Disclaimer: I hereby declare that Roosterteeth studios RWBY production crew may freely use any ideas, characters, or events written in this story free of charge and without any threat of lawsuit for any production, though it would be preferable to inform me of the use of the idea if used.
Mansion of Frozen Blood ch3
It was a cold night, however not as cold as it could have been. Thankfully, there weren't any strong winds blowing nor was there any snow falling. Both factors were something that Pewter, the driver at the front of Morning Mist theater troupe, was grateful for. You see, due to the eccentric aesthetic preferences of the senior troupe leaders, the entire convoy was composed of stage coaches drawn by both mechanical and living reindeer. The stage coaches were of course equipped with heating systems and other modern electrical conveniences to make the ride more pleasant, including an emergency engine in the chance that too many reindeer were incapacitated in a bandit or Grimm attack. But they were hardly ever used since each stage coach's driver was an ex-mercenary or, in Pewter's case, an ex-huntsman. After graduating from Haven academy at the bottom of his class, he had hopped from mercenary job to mercenary job until he found his true calling as an actor/head of security for the theater company.
"Have you got your lines down?" asked the man next to him, who handed him a tin mug of hot cider.
"Just about" said Pewter who took a swig. "Just wasn't sure if I needed to go as usual or not even try this time since that little Weiss girl can just take over all the major singing lines this time, most of the ladies aren't even getting a chance to shine. I'm lucky to have at least gotten the role of 1st halberdier."
"Well, a role's a role" said the man next to him who took a swig from his own mug "Let's just do our—what the heck is that?"
As the two of them approached a fork in the road, they noticed one of the bushes at the intersection shaking violently. Pewter quickly slammed on the brakes, bringing the whole convoy to a halt, and pulled out his Dust Action revolver. He pointed the barrel at the bushes as his hand hovered over a special switch that would switch on all the engines of the carriages behind him.
"Hello~~" called a crinkly, choked voice as a …human? Came out of the bushes.
It appeared to be a small dirty old man, dressed up in tattered and rotting winter clothes. From the few areas that were comparatively clean enough to see, he had one yellow bloodshot eye and a tangled messy beard.
"I am homeless man~~!" said the homeless man as he sauntered up to the wagon.
"Oh…ok?" said Pewter as he looked around quizzically before looking down and putting his gun in his holster "What are you—Ahhhh!"
Before he and his fellow coachmen realized it the homeless man had appeared between the two of them…and was giving off an absolutely revolting odor.
"Good Horsey!" said the homeless man as he petted the rump of the reindeer in front of them.
"What the—How did" started Pewter.
"Mmmm, tasty" said old man, who chugged the hot cider that Pewter had set down.
"Ugh" said Pewter as he noticed the long oddly covered saliva that was now clinging to his mug "Don't just-"
"Got some Lien?!" shouted the homeless man, who at the same time grabbed Pewter's collar and shoved his face so close that Pewter could see the man's yellow and green crooked teeth. "Got some Lien you want to give homeless man?!"
"ARGGHHH!" shouted Pewter who tried to push the homeless man away as he was nearly choked by the man's foul breath, but was amazed to find how strong the man's grip was.
"If you don't give homeless man Lien, homeless man make a poopy on your wagon! Isn't that right homeless dog?"
The homeless man suddenly jerked his face to the side of the road, drawing the two drivers' attention to a small sickly-looking dog with black and green matted fur that was standing on its hind legs. It made various gurgling whining noises, twitching its head from side to side each time, before collapsing onto its side with foam bubbling out of its mouth.
"Homeless dog says YESSSSSSSS!" said the homeless man, who shoved his face back into Pewter's.
"Okay, fine!" Shouted Pewter, who threw some cards onto the ground, which the homeless man gleefully jumped after. Pewter's fellow driver then quickly grabbed the reins and prepared to speed off when the homeless man suddenly said: "OHHHH! YOU GOING DOWN THAT WAY?"
He was pointing to the right path, which was part of the convoy's planned route.
"That's a good way!" said the homeless man, with a manic grin. "That where rest of homeless clan having winter party! You get to meet homeless kids, homeless woman, and homeless grandpa with his yellow tidy whities!"
The two coach drivers turned to face each other; the horror evident on their faces before whispering to each other.
"Do we really need to go down that way?" whispered Pewter's co-driver.
"It was the fastest way to the venue" whispered Pewter, "but I think we'll get there faster if we take the long way around instead. No telling what a whole hoard of them could do to us."
They then straightened up and turned back to the homeless man.
"No, I'm afraid we are actually taking the left path" said Pewter, who pressed a button on the carriage that indicated to the drivers behind him that they were changing routes. "Now have a nice day sir…and please leave our other drivers alone, here I'll even given you the sandwich I was going to have for a midnight snack."
"Ooooh, thank you" said the homeless man, who caught the sandwich and sat down to eat it as the caravan stage coaches passed by, each of the drivers giving him a dubious look. A few minutes after the last stage coach passed, the homeless man finished his sandwich, got up, and sighed.
"Well, that should do it" he said in a completely different voice, he then tore his face off and pulled out a scroll.
