AN: Here's the next chapterr, hope you enjoy.
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( - )
(Last Time)
Before he did, however, he made sure to turn to Percy and scowl. "Wait here, and don't touch anything."
The red-themed twin giggled at the warning.
With his piece said, Carmel then proceeded into the room leaving Percy on his lonesome as he looked around at his expensive-looking surroundings, and its two occupants.
Seeing that neither of them looked all that interested in interacting with him, he shifted his gaze back to the door and traced the symbol that had been carved into the wood on both of the door panels and then carefully painted crimson red.
The symbol was of a red axe.
Licking his lips, Percy sank into one of the seats in the waiting room and braced himself for the meeting ahead.
( - )
Chapter 14
( - )
(With Percy)
Leaning back in his chair, Percy clicked his tongue impatiently.
He didn't like sitting still or being made to wait.
It made him feel antsy and uncomfortable.
Almost like there was a gnawing feeling in the back of his head, which grew stronger with every second that passed.
He didn't have a watch, so wasn't sure how much time had passed. But it felt like it had been a while since he first stepped into the room and was told to wait.
Across from him, the two girls who had been in the room when he entered continued to lounge about watching him.
Neither of them looked concerned at his presence or bothered by his fidgeting.
If anything, they looked amused in one's case and entirely disinterested in the others.
"Nervous?" The twin in the red dress asked suddenly, her red lips curving up into a smirk as she eyed him in the manner a cat might eye their soon to be prey.
To the side, the twin in the white dress glanced over at her sister before sighing quietly and rolling her eyes.
"Because you seem nervous," the twin in red continued blithely, the smile on her face turning sly, almost sultry. "Considering how bold you were to just roll up here and demand an audience with Junior, I'll admit, I was expecting a little… well, more…."
Percy's eyes narrowed a fraction.
She was baiting him.
That, or she was bored and trying to needle him for her own amusement.
Either way, he didn't care.
"I'm not nervous or scared," Percy replied after a moment, his tone flat.
"Then why so twitchy?" She asked, before suddenly smirking again. "Or is it the two of us that have you so worked up? I mean it doesn't surprise me. We're young, hot, and sexy. Plus, we're twins, identical ones at that in case you didn't notice."
Percy couldn't help but shift his gaze to the other twin despite him having already picked up on the fact that they were indeed identical.
"And yes, before you wonder, we're identical in every way…." The read twin grinned suggestively, her red lips twisting into yet another sultry smile. "And don't pretend you're not thinking about it. I know the way a guy's mind works, and I know all about how much of a fetish we are. It's got you all hot under the collar hasn't it, you know, just thinking about… it…."
Percy clamped his mouth shut, cutting off a reply as he instead looked resolutely at the door to Junior's office.
He hadn't been thinking about it before but now that she had mentioned it, he was now. Not that he was about to admit to it. He didn't want to give her the satisfaction.
The twin in red giggled loudly at his reaction.
Which only went to annoy Percy further.
The twins were admittedly hot, but he'd seen hotter. The girls he had hung out with at Beacon were one example. They were fit, active and took care of themselves. And pretty much every goddess and demigoddess he'd met on Earth, save a few small exceptions, put them to shame.
Not only that though, but a lot of them, or at least his former classmates at Beacon, those he knew well, and the demigods he had often hung out with at Camp Half Blood, had much better personalities too.
Sure, again there were exceptions, there always were. Clarisse and Drew came to mind.
But most of the demigoddesses' at Camp Half Blood had been nice and friendly, even the daughters of Aphrodite, once you got through all the bluster and ego, had been decent at heart.
They'd all been in the same situation and had all been dealt the same shit hand in life. Every one of them knew that they would probably die young in some tragic, meaningless way, and so had decided to make the best of their situation. After all, their lives had literally been too short to bother wasting time being dicks to each other or getting into petty fights with one another.
The same could be said of those at Beacon. They had a purpose, maybe not to die young in some horrifically tragic fashion like his fellow demigods. But they had still attended Beacon fully aware that they would end up having to put their lives on the line to protect other people.
