It was when Nora's birthday cake exploded that Ren remembered why he wasn't too fond of parties. Especially big parties with those he wasn't too particularly close with.

Wiping bits of cake and frosting off himself using a napkin, he heaved a quiet sigh while the rest of his peers chattered animatedly. Some, like Nora, broke into peals of laughter while others cried out in annoyance over their appearance. But then there was Ren who simply stood there wondering when the party would actually be over with. Albeit a bit selfish, he wanted to spend some time with Nora alone for her birthday without any other distractions. But here he was, standing in the middle of a grand party for Nora put together by Yang and Weiss.

"Ren, there you are."

The dark-haired male turned his head, nodding his head towards Pyrrha in acknowledgement.

"Nora thought you wouldn't be coming seeing as large parties like this aren't exactly your thing," the redhead stated smoothly, a friendly smile on her face. "I'm glad to see she was wrong."

"I couldn't miss out on her birthday, now could I?"

A boom of raucous laughter and cheering caught the attention of the two team members, turning their full attention towards the direction of which it came. To their (mild) surprise, they watched as Nora was suspended from a chandelier and swinging wildly from side to side, whooping and cheerfully laughing in typical Nora fashion. Ren could only shake his head and lightly smack his forehead with his hand while Pyrrha nervously laughed at the scene. It's not as if it was a totally unexpected thing for the hammer-wielding girl to do.

"I'm gonna swing~ From the chandelier, from the chandelier~!" Nora chanted loudly, another peal of laughter following afterwards as she swung from side to side.

"Nora, get down from there! You're going to break something! Or worse, drop the chandelier!" Weiss reprimanded, a light scowl on her face as the orange-haired girl ignored her in favor of singing loudly.

"At least the birthday girl would still be smashing," Yang quipped, a grin on her face as she smacked her legs and snapped her fingers, earning another scowl from the Schnee heiress.

It was then that Ren moved closer to where Nora was, stopping when he reached where Weiss and Yang stood. "Nora, get down before you hurt youself."

"Ren! You're here!" the birthday girl smiled brightly, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Fine, but you gotta catch me!"

That being said, Nora let go of the chandelier and fell on top of Ren, knocking him hard to the floor. He grunted at the force while she laughed wildly as she hugged him. Well, more like crushed him to her using her arms. Meanwhile, the rest of the people giggled at their silliness and continued on with the party.

"I'm so happy to see you!" she chirped, getting off of him quickly and helping him up before hugging him again. "I thought you weren't gonna come!"

"Pyrrha told me that, but I'm here," he hummed, gently ruffling her hair in affection. "What were you doing hanging from the chandelier?"

"I was bored," she shrugged, earning an amused smile from him (although he tried to hide it).

The party had ended shortly before curfew, leaving only Nora and Ren behind to enjoy some time alone. She was still wound up from the party, happy that she had gotten to enjoy such a wonderful party with her friends and classmates. But if she was honest, she enjoyed her time with Ren the most like she always had.

"That was great! We should totally have more parties like that!" she declared with glee, a bright smile decorating her face as she watched Ren. "Did ya enjoy yourself too?"

"Hmmm, it was... different."

"Oh, don't be silly! It was great! It's not like we have lots of parties here anyways."

Nora was practically skipping as she walked with Ren towards the dorms, moving on ahead only to be stopped when he called to her. To her surprise, he was holding out a decorative bag covered in "Happy birthday!" text. Grinning, she tackle-hugged him before grabbing onto the bag and opening it. She literally squealed in mirth as she pulled out a sloth plush toy, jumping up and down in her excitement.

"It's a sloth! I can't believe you got me a sloth!"

"I'm glad you enjoy it," Ren smiled warmly, his eyes crinkling in merriment at seeing her so elated.

"I don't enjoy it, I love it!" the green-eyed girl exclaimed, throwing her arms around his neck and giving him a quick peck on the lips. When she pulled back, she had to do her hardest not to laugh at how red Ren had gotten at her actions. She instead grinned widely and nuzzled against his cheek before she hugged him once more. "Thank you, Ren. This is the best birthday ever."