Ceres took in the blue suit and brown duster jacket and nodded. "I think I like this look on you. The bowtie and tweed jacket were cute, but this is more... mature."

"Well, gotta make do with the whole 'ten' vibe I have going for me," Ben said, fixing his hair into the unruly and chaotic Tenth Doctor's own hair style. "There we go. How do I look?"

"Very nice," Ceres said approvingly. She gestured to her own costume. "And me? How do I look?"

"Like you can easily kick Nazi ass," Ben declared. He stared appraisingly at her Captain Carter costume. "So, are Ari and Lev also going as Marvel 'What If' characters?"

"Yep. I saw Ari putting on the whole T'challa Star-Lord get up a while back, looks pretty authentic," Ceres replied, readjusting her shield.

"I'm shocked she didn't go for Ultron Vision. Hell, I'm shocked you're not Ultron Vision," Ben admitted.

"Please, this costume is MUCH better," Ceres scoffed. "And Lev? Well, he's been in his costume all day."

"What is it?" Ben asked, mentally running through all the 'What-If' characters he could remember.

"Zombie Hunter Spiderman."

"...Kylie's gonna hate it."

Ceres blinked. "Why? She loves Spiderman."

Ben shook his head. "She hates zombie movies. Honestly, the only reason why she watched that episode was because of the characters... and she regrets it. Very much."

Ceres hummed. "Yeah, everyone always acts so stupid during a zombie apocalypse. But to see the Avengers forgoing protective gear? The other superheroes? That's just bad writing."

"Someone talking shit about the 'Zombies' episode?" Kylie asked, floating in. She looked like she was still halfway through putting on her grey facial makeup. She had a red and black striped shirt on, along with torn jeans and flip flops. "I need to rant."

Ceres smirked. "Nice costume, 'Marcy'."

"Oh, is Weiss going as Princess Bubblegum?" Ben asked excitedly. "It's gonna be weird to see her in something other than white or blue."

"She looks so cute~" Kylie gushed, practically radiating a rosy aura.

"Anyone know what the birthday girl is going as?" Ben asked, putting on some 3D glasses that made Kylie snicker...and also kind of sad, because those 3D glasses had emotional baggage to them.

"No idea." Ceres shrugged. "Honestly, if you guys link up again..."

Ben shrugged. "Well, money's a bit tight since we're in Atlas." All three of them shuddered at how expensive the floating city was. "...so I hope she's at least wearing something low key."

Ceres nodded slowly. "That does explain why everyone else was visiting thrift stores the past month."

"Welp, better go find out for myself," Ben declared, tying his Converse shoes. "Allon-sy!" He ran out of the room, leaving both girls alone.

"...is that shield made out of actual Vibranium?" Kylie had to ask.

Ceres' lips curled into a smile. "Maybe."

"Oh my god tell me~!"

Ben walked down the hall, feeling the rather un-festive mood of the Atlas halls. There were no decorations, and no one else was dressed up...well, save for a rather scatterbrained doctor.

"So, what's your costume again?" Ben asked, looking at Weller's outfit.

"The scariest thing there is, Benjamin," the doctor declared ominously. "Half erased math equations." Weller had a board taped on his chest- it looked rather complex, but some portions were (obviously) erased. "What's the biggest fear? Having someone erase your work, and you can't remember what you wrote. You'd have to spend hours and hours reworking your process..."

"...alright," Ben said, weirded out but moving on anyway. "I'm the Doctor, from Doctor Who. Tenth iteration."

Weller frowned. "Not familiar with it, honestly."

Ben stared at him. The doctor stared back.

"Okay then."

"I do appreciate your enthusiasm over the holiday, of course! Pretty rare to see others enjoying it around here," Weller exclaimed.

"Well, gotta stay festive. Halloween is Ruby's birthday, after all," he said, smiling slightly. "She's turning 18 today."

"Ooh, special year then," Weller noted, eyes brightening. "Any plans?"

"Kevin found this new nightclub for us to hit up," Ben explained. "It's got a special going on tonight, so we might as well take advantage of the cheap drinks."

Weller's brow furrowed. "Aren't you all underaged? Or has the drinking limit been lowered?"

"Atlesian law says we can legally drink at 18," Ben reassured him.

"Oh yeah." Weller's eyes widened in realization. "Though I imagine you've already partaken in the devil's drink beforehand."

"I will neither confirm nor deny that statement!" he said cheerfully.

"Still, it IS nice to see you kids enjoying yourself. Holding onto the simple things is what will get us through this." Weller said as he stopped in front of his office. "Have a good evening, Ben. I hope your Professor Why costume is a good hit with everyone."

"Thanks, Doctor Weller," Ben chuckled.

Ben stared at Ruby. Ruby stared back.

Rook exchanged money with Lev in the background.

"We did it again," Ben snickered.

"Yeah, yeah we did." Ruby grinned, wearing a blue leather jacket, pink shirt, and black pants. Ben grinned like a dope.

