"The knowledge explosion is also an ignorance explosion; if knowledge is power, then ignorance is powerlessness."
-William F. May
"What the Hades is he thinking?!" Percy cursed. "What if someone takes a picture? Get his face covered. Throw a bag over it, if you need to. And he can come in as soon as he gets here."
The attendant nodded once and shut the door, disappearing from their sight.
"Fucking Taurus." Percy groaned, "Gonna be the death of me."
Jax scowled "I'd always wondered why you lowered yourself to working with animals, but I suppose now I know why you're willing to use them."
Percy shot him a dirty look. "While I'm hardly some true believer in their cause, I'm not lowering myself to work with faunus any more than I am to work with humans."
The words felt weird coming from his mouth, as he'd always considered himself human, but the words were true either way. He wasn't 'lowering himself' to work with anyone.
Jax, apparently realizing he'd messed up somehow, just nodded and kept his mouth shut.
Gillian nudged her brother and looked to Percy. "I think it might be best if we leave before Taurus gets here. We try to avoid the White Fang when we get the chance, and it'd be better if no questions about what we're doing here were raised."
Percy nodded his assent, but that brought up another problem. If Jax and Gillian had such a problem with the Faunus and the White Fang, he'd essentially been using a pro-faunus militia to instate an anti-faunus government.
Despite the irony, that would cause issues down the road. Another problem to sort out.
Putting those thoughts aside for later, Percy watched the two leave and waited with Shiro for just over a minute before the door opened again.
Unsurprisingly, it was Adam who walked in. He wasn't alone, though that was hardly a shock either.
What was a bit of a shock was who he was with.
But Percy's surprise, he figured, was nothing compared to hers.
"Ms. Fall." Percy rose from his seat with a teasing grin, having far from expected this but all too willing to play it off like he had. "It's been too long."
Adam looked between the two. "You know each other?"
"We've had the pleasure." Ella finally said slowly, looking for all the world like newest their run-in was anything but a pleasure.
"Indeed we have." Percy agreed, shooting her another grin before waving at the couch. "Please, take a seat." he said, sitting back down himself.
"I'm here to deliver her." Adam grunted. "Introduce you, and be on my way. But it seems I'm not all that necessary."
Percy rolled his eyes, "I'm sure she's here to make a request of the White Fang, which is why she went to you first. Are you telling me you'd rather not be a part of this conversation?"
Adam hesitated, and looked between the two. "Cinder wanted to approach us about financing the Fang. That's not something that I care all that much about, as long as the lien flows."
Percy narrowed his eyes, looking to the black-haired girl who was certainly Ella Fall. She'd gotten older and a little bit taller, but there wasn't a doubt in his mind that she was the same girl who'd lied to him just over a year ago. He figured she was using a fake name, but hearing a different one used in front of him confirmed it. Though, he supposed he'd have to be a bit of a hypocrite if he judged criminals for having aliases.
"Yeah… I guess you're right. I think we'll be fine." Percy nodded to the Faunus. "Thank you Adam."
The room turned to an awkward silence as Adam left, 'Ella' sitting slowly on the couch.
"What, no red wine to dazzle me this time, Perseus?" Ella found it in her to make a joke, crossing her legs.
"Would you, Shiro?" Percy gave him a look.
Shiro nodded seriously and left the room, leaving the two alone. He knew Percy wouldn't ask him to make a wine run. This conversation needed to be one-on-one.
"So," Percy began, "Should I call you Ella, or Cinder?"
"Cinder's fine." she said brusquely. "I must admit I didn't expect you to be behind the White Fang and Mistral as well. It seems there's a player that Remnant isn't aware of."
"The other players know." Percy assured her.
"Not all of them." She assured him.
Rolling his eyes, Percy leaned back on the couch and spread his arms. "So, you wanted to finance the Fang. Let me guess, give em' weapons and dust — my dust, by the way — and in return you get a private, fanatic army."
Cinder's unimpressed glower was all the answer he needed.
"Well," Percy snorted. "You're a few years late. I already have that covered. But now that that's established, why don't we talk about why you want the Fang, and what I can do for you."
