Jaune Arc leaned against the balcony railing, as the cold winter snow of Atlas lightly fell around him. A single thought flooded through his mind over and over again:

'I forgot the steps… there's nothing else to it… I forgot how to dance…'

'How did this all happen…?'

We arrived in Atlas only a few short days ago. My… plan… to steal… Borrow! Borrow an Atlas aircraft worked… sorta…

We got into Atlas and General Ironwood was kind enough to give us a place at the Academy for the time being. How Qrow managed to do that I'll never know; the pair hate each other's guts with a passion if you ask me. We were all keen on getting the Relic, stopping Salem and saving the day, general hero stuff. There were just two small problems in our way…

First off; General Ironwood wouldn't let us anywhere near the vault that housed the Relic. Nothing to really worry about, we all kinda saw that coming in one way or another. General Ironwood was even less inclined help us after the whole, stealing and damaging of Atlas property… They got it back and it's not like they can't fix them?! Probably is easier to just replace the giant robot though… What's with Atlas and robots anyway?

Anyway, the problem was something all of none of us saw coming. You see, we were missing one tiny, itsy-bitsy thing…

We didn't have the bloody Maiden needed to open the bloody door that opened the bloody vault to get to the bloody Relic…

We rushed all the way to Argus, got separated at the train. Stole… Borrowed an Atlas airship! Fought off a tiny old lady in a giant robot! And had Blake and Yang fight and kill Blake's psychotic stalker ex-boyfriend! Fought against a giant Grimm and a Grimm invasion! All of this in the space of an hour mind you! Just to get all the way to Atlas, reach the academy and have the Relic just within our grasp. To remember… that we didn't have the bloody key to the bloody door in the first place?!

I blame Ozpin…

I'm not sure how much of this can really be blamed on Ozpin. But, considering all the crap we've gone through, I'll blame him for it nonetheless.

So… now there's nothing left to do but wait… for something…

Luckily for me and for everyone else, a distraction came in the appearance of a cloud of red rose petals.

Ruby came running towards me, her semblance kicking up a trail of rose petals through the air as she materialized before me. Ruby wore a smile on her face that shined brighter than a star in the night's sky. She rushed up to me and told me of a school dance that Atlas Academy was having. Apparently, they usually held a dance around this time of year, it was a yearly tradition of theirs. Just a nice simple dance…

I found it odd that Ruby seemed so excited about such a thing, she wasn't this excited about the dance we had at Beacon. I asked Ruby why she was so excited about a simple dance, she just said we could all use a distraction, couldn't argue against that considering everything we've been through. Ruby asked me if I wanted to go, her smile seemed to grow wider when I said yes. Ruby averted her gaze from me as she asked me her next question; She asked me if we could share a dance.

I smiled back at her and said, "Yes."

For some reason, Ruby proceeded to jump up and down in joy. It stopped when I pointed out that she'd have to wear, as she called them, 'Lady Stilts.' Ruby's joy and exuberance died in a heartbeat.

The rest of the Team RWBY, along with Ren and Nora, came into the room while I was laughing at Ruby's expense. Ruby's expression was like a puppy whose toy had been taken away from her, so cute.

Yang asked me what was so funny as she sat next to me on the couch. I recounted the story about Ruby telling me about the dance and how if we were to go, she'd have to wear high heels.

Yang joined in laughing at Ruby's expense.

Weiss commented on how a dance sounded like a lovely idea. Nora, in particular, liked the idea of a dance. She started rambling on and on about dress shopping. I found it quite odd for Nora of all people to be excited about a dance and dress shopping. Nora was never really into dresses and shopping like Yang or Weiss are.

Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Yang, and Nora were soon huddled into a group, they started making plans for the day to go dress shopping. Evidently, the dance was tomorrow evening, meaning this left the girls less than twelve hours for each of the girls to find a dress and a matching set of heels. A tidbit of information that made all the girls a little bit more than nervous. Is it really that hard to find a dress?

Flashbacks to my sisters and all the times they needed a dress. A date, a dance or a wedding. They all freaked out to find that one dress, even if they had weeks, sometimes even months to prepare for. And Team RWBY + Nora didn't even have a day…

'Well, we're doomed…' I thought at the time.

The girls then proceeded to drag me and Ren out the door as they made their mad dash to the nearest dress store. I asked Weiss why we had to come along. Weiss simple replied that they'd want our opinion on their dresses. That, and the fact and Ren and I needed to get some suits for the dance.

I couldn't argue against her on the second part. But I really, really didn't want to go dress shopping. I have years in experience with clothing shopping with my sisters and their varying styles of outfits. I'd like to keep what meager parts that remain of my sanity intact.

Looming doom of dress shopping aside, I was actually looking forward to the prospect of a dance. Have some fun, hang out with my friends. That sounded nice. Yet, in the back of my mind, I could feel the stat of unease blossom within my mind.

