Hello, here comes part 2. Wow did I work fast here.

I'm super happy to see my fic has passed the 100 review mark. Yay!

Now, review answers ti- Ilia, what are you doing on the 'Princess and The Pauper'?''

Ilia: ''It's a Schnee ship and I'm dressed like a pirate, what do you think I'm doing? I'm looting it, of course.''

… Just get down there and start reading the reviews.

Ilia: ''Fine, fine. We open today with TwistedView. They says Gemini and Weiss needs to have a talk without it devolving into them yelling or hitting each others. And that Willow is a terrible mother and that he feels sorry for Winter, Weiss and Whitley's childhood. I don't.''

Yeah, funny thing. Willow was said to have been spoiled too much by her father in the SDC World of Remnant episode. And then in Volume 4, she was said to often be drinking alone. So I expected her to have the maturity of a child, like most spoiled brats grow up to be, and to be a deadbeat drunk mom. But that would have been too logical, and it was my mistake to assume Kerry and Miles would even try to stick to previously established lore and character background.

Instead, volume 5 had Weiss mention that her parent's marriage turned unhappy when her father revealed he never loved Willow and only married her for her family's wealth. Even though the WOR episode on the SDC established that the SDC not only was super in debt (so… what wealth!?) and that Jacques' whole deal when he convinced Nicholas was that he convinced him he was the best choice to save the company, implying Jacques had always been upfront about his reasons for marrying Willow. Or at least that's how it came off to me when I watched it, I can't really claim it's a canon contradiction because it may just be a headcanon of mine.

Either way, I'll be writing Willow had a spoiled woman child and a deadbeat mom. The type of people who throw a tantrum like a 6 year old if they don't get their way or aren't given what they want and who doesn't take their own kid's well-being and future into consideration.

Ilia: ''Hmpf! I'd expect nothing more from a Schnee. After that we have FORD B, who says they feels sorry for Neo, that sadly RWBY isn't real but if it was, he'd be trying to help her. Not because he expect anything her in return, they says, as they'd be more interested in Raven when it comes to love interest.''

Okay? I can't help but feel like simping for sociopathic serial killers is a good way to get your name taken off the census, but you do you, I guess? You know that even if Raven existed and she actually gave you the time of the day, she'd probably just leave you with a kid in your arms, right? That's what she did with her ex.

Well, you might be fine if you don't let her go get the milk alone. XD

Ilia: ''Reader 451 say that some might have a problem with Gemini slapping Weiss, but they need to take into account that Weiss is both older and was the one who started the slapping.''

Gemini yearns for true gender equality. He has no patience for one who talks about female privilege when it suits them, and then complain about someone 'not being a man' when it's convenient!

On a more serious note, while Gemini, as anyone else would be regardless of gender, was 100% within his right to give back a physical hit he received, the line about Weiss being shocked at what she had just done was meant to imply that, had Gemini not given the slap back, he'd actually would have had a shot at making her listen to him and they could have had a chanceto mending the relationship into a budding friendship.

'Turning the other cheek', in this case, would have yielded more benefits to everyone, himself included, than matching her hit for hit. While he did nothing wrong, he also failed to do the right thing.

Ilia: ''I disagree, he seized an occasion to smack a Schnee in the face and suffered no repercussions for it. That's 100% a win for the lucky bastard. After that, Reader 451 continues by saying that polygamy being part of Remnant's history makes sense, since in Earth's own history is filled with men just dying en masse, and that with the Grimm, they'd just die a lot more. He thus supports Ruby/Weiss x Gemini.''

*Sigh* I have already said that this fic wasn't going to be a harem and had Gemini states multiple times that he was monogamous and doesn't want multiple wives. Yet, for some reasons, I feel like the more I insist that Gemini is only going to end up with one girl, the more the readers will just think I'm lying.''

Ilia: ''That's probably because you keep tripping all the harem flags that every fics, and only those fics, with harems have. What you're saying is kinda contradicted by what you put down on writing.''

That's… That's because I'm tripping those flags on purpose to make people think it's going to be a harem. I'm only setting their expectations… so that I can subvert them!

Ilia: ''Right, sure. You're totally not trying too hard to convince us. After that, they comment on Kali still being a cute housewife, just one with a particular set of skills.''

*Blake gets kidnapped.*

Kali: ''I don't know who you are, I don't know what you want, if you're looking for ransom I can tell you I don't have money… but what I do have are a particular set of skills, skills I have acquired over a very long career, skills that make me a nightmare for people like you. If you let my daughter go now that will be the end of it, I will not look for you, I will not pursue you, but if you don't, I will look for you, I will find you… and I will kill you.''

Gemini: Don't say good luck, don't say good luck, don't say good luck. ''Good luck.'' Damnit!

Seriously, though. Kali is a top-tier waifu. Ghira is a lucky man. Blake should be more appreciative of her parents. How is it that she's the one with the best parents out of the four main girls, but she's the one who turns out the worst.

And yeah, Sun's a great guy, but he has shitty taste in girls.

Ilia: ''Hey, don't insult Blake like that!''

She's literally a terrorist.

Ilia: ''Oh, she's a terrorist, so that justify being mean to her?''

In every conceivable way.

Ilia: ''Ugh, you're so unreasonable. Anyway, at the end, we have Mattysteel saying it's a very good story so far and they can't wait to see the rest. And they propose 'Flaming Whiterose' for the Weiss/Ruby x Gemini ship. Pointing at the 'torch' part of Gemini's last name.''

Thanks. I can already hear Gemini protesting against the ship and- Ilia! Stop looting this one too!

Disclaimer: RWBY belongs to RT. Yu-Gi-Oh belongs to Shueisha.

Remember back when Blake's character was about regretting her terrorist past and wanting to turn her life around and do better? Kerry and Miles apparently don't, because in Volume 7, she had zero hesitation in revealing sensitive information to an active terrorist.

And it'd have been one thing if other characters pointed out her hypocrisy, but it never happens. Instead, Blake just stands by and says nothing while Yang gaslight Ruby into thinking it's her fault Ironwood turned against them. (Yeah, Ironwood himself accepted Ruby's reasons for not telling him as soon as they got in Atlas and understood why she decided to wait until they could be sure he could be trusted, and when he turned against them he himself points out it was because of Yang and Blake going behind his back.) The entire fiasco is on Yang and Blake, not Ruby.

Yang and Blake were massively OOC during several moments in both Volume 7 and 8.

Anyway, enjoy the chapter.

Oh, and fun fact: Ruby opening with 'I had a dream' in Volume 2 implies that someone in Remnant's history made a speech similar to Martin Luther King's 'I have a dream' speech. I can only see one possible candidate for this in canon.

Tomorrow morning, Weiss and I sat in one of the many rooms of the manor. There was a low, small round table between two sofa, each of us sitting on one of the sofa in front of each other.

We'd been glaring at each others in silence, as Weiss didn't feel like talking to me. Everytime I would try to say something, her glaring would just intensify and I'd keep my mouth shut.

I hated awkward silences. Could I just go back to vale please? Weiss was the worse fiancée I've ever had.

Sure, she was the only one I ever had, but details.

Eventually, Winter arrived and Weiss' face brightened as she saw her big sister.

''Winter! Oh, I'm so glad you're here, this guy has been horrible-'' Weiss was cut off by Winter raising her hand and putting her palm in front of the smaller girl's face, who immediately stopped talking and stood to attention.

I wish I was able to make her shut her mouth like that.

Winter suddenly turned to face me and bowed to me. Uh?

''I would like to apologize for my previous attitude, Sir Gemini. I wasn't aware of the favor you made to Atlas.'' Winter said, to both Weiss' and I's shock.

''What!? Winter, you can't be serious!'' Weiss said, as confused as I was.

Winter sighed. ''Weiss, I understand you're in a difficult situation, and I'm free to discuss it anytime, but this young man is an esteemed guest of Atlas, who is owned the kingdom's gratitude. I must ask of you to give him the proper respect.''

