Resolution (New)
Resolution
This was Weiss’ first time in Professor Ozpin’s office.
Up until this point, as she stepped out of the elevator with Cardin and Bon Bon – the latter keeping a discrete distance, and at this point, she wished that Cardin would keep his distance too – she had felt slightly envious of the fact that others, like Sunset Shimmer, had been called into the headmaster’s presence so regularly while she had not received one iota of his attention. It was petty, and very unbecoming of a Schnee, to be so jealous, but nevertheless, she did feel a twinge of jealousy towards the faunus girl: Weiss was as hard-working as she was, as intelligent as she was, had a semblance as versatile as hers, was arguably more talented in combat than the other team leader was; for whatever it might be worth, Weiss was as fair as she was too. And yet, Sunset Shimmer had fallen head-first into the leadership of the most talented team in the freshman year – not just at Beacon, but arguably in all four academies; with all their guests, it was still difficult to think of a team that could touch them – she was popular, the centre of an expanding group that encompassed not just her own team but the Atlesian Team RSPT and Blake and the reformed Team YRBN as well. She had the favour of their teachers, being chosen for a special and especially long field mission without even remote supervision from a qualified huntsman or huntress. It was clear that somebody – perhaps Professor Ozpin himself – saw great things in her and in her team.
She had everything that Weiss had wanted when she had come to Beacon: recognition and respect, not on the basis of her name but on the basis of her quality.
Unfortunately, while Sunset had all of those things, Weiss was stuck leading a team of what could best be described as mixed quality and more accurately as a team of two halves, one good and one bad. She had one true friend here whom she could count upon. No teacher seemed to regard her as their favourite.
Yes, she was jealous of Sunset Shimmer, but she was aware of the fact that it was ugly feeling not for the public consumption, and so, she hid it perfectly, as she did everything… no. No, she couldn’t even think that with a straight face. If she had done everything perfectly, then she would not have been in this deplorable position.
She had failed as a team leader, and now, she was being confronted with the consequences of that failure.
In other circumstances, she would have welcomed being called into the headmaster’s office, seeing it as her finally being given her dues.
She did not feel like that now.
Now, she knew exactly why she – and Cardin and Bon Bon – had been summoned into Professor Ozpin’s presence. It was all she could do not to throw Cardin out one of the windows that ringed the perimeter of the high room.
A high room and a cold one. Weiss’ interactions with Professor Ozpin had been unfortunately limited, but there was a definite coldness to his bearing and expression that had not been there before. As he sat behind his desk, regarding her with a stern look and cold eyes, Weiss was reminded uncomfortably of her father.
She walked forwards, her wedge heels tapping lightly against the grey stone floor. Cardin and Bon Bon followed behind, the latter spreading out a little as she emerged out of the elevator.
Professor Ozpin watched them all and said nothing.
It was all Weiss could do not to bow her head and cringe before his distemper; with an effort of will, she forced herself to keep her head up high and her back straight; Professor Ozpin was not her father, and she had no need to fear him that way, whatever Cardin had done.
And if she was wrong about that, well… perhaps Haven would accept her as a transfer student. Gods knew they were probably desperate enough for talented students.
She hoped very much that it would not come to that.
By unspoken consensus, the three students came to a halt at an invisible line not far from the headmaster’s barren, empty desk. None of them said anything. The gears of the clock grinding overhead was the only sound in the room.
Weiss found that she could not meet Professor Ozpin’s gaze. She looked instead over his head, out the window, at the Atlesian cruiser gliding slowly and gracefully past the tower.
She rather wished that she were there right now.
“Miss Schnee,” Professor Ozpin said, with a voice that had little warmth. “Mister Winchester. Miss Bonaventure. Thank you all for coming.” He paused. “I trust that you all know why you are here?”
“Yes, Professor,” Weiss said, and now, she looked at him because it would have seemed rude not to. “And on behalf of my teammate, I would like to offer our sincerest apologies. I’m sorry that a member of Team Wisteria has brought the school into disrepute.”
“Thank you, Miss Schnee, but it is not the reputation of Beacon Academy that concerns me,” Professor Ozpin declared, his voice sounding a little – just a little – less stern for the moment. “Yes, the release of this audio has provided commentators with material for a week or two’s worth of columns – and doubtless, there will be a culture war backlash for about the same length of time after that – and it is a pity that certain alumni of the school have chosen to air their grievances now rather than coming to me when they were still students… but the reputation of Beacon is built on the quality of the huntsmen and huntresses that emerge from our halls, and that reputation will endure in spite of this. And besides, the reputation of the school is of little concern to me compared with the wellbeing of our students… and their conduct towards one another.” Professor Ozpin skewered Cardin upon his gaze. “Speaking of students waiting to air their concerns, Mister Winchester, I have been informed that this incident is not the first of such but merely the latest in a troubling pattern of behaviour where you are concerned.”
“Who-?” Cardin began.
“As you well know, Mister Winchester, the names of accusers are never given to those they accuse,” Professor Ozpin reminded him. “For reasons that are especially obvious in your case.”
Cardin hesitated, and Weiss took that moment of hesitation to speak. “What Cardin, and Bon Bon,” she added, with a venomous look at the other girl out of the corner of her eye, “said to Blake was unforgivable, Professor, but if I might point out that Blake herself didn’t report this to you.”
Professor Ozpin’s eyebrows rose. “And how do you know that she didn’t, Miss Schnee?”
“Because you called us here to discuss a story that appeared in a gossip netzine, Professor, not a bullying complaint,” Weiss pointed out. “In any case, it appears that Blake didn’t find the matter to be worth raising.”
