"I apologize again for the inconvenience," Ren repeated once Egrer had been sat on the ground. Nora pulled his arms behind his back and tied him to a tree, oblivious to his desperate struggles. "As soon as we make sure that Jaune asks Pyrrha for a dance, we will let you go."
"Mmphmpf!" Bound hand and foot, Egrer could only mumble into the gag. He couldn't even see anything since the bag hadn't been taken off his head. Yet, by some miracle, Ren managed to understand exactly what he meant.
"We have our own methods. Just as you prepared Jaune for this day, we prepared Pyrrha," the mumbling grew louder. "Please calm down, no one will hear or find you here. Your plans have already failed."
"Renny, we're gonna be late," Nora said anxiously.
"Yes, you are right. We must go."
And they left him alone, tied hand and foot, in the middle of nowhere. Their footsteps receded and soon faded completely. Egrer went silent too, as he strongly doubted they would've left him in a place where a random passerby could hear him.
The panic slowly receded, and his breathing evened out. If you think about it, nothing life-threatening is happening. It's just that Jaune won't get together with Weiss, and all of Beacon will keep thinking she's Egrer's girlfriend.
The panic began to rear its head again.
If Ren and Nora think that some ropes are going to hold him, they are sorely mistaken! Egrer had gotten out of scrapes they couldn't even imagine in their nightmares. Once, he'd even been chained to a hundred-kilo weight and thrown into a river. And nothing came of it, he somehow freed himself and survived!
His fingers began carefully probing the structure of the knot on his wrists. Egrer figured out which ropes were intertwined with each other and began to methodically loosen the knot, rhythmically jerking his hands in the right directions. His Aura obediently flowed to his wrists, protecting them from friction.
The former thief never suspected that in his new, crime-free life, he would still need this skill.
Soon the ropes loosened, and he was able to free his hands. The first thing he did was rip the bag off his head, followed by removing the gag from his mouth. Even despite his Aura, small red welts remained on his arms.
Without wasting another minute, Egrer ran toward the ballroom. Even a second's delay could cost him all his efforts. The only comforting thought was that those traitors wouldn't be able to do anything irreparable in a measly ten minutes.
I mean, Egrer couldn't have worked towards his goal for so long only to suddenly find out that there's nothing waiting for him ahead but a deep ditch. That's unfair. The world couldn't be designed in a way that a crude kidnapping could ruin weeks of hard work! Jaune will surely be able to figure things out on the spot himself; he's a big boy now and doesn't need babysitting.
Right?
Apparently, hope had completely abandoned a despairing Egrer, since he expected so much from Jaune. It was basically like hoping Magenta would do the right thing! But if she would just forget what she was supposed to do, Jaune would consciously go with the flow. Nora and Ren will simply gang up on him, and then...
What would happen then, he didn't want to think about, but it wasn't necessary anymore anyway. Egrer burst into the hall, nearly knocking someone over.
"Oh, Eg!" Nora, who had barely managed to jump out of the way, exclaimed happily. "And I was just going to look for you."
He ignored this vile traitor, scanning the crowd for Weiss and Jaune.
Weiss was easy to find; she was standing all by her lonesome near the far tables, fiddling with flowers, putting on a busy appearance. Apparently, no one had asked her to dance yet, and she, instead of finding someone else besides Neptune, simply preferred solitude.
Jaune, meanwhile, was right next to Pyrrha. They were having fun. Whatever Nora and Ren had planned, in the end, they succeeded.
Unlike Egrer's plans.
"Damn it..."
All was lost, it was all for naught. This entire time, right under his nose, these two traitors were running their schemes, but he found out too late. For a second, it was even funny; there was such a massive intrigue swirling around Weiss, but she wasn't even aware of it. Nonsense, considering she was precisely the biggest schemer among them.
And what's even funnier and sadder at the same time is that Weiss was the only one who ended up losing. Neptune rejected her, the soft-hearted Jaune had been poached, and the rest wouldn't poke their noses into this love square under any circumstances. They'd just observe.
The evening was ruined for her. And she had placed such high hopes on this ball...
All because of Egrer's machinations. If he hadn't interfered with the course of events, everyone would be happy. Jaune would be with Pyrrha, and Weiss with Neptune. And there wouldn't have been those almost daily moral dilemmas of who to help in the difficult business of matchmaking.
A thought crossed his mind to find Neptune and tell him that their agreement with Jaune was void and that he could hit on Weiss again with a clear conscience. But he was nowhere to be found.