Weiss looked at her sister with an open mouth, the words not coming out.

''Yeah, sorry, but I'm with Weiss on this one.'' I said, causing Weiss to look even more lost. As if the world stopped making sense. ''That's quite the contrast with how you treated me on Patch. Why the change?''

''General Ironwood gave me a full briefing after I made my report. Before that, I was working on incomplete intel.'' Wnter explained.

''… So he told you off for your previous attitude?'' I said. Given the not quite repressed wince she gave, it seemed I guessed right.

''I have been told to make amends for any offense taken.'' Winter said, trying to not verbally aknowledge how she acted on Patch as much as possible. ''If there is anything I can do to help keep the atlesian military on good terms with you, then you may ask. As long as it is within the limits of the reasonable.''

I felt every muscles in my face move as I smirked. ''What about a spar then? I'm curious to see what an actual Atlesian Specialist is capable of.''

''I… Are you sure?'' Winter asked, puzzled. ''I am quite skilled, so the issue of that 'spar' would be… predictable.''

''Eh, I'm the one who asked for it, so just let me worry about the skill difference.''

''… Very well. If you are willing, then we can have this spar now.'' Winter said.

''That would be perfect. Thank you, Miss Schnee.'' I said, pleased that she accepted. 'See what a Specialist can do'? Pfft, as if! This was going to be embarrassing for poor Winter.

''Ah! You just made a huge mistake.'' Weiss taunted, too blinded by her big sister worship to suspect foul play from my part. She would have been right for the first time if she did. ''Winter graduated top of her her year, and was offered a high position in the military thanks to her extraordinary abilities. She is gifted beyond her years, you stand no chance.''

''Weiss, it is uncouth behavior to brag.'' Winter scolded her, though the light pink on her cheeks showed that she appreciated hearing her little sister look up to her so much.

''R-right, I'm sorry.'' Weiss apologized, quickly bowing to Winter as she did.

Alright, fine. I'll admit Weiss was cute when she gushed about her sister.

But enough about this, time to scam Winter into losing to a 14 year old kid.

/-/

Winter and I faced each other outdoor, at the same place Weiss' character short took place, while the latter was using her scroll to monitor our aura. Defeat at 30%, fine by me.

Winter opened the fight by charging at me with her sword. I parried her thrust, but couldn't block the kick to my guts that sent me backward. She immediately followed by lunging at me and managed to cut through me.

Or at least that was what it looked like to Winter and Weiss. In truth, I had moved away from that position as soon as I was able to, narrowly avoiding the attack. Neo had used her semblance to makes me invisible when I moved, leaving a false me to take the hit and shatters when Winter hit it.

As the glass-like illusion shattered around us, I used the opening to uppercut Winter. She took the hit well, but couldn't expect me to 'disappear' in front of her and suddenly appear behind her to land a hit with my cane (actually Neo with her parasol while I was invisible.)

Winter quickly turned around and slashed at my disguised sister, who blocked the attack.

Good reflex. Unfortunately for Winter, I was still behind her and she didn't even notice it as I was still invisible. So I tried to hit her behind the head with my cane, only for a glyph to appear and block the hit.

Nevermind, she saw the attack coming.

Then a white Beowolf came out of the glyph, and I had to step back to avoid getting mauled. Winter's attention turned back to me, and my sister made several other 'me' appear around us.

I drew my sword and dispatched the summoned Beowolf without much trouble, first cutting its arm off when it tried to claw at me and then thrusting the blade into its head.

Winter divided her sword into two, now taking me very seriously. A glyph appeared behind her, which she used as a platform to propel herself toward me at speeds similar to Ruby's semblance.

Unfortunately for her, Neo held her invisible parasol in the way and Winter knocked her own forehead into it. Ouch.

Neo made me disappear from where I was, hidding the move behind another false me that shattered immediately as I took her position, making it seems as if I was the one who countered Winter.

Several false me appeared around Winter and started attacking her. The thing about Neo's constructs is that while they were rather fragile and would break at the slightest hits, they were still solid, and were thus able to hit an opponent themselves, leaving no choice to Winter to defend herself from attacks coming from all directions, as more 'Gemini' continued to appear to overwhelm her.

Despite the pressure puts on her, Winter managed to shatter five of them during a short exchange, which I had trouble following because of how fast they moved. Her reputation as an exceptionnal Specialist was well deserved.

Unfortunately for her, the constructs were controlled by Neo, and were fighting on her level instead of mine, so Winter still took two solid blows.

Unwilling to have her aura chipped away by the illusory constructs, Winter summoned a large circle from which many Tinymores came out and started pecking at the constructs faster than Neo could make them. Not birds again, I hated those!

In the midst of the mess that our 'spar' had become, I hid a fire dust crystal in my mouth before lunging toward Winter with both my sword and its sheath. She blocked my attack and we locked blades, before I let the dust crystal half exit my mouth as I held it between my teeth. Winter's eyes widened as she saw it, but it was too late as I bit down and the fiery explosion engulfed both of us and about half of her Tinymore flock.

That probably took more aura from me than her, but I had enough to spare.

The explosion sent both of us backward, and Winter was back on me before I could recover properly, quickly landing three hits with her blades.

Neo suddenly made me vanish from Winter's sight again, and the Specialist turned around, expecting the counterattack to come from behind her. She might have picked up on me staying where I already was if it wasn't for the sounds of what was left of the constructs and the Tinymores fighting around us, distracting her senses.

I struck the back of her knees, and she buckled down with a yelp of pain. I tried to follow the attack, but she moved her swords over her shoulders and blocked my blade before kicking me.

I vanished form her sight again, and Neo was going to attack Winter before the woman took an ice dust crystal and conjured an ice wall around her, protecting herself as a glyph appeared outside of the ice wall.

Winter's glyph summoned a huge, white Grimm. It was humanoid, and standing at a height of 12 feet, despite it's figure being hunched. The thing's head was shaped like a deer skull, disproportionately small compared to its body and the menacing-looking antlers coming out of its head. Its hunched shoulders and back was covered in thick fur, and its arms were long enough that it had to keep them folded to avoid them scrapping on the ground.

This- this was… A Wendigo! I'd only ever seen those in Grimm encyclopedias. Even then, only the ones specialized on Solitas Grimm. Since Atlas was founded, only five of those had been sighted, and only one of those five had been killed. By Nicholas Schnee himself, too.

''Well, that'd make two dead Wendigo, I suppose.'' I thought, as I looked at the Grimm Winter had just summoned. Her grandfather would be proud of her.

''It's up to you to decide if you want to continue fighting.'' Winter said from her icy protection. ''I would advise you to surrender, however.''

''Umm, Winter?'' Weiss called out to her sister. ''You were already close to 30% before you summoned that Grimm… and, well…'' She hesitated with completing her sentence, having trouble to recognize the result.

Winter sighed. ''The summon consumed enough aura to put me under, didn't it?''

''… Yes. You only have 29% left.'' Weiss admitted, her face looking like she sucked a lemon. ''H-he won.''

''I see. Congratulation on your victory. '' Winter aknowledged the result of the spar, before dismissing her Grimm and ''It was a close match. It is quite the powerful semblance that you have.''

''Thank you. My semblance, Overactive Imagination, allows me to make glass-like illusory constructs at will.'' I said, while I was taking a look at my scroll. ''But I'm afraid it wasn't as close as you think it was. I still have three-quarters of my aura left.''

My words shocked her, and she turned to her little sister. ''Weiss, is that true?''

''I- Yes, sister. It is.'' Weiss showed her own scroll, which was keeping track of our aura during the fight. It showed my aura at 72%. The poor girl looked devastated at Winter's loss.

Winter remained silent for a few seconds, before her face settled for a vaguely satisfied, but still measured, look. ''General Ironwood will be pleased to hear that you possess such talent.''

