Metal like Roses
Written by ReaderWarrior
Beta'd/edited by Icarus720
Don't be afraid to comment on this chapter! It makes my day to read your thoughts and opinions on my work :). And tell your friends! I'm still trying to be the #1 Mistborn writer on Fanfiction.
I do not own Mistborn or RWBY
Remembrance
Before this all started, I was just a simple farm boy. Not even remotely special, interesting, or unique. My name was Oscar. I helped my aunt on her farm after my parents died. It was a Grimm attack; like I said, I was nobody special.
A single bead of metal falls past the outstretched arms of different Grimm beasts. Then, from the darkness, a beowolf jumps up and swallows it. A light explodes from its maw and, when it opens once more, five lights explode outward. The beautiful colors of crimson, frost, silver, shadow, and gold swirl together. Then, from a window at Beacon Academy, they fly out and up past the shattering glass into the shattered sky - each going their own separate way.
One heads to the island of Patch in the North-West. Two to Atlas, though the twin shades of white split off when they reach it. One towards an island in the South-East. And the final one towards Mistral.
"It used to feel like a fairytale, now it seems like we were just pretending."
Ruby sits in her bed, staring at the closed door and her hood hanging off of it. She turns to the left, to the window, and sees her rifle now covered in a thin layer of dust. With tears in her eyes, she turns away.
Through a crack in the door, Tai turns around, grabs a photo off a shelf, and holds it to his chest, staring at a bottle hidden behind it. Pyrrha places a hand on his shoulder and steps towards Ruby's door.
"We'd fix our world, then on our way to our happy ending."
Weiss turns around, hiding her injury. A figure lurks over her shoulder with a lab coat as she turns to see her family. Her butler, Klein, holds coffee at the ready (and glares with red eyes to the figure behind Weiss). A young boy stands in front of a mural of a family of five with near-matching outfits, giving a small smile. A woman's shadow raises a bottom to her lips in the corner of the room and everything goes dark as it encompasses the room.
"Then it turned out life was far less like a bedtime story."
Then, to give light, an older man sits behind a desk with a lamp and frowns. He throws down papers and throws a vial of dust at Ironwood, who is one foot in and out the door. The man spins around and smiles without any joy, placing his hands together, as he stares at a picture of Weiss on stage.
The Weiss in the photo clutches her head. Tears appear in the portrait, forming the Schnee's emblem and Glyph as Weiss tries to steady herself.
"Than a tragedy, with no big reveal of the hero's glory."
Ironwood closes the door behind him, where Vin stands waiting. They nod and step forward, turning to face a group of men and women with different hairstyles but all wearing the Atlas military uniform. To his left, Winter pulls out a clipboard and calls some names. Penny stands behind her, biting her nails
A group of people step forward and brandish their weapons as Vin unfurls her snow-white mistcloak and jumps at them. Her shadow forms an allomantic symbol, a crooked curve reaching for a dot, two spikes trailing each other, and another two stabbed from within the sphere. As she lands, she sends the people flying, as well as hundreds of letters with the SDC logo on them.
"And it seems we weren't prepared for a game that wasn't fair."
The letters fall down and morph into waves. Blake stands alone atop a ship's bowsprit. As she steps back, a robed figure spins her onto the bow and smiles. Another figure in robes stands behind them near the captain. Suddenly, a large man grabs the figure and throws him aside before wrapping Blake in a giant hug. A woman, a faunus with cat ears and a tail, hugs Blake from behind. The three all smile at each other.
But Blake notices the sun reflecting in the water and looks away with tears in her eyes.
"Do we just go home? Can we follow through?"
A puddle reflects Blake as Yang steps through it, distorting the image. Yang runs towards a pack of Grimm, her eyes red, and uses her fists to turn them to ash. After day turns to night, Yang looks up from the pile of monsters and turns to see Jaune, Ren, and Nora staring. She gives them a thumbs up but their worry is still visible.
Above them, Qrow looks down with scythe in hand. He watches concerned but his face sours even more as a raven flies by and overshadows everything.
"When all hope is gone, there is one thing we can do!"
The red markings of Adam Taurus' mask split the darkness. As the red light grows, two Faunus in robes appear with knives before fading, quickly replaced by figures on a mountain. Hazel slams his fists together. The second, Cinder, smirks as Emerald and Mercury stand behind her. Tyrian smiles evilly and crouches. Watts bows like a nobleman.
Then, above them all, glares and the world shakes. The mountain they stand upon has an explosion at its spire, sending ash everywhere. As it falls down, Grimm beasts run up and cover everything, leaving only darkness.
"Let's just live!"
Ruby, with Pyrrha's help, fires a shot through and hits the rim of a target. She wipes away some sweat and smiles, her dull eyes now containing a flicker of light. Pyrrha smiles back and closes her eyes, holding onto a scroll. She turns to look at a scarecrow in the field next to the target.
"Day by day, not be conquered by our sorrows."
The scarecrow morphs into Jaune who, alongside Ren and Nora, protects Yang as she sleeps. They each take down a few Grimm and clear the area. Yang doesn't show the slightest sign of awakening as they all sit down and throw more wood onto a fire.
"The past can't hold us down."
Weiss stabs her rapier upward, its metal matching that of her new arm. White energy runs from her shoulder to its tip as she spins it in a circle. Then, in front of her, the entire ballroom fills with a gigantic Summoning Glyph.
"We must break free!"
Blake runs into the darkness as glowing red eyes chase her. She tries to use her semblance but wolves pounce on it, dissipating the shadow. When Blake turns around and falls down, she sees Adam with his blade staring down at her. He raises it and slices down as she screams.
"Inside we're torn apart, but time will mend our hearts."
As she lay in bed, Vin saw faces of her past appear in front of her. She stands in her original outfit, trying to grab them but is held back by mist. Then, as she breaks free, Grimm-like arms grab her and hold her back as Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang all walk past.
