Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction based on multiple existing anime/manga series. The characters and settings used in this story belong to their respective owners and creators, and no copyright infringement is intended. This story is purely for entertainment purposes and is not intended to infringe upon any existing intellectual property. I do not own any of the original works that inspired this fanfiction, and I fully support the original creators and their works.
I'm also exceedingly exceedingly exceedingly rarely chilling in JaxWolf4's (Author of Nah, I'd Adapt and Zenin Days) Discord Server. It's a chaotic lobotomy mess. Not for the faint of heart.
Here's the link:
Disc: HrPrTeam
This chapter is exceptionally long - cutting it into sections was deemed a pretty bad idea for pacing reasons.
-Story Start-
The eventful day had arrived, and since they were the organizers responsible, the day started brutally early.
As in, it was still dark outside. The sun hadn't dared rise yet with how early it was.
Alex knew this day smelled like trouble when his stomach stirred, and he had awoken on his own terms this early.
As he peacefully sat in the restroom, having mostly finished answering the call of nature, he could hear the rushed movements and voices of his teammates.
For a moment, as he sat on the toilet, he couldn't help but miss certain technological advancements that his old world had.
Sure, Remnant held incredible technological achievements due to Dust's almost magical capabilities, but on the other hand, either out of lack of necessity or otherwise, some things that should theoretically exist simply don't.
Well, how much of an advancement Social Media was could be debatable, but the RAWP restroom lacked an enjoyable view, so he'd love to have the ability to doomscroll like in his previous life.
...Totally not because he wanted to linger there, so his teammates would leave without him for this tumultuous day.
A large, rhythmic knock slammed on the door to the restroom; it was a familiar pattern.
He voiced out to his impatient leader, "I'm taking a shi-"
Ruby interrupted, her tone accusing and knowing. "You're done already! Stop wasting time and get up! We've got a busy day ahead of us!"
Despite how unsettling it was that she seemingly knew how long it took him to take a dump, she had him there.
Sighing, he rose up, having been graced with the blessing of perfect stool, not needing to wipe courtesy of his unfair advantages. "One sec." He answered and washed up quickly.
As he reluctantly proceeded with his beloved morning routine far earlier than usual, he heard a mysterious visitor in the room. Deciding not to relegate any attention to his senses, he proceeded as normal - whoever it was didn't matter.
A minute or two later, he opened the door with both his hair and Excalibur still a little moist from the shower.
As usual, he saw his teammates already dressed, prepared, freshened up, and ready to take on this mighty day!
With the addition of Yang showing up real early, holding a box.
No, not a box - the important detail was what stuck out of it, something that had gathered the girls to stare at it with a mixture of either doting or conflicted adoration.
A small... critter.
Alex's mind blanked for a moment. "A dog?" He mumbled out, genuinely puzzled and caught off-guard.
"ZWEIIIIIIIIIIII!" Ruby shouted, downright ecstatic as she smudged the cheeks of the poor furry little dog.
Alex slowly approached, joining the circle of girls to stare down at the dog and the letter Yang held. "A late birthday gift, but that's the courier's fault~!" Yang explained, meeting Alex's questioning look.
"That's not a gift, that's a responsibility." Alex stared soullessly at the poor dog at Ruby's mercy.
Yang huffed in amusement. "I pity your future wife." She stated sympathetically.
"Not a dog person, Alex?" Pyrrha smiled uncertainly, her look practically mirroring Alex's own in terms of what to do here.
"More of a cat person. So I'm expected to walk this thing?" Alex pointed a finger at the dog, and specifically at Ruby.
He asked the important question Pyrrha was fidgeting about.
"What? No! I'll take care of him, promise! At most just... give him food if I'm too busy or something?" Ruby pleaded, looking at Alex and Pyrrha specifically.
Weiss seemed to experience an epiphany. "Who even sends a dog via mail?" She stepped forward and extended her hands towards Ruby. "Can I hold him for a moment?"
"Of course! Zwei's friendly!" Ruby handed the poor dog over with a big smile, letting Weiss hold him.
As she did, she seemed to mull something deeply, yet her features softened considerably the longer she held the dog. "...I'll take care of him."
