Here we are at Chapter 27. Time to keep the dance mojo flowing. I do not own RWBY or Tales of Berseria. They belong to their respective owners. Here's chapter 27. Enjoy.
Chapter 27: The Dance – Part 2
Yang remains motionless, jaw wide open, as someone walks by her, and she turns her head to keep that person in her line of sight. As the mysterious person continues along their path, people nearby notice and turn their heads into the person's direction. They all look on in awe, some gasp, but most blush, both boys and girls. Eventually, the individual ends up walking towards a sullen Ruby, with Weiss standing next to her. Weiss is the only one to notice someone moving towards them and looks back, ending up with the same look as Yang beforehand. However, she soon smiles and nods before she steps away. This, Ruby does notice as she looks to where Weiss went.
"Weiss, where are you going?" she asks.
"Hey…" she hears behind her, and she turns around, only to gawk in awe and nearly dropping her drink.
In front of her stands Velvet Crowe, but this time she's not wearing a tux. Now, she is wearing a beautiful sleeveless black dress with floral designs on the edges of her chest. The dress has a slit going down from her left waist, showing more floral designs in the slit. She is wearing a pair of long, black gloves, even one going over her bandages. Around her neck is a different black choker than what she usually wears, but it matches the dress. She has her hair down completely, but has a pair of gold hairpins holding some of her hair up a bit. Finally, she is wearing black pumps. All-in-all, she looked absolutely stunning.
Ruby quickly blushes, "V-V-Velvet, you look…you look…" she trails off, unable to complete half a sentence.
"It's not really my style, but I figured that tonight I can make an exception, just for you," Velvet replies before extending a hand to Ruby. "Now, we did practice dancing for tonight, and I'd hate for all those lessons to go to waste. So…care for a dance?" she offers.
Ruby, unable to form a single coherent word, places her right hand in Velvet's left. Velvet guides Ruby out onto the dance floor, bystanders moving out of the way, and plenty of sad and/or jealous faces aimed at Ruby, though she pays them no mind. Seeing the opportunity presenting itself, Yang shakes her head out of her stupor and quickly moves over to the DJ booth, taking control of the sound systems and starting up a little slow dance song for couples.
"Alright people, grab a partner, and let's take this nice and slow," she calls out on a microphone.
People gathered onto the dance floor, including Team JNPR, RVWBY, and a few others with their respective partners. Slow, romantic music starts playing and the couples begin moving to the rhythm. Velvet holds Ruby's right hand in her left, and her right hand around her waist, while Ruby's left hand is resting on her shoulder. Ruby has a little trouble at first, mainly from still not being used to walking in high heels, but Velvet is patient with her. She moves a little slower than the others, allowing Ruby to get used to the motions a moment before they find their rhythm and just move with the music.
"So, having a good time now?" Velvet asks.
"Y-Yeah, it's nice…I'm also glad you decided to wear a dress, even if you're not used to it. You're…really pretty," she finally speaks out.
Velvet gains a blush from this, but manages a small smile anyway, "Thanks. I couldn't let you be the only one looking good in a dress. Luckily I found one that was at least my color," she says as she spins Ruby around once before pulling her back in.
The two dance together, eyes focused only on each other, paying no mind to everyone else around them. Velvet leads while Ruby follows, occasionally having to slow down a bit when Ruby loses her balance because of her pumps. Meanwhile, Yang and Weiss occasionally glance at the two while they dance themselves.
"Now I know this dance is going awesome. Who would've thought we'd see Velvet Crowe wearing a dress?" Yang jokes.
"Yes, just no teasing her about it. I'd seriously hate for my date to be sent flying through a window tonight," Weiss replies.
"You know, it is at least a little weird that you would actually call me your 'date'. Not that I dislike it," Yang notes as she twirls Weiss around.
"Well, you'd better get used to it by next time," Weiss says.
This confuses Yang, "Next time? Wait…are you saying…" she trails off.
"Yes, as much as I'm surprised by it, I would like to go on a proper date with you. We are NOT girlfriend and girlfriend…But I would like to see how this plays out," Weiss explains.
Yang can't stop herself from beaming, "Oh, you won't regret it. I'll make sure you have the best date ever!" she declares.
Meanwhile, Ruby and Velvet continue their dance, closely interlocked as they enjoy the closeness between them. Velvet kept her eyes on Ruby's, but they slowly trail down to her lips. Soon enough, the idea of her lips interlocked with Ruby's comes to mind, and she gains a new blush, but quickly puts the idea on hold for now. They continue to dance for a few more minutes until the slow song ends, and the couples leave the dance floor.
"Hey Velvet, do you think we could get some fresh air? It's a little crowded in here," Ruby asks.
Velvet nods, "Sure," she agrees and offers her arm to Ruby, who wraps her arms around it as they walk out of the ballroom. They walk out into the quiet night, enjoying the fresh air and the company of each other. "Well, I think tonight was a nice change of pace from all the fighting and detective work we've been doing recently. I needed a break," Velvet notes. "How are you doing?" she asks.
"I'm fine. Tonight turned out to be really great…I…I was really happy that you came, and that you showed up in a dress…You really do look nice," Ruby notes, blushing.