… Uh oh. I wasn't surprised that she was going to report everything to General Ironwood, but that was still something I'd have preferred to avoid. Now the man was going to think I was way stronger than I actually was.

Oh well, I now managed to pass Neo's semblance as my own. So she could now use it during our stay in Atlas without anyone realising she existed. It's a shame that my mouth had to write a check my ass couldn't cash for it to happens, but now I had options while in Atlas.

''Ah, I mean, I'd have lost if you had summoned that Grimm from the beginning.'' I said. ''I didn't expect you to have killed a Grimm as rare and strong as a Wendigo.''

''I didn't receive my current position only because I had good grades in school. I have actual feats on the battlefield despite being relatively young.'' Winter said.

Right, of course. I was just glad Weiss and I didn't have another argument today.

''That's right! You only won because Winter didn't go all out since the beginning.'' Weiss suddenly claimed. ''And what is wrong with your fighting style? Where did you learn to fight, in the gutter?''

Nevermind.

/-/

''We start in a minute.'' Lisa Lavender warned us.

Weiss and I sat on a couch, next to each others while Lisa sat on a sofa next to us. I was wearing a formal white Schnee suit, courtesy of Jacques. And by 'courtesy', I meant he forced me to.

Jacques originally wanted the interview to be made by Atlas Daily, but the trillionaire who owned the company, Mrs Marigold, threw a fit after Jacques revealed Weiss' hand was officially taken. So Jacques searched another kingdom's official news and I argued in favor of Lisa Lavender. He agreed, willing to let me cultivate good relations with the reporter I had already had contacts with. So Lisa brought her reporting team and installed their cameras and micros in a rented studio in Atlas.

Apparently, the reason why the head of the Marigold family was so angry at the news of Weiss' engagement was because her nephew was something something an unmotivated slacker something something and her son became a girl something something. With both kids of the family being useless as far as having a trustworthy heir went, they wanted to make use of at least the nephew by pushing him to seduce Weiss. I kind of zoned out and was thinking about other stuff in that particular part of the debriefing, so I only got like half of the details. I hoped I didn't miss anything actually important.

''Make sure you don't say anything that would humiliate me in front of the cameras.'' Weiss whispered in my ear, before the interview started.

''Hey, I'm not the one self-sabotaging my reputation at every opportunity.'' I answered her.

''What are you talking about? I have never even done anything like that.'' Weiss said, glaring at me as if I had insulted her unprovoked.

What she serious? Oh God, she was!

One day, that girl was going to look back at her past self and cringe so much, she'll be begging for others not to talk about how she was as a teenager.

When that day will come, should I comply, or refuse to shut up?

''Shut up, you two! We're starting.'' Miss Lavender told us.

Weiss and I stopped glaring at each other and put on our best fake smile face. Well, fake smiles were just normal smiles to people from high society.

''Good morning, everyone. I am Lisa Lavender, from VNN. I'm sure you've heard the news of the current heiress of the Schnee family, Weiss Schnee, and her betrothal. Well, we're today in Atlas to meet her and her fiance, Gemini Torchwick.'' Miss Lavender said, the cameras rolling. ''Now, one of you is the heiress of the wealthiest family in the world, while the other come from the very bottom of society. Given the disparity in your respective background, how did you two met?''

''It was at a business party at the Schnee Manor. I had managed to make it into the business world thanks to my own business and I met her there. I had never met a girl who made me feel like I did when I first met her.'' I said. I technically didn't lie, it was the first and only time a girl made me feels so disappointed for meeting her.

''Yes.'' Weiss confirmed, following the version we were given by her father. ''Our mutual feelings for each other became clear the second we met.'' By 'mutual feelings', she actually meant hatred.

''Ah, love at first sight. And what business allowed you to go this far in life at so young an age?'' Miss Lavender asked.

''Nothing too much. A little venture in the entertainment industry, it turned out to be more profitable than I expected.'' I said. ''But please, Miss Lavender, we are here to talk about Weiss and me.''

''Ah, yes, of course. What are your plans as a couple for the future?'' Miss Lavender asked.

I was about to answer when Weiss spoke up first, with a pleased smile on her face. ''Unfortunately, my fiancé must return to Vale for work reasons. I will miss him very much, but I am happy to announce that I will be joining him in Vale next year, when I apply to attend Beacon Academy.''

My own smile almost broke. This wasn't the script. This wasn't the script at all and Jacques was going to be absolutely pissed at her.

She had already said it, though, so there was no going back. And Jacques would be even angrier if we didn't show an united front. If the rest of Atlas picked up on Weiss and I hating each other, they'd start pushing for their own sons to try and seduce her, so that they could 'steal' her away from me.

''Really? You intend to become a huntress? That is quite the dangerous occupation for someone of your status.'' Miss Lavender asked.

''Weiss has a lot of respect for her grandfather and wishes to walk in his footsteps by becoming a huntress. There may be a lot of risk involved in a huntress carrier, but I trust her to know what she's doing and am fully supportive of her ambitions.'' I said.

Weiss' smile turned smug as she thought she had just pulled one over Jacques and myself. It may have been true when it came to Jacques, but me? I was more than happy to get her out of her home and into Beacon, I just wasn't sure how to do this without being the target of Jacques' ire. I was 100% okay with what she did here, since she was the one who would be taking all the heat for it.

Of course, Weiss didn't know that I wanted her to go to Beacon. So this was still a smart move on her part according to the information she had.

''It is always great to see two people being on the same wavelength like that.'' Miss Lavender said. ''Some would say that it is surprising that you two get along so well, considering how different your upbringing was. Forgive me if I address the Goliath in the room, Miss Schnee, but does the identity of your beloved's father not bother you?''

''Why would it?'' Weiss answered through gritted teeth. ''Just as I am not my father, so is he not his. Gemini and I are our own person.''

Phew! I was glad she followed that part of the script. It would have made things… difficult if she hadn't.

''I can only second Weiss' statement. I have never taken part in my father's criminal activities, and while I have no doubt that many will judge unfavorably for something out of my control such as my birth, I can only ask and hope that people will be willing to judge me not for the circumstances of my birth, but for the content of my character.'' I said.

/-/

''That double-faced, hypocritical, racist, to-be-Schnee bastard!'' Blake Belladonna roared at her scroll's screen, furious.

When she'd heard that Jacques' heiress had been betrothed, she and the rest of the White Fang stayed on the lookout for any related news. She had expected the boy to be some rich, racist sycophant from Atlas' elites.

What she hadn't expected was to recognize the little bastard. It was the same brat who had attacked them back in Atlas. The same brat who stole her weapon (which was quickly replaced by an exact copy, thank god, but that didn't mean she wasn't still pissed about that). The same monster who murdered Ilia.

''I had a dream, that children will one day live in a kingdom where they will not be judged by whether they have an animal trait or not, but by the content of their character.''

This was part of a speech that a young faunus man had made following the conclusion of the Faunus Right Revolution. A speech that put said young man in front of the people's eyes, and earning him such a good reputation that many faunus after the war looked at him for leadership.

That man was named Ghira.

And that evil monster wearing the face of a child paraphrased her father's speech, pretending to believe in the ideals championed by her father. As if he wasn't a murderous little shit that himself hated the faunus so much he'd attack them for no reason.

''I had a dream that one day, in the heart of the vale, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.''

Blake clenched her teeth. She shouldn't get so worked up about her father's old speech. The ideals it contained were stupid anyway.

The sons of former slaves? Those were faunus! The sons of former slave owners? Those were humans! Shame on her father for being too much of a coward to directly name them as such.

And 'sit down together'? That was never going to happen, as much as she wished otherwise. The only thing the humans wanted was to either put the faunus back into servitude, or punish them for daring to be free.

The faunus had to fight to obtain freedom from the humans' dominion over them. They had to fight to have the right to keep their homes in the kingdoms that were built out of their labor. Even today, they had to fight to force the humans to treat them like equals, as having their own laws say so wasn't enough for the humans.

