Chapter 51: Party Poison

"We came to party—kill the party tonight..."

An hour was all it took for the sun to dip past the Atlesian skyline. Red rays glimmered off towers of glass and steel, stinging the eyes of whoever dared look up.

Nex had to turn away as he breathed out fine mist. The crowd was getting thicker, the nightly rush taking its toll on the streets of the flying city. He held his scroll closer to his ear.

"I'm sorry," Weiss whispered. "I'm going to have to be late."

Nex arched an eyebrow, his extra pair of ears stiffening under his hood. "Not sure if your dad's gonna be thrilled."

"I'm sure you'll manage," Weiss said. "It's not every day that father leaves his office, after all."

"You can't be serious," Nex muttered, ducking into an alley. A shortcut to The Huntsman's Respite. "You're gonna do this now? Alone?"

"Blake's with me," Weiss said. She sighed as something creaked on the other end. "You may not really approve of what we're doing, but..."

He would have objected. Told her not to go skulking around like a rogue without a fool proof plan. But the woman known as Weiss Schnee was too stubborn to dissuade when she set her mind on something.

"Do what you have to do," Nex said. "Just be careful."

"I'm always careful," Weiss said. He could almost imagine the smile on her face. "Save me a dance?

"Who else am I gonna dance with?" Nex said. "Love you."

"Love you too," Weiss said, chuckling. "And Nex? You better be wearing a tie."

The call beeped off.

Nex shoved his scroll into his pocket. Pareidolia poked the back of his skull. A faint tingle. But it was there.

The alley was empty, save for the occasional stray cat or dog hiding behind the dumpsters.

"Come out, come out..." Nex muttered, parking a hand on Hrunting. "Wherever you are..."

His eyes darted to the shadows. To the graffiti staining the brick walls.

Nothing.

Red.

"Oooof!" Nex grunted, his aura surging as Ruby fucking Rose slammed into his chest.

"Did you see that?!" Ruby said, grinning and dusting off her hood. "Did you see that?!"

Nex rolled his eyes, steadying himself on his heels. "You crashing into me like a four-year-old?"

"Oops," Ruby said. She rubbed the back of her head. "Sorry. But did you see that?!"

"See what?" Nex said, his eyebrows furrowing.

Whatever it was she wanted him to see, it must have been pretty important.

"I can run through walls!" Ruby said, her grin stretching more. "I just do the thing you taught me, slowing down my time then speeding it up—"

"You're phasing through solid objects," Nex said.

"Oh, it's so awesome," Ruby said as they exited the alley. "I'm like whoosh"—she waved her arms around—"then shoosh! And then there was the mall and..."

Nex ruffled her hair, her locks sliding between his fingers. "Would it kill you if you laid off the candies for a day?"

"Yep." Ruby stuck her tongue out. "So..."

"Spit it out," Nex said, waiting for the lights to turn green.

Cars and buses zoomed past them, leaving smoke in their wake.

"Uncle Qrow," Ruby said, fidgeting with her skirt. "He's here in Atlas."

Nex shrugged. "And?"

Ruby's mouth flapped shut.

Nex drew a deep breath, calming the fires licking his stomach. Whatever it was that happened...

It was in the past. His mother was dead. There was nothing he could do about it. His father had never been there. Nothing he could do about it either. His outburst at her memorial was just that. An irrational outburst. Of an angsty edge lord too mad at the world and everything else. Too bitter and angry to just fucking let it go.

"Mom loved stories," Ruby said. "She'd sit me down with a book before we went to bed." She paused, her silver eyes shimmering. They crossed the street. "But I wasn't good at reading words. I'm not really smart like Blake. Or Weiss. Or you."

Nex chuckled, tapping the freezing steel of a lamppost. "I'm not that smart."

"Really smart then," Ruby said. "But you know something, Nex?"

The crowd shifted around them: an obvious pair of huntsman and huntress.

"She always let me turn the pages on my own," Ruby said. "No matter how long it took."

Nex cracked his neck, nodding at Mekel's bouncer. The burly man nodded back as they neared the glass doors of the Huntsman's Respite. He needed a quick drink before he faced the crowd. Or at least that was what he told himself.

