Chapter 10

Day 3: Morning

Atlas

The door of the training room hissed open, revealing the tired and sweaty forms of Blake, Yang and team JNRO. Yang sighed, the training session had been very subdued compared to previous training sessions which had been much more lively. There had been little in the way of jokes or ribbing today; everyone very keenly felt the absence of their two friends.

The walk back to their dorms was nearly silent but for the clinking of the Lamp against Oscar's hip. Everyone was lost in their own thoughts, worried about the fate of their friends. The loud clack of heels coming down the hall brought all of them out of their reviries.

"Good, I was hoping to catch all of you." Winter Schnee said as she approached, her hands clasped behind her back.

"Hey Winter- uh, Specialist Schnee..." Jaune said, tripping over his words, "What can we do for you?"

"Winter is fine," she said reassuringly, "I have a…" she paused, thinking for a moment, "...mission for all of you. Honestly I hesitate to use the word 'mission' but I fail to find a better way to phrase it."

"I think we can all use a mission right now to be honest." Yang said, pounding her metal fist into her open palm, "What do you need from us? Take out a nest of creeps? Large pack of Beowolves?"

"No, It's something much more terrifying actually," Winter said, a tiny smile on her lips, "You'll be attending a dinner party…hosted by my father."

Nora gasped loudly, "That IS terrifying…"

"Indeed," Winter said, "Ironwood was asked by Councilman Schnee," she spat her father's name and title with venom, "to attend a dinner party. He has asked that the six of you attend as well, to act as witnesses and give testimony if need be."

Ren frowned, "This sounds more like a trial than a dinner party."

"Precisely." Winter said, a grim smirk on her lips, "Please be in the vehicle bay by 1700 hours." She nodded politely and headed off down the hall.

JNRO resumed walking to the dorms. "You guys go on ahead," Yang said, "We'll catch up in a minute." she turned and jogged after Winter, Blake hot on her heels.

"Winter!" Yang called, the officer turned to greet them expectantly, "Have you uh…any news of Weiss and Ruby?"

Winter's face fell slightly, "Nothing new I'm afraid." she said quietly.

Yang felt herself deflate a little bit and saw Blake's cat ears droop out of the corner of her eye.

"The General tells me that he sent out a flight late last night but nothing was visible due to the blizzard." Winter said, her tone subdued and quiet. Yang sighed, and Winter placed a comforting hand on Yang's shoulder. "The General has reassured me that he'll be sending more flights out later today now that the weather has cleared. And then as many as it takes until they're found."

"Do you think…" Blake spoke up, her voice tentative, "Do you think they're…" she couldn't finish the thought.

"Still alive?" Winter finished, "Of course I do. My sister always got top marks in survival training. And While I don't know Miss Rose quite as well, she seems like a more than capable Huntress. Of course I do still worry about them, probably just as much as you." She said quietly, "I'll make sure that you two are the first to know if I hear anything."

"Thanks Winter." Yang said gratefully.

"My pleasure." she replied with a small but genuine smile. She continued down the hall as Yang and Blake turned to head back to their dorm.

"We need a strategy session if we're going to be witnesses." Blake said, "Everyone has to be on the same page."

Yang nodded, opening their group chat on her scroll "I'll tell everyone to meet at our room after lunch."

Day 3: Afternoon

"You told Robyn about Amity?" Jaune said, his eyebrows raised in surprise, "That's a bold move."

"It's a risky move." Ren said frowning, his arms crossed over his chest.

"I know, I know." Yang said, making a placating gesture as she paced around the dorm room, "We can debate on whether it was a good decision all day, but it's already done. We have to be on the same page if it comes up at the meeting."

"Then why even tell us?" Nora asked, "It would have been easier to just keep it to yourselves."

"Because I'm sick of all the lying." Yang said, sitting down heavily on Blake's bed, "We're lying to Ironwood, he's lying to us; it's just just a nasty circle that has to be broken at some point."

Blake nodded, "We have to trust each other."

Oscar stared thoughtfully out the window, "You think we should tell Ironwood the whole truth about Salem."

Blake and Yang looked at each other and nodded. Everyone looked surprised now.

