#I HAD A DOUBT ABOUT NORA BUT LOOK AT THE SHAPE OF HER HAT!

[beolh-reblog]

Qilby and Nora spotted in wakfu s4 new trailer!!!!

[saltfics]

Villains AU: Hot Chocolate

For the RWRB Winterfest 2020. Day 2: Hot Chocolate.

Based on Playing His Game, a Hero/Villain AU. 

Nothing quite says truce like sharing hot chocolate and trying to distract the crowd from the fact that one of the cups is floating. 

(Full text below the cut)

AO3 link

He never realized how uncomfortable he is wearing his suit in public for no reason. Clearly, there’s a reason why he’s not the kind of over-glorified hero who participates in public appearances, aside from the fact that this city is not the kind to sanctify its heroes, or that Alex isn’t the most moral role model to begin with.  Even with the mask on his face, he feels like they can all see through him, and even though this spandex-looking fabric is the socially acceptable hero costume, he still feels super dumb wearing it.

And yet, after the hundredth post he saw of people hoping they would get to see some of the superheroes in the Christmas Market like they were a couple of fucking Santa Claus’ elves, and the thirty additional times Portal told him she wanted to go, Alex had caved to the request. Kid, however, wasn’t coming. As it turns out he always goes back to England for Christmas, so at least Alex has that going for him.

He lost Portal in the crowd within an hour. She keeps blinking in and out of places to make the kids whoop and laugh, so Alex has spent the past forty-something minutes strolling around by himself, nursing a cup of hot chocolate that’s barely even warm at this point. The Christmas Market is perfectly charming, all little wooden houses decorated with fake snow and tinsel and an absurd amount of fairy lights. The air smells of melted sugar and wine, and it makes him want to overspend on sickly sweet things he’s going to regret later. But as beautiful as it is, he would much rather spend an afternoon here with June and Nora, instead of wandering alone, and he can’t do that while he’s in costume even if he knows they’re somewhere there in the crowd.

He has just downed the last of his chocolate when a voice comes up behind him.

“Hello there.”

Alex yelps, earning confused glances and more than a few chuckles from people passing by. He turns around to find nothing but air and snow and a grinning old vendor in his booth too far away from him to have been the one talking. Frowning, Alex carefully stretches his hand out in front of him until his fingers brush against fabric.

“Take me out to dinner first,” the voice whispers, tangled in a soft laugh.

“I know that’s your stomach, you ass,” Alex scoffs, his own words just as quiet, speaking from the corner of his mouth so people don’t realize he’s talking. He turns back around so he can pretend to watch the people walking around the market but he keeps their shoulders close together to make sure the other is still there. “What are you doing here? I doubt they invited you.”

“I can’t enjoy some holiday cheer?”

“I guess,” he shrugs. “You’re not going to steal the gifts, are you?”

“Is that how you think of me? As a Grinch?”

Alex sighs. “Not really. If anything you’d be the kind of person who’d rob a toy multi-corporate that like, secretly donates to fascist organizations, and then just dump the toys here.” Figures it would be Alex to have an arch-nemesis too nice to actually stop so they can both play hopscotch with line of right and wrong like schoolchildren. “Was that your plan?”

Mirage chuckles, the sound sending a chill down Alex’s spine. “Not this year.”

“That’s almost a threat. Please tell me I won’t need to fight you during the holidays, Invisiboy. Come on, give me a break.” He’s joking for the most part but it would also be really fucking nice if his secret job could leave him alone for the season so he can feel like a normal person for once. Plus hiding his extracurriculars from his family is always draining in all the worst ways. As much as June helps, she cannot take away the worry in his mom’s eyes since that has burrowed there from the day they almost lost him, or rather the one they got him back, or the way she acts when Alex is being weird like she wonders if somehow he returned wrong.

He’s thought of showing her more than once. But he thinks she already knows. She’s seen the news segments, the time-line matches and Ellen Claremont is no fool. So as long as Alex withholds that confirmation from her, she can sleep a bit better, not knowing for certain what her son is doing after dark. Alex loses enough sleep for the both of them.

Mirage shifts against him, breaking him out of his thoughts. Alex could swear he’s moving closer. “Are you…?” He snorts. “Are you snuggling closer to me?”

“You’re like a human radiator—are those your powers?”

“Might be. Never thought about it. Honestly, I just thought I was warm because of the chocolate.”

“Oh, that would do the trick.”

Alex must have spent too much time with him if he can grasp the slight longing in his tone.

“If you’re that cold why don’t you just get some for yourself instead of cuddling with the guy who might try to kill you?” he asks, raising his brows towards what he hopes is Mirage’s general direction.

“You wouldn’t,” Mirage says but he does move away from him, and okay, thanks, he feels like an ass now. “I think people just might notice if there’s a cup of hot chocolate floating around. And like you said, I wasn’t invited. Heroes only.”

Alex could argue about this both in his favor and against it but the last thing he needs is to tell Mirage he’s nice to his face, more than he already does by not dragging his invisible ass to jail every time they meet. Instead he decides to do something that will work for both of them. “Tell you what. You tell me what you’re planning for the holiday season, and I’ll help you drink your chocolate.”

“Truly?”

“Scout’s honor.”

Mirage is quiet for a moment. His shoulders brushes against Alex’s again. “All right. You weren’t far off. Just… not here. The children’s hospital.”

Alex’s heart clenches. “Where are you taking them from?”

“Spitfire, why don’t you go on vacation next week?”

He tries to look at him again, squinting his eyes at the emptiness where his voice is coming from like he could catch a glimpse, a shadow of his figure. He has to be wearing his costume to be invisible in it but is his face bare? Would he finally see a hint of his features if Mirage let him? There’s nothing but fairy lights next to him but if he focuses enough he can just pick up the barest puff of a warm breath in the cold air.

Alex smiles despite himself. “I think I might.”

Mirage bumps their shoulders together in response.

“Okay, time for my end of the deal I guess. Wait here.”

He buys another cup of hot chocolate, insisting that he pays for it after the vendor gave him the first one free of charge ‘for his service’. If he’s going to be feeding super-villains he should do that out of his own pocket.

The hole in his plan reveals itself when he returns and he… can’t see where Mirage is. Of course he can’t. Fuck. There’s a couple taking photos in the spot where they were and even if he had perfect eyesight he would not be able to spot a little cloud of a breath with all these people around.

“This is what I get for being nice to you,” he mutters under his breath, as he goes to take a sip from the chocolate he’s apparently going to drink himself. Oh, yay, more sugar.

He jumps when someone steps lightly on his foot but as he looks around, no one is close enough to have hurt him.

