For some odd reason, Weiss was one of those people who enjoyed the cleaning aspects of any job, and cooking was no different. She set about doing the dishes and rinsing out the coffee pot. (Yang, who taught Weiss the art of coffee brewing was very strict about not putting soap in the coffee pot or any of the coffee maker's components.) Having some quiet time to think while still having something to work on was the perfect combination for her. She had time to process the night before and its implications.
She was a little surprised when she heard the front door open and Adam walking back in after being gone for only ten minutes.
"I thought you were sparring today," she said, putting her dishtowel down.
"Everyone already knows," he said flatly.
Her demeanor immediately darkened to match his. The implications were not a good look for either of them, but she never imagined the consequences would come back to haunt them so quickly.
"How did they find out?"
"A girl in the kitchen. She saw us through the window, and she at least told the lieutenant."
"Do they know you know that they know?"
Adam shrugged. "The lieutenant didn't say." He slumped into the armchair in the front room. "This was not how I imagined things going at all. I never intended for my actions to be spread around like hot gossip. I don't know where we go from here. I don't even know what to do next."
"I'll tell you what we're going to do," she tossed the towel down and came to sit beside him, kneeling beside his chair as she was accustomed to doing whenever they were in public. "We're going to get out. If we leave before anyone has the nerve to stop us, it'll be our only chance of leaving at all. Artis may not know that the lieutenant told you what he knows so we can prey on being underestimated. But we can't stay, especially not here where Artis knows where we are and has connections to confine you like you did to Sienna."
Adam clenched his jaw, furious that this was happening to him. "Our options are limited as to where we can go: if there's an upset of power, no one in the White Fang would take us, and we can't exactly be parading around in public. People will recognize at least one of us."
Weiss thought for a moment. "What if we just got to Mistral? Take whatever money you have, and anything valuable we might be able to pawn or sell and just stay there for a few days until we decide exactly what to do. It's a big enough city that we could blend in and the recent attack on Haven means the police are probably on high alert to the White Fang. They won't risk chasing us there, plus when we do decide, the train station will allow us to travel with relative anonymity."
"And from there?"
"Let's get to Mistral first, then plan. Right now, getting out before you get detained like you did with Sienna Khan and gods know what they'd do to me if you weren't there to protect me."
Adam half smiled. "I think you probably intimidate them more than you think. Remember, you did take down the lieutenant by yourself."
"I'd rather not test how intimidating they think I am."
"I agree." Adam leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "Getting out might prove difficult too. We can't just walk out, and I haven't driven myself anywhere in over a year, it'll look suspicious now if I decide I want a ship for just the two of us."
"If the lieutenant hasn't told anyone that he let you in on it, you might be able to appeal to your own ignorance. If you act like no one knows, then you can probably plan a trip off-campus. Have someone take us to the outskirts of Mistral and give some excuse as to what you want to do. I don't think anyone would deny you, even if it was suspicious. You're still High Leader." She gripped his hand in hers. "We just need to find someone loyal enough to you to take us, but that is in good enough standing that they won't take any heat for helping us."
"That…narrows it down…to one person."
"To Mistral? You're just going to leave?" the lieutenant was livid. He was intimidating enough just because of his size and posture, but in the dojo, with his weapon in arm's reach and his temper flaring, there were few who were brave enough to oppose him. "You're just going to leave? You can deny the rumors at the very least. Punish Tawny, get this under control."
"You know there's no controlling this," Adam countered. "If you know it, it means Tawny Conan has already told her sister and her sister has probably already run to Artis. It's only a matter of time before I get put in a cell, or worse."
"So, you're going to just…run? It's nonsense, Adam."
Adam inhaled deeply. "I asked you just a few weeks ago if you still trusted me…"
"And the fact that you keep asking is making me doubt more and more." The lieutenant crossed his arms across his broad chest, clearly unmoved.
"I do have a plan…" Adam insisted.
"One I'm sure has been derailed like the train to Mountain Glenn after last night." He quipped back.
"That wasn't supposed to happen."
"What wasn't supposed to happen? You weren't supposed to sleep with her? Or Tawny wasn't supposed to see?" He waited a moment for an answer but when he received none, he thought of another possibility. "Or was it that you weren't supposed to get attached to her and now you have? Answer me this: have you fooled yourself into thinking you love her? Are you going to eventually betray us for her?"
Adam let out a short exhale, resembling a snort. "I'd never betray you. Or the White Fang, and she knows very clearly what will happen to her if she puts me in a position of choosing her or choosing my people. But recently, with Weiss, things have gotten complicated. It doesn't change my end goal: our survival in the face of the end of the world."
