Chapter 6: Terrible Things

"Too young to notice and too dumb to care. Love was a story that couldn't compare..."

"For this year's dustival..."

Nex cringed at the professor's pun. Half the class did the same. He promptly attempted to fuse his face with his arms. A hard shoe slid against his calf—a gentle reminder that this final discussion was, in fact, of utmost importance.

Weiss sat beside him, back painfully straight and hands perfectly flat on their shared desk.

He would have believed that the professor had one-hundred and ten percent of her attention, if not for the fact that she kept one frosty eye trained on him. At all times and no exceptions. If he so much as yawned or closed his eyes, the she-devil would accidentally raise her foot and shake her head. Almost imperceptible to anyone but him. But then again, no one else had her for a partner in Dust Practical.

He eventually learned to read her tells over the long, long weeks they spent attached to each other. Much to his chagrin. He had to. His aura, while definitely way above hers, could only shield him so much from her fearsome flats.

"Signal Academy of Vale has agreed to host—"

He could not care less. Between the two of them, Weiss had the caring part covered.

Was Mekel right? Was it too late to quit school and travel Remnant as a bard, singing songs to people and awing them into silence? It was definitely safer for his legs.

"To that end, I would like to congratulate—"

Signal Academy. The name seemed familiar. Wait, Signal was the school where—

"Weiss Schnee and Nexus Shade for being chosen as this year's representatives. The pair will present a—"

Qrow Branwen taught at Signal.

He dropped all possible excuses as to why he could not attend. Qrow would have clucked and called him a chicken if he called in sick. Well, he never attended one of these festivals before. Atlas Primary only required attendance from graduating fourth years. It was a prime opportunity to network with staff and student from the other schools. He had extenuating circumstances, reasons why he did not want to attend. But extenuating circumstances be damned if he was going to be clucked at by a drunk birdbrain.

There was absolutely no way that was going to happen.

Nope.

Not now.

Not in the future.

"Waivers will be handed out, to be signed by your parents—"

Parents. Could he buy one of those?

Nex half-groaned, stopping when his partner shot him a sideways glance.

"Those whose parents could not sign due to valid circumstances are allowed to have the forms signed by an interim guardian. It will be your prerogative—"

A guardian. Shoot his brains out. What guardian? Did a wanted thief, an irresponsible drunk, or a tight-lipped ice queen count?

He was scraping the dirt outside the barrel here, listing off all the adults he knew. Gods forbid. There was also Mekel. Would his boss even let him go to another continent? Would Mekel even sign the waiver if he asked him to?

"Once again, I would like to congratulate Miss Schnee and Mr Shade, and kindly remind them that Atlas Primary is relying on their innovative minds to represent our school in this year's Sanus Festival. And to the rest of you—good luck with your projects. Dismissed."

Congratulate—what?

Weiss glowed, her skin exuding radiance only possible in those cheesy face-wash commercials. There was no way she really was smiling at his direction.

Fat chance.

Evidently, Weiss thought so as well. She smoothed her pale features, but she could not completely remove the smile from her face.

"We'll have to get to work immediately," Weiss said. "Nex! We have to work on it immediately!"

He got that the first time. What it was remained a mystery. Dare he even ask?

"What exactly do you mean?" Nex said, raising an eyebrow.

His partner's Weiss-bubble exploded.

Weiss scowled. "You weren't listening, were you?"

"I was listening," Nex said, nodding to himself. Yep. It was true. He just so happened to miss all the important bits. Time for a nice save. "But I wanted to know your thoughts. What do you have in mind?"

Weiss cupped her chin with one hand, waving at the double doors with the other. "Let's discuss this somewhere else. Professor Rust wouldn't want us to overstay in the lab."

Evidently, the nice save worked.

One point for Nexus Shade.

Probably a billion for Weiss Schnee.

Nex held the glass open, smiling when his partner practically skipped out of the lab. "Sure. The room's getting stuffy anyway."

Weiss stopped in front of her locker, retrieving her weapon and her scroll. An entire line of students removed themselves from the block.

Nex stood by her side, wolf ears drooping as he opened his own locker. Hrunting and Vigilance leaned against the back of the box, joined in eternal matrimony. There was something poetic about this—some lyrical prose his brain could wax—but he really had something else to do now.