From what he had heard, there were not many Huntsmen or Huntresses who made it to retirement, and those who did were usually maimed or traumatised in one way or another.
Which meant that for the most part, those at Beacon had been decent, well-meaning people.
Percy frowned.
Or at least he thought they had been anyway, right up until he had seen how many of them had turned away or done nothing when Cardin had bullied that faunus girl.
He wet his lips at that thought, his mood souring.
"Oh, come on, I'm only teasing," the twin in red laughed, oblivious to his thoughts as she once again regained his attention. "So, tell me then handsome… where are you from? You look like you're from Vale. But those sexy green eyes and that dark black hair are more Mistralian. But then your complexion is more… Vacuan. You're a little more tanned than the usual pasty Mistralian guy or Valean. But at the same time, you don't sound like you're from Vacuo, or Vale, or Mistral, or anywhere really. And I'm usually good at guessing where people are from. It comes with working in a club you know…."
Percy glanced back at the twin as she continued her musing.
"He's not from Vale," The twin in white said suddenly, her tone curt and dismissive. "A local would know better than to just come to the Cub and demand an audience with Junior. He's probably some bumpkin from the sticks that thought he was hot shit. He was probably the strongest in his village and decided he was tough enough to come to Vale and make it at Beacon. Only to fail at the first hurdle when he realised that in reality his skills were nothing to write home about, and he was instead just a very small fish in a very big ocean."
The twin in red giggled again, her eyes twinkling with delight as she watched him for a reaction.
He didn't give her satisfaction.
"Or at least that's the usual story," the twin in white continued, her gaze finally moving to Percy. "Let me guess you did the Beacon Initiation and failed to make the cut. It happens. Only you didn't go back home after failing because you were too proud to admit what a failure you are, so you instead stuck around hoping to make something of yourself. And now you're at rock bottom, and so came crawling to Junior in the hopes of getting a handout. I've seen it all before, you're not the first Beacon dropout to come here looking for work or charity, and you won't be the last."
Percy frowned at her scathing tone.
She clearly didn't like him.
And the feeling was mutual.
"I wouldn't worry about it if that is why you're here," The twin in red jumped in again. "Junior is a generous guy, and he can usually find work for failed Huntsmen in training. Admittedly, usually as hired muscle, but sometimes there are other opportunities for advancement. Hey, if you play your cards right and toe the line you might even make it to lieutenant."
"Though I wouldn't count on it," the other twin added. "Junior abhors rudeness. He doesn't like it when the filth gets uppity and demanding."
"I'm surprised he tolerates you then…" Percy finally snapped, his patience at their litany of insults getting the best of him.
The twin in white stilled, her green eyes turned flinty.
The twin in red though just giggled louder. "I know you are, you said you, so what am I… is that really the best you could come up with after sitting there stewing for the last ten minutes?"
Percy felt his temper flare, and his grip on Anaklusmos tightened.
He'd never been the best at keeping his temper.
Unpredictable, that is what Annabeth had called him, and unfortunately his unpredictability hadn't gotten any better over the years.
Fortunately, before he could say or do anything he, or rather they, might regret, a sudden buzzing cut him off.
Raising a hand to both him and her sister, the twin in white dug out the scroll from within the confines of her white dress and looked at the screen.
"Junior is ready for you," she said blandly, her expression smoothing into nonchalance once again as she vaguely gestured at the double doors ahead. "Don't keep him waiting…."
"Yes, because keeping someone waiting is rude," Percy shot back sarcastically as he pushed himself to his feet and headed for the door.
"Good luck!" The twin in red called out behind him. "Try not to let Junior push you around too much handsome."
Percy ignored her comments and instead pushed open the doors to Junior's office and entered.
( - )
(Earlier with Junior)
Hei Xiong, or Junior, as he was better known to the denizens of Vale's Underworld and its wider club scene, was pissed.
His night had been going well.
