Suggested Reading: Chapter 33 -Ragna-
Huge shoutouts to CupNoodles123 for helping me come up with the outline for this chapter.
Extra 012: On Ice
"Feels weird to finally be going out after everything that's happened," Ragna admitted as he and the girls of Team RWBY walked down the streets of Vale city. "And when we have early lectures the next day… in the middle of Project Hell… even when all of our projects are done."
"Are you finished summarizing yet?" Yang asked from up ahead with a roll of her eyes.
"I'm sorry, it's all still pretty surreal to me," the Reaper said before looking to Blake. "So you won a free three hour skating session for specifically five people at the town rink and no one's going to be there? And you won this from a raffle at the bookstore that you frequent?"
"We needed a way to get this extra's plot started, are you coming with us or not?" she demanded.
"I'm coming, but this feels about as sensical as winning a Noodles for Life voucher from a burger place," he sighed before falling in line.
"Don't worry Ragna, you're still pretty unused to having any good luck." Harsh as it might've been Ruby's words certainly held a certain truth to them. "Just focus on having fun tonight! This is probably your first time skating."
"No actually, I've been skating once before but it was a really long time ago," Ragna admitted as he thought back. "There was this lake by the church I was living at with Jin, Saya, and our mother. It wasn't all that big, but during the winter it used to freeze over. Jubei had been visiting us one year and brought the three of us a set of skates each."
"That long ago?" Weiss asked, knowing that Ragna would likely be rusty. "How'd you do?"
"Pretty damn bad, kept falling on my ass and I think I broke the ice and fell in at the end so I had to call it quits there. Saya was being helped by our mother and Jin took to the ice like a fish to water. Maybe it was around this time that he started showing signs of his Semblance. Anyways, I think I started to the get the hang of it at the end with some help from Jin. Let's hope I can remember at least some of that."
"Considering all you're able to do in an actual fight, I think getting the hang of skating would be pretty simple via comparison," Ruby guessed.
"You'd be surprised, some of the greatest Huntsmen and Huntresses of recorded history have also been reported having two left feet whenever they had to dance at social gatherings," Weiss informed, leaving her boyfriend to raise an eyebrow at her. "Not to say that you're a bad dancer, even if you have our practice sessions together to thank for that."
"Wow, humble much Empress?" Yang teased, though Weiss only smirked back.
"What about the rest of you? What've I got to work with?" Ragna decided to question.
"You'll find out soon enough; this is the place right here," Blake told him, once again making the Reaper wonder what he'd gotten into. No one else seemed to be at all giving on their skating skills as they headed into the otherwise non-noteworthy building.
The cards Blake had won in the contest got them past the security measures and past that they a full run of the place for their session before the lights would threaten to turn off. No wait staff or anyone else in the building… Ragna had to wonder if just skating that night was a big waste in the grand scheme of things, before remembering he wasn't Kagura and the group had been dating for less than a week. Best to keep things at this level for a while instead of rushing things. After everyone grabbed their skates (Ragna feeling weird not to have a metal place atop his shoes, but instead an edge beneath) they headed to the edge of the rink.
"Everyone, enjoy," Blake to them all with a confidence about her that rivaled Weiss's as she stepped onto the ice. "Let's make this a night to-"
Only to fall flat on her back with that single step onto the rink. Her protective aura was all that stopped her from getting an immediate concussion.
"…So much for cats always landing on their feet," Ruby mentioned leaving everyone to glare at her for the comment. "What? She told me she doesn't mind word play like that as long as it's not outright demeaning."
"Cutting it a little close with that comment though," Ragna informed as he helped the Cat Faunus to her feet, though staying off the rink himself for the moment. "First time skating?"
"What gave it away?" she sighed as she was helped to her feet, though she still needed to support herself on the wall to stay stand. "Just… give me a second to acclimate. And while I'm doing that, let's see how you're able to manage."
'I doubt I'd be able to outperform you just now… probably,' Ragna thought to himself before taking his first step. As he'd expected he did stumble a bit as he got on, but he at least managed to keep himself standing. Finding a solid sense of balance, he took a few slides and managed to move forward at least with minimal stumbling. "Not winning any prizes like this, but at least I'm doing okay."
"And you're just getting started," Ruby said, once again being as supportive as she could. "Now it's my turn to- Wooooah~!" Losing balance and flying forward, she would've face planted right into the ice had Ragna not swooped in at the last second to catch her in his arm. Still unused to his own skates, he struggled to a bit but managed to bring Ruby up to her feet while getting dangerously close to falling over himself. "Uh… heh heh?"