There’s an extra pair of footsteps on the snow in front of him.

Alex fights back a laugh. “Hey, is snow your mortal enemy? When it snows do you have a little white pile floating around on the top of your head?”

“Did it truly take you three seconds to give up on me and try to steal my chocolate?”

“You should be the last person to lecture me about stealing. And I paid for it!” Alex can’t stop the grin from spreading on his face as Mirage laughs nearby. “Okay, are you ready? Wait for my cue.”

“What are you—”

 Ignoring him, he walks over to where most of the children have gathered. “Hey, kids! Do you want to see a magic trick?”

He thinks he hears Mirage groan somewhere behind him.

All the kids and a number of adults turn to him at his exclamation. He sees the recognition on their faces and he tries to focus only on those who seem happy to see him and not on the ones who would have him arrested if they could—he can see the distaste on their faces, so stark against the holiday cheer the surrounds this place. Once they realize he’s messing around, most of them turn back to their business but a couple of kids break off the mold and approach him, waiting with their big, curious eyes to see what he’ll do.

“Don’t get too excited now but I know one trick and I know it really well. You ready? I, Spitfire, hero extraordinaire, will make this cup”—he shows off the hot chocolate with the flair of a magician presenting his empty hat— “float in the air.”

Some children giggle in front of him. If Mirage bails on him now, Alex is going to kill him. “In three… two…” He feels Mirage’s fingers against his own around the cup. “… One!”

Alex lets it slip from his hands and though Mirage fumbles with it for a second, it looks like it’s floating. It stays in the air on its own then gets lifted towards what he can assume is Mirage’s mouth as Alex points at it with exaggerated movements.

He’s surprised Mirage doesn’t dump the whole thing on his head for the unnecessary drama.

With the kids still gathered, he decides to play some fire tricks as well, crudely-shaped birds born of flames like phoenixes flying around them, swirls and storms and whirlwinds in his hands, if only to redirect the attention from Mirage who must be trying to finish his drink in peace. Relative peace.

The combination of both ‘tricks’ leads to some confusion in the audience as the two spectacles  neither match in powers nor are they at all coordinated. The headlines in the morning might be more accusatory than usual if somebody notices the second pair of footsteps next to his. But he can hear Mirage laughing and he can see the children staring with open mouths and wide eyes in front of him, and maybe it’s fine if the media questions him once more.

He’ll even let Mirage do his thing next week too, if he wants to. Alex can always kick his ass after the holidays. Even supervillains deserve a gift after all, if they’re as nice as he is.

 @rwrb-fests 

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[callmegremlin]

Mistletoe

I wanted to write a mistletoe kiss one-shot, and couldn’t help but make it have all sides of the love square because I am weak.

