The Vytal Dance

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Requested By : Polemoduke

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"You're doing rather well." The upperclassmen said as she and Weiss paced the tables and Weiss stopped to make sure every little lay-out, flower and chair was right where it ought be. Chuckling, Velvet Scarlatina sighed, "A bit too well. You know, you can relax a hair, yeah?"

"Was that a pun…?" Weiss muttered, thinking more about Yang than anything. Then she paused, blinked and asked, "Is thinking it's a pun-"

"Racist?" Velvet chuckled, "A bit, but from what I hear you're learning. And not as bad as Coco used to be…"

"Oh?"

"Oh, the first month of my life here was just Coco not understanding how my ears worked. Loud music, loud alarms- She even played a prank where she snuck up while I was asleep and blasted an airhorn next to my head." She snorted and Weiss didn't understand the little smile that played across her lips as she sighed and muttered, "Absolute cunt…"

And why did that sound loving somehow…?

"She sounds… Wonderful?" Weiss tried, brows furrowing further in confusion. "Awful? I'm, ah, not sure what to say here, really…?"

"She was awful, but there wasn't any, you know, malice." Velvet shrugged, pulling out one of Weiss' chairs and taking a seat. Weiss knew her dislike showed on her face because Velvet just chuckled and waved a hand at the seat across the wide, round table. "Sit, Weiss. You're running 'round like you have spare legs to swap out later or something."

"I'm fine, and have work to-" 

"It's eight in the morning, and you've been up a while already." Velvet pressed, "And the dance is tonight. We appreciate you doing so much for us, but… You deserve to enjoy yourself, too, Weiss."

"And I will." She nodded, "Once the dance starts. Now, if you have time, I would like to check the sound system with you. I don't want to-"

"I think," Velvet cut her off, ears flicking and turning to face off to her side, behind Weiss, before she even turned to smile past her, "you should ask your friend first, not me."

"My-" Weiss turned and blinked in surprise to find Blake standing there, hands curling and uncurling and ears flicking… Well, anxiously for an actual cat, so maybe she was showing her anxiety too? Weiss didn't want to assume but, regardless, she tried to smile and said, "Blake! What, um, what can I do for you?"

"We… Need to talk." She sighed, flicking a look past her as Velvet stood.

"I'll leave you be." The older Faunus smiled, giving Weiss a little side-hug before turning and heading out, calling back. "Everything looks great! Awesome work!"

Left alone, they were both quiet for a while. Both of them seemingly unsure of how to start… Whatever was about to happen. But this time it was more awkwardness than anger that kept them from speaking. As if neither knew quite how to start a conversation with the other, rather than there was some tension boiling under the surface like what Weiss had found when she tried to broach their shared concerns back in the sort of party where they'd last talked.

Finally, Weiss broke the silence, turning and doing as Velvet had suggested by taking a seat while she said, "It's… The speakers, you see."

"I'm sorry?"

"That's what Scarlatina was referring to." She explained, using the work as an excuse to keep the silence at bay. Folding her hands on the table she smiled and bobbed her head at them. They were rectangular things, like normal, but with an odd little noise gate in front of them, protruding on tiny struts like on a microphone. "I am told they reduce the bass of music, and make it less… Grating, on sensitive ears."

"They are certainly better than not having them." Blake nodded, gesturing at the seat the other Faunus had left and asking. "May I?"

"I don't own it." She smiled Blake's way, hoping she'd see the joke, and to her relief, she chuckled just a bit as she sat. Once the Faunus had settled, and wary of another lengthy, awkward silence, Weiss spoke up, "Is there… Something I can help you with?"

"I… Wanted to apologize."

Weiss blinked and, confused, asked, "For…?"

"How I've been acting."

"Ah." Weiss hummed, shaking her head, "You don't really have anything to apologize for, Blake. It's not-"

"I do, though." She pressed, lips thinning into a firm line as she turned to Weiss. "Not for what I felt, or… Being defensive, no, but. But I don't know, I just feel like I've handled all of this badly. The arguments, the reasons behind them, just- All of it."

"Ah." Weiss understood, now. "You're apologizing for the problem. Not how you've acted about it."