"Oh, so now he's able to catch someone," Blake noted bitterly.
"I was ready this time," came the skating Reaper's excuse. While Ruby was a little frazzled but standing upright, she still clung tightly to his arm, like she was ready to fall over without his support. "Guess… you need help too?"
"It would be nice," she admitted, not minding the close contact with her boyfriend at least. Feeling the wind as something breezed past her, she and Ragna turned to see Weiss skating off with her hands behind her back, before turning and skating backwards with her face smug in superiority. "…She is going to make me pay for all of those You're Too Slow jokes I make with her using my Semblance, isn't she?"
"With interest," Ragna agreed. Turning to the last member of Team RWBY, Yang had little trouble as she started skating her way around the rink right from the get go. "Guess I don't have to worry about you."
"I'll manage for now, just work with Ruby and try to get your footing on the ice while I help Blake out," the blonde instructed as she offered the feline her shoulder. "I'd suggest asking Weiss for help, buuuuuut…"
"She's too busy showing off, I can see her," Ragna noted as Weiss then jumped in an easy double axel. "Guess all of that sliding around using her Glyphs has her ready for this." He started guiding Ruby in a slow skate while doing his best to maintain his own balance. "You'll be okay, just gotta take things slow for once."
"Guess it's the best way to do this," she agreed, only for a thought to form. "Or it might not even be us; maybe it's our skates instead? We could all be going like pros right from the start if-!"
"You are not modifying them with retractable weapons; these things are rentals," he reminded strictly… only to get the first usage of Ruby's pleading eyes in quite a while.
…He crumpled immediately.
"I'll… get you your own pair for your Birthday," he promised, at least able to keep himself to that level.
Ruby figured it wasn't right to use this as outright extortion from Ragna (he got enough of that from Tao), but at least she was getting a planned gift here. And besides, there was far more to their relationship already without using her eyes. A few more steps and they were finally starting to get into the grove of things… which is more than what could be said for Blake.
"Come on, you're not going to fall over again I'm right here," Yang tried to coax. Blake was viciously clinging to the wall like she was afraid to let go. "So you completely slipped and fell over on your face… twice out two tries now, but I'm sure you're through the worst of it. Just take my hand." The Cat Faunus didn't say anything, shaking as she slowly complied and moved her hand from the wall to take Yang's hand. "And now let go of the wall."
"Never." She tried to take her hand back from her partner, but Yang wasn't letting it go that easily. "Maybe I can just sit this one out?"
"Not a chance, this was your idea wasn't it?" Blake wasn't moving from her spot at all. "You know… I have been thinking about joining your little book club, Ragna and Weiss are already in it." Blake ears literally perked up at that. "And I've got a couple of books that might get you to do a double take so… if you're willing to commit to this, I'll try joining in next week. Might even get Ruby to join so we can complete the set."
"…This is black-"
"No, this is just really good negotiations; there's a key difference." It was finally time to put that whole issue to rest. "So? Ready to try?"
"I guess…" Blake said hesitantly before letting go of the wall. She barely managed to inch forward before falling forward completely. Yang managed to catch her with her arms as the Faunus face-planted into her stomach. "Ummm…"
"Hey, you're not falling over completely anymore," Yang tried to encourage. "…With help, but baby steps."
"Those seem to be the only steps I can do right now."
Over with Weiss she seemed to be doing better than anyone, currently skating right in the middle of a rather complicated routine. Axels, spins, and leaps were all done expertly by the heiress as she finished her choreography and raised her hands to the sky for what would normally be applause. As it turned out, she got some from Ragna and Ruby both.
"And I thought you liked to show off when we were dancing," Ragna praised as Weiss skated over to the two of them.
"I didn't understand a lot of the specifics, but you were totally awesome out there!" Ruby exclaimed as well. "The way you in total control on the ice! Imagine if you did all of that while you were fighting Grimm!"
"I do use that when I'm fighting Grimm! My glyphs give me total control of the battlefield and my grace in fighting is second to none!" Weiss declared with one of her usual lectures.
"Sorry, yeesh," Ruby said before poking the tips of her index fingers. "I just thought it'd be kind of cool if you tried doing this by adding bladed skates while you fight, maybe even have them retractable and with small guns for either a boost of speed or a projectile?"
Slightly unnerved by that response, the Schnee heiress turned to their shared boyfriend.
"It's her latest weapons craze fueled idea."
"Clearly," Weiss realized with a sigh.