"I dunno Yang," Jaune said, rubbing the back of his head, "Ruby said-"

"Ruby…" Yang interrupted, clenching her fists, "Is not here right now...But I think she'd agree with us." She said, putting a hand on Blake's shoulder, "Trust has to start somewhere and I doubt that Ironwood is going to make the first move."

Ren nodded thoughtfully, then frowned slightly, "A moment ago you said that Ironwood was lying to us, what did you mean by that?"

Again, Yang and Blake looked at each other, "We think he knows more about Ruby and Weiss' disappearance than he's telling us." Blake said. She detailed how her theory had started out as a hunch but had solidified when she had discovered the discrepancies in the map contained in the mission file compared to the one in the military database.

"Well it could be nothing," Jaune said, his brows knitting together, "but I will admit that it is suspicious."

"This isn't even a briefing!" Nora exclaimed, paging through the mission files that Ironwood had given them, "He tossed them in practically blind!"

"Thank you!" Yang exclaimed, "We thought the same thing!"

"Do we want to ask Ironwood about the maps tonight?" Oscar asked, "Perhaps there's a perfectly reasonable explanation for the discrepancies."

Blake's finger tapped restlessly against her thigh, "I know Yang was just preaching about honesty," she said, "But I really think we should play this one closer to the chest. If he is hiding something from us and we play our hand too early, it closes areas of investigation to us."

"I agree." Ren said, "But why do you think we would need to answer questions about Amity anyway?"

"Robyn was also invited to the party, and knowing her, she'll probably call Ironwood out on it." Yang replied.

"I still can't believe Jacques would host a party right now," Nora said bitterly, "It's like he's rubbing it in everyone's faces."

"None of us actually believe that Jacques won the election fair and square right?" Jaune said, to which everyone responded with a resounding "No."

"We were there last night," Ren said quietly, "At the rally. We know for a fact that it wasn't Penny."

"It was that BASTARD Tyrian." Nora snarled, slamming her fist into her leg, her voice uncharacteristically angry, "We only caught a quick glimpse but it was definitely him."

"Ironwood knows," Yang said, patting Nora's leg, "He managed to get a photo of him off of someone's scroll."

"It's too much of a coincidence," Jaune said, "Tyrian attacks, and when the smoke clears Jacques is the victor. None of it feels right."

"Do you think he's in on it?" Ren asked, "Or perhaps it's someone using him for their own ends."

Blake shook her head, "I don't know… but from what Weiss has told us about her dad I wouldn't be at all surprised."

There was a moment of silence. Then Yang cocked her head to the side, "Well if he was involved, then the perfect place to gather incriminating evidence would be Schnee manor, right?"

Blake's ears perked up and Jaune's eyes widened, "I see what you're getting at." he said, holding his chin in thought, "But how are we going to wander around the mansion without arousing suspicion? The only one who could do that without any questions would be Weiss. And, well…"

"Does her family know that she's missing yet?" Oscar asked after a moment of silence.

"I don't think so." Blake answered.

"The way Ironwood phrased it, I think the matter is being kept in the military for now. He didn't want us to tell anyone." Yang said, "Why do you ask."

Oscar leaned forward in his chair, "What if we spread a little more truth around tonight?"

Day 3: Evening

Yang stared up at the massive mansion as Ironwood led the group up to the front door. "Wow," she murmured to Blake, "I knew Weiss' family was rich but I didn't know they were THIS rich…"

Blake nodded, marveling at the opulence herself. Ironwood knocked and they were admitted to the house by a servant. Winter and the general acted completely nonplussed by the splendor of the entrance hall, but the group of young Huntsman couldn't help but stare around at all the finery.

Blake heard Nora gasp loudly and point at one of the two giant suits of armor. "Just like her summon." she heard Ren say quietly to his partner.

"Blech." Qrow groaned, his eyes following a tray of champagne as it went by, "I'm going to go patrol the grounds." and he turned and left the way they had come in.

"General Ironwood!" a smug voice called from across the room, "So glad you could make it." Jacques Schnee walked up and shook Ironwood's hand. "I see you brought some more guests with you." he said eyeing the rest of the group with no further comment on them. "You and your...companion," he said looking at Winter, "would head to the dining room, I'll be along in just a moment." he moved to speak to one of the wait staff.