'Well, I guess there's no way out.' Egrer dusted off his pant legs, which still had some grass and gravel on them, and fixed his hair. If he was the cause of all this, then he was the one who had to fix the mistakes.
"Ahem, ahem," he coughed so as not to scare Weiss by suddenly appearing from behind. Such jokes were definitely inappropriate right now. "May I have this dance?"
"You do realize that the rumors about our relationship will spread even more after this?" she asked without turning around. As before, Weiss was simply adjusting the flowers in the vases. "And what happened to your 'Even if you were three times as gorgeous as Yang, I still wouldn't go to the dance with you'?"
"I didn't hear a 'no'."
"Because I didn't refuse." She finally turned her head toward him. "Do you even know how to dance?"
"No, but I can follow your moves in time. I'll have enough reaction speed and footwork, don't worry."
He held out his hand to her with a look as if he'd been forced to do it under the threat of starvation. And Weiss accepted it as if she were doing him a grand favor. From the outside, it could easily seem like they couldn't stand each other.
Without much surprise, Egrer noted that his partner had smooth but very cold hands.
"Dancing is not about agility or flexibility. You must feel the music, its rhythm. And I don't mean needing an ear for music," Weiss immediately added when Egrer smirked, "you have to feel it not just with your soul, but with your body."
Fortunately, a slow melody was playing right now, so Egrer had the opportunity to gradually get used to the unfamiliar activity. So far, everything seemed easy.
Although, keeping a hand on Weiss's waist was exactly what wasn't easy. He somehow felt like he was invading her personal space, as she had never particularly liked physical contact. Egrer calmed himself with the thought that it was just a dance and everybody did it.
"Well, seems to be working out. Any more advice? More specific."
"Replay happy memories in your head. My teacher said it helps."
"You say that as if you've never used this trick yourself."
"Because I don't have that many happy memories. That is probably why dancing came to me with such difficulty. At least, the energetic ones or those based on improvisation." After a couple of seconds of silence, she gave another piece of advice. "Don't slouch, straighten your back, and square your shoulders. By fearing looking foolish, you end up looking exactly that—foolish."
"Everyone's looking at us."
"Naturally, since I've started dancing. One of the major events of the evening. Where else would they look?"
"They're not looking at us like that."
"Shut up," Weiss grumbled. She was clearly perfectly aware that right now everyone in this hall was mentally noting that those rumors were definitely not rumors. And they had every right to, since a direct confirmation was right in front of their eyes. "Just replay happy memories in your head."
"I don't have happy memories. Got plenty of good ones, but no happy ones."
"Really?"
"Where would they come from? The first ten years of my life were constant survival, and another five I spent under Pop's wing. Only after escaping did I start breathing freely. And before that, I could only rejoice in the little things. But is that happiness?"
"You know, that painfully reminds me of my own life."
"The first ten years were constant survival?" Egrer asked skeptically, barely keeping up with his partner's sharp side step. "And another five you spent under Roman's wing? Believe me, I would have remembered you."
"Not that literally, of course," she huffed indignantly. "No, the first ten years I lived a lie, while my parents made eyes at me, while the family was inexorably falling apart. I realized the truth when my mother finally drank herself into oblivion, and my sister left home, slamming the door loudly. You know, it hurts quite a bit to realize that your entire life 'Before' was just a fiction, that nobody really loves you and you're just a political pawn in the hands of a dictator."
"Well, at least you wanted for nothing. Except a normal family, of course."
"Do you really think I needed a huge, empty, cold palace, heaps of dresses, the best teachers, and other material wealth that much? What is the point of it all if I was miserable? Every step of mine was controlled, initiative was crushed, and any disobedience was perceived by my father as a challenge to his authority."
"I understand that you want to vent, but let's not get into typical demagogy about 'What's better: living in luxury without freedom, or in poverty, but with freedom'," Egrer said rather grumpily. "Let's start with the fact that the poor don't have any freedom either. Money rules the world and you know that better than anyone."
"I wasn't going to start any demagogy, especially on such an obvious matter. You misunderstood me. I am trying to say that you suffered more physically, while I suffered morally and spiritually."
Egrer rolled his eyes. Who would have doubted that she'd consider herself special here too. After all, it's commonly accepted that the mind is more important than strength, just as spiritual pain is more terrible than physical pain.
"Live with Roman for at least a day, and you will quickly learn all the torments of moral and spiritual pain, believe me."
"You think Jacques is better?"
