Sun stared dead ahead at Jacques Schnee. Though he had never seen the man before in the flesh, he found that the Schnee patriarch suited his mental assumptions exactly. Jacques stood with perfect posture, his snow-white suit perfectly creased and minimally decorated. His features, hair, and mustache were all perfectly symmetrical, and his piercing blue eyes were quite similar to those of his daughter, with one caveat.
Throughout the weeks that they had traveled together, Sun had seen a whole range of emotion within Weiss' eyes of frigid blue. Where once he had seen only judgment and scorn directed at him, he had more recently beheld concern, guilt, caring, and longing. Over time, he had come to appreciate just how expressive Weiss' eyes could be, and how quickly they could be used to determine her mood through an otherwise practiced and perfected poker face. Her father's eyes had none of that same expressiveness.
As Jacques' eyes finally met Sun's own, the faunus found that they conveyed one, and only one thing- a feeling of smug superiority. The man's lip curled as he did some sort of quick analysis of Sun, and from his facial expression, it was quite clear that he found the boy wanting.
"…so many… unsavory allies you've chosen, Weiss. The Aces I can at least understand, given that you need a new set of people with influence to leech from. However, the rest of these people look… positively filthy," Jacques spat as he began to walk forward, casually kicking aside a fallen pickaxe near the elevator as he moved deeper into the cavern.
Quite suddenly, a firm hand clenched around Sun's wrist, and he jumped in response as he looked down to see Ilia staring up at him with a fury in her eyes that he knew all too well. Just as unexpectedly, she thrusted her weapon against his chest, the cold hilt pressing into his flesh as she held it in place.
"Take it from me," Ilia pleaded in a voice barely above a whisper. "Take it from me, before I do something that can't be undone and jeopardizes everything we're working for."
Sun immediately seized the handle of the weapon and brought it down to his side, before turning to follow Clover with his eyes as the leader of the Aces walked after Jacques.
"Ilia… breathe. Please," Sun said softly as the girl's shoulders began to quake.
"I don't know if I can," Ilia said quickly, her face looking pale as a few tears slipped down her cheeks. "I-if I lose my shit, he wins…"
"If you lose your shit, we'll back you up," Harriet asserted through a series of full-body shivers. "He won't command his guards to open fire on Aces. Say your piece, Ilia."
"…no," Marrow said as he gingerly placed a hand on Ilia's shoulder. "You may be stable and full of adrenaline, but we need to get you out of those clothes, and Harriet is freezing. We need to get back to Atlas as soon as possible. This isn't the time to pick another fight…"
"H-he's right," Ilia added quickly. "And you're f-freezing, Marrow. We need to leave. We have to get out of here, for our safety… and I mean that in more ways than one…"
"Are you going to be alright if you just walk away right now?" Sun asked.
Ilia spared one more glance over to Jacques, who was in a heated debate with Clover amid the glittering columns of rock and dust spanning from floor to ceiling in the center of the chamber.
"…I-I have to be," she stammered before taking a deep breath. "For the team. For Harriet, for you and Weiss… for Remnant, I… I-I'm going to hold it in. I'm going to walk away now, but one day soon…"
"One day soon," Weiss agreed with a nod. "And I'm not going to stop you now, or then. Go. I'm going to speak to my father."
"And I'm going to back you up," Sun volunteered, only for Weiss to offer him another nod.
"Me too," Yang followed up while folding her arms across her chest. "I've got some shit to say, and no reason not to."
"I'll go back with the group!" Jaune announced, the moistened colony of toothpicks atop his head flopping about slightly. "Harriet, I can help you recover your aura more quickly by boosting it so you can warm up."
Harriet remained silent, and merely leaned into Jaune's side for support.
"I see no reason to remain here," Corsac said quietly as he tore his eyes from Jacques with a rare scowl.
"And I'll head back with all of you, just in case Marrow goes down," Elm said in an uncharacteristically serious voice as she approached Jacques' hired muscle. "Move."
The assembled guards exchanged a nervous look as Elm hefted her massive hammer over her shoulder and began to stride onto the platform elevator. Corsac was next to follow, and then Ilia took a step forward. Before she could make it to the elevator, Weiss moved to block her path and pulled her into a tight hug, which the faunus returned while laying her head upon Weiss' shoulder.
"…we'll talk, after we all get home," Weiss said softly.
"…please," Ilia replied, audible only to Weiss.
Jaune helped Harriet into the elevator before Ilia slipped out of Weiss' grasp, leaving Marrow standing before her, still shirtless and shivering. He gave Weiss a subtle smile before beginning to walk toward the elevator.
