Sleuthing in Schnee Manor
Hello everyone and welcome to the latest installment of the Adventures of Team WA! But first, some guest reviews: DCDGojira: Oh don't worry, they'll piss off Salem with plenty of insults. Guest: I actually have a vote going on right now for my next fic, with Black Clover included among them. If it gets enough votes then it shall be written. Which brings me to one last point, be sure to read the AN at the end of this chapter for some important info about the next story I might be writing. And speaking of stories, let's get this one rolling!
Atlas Academy: Student Dorms
"A hostile takeover, that's what this is," said Weiss as she gazed at the invitation to the Schnee Manor, her old home, in her hand. "And as per the usual my father has found a way to turn it into some kind of fluffy PR move."
"Well he said he just wanted to break some bread and hash out a few issues," offered Ruby, "maybe it won't be all that bad. And we do want the General to start opening up to the people, right?"
"And it would be good if this was on his own terms," replied Oscar, "but Ironwood is basically going to be locked in a room at the dinner party of his rival. Jacques claims he's going to be the moderator but all that means in this instance is that he's the one who'll be controlling the whole conversation."
"And it's not hard to imagine which way he'll steer it," said Blake with a slight tone of irritation.
"I still find it unbelievable that he actually won," said Weiss, "Robyn was the people's champion and right up until the final hours that's who they were voting for. Then Tyrian and Exo show up and suddenly he's sitting as the winner. That's a few coincidences too many if you ask me?"
"So you really think your dad might have thrown in with Salem?" Asked Yang.
"I doubt he actually knows it's Salem he's working with," said Wayne suddenly from his own position against the wall, "Jacques Schnee is a greedy businessman first and foremost, which means he wouldn't knowingly be onboard with anything that would threaten his profits. And Atlas and Mantle falling would definitely be a threat to that."
"And if our unknown hacker really is Atlesian, then he'd probably know one or two ways to help that prick make an extra buck," added Aegis who was sitting on the floor polishing some of his armor, "I imagine a seat on the council pays nicely in power and influence."
"If I know my father like I think I do," said Weiss with her eyes narrowed and an underlying tone of loathing in her voice, "then I believe he'll do whatever it takes to win."
"Then we should do what we have to as well," said Ruby.
"And what exactly does that entail?" Questioned Weiss.
"Well, you know your dad better than anyone," replied Ruby, "and since you grew up in the place we're going tonight, you're probably the only one who could snoop around the mansion and not raise suspicion. If Jacques Schnee really is up to something, then we should know what it is."
"I just hope they don't have searches at the door," said Aegis as he whipped out a can of spray paint, "because I'm feeling artistic tonight." A collection of eye rolls and smirks accompanied that comment.
The Schnee Manor: That Night
Wayne had mentioned once or twice before that he wasn't really fond of black tie events, especially when it involved wearing a suit and an actual tie. But for this event, the General had the grand idea of putting their status as huntsman and huntresses to good use, stating that many of them were part of the security detail for him and Winter. What this meant for all of them is that no one needed to dress up too fancy as it could potentially impede their duties. It still didn't stop a few of them from feeling out of place as they pulled up to the front of the massive mansion in four limo-like hover cars.
Two of the cars carried the collective teams of RWBY, JNRO, WA and Qrow while the other two carried the Ace Ops, Ironwood and Winter. As they all stepped out, Wayne took a quick look around, noting that despite there being a party going on, little had changed about the mansion. It was a massive structure between three to five stories that stretched out in a 'U' pattern with column covered walkways on either side. A massive frozen fountain with a snowflake, the Schnee symbol, sat in the middle of a very long driveway with two smaller ones on either side. "Damn," said Aegis as he took in the sight of the manor, "you guys must've had the best games of hide and seek in this place."
"With what little time we actually had to play," said Weiss with a sigh as the large group approached the front door. Strangely, it still required one to press a button for the doorbell. 'I guess even the high class elite of Atlas like a little bit of simplicity every now and then,' thought Wayne as Ironwood stepped forward and rang the doorbell. The large wooden double doors swung open then as a familiar, to some, face greeted them.
"Good evening everyone," said Whitley Schnee as he placed his hands behind his back in the usual high class manner.
"Is Klein not here?" Questioned Weiss, noticing the absence of the familiar butler.
