Chapter 7: Black Winter Night
"Rays of sunlight now are gone, only visions of ice will remain..."
To be fair, he expected the familiar faces. He certainly expected Neo to port in for a free strawberry sunrise. He even expected Mekel to be absent on a long vacation somewhere in Menagerie, which was admittedly inconvenient. But he certainly did not expect the ice queen herself to slip through the sliding doors.
The ice queen dressed like she always did. All white with black accents. She skirted past the pile of sweaty bodies, wading through the strobing neon lights and passing by the couches and the hardwood tables.
She paused at the counter, sitting on a stool as she tapped the glass, probably waiting for him to stop in front of her. It was a sluggish hour, with most of the customers inebriated enough for conversation to flow like the wine.
Nex already cut most of them off, and no one else passed through the sliding doors for quite some time.
"Here for a drink?" Nex said. The ice queen's usual companion was missing. "Qrow's not around, is he?"
There would be little conversation from her. Without Qrow, at least. But he had been wrong before.
What was her name again?
White? Whitley? Winter?
Yep. Winter. That was the name.
"No, he's not here. I'm here on my own business," Winter said, her blue eyes peering through her side-fringe. "I'll have some red wine."
"House wine?" Nex said, wiping the counter with a rag. "Or do you want a bottle of something specific?"
Winter stared at the cabinet behind him. It displayed bottles of exotic wine and brandy that Mekel had obsessively gathered from all over Remnant. His boss instructed him to serve them if someone asked. In Mekel's own words, there was no point in alcohol if no one was going to drink it.
Nex had to agree, despite being an infrequent and irregular drinker himself. He only ever drank if someone offered, and nobody was lining up to offer him a drink.
"I'll have a bottle of the Mistralian Nightshade," Winter said. "Chilled to the right temperature of course."
Nex placed the bottle of fine wine on the glass.
It was pitch-black, revealing nothing about its contents. A gold-encrusted label betrayed that it was indeed the Mistralian Nightshade. Right now, the bottle was exactly at room temperature.
Nex raised one hand while fingering some ice dust with the other. Specks of frost snaked around the bottle. There was no need to rush. Slow and the steady was the way to go. His semblance engaged, predicting the right amount of dust and aura needed to chill the wine to the perfect temperature.
When he was done, he popped open the airtight cork, pouring his customer a flute with a practiced flourish. Mekel was insistent his bartenders knew how to serve the rich and the stuck-up.
Etiquette 101. It had its uses from time to time. Certainly more useful than Thievery 101.
"Hm. Exactly the right temperature. An interesting trick," Winter said, brushing the flute with a polished nail. "I assume that not every bartender is a dust mage?"
Nex shrugged. "I learned the basics. It's handy on the job."
"Nothing about that was basic," Winter said, shooting him a look. "Others would need either a machine or a mountain of luck to replicate what you just did. I should know. I'm a dust mage myself."
Nex smiled, wiping another mug. Probably the forty-seventh. "Then I guess I'm just lucky."
There was nothing lucky about him. His semblance was the antithesis of lucking out, but there was no need to tell anyone. Keep his secrets, should he ever need to face them in battle. Only a fool would reveal everything.
Winter Schnee was an Atlesian specialist. She was unlikely to fall for the gimmick that allowed him to trounce her younger sister. He would need every little advantage to come out on top of that fight, maybe even reveal Hrunting and Vigilance's true form.
He had to.
He still hated losing.
And his brain still considered the aversion irrational.
"Lucky enough to be partnered with my sister as well?" Winter said, arching an eyebrow. "Atlesians flaunt their prowess, their accomplishments, their status. Even their associates. But not you."
Nex shrugged. Pointless politicking. "Nope. Don't see the point. Weiss is your sister?"
Winter nodded, her lips curling into a secretive smile. But she probably had nothing to hide on that front. "Indeed. This merits a formal introduction. My name is Winter Schnee. A pleasure."
Nex smiled at the stiff, rehearsed greeting. "And that's where she gets it from. I'm Nex. Nexus Shade, but you can call me Nex like everybody else. It's nice to meet you."
Nex poured the bottle into her flute—the only one of its kind.
His scroll beeped, the golden numbers nearing midnight.
Most of the regulars already left, with some of them collapsed on the couches. They would wake up after a few minutes of nursing their addled, wilting brains. Aura worked wonders for expelling alcohol from a huntsman's system, Mekel always said.