“No,” Professor Ozpin allowed. “But I think that Miss Belladonna, being a faunus, has less faith in the processes of justice here than I would like. In any case, her words are on the recording just as much as Mister Winchester’s and Miss Bonaventure’s; she is clearly distressed by the encounter in question. And, as you yourself said only a moment ago, what passed between you was unforgivable.” Once more, he turned his attention away from Weiss and towards the two who had actually done wrong. “And so, I will give you one chance, and one chance only, to explain yourselves and what motivated this outrageous conduct towards a fellow student.”
“She shouldn’t be a fellow student, Professor,” Bon Bon protested. “Knowing what she is-”
“Miss Belladonna’s past, whatever that past might be, is of no issue,” Professor Ozpin declared. “I have decided that she is and remains worthy of a place at this academy; that power is at my disposal and my discretion and mine alone.”
“What if she’s dangerous?” Cardin demanded. “Sky- the First Councillor’s daughter comes up to this school sometimes, as Amity Princess; what if Blake decided to kidnap her? What if she decided to go on a rampage?”
“I trust that you’re not suggesting that I would allow any student to remain at Beacon if I thought for one second that they posed a danger to their fellow students or anyone else, Mister Winchester,” Professor Ozpin said coldly. “Believe me, the fact that at no point during your altercation does your conduct audibly begin to escalate towards physical violence is the only reason I have not expelled you both already.” He paused. “But then, you knew that already, didn’t you? That was the lynchpin of your plan to goad Miss Belladonna into attacking you so that you could have her expelled.”
Once more, silence fell, until Bon Bon broke it by saying, “It wasn’t about race. We didn’t go after her just because she’s a faunus, but-”
“‘Our ancestors were stupid for making your people slaves. We should have exterminated you when we had the chance,’” Professor Ozpin read out, sounding as though it pained him to do so. “Forgive me, Miss Bonaventure, but that monstrous attitude certainly seems to be based in race.”
“We had to say extreme things in order to get a rise out of her; it doesn’t mean we meant them!” Bon Bon protested.
Professor Ozpin looked at her without replying. He looked at Cardin. “Is that your contention too, Mister Winchester? That you bear no racial animus to any faunus, but were motivated purely by a dislike for Miss Belladonna specifically?”
“That… that’s why we did it, yeah,” Cardin said, the words falling awkwardly from out of his mouth. Weiss would have known that he was lying, or at least failing to tell the whole truth, even if she hadn’t known by now just what he was and what he thought about the faunus.
Of course, knowing it, I should have done something about it instead of letting it get this far.
“That is not an answer to the question I asked, Mister Winchester,” Professor Ozpin said calmly.
Cardin hesitated. He shuffled uncomfortably on the floor, but he seemed unable to escape from Professor Ozpin’s gaze, or to deny it. Weiss wondered for a moment if the headmaster’s semblance was some ability to compel the truth, but just as quickly dismissed the idea. If there was any power at work here, it was only the headmaster’s will and strength of character being brought to bear on someone who had less of both.
Cardin squirmed as though his feet were on fire. “I… I don’t… it depends, Professor.”
Professor Ozpin continued to stare at him. “What depends on what, Mister Winchester?”
“The faunus,” Cardin declared. “Some of them act just like us, and that’s fine; my gi- the First Councillor’s niece and nephew are faunus, and I’ve got no problem with them. In fact, most of the time I don’t even see it; they act just like humans. But others, some of them won’t shut up about it, and others act so weird that it’s creepy. They act like animals! It isn’t right that the ones like that should be allowed to walk around with humans. They’re the ones who give the good ones a bad name!”
Weiss gritted her teeth and hoped that her discomfort wasn’t too visible on her face. Honestly, of all the ignorant, boorish things to say, you had to say that, didn’t you? It’s disgraceful! How can anyone think like that in this day and age?
Professor Ozpin was silent; perhaps he was even lost for words by Cardin’s combination of temerity and stupidity. “That is a remarkably asinine thing to say, Mister Winchester.”
“Are we not allowed to think as we please, Professor?” Bon Bon asked. “Are we not allowed to say what we think? Surely, a school should uphold the principles of free-”
“If you are seeking the rigours of academic debate unchained, Miss Bonaventure, might I suggest that you try King’s College?” Professor Ozpin suggested. “Why are you both here, at this school?”
“I’m here to become a huntsman, Professor,” Cardin said.
“And I a huntress,” Bon Bon replied.
“Are you?” Professor Ozpin inquired pointedly. He placed his hands upon the glass surface of his desk. “Huntsmen and huntresses are tasked with the protection of the world and all who dwell in it: human and faunus alike. How am I supposed to believe that you are equal to upholding that burden? How am I supposed to believe that you will fight and, if necessary, die for those that make you uncomfortable or to whom you see yourself as morally superior?”
“How are we supposed to trust that Blake will fight for humanity?” Bon Bon demanded.
“I believe she will,” Professor Ozpin said. “And if her recent conduct has not convinced you, I can only say that it has proved more than convincing enough for me. Unfortunately, I cannot say the same of either of you. Give me a reason why you should both be allowed to remain at this school.”
“If I may, Professor,” Weiss said, taking half a step forwards. “It’s true that neither Cardin nor Bon Bon deserves to become a huntsman or a huntress.”
“Thanks a lot,” Bon Bon muttered.
