Sorry for the long wait people! Had a bit of trouble planning some parts out, as well as life being... life. Anyways, I'm sorry to say I will not be doing the scheduled weekly postings anymore unless you want quality of my work to drop. I will still try to release as fast as I can, but a week is too much. Instead, it will be more like bi-weekly to even tri-weekly updates, although I might still update in a week, depending on my muse. Thanks for still following, though, and I'll still continue this story and see it to completion!
And now, for your story! Enjoy and review!
Back at Atlas, team RWBY was living at the Schnee manor for the while. Jacques had initially flinched and held back words of protest when he saw that Blake, a Faunus woman, would be living with them for a brief time, but he had learned to swallow that arrogance before welcoming them in. Whitley, however, scoffed when he saw her. He did, however, keep on trying to find some private time alone with Ruby. He tried to persuade her with flowers at first, before finding it ineffective. He then switched to jewelry and other fashionable items, only to find it just as useless.
"I don't get it!" shouted Whitley in his own room, "Why can't I seduce her!?"
He had been very displeased to learn that Weiss would still retain the heiress position even though she was going to be part of a harem. He thought for sure that she would have to surrender the right and he would receive the title of heir to the company, but apparently, since Jaune was given the title 'Hero of Vale', it was good enough to continue the Schnee line. Whitley growled, trying to imagine him as his brother-in-law. If anyone should have a harem, it should be him! Even if he didn't inherit the Glyph Semblance, he still had the necessary genes to pass it on.
In the Atlas Academy gym, team RWBY was having a meeting while working out.
"Weiss, your brother's nice and all, but he's starting to get on my nerves," complained Ruby as she jogged on the treadmill, wearing a red gym bralette and shorts.
"It seems that he doesn't get that you're not interested in him," commented Blake, doing some advanced stretches with a black gym bralette and briefs.
"My little brother has a tendency to be stubborn when he wants something," explained Weiss, who was doing some bicep curls, wearing a white gym shirt and shorts.
"Well, tell him to back off. Ruby's already claimed, just like all of us," snorted Yang as she continued bench pressing 270 pounds while wearing a yellow gym bralette and briefs.
"That's the problem. He doesn't care, and if finesse doesn't work, he might use brute force," sighed Weiss.
"Well, he better learn, otherwise I'll break his face," said Yang, "Make it so he'll have to wear Whitley Tighties."
Everyone groaned at that, with Blake even adding "You've gotten so desperate for puns…" before Weiss decided to change the subject.
"So, are you ready for your surgery tomorrow?" asked Weiss.
"Yeah. Can't wait to break in the new combat arm," grinned Yang.
"YEAH! I designed my Sis's arm to be the best there is!" cheered Ruby.
As the two sisters cheered, Blake whispered to Weiss' ear, "Guess we should be glad your little brother doesn't know Ruby prefers cookies and weapons over flowers and jewelry."
Weiss could only nod in reply, thankful that Whitley didn't understand Huntresses, especially Ruby. She swore to herself that she would help keep Whitley away from Ruby if she didn't want him. She didn't want Jaune to suffer another heartbreak when she broke his heart.
The four of them finished their workout and headed towards the showers to clean up. While showering, Yang was cupping her breasts and checking for any bumps, proudly realizing there weren't any before letting them drop down and bounce a bit, when she noticed that the Mate Mark was on Blake's chest.
"You managed to get Jaune to give you the Mate Mark!?" shouted Yang in surprise. Ruby and Weiss quickly ran over just to see it in plain view. A bit embarrassed, Blake covered her chest before admitting that it was real.
"Wait, that means... when you went back home in Kuo Kuana, you did it with him!" accused Weiss.
"What juicy things did you two do? Spill!" demanded Yang, even though she got a general idea already from Jaune.
"Yang, did you get one too when you two did it?" asked Ruby.
Now both Blake and Weiss were staring at Yang, who was looking embarrassed now that Ruby had exposed her.
"You did it too? What's next Ruby? Am I the only one who hasn't done it?" cried Weiss a bit hysterical.
"Eww. Weiss, I just hit 16. I think it's way too early for me," replied Ruby.
"To answer the question, no, Jaune didn't mark me. I was ready to have sex, but not the marking yet," answered Yang.
"Why not?" asked Blake.
"...Don't get me wrong, I love him, and you better believe that the sex was great. It's just... I didn't feel like I was worthy of it yet," answered Yang, "I wanted to wait till I break in the new arm before sealing the deal. It's also a big deal, you know. Wanted to make sure I was really ready, not to pull a runner, like Raven."
Everyone nodded in acknowledgment before finishing up. When they got one, Weiss and Ruby both left to get redressed, and Yang decided to tease her partner by sneaking up on her and cupping her breasts, playing with them. Blake yelped in surprise before moaning.
"Did Jaune play with these? And have they grow a bit bigger?" Yang asked as she squeezed Blake's breasts.
"Yang!" Blake mewled before letting out a moan.
"Want to make it even? You can play with mine." Yang offered the blushing Faunus, who didn't quite know how to answer that yet.
It was late at night, and most of the people residing in the Schnee manor was asleep. All except for Yang. She looked up to the shattered moon before getting out of her bed, as she couldn't sleep. She got dressed and walked out of the room, walking to the main entrance of the manor.
"Is something wrong, Miss Xiao Long?"
Yang turned around to see Klein with a cup of tea on his hand.
"Would you like a cup of tea to ease your nerves?" asked Klein.
Yang thanked him, sipping on the tea before finishing it.
"I… I just need some air," said Yang, "I'll be back."
"I can't allow you to go alone," said Klein, "Give me a minute. I'll come with you. I can guide you around Atlas for a bit."
Yang thanked him, and a minute later, Klein was driving Yang to a nearby nightclub. Yang went inside and ordered a strawberry sunrise before looking around.
"Well ah'll be, ah didn't expect to see you here."
Yang turned around to see Dandy now sitting next to her, ordering a drink. The two sat there drinking for a bit, talking about their team when Yang remembered Dandy also had a robotic arm.
"Dandy? Can you... tell me more about your arm. And what you went through, if you don't mind?"
This surprised the Faunus, but taking account that she too lost her right arm, he couldn't blame her. "Sure can," Dandy began, taking a sip of his drink "Ah'm guessing you're havin' the same jitters as ah did before, maybe worse." This got a small yet hesitant nod from Yang, and with that Dandy began to tell her how he lost his arm.