"Your mom must have been real patient then," Nex said. "My mom wasn't. We'd be up at four swinging swords at each other, just so I could get strong fast."

He smiled and pushed the door open, the familiar scent of refrigerated sweat and dying dreams smothering his lungs.

"I remember our hut being as cold as this club," Nex said. "Maybe even colder."

He shivered, the neon lights dancing all over his face. He led Ruby to the counter—to the place he worked at for the past seven years or something. There was a new teen manning it. A guy with dog ears on his head. Some other poor soul with nowhere else to go.

"A strawberry cream float," Nex said, plopping down on a stool as Ruby did the same. "Whipped. Plus a milkshake for my friend here. Put it on my tab. And no alcohol."

"You're Nexus freaking Shade," The teen gasped, his eyes gluing themselves to the glass of the counter. He grinned and pulled out some condiments. "How'd you do it, man?"

Nex raised an eyebrow. When the hell did he get so famous?

"Oops! Sorry!" The teen chuckled, a glass almost slipping from his fingers. He fumbled with it, yelping as he said, "I'm a freshman from Atlas Primary, you see. The seniors call you One Hit Nexus."

He placed the glass down, reaching under the counter and producing some strawberries.

"You even thrashed Weiss Schnee," the teen said. "But—is it true you're dating now?"

"A guy like me dating Weiss Schnee," Nex said, licking his lips. "Snowball's chance in Vacuo."

Ruby giggled, almost choking on her milkshake.

"Look, it's all over the web," the teen said. "Like, dude. You don't have to play dumb or whatever." The teen placed the cream float in front of him. "I'm not one of those idiots."

"Those idiots?" Nex asked.

"Uh, you know," the teen replied, tracing some circles around his dog ears. "Yeah. The forums are lit, man."

Nex chugged down his cream float, savoring the cold sugar on his tongue. "Yep. Plenty of morons to go around, huh?"

He lurked on those civvy forums before. Always watching. But never really participating. The last eight months or so offered him little opportunity to even take a peek, pointless as it was. Not like snooping around the metaphorical gossip rooms would lead to more info about the real dangerous people like Cinder or Ozpin.

"You should hear what they're saying," the teen said. "Socialite, undercover spy, White Fang activist... Man, and that's just scratching the surface."

To be fair, they got one out of three right.

"So, what's your secret?" the teen said, wiping some shot glasses. Like he did when he was in charge. There was a massive grin on the kid's face. "It has to be the underground rock-star, man."

Nex could not help but laugh. "Weiss and I just so happen to have a banger in the works."

"And it's A-W-E-S-O-M-E," Ruby sang. "There's lots of guitar, and I've never really been a fan of Weiss but—"

"Shush. Don't spoil the song." Nex rapped her temple before she could start gushing at Mach 20. "We're gonna do it acoustic later."

"Holy fuck," the teen said, craning his head to glance at the TV behind him. "I have to finish washing these. Can't talk anymore. Sorry."

"Yep. Us too," Nex said, nudging Ruby's side. "Ready to go?"

Ruby groaned as they stood up and waded through the club's patrons. "Do I really have to wear a dress?"

Nex smirked, parting his fringe away from his eye. "Is it the dress or the shoes?"

"Both." Ruby grimaced. "It's both."

It took them five minutes of Ruby-transport—racing across Atlas via her semblance—to arrive at the Schnee manor. The SDC went all out, putting up lights and banners everywhere. Jacques and his posse of fancy suits and dresses chattered in the front yard. They chucked coins into the fountain, laughing, picking at the tables by the hedges.

"Looks lively," Nex said as they snuck around the crowd. "The coins are a waste though."

Why even buy coin with lien if all they wanted to do with it was throw it away?

"I know, right?" Ruby said. "Where do they even get those coins, anyway?"

Nex shrugged. "If there's demand, there's gotta be supply."

Which translated to I don't know either. But there was no need for her to know that.

"Whatever you say, fearless leader," Ruby said, smiling.

They ghosted through the servant's quarters, the men and women nothing but a flurry of shouting, hollering, and scampering around the kitchen. The scent carried by blistering air pressed against his nose like a wet towel. He had to pinch it shut until they managed to reach the main hallway. Ruby was pretty much doing the same, gagging and coughing into her palm.

