A/N: To my Charismatic Gamer peeps, I appreciate your patience. Chapters Five through seven (this chapter) of New message were all planned at the same time, and I wanted to get them all out before returning to a story that is much more detail oriented. Too much in my head at once makes for a very confused Panda.
Note: This chapter is being written before we know what the Canon Sienna Kahn looks and acts like. I reserve the right to edit her description once Volume five hits.
Enjoy!
X
"Band! Ten-Hut!" Snap! The issued command brought the band to attention in their seats, backs ramrod straight as they waited for the instructor to speak. Amber Autumn, the band director for Beacon Academy, was rubbing her temples in frustration. "Percussion, just because I'm working with another section does not mean you can start goofing off in the back of the room. If I catch even one of you playing around again today, you're all going to be running laps during next practice. Am I understood?"
"Yes ma'am!" The response was perfectly in sync, no doubt because they knew that she would very well keep her word. Nora and Russel, the guilty party, had the decency to look ashamed as the rest of the section flashed them dirty looks. Jaune shook his head in amusement before resetting his position on the bells.
It was late freshman year, and the band was getting ready for the spring festival; which, for the unaware, is less of a festival and more of a competition between schools for the "concert band" season. Jaune was blessedly able to play an electric guitar for a jazz piece they were performing, but the other two selections forced him into the percussion section. He'd wanted to play the keyboard if he wasn't allowed to do guitar for the whole performance; but, to his dismay, none of the three pieces even used a piano part.
Half an hour later the after-school practice ended with percussion, by some miracle, not being assigned laps. Jaune helped set the instruments away while Nora jabbered away in his ear. His ginger friend was playing timpani, which didn't allow any kind of bombastic playing, so she was completely wound up from her pent up energy. As they waited for Ren to arrive he humored her mile-a-minute questions: no, he hadn't seen any movies lately; yes, he'd love to see the new X-ray and Vav movie together with Ren and Pyrrha; no, he hadn't noticed Pyrrha's new eyeshadow, why do you ask?
After Ren took the puppy off of his hands, Jaune started to walk to the school bike rack, passing by the Chorus room on the way. Just as he crossed in front of the double doors, he heard a single voice emanating from inside. The notes being sung were crisp and beautiful, instantly grabbing his attention and leading him to peek through one of the windows.
Mirror, tell me something / tell me who's the loneliest of all?
Mirror, tell me something / Tell me who's the loneliest of all?
In the middle of the room was Weiss Schnee, completely alone as she practiced a song he'd never heard before. Her eyes were closed as she focused on singing, giving Jaune ample time to observe her. Ever since they'd met near the beginning of the year, Jaune had to admit that he'd found her to be stunningly beautiful, with her crystalline blue eyes and hair perfectly set to one side in a ponytail. Her fair skin seemed to glisten in the lighting of the Chorus room, leaving Jaune breathless as he watched her perform to a crowd of none.
Mirror, what's inside of me? / Tell me can a heart be turned to stone?
But the more he listened, the more a strange, unsettling feeling crept into his stomach. Music was supposed to be something that was enjoyed. When you practice something, even when it's a sad piece, there's supposed to be a sense of... accomplishment? Determination? Satisfaction? The proper word for it eluded him.
Mirror, mirror, what's behind you? / Save me from the things I see!
I can keep it from the world / Why won't you let me hide from me?
Weiss's singing, however, was almost haunting. It came from a place of deep sorrow, and Jaune could feel her sadness in every note. In the back of his mind, he felt a strange need begin to grow.
Mirror mirror tell me something. / Who's the loneliest of all?
A need to turn that buried darkness into light, so that she might one day sing from a place of joy. A want to turn that frown into a smile, so that he would never again feel this haunting tune shake his soul. In the span of one song, his infatuation morphed into something new and peculiar.
I'm the loneliest of Gooood morning, ladies and gentlemen!