"Are we back to that proposal to swap parents?" Egrer smirked. "I wouldn't mind trying out palace life."
"Pfft, good luck. When your teeth start aching from loneliness, you'll start talking to your reflection, mark my words."
"Just like in one of your songs, huh? You know, if I hadn't gotten to know you better, I never would have realized that it was, essentially, a cry for help."
"I thought that idea lay on the surface," Weiss said in the tone she used when she wanted to show her doubts about the interlocutor's intellectual abilities. "I didn't really try to hide it."
"To us creators, the messages in our works always seem obvious," Egrer found an excuse. "It's a great art—to embed meaning into a song in such a way that the listener reaches it themselves."
"Said the person with exactly two written songs in his portfolio."
He didn't find an answer to this apt observation right away. Weiss watched his thought process with a sly smile, clearly considering herself the victor in this argument.
"Does... does that make my words any less wise? Two, but what songs!"
"The union anthem didn't exactly impress me, in case you forgot."
"Okay, you got me, that's enough, settle down. You're going to destroy my self-esteem this way. How am I supposed to write songs when I doubt every rhyme and chord?" Egrer protested. "And anyway, I thought we were talking about parents."
"If such a thing were possible, I'd gladly give you my place. Just to watch you suffer, and then for the rest of my life repeat, 'I told you so!'"
"If you lived with my dad, you'd be in the hospital with a heart attack induced by neurosis in half a year. Especially if you ate his cooking on a regular basis. Especially if you also complained in the process and questioned his culinary skills. He'd simply drown you in a vat of boiling poison."
"And now, from stereotypical demagogy, we've moved to the equally stereotypical 'Let's see who was more miserable'," Weiss rolled her eyes, completely unimpressed by his speech.
"Obviously me, since my childhood is the quintessence of all forms of pain. You're making a Goliath out of your problems, and no offense, acting as if no one could ever understand your unimaginable pain. So many people would be thrilled to be in your place."
"Well, those unfortunate souls simply do not know what they are signing up for. I'm serious, I wouldn't wish my fate even on my worst enemy."
Egrer decided not to pursue this topic. If Weiss is so convinced she is right, then arguing is basically pointless. Arguing about anything right now was pointless anyway; they were dancing. Something told him that they shouldn't bicker as usual, but act somehow differently. Or else it gives the impression that they're at another Enversion meeting.
The next minute they danced in awkward silence.
"Just so you know, I don't like you or anything like that," Egrer said suddenly. He just wanted to say something, anything. This silence was killing him. "I asked you to dance because you looked very lonely. A friendly gesture, nothing more. It's not like I had a date for the evening anyway."
"And you don't go thinking that just because I agreed, I have any romantic interest in you either," Weiss replied in the same tone. "I simply had no other choice. Even Jaune, surprisingly enough, turned out to be occupied."
"And with whom, no less," Egrer nodded in agreement.
They both looked towards another couple that drew almost as much public attention as they did. Naturally, because there was Pyrrha Nikos herself, who rivaled Weiss in fame, and Jaune Arc, who had already managed to become Beacon's walking meme. A four-time Mistral tournament champion and a weakling who had only recently started showing at least something in combat prep classes.
Whichever way you looked at it, such an unnatural pairing attracted even more attention than the SDC heiress and the orphan Faunus.
Those two were completely oblivious to the stares and whispers directed at them. But while Pyrrha was simply used to keeping a straight face in public, Jaune most likely just didn't notice anything.
"Jaune's an idiot," Weiss said suddenly.
"Are you upset that he decided to blow you off at the last minute? If Pyrrha has a crush on him, then there must be something there... Probably. Maybe. I'm not sure."
"Maybe she just wanted a lapdog."
"Think she's a secret dominatrix?" Egrer asked with feigned horror.
"I wouldn't be surprised if she keeps a collar and whip hidden under her bed," Weiss replied with equally feigned seriousness.
"As ancient wisdom says—still waters run deep."
"But Jaune really is an idiot. Look at his shoes."
Egrer lowered his gaze, and instantly felt as if a thousand needles had pierced his eyes. Every nerve in the visual center of his brain began to frantically dart back and forth, and his sense of beauty hung itself on its own tie.
Jaune was wearing sneakers. And not exactly the cleanest ones, clearly for everyday use.
"Dear Light God, what a disgrace... How does Pyrrha even stand next to that monstrosity?"
"That's what I'm saying. I'd much rather endure Yang's jokes about our relationship for the rest of my life than disgrace myself like that."
