Author's note: Team RNJR makes a valiant effort to rescue the Ice Princess.
Storm the Castle
"Wooow! It's like a real castle." Jaune whispered in awe, from the edge of the snow-covered evergreen forest, where he and the rest of team RNJR stood, beholding the imposing and ominous estate of the Schnee family. It had one of the highest security in all of Remnant, even before the events at Beacon Academy. Now, cut off from one another, the Kingdoms have all bolstered their forces in and outside of cities, practically occupying them and establishing martial law, if not officially and in writing than in the eyes of the citizens, in the very air they bred and breathed. Smaller airships patrolled the skies, overseen by a larger command vessel that loomed directly above the main building. A long stone-bridge with several arches stretched above a valley, leading to the main-gate, branching into landing platforms and supply depots. The architecture was both highly aristocratic, as expected and also militaristic in design, as the Atlas military purposefully built a base in and around the Schnee family's long-time home. Greenhouses with their flower-gardens and balconies transitioned into ramparts and guard posts. Stone walls and stairs were extended, reinforced and shielded by metal scaffolds and walkways, where the monotone, heavy footsteps of guardsmen and the even heavier ones of paladin mechs broke the tranquility, but spared the work of masterful masonry, in exchange. The bridge was also widened by platforms on both sides, lined with turrets, soldiers, manned-mechs, as well as fully automated ones that were going back and forth between checkpoints on both ends.
"It's a lot bigger than she made it sound." Ruby muttered, somewhat discouraged.
"I guess she didn't really know what counts as large or...small...I mean...if this is what she grew up in." Jaune replied. Ruby's hesitation vanished as quickly as it came.
"We're getting in there." she declared..
"I knew you were going to say that." Jaune did not sound as confident, though he was not any less determined to get to their friend.
"I'll smash the walls!" Nora was psyching herself, but luckily not shouting, as it would have echoed her intention all across the valley.
"Aaand I knew you were going to say that." Jaune sighed and shook his head.
"We need to observe the guards and memorize their patterns, then move quietly, if we are to stay hidden." Ren spoke. "It would be wise to take our time and..." Ruby donned her hood and shot forward, using her semblance and slalomed down between trees, into the valley, towards the base of the cliff. Nora eagerly followed, remembering not to ride Manghild as a rocket through the air, as she easily could have. The sound from her blast-off alone would have attracted more than enough attention. Ren and Jaune looked at each other in defeat, not for the first time throughout their journey. Patience and discreetness was not something either of the girls had in abundance, or even a morsel of, at all. They followed them down, Ren leaping and flipping from rock to tree and ground, while Jaune slid and stumbled after him. He thought about using his shield as a sled, if it were not for all the natural obstacles and the need to remain undetected. Behind them, a branch on a tree lightly shook, as a single crow took flight, soaring over the forested valley. Ruby and Nora made it all the way to the rocks that made for a steep climb and waited for the boys to catch up, before circling around to the other side, away from the bridge. The command ship hovered almost still, facing away from them. While they were not likely to be spotted from it, especially with unaided eyes, the smaller patrol ships were still a problem. At any given time one was bound to pass where they were trying to climb up. Without the liberty to fire their weapons and use it as a boost, they had to find another way to scale it in a timely manner. Given her raw physical strength and endurance Nora had no issues finding a grip and climbing with her bare hands and feet. Though Ruby and Ren could both use the blades of their respective weapons as stakes to support themselves with, the former had her speed that allowed her to propel herself and progress inhumanly fast and even without it, she possessed considerably more stamina than Ren. The latter was contemplating his odds of falling to his demise from exhaustion, if he had moved just a quarter of the way up.
"I...think I'm gonna look for another way up. There's gotta be one." Jaune quietly said, feeling light-headed just from looking up, never mind down, from up high.
"I will join you." Ren took a decisive step backwards and up to Jaune. Nora waved to them with one hand, having heard them, not wanting to raise her voice and Ruby was already high above her, using bursts of speed and slamming her scythe into the rocks to effectively skip along the surface that only mathematicians would have argued was a few degrees short of being completely vertical. The girls made it past the cover of the tree-line, just as a ship was coming around on their side, getting closer to spotting them with every second. Concentrating on their ascent, they did not notice it. The two men in the cockpit were moments away from seeing something red and pinkish-white moving on the side of the cliff, when a crow slammed against their front window and continued to attack them, as the pilots futility tried to shoo the seemingly crazed bird away. Ruby reached the stone walls of the outer courtyard and made one last upwards dash, grabbing the ledge, which she could have easily overshot, but thought she should peek first. The wind from her movements already pulled her hood down and a bob of messy raven hair rose from below the stone balcony and alert silver eyes darted around making sure no guards were nearby. But, there were. A pair of them, in fact, were moving away from her, with their backs turned. She looked below to see Nora had almost caught up to her and put her index-finger to her mouth, signaling her to stay quiet. She could only take in her surroundings, then. Rows of shrubs in stone-fenced elevated beds separated paths that led to guard-posts both on the edges of the yard and farther inside. It did not look like much of a maze, much to her relief. Past the gardens there were several smaller buildings that were the guard-barracks, store-house, kitchen, cleaning-room, servants quarters...etc., all separate from the main building. Nora climbed up next to Ruby and they tip-toed their way around the walls of bushes, barely crossing two rows, before coming face to face with a single guard, on his way back to the nearest post for a break.
"Hey! Wha-...!" A gloved fist from Nora reflexively flew in his face, knocking him out, before he could even voice his own alarm, never mind sounding an actual one or calling for help. He came to and saw the same two girls leaning over him and he backed against a wall, noticing he was in one of their small storage rooms that were a part of every guard-house.
"Whoa! What the he-…mphf…" Nora put a hand over his mouth and Ruby used the same gesture she gave Nora to silence him.
"We don't wanna hurt you." she told him, detaching a compacted Crescent Rose from her back. "We're just here to get Weiss. And you're gonna tell us where she is. Okay?" She asked him as she transformed her weapon and her scythe unfurled, the blade of which she held dangerously close to the guard's face, who backed further into the wall than what was possible, nearly crawling on it, in terror.
"M-Miss Schnee's quarters are on the east side of the estate. P-Past the courtyard and one floor below the top." Nora looked at Ruby, if she wanted to ask him anything else.
"And what's between the yard and her room?" Ruby asked.
"Uh...dining room, library, halls, uh...a bunch of other rooms. I-it's impossible to get all the way there. You'll never get that far in." he was not threatening them. Rather, he sounded like he was trying to talk them down from even attempting it.
"We'll manage." Nora told him as she raised a fist. "Thank you!" She smiled at him before putting his lights out, again. They listened through the door they came in for any movement and opened it to peek outside. Not seeing anyone, they moved through more rows and saw servants pushing food-carts to and from a particular building. They nodded at each other and moved from cover to cover, making their way to it, while keeping an eye on patrols. Security was somewhat more lax around the kitchen. No one probably thought any threat would come from there. Finding some windows on the side, their heads briefly poked from under the seal, before they leapt over it, arms in front, rolling straight under some tables, as they landed. The long, white cloth draped over the table concealed them and they could see the shadows of the kitchen staff, as they busily moved around, like bees, barely saying a word to one another and even then only orders. They rolled a cart up next to them.
