Whitley nervously adjusted the cuffs of his white dress shirt as he stood before his mother's study door. He knew he was ready to bear extra responsibility, to take a step further into the Schnee Dust Company public consciousness. The yearly SDC Dust donation to the major combat schools across the kingdoms offered him his chance. He was old enough to travel alone, old enough to represent the SDC. Yes, everything was for the sake of the SDC, for sure. Whitley adjusted his shirt once more before lightly knocking on the door three times.
"Enter!"
Whitley followed the commanding voice of his mother into the study. He shut the door behind him, standing before the closed door in silence. His mother did not grant him permission to disrupt her work. He would need to wait for her to finish her current task.
His mother was entirely focused on the documents before her. The periodic sound of shuffling papers was the only thing to interrupt the current silence within the office. A few minutes passed before his mother finally tore her gaze off the documents. Exhausted blue eyes gazed at him from behind reading glasses.
"I am very busy today, Whitley. What is it?" She tapped her fingers impatiently on her desk as she spoke.
Whitley took a step forward, "I wish to alleviate some of your current burden. I am aware Father is much too busy with his council duties to attend the Beacon Academy Dust donation. I wish to attend in his place as our family representative."
Her gaze shifted back down to the documents, "I see no reason to deny you the opportunity to further increase your standing within the company. However, I am no fool. The real reason for this request, Whitley?"
Whitley chewed his lip, "I do wish to see Weiss again. She has not been calling as much as she used to. I worry she might be having a difficult time adjusting away from home."
His mother glanced away from her documents, a small smile on her face, "Perhaps she is adjusting all too well? Are you worried your sister has left you behind, Whitley? You did not have to come up with an excuse to visit her. I would have given you permission to visit her. Regardless, you will be making my life easier by acting as the SDC representative."
"My interests in visiting Beacon are entirely selfless, I assure you. It is a beneficial arrangement for both of us, therefore I believe it is ultimately the correct decision," he tried his best to keep his tone neutral.
"A completely selfless decision with no ulterior motives, I am sure. Agreed, I will arrange transport for you within the next few days. Pack what you need. We will need to discuss exactly what your role as a SDC representative for this dust donation will entail."
Whitley smiled, "Thank you, Mother. I assume my role will be to play the part of the starry-eyed impressed child taking a tour of the facility? Shake hands with the headmaster, act intrigued and surprised at every little thing he mentions?"
"Indeed. I will be pulling a few strings to arrange a photographer to attend said tour alongside you. Ensure you dress your best. A few good photos of you shaking hands with the headmaster or other prominent members of Beacon Academy will go a long way. Once you have done your duty, you may stay in Vale for two weeks at maximum. I will not have you abandon too many of your lessons."
"My accommodations, Mother?"
She shuffled around another document, "Beacon Academy will sponsor your stay within their grounds. Treat your time there as an opportunity to further the SDC's interests."
Whitley tapped his chin in thought, "Vale is hosting the Vytal Festival tournament this year, correct? I assume a detachment from all Huntsman academies will be in attendance. Has Winter mentioned possibly attending the festival this year as an escort for the Atleasian students? I wish to see her just as much as Weiss."
"Correct on both accounts. Talented students from the four major academies should be attending the tournament. I would appreciate it if you could scout any potential assets we can poach for frontier security. I will provide you a few business cards exclusively for this task. Winter mentioned a possible redeployment last time she called, perhaps you will see her in attendance? That child is always tight lipped about matters concerning the military."
"I can only hope to encounter her. I will do my best to keep my eyes out for any potential candidates to hire for securing the frontier mining towns."
Willow opened one of her desk drawers before taking out a small box of printed business cards, "Excellent. It is nearly time again for the yearly skirmish to clear out those mindless beasts from a few of those forests. Hopefully, before they disrupt the productivity of our mines. Take a handful of the cards and run along. I will call you to my study once I have your trip planned."