"I guess I am…"

"You don't need to." Weiss smiled, waving Blake off when her brows furrowed in confusion. Quietly, she explained, "I am… Learning. And while I still don't feel overly charitable regarding the White-" The words caught in her throat, anxiety welling up to choke them out, but Weiss pressed on, "About everything, I've been reading and I… Sympathise."

"You do?"

"I came to Vale, in part, to escape the tyranny of my father. His expectations, his demands, his control…" She shook her head, smiling stiffly, "I didn't succeed at that quite as much as I had hoped, but… I can understand chafing under his control. And I can only imagine how much worse it is for your people, who he outright hates. As opposed to simply not caring about any of us."

"He's that bad?" Blake murmured, "I heard about what happened with Jaune, but I thought it was… Isolated."

"Yes, well…" Weiss sighed, "It very much was not."

"Well…" Blake sighed, "I just wanted to apologize for all the problems between us and… If you ever have any questions, about the Faunus or our history or- Just anything, really, I will try to answer. I can't guarantee I'll be perfect about it but…"

"Nor will I." Weiss smiled, leaning back and raising her chin in a gesture of thanks. "I will keep it in mind. But, for now… Can we just forget it all and enjoy ourselves? It's the day of the Vytal Dance. I don't think we should let ourselves be divided."

"You're right." Blake smiled, "We shouldn't."

"With that done…" Weiss pulled out her Scroll and sighed, flicking a message to the other woman whose brows furrowed when she blinked. "We have a number of Faunus on campus I expect to come, and I would appreciate your input on the menu in case anything is lacking that they may desire."

"It's a bit short notice isn't it…?"

"Yes, but one perk of being a Schnee is that I get to be demanding." She smirked, "And in this case, I can leverage that to at least a bit of benefit for the Faunus. Which…"

"Is a start." Blake nodded, standing and sighing, "I'll send you anything I can think of. No promises, though."

"Of course." Weiss smiled, "It's only an option, if you find the time."

Blake nodded and her ears flicked back towards the doors a heartbeat before they opened and Jaune came in, fussing with his tie and scowling deeply. As he came towards them and spotted Blake, he paused and she took her leave. Jaune watched her go and then turned to give Weiss a worried look, but she just smiled and stood, waving him over.

"We were just talking." She explained as Jaune came over.

"Just talking…?"

"Mhm." She nodded, looking him up and down and smiling. He was dressed in a dark blue, classically styled, suit with a white blouse and lighter blue tie that matched Weiss' own light blue dress. Batting his hands away, she said, "Look, watch me. You tie it up like this."

"Right." He chuckled awkwardly, "Sorry, I just have a clip on for the uniform. So, ya know, never really worn one."

"So I figured from all your flailing." She chuckled, pulling it taut on his collar and straightening his coat. "Not to worry, that's why I'm here. Isn't it?"

"I guess…"

"What's wrong?" She asked, backing away when he just grimaced. Confused, she cocked her head and said, "Jaune… Talk to me."

"I just… Our outfits match." He muttered, frowning, "Won't people, you know, get the wrong idea?"

Weiss blinked, confused, and cocked her head the other way, "And what idea would that be…?"

"That we're, you know…" He flailed, gesturing at her and them him in an odd, confused sort of display. "A thing? Going together to the thing as a thing?"

"Ah." She blinked, "Are we not?"

"I'm sorry…?"

"I figured it was obvious we were courting after the third steak dinner, Jaune." She chuckled, shaking her head more in amusement than any of the anger or frustration she, logically, knew she should have felt. Tapping a finger to her chin she smirked and said, "Honestly, I heard this happened to Ruby's sister, too. Is it just blondes that are so obtuse?"

"Oi!" Jaune grunted, "I'm just… New to all of this!"

"So am I." Weiss nodded, pursing her lips and setting aside her anxiety to ask. "Do you… Disapprove of that?"

"Of you not asking? Yes, a bit." He crossed his arms, "Of going out with you? Not a chance."

"R-Really?" She blinked, "Even after… Everything?"

