There will be no chapter next week as I'm off 15th – 21st on a family event. Stories will resume as normal after that period.
Cover Art: Mystery White Flame
Chapter 22
"Winter!"
Never in her life had Winter flinched so badly as she did when Weiss shouted her name. There was something wrong with that. She, a specialist of Atlas, should not be flinching away from someone several years younger than her, but then again, she shouldn't be skulking around Atlas Academy trying to avoid said person either.
"Weiss." That she managed to say it without a grimace was due in no small part to her training. She turned, taking in her smaller, slighter and younger sister who at that moment was giving her the most piercing glare Winter had ever seen. "Is something the matter? I apologise if you wanted to speak with me on something, but I have business from General Ironwood that I must conclude."
"You're preparing for your ambassadorial trip to Beacon, yes."
That was classified knowledge. Arc knew, but even he couldn't have sent a letter and snuck it past the school in time for Weiss to have found out. Was it a guess? A bluff? Did she call it? But if Weiss called back, she would be caught lying.
Winter remained silent.
"Whitley heard father mention it," Weiss said. "And decided that I ought to know."
Whitley? Since when had Weiss been on good terms with him, let alone having him act as a proxy and spy on her behalf? More and more, it felt like Weiss was drifting away from her. Growing up. Moving on.
"I may have a task in Vale. Regardless, that means I am too busy to speak."
"Even to your own sister?"
"Even to you, Weiss."
"A shame. And here I thought your kidnapping of me meant we would be spending more time together."
"I did not-" Winter bit down on her anger, refusing to let it show. Weiss' smirk said it had been her plan. Reckless. She was a specialist and she had a reputation to maintain, and Weiss, while understandable, was acting like a child.
Perhaps that was her plan. If she brought the Schnee name into disrepute, Jacques would have little option than to send her away. Out of sight, out of mind, and Vale was far enough away to be just that. Before, she might have given Weiss a clip around the ear for her cheek. Now, she knew that would only feed unfortunate rumours – and a specialist could not be seen using force to instil discipline, especially not on a civilian.
"What is it you want, Weiss?"
"I'd have thought that was obvious."
"You're not coming with me."
"And now we are at an impasse."
Winter's eyes narrowed. "I don't see that we are. An impasse suggests a mutual inability to progress. You may be that, but I am not and will be headed to Vale within the next day or two. You shall stay here and continue your studies."
"What is the point of this? Atlas is loosening its restrictions on Beacon and you're going to have to acknowledge him if you're accepting he arrested a wanted criminal."
"You're awfully well informed…"
"I hear things." Weiss deflected. "Regardless, you've relied far enough on the farcical excuse that you're keeping me here for my own protection from the criminal, Jaune Arc, but what do you intend to use now that he's proven innocent?"
"He's been proven no such thing."
"Oh, of course. He's a monster masquerading as a headmaster. That's why he's defeated Cinder, captured her, allowed Atlas the right to question her, saved Mistral and exposed a traitor. Oh, and he's also declared war on the White Fang." Her voice dripped with sarcasm. "Such villainy! However will I protect my virtue around such a perfidious man?"
Winter's teeth ground together. "You do not know everything, Weiss."
"And you do not know everything either, Winter. You simply act as though you do, loyally following every command Ironwood makes as though the sun shines from his backside."
"Watch your mouth!" she snapped. "You will not disparage General Ironwood!"
"And you won't disparage my headmaster!" Weiss hissed back. "Where do you get off believing it's fine for you to defend Ironwood, but misguided for me to do the same with my teacher? Such arrogance!"
"You will show General Ironwood the proper respect, Weiss. And me."
"Respect is earned, not granted. And the respect I had for you has been tarnished."
Winter flinched, recoiling back as though Weiss had slapped her.
Always, she'd been the one Weiss looked up to, the one Weiss came to with problems when Jacques and Whitley turned a blind eye. It had been her to read stories to her sister, her to train her, her to put a plaster on her skinned knee when Jacques caustically said if Weiss was hurt, she should seek a doctor and not complain to him.
"That is not fair…" Winter whispered.
"Fair?" Weiss laughed. It was a bitter sound. "Winter, what's not fair is how little control I have over my own life and how I'm being used as a political chess piece. Not by my father – I could understand it from him – but by my own sister!"
