Chp. 3: Remnant Preparations

Remnant

Argus, Mistral

Cotta-Arc Residence

Within the city of Argus, Ren and Nora were both sitting on the couch, eating a sandwich. They both were now wearing different outfits. Nora's hair is now shoulder-length, she has pink eyeshadow around the far upper corners of her eyes and her design is updated. She retains her gloves and wears a white sleeveless turtleneck top that is similar to her old one, though the heart cut-out on the top has a diagonal cut through it. She also wears a shorter, detached white sleeve on her left arm. Over the shirt, she wears an open cropped, short-sleeved navy blue bomber jacket with a damaged print of her emblem visible on the back and pink stripes along the sleeves alongside pink buckled cuffs. and red lining on the collar. Her jacket has a worn leather material. She wears a pleated pink skirt with two wide belt loops matching the belt, the skirt has a white layered tulle. She wears knee-high pink socks just visible above her white calf-length boots with pink laces and black low heels, soles and toes.

Ren's outfit is updated. Ren wears his hair down, and it has grown longer which was almost butt-length. His attire is similar to before in color. He now has a longer, sleeveless tailcoat with black and silver trimming. Under it, he wears a black, sleeveless turtleneck with red, tasseled ropes over the hips, pants that get tighter below the knees and calf-high open-toed sandals. From his middle finger to his biceps run gradient pink-to-black detached sleeves ending in metal armbands.

A woman walks into the living room, holding a baby in her arms. She's a young woman with wavy, dirty blond hair and blue eyes. She wears an orange top with a beige vest, light brown trousers with orange stitches on each side, and dark brown boots. In addition, she wears her wedding ring on her left hand and a bootlace necklace around her neck. This is Jaune's older sister, Saphron Cotta-Arc.

The infant in Saphron's arms has short black hair and brown eyes. He wears a white and blue long-sleeved shirt with denim overalls and white socks. This is Saphron's baby son, Adrian Cotta-Arc.

"Are you two doing okay?" Saphron asked.

"Yeah, we're doing fine," Ren said. "Thanks again for letting us stay in you home, Saphron," Nora said.

"It's not trouble. Besides, I had no idea that my baby brother is dating Pyrrha Nikos," Saphron said.

The front door suddenly open revealing Jaune and Pyrrha, now in new outfits. Jaune's attire is updated. He retains his black hoodie, but he instead wears a modified pure white chest plate covering a bit more of his upper abdomen trimmed with gold lining and similarly-colored bracers. Additionally, he wears black gloves with gold-colored metal armor plates over his fingers, and he appears to wear a red sash around his waist, similar in design to Pyrrha. He wears dark brown laced boots and a single brown belt with a pouch included worn around his waist.

Pyrrha's attire has been updated. She still retains most of her outfit, but now has become a darker brown. Her hair no longer possesses a ponytail as her hair hides her head piece. She has a black bracer with a bronze outlining on the sleeve of her left arm. She wears a bronze belt with her emblem on her belt buckle around her waist.

Following the two as she closes the door behind her is a young woman with short dark brown hair and eyes. She has a single smooth bang that goes down her forehead and in between her eyes. She wears a dark navy collar shirt with a light-blue cardigan, dark-gray jeans and red sneakers. She also wears red glasses and a wedding ring. This is Saphron's wife, Terra Cotta-Arc.

"We're home," Terra said.

"Sorry we're late," Jaune said. "People all around us kept on asking Pyrrha and I about the attack on Beacon."

"Still? It's been months now," Nora said.

"So... how was your date?" Saphron asked in a teasing manner.

"Saph, will you stop?" Jaune groaned.

"Come on, I'm just so proud that you have a girlfriend," Saphron said.

Jaune groans and pouts as Adrian giggles at his uncle. Pyrrha walks up to Saphron and Adrian, smiling at the infant.

"Hello, Adrian and how are you doing?" Pyrrha sweetly asked.

Adrian blushes and laughs as Pyrrha lightly brushes his hair through her fingers.

"I better take Adrian up to his room," Terra said.

