Knight of Nothing

"I promise I'll pay you back, Nora, I just really need the money today." He stated, thought his audience was much less sympathetic than he had hoped she would be.

He originally hadn't asked Nora specifically, though it became clear quite quickly after he stated what the money would be used for that neither Ren nor Pyrrha would support him financially, so that left him with only one real option. That remaining option, now having dressed herself in a 30's style suit and found an actual cigar somewhere.

Since when did she smoke? Whatever, that's not what I need to focus on right now. If I can't get someone to lend me money, then this date isn't going to happen, period.

It wasn't that he was going all out for this date, no, it was a combination of the fact that he was currently unemployed and that five-start restaurants were so ludicrously expensive. How can anyone charge $120 for a square of meat with some leaves sprinkled on for pizazz and some fish eggs? Regardless, he would need money, so Operation Ceaseless Begging was a go.

Nora spoke, "So you come back to me, begging on your knees after all you've done to my family, huh Jauney-boy? You've got some nerve. How am I gonna get my money back from this, huh? This isn't like the last time, is it?"

She's completely in character with accent in full swing, this is bad. She also brought up last time, Oum I hoped she had forgotten about that, it was only 30 lien but she would have you think I scammed her out of a fortune.

"No boss," Why am I in character now too? "I promise, this time it's different, if we can bring the Schnee family into the fold, we'll never worry about funding again, it's a stock for now."

"I don't trust the market after the crash, Jauney, you know that." She grunted, and put out the vintage cigar on her bedsheets.

Are those embers? Shouldn't you put that out on something not flammable?

"But I do trust you, even if we've had our problems in the past, that's history now. If you can secure this deal, there'll be more flat-toppers (read: pancakes) for you than you know what to do with."

Thank Oum this is over, now to start getting ready for the date. Do I even have anything resembling a suit?

Her bed is totally on fire.

OwOwOwOwOwOwOwOwOwOwOwOwOwOwO

Weiss was ready. Everything had been taken care of in preparation. Every strand of hair straightened, every eyebrow plucked, every lip glossed. She even had some lien on her in case he couldn't pay, there was about a 50/50 chance of that at this point, but she couldn't find it in herself to care anyways. She was expecting…

What am I expecting from this? I'm not expecting much from the first date, but for whatever reason, I am expecting this to work out in the long run. Maybe it's because I'm a Virgo?

Her thoughts were interrupted by a timid knocking on the door of her dorm room.
"That was weak Arc, do it again!" she shouted through the wooden panel.

A second's pause and three resounding knocks later, Weiss opened the door to see Jaune dressed in… slacks with a button-up shirt and tie covered by a sweater-jacket?

He looks like he should be teaching kids about friendship on a television show, not going out on the town. Can I even be seen with him like this? We'll just have to buy him something better after dinner… if it goes well.

Jaune cleared his throat and tried to speak but nothing came out at first.

Oum, it's just like back then.

He had tried to court her earlier, of course, and horribly unsuccessfully to boot. Nearly everything he had ever seen on TV he had used on her. Not a single thing worked, some actually got him hit, though that also meant she cared, so it wasn't too bad. The worst was when she would ignore him completely, when he was in the middle of his serenade and she simply closed to door on him. He kept playing, of course, it was rude to stop playing in the middle of the song, if the glares he got in the hallway were anything to go by.

She was just so beautiful, and who wouldn't love to be dominated by such a pretty girl. In a completely, erm, socially acceptable way of course.

Am I a masochist? If I am is that a problem? If it's Weiss… anyways, back to the now, right. Time to make an impression.

"I'm here" he states lamely.

…

It doesn't look like he's going to add anything else. Weiss sighs, straightens herself up, and gently closes the door once more.

…

Did I really fuck it up so badly with just one line? I know it was weak but damn.

After a few seconds, the door cracks open again, with only a Weiss's right eye poking around.

"Are you going to try again, or do I have to hold your hand through everything?" she spoke softly, though her statement was not without weight.

The door closes again. He straightens his back, and knocks once more. The door swings open lazily.
"My lady,-" he begins.

The door slams shut immediately. He knocks again.

"Weiss, are you ready?" he tries, slightly tense at this point.

She sighs again, then speaks "Bland, but I suppose it will do for now."

He visibly relaxes and extends his hand forwards, she pauses for a second before taking it.
Hmph. He got something right, a nice change of pace.

OwOwOwOwOwOwOwOwOwOwOwOwOwOwO

As they walk down the street, hand in hand, two completely different thought processes are occurring.

This is what a girl's hand feels like, awesome! Are my hands clammy? Am I gripping too tight? Did Nora ever put out her bed? Are we going the right way, I could have sworn we should have taken a left back there, but I'm already in too deep. Fake it till you make it right? That is my story after all.

I know exactly where he is taking me. I had hoped it would have been something in between trashy and opulent. The Restaurant de la Colline isn't a bad place, it's just somewhere that I have eaten at one too many times with my father and his associates to think of as anything other than a location to hold unofficial meeting at. I suppose that's what this is, after all, is it not? A personal meeting, between myself and my trade partner, to determine if we would like to do further business with one another.