And don’t you dare tell me they wouldn’t dance around each other kissing one another all day and not realizing it, because they totally would.

~~~

“Hey girl! Get down here!” Alya called out as she let herself into the Dupain-Cheng’s house, Nino and Adrien following behind her, all three were happy to be out of the cold for the moment. The three friends were all dressed for winter. Alya wearing a thick brown coat over a light orange turtleneck, a pair of black jeans and short brown boots. Nino had a jean jacket lined with fleece over his usual t-shirt, a beanie taking place for his usual hat and a pair of burgundy boots. Adrien had a white button up on, a pale blue cardigan with the scarf that Marinette had made for him draped around his neck, a pair of faded blue jeans and black boots.

Alya looked up over the doorway, noticing the mistletoe that had been hung up and smirked. A spark of inspiration coming to her as she grabbed Nino by his elbow gently, guiding him to stand with her next to the staircase. Leaving Adrien in the perfect spot, both boys oblivious to the brunette’s sudden plan. Marinette hurried down the stairs,

“I’m here. I’m here.” She said with a giggle, knowing if she took any longer Alya would be yelling for her again. Marinette wrapped her cream knit scarf around her neck, her hair pulled back in the usual pigtails, a soft pink baggy sweater hanging loosely. A pair of dark jeans contrasting with her sweater and legwarmers matching her scarf peeking out from her tall brown boots. A blush covered Marinette’s face as she looked up to see Adrien, smiling warmly at her. She hopped off the last set of stairs, a sweet awkward smile on her face as she rocked on her feet, he hands nervously fidgeting in front of her, “H-Hi Adrien.“ she said softly, turning to look at Alya shyly, “So are we-“ before she could ask if they were ready to go, Alya interrupted her.

“Oh wow! Adrien! Marinette! You’re under the mistletoe… You’ve got to kiss!” she said with a grin, feigning surprise - as if she’d just noticed the décor above her friends. Marinette’s face flushed pink as she remembered the mistletoe her papa had hung up a few days ago. Adrien looked up and raised a brow, a smile forming as he chuckled,

“It’s tradition, Marinette.” He said with a shrug, his hand reaching out to lightly hold her forearm as he leaned down towards her. The feeling of Adrien’s hand on her arm, and the sight of Adrien leaning towards her was enough to make Marinette’s stomach drop and her heart pound in her chest. It was a brief, soft peck on the lips shared between the two. Hardly lasting even a second, but Marinette wished she could pause time and experience that one second for the rest of her life.

Nino had realized his girlfriend’s whole plan the moment she’d pointed out the plant, and the sight of Marinette flustered while Adrien was oblivious to her feelings had them both grinning and rolling their eyes. Wrapping an arm around Alya, and knowing Marinette would stand in place frozen, he spoke up,

“Let’s head out then. Let me and Alya get our kiss under the mistletoe.” He said, gently pushing Adrien towards the door. Alya also pushing at Marinette. Adrien grinned as he rubbed the back of his neck,

“Ya know, that was my first kiss under mistletoe.” He said with a chuckle, opening the door as Nino leaned down to give Alya a sweet kiss under the mistletoe. Marinette walked out through the door, her brain still rebooting as she gently touched her lips with her finger tips. Unable to believe that he’d. Just. Kissed. Her. Trying her best not to seem too shaken up from the moment, she nervously lowered her hand,

“Ah. Te moo- Me too.” She stuttered, her eyes shifting shyly at her stumbling over her words. Alya closed the front door behind herself and linked arms with Nino,

“Let’s get going you goofballs. I want hot cocoa before we go to see Kitty Section’s rehearsal.” Alya said, leading her boyfriend and other two friends to follow her as she made her way to the park.

As the four strolled through the park, having plenty of time to kill before needing to get to the rehearsal, they talked about the upcoming holiday.

“I was planning to get the twins a fun little art project, something like finger paints.” Alya said in thought, “I’ve got a few ideas for my parents, and I know Nora would like some new hand wraps or boxing gloves.” she said, bumping her elbow against Marinette with a raised brow, “Do you have gifts planned?” she asked,

Marinette smiled softly, trying to keep her thinking straight at the question. She was acutely aware of Adrien’s arm bumping into hers,

“Oh ah. I’m making my parents some matching aprons. I’ve already got the fabric and sketches of what I want to do. I just need to start.” She said with a shrug, she was always struggling to fit everything into her busy schedule; but she knew she’d get the gifts done before Christmas.

“You always know what to give people Marinette, I have no idea what to get Chris.” He said with a sigh, he of course knew what his brother wanted for Christmas, but it was all a little too inappropriate for the boys age. Of course, if he told Chris that he’d get a tantrum. “How about you Adrien? Are you getting your father something?” he asked, looking over at his friend.

Adrien shrugged, making a face as he thought about it, his hand raising to fiddle with the ends of his scarf, “I’ve been practicing a song from one of my mother’s movies. I doubt I’ll be able to play it for him though. He’s not one for giving or getting gifts.” He said softly. The scarf was the best gift he’d ever received, but he wasn’t expecting his father to break his usual routine a second time in a row. He rubbed at the back of his neck awkwardly, “I don’t really care if I get gifts though.” He said, a sweet smile on his face as he looked back at his friends.

Adrien’s words made Marinette’s stomach twist, his father was a great designer but that wasn’t the exact way she’d describe his parenting skills. Adrien was so kind and understanding with others, he had a heart of gold and he deserved to be told how loved he was on holidays like this,

“You say that like you’re not getting gifts from your friends.” She said, bumping her elbow against him playfully, the pink dusting her face from the cold darkened as she blushed. Her comment made shock cover on Adrien’s face for a moment before chuckling softly at her kind words,

“You don’t have-“

“I don’t have to. I want to. I’ve already got your gifts made.” She said, her desire for him to know he was valued pushing though her usual anxiety that impeded her ability to talk with him. Before it kicked in again, “Ah. All your guys’ gifts. Like. Alya, and Nino too. It’s not like I’ve just got a bunch of gifts for you years into the future planned and made that’d be weird.” She blabbed nervously laughing, tucking her face shyly into her scarf. Her mind flashing with images of her chest in her room filled with gifts she’d planned and made for Adrien’s future birthdays.

Adrien chuckled softly at Marinette’s words, raising a brow at her panicked blabbering. He felt his heart warm at her sweet words, he’d never had friends that cared as much as she, Nino, and Alya did,

“You’re such a great friend Marinette. I guess I’ll have to plan a gift for you too.” He said with a grin. The sight of Adrien’s grin directed at her, mixed with his words made Marinette’s heart skip a beat.

“Friendship is great and all. And I love you dudes. But that hot chocolate smells really good.” Nino interrupted, turning his head to sniff at the air where there was the faint scent of hot chocolate coming from a small street vendor selling the tempting drink. Marinette giggled as Alya perked up at Nino pointing out the drinks, watching her friend as she eagerly pulled him towards the cart. Marinette and Adrien following behind them.

As the four purchased their cups of hot chocolate they lacked to notice baby August, bundled up in a thick coat, a blanket tucked around his waist and a little beanie covering his head. He reached out towards the cart where he saw the man pouring hot cocoa and sprinkling marshmallows onto the tops of the drink.