“But, to be frank, Professor… neither do I,” Weiss said softly, forcing the words out because they were necessary. She had been a poor team leader – there was no denying that – and in doing so, she had probably proven herself to be a poor huntress too. Yet the first step to becoming a good team leader was not to disown Cardin but to rescue him, to be loyal to him as he had never been loyal to her. “Nor, with a few notable exceptions, do I think that any of our freshman class presently deserve the honour.”
Professor Ozpin inclined his head slightly. “As you say, there are notable exceptions, but I accept your point, Miss Schnee. Please continue.”
“I don’t have much more to say, Professor, except that the first year is not yet over,” Weiss reminded him. “We have more than three years to go before we graduate. I’ve already accepted that attitudes like the ones expressed by Cardin are disgraceful, and I’m ashamed that a member of my team feels free to say such things, but there are more than three years for Cardin and Bon Bon to learn better, to learn how to fight for the faunus as readily as they would fight for humanity. Just as I have more than three years to learn how to lead Cardin towards that goal. I’m asking for you to give them both – to give all three of us – a chance to learn, as we came to this school to do.”
Professor Ozpin did not immediately reply, although he kept his gaze locked with Weiss for all the time, that seemed so achingly slow, until he finally did speak. “You are correct, Miss Schnee; this is a school. A school which exists because we believe that heroes can be taught. A school which exists because we believe that the values that drive a huntsman are as important as their skills. And, since this is a school, I will give you all a chance to learn better; but, since this is a school, I will also punish you for the hideous conduct you have displayed. Mister Winchester, Miss Bonaventure, you are confined to the campus; you may not leave for any reason without the permission of a member of the faculty.”
“For how long, Professor?!” Cardin cried.
“Until further notice, Mister Winchester,” Professor Ozpin said coldly and without sympathy. “In addition, you will be serving detention every night for the next week with Professor Peach, while you, Miss Bonaventure, will be serving the same number of detentions with Professor Greene. Depending on what they report of your behaviour during those sessions, the number of detentions may increase. In addition, for the next two weeks at least, your Saturdays will be spent attending sensitivity training with Doctor Oobleck. That will be all; I suggest you return to your dorm rooms. Miss Schnee, please remain for a moment.”
“Of course, Professor,” Weiss said, her voice soft as Cardin and Bon Bon retreated back towards the elevator. Professor Ozpin said nothing further while they did so; he remained quite silent until they were gone.
Weiss had little objection to that. She could use the time to think about what she was going to say to Cardin later.
And how she was going to manage this.
Professor Ozpin stared at her. His expression seemed a little softer now than it had done when the other two were in the room. “You are an intelligent young woman, Miss Schnee, so I take it that you are not ignorant as to what some people are saying about this incident.”
Weiss took a breath. “I’m aware, Professor.” Between Cardin’s actions, the… behaviour – or at least the reputation – of the Schnee Dust Company, and the unfortunate death of Flash’s father – and the way that it had been appropriated by those who opposed faunus rights – there were some who were suggesting that Team WWSR might more accurately be known as Team BIGOT. “I… I hope that you don’t believe that.”
“I should very much like not to, Miss Schnee,” Professor Ozpin said quietly.
Weiss frowned. Cardin was an ass in every conceivable way, true, but Flash… it was awkward to think about Flash right now. She didn’t think that he was bigoted against the faunus; he seemed to get on okay with Rainbow Dash, but on the other hand… what he’d said about why he broke up with Sunset… Was it possible that he simply hid his thoughts better than Cardin did?
No. No, she did not believe that. She had spent enough time with him to know what he was; he wasn’t hiding a detestable part of himself from her. Skystar had probably thought the same, but with all kindness, Weiss rated herself a better and a cannier judge of character than Skystar Aris.
She trusted Flash; he was a good man.
“What can we do to show you, Professor?” she asked.
“Avoiding any further incidents like this would be a good start, Miss Schnee,” Professor Ozpin murmured.
“Yes, Professor,” Weiss muttered. She glanced down at the floor for a moment. “Professor Ozpin… I’m aware that I haven’t been the best team leader. If you were regretting putting me in charge of Team Wisteria, I wouldn’t blame you, but… I promise you, I will do better.”
Professor Ozpin hesitated for a moment, before he offered the very slightest of smiles. “I am very glad to hear it, Miss Schnee. How, if I may ask?”
Weiss blinked. “I… I think I need some advice,” she said, “from those who seem to be making a better job of it than I am.”
Professor Ozpin nodded. “Sometimes, admitting that we require assistance is the hardest thing of all to do.”
Especially when you’ve been brought up to equate it with weakness.
“However,” Professor Ozpin continued, “if I might offer you some advice of my own, and I appreciate that this may seem strange coming from me, but don’t be too hard on Mister Winchester.”
Weiss’ eyebrows rose. “You’re right, Professor, that does sound strange coming from you.”
“Nevertheless, Miss Schnee, it is rarely a good thing for a leader to too openly consider themselves superior to those they lead and denigrate them in consequence.”
“Don’t you think that some behaviour deserves to be denigrated, Professor?”
“I think that if we all got precisely what we deserved, Miss Schnee, the world would be a very ugly place,” Professor Ozpin replied, “and I think that denigration engenders resentment, and it is very hard to follow a person one resents.”
Weiss considered that, and considered that she could see the logic behind it, even if she still believed that she was better than Cardin and had every right to see herself that way.
But seeing herself that way had not made her a good team leader, so maybe it was time to try something else.
Even if the prospect did revolt her, just a little.
“I will… bear that in mind,” Weiss said, which was about all that she could bring herself to say at this point.
“Please do, Miss Schnee,” Professor Ozpin said. He paused. “You realise that, as Mister Winchester’s team leader, you must also bear some of the responsibility for this? I am afraid that we are past the point at which a plea of ignorance will suffice.”