"Dude, I think everyone did couples' costumes," Kevin pointed out. Ben and Ruby turned to all their friends and realized it was true. Kevin and Min as Morticia and Gomez Adams; Kylie and Weiss as Bubbline; Ceres and Ari as Captain Carter and What-If T'Challa; Lev and Rook as What-if Doctor Strange and Zombie Hunter Spiderman; Blake and Yang as Jack and Sally from Nightmare Before Christmas...

"Noah, what the hell are you wearing?" Kylie demanded to know.

Noah fixed his dollar store wig. "Bob Ross," he said proudly.

"And Rex is your canvas?" Yang asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Absolutely!" Rex exclaimed, proud of the colorful paint still drying on his white t-shirt.

"...I'll admit, it's clever," Blake said, smiling slightly.

"Yeah, we're cheap! We didn't spend a fortune on OUR costumes!" Rex stuck out his tongue.

"Worth it," Rook declared, flapping his cape dramatically.

"...I'm kinda mixed on the eyeshadow, but it's a good look," Kylie told him sincerely.

"And let's be honest, we're lucky we thought up good couples' costumes. Most of them are cringy as hell," Yang said. The whole group shuddered violently in agreement.

(Winter Witch A/N: Don't Google it. Trust me.)

"So, where are we headed?" Ruby asked Kevin.

He smoothed out his fake moustache and grinned. "Okay, so, this new place? Just opened up. And it's throwing a rager of a Halloween party."

"And we're all legally allowed to drink, so we can get, as the humans say, crunked," Rook pointed out.

"...the fuck is 'crunked'?" Noah asked, staring at him.

"Crazy ass drunk."

Noah frowned. "No human says that. Ever. Who told you that?"

Rook glanced over at Lev, who merely raised an eyebrow. "The IT department here throws the word around every so often."

"As if we needed more proof of how separate they are from humanity," Weiss groaned. "ANYWAY. Let's go to the club, shall we?"

Junior expertly shook a cocktail shaker and poured out some tasty looking brews for the busy bar area. "There you go!" he said proudly. "Cosmopolitans, just like you ordered."

Lev smiled his pretty boy smiled and took the tray. "Thanks man! Love the club, by the way."

"Oh thanks!" Junior grinned. "It's definitely a step up from my old place in Vale."

"Sweet! See you later." And then Lev hurried to the table, where a few of his friends were ducking their heads.

"...why'd that kid seem so familiar?" Junior asked himself quietly. "And since when did Spider-Man have a cape?"

"I can't believe we're in another of his bars!" Yang hissed underneath the dubstep club music.

"Hey, I didn't know this dude was outsourcing!" Kevin protested. "We're in costume, there's no way he'll notice a good majority of us if we just chill."

"He's got a point. And let's face it, he's never even met most of us," Ruby added. "I doubt he's gonna make a connection now."

"Let's hope it stays that way," Ceres muttered as she sipped her drink. "I haven't seen any signs of illegal activity or underage drinking, which makes it a step up from his last club."

"From what you guys have told me, I'm surprised Junior was able to afford such a nice place," Noah noted. "Think it's underground connections?"

"Atlesians always want to hire criminals to clean up some dirty work." Weiss sighed, fixing her tiara. "For example, my father-"

She paused, noticing a stranger sitting close to Rex.

"Who's that?" Weiss pointed to a tall guy in an Optimus Prime costume.

Rex glanced over. "If I had to guess? Marrow. He wanted to sneak out here."

"...alright."

"Also, Min, what the hell did you use on your face?" Ari snapped as Min's face looked ghastly pale in the club's lighting. "You remind me of Neil Gaiman's version of Death washed over."

"Oh, baking powder," she admitted. At everyone's weirded out look, Min added, "Supposedly Morticia Addams used it in the original 1960s sitcom. I figured why not?"

"Huh. I can respect that kind of accuracy," Kevin stated. "I can't kiss you on the face though."

"I'm willing to make that sacrifice."

"Hey!"

"Alright, alright..." Ruby said, as she took a glass. "Well, first drink of being 18. Let's see why uncle Qrow liked this stuff so much."

Ruby took a swig...

And made a face.

Oh.

"I think I liked the booze we had at our parties better," Ruby grumbled after she swallowed.

Ceres sipped at her drink and furrowed her brow. "It's a little strong, but it's not bad."

"That's because you're an alien with a stupidly high alcohol tolerance," Kevin shot back. "I watched Lev and Ari chug bottles of tequila like it was nothing. Tequila! You only drink that when you wanna get fucked up! And you sure as shit don't finish the whole bottle in one go!" he screamed out, his voice lost to the music.

The Archimedeans stared at him. "That must have traumatized you, huh," Ari said, blinking in bemusement.

"Yeah, it did!"

"I was likewise traumatized," Rook said bluntly. "Who the fuck does that?"

"ROOK SWORE!" Rex shouted, gesturing wildly and nearly losing his drink. "WHO TAUGHT HIM THAT?!"