He grabbed his weapon. A sharp, whistling sound slammed into his ears. His semblance screamed, lines of data surging though his brain. Extrapolating in a millisecond. He stepped a little bit to the left.

A fist smashed into the locker.

Ouch.

"That must have hurt," Nex said, glancing at the burly student. The one who just crashed his hand into the titanium locker. "Are you okay?"

"What the fuck, Weiss?!" the boy said.

Evidently, the person who almost had their head caved in was Weiss Schnee. His partner spun to look at their fellow student. Her eyes narrowed, replaced by a turbulent storm.

"Why are you with—with him of all people?" the burly student continued, his voice soaring to heights only a teenaged boy could reach. "He's a, he's a—"

Nothing new there.

Nex smiled, nodding as he shut his locker, his weapon safely retrieved. "Breathe, man. Breathe. I know it's hard to say what we want to say sometimes, but if you look for courage in the deepest recesses of your heart—"

"Shut the fuck up," the boy said, fixing him a glare. "You filthy faunus!"

A meaty fist, swinging towards his eyes.

Nex twisted on his heel. The world froze, fading into grey like wine swirling in a half-empty glass.

The fist grazed his hair.

The passive manifestation of his semblance was always a godsend. If his partner's fastest lunge could not hit him, then there was no way a brawler could.

Not with such a telegraphed blow.

"Rude," Nex said, smiling as another punch missed his body by inches. "Weiss, a little help?"

It was possible this student was a paid actor. Paid to incite violence, at least. There was a limit to how much combat was tolerated in the halls of Atlas Primary. He wanted to test that limit, preferably by sending the racist to the hospital, but it was highly probable that doing so would erase his chances of showing up the drunk birdbrain. Revenge in the present or revenge in the future? It was hardly a difficult choice to make. The wait would make it more satisfying.

A black glyph tinkled into existence.

The boy's body stiffened, his eyes wide on his pudgy face.

Nex slouched against the locker, quirking his eyebrows at the spectators. He must have done something right, as they turned a blind eye on his partner while she paralyzed another student.

Huh.

School was starting to feel more like his hometown. All that was missing were some cheap prostitutes, a bowl of tuna, and a pair of Atlesian leather boots.

"Harold Silverstein," Weiss said. "Leave my partner alone."

"What will your father do once he hears about this, Weiss?" Hard-on Silverstain said. "He won't agree with your choice of friend."

That emphasis on the singular was definitely being a bit on the nose.

Nex could have closed his eyes on that one, shrugged, and walked away.

But his lab partner?

Certainly not.

Weiss scowled, her glare nose-diving into subzero temperatures. "Don't call me by my first name. We are neither friends nor acquaintances, Mr Silverstein."

"You can't do this to me! I'm the headmaster's son!" Hard-on said, snarling as he squirmed against the glyph. The one spinning on his chest. "Let me go!"

"You may be the headmaster's son. But I'm the heiress of the SDC," Weiss said, smirking as she lifted her chin. "But very well. As you desire, Mr Silverstein."

The pudgy boy flew like a bird, cutting a swath towards the very hard and very solid ceiling.

Thud.

The other students winced, most of them collectively laughing.

Weiss grabbed his arm and dragged him through the crowded hallway. Her white fringe almost managed to hide the scathing look on her face.

"Let's go," Weiss murmured. "We have a lot to discuss."

Her hand moulded around his arm, her palm dotted only by a few callouses.

Nex shook his head. Going with the flow and all. Sliding through the lines of students was better than walking. That was his story. He was sticking to it. Come hell or high water. Or a snowball in Vacuo. Definitely one of those, judging from how her nails bit into his skin.

They slipped out of the main building, the glass doors sliding shut.

Weiss released his arm. "We should go to the library and draft a plan."

"The library?" Nex said, glancing at the school gate just beyond the statue. Admittedly, they hung out in the library a lot. But a change in scenery would be nice. "Wouldn't you rather go to a coffee shop instead? We don't have any more classes for the day."

Weiss nodded, flashing him a smile. "You come up with the best ideas, Nex. Let's go then."

