Chapter 1
The Path of Isolation
"It starts with the unexpected loss, of something dear."
When she was young, Nicholas Schnee was like a giant. His imposing figure inspired her, every time he returned to the manor. He was jovial and kind. She felt like nothing could go wrong when he was there. Even when he coughed up blood. Even when he was bedridden.
Even when he was dying.
His smile, stretching across his pale sickly face, warmed her heart. "My… little Snow Princess… you'll be… okay. Once you have… found some people who… understand you. Then you'll be… just fine." His voice was broken up by coughing and weakness, but his hope for her reached her.
They were his last words to her.
She always thought that it would all be okay because he was there. The fact she was different from her siblings due to the wings on her back felt like it didn't matter while he was around. But then he wasn't there anymore. Maybe it would continue to be okay…
"The warmth that comforted and cradled, just disappears."
"Happy Birthday Weiss!"
The day the facade of their life came tumbling down was the day of her tenth birthday. She'd been so excited. Father had said he had the day off. Mother wasn't going off to a public event. Even Winter had gotten leave from the boarding combat school she was at. It was going to be so much fun.
But yet…
"You're late! Again! Weiss was so excited for this!" Mother yelled.
"I was called in to solve some issues. It happens." Father replied calmly.
But Mother was having none of it. "That's what you always say! But couldn't it have waited!?"
That was when he snapped. "No! No, it can't! Maybe back when your father was too busy poisoning himself they could take days off, but I'm running a proper business! I can't simply ignore a problem! I will not allow the company to fall back into the way your father ran it!"
Mother stepped back, hands clenched into fists. "My father created the company!"
"And he would have killed it too!" Father roared back. "Nicholas didn't know the first thing about ensuring success! He's lucky he hired me! Lucky I married in!"
"What's that supposed to mean!?"
"He said the only way a man would succeed him is if you married. So I married you." He said flippantly.
Mother was shocked. She stumbled back. "What… what do you mean?"
Father scoffed. "Must I be blunt? I married you for your money! For the company! I couldn't bare to see Nicholas burn it to the ground over his idiotic idealism! Love never factored into it!"
His words were like swords, cutting into all those present. Mother looked horrified, but then angry, and then… she gave him a cold look and left. He stormed out shortly after.
The party was ruined. Winter bit her lip and left. Whitley skulked off. Weiss sat there, tears in her eyes as the only one to comfort her was Klein, as well as her stark white wings.
The Schnee family was never the same again.
"And in its place, there's nothing. Just an endless empty hole."
"Mirror mirror what's behind you…" Weiss whispered to herself after another concert. She enjoyed singing, she really did. The crowds loved it too. But ever since her birthday, her father, who always set them up, had become colder. It made it all a little bit more awkward. And her Mother no longer turned up at all. Too busy avoiding Father, which meant she had to perform separate concerts, though a year on they were getting fewer and fewer…
Here in the dressing room, she pouted at the mirror. It was one of the few places she could be alone, if only for a short time.
Her wings, once so small, had grown larger. She was told they were like a swan. Elegant and pretty. She liked them. Her Father seemed to think they were a blessing too.
Something about… proving protestors wrong?
Weiss didn't exactly fully get it. She wasn't allowed out without Klein or Father, so her understanding was…restricted. Mother and Father are so cold now… I wish… we could go back…
"The light that showed the way is gone, and darkness takes control."
Shortly after Winter entered Atlas Academy a year later, something changed in the world. What she heard later was that a Faunus protest group called the White Fang had changed leaders. But all that did was explain why they had to move.
It was a normal day. She had been in the ballroom, practising her dancing, when a servant had entered the room and hurriedly whispered to her instructor. The old man in charge of her dancing lessons called an end to the lesson and they were all hurried out of the manor.
Only a few short minutes later, it was firebombed.
She was swiftly removed from the area along with Whitley. Thankfully nobody was hurt and the culprits, a group of varied Faunus, were caught.
But it was just the beginning of their problems…
"Bitterness and anger are quick to fill the void."
Five years. For five years the White Fang was their enemy. They bombed their buildings, assaulted their workers, stole their product, and even kidnapped and executed a few of the board members. And Weiss had to watch it all.
Her father was filled with rage day after day. Her Mother was falling deeper into drink. Winter was kinder and helped train her, but there was still a cold distance between them. Whitley became more and more like Father by the day.
