Chapter 5: Alone In The World
"I'm alone in the world, a husk fading petty and destined..."
"I thought you wanted to be friends. What happened to people being more than what they are?"
Nex ghosted through the gates of Atlas Primary. Yellow rays splashed his face, the warmth seeping into his nose. The northern kingdom of Remnant radiated cold, but that did not mean it remained in perpetual ice. His brain could wax some more lyrical poetry about it, if not for the hand that pressed on his shoulder.
Qrow Branwen ruffled his hair, the huntsman standing right beside him. "School's out early?"
"Nope," Nex said, stopping on a red light. He had to wait for it to flash green. Unless he wanted to turn into paste. "We have Study Hall for the entire afternoon. Fourth years get a lot of free time."
He used that free time to train or to do less than reputable jobs before he showed up at the Huntsman's Respite. But apparently, Weiss used hers to study in the library. Alone. Alone in the world while he drifted around a block, burying himself in his thoughts. Something crawled into his chest and committed self-murder.
"And you're not using that time to score some?" Qrow said, smirking as they crossed the pedestrian lane. "Tsk. I thought you were cool."
Nex shrugged, dislodging the hand from his shoulder. "I don't see the metaphor. What does scoring have to do with Study Hall?"
Minus the intended goal, anyway.
Qrow's entire body sagged. "I give up. You're hopeless, kid."
He got one thing right.
Nex traced the sidewalk, circling around a building. He journeyed into neverland, his eyes rolling to the back of his lids. His breath came out as puffs of white mist.
Qrow followed him, taking infrequent sips from his flask. The busy crowds parted around them. Trifling with huntsmen on the streets of Atlas was unwise, especially since the birdbrain appeared to be drinking in broad daylight.
"Why are you even here, anyway?" Nex said. "I thought you were going on a secret mission."
Qrow deposited his flask into his back-pocket. "Schedule's been moved down. Military's dealing with the literal shitstorm yesterday."
Nex hummed, moving past a particular lamppost for the third time.
The birdbrain gave it a pointed stare.
"Something's bothering you," Qrow said. "You don't just circle around a barbecue place for no reason. And you haven't even called me birdbrain yet."
How astute of him. Give the huntsman a medal for noticing the little details while drunk. Unfortunately, he did not have one of those. They cost a lot of lien—a resource he could not afford to spend on a whim.
"I think I messed up," Nex said. "I need a drink, birdbrain."
Qrow smirked, his hand reaching into his pocket. "And there it is. I've got the drink covered. What's troubling the broody kid?"
Really? Nope. He would not turn into Qrow—a huntsman drinking in the middle of the day. And he had standards. Low ones, admittedly. But not low enough to resort to alcohol abuse.
"I'll pass on the drink," Nex said. "It's a troublesome woman."
Qrow grinned, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. The taller man steered him through the crowd, pressing him against his abdomen. "I take back everything I said. You're back to being the cool kid. Tell me about this girl."
Nex frowned.
Who was Weiss Schnee?
The answer seemed obvious. She was the heiress of the Schnee Dust Company—a mega corporation well-known for their less than reputable workforce and questionable business policies. She was a world-renowned singer—a classical musician who performed on glamorous stages all over the world. She was his lab partner—a smart and talented student, responsible and a stickler for rules.
Evidently, Weiss possessed every trait he lacked.
"She's my lab partner," Nex said. "A she-devil who's trying to push the school's stupid rules over me."
Qrow chuckled, the huntsman's arm unwrapping from his shoulder. "Sounds rough. I know the type myself. You think she's pretty?"
It was irrelevant. Pretty or no, Weiss would still be Weiss. That is, a she-devil who took away what little sleep he could get and pushed him to study and follow the rules.
"I don't care if she's pretty or not," Nex said. "She just won't leave me alone."
And that was the crux of the issue. The reason behind the storm in his gut.
Qrow reached into his pocket and pulled out his flask, taking a swig. "Kid. That's rare. Both ways, huh?"
"What?" Nex said. The huntsman spoke nonsense—a far cry from his words at the memorial.
"I'm saying," Qrow said, shoving his flask back into his pocket. "What you've found is sodding rare. You do talk to her, right?"
Nex chuckled, rolling his eyes at the crowd. "Yep. And I think that's where I messed up."
A two-pronged mess, even. First at the lockers, second in the mess hall. Curse his acerbic tongue.
Qrow smiled and tapped his cheek with a ringed finger. The ring bore the glimmer of gold, engravings carved into its well-polished surface. "Then go fix it. Talk to her. You're not getting cold feet, are you?"
Nex sighed, stopping at the same red light where their conversation began. "I don't think I can fix this one."
Weiss was not one of his machines or his weapons, or even his semblance or fighting style. He could not simply replace or tinker with her parts to suit his needs.
"You think you can't," Qrow said. "But it doesn't hurt to try, does it?"
Admittedly, Qrow spoke the truth. If he stopped trying, then nothing would ever change. The world hammered that nail into him, but Qrow reminded him of its existence.
"Alright," Nex said, peering at the cold walls of Atlas Primary. He took a deep breath, wounding his tongue over the bite of chill. "I'll go talk to her. But you owe me a steak if it doesn't work out."
