"Are you serious?"
"Of course I am!" Weiss was rather huffy as she spoke. "You think I have nothing better to do than harass Vale's environmental groups for no reason?"
The woman in front of her raised her hands in surrender. "I'm sorry Miss Schnee, it's just seems pretty out of character for you."
"Let's not focus on me, shall we? Can I count on the Vale Preservation Society to support our factory?" Weiss leaned forward almost imperceptibly, then corrected herself. She had to control her anxiety over the woman's next response.
"Well, we at VPS are obviously thrilled by the new factory plans. What kind of support were you thinking of?"
Weiss hesitated, glancing down. Her father would have a field day criticizing her behavior in this meeting. But then again, it wasn't like this was exactly familiar ground for her. She raised her eyes and they landed on the simple nameplate on the woman's desk. "Arslan" was her name, almost like the lion from Narnia. She certainly had the strong and imposing air of a lion, and her ferocity and passion for her work was abundantly clear.
"The Schnee Company would like assistance with publicizing factory tours. And...monetary support."
Arslan's eyes widened. "Interesting. One of the biggest companies in the country doesn't have the funds for one factory? And you come asking a grassroots environmental group of all people?"
Weiss kept her gaze perfectly steady. "Yes. While the Schnee Company has the funds technically, the amount approved for this factory is lower than what would be required to excavate the necessary areas of the park, build the factory, then re-landscape the area."
"You can't get more money approved? Aren't you the CEO?" Arslan questioned. She seemed more genuinely curious than anything.
Weiss hesitated again. "That's...immaterial. Can VPS assist in a financial regard?"
This time Arslan hesitated. She rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "We could help with crowdfunding, although our community would understandably not want to donate to a giant corporation with a less than stellar environmental record."
"I understand," Weiss said. She really was terrible at being the one asking for money for a change. "Unless we could focus on the park rather than the company for your fundraising efforts?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, making sure that all of the money that you raise goes to the landscaping. Perhaps the public would be more willing to donate if they know that the money is going to beautifying the park?"
Arslan chuckled a little. "That's one way to spin it. Can you ensure that the money will be used for that?"
"I can if the Schnee Company never touches it," Weiss said. "If VPS handles donations and landscaper payment then you can personally verify that all of the funds are being spent appropriately."
"So now you're outsourcing landscaping to us?" Arslan raised an eyebrow.
"Not at all! The Schnee Co - I will organize and partially pay for the re-landscaping. All I'm asking is for your organization to handle public support and some money management."
"Hmm." Arslan stared at her for a long moment. "I still can't tell if you're being serious about this. But we will consider it if it'll help save our park."
"Thank you." Weiss managed a small smile.
The trip to City Hall was a dismal one. Klein could tell that the meeting hadn't gone well from the moment that Weiss entered the car with an almost involuntary sigh. And she sat in the passenger seat, bypassing him as he held the rear door open. She only sat there when she wanted to talk about something serious. He drove smoothly, and wisely waited for her to begin the conversation.
"There's no money for this factory."
She was right, and Klein wasn't about to lie to her. "That does seem to be the case, ma'am."
"What should I do?" she whispered.
Klein paused to think for a moment. "I believe you have two options, Miss. You could explain the situation to your friends at City Hall and tell them that the factory must be aboveground. Or, you could ask them for help."
Weiss frowned. "I won't give up on them-on this!"
Klein smiled. "Well then it seems that you have one option." They pulled up in front of the building and he nodded in its direction.
"They don't have the money for this either," Weiss said softly.
"No, but maybe they'll have some ideas. Or help you think of another idea. You should get out of your own head, Miss Schnee." He smiled genially.
Weiss looked like she didn't believe him, but she nodded anyway. "Thanks Klein."
"Of course, Miss Schnee." He got out of the car to open her door.
Yang re-tucked in her shirt and pulled down her blazer to straighten it.
"How do I look?"
