Beacons of Love

Lotus Larceny

"You sure this is a good idea?" Honey asked as she looked over the profile of their next male applicant.

"Absolutely," Randi answered. Honey had a little trouble accepting that, given who the guy was. Or, more accurately, who he was partnered with.

Lie Ren creating a profile had been a bit of a surprise. As much as Nora claimed they weren't together-together, the whole school knew she had staked her claim on the quiet boy. Even in his profile picture, Honey could see Nora lurking in the background.

"How can you be so sure?" Angering Nora sounded like a terrifyingly terrible plan. She rather preferred keeping her legs unbroken.

"He told me himself," Randi answered, halfheartedly swiping through a few female profiles as she spoke. "He said Jaune and Pyrrha had been encouraging both him and Nora to go out on dates. Nora seemed thrilled at the idea, so Ren figured he'd have us help arrange something."

Yet again, a first-year at Beacon proved oblivious. And I thought Lilly was blind, not to mention Jaune. At least they'd finally figured things out. Or...well, their not-so-secret admirers had finally made it obvious. It sounded like the rest of Team JNPR were trying to open Ren's eyes to his desperately waiting partner, but the boy apparently missed it.

Still, we know better. "So, should I go ahead and make a reservation for Ren and Nora?" Honey pulled out her scroll, thumb hovering over the speed dial for Clemens.

"What makes you think we're sending him with Nora?"

It took Honey a few seconds to pick her jaw off the floor. "What?! You want us to match him with someone else?" Randi's overconfidence had gotten her into trouble before, but this was downright suicidal! Honey was having none of that. "Nope! I'm out. For the record, all of this is on you."

"Fair enough," Randi shrugged, seemingly unbothered by her impending doom. "Hm. Now who to pair with a cute, thoughtful, single guy like Ren?"

"Might I once again recommend Nora?"

"You already backed out," Randi reminded her. "If Nora hasn't made her move, then as far as I'm concerned, she has no right to complain if he goes out with someone else. Besides, she doesn't have a profile, so I couldn't match them even if I wanted to." Which she clearly didn't, for some odd reason. Randi seemed unusually stubborn on enforcing their unspoken rules this time around.

As Randi continued her rapid-fire denials of potential matches on her scroll, Honey couldn't help but wonder who would make a good match for Ren. Lilly's friend Dew seems nice enough. Honey didn't know much about her, but she could envision the two getting along. Then again, if Nora was any indication of his taste in women, maybe Neon from Team FNKI was a better bet.

Admittedly, there was one pairing she'd prefer, if not for the danger it posed to herself. Still, there was no denying she found the boy attractive. She could still recall their brief chat after their spar at the beginning of the year. He'd been so polite, offering encouragement and proving a true gentleman even in victory. If it wasn't for the eventual hurricane of Nora's wrath that would follow, Honey would be more than happy to volunteer herself.

"Well, I think that'll do it." Randi tilted her scroll away before Honey could see the chosen girl. "I thought you were out."

"I am," Honey insisted, "but that doesn't mean I'm not curious. Is it someone I know?"

"You could say that." Randi looked far too satisfied with her selection. "Anyways, can you keep an eye on things tonight? Maybe take another look at Blake's profile?" While their faunus friend's satisfaction continued to elude them, Randi always helped set up a few dates in the evening. It wasn't like her to miss out on working ahead.