"Hello, Lan to command, the caravan is on the way" said Lan, as he spat out his fake teeth and tucked the disguise into one of his many pockets as Ignis began rubbing off the black and green paint covering him in the snow.
""Copy that"" came Marrone and Byakko's voices.
"Reconvene with you grandmas to continue preparing for the ball" said Byakko.
"…You know, I think I'm just going to join the band" said Lan, as he sprayed his mouth and body with deodorizing substances to remove the odors that he had made from condensing the foul odors from his grandfather's month-old travel clothes "I'm sure Marrone got the best musicians he could buy, but one more experienced pianist couldn't hur—Owwwww!"
"Now now, that won't do dear" said Chiyo who had appeared from the darkness and pinched him by the ear. "You still need much more work on your ballroom dancing."
"And you need more practice moving in heels" said Suzanna over the comms "You can move fine now, but the way you walk needs to be more ladylike, the way the ass moves needs extra work."
"Entering silent mode now" said Byakko, as he listened to his grandson crying over the comms "The caravan is almost here, and we need to start the show. Does everyone have my homemade booze and sandwiches?"
After receiving positive replies from the many others on the line, Byakko walked backwards into the shadows the moment Pewter's stage coach appeared around the bend. He was currently on his scroll.
"Yes, that's right sir, we'll be arriving a little later than planned due to an…incident on the road. But we should still arrive with plenty of time to rehearse as planned." He said, after receiving acknowledgement from the other end, Pewter closed his scroll.
"Real uppity bastards these clients" said his co-driver who handed the reigns back to him.
"It's a high society event with the children from Atlas's more premiere elite" responded Pewter "I'd be surprised if it were—"
"AHHHHHHHH!"
He suddenly heard screaming from behind. Alarmed, he pulled the reigns and brought the reindeer to a halt before turning around and assessing the situation. Dozens and dozens of what appeared to be homeless people were surrounding the other carriages, jumping onto the other drivers, and forcing what looked like old moldy food into some of their mouths.
"Wasn't it on the other road?!" shouted his co-driver in horror.
"It should have been" said Pewter, who clicked his tongue "That crazy old man must have gotten the directions wrong."
The other mercenaries in the caravan had already been incapacitated by the overly friendly forest people, who had knocked them out by forcing them to drink what appeared to be their own custom moonshine.
"That's it." Said Pewter, who pulled out his revolver "I've had enough of—"
'Wham'
He felt the whole carriage shake as something large and heavy landed right next to him. Turning, Pewter saw a very large and muscular old man currently choking out his co-driver with one of his enormous muscular arms. Pewter quickly turned his gun on the old the man, but before he realized it the man had grabbed the gun out of his hand and crushed it like a snowflake. Pewter, his hands trembling as the broken fragments of his weapon fell to the ground, then watched in horror as the old man's face cracked into a huge horrifying smile.
Pewter then attempted to jump off the carriage, but was grabbed by his wrist so hard that his aura shattered. Staring helplessly at his captor, he watched as the old man released his unconscious comrade who fell to the ground and then slowly and menacingly reach into his pants.
The words of the first homeless man came to his mind as he saw this, and his fears were soon confirmed as the old man pulled out a pair of yellow soiled underpants covered with black and green fungal growths.
"No" whispered Pewter. A moment later, the underpants were covering his face, and a moment after that his consciousness faded.
The Day of the Party
Various expensive looking vehicles were pulling up to the front of the Celsus manor and dropping off their passengers, other young heiresses and their assisting staff.
"Alright, just one last touch up" said Chiyo as she applied Lan's makeup.
Lan let out a dissatisfied grunt in response, but allowed her to continue anyways.
"Now Now my lady, you must look your best for your entry into high society" said Byakko with such poise and dignity, that Lan felt a chill run up his spine.
It was decided early on that his grandparents would be joining him on his little caper, with Chiyo being the Lady's Maid, Byakko being the butler, and Suzanna being the hired muscle. Byakko had of course used the technique that hid their Faunus heritage, one of the few esoteric arts that he had managed to learn. Byakko and Suzanna had initially argued over who got to be the hired muscle, but saying that she wanted to see his suave refined side, Byakko finally relented and handed her the role…a role that Lan had to say fit her rather well. Wearing a sleeveless jacked that that showed off her muscular scarred arms, a pair of mirror-like sunglasses, and a belt made from bullets; Suzanna was the very model of hardened huntsman mercenary.
"It's weird hearing you talk like that grandpa" said Lan as he readjusted the metallic hair ornament hovering above his right ear.
"No no, don't move, I still need to put on a bit more lipstick" said Chiyo "And remember, you need to call us by our correct names, Lady Gentianna."
"…Right" sighed Lan "Thank you Olivia."
""And we are?!"" said Byakko and Suzanna simultaneously as they pointed at themselves with both their pointer fingers.
"Baekdu" said Lan who pointed at Byakko, "and Yuri" he pointed at Suzanna.
"Good bo—oops—girl" said Chiyo who patted Gentianna on the head. "Well, it seems we're just about at the front of the line. Check with Marrone one last time."