The renovations to his club had finally been completed and the damage caused by the blonde, bimbo had been fixed.
The place was once again busy, and both the footfall and his drink sales were up.
The place was practically heaving that night.
On the shadier side of things his product was selling, and his dealers were mostly being left alone so long as they stuck to the Red Axe Gang's territory.
The knocking shop one of his clients ran was doing brisk business, and the girls that worked the sheets there were raking in the lien.
Even his lads on the street were doing well.
Those under the gang's protection were once again paying their dues on time and without complaint.
The other gangs had stopped circling his territory like vultures and had once again backed off as things returned to the status quo and his reputation recovered from the denting it had taken recently.
On top of that, the lads he'd been hiring out to Torchwood as hired muscle for his gigs were no longer being bloodied or arrested.
Nowadays they were not only coming back but were doing so with their pockets lined with lien, and with tales of their successes.
The 'Gentleman Thief' it appeared had finally pulled his head out of his ass and started living up to his inflated reputation.
On the wider Vale front, the Vale PD and a couple of key City Councillors had been paid off and were earning their keep by making sure his business ran smoothly and without outside interruption.
As an additional bonus the Huntsmen and Huntresses that operated within the city limits were currently being kept busy either by the sudden increase in Grimm activity at the boundary walls or by the upcoming Vytal Tournament and all the logistics and pressures coming from that. And those who were retired and yet were still feeling nosey had been well compensated to look the other way or were being pressured in other ways to not ask too many questions.
Huntsmen and Huntresses might be inhumanly tough. But the good, well-meaning ones, tended to have family and friends i.e. weaknesses, just like everyone else. That or had secrets that they would do anything to keep. Strength and ability aside. If the right pressure was exerted, Huntsmen were just as manageable and controllable as everyone else, or at least to those with the skill and the foresight to understand people as he did.
All in all, things had been good.
The clubs and by association his, reputation were on the mend.
That said, although things were going in the right direction for his business.
All was not well with the wider Vale Underworld.
Several of his sources had alerted him to an ongoing infiltration of Vale's tightly controlled Underworld by the Mistralian Triads, or more accurately by one of the Triad's subsidiary gangs. A particularly violent group, which called themselves the 'Mistralian Bad Boyz', or the MBB for short.
This group, it seemed, had decided to also take advantage of the distraction caused by the Vytal Festival and the increased Grimm activity and had already sunk their claws into one of the old industrial areas on the outskirts of Vale.
Their leader, a Faunus that went by the alias of Lung, was apparently a real sociopath according to his sources. But was thankfully also mainly reactive when it came to his criminal dealings, and so was manageable, or at least for the moment.
Essentially, so long as he was left alone, he stayed in his lane and didn't act out too much.
This was something 'The Steelers' a small group of out-of-work factory workers turned racketeers and hired muscle had learned first-hand when they tried to kick the recently arrived MBB out of their territory.
As far as he knew they'd been slaughtered to the last man, and were now literally sleeping with the fishes, as from what he'd heard on the grapevine Lung had used his Semblance to immolate them alive and had then had their scorched remains unceremoniously thrown in the bay.
It was a nasty way to go by all accounts and had certainly made Lung's message clear. Fuck with him even a little and find out. The gang had no chill, and a propensity for escalation, and unfortunately had the power and numbers to back it up too.
Junior grimaced.
Their arrival was a pain in the arse.
The same could be said for the ongoing changes with the local White Fang sect too.
Just a month or so ago the group had been little more than a nonentity.
They'd been barely a gang at all really, just a bunch of youthful idealists and entitled, pampered activists and students who occasionally caused a ruckus to get headlines, but who otherwise kept their heads down and their noses clean.
They'd essentially been an activist organisation playing at being renegade revolutionaries, more akin to what the White Fang had once been before their new leader Sienna Khan had radicalised them and turned them from an insignificant non-violent organisation to a paramilitary army.