“Meaning that if I had led my team better, this wouldn’t have happened, Professor?”
“It might not, certainly,” Professor Ozpin agreed. “Detention with Professor Port, Friday afternoon and evening. And I suggest that you pay attention; despite Professor Port’s manner, he does possess a great deal of wisdom.”
Weiss decided that lying that she always paid attention to Professor Port was unlikely to go down well with the headmaster. “I will. Thank you, Professor.”
“That will be all, Miss Schnee.”
She turned on her heel and walked briskly towards the elevator without looking back. Thankfully, there was more than one elevator leading up to the top of the tower, and she was not forced to wait for it to come back up from depositing Cardin and Bon Bon down at the bottom of the CCT; Professor Ozpin doubtless didn’t want anyone he had finished with idling in his office any more than they wanted to stay there waiting for a lift.
She climbed inside, and the metal box enclosed her as she pressed the button for the ground floor with a little more force than was perhaps necessary.
The elevator began to descend, thrumming as it passed floor after floor in its downward path.
Alone, unobserved, Weiss felt her hands clench into fists.
Professor Ozpin had advised her not to take too hard a line on Cardin, not because he didn’t deserve to have a hard line taken with him but simply because it would make it harder for her to lead him effectively if she did. That was good advice. That was sound advice. That was rational advice.
It was advice that seemed very difficult to follow because she felt like nothing more than screaming into his face.
Gods, what had she done to warrant this? What had she done to deserve – Professor Ozpin had spoken as though everyone got better than they deserved, but as far as Weiss was concerned, it was sometimes the complete opposite – such a boob on her team, reflecting upon her qualities and her potential? It was bad enough that he was lazy and academically incompetent, even when he roused himself to make an effort, but on top of that, he was personally unpleasant to be around – to say the least – and now, his overt racism had come to light and threatened to damage the whole team. To damage Weiss.
And for these many gifts that he had given her, she ought to treat him with kid gloves? It might be the best way to lead him, but that didn’t mean Weiss looked forward to the prospect.
How could he be this way? How could he act this way? How could he think this way?
Unfortunately, Weiss knew the answer to that last question rather too well. Cardin… Cardin was someone with whom her father might have found much in common.
Weiss shuddered. No, that was a little too hard on Cardin, who at least appeared to care about some people other than himself. He had cared about Skystar, at least.
Except that he’d lost her now, thanks to his own indiscretion.
Thanks to whoever leaked that audio.
Nobody knew who that was, and with what had been revealed in the audio, those with the most interest in discovering the truth had too much else occupying their attention to devote any time to it. Aside from Blake herself, the two Atlesian students who had come to rescue her were obvious candidates, and yet, the fact that neither Cardin nor Bon Bon had noticed them recording the conversation suggested it was not them – and in any case, why interrupt a conversation that you were merrily recording up until that point?
There was another obvious suspect – obvious, at least, in the sense that she had been named in the last embarrassing data leak connected to Bon Bon – and Weiss had to say that he wouldn’t put this sort of thing past Sunset Shimmer, but at the same time…
At the same time…
Did Weiss blame her for it? Or rather, since there was no proof that it was really her, would Weiss blame her for it if she were guilty? On the one hand, she had certainly caused some trouble for Weiss; on the other hand, she was doing it to help her friend Blake, which was admirable until you got to the fact that it was probably the least helpful way of helping imaginable.
The question of blame gave way to the question of envy, and Weiss was left once again to ponder how Sunset seemed to have so much while Weiss had so little, in spite of the fact that Weiss was, by any reasonable measure, a much better person.
Professor, you have it completely backwards when it comes to deservings.
Assuming, for the moment, if only because there were no other plausible suspects, that Sunset was the culprit, had she known what would happen when she released that audio?
Probably not; she struck Weiss as a rather short-sighted individual in many respects, and Weiss could quite believe that she had not thought any further than her revenge on Cardin.
Regardless of whether she had intended to harm Weiss or not – still, for the moment, assuming that it was her – Weiss had no intention of following in her example and seeking any kind of revenge. She was above such things… at least, she was in a situation where she could acknowledge that Cardin had rather had this coming.
No, she would not start a vendetta against the other student – that would do a great deal to convince her fellow students that she wasn’t a racist, wouldn’t it? – in fact… Sunset was one of those she was considering speaking to, to find out how leadership seemed to come so much more effortlessly to her than it did to a Schnee.
Or perhaps she could just scream into the other girl’s face; then she might not feel quite so much like screaming at Cardin.
The worst part of all this was that, on some level, this was precisely what she had come to Beacon for: to be treated as a student, not as a Schnee, to get away from her father’s influence, good and bad. Well, here she was, getting into trouble just like any other student, and her name meant absolutely nothing.
Wasn’t it marvellous?
The elevator door slid open, revealing the illuminated green interior of the CCT lobby; Cardin and Bon Bon were nowhere to be found, but as Weiss stepped out, she saw that Winter was waiting there for her, bearing erect and hands clasped behind her back.
Her expression was stern, and Weiss felt a flutter in her stomach as she walked, more slowly than she might, towards her.
“W-Winter?” Weiss asked, her voice trembling.
Winter glared down at her, but her expression began to soften immediately. “I came as soon as I heard,” she said. “How are you doing?”
“You came because you thought I was in trouble?” Weiss asked.
“I came because I thought you might appreciate a sisterly shoulder,” Winter corrected her gently. “Was I wrong?”
“No,” Weiss said quickly. “I just thought that perhaps… you might hold me responsible.”