"Cart 19, going to Miss Schnee's quarters." A woman's stern voice announced and Ruby lit up.
"Pardon me, but which one?" A younger sounding woman asked.
"Miss Weiss!" Came the barking clarification, as if it should have been obvious.
"I very much doubt Miss Winter indulges herself in sweets, before lunch is served, anyway." The first voice commented. "Get going, then!" she added and the servant wordlessly made haste, rolling out with the cart, joined by a butler, who accompanied her to serve what was being carried.
"It's...a little heavier then it I thought it would be." The young woman commented.
"Mind not, my dear! You will get used to it." The mustached man assured her cheerily and Nora peeked from under the table, where she remained, letting Ruby ride the cart, as they worried the two of them would have weighed it down more, causing more suspicion than what they could get away with. She heard another cart being brought near her and shrugged to herself, after a moment of contemplation. Ruby was sitting, hugging her knees, the entire way and being already tired, she would have even fallen asleep, if it were not for the occasional bumps that kept her awake and alert. She could hear others rushing by them, their steps lighter than that of the soldiers. More members of the staff, probably. The ground under them became smoother and the light she could see through the cloth faded. Footsteps started to sound louder and had an echo to them. They were inside the main building, heading deeper in. Large doors were being opened and shut around them. It felt like they were going to go on forever when the cart stopped. A guard held up a hand and inspected what was being carried.
"Dessert for Miss Schnee." The butler explained their purpose for wanting to pass and the guard looked under the lid to see it was just a slice of cake and an assortment of fruit cut into pieces and the different types served in separate small glass bowls.
"Miss Schnee is not in her room right now. She's attending a family meeting." He told them. "You can leave it inside." He nodded as the other guard opened the door for them. Ruby listened to their receding footsteps and heard the door being closed. She waited a few more seconds before she lifted the cloth and slowly climbed out, getting to her feet. Weiss' room was no longer snow white as she described it to her, but a lighter shade of greyish blue. It looked...sad. Everything looked and was immaculate and tidy. Her eyes widened and she made a face at the large curtained bed that looked way too soft and spelled hours of vacuuming and washing. Nothing was out of place. On the far end, a tall window faced the other side of the valley. A mug was left on the seal, telling her Weiss had been sitting there. How often she did that, Ruby did not know. She slowly walked around the spacious room, looking at pictures of nature that decorated the walls and stopped at ones that were of the Schnee family, placed on a large wooden desk next to an even larger piano. Her friend did not smile on any of them. She narrowed her eyes at the man next to her. She had no doubt it was her father. He looked about as warm as a bucket of ice.
"Jerk." Ruby muttered. She circled the tray on the cart and lifted the lid to see the appetizing piece of food. She heard the guards greet someone outside.
"Welcome back Miss! Some dessert's been brought to you, as per your order." one of the guards said.
"Thank you!" Weiss courteously replied and opened the door to her room, pausing to take note of the cart, before walking inside. She shut the door, not with force, but with a slowness that had more sadness than anger behind it. She let out a long sigh, calming herself and keeping most of her emotions from coming to the surface. The meeting, like all others before, had done nothing but further erode her spirit. She noticed dirt on the carpeted floor, going in a circle, around her room and followed it with her eyes to see it trailed all the way from the cart to her wardrobe. She glanced back at the door, deciding not to call the guards until she saw what she was dealing with. Putting a hand on the handle of her rapier she approached and with one hand yanked one of the doors open.
"Hi." Ruby jumped out and quietly greeted her with a wide smile.
Weiss jumped back, made a fist and started shaking, glaring at Ruby, suddenly feeling like she was back at Beacon Academy, falling victim to one of her scare-pranks. Except, Beacon was lost. Their school, their team, their friends...gone. But, it was Ruby. There. In person. With the same stupid, childish smile she always had, waving at her like it was normal. Her hands still shaking, Weiss' anger quickly melted. Her glare turned glassy and into tears. Her lip quivered and she threw her arms around Ruby, wailing her name as she nearly made the two of them fall into the wardrobe. The latter closed her eyes and grinned even more as she returned the long hug. Weiss blinked several times, snapping out of it and took a quick step back to reprimand Ruby for scaring her. Before she could say a word, there was a knock on the door and it opened. Weiss pushed Ruby back inside.
"Miss Schnee? We heard some commotion. Are you alright?" asked one of the guards, stepping halfway in, as Weiss shut the wardrobe.
"Ehm...yes! I'm fine. I...just...saw a bird...in my window." Was the explanation she could come up with.
"Did you just say Ruby?" Wasn't that the name of one of your classmates at the Academy?" he asked.
"Yes. I...uh, named it after her." Weiss smiled and shrugged.
"Oh. That's nice. Well, sorry to bother you, Miss!" he said.
"No problem." she waved as the guard closed the door, then opened the wardrobe again to see Ruby looking at her with a raised bow and laughing eyes.
"A bird?" She stifled a laugh.
"Not a word!" Weiss was flustered. First because of the long hug, then making the guards think she was missing her friends so much she named a bird after one of them. She did miss them, though. A lot. "What are you doing here?" she quietly hissed at her. "In Atlas? In our estate? In my wardrobe?" It took a second for Weiss to realize why Ruby was silently smiling at her and not saying anything. She did just tell her not to say a word and she was actually complying, but not in the way she was supposed to. She punched Ruby in the shoulder for her foolery. It was only then she noticed the change in her friend's appearance. She looked at Ruby's longer, messy bangs and different, yet similar cloths. Weiss started to say something to that effect, but Ruby spoke first.
"Like your new outfit." Ruby complimented her bluish-grey dress and Weiss blinked, looking at herself, then smiled. She was about to tell her the same.
"Thanks! Likewise." She nodded at Ruby's new attire. "It's a little too dark for me. It suits you, though." she replied.
"You kinda darkened up yourself." she nodded at Weiss new attire that was the same color as her room. "Nothing's white anymore." Ruby told her, as she glanced around and gave Weiss a concerned look. The latter averted her eyes and glanced back up to see Ruby was still giving her the same searching gaze and she sighed.
"I'm…fine." Weiss said and was not even convincing herself with it.
"Not yet you're not." Ruby shook her head. "But, you're gonna be, after we get you out of here." Weiss' mouth was agape at hearing her intention and then the rest of Ruby's sentence hit her.
"Wait...we?" She repeated her word.
"Yup. Jaune, Nora and Ren are here, too. Uh...somewhere. Heh." Ruby shrugged, as if her friends being lost and sneaking around a high-security estate full of military forces was no cause for worry.
"What about Yang and Blake? Where are they?" Weiss did not yet understand why the rest of team RWBY was not accounted for.