With a scream she breaks free again, her gear now the one Ruby made for her, but as she reaches to touch them, she freezes - her robotic eye the only thing able to move.
"Move onward! Not there yet?
"So let's just live!"
The letters RWVBY fill the screen, each one overlapping with aspects of the team's members. Ruby's dull stare. Weiss' metal arm. Vin's white-cloaked back. Blake's mid-scream panic. And Yang punching her open palm with red eyes.
Then, beneath them, a boy with freckles writes in a journal. He gives a ghostly familiar smile as his eyes flash green, the last thing visible before everything fades.
Created by Monty Oum
There was something magical about falling snow. It was so much different from what Vin was used to. Unlike ash, which could fall and cover everything, snow seemed to make things more visible. Others mumbled how blinding it could be but she always felt like it made everything else stand out more. The edges of a building. The sounds of a bush shaking in a cold breeze.
The embedded footprints of a terrorist.
Vin leaned down and pressed her hand in the imprint. She had learned a lot about tracking since coming to Atlas. For instance, the sharper a track is in the snow, the more recent it is. When snow melts or fills the hole, it'll smoothen it. She could still see the inlay markings too, so it was very recent.
Reaching inside of her, Vin burned tin. The internal-physical metal alit in her stomach and the world around her grew closer. Her now-heightened senses could feel every bit of fiber on her body. She could taste the water in the air. Her nose filled with the scent of dust and sweat, most likely from the soldiers behind her. There was even the tiniest sound of what she could only describe as needles bouncing on a carpeted floor.
Snowflakes hitting the ground, she realized as one landed on her hand. Unlike her group, Vin didn't wear gloves or have on a heavy coat. Pewter, the strength-giving and opposite pair of tin, kept her warm and ready for whatever may happen. All she had on was her Atlesian uniform, her white mistcloak, and weapons.
"What do you see?" Tortuga asked, leaning down next to her. With Penny back in Atlas, he was her second-n-command on this mission.
Vin took a closer look at the boot print. "There's a greater pressure on the heel and not the sole. And there's only one set of tracks leading to the west."
"But we're supposed to be following a group," Tortuga frowned.
"Exactly. And notice how the snow is shuffled here, compared to how it falls everywhere else? Like someone took a branch of leaves and brushed it across the ground." Vin followed the steps for a few feet and looked around. "There."
They walked over through the brushed snow and into a bush. Behind it, dozens of just as recent footprints pointed south.
Tortuga raised his eyebrows. "Smart!" He had only just graduated from the Academy along with his sister, Harriet. The two were constantly bickering (Vin was thankful the woman had other duties and couldn't come with) and they couldn't be more dissimilar. While Harriet was brash and rushed into battle, Tortuga was slow and careful. Even though he was naive and imaginative, contrasted with Harriet's pessimistic and realistic view of the world, Tortuga still volunteered for missions. Tortuga was always trying to learn something new, either from Vin or Winter or even General Ironwood.
He fiddled with his wrists where two gauntlets were waiting to expand into large, circular shields. His tan skin stood out against the white uniform but the green accents on it matched the highlights in his hair. They fell to his shoulders, a bit of a longer length as Vin's. Nothing really stood out about him. For the most part, he seemed average. But there was a preparedness to it like that was all he wanted to appear.
"Do we need to do this? They just stole some food."
"From a military stockpile," Vin said. "Leaving three wounded soldiers behind."
"Because they were hungry!"
"This isn't hungry. They don't know what starvation is truly like. They have roofs and each other." She turned around and marched back to her troupe. I didn't even have that.
"Specialist Venture," Winter greeted as they returned. She, along with another ACE candidate, Clover Ebi, was standing with binoculars behind a camouflaged shelf. "What did you find out?"
"They're trying to trick us into going towards the gates and out of the city," Vin explained. "But the real tracks lead towards an old factory."
The white-haired woman nodded. "We did a scan with heat sensors. They're there."
Another test, Vin frowned. Each day, each mission, they were always having her push forward in ways she wasn't used to. This was the third time this month Vin was told to check ahead. The first time, Vin's instinct knew something was off. The second time, Vin started to think like those she was following. And now, Vin could read the signs.
It was almost as if Ironwood wanted her to be able to do everything on her own. Be a one-woman army. But why?
"We'll get them," Clover smiled, patting the fishing pole at his side. "We've been careful and our teams are in place." Clover was a man with short brown hair and teal-green eyes. He wore a sleeveless snow-white uniform that consisted of a white sleeveless double-breasted coat with red and blue accents, ornate detailing shaped to the form of wishbones, and a broad tail with red lining. Clover also wore white pants and covered his hands with brown fingerless gloves. He also had on blue calf-high boots with four dark blue straps and silver steel toe plating.
Vin tended to keep an eye on Clover. There was something about him that always brought good things his way. He always got the best food. Always seemed to win at cards (she was never invited, however). And, most importantly, his missions always went well.
Bronze, the internal-mental metal that allowed her to hear the pulsations of a person's aura or semblance, echoed in Vin's mind as she focused on his. She could swear she heard it before. It was upbeat, like a music note that kept going higher and higher. It was almost like…
Vin shook her head. She needed to focus on the mission. Not on memories of her time at Beacon with team RWBY. Feeling her breath and the cold around her, Vin closed her eyes. Then, she opened them and said "I'll lead."
Winter nodded and Clover gave a salute. Tortuga, however, frowned and grabbed her arm. "Shouldn't we try to see if they want to surrender?" the man asked. "Or at least do a search around the area?"
Inside of Vin, the remaining basic metals sparked alight. Iron and steel, the two remaining physical metals, zinc and brass, the external-mental ones, and copper, bronze's alloy. She Soothed Tortuga's fear and Rioted his courage, something she had done quite often these last few missions.
"If we wait they might escape," Vin explained. "Or, worse, use up the food we need to store for next year's winter." According to the general, with the fall of Beacon, there was an even larger number of people now in Mantle and Atlas than ever before. They had almost run out of their primary reserves when spring broke. And next year wouldn't be any easier.
