Ah, Tukson's Book Trade. His home away from home… away from home. The first one being Ruby's home on Patch, of course. It seemed that when he wasn't on the road he was always in one of the two spots.

Jaune thought it was a little bit odd for them to visit such a frequent haunt on what was supposed to be a family vacation, especially since it wasn't their normal S&S night. However Summer had insisted on it, and who was he to argue with the Xiao Long-Rose matriarch? He didn't mind one way or another, especially since he was a guest on their family vacation. Even though she had told him that he was just like family to them…

Yang had elected to stay behind, content to let the two dorks spend time in their 'nerd haven' while she did other things. From what Jaune had seen, and what Ruby had theorized, Yang wanted to stay behind to keep an eye on her birth mother to make sure she wasn't able to try any funny business with her father. Raven was determined to become a vampire, and that was something that apparently no one in the family wanted to allow to happen.

Pushing through the door, the tiny bell jingled to announce their presence, and the trio entered to the unmistakable scent of ink and paper. Jaune inhaled deeply as he set his eyes on the comic book section of the place.

"So this is where the two of you spend so much of your time," Summer said as she looked around at her unfamiliar surroundings. "It's nice. There's definitely a kind of ambiance about it. Very old fashioned, but I suppose that books might seem old fashioned in an age where so much of our lives are digital."

Jaune sometimes wondered just how old Summer was. She couldn't have been that old if she was turned into a vampire during the cultural phenomenon where vampires were the 'in thing'. He also wondered how old Ruby must have been then. She couldn't have been that much older than him. Maybe she wasn't even older at all. How much of what she said was just a chuuni fantasy? Stuff like Dust Gremlins and Sirens. He'd never seen any of these things. Did they exist at all? Just because vampires existed didn't mean the rest of them did at all, right?

"It's fine," Ruby said unenthusiastically. Jaune couldn't blame her. As a fellow teenager he understood that the last thing she wanted was her mom to embarrass her in front of all of her friends. Even if there was only one… no, make that two of them.

There weren't many people in the shop right now, but the unmistakable long and black hair of Blake Belladonna was present close to the front counter. With a book in her hands it was a familiar sight. What was different, however, was the lack of a bow atop her head. In its place was a pair of black and furry cat ears.

The sound of speaking earned the girl's attention, and as her golden eyes flicked up her feline ears drooped down. A look of apprehension spread across Blake's features, and she lifted the book up to casually conceal her face from the new arrivals. She must have still been uncomfortable about being accused of being a racist by Ruby.

"I'm going to take a look around, if you don't mind," Summer smiled as she peeled away from the two teens. "Could you point me to the romance section? I want to see if any new vampire romance novels have been published since the Sunset series ended."

Jaune hated to be the one to have to break it to her, but there was no way Ruby would know where the romance section would be. She wasn't exactly the kind of girl who was into all that lovey-dovey stuff. She was a dork and a spaz through and through, and Summer was in for a world of disapp-

"Right over there," Ruby pointed out as surprisingly as it was helpfully. "Third shelf from the back, mostly on the right."

Well. That was unexpected.

Summer beamed appreciatively as she made a beeline straight to the section. "Thanks, sweetie. I won't be long."

The woman practically glided away from them, her thoughts and dreams filled with her single-minded passion for vampire romance. Jaune hoped that he could someday find something that he was that passionate about. Once upon a time it had been becoming a huntsman, but that ship had long since sailed. What else was there? Warmaster? He liked painting and playing, but he couldn't see himself as obsessed with it as Summer was for vampire romance. Comics? Who knows? He was still young, and still had plenty of time to find something.

The boy was disturbed from his thoughts when the sound of exaggerated sniffing filled his ears. Peeking over at Ruby, he saw her head lifted with her nose in the air like a dog, sniffing with her eyes closed as if she'd just picked up on the scent of the prey she was hunting.

"I smell Blake," she spoke softly. Sure, that wasn't creepy at all.

Jaune's eyes shifted back to where Blake stood. He noticed that the grip on her book tightened, and she brought it closer to her face. Had she heard? Were the feline faunus ears she possessed really that sensitive? Between Ruby's nose and Blake's ears, Jaune felt woefully inadequate as a mere human.

Not sure whether he should help out Ruby or Blake, Jaune played it cool. "Are you sure?"

"Sure as sure! I'd recognize her scent anywhere. She likes to use lavender-scented body wash, after all. Makes me wonder if maybe she has anxiety issues. Lavender's good for that sort of thing."

