Chapter 27

Joint-Buisness Venture

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

Flashback

"Scroll Communications / Tv"

Location / Date / Time Change

The crowed applauded at Weiss once she finished her performance. She looked up to the top balcony seats and found her father 'smiling' and brother clapping. She looked over to the other side and found Ryuko and her family applauding her as well. She turned back to the crowd and bowed again before turning around, her face morphing into one of sadness.

Party Room

All around Weiss, the richest people in Remnant went on and on about 'problems' that made her want to vomit. They weren't real issues, they were just complaining about have so much money. Yet despite their vast wealth, no one made something even close to an offer on the artwork for sale, let alone buying it.

"That's exactly my point." Jacques told one of his many sheeple with Weiss beside him. "We offer Faunus the exact same wages as the rest of our mining staff. Their argument is automatically invalid."

"Yes, that's their argument." He looked over as Ragyo walked over, drink in hand. "Not that their told to go into the more dangerous areas of the mines while the humans go on a lunch break they don't get. Not compensation for when they lose a finger or an arm. Not that their wages are stagnant while the humans get a pay increase. It's that they get offered the same wages at the start."

"Yes, and I'm sure your business is paradigm of virtue." He teased, making the other chuckle.

"Well, unlike you, my company actually treats Faunus like equals." Ragyo bragged. "Do remind me, which company actually has an equal insurance and retirement plan for their employees?"

"Yes, and your company can ship out their product." Jacques said, swirling his drink around. "Suspicious, is it not?"

"That's probably because no one's ever waged a war with clothing as a weapon." Ragyo said, making the crowd chuckle.

He quickly gulped down his drink before grabbing Weiss' arm as she started to walk away. "Where do you think you're going?"

"I'm... just a little thirsty." Weiss nervously answered as the group actually began talking about solutions to the wage gap between humans and Faunus.

"Weiss, we have people for that." Jacques raised his hand and waved someone over before Weiss pulled it down.

"I'm not a little girl. I can get it myself." She told him. "I'll be right back." She turned and walked away as Jacques returned to the conversation.

"I'm sorry, I tuned out for a second." He said before turning back to Ragyo. "Tell me, how much is Ironwood paying you?"

(A/N: For the uniforms for his army! Filthy, you're filthy.)

Weiss reached the velvet rope and stared at the painting. It was Beacon academy, before the fall. In front of it was a plaque that, as if screaming for praise, read 'Show the World We Care'. "It's beautiful." Weiss turned and glanced at someone who can only be described a douchier Neptune. "You as well."

"Yes, it's wonderful piece of art." Weiss huffed.

"So... I'm guessing I didn't even chip the ice I meant to break?" The boy asked.

"You didn't even put a dent in it." She said back.

"Well, I've always been one for honesty." He chuckled before offering his hand. "Henry Marigold."

Weiss rolled her eyes before turning to him. "Weiss Schnee." She offered her hand and he whole it.

"I know, I saw your performance... as did the whole room." He joked as they let their hands go. Weiss turned back to the painting as he cleared his throat. "You were wonderful. And I'm not just saying that because of your looks." He turned and leaned on the rope. "Honesty, remember? So... you thinking about buying it?"

"No, I'm not." She quickly answered.

"Yeah, it's a little pricy for a painting." He added.

"It's for charity..." She snapped back.

"Really, for what?" He asked.

"For what?" Weiss repeated, her anger rising.

Henry let out a chuckle before grabbing a drink off a butlers tray as he walked by. "Not gonna lie. The only reason I come to these things is the food and drinks. And the extraordinary company, of course." He took a sip of his drink as Weiss turn to face him. "So, is this another Mantle fundraiser, or..."

"Get. Out." No two words had ever felt so good for Weiss to say.

"What?" Henry asked, thinking it was a joke.

"Get out, or I'll make sercurity escort you out." She explained.

"What did I-" He started to ask.

"Leave." Weiss said commandingly.

Henry looked at her for a second before blowing a raspberry at her. "Whatever..." He took another sip and walked away as some pompous asshole complained about a tiny difference in his drink.

