Hope you guys enjoy this chapter! It's the 2nd part of dance time!
Reminder, I have a pat reon, look up azndrgn making fanfic. Donators get to read my chapters earlier!
Weiss sighed as she fruitlessly adjusted a lifeless flower back up, only to droop back down. She couldn't help but glance at Neptune, who seemed to be having a grand time while seemingly flirting with any girls nearby.
"Stupid boys," mumbled Weiss, half-heartedly deciding to leave. She had prepared the dance, so there wasn't much else to do now. Yang seemed to be doing fine supervising, and the cleanup duty was designated to another team. She wasn't having that much fun, so she might as well go study.
Before Weiss could leave, a hang stuck out, causing her to pause.
"May I have this next dance?" asked Jaune politely with a smile.
"Jaune? Weren't you dancing with Blake earlier?" asked Weiss in confusion, "And what about your dance partner, Pyrrha?"
There was a slight tone of jealousy when Weiss asked that, as she did admire Pyrrha, and the fact her date was Jaune seemed to confuse her, but she left it at that.
"They decided to take a little break," replied Jaune, "Meanwhile, you haven't even been on the dance floor. I heard that you helped organize the majority of the dance. It wouldn't do if the organizer of the dance didn't get to enjoy herself at something she organized."
Weiss gave one more glance towards Neptune, who was now talking to Sun before making up her mind.
'He's right,' thought Weiss, 'Why shouldn't I enjoy myself? I helped organize this party, I should enjoy its benefits. Not mope about a boy!'
"I'll take you up on that offer," smiled Weiss as she took Jaune's hand, letting him walk her to the dance floor, "I hope you know how to do the waltz. I only accept the best from my dance partner. It's nothing like your dance with Pyrrha earlier, with just the basic steps."
"I've had to grow up with seven sisters. It's something one tends to pick up on, especially when they each want to dance in their own style," smiled Jaune as the two spun to meet each other, his left hand clasping with Weiss's right hand while his right hand tucked under Weiss's shoulder and held her back with Weiss put her left hand on his right shoulder.
Since the next song was a waltzing dance, a good majority of the students left the dance grounds to relax, talk with others, and avoid embarrassing themselves in this sort of dance. It had been specifically put on the song list by Weiss, who had hoped to perform the waltz with Neptune, but now she would be doing it with Jaune. Though slightly depressed, Weiss would still rather have a chance to dance to this song than miss out.
Soon, the dance floor was comprised of Jaune and Weiss, a Beacon upperclassmen couple, and an Atlesian couple who were bragging that they were going to sweep the show.
"I hope they can just shut up," hissed Weiss, "A waltz shouldn't be so noisy and annoying."
"Then let's show them what it means to dance," smiled Jaune.
"Let's," nodded Weiss as the music started.
The three couples soon began to sway, dance, and twirl with the music. Soon, the difference between skills began to show. The upperclassmen Beacon couple were clearly there to mostly enjoy themselves and were amateurs. The Atlesian couple could back up their word, clearly showcasing their moves that could match professional dancers. However, all the eyes were drawn to Jaune and Weiss.
The two were moving in sync with the music, twirling without even a single misstep.
Weiss was genuinely smiling as she allowed Jaune to dip her. She had taken dancing as a part of her training in her childhood and enjoyed it, but had no partner to dance with. She had to use her imagination to pretend, but without a physical partner, one could only do so much.
"How are you this good?" asked Weiss.
"One of my sister was really into ballroom dancing and stuff, and so she had me be her practice partner a lot," sighed Jaune, "Being the only male in the family besides my dad, who was too busy, I was naturally assigned that role. Still, I did learn a lot from it."
'I'll say,' thought Weiss as she cheerfully glided across the floor with Jaune.
Neptune watched as Jaune and Weiss danced, slightly frowning as he watched them go. He paused, wondering why he was feeling so irritated at watching them go.
"Feeling jealous?" asked Sun, popping up next to him.
"Who, me? Na, man, that's not cool," replied Neptune hastily, "Weiss is free to enjoy her time with anyone she wants."
"Neptune, as the captain of the team, your partner, and your best friend, let me give you some advice," said Sun sternly, "Stop acting so 'cool' all the time. If it gets in the way of liking a girl, then it's seriously uncool."
"He's right," nodded Blake from the side, "Weiss has had to deal with people always putting a fake face back at Atlas. You know she's the heiress to her company, as well as a known singer. You were pretty honest when you flirted with Weiss, which is why she didn't mind it too much, and even decided to ask you out to the dance."
"It seems a shame, too," said Pyrrha, "Weiss seemed to pine for you, but after this, she might even think about you anymore and find someone else."