The Optimus Prime costume gave Kylie a look.

"Yeah, we get pretty chaotic here." She sipped her water and grinned. "Get used to it."

"I just don't think I'm gonna touch this thing...again...ever..." Ruby grumbled, setting her drink down.

Ben shrugged and took a swig of his own Cosmo. He grimaced after he swallowed. "Huh. I thought it'd burn more."

Ruby slid her drink over to him. "You have mine then."

The DJ revolved a new track just then, and the lights on the dance floor slowly changed colors.

Baby, it's time to make up your mind...

I think that tonight is when the stars align...

Ben perked up and blinked. For a dance club, the song was surprisingly nice.

"So, wanna stretch those legs a bit, Doctor?" Ruby teased.

Ben quickly downed both drinks and got to his feet. "Sure, why not?"

With that, they and a few of the other couples got to dancing... not that many of them were all that good. Kevin and Min were decent at ballroom dancing- it was all Min could do in her long dress anyway- but Noah and Rex? Absolutely terrible, with flailing arms and lots of jumping. But they looked to be enjoying themselves, so who cared?

Now, Ruby could remember a time when she had to help Ben learn to dance. He had been pretty terrible at it back then, especially since it was last minute and for a freaking wedding. Now that they were older, Ruby didn't expect much still, but now that Ben had left his coat at the table...

She could only stare. "When the fuck were you good at this?!"

Ben slowed down long enough for her to answer. "Oh, it was a Zeta Squad bonding thing. We sometimes still dance together."

"Okay, I NEED to see this happen." Ruby said just as the music briefly reverted to dubstep. It seemed like everyone in the club was on the dance floor- though special mention to the guy in the Optimus Prime costume doing an absolutely fantastic 'robot'.

"Eh, you might?" Ben shrugged. "Is Billie Eilish still popular?"

"...why would you ask that?" Ruby asked, lost but eager to see where this was headed.

"Well, you see-"

And then, it happened.

The club started playing Billie Eilish's "Bad Guy."

"...you might wanna film this," Ben said before sprinting to the middle of the dance floor, where Kevin and Ceres had already cleared a large enough space. (How they did it so quickly, Ruby would never know.)

She was still confused, but dutifully brought her phone out to record.

"What are they doing?" Rex asked, sidling up to Ruby. In fact, the rest of their friends were joining them on the sidelines, puzzled but with phones out. (Along with a number of other party goers, as it turned out.)

"Either something awesome or something hilarious," Noah guessed. "It's always a coin toss with you guys."

All six of the original Zeta Squad were in position, Min having discarded her heels and loosening her hobble dress for freedom of movement.

And then, with Ceres leading the charge, they moved.

It was like clockwork- each movement was controlled and tight, perfect for pop and lock. At first they were slow, gazes intense, but there were bursts of high-intensity dance steps that left Ruby breathless. And in between such motions, each member increasingly began to move independently, not only keeping in time with the music, but somehow making each moving part look completely natural.

"Why the FUCK did no one tell me they could dance?!" Ruby demanded to know.

Rex and Noah didn't answer. They were too busy screaming and filming, along with the rest of the club.

At least Weiss was as confused as she was. "This is too well-choreographed to be spontaneous."

"It's all very dynamic, I'll give them that," Blake mused as Zeta Squad danced into the song's climax.

"Oh please, you're as impressed as the rest of us," Yang scoffed. "But still, I never pegged them as hip-hop fans."

"You'd need a lot of control over your body to get this good," Ari noted as she watched intently. "I wonder how long they've been practicing."

"These guys can just really move," Marrow suddenly piped up.

Blake blinked. "...Marrow?"

"Yeah, it's me. What?" He was wearing a green striped shirt, khakis, and had a small plush of a blue dog under his arm. "What's up?"

Yang stared at him, then pointed to the Optimus Prime guy nearby. "If you're here, who's that?"

"Oh shit, is that Ironwood?!" Marrow ducked behind team RWBY.

"...what?" Blake deadpanned.

"There's no way my father would be in there," Weiss scoffed. "He's a general of the entire country. He's far above this kind of stuff."

The Autobot stared at them, and then lifted off his helmet.

"Since when could Zeta dance like that?" General Ironwood, hero of Atlas, asked in his Optimus Prime costume.

Weiss, stared, completely gobsmacked. "Dad, what the hell?!"

Ironwood smirked. "I can have fun too, Weiss."

Ruby took a quick picture of Weiss' face before taking one of Ironwood. Not only was his costume amazing, but the fact that Atlas' most famous general was in a nightclub dancing in a Halloween costume needed to be photographed for future generations.

Though the selfies they all took throughout the night more than made up for it. (Especially the photos of Ironwood losing a drinking contest against Ari- Ruby couldn't wait to shove those in Harriet's face.)

All in all, this was one of the best birthdays Ruby ever had.

Zeta Squad dance: bad guy - Billie Eilish / Koosung Jung Choreography with THE BOYZ (1MILLION Dance Studio)