AN: Well, here I am with an egg on my face. Figured I got this done early enough I could crank out the next chapter before last month ended, then went and jinxed myself. I could make excuses but, well, no one likes those. Life happens and all that. My goal is still to get to bi-weekly updates, but that'll happen when it happens.
That said, as usual I dont own RWBY or Highschool DxD, and dont make squat from this. Hope you folks enjoy what I cooked up for this month.
The bullhead ride from Beacon to Vale proper is uneventful, the eight friends passing the time in companionable silence. Ruby playing with the clutch purse her sister had equipped her with nervously, and Nora swinging hers like a pendulum as an outlet for her prodigious energy. The bullhead docks they land at are close enough to downtown that the two teams are fine walking to the nightclub Yang had picked out for them. The press of bodies heading out for Friday night is fairly light, and more than a few of their fellow students are scattered throughout the crowd.
The entrance to Club Fahrenheit can best be described as a cleaned up warehouse with flames painted on it. Aside from the dirty red rope, the bouncer who looks more like an ape shoved into a suit than a man, and the occasional person walking past, there really isn't much to write home about on the side street the clubs main entrance is on. A few cars trundle past as the bouncer checks the ID's and collects the cover charge from the gaggle of college students in front of them. Yang catches Rubys arm when there is only one guy left in front of them. "Make sure you use cash once we're in the club Rubes."
She tilts her head at her sister. "Why, just swiping my student ID is a lot easier way to pay."
Yang shakes her head at her sisters ignorance. "You're a student at Beacon, that means you can legally buy alcohol. But your ID has your birthday on it, so unless you wanna wait for the bartender to scan your ID to make sure it isn't fake every time you get something..." Yang trails off as a look of understanding crosses Rubys face. "Plus, since you did get skipped ahead, Dad can still check what you use your student account to buy. So unless you wanna tell him what you spent a few hundred lien at a nightclub for..."
Ruby winces, but then the pair are at the front of the line. The bouncer looks like he actually recognizes Yang, but squints when he lays eyes on Ruby. Yang pays her cover charge after the guy glances at her ID, before pulling out his scroll and swiping Rubys card. After almost five minutes, his scroll beeps cheerily and he hands back the ID. "I mean, I get letting huntsmen and huntresses have a few perks for keeping the rest of us safe, but this feels like a bit much."
Blake glowers at the bouncer from behind her team leader while poking her head out from behind the girl. "Considering that roughly a fifth of 'drop out's' from hunter academies are fatalities, there's a decent chance most of us could be dead before we hit the civilian drinking age."
"She's fifteen for crying out loud!" The bouncer presses clearly unhappy about the girl walking past him to wait next to her sister.
Yang scoffs "You mean to tell me you weren't going to keggers and house parties when you were her age Boris?"
Grumbling, the half-trained ape drops the subject as he quietly takes Blakes money. Then stops dead when Weiss presents her ID. "It's Bruno, and I call bullshit."
Weiss arches an eyebrow at the man and crosses her arms, right foot tapping the pavement impatiently. He scans her ID, after another five minutes long wait ensues as his scroll communicates with Beacons mainframe. As the line behind the two teams continues growing into an increasingly grumpy crowd, his scroll chimes happily again. Weiss hands the man a stack of lien that looks more like a few hundred than the fifty the others had paid and coldly bites out "You didn't see me here tonight."
Jaune, now frowning, shuffles his team around so that Pyrrha will be next. Upon seeing her ID the guy tilts his head back and bellows "Oh come ON!" before grumpily slashing her ID through the reader on his scroll. People are now angrily shouting towards the front of the line as a third ID gets a thorough check.
When the frazzled bouncers Scroll makes the same happy little chime it had for Ruby and Weiss, Pyrrha hands the man a stack the same size as Weiss had, smile never faltering from her too perfect cereal box facade simply quips. "What she said."
Grumbling the bouncer splits off the bribes from the cover charge and grouses. "Yep, just the usual first week of Beacon freshie crowd. Isn't even anyone famous attending this year as far as I know." as he quickly spot checks the rest of JNPRs IDs and accepts their cover charges, clearly rushing in an effort to calm the angry crowd behind the freshman teams.