"Yang's back at our home, with dad. And we...don't…really know where Blake is." Weiss gave her a strange look, feeling there was more to it. "I'll tell you everything, later, okay. We gotta go!" Ruby was urging her.
"Go where? And how? I can't just leave like that." Weiss protested. Not the idea of leaving, but every other questionable part of Ruby's mad plan. Though, she had to admit, her usual improvisations never really ended in too big a disaster.
"Of course you can. I'll help you pack." Ruby shrugged again. Two guards outside the door and dozens more down the way did not seem to stop her from treating the situation as if they were preparing for a simple field-trip. Weiss opened her mouth to reply, but closed it with a sigh. Either she was unable to come up with a proper response or she decided not to even argue. They both froze when they heard a familiar female voice outside the door.
"Is she inside?" asked the faint, but discernable, stern voice. Weiss panicked and started nudging Ruby back towards her wardrobe, then took a few quick steps back to the cart as her door opened and Winter came in. She found her little sister next to the food-cart with her hands behind her back, as if she was standing at attention.
"Winter! What brings you here?" she greeted her, doing her best not to sound nervous, but Winter regarded her with a somewhat suspicious look, immediately picking upon her behavior.
"I came by to see how upset you are this time." She looked at the cart. "Well, treating yourself to some sweets is certainly better than throwing things around." she commented, walking further inside. "Father doesn't seem to care you're becoming more miserable with every meeting. He is completely certain you will eventually settle back into life here and stop wanting to be back with your friends in Vale." He stopped in front of Weiss. "Is he wrong?" Winter asked.
"No. He always right. About everything. Or he thinks he is. But, I'm fine." Weiss replied and Winter found her tone strangely without much of her usual venom and vexation that was present whenever the subject was their father. "In fact, I was just about to forget about all of that and have some nice cake." she explained and lifted the lid on the tray to find there were only crumbs, where once there was delicious cake. She stared at the empty tray, before looking at her sister, awkwardly. "Um..."
"Interesting." Winter commented, giving her a look that said she knew something was amiss and that she was hiding something. Someone. "If you didn't eat it, then who did?" Winter scrutinized her sister and the ruse could have lasted at least a minute longer, with her searching Weiss' room, looking behind every curtain, inside every wardrobe and even under the bed for what she already suspected was a more human-sized culprit, but she was spared all the effort by the sound of a hiccup, coming from one wardrobe. Weiss turned pale, as Winter glanced at her. The latter strode over to the wardrobe, placed a hand on the knob and waited for only a second, before she threw it open. A red blur shot past her, faster than most eyes could even follow and she turned to see the leader of her sister's former team, the young, unassuming, underwhelming, undisciplined and unrefined girl she met at Beacon, standing in the middle of the room, glaring at her. Winter placed her hands behind her back, not feeling the need to be on guard. "Ruby Rose." she acknowledged her, in a flat tone, not particularly thrilled by her presence, though she was certain her sister felt differently. "Congratulations on making it this far." she told her, dryly. "It seems our head of security will be losing his, along with his job." At her words, the two guards outside ran into the room and upon seeing the intruder, reached for their weapons, but a raised hand from Winter stopped them. "Those won't be necessary. Unless you are...unwilling to come quietly." she placed a hand over the handle of her sword, threateningly. Weiss' attention jumped from Winter's sword to her eyes, in worry, then to Ruby, when she heard the familiar sound of her scythe unfolding and sure enough, her friend was ready for a fight.
"Ruby...!" She wanted to try and talk her down.
"I'm not leaving without my friend!" Ruby declared and Winter found her bravery only mildly amusing. It was then Weiss saw the real change her friend had gone through. The one that was not on the outside, but within. It shown in her eyes. The awkward, silly, fun-loving friend, who often drove her crazy with her antics was gone, in that moment. Eerily enough, she could have sworn her silver irises almost had a glow to them. She saw the resolve in them, as did her sister.
"Ma'am?" One of the guards turned to her, uncertain what, if anything, the situation required of them. Winter remained silent, staring down the girl, seeing much of her uncle in her. They both stopped and turned, when they heard the two guards cry out in surprise. One of the men fell to the ground from a well-placed strike to the back of the head from a third guard, behind him. While the second was flailing around, trying to get a fourth one off of himself, as his eyes and mouth were being covered by the man's hands, as he clumsily clung to him. The third guard, Weiss, Ruby and Winter all stared, as the two stumbled around, until the one who was being haphazardly assaulted fell and lost consciousness from the lack of air. The seemingly traitorous guard fell on his behind and was propped up on his hands, panting from the effort. He raised a hand and greeted them.
"Hey guys!" spoke a friendly voice and he flipped the visor from his eyes.
"Jaune?" Weiss gave him a strange look.
"Hey, Weiss! Nice dress!" Jaune took admittedly not the best opportunity to compliment her.
"Um...thanks." Weiss awkwardly replied, as the whole scene was almost surreal. Jaune picked himself up from the ground.
"You gotta teach me how to do that!" he told the other imposter, who was more efficient in taking down his target.
"Ren?" Weiss deduced and he silently nodded as she said his name. He kept his visor over his eyes, probably to maintain cover. Winter put his hand to her forehead, feeling a migraine coming. She was as surprised as her sister by their sudden appearance, though far less pleased.
"Where did you get the outfits?" Ruby asked.
"We found some kind of...ranger station at the foot of the bridge. Some...forest watch or something. We knocked out the guards and got these." he indicated the uniforms and got an uncomfortable look from Ruby and Weiss. "Uh, we didn't take it off of them!" Jaune waved his hands, defensively. "We found them in some lockers. Must've been spare ones. We put them on over our clothes. It feels kind of…bloated." he shrugged. "But, get this, they got an elevator that goes all the way up to the main gate and back down to that post. We can go back the same way. Use that to escape." Jaune excitedly explained the plan. "You know, this is even more exciting than fighting." he took off his helmet and held it at his side. "Just walking around and the enemy doesn't even know you're there? It's great!" he exclaimed, ending his rambling.
"Where're your weapons?" Ruby noticed they were carrying the standard issue assault rifles.
"Under the armor." Jaune replied. Winter stood, looking back and forth between them, as they carried on, completely ignoring her. "We could barely fit them in. The hilt keeps pressing into my side, actually." Jaune fidgeted, feeling the spot. "Definitely couldn't have hidden a hammer, anywhere." he commented.
"Where's Nora?" Ren asked.
"Hey, that's right." Jaune noticed her absence too.
"We split up. I hitched a ride on one of these." Ruby pointed, with one hand, to the cart near her, no longer in a fighting stance. "I'm sure she's okay. I'd be more worried about the guards." she joked.
"Yeah. No kidding." Jaune agreed. Winter loudly cleared her throat to get everyone's attention. "Uh...hi?" Jaune acknowledged her. "Who's she?" he turned to Ruby. "She looks like Weiss, but older." Winter narrowed her eyes at him. "Not that much older!" Jaune corrected himself, immediately, holding up his hands.