"WE will take care of him." Ruby nodded enthusiastically.
Yang folded her arms with pride. "Mhm. Dad said you can keep him for as long as you want, until you get sick of him, basically-"
"Which will NEVER happen!" Ruby asserted strongly.
"That's impossible." Weiss practically hissed.
"If he makes you happy, sure, but don't be expecting much out of me," Alex mentioned casually, refusing unconsented dog caretaking.
Ruby turned to him with a wave of her hand. "That's fine... was planning on taking care of him on my own-" She turned to Pyrrha, who seemed uncertain. "What about you, Pyrrha?"
"Umm, well..." She smiled awkwardly. "I'll pitch in, of course; I just... don't like dogs very much?"
At that, Ruby froze. Her eyes glided between Alex and Pyrrha.
"You, I understand." She murmured out with a hint of seriousness as she looked into Alex's indifferent amber gaze.
Alex didn't seem offended; he just didn't want to take care of a dog - so as long as she kept that in mind, he wouldn't protest.
"Thanks. A cookie for your insight later." Alex granted her a thumbs-up.
But as for Pyrrha...
"Are you scared of dogs?" Ruby's eyes narrowed sharply, searchingly.
A cold sweat ran down Pyrrha's face as she fidgeted even more in place. "N-Not really-"
"You're a poor liar." Alex diagnosed straightforwardly.
Her words fell on deaf ears as Ruby's face lowered in contemplation. "Ah, that's a problem." She hummed, turning to look at Zwei and Weiss's increasingly crestfallen expression, who held such a cute, furry critter in her hands.
Her eyes dropped to Zwei for a moment, her enthusiasm visibly deflating.
Huffing through her nose, Ruby suddenly stood tall and lifted her head confidently. "Okay! Sorry, Yang, you're gonna have to take care of Zwei, but we'll visit a lot, okay? Or just send him back to Dad."
Yang seemed somewhat surprised by the development, her gaze lingering a moment longer at the sheepish Pyrrha. "A-Ah? Oh, sure, no problem, Rubes. Gonna check if anyone's got a canine problem. Leave Zwei to big sis for now." She nodded with a bright smile as she stepped toward Weiss.
Weiss raised her guard as she clung tightly and protectively to the poor mutt. "N-No!" She protested weakly.
Yang's arms slithered carefully into Weiss's guard, taking Zwei smoothly into her arms. "If there's any luck and Nora ain't a threat to Zwei, you'll have a chance to indulge some more Weiss Cream."
Alex expressed his sympathies for the poor animal. "Dogs can't commit suicide, so just spare him the misery and send him back to your dad."
"One of these days you'll grow to like Nora, Mighty Mooch." Yang wisely lectured.
"I'd sooner die."
"Pfft, there's a higher chance I'd see the sky shatter than see something kill you." Yang barked a laugh and took Zwei with her as she headed to the door.
Turning around before she left, she mentioned. "See you in a bit, ballroom, don't forget! Today... we get bussyyyyyyyyyyy~" The door slammed close behind her as she cackled her way out.
"Sorry for ruining your gift, Ruby-" Pyrrha apologized immediately, to which the former approached and took her hands.
"Don't be! It's fine. Your comfort is more important! Besides, it's Dad's fault for sending Zwei without warning! Next time he should ask, the dummy!" She pouted lightly, then turned to look deep into her teammate's eyes. "So don't feel bad, okay? He'll get me a different gift anyway~" She giggled lightly.
Pyrrha's tense features softened considerably. "Okay..."
Weiss raised her hand. "I can't be the only one curious as to why you're scared of dogs?"
"That's her business," Alex mentioned with slight chastisement.
Weiss's gaze sharpened at him, pointing her finger. "But you are curious."
"...I won't deny that."
Snorting, Pyrrha brightened up. "Maybe I'll tell you all later; we've got things to do, right?" She took the lead and stomped towards the door with a slight rush in her march.
"Smooth change of topic~" Ruby teased as she followed closely behind.
Weiss followed as well, and Alex adhered to his sheep instincts and did so as well; they had a busy day ahead of them, after all.