I had forgotten the horror of shopping with girls…

Seven stores, seven different dress shops, and boutiques have we been in and the girls didn't find anything to their liking. Ren and I both saw this coming to varying degrees. And yet, here we are, bored out of our minds as the girls perused the rows upon rows of dresses.

At least Ren and I didn't have to worry about getting our suits, we managed to find those in the first store we visited. Which took about half the time it took RWBY + Nora to go through their first dress store. The fourth store Blake managed to find a dress. Only Blake though, that store was more akin to Blake style than anyone else's.

I really shouldn't have been so surprised and yet, I was.

At the eighth store, the girls finally started finding dresses more towards their liking.

Nora was the first to ask me for an opinion on her dress. I faintly recall her dress was pink, I can't remember much more to it than that. The moment I said it'd look good on her she snarled at the dress and quickly put it back on the rack from whence she found it. Nora's face reminded me of a snarling puppy, so adorable.

This rinse and repeat pattern lasted for three, four more dresses?

I finally had enough and asked Nora what she was getting so upset about. Nora simply replied she needed to find the 'right,' dress. Again, I asked her why it was so important. Nora didn't answer me, instead, she averted her gaze from me. I looked in the general direction of her gaze and found the reason for her frustration. Or more correctly, who, is the reason behind her current distress. I wonder why I didn't catch on to that sooner.

I've been doing that alot lately. That's probably not a good sign…

I gave Nora a cheeky, almost teasing smile as I found out she was staring at Ren; at least I think I did. I remember I told Nora something, I don't remember what though. I only remember that whatever I said made Nora really flustered at that.

I told Nora to relax, I had the perfect solution for her little problem. I called out to Ren and told him to come over here. Nora started babbling on why I was asking him over here. Ren asked me what was up and I told him Nora needed help picking out a dress. I shot Nora a wink along with a teasing grin as I walked away, a look of utter betrayal was etched across her face as she did so.

Nora's still a little peeved at me for that. I thought I was being pretty clever back there, she wanted a dress Ren would like, so why not have him pick it out for her? Maybe I should apologize to her again later...

Yang was the next one to ask for my opinion on her choice of apparel. 'Thanks,' to my sisters dragging with them whenever they went shopping, I have a good understanding of women's fashion. Which now that I think of it, it's probably why I have a poor sense of fashion for myself. And why everyone makes fun of me for that. Thanks, guys…

Anyway, Yang's dress was a golden yellow version of the dress she wore to the Beacon dance. There wasn't really much to it. It looked nice on Yang granted, but when she asked me if it showed off her, 'best features,' I told her it didn't show off any of them.

She got angry at me for that. Shocker…

While Yang's dress did show what some would call her better… assists… But it never showed off her best features. Yang's red eyes glared at me as she demanded me to explain what really were her, 'best features.' I told her it was simple; her best features were her crystalline lilac eyes and her dazzling smile.

I'm not sure whether or not I used those exact words, however.

All I know is, as soon as I said it, Yang's face was flushed red. I asked her if she was okay, probably embarrassed her after what I said. Yang mumbled out that she was okay and went back to the dressing room to try on her other dresses.

Weiss asked for my help next. I told Yang I was going to go help her. Just before I left Yang asked me a question. Yang asked me if her eyes and her smile were really her best features. It told her yes, they were. Her hair also adds to it, makes them look even better. Yang's always had really lovely hair. I don't think I told her that though.

Yang asked me one more question, more of a request really. Yang asked me if we could share a dance or two at the ball. I said of course. Yang simply smiled at me and softly replied, 'Great! Look forward to seeing you on the dance floor, Ladykiller.'

Yang started humming happily to herself as I walked away. 'Getting into the partying mood,' I thought, 'That's more like the Yang I know.'

Weiss had the hardest time finding a dress that fit her. Mostly because alot of colours the fact can and don't blend well with her pale skin and snow-white hair. But Weiss was adamant on not wearing anything that was a light grey, a light blue, or white. That narrowed down the field of choices, but it didn't help it either. That and it couldn't look anything like her usual, day to day outfit. That combat dress… thing…

Do Huntresses think they're outfits are really suitable for combat just because they have, 'combat' in the name?

Weiss had just come out of the changing room in her first choice when I reached her. Weiss first looked terrible, absolutely terrible on her. It was black, charcoal black, black as a Grimm's hide, it looked horrible. It clashed way too much with her hair, and her face, and everything else for that matter. Ugh, my eyes still hurt from looking at it.

Weiss went back into the changing room with a huff at my comments about her choice of apparel. While I was waiting for her to change into a different dress, I asked her what it was like to be back in Atlas. The irritated sigh she let out told me everything I needed to know.

"That bad, eh?" I teased, a soft chuckle escaping my lips at her expense.

Weiss then reminded me of the extreme efforts she put into getting out of Atlas. Only to put in the same if not more amount of effort to get back into Atlas.

I let out a short laugh at that. I couldn't see Weiss's face, but I could tell she was giving me that ice cold, trademark Schnee glare of hers.

