I will be brief. Those next chapters are going to be packed as I will be making the fight at the docs and making sure it all flows well. So without any useless diarrhea of the mouth, let us begin.
Weiss' day was not...ideal, so far. It was a fresh week at Beacon, getting closer to the end of the semester. However, she couldn't shake off a strange feeling she's had ever since joining that regarded her other teammate, Blake. She was no dolt like others and noticed the occasional dirty glances she got from her. She also took note of how much time she and Auburn were spending together.
She perished the thought of the 2 of them being an item a while ago but still found it suspicious. And no, it was not about Blake's smut, that couldn't be the reason as she wouldn't need to remain in his room.
But what she was worried about was the train incident. While she was confident Ash had no idea what happened onboard the train, he was the one to save - as much as it irks her to admit it - and hence knows she was there. If people connect the dots more, they might find out that the incident was caused by negativity produced by her and the...Faunus passengers.
Such a rumor could even reach her father back in Atlas who would spare no expense to get her out of Beacon and cover up any lead to said incident. She shivered at the thought of her father's grasp to become tighter on her, but she hated more the thought of what he might do.
Hiring an assassin, if bribes fail, is not out of question for him. She has to make sure such measures are not reached. She has to make sure that Ash does not talk. No matter what must she sacrifice.
After classes were over she approached him as he was on his way out of the classroom. She cleared her throat, making him slightly stop in his tracks. "Excuse me, Ash, but can we talk? In private?"
The glasses-wearing boy looked at the petite girl with a bit of confusion and surprise. He didn't expect Weiss to act politely to him, not even throwing one snarky remark his way. "What about?" He asked back, to which Weiss inhaled.
"About the day I and you met," She said, making Ash understand the situation.
"Very well. My room in 30 minutes. Come alone." He said, leaving her with basic indications before leaving her there. Weiss sighed and released a breath she didn't realize she was holding up until that point. That was more stressful than it seemed.
"Oooohhhh~" Then she heard an all too familiar blonde. "Looks like the Ice Queen is looking for a Hot King"
"What?" Weiss snapped her head at Yang, a slight blush on her face. "Never!" She said with a stomp on the ground, but Yang simply snorted at her demeanor.
"Sure. Keep playing hard to get. Blake gave him a chance-"
"And it was a disaster," Weiss added.
"To which she admitted she overreacted. Plus, she still hangs out with him a lot"
"Your point?"
"Well, if my father was able to lay 2 women and make me and Ruby, then-"
"DO NOT DARE SAY ANYTHING LIKE THAT!"
Blake was, in all honesty possible, a nervous mess. Sure, she was somewhat contemptuous with the plan and deal she had with Ash and Roman, but there was another thing bugging her. Adam. He was there, at those very docks, and will most likely be there during their assault. The thought of meeting him again, of possibly locking eyes with him, scared her.
She was afraid. True, it was her choice to leave the Fang the way she did alongside the others, but she didn't...She didn't mean to break up with Adam in such a way either. She knows his anger is justified, making him a zealot even, but she never cared about that. In the eyes of many, including hers, that was unquestionable devotion to the cause. She was blind.
It was only after countless violent raids that she began to see the truth. Adam didn't desire equal rights, but supremacy. If he could and had the actual means, she is more than positive he'd hunt mankind to extinction if the Grimm didn't do that first.
He, Adam Taurus, was no longer the man she loved, but a mobster allowed to run amok - a monster she feels it is her duty to put down for good. But despite her desire, she must bite her tongue and only watch. Their role was not to capture him but to prevent the raid. Taking him into custody is an important secondary role.
The shipment was tonight as well, so she had to go meet up with Ash and notify her team along with the team JNPR so they could ensure their success. She got up and went to the door of team RWBY's door, turning the knot and seeing Weiss walk down the hall, ignoring her.
But what caught her eye was her destination; Ash's room. Weiss went inside and closed the door, but Blake's curiosity peaked so she decided to slowly walk there and place her ear - both of them - against the door to listen in. She couldn't imagine a reason for Weiss being there unless it was to check on a ruckus and throw insults and act like the rich girl she was.
