Tempest - I

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Beta(s) :

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So, not gonna do the whole 'team RWBY finds out, aaaah drama' thing because it was always going to basically just be a repeat of JNPR finding out, so… Yay time-skip! I basically jumped three CHAPTERS of pointless drama that would have not affected anything.

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Cinder watched the blonde moron bumble his way through a rough 'good morning' with a thin, knowing smirk. Because it was more than obvious what he was here for - between his admittedly rather impressive display the day before, compared to his norm, and the upcoming dance. He'd want a date, and Cinder had caught at least a dozen people eyeing her up without even trying.

"A-Anyway, I was thinking, 'who's the sweetest piece of candy on the shelf' and, well..." He chuckled, and Cinder blinked. References to sweets didn't work with her or Emerald - people favored heat and gems for the obvious reasons. They didn't even work on Mercury! "I just kind of figured I should… See when I could pick her up? F-For the dance, maybe, or-"

"No." Cinder grunted as much out of habit as surprise. "Emerald and I are… Going together."

"W-We're-" Cinder flicked her a look and Emerald stilled, smiled and said, "Yeah, so, uh, get lost."

"...Well it's good that I wasn't asking you guys out?" He shrugged, snorted, and turned to-

No.

It was ludicrous- Compared to her?! Even compared to Emerald?!

"Licorice," he smiled, "you, uh, mind? I'm a great dancer, you know."

The little tart was practically vibrating, no doubt at having won out over Cinder in the one field even these fools should have known she reigned supreme. She slapped a staccato on the table and nodded excitedly, beaming a wide smile under amused, twinkling eyes. She was laughing at her, Cinder was sure of it…

But she couldn't say anything without arousing suspicion. Instead, she forced a smile and said, "Well, I am sorry to have assumed. I do hope you enjoy the dance together."

"Thanks." Jaune Arc - a meaningless name for a meaningless person, but one burned into her memory now - nodded as he turned to leave. He paused for a second and added, quietly, "See ya Friday, Licorice! Remember to wear your dancing shoes~!"

Cinder kept her peace until the man was gone, and then flicked a look around her to make sure noone was looking, before she slammed her juice-box down on the table and scowled, "Emerald."

"Y-Yes, Ma'am?"

"Plans are changing- You and I are going to infiltrate the communications tower tonight." Cinder growled, leaning back in her seat and watching the blonde manlet settle in alongside his friends, who of course paid him the obligatory high fives and praise, and sighed, "Mercury, move to plan B."

"Uh, are you sure, Ma'am?" He asked, "If we do that it'll be harder to slip-"

"Do not think, Mercury." She scolded him hostly, "Obey."

"Y-Yes, Ma'am." He nodded, "I'll get the Dust coming in."

"Good boy." She growled, turning to her food and sighing. Her appetite was ruined, to be sure, but appearances were important…

With a sigh, she dug into her pancakes.

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"Still can't believe you just… Walked on up and asked her out." Yang chuckled, tugging the edge of his collar straight and then giving him a nod. "And damn, man, you clean up pretty good."

"It was Pyrrha's pick." He laughed awkwardly, not turning around to speak to the mostly naked, still-dressing, woman, "Thanks, by the way, Pyr."

"Of course, Jaune." She practically purred, her voice way too close to his back for his comfort considering the bra Yang handed past him to her. He heard it clip as the woman sighed and added, quietly, "Really, you ought to thank Yang for doing your hair. I'm terrible at it, as are you."

"Hey, I'm just-"

"Awful?" Yang snorted, "Yeah, you are. But hey, I'm used to doing other people's hair. Rubes needs it all the time."

"Yeah, I guess…"

"Plus," Yang leaned close to whisper, "I get to enjoy the eye candy."

"I heard that." Pyrrha called over with a wry little chuckle, "And, to your luck, I won't be telling Weiss that you said it."

"Oh, well, thank you so much for the reminder." Yang rolled her eyes and yanked his head down almost in her chest so she could straighten his hair out and rub more of the gel into it. "As if she hasn't been prattling on for the whole week about you asking her out."

"Oh, has she?"

