Back again. I have been trying to upload these chapters every Thursday, and so far I have managed it. However, this week has been a bit crazy. Work is crazy. Weather is crazy. And I must be crazy for continuing to pursue this amidst the craziness. But here it is…on Thursday, even if there is only half an hour left of Thursday.
I am really enjoying writing this, and it makes an excellent distraction from everyday life. Thanks again to everyone who has taken the time to read, keep up with, and/or take an interest in this story. I hope you enjoy this next chapter. As ever I am open to reviews and suggestions.
(Obvious disclaimer: RWBY characters and universe belong to Rooster Teeth)
( ( ( ) ) )
Before Beacon
Ch.4) Beacon of Uncertainty
Her scroll beeped with the arrival of a text. Weiss walked over to where it lay on her bed and looked down to read the message from Father. Tour of Atlas Academy tomorrow. Tour of Beacon Academy Saturday.
Weiss stared at the message. Three weeks without mentioning their conversation concerning hunting academies ended with this message arriving out of the blue. But a tour of Atlas Academy tomorrow? On a Tuesday? She had an exam in her combat school. She was practicing for it right now. She could not miss it and said so in her reply to Father. I have an exam tomorrow and cannot fail to attend for fear of hurting my grades. I must decline the tour of Atlas Academy. However, I am available to visit Beacon on Saturday.
She kept the Schnee family formality even in her texts to Father, hoping it would appease his annoyance at her contradicting his schedule. Even if it was for academic purposes, he did not appreciate anyone questioning his plans.
His response was brief. I see. Very Well. You must keep to your own schedule.
She was unclear how annoyed he was from that remark. Father texted so rarely that she was not quite as good reading between the lines of this brief response. He was annoyed, but she was not sure how annoyed. Sighing in frustration, she went back to practicing for tomorrow's exam.
But her mind began to wander. A tour of Beacon. That was incredibly good fortune. Father had seemed so hesitant to arrange tours of schools beyond Atlas, he surprised her by setting this one up. As she swung her sword through a series of endlessly repeated movements, the realization suddenly hit her, and she almost laughed.
When she spoke to Father before, she had expressed her highest interest in Haven and very little interest in Beacon. Father may have deliberately avoided arranging a tour of the only school outside Atlas he saw as real competition for his daughter's attention, Haven. Instead, the only tour he planned beyond Atlas was at Beacon, where she expressed only limited interest in. Unaware that her interests shifted since they last spoke on the topic, Father arranged a tour for the only academy she was now seriously considering.
She again shifted her focus back to her training but with a small smile this time in the hopes that luck may finally go her way.
( ( ( ) ) )
"It seems a waste of time to tour a school you do not plan to attend."
Weiss shuttered internally at the latest in a series of unsubtle comments directed at her from Father, who sat in the next seat over as the ship carried them to Vale. She had been surprised when he said he intended to accompany her on the visit to Beacon. He said it was his duty to look out for the interests of his daughter. Weiss wondered if he actually meant control the interests of his daughter. Since they left home, he relentlessly dropped hints at his displeasure over the situation. She could not tell whether he was more frustrated with her failure to visit Atlas Academy or her eager acceptance of the offer to visit Beacon.
"I may or may not attend the school, Father, but I want to see all my options."
Father looked as if he was barely refraining from rolling his eyes, and the trip again descended into another awkward silence.
Weiss looked out the window, marveling at the landscape below. The amount of green in the lands beyond her frozen northern home always amazed her. But its unfamiliarity made her uncomfortable. If even the different landscape amazed her, how would she adapt to a different culture?
She gave Father no hint as to how seriously she considered attending Beacon. It would only result in an argument. This was her opportunity to convince him of the school's merits and at the same time, to convince herself she could face a foreign environment for the sake of her independence.
As the ship landed, a formal woman greeted them at the Beacon docks. Good. She seemed like the type who could impress Father. The woman approached them with a hand outstretched in greeting. "Hello. I am Professor Goodwitch. On behalf of the entire school, I would like to welcome you to Beacon Academy."
Father shook the woman's hand but frowned slightly at her words. "Why is the school's headmaster not here to greet us?"
"Professor Ozpin is quite busy at the moment. I will conduct your tour of Beacon today."
Father nodded. "I see."
Weiss bit back a sudden wave of frustration and continued displaying the professional attitude Father expected. Why could this Professor Ozpin not at least greet them? Would that be so hard? It made no difference to her, but Father would take the headmaster's failure to appear as a mark against the school.
Professor Goodwitch began leading them through the campus speaking of all the school had to offer. A wide variety of classes. Some of the world's finest instructors. A beautiful and spacious campus. Nearby forests that allowed for practical experience. A diverse student population and culture.
