The Winter Challenge - Chapter 10 (Patreon)

This was perfect.  Really, Weiss couldn’t have planned it any better.  

Well...she could have planned it better if she had more time or more willing participants.  They didn’t even need to be willing - more capable of communicating their feelings would work.  Or not having one whose first response to intimacy was walling off her emotions.

Regardless, she did her best with the hand she was dealt - an effusive, affectionate brawler who pretended to be a flirt while wearing her heart on her sleeve, and an ex-White Fang member who would prefer that everyone believed she didn’t have emotions.  Not exactly the most confidence-inspiring of couples, but...somehow, they made it work.

And, after spending an entire week together, Blake and Yang were headed out on what could only be described as a date. 

Of course, neither of them would call it a date.  In fact, they avoided the word as if saying it would strike them down the moment it left their lips.  Instead, they referred to it as ‘tonight,’ ‘the concert,’ ‘dinner,’ ‘our trip,’ ‘a night out on the town,’ ‘a break from Beacon,’ ‘alone time,’ ‘partner time,’ ‘going out,’ and - Weiss’ personal favorite - ‘Blake’s first.’

Yang immediately added ‘concert’ after that one, but not before Blake nearly burst into flames.  

What was it about Blake that made Yang say the dumbest things?  And what was it about Yang that made Blake flustered by those dumb things?

Regardless, they’d spent an entire week basking in their emotions - which included several moments of angst, uncertainty, and the desperate need for encouragement - and could now go out into the world and finally come to the realization that this was what they could always be.  Together as more than partners, more than friends.  

They were more than partners already, they just needed one last nudge.  And that nudge would come in the form of a not-date that included what sounded very much like a fancy, intimate dinner followed by a concert for Yang’s favorite band.

Weiss wouldn’t say she was smug, but this worked out pretty well. 

After the slight scare of the failed kiss, Yang was back to her usual, effusively-affectionate self.  And Blake...Blake had been different all day - almost like the conversation yesterday really had an impact.  She stayed closer to Yang (even closer than usual) and was on the giving end of several compliments that Weiss hadn’t failed to notice.

Now, Weiss only needed to sit back, relax, and wait for her plan to come to fruition.  Sure, they wouldn’t win The Winter Challenge, but that hardly mattered right now.  Not while she relished her success and watched Yang pace the room like a hug-deprived partner who really couldn’t wait to wrap someone up in her arms - potentially for a kiss, but only if she found the damn courage.  Weiss couldn’t do everything for them…

Maybe she didn’t have to though.  Maybe they could actually take it from here.  Through her choice in clothing (and the pacing), Yang silently announced that this night was special.  While she normally made an effort to coordinate her outfit, tonight was on a whole different level.  Even Weiss would admit she looked nice - casual yet somehow fancy at the same time.  It definitely wasn’t the type of outfit she wore for their team trips to Vale.

Now they all - besides Ruby - waited for Blake to reveal her choice of clothing for the evening.  Yang paced while waiting, probably going through scenario after scenario while trying not to freak out that she was going on a date with Blake.  Could she hold Blake’s hand?  Would they dance together?  Or would they be one of those adorable, lovey-dovey couples who just held each other and gently swayed to the music?

Weiss wanted to know probably as much as Yang did, but she’d accepted - somewhat - that she wouldn’t be along for this next step in their relationship.  She would see the aftermath though, definitely.  For now, she felt pretty content just sitting on her bed with Ruby beside her and Yang freaking out in front of them.  Ruby was so absorbed in her game that she didn’t notice Yang’s nerves, but that was fine - Weiss happily accepted the mantle as the more observant of the two of them.

As soon as she heard a door open, she glanced at Yang before watching Blake walk out of the bathroom.  After catching only a split-second glance at Blake’s outfit, she turned her attention back to Yang, whose jaw practically dropped to the floor the moment she saw her not-date.

“W-wow, you look…”  After gesturing with her hand as if that was a word, Yang added a breathless, “Fantastic.”

Blake blushed and shifted her gaze to the floor, but she was none-too-secretly pleased with Yang’s reaction to her outfit and the effort that went into selecting it.

“You do too,” she replied, but Yang didn’t seem to hear.  Instead, she continued staring with that big, dopey, lovestruck grin on her lips. 