The fact that Ruby not only knew this, but was theorizing over Blake's personal life was more than a little bit disturbing. Then again should he really be surprised by the weirdo that Ruby Rose was? She was a vampire who had previously been unable to feed herself due to being scared of the sight of blood, and grew up with a mom who possessed an unhealthy obsession with wanting her to hook up with a human. Maybe it was a miracle that Ruby had turned out to be as put together as she was.

Jaune stole another glance at Blake to see how she would react to Ruby's theorizing. Nimble fingers were squeezed down on the book's cover. He wasn't sure how to gauge that without seeing her face.

"Maybe she just likes the smell," he suggested. "Like I like that whole 'mountain fresh' smell when I use body wash. I don't know how a mountain is supposed to smell, but whatever it is it's good."

"Yeah it is," Ruby agreed softly. She cleared her throat and shook her head immediately afterward, pressing on with her search for Blake. "A-anyway, back to Blake. She's here. I can sense her presence…"

"You're already a vampire, you don't need to sound like some sort of dark lord too."

"Ah but Jaune, vampires make the best dark lords. With eternal life we can perfect our magical prowess and build up mighty armies the likes of which mortal men cannot hope to stand against."

Jaune frowned. Now she was just spouting fantasy tropes. "If that's true why have I never heard about anyone doing that in real life? Why hasn't a vampire tried to fight the Grimm or that Salem woman you were talking about last night?"

A proud and smug hum sounded in Ruby's throat. "Because we, the midnight aristocracy, care not for the petty trifles of mankind." Okay, now she just sounded like a pompous ass. Like she had been reading one too many vampire romance books. "The lions do not care about the fate of the sheep. And sheep faunus."

"But what happens when all the sheep die and the lions starve to death?"

Ruby blinked. Her eyes rose in thought while she nibbled on her bottom lip. Truly he'd asked her a real stumper of a question when it came to her perceived superiority over the races of man and faunus.

She hooked an arm around his and pulled him closer to her. "Well that's why I have you!" she wound up answering. "You're my meal ticket, Jaune. Mine and mine alone. No sharsies. Especially not Yang."

Yeah, that'd already crossed that bridge a number of weeks ago. Jaune was more than happy with the arrangement, even though Yang was quite an… erotic eater. However when Ruby had attempted to emulate her sister's rather provocative eating style, Jaune had to admit that it was an extremely pleasant experience.

At least until Ruby had suffered from vampire food poisoning due to the copious amounts of garlic in his bloodstream.

"Yeah, yeah. I know," he smiled. There was something kind of appealing about being her own personal blood bag. Like… how he was exclusively hers. And she was exclusively his. It was kind of like dating in a way. They'd even kissed before. A few times.

Jaune heard an exasperated sigh, and after peeking in Blake's direction he found that the faunus girl had lowered the book from her face and began approaching them. Ruby saw as well, and her face lit up with excitement as she saw her friend approaching.

"Blake! There you are!" she exclaimed happily before reigning herself in. She forced the gleeful smile off her face, replacing it with a dark and serious expression. She turned her head away from the aspiring huntress and spoke without a hint of enthusiasm. "I mean, hello, Blake. What does a racist like you want from someone like me?"

Blake winced as if she'd just been shot. Her feline ears pressed down sadly against the top of her head. Jaune may not have known much about faunus, but what little he knew about cats told him that Blake was feeling bad about what had happened in Mountain Glenn.

"Look, Ruby, I wanted to talk to you about that," she said softly. Solemnly. "I really want to clear the air with you, because…"

Ruby's eyes were closed, but opened up one of them to peek back at Blake. "Because?"

Blake held her book in one hand, while the other rubbed nervously on her arm. "Because… we're friends. And I want you to know that I'm not a racist against… vampires."

Jaune knew that she wasn't, and he believed that deep down Ruby knew this too. It was good for them to talk like this, especially before their next S&S session. The last thing they needed was for there to be tension in the air when they were trying to have fun together.

Ruby raised a hand and cupped it around her ear. "So you're apologizing for calling me the M-word, huh? Is that what you're saying, Blake? Are you gonna apologize to me, Blake?"

Another frown spread across Jaune's lips. Judging by her initial reaction to Blake, he knew that Ruby didn't want to be mad at the other girl. However, Ruby was a stubborn moron and so needed to harp on this to prove a point. Whatever that point may have been, he couldn't say. It wouldn't have surprised him if she just wanted to knock Blake down a peg or two in order to prove her superiority over the other girl. Ruby was just that immature that he wouldn't put it beneath her.

The faunus girl nodded, looking briefly to the floor before her golden eyes focused on Ruby again. "Yes. I apologize for calling you the M-word. It was insensitive of me. I realize I should try to learn more about people of the… um, vampiric persuasion."

