Chapter 56
(AN: I know the story's been moving a little bit slow - but the action is close, especially with Volume 9 so close. Since the Atlas arc of RWBY is particularly delicate, I might have spent a little too much time planning everything out - and that ended up with a big series of events that builds up to the action. I just wanted to say thank you for the patience)
The day for the Schnee Manor public fundraiser had finally come. More information about the event had come in - and it did make waiting a bit easier. It was a simple "donation and mingle" event - where the guests simply donated money and talked with others in the fancy Schnee ballroom.
There was no dinner, which meant two things: one - that Jacques was probably skimping out on parts of the event to spite Ironwood, even though that probably wouldn't work. And two: it meant that I didn't have to sit through an awkward hour-long dinner session with seventeen courses, so that was a big relief.
It also meant that Jacques would likely be expected to mingle among his guests - which meant there was a good chance we would be able to sneak around. Weiss and I discussed that part much earlier, especially since she knew her way around the house.
Right now, we were in a small store - specifically a boutique - getting our outfits fitted for the event. I looked at the suit through the mirror - being nothing more than black pants and a black blazer over a gray vest and a white collared shirt, alongside a black tie that I had to ask Liya to tie for me. My hair was trimmed near the front - removing my bangs. Regardless, my braid was kept - and the suit was a bit too tight for my liking. It wasn't hard to move in - by much, but it did lightly cling to my body.
Even worse - Liya remarked that I still looked very much girly, and all I could do was walk away and ignore her. Shaking my head, I just tossed my braid behind my back and walked out of the little booth, where Blake and Weiss were waiting, finishing up their own preparations for the event.
Blake was Weiss's other "bring along" guest - and she was wearing a slim fitting black dress with golden trim and an intricate flower pattern at the chest - alongside a diamond shaped cleavage cutout. The dress was split at the sides - exposing her milky white thighs up to the lower hip. The dress was sleeveless, though Blake wore white silk gloves that went up to the elbows, alongside a golden band around her left upper arm. "Do I have to wear this?" Blake muttered as she crossed her legs. She wore black pointed flats, as well as extremely opaque sheer pantyhose.
Weiss rolled her eyes at Blake's embarrassment. "Please, in an event like this, you need to draw attention," she said as she fixed her braid to the side of her head. She wore a dress similar to her Volume 4 dress - a bright blue glittering dress with a sweetheart neckline - as well as a white diamond choker and a silver pendant. The skirt of her dress flowed and went down to her lower thighs, with ornate white flower designs lining the bottom of the dress.
Weiss also wore sheer white pantyhose - more white than sheer, making her legs and thighs look much paler than usual - and slim high heeled shoes that seemed to flow with her outfit, as well as give her a few inches of height, only enough to match Ruby in height. The midsection of her dress had a long satin cloth tied around it - with the knot tied like a neat and ornate bow that hung over her back.
"Then make Markus dress up in something fancier. Or a dress, he looks girly enough," Blake whined, as I just glowered at her, arms crossed as she glowered back at me. "Why'd you have to make me the eye candy of the group?"
"Because you have thicker thighs than me," I remarked, and Blake glowered back at me - her pale cheeks somewhat flushed. "And I don't pull off dresses well, despite what Yang might try to tell you." Weiss hid a smirk as Blake turned away, indignant.
"What would Emerald think of you commenting on Blake in such a way?" Weiss asked.
"Emerald's thighs are better. No offense. I might ask Emerald if she could wear a dress like that, actually," I said, eyeing Blake's dress appreciatively. Blake stammered for a second before I broke out laughing. "Don't worry, Blake. You look great," I reassured.
"Indeed. That dress brings out many of your best qualities," Weiss agreed as she finished up on her hair - using a tiny brush to clean up her braid.
"Oh, you appreciate my 'best qualities', Weiss?" Blake asked as she crossed her arms.
Weiss rolled her eyes. "Don't get a big head, Belladonna," she admonished. "It's not unbecoming to notice someone's body."
"That sounds like a fancy way of saying 'I think your thighs are scrumptious and I don't believe that's weird' to Blake," I said, and Weiss flushed angrily. Luckily, there was a series of knocks at the door before hands could be thrown, and Weiss quickly answered it before someone got hurt.
When Weiss opened the door, the first thing she saw was Yang casually leaning on the side of the doorway, wearing jeans and a biker jacket. "Hey, Weiss cream. Looking good," she said as she looked down at Weiss's choice of fancy attire. "So, are you kids ready for the party? Don't have too much fun."