Debatable, considering that the ice queen's ears were already scarlet.
No surprise there.
Nex shrugged, busying himself with cleaning the bar. He had to stay here until morning. Man the club alone and make sure no one got the bright idea of robbing it. They had a tacit agreement that if Mekel went on one of his vacations, then Nexus Shade would take care of the Huntsman's Respite.
There was no way he would be able to open shop with the upcoming festival, so he would put up an on-vacation sign as soon as dawn came. It would entail missing at least a week's worth of business. But he could recoup the missed lien with his cut from Roman, taking the equivalent amount of liquor from the bar's stock. If he did not, then someone was bound to wonder where the money came from.
It was probably unorthodox and shifty.
But from the perspective of net loss and gain, it would be as if the Huntsman's Respite did not close at all. Mekel was familiar with his methods. Even tried to induct him into a gang once. That turned out to be quite the night.
"Do you want a drink?" Winter said, smiling as she shot him a look. "It gets lonely savoring fine wine by myself."
Says the red-faced huntress, holding a half-empty flute with one hand.
"Shouldn't I be the one saying that?" Nex said, rolling his eyes. "I don't think I'm allowed to drink the wine of our guests."
But still, said guest was the only one left in the club.
Should he agree?
On one hand, people did say fine wine was quite the experience. Mekel said it was acquired taste, and an 8-lien wine in the supermarket was different from your 2000-lien Mistralian Nightshade. On the other hand, this woman was his partner's older sister.
Perhaps he should consult Weiss first before saying yes.
Two clouds of smoke poofed into existence, plopping down on his shoulders.
The Weiss-angel on his right shook her cute little head, whispering that it was inappropriate, especially since he was a minor. The devil-Nex on his left grinned, hollering that life was an intellectual experience, and people should take the chance to examine it from every perspective. The aviators over his tiny, golden eyes and his twitching wolf ears were especially convincing. It was hardly a difficult choice to make.
"Well, are you sure?" Nex said, offering her a smile. "I'm biologically sixteen. Aren't you the strict military type or something?"
Winter scoffed. "If I was unsure, I wouldn't have offered. Besides, you're training to be a professional huntsman, correct?"
"Yep. I've always wanted to be a huntsman," Nex said, rubbing the sleeve of his coat. "You could say that I was inspired by a certain someone."
That someone being Amariss. Bless her soul. She was a strong huntress and an even stronger mom. His biological father missed out on something when he ran away from her life. But he would not have turned out the way he did if the man grew a pair and stayed. Maybe he did have to thank the man if he ever showed up. Thank him with a knee to the balls, at least.
"Then if you're old enough to kill Grimm and shoot people with lasers," Winter said. "You're old enough to drink. Find a glass and let's get started."
Most of the Friday night passed away in a blur.
There were flashes of putting down the titanium walls of the establishment, replacing the neon lights with fluorescent ones and turning on the heater.
But there were certainly those questions. Crystal clear, even. Oh, his partner's older sister had a lot of those. Innocent questions about his hometown, up to the personal ones like his sword and to the downright bizarre ones like the girls at school.
One bottle of wine turned to two, and two bottles of wine turned into a dozen mugs of beer. Aura was amazing, and there was no longer question as to why civilians refrained from drinking with huntsmen. Even going as far as to have separate clubs in the jungle of Atlas.
"You mentioned that you were inspired by someone," Winter said. "To be a huntsman. Who did?"
Nex hung his head, that last gulp of alcohol still burning his throat. "My mom. Amariss Shade. She's a huntress from Beacon."
"She seems familiar," Winter said, chugging down another mug of draft. "Did she ever mention someone named Willow?"
"The tree? I don't think so," Nex said, prodding his mug. The cold poked his finger. "She was more into stories about birds and seasons and magic."
Winter placed her mug on the counter. "Willow's my mom. She was a huntress back in the day."
"I'm sorry," Nex said, a certain someone's words coming to mind. Someone named White? Or something. "I shouldn't have asked."
"What? No, she's not dead," Winter said, arching an eyebrow. "She's very much alive. It's just... complicated."
The Schnee made everything complicated. He should have been ashamed, but it was better he did not have any family at all. It was less complicated and troublesome that way.
Maybe he was better off without it.
