Chapter 27: The Visit Part One
Ladies, Gentlemen, and everyone else in-between! It's your lovely host, The Draigg, ready to bring you another sensational chapter for your viewing pleasure! Now, surely you know by now that I don't own RWBY, Monty Oum does. Anyway, it's best not to keep you waiting any longer. Let's get ready to RRREEEAAADDDD!
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A man as important as Mr. Schnee didn't travel around without protection. Even when he wasn't trying to attract attention (like he was right now), that didn't mean that he wasn't protected. As he stepped out of the black, inconspicuous town car in front of the condo, there were about a dozen guards strategically placed around the house. Three were disguised as gardeners across the street, three gunmen hidden in trees, and six bodyguards waiting in the back alley in a van, waiting to rush in in case something went wrong.
And this was Mr. Schnee being low key.
Even when he dressed somewhat innocuous, he still held himself with the air of someone highly important. He was dressed in a deep blue corduroy coat, light blue business shirt, and white slacks with highly polished loafers. He acted as if he was wearing some of the finest fabrics on the planet, and being near the condo might sully them. Actually, that might have been the actual case. But, that's neither here nor there.
The highly important man lightly knocked against the door. After waiting for a minute, a surprisingly not shabbily dressed Mr. Brass answered the door. He had bothered to wear his tie all the way up this time, and had actually worn a non-wrinkled blazer.
"Hello, Mr. Schnee. I'm glad you were able to see us today. And I'm sure the girls are too," Mr. Brass greeted. Well, at least half of that statement was somewhat true. He tried his best to smile. It wouldn't have been all that bad of one, if there wasn't a piece of apple stuck in between his teeth from breakfast.
"Mr. Brass, it's indeed a pleasure to see you again," said Mr. Schnee in a cordial manner. It paid to try and retain an air of politeness around your employees. It helped to inspire loyalty in the long run, in theory, anyway.
Mr. Schnee poked his head inside and looked around. "I presume my daughter and her teammates are ready for the day?" he asked.
"Indeed. Come on," Mr. Brass offered as he stood aside out of the doorway. On cue, Mr. Schnee walked in and looked around a bit more.
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"I take it this condominium is to everyone's liking?' Mr. Schnee asked further. Mr. Brass responded with a brief nod. "Good. We can't have our employees have an uncomfortable business experience,". He apparently didn't notice the irony of that last sentence.
"Would you care for a cup of coffee?" Mr. Brass asked as he led Mr. Schnee into the kitchen.
"If you would be so kind," Mr. Schnee answered in confirmation. He sat down in a seat at the kitchen table, waiting for his daughter and her friends to join him.
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Speaking of Weiss Schnee, the ice princess had finished putting the final touches on the dress she had Ruby wear. She could hear Yang giggling behind her, but that didn't matter. Ruby looked professional, that's all that was important here.
Stepping back, Weiss admired her work. In addition to the clothes, Weiss had also taken the time to do Ruby's hair properly, as Ruby normally didn't do anything to it other than use shampoo and conditioner. All those sprays Weiss used had made Ruby's hair stay in place, just as intended.
"I think you're ready," Weiss declared in a determined voice.
Ruby looked around nervously. "Really? Do I look good?" she asked the others.
Yang flashed a thumbs up and replied, "You're dressed like some corporate pirate or something. Are you sure you're not about to plunder some stock shares?". A chuckle drifted out of her moth after that. Nobody else laughed at her kind of lame joke.
Blake was too concerned with angrily squeezing a stress ball to give a good reply. "You look fine," she said flatly. If Blake kept on man handling that stress ball, it was going to break soon. The stress of sitting across an enemy of the Faunus people was just becoming too much for her. That, and the fact that this man was almost directly responsible for the intended message for her script being censored. Blake wasn't a very happy cat person today, to put it bluntly.
Ruby took a deep breath and pulled Weiss in for a tight hug. It was for their mutual benefit. For Weiss, it was to reassure her that Ruby would try her best with her father. For Ruby, it was to calm herself down by holding someone warm and nice.
Letting go, Ruby put on her best game face. She said, "Okay, I'm ready. I can do this,".
And with that, Team RWBY left their room.
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"Ah, there they are," Mr. Brass noticed as Team RWBY walked into the kitchen. However, he didn't move to meet them, since he was still waiting on the coffee.
Mr. Schnee stood up to greet the girls properly. "It's nice to see you again, Weiss," Mr. Schnee said to his daughter as he lightly patted her on the shoulder. Then, turning to the reest of the girls, he said, 'And you must be the team I've heard so much about,".
"Indeed we are, sir," Ruby said as she stuck out her hand for a shake. "Ruby Rose," she introduced herself. Mr. Schnee eyed the hand for a second, but then decided to give it a shake. Ruby had to do everything in her power not to yelp at Mr. Schnee's grasp. She knew it was customary to shake with a firm grasp, but Mr. Schnee's could easily crush coal to make diamonds.
As Mr. Schnee turned back around to get into his seat, Ruby quickly waved her hand to try and get rid of the pain. When he turned back around, Ruby stopped and took her seat at the table along with everyone else.
"So," Mr. Schnee began, hiding the lower half of his face behind his steepled hands, "Who might you two be?". He looked at Blake and Yang as he asked that question. He already knew who they were, but he wanted to see how they would handle themselves in his presence.
"I'm Yang Xiao Long," introduced the blonde.
"Blake Belladonna," the secret cat girl said.
