Chapter 727: 70
Chapter 70
The elevator doors opened to admit Ruby into Ozpin's office. Besides the Headmaster himself, Ironwood and Glynda were there as well, along with...
"Uncle Qrow!" shouted Ruby, momentarily forgetting where she was as she shot across the space between herself and her uncle, throwing herself at him, the man catching her in a hug with a gruff laugh.
"Hey there, Rosebud," said Qrow, ruffling her hair fondly. "I hear you've been getting up to all kinds of shenanigans, while I was away."
"I guess," said Ruby. "But you were there during the last mission."
"Yep, lucky for you," agreed Qrow, "which, believe me, is nothing short of a miracle for me."
Ozpin coughed politely to get their attention. "Qrow has long been an associate of us, and one of my most trusted allies. As such, he is fully aware of the situation with the Fall Maiden. In fact, he is the one who rescued her, when she was attacked."
"Really?" asked Ruby, looking to Qrow.
"Hey, you doubt me?" asked Qrow, feigning hurt.
"Not really," said Ruby.
"Didn't get a good look at her attackers though," muttered Qrow. "From the sound of things, this Cinder-woman is a piece of work."
Ruby nodded fervently. "She's terrifying," she said. "Everything about her feels wrong."
"And you managed to hold your own against her, last night," noted Ozpin.
"I'm not sure of that," said Ruby. "I don't understand what she was doing."
"At which point we should bring this meeting back around to its intended subject," said Ironwood, stepping out from behind Ozpin's desk, approaching Ruby as she stepped away from Qrow to face him. "I will begin by offering you my deepest gratitude."
"Huh?" Ruby blinked.
Ironwood smiled. "Had you and your partner not acted, several of my men would be dead, and the rest injured, by that woman's attack. Yes, you abandoned the fight in order to protect them, but the fact remains that they are alive and unharmed because you did so. And, for that, I am genuinely grateful."
"Um...Y-you're welcome," said Ruby bashfully, averting her eyes.
Out of her field of vision, Glynda's lips turned up in a rare smile.
"And now, we should get your impressions about Cinder Fall," said Ozpin. "This is important, as what you've learned from this fight may well be critical to apprehending her later."
"Right," said Ruby, nodding stiffly. She frowned, taking a moment to think back over the fight, and her impressions of her opponent. "Cinder's strong, no doubt about that. She attacked with fire and glass, and her clothes had Dust woven into them."
"Glass?" asked Glynda.
Ruby nodded. "She kept some kind of dust or sand in canisters on her belt. She'd spray that into the air, then use her flames to melt it down into glass shards that she could fire off. She also made swords and arrows out of glass too."
"Perhaps it is something related to her Semblance then," mused Ozpin.
Ruby nodded. "I think she uses her Semblance to control dust-regular dust that is-and her magic and/or fire-Dust supplies the heat to melt it down." She paused. "I'm not entirely sure. Maybe she can control the glass too."
"But you did confirm that she utilizes Dust," said Glynda.
Ruby nodded. "I could sense it, and the way her clothes lit up when she used it gave her away. I think she has to use some Dust, because the Maiden powers she has are incomplete."
"That makes sense," said Ironwood.
"She'd use her magic for more immediate effects, but then work Dust into whatever she made," continued Ruby. "She'd use her attacks, like her fireballs and arrows to scatter it around, then detonate it later."
"That was what she used at the end of the fight," noted Ironwood.
"Are there any weaknesses you could determine?" asked Ozpin.
Ruby nodded. "Her weapons are strong, but...kinda brittle. Once I got my sword, her swords actually broke pretty easily. Again, it's probably because her powers are incomplete.
"Her barrier isn't very strong either. On top of that, she also needs to use her hands to bring it up. In fact, it looked as though she couldn't put up her barrier unless she has at least one empty hand to do it."
"Very helpful," noted Ozpin, nodding to himself. "Is there anything else you noticed?"
Ruby frowned. "Well...not with her powers," she said. "But her behavior was strange."
"How so?" asked Glynda.
"Well...she went through all that trouble to break into the CCT covertly. She was hidden when I entered the call center. It's obvious that being stealthy was important, probably because she didn't want anyone to find out what she was doing there. So she should've been looking for a way to leave without me finding her. I mean, I was able to sense her when I got there, but she didn't know that, so she should have been looking to avoid a confrontation.
"But instead, she stepped right out into the open and came at me. She didn't even try for an ambush, to catch me off-guard. She just stood right up, and then attacked. And I can't figure out why."
"When you put it like that, it is very unusual," agreed Ironwood, frowning. "That would be an extreme risk for her to take. What did she hope to gain by starting a fight like that?"
"Hopefully, it will be a question we can put to her directly, before long," said Ozpin.
"There's one other thing," added Ruby. "I'm pretty sure that Cinder is involved with the White Fang, and what they're doing."
"How so?" asked Glynda.
Ruby frowned. "The intent I felt from her, it was familiar. Cinder was piloting the bullhead that was trying to pick up Torchwick, the night we caught him. When she was opening fire, I felt that same intent. So I'm sure that Cinder is the one making Torchwick's group and the White Fang work together."
"Ahh...that makes sense," said Ozpin. "It certainly falls within our expectations. Demonstrating the Maiden's magic, even in its incomplete form, would be suitably intimidating, and certainly an excellent means of inducing either the White Fang or Torchwick to cooperate with her aims. This information goes a long ways towards preparing us to apprehend Ms. Fall. Thank you for your help, Ms. Rose."
"You're welcome," said Ruby, bowing her head slightly.