Cinder narrowed his eyes. "Is that all this is to you? Some game?"
Percy raised an eyebrow, genuinely curious. "What makes you think that?"
"You're backing the White Fang," she listed, "You clearly have great influence in Mistral for us to be sitting in this room, Roman Torchwick works for you, and so does the rest of the Valean underworld. You must have billions of lien, easily. And yet, you came to Vale to meet with me personally over what's virtually nothing, and you bother to personally liaise with Torchwick, who's a two-bit thief worth less than the watch you're wearing."
Percy glanced down quickly to confirm that he wasn't actually wearing a watch. That dealt with, he answered. "I let those under me do as they see fit, with few exceptions. I have rules, and bounds to work within. Some moral, but most practical. Stealing dust in Vale would draw too much attention to the underworld, and me. Roman knows this, and yet he asked me to meet with you anyway. I obliged. And as for meeting with Roman personally, he's proven himself more than useful in the past. I like to hang on to people like that." he hinted.
"Now," he said, taking hold of the conversation once more. "I answered your question, it's your turn to answer mine. What can I do for you, Cinder?"
The door opened and a large man in an apron stepped in with a bottle of wine and two glasses. He bowed silently, setting them down and uncorking the wine, pouring a glass of each. Setting the bottle down on the table he left just as silently, out the door with yet another quick bow.
Cinder only spoke when the man was gone. "Vale." she said quietly. "I have need of the White Fang in Vale. But I can't share my plans with you until you've agreed. Considering everything I know about you I presume you have a bit of moral flexibility, but my plans are too important for me to share carelessly."
"Oh?" Percy leaned forward to grab his glass, handing a reluctant Cinder her own. Vale was tricky. He avoided causing too much noise there because of Ozpin, and whatever she needed the White Fang for it was likely pretty noisy. But it seemed like he'd be making an enemy of Ozpin either way, moving in on his politicians as he was.
To know if he had to make an enemy of Ozpin he'd have to go talk to the man first and find out to what extent he'd be burning his bridges by manipulating Valean politics, but he had a distinct feeling that that sort of answer wouldn't exactly placate Cinder.
"Well, I have some bad news then." Percy said, "Because I don't like agreeing to plans I know nothing about. So if I don't know what you want, I can't give it to you."
Cinder scowled, "Perhaps that's for the better. If you can't find a single girl in a year then I doubt you capable of the tasks I require completed."
Percy rolled his eyes. "Ah yes, we can't find a hooded girl wandering around the Valean frontier, the least documented populated place on the planet, within a year. How silly of me, I should have tried looking into my all-seeing orb to find where she is."
Cinder gripped the arm of her couch, and for a moment it looked like she was about to stand and attack him. But she restrained herself, closing her eyes and unclenching her muscles one at a time.
"Regardless," she forged ahead, "I require services that only the White Fang can fulfill."
"And regardless," Percy countered, "I won't agree to something I'm not being told about."
"Then it seems we're at an impasse." Cinder took a sip of her wine, looking over the rim at him.
Percy chuckled mirthlessly. "Oh, that's adorable. No, Cinder, we're not. You won't tell me what you want me to do before asking me to agree to it, so I'm saying no. You need the White Fang to do this, but I don't need you for anything. Hades, I'm not even sure you can actually do anything for me. Lien's nice but I have plenty. Plenty enough to ignore people like you."
She snarled, and this time she didn't hold herself back. She was on her feet in a moment and forming a sword from nothing to level at his neck. It was too bad for her that his sword was already in the way.
Percy stood and placed his glass on the table, parrying another attempted blow.
Another sword formed in her left hand, but Percy was on her. He struck her left, then her right, then pointed a kick straight at her open sternum. She bent over with the breath driven from her, and attempted to recover.
It didn't go well.
Riptide landed on her neck in a brutal overhead slash, tanking her aura but forcing her lower to the ground. She twisted to the side to slash at his legs but his right foot rose, stomping harshly on her wrist and slamming it into the ground. He heard her cry out in pain beneath him, but within the second she was trying all the same to awkwardly turn to stab at him with her other sword. Percy put pressure on her arm so he could slide his left foot a few inches back, avoiding the blade completely.