This makes Velvet blush a little bit, "Well, I'm glad you had a good time," she replies as they stop to enjoy the peace and quiet.
Ruby remains silent for a moment before she takes a deep breath, "Listen, Velvet, there's been something I wanted to talk to you about," she begins.
"Oh, what would that be?" Velvet asks.
Ruby blushes again and starts fidgeting with her fingers, "W-well, I…You see…I've been thinking about some things lately, and after a while, I finally realized something. About You, I mean," she says.
"What do you mean?" Velvet asks. "Is she…Could she really be…"
"W-what I want to say is…that I…" Ruby says as she looks up at Velvet, but then her eyes glance behind Velvet and notice something off. "What's that?" she says, pointing behind Velvet.
"Huh?" Velvet asks, confused, but then looks behind her to where Ruby is pointing.
They both see an individual wearing black clothing, what appears to be a young woman, running along the rooftops of the dorms. Immediately getting a bad feeling about this, the two nod to each other and move to investigate. After a few minutes of following the mysterious woman's trail, the two end up at the CCT tower for Beacon. Looking around, they soon notice the unconscious body of an Atlas soldier lying behind some bushes. Concern growing, the two pull out their scrolls and dial some numbers down. A moment later, two rocket-propelled lockers crash into the ground behind them and open up to reveal their weapons, Ruby's scythe and Velvet's gauntlet blade, since her boots are back in her room. They move into the building and find several more Atlas soldiers knocked out and laid out all over the first floor.
"Whoever this chick is, she has to at least be good enough to take down all these soldiers. We'd better be careful Ruby," Velvet says, to which Ruby nods. They move into the elevator and head to the communications room, believing that is where the assailant might be. "Ruby, this woman will know we're coming once the elevator reaches the communications room. Can you distract her so I can sneak in and get the drop on her? If I can do that, we can corner her and find out what's going on," Velvet suggests.
"Yeah, I can do that," Ruby replies. The elevator soon reaches the destined floor, and opens up, but only Ruby walks out, slowly, while Velvet tries to remain hidden inside the elevator as the doors close. "Hello?" she calls out before she trips on her pumps, still having trouble walking in them. She then continues looking. "Is anyone there? Hello?" she calls out again.
The mystery woman then decides to stand up and reveal herself, but she keeps her mask on to hide her identity.
"Excuse me. You know, it's not a masquerade party. So why don't you take off that-," she starts.
However, the woman interrupts her by pulling out one of her containers, swinging it in front of her as the dust inside comes out and hardens into floating glass spikes. She waves her right hand, causing them to shoot towards Ruby. Ruby spins her scythe as a shield, blocking them before she sticks the blade into the floor and starts firing off some shots at her attacker. The woman's clothes glow again as she blocks the shots with her left palm and then spins her body while forming a pair of black glass, curved swords out of thin air. Ruby then pulls out her scythe and points it behind her, pulling the trigger, and propelling her into the air above the woman. The woman backflips out of the way as Ruby slams her scythe into the floor. Next, Ruby's opponent jumps into the air, combining her swords into a bow and conjures up three arrows, all pointed at Ruby. She fires them, but before they can hit Ruby, Velvet suddenly appears in front of Ruby, with her gauntlet blade out, and strikes down all three arrows at once.
"You know, attacking Ruby is not a very good idea," she warns the woman.
Velvet then rushes the woman, who retracts her bow back into its dual blade form, and the two begin a dance of steel. Velvet swings her arm blade around several times, only for each strike to get blocked by the woman's swords. However, at one point, Velvet clashes her blade against the woman's, and has the angle just right to fire off a shot at close range. The woman just barely moves her head in time to avoid the shot, but gets a knee in the stomach that forces her back. When she prepares to fight again, a shot rings out and her right sword gets knocked out of her hand. The woman looks back to see Ruby, with her scythe aimed at her.
"Give up. There's no way out for you," Velvet says, aiming her blade at the woman. At that point, the elevator behind them opens up. Ruby and Velvet look back to see Ironwood walk in, but that gives the woman the opportunity to grab her right blade and turn them into her bow. She fires off an arrow at Velvet's feet, forcing her to jump back and cover Ruby as the arrow explodes. The explosion blocks their view and allows the woman to escape. When the dust clears, they all look to see that the mysterious woman is gone. "Damn, she got away," Velvet says, retracting her blade.
"What is going on in here?" Ironwood demands an answer from them.
Ruby turns to him as she retracts her scythe, "We saw some strange girl running along the rooftops of the dorm buildings, and so we decided to follow her. We saw that she entered the CCT and went in after her. A fight broke out, but then you showed up and she got away," Ruby explains the situation.
"Then it appears we have an intruder in our midst. I need you two to tell me everything that transpired here," he says.
Velvet walks up behind Ruby, putting her hands on her shoulders, "That will come later. We'll tell you, and Professor Ozpin about what happened tonight tomorrow morning. But right now, I'm taking Ruby back with me. It's been a long night for her and she could use some rest. Come on Ruby, let's go," she says and the two start walking away.
