AN: Sorry about how long it's been since the last update. Along with work being busy my internet has been absurdly uncooperative. It tend to rewatch parts of games or shows that relate to these stories to make sure I'm not missing anything (very crucial for some of them) and it took days just to get one of them to load and actually let me watch it.

AN2: To those who are pointing out the ability difference between Weiss and Whitley I just want to point out that Weiss was only able to do Huntress training on the side with the assistance of people like Winter. She also had to do her singing training, do concerts, public appearances, and other things. She wasn't allowed to make training as a Huntress her priority. Whitley had an advantage in that he could choose how he spent his time.

With the Power of an Avalanche

Chapter 7

-Ruby-

Humming to herself, Ruby worked on getting her work half of the room set up. The dorm rooms had a bunk bed on one side of the room along with a couple wardrobes. The other side had room for desks or work tables. Ruby was setting up her various schematics for new Crescent Rose upgrades around the work desk. Pyrrha was busy setting up her personal belongings on a bookshelf.

"Uuuuuugh, come oooooon!" Yang groaned from where she was sprawled on the bunk bed, "You guys are still just decorating? We need to do something fun!"

"Why don't you go spend time with your partner?" Pyrrha suggested politely as she placed another book on the shelf.

"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuugh." Yang groaned even harder, "Blake is being so boring! She refused to come out of her room. I thought I might at least get some gossip after seeing how she looked at the boys as well as Ice Queen and her partner. But no, she refused to play and just keeps reading her smut while insisting it isn't smut."

Ruby made a face at that while Pyrrha looked confused "The boys?"

"Jaune and Whitley." Ruby answered, deciding to ignore the idea of her sister's partner reading something that was extreme enough that even Yang would consider it Smut "But Yang, why don't you go hang out with them?"

"I'm…not allowed." Yang grimaced awkwardly "They're heading out to celebrate passing initiation and I'm kind of…banned where they're going."

"Do I want to…?" Pyrrha looked hesitant while Ruby sighed in annoyance.

"No Pyrrha. No, you don't." Ruby deadpanned while Yang sulked.

-Whitley-

Nodding his head slightly to the beat of the music, Whitley and Jaune entered 'The Club', the uniformed employees all greeting them happily by name.

"Well, well, well, if ain't the little conquering heroes." Hei Xiong, Junior chuckled from behind the bar "How'd initiation go boys?"

"Went pretty good Junior." Jaune sat at the bar, the place still being readied to open up for business in a couple hours, "Where are the twins?"

"They're still prettying themselves up for ya." Junior smirked teasingly only to wince when a thrown shoe smacked him in the head "Ow."

"Don't be a baby, you know that didn't hurt." Melanie rolled her eyes even as she, and her sister Militia, strolled down the stairs.

"How's Beacon?" Militia asked, unable to hide her curiosity as even a few of the other employees tried to look subtle as they listened in.

"Mixed bag." Jaune shrugged, "I can pretty much feel the attitude pouring off a few of the other first years. There are a few nice ones though."

"He made a friend with another weapon nerd." Whitley snickered as Jaune rolled his eyes, accepting the ribbing with ease. Given how many sisters Jaune had he was clearly used to it.

"You made a friend?!" Melanie mock gasped as she pinched Jaune's cheek "I'm so proud of you! Do you want a cookie?"

"If you made it I'll pass," Jaune sassed "I'd rather avoid any food poisoning." Militia snorted into a drink Junior passed her at that while Whitley worked not to snicker. The group was a surprise for his 'circle' of people in Vale but wasn't one he was going to complain about. After the attack in the alley, Junior had reached out to them to offer his apologies. The man worked on his own system of Honor and wasn't a fan of random murder, especially when the would be killer was one he'd taken in when it was apparently unappreciated. They'd become excellent business partners too. Junior having a lot more men than were needed to work in a night club so he offered to supply employees to Whitley's three new businesses. He'd even helped get Whitley in contact with suppliers for the Café he was opening while negotiating for a cut of profits.

Refocusing, Whitley noted Jaune was telling the three about the people they'd interacted with during initiation. Particularly him constantly trolling Yang which the girls seemed exceptionally happy about. Whether that was because they knew the blonde girl themselves or were just glad that there was someone else who couldn't flap Jaune he didn't know.

"Kid, I have to ask, are you just not into girls?" Chuck, one of the bouncers, asked baffled at hearing Jaune not get flustered by pretty girls.

"Straight as an arrow." Jaune shrugged, "Yang just looks like she could be my twin sister, so that's a hard 'ew' to think about. As for Mil and Mel…well when we first met I was too busy freaking out over the whole clusterfuck that was the alleyway incident. I had surpassed high strung nerves and gone straight into sass mode. Seeing them just try harder was all the incentive I needed to keep it up."

"Ass." Melanie grumbled.

"Prick." Militia huffed.

"Some of my better features, I know." Jaune didn't even bat an eye as he took a gulp from a margarita.

"You're lucky your coffee is good." Melanie grumbled.

"And here I thought it was because you thought he was cute." Junior chuckled before another shoe hit him in the face, "Damnit!"

"You'd think he'd learn by now." Whitley rolled his eyes, tapping his glass to Melanie's as the twin in white smirked smugly.

"What can I say. Old dogs, new tricks, you know how it is." Militia smirked at her boss who grumbled at the lack of respect.

"Come on, we're here to celebrate, not pick on an easy target." Whitley chuckled even as Junior flipped him off. He hadn't been in Vale for long but he was already liking more than Atlas.

