Chapter Eighty-Nine
Nora was having a great time!
She hadn't been to too many dances, or things like this, and the last time she'd been to one like this it was put on by that kooky cult in Mistral that was gonna sacrifice them all to that one big Grimm, that she thought had talked, only that seemed cra-zy, because Grimm couldn't talk, only apparently they did, so maybe those rude dudes and hatey ladies hadn't been coo-coo, but they were another continent away, and, if things went bad here, which they probably wouldn't, she had a pouch with some electric dust candies hidden under her dress in case they did!
So, dance-time!
Jaune-Jaune was lookin' all snazzy, and only kinda evil, because, nice as the dude was, he gave off some serious predator vibes!
Which was cool, and he looked as sharp as his claws were, and if she wasn't going after Renny she'd totally hit that, but she was, so that wasn't gonna happen.
That said, Big D was fun to hang with, even if super serious about stuff sometimes. Now though, as the music shifted so something more bangin', he seemed a little lost, all suave and stuff when it came to formal footwork, but when it came to some boogey woogie he just seemed out of place.
"Come on, Dragon-boy, re-lax! Just do what I'm doing!" she teased, and he looked at her, completely serious, and started copying her exactly, which made her laugh so hard she snorted, and he sent the most adorably hurt frown her way. "Like this," she told, grabbing him and guiding him, the guy getting an odd look on his face, and then he just kinda changed. Suddenly, his movements smoothed out, and he was dancing like a natural, shuckin' and jivin' all over the place!
"See, you got this," she laughed, and he glanced at her, a moment of pain quickly hidden, but the kind you got when you remembered something bad, so nothing for it now. "Don't worry about stuff, it's in the past! Just cut loose and get Fun-ky!"
That got out a laugh out of the Faunus, who responded, "Okay, Rafiki," then moved to compliment her, the two of them cutting across the dancefloor, bustin' all the moves!
Nora could tell that Jaune liked the way she looked, especially as she turned in a half-spin, got right up against him, her back to his chest, and grooved for a few seconds, the man might as well made of stone, sexy stone, as he moved in concert with her, just right, but she broke away a moment later, in another spin, throwing a hand out, which he caught, letting her extend fully, only his grip keeping her from falling, then pulling her back and going back for the other direction!
That said, as much as he appreciated her, he knew she liked Ren, so the dancing was just dancing, and he was cool with that too!
He was a pretty chill leader, even though he wasn't their leader leader, and she'd worried if they'd gotten a leader that was a guy, he'd, like, fall in love with her or something, which, understandable, but then not take it well when she said no, only to get a team leader who was a girl, which, was, like, double worrying, because of course she'd see how great Renny was and want him all to herself!
But Rubes was a kid, and adorbs, so that wasn't gonna a problem for a bit, but then she stared crushing on Jaun-Jaun somethin' fierce, which Nora also got, so Renny could just keep bein' his perfect self without Nora needing to break some slut's legs!
Score!
Though Big D was totally banging his partner, but had also been dating Yang, before she blew it, but, the way they looked at each other, they knew about each other, which was kinda different, but not really, though most guys that did that were kinda gross, and their fearless leader wasn't. Even without the mask, he wasn't that bad, though she got why he wore it.
But, that meant something really important!
She could just throw everyone else at him!
Like, Ruby liked him, and Weiss liked him, which meant that her 'team' was already taken care of, and the thought of Yang and Renny together was just laughable, but Blake also liked the huffy Dragon, even if that Faunus didn't just have issues, she had subscriptions, but that meant if she nudged everyone else towards Jaune, then she'd have Renny All. To. Herself!
It was the Perfect Plan!
And, she could still get the gorgeous generous guy to make her Pancakes!
She was a Genius!
Plus, Jaun-Jaun wasn't a kid, like half of their teammates!
Well, that was kinda mean, 'cause they were technically the same age, it was just the others were just… sheltered? Yeah, sheltered, which was supposed to be a bad thing, but only someone that was 'sheltered' would ever think that, as going without shelter sucked.
But it was, like, super obvious that half their team hadn't even killed anyone before!
Like, she and Ren did that when they were nine!
And, while they had to run, since non-Huntsmen with Aura 'weren't allowed' and stuff, it always was funny seein' someone that decided that the 'poor kids', that couldn't defend themselves, and so were easy targets, turned out to be stronger than they were, and that was before they'd started training, she got lightning on tap with her Dust candies, and they started drinkin' those superpower smoothies!
