Here we are at Chapter 23. This. Is. Happening! It's time to party! I do not own RWBY or Genshin Impact. They belong to their respective owners. Here's chapter 23. Enjoy.
Chapter 23: Dancing Shoes
It's the day everyone was waiting for at Beacon. The day of the dance. Everyone was excited. Suits, dresses, dates, music. The whole shebang. Thanks to some extra help, Yang and Weiss managed to get everything set for the dance in time. If anyone doesn't have a date yet, they're desperately trying to fix that problem. Of course, there are some who already have a date set up. Like Nilou, who has been smiling nonstop since Ei accepted her proposal to go to the dance together. As for Team CRDL, Ei found out from Ozpin that not only were they forbidden from going to the dance, but they would also be suspended from classes. During that time, they would be going on a mission with another huntsman into grimm-infested territory outside the city. Even worse, the huntsman he chose for them is a real drill sergeant. Ozpin assured Ei that he would teach them some discipline, or the four of them would die trying. Honestly, Ei is hoping for the latter. But, she's got more important things to focus on. Like making sure Nilou has a good time at the dance. She agreed to go to the dance with her, and she will not disappoint. She's not the only one with an objective for the dance though.
...
In Team RWBY's room, Ruby is reading one of her comics when she's approached by her partner Weiss.
"Ruby, I need to speak with you," Weiss says.
Ruby freezes upon seeing the serious expression on Weiss' face. Did she do something to upset the heiress again?
"Um, Weiss, whatever it is, I didn't do it, I swear!" Ruby flaps her hands around.
"That's not it... But I will be having a discussion with you on whatever 'it' is later. No, I wanted to ask you something," Weiss clarifies.
"Oh, okay, what's up?" Ruby calms down.
Weiss starts playing with her ponytail, "I wanted to know... if you'd like... if you'd..." she mumbles off.
"Huh? Weiss, what is it?" Ruby gets confused.
Weiss takes a breath, "I wanted to know... if you'd like... to go to the dance... with me," she's blushing now. Ruby freezes upon the question, which only makes Weiss worry more. "You know what, forget I said any-," her sentence is cut off when Ruby tackles her to the ground.
"Yes, I'd love to go to the dance with you!" Ruby declares.
Weiss was not expecting that response, "Wait, really?!"
"Yeah, what made you think otherwise. Oh, this is going to be so much fun! Come on, let's get ready!" Ruby takes Weiss' hand and they head out of the room.
"Huh, right now?! But the dance is later tonight!" Weiss blurts out, but she doesn't stop Ruby, as she's too fixed on seeing their hands together which only makes her blush more.
The reason she asked Ruby is because Yang made Weiss accept the truth that she had a crush on the cookie lover, and to go through with her feelings and ask her to the dance. She'll never say it out loud, but the blonde brute was right.
...
The night of the dance comes fast enough for the students at Beacon. The lights are on, the music is pumping, and students are dancing the night away. Yang stands at a podium, wearing a white dress, pumps, and a gold necklace to finish the look. As she fixes her hair, she sees the door open to reveal Weiss and Ruby.
Yang gasps with a smile, "Oh you two look beautiful!" she claps.
"Thank you," Weiss says, wearing a white dress with black mesh up top and holes on the sides.
"Ugh, do I really have to wear these stupid lady stilts?" Ruby groans, not liking the pumps she's wearing with her red dress with a black bow wrapped around the waist and dark pantyhose.
"Come on, you look stunning," Weiss says and helps Ruby along inside. "Have you seen Blake?"
"She should be showing up right about... whoa," Yang stops when the doors open.
It's not Blake that walks in, but Dehya wearing a long, red and black dress. The colors crisscross each other, and the straps wrap around her neck, exposing her back. A black belt with a fancy gold buckle wraps around her waist. She had black high heels, gold earrings and a matching necklace to finish the look. However, what was really surprising were the four girls in different dress with her; two of them wrapped around her arms.
"Uh, are you all... together?" Yang asks.
"Yeah, well, things happened, so I accepted all of their offers. I hoped this would make them back off if they couldn't have me to themselves, but they ended up agreeing to share me anyway. They made it really hard to say no," Dehya scratches her cheek while her dates giggle together.
