~~AAAND START!~~ (Atlas)
Atlas was built into its landscape. Long ago, the settlers decided that instead of building on the giant ice caps and between the mountains, it would be best to build inside of them. Of the four kingdoms, it was the most isolated from the Grimm, but its unforgiving climate kept its population from rising above the others. Even within the ice, temperatures could drop below negative thirty degrees. Luckily, the lower capacity for wind made it more bearable.
Atlas was also the rune capital of the world. Desperation to combat the cold led to great discoveries, and a booming Dust market. The Schnee Dust company dominated this market so completely that they provided nine out of ten jobs directly handling Dust. Royalty did not exist in Atlas after their revolution, but if it did, the Schnees would be very near to it.
After the boat had docked, Weiss' party continued down the main road to the city's gate, located in the center of Mount Atlas. Prior to the revolution, the kingdom of Atlas was known as Mantle. As the government reformed, the kingdom took the name of the mountain it was built in as a representation of unmoving strength.
Atlas is still referred to as a kingdom, but that isn't precisely true. Political parties, known as families and prone to nepotism, were elected every ten years. The head of the family was called the king or queen. Since a single family almost never held two terms in a row, business and politics were now more closely linked than ever before, and blood feuds weren't uncommon.
The Schnees were, due to their ability to fund campaigns and cut off Dust from their enemies, everyone's friends. Unsurprisingly, Jacques Schnee had been an advisor to the last four ruling families. Therefore, when Weiss saw the scale of the reception committee waiting for them inside the city gates, she wasn't surprised in the least. Ruby, however…
"Wow, look at all the people here!" she marveled. Her cheeks were red, and she looked a little cold, even though it was the warm season in Atlas. "Where's our welcoming committee?"
Weiss' jaw dropped. She'd spent the last hour briefing Ruby on what to expect and how to act. Clearly, none of it had sunk in. "Were you listening to anything I said?" She thrust out a hand, gesturing to the huge crowd slowly growing louder and they approached. "This is our welcoming committee!"
"I listened and you said large crowd, not entire city!" Ruby looked shell-shocked, and they hadn't even started interacting with anyone yet. She reached for where her cloak would have been. Upon remembering that it wasn't there, she stopped walking. "Uh, Weiss, can I skip the whole introductions thing?"
"Don't be shy, just do as I told you and everything will be fine," Weiss reassured her.
"But, what if I forgot everything you told me to say?"
Weiss turned around. "Then, remember it!" she barked. When she saw Ruby's face, her irritation somewhat thawed. She remembered the first time she was in Vale. Unused to the warmer climate, she was sweating oceans in her business attire and practicing her lines outside the guard commander's room. "Hello Commander Ozpin, my name is Weiss Schnee. As an heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, I'd like to propose an offer." When she met the commander, her voice faded on the "Hello" and she had to restart. It was humiliating, but it worked out in the end. Commander Ozpin had accepted the SDC as the guard's Dust provider on the condition that Weiss joined the guard herself.
Ruby was raised as a commoner, and in Vale, even high-profile figures weren't treated in such a high-profile way. Ruby was never an extrovert to begin with, though she was one of the loudest people Weiss knew, second only to her sister. It was natural that she might feel nervous in the face of all this.
Weiss took a deep breath, and released the tension from her shoulders. She tried to smile reassuringly, though she wasn't sure if that helped or hurt the situation. She dropped the smile and cut to the chase. "Just… take a deep breath. If you're unsure of what to say, remember that I'm be here to help."
Now, Ruby looked more confused than nervous. "Uh… thanks, Weiss." They continued walking.
The crowd, which was now cheering excitedly, quieted completely when Jacques raised a hand.
"I count my blessings upon returning to my kingdom," he announced. "And, I happily reassume my honor."
They did not cheer, but rather, an old man in a black coat stepped from them and approached with a distant smile on his face. The ruling family's honor-bringer. He briefly took Jacques' right hand and touched it to his own forehead.
"A man of high honor and fiery will," he rasped. "We welcome your return."
Jacques dipped his head and stepped back. Weiss and Ruby stepped forwards next.
"I am humbled that my path has led me home after so long," Weiss said. "And, I bring my honor with me."
"All who gather here would like to know what you have done while you were away," the old man said. "So as to know your what your honor has become."
"I plead that all who hear me listen well so that I might judged," Weiss began. "I assumed the rank of region captain in Vale's guard, I have established my father's company as the guard's sole Dust provider, I fought in Vale's recent rebellion, and I have come to take up a branch of my father's company."