-Weiss-

Keeping her expression composed in case her new partner returned earlier than expected, Weiss looked through the Schnee family files. Those she had access to anyway. Along with mining, refining, and then selling Dust her company also had various labs experimenting and tinkering to create new dust mixtures and technologies. While she hadn't seen what Whitley did in the entrance exam she'd heard from others about his feats. Gauntlets that allowed him to manipulate plants, gravity, and earth. She didn't know any Glyphs that could do what Whitley had done and hadn't heard of Winter or her grandfather using anything of the like either. She'd thought it could be a recent development from Schnee R&D but she didn't see any signs of any completed devices that would even attempt such a thing, let alone prototypes. Meaning either Whitley had his own contacts capable of making such a device, or he'd made it himself. The first was far more likely than the little weasel creating something of that caliber. Then there was that blond oaf that Whitley had acquired as a lackey. She'd overheard people talking about him having a dust device capable of summoning barriers that could stop an Elder Nevermore feather barrage. In the ball room she'd seen him summon physical weapons with a semblance. Whitley was also friends with that stupid child who'd managed to steal Pyrrha as a partner too.

"None of this makes sense." Weiss bit out, a scowl slipping through for a moment, "I had it all planned out. This was supposed to be my chance to start making things go the way I wanted. Why did he have to come here and ruin everything for me?!"

Forcing herself to take a steadying breath, Weiss closed out the files "No, I can't get emotional about this." Weiss forced herself to have the refined strong bearing she'd seen so often on her sister's face "I need to remain calm and focused. Whitley is like father, but that means he's arrogant enough to make mistakes. And make enemies." She let out a little smirk as she started reviewing the schedule for her upcoming courses "All I have to do is wait and watch him bury himself."

-Ilia-

"Hey boss." Ilia waved at the truck rental place she worked at part time, getting a nod back as she headed into the Employee's only section. Granted this place was actually a White Fang Front, a way to give Fang agents an excuse to be in Vale and employed. It also provided a good place for her to contact the upper command with her reports. Getting into the soundproof 'security office', she started booting up the system to send protected messages. In actuality, they had a hidden second security room where other Fang would keep an eye on the place for both burglars and cops.

"Ilia, this is a surprise." Sienna Khan appeared on one screen and Adam the other, "I wasn't aware there was a report to be made today. Have you already located Belladonna?"

"I have." Ilia nodded, hiding her feelings on the matter. She'd been sent to Vale to track down and observe Blake. Blake had not only left the Fang but defected during a mission meaning she not only risked the lives of those on the job, but she was a flight risk who could reveal crucial information. She was tasked to track down and keep an eye on Blake, do what she could to keep that information secret.

"Where?" Adam wasn't able to keep the desperation out of his voice, even if it was faint.

"She's been accepted as a first year at Beacon now." Ilia gulped slightly "As have I. My partner is…" she grimaced "Weiss Schnee."

"A Schnee." Adam snarled, hatred dripping from his voice, "I'm assuming you wouldn't be able to slit her throat without drawing attention to yourself."

"That is correct." Ilia nodded before steeling her resolve to make her proposal to the two commanders, "But at the moment I believe she'd be of more use alive."

"Explain." Sienna commanded before Adam could rage or protest.

"Weiss Schnee isn't the only member of her family in Beacon right now. Apparently, her younger brother managed to get accepted early." As she spoke, she started pulling up files she'd managed to get through the Fang contacts and agents in the city, sending them to the two she was speaking with.

"Whitley Schnee huh?" Sienna frowned in contemplation as she looked over the files, "I must say he's the Schnee we've seen the least amount of information on."

"He and his sister at extreme odds." Ilia continued, "Weiss apparently hates her father while also sharing a lot of his personality traits and arrogance. She seems to think her brother is a miniature of their father, yet I did some digging. Whitley Schnee has opened three businesses in Vale so far and they all have a mix of human and Faunus employees. Equal pay and benefits for all of them. So far at least." She did admit that part "But he's been acting different from the reports of the rest of the Schnee family."

"What are you saying?" Adam was clearly forcing himself to be calm, the man respected efficiency over his own personal feelings when related to the cause.

"I'm suggesting we try to have some of our agents try to get hired at those businesses and see if that continues." Ilia took a deep breath "While I work on studying him and his sister at Beacon, along with observing Blake Belladonna."

"To what end?" Sienna asked and Ilia could tell that the tiger Faunus already had ideas but likely wanted to know what Ilia's implied angle was.

"The Schnee Dust Company isn't just going to go away, even if all the Schnees are dead." Ilia answered, "If all the Schnees die then some other Atlesian from the board would take over. But if Whitley Schnee is fundamentally different from his father and sisters, if he is more akin to his grandfather then he would be a much more agreeable head to the that company."

"And your reasons for not targeting Weiss Schnee?" Adam pressed, but she could tell he and Sienna both were considering the matter. It wasn't that either of them were opposed to less violent action for the Fang. Ilia knew they'd both joined in the beginning when it was all peaceful protests. They were just practical enough to note more aggressive acts were needed too.

"With her attitude towards others as well as open disdain for her brother it could easily make her enemies of her own." Rather than just the ones she would inherit from her father "If we find a way to get it more well known we could use the dichotomy for public opinion. Get people to not want Weiss Schnee to inherit, but Whitley."

"Your idea has merit." Sienna nodded, "I'll see about finding agents suitable to try and infiltrate those businesses. Adam, do you have anyone who could do so as well? One's that Belladonna wouldn't recognize?"

"A couple." Adam nodded, clearly happy at being kept in the loop, "And…as much as I hate to say it but we should bring Ghira and kali in on this idea. We're fighters Sienna, but they were always the better at politics."

"I'll take it under advisement." Sienna didn't make any acknowledgment either way of which she'd go with, "For now Amitola, you are to continue your observations. Get close to Whitley Schnee and his partner as well if you can. Dismissed."

"Ma'am!" Ilia saluted the commanders before the transmission cut off, report finished.