Whitley gave his mother a bright smile as he grabbed more than a few of the business cards, "Thank you again, Mother. I will not disappoint you."
She gave him a small wave, "Do not forget to enjoy your trip. Get the business side of things out of the way first and you will be able to enjoy the rest of your time in Vale. Do not do anything foolish or dangerous, understand?"
Whitley scoffed, "I am not some ruffian. I have no plans to put myself into any dangerous situations. I will be fine, I promise."
Willow hummed, "Keep in mind if you break said promise, it will be more than just me you will have to answer to. I may not be close enough to punish you for acting foolishly in Vale, but Weiss is always one call away and will be close enough to do so in my stead."
Whitley stepped towards the exit to the room, "I will be on my best behavior. I am not going to squander my first major outing on my own by doing something ill advised. I will call you every night to inform you of my wellbeing if it will sate your worry."
Willow laughed as she went back to signing documents, "You better young man, you better."
Whitley drummed his fingers against his knee as he waited for the Bullhead to come to a complete landing. His mother had been able to arrange for him to arrive at Beacon Academy quite quickly. His packed travel luggage and a commissioned photographer were easy enough to acquire. He departed from his home quietly, intending to hopefully surprise Weiss. Unfortunately, he would need to get the business portion of his stay out of the way before he could dive into his own selfish pursuits.
Whitley glanced outside the window of the Bullhead. A tall silver haired man in a black suit with a green dress shirt underneath stood nearby the landing pad, resting both his hands on a cane. A whimsical set of spectacles resting on the man's nose caught Whitley's attention. From his mother's briefings before his departure from the mountainous capital city of Atlas, he could only assume the stranger to be the Beacon Academy's Headmaster Ozpin.
Whitley spoke briefly to the photographer within the Bullhead as he moved to exit his seat, "Prepare your camera. It seems this will be a quick tour."
Whitley could only assume Beacon was on a strict time schedule if the headmaster was willing to meet him at the landing pad. Why else would a man of his status bother meeting him in such an undignified location? A well decorated and maintained office surely would have been a better place to meet. He could take a hint, either his presence was unwelcomed, which would be utterly foolish for the future of Beacon's armory, or Headmaster Ozpin's hands were tied meaning he needed this sham of a tour to conclude as abruptly as possible.
Whitley adjusted his grey blazer as he exited the aircraft. The photographer scrambled to his side as he approached the waiting headmaster of Vale's premier Huntsman school. Seeing photos of the man is one thing but seeing him in person was another. The man was towering in stature, well above six feet by Whitley's guess.
The presence the headmaster extruded was both intimidating and reassuring in a way. This was a man who knew what he was doing. A man who had aged gracefully in a profession known for dying young. Being under six feet in height, Whitley had to adjust his posture to look up into the eyes of the headmaster as he initiated their first meeting.
He held his right hand forward to shake the hand of the headmaster, "Headmaster Ozpin, I assume?"
Ozpin shifted one of his hands off his cane to meet his handshake, "You must be Mr. Schnee. As the Headmaster of Beacon Academy, allow me to be the first one to welcome you to our academy."
Both Whitley and Ozpin held their handshake while the photographer took several photos. Ozpin seemed understanding given the small grin on his face. Given he was informed Ozpin also held a seat on the Valean council, Whitley was sure putting on an act for the sake of public relations was well within the veteran's element. After a few more photos, the photographer gave them a thumbs up.
Whitley dropped the handshake before speaking neutrally, "I feel honored you took time out of your busy schedule to greet me first, Headmaster."
"Busy, indeed. I will unfortunately not be able to grant you a full guided tour today. Preparation for the Vytal Festival has restricted both my freedom and the freedom of my staff as of late. Beacon Academy is eternally grateful for the Dust donations provided by the SDC. You and yours have saved many lives, Mr. Schnee," a glance at the dark circles under the brown eyes of Ozpin spoke to just how fatigued the man looked.