"She's her big, mean sister!" Ruby said, taking hold of her scythe with both hands, again and with a pull of the trigger, loaded a round into the barrel.
"Ruby..." Weiss started, but Ruby was not finished.
"Weiss is coming with us!" Ruby moved closer to her. "And you can't stop us."
"Ruby..." Weiss tried, again, only to be interrupted by Jaune.
"That's right!" He stepped forward. "We're taking her back where she belongs! With her friends. It doesn't look like she has much here!" he derided the place, but realized how it sounded. "Uh, no offense, Weiss!" he apologized.
"None taken. But-..." Weiss weakly replied and wanted to say something else.
"We can fight you or you can just act like you never saw us." Ruby threatened and Winter raised a brow at her first offer, considering it more likely to happen and also finding it more insolent.
"Hey, we can tie her up in that wardrobe! We could use those sheets!" Jaune said after looking around and pointed to the open door and then to the bed, but froze when he saw the chilling glare Winter gave him. "Or...not." He quickly abandoned what would have been the most dangerous idea of them all.
"You can't fight all three of us." Ruby confidently stated.
"Oh, I most certainly could." Winter spoke, unintimidated. "Or…you can let me help you." she offered, to everyone's shock, looking at her sister, who was the most surprised. "You may have got inside. Leaving, however, won't be so simple." she started. "Only half of you have a suitable disguise and even if you made it to the main gate, security is only allowed to let me, our father and the General pass. Anyone else needs clearance. A two-guard escort with my sister wouldn't be permitted to set foot outside. But, if it's only myself and a couple of guards, plus a carry-on large enough for the two of you..." she looked at Ruby and Weiss. "Or three, including your missing friend, it shouldn't raise any suspicion." Winter explained. "I can arrange for a carry-on, while you pack all of your essentials. Quickly. Before all the guards you had to render unconscious come to." she told Weiss and started walking towards the door.
"Why should we trust you?" Ruby's question stopped her and she slowly turned to face her.
"Because she's on my side." Weiss turned to Ruby.
"Huh? Since when?" Ruby asked incredulously, scrounging up her nose. "When she came to visit you, she was totally acting like, uh, like you when we first met." Ruby argued and Weiss briefly paused at the comparison, actually seeing her point, before replying.
"Well, she's just..." Weiss looked at her sister, who raised a brow, expectantly. "...difficult. Like I was. But, she always supported me. In fact, she told me she joined the military for the same reason I went to Beacon. Because, she doesn't like it here and what our father is doing to the company and with our family's name, any more than I do. You can trust her." Weiss explained and looked at Winter, then waited for Ruby to accept.
"Uh...sorry." Ruby sheepishly put a hand on the back of her head and Weiss saw her friend's old self, again.
"You can put that away." Weiss pointed at her scythe.
"Oh." Ruby forgot she was still holding it. She folded it up and holstered it behind her back. Winter turned and continued outside.
"Restrain the guards and pack. I'll be back, shortly." Winter instructed them. She stepped out into the hall and the others inside heard the same commotion that drew her attention, coming from the end of the hallway. Several guards were shouting in alarm, as Ruby and the rest came out to see what was happening.
"Intruder! Stop her!" The hallway they were in was intersected by another. Two guards were running down from the far end, towards the intersection, when another pair of guards came from the other hallway, running across theirs, disappearing from view.
"Ha-ah!" A high-pitched battle cry rang out, followed by a loud, blunt thud and the first pair of guards came flying back the way they came from, collapsing in a heap in front of the other two, on the carpeted marble floor. They stared at their fellow guards and stepped into the hallway to see who in the world could possibly throw their men around like rag-dolls. They were definitely not expecting it to be a short, red-haired girl, whose blush matched the color of her skirt.
"It's...just a girl." The guard looked at the other in disbelief. When he turned his attention back, the girl in question was already charging at them. They did not even have time to shout a warning or go for their weapons, as a sizable hammer came slamming into the stomach of the first guard, knocking the wind from his lungs and lifting him off his feet. The swing had so much force behind it that the head of the hammer carried the first guard with it, hitting him against the one behind him and launched them both in the air, back across the hallway. They found out the hard way that the girl's height was inversely proportional to her physical strength. Nora turned around and smiled from ear to ear when she saw her friends, running to join them.
"You made it!" Ruby cheered.
"Piece of cake!" Nora waved, with one hand, then belched. She covered her mouth. "Oops. A whole cake, actually." she confessed.
"Seriously?" Weiss was astounded.
"Knights in shining armor gotta eat!" Nora shrugged.
"Oh, they eat." Weiss folded her arms and gave Ruby an accusing look, who was guilty as charged of eating her cake. "Good to see you, Nora!" Weiss turned back to her.
"Oh, shucks!" Nora fanned herself, pretending to be flustered. "You, too!"
"We may still leave, without raising an alarm." Ren spoke and the alarm sounded, immediately after. He stood in silence for several seconds, then calmly removed his helmet, no longer needing the disguise. Weiss looked at all of them.
"Looks like we're getting out the hard way." Jaune said in a dreadful tone.
"Yep. Back to Plan-A." Ruby stated with a nod, readying her weapon.
"A!? This was your first idea?" Weiss asked. "Wait. Why am I even surprised?" she rethought.
"We don't have any time left." Winter told her. "I'm afraid we have no choice but to let your friends be detained. I can negotiate their immediate release, but only if they give themselves up without any further incidents." she suggested.
"No!" Ruby protested, grabbing Weiss' hand. "Weiss, they'll never let you come with us! Your dad's not gonna let you!" she told her. And they all knew it was the truth. "He sounds like a total jerk. He'll just throw us out and we're not going without you! Look, you don't even have to bring anything." Ruby shook her head. "We'll get you some things in the next town." she assured her. "Come on!" She started pulling Weiss with her. The latter looked at her hand and felt the tight grip, but she was not going to try to wrest herself free. She looked back at her sister, who had as much of a saddened expression as she allowed to show in public, but it was clear she was worried about letting her go. Nora and Ren took off.
"Sorry." Jaune told Winter and hurried after them.
The way the guards were converging on different positions made it apparent that the team was steadily making their way towards the main gate, with less meandering, as Weiss was telling them which way to go. They followed her words whenever they could, straying from the most direct path less often. Even several halls full of guards could not hold them back for more than a second. Ruby and Nora barreled through all; scythe, hammer, boots and fists hitting helmeted heads, while Ren and Jaune dealt with stragglers. Ruby let go of Weiss to use her semblance and shot forward, tripping the legs of a row of guards with her scythe, making them flip in the air, before they crashed back down. She was back at her side in an instant and pulled her along. They passed several open rooms that all had large pieces of furniture inside. Couches, shelves, cupboard, bars wardrobes. A group of guards was approaching them from both directions, demanding they stopped. Ruby and Jaune readied themselves at the front, while Ren and Nora stood at the back, with Weiss remaining in the middle, protected from all sides. The guards were nearly on them when the group at the front was suddenly swallowed by a bright white glyph that appeared under them. Ruby and Jaune turned to see Weiss had drawn Myrtenaster, gracefully turned with it and was aiming above the group behind them. Ren and Nora also realized what was happening, when a glyph appeared over their group of guards and the ones from the front fell from it, right on the advancing ones. Weiss looked at her own handy work and turned to smile at her friends, exchanging a nod with Ruby, before they moved on. They arrived in the main hall that had the largest, thickest wooden door, behind which was the main gate, separated by a security checkpoint. The door was barred shut and a dozen guards stood directly in front of it with their weapons drawn. The team did not know what to do. Not even Ruby was fast enough to take them all out, before one of them could pull the trigger. Part of them doubted they would really shoot them, but not strongly enough.