"And if we survive this apocalypse you keep saying is doomed to happen, what then? You marry the heiress and leave the freedom fighting to the rest of us? Settle down in Atlas after everything you've done here? Sitting in a cushy life built on the blood and tears of your own people's oppression? Going to galas and fundraisers where you're being served champagne by the very faunus you vowed to protect?"
"You are overthinking this." Adam scowled.
"Am I? Or am I seeing it exactly as Artis sees it? Artis and the other chapter heads don't know about this whole alliance with the huntsmen to fight off Hazel and his boss. All they see is that you're romantically involved with the human embodiment of everything the White Fang wants to destroy."
"That might be all they see for now, but when the pieces fall in place, they'll understand."
"You realize what kind of difficult position you're putting me in? I've always been loyal to you, Adam, even when Sienna was High Leader, I chose to follow you and put you in power. I've considered you a comrade and a friend, but your actions are going to bring close scrutiny on everyone you leave behind."
"I'm sorry," he said sincerely. "I never meant to bring you into this."
The lieutenant snorted through his nostrils. "You shouldn't have brought me into it, but then again, you've been bringing in trouble ever since you kept deciding to bring Weiss Schnee into everything. You brought her into our camp, into Sienna's headquarters, to Haven, and now, into your bed. And I warned you before that it was a dangerous game you were playing. Now your life might be at stake."
"My life is nothing if it helps the faunus find equality and security for the future," Adam snapped back. "This is not how I planned for things to go, but for the time being, I need to protect myself, and Weiss, and that means leaving."
The lieutenant was silent for a minute, thinking it over, sighing in exasperation before finally replying: "I will take you to the outskirts to the outskirts of Mistral, but I'm dropping you off and nothing else. No money, no skimped Atlas equipment. Just you and your baggage…and your luggage."
"Thank you."
"You better load up quick before they catch on to what's happening."
Adam nodded firmly before heading out the door with purpose.
Weiss was waiting for him when came back to the house. "Will he help us?"
"Only so much," Adam replied. "But we need to give them every illusion that the trip will be short and that we plan to be back. Pack light and make sure everything is clean and put away. Dishes, bed, laundry."
"The housework is already done, we just need to pack. I only have two work uniforms for clothes but you should probably pack the most casual things you have."
They didn't have much to take with them: a few changes of clothes, their swords and a few vials of dust. As if maintaining appearances would help, Adam had Weiss carry both bags across the village to the grassy lot where the line of White Fang hovercraft vehicles were kept. Trying to work quickly but remain nonchalant, the lieutenant chose the smallest hovercraft and had it out of its parking spot to load. The guard posted with the sign out sheet for the vehicles hardly gave it a second glance when the lieutenant stated he was taking the High Leader out for a tour north, signing off on their departure with little more than a grunt of acknowledgement. Perhaps, if news of his social faux pas hadn't reached even the whole of HQ, they'd still have plenty of time to figure out where to go before anyone came looking for them.
The hovercraft ride was silent in the most stifling way. Adam and Weiss were understandably nervous but the lieutenant was fuming. Even with his mask on, the hard set of his frown displayed his displeasure to the both of them. Since Mistral was the largest city nearby, the White Fang had detailed information about the layout of the city and what were the easiest ways to infiltrate. After a six hour ride in the hovercraft, the lieutenant dropped them off about a half mile from the city in a thick, wooded area further down in the foothills.
"There's a road about a hundred yards that way you can find and follow into the city. The west side is where the slums are so probably more people but also more police. Be careful." It was the first time he'd spoken the entire trip and he seemed to be speaking exclusively to Adam, but Weiss didn't say anything as she unloaded their two bags. She understood the position they'd put him in and was grateful he'd at least been willing to stick his neck out.
"Thank you," Adam said sincerely, clapping him on the shoulder as he prepared to exit the cab.
"They're going to know." The lieutenant warned. "Artis and whoever sides with her is going to ask where I took you and I'm going to have to tell them."
"Of course," Adam replied. "You have to stay here. Keep yourself safe and don't cause trouble for anyone. If Artis does take over, serve her. It won't be long I promise. I am not abandoning the White Fang; I'm going to reclaim my seat as High Leader once the time is right."
His words did little to alleviate the lieutenant's nervousness. "They're going to ask me where you're going next."
"And you're going to tell you them you don't know because I didn't tell you."
"But they know we're friends. They're going to ask where I think you might hide or show up."
"And logically, where would that be?"
"The lieutenant shrugged. "I don't know. If your power is being threatened, you'd probably go back to Mountain Glenn and try to re-enforce your following with the brotherhood there."