"I totally agree, keep away from that uncultured brute. What if it's contagious?"
Weiss had clearly pictured the scene: she is at the ball, the center of attention, her beautiful white dress fluttering in time with her dance, and then someone points a finger at her feet and yells, "Sneakers!"
"Thanks for your concern, but my circle already has so many individuals worth avoiding that without them, my social circle would be restricted to a mirror."
"Hey, I'm actually very cultured and polite. So I'm definitely the last person you should be avoiding."
"You do realize you look like Torchwick in that suit, right?" That remark made Egrer grimace as if he'd eaten an oversized genetically modified lemon with an extra dash of sour.
"You only think that because you know about my parents. If you knew nothing, you would have said, 'Oh Egrer! Your suit is so cool, and it goes perfectly with my dress!'"
"I wouldn't say that even for world domination..."
***
Beacon was always full of secret intrigues and machinations. Students frequently achieved their goals through cunning and deceit if they lacked the power to directly alter the world to their liking. However, this was usually the domain of the weakest, which makes it all the more unbelievable that the top first-year student in combat prep was involved in one of these conspiracies.
Yang Xiao Long lounged on the second-floor balcony. In her hand sloshed a glass of punch, but she held it with such a "Villainous" look, as if it were a goblet filled with the blood of an innocent child.
Golden curls cascaded down her back onto a white dress that dashed the dreams of almost every man that evening. Many had hoped to see the premier beauty of the first year in something revealing and provocative, but her choice fell on the most innocent and somewhat conservative dress possible. The last thing she wanted was to strike poses for perverts.
A minute later Nora came up to the same balcony, and with the same "True Villain" look, began observing the people below. Ren nestled next to her, the only one taking their scheme seriously and without a veneer of cinematic flair.
"Just look at those two tsunderes," Yang smirked. "The faces they're making."
Feeling intellectual superiority over someone turned out to be incredibly pleasant. Not as pleasant as standing over a defeated opponent in the arena, but perfect for a change of pace.
"I believe our plan has been a success," Ren nodded. Nora chuckled evilly next to him, as befits devious schemers operating from the shadows.
"An absolute success, everyone's happy," Yang replied, looking at the laughing Jaune and Pyrrha, and Egrer and Weiss, who were playing hard to get. "Nora, how did you even manage to come up with such a scheme? Never expected such cunning from you."
"He-he, I just had good teachers." She also looked down. "And I surpassed them. It may have been a bit rough, but... but Weiss always said that the result is what matters, and our results are beyond any doubt!"
Few knew that the Order of the Backstabbers hadn't fallen apart after the departure of the second leader. It still existed, only now the organization's focus was different. From now on, the order brings happiness to all lovers! And their duty, their sacred obligation—is to unite loving hearts.
The change of activity required a change of name, so with a light touch from the third supreme chairman, Nora Valkyrie, they are now known as the "Order of the Cupids". Royal Seneschal Lie Ren and Captain of the Personal Guard Yang Xiao Long became the first members of the reorganized secret lodge, marking the birth of the most powerful force in the foreseeable future.
"Well, I'm off to dance," Yang rolled her shoulders. "I'll pick up a handsome boy to start with."
"Renny, we're going dancing too! Work is over, so we can relax."
"Of course, Nora."
"By the way, have you guys seen Blake?" Yang asked.
"No."
"Well then, in that case, I even know what I'll be doing after the ball..." The cracking of her knuckles made one freshman below flinch. However, he convinced himself that he just imagined it.
***
Fortunately, the dance ended. Or rather, no—right after one dance, according to Weiss, you are supposed to sit the next one out. Also, according to her, dancing all evening with only one partner is uncouth. Those are the traditions of a ball.
However, no one at Beacon cared about this. Everyone danced mainly with only one chosen partner, while sometimes taking breaks even in the middle of a dance.
But it was easy to guess why Weiss decided to seize upon this excuse. She simply needed a break herself. Too many impressions.
Egrer stepped back to the punch table. There was something bizarre about seeing that very table Nora had moved, with that very tablecloth and service Weiss had slaved over, and the very punch Jaune had chosen. To see the result of their many days of labor in action... it really felt special. Especially when you're partaking of those results yourself.
The punch was slightly bubbly, but despite its carbonation, Egrer completely emptied his glass in one gulp. Then he poured himself more and more.
Everything had happened too spontaneously and thoughtlessly. Realizing it now, he wanted to fall through the floor. It wouldn't even be an exaggeration to note that right now Egrer was feeling an uncharacteristic sense of shame.