"I look forward to the results of your next mission, Ms. Rose," said Ozpin. "Please make sure you are fully rested and ready."
"Yes, Sir," said Ruby, giving him her most confident smile, before heading out.
Watching her go, Ozpin kept one thought to himself. She knows about the Maiden's barrier, and even how it is supposed to work, as opposed to the way Cinder Fall uses it. That makes it all the more apparent that Ms. Rose has substantial knowledge of the Maidens.
However, he chose to keep that thought to himself for the time being. "What do you think?" he asked, letting his gaze drift amongst the other members of his circle.
"Well, it gives us plenty to go on," said Qrow. "With this, we can put that witch down, and get Autumn back on the mend."
"The question is when and how?" asked Glynda.
"This week might afford us an opportunity," said Ozpin, bringing up Team CMSN, and their mission schedule. "Depending on what mission they choose, we can make use of how long they remain on campus. On the other hand, as we will know what mission they choose, we will also be able to follow their movements easily enough."
"Assuming the mission is legit, and they don't simply use it as a way to disappear for a bit," noted Qrow.
"Quite possible," agreed Ozpin, glancing at Glynda. "Though that would be difficult to arrange, as the mission in question would still lack confirmation of completion. We shall need to monitor them closely...and carefully. Until we are ready, we absolutely cannot let them realize we are onto them."
"Agreed," said Ironwood. He paused, glancing down at the desk. "And Oz...I owe you an apology for doubting you earlier. I misjudged Ms. Rose. She is indeed an excellent example of a Huntress, and one who belongs in this school."
"Thank you," said Ozpin.
"Hopefully, the mission will turn out well," said Qrow. "We're pretty sure those White Fang have those Paladins out in Mountain Glenn. The question is what they're gonna use them for."
"I have faith in Raspberry and Rainbow to come through for us," said Ozpin. "After which, it will be our responsibility to capitalize on the information they obtain."
"We'll need to be ready to move," said Ironwood.
"Luckily, your forces are already positioned near the southeast," said Glynda, looking to Ironwood. "Once we nail down the location of the White Fang's base, they will be perfectly-placed to strike."
"Agreed," said Ironwood, glad that they weren't turning their noses up at the opportunity he had brought to the table.
A tone sounded from the interface in Ozpin's desk, a message flashing up to appear before his eyes. He read it over carefully. "Oh dear..." he said softly.
"Something wrong, Oz?" asked Qrow.
"Yes..." said Ozpin, frowning. "We might wind up having to reconsider our mission assignments."
Qrow, Ironwood, and Glynda all moved to read over Ozpin's shoulder. When they did, their eyes widened considerably.
"What is there to talk about, Father?" asked Weiss, careful to keep her tone as level as possible, in order to keep her father from thinking she was being sarcastic.
"First, there is the matter of your team composition," said Jacques. "It has come to my attention that, in spite of all the resources we put into your upbringing and training, you somehow failed to secure the leader-position in your team."
"I do not see that as a failure," said Weiss earnestly.
"Is that so?" said Jacques, his own voice dripping with sarcasm. "Then, by all means, please enlighten me as to how being passed over for Ozpin's pet brat, a girl two years your junior, is anything but an abysmal failure."
Inwardly, Weiss bristled at the insult to Ruby, not in the least because those were the terms she had once used herself to describe the younger girl. It was a bitter reminder of the ugly attitude she had carried with her during those first days at Beacon. Luckily, she had an answer ready, thanks to what Sasame had once told her.
"Because I already have sufficient skill and experience in positions of leadership," she explained. "Beacon is a school, first and foremost, so there would be nothing for me to gain from assuming a role I am already comfortable with. Ozpin selected Ruby because he saw potential in her, and wanted to give her the opportunity to develop it, while I would be on-hand to help support her, utilizing my greater experience to advise her."
Granted, the latter part of that statement was supposition, and Weiss wasn't entirely sure that it was truth. But it seemed plausible enough and, more importantly, would help mollify her father's ire.
She heard Jacques irritated huff over the line. "I suppose that's...acceptable," he said, after a moment's hesitation. "But I still believe that there is some degree of insult implied by granting the position to an undeserving brat."
Once again, Weiss fought the urge to snap at her father for insulting Ruby, and also stamped down on her impulse to scoff at his self-centered attitude, going so far as to believe a single team-assignment at Beacon was, somehow, meant to be an insult aimed at him, as though the world revolved around him to that extent.
"Now then...onto more current matters," continued Jacques. "It has recently come to my attention that you have been keeping some very interesting company...a certain faunus..."
"What do you mean?" asked Weiss, her stomach dropping, as she realized that her father could only be talking about Ashley. Blake's cover was still secure, and nobody outside their two teams, and Ozpin and his closest associates, were aware that she was a faunus, much less a former-member of the White Fang. Had her Father known about that, he definitely would not be so restrained in his insinuations.
"Don't play coy with me, Weiss!" snapped Jacques. "I'm talking about that piece of riffraff that accompanied you to your school's dance, last night."
"Ashley is a friend of Ruby's," said Weiss. "She's a pleasant enough person. What's wrong with that?"
"What's wrong is that you wasted your evening consorting with a piece of faunus gutter-trash!" snapped Jacques. "There were any number of more suitable candidates you could have brought with you, ones who could have helped to build your future clout and connections, and you threw it away to spend the night frolicking with that worthless refuse."
