“Something about this just feels… wrong.” Blake commented.
“What does?” Weiss asked. “Having a Schnee pay for your dress? Get over it, I already said I was paying for everything and that is final.” The white haired heiress held up two dresses that to any normal person were definitely the same color, but she was adamant about the fact that one was an eggshell white, while the other was snow white. Most everyone else had stopped listening when she started going on about how the one that was supposedly eggshell didn’t quite work for her skin tone, but that she was worried the supposedly snow white one would “wash out her hair”, whatever that meant.
“Not that, I’m all for draining the Schnee bank accounts-”
“Hey!”
“-but I think… maybe it’s the fact that we’re here shopping for dresses while the White Fang and whoever else is out there doing who knows what.”
“Come oooooon, already.” Yang groaned. “Second Thoughts was right about you. White Fang this, White Fang that. The staff at Beacon stopped whatever was going on at the docks, Torchwick got captured, and judging by the smug look I saw on Ironwood’s face the other day, I have a feeling that there’s been more good news that we just haven’t been told about. What more do you want?”
“I don’t know about that last one, Yang.” Nora butt in with a sing-song voice. “Rumor has it that Ironwood is actually in a good mood because he finally replaced the stick up Goodwitch’s-”
“Nora!” Ruby cut her off, her face half as red as the dress she was holding. “You shouldn’t gossip about stuff like that!”
“Worry not, friend Ruby. General Ironwood is used to such rumors.” Penny didn’t seem to fully understand why dress shopping was so important to the others, but she was happy to be included. “I’m certain that he would be relieved, in fact! If people are gossiping about a supposed interest in Professor Goodwitch, that means they aren’t gossiping about him and Ms. Schnee!”
“Excuse me?!” Weiss almost dropped the dresses in shock. “What sort of rumors are you referring to?!”
“From the information that I have gathered, it would seem that many people in Atlas are under the impression that General Ironwood is Ms. Schnee’s father. It is obviously false, as Ms. Schnee’s parentage is a matter of public knowledge, but people continue to propagate the lie all the same. I find the situation very confusing.”
Where just a moment ago Yang had been bemoaning the eccentricities of her friends, she now wore a cheshire grin. “Her father, eh? Did they perhaps say that she called him daddy?”
“Yang Xiao Long! How dare you even-”
But Weiss’ tirade was cut off with a simple “Yes, exactly!” from Penny.
That broke the heiress. “You mean… everyone thinks my sister… that can’t possibly be true, can it?”
“The older, experienced man takes the beautiful young woman under his wing, makes her his second in command…” Blake poured fuel on the fire. “I can see where the idea came from.”
“You do?!” Penny lit up with excitement. “Please tell me! I’m sure that General Ironwood and Ms. Schnee would be delighted if I were able to tell them where the rumor came from!”
“I think we should go back to Blake’s obsession with the White Fang!” Pyrrha desperately tried to course correct, just as red in the face as Ruby.
“What’s there to talk about?” Nora asked. “You know I’m always ready to break some legs, but it seems like the situation is under control. Jauney and Second give the teachers information, the teachers take care of the problem, everybody is happy. If Blakey wants to get into trouble herself though, I’m open to being second best buds again!” She held her arms out for a hug in a manner that somehow came across as threatening.
“No!” Blake immediately backed away and ditched any ideas about potentially seeking out the White Fang for herself. “That won’t be necessary, we’ve got a dance to prepare for, why would I be getting myself into trouble?” She finished it off with a nervous laugh.
“I’ll make sure to save a dance for you!” Nora giggled.
“Why did I let myself get dragged here?” Ruby lamented.
Pyrrha couldn't blame her, because she was starting to feel the same.
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“...and why, exactly, is the timeline being moved up?”
“Because someone thinks they can outmaneuver me, Adam.” The seductive voice on the other end of the scroll replied.
“You mean that because of your incompetence, my men will have to pick up the slack.”
“It is not incompetence,” but he knew he had struck a nerve all the same, “I am simply adjusting the plan in response to recent issues.”
“Like your pet clown getting himself and my men arrested?”
“Like someone knowing of events before they happen. I am currently looking into the who and how of the matter, but Ozpin and Ironwood have gotten exceedingly lucky with the tips they have been receiving recently. Either the General’s little lap dog back home has suddenly found his luck based semblance to be far more powerful than it was, or someone has developed a form of clairvoyance.”
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“Of course. It’s impossible that your poor planning and liberal use of the most well known thief in Vale have come back to bite you, they must know the future. You’re simply too intelligent and cunning for to be the case.”
Though he said it in a sarcastic manner, Adam knew that Cinder actually thought that way. Even for a human, the level of arrogance that she possessed was astounding. If not for her current usefulness, he would have rid himself and the White Fang of her influence long ago. Though the important factor was that it was current. It would not always be this way, and as soon as that day came, he would stop her whining permanently.