The group of friends proceed into the wide entry hall, bathrooms off to the left, and a coat closet to the right. The room is barely lit, the eerie blue of black lights playing strangely off the shifting flame patterns being projected onto the walls. There are low backless leather couches scattered along the walls for partiers to take a quiet break on, and the dull thrum of music can be heard echoing through the large double doors on the rooms far side. As they pass through the room Weiss offhandedly comments "Actually, we should all stick to cash. The three strike rule is clearly meant to keep students from drinking during the semester, so they may be monitoring our IDs for any transactions at bars or clubs." No one can really come up with anything to say to that. Or muster the courage to ask why or point out that the Schnee heiress is the one to catch that particular snare and loophole.
The octet passes through the reception lounge to the club proper, which is sparsely populated, and only marginally better lit than the blacklit room they had just left. Along the left wall is a massive bar, with four different suit-clad men manning it. The center of the main room is dominated by a shining circular dance-floor lit by several red, orange and yellow spot and strobe lights. It extends to the far wall, which has a DJ booth projecting out with a commanding view of the dance floor, a railed platform projecting just below and to the left of it, a staircase on either side of the landing perfectly placed to allow patrons to make requests of the DJ. The walls behind all painted black with flame patterns reaching about halfway to the ceiling.
The wall opposite the bar is lined with booths, each with a deep enough wall to provide anyone using them a decent amount of privacy, and the rest of the main room is littered with high tables and chairs, but not heavily enough to make walking around difficult. Yang leads them to the bar, and, as soon as a bartender turns to face them orders "Tequilla sunrise, no ice." without missing a beat.
"Whiskey on the rocks, top shelf, splash of cola." Jaune continues, more than used to alcohol from all the high society gatherings he has been forced to attend thanks to his former kings status as heir to a noble clan.
Pyrrha is next in the line, and the bartender has since produced a notepad after realizing how big the group is. "I'll have a Grüns hard cider."
"Traditional or that new red stuff?" the sharply dressed tender asks.
"Traditional." the tournament fighter replies. Nora orders the same, and the bartender slips away to get the first four students drinks.
After the bartender is free again he looks to Ren, who orders a mead that he had been eyeing the bottle of since they reached the bar. Ruby is next, but she just stares blankly at the literal wall of booze before her. Jaune guesses the most alcohol the petite prodigy has ever had has been gutrot procured by a more rebellious friend, or taken from her parents cabinet. Chuckling Yang orders for her sister. "She'll have a screwdriver, and don't be too heavy handed." The bartender shoots the statuesque blonde a strange look, and she stage-whispers "My lightweight sister." for an explanation and answer to his silent question.
Ruby scowls at her sister, but smiles happily after sipping her drink. The girl still looks like a fish out of water however. "I'll have a Kuo KuBamBam." Blake orders.
The bartender, a fit man with close-cut black hair and a neatly trimmed mustache/goatee combo in his mid twenties wearing the same suit as the bouncer with more confidence, the jacket presumably hanging somewhere behind the full wall bar smirks. "I see we have an island girl. On the rocks or hot?"
"Extra hot." the raven haired bookworm orders. Noticing the curious looks on the other teenagers faces, the bartender sets about mixing the drink while taking obvious steps to let them see what goes in it. He confidently adds equal parts fruit punch and pineapple juice, two shots of coconut rum and tequila, and a generous dash of what look to be red pepper flakes to a drink mixer, shakes it and pours into a martini glass and adds a cocktail spear with a pair of cherries on it before handing it to the be-bowed girl. Blake takes a sip of the offered concoction and actually perks up a bit. "You didn't skimp on the liquor."
The man shrugs, then replies "Well, you asked for how we make it back home, so I figured I'd at least make it right. Poured from my personal stash though, so if you plan on getting belligerent don't expect them to stay that good."
