Chapter 7: A Friend is Suddenly There
It was a bright and cheerful morning in Atlas, and Weiss was riding in the back of a sedan—not the same one that had been wrecked last night. She was still mildly peeved at Ruby for the part she'd played in that, although logically she knew it hadn't been Ruby's fault.
Weiss's regular driver was at the wheel of the car today, and Ruby was sitting next to Weiss in the back. Weiss was dressed in her ordinary business attire, and Ruby had her uniform on. However, the meeting the two of them were heading to was anything but a typical business affair. The huntsman they'd encountered last night had asked to see them today. If Weiss had understood correctly, his name was Lie. She sincerely hoped the name would turn out to be ironic.
Ordinarily Weiss wouldn't have accommodated some random huntsman trying to make demands of her time, but with Father after her it would've been foolish to turn away help. So Weiss had agreed to meet Lie and his team at his base of operations, after she'd verified his identity with the Huntsmen Association of course.
Weiss glanced to her side. Ruby was sitting there with her chin resting in her hand. She looked completely lost in thought. She'd been like that all morning, and Weiss wasn't sure why.
"Ruby? Is something bothering you?" Weiss asked.
Weiss didn't get a response.
"Ruby?" Weiss tried again.
"Oh! Sorry, Weiss," Ruby said, seeming to snap out of whatever fugue state she was in. "I was just…. I still can't figure out how I fell off your glyph."
"It's alright, Ruby," Weiss said.
"No it isn't!" Ruby said, turning to Weiss. "I let them get away!"
"I'm sure we'll have another opportunity to nab some of my father's thugs," Weiss said.
"That doesn't really make me feel any better," Ruby said. "As your bodyguard, I have to do better!"
"Trust me, Ruby," Weiss said. "You're doing just fine."
Ruby crossed her arms and pouted. She obviously didn't agree.
"This huntsman we're meeting might have the information we need anyway," Weiss offered.
"Yeah. Maybe," Ruby said. She sounded skeptical.
The conversation trailed off as the car rolled on down Atlas's streets. But then, apropos of nothing, Ruby asked, "When the guy last night said it pays to have friends in high places, do you think he meant having friends who are rich enough to buy him a bullhead, or just having friends high up in an airship?"
Weiss blinked a few times. She asked, "Ruby, what are you talking about?"
"Uh…. Never mind," Ruby said.
The sedan slowed to a stop as it pulled up to a curb. The driver looked over his shoulder and said, "We're here, Miss Schnee."
"Finally," Weiss said. She had expected this Lie to be working out of someplace closer to downtown.
The driver got out of the car and walked around to open Weiss's door for her. Weiss accepted his hand and stepped out onto the sidewalk. Ruby had already gotten out on the other side of the car on her own.
Weiss looked around. There were several apartment buildings surrounding her, and none of them looked particularly nice. Weiss understood that many huntsmen lived itinerant lives as they pursued their monstrous quarry, so they probably didn't care much where they were living from week to week. But Weiss still thought Lie should've been able to afford something a little nicer. She was starting to wonder if she should have worn her combat dress to this meeting. She placed her hand over her jacket where Eiszapfen was discreetly tucked away to reassure herself.
"Hey! Wait a second!" Ruby said. She pointed at a building across the street. "That's my old…uh, I mean, my apartment!"
Weiss looked in the direction that Ruby was pointing. She recognized the building now, although she'd only been there a handful of times, mostly to help get Ruby out of the awful place. She said, "So it is."
Weiss glanced at her driver, hoping he hadn't picked up on Ruby's little slipup. She said, "Keep the car moving. I'm not sure how long we'll be, so circle around occasionally."
"Yes, Miss Schnee," the driver said.
The driver got back into the car. The engine hummed, and the sedan rolled away.
Ruby joined Weiss, and they both started walking toward the entrance of the apartment building which resided at the address Lie had told them to meet him at.