Wow was this awkward. Blake was an intelligent, learned, and confident girl under normal circumstances. However now she just sounded like an idiot. An idiot who was genuinely sorry, but at the same time was uncertain how to properly express their regret. After all, she had only just learned a few days ago that vampires were real. What did one even say when finding out something earth-shattering like that? It would be like finding out that magic was real.

Oh wait, that was real too. Jaune wondered if they would ever break that news to Blake as well.

Ruby meanwhile had started tapping her fingers together anxiously. She could hide her true feelings with her words, but she was terrible at controlling her body language. "Well, I guess I could let it slide this time," she said. "After all, you are a good friend of mine, and mistakes happen." She leveled a finger at Blake, focusing her entire attention on the other girl now. "I'll let you off the hook for your ignorance. Just don't let it happen again, okay?"

Blake nodded, showing a surprising amount of relief at no longer being considered a racist. "Thanks. I'm going to try to educate myself about vampires. I guess now's as good a time as any to start."

The smug young vampire smirked and ran a hand through her hair before gently shaking it as if she was some sort of supermodel. Knowing what he knew about the sisters, it definitely seemed like more of a Yang thing to do. "I suppose I have the time to answer a few questions about my kind," she said with no shortage of pride. "Ask away, Blake. Ask a true and genuine vampire anything you want about what it's like to be a powerful and intelligent creature of the night."

Powerful? Yes. Intelligent… Jaune wasn't so sure about that.

"Okay. I guess I'll start with… is being a vampire really as sexy as the romance novels make it out to be?" Her eyes shifted to Jaune. "And, um, drinking a human's blood?"

It wasn't the question Jaune, and evidently, Ruby had been expecting. Ruby's demeanor shifted from proud to awkward in an instant, and she nervously took a step backward. "W-what? Sexy?" Her gaze shifted between Jaune and Blake before a nervous laugh crept from her lips. "What do you mean by sexy? What kind of question is that? You were supposed to ask about how awesome and strong I am!"

With her plans in shambles, Ruby didn't even see the creeping form of her mother rising up from behind Blake. To Jaune's surprise, Blake and her enhanced faunus hearing didn't realize it either. Until it was too late.

"What's this? A fellow woman of culture?"

Blake jumped in surprise and turned around to see a grinning Summer Rose who'd somehow managed to sneak up behind her. She too held a book in her hands, but Jaune couldn't make out the title on its cover.

"Culture?" Blake asked confusedly.

"Vampire romance," Summer answered matter-of-factly. "Dear girl, it makes me so happy to see that the youth of today is as interested in it as I was when I was your age. Times and people may change, but good taste never does."

"I mean, I don't exactly know if I'm interested…"

"There's nothing to be shy about, dear," Summer said in that all too familiar loving and motherly tone. "You're at that age where you want to experiment and explore. In my case I managed to find a real vampire of my own and after months of… convincing him, was able to make him my husband. And now I have a darling vampire daughter of my own," she gestured to Ruby.

Blake looked back and forth between mother and daughter before realization finally crept over her. "You're Ruby's mom…"

"I sure am. So tell me, since Ruby's a little bit too shy to answer questions about vampire romance, what would you like to know? Don't be afraid to ask about all the nitty-gritty details either. I'm an open book." She smiled and literally opened up the book she held in her hands to emphasize the point.

"Mom! Oh my gods not here!"

"Shh, quiet, sweetie," Summer chided gently. "Your friend here has questions and I'm more than happy to answer them."

"Ugh, gross!" Ruby blanched before storming away to another section of the store.

Jaune on the other hand was far too enraptured to follow her. Like a fifty car pileup on the freeway, he simply couldn't look away. He casually took a few steps away, picking up the nearest random book off a shelf and opening it to appear busy. In reality, he was listening intently on what was undoubtedly going to be an awkward train wreck of a conversation.

"I guess… I'm just wondering…" Blake said softly. "I'm wondering about the whole… I don't know what to call it. Power dynamic? Like if a vampire and a human are together, the vampire is wholly dependent on the human for food, right? And even though they're more powerful physically, they're also in a way kind of submissive to the human, right? But at the same time the human can enjoy being at the mercy of the vampire without being in any actual danger?"

Summer appeared on the verge of happy tears. She breathed a heavy and unnecessary breath as she gazed upon Blake like the third daughter she never had. "She understood the assignment…" she whispered to herself. "Blake, was it? True Believer, you have no idea how happy it makes me that even the uninitiated like you so completely get the appeal of a vampire-human relationship!"

Were those the actual reasons? Jaune had never read any literature of the sort, and he didn't exactly get the appeal of vampire-human romance either. However considering he was best friends with a vampire now, he was definitely interested in just what made those sorts of relationships work. For… reasons.