Winter’s smile was thin and a little sad, “The academies hold team leaders responsible for their teammates,” she said, “but I’m only your sister, so I’m not obliged to do the same. As far as I’m concerned, what that oaf said and did was no fault of yours.”
“Thank you,” Weiss said, sighing. “At least somebody thinks that way.”
Winter reached out and placed one hand upon Weiss’ back, gently steering her towards the doors. “I’ll always be here for you, Weiss,” she declared. “Unfortunately, my duties will not always permit me to be here physically, but in some sense at least. And, since my duties presently do permit me to be here physically, here I am. And I know you better than to condemn you for words fallen from another’s mouth and sentiments I know you do not share.”
“Many people disagree with you, if only because my name is Schnee,” Weiss murmured.
“We are not born guilty of our father’s crimes,” Winter reminded her. “Whatever he has done, we bear no blame for it; if others seek to tar you with the same brush, then they reveal more about themselves than they do about you or I.” The two of them emerged out of the tower and into the morning light of the courtyard. Classes were going on right now, and Weiss should probably have rushed to get to Plant Science, but she didn’t want to say goodbye to Winter just yet.
If that meant that she got another detention, then so be it.
“And yet, the stain will stick to me nonetheless,” Weiss replied. “Have I caused any trouble for you? I know that Blake is working with you, and-”
“And if General Ironwood were going to hold my name against me, he would have done it already,” Winter assured her. “And his judgement is too sound to listen to gossip and aspersions.” She paused. “Or it might simply be that he doesn’t read Valish gossip zines and, thus, has no idea that any of this is going on.”
Weiss covered her mouth as a snorted giggle escaped out of her nose and mouth simultaneously. “That… is probably a good thing,” she said. “How are things going with the White Fang?”
“Since the capture of Roman Torchwick, dust robberies in the city and on the Cold Harbour line have ceased,” Winter informed her, although the first of these had been known to Weiss already via the news, which had proudly trumpeted the defeat of the White Fang’s crime spree. “Unfortunately, we’re no closer to locating their hidden base, nor to recovering the large quantities of dust and military equipment they have already stolen.”
“'Military equipment'?” Weiss asked. “The White Fang have stolen Atlesian weapons?”
Winter cleared her throat. “Forgive me,” she said. “I forgot that you were not… that is classified information; you should try and forget it.”
“I’m not sure that’s possible,” Weiss said dryly.
“Then at least don’t tell anyone else?”
“Atlas’ secrets are safe with me,” Weiss vowed. “Even if they do worry me a little.”
“Don’t let them,” Winter instructed her. “I told you that our forces would take care of everything, and we shall.”
“Your forces, or Teams Sapphire and Rosepetal?”
“One of those, at least, is part of our forces,” Winter reminded her. “As for the other… the point is that you have more pressing and more personal matters to deal with right now.”
“Mhm,” Weiss acknowledged. “What should I do?”
“About your reputation or your team?”
“Either?” Weiss replied. “Both?”
Winter’s thin brow was furrowed with thought. “I fear that any advice I could give you on leadership would be inapplicable to your situation.”
“Professor Ozpin says that I shouldn’t give Cardin cause to resent me any more than he does.”
“I am sure that is good advice for you,” Winter said. “Even if I would see things differently. This is not Atlas, after all, you cannot simply do as I did.”
“I suppose not,” Weiss murmured. “And my reputation?”
“How important is it to you?” Winter asked.
Weiss hesitated for a moment. “It… it means a lot to me. I want to be thought well of here, as a student… and as a person. I don’t want to be thought of as a smaller, younger, female version of our father.”
“Have you…?” Now it was Winter’s turn to hesitate. “Have you considered speaking to Father?”
Weiss stopped, in spite of Winter’s hand on her trying to push her own. “You… are you serious?”
“I know how it sounds-”
“Then why did you say it?” Weiss demanded.
“Because the SDC public relations machine is perhaps the most formidable on Remnant, you know this,” Winter told her. “If you want to make this go away – at least outside the school – then this may be the best, and certainly the most efficient, way.”
“But at what cost?” Weiss asked.
Winter did not respond immediately. “Only you can decide whether or not it’s worth it,” she said quietly. “I’m sorry,” she added. “It isn’t good advice, but it is the only advice I can give you other than to keep your back straight and your head held high and wait for all of this to blow over.”
“That might be preferable,” Weiss muttered. But really, would it? Professor Ozpin had spoken of providing fuel for opinion pieces for a couple of weeks, and while she could possibly have survived that, he had also mentioned a backlash of pieces in which, presumably, professional contrarians would insist that what Cardin and Bon Bon had said and done was perfectly fine, and if you objected to hearing it suggested that maybe the humans should have committed genocide, then you were just over-sensitive and needed to get over yourself. She was not at all sure that she wanted to be associated with that sort of thing. She thought about Flash and the way that his father’s death had been twisted to serve the cause of those whom Flash despised; could she really let that happen to him again, when she had the power to prevent it?
Sometimes, the hardest thing to do was to ask for help, Professor Ozpin had said, with the implication that, for all that it was a hard thing to do, it was nevertheless also a good and worthwhile thing to do.
But not in all circumstances, surely?
No, or at least perhaps not, but in this case? It would benefit her teammates, it would benefit Flash, and the only cost? The only cost would be whatever her father asked of her specifically… and the cost to her pride in asking for it in the first place.
For herself, that would have been a price too great to pay, but for Flash? It did not seem so much then, and she seemed selfish for refusing to consider it.
