Weiss tapped away at her laptop keys, the pattering's on the lit up the glass casing. It was a strange sort of mix between mesmerizing, and mind numbing. She did it because she had to. Her work always a forefront task in her mind. Yet, not all orders came equal at the SDC, and some of them fell in line with the rather dark oppression known of her father's reign.
Like it or not, she could not change the heavy-handedness overnight. She couldn't allow herself to be seen as weak, and Weiss had too much working against her.
Problems, she knew, that would not go away after her rein was over. Problems that rooted themselves into the heart and soul of Atlas as a world power. "What do you think, Velvet?" She asked, handing over the thick stack of paperwork. If Velvet could not fight Grimm, the least she could do was pour over documentation that Weiss needed a critical eye for detail about.
After all, Velvet was also a Faunus rights activist. More active now than ever before. Her family's history long rooted themselves in the disputes between humans and Faunus, doing their utmost to bridge the gap between the divide as best as they could. Velvet was the best choice to ask when it came to second opinions.
"Blake already declined these, didn't she?" Velvet asked softly. "I remember her saying something about new policies. I probably shouldn't interfere."
"She had declined them, several times. Twice since last month…and again this morning." Weiss sighed at length. "I'll keep editing and revising until she finds them adequate. So, please, look over them. Give me your honest opinion."
"I doubt I can be of much help to you." Velvet replied, still, she began to scan the words, looking for loopholes, if which she'd already located a great many.
"I'm choosing to get a different perspective. That's all." Weiss told the rabbit-eared woman who appraised the written words with every ounce of skepticism a Faunus could possibly hold towards any legal matter. "Assuming you didn't know how she felt about this, what would you say to the paperwork? Does it hold enough merit in the Faunus community to be worth consideration?"
Velvet remained uncommitted one way or the other. "Yes and no." She said, standing and beginning to pace, one palm resting on her lower back for added support. "On the one hand, humans might see all of the things Faunus stand to gain from this as a threat. The implications are…rather broad to say the least…" Her ears bobbed with the thought, as she lifted her gaze to meet SDC's leader head on. "On the other hand, Faunus will see lukewarm attempts at appeasing their demands at best."
"Offering SDC stock means so little?" Weiss shook her head. "The company doesn't see it that way."
"Neither do Faunus like myself, in positions of wealth. I'm able to purchase the stock…but the common Faunus here in Atlas doesn't have that kind of pocketbook to work from. The mining towns might be able to buy a share or two as a collaborative. That might force some more power back into the labor forces. Notably the ones unable to crawl out from the oppression Atlas rule has them under…"
"And that's a good thing." Weiss said. "That's what I'm hoping for."
Velvet nodded, albeit sadly. "But the fact of the matter is Weiss, what you offer is fragile at best."
Her shoulders sagged under the weight of that accusation. "I'm doing the best I can with the laws I have to work with."
"It doesn't matter." Velvet fought with herself. There was no good way to say it. "The fact is, you've been buying laborers."
"I release them from their contracts!" Weiss said, her tone frustrated. Not angry, simply defeated, and in denial of the mere idea that she could do nothing. "I make it easier for them to live the lives they want to lead. I'm not holding them under my thumb. I'm nullifying documentation that should have been burned decades ago."
"And the indentured servants you work tirelessly to free thank you for this, I'm sure." Velvet replied. "Even so, it leaves a foul taste in the mouths of the common people. The ones smart enough not to bow down to that kind of desperation."
"It's not about intellect, Velvet." Weiss pressed. "You and I both know it's sometimes a matter of circumstance. Menagerie is a small island, even if they send their families there to live safe and sheltered lives, the boat tickets cost money. So does housing, food, and clothes. Atlas can be lucrative, and even the Faunus working here know that. Working in a mining town, they can send money back home to their families."
"You still belittled the very foundation of the exchange. Contracts are a give and take, a mutual promise. Even though I hate them, I understand the reason they exist. You're right, Atlas law takes it too far, turns a blind eye and disrespects my people…but Faunus aren't the only faction facing the labor laws here."
"Faunus outnumber human laborers three to one..."
"I know, but even so..."
"I've freed humans too when they've been in a camp I've purchased." Weiss replied. "I haven't forgotten about them."
"Not nearly as many humans as Faunus though…" Velvet smiled sadly. "It leaves an impression."