Sighing, Weiss stepped aside so Yang could walk inside and look around."Just about. Please don't make a scene - this is a public place," she sighed, wisely choosing not to remark on that horrid pun nickname. Everyone knew that Yang simply replied with more puns if you tried to remark on said puns. "Plus, you and I have very different ideas on what's 'fun', you know that?"
"Oh, ye of little faith. Wow, looking fancy," Yang said, whistling at the back of Weiss's dress and accessories. When she turned to Blake, her eyes widened. "Holy hell, Blake!"
Blake flushed. "W-what?" she asked, crossing her arms again and quickly looking away nervously.
"Nothing! Y-you look awesome! Shit, not awesome, great!" Yang said - uncharacteristically a little bit embarrassed. I remembered when Yang would act nervous when Blake cut her hair - and rightfully so, Blake pulled off short hair well.
"Eyes off the thighs, Yang," I remarked, and Yang coughed and looked away. I suppose I couldn't blame her - Blake was hot, after all, though Emerald was the only one for me.
Yang looked at me, before her eyes drifted down on my outfit. "You know, I thought a suit would make you look less like a girl," she said. "You sure you couldn't wear a dress?"
"Yeah, yeah, Liya already told me. Not my fault I'm so lean," I said. "And I sound nothing like a girl. I'd rather not have cases of mistaken identity over my gender."
"You know, I still have that picture of you in that dress from our first date," Yang said.
"I know. And I look ugly as hell in it. I'm not wearing a dress, Yang," I snapped back - with more bark than any real bite in my tone.
"I dunno, with an ass like yours that doesn't quit, why shouldn't you?" Yang said, and I laughed. I was surprised that Yang and I could chat so casually - though with so much going on, it only made sense for us not to focus on the past so much, no matter how big it was. Plus, I really did miss the days when Yang and I would just mess around.
"You know, I'm pretty sure the term 'Bellabooty' exists where I come from," I said. Yang guffawed, and Blake gaped at me - a mixture of horror and confused shock on her face. "Yeah, kind of a meme thing. You should see all the art people come up with too."
Blake just sputtered before turning away angrily. Yang snorted and Weiss shook her head in response to my vulgarity. "Come on, we need to get going," she said. "Our ride won't wait for us forever."
I sighed as Weiss cut our banter short. "See you around?" I asked.
"Yeah. I gotta get back to Ruby. Have fun," Yang said, and we nudged shoulders as I walked past her. Weiss led us outside, where a limousine was waiting for us. The vehicle was long and sleek - reminding me of vehicles from the 1940s or 1950s, if they could hover. We sat inside, and the vehicle drove down the moderately busy streets.
As I looked around from the window, I saw that the streets were less crowded than before. There weren't too many people around - and there were plenty of operational street lights and very few alley fires. "Things look better than before," I remarked.
"Robyn's public campaign has been helping," Weiss said as she crossed her hands on her lap, patiently looking out the same window as I was. "She's convincing people to start acting - and more shelters are being built. Abandoned warehouses at the edge of the cities are being made more comfortable, and the military has been moving water and food to those areas. That's a few thousand with shelter now."
"The Faunus are getting better treatment as well," Blake said as she looked out her window on the opposite side of the limousine. "Though, it doesn't seem like people are being careful."
"Yeah," Weiss said. "Power is getting reconnected in older areas - meaning that the city may or may not experience some trouble sooner or later. And with the hard-light generators drawing additional power from residential blocks to keep the barriers at full strength..."
"That doesn't sound very good," I muttered. "If the power goes out, everything goes out the window. Not sure if Atlas can survive everyone panicking at once."
"I agree. Hopefully, this is something we can properly address at the fundraiser," Weiss said as she leaned back in her seat, watching the city fly by. "In the meantime, we need to go over ways we can get this to work."
"Your brother," I said almost instantly. "Whitley can help us."
Weiss frowned. "My brother took after our father," she said, before that frown went from distasteful to saddened - likely from remembering why Whitley didn't like her. My thoughts were proven correct when she spoke up again. "Because we left him..."
I sighed. "You need to talk with your brother. Tell him you didn't abandon him to your piece of shit father," he said. "Or if you don't want to - I can."
"No...no, I need to do this," Weiss said, tiredly rubbing her face with both hands. "Winter had better thank me for this..."
"What, she asked you to go in first?" I asked, somewhat amused.
"No, she simply said they'd be late for unforeseen circumstances," Weiss muttered. "Unforeseen circumstances, my foot."
"Hmmm. Well at least we have a decent starting point, Jacques's office is bound to have something," Markus said, thinking to himself. "If he locks his home computer, do you think he has any passwords hidden in his office?"