Unfortunately, the Vale sect's new leader, an up-and-coming hothead by the name of Adam Taurus. A Bull Faunus who had a chip on his shoulder a mile wide. Had recently come into the picture and had busted heads and gone full slash and burn as he turned the White Fang in Vale from a mild annoyance into a credible threat to both the peace of the city and of the wider Underworld.
From what his sources had told him, Adam was supposed to be reckless, abrasive and bull-headed. The kind of guy that would scare off mainstream support, and only attract the desperate and vengeful. Yet despite this, he'd somehow managed to radicalise the Vale branch of the White Fang, yet also keep a modicum of popular support from some of the less extreme elements of the faunus community.
It was unexpected and something that was probably worth trying to dig into in case he needed to neuter or undermine the tinpot revolutionary sooner or later.
Right now, though the White Fang were more a mild irritation than an actual issue as they were mostly based in and around the docks, which was outside of his territory.
That said, their actions were gradually drawing more attention than he liked, and although they were currently drawing attention away from his own business, that could change very easily.
Still, in the grand scheme of things the MBB and the new White Fang were a pain but were still manageable.
Already he'd been in tentative contact with the other gang leaders about a potential collective response to the intrusion.
Only they wouldn't be sending a strongly worded letter. Instead, they would be sending some former Huntsmen of their own with a mean streak a milewide and little to no mercy to negotiate their immediate withdrawal from Vale.
Quick, clean, and efficient, that was how they did things in Vale.
There was no messing about with noisy gang wars.
Instead, they had sit-downs, negotiated their territory, and if negotiations fell through, they nipped the issue in the bud as quickly and cleanly as possible. Either by everyone piling in on one gang, if that gang was weak, or was being particularly problematic. That or they sent hired killers in the night.
When things got noisy the Huntsmen and non-corrupt Councillors and police officers got interested, and that sudden surge in interest tended to effective all their bottom lines.
Which was essentially what he was doing now.
As much as he might want to have this upstart huntsman killed, he couldn't.
Huntsmen were tough even young ones like the guy waiting for him purportedly was.
The blonde bitch that had busted up his club a while back was evidence enough of that. She was only in her teens, a freshman at Beacon according to his sources, and had managed to kick his boys around like they were children and had been able to hold off both Melanie and Militia, his own pet Huntresses, with ease.
Not that either of the twins was a fully-fledged Huntress of course. Their family had trained them up and hired them out as such. Even if they were more on the level of academy students than graduate Huntresses.
But then again in his business that was all he needed. After all, he dealt with street-level crime, information broking and blackmail jobs. He wasn't in the big leagues like some of the larger gangs in town.
But still, the point remained that huntsman was a cut above the rest.
An old saying in his business was that a huntsman was worth a hundred other men and that it would probably take either a hundred men or another huntsman to take one down.
If he delayed enough, he could drag in one or two of the former Huntsmen he had on his retainer and have the kid killed. But that would cost money, cause a mess in his place of business, and be noisy.
Which was the one thing he was hoping to avoid.
No, it was better to bite his tongue for now, ignore the kid's impropriety and hear him out. All the while Carmel quickly got in touch with some of their sources and dug up some blackmail that they could use to either get rid of him or control him.
Everyone had a past, and everyone had secrets.
All it took to find them in this digital age was expending a bit of effort and money.
He had already done his work on the blonde that trashed his club, Yang Xiao Long. Just in case she decided to come back and cause trouble at his club again, or if he needed a bit of extra unwilling muscle in the future. He knew her weak points, knew who her friends were, and even had some compromising bits of information he could use to browbeat her into line if he needed to.
Not that he was planning to do so anytime soon unless absolutely necessary.
Especially not now he knew she was related to the psychotic Branwen Tribe.
After all, dealing with the MBB and White Fang was annoying enough, the last thing he needed was a cult of murderhobos rolling into town looking for revenge.
A shiver went down his spine as he remembered some of the stories he had heard about the Branwens.
They were like Militia and Melanie's messed-up family, the Mistral-based Malachite Family, in that they trained up their progeny and hired them out as killers.
