The building buzzed with anticipation. It didn't take long for their upcoming heist to spread to the entirety of Robyn's staff. Agents wished them good luck when they passed by. Others asked Weiss if she was really going to help lead the charge against her own family. Some even questioned if she was even related to the Schnees.
The more people confronted her about it, the more real it felt. She couldn't stomach anything at lunch, opting for a glass of lemonade as she stewed in anxiety.
Adam suggested they visit the training hall down in the basement to kill time. Weiss agreed in hopes of distracting herself. Jaune tagged along to squeeze in one more sparring session before the evening was upon them. Whitley stuck to Weiss' side without a word. Yang and Blake were the only ones who opted not to go, wanting to spend the day together in the restaurant instead.
The training hall was tiny compared to the ones at Beacon. It was the size of a small gym. Concrete walls surrounded them, and a small collection of training dummies were pushed to a corner to make space for people to fight.
Weiss and Whitely secluded themselves against the wall as Adam and Jaune sparred.
It was fascinating to see them fight each other. Where Adam's attacks were more aggressive and focused on speed, Jaune kept up a more defensive strategy, striking only when he found an opening to do so.
While most of their rounds usually ended with Jaune losing, Weiss could tell he'd already made big improvements. He kept up with Adam's pace and managed to push him back several times. Their fighting stopped only when Adam wanted to give Jaune some extra pointers. It would then resume as if the pause had never happened.
Her fear about their mission reluctantly recoiled from her throat as she watched their swords fly through the air, losing herself in the hypnotic clash of steel.
"Do you actually think Father's hiding something serious at home?" Whitely suddenly asked her.
He'd been quiet meeting with Robyn, speaking only when spoken to. This was the first time he talked on his own accord.
"There's a good chance he is," she replied.
Mysterious meeting aside, Weiss firmly believed they'd find something to knock him down a few pegs. Why else would he guard the office so strictly?
"Why did you sound so certain Father's guilty of something?" The genuine confusion and fear in his voice made her hesitate.
"Whitely, did he ever take you to the Dust Mines?"
"Only the shutdown ones. Father said it's dangerous to go to active Mines."
He didn't want a repeat of her and Adam.
Weiss wasn't sure how to break the truth to him without it sounding like a conspiracy. He was likely going to reject it as she once did.
"You're going to have to take my word for it, but Father's done some horrible things…"
"It can't be that bad, though. If it's serious, someone would've filed a lawsuit against him."
"If he can get away with abusing us in front of staff, do you think it'd be that hard to get away with more serious crimes?"
Whitley rubbed his arms. Feeling bad for responding so bluntly, she apologised and promised they could discuss the topic more in the future.
"What's going to happen to us?" Whitley asked. "Now that Mother is gone…what will happen if he gets in trouble?"
His question caught her completely by surprise. In truth, she hadn't considered what would happen to their family once Father's crimes were exposed. Would their family fortune still be under his control afterwards? What did it mean for Whitley when he was still a minor?
"I don't know." Was the only honest answer she could give him. "Whatever happens, I'll make sure you're taken care of. I'll fight whoever forces you to live with him again."
Even if that meant facing Father. Her nauseating fear returned with a vengeance.
"I hope you come back from this safely."
Broken glass.
Shattered mirrors.
Endless storms.
Weiss closed her eyes and focused on the sharp scream of swords clashing rather than the horrors awakening from the depths of her mind.
"I hope so too, Whitley."
The sparring match ended when Jaune managed to disarm Adam, sending his sword flying to the far end of the room. Despite being defeated, Adam looked happier than Jaune did.
"Good job! Only a few people can redirect my sword mid-air," he said, clapping Jaune's back.
"I can see why. That thing is scary when it's flying at you." Jaune laughed nervously. "I still can't believe that worked."
"I won't make it so easy for you next time, so enjoy this while you can."
Whitley went to talk to them while Weiss retrieved Adam's sword. Her legs were still trembling from her conversation about Father. She was desperate to calm the images flashing through her head before joining the others.
She clearly hadn't done a good job at hiding her terror as worry flashed on Adam's face when she handed his sword back. He didn't call her out on it, choosing to take part in Jaune's conversation with Whitley about sword fighting.
"Hey, why don't we drop by the old weapons closet? There's a bunch of neat things you could try out," Jaune suggested to Whitley when the topic of weapon choice popped up.
"I don't know. I'm not even sure if I want to fight like you guys."
"There's still no harm in looking at some cool swords. Who says you need to fight to appreciate them?"
"You two go ahead," Adam said when Whitley nodded at Jaune's suggestion. "I want to talk to Weiss for a bit."
Adam waited until Jaune and Whitley left before speaking again.
"How are you holding up?"
"Well, I never thought I'd be going back to the Manor a third time, but here we are now." She sighed when he cupped her face, leaning into his touch.
"Are you worried?"
"Worry is a bit of an understatement."
She admitted her fears about the upcoming mission. Adam embraced her when she mentioned the memories that were stirring because of it.
"We aren't going to make you face that bastard alone, Weiss."
"I know, but I'm tired of letting him have so much power over me." She glared at nothing in particular. "He makes me feel like a coward."
"For what it's worth, I think what you're doing right now is incredibly brave."
"You're giving me too much credit. I hid behind Qrow the entire time he was with me. I'm doing the same thing this time but with you guys."
"I disagree. Choosing to confront that monster again is one of the most badass things I've ever seen."
Weiss blushed at his compliment. Badass wasn't a term she associated herself with, but hearing it from him made her hold herself up a bit higher.
"Having backup with you doesn't make it any less courageous either."
"But what if something bad happens because of my stupid plan? He could've found all those secret passages for all I know! What if I'm wrong and we all get arrested or–"
"Stop worrying over things we have no control over." Adam took her hands into his and gave them a gentle squeeze. "We'll deal with it when it comes."
