Hello everyone! How are you doing?
Chapter 45 is here! Its slightly more lighthearted than usual, but I hope you enjoy it all the same!
Thank you for following/favoring or simply reading it! See you all next week!
February 4th, 86
To call the state of the living room a mess would be a total understatement. Clothes spread all around the old couches; accessories hastily discarded and thrown away. Shoes scattered on the floor.
To put it blankly, when Yang entered the house holding their boxed dinner in hand, she had trouble deducing whether Blake and Weiss had been changing, or someone had broken in and left with their valuables.
She brushed the snow off her shoulders. "Blakey! Weiss! Are you-" "SHUT UP AND COME HELP ME!" the shrieking voice came from above. "We are fine; just a little indecisive" Blake added from the bathroom.
Yang tossed a piece of pie inside her mouth and took off her boots before climbing up the stairs to the bedroom. The door was half-open and she stepped in-
"Did you go all the way to Atlas City to bring the food? We are going to be late!" a half-naked white-haired girl tossed her a ribbon. The blonde didn't reply; she merely checked her watch.
"We have more than five hours until the ball, Snowflake." A cyan eye glared at her like she was a lunatic. "There are so many things to prepare for; this is barely enough!" she exclaimed.
"The only thing we should be preparing for is how to tell Goodwitch we bought nine dresses and seven sets of shoes while charging the SHU, because you two couldn't decide fast enough."
"I will tell her" she nonchalantly replied. "Miss Glynda is a woman of fashion; she will understand."
The very vivid image of a raging Glynda catapulting them to Forever Fall Forest for a week suddenly flashed through the woman's mind. "I hope you are right, baby; cause I just got the chills."
There was no response and Yang turned around, fishing her own dress- the one she had selected after ten minutes of searching- out of the closet.
"Blakey; can I use the bath?" "Sure! I just finished!" Yang grabbed a set of towels, kissed Weiss on the top of her head and ran down. She had an idea for her hair tonight and needed quite some time for it.
As soon as she left the room, Weiss let go of the breath she was holding. She turned back and stared at her enemy. It was the most hated thing in the entire city; the one that had wasted her whole evening by continuously pissing her off.
Her eye patch covered reflection stared at her from the mirror. "You just won't cooperate, will you?" she hissed. "What do I have to do to make you look presentable to the bloodthirsty socialites?"
She untied her hair, letting them loose for the umpteenth time the last few hours. They were slightly touching her shoulders, unkempt yet smooth, with her bangs covering her mismatched face.
It was like staring at something out of a horror film to her. A hag that had crawled out of a well and lost her eye at the- wait. Calm down, think positive thoughts. Positive thinking is the key to a healthy mind.
She closed her eye and stared at the image once more. I lost weight too… could put a little more meat on my bones. I am going to look like wearing a plastic bag in my dress.
Filing that decision for later use, Weiss took her brush. After quite some time, she concluded she had reached the intended result and put it away. She then looked again in the mirror.
The atrocious eye patch was still there. She threw her bangs all over her eyes and forehead. That does the job, but I look like Ruby after running errands. Rejected.
She pulled them away and tightened them on the back of her head, forming two straight lines in a casual princess-like manner. More like the princess of pirates with a pale blue eye patch. Rejected.
A ponytail maybe? Too casual and exposes too much. Rejected. Then the idea of curls came to mind. I am not in the mood for something that fancy. Rejected. Or maybe a bob? I am not going to a concert! Rejected!
She needed to calm down somehow. Dead wind whispers in the trees… spirit of ancient spite it brings… the melody played in her mind, as she ran her fingers across her smooth tresses.
These must not be falling down. Weiss then covered her patch with her fingers. And this atrocity must be covered. How will I-
Her mind went to the outfits she had bought today and were now lying on the living room furniture due to her earlier fit of rage. She remembered one particular article among them.
If this fits, then it should be just fine. She checked the clock; only three hours left! Weiss ran down the stairs, almost jumping over them.
-o—
"Oh my; someone is going to make heads turn tonight!" Yang grinned at her image in the bathroom mirror.
