It took half a week before Batman decided to call for a meeting with Weiss. Days filled with spars with Dinah, and classes about Earth culture with Ollie, who had also decided to try and help integrate Weiss into their world. Weiss had eaten up the information ravenously, filling notebook after notebook with her words. It was very evident that Earth truly was an alien world.
Without a unifying threat present in the form of the Grimm, humanity had splintered into hundreds of nations of varying sizes. Some were city states, and on the other end of the spectrum, some took up nearly an entire continent all by themselves. The diversity and complexity of Earth's societies fascinated Weiss on many levels, though it also baffled her. Humans were the dominant species, and Faunus didn't exist here, yet humanity still found a way to hate others, based on the color of their skin or ethnicity or religion or a dozen other petty things. Some things never changed, it seemed.
Weiss pushed those thoughts out of her head as she walked into the briefing room. Batman was already there, sitting at the head of the long table shaped like a U that was the room's single defining feature. Dinah, Ollie and a man in a blue and red suit joined him. He didn't wear a mask like Ollie nor Batman, instead he kept his rather handsome and clean-shaven, his face bare for all the world to see. So much for keeping secret identities.
"Green Arrow, Black Canary, Batman." Weiss said in greeting, each name spoken in quick succession. She eyed the stylized S on the man's well toned chest. "And you must be Superman." Her lessons certainly had covered Earth's most famous superhero, and he was highly recognizable in any event.
Superman gave her a kind smile from his seat beside Batman. Even by Remnant's standards, he was extremely good-looking, and he was said to be one of, if not, the strongest heroes Earth had to offer. He was also quite charming and nice, going from some of the interviews Lois Lane had done with him. "Hello Miss Schnee."
"I'm sure you already know why we called you here." Batman said, rather rudely, before Dinah and Ollie could even speak. What kind of parents raised this man? You didn't interrupt other people greeting you. Weiss's eyes narrowed at the Bat as she considered her retort. Ollie and Dinah gave her sheepish smiles as they looked at her.
Dinah met her gaze and shook her head ever so slightly, warding Weiss off from her verbal offense. Hmph, she'd behave for now, but if he kept pushing her, all bets were off. She'd been needing to practice her verbal sparring as well as her physical sparring, after all. Dinah was too nice, and Weiss felt bad throwing veiled insults at her. Especially since the blonde understood all of them, no matter how obliquely she tried to word them, and would proceed to punish her in the sparring ring. Besides, she had been a great help in keeping Weiss distracted, keeping her away from dark thoughts about being stranded in another world.
"I am." Weiss crossed her arms over her chest, standing at the entrance of the U shaped table where the dark, brooding shape sat in judgement over her.
"Good." Batman continued on, as if he hadn't interrupted her greeting. He pressed a button on the table, bringing up a holographic map of the United States of America to hover in front of them. It was a rather long name for a country, too wordy in Weiss' opinion. Then again, given all the Kingdoms back home were one word, maybe she was too used to shorter names. "After much deliberation, we have chosen what city you will be based in." Weiss wasn't exactly happy to have such a monumental part of her new life chosen for her, but she supposed they were more familiar with the planet than she was.
The map zoomed into the southwestern region of the USA slowly. Weiss leaned in, watching intently as the map zoomed further, highlighting Texas. The image centered on a sprawling metropolitan area near the Gulf Coast. It was on the coast, with some islands near the mouth of the city's port, long thin strips of land that blocked most of it.
"Houston," Batman said in response to the unasked question of what the city was called. "The city has a significant population, high economic importance to both the state and the country, and a growing crime rate. It also lacks a consistent superhero presence, which makes it an ideal location for you to operate independently while under the League's monitoring."
"Houston?" Weiss repeated, tilting her head as a map of the rather large and sprawled out city seemed to grow. It looked rather boring, though looks could be deceiving. Case in point, her home Kingdom of Atlas had seemed to be very peaceful and in control, but she knew the truth even before she left for Beacon. She'd have to do more research once she was settled in.
"Yes." Superman nodded, doing his best to keep his eyes kind with a small smile on his face. He had clearly practiced it in a mirror. Yet, unlike when Jacques had done so, his smile had warmth to it. It had a feeling that nothing would go wrong, and he would protect you.
Weiss straightened her posture as she asked a question that came to her mind. "And what exactly will my role there entail? Am I expected to patrol the streets like some vigilante?" Patrolling the streets hoping to find criminals would lead to little work or progress being done, or at best, she'd take out some low level threats. She could handle herself, of course, Weiss was a trained Huntress. If some ruffians could take her down, she'd kiss the intimidating feet of the Bat.
Dinah smiled slightly, her tone warm as she turned to address Weiss. "In a way, yes. But not without support. The League will stay in contact, and you'll have access to resources if the need arises. We're not throwing you in without a net."