“Do you really think that he’ll be able to take care of this?” Weiss asked her sister.
“If all else fails, he can always buy up these publications and direct them to write whatever he pleases,” Winter said, with a slight touch of wry amusement in her voice. “That would probably please him; Father hasn’t purchased a new asset in some time.” She paused. “It was only a suggestion; you don’t have to-”
“No,” Weiss agreed. “I don’t. But I will.” She got out her scroll. “Thank you, Winter. You should probably go, unless you want to speak to Father as well.”
“Not particularly,” Winter conceded. “But I won’t be far away, in case you need me.” She stalked across the square, striding as far away as the centre one of the two Beacon axes formed by the lighter stones of the courtyard. There, she turned upon the heel of her boot, her eyes fixed upon Weiss.
Weiss smiled at her, with a little more cheer in her smile than she felt in her heart, and then looked away from her sister and focussed her attention upon her scroll. Unbidden, her fingers had already found the entry labelled ‘Father’ in her directory.
Her hand trembled. Weiss took a deep breath and sought to control the sickly feeling in her gut. This was not just for herself; this was for her teammates. This was for Flash.
She selected voice only and pressed the green scroll indicator.
The scroll rang. No one picked up. Weiss found herself hoping that no one would pick up. Perhaps Father was in a meeting and could not be disturbed, perhaps he was having elevenses with Mother and did not wish to be disturbed – as if – or perhaps he was simply hard at work managing the most profitable business enterprise in Remnant and had no time to deal with his daughter and her small affairs.
Weiss found herself hoping that it was so.
Her hopes were in vain. The ringing ceased; her scroll indicated that her call was now connected a split second before the oily voice of Jacques Schnee began to drip out and onto the square.
“Weiss, darling,” Jacques said. “I’m so glad that you decided to call. It’s been so long since I’ve heard your voice.”
Weiss closed her eyes. She couldn’t see her father, and yet, despite the voice-only nature of this call, she found it all too easy to imagine him sat in his study, underneath a large portrait of himself from his more youthful days. She could imagine the cold of his eyes as his smile failed to reach them. “Good morning, Father,” she said, keeping her voice even and controlled. “I hope that I didn’t disturb you.”
“Not at all, my dear,” Jacques assured her. “I’m never too busy to speak to my daughter. How are you? How are you finding Beacon?”
“I’m the leader of my team,” Weiss told him. He probably knew it already – it had been some time, after all – but she hadn’t told him before, if only because they hadn’t spoken since she left for Beacon.
“Really? That’s wonderful to hear,” Jacques said. “Your mother will be so proud of you when I tell her the news.”
Weiss found herself licking her lips. “And you, Father?”
“Oh, I’m delighted, but I always knew that you could do it. You are a Schnee, after all; how could you settle for anything less?”
“I… see,” Weiss said softly. “My grades are good, and I’m in the very top ranking of our sparring class. I’d say that everything is going quite well.”
“Everything?” Jacques asked. “But I hear that you’re in a spot of bother.”
You already know why I’m calling, don’t you? Weiss thought. “Well… there is… that is to say that something has come up. One of my teammates said some… ill-advised things about the faunus, and now, people are suggesting that I, that my entire team, are in agreement with him, which I am not.”
“Of course not,” Jacques agreed. “It’s such a shame that you’ve become a victim of these baseless allegations levelled at our family and the company. All our employees, human and faunus alike, are valued members of the SDC family; it just so happens that mining is dangerous work, and with the best will in the world, accidents will happen. The world isn’t a utopia just because some malcontents would like it to be.”
“I know,” Weiss murmured, hoping to get off the subject of labour conditions in the SDC – if only because she strongly suspected that her father did not have the best will in the world when it came to ensuring safety – and onto why she had actually called him. “But that doesn’t change the fact that we have been implicated in the actions of our teammate and…” She hesitated, hoping briefly that he might preempt her and guess – or pretend to guess – why she had called him. He did not. He would not. He would make her ask. “And I was hoping that you might be able to help us?”
There were a few moments of silence from the other end of the line. “You want me to make all of this bad publicity go away? Is that what you want, dear?”
Weiss hesitated. “Yes,” she said quietly.
“Consider it done, sweetheart; I’ll get my people on it right away,” Jacques declared. He paused. “Oh, and by the way, we’re so looking forward to having you home for the holidays. I understand you have a break between the end of semester and the beginning of the Vytal Festival.”
And there it was: the price. He would do as she had asked, and in return, he expected her to come home for the pre-festival break.
This was why she would not have called if it had just been her reputation at stake. She had no desire to return to that house, to return to her father’s side, to let him parade her around parties and high society gatherings… but this wasn’t just for her. This was for her teammates. This was for Flash.
“Yes,” she agreed. “That’s right.”
“Excellent,” Jacques said. “Your mother has missed you so much since you’ve been away, and I can’t wait to see you again.”
“I’m… looking forward to it already,” Weiss said, her voice dull and devoid of enthusiasm.
“That’s my girl,” Jacques said. “Now don’t you worry about what anyone says from now on. I’ll take care of everything.”
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It’s hard to say which Weiss has the harder time... this version or the one in the original timeline.
Up to this point, I’d say the original timeline Weiss had it easier. Ruby, Yang and Blake made for a happier team, and by the end of Season 1, she’s already made major strides towards becoming the true hero she’s destined to be.
Here, in the SAPR timeline she’s having a lot more trouble. The lack of anyone she can really rely on... (sure, Flash is fine... but certainly not the true friend she finds in Ruby in the original story), has made her have to really struggle to connect with the people around her. And this... finding herself relying on her father to bail her and her team out? It’s not a positive step... and it’s very possibly going to backfire in ways Weiss can’t see yet.