Lan nodded and placed his finger on a gemstone on his hair ornament with a motion that looked as if he…sorry she was just thinking about something.
"Everything going well on your end?" said Lan.
"Yep" came Marrone's voice from an earpiece built into the hair ornament. "The boys are setting up in the concert area as planned, and a few of them have already broken off to case the joint. Can't believe they made us rehearse in a rented building for the last few days…. Anyways, how about on your end?"
"No developments" said Lan "Just wish these hair extensions didn't itch so much."
He reached up to scratch, but his hand was quickly slapped away by Chiyo.
"You weren't about to ruin all the hard work I put into doing your hair this morning, were you?" said Chiyo with a menacing, grandmotherly smile.
"'sigh' No" mumbled Lan, who instead began petting Ignis who was sleeping belly up by his side with his tongue hanging out of his mouth. It had been decided that the little ones would accompany Lan into the area under the guise of Gentianna's exotic pets. "Still, even if its not the point of our trip, I hope she likes our present."
Not sure what to get her, Lan had crystalized a small amount of spiritual energy into a small blue teardrop shaped gemstone that he had Marrone shaped necklace. For those unaware of the esoteric arts, it would appear to be nothing more than a blue diamond on a silver chain. According to Meng's scrolls, it would do nothing more than provide the wearer with slightly better health.
"I'm sure she will, but look alive, we're up next young lady" said Byakko, "be ready to present yourself."
A little while later, the limo pulled to the front of the entrance and the group stepped out.
Lan was wearing a royal blue dress that looked to be a cross between a ballroom gown and a kimono, with white frills running down it that gave the impression of a small elegant flower, but also served to hide any visual signs of his masculinity.
"Greetings" said the Doorman in front of the gate, "Invitation please."
Baekdu removed it from his breast pocket and handed it over to the doorman who inspected it.
"Welcome to the party Ms. Wald" said the Doorman, who handed it back "I take these are your attendants?"
"My maid, my butler, my protection, and my darling little ones." Responded Gentianna with an elegant nod as Ignis, Edel, and George chittered beside her "And don't you worry, they are all well trained and fit to accompany me to this high society gathering."
The guard looked at them, and rolled his eyes, obviously having seen similar eccentricities before.
"Hmmm, well I guess they can be accommodated. But I am happy to say that you will be more than well protected here, so your security is unnecessary. If she could head back into—"
Before he could finish, Yuri stepped forwards and grabbed the doorman by the collar so tightly that she began strangling him.
"Listen here bub, I'm only going to say this once." She pulled her sunglasses up so that he could stare directly into her angry bloodshot eyes. "You get between me and my job, and that's the last thing you'll ever do as man, you got me?"
The man was puzzled for a moment, but then a moment later realization dawned on his face, followed by intense fear.
"P-Please ma'am I'm just doing my job, and following the protocols I was given" he choked out "But I do suggest that you put me down before both of us are harmed."
He motioned upwards towards small automated turrets that had popped out of the top of the wall and were currently pointed at the two of them.
"Oooh, a challenge" said Yuri, with a smile "Well, make my da—"
"Now now Yuri, that's enough" said Gentianna with a calm smile, who patted her on the back twice.
Yuri gave the Doorman another dirty look before dropping him off and walking back to stand by Gentianna.
"Now, I'm sure that your facilities guarantee the most state of the art protection, but to avail the worries of my subordinate here, will you at least allow her to enter the premises?" said Gentianna in a calm and controlled manner, her dignified smile never leaving her face.
The guard looked at her, then at the limos still waiting in line before letting out a submissive sigh.
"Alright, fine, I guess she can wait in the servant waiting quarters, but I need one of you to go with her to make sure she doesn't cause any trouble." Said the man.
"I need to stay by the young lady's side, so I believe you should stay by her side, Baekdu" said Olivia "This could be a good opportunity to…rekindle your old relationship."
"Please do not discuss private matters in a public setting" said Baekdu in such a calm and formal manner that Lan almost broke character from how stark a difference it was from his grandfather's usual demeaner. "But if there is no choice, then I shall take on the task."
The doorman nodded, then pressed a button which opened the gates with a mechanical buzz and allowed them to walk in. The group found themselves walking into an enormous garden, leading up to the steps of the Celsus manor.
"It might be a good thing that we're splitting up" whispered Lan "I'm not sure I can keep a straight face with grandpa acting like this."
"You and me both kid" said Suzanna "I may not have looked it, but I just about busted a gut watching your grandpa being all stoic and proper."
"You know you love it" said Byakko, with a satisfied smirk.
"Hush now, we don't know if they have listening devices set up" said Chiyo who was taking the opportunity to spruce up Lan's hair again. The group was greeted by staff at the front of the manor, who directed Byakko and Suzanna to a side room, which was filled with some of the staff members of the other attendees, before performing a routine security check, taking the present for Weiss, and sending Chiyo, Lan, and the little ones down to the central ballroom. Lan tapped a second jewel on his headpiece, activating various sensors that relayed information to Sammy by piggybacking off of his scroll's wi-fi.