Ollie leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. "Houston doesn't have a lot of big-name villains, but it's a hub for organized crime and corporate corruption, with the occasional meta-human. It's more of an easy entrance for any smuggled and illegal goods into and out of the country. New Orleans used to be the stereotypical easy port of call, but people grew wise to it. At the moment, small fish use it for now, but if we don't get a handle on it, it could escalate rapidly."
"I see." Weiss hummed, narrowing her eyes as she considered the facts. Corporate corruption? Now that sounded familiar. Corrupt politicians, dirty corporate workers, Weiss was used to dealing with them. She'd grown up around the single largest source of corporate maleficence in Remnant, after all. One could say, she was born for this.
"A public identity has been created for you, with some help from our contacts in the US government." Batman continued on, drawing everyone's attention back to him as he spoke. He held up a card with a picture of Weiss' face, albeit with her hair edited to look as black as Blake's.
Weiss raised a lone eyebrow as her Aura enhanced eyesight allowed her to read the ID from where she was standing. It certainly was a disguise, she had to admit, but, was that the best name they could come up with? "Kara Schnee? Really?"
"It's practical," Batman replied curtly, not caring for her objection to the name. "You're an immigrant from Germany, here to study lapidary at a local university."
"That I get." Weiss took a few steps forward to better emphasize her point. "But why the black hair?"
Batman looked at her like she was just a foolish little girl, and he was the patriarch, judging her every move. "The people here on Earth don't exactly have hair as white as yours, unless they're elderly or have a condition. Wearing a wig or dyeing your hair would be your best bet at keeping your identity a secret."
The wig then. There was no way Weiss was going to dye her hair black. And not just because if the rest of RWBY saw it, she'd never hear the end of it. Plus, it would greatly upend her entire daily routine if she had to dye her hair every morning.
Dinah interjected with a gentler tone, and a glare at the Bat. "Think of it as part of the role, Weiss. You'll be able to focus on your work without as much scrutiny. And who knows? You might even enjoy the change."
"Fine." Weiss sighed. She gave the ID card another glance and frowned slightly. It was strange seeing her face with black hair—it didn't feel like her. Yet, she supposed, that was the point. Nobody would connect a white haired vigilante with a brunette Wei- Kara Schnee.
Batman remained seated in his chair, his demeanor as unyielding as ever. He pulled out a folder out of nowhere and placed it on the table. "We'll also provide you with a basic understanding of the systems you'll need to navigate—bank accounts, need-to-know information, and how to access League resources. You'll find all the details in your starter packet."
Weiss eyed the so-called 'starter packet' Batman gestured to on the table. It was a slim folder, its plainness offending her sensibilities, and the seemingly little content within didn't help any. Practicality seemed to trump aesthetics in this world—at least in Batman's domain. Coming from the man dressed as an oversized flying rodent, it seemed a bit hypocritical. She grabbed the folder and started to skim through it.
"I assume this includes housing arrangements?" Weiss asked, keeping her tone clipped and professional. She wasn't about to let the Bat think she was impressed by his thoroughness.
"It does," Superman said before Batman could reply, his tone more reassuring. "A townhome provided as part of your 'scholarship', courtesy of Wayne Enterprises."
"And a base of operations in an abandoned warehouse not too far away." Batman took over once again, almost like a double act. Where did they get all this money to invest in her life? Actually, why were they willing to take this chance on her? Sure, her story didn't exactly leave much room for confirmation, yet they'd already provided her an ID and a home. Weiss bit the inside of her cheek as the Caped Crusader kept talking. "Equipment has already been provided, and a mode of transportation, should you pass the driving exam."
"You're too generous." Weiss said bluntly. Dinah and Ollie had been more than welcoming, and while Batman was gruff and rude, he hadn't done anything to purposely antagonize her. "Why do all of this for someone you barely know?"
"Because it's the right thing to do." Superman was the one who answered her question. "The Justice League exists to help others, even if you're not from this world, or even dimension. And you'll be able to pay it forward, protecting the innocent." He formed another smile.
Weiss' sapphire eyes widened slowly in realization. Growing up under her Father's tutelage meant that she was used to liars and people who wanted to use her to their own advantage. She didn't sense any ill intent or malice behind the words of the so-called Man of Steel. He truly meant everything he said.
Looking away for a brief second, and clearing her throat into a balled fist, Weiss turned back towards the heroes, her back straight and her eyes determined. She pretended to not notice her eyes were watering slightly, and they did her the courtesy of also not noticing.
"I won't let you all down."
A/N
Huzzah! Another fast update! Time to figure out Weiss' costume. Suggestions and ideas are welcome!