The humans had never so much as extended a hand of frienship to the faunus, and they never would.

The faunus could only count on themselves.

/-/

''So you're saying that people shouldn't take your father being an infamous criminal mastermind into account when forming their opinion of you?'' Miss Lavender said, her eyes giving me a silent apology. She worked for VNN, for the Donwald. It was to be expected that she would have orders to try and put me in a difficult spot.

''Not quite. My father did raise me, so I can't blame people for being wary. I'm only asking for people to look at my actions, rather than my father's.'' I said, before giving a coy smile. ''And 'criminal mastermind'? Please, my father is a small time crook at best. As 'infamous' as he is, the real criminal masterminds are those who tries to convince people to vote for them so they can exploit their position to cover up their own crimes and remain unpunished. My father steals dust and Lien. Politicians steals the trust and hopes of the people.''

/-/

Robyn Hill raised an eyebrow.

Well, that was interesting. She had expected Jacques to have chosen a son-in-law similar to himself, yet the boy just revealed an open dislike for politicians. If there was any honesty from him on that point, then he might be useful.

Hopefully, she will be able to convince him she wasn't cut from the same cloth as the rest of her rivals.

It shouldn't be too difficult. A boy his age, who hadn't grew up in that environment, shouldn't be as distrusful as the children of these type of people.

/-/

''Ah, so I'm guessing you're not a big fan of the people sitting on the council, then?'' Miss Lavender asked.

''Who is? Most of the population doesn't like them, and doesn't feel like their council represents their interests.''

Normally, I wouldn't have dared to say this in front of the cameras and alienate the people in power. Not when I had just survived an attempt from those in Vale to kill me. But Jacques advised me to do so, saying that he failed to keep the people on his side while he was dealing and 'taming' the high class part of society to his bidding and that I should use the opportunity to signal the bulk of the population that I am not him. He said he would take care of keeping the richs in line.

Apparently, Jacques was so disliked by the general population that most people in Mantle thought he was old money like the rest of high society.

Miss Lavender continued to ask us some questions about Weiss and I's relationship, before announcing a small break.

''You know your father is going to yell at you again for the stunt you pulled, right?'' I asked Weiss.

She glared at me. ''You just slandered the good name of the people leading the kingdoms. Don't try to paint me as the bad guy after that.''

… Oh for fu- She couldn't be that disconnected from reality, right? She had to be faking some of it.

To think I was about to tell her I would put a word in favor of letting her go to Beacon. She was all on her own now.

''Good people? You have to be joking. Do you even know what these people do?'' I asked her, incredulous.

''They fulfill important obligations to maintain the kingdom and protect the people.'' Weiss snorted. ''But some people are ungrateful for their works and are jealous of them. Usually the dregs of society, like you.''

… Ah! My brain! I could feel it melt and drip out of my ears, so stupid and ignorant that girl was.

''Oh, look at me,'' I started, with a fake girl voice. Neo caught on to what I was going for and 'I' used her semblance to copy Weiss' appearance. ''I'm Weiss, I was born rich. I'm so much better than, ugh, poor people.''

The mockery earned me an indignant squawk from her, as Neo dropped the illusion on me. ''That's not anywhere near what I believe!'' Weiss said.

''Yeah, well, could have fooled me.''

''What's that supposed to mean?''

Miss Lavender wishfully looked at the both of us. ''If only I could show this part without loosing my job…'' She muttered under her breath.

I had no doubt that she would have loved the views she'd get if she published the drama instead of presenting Weiss and I as a functioning couple. Unfortunately, while I had no doubt the Donwald would have liked to bring me down, they wouldn't have liked having Jacques after them. If that happened, he would make them fold, by force if needed.

She also probably would regret angering my father and losing her contact with him for her articles on him, which played a significant part of her career's success. (And… well… I low-key suspected that she liked the 'favors' she paid in exchange for information from him as much as he did.)

''You two better go back to your previous facade. We're continuing soon.'' Miss Lavender warned us.

Weiss and I stopped arguing and went back to smiling for the cameras. The first session was about Weiss and I's 'relationship'.

''We're back. Now, many people are surprised that Jacques okayed your engagement. Rumor is it that you brought something exceptional to the table, to convince him. Is there any truth to that claim?'' Miss Lavender asked.

I grinned. ''It's my pleasure to announce that yes, there is. Allow me to announce that I've created a new bullet propellant. One that doesn't require any dust and is much cheaper to produce than dust is to mine. Dustless bullets are going to revolutionise the military industry.''

Both women in the room gaped at me, neither having expected something like that.

Jacques and I had already bought a lot of SDC stocks (well, he bought a lot more than I did, obviously.) As such, Jacques instructed me to reveal the information during the interview.

''D-dustless bullets?'' Miss Lavender repeated, bewildered. ''And they work?''

''Yes. Although they can only replace dust as propellant, not as a projectile. That means the head of a cartridge still needs dust in order to have the elemental effects of dust bullets, but at least we can save the dust previously needed for the propellant, meaning that normal bullets can be easily replaced by completely dustless cartridges and that dust bullet will require less of this already too limited material. A great victory for Mankind's future.''

Following that, Miss Lavender asked for more questions concerning the specifics, and what moves were taken to start production. I revealed Jacques already had a contract signed with the military for a significant amount of dustless bullets. General Ironwood was more than happy to have cheaper ammunitions, considering that meant more ammo.

I felt the same, more dakka was always a good thing. You always needed more dakka. If the quantity of dakka you possessed could be observed, then you needed to obtain more. 'Enough dakka' was inconceivable on the conceptual level.

During the rest of the interview, Weiss remained silent.

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Lord John Blackland flipped his table in an uncharacteristic outburst of rage.

That damned brat! He and his colleagues had everything planned out! They had already prepared articles decrying hydroelectricity as untrustworthy tech, slandering it as a scam Jacques was running. The VSS was even brainstorming plans to sabotage the dams the SDC would no doubt start building soon, or so they thought!

Instead, Gemini had pulled a fast one on them. Dustless bullets!? Not only was it going to be much faster to make and easier to prove to work, meaning they would have a much harder time destroying the invention's reputation, but worse, this was going to make hydroelectricity much more easily accepted by the people. After all, if an alternative to one of the things dust could do had been found, then why not a second one?

For now, Lord John grabbed his scroll. They needed to call back the slanderous articles before they were released, or their reputation would never recover from such a blunder.

He really wanted to know how that brat managed to pull out these dustless bullets out of nowhere.

No. There was a more important question. One which the oligarchs of Vale should have asked way before getting to this point, and whose potential answer filled his heart with dread.

What the fuck was Gemini Torchwick's end game?

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''I know what your end game is.'' Weiss declared once we were back at the Schnee Manor.

Uh? She hadn't said anything on the way back and now she dropped this? I somehow doubted she knew my end game was to throw Salem and a relic into the Sun before allowing the beginning of Remnant's space age.

At best, she had a shot at guessing the last part.

''Okay? What do you think it is?'' I asked, genuinely not seeing where she was going with this.

Weiss pointed an accusating finger at me. ''Dust is the ressource upon which the SDC was built on, an integral part of its image. You're not trying to steal my grandfather's company, you're trying to destroy it! Well I won't let you! As soon as I inherit my father's position as CEO of the SDC, I will shut down your 'dustless' toys and stop you!''

So her self-image was so centered on being the heiress of her grandfather's company that she was willing to stop it from changing at all cost? Keeping all of civilization on its expiration date and leaving her entire species to inevitably go extinct for the sake of her own ego?

Yeah, she had no idea what the things she just said meant.

''… Weiss… Get over yourself.'' I said.

She blew up and started yelling at me so loud that I worried she would injure her throat.

/-/

Weiss eventually stopped yelling at me, and later, the Schnee family was assembled around the dining table.

''I've made my decision, father.'' Weiss said in response to her father scolding her for what she said in front of the cameras.

