FOR THOSE INTERESTED; I have started using my bio page to not only keep track of what stories I am working on, and will occasionally post little updates whenever I start a chapter or get close to finishing one.
This chapter takes place over the time between the initial arrival in Argus and the eventual beach visit
Keep in mind Whitley's face is impassive for nearly this entire chapter, but I didn't want to repeat that he wasn't showing his emotions outwardly every other sentence.
The move-in day went by smoothly for everyone. No fighting over rooms, no complaining about luggage being heavy, no arguing over petty and pointless bull. Honestly, it was more than he ever expected when his father practically ordered him to spend his summer living with eight hunters. Walls were still standing by the time he went to bed, so all in all they were doing remarkable.
It was meeting everyone that was giving him a hard time.
Learning their names was easy enough, even if he wasn't given a pamphlet to read on his way here. And with the amount of color they all wore, it sure made it easier to attach names to people. Miss Nikos needed no introduction, and according to his readings, she was partnered with the tall and broad Mr. Arc. The short rambunctious redhead was Miss Valkyrie and her partner was the slender Lie Ren. He knew hunters were stronger than they looked but he did not understand how he fit among their ranks. Whitley himself probably had more muscle mass.
The shiny yellow one who was in desperate need of a haircut was Miss Xiao Long, the two tones haired girl was Miss Rose, and yet they were related? He understood they had different mothers but the girls looked nothing alike. Ah, speak of the devil…
"Oh my gods I'm so sorry!" It would seem that in his moment of thought said two-toned girl had run him over while running down the stairs. "Are you ok? You didn't break an arm, did you?" She started to fuss over him as he pushed himself up, "Oh Weiss is gonna kill me."
"I am fine. My sister will hardly be inclined to commit murder over such a mundane mistake," as he picked himself off the ground he couldn't help but mutter, "though she now attends a school learning how to stab things so what do I know?"
"Are you sure you're alright? I hit you pretty hard there." The huntress continued, ignoring his claims of being fine.
He decided it would be best to just give her a wide smile, the same one he used for the more pesky donors at banquets, and assure her one more time that he was uninjured. But the second he dawned the mask she physically flinched. 'Huh, guess she's more aware than she lets on.' Plan B then, change the subject. "If anyone should be apologizing it would be me." Seeing her expression change to one of confusion he knew he had her where he wanted her, "You have had the misfortune of dealing with my sister for about a year now. On behalf of Atlas, you have my sincerest apology." He then proceeded to give an overexaggerated mock bow.
The snorting giggles, while completely uncouth, let him know his little performance had worked. "Oh, she wasn't that bad. She's great, my best girl friend."
That was certainly news to him, though it's not like they talked much about relationships. Or at all really. "I was unaware you two were dating."
"We're not?"
"You just said-"
"No, she's my best girl friend, not my girlfriend. Like Jaune is my best guy friend."
"Of course, how could I have ever made that mistake?"
Having the audacity to roll her eyes at him she stated bluntly, "You're a lot like your sister actually."
Whitley could not stop the indignant squawk that escaped his lips. "Excuse me?"
"Yea. She was super snarky and stubborn when we all first met."
"I see."
"She also did that thing you are doing where you act like this is a business meeting."
"I am not-"
"And she also used to get really defensive when these things were pointed out, though she still does to be fair."
And that is how Whitley spent his afternoon, listening to all the ways he was similar to his elder sister.
He thought he could escape her notice but these huntresses lived up to their titles. He rose with the morning sun hoping to escape the crowd and head into town by himself, possibly even make some purchases that he needed to keep himself sane. Why the brute was out even earlier than himself only the gods would ever know. When he saw her take notice of him he instinctively went for his go-too plan of blending into a crowd just long enough to break line of sight and make a run for it, but a fatal flaw presented itself.
No one else was on the streets besides them.
"Well look what we have here, do your parents know you're walking around town by yourself little boy?" It took all of his willpower to keep the anger off of his face, but judging by the way she lifted her hands in surrender some must have leaked out of his eyes. "Relax Whitley, just joking around."