"What are we going to do?" Jaune asked any who would have an answer.
Weiss deliberated for a few seconds and seemingly thought of something. Resolute, she walked towards the guards and stopped in front of them with her weapon drawn.
"Miss Schnee, I must ask you to cease and desist, immediately!" she was told by the chief of security, who was standing at the front of the group.
"Weiss!" Ruby called after her, worriedly, but Weiss remained silent, not from contemplating a surrender, but from concentration.
Outside the door, lined up in front of the main gate, and on the landing platforms past it, were paladin mechs and more soldiers, forming the last line of security. They stood motionless, weapons firmly held and aimed at the door. Above them, a lone crow found a perch on a spotlight. It cocked its head at the scene, looking equal parts intrigued and worried. Not a sound was made nor heard, either outside or from within, when suddenly, the entire door violently shook. Chunks of it splintered and exploded outwards as a gigantic white, ethereal sword slashed across it, then made a few more swings, cutting it down, until nothing but the bits barely hanging on the hinges remained. Weiss stood in the middle, over the unconscious forms of the dozen guards and their chief, with a glyph above her head, from which an arm extended, holding the sword. Ruby and rest stared in awe, as did the soldiers outside, who were not only surprised by the brutal display of power, but that it was the youngest member of the Schnee family who possessed such prowess. Weiss turned and found the others still slacked-jawed.
"We have to hurry!" she told them and they joined up with her outside, where they were immediately surrounded by the remaining security forces.
"We can't seriously fire at them! They're kids! And that's Miss Schnee!" One guard was voicing his concerns to the rest as the group ran at them.
A fully automated, pilotless Paladin mech processed the situation and stood in their way. It was swiftly cut clean in half by the partially summoned armored knight, the presence of which Weiss learned to maintain for just a bit longer, since the first time she called it to her side. She cut two more mechs down, before her summoning ended and she had to stop to catch her breath.
"Weiss!" Ruby ran up and put a hand on her back.
"I'm fine! I'm fine." she told Ruby, between breaths. "Doing that is just…very tiring."
"Perhaps you would be more proficient with it, if you dedicated all your time to training, rather than wasting it sulking in your room!" came a stern, displeased, criticizing voice and the guards parted to make way for a tall, greying, mustached man, wearing a white business suit. Ruby recognized him from the pictures in Weiss' room. Winter remained in the back with her eyes cast on the ground. "I have tolerated your constant insubordination. I allowed you to indulge your rebellious little fantasies and to entertain your childish notions of becoming a huntress, by not having you taken back to Atlas the moment you left for Beacon." he continued and Winter's face turned darker with every sentence he lashed her sister with. "However, your inadequacies, your constant poor attitude and now this delinquency, is something I will not allow to go unpunished." Winter was ready to draw her sword. She was not going to stand for the verbal abuse her father was giving her sister. "But, I have more pressing matters at hand. Disciplining you can wait. Arrest these vagabonds, immediately and dispose of them, then escort my daughter back to her quarters and lock the door!" he barked at the guards. They were completely surrounded from all sides and the men seemed to have swapped their assault rifles out for stun batons and stun ammunition that used lightning dust to shock the target.
"We don't want to hurt you, Miss Schnee! Please, lay down your weapon! All of you." One guard implored them. Weiss turned her head to look at Ruby and the rest, then back to Ruby.
"Weiss?" Ruby was asking if she wanted to fight or not and Weiss' answer was a cunning smile she knew well. Weiss spun around and summoned three glyphs, that were perfectly aligned, each smaller than the last, forming a cone-like muzzle. Ruby embedded the blade of her scythe in the ground and started pulling the trigger, firing rounds that Weiss' glyphs turned into ice-bullets. They flash-froze the guards that were hit. One by one they were being encased in ice, each by a single shot and Ruby kept firing away. The guards opened fire themselves and as soon as the first shots were fired Jaune stepped in front of them, blocking with his shield. But he could only cover his friends from the front. Ruby and Weiss halted their Ice Flower combo, having disabled half the guards towards the bridge. Weiss summoned glyphs around them in an arc, providing cover that could move with them, but not before a few shots hit one of them.
"Nora!" Jaune exclaimed and immediately moved to cover her and Ren, in the back, as their phalanx pushed forward. "Wait..." Jaune suddenly remembered why he should not have been worried about her, in the first place. Soldiers with stun-batons approached from the back and from their flanks. Nora broke off from the rest and started stomping towards the men, who kept pelting her with stun-rounds that seemingly had no effect on her.
"Wrong move." Ren shook his head and Nora started laughing maniacally, as electricity surged from her body, running over her arms and the muscles in them.
"What the heck!?" A soldier panicked as Nora started batting them away, smashing them against one another and nearly off the platforms. But, even with all their efforts there was no end to them and where one was taken down, another stood in their way. Several piloted mechs joined the fight. The one in the middle swung at Nora, who stopped the arm, using her hammer. All the energy she was charged with gave her enough strength to push back and make the mech stagger backwards and fall on its back, but she could not block the attack of the other two that simultaneously punched her. She fell and rolled on the ground. Ren hurried to help her up, as Jaune shielded them both, until they were back within the wall of glyphs. Ruby could see the effort to maintain them was quickly starting to take its toll on Weiss. One by one their defenses vanished. They were making their last stand, as far as all of them felt. More soldiers blocked their way and the three piloted mechs, behind them, closed the circle. Suddenly a crow came flying into the face of the soldiers, jumping from one to the other and was viciously attacking them.
"Hey, it's that bird, again!" Jaune commented.
"Huh?" Ruby did not understand what he meant.
"Or...it could be the same. The guards down in that station were attacked by one." he explained.
"We used the opportunity to ambush them." Ren added.
Ruby observed the strange, crazed bird and decided to take advantage of its seemingly incidental helpfulness. She used her semblance to close the distance and hit a distracted guard in the stomach with the butt of her scythe and crouched to spin around, tripping two. Weiss dashed forward and past three guards, freezing them in place. Jaune got on one knee, held his shield above his head and braced himself. Nora jumped on, fired her grenade-launchers and propelled herself in the air, arching towards the guards, who were still trying to fend off the bothersome avian. It suddenly stopped its assault and backed off. The soldiers immediately knew why, when they saw Nora dropping from the air. She impacted the ground, nearly punching a hole in the bridge. The guards went flying and the way out was nearly clear. The gang made a run for it, glancing back to see the crow had started antagonizing the mechs. While their swatting attempts were slower, they also carried with it considerably more force. The wind from their swipes was enough to force the feathered threat to the ground and it landed roughly on the hard stone with a distraught caw, caught by surprise.