Weiss meanwhile was seen as 'the Angel of Atlas', a beautiful singer who raised the spirits of all who heard her or saw her vibrant white wings. But it rang hollow. What did it matter, when these people were just like her father? Cold and calculating. Did any of them have hearts? Did anyone? Was the world nothing but people who only did things for selfish reasons?
She couldn't live with that. It could not be her family's legacy! Nicholas Schnee would never have wanted that to be what the family was known for! She would reclaim it, and the first step for that was to gather a piece of her grandfather's legacy. She had to become a warrior.
She had to become a Huntress.
"The Path to Isolation is littered with the dreams that lay destroyed."
"You desire to go to Beacon? Why? If you want to be a Huntress then Atlas is perfectly fine," Father asked, eyes narrowed.
Weiss stood tall. "I desire to prove a Schnee does not need the home field advantage. It should be obvious, but some believe we are… reliant on our connections with Atlas. It would be simple to prove them wrong, no?"
He considered for a moment, chin resting on top of his steepled hands. "Hm… you have a point. But are you ready to be so far away? How about this: we'll have a test. If you can complete it, I will allow you to go to Beacon."
"I accept. I'll win any test you set, Father," Weiss replied, resolute.
"Good. Good… I'll have to pull some strings…"
A few months passed before he set down the test. He'd brought something for her to battle. All she had to do was defeat it without making a fool of herself. Weiss took a deep breath and stepped into the chamber, Myrtenaster at her side. She stood there, lit by one light from above. And then the other lights came up…
Revealing an Arma Gigas.
Weiss immediately fluttered her wings and backstepped, flinging herself back as it came up from its kneel and brandished its blade. The tall plate-armoured Grimm chased after her, so Weiss summoned a glyph beneath her feet, throwing herself even further back. She flipped in midair, landed on another glyph, and launched herself into the sky. Her wings spread out, flapping slightly to keep herself aloft. Flourishing her rapier, she spawned a pair of glyphs at her sides which glowed with a bluish tint.
"Hmph!" Weiss raised her sword and then slashed down, pointing it directly at the Grimm. The glyphs pulsed and launched a barrage of icicles. The monster raised its sword and blocked the oncoming attacks before jumping into the air. Weiss backflipped and fell into flight, soaring around the creature's sword slash. It landed, causing the room to shake, then twisted to swing at her as she came in from behind.
"Oof!" she cried out as the blade smacked her aside. Luckily it wasn't a solid hit, so her Aura took only slight damage. Her wings beat heavily, pushing her back into the air. The Grimm was not far behind, rushing after her with heavy slashes. A proper hit would cause major damage…
She just had to not get hit. I'll win this! I'll win and get out of here!
She flew high again, spawning glyphs along the way. Then she arced over the Grimm and landed on the ground. Standing tall, she rotated the Dust chamber in Myrtenaster and coated the blade in a blazing flame. As the beast turned, she unleashed a hail of ice into its back via a glyph, causing it to stumble. "Hiya!" she roared, rushed forward and leapt, slashing at the gap in the armour around its left knee.
As she landed in a roll, she popped back up and turned around, just in time to receive a backhanded fist to the head. She went flying and crashed into the wall, dropping to the floor. "Gh!" She stumbled to her feet and glared at the Arma Gigas as the left side of her vision was coated red. I… screwed up. That thing… its fist couldn't be fully blocked. I can't let it hit me again.
It flourished its sword and charged her.
Weiss raised her sword, charged once more with Dust, and waited… It swung its massive sword down as Weiss twisted, almost dancing as she used the power of Burn Dust like an explosive aid to her sword swing, parrying the huge sword and knocking the Gigas off balance. Weiss didn't hesitate. She took to the air and used a glyph to speed towards the Grimms head, switching her sword's Dust around to Frost. Spinning in the air, she landed on its head and thrust down.
The sharp point of her blade struck the top, expelling freezing cold across its helmet. The metal, chilled by the attack, grew brittle. Weiss raised her blade once more and swapped to Gravity Dust. The Gigas was reeling, its arms moving up to try and strike her, but it was too late. A glyph formed above her, waiting to press down on her and the Gigas. Her weight, with added force from the glyph, her wings, and the Gravity Dust along her blade, sent the sword right through the more brittle metal, impaling right into the Grimm's head.