Yang smirks, "Wow, look at you, a lioness and her harem. Well, have fun,"
Dehya glares at her but decides to leave it be and heads inside.
"I wonder how she'll managed that," Weiss mutters, while Ruby just shrugs her shoulders.
The doors open again and in finally walks Blake, in a dark purple dress with some sleeve mesh up top and a slit on her right side. She also has a different colored bow to hide her ears this time.
"I knew you'd look better in a dress," Blake says to Yang.
"Yeah, you look... nice too," Yang takes a moment to drink it all in.
"Wait, are you two... together?" Ruby points between them.
Blake smiles, "Technically. Yang did say she'd save me a dance,"
Yang shakes out of her stupor, "And I am a woman of my word. Though I can't be away from the podium for too long,"
"I'll be alright. Now then, how about that dance?" Blake holds out her hand.
Yang takes it and they head to the dance floor along with the other students. In the mix, Dehya is seen dancing with her dates one at a time. Hopefully, she won't get exhausted on the dance floor from all her partners.
"Shall we join them?" Weiss asks Ruby.
"Um, maybe later? I'm having enough trouble just standing with these things. How do you and Blake even fight in these?" Ruby asks, glancing down at her shaking legs.
Weiss laughs, "Hahaha, it just takes practice. Come on, we'll take things slow. We have all night after all," and she guides Ruby to the food table. A little while later, Team JNPR walks inside, all dressed up for the occasion; Jaune with Pyrrha and Ren with Nora of course.
"Hey guys, looking good," Jaune greets them.
"Come on, let's party!" Nora cheers.
"Calm yourself, Nora. The party's not going anywhere," Ren tries to keep his partner in check.
"You guys really outdone yourselves," Pyrrha takes in the festive atmosphere.
"Thank you. I desired nothing less than perfection. Now, go on and enjoy yourselves," Weiss replies.
Team JNPR does just that. They walk by as Blake and Yang finish their first dance. Sun walks over, wearing a black shirt similar to his old one and a tie surprisingly.
Sun rubs his head, "Hey, uh, any chance I could get a dance in?"
The girls smile at each other, "Sure. I have to get back to the podium anyway. Blake won't mind. I'll be back," Yang leaves them be and the two start dancing.
"So, no hard feelings, Sun?" Blake asks tentatively.
"Ah, I'm sure I'll get over it. I'm not gonna make things uncomfortable for you. I struck out. But, we can still be friends, right?" Sun asks.
Blake laughs, "Of course we can. And you are a good friend, Sun,"
That makes him smile and they dance away. Yang gets back to the podium, just as the doors open and a new pair walk in.
"Oooh, la-la," Yang mutters.
In walks Clorinde and Navia, the latter holding onto the arm of the former. Behind them are Diluc and Layla. Clorinde, surprisingly, is not wearing a dress, but a black tuxedo with a dark purple tie, white gloves, and has her hair up in a high ponytail and combed back. Meanwhile, Navia has her hair devoid of the ringlets from before, going with a flowing wavy look this time. She's wearing long black gloves with a dark yellow strapless dress, black pumps, and a few pieces of jewelry on her person to finish the look along with some makeup. As for Diluc, he's wearing a dark red tux that almost seems to become black in a certain light, with a white dress shirt and black vest underneath. Matching dress shoes and a flat top fedora finish the look. Meanwhile, Layla still has her star circlet around her hair, but has her hair in high twin tails now. She's wearing a dress with a knee-length skirt that's dark blue up top but fades to black towards the bottom. The dress has a pair of semi-detached sleeves of similar color. She has a gold necklace around her neck and blue high heels to match. She has on makeup, but even that only covers up some of the dark circles under her eyes.
"Wow, you guys look great. As for you two, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you two were going for king and queen of prom night," Yang notes, the second comment gestured towards Clorinde and Navia.
"Well, I can't speak for Clorinde, but I like to dress to impress at times. Although, I do find Clorinde quite dashing in a suit," Navia notes, making Clorinde blush.
"I'm just glad we made it on time. Trust me, when Navia gets into a fashion fit, you might as well find a chair because you'll be waiting for a while before she's finished," Diluc notes.
"You'll never understand women and fashion, Diluc," Navia huffs.
