Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY nor am I seeking to make a profit off of this franchise.

"So I know I'm here to help Weiss, but why are you and Coco here? It's Friday afternoon. Shouldn't you guys be busy doing important and fancy rich people stuff?" Jaune asked his two mistresses next to him. It was only Thursday night that he received word of her position as the president of Beacon's Undergraduate Council which meant he was forced to attend their weekly meetings as her administrative slave. He figured Cinder and Coco would be long gone for the weekend, but when he saw them walk in he grew curious.

Now they were seated on the outer edges of a large conference room within Emerald Hall, him with Weiss's belongings strewn around his person and Coco and Cinder besides him. In the middle sat a large round table with seven seats outlining it. Weiss was already seated, her back straight and her eyes, as sharp as blue diamonds, watched the members around her. Her perpetual slight frown remained unmoving as she regarded them more as chess pawns than human equals. A slew of papers and folders blanketed the tabletop in front of her.

Cardin was the only other person Jaune recognized among the Council. With his smug demeanor irradiating the room to near apocalyptic levels, it was hard to not notice the jock. He sat a seat away from Weiss, likely because she warned him to never get closer lest he wished to face corporal punishment, and between them sat a girl clad in red he'd never seen before. She wore a thin red sweater with a black bow around the collar as well as tight black jeans and seemingly had enough makeup on to cover up even the most deathly of burn marks. The long, black haired girl in red quietly fidgeted in her seat. Jaune could only speculate why she was so nervous, though the fact that she was sitting between two of the biggest egos in Vale City cut down a lot of possible explanations.

Both her and Cardin were on Weiss's left side and to her direct right was likely the red girl's twin sister given how they were similar in size, hair style, and makeup artistry. Though the only exception was this girl's affinity for white as she was currently donning a thin white jacket opened to show a low cut plaster-colored corset that almost merges with her light blue jeans. And unlike her twin she looked almost bored to death between her shots of glaring animosity at Cardin.

The last three seats were still vacant which only meant the last few members might be running late. Weiss had dragged him into the room after classes early to prepare the meeting, so he knew there was still some time left before she declared commencement.

Cinder grinned at his question, crossing her legs. "We usually spend Friday nights together." She turned to Coco who was sitting snugly in her leather bound seat, arms crossed and frown apparent. "Did you plan something yet? It's your turn."

"Meh," Coco shrugged as she dug herself in further into the cushions. "We'll think of something later. All I want to do now is enjoy the best show money can't buy in Vale City."

"Show?" Jaune asked.

"It's more of a weekly negotiation of peace," Cinder clarified. "Or rather attempts of."

"Well whatever you want to call it, it makes for a damn good show," Coco grinned. "You'll see why later Errand Boy, once Yang gets in here."

"She's on the Council?" Suddenly it all made sense. From what he heard about the two he figured hell would break loose if they were ever caught in a room together. "Oh lord."

"I can't believe Miltiades is still after Cardin," Coco said to Cinder aside, disgust dripping from her lips. "Poor Melanie looks so heartbroken over there by her lonesome."

Now Cinder was never one for rumors or scandalous gossip, which was a social variable Coco fancied for sport and a pain in Weiss's side. But given how boring the calm before the storm was, she figured it was worth amusing herself with as an alternative to listening to the Errand Boy's questions. Cinder raised an elegant brow towards the tiny red girl. "She's barely spoken a word to the idiot the past few weeks."

Coco chuckled. "I know! She's not going to win him over with looks alone. God knows Pyrrha can but, well, Milly is lacking the height isn't she?" She tilted her head, her hidden eyes analyzing the girl's profile. "Yeah, that short with those high of boots? Ugh, and that makeup is absolutely atrocious. Like a five Lien whore on happy hour," she finished with a cackle. "But I suppose that's what happens when you take makeup advice from her sister."

"Woah-"

"Her bust is what again?" Coco casually asked herself and Cinder, ignoring Jaune. "Barely a B-Cup?"

"She's in between B and C," Cinder answered. "More likely leaning towards B."

"How-"

"And she doesn't try to show it off, not even inside," Coco added as she eyed the sweater. "At least Pyrrha can through her track shirt."

"Bordering on Ds by now," Cinder added. "Last I heard."

"From who?"

"From her fanatical followers."

"Of course." Coco snickered beneath her breath and lowered her voice to a whisper. "Though, I bet Weiss wishes every night she had what Pyrrha has."

"Don't joke about that," Cinder reprimanded, though her creeping smile seemed to counter her order. "We wouldn't want you to disappear from the grid now would we?"

"Ha!"

"How could you guys talk about that girl like that?" Jaune asked, his morals driving his lips. "You can't just call someone, those kinds of things without-"

"Without evidence?" Cinder finished. "Take one look at her sister and you'll have all the evidence you'd ever need to make the same statement."

As Jaune gazed at the Melanie a part of him acknowledged that she was gussied up way too much for an administrative afternoon, but still he didn't see how they could just imply she was less than pure. "I don't see the connection."

"Melanie's record has been five guys in a week," Coco recalled. Once Jaune gave her a look of disgust and confusion she snickered and waved off him off. "Dating that is. God, get your mind out of the gutter Errand Boy."

