Chapter 41: Case White
Weiss and Neo headed up towards the upper-class district. Bags were given to them while Neo planned to use her semblance.
They were supposed to infiltrate an auction that housed sellers of huge sums of dust that were often stored in the auction house.
It would be a great target to take according to Roman, so it could be a probable target for their enemies. Using that as a lead, Weiss was sent to enter the upper-class estate while Neo snuck nearby.
They would help disguise Weiss as another person. Weiss walking around illegal auctions would definitely be bad for team RWBY as a whole. They needed entrance to the upper-class district first but no random rich-looking person would do.
Weiss was still, Weiss, so she held enough influence to get inside the upper-class district where they would change into actual disguises.
They reached the marble steps of the gate as Weiss walked toward the guards that were in front of the entrance. The guard had already noticed her presence the moment she came into view.
"Miss Weiss Schnee. Welcome to the district." The guard bowed in respect.
Weiss used her skills that were forced into learning when she was just a child with hours of etiquette and conversational talent drilled into her. She spoke in a posh tone as she replied.
"A nice evening, for a late-night socializing event. Could you let me in please?"
The guard nodded "Well of course. Miss Schnee. Good luck with your event."
The gates were opened, and its exquisite and expensive-looking architectured walls decorated the front part of the gate. While the gate itself creaked as it was slowly swung outwards.
She walks in while Neo followed her close by. They reach an area secluded enough for Neo to come out of her illusion.
Glass sounded as Neo reveals herself with a bag.
"Let's make this quick," Weiss uttered under her breath.
A massive building with a sizeable height difference from the surrounding houses contrasted itself in the night sky. Many on goers were looking forward to the standard auctions that were scheduled.
For now, the front was holding its image. Deep underneath is a smaller but still respectable-sized room that contained a darker narrative.
Weiss was currently wearing an even more elegant dress, while her face was covered with a mask that was customary in the underground auction.
Neo, now disguised as another woman stood nearby while Weiss eyed the attendees with a watchful eye.
Torchwick had advised them that underground dealings usually were held with a person standing inconspicuously while participants of the auction would hand something over, say a code, or slip in a message.
It was not exactly known what method they used, which is why both Weiss and Neo stayed on the upper floors while looking through the people that went through the lobby.
Neo poked Weiss' arm and after Weiss looked at her, Neo motioned towards a man seemingly only offering amenities to those who wanted it.
Weiss raised an eyebrow at Neo as if to ask what is so suspicious. Neo rolled her eyes under her mask and shoved Weiss' head to look closer.
A couple walked in and offered a handshake before receiving a box labeled toiletries. Another man walked from the lobby to greet the man before getting tissues.
It was normal except for the fact that Neo noticed the handshakes ever so often while others were greeted by words or by nods and bows.
A handshake could also be coincidental except for the part where their pinkies always hang away. Weiss noticed after getting a closer look. They both nod to each other and walked toward the man.
She walk towards the man and offered a handshake, pinky down of course. The man stops for a second to look her over before smiling and doing the same handshake.
Weiss had obtained the same box and found the bathroom where she opened it. Inside was instructions and a list of what they were planning to show.
Neo was inside the same stall but didn't pay attention to Weiss who was now shaking her hands from the list revealed.
'No way… they sell… slaves?!'
The dust mentioned by Torchwick was there too so they had to wait if any members of Cinder's subordinates were going to steal it in the auction storeroom.
That didn't matter to Weiss now since she was purely focused on the horrible things present on the list. It was filled with options, some were faunuses, others were humans and children.
There was one that caught her eye, a boy who had unlocked his aura unlocked and discovered a healing semblance after his settlement was destroyed.
He was being described as an easy way to gain a walking hospital that was easily "trainable" due to his age.
Weiss was angry, not just at the people who do this but also at the ones who allowed this to continue. The patrons were already wealthy enough, Weiss thought.
'Is this really what people do? Even when they live comfortably?'
She reflected on her own outlook, her father was doing the same thing yet no one in the world except for those who look at the situation closely objected to it. Even then it was swept under the rug.
'It's not just my father that does this but everyone in here could be part of this?' Weiss dreaded.
Neo having enough of the wait kicked her shin to snap Weiss out of her thoughts. She looks up towards Neo who pantomimed checking a watch.
'Oh right, the dust.'
She quickly confirmed how to enter the auction room and went with Neo. She reached the room field with occupied seats and an awaiting audience.
'Sickening.'
They found an empty pair of seats and used it as they silently waited for the event to begin.
A loud voice echoed from the stage where the products were going to be displayed. A man walks in and announces the beginning of the auction by preparing the first item.
A group of faunuses were ushered in with collars on their necks and shackles on their arms and ankles.
Weiss was already clenching her teeth in rage while Neo stared at the turbulent emotional state of her partner.
She nudged Weiss and motioned her hand to cut her throat.
"What?...No I can't do that," Weiss replied with a long delay.