"Layla, you doing okay? You're looking pretty cute," Yang notes.
"Yeah, I'll be fine. I'll probably just be sitting for most of the time. I don't want to fall asleep on the dance floor in front of everyone," Layla replies.
Diluc puts a hand on her shoulder, "I'll watch out for her.
"Well, don't let me keep you, the party's right behind me," Yang says.
Before the team can go, the doors open again and in walks Candace. She's not wearing her headdress this time. She has on a dark blue halter top dress with the skirt being longer in the back than the front, a pair of gold bracelets on her wrists, black pumps, and earrings to match the bracelets.
"Looks like I arrived in time," Candace notes as she joins them. "You all look lovely. Should I address you as 'Sir' Clorinde for tonight?" she teases the girl in a tux.
"Uh, no, that's quite alright," Clorinde replies.
"I'm still surprised you showed up alone. How many guys did you turn down?" Yang asks.
"Far too many to count. Again, this is my personal preference. I'm simply not looking for a relationship right now. Maybe later down the road, but not just yet," Candace says.
"I see. To each their own, I guess. By the way, where are Ei and Nilou? We haven't seen them yet," Navia notes.
Candace's eye glows for a moment, "They should be arriving right about... now," she turns just as the doors open.
They all nearly freeze upon seeing them. In walks Nilou wrapped around Ei's arm. Nilou has her hair out of its usual twin tails and flowing down her back. She's wearing a long, white dress that fades into a light blue towards the hem of the dress. The dress features two straps that wrap around her neck, though they're hidden by the large, gold choker wrapped around her neck with a blue pearl at the center. A pair of white lace armbands wrap around her upper arms and the dress exposes her upper back and a little cleavage. Meanwhile, Ei is wearing a long, dark purple dress mixed with some black lace. The dress hugs her figure quite nicely, and the lace straps wrap around her neck while exposing some cleavage. She has long, black gloves and a purple flower hairpin in her hair to replace her usual one. A matching flower is seen on her waist. She's kept her hair in its long, braided ponytail. Finally, a small bit of makeup is seen on her face, and she has on black pumps. All-in-all, they look beautiful, both separately and together.
"Wow, that boutique went all out on you two!" Yang notes.
"I think you two look lovely," Candace adds.
"T-thanks," Nilou blushes at the honest praise.
"I must admit, Chiori is quite skilled at her craft. This feels so comfortable to move around in. I hope we're not too late for the party," Ei notes.
"Don't worry, you guys are right on time. Come on, the party's just getting started!" Yang cheers.
With that done, everyone heads on in to enjoy the party. From partying on the dance floor, to enjoying the food and drink, to just chatting with friends; everyone is having a good time. Ei and Nilou walk amongst the crowd, the latter noticing a few of them giving her subtle glares. Majority of them boys. These are the same boys who tried asking Ei out to the dance, only to fail when she rejected them. And here they see the object of their affection escorting someone else. It makes her feel a little nervous.
"Do not mind them, Nilou," Ei says, earning her attention. "This is supposed to be a joyous occasion. Let us enjoy ourselves, shall we?"
Nilou nods," Yes, you're right Ei,"
The pair decide to do just and enjoy themselves. As they go, Candace watches from over by the punch bowl when Ruby approaches, sitting down next to her.
"Enjoying the party?" Candace asks.
"If by enjoy, you mean feeling like my feet need surgery, then yeah, just great," Ruby groans, rubbing her feet.
"Well, even warriors need time away from the battlefield. There's no fun in life if every single thing you do revolves around fighting," Candace says.
"But, isn't that why we're training? To be warriors and fight?" Ruby asks.
"That may be what we're doing now, but that's not all we do. Also, what about those who can't fight? They simply want to live their lives, free of conflict and despair. These little moments. Laughing with friends and loved ones; these are the moments we fight for. So everyone can always have these moments. It is this time of essential peace that we work for," Candace explains as they look at everyone smiling.
"Huh... I guess that's not so bad," Ruby says.
"As long as you understand. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go help Dehya. It seems her dates are bickering over who gets the first dance with her, heh-heh-heh," Candace walks away to defuse the situation.
Ruby watches her leave before turning her eyes to Weiss who was busy talking with Clorinde and Navia.