Only the Branwens were less discerning in their clientele, pretty untrustworthy, and far more psychotic than the Malachites. They were more of a last resort kind of killers for hire than an everyday group one might want to use.
Grimacing, Junior pulled his thoughts back to the present and sat back in his chair.
He'd kept the boy waiting long enough.
A powerplay only worked when it was at least marginally subtle.
Holding back a sigh and bracing himself, he sent Militia a Scroll message to send the boy in.
Barely half a minute later the boy entered his office.
Sitting back in his plush, red leather chair as he entered, Junior took a moment to take stock of the boy's appearance, demeanour and the overall way he presented himself. It was one thing to see it on camera, but quite another in person.
Eyeing him carefully, Junior's eyes narrowed a fraction as he absentmindedly drummed his fingers on his desk.
The teen was tall and well-built.
He was not the tallest person he'd ever seen, but at around six feet he was much taller than the average Valean.
Which was fortunate as were it not for his height then the teen would probably be considered to have a stocky body type.
His shoulders were broad, his neck thick, and his arms well-toned.
He was definitely a fighter who excelled in CGC judging by the way he stood and the hard look in his eye. He was a good one too.
More than that, he also had the look of a killer.
If a person spent enough time in the underworld, they tended to learn to pick up on specific details, the kind of warning signs that would let them know how best to deal with their fellow criminals in a way that didn't lead to death and dismemberment.
The way they walked, the way they stood, the confidence they exuded, the look in their eyes and how they assessed a new area the moment they stepped into it.
He had seen this kid's type before a few times.
He was a killer, plain and simple.
Junior wet his lips a little at that realisation.
He was now glad he had taken a softer and more sensible approach to dealing with his rudeness now.
A killer huntsman was a nightmare.
Shifting his gaze from the teen's intense green eyes, Junior moved his attention to what he brought with him.
His clothing was simple and utilitarian.
His was unbranded and plain, with no graphics, pictures or symbols. His jeans were of decent quality, but hardly trendy. His kit was the kind of thing you'd expect an army cadet to wear when dressing casually.
Good quality and functional, but not at all flashy.
Over his shoulder, the boy was sporting a bulky bag.
As he approached his desk, Junior could hear a slight clunking coming from it.
Armour by the sounds of it.
He doubted it was anything untoward, Carmel and the twins would have sussed out any ill intent and dealt with it post haste if it was.
In his hand, Junior could see a thin bronze pen. A bit intricate and oddly designed. Not something he had seen before.
It could also become a weapon too according to some of his boys.
Though how a pen of all things could mecha-shift into a sword he had no idea.
Then again, Huntsmen tended to be a flamboyant lot, so maybe he shouldn't be so surprised.
Eyeing the pen for a moment and noting that, innocuous as it was, it was in hand and ready to be deployed at any moment, Junior made a decision on how he would conduct the meeting.
"Percy, I take it. Or is it Perseus? I'm not sure which one you prefer." Junior smiled, his eyes crinkling in a jovial manner as he gestured for Percy to take the seat in front of him.
Percy's eyes narrowed a fraction, an obvious sign of suspicion. Before, after a moment's hesitation, he did as he had been bid.
"How do I know your name?" Junior asked, guessing the question rattling about in the boy's mind. "Well, let's just say I'm a guy that can easily find out things. It's why I kept you waiting as long as I did. Call me worrywart, but I like to know a little about a person before meeting them. Especially if that person is an armed stranger."
Percy's expression eased slightly at the explanation.
Keeping a smile on his face, Junior reached for a nearby bottle of amber liquid and a pair of crystal tumblers.
"Drink?" Junior offered cheerily. "To make up for the delay, and for having to deal with Melanie and Militia. They're good girls at heart but they can be a handful too. Trust me, I know. Not their fault of course considering their pasts, but well, that's their story to tell not mine."
"I'm fine thanks," Percy replied after a moment, waving away the offered drink.