The radio on his clock awoke him from his stupor, Vale Radio Network blaring out of its miniscule speaker. Groggily, he shuffled out of bed and began getting dressed for schoolas the talk show host continued his spiel.
"... and it's looking to be a lovely Wednesday morning; however, we are anticipating some showers from the afternoon to late in the evening, so make sure to bring an umbrella..."
Glancing out of his window Jaune failed to see any clouds in the dim light of the dawn, but far be it from him to argue with the meteorologists. He'd make sure all of his sisters had umbrellas, even if the weathermen tended to be wrong half of the time.
'Still,' he thought with some amusement, 'it's been a while since I've dreamed of Weiss. I wonder what brought that memory back up?'
Thinking on the past brought Jaune around to the present, and how his daily life seemed to be undergoing rapid changes in the past few days. First, Yang and Ruby had sat at his table Monday and Tuesday, with the former giving every indication that it would probably stay that way for a while. He didn't mind, of course; it was fun talking with her, and he was still grateful for her pulling him out of his funk on Sunday.
Second, Pyrrha had begun texting him so they could chat and prep for the dance, and when they were at lunch together she seemed to be peppier than usual. It reminded him of when they would hang out as kids, before her family moved to Mistral for a number of years. This was even better than the Yang change, because ever since Pyrrha moved back to Vale she seemed to be guarded, putting on a practiced smile around their non-friend classmates rather than a genuine smile. He knew it was the stress of being a high-profile athlete headed straight for professional competitions, so he was glad that she was relaxing more.
And the final change...
Jaune turned on his phone display. There was a good morning text from Pyrrha... and still nothing from Crystal. Face met phone for a moment as he prayed to no god in particular for her safety throughout whatever was going on. Beyond his disappointment about Saturday, he just flat out missed talking to her. She truly felt like a kindred spirit, and the thought of something bad happening to her tore him up inside.
'I think I see why I might've been annoying to my friends and family when I talked about her.'
He had broken the news about Saturday to his family, and to say they hadn't taken it well would be like saying an iceberg was a small piece of frozen water. Olive and the twins, Sapphire and Jade, were outright calling for blood, Plum had remained silent but was no doubt on the same page as the prior, and Lavender had passed her yogurt cup to him in an attempt to cheer him up. If you knew Lavender, you knew that meant she seriously felt bad for you.
His mom had said that she thought the same way he did, that something must've come up and she hadn't done it on purpose; however, he'd seen the overprotective sparkle in her eyes before she masked it. Juniper Arc could be very terrifying when she wanted to be, and he prayed once again that Crystal had simply been overwhelmed but was otherwise okay; because if the truth was anything else, the Arc women might very well kill her themselves.
Jaune went about his routine of prepping the familial troop for the day, lunch money included, and then took off for school himself. The first half of his classes went well, including what hebfelt was a relatively comfortable test under Goodwitch. Maybe it was just an easier subject, or maybe Crystal's lessons had started to stick. The pain of loneliness hit again, but he buried it. He made it mantra of sorts: She's healthy and okay, she's healthy and okay. Repeat ad infinitum.
At lunch-
"Are you sure, Pyrrha? I'd feel bad not getting a corsage for you." Jaune rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "I'll admit that I don't know much about flowers, but I am confident that I could pick out a set that will match your dress color-wise."
"I'm positive, Jaune." She had a comforting hand on his shoulder even as she flashed him a smile. "I know very well that you're working for your family, and I'd hate for you to spend money on something that'll dry out within a week or two. But thank you for offering."
"Alright, alright," he relented. "But if you're hungry after the dance, you're going to let me buy you some food."
Nora chose that moment to speak up. "Or you could get a hotel room and order room service. Just saying."
Jaune and Pyrrha both choked on their food as Yang gave Nora a thumbs up. Ren chided her for the tease, but couldn't hide his mirth at their reactions. Eventually Jaune managed to squeeze out, "D-don't go saying dumb things when we're eating! And we aren't even dating!"