When the unadulterated yearning went on long enough to become uncomfortable for the other inhabitants of the room, Weiss cleared her throat.  The sound broke Yang and Blake’s gaze and set them in motion to find their bags and scrolls and everything else they needed for this monumental night.  Hopefully, Yang packed some extra courage, and Blake grabbed some extra readiness to accept Yang’s affections.  But those were only Weiss’ suggestions.

Once they were ready - or as ready as two nervous fools could be - they got stuck smiling at each other again.  

Seriously, if this continued all night, they would miss the concert entirely.  They might not even make it to Vale - they’d get stuck at the airship station just smiling at each other.

“Ready?” Weiss butted in, shaking them from their gawking as they double-checked their belongings.

“Think so.”  After patting her pockets one more time, Yang nodded at Blake.  “You ready?”

“I am.”

Weiss nearly sighed when yet another smile appeared but, fortunately, this one only lasted a second before they moved towards the door.

“Thank you so much,” Yang said again, patting Weiss’ shoulder and giving her a grateful smile that she waved off.

“No problem.  You two have fun.”

When Yang walked to the door and waited, Blake moved to follow - but not without pausing by Weiss’ side.

“Thank you for talking yesterday,” she said, lowering her voice so Yang couldn’t overhear.

“You’re welcome.”  Dipping her head, Weiss smiled and motioned for Blake to get going.  “Have a good time,” she said, feeling her heart lift when Blake smiled and joined Yang by the door.  

Again, the two of them shared a smile - this one nervous but excited beyond measure - before Yang extended her hand.  Blake willingly took it, and their fingers intertwined before they left hand-in-hand.

On their date.  

Once quiet returned to the room, Weiss hummed and returned her attention to her notebook.  Her mind, however, remained stubbornly fixed upon the two girls leaving Beacon for the evening.

They dressed up.

To Weiss, that was as good as a signed confession of their feelings.  They liked each other, and they considered this to be a date.  Even though they refused to say the word, they behaved as if it was true.  Because it was.  Now, they had the entire evening to realize they felt the same, and that they could be together.

Unfortunately, she wouldn’t be there to witness the inevitable sparks.  What she wouldn’t give to be a fly on the wall for the evening...but they could take it from here.  Between her conversation with Blake yesterday and Yang’s propensity to spew feelings as soon as she felt them, the two of them were destined for an illuminating night.  Upon their return, she would bask in the glow of her hard work.  

“Uh, Weiss?”

Feeling a tap on her shoulder, she looked over and found Ruby now standing beside her.  

“Yes?”

“The tournament will start soon,” Ruby pointed out, gesturing towards the clock before smiling.  “We could still compete, you know.  Just the two of us?  Like Nora and Ren!  Or we could go watch?”

After glancing at their paper, which was finished several days ahead of schedule, Weiss looked at Ruby and considered the offer.  It wasn’t as if they spent too much time together - in actuality, anything but.  They could use more alone time to cement their relationship.  In that case, wouldn’t it be nice to spend a Friday evening fighting in the tournament or watching their classmates spar?  

She supposed she should have a preference one way or the other - she almost always did.  But right now, with Blake and Yang setting off on their happy journey together, she wanted Ruby to have an equally good night.

“Sure,” Weiss answered, flipping her notebook shut and smiling when Ruby did an adorable fist pump.  “But which would you rather do?  Do you want to fight or watch?” 

“Uh...is this a trick question?” 

“It’s not,” she replied with a shake of her head.  “I want to know what you want to do, not what you want to do because you think it’s what I want to do.”

Ruby often went along with what everyone else wanted to do, but didn’t she deserve to do what she wanted for once?

“Um...I mean...fighting wouldn’t be so bad...” Ruby glanced at Weiss after trailing off, clearly trying to read her for the answer.  But she refused to give a hint - although she really couldn’t.  Right now, she wanted to do what Ruby wanted to do.  While a somewhat new occurrence, it felt...nice.

“But watching wouldn’t be so bad either...” Ruby continued before glancing over again.  

“Then which would you like more?” Weiss prodded.  Sensing how difficult this was for Ruby, she decided that she needed to do this more often.  It wasn’t fair for her partner to constantly go along with what she wanted - she was only half of this relationship, after all.  

“I’m...not sure...”