Strokes of orange burned the Atlesian skyline, bathing the jungle outside with a familiar light.

Nex sat against the glass, coffee-crusted mugs and pens and paper strewn across their table.

The polished, brown wood of the Coffee Table smelled like something in-between yes, I'm this rich and I sold my left kidney to sit here. There was absolutely no way he would have entered such an establishment of four years ago. No matter how much Roman insisted that being a seven-digit, underage thief was useless if he did not spend his cash on anything. It was pointless. Sitting alone in a dumb, fancy cafe when he could have made himself better coffee at home for a cheaper price.

But looking at the woman sat across him, typing something into her scroll, maybe, just maybe, there was a point to it after all.

Nex smiled, leaning back into the softest chair ever. The way it bounced back was the way life was. People bounced back, even if life tended to lean into them from time to time. His brain melted into mush, evaporating into the toasty, caffeinated air. It strolled into his nostrils. The warmth of his mother's embrace, whispering words. It was going to be alright. The future would turn out to be okay. He had a future. The same as every other person in the world.

"Is there something on my face?" Weiss said, looking up from her scroll. "You've been smiling and staring at me for quite a while."

He wanted to say the croissant she just ate was stuck to her face, but it would have been a blatant lie.

"Nothing," Nex said, breathing a sigh. "Just thinking about life."

"Life?" Weiss said, pink creeping up her neck. "Do you always daydream about such things while looking at other people?"

Nex shrugged, pushing his scroll towards her. His fingers never remained idle while there was work to be done. "Just now, I think. Anyways, we have a problem."

Weiss glared at the 3D blueprint of their robot, scrutinizing every detail. She wanted something that could represent Atlas and win, while he had the know-how on the Atlesian mechs—programming, mechanisms, and all. He had a broken mech and Roman's data to thank for that. Not that the master criminal would be proud he was using his talents for a school project, instead of something grander like a time heist.

There were drastic alterations to the design, of course. Things that made the robot more efficient, practical, and definitely cuter. Once his partner saw the logic behind his hastily sketched design, she was all too happy to stop questioning how he knew what he knew and instead turned her energies into making their project a reality.

"I don't see anything wrong," Weiss said, grinning as her eyes widened. "It's perfect. This is amazing. Wonderful. We'll have the best presentation for sure."

Nex nodded, offering her a smile. "I do my best. But the problem has more to do with me. I don't think I have anyone to sign my waiver."

"Where are your parents?" Weiss said, frowning. "Don't you have anyone staying with you?"

Gee, Weiss. Score one for sensitivity.

But there was no point in clawing open his own scars.

Nex shrugged. "My mom died when I was seven. I never knew my dad, and no one really noticed a single kid in the crowd. So, nope. No one's living with me. I kinda grew up alone."

Weiss gasped like someone lifted her up by the throat and repeatedly jabbed their fist into her stomach. "That's—I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked."

Nex smiled. The topic never really came up before. "It's fine. You didn't know."

"It's not fine!" Weiss said. A few customers in the shop turned their heads. She flushed, coughing as she cleared her throat. "Why didn't anyone take care of you? There's a system for this in Atlas."

"It doesn't matter," Nex said, stifling a sigh. "The system doesn't really work, does it?"

If it did, then there would be less hungry orphans, less Roman Torchwicks on the streets, and less separation between people from different walks of life. But the world could never be as clear-cut as she perceived it.

Weiss saw the world in silence and in black and white. In reality, it was in shades of grey and in conflicting colours. But their minds were wired too differently. There was no point in trying to convince her—as she was right now.

"I disagree," Weiss said, her lips pulled into a flat line. As expected. "But there has to be some way you can get your waiver signed. In a completely legal manner, mind you."

His partner stopped him before he could even suggest forging someone's signature. Truly, she was the gift that kept on giving.

Did they do refunds at the gift shop?

Weiss pinched the bridge of her nose. "There's no way that I'm going to Vale without my partner. The festival needs a pair. How about an interim guardian?"

"I know a few people," Nex said. "I'll have to do some Hrunting."

Weiss arched an eyebrow. It was definitely lost on her. "Hrunting?"

Nex shrugged. Fuck the puns then. Just one last time. "What can I say? You need Vigilance to get it."