"Where have the two of you been?" Winter said, waiting in the hall by a painting—of a white-haired knight. "Where is my sister?"

She was wearing a white dress with black accents. No jewellery, save for the golden gem adorning her high-cut top. She had a dagger strapped to her thigh, barely visible through the long slit on her dress as she tapped her leg.

Of course. Trust the specialist to wear something that resembled plain and practical even at a fancy-ass party.

"Err..." Ruby fidgeted, inching behind him. "Dunno. Sorry. Maybe Nex knows."

Nex shook his head. "Nope. Don't know either. She's not here yet?"

"No," Winter said. She folded her arms under her breasts, fixing them a frigid stare. "Weiss has never been late to an event before, much less her own birthday." She breathed a soft sigh. "Go and make yourselves look presentable. I'll see what I can do to find her."

No need to ask him twice.

He shuffled to his room, locking the door behind him. His scroll found itself next to his ear not even a second after.

"Fuck," Nex said as his scroll rang.

Once.

Twice.

Thrice.

No one picked up.

Too long. They should have been done already.

Nex paced around the room, bullets of sweat racing down his neck. He kept shooting glances at the suit lying on his bed. It must have been the weather. No. Not the weather. It was freezing outside. Like Atlas always was.

Shit. Maybe something went wrong. Maybe Jacques had something else lurking down there. Like more Grimm. Maybe dozens of them. With only Weiss and Blake—

"Pick up, please," Nex muttered, his grip tightening around the stupid hunk of metal.

Maybe something worse happened. Maybe the White Fang snuck inside the SDC's headquarters. Gods. Just like what happened at their school. With pretty much every employee at the manor and only a skeleton crew at the SDC—

It was his fault. He never should have slipped and told her about what Jacques had hidden away. Now she was—

Nex trembled, drawing a long, deep breath. "Calm down. Calm the fuck down. Nothing's for certain yet."

His semblance fizzled, pouring freezing water on the back of his neck and down his spine.

He needed to think. Clearly.

He needed to—

"Nex," Weiss said, her voice quivering in his ear. "Father—I can't—I can't believe he's—"

"Slow down," Nex said. Though he was unsure whether he was saying that to her or to the drums pounding in his temples. "What did you find?"

"Corpses," Weiss whispered. "He's keeping corpses."

"Shit..." Nex said. He could already feel the migraine coming. "Are you alright? Is Blake alright?"

"We're fine. We're on our way back," Weiss said. "We'll talk more once we're there."

Nex breathed out in lungful of air, letting his scroll roll over the bed.

He collapsed beside his suit.

It took him five minutes to muster the energy to drag himself into the shower for a quick rinse. Another five to put on the suit and tie. And another five for Weiss to barge into his room, already garbed in a flowing, pale blue dress adorned with glittering silver.

"Here," Weiss said, a little grin on her face as she adjusted his blood-red tie. "Let me help."

Nex tugged her close, wrapping his arms around her waist and laying his chin on her shoulder. Her warmth seeped through his suit as he let out another shaky breath.

"Can we stay like this?" Nex said. "Just for a while."

"Oh, Nex," Weiss mumbled. "It was terrible. Those corpses were almost like Grimm. I don't even know what my father is planning to do with them."

Nex licked his dry lips. "He wants to know what makes the Grimm tick."

"You knew," Weiss said. "You knew all along."

"How else would I know there's a secret room in his office?" Nex said. "He asked me to investigate who turned those people into... whatever they are."

"And?" Weiss said. "Did you find out?"

Nex frowned. "Nope. Whoever's really behind the killings, the dust thefts, and now this. They're good at cloak and dagger shit."

The top dog was definitely not Cinder Fall, if Roman's words were to be believed. No. They were to be trusted. Roman had no reason to lie to him about it, after all.

"You think they're connected," Weiss said.

"At this point?" Nex said. "I'd be more surprised if they're not."

Pareidolia hummed almost as if in agreement.

Weiss chuckled. "What should we do then?"

"Why ask me?" Nex said. "You want to get rid of your father. I don't. Let's not ruin the mood by talking about it."

Weiss rested her hands on his neck, her thumb stroking his cheek. "But you'll fight me every step of the way. You'll be against me. I don't want us to..."