“Hot chocolate!” he cried out, wanting his own share of the sweet drink. His mother clicked her tongue, turning the stroller to face away from the cart as she changed the direction they were walking.

“No, no, August. No hot chocolate.” She said, one hand digging in her purse for a toy to distract her son.

“Hot chocolate! Hot chocolate!” he cried again, a scowl forming on the babies face as he waved his hand angrily. His mother finally found the small rattle in her purse and shook it in front of her son, but his eyes were locked on Marinette, Adrien, Nino, and Alya all walking away from the cart and sipping their hot chocolates. His hand grabbed at the rattle and shook it angrily, smacking it against his stroller as he continued to shout for hot chocolate.

In the distance a window opened, butterflies taking flight around Hawkmoth as he hummed in thought,

“I don’t prefer to akumatized a baby… But perhaps he can cause some trouble for Ladybug and Chat Noir.” The villain mused, holding out his palm for a butterfly to land. Covering it with his other hand and imbuing it with dark magic. He thrust his hand forward, the akuma fluttering towards the window, “Go forth my little akuma, and evilize him!” Hawkmoth declared, a wicked grin on his face.

Back in the park, the akuma fluttered towards baby August. His mother gasping in horror,

“N-No stay away.” she grabbed the stroller and tried to pull her son away from the akuma. But the evil butterfly was much too fast, landing on August’s rattle. A butterfly shape formed on the baby’s face, a quick interaction of Hawkmoth promising August all the hot chocolate he could want.

With that, dark magic covered baby August as he was enlarged to become Gigantitan. He stomped his feet, crying out for hot chocolate once again as he swung his rattle. Hitting the tops of tree’s nearby and bringing everyone’s attention to him. Alya shoved her cup of hot chocolate into Nino’s hands, getting her phone out eagerly to record. Marinette and Adrien’s eyes widened, their hearts racing at the sight.

“We should get to safety!” the two said in unison, Alya was too focused on the akuma, Nino focused on getting his girlfriend out of danger, and both heros too focused on the situation at hand to realize how Adrien and Marinette had just used the same excuse to go be alone. Adrien ran off towards a bench while Marinette ran to the carousel. The two teens looked to make sure nobody was watching and transformed.

Ladybug’s yo-yo zipped out from the distance, wrapping around a lamp post as she swung into the area. Chat Noir running in from a different direction,

“C’mon August, hot chocolate’s not for babies.” She cooed sweetly, swinging up to land on top of the lamp post. A frown grew on the baby’s face, crying out for hot chocolate again as he swung his rattle at Ladybug, hitting the lamp she’d been standing on and knocking her and it over. Chat was fast, sprinting and leaping to catch Ladybug,

“I knew you’d fall for me one day M’lady.” He teased as he caught her, quickly jumping out of Gigantitan’s range. Ladybug rolled her eyes at his joke,

“No time for jokes kitty. We’ve got to deal with this akuma.” She said, eyes scanning Gigantitan. They’d had to deal with him a few times now, Hawkmoth liked to use him just to cause a nuisance for them usually. Chat Noir leaned against his staff and raised a brow as he admired Ladybug, he knew she’d figure this out,

“Of course, Bugaboo, tell me what you need.” He said, casting a glance to the side to look at their villain of the day. Gigantitan was stomping around smacking his rattle against the tree’s, crying out for hot chocolate. When the baby noticed the small cart where the vendor stood in fear, he shook his rattle and raised it, “You figure this out M’lady. I’ll distract the baby!” Chat said, sprinting off towards the hot chocolate cart. He was just quick enough to pick up the street vendor as Gigantitan crushed the cart with his rattle, making the ground shake under the force. Chat Noir set the man down gently, urging him to run to safety before turning to face the giant baby.

Ladybug furrowed her brow as she watched Chat Noir dodging Gigantitan swings, the akuma must be in his rattle she thought to herself. Scanning the park, she could see a few ways to stop the baby, but she knew he had a one-track mind while akumatized. She sighed heavily, tossing her yo-yo in the air and calling for her Lucky Charm. She hoped she could figure this out soon, they were going to be late to Kitty Sections rehearsal if this took much longer.

What dropped from the sky and into her hands was a roll of stiff paper in the usual red and black ladybug pattern. She scanned the park again and an idea stuck out to her. She tucked the roll under her arm and swung over to the busted up hot chocolate cart, grabbing the wheels and other pieces of the cart to wrap the paper around. She couldn’t find a rope so she begrudgingly used her yo-yo to keep the bundle together. With the paper wrapped around the scraps of destroyed cart, it looked like a large red and black cup; she pushed the cup onto the park path where it was in clearer view.

Jumping up and down she shouted,

“August! Over here! Hot chocolate! Come and get it!” her words turned the baby’s attention to her. Chat Noir sighed heavily, it was hard to dodge the giant baby’s aggressive swinging of his rattle.

Gigantitan cooed in excitement, stomping over to the large makeshift cup that Ladybug had put together. She stepped back from him and shot a glance to Chat Noir,

“Cataclysm his rattle Chat Noir!” she called out as the giant baby bent over to grab the cup, setting his rattle down to hold it by both hands.

Chat’s eyes widened as he understood where the akuma was, sprinting towards Gigantitan as he activated his cataclysm ability. Sliding across the ground his claws scratched across the rattle, destroying it just as Gigantitan realized the cup he was holding didn’t hold hot chocolate, and wasn’t even a cup at all.

With the akuma being released from the rattle, the dark magic that had changed August to become Gigantitan was reversed. Chat Noir rolled from where he was on the ground, catching August with a smile. He held the baby gently as he stood up,

“We make the purrfect team M’lady.” He teased, cradling August in his arms as Ladybug unraveled her yo-yo from around pile of junk she’d strapped it around. She roller her eyes, a small smirk on her face proving she didn’t actually hate the dumb pun,

“Take August to his mom silly cat.” She said, flashing Chat Noir a sweet smile before using her yo-yo to purify the akuma.

August now in his mothers’ arms again, and the akuma purified left Ladybug and Chat Noir one last thing to do. Ladybug threw her lucky charm into the air, and the magical ladybugs flew around the park. Fixing all the things that Gigantitan had broken. Chat Noir raised a brow, a grin growing on his face as the lamp post they’d been standing near was corrected.

The sight of mistletoe hanging from the lamp had his heart racing. He turned his head towards Ladybug with a mischievous smirk,

“Oh Bugaboo…” he purred, “We’re under the mistletoe.” He teased, tilting his head as Ladybug looked up to see the mistletoe above them. She rolled her eyes again and giggled, reaching out and grabbing Chat Noir by his bell. Pulling him in for a momentary and gentle kiss on the lips before pulling away with a smile.

“Merry Christmas Chat Noir.” She said, she was still in such a good mood from kissing Adrien and being able to stop the akuma. Chat had a soft blush covering his face at the sudden kiss, he had expected her to call him a silly kitty, or maybe kiss his cheek.

“M-Meowy Christmas… Ladybug…” he said softly, blinking away the shock at just being kissed. Ladybug giggled at his joke, raising her hand to her ear as her earrings beeped.

“I’m about to detrasform. Goodnight kitty.” She said, taking her yo-yo and swinging off into the distance.

Both Adrien and Marinette had found secure places to detransform, joining back up with Alya and Nino before the four went to watch Kitty Section practice.