On the other hand, this Weiss is due quite a bit less danger and heartache in the future (unless things change a lot more from the original SAPR story than I’m expecting) and she’s still well on her way to becoming the hero she wants... and is destined, to become.
But yeah... calling Jacques is almost certainly going to end up hurting people Weiss would probably not want harmed in her name. Weiss will come to regret that call for more than simply being forced to spend some time at home, I think.
Another thought. If Weiss had been in charge of the original team RWBY instead of Ruby, I think she’d have ended up in much the same position as Sunset. Having Ruby as unconditional support and as good example number one would have matured Weiss just as well as it has Sunset. Ruby is kind of the living embodiment of the magic of friendship...
Makes me wish Princess Twilight and her friends could get to know the Equestrian version of Ruby a bit... (and their Pyrrha and Jaune as well... why not?). Because they’d get along like a house afire. Rarity and Ruby sharing fashion ideas, Pinkie and Ruby cracking each other up... Ruby and Dash racing... Ruby seeing a whole lot of “big sister Yang” in Applejack...
Yeah, I know the Remnant Ruby gets to meet the Remnant Mane Six... but that’s not the same, quite. Meh. I know... we don’t get to see much of the Equestria side of things... but honestly? That seems like a bit of a shame. Maybe in the rewrite Blake’s trip to Equestria might get extended a few chapters? That’d be nice.
If there is a silver lining to all of this, I feel like if Weiss wanted to bring her team fully on side in support of her rather then endure the divide, she'll sit them all down in their dorm room, tell them upfront what she asked her father to do... and explain in full detail why her father is one of, if not the most terrible person on the planet and what the terrible price that asking him for anything truly means in practice.
Because Cardin isn't devoid of empathy. His world view might be twisted and he has an unfortunate inclination towards bullying... but he's not a bad person. I think Weiss bailing him out of a lot of the trouble he had got himself into and learning what it cost her to do so... he would recognize that he owes her big time and possibly might enough grow to respect her for doing so despite not having needed to.
I am kind of disappointed.
I wanted them to be punish, but I still wanted Skystar to learn about Cardin hypocrisy privately, and even for Bonbon, I wanted to have the thing only reveal in the school, if not just for avoid having it in some shitty papers of Vale, I never really wanted it to go beyond Beacon and Skystar knowing of it.
I hate Cardin and BonBon, but I never wanted Skystar to be publicly humiliate, and I still wanted them to be report to Ozpin (although with Sunset doing her own thing by reveal them to the school after reporting them, but only the school I precise).
Honestly, there was ways of having quite a lot of persons know the whole thing without involving like half of Vale, I don't see why Sunset didn't do it.
The compassionate part of me is sad for Skystar, the rest is just confused.
And Weiss is doing a pact with the devil.
This story had truly messed up with the poor Weiss, and I think than Jacques will use the whole thing for target "those who had insultd the Schnee honor" or something like that and then it will only create a more toxic situation between Weiss and Sunset, which I do not want because I want Sunset to beat Cardin and BonBon, not fighting against Weiss.
10687952
I cannot consider a bully and a racist, especially if the said person is also a hypocrit (his promise to Sunset in exchange of her silence with Skystar and after she had saved him) someone not inherently bad.
And honestly, I am doubtful of Cardin ability of empathy and stop being a ass because he "owe someone being time", his lies to Sunset are quite the proof.
The phrase of Sirius Black in harry Potter about judging someone about how he act with his inferiors (well, here, those considered as such, I am sure Blake and Sunset, as well as Velvet, could absolutely whoop his ass) not with his equals to define what kind of person is he.
He might change in front of Weiss and starting to respect and like her (in a platonic way) but it is not something who would affect him toward the Faunus , even having a debt of life toward a Faunus and having the faunus cousins of his girlfriend liking him and as it's seem kinda admire him (if i am wrong on this part, tell me) haven't changed him.
He might change, but he do not deserve something else than be define as a bad person.
I am no parangon of vertu, but I consider than there is a difference between simply being a flawed persons and what Cardin had shown.
10687820
Honestly, everything who involve Weiss and Atlas is going to be a mess, and everything who involve Weiss with her family except maybe Winter is going to make her mentally messed up because her house is toxic.
It's would had been so much better for her if she had been in team BLBL (or team BLSS in this context) instead of her current team, she would probably had recieve the same speech from Port as in canon (or a similar one) and it would have place this rotten BonBon far away from the persons who matters (well, except Flash, because he do not deserve BonBon, but between him and Weiss, the choice is obvious).
It hasn't been confirmed yet that Sunset was the leak, and I'm actually hoping that she isn't. At least not directly.
Her goals were to hurt Cardin and let Skystar know the truth, so simply giving Skystar the audio would accomplish this without losing Blake's friendship. It would be an interesting twist if Skystar or one of her cousins was the source.
10688088
I strongly doubt it, in fact it's stupid since they weren't even there and they still think Cardin is a good person.
10688088
The easiest way would be to give Cinder the audio and she be the one who leaks it, so sunset could easily say she didn't do it, and later Cinder can claim she did.
10687831
Here, here!
10688088
That is actually a good point.
Sunset has Skystar number, not the number of a lot of gossip magazines, so the one she was most probably calling at the end of last chapter was Skystar. She also would have to send Skystar the evidence anyway, as that would be the only way she would believe her.