"You've changed already." Jaune shrugged, "A couple months ago I'd have not wanted any of it. But now…?"

"I'm better?"

"Your a lot nicer, and a lot more considerate, yeah." He smiled, scratching at the back of his neck and flushing a bit before he added. "Plus you're, uh… Well, you're gorgeous, you know? So, like, I'd love to go with you. To, uh, be with you. But…"

"I should have asked." She offered quietly, "Not assumed."

"Yeah." He nodded, "That."

"Right, well…" Better late than never she supposed, offering her hand like she'd been taught, as if she were royalty offering a favor to a knight. It had always seemed a bit inane to her, but if this was what he wanted she'd oblige. "Would you do me the honor of going to the dance with me and… Uh, dating, as you put it?"

He took her hand, smiled, and made her blush by giving her knuckles a gentle kiss and muttering, "I'd be honored."

"R-R-Right, well…" She sucked in a breath and turned, hiding the heat creeping up her neck and along her cheeks in trying to tidy the table back up. "In that case, um, would you mind checking the sound system is plugged in please? I need to finish up."

"Sure," he nodded, "on it, Snow Angel."

"Oh no." She called after him, "None of that now!"

He just laughed as he left, climbing up onto the stage to get to work.

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Nora had never really had the chance for dressing up, honestly. Growing up, they'd been lucky to get clothes without holes in them, so fine clothes for special occasions? Just about impossible and even now it felt… Weird, to her. New. Ren, though, had lived a lot longer with his family. Who were some of the wealthier people in Kuroyuri back before it fell, thanks to their hunting and ranging. And according to him it was pretty normal stuff to do.

So, when in Vale do as the Valeans do, she supposed…

Or, Mistral, she guessed, since she'd taken a cue from Ren and dressed in a Mistrali party and wedding dress with gold embroidery. It was pink, which had been a pain to get done since that wasn't, apparently, a very traditional color. So she'd had to get a tailor to more or less copy and paste the idea onto custom work. Which had eaten into their savings from Beacon's monthly living stipend a bit more than anyone had wanted, but it let her match with Ren. He was already dressed for the night, too, with a dark, forest green colored and gold embroidered Mistrali wedding suit and dark trousers under. Whether either of them were actually wearing it right was a bit up in the air, aside from the Valean tailors saying they were, but…

They'd been run out of their homes young.

Anyone that wanted to complain could take it up with Magnhild. 

"I just don't like pointy stuff near my eyes." She complained, sitting anxiously in her seat while Ren carefully ran a tiny brush through her eyelashes. Pursing her lips, she said, "Mascara is fine cuz, like, it's around my eye. But this-"

"Is perfectly safe." Ren chuckled, waving a hand at his own curved lashes. "I already did mine. See?"

"Yeah…" She sighed, trying not to blink while he ran the little brush across her lashes. To distract herself, she asked, "Where is everyone else, anyways?"

"I believe Yang is harassing her sister for, and this is a direct quote, 'extra cute pics since the little shit dodged wearing a dress'." Nora snorted at that and Ren smiled, too, before going on, "And Blake is in the bathroom finishing up."

"Yeah?"

"Which she can do," Ren bopped her on the nose with the brush, "on her own."

"But Reeeeeeeen."

"No." He chirped, "Down Nora. Bad Nora."

"You of all people can't put me in horny jail, Renny."

"I don't know what you're getting at…"

"Uh huh." She smirked, and would have rolled her eyes if he didn't have a bunch of tiny needles right next to one of them. Chuckling, she said, "I'd threaten 'shower time' but we both know I'd be bluffing."

"True…" He chuckled, leaning back and nodding, satisfied with his work. Then, before she could react, he ducked down to steal a quick kiss and Nora smiled into it. Until…

"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear any of that!" Blake called from the bathroom, "And, uh, thanks, I guess, for being quiet?!"

"Practice makes perfect!" Ren called back to the shower while Nora flushed and hid her face in her hands, laughing while the Faunus just groaned loudly from the bathroom. Shaking his head, he sat back on his bed and said, "All done, Nora. And you look beautiful, too."

"Oh, so I don't normally?"