"It all started back when me and mah team went to Kuo Kyo Hot Spring Summit when we were just first years like ya team and Jaunes! We were tasked with clearing out the underground cave that tha water for the hotspring ran through...apparently ah couple of Grimm got in there preventing the workers to fix the problem that was plugging up the natural water flow...ah team from Haven was sent there, but they never came back out...so they requested Atlas for the help since Haven wasn't sending any others to help not wanting to risk loosing any other teams…" Dandys eyes looked down at his drink, a small yet sad frown formed on his face
"Ah remember the cave being dark, water fell from the ceiling above us and you could clearly hear it do to how quiet it was. Too quiet if yah ask me. Ah was in the front, guiding mah team behind me using lightning dust to light the way with mah cane's disco ball. Soul stood behind me, his weapon in its sword form, Coral behind him trying to keep everything less eerie, while Onyx took tha back to prevent any Grimm flanking us. As we made our way deeper into the cave, we well...found the team that was sent in before us...or at least what was left of them." Dandy took a quick drink of his drink, hoping to gain a small boost in continuing the story.
"A severed arm on the ground, a leg impaled on one of the stalagmites, the complete lower half of a female body straight ahead, but the worst of all...not to far ahead past the torso, you could hear the sickening crunch of something crunching bone. Ah tell yeah...it was by far one of the worst things ah seen in mah life…"
Yang couldn't help but down her own drink as well, she couldn't imagine seeing that, but who can blame them...this was their life now, huntress and hunters, they possibly see these things everyday out in the field. It's what they are trained for after all, to prepare them against the Grimm and now mostly human threats too.
"Seeing how we had to move closer to the source of the sound and help the lives lost there rest peacefully in the afterlife, I shined mah weapon towards the sound. What we saw would not only haunt mah life forever, but also cement mah team's choice on being Hunters. Straight ahead, feasting upon the corpse of possibly the final member of the lost team was an Alpha Komolania, ah doubt you might know what those are since you wouldn't be learning about those till your second semester, but Komolania's also known as Skull crawlers, are a rare breed of Grimm known to stay within caves since they can climb up walls and cling to ceilings. It's a giant four legged lizard that almost looks like the non-Grimm version of the Komodo dragons found in Vacuo. The only difference between the two is that the Komolania are far more venomous and vicious than the regular animal. They may be slow, but they are extremely dangerous since one bite without Aura no matter tha area, it's venomous bacteria would quickly spread throughout your blood system and kill you within the hour...but considering it was an Alpha, no doubt the poison would kill someone within the 5 minutes they are bitten." This was where Dandy placed his right arm on the table, taking off his glove staring right at it.
So many memories filled his mind at that point. Sighing as he turned his head back towards her, a serious gaze within his eyes.
"Now tha smart thing to do was to leave, to run away and inform ah more professional hunter team to take the beast out...but if we did, no doubt there'd be ah massacre if the Grimm followed us outside. We had no other choice but to fight tha beast head on." That is when he started telling her about the fight.
Flashback, 1 and a half years ago.
"Dandy we need to leave! We can't take on an Alpha of this level!" Soul informed their team leader grabbing onto his shoulder to try and turn him away from the horror in front of the team. But he wouldn't budge, instead, he heard Dandy's hand tighten around his weapon, from what Soul could see with his left red eye, pure rage was on their leader's face, and he couldn't blame him either. Considering the poor soul that was currently being feasted on by the giant lizard was a Faunus girl, nothing but pure horror was left on the girl's lifeless corpse, her eyeliner smudged from the now dry tears that used to flow from her eyes.
The Grimm was too busy feeding on the body that it didn't care that there was prey behind it, it made Dandy think that even though it was an alpha, the Grimm considered his team weak, something by far he would not stand by.
"No.." Was all Dandy said, his voice stern and serious, he wasn't even using his accent he likes to speak in, he was dead serious at this point.
"But Dandy we need to-"
"I SAID NO SOUL!" Dandy didn't even turn away from the sight, but his voice was raised that it echoed throughout the cave. "Even if we could run right now, no doubt the Grimm would follow us to the entrance...it would be a massacre if this Grimm got outside to the resort. Even if it didn't follow us, no doubt the Alpha would find its way out eventually. It must have been hibernating this entire time within these caves and undisturbed until whatever caused the rockfall that plugged up the stream woke this bastard up."
Turning to face his team with a side glance, they could see the pure hatred and anger within their leader's eye, when Dandy was angry, all hell broke loose "It's our duty as hunters to fight the Grimm...and I will NOT RUN AWAY! I won't let the only remains of the fallen team be eaten just so there's nothing left to give back to their families...I'm not some cowardly lion, and I refuse to ever be one! Now..you 3 can get out of here if you want...but I'm staying."
Before Dandy could shrug off Soul's hand off his shoulder, Souls grip tightened stopping him.
"Soul I said let-"
"We aren't leaving without you...which is why we're staying. Ain't that right guys?"
Dandy slowly turned his head, to be greeted with a thumbs up from Coral, and a small smile from Onyx.
"That's right! No way we leaving you behind! We're in it to win it!" Coral shouted with glee before Onyx gave a small nod.
"What would DSCO be without the disco ball? That and we did made a promise to become the top performers on the first night together mate, it wouldn't be the same without ya."
Before Dandy could thank his team, the Grimm gave off a low growl slowly turning its massive long body. This is where Dandy turned his attention back to the Grimm and began shouting out orders "Ok thanks later, fight now! Onyx set up your weapon and provide us support, Coral you make sure the Grimm keeps away from Onyx! Me and Soul will do the damage while Onyx boosts us!"
With a quick roger, Onyx and Coral made their way a bit away, with Onyx setting up his Shield in its table mode, once the old record player came out from the middle, Onyx connected himself to his weapon and started playing music from his weapon. If they were gonna fight this thing, they were gonna need one of the strength and speed booster songs Onyx had.
(Play Electro Swing; Grant Lazlo -Jericho)
Suddenly two Aura strings colored a mixture of red and yellow came from the record player and made their way towards Dandy and Soul. Once the string was connected, their entire bodies became covered in an orangish like Aura. They felt far stronger than they did before. As the beast finally turned fully around they could see the blood that stained its bone plated jaws.