"Yep. All the time." Yang pushed his head up and paid him a wink, "Don't tell your date about the view~"

"Oh, please." He rolled his eyes and smirked as she backed away, "You know how many times I've had my head like that while my sisters messed with my hair? I'm basically inoculated to your teasing, Yang."

"How many sisters do you have again?"

"Seven." He smirked, "And four were teasers kinda like you."

"Okay, yeah, that's fair, then." She sighed, stepping back and looking him up and down with a pleased little smile. She nodded and went on quietly, "Damn, son, you do clean up nice. I know I said it before, but sheesh! If Blakey hadn't snagged me… I dunno."

"Because you would have asked me out." Jaune chuckled, turning a pointed look on his partner as she hiked her very red, very fitted, dress on and slipped the straps over her shoulders. With her hair done up in a bun, she looked gorgeous. "If looks could kill, Weiss would need to reserve an ER, Pyr."

"Oh, thank you, Jaune." Pyrrha rolled her emerald eyes and shook her head as she turned for the door, "Perhaps I should collect my date then, hmm?"

"You should, yeah." A thought occurred as Pyrrha pulled their door open and he shouted after her, "Leave our door open! I wanna hear Weiss' reaction."

"Troublemaker." But she did leave the door open as she stepped across the empty hall to rap her fist against RWBY's dorm. A heartbeat passed, while Yang and Jaune lingered, waiting for the same thing, A moment later, the door opened and Pyrrha crowed, "Oh, Weiss! Your dress is so lovely!"

"H-H-Hello, P-Pyrrha!" They heard the Schnee actually stammer, "Oh, uh, you look… Um, lovely! I love your… Shoulders! I mean, um, that's weird, I meant your straps- T-Their embroidery is nice!"

"Oh, thank you." Pyrrha demured, "And yours are nice, too. Though, methinks they would look a touch nicer off your shoulders…"

"O-Oh." He could imagine the confused, red-faced look on Weiss' face. "B-But then, ah, how would my dress stay up?"

"Well…" Pyrrha got quiet, then, and Jaune leaned to the side to see her bent down, looming over the smaller Schnee, murmuring in her ear as scarlet trailed up the woman's delicate face. Finally, Pyrrha drew away and shrugged, "But then, such are only a few errant thoughts of mine. Don't think too much on them, hm?"

"O-O-Ok, uh, I just need to… Find my purse! Yeah, my purse." She blinked and turned, looking for something, and then squeaked when Ruby pressed her bag into her hands. Blinking owlishly, she murmured, "I-I suppose I'm ready."

"Wonderful." Pyrrha took her arm and looped her own around it, almost dragging the starstruck Schnee along.

"Okay, that was definitely worth the price of entry." Yang chuckled as Jaune shut the door and turned back to her. She waved a hand at the mirror Pyrrha had been using to get ready and smiled, "So, now you won't catch an eyeful, get a look in the mirror. Make sure you're ready to rock your little shithead's-"

"Yang."

"Yeah, yeah, I know." She sighed, "She's 'totally innocent' beyond the crimes. Right?"

"Neo's a good person stuck in a shitty way." Jaune sighed, more than used to this problem after the conversations he and team RWBY had been having all week. Some of which had been less 'conversations' and more 'dodge the blonde's fist', but still, they'd settled it. "I explained all of this already…"

"I know, I know, I just… Fuckin' hate losing."

"Wait, you actually held a vote…?"

"Lost three to two."

"That's fair." He blinked, "Wait, you only have four members?"

"Zwei sided with Ruby." Yang sighed, flopping onto Nora's bed and groaning. "And she sided with you."

"Why does Zwei get a vote…?"

"Tie-breaker, since there's four of us." Yang explained with a little sigh, "Ruby and Blake both sided with you, Weiss and I were against. So we called in Zwei and asked him, and he yipped twice for yes."

"Okay then…" That was not a viable mode of democracy, Jaune knew, but if it kept Yang from throttling Neo or him? Well, he'd just have to learn to live with it. Instead of dwelling on it, he asked, "So, you and Blake?"

"Me and Blake and Sun, actually."

"Wait, is that allowed…?"