No, he'd experienced this sensation of a burning face and neck before, but usually, its source was someone from his pack doing something shameful. But now, he himself was the source.
'Although,' Egrer pondered, 'shame is when you've done something stupid and realize it. And I didn't do anything stupid. So... I'm just... shy... or something even worse...'
This realization made him down a couple more glasses. The light notes of alcohol were practically weightless, but if you drink enough, you might be able to dull this unfamiliar feeling.
Weiss was probably having similar thoughts in her head right now. Otherwise, she wouldn't have run away so briskly after the first dance.
"I am no tsundere," Egrer whispered, downing another glass.
"You shouldn't hit the punch so hard at the beginning of the party."
Honest to God, if Egrer wasn't wearing a super-expensive blazer right now, he would have choked and spat the contents of his mouth out. But he was wearing a super-expensive blazer, so he preferred to choke with tightly clenched jaws.
"Headmaster, for the Twins' sake, don't scare me like that." Egrer thumped his fist against his chest, driving the remains of the mildly alcoholic soda out of his lungs. It felt like something was bubbling and fizzing in there now.
Ozpin smiled. It was a little strange to see him and the teachers at this party among the teenagers. Not quite as strange as armed Atlas soldiers and their general, of course, but the sight of a happy Goodwitch couldn't be topped even by them.
"An interesting choice of attire, Mr. Peleni."
"Please, at least you don't mock me. Weiss and Yort have already chewed my brain out over this."
"I am glad you're not afraid to reveal even such secrets to your friends," the headmaster easily caught the subtext.
"I had no choice. Weiss was going crazy from the omissions back then, and I decided to tell her everything so she wouldn't invent some crazy theory. And with Yort, I just wanted to keep him on my team, so I decided to tell him a couple of my secrets. That, by the way, didn't work, and if it wasn't for your conversation with him at the beginning of the year, he would still be a walking problem. By the way, if it's not a secret, what did you tell him back then? I'm still wracking my brain."
"Nothing unusual," Ozpin shrugged. "I simply helped him realize that he won't achieve what he wants alone. With a little push, he was able to understand that one simply cannot get by in this life without true friends."
"You mean to say, you..." Egrer exhaled in amazement.
"Yes. In a sense, I too can be classified as an adept of friendship. Do you remember our conversation?"
"After the attack on the port?" Ozpin nodded. "I remember..."
But did he listen? No, not once. The headmaster had made it clear back then that Roman became a criminal because he couldn't let go of the past. He returned to his familiar environment after graduating and didn't even try to live differently. And Egrer is almost no different from him. He couldn't let go of the past, preferring his adoptive parents over his friends.
The headmaster easily noticed his student's inner turmoil. And even without suspecting the reasons for such behavior, he was able to accurately determine exactly what was troubling him.
"And do you remember me saying that if there's a hand to help you climb out of the abyss, then things aren't so bad?"
"I remember. I have plenty of such hands, that's what I answered."
"Has anything changed?"
"I'm afraid I won't be able to accept their help. You correctly noted back then, having such hands available isn't enough, you also have to trust them in time. But please, let's not talk about this." Egrer shook his head and lowered his gaze. The last thing in the world he wanted was to discuss this matter here. "It is a party right now, after all."
"True enough. Sometimes I forget to enjoy the present moment, immersing myself completely in thought." The headmaster cast a glance over the hall, full of merriment and happiness. "You have done wonderful work. Glynda said she was pleasantly surprised by the lack of explosions in the first half of the evening."
"Thank Ren, he's the one who talked Nora out of setting off a fireworks apocalypse. Though she was very insistent and only backed down after a threat that Ren would stop baking pancakes for her."
"I will definitely thank him personally. But Glynda was more worried about you, Mr. Peleni."
"I don't know what kind of rockers existed during the music club era, but I am quite an adequate and reasonable person. Blowing up the venue of a celebration is the height of idiocy."
"Unfortunately, self-evident truths don't reach everyone. I support her on this issue; it's better to be safe than sorry, rather than rebuilding the headmaster's tower from scratch for the seventh time. For some reason, it very often becomes the victim of student pranks..."
"Headmaster, can you answer honestly?" Egrer asked ingratiatingly.
"If I have to reveal classified or personal information for an honest answer—I will simply stay silent. In all other cases, I will answer any question."
"Alright. Tell me, does Miss Goodwitch suspect," he started speaking more quietly, "my relationship with Roman?"