Somebody at the table mumbled 'yet', but he never figured out who it was. Luckily, the conversation was derailed by the arrival of both Ruby and Blake, the latter of whom said, "We went looking for Weiss, but couldn't find her anywhere after class. I saw her in first period, but I'm not sure why she's avoiding us."
Jaune gave a quiet 'hm' as he thought about what that meant. Apparently, ever since Monday, Weiss had been avoiding talking to anybody outside of answering essential questions in class. Pyrrha, Blake, and Nora had all approached her at some point, but the heiress deftly avoiding them and went about her day. The only person didn't seem bothered by it was Yang, who looked content drinking the little carton of chocolate milk on her tray.
While he wasn't crushing on her like he used to the last couple of years, he still wished for the best for her. Hopefully, she'd soon be able to talk to everybody again, and maybe then they could have a full table of eight people.
After school, he swung by his home to check on everyone. The weatherman had actually been correct: by three thirty, it was raining cats and dogs outside, and there were several Arc girls desperately waiting for a load of towels in the dryer to hurry up so they could dry off themselves. Jaune still had to work that day, so after ensuring that dinner would be taken care of he got dressed and went on his merry way, driving right into the thick of the storm.
Windshield wipers going at full speed, Jaune had to take it slow so he wouldn't hydroplane all over the road. He let his eyesight wonder every now and then to his right, observing the several people who were walking on the grassy sidewalks, umbrellas up and hoods over their heads as they walked from A to B. Silently wishing them safe travels, he was about to refocus on the road before him when he saw an unusual sight.
Visibility was horrible with the rain, but he could tell that one of the pedestrians was lacking any sort of umbrella or hood. They seemed to be walking slower than the rest, and after slowing down even further he noted that they had a wobble to their step, as if every step was painful.
Years of his father's teaching called out to him, instructing him to help out this stranger in need; he obeyed without a moment's pause. He pulled forward a bit and got as far on the curb as he safely could, turned on the trucks emergency flashers, and exited the truck with his umbrella spread and up. It took a second to reach the walker, but they paid him no mind as he approached. Soon he stuck the umbrella over their head...
...and felt his heart stop in his chest.
"...Weiss?"
She flinched at the sound of his voice, slowly raising her eyes to meet his. She was wearing a tattered business outfit, mud smeared all around her jacket and skirt. One of her heels had broken off, no doubt the source of her wobble. Her hair, normally pristine and in a ponytail, was weighed down with water and hanging limply against her chest.
But the most disconcerting thing by far were her eyes: they were lifeless, blankly staring back at him as if he were some type of illusion. It took a full ten seconds for her to process his presence, and doing so seemed to instill a sense of panic in her. She tried to take a step, but her leg gave out from under her and she wound up lurching straight into his arms, caking him in the same mud. His own brain finally caught up, and he fervently began checking her and asked, "Are you okay? You aren't hurt anywhere, are you?!"
Weiss looked up once more, her breath shaky as she spoke just one word. "...Why...?"
And then a dam burst.
-Weiss-
There had been many days in her school life where she could safely say she desperately wanted Professor Port to stop talking. His incessant droning had lulled many students into taking naps, naps that would be accompanied by detention once the "lecture" was over.
Today, however, she was begging to hear one of his stories; that way, she might actually get some sleep.
It wasn't to be, and in front of her he placed one of his slightly randomized tests and silently walked to the next student, placing another such test before continuing. Groaning to herself, she grabbed her pencil and began to circle some of the multiple choice answers almost randomly. She'd suffer a failing grade if it meant being done.
Port was the last class she was to take before Klein picked her up to attend the meeting with Sienna Kahn. Her business outfit was already picked out and lying on her bed, she just needed to wrap this up and grab it. And maybe take a nap...
No, no. There wasn't going to be enough time. But after the meeting, she swore that she would sleep for days.