"That is among the more interesting ways I've ever heard: 'Hello dear brother, how are you,'" said Whitley dramatically before frowning and crossing his arms. "I'm afraid he's been let go. I can't imagine the reason why."
"Probably found a better job than putting up with a little whiner like you," said Aegis, "seriously I'm not sure who acts more like a kid. You or your mustached monkey of a father."
"And just who are you to think you can speak to me in such a manner!" Said Whitley as he glared at the half bear Faunus.
"Oh yeah I might have forgotten to mention in the two unpleasant interactions we've had so far," said Wayne as he stepped forward, "this is 'my' little brother Aegis, and he's got a much shorter temper than I do so you'd do best to speak politely to him. And I mean with 'actual' politeness." Aegis gave a smirk and a low growl, practically daring the young heir to try and retort. Fortunately for him, the boy was at least wise enough to know not to tick off someone much taller than him, instead turning back to General Ironwood.
"General," said Whitley, "I must ask, how large do you actually think our dining room table-."
"I happen to know it's actually quite enormous," said Ironwood, "but most of my guests will be on standby should the council request additional eyewitnesses or for possible security breaches. Until then, they'll be 'happily' celebrating your Father's recent victory with the rest of the guests." Whitley let out a laugh at that as he turned and signaled for them to follow him into the mansion, which was currently filled with numerous guests dressed in the usual upper class party attire.
"For those of you attending the meeting in the dining room, please follow me," said Whitley. Ironwood, Winter, Clover and Penny complied.
"Wish us luck," said Clover as he waved back at them.
"What for, they're taking you along aren't they?" Qrow quipped back at the man. Clover got a laugh out of that before disappearing down the hallway with the others. Qrow then turned to the rest of them after waving off a waiter with some wine on a tray. "I'm probably gonna stick to patrolling the grounds on this one."
"You and me both," said Marrow as he stalked off to the nearest exit.
"We'd best get to work too," said Harriet as she turned to the new huntsmen and huntresses, "as for you bunch, don't wander off, try not to break anything and be ready if the General happens to call for you." Yang waited until the rest of the Ace Ops were out of earshot before bringing up her own suggestion to the group.
"Possible better idea," said Yang, "we do wander off, break a few things and maybe do some of that other stuff."
"I always knew we thought alike," said Aegis as he put an arm around her shoulders while also holding up a spray can.
"Well whatever you guys do, I'll be in touch," said Weiss as she pointed to her ear before heading towards the stairs. Unfortunately, this was the time her dear brother decided to show up again and head her off at the stairs.
"That might be a problem," said Oscar as the rest of them watched the likely condescending interaction.
"We got it, Aegis give me a hand," said Wayne with a sigh as the two brothers approached behind Weiss.
"I really must know," said Whitley as he made a crawling motion with his fingers, "why did you go through so much trouble to leave here only to come craw-hey!"
"A crawl, yes a slow crawl. That is exactly how I would've described security around here the last time I visited," said Wayne as he and Aegis forcefully led the youngest Schnee up the stairs while making it appear as if they were walking along. "How have they been doing lately, spotting those details like I showed them hopefully?"
"Father ordered them to disregard everything you told them after you made off with my sister you unofficial rapscallion," said Whitley as he struggled in vain against the elder Ursario's iron grip, "he would've fired them all if Ironwood hadn't been there to potentially offer an alternative option for employment."
"Unofficial," said Wayne as he and Aegis pulled out their scrolls and flipped over to their huntsman licenses, "I don't know, these look pretty official to me."
"I still don't think they got my good side," commented Aegis as he squinted at his picture.
"You'll find my Father's standards and Ironwood's are very different when it comes to excellence," said Whitley as Wayne finally released him, "what kind of huntsman desecrates modern art with a marker and spray paint?"
"You're asking the wrong question there," said Aegis as he twirled and shook the spray can in his hand, "desecration implies that the artwork was somehow made worse by what was put on it. But where I come from, if someone spray paints a piece of artwork and everyone else likes it, we call it improvement. Here let me show you." The Half Bear Faunus aimed the can at the nearest suit of armor in the hallway.
"NOOOO!" exclaimed Whitley as he grabbed for the can in Aegis's hand, only for it to be 'accidentally' turned and sprayed towards him, turning his white hair black.