"And to answer your question," Summer continued, her enthusiasm carrying her away like a runaway train. "Yes, it is that sexy. It's like oral sex, only more naughty in a sense despite the fact that there's nothing lewd about it. The sound of sucking, the taste of bodily fluid…" She wrapped her arms around her body and swayed dreamily. "It's magical, Blake. Utterly magical."

Jaune's eyes were glued to the page in front of him, only taking occasional peeks up to get glimpses of the two women. His listening focus, however, was entirely on the completely inappropriate conversation only a few feet away from him. Summer was gushing about this sort of thing in public. Clearly she had no shame about who heard her. Daughter included.

The sound of Ruby gagging stole his attention next, and it seemed that despite her distance from her mother that she was still able to hear all the dirty details. As it turned out enhanced vampire hearing might have been both a blessing and a curse.

"Like… oral sex," Blake echoed softly. He couldn't see her face, but her tone just screamed that she was blushing.

Wait, oral sex? How could Summer say something like that when Ruby had been feeding on him for months! Jaune brought the book even closer to his face to shield his own burning skin.

"If you've ever given or gotten a hickey, it's very much like that too. Only more personal since the level of trust you need in your vampire partner is of the utmost importance. Your life is in their hands, and you have to have complete belief that they won't take too much from you."

A flashback to his first night with Ruby entered Jaune's mind. She had taken too much blood from him. It'd put him in a really bad spot for some time. However after that… they had gotten much, much closer. His first time with Ruby, in a way, was kind of like an entirely different type of first time… at least with how much their bonds with each other had deepened…

Blake touched her neck with her free hand. Whether she was imagining what it was like to receive a hickey, or if she was remembering where a previous one had been, Jaune couldn't say.

Summer giggled happily. "Let me tell you, dear, vampires love using our mouths for all sorts of things." That matched up with something Ruby had told him the first night they met. About how vampires used their mouths for a lot of things. Like how she had kissed him to say 'thank you' for helping her… "Sucking blood is just peak sexiness for both the vampire and the human in the relationship. And when you are actually getting down and dirty, doing it in the middle of intimacy is an aphrodisiac like you wouldn't believe." She sighed forlornly. "The only regret I have about becoming a vampire is that I miss the way Tai used to drink from me while we made love…"

Ruby groaned loudly. Yeah, Jaune definitely didn't envy her right now. The last thing anyone wanted to hear about were the details of their parent's love life.

"I… I see…" Blake said quietly.

"Tell me, have you read the Sunset series?"

"No, I'm more of a Ninjas of Love girl."

And intrigued hum sounded in Summer's throat. "Oh. So you're into that sort of play?"

What was that sort of play? Jaune hadn't read either of those series, but apparently Summer was well-versed in both. And Blake in one of them.

"I mean, I've never actually tried any of that stuff personally…" Blake admitted. What stuff! "But it's fun to read about. I'm not against it either, but finding a partner you can trust is, well, difficult."

"Not dating anyone then?" Summer asked.

"No. My last partner, well, he was really more of a mentor than a boyfriend, but we didn't work out. For a lot of reasons."

"Oh that's too bad." For some reason Summer didn't sound too disappointed despite her words. "You know I have another daughter around your age. She's single."

"Oh. Um, yeah, no…"

"Would you be interested in exploring vampire-faunus relationships? I could introduce her to you if you'd like."

"Actually I think I've already met her once. Yang, right?" Right. The time Yang had been interested in eating her. And not the kind of eating that Summer was suggesting either. "Don't get me wrong, she's a very attractive girl, but I don't think I'm, um, into that sort of thing."

Whether that thing was vampires or girls, Jaune couldn't say. Maybe both. It was a question he would never ask the girl though.

"Oh poo," Summer lamented. "Still, one daughter out of two is good. Are you at least a member of the Ruby x Jaune fan club?"

Wait, there was a fan club now? And since when were Ruby and him a couple! They were only a couple in their S&S campaign! Sure they may have slept in the same bed a bunch. And kissed a few times. And she was really soft and pleasant to hold in his arms… And even though she was an obnoxious brat at times, she was also super fun to be around. That didn't make them a… a… couple, right?

Wait, were they basically already dating without either of them even knowing it?

Blake hummed a sort laugh. "You know what? Having seen the way the two of them act together, I can honestly say I am. They make a great couple. The way they get along you wouldn't even realize they have that whole forbidden love angle with a vampire and a human going on."

So Blake endorsed them being together too? Jaune took one hand off of his book and began to count on his fingers. Summer. Blake. Yang. Weiss… they all believed that he and Ruby either were or should be in a relationship. If that many people believed it… could it be a good idea then?