"I perfectly understand, do not worry. You will not slight me by cutting our personal meeting short. There are certainly more important duties to attend to than this yearly meeting," Whitley grabbed the bait Ozpin planted to give both an out.
The pictures of them shaking hands would surely be enough for PR. A few pictures of him posing around the academy would ensure his mother would be more than happy. It was clear neither of them wanted to waste time on something they did not care to do. This veteran Huntsman had much more important duties than to give a tour to a sixteen year old figurehead. While he wished to hurry things along so he could surprise Weiss already.
"Thank you for your understanding, Mr. Schnee. While I cannot give you the tour myself, I have sent for one of our students to do so in my place. If you encounter any trouble or have any further questions, contact any member of my staff. I will do my best to personally assist you if they cannot."
"I am satisfied by this arrangement. Can you give me the name of the student I should be waiting for?" Hopefully it would be someone he at least had some information on.
"Ruby Rose, you may be familiar with her?" Ozpin's tone remained neutral as he clearly fished for information.
"I am aware of who she is. The youngest Huntress to enter Beacon Academy, more importantly the leader of my sister's team. Weiss has spoken to me on numerous occasions about those on her team."
The satisfied nod the headmaster gave him was irritating. It seemed the man had assumed he would be lacking information about his own sister's team. What type of brother would he be if he did not at least know the names of the people his sister was fighting beside? Whitley could only assume the veteran must have had to deal with more than a few tricky family situations during his tenure. A chill went down Whitley's spine, his mother did keep telling him to stay out of trouble. Did he look the part of a hooligan and not even realize it?
Ozpin's scroll buzzed loudly, breaking Whitley out of his thoughts, "Apologies, Mr. Schnee. I will have to take my leave. Once again, it was a pleasure to meet you. Miss Rose should be here shortly."
With Ozpin's departure, Whitley had some time to kill before his guide's arrival. He posed for a few photos with Beacon Academy's campus towering in the background as he remained near the landing zone to see to the unloading of his luggage. While the campus was impressive at a glance, it could not beat the sight of Atlas Academy tucked away in the mountains of his home city. Being able to look down from the windows of Atlas Academy to see Mantle city nestled at the foot of the mountains was a hard sight to beat. Being shown around the Atlas Academy campus by Winter was one of his favorite memories. He doubted this tour could reach a similar level of impressiveness.
A handful of various photos later, Whitley glanced towards the campus to see a girl speed walking over to him and the photographer. He gave the man at his side a small dismissive wave as there would be little to gain through additional photos without the presence of Ozpin. Whitley wheeled his luggage forward. As he grew closer to reaching her, he had to admit her appearance was not nearly what he expected from what his sister had mentioned in passing.
Ruby Rose was supposed to be an intimidating example of a promising Huntress. The youngest Huntress to ever enroll early in Beacon Academy on merit. This was a girl who was the same age as him yet was responsible for taking down the notorious serial killer Tyrian Callows. He never would have expected the short lithe girl before him to be the very same individual who consistently humbled Weiss in spars.
"Sorry! I didn't mean to get here late. Nora misplac- Wait! Wow, you look a lot like Weiss. Are you related to her? Hey, what's your name? I'm Ruby!" The way her tone went from apologetic to energetic curiosity caught him off guard.
"Ah, I did not have to wait very long. Whitley Schnee, as you have gathered, I am Weiss's brother. Do not take this the wrong way, is there a particular reason you were chosen as my guide over Weiss?" Although it would have ruined his surprise visit, Whitley was confused as to why exactly Weiss was not chosen to greet him as a guide.
"I knew it! You two look way too similar to not be siblings. Um, I think Weiss is still busy with the dance preparations. She volunteered to help put things together with a bunch of other people. But that's really boring. Why spend time decorating when you could be training or working in the workshop, you know?" She fidgeted in place as she rambled.