But Blake felt something off about her as she walked.
Ash was sitting cross-legged on his bed, looking at the Schnee heiress before him as she kept a formal form. Her expression and emotions betrayed her, and Ash could feel it all. She was nervous, felt guilty, ashamed even. He had a gut feeling what this was about, but he doubted she was here to chit chat and say sorry for being such a pain.
"So what is it you wanted to talk about?" Ash asked, his eyes fixed on her face, and waiting for her reply. She shuffled her legs a bit, clearly nervous. Too bad he couldn't read minds. "I don't have all day, Weiss-"
"It was...my fault" Ash stopped his words as he heard her and got him slightly confused. Her fault? What did she mean by that?
"Your fault for what?" Ash asked
"Do you remember back when you saved me from that Gigas?" Ash nodded, letting her continue. "You know there has been a train incident caused by a Grimm attack, correct?"
"Kinda figured as much from the wrecked train cart I found you at" Ash quipped. "But...that is not the whole story, is it?" He was starting to piece it together. On that train, that day, he felt a lot of negativity that attracted those Grimm. But what was she trying to say? Her fault? For what? There seems to be more Ash did not know, something shaming her.
"I…" Weiss tried to speak, but the words kept getting blocked in her throat, choking her. But this was no time to simply brush it all under the rug. A person died that day because of her, even if unwillingly. "I was the cause of the negativity"
Ash shot his head up as his eyes widened slightly. "There was Faunus on board who I first thought was going to attack me for being a Schnee. They only made a joke about it...To which I replied by practically insulting them gravely. From there, everything went south, leading to me grabbing my weapon even and my escort getting attacked and beaten. Not long after, the Grimm showed up and started Slaughtering people. A Huntsman came to stop us, but it was too late as the Grimm began attacking, and fear spread through the passengers. Then the train got knocked down the cliffside...and one of the Faunus from earlier died. They had lost someone in the SDC mines, having to raise their sister alone. Now said sister was alone, and the last time I saw her was when she cried over her brother's corpse."
"So that's why…" Ash muttered, slowly realizing what she was saying meant.
"My stupid pride caused a tragedy...I wanted to come clean to you since, well, you were there." Weiss confessed, but Ash was not convinced. He was somewhat upset with her. She hid this for that long, and only now does she say this? He tried to maintain his calm, but this was worse than what even Jaune did.
At least he didn't kill anyone.
"What about your team?" He asked, trying to keep his cool. But the situation was just - No. It was her confession that pissed him off.
"N-no. I didn't tell anyone because I-"
"Are you afraid of what will happen to your reputation, is that it?!" A third voice cut into the talk and made the other 2 look towards the door. Blake was standing there with a black expression, but Ash could tell she was fuming. Did she eavesdrop on them? Blake was usually a calm person, and Ash grew accustomed to her presence, so he must have not noticed her until it was too late.
"Blake? What are you-"
"Is THAT it?!" Blake asked again, this time not even letting Weiss speak properly. Her gaze was filled with anger - hate even. Resentment, but for what? "You preach all day about how the Fang is only a bunch of killers, how the Faunus are all the same, but you know what? You are times worse than anything the Fang ever did!" Her words cut deep into Weiss, who was stunned by her teammate's behavior. She never took Blake as a person to be so...furious.
"Easy there, Belladonna!" Ash said, jumping from his bed and stepping in. But the gaze Blake sent his way spoke louder than words. It even made him shiver.
"How can you be so collected about this? You are a Faunus as well!" Blake shouted, not realizing what she just said.
"Wait, as well?" Weiss echoed, then she looked at Blake, the girl realizing her words. But she didn't run. No, for if she did, then she'd be shaming the Faunus who died by Weiss' blind pride. She instead reached for and undid her bow, letting Weiss see her cat ears. The heiress was shocked to see them.