"What do you think of Weiss?" Winter said. "Is she performing well? Is she having trouble? Is she eating enough?"
He smiled, cradling his head with one hand. The other clutched a mug handle. It was the anchor that bound him to the waking world.
"My—Weiss is great. She's the best partner ever," Nex said, the pink, fluffy clouds smothering his brain. Oh, wow. Cotton candy. And neopolitan ice cream. "She's so responsible, it feels like she can do everything by herself. Why do you ask?"
"Can't a big sister show concern for her adorable little sister?" Winter said, cherry-faced but still looking strong. She tipped back another mug, amber trailing down her chin. "I have those cute little pictures of her in my scroll. If you want to see, you'll have to take another shot."
Nex rolled his eyes at her generous offer, his brain still reeling from that last shot straight to his temple. "Nope. Weiss would be mad if I did. I don't want her to be mad. I want her to be happy."
A sane man would avoid an eruption from Mt. Weiss, and not end up in the ceiling like that Hard-on Silverstain guy. He was too young to be a memorial in the cemetery.
"You really do?" Winter said, beaming as she hiccupped. "Cross your heart, hope to die?"
Nex nodded. "Yep. If she's happy, then I'm happy."
Nothing but the truth. If his partner happened to be in a good mood, then she turned her attention to the professor. Not on his poor legs. He had aura. But still. It was the principle of the matter.
"It's just..." Winter said, pursing her lips. "She's been having a difficult time lately. Between your project and her familial obligations, she has her hands full."
Nex sighed, slouching as he squeezed the glass handle. "I'm a burden to her, aren't I?"
"No, don't think that," Winter said, scowling as she placed her mug on the glass. "You shouldn't think that. No one should."
Nex sniffled, salt stinging his eyes. It was something only an awesome big sister could say. "Th-thanks. I like you a lot, Winter."
Winter snatched her mug, lifting it to her lips. "But not as much as Weiss."
"Of course not. Sorry, not sorry," Nex said, wiping his nose on his sleeve. "But she's my partner."
Winter smiled. "You're alright. You're an alright kid, Nex."
Nex took out his waiver, placing it on a patch of dry glass. It was probably three in the morning. Rapier wasps buzzed in his brain, clashing against the static of his semblance.
Whoever suggested getting drunk was a good idea could go crawl in a bush and die. And bury themselves while they were at it. Spare him the effort of digging out a shovel.
"This is my form for the festival," Nex said, a hiccup bursting from his throat. "I need someone to sign it."
Winter looked at the sheet of paper with bloodshot eyes. "I can't sign it. If something happened to you on the trip, it would come back to me. I'm sorry."
Oh well, oh well.
He needed something to sweeten the deal a little.
Bribery worked on people, right?
It should work on Winter as well.
To that end, he pushed his scroll into Winter's hands. A 3D model of their project rotated on the screen, along with a document containing design notes that he never did show Weiss. If he did, she might have passed out.
Hard light armaments. All-purpose AI reworked with next generation algorithms. A system overhaul for the Atlesian mechs, closing the backdoors someone had purposely installed. Those backdoors could have been easy pathways for a virus. Say, if someone wanted to take over the mechs using a bug piggy-backing off a scroll? Or maybe even the CCT?
Of course, his code was not written from scratch. It was cut, scrambled and reordered in such a way that it was near-impossible for anyone to know it was based on faulty Atlesian programming.
He had his semblance to thank for that.
Impulsively, he spent hours sitting in front of his scroll, dumping all of his aura into his semblance. He learned how to code on the level of a manic, sleep-deprived basement dweller over the course of a single afternoon. Then he refurbished the code over the last few weeks, along with the AI for their own project.
What could he possibly say? It killed boredom. But now, the lost sleep was turning out to be so fucking worth it.
And then, there was the umbrella on the strawberry sunrise. The one thing an intelligent woman like Winter Schnee could not possibly refuse.
"All of this can be mailed with utmost confidentiality to General Ironwood," Nex said, waving his hands as he pitched a life-changing product to his captive audience. "The military can be discreet about it."
They totally could, right?
Not his problem though.
Nex lifted his chin, topping it off with a brilliant smile. "For the safety and security of the Kingdom of Atlas, you need to sign my waiver. There's no other way."
Winter twitched, a pen already in her palm.
Nex smirked. Got her.
Never let it be said that Nexus Shade was a good loser.
He hated losing.