~~~~~~

           Adrien was laying in bed sighing blissfully, he couldn’t believe how great the day had gone he’d actually kissed Ladybug, he got to spend time with his friends, and he’d learned Marinette was planning to exchange gifts with him for Christmas. Marinette, she’d ran off at the park during the akuma attack. He furrowed his brows, as great he felt about kissing ladybug, he worried about his friend. Marinette must have been really scared of that akuma. He thought to himself, I should check on her. He sat up in bed,

           “Plagg, claws out.” He said, walking towards his window. He needed to make sure she was ok, she was always so nervous. The last thing he wanted was his friend feeling like she was unsafe, especially when she Chat Noir to make sure she was ok.

~~~~~~

           Marinette was sitting on her balcony with a blanket wrapped around her, slowly eating a warm cookie as she spoke with Tikki. Who was also enjoying a cookie of her own.

           “He-he just. Kissed me. Right on the lips Tikki!” she stammered, her face pink from the cold and the memory. Her stomach was full of butterflies at the thought of Adrien’s lips on hers.

           “I know.” Tikki giggled, “And then you kissed Chat Noir.” She teased, knowing who Chat was made this whole scenario much funnier to the kwami. Marinette grinned and stood up,

           “That’s nothing Tikki. Adrien. Kissed. Me.” She said dreamily, twirling in place dramatically. Tikki giggled again at how love-sick Marinette was. Marinette hummed happily and held the blanket wrapped around herself tighter, “And then we walked in the park… and..” she got lost in her daydream about the day. Her memory flashing with the moment she saw Adrien running off during the akuma attack, “And then the akuma.” She sighed, “Oh I hope he’s ok.” She mumbled in worry, turning to look at Tikki with a small frown, “Should Ladybug visit him?” she asked, tilting her head - most of her genuinely concerned, but a small part wanting to see him again.

           But instead of getting a response from the kwami, Tikki darted out of sight behind Marinette’s chair. Marinette furrowed her brows, turning at the small thump behind her, knowing exactly who it was. She turned and raised a brow at Chat Noir perched on her railing.

           “What’s got you stopping by?” she asked with a small smile. Chat climbed off the railing and shrugged,

           “Just thought I’d come check on my princess.” He purred, a smirk on his face as he took Marinette’s hand and kissed it. Giving her a playful wink as he stood up straight, “I saw you at the park.” He explained, a chill ran down Marinette’s spine,

           “Ah.. Y-you.. saw?” she stuttered, her facing growing pinker as she lowered her face into her blanket. If he knew her identity, she couldn’t be Ladybug anymore.

           “Yep. I saw you run off all scared of the akuma. I didn’t get a chance to check on you. Are you ok?” he asked softly, concern shining in his eyes. Marinette felt a weight drop off her shoulders at his words,

           “O-oh. Oh yeah. Yep. I’m fine. I just... Akumas. Scary.” She said with a nervous shrug, still thrown off at thinking he’d known her identity. Chat Noir nodded gently,

           “I get it. I don’t blame you. They can be. Especially when they’re trying to crush you under a giant rattle.” He said with a chuckle, making Marinette smile in return, “I should have checked on you though,” he said in thought, looking away awkwardly. He felt like a bad friend for not checking on her.

           As he looked up at the sky awkwardly, hands fiddling with each other, his eyes caught on a décor hanging from Marinette’s string lights. He chuckled again at the sight of the familiar plant. He looked back down at Marinette, pointing a finger up to the mistletoe,

           “Looks like you get to kiss Paris’ great hero tonight princess. We’ve been caught under the mistletoe.” He teased. Marinette glanced up at the décor, her papa - the big softie that he is - must have hung it up when decorating the house.

           She shrugged, giggling at the absurdity of how many times she’d been caught under the mistletoe today. She used one hand to keep the blanket around herself, her other peaking out between the ends of the blanket to land on his chest as she leaned up on her toes. Chat Noir leaned his face down, his hands gently holding her hips as their lips met in a kiss that only lasted a moment but had warmth behind it. Neither party felt nervous at kissing a crush, only feeling safe and all to familiar with the process by now.

           “You don’t have to worry about not checking on me, Chat. Ladybug checked to make sure I was fine.” Marinette said softly, not wanting him to feel bad about not checking on her. She tucked her hand back under the blanket around her, “She said she was going to go check on Adrien too, I know he was kind of too.” She said with a small shrug.

           Chat Noir felt his stomach do somersaults at Marinette’s words. Ladybug. Checking on Adrien. He was Adrien. He smiled nervously at Marinette, scratching the back of his neck as he stepped back, what if she stopped by to see me only for me not to be there, he worried.

           “That’s good. Very like her. Always caring for others. Well. I’ve got to go.” He said, “Goodnight Marinette.” He added with a small wave, taking out his staff and extending it so he was lifted off of the balcony.

           Marinette smiled and waved back at him. Once he was out of sight she turned around, tossing the blanket off her shoulders. The cold sending goosebumps over her arms but not caring,

           “Tikki, spots on.” She said, a grin on her face - a little too eager to go see Adrien. If Chat Noir could make check in visits on scared civilians so could she.

~~~~~~

           Adrien closed the window of his bedroom after transforming. His hear was pounding, Ladybug was going to visit him. She might have already tried to. He worried about whether he was too late already. He turned on his heel,

           “Keep an eye out Plagg. Marinette said Ladybug was going to visit me.” He said with a dreamy sigh, “She wants to check on me like I did with Marinette. Hopefully I didn’t miss her.” He said, worry crossing his face. The kwami rolled his eyes,

           “I’ll just go eat my camembert.” He mumbled, knowing Ladybug hadn’t missed him, she’d been too busy dealing with Chat Noir on her balcony.

           Adrien moved to sit at his desk, his shoulders growing tense at the soft knock on his window. He turned on his heel, his eyes widening and grin growing on his face at the sight of his red spotted heroine.

           He hurried to the window, opening it for her.

           “Ladybug. Wh-what are you doing here?” he asked softly, holding out a hand to help her in through the window. Ladybug’s face dusted with pink as Adrien helped her inside, guiding her to step away from the cold coming from the open window. She shuffled awkwardly on her feet. Suddenly realizing how tongue tied she got in front of him - even as Ladybug.

           “I-ah. I was just. Checking on you.” She said sweetly, giving Adrien a kind smile. Both teens hearts were pounding in their chests at being so close to their crush. Ladybug cleared her throat awkwardly, “Scared at the park. Uhm, I saw you, scared by the akuma.” She explained further, “I just wanted to come check on you.” if it weren’t for the magic suit, she’d be sweating buckets at trying so hard not to word vomit in front of Adrien as Ladybug.

           Adrien nodded, his own face dusted with a soft blush as well. He was about to say something when both their attention was drawn by a soft jingle above their heads.

           There, dangling right above them all the way from the top of his rock climb, was mistletoe. A small bell tied at the top of the plant being the cause of the jingle they’d both heard. Ladybug felt her breath catch. Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves and taking all the bravery she felt fighting akumas to do what she did next.

           “Looks like we’re under the mistletoe.” She said, a smile on her face as her heart raced. Adrien’s face showed nothing but shock as he looked back at Ladybug from the plant - which he knew hadn’t been there before. A smile grew on his face at her words, this must have been Plagg, I owe him so much camembert he thought to himself.

           “Yeah.” He said, a soft, awkward chuckle coming from him. He stepped closer to Ladybug, both of their faces flushing pink as he placed his hands firmly on her hips. Her hands landing gently on his shoulders. The two leaned in, certain that the other could feel their pounding hearts.

           The kiss was shy and nervous but ended with a warm note; it lasted longer than any of the previous mistletoe kisses they had experienced that day - neither party wanting the kiss to end too soon. The two broke apart shyly, eyes avoiding one another’s. Ladybug stepped away first, her ears were ringing, and her mind felt fuzzy. Adrien let his hands slide from Ladybug’s hips, a dumb smile on his face at being able to kiss Ladybug again.

           “Ah. I’m… I’m glad you’re ok..” she stuttered, “I’ve got to go though. Uhm. Merry Christmas.” Ladybug walked backwards towards the window, tripping over her feet a few times before making it to the open window,

           “Merry Christmas Ladybug.” Adrien said softly, waving at her as she awkwardly clambered up into the open window and swung away.

           Too distracted with the fact he’d shared not one, but two kisses with Ladybug; he hardly questioned how clumsy or nervous she’d gotten in front of him. Similarly, Marinette had been too shocked at kissing Adrien twice in one day to even notice the love-struck look in his eyes.

[bluekayanite]

(SU:F Theories) Pink Steven and Roses

Whew...  I struggled a lot with this one, and not because I decided to tackle two subjects at once. XD;  Thankfully, I managed to get it done, and BEFORE the next eps came out, so... Enjoy, if you will. =3

EDIT: Added another bit of speculation.

THE Rose is Probably Different

Granted, she obviously would be if she really were Pink Diamond.  But as I believe there's more than enough room for doubt, I'm going to tackle the subject as if she were not.  (A lot of this may be interesting in either case.)