Reaching down and calmly stepping off of her, he grabbed her by the upper arm and lifted her up, tossing her against the far wall.
She could keep trying to fight. Until she gave up, Percy would give her what she wanted.
With steady steps he approached her downed form, bearing down on her. She clumsily rose to her feet before he got there, but just barely. She blocked a weak left-handed slash of his, but failed to stop his fist from connecting solidly with her cheek. Her aura flickered, at this point no doubt running on fumes.
Reaching down calmly, Percy grabbed her by the throat and lifted her so that he could look her in the eyes, restricting her breath.
She was a couple years younger than him, sure, which at their age meant quite a bit. And sure, Percy was a demigod. Enhanced reflexes, strength, dexterity, and all the rest. But what really set them apart, he could tell, is that he'd fought for his life against those equal to him and stronger. Much, much stronger. He'd been in real combat.
She had not.
His minor suspicions that she was the fall maiden fell away quickly. Qrow would have been far, far more of a challenge, much less Raven.
She tried to hit him with the sword that she hadn't dropped in her left hand, but it was a weak flail and Percy doubted it would've done much even if he didn't have aura. But as he did have aura, it just bounced off.
"You tried to threaten me because you didn't know I had aura. Didn't know I could fight. Because I was alone with you and you have no idea who I am. Unfortunately, the punishment for striking at a member of the Mistrali nobility is death."
Cinder gasped for breath behind his clenched hand, bringing her hands up to fruitlessly claw at his grip, hoping desperately for a breath of precious air.
Percy let her have it. Dropping her unceremoniously she crumbled to the ground, gasping for breath. She'd dropped her other glass sword which disintegrated as soon as it hit the ground, grabbing her neck and heaving for air.
"Fortunately for you, I don't enjoy associating with my fellow nobility all too much." Percy said, kneeling in front of her so that he could look her in the eye once more. "Now, let's go over how this arrangement is going to work out one last time."
"Mr. Jackson." a well dressed, older, portly man said warmly, shaking Percy's hand. The smell of expensive liquor hung off of him, bathing the area. "Welcome to my estate. I hope your trip went well."
Percy took his time to observe the foyer of the mansion as he absently shook back and then took off his jacket. Chandeliers, over the top carpets and embroidered rugs, house staff waiting at the periphery for the first signs of discomfort.
If he didn't already know the answer, Percy would've wondered how the man afforded all of it with a salary of under a hundred thousand lien a year.
"Of course." Percy shot the man a smale, "Thank you for arranging this. And the trip was fine, thank you."
"But of course!" He exclaimed, "You and your people have done nothing but good by me. And if anything, you're doing me a favor. I know that they'll all certainly appreciate the introduction." he laughed boisterously, grabbing his stomach.
"My pleasure."
"But of course, but of course." he waved through the air. "I suppose that the tour of the estate will have to wait for later tonight. I understand a busy man like you has such a tight schedule."
"I appreciate the concern for my time." Percy said, gesturing for the man to lead the way.
Lead the way he did, walking further into his mansion with Percy following him. He pointed out the history behind different paintings and sculptures as they walked, though thankfully didn't stop for any of them.
"This one," he pointed at the sculpture of a knight kneeling to a man in robes. "Depicts the first King of Vale. Though, at the time he wasn't known as such. It was a ceremonious event, his own son and the new head of his house swearing fealty to him as the king of all Vale instead of just the western flats, many hundreds of years ago."
Percy, never much a fan of history, appreciated the conversation nonetheless. Despite the years he'd been living here he knew there were still things that kids learned in elementary school which he was ignorant to. The first King of Vale was probably one of those. If some billionaire showed up in the US purporting to be a local without knowing who George Washington was, it might raise an eyebrow or two.
"Ah, here we are." He finally said, stopping just short of a set of wooden double doors. Two house staff quickly caught up to them and opened the doors, allowing Percy to see inside.
He had to admit it was an impressive room.