"She doesn't suspect, she knows for a fact. Not since the very beginning of the year, of course, but you've picked up a few distinctive traits from your adoptive father, and because of his quarrelsome nature, he frequently got into trouble during his studies. And since Glynda was head of the student council at the time, which, by the way, fell apart thanks to Roman's efforts, she often dealt with him. So she memorized all his habits by heart."
"So that's why she disliked me so much!" Everything fell into place immediately. Egrer had harbored similar thoughts before, but hadn't paid them much heed.
"You are mistaken, Mr. Peleni," the headmaster smiled kindly. "She took a dislike to you because you constantly disrupt her classes with your reluctance to fight, for your low grades, your indifferent attitude toward studies, the riot in the cafeteria, and the Bullhead theft. And most importantly—for secretly smuggling an octopus named Ozpinopus onto academy grounds. Honestly, she would probably demand your expulsion for that alone."
"Okay, she does have plenty of reasons not to like me," Egrer faltered.
"Youth," Ozpin shrugged. "As a secret and without going into details, I'll tell you that Glynda also had a wild youth."
"I find it hard to believe that our Steel Lady could allow herself something like that. They looked at the terror of all Beacon, who was right now smiling and dancing with the General of Atlas. Are they having an affair?"
"I don't inquire into the personal lives of my subordinates," Ozpin answered as neutrally as possible. "But I think it is quite probable. However, drawing such conclusions from a single dance is rather premature. It is just a dance, after all."
Generally, the entirety of Beacon considered Goodwitch to be the secret lover of Ozpin specifically. Involuntarily, even Egrer, who wasn't interested in such gossip, had begun to perceive this thought as reality. After all, it's practically a cliche—a relationship between a boss and a secretary.
Suddenly, right before their eyes, Mrs. Licht began sneaking up on Goodwitch and the general. They watched with an inscrutable expression as she trotted under the food table and hid behind the white curtains. Waiting for the right moment, the Survival Skills teacher yelled out the name of her attack and shoved Ironwood away, taking his place in the dance, simultaneously flicking him on the nose with her cat tail.
He merely looked after them in surprise, while Goodwitch laughed and continued the dance with a pleased Mrs. Licht.
"You're not going to say they're having an affair now, are you?" the headmaster asked with a chuckle.
"This is more like harassment, just the way she likes it. You know, I sincerely feel sorry for Mrs. Licht's husband."
"So do I, honestly."
"By the way, this scene just shattered my entire image of Miss Goodwitch. How am I supposed to fear imminent retribution now that I know she's not entirely devoid of a sense of humor? Her entire persona just crumbled to pieces."
"Towards her students, she will always be very strict, no matter what happens in her personal life. You didn't think she acts exactly the same way with everyone at all times, did you?"
Egrer smiled awkwardly and scratched the back of his head. He poured himself some more punch.
"To be honest, that's exactly what I thought. But only after your words did I realize how foolish it was."
"We all behave differently depending on our conversational partner. With friends we are welcoming, with lovers tender, with enemies cruel," the headmaster chuckled, "with students strict. A banal wisdom, there's nothing surprising in it."
"It's a revelation for me; I try to act more or less the same with everyone. But molding yourself to someone specific... well, that's questionable. A bit hypocritical, if you ask me."
"Perhaps you are right."
They fell silent and once again looked at the general merriment. The music had already changed and a complex waltz was playing now. Only the dance masters remained in the center of the hall, eliciting tons of admiring sighs from the spectators with their movements. A special audience sympathy award went to Jaune and Pyrrha. As it turns out, Jaune dances surprisingly well. Surprisingly for someone so clumsy.
"Enjoying the fruits of your labor?" Ozpin asked.
"Exactly. It's unexpectedly pleasant."
Magenta was dancing by herself in the company of her honor guard—Yort and Illmond, who stood near the snack table with serious faces, scaring off potential suitors if necessary. Neither of them found much pleasure in attending this event, but a sense of duty compelled them to protect Magenta.
Although this wasn't really the case for Illmond. He was checking Magenta out just like those would-be suitors, but Yort was keeping an eye on him. Watching him and cracking his knuckles. After all, the hikki still hadn't defeated Pyrrha in the arena, meaning he had no right to stretch his grubby paws towards Magenta.
All in all, there was no need to worry about the safety of their leader; she was in more or less reliable hands.
"Headmaster, why did you approach me?"