"Maybe," Weiss said. "I never saw him use his personal computer too much. Likely to keep me from looking in it. Still, it's something to start with."
After a minute or two of more driving, we reached the Schnee Estate - the limousine turning to pull up on its very long driveway - behind several equally fancy cars and limousines - no doubt full of rich pricks who invested in the SDC. About ten more minutes later, we finally reached the door - seeing many of those people entering the utterly massive house in a line, chatting with each other or snootily waiting.
We exited the limousine as it rolled up to the front of the Schnee estate - seeing several other vehicles as well. Looking around, I saw how exorbitantly massive it was - and sighed.
"All this space could probably house a couple hundred more people, maybe even a thousand more. Instead, Jacques has it all to himself," Blake remarked.
"Klein," Weiss whispered, and I immediately remembered that he was fired for helping Weiss escape so long ago. "I wonder where he is..."
"You can call him once the party is over," I said with reassurance. "At the very least, he'll be glad to see that you're doing alright." Weiss nodded gently in response, and we made our way to the front door.
We all walked inside, Weiss between me on her left and Blake on her right - looking around the interior of Jacques's home. The door was guarded by two blakc burly men in black suits, welcoming guests as they walked inside. It was the same as I remembered both times - seeing it in the show and seeing it before back when I'd been brought to Atlas after Vale was attacked in the Breach.
The two men eyed Blake and me, but didn't say a word - likely since they recognized Weiss Schnee as the ones we were escorting. They simply nodded at her and held their hands to their sides, before turning to the guests entering the house behind us.
There were dozens of very well dressed people - couples, elderly and young alike, as well as people around our age - most likely teenagers brought along by their parents. The entire area just held the atmosphere of "snooty" and "better than everyone else" by the various party guests mingling around. Some eyed Weiss as she was escorted by two cat Faunus - some simply glowering at us as others parted to make way for us, or specifically Weiss.
Others eyed Weiss in interest, most notably: teens around our age. I remembered when that one guy tried to flirt with her in Volume 4 - May Marigold's cousin if I recalled. I peered at Weiss to see her with a completely neutral facial expression. It seemed as if she weren't interested in mingling. Blake seemed to be actively hiding her disgust as some of the guests eyed her thighs - which were exposed with every step she took.
Luckily, there weren't too many eyes on me - either no one was very interested in a Faunus boy, or no one was very interested in a somewhat masculine - I absolutely refuse to believe that I'm that girly looking - Faunus girl in a suit and tie. Either way, it meant I didn't have to worry about being watched too heavily.
"Ah, dear sister," a voice smoothly said, the three of us turned to see Whitley Schnee walking towards us from our flank, his hands clasped professionally behind his back. "A pleasure to see you once again."
"Whitley," Weiss said, smiling softly. "I missed you..."
Whitley huffed. "Of course you did," he said in a somewhat haughtily yet bored tone. Luckily, Weiss didn't seem offended - simply taking it in stride. "Is there a reason why you decided to come back here? I thought you decided to forsake us all to be with your friends."
"Father wanted me and Winter to attend. For whatever reason, I can't say that I know," Weiss said as she crossed her arms, trying to stay calm, but she couldn't help a frown appearing on her face from the jab. Blake looked rather uncomfortable - too stuck on her own outfit rather than focusing on the conversation.
"I see," Whitley said. "Well, father is in a meeting at the moment - he won't be seeing you until at least an hour."
"That's fine," Weiss said, wishing she could avoid seeing the man all together. "I actually came to see you, Whitley."
"Oh?" Whitley said in a seemingly bored and flippant tone, yet his eyes held a surprising amount of hostility. "What would you want with me? You rarely ever dained to give me the time of day."
Weiss winced at the cutting words, while I kept switching my eyes between the two. Blake was trying hard to block everything else out to focus on the tense situation.
This had been completely out of the blue for me. Weiss and Whitley's distaste for each other was well known, but Whitley rarely went beyond being merely petty. Here he actually seemed to hate her. I settled my gaze on Weiss once more, as she prepared to speak. Just what happened after Beacon for this to happen?
"Could we have this talk in private, Whitley? Later?" Weiss pleaded, as she took a look around the room, many curious gazes on us wondering what was going on.
"Please?"
Whitely was silent for a moment, intently gazing at Weiss before turning around.
"Have a good evening," He curtly said as he walked off, mingling into the crowd before we lost sight of him.
"What was that about?" Blake was the first to ask.
Weiss just sighed tiredly before walking off. Blake and I exchanged looks before catching back up with her. Neither one of us seemed to want to be the one to prod Weiss, so we left her until she was ready to continue, or something else occured.