Once again, Weiss had to fight to keep from snapping at her father and his insults, even more audacious than the ones he'd used to refer to Ruby. Ashley and her family might not have been very well-off, but they were a long ways away from the penniless status her father implied with his condescending nicknames for her. Granted, considering the Schnee Family's wealth, she figured that her father probably didn't care enough to make that distinction.
However, fighting him over that was a losing proposition. Instead, Weiss had to hit back with the plan she'd shared with Ashley. It would be touch and go, as she hadn't been expecting to be confronted over this so soon. But she'd have to just try and wing it.
"I actually figured it was the wisest choice of an escort I could have wished for," said Weiss. "Taking Ashley to the dance presented a wonderful opportunity for our image."
"What?"
Now Weiss was fighting back the urge to giggle, having almost never heard such a flat, uncomprehending tone from her father. It was clear that her response had utterly thrown Jacques for a loop.
"Tell me, Father, are you aware of Ashley's current situation?" she asked. The answer was "obviously not," considering they were still making arrangements to go public with her story.
"Of course not," scoffed Jacques. "Why would I care about a wretched mongrel?"
"Then allow me to enlighten you," said Weiss smoothly, injecting a bit of her old haughtiness in her tone. Hopefully that would sell this angle to him better. "As it so happens, Ashley and Ruby happened to meet, while Ruby was in Vale, and struck up a friendship. It was all very natural and spontaneous really."
"And I fail to see where this justifies your actions in any fashion," growled Jacques.
"Patience, Father," Weiss admonished, careful to keep her response jesting, implying that she wasn't actually chiding him. "You see, after a few weeks of this, Ashley was inducted into the White Fang."
"WHAT?!" Jacques roared furiously, making Weiss grimace and hold the scroll away from her face.
"You see," she continued, maintaining her calm, "she was forcefully conscripted into the organization. She avoided participating in any of their actions completely, because her entrance was unwilling. However, because it was learned that she had befriended Ruby, a human Huntress, the White Fang targeted her for elimination. Our team was the one tasked with saving and recovering her. Ashley and her family are currently being sheltered at Beacon, because they are still targets of White Fang reprisals.
"And so, I thought that taking Ashley to the dance was a wonderful gesture. Can't you see it, Father? A Schnee and a faunus, together, taking a stand against the White Fang, showing both humans and faunus who the real enemy is...Wouldn't that be a marvelous statement, and quite the excellent piece of positive press for our company right now? The White Fang will certainly have a harder time gaining traction, once it gets around that a Schnee offered comfort and support to a faunus that they threatened, when they are the ones claiming to fight for the faunus. So many wonderful ways to spin this...don't you think?"
Just the fact that her father had allowed her to go on this long indicated that Weiss' plan was having an effect. He was definitely thinking about what she'd said. The fact that he hadn't said anything immediately after she'd finished was a good sign too, as were the pensive sounds that broadcasted from the scroll's speakers.
Please...please buy it, Weiss pleaded silently. If she could get Jacques to swallow this, then he wouldn't look askance at her continuing to spend time with Ashley, so long as they were careful that no one saw them exchanging overt gestures of affection.
"Interesting..." said Jacques finally. "It has potential...provided that word does get out. To that end, you should ensure that your friend is able to share with the world what the White Fang has done to her."
"I certainly will, Father," said Weiss, earnestly enough.
There was another pregnant pause of the line. "I shall be honest with you, Weiss..."
What a novelty, thought Weiss sarcastically. Her father wasn't some serial liar who spoke falsehoods to everyone around him, that aspect being reserved for her mother (his wife) and the hoi polloi. The former he'd led on to believe that he'd married her out of love, when he'd actually been seeking the company, and its wealth, for himself. The latter he fed constant lies about what a generous and charitable man he was. However, with Weiss herself, he had always been unpleasantly frank, particularly when it came to expressing disappointment or anger with her.
Jacques continued. "...when I had initially called you, it was to inform you that I would be stripping you of your title for your foolishness, and naming Whitley as my heir. In all honesty, I am still convinced he would be the better choice."
Weiss swallowed, going cold at the thought.
"However...you have managed to adequately argue your case, which has led me to rethink my decision."
Now Weiss was fighting back the urge to sigh in relief.
"But...that is not yet set in stone. The matter remains that you have strained my faith in your suitability as my heir. And so...in order to fully convince me of your fitness, I now require something of you."
"And what is that?" asked Weiss, a slight quaver finding its way into her voice, despite her best efforts.
She could practically hear Jacques' smug smile at her nervousness over the line. "It's nothing overly troublesome, I assure you. In fact, it should be well within the scope of your...abilities...seeing as I intend to make use of your training as a Huntress."
"And what is that?" repeated Weiss, a bevy of emotions rushing through her, trying to keep up with the various things implied by her father's statement.
"It is my understanding that your first official missions will be beginning shortly," said Jacques.
"Yes," agreed Weiss. "In fact, we are scheduled to leave on our mission, tomorrow."
"That much is true," agreed Jacques. "However, you will not be leaving for the mission that you originally signed up for."
"What?" gasped Weiss.
"You see, it's bad enough that those faunus mutts have been raiding the Dust that our company sends of Vale," explained Jacques. "But the real problem is those damn pirates, who have been hitting our shipping. Not only has that Dust been a loss, but the ship and its crew are often lost as well. It's a severe blow, every time it happens, and it reduces our capacity to move our product as well. This cannot be allowed to continue. Therefore, I have made arrangements for you and your...team...to stop it."
"You can't be serious!" protested Weiss. "You can't just order Beacon to assign us a specific mission. There's no way the Headmaster would approve."