"I hide because of people like you…" She looked at Weiss, not showing the Schnee any mercy. "I admit, I even worked for the Fang once! But you know what? I am not anymore. I don't care anymore! All I care about right now is...is…"
Ash was speechless in this situation, even stunned beyond belief. He never, under any circumstance, thought Blake might just do...this. She completely spilled the beans on stuff Ash struggled to find out just like that. But Weiss? She had words, alright. But right now, despite finding out Blake is a Faunus and even an Ex-White Fang, Ash sensed only one thing from her: Shame.
"Blake…?" Weiss called out to her softly, but when Blake looked at her again, the sheer amount of anger in her eyes made the heiress shiver.
"If you want to feel better, then apologize to the girl you left without a brother. Not me. Not your Team...You are just like your family."
At this, being compared to her family, Weiss couldn't take it anymore and dashed out of Ash's room sobbing and covering her mouth. Ash was still processing what happened while Blake was taking deep breaths to calm herself. But once she did, she realized what she'd done.
"Oh no...No, no, no, no. No!" She panicked, quickly closing the door and collapsing against it. "Why did I…? Ugh! I'm so stupid!"
"No…" Ash spoke up, slowly reaching for his glasses. "You are not. It's all this secrecy that is. Our common secret, Weiss', and I doubt Ruby and Yang are clean as well." He slowly removed them, letting his hand then fall to his side with his glasses in hand. "Blake, we must stop with the secrets. If need be, I will start...Look at my eyes"
Shortly after Weiss ran out, Ruby took notice of her as the Schnee ran right past her in the hallway. Little Red was confused as to where Weiss was running to and noticed her expression. Tears in her eyes. Whatever happened to Weiss was bad. She tried to call out to her, but with no success. Then shortly after she heard a door open and Jaune walked out running to Ash's room, scroll in hand.
"Hey, Jaune!" Ruby called out to him, making the blonde stop in his tracks. "What's up with Weiss?"
"Sorry, Rubes, but I don't have time now for idle chatter, later!" He said in a rush, going to Ash's room and locking the door behind himself. Ruby found this strange, but she heard Ash was helping Jaune train from time to time, so she simply went to her room. But they only saw Yang there.
"Where is Blake?" She asked, but her sister just shrugged.
"Don't know for sure, but I think she went to Ashie's room. Any idea where's Weiss?" Yang asked back.
"I just saw her running down the hall," Ruby replied, sounding concerned. "She looked pretty upset about something, I don't know what."
The 2 sisters looked at each other for a brief moment before Yang got a crazy idea in her head. She quickly jumped up from her bed, cracking her knuckles. Too bad she didn't have Ember Celica, though. "I think Ashie might've done it again"
Back to Ash's room, Blake looked at him with wide eyes. Never in her life did she see something like this. She kept her cool as much as she could, but her expression alone could tell Ash she was overwhelmed. No need to feel her emotions for that.
"Apart from you, Jaune and Pyrrha know as well. They were the first I shared my secret with here at Beacon" Ash replied, then got his scroll out and sent Jaune a quick message. "Stand away from the door, please."
Blake did as asked and moved away, allowing for Jaune to walk in and locked the door behind himself. Then he saw Ash without his glasses and Blake without her bow. Safe to say we were stunned. "I know you said it was an emergency, but Dust above didn't realize it was this thick," he said, then looked at Blake. "You are a Faunus?"
She sighed. "Yes." She was afraid, and Ash could feel it now. Gone was her anger from earlier, replaced now with this nervous cat.
*hmm. Cool. But why did you wear a bow over your ears? Isn't that painful?" Jaune asked, making Blake give him a strange look.
"You are not mad because I lied?" Blake asked. "I am also an Ex-member of the White Fang" she confessed, but Jaune put his hands up.
"Easy there, no one is mad here. I had friends back home who were Faunus, and honestly, I don't blame you for hiding your ears considering how some people act around here. The Fang part is a shocker, though." Jaune said, putting on his trademark goofy smile. Damn this dork.
"But…"
"Let it be, Blake," Ash said, getting the cat's attention back to him. Her ears pressed down and she backed away slowly. "Oh, right. My eyes."
