"Come on, come on! You have to! It'll be fun!"
Blake huffed, looking away from the pleading form of Ruby Rose and her attempt at the fabled puppy dog eyes that were apparently legendary for her family according to Yang and her numerous embarrassing stories. They were admittedly quite persuasive.
"...No."
But not that persuasive.
"But you need to!" Ruby whined, clutching her arm with her deceptively strong hands and all but yanking the faunus over to her in a decidedly needy display of her own childishness. Perhaps she should? If only to...- No! She wasn't going to fall for such petty, cute, actions! She was Blake Belladonna!
"No."
Ruby slumped back in her chair animatedly, whimpering as big fat tears fell down her cheeks. Despite herself, Blake gave a tiny smile of amusement at the scene, even as she returned to her novel and essentially left the girls to their own devices. For all of her childishness, Blake was well-aware that the diminutive little leader of Team RWBY had her best interests at heart.
But she could pick her own damn dress for the dance, for Oum's sake. She was a big girl.
"Kira~ Blake is being mean to meeee!~" Ruby cried out, throwing her arms around the blonde-haired girl the moment she was nearby and pulling her into an impromptu hug. Ruby felt the girl stiffen in minute surprise before wrapping her own arms around her despite the awkwardness of the chair.
Ruby giggled excitedly into the doll's dress, pushing her cheeks against the soft fabric with no small amount of glee. She'd specifically waited until the precise moment when she could grab Kirakishou on her right side, where her vision was blocked due to the rose that grew where her right eye would be.
Strategy, thy name is Rose. Um. I think that's how that goes. Oooh! Rhyme!
Come to think of it, she wasn't entirely sure if the rose growing there was just a feature that the crazed magical doll maker had specifically engineered (because it seemed rather odd to limit the vision of such a perfect wonder) or some other result, perhaps due to Kirakishou's sisters being bullies or something. What even was the rose in the first place?
It certainly felt alive, in the few times she had managed to brush up against it during their more intimate moments alone. Coupled with the other two roses in her hair, where the girl's body was practically room-temperature at the most of times, her white roses displayed a remarkable warmth that excited her curious mind more than it probably should.
Regardless she'd managed to spook the girl into getting more hugs, along with subtly reminding her team mates of the situation. Win win, really. Even if she had essentially used her lover's visual impairment against her, Kirakishou didn't seem to mind that much. She figured that when Kirakishou wanted to tell her about the reason behind the rose, she would. Or perhaps Ruby would ask later. When they were alone.
"Should you not be focusing on your own dress, beloved?" Kirakishou had asked once Ruby had reluctantly needed to pry herself away from the doll. Stupid gawking teammates. "Preparing for the Vytal Dance is a worthwhile endeavour, yes, but you should still allocate time for yourself..."
See, Yang? Ruby thought as she levelled a significant look at the other blonde that was trying not to focus on her. That's how you should have done it! ASK. Don't command me. Kira actually cares about my feelings. She's worried for me. Not worried that I'll mess up. It was right to choose her over you. She knows exactly what to say to me.
Plus it also helps that the 'time I'll be allocating' will almost certainly include some quality moments with Kirakishou. Alone. Just the two of us. Preferably with lots of kisses. Perhaps trying on a few dresses... Maybe some more things… Hm~ I hope she doesn't mind.
Ruby gave a delighted little giggle. In the end, it didn't particularly matter anymore what Yang would have done, or how she should do it. Yang wasn't the one giving out orders.
Nobody would give her orders anymore.
Now, she was her own person.
She would pursue her own desires.
Perhaps we could persuade Headmaster Ozpin to stop this silly house arrest after the dance? Ruby wondered. I mean, I really want to take her out on that date... She looked so surprised when I asked her during that time on Vale, too. Stupid teachers, they just had to ruin my first date, didn't they? At least she was able to get here undetected without causing some big pointless incident.
"...I'm beginning to rethink our decision in allowing Kirakishou to help out." Weiss muttered lowly as she glanced over at the two younger girls preening over each other. Kirakishou was whispering some rather flirtatious words to Ruby if the latter girl's quickly reddening face was any inclination, whilst the blonde herself shadowed over Ruby's chair like a spectre.