Blake glanced her up and down. "I would say...dapper."
"Perfect." Yang looked thoroughly pleased with her response. It was even more important today than usual that she look put together. Since Cinder's allegations had gone viral the day before, she had made a point of staying out of public areas. Which made this afternoon's council session particularly stressful. Qrow predicted that at least a few "concerned citizens" would show up and bring up the developing scandal in some capacity.
"Can't wait to seduce all the homophobes and really blow this scandal wide open," Yang said, winking at Blake.
"If you seduce anybody you'll be sleeping on the couch," Blake replied, not looking up from her desk.
"Hey - I was joking! And it's my apartment..." Blake made eye contact and raised her eyebrows.
Yang gave her best innocent smile. She was trying to keep things lighthearted, but the truth was she was nervous. Her response was rehearsed - rebuff the claims as a silly rumor - but the idea of confrontation about this of all things was making her palms sweat. Despite her career choice, she really didn't like to lie to constituents.
And then there was Blake. She'd been acting weird since the teacup-destruction incident from yesterday. Yang had noticed her shrinking away from contact, keeping her distance more than usual. But Blake refused to explain or even acknowledge her behavior.
"You okay?" Yang has asked that morning.
"Yeah, I'm fine."
"Okay, that's good! You seem a little off that's all."
"Oh. Well I'm alright, don't worry."
And that was it. Blake totally shut down any further conversation on the topic, and Yang had no clue how to get her to open up. It probably shouldn't be bothering her so much since she knew full well that Blake was an extremely private person. But it bothered her anyway.
Yang leaned over Blake's desk to kiss her forehead. "Okay, no seduction. Happy?"
"Thrilled," Blake deadpanned. She looked up at Yang for a second. "Are you sure you don't want me to go with you?"
Yang shook her head immediately. "Nah, it's boring council shit and you have other stuff to do. I can handle this, no problem." She forced another smile.
Blake looked hesitant, but there was a knock at the door before she could say anything else. Ruby's head popped in a second later.
"Hey guys, Weiss is here! I think she had some questions about your factory idea," Ruby explained.
Blake and Yang exchanged a look. It wasn't like Weiss to drop in without warning. They both followed Ruby out to the central office area, where Weiss was standing.
"Hey Weiss, this is a nice surprise!" Yang began. "What sort of questions did you have?"
Weiss shifted her feet. She looked pretty uncomfortable. "A few financial concerns."
"Ah, I see." Yang exchanged another glance with Blake. Any "financial concerns" from the Schnee Company did not bode well for any of them.
Weiss shifted again. "I've been consulting a few environmental groups in the area to help cover costs but they can't help enough to even make a dent in our excavation and landscaping expenses."
Yang's eyebrows shot up. "You've been, uh, consulting?"
"Yes." Weiss sighed shakily. "I'm asking for money when I'm CEO of Vale's biggest company by a wide margin. All because I can't manage my own board." She sighed again and rubbed her left temple.
"You're doing the best you can!" Ruby encouraged. She glued herself to Weiss' side.
"You really are," Yang agreed. She hadn't expected this level of commitment from someone like Weiss. "You know I can come with you when you do this sorta stuff, right?"
Weiss' expression suggested that she did not know that.
"You're doing us a huge favor here, it's literally the least I can do," Yang continued with a smile.
"Oh, well. Thank you," Weiss said stiffly.
"No, thank you. Seriously, you've gotta be MVP of the world right now." Admiration was all over Yang's face, and Weiss looked thoroughly embarrassed.
"Don't be daft, this is my job," she scoffed.
"Nice try Ice Queen. But we can all see you're melting."
Weiss sputtered a protest while Ruby "awwww'd" loudly.
"Okay listen, I gotta run to a council session downstairs, but why don't you go over everything with Blake?" Yang started towards the door. "She knows everything about our financial projections so I'm sure she can answer any questions you have!"