"Blake, listen, I was scared too at first, so was Pyrrha, but we are cool now."
"How do I know you are not lying about it being cool, Jaune?" Blake asked with suspicion, looking at the blonde. Jaune looked at Ash who made a small head gesture to let Jaune know it was ok.
"I faked my transcripts into Beacon" Blake's eyes widened hearing him, but she was only stunned, not angry. Truth be told, she realized it'd be hypocritical of her to be since she was a member of a terrorist organization. Which one was worse?
"Great, now we are all spilling our darkest secrets!" Aah said in a slightly dramatic way. "But, really now, calm down, kitty. I won't hurt you or chirp, neither is Jaune. If there is anyone amongst our group of 9 with big secrets, it's us. Jaune knows everything too, and I even told him about the whole plan we have in secret."
"Even your eyes?" She asked, to which both nodded. "What are those even?"
"They're-"
"ASHIE~. COME OUT TO GET A KNUCKLE SANDWICH, HEARTBREAKER!"
Yang shouted, cutting Ash off. But then he heard her yelp slightly in on when she tried to, assumingly, knock his door down.
"Hardwood. Nice" Jaune commended, but Ash scoffed and put his glasses back in a hurry.
"Blake, listen to me, I will explain everything when I can, but for now we have to deal with this mess. Think you can hold your questions until then?" Ash asked her, to which Blake nodded. But just as she was about to tie her bow, Ash stopped her, shaking his head slightly. "People fear my eyes, but they do not fear cat ears. Come clean to your team here and now. Jaune, call yours as well. I will dial Neo and see if she can help. We got a royal-grade mess on our hands."
"On it!" Jaune said as he began to dial his teammates, then Ash went and unlocked the door, only to have a red-eyed Xiao-Long jump on top of him and knock him on the ground. She was sitting on his chest with her knees on both sides of him with a fist ready to plunge into his face.
"Any last words, Heartbreaker?" New nickname? Really?
"Yeah...Look at Blake real quick" Yang did as asked and her eyes slightly widened seeing the kitty ears on her head.
"Yang, can you get off him? We need to talk. All of us"
Safe to say that explanations were...awkward. Blaze came clean to everyone, and whilst some were distraught by her deceit, none were angry with her or felt betrayed. This made Ash breathe a huge sigh of relief. Until Blake mentioned Torchwick.
"Torchwick?!" Ruby shouted out, having run-up to Ash and putting her face right in front of his. "You know Roman Torchwick, and you hide that from us? That's…"
"Bad, I know," Ash said, bringing his hand up. "And now I know how Weiss feels…" He pushed Ruby back gently, but then he took notice of the looks Yang, Nora, and Ren were giving him. Especially Ren. "Look, I never chose my family-"
"But he is not your family" Ren interrupted. "But a thief. From what you told us he took care of you since you were young - trained you even. But does that-"
"Yes" Ash replied with a stern voice, but one with a heavy angry undertone. No one talks smack about family. "Believe me, him being a thief means little to me. I was aware of that fact way back. But there is a side none of you, no one, has ever seen in him."
Ren went quiet, but then Yang spoke up. "So, Blake, Pyrrha, and Jaune were in on all of this? And more, you, Blake, leaked everything about our investigation to him, who in turn has the phone number of our target! Why?"
"Because it is what has to be done," Blake said, albeit reluctantly. "Plus, Roman clearly stated he wants us to protect him. Our attack on the docks will suffice as a way to get him and Neo out of there and here at Beacon."
"So he wants to go clean," Ren added, receiving a nod from Blake. "Not only that, but you also say this Adam Taurus is there too."
"Meh. Who cares who he is? One hit of my hammer and he'll be nothing but a neutered bull!" Nora exclaims.
"No!" Blake shouts. "Believe me, Adam is way too much for us. His skill is on par with that of professional Huntsmen, and none of you will make it if you try facing him. "
They all looked troubled by all this information, but then Ren spoke up. "As much as I would like to simply leave it to the authorities, it is not my call to make. Jaune? As the leader of Team JNPR, you must make this call. Will you lead us into battle?"