Weiss, being at the end of the line makes her order before the conversation can drag on any further "Atlas Iceberg, in a flute, not on the rocks." Noticing a second wash of confused faces watching him, the barkeep once again makes it very clear whats going into the drink. Peppermint schnapps, mastiha, vodka, 7down soda-pop and a spear of mint carefully poured down a frosted champagne flute from the barkeeps drink mixer once he is finished with it.
The bartender does shoot an odd glance at Weiss as he slides her the drink. "Awful strong choice for a slip of a girl like you."
Weiss shrugs "Closest thing to anti-freeze a person can drink without dying." quoting the old Atlesian adage and earning a nod of understanding from the tender. As the group mostly drifts away from the bar Weiss half-glares at her teammates and friends. "What, were you expecting me to order wine or a wine cooler like some prissy rich girl?"
As the conversation fades out of earshot save for Yangs equally incredulous "Well, yea." the bartender, now bereft of any thirsty clients leans against his side of the bar near Blake.
"Going by the bow, I'm guessing you didn't leave home for gentle reasons either?" Blake looks at the bartender confused, and he replies by sticking out a forked serpentine tongue and waggling it at her before retracting it into his mouth. The faunus in disguise adjusts her bow, and the older man chuckles. "It's still there kiddo, I'm just more observant than most."
Caught out, Blake sighs. "When did you leave, if you don't mind me asking."
Shrugging and grabbing a glass to clean the bartender answers "Just after the first time we abducted and executed a bunch of SDC execs. Figured it was all gonna be downhill from there. Gotta say I'm surprised to see the High Leaders hatchet-mans right hand here with a student ID."
"Former." Blake dryly intones, holding on to her shot nerves and racing heart with both hands and a long drink. "And could you not-"
"Kid, bartenders are as close to shrinks as it gets without a PhD. Isn't my place to tell unless its a badge that's asking." The bartender making his unspoken question clear as day as he answers her own.
Blake chuckles mirthlessly. "They wont." before taking another belt of her drink and pushing off from the bar to follow her friends. "And I might not be much of a drinker, but I think you just made my favorite watering hole..."
"Names Crimm, and Farenheits my Club." He reaches under the bar and passes her a VIP card. "Stop through during a weekday if you wanna talk about, well..." she nods and departs for the table her friends had migrated too.
Blake slides onto the last of the eight chairs at the tall table the teams had claimed just in time for a sputtering Ruby to slide Weiss' drink back at her "Ack! How do you drink that!?" Blake, for her part, approves of the choice of table. Within easy walking distance of both the dance floor and what looks to be a games room, going by the pool table she can see through the only other door accessible to patrons in the room, but not so close to either as to be a high traffic spot.
Weiss twists her head away from Pyrrha, who she had been talking with to glare at her partner. "What!? When did you?" her eyes flick down to her notably less full drink. "You didn't even ask to try it, went through half an hours worth of sipping in one gulp, and have the temerity to complain about your taste in drinks not lining up with mine?"
Now trying to pout through her coughing Ruby timidly replies "I just wanted to see if maybe I'd like the same things – koff – you do. Since Yang ordered my drink for me and all." She pauses and glances away, before mumbling just barely loud enough to be heard over the low thrum of EDM "Maybe find something we have in common."
Weiss growls one last time before visibly schooling her face back to a calm facade. "Then you should have asked you dolt. Then I could have at least warned you that its a drink best sipped, not guzzled like you do every other fluid to pass your lips."
Grinning and sipping at her drink as Ruby blushes at Weiss' admonishment Yang drawls out "Now that Blakeys back from hitting on the bartender, good taste by the way, mind telling us the real reason you go for something that makes most cleaning agents look like a safe bet?"
"Thats not what I was doing Yang."
"If you had to attend at least three galas, recitals, balls or soirees a month and deal with a horde of nouveau riche and people that Jauques Schnee thinks make for good company you'd develop a taste for strong drinks too, Xiao Long." Weiss retorts, scoffing in frustration as she takes another sip from her drink.
