The holiday season. Oh how wonderful the season was. Winter, bringing fresh snowfall and cold winds, a reason for comfort in warmth and company, and a swelling of love and joy for everyone around. A season of giving, of family, and of hope. The time of year in which little acts of kindness spread through the streets faster than the flashing lights and decorations adorning every building.
Though, most importantly, the Winter season and the many holidays associated with it also bring about the most important thing.
"Profits!" Weiss squealed, looking at the many pages of the expense report she had been given earlier that day. After swiftly dealing with a small set back with a few of the employees, she had returned to her office to personally gloat at her own accomplishments.
"Oh wow, I do believe these are record numbers for the company!" Weiss said, barely able to contain the excitement and pride in her voice. She quickly shuffled through the pages and compared herself to her other department heads. "Oh, Glynda's not even close! And Peter, the fool thinks that he has the tact to sell anything at all! Not to mention dear old 'Doctor' Bartholomew. He may be quick on his feet, but his lack of personability is his downfall!"
Weiss couldn't contain her laugh as she continued through the report, but wasn't focusing closely on any particular part of it. After being satisfied with the information, she reorganized the report and laid them to rest on her desk. She then took a few minutes to calm herself down and focus on her office.
It wasn't the most luxurious office she had ever been in, but what it lacked in luxury, Weiss made up for in style. She wasn't allowed to change the desk, but it was a solid oak desk that spanned nearly half her office, curling in the middle to rest perfectly against the wall. It had more than enough space for her to organize herself how she wanted, and she was able to paint the walls a nice light blue to accent the desk's brighter color. She had a pair of plain cushioned chairs on the other side of her desk for those she would talk business with.
Behind her was a full window spanning the entire wall with the late morning sun illuminating her office. She could look behind her and see the sprawling city of Vale beneath her. Every once in awhile, she would stand in front and look out, imagining herself owning everything she could see.
The walls of the office were nearly filled with awards she had obtained in her lifetime and various big name celebrities she had managed to get a photo with. There was a coat hanger in the corner by the desk for her to use, and a decent sized plant occupied the opposite corner, though anyone who looked at it for a few seconds would realize it was fake.
Just then, a knock came at her office door, snapping her mind into focus once again. She quickly grabbed the illegitimately gained expense reports and organized them away. "Come in," she called when she was certain her secret was safe.
"Ms. Schnee," her secretary Velvet began as she made her way into the room, "the president would like to speak with you in his office."
"Hmm, did he mention what he would like to discuss?" Weiss asked.
"No," Velvet said.
"Alright, I'll be over in a few minutes. I have some loose ends to tie up here." Weiss said, dismissing her secretary with a wave of her hand.
"Oh, um, there was something else," Velvet said hesitantly.
"What is it?" Weiss asked dismissively as she spun her chair so she could stare out her window.
"I was told to tell you that it was urgent."
Weiss popped out of her chair and made her way around the desk quickly. "Urgent? Why didn't you start with that?" She said as she sped past her, trying her best to still look professional.
"I'm sorry, Ms. Schnee. It's just-" Velvet followed behind until she nearly ran into her boss, who had stopped suddenly.
Weiss turned around to face her secretary. "Velvet, do we need to have this conversation again?"
Velvet took a step back and her normally straight rabbit ears drooped. "N-no, Ms Schnee."
"Very good. Now, when I get back, I expect a fresh cup of coffee, the newest designs for next season's collection, and a meeting set up with HR about their employment selection process." Weiss spun around and continued her way through the halls to her boss's office, barely registering her secretary's half-hearted reply.
It didn't take long to make her way to the president's office. He had a philosophy of making sure everyone who held a similar title or office would share the same space, and since her position was so close to president itself, she was able to work on the same floor.
Just before the last turn, she stopped for a moment and smoothed out her white suit jacket top and black dress, making sure she looked ready to face the president. After she turned the corner, Weiss could see the double doors with a plaque that read: President Ozpin. As she approached, she noticed his secretary seated behind her desk.
"Good afternoon, Ms. Schnee. He's expecting you." Amber said as she waved Weiss along.