Saphron gives Adrian over to Terra as she then walks upstairs with their son. Saphron turns back towards Jaune and Pyrrha.

"I still feel like you two left something out," Saphron said.

"What do you mean?" Pyrrha asked.

"I feel like you two left something out that happen between you two," Saphron answered.

"We haven't," Jaune said.

"Jaune and Pyrrha did the dirty one time," Nora said.

"Nora!" Jaune, Pyrrha and Ren shouted in unison.

"You did what?!" Saphron asked in shock.

Jaune and Pyrrha turned away with their faces turning red.

"You're not denying it. This... is... AMAZING!" Saphron exclaimed in excitement. "I got to tell Mom and Dad the great news."

Saphron makes a run for the kitchen.

"Saphron! Don't you dare!" Jaune shouted as he chased her sister.

Pyrrha could only laugh at the two siblings.

"If only Jacob and the others are here," Pyrrha said.

"Yeah, I miss them," Nora said.

"I'm sure one day we'll see them again," Ren said.


City of Atlas

Schnee Manor

Meanwhile in the floating city of Atlas, within the Schnee Manor, Weiss was sitting in her room, on her bed reading a book. Her new outfit she wears is a short glittering dress with a color gradation of gray blue to pale blue at the hem, a sweetheart neckline, and a white, tulle petticoat. A white sash is wrapped multiple times around her waist, and over the outfit is worn a slightly sheer long-sleeved gray blue bolero fastened at the collar with a large sapphire broach that has three pendants dangling from it. Printed on the back of the shrug is the Schnee Crest. Completing her attire are gray blue wedge heels and sapphire drop earrings. She wears her hair and earrings in the same style, albeit her ponytail has grown out, now roughly reaching her knees.

Her door opens revealing a slightly overweight man with balding brown hair and a large mustache and light brown eyes. He is also a few inches shorter than Weiss. He wears black shoes and dark blue dress pants and vest and has a pocket watch in his left vest pocket. He also wears a white dress shirt and light blue tie under his vest. This is the Schnee family's butler, Klein Sieben.

"Pardon the interruption, Miss Schnee, but your father wishes to speak to you," Klein said.

"Thank you, Klein," Weiss sighed.

Weiss and Klein walked out of her room as Weiss walked down the hall while Klein went off the other direction. Weiss kept on walking down the hall until he saw a boy walk up to her.

The boy has white hair and light blue eyes with a fair complexion. His hair is mostly pushed to the left, although he does have a cowlick. He is fairly tall with a slender build and stands a few inches taller than Weiss. His attire consists of a short-sleeved white dress shirt, the sleeves fastened just above his elbows by navy blue cuffs, each with twin gold buttons. Over his untucked shirt, he wears a light blue vest, with a black handkerchief in his right breast pocket. He also wears a black necktie, navy blue trousers and black dress shoes. This is Weiss' younger brother, Whitley Schnee.

"Good afternoon, sister," Whitley said. "A pleasure to see you out of your room for a change."

"Hello, Whitley. You're in a cheery mood today," Weiss said.

"Klein made crepes for breakfast," Whitley said with a smirk and hands behind his back.

"What do you want?" Weiss asked.

"I heard Father shouting with someone in his study earlier," Whitley said.

"Probably General Ironwood again," Weiss thought.

"I just wanted to warn you," Whitley said, feigning a concerned look. "I heard he had asked to speak with you."

"I'll be fine," Weiss said.

"I know you will. You are strong, like Winter," Whitley said.

"You never liked Winter," Weiss said.

Weiss already knew what his brother was doing, but also remembered Whitley was just alone like Willow said when watching Volume 7.

"True, but you can't deny her resolve," Whitley said.

He turns around and starts to walk away.

"Anyway, good luck with Father!" he said.

Weiss continues to walk towards her father's study. She soon walks up to her father's study. She was about to open the door until he heard voices coming from the other side.

"I'm not talking about the good of the company; I'm talking about the good of Atlas, our entire Kingdom!" a voice yelled out.

"That's a load of garbage and you know it," a second voice said.