"I am ordering you to stay right where you are and tell me every detail of what transpired here!" Ironwood orders them.
Velvet glares at him, "We already did. Some rest may help us remember some details that we missed. I'm thinking ahead…More importantly, the only person I take orders from is my team leader, Ruby Rose. Also, you're not my headmaster, and you're not from Vale. I have no reason to listen to you. Now then, we're leaving. We'll see you and Professor Ozpin tomorrow morning. Goodnight…General," Velvet defiantly counters before leaving with Ruby, leaving Ironwood glaring at her.
The two young women exit the elevator on the first floor and walk out, noticing several of the Atlas soldiers back on their feet, though some are rubbing their heads from pain. When a few were about to stop them, Velvet just gave them all a death glare, freezing them in their tracks, and allowing the two to leave the CCT. Once they left the tower, Velvet calmed down a bit.
Velvet sighs, "Are you okay Ruby?" she asks softly.
Ruby nods, "Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks for protecting me earlier…Do you…not like General Ironwood?" she asks hesitantly.
Velvet looks ahead, eyes narrowed, "He reminds me a little bit of Artorius. A man in a position of power who believed that his way is the only way to handle things. That his opinion is the only one that matters. Artorius believed that only through reason and nothing else could peace be achieved. From what I can tell about Ironwood, though I don't know him too well, is that he believes that his military can protect everyone. That only HIS forces can get the job done, and that might makes right. I can't say I agree with that kind of thinking. It's too suppressive for my liking," she explains.
"I see…I'm sorry you feel that way…So, what do we do now? The dance is almost over now, and to be honest, I'm a little tired after all this excitement," Ruby asks.
"Well, like I said earlier, we'll talk to Professor Ozpin about this tomorrow. I'm sure Ironwood will inform him about this and then he'll want to hear about it from us. We'll let the team know about what happened as well before then. For now, I think it would be best if we returned to our dorm room to get some rest. It's been a long night," she says before offering her arm to Ruby again. "Shall I escort you home?" she says, smiling.
Ruby returns the smile, "Of course. Lead the way, my fair protector," she replies, wrapping her arms around Velvet's.
The two walk back to their dorm building and after a few minutes, they make it back to their dorm room. With everybody else still at the dance, the room is quiet and empty. Ruby ends up sitting on Velvet's bed along with her, and they both quickly take off their pumps. Ruby breathes a sigh of relief and rubs her feet, finally free of those high heels that made her so uncomfortable. However, she glances over at Velvet, and blushes at seeing some of her back and legs exposed from bending over to take her pumps off.
"Ah, nice to be out of those things. I honestly have no idea how Weiss can fight in shoes like those. I'm just waiting for the time when she'll lose her balance on the battlefield and fall flat on her face. I'm sure Yang would get a kick out of that," she says, but then notices the silence from Ruby and looks at her. "Ruby, what's wrong?" she asks.
Ruby quickly looks away, her lap suddenly becoming far more interesting than her teammate, "I may not get a better chance at this. I got interrupted last time. Who knows when I'll get another shot," she thinks and takes a moment before taking a deep breath. "Velvet…about before…before we went after that mystery girl. There was something I wanted to tell you," she begins.
"Well…what is it," Velvet asks slowly, trying not to make Ruby uncomfortable.
Ruby hesitates before she finally gains the courage to look Velvet in the eye, "Velvet, I…I like you. I mean REALLY like you," she finally confesses. "Oh my God, I can't believe I actually said it!"
Velvet's eyes widen in a silent gasp at hearing such a thing, "Ruby…I…I didn't think you felt that way about me," she says, blushing. "To think that she would actually have such feelings for me. ME of all people…"
Ruby quickly looks away, "I know and I'm sorry if that freaks you out. I don't know if you…swing that way as Yang would put it, and even if you did, I'm sure you would be interested in someone that's better looking and more amazing than-," she says until Velvet places her hands on Ruby's cheeks and turns her face to look back at her.
"Ruby…no one is more amazing than you. It's one of the reasons why I…why I really like you too. I really like you, Ruby," Velvet makes her own confession.
Ruby gasps at hearing this, "You mean you like me back? Like, 'like' like me back?" She asks.
Velvet nods, "Yes, and I can't tell you how happy I am at hearing that you feel the same way about me," she replies.
"Does that mean that you'll-," Ruby begins.
"Yes, I'll be your girlfriend," she says and kisses Ruby on the forehead. "But for now, how about we get some sleep. There'll be more time to talk about this tomorrow," Velvet says.
Ruby giggles, "I don't know if I can go to sleep now after hearing all of this," she says.
"I'm sure we'll figure something out," Velvet replies.
And that's the chapter. They finally confessed. Now the real fun begins. Also, I just couldn't resist putting Velvet in a dress. I think it's a good way of showing how much she's developed since joining Team RWBY. I got the dress idea from Velvet Crowe's Talespedia page, so just in case, I do not own the dress, but I think Velvet looks amazing in it. Anyway, who was that mystery woman? What awaits Ruby and Velvet? How will Yang take this? Until then, please Read and Review.