Neo rolled her eyes at the hesitance. Despite actively wanting to directly deal with what bothered her Weiss was just sitting on the sidelines and taking it in.
She does the same when against her father, her rebellion only amounted to disagreements and nothing more. It was going to happen again.
Neo took the opportunity to type on her scroll to message Weiss.
"I'll shut the lights after 5 minutes, do what you will. Just remember that I'm ready to make an alibi for you." She types out as she winked at Weiss.
Neo got up from her seat and wandered over towards the bathroom, presumably to use her semblance to move undetected.
The dust was finally shown as the next item represented by only a few crystals and powders while the actual location of the huge amount of dust was kept at the back.
Weiss remembered what she was there for and looked around. There were people bidding on it but no movement that could be attributed to an attack by Cinder and her subordinates.
'Looks like this was a miss. I'll have to report back at the ice cream shop.'
As soon as she was ready to get up, another call from the announcer was heard. She looked towards the stage to see the exact boy she read about in the list.
'No…'
She sped faster towards the exit, wanting to get out before she could see closer what the boy looked like. She turns back towards the by, his dead and unfeeling eyes staring back toward her as she takes in his disheveled and beaten appearance.
'No!' Weiss wasn't going to take it anymore.
She goes back to her seat she observed the appearance of the would-be guards she was going to possibly have to fight when the lights went out.
She looks at the gun they had and their melee weapons strapped at their hips. She looks at one specific guard nearby.
'That will do.'
She looked at her scroll, its display blaring to life as the time ticked closer to the 12th number.
'Here it goes.'
She counted in her head, from 10 to 0, and as soon as she reached the final digit everything went dark. Panic screams were heard as Weiss, in the darkness made her way stealthy toward one of the guards she observed.
Using her memorization she finds the guard and knocks him out before taking his weapons and using the lights emanating from the scrolls of the customers in the auction to see in the darkness.
She lets out a burst of fire before quickly diving away. The gunshots made the patrons run away in fear after the first shot. The other guards tried to fire before another shouts that the other rich people present were going to get caught in the crossfire.
Meanwhile, Weiss was heading for the stage, she opened her scroll to see in the dark before noticing the lack of anyone being on the stage.
"Over there!" One of the men in the back shouts out loud at seeing the display light up.
Weiss quickly makes her way into the back room to see a door leading to a hallway that connected to the outside. She tries to pursue the man but remembers the guards still trying to find her.
She looks at the dust lying on their displays before cracking the case and fishing out the contents. She rushes towards the exit before turning around and throwing ice dust towards the door and shooting it with her stolen gun.
The blast encases the entire door with ice while the guards behind it try to pry it open to no avail. Weiss exits and sees the man that was showcasing the items on auction dragging the boy away and forcefully shoving him inside a truck.
Weiss immediately attacked and stuck the sword towards the man who falls to the ground after trying to dodge it. He tries to get away by crawling before feeling a warming gun barrel behind his head.
"Stand up," Weiss commanded.
The man obliges and quickly stands up while his shaking legs wobbled under the pressure.
Weiss looks toward the boy, his eyes now filled with color from his rescue. "Go along now, find a way out."
The boy quickly nods while Weiss used concentrated small amounts of dust to cut the shackles all the while the man stood still in front of her.
The boy runs away, now being set free while Weiss looks back at the man she was holding hostage.
A tap on the shoulder almost made her swing her stolen sword towards the direction it came from before stopping to look at an exact copy of her.
Neo removes her disguise and points toward the man, asking if Weiss was going to do it.
The man had been responsible for selling in the dark auction, he was not only a bystander but the one actually making it possible for sales to happen.
Weiss felt her finger itch the trigger before sagging her body in denial.
"I can't do it."
The man visibly relaxes at Weiss' unsuccessful attempt to execute him right then. He tried to turn around before a sharp pain was felt in his chest.
A blade was sticking out of his body while the warmth of his blood left his fingertips. Pain followed as the blade that sank into his body was twisted and shoved deeper.
He tried to scream and gasp for air but the blood in his own body flooded his throat and coated his lungs in a deep crimson. Instead of a scream, he released a gurgle as he finally stopped screaming soon after.
Weiss was horrified but wasn't disturbed, the man's repeated attempts to cling on to life were in vain as the man slowly slumped towards the ground as Neo smiled throughout his suffering.
He was let down and the blade ripped his insides as Neo's hidden blade exited from the back. The body fully falls to the ground as a new pair of dull and empty eyes stared back at Weiss.
Bile soared through her throat and escape her mouth as she quickly tries to let all her vomit out from the experience. She was kept calm by her desperately keeping it down.
As she kept gulping down from the event she looks back at the body only to feel vomit coming up again.
"Urgh…"
Neo looked at her while smiling, her grin not fading as the execution of a man happened right in front of Weiss. She wanted to ask why she had done it but Weiss already knew who Neo was.
"Let's…go…Neo…"
She reluctantly lets the satisfied Neo guide her towards the exit while using her semblance to hide.
Weiss would remember that.
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