"Oh...I think he will be amenable," said Jacques, sounding unbearably smug. "After all, when I sent in my request, I sent it along with a warning. You see...with shipping being so unreliable, I may have no choice but to cut off supply to Vale in its entirety. That would be a severe blow in the short term, yes. But it's far preferable to continuing to lose more product, every time those damn pirates hit our ships. Atlas' and Vale's militaries have proven completely ineffectual, so it is time to see if the vaunted Huntsmen and Huntresses of Beacon have what it takes to solve this problem."
"And what reason would we be expected to succeed?" asked Weiss, her eyes narrowing. She didn't want to imply that she was incapable. However, there was no way that a single team of students could possibly, somehow, manage what the militaries of two Kingdoms, one of which was the most technologically-advanced in the world, had failed repeatedly, despite the resources at their disposal.
"Well...it's probably overdue that I resorted to this strategy," said Jacques. "I have decided to have your team rendezvous with my next shipment. You will board that ship, and accompany it to its destination. When the pirates attack...you shall deal with them."
"That's a rather haphazard way of going about it, Father," said Weiss. "There's no guarantee that the pirates will target that particular vessel. Should it reach port without incident, then what?"
"Then we shall lather, rinse, and repeat; until those thieves take the bait. I find it likely that they will strike, however. These pirates have been most active in the Almaren, and appear to have concentrated their efforts there. This particular freighter will be plying that ocean, and it has been a sufficient period of time, since the last one was hit, that I feel certain this one will be targeted."
Weiss swallowed. It was a sufficiently plausible plan, she supposed. The problem was that her father was basically holding Vale's Dust supply hostage in order to strong-arm Ozpin into assigning this mission to her team. Sure, this was an important issue as well, as the pirates were even more of a threat to Vale's Dust supply, right now, than the White Fang were. But they already had an important mission, locating the stolen Paladins, before the White Fang unleashed them against Vale.
Still, there was nothing to be done to fight her father on this. At this point, there were two options for her. She could go along, and take this mission with her team, and hope they solved the pirate problem. Or Ozpin could risk her father's wrath, and refuse. She didn't know what Jacques' decision regarding her status would be then. However, the one thing that was clear to her was that defying him herself was out of the question. That would get her nowhere...except disinherited.
"Very well, Father," she said. "I will see what Ozpin has to say about this."
"Very good, Weiss," replied Jacques, his words perfunctory. "If you come through on this, then your status will be on solid ground once more. Do not fail me."
Not bothering with anything as plebeian as a goodbye, Jacques hung up abruptly, leaving Weiss staring at her silent scroll. For a second, she stood there, like a statue, her mind running through everything that had just happened. Finally, it was too much. Weiss had to find a bench and sit down. When she did, she leaned back with a tired sigh, staring dumbly at the sky. This is a disaster, she thought. And, sadly, it seemed that things were only likely to get worse from there.
It was an uneasy group that convened in Ozpin's office. Weiss had barely had time to call Ruby, and inform her of the situation, before RASP and RYNB were summoned by Ozpin. Ruby, who'd been there less than an hour earlier, found her head spinning at the sudden change in the situation. Her stomach was churning unpleasantly at what was going on.
They entered the office to the sounds of an argument.
"There's no way you can let that man get away with this!" Glynda was shouting.
"At this point, we have no choice," Ozpin replied calmly. "Little enough Dust is getting through as is. We cannot afford Mr. Schnee cutting us off."
"Oz! Let me talk with him," Ironwood pleaded. "Jacques can be a reasonable man."
"If he were truly reasonable, then he likely wouldn't have resorted to such actions," Glynda scoffed. "This is nothing less than taking the entirety of Vale hostage. This is downright criminal! He needs to be arrested!"
"Unfortunately, his arguments are valid, under Atlesian law," said Ironwood. "I may control the Council, but the Council is still beholden to that law, unless we go through the procedures to change it. And we definitely don't have time to go through all that, before the lack of Dust supplies is felt by Vale as a whole."
"Professor...?" said Ruby tentatively, thinking that the teachers might not have wanted the students to see them acting like this.
All three adults snapped their heads up, looking towards the two teams that had just filed out of the elevator. Looking around, Ruby spotted Qrow, leaning idly against one of the office's columns. Their eyes meeting, Qrow grinned, and shot Ruby a wink.
"Thank you for coming on such short notice," said Ozpin. "Ms. Rose, I suspect Ms. Schnee has filled you in on the situation."
"She has," replied Ruby, the others nodding slowly. Weiss had filled in everyone else as best she could, during the brief elevator ride up.
"So...as you are already aware, things have become...complicated," said Ozpin.
"I'm very sorry about all of this," said Weiss, lowering her head.
"There is nothing to be ashamed of, Ms. Schnee," replied Ozpin. "Your father did this on his own."
"Yes, but there is more to it than that," said Weiss. "You see, much of this is about my choice of partners for the dance, last night."
Glynda's eyes widened, while Ironwood grunted irritably.
"In other words, because you attended the dance in the company of a faunus...?" began Ozpin.
"Father decided to submit this as a test of my suitability as heir," answered Weiss.
"That man..." muttered Glynda irritably.
"So then...what do we do?" asked Pyrrha.
"Our options are limited at this point," said Ozpin. "Because of the SDC's dominance in the Dust market, there are few competitors who will be able to pick up the slack, should they cease shipments to Vale. Without Dust, a great deal of the Kingdom's infrastructure will be at risk, particularly our defenses. The military has enough Dust stockpiled to continue to hold off the Grimm for a time. However, their supplies are not infinite. And, as the crisis worsens, the negativity of the populace will only serve to make the pressure of the Grimm all the greater, which will further reduce their stocks."