It stumbled as she drew her blade and took flight once more. The left side of her vision was blocked by blood, so she kept her right to the monster as she flew around it. Glyphs formed where she passed, forming a circle. Weiss landed gracefully on the floor and tapped her sword, causing excess Dust to fall off like snow.
The glyphs fired a stream of icicles, impaling the beast from all sides.
She watched as it began to fall apart, dead.
"Phew…" Weiss sheathed her blade and then reached up, feeling the cut across her left eye. Thankfully it hadn't taken out her eye, but still. It would likely scar…
"Hm… acceptable, I suppose," her Father announced as he entered the room, followed closely by Klein with a towel and a first aid kit. He motioned to the butler, who bounded forward and handed her the towel, which she used to try and clean the blood. As Klein worked to treat her, her Father continued, "While I expected you to achieve a perfect result, this is at least a passing grade. However, I expect you to do better at Beacon. Am I understood?"
Weiss refrained from nodding, lest it upset Klein's efforts. "Yes. I'll be perfect. You'll see."
"Hm. I hope so." With that, he left the room.
"I think you did very well, Ms Schnee," Klein said, smiling.
Weiss smiled back. "Thank you, Klein. I won't disappoint you either."
He laughed. "Oh, you could never! I look forward to hearing all about your successes. Though it'll feel a little colder without you around."
His smile and jolly mood, as well as his sheer joy at her success, warmed her heart. "Well… I'll have to bring you something from Vale then. Anything you'd like?"
For a moment, he looked about to decline her offer but thought better of it. "I'm sure you'll insist so… any coffee beans you like. Bring them back, should you… pop over during the holidays."
"I will."
Atlas was a land of ice and snow. Vale, meanwhile, was a land of green grass, vibrant trees, and mountains. Weiss had left Atlas only once before, during a celebration in Mistral over the acquisition of another Dust company, so while she expected it, she still wasn't exactly ready for the sudden change. The air smelled different too, like it was… more lively?
Weiss enjoyed a stroll through the city the day before Beacon began, but what she quickly realised was that nobody knew her here. It was a shock. After so long living in Atlas, where walking the streets like this would have her hounded by paparazzi, the idea that people just didn't know who she was…
It was both exciting and horrifying.
No fans, no reporters, and no need to act regal constantly. Just… normal people problems. Whatever those were. The fact she didn't have much of an idea was the most worrying part really. Well, that and the question of what White Fang presence there was here. She hoped she wouldn't have to deal with those terrorists.
Overall she found the city beautiful and prosperous, if lacking in the advancements Atlas enjoyed. Like the rail system or robotic cleaners. She stayed in a five-star hotel that night and enjoyed her last moments of solitude before entering a boarding school. Unlike Winter, she hadn't attended one before. A childish part of her was excited for all the new things she'd see.
Weiss buried that part deep, and went to sleep.
The next day, she joined many in boarding an airship. She had a pair of butlers to move her luggage, but they would be returning home afterwards. Her luggage, of course, contained a good supply of Dust. Without it, she'd have quite a hard time. Weiss ignored those around her, as she didn't know who she could even trust around here, especially the other Faunus.
Sure, she was one. But that hasn't stopped the White Fang from trying to kill her, nor other Faunus from insulting her. She'd been called 'race traitor' plenty of times when visiting SDC-owned branches in Mantle. Weiss wanted to avoid things like that, so for now she'd avoid people.
That worked all the way through the flight and about halfway to the orientation. CRASH.
"You dolt! Watch where you're going! This is Dust! Dust! Energy! Power! The elements! You could have blown us all up!" Weiss roared, her wings flaring out unconsciously to make herself appear larger.
The offending girl, who'd just fallen over out of nowhere and crashed into Weiss' luggage, frowned. "It was an accident! I didn't mean to!"
"What kind of consolation is that!?" Weiss glared and opened a case, pulling out a vial of Burn Dust. "Is that what you would say if we had been blown up!?" She waved the vial in the girl's face. The crash must have loosened the cap as some of the powdered Dust began to be thrust into the air. "Would your parents accept such reasoning? 'Oh I'm sorry your daughter is dead, I just tripped over nothing!' Would they accept that!?"