Weiss recognized the second voice to be General Ironwood. She opens the door and peers in. She sees General Ironwood sitting in a chair in front of a bookcase.

Ironwood's new outfit consists of a white, double-breasted tailcoat with dark blue and black accents, most notable at the cuffs and shoulder pieces. The coat is belted at the waist. Underneath, Ironwood has a black collared shirt and a red tie. He also now wears two white gloves, in contrast to wearing only one on his right hand. His pants are no longer tucked inside military boots but instead hang over the black boots.

Weiss also saw another man sitting behind his desk. The man is fair-skinned with white, slicked-back hair. He has a large, thick mustache and cold blue eyes. He is seen wearing a pure white double-breasted blazer with a red handkerchief in the breast pocket. Underneath, he wears a light-blue dress shirt, vest and a white clip-on tie, printed with the same emblem on his shoes and above his study. He has a silver-colored ring on his right hand. This is Weiss's father and president of the Schnee Dust Company, Jacques Schnee.

"I beg your pardon?!" Jacques asked in anger.

"Jacques, will you please, just hear me out?" Ironwood asked as he stood up.

Jacques places his glass down on the table roughly as Ironwood approaches Jacques' desk.

"You are a trusted friend and ally to this family, James, but what your actions are doing for the past three months is absurd!" Jacques shouted.

"You are blowing this out of proportion," Ironwood said.

"The council will never agree to it!" Jacques shouted.

"You forget, I hold two seats on the council," Ironwood said.

"It's bad enough that you confiscate all the new Dust that the company has mined!" Jacques shouted. "But refusing to take action against this new military that has been showing up constantly?! They've even broken into my home one time! I can promise you, I have not forgotten!"

"So this is about you," Ironwood said.

Weiss has come into the room, and she watches the two men awkwardly while the door shuts behind her. She startles at the sound while Ironwood and Jacques turn and look at her.

"Ms. Schnee! My apologies. I should have been gone by now," Ironwood said.

"It-it's okay," Weiss said.

"We'll continue this another time," the General said to the CEO. "Until next time, Jacque."

Jacques solemnly nods back at Ironwood as he then leaves the room. Weiss watches the General walk out the door.

"Did you forget your manners while you were away?" Jacques asked.

Weiss looks annoyed at the comment but calms down with a sigh and turns to look at her father.

"No, Father. I'm sorry," Weiss said.

"Can you believe this? This new military that has shown up unexpectedly and think they can do whatever they please and face no consequences whatsoever," Jacques said. "They've trespassed in various villages in all the kingdoms, they've destroyed one of the companies mines, and they even broke into our home at one point."

"I'm sure they must have their reasons," Weiss said as she walks up to her father's desk.

Weiss knew about all that but also knew that the U.S. military and their allies did all this to save people from the Creatures of Grimm, White Fang, and bandits. Captain Keaton Gordan and his team broke into the Schnee Manor to hack into the hidden cameras that Weiss' mother, Willow setup all around the manor so they could find evidence to have a reason to have Jacques arrested.

"Why Ironwood hasn't taken action against them I might never know," Jacques said. "I suppose the council trusts him, for better or worse."

"I trust him," Weiss said.

"Things appear to be changing ever since that attack on Beacon, led by Ms. Fall and the White Fang," Jacques said. "Aside from Atlas, there are also those that protected Beacon Academy and Vale."

"What do you mean?" Weiss asked.

"Aside from your team and Ms. Nikos' team, Their are also the other two teams that seem to fight with extreme brutality," Jacques said. "Team GRMA and Team CFDT I believe they are called. Which is why the Schnee Dust Company will be hosting a party on their behalf."

Weiss looks at her father in surprise.

"We need to show the people of Remnant that the company and the huntsmen are here for them," Jacques explained.

"That's... wonderful news," Weiss said.

"I know. And I think it would make a lot of people happy if you not only performed at the event, but also invited the teams as well," Jacques said.

"Excuse me?" Weiss asked.