"Your hilarity knows no bounds, now if you'll excuse me."
"Oh don't be like that, I'll keep you company."
"There is really no need, I know I'm young but I can take care of myself."
"What would Weiss say if you got hurt and she found out I just let you go off by yourself?"
He wanted to argue with her, but he couldn't think of anything to counter her last point. As much as he did not like huntsmen, the only reason he didn't have personal security tailing him the entire summer was because of his proximity to them. With gritted teeth,h he relented and let the blond follow him as he wandered around the town. He expected the tall woman to just awkwardly follow him around until she got bored and lost interest, or perhaps try to dig her way closer to the Schnee family by buttering him up, but it was far worse. She talked. And talked. And talked some more. Complaining about coursework, wondering what kind of pastries that shop sold, wishing she brought her bumblebee to ride? Everything that seemed to enter her mind.
Whitley lived for a good conversation, he truly did enjoy interacting with people and continuing the flow of a good discussion, whether it be business, political, or even just discussing the finer points of a movie he had just seen. But this was not really a conversation, it was a mindless flow of words. There was no direction, no identifiable purpose to anything she was saying. Well, if this conversation would hold no purpose, then he saw no reason to give it his attention.
At least until he felt a force strong enough to make him stumble hit his shoulder. "So what are you doing in town this early anyway? Weiss is the last person I would call a morning person, thought that would run in the family." By the casual tone and the irritatingly goofy smile on her face, it would seem she didn't realize she hit him with enough force to leave a hand-shaped bruise.
Determined not to show any weakness he simply gritted his teeth and answered her questions with as few words as possible. "Shopping."
"For?"
"Supplies."
"For?"
"Personal entertainment."
"Such as? I got a little sister, I can do this all day."
Taking a deep breath Whitley reminds himself he promised Weiss he would try, "Art."
"For- oh, thought that would go longer. Your sister was way more stubborn."
Refusing to hear yet again all about the similarities and differences between him and his sibling he decided to turn the questioning back on the blond brute. "And what are you doing out here? It's eight in the morning, surely you would much rather be under a warm blanket, no doubt smelling the aroma of a home-cooked meal rising from the kitchen by now."
"Trying to find the nightlife in this town, figured I would see where most people were coming from at daybreak but Argus is pretty quiet it would seem." Yang let out a heavy sigh of what was either frustration or boredom, possibly both.
"Do you not research your destinations before arriving?"
"Nah, live and learn. Makes life more fun"
Barbarians…
Meals were strenuous, to say the least. Whitley had never bothered to learn the culinary arts, preventing him from having his preferred meals whenever he wanted, and he could hardly demand the barbarians around him to feed him at his whim. To further add chaos, no one seemed to be designated the head chef of the group. They all just cooked at random, seemingly whoever got to the kitchen first on some days. He had personally witnessed Mr. Xiao Long enter the kitchen adjusting an apron only to see Lie Ren already cooking and leave without saying a word.
Chaos.
Such inconsistency left the young Schnee at the mercy of others. Whether it was something they agreed upon while at school or if it was simply in their nature if one sat down at the table while someone was cooking, they would typically make enough to share. Cooking skills varied of course, he learned quickly to abandon all hope if Miss Rose entered the kitchen, but just as quickly he learned to be first in line when Mr. Xiao Long was in the mood to cook.
And so here he sat, patient as ever and as quiet as a mouse as the older man seasoned a large chicken. He wasn't one to drool, but the smell was trying his self-control.
This would have been a perfectly normal and peaceful late afternoon, if it were not for the panther glaring at him from the other side of the table. Miss Belladonna was not all that mysterious, in fact she was rather easy to figure out. The twitching of the bow made it obvious why she held such contempt for the Schnee. He couldn't really blame her, he was perfectly aware of the actions the SDC had taken while under his father's control, but trying to explain that he wasn't his father would be a waste of his breath. He could count the number of people who could make that distinction on his fingers.
But did she not realize he could see her glaring at him? Yes, she wasn't directly in front of him but she was well within his peripheral vision! And by the Gods, SAY SOMETHING!