Soul scoffed at the beast as he turned his weapon in its ranged form ready to play and shoot ranged shots at the Grimm "If we don't make it out alive, then it's been a pleasure rocking with you guys.."
Dandy just let out a low chuckle as he twirled his cane, the giant disco ball glowing a light blue to show ice dust was gonna be used. "Ah wouldn't be counting hah chicken that has yet to hatch Soul...we gonna get out of this alive even if it's tha last thing ah do!" With that said, Dandy leaped into the air and detached the giant blue ball off his cane slamming it into the ground, it caused a few cracks in the ground, before multiple Ice spikes began shooting up from the ground straight towards the Grimm. This was the start of the battle that would forever change Team DSCO's views of the world and a certain Lion Faunus forever.
"Ah tell ya…..that Grimm was no pushover, it did ah real number on us, everyone was low on Aura, including me. Things were rough...but in the end, we were able to defeat it.." Dandy said as he had gone over the details of the battle that occurred.
"How'd you guys defeat it?" Yang questioned as he had yet to tell her had to lose his arm. Surely it must have been bitten off and that was it...Right?
"Well...it took a while but, we managed to kill it, but not without ah price.." Dandys eyes seemed to have darkened a bit and he took one more quick drink before telling her how he lost his arm.
10 minutes later since the battle first started.
It was hard, with the way things were going they may be killed before they could even finish off the Komolania. They did quite a number on it, sure they managed to cause deep gashes, possibly fractured bones in its body, or even temporary hearing loss, it still wasn't enough! They were all extremely low on Aura, and Onyx couldn't use his semblance since he was nearly out of Aura, Coral was running out of breath and he only had a few shouts left. Soul's hooded jacket was slashed up exposing most of the scars he has had over the years, and showing that some of his chain that came out of his sweater looked almost like it was wrapped around his body, it was hard to tell really.
As for Dandy, he was missing quite a bit of his Afro, considering he had a few close calls with getting his own head chomped on. Luckily the Alpha didn't know about style of a massive Afro, since his own guess it thought his Afro was more of his head just looking differently. A giant chunk of his hair was gone making his Afro look like the moon above Remnants night sky, just without the remain pieces of moon rock floating nearby the crater that is. Not only that but he lost his golden vest since the Grimm got in a good scratch at his back. Luckily his aura protected him but there's not much to say for the vests. There was no way they could defeat it. Unless…
"Guys! Provide me covering fire! I know how to defeat it!" Dandy shouted wasting no time rushing toward the beast, twirling his cane as he did.
None of them had a chance to protest against him running towards the Grimm. Providing the covering fire he needed with Soul playing the strings on his guitar as fast as he could firing ice dust at the creature, Coral shouting his last few shouts, and finally Onyx putting his weapon in shield form and blasting sound waves towards the Grimm.
As much as a pain the three were being towards the Grimm, it still focused on Dandy and crawled run towards him opening its jaw to get ready to bite him. When Dandy got close enough, the Grimm lunged forward and just before it hit Dandy, he jumped up at the last second, stepping on the Grimms head and with one powerful swing, swung his disco ball up from his cane all the way to the top of the ceiling. The disco ball was flowing a deep orange, showing that Dandy was using explosive dust, and judging by how bright it was glowing, he was using all of it!
Just as the disco ball made contact with the ceiling about to explode, Dandy felt his legs be suddenly tugged back towards the ground. The Grimm after being lightly stepped on, leaned its body back and grabbed dandys legs with its mouth, swinging its body back down with Dandy in tow slamming him into the ground as the ceiling exploded from the disco ball. He lost his grip on his weapon when he was flung down and hit the ground hard. His Aura was barely hanging on at that point.
"DANDY!" His team shouted as they went full on sprint to save their leader as the Grimm looked down and was about to do the finishing blow before suddenly the save started shaking and rocks began falling. This stopped everyone including the Grimm. This gave enough time for Dandy to kick jump off the floor and turn around breaking into a sprint. Not even caring about his weapon.
"EVERYONE RUN!" The cave was caving in. And with how many giant stalagmites there were not even the Alpha would be able to stop them from impaling it. If it was gonna die...looking towards the retreating humans. It was gonna take them with it! Giving one final roar and using all of its leg strength it chased after them.
"YOU ARE CRAZY!" Soul shouted as Dandy caught up to them due to his long legs.
"Ah maybe crazy but it's our final resort! Ah ain't letting mah team die from a Grimm!"
"So you rather have us die from a cave in?!" Soul shot back.
"We ain't gonna die! Now quit yah complain and keep running!"
"I swear if we get out of this alive I'm gonna-" Before Soul could finish he felt a strong grip on his arm and seen Dandy grabbing ahold of him before suddenly tossing him forward. He was about to shout why he did that, but when he turned back as he flew towards his two teammates, his eyes widen in horror upon seeing what was happening. The Alpha had caught up to him and without even hearing it getting that close it was about to bite down on him...that was until Dandy intervened and threw him towards Coral and Onyx.
When Soul turned to see what happened and why Dandy threw him, he saw just in time for Dandy to bring up his right arm to stop the jaws from clamping down towards his head. But upon his arm being bitten his aura shattered and the teeth of the Grimm bit into his arm, blood splitting everywhere.
"GRAAAAAAAAAAAH!" A scream of pain anyone would have never heard unless they were there echoed throughout the cave, stopping the rest of DSCO in their tracks.
"DANDY!" Just before the team could go back, giant stalagmites and rocks from the ceiling started falling down, the giant stalagmites and rocks from the ceiling started falling down, the giant stalagmites fell right on top of the grim, impaling the dark beast causing it to shriek in pain letting Dandy's arm go, that was there once chance. Soul who quickly used the last bits of his aura used his semblance and unraveled his chain, he had one shot at this. Taking his aim as quick as he could, he threw his chain right onto Dandy's bloody right arm.
"Forgive me bud" Soul muttered before yanking as hard and quickly as he could, even though Dandy shouted in pain once more from the tug it was for him own good to both get him over to them faster and have onyx use his shield to cover themselves from being hit by any rocks, and stop the poison from spreading out from his arm. After Dandy was right next to them laying on the ground, Onyx held up his shield above his team, and with the help of both Soul and Coral they manage to help Onyx hold up the shield. It took roughly 6 minutes til the rock fall came to an end. The Grimm was slowly evaporating after being killed from impalement.