"She's efficient," Cinder noted as she watched Melanie fiddle with her perfectly manicured nails. "Made over ten grand through presents that one week. Gold necklaces, pearl earrings, and anything else of the sort is all fair game for her. So long as it's shiny and rare she'll find a way to get it at another's expense."

"Well, if they're like that then why are they on the Council?" Jaune asked. When his mistresses gave him an incredulous stare he shrugged. "What?"

"It's by popularity of course," Coco replied, as if answering a child's question of why he needed to eat food. "Seven members are chosen the beginning of every fall through a campus wide election."

"And of course with all democratic systems eventually the most popular and financially powerful will prevail, regardless of their qualifications," Cinder continued. "Weiss is the most qualified to run the council as head though."

"Miltiades won this fall thanks to Melanie. Yang won because of obvious reasons. Cardin stole the vote this fall with his promise to 'cut down on Weiss's tyranny' or whatever," Coco waved off. "The idiot hasn't done anything since, just sits on his ass ready to pen his position down onto his future resume."

"As if Weiss would let him do anything," Cinder interjected. "He'd jeopardize her hold of the campus."

Jaune continued to watch Weiss unwaveringly glare at the door. "I feel as though she'd jump on the chance to milk as much as she could from her position."

Coco shook her head. "Cardin would, with his unending greed, but Weiss finds actually doing the job much more rewarding."

"Good image and all that huh?"

"Correct," Cinder answered. Not a moment later and the door burst open forth. It smashed the wall right next to Jaune, narrowly missing his arm and face by a few inches though the resulting sonic boom nearly blasted on his ears and devastated his heart. He nearly fainted onto the floor with a shriek of fright though the ladies beside him either took the sonic boom wordlessly or guffawing at his expense. As he picked himself and his shattered eardrums from the floor he looked up to see a familiar set of pink sneakers with legs that ran up to the ever persistent smile of Nora.

"Hello everyone!" She greeted with a flourish as she waved to all present. Weiss and the rest of the Council barely gave her a glance before they went back to their own affairs, seemingly long used to the young woman's energy and power entrances.

"Dear god Nora!" Jaune wheezed as she slumped back into his seat. "D-do you always have to-"

"Jauney!" Nora exclaimed as she picked the man up and squeezed him into a big hug. "Oh my god it's been so long! I mean it's only been a week or so, or has it been only half a week? I should ask Ren, he would know, but he's off doing kung fu and kicking butt at the gym right now so I don't think I should go ask him right now, plus the meeting's going to start soon and Weiss will be really mad if I just came and left never to return again like last time and I don't want her to scr-"

"Nora," Cinder interrupted. "You're suffocating him." She pointed down to her arms and indeed Jaune's struggling had slowly slowed from mass squirming to sluggish jellylike flailing.

"Oops!" She cried out as she let him go, him flopping back onto his chair with a petrified look of dread and terror. "Sorry!"

"Is he dead?" Coco asked as she leaned over to poke at his quivering form.

"He'll be fine," Cinder excused, pointing to his slowly rising and deflating chest.

"Wh-what are y-you doing here?" Jaune wheezed with the quietest of whisper.

"I'm on the Council silly," Nora replied. "And you're here because you're the new Errand Boy right?"

Jaune sighed and nodded with his head held low. Nora took the moment to flash a look of exasperation and pleading towards Cinder and Coco to which they rolled their eyes and tried to ignore. Nora frowned and huffed but didn't say anything more on the subject. It's not like she alone could get them to change their minds. "Yep, that's me a nutshell now. But wait, you're on the Council?"

Cinder sighed at his parroting while Coco let out a silent one at Jaune's returning vigor.

"Well it's more like I had a wayward thought about how fun it might be to join and get to plan all the fun events for Beacon," Nora recalled with her finger on her chin, tying to lighten up the mood. "And then voila! Here I am!"

The three offered Nora their best blank stares at her uninformative story, their eyes and neutral lips as unmoving and lifeless as the flattest of granite. Unfortunately while Jaune had hoped the silence would spur her to tell more of her tale, she bent over and got uncomfortably close with her eyes wide and her smile almost wider. It took all of Jaune's willpower to not scream or recoil furiously into his mistresses, thus avoiding a most gruesome fate. "Ooh! Staring contest!"

"No! No staring please." Jaune pleaded as he motioned for her to back away. "And there must be more to it that just that. No one can just think about joining something and then have others help you join without another word."

"Hmm, oh right!" Nora chirped before pointing at Cinder. "Cinder helped me. That's it."

"Cinder?" Jaune parroted as he looked towards the Demoness for an explanation. "Why would you help Nora?"

"I owed her a favor," Cinder explained, her fiery eyes leaving no room for further questioning. Jaune nodded with sucked in lips and turned his gaze back to the Council, hoping not to irritate her further.

"You could have at least let me choose when I could cash in that favor Cinder," Nora pointed out.

"What's done is done Nora," Cinder finished before turning back to her flask. Nora's eyes narrowed as she watched Cinder douse her insides with another swig of fiery water, her smile lessening into a more neutral setting. A silent sigh left her nostrils as she walked inwards to sit at the conference table. She took her usual seat next to Cardin who gave her the faintest of grunts that slowly devolved into growls as Nora took it upon herself to try to cheer the bulldog up with niceties.