"I'm not-" Winter stiffened. "It's not I who enforces your presence here. And it's not for politics."
"No, it's Ironwood, and we've already established that you're his mouthpiece." Weiss scoffed and crossed her arms, and no matter how much Winter tried to convince herself her sister's actions were childish, she couldn't shake the feeling Weiss was disappointed in her. "You're hardly your own person anymore, Winter. You're an extension of his will."
"That is not true. While I trust the General, I have my own ambitions. They… simply happen to run parallel to his."
"Sure. And those involve me as a prisoner."
"You're not a prisoner, Weiss."
"Aren't I? Then let me leave."
Winter tried not to look away.
"Oh? I can't? Interesting. And here I thought I wasn't a prisoner. Tell me, why am I being kept here? And don't give me that nonsense about it being for my protection. If the professor is dangerous enough to be a threat to me, he's dangerous enough to be the same to you, yet you're being sent in there."
That was true, and yet she was a soldier and thus knew the risks. However, she also knew there were no risks. Jaune Arc, criminal or not, wouldn't attack her; that much she was certain of. He wouldn't harm Weiss either, either because it wasn't in his nature or because it was, to all extents, a pointlessly foolish move. He'd gain nothing and lose everything.
Weiss was waiting for an answer. Winter didn't know what to give her. General ironwood had his reasons, but those reasons… well, they were almost certainly political, weren't they? About Atlas losing face if it gave Weiss up. The loss of reputation would be minor, but the bigger problem was that they'd be admitting they had been wrong.
Atlas did not apologise. Atlas was never wrong.
Even after the wars, Atlas hadn't apologised. Even for the racism and cruel treatment of faunus, Atlas did not apologise – because to apologise was to admit guilt, and to admit guilt was to accept that you had been wrong. And that was something Atlas could never be.
Weiss was a prisoner, not of necessity, but of that childish ideal. Winter knew it was childish. It was the same principle the SDC ran on, that you could hide the ugly sides of the business with enough charity balls, donations and prominent speeches. Rather than address the problems, obscure them, pretend they didn't exist and attack anyone who tried to draw attention to them.
Criticise the SDC for its treatment of faunus? Well, you must be a White Fang sympathiser.
Criticise Atlas for imposing sanctions on Beacon? Obviously, you don't understand Ironwood's tactical brilliance. You're playing chess and he's playing checkers. Suggest that Atlas has issues of racial oppression, and obviously you just hate or are jealous of Atlas.
It was an old story, and one rooted in logic. The happier people were, the more they believed the lie that Atlas was infallible, the less negative they were. Patriotism fed into joy and a sense of security and that helped keep the Grimm away. It was all for good reasons in the end. The bravado kept people safe.
"Nothing?" Weiss asked, disgusted, both with Winter and with those lies. "I suspected as much. That's why I'm finding it hard to respect you, sister, because you're not answering me, because you're not talking to me, because you continue to play the charade and you don't even care enough to be upfront about it."
"I'm sorry, Weiss. It's not fair."
"It's not." Weiss looked away, eyes clenched shut. "I just… It's not even about professor Arc. I just want to see my team again. My friends…"
Help me, she didn't say.
Winter heard it, nonetheless. The silent plea.
A good sister would help her. A loving sister would do whatever she could. The thought was instantly countered by another. A Specialist's duty is to the Kingdom. The needs of the many come before those of the few, even if those few are important.
Why was it that she could not be both a good sister and a good soldier?
"I will speak with Ironwood. I will… ask if I can take you with me."
It was such an empty gesture and they both knew it. General Ironwood would never allow it.
"Thank you," Weiss said, defeated. She turned away. "I suppose that's all I can ask."
/-/
Winter didn't have the spirit to go straight to Ironwood. For one, she knew it would be a `no` from him, so what was the point? And in some childish way she wanted to cling to the possibility she was helping her sister, even if that was false. Secondly, she just couldn't bring herself to report back after to Weiss with bad news. There was still a day before she was set to leave, and she fully intended to do this at the last minute so she wouldn't need to stay and witness Weiss' disappointment.
"Give me Grimm and I'll fight them in their thousands. Give me an upset Weiss and I run away to hide." She groaned. "When did I become such a coward?"
"Sibling trouble?"
Winter looked up, stiffened and then stood. "What are you doing here, Qrow?"