"Seeing loud and clear" came Sammy's voice from Lan's earpiece "…and wow man, you uh…nailed it."
Concerned that someone might catch him talking to himself, Lan remained silent, but made a mental note to have Chiyo and Suzanna to do to Sammy what they did to him later. As they approached the end of the hall, two doormen opened the way leading into the bright ballroom.
"Don't worry, you've got this" said Chiyo.
"Now announcing the Arrival of Gentianna Wald, heiress of the Wald Construction company." Announced the crier as they entered the room. Gentianna was initially swarmed by the other young heiresses who introduced themselves and asked questions about her father's company which the boy…sorry girl responded to with stock answers that she had planned out with the team earlier while also maintaining the poise and decorum expected of a member of high society. Although mentally straining, thanks to the hours of rehearsal he had from Chiyo and studying the high society ladies from his favorite animes multiple times he was able to keep up the façade until the little ones were able to attract the attention of all the girls who had been surrounding them, allowing Lan and Olivia to quietly make their way to the side while other guests continued to arrive.
"Thank goodness that's over with" murmured Lan who had grown weary of the curtsying and high society exchange of banter as he watched the little ones be furiously accosted by the young ladies who were beginning to apply perfume and makeup onto the horrified little darlings, they could do not but struggle since they knew what Byakko would do them if they blew their cover. "Sammy, you find anything yet?"
"I think so" said Sammy "I'm detecting some strange fluctuations in energy in the buildings electrical systems. If you could get one of my bugs into something that's plugged in, I might be able to analyze it."
Lan nodded and then quickly located the nearest electrical outlet. He looked at Chiyo, who was able to hear the conversation with her own communicator that was built into her headband. She nodded and reached into her handbag, removing a small makeup compact which she handed to Lan. The two of them then made their way to a drink table near an electrical outlet. Chiyo stood in front of Lan and made of show of inspecting each drunk to find the right one for her lady while Lan backed up to the wall and opened the compact. He pretended to check himself and reapply mascara while waiting for a chance when nobody would look at him. The opportunity came sooner than expected.
"Introducing the Lady of the day, Miss Weiss Schnee!" announced the crier. Everyone in the room turned to the front to see her, and using this opportunity, Lan pulled out a small acorn colored fake nail and slipped it into the electrical socket while the little ones used the opportunity to run from their oppressors and dive under the table near Lan to hide and strip off the clothing and makeup that had been applied to them.
"Good job, starting analysis," said Sammy.
Lan closed the compact mirror in acknowledgement and handed it back to Chiyo before turning to face the front of the room again.
Coming out of the door with lines of security personnel at her side was a young girl. She had long white hair tied back in a ponytail and was wearing an elegant white dress, that was made to look like falling snow had clung to her to form the garment.
"Wow" thought Lan, his eyes widening. He felt a strange familiarity to her, but more than that, he felt some kind of unknown charisma coming from her. Something that he'd only felt a few times in his life, and once in his dreams. She also exhibited a kind of silent coldness, that somehow that she was growing more and more alone day by day in spite of the many people that surround her.
"Hmmm, is the kind of girl that you are preferential towards?" whispered Veritas in his soul.
"Oh, uh no no, just spaced out for a sec" thought Lan as he quickly shook his head to clear his thoughts.
It was at that moment that he saw a man with read hair streaked with strands of blue and white walk through the crowd, he was wearing an immaculate white suit, and a pair of square white rim glasses.
"A pleasure to meet you, Lady Weiss" said the man, with a gracious bow. "I am the host of your party this evening, Dr. Pellis J. Celsus."
"A pleasure" said Weiss, who curtsied back.
"Please allow me to be your guide tonight" said Celsus, who extended his hand. "I assure you that I will do my utmost to ensure that you have a grand time."
"Very well" said Weiss, who took his hand.
"I do hope this invitation extends to us as well?" came a cheerful voice from behind Weiss.
"Oh but of course" said Dr. Celsus with a friendly smile. "I would never dream of leaving you unattended Mrs. Schnee"
"Oh, stop that Pellis" said Willow Schnee, who walked up to her daughter while holding the hand of a young boy behind her "Is that any way to greet an old friend? Just call me Willow, just like back in school."
"Ah, yes, of course Willow, please forgive me" said Dr. Celsus, with an awkward smile. "And I take it this is young master Whitley?"
He leaned down and extended his hand out to the young boy.
"How do you do?" he said.
Whitley stared nervously at his hand for a moment before reaching out and taking it. "I'm very well, thank you." Said the boy.
"Good to hear that" said Celsus, with an encouraging smile. He then straightened up and turned to face Willow once more. "Will Winter be joining us tonight?" he asked.
"Oh, she'll be arriving a bit later, most likely after dinner" said Willow "She said she would only come if we all went as a family, and after a Jacques decided on his little business trip…again, she refused to go until Weiss finally convinced her at the last minute."