No sooner had Nora sat down and tried to initiate conversation did the door once again fly open. This time Jaune was ready for the noise and windy fallout, but his eyes widened as he did not expect what came out from beyond. With a yelp and a hearty groan, a man of blurred blue and red flew from the dark hallway across the room and landed squarely between the door and the table. The groans continued as he struggled to sit up with his hands clutching his stomach. Jaune caught a glimpse of the yellow tinted goggles atop the man's forehead and his red jacket before his vision was obstructed by the presence of long flowing spun gold, followed by the unforgettable sight of mixed pink and brown.

The reaction across the table was more vocal this time around. Cardin opted to laugh heartily at the man's plight with Nora giggling as well. Miltiades gasped but looked otherwise unfazed. Weiss barely gave the man a glance before glaring at the infuriating visage that was Yang Xiao Long. But what was most unorthodox was Melanie who literally jumped out from her seat with a passionate shriek to run over and help the man up.

"Ha! Well if it isn't the biggest gigolo in Vale City," Cardin laughed.

Melanie turned and growled, "Don't call him that you ape!"

"Melanie," Miltiades more or less whispered as she looked around Cardin at her sister. "D-don't be so mean to him."

"Like, I can be as mean to him as I want Miltia. Like, he can't just talk down to my beloved!" She turned back to Neptune, white diamonds and pearls sparkling in her eyes. "Right, my love?"

"Gah! Yang!" Neptune grumbled as he picked himself up. He shook off Melanie's hands and dusted his shoulders off. However instead of looking heartbroken or even remotely sad, her eyes narrowed into a ferocious light green and she glared at him as if willing lasers to surge forth from them. She scoffed loudly and, seeing as her latest attempt failed, loudly stomped her way back to her seat, her mood and possible night plans now thoroughly ruined. "Did you really have to punch that hard?" He asked as he flashed a shining million Lien smile at the blonde.

"Sorry but when you surprise me like that the girls get a little rowdy," Yang countered with her tongue sticking out to finalize her point. Dressed in tight light blue jeans and a tan jacket, she looked completely different than the kickboxer he met days prior. Behind him stood a smirking Neo, sporting a thin pinkish shirt with the top two buttons unbuttoned and dark brown pants complete with a large tight belt. Long black necklaces hung from her pale, vanilla neck above her luscious hills. How she didn't feeze outside with so much skin showing was beyond anyone's comprehension.

"I thought you loved surprises like that my fiery dragoness," Neptune countered as he walked forward. His stride broke however once he began searching his pockets and the floor. "But uh, you didn't happen to see where those-"

A crumpled mass of scarlet see through plastic filled with broken stems and bruised greenery shoved into his sight answered him. "You mean these?" Yang asked with a smirk, offering him what once was a most marvelous menagerie of marigolds.

Neptune took the broken bouquet with a frown. "Yeah, but where did all the flower heads go?" In an instant his body froze in fright as a flurry of activity seemingly covered him from head to toe. Little pinpricks and wet sticks tickled and itched all over his person in rapid succession until seconds later he opened his eyes to find a giggling audience in front and behind him. He reached up to a particularly itchy spot on his head to find what technically qualified as a tarnished marigold blossom jutting from his once perfectly brushed hair. "Oh," he sighed as he began to pluck his shattered gift from his hair. "That's where."

Jaune could hardly believe his eyes as he watched the events unfold, though Coco's laughter and Cinder's amused scoff signaled their familiarity with it. To him one second everything was normal and the next Neo practically disappeared into a haze of muddied colors around Neptune. And when it all quieted down Neptune had so many marigolds stuck around his body and clothing that it looked like he was infected by some horrible, yet vibrant parasitic flower. Neo stepped away behind the man with her hands on her hips. Without even turning around to see her masterpiece she bowed deeply much to Nora's delight and applause only to rise up with a swirling flourish and a small mischievous smile.

"Yay!" Nora cheered. "He's so pretty now Neo!" Cardin and even Miltiades chuckled at the blue Casanova's predicament as well but at the head of the table Weiss was anything but smiles and sunshine. If anything she was matching the level of frigid iciness of the weather outside to a tee.

"Stupid Neptune," Melanie grumbled with her arms crossed. "That's what you get for ignoring me."

"Argh! Not cool Neo!" Neptune roared as he plucked the last bit off himself. He barely noticed Yang passing him by to take her seat next to Nora and he caught a glimpse of Neo walking towards the edge of the room to join Cinder's side. The Fall heiress gave Neo a quick glance before acquiescing her armrest to her, choosing to cross her arms beneath her bosom. Neo grinned and eagerly took her seat, enjoying the lavish luxury. Coco gave Neo a coy thumb up and a smile to which the smaller woman returned with a wink.

Jaune figured Weiss and Yang would sit as far away from each other as they could but as he watched Yang sit down he saw Melanie's glare turn ten shades darker as she peered at the still shining Yang. Gulping at how much animosity he was witnessing, he figured it was best to not delve too deep into those two's relationship.

"Yang!" Weiss yelled as Neptune and Neo's little show died down. "Not only are you late, as usual, but I will not have you and Neptune ruin our meeting." She angrily inhaled and breathed out airy death. "Again."