"After the events at Beacon I was a less than pleasant person when father took me home," Weiss said once we had escaped the majority of the crowd. "With the White Fang becoming such a threat and thinking that you had betrayed us, I was constantly on guard, or really more paranoid for anything that might have been thrown at me."
Weiss seemed to sag, even as she kept up her high class appearance. I could understand the feeling of being constantly on edge, never knowing who was a threat and who wasn't. Had she felt like this in the original timeline?
"Or are you to blame once again?" a dark part of myself thought at the mention of my 'betrayal'. "You thought he would hurt you?" I quickly asked to keep the conversation going before I said or thought something else I could regret.
"No, of course not." Weiss sighed once again. She seemed to be doing that alot lately. "But he's never been shy in his ambition to be the heir instead of me. Add that along with his usual snarkiness and my ever increasing stress? I ended up snapping at him, and ended up saying some things I really shouldn't have."
"But, didn't you say that he was like your father? That he deserved whatever he'd have coming when you met him?" Blake asked, remembering the rare times Weiss ever brought up her brother.
Weiss's guilt increased tenfold at the comment. Yes, she had said those things hadn't she? Carelessly wishing ill on him, despite never trying to have a relationship besides the surface level one they seemed to always have.
"I didn't know any better. Not until we asked the question and I found out the truth. As if that's any excuse..." Weiss finished quietly, looking on the verge of tears, as we found ourselves at a refreshments table.
Grabbing a glass of what I hoped was something non-alcoholic, I handed it to Weiss as I rested my other hand on her shoulder in careful reassurance. "Then this is your chance to try and make amends right? Besides, your father's not going to see us for at least an hour," I said to Weiss, tacking on that last statement when it looked like she wanted to refute the suggestion.
"Markus and I've got this," Blake said with a self assured smile, as she placed her own hand on Weiss's arm. "We already have ideas of where to look. But if all else fails, having your brother on our side wouldn't hurt right?"
Weiss seemed to think it over for a second, before throwing her head back and finishing the drink in one go. She cringed slightly once she finished, the drink being stronger than she expected, but giving her the courage she needed at the moment.
Weiss left in the direction we had last seen Whitley, leaving Blake and myself by our lonesome to carry on with our mission. "I'm going to go check out his office. Coming with?" I asked as I turned toward my fellow Faunus.
"No, you go on ahead. I'm going to try and see if I can pick up any talk about suspicious activity, maybe see if I can sweet talk one of his follower's into giving me anything valuable." Blake said, the disgusted face she was making already showed how much she liked her own idea, as said 'sweet talk' would likely mean having to deal with several advances. And some advances included touching without consent.
"Well, all three of us should get back together when Jacques shows up," I said. "Then we can go with what we planned." At Blake's still sour look, I sighed. "Come on, don't you wanna see that shitbag's face when we...do it in front of him?"
"I swear you're wording it like that on purpose," Blake scolded before grinning. "But yeah, I'd be so satisfied."
"Alright," I said. "Come on, let's get to work. Operation Espionage is a go." Blake shook her head at me before we split up, me making my way upstairs the moment there was an opening.
Luckily, almost everyone was downstairs, and I managed to make my way down the ever so large and spacious hallways of the Schnee mansion. I looked around, everything screaming 'rich' and 'better than the peasants' from the walls to the paintings to the floor, and even the doors.
Yet everything seemed cold, and it wasn't because of the temperature outside. Despite the beauty of the paintings and statues, everything felt sterile, lacking that personal touch that made a house, a home. It honestly felt like walking in an art gallery more than anything, but even those had more personality than the Schnee Mansion.
I made use of everything I knew about staying hidden from sight, my enhanced hearing helping me know when a maid or servant was close. Fortunately it seemed most of them were attending to the guest's, and none would dare try snooping around Jacques Schnees mansion, so my short journey was uninterrupted as I finally reached his office.
I slipped into the office before looking around. It was as I remembered - a luxurious room with an old style of design, a table in the middle with a chessboard, as well as a few leather reclining seats. The back of the room held Jacques's pretentious self portrait - and his desk with his computer and various office supplies.
Walking around, I shivered from how cold it was in here. Klein had mentioned that, I think - that the office was always cold. It seemed rather appropriate for Jacques. Walking to the desk - I sat down and began poking around - looking for something useful.
I recalled that he'd begun locking the computer - which meant there might be something I could find and use to unlock it, perhaps a note with a passcode, or a hint, or anything. Slipping the drawers open, I saw nothing but papers - pencils and pens, folders with documents - and a bottle of some particularly expensive looking bourbon and a few shot glasses. Next to it was a sealed container labeled "Ice".