"You look beautiful in a new and different way." He smiled, nodding his head.

"Nice recovery." She smiled, "Solid eight points."

"Only eight?"

"Lacked style." She chuckled, looking over as the door opened and slammed and Yang leaned back against it like someone was going to break in. Brows furrowing in confusion, she asked, "Yang, what are you-"

"Yaaaaaang!" Ruby called from the hallway, "You promised you wouldn't send any pictures to dad! He's never gonna stop teasing me!"

"You're too late to stop me!" As if on cue, they all heard the quiet chirp of a Scroll message alert and, a heartbeat later, Ruby whined loudly and smacked the door. Laughing, Yang said, "I'm making a group chat with Qrow, too!"

"Ugh!" Ruby groaned, before they all heard the other door slam and Yang snickered.

"You're evil." Nora smiled as the blonde pushed off the door and smoothed out her uniform. "You're evil, and I love it. What I don't love is- Where is your dress?!"

"In the bathroom." Yang shrugged, cocking her head and asking. "Hey, kitty cat, you decent?"

"Ish. Why-" Yang yanked open the door and the Faunus quite literally hissed, "Yang, what the hell!"

"Oh, please, you're dressed and I need mine and we have, like, half an hour. That's my hair all on it's own!" The blonde snorted, voice echoing off the walls just a bit as she went into the bathroom. They all heard the faintest scuffle before Blake came stumbling out, glaring ruefully as the door shut. From inside, Yang called out, "I'll pay you back later, promise!"

"I dislike you immensely!" Blake called, turning to give Nora a look and then sighing. 

She was dressed in a black yukata that cut off just below the knees, with black leggings running up under. Both had white highlights along the seams and, for the yukata, along the fold. All of which Nora had expected. What stood out a bit, though, was the wrap. Instead of a grey or black or even a white like she'd have expected from the dress, or just from Blake in general, it was a soft sort of rose color. Almost pink, but not quite.

Still, it worked, and Nora whistled, "Legs for days, girl. And gotta say, didn't think you liked pink but, ya know, you pull it off."

"I didn't." She shrugged, "But… Well, pink has been growing on me lately."

"Oh I bet~"

"Rather like a fungus."

"Oi!" Nora squawked, "Rude!"

"But accurate." She chuckled and sighed, adjusting the wrap and making sure the fold would hold properly before she sighed again. "And… Well, in Menagerie it's something of a custom, to wear the colors your partner favors. At least for public occasions."

"Oh?" Nora blinked, realized what she'd said and the little smile Blake was paying her, and then muttered. "Oh…" Shoving her face in her hands she turned and whined, heat creeping up her neck, "Blake! That's not faaaaaair! You can't just do that!"

"Hey!" Ren warned, "Watch the make up."

"Also," Blake laughed, "I definitely can. And just did, I believe. Not often I get to put you out, so I'll be taken to the Grimm before I let the opportunity slide by untaken."

"Ohhhh, I'm so fancy, I'm Blake Belladonna, I say fancy schmancy stuff like 'slide by untaked', hu hu haha!"

"You say that like you didn't give her a look like you wanted to kiss her again." Ren broke in, smiling when Nora flushed brighter than before. "Why, the way that you look is almost like that first morning, if I recall correctly…"

"R-Ren!"

"Aaaaand, how do I look!" Yang crowed, cutting into their conversation by spinning out of the door in her own light rose colored little sundress. Nora gave it a look and raised an eyebrow and Yang shrugged, "Blake said the color thing was a thing so I stole the idea."

"Yang…" Blake sighed, "That's for Menagerie. Mistral doesn't really do it."

"Also, the pink is for Nora." Ren chuckled, reaching up to play at his highlights and frowning, "Though… I thought Mistral did the color exchange too, so don't feel too bad about it."

"Ugh, of course I messed it up." She sighed, throwing her arms up in surrender and then shrugging. "Whelp. Too late now. So, whatcha think Renny~?"

"Yeah." Nora leaned back, raising an eyebrow and smirking, "Whatcha think, Renny?"

Both women looked at him expectantly.

"I think we're going to be late to the dance?"

"Boo!"