Before he could contemplate on it further, the angry footsteps of boot-clad feet stomped in his direction, and Jaune lowered the book from his face to see an angry Ruby approaching not the mother who'd just embarrassed her, but Blake.

"Oh so it's forbidden now, is it?" she yelled.

Blake appeared shocked by the sudden outburst and took a step back. "Wait, what?"

"What's so forbidden about it, huh?" Ruby pressed. "Is race mixing illegal down there in Menagerie or something? Is miscegenation just that evil to you?"

"What? No! And why do you know that word?"

"You think it's forbidden for me to be with a human or something? Huh? You think I can't kiss a human just because I'm a vampire? Jaune!" she called, turning toward him and beckoning him to come over. He did just that, taking a few steps in her direction, hopefully to diffuse this suddenly tense situation. "Pucker up, because we're about to put this racist in her place!"

Without warning Ruby grabbed Jaune by the face and pulled it down to hers. Familiar lips crashed against his, and for long seconds Ruby kissed him. This time she even decided to slip her tongue inside his mouth. Jaune on the other hand was just too stunned to do anything other than stand there and let his mouth be explored by his best friend.

Well, it wasn't the first time. At this point was it really that big of a deal?

After a successful, not to mention spiteful make out session, Ruby released him to take in Blake's reaction. "There, see? What do you think about that, Blake? Was that so evil and disgusting in your eyes?"

Blake seemed relatively unfazed. "Honestly the only disgusting thing about it was seeing you make out with him like a sloppy drunk. Not because you're a vampire and he's a human."

"Cope and seethe, Blake! Cope and seethe!"

Summer on the other hand…

Jaune saw her go down like a ton of bricks, collapsing to the ground with a shrill noise he could only describe as a fangirl squee.

"Oh my gods!" Blake exclaimed.

The woman lay on the floor passed out, though knowing of her supernatural strength and stamina, not to mention her immortality, Jaune had little concern for her safety. The fact that Ruby appeared only mildly annoyed reinforced the fact that there was no cause for alarm over her sudden defeat against gravity.

Tukson rushed forward from behind the counter and knelt down to tend to the fallen woman. "Ma'am! Ma'am can you hear me?" He pressed a hand against her neck and his eyes widened. "She doesn't have a pulse! Blake call an ambulance!"

Ruby rushed to his side and urged Tukson to stand up. "Don't worry! This is totally normal!"

The man didn't seem convinced. After all, he didn't realize that Summer was a living dead with no pulse. "Ruby, this is not normal! She needs immediate medical attention!"

Blake stepped forward and shook her head. "She's right, Tukson. There's no reason to panic."

The man looked at his most loyal customer as if she'd just sprouted a second head. "No reason to panic? Blake, how can you say that? She doesn't have a pulse!"

"It's because… because…" The faunus girl looked like a deer caught in the headlights. Or a cat. Whatever the animal, she didn't have a good excuse as to why they shouldn't be worried about Summer's lack of breathing and heartbeat.

Luckily for them, Jaune did. "It's her Semblance."

Just as he'd done when Weiss had discovered Ruby's lack of a heartbeat, as well as her vomiting up his alcohol-laced blood that she'd drank, Jaune came to the rescue with the most ridiculous yet believable lie he could muster. Because whenever something strange was afoot, just blame it on a Semblance.

"Her… Semblance?"

"Yeah," he confirmed. "It's her Semblance. She can, um, play dead. It deters Grimm. Yeah."

After all, if a person was dead then a creature of Grimm would no longer be interested, right?

"That's… that's… insane," Tukson rightly protested. And yet he seemed to have calmed down a bit. If the people who knew her best weren't worried, then it only made sense that he shouldn't be either.

It helped that Summer had regained consciousness and began to speak faintly as if she were in the midst of a fever dream. She blinked a few times, staring up at the ceiling as she spoke. "Beautiful… so beautiful…"

Where Tukson was still somewhat concerned, Ruby was just as irritated. "Come on, mom. Get up already. You're embarrassing me, and that's saying something after all the gross stuff you told Blake!"

Ruby helped her mother to her feet, though the woman was not actually in need of any kind of medical assistance. Rather, she was just that ecstatic about the sight of her vampire daughter and her human friend making out with each other.

"Can you do it again?" she begged in a hushed whisper. "Just one more time?"

"No!" Ruby screamed. "That wasn't for you, it was for Blake!"

Truth be told, Jaune felt that it had been for him as well. He'd enjoyed it a lot. Not that he could ever tell Ruby that… or could he?

"You really don't need to share that sort of thing with me again," the faunus girl shot back. "In fact I'd actually really appreciate it if you didn't."

