𝕭𝖑𝖔𝖔𝖉𝖎𝖊𝖉 𝖇𝖚𝖙 𝖀𝖓𝖇𝖗𝖔𝖐𝖊𝖓

Dance of Thieves

"Well... I have never been to dances before. At least, not dances as big as this." Dante said as he watched the partygoers converse and dance with one another. The place was completely redecorated by Team RWBY, minus Blake, and he would have appreciated how well they did if he was not so uncomfortable with people crowding around him.

This was the reason why he was standing next to the drinks table. Alfred was with him as well, though he was with him more out of pity and less being uncomfortable with crowds.

"What? You've never been to a dance?"

"The blood transfusion that made me into a Hunter messed with my mind, completely wiped all my memories up until before I had made the contract. I don't even remember my real name, or why I even went to Yharnam in the first place. So if I did go to a dance at least once before, I don't remember. Heh... Cheers to that, eh?" Dante asked sarcastically as he raised his glass of punch. Alfred shrugged and raised his glass too.

Then a girl from one of the other academies walked up to them. "Um... you're... you're Alfred?" The Executioner smirked, and said, "Who's asking?"

"C-Can I ask you to a dance?" The girl stuttered her words out, and Alfred smirked. "Of course, milady. May I lead?" The girl nodded and was glowing with joy, literally, and Dante was blinded for a second. "Is that your Semblance? Parts of your body can glow?" Alfred asked, seemingly unaffected by the sudden flash of light.

"O-Oh... I did it again..." She sounded dejected. "Yes. It is my Semblance. Even though I can choose when to activate it, it sometimes just... switches on when my emotions are high." Alfred shook his head, "It's fine. Now, shall we?" He offered his hand to her like the gentleman he was, and she took it with delight.

"Have fun," Dante says. Alfred nods, "Oh I most certainly will."

After the Executioner had left, Dante was alone again. He watched Yang and Blake dance. The former wore a white dress that left little to the imagination, while the latter wore a more modest black attire. After bowing to one another, Yang gestured to Sun, who wore a black dress shirt and red tie with his cargo shorts, and the two switched.

Dante shook his head, and downed his punch, and pulled out a bottle wrapped in white cloth from thin air. No one noticed, and if anyone did, they certainly did not care at that moment. "...what do we do now?" His ears caught a conversation going on just to the left of him. "Just have fun!" He heard Yang respond to Ruby, as she left to go do her own thing. Weiss did so as well.

"Does that mean I can change out of these stupid things and into my hood now?!" Ruby asked but she got no answer. "Stupid lady stilts..." She grumbled, and Dante chuckled at her expense. Dante walked up to her and noticed Ozpin coming from behind her as well. "Not enjoying yourself?" The two asked at the same time.

Ruby made an expression of surprise and turned to face Ozpin and Dante, both wearing amused smiles on their faces. "Oh, n-no, haha. It's fine. I'm just not much of a fancy-pancy... dancy girl..." She trailed off.

"Well you can't spend your entire life on the battlefield, even if you may want to," Ozpin said. Dante shrugged. "These events are a necessity, even though I cannot fully appreciate them myself."

"Yeah, that lesson's been floating around lately..." Ruby said.

"You know, fighting and dancing are not so different. Two partners interlocked, but... heh, one misstep during a dance only results in a swollen foot."

"Or a twisted ankle..."

Dante shrugged, then he felt it again. The smell of drying blood and malice, and it emanated from two new guests. "You arrived just in time," greeted Yang cheerfully, as Emerald and Mercury stepped in. Cinder Fall was behind them. He growled under his breath, his inner beast growling with him. Those three have been suspicious from the very start.