“I’m being serious, Ruby.”  Reaching out, Weiss gently squeezed Ruby’s hands.  “I want to do what you want to do.  If you want to sit and watch, that’s fine.  I’m ok with losing the challenge.  If anything, it’s just been fun spending so much time with you.  And Blake and Yang.” 

She added the last part a little late, but Ruby was already smiling too much for her to feel embarrassed about it.

“Um...well, I think it’d be fun to watch,” Ruby finally answered.  “Because we won’t get to just watch once school starts again.  We’ll always be a second away from fighting ourselves, which is kinda more stressful.” 

The answer surprised Weiss for its forward thinking, and her smile was easy as she accepted Ruby’s wishes.  

“Then that’s what we’ll do,” she replied before letting go of Ruby’s hands and getting ready.  

She honestly didn’t mind not participating.  If anything, Ruby was right - they wouldn’t have many opportunities like this once classes resumed.  It might be nice, and definitely carefree.  Plus, if she’d learned anything, it was that spending time with Ruby was enjoyable no matter what they did.

“Ready?” Ruby asked while Weiss found a nice jacket and slid her arms through the sleeves.

“Ready as I’ll ever be.”  Grabbing her scroll, she smiled and followed Ruby out the door.

“I’m excited!  It’s been a while since we’ve watched a fight that doesn’t affect us.”

“It does affect us,” Weiss pointed out as they headed towards the arena.  “If CRDL or SSSN wins, I think we can still win the challenge -”

“But -” Ruby interrupted, “We don’t need to win.  Because it’s just fun participating, right?  Besides, we’ll get to use the upper-level rooms in a few months anyway, and we’ve done pretty well with the normal rooms so far.”

That was a ‘glass half full’ response, and typical from Ruby.  Sometimes, Weiss wished she thought like Ruby did.  Fortunately, she didn’t have to when Ruby voiced those thoughts out loud.

“You’re right.  It’s a nice perk, but I don’t think we need it.”  

Accepting that they probably wouldn’t win was easier than she expected.  It actually felt...nice.  Like the pressure to always be the best had temporarily lifted and she could enjoy her time with Ruby instead.  That feeling dampened when they walked into the arena and found the other teams already assembled.  Professor Ozpin and Professor Goodwitch were also there, same as every other challenge this week, and she realized that she now had to explain to her professors why she wasn’t competing - why she would rather do nothing.

What would they think about that?  Would this negatively impact their view of her?  Would they regard her differently?  Worse?

Actually, she didn’t need to explain the decision at all.  This competition wasn’t mandatory, and she and Ruby decided they would sit it out.  It was a partner decision, and they didn’t need to share the exact reasons behind it, plain and simple.

“Team RWBY,” Professor Ozpin greeted them before taking in their outfits, lack of weapons, and lack of teammates.  “Will only the two of you be competing?” 

“We’re not participating in this challenge,” Weiss replied with certainty.  “We’re here to watch instead.” 

After making that announcement, she held his gaze - refusing to back down from their decision - and watched a smile pull at his lips.  For a second, she felt like he approved of the choice, but why would he do that?  This was a school for huntsmen.  Shouldn’t he encourage them to train and compete no matter what? 

“Very well,” he replied before taking a sip of coffee and addressing the other three teams.  “Without Team RWBY, Team JNPR moves into the final based on current standings.  They’ll fight the winner between Teams CRDL and SSSN.” 

Grinning at the positive turn in events, Nora grabbed Ren’s arm and pulled him off to the side to wait.  Meanwhile, the members of Team CRDL glowered at SSSN who, again, looked like they were here just for the heck of it.

“Let’s get started, shall we?”  When Professor Ozpin motioned with one hand, Ruby grabbed Weiss’ arm and pulled her towards the stands.

“Let’s get seats,” she whispered while leading Weiss up the steps to the bleachers.  

The rest of Beacon must have been informed about the tournament, which explained the smattering of students who’d also come to watch.  They, like Weiss and Ruby, probably wanted to enjoy the fights before school resumed.  Or they had nothing else to do - which seemed impossible to Weiss because there was always more work to do.

While she wouldn’t have minded sitting near the slightly-raucous group of upperclassmen in the center of the stands, she was relieved when Ruby led them to a mostly-abandoned section where they could watch by themselves.  Without anyone nearby, it felt more intimate, more personal, more relaxed…

And she realized that she should trust Ruby’s instincts more often, even if it meant doing things she wasn’t accustomed to - like enjoying a fight rather than always participating.  