"Many forgot you were there and fought alongside the teams," Jacques said. "My own daughter, a Schnee, on the grounds defending another Kingdom! We need to remind them! And we need to show them that the Schnee family is just as strong as ever!"

"Are you asking me if I'd like to sing and asked the teams to come or are you telling me?" Weiss asked.

Jacques leans forward and makes a tent with his fingers of his hand as he meaningfully gazes at Weiss.

"I think it would make a lot of people happy," he answered.

"I'll ask them. And if they do show up, I'll start practicing," Weiss sighed.

"That's... my girl," Jacques replied with a smile.

Weiss turns around and proceeds to walk out the door.

"I hope Captain Gordon got all that," Weiss thought. "If Jacob and the others heard about this, they would probably tell my father to go F himself."


Patch, Vale

Xiao Long Residence

Meanwhile on the island of Patch, within the Xiao Long household, Ruby and Yang were preparing to go back to Beacon by packing their stuff while Blake was on the couch, reading a book. The three girls now have different outfits on. Ruby's hair has grown slightly longer that maintains the color gradation from black at the roots to red at the tips and her new design sports a white high-neck décolletage blouse with brown studded wristbands on the arms. Her outfit retains the use of a black skirt with red tulle underneath, somewhat similar to her original outfit, but her waist cincher has been replaced with an overbust corset with red strap holding it in place. A black belt bordered in red holds the magnetic clip for Crescent Rose and its ammunition. She also has brown straps on her blouse. In lieu of her usual full black stockings, Ruby wears thigh-high stockings reaching to a few inches below the hem of her skirt, decorated by an image of a long-stemmed rose. Her red-soled black boots contain four straps and buckles apiece. Her cloak has a singular clip on the right shoulder in the shape of her emblem, replacing the cross-shaped clips from her original attire. Both the cloak and the stockings show tears from hard wear.

Yang is now a new outfit with a tan jacket with orange lining and gold edging, unzipped halfway to show an orange crop top. The coat has darker brown short sleeves, a thick collar that completely encircles her neck, and two long gold-trimmed rectangular tails which are shown to be detachable. She also wears fitted black pants. Around her hips and over the tails of her coat is a brown belt, which has two pieces of dark brown material trimmed in gold attached to it. The first covers from her left hip to the back of the belt and is folded over the belt, and the second is attached from the right hip and almost around to the other piece of material. She wears knee high brown boots with gold caps on the heel and toe, with the heel cap attaching to a gold strap across the front of her ankle, and a gold zipper on the upper half of the front of the boots. A single small buckled strap is on the upper outside of her boots, and a purple bandanna tied around her left knee. A pair of black fingerless gloves with long brown cuffs reaching to mid-forearm complete the outfit.

Blake's outfit design features a long white tailcoat with dark gray lining and a sleeveless black crop top, as well as a belt attached from behind. The crop top has rectangular and diamond-shaped cutouts around the neckline, which have purple outlines. Additionally, she wears a white belt over black fitted pants. Across her torso is a diagonal strap that has a smaller magnetic clip on the back, which is used to sheathe Gambol Shroud. She wears thigh-high black heeled boots with gold-colored edging around the top. The left boot has a belt wrapped twice around the thigh. Each boot bears her Belladonna emblem in white on the outer side of the thigh, and a white pouch is attached to the back of her belt.

"I'm so excited to go back to Beacon again," Ruby said.

"Same here, sis. Hopeful things will be different now that Cinder might not come back for a round two," Yang said.

"But it is most likely that Salem will try a different approach next time," Blake said.

"But we'll be ready when she does," Ruby said. "Besides, we got a few of Earth's militaries to help out."

"Speaking of Earth," Blake began as she put her book down. "I hope Jacob and the others are doing okay."

"Yeah, it's just not the same without them around," Yang said.

"I'm sure we'll see them again soon," Ruby said. "I hope they got the little surprise I snuck in Jacob's bag."

"Surprise?" Yang asked with a raised eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"I snuck something into Jacob's bag as they were about to leave Beacon," Ruby answered with a nervous look.

"Ruby, what did you put in his bag?" Blake asked in a serious tone.