As Weiss unleashed her righteous indignation, the girl sneezed. The Dust in the air ignited, connecting with other vials to release a burst of elemental power. Auras were raised at the right moment, leaving them with little more than scuffed clothing. The floor was not so lucky, now bearing a small crater.
Weiss stomped down, her hands freed from the now partially exploded vials. "YOU ABSOLUTE DOLT! ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL US!?" Her wings spread even further as she was filled with rage.
"Me!? You're the one waving it around, princess!" The girl fired back.
For a moment, Weiss froze. Nobody had called her that since her Grandfather died. Nobody. Not a soul. And yet this… this child who looked too young to be here dared to call her that!? She'd… she'd…
"It's Heiress, actually." A new voice corrected. The two girls turned, Weiss' wings pulling back in tight to her back, and saw a raven-haired girl. "Weiss Schnee. Heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, the largest Dust manufacturer in the world."
Weiss smiled. "Finally, some recognition!" For once someone in this city actually knew who she was!
"The same company infamous for its controversial labour practices, which it tries to sweep under the rug thanks to the Faunus Heiress." The new girl's cold glare and words enraged Weiss all over again, sending her wings flaring out once more.
"You! You! How dare you! I have nothing to discuss with a fool who believes such trollop!" She turned on her heel and marched away, her butlers collecting the dropped Dust. How dare she! She speaks as if it's somehow my fault! As if the horrid beasts in the White Fang haven't ruined things for the Faunus themselves!
Her rage continued to stew. I am not some scapegoat! Some excuse! As if my very existence is just to discard criticism! The SDC has broken no laws, and if she has a problem with that then she should try and change the law!
Of course, she knew it wasn't that easy, and that the SDC wasn't exactly clean. But Weiss was angry, and besides… some random girl in Vale couldn't possibly know what was really going on in the SDC. If anyone knew its faults and flaws, it was Weiss! And she was going to solve those on her own.
Still seething, Weiss stomped her way into the auditorium. However, she quickly schooled herself back into a polite smile, hiding away the festering anger. This wasn't the place to be so free with her emotions. I have to do better. I am a Schnee. Emotions are not for others to see, but for me to deal with myself. Repeating it like a mantra, Weiss focused on calming herself down. Unconsciously her wings folded in, forming a kind of cloak around her.
With time, she calmed down and restored control of herself, just as Professor Lucius Ozpin took the stage. The Headmaster looked both younger and older than he probably should, which was obviously an odd feeling, in her opinion. His wise gaze and the grey-white hair contrasted with the face unblemished by age. But he is the youngest man who became Headmaster… so perhaps it's to be expected?
Either way, his speech of wasted energy needing purpose struck a chord deep inside her. Here, within these halls, she would become who she needed to be. A woman worthy of the Schnee Legacy, strong and capable. She would gladly take direction from such successful and talented Huntsmen and Huntresses.
And maybe they could explain why a child was attending…
Still feeling on edge, Weiss tried to steer clear of others for the rest of the day. She didn't fully manage it, yelling at that childish girl again when she and her… friend(?) were being loud and obnoxious when people were trying to sleep. But aside from that, she didn't have any issues.
The next day came, and initiation was here.
Weiss found her locker and began to prepare. Myrtenaster of course couldn't have Dust inside while in her luggage, no, so she had to re-arm it, filling it back up with Dust of many stripes. Burn, Frost, Shock, Gravity, Wind, Hard Light… they were her main preferences, widely applicable to many situations. Of course, it didn't hurt to carry a few additional types in her pockets.
As she prepared for the coming tests, a locker two down was opened. Weiss glanced over and found herself pausing. Crimson hair tied into a high ponytail shifted around a golden circlet whenever it moved, while green eyes and delicate lips smiled at the tools inside the locker. Bronze and gold armour covered a strong and fit but lithe fair-skinned body. There was an air of strength coming from the figure before her.
Weiss felt a smile come to her face unbidden. She knew who it was, of course. How could she not know the person who had won a championship tournament four years in a row?
Pyrrha Nikos. The Invincible Girl.
If she was on my team… we'd be unstoppable! Our written and combat grades would skyrocket! It's perfect! All I have to do is convince her… Weiss took a moment to breathe and straighten herself up, then closed her locker and stepped closer to her target. "Excuse me… would you happen to be Pyrrha Nikos?"
