Both Blake and Charlotte situated themselves around a coffee table in the middle of the library.
"And a couple of days after Meeka recovered, Jace and Walter got us out of the little town." Charlotte chuckled slightly as she reached for the teapot that sat in the middle of the table. "It's funny really, for someone who goes around saving people, he has absolutely no common sense."
The fox poured tea for both of them, taking care to not to spill anything as Blake raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"
"You know how he had taken down several cartels?" The cat nodded as she graciously accepted the cup that was placed in front of him.
"Well, he looted all of their cash reserves too. Apparently he never looked at his bank balance when he transferred all of the cash into his own vault. There was somewhere around 3 trillion liens in there and yethe barely had a place to stay. So Walter and I took the next couple of months organizing his finances for him. We found out that he had enough money to buy the entire Havensward community. And naturally, as a people who never really had money before, we bought everything. It is really a miracle that his fortune withstood our abuses" Charlotte guiltily chuckled at their indulgence.
Blake almost spit out the drink. She tried to imagine what she would of have done if she was in their position. Although she could understand why they bought an entire district, she could not help but think of the people they could of have helped with this wealth. Soon, her thoughts fell upon the Prince that was the center of their discussion. She noted how he had generously spent for medicine to help the little Faunus and how he didn't look at her kind any differently. "Do you like him?" Blake decided to ask one of the more uncomfortable questions.
"I like him as a servant to her master." The cat slightly furrowed her eyebrows at the response. Charlotte simply laughed at the bugged face Blake made, "Don't get me wrong. He doesn't force me to do anything, this outfit is mostly to annoy him."
Blake calmed slightly. At least he wasn't treating them badly. Charlotte continued, "I can't say I have never entertained the thought of being next to him for the rest of my life; having children with him; growing old with him. But he spends his days out there doing things that I would never even dream of. Every couple of months, there would be a mysterious transfer of funds into the main bank account, and every couple of months, he could come back home bloodied and tired. I don't think I could ever keep up with him. I could only hope that he would stay here for a day longer, and stay with us one day longer."
Charlotte finally looked up from her drink. She quickly stood up and piled her cup onto the tray and carried everything towards the door. "I think we should go now; you shouldn't keep master Jace waiting for too long."
When they returned to the main dining room, across the vast hallways of gold and silver, they were greeted with the boy of their discussions. Blake noted that he had changed out of his trench coat and tux into a dark blue travel suit and striped red tie. The outfit hugged his body tightly as Walter handed him a silver briefcase.
"You good?" He called out towards the cat Faunus blankly as he walked towards the elevator to the roof.
Blake nodded with the same neutral face that she has always carried as they ascended towards the helipad. She will see for herself of this prince's true character.
The rest of the flight was nothing of note. They landed, as planned, in the Pemberley district of Vale. This is where most of the poor and Faunus dwelled, and incidentally where the White Fang most actively operated within the city. The prince stood out like a sore thumb as he walked through the streets. A lone isle of pride and wealth in a sea of suspicious, sullen eyes.
Blake scanned the area for familiar faces, finding none so far.
"Where you think you are going, human scum?" A burly Faunus came up to the pair. He stank of grease and sewage while his clothes were torn up almost beyond recognition of their original design.
Jace stared back at the man with an unnerving calmness, "I really don't know. I was hoping my accomplice here would show me the way." Despite motioning towards Blake, Jace positioned himself in between her and the street thug.
The man snarled a smile as he moved closer to the prince. "Well you are not going anywhere, boy. And your friend there is coming with me along with whatever you got in that briefcase of yours."
Blake tightened her fists at the provocation. She then noticed that Jace wasn't carrying any weapons and she didn't bring Gambol Shroud along. Jace remained calm however, even smiling slightly.
"I don't think so. We are on a rather important errand here. However, if you would show me the way, I would be inclined to forget the little provocation you have just showed."
The man bellowed out lout, "Bwahahaha, who do you think you are talking to, brat? You, taking on me?"
Blake expected Jace to sock the man in the face. She did not worry about the prince's safety, but she did not know how they would get out of this situation without disturbing the hornet nest that is around them. But Jace did not wait for the man to finish, before walking past him without a care in the world.
"Well then, if you don't have anything of value to share, I must bid you a good day."