"Sorry Weiss," Neptune apologized as his smile returned to full force. Taking careful steps towards one of the most feared women of Vale City, he stopped just two steps short of her seat. She turned and gave him the coldest of stares. "I know it may seem like I was fooling with Yang-"

"And also anyone with tits and soft skin on campus," Coco snickered from up above, bringing a light blush to Jaune's cheeks. Below them the table grew anxiously quiet as they watched eagerly the proceedings, each eye wide with curiosity. Jaune too was curious, and this being his first witnessing it he had all sorts of questions floating around his head. But among the veterans of the Council, only one question mattered: Could he wash her heart away today?

"-but know that my mind and heart will always be filled with your beautiful vis-age Weiss," Neptune finished as he cautiously bent down to take her hand into his. Hey eyes narrowed at the contact and suddenly the air grew colder as if foul frost magic was cast. Her ears nearly folded into themselves at his horrible pronunciation. Whether it was born from his near non-existent, infinitesimally minute intelligence or from whatever self-prescribed ploy at suaveness, she didn't care. She had given this near insufferable soul enough times to redeem himself in her court and out amongst the peasantry and every time he found some new way to make her ire re-fester.

Cold sweat rolled down Neptune's neck as he cradled her hand softly. He bought it up to meet his lips in the most gentlemanly and daintiest of kisses, a practice he was no novice to. It lasted for a second before he let her go gently, his smile never losing its luster.

Then, she raised an elegant eyebrow at the bold gesture. It had been so long since he was brave enough to and it was, odd, that he'd remember something like this from years ago. But nostalgia could not mask the lies from his filthy, adulterous lips. She knew better than to trust him again.

Neptune felt his muscles relax as he watched Weiss's eyebrow. But before he could muster his courage to push forward she reached out with her hand open. "Errand Boy," she called out. Then, his blood froze.

"Yes?" Jaune asked as he stood up, ready to do anything but be in Neptune's position. From her tone alone he knew something horrible was dawning.

Weiss's eyes morphed back into its usual slight glare. "Myrte-"

"Woah easy Weiss," Neptune interrupted, only to be silenced by an even harsher glare from the heiress. "I mean, please calm down Ms. Schnee," he revised as he brought his hands up to level with his now uneasy smile.

"-naster," she finished with her eyes still fixated on Neptune. To sidelines Jaune rattled his brain to figure just what the hell a "Myrtenaster" was. His heart raced a mile a minute as he thought and thought. Was it a book title? No, that wouldn't make sense right now. No, it must be something to be used to perhaps, punish or scold Neptune. Yes, that must be it. But that still didn't explain what a "Myrte-whatever" was or looked like. Looking at the woman's belongings around him he began rummaging through her bags like an addict trying to find his last hit. Mere seconds passed before he felt a chill up his spine. Suddenly he could feel the presence of her eyes upon him, like icicles ready to spear him through at blistering speeds. His brain rattled once more in thought even harder. It was now or never and if he didn't perform right, any possible way to stay on her good side and keep his family safe from Schnee wrath was on the line.

Just then he managed to budge open her fencing duffel bag and from the nearly closed zipper he spied the one thing that could be interpreted as a punishing implement. But, it was a rapier, an actual weapon that can kill. She wouldn't-

"No," Jaune sighed quietly. "It's not like you could stop her if you tried."

Unzipping the bag, he hastily removed the long black case within. Putting on a brave face and even footing, he powerwalked down to Weiss. As he neared the table a range of emotions from the Council members' face assaulted his vision. Yang and Nora gave him apologetic, meek looks of worry while the twins didn't even regard him. Cardin was simply chuckling at his misfortune, but one swift look from Weiss immediately silenced him.

Neptune gave Jaune a worried look once he approached, but Jaune was too busy gauging Weiss's reaction. Figuring it would be best to do all the work for her, he carefully opened the case to reveal Myrtenaster in its sheathed glory sitting atop a platform of fine black velvet. He brought the case to Weiss's arm level and she daintily took her weapon from it. Seeing she was satisfied, he closed the case and slowly backpedaled away.

"C-come on Ms. Schnee there's no-"

"If you understand the meaning of self-preservation then you will sit down and speak when spoken to," Weiss ordered as she held Myrtenaster's sheath in one hand and its handle with her other. "I will not repeat myself again."

"Right," Neptune answered as he backpedaled his way to the last open seat.

"Gee, you're more uptight than usual Ice Queen," Yang commented as Neptune plopped down beside her and Melanie. She didn't pay him much mind and Melanie got out of her way to grunt a particularly loud scoff at his direction accompanied with a tight frown and glare. Neptune seemingly cared about that less than Yang did him.

"I am in no mood for your childish antics Xiao Long," Weiss warned. "We are beyond late in starting already, no thanks to you two dimwitted dunces."

"Calm. Your. Non-existent. Tits. Weiss-cream." Yang retorted slowly, as if trying to get a baby to understand the simplest of reason. "I wasn't late by that much, and Neptune here brought it on himself when he tried to surprise me with his old bouquet-and-peck-around-the-corner trick."