I'm sure many have noticed by now that Rose has certain features that average Rose Quartzes do not - one that's normally associated with organic women.

(Incidentally, I wonder what the actual odds would be of just getting a Rose Quartz that looks virtually identical to Rose. XD; )

...I will point out that not only did Rose supposedly have the basic shape for them before she'd even met any organic women, but Pearl supposedly suggested that shape.

At any rate, the point is that she's a bit different than usual, and it may not be by choice.  Along with her shape, Rose's coloring is different - whereas standard Rose Quartzes all have skin + hair in the reddish-purplish spectrum of "pink," the Rose has more human-like skin, much more in the yellow-orangish range...

In recaps and flashbacks, the narrative seems to be that Pink (more-or-less) swapped her hair and skin colors to achieve the "Rose" look.

(The colors aren't exact, but they're pretty close - particularly with the the Pink hair/Rose skin color.)

...but no clearly-lit shots (or, I'd say, even any shaded ones) of Pink really look like they have Rose's peach-coloring.

...In fact, the only time Pearl clearly remembers Rose having that kind of skin tone is when seeing Garnet's first fusion - otherwise, she looks pink.

One exception to definitely-Rose being peach-colored is in the "Nora" tape... but in that tape,

Greg

is more pinkish, too.

(It looks like they're both being tinted by one of those pink sunsets. =3)

Anyway... sidetracked... compelled to point out inconsistencies with the "Rose = Pink" thing... yadda yadda...  While I don't believe that Rose was Pink Diamond, I'm really starting to think that she was specially made.  In fact, while I don't think that Rose was the Pink Diamond... I think it's possible that she may have been made as some sort of Diamond-Quartz hybrid.  I mean, in Pink's secret room, it looks like she may have been studying the pink stones from a few pieces of rock.

I think it's possible that those stones are from the same meteor/whatever that Pink drew - and specifically pointed out - in her drawing of the other Diamonds, from before she came around.

This said, I've been speculating that the meteor is what Pink may have originally come from (at least supposedly).  So if she was studying the crystals that may have come from it, she may have been studying herself... and her composition.  And if Pink was planning on making a Gem that shared her powers, it would be a good reason for her to do that.

Heck, it could explain why Rose's Gemstone is different from the other Rose Quartzes.

And even why Pink's form showed up during Rose's/Pink Steven's reformation - part of me even wonders if Pink used a small part of her own Stone, and then healed it.

It could even explain how Blue and Yellow could mistake Steven's aura for Pink's.

...it might conflict with the fact that Steven's aura in reunited has a complete lack of diamond-shapes in it, though. ^_^;  (I'm still not ruling out that "recognizing" the aura would be all due to White meddling with their memories.)

At any rate, I've long figured that Pink probably put a lot of herself (maybe too much) into Rose, if not the Rose Quartzes in general.  Though now I figure that there's a good chance that Rose may have been intentionally made differently - like how I suspect Amethyst was, except even more so.  Maybe she was even made on Homeworld - it would explain why Rose refers to Homeworld as "home."

But most of all, it could explain why Steven is manifesting the kind of destructive powers that Pink apparently had... even if Rose never did.

The New Pink Steven

The main thing I've noticed with the new Pink Steven is that it's... he's? ...that this effect is mostly triggered by anger and frustration - maybe other manifestations of pain, at times.  Another thing I've noticed is that said anger is justifiable - at least, in my opinion.

I mean, consider when we've seen the newer Pink Steven, so far:

Not allowing Jasper to talk bad about him (defending self-worth)

Being frustrated about Smokey not having enough time to save the rollercoaster riders (defending people)

Not being able to deal with the idea of Rose/Pink having hurt anybody (defending his emotional wellbeing)

Not allowing Aquamarine and Eyeball to just hurt people - especially his dad - without consequence (again, defending people - also, not allowing blatantly unethical behavior)

Not to say that there's no danger or that he never goes overboard... or loses control entirely.  I mean, not only did he end up causing the Reef to malfunction...

(Closest pic I've got. -.-; )

...but he took out a chunk of the forest while fighting Jasper!

(Sadly, no pic on this - I'm a little low on cash, XFinity shows the wrong show right now, and CN only has the latest ep. -.-;  And no, I'm not going the YT route or anything like that. >.<)

Still, it looks to me like Steven "powering up" might have to do with righteous anger.  The kind of anger that really drives him to try and do something - especially something that has to do with protection.  I mean, it doesn't trigger with the anger he's having when Bluebird is beating him up.

And it didn't trigger when he was ticked-off at Jasper for not wanting to join Little Homeschool.

(Again, no pic. -.-; )

So it can't be just any form of anger.  There's gotta be some other criteria - like I mentioned, it could be that it has to be the kind of anger that comes from wanting to bring something good... or at least to try and protect something important.

If so, then this could also say something about Pink: it could be that she wasn't just "throwing tantrums left and right" just because she got angry at everything, but rather because she was prevented from doing things that would genuinely bring something good.  It could be that - even if the use of these powers led to some destruction - the emotions behind them weren't inherently destructive.  I'm not even ruling out that she didn't even throw tantrums that often, but that it's just another case of White altering memories.  (Or if she did throw tantrums that often, White may have changed the memories about the reasons for them. XD; )

That said, if the basic trigger is "defending something important," then it is still possible that the powers could've been triggered for misplaced priorities: just because something was important to her doesn't necessarily mean that it was inherently a good thing. XD;

At any rate, there weren't any signs of that kind of power being triggered in the dream sequence of Jungle Moon, despite there obviously being tantrums involved.

...Though granted, one of my theories is that she hadn't grown into her powers, yet. XD;

Still, I'm not ruling out that the trigger for the powers is less about the reason for the anger, and more about the flavor of the anger.  It might be exact enough that I'm not sure of the exact word for it, but so far I'm leaning toward something like "fury." XD;

The Moon Prisoner has Likely Seen Pink Steven by Now

I basically believe that the moon showing up is almost-always a sign that someone - who I believe to be Pink Diamond - is watching the scene through the Diamond Base orb, which she is trapped in.

The moon wasn't in the first two SU:F eps, but it was there for Volleyball.

And it was also at the start of Bluebird.

I also believe that the sky being pink will also indicate that the moon-prisoner is watching; the pinker, the more-intensely she's watching, and the sky is INCREDIBLY pink in Bluebird when Greg is being kidnapped.

And is like that through the point where Greg cuts himself free.

Interestingly, even before Steven catches Greg, the sky takes on more of an orange gradient (on the left) - and stays that way until the end of the ep.

Though it’s still largely pink.