"Do I need a reason for that?" Egrer couldn't find an answer and simply shrugged. "You aren't the only one I've approached today, and there will be others. It's rare for teachers and students to have the opportunity to talk in an informal setting. This opportunity is too precious to me to just let it slip by. Besides, such conversations help me better understand what this or that individual represents."
"Part of your job?"
"You could say that, yes. You are being taught by the best of the best, and although there are few subjects dedicated to combat and its components in the first year, I must make sure the worthy receive this education."
"I understand. Otherwise some new Torchwick will come here, learn all sorts of things, and then try catching him later. Such people need to be identified as early as possible."
"A correct train of thought."
"Are you identifying me right now as well?"
"Don't think anything bad. It truly brings me pleasure to converse with the new generation of Huntsmen, but if there's an opportunity to combine business with pleasure, why not?"
"I'm not like Roman," Egrer grumbled.
"Yes," Ozpin agreed easily. "But you don't have to have a shady past or relatives to be part of my 'Inspection'. Sometimes even the most innocent among us are capable of foul deeds."
"Someone who's passionate about music a priori cannot be bad. I'm passionate about music—ergo, I am not bad."
"Incidentally, Roman was a member of the music club~"
"Wait, he was in the music club?!" Egrer asked, appalled. The entire previous argument instantly flew out of his head; right now he was concerned with only this one fact. "And... what faction? Rock, jazz?"
"Jazz. But at that time the conflict between the factions was in a Cold War stage, and only a few years after he graduated did the rockers tear down my tower," Ozpin smiled kindly. "As you can see, a passion for music doesn't guarantee law-abiding behavior."
"That explains his behavior..."
"Would you share?" the headmaster asked. "But you don't have to answer if you don't want to, this isn't an interrogation. I'm just curious how a child like you could have grown up under his care."
"Well, there's not much to explain. He never liked rock and never missed a chance to mock me about it. As soon as I picked up a guitar, he immediately showered me with a ton of venom. If it weren't for Mom..."
"That must have been very hard for you."
"You have no idea."
Suddenly, smoke began spreading across the floor from the direction of the stage. At first, Egrer feared a fire had started, however, there was no smell of burning. Soon a disco ball descended from the ceiling, casting multicolored spots of light in all directions, and previously hidden lasers began darting around, turning the ball into some kind of disco. The only thing was that the music remained the same, but something suggested—not for long.
"Okay, I don't get it," Egrer muttered. "Excuse me, Headmaster, I need to go rein Nora in. I'm almost certain this is her doing."
"Good luck."
Under surprised and bewildered stares, Egrer jumped onto the stage and darted to the room behind it. Nearly taking the door off its hinges with a shoulder bash, he found himself inside and quickly began pulling everything unnecessary out of the sockets. The light show ceased, the party was saved.
"Nora!" he yelled sternly.
"Egrer!" she responded cheerfully, saluting.
"What is the meaning of this?! We didn't agree on any laser shows, this wasn't part of the plans!" He was suddenly struck by an epiphany. "Ah-h-h, I get it, you and Ren decided to discredit me! Wanted to ruin the party and then blame it all on me, huh?!"
"Egrer..." Nora said, less cheerfully now. "I just wanted to liven up this swamp a bit, I didn't think of anything like that..."
"Where did you even get lasers and a smoke machine? And when did you manage to secretly hang all this under the ceiling?!"
"Heh, connections."
Suddenly, Weiss and Ren ran into the little room.
"Nora!" they shouted in unison.
The red-haired menace received a dressing-down from practically the entire union. She pretended to regret her prank, but everyone knew perfectly well that she would gladly do it again sometime in the future. Fortunately, the next time would be when she had already graduated from Beacon, so future generations of Huntsmen were safe.
"Nora!" Magenta burst into the room. "Why did everything stop... oh..."
"Oh." Egrer nodded. "And here's the accomplice. I knew you two were working together. Your excuses?"
"It's more fun with a disco ball!"
"Nothing of the sort!" Weiss protested. "Save that for nightclubs, this is a high-society event. A ball must meet standards, and everyone expects these exact standards, not your mishmash of smoke, lasers, and a disco ball. That wouldn't be a ball, it would be a circus!"
Magenta and Nora didn't look convinced, but they guiltily hung their heads and scuffed their feet simultaneously. Their actions reeked of theatricality.
"I agree with Weiss," Ren said. "The guests have expectations for this celebration, and we must not ruin them. Perhaps you don't care, but they want exactly what they came here for. It is their party too."