Tortuga nodded and straightened his back. "Okay. Promise you'll ask for help if you need it this time?"
She rolled her eyes and grabbed the gun at her waist. When Penny had offered to make the weapon, Vin had refused and claimed her Pushes and Pulls worked as well as any firearm. But after a few design options, she did see the purpose of taking one. Unlike everyone else's, it didn't fire dust rounds. Vin could alternate between two types of shots. The first, Vin used now, fired a fairly large nail straight into the ground. The nail shot through the snow and embedded into the earth.
With her steel-sight, Vin could see a prominent blue line connecting it to her chest. She kicked upward and Pushed. Her weight was thrown against the object and, since it could not move, she was thrown back. The snowflakes blurred past her as she shot up. At the apex of her arch, she flicked a switch on Consequence and it switched to the other type of rounds. This time, she fired toward the sky and a grey disk flew forward.
In ways Vin would never understand, the dust in the round's core activated and it froze in midair with a black energy. She Pulled on it and lurched toward the disk. As she closed on it, she fired again and another shot out. Vin grabbed the first as the other one stopped, pushing it back inside the gun. It was her own, personal, mid-air spikeway. She wouldn't have to worry about needing to find or land anchors anymore.
Vin neared the building she had seen the tracks leading to. It was fairly out of the way but did have a few slumhouses adjacent. Possible lookouts, she thought as she flew past them. I need to finish this quickly.
Before any alarms could be raised, the Mistborn-turned-soldier crashed through a small window and hit the ground twisting on her heel. Pewter flared brightly to combat the pain and increase her dexterity. She instinctively Pulled and Pushed on metal railings and rivets to further right herself. Glass shattered around her as she rose, her white cloak a stain upon the dark factory. Luckily, there was enough light for Vin's tin-enhanced eyes to see perfectly.
Two men with rifles stood near a large set of metal double doors. Three others were surrounding a large pallet of food wrapped in plastic wrap. She flared iron and could see their guns on the ground (more so the steel-lines to them).
The glass hit the ground and drew their attention to her. She grabbed the iron lines connecting her to the discarded weapons and Pulled them away. As the three men reached for them, Vin ducked and the guns sailed back out the window.
Bullets bounced off the scaffolding as she rolled forward. The two doormen continued to fire but lost her quickly. Vin ignored them for a moment and Soothed the original three men's courage. Their bravery, fearlessness, and cooperation faded as Vin shoved those emotions down until they couldn't feel them at all. Then she Rioted the opposite emotions. Terror. Worry. Selfishness. All those worked in Vin's favor.
Under Vin's influence, the three unarmed men froze. It must have been horrifying for them, no food, stealing what they could grab, and having an Atlesian soldier crash through their window - one they couldn't even see. They turned around and ran toward the doors. The gunmen stopped as they were pushed past, giving Vin a brief moment to catch her breath and Pull herself to the opposite side of the building.
The doors cracked open, letting in more light as they ran away. The two gunmen stepped back slowly but couldn't find Vin. She Rioted their fears as well, but they stood their ground.
Probably retired Huntsman or mercenaries, she guessed. Which meant they had aura. Vin reached inside her vest and grabbed a pill from one of the inner pockets. She tossed it down her throat and felt a few more metals now laid with her reserves.
Vin shot Consequence's gravity disc into the center of the room and jumped for it. She let her cloak unfurl and dropped down slowly, easing her Pull off the device so that her landing barely made more noise than a dead man's final whisper. The men raised their guns and fired.
She closed her eyes and burned cadmium. The external-temporal metal. When her eyes opened, the world around her stopped. A small bubble of time now filled a small portion of the room with Vin at its center. From experience practicing with this metal - one of the ones she had only just begun to master - Vin knew that when the bullets hit the edge of the cadmium dome, their normal time would resume and shoot at her like normal (if not a bit off-aim).
But for now, they moved as slow as a koloss on a hot, ashen day. She turned sideways and snuffed the metal. Time snapped forward and the bullets missed her completely.
The men paused as she almost magically dodged their shots. Vin reached behind her back, grabbed her two knives, and slammed the pummels together. Twisting them slightly, they connected and extended forming a double-pointed staff.
"Surrender," she offered. The only words spoken since the fight had begun.
Sharing a quick look, they reached a conclusion and dropped their weapons. Vin was surprised. Her shock faded quickly as they charged forward, raising their fists. A quick reburn and snuff of cadmium and, by the time they reached her, her staff slammed against the knees of the first man. His aura flashed and he stumbled sideways. The second man swung at her as she Pushed her staff into his partner's chest and pinned him against the wall. Vin used the Push to slide backward and dodge the blow.
Vin dropped her Push (and her staff). When she looked up, the second man was already on her. Some kind of speed semblance, she guessed as he raised his hands and prepared to slam them down. Pewter flared brilliantly within her and she caught the blow.
Widened eyes met her confident smile. She then burned one of the other new metals. Chromium. The man's aura flashed and shattered under the Allomancy of the external-enhancement metal. Like aluminum, but she could use its powers on others instead of herself. He gasped and Vin kicked his chest. She heard something crack and he fell backward, clutching his chest.
The first man, who had picked up Vin's staff, stepped back. "What the hell?"
Vin once again gave him a chance to stand down. "Stand down. Or you'll end up on the floor too."
"You… you're her. The Chimera!"
Ever since the Fall, and Vin's public appearance, people had taken to calling her that name. It was the name of an ancient Grimm beast, one that possessed the body of different animals. Each beast it consumed, added something to its body and created a monster with an eagle's wings, a lion's body, a snake's tail, and more.
Cinder had released (fake) documentation of Valian experiments on the creation of a Huntsman with multiple semblances at the beginning of her attack. Strangely, that was the more realistic explanation of her abilities. Only a few select people in the Atlesian Military knew the truth.
