As promised, the next chapter.
Also added a new cover image! If you would like to see a better resolution version of the cover image, please visit my author's page. There will be a tumblr link to said image.
Please enjoy.
Chapter 2: The Offer
"M-Mrs. Schnee, s-s-so good to see you here," the adventurer/museum curator/treasure hunter/actual hunter greeted her. She never considered him important enough to remember his name. His pith hat, like something out of a cheesy pulp adventure movie, stood out to her more than he did. She wondered if he was trying too hard to fit the image.
"Quiet you," she snapped, turning her head and glaring at the cameramen. They quickly shut down all operating cameras with a nervous glance. The curator held their paychecks; Weiss Schnee held their lives and the lives of everyone they loved.
She neared the table where the safe stood in its dilapidated glory. Small barnacles and other deep sea denizens encrusted its surface along with two decades worth of rust. Oh the memories it brought back. Along with the cold chill that she can never let its contents be revealed.
"I believe you have something of mine," she stated. Complete confidence. She was pretty sure that trying to claim property bearing the Schnee crest when one wasn't was punishable by death. And if it wasn't a law, then it should be.
"Err… well…" the lesser man cowered and stuttered before her.
"I thank you for helping me find this and will relieve you of it," boredom crept into her tone as she was used to such dealings. She had already paged her driver to come and pick up the heavy safe. "You will be properly compensated within the week."
"W-wait! You can't just take it! We spent years searching for that!" he exclaimed, hoping to sway her mind.
Weiss raised an eyebrow at him. Daring him to keep arguing.
He dared. "How about this? A trade?" his voice squeaked meekly.
"Really? And what would I give up in return?" Weiss questioned, slightly intrigued by his offer. What could he want? He was a treasure hunter at heart and whatever amount she compensated him with would surely overshadow the monetary worth of the safe and its contents. She wasn't planning on it, but she might as well play along to sate her curiosity before her driver arrived.
"Tell me about the… incident. The events, everything," his eyes had a predatory gleam.
She scoffed. So he wanted a primary source? No. He was after something… something… oh… He was probably still trying to find 'that'. The silly little namesake.
The thought brought a small smirk. She closed her eyes as she started to reminisce, unaware that he subtly cued his cameramen to start recording again.
She could remember it as if it had happened a few decades ago, mostly because it did. Her memory was just as sharp and clear as it was then as well.
She thought back to the day when her life changed. The day when she was taken to the docks and shown the largest, supposedly fastest, and supposedly unsinkable ship: The White Rose.
A young Weiss' eye twitched as her father gestured grandly to the large and imposing vessel. Seventeen years old and already she was being shipped across an ocean. All for the sake of the company.
Falling on hard times, the Schnee Dust Company had turned to old favors and friends.
"And may I introduce you to Neptune Vasilias," her father ushered her forward.
"Hello," a blue haired boy greeted charmingly, a smile that more than one girl has fallen for.
"A pleasure," she responded with a slight curtsey.
She knew of the Vasiliases. In order to profit big, the two families decided on a joint project: Dust infused vehicles. Cars and small land vehicles were already common, even some seafaring vessels have Dust engines. No, they wanted to make the grandest possible ship. Naturally, her family provided the Dust and his provided the ship.
Personally, Weiss thought it was a stupid plan.
"Won't have to worry about anything going wrong with a god of the sea on-board, eh?" her dad clapped Neptune's shoulder. He looked slightly more serious and applied a bit more pressure into his hand, "Take good care of my daughter."
While sounding sincere, Weiss knew an offering when she saw one. Unfortunately, she was the offering in this case. The hopes of the families were that the business venture would propel them to prosperity and their children unify the two lines. An old, cliche and useless idea in Weiss' opinion, but there wasn't much she could do or say without being disowned.
She knew how they saw her. Demure little daughter, hair and dress always straight, manners and voice exquisite and lovely. That was the image she always woke up to everyday, the image cultivated for her over seventeen years.
An image she wasn't sure was even hers.
"Don't worry sir, she's in good hands," Neptune promised. He turned to her, "Would you like me to show you around?"
"Sure," she stated, taking his arm in hers and allowing herself to be led like a child unable to walk around without getting lost.
"The largest ship ever launched, but even more than that," Neptune said proudly. "We can't have her just be the largest. She has to be the fastest as well. Six days. That's all it'll take to cross the ocean. And then the world will know of the Vasiliases, the Schnees, and the White Rose!"