I told Weiss not to worry about it and look on the bright side. Looking back on it that was a pretty corny thing to say.

Weiss asked me, "Oh yeah? Then tell me Jaune, what exactly is; 'The bright side of things?"

As she came out of the dressing room and her new dress, I smiled at her and simply said, "Well, we're all back together again, aren't we?"

A deeply heartfelt smile spread across her face as she stared at me. He cheeks became a nice warm red hue as she replied, "Yeah, we are, aren't we…?" We continued to share this happy moment between the two of us for a while. That moment was promptly ruined by my big mouth when I told her that the dress, she was wearing looked horrible on her.

Weiss stomped the ground, which happened to be where my foot was before she went back to the changing booth with a huff. Luckily, she didn't have her rapier on her, she would have probably stabbed me with it. I probably deserved it.

'Maybe that's why I can't dance… No that's stupid. That stopped hurting after a few minutes. So… why can't I dance?'

After that, Weiss and I started chatting about this and that while she kept trying on dresses. I don't remember how, but eventually, our discussion returned to the last dance we attended. The dance we all attended at Beacon. There were so many good and happy memories from Beacon, but there were just as many bad ones though. I tend to try and focus on the good ones, but something about the dance at Beacon felt a little bit off. Something that made me feel terrible…

As Weiss was changing into what would be her final dress of the day, she reminded me of all the times I tried to ask her to the dance. She was even so kind as to remind me of that time I tried to serenade her, she asked me if I remembered that. I remember, oh I remembered doing that all right. I facepalmed hard and groaned into my hands. I wish she didn't bring that up. In retrospect; I seriously, seriously regretted doing that.

Weiss's laughter was like a melody to a love song to my ears. It was such a happy laugh, one you don't hear from her all too often. She wore that same bright joyful smile as before when she came out of the dressing room. She told me not to worry about it, she told me it was cute.

I reminded her that she promptly slammed the door in my face when I was done. Weiss's cheeks flushed red once more, this time from embarrassment. She stuttered for a bit as she tried to regain her baring's.

"Well, it was better then what Neptune did for me. Thank you, by the way for doing that for me." Weiss finally managed to reply. I tried to play dumb and ask her what she meant. She told me to stop it, Neptune told her everything, about how I told him to man up and get out there and ask if Weiss would like to dance with him.

I told Weiss to forget about it, it was nothing. I told her that twice. It was nothing after all. The mood became a little bit solemn after that. Weiss managed to end it when asked me how her dress looked like. She gave me a twirl to show it off.

It looked similar in design to her normal, combat dress… thing. It was longer than her normal attire, reaching below her knees. It was a rich deep blue, almost like my eyes. The closer it got to the end of her skirt and sleeves turned into a snowy white. Laced with rich embroidery.

I told Weiss she looked beautiful and that the dress was a perfect fit for her. What I didn't tell her, now would I ever tell her, that if the dress was longer and she was wearing a veil, she'd basically be wearing a bridal gown. It looked that good on her.

The ever so faintest of blush's appeared across Weiss's face as she turned away from me and walked back into the changing booth, quietly muttering a silent, 'Thank you,' as she left.

I asked Weiss if she was getting the dress or was she going to try on another one. She said she was going to get this dress. Weiss said the dress was perfect, and not just because of how it looked and felt. She never explained to me what she meant by that. So, I told Weiss I was going to leave now since my work here was done. She called out to me before I could though. Weiss's head poked out from the booth. She spoke softly and had trouble looking at me, a wishing hope of a prayer rested on her lips. "You know Jaune… It probably would have been better if I went with you to the dance back at Beacon… Would you… Would you be willing to share a dance with me tomorrow?"

She looked so happy when I agreed to have a dance with her. Yet now that I think about, the idea of getting a chance to dance with Weiss was off-putting… Ever since Beacon, I've wanted to share a dance with Weiss, and yet, something felt very wrong at the mere thought of it…

The dance, the dance, everything felt so confusing and upsetting about the dance. I just wanted to go with my friends and have some fun. What's so wrong about that? What's so wrong with a little dance?

After that, I decided to go check up on Nora. Hopefully my little trick of helping her find a dress she'd like worked. However, Ruby called out to me for my opinion on her dress. And, to hold her precious 'baby' while she changed into it. That girl is so weird at times. I just wanted to check on Nora and see if she found a dress so we could all go back to the Academy and I could fall asleep on my bed… Dresses and dancing were getting to me.

Ruby's dress was a deep crimson evening gown with black details. It was sleeveless leaving her shoulders bare and ran around her neck. It had a thigh-high slit in the skirt to allow easy movement that reached down just above her ankles. Ruby had a broad smile across her face she did a little twirl for me to show it off to me. It hurt me when I told her it didn't look good on her.