"Oum. Tell me about it."
She glanced over to Yang who was, much to her original shock at the time, willingly assisting her in choosing the particulars for the upcoming event. Whilst at first the Schnee Heiress had been justifiably cautious in allowing a girl as… rambunctious as Yang Xiao Long to even attend the party preparation, Blake had argued that it would have been unfair in excluding a member of their team in an event that had been assigned to the entirety of Team RWBY- not just select members. An ironic argument to give when the faunus was, by far, the least to contribute whatsoever.
However Yang had been remarkably open to suggestion and had argued for or against a wide variety of her proposals with a skill that showcased a certain aptness for debating that would put several of her past tutors of the field to shame. Were it not for the girl's blatant discomfort with Kirakishou made all the more apparent after her revelations the previous night, Weiss would likely have found her task relatively stress-free.
Yet no matter how hard she tried, she could not take her mind off what Kirakishou had said. Her little soft-spoken words whispered in her mind, over and over again. Whilst she was certain that Kirakishou's warped mind had intended for the words to be reassuring, they had been anything but in the end.
The supposedly false Summer doll that had caused her Team Leader to require sedation upon hearing of her death turned out to have been the actual Summer Rose resurrected in the body of some bizarre doll. Which had made Ruby's outburst all the more heartbreaking in hindsight.
The culprit responsible for all this madness was the very same girl that was currently nuzzling with her overeager team leader.
In spite of everything that has occurred, Ruby had placed her faith in an outsider rather than her actual teammates.
There is also a significant possibility that Kirakishou will be attempting to resurrect Summer Rose once more.
Ruby knew about the condition of her mother from the very start and hid it from the team.
They are dating.
Kirakishou and Ruby are actively working together.
To say that tensions were high amongst Team RWBY would be a colossal understatement. There were many emotions simmering below the surface, underneath the laughter and the studying and the planning. All four members held conflicting thoughts towards the blonde-haired flower-themed outsider and, inevitably, things were going to spiral out of control. It was only a matter of time.
How long would it last until everything fell apart? Hours? Days? Weeks? Seconds?!
"-Weiss, you there?"
She grimaced, shaking her head. How unprofessional. "Yes, of course. My apologies."
Yang gave a shrug, setting aside the doilies they had unanimously decided upon for the dance and following her gaze towards the two younger girls.
"Thinking about them, huh?"
"Of course I am." Weiss narrowed her eyes. "I've found myself conflicted as of late. Trapped. What can even be said regarding those two that wouldn't result in an argument? For the sake of the event I have been keeping my mouth shut, but eventually somebody is going to say something. It is a simple matter of time."
Yang nodded, face switching from mildly bemused to serious in an instant. "Yeah. I get what you mean. Just to see her here, so close to Ruby and actively going for her like some twisted little romance flick… It hurts. More than anything. Whilst Rubes looks happy, she's retreating into herself. She barely even socialises with anyone, unless Kira is there with her. It's unhealthy. But, if I do anything right now Rubes would never forgive me. There's nothing I can do."
"So, what? Are you implying that we simply play along? Imagine that everything's fine? That's insane, even for you."
"No. Definitely not." the blonde brawler stated immediately, cracking her knuckles. "We simply wait until the opportune moment. It's all we can do, really. Then, when the moment comes..." she smacked a hand into her fist. "We fix this. All of this. No matter what."
Weiss nodded reluctantly, the two girls sharing an uncomfortable look as they stared over at their mutual target. She shuddered ever so slightly at her thoughts. Even calling the girl a 'target' felt wrong on some base, instinctual level to her. Were Kirakishou's revelations to be perceived as truthful then Ruby was theoretically in no danger. Kirakishou was a wild card but, according to her, the girl was entirely focused on romance alone for the sake of it.
Yet she could not shake the sensation that there was something dreadfully wrong occurring in the background, just beyond her sight. Beyond her current understanding of the situation. To know that Ruby Rose, the innocent little girl that had once sneezed and almost blown them both sky high on the first day of academy, was right in the midst of all this madness… it was an uncomfortable scenario to witness unfolding before her very eyes.