"Perhaps we should go through with it," said Ruby.
Her words drew shocked looks from nearly everyone in the room. Only Qrow and Ren seemed unsurprised, the former chuckling under his breath.
"You mean we should give up on the White Fang investigation?" asked Blake incredulously.
"Not us," clarified Ren, already seeing where Ruby was going with this. "This mission was for Team Raspberry to begin with, so we will be able to continue on and investigate Mountain Glenn. It will be more dangerous, with only four of us, but we can still do it."
"Besides, these pirates are a problem too," added Ruby. "Part of the reason the Dust crisis is so severe right now is because so many shipments haven't even made it to Vale for the White Fang to steal. If we take out the pirates, we'll make things better."
"...She's not wrong," said Glynda, reluctantly, after a moment's hesitation. It wasn't that she contested Ruby's words, but she didn't want to do anything that could be seen as acquiescing to Jacques demands.
"Very true," mused Ozpin, resting his chin on his knuckles. "In fact, the White Fang participating in Dust heists was a more recent development, as Jacques' shift in tactics allowed more shipments to get through. It suggests to me that pirates and the White Fang might be part of the same problem."
"You mean the pirates could be working with the White Fang?" guessed Nora.
"Or the pirates are White Fang," muttered Blake.
"Either answer is possible," said Ozpin. "Or it could be that the two are completely unrelated. We cannot be sure at this juncture."
Meeting Ozpin's gaze, Ruby was sure that he thought that the pirates and the White Fang's activities were connected. If they were, then that meant that the pirates were also connected to Cinder in some fashion, which made it all the more important that they be stopped.
"So...I guess we're going up to Atlas," said Jaune warily.
"I'm not exactly happy about the idea of sending Rainbow into Mountain Glenn without support," said Weiss, glancing worriedly at Ren's team.
Ironwood shifted. "That does not necessarily need to be the case," he said.
"You would assign one of your teams to support Rainbow?" asked Glynda.
"Yes," said Ironwood. "Once it became clear that this was going to happen, no matter what we wanted, I took the liberty of calling them. They should be arriving shortly."
They waited for a moment, until the elevator doors opened again. When they did, Ruby gasped, her eyes going wide, while she smiled brightly. "Penny!"
"Salutations, Ruby," said Penny cheerfully, marching into the room alongside the rest of her teammates.
RASP and RYNB parted to make room for the Atlesian team to approach the desk. Ciel, Penny, and Piper were all garbed in their usual outfits. For everyone, except Jaune and Ren, it was their first time seeing Rain in his combat outfit. He was dressed in a white, button-down shirt, which was tucked into a pair of black pants, themselves tucked into a pair of dark-brown boots. Over his shirt, he wore a brown, leather jacket. The jacket's sleeves were uneven, with the left extending all the way down to his wrist, while the right ended at his elbow. A pair of leather straps crossed his chest, going over his shoulders, before crossing down behind his back, to come back around just above his waist.
"Team Copper, reporting as requested, Sir," said Ciel crisply, settling into an At Ease position, her hands behind her back, with Piper and Rain mirroring her posture. In contrast, Penny adopted a much more relaxed version of the posture, also clasping her hands behind her back, but keeping her stance looser.
Ironwood surveyed Team CPPR carefully for a moment. "I have summoned you for an important mission," he explained. "Through the investigations of Team Raspberry and Team Rainbow, we have obtained intelligence that the White Fang is conducting clandestine operations southeast of Vale, in the abandoned extension known as Mountain Glenn."
Penny's smile faltered somewhat, as she began to adopt a more serious expression. The other three members flinched, then stiffened at the mention of the White Fang.
"At present, the White Fang are in possession of up to eleven of our new prototype Paladins," added Ironwood. "We believe that they are planning on using Mountain Glenn as a staging point for an attack on the Kingdom. We cannot allow that to happen.
"Originally, Raspberry and Rainbow were to perform reconnaissance operations in Mountain Glenn, under the cover of a Search and Destroy mission to cull the Grimm population, and locate the White Fang's operation. However, unexpected circumstances have required that Raspberry be reassigned. As such, I will now be assigning you to accompany and assist Team Rainbow in locating the White Fang operation."
A silence stretched out for a moment, before Ironwood spoke again. "Any questions?"
Ciel raised a hand. "You said this was a reconnaissance mission, Sir. Are we to assume that we will need to avoid confrontation with the White Fang, should we locate them?"
"That is correct," said Ironwood, nodding curtly. "We know next to nothing about the White Fang's activities out there, including whatever contingencies they might have, should they realize they have been discovered. We want to be absolutely sure that we can bring down all of them, and secure the Paladins before they can be used against Vale. Therefore, secrecy will be of the utmost importance."
"Understood," said Ciel, nodding briskly.
"From what I understand, student-missions of this type are to be supervised by a Huntsman or Huntress," said Rain, his voice proving to be quite smooth, almost soothing even. "Will we be supervised in a similar manner?"
"That is the plan," said Ozpin, nodding slightly. "As there will be two teams participating in this mission, you will be assisted by two Huntsmen. Team Rainbow will be supervised by my friend and associate, Qrow Branwen."
"Yo," said Qrow, raising a casual hand from where he was.
"Team Copper shall be supervised by Dr. Oobleck, our historian, and an expert on the local area, Mountain Glenn especially," continued Ozpin. "Hopefully, you will be able to locate the threat, which will enable James to send in his forces to fully neutralize it."