Qrow Branwen grinned. "Visiting."
"Why are you here? How are you here? This is a military-only are and I-"
"Cool your jets. Jimmy said I could stay."
Winter bit back a snarl. There was only one thing she hated more than someone insulting Ironwood, and that was Qrow Branwen himself. The two together were an ominous sign. "Why should I believe you?"
"You don't have to. Attack me." He spread his arms. "Go on. I can't wait to see Jimmy's response to hearing you assaulted me after he allowed me to stay."
Growling, she sat back down.
"Yeah. That's what I thought." Qrow took the seat opposite in the mess, pulling out a hip flask – not his usual one, she noticed – and taking a drink. "As for why I'm here, share of information has to go both ways. You're coming to Beacon and I had to deliver some Intel to Atlas. With computer transmit maybe being bugged, it's safer in person."
Understandable. And Ironwood would obviously allow the ambassador a room for the night and access to the halls. To do any less would be an insult to Beacon at a time when they couldn't afford that. A good thing she hadn't given in to her anger.
"Onto you, though. Sibling trouble?"
"The last person I want to talk with today is you, Qrow."
"Ouch. That's harsh, especially since, you know, here we are. Talking." He took another swig, missing the invitation for him to leave. "But I heard you talking about your sister and, well, let's just say you're looking at a guy who has problems with his own as well."
"Raven Branwen. She is known to us…"
"Not surprised. Queen bitch might as well be known to everyone." His expression flickered between rage, bitter disappointment and back to calm. "Anyway, I figure whatever is on your mind can't be that bad so cheer up. And if you want an ear, I'm here."
Winter almost laughed. Almost. "Why would I seek you out for advice?"
"Because it's easier to rant to someone who isn't a big deal. I mean, you can't unload to Ironwood cause you work with him. Can't unload on your sister because she's the issue and your dear old dad is out of the question. Who else do you have? Your troops? That's a bad idea, right? I'm not military, but I figure you want to keep stuff like this out of your job."
"Fraternising between the ranks is frowned on but not dissuaded. That said, it's not a good idea…"
"Exactly." He kicked his legs up on the table, earning a sneer from her. "Talk. What's the worst that happens? I don't have the answer and nothing changes."
"You will mock me."
"Winter." Qrow shot her a sad look. "I already mock you."
Must resist urge to kill…
"I don't need more ammo to take the piss, and even I'm not ass enough to use your sister on you. My nieces were her teammates, you know. They'd never forgive me for it."
No more than Weiss forgave her for taking her away from them, even if she'd only been acting as an extension for Ironwood's will. Qrow really was the last person she wanted to talk to on the matter, or about any matter, but he was also the only person she could. Her circle of confidantes was punishingly small, and all involved in the issue at hand.
"Fine. But you will listen, and I swear that if you laugh or make light of this, I will leave."
"Hey. I'm all ears."
It was such a stupid idea, but she regaled him with the tale anyway. There was nothing confidential about it, nothing she shouldn't share, other than the nebulous fairness of sharing Weiss' words with a stranger, but she wasn't sure Weiss would have cared either way. As she spoke, her elbows began to sag onto the table, shoulders falling.
When she finished, Qrow whistled and offered her a drink. She was tempted, but seeing as he'd drunk straight from the flask, she didn't want to risk the indirect kiss.
"Sounds rough. On both of you. So, what are you gonna do?"
"What can I do? I promised to speak to the General but we both know what his response will be."
"Hm. A big `nope` on that front. So." He raised his eyebrows. "What are you gonna do?"
Winter scowled. "I already said."
"No, you asked me – or the world at large – what you can do. The world isn't gonna give you an answer. I'm asking what you have decided to do."
She tried to decipher the words, but they made no sense. Was he drunk already? Typical. "I'm going to ask Ironwood, get a no and then deliver the news to Weiss. Then, I will leave for Beacon and fulfil the task appointed to me."
"Heh." He looked down at the table. "You're not going to do anything, then."
"That's not what I said!"
"But you already told me asking him won't do a thing, so you're basically saying you're not going to do anything to help your sister." He grinned. "Tell me I'm wrong."
A sudden breath hissed out of her nostrils. She stood, slapping one hand down on the table. "You're wrong. Excuse me."
He caught her arm.