He smiled at the news, "Well, at least she is absent for a worthy enough reason. Weiss has always been enamored by the idea of hosting a ball. Will we be heading to where she is working on said project at some point? I would welcome the opportunity to surprise her," he ignored Ruby's rambling about training for it was never something he personally cared to pursue.
Ruby nodded her head while simultaneously brushing at her black skirt with the back of her hand, "Of course! I don't think she expected you. At least, she hasn't mentioned a brother in a while to us. I have to show you all around campus, we can visit her first if you want."
Honestly, with how much the girl was fidgeting in place he could have assumed she was on some type of stimulant. She just would not sit still. The entire time she spoke, she kept glancing towards the campus instead of meeting his gaze. She was either severely socially awkward or Beacon Academy was the second academy to implement combat doping. To think, the barbarity of Shade Academy could have possibly reached Vale. It was not a thought he wanted to spend much time dwelling on.
Perhaps, her being chosen as his tour guide was a way to kill two birds with one stone? An asset selected to both deal with his presence and to toss at an unfamiliar civilian to help her deal with her social issues. While he did not enjoy the thought of being used, the gambit Ozpin played was one he could only begrudgingly approve. Take an inconvenient duty and use it to further the education of his student. Truly, the move of a veteran politician and academic.
Whitley relaxed his posture, "I am in no hurry, Ruby. As much as I would like to see Weiss, I do not want to interrupt her work. You mentioned a workshop of sorts? I would not mind visiting it first."
She grinned widely as her silver eyes met his own gaze for the first time since their conversation began, "It's super cool! We get to work on our weapons there and they give us a ton of Dust to experiment with. I spend a lot of my free time there when I'm not training. Come with me, I'll show you."
She did not hesitate to turn her back and immediately start heading towards one of the campus buildings. Whitley took a second to process the abrupt shift in their interaction before pulling his wheeled luggage along to follow her. Her behavior was oddly refreshing to the more muted interactions he routinely had with his peers in Atlas. Maybe the novelty would wear off after a while? For now, he found her interesting, plus she was his sister's teammate so the least he could do was entertain her eccentric behavior.
He followed her over to one of the larger buildings on the campus, spotting an occasional student every now and then. The inside of the building was about what he expected. Inoffensive dull white and green toned walls filled most of the hallways. Ruby brought him further into what he could only assume was some branch building of the campus dedicated to miscellaneous uses. Passing by a few open doors only further confirmed his theory as he spotted both a room dedicated to some type of clay pottery and a room filled with wooden carvings of some sort.
He spoke up, "Ruby, what is the purpose of this part of the campus?"
Ruby abruptly stopped by a closed door before turning towards him, "Elective stuff. A lot of dull stuff. The workshop is the best part of the Elective Wing and they don't offer any first year classes for it," her voice was laced with disappointment.
"An odd decision, but it is not my place to judge it. I suppose you can teach yourself plenty with a supply of Dust and some knowledge on weapon design. I assume you have an interest in weapon customization? I must ask, how exactly is the Dust secured to prevent someone inexperienced from foolishly combining crystals they should not be?"
"I made my weapon myself! I would show you Crescent Rose, but our weapons are stored in our lockers. We can only get them out for combat classes, missions, or with advanced notice early in the morning. I'll show you how the Dust is kept," she pulled the closed door open before ushering him in.
He glanced around the workshop, immediately spotting a series of tall cylindrical devices at the very back of the workshop. Some type of scanner of sorts rested on the front of the cylinders alongside what appeared to be the outline of a sealed opening. Near the sealed opening a powered down blank screen could be seen.
Ruby brushed by his side as she headed over to the cylindrical devices, "Dust is stored in these things. I forgot what the name of the machines are, but you need to use your student ID on them to request Dust. There is a set limit we get access to per month but it's like a lot."
She tapped one of the blank screens, causing it to power on. Whitley approached the machine in order to look at the screen over Ruby's shoulder. A large majority of Dust types were available for access. Listed underneath said Dust types, seemed to be a brief warning of what not to mix the crystals with.