Her opponent dropped her staff and fell to his knees, shaking. "Please don't hurt me. We were hired to steal some food, that's it! We never meant for anyone to get hurt."
Pulling her staff into her hand, Vin grabbed his shoulders and burned chromium once again to wipe his aura away. "Say that to the men you put in hospice."
A few minutes later, Vin had the men in handcuffs and was pulling them outside. Her Atlesian task force had the place surrounded and the three men who had run away were on their knees in front of a couple of Knights.
Tortuga waved. "Two minutes, that's a new record."
Vin handed off her captives to a faceless soldier. She shrugged.
"You could have asked for help," he added.
"I didn't need any," Vin said. "And the crew leader is still out there. These are just hired help."
"Which we'll deal with."
Winter, followed by Clover, quickly joined them. "Ironwood needs you," she said.
"Where?"
"Back in Atlas. There's a bullhead on the way." Winter frowned. "Don't make too much of a mess."
Vin raised an eyebrow and then looked up. This factory was close enough to the edge of Mantle that Atlas' shadow wouldn't fall over it permanently. The floating city hovered directly over Mantle, like a coin stuck between a Push and a Pull. Gravity dust, they said, was how it worked. But sometimes at night, with no one but her bronze to keep her company, Vin thought she heard the echo of something magical.
The bullhead flew over and Vin gave a quick salute. She was a soldier now and she'd follow her orders. She'd let the snowfall of command land on her shoulders and cover her face. All because the woman underneath was far too raw to deal with it herself.
Perhaps it was more like ash than she thought.
"And you are certain that this is too heavy for you?" the annoyingly sweet voice of Doctor Stein asked.
Weiss' brow furled and she had to keep herself from shaking. In her hand was a simple weight. A dumbbell, practically the smallest size, and she couldn't lift it! As much as Weiss tried to focus on it, the small item began to shake and then cluttered out of her hand.
"Excellent," Stein smiled. It was a creepy smile on their lips, almost like a doll stretched between two bickering children. Thin, almost twig-like limbs tapped away at a scroll as the 'good' doctor picked up the dumbbell with ease.
Normally, the weight would have been unnoticeable. Her purse was heavier than it normally was. But, during the few times these last months when Father actually let her wear one instead of having someone else carry it, she had used her normal arm. That wasn't the purpose of Doctor Stein's test.
Originally, she had one made of metal gifted to her by General Ironwood himself (technically her sister, the note implied). However, like Klein, that one was removed from her person and stored away. Now, under her Father's orders, she had one made of glass.
Stupid, breakable, cold, useless GLASS! Everything it seemed was under his order, even her clothing.
Doctor Stein ordered Weiss to open her hand so they could inspect the limb for any damages. "It still appears like you are trying to overwork the limb," they said in their soft, almost mocking, voice. Stein made another note in their scroll. "It would be a shame if you were to break another one. I'd hate to have to tell your father that you would need to be bedridden for another week."
This was her third glass arm. The first she broke completely accidentally. The second, she smashed in a fit of anger, forgetting it was fragile. Both times she had been locked in her room afterward. The doctor claimed it was to 'prepare her' for when her new one would need to be attached, although that hadn't hurt at all.
But I wouldn't put it past them… Before Doctor Stein stepped into her life, Weiss was perfectly content with Klein, her butler, helping her. Now she only saw him in passing.
There was a knock at the door and, speaking of the Grimm, he entered. "Pardon the interruption, Ms. Schnee," he greeted warmly. His gaze caught Stein's for a moment and it darkened. "But your father wishes to speak with you."
Weiss stood up from her chair, thankful for any excuse to leave the doctor's presence even if it meant seeing Father. "Thank you, Klein." He nodded and held the door open for her but, to her disappointment, walked in the opposite direction. For a brief moment, she felt the desire to run to him and give him a hug. He was the closest thing she had to family currently. Winter had sworn to never step foot in the manor, her parents were… her parents, and her brother, Whitley, she hadn't seen much of. He hadn't even dropped by to offer any wishes for her recovery.
That left her adoptive family. Team RWVBY.
She hadn't heard much from them, since her return to Atlas. Father hadn't given her a new scroll and she had been under strict guard any time they went out. The only times she learned about anything was from the random, secret, letter from Irownood (or sometimes even Winter). Ruby was back with her family. Blake was presumed dead. Yang, along with most of team JNPR had disappeared a few months after the Fall.
Vin, on the other hand, was so close that Weiss could've waved to her. The newest addition to her team, and the strangest, Vin was always closed off. But in their short time together, Weiss had thought she and her teammates were breaking through to her. But then she was captured by Neopolitan and Cinder. She didn't know what happened after that, but Weiss had pieced together that she had been injured and brought here.
As Weiss walked through the halls of her family's frozen palace, past all the statues and monoliths to their history, past the art of Grimm and depictions of the beasts, past the paintings depicting the Schnee family, she tried to understand why the young Mistborn woman had been avoiding her.
There must be a reason, right? Vin wouldn't ignore her for no reason. Weiss had helped fund what she could for her replacement eye. And she had been writing letters each day to her, sneaking them out when Klein would clean her room and 'accidentally' stubble upon them; then similarly making an accidental deposit of those letters to the postman.
Her thoughts clouded her mind and diluted her focus. She didn't even notice Whitley until she had almost run into him.
"Good afternoon, sister," he bowed. "A pleasure to see you out of your room for a change."
Ever since he was a kid, Whitley had tried to mimic Father. Especially his attire. Like most Schnee's, his white hair and blue eyes exacerbated their pale skin, making them almost look like ghosts. His hair was pushed to the left, but he still managed to miss his cowlick. He had grown taller than her since she left for Vale (and thinner too). His attire consisted of a short-sleeved white dress shirt, the sleeves fastened just above his elbows by navy-blue cuffs -each with golden buttons. Over his untucked shirt, he had on a light blue vest with a black handkerchief in his right breast pocket. He had a black necktie around his neck and black dress shoes to match his navy-blue trousers.