Winter tugged and tried to pull away, but he held on, pulling her back down into the seat. "Let go of me! Ambassador or not, I will report you if you don't let go!"
"Running away as well?"
"I'm not running away!"
"Sure you are. C'mon, sit down." He drew her back into the seat and weathered her hateful gaze with an easy smile. "I'm not trying to be a dick, Winter. Just pointing out you going to Ironwood is the same as you giving up. If you know what his response will be, why bother?"
"Because there is literally nothing else I can do!"
"Have you tried anything else?"
Winter flinched. Her silence said it all.
"Nothing? See, that's the problem. You're acting like the only options are to be loyal to him or to be loyal to her. Life isn't binary like that."
"What would you know of it?" she hissed.
"More than you, apparently. I mean, I'm almost twenty years older than you so it makes sense."
Qrow never looked that old, nor acted it, but given that his teammates had children currently in Beacon and Weiss' age, and that she herself was only a few years older than Weiss, there really was a fifteen to twenty-year difference between them.
"It sounds to me like your sister isn't pissed at you for her being here; she's pissed at what she sees as inaction on your part when it comes to helping her. If you genuinely tried to help and failed, she'd love you for it, but you're not even trying."
His words hurt more than she cared to admit. "But I am trying. There's just nothing I can do…"
"Saying that without looking for a way to make it work just tells me – and her – that you're not trying hard enough. Think of it like a fight. If you go up against a master swordsman and he has you beat in melee, do you go rushing into melee anyway?"
"Of course not. I'd keep a distance and use my Semblance."
"Exactly. So, why are you rushing into melee with Ironwood when you know what the conclusion will be?" He winked, leaving her speechless. Was it – Was it really like that? "It may not be as dramatic, but Weiss is basically asking you to save her life, at least in a metaphorical sense – if we're imagining this like a fight. If you give it your all and fail, she'll let it go. If you run into melee when you both know it's useless, of course she's going to think you're throwing the fight. You need to think of another way to beat Ironwood."
"But I can't! Won't," she amended when he shot her a look. "I trust Ironwood. I believe in him. Even if you don't, Qrow, you can't ask me to betray his trust. Would you turn on Ozpin for the sake of your nieces!?"
Qrow met her eyes. "In a heartbeat."
Winter's mouth fell open.
"And you know what, I think Oz would respect me for doing it. But let's not talk about me. If you can't beat Ironwood and you're not willing to break orders, then that doesn't mean you're screwed. It just means you need to… think of some other way around this. Some way of helping Weiss that doesn't mean going against what he says."
That… That sounded ridiculous but also interesting. "How so?"
Qrow shrugged. "I dunno."
"WHAT!?" Winter's chair fell back as she surged to her feet. "What do you mean `I dunno`!? You can't come here, wax intelligent and then finish with that!"
"Hey, I don't know Ironwood or military procedure. That's your area of expertise. What advice could I possibly give that would help? I'm just saying there aren't two options only in this. It's not `help Ironwood` or `help Weiss`. You need to find the option that helps Weiss while also not going against your boss."
A way around; did such a thing exist?
Did it matter if it did or didn't? As Qrow said, it wasn't about there being a way or not, but about her being willing to put the effort in. If she failed, she could at least face Weiss with her head held high, say she'd tried her best and mean it. Something she hadn't been able to do thus far.
Is that the cause for my poor mood of late? That I, subconsciously or not, know that I haven't been doing as much for Weiss as I could be? How shameful.
She trusted General Ironwood. She would not go against his orders. But, he had not explicitly ordered against Weiss. He trusted that he did not have to, that she could read between the lines and know his intent. Perhaps something could be done with that.
"Thank you, Qrow." How galling to be made to say those words. "You have given me much to think on. If you will excuse me, I must take my leave."
/-/
"Adam, that piece of shit! I will flay the skin from his bones!"
Sienna Khan was awake.
Sienna Khan was angry.
Not at him, luckily. Jaune had been a little unsure on how to approach his latest guest. Did he treat her as a prisoner? Did he let her roam free? Even if she was a victim of Adam, she was still White Fang and he couldn't just let her roam free. There'd also been the challenge of how to make first contact with her and not get attacked.
He couldn't even let Ozpin help because Sienna didn't know about him and Ozpin wanted it kept that way, thus he had to do it all on his own. Even Glynda couldn't help, having classes to run. It wasn't like Sienna would come out of her sleep at a convenient time.