"I already decided to help Ash and Roman. While I never met the thief himself, I trust Ash enough. Heck, he was one of the people who helped me deal with Cardin."
"Then I rest my case. " Ren says, smirking a bit.
"HECK YEAH!" Nora shouts. "Time for the Queen to shine on the battlefield!"
"Hold on! Maybe Team JNPR is going, but Ruby has yet to decide if Team RWBY will!" Yang said, then she looked at her sister. "It is all on you, sis. Although we are short 2 members, one who ran away and one which already made its call"
Ruby took a deep breath, then she faced Ash, staring into his glasses. "You once said you didn't know me well enough to make an opinion on myself. Is that still viable?"
Ash thought for a bit. "Well, you do strike me as immature, childish even, heavily inexperienced, and naive" Ruby looked down hearing those words, feeling down. "But at the same time, you are brave and kind, and your heart is in the right place. You, Little Red, are a good person and a good leader"
Ruby looked at him with a smile, then jumped on him for a hug. "Hey now!"
She then quickly got away from him, looking at Blake and Yang. "Team RWBY is going!"
At this point, Ash expected Yang to protest, but she just put on a devilish grin and smacked her fist together. "As you say, leader-sis"
"Good to know you are all with us," Blake said, then remembered one of their objectives. "First, however, is that we must find Weiss. We have no idea where she is or if she is safe. With the increased activity of the Fang in Vale, it is dangerous to be a Schnee."
"In that, we will look for her," Ruby said. "You, me, Yang, and Ash will look for Weiss out in Vale."
"I will contact Roman to meet with Team JNPR in another location so he can fill them in on details. I also am curious how you and Roman will get along, Jaune" Ash said.
"Huh? Why so?"
"In all honesty, you are both strategic geeks"
Weiss was...a mess. Currently, she was in Vale, sitting at a cafe with a coffee in hand. She needed to think, clear her thoughts, take the stone off her chest. But then she had that stone thrown into her face. She had no idea Blake was a Faunus, Ex-Fang no less, but seeing as she had such secrets and reflecting on her words made her realize something.
Just how long has she been viewing the Fang and Faunus as the same? While the Fang did horrible things to her family, killing employees, board members - be it publicly, mailing them body parts, or worse - and hating them like they were the worst thing in the world she had to admit that they were right. To some extent, at least.
She turned a blind eye to it but always knew her father was a natural-born racist. Her grandfather, the one who created the SDC, also treated Faunus badly, but never to the extent her father does. He abuses loopholes in Faunus protection laws to mistreat them each chance he gets to further torture his workers. She was aware of the branding in some labor camps as well.
But alas no one could touch her father. With so much money to buy lawyers and to bribe officials, he was nearly untouchable. Nearly. Her status as heiress means that once she inherits the company she can expose and have him sent to jail. Maybe then her mother will stop drinking and her brother will not turn into a carbon copy of her father.
If only her life was so easy.
But if there was one thing Jacques Schnee - no. He didn't deserve to be called by the name he dared marry into. He was a cunning fox and will disown her the moment she gives signs of wanting to change his rule and backstab him.
She has to bide her time.
But she is running out.
With the train incident information now revealed it was only a matter of time until the news spread and eventually reached Jacques, who will likely use his influence to pull her out of Beacon and keep her locked up to try and get his claws on her.
She left for Beacon to escape that, and now all is in jeopardy. He will try to bury his shame by either bribery or worse. Assassination. It wouldn't be the first time, but then again, he had lawyers.
But back to the matter at hand. She had to think. Just who is she? Is she Weiss Schnee, the proud heiress to the SDC...Or was she just another puppet on the lonely string which is the game of her life? That she desired oh so much to know.
"Maybe...Maybe I should just go to Atlas…" she mutters, thinking that maybe if she left then her father won't get his goons to dirty their hands. But then again, she'd most likely just end up being locked in her room until the last vestige of her is replaced by all her father's desire.