Fine, if she wasn't going to break the silence he would. "I have to say, Mr. Xiao Long seems to be the best cook in the house. Wouldn't you agree?" A small, innocent assertion that she could either agree or disagree with. Baby's first conversation. SAY SOMETHING!
Yet she remained silent. Now that he was looking directly at her she had straightened out her posture and her expression had become… softer? But she still refused to speak. Perhaps another attempt. "I have noticed that you tend to carry around a book whenever you leave the house. Mind if I ask what series you're reading? Or your preferred genre?" Another simple conversation piece. One of the first tactics his father had ever taught him, when your opponent is tight-lipped shift the conversation to something close to their own interests.
Silence.
This slight irritation was becoming a true bother. Why wouldn't she speak? "This town seems rather lovely, I have to admit. I can see why sister wants to retire here."
Silence.
"I was never one for warm weather myself, being from Atlas. And yourself?"
SILENCE.
One last attempt, and if she doesn't answer he will simply have to tell Weiss this is a lost cause. "I forget," a lie, "are you my sister's partner or Miss Rose's?" She was the blond brutes, either way she would need to say so to correct him. A question forged to force an answer.
And yet she remained silent. Whitley was about to give up on her when she suddenly stood up from her seat and looked at him with a startlingly sad look before uttering a single word. "Sorry." His first true interaction with Miss Belladonna, and before he could understand what she meant she had already disappeared back into her room.
If he ignored her she would go away, if he ignored her she would go away, if he ignored her she would go away, WHY ISN'T SHE GOING AWAY?
The morning had been the most hectic one so far. Weiss was seemingly in a bad mood because no one was following some schedule she failed to tell them all about, 'typical Weiss', the blonds were so loud he wouldn't be surprised if someone in town filed a noise complaint against them, and Miss Rose seemed to be chasing after her father begging him to take her on some scuba diving activity that, judging from the brochure, seemed to be for small children. He was slowly getting used to being around so many people, but one thing he would never learn to appreciate was all the noise. Especially so early in the morning!
When he felt the beginnings of a migraine start to form in the base of his skull he decided it would be wise to sneak away from everyone through the back door. Grabbing the book he had started earlier that week he waited until everyone's eyes were off of him and made a break for it. Years of learning how to duck under the radar made it an easy enough feat.
At least it was supposed to be easy.
The white-haired boy walked towards the cliff near the edge of the hybrid settlement and found a crevice he could sink into and still enjoy the view of the ocean. As much as he missed the stillness of the tundra, the soothing sounds of the waves crashing against the shore were slowly becoming one of his favorite things to listen to while relaxing. 'Perhaps I should find one of those ocean sound CDs. I'm sure they'll have something in one of those tourist trap shops.'
And then she popped up. Literally popped up. If it were not for the lack of a hole, he would have assumed she burst out from under the sand.
"Whatcha reading?" Miss Valkyrie was the only one Whitley felt he already understood. The entire group was chaotic and undisciplined, but the short redhead was chaos incarnate. She herself was responsible for half the noise he came out here to escape, and yet she was quiet enough to follow him all the way out here without him noticing at all.
When she leaned closer, completely ignoring his personal space, he realized he had yet to answer her question. "It's called 'Colors of my Own', it's about a group of art thieves trying to pull off their last heist."
"That sounds cool. OH, do they have spy gadgets like in the movies? Oh, I bet they use awesome code names. Am I right?"
"Actually the author tries to be more real-"
"Speaking of spy movies, have you seen the latest Jane Bound movie? I watched it last night on Winter's big screen, the screen is so clear you can totally see the shrapnel in each explosion."
Confused but determined not to be rude he changed course to answer her newest question. "I've only ever seen the first one, action movies aren't really-"
"I probably shouldn't have stayed up so late watching movies. I had this really weird dream where I had to infiltrate the Beacon teacher's lounge and deactivate a bomb or I would get an F in history."