"Thank you." Weiss said as she made her way to the double doors and gently threw them open to allow herself in.
"Ah, Ms. Weiss Schnee. Please, come in and have a seat." Ozpin politely said with a smile. He was sat behind a large desk which was a little different than most. It wasn't wood, but had a metal frame and a glass top and bottom. Not only that, it was shaped differently, with a curve outward in the middle to give him more reach around. Inside the desk was a set of cogs, all rotating in sync, but never giving off a sound.
His back wall was another large window that held an excellent view of Vale and the ocean during sunrise. The rest of his office was rather bare, however, as he had a simple bookshelf filled with an assortment of texts, and two chairs on the other side of the desk that looked as ordinary as the ones in her own office. Even the walls had nothing on them.
Weiss made her way to the nearest chair and sat down, making sure she was seated comfortably. "Thank you, sir. Now, I hear this is an urgent meeting?" She said as she effortlessly put forth a comfortable smile.
"Well, yes," Ozpin said as he reached over to one side of his desk and grabbed a small folder. He brought it in front of him and opened it up, revealing a few pieces of paper with names at the top and information about them below. "This is about the incident that happened earlier today."
Weiss kept her composure, "Oh, sir, you don't have to worry about that. I was just about to fill out all the paperwork and personally meet with HR to make sure that everything went smoothly."
"Well, it is good to hear that this wouldn't slow you down from your normal workload, but that doesn't absolve you from this massive problem you have just caused for us." Ozpin said.
Weiss froze, "I'm sorry, sir. What problem?"
Ozpin leaned forward, "Ms. Schnee, here at Clockworks we strive for dedication to our customers, and a sense of family with our employees. As the president and founder, I have taken great strides to ensure that everyone can find a welcoming place to shop. However, we can't continue that when we have no employees on the store floor to assist the customers. Now I understand that you might have a problem with a few employees, but firing eight of them in the span of ten minutes is a major cause of concern, and will stress the business and other associates."
Weiss gave an apologetic smile, then sat forward in her chair. "Mr. Ozpin, sir, I understand that, but there were very good reasons behind my actions."
"I would very much like to hear what those reasons are." Ozpin said, grabbing the first page on top and sliding it across the table for her to see. "Starting with Jaune Arc."
Weiss relaxed slightly, knowing this was her moment to defend herself. "Well, Jaune Arc, in the simplest terms, is an idiot. He has been working here for months, but still doesn't know how to perform the basic functions of his job. I also had suspicions that his resume wasn't quite accurate, but I had no proof. Just a few minutes ago, he was setting up a display totally wrong."
Ozpin nodded in understanding, brushing off the question of how she saw his resume, and continued by sliding another page across to her. "And what about Pyrrha Nikos?"
"Pyrrha was a great employee, and very personable, but lacked the ability to stand up for herself. Not only that, but she was so head over heals for Arc that it impacted her work. I do wish I didn't have to let her go, but it is done."
Without a moment of hesitation, another page came to rest in front of Weiss. "Nora Valkyrie?"
"She had too much energy, was loud and rambunctious, often times scaring away customers, and couldn't stick to a task long enough to complete it."
"Now what about Lie Ren?" Ozpin said as another page settled in front of Weiss.
"He was calm and quiet under pressure, but too quiet. He would never interact with the customers, and would spend all shift trying to deal with Nora. Honestly, I'm surprised he even cares about her."
"Cardin Winchester?"
At the mention of the name, Weiss lost her professionalism for just a moment. "Ooh, do I have some things to say about Cardin and his 'team'. He, along with Russel Thrush, Dove Bronzewing, and Sky Lark were all a tight nit group that would always try to get shifts together, and then do as little work as possible. And the work they did do was subpar or incomplete. Their interactions with customers was also deplorable, as they would only help the female clientele, and focus more on flirting with them than helping them."
"Alright, Ms. Schnee, I understand your point." Ozpin interrupted, holding up a hand. "That being said, the responsibility of employee management does not fall to you unless under extreme circumstances. HR is meant to handle those, and to provide adequate enough time for them to bring about new staff to replace them."