"What does the populous expect me to do? Cherry pick every human laborer in Atlas and free only them?" Weiss asked harshly, biting her lower lip. The idea of that disgusted her. "Am I supposed to ignore the dirty money and blood vows that have been taken too far? Last week I found a seven year old bound by contract because his father died, and he was the sole inheritor. That cannot stand, Velvet, it's just wrong."
"You're doing all you can. I know that, and so does Blake…and most importantly, so do the northern mining communities released from SDC control." Velvet mentioned, even as she finally was able to sit back down and get comfortable once more. "You've bought out several small land owners, revitalized logging towns and shipping ports alike. You've sold those off to Coco, at a loss, and the people see these actions. They know the good you do."
"Then I really don't see the problem here..."
"Most of the changes you've struggled to achieve only apply to Faunus. The impoverished humans at large see this new policy, and they'll feel abandoned. The wealthy and empowered humans will feel betrayed…and even if allowing Faunus to purchase SDC stock would be monumental, the long lasting scrutiny will fall onto you. From all sides. Faunus and human alike."
"Just what are you implying? That I'm somehow even more backhanded than my father?"
"It's easy to distrust the kindness of others, when that kindness rests in the palms of a company known for their shrewd practices." Velvet agreed then. "Blake's right to decline this, Weiss. It's good to want to protect the people, but at some point, you need to look after yourself. Conformity is the safe option, and right now, you need that. We all do."
As much as Weiss wanted to deny it, she knew she couldn't, and let out a steady breath, tension leaking from her shoulders. Standing from her desk, she closed down that computer in front of her.
"You're right." She admitted. "It is dangerous. In every sense of the word. What I'm trying to do is risky at best. Downright stupid if you look at it from revenue alone, but this is the SDC we're speaking about. I do not, under any circumstance, bow down to anyone. They can scrutinize my actions, rake through every tax return, I'm not afraid of a few people doing the math. Let them see what they want to see...either way, no matter what I do, it'll never be enough."
That sense if defeat clouded over the household.
Yang perfectly recalled the first time her uncle took her out drinking. He'd done it with the expressed intent of getting her drunk, but he'd also done it with a smidgen of cruelty that only he could ever possess. The rock gut whiskey looked as bad as it tasted, and the hangover the next day was terrible. That night, he posed to her a question. Which was worse?
Giving into one's own vices entirely? Or failing to meet the expectations that she needed to?
She'd thought that the answer was simple. Giving into her vices completely would lead to failing at her tasks, or so she had assumed. Thus, it was worse to give in, because that would be welcoming defeat. Her uncle had laughed at the time. Calling her young, and too damn simple for her own good. She blew him off, calling him a drunk idiot…they'd laughed and dropped the subject entirely.
Now she knew better.
The question wasn't about the words he'd said, but rather the words he didn't say. At what point was she giving into her vices entirely? At what point would she fail? What was worse? Struggling, or just giving up? Her uncle, who grappled with his addiction, faced that question daily. He struggled between sobriety and drunken delirium. He maintained his successes on a very precarious perch. His failures loomed over him no matter what he did to rectify them later. No matter what, he had to live with his choices…
So, what was the most bearable?
There rested the question, once again…and Yang knew now, there was no correct answer.
Sooner or later, all hunters had to put away their blades…be it for their health, or their family, or even some other reason entirely. A hunter couldn't hunt forever…all good things came to an end. The same could be said for any good fight worth battling. Something would eventually stop. She too, had put away her license. Had set aside her training, given up on a great many dreams and nightmares alike.
Yet, that was the other little problem. The question could, and would, encompass all of Yang's life. Her choices would color her answers, vocally admitted or not.
Standing in front of Yatsuhashi now, she once again teetered on her own perch that would dictate a large portion of her life going forward. He would either accept her offer, bodily and promiscuous as it was, or he would decline. Either way, the action would not be a victory for her. Even if he accepted her, this was a vice she knew well…and if he declined, she would have failed in her objective…her desire…another dream, dashed to bits.
"Yang?" Yatsuhashi asked with a quiet perplexity, a blush staining his cheeks.
"What's the matter, Yatsu?" She asked. A robe, if one could even call it that, hung open. Revealing to him all of her assets, the simple black covering with ornate red and purple trim dancing around the edges of her form. "I know you've seen naked women before...can't help but see them, going to Beacon like we did. Had two of them on your team, it's unavoidable."
"One might say that when you are dressed like that, you are an intimidation." He replied slowly. "I do not make a habit of...looking..."
"This is how I always dress when I'm in my own room." Yang shrugged, but her grin was shaky at best.