"I am impressed they went this far to both secure the Dust and make it convenient for you to access. Winter, my older sister, attended Atlas Academy. She told me stories about her time there. One of her biggest complaints was needing to visit the armory to withdraw Dust for use."
Ruby turned away from the machine, "That would be really, really annoying. I hate not having easy access to my weapon. If I couldn't get my hands on Dust either, I don't know what I would do in my free time."
"Do you mind if I ask what you use the majority of your Dust for?" Whitley moved over towards one of the workbenches to check out some of the tools left out on the table.
"Handloading rounds for my weapon. The ammunition they give us is just not… good. I know just the right combination to really make Crescent Rose shine and give her an extra kick," she neared his side as she spoke.
"Handloading ammunition? I was under the impression that it could be a rather tedious activity. Does whatever type of weapon you use truly benefit from it enough for the time investment?"
Ruby grumbled as she lightly nudged him away from the table, "Someone left their tools out again…"
She spent a few moments putting said tools into various drawers before her attention shifted back to him, "It's only a waste of time if you don't enjoy it. I don't really have much else to do outside of classes or missions. My weapon is both a scythe and an anti-material rifle. The primer needs to be done right or the rounds just don't do as well as they could. I also get to pick what type of Dust I can load in."
Whitley blinked as he processed the short girl by his side once more. She used an anti-material rifle. Anti-material. She fought with a military grade weapon designed for use against vehicles. It suddenly made perfect sense why the media never published images of the deceased rogue Huntsman Tyrian Callows.
"Please tell me you reserve the use of your rifle for usage against Grimm only," Whitley was once again reminded why he chose the path of the SDC over martial options as a wave of nausea struck him.
Ruby held her hands behind her back as she fidgeted back and forth in place, "I do my best to. Mom told me to only use my rifle in emergencies. I keep my scythe deployed most of the time. The rifle portion of Crescent Rose is just really good at taking out big threats."
"Y-yes, I imagine it must be. Shall, we move on?" He really did not want to dwell on his thoughts of what said rifle could do to a squishy civilian any longer.
"Yeah, I guess. Um, we can go to the cafeteria. Not going to be anyone cooking right now, but there are plenty of snacks and drinks in the vending machines. Okay?"
He nodded, causing her to immediately take off towards the door to exit the room. Whitley took one last glance at the Dust machines before pulling his luggage to follow her again. Maybe he should have asked where he was going to be staying within Beacon first? Would have saved him some minor inconvenience.
They exited the Elective Wing and made their way towards a more central area of the academy grounds. Looking up, he could see the giant tower that acted as one of Beacon's major hallmarks. The tower was known to house the current Headmaster or Headmistress of the academy. Whitley could only imagine the type of view that could be seen from up there. He would need to try to visit Ozpin before the end of the two weeks he planned to stay, if only to compare the sight from the tower to his Atlas Academy visit.
He silently trailed after Ruby, entering a window heavy rectangular building. A variety of wooden tables filled the cafeteria. Going by the length of the more central tables, it seemed students were encouraged to eat in large groups. The outer edges of the cafeteria, particularly closer to the windows, housed a few smaller combinations of tables and chairs. The handful of students milling about within the cafeteria seemed to be mostly concentrated in small cliques at the larger tables.
Ruby guided him towards the back of the cafeteria where a few vending machines were placed against the wall near an exit door towards a courtyard. A large variety of drinks and snacks were available. Whitley was surprised to see imported products from both Mistral and Vacuo present. It was a sign that Beacon's funding was stable enough to splurge on non-essentials.
He approached one of the drink vending machines, "You were right about the selection being rather immense. Would you care for a drink, Ruby? It is the least I can do to repay you for showing me around."
She wandered over to his side to look at the machine he was standing by, "Um, sure. Thanks for offering. I think I'll go with this one."