But she was not his. The scar on her left eye was proof of that. She looked at herself in the reflection of the coffee, at her scar. She fought an Arma Gigas for the right to attend Beacon, and will she throw it away?
No. If she wanted her father to stay put, she had to further prove herself, and she had a way to do so as well.
The Fang. She knows they are here, in Vale, and also knows they have been targeting all SDC affiliated stores in the Kingdom. Blake brought up an attack on an SDC naval transport which was bound to come in tonight. If she were to stop them that would not only prove her loyalty to her father, thus making him leave her alone, but also wash away her sin.
But she was no fool. She had no chance against that entire group. So she had to strike right for the king...Roman Torchwick.
"I just hope it'll be enough"
Around the same time, Ash, Ruby, Yang, and Blake were in Vale looking for Weiss, the first one mentioned walking slowly behind the girls while talking with Roman on his scroll. By this time, he has met up with Team JNPR by now in a safe-house, but couldn't stay long due to having to coordinate the heist.
"This is a major issue, Ashie, and you know it," Roman said through the scroll. "You have to find that Schnee girl at once before the Fang gets word of this. They knew of her being in the kingdom, but her being either with her team or at Beacon had them spooked. But now? If those animals sniff her put, then we might even have Taurus fun amok in Vale looking for her"
"I understand that much, but we have to hope we can find her until tonight and that the intel stays secret," Ash replied, feeling just as stressed as the thief.
"Let's hope so. On another note, I thank you for sending me a team. Despite them being brats -" Nora protested in the background. "- I am not one to look a gift horse in the mouth. You got me, Pyrrha Nikos, for Dust's sake! The Invincible Girl herself! Not to mention this emo-looking kid would do nicely in stealth and his girlfriend would be a major punisher. But I must admit…"
"Here it goes," Ash thought.
"I like the blondie. He has a good head on his shoulders and a good wit. Too bad he goes to Beacon because he would have made one helluva thief!"
"Uh, no thanks…" Jaune said in the background, not wanting to follow in Roman's footsteps. Ash could understand.
"Soak the compliments in kids, because that is all you might get" The thief added. "Anyway, I have Taurus and part of his pose on the opposite side of the docks from my heist, meaning he won't worry much about him. However, I will have JNPR here keep an eye on their location, until the fun starts."
"Understood. We will follow the plan and hopefully, most likely, we will be showing Cinder the finger soon"
"That's the spirit"
Ash closed his scroll and picked up the pace, catching up to team R(W)BY. "Any updates? I just finished talking to Roman and everything is stable at the moment."
"Unfortunately, we have found nothing yet," Ruby replied, her voice filled with concern. Her worry was justified since she was not only the team leader but also Weiss's partner. "We have checked every place we thought she might have gone too"
"Which includes every fancy and/or expensive place in Vale" Yang added. "No one has seen her anywhere and it's not like she's hard to miss. A Schnee's not something that goes unnoticed easily."
"Especially since she likes to tell everyone who she is" Blake added, but then sighed. "This is my fault. I shouldn't have shouted at her like that'
" It's ok, Blake, you didn't mean any harm by it. I'd know, I was there. You just let out what was bottled up" Ash said to reassure her, but somehow it barely worked.
"What was bottled up was a lot of hate and grudge against the SDC" Blake added, but then felt Yang's grip on her shoulder.
"Easy, kitty-cat, it is not your fault things are the way they are"
"Yang's got a point," Ruby said, adding her own words. "It is not yours or Weiss's fault that the Fang and SDC are the way they are. You are both victims" Blake looked down at her leader - considering their height difference - and gave Ruby a rare smile.
Ash cleared his throat. "As much as I like heart-warming scenes…" sarcasm. " we still have a Schnee to look for. Seriously, you'd think that white princess would be easy to spot at how flashy she is, but she is hard as heck to find."
"Well, we already searched everywhere, " Yang pointed out.