'Calm down, Weiss.' She turned and looked back at the painting. 'It's just one person who was an idiot. It doesn't mean this whole room is-'

A glass shattered and the whole room, including Weiss, turned to the center of the room. Satsuki held her sister back as Ryuko shot daggers at a blonde. "Ryuko, control yourself!"

"Me, what the hell about her?!" Ryuko asked. "This Gyaru bitch is gonna pay!"

"I didn't say anything everyone else wasn't thinking." The rich woman said.

"So the whole room was thinking that Vale deserves to be wiped off the map!?" Ryuko shouted before pulling herself free. "How can any of you just stand here with your thumbs up your asses, thinking the whole world revolves around what you do?"

"We are the center of the world after all." The woman said back, making Weiss clench her fist in anger.

"Ragyo, control your daughter." Jacques ordered.

"Like you do yours?" She asked back, walking over to her daughter. "How many people here actually know what this little soirée is all about?" More than a few mumbles wandered all over the room. "Wonderful job, Jacques. Can't call it a charity if people don't know what it's for, can you?"

"Please, our lives are far too busy to know every little detail about the commoners of Vale." The woman chuckled back.

"Shut up!" Everyone turned to Weiss, even Ryuko, out of shock. "None of you have a clue! All you're doing is standing and talking about the most useless things. I've learned more about the real world in the few months I was at Beacon then the rest of have in your whole lives!"

Jacques marched over and grabbed Weiss' hand, a small smile on Whitley's face the whole time. "Enough, Weiss."

"Does the princess need a timeout?" The trophy wife teased.

"That's it!" Ryuko tackled the girl to the ground and was about to beat her up when Satsuki pulled her off. Ryuko crashed to the ground as Weiss glared at the blonde girl, clutching her fist even harder. Her knuckles turned white as she summoned a large glyph behind her.

The whole room watched as a white Boarbatusk manifested from the glyph and stared the girl down. It charged her as she begged for her life before it jumped into the air. A gunshot killed the beast as Ironwood walked out of the crowd. He glanced over to the girl on the ground and the one standing up. "Arrest them both! They're insane!" The trophy wife shouted.

"So far, they're the only ones that are making any sense here." He said back. "Wonderful party, Jacques." He walked away as the older Schnee felt his daughter rip her hand out of his grip before she helped Ryuko up. His anger only grew as he watched Ragyo lead them out the room.

Farmhouse

"Oscar!" The farmboy looked up from his book as his aunt called him. "Supper's almost ready!"

"What is it?" He shouted back.

"It doesn't matter!" His aunt shouted. "You're eating it."

"Those aren't the terms I agreed to!" He joked back.

"They are once you signed the 'living under my roof' contract." She said back. "Read the fine print and then wash up."

Oscar put the book down and climbed off his bed. 'We need to leave.' The all to familiar phantom voice of Ozpin said. Ignoring the voice, Oscar marched towards the door. 'Oscar. Oscar!'

He reached out for the door before pulling his hand back. "I know you're not real, so I'm just going to ignore you." He told the voice. "So just give up."

'I know how you feel.' The voice said. 'I went through the same panic and confusion.'

Oscar looked back at his bed and closed the book before putting it away. "It's not real. Its not real. It's NOT real."

He stood up and looked at his reflection in the window. 'Let me assure you, you are perfectly sane.' Ozpin told him.

"Says the talking voice in my head." Oscar pointed out.

'Normal and sane are not the same thing.' Ozpin told him as the farmboy turned to the door. 'There's actually a significant difference-'

"Shut up!" Oscar shouted. "This isn't some game, you know."

'I understand that better than anyone, believe me.' Ozpin said back. 'I wish this wasn't the case, but I've told you. Our Auras, our souls, are combined.'

"I'm DONE listening to you." Oscar said.

A few moments of silence later, Ozpin spoke up again. 'Have you ever been to Haven?'

"What part of 'I'm done listening to you' do you not get?" Oscar asked back. "Besides, I already said I'm not going."

'Do me a favor, describe the headmasters office for me.' Ozpin requested.

"How could I describe something if I've never been there?" Oscar asked.