"Hm?" The woman turned and immediately smiled a little. "Oh… yes I'm Pyrrha."
Weiss smiled back. "Wonderful. I'm Weiss Schnee, and I just wanted to say that… well, you're very talented. With team selection coming up I think we could make a… powerful team. We both have received some of the best training money can buy, after all."
Pyrrha's smile remained unchanging. "I… see. Well, I was planning to let the chips fall where they may, if I'm honest. I wouldn't want to… put anyone out."
"Ah, I see. I can understand that. Well then, I'll just have to hope we'll be made teammates." It's perfect! The smartest girl in class and the strongest girl in class working together! Hopefully, our teammates will be just as talented, but if they aren't well… I'm sure Pyrrha and I can raise them up! Satisfied for now, Weiss bid Pyrrha goodbye and moved on.
Professor Goodwitch called them to the cliffside, where the students gathered in a line. Professor Ozpin gave a short instructional speech, telling them to collect a relic from a temple. Sadly, it seemed teammates were out of their hands. It's ridiculous to force us to partner with whomever we randomly stumble upon. Ugh.
Annoyed, she prepared to be launched while some blonde asked further questions about landing strategies, showing he wasn't very experienced. Weiss pushed him from her mind. She had to focus here so that she could not only win, but get the team she wanted. Shortly after, she was thrown into the sky by the platform.
Wings beat as a glyph spawned in the sky. Weiss slid across it, slowing herself down by having it push her in the opposite direction. She slid off and created another, then another. Each successive glyph gave her wings more time to work, to take control. After the sixth, she leapt into the air and flew.
Glancing around, she noticed the blonde guy from before being hit by a spear, lodging him into a tree. A spear that she recognised as the one Pyrrha had taken from her locker. With her target spotted, she flew down into the nearby area. She had to be careful though, as a blur of red shot through the forest.
Thankfully, the girl failed to notice Weiss flying above her, and so ran into the clearing where the blonde was stuck. Weiss ignored their cheerful conversation and came to a landing. The bushes rustled as a figure in bronze and gold stalked her way to the clearing, looking slightly worried.
"Pyrrha… it's me," she said as she dropped from above, causing the champion to jump slightly.
"Oh! Weiss! I… I'm sorry, I didn't see you." Pyrrha smiled again, just like before. "I… suppose this makes us partners."
Weiss nodded. "It does, not that I'm much of a fan of this method. But it doesn't matter. We should find these relics and finish this quickly, don't you agree?"
She nodded. "I do… I just need Milo back and then we can head off."
"Perfect. I saw that boy land just over there. We can retrieve your weapon and get moving." Weiss declared, smiling confidently as she moved towards the clearing.
Oh, this is perfect! With Pyrrha on my team, we'll be unstoppable! Top of the class in academics and combat! This team is going to be perfect!
This team is horrible!
Weiss was fuming. Initiation had gone well, up to a point. There was some trouble with a Nevermore, but it was handled. What she hadn't expected was… the teams.
"Weiss Schnee, Pyrrha Nikos, Blake Belladonna, and Cardin Winchester. Together you collected the White Bishop pieces. Henceforth you shall be known as team Snowbank, led by… Weiss Schnee!"
It was a disaster. Team SNWB. Sure, she had Pyrha who was smiling politely. But she also had a big, buff man who constantly glared angrily at her wings, as well as the annoying misinformed activist!
At least she wasn't on Team Royal(RYAL). That child somehow became a leader! Of course, it was to a bumbling fool, her friend, and some quiet guy with a pink highlight in his hair.
And then there was the loudest team, Team Nords(NRDS). A chaotic ginger girl leading a team of boys who looked like they'd do whatever she said…
This year is going to be hell…
"Can't believe a damned animal is leading this team…" Cardin grumbled angrily.
… Yes, hell is the right word.
Pyrrha had been expecting too much of Beacon, she realised. A week into the school year and she felt more isolated than ever. Their leader was constantly fighting with the other two members, whether it was Cardin using racist remarks to bully her or Blake constantly trying to debate her about every little thing.
It was exhausting, and that was just Pyrrha watching those three. Blake sometimes tried to get her opinions about things, and Cardin kept trying to challenge her to fights. All while Weiss constantly asked if they could study together.
Every single day.