"Then tell them that."
"Goodbye, High Leader. And good luck." He reached up and put a hand on Adam's shoulder, the most affectionate thing Weiss had ever seen him do.
Adam responded by removing his metal mask and handing it to the lieutenant. "I'll be coming back for this. Keep it safe for me." He hopped out of the cab of the hovercraft and shut the door.
"I guess we get to hike a bit." He said when he reached Weiss, taking his bag from her and not looking back at the hovercraft. Weiss waved goodbye but the lieutenant ignored her.
Mistral was a city set on a mountain, which was pretty to see, but terrible to traverse on foot. Most of their walk was strictly uphill meaning either a sharp incline or steps, neither of which were fun to traverse with even a small amount of luggage. People stared at them, particularly at Adam's mask, but among the throng of people there we just two extra freaks at the freakshow.
The afternoon was spent finding an inn, which they eventually did, The Spider's Parlor, using some of Adam's money that he'd been accumulating over the years. He had a reasonable stash, but it wouldn't last forever. Economy, therefore was key.
It was a seedy motel, attached to a seedy bar. The room was small with creaky floors and hardly any room on either side of the bed, but at least there was a small TV. Weiss' inner clean freak was going insane with no way to clean it herself, but she was also sure the stains on the walls and carpet were there to stay. There were holes in the bedsheets from cigarette burns and everything had an extra dingy look to it because of the poor lighting.
"What do we do first?" Adam asked once they'd settled in their room.
"I think first we should focus on clothes. We both need to cover up our scars and I'm going to need shoes I can actually walk in. We can find a thrift shop nearby and take our time. After that…food, and after that long term planning. The sooner we nail down where we're going, the longer we stay one step ahead of Artis."
Adam smiled despite the gravity of everything. "I knew you were a strategist, but how do you come up with plans like this on the fly?"
"A strategist is only good insofar as it's put into practice," Weiss retorted. "Some of my best laid plans were thrown out the window as soon as Ruby got involved because she liked to fly by the seat of her overgrown garden tool of a scythe."
"That's exactly what Roman Torchwick called it." He sat on the bed next to her. "You know, I never even saw her, but Ruby must have done a number on Torchwick. She lived rent free in his head for six months. He hated that he'd been 'thwarted by a 12-year-old. Not once, but twice.' Not sure whatever happened to him."
"Ruby said he got eaten by a giant nevermore on the night Beacon fell. Cinder may have won but she lost some key players."
"Key players?" Adam shook his head. "We were all pawns. Even Cinder and Hazel are just pieces in Salem's game, whatever that game is."
Weiss gripped his hand. "And we'll eventually beat her at her own game." She stood, keeping her hand in his and pulling him to his feet. "It's getting dark. We should get going before the shops start closing."
He agreed and with the directions of the polite innkeeper, they were able to find a resale shop. Weiss sifted through the racks to find something at least remotely close to her tastes with little luck, taking only a few garments with her to the changing rooms. With each outfit she was growing more discouraged as she and Adam met to compare and get each other's opinions.
"Clothes shopping is always easier for men," Weiss whined as she pulled off yet another ill-fitting shirt and pair of capri pants. "As long as you're comfortable, you don't care how you look."
"You could do the same," he said through the door, "It's not our fault you'd rather look sexy than look comfortable." He opened the door, showing off his most recent find, a red tartan style shirt that looked like flannel with black denim pants. She emerged visibly disappointed wearing a pair of denim shorts and a graphic tee.
"At least you look good as a hipster," she admitted. "Maybe you should get something with a hood to cover up your horns and your hair. Just until we can get out of the city."
"I'll see if I can find something," Adam replied looking her over. "You have a good figure, so no matter what you wear, it'll be appealing, just maybe not your style."
Dejected, she tried the last outfit she'd haphazardly grabbed from the rack because it looked approximately her size. Once she zipped up the skirt, she audibly gasped. It not only fit, but it was perfect, coming down to the middle of her knees, a nice full flare on it, and comfortable too.
"You alright?" Adam asked.
Weiss opened the door and strutted out. There was a midnight blue wash on the skirt and the coral-colored top had a boat necked collar accentuating her neck and bone structure. "It's combat worthy." She twirled for him, clearly excited as the skirt flowed with her movements.
Adam rolled his eyes. "I forgot your odd attachment to skirts as battle attire. Perhaps you should get the capris just as a backup. Probably some pajamas too."