"Yes, but sir, I-" Weiss began, but was interrupted as Ozpin continued.
"Furthermore, this has caused a lot of our associates to look down on you personally, since you made a scene on the show floor."
Weiss stayed silent, unsure of what to say to help get her out of this situation.
Ozpin gave a soft sigh, "Ms. Schnee, at twenty three years old, you are our youngest department head that Clockworks has ever had, and I know you've seen the expense reports, so you know you are making far more than any other department."
"Wait, how did you know I've seen the reports?" Weiss asked, fearing for her standing in the company.
"Don't worry about that. Just know that Amber is good at what she does," Ozpin replied. "However, you don't need to worry about that. I have faith you won't use those against me. What you do need to worry about is the associate vacuum you've created. Now, as you told me before, you are having a meeting with HR, correct?"
"Yes, sir" Weiss said, a little relieved.
"Well then, that is perfect. I would like you to work with HR personally to help fill the positions that you have opened." Ozpin said, unable to hide his smile.
Weiss' jaw hit the floor, "Excuse me, Sir?"
"Well, however good your reasonings were for terminating eight people in one shift, you were the one who caused the problem. And since it seems like it didn't slow you down, you should have enough time to help pick up the slack for them, right?"
"What?" Weiss asked, not believing what she heard.
"Well, it'd be simple. Just help go through the applications, be present for interviews, and give them a tour on their first day," Ozpin said.
"I'm sorry, sir, but this is ridiculous." Weiss said in bewilderment.
"I agree, this is a little peculiar, but," Ozpin's face hardened and locked eyes with Weiss, "I can always send you back down to the show floor where you started. I have no problems running the dust department while I find a suitable replacement for you. Wasn't there another woman who started the same time as you? Fiery personality and brilliant blonde hair?"
Weiss remained silent for a moment, knowing that there was only one way to keep herself from losing everything she worked for. "I understand, sir."
"Oh that's wonderful to hear!" Ozpin said cheerfully, rising from his chair and breaking the tension in the room. He made his way to the other side of his desk, "I'm glad you understand, and look forward to seeing what you can bring to this fine establishment."
Weiss stood and faced him, "I appreciate the opportunity to show what I can do." She sounded professional, but inside she felt defeated.
"And I'm sure you'll do your best," Ozpin said, leading her out of the office.
As Weiss finally stepped out, she saw Amber at her desk typing away. She lifted her head to address Weiss. "I've already let HR know about the arrangements, so all you need to do is go down after lunch and get acquainted with them. Does that work for you?"
"That will have to work, I suppose." Weiss said as she made her way past the desk and back to her own office.
As she was walking, she noticed Velvet coming along the hallway towards her. She then fell into stride and the two kept walking.
"Alright, Ms. Schnee," Velvet said as she handed her a large book, "This is the design catalogue for next season, and I just got off the phone with HR. They said they were expecting my call, and to have you meet them on their second floor office at 3 pm." Velvet said.
"Alright, Velvet. That'll be all for now." Weiss said as she took the last few steps into her office and grabbed the fresh coffee cup that was sitting on her desk. She then opened the catalogue and sat down, skipping over the initial pages and making her way to the dust section.
Weiss stepped off the elevator and onto the ground floor. She then wound her way through the employee only section until she made her way to the show floor. She stepped out confidently and peered around the massive superstore before her.
Everywhere she looked she saw customers looking through the many brands they had on display, comparing prices, and looking for just the right thing to purchase. She quickly made her way past them and headed to where her department was located. She stopped short as the familiar blonde hair she could recognize from anywhere was behind the counter.
Weiss took a deep breath and continued on to the dust section of Clockworks. The section was no bigger than any other department in the store, but always seemed to attract a bigger crowd than anywhere else. There was a large booth in the middle with precut dust crystals on display through the glass. It circled all the way around and had just one person in the middle manning the entire section.
Just passed that, there were various pipes with pure dust inside attached to the wall . Around and below those pipes, containers of various sizes were sold to extract and carry the dust where the customer needed.
And around the booth to fill the excess space were shelves of pre dust infused accessories and smaller dust crystals.