A part of Pyrrha would have hoped she sincerely liked her, but she knew better. Weiss was like all the others, enamoured with Pyrrha's fame and seeking to make use of it for her own gain. As a child, Pyrrha thought that the rich wouldn't care about her fame. But she learned that it was the opposite, they care even more.
All for 'networking' and bragging.
All I wanted was to be treated like a normal person, without all the fame. Was that simply too much to ask? Pyrrha sighed to herself. Today was no different. Cardin had started off with some remark about how "an animal can't even keep her team together", pissing off everyone, before he wandered off to do Brothers knew what.
Blake rolled her eyes and stalked off to read a book, and of course, Weiss asked Pyrrha if she wanted to study together. After some thought, Pyrrha finally agreed. It was better than sitting around twiddling her thumbs hoping someone would be her friend, at least.
Weiss led the way with her chin high, taking them to the library. The halls were quiet, as many used the first weekend to enjoy themselves down in Vale instead of focusing on bettering themselves up here. If there was one thing Pyrrha was glad for in regard to the tournaments, it was the diligence and routine she'd developed training for them.
The library itself was expansive, stacked high with books from all over the world and of all manner of genres. Weiss found them a small, out-of-the-way place where they wouldn't be disturbed. Pulling out their books, they got to work. "Professor Oobleck said we'd be moving onto the Great War soon, so we should focus on preparing for that," Weiss said.
"Right." Pyrrha nodded, politely smiling as she let Weiss dictate the activity.
So they got to work, pulling books and looking up information on their scrolls to copy into their notebooks for later. They worked mostly in silence until…
"That's wrong, by the way," Weiss said, pointing to what Pyrrha had just written.
"What do you mean? That's what the book says…" Pyrrha frowned, looking between the open book and her notes.
Weiss shook her head. "The book is saying that Mistral and Mantle received word in January, but the actual Battle of the Eclipse took place a month before, in December. Vale doesn't have that many records about it, considering how devastating it was to the Sixth Army."
Pyrrha blinked. "I… are you sure?"
Weiss scoffed. "Of course I am! Mistral and Vale met in battle only for both armies to be slaughtered by Grimm, only the generals of either side managing to make it out. Most of their troops were defeated. It marked the end of the fourth year of the war and is the reason why the first half of the fifth didn't have any real fighting: both sides were licking their wounds. It's also why they all turned to try and get Vacuo to join the war."
Weiss immediately started flipping through books, showing off the evidence that supported her claim. Pyrrha was surprised. She had assumed Weiss was just another rich fan, trying to mooch off of her skill and success to get a pass, but here she was, shamelessly proving Pyrrha wrong and… educating her.
A true smile came to her lips. Maybe, just maybe, Weiss might be more than a fan…
"You know a lot about the war…"
Weiss shrugged elegantly. "Of course. It was part of my education. As was the entire history of Mantle and Atlas, as well as singing, songwriting, guitar, piano, the flute, fighting, business, and of course poetry."
"You had a busy childhood…"
"Perhaps. I imagine yours was just as busy?" She asked, grabbing another book and copying down whatever information it held.
"I… it wasn't quiet," Pyrrha replied diplomatically. "It's hard to complain, compared to what some have lived through…" She mumbled.
Weiss evidently heard, as she frowned. "... I'm not exactly a… fan of that sentiment. 'Everyone is entitled to their own sorrow, for the heart has no metrics or form of measure. And all of it… irreplaceable.'"
"Is that… a quote? Who's it from?" Pyrrha tilted her head slightly, interested.
"... It was… my grandfather, actually." Weiss didn't look up from her books, continuing to write as she spoke. "He was a good man, with a big heart. I… I hope to be like him, someday."
Pyrrha smiled. "Well… I think you might be on your way." I'm glad I studied with her today. I… misjudged her. She's more than simply another fan.
"Thank you, Pyrrha." Weiss looked up and smiled.
"You're welcome."
"... You spelt that wrong, by the way."
"Oh… right."
I can't believe I hate another Faunus this much! Blake was mad. At Weiss, at Cardin, and at herself. She just doesn't understand anything!
"Weiss, are you aware that the SDC doesn't pay its workers fair wages?" Blake had asked that morning.
Weiss had scoffed. "According to whom? Tabloids? The White Fang? There have been numerous investigations conducted yearly and at no point has it ever been proven that we pay an unfair wage! All of our workers are paid above the minimum wage!"