Everything about Ruby's supposed paramour was conflicting. Where there was an almost overwhelming beauty to her, there was a remorseless mind hidden behind her smiles. One that had almost succeeded in killing two other students for merely attacking Ruby in the midst of a simple sparring match. She possessed powers unlike any semblance seen before, with an aura so abundantly monstrous as to ignore weapons-grade dust strikes with relative ease.
She had arrived in Vale under mysterious means that were still left unanswered. The girl had supposedly succeeded in resurrecting the dead- a feat so astronomical it was a miracle that every military on Remnant wasn't vying for her skills like a nest of vipers. Instead, she had been placed under house-arrest in what she could assume was meant to prevent the spread of information. An order which, at the current time, Kirakishou was casually disregarding in favour of assisting Ruby Rose with the party preparations of all things.
It was highly unlikely that Kirakishou had arrived to see any of them. No. The girl had made it crystal clear in her little revelations that all she cared about within Beacon Academy was her team leader. Everything she had done had supposedly been made with the intent of capturing Ruby's heart, whilst simultaneously disregarding any other notions for the most part.
And for what reason? Some nice flowery words spoken at the right time a few months ago? Damn her team leader and her crippling desire for heroism.
Even Kirakishou's manner of arrival had been unsettling. Yang had once spoken about how Kirakishou had appeared through a solid surface, when going to visit Ruby in the infirmary. To possess a transportation semblance on top of everything else was simply too ludicrous to imagine. Weiss had chalked it up to Yang exaggerating about the girl in her anger over the situation or some-such sisterly nonsense.
However, to witness it in person was another thing entirely.
Vines as pale as bone had appeared suddenly during their initial party preparation, crawling through an open window shutter and moving across the floor like serpents- slow enough to draw their attention before they were overrun yet faster than what she had been expecting out of simple plant life. They had sought out a rose vase that Ruby had accidentally spilled mere moments before, seemingly attracted to the water on the ground.
Witnessing Kirakishou crawl out of the subsequent fresh vines that grew from that blasted puddle had reinforced several trained instincts within the young Schnee to never allow a single spill to occur in her vicinity ever again.
To think that such a girl possessed the ability to essentially teleport from place to place was nothing short of horrifying. It had rendered her house arrest borderline pointless, as she doubted that the Headmaster had placed in Atlesian Grade aura suppressors inside her dorm room.
Which meant that she possessed the ability to move great distances in a single moment. An ability that, judging by her carefree and almost lackadaisical method of appearance, meant that she was quite skilled in utilising it effectively.
Had she been using it during her house arrest? Or was this specifically being used to greet Ruby when otherwise preoccupied? There was no way of telling- which seemed to be a recurring theme for the girl. With all of that time however, Weiss could only imagine what a girl with such a warped perspective in life could have have gotten up to.
Not that their team leader had cared just how Kirakishou had appeared. Not in the slightest. Ruby had squealed like a child at the sight and ripped towards Kirakishou with enough speed to send the girls flying into a nearby wall. Had it been anybody else, it would have severely damaged their aura to be hit with a strike like that- if they had even the chance to activate their aura in the first place. Yet Kirakishou had clearly been prepared for such an event, seemingly emerging with nothing but a slight flicker of her chalk-white aura and a smile on her eerily beautiful rose-covered face.
With such strength of aura coupled with her devotion to spending as much time as possible with Ruby Rose, there was little that the three other members of team RWBY could do to deny her without causing a ruckus. Especially considering the bizarre method she had utilised to appear.
There was no containing a girl which such a power.
Kirakishou glanced over at the roses of white and yellow, curiosity stirring within her at their musings. She wondered what swelled within their minds; one safely held within an embrace of ivory-shaded vines befitting her outer beauty, whilst the other lay entrapped within the juvenile N-Field of her very own baby sister.
They were unique little dolls, playing a separate game together whilst others pulled the strings.
"Are you okay, Kira? You've been really quiet so far. I thought you would be more, um, affectionate..."
