CHAPTER IV

The Ivory Tower

Leon's eyes were wide as he stepped out of the luxury car he had ridden with Ivory and her team, who insisted on accompanying her as she invited Leon to the house. The entire ride had been quite the awkward one with Renata never taking her eyes off him and Viktor and Yorath sitting to either side of him, their eyes also fixed on him.

"You live here?" Leon said as he gawked at their mansion, which was now the tallest building in the city thanks to additions they had made in the past twenty years. It rose higher than even the CCTS tower due to the fact that the manor sat on elevated ground.

"For better or worse," Ivory said, standing next to him. "Yes, I suppose this is home, sweet home. You three don't need to follow me all the way to my room, you know."

"We just wanna be safe," Renata said. "You're team captain, after all."

"Well, your team captain is ordering you to go home."

"We're making the command decision to ignore your order," Yorath said.

"Is matter of safety, captain," Viktor said.

"I'll never get over your accent," Leon said. "J-Just, don't friggin' wipe my aura out again, big guy."

Viktor's vigilance was unflinching.

"Jeez. You guys all swear as if I'd do something to her."

"You never know," Renata said, folding her arms across her chest. "Speaking of which, you single?"

He reddened. "What kind of question is that?"

"Same kind of question I'm sure you ask all the ladies."

"All of a sudden I think I realize why you were staring at me the entire ride here."

She winked, sending a shiver down his spine.

"Okay, that's enough," Ivory said. "You're my guest, Leon Rose. Come."

He followed her up the stairs to the gigantic front doors, which were much larger up close than from afar. He looked up as she opened them. They must have been three stories in height, fitting for the colossal structure they adorned. The foyer was even more elegant than the outside, decorated with silvers, whites, blues, and golds.

"Hey, hey, hey," Leon said, hurrying to the staircase and touching the balustrade. "Is this handrail made of...ivory?"

Ivory took a deep breath before letting it out slowly, all the while never breaking eye contact with him.

"Captain is not impressed," Viktor said.

"What?" Leon said. "I'm just trying to lighten up the mood around here."

"Are you really?" Ivory said. "Or are you just trying to cover up your own depression?"

His demeanor rapidly fell back to melancholy.

"I apologize. I did not mean to say such a rude thing. Have you eaten?"

An apology was the last thing Leon expected from her. "Um, I had a small snack on the shuttle. That's about it."

"Klein should be preparing supper soon. I'll have him ready some for all of us."

"Ivory!" a voice came from upstairs.

Ivory looked up to see her cousin, the eldest of her Uncle Whitley's three children.

"You're home!" the eight-year-old yelled as he rushed down the steps, darting straight past Leon to give his elder cousin a big hug. She squatted to embrace him back.

"Have you been practicing, Finn?" Ivory asked him.

"I have! Watch!" He held out a hand, forming a small glyph.

"That's a good start. What else can you do with it?"

"Well, that's all right now. I still can't do all the cool stuff you can do."

"You'll get there eventually. You're keeping up with your studies as well, aren't you?"

"Yup!"

"Good. You'll eventually take over your father's business, you know."

"I won't let you down!"

"And I certainly hope you're treating your younger sisters well."

"Of course!" he said, throwing his fists on his hips. "I'm their big brother!"

"That's what I wanted to hear. Now, go on and finish your homework. We'll do some glyph exercises together later, okay?"

"Okay!"

Leon watched as the boy ran off. He turned to Ivory, who had a smile on her face. For that brief moment, he was looking at a different Schnee, but reality set back in much too soon. Still, he never expected to ever see such a warm look on her. He had come to know her as a cold person, aloof to everyone around her. Could he have been wrong all this time?

"Ah, Miss Schnee!" Klein said as he entered the foyer. "I see you've brought your team here along with..." He turned to Leon. "...a new student?"

"He's my personal guest," Ivory said. "Leon Rose."

"Hmm. Doesn't seem to be your type."

"What's that supposed to mean?" she said as she threw her hands on her hips.

He chuckled, his eyes changing to yellow. "Oh, nothing at all! Will they all be staying for supper?"

"They will."

"I'll prepare something for all of you, then."

"We'll be eating separately from the rest of the family."

"Of course. As usual. Oh, and the coffee just finished brewing. Would you like me to bring you a cup?"

"For all five of us. Up to the recital hall, please."

"Certainly!"

"What's the matter?" Yorath said, sidling over to Leon. "The captain not quite what you were expecting?"

Leon glanced at him before turning back to Ivory, who was talking to Renata about something he couldn't hear.

"Just so you know, the three of us are very protective of her. If you do anything to hurt her, we will return that hurt to you many times over."