Their fearless leader didn't say anything about it, but 'health' foods were Renny's thing, and he'd figured out that those had been what made the difference. And, considering Jaune was supposed to grow up drinking them, that made the dude's ri-donk-ulous Aura reserves make a lot of sense! Her partner's best guess was some kind of Awakened cattle, tapped for blood, and with a Semblance that 'beefed' up others.
Also, Jaune's backstory?
Super fake.
But she wasn't gonna ask questions.
She wasn't no snitch!
At least Pyrrha and Jaune knew how things were, but the other four, well, they thought Big D was just scarin' Cardin, and not baitin' the dumbass into one more go at him to excuse turnin' Cardin into racist briquettes.
It's kinda why she liked the big antlered lug.
Because she'd seen what happened when people didn't take care of things and…
Well, her and Renny got really good at running, and, with his Semblance, hiding in places others couldn't.
Like a Grimm Tide.
That was one hell of a night!
This one was nice though.
They'd been dancing for a couple songs, and she had a great time, Big D showing no signs of stopping, and neither was she, when he glanced over, smirked, and looked back to her. "Hey, Nora, you like Ren, right?"
Wait, he knows? But I've been so subtle! "What? I mean, yeah, of course I like my partner," she deferred. "Who doesn't like their partner?"
He gave her a flat look. "I mean like like him."
"You mean like you like your partner?" she questioned, causing him to miss a step, though he caught it and turned it into a dece dance move.
"Yeah, do you?" he challenged her right back. Damn the strategic genius of 'Yeah, well u 2!' Only she was supposed to wield its forbidden power!
She glanced over, seeing her partner chatting with Weiss who, wait, was she, oh, no, false alarm, she was glancing Jaun-Jaun's way. Phew. "I, maybe," the ginger gave, which was as much as he was getting from her!
Her lips were sealed!
Unless there were pancakes!
And then they'd be sealed, but with pancakes!
And maybe syrup!
"Good, then this'll work," Jaune said, smoothly grabbing hold of her, and twisting her about as the song started to end, setting her on the path to walk over to her partner, and Weiss, and what was he doing?
When she realized what he was going for, she tried to back out, but his hand only seemed gentle on her shoulder, when actually it was a clamp! A clamp of Dooooom!
"Hey Ren," their not-leader said, smiling, "I think I've monopolized your partner's time long enough. You two should have a dance or three."
The Mistralian boy blinked. "Oh, I don't-"
Which is far as he got before Jaune lightly pushed her in her partner's direction, the green-clad man catching her, like he always did, and then, with another step, Big D was there, smoothly but unstoppably shoving them both onto the dancefloor, as a slower song started to play, and her partner automatically shifted how he was holding her, so she did the same, and, Oh-Em-Gee she was slow dancing with RENNY!
Looking back at the Dragon, he just winked at her, and gave her a thumbs up, as she reddened.
"Nora? Are you okay?" Ren questioned, concerned.
"GREAT!" she squeaked, slamming her lips shut, and just danced with him, which, after a few stiff moments, led to her partner relaxing, and dancing with her all proper like.
Risking another glance back, the antlered Faunus was grinning, and she gave him a short, nod, trying not to have a meltdown.
Dangerous, appreciative but not interested, a great cook, and a wingman!
Renny had been right, of course he was right, he was Renny, but still, coming here had led them to making some great new friends!
DR
Weiss loved it when a plan came together!
Balls were an orchestra of coordination and logistical effort, and that was discounting the ones that had actual orchestras! So many different factors had to be accounted for, from ornamentation, to victuals, to the positions of various furnishings, and much more!
But now, it all came together, and everyone was having a great time!
It was, admittedly, not something that her family would ever put on, Yang's additions flagrant disregarding of formal protocols, but, technically, one of them would be considered avant-garde, so this was merely taking another step down that path, or twelve. It also helped that, as they were from a completely different yet cohesive design philosophy, they harmonized with each other so that it was merely the inclusion of an additional flavor, of a theme, like the time that she had helped put together that Mistral themed soiree with her sister, before Winter left for Atlas Academy!
The thought of her sister, now a member of Atlas' military, brought up… complex feelings within the Schnee Heiress. Her father had disowned Winter, something that, technically, was beyond his purview, but Mother had not objected, and thus Weiss had become Heiress. Since coming here, at her teammates' insistence, she had sent a missive to her sister, but had not received one in turn.