She returned her focus to the Maiden of the Red Rose- her beloved. Ruby was becoming rather insightful under her mental tutelage. To divine her reactions so quickly was a notable development for a girl that possessed many childhood memories featuring clumsiness and uncomfortable social reactions.
Curiously, her desire for physical contact had increased in tandem with her social aptitude and confidence. It was an interesting development, to be placed in a field she had no experience within. Her red rose was nothing short of demanding, craving more and more physical contact as time went on.
Not that she was complaining, of course. It had merely been an unexpected development in their union. She wondered if it was unique to Ruby, or a trait found in other relationships. Jun had never been so physical when he was bonded to Shinku, whether it be the adult Jun found within the unwound world or the child Jun found within the wound world. It had required the presence of the other dolls before any kind of affectionate display was seen.
She supposed that, in the end, it hadn't mattered. They were gone for the meantime and, thus, she could focus her attentions on the very same girl that craved them.
"Your little roses are uncomfortable in my presence."
Ruby glanced down, notably distraught. Her lone eye spotted the fists of her beloved curling into balls. She would oft find that her little reaper used the motion to display emotional conflict, yet would remain verbally silent. Were it not for their contract, Kirakishou doubted she would have understood the gesture.
Jun had also done such a gesture. Yet their bond had never been strong enough for her to discern his deepest emotions. Only Shinku had been able to notice such things, and she had never connected to Shinku. The Fifth Rozen Maiden was a crafty one, denying her a connection to both herself and Sakurada Jun- the boy she had believed to be her Master in the waking world. Before everything had fallen apart.
Because their bond hadn't truly existed in the first place. Because he was a cruel boy who would deny her affections for his own selfish desire to take the other roses in her stead. She should never have reached out to his world.
"... It's just so annoying, Kira." Ruby mumbled under her breath, once more returning Kirakishou to the matter at hand. "I try and I try and I try, but they just refuse to accept you. What else can I do?"
Kirakishou cocked her head to the side. It was a shame that Ruby's N-Field was still immature, or else she would have suggested simply adding them to her garden and being done with their interference for good. However, her little body was no ready for such a vast undertaking. Not yet in the least.
There was also the matter of Ruby's own friendship connection with the girls. As she had learnt with Suigintou in the past, collecting dreamers from those with intense bonds to the intended target could lead to anger. She did not want her beloved rose to be mad at her pure form. Especially over something so paltry as meagre sustenance.
No. She would have to think of something else more suitable.
"Perhaps we could assist in the party preparations, beloved? As it would appear thus far both Weiss and Yang have been the major contributors to this event. Is it not a team activity?"
Ruby's eyes got rather wide as a gasp of realisation escaped her. "Oh oum, you're right! I didn't even notice! Come on!" the little reaper jumped to her feet, grabbing Kirakishou by the hand and bursting forward in a flurry of rose petals.
She always found herself enjoying the sensations granted by the 'semblance' of her dear Rose. The abilities possessed by the denizens of this bizarre alternate world without the Rozen Maiden were of curious design. According to information she had attained from her gatherings, they were uniquely attuned to the soul of the owner.
A single power for a single soul. A very curious ability indeed...
Ruby tried not to giggle as she saw her little doll zone out almost immediately upon entering the proximity of Yang and Weiss. It was a habit that she had noticed developing during their relationship. Kirakishou didn't seem all that interested in interacting with others, bar Ruby herself and strangely Penny of all people. Thankfully Blake was the only one who would have cared to notice and the ebon-haired girl was off reading her little book in the corner.
Attempting to get Blake Belladonna of all people to contribute to an event like this would be an exercise in futility- so it was best to simply leave her be. They had ensured that she was at least attending the dance in order to promote their team unity and also have a boatload of fun. So that was that.
She could focus on the more important matters.
"Hi!~" she announced with a bright grin, revelling as the Schnee heiress jumped a solid foot in the air and rounded on her with a fierce glare. For a prim and proper young lady, the girl had the worst spatial awareness she had ever seen.
Weiss looked to be about to respond in the negative, only to glance at Kirakishou's sharp smile and abruptly cut herself off. Yang, meanwhile, had tensed and had the same look on her face that she got when she was ready to argue.
