CHAPTER 11: I'M NO GOOD AT FEELINGS

Remnant, System Unknown

City of Vale

Stark Residence

July 4th, 56 AGW

Today was Independence Day and normally, such a day would be commemorated to celebrate the good old United States of America. Truthfully, this was usually a day to just throw a big party and sleep with a chick or two. Actually, it wasn't just holidays that were to be celebrated. Finding an excuse to party whenever was just the norm.

Unfortunately, Tony didn't think that him celebrating his home country by being all patriotic was going to make sense to anyone at all. Frankly speaking, even if he could somehow make this day a holiday, it wouldn't make sense in the context of this world and its history. For almost as long as recorded history, four kingdoms had existed in the world in one form or another. There were no empires losing colonies and certainly no movements for independence like back on Earth.

The only way he could celebrate was to do so in his head, so he went out to some random night club with loud music and booze all around. He danced for a bit, then took two girls home with him. Both of them were Faunus and naturally, he was curious about whether or not certain animal traits might enhance the experience. Suffice it to say, there were ups and downs with having additional features, but it was an overall enjoyable experience. He handled them pretty well for being out of practice ever since coming to Remnant. That had been just what the doctor ordered.

Then he suavely ushered them out, never to see their faces or remember their names again. That's just how nice he was.

Back to business, he was already in the process of designing some new missiles exclusively for Atlas. Negotiations had gone faster than planned and right now, the northernmost kingdom was awaiting the first prototype to be designed and test-fired before any official manufacturing could take place. That all fell on his shoulders and he took to his work like a fish in water.

For this design, Atlas had specified that they were looking for a guided missile system that would be able to work on both land and in the air. The reason for their versatility was due to their fleet often travelling all around the world to various bases located all across Remnant. Many of their current weapon systems were reaching their time of decommission or obsolescence, hence the rush for a replacement weapons array, one that could hopefully carry them into the future twenty to fifty years or so.

Tony had gone to the drawing board to begin sketching out rough ideas. When comparing this new missile to the Jaeger I, he was going for more Earth-based systems and design concepts rather than using what he could find on Remnant. The only thing that would be used from this world would be dust. As primitive as the substance was, its effectiveness couldn't be denied. The numerous elemental properties at his disposal opened up the door to many devastating combative possibilities.

The decision to keep using dust was logical. If he was to introduce new methods of powering all technology, he would need to show everyone that he had mastered the most important substance on Remnant.

Getting back on track, the genius chose to experiment with a completely different fundamental effect than the Jaeger I. Instead of using dust to specifically target Grimm and kill them, he would now be making use of gravity dust to root out ground-based species in order for military forces to individually destroy high-value or dangerous targets. Basically, deprive the Grimm of their gravity and they would be easy as pie to pick off by conventional forces.

This radical idea sprouted from Tony's idea of how Atlas conducted themselves in war. The kingdom of snow and ice really fancied themselves as masters of technology and whatnot. It was to the point where their arrogance showed so clearly on everything related to them. While there were no clear blatant displays of haughtiness, it was clear as day that Atlesians thought themselves better than most people. In a way, introducing something completely out of left field would maybe force Atlas to see that maybe it wasn't the best at what it did. There was more than one way to kill.

But the young Stark would be a fool not to prepare some other options in the event that his first idea didn't work.

His next missile idea was purely Earth-based, containing absolutely nothing in the way of Remnant technology, not even dust. Taking a page from the inventor of shrapnel rounds, he had designed an anti-personnel missile, designed for short range. The effects of shrapnel on a person were gruesome and there was nothing saying that the same couldn't be done on a Grimm. Because this one wasn't coded strictly to kill Grimm, the repercussions of manufacturing this weapon for Atlas came with it pros and cons to weigh, something he would consider as time went on.