"Birdy!" Ruby slowed to halt, looking at the poor creature and feeling like they owed it. The crow hopped to its feet and came face to face with the huge barrel of a mech's cannon. It threw its wings up, as a human would hold up their hands at gun-point. The pilot was dumb-founded, as was everyone else, including the gang and Winter. Her father narrowed his eyes in suspicion, at the almost human-like behavior of the animal. His glare disappeared and turned to repressed surprise, when the seemingly nervous, but in fact, mocking and confident laughter of a man could be heard. Winter stared wide-eyed, along with the gang and most of all, Ruby. The latter's face fell, as the brave little crow suddenly changed and in a bright flash in its place stood her uncle Qrow, with his hands still in the air, three cannons still pointed at him.
"Heh. Let's not do something I won't regret." Came the smooth line. The pilots and soldiers kept staring, probably barely registering his veiled threat.
"U-uncle...Qrow?" Ruby squeaked, not knowing at all how to just process what happened. He turned his head and gave half a nod.
"Hey, kiddo! Surprise!" he shrugged with his hands still up. "Get outta here! I got this." he insisted.
"But..." Ruby tried to argue.
"No buts!" Qrow was not having it. "Move!" Ruby reluctantly turned and went on with the others.
"Do not let them escape!" Schnee ordered and concealed net-launchers opened on the shoulders of the mechs, along with tear-gas canisters, smoke grenades and concussion shells, meant for suppression and crowd-control. The remaining automated Paladins, positioned on the elevated platforms meant for aircraft, opened up their missile pods, ready to destroy the bridge itself to stop their escape.
"You don't have the guts!" Qrow told Schnee.
"Do not presume to know my resolve!" he replied. "Ready! Aim...!" The gang looked back to see what was happening. "Fire!"
A swarm of swirling dove-like shapes collided with each mech, prematurely setting off their exposed missiles, before any of them were launched. Their pods froze over and large, sharp icicles impaled their heads, destroying any means of targeting, as well as their ability to fire their weapons. Schnee turned towards the only person that could have been responsible and even Qrow recognized, at least, one of the techniques. He followed Schnee's glare to his eldest daughter. Winter knelt with her sword embedded in the ground before her and a glyph under her. It disappeared as she stood and sheathed her weapon, standing with pride.
"Go!" she shouted to Weiss, who was staring, with the rest, at her defiant act, which they knew was surely going to get her into no small trouble with her father. Weiss felt the same way Ruby did. There was no time for tears or goodbyes. The two looked at each other and back at their family, before moving on for good. Everyone was too preoccupied with Winter's actions and the children escaping, to notice that the man who, a minute ago, was a crow, had drawn a sword, which he, then, quickly transformed into a scythe. Before any of the three pilots, in front of him, could react, he rapidly slashed at all three of them, cutting one of the arms off of each, with one combo, then the remaining arms, with a second set of powerful swings. Qrow went at them two more times, taking a leg with each hit, felling them like trees, as the pilots helplessly sat in their cockpits, thanking their lucky stars they still had their own limbs.
"Just so you don't get any ideas." Qrow told them, smugly. He looked at Winter, gave her a genuine wink, in thanks and was a crow, once again, soaring through the air to catch up to his niece and her friends. As they neared the end of the bridge, the few remaining guards did not look like they would prove to be much of an obstacle. However, two gunships that suddenly rose, in front of them, on both sides of the bridge and another two that lifted up from behind Qrow, were a definite problem. Winter's small smile vanished and she made a fist, before letting it hang with her head. She shot her father a dirty look, who merely turned away and proceeded inside. As the gang slid to a halt, the automated turrets, mounted on the front of the ships, targeted them. They were truly trapped, with no way out. Qrow morphed, again and landed on his own human legs. "Damn it!" he cursed and let out an irate grown.
"This is your last warning! Don't move!" One of the pilots addressed them through the speakers.
"Tch. Or what!? You're gonna shoot us!?" Qrow did not believe they would actually use live ammunition. One of the turrets spun up its barrels and fired on the ground, in front of him. "Hey!?" he jumped back, gritting his teeth.
Ruby and the rest saw their situation was hopeless. They stood, ultimately in defeat. Crestfallen. Tired. Ruby looked at Weiss, seeing the hope that was there, only seconds ago, fading fast from her friend's eyes and it made her mad. She literally went ballistic. Without warning, she let out a scream and turned into a red blur, appearing on the side of the gunship to the right, with her scythe already in it, tearing a vertical hole where the engine and dust-injection system was. She pushed away, as the ship immediately began losing altitude from the critical engine failure. With another scream, she hopped to the next ship, repeating the process and shredded the engine.
"Ruby, no!" Weiss screamed after her enraged friend.
"Kid!" Qrow too was legitimately worried, this time, which he did not have to feel very often, when it came to either of his nieces. He knew Ruby was though. But, right then, she was not thinking clearly. She was seeing red. No pun intended. It was not flight or fight, anymore. It was do or die. The other two ships pulled away and the doors on their sides opened and Ruby went for one of them. Soldiers stood in both doors and aimed their weapons at her as she tried to reach them. Both fired. One missed, but the other was on target and the shell he fired unfurled into a net that snatched Ruby from the air. She plummeted towards the ground and Qrow barely had time to catch her. The fall would have certainly broken more than a few bones. Weiss ran to them to see if she was injured, as Ruby was thrashing around.
"That's enough, kid!" Qrow was struggling to keep hold of her and shook her to make her calm down. "Enough!" He sighed. He did not like defeat any more than his niece. Weiss stood behind him and with a sinking hearth watched Ruby wail. She turned to angrily face the gunships, as two more flew in. They stayed at a safe distance, after the latest display of power. Weiss took a few steps forward and raised her rapier. A slightly yellowish glyph, resembling a running clock, appeared under her. Its arms started spinning wildly.
"Weiss!" She heard Qrow's warning, then felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see it was Jaune. His face told her to stop. Qrow shook his head, when she looked at him. He, too, was telling her it was over. Nora had her hammer on her shoulder and lowered it, letting it hang beside her, as she weakly kicked the air in front of her. Ren retracted both halves of Storm Flower under his sleeves, as soldiers surrounded them.
"Hey! Get me outta this!" Ruby yelled, as Qrow was still holding her, draped over his shoulder, but was not freeing her from the net. "Uncle Qrow!" she whined.
"Not until you calm down." he told her. "Sorry. It's for your own good." Qrow reasoned and sighed, when Ruby kept struggling.
