D-RWBY: Volume 2

Dance Night

Ruby sat slumped at one of the cafeteria tables, her chin resting heavily in her palm as she stared into space with obvious dejection. The sight of her usual energetic leader looking so down was concerning to anyone who knew her well.

The sound of palms slamming against the table made her jump as Weiss appeared beside her, holding two fabric squares with an expectant smile.

"I need you to pick a tablecloth," Weiss announced, sliding the samples across to Ruby. Both appeared to be nearly identical shades of white.

Ruby squinted at them, tilting her head. "Aren't they both the same color?"

Weiss's smile immediately shifted to exasperation. "I don't even know why I bothered asking!"

She stormed off just as Dan and Shade entered, each carrying a massive speaker on their shoulder. The weight of the equipment hitting the floor caused both Ruby and her table to bounce slightly.

"So," Dan said, brushing off his hands as he approached Ruby, "have you picked out a dress yet? Shade and Weiss got theirs yesterday, and we really need to finalize our outfits too."

Ruby's shoulders sagged further. "What's the point? Who cares about the dance if Blake isn't going to be there?"

"Oh, don't worry about that," Yang called out from across the room where she was hanging decorations. "She's definitely going. Right, Blaze?"

The spiky-haired fighter grinned confidently. "Absolutely!"

Yang paused to look over at something off-screen, her expression shifting to annoyance. "Weiss! Shade! I thought we agreed—no doilies!"

Weiss marched up to Yang, pointing directly at her face. "If I don't get my doilies..."

"Then no fog machines!" Shade interrupted, appearing beside his girlfriend.

The couple high-fived triumphantly, their negotiation apparently successful.

The sound of doors opening drew everyone's attention as Neptune walked in with Sun, both looking around at the decoration progress.

"Your dance is going to have fog machines?" Neptune asked, sounding impressed.

"We're still discussing it," Sleek said diplomatically as he entered carrying a stack of chairs.

Weiss immediately shifted to a sweeter tone as she addressed Neptune. "We were thinking about it..."

"That's pretty cool," Neptune replied with a charming smile.

Sun swaggered into the scene with his usual casual confidence. "So, are you all excited for dress-up night?"

"Yeah, right," Ruby scoffed from her position at the table.

"To be honest, I'm not sure how I feel about formal events," Dan admitted.

"Laugh all you want," Yang declared with absolute certainty. "I'll be turning heads tomorrow night!"

Weiss turned to address the newcomers. "What are you two planning to wear?"

Sun gestured to his current shirtless outfit with a shrug. "Uh... this?"

Neptune quickly stepped forward, holding a hand in front of his friend's face. "Please ignore him—he clearly doesn't understand the gravity of formal social occasions."

Sun knocked Neptune's hand away with mild irritation. "Hey, I may go to school in Mistral now, but I grew up in Vacuo. It's not exactly a black-tie kind of place."

Yang exchanged knowing looks with Ruby and Weiss. "Yeah, we noticed."

Sun rubbed the back of his head, preparing to ask what was clearly his real question. "So... what does Blake think about all this? Is she still being all, you know... Blake-y?"