Some of her friends had approached her over the past few days, expressing concern over the fact that she was now avoiding associating with anyone at school. She gave evasive answers and ran each time, because she had no way of telling them the truth and them not hate her as much as she hated herself. What made it worse in her mind was that Yang must've told Jaune everything by that point. He, Jaune, hadn't sent any further messages to her, so that had to be the case.
She was hated, and she knew that she deserved it. All she could do now was fulfill her obligation to attend this meeting, and then she could just... disappear for a while. Be alone, by choice and due to her actions. It's only fitting.
Once the test had been handed in to Port, she left the class with due haste, fleeing to the car pick-up area where Klein awaited her. As she looked out of the car window, she noted that the sky had become covered with dark gray clouds, heralding the approaching storm.
When they reached the estate she immediately went to her bedroom, stripping away the school uniform and donning her work attire. It was a soft blue suit jacket with a formal skirt of the same shade. Under that was a white undershirt and black leggings. She chose to keep her hair styled as she always did, merely taking a few moments to fix a few bad spots. With a pen and clipboard in hand to take notes, she made her way to the board room slightly ahead of schedule. On the way, Klein informed her that Jacques was meeting the guests at the entrance.
When she reached the meeting location and allowed herself in, she was surprised to see Whitley also sitting there, holding a clipboard similar to her own. They merely exchanged nods, neither seeing a reason to engage in conversation until the others arrived. Within a few minutes, the door opened to allow three people into the room: her father, in his usual white business suit; Ghira Belladonna, Blake's father and head of the White Fang's Vale branch; and a tan-skinned woman that could only be Sienna Khan herself. With black hair pulled into a braid and a tiger's tail wrapped around her torso, she was a woman not much taller than Weiss herself.
She and Whitley stood upon their arrival, and Jacques walked the two over for introductions. "Children, say hello to Ghira Belladonna and Sienna Khan, leaders of the prestigious White Fang. Honored guests, these are my children Weiss and Whitley."
Ghira approached Weiss first. Despite his large size, his smile was surprisingly warm to see. "Hello, Miss Weiss. My daughter has told me quite a bit about you. I need to thank you for being such a good friend to her."
"Pleased to meet you, and there's no need to thank me," she answered softly. "Blake is most pleasant to be around, as long as she doesn't accidentally get food in one of her books."
"It's true, she never can seem to stop reading." Ghira gave a chuckle before turning to her brother. He held his hand out for a shake. "And greetings to you, sir Whitley."
"And to you as well," he replied cordially as he shook the older man's hand. He made no effort to continue the pleasantries, instead turning to Sienna Khan. "Miss Khan, it is indeed an honor to finally meet you."
"Thank you, young man." Despite her small frame, her voice had a deep tone for a woman. She was confident; powerful, mentally and politically, and fully aware of how much influence she had in the proceedings. "It is always good to work with the next generation."
"Quite," Jacques said with his snake smile. The one that Weiss had learned meant that he knew something other people didn't. "Shall we move on to business? I know the two of you are terribly busy."
Sienna nodded. "Of course. Before we discuss the future, I was hoping to deal with some concerns."
The next half-hour focused around the various complaints of human employees being promoted over Faunus despite the latter being more qualified. Jacques promised to look into two particular incidents in Atlas, a suggestion that earned a quiet scoff from Whitley. Weiss couldn't help but agree with his unspoken sentiment; Jacques would most likely make it look like he investigated it before deciding to leave things exactly as they are. It was how the man operated on a near daily basis, by focusing on efficiency above all else. He was never keen on changing his mind unless it served to benefit him in the end.
After those topics were finished they shifted to lighter ones, such as Jacques building a windmill farm on the plains of Anima to help establish a business with some of the smaller villages. Weiss's pen scribbled furiously as she took notes on which villages they were seeking to power by the end of ten years time, as they would eventually become her responsibility to manage. Whitley did the same beside her, only stopping to glance at her with some knowing smirk that only served to irritate her.