Her blonde mane had not simply been tamed; it was tied in a thick braid decorated with three purple ribbons across it. She decided to let it fall over her right shoulder.
Her dress was a single-piece dark purple one, with a very revealing corset and long, also very revealing, tail. A black strapless blouse and a thigh-high pale purple wavy skirt covered the most important parts, while also serving as to draw more attention to them.
She finished her outfit by putting on a pair of dark purple stockings and black, ankle-high boots and a pair of lavender earrings. Then, Yang stepped out of the bathroom after winking at her own self.
And was let with her mouth gaping open wide. It seemed she had spent so much time braiding her hair that she had allowed Weiss to get ready as well.
That was the only thing her mind processed. Because after that Weiss' appearance kicked in her mind and everything else got lost in her pathetic attempt to not drool at her girlfriend.
The ex-heiress had selected to let her hair loose and straight down the left part of her forehead, covering the patch. On the other side, her bangs had been pulled into a side braid.
That was a cute choice but everything else… Pale blue business suit whose trousers hugged her legs way too nicely… low dark brown heels and lighter earrings… it was simple and elegant and Holy Dust.
"You look absolutely ravishing, Yang" the petite woman gave a sincere smile. "Why haven't you worn this before?" the immediate response came, making her flush and look away.
"I-it was a spur of the moment thing." Before Yang would comment on what she truly wanted to do on the spur of the moment, the bedroom door opened revealing Blake.
She was in a deep dark blue strapless nightdress that ran all the way to her knees. The tail was open in the front, allowing the thigh-length slightly lighter blue skirt to show.
The inside of the tail was filled with white, star-like spots. A pair of see-through sleeves and knee-high boots the same color as her short skirt covered and highlighted the girl's curves.
Her hair was neatly combed to form curls and was adorned by a pair of pale blue round earrings. A large, bluish-gray belt, a choker and dark blue eye shadow completed a truly elaborate look for the faunus girl.
"Ok, stop the press. What the heck?" the brawler asked. "I understand Weiss not going all out, but what are you exactly doing right now?"
A pair of yellow eyes narrowed at her, followed by the folding of her cat ears, to indicate how embarrassed she was. After she visibly calmed, the faunus replied.
"The more well-dressed we are, the more people we attract to talk to. This will make it easier to get information about who inside Carmel Coms is working with Alizar. That's all."
Weiss nodded and Yang decided to not torment her best friend any more. For now. "Do you have your weapons with you?" their replacement team leader asked them as she hid Crown in her purse.
"Nightfall is too big to carry with, but I took my gun" Blake replied. "My arms are all I need" Yang cracked her metal fingers. "True enough. Let's go then. We only have one hour until the ball starts."
Both of them rolled their eyes and followed Weiss out of the house in the freezing streets of Mantle.
-o—
"Boy that is way different that I expected" Yang commented as they stepped out of the taxi in the cleaned front yard of Carmel Mansion.
The building wasn't small of course. It was rather spacious, spreading horizontally rather than vertically, with lots of vivid and nicely decorated gardens.
Some sort of modern art statues filled the terrace and welcomed them to the white marbled entrance with the large glass panels. Yang giggled a little at how much it reminded her of a corporation HQ facility.
"Ok" Weiss said. "There are two guards in the front door. We have to not only convince them let us in, but also not search our belongings."
"Leave this to me, baby" Yang walked forward with determination, straightening her dress. The monochrome duo exchanged a worried stare.
I am not optimistic about that the black-haired girl thought. "If he tries to touch her, we will spend the night in prison; I warn you" Weiss commented. I am SO NOT optimistic about that!
Unaware of her friends' remarks, Yang stopped in front of the door where two armed guards were standing, dressed in suits. "Hey guys! How's the night going so far?"
"Ahem. Can I see your invitation please?" the first guy said. "Well, I don't have one. I just wanted to come by and have some fun the Atlas way, if you get what I mean" she slightly bent and winked at them.
"Miss Xiao Long" he said as Blake and Weiss stepped right behind her. "Oh, you recognized me! That makes things even better!"