Ruby asked, "Why do you think this guy is staying right across from where I used to live?"
Before Weiss could answer, a voice said, "It's a coincidence, I assure you."
Weiss managed to only jump slightly in surprise. She turned and saw Lie leaning against the side of the building a few feet away.
Weiss asked, "How do you keep sneaking up on us like that?"
"Apologies. It's not my intent," Lie said. He pushed off the wall and walked over to Ruby and Weiss.
"Well, we're here, Lie," Weiss said. "Or do you prefer 'Mr. Ren-Valkyrie'?"
"Actually just 'Ren' will do," Lie, or rather Ren, said.
"Very well," Weiss said. "How about you start with why you wanted to meet me here."
"It'd be best to discuss that with the rest of my team. And our leader," Ren said.
"You're not the man in charge?" Weiss asked.
"No," Ren said. He opened the main door of the apartment building and gestured for Ruby and Weiss to enter.
Weiss walked through the door. Ruby and Ren followed.
Ruby was staring at Ren like she was trying to puzzle something out. She asked him, "Have we met? You didn't go to Atlas Academy, did you?"
"No. This is my first time in Atlas." Ren said. He led Ruby and Weiss to some nearby stairs and started walking up them.
"I trust our kingdom is treating you well," Weiss said as she and Ruby followed Ren up.
"Yes," Ren said.
Weiss was getting the impression that Ren wasn't one for small talk. In a way, she appreciated that.
After climbing several flights of stairs, Ren finally turned off onto a landing. He led Ruby and Weiss to an apartment door. Then he pulled out a key, unlocked the door, and opened it up.
Weiss walked first into the apartment, quickly followed by Ruby. Ren walked in behind them. The majority of the inside of the apartment was taken up by a single, unremarkable room with a kitchenette at one end and bare brick for one of the walls. The room was clearly meant to serve as a combination bedroom, living room, and dining area. Although Weiss didn't think there was enough space for even one of those functions, let alone all of them. However, space didn't seem to be a problem for Ren and his team. The apartment's décor could generously be described as spartan. There were no decorations of any kind; everything was purely functional. Three bedrolls were laid out in lieu of mattresses, and the only other furnishings were a pair of small tables, a collection of mismatched chairs, and a variety of workout and training equipment.
Weiss's eyes were immediately drawn to a freestanding pull-up bar. However, it wasn't the bar that had grabbed her attention. It was the blond, shirtless man currently using it. His back was to Weiss, and he was bathed in the morning light that was shining in through an open window. Weiss could see sweat glistening as it rolled down his flawless skin. The droplets emphasized his lean but perfectly toned muscles which flexed as he effortlessly bobbed up and down on the bar.
Weiss's lips reflexively curled into a look of disgust. She did not appreciate being subjected to the gratuitous display the man was putting on. Clearly he had an underdeveloped sense of modesty and decorum. Weiss was thankful he at least had some pants on. She glanced over at Ruby who was standing by her side, but to Weiss's dismay, Ruby was staring wide-eyed at this stranger with reddening cheeks. It was a look Weiss had seen many times before, but she wasn't used to it being directed at anyone other than herself. An ugly jealousy started taking root inside of her. She didn't like it, but she couldn't deny it was there.
"A-hem!" Weiss said loudly.
The man finished one last pull-up. Then he let go of the bar. He grabbed a towel that was hanging nearby and slung it over his shoulders. He turned around. Weiss wanted to roll her eyes when she saw his modest but nonetheless well-defined six-pack and his clean-shaven, youthful face. And when Ruby's blush got even deeper, Weiss wanted to yell at the man to put on a shirt.
The man gave Ruby and Weiss a friendly smile, but there was a profound sadness behind it. He walked up to Ruby, openly staring at her. Then he said, "You have silver eyes."
Ruby laughed bashfully, clearly not knowing what to say.
Now Weiss wanted to punch the man in his face. She said, "Excuse me, Mr.…!"