I don't remember the lie I told her about the dress, why it didn't look good on her, only that it was a lie. The truth was, the dress looked good on her, it looked really good on her. But, there was something eerily familiar about it. Something that made my skin crawl. I hated it, I really hated it. There was something about that dress that made me really, really angry…

I hope Ruby didn't catch up on any of that.

Ruby went back into the booth to try on another dress. I didn't want Ruby to catch on to my bad mood, so I decided to quickly change topics. I asked Ruby if she had managed to find any high heels. A soft chuckle escaped my lips as I heard her groan through the changing room door. I took that as a no.

Ruby told me the plan was to first find a dress, then find a matching pair of heels. The plan made perfect sense to me. Shoes matching the dress and all that jazz.

Ruby questioned how Wiess was able to wear heels all the time, I believe my answers were along the lines of, "She's elegant. Comes from a refined, and classy society. She's short?"

The last one got a snort out of Ruby, she laughed as she came out of the changing booth wearing her a new dress. She gave me another twirl as she showed it off.

It was nearly identical to the dress she wore at Beacon. The differences between the two were subtle, the skirt was longer on this one than on her previous one, and was a brighter crimson hue. It looked perfect on her, so I told her so. Ruby looked away from me and muttered a faint, 'Thank you,' as she did so.

I asked Ruby if she was planning on getting this dress or look for another. She shook her head and said she was going to get this one. A sigh of relief escaped my lips, Ruby asked me if I was okay. I told her I was, that I was just tired of dress shopping.

Ruby laughed. Ruby has a such a sweet wonderful laugh.

Ruby then asked me if I was excited to go to the dance.

I really can't stand lying to my friends…

It was later yesterday afternoon… No, it was this afternoon. It was only a couple of hours ago when I spoke with Ren.

Team RWBY + Nora had all managed to acquire a dress for themselves, as well as a pair of matching heels. I can still see Ruby's pained expression when Yang and Weiss forced her to buy a pair.

Ren and I were in one of the rooms lent to us at the Academy getting ready for the Dance. Ren and I wore your basic tuxedos with vests. Mine was basic off black with a deep blue vest and gold buttons. Weiss said it brought out my eyes, apparently. Ren had a darker black, if such a thing exists, tuxedo then me, with a simple dark green vest. It took the two of us less than half an hour to suit up. And, we still had about an hour before the dance and who knows how long it will take the girls to be ready, since they had their hair, makeup, and then the dresses themselves to get ready. We were going to be waiting for a while.

While we were trying to kill some time, I asked Ren if he was looking forward to the dance. Ren's response was simple; He simply said he was looking forward to dancing with everyone at the ball.

I couldn't help but tease him. "By 'everyone,' you mean, Nora, right?" The chuckle that escaped my lips soon cascaded into a burst of roaring laughter as I watched a flustered Ren turn away from me, trying and failing to stammer out an excuse. It was hard to ruffle Ren's feathers, rarely anything other than Nora could do it. Probably related to his semblance in some way. I haven't seen him like this since, probably not since Beacon…

Ren, in kind, asked me if I was excited about the dance.

The smile on my face and the laughter in my throat died, instantaneously.

Ren noticed my change in demeanor immediately. Laughing like a mad man one moment, and as silent as a corpse in a heartbeat? What kind of idiot would miss something like that?

Me… I'm that kind of idiot… It only happened once… No twice… I hope…

Ren asked me what was wrong, I told him the truth. I didn't have a clue.

I told Ren I was originally looking forward to the dance, I really was. We've been running and worrying about trying to get here and there. All the while dealing with insane homicidal maniacs and tiny ladies in really big robots. We needed a chance to relax and have some fun.

But, as the dance grew nearer and nearer, this foreboding sense of unease kept on growing within me. I told Ren that this feeling started almost immediately after Ruby told me about the dance. I also told him I had that I had no idea where this was coming from, all that I knew was that it was getting steadily worse.

Ren asked me if I was just nervous about going to the dance. I wasn't really, well more 50/50. Something about the dance was making me feel uneasy, but I wasn't nervous about going to the dance itself. Ren couldn't offer me any sort of answer, not that I could blame him really. You can't really answer a question without the actual question.

So, what did Ren recommend I do, well, basically the only thing he could recommend for me to do really; He told me to try and forget about it and just have some fun at the dance. Short, simple and right to the point, even I could do that.

I couldn't do it… shit…

It was ten minutes before the dance began when Ren and I went to check on the girls. Just as I had expected, thanks to all of my experiences with my sisters, the girls were still getting ready. They told us to go ahead of them, that they'll catch up with us later.

The ballroom was bigger than the one we had at Beacon. It had everything you'd expect at a dance; Wide open dance floor surrounded by tables with chairs for when the students got tired. A table stacked with snacks and your classic big 'ole bowl of punch. Yang made at least two jokes about it. That I'm aware of that is.

Big speakers surrounded the room hidden in alcoves, blaring a steady and simple beat as the people fluttered into the room. A real band also sat on an extended stage. They only played for the slow songs though.