"Oh, how about a race then?" Ruby asked. Weiss seemed rather disinterested, more focused on performance than pure speed. So she turned to Ragna. "Come on! It'll be fun!"
"Or it could result on both of us landing straight on our faces," he realistically answered. "Ruby, we've barely got the hang of the basics."
"And when's the next chance we're going to have this much room to work with!?" she asked, gesturing her arms out to the entire rink. She then leaned forward and winked up at him. "And if you're really so worried that I'm going to take a tumble, then you better do your best to keep up and make sure that I don't!"
"…You've been challenged," Weiss noted.
"Guess I can't turn this down then," Ragna said as he got into a race ready position. "Wait, you're not going to use your-"
"GO!" Ruby shouted as she rushed forward, a trail of petals left behind as her skates were barely touching the ground.
The Reaper could at least take solace that she had better control this way (hopefully), but in terms of their race he was already eating her dust (or ice powder in this case). Hastily starting his own lap, he tried not to hear Weiss's dignified giggle at his situation. Barreling down meant far less control and he had to manage a last second swerve to avoid Yang and Blake.
"Easy! Beginning skaters on the rink!" Blake shouted, getting a split second wave apology from Ragna as Ruby was already halfway to lapping him. "Well… beginning skater. Singular."
"Come on, you're a… you'll be a natural," Yang encouraged while healthily stepping it back to be a little more realistic. "Once again, like we've been practicing." Yang helped her inch forward with steady skating while her partner continued clinging to her for support… until Yang slipped out. Blake looked completely betrayed, as she struggled to remain standing. The blonde only smiled knowingly as she skated a short ways away and held out her hand. "You're really doing this?"
"I'm not saying that I mind you clinging to me, far from it. But I also need to let you to figure it out for yourself. Come on, I'm just right here, I've got faith in you." Taking a deep breath to control herself and her sense of balance, Blake slowly inched her way forward to take hold of Yang's hand… only for her to skate further back and leave Blake even more ground to cover. "Sorry, thought I'd try playing hard to get for once."
With Blake dealing with her own chase, Ragna had just finished his. He'd fallen on his rear in defeat and Ruby was behind him. She was leaning down and had her arms draped his neck in a bit of a post victory hug.
"Congrats, you did well out there," Weiss said in a taunting tone. "You were only behind her by an entire lap… and a half"
"Semblances were hardly fair here; mine isn't meant for movement, just giving me a big ass power boost or healing me if I screwed up somewhere," the Reaper insisted. "And she barely had to skate, hers did most of the work for here."
"Please, I still had to try… a little bit," Ruby tried to say in comfort as she embraced him. Ragna couldn't stay angry for very long and simply gave her hand a quick pat. "Plus, what would happen if we were in a Grimm hunting contest? Are you telling me you wouldn't totally show off?"
"…Maybe I would if the opportunity presents itself," he admitted before making his way to his feet (his bum feeling just the slightest bit frozen). "Now what?"
"Now that you've had your fun learning the basics of skating and playing around with the speed of it, I'm going to instruct you in only the purest form of finesse," Weiss ordered. "By the time we're done with each other, you'll be able to skate with royalty."
"Aren't I already, my Empress?" the Reaper questioned with a bit of flirty undertones.
"Maybe so," she admitted with a smile. "But if you wanted any chance of winning over my father you'd better-" she started before shaking her head.
"You don't think Ragna can?" Ruby asked, a little worried for their future together.
"No, but… that's a difficult situation in itself," she admitted before smiling. "In that case you'll have to settle for working towards the appreciation of my sister. At least that will only be nearly impossible."
"Can't wait. We getting started?" Ragna asked, wondering what he'd be in for if they ever met.
"Of course, I'm not letting this chance go to waste," Weiss said as she offered her hand. "For now, follow my lead like we've usually done. Only you'll have to be doubly careful of your footwork now."
As the two took to their new style of skating, Ruby stayed back and settled for cheering the two of them on. Weiss slowly guided him while giving words of instruction as he tried performing some of the moves he'd seen Weiss working on as well some specifically for duets. The was one move that had Weiss close to the ice while Ragna spun her around called a 'Death Spiral'… he considered making a Team Attack to go with the name in the future.
Finishing their routine off, Ragna brought Weiss down for a dip on the ice. Now he'd practiced enough to adapt to wearing his skates and could hold himself and Weiss easily. The dip was the same as the last time they'd practiced dancing; a far lean that left the two mere inches from each other's face… only this time Weiss grabbed Ragna by the sides of his head and closed that distance for them in a baiser.