“Is this ok?” Ruby asked while gesturing towards a spot on the bleachers.  When Weiss nodded, she sat down and patted the space beside her.  Accepting the invitation, Weiss sat down and smiled when Ruby scooted closer.

“I know we want CRDL or SSSN to win,” Ruby said while the two teams moved to opposite ends of the arena.  “But I kinda want Ren and Nora to win…”

“I do too,” Weiss admitted, and added a smile when Ruby looked at her for confirmation.

“Team CRDL versus Team SSSN,” someone announced via the loudspeaker.  “You may begin.” 

Just like that, the battle started.  Team CRDL, true to form, charged straight ahead and took no time to figure out a strategy or feel out SSSN’s response.  The result, as usual, was pandemonium.

“Oh!  Just had an idea!”  When Ruby jumped to her feet, Weiss made a noise of protest, but she was already gone.  Sighing as a smattering of petals dusted the stands around her, Weiss counted to ten before Ruby reappeared beside her.

“This is better!”  

Apparently, Ruby had returned to their room and emptied her food drawer, because now her arms were filled with drinks and an assortment of junk food.  While she arranged everything on the bench in front of them, Weiss smiled and shook her head.

“Dinner and a show,” she joked while Ruby offered her a box of candy.  “You’re quite the date, Ruby Rose.” 

When Ruby giggled at the term - which Weiss was actually capable of saying out loud - she smiled and accepted several pieces of candy before glancing at the battle still underway.  Just watching the boys fight, she confirmed that she and Ruby could have beaten either team.  Their movements were lackadaisical, their formations loose and messy, and their general effort quite subpar.

“Oh, look.”  Ruby leaned close to Weiss, close enough for Weiss to take a lovely breath of roses, and pointed towards the battle.  “Have you noticed how Cardin skips before every swing?” 

“No…?”

“Watch!” 

While Ruby waited - still close enough to be a considerable distraction - Weiss watched Cardin.  Sun nearly took him off his feet, but he dodged the blow and prepared a counter attack.  And, sure enough, he added a cute little hop before swinging with all his might.  

When Ruby giggled, Weiss laughed.  

“It probably helps him swing harder or something,” Ruby added before tossing several pieces of candy into her mouth.

“It makes him look a bit like a ballerina.”

With the sound of Ruby’s laughter making her feel upbeat and happy, Weiss trained her eyes on the two teams fighting below them.  She wished that she was half as good at picking out nuances, but she simply wasn’t.  She was observant.  She was intelligent.  She could be a strategist.  But Ruby was...a natural.  Her ability to find weaknesses and fighting quirks was rivaled by none.

“What about Sun?” she asked, curious about what other insights Ruby had to offer.  

“What about him?” Ruby asked before frowning.  “You don’t...like him, do you?” 

The mere idea of it was enough to make Weiss laugh, especially when it was so far from what she was trying to ask.

“No,” she added with a shake of her head.  “Not in a million years.” 

“Oh.”  Ruby looked relieved by the answer, but also moderately embarrassed.  “Good!” she added anyway.  “Because I think you can do better.” 

While flattered by the response, Weiss smiled and moved on rather than make Ruby even more embarrassed.  

“What I meant was, do you know any of his fighting quirks?”

“Ohhhh.”  Staring at Sun while he leapt around the arena, Ruby furrowed her brow before waving her hand.  “Well, he does that tail thing.” 

“What tail thing?” 

“You don’t know about the tail thing??” 

“Does this look like someone in the know?” Weiss replied with a laugh.  “Just tell me, dolt.” 

“Ok, ok.”  Again leaning close to Weiss’ side, Ruby pointed out Sun while he hopped around Dove.  “So when he jumps super high - like that high -”  At that moment, Sun leaped into the air before landing and flinging his weapon towards Cardin.  “His tail does this adorable little twitch.” 

With their full attention on Sun, they waited for him to jump again.  Given his fighting style, it would probably be any second -  

“There!” Ruby called out as soon as he jumped.  And, sure enough, his tail twitched when he did, as if leaping around made him especially happy.

While Weiss laughed at learning something new, Ruby leaned away with a smile.  

“I don’t know how you notice these things.” 