He tried to find Schnee with his eyes, but he was already comfortably back inside, within the walls of his estate, not even bothering to wait and see how their struggles ended, likely being certain of the outcome. Every time they seemed to have gained the upper-hand, it was taken away. He was impressed his niece and his friends could make it as far as they did. He could take only minimal comfort in knowing the children have already learned the hard way that not every battle ended in victory. And not every victory was a certainty, simply because of strength or spirit. They were escorted back to the main-gate, where Winter stepped up to Qrow, as the latter was still carrying Ruby, who was facing Weiss. Both of them looked miserable.
"They will want to separate the children. From Weiss and from each other. Keep them apart until they are processed. You, as well." Winter informed him.
"Hmpf. Good luck with that." Qrow muttered and Winter kept pace with him.
"I'll try to convince them they won't be further trouble. I've already requested our chief of security to, at least, allow your niece to stay with my sister in her quarters." Qrow raised a brow and they both looked back at Ruby and Weiss to see their surprise.
"He is still...sore, but I'm sure he will agree to it, provided they put extra security outside and inside the room." Winter added, as they walked along, boxed in by soldiers.
"Thanks!" Qrow replied, sincerely. "But, I'm still not holding my breath." he added, also with some sincerity, but more just to tease her. Winter rolled her eyes with a sigh and shook her head.
…
A good hour had slowly passed with interrogations, threats of legal action for damaging and destroying Atlas Military and Schnee Dust Company property and filing official reports and several complaints by guards, claiming minor concussion, bruises and fractures. Winter briskly walked from her father's study to her sister's room. She was visibly upset. It showed more in her movement than on her face. There were guards on every corner and four were posted at Weiss' door, two on either side of it, as before and an additional two, facing it from the opposite side. She wordlessly opened the door and immediately saw a female guard turn her head to look at her, as she slowly stepped inside. Another one was standing on the other side of the door. They both had their visors over their eyes. Winter looked ahead of her and was greeted by a rather adorable sight, if she was being honest. Her sister was in a bathrobe that had her initials in it, kneeling on top of the bed, behind Ruby, rubbing a towel all over her head, as the latter sat on the side of the bed, wearing the same kind of robe, silently letting Weiss push and pull her head every which way to dry her hair. Weiss stopped, when she saw Winter in the door. Half of Ruby's face was covered by the towel and the other half by her hair, from under which a barely visible silver eye blinked. Winter raised a delicate brow in amusement and a small smile. Weiss pulled back, holding the towel in her lap.
"I see they granted my request." She was relieved. "I'll wait outside." She backed out with the same smile.
When Ruby and Weiss emerged from the room, Qrow was leaning against the wall and Winter at the opposite, with her hands behind her back. Jaune, Nora and Ren came up to them, from where they had been waiting, to the side. None of them had their weapons, as they were all confiscated, for as long as they were on the grounds of the estate. Qrow's, as well. Especially his.
"Got a cold shower, kid?" he asked her niece, who did not appear like she was going to attack any guards, but she was clearly unhappy and she turned away from him with, grumbling. "Heh. Just like the first few weeks I started teaching her." Qrow commented, more quietly, to Winter, but still loud enough for everyone else to hear, then raised his voice. "Didn't like to be told to cool down, then, either!" he was telling Ruby's back, who harrumphed, folding her arms.
"It's obvious where she gets her attitude and manners from." Winter remarked and Qrow merely smiled, with a bit of pride. Weiss turned to face the others, like Ruby, looking at all of them and the passage of the months that showed on them.
"All of you need a haircut." Weiss commented and turned to look at Ruby, again. "Maybe…not you." she added and Ruby's sour expression turned into a small smile as she played with one of her bangs. Weiss, then looked at Nora. "Or you." she told her.
"Oh, so it's just us guys, huh? Great." Jaune folded his arms, acting offended as Nora laughed, internally. Weiss gave him an apologetic smile, before it vanished.
"Jaune…" she started with a saddened tone and he blinked, getting his guard back up for whatever reason she was suddenly very serious. "How…how are you holding up?" Weiss was asking him about Pyrrha and Jaune relaxed some, not being too uncomfortable to talk about her.
"I'm…holding." he shrugged, weakly, but only somewhat nervously. "We all are, you know." he looked at Ruby, who barely had time to process the death of one friend, that of Penny, before they lost Pyrrha, as well. "Can't let it stop me. Any of us. Not from finding the ones responsible. And not from getting you out of here, either." he told her, getting a nod from Nora and Ren, then looking at Ruby, for one from her.
Winter and Qrow exchanged concerned looks as they heard their not-so-quiet plans and so did some of the guards that were close enough.
"Alright. Take it easy there with the plans!" Qrow told them. "In case you kids forgot, you don't even have your weapons, anymore and from what I've seen, only one or two of you are any good in a fist-fight." He was looking at Ren and Nora. "The rest of you couldn't fight a Beowolf-pup. And even with half the security still down, what they've got left is enough to keep us all here. Now, it's up to that stiff in the suit." He looked at Winter at the end, as he mentioned her father and the latter cast her gaze to the side and down on the ground, not seeing any way her father would allow them to leave freely. Certainly not with Weiss. Qrow started walking away and not in his usual sauntering fashion, either.
"Where are you going?" Winter called after him.
"Where do you think? To dear dad!" Qrow replied. Ruby and the others looked between one another and decided to follow him.
"They are not going to let you…" Winter attempted to say Qrow will not be able to get even near her father, from all the security, when he suddenly shape-shifted and took off down the corridor, shooting past surprised guards, like a dart. Winter let out an exasperated sigh and strode after him, with the children in tow. After a few turns, they lost sight of Qrow and saw an open window. Winter deduced he will easily be able enter her father's study through the balcony. It had guards stationed outside, but she knew they will not be able to stop someone like Qrow. She hastened her steps, knowing she will still not make it to her father, before Qrow. As she neared the door, she heard the muffled voices of her father and Qrow, already having an altercation, to the surprise of the guards outside.
"Your audacity knows no bounds, it seems!" she heard her father say.
"I'll take that as a compliment. But, you sure ain't one to talk, pal!" she heard Qrow just before pushing the doors open. "I know your type. You're pretty used to having your way, aren't ya?"
"Qrow, enough!" Winter told him.
"It'll be enough, once we're outta this fancy dump. With our stuff." He turned. "And the kid." He nodded at Weiss.
"Qrow…!" Winter started.
"You ought to be grateful you are not in chains and your way to the nearest prison, along with these juvenile delinquents!" Schnee yelled, hands behind his back.
"You sure like that word." Qrow commented, referring to his last one. "Heh. Either you had to use it a lot, with these two." Qrow looked at Winter and Weiss. "Or you just think you're better than everyone. And anyone who's not kissing your polished loafers and does as you say is some slack, who should be patronized or punished." At the last word, he looked at Weiss, again. "Well, guess what? I could toss you from that balcony and I wouldn't have to worry about my…social status or my rep."