Eventually, the conversation shifted once more and Sienna was addressing Weiss herself. "I would like to say that I appreciate your interest in improving human-Faunus relations. The situation is still tense in some cities, with one group seeing the other as evil or weak."
There seemed to be a hidden message there, but Weiss couldn't quite see what it was. She chose to smile and take it at face value. "At the end of the day we're all people and deserve to be treated as such."
Sienna returned the smile, evidently pleased with her answer. "Indeed. I can't wait to see how you do as ambassador."
...What?
Sienna, oblivious to her mental freeze, turned in her seat to face Whitley. "And I hope you, young heir, continue to improve the company once your father's tenure is over."
"I shall strive for true equality all of my years as head of the SEC." Whitley's words were rehearsed, as if he'd expected those very words from the beginning.
Her mind finally caught up to the present, and she partially rose from her seat as she said, "Please wait just a moment. I'm the heiress to the SEC-"
"Weiss, now is not the time for this discussion," warned Jacques under his breath.
He went unheeded. "- and the only way Whitley would become head is if something happened to me. And what do you mean by 'ambassador?'"
Both Sienna and Ghira frowned at the question, but it was the latter who responded first. "I'm not sure I understand what is going on. Jacques told us that you were interested in becoming the liason for Vale and Menagerie. I'm here because, as former chief of Menagerie, I have a bit of sway with the higher-ups and could help establish you as an ambassador."
Time stopped. The world stopped. Her mind went blank as she slowly turned to face her father, whose expression could only be described as "annoyed." He quickly shifted into damage control mode, as he adopted a faux-smile and said, "I'm sure my daughter is just exhausted from her coursework is simply-"
Sienna Khan raised her hand sharply, cutting off any further explanation from him as she regarded Weiss carefully. "Miss Schnee, did you know anything about this before today?"
Her eyes never left her father. "No. I wasn't told a thing."
"I see." With those two words, Sienna gathered her few belongings together and stood up, silently encouraging Ghira to do the same. "Jacques, we'll talk again soon about how the SEC treats its Faunus employees. Farewell."
"W-wait! Please wait." Jacques nearly jumped up, desperate to keep them where they were. Sienna flashed him a look harsh enough to make him pause, giving the Fang representatives time enough to finish packing and depart. As Sienna passed by Weiss, the former gave the latter a brief pat on the shoulder, hoping to give the young girl some consolation.
When Ghira began to pass her, he stopped for a moment and leaned down to whisper in her ear. "I... am sorry about this. If there is anything I can do, please tell Blake and I'll be there."
She didn't respond in any form, her anger building as she continued staring at her snake of a father. Soon the board room was occupied only by the Schnee family, and Jacques returned her glare with equal force. "You stupid child! Do you have any idea what you've done? All the time I spent kissing up to those animals, and you had to ruin it by not keeping your mouth shut!"
"What I've done? Were you just planning on never telling me about any of this?!" Beyond her anger she was incredulous. "That you would try to strip me of my title as heiress is ridiculous, and doesn't even begin to cover that I only know now because of the White Fang you hold in contempt! What were you thinking, father?!"
"What I was thinking, young lady, is that I shall give this company to the one who would do what's best for it. Whitley will continue my policies and have the SEC become truly legendary by the time he's done! Don't think that I am blind to your intentions, girl."
He pointed a finger at her to drive his words home. "I saw the fondness you had for Winter when she defied me and joined the military. That's why you started to put your hair to side, to emulate your rebel of a sister. I can see the signs, and I know that if you took control of this company you would make it your job to undo my legacy. I won't have it!"
The sheer disdain he was looking at her with told the full picture. She, Weiss Schnee, was never truly going to inherit the company. Whitley had always been the true heir; Jacques had likely waited until now to announce due to his son's age. It would look improper to bypass the first two children if the heir to be was only a child.