Not in its grandeur alone certainly — the Schnee's utility closet effortlessly surpassed the grandeur of this place — and not the comfortable feel of home — Foley had certainly managed that a bit better — but for how it managed to combine the two. A large roaring fire took up a large part of the far wall, filling the room with warmth. Grandiose gold (or likely, gold painted) decorations lined every corner and decoration in the room, and it coalesced into a large domed ceiling.
Beneath the ceiling the main part of the room was made up with a large, expensive looking wooden table. Many seats were laid out around it, all comfortable and padded, looking out of one of Foley's sitting rooms.
Overall, it was grandiose and imperious and prestigious and a bunch of other long words, but it was also… cozy. Homely. Comfortable.
He had to appreciate the design.
But he wasn't an interior designer, and that was hardly what he was here for.
No, he was here for the people occupying that room.
There were half a dozen of them in all, the councilmen from the districts with heavy industry and large faunus populations, all sitting around the large oval table in the center drinking what Percy assumed was scotch, smoking cigars and laughing with each other.
They noticed his entry but didn't seem put off. The chuckling slowly died out as the conversation ceased, but there was no abrupt halt of secrecy. They all knew why they were here, and they were all comfortable with it.
"Alfred!" One exclaimed, a few spots away from the head of the table. "Finally back, eh? Come, introduce us to your friend!"
"Gladly!" Alfred gestured for Percy to follow him and went to sit by them at the table, sitting next to its head. The seat next to him was open, an invitation — courtesy, really — for Percy to sit.
Percy glanced to the head of the table, where another man was sitting. Not the host or owner of the house, not Ozpin, not Percy, but a councilman.
The Chairman of Vale.
He considered his options. He didn't usually care for posturing, but he'd learned that posturing was everything when it came to Vale.
In Mistral he ruled with power. He didn't need to sit at the head of the table to be in charge, because he just was. Whatever he wanted to happen happened, and it was enforced all the way down. There wasn't an alternative or refusal for not obeying him, because he didn't control the power base in Mistral, he was the power base in Mistral. He ruled by the sword and shield.
In Mantle he ruled with influence. Because wherever he sat everyone knew that he was making the decisions. Because while you could decide to do something else, everyone knew they wouldn't be in a position to disagree with him the week after. He ruled by cloak and dagger.
In Menagerie and with the White Fang he ruled by being the only option. Because he was their lifeblood, and as soon as he decided to cut them off they lost everything, they were no longer a factor. He benefited from them, but they needed him. With a signature he could turn their thriving cities and large armies to ruins and poorly organized militias. He ruled by pen and paper.
In Vacuo he ruled by right. Or at least, what was perceived as right. The heirs to the monarchy of Vacuo thought of him as their better, and he held their loyalty. He didn't need to be at the head of the table because the ones who were hung onto his every word. He ruled by the crown.
And yet in Vale, things were different. Not the underworld, but the kingdom itself. Despite how lucrative a united underworld of Vale was, it was still nothing compared to the legitimate businesses of Vale themselves, and the taxes the government raked in. The daily expenditures of the Valean government made Junior's yearly revenue look like a rainy day fund. Percy could make a lot happen in Vale, but he couldn't control it. He couldn't have all of these men out on their asses with a word, he couldn't kill them all with an order, he couldn't say the word and have them prostrate. At least, he couldn't get away with any of that for long. The power he had over these men was the benefits he could bring them, and the dynamic of their relationship. How much power they perceived he had. He would rule by word of mouth.
So, the head of the table being taken by the chairman of the council was… not a slight, per se. Alfred had been backed by the Xiong clan for some time, but he didn't know what cards Percy truly held. All he knew was that he was a businessman in Vale with close connections to both Ozpin and Junior, two of the most influential men in the kingdom.
But despite that, Percy had no other option. Whatever slight shift in dynamic he'd cause by being at the head of the table would be outweighed by the awkward process of taking the damn thing.
It was times like this he saw his shortcomings in the world of politics. Maybe Annabeth would have found a way to establish herself as in charge without causing commotion, but Percy was no Annabeth. He could get all the power he wanted, but this part of intrigue was not his forte.
Withholding a sigh, Percy sat himself in the comfortable padded seat. They all looked at him expectantly, unaware of his inner musings.