RYNB and CPPR nodded in agreement.
"What about us?" asked Ruby, mostly curious.
"I will make arrangements for an Atlesian Specialist to join you, when you arrive," Ironwood replied. He surveyed all three teams. "Are there any further questions?" When none were brought up, he nodded. "Very good then...Dismissed."
The three teams turned towards the elevator, only to pause, as they realized there was no way all twelve of them would fit in there at once.
"I'm so sorry," said Ashley.
"Please don't say that. It's not your fault," replied Weiss, taking Ashley's hands in her own. "I just wasn't expecting my father to find out about this so soon."
"Is it really that suspicious?" asked Elowen, sitting in an armchair, across the table from Weiss, Ashley, and Ruby, who were taking up the room's couch.
The suite in the faculty quarters that had been granted to the Forrest Family was very well-appointed, certainly better-furnished than any student dorm-room. All the furnishings were of a higher quality than anything the Forrests had owned. There was little in the way of decor, seeing as the resident would usually be supplying their own. However, there was a spacious living room, with plush chairs and a couch, arranged around a high-quality coffee-table, carved from some dark wood.
The far wall of the room from the door was occupied by a large window that gave them a sweeping view of the rest of Beacon's campus, complete with Beacon Tower looming over the whole thing. Upon entry, the Forrests had been assured that the windows in the suite were not only polarized, for privacy, but reinforced against firearms as well, able to stand up to even heavier-caliber weapons. Apparently, the occasional stray round was not such an unusual problem on a campus that catered to students who spent much of their time heavily-armed. It was at least a frequent enough problem that certain sections of the school had been built to withstand such...accidents.
The arrangement was still somewhat awkward, if only because, even if the suite was spacious, it was still mainly furnished for a single occupant, rather than a family of three. There was one bedroom, with a single bed, and a single bathroom, something of a downgrade for the family, with Ashley being used to having her own bathroom, while her parents shared another. The other awkwardness was that they didn't often see the outside of the room. Considering the active threat against them, none of the family's members could go outside without an escort, which meant that the majority of each day, the entirety more than once, was spent within this room. The presence of an entertainment center, with its high-quality holoscreen only went so far towards keeping them from going completely stir-crazy.
Ruby reflected somewhat bitterly that she had succeeded in keeping Ashley from being arrested...only to deliver her into a different kind of imprisonment. She hoped that they could resolve this situation with the White Fang soon.
Oliver emerged from the suite's kitchenette, which occupied a corner of the area by the window. He'd been preparing some coffee for their guests, and his own family, which he set out on the table, after shifting aside the small mess of papers that occupied its center.
The papers were Ashley's schoolwork. After learning of her situation, the faculty of Ashley's school had been surprisingly accommodating, her teachers putting together and sending work packets for her to complete, in lieu of attending class. With them came notes from her teachers, indicating that Ashley's classmates were worried about her, and frequently asked about her wellbeing.
In response to Elowen's question, Weiss nodded slowly. "I'd expected him to find out, sooner or later," she said. "But the rumor mill should have at least taken a few days to reach his ears in Atlas." She frowned. "For him to get back to me the very next morning tells me that someone there basically sent him some manner of report on my actions, last night."
"Well, you are a rather high-profile person," Elowen pointed out. "As the heiress to the SDC, there are any number of people who are probably watching your actions."
"I suppose that's true," admitted Weiss. "However, all things considered, I didn't think people would see anything all that unusual. Our team spends a lot of time with B-Velvet." Weiss fought down a scowl as she recovered from her verbal misstep, almost outing Blake, having momentarily forgotten that Blake's faunus-status was known only to a chosen few.
"Yes, but spending time around faunus, on a campus with several faunus in attendance, isn't the same thing as going to a formal dance with one on your arm," said Elowen. "That's bound to attract attention."
"I suppose," conceded Weiss. "I guess I underestimated my fellow students' eagerness to stick their noses into others' business." She scowled. "But Father pulling this stunt...practically holding Vale hostage to pressgang my team into a mission that serves his interests...that's a new low, even for him."
"Maybe he's desperate," said Ruby.
"Maybe..." said Weiss. It was true that the pirates were doing serious damage to the SDC's shipping; between the stolen Dust, the lost ships, and their crews; each hit vessel cost the SDC far more than what the White Fang did, when they stole Dust from the local distributors. Ships had to be replaced, new crews hired and trained. Knowledge of the fate of the previous crews would only make sailors all the more reluctant to serve on SDC vessels, which would force Jacques to spend more on incentives to entice crew members.
"But why doesn't he just hire actual Huntsmen?" wondered Oliver. "I mean, with his wealth, he could probably afford the best of the best. Why basically contract out to a bunch of students, much less his own daughter and heir?"
"Well...for the latter part, I can certainly say he isn't overly concerned with my wellbeing," said Weiss sourly. "At this point, Father is just looking for an excuse to disinherit me, so that he can go ahead and pass everything to his favorite. Just going to the dance with Ashley was enough for him, and I only managed to just barely talk him around, and got off with this glorified errand for my trouble. If we fail, he gets to go ahead and drop me from the line of inheritance. And if I'm killed, it's no skin off his nose."
"That repulsive fiend!" gasped Elowen, while Ashley tightened her hold on Weiss' hands, prompting Weiss to squeeze her hands back.
"He's absolute scum," Weiss agreed. "But at this point, there's no fighting it. If we can pull this off, I'll have more security in my position."