"Vacuo does Poly stuff, Sun is Vacuoan, so they kinda can't say no." Yang smirked, and then shrugged, "I almost did, but… Eh, those abs are killer. And I made sure they both know I get my first dance with Blakey, too."

"Ah." Well, as long as they were happy, he supposed, turning to the mirror with a shrug.

His suit for the night was a dark brown, classical piece Pyrrha's tailor - which she apparently had, who knew - had put him in as soon as they showed up downtown. It was a dark, earthy kind of brown with a black lining that was apparently reinforced with an 'Atlesian ballistic weave laced with Gravity Dust', which he'd been told meant it was relatively bullet-proof and damage resistant. Why he needed a suit like that, he had no idea, but it looked good and Pyrrha had insisted when he balked at the price.

Besides, removing the lining would have taken days, and put it out past the dance.

It had come with a dull silver undersuit, but Jaune had had an idea. And once he explained it, Pyrrha had simply thought it was 'too damn romantic not to do' and talked to her tailor. Now, he wore an undershirt that was a dull, dim sort of pink, with bright, creme-colored buttons and pocket cloths. It all came with an old school top hat, like he'd seen in old noir movies, that he didn't mind sliding onto his hair one bit.

"Yeah," he smirked, "I look good."

"Solid seven out of ten, buddy."

"Oh, come on."

"Hey, I call it like I see it." Yang laughed, sitting up and smoothing out her yellow dress with a hand. "But, hey, I'll roll on another point for the romanticism."

"It's obvious, right?" He asked, turning to her and smiling nervously. "I'm, uh, trying to be kinda obvious, you know? I want her to catch it."

"Oh, she'll catch it." Yang laughed, bright and loud and obviously very amused by the idea he doubted that at all. He raised an eyebrow and she sighed, rolled her eyes, and explained, "Jaune, you're basically using a megaphone here. Anyone that knows who 'Licorice' actually is should catch it just fine."

"Wait." He blinked, "Anyone at all?"

"I'm guessing the big bad bitch doesn't know about you, so she shouldn't catch it." Yang waved him off, "Hell, she might not even pay you any attention."

"You're sure?" He asked, suddenly awash in a veritable tidal wave of anxiety and paranoia. "Maybe I should change my shirt before I-"

"Jaune Arc, I swear, I will kick your ass if you even try it." Yang growled, bouncing onto her feet and prodding a finger into his chest. "For one damn night, we are all going to relax, unwind, go on a date, and hopefully, get laid."

"Isn't Ruby going…?"

"With a girl she met out in Vale the other day, visiting from Atlas, yeah." Yang nodded, "Like I said, hopefully some of us get laid."

"You didn't say that before…"

"Yes I did, and I have five knuckles to back that up." Jaune laughed and waved her off, hands held up in faux-surrender. He paid himself one last look in the mirror, tipped his hat down a bit, and turned for the door. "Well, let's, uh, get some dancing in then, I guess."

"See, now you're talking, Arc."

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Weiss had shared the job of decorating and it showed in the contrast between a stage with black curtains and - inactive, for now - fog machine and heavy speaker system and the little white doilies Weiss had set out on the tables that ringed the dance-floor. Grey curtains ran along the buttressing that also ringed the auditorium, which he guessed was Weiss' attempt to match Yang's darker style. A line of snacks and drinks, culminating in a punch bowl under the Headmistress' personal, hawkish gaze, ran along one wall and spare seats and tables ran along the other.

Both were swamped by students chatting, eating, and generally relaxing while others danced to the cool, relaxing, classical music Weiss had set up.

"Blakey!" Yang cheered, sprinting away to a corner where a monkey-tailed Faunus was chatting up the ever so slightly smiling Belladonna. A pair of flicking Faunus ears drew his eyes and Jaune smiled.

Good for her.

It was probably Yang who'd pushed her into doing that, but good for her.

He made it about a third of the way to an empty table he'd spotted before he felt small hands wrap around his own, smiled, and turned to look at Neo. "Hey, you."

"Hey." She signed back at him with a quick gesture. Then, she held up her Scroll which read 'the Red Bitch gives bad Head.'.