"Would you have followed through that time?" she asked once they'd parted.
"…Didn't have to," Ragna answered back with a smirk as he brought her back to a standing position. Ruby just gave the two a dorky giggle at their cheekily romantic display.
"What's this? Is our own little Ice Queen melting in the arms of our scary Reaper?" Yang teased as she skated of with Blake, the cat still gripping tightly to her partner's hand.
"No, just making up for a lost opportunity." Ragna considered if Weiss was still bitter about being the second girl he'd ever kissed. She still didn't seem upset at this point, but that had been quite the sudden outburst when it had actually happened. "Besides, scary Reaper? Ragna's a puppy with an occasional bad boy attitude."
"…You get Empress, but I get stuck with that?"
"It was meant as a compliment," Weiss assured him.
"How is bad attitude puppy a compliment?" he demanded, leaving Ruby and Yang to laugh (Blake herself still didn't care for the dog comparisons). He then took notice of Blake starting to slip again and Yang wasn't doing much to help her. "You… doing alright?"
"Staying alive at least." Not much assurance. "Yang's… a little direct in trying to get my skating skills up. Part of that's just leaving me to fall."
"Which you haven't yet… in a bit."
"Because I'm too terrified to move much! My aura can only take so many falls!"
"You'll have more fun once you get some actual skill here. You were really looking forward to this so I'm not letting our entire night go to waste," Yang insisted.
"…So you need a bodyguard from your own partner?" They thought Ragna had been saying this as a joke, but he actually skated right next to her and offered her hand. "I'll go as easy and slow with our skating as you'd like and I guarantee to never let your hand go or let you fall… though I should also tell you upfront that for you I'll only accept ear petting as payment."
"Sold!" Blake shouted as she practically lunged to let go of Yang hand and go for his. Ragna already had to make good on his promise for not allowing her to fall. Already she seemed more than ready to get skating again. "Ready whenever you are." Ragna sent a quick smug look to Yang who only rolled her eyes.
"I think you've been replaced," Weiss decided to clarify.
"Eh, that's fair," Yang admitted with a shrug. "I used to be in her shoes when my dad and my second mom first took us skating. I was a total mess falling over myself too, but they were still there to pick me up and eventually I stopped falling over… for more than a few minutes at a time."
"Really? You never told me that story about mom," Ruby said.
"Oh, with good reason. That phase where I was constantly falling over? Ugly crying, like SO MUCH ugly crying," Yang admitted with a laugh as she watched Ragna and Blake 'take it slow'. "Those guys look like they're going to be a while, so let's see how well I'm able to do Advance Skating with Weiss."
"Promise not to ugly cry if you fall over?" she asked with a smirk.
"I'll limit it to pretty sniffling," Yang countered.
"…That was actually a good one." Yang appreciated her baby sister's support at her pun, she just wished she didn't sound so shocked.
Over with Ragna and Blake, it had taken them quite some time to complete just a single lap around the rink. But after his rather futile race against Ruby, he was hardly complaining now. Blake was clinging to him just like she'd been with her own partner, but she was still more relaxed without the threat of abandonment… in her words, of course.
"I'm not getting too close to you am I?" Blake asked as she had practically both of her arms hooked to Ragna's right one (working out all the better since she was closer to the edge and use the wall if she absolutely needed to).
"Nah, but I'm a little intrigued at this cuddlier side of you," Ragna answered, getting a blush out of her not that it came close to stopping her hold. "You doing okay?"
"I mean I'm not over the idea of falling, but you're certainly keeping me more at ease… so thanks."
"Then are you up for going just a little faster? Not much, but enough to notice yourself moving?" he offered.
"Not on your life. If I'd known how difficult skating would be… well, I guess if you're amongst friends and lovers it's still worth it. Barely, but still."
"Hey, coming from you right now that means a lot to me," he assured.
"Doesn't hurt that you're getting some quality ear time later, does it?" Ragna's only answer was a modest shrug. "…You're not the only one after my ears now either; Ruby and Yang have been trying to ask for the occasional pets. Weiss hasn't, but I figure she's too proud to do it if I don't offer it to her."
"And how do you feel about it?" Ragna asked, knowing that this meant more to her than just some physical contact.
"…I'm slowly starting to consider the idea," she admitted before glancing over to the girls in the center. Weiss was actually standing off to the side while Yang and Ruby performed the same Death Spiral skating move that Ragna had done earlier… only much faster. Ruby was using her semblance while being spun and the two girls were laughing like they were mad at the breakneck pace. "Sorry if you're feeling left out."