Qrow hummed, smiling as the light turned orange. "I get the feeling you'll work out. What's her name again?"
"Weiss," Nex said. "Weiss Schnee."
"Oh," Qrow said, mouth gaping into a small circle. The huntsman's eyes were fixed on his extra pair of ears. "Well, that just means she's extra challenging. Want me to ask her sister for tips? Hell, I'm pretty sure I can get the ice queen to talk to you personally."
Nex shook his head, waving at the huntsman as he crossed the street. "Nope. Don't need either. Bye."
"Cheeky kid," Qrow muttered behind him. The huntsman sighed. "Dense as a rock too."
Nex flitted through the gates of the school. The sparse students stepped out of his way. He tuned them out as he always did. His feet padded towards the one place he only ever visited once—the library. He stood before the stained doors, his scroll hovering over the terminal. The one-way glass revealed nothing. The scroll in his hand flickered, waiting for its owner to grow a pair of balls and open the double doors.
Nex sighed. In for a penny...
The glass slid open. Cool air stroked his face, followed by the scent of crisp books. He stepped into the library, glancing at the rows upon columns of long tables. The staff behind the counters stared at him. No doubt his presence surprised the attendants. Understandable, considering that he was even surprising himself.
A head of platinum white peeked out of a corner, surrounded by tables upon tables of other students—boys and girls who were not studying at all. They snickered at her back, pointing as they whispered hushed words among themselves. Words too faint for his extra pair of ears.
Weiss sat at a long table with eight chairs. Mountains of books conquered the desk, waging a war against paper on wood. She sighed, cupping her forehead with her right hand and scribbling something with her left. Her eyes squinted at her notebook, her pen dancing on a page. She soldiered on with her undoubtedly self-appointed task.
Nex pulled up the seat across her, ignoring the sudden silence that drowned the pointless chatter. "Hey, Weiss."
Weiss looked up from her notebook. Her shoulders stiffened, her right hand slamming into wood. "Nex? What are you doing here?"
Admittedly, he wanted to ask that question as well. But that would have been asinine—talking to himself would lead to a condition some called insanity.
Nex sat on the wooden chair, glancing at the loose pieces of paper. "The Battle of Fort Castle? That's the one where a human general lost to the faunus, right?"
Weiss nodded, raising an eyebrow. "Yes. General Lagune lost because he ambushed the faunus at the stroke of midnight, unaware that faunus have natural night vision. You know?"
Nex shrugged, leafing through the stack of papers. Meticulous handwriting reminiscent of his own covered the sheets of white. "Of course I do. Come on, Weiss. There's a reason why I'm still in this school."
As well as a reason why he worked with two of the best criminals in the underworld. And believe it or not, he did read books. Treatises on underhanded politics and history Mekel kept under the counter, their purpose being to pass the hours of the graveyard shift. He read them liberally, engaging his semblance. It produced more efficient results than just simple light reading.
"I see. Then why are you here?" Weiss said, fixing him a blue-eyed stare. "You don't have to do what I say. You're not my personal slave or whatever it is you said earlier."
"Nope," Nex said, smiling at the unknown. "I'm doing this out of my own free will. I made you a promise, right?"
Weiss growled, her pen screeching to a halt. "Don't play games with me, Shade. What are you really after?"
Nex sighed. Fuckity fuck.
This woman. Troublesome did not begin to describe her. She wanted him to study with her in the library. Now that he was here, she assumed he intended to play games with her.
Ugh.
His brain spat out Qrow's words.
Screw it. He might as well try.
"Look, I'm sorry for earlier," Nex said. "I'm just uncomfortable with being trapped by rules I don't want to follow."
Weiss nodded, her eyebrows furrowing. "Apology accepted. You still haven't answered why you're here, Nex."
"I want to be friends, Weiss," Nex said. "I want to study with you. Eat lunch with you. Please don't make me continue this speech."
In hindsight, he could have said something worse.
Fire swam into his cheeks.
Foolishness.
Utter foolishness.
Her eyes snapped towards his, shards of ice boring holes into his skull.
Weiss pursed her lips. Her pen tapped her notebook, never really writing anything. Tap, tap, and tap. She seemed to be searching for something. And that something was apparently hidden within the depths of his golden eyes.
"I'm sorry as well," Weiss said, breathing a soft sigh. "I'm sorry for forcing you to change. I can tell how important your identity is to you."
Nex shrugged. "It's fine, I guess. But where does this leave us?"
A million-lien question.
He definitely needed to hear the answer, or else his trip into the library would turn out be a waste. The grandfather clock in the background ticked. Tick-tack. One. Two. And three. The three seconds turned into three minutes, neither of them really doing anything. Frozen in time, his brain supplied, just in case he was in the mood to recite some poetic prose. At the end of it all, he wanted to slump into the table and take a nap. But then that would defeat his purpose in coming here.
"We're friends then," Weiss finally said, flashing him a brilliant smile. "And lab partners. Do you want your hood back?"
She tapped the folded fabric, nudging it towards him.
Nex shook his head, matching her smile. "Nope. Keep it. What do you want us to study?"
Might as well. Nothing to lose, right?
"You are serious about this," Weiss said, grinning as she glanced at his hood. "Very well then. Let's start with the Mantle Frequency..."