I'd like to apologize for sounding annoyed, but good god, I never knew people would see Weiss' hair changing as some kind of character death when I said her personality would be intact and it's honestly starting to get more than a little frustrating. As I said in the last chapter, Weiss is trying to distance herself from the Schnee family name and her hair is too easily identified with that. Near the end she's going to decide to add a bit more white back in (the tips would be white anyways) to show she's accepted parts of her past.

I'm just thinking to some of the stuff I've talked about with a few people in messages and I'm starting to wonder how much space I have to give other characters development now or add weird quirks. I mean, there were a few things I had planned with Bumblebee, mostly Yang discovering unintended uses for her new arm's various features, or the possibility for what would happen if strict, perfectionist Winter ironically found freedom (from both her own high standards and choice) in having no say in anything that happens in the bedroom. On the milder side of things, if this is anything to go by anything related to Willow (Weiss' mom) would probably not go over well either and I sure as hell don't know how people are going to take my plans for Mistral…

I'm sorry if I sound harsh, but the fact that I made a decision and then had to spend two chapters defending it against people that say nothing except that I should leave her hair the way it is as if the only thing worth mentioning about the chapter is me saying "Weiss' hair is going to change" is starting to get grating and already starting to disrupt my flow, which is to write things as they come to me.

As I said, I'm sorry if this upsets anyone, but at this point any of the points in the second paragraph (mainly Yang's entertaining misuse of her arm for some "fun" and Winter potentially loving being dominated) can be commented on if you want, either in a review or by sending me a message.

For everyone wondering, Loki will be making an appearance in this chapter, but he's obviously not going to be the only one trolling Jacques.

As said before, this chapter is going to have the canon song "This Life is Mine" as the centerpiece of it.

Chapter 47: New Beginnings

SDC Airship, near Bastion

Jacques let out a frustrated sigh as he straightened his tie, listening to the woman he had on speaker. "Jacques, we agreed that you would ensure your daughter was no longer a variable in this situation. Why have you allowed her to remain in Vale?" the woman said.

"It's not like I had a choice!" Jacques growled out. "I didn't expect two full teams of Huntsmen and Huntresses, even in training, to be there, let alone Summer's return or Aurelius being there! On top of that, I didn't expect her to refuse and I certainly didn't expect her to have feelings for that mutt in red! Or Aurelius to offer to turn her into another flea-bitten, cloaked freak!"

"You never said your daughter had developed any sort of bond to a Rose, Jacques, let alone that she might become one herself. This is important information that could drastically affect our plans." Jacques glared at the Scroll sitting on the table next to him.

"Do you honestly think I don't know that, Salem? The only reason I'm even going to this animal-run hellhole is because Weiss said she was willing to give up the filthy mutt for the Schnee fortune," he said smugly.

"I'm afraid that's not good enough, Jacques," Salem said, causing the man to glance at the Scroll. "We can't allow any Rose to be so closely connected to someone with a Frost-elemental semblance, let alone any Rose having such a semblance. If Weiss becomes a Rose, she's immune to the threat of Burn Dust and Burn-elemental semblances on a Rose, while also greatly reducing the risk to Ruby and other Roses. Once you take her back to Atlas, she will eventually attempt to escape, or the Rose family will attempt a rescue."

"What are you suggesting, Salem?" Jacques asked, tapping his armrest.

"I'm not suggesting anything. I am telling you that Weiss is now too dangerous to keep around in her current state. Once you have her and have left Vale and Bastion, you must either have her eliminated… or brought to me so we can either hold her until Ruby is captured or dead, or break her and turn her into an instrument to destroy everything she cares for."

Jacques tapped his fingertips on the armrest before he answered. "Honestly, I don't think I want this… animal lover in my family anyways. I was already considering having her just disappear… Speaking of the faunus, I don't approve of working with the White Fang, even if they don't know it," Jacques said with disgust.

"Jacques, relax. Remember our deal. I showed you how to poison Nicholas and make it look like toxic Dust exposure in exchange for your trust and cooperation. You're so close to your true dream of ruling Atlas, and so long as you continue to uphold your end of our bargain, I can promise you that by the end of this, every faunus in the world will be either dead or enslaved to you," Salem said calmly, causing Jacques to smile.

"Very well. I'll continue with this game of yours, but I better not regret it," he said before the line disconnected. Jacques let out a sigh as the airship came to a stop, quickly disembarking with the crew. After a moment, a figure slipped out of the shadows with a giggle.

"Oh, Jacques, did you really think you could set foot on Bastion without me saying hello? Oh, I can't wait to see the look on your face when you find out what's really going to happen!" Loki said cheerfully before he slipped into Jacques' airship. After a moment, the ship's engines started up before blinking out of existence into one of the Prefect's illusions.