Tony wasn't concerned about the morality aspect of any of this. As far as he was concerned, he was ahead of the entire world. Sooner or later, the Grimm were going to puff out into many clouds of black dust and smoke. That was just what he was going to do as long as he kept doing what he did. What came after would be more interesting. A world where the most dangerous thing was another person rather than monsters would give him a playing field that he could monopolize on.

However, this assumed that he wouldn't be faced with others who were thinking the same. Although all the facts pointed to a competitor being a near-zero possibility, he couldn't forget that war wasn't all that impossible between the kingdoms. While nations needing means of defending and attacking was all well and good, he couldn't just up and give out this stuff to the big boys willy nilly.

The inventor planned out many different scenarios mentally. He couldn't realistically expect Vaccuo to have much need of his weapons seeing as their way of life more or less did away with government. Therefore, he was down to three kingdoms that would have a need for weapons of mass destruction. Out of the main three, Atlas had the greatest desire to fuel their war machine. Vale's deal with Stark Industries was based around their need to shore up their own defenses in the event of conflict seeing as their entire military was long overdue for an overhaul. As for Mistral, that remained to be seen.

Another factor to account for was catering to huntsmen and huntresses. Because of the importance of these Grimm killers, it would be foolish not to make use of his business on their kind, but the monetary gain from this group was limited; what was more important than the lien to be earned were the connections that he could establish. If he could sell successfully to many huntsmen and huntresses, he would gain their trust and loyalty. Both would go a long way to enhancing his already-growing network of people.

And speaking about people he knew, it was about time to have another visit with that bastard Jack Frost. Tony had selected to name the SDC as such because he kind of was a bastard. Behind that charming smile and that silver tongue was a guy who was looking for the upper hand in any situation. Jacque Schnee was probably such a scumbag that he would sell out his own mother if he had one, which he didn't thankfully.

But there were plenty of other people he could visit in the meanting.

Jolly old St. Nick was pretty sprightly for an old timer. He might not be involved in the family business, but the Schnee patriarch was not one to be taken lightly.

And there was Snow White. He knew that he had her in the palm of his hands. A little more time and… well, he would have to tread carefully when it came to forbidden fruit.

Tin Man was cool too. He was kind of like Rhodey except more high-strung and kind of controlling. That was just intuition speaking, but it might not be that far off.

And Doctor Polendina. He didn't have a nickname for his fellow scientist, but that would come with time. Maybe since they were both pioneering A.I. development, Gepeto would work.

Tony grabbed his custom-made Stark Industries mug and took a swig of his coffee. It was still warm, which meant that he was still cognizant of his surroundings. That meant he hadn't delved so deep into his work that he locked out the real world, which was either good or bad depending upon what was going on at the time.

He let his pencil come to a rest and he carefully examined the first draft of his latest invention. It wasn't anything ground-breaking, but it would serve its purpose well enough once he ran some tests and simulations.

Standing up, he began to do some light exercises to get his blood moving. He would be here for a while.

Iron Man - - - RWBY

Remnant, System Unknown

Kingdom of Atlas

Schnee Manor

July 7th, 56 AGW

Whenever she wasn't in the gardens pondering, Willow often wandered the halls of the mansion, doing nothing in particular. Whatever could be used to satisfy her boredom was fair game. For her, life was simple; all she existed for was to look pretty and proper and sooner or later, children were going to start showing up. If they didn't, then it would only be a matter of time before things got complicated in the social circle.

But for now, Jacque was far too invested in making the SDC into a powerhouse that he often seemed to think of children as a secondary objective, something to do once the more important things in life were accomplished and maintained. She wasn't about to say or do anything to contradict him. After all, he knew what he was doing.

That being said, Willow wondered for how long she could keep thinking about the lessons she took growing up that taught her how to be a proper lady. She wondered how many times knowing how to curtsey, how to respond with polite and measured words would matter with time. She wondered how those lessons with the violin and piano were even worth anything in light of how much she stayed at home.