-----------------------------
They were sure running around almost until the sun went down. Yang and Ruby in particular seemed stressed out and anxious as they did their best to manage the whole event.
Of course, certain things didn't always go perfectly, but they had their teammates to help them.
Alex would say he did his job quite impeccably. He couldn't quite fail in logistics. Nothing he couldn't carry. Nothing he couldn't stumble and catch, given his reflexes.
Back and forth, back and forth he went and got things. Each time Ruby or Yang barked an order, he scurried off and got them what they needed.
A rather simple, relaxing process.
Their anxiety, pressure, stress whatever it was that infected them all the way until the events started proved ineffective against him.
Everyone wanted to make this event a big success and a happy memory.
Jaune, Weiss, Nora thing, Ren, and Pyrrha were also quite uneasy about the whole process, almost forgetting that they themselves had to take it a little easy.
'Wasn't the whole point to have fun with this thing?' He wondered, and told them straight up.
"WE'LL HAVE FUN WHEN IT STARTS!" They protested.
He got where they were coming from, but they were a little too serious about this kind of thing.
As for him? The paragon of tranquility.
Once all the logistics were arranged, the tables and the cooking equipment were set up, and all other appliances were in place, they finally awaited the arrival of all the others for the first pre-dance event.
Even now, some of them were stressed out when there was nothing else left to do as they talked amongst each other or paced around the spacious room.
"...Do I wear my dress now, but when will I have time? We'll have to rearrange some tables and handle clean-up before the main event-" Weiss, the designated architect, loudly expressed her troubled mental calculations as she paced back and forth beside him.
Sitting on the cold concrete floor of the decorated ballroom, Alex was undergoing deep mindful meditation out of sheer instinct, breaking out of it to reply. "Chill, lady. I don't have to wear a dress; I'll do my job."
"You have to go change into your suit too." She retorted with a half-hearted look before returning to her pacing.
"Don't got a suit."
"...What?" She paused at that. "You said you had one!"
"I said I 'might' have one. Don't like suits, they're uncomfortable." He shrugged.
"You..." She shook her head, a light amusement in her face. She knew not to argue with him, so she joked. "Might as well go around naked because clothes are uncomfortable?"
Lifting his head to stare at her looking down at him, he retorted. "There's etiquette, and there's decency. I draw the line somewhere, I guess."
"If there's no suit, I suppose you're not planning on inviting any girl to dance with you, are you?" Weiss asked rhetorically, her arms folded.
"The scammer's probably gonna try me." He shrugged.
"You'll reject her."
"Obviously, her nosiness is enough of my end of the bargain. What, you feeling lonely?" He tilted his head with a questioning look.
"Hah! I'll have you know I have a handsome and tall gentleman escorting me to the dance floor tonight!" She flashed a triumphant, smug look as she raised her head high.
Alex raised his arms in surrender. "You made your call, lady; enjoy yourself."
Weiss's smug look turned teasing, almost knowing, as she stared at him. "Would it kill you to be honest?" She shook her head good-naturedly. "But don't worry, he swore he'll only have eyes for me."
Alex hummed. "A scammer that swears he won't scam is a scam in and of itself." He lectured wisely.
"Duly noted." She smiled at him as her expression suddenly softened. "You'll surely disappoint some girls tonight. Who knows? They might agree to your offer of a dance." Her tone held a certain edge.
She wasn't talking about any simple 'fun' dance.
Alex hummed, his lips settling into a faint frown.
Nevertheless, he knew her long enough to read between the lines of her words. "I'm not in any state for a romance."
Weiss huffed, placing a hand on her hip with a small, almost pitying lift of her lips. "I know. Then maybe they won't be disappointed, because they knew not to expect it."
Alex went quiet, contemplative.
Weiss studied him. "You know, don't you?"
"I'm not sure. I guess I have an inkling; I'm not that blind."
"You're ignoring it."
"I am. I'm hoping she gives up on it, if that's what it is. Not my place to decide whether it's good for her or not, but I think it's no good. Maybe just a fleeting thing." He admitted truthfully.
"So you're not against it?"
"It's not a matter of me being against it or not."
She had a slight look of understanding, "...Well, once you get better, I hope you face her head-on... if it won't be too late by then."