Jaune could feel the whole building grow several degrees colder once Yang finished her sentence. No one, not even Coco or Cardin dared to make a single noise afterwards, though from the corner of his eye he could see Coco smiling in humored anticipation while Cardin looked as stiff as a board. Cinder was everything calm and collected though she took the time to take another long, unblinking swig, her eyes not daring to miss a single moment. Even Nora grew quiet and visibly shrunk into her seat with sucked lips and wide eyes. The twins now truly looked identical with their worried eyes and quivering lips, both anxious of how Weiss would react. It was almost as if everyone was watching the beginnings of a natural disaster arriving on schedule. Everyone knew it would come and wreak havoc, but no one was truly prepared or used to the level of catastrophe each time.

He practically see steam rise from Weiss's nostrils and ears, as if Yang's words had brought the burning thoughts in her brain to sublimating rage. Her eyes narrowed until they were as sharp as blue diamonds and her pearly whites were clenched in fettered fury. "You…dare?"

Yang's smile only grew feral at the heiress's tone. "Oh? Did I hit a nerve, oh princess?"

"Do not refer to me as that, peasant."

"Your choice of words doesn't exactly drive your point home," Jaune thought as he watched these two titans of Beacon seemingly prepare to duke it out right in front of him.

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

A loud cacophony of pops and cracks filled the room's silence as Yang casually stretched her neck and joints. With each fist she made her knuckles fired off thunderous warnings, as if blanks were being fired off. Neptune visibly tensed at the noise, likely remembering how much a casual punch from Yang had hurt minutes earlier. Nora had a look of discomfort on her face, clearly not enjoying Yang's rather crude gesture.

The two continued to stare each other down until Weiss scoffed and laid Myrtenaster down in front of her. "As inviting as it is to eviscerate you, it's…unfortunately problematic to do so."

"Aw, I knew you loved me Weiss-cream," Yang chirped with a feral smile. "Now come over here so I can give you a nice, big, hug."

"I won't even dignify that with a response," Weiss growled. "Be grateful that your family has even a minute modicum of entrepreneurial clout with my family business, otherwise I would have removed you long ago. And while it is clear that, some of you," she turned to a still shivering Neptune, "need petty coercion to remind you of your place below me, I won't humor your lust for violence."

"Well if you keep acting like the little bitch that you are, violence seems more inviting every day," Yang retorted.

"Says the boisterous bimbo with a depraved cult following her around."

"Jealous you don't have nearly as many friends Weissy? I'm sure they'll be more than happy to make your acquaintance."

"You keep your filthy minions far away from me and my friends Yang Xiao Long, lest you're willing to forsake so many lives for your own amusement."

"Coming from you, the Iron-hearted Bitch? That's so…ironic."

A wave of groans and moans from the Council followed suit as everyone verbally rolled their eyes at Yang's pun. It made sense, but good lord was it forced. Jaune physically felt shell shocked.

"Oh Yang," Coco groaned with her hand on her forehead. "You always were the worst." Besides her, Cinder couldn't help but to down the rest of her whiskey to cover the immense headache following that joke. Even Neo couldn't help but to facepalm at her best friend's antics.

"I-I thought it was pretty…good?" Nora complimented as she nervously giggled.

"Y-Yeah," Neptune agreed. "It was, was as thought provoking as you are beautiful Yang."

"Neptune shut up," Yang and Melanie commanded in sync. A glare from Weiss across the table sealed his lips from flirting once more.

"God, I can feel my mind degrade already," Cardin insulted.

"I, for one, agree with the oaf," Weiss admitted.

"Hey!"

"And for you to even get me to admit to such a disgusting act is proof enough that you're a degenerate Xiao Long."

"What the fu-"

"Shouldn't you guys get started?" Jaune piped up from the background. With eyes now all on him he could feel himself shrink underneath their gaze, as if he was gerbil faced with a pride of lions. "I-I mean it's getting late and you've only…been…uh…"

"Jauney's right!" Nora agreed with a fist pump.

"Hey, why don't you pipe down Errand Boy?" Cardin sneered. "Know your place."

"Like, shut up Cardin," Melanie countered to the young man's annoyance. "You weren't, like, so abusive when Dove was in that guy's spot last week."

"Please, be nicer, Cardin," Miltiades pleaded as she finally found the nerve to look at the man's shoulders.

"I'll have you know you're only a phone call's away from your precious mines losing Winchester representation Melanie," he threatened.

"Our mines," Melanie corrected. "Miltiades is like, right here."

"Huh?" Cardin swerved and came face to face with the red-clad twin. "What the-when did you get here? Little sneak." He didn't even notice her quiet sniffling when he turned away.

"Cardin…" She whimpered with her head lowered.

"Like, apologize to my little sister Winchester," Melanie ordered, her features softening at her sister's sobbing.

"What for?" He shrugged. "I didn't do anything."

"Silence!" Weiss roared as she stood and gripped Myrtenaster once more. Once everyone quieted down she relaxed and sat back down. "Now while you may loathe addressing my Errand Boy it's clear that he possesses far better coordination than any of you other so called Council Members. And you call yourselves Beacon's future graduates."

"Gee, thanks mistress," Jaune thought. "Way to put me up and kick me down again."

"Well, let's get this over with then," Yang shrugged. "The quicker we can get out of here the better."