But no matter how much she felt the need to voice these tiresome aspects of her life, she would hold her peace. She was taught to never be vocal about things she disliked in life. There were a great deal many unpleasant things that could spring up without warning and without hesitation. If she complained about everything, big or small, she would be seen as little more than a spoiled child, which would lead her to being treated accordingly. She would at least retain her pride and dignity if nothing else.

And so the only daughter of Nicholas Schnee mentally sighed to herself as she continued down the quiet and serene hallways. Occasionally, she would pass by a servant who would bow their head in an expected greeting of one of the esteemed residents of the house and she would slightly nod her head, another holdover from her lessons as a teenager.

The former heiress passed by the conference room, sparing an ear to see if there was anything of importance going on and hearing nothing going on, so she continued to the library. Perhaps a book or two would help ease her mind.

A few minutes later, she quietly slipped her way into the library filled with books that may or may not have ever been read. Wealthy people did not always partake in the items that they purchased.

Willow took one look around and she lightly gasped, placing her hand over her mouth in surprise.

There he was, casually reading one of the books as if he owned this place. He looked to be deeply absorbed in the contents held in his hands.

Now would be a good time to leave. She would come back later, and so she attempted to make a silent exit.

"Is my company really that bad, Snow White?" Tony's voice spoke to her. "What's the rush? Relax, this is your home, after all."

"...Mister Stark, this is an unexpected surprise." Willow reluctantly turned to face him and did a customary curtsey. "I presume your dealings with Jacque have brought you here?"

"If you're trying to say that I've got business here, then yes." Tony didn't look up from what he was reading. "We had a lot to talk about and we still , I can't disclose the details. It's all top-secret stuff, real hush-hush."

"So I see." Willow answered, watching him as he scanned pages. "If I might ask, what do you have in your hands?"

"A little something analysing on how dust has affected civilization." Tony turned the page. "It's amazing how a single substance can lift Mankind up from the dirt. It really makes you wonder what would have happened if we didn't have dust."

"Well, civilization as we know it would have collapsed long ago." Willow knew that much if her knowledge of history was anything to go by. "It goes without saying that dust is the only reason that any of us are alive."

"I wonder about that." Tony closed the book and placed it on the shelf. "It's amazing what a few small changes can do for the world."

She had no clue what this man was going on about, but she did comprehend that he wasn't merely throwing out words in a chasm. There was a method to how he operated, but she didn't possess the intelligence to dissect what he was really thinking about and she was certainly not about to pretend that she understood what he was thinking.

Yet she couldn't deny that there was something about him that compelled her to want to venture further. Call it misplaced curiosity or her brain wanting to find some way out of the monotony that was her life. She took a few steps forward, closing some of the distance between them.

"From the way you're speaking, you sound like you have a grand plan in mind." Willow Schnee chose to venture a guess. "Or am I wrong?"

"A grand plan?" Tony mirrored her words, yet he didn't seem all that phased by it. "Who can say? I can't speak to changing the world for the better, but I know exactly who I am and what I do for my money. I sell weapons so that Mankind and the Faunus die less than the Grimm, simple as that."

She knew that he was lying, at least not in some respect. It was true that Stark Industries was listed as a weapons manufacturer and this bold admission to what he did was all factual, but there seemed to be something he didn't intend to speak about. Naturally, it was in a CEO's best interest to never reveal all of his hardships, but the Schnee lady couldn't help but wonder even more what else was on his agenda.

"Enough about me, Snow White." Tony closed the gap between them some more. "How are things? How's the old man? Jack Frost?"

"My father is well all things considered." Willow raised an eyebrow while addressing the man in front of her. "As for Jacque, he's busy, but you already knew that."

"Hmm." Tony looked her in the eye. "I'll have to check up on him, make sure he's doing his work. I don't trust a man that has no leisure activities in his life."

"As far as I know, Jacque doesn't possess hobbies." Willow really didn't. "He spends most of his time working or attending the various social gatherings that are hosted all around Atlas."