The honor-bringer nodded and looked her up and down. "It is clear you have grown your honor since this city last heard your voice, but enlighten all who listen here, are you a witch as the rumors say?"
"All who listen here should know I am not," Weiss answered smoothly.
The honor-bringer touched Weiss' right hand to his forehead. "A young woman of good honor and her father's will. We welcome your return."
Weiss dipped her head
Now, it was Ruby's turn. Despite feeling as if she'd been Frozen, she was beginning to sweat.
"All who listen would like to know. Who are you, girl? The rumors say witch; all say stranger. Why have you come to Atlas?"
"Uh… My name is Ruby Rose. I'm not a witch, but… you're right about the stranger part."
Weiss realized in that moment that this was going to be a rocky ride.
The honor-bringer raised an eyebrow.
"With your... appeasement, I ask that you, uh…" Ruby's eyes lit up as she remembered what she was supposed to say. "I ask to get—err, receive fresh honor."
"Yes… Ruby Rose, your name preceded you. Where does your honor begin?"
"I'm the guard's rune master, and I'm also Weiss' business partner. Oh, and I helped in the rebellion." She paused. "Thank you for listening," she stumbled, unsure of the format.
This was within Weiss' predictions of what might happen, and it wasn't the worst-case scenario, but it was still torturous to sit through.
"Hmm." The honor-bringer touched Ruby's right hand to his chilly forehead. "A girl with decent honor moved by strong emotion. We welcome you."
Ruby nodded, sighing in relief, then stepped back.
The honor-bringer approached the ship's crew and their attendants, doing a similar ritual for them. For commoners, it was far more simplistic. At the end, the honor-bringer bowed. "Goddess watch us all!"
The crowd cheered, and everyone more or less dispersed. Weiss's group continued towards the Schnee manor, where a homecoming ball would be held. The roads were not built for any method of transportation other than walking or human-pulled carts, so it would be a while until they reached home. Weiss wrapped her white coat closer to her body. It had been so long since she'd felt the cold air of Atlas. Her body was having a hard time remembering how to keep warm. She'd gotten soft in Vale.
"That wasn't so bad," Ruby said more to herself than anyone else.
"It definitely could have gone worse," Weiss replied. "But it certainly didn't go well. The honor-bringer said you're unpolished and ruled by your emotions. Even if that's accurate, you're going to have a hard time changing people's impressions."
Ruby shrugged. "Well, if people want to know what I'm really like, they should just get to know me."
It was a sentiment straight from Vale.
/-/-/-/
The second part of the trial, as Ruby had come to regard the day, was the ball. It was held in the Schnee manor, which was four stories high, and took up sixteen times the space of Roses's Runes, Weiss's Dust shop, and their house combined. It was carved in stone and embedded with precious metals. To top it all off, it was laid out like a giant snowflake in the center of the city. Any external window came with a breathtaking view of the frozen city. The only buildings higher in altitude were, marginally, the church and, by far enough, the castle.
Weiss' brief history taught Ruby that houses like these were the exact reason why the revolution had happened. The rich and royalty had carved up virtually all of the mountain, and because of the expanding population, much of the city was haphazardly dug into the surrounding ice. The ice was dense and at least thousands of years old, so at first, everything was fine. But, when companies started mining for Dust and using it regularly, the ice's structural integrity degraded to a point where entire settlements were wiped out in collapses.
The crown did nothing to stop the unsafe business practices. So began the revolution.
Weiss did not mention the Schnee manor as an example of history, though it was around before the revolution. Ruby smirked at that.
The ballroom itself was elaborate, well-lit by fashionable torches and chandeliers. Expensive, white gold-plated statues of Grimm were placed in pockets of the walls, and an ensemble with metal glockenspiels and bone flutes played alongside stringed instruments imported from Vale. Ruby recognized some of the string players from the boat ride over. Tables of food lined the back. Decadent seafood and tantalizing desserts were piled up on five-tier racks. Of course, Ruby made a beeline for the snacks before anything else.
Fruit she'd never seen before and desserts she'd never tried before were stacked in such great quantities that she wondered if anyone would notice if she took five plates of each new thing.
"Ah, perhaps Madame Rose is enjoying herself?" the chef asked politely. He was around the table to answer questions about the quality and preparation of the food.
Ruby turned to answer him, mouth stuffed full of delicious cactus cocoa from Vacuo. "This is amazing!" she nearly cried.