"I'll have to skip the formalities in lieu of time," Weiss quickly stated, though it was apparent she did so unhappily with her sour tone. "The biggest event coming up is of course the Winter Solstice Ball. Last time we agreed it would be on the Saturday of the last week this month. Any objections? No? Good. Moving on the funds have been already allocated by Melanie and Miltiades, anyone with questions should discuss it with them."

"We, like, just got Ozpin's approval yesterday," Melanie added. Rummaging through her purse she produced a large, receipt calculator that Jaune had thought was strictly used by accountants and old timey bank tellers. She was quick to punch in a series of numbers and equations, all with a bored expression on her face as her unamused eyes raced across the screen and calculations. Finally she ripped off the receipt. "Like, thanks to Cinder's agreeing to supply like, all the alcohol. We managed to save like, thousands of Lien, though it does mean we have to, like, order proper transportation for it all."

"Cinder, any comments?" Weiss asked.

"I've arranged transportation already Melanie," Cinder answered. The girl nodded and quickly went back to redo her calculations. "It'll be delivered here by next week's time."

"And I still have the music covered," Neptune intervened. "Played by your's truly."

"He's a DJ? Granted he has the attitude and hair for it." Jaune thought.

"You and I are going to have an in depth discussion that delusion of yours Neptune," Weiss ordered. "I will not have the Ball be sullied by your obnoxious musical tastes."

"Oh no, not this year Weiss," Yang seethed. "We're all going to talk about the music this time, as a, oh I don't know, an actual Council?"

Jaune could already feel a headache incoming as the meeting evolved into arguing once more. Realizing that Weiss won't be returning her rapier anytime soon, he slowly made his way back to his seat to reorganize her belongings.

"Fun isn't it?" Coco asked as she watched Weiss stew at Yang's complaints once more.

"It's loud and scary, that's what it is," Jaune corrected as he zipped up the duffel bag. "How long do these go for?"

"Well usually Weiss wouldn't have started by now," Cinder admitted. Jaune looked to the clock to find it fifteen minutes past the hour. "Last week it took them half an hour just to get everyone seated."

"How do they get anything done around here?"

"They're efficient once everything simmers down," Coco replied. "Well, if they simmer down that is."

"Why do we have to put up with classical music for the whole dance Weiss?" Yang yelled as she slammed her hands down on the table, threatening its structural integrity. "I swear if I have to slow dance to Black Moonlight again like last year, I'll smack you back to your castle."

"And what's your alternative? Slobbering flailing about while Private Show or something even more grotesquely immature plays?" Weiss retorted.

Still watching the argument unfold, Jaune couldn't help but ask, "So what's up with this whole Ball event? Is it traditional for Beacon to hold one during the Solstice?"

"Wait, you don't-Oh right, transfer. Well, it's supposed to be something like that, but lately it's been a charity event for the school now," Coco answered.

"Charity?"

"It isn't free like everything else here, and all proceeds is split between different Vale City charities," She explained. "But it's one of the best non-free shindigs around. Even outsiders come by to have fun. There's five-star cuisine, all night dancing with live music, and of course all the booze you can stomach."

"Sounds too expensive for my blood then," Jaune replied.

"Unsurprising," Cinder plainly noted much to his chagrin. "But that doesn't mean we don't expect you to arrive."

"Wait, you want me to work that night?"

"Of course," Cinder replied. "We're all attending so your services will undoubtedly be needed. And if you think we're going to pay for your ticket then you're clearly-"

"-a dunce!" Weiss screamed back as she eyed a shaky Neptune. "I will not have a dunce like you be a DJ at the Ball!"

"I-It was only a suggestion-"

"And a terrible one at that!"

"I think it's a great idea Neptune!" Nora exclaimed. "Students are always talking about ways they could participate around Beacon more, and what better way than to have some perform? We can even save money by not hiring outside musicians and orchestras and stuff."

"She's right you know," Melanie pointed out as she punched in more numbers. "We can, like, save-"

"-money that I don't have," Jaune complained back at his mistresses back by the wall. "I'm not made of Lien like you two are. How am I supposed to afford a six hundred Lien ticket?"

"Not our problem," Cinder replied. "But I'm sure you'll find a way." Coco remained silent, choosing to return her attention to the meeting.

"Yeah right," Jaune muttered as he lowered his face into his open hands. "It's not like I had enough crap to deal with al-huh?" He looked up to find a standing Neo above him tapping his shoulder. How she managed to get by him he did not know but he did know something was off with her smirk, and her cheek given that one of them looked more bulbous. "Oh, hi. What did you-"

Before he could finish she reached into her pocket to retrieve a plain drinking straw before handing it to him. He accepted it with confusion and rolled it around in his hand before Neo tapped him again. This time he looked up to see her smile but with a small tentacle of a pink something hanging at the edge of her teeth that was clearly not her tongue. She brought her hands up to sign to him, "Bored."

"Uh, I mean, kind of but-"

"No, I am." Neo corrected before setting off her master plan. She was horribly bored, even with all the yelling and name calling around the Council table, and Jaune could be the perfect scapegoat to escaping her boredom. Then, in one swift, nearly unfollowable flurry of activity she reached into her pockets again to reveal a second straw to which she inserted into her mouth. Turning around, she took a quick second to line up her shot and fired her payload at her ignorant target.

Splat!

