Chapter 7: Weiss Chapter 2
Summary:
Weiss works on improving Atlas, Jason helps, Grimm attack Mantle, and Whitley gains a name and a title.
Name: Weiss Schnee
Physical age: 11
Mental age: 22
Winter Schnee was having a good day, well, as good a day as she could have, being a scion of Jacques Schnee. She decided to have breakfast in the kitchen rather than wait for the drivel that they served at School. She was unsure as to why she had started eating more regularly at home, but she suspected it had something to do with her younger sister.
Speaking of, when Winter walked into the kitchen she was stopped in her tracks by her afore mentioned sister. Weiss was sitting at the table, hunched over a cup of black coffee, with something that resembled food that she was sure not even Klein would eat, and that man would eat pretty much anything... she stood corrected when she saw Klein sitting across from Weiss eating one of those... things. Whatever it was.
"Ah, good morning, Miss Schnee." Klein said, his eyes their normal light brown color. "Would you like an egg sandwich. I'm used to eating them, but your sister told me of this recipe, and I had to try it."
"Weiss?" Winter asked. "Why are you drinking coffee?"
Weiss turned to look at Winter with the deadest eyes Winter had ever seen... on anyone she had ever seen. " Let me have this. I spent the entire day with Father yesterday going over my progress with the mine he'd given me. I need this coffee."
Winter was taken aback. No one deserved to spend an entire day with their father, let alone her sister, but it was coffee.
"Father said that he would look over my progress with the board of directors and let me know their decision."
"Hopefully it will be good news."
"It had better be good news." Weiss said. "My mine tripled what Father gave me instead of the double he wanted me to make. It nearly quadrupled and would have quadrupled if we hadn't emptied the mine of all its resources."
Winter's jaw hung slack at that revelation.
Weiss put down the cup of coffee and picked up the, what Winter was going to respectfully call a sandwich out of respect for her sister, and took a bite, causing egg yolk to gush out of the back and sides of the sandwich. When Weiss pulled the sandwich away, she had yolk dripping down her chin that she quickly licked away causing Winter to run away to be sick.
"Miss Schnee. Use a napkin." Klein scolded.
Weiss picked up her napkin and wiped her face.
Willow walked in and kissed the top of Weiss's head causing Weiss to beam with happiness. "Hello daughter, hello Klein.
"Mother." Weiss said around a mouthful of food.
"Don't talk with your mouth open." Willow scolded while Klein looked at her. "Really Miss Schnee. Don't speak with your mouth open."
Weiss swallowed and apologized. "Sorry mother. Sorry Klein."
Whitley walked in and looked around. "Sister, mother, Klein." He nodded.
"Whitley," Willow said.
"Brother," Weiss Said.
"Master Whitley," Klein said.
"Weiss," Jacques said over the intercom. "I want to see you in my office."
Weiss stood up and walked to Jacques's office and knocked.
Jacques opened the door and allowed Weiss inside. "The board members and I discussed your proposal, and we feel the risks associated with your proposal are too great, so we will not be going with your proposal and staying as is."
"But father..." Weiss said. "...I more than tripled the Lien you gave me. My proposal worked!"
"Yes, for that section of the mine. What about the other sections? Will all the miners be as docile in other sections of the mine?"
"We don't know if we don't try!"
"Yes, and that is a risk the board and I feel is too great. You did an excellent job and as compensation for your efforts, you may keep the Lien you earned."
Weiss nodded. "Thank you, Father." She said as she left the office for her room.
When she arrived, she grabbed her pillow and shrieked into it with the fury of one thousand angry mothers.
"Okay." Jason said from the foot of her bed. "Now that you've gotten that out of your system, let's go."
"Go where?" Weiss pouted.
"To the mines obviously. I moved Lyyme and the others out of the mine before Jacques could flood it. They are in the next section of the mine. The ones with the Ape Faunus'."
"The one with the Ape Faunus who always wants to fight you and looks like he spends all day everyday training?"
"Yup. Hopefully he doesn't try and fight the others yet. Lyyme would probably kill him out of annoyance. I also gathered all of the beans and began planting new beans in that mine, killed the guards with Lyyme, I think we're beginning to bond over murder."
"That's not a good thing. Now, let's go unlock their Aura and see what we're dealing with in the next section."
When Jason and Weiss walked out of Shinm's shadow, Jason ducked under the punch that was coming for him.
"Ah, damn it." The man who threw the punch whined. "You dodged."
"I am known to do that," Jason said. "How are you doing Karo?" He asked.
"I can't wait for our next fight." Karo said excitedly. "I'm going to win for sure."
"You just keep telling yourself that." Jason said before he and Weiss and the others went to work, unlocking the others' Aura.
The Ape Faunus all had some sort of strength Semblance that made them get stronger the angrier they got. An old turtle Faunus had a Semblance that made him Bulk up, and his turtle Faunus trait might allow him to live longer than the normal 500 years a normal Remnant individual might, either that or his story about finding the fountain of youth was true. The pig Faunus had a shapeshifting Semblance that would come in handy later on.
There were other people in the mine who had other Semblances that would help. A human woman who was incredibly smart, a cat Faunus who had a similar Semblance to Jaq's but could only make a bean once a week that would give a considerable boost compared to Jaq's. There was a woman who could pull weapons out of thin air as her Semblance, but it cost a ton of Aura.
There was a man whose Semblance gave him a third eye. A group that seemed to be an insect or plant Faunus' they were given a variety of Semblances from growing stronger, growing taller, crafting items, or foresight.
There were others with other abilities, but the important thing is that they had their Auras unlocked and were less likely to get hurt.
"Let's go!" Karo Said, throwing a Punch at Jason who caught the punch and punched Karo through a wall, opening a new vein of Dust.