Mr. Schnee looked at the pair in silence. He was trying to throw them off, to slip them up. If he could do that, then Mr. Schnee could find a weak point in their constitutional armor. Playing the game of wills was a lot like fencing. You had to keep a quick eye out for an opening to exploit.
He had to give the girl named Blake some credit. She had a perfect poker face on. She was much better at this game than the Yang girl, who was trying to cover up her lack of a neutral stance with a slightly nervous smile. The blonde was an easier mark than her teammate.
"So, enough with formalities," Mr. Schnee said as she suddenly leaned back in his chair. "I'm interested in knowing all of you," he continued in an almost friendly voice. That statement would be true, if he already didn't know a lot about them already. It was a blatant lure to be sure, but yet again, it was all a calculated move to see their reactions.
Ruby looked around at the others briefly, and then took the bait. "Well, sir, as you might be able to tell, we're all studying to become huntresses at Beacon Academy. And, I can safely say that all of us appreciate having your daughter along with us,". She hoped that some flattery would work on their behalf.
"Hmmm…" Mr. Schnee hummed as he thought. "I wasn't all too keen on having her go to Beacon…" he mentioned. He picked up Weiss' eye brief eye twitch before continuing. "But, I suppose it's worth it for a decent education. After all, managing a company such as mine requires knowledge of teamwork,".
Mr. Schnee had learned quite a bit from that brief exchange. He had gathered that the Ruby girl was trying her best to be in the dominant position, but failed in regards to actually wielding her authority absolutely. In fact, she seemed like she was looking of others assistance before coming up with a response. A typical response for someone not completely used to their position.
He had also noted his daughter's slight negative reaction when he brought up something from her recent past. A most interesting reaction, actually. Perhaps she was undergoing a shift in attitude? It was possible, as she was exposed to new types of thinking and people. Whether that was a positive or negative remained to be seen. But, if it was for the better, then her going to Beacon might have been a good thing for her eventual running the company. After all, one needed to understand some conflicting opinions to fully understand your own.
"But, speaking of teamwork…" Mr. Schnee cast his gaze completely at Weiss, "What do you think about your team?". He paused, waiting for an answer.
Weiss internally froze. What game was her father playing at? Clearly, he was watching their reactions, waiting for something. Was he looking for a moment of weakness? Or was he just genuinely interested in her friends? His eyes spoke of his deviousness, but his voice indicated his calmness, or perhaps even curiosity. Whatever his reasons may have been, Weiss needed to play her part coolly.
"I enjoy my team's company. I mean, they help me as much as I help them. After all, I have a lot to learn, and every bit is important," Weiss replied. It was a neutral answer, one that she hoped that her father would accept. She hoped that her father wouldn't notice that she deliberately only talked about her general opinion, rather than her individual opinions.
Mr. Schnee took this answer with a curt nod. Even if that was a suitable answer, something flared his interest. Weiss had only given an overall answer. She didn't go into more detail about her teammates. He took this as a sign that she was hiding something. After all, he knew how Weiss was when she was growing up. She was never afraid of yelling at a butler or maid for a perceived slight. But, if she was saying nothing about the people she had been living with for many months, then that meant she was hiding something. Mr. Schnee needed to keep his ears more open, to discover his daughter's secret.
At this moment, Mr. Brass filled up mugs of coffee for himself and Mr. Schnee and brought them to the table. Then, realizing something, he asked to Team RWBY, "Do any of you want a cup too?".
"Yes, please," immediately responded Weiss. Ruby also nodded, indicating she wanted one too.
"No thanks," Blake said quietly. She had to remain short with her answers, otherwise she felt that her animosity towards Mr. Schnee would come out uncontrollably.
"I'm good," Yang said with a smile. The smile was partially forced, as she wanted to project a good, cheerful image around Mr. Schnee.
Mr. Brass quickly poured Ruby and Weiss some mugs as well, and served them their mugs of liquid gold. Weiss quickly drained half of her mug, while Ruby got up to grab several packets of sugar. Tearing open the packets, Ruby dumped at least three candy bars worth of sugar into her beverage before she sat down again.
"So, Mr. Schnee, mind if I ask what you think of the program so far? After all, that's why you're here, right?" Mr. Brass asked. He asked it mostly to keep his cover as a spy, and partially to ask if he was doing a good job.
Mr. Schnee took a sip of his drink as he thought of his real opinion of this charity work. Or rather, his lack of an opinion. He rarely had enough time in the day to focus in a charity, unless it was big enough to garner massive attention. Even if the Azul Concern was that big, he really only agreed to do it because of his own personal agenda. So, what could he say to not give away his real motives behind this project?
His eventual reply was, "If I didn't think this project wasn't important, then I wouldn't have invested resources towards it. After all, our company depends on the things that come forth because of this trip,". Mr. Schnee, of course was exercising the art of double meanings. What he said was true from different points of view. For example, what Mr. Brass understood the statement as was that the company depended on how his daughter's relationships had affected her personality. To the members of Team RWBY, it meant that he was solely focused on the image of his company.
"So," he concluded, "I think that participating in this work is very important. And I must say, all of you are doing a good job,". Once again, double meanings showed up in his speech.
Mr. Schnee was on a mission, and he wasn't going to leave empty handed. He was going to get every single bit of data he could about these girls.
Like he said, the future of his company might depend on it.
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Wow, Mr. Schnee seems like the perfect player of mental gambits, right? And man, writing all that double speak was tricky. Anyway, I hope this chapter got you pumped up for the next one! Tell me what you think in the reviews area below! This is The Draigg, signing off and out!