“I like watching people fight.”  Ruby shrugged at the response, as if that alone explained her better-than-average skillset.

Weiss would have argued, but then the crowd cheered when Neptune depleted Dove’s aura, knocking him out of the fight.  Russel quickly followed.  Now with an advantage in numbers, Team SSSN actually grouped together and used a team combo to wipe out the rest of CRDL.

“They’re toast,” Ruby said.  And, sure enough, Cardin and Sky were knocked out seconds later - although Cardin took out Sage in the process.  The crowd cheered their first victors, but Weiss shook her head while SSSN soaked in the applause.  

“Imagine how good they’d be if they actually tried,” she mused while Team CRDL dragged themselves from the arena.  

“Probably not much better.” 

“What makes you say that?” 

“Part of what makes them good is that they have a super relaxed fighting style,” Ruby explained.  “If they tried, they’d stress out and do worse.” 

While watching the team exchange high-fives, Weiss thought about the response and eventually nodded.  Having once seen Neptune have to do well on a test, she understood the issue.   What made them good was that they were laid back.  Without that...what did they have?

This was contrary to her own team, who possessed all of the qualities to focus and compete while also take it easy.  At least, Yang and Ruby could relax in the same way as Team SSSN.  Blake could, sometimes, but Weiss...still had a little work to do.  But she was here watching instead of competing - and actually enjoying herself - so maybe she was making more progress than she thought.

“Wanna bet who wins?” Ruby asked while Nora and Ren walked into the arena to a loud round of applause.

“Unless you’re taking SSSN, no.  This is like a cookie meeting a boulder.”  Hearing Ruby’s giggle, Weiss turned to the side and smiled.  “What?”

“You just used a cookie reference!” Ruby pointed out before giggling again and leaning into Weiss’ side, which made Weiss’ smile grew.  

“I’m finally learning to speak your language.”

When they first met, she couldn’t understand Ruby’s fascination with cookies, games, and all things whimsical.  That was, of course, because she was the furthest thing from whimsical.  Over time, however, she’d learned more about those subjects, more about Ruby, and how to better communicate in terms Ruby understood.

That wasn’t to say she was the only one making changes, however.  Ruby also made considerable efforts to better their communication - exactly how a true partnership should work.

“Maybe we could bet on how long they last…” Ruby mused while the loudspeaker came to life once more.

“Team SSSN versus Team JNPR - you may begin.”

To everyone watching, Nora and Ren looked seriously outmatched.  But no one wanted to face Nora when she was determined to win something.  Then there was Ren, who had a sneaky ability to keep her out of harm’s way. 

Team SSSN was in for trouble.

“They aren’t ready,” Ruby said while Team SSSN looked completely lost about how to deal with the fireball plowing through them one by one.  Apparently, they hadn’t spared a second to come up with a way to contain Nora, which allowed her to wreak havoc while Ren beat away their attempts to counterattack.

“Oh crap - Neptune,” Ruby said right before Nora pummeled Neptune with a superpowered blow of her hammer.  The force behind it launched him clear out of the arena and into the stands, where he landed in a haphazard heap nearby.

“You ok?” Weiss called out to him while he pushed himself to his feet.

“Oh, hey Weiss,” he replied with a dorky wave.  “Course I am!”  Taking a deep breath, he straightened his posture and winced when his back cracked.  Appearing none the worse for wear, however, he caught sight of Ruby and smiled.

“Hey Ruby - you look particularly ravishing today.”

When he winked, Weiss rolled her eyes and summoned a glyph under his feet.

“See you, Neptune,” she said before catapulting him back into the arena, smiling as he yelped in surprise.

His trajectory sent him in a high, slow arc that Nora put herself in position to meet.  And the rest of SSSN...jumped to the side and preemptively saluted their soon-to-be fallen comrade.  

Realizing what was about to happen, Neptune corrected himself mid-air, fell out of the way, and raised his hands before Nora got to him.  The expression of defeat was enough that she paused, and he walked out of the arena under his own volition.

“Smart,” Ruby said before giggling.  “And he called me ‘ravishing.’”

“Don’t fall for his womanizing, Ruby.  You deserve far better than Neptune.” 

Ruby giggled again, but Weiss realized they needed to have a serious conversation sooner rather than later.  That, or she would speak to every boy at Beacon and politely but firmly tell them to keep their hands off.  That might be the easiest solution...