Weiss raised an eyebrow. "Hello, Whitley. You're in a cheery mood today."
"Klein made crepes for breakfast," her brother explained, walking past before turning back around to face her.
For any other family, this would have been a perfectly normal exchange. Pleasantries on the basis of seeing each other for the first time after a length of time.
But the Schnees were not a normal family.
"What do you want?" Weiss asked.
"I heard Father shouting with someone in his study earlier."
"Mother?"
"No," he sighed, "she's already drinking in the garden. I think it was a man."
He was being purposely coy. Most likely, Whitley greeted this unknown man at the door and walked him to their father's study. It was most likely a business partner to talk about the Atlesian blockade of Dust.
Whitley waved his hand. "I just wanted to warn you. I heard he wanted to speak with you."
"I'll be fine," Weiss said, grabbing her glass arm.
"I know you will. You're strong. Like Winter!"
"You never liked Winter."
"True," he smiled. "But you can't deny her resolve."
Weiss paused and studied her brother's cold smile. "You… seem different."
"And you've been gone. I'll have you know I didn't stop growing while you were away at Beacon." Whitley pivoted on his heel and waved at her. "Anyway, good luck with Father."
As he walked down the hall, past the old portrait of their family all tucked close together with Whitley at its center, Weiss realized that he must have waited for her. Whether it was to mimic Father's backhanded comments or to offer familial kindness, he still waited for her. Weiss clutched her glass hand and gave a small bow.
"Thank you," she whispered, before turning around to leave the hallway. She opened another door, leading to a greater hall and froze. There, standing in front of Father's study, guarding the door, was Vin.
There were very few times Vin would consider herself 'lucky'. Meeting Kelsier and the Crew. Making it back to Luthadel just in time to save her friends under a koloss attack. Even being found by team RWBY and not a gang of bandits, was, to her, lucky.
But here and now? As she saw Weiss' jaw drop in the corner of her eye, she knew that Ironwood probably planned this all because Vin wouldn't return any of her messages. Most definitely unlucky.
"Vin!" Weiss cried, rushing forward. She wore a short, glittering dress with a color gradation of gray-blue to pale blue at the hem, a sweetheart neckline, floor length skirt that had a split on one side, and chunky heels. Over the outfit was a slightly sheer, long-sleeved, gray-blue bolero fastened at the collar with a large sapphire broach that had three pendants dangling from it. Printed on the back of the shrug was the Schnee Crest. Completing her attire were sapphire-drop earrings.
Even after hearing about it, Vin felt her eyes drawn to Weiss' new arm and felt a cut of guilt. The dress was cut so one could see every bit of the sparkling limb like it was some sort of trophy. Vin frowned, wondering how Weiss could've agreed to a glass arm. Wouldn't it break easily? How was she practicing her swordsmanship?
Weiss stopped in front of Vin and smiled. "How are you? What are you doing here? Why haven't you answered any of my messages?"
"General Ironwood needed an escort," Vin answered. "He selected me."
There was a pause as Weiss waited for more of an answer, but Vin didn't give her one. "So you've… joined the military?" She glanced down at Vin's new Atlesian attire.
Vin nodded and forced herself to avoid Weiss' eyes. Please go inside, she begged internally. Even without tin, Vin could hear Ironwood and Weiss' father arguing about the embargo. But, as much as she wished it, Weiss stood planted in front of her.
She held her hand out slowly and touched Vin's shoulder. The Mistborn flinched and tried to step back, but all she did was bump into the door. Vin saw Weiss pull away and felt another stab of guilt pass through her heart.
"Did you even ask about me?" Weiss asked. She grabbed her crystalline arm and Vin heard the glass crinkle as she squeezed her fist. "I've been so worried about you, about Ruby and everyone else. I had to sneak out every letter, every small message, and hope that it was an issue of you returning them. But I should've known that the great Mistborn of another world could've gone anywhere if she wanted to.
"You never wanted to, didn't you? You took my money, took my home, and made it yours. If there was anything you asked, I would've given it. Were you just using us like you thought we would?"
"No!" Vin gasped, feeling her cheeks burn with humiliation and rage. For a moment, she thought about Soothing her ex-teammate's pain. "I never asked for this," she explained. "I didn't want your help. You shouldn't have tried to reach me. I'm not worth it." She pointed to her implanted eye. "This is not worth it."
Weiss' eyes flickered from Vin's eye to her own limb. "You're not the only one who lost everything."
"No. You still have your home and family. I lost everything. Twice. And if you don't want to end up like them, you need to stay away."
It was hard, the way she was treating Weiss. The girl, during their short few weeks together, was something akin to a sister. And she was just as kind as her old crew was, as much as she thought differently. But that kindness, that nobility and love, would not last near Vin. She would ruin it.
The hurt that flashed in Weiss' eyes at this moment hurt as much as she thought it would. But before she could take it back (Lord Ruler, Vin wanted to take it back), the door opened and General Ironwood stepped out.
Since the Fall, his appearance had become slightly less pristine. It wasn't much of anything physical, but instead how he held himself. Instead of a man holding up an ashmount, he was a man realizing he was stuck beneath it. Still with his arms in the air and boulders piled on, but now alone and unmoving.
Ironwood wore a white, double-breasted tailcoat with dark blue and black accents, most notable at the cuffs and shoulder pieces. The coat was belted at the waist. Underneath, Ironwood had a black collared shirt and a red tie. He also wore two white gloves and his pants hung over his boots.
"There is a war going on and you're still focused on yourself!" he snapped as Vin moved out of the way. The Atlesian general stopped when he saw Weiss and his burning anger changed to a comforting warmth. "Miss Schnee. My apologies, I was just on my way out."
"It- it's okay," she said, rubbing at her eyes. "Are you and Father done?"