But it had only been a couple weeks! Perhaps she was just busy! Or, like, on a mission or something! Yes, that was it.
In the meantime Weiss would look upon her battlefield, and bask in her victory.
The 'fire within glass' effect worked just as intended, Ruby assisting in the manufacturing process, the sleeves. They were modified hexagons, shaped so that the larger section faced the wall, while the four interior-oriented panes each had, etched into them, symbolic depictions of each school, in its native environs, with its nation's symbol floating over it, something that everyone was noticing, the Ice Dust nearby providing just enough cooling to temper the heat of the display, while also creating a slight misting effect around its base, and similar bits of decorative flourishes were spread throughout the space, just enough to give the area completeness without tipping over into appearing crowded, even with the crowds within.
Schnee events would be much sparser, though they would also have a lower attendance compared to the size of this venue, only allowing those of high standing to attend, while, as the requirement for entry here was much lower, and thus a larger turnout was expected, and delivered upon. Because of that, there were a different set of rules to be followed in the planning, though some of the 'improvements' that Yang suggested were just idiotic, and she'd been right to tell the blonde no. Now though, they'd gotten through the last 'test', and, yes, while she wasn't a fan of this more chaotic kind of 'music', the blitzkrieger had been correct in its mass appeal, when it came to their fellow huntsman students.
Now she relaxed, and smiled to herself.
"Good job."
"Gah!" Weiss jumped, then saw Ren standing next to her, not having seen the boy before. "I, uh, yes, yes it is," she nodded. Now that she thought of it, she should probably check in with her teammates. Ren was beside her, Ruby was, yes, sitting next to the punch bowl, as expected, which Weiss had talked Yang out of spiking, given that it was an international event, and Nora was, oh, she was dancing with Jaune.
Dancing quite lasciviously.
Oh, oh my.
She knew that 'lower class' dancing could be a bit loose, and, dare she say it, sensual, but… oh she was all over him.
Weiss… Weiss didn't think Nora even liked him that way!
And, oh no, what about Ren!
She turned to look at her partner, who was watching the two, dispassionately, but that was nothing new. "Uh, Nora looks like she's having fun?" she offered half-heartedly.
The man smiled, "That she is."
…what?
"Um, I wasn't aware that they, uh, fancied each other," the Heiress put forward, feeling, well, she'd almost say she was jealous of her orange-haired teammate, but not only would that be highly inappropriate, Schnee's didnot get, get jealous!
Ren frowned, casting a confused glance her way, before he smiled a little. "Oh, they don't."
Weiss stared at him, then at the dancing couple as Nora turned, running her hands down Jaune's firm, muscular, sharply dressed chest like Weiss wante- like they were engaging in a very public kind of foreplay, then back to her teammate, then back to them, then back to Ren, waving a hand in the pair's direction. "They don't?"
"No," the laconic Huntsmen stated with calm conviction, waving around the rooms. "It's what the others are doing. Just more. Because Nora."
Looking around the room, the Schnee Heiress truly focused on how her guests were interacting, and realized that many of the Huntsman and Huntress students around her were 'dancing', and she used that term loosely, to the more chaotic music the same way her teammates were, if a lot less skillfully, though that left her wondering who would do such a thing! As her gaze drifted to her teammates, she conceded, that, perhaps, she wouldn't object too strenuously if Jaune asked, but, but not in public.
She bit her lip, thinking of how that might go, then Jaune glanced her way, and she froze, as he glanced back to Nora, who looked at her as well, the ginger oddly intent, before the pink-clad girl smirked, and replied to whatever the Faunus said. Regardless, he put a hand on her shoulder, and directed the girl their way. Partway to them, Nora locked up, but Jaune just kept walking, lifting the girl up without breaking stride, dropping her down as they stood in front of the pair.
"Hey, Ren," their Faunus teammate said, smiling, "I think I've monopolized your partner's time long enough. You two should have a dance or three."
Ren hesitated, going from placidly amused to off-center. "Oh, I don't-"
But before he could say more, their technically-not-leader gently shoved Nora forward, the girl stumbling a little, which was quite unlike her, but Ren caught her, Jaune slipping behind them with combat-levels of speed as another song started to play, firmly pushing the two onto the dance floor, so that both of them were there when the next, more romantic song started to play, Nora sending a worried look back there way, only for Jaune to give the ginger a thumbs up.
