, "Ta Da." Nora flung her arms up in a giant 'V' putting the slowly spinning wheel of lights and cars on display behind her.
"Nora it's perfect," Pyrrha smile was radiant as she looked up at the ride, "This will be wonderful."
"Come on, come on." Nora pulled eagerly at Yang's hand, trying to get her into line but Yang held her spot.
"Ren, the uhh… the cars only hold two." Yang gave him an uneasy look. Riding the big ferris wheel at sunset like this was definitely romantic couple type activity and she desperately wanted to go on with Nora. However, Ren would either sit it out or ride alone, neither of which seemed like okay options to her. She felt bad that he was left out of a lot of their activities because he didn't have a partner of some sort, and she felt even worse because it was like she had stolen Nora. "So do you wanna-" Ren cut her off.
"That's quite alright, I actually think I would prefer to view the sunset from the end of the pier." Ren pointed off a little ways to the pier that jutted out into the water. "The sound of the waves helps me relax so I think it will be very nice." he gave them all a small nod of his head.
"Are you sure? I don't want you to just have to wait on us." Yang stepped forward towards him.
"Really it's perfectly fine. I want you and Nora," he turned to Jaune and Pyrrha, "and you two to enjoy the ride." Yang released Nora's hand and gave Ren a bone crushing hug. Ren started at the hug and looked over Yang's shoulder at Nora. Nora gave him a huge smile and nodded so he slowly reached his arms up and patted her on the back. Yang stepped back and Ren smiled.
"Thanks Ren. You're really the best." Yang stepped back and grabbed Nora's hand again and the four of them made their way into the line for the ferris wheel. Ren watched until they disappeared around a bend in the line and then walked slowly off towards the pier, that smile never leaving his lips.
The line didn't take very long at all and moved really steadily compared to others they had been in today. Yang saw that they didn't load a lot of people at once, just one car, two people at a time but every car got loaded every time around so they never stopped moving forward.
"Do you ladies want to go first?" Jaune gestured in front of himself.
"Oh no no, you don't wanna be behind us." Nora waved her hands.
"Yeah I'm gonna be all over this girl, you don't wanna see that." Yang grabbed at Nora's waist aggressively and she giggled and squirmed under the attention. Jaune and Pyrrha both laughed and then it was their turn to get on. Yang was happy to see Jaune being a gentlemen about everything but that was nothing new, he was polite like that to everyone. Their car rocked forward slightly and slid up and away, making room for Yang and Nora's car. The previous occupants got out and they replaced them on the small bench. The attendant shut the door and they swung up and away from the ground gently.
"Do you think this is gonna work?" Yang looked over to her petite little girlfriend.
"I sure hope it does, we've spent like all day on the two of them." Nora sagged against Yang, faking exhaustion. Yang laughed and slid her arm around her.
"Yeah I think we gave them every chance." Yang leaned down and kissed the crown of Nora's head, holding her lips against her soft reddish hair. Nora sighed and cuddled into the kiss, pulling herself closer to Yang. Yang released the tender kiss and rested her head on top of Nora's. The cars floated through the air again and they were now staring into the belly of the ferris wheel, all of it's complicated machinations on clear display. "Nora, can I ask you something?" Nora leaned back and rolled her head back to meet Yang's eyes.
"Of course you can silly." she stretched forward and placed a little kiss on the tip of Yang's nose.
"Earlier when you, well when you poked me on the nose," Yang stopped. It wasn't a thing right, she had just said 'boop', she was probably just feeling silly and said a funny word. But, Ren had said that it was a big deal and it had been eating at Yang all day. "I know I'm probably just being weird about it but," she trailed off again and looked into Nora's eyes, "Well you said boop when you poked me and I didn't think much about it but then Ren said that was a big deal and I've just been wondering about it all day." The cars slid up again.
"Oh yeah," Nora looked down, " I guess that is kind of a silly thing I do." she glanced up and stared at the innards of the ride.
"If it wasn't a huge thing or if I shouldn't have asked-"
"No Yang it's okay," Nora turned back with a smile on her lips, eyes shining in the afternoon sun, "It's my way of saying something I'm not sure I'm ready to say yet. Or that I don't think you're ready to hear me say. Or just because I'm too nervous to actually say it." The ride rocked gently and Yang looked at Nora and understood exactly what she meant.
"I think I understand Nora. But I have to ask another question." Nora nodded her head gently and Yang continued, "Was it because you weren't ready or one of the other reasons?" Nora fidgeted.
"I think I'm ready. I just am really really nervous. I don't know how you feel and I didn't wanna scare you away or freak you out or-" Yang leaned down and sealed her lips over the babbling redhead's. She held her there in a deep passionate kiss until they rolled up again and emerged into the clear open sky.
"I love you Nora." Yang said the words and they immediately felt natural on her tongue. They hadn't been together all that long but Yang had never meant those words before with someone other than Ruby or Summer and her Dad. Nora gasped for air as Yang broke the kiss and struggled to catch her breath because of what Yang said. Yang smiled, she had literally taken her breath away by telling her she loved her, what more could she ask for. Nora finally managed to take a steady breath and regain a modicum of composure.
"I love you too Yang." Nora tackled Yang against the side of the car and kissed her furiously. Yang laughed in between kisses and held her little girlfriend easily on top of her. After a substantial amount of kissing Nora finally relaxed and let out a contented sigh, letting herself relax against Yang's chest.
"Hey come one, we're gonna miss the view." Yang did a slow sit-up lifting Nora along with her so they could look from the top of the ferris wheel. They stared out first over the city and saw the evening lights just starting to twinkle on, bathed in a sea of orange from the setting sun and then turned to look out over the ocean. The sun was just dipping into the ocean, testing the waters with a single, giant, flaming toe. Orange and golden waves rolled endlessly towards the shore, carrying the last bits of the day's warmth towards them and Yang decided this made her happy. This whole situation, here with her friends at Beacon, training with her team and getting to do it all with her sister. And then there was this girl, this wonderful bubbly little redhead she lived across the hall from and that she had fallen for so easily. Yang was definitely happy. She felt a tap on her shoulder that pulled her out of her reverie and she turned to look at the little redhead that was currently filling her thoughts.
Nora was silent and just pointed to the car in front of them and Yang saw possibly the only thing that could have made her happier in that moment, Jaune and Pyrrha's arms around each other and their lips pressed firmly together. She turned back to Nora and whispered in her ear.
"Mission accomplished"
A/N That was a long one and with it the 'Carnival Arc' comes to an end. I hope you enjoyed all the sappy bits and all the funny bits. I think the whole thing wrapped up rather nicely for everyone. I'm definitely a hard core Arkos shipper and so I really enjoyed writing them together like that, at the same time it was hard for me to keep it pretty much to Yang's perspective and not follow Jaune and Pyrrha on the ferris wheel or get in Pyrrha's head during the swings scene. All in all though it was fun to watch their romance blossom from a third person perspective and get to put Yang's thoughts on the matter as they went.
Please let me know what you thought of this all. A lot happened at the carnival with a lot of different characters and I'm interested in how people took it. If you hated what I did with Ren, or if you loved Jaune getting sick on the rides, either way I'd love to hear it.
There will be two more chapters this weekend as always and the very first chapter of "Friends and Loved Ones" comes out Tuesday so look forward to that. Until I finish this story they will both post together on all four of my posting days so there will be plenty to read. I hope you're all still enjoying it and thanks so much for reading.
-Zach