He nodded and, like Vin, noticed her limb and scowled. "You always have a home at Atlas Academy." Ironwood's eyes slid over to Vin. "I know there are those there that miss you terribly."
Weiss gave a small, fake, smile. "Give Winter my best."
"We will be back in session before you know it," Ironwood added before bowing. Weiss did so in return.
"General. Specialist Venture." And then she walked into the study and closed the door. Vin's heart, like Weiss' arm, cracked as she followed Ironwood out of the Schnee manor and to the front gates.
Like he was burning zinc, Ironwood's presence alone made her want to speak. And as she caught his eye, she did.
"Did you plan this?"
"I did."
"Why?"
Ironwood sighed and his stride slowed. "What do you see in this place, Vin? Do you see people walking about? Do you see the markings of a warm family? Or hear the noises of happy workers preparing a feast for their newly returned daughter?"
Vin did not. The most her tin could pick up was the sound of footsteps on glass. "You're trying to help Weiss, then?"
"I'm trying to help both of you," he said with a shake of his head. "Weiss is alone. Now more so than ever. As much as Jacques tries to hide it, I am still disturbingly aware of what goes on in this building. You are quite literally the only friend she has in the entire continent."
Winter. Penny. You. Vin thought to argue but knew it would be mute. Winter was her sister. Penny was Ruby's friend more than anyone's. That did seem to leave just one person for Weiss to seek out.
Ironwood continued. "And I know you have sheltered yourself from her. You probably wish you could trade your life for hers. Not as a way to help her, but to make it so you don't have to worry about anyone. A cold room. No one to talk to, no one to be betrayed by. A 'safe place'.
"But that's not you, Vin. You work just as hard as Winter. And I have seen the way you take care of the ACE candidates - specifically Tortuga. A good soldier cares about those under their care, even if the mission marches them straight into the Grimmlands themselves." He stopped at turned around, placing an arm on her shoulder. "You need to remember that you are a specialist in the Atlesian Army's command. You are not our weapon."
Slowly, Vin nodded. "I…"
"I'll give you some time to think about it," Ironwood sighed. "If you want, there's going to be a Schnee Ball soon to raise money for Valian victims. Perhaps you'd care to join."
A ball. Vin hadn't worn a gown or danced at a party since… It was longer than she cared to think. Probably as far back as the days of the Lord Ruler's empire. She remembered dancing and fighting. That was the day I saved Elend from Shan Elariel, just before everything changed. There hadn't been time between Elend's coronation and the events at the Well to have one. They were too busy trying to keep Luthadel together.
As much as Vin wanted to tell him no, that she'd rather go on another mission where she might die, Vin felt pulled. "I'll go," she whispered.
Ironwood smiled. "Fantastic."
Jacques was fair-skinned with white, slicked-back hair. He had a large, thick mustache and cold blue eyes. He typically wore a pure white double-breasted blazer with a red handkerchief in the breast pocket. Underneath, he had on a light-blue dress shirt, vest, and a white clip-on tie - printed with the same emblem on his shoes and above his study. There was a silver-colored ring on his right hand, not his marriage band but the one he wore as a symbol of his ownership of the SDC.
Unlike him, the room was warm and colored. Snow-like emblems covered the walls only to be covered by oaken shelves where different awards and books (all about him and the SDC) lay. A small table sat in the center of the room, a freshly-made fist-like crater in the center of it, and an oak desk pushed against the far wall. Behind the desk and chair was a large portrait of himself as a younger man. Dark hair. Regal gaze.
Weiss often wondered who the man was when she looked between the portrait and its subject. Or if the artist accidentally sent the wrong one.
"Can you believe there are still people in the world that blame Atlas for what happened to Beacon?" he scoffed as he marched from the center of the room back to his desk. "To Vale?"
Slowly, Weiss closed the door behind her. "Well, they weren't there."
"It's a wonder Ironwood wasn't stripped of his rank! I suppose the council trusts him, for better or worse."
"I trust him," Weiss mumbled as he sat down to face the portrait. She was thankful he wasn't focused on her. Her meeting with Vin had left her… unfocused. She could tell that her arm would need another replacement and her spirit felt as though an elephant had danced upon it.
Vin couldn't have meant all those things, could she? Was Weiss pushing herself into Vin's life without permission? Possibly. But that didn't mean Vin could just ignore her. They had been down this road before. Vin, at her core, was not meant to be alone.
And, hopefully, neither was she.
Father sighed and turned around. "Thanks to him, Atlas is forbidden from exporting Dust to other kingdoms! 'A precautionary measure,' as he puts it, until we're certain no one is going to declare war. How anyone could possibly find that to be sound logic is beyond me."
It wasn't just sound logic. It was a brilliant strategy. The SDC owned 100% of all the Dust mines in the world, most of which happened to be in Atlesian-owned land. If there were to be another Great War, then they wouldn't want their enemies to have weapons that could match theirs. The only ones who would win in that kind of war were the ones making and selling the weapons; likely the man her father would give anything to be.
"Which is why the Schnee Dust Company will be holding a charity concert in the coming weeks. We need to show the people of Remnant that we are on their side." Mockingly, he added, "That we are all victims of the Fall of Beacon."
Weiss ignored that last part and smiled. "That's… wonderful news!
"I know. And I think it would make a lot of people happy if you performed at the event."
"..." Weiss' mind, be it from her talk with Vin, or her father's increasing lack of care for her free will, sputtered. "Excuse me?"
Jacques Schnee smiled beneath his mustache. Like Atlas itself, it was cold and harsh and looked down on others. "Many forget that you were there. My own daughter - a Schnee - on the grounds defending another kingdom! Who fought and sacrificed for the people to survive with her own body. We need to remind them. And we need to show them that the Schnee family is just as strong as ever."
Weiss felt it. Unlike when Ironwood and Vin did it, the gaze on her lost arm became bitingly cold as Father looked down on it. He had never cared much for her scar and she fought tooth and nail to keep him from covering it with makeup. But now that he wanted to showcase her loss, she'd give nothing more than to hide it underneath as much makeup as possible.