"Shut up, racist!"

"I'm not racist!"

"Yeah yeah tell that to your next clan meeting down in Menagerie!" Grabbing her friend by the hand, Ruby pulled him after her. "Come on, Jaune. We have a movie we need to get ready for tonight." She shot a glare at Blake. "One that Blake is not invited to! Because she's forbidden, just like apparently our love is! Not that we're in love or anything!"

A few more kisses like that might just make Jaune reconsider his stance on that.

"Not that I want to go, but come on, Ruby! You know I'm not a racist!"

Ruby stopped short of exiting the shop. "Oh and by the way I'm not excluding you because you're a faunus. It's just because I'm really really mad at you right now."

She had a strange way of showing anger. Most of the time Jaune thought that Ruby looked hilarious when she was angry. Cute, even.

"Ruby, sweetie!" Summer called after her. "If you're going to make out with Jaune at the movie could you at least take pictures?"

"Mom! Ew!"

The sounds of Blake's protests about not being a racist and Summer's pleas for details faded as they reached the door of Tukson's shop. Pulling the door open the two left in a hurry, desperate to escape the madness they'd created. Well, that Ruby had created.

"I can't believe them," she grumbled as she continued to pull Jaune by the hand behind her. "Saying stuff like our love would be forbidden. Considering that faunus were and still are discriminated against, she has a real problem with her racist microaggressions. What, just because you're a human and I'm a vampire that we couldn't be in a relationship? I mean it worked out for my parents! Why couldn't it work for us? "

Why couldn't it indeed? Just because they were different in some ways didn't mean they were the same in others. Much like a human and a faunus being together, what was so wrong with him being with a vampire or her being with a human?

As the two moved down the sidewalk and Jaune adjusted his pace to match hers, he didn't urge her to let go of the hand she held. She didn't release it either.


Darkness had fallen on the city of Vale. She wasn't used to be out and about at this time, unless she was coming home from work. This time, however, the night was only just beginning. It was a strange, new, and dare she say, exciting sensation to be out spending time with… with…

Friends?

Weiss Schnee had never truly had friends in her life. Sure, there were always fellow children back home in Atlas when she'd gone to school. How many of those people had been real friends, she couldn't say. How many had been interested in her just because their parents had told them to be? How many just wanted to leech off of her name and wealth for their own personal benefit? Whatever the case, that time in her life was over now. The cage had been opened and the bird had flown free. Weiss was out in a new and unfamiliar kingdom making a name for herself, and now on her night off she was, for the first time in her life, out with her… friends…

Ruby and Jaune she knew well, despite how much she wished she didn't. They were a couple who had a tendency to exhibit vile and profane displays of affection in public with absolutely zero sense of shame. They didn't care who saw or heard them. All that mattered to them was that their carnal desires were fulfilled. It was behavior that would never be tolerated in Atlas, and especially not by her father. In a way it was endearing in the sense that it was the very antithesis of what her life back home had been like. She would never tell them that, however. They were still just a pair of perverts who flaunted their very open and vulgar relationship for all to see.

And yet, they were the only people who seemed to want her friendship for no ulterior reasons. Despite how much Weiss may have complained and protested every time she and Ruby interacted, the fact that the younger girl did desire a genuine bond with her did warm Weiss' icy heart. Not that she would ever admit that to Ruby. One had to maintain appearances, after all.

Then there was the girl who she'd never met before the previous night. Ruby's sister, Yang. Well, half sister. That was just another little detail in the colorful family life of Ruby that Weiss didn't plan on exploring too deeply. Yang was older, probably around Weiss' age. She was undoubtedly beautiful, fully matured with assets that most girls could only dream of having. From what little Weiss had seen, Yang also seemed fairly normal, at least compared to her sister. She was sociable and outgoing, and so far hadn't shown that she was prone to lewd behavior and crude outbursts.

"So what movie are we seeing?" the blonde asked the rest of the group, but to Ruby in particular.

"We should totally see that new Spruce Willis movie," the younger sister answered. "Me and Jaune really wanna see it. So that's two votes for that."

Spruce Willis? Sure, such a mindless action movie may have been able to sate the average popcorn-munching dullard with it's over the top and gratuitous explosions, but for a lady like Weiss it simply wouldn't do.

"What about The Tale of Princess Tsuki?" Weiss suggested.

It was a new movie based on Mistrali folklore. When the moon was shattered, a beautiful and immortal princess named Tsuki escaped and descended down to Remnant where she fell in love with a mortal man. Love alone could not bridge the gap between the two, and as he aged she retained her celestial youth, so she willingly gave it up so that she would be able to grow old with the one she loved. It was a tragic tale of romance, sacrifice, and how the bond between two people could transcend even coming from two entirely different worlds.