"Oh," said Wayne as the Schnee heir tried desperately to wipe the residue out of his hair, "oh that is not good, Aegis let me see that spray can."
"Hey you got me," said Aegis as he handed it to him, "I thought the nozzle was still pointed away from him."
"Hold on let me take a look," said Wayne as he pretended to examine the spray top before pointing it towards Whitley, "does that look like the hole to-ah crap!" Yet another accidental discharge fired from the spray can, this time turning Whitley's white sleeves black and his black tie, blacker.
"Oh you two insufferable, clumsy, miserable-," Spat the boy as he tried to clean his clothes, "these cost more than you probably make in a month right now."
"You'd think they'd make something so expensive paint proof," quipped Aegis as he accepted the spray can back from his brother, "but I think you'd be singing a different tune about the price if you actually knew how much a huntsman makes in a month."
"Well either way, excuse me," growled the white-haired youth as he began trudging back down the stairs. The Ursario brothers merely glanced at each other with satisfied smirks and a thumbs up as Weiss snuck on down the hallway unimpeded thanks to the successful distraction. Though she did manage to catch the sight of Nora spilling an incredibly large amount of food on her brother before departing further down the hallway, doing her level best to suppress her laughter.
Some Time Later: The Gathering Room
Despite this little get together being called a party, it wasn't the most exciting thing to the huntsman and huntresses attending it. Not really surprising given that they all needed to exercise more manners than usual and be on guard about what they said so as not to make it look like the General was in bad company. This didn't stop Nora from stacking a plate, or rather tray, she'd found with as much food as she could eat. Which as everyone knew by now, was a substantial amount.
Otherwise, everyone else had stuck to their own groups of two to five people when they weren't patrolling the grounds to talk and eat. In fact the only interesting thing that had occurred so far after Whitley being doused with spray paint and food was the band warming up to play some fancy high class dance tunes. Something that Aegis and Yang had decided to take into their own hands with their versions of high class dancing. "I really envy them sometimes," said Blake as she and Wayne stood watching, and in the Ursario brother's case also eating, their friend and younger sibling dance, "being able to go through life with seemingly no care about what others think."
"Yang's always been a free spirit," said Wayne, "and Aegis, well, he got fed up with worrying about that sort of crap a long time ago. In their minds, one of the worst things is the thought of not being themselves."
"I guess that's why they're perfect for each other," Blake pointed out, "it took a long time for me to be comfortable with who I am. Even now I wonder sometimes."
"You're not the only one," said Wayne, "ever since I started using the aura shadow in combat, I've had doubts about whether or not that beast inside might actually be the real me and the person you all know is just a lie. And ever since, Emerald, I'm not always sure I can trust my own heart."
"You trusted it when Weiss confessed her own feelings to you," Blake countered, "and I'd like to think her heart knows the real you."
"So you noticed we've been acting a little-," Wayne tried to think of a way to phrase it.
"Close," said Blake, "I don't need Faunus vision to see that something's been brewing between you two for a long time."
"You're not the only one," said Winter as she walked up to the both of them, "I've actually been meaning to interrogate you about that subject."
"Winter?" Said Wayne, "but I thought you were in that meeting with Ironwood. Is it over already?"
"No," she said, "but I found I couldn't stand the atmosphere in there and now I need something to take my mind off of it. So I thought I might get some answers out of you about your relationship with my sister."
"What do you want to know specifically?" Questioned Blake, curious as to where she was going with this whole thing.
"Well first I want to confirm something my sister once told me," said Winter as she held out her hand, "can you dance, Wayne Ursario?"
"Huh?" said the Huntsman and Huntress as their brains short-circuited slightly at the question.
"I asked: Can. You. Dance? Wayne Ursario?" Winter repeated, emphasizing each word this time.
"I mean as far as ball room and a couple of other forms, yeah I can dance," Wayne finally said with more than a bit of confusion in his voice.
"Good, then you'll be accompanying me onto the floor," said Winter as she grabbed ahold of his arm, giving him no room to protest as he passed his food tray to Blake while being almost dragged out into the middle of the floor. The band had slowed down the music a bit and were playing one of the usual high society violin pieces at the moment. Wayne didn't bother speaking as they assumed the standard dance posture with their hands clasped and his other hand on his partner's waist as they began moving across the floor with the rest of the gathered dancers. "Hmm, interesting. Who was it that taught you Atlesian dance form?"