They finished up shopping, buying themselves two outfits each and Weiss a nightgown. As they walked back to the inn to drop off their things, dark had completely settled on the city, though the streets still glowed from the restaurants and bars still open. Weiss was appalled at how many even in this part of town refused service to faunus.
As they rounded the last corner to get back to their room, a shattering of glass drew their attention. The front window of the bar attached to the in was broken out and two women were brawling in the street. Adam swore under his breath, pulling Weiss back around the corner. He peeked back around the corner to confirm his suspicions, muttering obscenities when he realized he was correct.
"We can just wait: go eat elsewhere. They'll be gone by the time we're done eating, I'm sure." Weiss offered.
"We can, but we need to be careful." He looked concerned, more nervous than afraid, but still unsettling. A shockwave rattled the buildings as the fighters, though out of sight were clearly both well versed enough to use their auras at a professional level. Weiss instinctively gripped his sleeve and pulled herself closer to him.
"It's someone that will recognize us?" she asked.
Adam nodded. "Both of us. That's Cinder and Torchwick's creepy little side piece having it out."
Weiss paled. "Why are they here?"
"Mistral is a big city, and Cinder was supposed to be at the attack on Haven. It's possible she's stayed in town. I don't know why they're fighting, I thought they were allies, but they can't see us."
They slinked back the way they came, eating at a café with their shopping bags between their legs and keeping a careful watch out the window. They waited until the store began to close down to make their way back. The pair were gone, but the shattered glass was being swept up by a very unhappy sent of bartenders and a heavy-set woman in a purple dress surveying the damage with mild irritation.
Once they were back in their room, they could finally breathe freely again. They changed into their newly purchased pajamas and sat on the bed together.
"When I said you'd never go back to that cot again, this was not what I had in mind…at all." He took her hand in his, rubbing his thumbs on her knuckles. "At least we were able to get out easily enough."
"Now, if we can just avoid the people we've both managed to make enemies of here in Mistral, we'll be fine." Weiss said sarcastically.
"We probably shouldn't stay here long," he said, trying to redirect the conversation.
"True, but we should also be aware of our surroundings." She grabbed the grubby remote and turned on the TV switching channels until she found a news station. With no frame of reference, the local news was difficult to follow, but the national news proved to be informative: dust prices everywhere were sky-rocketing due to the embargo, grimm attacks were on the rise in both Mantle and on the whole of Anima, and there was a benefit being held in Argus to raise money to restore the fallen CCT Tower in Vale, hosted by none other than Jacques Schnee. Lisa Lavender, who had stayed behind in Vale after the fall of Beacon to continue reporting on the situation seemed of mixed opinions about the announcement: the restored CCT tower would allow for communication, but what good would it be to talk to neighbors who won't send aid, or worse, send enemies, not to mention the desperate need many of the people who still lived on the outskirts of the city who were in desperate need of clean water and safety barriers to keep grimm out more than they needed scroll service. Lavender seemed to think it was more of a move to benefit his political campaign than the people of Vale.
"I…have an idea." Weiss said, keeping her eyes on the screen.
Adam reached across her to grab the remote and mute the TV. "What were you thinking, my mastermind?"
She finally took her eyes off the screen. "I thought I was your Songbird!" she said with mock cynicism.
He pulled her in and kissed her. "Very well, what were you thinking, my Songbird?"
She smiled. "I was thinking we should take the Argus Limited north to coast. I have connections there so we can be comfortable while we work on harmonizing the White Fang and the huntsmen…and we can do something else that I think will benefit everyone and put us both in very good standing with the huntsmen and the White Fang."
"And that would be?"
"Taking down Jacques Schnee."
"He's your father."
"He's also the man who took my mom's inheritance, used it to abuse the faunus and then took it from me to get me to comply with his crazy demands to just sit and home and look pretty and marry well. Think about it, if we bring him to justice: together, it will ingratiate me to the faunus, and since I will be reclaiming my position as heiress, I'll be able to supply White Fang, huntsmen and military alike with dust when the time comes to fight Salem."
"How are we even going to do that? Money and connections have kept him safe for over two decades."
"Because he's never had someone with any real dirt on him go public. That'll change once we get to Argus. I'll start stockpiling evidence and we can hide there until we have enough to go to the authorities and the media. I've met Lisa Lavender several times and I'm sure she'd jump on the first chance at an exclusive expose by the daughter of the richest non-royal dynasty in Remnant." Something dark came over Weiss face. She wasn't typically a vengeful person, but that bloodlust Adam had always said she needed suddenly appeared as a fire in her eyes and a creased frown on her face. He wasn't particularly sure he liked it.
His gaze softened and he kissed her again. "Only if you're sure."