"Arc. Jaune Arc," the man said. He held out his hand. "And you must be Weiss."
"That's 'Miss Schnee' if you please," Weiss said, pointedly ignoring Jaune's hand. Normally she would have begrudgingly accepted his offer of a handshake for the sake of politeness, but she didn't feel like indulging him right now.
"Heh. Right," Jaune said, awkwardly pulling his hand back.
"Oh! Oooh!" Ruby suddenly blurted out. "I recognize you now! You're all the Arc Knights!"
Jaune scratched the back of his head, looking a little embarrassed. He said, "Yeah, that's what people call us."
"Wow!" Ruby said, swooning like a teenager who had just met her favorite singer.
"Ruby? You know these people?" Weiss asked.
"Everyone knows the Arc Knights, Weiss!" Ruby exclaimed. "They're only the most famous huntsmen team in the entire world! But aren't there supposed to be three of you?"
"Well, you've already met Ren," Jaune said, gesturing to his teammate who was quietly and unobtrusively hanging out in the back of the apartment. "And Nora is…."
A gloved hand suddenly slammed down on the sill of the open window from outside. It was followed by a second. Then a young, redheaded woman, dressed in a high-necked white blouse, black jacket, and pink combat skirt, hauled herself up through the window and into the apartment. She also had an unadorned silver ring hanging from a silver chain around her neck.
"Did someone say…!" the woman shouted in what Weiss thought was an obnoxious voice. She lifted both of her hands in a victorious pose. "…Nora?!"
"…right there," Jaune finished his sentence. "You know, Nora, you could have used the stairs."
"Then why was the window open?" Nora asked. All of a sudden, she seemed to notice that Weiss and Ruby were in the room too. She slapped Jaune hard on his back, saying, "Jaune, you didn't tell me we were having guests over!"
"Actually, I did," Jaune said quietly.
"Hi! I'm Nora Valkyrie!" Nora said, excitedly waving to Weiss and Ruby. Then she pointed at Ren. "And that's Ren, my ex-boyfriend!"
"Nora…" Ren said, almost sounding exasperated.
"Ex-boyfriend because…" Nora prompted.
Ren sighed. He reached into the neck of his tunic and pulled out a silver ring on a silver chain that looked identical to Nora's.
"He's my man now!" Nora enthusiastically announced. "We're together together-together!"
Weiss was rapidly approaching her wits' end. It was true that huntsmen and huntresses tended to be eccentric, but this motley crew was the most ridiculous posse of buffoons she'd ever personally met. She said, "Mr. Arc!"
"Just 'Jaune' is fine," Jaune said.
"Jaune, then," Weiss said. "I am an exceedingly busy woman. So please tell me why you wanted to speak with me."
"Right…" Jaune said. He looked away from Weiss and started walking toward the open window. "About a week ago, me and my team found out about a plot—"
"I already know," Weiss interrupted.
Jaune abruptly turned around. He asked, "You do?"
"Yes," Weiss said. "As unbelievable as it is, my own father is trying to have me assassinated."
Jaune was silent for a moment. Then he said, "Yeah. Your father…."
"The real question is why do a bunch of huntsmen care?" Weiss asked.
"Excuse me!" Nora piped up. "I'm a huntress, thank you."
"Why do a pair of huntsmen and a huntress care?" Weiss corrected herself. She'd be more annoyed at Nora except she was technically correct.
"Weiss!" Ruby said. "These are the Arc Knights! They're heroes!"
"No, Ruby," Jaune said. "Weiss's question is a good one."
"Well?" Weiss asked, verbally prodding Jaune.
"The grimm are drawn to negative emotions," Jaune said. "Someone as important as you dying will upset a lot of people."
"Not as many as you might think," Weiss said.
"Yeah, but…. We're still here to help," Jaune said.
"I don't need your help," Weiss said.
"Weiss!" Ruby said.