"Relax, dude," Leon said, looking at him sardonically. "I'm here on business. Besides, she's not my type."

"I just want to be sure you know where we all stand."

"Leon," Ivory said, approaching them. "If you have no place to stay, you are welcome to a guest room."

He shrugged. "I mean, I wouldn't want to intrude on your royal highness—"

"Don't be an idiot. I'm the one who offered."

"Okay, jeez. Why the heck are you being so nice to me anyway?"

She didn't answer.

"Cuz, to tell you the truth, I think I'm more nervous of this 'nice Ivory' as opposed to the mean one."

"It's not any of your business."

She walked past him up the stairs, stopping at the first landing before looking down at him.

"Are you going to just stand there?"

Leon raised an eyebrow.

"I'm trying to give you a tour of the Schnee Family Manor."

He threw his arms out to the sides in surrender, sighing as he followed up after her. All three of her teammates were no more than five feet away from him at all times.

"The entire first floor is uninteresting," Ivory began, leading the way through a hall more spacious than anything Leon had ever experienced. "All that's down there is strictly stuff to impress guests."

"I thought I was a guest," Leon said. "You're not gonna try to impress me?"

"I said you were my guest."

"Oh, I do apologize, Miss Schnee. I did not realize there was a distinction."

She gave him a dry look. "Anyway, all that's down there are the kitchen, dining halls, living rooms, and a ballroom. Plus the different facilities my uncle and grandfather use to impress their clients and business partners."

"That's a lot of rooms."

"Yes, most of which are completely useless to us. The second floor, where we are now, contains guest rooms, more living rooms and entertainment rooms, and the library."

"I figured you'd have a library. How many floors are in this house?"

"Enough."

"...Okay. I also notice that each 'floor' is tall enough to be two floors."

"You are correct."

"Hmm. I dunno if I could get used to a house this big. I'm too lazy to do so much damn walking." He yawned. "Not that I'd have a huge problem with it." He teleported twenty-five yards away before teleporting right back, catching a rose petal and holding it out for her. She stared at him coldly.

"Captain is not impressed," Viktor said.

"Yes, I can see that," Leon said, dropping the petal, which disappeared before it hit the tile.

"If you're finished with your antics," Ivory said, "we can continue the tour."

"Look, Ivory. You don't have to show all this off to me. I've been impressed with you since we first met."

The air instantly became awkward. Ivory felt her face warming up, but she had always been good at feigning a stoic demeanor. Leon, on the other hand, was bright red.

"That came out wrong," he said quickly.

"Coming from you, Leon Rose, I'm not so sure," Ivory said.

He sighed heavily. "Dude, seriously. I'm not into you."

"Good. I'm not into you either."

"Good."

"Good."

They both folded their arms across their chests, staring one another down. Renata slowly leaned closer to Ivory.

"Should I stab him?" she whispered loudly.

"Not yet," Ivory said.

"Dammit. I was hoping I'd be the first to penetrate him."

Yorath began coughing.

"Anyway," Ivory said, grabbing a visibly perturbed Leon by the wrist and leading him down the hall. "Let's continue."

She finished the tour at the recital hall, where Klein was awaiting them with a tray of coffee for all five. Leon noticed his eyes were back to their light brown color. He wondered if he had been seeing things earlier, if his yellow eyes were a product of the lighting or something.

"You know how I like mine, Klein," Renata said.

"Already done, Miss Nováček," he said with a smile. "Mister Schtolteheim, yours with cream and no sugar, and Mister Nikolayev, one sugar and no cream."

"Bol'shoye spasibo, Gospodin Kleyn," Viktor said with a nod.

"Danke," Yorath said.

"You're both very welcome, gentlemen," Klein said. "Mister Leon Rose, how will you have your coffee?"

"Lots of cream and lots of sugar, please," he said.

"Is four sugars enough?"

"Make it five!"

He chuckled. "Very well."

Leon took a sip of the coffee. "Huh. This tastes familiar." He watched as Ivory drank hers black. Bizarre. She took her coffee the same way.

"What are you staring at?" Ivory said, irritation masking her face.

"N-Nothing," he said, turning away from her as he enjoyed his coffee.

"Snacks?" Klein said, presenting a tray of mini-quiche for them.

"Don't gotta tell me twice," Renata said, digging in.

"Spinach and cheese on the left, tomato and basil on the right."

"Tell me, Klein," Yorath began, "is it you who cooks this, or do you merely deliver?"

"Depends on what's being prepared. I'm a master sandwich artisan."

"So I have you to thank for the blutwurst sandwich I ate for lunch."

"I do know that's your favorite."