"Hmmph," I muttered as I closed the drawer before hearing a creak. Sighing, I leaned back and looked up to see what that noise was.
Willow Schnee stood at the doorway, a half full bottle of alcohol in her hand. The two of us stared at each other for what must have felt like an eternity. Her light blue eyes - though hazy and unfocused - looked like they could pierce right through my soul. Even if she didn't appear angry, she looked intimidating as hell.
And beautiful. Willow Schnee was incredibly beautiful - even with the alcohol, and how depressed her body stature seemed. Her hair was neat yet somewhat unkempt, a ponytail draped over her left shoulder. Her outfit was just like in the series, with that silver brooch and the red stone.
"Uhh...this isn't what it looks like," I said meekly as I eyed the bottle 'Six Swans' in her hand. The first thing I thought was how that was a rather odd name for vodka in my opinion. I wasn't sure if she'd care - but she could also just as easily call over security and screw over this entire operation.
"Oh, really? It appears you're trying to rob my husband of something rather important," Willow said nonchalantly as she walked forward - a light stumble in her step, but not enough to make her seem like she was out of balance. In fact, she seemed to keep a steady stride.
"...alright, it's exactly what it looks like," I said sheepishly before coughing and raising my voice to be a bit more firm. "Look, your...husband-"
"I know," Willow said as she sat at one of the chairs by the coffee table, looking at the chessboard as she set her bottle down. "And I don't feel like stopping you. I just wanted to get away from the party, that's all."
I slowly opened another drawer - finding nothing before looking to a nearby shelf for something other than books. Or perhaps there was a clue in the books. However, before I could start my long and risky search, the mother of Weiss spoke up once again. "He doesn't write his passcodes down, he memorizes them, you won't be able to get in."
Sighing, I slumped in Jacques's chair. "Great," I mumbled. Looking back at Willow, my frustration gave way to sadness - seeing her gulp another swig of her bottle before sighing. Despite her fancy attire, she slumped like a sad drunk - legs spread and elbows on her knees.
"Umm," I mumbled. "Have you seen Weiss?"
"Yes. With Whitley," Willow said quietly. "Arguing..." I winced at that - it was no surprise that Willow was depressed over her marriage and Jacques, but seeing her children argue must have been heart wrenching, especially since she seemed to be the only one who cared about her children.
She must be feeling like a failure. I didn't blame her - I've been down that road as well. Stopping my search for Jacques's passwords, I grabbed the pricey bourbon and shot glasses before I slowly walked over to the second chair. Sitting in front of Willow, I set the bourbon and glasses down by her mostly empty bottle.
"I suppose you're considering your attempts at espionage futile by this point?" Willow asked as she looked in my direction.
"No," I said as I opened the bottle - the pop of the cork followed by a little clatter as I dropped the cork on the table. Maybe I could use this as a chance to get access to those hidden cameras, even if Watts never showed his face, Jacques could have still said something incriminating in the comfort of his office.
Surprisingly however, Willow didn't go for it. "Just on hold. For now, Weiss's family is more important." I said, and actually meaning it.
"Hah," Willow scoffed lightly. "I suppose you believe you can fix all of our problems? It's too late for us..."
"Not for you. Weiss and Whitley need their mom," I said. "Screw the party - just talk with them."
"They despise me..." Willow said. "All I would do is make things worse. Besides..." She took up her bottle and drank the remainder of it. Setting it down, she sniffled and wiped her nose in a rather unladylike manner. "I haven't been there for them in so long."
I sighed. "You can be there for them now," I said as I leaned over and rested my hand on the Schnee matriarch. I hadn't planned on comforting Willow Schnee - I hadn't been planning on seeing her at all, at least not yet. But it was clear she needed that comfort. "You're their mother. I heard about you from Weiss, you know."
"Oh, really? What did my daughter say about me?" Willow asked.
"You're depressed. You're in a loveless marriage and you feel the weight of Jacques's actions on you," I said. "You cared for your children. Birthday parties, recitals, affection and love. You did everything for them, even when their father didn't give a damn about them. Jacques ruined their lives - your life."
"And I suppose that justifies my drinking," Willow asked sardonically, eyeing the bottle of bourbon, and then the shot glasses. Again, she didn't make a grab for the bottle.
"No. But is that what you really want? Every time you drink, you're walking away from your children. They barely know you now. Go back to them before it's too late," I said.