"Are you asking me if I'd like to sing, or telling me?"
Father crossed his fingers and leaned forward. "I think it would make a lot of people happy."
A sigh escaped her lips as she contemplated her choices. She could go against him, which would lead to more punishment or she could do as he said. At least this way she could help raise money for those who needed it. "I'll start practicing."
"That's my girl," he smiled.
Excusing herself, Weiss made her way back out the door and to the greater hall. Her mind was awhirl with thoughts on her father and Vin. Both made her want to scream but for drastically different reasons. What I need right now is-
"Hot coffee, Miss Schnee?" Klein asked, almost appearing out of nowhere with a tray in his hand and a cup of the delicious broth on top of it. "I always find that he keeps his study dreadfully cold."
Weiss took it and felt warmth flood her fingertips. "Thank you, Klein."
Her butler glanced down the hall before bringing the tray up to cover his face. When he brought it down, his posture, as well as his eyes, had changed dramatically. "I think it's to balance out all his hot air," he growled in a thick accent.
"Klein!" Weiss gasped. His semblance had always been used to lift her spirits and now was no exception. The two shared a quick laugh before he sneezed and his eyes flashed from red to light blue.
"Apologies, Madame," he sneezed again, earning more giggles from the heiress. As his mustache twitched, and his pupils returned to their normal orange color, he smiled and clutched his chest. "Ah, there's my happy little snowflake."
Weiss smiled back. "Thank you, Klein. But you know how Father has forbidden you from talking to me."
"Oh? Dearest me, so I am. I was just on my way to offer his guest a nice cup of coffee. I guess I was a little late, hm?" He bowed dramatically and waved the tray. "Take care, Mistress."
"You as well," she whispered. He disappeared down the hall and Weiss turned the opposite way. She opened a door into the greater manor and yelped as Dr. Stein walked towards her.
"Ah, there you are," they said. "Jacques told me your arm might be in need of a checkup. Let's go check it out before we get you ready for vocal practice."
Weiss sighed and placed down her mug. "Fine." She was free in her prison. And trapped outside of her home. One day, perhaps when the school year began again, she could escape it all.
The last thing Vin had to do that day was, to her, a chore. This was a private mission that only she, Ironwood, Winter, and half a dozen Knights were privy to and only she was allowed to pursue it.
After she and Ironwood returned to Atlas Academy, Vin disappeared down a corner street where a private car was waiting. She got in and the animatronic driver took off. They drove for almost an hour, turning down parallel streets only to cross back beneath or over them. It was all to make sure that none of the cameras in the city would be able to track them. Vin had originally offered to Push and Pull her way there but she had to agree with Ironwood that a Huntress flying through the city would draw much more attention than they wanted.
Soon, Vin's car dropped her off at a private house on the edge of the floating city. If she wanted to, Vin could've leaped off the edge and fallen to Mantel. But that wasn't her focus.
She walked up to the door and pressed her ID against the door. It buzzed after a moment and opened, revealing an all-but-normal room. Vin felt the electrical hum of armaments and Dust fade as she was accepted as a guest. If anyone else had tried to enter, they would've found themselves waking up with electrical burns over their body and waking up in a military prison for questioning.
Questioning. It was ironic how that was the word they chose to describe Vin's actions in this place. But if anyone unauthorized were to try and enter, they would be 'forcefully removed'. A much harsher turn of phrase.
"There has been no change. Nothing to report," a Knight said as Vin shrugged off her mistcloak and threw it on a hanger. Then she placed her weapons in a box, stepped through a Dust detector (which remained silent), and entered the main room.
White padded walls surrounded her and the house's only living occupant. There was a desk in the center of the room, along with two chairs and a cot. All of it was made of aluminum at Vin's request. The strange metal would wipe away Allomantic reserves if burned but it also tended to cause someone's semblance to glitch out if it was kept near a person for a long enough time.
Six months was, in fact, long enough for Roman Torchwick to lose any connection he had to his aura or semblance. Most likely, if he were to leave, his powers would return over time. Probably.
"Is it six o'clock already?" the man asked with a cocky smile. "My-oh-my, where did the time go? I was going to make cookies."
Sadly, aluminum did nothing to repress his attitude.
Vin folded her arms as he sat up from his bed and stretched. Even she would've admitted that a metal mattress was not comfortable. Like it was his meeting, and not hers, he took a seat and waved at the other chair. She stayed standing.
"Your loss," Tortchwick shrugged. His bright orange hair was longer than hers, reaching past his shoulders. Though she had never seen it, his usual attire had been replaced with a white-blue jumpsuit that relayed all his vitals to the Knights outside. Every twitch, every mutter, and every eyeblink was recorded. He was listed as dead due to a fallen bullhead in the Fall. Now he was Atlas' personal informant.
Slowly, Vin walked around to 'her' seat and leaned against it. Zinc and brass burned as she slowly - careful to avoid any type of hint that it was by her will - Pushed his emotions. Unlike the men she faced earlier today, slamming them with the Allomantic equivalent of a mallet, Vin had to be precise. Every action she made would need to be enhanced with a Push or Pull of his emotions to make him more likely to talk.
All he had given to them so far these last few months were tidbits. Storage kegs of dust, weapons, and food that the White Fang made if their attack on Vale were to turn into a siege. But he kept referencing greater knowledge that they had yet to uncover.
"Who else was Cinder Fall working with?" Vin asked. She made him feel tired from all these days trapped in this cell. It would be nice to give in and answer her questions so she could let him go.
Torchwick sighed and shook his head. "What makes you think she was working with anyone?"
"Overthrowing a kingdom doesn't happen suddenly. It requires buildup. Planning. Resources." Yes, Vin knew these things all too well. Torchwick was an expert at reading people, he could tell she knew these things. Maybe if he opened up, he could learn more about her. Knowledge was power. Vin Rioted his intrigue and his curiosity. "Cinder Fall threatened everyone she worked with. Someone would have talked unless they were being kept in line by someone else."