"…see you topside, Wei-"
Before he could react, Marrow found himself wrapped within Weiss' arms, just as Ilia had been. The girl pressed her cheek to his chest and gave him a tight squeeze, which he awkwardly returned with a gentle hug of his own.
"…you're a good man, Marrow," Weiss said before breaking away. "Take care of them."
"Will do," Marrow said as his smile widened.
The faunus gave a quick, two-fingered salute as he stepped onto the elevator with the rest of the group. Within seconds, the machine began to rise, and Marrow turned to focus his attention entirely upon Harriet once again. Weiss noticed that his tail was wagging furiously as the machine rose up into another mine shaft and out of sight.
Weiss jumped slightly as she felt something jab into her side. Upon looking down, she saw that Sun's tail had poked her just below the ribs. The moment she saw Sun's devilish smile, she looked away from him only to find Yang giving her much the same expression.
"So, that was cute…" Yang began, only for Weiss to clear her throat.
"…now is not the time, you two," Weiss said seriously before adjusting her posture as her cheeks flared a light pink. "We have business to attend to."
"Don't we ever," Sun grumbled as he stuffed his hands into his pockets. "Alright, let's… deal with this…"
"'Deal with' is the right attitude," Weiss said in a low voice as the trio began to approach Jacques and Clover, who were deep into an argument of some sort. "He isn't going to let us leave with any dust without giving him something, first."
"I'll give him something, alright," Yang threatened as she clasped her mechanical hand to her other shoulder and began to rotate her arm.
"Yang… we need to keep each other in check, here," Sun reminded. "Be angry… but be smart about it."
"Smart… but not necessarily nice," Weiss finished as they came within earshot of the conversation amid the columns of rock.
"…precisely why I installed security cameras, even within the abandoned shafts. They are still mine, and the dust here is mine," Jacques stated emphatically. "James is not entitled to it, especially if you are unwilling to inform me of what it's to be used for!"
"Jacques," Clover said, his expression as unimpressed as could be, "we both know you don't actually care about what the dust is being used for. You care about one thing- profit."
Jacques chuckled softly and shook his head.
"Oh, you presume me to be so shallow, Clover? I'm almost insulted. I care about two things- profit, and influence."
"And you deserve neither," Weiss said icily as she folded her arms across her chest. "What are you doing here? This mine was condemned, and for good reason. We cleared out the grimm in this central chamber and some surrounding tunnels, and it isn't currently safe for a civilian to be present."
Jacques paused for a moment as he turned to face his daughter. For a split second, his mouth curled into an annoyed frown, as Weiss' upturned into a smirk of challenge. Just as quickly as their expressions had shifted, they both returned to neutral.
"…if that was supposed to rattle me, you'll need to try harder," Jacques rebuked as he paused for a moment to adjust his tie. "After all, are you not a fledgling huntress, with an incomplete first year of training? Perhaps you should stay out of this, Weiss. I sincerely doubt you're qualified to handle whatever unsightly beasts may be lurking here."
Sun took a deep breath in through his nose as Jacques pointedly settled his eyes firmly upon him.
"Weiss has done more for Atlas in the few days we've been here than you have in your entire life," Sun seethed with narrowed eyes as his tail swished dangerously behind him. "You have no idea the kinds of things we've faced together, or the threats we're standing up to. All you've done is inherit a company through marriage and kept the machine going by oiling it with the blood of beasts like me, and those whose remains are all around us. I'm not so stupid that I didn't catch your meaning. While you're standing in our way and being petty, one of the girls who just left on that elevator lost her parents down here. Maybe even in this very room, given our proximity to the tunnel they were assigned. Got any snarky implications in reply to that?"
For a moment, Jacques was given pause. The man's hand shook slightly under Sun's gaze as he brought it up to adjust his tie yet again. At a momentary loss, he balled a fist and coughed lightly into his hand before clasping them both behind his back once again.
"Are you children quite finished ranting? We have business to discuss."
"You heartless asshole," Yang seethed.
"Yang," Clover said quickly with a tone of warning.
"No," Yang quickly denied. "Fuck that. I'm holding back on losing my cool over Hope, but I'm not about to stand here and listen to you insult two of my closest friends."
"And who are you, exactly?" Jacques asked with a derisive sniff.
"Yang Xiao Long," Yang spat while cracking her knuckles. "Weiss' teammate."
"My family," Weiss corrected. "And so is Sun."
Jacques merely laughed and waved a hand.
"Family? Run from the label all you like, but the truth is right here in front of you, Weiss. Whatever crimes this… Sun here is accusing me of fall squarely upon your shoulders as well, by blood."