"And why do you believe this? You may know my daughter, but you don't know me," Willow said. She didn't snap - she seemed to genuinely want an answer. I couldn't tell her that I was a time traveler slash dimension hopper who knew anything and everything about her.
"Because my family's gone. They've been gone," I said. "And I would give anything to be back with them. It's the worst feeling out there...I don't want Weiss and her siblings to lose what little family they have left, especially with the Grimm on top of us."
Willow still seemed hesitant, maybe even doubtful. But I could tell I was getting through to her.
"I'm not promising everything will be perfect," I sighed, as I poured myself a shot and finished it in one go. The liquid burned down my throat, but I carried on. "We both know it's too late for that. You guys won't be able to go back to how things used to be, but even if there's only a small shot at being able to be a happy loving family again, don't you think it's worth it?" I continued in a somewhat raspy voice before coughing.
This wasn't the first time I drank alcohol - I remember how I managed to sneak a few beers one night, and got sick the next morning. But bourbon was something else. I set the glass down and removed myself from getting another shot of the stuff. Hopefully, me stepping away from that as Phil would have convinced Willow that she needed to do the same.
Though, I suppose taking several minutes to cough and hack out the burning sensation would have ruined the allusion quite a bit.
Willow's brow furrowed, and I saw the worry in her eyes. I knew she was thinking about Winter, Weiss, and Whitley, and she sighed. Standing up on wobbly feet, she leaned on a bookshelf. "I suppose you're right," she said - and I smiled. When it came to her children, she loved them very much - no matter how much alcohol she drank to hide it.
I stood up and stuck the cork back in the bottle before helping Willow stand up straight, one hand around her shoulder and the other around her waist to kee her up, while I left the bottle and the glasses on the table. "You're doing the right thing," I said, before coughing one last time - the burn in my throat persisting. "Weiss...mentioned a birthday party."
"Yes," Willow said as we approached the door. "I remember...it was when Jacques..."
"It's one of the few good memories she has left," I said. "Weiss has it rough, and I want her to experience some good times with her family."
Willow looked at me, her eyes soft yet still hazy. "You care about my daughter, don't you?" she asked gently.
Coughing awkwardly, I looked back to the front as I nudged the door open. "Not in that way," I said. "Weiss...deserves better. And I'm not interested - no offense to her."
"I see," Willow said, before she smiled. "She's lucky to have a friend like you protecting her."
"Weiss doesn't need protection. She can do some damage all on her own. She's one of the strongest and most independent girls I know," I said defiantly. "Do you wanna know about her team?"
"Perhaps later," Willow said as she looked back up, a determined sparkle in her eye. I was somewhat happy to see this - the pride that likely filled Willow as I told her of how strong her daughter had become. "I think I know how to help you."
"With...Weiss? Or something else?" I asked. Willow didn't answer: she simply pushed herself off of me - gently - and walked towards a room, her room it looked like. Making my way to the room as she opened the door, Walking inside, I saw a luxurious bed, desks, dressers, and more, as well as a large painted picture of her, set up in an embroidered portrait and hanging above her bed. She opened one dresser and pulled out a manila folder loaded to the brim. "What's that?" I asked curiously.
"Evidence. I've done many things to prepare for the chance to break away from that monster of a human being," Willow spat as she handed the folder to me. "If you really wish to take him down - then you'll need these."
I stared at the documents within. "Why do you have these?" I asked. For the longest time, I'd believed that Willow only had cameras as a safety precaution. Now that I knew she'd been planning precautions for years, who knew what else she had on Jacques?
"My husband...no, that man was always so cruel when it came to running his business. He fills out documents and expects them to be locked away forever," Willow said as she sat on the bed, resting her head on her hand as she sighed. "Nobody would question the drunken wife of a billionaire stumbling into the storage facilities of the house. Finding illegal actions or negligible corners cut isn't difficult."
Opening the folder, I stared at the reports and status updates of various mining facilities, SDC run stores, hired transports and mercenary companies, and some of the most despicable actions I'd ever seen, which included docking entire salaries - intentionally ignoring requests and requirements for expensive yet completely necessary safety equipment, and the lack of insurance - stating that the healthcare of their workers and the well-beings of the families of said workers were "irrelevant". I knew that many workers of the SDC were utterly underpaid, but actively forced in dangerous situations with no protection and insurance?
Some of these reports and requisition orders were decades old, implying that Jacques had been doing these kinds of things ever since he took over the company after marrying Willow. I even found a report on a collapsed and exploded Dust mine near the Solitas mountain range, where Jacques had pulled funding for proper repair for support beams and sturdy frames for what appeared to be no reason. Now, all I could think about was all of the deaths that Jacques caused simply because he wanted to save a few thousand Lien here and there.