"I'm sure. I want my birthright back."
The train station was bustling with life as Adam and Weiss stood in line for well over an hour at the ticket window. Their plan to get to the earliest train out was a good one, but good plans are often held by more than one person. By Weiss' advice, Adam had worn his hoodie and foregone the mask, doing the best he could to conceal his face. The mask would probably have drawn more attention in a place with security guards and officials than just walking the streets in Mistral.
The elderly man at the ticket booth looked at them: a young couple trying to look inconspicuous and travelling light and with nervous faces and was skeptical.
"What can I get for you two?"
"Two tickets on the Argus Limited," Adam said, already having pulled out a stack of Lien to pay.
"I have tickets, but I'm afraid the only ones still available first class."
"Private cars?" Weiss asked, hoping they could perhaps prevent being seen by a huge group.
"Private carriages yes, but not private cars. First class also allows for food to be ordered from the dining cart."
"Can we afford that?" Weiss asked.
"If its all the same to you," the ticket master said, "the business cars seat four to a room and have several amenities. You could purchase tickets to tomorrows train and secure a cheaper price if you like."
"We can't wait," Adam said shortly.
His tone got a disapproving look from the elderly man who began to scrutinize him harder.
Weiss put a hand on Adams, and looked at the man behind the glass. "Please, we'll pay whatever, we just need to get out of town. My parents are looking for me…and it would be bad if he found us." It was a vague lie, but the gray-haired man wasted no time in filling in the details. Adam, with his hair, scar and horns would probably be the exact kind of suitor any father in Mistral would have reservations about. Still, it was none of his business. He told them the price, they made the purchases and he handed over the tickets.
The pair hurried past the huntsmen designated to guard the train, made it to the platform to board, and settled into the small carriage with bunk beds with relative ease. With the door closed and the window shades pulled, Adam could remove his hood.
"It's odd," he commented. "The last time I was on a train, things were not this luxurious. There weren't any sleeper cars or room service…just a bunch of robots trying to kill me and a girlfriend who rain off."
Something about the way he said it made Weiss connect the dots all at once. "That was you?!...That was Blake?!" By no means was she angry, just shocked.
"Blake never told you?"
"No." Another dark shadow overtook Weiss face. "That was the angriest I'd ever seen my father. Ever. He threw things at the walls, at the staff…at me. That was the day I decided I was going to apply to a huntsman academy outside of Atlas."
At that moment, the train gently lurched forward to pull out of the station.
"And now we're both on our way back," Adam said as a way to end the conversation.
They talked of plans and ideas they wanted to see enacted in the White Fang and the SDC. Weiss wondered about Sienna Khan and how she was getting on with her resistance and Adam wondered if Artis had discovered that he'd left the HQ.
Perhaps Weiss would have preferred it if they had arrived in Argus just the day before. Had they arrived, they would have been in town and no doubt seen Winter's ship arriving as Weiss could have picked it out of the sky at ten miles' distance. Perhaps she could have been reunited with her team before they left for Atlas, but perhaps that wasn't her destiny. Perhaps fate saw fit to keep them apart a bit longer. Perhaps Adam and Blake encountering each other would not have gone smoothly at all, not to mention what Yang would have to say on the matter.
Or perhaps none of it was fate or destiny, but rather an unhappy coincidence that the day Weiss and Adam pulled into the Argus train station, Winter and her ship with everyone Weiss knew and loved on it left the Argus military air strip, their time in the same city only overlapping by a few hours and neither aware of the others' presence.
A/N: I want to thank all of you for this season and for your patience as the uploads were more erratic this time around. This past year and a half has been crazy for all of us, but my writing schedule in particular took a hit. Since my last hiatus, I've written two online comedy skits, one of which has been published (it was an abject disaster with no production values, but it at least got finished) a full length play that I've been pitching to local theatres to try and perform to help recoup the losses of being closed with Covid. (no luck there, yet) as well as made some serious headway on my novel.
None of that, however would have been possible without this creative outlet where I can decompress and publish anonymously so that my creative side can keep honing my craft without all the seriousness of a written work I want to sell. Your comments, your feedback and your overwhelming support are honestly what encourage me to deliver quality content in every venue where I write. So, with all the sincerity in my heart, I thank you. Thank you for reading, thank you for commenting, thank you for being helpful and kind.
I'll be taking a hiatus for 3 months, but will be back at the end of September with more chapters, RWBY theories, and maybe some good news about my writing career. Who knows? I'll see you then. Have fun, stay safe, and if you know any local community theatres, drop them in the comments or a pm so I can see if they'd like me to pitch my play