Ironwood stepped away towards the dining room without a word, Winter's only reaction was a withering glare at her father's back.

Yang looked at Blake who nodded in encouragement. Yang approached Jacques just as he finished speaking to the server. "Excuse me, Mr. Schnee?"

He turned away from the server and gave her an appraising glance, then sighed and gave a dismissive gesture after realizing she wasn't anyone important. "Whatever it is you need I'm sure it can wait until later. Perhaps my son can help you with…" she saw him glance behind her, seeing Blake and the rest of the Huntsman accompanying her, "whatever it is you people need. In the meantime, enjoy the party."

Blake caught up to Yang, just in time to see her eyes flash red for a moment. Yang took a deep breath, and they eased back to their usual violet color.

"Yeah, I'm not saying another word to him." Yang muttered bitterly, turning back to the rest of the group, who were helping themselves to hors o'dourves. "Anyone spot the others?'' Yang asked, "Jacques was being a dick so I decided to leave him out of it, at least for now."

"No eyes on Mrs. Schnee yet." Jaune said, munching on bruschetta he snagged off a passing tray.

"Same. Lady Ice-queen is nowhere to be found." Nora said, "But I do see Mini-Schnee coming down the stairs." The group turned and looked as Whitely Schnee came down the last few steps and began to greet guests.

Yang began to stalk towards him, her fists unconsciously clenched at her sides.

Blake gently put a hand on her shoulder, pulling her up short. "Yang, you're...kind of aggressive right now. Why don't you let me do the talking?"

Yang arched an eyebrow at her, "You're a Faunus, he's a Schnee; That just seems like a recipe for disaster…"

"I'll be fine." Blake replied with a slight smirk, "but if it'll make you feel better, you can loom menacingly behind me." Yang nodded and followed behind her as Blake approached the youngest Schnee. "Excuse me, Whitley?"

He turned towards them; his only reaction to her Faunus heritage was a slight widening of his eyes as he briefly focused on her ears. His eyes flicked up, taking in Yang, who was trying her best to look threatening but gave no further acknowledgment to her other than to give them both a polite nod, "What can I do for you? Wait…" he said narrowing his eyes, "You two are Weiss' teammates, correct? I recognize you from the Vytal Tournament on tv." They nodded, confirming his statement, "Where is my sister anyway?" he asked.

"That's...actually what we wanted to talk to you about…" Blake said quietly. A look of concern appeared on his face, "Do you have a place we can talk more privately?" she asked softly. His brows furrowed even more and he nodded.

Yang beckoned to Jaune as Whitely turned and headed back up the stairs; he quickly followed after them, leaving Ren and Nora to cover for them if anyone asked where they were.

Whitley led them to a small library just off the main upstairs hallway. "I don't believe we've been formally introduced," he said turning and facing the three of them, "I am Whitely Schnee, Weiss' younger brother." He proffered his hand to each of them in turn as they introduced themselves.

"Blake Belladonna."

"Yang Xiao Long."

"Jaune Arc. I'm not on Team RWBY but my own team and I are close friends with your sister."

Whitely nodded, "So why did we need to come up here? Where's my sister"

Yang sighed slightly, "Two days ago, Weiss and our team leader, Ruby Rose, her partner, were sent on a mission to resupply an outpost out on the tundra. Contact was lost with their Manta just before they arrived, and radar readings indicated that it had crashed."

Whitley's calm demeanor began to fade, replaced by wide eyed concern.

"Ironwood sent a flight out to look for them last night but a snowstorm made it impossible for them to see anything." Yang continued, "There's supposed to be another flight tonight, so hopefully we'll have some news then."

Whitley stared unseeingly at a bookcase, Blake could practically see the thoughts racing around his head.

"Why weren't we informed?" he asked, finally turning to face them, "Why am I just now hearing about this?"

"Ironwood is playing this pretty close to the chest." Blake said, "Technically, we're not even supposed to be telling you. No one outside of the military knows about it yet. He doesn't want to cause even more of a panic right now."

"But we're fairly certain that he knows a lot more than he's telling us." Yang said bitterly, "He kept a lot of critical information from Weiss and Ruby before he sent them out."

"Typical…" Whitley muttered, "Have you informed my father of this yet? Not that he'd care all that much anyway."