"Lame!" Nora chirped, "Laaaaaame!"

"Ren, now's your chance to say 'girls, you're both pretty'." Blake offered, smiling, "That way you don't have to pick favorites. You just have to guard your face."

"Indeed but, and consider this…" Ren raised a single finger, smiling as if he were making a truly sage point. "I rather enjoy living."

Nora knocked him onto the bed with a pillow.

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Ruby found Pyrrha waiting outside the auditorium with her head down and eyes closed, gently swaying to the sound of the music inside while other late-comers passed by and into the party beyond. Nervous, Ruby hesitated at the corner, peering around while she tried to drum up her courage again. But, before she could, Pyrrha suddenly looked up and right at her, smirking thinly.

"I wasn't hiding!" She argued as she flashed over to her, waving her hands in front of her as much to dismiss the idea as to brush the petals away.

"No?" Pyrrha smirked just a bit wider, "Then what were you doing?"

"Um…" Ruby smiled sheepishly and shrugged, holding up her hands unsurely. "Standing?"

"Mhm." Pyrrha nodded, "And we couldn't stand together because…?"

"Because…" Ruby pursed her lips, rocking back on her heels for a second and then rocked forward again and rambled. "OkaylookIwasnervousokay?"

"There's nothing to be nervous about, though." Pyrrha argued, flicking a look at the closed doors and asking. "Or is it just all the people?"

"Yeah…" She nodded, "I don't like… Doing stuff in front of crowds. Fighting is different cuz, you know, you have to focus. So I don't think about it. But…"

"Then just pretend it's a fight." Pyrrha suggested, pushing off the wall and half-turning towards the door, offering Ruby her hand and smiling. "Just keep your focus on me and nothing else. And ignore everyone. Just like we're sparring."

"Heh." Ruby chuckled, "Just with less of you throwing me into walls, right?"

"If you're good." She smiled, "Sure."

Ruby just chuckled and, after another nervous moment, let Pyrrha lead her into the auditorium.

With the sun long since gone down and the windows all open, there was a bit of a breeze in the room. And it was dim, too. The overhead lights were lowered, letting the room rest in a sort of twilight, backlit by lights all along the ceiling's edge and on the tables. She could see faculty up on the raised floor, watching the students from there, where there weren't many other people, while everyone danced or walked the food bar against the wall or sat to talk. Pyrrha ignored all that, though, leading her off towards the dance floor while Ruby's heart started beating.

There were a lot of eyes on her… And more than a few looked angry.

"Hey." Pyrrha called as they got to the edge of the dance floor and she turned, laying her hand on Ruby's shoulder and another on the small of her waist. Inclining her head as she backed just a bit further in and they started to circle to the slow rhythm of something Ruby didn't recognize, she said, "Ignore them, if you can. Being with me was always going to draw eyes."

"I knew that…"

"But it's different now that it's real, right?" Her smile turned sad as the music started to pick up and their turns became just that bit faster. It made Ruby sad, too, seeing her like that. "It's alright. If you like we can just- Ah!"

Ruby cut her off with a sudden kick of her heel and a turn, like Pyrrha had taught her. Bending at the waist, she dipped the taller woman whose hands tightened where they held her. It was hard to do, and harder still to hold her for the second she had to, but she brought her back up with a nervous, almost manic laugh and smiled.

"W-We should ignore them." Ruby said, nodding, "I got that. I-I'll just need some time to, you know, get used to it."

"You don't have to…"

"I know." She smiled and shrugged, turning as they passed a window. Outside, the light from Vale was just barely splashing over the roofs and, looking at it, she said, "But I want to. And… You're worth it, ya know?"

"I see…" A second later she felt something soft against her cheek and turned as Pyrrha withdrew and pulled away from her, smiling and calling. "Find a table. I'll fetch us something to nibble on. Alright?"

"Yeah…" Ruby muttered, touching a hand to the warm spot on her cheek. "Sounds like a plan."