"You might not have noticed," he fake-whispered conspiratorially to the party organizer, "but Nora's got a bit of a crush on Ren."
Weiss sent the smirking Faunus a flat look in return. "No. Really?" she questioned sarcastically.
Still, completely serious, except for his roguish grin, he nodded. "Yeah. She hides it really well though, so I get if you didn't notice earlier."
Groaning in annoyance, she hit him, muttering to herself, "Why do I think you're hot?" Then freezing, realized what she just said and wanted to die.
"Well, probably comes with the fire-breathing," he smirked, pausing to give her a once over, his eyes pausing on the décolletage her dress displayed, which made her stand just a little straighter, despite herself. "While you're pretty cool yourself."
She glared at him, that pun absolutely terrible, but, wait, what exactly did he mean-
Holding out a hand, his smile turned honest, and he asked, "Ms. Schnee, may I have this dance?"
She stared at the outstretched, taloned limb for a long moment, then out at the dance-floor, as an undoubtably romantic song was playing. "I… what."
Stepping up to her, he took her hand in his, his face very close, and repeated himself. "May I have this dance?"
"….yes?" was all she could respond, turning red, which was stupid, as she was a Schnee, and Schnees needed to be- oh they were dancing!
Her training kicked in, letting her move with him, as he led, as the man was supposed to, her forward, the two of them entering the dancefloor, smoothly threading their way through the crowd, until they found a clearer spot, and then took up their position in the crowd. The Faunus' hand was on her back, firm yet careful, her hand clasped in his, as she rested her other on his chest, the pair moving together.
Part of her dreaded the music shifting back to the 'club' arrangement Yang had added, and which Weiss now regretted not vetting more thoroughly, but for now it seemed to be something more in her wheelhouse, as they moved back and forth, which was… nice.
"You've done a good job."
"What?" she questioned, the question breaking her from her worries.
Jaune smiled down at her. "You've done a good job," he repeated. "It's all quite impressive."
She felt herself blushing at the praise. However, she was used to others at home giving vague statement, when they meant no such thing, so inquired, "Oh, what do you like?"
"Well, the etchings on the fire-glass. Did you make the designs? They're regular enough, they look machine-made," he commented.
Oh, he actually means it, she realized, answering his questions, about how the design had actually come from separate ones already created, but she'd collated them together, lining them up to fit the dimensions of each pane, and carefully arranging them so they'd match together properly when placed in parallel.
From there, she'd been delighted to answer his questions, explaining the specifics of her work, as they'd drifted across the dancefloor, the songs slipping by as she had a great time, and, it was only after she'd finished delineating the supply lines she'd used to secure the needed hors d'oeuvers, at a minimal price without sacrificing quality, that she realized how relaxed she was, for the first time that night.
Jaune, Jaune was listening, which, yes, was what people were supposed to do, but there was a difference between someone hearing what you said, and them paying close attention, their thoughts clearly following yours, as his clarifying questions and observations clearly implied. And it was something of a new experience. Well, he did that before, when she gave their team 'lessons', but now, resting in his arms, with his attention focused solely on her, feeling content, feeling safe, it was… nice.
With nothing else to say, she just leaned into him, and he let her, the two of them together, like they were the only ones that existed in this wo-
"Oh, how cute. May I cut in?"
Weiss was shocked out of her reverie, turning to see one of the visiting huntresses, one Cinder Fall, the one that Jaune had said was 'dangerous' and 'volatile', though he did not explain more than that, standing behind her.
"Well?" the woman, wearing a black dress with small grey dots, like the night sky, an outfit that wouldn't have looked out of place at one of her family's events, questioned.
The Schnee heiress looked to Jaune, who glanced at the dark-haired woman dispassionately, then looked at Weiss with a look that seemed to indicate the decision was up to her.
Part of her very much wanted to say no, to tell the other woman off, but she had been dancing with the man for half a dozen songs, at least, and so, hesitantly, pulled away from her partner, smiling at the Mistralian huntress as she stepped away, the woman smirking in reply and stepping very close to her leader, one hand on his chest while the other as lazily draped over his shoulder, bringing her very close to him.
Jaune seeing Weiss' look, just rolled his eyes and smiled, something that caused Cinder to frown, though it did make the Schnee Heiress feel a lot better as she headed over to take a seat.