I immediately felt terrible. Willow was offering me these because she believed it would give her and her children a shot at freedom. But I was only doing this because we needed what Jacques was hoarding away for himself. I didn't know what would happen if Jacques was arrested - or what would happen to Willow at this point. The Schnee Dust Company would likely be seized by the military - and Willow would be caught in the crossfire. She might even get into trouble for withholding such incriminating information for so long. After all, she didn't get arrested last time because she wasn't responsible for security camera footage - only for the fact that she'd installed them.
"I...I can't. If I do this, who knows what will happen to you?" I said.
"I know what will happen. I will live in peace because my family will no longer be under his influence," Willow said angrily. I had a feeling that her inebriated state had something to do with this boldness. If she did this while she was drunk, then there was a chance that something could go wrong.
As much as this evidence was needed - I couldn't tear apart Weiss's family like this. I handed the folder back to her, and sighed. "This needs to wait," I said. "You're drunk, you need to do this with a clearer state of mind. I can find a way to do so without getting you in trouble, but Weiss and Whitley need their mother once their dad is taken away."
Willow frowned. "But Jacques-" she said.
"Needs to be taken down at a better time," I said. "Get some rest...then we'll come see you after the party."
"I-" Willow protested before I gently held up a hand. "Very well," Willow said, almost disappointed - but she seemed more exhausted than anything else. She remained sitting in bed with the documents when I left the room - walking back to the main hall.
I slipped back downstairs, rejoining Blake as she leaned against the wall. "So, how did it go?" I asked smoothly as I looked around. I saw General Ironwood and Winter Schnee mingling among the others - acting casual as their eyes discreetly combed the crowd. Clover was near the edge of the room, away from the crowd as he assisted in security with the bodyguards. They were likely looking for Jacques, but it was no surprise that he wasn't here.
"No touching so far. Find anything?" Blake asked. She was crossing her arms and had a foot propped against the wall in a casual stance - an attempt to look unappealing to some of the guests. It seemed she got tired of the flirting. I was almost sad I missed it. I was broken out of my thoughts when I heard sniffing. "Did you drink?" Blake asked in confusion.
"Yeah, don't ask. And, well...I ran into Weiss's mom," I said. "She didn't stop me - and I couldn't get into any computers or find anything useful in his office."
"So it was a bust?"
"No actually," I said as I leaned against the wall alongside her. "She had a whole folder stacked with incriminating evidence. She's been preparing it for years."
That caught Blake's attention, her eyes shining with hope and vindication. "Where is it then? We need to get it to the General and have Jacques arrested," she said. "That'll solve this problem in a heartbeat." Most of this was likely Blake wanting to never see Jacques as a free man again, as well as wanting to get out of that dress of hers.
"I left it with her," I said, wilting a bit under Blake's shocked and slightly angry gaze. "Look I want him thrown in a cell as much as you do, but if we rush this there's a chance she'll be arrested with him. Weiss will lose her mother, the SDC will be taken over by the government, and Whitley will be left homeless."
"We could just take her with us. And aren't you supposed to be buddies with the General? Couldn't you just ask for her to not be arrested?" Blake asked, turning away from me, but at least she was also thinking about the consequences clearly.
"Yeah, I don't think I can break the legal chain by just asking someone super nicely," I said. "Whitley has to be able to take over the SDC. And he needs to be the one who helps us. Remember, if Atlas just takes the SDC - the biggest Dust corporation on the whole planet, the public won't like that."
"And what if Whitley won't help?" Blake asked.
"Then we keep up the pressure. What happened between Whitley and Weiss," I muttered. "That's something only they can fix. And it's years and years of animosity - that stuff is unpredictable."
"So what you're saying is, our only hope in saving the world, is in those two somehow reconciling," Blake deadpanned. "We're screwed."
"I mean, when you put it like that..." I said uneasily.
Weiss suddenly joined us in the corner, slumping forward and looking defeated. This really didn't help my case. "So, uh…how'd it go?" I asked as I tried to hide a wince.
"Terrible," Weiss said, slumping even further.
I tried my best to ignore Blake's gaze as it bore into the side of my head.
"We didn't even argue about anything important!" Weiss continued. "it was just the same old petty stuff we always used to argue about..."
"At least it was somewhat...normal?" I tried to be reassuring. Weiss's ice cold glower - forgive the pun - made me back off. "Sorry..."