And it just kept going. And going. And going. Whatever semblance she possessed had to have given her the ability to not breathe. At first, he tried to engage in the conversation, he truly did enjoy talking to people, but she just kept going on wild tangents that had nothing to do with the previous line of discussion. Eventually, he just gave up and settled back into his little crevice and tried to enjoy the cool breeze as he continued his book but she was so loud he could not focus.
Annoyed at her constant interruptions and clear lack of focus he was about to tell Miss Valkyrie to go away in no uncertain terms. But before he started his sentence the young huntress did something that shook him to his core. At first, he thought she was leaving when she started walking away from him, but he soon saw her true intentions. With as much effort as he would spend lifting a pillow, the huntress in front of him lifted a boulder and carried it to his crevice before dropping it into the sand near his feet. Every muscle in his body stiffened as sand exploded out from the beach to accommodate the boulder's newest position. While he was stunned into silence she plucked his book right out of his hands and started reading it while sitting on her new thrown.
He was no longer annoyed.
He was afraid.
Pyrrha Nikos was a name he knew well. He had never watched her fight in a tournament, but it was impossible to not know her name. And her reputation. A girl no older than his sister, and yet many deemed she was as strong if not stronger than many professional hunters well into their adulthood. She was without a doubt the strongest of the brutes he was now living with, and so he had to walk on eggshells around her if he was to survive.
It was easy at first, she didn't stay at Winter's and the others often left to meet her in a different location. Yet despite this, he still managed to mess up the one time she had decided to stay overnight.
In his defense it was dark, the main room was designed to use the natural lighting from outside but the flaw in that design was that it was nearly pitch black at night. So when he came down the stairs seeking a glass of water from the kitchen, he was unable to see the champion before he walked right into her hard enough to bounce off. He was convinced he actually hit a brick wall before he heard her cry out, "I'm so sorry! Are you ok?" He didn't know a human being could be that solid.
Before he could even attempt to placate the monster in front of him she was already reaching down to grab him. Fear gripped his heart, his breath caught in his throat, muscles completely frozen preventing him from sprinting in the opposite direction. Closing his eyes in terror he nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt her hand reach him, but he was even more shocked at the gentleness at which they lifted his form up to his feet.
"Are you ok?" His sister's voice broke him out of his trance. Opening his eyes, now having slightly adjusted to the poor lighting, he saw his sister with a worried expression on her face standing next to the much taller Amazon. But instead of the look of anger he was expecting on the redhead's face after crashing into her he saw what he could only be described as flustered. "Whitley?" Once again his sister broke him out of his state of shock.
"I'm fine. Just a little startled, I did not think anyone else would be awake at this hour." It took all of his willpower to keep his expression neutral, a feat more difficult than usual as he was simultaneously trying to correct both his heartbeat and breathing. "Please, accept my apologies, I should have been more careful with my steps. I did not mean to run you over like that Miss Nikos."
"Are you sure you are ok? Your nose is bleeding." Weiss stepped forward in what he presumed was an attempt to fuss over him but he stepped back. He didn't want her feeling how high his heart rate currently was.
"A minor injury I assure you. It will most likely stop before I make it back to my room."
The redhead still seemed incredibly flustered about the whole ordeal, her hands constantly raising and lowering as if she wanted to wipe away the blood from his face but repeatedly deciding against doing so in some internal struggle. "Is there anything I can do to make this up to you?"
"There's really nothing to make up for, I wasn't paying attention" Being honest with himself he was still scared of her, but the feeling was lessening the longer he looked at her. He had seen much feigned empathy in his short life, whether it be from staff hoping he would look the other way when he saw something he shouldn't have, other adults pretending they cared about his desires or how his father treated him, or just outright pretending to care about his presence when all they wanted was to talk to the heiress. So to see such genuine kindness and remorse in those green eyes… it scared him, but this time he didn't understand why.
After a bit more chatter the three teenagers headed their separate ways, as he walked towards the kitchen he heard one last call, "I'm sorry!"