"Not everywhere...There is one more cafe down this street, past the corner" Blake, pointed out. "Its location makes it a good place for Fang members in Vale to meet, but seeing as they have a big heist tonight the place will be safe. She might have gone there as well, assuming she was not aware of it being a Fang hangout."
"Worth a try...Little Red, ic you may, please go up ahead. You are the fastest" Ash asked, but then noticed Ruby slightly shiver. "Something wrong?"
"Well, Roman called me Little Red as well before when we met. I found it weird you did too before, even suspected you of knowing him, but I brushed it off." She let out an awkward chuckle. "Guess I was on point back then"
Ash chuckled. "Yeah...Things are bound to get interesting from now on. Oh boy."
"I guess. Anyway, be back in a flash" And in a flash of petals she vanished, heading to the cafe.
"Damn, her semblance is crazy…" Ash muttered, then turned to Blake and Yang. "This feels a bit like deja vu. Shortly after I had my talk with Ozpin you two popped from the bushes"
"Yeah. Every boy's dream; being alone with 2 drop-dead beauties" Yang joked, but Blake looked neutral while Ash sighed.
"I honestly wished I met someone with fewer puns…" He sighed, making Yang stick her tongue at him. "Oi!" She then pulled it back, only to put on a Chesire grin and giggle at his reaction.
Good times to joke? Maybe not.
Ruby returned shortly after, looking more alert than before. "Guys! She was here!"
"She was?" Blake asked. "Where did she go? What did you find out?"
"She came here a few hours ago and got herself a coffee, then the owner said she just sat there for a bit, lost in thought, before she finished her coffee and left," Ruby explained. "In what direction; the docs" Now this had Ash and Blake curse their luck.
"Blake, are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Ash asked, making sure he and Blake were on the same page. The cat Faunus inhaled deeply before replying with a grave tone.
"Yes...Weiss is going in solo"
"What?!" Yang and Ruby shouted in unison.
"Wait, wait, wait, wait! That's crazy!" Yang said, slightly freaking out. "Didn't you say that place is crawling with White Fang? That is suicide! Why would she even consider that?'
" Because it is the only way she can prevent her father from covering up the train incident" Ash interjected, answering Yang's question. "Gah! I can't believe I haven't thought of this earlier!" He half-shouted, grabbing his head in annoyance. "Her father!"
"What about him?" Ruby asked.
"Ruby, there is a lot about the world you do not know that I do thanks to Roman telling me. And one of those things is Jacques Schnee, a man whom Roman described as a cruel piece of shit. A corrupt businessman with racism even greater than his - heck, Roman's a saint compared to this guy." Ash said, but Ruby noticed a detail there.
"Wait, how come Weiss is not a…" she didn't wanna swear.
"The children do not resemble the parents always," Ash said. "I am grateful for this, truly, but that doesn't change the fact Weiss is practically protecting us or at least trying to"
"How so? It only looks like she ran away, period." Yang said, but Ash could understand why she and her sister were slow on this. Blake, on the other hand, was not.
"She is trying to prevent a cover-up," she said, and Ash snapped his fingers and pointed at her.
"Bingo," he said. "The incident resulted in the death of a Faunus and multiple others were hurt. But the Faunus is key. While not intentional, such a thing can be twisted in the media to hit the SDC where it hurts - at their Faunus issues. All they need is one sweep of an honest council over with unbribable people and they can get screwed."
"Their Faunus abuses will be exposed, which will damage their reputation and risk heavy fees" Blake continued. "But the Fang tried to prove it for years, with no results. What is different here?"
"Simple: We are. Weiss is not her father, but she is a Schnee. If people found out she was involved, and more so, the indirect cause, then both the company and her family will be shamed. I doubt she is doing it to protect them, however, which leads to the next possible option"
"She is trying to prevent a cover-up operation," Blake said, repeating the previous point. "If this got to the ears of Jacques Schnee, then he would spend no expense to get Weiss back to Atlas, then heavily bribe the media to leave any Schnee-related involvement in that incident quiet. He might even blame it on the Faunus. But since we know the truth, and we were her teammates and friends respectively, that means…"
"He might try coming after us, too," Ash said, ending his point. "It is not unheard of, but companies all over Remnant have resulted to even murder to keep their business and reputation afloat, then covered it all up"
"Weiss…" Ruby muttered, unable to fully grasp all which she had heard. She felt sorry for her teammate, very much so. She was unaware that her father is so...rotten.