She wondered how he could talk so calmly about something like this. They were about to pull off the most dangerous heist of their life. Wasn't he the slightest bit worried about it going wrong?
"I've been on plenty of high-stakes missions before. This is nothing," Adam clarified when Weiss asked about his calm demeanour. "The best thing you can do is focus on what you can control. You're often a lot more capable than you think you are."
"I can't believe you've not even a little scared."
"Sienna used to tell me fear is a sign that something is about to change. We have no reason to let it control us. That and it helps that I've had more experience with this stuff than you."
That last part got her to laugh, at least.
"If you don't trust yourself with this mission, then trust me. I'll get us through this one way or another. I promise."
Weiss nodded. Trusting him was something she could do with her eyes closed. Adam smiled and planted a kiss on her cheek.
"Do you want to spar a bit with me?" he asked.
"I'm not sure I'll be a good training partner right now." Weiss wasn't in the best of mood to give him a challenge like Jaune did.
"We can take it slow. Come on, it might be fun to let off some steam."
"Fine, but don't blame me if it's less exciting than your previous fight."
It was odd to find herself at the end of his sword again. They hadn't crossed blades since way back in Anima. He must've sensed her unease as his attacks were slower than usual, and it was easier to push him back than she recalled.
It was no fun when he was holding back on her.
Weiss pushed a bit harder with her hits, picking up her speed with every parry and swing. Adam must've sensed her growing excitement as his attacks quickened until it was back to the level she was familiar with.
He was as fierce as she remembered. When he was giving it his all, his stance was firm as a rock, leaving her no openings to exploit.
All that time she'd spent studying him in combat finally paid off. She predicted how he'd manoeuvre around the battlefield, knew exactly how he liked to strike; saw the subtle shift in his footing whenever he planned on throwing his sword at her. His body was a music score she'd committed to memory.
Weiss wasn't the only one who was intimately familiar with their opponent. Adam read her look an open book. He countered her strikes effortlessly, predicting every little move she wanted to make. No matter how hard she tried, there was nothing she could hide from him. She'd never felt so transparent.
The worries plaguing her faded in the background amidst their fight. She was too busy trying to outsmart Adam to worry about facing Father again.
Their match ended with their swords locked in a stalemate. Weiss stared into his eye. Like her, he was breathless. They withdrew their blades, and despite the physical exhaustion, they were both smiling.
"I hope that wasn't too rough," Adam said, still breathing heavily. "Sorry, I got carried away near the end."
"Don't be. It was way more exciting than going slow. I like a good challenge."
"In that case, I can push you harder next time. I didn't want to go too far when you just got better."
"You're underestimating how much I can take. Bring it on!"
She was going to ask for a rematch when Jaune and Whitley returned.
"Whitley found this neat sword in the storeroom and wanted to try it out," Jaune said, holding a slender sword. It was similar to Adam's sword, except the blade had a more prominent curve.
"I-I never said anything about trying it! I-I only thought it looked cool…" Whitley was quick to respond.
"So? That's the perfect excuse to give it a test run!" Jaune beamed, handing the weapon over to Adam.
Adam unsheathed the sword and inspected the weathered blade. Spots of rust lined its dull edges. After taking a few test swings, he nodded in approval.
"It's old, but we can work with this. You have good taste in swords, kid." Adam smiled. Whitley eyes lit up in response. "We can set up a few test dummies for you to play around with. That sound alright with you?"
"I can try…b-but I don't know anything about this kind of thing, so don't get your hopes up."
"Relax, I'll give you some basic steps to follow. If you get the hang of it, we can advance from there. If not, we can always try again with a different sword." Adam sheathed the sword and held it out to Whitley. "It's okay to be picky. A sword's supposed to protect your life. I'd rather you take the time to choose a weapon you're compatible with."
Whitely hesitated before taking the sword, lurching forward when the full weight of the weapon rested in his hands. He cradled the blade like it was made of glass. His eyes slowly inspected the sword from top to bottom as if trying to memorise every detail
Weiss volunteered to grab some training equipment with Adam. Jaune stayed behind to give Whitley a quick pep talk. While the others were distracted, she slipped her hand into Adam's and kissed his cheek.
"Thanks for everything today," she said softly. "I appreciate what you did for me and what you're doing for my brother."
"Anytime." He smiled. "I'm glad I could help even a little."
In the end, it turned out Whitley had a knack for the sword he picked out. Even when it was time to go upstairs for dinner, he eagerly took it with him. It didn't matter if the sheath was old or the blade was rusted. He proudly strapped it to his back and wore it like a badge.
"If we aren't leaving tonight, I'd be happy to continue training after dinner," Adam said to him. "I can teach you more advanced moves if you'd like."
"Really?" Whitley looked up at him in awe. It took a second for him to remember who he was talking to before he looked down in embarrassment. "I-I mean…only if you want to. I don't want to waste your time."
"You're not wasting my time. It's fun to teach someone with talent like yours."
"Yeah, you did an awesome job for your first-ever training session." Jaune ruffled Whitley's hair. "You're going to catch up to Weiss in no time."
Whitley was the happiest when Joanna informed them that the mission couldn't go through that night. He dragged Adam and Jaune down to the training hall as soon as Joanna left.
Weiss decided to stay at the restaurant with Blake and Yang. She was going to be the third wheel in their little training session.
So, here's the deal. There won't be a chapter next Saturday, instead, I'm uploading the next two chapters together on Sunday. The upcoming chapters are made to be enjoyed in one sitting!
We are now entering what I like to dub "end game". It's been a long journey, and I'm happy to say the end is near. Let's finish this :)
Thanks to BrazeRancor and a Guest reader for the reviews!