"Of course. I owe her that much."
He arched an eyebrow and pointed at her. "Anyway, you basically confirmed it for me; I wasn't so sure before."
Weiss's features darkened as she raised her arms in resignation. "...Don't put this on me."
Seeing him unconvinced, she added defensively. "Oh come on, I know you knew."
"...I had a feeling. There's no way I'd actually know."
"I-It's obvious, I could see it in your face! You've got that puzzled look about you every time you're sitting together at the dining hall, and she does something obvious." She pointed an accusatory finger.
"Even Ruby noticed it! She just hasn't quite put two and two together yet... but you? With those ridiculous senses of yours, don't tell me you haven't noticed how she keeps looking at you; what more proof do you need?"
'Okay, cool.'
He wasn't going to ask this woman how 'looking at him' could constitute an obvious hint, but women will remain a mystery he wasn't keen on deciphering.
And no, looking 'longer' didn't seem sufficient, even if he did feel it.
How Weiss managed to learn to scrutinize the differences in his expression was something he'd praise her for; regardless, he shook his head.
"I wasn't asking you to prove your case, lady." He returned to his quiet meditation, leaving her to stew in her exasperation.
"Urgh, no amount of conditioning or acclimation could get me used to how infuriating you are."
"I'm wounded."
"..." She walked away with a shake of her head, stomping away on her heels.
Well, on a less emotionally cumbersome note, he had a cooking competition to prepare for. After another moment or two, he rose and dusted himself off.
-----------------------------
The spacious ballroom had been organized in a neat manner, with countless numbers of cooking stations set up across the room.
Slowly, as JRNY & RAWP put the finishing touches for this particular event, the ballroom began to fill up quickly.
Yang and Ruby stood at reception with a list and directed each person to their respective station: participant, judge, and curious spectator who was waiting for the actual dance event.
"When I said I wanted free punch, this wasn't my exact thought process," Alex admitted as he stood across from Ren as they cooked up a commercially substantial amount of fruit punch according to a recipe on the internet.
Both of them held comically large spoons as they stirred the fruit soup.
"It's quieter here, at least." Ren supplied, targeting an angle they both appreciated.
"That it is." Alex nodded, proceeding with the stirring.
As he did, a familiar tone called out to him specifically; he hadn't heard it in a while.
One of his fourth-year seniors, one he was relatively acquainted with. "Yo, asshat, did their bitching get you banned from the Vytal Tournament yet?" The helmeted Jade pointed a thumb at the bubbling crowd of international students and others standing in their stations.
"Hello, Jade. No, but it did get me banned from the arm-wrestling tournament after this one." Alex regarded him with a respectful nod as he absentmindedly continued to stir.
His eyes widened considerably when he noticed the girl beside Jade.
The one he had... well, accidentally injured.
"So soon," Alex mumbled as he practically gawked at the prosthetic arm of the girl.
"I told you Ozpin's got our back. It's no impressive model, but it's enough to get the job done." She slowly flexed the mechanical fingers, as he could visibly see the thin aura coating them, recognizing the arm as a part of the body.
"Good. I'll look for you once I can heal-"
"Yes, yes, regrow my arm will you~?" She teased with a giggle.
Her features softened as Jade himself stiffened a bit. "How are you, in general?"
"I'm getting help," Alex confirmed with a sharp nod.
Jade gave a thumbs-up. "Good! After you're better, give me a call; I'll make sure you can kiss my as-" His mouth was covered by Calla's normal hand.
"He means well. We're starting our prospective Huntsman job hunting, not something you should worry about if you don't want to. Jade's a bit hasty since he's got a good impression of you. We'll be leaving-"
"Of course he has to worry! I just know this asshat will decide to sit on his ass and guard a destroyed wall from an abandoned settlement in Solitas thousands of miles away from here because some rich bored Atlesian prick decided to hire him-"
"Ozpin would pay triple. Anyway~! We're leaving." Calla retorted, dragging him off, as Alex only listened to half the nonsense Jade usually spouted.
"Looking forward to seeing your cooking skills, junior!" She cheered and left Alex and Ren to their devices.