Pyrrha wasn't too worried that Weiss would go chasing after Jaune. Weiss had shown that she had little interest in him. Though there was a small tinge of fear, that was easily squashed. Instead, she took this time to admire the two waltzing through the dance floor. Even the lights seemed to focus on the two as they kicked their foot together in sync. The Atlesian couple was trying their best to swing the audience's attention back to them, but it was fruitless. Jaune and Weiss were attracting all the stares without even trying, only focusing on each other as they danced to the music.
Neptune continued to stare before his eyes narrowed, making up his mind about something.
As the final beat of the music ended, Jaune had twirled Weiss in his hands before the two splayed out their hands, their interconnecting hands the only thing from falling down before pulling each other close again, ending the final beat with a stamp and their stance back to the original dance position, breathing heavily against each other.
A thunderous sound of applause rang through the crowd as they whistled and cheered for Jaune and Weiss.
"I think I need to take a seat now," chuckled Jaune weakly while Weiss eagerly basked in the spotlight for a second before leading Jaune to a seat.
"Do you want something to drink?" asked Weiss, to which Jaune nodded, "I'll be back with some punch."
Weiss cheerfully poured some punch into a cup, making sure to get some ice inside the cup before turning around to see Neptune standing there.
"Is there something I can help you with?" asked Weiss with a cool tone, causing Neptune to wince.
"Listen, when you asked me to the dance earlier, I know what I said, but that was a huge lie. The biggest reason is I really can't dance!" confessed Neptune, deciding to rip the bandage off, so to speak.
"Huh?" blinked Weiss.
"I can't dance," repeated Neptune, slightly blushing, "And I don't mean not as well as Jaune can, I mean I can't hold a beat, a tune, or flash a move at all! I didn't want to seem so lame in front of you."
Weiss was silent for a second before putting the cup down, pressing her hand up to her temple. 'The reason I was rejected, the reason I spent half the time moping in the dance, was because…. Neptune is too embarrassed to admit he can't dance?' thought Weiss to herself as she tried to contemplate this statement.
"Prove it," said Weiss, startling Neptune, "Otherwise I won't believe you. The music is going on. Show me. And don't try to fake it, I'll know!"
Neptune scratched the back before he began to dance. His actions were obviously trying to mimic some famous dance moves as he went with the beat… and botching it horribly. Weiss was half-tempted to yell at Neptune to stop acting when she figured out Neptune really couldn't carry a beat to save his life. And since Neptune lived on trying to look cool… this definitely wasn't it.
"You really can't dance to save your life, can you?" giggled Weiss as she allowed Neptune to stop, "Fine, I can see why you didn't want to show those skills. But don't think that this makes up for breaking a maiden's heart!"
"I'll make it up somehow! Just… give me a chance," begged Neptune.
"... I'll think about it," huffed Weiss, "For now, let me give Jaune his drink. He deserves it after all that dancing."
Weiss returned to the table in time to see Jaune talking with James Ironwood. Seeing a conversation with the head of Atlas academy as well as the general of the Atlesian forces, Weiss decided to err on the side of caution and place Jaune's drink near him, giving a quick greeting before leaving with Neptune.
"... So your new gun has been completed, and we'll be putting the final touches requested by your grandfather, Aurivelle. You should be getting it this week," reported James stiffly, "The armor design that you sent in is finished, along with the insignia. An official Atlesian soldier will come to your residence and help fit your armor to make sure everything is in order. And finally, you merely need to call the number on the case to set up an appointment for some shooting lessons."
"Thanks," nodded Jaune, slightly excited at the news.
"Lighten up, you know that it was your fault in the first place," sighed Glynda, "Just be happy that it wasn't taken up to the media."
James Ironwood, the man with an 'iron' heart, had to suppress a shiver as well as calm his heart at that thought. The media would eat him alive.
"If there's anything else, you can ask Vice Headmistress Goodwitch," said James, "There are a few things that require my attention. Good day to the both of you."
With that, James used it to escape any more awkwardness and embarrassment, opting to leave the dance hall.
"You'll have to excuse him. He's a rather prideful man, considering his position," sighed Glynda, "I hope you're not too offended."
"Not at all," shrugged Jaune, "I'm just happy he was willing to apologize and follow through with his promises."
"James may be unwilling to admit his mistakes, but he does follow through with promises," nodded Glynda, "Now enough of that. This is a dance that you should be enjoying Mr. Arc."
"What about you?" asked Jaune.
"I am one of the supervisors. I am in charge of making sure the students don't go too far," replied Glynda.
"Doesn't seem fair that you don't get to enjoy it too," frowned Jaune, "Shouldn't you get to dance, too.?"
"I had a dance earlier already, thank you for asking," smiled Glynda, "Of course, compared to your performance with Miss Schnee, I'm afraid any sort of dances pale in comparison."
"I wasn't that good," blushed Jaune, "Weiss was the one who did all the dancing."