"I knew I liked you. Is this going to be a regular thing from now on?"

"That all depends on the mistress."

They turned to Ivory.

"Klein is a busy man," she said. "My grandfather can be quite demanding."

"Sounds like a no," Renata sighed. "Too bad. That meatball sandwich you put together was pretty awesome."

"Did you like the extra peppers I threw in?" Klein asked.

"Fuck yeah."

"Y'all are makin' me hungry," Leon said, walking over to the piano in the center of the room. He ran his finger across the glossy hardwood cover. Spotless. As he expected. To the side of the room was a wood and glass showcase containing violins, violas, a cello, a double bass, and two guitars, one nylon-stringed and the other steel. He glanced over at the group momentarily. They were all preoccupied with conversation. Only Ivory noticed what he was doing, but she didn't stop him.

He opened the cabinet and pulled out the nylon guitar. He had contemplated taking the cheaper looking of the two, but both looked like they could easily cost thousands of Lien each. He strummed a G, cringing at the discordant tune before reaching up to tune the strings. Once he had everything squared away, he plucked softly, singing a tune in his head.

Ivory watched silently from afar. He wasn't facing them, but she could see that his eyes were closed as he felt every pluck of the strings. She had no idea he was a musician. From the way he swayed with his own music, she could tell that this was a regular thing for him, not just some leisurely hobby he only did from time to time.

"You're staring."

She turned quickly to face Renata, who was grinning. Ivory's face twisted into irritation. "And you should mind your own business," she snapped.

"Miss Schnee," Klein began, "is there anything else you need?"

"Yes. Please bring me some cold water so I can pour it over Renata's head."

He chuckled with the other two boys.

"Supper will be ready in an hour," Klein said, "but I suggest waiting a bit so you don't have to see you-know-whom."

Ivory sighed. "Running into him is inevitable, though. Thank you, Klein."

The family butler bowed before leaving with the empty trays.

"Nice digs, though," Leon said, rejoining them. "Seriously."

Ivory looked past him. He had returned the guitar to the showcase. "Are you impressed?"

"I already told you. It's not like you had to actually work to impress me, you know. I'm a country boy. I impress easy."

"Let's head to the deck, then. We can enjoy some good weather for once while the sun is still out."

He followed her to the upper courtyard, which faced the sunset. The instant the cold outside air hit him, he shivered, clutching his cloak closer. Despite all of the depressing grays and blues and stark whites, he couldn't deny the impressive architecture of it all. Most of the city was built like blocks of concrete, but this place offered a much more pleasing design.

He watched as Ivory stepped over to the edge of the balcony, leaning forward against the marble guard rail. A small breeze caught her long, white ponytail, blowing it to the side. It was now that he noticed how she wore her hair. It was identical to the way Weiss wore it, except that the bun and tail were to the left as opposed to the right. She held out a hand, catching a single snowflake that fell from the heavens.

His heart skipped a beat as Ivory was temporarily replaced by another Schnee again, complete with different clothing and a smile that warmed his heart. But when she turned to face him, she didn't have those light-brown, hazel eyes that he expected. They were back to crystalline blue, topping off a harsh facial expression.

"What are all of you still doing back there?" she asked the group.

"Waiting for him," Yorath said, pointing at the guest.

"What?" Leon said. "Why me?"

"Leon, come join me," Ivory said.

With a sigh, he marched over to her. "You happy?"

"Yes."

He watched as she turned back around, leaning against the banister to watch the sunset. He, too, faced the sun as it touched the horizon, eventually disappearing.

"You know this isn't good for your eyes," Leon said.

"Not as bad as dawn," Ivory said. "The planet's rotation redshifts the sunset light, so the rays you're getting right now are not as intense as during sunrise."

"The hell? You sounded just like Xanthus right now."

She turned to him. "Who?"

"Never mind. He was the dude with the glasses on Athena's team."

"Oh, the tactician."

"Yeah, sure."

"Supper should be ready for us. Let's head back inside."

They sat in the auxiliary dining room. This was a lot cozier than the overly large and ostentatious main hall, allowing them to sit closer together.

"There's a first for everything," Yorath said quietly to Renata. "When's the last time we ate in this room, huh?"

"Never?" Renata said.

"Yeah. Why's the captain changing all of a sudden? I mean, the tours, the coffee, the way she greeted her cousin around us."

"She's been this way since the Vytal Festival."

"So you noticed too, did you?"

Klein directed his staff as they prepared dinner for them. He was the one to personally serve Ivory. Tonight's meal was started off with some Caesar's salad and a choice of soup.

"Mister Rose," a servant asked Leon, "would you care for some broccoli cheddar soup or tomato and basil?"