Willow let out an exasperated sigh, then continued "That man and I need to have a serious chat about this family soon…Well anyways, Winter is on her way via airship, and after getting spruced up at the nearby salon she'll be able to attend for the latter half of the festivities. "
"Well, I swear this to you now. You all are going to have one of the best nights of your lives!" said Celsus with a flourish, "That is" he knelt down and patted Weiss and Whitley on their heads "If its alright with you two?
The two of them looked at each other, then nodded back.
"Excellent, Excellent!" said Celsus, who guided them to the center of the room, he then snapped his fingers and a servant approached them with a drink platter. "I say we begin this party with a toast! Champagne for us" he said as he handed a glass of the sparkling drink to Willow "And glasses of the finest sparkling cider for you two" he handed the non-alcoholic beverages to the children. The servants then set about quickly serving drinks to all guests in the room. Lan took a glass from a nearby tray as the little ones received small bowls of special pet brews.
"Ah, but let's not forget whose special day it is!" said Celsus who, with an impressive sleight of hand that only Lan and Chiyo were able to perceive, made a silver tiara studded with sapphires appear in his hand before setting it on Weiss's head.
"Now, let us congratulate the young lady on her eighth birthday!" announced Celsus to the room as he picked up his own glass. "Cheers!"
""Cheers"" replied every other guest in the room before downing their own drinks.
"Oh! And what's that?" said Celsus who activated the communicator on his ear "Everyone! Dinner is served! And afterwards, we are in a for a special performance by the morning mist theater troupe, with the opening performed by tonight's princess Weiss Schnee!"
All those in the room applauded in the room once more, not noticing the little ones darting around the room sneaking bugs into every nook and cranny they could find until:
"Oh my! Who is this cute little one?" said Willow who grabbed Ignis who was walking nearby. The young wolf pup quickly swallowed the small device it had been holding in its mouth, then turned to face that woman with a happy smile, licking her face when he could. "Oh, and he has friends too!" she said as she noticed Ignis and George nearby, who posed to look as adorable as possible. "Who do these little darlings belong to?"
"Oh, they belong to me" said Lan, who walked forwards, his hands placed on top of each other in front of his dress. "My family owns large amounts of forest land to provide lumber for construction, and I end up taking some of the animals that we find there to be my friends."
"Ah, Miss Wald, was it?" said Dr. Celsus "Care to introduce us to these little fellas?"
"Of Course," said Lan "The red wolf pup is Ignis, he is a rare Crimson Aura wolf native to small forested areas of Sanus. The bird is Edel, a Dust Eagle Native to certain coastlines of Mistral. And the black money is a young Shadow Ape, native to tropical valleys bordering Vale and Vacuo."
"How lovely!" said Willow who ruffled Ignis's fur some more before setting him down. "Maybe I should look into getting some lovely pets of my own! What do you two think of that? Wouldn't it be lovely to have some animal friends to run around the mansion with?"
Whitley nodded Shyly, while Weiss had completely forgotten decorum and had knelt down to stare at the little pup with sparkling eyes with her fists pressed into her cheeks and her mouth curved into an adorable smile.
"Well, I do hope they're all house trained" said Dr. Celsus who walked forwards.
"Of course," said Lan, who nodded politely "They have tell signs that indicate when they are in need, and will never perform either of the actions without my permission."
He was feeling nervous having their target get so close to him already, but was masking it as best he could. His job would get a lot harder if there was too much attention focused on him, so he hoped that the conversation would break off soon.
"Well, that's just excellent," said Dr. Celsus, who punched the air. He then turned to one of his servants "Say, where is young miss Gentianna sitting at on the dining table?"
"That would be position number 37 at—" started the man.
"Oh, that won't do" said Dr. Celsus, who waived his hand, "Move her up to the head of the table with us, and get some nice bowls for her little friends."
"At once," said the man, who bowed.
"Oh no, I couldn't—" started Lan
"Oh, think nothing of it" said Celsus with a laugh and a dismissive hand gesture "this way Weiss won't have to be away from these little bundles of joy. Especially little Ignis, I mean look! She's hugging him right now!"
He pointed down at Weiss who had wrapped her arms around Ignis's neck and cuddled him while the little wolf pup nuzzled her with his snout. Whitley was shyly stroking Ignis's back fur. But suddenly realizing that she had broken decorum, Weis quickly stood back up and composed herself, while sneaking glances down at Ignis who was wagging his tail and pawing at her.
Lan could feel gazes digging into the back of his skull from the other girls in the room, especially the one whose seat he just stole. They obviously felt that he was attempting to curry favor with the Schnee Dust corporation, even though that is the last thing he wanted to do right now.
But not wanting to break character, Lan took a deep breath then responded with a nervous smile plastered on his face.
"Very well, if you insist, then I shall take you up on your offer."
The partygoers were than ushered into a large dining area, quickly seated, and then served. It was a full course meal, prepared with the finest ingredients in Atlas. The personal attendants of each young lady in stood behind their respective mistress during this time. Lan did his best to keep up with conversation when spoken to, but was relieved to find most of the conversation was directed towards his little ones (who were enjoying fine cuts of meat and fruit) and that Dr. Celsus spent most of his time talking to the Schnee family. A good thing too, since his vision kicked in a few times over the course of the meal, showing him haunting figures floating around the space. But thankfully he was able to notice each time and not pay the specters any mind. But he did notice that many of them were Faunus, recently deceased, and giving hateful glares towards Celsus.