"Wow. Sounds exhausting." Tony looked to his right. "Well, it's not like I'm doing much better. When you're trying to take over the world, you can't really afford to sit back and take a few days off."

"I'm sorry?" Willow wanted to make sure that she wasn't mishearing. "Take over the world."

"Oh, don't me." Tony resumed his attention back on her. "Just the ramblings of a man who's going on less than four hours of sleep a night. Did you know that it takes four hours of sleep for a person to be functional and sane?"

"Not that exact number, but I understand the importance of sleep." Willow was confused as to where this conversation was going. "It seems that you and Jacque have another thing in common, being workaholics."

"What can I say?" Tony grinned slightly. "I'm burdened with a noble and terrible purpose: putting down monsters that won't stay down Basically, I kill things and then I sit in the sun and feel good about doing it. Now that is real work."

With his description, she couldn't help but let her mind picture it. The more she thought about it, the more absurd the image became. Juxtaposing the rather bleak nature of warfare with the image of the inventor sitting on a pool chair sipping on a drink was far too much for her to take with a calm attitude.

She couldn't help the smile and light laugh that escaped from her professional demeanor.

"A noble and terrible purpose indeed." Willow managed some words. "I can only imagine it."

"Then allow me to work your imagination a little more." Tony glanced at the nearby seats. "This might be a while, so you should have a seat, take a load off."

As she settled to see what he was going to talk about next, she never realized that the previous boredom she had been wrestling with had ceased to be a conscious thought in her mind. She was far too absorbed into this strange, yet entertaining conversation. She could almost forget that Mister Stark was a businessman looking to make lien with her husband. Right now, he was just a man with a way with words.

Willow Schnee began to lose her mask of politeness in favor of expressions that matched the feelings that she was feeling internally.

RWBY - - - Iron Man

Remnant, System Unknown

Kingdom of Atlas

Schnee Manor

July 7th, 56 AGW

Nicholas Schnee had done many things in his life, many of which he was proud of. Perhaps his most important accomplishment of all was creating the Schnee Dust Company. For the people of Atlas and the entirety of Remnant, it was a symbol of trust, reliability, and quality. It was the best of what dust could be and with time, it would only get better, at least that's what he hoped would happen.

However noble and spectacular his purpose in life, the old man knew that he couldn't sustain that momentum forever. However in-shape he was and no matter how much time he spent honing not only his mind but his body, eventually, time would win out and he could no longer do the work he was once was capable of, but he didn't want all of his work to come crashing down. That was why he had been careful in selecting his successor.

Willow was far from capable of becoming the next head of the SDC. She simply lacked the drive and the passion to do so. She was a true lady to the core, soft and gentle, something that didn't mesh well in big business. That was why he had chosen Jacque Gele to marry his only daughter and continue his legacy and so far, the man was doing exactly as he had promised. The company was growing even more, becoming more profitable, and effectively beating out much of the competition.

If things had gone according to what was predicted, then there wouldn't be much to think about, but lately, there had been some massive shifts, something that would be hard to ignore.

The Schnee Dust Company's latest partner, Stark Industries had come out of nowhere and made a name for itself despite its small and humble beginnings, something that Nicholas could understand and respect, but even he found it amazing the level of progress that was achieved in the span of less than a few months, but then again when taking into account the primary focus of the weapons manufacturer, it sort of made sense.

Whether people cared to acknowledge it or not, the Grimm were a major problem in the world. The peace that most people enjoyed was thanks to the efforts of the militaries and huntsmen all across the world and both relied on the availability of dust, the one and only substance that had allowed any form of civilization to thrive. With Stark Industries, the balance between the militaries and and huntsmen could be shifted to favor the former over the latter.

By itself, there was nothing wrong with that. Having armed forces all across Remnant be better prepared for conflict against the Grimm, big or small, would prove to be a boon for all of Mankind as a whole. For as long as memory served, many had dreamed of a world where they would no longer have to fear death from the monsters that plagued them all. Now, there just might be a way for that dream to be made into a reality.