Souls chain was still wrapped tightly around Dandy's arm however although it did prevent the poison from spreading, the poison had already spread out through his entire arm below the chain. The veins were colored a dark green, while the blood that leaked from the holes made by the teeth were also colored green. This was bad, very bad.
"Dandy hang in there buddy! We're gonna get you outta here!" Soul shouted as he kneeled before his fallen teammate, Dandy's breathing was quick and shallow, but he was still conscious.
(Dandy backstory was written by TheMischieviousPuppyDog)
"The poison hurt like ah bitch...not too mention the bite wounds in my arm...if it wasn't for Soul wrapping his chain around my arm, the poison would have already spread out to most of my body. Sadly even if my team were to try and take me outside to get medical help, I wouldn't have made it...so there was only one thing we could do."
"Amputation…" Yang asked as Dandy simply nodded in return.
"It wasn't a pleasant feeling...especially for my partner Soul since he was the one who had to amputate my arm with his weapon since it was the sharpest and strongest. Sadly it took 3 swings until the arm came off, it would have taken one but I can't blame Soul, after all, he was the one cutting off the arm of his team leader and partner...sure it was to save my life, but having to do that to your own partner is something no one will never forget…Ah tell ya, it was one of the most painful experiences I've ever had in my life. Just know even though you lost yah arm, it ain't that bad, knowing how you like to punch things, the arm packs quite the punch and is able to lift much more heavier things." Dandy stated as he took one more swig of his drink. Yang couldn't help but look down at her own drink, just imagining having to do something similar to one of her own teammates, Oum forbid her own sister or Jaune.
"Wow," said Yang, "Thanks for the talk."
"Mah pleasure for a beautiful girl like you," replied Dandy.
"Why are you hitting on me?" asked Yang flirtatiously.
"Nope, just statin' the truth," said Dandy, "I have no desire of stealin' one of Jaune's girls, especially after he done saved my precious sunflower of a cousin Nala and that display of power."
"Dandy! C'mon, let's dance!"
They both turned to see Neon skating up to them. She noticed Yang and pointed at her in surprise.
"You!? What are you doing here? Are you here to steal my man?"
"My team is transferring for the semester while Beacon gets fixed," replied Yang, "And your man?"
Neon sat next to Dandy and leaned on him. Their tails intertwined as Neon cuddled him.
"Yep. There was an incident right after Yule Tide, and events lead after that lead to us dating," answered Dandy with a grin.
"Grats to you then," said Yang as she lifted her drink to them. Dandy returned the gesture and drank up.
The next day, Yang was ready for her surgery. She was wearing a hospital gown as she laid on the operating table with the best doctors the Schnee could afford.
"Let's do this," said Yang with confidence.
"Good to see your confident," said the lead surgeon, "Don't worry. This surgery on your arm will be armless."
"Was that pun made of paper?" frowned Yang, "Because it was tearable!"
"Alright, I'm pumping the gas," said the anesthesiologist, "I don't want to hear the patient and lead surgeon trading puns right now."
As Yang fell asleep, the lead surgeon looked at his crew, "Aww c'mon. It was just armless fun."
Everyone groaned and facepalmed. "Must be a coping mechanism." One of the nurses whispered to the surgeon.
The rest of team RWBY was sitting in the waiting room, just waiting for the news. Winter had arrived to show support. After the battle of Beacon, she had been recalled back to Atlas just in case whoever Cinder answered to tried to attack Atlas.
While waiting, Whitley showed up, carrying a box of cookies. It had taken him hours of spying, or reconnaissance and research as he would put it, but he had finally figured out that Ruby wasn't like the other girls he had falling for his dashing looks and money. Instead, she was like an excited child who just so happened to be a skilled fighter who was very deadly with a weapon. Obviously, she was not as mature as he was, but given their difference in upbringing, it was understandable.
"I brought cookies for you guys while you're all waiting," announced Whitley, opening the box and offering it to Ruby first. It seemed like he was just offering it to the first person near him, but Weiss and Winter could read him like an open book. He was trying to hit on Ruby again.
"Thanks," said Ruby distractedly while reading a weapons magazine she had bought as she grabbed one and took a bite.
Whitley grinned; with these cookies, she would surely fall for him. They were quite expensive to purchase, made from finest materials, with the best chef and machinery, these cookies would surely ensnare her. He himself had tried one and found them delicious. Add to that, they were healthier than all other cookies. Whitley was sure that Ruby was one who watched her health and what she ate. These oatmeal raisin cookies would surely-
"Bleh!"
Ruby spat out the cookie she bit into, "Oatmeal Raisin! Disgusting! Die! DIE! DIE! Whitley, you've forever become enemy number one for bringing me these cookies!"
She stomped on the cookie before rushing out of the hospital in hopes of finding a cookie store and buying real cookies to wash off the taste of what she just ate. Whitley stood there, shocked at what just happened while Weiss took some for Blake, Winter, and herself. They all bit into it and found it quite delicious, but Weiss and Blake already knew what was wrong. Their leader HATED oatmeal raisin cookies and deemed them as 'fake' cookies. It seemed like Whitley had yet to learn why, but they weren't going to bother telling him.
Winter frowned for a bit before taking Whitley aside for a little talk. She did not want a member of the Schnee family to be seen as a playboy and someone who steals other people's girlfriends or wife. Especially since Jaune had the power to beat the shit out of him for doing so, and none of the girls would lift a finger to help prevent it.
Jacques leaned back in his seat, taking the time to relax a little and enjoy a cup of coffee Klein had brought in. Apparently, the suggestion Weiss made to allow his workers a day off and a dinner worked wonders. They were now happier with their work stations and there had been a 4% increase in profits in the monthly sales. According to people, it made him seem more... humane? People were more willing to buy SDC products than relying on others. As he hummed, he remembered a memo he received from his other wealthy businessmen, reminding him about the charity fund for Vale that he had set up. He thought to himself on how to bring up the SDC reputation up. Perhaps a performance with his daughter singing once more before hosting a banquet, with items for sale such as paintings. All proceeds would go to helping Vale... after taking a bit of it to fund the charity itself. He pressed the intercom button to notify Klein.
"Klein. Please inform my daughter to come to my study as soon as possible."