"Fourth-years, right?"
"Yeah."
"They're pretty cheerful." Ren complimented.
"Exhausting," Alex added with nuance.
-----------------------------
"Ladies, gentlemen, and HUNTSMEN!" Yang's voice boomed across the entire ballroom, her hand clutching a handy microphone.
Scrolls were withdrawn from the spectators' side as they recorded the entire event.
Gesturing showily towards the many freshmen, international or otherwise, in their stations, donning really cheap one-time-use cookwear. "Today, one Kingdom will reign above the others, not through heart... but through stomach!"
"Co-host Ruby, present the judges!" Yang's hand glided across the room, pausing in the direction of the four judges.
Ruby stood before them with her own microphone, as she had a beaming, excited, and thinly veiled nervous smile on her face. "Y-Yes! On the Vale side, we have Headmaster Ozpin of Beacon Academy!" She gestured towards him, her voice gaining strength and confidence as she spoke.
Ozpin waved easily and flashed a professional smile.
Yang continued. "You know him, you probably love him! Our favorite Headmaster with a crippling caffeine addiction... don't kick me out~."
Ozpin chuckled from his seat, a piping hot cup of coffee in hand. "I won't, Miss Xiao Long. I have high expectations... I've skipped all my meals today for this." He spoke into the microphone attached to his seat.
"You heard him, folks! My tuition's on the line, so you better be cooking something good-looking, hehe~."
Slowly, from there, Ruby and Yang introduced the three other judges from each Kingdom.
And the challenge was about to begin. "You'll find a plethora of ingredients on your table. With the power of exceptional technology, the judges have no way of knowing what plate belongs to which Kingdom, so don't worry about unbiased ratings!"
Now was the time for showing the exceptional technology mentioned, as curtains hung high above the judges' table.
"LOWER THE CURTAINS!" Yang roared out loud amid the racket and chaos.
...
Nothing happened.
"LOWER THE CURTAINS!" She repeated.
Nothing happened.
"LOWER THE FUCKING CURTAINS, ALEX!"
Standing in his respective cooking station, he blinked back into reality. "Oh, right, that was my job." He withdrew a small electronic device from his pocket and pressed a button.
As laughter echoed, the curtains slowly lowered to block the view of the judges.
Coughing into her fist, Yang cheered up from her momentary rage. "Alright, contestants! You have one hour to cook a fine dinner using the limited ingredients at your disposal; your time starts... NOW!"
Although racket and noise were present before, now chaotic movement and chit-chat overwhelmed the room.
One might wonder what compelled Alex to participate in the cooking challenge.
Well, there were fifty participants from each Kingdom, meaning two hundred overall.
All of them had to make dinner for just four judges.
And as a 'chef' in this competition who wasn't all too keen on overworking himself... he had certain privileges.
"That looks good, can I have a taste?"
A Shade Academy student was cooking up some kind of lamb sauce or something. "O-Oh, Andrite, sure?"
"Thanks." Alex took a tiny spoon and sunk it into the pan. "W-Wait, it's boiling ho-" The complaint died as Alex leisurely tasted the burning liquid.
"Pretty good. Make sure you don't lose it." Alex nodded approvingly and moved on to the next station that smelled good.
He kept doing it for most of the hour, passing by select stations until fifteen minutes were left on the clock.
But he was ready for this moment, as an insider for the event.
He went to one of the many refrigerators sprinkled across the area and withdrew something he prepared beforehand.
...
Frozen Pizza.
"You hadn't cooked anything." His cook-neighbor from Atlas casually mentioned.
"Yes," Alex answered simply, tearing off the box containing the pizza and chucking the frozen delicacy into the oven.
"...That's your plan?"
"No. That's for me. But I'll leave em a slice."
...
After the clock reached zero, each judge handled a portion of the entries, with only the highest-rated dishes being brought before all four for the final tally. Giving their vote according to a specific system Alex wasn't keen on trying to figure out; regardless, Weiss did the counting to declare the winner.
And the winner was...
Shade Academy.
Joyous, gloating roars reverberated as Yang and Ruby announced a time-out of 1.5 hours where a small clean-up and moving were necessary, whilst others who had not changed into their formal dance-wear had the opportunity to do so.