Blake looked between Yang and Weiss. She would much rather accompany Yang than spend more time with Weiss Schnee. But Yang was already halfway into the hallway.
"Alright I'll check in with both of you later! See ya!" Her blonde head disappeared from view a second later.
Weiss sighed again. "I suppose I should have checked the council schedule. Oh well, you'll have to do," she said, nodding in Blake's general direction.
Blake's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Okay, you two can use the conference room!" Ruby said, chipper as ever. "You don't need me, right? I was going to meet Penny for lunch, if that's okay."
Weiss gave her a gentle smile. "Of course it's okay Ruby. Go ahead, I'll see you later." Ruby smiled back and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before taking her leave.
Blake looked around surreptitiously. Jaune and Pyrrha weren't here, Qrow and Yang were down in the council chambers, and Ruby was already heading out of the door. That meant that she was fully alone with Weiss Schnee. Great.
They moved silently to the conference room, both subtlety trying to size up the other. Blake took her usual spot and Weiss hesitated for a half second before sitting down next to her. She opened her shoulder bag and pulled out three white folders, each emblazoned with a large Schnee Company logo in blue. She cleared her throat.
"This is the information pertaining to the originally factory proposal, which was approved by our board unanimously." She tapped a finger on one of the folders.
"And this is for the factory Yang suggested." She tapped another folder. "Which as you know involves moving things...underground." Her nose wrinkled at the word.
Blake said nothing, waiting for her to continue to her point.
"Because of the high cost of excavating such a large site, your proposal is about 10% more expensive than the one that has been approved." Weiss looked at her expectantly.
"...okay?" Blake blinked at her. They had already discussed the additional costs. "The tourism enhancement should help make up-"
"That's the problem," Weiss cut in. "It should make up the difference, but projections for these sort of things are too shaky for my shareholders to rely on." She tapped a finger rapidly on the folder. "I have to promise them equal or greater profit for the same cost, or this will never get approved and I'll lose everything."
Blake maintained steady eye contact. Weiss wasn't being dramatic about the stakes.
"Okay," she said again. "So that's why you're trying to find someone else to help with funding?" Weiss nodded.
"Hmm." Blake pulled out a folder of her own and rifled through it. "There are some tax exemptions that you can take advantage of for going the eco-factory route. And the solar panels on the above-ground part of the building will reduce lifetime energy costs..projections for that are pretty accurate."
Weiss took the documents handed her way. "I have to find millions of dollars out of this?" It was more of a complaint than a question.
"Let's look through everything again together," Blake suggested. Weiss looked exhausted by the prospect, but she nodded.
An hour later, the exhaustion hadn't diminished in the slightest. The conference room was a beautiful disaster, with semi-organized papers and folders spread over every inch of the table. The whiteboard was covered in lists of expenses, funding sources, and financial calculations. Blake and Weiss stood side by side, staring at their color-coded columns of words and numbers.
"At least it looks nice," Blake commented. She wasn't even being sarcastic - Weiss had to be the most organized person she had ever met.
"It's terrible." Weiss' eyebrows were furrowed, as they had been for the past 45 minutes. "The upfront costs are way too high even with the later benefits. Those greedy bastards won't want to wait 10 years for their profits!"
Blake had to restrain herself from gaping at Weiss' language. "Is that how you always speak about your board members?"
Weiss ignored her comment. "We need a multi-million dollar donor for this to even be feasible." She sank down into one of the chairs, looking close to tears.
"Um..." Blake had no idea how to respond to a clearly distraught Weiss. Where was Ruby when she needed her? She gingerly pulled over her own chair and sat beside Weiss.
"It'll be okay Weiss," Blake began. She was rewarded for her efforts with a highly suspicious side-eye. "Seriously, it's okay. If this doesn't work out...well, we all know how hard you tried. Maybe we can re-visit some of the other factory options. And if those don't work out either...that's also okay."
Weiss exhaled through her nose. "You say that. But would Yang say the same? And what about Ruby?" Her voice had a distinct warble on the last word.