'Just try...' Ozpin egged on. 'Right now.'

"Its just..." Oscar stared before foreign images drowned his head. "It's autumn colored, with big mahogany desk. It has a small table and chairs in the corner for guests. There's a tea set on it that I... gave to him... Why did I say that? How did I know that?"

'Because I helped build that school.' Ozpin said. 'The tea set was a gift to the man running it now.' Oscar sat down on his bed and grabbed his head. 'If you don't believe me, you can look it up. If I'm right, your aunt has several books about Mistral downstairs. I know you can find a picture of them.'

"That... that's it..." Oscar said. "I saw it in one of her books."

'Oscar...' Ozpin spoke up.

"Just shut up!' Oscar shouted, standing up.

'Unfortunately, I cannot do that. Ozpin said. 'I have a serious duty that I must uphold. We both do...'

Oscar fell to his knees, seemingly giving up. "I never agreed to this..."

'No, you didn't...' Ozpin agreed. 'Neither did I, really. But right now, you have an extraordinary opportunity.'

"For what?" The farmhand asked.

'Greatness...' The voice answered. 'Greatness in knowing that when the world need someone, you came to help it. It won't come easy, or without sacrifice. But you and I both know that you want more than to just be another farmhand in Mistral.'

"Wait, you just took it upon yourself to read my thoughts?" Oscar asked the voice.

'I... well...' Ozpin started before letting out a sigh. 'They're both of our thoughts now.'

"Get out of my head!" He shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Oscar! Supper time!" His aunt shouted, breaking up the seemingly insane boy. "I wanna see clean hands!"

Atlas

Revoch Company Car

Weiss sat next to Ryuko as she kept her head down as her father marched back and forth on the large screen in the car. "I cannot believe it." He stopped marching and turned to the screen. "Do you two have ANY idea how much this little stunt cost me!?"

"I don't know... ten, fifteen bucks." Ryuko joked, not taking this conversation seriously.

"I wasn't talking about lien, you brat!" He shouted back. "My reputation, the entire Schnee family name, your own name! Ragyo!" He turned to the older woman in the back. "Aren't you going to say something to them?"

"I think going to that Oum awful party was more than enough punishment." Ragyo said back.

Jacques let out a sigh as Weiss spoke up. "I'm done."

"Come again?" Jacques asked.

"I said I'm done just living my life the way you want me to." Weiss explained. "I don't wanna stay at home. I don't want to stay in Atlas."

"Young lady, I don't give a damn about you what you do and don't want." Her father said back. "This isn't about you, this is about the Schnee family name, and you insistent need to drag it through the mud with these delusions of grandeur you carry!"

"Remind me who married into that name?" Ragyo asked, making Jacques growl at her. "From what my daughter has told me, and the reports I've read, your daughter has done more to restore the Schnee name that you seem intent on destroying."

Jacques let out of sigh as he turned to Weiss. "This behavior of yours is becoming more and more unacceptable. None of you could possibly understand the efforts I've gone to keep this family at the top of the world. Do you honestly believe that running off like your sister will make the Schnee name stronger? You're wrong. Siding with her only makes us weaker."

"I'm not siding with anyone." Weiss said back. "I'm doing what I know is right. And that does not include wasting away up here with braindead people in Atlas. The Schnee family name isn't yours to leave, its mine. And I'll do it as a Huntress."

"I think I like this rebellious streak, Weiss." Ryuko said.

"No, you won't." Jacques said, making them all look at the screen. "The second this little play date is over, you're coming home, and you're not to leave your room unless I say so. You will remain in your room, out of sight, and out of trouble, until we come to an agreement on your future."

"Jacques... you're playing a dangerous game..." Ragyo said as Ryuko glared at the man on the screen.

"This is for her own good." He told her. "If you knew anything about parenting, you'd know that children should be seen and not heard unless they're asked to."

"You can't do this!" Ryuko shouted, banging her head as she stood up in anger. "In case you've forgotten, she's the heir to your little company. People are gonna ask questions once she just disappears."