Once more, she invaded his personal space by brushing up against him to reach towards the machine. He took a slight step to the side as she selected some type of soft drink labeled, 'Brunswick Blast'. She stepped away, allowing him to select the Atlas brand 'Warmth of Sol' canned iced coffee for himself.
He pushed a few Lien coins into the machine to pay for their drinks, "Would you care for any snacks while we are over here? I could go for something small myself."
Ruby reached down to grab her drink from the vending machine as she spoke, "Cookies. The ones from Menagerie are the best. 'Albain Premium Double Chocolate Chip' is by far my favorite. Trust me, try it."
Well, he didn't have any cravings one way or another. He took a step over to the snack vending machines and selected two orders of the Albain cookies. A quick payment later, the two went to grab some napkins before taking a seat at a table near the exit door. Ruby practically skipped over to the table, seemingly excited to dig into the bag of cookies she held firmly in her grasp.
She was the first to reach the small table, taking a seat at one of the two chairs available. True to his expectations, Ruby immediately ripped the bag of cookies open. Whitley took a seat across from her. He tapped the top of his canned coffee before pushing in the tab to open the drink. He sipped at the coffee, feeling refreshed as the wave of chilled liquid caffeine entered his body.
Whitley watched Ruby practically inhale cookie after cookie. If he didn't know any better, he would think she was trying to set some type of record. Whitley looked at his own bag of cookies, opening them. He took a bite out of one of the cookies. Suddenly, Ruby's behavior made perfect sense.
Forgo manners, forgo etiquette. It was cookie time. The chocolate within said cookies was rich in flavor. The taste, delicious. Before long, both their bags of cookies were empty.
"You were correct. I will have to order some of those cookies when I return home. Thank you for the suggestion, Ruby," he bowed his head in reverence.
A grin of knowing superiority filled her face, "Told you so. Albain cookies are the best cookies. How long are you going to be staying at Beacon, anyways?"
"Over the next two weeks or so. The Vytal Festival should make my stay interesting enough for me to enjoy my time here."
"Yeah, there is a ton going on for the Vytal Festival. We have that big tournament next week, a dance coming up in a few days, and whatever celebrations are happening in Vale city to check out."
"Only a few days until the dance? Weiss must be pulling her hair out trying to get the finishing touches done. How many people volunteered?" He was worried she might have bitten off more than she could chew.
"Uh, I know Jaune, Nora, Pyrrha, and Ren are helping. Some older students are there too. I was supposed to be helping, but it's soooo boring. I was kind of just in the way, so I've just been doing training during my free time instead," she grabbed her scroll off of her belt before staring at it.
"We can end this tour now if you wish. I have no plans to view every single inch of the campus. I would appreciate it if you could point me to where guests are supposed to stay," it seemed his tour guide was growing impatient if she was willing to go on her scroll mid conversation.
Ruby seemed confused before her eyes widened in realization, "Ah, sorry! I've been waiting for a call. My friend, Nora, lost her ring when they were setting stuff up for the dance in the auditorium. I was helping her look for it when Professor Goodwitch told me to go to the landing pad to give a VIP a tour," she placed her scroll down on the table in front of her.
"Ah, I apologize for the inconvenience I have given you and your friend. Might I ask how important this ring is to her?" He would have much preferred wasting a member of the staff's time if he had known.
"Like, really important. It was her mother's ring. She normally keeps it on a chain to wear it like a necklace, but the chain snapped at some point during the week. Everyone thinks it must be in the auditorium somewhere since she's been there most of the week."
Whitley frowned, "How unfortunate. I would offer my assistance, but I doubt there is much I could do other than act as another set of eyes."
"Don't worry about it. I know we'll find it eventually. Oh, guests normally stay at the building across from our dorms. I think a security guard stays in the lobby and is responsible for keys and stuff. I can point you in the right direction when we get a chance."
"Thank you, I would appreciate it. Can you keep my presence a secret? I want to drop off my luggage before I go looking for Weiss. She should still be in the large auditorium building, correct?"