"We tried." Yang growled, "But he entirely brushed us off."

"Also typical." Whitley huffed. "I'll inform him myself after the party tonight." he paused and thought for a moment, "I'm certain my mother would also like to know, she's in my father's study." He gave them directions on how to get there.

They headed for the door, "Oh Miss Xiao Long," Whitley said as she turned the doorknob, "Please let me know if you hear anything…" he looked down, a frown knitting his brows, "Weiss and I very rarely see eye to eye, but she's still my sister."

"Of course." Yang said, nodding.

"I must get back to the party, but I wish you luck in talking to my mother. She can be...interesting at times."

They all left the room, the three Huntsmen heading in the opposite direction of Whitley. They walked in the direction he indicated, passing many ornate paintings and sculptures lining the walls. After several minutes they came upon the office. Yang took a deep breath and opened the door, leading the group inside.

"Hello Weiss-" a voice said from the far side of the room. A regal woman with pure white hair who looked remarkably like Weiss turned from the window to look at them. She was filling a crystal glass with clear liquid from a bottle. "You're…not who I was expecting. Who are you?"

"We're close friends of Weiss," Yang said, "I assume you're Mrs. Schnee?"

"Willow." she corrected, "But yes. What can I do for you?"

After introducing themselves, they told her the same story they had told Whitley, her expression turning to despair as their story progressed. Blake swore in her head as Yang talked, Willow was standing right in front of Jacques' computer terminal, if they were going to get evidence, it would be on there. But she couldn't hack it if she couldn't get to it.

"We're hoping to get some news later tonight when he sends another flight out to look for them." Yang finished.

Willow sat down heavily in the large office chair, taking a large pull from the glass in her hand; the sterile smell of vodka wafting to their noses. "Why weren't we told?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Ironwood doesn't want any more panic right now." Jaune said, "Huntresses going missing isn't something he feels the public should know about right now."

"We'll make sure to tell you the second we hear anything about them," Blake said, "Even if Ironwood won't say anything."

Willow nodded, staring unseeing into the distance; a drunken haze clouding her eyes. "Do you think…" she paused, "Do you think Jacques could be involved in their disappearance?"

The three Huntsmen looked at each other, their brows knitting together. "We…don't think so…" Jaune replied slowly, "Should we be considering him?"

Willow didn't reply right away, she just nervously tapped her nail against her glass. "My husband…" she said after a moment, "Has been meeting with some very suspicious people...I can show-"

The three huntsmen jumped as their comms came to life. *All Huntsmen and Ace Ops report back to the dining room.* said Clover's voice, *Something big is going down in Mantle and we need to be ready to move out at a moment's notice.*

"We...have to go." Yang said, backing towards the door, she cursed in her head, she thought they'd have more time to explore the house. "We'll let you know about any developments, I promise." She turned and grabbed the knob, only to hear a slamming sound behind her. Willow was standing, her palms planted firmly on the desk; gone was the drunk, glazed look from her eyes, replaced now by a determined fire.

"This is my personal contact information." Willow said, firmly tapping her scroll, their own dinging in response, "If you need any, and I mean any resources to help find my daughter, you call me. Not my son, not my husband. Me." she straightened, clasping her hands behind her back, much like Winter did and staring each of them in the eyes in turn, "I have my own very considerable resources and contacts that Jacques doesn't know about. Whatever you need, I can get it for you or make it happen."

Yang nodded, her respect for the woman going up several notches. "We'll be in touch Mrs. Sch- Willow." and stepped out into the hall.

"Good luck." The older woman called after them, her voice subdued and tired once again.

"I can see where Wiess gets it from…" Jaune murmured.

"What?" Asked Blake, looking at him quizzically.

"Both of them are terrifying when they want to be." he replied.

With these Yang and Blake chapters, I'm trying to keep it so I'm not just writing scenes already done from the show. If you wanted scenes from the show, you could just watch the show! For those of you waiting, I promise we'll get back to Ruby and Weiss next chapter! It's a fairly short chapter so I hope to have it up in two weeks or less. As always, Thanks to V for editing my work before you lovely people get to read it, and of course thanks to all of you for reading! Leave a review and let me know what you thought!