''It wasn't your decision to make!'' Jacques yelled. ''Nor was it yours to announce like you did.''

''Of course this was my decision to make! I am my own person. I, and I alone has the right to decide my future!'' Weiss insisted.

Why was I here? This really felt like a family fight that I shouldn't be witness for.

Wait, right. I was officially Jacques' son-in-law. Damnit, I was part of the family. Alright, Gem, just focus on the food on your plate, like Whitley was doing.

This was Weiss' problem. Don't get involved.

''Not while you live in my house! You are following my rules and that's the end of it!'' Jacques said.

Sorry, Jacques, but I had to give that one to Weiss. As a parent, he might have authority over his children, but she was 16. A teenager should be slowly given both more responsabilities and more freedom as they aged. As it was, he imposed his will on his children so much, it was almost a wonder they were allowed to breath without his explicit permission.

By the time Weiss will be 17, she will be at the age where the decision on which institution to go for her education should be hers.

''You can't make me! The law protects the right of any potential huntsmen-in-training to apply to an academy.'' Weiss pointed out. That law existed because all four kingdoms didn't want to lose recruits because parents forbid their children from becoming huntsmen. No parents could legally stop their 17 year old from becoming huntsmen, just like they couldn't force them to. ''It's literally illegal for you to stop me. Isn't that right, Winter?''

''… Yes, indeed.'' Winter confirmed. ''But, Weiss, are you sure Beacon is the best choice? Atlas Academy would be closer.''

See, the thing was, I was pretty sure that was exactly the problem.

''Yes. I didn't choose Beacon without reason.'' Weiss answered.

Winter sighed. ''I know. It's just that Beacon is… far less disciplined than Atlas. I only worry that you'd end up with some low-life slobs as teammates and that they would do nothing but drag you down.''

… Now that was just a bigoted view of Vale. Just because they didn't try to act like well-oiled machines all the time didn't mean they had no discipline. Weiss' teammates weren't going to be that bad.

Just look at Yang… who starts fights in bars… Err, look at Blake… a literal terrorist on the run…

Ruby, between not taking classes seriously at first and messing around during a mission by feeding Zwei using Crescent Rose, was guilty of rather minor things, so I didn't believe she deserved the 'low-life slob' label. But if Winter knew about these particular details, she'd probably think she was justified for what she just said about Beacon. Some of Weiss' canon teammates did seem kinda bad when put like this, at least without the context.

''Don't worry, I have no intention to slack off.'' Weiss assured. ''And as my future team's leader, I am confident in my ability to make any troublemaker on my team shape up and get their act together.''

AH AH AH AH AH AH! Good one, Weiss.

She already thought she had that team leader position in the bag. Hilarious.

How did I even manage to not make a sound when she said that?

''Very well then.'' Winter nodded. ''Father, either way, Weiss has already announced she intends to go to Beacon. Even if you managed to stop her, it would cause a PR nightmare for you.''

''I'm well aware of the difficulties Weiss dropped on my lap. I can arrange something to fix it if she comes to her senses.'' Jacques said, nonplussed.

''But is Weiss staying in Atlas what you really want?'' Someone said. For some reasons, they looked at me.

… Oh. I said that? So much for keeping my mouth shut.

Willow yawned, showing as much interest in the conversation as she did before, which was none at all. ''I'm done with dinner. Klein, have a butler bring me a bottle of wine. I will be in the garden.'' Then she got up and walked out of the Schnee's dining room.

When she mentioned the wine, I noticed Whitley lowered his head.

''And what exactly do you mean by that?'' Jacques asked me, pretending as if his deadbeat wife's awkward exit didn't happen.

I sighed, guess there was no avoiding it. ''We talked about it, about how Weiss' view of the world is warped by high society's bias.''

''My view of the world is perfectly fine, thank you very much!'' Weiss glared at me. ''But I'm not surprised you've been slandering me behind my back.''

Oh for the love of God. ''Weiss, just shut up and let me put in a word in your favor!'' I said, irritated at the interruption. ''To continue where I was at, I believe some time away from Atlas would solve that particular problem and give her the reality check she needs.''

Of course, 'away from Atlas' didn't necessarily means Beacon. It could be Shade or Haven. But Mistral would be a very bad idea for Weiss to go. With how corrupt their state was, I would be surprised if Weiss didn't end up disappeared before the end of her first year, and I dreaded what fate might await her. As for Vacuo… with how pale her skin was, she'd be in constant sunburn-induced suffering and just wouldn't even be able to be functional.

''Be that as it may, she still needs to learn how to lead the SDC if she's to inherit the company. I can't teach her if she goes all the way to Vale.'' Jacques insisted.

Then Whitley surprised everyone by speaking up, as he had been silent since the beginning of the meal. From what I understood, that was how he spent most meals. ''Father, you have been trying to teach Weiss how to manage the SDC for years. Even if she stayed home, I doubt she would listen anymore than during the last years. There's no point in keeping her here.''

Weiss looked at her little brother, surprised that he took her side. Then seemed to realise something and snorted. ''You just want me out of the way.'' She accused him.

''… I don't know why I even bother.'' Whitley huffed after a moment of silence. Then he got up and started to walk out.

''Whitley, your manners!'' Jacques called out in a harsh tone.

His youngest child stopped, before turning to face him and giving a bow. ''I apologize father. I am not hungry anymore, so may I take my leave?'' He said, emotionlessly.

Jacques rubbed his eyes, before releasing a sigh. ''You can go.''

''Thank you, father.'' Whitley said, before leaving the room.

After that, we sat in awkward silence, slowly eating our food.

''Father…'' Winter said, sounding like she wanted to ask something.

''The discussion of Weiss' future is done for now.'' Jacques said. ''We will continue to talk of this another time. Just eat.''

''… Very well.'' Winter agreed, and nobody said anything else for the rest of the meal.

Ugh, why did I have to be here? This was so awkward, especially with Weiss who kept glaring at me from her seat across the unreasonably large table.

/-/

In the wilds south of the City of Vale, Augur was forced to wait outside the town.

He understood that him walking freely inside settlements was too much of a risk, even if he hid his features, there was a chance that someone could catch a glimpse of him, so he had no choice but to let little Cindy and her two minions take care of everything they needed from the town. Be it buying food or seeking informations on their quarry.

But that didn't mean he didn't want something to do. At least, they were close enough to Vale's CCT that he could access the news to pass the time and see if there was anything important.

Augur, sitting on a tree's thick branch, was reading an article concerning the recent events in Vale, where, following the gangs war happening in the Industrial District, some Grimm managed to make it past the city's defenses and get inside its wall, reaching the civilians inside.

A middle-aged suburban woman walked up to one of the Beowolves and started to yell at it, demanding to 'speak to its manager'. She was promptly ripped into pieces. The woman's name was Karen, and yes, she had the haircut.

Augur considered the content of that article and wondered. If Salem was the Queen of the Grimm, and he was one of her inner group of agents, then did that make him the manager in question?

''Sorry ma'am, Grimm Corporated has a no-survivor policy.'' Augur thought to himself, finding humor in the idiot's death.

He switched to the next article, and raised an eyebrow at what he read.

He had already been aware of Gemini using Yu-Gi-Oh to make himself money and live the easy life, how could he have missed that when his 'little sister' had made herself a Deck and asked Salem for a Duel Disk, but now he was working with Jacques to develop dustless bullets. And he was fianced to Weiss!?

Here he'd have thought the boy would have been scared of dying by opposing Cinder, yet he instead was making a target of himself. Entangling himself with the main cast instead of scurrying away like the rat he was.

Well, if he wanted to pretend to be a hero and chose to stand up against them, then he could die like a 'hero'. Augur wasn't going to let anyone stand between himself and his ambitions.

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''I don't understand. How is Two-Headed King Rex not a dragon?'' Whitley asked, looking at the card.

''It's a dinosaur.'' I replied. ''It's literally written on the card.''