In the end, he'd overcomplicated things. Sienna hadn't woken up with inconvenient amnesia or anything of the sort. She woke up more than remembering what happened, and able to figure out who was behind it even before he said anything.
I guess I don't need to convince her Adam is bad. That's handy.
"We brought you to Beacon to have you healed. You're probably still a little weak but Tsune, our doctor, says you should be fully recovered within a week."
"Adam- wait…" Sienna glared at him. "Tsune. This is the crazy doctor who attacked me when I woke up?" Her eyes narrowed as he cringed. "Was that on your orders?"
"Beacon accepts no responsibility for the actions of Tsune," he rattled off automatically. Then blinked. "Sorry, I mean, no, it wasn't on my orders. She overreacted and assumed we wanted you unconscious. I hope you can forgive us."
Sienna let out a long sigh. The dark-skinned woman was dressed not in her usual White Fang garb, but a cream gown with leggings that reached her knees, some kind of cross between a hospital gown and pyjamas, but which thankfully didn't leave her ass on display. With her hair loose and sticking out in every direction, she didn't look quite so intimidating.
"I shall have to forgive you, won't I? You saved my life. Accursed Adam. I knew I should have disposed of him. I can't believe he'd do this to me!"
Why? It sounds like you were planning the exact same thing…
Politics. If only it were as simple in Vale as a dagger in the back. Alas. "He's claiming we killed you and using your `death` to inspire the White Fang."
"Driving additional antagonism toward faunus in the Kingdoms, leaving them to face increased levels of racism, which will naturally result in increased recruitment as faunus feel they have nowhere to go."
"You're… knowledgeable on this."
Sienna shot him a scowl. "It's almost like I ran the White Fang or something…"
"Okay, I should have seen that coming. It's pretty much as you say. He's also painting you as a martyr who died because she trusted humans, but I expect that'll change to traitor when we reveal you're alive." He paused. "Assuming you're willing to help us there."
There was a chance she would be so loyal to the cause that she'd see Adam's ploy as genius. Self-sacrifice for the greater good or some such nonsense. Course, that wouldn't stop Beacon showing her to the world. It would just change whether she did so of her own free will or in chains.
"I'm loathe to act against my brothers and sisters…"
"I'm sensing a `but` there."
"More negotiation." Sienna waved a hand toward him. "Let us be frank. We're both leaders of our respective groups. Or… I was. We know how this kind of thing goes and I doubt you want the paperwork any more than I do. How about we quit with the grandstanding and hammer out a deal?"
"Oh, hells yes!" Finally, someone who was willing to just talk and not dance around the bush until they both collapsed. Ironwood, the Council of Vale, the students and even his relationship with Glynda. Everything felt so bloody long-winded. "I'll go first. I want you to turn against Adam and help us wage a PR war against him and the White Fang. It's not just to stop them, but also to stop people mistreating faunus. In exchange, I'll help push any equality laws I can."
"Very good. My desires are much simpler. I want Adam's head on a plate."
"Might be difficult. He's pretty dangerous. Would you accept his charred remains in an urn? Or pictures of his body blown to smithereens?"
Sienna purred. "It is a compromise I would accept."
Adam was working with Salem, so he was going to be a target sooner or later anyway. Blake's psycho ex didn't strike Jaune as the kind of person to move on. Like, ever. "Awesome. It won't be an immediate thing, I'm afraid. We can't exactly march against the White Fang, but we know they'll be coming for us in time. Are you willing to be patient?"
"I'm willing to be whatever it takes so long as that bastard dies."
"Huh. Wow. This is… This is honestly going a lot smoother than I thought it would."
Sienna shrugged. "I'm a reasonable person."
"Terrorism notwithstanding?"
"Aside from that, yes. I have things I want, and I'm willing to do what it takes to get them. I'm also sick of all the bureaucracy that goes into being in charge, so get to the point, talk to me like an equal and I'll talk back."
Holy shit. An actual person who wasn't talking in riddles. It was a miracle.
"What do you intend to do with me?" she asked. "And be honest. Is a cell my destination?"
"It doesn't need to be."
"No bushes!" she snapped. "I'm not here for politics, Jaune Arc."
"Sorry. You've got two options; either a cell or working for us against the White Fang. I've already hired a criminal before, so I can do it again."