Good, Junior thought. The whiskey was expensive and not something he wanted to share with some failed huntsman off the street.
"Fair enough," Junior continued cheerfully, pushing down his previous thoughts as he poured himself a drink. "Now what can I do for you? I mean you obviously know who I am or have an inkling. Why else would you be here. "
Percy nodded. "I need a job, and a bed to stay."
"Ahh," Junior nodded. "Yes, I heard about the little tiff you had up at Beacon. Though I'm surprised they expelled you over a fistfight of all things…."
Percy shrugged uneasily.
"Or did you quit?" Junior pressed on, his eyes narrowing a fraction and his smile widening. "Well if you did, then you're more sensible than I thought."
Percy frowned in response.
"Oh, don't get me wrong, Beacon Academy is a prestigious place and they do a stellar job training up the Huntsmen and Huntresses of the future." Junior continued. "But it is also riddled with politics and corruption. It's the downside of them being a private organisation and relying on funding from not just the City of Vale, but also private patrons too. It's just life I'm afraid, and fortunately for you, had the luck to see the ugly side of Beacon early on before you got too invested."
"The people there, they weren't bad," Percy finally said, his brow furrowing.
He was getting defensive, which meant he still had attachments to Beacon. Which, on the face of it, was not necessarily a bad thing.
"Oh no, most of the students and staff aren't the problem, it's the culture there and the institution that is the issue. For all that they try to make out that Beacon is an openminded… well beacon of progression, hope and tolerance. In reality, it is quite the opposite. Don't get me wrong, it's not quite as authoritarian as Atlas Academy. But it is close enough to it when it comes to pressuring their students into toeing the line and minimising and sometimes just brushing aside blatant discrimination if convenient." Junior shrugged helplessly. "You know how it is when an organisation becomes too big and too powerful…, or I suppose maybe you don't, considering you came from beyond the kingdoms."
Percy's shoulders tensed yet again.
He was pretty tightly strung, and very on edge.
Not good.
"Which is also of course why you came to me," Junior continued warmly, taking a sip of his drink. "You're a long way from home, have no contacts, not much money, and, unless I'm wrong, you've also not got the proper papers to be here… which means that you're technically, here in Vale illegally…."
Raising a hand to forestall Percy's response, Junior sat back in his chair.
"Relax, if you know anything about me at all, then you should know that a bit of lawbreaking doesn't bother me," Junior waved away his excuses.
"Right," Percy grudgingly replied.
"So, now we've got that out of the way. What can I do for you?" Junior said. "You didn't come here just to shoot the breeze. No, you came for a job, a bed to sleep in, some lien and above all, you came because you want falsified papers, yes?"
"A job would be good, and a room to stay in too," Percy said, clearly choosing his words carefully. "But I do have other options."
Which means he doesn't want me to think he is desperate, Junior translated.
"Understood," Junior nodded, holding back a more biting comment.
The teen had been relatively docile, if easy to read, so far. But without knowing him better it was difficult to feel out just how frayed the teen's nerves were, or how far he could push him before he snapped. The kid had already been exposed to the twins, so was probably in a bad mood already.
The last thing he needed was to push a desperate, violent and above all armed huntsman in training of unknown skill over the edge. Especially when he had no dirt on him, and no way to quickly incapacitate him.
The most he could do would be to flare his aura and play keep away until the twins waiting just behind the door burst in, and then the three of them would have to try and team up and overwhelm him.
It was possible, and he was mostly confident that they could deal with the kid if things did get nasty.
But at the same time, that was the worst-case scenario.
"Okay, so here's what I'm thinking," Junior continued as he got his thoughts in order. "I need a bartender. You pick up some shifts, and I'll give you bed and board. I also might need some muscle in the future, muscle of the huntsman variety. You do a few jobs for me, nothing too illegal," He added before the kid could protest. "And I'll sort you out some papers and an identity."
"What kind of 'not too illegal stuff' would you want me to do?" Percy asked suspiciously.