"Aww, aren't you a big softie?" Yang quipped, grinning at her.

Lowering her gaze, Weiss smiled softly. She was indeed a romantic at heart. Though she had never had an opportunity to dip her toes into the pool of love, it was something she admired from afar. She hoped that one day she would be able to experience the kind of love she'd only experienced in works of fiction. It was sadly woefully lacking in her reality.

"A romance?" Ruby asked. "Ew."

Weiss leveled a finger at her. "Don't you 'ew' me. Princess Tsuki is a classic work of Mistrali literature. Just because you can't appreciate a pure story of true love, unlike your own lustful and hormone-fuelled trysts, doesn't make it bad."

Truly Ruby had no taste. No taste at all. Leave it to the girl who kissed and sucked the neck of her boyfriend at every opportunity to dismiss one of the most heartfelt and famous stories in Remnant's history.

"You know what? I'm voting for Tsuki too," Yang said. Weiss felt her posture straighten and held her head higher with pride. "Spruce Willis is pretty boring these days. I mean how many Kill Hard movies can you make before you finally realize the magic is gone?"

"Okay, so we're tied then," Jaune said. "Meaning we need either some sort of tiebreaker, or a movie all four of us can agree on."

"Rock-paper-scissors?" Ruby suggested.

Weiss shook her head. "I'm not going to allow the next two hours of my life to be determined by a stupid game of chance." She folded her arms across her chest. "Besides, I'm sure you would somehow manage to cheat at it anyway."

Ruby gasped in shock. "Weiss! How could you!"

"Yeah, she's right," Yang added.

Another indignant gasp. Yang grinned at her sister's reaction.

A tiny smile crept up on Weiss' lips. Oh yes, they were siblings alright. While Weiss couldn't see herself being so petty with Winter, she could definitely imagine herself and Whitley squabbling like this for no reason other than to spite one another. Plus, of course, Yang knew her sister well enough to know the truth behind the statement.

As they neared the cinema, the bright lights on the marquee displayed what movies were playing and could be made out even from a distance. Only a handful were currently being shown, and with two of them more or less off the table they would need to decide on a third option soon.

"What about The Romance of the Four Kingdoms?" Jaune suggested.

Weiss' eyes narrowed on that title in particular. A historical drama about the events of the Great War? There were certainly worse options out there. There would also almost certainly be something in there for everyone. For a learned lady such as herself, Weiss would enjoy the history aspect of it, as well as the potential for the cunning political intrigue that would undoubtedly be afoot. Ruby and Jaune would probably like it for the battle scenes. Weiss wasn't sure what Yang might get out of it, but if she was as respectable as Weiss believed her to be then perhaps she would lean closer toward Weiss' camp than her sister's.

"Romance?" Ruby questioned. Her expression gave off the impression that she wasn't all that thrilled about the idea.

"It's just an expression," Weiss clarified. "It's not literally about romance."

Jaune nodded. "Right, it's based on a book with that title I think. I guess it was just their way of trying to sound fancy or something."

At the very least Jaune knew it was based on a famous book. All things considered, he was actually fairly normal in comparison to Ruby as well. Maybe Ruby was just a corrupting presence in his life. Wasn't the guy typically the one driven by thoughts of sex and carnal pleasure? Apparently not so in the case of this relationship. She wondered how he would be had he not been subject to Ruby's lustful and perverted desires.

"You know what? Why not?" Yang agreed. "If it's about a war then there'll probably be some nice battle scenes with lots of gore."

Okay, maybe she wasn't as well-adjusted as Weiss had initially hoped…

In any case… "I vote for it as well," Weiss said next. "So that's three for The Romance of the Four Kingdoms."

Outvoted, Ruby merely shrugged in defeat. "Yeah, yeah, whatever." She poked Jaune in the arm with a finger as they neared the ticket booth. "This had better not be a bunch of lovey-dovey junk."

"It's about a war," he replied. "How much love do you think there could be?"


Another sex scene? Really? Another?

As it turned out, there could be a lot of love. Or more accurately, a lot of lust.

Sure, they weren't showing actual penetration, but still! How could there be this much sex in what was supposed to be a historical drama? Even if it was R-rated, why were there so many breasts? So many butts? Why was every character who was supposed to be fighting a war always drinking wine and visiting brothels and having gratuitous amounts of sex?

And why did that blond-haired, blue-eyed warrior whose last name was Arc have a sword which looked suspiciously like Jaune's!

There was nothing historical about this! The Romance of the Four Kingdoms was supposed to be a dramatization of the Great War, not softcore pornography!