"It truly has been too long since we last spoke" said Willow as she took a sip of wine.
"I know, we've barely spoken since graduation" said Celsus as Lan noticed one of the servants hitting on Chiyo from the corner of his eye. "We really must change that."
"I know…but I truly am glad you aren't angry at me" said Willow as the servant wrapped one of his arms around Chiyo's shoulders.
"Oh, why would I ever be angry at you?" said Celsus, who looked taken aback.
"Well, I sent you an invitation for my wedding, but you never replied" said Willow as Chiyo stuck her longest and sharpest finger nail into the gap between nail and flesh on the servant's index finger.
"Ah yes that" said Celsus, who looked uncomfortable "I was dealing with some other pressing issues at the time, but please don't assume that it means that I was displeased with you in any way. Willow, you are one of the most important people in the world to me, and I would never hold you in any kind of contempt."
"I'm glad to hear that" said Willow, who smiled as the servant withdrew his arm from Chiyo's shoulder and began nursing his hand, "You know we should really get together more often."
"I couldn't agree with you more" said Celsus, with a warm smile "And perhaps your children could join us as well! How does that sound Weiss, Whitley?"
The two children looked up for their meals, then smiled and nodded at the man who was giving off the airs of friendly uncle.
"Excellent, I look forward to inviting all of you as soon as possible after the conclusion of this party." Said Celsus "But I must say Willow, you truly are just as, no, even more beautiful than I remember!"
"Oh stop" laughed Willow, who placed her hand in her cheek and smiled as she blushed and waived her other hand.
"Quite the sharp contrast between what I know about him" thought Lan as he took a bite of sea bass, with the fish fork of course "I wonder which is the real one?"
At that moment the communicator in his ear buzzed to life.
"Hey kid, its Marrone, got some bad news"
Lan showed no sign of acknowledgement, but knowing that he couldn't seem suspicious to the people around him Marrone just continued.
"It seems like one of my boys got found out by the security staff, apparently one of them recognized him as one of my men, the rest of the team managed to keep their cover by saying he's a recent hire, but security's going to be on higher alert now, in fact old Celsus might be getting word any minute now."
Almost as if one cue, Celsus excused himself to take a call, and after a few minutes he came back looking a bit disgruntled.
"Oh! What's wrong?" Asked Willow who noticed this.
"Ah, yes…it seems that there was an incident with the theater troupe, and now the pianist that was supposed to accompany Weiss for her performance can no longer perform" said Celsus,
"So…I can't sing?" asked Weiss, Lan sensed a complicated mixture of emotions from her words, a mixture of sadness, disappointment, and anger, but also relief.
"O-Oh, don't worry, we'll definitely find someone in time for the performance" said Celsus, with a nervous grin. He then turned to his nearest servant and told him to tell the chefs to add more courses to the meal, regardless of cost.
"Well, alright" said Willow "It's too bad if things don't work out though, I was so looking forward to Weiss singing Dance of the Moonlight Fairies, it was one of Loiuse von Beetfield's best works."
"Huh" muttered Lan as he took a sip of his melon mint tea "I played that a little while back."
He then noticed that those at the head of the table were now staring at him.
"Did you now?" said Dr. Celsus "What for?"
"Oh uh, just for a little private shindig for my family" said Lan, who had actually learned it in Amygdala after digging through some of Edgar's old things during a moment of nostalgia. "I'm not even sure I remember the notes anymore."
"But you do practice regularly, right?" asked Celsus. "and I'm sure we could easily provide you with a copy of the score."
"Oh, yes I do but…it's possible that the piece I learned may have been a simplified version," said Lan, who was mentally scrambling to find some excuse not to stand out more. "besides, it's been over a month since I performed, I really don't think that I can—"
"Why not" said Weiss, who looked over at him with her bright blue eyes "You can at least try right?"
"I…uh" Lan felt that strange pull again as he looked at her, that coupled with her innocent stare made trying to talk his way out of this increasingly agonizing "…'sigh'…okay I'll give it a shot."
"Excellent!" said Celsus, who clapped his hands together "Why don't you get some practice in first? We can have a piano room prepared immediately."
"Yes, that would be helpful" said Lan, who stood up "I'll take the rest of my meal over there, hopefully I can get ready before the performance."
"Are you sure about this?" whispered Chiyo after they were led to a room and left alone.
"I know we need to keep cover, but…I just felt like I couldn't let her down." Said Lan as he sat down at the piano and flipped through the sheet music that had been provided "It's really strange, I just feel like she's really important for some reason."
"…I see, well please let me know if you ever plan on taking up the Schnee name." said Chiyo with a teasing smile.
"Oh, not you too" said Lan, who could feel Veritas also giving him the equivalent of an amused smile.