Weiss half listened as she examined the environment around them. Although the setting was unfamiliar, she found it rather welcoming, which surprised her. She had expected the foreign culture to feel more intimidating. The whole environment was fat less cold, both literally and figuratively, than the one she grew up in. Then she caught what Professor Goodwitch was saying about the benefits of encouraging campus diversity, and almost immediately she began to anticipate Father's cynical reaction to the concept. But he remained quiet as they passed through the campus.
Weiss' attention drifted to a pair of students sitting in the courtyard with chess board between them, which they seemed to be ignoring at the moment. The girl looked normal enough, but the boy across from her had ram horns. A faunas. That was not too shocking. All the academies accepted faunas students. But this was different. With little of the pair's attention on their chess game, they continually glanced up at each other, sharing small smiles, whispers, and winks that could only be classified as flirtatious.
Weiss looked to Father, hoping he had not noticed the rather obvious inter-species couple. Unfortunately, his eyes were also focused on the pair. In public, he hid his opinions under a diplomatic exterior, but Weiss sensed his disapproval. As the couple realized they were being observed, they briefly glanced toward the staring visitors before returning their attention to each other and the game. Weiss turned away, blushing slightly at having been caught staring. Father however, simply gave a disgruntled sigh.
"Is anything wrong?" Professor Goodwitch asked, not catching the reason for the interruption of her tour.
"No, no. Everything's fine." Father smiled. It always amazed Weiss how cherry and friendly he could sound if he really wanted to. "I was merely admiring the beauty of your campus."
The tour continued, and Weiss wondered what else could go wrong. If a public inter-species couple was not enough to annoy Father, the fact that the pair apparently had not even recognized the head of the Schnee Dust Company was bound to agitate him further. This visit was quickly becoming less about visiting a potential school and more about trying to upset Father as little as possible.
They visited the classrooms. As it was a weekend, no classes were in session for them to observe. They visited the training grounds. Students sparred with each other or exercised on their own. Then they visited the student dorms.
Walking down the narrow hallway with Father and Professor Goodwitch, Weiss suddenly regretted accepting the tour of Beacon. Although she found no major objections to the school, there was no way Father would approve. This tour only confirmed his low opinion of the place.
The teacher stopped and unlocked one of the doors. "This is a typical student room."
Weiss peered cautiously into the room. Four beds barely fit in a space that also had to accommodate desks and dressers. The space was absurdly small.
"As a Schnee, my daughter will of course require a private room."
The professor shook her head. "Beacon does not offer private rooms. All students are housed with their teammates in order to develop cooperation and trust."
"I see." Father glanced again at the small room. "If that is the case, I see no reason for us to remain here any longer."
Weiss could have screamed with frustration as they left the building. The school obviously failed to live up to the standards Father set for the Schnee family. The worst thing was that part of her agreed with him. Even if she approved of the rest of the school, the student rooms were unacceptable. Sharing a room many times smaller than her one at home with three other people? She grew up in the vast Schnee Manor surrounded with its lonely but familiar solitude. The idea of being trapped in a small room with three others having little or no privacy… She shuddered internally, feeling claustrophobic just thinking about it.
But was giving in and staying in Atlas really a better alternative?
Professor Goodwitch offered them dinner in the school cafeteria, which father respectfully declined. Weiss did not argue. The last thing she needed was to give Father a reason to complain about the quality of the food.
As evening closed in, they headed back to their ship at the docks with Weiss feeling dejected. She hoped the trip home would be silent, but luck was not in her favor today. A few minutes after the ship took to the air once again, Father spoke. "You don't want to go there. You would never be happy in a place like that."
It was not a question. It was a statement of fact informing her of what she believed. She considered her response carefully. "What if I want to attend Beacon?"
"Why would you want to go somewhere you don't belong?" He seemed genuinely puzzled at her contradiction of the facts he had just given her, but beneath the surface lingered a hint of passive-aggressive menace. As far as he was concerned, this tour was a waste of time.
"I want to keep my options open. You did say I could attend any school I wanted." She reminded him.
"Within reason."
That phrase was back. The first time he used it, she took 'within reason' to mean 'not Vacuo,' but now she wondered if Father had a different definition of the phrase. He might considered any contradiction to his opinions unreasonable.
What if he really had no intention of letting her study outside Atlas? What if he never intended to let her slip beyond the bounds of his control?
She thought back to Beacon. The cultural differences were not as intimidating as she expected, except for the lack of personal space in the living quarters. That was a lot more intimidating. If she got along with her roommates, it might be bearable, but what if they did not get along. She already felt trapped and confined back in the Schnee Manor. Could she bear being trapped in an even more confined environment if that was the price of her independence?
With no certainty left, she wondered if she was strong enough to face this challenge. She had to decide. If she really wanted to attend Beacon, Father might fight her every step of the way. Was the chance to step into this new world, a world which scared her almost as much as he did, really worth placing herself in the way of his wrath?
She sighed and looked out the window. Darkness hid the green fields below them. By the time the sun rose, they would be back in the frozen fields of Atlas. And Weiss would return home with even fewer certainties than when she left.