I'll note that I noticed that they apparently used the same orange-pink sky for all the backgrounds from the point where Steven catches Greg, onward - not that I blame them; I can say from experience that doing backgrounds can take a LOT of work.  (...but I still find it funny. XD)

Still, if they were intent on saving themselves work, then why change the sky at all? ;3  I would guess that the fact that they did change the sky is a sign that it was important. =3

In this case, I would guess that the moon-prisoner was worried about Greg, and relaxed a bit once she realized that he would be safe.  But regardless, she continued to watch the whole fight.

If so, then she would've had to have seen Pink Steven fighting Aquamarine and Eyeball.

...but she probably wouldn't have seen his time-control powers, or his sonic scream (which, IIRC, would've been off-planet).

Basically, I've been wondering if Pink's not supposed to know just how much of these powers he's inherited.  She may or may not suspect, but depending on what she sees, she might be left not knowing if Steven can do more with this than fly up and smash things.

(...Or wear hats. XDD)

At any rate, I think there's a good chance that she would know about how these powers work, and have some good advice on how to use them. ;3 83

Rose May Have Been Carrying a Secret Payload

...one that she didn't even know about.

This would be one of the ways that Rose would be special... one of the ones that I think she would probably not be proud of, if she knew about it.

In the movie, White had already picked up on a pinkish tinge.

It wasn't there at the end of Change Your Mind.

But in the SU:F opening, she looks REALLY pink. =O

Everyone else's color in that shot seems normal (for being shaded), so I think odds are good that White really is is going to look like that at some point.

But what would make her that way?  I doubt she'd do it on purpose...  What would've changed to make her that way?

Well, obviously, the biggest pink-(or Pink-)related thing to come into her life is Steven, and I really doubt that Steven would be doing something like this on purpose. XD;  So what seems most likely to me is that it was something that Steven did without even knowing it.

I doubt it's simply an effect of gradual exposure to Steven, since 1) he's been spending most of his time on Earth, and 2) if that were the case - and Rose was Pink - I think it would've happened looooong ago, from exposure to Pink. XD  So to me, it seems mostly likely to be a one-time thing that Pink put into Rose that would be activated on its own.

Like... a color-changing virus? =O

A logic bomb is a type of malware that will only get triggered under certain circumstances - for example, "on this date, activate a virus" or "if employee X is fired, erase all employee info."  I think that Rose was made with a type of logic bomb, just in case White tried anything funny - like, trying to turn Rose into a replacement for Pink.

If so, then it is both kind of amazing that Pink would have that kind of foresight, and saddening that she would think it necessary to prepare for something like that.  It would mean that she knew (or at least suspected) that White was the kind to try something like that.

I will note that one of the things about a logic bomb is that, if the conditions for triggering it never happen, then the "bomb" never goes off - if Rose really was made with such a bomb, then it's possible that Pink put it in there with the hopes that it would never be triggered.  If White would prove herself, then she would never get hit with the punishment.  But if White did do the worst... well, Pink probably figured it was better not to risk it.

One of those "Better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it" sort of things. ^_^;

It's also possible that the color-change is meant for more than just punishment, payback, or exposure: it could be meant as a lesson in empathy, to give White an idea of what it feels like to be "wrong" - and/or treated as such.

EDIT: I also think it’s possible that it could be for learning empathy for what it’s like to have a change forced onto you by someone.  (Have I mentioned that I believe that White’s been using mind-control?)

Another idea is that Pink may have done it in the hopes that, if anything did happen to her, it could prompt others to try and find out what had really happened - maybe even find her, if White decided not to break her. XD;  (Or heal her, if White did. ^_^; )

Though that said, so far, the effects seem to be fairly harmless... and yet not. ^_^;  At the very least, the sudden saturation would be embarrassing for the "White" Diamond.  Though even if the change itself is harmless, it could have MASSIVE implications for her position as the "flawless" ruler - at any rate, it could be a very good way to catch and expose her red-handed (or pink-handed, as the case may be).

I do wonder if the malware could've affected more than just White's color (though even just THAT could make for a good payback-prank) - maybe it affected her powers, or even her feelings in some way... big or small.  Maybe it's the reason why she was even capable of blushing the way she did.

Maybe White's words were more accurate than we thought. XD;

As for what would've triggered the virus...  It could be a number of things.  I think the most likely one would be "trying to insert being-Pink-related memories/personality traits," but still, there's no rule that says that a logic bomb can only have one trigger... a programmer could put in as many triggers as they want, really.  Pink could have put in any number of possible conditions for White to start getting pink-ified.  So while I do think it most likely that White using her powers in certain ways would be the trigger(s), it could've also been triggered by, say, White physically handling Rose's Gemstone... or even removing it from whoever Rose's child would be!

(...I could provide visual examples, but I'd rather not in this case. ^_^; )

Heck, she might've even included things completely unrelated to what panned out, just in case a number of different scenarios happened. XD;

Though that said... it's also not impossible that the trigger was also made to remove any inserted memories/traits of the being-Pink-related sort.  ...But not restore any lost ones.  Which could explain - among other things - the comment about Pink being "gone."

... (RIP Rose. ='( )

...But yeah.  All things considered, it looks most likely to me that the idea was to try and bring things to light should White ever try to replace Pink.  If anything, maybe that'll lead to the truth getting out, as well as the true Pink.

(And maybe we could get some laughs along the way about White's new look - as well as what to call her. X3)

[razieltwelve]

Comparison (Final Rose)

Weiss dragged herself into the locker room in a manner utterly lacking her usual grace and elegance. Professor Yun’s obstacle course had been diabolical. Oh, she had thought she’d been ready. As part of her preparation for Beacon, Weiss had hired some of the finest tutors available.

However, none of them had been from the Yun Clan, and there was clearly a difference between the Yun Clan and everyone else in what constituted a reasonable obstacle course.

In between the mud, the rushing water, the rough, difficult climbs - to say nothing of the running, the jumping, and even the swimming - there had been obstacles that could only have been built with the help of Professor Dia. Mud launchers? Automated mud slides? Simulated Grimm that attacked them from the sky? And that last one… good grief… Weiss had never run through a simulated earthquake before, and she would be happy if she never had to again.

As it was, she would have most likely fallen onto her face if a familiar pair of arms hadn’t caught her around the waist and easily hauled her back to her feet.

“You know,” Claire drawled. “Your stamina still sucks.”

Weiss tried to glare. She’d known the other girl for years now, ever since Claire’s father, Snow, had helped the Schnee family with their security. Claire had been one of the few people who hadn’t looked like they were about to die at some point during the obstacle course although even she had begun to show signs of exhaustion toward the end.