Blake stared at her face while Weiss, in turn, stared at the floor. "You-do you think that if this doesn't work out Ruby will hate you or something?"
"Yes!" Weiss shifted her gaze to stare at the ceiling. "Hate may be a strong word. Perhaps 'resent.' Or 'begrudge.' "
"Weiss, Ruby would never 'begrudge' you for this. And neither would Yang! They're your friends." Blake hesitantly placed a hand on Weiss' shoulder. "And so am I."
Weiss finally made eye contact, and her blue eyes looked damp with tears that she was holding back. "It's not fair," Weiss said. "We deserve to have this park. Everybody deserves it!"
"I know," Blake said with a quiet sigh. "I wish I could be your multi-million dollar donor, but unfortunately being a journalist isn't the most profitable profession."
Suddenly, Weiss sat up perfectly straight, snapping her head sideways to look at Blake sharply. "What did you just say?"
"That I don't have millions of dollars?" Blake offered.
"I'm the CEO of the Schnee Company," Weiss stated. Her eyes were clear and piercing, any trace of the tears long gone.
"Really? I had no idea, you should've mentioned."
Weiss gave her an intense glare. "What I'm TRYING to say," she continued. "Is that this is my first year as CEO, and I barely feel like I'm CEO, but on paper that's what I am. Which means that's the salary I'll be getting. Which means..."
Blake's mouth fell open. "What? You can't do that!"
"You know I've really gotten to hate it when people tell me I can't do things." Weiss' expression was stubbornly set. "Let's see..." she grabbed a calculator and typed rapidly, then smiled. "All I have to do is not take a salary for the next two years and we're set! I can't believe it took me so long to think of this."
"Are you insane?" Blake's mouth was still hanging open.
"Why is it insane?" Weiss demanded. "You just said that you would do the same thing if you had the money."
"I-you weren't supposed to take that seriously!"
Weiss shrugged nonchalantly. "Well that's too bad then."
Blake's eyes were practically bugging out of her skull. "Weiss, how are you going to survive for two years with no income?"
Another shrug. "I have savings. I'll move into a cheap apartment. I can figure something out."
Blake blinked, trying desperately to process whatever the hell was going on. "You don't have to do this," she said finally.
"No, but I'm going to." Weiss' expression was as steely and determined as ever. "I'm sick and tired of being my father's puppet." She clenched her fists.
"You know, ever since I was a child, all I wanted to do was reclaim the Schnee name and make our company something to be proud of - something striving for more than just profits. This is my chance to do that! And I won't give up."
Blake leaned back in her chair, taking in her impassioned speech. "If the board votes you out..."
"If they do then I'll deal with it. You can't stop me from doing this, and neither can Yang." Weiss' determination was admittedly impressive, and Blake felt a sudden rush of affection towards the other woman.
"Oh, don't worry, we wouldn't dream of it." Blake gave her a smile. "I actually think you might be the most stubborn of all of us."
Weiss scoffed but smiled back. "Of course I am! Not even a contest." She stood up and started collecting her items. "I'll start working on a proposal and get ready to float the idea to the board."
Blake stood up too. "We have your back." Weiss gave her a nod as she gathered up the last of her folders and started towards the door.
"Weiss?"
The Schnee CEO turned around, and to the surprise of them both, Blake pulled her into a hug.
"Excuse me! Who gave you permission to touch?" Weiss sounded aghast, although she didn't pull away.
Blake pulled back and raised an eyebrow. "I'm saying thank you. Do I need permission to hug a friend?"
Weiss tensed up at the word. "Ugh, stop calling me that. We're acquaintances at best."
Blake raised her other eyebrow, eliciting another scoff from Weiss. But despite her best efforts at fake annoyance, a soft smile gave her away.
AN: Just saying, I would die for Weiss Schnee.
Anyway, thanks for reading! Thursday is my new tentative posting date btw :)