"But we'll still have to pretend, won't we?" asked Ashley sadly.
Her own expression falling, Weiss nodded. "Yes," she said. "Just dancing with you was nearly enough. If Father finds out about...us...there won't be any fast-talking I can do to keep him from dropping me. For all I know, that might be enough for him to straight-up disown me...not to mention the worse consequences."
Ashley lowered her eyes. "I'm sorry," she said softly.
Weiss let go of one of Ashley's hands to gently push her chin up, so that they could look each other in the eyes. "I'm not," she said firmly. "I've regretted quite a few things in my life. But you are not one of them."
Ashley sniffed. Then she and Weiss leaned in, exchanging a quick chaste kiss, the most they were comfortable with, especially with Ashley's parents and Ruby in the room.
Elowen favored the pair with a warm smile. "You know, dear, your tail is looking a little mussed. Why don't you take Weiss to the bedroom, and show her how to brush it."
"A-are you sure?" asked Ashley, her cheeks going pink, while Weiss blinked in confusion.
"It's fine," said Elowen, Oliver nodding in agreement. "Go ahead."
Ashley nodded, then stood up, pulling Weiss off the couch and into the bedroom, closing the door behind them.
"That was nice of you," said Ruby.
Oliver chuckled. "They deserve some privacy to say goodbye properly. From the sound of things, a normal date would be out of the question for them."
"Yeah," agreed Ruby. She had fond memories of brushing Sasame's tail for her, on occasion. The grooming was a nice bonding activity for the new couple, not too intimate, but certainly better than just quick kisses before an audience, even if said audience was an approving one. "I'm sorry about this."
"You've never done anything but your absolute best by us," said Oliver. "We don't regret our daughter meeting you and your friends at all."
"Still, I wish we could be here for you all," said Ruby. "And your interview is coming up this week too."
"We'll get through it," said Elowen.
Though it had been tricky to set up, Ozpin and Glynda had come through with a definite date for Ashley's interview with Lisa and the VNN, where she could speak out about the White Fang and their new recruitment methods, which would hopefully accomplish several things at once. Ruby just wished she could be there to support her friend, when it happened, knowing that Ashely and her family had never wanted such a level of media scrutiny, simply for being her friend.
However, the Paladins couldn't wait any longer. Ruby glanced towards the door, silently wishing Ashley luck.
"Like this?" asked Weiss cautiously, gently pulling the brush along the length of Ashley's tail, which rested on her lap. Weiss was honestly shocked at how soft and fluffy Ashley's tail felt. She probably could have spent all day just brushing her fingers through it.
"Yes, that's right," said Ashley, humming at the sensations. "Just don't pull on my tail. My fur doesn't tangle much, so you won't have to do much work."
"That's good," said Weiss, continuing the process. It was amazingly soothing, feeling wonderful, after the stress of everything she'd been through so far today.
For a moment, they let a comfortable silence rest between them, Ashley softly humming or cooing at the sensations of having her fur brushed, while Weiss simply enjoyed the feeling of Ashley's fur rubbing against her hands, while she ran the brush through it, as well as the feeling of it tickling the skin of her thighs, when the occasional twitch caused part of the puffy appendage to brush under the hem of her skirt. It was peaceful and fulfilling.
Finally, Ashley broke the silence. "Weiss...do you really think it will work out for us?"
Weiss was silent for a bit longer, pondering the answer. She couldn't bring herself to give Ashley some kind of false assurance though. "I...I don't know," she admitted. "If we can keep it under wraps long enough, once I'm control of the SDC, we won't need to worry about keeping it secret."
That was a very big "if" though. It would be years before Jacques was ready to turn the SDC over to his chosen heir, assuming Weiss still was that heir by the time that came around. After all, there would be plenty of other occasions in the future that could furnish her father with other excuses to turn the inheritance over to Whitley instead.
I'd probably have a better chance of convincing Father to stop thinking of faunus a sub-human animals, she thought bitterly, before reconsidering. There wasn't a chance in Hell that Jacques Schnee would reconsider anything, least of all his prejudices. In public, he put on the face of the man who ran "one of the only businesses in Atlas that paid faunus the same wages as humans", fronting himself as someone downright benevolent.
Very few people actually fell for that lie all the way. It was true that the base wage Jacques Schnee paid his faunus employees was the same as the human ones. But the faunus were given far smaller raises, and were almost always passed over for promotions. Whenever those particular discrepancies were brought up, Jacques had always claimed that advancement in the company should be based on merit, rather than race; implying that people were saying he would be advancing faunus because they were faunus, not that they would do well at the jobs they might be promoted into. However, it seemed that, within the SDC, being human was the greatest merit of all.
Of course, Weiss was even more privy to her father's attitude, having heard many of his more private diatribes, when he wasn't putting on a polite front for a press release or a social gathering. He often lamented having to give any consideration to those "filthy mongrels", stating that they should be motivated with whips, rather than a paycheck. Even as an impressionable young child, Weiss had found his attitude disgusting, particularly because she was able to pick up the discrepancy between how he presented himself to the rest of the world...and how he really was.
So the idea of getting Jacques to open up to the notion of his daughter being in a relationship with a faunus was as much a fantasy as any fairy tale she'd read as a child. But the idea that she and Ashley could keep their relationship a secret for that long was just as much of a fantasy. And, worse, it wasn't fair to either of them. They deserved to be open with their feelings for each other. At this rate, there was no way that Weiss could take Ashley on a proper date, at least not one that wouldn't end up with a dozen or more pictures of them on the network, where Jacques would find out about them, then immediately be on the scroll with her again.