"And that is exactly why she is no longer the heiress to this 'little company'." He said back, shocking the three. "It's clear that attending the fall of Beacon has affected her more than we first thought. Which is why Weiss has willingly given up her claim as heiress to her brother." Weiss stared at her father, hoping it was just one big threat. "We all need to wake up and face reality one day."

The call ended as Ragyo shut off her Scroll. Weiss pulled out her own and dialed her brother. "Whitely!"

"Yes sister?" He asked, clearly feigning ignorance.

"Did you know about this?!" She asked back.

"Know what?" He asked again.

"You never liked Winter, or me." Weiss explained. "So why is it that the second I came home, you've been nothing but supportive?"

"If caring about my big sister is some sort of crime, then I guess I'm guilty as charged." He joked.

Weiss stared at the screen in shock "You wanted this to happen, didn't you?"

"It's foolish not to do as father asks, sister." He said back, pure disdain in his voice.

"You son of a bitch!" Ryuko shouted, grabbing Weiss' Scroll. "That's your sister!"

"Miss Matio, this is a private conversation." He told her. "If you had any sense of class, you'd know it's foolish to go against your parents." He looked over her shoulder and chuckled at her sister. "Enjoy your last day of freedom, sister." The call ended as Weiss broke down into tears.

The car stopped and the driver opened the door to show the Kiryuin mansion. "So, what do we do?" Ryuko asked as she handed Weiss some tissues."

"He won't do a thing." Ragyo waved her Scroll around before pressing play and the entire conversation from the car repeated. "I knew he'd slip up one day, and if he does try to do what he threatened, I'll leak this to the biggest news show in Remnant. I wonder how much his stock price will fall."

"But we can't keep her here forever." Satsuki said, coming out of the front passenger seat. "Mother, what exactly is your plan?"

"Isn't it obvious?" She lead the group towards the mansion and opened the door, showing Klein holding a case.

"Klein, what are you-" Weiss started to ask.

"Before I worked for your father, I worked for Miss Kiryuin." He explained.

"One of the best butlers I've ever had." Ragyo bragged. "And of course, over the years I've built up a few favors with him." The two lead the group to a room all to familiar to Ryuko. Ragyo flicked on a light, showing all kinds of training equipment as Klein opened the case and showed Mrytenaster to Weiss. Instinctually, she picked up the sword and held it to her face before walking over to the training ring.

"Are you seriously doing what I think you're doing?" Satsuki asked. "You're giving them this space to train?"

"In case you for got, Satuski, this is my house." Ragyo walked over to box and opened it. She turned around and showed Ryuko her Scissor Blades, polished and sharpened.

"I-I can't." Ryuko said back. "I've failed as a Huntress. I-i..."

"Tried to prove yourself to me." Ragyo said as she walked over. "And while the results were... less than desirable, that doesn't make you a failure. It make you human. But if you let this failure control you, you won't be able to move forward." Satsuki rolled her eyes and left the room as Ragyo reached the younger daughter. "A true Huntsress learns from her failure and strives to make herself better."

She handed Ryuko one of the blades. "I had this life stripped from me, but now I see it was so you could live it." He handed her the other half. "You were never meant for the cozy life of an Atlas billionaire." She gripped her daughters shoulders and looked her in the eyes. "This is what you were born to do."

Her mother's words ringing true in her heart, Ryuko gripped the blades tighter than ever before she walked over to the ring and stood across from Weiss. "Okay. Let's get started, Weiss."

Ladies and gentlemen, this story has reached a milestone. Over three hundred reviews! I didn't do this, you did this. And while some may say it's not that big a number, in the words of Leonard Church 'It's important to me.'

Jacques reminds me a lot of our president, 'Donny Tiny-Hands'. Super thinned skinned, ego maniac who can't take a joke and just says stupid things that end up destroying progress instead of making it. Case in point, only he would throw a charity concert where people DON'T KNOW what the charity is.

I had a completely different idea when I first thought of this chapter. It included Satsuki taking over the company and arranging a merger with the SDC, by marrying off Ryuko to Whitley. I might be able to mix and match different parts of that idea into later chapters if you want.

Beta read by Natsu is Awesome.