"Consider the staff pleased."
"This must have taken forever to make. What's the white stuff on it? Can you put it in cookies?"
The chef blinked. "You do not know of coconut?"
"Chocolate nuts? I thought they were beans…" Ruby's eyes narrowed. "Brown beans…"
The chef smiled and shook his head. "Madame Rose has a different thing in mind."
A woman walked over in a decorative white coat. High status. "Madame Rose?"
"H-Huh?" Ruby turned to meet her. The chef bowed and walked away from them both. Ruby was sad to watch him go, but didn't want to be rude to the woman, so she listened.
"You hail from Vale, correct?"
"Yes."
"Then perhaps you will know what I speak of. Come, come if you will." The woman pulled Ruby over to a small crowd and began discussing nautical terms Ruby had never heard in her life. When asked to answer clarifying questions about the ships in Vale, she had no idea how to answer. Finally, a question about runes surfaced, which she answered with relief.
When the conversation ended, Ruby wanted to head back to the snack table, but the dance music started, and she was pulled onto the floor by a young man in his twenties. "I realize it is bold of me to ask, but Madame Rose brings me honor by accepting this offer."
He wore a plain white coat, and Ruby remembered Weiss telling her to lead with people with less decorative coats than her own. She twirled him once, then another partner dipped in. An older man with a more decorative coat. Ruby followed.
Luckily, Weiss had drilled the basics into her head well enough to execute the moves with some stiffness. After the first song, the routine of switching partners and roles started to hurt her head.
Eventually, she was spun around, and one of the women from her earlier discussion appeared. She was expected to follow, and took up the role with a minor stumble. "How do you fare on the seas of Atlas?"
"I got seasick when I boarded the boat," Ruby admitted, too tired to catch the metaphor.
"Ah, how honest," the woman laughed. "But, the storm shall break shortly, no?" As she said that, the music stopped, they bowed to each other, and the woman walked away with another ripple of laughter.
Ruby stumbled back to her cactus cocoa.
/-/-/-/
Weiss stood near her father with a glass of red wine. She watched Ruby dance with mild satisfaction. All those hours had paid off. "I had the pleasure of dancing with Madame Schnee's partner," a woman from the shipping industry greeted her.
"I hope you've enjoyed your evening thus far," Weiss said.
"I have," the woman laughed.
"Formalities aside," Weiss continued, allowing them room to be blunt. "How is the shipping industry?"
"Smooth sailing." The woman brought the subject back to Ruby. "Your partner is—how do they say this in Vale—cute, no?"
Weiss narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean?"
"Ah, pardon me. I meant no offense. Perhaps I used the term wrong." The woman accepted a glass of red wine from a waiter. "I simply mean she is rather clumsy and ill-informed in most things, yet she is really quite charming as well. How did you two make acquaintances?" She laughed. "Are you perhaps more than so? It is common for Schnees to be this way with their rune masters, no?"
Weiss pursed her lips. Vale had shortened her patience for it Atlas' indirect, gossip-focused small talk. "If you have come to accuse me of an affair, I suggest you remember whose ball you are at."
"How blunt," the woman laughed. "Please, Madame, I truly meant no offense. I was only making conversation. Ah, there she is. Madame Rose!" she called.
Ruby, who had been eating cactus cocoa and was now searching for a bathroom, walked over to them. She looked tired and uncomfortable on many levels.
"Surely you remember me?" the woman asked.
"Yes," Ruby answered with more manners than the woman deserved. "We danced."
"Yes!" the woman clapped. "Now, tell me, are you and Madame Schnee—"
"That's enough. If you want to sell scandals on the high seas, you'd do well to look somewhere else," Weiss hissed. "And the next time you insult either my family or Ruby, you will be fined for a break in social standing. For now, you will see yourself home."
The woman finished her red wine and bowed. "I apologize for my rudeness. Au revoir."
"She has rank, but no honor," Weiss spat at her retreating form. "One of many." There were countless people like her roaming around at Schnee events, trying to get a leg up on the company.
"What happened?"
"Nothing worth explaining."
"Oh…" Ruby gave her a funny look.
"What?"
She snapped out of it. "Nothing. Hey, where's the bathroom? Those cactus cocoa bars are so not my friends."
"Can't you wait until after your speech?"
"I dunno, Weiss, do you want to save the speech or the pants?"
"Exit through that door and take an immediate right."
Ruby was gone in an instant.
A familiar laugh put her on edge a moment later. "You didn't mention you were so fond of her in your letters, Sister."