"So, you finally grew the courage to ask her to the dance? I'm proud of your progress, Weiss," Navia teases her old friend.
Weiss pouts, "Please don't make a big mess of this! It's unbelievable that I made the first move instead of the other way around. People used to trip over each other trying to get a date with me back in Atlas. But, I knew if I didn't do anything, she'd never figure it out!"
"Well, at least she agreed. We're just glad you finally found someone. We were sure that you'd grow old and die while unmarried," Clorinde notes.
"Please stop making me sound like some kind of evil witch," Weiss pleads.
"Witch, no. Ice Queen... well, at least Ruby's helping you with that," Navia laughs, making Weiss pout again.
Meanwhile, Ei and Nilou converse with a few fellow classmates until they hear the music change. They see couples hit the dance floor, including a few of their friends. Meanwhile, Candace chats with Diluc and Layla since they're not dancing. They also spot Yang and Blake sneaking away, probably for a private dance away from the crowd or something. Not that it's her business.
"Why don't we dance too? We did practice after all," Nilou suggests.
"Sure. Let's dance," Ei says and escorts Nilou onto the dance floor.
They get into position, hand-in-hand, and begin moving to the sound of the music. Thankfully, they've practiced enough times now where Ei is confident enough to not worry about stepping on Nilou's feet. They move and flow, keeping their eyes on each other. Their dance attracts some of the onlookers, friend and stranger alike. None of that mattered to them though. They were just happy to be in the moment. As if everything else around them didn't exist. It felt strange to Ei. How this moment felt like it could, or should, last for an eternity. She had always sought eternity for her people, but looking back on it, her original idea of eternity looked so... empty. Like the Plane of Euthymia she created. Yet, here with Nilou, it felt more. As if she was gifted the world itself to hold in her hands. Perhaps that's why she failed before? Because she was seeking a lonely eternity all by herself and not with her friends, or even her people by her side. Maybe now that she's reflected on her actions and learned to let people close to her again. Maybe now that eternity she seeks is just a little bit closer. For Nilou, she could think about nothing else but her and Ei. How she was dancing with the girl she was crushing on. How it felt like a dream from a fantasy novel. She managed to grow the courage to ask Ei to the dance, but admitting her feelings was another matter entirely. It would take more time to gain that amount of courage.
They continue to dance for a while longer before the song ends.
"How about a little fresh air? It's pretty stuffy in here with the large crowd," Nilou suggests.
"Sure, that's fine with me," Ei offers her arm and Nilou accepts it.
The pair leave the dance hall and find a quiet spot by a school fountain and sit down to rest.
"We'll go back after a little break," Ei says.
"Yeah, I don't want to miss the rest of the party. Tonight has been wonderful, Ei. I'm glad I got to spend it with you... and everyone else of course," Nilou quickly says the last part, blushing.
"Yes. I've quite enjoyed myself tonight. It's nice. Before, back home, I was so focused on my mission to keep Inazuma alive, to give it eternity, that I forgot about what it means to live. Life is about more than just living for a long period of time. It's about enjoying that life to the fullest. You helped me realize that Nilou, and I am grateful," Ei says.
Nilou scratches her cheek, "Oh, I really didn't do much. I just wanted to help you, Ei. I know you're still thinking about your mission, but... can we at least just enjoy the night tonight?"
"Yes, we can. The time will come to find and face Signora again, but for now... let's enjoy ourselves. It is a party after all," Ei says.
"Yeah, that sounds nice," Nilou agrees.
"Well, shall we head back to the party then?" Ei asks.
"Actually... can we stay here... just a while longer?" Nilou asks, slowly leaning her head on Ei's shoulder.
Ei is surprised by her actions but doesn't dissuade her. Instead, she finds herself wrapping an arm around Nilou's shoulders, pulling her in closer. They listen to the sounds of the fountain behind them and the animals of the night under the moonlight. Ei can't say what is the growing feeling inside her when she's near Nilou, but one thing she does know... this moment right now feels just right.
And that's the chapter. The party happens and everyone's having a good time. Meanwhile, Ei and Nilou continue to grow closer and closer. Of course, it'll be back to work soon. Until then, please Read and Review.