But for every intended effect, there was always an unintended effect. Huntsmen prided themselves on being elite warriors whose skills and talents were heavily relied upon. If the kingdoms were to shift their focus into building stronger militaries, there was a small yet very real possibility of huntsmen becoming less valuable, maybe even obsolete if Stark Industries became more globally accepted. Although this was merely a thought exercise, Nicholas believed in his gut that it was quite possible.

In the interest of getting a better idea as to how much of a chance that the weapons manufacturer had of making such a drastic change to Remnant, the former SDC head had been participating in discussions with Jacque and Mister Stark. Often times, he simply sat and listened to them exchange words.

Such as right now.

Obviously, the Schnee Dust Company had far more on the table when it came to resources and influence, but Stark Industries offered both inventive and innovative ideas, something that anyone with a working brain would be a fool not to see. The primary motivation for one of the most valuable companies in the world to support a newcomer was simple; both Nicholas and Jacque were in agreement that should their latest partner see massive success like the numbers seemed to be telling them, then they would no doubt have yet another thing to brag about to the public.

Mister Stark appeared to be fully aware of this himself and yet he didn't seem the least bit bothered by it. Actually, it felt like during all of their discussions, he looked completely unphased by anything thrown at him, even things with the intent, hidden or blatant, to show that he was not the one in power. In the face of a superior entity, he was amazingly calm and collected. Either he had nerves or he did well to hide whatever fears he possessed. Either way, they clearly weren't dealing with a man who just happened to get lucky.

"I'm sure you're already aware of this, but I've just finished securing a deal with the Atlesian Council." Tony looked his opposite in the eye. "That means that within the next two to three years, I'll be aiming to open an additional facility here along with the necessary staff. This way, we can begin to work exclusively on Atlas-specific weapons."

"It will certainly expedite the process immensely." Jacque nodded. "Although I do have one question regarding the weapon you intend to build for our kingdom. How long is its intended operational life?"

"Twenty years according to my calculations." Tony addressed. "But by that point, I'll have already begun developing the next generation. Everything I'm building now is what I liked to call the Mark I generation. Given that I'm not working at my full potential, It will take at least ten years for the Mark I system to have effectively run its course before I consider a new phase."

"I see." Jacque casually observed his scroll screen. "And in that time frame, you intend for your dust numbers to become more efficient with time."

"Preliminary calculations have me using more dust due to my lack of access to technology that could make my operations more efficient." Tony pointed out. "With time, I will perfect the technique of using less dust and getting more power out of it. Of course, when that time comes, the sheer volume that I'm aiming for will compensate for this efficiency. That and specialized weaponry with high concentrations will more than likely keep us buddy-buddy for some time."

"Indeed." Jacque nodded his head in satisfaction. "If it all possible, I would very much like to see the prototype you're making for our military forces before it is presented to the general officers."

"I'm afraid that my clients anticipated this request from you and I have to respect their wishes not to speak of the matter." Tony crossed his arms. "It's all written in a formal written contract and signed by all parties involved."

"A shame." Jacque frowned, but kept himself reigned in. "In any case, I look forward to what will be coming in the future."

"We all do, I'm sure." Tony offered a hand. "Here's to many years of mutual benefit."

Nicholas remained silent for this entire dialogue, but what had been said here was far more revealing than the surface-level meaning would suggest. It seemed that Stark Industries was looking to a future decades ahead of everyone else. That much the SDC founder could deduce because he understood what it meant to have a vision of the next half century and even further.

Back when he first founded the company of his namesake, he had done so with a not just a goal, but a vision. He looked into numerous possibilities and filtered out what wouldn't fulfill his ideal path forward. He knew a raw deal when he saw one and from where he was standing, Mister Stark seemed to be receiving far less than Jacque was. This could look like the SDC setting itself up to be the parent company of a startup.