A second later, Klein replied, "Of course. But Miss Schnee will be out all day, as it is her teammate's surgery day."
"Ah, that's right," murmured Jacques, "Never mind then. I will message her to see me later."
Yang woke up, feeling a bit drowsy. She put her right hand on her forehead for a bit before she realized something. She could feel her right arm! She looked at it to see a beautifully crafted arm attached to her right stump. She could feel her right hand again!
"Ah. Good morning Miss Xiao Long."
She looked to see the lead surgeon in front of her bed, reading off something in the chart in front of him.
"As you can see, your new arm has been attached. Your surgery to remove those wilted nerves has been successful, as well as the integration process. You can thank Dr. Merlot's research for that. There seem to be no problems at the moment, but we'll have to have you do a few tests for us to make sure it won't malfunction in a fight."
"No problem," grinned Yang as she admired her new arm. It had been painted yellow, most likely because of Ruby. She went to grab a cup of water on the side, but accidentally crushed it, using too much force.
"Uh... whoops?" sweated Yang, looking at all the water on her mechanical hand.
"No worries. We've also made sure that it's waterproof, so feel free to get it wet. But that is why we do need you to go through a bit of rehabilitation. To make sure you can control it. Plus, there are a few more…. tools inside that arm of yours. Courtesy of your sister, I believe." said the lead surgeon, "Speaking of which, I should let her in."
He opened the door, and a red blur dashed right past him, tackling Yang.
"Yang! How's the new arm? Do you like it? Do you, do you? I-," Ruby started to babble until Yang got tired and flicked her forehead with her left hand, causing her to pout in pain.
"It's good," smiled Yang, "Though I expect my little sister to tell me everything she's put into this arm of mine."
"Of course!" replied Ruby, "Come, let's get to the testing arena!"
And with that, she dragged her towards the testing center.
"Least you won't be disarmed of your weapon now!" called the surgeon, causing everyone who heard to facepalm while Yang chuckled.
"You want me to perform?"
Weiss was in her father's study when he announced he was holding a charity concert in two weeks, where she would perform. He mentioned that despite the fact Vale had survived and that the true culprits had been exposed, many people still blamed Atlas for what happened to Beacon due to the hacking of the Knights. So what better way to remind them that his daughter, the heiress to the SDC, had been there, helping to defend another Kingdom. Seeing her father's gaze, she decided to agree. Even if her father had been more.. relaxed, he was still the same person. He loved his daughter, but he was always trying to think of ways to cut costs or maximize profits. His latest ideas of bringing the reputation of the SDC up was mostly due to Winter and her prodding him to look more humane. At least this would help fund Vale.
As Weiss closed the door, Jacques leaned back in his chair. He frowned at himself. He was doing the same thing as in the past when he swore he tried to be a little better, more... 'humane'. He could tell Weiss was upset, and after the White Fang had actively targeted her daughters, he promised to be kinder to them. It was difficult for him to accept the fact that both her daughters were in the front lines, fighting for others. But he could not deny them the right to fight, as they had inherited the glyph Semblance. His father-in-law, their grandfather, Nicholas Schnee, was a businessman and a Huntsman, juggling both at the same time, and he still molded the SDC to what it was today. And Weiss was following in her honorable grandfather's name.
"I suppose I should tell her she can invite her team to watch and attend the banquet after," muttered Jacques, "Maybe I can get Jaune Ryu-Long to attend, too. I can have a ship pick him up or he can just fly here. That would help with the publicity. Hero of Vale, attending an Atlas banquet that will raise money for Vale. Would certainly get the people and paparazzi off Atlas, spouting conspiracy theories."
With that in mind, he dialed for Jaune's number. They had traded numbers after that family meeting.
She left his study just to encounter Klein with a cup of coffee ready. Klein was never one to mince words and cheered her up after telling her his jokes. If Klein was honest, out of the Schnee family, he loved Weiss the most. Winter was a close second, followed by Jacques by a long margin. Whitley was at the bottom, and he was about... the same distance from Vacuo to Mistral from third place.
Weiss went back to her room, where Blake was there reading her books as usual.
"Something wrong?" asked Blake, noticing Weiss' demeanor.
"My father wants me to sing in a charity concert," sighed Weiss, "I should've expected this. He even said it back when we were still at Vale. Even if he has approved my relationship with Jaune and let me keep my title, he's still the same greedy person inside. Everything he does is to make himself and the company look better. The only good thing is that he's doing slightly better now."
"Can't have everything," replied Blake, "The fact that the all-mighty Jacques Schnee, the ones the White Fang paint as a devil in human skin, actually decided to give his Faunus workers a day off and an all expense paid dinner is a miracle."
"I know," pouted Weiss, "And the fact was that Winter and I were the ones who had convinced him to do so. If it wasn't for the fact I was dating Jaune, I know he'd just ignore it."
Suddenly, the door opened to reveal Klein with a tray of salmon slices on crackers. Before he could do anything, the dish disappeared from his tray and found its way next to Blake.
"Well, that saves me from walking," chuckled Klein, "Miss Schnee, your father wanted to tell you that you can invite your teammates to the concert and banquet. Although if Miss Belladonna is to attend, I would highly suggest she wear a bowtie to cover her cat ears. The company your father keeps is not exactly... understanding of the Faunus. As for dresses, Mr. Ryu-Long has already offered to cover any expenses for it. He sends his apologies that he is unable to attend, and hopes you have a nice time."
With that, he left, but not before bringing a fresh pot of tea for the both of them he had placed on the side.
"You know, your butler is very nice," commented Blake.
"I know," smiled Weiss, "He's taken care of all of us as long as I remember. And to be honest, I think he likes me the best."
The two of them chuckled before passing the time with a bit more gossip.
Two weeks later, Weiss was preparing herself for the concert. Blake had decided to attend, although she was wearing a bowtie for her disguise. Ruby and Yang declined, saying that they needed the time to make sure the arm proved no problem for her to use. Ruby had made so many new designs. The whole arm was made of Vibranium, as well as the hand, but the hand could be detached if Yang needed to clean the joints inside. The inside had a few stainless steel screws to make sure it held in place. A civilian model arm was also made if Yang ever wanted to use it for normal purposes, like cooking. For the civilian arm, it was made of steel, copper, and foam for reducing impacts inside, and wrapped in fake skin that made her arm look real, as long as she wore sleeves over the connector. Blake decided to wait and watch in the backstage, rather than sit near Jacques and Whitley Schnee, even if Winter was there.