"What the fuck?" Cardin roared as he combed his auburn hair with hands, quickly finding a wad of sticky, chewed gum entangling the strands around it. As he swerved around angrily to point at the source of the attack a few long, transparent and pink strands connected his angry index finger and his head. "Who did-Errand Boy!" He yelled.

"What? No! No!" Jaune stuttered as he brought his hands up to quell the man's rage. Unfortunately as his clenched fists were raised everyone spied the straw that he had neglected to hide away. "It wasn't-"

"Then explain the straw!"

Jaune yelped in shock as he realized his blunder and quickly threw the piece of plastic as far away as possible. "B-but Neo did-" Looking around he couldn't believe his eyes as they found no trace of the multicolored girl anywhere in the room. She simply vanished into thin air. "Where is she?"

As Cardin drew nearer Jaune looked towards Yang for answers only to find her hollering with laughter, pointing at Cardin's ruined hair and clutching her sides. "Oh you're in for it now!"

"Should we do something?" Coco asked Cinder as they watched, still lounging in their seats.

Cinder gave her friend a curious look in return. "Why? He'll live." That didn't seem to lessen Coco's frown.

"Get back here you ant!" Cardin roared as he gave chase to the now fleeing Errand Boy. "I'll rip your hands off and shove 'em where the sun don't shine!" By now Jaune had already escaped out the room.

"Back off Winchester!" Coco barked back as she stood up, hands on her hips and her glare focusing on him behind her shades. Cinder stayed seated and merely watched her friend curiously. "We just got this decent Errand Boy, and I'm not about to swap him out with another one of your useless lackeys."

"This doesn't concern you Coco!"

SCHIING!

"Well it concerns our property!" Weiss answered before her friend could. Cardin begrudgingly stopped in his tracks and turned around to face her. Myrtenaster in all its glory was now unsheathed and shining underneath the lights. "And compared to him you are much more expendable, even if he's an unbelievable dunce."

"C-Cardin, please sit back down," Miltiades pleaded. "Don't, don't get into trouble."

"Ooh!" Yang whooped across from her. "You better sit your ass back down Winchester. The princess's got fangs tonight."

"You people are unbelievable," Cardin seethed. But after weighing the options against him, he slowly trudged back down to his seat, trying his very best to ignore the gum.

"You think he figured it out that it really was Neo?" Coco asked as she sat back down. The meeting continued again as Weiss tried to avoid discussing Yang's previous point. Though, minutes later after Neptune opened his mouth again, the music debate reheated once more.

Cinder smirked. "If he hasn't yet then he's stupider than I thought. And that's saying something."

"Mind texting Jaune to come back?

"No need."

The door slammed open once more as a leather boot kicked them open with thundering force. From outside Jaune and Neo emerged, the former shoved inside while the latter daintily stepped inside. They quickly composed themselves and made way for an annoyed Emerald to come in between them to address her employer. "Found these two when I was coming back from patrol. Your Errand Boy was running around aimlessly making a ruckus while she was trying to surprise me."

"God, I didn't even see where you came from," Jaune moaned as he rubbed his head. Emerald had clotheslined him from the shadows while he was running for his life and his body was still throbbing from the pain. He gingerly stepped back to his seat. "Maybe a little warning next time you try to stop me."

"That was your warning Errand Boy," Emerald replied. "And you," she turned to Neo who rolled her eyes at the bodyguard. "That is the last time you'll get to try your little stunts on me because if I find you sneaking around again I'll-"

"What did she try this time?" Cinder asked.

"She," Emerald paused before surveying the room before the slightest hint of red flushed her cheeks. Everyone knew her and vice versa, and she did not want to spell out what Neo's latest prank attempt was. But looking at her boss she knew it would be even worse if she didn't answer properly. "She, tried to pants me."

"Oh my god!" Yang laughed as she slammed her hand on the table in her mirth. A loud cracking sound supplemented her laughter as her third slam effectively shattered a portion of one table. "Neo, you are too much! First Cardin tonight and then this? On Cinder's bodyguard? Hahaha!"

"Yang!" Nora shrieked as she practically jumped from her chair. "Watch it!"

"Yeah, like, there's dust, like, everywhere now," Melanie growled.

"And you broke our table you beastial buffoon." Weiss pointed out.

"It's fine," Yang reassured as she wiped the tears from her eyes. "I'll pay for it later. I have a tab with Beacon."

"Aha!" Cardin pointed at Neo, seemingly out of nowhere. "I knew it was you all along you little sneaky insect! I knew the Errand Boy didn't have it in him!"

"D-did he really just now-" Jaune was interrupted by Coco shushing him. However she did nod in reply only to roll her eyes and shake her head at the jock's stupidity. Jaune couldn't help but to snicker in response, resulting in her chuckling along with him.

"How bold of you Neo," Cinder said. "And don't let us catch you being bold again."

"Ma'am," Emerald intervened. "You can't just let her off the hook again. This is the second time this month-"

"That she was able to get close enough to you to pose a threat," Cinder finished, her eyes narrowing. "Both of you will do well to learn from both of your mistakes tonight."

Emerald swallowed loudly and nodded courteously. "Yes ma'am." Neo swiveled back and forth on her feet before giving Cinder a cheeky thumbs up and a smile. "If there is nothing else you need, then I would like to give my report and take my leave."

"As you wish."