That would be too easy, Nicholas realized and it would be foolish to think that a man who could single handedly build weapons and run a company from near ground zero was a fool. Luck was a wonderful thing, but all luck ran out eventually, leaving only an individual's own personal skills and talents.

The logical course of action was to just continue on. No amount of worrying was going to help discern the exact details of the future. They would have to play their cards carefully, keeping some secrets in reserve.

Iron Man - - - RWBY

Remnant, System Unknown

City of Vale

Downtown

July 10th, 56 AGW

Ghira wasn't sure what was going to happen on this date that was being set up by Tony, but he knew that he had mixed feelings on the matter.

On one hand, it would be interesting to get back into the dating game and see if there was something there for him. While the idea of marriage and a family was something he had thought about before, it wasn't anything that he pondered too deeply. He figured that it would happen some time in the future and he would know when it was the perfect time to settle down and raise a family.

On the other hand, there was the matter of what he was doing now and how that could affect any romantic relationship that he had. After all, being a part of the White Fang was dangerous work and he didn't want to burden a woman with the thought of him being hurt or harmed in any way. Should he have a relationship while still being a part of the Fang, he would need to make sure that his partner was tough and resilient.

Weighing the pros and cons was an exercise in futility seeing as he had already agreed to go on this blind date and had made his own personal preparations. The location and event had already been decided by Tony. All he had to do was show up.

So here he was, standing tall, clean, and shaven. A good look would go a long way to making a good first impression and he knew a thing or two about making impressions from all of the work he did.

Opposite of him was his date and upon first seeing her, he immediately noted that she was a Faunus with her ears shown on full display with not a look of fear. She must be very brave to display her traits. While Vale was known for being one of the more tolerant kingdoms in the world, it was imperfect. Regardless, he could respect her courage.

It was kind of surprising that she was a faunus with feline traits, the same as him. Even more amazing a coincidence was that her hair was raven-black like his own and her eyes were a golden yellow. What were the chances of finding a fellow faunus of the opposite sex with all these similiar features?

"Alright, kids." Tony gently pushed them together. "Introduce yourselves and shake hands."

"Hello." Ghira was ever the gentleman as he offered a handshake. "I'm Ghira Belladonna. It's nice to meet you."

"Kali Bellerose." She smiled with pearly-white teeth. "Likewise."

Her tone sounded somewhere between young and mature, although from her appearance, it would seem that she was quite a lively young woman. She didn't look nervous or appear uninterested in this affair. That would make this date go more smoothly.

"So, you two, I've booked a reservation at this upper-class establishment, hence why I asked you to both dress nicely." Tony began explaining the specifics. "I will be footing the entire tab, so go wild with food and drinks. I'd be mad if you two didn't."

Never a dull day with Tony Stark.

I do a little segment with Kali for fun and you guys jump the conclusion that Tony's just going to sleep with her. I know you guys can get a little crazy with shipping, but I would advise you to tone it down. Just because Mister Stark speaks with a woman doesn't instantly mean he's going to become involved with her.

I may have said this before, but breaking up Ghira and Kali feels wrong because they're the only two parents of RWBY who either aren't dead or live in some sort of dysfunctional manner. Basically, what I'm saying is that complete and happy families are a good thing. So many shows in anime or shows influenced by anime have this infamous trend of families that are either never shown or incomplete. That's actually not a good thing for child development.

And don't forget that Blake was NOT one of the four voted children if Iron Man that YOU ALL voted for, so keep that in mind as well.

Anyway, moving on.

Recently, I've become busier of my own accord. That leaves me very strapped for time when it comes to writing and honestly, it looks to me like it's only going to get more busy. I don't know if this'll affect my ability to write, but if it does, you'll all know once I'm sure of a few things.

Feedback and reviews are appreciated as always.

Thanks for reading.

"Shoot for the moon and if you miss, you will still be among the stars."

Les Brown