"And now, introducing Weiss Schnee."
Weiss stepped out into the stage, wearing her new pale gray strapless long dress, with slits to show her legs. She also wore an ornate necklace with sapphires in the middle. A long sleeved shrug completed her dress. She took a deep breath and started to sing a song she had composed beforehand.
This Life is Mine-Opera Version
The audience politely after she had finished her song. Weiss looked to her family and saw that though her whole family was clapping, only Whitley was doing it sarcastically again.
They were soon all at the banquet hall. Blake had worn a black halter long dress to the banquet and was currently next to Weiss and her family as Jacques was talking with some other bigwigs. Whitley looked like he was excited as he was paying attention to the conversation. Winter had already left to seek General Ironwood. Ironwood had made the decision to retire from being the headmaster as he felt like he could do more good in the military than raising Huntsmen and Huntresses, and so his time wouldn't have to be divided between the two. He did, however, spare some time to give lectures about strategies to the Academy.
"I mean, look at you," said the businessman Jacques was talking to, "You, out of all people, gave your workers time off and an all-expense paid dinner."
"It wasn't much," replied Jacques modestly, "I felt like it was time."
"I think our society as a whole could do well to follow that example," continued the businessman.
"You mean Atlas?" scoffed Jacques.
Weiss, already getting bored of this conversation, looked over to see a painting of Beacon Academy with the CTC still standing. She missed those days and looked forward to heading back to Beacon when it was fully repaired. Blake saw her gaze and patted her on the shoulder, fully agreeing with her.
The businessman continued his topic, "Atlas, Mantle... You can't deny the economic disparity between the two."
"I mean, what exactly are you suggesting?" asked the businesswoman.
Weiss started to leave, hoping to go anywhere but here when her father suddenly grasped her arm without even turning. While the businessman was talking about compensation and opportunity, Jacques turned to face her.
"Where are you going?" Jacques hissed.
Seeing Weiss's meek expression, Blake intervened, "We were going to give our regards to General Ironwood as well as seek out information on who the new headmaster is at Atlas Academy. We want to know a bit more information before we head there for our 2nd year.
Jacque's expression softened a little before letting her go.
"Just... be back soon, alright?"
"Of course, father," said Weiss before she left with Blake.
Jacques turned his attention back to the conversation while Whitley glanced at the two girls. He had hoped the Ruby would've come, but apparently trying to make sure Yang was all right was a higher priority. He sighed as he continued to plot other ways to get Ruby to fall for him. Maybe he could also sample her sister while he was at it. He had to admit, Yang had some killer curves… and a rather nice chest.
Jacques made a joke of being the good guy again, causing the other two he was conversing with to laugh.
Weiss and Blake were standing in front of the painting, The two of them barely had a chance to gaze at it until a voice called out to them.
"It's beautiful... You three match."
A man about the same age as them leaned on the railing. In the girls' opinion, he looked like a shitty version of Neptune.
Weiss crossed her arms, maintaining a cold expression before responding, "Yes, it's a lovely painting."
Blake was doing the same thing, except her breasts was a bit more pronounced, causing the man to stare at her for a little, "It's quite nice."
"So, that was my attempt at breaking the ice. How am I doing so far?" asked the man.
Weiss sighed before responding, "You are leaving a lot to be desired."
The man cringed a bit before responding, "Well, I've always appreciated honesty." He offered his hand before introducing himself as Henry Marigold.
Weiss turned around before lightly placing her fingers across his for a very loose handshake before introducing herself. Henry did the same thing for Blake, and her response was the same.
"I know, I saw your performance," said Henry towards Weiss before berating himself, "Obviously." He cleared his throat to continue, "You were wonderful. And I promise I'm not just saying that 'cause you're pretty. Though I'm not saying you're not pretty either, Blake."
Weiss turned her attention back to the painting in silence, while Blake replied, "I already have a boyfriend if that's your attempt in flirting with me."
Henry sputtered a bit before apologizing and turning his attention back to Weiss, who was still silent. He tried a different topic, turning to the painting in hopes of sparking something interesting. Of course, when he showed his complete ineptitude to read why the money was being raised for, both girls gave him an even colder glare.
"Get. Out," said Weiss with anger in her voice.
Before Henry could say anything, a hand landed on his shoulder.
"I think you should leave before you upset these girls further. And clearly, you can't read when the reason for the painting is stated right in front of you, as well as why this banquet is being held on both the invite and the entrance."
Henry turned around to see a hand pointing at the small pedestal in front of the painting, stating that all the proceeds would go to the Kingdom of Vale. Blushing in embarrassment, Henry left.
"I hope he wasn't bothering you two."
Weiss and Blake looked in surprised to see someone they recognized.
"Onyx? What brings you here?" asked Weiss.
"I was invited," replied Onyx, "My uncle is also one of the big wigs here. I don't really like to be here, though. As Dandy would say it, most of these pricks have a log the size of the CTC up their ass."
Blake and Weiss both giggled before scolding him about proper conduct.
"I hang with Dandy and Soul. They're gonna rub off me easily," grinned Onyx.
"That's true," snorted Blake.
"I suppose you have the bowtie just in case these guys get... rude?" asked Onyx. Blake nodded in agreement.
Weiss had closed her eyes to relax, letting conversations wash over her when she heard one the caught her attention. It wasn't hard, either, as the voice stood out in both loudness and the topic.
"But really, does it come as any surprise, what happened to Vale? It was a long time coming, if you ask me," scoffed a woman. She was clearly dressed in the best clothes, with heavy makeup and a beauty mark on the right, below her eye. Weiss, who had turned her attention towards her, could clearly she was a trophy wife.
The husband tried to shush her, but she shook it off, forcing him to give a nervous grin while he glanced around the room, hoping nobody listening.
"What?" laughed the trophy wife, "You said the same thing last night. If they're so arrogant to think they can get by without proper kingdom defense, then I say good riddance."
Weiss twitched and was about to yell at her when she felt Onyx's hand on her shoulder.
"Don't. It's not worth it. Both of you," said Onyx calmly.
Weiss turned around to see Blake was also very tempted to call that woman out. Both of them huffed and turned away while the lady kept her rant up, getting louder and louder.