Nex glared at the mirror at the other end of the room. "We won't."

"How can you be so sure?" Weiss said. "How can you be sure that this—that we'll work out?"

"We'll compromise," Nex said. "Like we always do."

He yawned and pulled away, flashing her a smile.

"Think about it for a sec," Nex said. "You can ruin your father now, yes. But I guess what I'm really saying is: now's not the right time."

Weiss quirked an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Have you ever thought about who's gonna take over?" Nex said. "Your mom's in no state to lead the SDC. Winter has the military. You and Whitley are both in school."

"No..." Weiss looked down. "I haven't thought about it. But the board of directors will—"

"Eat your family up and feed the scraps to sharks," Nex said. "Don't be so naive, Weiss. You're gonna take over the SDC. Maybe even fix it. But you're not gonna do it by making impulsive decisions."

"You're—" Weiss' breath hitched. "You're right."

"Maybe, maybe not," Nex said. "So, we're in agreement?"

"You know, this must be the real reason why Professor Ozpin made you leader instead of me," Weiss said. "You always have a way of thinking everything through."

"Not everything," Nex said, smirking. "For example."

He laughed as he kissed her lips, dragging the thick gloss over her cheek.

"Nex!" Weiss scowled, flushing as she wiped her face. "That was highly—"

The door slammed open.

"Aha! And here is my dearest daughter," Jacques said, strolling into the room. He had a shit-eating grin on his face. "Back from some misguided adventure no doubt?"

Weiss' jaw clenched. "Obviously. I'm here, aren't I?"

"Now, now, there's no need to be so acerbic at your own party, my dear," Jacques said, raising a half-full goblet. "Smile. The cameras are rolling. People will talk."

"They'll talk more once they know what you're doing," Weiss said. "How could you be so inhuman?"

Jacques' smile fell. "Inhuman? If you haven't noticed, my dear, those corpses are no longer human. They've become, shall we say, something more."

"Something more?" Weiss' voice rose. "If you have any shred of decency left in you, you'll identify them, return them to their families, and give them all a proper burial."

Nex could not help the smile on his face. Despite how irrational it was.

"I'm afraid that's impossible," Jacques said. "For reasons that your fiance would know all too well." He sipped on his wine. "Shall I assume that I'll be making headlines tomorrow? Jacques Schnee, CEO and now nefarious mad scientist?"

"No." Weiss gritted her teeth.

"Oh?" Jacques said, holding a hand to his breast. "Why the change of heart?"

"Let's just say that Nex hasn't led me astray before," Weiss said, her fingers twining around his. "I happen to have faith in my partner."

His legs tensed, almost whisking him out of the room and away from her.

Something burned in his stomach.

Would she still have faith in him after tonight?

"Word to the wise," Mekel said, a mug of pure, golden liquid clutched in his brawny hand. "Drink. You haven't partied until you get absolutely shit-faced."

They stood by a corner of the manse, watching the festivities around them. Some classical piece crooned through the toasty air, a quartet busying themselves at the back of the hall. The best thing about it was all he needed to do was hold a glass of wine, pretend he was drinking it, and hope that none of the socialites noticed him.

Well, except Mekel. But the crime lord could hardly be considered one of them. Being at Mekel's side and flanked by two goons in aviators and the ever-quiet ghost-ninja was probably the best thing that ever happened to him in a crowd.

Nex shook his head. "I don't drink anymore. Haven't since I left Atlas."

"Ho?" Mekel shot his shimmering wine a glance. "Your drip says otherwise."

"It's a prop," Nex said, swishing the fine liquid around. "Appearances matter."

"Nexus Shade says no," Mekel said, snorting. The buttons on his brown suit glinted under the chandeliers. "Funny how people change, huh? I look at you and all I see is the boy who bumped pockets in Mantle."

"I dunno," Nex said. "Maybe people don't really change."

"What makes you say that?" Mekel said. "You're a rising star now. A developer. Atlesian military at seventeen. How many of my boys could say the same?"

"Zero, sir," the goon on their left said.

"Exactly," Mekel said. "Though you get that the question was rhetorical, right?"

The goon shrugged, her flowing black hair swaying behind her.

"Charming little gal," Mekel said. "Better than having a mute minx, I guess."