He sighed. "Perhaps, but never in my presence."
"Do you want me to cover up?" She asked, handing him tea. "Carful, it's hot." She warned about the green tea extract that he favored from the far eastern territories. It just so happened that Blake favored the substance as well. When she wasn't caught up in one of the black teas served at breakfast, or the white teas often accompanying dinner, Blake's collection of green tea was fabled to take up half a kitchen shelf. "Blake says this is one of the best."
Due to her pregnancy, and the order to cut caffeine entirely from her diet, Blake had left a surplus of tea untouched. With Blake's recommendation, Yang had taken one of the top-shelf brands. One she would never drink by herself due to the insane price tag. Blake assured her, though, that Yatsuhashi would love it.
He sipped it's slowly. "So it is." But, that was not an answer to her inquiry, and he found himself at a loss. So, what did he think of her exposed form? "You should dress as you wish. In whatever makes you the most comfortable…though, I have always found it best to consider modesty." That she looked absolutely riveting, and breathtakingly beautiful was not something he felt appropriate to say...even if he fought hard to keep his eyes respectfully away from her shapely form.
"That so?"
"Yes." He swallowed, eyes still averted. "It is."
This was not at all what he had envisioned when Yang had invited him to her room. Her sitting room, as private and personal, was Spartan in nature. What little furniture she did have lent itself to be multipurpose. This room particularly lent itself to be quite the den of iniquity. Leather and wood, fiery crimsons, lavish purples, earthy browns and deep golds. A large chest in the back of the room kept toys and rope that would lead a lesser man to weep, if he were ever to catch sight of just what the treasure-trove held.
However, those were truths for another time.
Yang contemplated closing her robe, of ignoring his sideways glances and forced civility as cues. She pushed away the fear that he truly wasn't interested in her. Instead she slid off the robe, crumpled it up, and tossed it at him. "Come on." She said, leading him into her bedroom, which was equally as Spartan, but far less decorated. What furnishing she did have were more reserved, while the walls enjoyed a light lavender coloring. It wasn't anything like the seedier room they'd just came from. "Sit down, get comfortable…"
"Where exactly?" He dared not sit on the only actual piece of furniture in the room that would allow his rump a place to inhabit. He was not a daft man by far, but even he knew when it was best to play the part. If for no other reason than his own modesty and decorum. "Surely you cannot mean…"
"Unless you want to sit on the floor." Yang ruffled through her drawers, pulling out a pair of pajama pants and a shirt. Putting them on, and locking down the amusement she felt as Yatsuhashi affixed his gaze to his warm drink instead of her body. He was too much a gentleman for his own good time times. "You can relax, you know. I don't exactly drag guys back here if I want something out of them."
"But…you do want something…" He replied quietly.
"Don't we all?" She returned, half tossing herself across the bed, head propped with her up by her palm. "You're a good guy, you know…maybe too good. I keep wondering what might happen if you just let yourself go…give up being so careful about everything. Then I realize, that's all you know how to do."
"I beg your pardon?" He finally brought himself to look at her. Truly look at her. Those lilac eyes, so deep, so sincere. Naked, she was a vixen, but he much preferred her in this light. That soft, knowing, and playful smile taking over. There was an innocence to it. He found that more sensual and arousing to his senses than he cared to admit.
"You aren't being this way just because you think it's the right thing to do…you're doing it because deep down, you know that my brand of reckless insanity doesn't really offer you the kind of future you want…but, then again..." Having said that, she shrugged. "We both know it's impossible, that's why we don't muddy the waters with the lives we've already got."
"If you already know that, you understand why decorum must come at the forefront of every action I take." Yatsuhashi murmured. He sipped at his drink, knowing she was expecting more of him. He had nothing else to give.
"Yeah…" Yang said. "I do…"
"I wish, I could afford to be...as you say...reckless." He murmured then. "I know, doing so, would be unwise."
Yang sighed. "Look, the whole stupid 'notch on a bed post' thing is kind of dull anyway. It doesn't exactly live up to the hype."
"I wouldn't know." Yatsuhashi told her.
"Thing is, it's pretty cold here in Atlas, right?" The question was purely rhetorical, but she watched him nod. "Yeah, I think so too...and the nights are pretty damn long. I don't want to have to spend them alone anymore. I just figured you might not want to either...we don't have to label this…whatever this even is…or do anything either..."
"I will stay then, to stave away the loneliness." He said as he placed his mug off to the side. "In the mindset of keeping a friend warm, whilst seeking my own in return."