A curt nod was the reply. "I don't think there is a single person in Remnant who wouldn't. But rules are rules. I can't let you in."
"Oh, that's such a pity. And here I was, hoping you could at least talk to your boss about letting us in." "I understand that, but-" "Please? We even dressed up that nicely!"
"She is horrible at it" Blake whispered. "She is as bad as Ruby is- why did we let her try that?" Weiss agreed.
"Is there any problem?" an older-looking man with white hair, beard and deep blue eyes stepped out, wearing a matching suit. "Oh, what a surprise. Is this team RWBY?" he kindly smiled.
"Minus one" Yang said. "We are honored to have such you in our humble mansion. Please, come in. The ball has already started and Lady Sophia will be with us in a while."
"Are you sure Mr?" "Peros Bishop is my name. It is an honor to meet you" he curtly bowed. "I know you have no invitation, but for such distinguished guest as you, exceptions can always be made."
He nodded to the guards and then motioned them in. "You move ahead the main hall and right to the ball room. Our stuff will be there to help you if needed."
Pleasantries were exchanged and the unexpected guests stepped in. After the door closed, Peros raised his scroll. "Young Lady. Team RWBY minus Ruby Rose has just entered the party, as you requested."
"Perfect" Sophia replied. "Begin preparations at once; we start as soon as the ball ends."
"As you command, my Lady."
-o—
The interior was spacious and had a distinct decoration filled with smaller modern art statues like the ones in the garden. Weird paintings of unknown artists decorated the bright white walls.
"Her taste is quite… questionable" Weiss whispered. "I like it. It's different than the usual boring stuff one expects from an Atlas CEO" Yang grinned.
"Speaking of that" the pale girl turned around as they walked down the hall "how much do you know about Sophia Carmel, Blake?" The black-haired beauty looked around to make sure no one was near them.
"She comes from a humble family and is one of the most progressive CEO in Atlas both in terms of employees' treatment and faunus' rights acceptance. Other than that, nothing. How about you?"
"Father used to speak a lot about her as an example of a lucky brat. She inherited her father's electronics store at the age of 19 when her parents died and performed beyond impressively in making it grow. Five years ago, she turned it into a profitable company and skyrocketed in Atlas' social and financial standings."
"Your father's idea of luck is a cause of worry, as usual" Yang spat.
She stopped for a moment to fix her suit. "He used to say she is incredibly skilled in striking deals on her own terms. But that's all I remember; I wasn't that interested to be honest."
"That sounds fair" Yang commented. "And she sounds like someone I will get along fairly well. I can't wait to meet her."
They reached the heavy door in the end, with one finely dressed man bowing deeply before them. He opened and a lovely, soothing melody reached their ears.
All three of them stepped inside and took in the room. It was spacious; not as much as the Schnee Manor, but still quite large. Or maybe the huge glass panels covering the north wall gave them this sense.
There was no furniture except for an elongated bar where the staff prepared appetizers and drinks for the guests who were busy chatting around in small groups.
The white shining walls were decorated with a few more modern paintings and large glass chandeliers provided a serene light in the brown wooden floor.
That sensation of calm, however, was tossed out of the window when Weiss spotted a particular person among the crowd. Her expression immediately darkened and her eyebrows furred.
"My father is here" she hissed, drawing Yang's attention. The braided girl cracked her fingers "want me to go talk to him?" "Of course not" she raised her hand. "I just want both of you to avoid him, ok?"
"Ok" Blake smiled, showing them a group of women far away. A distinctive tall woman with light blonde hair in a violet dress stood among them. "Besides I think I found my target already."
Weiss looked at the direction and smiled softly. "Be sure to greet her for us too" she said, earning a nod before the faunus strode across the room, surprisingly avoiding drawing too much attention.
"All right, sweetie. I found my target as well." Yang pointed to a very good-looking man with slightly tanned skin, wearing a staff suit and talking to a couple ladies.
"I am going to get some soda and see what I can find. We will talk later." "Yep. I think I-"
"Is that Yang Xiao Long and Weiss Schnee?" the loud voice of a tall man in a grey suit not only stopped her, but also made nearly every single head in the room turn around.
