Chapter 3: Glaciem (Weiss + Roman ft. Ashley Match the OC OG shopkeeper)
Weiss was losing her temper with the shopkeeper as they went about negotiating the cost of the shipment. "If you think you'll swindle me out of the worth of this Dust, you will be sorry, you little dupe!"
The shopkeeper shook her head. "There is no way I am agreeing to these prices. I can barely turn a profit as it is and all my clientele are threatening to take their business elsewhere. I beg of you, Miss Schnee, have some compassion."
The heiress's face tightened as she glared at the young shopkeep. Part of Weiss suspected her of trying to con her because the Dust seller was a young woman instead of the usual men sent by her father. But another part of her was thinking of how she had begun to grow along her teammates.
Weiss had been asked by her father directly to handle this shipment. She had been more than happy to accept the responsibility. Being entrusted to a major delivery meant that her father was trusting her more and more, a spot of pride for the Huntress-in-training.
She thought back on what her father would tell her when she was younger, as she weighed the current situation. We are better than most, Weiss. As such, we must act better than most. Do you understand? That talk had weighed on Weiss her entire life and now saw it differently than she had before. She had always thought that maybe that meant she was to look down on others but now she wondered if he meant that she should be kinder than others…
"You've caught me on a good day, Miss Match. You get a 20% discount on this order but nothing more."
Ashley Match actually began to cry as she grabbed Weiss's hand. "Thank you so much, Miss Schnee! I won't forget this!" Weiss had to blink in surprise of the admiration before angrily withdrawing her hand.
"Don't expect this treatment often, Miss Match. As I said, I'm in a good mood. Can we finish this transaction before I realize what a mistake this is?" She motioned for some of the men carrying the heavily briefcases filled with Dust to move forward as Ashley went to go grab the Lien required for the purchase of the Dust.
Weiss felt a smile tug at her lips as she leaned against the display. Maybe this whole being nice thing wasn't as hard as she thought it was. She wondered if her father would be proud of her. These thoughts of self-reflection were cut short as the front windows shattered under a hail of gunfire.
"Get down!" cried one of the suitcase carriers, tackling Weiss to the ground to protect her, while all she could do was gasp in surprise. However, a stray shot caught the bodyguard in his leg as he cried out in pain.
Everything seemed like a blur to Weiss as a bunch of men walked into the shop, hefting their weaponry and bearing mocking grins. Their masks covered their eyes and their white armour was decorated with the bright red insignia of a bloody wolf. Weiss snarled as she realized who they were and what was going on. The White Fang are robbing this store.
Weiss wasted no time for she knew that action needed to be done immediately. The bodyguards who had evaded serious injury processed the same thought as they too leapt into action. Swinging her rapier fiercely, the heiress charged into battle, her voice so shrill she couldn't hear it. The White Fang were caught off-guard, having expected this to be a routine robbery. Between the lead from the bodyguards' firearms and the ice cold steel of Myrtenaster, they were pushed out of the shop in a matter of seconds. Weiss smiled viciously as she motioned for her ensemble to drive them out, when she saw the airship descend.
The members of the White Fang froze, caught between their boss with backup and a Huntress with bodyguards, knowing that this would only spell trouble. The door slowly opened and, amongst a dozen or so White Fang members, a single man stood out with his bright orange hair and crisp white overcoat. His single visible eye shone viciously as he puffed on his cigar and pointed his cane at Weiss. "What is it with little girls and constantly beating up these useless animals I hired?"
Weiss recognized the man as Roman Torchwick, an elusive criminal known to be targeting Dust stores. She glared at him with all the righteous indignation she could muster. Ruby had told her about this scumbag and Blake had fought him right before they found her. This man was nothing but deep trouble. "I am Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company. I will not allow a scallywag like you to intimidate me, my clientele, or my family's trade!"
Roman laughed, his spare hand wiping his eye for tears. "Well excuuuuuuse me, Princess. Though I'm afraid you insinuation of my scallywagness cannot be allowed to go unpunished." Turning to the men aboard the ship, he gave a piercing glare. "Get. Her."
The White Fang members charged, waving their guns and swords around like madmen as Weiss and her bodyguards leapt into motion. Weiss spun forward, sped onwards by her glyphs as she disarmed two White Fang soldiers in a flurry of strikes while her bodyguards attempted to hold their own but were being overwhelmed by greater numbers. The Schnee heiress quickly found herself surrounded on all sides. Not that she was worried as in a calculated and elegant web of steel and runes, she knocked all her attackers down and back before facing Roman once more.
The orange haired criminal sighed and shook his head. "I really need to get decent henchmen. Well, you know what they say; never send an animal to do a man's job." Dropping his cigar from his mouth, he crushed it under his cane before aiming it at Weiss. "I was going to be a gentleman and simply kidnap you to ransom you off to your father but you are far too much a pest to be kept in cage. And as you can see, I'm already surrounded by vermin as is so I think I will simply have to settle for…" He paused for a moment and gave her a look of pure hatred and disgust. "…Killing you."
As Weiss spun Myrtenaster's Dust chamber, she grinned. "If you couldn't beat Ruby or Blake, there's no way you'll beat me, Roman. I'm not letting my father down." Swinging her rapier in a circle, the air froze before her and Roman saw his own face reflected back at him. It almost seemed nervous.
"Time for beddy-bye, Princess!" The end of his cane swung upwards to form the scope of his weapon as he fired off two blazing hot shots of pure Dust. The icy shield absorbed the first one but shattered under the stress of the second round, sending Weiss sprawling back, her combat skirt cushioning her stumble.
The heiress quickly stood back up and leered at the criminal but Roman made a gesture to stop as he picked up a cell phone. Angry whispers were exchanged as Weiss put her hands on her hips and began tapping her foot. He snarled as he hung it up but was quickly back to all his false smiles. "I've changed my mind about you, Princess. As it is, I've wasted too much of my time here so I must be off. Places to go, Dust to steal, you know how it is." As the aircraft once more took to the skies, Weiss considered pursuing but saw all the bodies laying on the ground and settled for one last venomous glare at Roman. "See you on the flip side, Princess! Ahahahahaha!"
Weiss watched the airship fly off into the night as she heard someone approach from behind. Turning around, she saw Ashley Match standing in the doorway of Ashes to Dust with wide eyes scanning the scene. "Are you alright?" inquired Weiss, clapping to get the storekeeper's attention.
"Uhh… Yeah… Just a little… Uhh… Shaken up…"
Weiss snapped her fingers and looked the storekeeper in the eye. "Good, because I'll be taking that payment now. All the Dust is still here so I am expecting that our agreement is still in order, Miss Match."
Ashley could only stand dumbfounded as Weiss left with her bodyguards limping after her, suitcase of money in hand. The sound of sirens were approaching but none of the White Fang members seemed to be in a position to be going anywhere soon. What a strange girl, thought Ashley, as she silently hung up the 'Sorry, We're Closed' sign on the door.