Ruby sipped at her drink before rambling, "That's fine. It would be funny to see how she reacts. Weiss gets caught up too much on school stuff and could really use a distraction. The dance preparations have really been stressing her out. I hope she actually enjoys going to the dance after all the effort she put into it. Jaune better not ruin the night for her."
Whitley nearly spat his drink out at the news, "Pardon? Are you implying Weiss is attending the dance with this Jaune?"
Ruby tilted her head as she hesitantly spoke, "Yeeees? Um, was I supposed to keep that a secret?" She seemed to be lost in thought.
Whitley rubbed his eyes as he processed the news. Weiss's calls and messages had dropped harshly over the course of the last month. He assumed it was only because of the dance once Ruby had mentioned Weiss was busy preparing for it. Now another possible factor unveiled itself.
"Ruby, please be honest with me. Are Weiss and this Jaune guy dating?" Whitley did not want to imagine his father's reaction. The man could be rather overprotective, as many of Winter's suiters could attest.
"...I think so. They've gone on a few dates at least. He's not a bad guy. Maybe a bad fighter, but he's alright with strategy," Ruby was avoiding his gaze again.
Whitley took a deep breath. This situation had a large potential to blow up in Weiss's face if he didn't run some level of damage control. He would need to put himself on the line to assist her. He needed to meet the boy before he even dared to risk his father's ire. He needed to see if he had the necessary level of etiquette to reach the bare minimum of his father's approval. For now, he would pretend he did not know of their relationship to see if Weiss had a plan in store. Instead, he would need to watch and plan.
"Ruby, will you be attending this dance?"
She tilted her head in confusion as she sipped her drink, "Uh, nope. I was going to go with Yang and Blake if they didn't find dates. I plan to skip the dance now that they have dates. Why do you ask?"
He sensed an opportunity, "Would you be willing to attend the dance with me?"
She coughed as she choked on her soft drink, "Huh?! I-I…sure?"
Whitley smiled as he reached for his wallet to pull out a small pen, "Wonderful, let me write down my scroll number. We will need to spend a day down in Vale to get our outfits picked out. I will cover all expenses, of course."
He was slowly putting together his plan as he wrote his number on the back of one of the napkins. First, he'll have an opportunity to go check the city's offerings during the Vytal Festival. Second, he'll be able to attend the dance and keep an eye out on Weiss without sticking out too much. With Ruby at his side, he could brush off any accusations on Weiss's part that he was intruding.
Now he just needed to drop off his luggage and find which Valean boutique would be the best place for him to pick up a suit for himself. Ruby would also need a matching dress of similar quality. They'll probably want to eat somewhere while they are out as well. He really needed to invest sometime in researching Vale's offerings.
Whitley gathered their trash as Ruby stared down at the napkin he slid in front of her, "Please give me a call in a half hour or so. I should be able to stumble my way to my room and unpack my things by then. Once again, I ask that you keep my presence a secret for a little longer."
"A-are you sure you don't need help finding the guest dorms?" She hastily slid the napkin toward her scroll, nearly sliding both off the table.
"I have wasted enough of your time and even further burdened you. I can find my way or ask some passerby for assistance at worst. Surely, you would prefer to be assisting your friend with finding her ring?"
She practically stumbled out of her chair as she rose to make her exit, "Nora. Ring. Gottagobye!"
In a flash, she was gone. In her place, a trail of petals leading towards the exit door to the courtyard. Whitley sighed, reaching towards the petals. He was going to have to clean those up before looking for his room, wasn't he?
AN: Thanks for giving this a read. I have no set update schedule, I just write when I feel inspiration to do so. This fic is partially inspired by "Isolation" but is not related to it any direct way. I expect this fic to be of similar length to "Isolation" give or take a few thousand words. We'll have to see how things turn out. Obviously, there are some rather extreme AU elements within this fic, so if something doesn't sound right it is likely intentional.