"Your sister, actually," Wayne replied, having to look slightly upwards at the eldest Schnee sibling, "I agreed to help her with preparations for the Vytal Festival dance in exchange for her teaching me. Not gonna lie, I did step on her feet a few times, but she got back at me by having me accompany her to the dance as her date."
"I was led to believe she brought you along as part of some scheme to gain the attention of a boy, Vasius?" Said Winter.
"Neptune Vasilias," corrected Wayne, "came from Mistral's Haven academy. Looking back on it, maybe the reason Weiss was initially attracted to him was because the only other person who'd attempted flirting with her more than once at Beacon was Jaune. Let's just say he didn't set the highest bar when it came to that sort of stuff."
"And in all honesty you and your brother didn't make the best first impression when you spray painted my ship," said Winter as Wayne pulled her around in a slow twirl, "though Weiss assures me that you were trying to stop your brother. And that the two of you received proper punishment."
"I did 'try'," said Wayne with a shrug, "but I wound up making it worse in the end. All he was gonna paint was something along the lines of 'Aegis was here' or 'Eldest White Bitch'. Though I gotta ask, did you pull me over her for a private talk just so you could get on to me about that?"
"As I mentioned I mostly needed a distraction," replied Winter, "as you no doubt know this place holds a lot of memories for me and for my sister. Even after all this time it still seems to have something of an effect on me. So I decided that interrogating you about your relationship with Weiss would get my mind off of being here."
"Happy to help, I think," replied Wayne, "To be honest you're probably the only family member of Weiss's that I'm actually concerned about impressing."
"You should be," said Winter as she pulled Wayne around into the classic 'lean', that most dance partners perform, "I have high standards for any man that has earned the affection of my sister." She pulled them back up to a proper standing position then. "The big mystery I cannot figure out is this: what does my sister find most attractive about you?"
"Your guess is as good as mine," said the Ursario with a shrug, "It just seems like the more we understand each other the closer we become. She comes from a family that grew more concerned with wealth and reputation than actually being a family, while I come from a family of huntsman and huntresses that never once made me feel like I was obligated to carry on the family tradition. Maybe she just sees some kind of freedom when she looks at me, and the kind of family that no amount of money could buy."
"That's, a possibly astute observation," said Winter as the two finally broke apart at the edge of the dance floor, "I have seen the way you and your parents interact. It is silly, often unprofessional, occasionally painful and I sometimes wonder how you're all able to stand being in the same room. But that was before I noticed the underlying trust and respect you all had for each other, a bond that couldn't be broken by wealth, power or influence. As soldiers you're all over the place, as huntsman you're strategies and tactics seem to make sense only to each other and as a family, well I can't say if it's a great family but it's something Weiss and I both wish we had growing up."
"My Grandmother Ursario often says wealth isn't the only way to a happy life," offered Wayne, "It has its uses but it can never substitute for the bonds of friends and families. Though it does quite a job in breaking them."
"She really did try living in Atlas once upon a time," remarked Winter, "Alright Ursario I suppose that's one good point about you so far. Can you name any other possibilities as to why my sister has taken such a liking to you?" Wayne was about to answer until said sister appeared with an answer of her own.
"He's helped make me a better person," said Weiss, "along with the rest of my friends. And I like him because he's shown me what a true family might look like."
"Oh, you heard a bit of that did you," said Winter, feigning an apologetic tone.
"I did and we will discuss it soon, however," Weiss held up a scroll with a video feed showing her father. He was seated in his office talking to another man sporting a black mustache and a fur-lined coat. And sitting in the chair next to him was none other than the mercenary Exo. "We've got bigger problems to solve right now."
As Willow Schnee said about Jacques being up to something: 'I thought we all assumed that at this point?' And they were right. Now everyone onto a more pressing matter: a vote for a new story! For those of you who have also read my Armory of the Forgotten Hero story you're already well aware that I currently have a vote going on between Demon Slayer, Black Clover, Arifureta, another Rising of the Shield Hero fic, or pretty much anything else you can think of. Whichever series gets enough votes shall be the next one written! So vote now in your comments and reviews and be sure to stop in next time as Jacques Schnee gets put on trial for his crimes! 'Til then.