''I know that! But this thing doesn't looks like anything other than a dragon.'' Whitley said, giving me a frustrated look. ''What even is a 'dinosaur' anyway?''

I sighed. Due to having less territory where archeological research could take place, Remnant never discovered what dinosaurs were (assuming there were ever dinosaurs on this planet, of course.) For that matter, Remnant didn't even know the Theory of Evolution and was still on 'gods created the world and people.' To be fair, I knew that in this world, people were, in fact, created by the Two Brothers. Or at least the first Humanity was. I wasn't sure how the current one became a thing since the Two Brothers went on strike before this Humanity appeared, to say nothing of how the Faunus came to be.

''Big prehistoric animals.'' I said.

''… You are saying things like these used to exist? But I've never heard of it.'' Whitley said, confused.

''Nah, it's called fiction. The idea is that they're ancient animals that don't exist anymore, but they're imaginary.'' I said. From now on, that was going to be my excuse anytime someone asked me this.

Yang still insisted that dragon support should totally work with her Uraby. She bought a Kaiba structure deck and replaced some of the cards with just more dragon, for anyone curious about what Deck she played. Blue-Eyes White Dragon wasn't the monster I expected her to want as her strongest monster, but she said she picked it because 'it's a big dragon that hit hard, what's not to love', which in insight, made sense coming from her.

The last two weeks were rather busy. Jacques had hired Flax in one of the card shops in Atlas, rather than Mantle. There's been an issue with the manager trying to bully Flax in response to the young faunus pointing out that there was a few ways he was managing the store that was different from how his manager (me) did in Patch. The guy hadn't appreciated that, but unfortunately for him, I checked up on Flax after a few days of work and he told me everything.

Neo and I (so… just me as far as everyone else knew) investigated the guy and were lucky enough to find that the guy was embezzling money from the shop. It wasn't much, only around 10 000 Lien (100 USD) a month, but it was still theft. So what I did was tell Flax what evidence to look out for and send it to me on my scroll. After he did that, I approached Jacques and told him Flax discovered proof that his manager was stealing from the SDC.

Jacques took a look at the evidence and promptly began taking legal action. The trial was quick, and the guy got 10 years of prison. It was a completely disproportional sentence for the petty amount stolen, but Jacques didn't tolerate anyone stealing his Lien, and he had more than enough 'fuck you' money to make an exemple of anyone he caught doing so, even if in this case, it cost him more to influence the judge than what the guy had stolen.

As a reward for reporting the crime, Jacques made Flax the new manager of the post. He made a small show of it in the media, saying that he did reward his employees fairly. Human and Faunus.

Of course, Jacques hadn't expected him to be qualified for the job. His plan was to quietly demote him back to employee (with a slight pay increased, which would have been Flax's real reward) once the medias had passed on to the next big story and he had found someone actually able to do the job. What he didn't take into account was that I gave Flax a crash course on how to manage the shop. Whitley joined in as well, since I brought him along to the shop to show him how to play, and gave a few tips of his own.

The result? Flax became… passable as a manager, if barely. Still, it was enough that Jacques begrudgingly agreed to give him a real trial period. I suspected that part of the reason he agreed was because his son had taken part in teaching Flax how to do the job. Teaching something to someone was a good way to reinforce what you yourself had already learned. It was a learning experience in and of itself.

Oh, and the shop having a 15% increase in profit with Flax at the helm probably helped convince him too. Turns out, the way I managed my shop in Patch wasn't better or worse on paper than what the previous manager did, but it did create a better working atmosphere and happy employees were productive employees.

I was a bit worried of how Flax would do in Atlas, but it looked like he was going to be fine. I hadn't irremediably ruined his life. Yay!

''Look, this 'dinosaur's' name is literally 'Crawling Dragon #2'. That's what I was saying, dinosaurs are just dragons.'' Whitley said, pointing at the monster in question.

… At least Whitley seemed to like the game well enough, even if he found some monster's types to be nonsensical and arbitrary. I tried to show him the anime too, but he decided he didn't like it after a few episode. He said the characters acted too dramatic for his taste.

And while we're talking business. Thanks to the SDC's ressources, I've been able to expand the number of programmers working on the Duel Disks' animations, improving the holograms. Not only does the monsters have more polished animations, but they were going to start working on more Spell and Trap animations as well. Awesome!

/-/

''This isn't the usual number.'' Onyx said, hidden out of view in a town's back alley.

''I've had some complications. My old scroll was broken. Please tell me you've had progress in searching Miss Autumn.'' Gemini's voice came from the scroll.

''I did! I found people who have seen her only three weeks ago, and I know in which direction she went after that. I'm finally starting to get closer and I'm sure I can catch up to her if I hurry.''

''Good. She should be traveling on horseback, so she's technically able to move faster than someone on foot, but she doesn't know people are searching for her so you should have no trouble on that front.'' Gemini said. ''Just hurry before the ennemy finds her first, and make sure they don't notice someone else is tracking her down.''

''Yeah, that last part goes without saying.'' Onyx said. If these truly were the same people who ripped that Maria old lady apart, then he definitely didn't want to meet them. ''I still can't know why this Amber is so important?''

''Sorry. You wouldn't believe me if I just told you. That's why I'm waiting for you to find her first, then what I know could be proven.'' The kid answered.

''Right, well, I'll be going back to finding her then. Later.'' Onyx said.

''Later. Be careful. I'll be waiting for your next report.'' And with that, Gemini hung up.

The call done, Onyx heard the flutter of small wings, but didn't pay it any mind.

What he did pay mind to was the sound of human feet landing right behind him and the cold steel of a scythe touching his neck.

''Well well well, what do we have here?'' Qrow said with his usual gruffy voice. ''Who are you, why are you searching for Amber and who the fuck was on the other side of that line?''

Onyx gulped.

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''So, let me get this straight,'' I rubbed my eyes. ''you're Robyn Hill, a local political figure that's pretty popular with the people of Mantle, and you just admitted to openly commit acts of terrorism against Atlas. Yet, you're somehow not wanted by the authorities and you're still allowed to run for office? How does that work?''

I had used my sister's semblance to get away from Jacques' security detail to get a burner scroll and call Onyx for an update report without anyone knowing what I was doing. After the call was finished, I ran into these four women on my way back. Or it'd be more accurate to say they were the ones to seek me and started talking to me in the middle of Atlas' streets.

They presented themselves as representing the people of Mantle, the champions of the little people's rights who stood up against Atlas' abuse of Mantle. But once the bullshit of their spiel was stripped away, we were left with her being a politician who openly broke the law without facing any consequences.

''Hey, don't talk like that to Robyn. She's not a terrorist.'' The brutish looking woman of their group said with a scowl.

''Right, of course. She only unlawfully use violence in the pursuit of political goals. This is completely different from terrorism, which is the unlawful use of violence in the pursuit of political goals.'' I snarked.

''Why you-'' The brute growled like she was about to assault me, but was stopped by one of her comrade, a girl (?) with blue hair.

''Joanna, there's no need for that.'' She then turned to the Robyn woman. ''Ma'am, I don't think we'll win him over. We're wasting our time.''

For a moment, I thought I caught a glimpse of an Adam's apple under the scarf around her neck, but I wasn't sure. Eh, whatever. I didn't care.

Robyn sighed. ''It does look like he already has his mind set.'' Then she extended her arm toward me. ''But I'd at least like to confirm which side you're on. The people, or the rich elites?''

''Lady, this last month I just went from one group of rich elites trying to kill me to another trying to exploint me. Which fucking side do you think I'm on?'' I said, looking at he like she was an idiot.

''… Just grab my hand.'' Robyn said.

''My father always told me to scream if a stranger wanted to touch me.'' I said.

She looked at me gobsmacked, having not expected that response. ''My semblance is a truth detector, but it needs touch to work.'' She explained.

''Really? Should have lead with that.'' I grabbed her hand and her pale lilac aura coated both arms, stopping right below our respective elbow.