Bastion Concert Hall

Aurelius let out a sigh as he sat down, glancing over the crowd with a smile. "I will admit that this is an entertaining way for you to make your decision known, Weiss…" Someone sat down next to Aurelius, causing the Blue Rose to hum. "Ah, Winter, I didn't expect to see you up here," he said, not looking away from the stage. "I thought you'd be somewhere near the stage where you could give Weiss support."

Winter blinked in surprise before turning away. "She has enough encouragement as it is I think. Besides, if you're correct about what my father will do, this will be the most entertaining seat in the building."

Aurelius nodded before glancing at the woman with a smile. "Ah, so you've chosen to leave your hair down again. Perhaps you should do so more often, it makes you seem approachable."

Winter blinked in surprise. "I-is he saying he likes when I leave my hair down?" Winter looked away, a light blush on her cheeks. "As if you know anything about being approachable…"

Aurelius raised an eyebrow and went to speak up before a hand landed on his shoulder, causing him to frown. "Ah, of course the mutt would pick the best seat in the house for this," Jacques sneered.

"Do. Not. Touch. The. Cloak." Aurelius growled.

"I don't think you're in a position to make any requests of me right now. Weiss invited me here, which means I've won," Jacques said, leaning in. "How does it feel to know that red-cloaked bitch will never know what true love is?"

Winter expected Aurelius to explode, but was surprised when he let out a frustrated sigh. "I don't think you could call Ruby a bitch, and if you could, then I'd say she and Weiss know more about true, honest love than you ever could." Jacques glared and went to speak before Aurelius continued. "Now, remove your hand from my cloak before I remove it from your arm." Jacques let out a growl before letting go, taking a seat next to Aurelius.

"I want to see your face when she begs me to accept her back into my family," Jacques snarled.

"Ah, but it's not your family, is it?" Aurelius said calmly before the announcer spoke up. The Blue Rose leaned forward, ear twitching slightly as Weiss stepped onto the stage. The former heiress was wearing her white dress and her hair was in its normal ponytail. The girl subtly rubbed her shoulder where a concentration of Dust had been injected to serve as the focus of her transformation.

Weiss let out a sigh as she glanced around, the muted applause from the audience hurting slightly until her eyes landed on Ruby sitting front and center. The wolf smiled warmly at her and gave her a quick thumbs up. Weiss quickly returned the smile before taking a breath. "I would like to dedicate this first song… to my father, Jacques Schnee." A murmur went through the crowd as Weiss glanced up, seeing Jacques sitting next to Aurelius with a smug smile. The music started slowly as Weiss closed her eyes. "Alright Weiss, you can do this…"

"Mirror… Can you hear me? Do I reach you? Are you even listening? Can I get through? There's a part of me that's desperate for changes, tired of being treated like a pawn. But there's a part of me that stares back, from inside the mirror, part of me that's scared I might be wrong." Weiss reached up, gently running a hand along her scar. "That I can't be strong…" Aurelius glanced at Jacques' confused face with a grin while Weiss went through the vocalizations. "I've been afraid, never standing on my own. I let you be the keeper of my pride. Believed you when you told me I was nothing on my own…"

Weiss looked at Jacques as she sang the next part. "Listen when I say! I swear it here today! I will not surrender, this life! Is! Mine!" Jacques glared down at the girl as the music picked up. "Amazing how you conquered me, chained me in servility, and made me see the world the way you told me to, But I was young and didn't have a way to know the truth. Born to live your legacy, existing just to fill your needs. A casualty of this so-called family that you have turned into a travesty."

Aurelius glanced over at Jacques, watching a vein in his neck bulge before he pulled out his Scroll and took a picture. "Ah, there's the face I was looking for," he said calmly as Jacques sputtered angrily. Aurelius hummed before turning to look at Winter. "Do you hear that? That's the wonderful sound of a self-centered idiot trying to speak as everything he's done comes back to haunt him." Winter looked at him in surprise before a smile made its way onto her face. "I can just imagine tomorrow's headlines: "Jacques Schnee: Concerned Father or Tyrannical Bigot?" It's going to be a glorious PR disaster." Winter had to resist the urge to laugh at the absolutely thrilled look on Aurelius' face and Jacques' trembling, enraged visage behind him. "Now then, I think you might want to watch this next part, Jacques. You might learn something about the daughter you claim to love so much…"

Weiss continued on with the song. "Come on Weiss, here it comes…" "But I don't intend to suffer any longer. Here's where your dominion falls apart. I'm shattering the mirror, that kept me split in pieces, that stood between my mind and my heart!" Weiss took a deep breath and created a Glyph under her, triggering the Dust inside her and creating a glow. "This is where I'll start!" A gasp ran through the crowd as the light dimmed, shocked by the sight of two slowly growing fox ears on her head as a tail started to slide out from behind her. Weiss winced at the subtle pain and continued along. "I'm not your pet! Not another thing you own! I was not born guilty of your crimes! Your riches and your influence can't hold me anymore! I won't be possessed, burdened by your royal test! I will not surrender, this life! Is! Mine!"