"This here is Mr. Jackson. I'm sure many of you have heard of him, he's a very successful local businessman." Yeah, he'd bought out some Valean businesses with his money from elsewhere. But due to his aliases, he thought it might be a better idea to buy them as Percy Jackson than Perseus, a great lord of Mistral. "He's here today to make a proposal to you all. I suggest you listen carefully, Mr. Jackson is a close accomplice of many great friends of mine."
"Please, call me Percy," Percy nodded to them, well aware that his very casual jeans and shirt was a bit out of place among the suits in the room, but knowing that if he changed himself to fit in with them then he'd just stick out like a sore thumb.
"I've had the pleasure with some of you, however I've yet to meet most of you. As Albert here said, for those of you who haven't heard of me, I do quite a bit of business here in Vale, and I've managed to pick up some friends along the way. But, introductions aside, I'm here today to lay the foundations for the start of a great and long relationship with you all. There will be a vote soon, as I'm sure many of you have guessed, whether or not to join Atlas in their sanctions of Mistral."
Many of them shifted in their seats, the mood souring slightly. Probably not as sunshine and rainbows as they hoped, the controversies with Mistral had been causing a lot of fuss recently. Between their greatest ally and largest military force in Atlas and their largest trading partner and rapidly growing economy in Mistral, the two were playing a game of tug-of-war with Vale. While that had a lot of potential benefits if it ended well, it had a lot of potential downsides if it didn't.
"I'm here today as a representative of much of the business community and many of the voters in Vale, to ask you to vote resolutely against sanctioning the kingdom of Mistral."
Between the people sitting at this table and the other couple councilmen Percy owned through the Xiong clan, it would be enough to smack down the vote with a two-thirds majority, and the chairman's vote would only guarantee it would never pass.
"Oh?" The man opposite of Alfred, sitting adjacent to the head of the table on the other side, spoke up, "Please, present your case. Why should we not answer the call of our ally to sanction the evils occurring in Mistral and their support of the White Fang terrorists?"
Carrot first.
"Firstly, because there are many faunus rights groups in the city that are all-too willing to show their support to candidates who will stand up for them against international bullies. They're quite generous with both votes and financial contributions. Recently, they've received quite a few large, anonymous donations, and are looking for a way to use that money best."
A not-so-subtle way of saying he'd given them money to donate to the campaigns of the candidates that voted against the proposal.
"Secondly, because of the damage it'd cause to the Valean economy. Many of the unions and workers of Vale would be unable to sell many of their products, and in the result of a retaliation by Mistral there'd be nobody to sell to at all, and no jobs. I have more than a few fellows in the business community who share that opinion as well." mostly bullshit for the second part, but he wagered it was true. He knew Vale well enough to have some inroads with many of the businesses here, but he was hardly involved with them all too often.
"So, I have the faunus, the unions, and the businesses of Vale all willing to do what they need to make sure that relations with Mistral stay close. And I, of course, fully support them as well."
A couple of them turned to whisper to each other, while most sat to ponder his words, considering his options.
"Which unions?" one on the far right broke from whispering to one of his fellow councilmen to ask, "I'd imagine that all of the faunus groups would vote the way you say they will, but which of the esteemed unions of Vale back your position?"
Percy shot the man a smile and held a finger up in a 'one moment' motion, lifting himself out of his seat slightly and digging into his pocket.
Grabbing the folded piece of paper, Percy unfolded it and slid it a few inches across the table so the man who'd asked could grab it.
He pulled glasses from his pocket and squinted through them down at the paper, reading over the long list of signatures. The other councilmen watched, waiting for his reaction.
"This… Is this all of them?" he asked many long seconds later, looking up at Percy as if he thought he was joking.
"Yes." Percy confirmed, "Every registered union in Vale has agreed to throw their full weight behind ensuring that relations with Mistral remain cordial. And if they don't," Time for the stick, '' to make sure that the next council elected makes sure they return to a better state."
The one next to the councilman who'd spoken gestured for the paper and was handed it, reading over the list before passing it to the next.
"And the business community," The chairman said smoothly, only glancing at the list for the briefest moment. "Are they as dedicated to this cause as the unions and the faunus?"