But before long, Lan had become completely focused on the sheet music in front of him, trying to remember every note that he had played. It made him wonder why he had picked that song to practice out of the many other pieces in Edgar's music pile. Was it just by chance that the title had caught his eye? Or had fate played a hand in this? It was so hard to tell whether one was in play or the either, or if they existed at all. During his time practicing Chiyo hand fed him the various courses that were delivered at regular intervals, which also served to remind him of how much time he had left. A few minutes after Chiyo had popped the last chocolate truffle into Lan's mouth, Celsus entered the room.
"Well, let's hear it, and don't feel too pressured about this, if need be, we can always use an audio recording."
Lan nodded, took a deep breath, then played. The music filled the room as Lan set his mind on edge to hit every note as perfectly as he could. As he finished after a few minutes, an uncomfortable silence filled the room as Celsus deliberated with his hand on his chin.
"Hmmm, not quite at the professional level" he said, Lan turned his eye down in disappointment. "But do you know what? I like it! It's got that feeling of young innocence that's a key theme to this performance. Miss Wald, get ready and head to the stage. Oh, and here's an audio recording of the vocal performance so you can better sync your playing with Weiss's singing."
He tossed Lan an audio playing device with an earphone attachment.
"Come on, I'll lead you there."
They soon arrived backstage. Lan peeked out through the curtains and saw the many individuals already seated, as well as what appeared to be a camera crew setting up in the back to televise Weiss.
"Boy, am I glad I got over stage fright" he thought as he thought back to the tag team wrestling venues he did with his grandfather.
He was quickly escorted to the piano, which was surrounded by the colorful and detailed background scenery for the performance. A little while later Weiss walked onto the stage, her mother and brother egging her one from the side.
"I hope I don't make you look bad" said Lan, who gave her an encouraging smile.
"Don't worry about it, anything's better than a recording." Said Weiss, who gave him an encouraging smirk. "But still…I'm sure you'll do just fine."
"Ladies and Gentlemen, Weiss Schnee!" came a booming voice from the announcement system.
The curtains then spread apart, and Weiss was bathed with the lighting which was the color of moonlight. Lan was partially hidden behind some foliage, after all, he wasn't the star of this show. But he paid none of this any mind and after taking a deep breath, began to play. Dance of the Moonlight Fairies was the overture to an opera about a young princess who became mixed up in a war between fairies and daemons. The overture specifically was about how the girl was awoken in the middle of the night by strange lights and sounds. She then followed them out of the castle, into the forest, then out into a clearing where she was invited to dance with the fairies in celebration of their most recent victory.
Weiss's voice rang clear and true over the notes that he played, capturing the beauty of a moonlit night, the curiosity of a child, and joyful dissonance of raucous celebration. Lan soon found himself entranced by her voice, hold onto every note she sang as he worked to match them with his own, but all too soon he found them performing the conclusion. As they finished, a brief silence filled the room, before being filled with applause. Lan got up, then walked to Weiss's side. The two of them then curtsied before walking off the stage.
"Marvelous" said Doctor Celsus, who was clapping his hands "Absolutely outstanding, the both of you!"
"Oh, you were wonderful out there!" said Willow who walked forwards and embraced her daughter "I'm sad I won't be able to see more of you tonight!"
"Ah! Then fear not!" said Celsus, with a playful twirl of his finger "I have made arrangements with the Morning Moon theater troupe, and if Weiss ever feels like jumping on stage and taking over any role, then they will support her with all of their ability."
"Not for the first few acts" said Weiss, who stretched "I'm a little tired."
"Ah, then follow me to the box seating, there are refreshments awaiting there for us as we enjoy the show!" said Celsus "Will you be joining us, Miss Wald?"
"Perhaps at a later time." Said Lan, who faked being exhausted "Being in front of all those people was far more nerve wracking than I thought. I may need to lie down for a while before re-joining the festivities."
"Oh, I see" said Dr. Celsus, who scratched his head apologetically "I apologize for putting you on the spot there, but you really saved us this time. Well for now, I'll arrange a place for you to rest."
He activated his communicator: "Hello, please come to the backstage of the auditorium and escort Young Miss Wald and her lady in waiting to Suite number 94 and make sure she has everything she needs."
He then turned to the Schnees.
"Well, shall we get going?" he said with a cheerful smile.
The group turned to leave as Lan headed towards the exit into the hallway, but he stopped as he felt a small hand wrap its fingers around his own.
"Wait, Gentianna right?" said Weiss, who had stopped him.
"Uh, yes, Miss Schnee, is there anything else I can help you with?" asked Lan, who was a little taken aback by the sudden contact.
"Well, first of all you can just call me Weiss" said Weiss, who was beginning to look a bit nervous "You know, um, after the party is over…d-do you think we can talk more? I…I really think that we could be friends."
"Oh, uh well…I guess that would be okay." Said Lan whose face had turned red. It then turned even redder as he noticed Chiyo, Celsus, and the Schnees staring at them with big stupid grins plastered on their faces. "Well, bye for now" said Lan as he turned and walked out the doors to the hallway, followed closely by Chiyo.
"My My, look at you making a special friend" said Chiyo, who covered her smile with her fingertips in a mocking gesture as they were led to the suite.