“Be quiet,” Weiss growled. Or she tried to growl. It came out as more of a mewl. It was odd being carried around by someone who wasn’t on her team, but she’d only been with her team for a couple of days. She’d known Claire for years. “Just carry me over to that bench there.”

Claire rolled her eyes and simply scooped Weiss up in her arms. It was, Weiss thought, as aggravating as always to notice just how obnoxiously tall Claire was. Honestly, the pink-haired girl was taller than every single other girl in their year and taller than most of the boys too.

“There you go.” Claire let Weiss flop onto the bench. “Now, don’t just collapse there. You’re going to need a shower. This was the last class of the day, but you can’t fall asleep here.”

Weiss was glad for that. She doubted that she could attend another class and pay any attention at all. However, any tiredness she felt vanished as she suddenly realised that everyone else was removing their clothes. Her cheeks flushed, and she realised, belatedly, that this was indeed the girl’s locker room. Like her, all of them were exhausted. They most likely wanted to take a shower and return to their dorm rooms. 

Most people who had trained at academies got over any issues regarding modesty relatively early on. If you were going to fight and bleed beside someone, maybe even die beside them, then stripping off, so you could take a shower was not going to bother you. At least, that was the idea. Weiss hadn’t trained at a normal academy, and she’d always had the luxury of a private change room after her lessons.

She couldn’t help but stare.

Despite the fact that Beacon Senior Academy was a place for the finest aspiring huntsmen and huntresses, it would have been lying to say that it wasn’t also a place where some of the most attractive gathered as well. In this room alone, Weiss was forced to concede that for all of her refined looks, she could not unanimously be called the most beautiful girl in the change room.

Indeed, there were several different… types to be seen.

Yang, Nora, and Claire were probably the best representatives of the tall, busty, and confident type. All three exuded confidence, and all three had the sort of figure that immediately drew the eye. In fact, the three of them were bantering right now, jokingly comparing themselves to each other. Weiss tried not to stare - and failed - as they pointedly discussed who was, ahem, bigger with height taken into account.

Not far from them, Blake was rolling her eyes in amusement and exasperation. The dark-haired girl wasn’t not as busty as Yang, but there was a lean, toned, fitness to her that certainly drew the eye. Weiss had seen what Blake was capable of: acrobatics and agility seemed to come naturally to her. 

Gaze shifting again, Weiss caught sight of Averia and Pyrrha talking quietly to each other. If she knew Averia, and she did to some degree, the two were probably discussing the course and how they could improve on it. Both held themselves with a natural grace and elegance although in Averia’s case it was an almost mechanical sort of stillness and efficiency. A killer robot, Claire liked to call her cousin, and it was, perhaps, not that bad a description. A very sexy killer robot, Weiss added mentally as Averia stretched to work a kink out of her back. Pyrrha meanwhile moved almost like a dancer, her movements not wasteful but smooth and flowing. 

Weiss couldn’t wait to see a full-power spar between the pair. She had heard rumours of what Pyrrha was capable of with her Semblance and Saviour was legendary.

Elsewhere, Weiss saw Elsa and Jahne speaking to Ruby. Her team’s leader was certainly one of the most petite girls in the room, but Ruby was only fifteen. Weiss’s cheeks flushed. If Ruby grew up to look anything like her mother at all… well… she would certainly be quite the picture later on. Even now, Ruby had a body that spoke of hours of practice and hard work.

Weiss was mildly surprised by Elsa’s appearance. The princess’s Semblance was the definition of a ‘win now’ button, considering what it was capable of. However, she was in excellent physical condition. Apparently, Claire had mentioned, the Yun-Farrons had spent plenty of time in Arendelle. If Elsa had been crazy enough to join some of the training sessions that Averia had undoubtedly been put through, it was little wonder she was in good shape.

And then there was Jahne. Weiss knew Jahne very well. Their families were allies, at least politically. Jahne’s Semblance was not overwhelmingly powerful in combat. Indeed, as good as her illusions were, they lacked the raw force of what her teammates (Elsa, Claire, and Averia) could generate. As such, Jahne had clearly trained very hard to bring her physical abilities to their peak, after all, she would have to rely on them extensively.

Weiss was still looking - there were so many lovely sights to see - when an amused chuckle caught her attention.

“So… you’re kind of a pervert, huh?”

“What?” Weiss shrieked, eyes narrowing as she glared at the maintenance worker who was idly working on a device of some kind. “Wait… who are you?”

The maintenance worker tipped her hat up and grinned. Weiss was stunned by just how ordinary the maintenance worker looked. She could have been a background extra in a movie. “The name’s… Diane. The hot water system in this locker room has been playing up, and guess who they hired to fix it?” She smirked. “I’m cheaper and better than a regular plumber, plus, all of my repairs come with a ten-year-guarantee and inbuilt anti-tampering systems!”

Weiss’s eye twitched. “There is a hamster on your shoulder.”

“Him? He’s Professor Cuddles. Professor Dia thought he needed some time out of the lab.” Diane grinned. “And you’ve been staring at everyone for the past ten minutes.”

Weiss blushed. “I… I have not…” she stammered. “And… and how can you be a plumber? You’re even younger than me!”

“I can do a lot of things.” Diane gave Weiss an impish smile. “So… what’s your type? Do you like the busty ones?” She pointed at Yang. “The sporty type?” She pointed at Blake. “Or are you more into the petite type?”

“Well,” Weiss said, staring at her teammates. “They all have their benefits… wait! Why am I saying that?”

Diane cackled. “I have a way of getting people to talk - ah!”

Weiss stared as Averia marched over and yanked Diane up into the air by the scruff of her jacket. 

“Is there a reason you’re wearing a disguise device?” Averia drawled.

There was a shimmer, and Diane’s face changed. In her place was a face that Weiss knew very well. She could have been looking at a younger version of Professor Yun. it was Diana, Averia’s younger sister.

“Well,” Diana said, shrugging. “We finished putting the newest unit together yesterday. I thought I’d take it for a spin. Weiss here never noticed.” Diana smirked. “And did you have to interrupt? We were having the most wonderful conversation about -”

“Nothing,” Weiss hissed. “We were talking about nothing.”

Averia eyed both of them dubiously. “Fine. I won’t ask. But you’re not going to shut the hot water down, are you?”

“Nah. I’ll wait till you’re all done first.” Diana gave them a jaunty salute and then went off to fiddle with something, but not before grinning at Weiss and leaning over to whisper. “If Ruby is your type, you’d better watch out. Give her a couple of years, and who knows how much attention she’ll be getting?”