Blake remembered gritting her teeth. "The minimum wage is too low! It doesn't cover expenses, especially in Mantle or Atlas!"
"All I'm hearing is that it's the fault of the governments, not the SDC! Take your complaints to the people who are the actual cause!" Weiss had then stormed off, so Blake had left on her own.
She'd tried to escape all this political stuff, tried to become a Huntress who simply inspired, but here she was, immediately jumping into trying to debate her teammate. She just couldn't help herself! It was Weiss Schnee of all people! The Heiress herself. A girl who foisted responsibility off onto others, on the 'governments', as if the SDC didn't have great influence over those same governments!
But she had to stop. Getting angry every day wasn't good for her health. Maybe if I find something we agree on, we can focus on that instead. She would try. Tomorrow. The bridge had already been burned today, so she'd wait. Instead, Blake decided to go and spend her day reading.
After finding a nice tree, she sat down and pulled out the latest book in a favourite series of hers. Enjoying the sun filtering between the leaves, she stretched and yawned, smiling peacefully. Warmth and joy filled her as she leisurely turned the pages.
However, her joy was interrupted by a loud group who took to the nearby field. It was team RYAL. "Alright, team today we'll be practising team moves! Jaune, Yang! I want to call yours DragonSlayer! Now we just need to figure out what you do…" Ruby declared to her team.
Blake sighed and tuned them out. And here I was enjoying the quiet…
Cardin was many things. Strong, tall, handsome, superior, a better fit for leader than the annoying animal Ozpin had chosen, and also handsome. He was powerful and descended from powerful people! His family used to be nobility!
And yet, here he was, standing outside a dorm room glaring at one of his childhood friends.
"The hell do you mean you're busy!?" Cardin growled, his eyes twitching.
Russel shrugged. "Man, we got other shit to deal with now. Nora's taking us to the gym for training."
"Are you telling me that her shit's more important!?" Cardin's face turned red as his anger boiled through his body.
"Uh… well… yeah? Look, man, we got put onto a team with a hot girl who pays attention to us and hangs out with us. Sorry but… she's kinda… way more fun to hang out with."
Cardin felt as if a vein had burst in his forehead. "She's… fun!? That's why you're going to leave me out to dry!? Like a fucking animal!?"
Russel took a moment to think. "Uh… yes."
"RUSSEL! THE QUEEN DEMANDS YOUR PRESENCE! I REQUIRE MORE BLUEBERRIES!" A feminine voice shouted from inside the dorm.
Russel immediately turned and shouted back. "Right away my lady! Sorry, Cardin. We can hang out some other time." And then he went back inside and shut the door.
Leaving Cardin standing, alone, in the middle of the hallway. He fumed, glaring with rage at the door. His hands clenched and unclenched, raring to smash into the door and break it apart. To charge in there and pull his friends out of the grasp of that… of that…
Witch!
But he didn't. His rage crashed around inside his body like a swirling, spinning whirlpool. An ineffective one. "Gah! Fuck you!" he roared, then stomped off. "Fucking hell. Pull some brat out of the gutter and give him a life and this is how he repays you!? And the others! How long have the Bronzewing and Lark families been supporters of the Winchesters!? Since we came to this fucking country! And they do this!?"
Continuing to yell at no one in particular, Cardin stomped his way through Beacon. He had to find someone to take his rage out on… some stupid animal or something. Heck, maybe that pathetic excuse for a Huntsman, Jaune Arc. "There's got to be someone to punch around here!"
But he didn't end up finding anyone. Instead, he found himself sitting on a rooftop, in his armour with The Executioner resting on his lap. He could see the entire school from here. Whether it was his stupid partner sitting under a tree, that dumb team training in a field, or his old friends following that ginger witch to the gym like puppies. He could see it all.
It filled him with anger and… melancholy?
I was supposed to be the king of this fucking school… So why am I… alone? No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't make sense of it at all. His father had promised him power, riches, women, and more. All he'd had to do was attend school and be himself. Everything was supposed to just come to him!
"... I just don't get it…"
A/N: Another new story, this one featuring Faunus!Weiss, as well as a focus on the North Pole ship. Another author on Discord brought me around to the idea and now here we are.
I hope you all enjoyed and I'll see you next time.