"Huh?" he said. "Oh, yeah, sure. I-I mean, tomato and basil, please."

The main course was a glazed veal with roasted tomatoes and buttered artichoke on the side, accompanied by rice pilaf. Leon kept his mouth shut as he eyed all of the food on the table. Not only was this an enormous amount of food, it was all high-quality as well. As expected of a Schnee.

Dessert was even more impressive than the rest of the meal. Leon had had flambé before, but never prepared at tableside. Klein took this chance to show off his culinary skills, impressing Renata and the others.

"The first serving goes to the lady of the house, of course," Klein said, adding an extra helping to Ivory's dish. "Will you all have some coffee to finish your meal?"

"Yes, please," Ivory said.

"And for everyone else?"

Leon was the only one to accept. He tried the flambé. It was great, albeit ultra sweet. He figured Athena would have enjoyed herself here. She always liked the extra sweet treats. Although, he wondered what the dinner table interaction between two rivals would be like.

"Your coffee, Mister Rose," Klein said as he reached for sugar cubes.

"You can hold the sugar and cream this time," Leon said, accepting the mug.

"A wise choice."

Leon looked over as Ivory conversed with her team. It was the first time today he had witnessed them talking so openly. He figured it wasn't very often that they held idle chat. Maybe it was the alcohol he could still taste in his mouth from the flambé. On second thought, from the way the quartet laughed and talked, he wasn't so sure this was a rare occurrence. Renata was the most relaxed of the bunch, pulling her legs up into her seat. Yorath was also casually leaned in his chair, resting his elbow on the armrest, his palm against his chin as Ivory recalled a story. Even the usually stoic Viktor was smiling and chuckling, slouching in his seat.

Only Ivory remained upright, prim and proper as always. But in spite of her formal posture, Leon sensed ease. Her smiles and quiet laughter came closer and closer to the one he longed for, though always missing the mark. He wondered if Ivory was even capable of truly smiling, truly laughing. It couldn't have been easy to bear the weight of an entire family legacy on her shoulders.

That was the same problem she had.

"Leon," Ivory said, snapping him out of his trance.

"Hmm?" he said, looking up at her over his coffee.

"Have you and your friends experienced anything like that?"

He straightened up in his chair. "Sorry, I was spacing out just now. What were you guys talking about?"

"Nothing," she said with a small smile, looking down at her mug. "Never mind."

"No, tell me. I wanna know."

She looked up at him, her crystalline blue eyes locking with his lavenders. His look told her that he was being sincere with that comment.

"Your headmaster," she said.

"What about him?"

"Does anyone ever play pranks on him the way some of the students do to Headmaster Holland?"

"See, pranking that guy makes sense."

Yorath and Renata burst into chuckles.

"But Headmaster Pine? Everyone kinda just loves him. Although..."

"Don't keep secret," Viktor said. "Share with friends."

"Wait, so I'm your friend now?"

"Captain thinks so. I think so. You are friend."

"Okay, comrade," Leon said in his best attempt to mimic his accent.

"That was horrible," Yorath said.

"It was. Anyway, my, uh, great uncle, Qrow Branwen, he actually teaches classes at Beacon. He's the one who pranks us."

"What?" Renata laughed. "Your professor pranks his students?"

"Yep."

"Oh, that is awesome! We gotta sit through one of these classes. At least once."

"Is he at least a good instructor?" Yorath asked.

Leon hesitated before giving him a "Yeah."

"That answer does not inspire confidence."

The group shared a chuckle.

"Anyway," Ivory began. "I promised Finn I'd work on our Semblance with him tonight. Leon, we can talk about this thing involving my cousin later before we go to bed."

There was awkward silence among them.

"Separately," Ivory added.

"Yeah, of course," Leon said quickly.

"Hey," Renata said, pointing her steak knife at him. "You better not get any ideas tonight."

"Would you all just relax? I'm here on business!"

"Just no funny business," Viktor said.

Leon threw his head back in surrender. "I mean, for fuck's sake, it's not like she can't defend herself. She beat my sister in the tournament!"

Ivory felt her hand flinch.

"And besides that, what the hell do you all think of me, huh?"

"We just want you to know that there are consequences—" Yorath began.

"Yeah, if I ever hurt Ivory—I'm not here to hurt anyone, jeez! I'm here to find my team leader!"

"What the hell makes you think she's here?" Renata said.

"I don't fucking know."

"My training with Finn will start soon," Ivory said, standing up. "You're free to roam around the manor, Leon. Just don't break anything. Klein will assign you to a guest room."

They all watched as she left the table. Her teammates all turned to Leon.

"What?" he said.