“Oh watch!”  

Jolted back to the battle, Weiss looked where Ruby pointed.

“Scarlet’s about to get toasted,” Ruby added moments before Nora knocked Scarlet into the stratosphere.  The crowd cheered while Ruby chuckled, and Weiss again felt incredibly grateful for such an amazing partner.  Not only was Ruby one of the most destructive huntresses at Beacon, but her instincts were top notch.  Who else could have seen that blow coming seconds in advance?  And seconds, to huntsmen, were the difference between surviving and thriving.

“They so lost,” Ruby added while the rest of SSSN collapsed like playing cards -  Sage then Sun getting knocked out in quick succession.

While Nora leapt into Ren’s arms for a hug, the spectators gave a hearty cheer for the victors before slowly disbursing now that the show was over.  Watching Nora celebrate, Weiss felt a prick of jealousy and a bit of regret that she and Ruby hadn’t participated because she was confident that they could’ve given half of Team JNPR a run for their money.  They could have won. 

When she stood and glanced at Ruby, however, that feeling faded away.  As much fun as it would have been to show off their skills in front of their fellow students, watching from the stands hadn’t been that bad either.  In fact, she really enjoyed the experience.  It was...relaxing.

“Guessing they won the whole challenge then,” Ruby commented while leading them out of the arena.

“Most likely.”  Based on the results from the rest of the week, Nora and Ren’s victory tonight was probably the deciding factor.  But Weiss had already accepted that, and had something more important she wanted to say at the moment.  The problem was that the more she thought about it, the harder it became to get the words out.

She wished she was better at communicating her feelings, but sometimes they were so overwhelming that she couldn’t get a grasp on them.  All she knew was that Ruby made her feel…a lot of things.  And she was always grateful, so she should try to express that gratitude.

“Thank you,” she finally got out as they walked across campus, the cold air nipping their noses while their breaths formed small clouds in front of them.

“For what?” 

Thinking about the question, she wondered what reason she should give.  For being a wonderful partner?  A great friend?  A positive influence?

“For a wonderful evening,” she replied with a smile that grew as Ruby’s did.  

“You’re welcome!  It’s nice when it’s just the two of us.”  

“It is, isn’t it?” she agreed before wondering why that was the case.  She enjoyed spending time with Blake and Yang too, but Ruby was just...different.

“When it’s just the two of us, we don’t have to listen to Yang brag about everything!” Ruby added, and Weiss chuckled before attempting her best Yang impersonation.  

“I bet I can punch a hole in this wall,” she said while motioning to the wall of their dorm building.  “Watch me crush this rock into pebbles,” she added while they passed a decently-sized rock near the entrance.  “Then I’ll crush the pebbles into sand.”

Hearing Ruby’s laughter, Weiss couldn’t help but laugh as well.  Yang had never said anything like that, or sounded anything like that, which somehow made it even funnier.

“Your sister’s a strange one,” she commented as they headed upstairs.  

“At least you didn’t have to grow up with her!”

While she smiled at the response, she knew that she wouldn’t have minded growing up with Yang or Ruby.  Doing so would have been lightyears better than what she went through.  For as much as she gave them a hard time...she loved them both.

“Blake and Yang missed out,” Ruby added while they walked towards their room.  “Bet the concert wasn’t as much fun.”

“Oh, right.”  While having such a great time with Ruby, Weiss completely forgot about the concert.  Now she wondered how the ‘date’ was going.  “I hope they’re having a good time too,” she added while approaching their door.

“Not as much fun as we did!”

“Well, of course not.”  When Ruby hopped forward to open the door, Weiss smiled at her before walking inside.

The moment she saw the scene in front of her, however, her smile disappeared.

“Hey Blake!” Ruby said, failing to notice how stiffly Blake sat on her bed while glaring at the book in her hands.  “The concert’s over already?  How was it?”

“Fine.”

Weiss flinched at the curt response while Ruby knelt down and unlaced her boots.  

“You guys missed all the fun!” she added while doing so.  “We watched SSSN destroy CRDL, then get destroyed by Nora and Ren.” 

“Great...” 

“Plus, Weiss and I ate a bunch of junk food.  It was awesome.”  After grinning at Weiss - who managed a small smile in return - Ruby looked around the rest of the room.  “Where’s Yang?”

“On a date.”