Perhaps it was bad to enjoy the way that others were affected by Kirakishou. After all, it was Ruby that had been the one to push her into trying to connect with others in the first place and hopefully build the girl a social life to help her to heal through her trauma with Jun. But the visceral experience of getting to parade about and be herself without consequence just because any potential meanies were afraid of Kirakishou was doing wonders to her social confidence.
"Look, um, Kira pointed out that I haven't really been contributing persay and I came to, well, fix that. Kira wants to chip in too. That alright?"
Weiss glanced between the two girls, Ruby taking the opportunity to tighten her grip on Kirakishou's hand. It wouldn't do to have her partner looking like she wasn't paying attention.
"Hm..." Weiss sounded after a moment of consideration. "I suppose that would be acceptable. Whilst I was fully committed to having to coordinate this project all on my lonesome, your sister has been remarkably insightful on a great many ideas… Having more minds working on the task would likely be more efficient. Plus it would be a nice team exercise."
Ruby blinked, glancing at her blonde sister in blatant confusion. To see Yang of all people showing interest in helping Weiss with something so bland was an odd development. They didn't really have that much in common after all. Perhaps there was more going on? Or maybe Yang just possessed a secret fascination with doilies. It was equally possible.
Hopefully they weren't just hanging out to talk mean words about Kira, because that would be really shallow.
"Right!" Ruby chirped, thankfully somehow managing to keep her internal worries behind closed doors. "What do you need help with?"
Weiss took a breath and in that single moment the young team leader of Team RWBY knew with absolute certainty that she had opened up a can of worms.
"Oum. Where to begin." the heiress lamented with a sigh. "Well, I wouldn't suppose you would be familiar with the intricacies of setting up a surround-sound system for this area, would you? We're attempting-"
"-Look, what Weiss-cream is trying to say is that we need you to help carry some of the equipment around. I can wire it all up, easy peasy." Yang interrupted, gesturing to a stack of speakers laying near the corner.
Ruby gave a halfhearted shrug at the idea. With her aura it was certainly possible, through even then she'd have to leave the bigger stuff to Yang. They were just far too heavy and she wasn't going to let her clumsy self accidentally trip over a wire or something and lead to some big argument. Again. B-But that time at the birthday party hadn't been her fault! There was a kitty in the way and it spooked her, alright!
"Sure!" the reaper chirped out with a bright smile, internally panicking. Now she was going to be nervous the entire time! Ah! This was why she didn't do social interaction stuff!
Yang eyed the twitching too-wide smile and rapidly paling face of her baby sister with a growing disappointment, before shaking her head and gesturing the two girls over to the stack of speakers. She knew from firsthand experience that Rubes smiling like that meant she was uncomfortable doing what she was doing, but was simply putting on a brave face.
But was she uncomfortable because of all the crap they've had to deal with because of Kira, or simply because of some childish fear of messing up? With Rubes there wasn't much way of knowing unless you forced it out of her. Which was something that would probably set Kira off and lead to something crazy, most likely.
Nuh-uh. Not dealing with that.
"So, yeah. As you can see we've got a… few speakers we need to set up." Yang said, gesturing to the pile of mismatched cords and speaker systems. There were a few larger amplifiers and sub-woofers, but nothing too extreme unfortunately. All the fun stuff had been denied by the headmaster.
"A few..." Ruby deadpanned, eyeing the pile with discomfort. "Yang, this is even more than your last birthday party. You know, the one where we had to pay for that kid's medical bills?"
She blushed. Perhaps there had been a time in her life where she'd hooked up one too many speakers to their small place and inadvertently ruptured a guy's eardrum. But that was long in the past. She was beyond such things.
"Whatever." she shook her head. "Point is, Oz had approved it so we're good to go. Just need to set them up. I've marked points across the ballroom and the balcony for speakers. You'll see each speaker has a corresponding number on it. Just move the speaker to the right number, all you need to do."
Kirakishou cocked her head in an almost eerie unison with her baby sister. Since when did Ruby start tilting her head like a dog? Certainly wasn't something she used to do.