"Aggh, please stop that Gra—'oof' I mean Olivia" said Lan, who was wacked in the stomach by Chiyo before he gave anything away.
A few minutes later they were alone in the suite.
"I finished checking the room, no bugs or cameras, all clear" said Sammy over the communicator.
"Good, I guess we can finally start organizing what we've gathered so far." Said Lan, who quickly undressed, revealing a skintight infiltration suit underneath which was missing pieces here and there to better fit under the dress. "Marrone, have your men gotten my equipment stashed yet?"
"Yeah, it's in the vents above the third-floor public men's restroom" said Marrone "And even better, I think we have an idea on where they're keeping the prisoners."
"I'm all ears" said Lan as he disassembled the hair ornament so that only the communicator and the sensors remained.
"Had a tracker placed on the guy who got caught" said Marrone "After he was questioned and tortured and all that, he was taken to Dr. Celsus's private office. After that his signal just disappeared. Whatever you're looking for, it's gotta be in there."
"I can second that" said Sammy "After checking the electrical systems, I found that there's a crazy amount of power being directed to Celsus's office."
"Got it" said Lan "What about you grandpa, everything going fine on your end."
They waited a few moments, before Byakko finally replied.
"Everything's good here, me and Suzanna are just boozing with the other security guards and mercs. Let me know if you need our help and we'll be right over."
"All right then, I'll be beginning my part of the mission now." Said Lan as he headed towards the bathroom.
"I'll make sure to maintain your cover while you're gone" said Chiyo, who made a convincing lump in the bed. Lan debated on whether to take the little ones with him, but ultimately decided that leaving them here to maintain cover would be for the best.
Once inside the restroom, Lan quickly located the ventilation duct and quickly opened it up using tools that had been hidden inside the hair ornament. After getting it open, it was still a tight squeeze, so he had to dislocate some of his joints to get through and popped them back in place after getting into the main ventilation system. He turned off his scroll at this point and dropped it into the bathroom to prevent him from being tracked and then made his way to the bathroom where his gear was stashed using a map of the ventilation system he had gotten from Marrone. He dropped down from the vent into the stall and after gearing up and making the final modifications to his headset communication device, he hopped back into the vent and sealed it behind him.
"How's that new interface working?" asked Sammy over their comms which were now connected using their own encrypted line.
"Great" said Lan as he put on a new set of interface goggles "It's got arrows pointing me in the right direction and everything."
He then began to head towards Celsus's office, stopping every now and again to place more bugs and other surprises. But after making it about halfway he noticed something approaching him from ahead. He could barely make it out, but it looked like a large fuzzy cheeseball.
"Hang on, I got this" said Sammy, who cleared up the image and allowed Lan to see it better.
His first impression hadn't been far off the mark. It appeared to be a fuzzy round orange creature with stubby arms and legs and was short enough that it was able to walk through the ventilation duct instead of crawl. It suddenly stopped as it noticed the boy.
"Ah!" it shrieked, then turned around and began to run back in the direction it came.
Activating his semblance in conjunction with Veritas, Lan launched a long crystal chain out of his hand, which shot forwards and captured the creature, quickly reeling it in.
"AHHHH! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!" It shrieked "NO WANT TO GOT BACK TO LAB! WANT TO SEE FAMILY! NOOO—!"
Before it could say another word, Lan shoved a granola bar into its mouth to silence it.
"Shhhhhh!" he said as the creature began eating the granola bar. "Based on what you said, I'm guessing you're something that escaped from Celsus's lab, in that case I'm an ally of yours. I'm heading there to free the people he has trapped, and you can help by telling everything you know. Do you understand?"
The small creature nodded as it stared up at Lan with its beady black eyes. Lan released his grip and after the creature and had finished off the granola bar, it turned to face Lan.
"Hello, I am Havarti a pleasure to meet you friend" it said as it saluted Lan with one of its stubby arms.
Sorry, this took so long, motivation is low, and many things happened this month, and again sorry things are so long winded. First of all, it looks like I'm heading to graduate school now. I heard back from every place I applied too, and long story short, I've been accepted into Brown's Master's program. So, things are going to get even busier from here on out.
Funny thing though, when I found out I was accepted, rather than an excited "I did it" kind of feeling, I actually had more of a "at least I didn't screw up again kind of feeling". But then again Brown was the only place that accepted me, but that might be because I applied for a Ph D. and the better institutions only accept that if you complete a masters first. Luckily Brown transferred my application to their master's program consideration after they found me unfit for their Ph D program.
And I honestly can't say I'm happy with this, but I'll at least be able to better make a positive impact during my lifetime.
It's not like this story would actually be considered by the RWBY team. I know that not only am I a subpar writer at best, but even if they wanted to adopt some ideas, there would be so much legal bullshit in the way that it simply wouldn't be worth it.
Too bad I'm still holding onto that hope by continuing this story. But after all I've put into Lan's story, I at least want to finish what I planned. Even if I know in the end, it won't be worth it.
And for those offended by the homeless man part, I had planned that 5 years ago, and I really want to implement all the plots points I had at the time. Makes me feel at least somewhat more connected to my more optimistic past.