"Qrow!" Winter did not have much in the way of affection or appreciation for her father and for the childhood she and her sister both had, but he was their father and Qrow did just threaten his life. She also knew that as the head of their family, given that their semblance was hereditary, their father, too, possessed considerable combat skill, but a fight between them was not going to change his mind or humble him, no matter the outcome.
"Yes. You are certainly of ill-repute. And it precedes, you, Mr. Branwen." Schnee commented and Qrow narrowed his eyes at his use of his last-name. "But neither it, nor your empty threats impress me. You and the rest will be dealt with, one way or the other. And my daughter will stay right where her place is." He looked at Weiss, who had a sour glare she was directing at him. She blinked in surprise, when Ruby was gone from her side, with a blast of wind and was shocked, along with Winter, when she head-butted their father in the abdomen, making him stagger back, into his desk, where he steadied himself. Weiss put a hand over her mouth and her eyes showed fear.
"Deal with that, you jerk!" Ruby said, after bouncing back and readying herself for another attack. Qrow was less surprised than most about his niece's outburst, as he was ready to lay into the man, himself. She did take after him, a lot. "She's your daughter! I'm not gonna let you treat her like…like she's one of your…horses!" She thought of something to say. "You don't own her!" She balled her fists at her side. "I'm taking her! And we're leaving, together! And if you won't let us, I'll make you!" Qrow was actually enjoying listening to her niece talk trash. Whether she could back it up was another matter and he was not entirely doubtful she could give Schnee a run for all his money. He was listening to Ruby rage, until her next line. "And I don't need a weapon do it!" Qrow was sure, from her tone that she did not simply mean she would fight with her hands and feet, or even with her semblance. She was talking about an entirely different…skill.
"Hey! Hey!" He got in front of Ruby, and quickly took tight hold of her shoulders. "That's going a little too far, kid." He, then lowered his voice. "Even if you could control that power, just like that, it's not something you should ever use on a human being, ever. Got it?" he was telling her, with a tone he had probably never used with her, before and Ruby's hate-filled face softened at her uncle's warning. Winter and those still within ear-shot of his whispering furrowed their brows, wondering what power he was talking about that Ruby apparently possessed. Qrow stood and stepped to the side, turning to Schnee, who had curiosity and even a small glimmer of recognition behind his glower, which he regarded Ruby with, looking at her eyes.
"Those eyes." he started and both Ruby and Qrow gave him a cautious glare. Qrow's turned deeper as Schnee fixed him with what he could tell was a knowing look. "Hm." Schnee gave a small frown, as he turned to walk around his desk, to stand in front of his wide windows, through which one could see several knocked out guards on the balcony, as they started coming to and were picking themselves up from the ground. "Perhaps it is I who should feel fortunate I still have my life." He glanced at Ruby, then gave Qrow the same look as before. He gave the latter enough of a hint to make it obvious he, too, had knowledge of certain legends and perhaps even experience with people, who were a part of them. After a longer silence, he spoke. "What is your plan? What do you intend to do, once you are free of here?" he asked, looking out the window and raised a hand for the agitated guards, outside, who were ready to barge in, to stand down.
"Well, I hate to disappoint you…" Qrow started, sarcastically. "But, we're kinda better off, when we improvise." he looked at Ruby. And it was true for all of them. The team-work they all learned gave them enough skills and quick-thinking to adept and even though they only had but a few months of actual field-experience, all of them had persevered, out there, in a world that was growing more dangerous with every day.
"So, you don't actually have a plan." Winter took his words to also mean.
"All we can do, at the moment, is follow the trail the enemy left. To Haven. We'll figure out the rest, when we get there." Qrow shrugged as he said it.
"That's a long way." Winter stated, with obvious reservation.
"Hey, they made it this far, on their own." Qrow pointed out.
"They're still children." Winter was not using an argumentative tone, as she wanted nothing more than her sister to not be miserable, anymore and to walk her own path, once again. Both of them. She was merely stating that their odds of successfully confronting such an enemy that was responsible for the state of their world, was not promising. No matter how far they have come.
"Children, who already had to deal with more crap than we did, at their age. More than they ever should've." Qrow shot back. "And they're not done, yet." he threw a hand their way, pointing at them and Winter could see they were not backing down or out of any of it, including Weiss. But, none of them had the last word to say. It was up to Schnee and Qrow had to convince him. "You want your daughter to hop when you tell her?" Qrow started. "To practice skills she'll never use, being cooped up in here? To run your precious company, after you kick the bucket? 'Cause there won't be any company or anything to own, if the ones we're after finish what they've started. Ironwood's little military already got their heads handed to 'em. And all the security you can buy and all the dust you can mine won't stop any of it from coming to you, too. So, the question is…you want a daughter, who sits at your heel, like a trained dog, or someone the world can be proud of, so maybe the rest of it won't spit every time they hear your name. Hmph. That's some legacy. You want that? Or someone who can actually help us do something about all of it? Stop the White Fang from breathing down your neck. Stop Vale and rest of the world from being overrun by the Grimm, so maybe whoever's left will stop wanting to feed your entire family to them. Which will happen, sooner or later, anyway, if we don't do something." Qrow said all he could and they waited for Schnee's answer, who contemplated his words, admitting, to himself, there was merit to what he said. If the General and the Atlas military could not stop this mysterious force from creating all the recent chaos, then it would only be a matter of time before it came for their kingdom. For his family. For all that the Schnee have built throughout generations. He was not going to lose it. Not to some cult. Some rebels. And not to the Grimm. He did not have the slightest care what people thought of him or his family. It was not a popularity contest for him. It has always been about business, prestige and influence. All in the hands of the Schnee. If there was even the slightest chance these children and the huntsmen could cut off the head of the beast before it truly rose and if his daughter wished to be there, at the head of the spear, with them, then they would either prevail…or no one would. Not him. The Schnee. Nor Atlas. Nor the world. He would eventually lose everything. Not just his pride. He let out a deep sigh and turned to face them, with his answer.
THE END
Author's note: Yep. Tailed it off there. Not even a cliffhanger, as his answer is obvious. Wrote it like my first longer Korrasami-fic, Meet the World. If it was animated, the content and pacing would make up for a chapter, short to average in length. Perhaps. And an ending like this is something the series had on multiple occasions. I can readily recall three episodes, as an example, one from every volume.
The moments between Ruby and Weiss can be viewed either as simply adorable friendship, or they can be taken as some subtle White Rose. Didn't want to make it too explicit, though. I do ship them, but not that strongly. At this point, I don't think the writer's would miss an opportunity if they didn't make it a thing, in the show. But, I would squeal if they did. And who knows how they'll interact in Volume 4. Sure as hell don't want Ruby to be paired with anyone else, though. It's either Weiss or no one. If Weiss ends up with…eh…Neptune, for example, then I don't want Ruby to be paired with anyone. So far, she never gave the impression, anywhere in the series, that she was even remotely interested in any of the boys or anyone else to pursue a romantic relationship with. She is a romantic, but only in regards to how she wanted her life as a huntress to be and that she hoped they'd all live happily ever after.