Lyyme went to work turning all the rock into sand before putting it in the container on his back, leaving behind the Dust and Ore.
One of the Ape Faunus lunged at Weiss in an attempt to attack her but was intercepted by Karo. "Geta no!"
"HER FAMILY IS THE REASON WE'RE IN THIS MESS!" Geta yelled.
"She's trying to change things so you lot get treated better!" Jason snapped with an Alpha pulse. "Attack her again, and I will not hold back!"
Everyone looked at Jason and flinched. His Aura was oppressive.
"Jason!" Weiss snapped. "I could have handled him!"
"Oh really!" Geta said.
"Let him go Karo." Weiss Said.
"But..."
"Let him go!"
Karo Let Geta go and Geta charged Weiss who activated her Semblance letting the grotesque, desiccated arms grab Geta and hold him in place.
"I am trying to undo what my family has done." Weiss whispered. "Kill me, and nothing on Remnant will be able to contain Jason's fury." She grabbed Geta by his shirt. "And if Jason doesn't kill you... my father will flood the mines for the simple fact that I unlocked your Aura. I am the only one who wants to help you, Jason is helping you because I asked him to. Kill me, and that goes away."
"If you really want to help us then let us go!" An angry blue haired woman shrieked.
"We're trying!" Weiss said. "Unfortunately, we can't let you go. We have to wean the Mine before we can let you go. We're trying to make conditions better so you can have better lives while we can get you lot away and people who actually want to work in the mines and work the mines."
"And how long will that take!" A black-haired woman shouted.
"Ma'am." Jason said. "We are trying to help, unfortunately we are limited with what we can do because of the fact that we need to be strategic about this. If we kill everyone involved with the Mines, then the military will be brought in and that won't help anyone. We are asking for patience."
"And how long will that take!?" Both women yelled into Jason's face.
Jason was unfazed by their antics. "Approximately eight years."
"EIGHT YEARS!" They shouted in unison.
"Yes. We're playing the long con. If we can wait until we go to Beacon, we can turn the Mines around."
"YOU EXPECT US TO WAIT EIGHT WHOLE YEARS IN THIS HELLHOLE!" The Blue haired woman snapped.
"Well, your options are limited to waiting eight years and living by following the plan, rebelling and dying, or trying to kill Weiss and see what happens." Jason said with a dangerous smile.
"I suggest we wait." Karo said. "That way, I can get even stronger, and one day, I can beat Jason."
The others facepalmed but had to admit it sounded better to wait it out.
"Fine." Geta said. "I am willing to wait."
"Thank you." Weiss said. "I'm sorry that this sucks, but with our plan, we will be moving on when each section of the Mine runs dry. When we move on, we will unlock the Aura of the miners in the next section until everyone's Aura's are unlocked and the Mine is dry, or the eight years is up."
"What happens when the eight years is up?" One of the Insect or plant Faunus asked.
"The Mine will be under new management, my management."
"And what happens if the Mine runs dry before then?" One of the Ape Faunus asked.
"If they don't move you to a new Mine, they will try to kill you, and that's when we will get you out," Jason explained.
"How?" A Woman with straight black hair asked.
"Through your shadows." Jason explained. "Don't think that your shadows are some get out of jail free card. If you try to use them without a guide, you will just fall until someone with a shadow Semblance can get to you. Namely me, Shimm, or his son."
Shimm and Maro raised their hands.
"What is your plan?" An Ape Faunus with lavender hair asked.
"We mine until this particular section of the Mine goes dry." Shimm said. "After that we will move to another section of the Mine where we will join up with that section of the Mine, their Aura's will be unlocked, and so forth. Then once the eight years have passed, we will go free. If the Mine dries up before then, we escape because the current owners are flooding the sections of the mine after trapping us inside. Jason got us out before they flooded the Mine."
The others gasped at the revelation.
"We have integrated ourselves into this section and so on. Thanks to Jason scaring away the guards and Lyyme killing them, the guards are too scared to check on us. So, we are able to get away with it."
At this point the others were pretty much on board with the plan, and they went to work.
Jacques wondered how the Mines had been able to produce so much more Dust and Ore. he looked at the numbers, and only two things made sense. Either flooding Weiss's section of the Mine had lit a fire under the other miners, and they were working harder, or Weiss had intentionally gone against his orders and gone about her plan behind his back.
He wanted to both praise her for her tenacity and drive and punish her for going behind his back.
Instead, he called the guards to see what was going on in the Mines. "Gerald." He called into his Scroll. "What's the situation like in the Mines?"
"Mr. Schnee." A tall muscular man with red hair and green eyes said. "The animals are hard at work. We bragged about how we trapped the others in the last section and flooded it, and they are working harder than ever."
"Excellent!" Jacques cheered. "Keep up the good work and let me know the second anything seems out of place."
"Yes sir Mr. Schnee." Gerald Said before Jacques hung up.
Jacques went to Weiss's room to check on her.
"Weiss." he said as he knocked and opened her door.
"What is it, Father?" Weiss asked, annoyed.
"Are you still upset that we didn't go through with your plan?"
"Yes!" She snipped. "I made something, and you just threw it out like garbage! I worked hard for that Lien and you told me my work wasn't good enough!"
"I said no such thing!" Jacques snapped. "You're work, while flawed, was exceptional. The risks involved were just too high. We don't want the workers to revolt now, do we?"
Weiss harrumphed. "I suppose not." She pouted.
"How about we go spend some of your hard-earned money. You can get whatever you want."
"Can I get a weapon?"
"A weapon?" Jacques asked, horrified. "Why do you need a weapon?"
"You're not going to die for some time Father, and I figured that I would bring honor to the family name by being a Huntress until I can take over the family business."
Jacques thought about that. "I see. An admirable goal I suppose."