"Damn…" Yang swore, clenching her fist. "So she is taking a bullet for us"
"Yes, but if we are in time we can stop her from taking the actual bullet" Ash pointed out, getting his scroll out. "I will notify Roman, but we better hurry. The sun is starting to set, meaning that the heist will go down soon. Team RWBY...there is no going back now."
It was time. The heist was already underway by the time Ash and Team RWBY, par the W, arrived. Ash had notified Roman of the possibility of Weiss jumping right in the fray to stop this solo, or worse, get the police involved. Ash might've managed to appease Ozpin, but the Headmaster of Beacon made it clear that their actions right now are not within the law.
They were risking a lot, and if Weiss brought the police over everything could go south. Ash felt his nervousness increase by the passing moment but knew he couldn't afford to back down now. The stakes were too high, it was too late to go back now.
Team JNPR was most likely on the other side of the docs, keeping their eyes on Adam. Thanks to Blake telling them, they now knew his fighting style and his semblance, the key pieces of information needed. His semblance, Moonslice, worked a lot like Yang's. It soaked up the damage from anything he blocks with his blade, builds up power, then when everything turns black, white, and red, he releases all of it in one slice. From what Blake said, he can even instantly cut through someone's aura if he has enough charge.
Truly a dangerous semblance. Still, with Pyrrha there, he was confident they could at least stall him long enough, until they finished here, so they could storm Adam and take him away. Blake was nervous and afraid at the thought of seeing him again. Ruby was worried about Weiss and worried as well. Understandably, seeing that this will be a big mess. But Yang? The girl was less worried and more excited to fight so many.
They only had to wait for Roman's signal to then unleash hell. Neo was around as well since they will need her semblance to dip if stuff goes bad. But as far as anyone was concerned, they were ready.
"Move it, move it! We don't have all night!" Roman shouted at the White Fang members under his current command, making Blake's stomach turn slightly. Seeing a human command Faunus felt like slavery all over again, but she had to keep focus.
Roman, as hard as it is to believe, was on their side. But then they noticed the thief putting his cane up, pointing the tip at the sky.
"Get ready" Ash muttered as he prepared Asimenio Oneiro and had his left hand on Somnium Cavas. Ruby pulled out Crescent Rose, keeping it in compact mode. Yang cocked her Ember Celica, loading in the rounds. Blake pulled Gambol Shroud from its sheath, ready to jump.
"As much as it pains me to say it...Ciao, your ani-"
"Do. Not. Move." Roman was interrupted as he felt the tip of a rapier pressed against his back and heard the icy voice speaking. Looking over his shoulder, he found a petite girl with blue eyes and white hair; Weiss Schnee.
"Fuck!" Ash swore aloud. "She did show up!"
"And she brought reinforcement!" Everyone looked behind themselves and saw a new face.
The girl before them had short, rather curly orange hair that came down to her chin with a small ahoge on top, and she wore a pink bow on the back of her head. She also has bright green eyes, light skin, and freckles. She wore an off white old-fashioned styled off the shoulder blouse with frill detailed trim and frill flared cuffs that half cover her hands alongside copper button detailing on the lower parts of her sleeves. She also sported a short gray pinafore dress with golden trim on the hem alongside four light green stalagmite styled stripes on the lower half of the dress, two on the front and two on the back, accompanied by two matching colored circles above the tips that have a stripe that runs around her waistline, with golden outlines, and a detachable black and light green collar. She also wore a pair of black thigh-high leg pieces that seemingly are attached to black shoes. The leg pieces have a single green stripe up the sides that appear to light up.
"Salutations!"
"Penny?!" Ruby shouted.
"Of for the love of - WHAT ELSE?!" Ash shouted.
Everything has officially derailed.