And a heartbroken Skystar could easily take the rash action of blowing everything up, and she definitely has the contacts to have the story published on every corner of Vale. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned after all, and for Weiss to know that Skystar apparently broke with Cardin then it must be part of the story being circulated.
When Sunset Shimmer crossed the line and rebelled against Princess Celestia, she demanded to be made an alicorn. Her exact words were “I am your equal, if not your superior!” I have a friend in Bible Studies, who pointed out to me that those were the same exact words that Satan declared against his father. Like Lucifer, Sunset was bloated with Pride. Now doesn’t that say a few things about Sunset’s story? But what it especially says is that her story is one of redemption, slowly but surely.
For those of you who have watched the Lucifer series, you’ll know exactly what I mean.
And in retrospect, we must also see how much progress she has made. Although Sunset handled this with far less discretion than I honestly expected of her usual cunning and precision (which is admittedly offset by her quite volatile ire against injustice), she still swallowed her Pride and released the truth anonymously. As she mused in the last chapter by not taking credit and rubbing it in their faces, then in Sunset’s eyes it is not petty revenge.
It’s not yet clean, but that’s still character growth.
10688383
OK, that's a good point and would made far more sense than Skystar just knowing (when she wasn't even there).
I really hope than it's that, also it's made far more sense to have Skystar being believe about Cardin and BonBon than a faunus without connexion other then being in Pyrrha Nikos team.
10688567
There is also to consider that the tabloids are clearly concentrating on Cardin and the rest of his team, while barely caring about Bon Bon (understandable, Bon Bon is a no-one for Vale at large while Cardin come from the closest thing to nobility in Vale).
Sunset has reasons to hate both of them, yet this method is only really affecting Cardin, making this method of revenge as unfulfilling. Skystar, on the other hand, would only care about affecting Cardin, she doesn't even know Bon Bon, and so would see this as a perfect form of revenge.
10688591
I truly hope to see BonBon and Sunset set in a match in sparring class, they have too much of a score to settle.
Do you think than Cinder will help Sunset for her training ? Sword fighting is one of Cinder ability, and she is likely of a similar strength as Pyrrha, while Pyrrha style is on the lance, I would like to see them have a bond like this.
And honestly, I would love to see Cinder "stick up" for Sunset if BonBon is angry against her, It could be good for Cinder to set herself as someone somewhat reliable.
I truly hope than here, the situation will be more close to canon with Cinder, I truly want to see the revelation of Cinder and her team true loyalty only after the tournament or at least only at the end, for both truly develop Cinder and sunset friendship, with having a bond stronger than Cinder simply being the shoulder spirit (she do not simply say to Sunset to do bad or morally dubious things, so while she is wicked and push Sunset toward a more ruthless way, for now, she is not yet a shoulder devil) of Sunset but also help her becoming a better physical fighter, and simply hanging out with her. Their relationship is the most interesting.
And I lowkey ship them now
10688617
Lets be honest, Sunset really doesn't need help to deal with Bon Bon. And in sword training, I don't see Sunset asking anyone but Pyrrha, as she is not only the best one (Akouo has a sword form and Pyrrha is teaching Jaune swordsmanship for a reason), she also is not one to admit weakness or ask for help. Sunset is not going to admit to Cinder that she sucks with a sword or that she accepted the honor that Lady Nikos gave her with Solteria without actually being a worthy wielder of it.
And good to hear about another convert, join us as we sing the blessings of Sunset and Cinder ship (name to be defined).
10688647
You misunderstood me, I never talked of help for fight Bonbon, she is far stronger than her (I had asked to Scipio what was the order of strength of the members of the various members of the teams because I wanted to know if she could crush Bon Bon), the sword fighting was because Sunset isn't really proeficient (still good, but not her speciality) in this kind of fight.
I had seen Pyrrha so much focus on the lance part than i didn't even remembered her doing sword fighting.
Do you think than Cinder will be reveal before or at the end/after the Amity tournament ? I truly hope it's the later.
10688687
I meant dealing with Bon Bon in general, it's obvious that Sunset completely destroys Bon Bon while fighting. Even in the social stuff, Sunset is way better positioned right now in Beacon that Bon Bon, so there really isn't any point where Cinder can come and offer her support to Sunset, outside of the back alley deals that she is already helping her with.
So, before I answer your question, I need you to confirm me something. Are you up to date or you are only reading the rewrites? Because that changes a lot the amount of information I can talk about, if you care about spoilers.
10688881
I had read a certain quantity of the classic, to the point when Sunset meet Salem (although I think it is a projection) for the first time, had gotten her emotion absorption semblance, and when she absorb ruby kindness.
And I had also seen the thing when Salem use fluttershy (right ?).
I know than in the original Cinder had been discover by twilight
I had not read that much after mount Glenn.
10688939
Ok, nice to know.
I think it will go exactly as in the original, I don't see the changes done in the rewrite doing much to change the outcome (if anything, you could say that they make it more likely).
10688947
I just hope to have Cinder and her groupe allegiance be discover around the same time as canon, so, at the end of the vytal festival.
Gosh I’m really hating Cinder more and more - honestly this isn’t surprising what with her series counterpart has done
That’s defenestration, Weiss!
And I want in.
Oh best girl Weiss, you poor soul.
Man Ruby and Blake not being her partners makes this turn of events make perfect sense, and it is downright sad to watch. Oh be strong girl!
Two thing
1: Does Wheiss Father seem different? Like, he does seem nicer then in the show, is he? or are you just portraying him in a better light now, but you will show his true colors later?
2: I am so glad Wheiss finally gets some time, you've focused so much on Blake, that i didn't think you had any plans on developing the others.