Thankfully, it was Rubes who spoke up and not Kirakishou. She didn't want to have to deal with the younger blonde right now.
"...Why are you explaining things like a video game? Move X to this location. Even for you, that's kinda weird Yang."
"Oh, come on! How else are we going to get this done?" she deflected, ignoring the questioning looks sent to her by Weiss and Blake off in the sidelines. It was the only real way to get a good setup when you weren't just doing it all yourself. So what if it resembled some shitty puzzle.
Everyone's a critic.
Ruby moved to grab a bunch of smaller speakers, glancing around the room for the appropriate numbers before whizzing towards them with a burst of her semblance. Yang mere chuckled at the scene. Ever since her baby sister had discovered her semblance she would use it for the most mundane reasons.
Hefting up a larger speaker herself, she moved to place it towards the two sides which would give a good coverage of the dance floor. Whilst they weren't the most expensive speakers she had ever seen, in being mere school stock, they were compensating with quantity. Provided she was able to sync them all up effectively it would be a pretty decent system for a little shindig like this.
Kirakishou eyes Yang moving the speaker, the beginnings of a frown growing on her lips—not that she would ever willingly let her beloved witness such an ugly expression. With Yang growing attached to Ruby's N-Field instead of her own Palace of Beginnings, it had become difficult to interpret the girl's whims and wishes.
She was also a bit of a show off. It was drawing her love's attention away from her, even if her beloved reaper didn't immediately recognise it.
With a heft of her hands, she grasped the large speaker that would serve as a polar opposite to Yang's own speaker, appearing on the opposite side of the room if the blonde brawlers asinine plan was to be correctly interpreted. Movement with a large object, or any object really, was a foreign action to a doll like her, but for her beloved she would undertake this task.
It had been her own suggestion in the first place. It would do little good to simply ruin the blonde's little plan simply out of mere spite. Even if she would certainly enjoy the action.
For her love, she would sacrifice the chance. There would be many other opportunities to play with Yang in the future, especially if she stayed connected to Ruby's field.
"... I see that your, ahem, paramour is rather strong." Weiss offered weakly, having walked over to Ruby to assist her in untangling all the wires before baking at the sight at Kirakishou's strength. It was good to see Weiss trying to help out. It was certainly an offer that Ruby had accepted with open arms.
Well, figuratively open arms. For her hands were very much all tangled up. Somehow. She wasn't certain how it had even happened herself.
She couldn't understand how her annoying older sister could want to willingly devote so much time into handling such an annoying task. But at least Kira was using the time to try and bond with her, even if it was through some incredible display of strength that would almost certainly set of Yang's competitive urges.
She giggled at the annoyed look on her older sister's face as she stood by Weiss, letting the heiress untangle her mess.
"... Yeah. Kira's pretty strong alright." Ruby answered, a wistful tone in her voice. "With how she handled that fight with Mercury and Emerald though, I thought it would be pretty obvious."
"She told you about that?" Weiss remarked with blatant surprise.
"Uh-huh." Ruby nodded with a smile. "Oum. Sometimes it feels like something out of a romance novel, you know? She did all of that, just to protect me..."
Well, it had been that and far more. But she wasn't going to be telling her team mates any time soon about that. Oh no. Seeing how they've reacted to each and every other tidbit of information about Kira so far, it would be in her best interests to remain as vague as possible.
"...I assumed you'd be surprised that Kirakishou would go so far."
Ruby gave a half-hearted shrug, trying not to let her eyes wander too far. Apparently laced up thigh-high boots were most certainly one of her interests. Along with that frilled little dress that the doll seemed to favour wearing as much as possible.
"Well, you know what happens when you assume." She responded idly.
Weiss huffed in indignation, but thankfully fell silent after that. She could most certainly feel the Schnee's eyes on her, but Ruby wasn't going to be giving that any kind of attention. Her team mates could be remarkably nosy at times.
For a while, she allowed herself to fall into the rhythm of simple party preparations, moving speakers around and idly chatting with her teammates when the desire arose within her, though largely she remained silent. Kirakishou appeared content to assist as well, even whilst it became quite clear that Weiss, Blake and Yang were doing their best to largely ignore the doll's presence entirely.