"Nothing too much. Just keep an eye out for some of the lads and lasses that work for me. Pick up and protect some shipments I have coming into the docks. Maybe bust a few skulls if some gangbangers decided to cause trouble on my streets," Junior shrugged. "So, what do you think?"
Percy didn't say anything for a moment.
But that wasn't a surprise, the kid had been pretty silent since he first entered.
Not that that was too much of a surprise. After all, he had deliberately taken control of the meeting and kept the kid on the backfoot.
"I've never worked behind a bar before," He finally said.
"It's easy, don't worry about it, and although you'll be getting paid in bed and board, I'll let you keep any tips you get," Junior smiled brightly. "And a handsome guy like you, well, let's just say I wouldn't be surprised if you're swimming in tips by the end of the night."
"I'm not killing anyone for you either," Percy added, ignoring his previous comment.
"And I'm not asking you too," Junior waved him away. "So, what do you say?"
Percy bit his lip in thought, before with a sigh he ran his hand through his messy black hair and nodded. "Fine."
"Marvellous," Junior smiled warmly, "I'll call the twins in and get them to measure you up for a uniform."
The kid grimaced in response, which in turn only made Junior want to laugh out loud.
The night hadn't gone as he had expected, and the impromptu meeting had been pretty annoying all things considered.
But at least it had a net positive outcome in the end.
( - )
(At Beacon sometime later)
A soft sigh left Weiss Schnee's lips as she sat back in her seat at the dinner table and pushed her food away.
She wasn't feeling hungry.
Across from her, she could see the rest of her team, those that were still at Beacon anyway, also seemed to be picking at their food.
Neither Ruby nor Pyrrha looked all that happy.
But then again, neither was she.
It had only been a few days now and she already found herself missing Percy.
As annoying and abrasive as he could be at times, she had enjoyed his company.
Growing up in the Schnee household she had grown used to serious conversations, little to no affection, silent judgement, and strict discipline.
There hadn't been much laughter in her family home for a long time, not since her father had taken over the family business and her mother and sunk into depression and alcoholism.
It hadn't been a pleasant childhood.
Winter, her older sister, had been the only person in her immediate family that had truly been there for her.
Willow, her mother, was broken and miserable.
Her father, Jacques, was a distant, controlling narcissist with all the warmth of a block of ice.
Whitley, her younger brother, was a grasping, needy child who in his quest for his father's non-existent love had modelled himself after the man. Or at least after the man, he thought he was.
So in the end Winter and the family butler, Klein, had been the only ones in the household that had cared about her and had tried to help her.
They had comforted her when she was sad; Winter in her own emotionally repressed way, and Klein with cake and empty promises that things would get better.
Only for things to somehow get worse when Winter joined the Atlas Military and was ostracised from the family and then later all but disinherited.
Which in turn had left her as the heiress to the family legacy. Something which her father had quickly accepted even as he isolated her from Klein and the few sort-of-friends she had made at the private school she attended, as he instead took her under his icy cold wing.
Suffice it to say she hadn't had a happy childhood and had quickly abandoned the family home as soon as she feasibility could.
Ever since she had been a little girl and Klein had told her stories of Huntsmen and Huntresses, she had desperately wanted to be one.
She had wanted the freedom to travel the world on grand adventures and had wanted the opportunity to actually do some good in the world. But above all she had wanted to get away from her father, and the never-ending duties and expectations he forced upon her.
This had eventually led her to Beacon, and to where she was now.
In many ways, she should be happy.
Beacon was warm, lively and full of like-minded people.
She had teammates who although odd and annoying had accepted her and even seemed to like her. This was despite her maybe being a little difficult at times, possibly.
And yet she wasn't happy.
Not anymore anyway.
Her team was no longer complete, and the warmth that had once suffused Beacon and had begun to melt her icy core had become a few degrees colder.
It was odd to think really, just how close you could unconsciously become to someone.
Percy had been loud and obnoxious at times. He was blunt and honest and often said what was on his mind. He didn't keep his thoughts hidden, nor did he put on a false façade. He was exactly who he appeared to be on the surface.