"Still a stupid pass phrase…"

She shrugged uncaringly and gave him a curious up and down. Then her smile softened and she turned away, dragging him around the dance floor and out onto an empty balcony with a tiny little alcove tucked into a corner where no one would see them. She shoved him into it and leapt on him, legs wrapped around his waist and arms around his neck as she hunted down a kiss he happily gave her. Once she was satisfied, she tucked her face into his neck and sighed, and Jaune smiled.

"So," he asked, "you got the message?"

"It was as subtle as a loudspeaker." Neo signed back, climbing off him and straightening the simple black dress she'd opted for. She flicked a look to the top of his head, smirked, and added, "Nice hat, though."

"Thanks. That's… Pretty subdued for you, though, isn't it." Jaune pointed out, tugging his coat straight with one hand and gesturing at her dress and stockings which, to be fair, lacked basically any color and were very unlike what she trended naturally towards. "I like the stockings, though."

"You would." She chuckled soundlessly, then sighed in the same way. "Cindy didn't want anyone competing with her for attention. I think you made her jealous."

"Good, I was hoping to get in her craw a bit." Jaune smiled, stepping forward and resting his hands on Neo's hips. She smiled and stepped into him, leaning her head against his chest as they started to move to the sound of the music.

"This is an awesome night already." He finally said after a moment of their private dance, "You know?"

She only nodded, arms too busy tightening around his chest for her to sign.

"I just wish it was… You know, with you." She looked up at him, confused, and he explained, "I mean, instead of a disguise. I just kinda wish my first real dance date was… With my actual girlfriend, you know, publicly? I didn't explain that well."

"I get it." She blinked and one pink eye stared up at him for a heartbeat before she blinked again and it was gone. "Soon."

"Soon." He promised back, nodding. "For now, I'm just happy you're here, and safe. And we have a night to enjoy together."

Neo only nodded again, pressing her face back into his chest and relaxing in his arms.

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Cinder looped her arm through Emerald's as they strode into the ballroom, and the heady, deliciously violent, bass and thrum of a track quite dear to her heart - and quite ironic, now - Through the Fire and the Flames. Which was a song she didn't mind waiting through, as she wondered why Goodwitch hadn't forcefully moved the tracklist on and wandered around the dancing throng of students, headed for a set of stairs that lead up onto a smaller, upper floor set up for more rest and food.

Blessedly, it was mostly empty, almost all of the students - along with a particular mop of blonde, pleasurably close to the door - on the dance floor below.

She relaxed in her seat and held a hand out that Emerald rapidly filled with a bottle of wine she'd smuggled in for her. Cinder uncorked it lethargically, took a sip from the bottle, and raised a hand, "Now."

"Yes, Ma'am."

As Emerald worked on her stolen Scroll, Cinder drank, eyes drifting to Ozpin and the General in one corner, talking animatedly. About what, she didn't know nor care. And then they drifted to that familiar mop of wild blonde lost in the crowd. He wasn't entirely alone, but she didn't recognize the two he was closest to beyond that they weren't any personas of Neo's she needed to worry about. And she couldn't make out his face, but then…

Well, she barely remembered it regardless.

She watched the first set of Atlesian drones come through the door and march to positions against the walls with a smile, and then rose as another set came in through the access doors upstairs, with them, and took up a position overlooking the dance-floor. A soldier came with them, ordering them back the way they'd come, but as Cinder closed with the man a sword flashed out and took the voice from his throat. As they brushed by another pair, Cinder turned for the dressing rooms normally used for the actors that would work the stage when this room was used for more artistic inclinations.

"Emerald," she ordered coolly, "take me to a dressing room. So far as anyone here is to care, you and I spent a wonderful night together breaking all the best rules to break in a soundproof audio booth."

"Yes, Ma'am."

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"I just don't understand the purpose, General." Ozpin sighed, already more than a little weary of talking politics on what was supposed to be a night of festivities. "Even if you have managed to remove aging and dying naturally from the equation, she's still a free agent. What if she elects to leave?"

"Penny wouldn't be allowed that."