There was an electrifying buzz in the air. People milled about the room, an air of excitement, a tingle of nervousness and a cringing sensation of fear hung around them. Or combinations of them. Ren, for one, had a combination of nervousness and excitement.

I said that it was a bit of a surprise, Ren asked me, 'What was?' I told him I was surprised that he was nervous about going to a dance. Or, more specifically I should say, so nervous about dancing with Nora. Ren, of course, denied it, he was just worried about looking and in front of Nora. I teased Ren and simply said, 'Well, maybe she wants to do a different kind of dance, off the dance floor?'

Oh, I wish I had taken out my scroll and taken a picture of Ren. A photo of Ren blushing, Nora would pay good money for that!

After a brief chuckle at Ren's expense, I told him to relax, he was with Nora afterall. That calmed him down. Nora has always had that effect on him, she calmed his nerve better than his semblance ever could.

Ren asked me if I was feeling any better. I told him how I saw the people her had one of three or a combination thereof of the three different reactions: Terrified, nervous or excited. Ren nodded his head after he surveyed the ballroom. I told him I wished I felt that good.

I told Ren I felt even worse than before if you could believe it. It felt like I was going to either faint or throw up. I prayed for the former, I'd like very much to do away with the moniker of, 'Vomit Boy.'

I don't think Yang will ever let me though.

Ren asked me if there was anything he could do, I asked him if he could use his semblance on me, maybe that would calm my nerves. Ren said it would only be a temporary fix at best. I was afraid he'd say something like that. Still, it didn't hurt to ask.

I told Ren I was going to go get a drink, maybe that would calm my stomach a little. As I made my way over to the snack bar, the dance started to get into full swing. Sorta…

What I meant by, 'the dance sorta started,' was that more students started to file in and started to nervously huddled around the edges of the dance floor. Each and every one of them too scared to be the first one on the dance floor to officially start the dance.

I chuckled to myself as I watched them, drinking from the cup of punch in my hands, hoping someone didn't spike it. I would have gone out there and started the dance myself, but I needed a partner to do that. That and my stomach was still being uncooperative. The punch helped at least, sorta…

"Ah! Here's the punch, but where's the line?" I'm not sure what was worse; the pun itself or the fact it got a chuckle out of me.

I turned to look over at Yang and her dress; It was a golden high-low wrap dress with black details that hugged her body, showing off some of her... assets in the process. In the end, it was a nice dress overall, but what I liked about it is that it showed off Yang's dazzling smile and those gorgeous amethyst eyes of hers. Yang did her hair into a ponytail. I quite liked it, it allowed more of her beautiful face to be seen. Showing off the faint layer of makeup she applied to her face. All in all, Yang looked amazing.

I didn't say anything like that though, I don't really remember what I actually said to her either. She just blushed lightly and punched me in the shoulder. I think I laughed at whatever Yang's response was.

I wish Yang hadn't found me. This is where the avalanche started to rumble and tumble down the mountain.

I asked Yang if she was enjoying the dance. Yang slapped me on the arm and said, "I've been here for less than five minutes, Vomit Boy!"

"Is that a, 'no,' then?" Was what I simply replied as she slapped my arm again.

Yang simply replied, "We'll have to wait and see."

It took me a while since I was preoccupied with my drink, but I noticed that Yang was wearing a pair of evening gown gloves that went all the way to the middle of her upper arm. For most people, they'd think it was just a simple fashion accessory to go along with her dress. Myself, on the other hand, knew the real reason Yang was wearing evening gown gloves. Afterall, the gloves ended just above where the socket for her robot arm and what remained of her right arm ended.

I asked Yang why she was hiding her arm. Yang tried to deflect it, but I pressed the issue. Yang relented, a faint blush across of embarrassment spread across her face as she told me she just wanted to have some fun. I asked her what she meant by that, Yang simply explains to me she didn't want everyone staring at her arm, treating her like she was some sort of weak, frail little bird with a broken wing...

The look I gave Yang asked her if she was some sort of Grimm monster that replaced her with a clone. I was dumbstruck, the Yang Xiao Long I know would have said; 'To hell with what everyone else thinks!' And would have danced the night away with a smile in on her face and an inferno in her eyes!

Evidently, I said that parts of that out loud. Yang looked at me with a faint blush on her face. Stunned at the words I just uttered.

Yang let out a soft laugh as she stared out across the dance floor. The dance finally started to take shape as the 'Party people,' took to the dance floor. A small smile spread across her face as she turned to face me. Yang said to me as she turned to face me, she said it softly, I only managed to hear the last few words over the sound of the music across the dance floor, "Something, something Lover Boy…?"

I asked her what was it she said, she refused to answer. Instead, Yang told me not to worry about her arm. That tonight she was going to have some fun and no one was going to stop her. She gave me a deadpan look as I wished her good luck with that and polished off my drink. Yang rolled her eyes at me and said, "Still so oblivious…"

I asked Yang what that was supposed to mean, Yang simply smirked at me and told me to figure that out for myself. And that in the meantime, I owed her a dance. And with that, I was dragged onto the dance floor for the first time that night.