"And no one will make a fuss of this?"
"Are you kidding? Everyone will make a fuss. I'm just banking on the fact our reputation is either glorious or terrible, depending on which Kingdom you ask. In Mistral and Vale, we're well-liked enough to get away with it. In Atlas… well, our reputation can't get any lower."
Even then, Ironwood would probably let them get away with it so long as he got his access to Cinder. That was all he wanted. The White Fang were small fry, especially their deposed leader. If he offered to let Winter question her as well, Atlas would probably let it go through.
"You want me as a teacher?"
"I'm not sure I could swing it that far. Blake would go nuts…"
"Blake…" Sienna hissed the name.
Uh-oh. Blake was a traitor to the White Fang, wasn't she? He'd not forgotten about that more than he'd assumed it wouldn't be a big deal for Sienna. After all, Blake couldn't be the only person who'd had second thoughts. There had to be others who had left in the years.
"Will Blake's presence here be a problem?"
"That depends," she said, watching him with sharp eyes. "Do you have feelings for her?"
Jaune stared back.
"What…?"
"Answer the question!"
"No…?"
"Hm." Sienna's eyes hardened. "Do you believe her hair to be like silk?"
He leaned back. "It's… It's okay, I guess. It's nice hair, but I've seen better."
"What do you think of her behind?"
"I don't think it's appropriate for me to comment."
"Hmmm." Sienna leaned forward, all but peering into his eyes, searching for something. "So, hypothetically speaking, if I were to work with you and with her present in Beacon, you would not bother me with your pathetic infatuation onto a girl who is, while attractive, also annoying, indecisive and prone to running away from her problems?"
"I would not…"
Sienna collapsed back into her seat and wiped a hand across her brow. She was all smiles. "Then we'll get along perfectly. Does anyone in Beacon have an unrelenting obsession- I mean, love, for her?"
"Um. No? There was a guy in Mistral, but it was more of a crush." And Sun hadn't been obsessed. Hell, he'd left without a fuss, and while he kept in contact as far as Jaune knew, it wasn't like he stalked her. "Blake is single as far as I'm aware."
"Perfect." Sienna dragged the word out, purring. "A world where I won't be cornered by people begging me to capture Blake. A world where I won't have to deal with hormonal angst from both males and females. Ah, it sounds wonderful."
Angst…?
Wasn't the White Fang a terrorist group? Since when did they bother with crushes and teenage angst? Well, Adam had been kind of obsessive with Blake. No wonder Sienna wanted away from it all.
He still had to decide what he was going to do with her, though. Sienna had agreed a lot faster than he'd thought she would – but maybe being stabbed in the back did that to a person. Plus, her only other option was life in jail. She was just making the obvious choice.
Now, it was his turn. A teacher really was out, at least for now. They could swing it in a few months or a year, but Roman had been an exception. Also, Roman didn't teach. He was a faculty member but not a teacher. No one wanted Roman in charge of children, not even him. The same went for Sienna who, like it or not, was still a terrorist.
Somehow, I don't think she'll accept being the school janitor. We've already got one psychotic medical staff member, so I don't need another. Student counsellor is taken. No one is going to trust Sienna to be a dinner lady.
Some kind of glorified sparring aide wasn't a terrible idea, and Glynda could use someone for demonstrations, but it wouldn't be enough. She needed an official position within Beacon. Something to legally tie her to the academy, and which the Council couldn't influence – or be forced to influence by Ironwood.
"I'll have to leave you to rest while I think up a position for you," he said. "I know it may not be great, but I'll really need to ask you to stay in these rooms. The students might react badly to you roaming the halls."
"Understood. I will co-operate. Have someone fetch me pen and paper and I'll write out some White Fang safehouses you can raid. Adam will be moving them all by now, but you might catch one or two if you're quick."
"That's generous of you." It would go a long way to proving her sincerity; something she obviously realised. "I'll have Doctor Oobleck deliver some and corroborate with you. He'll also bring some food and drink, and you're free to watch TV, use the restroom or anything else. It's not our intent to keep you as a prisoner so long as you help us."
"I already said I would. The White Fang has turned on me. Me! Under Adam's leadership, they'll be driven to ruin, or another faunus war. That was not a part of my plan and I will feel no guilt in tearing down any attempts to make it happen." She waved a hand. "You may lock me inside if you wish. I won't make a fuss of it."