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Weiss sat at the outside table and leaned on it, watching the clouds drift by over the starry sky and sipping at a warm cup of alcohol free cider. A selfish addition to the menu, sure, but one she didn't regret at all after all the stresses of the last week or so. It was chilly, too, and in the dark, with the breeze blowing and just the light, blue Atlesian dress she'd opted to wear on, for a moment it felt cold. And that cold was familiar enough to drum up something that dared to approach nostalgia.

Nostalgia for Atlas…

"How foolish." She murmured, shaking her head, "What is there to miss?"

"Tacos." A gruff voice cut into her thoughts, making her jump just a bit as Jaune sat down and set two plates down, each with a pair of soft-wrapped chicken and rice tacos. She paid him an unamused look, but he just went on like it was obvious, "Everyone would miss tacos. Right?"

"Boar." She sighed, reaching for one of the cutlery sets on the center of the table.

"Are you alright?" Jaune asked as she started to lazily cut into her food. "You sound… Tired."

"I am tired." She sighed, "I've been up since the morning, working on all this. So…"

"Why not head to bed?"

"I couldn't possibly." She shook her head, "I'm the organizer. And a Schnee. I can't quit the ball early or-"

A sudden yawn cut her off and she scowled as she shook it off and turned to glare at the chuckling man beside her. 

Waving her off, Jaune said, "If you're tired, you should rest."

"Yes, well…" She frowned and, after a moment, added, "It would also make me something of a terrible date. No?"

"No." Jaune grunted, wrapping an arm around her and tugging his chair closer while she stared, blinking her surprise. Relaxing, Jaune looked up at the stars and sighed. "A good date is one where both sides have a good time. I'm having a great time right now, with a pretty girl letting me put an arm around her. If getting to eat and close your eyes for a while is you having a good time? Do it. I won't hate the night because of it."

"I…" She pursed her lips and muttered, "You promise?"

"An Arc never goes back on his word." He rumbled, "And yeah, I promise."

Weiss thought over his words for a moment and then hummed and nodded, turning a bit in her seat and laying her head on his shoulder. For all his strong words, Jaune still went stiff at the sudden closeness and she chuckled, bringing her plate closer to eat and smiling thinly.

"I'm content right here, I believe."

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Nora let Ren spin her away and smiled when she careened into Blake, who caught her and glared down at her when Nora leaned against her. Smiling, she said, "Spin me back, babe?"

"You're ludicrous." Blake sighed, but she did as Nora asked, pushing her off and spinning her off back to Ren, who caught her and let her stand on her own, laughing as he did. 

The songs were faster, now. More poppy and upbeat, and Nora threw her arms up in the air as she spun on the spot and clapped. Blake was a bit more restrained with her dancing, she'd noticed, but even the Faunus was smiling and spinning while Ren did the same, all of them clapping on the spot as Yang came over, carrying a handful of bottled sodas she handed out.

"Next time," she grunted, shaking her head, "someone else does the drink run. It's a madhouse over there!"

"Really?" Nora paused her dancing to turn, smirking Yang's direction, and crowed a laugh when she nodded. "Come on! We should go!"

"Nora…"

"Sorry, Blake." She chuckled, letting the Faunus catch her arm and tug her into a hug. With her back pressed against the Faunus' front, she smiled and said. "I'm just havin' fun. Tonight is turning out just… Wonderful. You know?"

"Yeah." Blake nodded, looking up to watch Ren spin Yang and turn, holding her hands as they circled and danced together. "I'm… Glad."

"Yeah?"

"After everything I've been through, lately…" She shrugged and sighed contentedly, breath rushing over Nora's hair, Swaying side to side in spite of the energy around them, she said, "I don't know. I'm just glad to have a night to just, you know… Be."

"I'm glad you can…"

"Yeah." Nora saw the easy smile that flitted across her face and couldn't help reaching up to pull her down gently. Blake smiled and leaned into the kiss to allow it, before she sighed contentedly and pulled away. An ear flicked and she frowned, before she sighed again and said, "Asshole…"

"What?" She pulled away and turned, and scowled at Cardin. Because of course it was Cardin, standing at the head of the line for the food table, harassing the rabbit-eared upperclassmen he always targeted. Scowling, Nora took a step before Blake caught her and she turned to grunt, "What? He's bothering you, right?"