Essentially, he was the opposite of her family and old friends.
Which was maybe why she had gotten so comfortable around him without realising it.
She bit her lip and glanced over at Pyrrha, who she could see was pushing her food around on her plate.
Only for her to then look over at Ruby who was currently talking glumly to her sister and her team.
They all missed him, as stupid as it might seem considering he had only been gone a short while.
"What are we going to do then?" Weiss finally snapped, breaking the tense silence that had fallen upon their table.
"Do?" Pyrrha asked.
"About the idiot," Weiss clarified. "I've already spoken with Professor Goodwitch, and she told me that Beacon took back the scroll they had loaned him and that they don't know where he's gone."
"Wait, when did you speak to Professor Goodwitch?" Pyrrha asked.
"Around the time I happened to get a detention," Weiss replied dismissively.
"Wait you, as in you of all people, got a detention?" Yang burst into the conversation. "What for?"
"Talking back to a teacher," Ruby piped up, her lips twitching into a slight smile. "She went full Weiss on Goodwitch."
Weiss sent Ruby a betrayed look.
"Wow, I guess Percy must have rubbed off on you more than I expected," Yang grinned. "Though probably not in the way she wanted."
Pyrrha scowled. It was a look that was almost alien on her usually peaceful and cheerful face.
Weiss meanwhile felt her cheeks pink. "Don't be disgusting Yang."
"Yeah, don't be gross!" Ruby added, elbowing her sister in the side.
"Besides, we need to decide what to do," Weiss continued, brushing aside a further response from Yang. "I'm thinking that we go down to Vale at the weekend, and try and find him. I doubt he will have left the city."
"Aren't the students from the other kingdoms arriving at the weekend for the Vytal festival?" Blake asked mildly, as she looked over the top of her book at the rest of them.
"Yeah, I remember Weiss-scream wanted us all to go down there and 'check out' the competition," Yang tagged on.
"Well yes, but that doesn't matter anymore," Weiss scowled.
"It will mean that the city will be busy though," Pyrrha said. "I'm not saying we shouldn't go, or that we shouldn't try and find him, but it might be hard."
"Ah don't worry, we'll help, right Renny?" Nora said, barging into the conversation.
Ren raised an eyebrow and then shrugged. "Sure."
"Thanks so much," Ruby said, her eyes almost glistening as she looked over at the other team.
"Yes, thanks," Weiss added, reining back her ego as she acknowledged the help and time the others were generously offering to help them out.
"No worries," Yang grinned, "I want to catch up with him too."
"What will you do when we find him though?" Pyrrha asked. "He's already been expelled."
Weiss's lips thinned.
"No, he was not expelled, he quit. So what I'm going to do, is find him, and make him come back to Beacon to ask Ozpin to let him re-enroll."
"And if he doesn't want to?" Pyrrha asked. "He seemed pretty annoyed by everything that went down."
"Then I can at least help him find a nice place to live, and get him set up with a respectable job until he comes to his senses." Weiss sniffed.
"Aww, who knew Weiss could be nice," Yang gushed.
"Watch it, Xiao Long," Weiss shot back warningly as Yang attempted to hug her.
"So does this mean we're getting Percy back?" Ruby asked, her face alight with hope.
"Maybe," Weiss said, "But even if we did, he'd have to do the rest of his suspension."
"Let's hope he sees sense then," Blake added dryly.
"Oh he will do, Percy is far more sensible than you give him credit for." Ruby shot back defensively.
"I hope so," Weiss muttered, more to herself than anyone else. Percy was a stranger to the city. She really hoped he hadn't gotten himself into any trouble.
( - )
AN: So there we go. Hope you enjoyed it! Let me know what you think.
If you spot any obvious mistakes or typos in either this chapter, or any of the others, let me know and I'll get them sorted.
Either way, thanks for reading and if you have any suggestions or questions feel free to PM me or find me on Discord.
Catch you later.
Greed720.