Again, it wasn't like she was in a position to anyway, but he appreciated the gesture. He stepped out and electronically sealed the doors, then texted a message to Bart to meet with her for information sharing. The reply he received promised Bart would as soon as lessons ended. Out of everyone on the staff, he was the least likely to be bothered talking with a terrorist.
Other than Roman, but he had other plans there.
As always, he found Roman in the staffroom, three glasses into some red wine and with Neo passed out with a bottle in hand, drooling from the corner of her mouth and with both legs over the back of a sofa. The Nevermore was pecking at her bootlaces, playing with them as if they were worms.
Jaune walked in, pushed Neo's legs aside and sat down. He ignored the way she pushed her head into his lap and sighed when, without waking up, she reached over and pulled his hands onto her hair. He stroked her head softly, watching Roman drink himself into oblivion. He checked his scroll with his other hand.
"It's not even noon."
"I know," Roman slurred. "Getting started early."
"I expect this of Qrow. Not you. What happened?"
"Visited Cinder."
"Roman…" Jaune sighed. He thought to say he'd warned Roman against that, but it was a pointless gesture. Roman was a crook. Disobeying orders was what he did. "I'm assuming it didn't go to plan. What did she do? It's not like her threatening to kill you should upset you like this, seeing as how she tried to do so when Beacon was attacked."
"Oh, it's not that. I'm just pissed at what a whiny bitch she's being and drinking to forget I was ever afraid of her." Roman toasted him with a glass but didn't offer him one. Rude. "Just feel like a loser for ever having let her have power over me."
"Easy to say that now, when she's all but helpless…"
"Heh. True. So, what's the problem? You wouldn't be seeking me out if you didn't need me for something. Don't tell me Oscar's gotten himself into trouble with the girls already."
"Not quite." He hesitated. "At least to my knowledge. It's Sienna."
"Not co-operating?"
"The opposite, actually. Co-operating a lot. Maybe even too much."
"Eh. We'll keep an eye on her, but it's not unusual." Roman sipped a little more wine. "You see it all the time in the underworld. One guy gets captured, instantly welches to the police and then becomes a double agent for a shorter sentence. Honestly, I'd say three people out of four would do it. Loyalty is rare, and overrated."
Maybe Roman was right. The two of them had certainly turned on Cinder fast enough, though no one in the room had ever really been loyal to her in the first place. Sienna might have been the same, or just burned by Adam and itching for revenge. Either way, she'd need watching.
"I also need a position for her in Beacon."
"Teacher?"
"You know I can't do that. People would go nuts. And no to janitor. It also has to be something that keeps her in Beacon. I don't want her slipping into Vale if possible."
"Something to do with faunus? Helping them settle in…?"
"I don't think aligning a confirmed terrorist with faunus students is a good idea."
"Good point."
Roman tipped the glass toward him. If he did that, those already hating the faunus would see it as confirmation of their fears. Sienna was guilty. No one was arguing that. He didn't want to assign that guilt to a part of the student body.
"Looks like your only option is upper management, then," Roman said. "Something away from the kiddies. Unless… well, there is one option. Something that would let you keep an eye on her, shorten your workload and let you test how loyal she is."
Jaune cringed. He could tell from the fact Roman listed out the good qualities first that this idea was going to be something he really, really wasn't going to like. "And that is…?"
"Personal assistant to Beacon's headmaster."
Yep. That sounded awful. "Isn't that Glynda's role?"
"Ha. No. That's extra work she's been forced to pick up because no one knows how to do anything. Her role is Deputy, which means she runs the school alongside you. If anything, she should be happy to have some of that work taken off her plate. Personal assistant means she helps streamline your workload. Files the important and unimportant documents, takes calls for you, arranges things on your behalf and the like."
"I have Blake doing that already."
"Only when she has detention."
"True." And the work was piling up. "But you realise this is going to mean she and Blake have to work together on the days she does have detention."
"Yep."
"Do you like driving Blake insane or something…?"
Roman grinned. "Yep."
"This is a bad idea, Roman."
"Course it is, kid, but then, when have you ever done well with good ideas?"