"Also, I want to go to Beacon Academy to complete my Schooling."
"Beacon!" Jacques choked. "Why Beacon?"
"If I stay in Atlas then I will be given the best grades because I'm a Schnee." 'Sorry Winter.' She Thought. "If I go to Shade then I will be surrounded by animals." She winced internally at that thought. "If I go to Haven then people will want to get on my good side because of what I can do for them, and not for my real skills, and you want me to get by on my skills not my money. That leaves Beacon. A place that has a good relationship with Atlas but is far enough away that I can get a decent education on my own merits."
"You have put a lot of thought into this, haven't you?"
"Yes. I only want What's best for the company."
"I see. Then let's get you the best weapon Lien can buy."
"Yea! Thank you, father!"
"You're welcome." Jacques Said as they went to order Weiss's weapon.
Weiss couldn't wait to show off her new weapon. She ran into her room once she got the chance and disappeared into her shadow, into the Mines. "Hey Shimm!" She shouted. Showing off her weapon.
Shimm looked up to see her holding a rapier. "Troublesome." He sighed. "Why did you bring this to me?"
"It's my new weapon. It's a Dust Rapier."
"Looks different than your old one." Jason said from behind her.
"That's because it is." Weiss turned to face him, showing that while it was very similar, it was also very different. "It's more like Winter's as opposed to my old Revolver Rapier. It uses less Dust. I use cartridges like this." She pulled out a cartridge that had a section of each type of Dust. "It changes the Dust type and gives me an elemental blade to use, and I can use gravity Dust as a finisher."
"Want to try it out?"
"Yes." Weiss said as she readied herself.
Jason pulled out 'Scarlet' and readied himself.
They moved with astonishing speed, considering they were children, Weiss with a lunge while Jason spun around her and slashed only for Weiss to Pirouette and block 'Scarlet'.
The miners watched in awe as they watched Jason and Weiss spar with an intensity that belied their ages. They looked as though they were two partners dancing on a dance floor rather than sparing in a dirty Mine.
Weiss pushed Jason away and activated the dust cartridge causing her rapier to burst into flames, stabbing at Jason who parried the stab before catching Weiss's blade and getting in close.
The fire Dust changed to Water Dust and drenched Jason before the water Dust turned to lightning Dust, shocking Jason who disappeared into his shadow and appeared out of Weiss's shadow.
Weiss spun and caught Jason, shocking him as the Lightning Dust turned to Earth Dust and hit him in the head.
Jason fell to the floor and rolled to his feet while Weiss stabbed at him with the Rapier and shot off a blast of Gravity Dust that knocked Jason into a wall, cracking the wall.
Weiss pointed her Rapier at Jason. "Do you yield?" She panted.
In response, Jason dropped both of them into his Shadow and back out again. "No." Jason said as he had Weiss in one arm and her Rapier in the other. "I believe that it is you who needs to yield."
A summoning Circle appeared, and sickly, grotesque arms grabbed Jason and held him spread Eagle in the air so he couldn't move.
A dog summons appeared from the shadows and began tapping at Weiss.
"I yield." Jason said. "I can't do anything short of hurting you, and I would rather die than hurt you."
Weiss let Jason go and he smiled. "So, what are you going to name your new Sword?"
"I think 'Staubsturm' or 'Staubwirbel'." Weiss said.
"Dust Storm or Dust Flurry?" Jason asked.
Weiss looked at him in shock. "How long have you spoken Atlesian?" She asked.
"Since we came back. I think it had something to do with our soul bond."
"Ich liebe dich."(I love you.) Weiss tested Jason.
"Ich denke, du siehst auch gut aus."(I think you look good too.) Jason said with a cheeky smile.
Weiss squinted at Jason.
"Ich liebe dich." Jason said with a wince.
Weiss froze Jason in place. "That's for messing with me." She spoke.
Jason appeared out of Weiss's shadow. "You know I love you, right? Jokes aside."
"I know." Weiss said, hugging Jason.
"Are they always like that?" The blue haired woman, named Hiromi, asked.
"Troublesome." Shimm Said.
Weiss walked into the library looking for Whitley. "Whitley. I've found a personal trainer for you."
"Really? Whitley asked. "Who?"
Without warning, Whitley dropped into his shadow.
Weiss sat down and began reading a book.
Over the next eight hours, Weiss was able to read and study undisturbed. She was only brought out of her studies when Whitley clawed himself out of the shadows.
"Sister." Whitley gasped. "Why did you forsake me?"
"Jason?" She asked the shadows. "What did you do to him?"
Jason appeared out of her shadow. "Push-ups, sit-ups, juice. I left the other training for next time."
"What other training?" Weiss asked.
"100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 Squats, and a 10-kilometer run. No Ac during the summer, no heater during the winter. I'm sure he'll get stronger after that."
"I was stuck in hell for nearly two years." Whitley whined.
"Whitley." Weiss said. "You were only gone for eight hours our time."
"I what!?" Whitley demanded.
"Yes. The shadow realm runs on a different time then our world."
Whitley crawled away from Weiss and Jason, trying to get to his room.
"Everyone will notice the changes." Jason said. "He should begin developing lean muscle. After next week's training, he'll be strong enough to defend himself from pretty much anything."
"Thank you." Weiss hugged Jason.
"You're welcome. After that, I'll bring Neo and have him spend a day with her. That should make him fast enough and agile enough to deal with pretty much anything."
"What's the plan after that?"
"Landing strategies." Jason said with an almost predatory smile. "You might want to get his Aura unlocked before then."
"Might?" Weiss asked. "I might want to get Whitley's Aura unlocked before then?"
"Yeah. I don't know. Maybe if his Aura isn't unlocked, he can fall back on skill?" Jason shrugged.