"Have you tried asking your mother? I heard that she was used to running after the trash of the world."
Another reason why this was Vin's job. Somehow, Roman Torchwick had dirt on everyone. Except for her, even if his insults might land too close to Scadrial.
Vin stood back up and she Rioted his panic. Would she leave him here? She was his only source of communication. "Your schemes are over. Whatever information you had will disappear as Cinder and her crew continue in their attacks."
"Schemes?" he mocked. "I prefer to call it 'creative collaboration with an unruly bunch of Faunus'. And I have a good idea of what her next step should be. It's a coin-flip, most likely."
Two targets then. Both? One after the other. Where?
Pushing his self-control and confidentiality down, Vin Pulled on his arrogance and pride. "You don't have a coin. Much less a network anymore. What makes you think her plans haven't changed?"
"You don't know Cinder very well, do you?" Torchwick smiled and danced his fingers on the table. "She's controlling. Manipulative. Sadistic. An awful cheat at poker and an even sorer loser. But once she's got her eyes on a goal, she won't stop. All of Remnant will burn before she gets what she wants and she'll use any means of doing it.
"You've seen that spark before, haven't you? A young woman like you, growing up in Mantle on the streets." Vin raised an eyebrow and he smiled. "You keep looking over your shoulder. And General Iron-daddy wouldn't have picked just about anyone to interrogate Remnants most wanted. He'd want someone used to this kind of depravity. Someone he had total control over - who couldn't just run home to their rich, Atlesian parents."
It was strange how easily the smirk came to her lips. "Perhaps you're right. Ironwood wouldn't trust this to anyone." She leaned forward and he blinked. "But that means you know how dangerous I am."
Then she left, leaving him feeling fearful and confused. A bit empty because he did not get nearly enough information but confident in the fact that he had outsmarted her and had her break character.
She'd use that next time.
As she returned to the entryway, she pulled out her scroll and called Ironwood. "Did you find out anything?" he asked.
"Cinder's planning to attack Mistral or Vacuo," Vin said as she slipped back on her cloudcloak.
It was the only thing that made sense. She went after Vale to send a message and start her journey. Atlas would've worked as well as the strongest and most secured of the kingdoms, but by going after the heart of the Four Kingdoms, and during the Vytal festival no less, she was able to emotionally stun the other three and lead them open to a different level of warfare no one else had tried.
"There was a reason Cinder went to Vale, maybe the Maiden, maybe something else, but whatever it was got her only a piece of a greater puzzle. Atlas is too well defended for her to try and sneak in now and Torchwick said there could be one of two places she'd be heading to next."
His eyebrow rose. "One of the other kingdoms."
"Do you know what she's after?"
"... Yes. But I can't tell you. Oz-"
"Ozpin is dead," Vin countered.
"But his mission is not. There are plans in place. We need to wait and build up our defenses before we rush into anything. Return to the Academy. There is another mission for the ACE program. Apolla dropped out and we need to be careful."
Apolla was injured a few nights ago after overusing his aura. His semblance was useful for locating workers after a cave-in. He wasn't a fighter, but would often be a bright and cheery outlet for the other operatives.
Vin nodded. "Understood." She closed her scroll and pocketed it. Maybe she didn't need to know everything. It always got her in trouble. She went looking for answers and was almost killed by Steel Inquisitors. Then again, her search for understanding led to the Well. Cinder was pushed into a corner because Vin wanted to investigate her bronze pulses.
What if it is easier just to go where I'm told? To fight who I'm shown? To save whom I'm asked? Vin looked back at the near-empty house and shook her head. To interrogate who they want.
The car rolled up and Vin stepped in, desperate to hide how harsh her tears felt in the cold.
There's Atlas done! I'm sorry it took so long everyone. But after 28, I did two chapters for Remnant Who so I could have that ready for it's birthday update. Then I did My Mistborn Academia's birthday. Then Remnant Who's. And then I moved back to the UK 'cause the semester was starting. It's been a tough go around and I've been trying to get this out as quickly as possible. I promise I won't take another three-month break after I say I just came back from a hiatus.
Let's see, WV (Wave?)/ VW (View? I like that one) seems to have a lot more problems than JRNY. Weiss is under the inhume control of her father (and Dr. Vicky Stein - try to guess who they are in reference to). She's all alone and Vin is ignoring her.
Vin, speaking of, has turned into Atlas' perfect soldier/interrogator. Yeah, that's fun! I was so excited to finally show off her new upgrades and I hope you enjoy them as much as me and Icarus enjoyed thinking them up.
Other notable characters that'll be in this chapter set: Ironwood, who thanks to Vin can still spend the time to shave every once in a while. Winter, who is helping with the training of the ACE operatives (I loved the idea of them being created in response to the Fall. Someone pointed out that the fact there are 5 of them was deliberately to break away from Oz's 4-team rule). Penny is around somewhere, I didn't want to just jam her in. And Tortuga. He's going to be a lot of fun to write.
Next up will likely be RP. Ruby and Pyrrha. I shouldn't have waited so long to do that considering it'll be quite depressing to write just as I get back into the school year. Hahahahahaha. Yaaaay. Then Blake and her two stalkers. Then back around to JRNY.
I hope you all like what I seem to be setting up. There's a lot more planning going into this season than the last. We've got epigraphs like in the real Mistborn and an OP?! Awesome, right?
No? Just me? Siiiigh.
As always, I'd like to ask everyone to comment on this chapter (whether or not you are reading this as it updates or a year from then). It helps me improve and gives me even more drive to write!
My dream of being the number one Mistborn FanFic writer still has not been achieved! Slavok's Beautiful Destroyer still holds that record with a difference of 153 Favorites and 263 Follows. We are in third though! C'mon everyone, we can do this!
Read on, warriors and share with your friends.