DR
Pyrrha loved it when a plan came together.
Arranging things around her Jaune was a delicate task. She was well aware of both his proclivities, as well as the rightful interest of others around him. The gladiatrix had overplayed her hand with Yang, and that had ended in disaster, so now she was not pushing them, merely creating openings that they could use to get closer to her lover.
And, as evidenced by tonight's performance, openings were all that were needed.
Jaune might not be expressing interest in Ruby, seeing himself more as a big brother than potential paramour, though he was the only one of the two that felt that way. In all honesty, she could not have arranged a better circumstance herself, with Jaune showing surprising skill, accidentally strutting for the girl, while also helping her get more in touch with her femininity, something that the mother-less girl had not had much assistance with growing up with only Yang to look to.
With Blake, the Faunus had been even more far gone, the girl's own racism working against her, further highlighting her 'fellow Faunus's' value by discounting that of other suitors, shrinking the pool, though, no matter the size of it, her Jaune would always stand out. Watching the girl struggle with herself had been most amusing, and the little rally at the end? Practically delicious. The gladiatrix had seen many second winds, but, if victory was not achieved quickly, that would be the end of things.
And this was not a single match, but an ongoing battle, and the outcome was all but guaranteed.
Nora was an unexpected development, and one that would pay off. The girl was committed to a different path, but, when that attempt invariably crashed, and burned, Pyrrha knew she would not even have to push her lover to help pick up the pieces.
It was just his nature.
Weiss, meanwhile, was even further gone then Blake, though, given their monochromic worldviews, racially opposed as they were, there was a certain irony to that. Like with the girl's partner, Pyrrha barely had to do anything, just make sure that Jaune was available, and then nature took its course.
My, the redhead thought, if Cinder hadn't butted in, she might have kissed him before the night was over!
But Ms. Fall, who, if Pyrrha was correct, already had, was the wildcard in the mix, giving her Jaune the challenge he craved, though he denied that part of himself. As the two of them danced, it was clear that the woman was trying to reclaim the advantage in the ongoing amorous battle between the two of them, but, as Jaune could reduce her to a twitching, pleasure-addled mess whenever he so desired, her efforts were doing the exact opposite of what she was trying to achieve.
Because the way to Jaune wasn't through his loins, but his heart.
And it was that very fact that made her love him so.
She had gone over the effects of the Stamp, in detail, and while it guaranteed 'loyalty' and 'friendship', it was only interest that it generated, which already existed before she did accepted it, and there was no part of it that made her actually care about him, only limited her from working to hurt him unnecessarily, something she, again, would not have done before being bound.
With some backstory on the girl her Dragon was currently engaged with, Pyrrha could see behind the mask she wore, and could determine how, possibly, the heated girl may even find a place in his heart. But it would require Ms. Fall show herself as the one thing that she was above all else, but also the one thing that Cinder Fall refused to be.
Vulnerable.
Her Jaune, at his heart, was a protector, and, in many ways, defined himself by it, but, having been stabbed in the back, and the heart, by others he had sought to shield, sought to help, he was much more hesitant to do so again. His morality, his monologues, his need to both explain and understand everything was done in that pursuit, so that he could help others, and not hurt them, as his abusers had, rightly or, as she had a feeling was the case, wrongly accused him of doing, so as to extract additional services, creating societal debts that he was clearly too stupid to understand, so obvious that they need not be explained, but, if he wanted to be a 'good person', he must provide 'restitution' for.
And, it was a good thing that those people were separated from the gladiatrix by an incalculable distance, because, while Jaune would not do so, as it was not his nature, Pyrrha would repay them in kind.
Meanwhile, it was amusing to watch Cinder try, and fail, to ruffle her lover, and, after three songs, the gladiatrix smoothly made her way over to her man, asking, "Hello, Jaune? Do you have a dance for me?"
The agent of Salem, stymied, started to deny her, but her partner had already let go of the woman and moved to her side, smiling. "Of course I do, Pyrrha. I always will."
While it might not exactly be kind of her, the Dragon's Lover smiled at his fucktoy, enjoying her outraged expression, though the other woman tried to cover it with cool disinterest, and failed.
He can have fun with you, Pyrrha Nikos smiled to herself, as Jaune Arc lovingly held her, but he will always be mine, first and foremost.