"Daughter!" The three of us winced and turned to see the pasty man in the white suit and the clip-on tie walking up to us. He didn't seem very happy, but he looked very smug in his face and his walk. It looked like he didn't recognize me from before - I was happy about that. "I'm glad to see that you've come to your senses and returned to where you always belonged."
Blake and I hid our dissatisfied frowns as Weiss leaned back, crossing her arms as she glared up at her father. "I did it because General Ironwood told me I had to," she said. "If it was you who asked me instead of the General, I would have thrown out the damn invitation."
Jacques sneered. "I see you haven't let go of that miserable rebellious streak of yours," he growled. "Of course Winter's terrible influence is responsible."
I stepped up. "Nah, she's been like this since forever. Your fault, not hers," I said. Jacques glowered at me - and I decided to piss him off a little bit, leaning on Weiss's side and hugging her arm a little affectionately.
Weiss's face went pink - but she played along. "I can make my own choices, dear father," she said. It was sort of funny, knowingly using her civilized tone to piss off her father. Blake seemed to like it as well - coming up on Weiss's other side and leaning against her other side, sandwiching the former Schnee heiress between her and myself.
Jacques was now red in fury as he watched two "filthy animals" getting close to his prized daughter. He didn't make a move against me or Blake - presumably because they were still close to other guests as if we were in a public space. "And just what do you think you're doing with these...these..."
"They are my friends," Weiss said, defiant in defending us as she interrupted what derogatory term her father was about to throw at them. "And they have done more for me than you have ever done."
"Oh, please. They're your 'friends' because of the status you bring, because of your last name - my last name. You are my daughter - everything you have ever achieved is because of me," Jacques hissed. "And you will show me the proper appreciation for everything I have given you-"
"I learned how to fight, to master my semblance - because of me and my friends. I learned how to save people, to do the right thing, from my friends. From those who actually love me. Everything I've ever done is for my life, not your empire," Weiss growled as she pulled her arm away from my loose hold and stepped forward. Blake and I stayed back, but were ready to defend her if her father kept trying to push his luck.
"Everything you're worth is because of me!" Jacques snapped. "You will return and resume your position as my heir, rather than one of those utterly incompetent huntresses."
"No," Weiss said, standing her ground as her eyes narrowed. "I will not."
Jacques raised a hand at once, and Weiss instinctively flinched - even though she had aura and could likely take a hit much worse than the slap of a wimpy businessman - she shut her eyes as if preparing for the worst. Blake and I were too frozen to even react properly, and I managed to raise my arm to grab Weiss when-
"Stop!"
The four of us turned to the source of noise. The others in the estate all turned as well, as hinted by the various sounds of chatting dying out rather quickly. General Ironwood and Winter both stopped as well, Clover stepping forwards to see what was happening. Upstairs and coming down was Willow Schnee - stumbling somewhat, with a folder in her hands.
Oh dear.
"Dearest wife, what do you think you're doing?" Jacques asked, adopting a formal and polite tone of voice. As if he wasn't just about to strike his own daughter.
"I will not have you beat our daughter, not again!" Willow growled - and Jacques actually blanched - as if horrified that he was being accused of such a baseless accusation. Weiss, Blake, and I knew better - as did Winter and Ironwood judging by their furious expressions.
"Whatever do you mean, I would never-" Jacques protested before Ironwood stepped up, interrupting this public argument. "What seems to be the problem, Jacques?" General Ironwood asked.
"I apologize, General. But my wife doesn't appear to be feeling very well," Jacques said before clapping his hands, attempting to play off the incident. "Waiter, please escort my dear wife back to her room, she seems to have enjoyed herself a little too much. I would like it if she were to receive the rest that she needs. I imagine she has had a long day."
"Don't you do this, not again!" Willow snarled.
"Dear, please go back to your room. You and I shall talk later," Jacques said, in a quiet tone that promised retribution once the party was over. However, I knew better. Willow would not stand by and wait in fear for more abusive punishment. Not with the vitriol anger currently being expressed on her face.
Before any of the waiters could move, Willow shoved Jacques aside harshly - enough for him to stumble a good meter back and shoved the folder in her hands right into General Ironwood's uniformed chest with a smack. "I've had it. I refuse to do nothing as my fool and greedy monster of a husband tears down his family for the sake of his own power..."
"Ma'am, what is this-" General Ironwood said. I knew I should have stepped in, done something. Weiss likely knew this as well, but the two of us could do nothing more than gape in astonishment as Willow stood up for herself and her children.
"My husband has done many illegal things over the course of running the Schnee Dust Company, and I will not let him continue!" Willow growled. "I want this man arrested, stripped of his power, and left to rot for all that he's done!"