The diplomatic Ren was able to find the right words without any problems. This time, the two troublemakers truly were repentant, not just making sad faces.
"Since the party is saved and the situation is resolved, I will return to the ball," Weiss said, heading towards the door.
"Weiss, let's dance together!" Magenta grabbed her hand and walked alongside her, not even noticing her victim's attempts to free herself.
"No. A girl cannot dance with another girl, it's against the rules. And also, let me go."
"Oh please! Yort and Ill forbade me to talk to boys, but they didn't say anything about girls."
"Have you even seen your dress? Who would even dance with you in the first place?"
They left, and Egrer was left alone with Ren and Nora. He didn't really want to stay in the same room with the two traitors, so he hurried to leave as well.
"Wait, Eg," Ren stopped him. "Forgive us and, please, don't hold a grudge. Pyrrha would never have dared to take the situation into her own hands without a little nudge."
"What's it to me? You just dragged me around the corner, tied me up, and dumped me somewhere in the garden."
"And that is exactly what we are apologizing for. We tried to act more gently, but neither Pyrrha nor Jaune could bring themselves to take the first step. We had to be rough, and not just with you, Eg. We dragged Jaune away when he was already walking towards Weiss, and practically forced Pyrrha to confess her feelings to him."
"If you ask me, they complement each other perfectly," Nora nodded in agreement. "The perfect couple. I'm terrified to imagine what our world would be like if they hadn't gotten together. It'd probably be a terrible dystopia with a zombie apocalypse and an alien invasion all at once!"
"You would have done the exact same thing for your team," Ren summarized, and it was difficult to argue with that statement.
"And what are you suggesting I do now? Just so you know, I've been setting Jaune and Weiss up since we first started talking about the dance. And what's the result? You threw weeks of my hard work into the trash can."
"For one successful operation," Nora nodded importantly, not noticing Egrer's irritated look.
"Exactly," he growled. "For one fucking operation."
"Nora, go check how the balloons are secured on the second floor." Ren quickly sensed that things were heading towards a murder.
The redhead clearly didn't understand what terrible thing she had said, but easily sensed the steely notes in her friend's voice. She hurried to obey and sidled out of the room.
"Eg, I understand your resentment, but try to understand us too. Pyrrha has been in love with Jaune for a long time, possibly since first sight. But his interest in Weiss kept her from even hinting at her feelings. You know how much she hates upsetting others."
"And you know perfectly well how much Yang's jabs and the constant barely-audible discussions of my 'relationship' with Weiss piss me off."
"Yes. Unfortunately, it was a stalemate, there was no right way out, so I chose the option that would bring the most benefit to my team." Ren spread his hands apologetically. "I repeat, you would have done the exact same thing."
"And what about just approaching me and talking it out? Something tells me you and Nora didn't even consider that option."
"You know as well as I do that you wouldn't have backed down."
"You could've at least tried," Egrer snorted indignantly, though in his thoughts he admitted Ren was right.
He genuinely respected and admired Ren and his aptitude for diplomacy, but right now he fiercely hated the guy. It's just impossible to stay mad at this bastard.
"Peace?" Ren held out his hand. Egrer was left with no choice but to sigh.
"Peace." They shook hands. "I'd like to say that if this ever happens again, I won't be held responsible for my actions, but a story like this is unlikely to happen twice."
They left the room and returned to the party.
Magenta had actually managed to persuade Weiss to dance with her. Only the Twin Gods knew what unimaginable tricks the butterfly had to resort to, but it was a fact that surprised everyone around. Everyone except Egrer, obviously. He had long ceased to be surprised by her antics; he'd get angry—yes, as much as you like—but not surprised.
Ren didn't look impressed either; he never doubted that everything would happen exactly like this.
They stood by the punch table and watched the events unfold with interest, nonetheless ready to intervene if necessary. The awkward silence between them naturally broke when Magenta started spinning Weiss much faster than required by the dance. Much faster. It was simply impossible to stay quiet with a scene like that unfolding before your eyes.
"Sigh, and here I was daring to hope that Madge wouldn't pull anything crazy at least for today..."
"I was also hoping that Nora would behave herself instead of trying to turn the ball into a disco."
What could be better than discussing all the unbelievable craziness that your crazy female friends have committed? Though, Egrer was mostly in the role of a listener, since Ren had accumulated an immeasurably larger amount of stories over so many years of traveling together with Nora.
All in all, the party slowly began to return to normal.
And Weiss... Egrer will deal with that later. The dancing will go on for a long while yet.