"Woo-hoo what now? Attending whats?" Nora asks as she sets her now empty bottle on the table, clearly confused about most of the terms Weiss had just used.
Pyrrha covers her mouth with one hand and pokes her teammates shoulder with her half full bottle before explaining "Parties. She had to attend parties rich people like to have. And nouveau riche is a term people from old money use to snub people who just got rich."
Noras mouth forms a silent 'o' of understanding as Yang blinks, then asks "And you're old man is okay with you drinking something most career alcoholics wont touch at his fancy parties?"
Grimacing, Weiss takes another long sip from her drink. "No, at the actual events I'm forced to endure winos prattling about what vintages are popular and turning their noses up at the perfectly fine offerings the host, be it my father or some other person, selected." The normally white haired girl pauses to collect herself. Before she can continue a pair of what are probably college students stop to by to hit on her, then Yang, then Blake, ignoring the glares from the entire table. Nora and Pyrrha are able to avoid the leches by leaning in towards their partners to imply being taken. Ruby scowls at the trio, whom had all ignored her, as they walk away, and Weiss continues "No, I have an Iceberg at the after-parties I am also expected to attend with my... peers to take the edge off so I don't loose control and strangle one of them."
"So, is this your way of letting us know that you cant stand any of us then?" Yang asks, expression caught between sad and hurt as she takes a pull from her glass.
Weiss heaves a sigh. "Yang, I meant what I said back on our first day of class. I'm trying, and I know how I can get." The heiress takes another deep sip from her drink, most of it gone now. "This is me trying to loosen up enough that your plan has a shot at working. If I have more than two of these I'll probably end up a boneless drooling wreck that you will most likely need to carry back to the dorms."
Not more than a minute after Weiss admission a pretty blonde in a pink cocktail dress with a tray nearly full to bursting with shots and bombs balanced on one had approaches the table. Smiling awkwardly, she announces "Normally I don't hamstring guys attempts like this, but those guys." She jerks her head at the trio of idiots, surrounded by who are probably half a dozen of their friends at a table across the club. "Asked me to, and I quote 'bring the three hotties that don't look like their taken or kids another round of whatever they're drinking, and tell them its from the hunks.' So, free drinks, but..."
She sets a fresh drink down on her tray in front of Blake, Yang and Weiss and wanders off looking for thirsty patrons to sell to. Weiss drops her head into her hands, and Ruby claps a supportive hand on her partners shoulder. "Don't worry Weiss, I'll be your shoulder to stumble on. Its one of the many things partners are for. I think."
Without looking up Weiss dejectedly mumbles "I'm probably going to end up taking you up on that offer Ruby." Blake looks down to see only one drink, the fresh one, in front of her. Before she can say anything, she hears a fit of wheezing and coughing, and looks over to see Ruby setting down Blakes now empty first drink.
Gasping for air, the red-faced reaper blindly grasps for her own, far less spicy, drink, puts it to her lips and finds it... empty. Smirking, Nora quips "I'm empty too Ruby, lets go get something to get that bad idea out of your mouth."
"I -koff- gotta go get money to pay with first." She replies, before hacking a few more times.
Nora shrugs. "I heard Adam owes you sixty lien, lets go break his legs then get our drinks."
"Who's Adam, and why are we attacking him?" Ruby mewls, now confused and in pain.
Ren shakes his head, a slight smirk on his face "She means the ATM, Ruby."
A silent 'o' of understanding on her face, before another coughing fit hits, Ruby allows herself to be dragged off by the bombastic ginger. "So, we're at a dance club, and, well..." Yang trails off as the pair of thirsty girls disappear into the rapidly growing crowd.
Ren and Jaune rise to join the blonde brawler. Blake demures, still trying to get her nerves back under control from having been so easily identified. A few minutes of awkward silence later, Weiss announces "I need a water and to freshen up, I'll be back, can you..." Blake just nods. After all, it wouldn't do to have any of their drinks spiked or taken. After a few minutes Blake finds herself trying to spot her teammates and friends out on the dance floor, which doesn't take long.