"I keep telling you it's fine."
"Either way, let's just do a few more laps together. It's not fair if I have to hog you the whole time we're here just so I don't have to worry about falling over."
When they returned Ruby was sitting on the ice trying to catch her breath between the laughter and Yang (while standing) was doing very much the same. Weiss only looked to Ragna and Blake so she could get confirmation that the two also knew how insane the two sisters were… they neither confirmed nor denied.
"You sure it was a good idea to do all of that intense skating? We still haven't done our thing yet," Ragna reminded the blonde in concern. While there was a time limit for their time using the rink, they still had plenty of it to use. The real question was Yang's remaining stamina because the girl was constantly go go go, much like she always was. "Maybe we should do something a little easier?"
"You know that I'm an all or nothing kinda gal," Yang answered back, not addressing the slight sweat she was giving off. "And you're the one that's gonna need to worry about keeping up with meEEEEEE!?"
Yang suddenly found herself spiraling in the air, like the earth itself slipped out from beneath her as she flailed skyward in her sudden flight. Blake wondered if the universe was giving her strict 'tutor' her just desserts, but noticed the obvious glyph placed right where she'd been standing. Going to the rescue once again, Ragna quickly skated to catch the blonde, skidding to a halt and holding her bridal style in his arms.
"The hell was that about?" Ragna demanded from the heiress. She didn't respond, only smiling innocently like she hadn't just sent her teammate flying through the air. Yang wasn't hurt, so there wasn't much he could aside from set her down and-
"On second thought, let's have you be my transportation for a bit," she decided. Ragna shot the woman in his arms an odd look while at the same time realizing this was part of Weiss's plan (apparently she had more whimsy than any of them had considered). "You were just worried about how tired I looked and now that I'm here it would be good to put my legs up for a bit."
"So you want me to bring you to the chairs?" he tried. The look Yang sent made it clear that wasn't what she was implying. "Not going to waste our time on the ice, eh?"
"Nope~! So are you going to make this as romantic for me as possible?" she asked slyly. Ragna didn't answer for a second, so Yang had to wonder if he was getting annoyed or…?
"My dear Yang," Ragna said, though his tone made it clear he was about to do anything but sweettalk her. "No way in hell!"
Throwing her into the air once more (Yang was glad she'd had a late dinner that night) Yang flipped around once before Ragna caught her again, only this time she straight forward like a plank while the Reaper held her up perpendicularly by her sides.
"You always said you wanted to be a superhero, right?" Ragna asked from down below.
"You know I never said that, but I'm not turning down this chance! Forward!" Yang shouted as she put her fist out and Ragna started skating down as fast as he could manage. Thanks to the practice he was going faster than he had in his race with Ruby and Yang could really feel the wind going through her hair. "Super Yang! On the way to save the world again!
"That's what they decided to do?" Weiss questioned as she watched their hijinks. "I know I shouldn't be surprised at this point, but… still."
"I mean, if there's anyone here that would be into that," Blake had to admit, though this was far from the direction she'd expected either.
"She's missing a cape." …Ruby got it though.
Author's Note
So yeah, decided that since I was doing a shorter chapter out for Grim Reaper and Beastkin last week (Plug plug… and it STILL auto-defaults to YEAR) I'd have this week be a little short to help celebrate Ragna's birthday proper. After this I'm going back to one update every other week and since Rebirth of Azure has been long waited for, this had better be good meaning it requires a good time investment.
Other than that, YouTube update at 9AM PST today and an edit of something later this weekend both here and as a fresh posting on my AO3. That all said, let's get to the review responses.
Wlyman2009: Glad you found this humorous.
Javier Amon Belmont: Not really sure what I was going to do with Mai's whole thing here. Maybe just have it as a result of her semblance (for some reason?) And I guess that means you want the swimsuit follow up.
Felipe1402XZA: Men fun time… perhaps.
The Unplanner: Fantasy Australia… That's more of Vacuo, but Remnant does seem to have its share of beasties overall.
P3R50N4: If the pictures don't come out and he gets to see his gfs in bikinis, then a huge win on his end. If they do come out… we say it was a family member.
Rpgfan1: Just below a lime eh… maybe if I set this a little further along their relationship.
Guest (1): I'll have to come up with some designs to satisfy you all then.
Bismarck Alexander: Nothing illegal to say about any of this; consent was given and everyone had some harmless fun.
Sorry this wasn't the bikini update! Gonna have to make sure that's a special one! Ciao!