Of all the people in the house, he had to say the Arc intrigued him the most. The others, though they did it unconsciously, treated him differently. Always giving him special attention. Trying too hard to be his friend, making sure the weakling among them could cross the street by himself, making sure their friend's little brother did not feel alone, it was infuriating. He understood they were not trying to be insulting, and that they had good intentions, but he wished they would all just…
And then there was Arc. He truly didn't treat him any differently. At first Whitley thought Arc treated him like a glass doll because he was younger and weaker, causing a quickly growing disdain for the young man, but then he saw that he not only treated the older Miss Nikos like that, he even treated his own sister as if she would break under his thumb. It wasn't that he saw Whitley as weak, he was just aware of how strong he was.
It was strange to have disdain turn into respect so quickly.
Of course, that respect was marginal. He was still a barbarian as far as Whitley was concerned, just a slightly more aware one. Then there was the fact he seemed to be slowing down and growing clumsier by the day. He didn't know the young man personally so he couldn't say it was out of character of him, but judging by the looks he had been steadily gaining from his comrades he assumed this was a new development.
Whitley found himself staring at the blond as he dug around the kitchen, gathering ingredients and setting up the stove. Not an uncommon sight, he had made it to the top three of Whitley's best chefs list, but what made it strange was the fact it was currently one in the morning. The young Schnee had come down after feeling a sudden thirst, a feeling that was becoming commonplace lately, and found the Arc moving around the kitchen like a zombie.
Seeing the heavy and pronounced dark circles under his eyes, the white-haired boy made sure to make plenty of noise as he entered the kitchen so as to not surprise the clearly sleep-deprived young man. While he may be more aware of his strength than the others seemed to be, Whitley still did not fully trust any of the hunters. He still did not understand why either of his sisters felt the need to join in their barbaric lifestyles of death and destruction, of unnatural strength, away from their lives of privilege of luxury. It had strings attached of course, but was risking one's life on a regular basis really preferable to staying with your family?
He shook his head in an attempt to clear it. Thoughts for later, or preferably never.
Finally noticing his presence near the entrance of the kitchen Arc gave him one of his signature goofy smiles, though it didn't quite reach as far across his face as it used to. "Hey, couldn't sleep?"
"Probably slept more than you."
He let out a soft chuckle as he scratched the back of his head, "Is it that obvious?"
There was no point in lying to him, or at least not one that he saw. "I would not be surprised if you collapsed right now. Having the ability to even open your eyes is a miracle all on its own."
From his upset expression, Whitley worried he might have been too honest. "Damn, I must really be out of it." He was silent for a while as he continued to melt some butter in a pan. After a few moments of silence the young Schnee started to think he had forgotten he was there in his sleep-deprived state until he started talking once more. "I brought some sleeping pills with me, I always have trouble sleeping after traveling. Except for Professor Port's hunting expeditions for some reason. I guess my brain just recognizes when I'm in work mode." While the butter melted and spread across the pan he started gathering slices of cheese, from what Whitley could tell about four different types of cheeses all together. "I really didn't want to have to take them though."
"Why would you deny yourself sleep when you have the answer?" Was he purposefully hurting himself? He had read it was not uncommon for such tendencies to exist in hunters and soldiers, but statistically that shouldn't be happening until later in his life.
"They tend to put me out for a whole day instead of just a night, I didn't want to miss any time with my friends. Though I guess I don't really have a choice anymore if it's affecting me this badly."
"I think it would be within your best interest."
He heard the hunter let out a long and defeated sigh. "Oh well." Turning to Whitley, who had started filling up a glass of water as was his original intention, "Well before I knock myself out for twenty-four hours, want a grilled cheese?"
It had been just over a week since everyone arrived and Whitley was reaching his limits.
He was under the impression this vacation was for them to recharge for their next year of grueling schoolwork and slaying monsters in the middle of the woods, so how come they all managed to be so high energy? It was madness! If he didn't know better he would assume that Weiss was lying about what kind of school she attended. The chaos, the yelling, the constant moving, video games at high volumes, screaming matches over said video games, the wrestling- oh god the wrestling.