Yang Xiao Long doesn't do anything by halves after all, and is clearly looking to draw attention. Wrists crossed and arms above her head, the blonde is more undulating to the beat than she is dancing. Not that anyone who appreciates the female form is complaining. Blake isn't ashamed to admit that she's enjoying the view as well, especially when the blond spins, and the pleated lower half of her skirt flares up to reveal an enticing amount of thigh. Comparisons to her previous paramours, actual or potential, only making the noticing more awkward.
Ruby and Nora return, happily chattering with each other, both armed with a brown bottle. Guessing that the hammer-wielder had convinced Blakes clearly inexperienced at drinking team leader to try her apparent go-to drink, Blake returns her attention to the dance floor. She is just in time to see one of the guys from earlier 'subtly' slide up behind Yang, clearly looking to try to sneak a dance with the blond, judging by the hand he rests on her butt. At least until Yang mixes a spin in with her energetic gyrations and, 'accidentally', no doubt, elbows the guy Blake whimsically nicknames Chet in the face.
Blake can barely keep an eye on her partner through the crowd as she crouches down, but she can guess that the blond is currently apologizing to the now prone young man. Maybe even offering him an 'I'm sorry' drink. Blake does manage to catch her strutting from the dance floor, but is then distracted by Nora exclaiming "Oh my gosh, this IS your first time drinking, isn't it Ruby?!"
Blushing, the petite girl shoots back "No, no it isn't! Of course it isn't, what makes you think that?" shaking her hands animatedly as she tries to sell her denial. Consequentially spilling liquor all over the place for her efforts.
Hand over her mouth again, Pyrrha interjects "There's nothing wrong with that Ruby. Temperance is an admirable trait, especially for someone in a leadership position."
Returning from the bathroom Weiss is actually smiling a bit as she sits down. "I'm glad to know that my partner isn't a lush at least."
Ruby growls, actually growls, at the turn of events before exclaiming "I drink and party all the time!"
"Unless you count the one time you accidentally took a drink from one of dads beers and immediately spat it all over Zwei as 'all the time' your full of shit there Rubes." Yang counters as she drops back into her seat and takes a sip from her drink.
"You don't know that!" Ruby counters, convincing no one. "Maybe I snuck out all the time to go to parties and stuff!"
Yang fixes an almost judgmental glare on her sister. "If you had, dad would have caught you at least once. Gods know he caught me enough times, and unlike you I can actually tell a lie to stay out of trouble when I need to."
Before the teasing of Ruby can go any further, the entire table looks up, eyes drawn back to the dance-floor by the rhythmic chanting of 'go go go'. The sextet of girls are shocked to see that the center of attention is Jaune and Ren, engaged in what looks to be a spirited dance-off. "I honestly did not expect those two to be such good dancers." Weiss comments, and the compliment is an honest one, as far as Blake can tell, Jaunes moves are more 'boy band chic' and Ren seems to have mixed in break dancing with his fighting style, but there really is no denying that the duo have moves.
After a few minutes of silently watching the friendly competition from afar, Nora grinds out "Are those hussies checking out my Renny?" A dangerous glint in her eyes.
Yang snorts "Of course they are, he's one of like, three guys I've met ever that can actually get away with leather pants. Without looking like a self absorbed jerk, that is." At that Nora slams what left of her drink and storms off towards the dance floor.
Yang giggles a bit at her former rivals protectiveness of what, technically, isn't hers. "Are we sure those two aren't together-together the way Nora has been insisting?" Blake asks over her partners barely restrained mirth.
Pyrrha shrugs "From what I've seen he's either ignoring the hints, or incredibly dense." and takes another sip of her drink.
"I give it three months then." Blake counters, a sly smirk on her lips. "Fifty lien too."
Yangs giggles escalate into full blown laughter, a radiant grin on her face. "Blake, I've seen that poor girl dropping hints since we hit puberty back at Signal. I'll see your fifty lien for the first semester of our sophomore year."