The music demanded an erratic and fast-paced style of movement. It required you to flow like water down a cascading waterfall to the beat and the rhythm of the song. That was at least Yang's rhythm as she danced the night away. My footwork was like a drunken sailor with a set of matching peg legs. I bumped into Yang once or twice, she did the same to me after all, this dance style is pretty wild and unpredictable at times.

We went through two or three songs afterward's before we called it quits. Yang wanted to keep on going, but we both needed a break to catch out feet and our breath. That was my excuse that is. I wanted to stop, something felt off, wrong as we danced. But, I couldn't do that to Yang, while she wore that smile on her face. Yang looked happier than I've seen on her in a long time. The last time I saw her so carefree and happy was not since… Probably not since the dance we had at Beacon…

We stopped at the punchbowl and poured ourselves some drinks. We chatted about something afterward's, not sure what, I couldn't really focus on our conversation.

While we were, 'chatting,' Blake came over to us at the punch bowl. Yang proceeded to make another punchbowl-based pun. Our response was to groan and roll our eyes at her. Evidently, I was around for two of Yang's bad jokes...

Blake was the first one to buy her dress for the dance yesterday. I never got the chance to see it, but knowing Blake, it's probably be something simple and basic. Was her dress simple and basic, yes, yes it was. Does that mean she didn't look good in it? As Ruby would say, 'Nope!' Blake looked good in her dress. Really, really good…

Blake's dress was a white, knee-length cheongsam with black, floral embroidery. Golden clasps that complimented her eyes held the dress in place, perfectly emphasizing the shape of her body. That style of dress suited her, it really suited her. Yang jabbed me in the side and told me to complement Blake's dress. I think I managed to stammer out something comprehensible to her. I remember her blushing, so, I probably said something stupid and embarrassed her. Typical…

A slow song started to play, that's when Blake asked me if I wanted to share a dance with her. This caught me off guard, Blake never struck me as the partying type, or that much of a dancer really. Then again, I only saw her dance twice while we were at Beacon, she probably only enjoys a certain type of dancing. I was more surprised she decided to ask me really. Yang prevented me from answering since she just pushed me onto the dance floor with Blake.

I shot Yang a quick glare as she gave me her trademark smirk in return.

Luckily, Blake dragged the pair of us to the far side of the dance hall. As far as way from Yang as possible. Good plan, Blake.

Once we reached our destination, Blake wrapped her arms around my necks and pulled me close to her. I've danced this style before which led to my hands instinctively resting on her hips. Now that I think about it, this was a rather intimate position Blake put me in… Weird…

While we were, 'dancing,' I noticed that Blake was wearing a matching bow to cover up her ears. I leaned closer to her, which caused her to blush a bit, and asked her why she was hiding her ears. Blake told me that we were in Atlas and they viewed Faunas harsher then they did in other places and she didn't want to deal with any of that. Blake, just like everyone else in our group, didn't want to worry about that. No mystical Relics, terrorists or magic to worry about. They just wanted to have a day to themselves where they could forget about all of their worries and just relax and have some fun.

Sorry guys, I wasn't having any fun…

I told Blake I understood her feelings, but that it was a shame. Blake has lovely ears. Blake's face was flushed red in embarrassment, she looked away from me as she muttered a quiet, 'Thank you,' in response.

It was by this point where, 'we,' bumped into one another. Blake apologize to me and said it was all her fault, in reality, it was all my fault, I was the one who bumped into her.

That didn't make any sense to me; I've danced this dance a thousand times before that the movements became second nature to me. Yet, I misstepped and kicked Blake's foot ever so slightly that caused our heads to collide. Well, more like my chin hit her head, height difference and all.

This dance just kept on getting worse…

After that the two of us left to get some drinks, that and the music changed to a more fast-paced and upbeat style of music. Not really Blake's cup of tea. I was just glad we stopped dancing.

I grabbed a drink and found a nice lonely wall to keep company. I hope I could get a chance to be alone and collect my thoughts. Unfortunately, just like all other times I wanted to be alone with my thoughts, Nora happened.

Nora appeared beside's me, saying, 'Hello, fearless leader!' In her usual joyful exuberance. I said, 'Hi,' and asked her if she was enjoying herself. Nora said she was having a wonderful time dancing with Ren. I asked her if he liked her dress. Nora responded by slugging me in the arm, a deep red blush spreading across her face like a wildfire in a dry wheat field.

I took that as a yes.

Nora told me she was upset that I did that. That caught me off guard. I asked Nora why she told me she wanted to find a dress and surprise Ren in it. I never thought about that, probably the reason why she asked me to help her pick out a dress. I felt bad about that.

But, before I could apologize for my actions, Nora thanked me. This caught me off guard. I asked Nora what she was thanking me for. Nora explained to me that while I robbed her of the chance of surprising Ren in her dress. It's did get her a chance to show herself off in a bunch of dresses to Ren. And, from what I gathered from Nora's comments, she made sure to show off a few rather… unique, styles of dresses at that.