As for Alex?
With a satisfied full belly, this bearer of the Holy Sword was fully up for the task, as he practically zoomed around the room, moving the unnecessary appliances into the nearby storage room, making space for the actual dance floor.
-----------------------------
The sun had set considerably, and the ballroom had begun filling up with far more people than earlier, as not everyone was present for the cooking challenge.
Everyone entering had poche clothes, as Alex would put it.
"I hate dresses..." Ruby mentioned as she stood at reception, and Alex provided some company beside her.
"Then you should have gone with what was comfortable. You don't see me wearing a tuxedo or something." He gestured to his casual clothing.
"Ugh, I wish. Yang was REALLY insistent on it; she promised a knuckle-sandwich if I didn't wear one..."
"Aren't you about as strong as her now?" Alex scratched his chin.
"She has that... Older sister buff, I can't beat her-" Ruby shook her head helplessly and greeted the next visitor before them. "Have a great eveni-" She paused for a moment and smiled weakly. "Hey, Violet."
"Oh? Why the hesitation? I thought we were good friends, Ruby." The purple-haired girl pouted lightly.
"Y-Yeah! Enjoy!" Ruby gestured cheerfully towards the inside of the ballroom.
She huffed in slight amusement as she turned to the stiff, narrow-eyed Alex. "Don't look at me like that. I'm just here to have fun like all of you?"
"Even so, I'm really flattered you decided to wait to escort me inside, darling. I look forward to our dance together~."
"Not in the mood. Run along." Alex asserted strongly.
The scammer huffed as she shrugged helplessly. "Well, although I have yet to get my 'dose', I've got more important matters to attend to. You win this time, Alexy~." She headed on inside as Ruby scratched off her name with a slight shiver.
Alex arched an eyebrow as he pointed a thumb at the distancing back of the scammer. "Why're you the one disturbed? You asked me to help her."
"Doesn't mean I gotta like it!"
"Poor victim, you."
"Hmph, it's for your own benefit as well! You'd understand if you heard her story and Weiss's plan-"
"Not interested. Besides, there is nothing the scammer and her entourage can offer me."
"Now you're just making me feel bad! You don't understand."
"Uh-huh. Anyway, I'm heading out to grab punch. You want some?"
Pouting deeply at his callousness, Ruby shook her head and smiled. "Yes, please!"
-----------------------------
The attendee list had been completed, and Ruby finally entered the ballroom alongside Alex. Considering both either had a responsibility or didn't want to dance, they were in no rush to go in.
By the time they were in the actual room, loud music shook the interior as students, staff, and others mingled with one another or danced with each other.
It wasn't an unfamiliar atmosphere, so Alex acclimated himself quite easily as he positioned himself strategically away from the primary racket beside the gigantic pot of fruit punch he and Ren had labored to cook up.
As his sharp amber eyes listlessly glided across the entire room, he couldn't help but feel at slight peace.
For differing reasons than usual.
Weiss was dancing with Neptune, enjoying herself.
Ruby was conversing with a few people and acquaintances, foreign or not, like that Cinderella chick.
The scammer seemed to be observing something; he didn't care what, he was just glad she wasn't in his vicinity.
Jaune and Yang were dancing with one another, enjoying themselves, and were a slow-dance away from progressing things.
Ren and Nora were already... he took his eyes off of them to respect their privacy.
This was certainly not the kind of place he enjoyed; ordinarily, he'd rather have stayed in his dorm room in the quietude.
And he could have done so, turned around right now, and gone back to rest or relax.
The sight of others enjoying themselves, especially his friends, wasn't lost on him, so he stayed beyond what he would consider in good taste for him.
That rare feeling of peace swelling in his chest right now, even among music, wasn't something he disliked. "Not bad." He mumbled quietly, drowned out by the noise as he took a sip of his hard-labored punch.
It was like those nature documentaries he liked to watch on TV, just with people.
...That was a bad comparison, he supposed.
"Sup, Andrite!" He was being approached by yet another familiar, yet rare voice. "Evening, Coco." He nodded casually, but his eyes practically screamed at her not to nag.