Weiss shook her head and rolled her eyes before leaving the library for her room.
The following week Whitley came out of the shadows, stronger than he was the week before.
Weiss nearly didn't recognize him. He filled in his clothes more than he used to, and he walked with a dangerous edge. Like he could kill you and no one could stop him.
"Whitley?" Weiss asked.
"Hello sister." Whitley said more confidently than he normally spoke.
"What happened."
"Thanks to Jason, I have grown stronger."
"I can see that." Weiss said.
"I'll be leaving now sister." Whitley said.
"Bye." Weiss said.
"Well?" Jason asked. "What do you think?"
"What do I think?" Weiss asked. "I think kidnappers will think twice before targeting Whitley."
"Good. Let's just hope that Neo can make him even better."
Neo did make things better. Whitley walked out of the shadows the following week with a grace and poise that belied his earlier self who seemed to always be plotting.
Weiss watched as Whitley practically glided out of the library.
"I was not expecting that." Weiss stared after Whitley.
"I don't think any of us were." Jason said.
"I need to unlock his Aura before next week." She spoke.
"You, or your mother." Jason said. "Speaking of which. How are you going to explain your Aura being unlocked?"
"I'm going to be kidnapped by someone and the shock is going to unlock my Aura." She placed a hand to her forehead. "The shock will have been too great for my mind to handle and so my soul will activate my Semblance to give me some peace of mind."
"Who's going to save you?"
"Winter."
"What if Winter and Whitley save you? Kind of a sibling bonding experience?"
"That's an idea."
Weiss was tied up with a bandanna stuffed into her mouth with some itchy rope keeping the bandanna in place. Her arms and legs with tied with the same itchy rope, and she had some noise canceling headphones on her ears.
Despite that she was calm. She could easily escape if she wanted to, which she didn't. She was waiting for Whitley and Winter to come save her.
She wasn't disappointed when she felt cold wind brush against her signifying that Winter was there.
Quickly, she thought of the saddest thing she could think of and brought tears to her eyes.
When the blindfold was removed, she saw Whitley and Winter standing in front of her. She jumped at them, sobbing, only to face plant because of the rope around her ankles and wrists. "OW!" She cried out in pain that wasn't there.
Winter cut her restraints and pulled her into a hug. "Sister! Are you all right?"
"NO!" Weiss shouted. "I'm scared, dirty, hungry, and tired! I just want to go home!"
To Winter's shock, Weiss's Aura "activated", and she fell asleep in the warmth of her Aura.
Winter stalked home, the sight of her sister's terrified face giving her an Aura of menace as they headed home.
When Winter set her on her bed and left Weiss opened her eyes and looked around.
"You deserve an award for that performance." Jason said. "You had ME believing it, and I was the one who "kidnapped" you."
"Thank you." Weiss said with a curtsy.
"You're welcome." Jason bowed. "Now that your Aura is unlocked, what's next?"
Jason and Weiss appeared in the mine and saw that the most recent section was practically empty.
"Jacques is going to flood this section soon." Jason said.
"We'll have to move them to the next section." Weiss agreed.
Jason dropped Weiss into her shadow, and she appeared in her room as the door was opening, and she laid down, thankful she hadn't yet changed out of the clothes she'd been kidnapped in.
"Weiss." Jacques' voice called into her room.
Weiss shuddered. "What?" She asked with a wobbly voice.
"I am sorry that I didn't give the kidnappers what they wanted. It was strictly business and had nothing to do with you."
"I know." Weiss said, sitting up with red swollen eyes and tear streaks running down her face. "I would have made the same decision if it were you in my place and I in yours."
Jacques felt conflicted. On the one hand his daughter was learning what he wanted her to, but on the other, she would leave him with those animals and vagrants. He had to admire her for saying it to his face though. "Since there are no ill feelings, I thought maybe we could go over some business models... after you've cleaned up that is."
"Sure." Weiss said. "I'll be up when I finish showering."
"Very well. See you in five hours daughter."
Weiss was both thankful that Jacques realized that she took long showers and was willing to let her take long showers, and that Jason's Shadow Realm had a time dilation. Four hours in his Shadow Realm was eight seconds in the real world. She could do some work at the mine and come back and shower with plenty of time.
"Weiss." Willow Schnee knocked on the door.
'Or not.' She thought. "Come in."
"Weiss?" Willow asked. "Are you okay?"
"Yes mother. I could have escaped at any time, but we decided that letting Whitley and Winter work together to save me would be better for them in the long run."
"Meaning that Jason helped you."
"Jason orchestrated the entire thing."
"He did what!?"
"Jason is the one who "kidnapped" me and I played the part of damsel in distress so Winter and Whitley could spend some sibling bonding time together."
Willow rubbed her face. "Why are you like this?"
"I'm from the future trying to insure a better future for everyone on Remnant." Weiss snarked.
"So, you're saying that Jason kidnapped you, tied you up, and gave you those bruises, all so you could get your sibling to work together?!"
"It sounds bad when you say it that way. If it makes you feel better Jason didn't kidnap me. I left with him of my own volition, but he did tie me up and administer the bruises, but he likely hates himself for doing that."
"That doesn't matter. He hurt you!"
"Yes, but in the long run a little pain now will stop more pain in the future."
Willow looked at Weiss with an exasperated look on her face.
"If you would give me some time, I need to shower."
"Very well, but we will be discussing this later." Willow said, leaving Weiss to her own devices.
Weiss dropped into her shadow to shower.
Weiss and Jacques were meeting in his office, going over some business models.
"Father. The company is going to go bankrupt in nearly sixty years if we don't change something about our company."
"What do you recommend?" Jacques asked. "Without using your business model." He added.