"I beg to differ," scoffed Glynda, "Anyone could see that you participated just as much, otherwise the other couple would've taken the spotlight. Now then, enjoy your little break, I'm sure Miss Nikos would want her original dance partner back soon. Meanwhile, I have to break up a couple getting too affectionate for the appropriate PDA."
Jaune peeked over to see a couple was indeed getting a little too handsy with each other in a corner that was hard to see. Already a hand was diving past the girl's dress.
"I think I should start looking away," hummed Jaune as he sipped on his punch, "I'm actually a little hungry, too."
"I thought you might be, so I got some snacks for you," chimed Pyrrha as she placed a plate of various finger food on the table next to him, "You must've really worked up a sweat."
"A little," admitted Jaune, "I'll be able to get up soon enough though."
"Don't worry about it," smiled Pyrrha, "I have a few people I need to talk to anyways. It won't take long, I promise."
A few people that her agent had sent over had arrived, and so Pyrrha needed to talk to them for a little, as she wouldn't be appearing in the Vytal Festival Tournament.
"Go ahead," smiled Jaune, "I won't be going anywhere anytime soon."
With another quick apology, Pyrrha walked through the crowd to meet the group.
Seeing Jaune had some time to himself, he quickly began to snack on the food Pyrrha had gotten him.
As luck would have it, it was food that wasn't cooked by the Beacon cafeteria staff… not that Jaune would know how 'talented' they were, but rather just simple snacks that had been outsourced to a supermarket warehouse. This, was of course, done on purpose by team RWBY. They didn't trust the kitchen staff to provide edible snacks.
Jaune had just finished wolfing down some chips when he saw a shadow loom over him.
"Hello," greeted Dew as she slightly bowed, showcasing her body a bit.
"Hi?" blinked Jaune as he failed to recognize the woman greeting him while also making sure his eyes weren't glancing downwards.
"I'm Dew," Dew introduced herself, "I'm part of team NDGO. We came to your clinic before to get massages. I got the Aura massage along with Gwen."
"... oh. OH!" exclaimed Jaune, "I recognize you now. Sorry, you look a bit different than before, so it took me a little while to recognize you."
"It's alright, you have so many patients that you see, not to mention I've only been to your clinic once," said Dew as she brushed her hair behind her ears, "But I was hoping to make a bigger impact, considering you've already seen what's behind this dress."
Jaune coughed as he looked away, trying hard not to remember. When Dew had flashed him, he had been in work mode, so nudity hadn't bothered him too much. But he was a male teenager who was interested in girls, so when Dew had mentioned this, his mind couldn't help bring a vivid memory of Dew's body.
Dew grinned when she saw Jaune blushing, and knew he was recalling a memory of her almost naked. She didn't mind being seen nude, and was willing to use it as a weapon, or in this case, bait.
"My team is a bit more interested in you, you know?" continued Dew, "Especially that Aura massage technique. Would you be interested in going to the kingdom of Vacuo? I'm sure you could earn more Lien there instead of here at Vale."
"That's a nice thought, but I'm more or less stuck here," chuckled Jaune, "I have several contracts that make me stay here."
'Not to mention I don't feel like moving that far away from my family,' added Jaune.
"I'm sure we can help find a way out of those pesky contracts," purred Dew, "It's getting a little crowded here. Why don't we go to my dorms? My team would love to get to know you better in person…. and in flesh. You can see the whole team at once."
Jaune had to gulp nervously at her words. Before Dew could pull Jaune though, someone intervened.
"Well, if it isn't Dew from NDGO? How's Octavia by the way? Heard she got owned by Pyrrha Nikos in 20 seconds flat, followed by the rest of your team!" laughed Arslan as she slid into the conversation.
Dew bristled at this as she turned around to glare at Arslan. That fight had been an embarrassment that the team had been unable to hide from others. Rumors about the fight had spread since a student saw Pyrrha leaving the arena without a scratch, followed by team NDGO rushing Octavia to the nurse. Of course, the rumor got exaggerated as it spread from person to person, but the fact the Invincible Girl had destroyed Octavia was the key part.
"She just underestimated her," hissed Dew, "And Pyrrha didn't 'annihilate' us. She left after her fight with Octavia!"
"Yea, but puts a damper on that whole 'Vacuo has the best Huntsmen and Huntresses' doesn't it?" grinned Arslan, "You might want to be careful about going to Vacuo, Jaune. They have a whole hierarchy system that puts you right at the bottom since you're not a Huntsman. Dew here probably wants to make you an Omega due to your Aura reserves."
"I just thought Jaune would enjoy a change of scenery," defended Dew, "Not to mention my team and I would make sure Jaune wouldn't be taken advantage of by others!"
'She said others, she didn't mention herself or her own team,' mused Arslan, 'Meaning that they did plan to make Jaune their personal Omega. To a guy's view, it might be paradise since he would have four girls to himself, but the reality is that he would be at their beck and call like a servant. They probably want him due to his Aura reserves and massage skills.'