"I'd love to play some catch-up, but Mama Coco's got an offer for you."
"Rejected."
She ignored him and pointed a thumb to a shy bunny girl staring at both of them. "Wanna dance with Velvet over there? She's just a bit shy."
At that, Alex turned to look at the girl he was decently acquainted with from the mission. He contemplated for a moment and answered with a bit more seriousness in his tone. "I'll have to say no."
At the stoic look on his face, Coco hummed lightly. Her voice grew somewhat soft. "That's alright, Junior. Thanks for the honest response." She slapped him on the back and rushed back towards Velvet.
Not replying, Alex nodded and turned his attention away from them, uninterested in prying as he took another sip of his punch.
It was a peaceful minute or two; he wasn't counting until another intruder arrived.
Though this one was more than welcome.
"I figured I'd find you here, Alex." Pyrrha arrived with a warm smile, a slight discomfort on her face as she paused before him. "So, uh, how do I look?" Her smile was a little sheepish, piercing her usual composure.
She wore a pretty red dress, matching the color of her hair.
So, he said as much, raising a thumbs-up. Alex provided the truth. "You look good."
His compliment prompted a knowing chuckle and a lightening up of her smile. "I guess that's the best I'll get out of you." She chuckled.
"Should I squeal?" Alex deadpanned.
"Pfft. Please do." Pyrrha agreed to his offer.
"No." His deadpan deepened.
"PFFT!" As she chortled beside him, he withdrew a cup from the table and poured some punch into it. "Here."
She calmed down a little. "T-Thanks." She thanked him and took a small sip of it. "Oh, this is pretty good?"
"A recipe on the internet. What, you haven't tasted it thus far?" The fruit-punch pot had been here for quite a while already.
Pyrrha shrugged. "Too much sugar... but I might need it for tonight." She admitted softly, her grip on the plastic cup bending it a little.
His amber eyes noted it. "Do I want to know?"
"Huh? Not at all! Promise!" She answered immediately, a slight edge to her tone as she waved her arms around in dismissal. Digging her face into the cup even more to drink the fruity liquid.
"...You do you." Alex shrugged in response.
It didn't seem like that big of a deal.
As the music changed multiple times and the party progressed, the two members of RAWP quietly stood beside one another, as movement was prevalent across the room.
Some people still danced, whilst others took a break to talk amongst one another.
Weiss was one of them, as she spoke with Ruby, that Cinderella chick, that Sun guy, and some others.
Pyrrha's voice called him out of his listless gazing. "...Are you seeing that?" She asked, pointing towards a specific peculiar duo halfway across the ballroom.
He followed her finger and recognized the individuals. "Do I want to see that?" He asked for a moment.
It was Neptune and the scammer.
Sure, they seemed to be enjoying their conversation with big, broad smiles, but nothing out of the ordinary.
"They're just talking, none of our business-" Alex drawled out dismissively, his words pausing at Pyrrha's raised palm.
"Wait. Let's keep watching. Call it intuition." She asserted firmly with some kind of female supernatural instinct he was lacking.
"You keep watching," Alex emphasized, shrugged, and took another cup of fruit punch, his tenth one tonight.
As he did so, Pyrrha's sharp tone caught his attention as she pointed at the two of them.
"T-There!" His eyes reluctantly followed the finger to see something he unfortunately couldn't quite ignore.
Violet's cheeks were red as she took Neptune's hand, whilst the guy had that lady-killer whatever-it's-called smirk on his face.
It was a little creepy, anticipatory kind of expression as the two of them suddenly started walking hand in hand... towards the restroom.
"Well, I'll be damned." Alex scratched his cheek absentmindedly.
Pyrrha's lips settled into a tense, tight line. "Damned indeed. We have to tell Weiss." Her tone was low, dangerous, and protective.
Before she rushed ahead, Alex's hand stopped her in place, grabbing her wrist. "I think we should wait to see if it's actually not a big misunderstanding, though I doubt it. After that, we can tell her what we saw, and she can make of it what she will."
"Are you sure?"
"Pretty sure. But you do you, just my opinion." He let go of her hand. "One way or another, Weiss should know about this." He shrugged.