"Anything you can tell me?" Nex said.

"I didn't bring these two for show," Mekel said. "Little Winter doesn't have that kitchen knife to rip the pants off some lucky guy either."

Blake's book gave a little thud as it snapped shut.

"You think something's up," Nex said, fingering the watch tucked under his sleeve. "But the White Fang hasn't been seen in days. No signs of Grimm activity either."

The Grimm from Mantle had apparently escaped into the wilderness. Sending a team after it would have proved too dangerous—as Winter claimed in her report. Only blizzards, landslides, and nastier stuff awaited the unlucky huntsman caught in the wilds during the icy season.

Mekel hummed. "Maybe something's up. Maybe there's nothing. It's like an investment."

"Right," Nex said, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. "So, what did you get for a present?"

"What did you get for a present?" Mekel said. "What do you get for a girl who has everything, huh?"

"Something more than everything," Nex said. "Something only you can give her."

"Save the corny lines for the bedroom," Mekel said. "Always remember, Nex. Love? That shit goes in like twenty years. But lien?" He whipped out his wallet, flipping through the fat stack of cheques inside. "This shit's here to stay till you get dead."

Nex, laughing, raised both of his eyebrows. "Where'd you get that one?"

"From The Mekel Grindset, of course," Mekel said. "Streams on Mepipe every Sunday. Don't miss it."

"I'd say it's quite the show as well, old friend," Jacques said, stopping in front of them, Ironwood at his tail. He raised his goblet with a grin on his face. "A toast. To Mekel Winterheart. To more successful ventures." He winked. "To that godly beard framing his face."

"Amen to the beard," Mekel said, raising his mug. "Planning to grow that stub out, Jacques? Maybe you too, Jimmy?"

Ironwood quirked an eyebrow—the one beside the metallic strip. "You are well aware that the face of the Atlesian military has to be well-groomed."

"Bah," Mekel said, rubbing his beard. "Life's too short to not have one of these."

Ruby raced past them, laughing, dragging one Penny Polendina along. A streak of rose petals littered the royal blue carpet.

"Like mother, like daughter," Jacques said, sighing as he stepped on a rose. "No regard for floor maintenance at all."

Ironwood cleared his throat. "We need to talk."

"We're talking right now," Mekel said. "It's a party. Talk."

"Not in front of the civilians," Ironwood said, sparing him a quick glance. "But we are in need of able personnel, and unless I'm mistaken, Developer Shade here happens to be unoccupied."

Nex shrugged, placing his untouched wine on a passing butler's tray. "Nope, I'm free. Anything to take off this tie. Please, boss."

"I'm afraid that you'll incur Weiss' wrath if you so much as loosen it." Jacques smirked. "Tough luck, my boy."

Seeing as Weiss was only twelve meters away, sharing a toast with Whitley and his groupies...

Tough luck indeed. Oh what he would have given to be in his trench and have his sword on hand, hunting some Grimm outside the city.

"I'm coming with you," Blake said, her bow twitching. "If—if that's alright, General Ironwood sir."

"Blake Belladonna," Ironwood said. "Daughter of Ghira Belladonna and Kali Belladonna. Former terrorist. Now reformed huntress-in-training."

Blake flinched, her eyes darting to the socialites buzzing and shifting around them.

"I'd say she has motivation, wouldn't you agree?" Jacques said, pinching his moustache. "Don't worry, Miss Belladonna. Your little secret is quite safe with us. Let's do our best to keep it that way, shall we?"

Blake's eyes almost narrowed into a glare.

Tough luck for her too, apparently.

Mekel clasped Jacques' shoulder, his tanned digits wrinkling the white cloth. "Stop scaring the girl, Jack. Aren't you getting a little too old to pick on someone her age?"

"Equal opportunity, partner," Jacques said, taking a long sip of his wine. "Why, it's the name of the game."

They—minus Jacques—walked out into the garden, past the lines of cameras and confetti.

"Specialist Schnee," Ironwood said as they reached the fountain. And one Winter still in her fancy dress. "Report."

Winter snapped into a salute. "Confirmed. We've lost contact with sentries along the western perimeter."

"What about your familiars?" Ironwood said. "The drones?"