"Oh, what, is she your property?" When Ironwood didn't answer, Ozpin's eyes narrowed. "James, you are my friend, but if that girl is a slave then you will have more than just my ire to contend-"

"Hush." Ironwood growled, turning as a pair of drones stomped into the room and joined the… Dozen and a half he could see just casually glancing around the room. Quietly, he asked, "Ozpin, did you call for security?"

"No." Ozpin answered quietly, leaning on his cane and stepping up to Ironwood's side. "I thought you had, and meant to ask."

"This is General Ironwood," the General suddenly barked into a cuff-link com-piece, "who is ordering drones into the ball-room?"

"General-"

"And where is my Scroll's tracker signal at currently?"

Whatever answer he was looking for came when, as one, the drones slid into firing positions and raised their rifles. James' Due Process came free of its holster as Ozpin's cane came up, but neither were in time.

Automatic, Atlesian fire ripped freely into the backs and sides of students caught unprepared, unarmed, and with their Auras disengaged. Dozens fell as screams broke out and the General opened fire, annihilating two of the machines while Ozpin leapt to disarm and then behead another pair. Tables flew to crush more and Ozpin turned to watch Goodwitch leap high onto a floating chair and go to work, using furniture and machines as shields for her students while those that couldn't - or just wouldn't - fight made for the doors.

Others - brawlers, mainly, like Miss Xiao Long - leapt for the machines as soon as they understood the danger and set to ripping them to pieces. And by now, the students had their defenses raised, deflecting the incoming fire as they went.

Still, dozens littered the ground, and too many of them were still and quiet. Miss Rose herself lay against a pillar, teeth bared while her date - the very thing he'd been arguing about mere moments before - tended to a gunshot wound in her stomach.

And it was as he looked over this all that Ozpin looked down at his Scroll, and the motion alert that had just triggered in his office.

"Amber…" It simply had to be. Turning, he strode for the door with a barked, "Miss Goodwitch, see to the wounded! General, see to your damn machines!"

He rounded the corner in a fury and stormed to his personal elevator. The ride up barely amounted to a couple of minutes, but felt like a hundred times that, as Ozpin waited, Aura and Magic both flaring through him readily. Whoever was waiting for him, they were to blame for all of this, and his blood boiled for it in an old, familiar way. A hot, heady, mind-numbing way he hadn't felt in at least as long as the Great War's start, when he had seen the carnage of such needless loss.

He sucked in a breath in an effort to cool it as the elevator slid open.

Cane held out like a sword, he advanced and turned, surveying the room with keen eyes. But… Nothing. All was in its place, neat and orderly.

"Hey, Professor." He spun on a heel, cane snapping up as a figure dropped down on him, heavy metal limbs crashing into both his shoulders with enough force to drive him to his stomach. The figure leapt up as soon as they landed, and paced for the balcony as Ozpin came up on a knee.

"You wasted your surprise."

"Did I?" The masked White Fang asked, cocking his head and pointing up to the roof. Ozpin followed his gaze and swore, spinning his cane and bringing it up as shaped charges caved in his roof.

The slab of concrete shattered as green light met it, rendering concrete to powder, and Ozpin turned.

Just in time to see the young Faunus leap onto the railing of his balcony, spin and offer a salute as he fell away. A heartbeat passed, and Ozpin made to follow - more for a sudden instinctive fear than to give chase - and fire consumed his office. He survived that by way of a mix of Magic and Aura, but only for long enough to roll onto his back in his ruined office and feel it all suddenly tilt to one side.

Magic could have saved him, lifted him right out the window that was now above him, but such Magic took a long time to recover… Too long, if he hoped to be able to fight whatever Salem had planned.

So, as he fell, he sighed, closed his eyes…

And hoped for a vessel close enough, and cooperative enough, to come back soon.

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So, the difference in writing Neo in this and Neo in The Way is FUCKING neck snappingly different, let me tell you.

Anyway, uh, that escalated quickly! Please don't make me explain how you need to raise your Aura to use it, though….

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Never Real :

ABOUT THE DANCE. >.>

Atomic R4y :

ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF THE FILLER EPISODE >.>

Gun Blade 2021 :

A lot of good thoughts I dunno what to do with! But probably won't play in for this particular fic.

Smokey Panda :

Don't forget 'romantic'! Because he's sappily romantic, too. XD