A glance to her right showed Yang staring up at the screen and utterly enraptured by what must have been the fifth 'love' scene in the movie. To Yang's right was Jaune, munching on his popcorn as he too watched with seemingly not a care in the world. And on the far right, next to him was… was…

Of course Ruby was busy sucking on his neck. Why wouldn't that massive pervert be turned on by what was happening in the movie and submit to her lustful desires?

Weiss shrank down into her seat, feeling completely out of place here with a pair of lovebirds who were more content with enjoying each other than the movie. What had she been thinking agreeing to see a movie with them? Why wouldn't they use such a stereotypical setting as an excuse to kiss each other?

Yang's voice earned her attention, and Weiss stole a peek over at the blonde. "Damn ya'll were right, this is good."

There was nothing good about this. This wasn't history. This wasn't political intrigue and drama. This was nothing but breasts and butts with the veneer of a story!

A loud, wet popping noise came further from Weiss' right, and Ruby finally came up for air after enjoying Jaune's neck. She hadn't elected to get any popcorn for herself, choosing instead to snack on the flesh of her boyfriend.

"I'm really glad you got the extra butter on the popcorn," Ruby whispered loudly enough to be heard by all of them. "I could really taste the difference. Your arteries must be totally clogged by now!"

Weiss didn't even want to know how Ruby would know that or what she meant by it. All she knew was that there was something seriously wrong with that girl. Still, all things considered that wasn't the strangest thing she'd ever heard Ruby say.

Yang leaned over toward her sister. "Hey, show a little restraint, will you? Not everyone here can enjoy what you're having right now."

The heiress nodded to herself in approval. It wasn't that she was jealous about not having a boyfriend whom she could do these sorts of things with, but still! Flaunting your open and mature relationship like this in public was just rude. Not everyone wanted to see you making out with your boyfriend when you were part of a larger group.

"Thank you, Yang," Weiss whispered appreciatively. "I'm glad to know you're a lot more put together than your younger sister."

Yang turned to her, and with the light of the movie screen illuminating her face Weiss could see her smile softly. "No problem." The blonde's sparkling lilac eyes lowered, focusing instead on Weiss' neck. "Hey, has anyone ever told you that your clavicle looks delicious?"

Icy eyes widened in shock. Had Yang really just told her that? Wait, was Yang interested in her romantically? How! They'd only just met!

Weiss felt herself shrink down even further into her seat, adjusting her shoulders up so that they would hide her exposed neck. "Aaaand I was wrong," she whispered more to herself than to Yang.

Although… Weiss knew she was beautiful. It only made sense that someone would fall head over heels for her after only just meeting her. Still, Weiss was a classy woman! She couldn't and wouldn't consider any kind of romantic relationship without first getting to know someone.

Yang's stomach audibly growled, and that was saying something considering there was a movie going on in the background. A movie which had unfortunately taken a backseat due to all of the crazy teenage hormones flying around everywhere.

"Damn, I'm starving," Yang complained quietly. "I knew I should have brought something. Maybe Jaune'll let me have a taste…"

As Yang leaned over to where Jaune was, or more specifically, his bucket of popcorn, Ruby slapped Yang's hand away from him. "No touchies!"

And now Ruby was suddenly being territorial over popcorn. Sure. Why not?

Pouring a few of the delicious sprinkle-covered chocolate chips from their box into her hand, Weiss munched on them while trying to focus her attention on the movie instead of the impending drama taking place next to her.

It was important for her to try and enjoy her first time at a movie theater with friends. Her first time tasting overpriced movie theater candy. Yes, this may not have been the ideal situation. The movie itself was a travesty. Her friends were being their usual eccentric selves. She'd just been hit on by a girl she'd only just met. And yet…

It certainly would be a fun story to tell when she was able to look back on it.

Honestly? Weiss was just happy that she was finally living a normal and free life with those she begrudgingly called her friends. It was all she'd ever wanted in her life, and she shouldn't start complaining about it now.


Author's Notes: Honestly, it's the secondary characters in this story who I really enjoy writing a lot. As fun as the Jaune and Ruby dynamic is, seeing those around them reacting to their antics and stupidity is just as fun. Blake and Summer have both been MVPs of this story, and now we finally got to have a Weiss POV as well.

When it came to the movie, I envisioned it being like Game of Thrones in nature. War and politics, but also lots of sex and nudity which wouldn't appeal to someone like Weiss at all. And yeah, that was Jaune's great grandfather in it. We may know nothing about him canonically, but why not have him be big enough to be a featured character? Especially if you subscribe to the theory that the statue in Beacon Academy is him.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. As always, thanks for reading.