"Whitley," Weiss said flatly.
"Greetings, Weiss. How was Vale? Warm?"
"Not unbearably so."
Whitely nodded. "Of course not." He smiled. "So, what made you want to partner up? A break in tradition is rare for us Schnees."
"What else? I saw profit in it."
"Then, I'm sure father is pleased."
Weiss felt a frown tug at her lips. "Yes, I'm sure he is." She changed the subject. "How is Mother?"
"Mm, the same." Whitley took a bite of salmon from the plate in his hand. "The seafood is delectable this evening. From just off the coast of the continent."
"Speaking of the sea—" a subject Weiss had enough of that night "—where are you planning on setting your branch?"
"The mines of Vacuo sound promising as ever, wouldn't you agree? But, for now, I think I'll stay in Atlas for a while. It's been so long since I've seen my big sister."
Weiss nodded, but was suspicious. Whitley had stayed at home longer than she or Winter did. What was holding him back? Was he sick again, or just plotting something?
"You don't trust me?" he pouted, then added, "you've acclimated well to Vale, but now that you've returned, you're so easy to read." He giggled. A ghost-like sound. "I'm looking forward to learning about your new branch tomorrow. Shall we have lunch?"
"Assuming my schedule is still free by the end of the night."
"We both know how Father can be," Whitley smiled.
"Yes, we do." Weiss took a sip of wine and looked towards the musicians. They were playing a piece she hadn't heard before.
"And, if luck may have it, you'll bring your rune master?"
"That's up to her," Weiss said frostily, returning her gaze to him.
"Well, then please pass on my open invitation. The southern courtyard at twelfth bell." He stopped. "Oh, they only recognize four times of day in Vale, don't they? Well, at midday, then." He gave his plate to a waiter, bowed, and walked towards the dance floor. Another round of dancing was about to begin. "Goodbye, Sister. See you soon."
By now, Ruby was walking back into the ballroom, looking refreshed. When the music started again, Ruby groaned and avoided the dancers as much as possible.
Weiss watched her find a spot next to the infused water bowls, then went to reconnect with her father. He would want to introduce her to some new business partners before the speech.
/-/-/-/
Late that night, after the ball, Ruby was escorted to a giant bedroom across the hall from Weiss'. It was bigger than her living room at home, and had an attached washroom. She was about to say the only thing missing was food, but then she found a fuzzy thing on her desk labeled "coconut." It had been cut in half, then placed back together. When she pulled it open, she found it was filled with dark chocolate coconut cookies. They were gone in seconds. Afterwards, Ruby noticed a note on the back side of the coconut label.
Madame Rose
The coconut grows on trees in some regions of Menagerie. It can be used to make a variety of products such as milk, water, and oil. The staff mainly use its shredded meat for garnish.
This coconut has been hollowed out to be used as a cookie jar. The staff noted Madame Rose enjoys chocolate, and used dark chocolate instead of cactus cocoa so as to be more suited to her palate.
If the Madame has more questions, please visit the staff or the second floor's east library.
Ruby smiled and put the note inside the coconut. A sealed letter sat to the right of the it, so she picked it up. It was from Weiss about lunch with her brother. Ruby didn't even know Weiss had a brother. She skimmed it, then fell back onto the luscious bed. It was so soft, she nearly drowned in it. She thought it welcome respite.
Thinking back over her day, her mind wandered towards Yang and Blake. How were they doing? Where were they? Now that she thought about it, she hadn't seen a single Faunus in Atlas thus far. In Vale, there was always at least one in any large public area. She wondered about Atlas' position on the Faunus. Didn't the White Fang have their headquarters here? Maybe she would ask Weiss about it later.
Thoughts like these carried Ruby to sleep.
/-/-/-/
The fields outside of Vale were difficult to farm for the inexperienced. Over time, most newcomers were discouraged. The higher probability of Grimm attacks meant that an unwary farmer could lose an entire pig pen or corn field in a single night. The farmers who really succeeded out there knew how to fight and had generations of experience to draw from.
On nights when the Grimm raided the fields, they worked flawlessly with the guards to protect their investments.
But some nights, there were just too many of them.
Tonight was one of those nights.
A seemingly relentless wave of Beowolves destroyed at least three settlements and took the lives of many more. All that night, howls terrorized the fields.
Red eyes, red eyes, red eyes glow
White teeth, white teeth show.
~~AAAND STOP!~~
NEXT: Blood and Bond