"Yeah, but…" Nora followed her line of sight to where Goodwitch stood on top of the balcony, watching them.

"Don't care." She grunted, "Gonna smack him."

"I know." Blake said, "I meant that you should let me get Ren and Yang, too."

"Why…?"

"Because," Blake sighed, "I'm a bit weary of him doing whatever he likes."

Nora grinned and nodded, turning to walk away without waiting for the other two to come along.

It was the best two days of detention she'd ever earned when they shoved the asshole off one of the lower balconies and into one of the prickly-leafed bushes below.

XxX----XxX----XxX

One of the first things she noticed, after so long without ever setting foot in one of the 'proper' Kingdoms, was that Vale's docks were far larger than their own, back home. They were huge, and built of tall concrete slabs curving along the natural beach long since buried at what had been a natural bay centuries ago. Long, metal walkways spindled out from it, lined by water-top warehouses, boathouses and, on land, more and more warehouses and the factories that ran beyond them, whose merchandise flowed as often onto boats as throughout the city of Vale herself. It was an impressive site, to be sure, but overrun with smoke and smells from fisheries and factories, it made her eyes water.

And, beyond the factories, she could already see the tenements… Where who knew how many Faunus lived in the constant noise and smell of it all. She could only imagine what it did to their heightened heritage senses.

"Dear…"

"I know." She sighed, leaning back into the hug her husband wrapped around her, and the reassuring warmth of it. "I just can't help but let my mind run ahead of me."

"I know." He rumbled, his voice rolling deep in his chest and thrumming through her, too. "You're ever thoughtful. Ever concerned. It's why I asked you to be my partner."

"That and a few other things, I'm sure…"

"Oh, hush." He chuckled, blowing breath across her ears playfully before he released her and turned, heading for the long, wide ramp that the little fishing trawler - all they could get on Mistral's southern coast that would take them to Vale - used to let the dozen or so fishermen disembark while the dockmen got to work emptying the hold.

"I'll only be here a few days." The captain warned them as they came towards the ramp and Ghira handed over the back half of his pay. The man was portly, with a long, ratty beard and beady eyes, but a kind enough smile as he took the Lien. "Two is better for me but… I can do one more for ya, if ya need a safe ride around here."

"We appreciate that but…"

"You don't need to wait on our account." Khali smiled, dipping her head to show her gratitude. "We have friends here, and unlike the southern coast, Vale has plenty of boats to hire. So don't put yourself out, please. You've done more than right by us."

"As ya say." He nodded, easing back against the railing he was leaning on and sighing, "Best of luck, then."

"Thank you." Ghira rumbled, "And to you as well. The southern sea has been a bit frightful of late."

"You're tellin' me." He grunted, waving them off, "Get, before I start to ramble."

Paying the man curt nods, they did just that, Khali falling in just behind Ghira to let the man use his broad shoulders and burly arms to push through the throngs coming and going from their work. That, at least, was a familiar chaos. Much like home, albeit a bit louder and just a touch colder than she was used to. Though that was to be expected for a Human run dock in Vale's relatively colder climate. Either way, they pushed through well enough and reached the tenements at the edge of the dense living area that stretched through Vale's heart, winding and meandering where it could fit.

And Khali hated it even more up close…

The roads were pitted and worn, and lined by damaged trashcans left over-full, dilapidated, seemingly unused bus stops, and alleys that she could see tents and crates arrayed through for people to live in. What few shops they passed had iron over their windows and heavy doors, and were built out of repurposed apartments on the ground level and into old management offices for the buildings. The apartments had window units for air, and she saw exhaust pipes from stoves for heating.

"Ghira…"

"I know." He sighed, "Better than the old slums, but…"

"Not by enough." She murmured, letting him wrap a comforting arm around her as they passed a parked officer car and the man inside glared their way. She could see half a dozen more just on this street… Quietly, she said, "I can see why she'd feel the need to get involved here."

"Even after leaving." Ghira grunted, voice tight but… Just the least bit happy, too, somehow. And proud. "Our girl's a fighter, though. And not one to ignore a problem when she sees it."