"Destroyed," Winter said. "The assailants dispatched them before they could record a visual."

"Unfortunate," Ironwood said, his eyebrows knitting. "I thought it was merely a false alarm."

"Gathering a huntsman squad for a false alarm, Jimmy?" Mekel said. "Careful. Your inner Ozpin is showing."

"We all need a little bit of Ozpin's prowess every now and then," Ironwood said. "Specialist Schnee. Developer Shade. Miss Belladonna."

Nex pulled back his shoulders, just as Weiss taught him. How to appear official. Or something.

"You three will survey the situation along the western perimeter," Ironwood said. "Engage hostiles only when necessary. Return as soon as the survey has been conducted. Understood?"

"Understood," Winter said.

Ironwood bobbed his head into a clipped nod. "Good luck. Dismissed."

"I'll handle security," Mekel said, pulling out his scroll. "Might even call for backup, huh?"

"Your agents are unnecessary," Ironwood said as they started walking back into the manse. "The military can handle..."

Their voices shrank until the only thing left was the chill of the Atlesian night and the chirping of the owls.

"So, where do we start?" Nex said. He bounced on his heels, his dress shoes leaving tracks on the snow. "I'm guessing we all need our weapons, right?"

Blake shrugged, flipping a butterfly knife between her fingers. "I have mine."

Winter patted her thigh. "Do you need to retrieve yours?"

Nex smirked, lifting his cuff and tapping a few buttons on his watch. "Nope. It's gonna be here right about..."

Hrunting and Vigilance fell from the sky, miniature rocket thrusters—armed with gravity dust—keeping the sheathed sword and shield afloat.

"Now." Nex grabbed his weapon, the thrusters whirring and receding back into the shield. "So, on a scale of one to awesome, how cool is the flight system I just installed?"

Roses fluttered in the breeze.

"It's freaking awesome!" Ruby wrapped her arms around Hrunting and Vigilance, rubbing her cheek on its surface. "Can you do the same for Crescent Rose? Can you? Pretty please?"

"You'll let somebody else mod Crescent Rose?" Nex said, prying his weapon away from her.

Ruby stuck her tongue out. "Nope. On second thought, my baby's mine. Keep your hands off him."

"Friend Nex! Friend Blake!" Penny grinned as she emerged through the hedges, the poor leaves crunching under her weight. "It has been approximately two months and four days since our last hangout in Vale! As the locals say it, I have missed you!"

Nex scratched his neck. "Not sure how to reply to that one."

Blake shuffled behind him, brushing some snow off her purple dress.

"Penny," Winter said. "You should stay with General Ironwood."

Penny pouted, dragging her feet over snow and herself back to the manse. "But very well, friend Winter. I shall keep General Ironwood company."

"So, uh, can I come?" Ruby tilted her head. Her eyes widened. "Oh! I swear I didn't hear anything about perimeters and sentries or something! It's super-duper classified stuff, right?"

Winter frowned. "Indeed. Which is why you can't come with us. Instead, you'll return to the party, mingle with the guests, and conduct yourself in the best behaviour possible."

"Promise," Ruby said, raising a v with her fingers. "I won't tell Weiss, Whitley, or Penny." She coughed. "Ehehe. They're the only ones I know, anyway."

Nex, Winter, and Blake stalked past the hedges, deeper into the grounds of the Schnee estate.

As they walked, his brain kept nudging him to come up with a cool name for their unlikely trio. Team WNB, maybe? Team Winter. Maybe it could work. Just like how Team AXRN had that X in the middle.

Ten minutes passed before Winter broke the silence.

"Hold," Winter said, drawing her dagger. The blade clicked and lengthened into a sabre. "Where did everyone go?"

The guard posts ahead were empty. Bare. Beyond the walls of the Schnee estate laid nothing but trees swaying under the stars, hiding the other estates on the hilltop. No guards patrolling either—human or otherwise.

Unless...

His ears perked up. He funnelled aura into his semblance.

Heartbeats. There. Lying on the snow. Breathing. Barely.

Shit.

"Illusions," Nex said, clicking his tongue. Hrunting rasped as it left Vigilance. His weapon settled in his grip, the hilt biting into his palm. "We've already been infiltrated—"

Boom.