"Hey brat! How dare you walk away from me?" The man yelled after the boy. When he didn't get a response, the thug rushed the prince's back. Blake ran after the two men as the thug swung his fist at the back of Jace's head. To her surprise, Jace leaned forward in the last second, dodging the attack without even batting an eye. The troublemaker quickly recovered and swung again. Again, Jace moved around the attack.
"Stop moving you bitch! Let me beat you to a pulp! Then I am going to show your friend here what a real man can do for her!"
That's it, he had enough. Jace intercepted the third strike in one fluid motion. He forced his hand behind his assailant's wrist and twisted the entire arm backwards. The thug was forced onto his knees as his arm was bent back into an unnatural angle. To add more force, the prince brought his leg up above the man's shoulder and pressed downwards.
"Now listen, punk! I don't have all day and…"
"Stop!" A voice called out from the crowd that had gathered to watch the commotion. "Blake! Why have you brought an outsider to our neighborhood?"
Blake quickly spotted an old man walking out from the group. He was of short stature and required a half broken cane to walk across the street. The man was balding slightly and gaining an increasing hunch, yet he did not look too old.
"Oliver." The Cat Faunus bowed slightly the dog Faunus as he walked closer. Jace did not loosen his grip on his assailant as he observed from behind, his briefcase laid a couple of feet away. "I am sorry for the disturbance. We wished to bring an offer to you before we were rudely interrupted from our endeavor."
"Oh? Well then, let's talk inside." Oliver motioned towards the prince whom still kept the thug in an arm lock. "Would you please release the poor man…"
"Jace" The prince loosened his grip on the man's arm before swiftly smashing his other fist against the side of the man's head, knocking him out. "Pleasure to meet you."
Inside, Oliver invited the pair to sit down at a small table inside his house, around him stood several other people that quickly followed them in.
"So what business do you have with us, sir?" The forced tone was palpable as Oliver began the negotiations.
"First of all, I would like to introduce myself." Jace stood up before bowing to the group, "I am Jace Arc, Prince of Arcadia."
Several pairs of eyes widened in the room as the prince sat back down. "Lies! Arcadia is but a damned mining town for Atlas, you are lying!"
"Henry. Let the boy say what he must, then we can decide what believe." Oliver calmed his compatriots as he stared at Jace inquisitively. "Now Blake, I must say I was surprised when Adam informed me of your desertion. What bring you here to us today?"
Blake knew better than hide the truth from Oliver. He always could see through everything she said. "Adam wanted to use less than acceptable means to achieve his goals. I could not follow along with him."
"Very well. As an old friend, I will give you the benefit of the doubt this time." Then the old man turned towards the waiting prince, "And what is this offer you wish to extend towards us, your majesty?"
Jace did not reply at first, choosing to setting his briefcase down onto the table first and opening it, revealing a large quantity of lien cards. "I wish for information on your organization. I am more than willing to pay in both cash and investments in your community."
Many at the table widened their eyes at the offer, especially since it was their first time seeing so much money at one place. But Oliver was not quite convinced, "If money is all you can offer, why should we agree?"
Jace smiled cryptically before reaching into his pocket. He dropped a heavy medallion onto the table. One he has become much familiar with. Every voice hushed at the table as they saw the sharp black edges of an obsidian crescent imbued into a solid gold background.
"I believe this should be enough." Oliver nodded slightly, his shaking hand reaching out onto the table, tracing the contours of the medal. "Now onto specifics, I am willing to provide complete funding for a bank, a primary and secondary school along with private security at no cost to any of the inhabitants of Pemberley. In exchange, here is what I want…"
Three hours later, Jace walked out of the house, satisfied with the exchange. He pulled out his scroll and called one of his oldest contacts. "Hey, Junior. Have you gotten a visit from someone named Cinder Fall?... Good, I need you to set up a party for this weekend. I will text you the guest list soon… Yeah, Yeah, don't worry, I will pay for it."
"Who's that?"
"An old friend." Jace looked to the cat Faunus next to him before focusing his attention back to his scroll. This time he called his brother.
"Hey Jaune, we got a party this weekend. Get something nice to wear, Jackie is going to be there."
Unbeknownst to him, the pair of blue eyes wasn't the only one listening on the other end.