There was a certain allure regarding meagre labour, in that there were no grimm to hunt nor any White Fang plots to foil. It was simple. A preparation for something larger. Kirakishou had been right to suggest assisting- simply watching the rest of the team from the distance had become rather boring for her. Well, more boring than it normally was. She wanted to assist her team. To grow closer with them and forge deeper connections.
She needed to forge deeper connections. To tie herself closer with her team members. One at a time. Piece by piece. They were going to be a team. Ruby could not afford to allow her team members to bicker about something as simple as who she desired to romance.
Ringgg~
Blinking, she turned towards the sound of a scroll-call ringtone, remembering that she had left her own scroll on a random bench due to stupid girl pockets only to realise that, thankfully, it wasn't her scroll that was receiving a call.
It was Weiss' scroll. And she was moving to decline it, judging by the conflicted look on her face.
"...You mustn't."
Kirakishou? What-
Ruby was sure that she had just seen Kira off to the side, fiddling with some speakers. Somehow, in the span of a few seconds, she had appeared behind the Schnee heiress. With her hands on Weiss' shoulders.
The poor heiress jumped and startled in surprise at the touch, whirling around with an embarrassed blush and a frown on her face. Well. Ruby hoped it was a blush of embarrassment, or surprise or whatever.
Because if not they were going to have words.
"K-Kira-what, what is the meaning of this?!"
The blonde blinked, eyeing the scroll that lay within her hands. In Weiss' shock, the diminutive heiress had flung her scroll in the air and from what Ruby could see it had only been Kirakishou's instinctual reaction that had saved the device.
She handed the scroll back to its rightful owner. "...You mustn't. Don't hang up. Answer. Play the game you were born for."
The scroll continued to ring incessantly in the background. The commotion had drawn Blake and Yang away from their respective rolls and they were eyeing the two girls along with Ruby. She saw her older sister shoot her a questioning look, but she just shrugged. Ruby had no idea why the heiress would look so conflicted about answering a simple call.
Maybe it was a Schnee thing. In that case, what did Kirakishou have to do with it?
"..." Weiss continued to flick her gaze between the scroll and Kirakishou. If Ruby squinted, she could vaguely make out the word 'Father' as the caller I.D on the scroll. Her dad was calling her? Wasn't he all the way in Atlas or something? Or maybe he was calling to say that he's in Vale for the Vytal Festival?
Perhaps she's reaching a bit.
"It would be for the best if you answer." Kirakishou continued, pushing Weiss' hands forward using her own hands. "Don't run. Never run. It won't save you."
The heiress' eyes snapped to stare at Kirakishou, narrowing intently at the jab. In a swift motion she ripped her hands away from Kirakishou and stormed off in a huff, pulling the scroll up to her ears just as she left the room.
Kirakishou observed her departure with a silent smile before turning back to the others. They were not her sweet sisters and this was most certainly not the Alice Game, but there were other games with which to entertain her pure self in the meantime.
"...Shall we continue?"
"Father. It is good to hear from you."
She loathed this man. She loathed his calls. She loathed what he had done to their once proud name. Had it not been for a crazed lovesick blonde pressuring her into accepting the call, Weiss would gladly have denied each and every one of his calls until the man either got her message or found some other method of contacting her. Either was preferable.
Now, there was no choice but to answer. In calling her out, Kirakishou had alerted her teammates of the situation. Any attempt to refute the girl over something as simple as answering a call would have inadvertently led to questioning at a later date.
"Weiss. How pleasant it is to know that you are, indeed, capable of answering a scroll call."
Her eyes narrowed at the jab, but she refrained from answering him. It would serve no purpose to antagonise the president of the Schnee Dust Company, even if said president happened to also be her own Father.
Besides, she had heard worse insults in her time at Beacon Academy. She would not be stooping to his level.