I may still feel a little bad for my actions, but Nora seemed to be able to enjoy it nonetheless.

Nora then surprised me; She asked me if I was okay. She didn't ask me if I was tired or if I was having fun. She asked me if I was okay…

"Evidently, Ren's been talking…" Nora gave me a pouting look and told me I was avoiding the question. Maybe I was, maybe I wasn't. There was no point in hiding it, part of me expected Ren to tell her anyway.

Seeing as there was no point in hiding it from Nora since she'd find a way to get it out of me regardless of what I did or said. I told her the truth. "No, I'm not. In fact, I feel worse than before…"

Nora asked me if there was anything she could do to help, oh how I wished there was something, anything she could do.

Nora's little interrogation soon ended there. Unfortunately, it was at the behest of my next dance partner asking me for her turn on the dancefloor.

Oh, Weiss… A few months ago, I would have killed to be on the dance floor with you. For just even one song, hell even a part of one. But now… I wanted to be anywhere but here… Life's little ironies are sad in the form of the tragedies they like to play upon unsuspecting fools.

Oh, the Waltz… Of course, it was always going to be a Waltz…

If there was ever going to be a song I'd dance to with Weiss to, it would be and would always be, the Waltz. I loved the Waltz, it was my sisters' favourite. My sister made me practice with her time and time again. Ever so slowly, it started to grow on me and I too fell in love with it.

The feeling one could feel with the right partner that felt like you were a warm breeze flying through a field of flowers on a spring's day. The special, heart-wrenching feeling that one felt as they danced with that special someone holding you in their embrace. It was perfect, simply perfection. That's at least that's the way my sister described it when she found her, 'certain special someone.'

I was not so lucky. Shocker…

Unlike the rest of the night, my steps were perfect, nice and even. Perfectly timed and executed along with my dance partner. If my sister was here to see me, she would have said I danced flawlessly. And while I would agree with her, to a point. My technique was flawless, but my heart was not in it…

I felt, pre-programmed like I was a robot. My steps were seamless, my time was perfect, but it just felt so cold and calculated. If felt like I was running on autopilot. It was the worst dance of the night and hopefully, the worse dance I'll ever partake in my life. My heart wasn't in it, it was never there, to begin with.

The Dance soon ended and all the dances bowed respectfully to their partners. I tried to escape but Weiss held my hand and smiled at me. Weiss told me that, that was one of the best dances she's ever been in. I hate lying to my friends. Worse of all Weiss no doubt knew I was lying. Weiss could read people like a book and I was no doubt a children's pop up book. Afterall, after all, she's told me about her family, she no doubt knew what a fake smile looked like.

Sorry, Weiss…

'Okay… I can still, 'dance,' but I can't dance… Why? Why is this happening to me?!'

I tried to escape from Weiss, no the whole damn thing. The dance, my friends and this ungodly empty pit welling up within me. But my last dance partner for the night found me…

'Damnit Ruby, why did it have to be you…?'

Ruby had a deep scarlet blush as she made her way over to me. Her hands rested behind her back as she fidgeted with them. There was a slight wobble in her step, no doubt still getting used to wearing, 'lady stilts,'

"Hey, Jaune…" She bit the bottom of her lip and looked away from me.

I responded, "Hey," back. I couldn't help but wonder why she seemed so nervous. She invited me to this stupid thing and asked me if we could share a dance. I should have never said yes to going to this dance in the first place. That would have been a waste of time though. My friends would have probably dragged me here anyway.

Ruby asked me if I was having fun. Once again, I lied and said I was.

I asked if Ruby was here to ask for her turn to dance.

She simply replied, "Yes. But, the 'right,' song isn't playing yet." That worried me.

In the meantime, Ruby said we should get a drink. I agreed with her, I was thirsty and thought a drink could settle my stomach. I didn't work the first time, so why would it work now?

Ruby and I grabbed our drinks and found a wall to rest against as we waited for the 'right,' song to play. It gave me a chance to catch my breath and rest my legs a bit. Didn't do anything for my nerves though.

I heard Ruby giggling to herself beside's me, I asked her what was so funny and she held up her drink in a toast. "To the socially awkward," she said.

A soft chuckle escaped my lips as I tapped my cup on hers. My mind went back to the dance at Beacon as I recounted that moment. I told Ruby that that was just before I went after Neptune for refusing to go to the dance with Weiss, all because he couldn't dance. Ironic…

Ruby laughed softly as she recounted how, 'angry,' I sounded when I handed her my punch saying, 'Hold my punch.' Just before I chased after Neptune. Ruby said she was a little glad I didn't come back for my drink, evidently Ruby drank it.

Not sure how I feel about that…

Ruby chatted some more, recounting our days at Beacon and all the fun we had, as well as our trip to Haven and to Atlas. I wanted to throw in my two cents into the pot. But, the best I was ever able to do was a, "Oh yeah, I remember that." Not really a conversation to be honest.