Overall, Weiss was proud of the set up she had come up with. It was originally vastly different when she was first promoted to head of the dust department. But, in the span of a month, she had virtually flipped the entire department and started making major improvements. Now it was one of Clockwork's main attractions for customers.
As Weiss made her way closer, the lone blonde assisting the customers looked up briefly and noticed her boss walking up to her. The blonde shot a polite smile and carried on with her job.
Weiss smirked at her employee's resolve, but then a question popped up into her head. She figured she would ask rather than just wonder, and waited for the blonde to be done.
After a few seconds, she directed her attention at Weiss and gave a quizzical look. "What's up, boss?" Yang asked as she reached for an item a customer was asking about.
"Where are the other three people that are supposed to be working with you?" Weiss asked as her eyes followed her employee's movements around the booth.
"Well, since we have a sudden short staffing, the entire store has had to shift around people. And since I can run this place by myself, I let the others go." Yang said as she set about helping another customer.
Weiss pulled out her scroll to check the time and saw that she still had another hour before her meeting with HR. Weiss stashed her scroll away, took a deep breath, and went around and inside the booth to help with the first customer.
Weiss effortlessly slid into the position and the two of them work together efficiently to deal with the customers crowding the booth. In just thirty minutes, the swell of customers died down and the two were able to relax for a moment.
"So," Yang started as she began reorganizing the merchandise, "what brings our peerless leader all the way down here?"
Weiss simply watched as she addressed her, "I had some free time and was just making sure everything was running smoothly for my department. Nothing like a personal look to see how everything is doing."
Yang scoffed, "Is that all? And here I was thinking you had made an effort to visit yours truly."
Weiss scowled, "Yang, I understand that you're still bitter about the promotion, but-"
"Woah woah woah," Yang turned around to face her boss, "You have the wrong idea. I don't resent Ozpin's decision to promote you to the head of our department. You've done some real good here."
Weiss couldn't help but gleam at her employee's compliment. "Oh, thank you-"
"That being said," Yang interrupted again, taking a step forward, "what I do resent is the fact that after your rocket up the ranks, you've forgotten about the people who helped you get to where you are."
Weiss took a step forward herself, "Hey, that's not fair. I've been extremely busy making sure that everything that Mr. Torchwick left behind was fixed."
Yang put her hands up defensively, "And I know that. But today is the first time you have spoken to me directly that isn't some command in almost a year. We both started off here four years ago, but now you seem to have forgotten the struggles we helped each other through."
It finally clicked in Weiss' mind what the conversation was truly about. "Ok, I understand where you're coming from, I really do. However, I still need to be careful. This new position brings with it more responsibility, and a lot of expectation. I know you remember Torchwick and Neo. The two were basically inseparable, and it caused a lot of rumors to float around about the two." She paused as she took a step back and leaned against the counter, "You remember who my father is. If I don't show real improvement or have bad rumors flying around about me, he'll have my head."
Yang nodded as she turned and continued her work, "You're right, I understand. I shouldn't have expected so much."
"Yang, that's not fair!" Weiss pouted as she crossed her arms.
Yang couldn't hold back her laugh. "You know, deep down, you really haven't changed."
"You know what, I don't have time for this. I have a meeting with HR I need to go to." Weiss said exasperated as she stormed out of the booth.
"Hang on a minute," Yang said, stopping Weiss before she could get too far. "If that meeting with HR is what I think it is, then I have just the applicant that would be eager to join the team. She can even come in tomorrow"
Weiss shook her head defiantly before raising her hand, "No thank you, Yang. I can only deal with one of you. I don't want to have to handle your partner in crime."
Yang simply shrugged and called after Weiss who started walking away, "Whatever you say, Ice Queen!"
Weiss cringed at the old nickname Yang always used to call her, but continued walking. She made her way back to the elevator and pushed the button for floor two.
A/N: Hello, I hope you enjoyed this holiday inspired fic. This is just the beginning, so I hope I can get this all out in December.
Either way, please favorite, follow, and review. It means a lot to get some feedback.
-MM