A disturbingly fair point. He wasn't sure there was a good idea that existed within the last three years of his life. Even the things he'd done well, like foiling Cinder and saving Pyrrha, had been good `intentions` but handled in stupid-ass ways. The battleship laying wrecked at the base of Beacon was evidence of that. Jaune sighed.
"I'll get a contract made up."
Sienna just happy to be finally done with everyone whining about Blake. As a bonus, in the defence of Beacon in the case of attack, you even get to try and kill those people.
"Give me the contract. Now!"
Omake:
"Adam, we have a problem!"
Adam's head shot up, eyes wide as Ilia burst through the door and slammed back against it, bracing both arms against the sides as the door bulged inward. She looked terrified and was covered in little cuts across her face, shoulders and arms.
"What is it? Some new Grimm? An enemy using the smallest knives imaginable?"
"Worse! We miscalculated. Sienna did more for the White Fang than we knew. There's – There's no one to do it anymore."
"Do what, Ilia? Damn it! We've already trained the new initiates and dispatched wanted posters of Blake across the White Fang." He paused. "Did you send out both types of poster?"
"Yes! Both the ones of her face and her behind."
"Good. If they're not looking at her face, they'll be looking at the Bellabooty. What else is there to do? Sienna spent all her time locked up in here doing nothing. The only thing I know is that she drank about a crate of coffee every day and two litres of ink."
Adam glared at the bottles of ink he'd ordered, some of which filled a mug nearby. The ink tasted terrible. He wasn't sure what to do with it.
Another loud bang came from the door. It shook again, Ilia stumbling forward and, for a moment, letting go. She gasped, eyes growing wide as she slammed back again, shutting the door as it threatened to open and let the enemy outside in.
It was time. Adam stood, reached for his sword and drew it.
"Let it in, Ilia."
"A-Adam, are you mad!? We'll never survive."
"The White Fang fears nothing." He steadied himself. "Let. It. In."
Ilia met his eyes for a moment and nodded, whispering a silent prayer as she leapt forward and out the way. The door, already stretched to the point of breaking, swung inward. Following it, a wave of pure evil that streamed in as white as snow.
The paperwork had grown without Sienna to handle it.
"The White Fang stands eternal!" Adam howled, swinging his sword down.
Outside, masked faunus screamed and ran for their lives, chased by an avalanche of documentation. Those left to fight it were weakened, lacking either in dust, weaponry, ammunition or even food. No one was quite sure where it had all gone, only that for some reason the scheduled deliveries of supplies hadn't arrived.
No one knew who to ask. It was usually Sienna who handled it.
The window to her office exploded and white poured out. Adam and Ilia were trapped among it, the former howling with rage and swinging his sword, the latter screaming about papercuts. Like a water balloon about to burst, windows across the building expanded outward. One plucky grunt realised what was about to happen.
"Evacuate!"
/-/
The Beacon Bullhead touched down on a field of paper. Oobleck stepped out, followed by the four members of Team RVNN, who lowered their weapons as they took in the obvious ghost town. A few sheets of paper fluttered ominously by, one slapping against Ren's face.
"They've already abandoned this base as well," Oobleck said. "The White Fang moves quickly. They must have realised we'd be interrogating Sienna." He cursed. "They're always one step ahead. How are we supposed to find them now?"
"Well, we could use this," Ren said, peeling the sheet of paper off his face. "It literally says where they're transporting weapons from."
Velvet caught another out of the air. "This one has details of troops and where they're stationed."
"Food here," Nora said.
"This…" Pyrrha sighed. "This is a picture of Blake's ass."
Ren raised an eyebrow. "You can tell just from the picture?"
"Ahem." Pyrrha, red-faced, folded the picture up and put it in her pocket. "So, are we going to crash any of these places, Doctor Oobleck?"
"Of course. Let's go."
/-/
The Beacon Bullhead touched down on a field of paper. Oobleck stepped out, followed by the four members of Team RVNN, who lowered their weapons as they took in the obvious ghost town. A few sheets of paper fluttered ominously by, one slapping against Ren's face.
Oobleck sighed.
"They're always one step ahead of us…"
It's a cascade of paperwork disasters. There's a little reference to David Mitchell's "Identity Killer" skit at the end there. If you somehow haven't seen them, check youtube, but I'm fairly sure everyone has seen "Are we the baddies" and the other ones.
Next Chapter: 22nd August (Two weeks from now)
P a treon . com (slash) Coeur