Weiss rolls her eyes at the childishness of her teammates. "If he's so dense then its clearly not going to be before the end of next year." She pauses to take a drink from her second Iceberg. "That said, I don't think Ren is that dense, rather that he's waiting for the right moment. He'll make his move during the Vytal Festival." She slaps a fifty lien note on the table and stands up. "Come on Ruby, lets keep Nora from getting us kicked out by starting a fight."
Ruby sputters as Weiss heaves her partner out of her seat. Panicking, Ruby polishes off her bottle. "Wh-but h-how are we going to do that Weiss!? Its Nora!"
"We're at a dance club Ruby, how do you think?" Weiss almost-snaps at the awkward girl, who is blatantly stealing a taste of Jaunes drink, which she proceeds to spit out.
Glancing around manically for something, anything, to 'save' her, Ruby does her best to deflect and buy time. "I think they'll be together by the end of the year." Weiss grabs her partners arm and starts dragging. Ruby barely manages to get Rens glass back on the table the second time Weiss tugs on her arm, though it looks like she at least liked that one.
"If we let her keep going like that, your sister is going to get very drunk Yang." Pyrrha gently chides once the pair is out of earshot.
Yang shrugs "Best way to learn your limits is to go past them."
Blake shakes her head, but cant fault Yangs logic. Not like the two of them can really say much about excess, with how strong their drinks are. "I am surprised you aren't more worried about your sister to be honest Yang. You've struck me as the protective sort since the semester started."
Grinning, yang replies "Oh, I am, its just with the rest of us here to keep an eye on her there's not much to worry about. Besides, have you met my sister, Blake?" To emphasize her point, Yang points out to the dance floor. It takes Blake a moment, but she does eventually spot the rest of her team. Just in time to see Ruby switch from the Running Man to the Sprinkler. Blake cant help but giggle at that. Weiss is at least original in her attempts to dance. And they are exactly that, attempts, as none of the grace and poise she posses on the battlefield seem to translate to the dance floor. To be honest, she would be a perfect fit for one of those 'Atlesians have no rhythm' compilation videos on the CCTnet.
In fact, it looks like the only one of the trio of friends currently on the dance floor who can actually dance is Nora, whom Weiss and Ruby had managed to catch before she could go on a leg-breaking spree. "You've got some pretty slick moves yourself Ren. Ren?" Jaunes voice announces his return to the table, fresh drink in hand and a light sheen of sweat on his face.
Ren is similarly armed with a fresh drink and showing signs of light exertion, but looks to have stalled in his progress to the table. His gaze locked on the trio the rest of them had just been talking and laughing about. Specifically the one he is partnered with who is happily bopping along with the music and apparently oblivious to the myriad appreciative gazes falling on her. "End of the semester." Pyrrha quips after Jaune doubles back to collect his teammate before setting fiftey lien on top of Weiss' bet.
Once the pair of guys are back at the table and seated Yang asks "So, was the dance-off planned, or..."
Jaune shrugs "Some of the other people noticed we were both good, so we started showboating a bit."
"Next thing we knew there was a circle of chanting drunks around us." Ren finishes as he polishes off his old drink and moves on to the fresh one.
Yang tilts her head "Circle of drunks, really? We've been here for what, an hour, maybe one and a half, and it was dead when we got here."
Blake shakes her head and pokes her partner "Aura helps clear out toxins, lightweights, too many shots too fast, take your pick." before standing to get herself another drink.
It takes a few minutes to shoulder her way through the now busy nightclub to reach the bar. By the time a bartender gets to her she's had three different guys and one girl hit on her, one of them was even sober. "You're getting plenty of attention for someone who hasn't set foot on the dancefloor." the clubs owner offers as he mixes her drink.
Blake shrugs "Not what I came to Vale or Beacon for though. A rebound guy, especially one I picked up in a bar, isn't something I'm interested in."
Crimm slides her drink across the bar with a wince. "Not the old rumor I was looking to have confirmed tonight friend."
Blake hands him the money for the drink and a generous tip. "But now that you know, maybe you can dissuade some of the lovesick puppies so I can enjoy the night with my team." The snake faunus nods, a jovial grin on his face, and disappears down the bar to serve the next patron.