"Wow; I never knew we had such celebrities invited!" "Come on, join us! There is always room around for a pair of lovely ladies!" "We would love to hear of your stories!"
Blake watched her friends getting overwhelmed by the socialites with sympathy, glad she had managed to pass by them rather unscathed.
She took a couple more steps and was met with a bright smile and a pair of violet eyes. "You just fed your friends to the social hyenas; you should be ashamed of yourself, Blake."
The faunus quickly exchanged pleasantries with the few people around them and then turned to her. "I am simply doing the best with the opportunities they provide me, Councilor Hill."
"I think you have earned the right to call me on a first name basis, wouldn't you agree?" A man standing next to her, with deep brown hair and mustache, raised his eyebrow.
"I didn't know you were on close terms with the Blake Belladonna, Ms. Hill. I am impressed." Robyn smiled "we worked together in the War for a few weeks. I consider her a quite close person to me."
He bowed and kissed her gloved hand. "You are quite a beauty, as the rumors say." Blake flushed red and withdrew her arm. "Do the rumors say I am engaged as well? Or did they leave that out?"
Robyn and her company gave off a hearty laugh. "Looks like you got rejected Belmond. Why don't you go sink your teeth on someone else and leave me catch up with my friend?"
Belmond stood up, took his glass and left. Blake stared at his back with a tinge or regret. "I hope I wasn't being too rude, was I?"
The tanned woman shrugged it off. "He deserves it; he is a very decent guy by Atlesian standards, but has a soft spot for beautiful girls. I think he is going towards Yang now."
Yellow eyes opened in concern. "I really hope he doesn't do anything stupid; Weiss might actually hurt him." "Well, at least he will have learned his lesson." She nodded and turned back to the councilwoman.
"I thought you hated these things." Robyn smiled bitterly "the council got a formal invitation; someone had to come. But I am glad I did; this place is quite nice. Speaking of which, care to join me for a drink?"
Realizing the unspoken command, everyone around them scattered and joined other groups, confusing the younger girl. After a butler brought them two glasses of champagne and left, Blake finally asked.
"Is something the matter?" Violet eyes narrowed at her before the woman replied. "You hate Atlas. And you hate parties. And from the looks of it, Weiss is ready to kill someone."
She sipped some champagne and made a disgusted expression. "You are not here to have fun." Blake awkwardly fixed her curls and straightened her shoulders. "Are we that transparent?" she replied.
"To someone who fought by your side, yes. And that is what concerns me. I like all of you, but last time we met, nearly half of Mantle got annihilated; we had hundreds of dead civilians."
Blake gulped. "We are merely trying to get some info; nothing that actively engages civilians in it. Trust me."
"I will; but I want you to trust me as well, Blake. And if you can't trust Councilor Hill, then trust Robyn." She gave her a reserved and determined smile.
"Please tell me, Blake. What is going on? I may even be able to help you if you want." she asked again.
Blake gulped. She closed her eyes and then took a couple quick glances around. "We are hunting someone. And that someone is tied to our hostess' company somehow. I can't say any more; I am sorry."
-o—
Sophia smiled as she heard Blake saying that. "Clever girl; you give her enough clues to show you trust her, but just as much as to not get her involved. Nice."
She stood up from her monitor and turned to Peros who was solemnly standing in front of her room's door. "Did you finish decoding Fenris' contact info?"
"It shall be done before the end of the ball, madam. The program you gave me runs on its own." "I know; I designed it." She picked a small flash drive and gave it to him.
"As soon as you are done, send him this message as a token of good will. Then, leave the party and start making all the proper arrangements. I should join you in a few hours along with our captives."
"What about Ms. Hill? We can't go after a member of the council, madam."
Sophia dismissed his concern with a wave of his hand. "After we subdue Fenris and get rid of RWBY, I will deal with her in a suitable manner."
"As you wish." "Great; now go." She turned her back and let her eyes fall upon an old family photo. "It is time for me to finally join the fray. Wish me luck, father."