It would take its toll on them. Ashley wouldn't be satisfied forever with gestures of affection that could only be exchanged in complete privacy, having to pretend to act like mere friends in public, having to forever contrive plausible excuses to spend time with each other. Weiss knew she wouldn't be satisfied with that either.
One way or another, this relationship was destined to end in disaster, probably for both of them. The problem was that Weiss couldn't bring herself to end it. It would be best to do it now, before they were fully-invested. They could still make it a clean break, without doing much harm to one another. The longer they carried on like this, the harder and more painful it would be, when that end inevitably came.
But Weiss couldn't. She couldn't break it off. The feeling of holding Ashley, their lips against each other's, it was intoxicating, and Weiss couldn't consign herself to never experiencing that feeling again. Why am I so weak?
"Weiss...?"
Weiss stared, realizing that she'd completely zoned out, even forgetting to continue brushing Ashley's tail.
"You don't think it's going to work," said Ashley sadly.
Weiss wanted to contradict her, to tell her everything was going to be all right. But she just couldn't. "No...I don't," she admitted, sniffing hard. "Ashley, I'm sorry! This is so wrong! But we can't do this without you being put in danger...again! My scumbag of a father would never let us get away with it. Look what he's done, just from the idea of us attending a dance together. We're doomed, if we keep this up!"
Weiss was shaking, on the verge of a panic. "But I...I can't stop. I can't do it!" She turned her eyes to Ashley, tears falling freely.
Ashley smiled, tears of her own falling. Her tail lifted off Weiss' lap, rising up to gently brush its soft fur against Weiss' cheeks, dabbing at her tears. Weiss stared at it for a second, before hugging the fluffy appendage tightly, reveling in how soft and warm it was. Ashley turned and hugged Weiss back, her tail pressed between them.
"I can't stop either," she admitted. "I admire just how much you want to make things better. And...and I know I'm only making it harder. But I can't..."
"We're both idiots then," said Weiss.
"Yep," agreed Ashley.
The two of them shared a kiss, a much longer and lingering one than any one they'd exchanged previously. Weiss' grip transferred from Ashley's tail to her shoulders, pulling her in closer, while Ashley's tail slipped out from between them. Their lips still connected, they toppled over onto the bed, making the most of their goodbye.
The long-distance flight between Vale and Soyuz, the port-settlement that most of the SDC's Dust was shipped out of, was too far for the bullheads typically used by Beacon to ship their students to missions. An intercontinental airship was, understandably, far more expensive, Beacon not owning any for student-use.
The SDC, on the other hand, maintained a small fleet of such vessels, at least one or two stationed in each Kingdom's central airport. After a couple of hours of frenzied negotiation, which Ironwood was heavily involved in, one of these vessels was requisitioned for their use. Ruby had no idea how Jacques Schnee thought they were supposed to get to Atlas without such an airship, but she got the impression that he hadn't actually cared, and expected Beacon to take care of everything. Nor did she know what Ironwood had actually done to convince him.
All Ruby and the other members of her team knew was that they were glad that Ironwood had succeeded.
Their day had begun in much the same way as it had for the other students. They had gotten up, gone over their weapons one last time, to ensure that everything was in working order, and all their ammunition (for those who needed it) was fully-stocked. Then they joined RYNB for breakfast, before everyone assembled in the auditorium for an address by Ozpin. Most teams would be picking their missions after this assembly, which made it rather odd that RASP, RYNB, and now CPPR, had their missions already selected for them. Not that anyone else knew that.
Ozpin had given a brief speech, going into the history of the Great War, and how it had led to the trend of using colors as the basis for people's names. Ruby had listened attentively. The Mibu, having never participated in the Great War, had no such impetus, and felt comfortable naming their children in whatever way they saw fit, albeit almost all their names had their roots in the Old Tongue.
From there, Ozpin had segued into a speech about the importance of cooperation and doing their best, before leaving everyone...everyone else, that was...to pick their missions. From there, RASP barely had time to say goodbye to RYNB and CPPR, before they were whisked away by a bullhead to Vale's primary airport, where they were immediately ushered aboard an SDC airship, and sent north.
It was an eight-hour flight. Fortunately, and the reason they were so grateful that Ironwood had managed this for them, the SDC airship was equipped with surprisingly comfortable amenities. The seats were larger than those of commercial airships, and well-spaced. Some were even outright couches. Each one came equipped with an entertainment center and work-station, and they were capable of fully reclining to double as beds.
Ruby and Jaune immediately took one of the couches for themselves, leaning against each other. After an allowance from Weiss, they had even reclined the couch and slept, holding each other tightly, taking a brief nap, before their arrival in Soyuz.
Their arrival occurred with very little fanfare, merely an announcement from the pilot that they were landing. Gathering their baggage, they assembled at the hatch. When it opened, it was Weiss, the native Atlesian, who took the first steps off the aircraft, leading the way for the others. Ruby, Jaune, and Pyrrha tried to look focused, but couldn't quite keep themselves from looking like total rubberneckers as they stepped off the airship. Because of that, Ruby nearly walked straight into Weiss' back as she abruptly froze in place, midway down the stairs.
Confused, Ruby looked over Weiss' shoulder to see what had stalled her, only to see a severe-looking woman in a white-outfit, a woman with rather familiar-looking features. It appeared that this was the Specialist that Ironwood had assigned to them. Given how she looked, Ruby had some idea of just why Weiss had suddenly stopped.
"Winter!" exclaimed Weiss, her eyes going wide.
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