''Now, kid, here's how this wo-''

I cut her off. ''The sky is blue.'' The aura turned green. ''The sky is pink.'' The aura turned red.

The aura didn't stay the color it turned into, both times, it went back to lilac after a few seconds.

''… Well, I guess you just figured it out.'' Robyn said.

Did I? It works fine for objective statements. What about opinions? ''I hate myself.'' It turned green. I earned myself some concerned looks. ''I think outside of his work, Jacques is a poopy head.'' It turned green again. The sheep-eared girl chortled. ''It's awesome that Solitas is this cold.'' It turned red.

''Are you done?'' Robyn asked with a deadpan.

I thought about it. I confirmed that it identified if subjective opinions were honest or not, but…

''One last thing?'' I asked, giving her my best puppy eyes.

She sighed. ''Fine. But it's the last one, okay? My semblance isn't a toy.''

''This sentence is a lie.'' The aura blinked between red and green so fast, it changed colors multiple times per second, blending them together as our eyes couldn't keep up.

The woman quickly yanked her arm away from mine, ending her semblance. Then she checked her scroll for her aura. ''In the red!? Really?'' She sounded more annoyed than angry, thankfully for me. ''I know I spend a bit of aura every time my semblance changes color to indicate a truth or a lie, but how fast was it changing that I lost so much? I've never been drained so fast.''

''What was that stuff about hating yourself?'' The sheep girl asked me, sounding a little concerned.

I gave her an odd look. ''Isn't it obvious? Have you met me? I'm kind of an asshole.''

''… You wanna talk about it?'' Joanna, was it? Joanna asked me.

''Not with you.'' I said. ''Look, I'll be clear. I don't trust any of you people, you're all way too shady. So if you don't mind, I'll be on my way. I you do mind, I would advise against giving chase. Your leader's aura is in the red, and well, accidents can happen so fast. Bye!'' I said the last word in a loud, enthusiastic tone before disappearing in a shower of shattered glass.

They looked around, lost as to where I was, while I walked away. Thanks sis.

And no, I had no idea a logical paradox would do that to Robyn's semblance, but I sure wasn't going to let the opportunity slip. I would also tell anyone who asked that I totally knew and everything went as planned.

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Later, I enquired about their group and learned they were known as the 'Happy Huntresses.' I also learned that they had recently robbed a caravan of supplies that was supposed to go to a military outpost. Two days after, Grimm attacked the wall, but they took the supplies the stole and gave them to the soldiers on Mantle's wall when the Grimm were sighted, the attack was easily repelled and they only had 112 civilians and 266 soldiers dead. The Happy Huntresses were praised by the locals for their help in ensuring their protection and this Robyn woman had given a speech about how Atlas left them to fend for themselves (so… fuck the atlesian soldiers on the walls, right? These guys literally died so that more Mantle civilians wouldn't) and how things needed to change. That Mantle and it's people didn't deserve to be treated like that.

The problem? I learned from Winter that the only reason the Grimm made it to Mantle's wall was because the military outpost that was supposed to stop them before they came into view from the walls didn't receive the supplies they were supposed to have. Without the ammunitions to properly support the AK-130 in close combat, the Grimm took the upper hand, killing thousands of soldiers and destroying even more robots. Well, they did have some ammunitions, they just ran out of those after ten minutes of combat. Never underestimate how important long distance support was in warfare.

While they evacuated from the outpost due to the battle turning bad, 200 soldiers lead by a few Specialists decided to stay behind to buy time to the ones evacuating and try to kill the oldest Grimm that were part of the group. They gave their lives to save the others, and were successful in their objectives, leaving the horde of Grimm further weakened for the people in Mantle.

I also learned that the reason why the Happy Huntresses weren't facing repercussion for their crimes was in part because Robyn Hill had made herself very popular with Mantle and that the last time the authorities tried to lock her up, her supporters rioted and accused Ironwood of trying to silence his political opponents. The case was handled by local law enforcement and hadn't even reached General Ironwood's attention, at least before the riots. The other reason was that the atlesian oligarchy hated General Ironwood, finding the man to be too concerned with the protection of the 'peasants' instead of the inconveniences of those who actually mattered (themselves.) As such, the Happy Huntresses, who were actively opposing the general, had the covert support of the oligarchs, whom Atlas needed in order to function properly.

Needless to say, I felt very vindicated in not trusting them. I didn't know if they were doing what they were doing out of stupidity or malice, but if it was out of malice, would they have done anything differently?

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''This kid is going to be a problem in the future.'' Sienna Khan, High Leader of the White Fang, said.

In front of her, who was sitting on their headquarters' throne, stood the leaders of the White Fang. Those who supported the shift from peaceful to violent. Those without who Sienna wouldn't have been able to take power from Ghira, who she still did respect despite their difference of opinion, and push the White Fang in the direction the Faunus as a whole needed.

Blake Belladonna, Ghira and Kali's daughter, who had just finished giving her report concerning Jacques Schnee's new son-in-law, who she identified as the child who had attacked her cell before Adam's 'betrayal', meaning the kid, Gemini, no doubt had an intense hatred for the Faunus. Despite being the daughter of the White Fang's founder and former High Leader, Blake wasn't originally part of the leaders' circle. It used to be Adam's position, but now that he was gone, his second in command, Blake, was the one who Sienna felt was best qualified for the position.

Blake was a friend of Adam, and his apprentice, and might have been something more between them (bets were going on in the White Fang on how much time it'd take for them to get together, all of which were voided following his murder of the Albains), which earned her some suspiscion. But Sienna vouched for her, protecting her position in the White Fang, and if the High Leader decided she was the best fit for the position, then nobody could argue.

Next to her was Charcoal Birching, a black haired faunus with goat horns and a thin, disheveled beard. He was the most 'pacific' of the leaders, having agreed more with Ghira all those years ago when the organisation's future was still being debated between peace or violence. He did eventually side with her when it became clear which direction the White Fang would choose. Nowadays, he argued that the problems the Faunus faced in the human kindgoms took sources with the laws and the people enforcing it, and thus, they should focus their efforts on the government, the law makers and the enforcers, instead of private businesses.

Sienna and him disagreed more often than they agreed, and he was at odd with the others, but she appreciated his honest opinions and the points others, and herself, rarely considered.

Zak Serpent, a caspian snake faunus with chocolate brown scales over his shoulders and reaching up to the sides of the neck in contrast with his otherwise peach skin tone. He had dark red hair brushed upward, and his white eyes had the epicanthus fold that some people, usually from eastern Anima, had. Zak was known to want to focus the White Fang's efforts on Vale, arguing that the kingdom was the largest of the four, thus it was where the most faunus lived and where their activities was most needed. He also argued that, having the most cultural influence of the four kingdom since the Great War, if they actually obtained equality in Vale, then the kingdom would influence the others into doing so as well, doing part of their job in their place. Outside of meetings like the one they were currently having, he was usually busy smuggling weapons and other supplies into their valean cells.

Jeff Othello, a scarlet macaw parrot faunus with red, yellow and blue feathered wings instead of arms, a trait so eye-catching, his bright green hair looked mundaine by comparison. Not having real human arms made his life pretty difficult, you try to get a job without having hands, especially since the wings couldn't lift the weight of a person and were thus non-functional. But the man wasn't devoid of use to the White Fang. He was intelligent, being fluent in all three languages of Remnant, Valean, Vacuan and Mistrali. He also studied all there was to know about military tactic, knowledge that was very welcome in training the members of the White Fang. The man was of the opinion that the organisation should focus their efforts on the SDC, since Jacques was their most powerful foe and he and Atlas were their greatest threats. A popular opinion amongst the bulk of their troops, as many faunus hated the SDC.