"Of course, and sorry for interrupting the meeting." As she passed by Jaune she swiftly jabbed his side with a harsh glare.

"Ow! What was that f-" As he peered into her unrelenting gaze he sighed in realization. "Fine," he muttered. "I'm sorry for interrupting the meeting too." Happy with his mechanical apology, she continued towards Cinder to begin whispering into her ear. Weiss once again returned to conduct the meeting once more while Neo stood by Jaune, leaning against the doorframe.

"Sorry about that," She signed sneakily. "Couldn't resist."

"At least warn me next time." He signed back. "Or better yet don't do that to me again. Ever."

"Where's the fun in that?"

"Me living to find more fun in the future?"

"Nope," she signed before she poked the side of his head with the straw from earlier. He grimaced as he could feel the slightly wet plastic tap his temple and swatted it away. He turned back to Coco who was still watching the meeting unfold with grinning glee.

"How much longer 'til-" he paused to glare at Neo 's poking utensil again and swatted it away even harder this time. "'til this is over usually?"

"Hmm, what time is it?"

"It's almost five forty."

"Another hour or so, if we're lucky enough for another long show."

"How about I DJ for the first half and get everyone pumped up and then your classical music can come afterwards?" Neptune offered back at the table. "Best of both worlds eh?"

"Can I be co-DJ?" Nora asked with sparkles in her eyes. "I've always wanted to wear one of those giant mask thingys and press buttons on a stage and make flashy lights go off."

"I already have Sun as my usual co-DJ, but uh maybe-"

"Absolutely not!" Weiss argued. "To either request."

"Don't be so frigid princess," Yang countered as Weiss gritted her teeth in anger. "You know what you need? A good old fashioned night romp to loosen up."

"Oh and I'm sure you're the expert in such a field you perverted harlot."

"Actually studies have shown that sex can help manage stress levels better than medicine. It's like super duper exercise that helps release stress and helps calm the mind afterwards," Nora lectured much to Weiss's annoyance. As everyone at the table stared at her incredulously she shrugged innocently. "What? It's science! Nothing wrong with that."

"S-sex," Miltiades shuddered as her eyes once again found Cardin's body. The young man was too busy trying to imagine himself anywhere but here to notice her gaze on him.

"Milly! Don't look at him like that! He's, like, totally groddy," Melanie chided. "Like, I know way more guys that are like, much better than him."

"B-but they're not Cardin."

"Ugh, I don't even know why I bother with you Milly. You obvs don't have good tastes. Not like me." She turned to Neptune and snapped her fingers in front of his face to get his attention. "Hey Neptune."

For the first time that night Neptune actually acknowledged the other girl next to him. "Ugh, what do you want Melanie?"

Her normally crass and obnoxious voice morphed into a sickeningly sweet purr. "I was wondering if you want to blow this place later and hit downtown with me. I know this great club and I can get us into the VIP suite. Doesn't that sound fun?"

"No," he replied with a deadpan frown before turning around to look between Weiss and Yang. "And I agree with Yang, Weiss. Why are you so ada-mant on-"

"Pay attention to me!" Melanie hollered as she grabbed him by the collar to shake him back and forth. "Stop looking at them!"

"Argh! Someone help!" He screamed as he tried to free himself.

"Sis, you're hurting him," Miltiades pointed out.

"That's an understatement," Cardin added. Miltiades instantly gasped and hugged herself, cooing as she smiled to herself as he responded to her words. "He's like a bobblehead being abused."

"Neptune, Melanie, we're having a serious discussion!" Weiss barked. "Stop trying to kill each other and pay attention. And it's pronounced adamant, you imbecile!"

Jaune sighed deeply as the show continued. He was going to be here for a while.

Cameos in Chapter 4

1. The Dream (Rated K+) by Victor Weiss (Formerly Drake Hellion): It's simple Ren and Nora story about dreams, young love, bad timing, and the need for privacy. Not much to say beyond that except that it's cute and definitely worth a skim through for a nice, quick read. Victor has since moved on to make other short RWBY stories about less popular pairings, such as Blake and Adam, that are just as fun to read.

2. Dust and Psionics (Rated T) by Malcho1234 : A RWBY- X-COM crossover story that is unfortunately permanently discontinued. It was an interesting experiment to say the least. The author also has appeared to taken an indefinite hiatus, which is also unfortunate.

3. Massages (Rated T/M) by H'te Rarpee: Arguably one of the most well-known Jaune Harem stories on FF, it has since been cancelled with Rarpee unfortunately also not uploading since early 2015. The scope of its influence is incredibly massive given its subject matter and length and it will remain that way for some time. Give it a read if you want to see how it all started.

4. Transgression and The Landfill (Rated T for both) by ARMV7: Both stories are one of the few examples of the CinderXRuby pairing. Regardless of whether you agree with it or not, both stories are simple, fun, and enjoyable. Unfortunately Transgression has since been removed and long been cancelled and The Landfill is seemingly on indefinite hiatus.

One month late with the chapter, but hopefully the information within it makes up for the wait. A lot of new characters were introduced and the set up for the next major event has started. The question now is, how will Jaune survive until then, and then during?

As always please review with comments, constructive criticism, and suggestions. Every little bit helps in the long run. And don't forget to give these other stories at least a little bit of thought too.