Weiss bit her tongue. Her business model worked, but if she brought it up then Jacques would likely only see her as a spoiled brat who hadn't gotten her way... which was hypocritical since that was how he acted on a near constant basis. She had to be mature about this. She took out a pad of paper and handed it to him. "Just some things I jotted down since you declined my last business model." She handed him a piece of paper.
Idea's for how to save the SDC.
Give the Miners a raise.
Let the miners work either five eight-hour shifts or four twelve-hour shifts.
Give the Miners breaks, two a day, if they work five eight-hour shifts or three if they work four twelve-hour shifts.
Let the miners have one thirty-minute lunch break a day if they work five eight-hour days, or two if they work four twelve-hour days.
Give the miners benefits.
Let the miners have doctor's visits when they need them.
Give the miners vacation time.
Jacques stopped reading and looked at Weiss. "Are you serious daughter?"
"Yes." Weiss said.
"Do you think we are made of money?"
"We ARE the richest company in all of Remnant. The only one who comes close is Todd Import/Export, Enterprises, and Tech."
"We can't just make these changes."
"Then make one change a month, or a year."
"Do you know how many miners are in the mines, even with the loss of the last two section?"
"3,752." Weiss said. "The only other option is to let the miners go and turn the Mines into a Penal Colony."
"No. We won't do that. I'm sorry Weiss, but your ideas, while good, are just too expensive."
"But..."
"I'm sorry. Please leave."
Weiss left the office with poise and grace before stalking to her room. On her way she saw a white blur fly past her. Turning around, she looked at the wall and saw Whitley spin in midair to land on the wall and landed in a crouch.
"Hello sister." Whitley said, brushing off his hands.
"Brother." Weiss said. "Practicing your landing strategies?"
"Yes."
"Very well. It seems like your practice is paying off."
"Thank you, sister."
"You're welcome. I have to go."
"Okay. Have a good day sister."
"Have a good day. Practice hard."
"I will."
Weiss left to her room. She wanted to rage, but that was unproductive. She changed her clothes and left for the mine. She was walking through Atlas when she saw Jason and Jaq jump out of her Shadow and run. "What's going on?" She asked.
"Don't know." Jaq said. "Jason just gave me this Scroll and told me to get it to Ironwood. He saved a Faunus child, and it reminded him of something."
"Brother's above." Weiss gasped. "No!" She bolted after Jason.
"What's wrong!?" Jaq asked.
'JASON DON'T!' Weiss shouted across their bond.
"WHAT'S WRONG!" Jaq shouted.
Weiss ran after Jason, she grabbed him and spun him around. 'Jason!' Weiss asked across their bond. 'Jason, don't do this. It's not the same as last time... wait, what's wrong?' She asked when she saw the tears rolling down his cheeks.
'I'm sorry Weiss.' He sent. 'I'm sorry.'
'Why?'
'I saw Dawn, and she reminded me of Shira. She was hurt so bad, and it reminded me of Shira. I'm sorry.'
'Oh, Jason.' Weiss said. 'I'm sorry.'
'I need to talk to Dr. Thompkins. I... This shouldn't be affecting me this bad.'
'You are entitled to your emotions, but don't slaughter people because you're in pain. because hurt people, hurt people.'
'What do you want me to do?' He asked, pressing his forehead to hers. 'They are suffering.'
'I know, but will murdering the ones responsible undo what was done to them? It won't. Let them rot in jail. They will pay for their crimes in jail.' She ran her hands along his arms. 'Just let them rot in prison before someone gets lucky and kills you.'
Jason dropped to his knees. 'I'm tired Weiss. I'm so tired.'
'Have you been sleeping?'
'Only the bare minimum.'
'So only an hour a night?'
'Sometimes more, sometimes less.'
'Get some sleep. Eight hours. No less.'
'I don't know if I can.'
'You know why we can't.'
'I know.' Jason sent. 'I know.'
Weiss ran her hands through his hair and pulled his head to her stomach. "I wish we could, but we can't We're too young. I want it so bad. I can't quite remember what it was like, I know it was addictive, but I just can't remember. It's so hard to not just do it, but we can't. Not until we hit the age of consent. Not until sixteen at the earliest. I'm sorry. It must be so difficult since you need the physical contact after having all the physical contact, you'd want only to lose it."
Jason hugged her. "Can I just stay like this for a while?" He mumbled into her stomach.
"Of course. Stay as long as you need."
Later
Jason and Weiss heard the pop and looked up to see bullheads climbing into the air.
"Let's go." Jason said, grabbing Weiss before pulling Jaq out of his shadow, and heading in the direction the Bullheads and Ironwood's command ship were flying towards. When they reached the edge of Atlas, they looked down to see a crater the size of Mantle.
"Brother's above." Weiss gasped out.
"What happened?" Jaq asked.
"Ironwood found the underground Facility." Jason explained. "It looks like it blew up. Let's get down there." Jason focused on his Shadow and found connection to one down there. "Clover is down there." He said, pulling Weiss and Jaq into his shadow and out of an unconscious Clover's shadow.
"What can we do?" Jaq asked.
"Give him a bean." Jason said.
Jaq knelt down and gave Clover a bean that he swallowed. "Now what?"
"Now, we fight whatever Grimm show up." Jason said, drawing 'Scarlett' from his Shadow.
They didn't have to wait long, as a hoard of Grimm appeared on the Horizon.
The air stirred and Bullheads dropped to the ground around them, and Soldiers, Hunters, and Hunters-in-Training appeared out of them, firing at the Grimm.
Jason dropped them into his shadow and appeared out of Ironwood's only for Weiss to drop back into Jason's shadow when she saw Winter. "General!" Jason said. "Clover needs medical attention!"
Ironwood jumped and looked over. "Todd! What are you doing here!?"
"Clover needs medical attention."