"Interesting name," she commented. The flower of the ocean. ...Wouldn't the crushing tides just scatter the petals? She hoped that the ship was not as flimsy as that.
She turned to look at the opulent splendor around her and realized it made sense. No expense was spared. Rich, decorated red carpets underfoot and glistening crystal and golden chandeliers overhead. Potted plants, immaculate cabinets filled to the brim with art and silverware, and paintings galore lined the hallways. She nearly coughed when she saw a few marble statues.
"Haha! Don't worry about the weight," he laughed. "The ship was designed to be unsinkable. Everything has been calculated so that we stay afloat."
"Ah~! The view here is fantastic," Neptune continued as he pulled her to the top viewing deck.
She had to begrudgingly agree that seeing people so small below her and for once in her life towering over someone else physically was very exhilarating. Loathed as she was to admit it, she'll take any height advantage she can get considering her stature.
"Oh yes. Very nice," she voiced instead of her true thoughts.
They stayed in silence, just watching as people prepared to board. Most of the first and second class passengers were already aboard. The riffraff third class were boarding with a clamor. Unruly and pushing and shoving.
A large amount of cargo was also loaded aboard. Aside from being a luxury liner, the ship was to prove that it can carry even more than a merchant vessel and be useful to commercial shipping as well. Large containers full of Dust were loaded along with full sized vehicles. Unlike the opulent art pieces, these were to be placed below deck along with the third class passengers. Cramped and treated like cargo…
"Ahem," Neptune cleared his throat. "You asked about the ship's name earlier."
Not so much asked as commented.
"Well, here's the reason," he said as he pulled a pendant from his pocket.
Adorned with white Dust crystals, the falling light reflected and refracted on the facets shone like numerous petals opening, closing, falling. A white rose.
"It may be a bit forward," he pressed the pendant into her hand. "But consider it a gift. I know the path our families want us to take and I want to make a good impression."
The meaning was not lost on her.
"Thank you," she said simply.
Him naming the ship 'White Rose'. Him giving her the white rose pendant. He was basically dedicating the luxury liner to her.
Absolutely fantastic, she grimaced internally while never letting even a shadow of discontent cross her face. She was now the proud dedicatee of a ship so loaded with decadence that the Leviathan and Devil himself would have been envious, and so woefully unprepared that Weiss would have laughed if she was told she would board it a week ago.
She knew well of the ship's blueprints. All cargo holds were equipped with watertight doors and capable of four holds filled to the brim with water and the ship would only notice a slight drop. Weiss figured that worse comes to worse, they could always jettison the uselessness aboard.
Of course, Weiss wasn't planning on trusting only one contingency. Sadly, lifeboats were in short supply considering that they counted for only a third of the passengers. True, they were meant to be used for ferrying survivors from ship to ship, but Weiss would rather have extra boats in case something happened. At least they would be more useful than a marble thinker.
"Oh look! Here's the captain now!" Neptune excitedly introduced them, though Weiss tuned him out.
The old captain smiled at her and held out his hand for her to shake, which she took.
While they talked about how he was honored that the Vasiliases hired him, Weiss had a sudden thought. A dark chill and shudder entered her spine at the notion.
"Excuse me, captain?"
"Yes?"
"What do you plan to do after this voyage?" Though voiced so innocently, Weiss dreaded his answer.
"Already looking forward to the end of the journey?" he joked with a gruff chuckle. "Haha, well, depends. I think that these old bones could use a rest. Maybe retire with the old missus."
At this point, Weiss couldn't hold back her audible groan.
"Weiss?" Neptune asked worriedly.
"You just had to pick a captain on his final voyage didn't you?" she stared at him deadpanned. By this point, she couldn't be bothered to hide her discontent anymore.
"Yes? He is very experienced," Neptune looked at her confusedly.
Was she the only person to recognize retirony?
"Just…" she paused, taking in a deep breath. Well, she might as well roll with the punches. "Just show me my room."
"This way then."
As they headed off, Neptune continued to talk about the splendors of the ship. Everyone looked so happy, waving goodbyes and blowing kisses. Tears of joy. Tears of happiness. They were waving so many flags...
"…we are so doomed…" she muttered.
"What was that?" he asked, not quite hearing her.
"Lovely curtains," she sighed.
And there you go. A snarky and genre-savvy Weiss. How would the movie have fared differently if the heroine was like this instead? Haha.
Next chapter: Weiss' suffering continues. Hope to see you there as well.
As always, please leave a review if you'd like. I'd like to see what people think of this Weiss personality.