"...There were other situations at hand. With the Vytal Festival just around-"
"Ah, yes. The Vytal Festival and the academy tournament loved by all..." Jacques Schnee interrupted with a sigh of disgust audible even over a transcontinental call. "A horrid waste of time, one of which I find myself repugnant that the council even allows to continue…" he lamented, "Forcing a group of children, supposed to be our protectors against the forces of Grimm, into some kind of vicious tournament for our supposed viewing pleasure. How ostentatiously grotesque. I did not bother calling, again, to discuss such a thing. There are far more important affairs at stake."
Oh? He hadn't? It was a staunch difference compared to how she had anticipated the president of the Schnee Dust Company to act in regards to their heiress participating in said tournament. How very perplexing.
However, Jacques Schnee had always cared little for the huntsmen profession as a whole, citing it to be disorganised and led by corrupt figureheads who lord over their underlings and extort outside villages through vast military displays of pointless bravado.
It was one of the many reasons why her Father particularly despised General James Ironwood of the Atlesian Military. Off the records, of course. In business Jacques was nothing but amicable, until the man left the room.
"..I see." Weiss answered hesitantly. "I do not suppose you're here to congratulate my admission into Beacon Academy."
A gruff bark of cynical laughter was Jacques' immediate response. "Of course not. I had no uncertainty for your admission into Ozpin's little school. Your abilities and position are not in question."
"Then why force me through that gruelling little test of yours?!"she hissed back in response, clutching the scroll tightly as if to try and strangle the man through the blasted device.
It had been for this reason that she hadn't wished to speak with her Father. He was a nightmare to talk with at the best of times- from both a corporate and familial sense.
"Why, in an attempt to dissuade you from your little dream, of course." Jacques answered without an ounce of his previous levity. "And yet, you defeated the Arma Gigas without a trace of doubt in your heart. You have your grandfather's courage, you know. Well, on your mother's side. Mine was far less, ahem, brave..."
She shook in anger.
All of that. Just out of some halfhearted notion to force her to reconsider her options. And to have the nerve to deliver a backhanded compliment regarding her grandparents. Relatives that had perished due to an infamous group of wayward huntsmen-turned bandits that had subsequently been hunted down a few years prior to her enrolment.
Was it Father's way of reminding her of the bitter past, or his own form of threat?
In the end, it didn't particularly matter. Once she came of age and inherited the company, she would make it her Oum-damned mission to personally rebuild the reputation of the Schnee Dust Company into a more positive image and not one of some over-reaching greedy tycoon.
"If not in regards to the Vytal Festival, or the tournament, what is your reason for calling?"
There was a slight pause before he spoke. "...There has been a significant development in the future of the Schnee Dust Company. Your position as heiress is required in the immediate future."
A significant development? That sounded rather ominous. Especially one where Jacques Schnee was unable to handle it himself. Whilst it was feasibly possible he was simply using some opportunity to wrest her away from Beacon Academy, were his musings to believed this was not the case. He was more or less unconcerned with her dealings as a huntress, provided she maintain her position as a Schnee.
"And what exactly would be this… development?" she inquired.
This time, there was no hesitation from her Father.
"The Atlesian Military has been growing increasing worried over their supply of dust, likely following the recent string of thefts. They have reached out to us in the hopes of securing a direct line to our mines."
"The military? Who in particular? General Ironwood?"
"Correct."
"But why? Those thefts are predominantly in the Vale area, with only some smaller thefts occurring in the surrounding continents—primarily through the aquatic transportation service. There's practically nothing happening in Atlas."
"Hm. Who knows. The minds of military dogs are of no interest to us. Yet I do agree- this offer is sudden."
"What should I do?" Weiss asked.
"I understand General Ironwood has found himself in Vale during this time. Approach him, when you can. You are to act as our emissary in this regard. Find out what you can and we will finalise the deal in person, after this abhorrent little festival."
A/N:
Hello again. This chapter was a different take on my typical writing style, incorporating multiple PoVs into a single consistent chapter. Typically I would separate each character by a line break and specifically make their presence known. How did you all find this style? In the future, it will likely pop up in scenes that involve a lot of characters each with wildly varying opinions. Let me know of any potential suggestions or criticisms. My style has changed ever so slightly from the start of this story and there's always room for advancement!
The Vytal Festival Dance will be next chapter. Along with all that it entails.
Until next time!