"Medic!" Ironwood snapped.
A team of medics with a stretcher ran onto the bridge and knelt down next to Clover, maneuvering him onto the stretcher before taking him to the infirmary.
"Now." Ironwood said. "What were you doing out there?"
"Jaq and I came to deliver that scroll to you."
"Why were you seen with..."
"I will tell you in private." Jason explained.
"Schnee, you have the Conn. I'll be in my office."
"Are you sure sir?"
"Is there some reason why I shouldn't be?"
"No sir."
"I'll be in my office."
"Yes sir."
Jason and Ironwood walked into his office leaving Winter and Jaq on the bridge.
When Ironwood shut the door Weiss appeared out of Jason's shadow. "General." She spoke.
"Miss Schnee. What are you doing with Mr. Todd?"
"This is a level ten confidential matter. Only the people in this room are allowed to know." Jason said.
Ironwood looked at Jason. He wasn't a child; he was a Hunter. "Very well." He agreed.
"What do you know about Semblances?" Weiss asked.
"They are the physical embodiment of the soul; Everyone can have one, it can help an individual, hinder an opponent, protect or harm, defend or offend, and I would assume that they get stronger with every generation seeing as you have the terrifying control over the shadows."
Jason and Weiss looked at each other. 'He's made this easier.' Weiss said.
'Hopefully.' Jason agreed before looking at Ironwood. "What would you do if I told you that Weiss and I are older that we look?"
"I would be hesitant to believe you..." Ironwood began, "but how else would you know what you do? How?"
"We are from almost nine years in the future." Weiss began. "We came from a future where Remnant was destroyed."
"Then how did you come back?" Ironwood asked, not buying it.
"A friend of ours has a Semblance that can go back up to five minutes in time. His Semblance became overcharged and sent us, him, and another friend back in time to when we would make the most difference." Jason explained.
"Most difference?" Ironwood asked.
"Yes." Weiss said. "To change the future we came back from."
"You realize this sounds crazy, right?" Ironwood asked.
"Yes." Jason said. "But we have knowledge that we shouldn't. We are more mature than your average twelve-year-olds, and we have been cleaning up Remnant for the last two years."
"You what!" Ironwood demanded.
"I have been learning to take control of the Schnee Dust Company, to reclaim it from Jacques clutches. If nothing is done the Schnee Dust Company has fifty, maybe sixty years before it collapses, Jason and I have given it five, maybe ten years."
"I have been cleaning up the streets of Remnant. I have managed to make an orphanage system that works, in Vale, not the abomination that we had."
"When you say cleaning up..." Ironwood left the tension hanging.
"I have killed, not a little either, but not everyone who has crossed my path is dead. I have rehabilitated Roman Torchwick, Neopolitan, and Little John Jr. I have also left Adam Taurus to rethink his life, and as you can clearly see, Jacques Schnee is still alive."
"At my request." Weiss amended.
Ironwood looked at them and shook his head. They had accomplished so much in the last two years when he could barely get the council to accomplish anything since Jadice passed.
Ironwood was about to say something when the proximity alarms went off and the command ship began plummeting.
"We're going down!" Ironwood shouted.
Weiss yelped when Jason dropped her into her shadow, and Jaq appeared next to her. "Damn it Jason!" She snapped.
"What's wrong?" Jaq asked.
"Jason dropped us in here so we wouldn't get hurt, but he is out there, putting himself in danger, while we are safe."
"Can't we just walk out?"
"Jason will just drop us back in here. He's too fucking selfless for his own fucking good."
"Why don't you tell me how you really feel?"
"Sorry. I'm just worried."
"Don't be. Jason is strong. He can do this."
"I know, I just hate his selflessness some days."
"I don't think he's actually all that selfless."
"What do you mean?"
"He's actually pretty selfish. He takes care of his own. If anyone threatens his own, he will do whatever it takes to get rid of the threat. If that isn't selfish, I don't know what it is."
"How is that selfish?"
"How many people has he killed to protect you?"
"I've lost count."
"How many lives did he snuff out so you could be safe?"
"I don't know."
"If he cares more about you than the people he kills for you then is he selfish or selfless?"
"He's protective."
"He's choosing your life over theirs though."
"They are choosing my life over theirs."
"Then why are you so cranky about this?"
Weiss sniffed. "I don't want to talk about this anymore."
Jaq nodded. "That's what I thought."
Weiss was about to say something when every soldier, Hunter, and Hunter-in Training was dropped into the Shadow Realm. She and Jaq went to work checking on them, Weiss seeing what she could do, while Jaq began handing out beans to the soldiers.
Shimm dropped in a moment later. "Miss Schnee! What are you doing here?"
"Jason dropped me into my shadow." Weiss said, annoyed. "Then he dropped every soldier, Hunter, and Hunters-in-Training in here. They are in stasis here. One second out there is thirty minutes in here. It gives their Aura time to heal them."
"What. How?"
"When he was younger, his Semblance was out of control, eight hours in here was six months in there."
"What!?"
"Then he started the path to recovery, and his Semblance changed and solidified; became stronger. Now, his Semblance is strong enough that one second in the real world is thirty minutes in here. I wouldn't be surprised if later on it changes to become one second out there equals thirty seconds, making it less overpowered, but, maybe not. We'll see."
Shimm could only watch in horror. "Jason is that strong?"
"He is the Alpha." Weiss explained.
"Are you more than annoyed at him for just leaving you in his Shadow?"
"Yes and no. Not much I can do about it now. So, I'll wait and when the time is right, I'll deal with it."
Shimm felt dread well up inside him. He couldn't help but feel bad for Jason, whatever Weiss had planned.
Weiss felt that Jason felt a shiver run up his spine, and before she knew it, she was on the battlefield with Whitley.