As they enter the restaurant, they are greeted by the doorman and let inside. Jaune checks them in with the reservation that took half of the money he borrow to even acquire, seeing as it was so last-minute.

The entire place is huge and open, with some circular tables spread throughout what could be used to hold a ball. The entire place screamed "I paid too much for this chair".

They are escorted to a private booth, with drapes covering the entrance, near a grandiose chandelier. The lighting in the booth could only be referred to as somber, though not unpleasant. Easy on the eyes while still being bright enough to clearly read in.

Speaking of reading, there are menus on the table, though only Weiss has any idea what any of it means. So while Jaune is attempting to figure out what language the menus are in, Weiss is waiting for him to say something.

Anything.

Please.

"Who named these?" he queried, "What is Ratatouille? Isn't that the movie about a rat?"

Never mind, all she wanted was for him to stop talking, though even as her immediate reaction fades, she can't stop herself from smiling at his unguarded and honest looks and statements. The entire walk over, she was immensely aware that he was nervous, tense. From the way that he walked to the moves he made, every clue was there, and it didn't take a genius to put two and two together.

"No, it is… you know what, just order it and find out for yourself."

The waitress comes by and takes their orders, taking their menus in the process and unknowingly taking a load off of Jaune's shoulders. Those things are nightmares. So. Many. Words.

A few moments pass with little spoken between the two.

She breaks the silence first, "You know, you didn't have to do this. You didn't have to bring me to a restaurant like this, I know you can't afford it."

"But I did," he starts, before he seems to pause.

Maybe I was wrong about him, does he think he has to do this because of my status, and is that what this is? Is that why he accepted in the first place? Oum, I haven't even thought of what he might be feeling or his motivations behind accepting. Maybe-

He straightens his shoulders before he cuts through her treacherous thoughts, "Because I need to give the most amazing person I know the most amazing experience I can. This might be the only chance I ever get, so it can't be mediocre." He starts blushing before he slumps slightly and begins muttering to himself.

"Well, I suppose those reasons are adequate." She states lamely, avoiding any and all eye contact while crushing any potential smile that may or may not have been forming.

Luckily, the waitress chose that exact moment to bring out their orders, giving them a valid reason to avoid talking, because it was clearly not because of anything either had said. Everything was normal.

As it turns out, everything was normal, and the rest of the dinner continued with the two making small talk and learning little things about one another. Things like a certain quirk that Weiss has, her fear of icicles of all things. Apparently are were ominous and could come crashing down at any moment, a dangerous uncertainty. With her having a fear of things out of her control, she really made a poor choice in career.

Once they were done, Jaune covered the tab, wincing when he saw the initial amount, and then again when he realized he had to leave a hefty tip on top of the already outrageous tab.

They then left the restaurant, Jaune feeling not-so-slightly cheated, and casually made their way back towards Beacon. The walk back was much calmer, more serene. Whether that was because there were fewer people out, that the night sky was showing, or that they were simply much more comfortable with each other than before, it didn't matter, the experience was much better than before, with Weiss even cracking a joke. It was a sneaky one, and Jaune didn't really understand it, but he appreciated the attempt nonetheless.

It is now almost 8 PM and they are standing outside of team RWBY's dorm. It's one of those moments, where the guy is expected to say something romantic yet cheesy at the same time to wrap up the evening, then… well he didn't expect to get that far, but you miss 100% of the shots you don't take, right?

"How was it?" He queried, somewhat nervously.

"It was short, awkward, and poorly planned." She started harshly. "But I didn't hate it. Next time you'd better have something more entertaining than a restaurant, Jaune."

Next time. That means it wasn't a complete disaster, at least to her. Oh Oum, she said next time. I'm still going to have to pay back Nora for this time, let alone next, though, fun doesn't necessarily mean expensive. I've been thinking for too long, now is the time for action. She's waiting, now or never. I need to go for it. Yeah, no stalling, only doing. Just go do it. Go time. Now. Yeah.

Jaune leans forward, eyes screwed shut and mouth so puckered it could cut diamond. He doesn't get far before a heel is pressed into his chest, forcing him down and knocking the air out of his lungs with a soft "Ugh" coming out of him as he hits the floor. The heel remains on his chest, continuing to deliver no small amount of pressure. He looks up at her, with fear in his eyes.

I fucked up, should not have gone for it, too late to abort, we are past V1 speed. At least I have a good view from this angle. If I'm going to die, I might as well go all in.

"White there too?" He spoke, knowing there is a good chance those would be the last words he ever speaks.
"If it's not broken, no need to fix it." She states with a slight smirk on her face. "You can look, but touching is earned, and you haven't done nearly enough to earn that. Maybe next time I'll let you go for what you tried tonight, but only if I truly enjoy myself."

She then moves her foot off of his chest, and walks towards her door. She opens it and says to him softly, "Good night Jaune." then closes the door.

That… is not how that was supposed to go, but it ended better (worse?) than I had expected. I doubt I'm going to get that image out of my head anytime soon. Only one thing to do, then. It is time to plan the most entertaining date I have ever planned! No, that sets the bar too low. It is time to plan the most entertaining date anyone has ever been on! No, that one is too high. It is time to plan an entertaining date!