"Yeah." She nodded, "We did well on that, at least…"

They walked in silence for a while after that, until they got to an old warehouse right at the edge of the more run down, low end edge of the shopping district. A large man was sitting on a crate outside a door that was hanging off only one of its hinges, frying hotdogs over a fire in an old trash can. He looked up as they approached, though, looking at a small, faded symbol over the door. It was pale orange and shaped like a cat's eye, painted into a mural of a woman to hide it.

But they knew it well, and the man saw their recognition and straightened.

"Chieftain." He muttered quietly, "My Lady. Go on in."

"Thank you…?"

"Al." He grunted, running dirty fingers through ratty brown hair and turning back to his hot dogs. "Honored to meet you. But can't show it or…"

His gaze flicked across the road and up it, to the back of a police cruiser, and Ghira got the message. Subtlety was why they'd come the way they had, and come wearing simpler beige robes instead of the more formal coat and yukata they each favored. Nodding his gratitude, he paid the man a few Lien and took a couple of hot dogs from him to hide their real business and shouldered the broken door aside. Inside was a hallway made of a proper wall on one side and a shipping container on another, with a second at the back where a young woman flecked by scales pushed off the wall and smiled.

"Mister and Missus Belladonna." She said in greeting, "I'm Illia. The, uh, the one who called you. Thanks for coming."

"Of course." Her husband rumbled, taking a bite out of the hot dog and humming. "Huh. That's actually not bad…"

"Men." Khali rolled her eyes, stepping past him and asking. "You said you knew what our daughter had been up to?"

"Yes, Ma'am, and what she's doing now." She frowned and flicked her gaze away, scales lighting up an anxious looking green. A chameleon, then. It had been a while since Khali had gotten to meet one of them, they were relatively rare. Quietly, she said, "You… Should come in and rest. I can't give you the whole story, it's… not my place, but I can give you the short version."

"And you think we'll hate even that…"

"Yeah." She nodded, "I do."

"Well." She sighed, smiling in spite of her anxiety. "Do you have any wine perhaps? Bad news always goes better with wine."

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"Fuck…" Amber blinked and looked up from her drink, holding a hand over it to let the foreign power in her flow, chilling the warm whiskey just how she liked. Her 'bodyguard' just sighed and turned on his stool, leaning over to show her his Scroll. "My niece cuts better in a suit than I do! How is that fair?"

"Ah." Amber chuckled, looking at the wide-eyed girl on the screen and chuckling a bit more at her expression. "She looks startled…"

"My other niece ambushed her for the pic." Qrow snorted, offering his glass and giving her a pleading look, asking the silent question. She rolled her eyes and chilled his bourbon, too, and he smiled. "Thanks. Appreciate ya."

"She's adorable." Amber sighed, ignoring the man and earning an unamused little huff for it. Curious, she asked, "Gonna… Pay 'em a visit? It's their first Vytal Dance right?"

"Yeah, but…" He shrugged, "Duty calls."

"I'd be fine for a few days."

"Maybe, maybe not." He shrugged, turning a slow, lazy look over the bar and letting his gaze linger meaningfully on anything with a bust and a pulse long enough that any stalkers would just assume he was being a lech. She knew better, though.

He was always on guard…

"I won't force you." She sighed, "It was just a thought."

"I appreciate it." He grunted, "But never know when someone is gonna come knocking. My job's to be safe rather 'n sorry."

"Yeah." She frowned, "I get that…"

Sensing her dark mood Qrow turned and ordered another round for the both of them. And she let herself relax. If nothing else, at least the old crow was decent drinking company. So she figured everything could be a whole, whole lot worse, all things considered.

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For context - Ren is wearing a Chinese wedding/party suit in green and gold, Yang is wearing a simple Valean sundress like you'd see in America, Blake is wearing a formal Menagerie altered yukata style thing and Nora is wearing a traditional Chinese wedding dress in pink, because she grew up with Ren and was so young she's… Kinda forgotten most of what it was like where she grew up.

Which is very sadge.

Also holy shit huge chapter….

And a huge AN to follow, too, so if you don't care about Responses… Skip~

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