"Whitley!" Jason shouted. "Landing Strategy!"
Whitley ran at Jason who grabbed him and threw him towards the Grimm before punching a Creeper hard enough to send it flying into a pack of Sabyr's.
Weiss pulled out her Rapier and summoned an army of summons to help fight against the hoard.
Jason pulled 'Agony' out of his shadow and ran at Winter, cutting through her arm above the wrist to cauterize the wound, causing her to cry out in pain, but grit her teeth and kept fighting.
A bird landed and Qrow joined the fight, swinging 'Harbinger' into a Centinel and bisecting it from the incision up.
The Grimm hoard grew even larger, and Jason wasn't sure they could survive without taking more drastic measures.
A figure made up of Rock and wood ran into the hoard and exploded before a burst of wind shot through the Grimm, shredding them.
The soldiers, Hunters, and Hunters-in-Training who were still in fighting condition crawled out of the shadows and began firing at the approaching Grimm.
A gaggle of yellow haired children ran into the hoard and began ripping the Grimm apart with their bare hands.
Another Ape Faunus swung a sword at a Grimm, bisecting its head.
Weiss was fighting when she felt Jason conflicted about something before letting out a war cry that shook the battlefield, the shadows came alive, grabbing the Grimm, holding them in place, allowing the others to more readily kill them.
The battle took two hours of constant fighting to clear the hoard of Grimm. Jason looked around and saw the Faunus from the mines looking exhausted, but happy and content. He swept them up in his Semblance and dropped them back in the mines. He maneuvered the Soldiers, Hunters, and Hunters-in-Training back to Atlas Academy for healing and rest. He dropped Whitley and Weiss into their Shadows, returning them home in their rooms to get cleaned up before Jacques caught them.
Jacques looked inside Weiss's room and saw her disrobing, from filthy clothing. She was still visiting the Mine. He barged into her room and gripped her arm. "What were you doing in the mines!" He demanded.
Weiss had had enough of Jacques bullshit and was exhausted from fighting off Grimm. So, she bit back. "I was managing my Mine!" She snapped.
"That Mine is not yours!" Jacques yelled. "That Mine is mine until I decide what to do with it! And you will not be getting the Mine! I will be teaching Whitley to take over the Mine! You, I will have to find some way to keep you out of my affairs. I suppose that I will have to find a suitable husband to keep you out of trouble." Jacques left the room, locking Weiss in, not paying attention to the danger he had put himself in.
Weiss had gripped Jason's hand as he tried getting to Jacques to kill him in some horrifying way. "Jason!" Weiss snapped.
Jason looked at Weiss with murder in his eyes. "Let me kill him! You just risked your life to save that bastards life!"
"I know." Weiss cupped Jason's face in her hand. "But Jacques just gave us a different path."
Jason looked at her, confused. She could feel his exhaustion through their bond.
"Jason." Weiss explained. "We can plan our wedding now. We just need to convince Jacques that you are the type of husband he's looking for, for me."
"Oh. I get it. We convince him that I am the only one good enough for you... by taking out the competition if need be."
"Yes." She spoke. "Now, get out of my room so I can shower. I'm filthy after that fight.
Jason left Weiss's room through her shadow and went back to work.
Weiss smiled wicked smile. Jacques may have taken away the mine, but that didn't mean she wasn't going to make him regret it. She began undressing and was just about to take her pants off when Jason jumped out of her shadow again looking like he didn't know where he was let alone what year it was. "Jason!" She snapped.
"Oh fuck!" Jason said, spinning around, turning beet red. "I'M SORRY!" He shouted in a sleepy slur.
"Jason?" Weiss asked, covering up in a pale silk robe. "What's wrong? Are you hurt?"
"No. I passed out and woke up eight hours later but thought that I had been asleep for eight hours our time which meant I slept for four hundred and eighty hours in the shadow realm, and I panicked and jumped out. Sorry I startled you."
"It's fine. You just startled me is all. I'm glad that you got some sleep, but I think you need to respect your body's natural limitations, not the ones you impose on yourself."
"I don't have the luxury of obeying my body's natural limitations. I need to get Remnant under control and keep it under control, so the past doesn't come back to haunt us."
"So your plan to keep the future from happening is by becoming Ironwood!" Weiss snapped.
"No!"
"Then why are you starting to sound like him?"
"I'm going back to bed." Jason said darkly.
"Eat something first!" Weiss stamped her foot on the ground. "You're turning into a drama queen!"
Weiss stamped her foot. Why was Jason like this? Truth be told, she knew why, but she didn't like it. He had to be. He was so traumatized by everything that had happened that he was being... what was that word? Hypervigilant? She walked into her bathroom to shower and rid herself of any grime from the battle. Afterwards she would go to check on Whitley.
Whitley had just gotten out of the shower when he heard his father calling for him. He quickly dressed in a new outfit and walked out to meet his father. "Yes father?" He asked.
"Whitley. Your sister has deliberately gone against my orders, and as such I have to replace her as heir to the Schnee Dust Company. You are that replacement."
"I see father." Whitley said. "When shall I start?"
"Tomorrow morning. I want to see you in my office at nine O'clock sharp."
"As you wish father."
"Good." Jacques said before leaving.
Whitley needed to talk to Weiss, but if she was taking a shower, he would have to wait for four hours at the bare minimum. So, he decided to wait.
Four and a half hours later there was a knock on his door. "Brother?" Weiss said from the other side. "May I come in?"
Whitley opened the door, letting Weiss in. "Sister. Father said that you are no longer the heir to the company."
"That is not technically true." Weiss said. "I am still the heir."
"How?"
"I am plotting a coup to overthrow father."
"Aren't you worried I will tell father?"
"I am expecting you to tell him."
"What?"