The disguised cat faunas makes it back to the table her team and friends are at at the same time as Weiss, Ruby and Norra. And just in time for Yang to flag down one of the club employees wandering around with a tray of shots. All eight trainees are seated by the time the girl gets to their table. Before Blake, or anyone else for that matter, can get in a word edgewise Yang has ordered and paid for a round of cherry-bombs. Yang grabs her drink and holds it up "To all of us, getting in to Beacon, surviving initiation and passing our first week!"
_-*R-DxD*_
Its an hour past bar close, and Coco Adel is leaning against the wall next to the elevator on the dorm floor she is the RA for somewhere between annoyed and worried. She knows that the rest of the freshman she is responsible for are either back already, or still quietly celebrating in their dorms. The elevator dings, and she tenses up, her foots agitated tapping against the wall jerking to a halt. The first figure out of the elevator is a contentedly grinning Yang Xiao Long, and Coco lets out a breath she didn't know she had been holding.
"Oh, umm. Coco. Hi?" Yang dumbly greets her, clearly terrified of getting busted. The rest of the two teams stopping just outside the elevator when they realize who is waiting for them. Most of them nearly knocking over Yang, or someone else that had piled out before them, and Yang as a result.
Fighting to keep up her stone-faced facade, Coco levelly intones "And where have the eight of you been?" Aside from Yang, Jaune is the only other member of the group that looks to be more or less fine save for a flushed face. Blake is fussing with her bow, and glancing around like she has a stalker after her. Ren is serenely planted in one place, knees set to do most of the work of keeping him upright and steady, Nora leaning against him reaching over to paw at him while mumbling unintelligibly. Both of them look disheveled and have the vacant gazes of people who will have more than a few holes in their memories come morning.
Pyrrha is swaying on her feet, a dazed look on her face, one of her twintails having fallen out at some point, along with one of her color-changing contacts. Weiss and Ruby are leaned against each other, and appear to be singing, one more off-key than - "WARRIOR WILL SHOON RUM MILD!" the prodigy caterwauls. Her partner slugs her shoulder and begin to chastise her for being too loud, after echoing Rubys words a touch quieter and at the rightish tone and tempo. Which is ironic considering that she had been singing along with the other girl up until she had started shouting. Not that Coco can understand the high-speed unintelligible babbling Weiss is directing at her partner. Speaking of the heiress, her pants are stained from what looks like a nasty fall, and the dye she had added to her hair has started to run, natural white hair showing through the false blond.
Coco lets her shades slide down her nose just enough for her judging eyes to be visible as she glares at each of the plastered freshmen one at a time, letting her glasses slide down just a hair more as she lets her gaze linger on the busty blonde instigator. "Food poi-son-ing." Jaune explains, the cadence to his voice making her guess that anything past a single syllable is probably beyond him right now.
She cocks an eyebrow at the blatant lie. Unrepentant, Jaune shrugs, his silence a clear form of sticking to his guns. She sighs and pushes off the wall, revealing a stack of blue potentiades and fishing the bottle of ibuprofen out of her pocket. "Its the end of your first successful week at Beacon. Everyone parties." She hands a bottle and a pill to each member of the two teams, all of whom look positively gobsmacked. "Consider this your one freebie. Pull a stunt this, this blatant again and I will bust the lot of you. Be glad you lot aren't on the second floor. Freize is a straight-edge hard ass, and I know he busted half of the students he's RA for tonight."
Weiss and Ruby are both looking at the bottles of sports drink in their hands like she just handed them poison. She wrinkles her nose as she smells vomit from... one of them. "Nooooo hads have too much." Weiss protests.
Coco heaves a sigh, wishing she were more of a bitch and had just went to bed for blissful ignorance and plausible deniability instead of staying up to make sure everyone made it back safe and no one needed their stomachs pumped or a sober babysitter. "Pop the pills and drink up unless you want the hangovers to kill you tomorrow, then you can get to bed." She is satisfied to see Yang, Jaune, Blake and Ren all already complying. It takes Jaune prodding Pyrrha like one would a toddler to get her to comply, and Ren simply moves Noras arms for her to get the hammer-weilder to comply.
