X: Are you ready? The secure SMS from Marie asked.
Weiss Schnee, Chief Knowledge Officer and Heiress to Schnee Industries stared at it a moment as it hovered in her vision, projected in miniature just in front of her eyes by her implants. She blinked consciously and it disappeared. The enormity of what was before her was tumbling through her mind. She found her breathing somewhat erratic. Is this was nervousness felt like? Was this what normal people went through on a regular basis? How awful.
She couldn't let it affect her. This had to get done, and preferably successfully. Successful or not, though, it would change everything. It was also the best idea she had to survive.
W: I don't really have a choice in the matter, do I?
She typed in reply. Her fingers glid against the temporary photonic keyboard where it hovered by her thigh, her arms relaxed at her sides. She'd long since memorized the locations of the keys. Looking at them, having them in front of her, hadn't been necessary for years. She hesitated a moment, hating the nerves that made her do so before sending it off. They were new. She wouldn't have hesitated a month ago. The reply was almost instantaneous.
X: Feeling that would be not being ready. The good thing is you can still go ahead as if you were. Just act like you are if it ever comes up.
Weiss rolled her eyes.
W: That's not very helpful since the person it's most likely to come to an issue with is me.
X: That's just what being nervous is. Maybe even scared. It's okay. You'll pull through this.
W: Do you have any idea how much more infuriating you are to deal with over SMS?
X: Yes. You tell me about it all the time.
W: Infuriating.
X: So I'm told.
She sighed. It wasn't bad advice. She couldn't remember ever receiving truly bad advice from Marie, but it didn't help her feel any better. She began to type a message pointing this out, but was interrupted by an incoming text.
X: No more time for looking back. Go.
Weiss let out a deep breath and gathered her courage.
W: Going. Prepare to be astonished by my performance.
X: You're just going to be cold and dismissive to people. That's not a performance. That's just being you.
Weiss resisted firing off a response, making do with the most annoyed scoff she could manage, ignoring the fact Marie couldn't actually hear it. Then she took off at a brisk walk toward the dock. Grim take you, Achim, why did you have to be mortal? She thought, then immediately felt bad for it. Her uncle was already dead. The least she could do for now was to let his memory rest in peace. She'd do more later, but first came this.
She turned the corner bringing her in sight of the quay and the airship beyond. The guards immediately readied their weapons at the sight of her, then lowered them upon recognition.
"Lady Schnee!" One of them called out. "We weren't expecting you!"
"Of course you weren't. I sent no notice."
"Is…is this a surprise inspection?" He said. She noticed the nervousness tinging his voice and suppressed a smile.
"Nothing so dramatic." She said.
"Then…I…i-if I may…" She raised her hand then lowered it, palm up, wrist and elbow bent, fingers pointing in his direction and inclined her head, gesturing for him to continue.
"W-why- " he began to ask, but paused as he saw someone begin a quick approach from a distance and readied his weapon again.
"Lady Schnee!" The figure called out. The guard frowned and lowered his weapon as he recognized Weiss' handmaiden. She continued to call out as she approached.
"I'm going aboard." Weiss said briskly.
"M-m'lady?" He asked as the figure came closer. "Ah, they're about to take off, m'lady and…we- uh, we haven't prepared- "
"I'll require no special accommodations." She said as she began to walk briskly past him. "Oh, and guardsman?" She said.
"Y-yes m'lady."
"My handmaiden is not allowed beyond this point, leave alone aboard."
"I- uh…m'lady?"
"You heard me guardsman."
"Y-yes m'lady." He said. He looked at her handmaiden as she approached, thoroughly confused. He didn't know what he'd tell her. He felt like he was holding a round peg, had only a square hole in front of him and lacked the words to describe the two pieces. From what he'd heard, Weiss had always taken her handmaiden with her everywhere. They were like sisters…well, what one imagined sisters would be like and not Weiss' actual sisters. This sort of thing would make sense with her actual sisters. Had they had a falling out, he wondered?
As Weiss' handmaiden got closer he turned to the guardswoman beside him who looked just as confused as he was and nodded. They crossed their weapons in front of the handmaiden. Marie stared at the weapons crossed in front of her a moment incredulously before looking up to them furiously. He suddenly felt immensely sorry he hadn't called in sick. She gestured at their weapons sharply.
"What is this?" She asked. Her voice made her glare seem almost comfortable by comparison until he met it again for a moment, then he regretted not having called in even more. Uncomfortable shuffling was her only answer.
"What is the meaning of this?" She repeated. Her tone had somehow gotten sharper, making him wince.
"Ah- lady, er, that is handmaiden, um…" The guardswoman next to him stammered. He felt immensely grateful to her for taking over and made a mental note to buy her her first round tonight. After this, there would certainly be drinking.
"Well? Out with it!" His wince turned into a cringe. Make that pay for her entire night's drinking.
"We were ordered not to let you pass handmaiden!" She shouted out in panic. He could feel the heat coming off Marie's glare. He turned to his comrade and saw a cringe to match his. She turned and gave him a desperate look he read as:
Please. Take care of my daughter for me.
"By. Whom?" Marie demanded. The guardswoman cringed even deeper and raised her energy rifle sideways in front of her as though it would be able to shield her somehow from the handmaiden's wrath.
"By…" The guardswoman said, straining to give the answer.
He caught her eye, put his fist to his heart and solemnly nodded in response.
"By lady Weiss Schnee!" She spat out.
Comprehension, confusion, fear and anger all warred together on Marie's face for a moment before it fell completely, and her energy seemed to drain away. The terrible incarnation of righteous fury she had been suddenly disappeared, leaving behind a young woman who seemed shocked and a little lost.
So there hadn't been a falling out, he thought, at least not one she knew of.
"What?" She asked slowly, tremulously. "Why would she…"
"I don't know, handmaiden." The Guardswoman said, and cautiously reached out to put a comforting hand on her shoulder. He took a nervous breath, but when Marie gave no negative reaction he let it out in a sigh.
The sound of the airship's crystals discharging for takeoff broke the moment, and they turned to watch the ship as it began its vertical ascent. Marie frowned. "The ship wasn't scheduled to take off for another ten minutes."
"Handmaiden Marie, I…I'm sorry. I don't have any answers for you. Lady Schnee must have told them to launch now. Maybe she was in a hurry?"
"Lady Schnee," Handmaiden Marie said softly, "Why?"
The guards seemed as confused as she pretended to be, and looked at her with sympathy. She smirked mentally at their reaction. Good luck, Weiss, she thought.
Author's note:
So this idea was born from looking at Roman's (romanimp on tumblr) RWBY Opium War AU, and imagining Yang as the captain of a pirate ship with Ruby as the Martin to her Aubrey. Things kind of ballooned out from there. Now it's something far more than my five minutes of brainstorming meant for it to be, and there's enough in here that the reasons that there are OCs (such as Marie Levington, Weiss' faithful handmaiden) is because everyone else is already accounted for, and there are still rolls to play, rolls that none of the original characters fit in anyway. (Though I did briefly consider making Cinder Weiss' handmaiden. As amusing as it was, it just didn't fit.)
So now this...well...it's going to be long. It's going to have sky pirates and cyborgs, AIs, factions, splinter groups and big, lumbering states with far too much power for anyone's own good. I hope you all like it, and I hope I don't fuck it up.
You can follow all activity about the AU, as you can everything else I write, at my tumblr, escritorian, or if you prefer, my writing-only tumblr, escritoriansescritoire.