"And that freak with wings! The one they call 'Hero of Vale'. Nothing but a Faunus that Vale was lucky to have. We should have him locked up and dissected to see what we can learn. He's not a hero, just a -"
"SHUT UP!"
The room fell silent as everyone stared at the source of the voice. It had been both Weiss and Blake. Both of them were unwilling to let Jaune's name be slandered by someone who didn't know anything. Onyx was also glaring at the said lady.
"Excuse me?" asked the trophy wife, angry that her rant had been interrupted.
"Weiss?" asked Jacques, unsure what was happening. He had been busy with his conversation. Though the boy beside her right now seemed a bit familiar.
"You don't have a clue! And what give you the right to insult Jaune Ryu-Long?" screamed Weiss.
"Hmph, that riff-raff?" replied the trophy wife. The husband, recognizing that this subject was something that shouldn't be discussed in public, tried to pull her back, but she shrugged him off.
"He's just a barbarian with no sense of nobility," sneered the trophy wife, "I bet he'd sell himself to the highest bidder, and it just so happened to be Vale. Otherwise, why didn't he stop the whole thing in the first place? He probably stood at the side, waiting for someone like Ozpin to give him the highest price at the last minute before jumping in to show off. He should've been killed. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if he helped plan the attack!" At the sides, some of the people seemed to be agreeing with the lady's rant, angering Blake. How dare they insult her mate!
"You know nothing!" growled Blake, jumping into the conversation, "Jaune Ryu-Long is an honorable man who wouldn't have done that. The only reason he came late was because he had been ambushed by others trying to kill him."
"Of course you would cover for him," scoffed the trophy woman, "After, freaks need to stick together, right Faunus?"
With that, she snatched the bow and pulled. Blake had been shocked to find her disguise exposed so easily that she dodged the lady's hand too late. The lady had tried to grab her cat ears and pull, but missed and grabbed the ribbon instead, revealing her ears.
"You think you can fool me? The wife of the current Delaney patriarch? Our company is in charge of many exports and imports, meaning we have to deal with your kind quite often. Freak. I'm surprised you managed to sneak in at all. Guards! Get this freak out of here and into somewhere she belongs, like a whorehouse!"
With that, she tried to slap Blake, only to find a glowing armored hand grabbing her wrist. She looked up to see a fully materialized knight with its word on its back. It was the armored knight Weiss had fought, and she had successfully summoned it in its entirety. When she heard Mrs. Delaney insult Blake, she didn't hold back. She had summoned a glyph into her hand before releasing it into the air. The knight formed and protected Blake from being slapped.
"Apologize," growled Weiss, "Blake is my teammate, my friend, and a fellow Huntress-in-training. I was the one who invited her, and you have no right to criticize anyone with that attitude."
Mrs. Delaney glared, having no intention of apologizing, "Guess the Schnee name will fall with you as the heiress. Perhaps Jacques should be looking at his son to be the heir."
Weiss twitched, and the summoned knight reached behind itself, grabbing its giant sword, unsheathing it and holding it up in the air. At this point, Mrs. Delaney paled
"Please, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, just leave me alone."
Before anyone could do anything, a bang went off, and everyone almost jumped in shock at the sound of a gun.
"That's enough."
Everyone looked to see Ironwood walking forward with a smoking gun. He had put in a blank round and fired so he could grab everyone's attention. Winter followed behind him quickly.
"Miss Schnee. Please, let go of her and dismiss your knight," ordered Ironwood.
Weiss took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down before obeying. As soon as she saw the threat was over, Mrs. Delaney started to rant again, "Arrest her! What are you waiting for? She's insane, she should be locked up. Her and that Faunus whore..."
"What's going on here?" proclaimed a loud voice.
At the entrance was a man wearing an expensive Armani suit, with black hair tied in a ponytail down. Everyone recognized him as one of the member of the council, and the most vocal of them all. Even though Ironwood used to have two votes, this man could drive opinions in and play the field like an expert pianist, maneuvering through political issues.
"Councilman Beat! Thank goodness you're here, these two ladies are purposefully disrupting the-"
Mrs. Delaney didn't get to finish as Onyx waved to the man and said, "Hi uncle!"
"Onyx! My nephew! You didn't tell me you were coming," said Councilman Beat as he strode over to give his nephew a hug, "You mind telling me what's going on?" At this point, the woman's face was drained of all color.
"Just Mr. Delaney being quite rude," replied Onyx, "I was chatting with my friends Miss Belladonna and Miss Schnee when Mrs. Delaney started her little rant. In short, she was talking about how Vale deserved its current condition and insulting Jaune Ryu-Long, a good friend of mine and theirs, before ending her statement with how he should be killed. Not to mention her rather archaic views about Faunus, considering our cousin is one."
"Is that so?" said Councilman Beat with a cold glare at the Delaney couple, who looked a bit nervous.
Jacques stepped up, coughing to catch everyone's attention and also clearing his throat, "Although I do not completely agree with my daughter's actions, I must say that Jaune Ryu-Long is indeed a valued friend of the Schnee family. Any insult to him is an insult to the SDC. Furthermore, I am well aware of my daughter's teammates and accepted it to see how this friendship would go. Not to mention, Miss Belladonna's father is the mayor of Kuo Kuana, making her of high-class state. So, Mr. Delaney, I apologize, but I will be not be renewing our contract with your shipping company, for I cannot, with good conscience, work with someone who's wife blatantly expresses such views."
"In addition," added Councilman Beat, "Your petition for further expansion is denied, Mr. Delaney."
"I will be having my soldiers withdrawing from your shipping company," grinned Ironwood, "My soldiers protect all of mankind, both human and Faunus. Not to mention, Mr. Ryu-Long is a Huntsman-in-training, although I would recognize him as a fellow Huntsman if not for his age. He has sworn to protect the light of our race, and wouldn't commit such acts as you suggested. Specialist Schnee, please escort these two out of here."
Mr. Delaney looked like his soul was escaping from his mouth as Winter escorted them out. By next week, his company would be ruined, and all the wealth would most likely be spent on trying to live instead of extravagant living. The mood returned to normal as everyone began their usual discussion again. Councilman Beat went to talk with Ironwood about the appointing the new headmaster, leaving Onyx with Blake and Weiss.