Weiss scowled even deeper than she already was. She fully acknowledged that she was letting Ruby's obvious infatuation with Jaune cloud her judgment. Even so, there was something that was bothering her about him, beyond him provocatively putting himself on display by walking around without his shirt on. Unfortunately, she couldn't put her finger on it.
Ruby asked, "What can it hurt having them help us?"
Weiss realized she needed to get her emotions under control. This was no time to be acting irrationally. As much as it hurt her pride, she said, "I suppose just because help is unnecessary doesn't mean it's unwarranted."
"Great!" Jaune said. "I know you're busy, like you said, so we'll try not to waste any of your time. How about we borrow Ruby for a few hours and—"
"Absolutely not," Weiss said.
Jaune raised his hands defensively. He said, "We just want to talk strategy with her. We never know when your father's going to attack again."
"All the more reason I need her by my side," Weiss said. She felt it was a valid reason too, although it certainly wasn't the only one.
Ruby asked, "Couldn't we just…go to your dad now, Weiss? Maybe tell him to stop?"
Jaune said, "No, no. That's not a good idea."
Weiss reluctantly said, "He's right, Ruby. The only way we'll stop Father is if we have overwhelming evidence. Overwhelming enough to convict him in the court of public opinion. And in a regular court as well. All that confronting him now would do is alert him that we know he's the one responsible for the attack."
Jaune said, "Wow. You've really got this all figured out, Wei—I mean, Miss Schnee."
Weiss glared at Jaune and crossed her arms. She said, "This isn't the first crisis I've dealt with. And contrary to what some people think, nepotism had nothing to do with me earning my place at the Schnee Dust Company."
"Uh, that's not really what I was trying to say," Jaune muttered.
"I don't suppose you've gathered any evidence against my father other than rumors and hearsay?" Weiss asked.
"Not yet…" Jaune admitted.
"I thought not," Weiss said. "Ruby stays with me."
The ringing of a scroll suddenly interrupted the increasingly hostile conversation. The sound was coming from Ruby's pocket. Ruby pulled out her scroll and said, "This'd better be Yang."
Ruby brought the scroll to her ear and answered, "Hello? Yang! Where have you been?! Do you know how worried I was?! What happened?"
Ruby listened for a moment. As she did her expression became more and more shocked. She said, "Blake did what!?"
Ruby glanced over at Weiss. She said, "Uh…yeah. She's with me. Okay."
Without a word, Ruby handed her scroll to Weiss.
Weiss took the scroll and put it to her ear. She said, "Hello?"
"Heeey, Weiss!" Yang's voice said from the other end of the line.
"What is it, Yang?" Weiss asked, trying very hard to be polite. Meeting Jaune had put her in a foul mood, although admittedly, he hadn't really done anything wrong.
"You're never going to believe this," Yang said. "But Blake's kind of the new High Leader of the White Fang."
"She's WHAT!?" Weiss bellowed. But then she became very aware of the three strangers in the room. This was not a conversation she wanted to have in front of them, even if they could only hear half of it.
"Funny story—" Yang started to say.
"Save it! Where are you?" Weiss interrupted.
"Uh…" Yang said.
"I want to speak with both of you right now!" Weiss said.
"That's…not a good idea," Yang said.
"I don't care!" Weiss said. She grabbed Ruby by the arm and started dragging her out of the apartment.
Jaune looked equal parts confused and concerned. He said, "Uh…. We should…."
"Sorry, Jaune!" Ruby said as Weiss pulled her toward the door. "We'll be in touch! Promise! It was nice to meet you!"
With that, Weiss and Ruby were out the door and thundering down the stairs.
"Yang!" Weiss yelled into the scroll. "Where are you!"
Author's Note: Poor Jaune. Even in an alternate universe he can't make a good first impression on Weiss.
Some days I wish my stories were actually animated like the show. I can see the freeze frame of Ruby and Weiss, side-by-side, reacting very differently to seeing Jaune for the first time. I can see the memes being made with it. Glorious.
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