"Blood means nothing," Yang insisted. "My mother abandoned me, and before you tell me you don't give a shit- I would have given anything to get her back. Part of me thinks I still would, and it fucked me up for life. The fact that Weiss and Winter have distanced themselves from you willingly should tell you something about who you really are. No child, or adult would reject their parents so readily without good reason. Weiss is standing here a changed woman and doing more for your borrowed family name than you even understand. If anything, you should be proud of her right now… because I know damned well that she isn't proud of you."
"We're here on a mission from General Ironwood himself," Weiss added. She raised a hand slightly as Clover opened his mouth, and the man closed it with a nod of understanding. "I know how you think, and I know we're not in a spot of leverage from which to negotiate. However, with an upcoming election, whatever good will you can garner by working with us to strengthen the Atlesian military will win you votes."
"You must think I'm quite stupid, Weiss," Jacques replied immediately, "and Clover is well aware of the flaw in your logic, given the look upon his face. Next time, leave the negotiations to those with skill. This is a classified operation, and one which there will be no press from, as a result. You came here as common thieves, rather than to cut a deal. While you may have the protection of the Aces, I'm still well within my rights to have you escorted out of here. After all, this section of my mines is not condemned, as I'm sure Clover is well aware."
"I am," Clover agreed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. He took a deep inhale before blowing a breath and shaking his head softly. "Alright, Jacques, I have the authority to give you what you want, in exchange for access to the dust within the condemned sections of the mines, and this chamber."
Jacques' eyes lit up mischievously as he allowed himself a confident smirk.
"…and just what is it that you believe I want, Mr. Ebi?"
"…endorsement," Clover said, keeping his tone as neutral as possible. "I'll convince Winter to endorse your election to the Atlesian council with me, publicly, as a couple."
Weiss, Sun, and Yang all failed to hide their looks of surprise, and Jacques took notice as he laughed softly.
"I see, I see… most interesting… though, given the amount of trouble you've caused me, I think you should sweeten the deal a bit," Jacques taunted. "I'm not quite satisfied, just yet."
"You know that I can't even suggest for General Ironwood to support you," Clover reminded. "He holds two council seats and is therefore barred from putting official support behind either candidate."
"True, true," Jacques said with a feigned tone of disappointment. Suddenly, he looked over to Sun, and offered the teen a predatory smile. "Then in that case, how about your dog friend? The people generally seem to like him, don't they?"
"His name is Marrow," Weiss corrected while balling her fists. "And I will not allow you to force him to advertise for you through coercion. Pick another Ace."
Jacques pretended to consider the notion, his smile widening.
"…hm… no, no, I think I want Marrow. Those are my terms," Jacques said with a sense of finality. "Take it, or leave it."
Weiss inhaled furiously through her nose, before turning on her heel and beginning to walk back toward the elevator. Yang was quick to follow, though Sun remained behind, the tip of his tail twitching erratically.
"…you are sick. You're not going to get away with this forever, you know that?"
Again, Jacques merely chuckled before extending a hand to Clover.
"I'm quite confident that I will, Sun. Do we have a deal?"
Clover grasped Jacques' hand in a death grip almost immediately, causing the older man to wince in pain.
"Deal… but stay out of our affairs down here, moving forward. Are we clear?"
"Crystal," Jacques replied as he shook out his hand. "Now, make sure you put your faunus friends to work effectively. Does Sun here know how to properly use mining equipment? Or what about that other faunus girl that he referred to? It should be in her blood, after all."
Sun could feel his blood boil as he opened his mouth to reply, only for his thoughts to be interrupted by the aggressive sound of metal clattering against rock. Immediately, all three men turned to the side to locate the source of the noise.
There next to one of the dust-inlaid columns of rock was Weiss, a pickaxe in hand as she chipped away carefully at an embedded crystal. Fragments of rock and powdery smoke flew from the column and dirtied her outfit as she worked, swinging hard with each strike.
"What exactly do you think you're doing?" Jacques called, suddenly furious.
"Mining," Weiss replied with as much venom as she could muster. "What you claim to be responsible for, and force upon other people, instead. None of the faunus here will so much as touch a pickaxe under my watch, and I will bleed for what crystals we take, if I have to. This area is now under our control… so get out of my mine. It belongs to the Schnee family."
Jacques clenched his jaw shut as he watched Weiss continue to pick at the rock before she bent low into the dirt, soiling her outfit as she retrieved a small crystal of gravity dust from the floor. Without another word, the man made hasty strides toward the elevator, sparing her one last look of disdain.
Author's Note:
Don't think Ilia is done after walking away- she will get her moment… but not just yet.
Also, thanks to SuperHappySpider for finding an error in the last chapter- Corsac was in two places at once, because I was editing while tired and "fixed" something that introduced a split timeline. It only affected two sentences and has since been fixed, but still.
Back to Blake and Ruby next time!
-RD