Jacques walked next to Weiss before asking a waiter for some drinks. After taking a sip of his margarita, he sighed, "Weiss. Although I understand you were defending your boyfriend, you must learn a bit of restraint. Summoning a giant knight and having it slowly pull out its sword in a threatening manner isn't proper."
Weiss meekly looked down while Whitley, who had been staying in the back, grinned. Maybe with this event, she would lose her title!
"You should've just insulted her until she did something drastic. You and Blake are both Huntresses in training. That slap wouldn't have even hurt. Although, I admit, seeing that summon made me remember the day I courted your mother. Your grandfather called me into his study one day and summoned a giant Alpha Ursa and had it gazing down at me, its claws near my neck, while he questioned me. He also had a King Taijitu wrapped around my body so I couldn't escape."
The girls couldn't help but giggle at this image as Jacques coughed and blushed at that memory.
"Anyways... act more responsibly. You are the Heiress to the SDC right now. You cannot just summon your knight on someone who's insulted you, your friend, and your boyfriend. Being honest, you merely needed to stand your ground while she made a fool of herself. Ironwood had already been heading over to stop her when she started talking about Jaune."
With that, Jacques left to talk with some other businessmen and to find another shipping company. It shouldn't be hard, as being friends with Jaune while having your daughter befriending another councilman's nephew would easily open doors.
"I see you've managed to completely summon your knight," said Winter as she finished kicking the Delaney family out none too gently, "Quite impressive."
"Almost," blushed Weiss, "It's really fragile if I do a full summon, and not always guaranteed to work. I was just angry that time. For a more stable summon, I can only summon the chest plate and both arms with a sword."
"Oh, Weiss!" said Onyx suddenly, "That song you sang was beautiful. However, I got an idea how to make that song catchier for the younger people! Wanna join my band in rehearsing a little? We could make a playlist to sell, and all proceeds could head over to fixing Vale."
"That sounds interesting," grinned Weiss before getting into a musical discussion with him.
"It's nice to see Weiss expanding on her friends and views," smiled Winter softly.
The banquet finished off on a good note. Weiss and Blake quickly returned home to see Ruby and Yang had fallen asleep playing video games in the guest room. Klein had kindly put blankets on them and lifted them onto the couch nearby to sleep. The two separated, going to their rooms to sleep. Meanwhile, Whitley gritted his teeth in anger. He thought for sure after this incident, he would get the title. He would just have to try harder and try to find the group he was in contact before again.
Oooh, Whitley's planning something drastic! What could it be! Find out next time! But first, an Omake!
Omake:
"Soo, Blake. What do you like to read? I always see you carrying a book."
Jacques was attempting to make some small talk with Blake, with Winter by his side. Ruby and Yang had gone out for the day to get used to the arm. Weiss was at the music room, rehearsing for her song. Blake had decided to sit in their library to read, getting comfortable in their chairs.
"I read a lot of genres," replied Blake, "Mostly mystery and romance."
"I see," said Jacques. The silence began to stretch, making the conversation a bit awkward.
"Anything else?" attempted Winter.
"She loves to read those Ninja's of Love books!" shouted Weiss as she passed by the area, heading towards the kitchen to get a drink.
Blake blushed while Jacques and Winter stared at her for a bit. Jacques stood up, coughing a bit before walking over to a painting of Atlas. Winter looked out the door, waiting for Weiss to head back into the music room before signaling to Jacques the all clear sign.
"So, you're also an avid reader of Ninja's of Love?" asked Jacques as he tapped the painting at 4 specific points. The painting swung open to reveal a high-security safe inside the wall. It had a retinal scanner, thumb scanner, and even an Aura scanner on top of a security code.
"Then, tell me. What happens in volume 3, Ninja's of Love: Distance of Flight, on page 234-"
"The priestess, Lorei, prays for her winged knight in battle. She prays when there was a full moon out on the eve of the upcoming battle for her city when her knight descends from the sky," said Blake rapidly, before going into more detail.
"Wel, well. You are an avid reader," grinned Jacques as he typed in the security code, "Then feast your eyes... on my greatest treasure!"
Inside the safe, wasn't paperwork, or Dust, or even Lien. It was... the 5 volumes of Ninja's of Love.
"All five volumes that are out right now, and not only does it have the author's signature, it's the super golden plus edition!" bragged Jacques.
"I only managed to get the silver edition," blushed Winter, "They're in my dorms back at the military."
"So, what do say to that?" grinned Jacques.
Blake merely grinned before disappearing for a moment, telling them she'd be back. She came back carrying... six volumes of Ninja' of Love.
"A sixth volume!?" moaned Jacques, "That's not even out yet!"
"Father! Look! She has the ultimate platinum deluxe collector's edition, complete with bonus scenes and author notes!" gasped Winter.
They both bowed down to her, chanting "We are not worthy!"
Blake softly smiled before commanding them to stand.
"I can see we have a beautiful friendship ahead of us, united by the holy book," said Blake. Then, she slowly opened the sixth volume before reading it out loud, with Jacques and Winter sitting on the floor like toddlers, eager to listen to the story. To them, when Blake opened the book, they saw holy light coming out from the pages. Klein had already served tea and biscuits before they started. He was used to antics like this and knew how to keep a secret.
There you go! A reason why Jacques is tolerable with Blake, because she's a fellow avid reader! Not only that, but she has the lastest volume! Anways, hope you've enjoyed the chapter so far! Review if you can! Also, My poll will be closing soon, so quickly cast your votes!
Usual thanks to my betareaders UGX7, TheMischieviousPuppy, and Jauneforever.
Also celebrating I hit past 600 author follows, and LordHellPhoenix for hitting past the 1k mark on favs on his story Jaune Arc: The Elemental Swordsman.
Dandy backstory written by TheMischieviousPuppyDog
Beta Notes: Hello! It's me TheMischieviousPuppyDog! I just wanna say that up to now has been incredible for betaing for drgn! It has been a true honor helping with this story so far! The first time I sent him a message was right after I heard the song Wolf in Sheeps clothing by Set it Off, I knew it would be perfect do to Jaune's father Vlad fits the song. Anyway, I just wanna thank him for letting me be his beta and continue to help with this incredible story! And as Dandy would say, AH HOPE YA'll ARE HAVIN AH GROOOOOVY TIME READING~!