Winter's vacation home was no mansion, and by his own high standards it certainly wasn't luxury, but it still had space. And with all that space available to them they still felt the need to be so physical with each other. All the hugging the 'play fighting', the leaning, it was all so much. Multiple times he has walked in on several of them cuddling with each other, or taking naps on each other; even Weiss, the only one he expected to be prim and proper amongst them has been spotted holding on to Xiao Long's arm while reading her book, and taking a nap with Rose and Belladonna on top of her.
When had she gotten all… touchy?
But that was fine, they could do whatever they wanted. Until they tried to drag him into it! Luckily no one has attempted to nap on him, but sitting directly next to him when there are other seats to be taken, putting their arms around his shoulder whenever he made the mistake of standing too close, ruffling his hair as if he were a child. So. Much. Touching!
He needed an escape. He wasn't sure how much longer he could last if he stayed in that house, all he knew was he needed to reset. Eyeing his painting supplies in the corner of the room he realized exactly what he had to do. After collecting everything he quickly went downstairs, careful not to run into anyone for a third time, and stopped in his tracks when he saw the Xiao Long-Rose patriarch. Noticing him he raised his mug in greeting. "Hey champ, where's the fire?"
He had not interacted with the man too often, but he did seem to be a genuine person. He still treated Whitley differently, but it wasn't the same as everyone else. He couldn't say exactly what it was, but he somehow knew the older man had his best interest at heart. Or at the very least, he meant him no harm. "I just need some space. I'll stay close to the house but I would prefer to be left alone."
A strangely understanding look entered the man's eyes. "Alright, just two things. Make sure you have your scroll on you and be back before dinner." A mischievous glint entered his smile, "Saphron is helping me make tacos for everyone tonight, if you don't get back in time I can't promise there will be anything left."
"I'll make sure to keep an eye on the time." With that final reassurance, Whitley started power walking away from the house but made sure to keep it in his sightline. He was a man of his word after all.
He didn't know what he was going to paint, maybe he would finally get started on that abstract orchestra painting he promised Jade a few weeks ago, or perhaps he would attempt a realism-style image but from memory. Deep in thought, he didn't realize how close he was getting to the water until he heard the crashing waves.
Looking up and focusing on what was in front of him he found his muse.
Lie Ren had apparently also sought escape from the chaos that had befallen Winter's house and had come out this far to meditate on the beach. He sat on a tall and narrow rock, yet he remained perfectly balanced, with no swaying or adjusting his form. He had removed his shirt revealing Whitley's earlier assessment of him being a twig could not be further from the truth if he tried. Where Jaune Arc was large and built, Lie Ren focused his body into that of lean and coiled muscle, like a spring that had been compressed beyond its natural limitations. Though he was perfectly relaxed Whitley could still see the strength emanating from his body. The orange glow of the sunrise seemingly wrapped around his figure, leaving a patch of darkness centered on his back. His absolute stillness in contrast with the forever moving waves of the ocean, in that moment, was one of the most beautiful things Whitley had ever seen.
Without so much as a word, Whitley silently set up his canvas and did everything in his power to capture this moment in time.
Author's Note;
If this chapter sounds a little mean spirited try to keep in mind that this is Whitley's first week or so around a bunch of strangers, he is in a climate that he isn't used to, and he's still on the emotional high of agreeing to an attempt to reconcile with his sister. In short, Whitley is a very cranky boy.
Whiting it from Whitley's perspective I couldn't make it too obvious what was happening with Blake. She isn't really glaring at him, at least not out of hatred. She is more angry at herself for not being able to figure out how to talk to him even after living with Weiss for almost a year at this point. The apology was for all the pain her action in the White Fang has caused him and his sisters over the years (Jaques beating them when she stole a train for example)
Maybe it's just me, but I kinda hate how the characters don't just casually use their super strength. Like the only one we have is Yang with the speaker in volume 2.
Can you tell who I had the most difficulty writing an accouter for? It was Pyrrha and Nora, but mainly Pyrrha.
As always, leave a comment/review, they tell me what I did right, what I did wrong, and I just enjoy getting them.