Voski Jack, a brown-haired, brown-eyed man with donkey ears on top of his head. The man seemed to always know how to find the funds needed for their operations, legally and illegally (not that it was a concern for them.) He was also known to like wine, and throwing celebrations that kept the troops' moral high, although he had rather poor taste in music. Voski insisted that Mistral's culture and population was still the most discriminatory against their people, having much more businesses refusing to serve Faunus and the city did everything it could to keep the Faunus in the kingdom's capital from moving to the upper levels of the city, which were the wealthier and safer area that the kingdom possessed. Well, everything it could without getting into hot waters with the international laws set by the Vytal Treaty.

''And what are your suggestions for dealing with him? Since he obviously wishes our people dead.'' Sienna continued.

''We should kill him while we're able to, before he becomes too much of a threat.'' Jeff said.

Voski immediately shook his head. ''No, I'm not convinced that this single kid should warrant priority over our usual operations. Aside from one time he acted against us and our people, he hasn't done anything of note. Let's not waste our time and ressources unless he makes himself an actual problem.''

''Hmm. Weiss Schnee announced that she will be in Vale for four years to attend Beacon.'' Zak pointed out. ''He will probably want to be close to his lover, so we'll have plenty of occasions to strike then. Maybe lay a trap and make him believe we are after her. If we're lucky, we might even manage to kill both. For now, we should strengthen our cells in Vale in preparation to kill them there. It won't be a waste of our ressources either to hit the city until then.''

''… Gemini has to be taken care of, but wouldn't Jacques' daughter be more useful as a bargaining tool instead?'' Blake said. She never liked the killing, but when faced with someone who already murdered her own friend unprovoked? There wasn't much of a choice. Still, she'd rather avoid killing anyone else if she could help it, even if that someone else was one of Jacques' children.

The atlesian soldiers who were usually the ones who took the lives of her comrades had the excuse of only doing their job and protecting themselves. It was the White Fang who choose to attack, so if her or her fellow terrorists died in the process, the fault was on themselves. She understood that, and accepted to take the risk to her life for the sake of one day achieving equality. But Gemini wasn't defending himself. He was the aggressor.

Charcoal coughed. ''Excuse me, but it feels like we may be jumping the guns here. We just don't know all that much about him. Is it really a good idea to go after him like that? Even if he hates us, he might also be more easily intimidated by us. If we can scare him into giving us concessions, then it matters little what he thinks of us, it'd be a great victory for us.''

''Tch! Ever the coward, Charcoal.'' Jeff said. ''Do you want to invite him to dinner, while you're at it? The SDC is the ennemy of the Faunus. We must kill enough of them until they crumble down and become powerless, not try to negociate with them while they plot to put us back into slavery.''

Voski shook his head. ''No, Charcoal has a point. We don't really know anything about him. As things are, even if we launched a mission to assassinate him at the fastest opportunity, we would be more likely to just fail. Even if he can't be intimidated into doing what we want, and it turns out we do need him dead, we still need to wait and observe him first.''

''Enough.'' Sienna said. ''I've heard all of your opinions. Here is what I propose: For now, we will observe and learn what we can about him, profiting of the time we have before he can obtain any real power in the SDC. Only once we will know more will we take our final decision concerning Gemini. If we do need to have him neutralised, then we will do so while he's in Vale during his fiancé's studies at Beacon. Zak being the one most familiar with our valean cells will be the one in charge of the assassination. Does this course of action has your approval?''

''Yes.'' Charcoal, Voski, Zak and, suprisingly enough, Blake said. She got a few raised eyebrow, since she was previously advocating hostile action.

''Charcoal and Voski made good points about how we don't have enough intel to act yet. And Zak has a solid enough preliminary plan. I'm fine with what you've decided, High Leader.'' Blake explained.

Jeff sighed. ''I suppose I have no choice, then. Since I'm outvoted, I'll go along with your decision without complaint, High Leader.''

''In that case, this meeting is ajourned. I don't want anyone making moves against Gemini Torchwick before I announce we are ready.'' Sienna declared.

/-/

''See? It went well.'' Sienna later told Blake in private. ''I told you you could handle it.''

''You mean it?'' Blake asked with a small, hesitant smile. ''I was so nervous the whole time.''

''You have no reason to be. You did your report, gave logical arguments to support your point, and stayed professional through the whole meeting. I knew you had it in you, Blake. You have your place amongst the leaders of the White Fang.'' Sienna reassured her.

''… Thank you, Sienna.'' Blake said. ''Do you have an assignement for me? Or should I continue my usual operations in Mistral?''

''Hmm. Why don't you and your men take a break. You've been working hard lately, and I'd rather not have you exhaust yourself too much.'' Sienna said, before a thought crossed her mind. ''You could take a few days to go see your parents.''

Blake's ear flattened on top of her head. ''I… I'd rather not. I'll take a few days off like you asked, but I'm not seeing my parents.''

''… Alright, then. Take care of yourself, Blake.'' Sienna then left Blake alone.

Blake had been surprised when Sienna insisted she took Adam's old position, but she supposed they did need to fill in those post. They still hadn't found replacements for the Albains.

She still didn't understand why Adam had betrayed them. What motive did he have? Didn't he always said that they were going to change the world together? That they were accomplices? What could have possibly caused him to murder heros of their cause like the Albains?

Blake shook her head. Right now, Sienna told her to take her men and rest, so those were all questions she'd consider later. She might actually burn herself out otherwise.

Thus, both Blake and Sienna went on with their day. Neither of them suspected having a leak in their midst.

/-/

''Hi, it's Gemini. I'll be back on Patch tomorrow. See you there.''

Ruby looked at the text she received from Gem and huffed. Below the first text, there was another text from him, asking for her to bring Zwei.

''Why don't you stay with your fiancé instead? You two 'fell in love at first sight', didn't you?'' She texted back.

''Seriously? Ruby, we were in front of the cameras. We were following a script her father gave us.'' He answered.

''So you two don't love each other?'' She asked, feeling hope for the first time since that interview.

''… I am forbidden by contract from answering that honestly.''

She let out a relieved sigh. It wouldn't make sense if the contract forbade him from saying that he loved that Weiss girl, so it must meant he didn't.

''How bad is it?'' She asked.

''… She's been yelling at me nonstop since I got in Atlas.''

Ruby blinked. He had to be hyperbowl… hyperboiled… laying it on thick, right? ''Yikes. I feel bad for you. What do you want Zwei for.''

That was a weird request. Zwei still hated Gem, which was really weird and unusual from the corgi, but any attempt to get the dog to like Gem had failed. They had just settled into the habit of not leaving the two alone in the same room, for safety reasons.

So why was Gem asking for Zwei?

''Jacques insisted that Weiss accompany me on the way to Patch, so that we 'try one last time to get along before the end of my stay in Atlas'. The trip won't be pleasant, but I suspect she's a dog person, so I'm hoping Zwei can keep her distracted so I can have at least one minute of peace as soon as possible.''

Then he sent another message. ''Please Ruby. I'm desesperate.''

The silver-eyed girl sighed. ''Fine, I'll bring Zwei.''

''Thanks, you're my savior.''

So, Ilia. Now that both part of the chapter are done, how did Weiss' affection bar for Gemini go?

Ilia: ''Well… On a scale of 0 to 100, with 50 being neutral, 100 being undying love and 0 being undying hatred, she started last chapter at 40 when she learned she was going to be married off, and ended this chapter at -5.''

… -5? Didn't you say the scale went from 0 to 100?

Ilia: ''Yep! Ah, young love.''

I'm not sure what to call next chapter. Since it's a more relax one and Gemini will be back on Patch, maybe I'll just go along with this chapter's name and go with 'Dating Sim: Childhood Friend Route'? It's a bit of a lazy option considering how similar the title is to this one, but I don't know what else to name it. I'm open to suggestions?

Anyway, see you all next time. Ruby and Weiss gets to meet before canon starts. It'll probably go better than it did in canon, right? There's no way they wouldn't get along, right?

Say, I like to think my writing has improved since I started, but what do you think? Has anyone noticed an improvement between the writing of the last few chapters compared to the first few?