The music suddenly shifted as Weiss picked up the tempo. "Shame that it took so long to rescue me, from the guilt you used to tie me to your family tree. I guess your training failed, you're not in charge, I'm free!" Weiss threw her arms out happily, finding the ever-reddening face of Jacques satisfying. "Your patriarchal prison won't hold me! Now this conversation's fin'ly over! Mirror, mirror, now we're done! I've pulled myself together now! My mind and heart are one! Finally one!"

Aurelius let out a quiet laugh as Weiss approached the end of the song. "Now do you understand, Jacques? You might be a man of immense wealth and political influence, but you're still just a man. Even the ones you belittle as being just children have more maturity than you. Next to the power of a young heart in love, your threats are hollow, and your wealth is worthless." Aurelius grinned. "Then again, I suppose you never learned that money can't buy true happiness." Winter let out a quiet laugh as Jacques' glared hatefully at the other man. "Now then, do us all a favor, would you? Get the hell out of my city and go play with your shiny coins back home before your head explodes and covers us in blood."

Jacques stood up with a snarl. "Listen here, you filthy mutt. I will not stand for this, do you hear me? I will make each and every one of you pay, and when I'm done, I'll have this entire city dismantled and sold for scrap!"

Aurelius laughed. "Ah, Jacques, your threats mean even less to me. Why don't you just quit while you're behind? After all, every second you're here is one second your PR department isn't explaining this "mess" away."

Jacques stood up, getting ready to stop out when Weiss called out. "I don't care what you say about me, Jacques! I know that what I feel for Ruby is real! I loved her before the Battle of Beacon and she loves me! I don't care if you call me insane or delusional, because I know I'm sane!" she called out, her new tail shifting behind her. Jacques growled before he stormed out, Winter laughing quietly.

"I never expected that to be this funny," she said, wiping a tear from her eye. She froze up at Aurelius' mischievous smile before she looked away with a blush. "So, this is how it is now? Just because I'm aware of how I feel about him, every look he sends my way does this to me?"

Aurelius put a hand on her shoulder, causing her to jump slightly. "I'm glad I could entertain you, but I think we should congratulate Weiss on her new beginning, don't you?" Winter nodded quickly as they stood up, heading down to speak to the new fox faunus as the crowd cheered.

Wiess smiled brightly as she watched Jacques storm off. "I'm glad everyone else enjoyed it…" She blinked as she felt her tail twitch, causing her to look behind her at it. "This… is going to take a bit to get used to…" She took a deep breath and went to start her next song.

Bastion Docking Area

Jacques glanced around in annoyance, glaring at his airship crew. "Why the hell are you standing around? Where the hell is my ship?!"

The captain spun around, looking at the man nervously. "Uh, w-we don't know, sir. When we came back, it was just gone."

Jacques let out a growl and walked over to a nearby Prefect, grabbing its shoulder. "What kind of security is this? I had a very expensive airship here and it's gone! Are you all completely-" Jacques paused as the Prefect turned around. The man let out a frustrated groan. "Oh, it's you. Of course you'd be the one watching this area…"

Loki scoffed. "So now it's my fault you and your employees can't remember where you parked that gaudy, ugly-ass piece of junk you call a ship? Maybe you should pay attention to where the hell you parked…" Loki leaned forward, talking slowly. "I'm sure remembering where the shiny metal bird dropped you off is too much work for that brain of yours." Jacques let out a growl before Loki stepped back, a cheerful tone in his voice. "Although, I think you should know I've been ordered to make sure you're not in Bastion in an hour's time. If you are, I get to put you and your men on the first airship I see and drop you off in Vale so someone can retrieve you." He let out giggle. "I have this nice cargo ship in mind for it. Good luck!" Loki gave a sarcastic salute before walking a short distance away, ignoring Jacques' roar.

And this chapter is done. By popular demand, Jacques gets trolled to hell and back. This chapter also gives an idea of exactly how Jacques became president of the SDC.

Let me know what you think of this chapter. I hope you enjoyed it.