"...You're right." Pyrrha nodded in reluctant agreement, but from that moment on, there was a tense, threatening air surrounding Pyrrha, as a minute or two passed since the scandalous duo entered the restroom.
Then, suddenly. "Huh? Is Weiss heading there? Looking at her Scroll?"
Alex's eyes widened imperceptibly. "A scammer will always be a scammer."
Pyrrha herself realized at the same instant, "...It's a trick?"
Nodding to himself, Alex turned his head away from that direction.
"I'm going to check it out," Pyrrha confirmed resolutely and rather dangerously, her hands balled into tight fists.
"Don't regret it." Was Alex's apt advice as he nodded at her.
"I won't. But he will." She strolled towards the restroom with hasty steps, even in her dress.
"Yikes."
...
Alex was internally thankful there was all this racket around them; otherwise, he mused, it'd be hard to filter out the screeches likely reverbrating from that restroom belonging to the womanizer.
It was a couple of minutes later that a duo of girls approached his listless self, those being Pyrrha and the scammer.
"Why are you following me?" Pyrrha had a tight, indecisive smile.
"What? I did something INCREDIBLY heroic today! I saved my dear Weissy from the clutches of a raving casanova. Her soft, beautiful heart doesn't deserve to be broken by such a fiend!" Violet exclaimed proudly and dramatically, then smiled like a vixen at Alex. "Which is why I came to claim my reward for my heroic deeds... praise me, dear-"
"No," Alex answered curtly, instantly, as his eyes turned to regard the displeased Weiss, her deep frown and furious mood radiating out of her.
She was certainly not in the mood for a conversation, and he wasn't keen on trying to - she'd be a headache.
His eyes then glided towards the genuinely beaten Neptune, being nursed by the sheepish Sun.
It was even more ironic when clearly romantic, slow music began to play, and everyone around them began a closer, more intimate dance.
An irritating voice rang in his ear again. "Oh? Don't worry, I stopped him before I took anything off~."
"I wasn't asking-" Before Alex could finish his usual dismissal of the vixen, he felt a hand grabbing his wrist.
It was a notably strong grip, but not anything he couldn't shrug off. Noting the individual holding his wrist, he let himself be pulled away.
Pyrrha had suddenly pulled him away, dragging him apart from the scammer. "I won't tolerate this. Not today." She stated with a strange edge to her tone.
As she dragged him away, they suddenly found themselves on the dance floor, among many others who were dancing.
His hand was let go, as he casually thanked her. "Thank-" His words seemed to be stuck in his throat.
In his mind, an irritating ping echoed once more, but he couldn't hear it or see it.
His focus was seized by the girl before him; her emerald eyes looked glossy as a small blush burnt her features.
He could feel her breath, her rapid heartbeat, even the increased blood rushing beneath the skin of her face from an arm's length away.
His own breath hitched as she held a hesitant, almost longing look in her eyes. "Can I have this one thing without asking what it means after?"
He wasn't a robot.
This was a dangerous situation.
Worse, he wanted this when he clearly shouldn't.
She'd stripped away the convenient ambiguity. She knew what she was asking.
And seeing the small smile forming on his face, she knew he wanted it too.
"I'd like that."
He took her hand himself, as they danced with one another that night.
It was a small, quiet corner like they always liked it - a slow, peaceful dance.
Even if their dancing skills were lacking, not a single word was exchanged.
An honest dance, illuminated by the blade at his hip.
To Be Continued!
-Author Note Start-
Well, well, my lovelies.
Come over here and kiss me on my hot mouth; I'm feeling ROMANTICAL after this chapter.
Time to binge a 12-episode romance anime with no 2nd season.
This has probably been the most subdued romance I've ever witnessed, but given the circumstances, I couldn't see it developing any other way NOW.
Alex is sick in the head in more ways than one (Literally).
Is Pyrrha the endgame?
I'm not telling you; relationships aren't that simple.
LMAO.
Apologies if things have been a little 'slow', but this part was necessary. In any case, expect the practical test of Alex's psyche to occur in the coming chunk and the actual tournament.
Bu Bye!
Cya in 2-3 weeks!