Ruby, however, decides her best option is to try to flee. She breaks into a sprint, causing Weiss to tumble into the wall midway through her sports drink, though she admirably manages to avoid spilling any of it. Yang catches her sisters stumbling attempt at sprinting while Jaune moves to help Weiss up. The heiress holds her free hand up, index finger pointed skyward, letting out a triumphant "Woo!" as she polishes off the juice, clearly thinking she has just finished off some manner of alcoholic drink. Jaune then helps her stand again and hands her off to Blake, who starts cackling for some reason as soon as the Schnee is leaning into her for support.
"Ruby, please stop and just take the medicine." Yang plaintively pleads as her sister struggles against the stronger, older girls one armed grip.
As the prodigy starts bable-screaming in protest, Coco cant help but smirk. "Regretting taking your sister out drinking there Yang?"
"Regretting feeding her sake." Ren dryly intones as he and Nora follow their team leader, who is leading his partner by her hand, past the unfolding melodrama towards their dorm.
"Mean." Pyrrha pouts at no one in particular.
"She wasn't trying to punch and bite the rest of us before we gave her that." Yang counters, causing the drunken champions pout to deepen into a frown.
Blake calms down enough from her confounding entertainment at having the heiress entrusted to her to deadpan "Or shrieking or trying to escape."
"Don t forget trying to hide under every single parked car we passed on the way to the bullhead docks." Jaune half-shouts down the hallway.
Coco shudders, having falshbacks to a similar night with her team, Velvet and tequila. "Yea, I've got a friend who starts biting everything in sight if you give'em the wrong thing."
Blake and Weiss shuffle past the three girls, clearly not wanting to wait for Yang and Coco to convince Ruby to do the smart thing. The girl in question now sat on the floor, arms crossed and glaring in the opposite direction of her sister. Coco blows a stray strand of hair out of her face. "Not that I dont appreciate the freebie, but why risk all the perks you get for being an RA this way?" Yang asks after a few minutes of silence save Ruby burping a few times.
"Its what I would have wanted the RA to do for my team after we did the same thing yours did last year." She evenly replies, glad to at least have some company while she waits for the sounds of partying to die down from the room on the other side of the wall Ruby is sitting against. "And Ozpin was busy with a medical emergency one of the upper classmen got into, so its Goodwich we got brought to. Not sure if she was more mad about being woken up at three in the morning or us having been drinking."
Yang blanches at that, and opens her mouth to reply, but freezes before making a noise. Curious, Coco looks in the direction the blonde is facing to see Ruby finally drinking the sports drink, pill no where in sight. She too freezes, neither girl moving or speaking, acting like they had just encountered some rare wild animal and were afraid of spooking it. After finishing the drink, Ruby tosses the empty bottle in the general direction of the common room and pushes herself off the ground. She starts stumbling immediately, but Yang is able to catch her sister before she headbutts the opposite wall. "Thanks. I don't think I'd have a chance of getting my team to go out like this again for the rest of the year if we'd gotten busted." The blonde offers as she starts leading her sister down the hallway.
Smirking Coco replies "Don't make it a habit or give me a reason to bust you if you do." She pauses for a moment before adding "Don't get caught either. Goodwitch has a way of getting rule-breakers to talk, and I'd rather not get in trouble myself." Yang tosses a sloppy two-fingered salute Cocos way and disappears into her dorm. As the sounds filtering through the walls shift from revelry to something more heated, coco decides to turn in herself. If they get a noise complaint called on them, some plausible deniability would be good for her.
To all of you hoping for more shenanigans, writing first person perspective for someone who's getting increasingly drunk was... I'll leave it at bad. Don't worry, there will be more wackiness from this escapade, just in the form of the stories that a wild night with friends spawn.
So, love it, hate it? Having an existential breakdown and suddenly unsure if your a potted plant or a human being? Drop a review, I love to hear about it!