Percy nodded to Alfred, who pulled several bundles of small, crisp papers from his jacket pocket, sliding each one to a different councilman.
"A show of support, from the business community of the Kingdom of Vale." Percy announced. Each bundle was a band of dozens of checks, all for tens of thousands of lien each. They were written to the campaigns of each of the councilmen here for the upcoming elections, and made out from different companies. All of them Valean. All of them having received large purchases from Mistrali factories recently, or loans from Mistrali banks.
"And should we accept this generous offer of yours, you intend to do… what?" The chairman continued, "I've dealt with your kind many times before — declined many of you before — but of those that accept your money, it never ends well. There's always strings attached."
"Not exactly." Percy shook his head. "In case you haven't heard, there's been a bit of a… shift in Vale, in the last few years. Before, we'd all deal with politicians separately, competing for you, managing to grab up some and getting burnt for others. But a few years ago there stopped being any competition. There's only one left."
The councilman directly across from Percy scoffed. "You expect us to believe that Valean organized crime has been… what, united?"
Percy shrugged. "Believe what you want. I'm just delivering a message."
"And why haven't we heard from this… dominant crime family before, then?" he asked.
"Because this organization has been staying away from politicians. They have a rather good relationship with Ozpin, and would hate to sour it by taking one of his councilmen from him. It was more worth it to keep good relations with Ozpin than gain influence in Vale."
"What changed?" The chairman asked, flicking through his pile of checks. The largest one on the table.
"A couple things." Percy shrugged. "Mostly, you all seem to be united against Ozpin more than you are with him. His influence has been waning for years, and it's to the point that they can't rely on favors from him anymore to sway Valean politics. On top of that, the incoming Mistrali sanctions would be… bad for business, to put it lightly. The White Fang is disrupting SDC supply lines, and there are thieves doing the same here, meanwhile the MTC is growing exponentially. Even the Vacuan government is facing strife because of how tied they are to the SDC. I see the way the wind is blowing. The SDC has pissed off too many people for too long, and people are biting back."
"How inspiring," the chairman smiled, and leaned back in his chair. He picked up his cigar from where he'd rested it and started smoking it slowly again. "But you still haven't given me reason to trust you. United or not I know your type, the second I accept this money I'm bought and owned. And I don't work for anyone but myself. And the people of Vale, of course." he chuckled.
"I can tell you that these people have done right by me in the past." Alfred interjected. "I've stayed in office longer than almost any in this room, because I've been assured of the loyalty of my voter base. I have no doubt that they could have been far less generous. Used their voters, which make up the majority of those in my district, to elect someone who would cost less. Who would push their agenda based off of nothing but the vote alone. But despite that, they've kept me more than happy, as you can see for yourself." Alfred patted his large stomach, and gestured around at the large room. That drew a couple chuckles, but Percy could tell the room was still split. Some seemed more than willing to take the money and voters. They were the younger ones, with a good few years left in them, and with weaker platforms to back them. But others, the older and more confident like the Chairman, weren't quite sold. They were the ones that kept looking to the chairman for direction, as if to base their opinion off of his expressions. Percy was willing to wager one or two of them were working with Ozpin, as well. Which meant this would get back to him, and soon.
Not that Percy had expected any different.
"I believe you've said all you can say, boy." the chairman said, standing from his seat. Percy did the same, doing his best to hide his irritation. "But I think we should talk among ourselves for now. Alfred, if you could see him to the door."
"Of course, Chairman." Alfred inclined his head, gesturing to the exit and leading Percy out of the room. A man ordered around in his own home. Pathetic.
Percy's last view of the councilmen before the doors shut behind them was the chairman speaking quietly, and the rest listening. He glanced up and their eyes met for a brief second before the door clicked shut.
"I'm sure many of them will come around. You can tell Lord Xiong, I'm sure he'll be most pleased."
"Yes." Percy's mouth turned downwards into a bitter frown. "I'm sure he will be."
Sorry for the update being so late in the day, long story short my last project in my last class has been kicking my ass and I used all my productive juices today tryna figure that out.
Next 2 chapters on pat-reon, both it and discord are on my profile. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed.
Next Chapter May 15