The whole dance was just draining me, physically and emotionally. And that was even before I got here. It's just gotten worse since I got here. I just want whatever Ruby's song was to play so I could just leave.

On second thought, I rather have it that Ruby's song never came in the first place. It was another slow song…

'Oh gods, Ruby, why did you have to do this to me?'

As soon as Ruby's song started, she gleefully grabbed my hand and dragged me into the middle of the dance floor. She put her arms around my waist while mine went around her neck. It was a bit awkward to dance with Ruby. Even with the two inches, her heels gave her, I was still too tall to properly dance with her.

The song started to get into play and we along with everyone else swayed and stepped side to side with the rhythm of the song. My sister never called this dancing, she always referred to it as a bunch of tree branches being pushed against one another in a storm. And while everyone else started to get into the feel of things, Ruby and I just stood there.

Nothing of this felt right.

Ruby looked at me, eyes filled with concern. I couldn't dance with her, Not with her, not with anyone. Ruby tried to grab my arm as I pulled away. She asked me what I was talking about, why couldn't I dance with her, what was wrong. I easily avoided and lost her in the sea of dancers. I saw the rest of the group had gathered up together and watched me leave. No doubt spying on us while we, 'danced.'

Yang started to make her way over to me, a red tint brewing in her eyes. No doubt she'd be demanding an answer as to why I would ditch Ruby on the dance floor. I couldn't handle Yang right now, much less answer her. Like I knew even knew what I could say to her, to begin with.

I easily managed to lose Yang just like I did with Ruby in a sea of dancers. I snuck my way into the hallways and onto a balcony overlooking Atlas. It was snowing lightly with a faint breeze in the air blowing the snow lightly upon my face. The air was cool, my breath appearing as a white mist as I struggled to settle my breathing.

I leaned against the balcony railings. In my mind I ran over the events of the last two days, searching for an answer as to what was plaguing my mind today. And here is where I returned to the present, still no wiser as to the answer.

"Dammit!" Jaune slammed his fist onto the snow-covered railing, sending a cloud of freshly fallen snow into the air and all over him in the process. "I've retraced my steps and I still can't figure out what's wrong?!"

Jaune's face fell into his hands as he let out a frustrated and tired groan. The nights cool breeze enveloping him, managing to calm him down a bit, but still left him feeling sick to his stomach.

"It doesn't make any sense!" Jaune quietly muttered to himself. "I haven't forgotten how to dance, more like I'm unable to… enjoy it?"

He remembers the steps, knew how to move to the beat when there wasn't any. But they were all emotionless, cold and calculated. A routine more fitting for a pre-programmed machine than a human. No matter how hard Jaune tried, his heart was simply not in it.

"ARRGH! None of this makes any sense?! I never had this problem last time when I danced with…!" Jaune collapsed to the floor in agonizing pain, one hand holding himself up against the railing while his other hand clutched his chest. Where his breathing was once steady and calm, it now came out in hard labored breaths, as if someone was currently choking him in a vice-like grip as he struggled for air. His chest screamed in pain and emptiness. Jaune felt like someone had reached into his chest with a hand made of ice, grabbed onto his heart and ripped it out of him, only to see it crushed before his very own eyes. The tears in his eyes slowly froze as they cascaded down his face as his body slowly slumped against the snow-covered railings. The realization for all of this day's pain and aches was a death toll that rang through his mind so clear and so loud it deafened all around him. Leaving him with only one thought, the thought of what his pain was.

It was nearly two hours later that Team RWBY, Nora and Ren finally managed to find Jaune.

It was just before the group decided to give up and ask for help from the staff that Ruby heard something. It was very faint, Ruby had to yell at Yang and Weiss to stop arguing and be quiet. The group quietly followed Ruby to a doorway that leads to one of the many balconies that surrounded the dance floor.

As they neared the door Ruby noticed that the door was ever so slightly open, a small trail of snow blowing into the room in the process. The voice grew louder and louder as they grew ever nearer to the door. What worried them more is that the voice itself was an all too familiar one, one they would never forget.

Ruby opened the door to the balcony and on her left leaning against the railing knelt Jaune, watching a video play on repeat on his scroll. The left side of his body was covered in a layer of snow, his eyes red from crying. The video was one that as far as Ruby knew, that only she and Jaune knew of. A video whose contents of which stunned everyone into silence. A video that Jaune had seen so many times before, he could easily recite it all from memory.

As the video continued to play into a cold winter's night in Atlas, Jaune finally found the source of all of his pain...

"Alright Jaune, just like we practiced…"

He lost his dance partner back at Beacon.

Well, this is the first story I've ever posted here. I hope you all enjoy it. Special thanks to my friend, Quijibo, for helping me come up with some of the ideas for my story and with helping me with the grammar. Go check him out, he's got alot of nice stories on his account.