"Father will just laugh it off because he thinks that I don't have what it takes to overthrow him. How surprised he'll be when it actually happens."
"I see. You truly are devious." Whitley said. "So, should I tell father?"
"If you wish."
"Very well sister. What now?"
"While you keep father distracted. I will continue working at the Mine."
"I see. Did you want father to disinherit you?"
"No, but I will say that it does help me out in the long run."
"How?"
"He is not looking at me as a threat. He sees me as a child throwing a tantrum, but I have already planned for this. and it will be his undoing."
"I see."
"Yes. Now. I have things to you, and you have training to get back to. Have a good day brother."
"Have a good day sister." Whitley said before beginning his training. Jason and or Neo could pop out at any moment for an impromptu spar. He needed to be ready for anything they could throw at him.
Jason appeared out of Whitley's shadow and handed him a box of colored pencils.
"What are these for?" Whitley asked.
"Your next training session begins now."
"What are you going to have me do now?" Whitley sighed. "I just showered too."
Jason dropped them into his shadow and appeared out of a shadow in a bar. "You have to win this bar fight." Jason said, throwing a beer bottle at the biggest man Whitley had ever seen. The man looked at Whitley and snorted. "So. You t'ink dat youse a tough guy do ya's?" The man asked.
"I mean..." Whitley began. "You said it, not me. Now. Come at me."
The man ran at Whitley only for Whitley to pirouette out of the way and stab a colored pencil into the man's knee, breaking it off inside before punching the man hard enough to send him into a wall. "I thought that you were going to be a challenge." Whitley said in a scathing tone. "I've had better fights from a four-foot nine-inch mute. She's four-foot nine in heels by the way, and she can kick my ass with a parasol. What's your excuse?"
Three people ran for their lives before this literal child killed them. The rest of the bar pulled out knives, shattered beer bottles into lethal weapons, picked up pool cues to use as blunt weapons while others broke pool cues to use as stabbing implements. Whitley pulled out two colored pencils and held them in his hands like daggers. Three more people ran away, if this child was going to use colored pencils to fight them, he was either arrogant and cocky or self-confident in his skill, and they weren't going to have any part of it.
Whitley waited for someone to move and stabbed one of the colored pencils into one of the bottle wielding patrons' stomachs before kicking him with enough force that it shattered his kneecap and both bones in his leg.
A well-endowed female patron tried swinging a broken beer bottle at Whitley only for him to stab the colored pencil into her left breast and pull the implant out with a spray of blood, throwing the implant into another patron's face.
At least seven patrons lost the contents of their stomachs, and half a dozen ran away.
Whitley grabbed a handful of colored pencils and threw them at a handful of patrons causing them to disappear into the patrons' bodies.
"How is he doing this!" A patron demanded.
"My Semblance allows me to cut off the Aura's of anyone who isn't my family." Whitley whispered in the patrons' ear, causing the patron to jump and Whitley stabbed him in the arm with another colored pencil. "Also, if you notice, I am only wounding everyone here. So, you need to ask yourself. If I am able to cut off your Aura, and I am aiming my shots to wound. Do you have a chance against me?"
The patron gulped and ran away.
Four Patrons grabbed him and tried ripping his limbs from his body only for him to pull his arms and legs in and slam the four patrons together hard enough to give them concussions.
Another patron threw a knife at Whitley who caught it by the blade and threw it back with enough force that it sunk into the patrons' leg into the bone and stabbed out the back of his leg. The patron howled in pain.
The entire fight took less than five minutes, and Whitley looked around. He looked down to see the number of colored pencils he had left, only to find that he was out.
One patron grabbed him and tried stabbing him with a knife. Whitley grabbed the man's arm and with a great deal of effort was able to turn the man's arm away from him and stab the knife into the man's eye, killing the man, causing one casualty.
"I hope that you had a reason for sending me to this bar." Whitley told his shadow.
"I did." Jason said, appearing from his shadow. "You needed to get some street cred, you needed to earn a name for yourself, you needed to test your limitations after a massive fight like the one against the Grimm, and finally I wanted to see how well you did."
"And?"
"Color me impressed." Jason said. "Pun, very much intended."
"Ugh." Whitley said. "Now I have to go home and shower again, and I have to burn these clothes."
"We all have to make sacrifices." Jason said, walking out of the bar. "We all have to make sacrifices."
Whitley left the bar via his shadow and headed home. He was in desperate need of a shower.
The patrons helped each other up and looked around the bar. They had no idea one child was capable of this much violence. He was stronger and faster than anyone they had ever seen. He was a blur, and his precision was terrifying. He had taken them out with only a box of colored pencils, and he never landed a killing shot except for Big Earl who had tried killing him. He was a monster with pale hair. They began talking about 'Dante: The White Death' A warrior so strong and fast that if you lived after meeting him, it was because he wanted you to live.
Jason couldn't help but laugh as he went to meet Weiss.
"What?" Weiss asked.
"Whitley's underworld name is 'Dante: The White Death"." Jason chuckled.
"What did you do this time?"
"I threw him into a bar fight with a pack of colored pencils and called it a day."
"You asshole!" Weiss shouted, smacking Jason. "He could have died!"
"No, he really couldn't have. I would have pulled him out before he got hurt."
"You really annoy me sometimes."
"I'm about to annoy someone else though." Jason teased.
"Who?"
"Coral forged some documents for me." Jason said. "I "was" Robin Branwen before the Todd's adopted me."
"Okay. What are you going to do with this?"
"I am going to prank the hell out of Tai and Qrow."
"Have fun." Weiss said before disappearing into her shadow, reappearing in her room.
"Don't worry." Jason said. "I will."
With that, Jason headed off to Patch to talk to his father and uncle.
Notes:
The next chapter will be uploaded around the first week of April.