Now that Whitley was about to turn fifteen, though, he'd deemed it time to reveal his true colors. She'd never had any real role in this family...
She... she was unnecessary, and there was nothing she could do about it.
Anger gave way to exhaustion and she slumped into her seat, all thoughts of arguing further disappearing at once. Jacques left the room without a single word, leaving Whitley to stand over his sister. Slowly, the young man began to smile. "Dear sister, I am sorry that you were promised something that would never be yours. I can only begin to imagine that feeling. But don't worry..."
He leaned in close, speaking into the ear that Ghira hadn't. "...I will lead the Schnee family into a bright and prosperous future."
In the end, Weiss was the only soul to remain in the room, her thoughts swirling further into the darkness. What would she do now? She had no direction in life outside of the company, and that had just been stripped from her in glorious fashion.
She had nothing.
She had no one.
She spent an untold number of minutes alone until Klein entered the room. Her pathetic sight broke his heart to pieces, especially since he hadn't been told what happened yet. "Miss Schnee, what ails you so?"
She didn't know what to say to him. Idly, she looked past him into the doorway he'd entered from, where a window in the hallway revealed that it was raining outside.
Outside...
"Klein," she said slowly as she finally stood up, "I'm... going out for a while."
"Out?" Klein turned his head to see the same view she had. "I'll gladly drive you anywhere, my dear, but where-"
She shuffled past him without another word, lethargic movement taking her to the front door of the estate. Klein followed, trying to make sense of her actions. "Miss Schnee, where are you going? Weiss? Weiss!"
His words went ignored as she opened the doors and left the building exactly as she was. She had no destination in mind; no goal except to get as far away from the Schnee manor as she could.
She walked. And walked. For what felt like several miles she walked on and on, the rain bearing down on her with ever increasing force. She had no sense of time, the only moment to stick out being when her heel stuck into a mud pit and snapped off, sending her straight into the ground in order to be painted the same color as the dirt. Slowly, achingly, she picked herself up and continued her aimless journey.
'I have no one. I have nothing. I have no one. I have nothing. I have-'
"...Weiss?"
She stopped and looked up, seeing an image of her sin in front of her. Was this a punishment, she wondered? Was her life destroyed because she'd selfishly hurt Jaune, her beloved Crescent, and now the gods were showing her a vision so she understood that?
As she registered that she no longer felt the rain on her head, she suddenly grasped that the Jaune in front of her was not an illusion; he was real, and holding an umbrella over her head.
Yang's angry face ran through her mind.
Her mind commanded her body to run in fear; Jaune hates her now, she couldn't be near him! Her body, beaten and tired as it was, instead saw fit to collapse courtesy of her broken heel, and she fell practically face first into his chest. Fearing his reaction, she dared to look up and see his face.
He was concerned; not upset, and certainly not angry. Jaune's face was the epitome of worry, and as he began asking questions and examining her for wounds, she realized that he seemed to have no intention of hurting her.
Why?
"...Why...?"
Why didn't he hate her? How could he possibly be looking at her with anything besides disgust in his eyes?
A memory flashed.
Crescent: -You're never alone, Crystal.
She was overwhelmed. Simply wrecked with feelings, both good and bad, as she realized that she hadn't been abandoned. Cresce- No, Jaune. He was here! He- He!
Weiss began to cry. It was a flood of tears as she grabbed onto his shirt and wailed, her sobs louder than even the pouring rain all around them. Slowly, Jaune began to hug her, willingly earning even more filth on his clothes as her maelstrom continued. He started to rub her back with one hand while the other held the umbrella, not wanting either of them to suffer the elements. She didn't even care about the rain. Jaune was here...
X
Me: Okay, Muse. Get to Charismatic Gamer.
Muse: But-
Me: NOW!
Just so you know, the Arc children will be detailed in full in the next chapter, since only Olive actually has a physical description at the moment.
I hope you enjoyed it! Please consider leaving a review, and have a nice day.