The two turned to look at Jaune only to see that he had vanished from his spot. Looking around, they saw him being dragged away by another student wearing a black backless dress.
Dew tched at the wasted opportunity and left while Arslan merely shrugged. She had accomplished what she had set out to do.
Few minutes before
Cinder threw away her mask while using Dust to manipulate her catsuit into a dress before entering into the auditorium. As she walked towards Emerald and Mercury, her eyes caught Jaune sitting at a chair, looking confused at Dew and Arslan.
Deciding on a different course of plan, Cinder walked up to Jaune, and without warning, pulled him up to drag him onto the dance floor.
"Remember me?" asked Cinder as she twirled Jaune around, putting her hands around his shoulders.
"Ah, Miss Fall," replied Jaune after a moment, before automatically placing his hands around the back of her waist, "You surprised me when you pulled me up. Kind of saved me from an awkward conversation earlier"
"Cinder will do, and I'm glad I could help," chuckled Cinder.
"Incidentally, has there been anything off with you?" asked Jaune, "I was a bit worried when my Aura massage managed to hurt you when I pressed on your tattoo."
"That's so sweet of you to worry about that, but I've never felt better," smiled Cinder.
Which was true, since she had felt a more natural connection to the Maiden's powers now rather than having the Grimm parasite inside keeping it within her.
"That's good to hear," nodded Jaune.
"On that hand, I was hoping to schedule another appointment," said Cinder, "But my own schedule has been rather hectic lately. Could I trouble you for a walk in appointment for an Aura massage?"
"Can't guarantee you a spot," shrugged Jaune, "I can help you reserve one, but trying to do a walkin for an Aura massage is sorta the luck of the draw. I was surprised that you managed to get one in the first place."
"A pity," pouted Cinder, "Perhaps I'll get lucky next time."
The two danced for a little longer before a tap on Cinder's shoulder and a cough could be heard. Cinder turned to see Pyrrha Nikos behind her.
"May I cut in?" asked Pyrrha politely'.
"Of course. He is, after all, your date for the night," replied Cinder as she stepped back, allowing Pyrrha to step forward before leaving with a slight swish to her hips.
"I hope you didn't wait too long," said Pyrrha as she turned her eyes back to Jaune, putting her hands around his shoulder while Jaune placed his around her waist.
"Not much," replied Jaune, "Thanks for the food earlier. That helped me get some energy back for sure."
"I'm glad," smiled Pyrrha as the two moved along with the music, "That last dance seemed to take a lot of energy."
"I was just there for the ride," blushed Jaune, "Nothing more, nothing less."
"You should give yourself more credit," scolded Pyrrha lightly, "In any case, you've certainly drawn attention to yourself now."
"Probably because I'm dancing with you," smiled Jaune, causing Pyrrha to blush this time.
The two swayed with the music, ignoring everything around the two as they looked at each other's eyes.
When the dance was over, Glynda was already waiting at the entrance to escort Jaune back home. Before Jaune left though, Pyrrha swiftly leaned forward and gave Jaune a kiss on the cheek.
"Thanks for being my date for the dance tonight, even if Nora kidnapped you," thanked Pyrrha before quickly walking away, blushing red as she did so.
Jaune ended up being dazed for a good moment before a cough from Glynda got him walking again.
The two ended up waiting while the pilot had to refuel the Bullhead. Apparently, the pilot had not gotten the message about having a fueled-up Bullhead ready to transport for the night, and had opted to leave refueling for the next day. So Glynda and Jaune ended up waiting on the docks while the pilot and a few others were quickly trying to fuel it up.
"Did you enjoy your dance, Mr. Arc?" asked Glynda, trying to break up the awkward waiting time.
"Very, and just call me Jaune," nodded Jaune, "It feels weird to call me that in general, especially when I'm not working. What about you? Did you only have one dance?"
"After I left you to interrupt the couple, I caught a few more being a little too courageous as well as an attempt to spike the punch," sighed Glynda, "Overall, the night has been…. stressful. But a good attempt for Beacon's students to mingle with other students from other Academies."
"You know, since we still have a few minutes and it's a beautiful night, we can use this time to have some fun," grinned Jaune, "My Scroll still has some energy left and has some songs."
"Why Jaune, are you asking me to dance with you?" asked Glynda coyly.
"Miss Goodwitch, it would be my honor," smiled Jaune as he played a slow song while raising his hands up.
Glynda couldn't help but smile as she accepted Jaune's offer. The two ended up slowly waltzing in the moonlight, enjoying each other's company while the technicians refueled the Bullhead. There was a momentary pause where they just stared at the two dancing, but a pointed glance from Jaune made them resume their job. It was better than receiving the Goodwitch glare and plausible threats to cut their pay.
Alright dance party done. Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Next up, Jaune gets to try out his new toys!