He could hear the grinding of her teeth. “Just get it done.”
She hung up on him before he could mock her further.
Though her concerns did bring up an interesting question. What would he do against such a semblance? It would depend on the exact mechanics, of course, but even if it was only able to foresee one event every few months it could still cause significant problems in the right hands. The thought of Atlas having such a power hidden away made his blood boil… but there was no need to be concerned.
After all, it was just as he said. The truth of the situation was infinitely more likely to be a failing on Cinder’s part.
And if that semblance did somehow exist?
It would be as simple as killing a single person.
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“If he’s causing problems, wouldn’t it be easier to just get rid of him and put someone else in charge?” Mercury asked as Cinder angrily ended the scroll call.
“And who would replace him? Are you volunteering to go to Mount Glenn? Oh wait, I forgot, Adam was sent there because Roman got himself captured and we’re limited to operations that can be excused as a trip into Vale.”
Mercury was tempted to roll his eyes, but he valued his life a bit too much for that, so he held up his hands in surrender. “Point taken.”
“Besides,” Cinder continued, “with the current state of things, I don’t have high hopes of that part of the plan going smoothly regardless of how it is altered.”
“Then why tell Adam to get it done faster?” Emerald asked, always eager to listen to Cinder monologue her genius plans.
“Because what we lack right now is information on the enemy. The only rumors going around at the moment are about love lives and some first year student having gone insane. If we cannot get what we need from others, then our search for knowledge must take an experimental approach. Moving the dates that things are set to occur on, swapping out the people intended to carry out different plans, disregarding one target entirely in favor of another. Every little change that is made, and the reaction that is given to these changes, gives us a more clear picture of what we’re up against, and this in turn allows us to better counter it. Permanently, if all goes well. Of course, there are some events that cannot be moved due to circumstances beyond my control, but those are few and far between.”
So all of her previous plotting, and the time Mercury had wasted listening to said plotting, had been wasted because she was tossing it out the window.
Lovely.
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“What do we think of team SSSN?” Ironwood asked.
“I would think that Sun Wukong and Neptune Vasilias’s continued friendship with teams JNPR and RWBY indicates that they should not be included.” Winter answered.
“Perhaps. Unless it is a matter of keeping your friends close and your enemies closer?” he countered.
“A possibility, but I find it unlikely… although, bringing them up does give me an idea. If Jaune, and by extension Second Thoughts trusts them, perhaps we could have them point out more likely candidates? They would know better than us which teams are suspicious.”
“Denied. Based on what Penny has shared, the two of them are very friendly, and thus would be unlikely to suspect their classmates. And with Wukong being a faunus and so friendly with the Belladonna girl… I don’t hold high hopes for his views on Atlas authorities. Besides, I would not move resources around based on the hearsay of a group not already actively searching out the enemy. We wouldn’t want any false positives distracting us.”
“That’s true…” As Winter flipped to the next Haven team in the stack, she couldn’t help but sigh. “Is this really the best way to go about this?”
“We don’t have a choice. We’ve done what we can to prepare for the night of the dance, but I would rather stop the attack entirely than catch them in the act.”
“We could bring in more reinforcements so that nobody can even get close to the CCT rather than our current plan of stationing extra huntsmen inside of it.”
“That would only make it obvious that we expect them. They would call off the attack if the forces visibly present didn’t match their expectations.”
“Is that really true though? They chose this night for a reason. Delaying them this one time could deter them from trying it at all, or at least any time soon.”
“Perhaps.” The General looked over the papers before him, taking in all the information. “Let’s go over the plan from the top then. Taking another look wouldn’t hurt.”
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Are you sure this is a good idea? Jaune nervously asked Second Thoughts.
Why wouldn’t it be a good idea? I thought Neptune got you to see sense.
I don’t mean asking her to go with me, I mean doing it so… halfheartedly.
Jaune, while serenading a girl and offering her flowers is generally considered to be a romantic gesture, I will find a way to punish you if you try that right now. You don’t have the voice for it, and you don’t even know how you feel about her. I thought we agreed on the whole “let’s just go together and see how things work out” idea? This is just testing the waters. You don’t have to date afterwards. Maybe she even rejects you.
Thanks for the vote of confidence. Jaune grumbled mentally.
That’s just life. I can’t confirm one way or the other, even with the things that I know.
Can’t or won’t?
Both. I legitimately do not know how she will answer, but even if I did I wouldn’t tell you. That would be super weird. Do you really want the disembodied voice in your head playing matchmaker with a bunch of teenagers? That would be creepy.
Weird maybe, but how would it be creepy? You’re not even a year old, why make it out like you’re some old man?
I’m not an old man but I am older than you. In my mental age, if nothing else. Now stop stalling and do it, she’s noticed you and is staring.
Right. Well, here goes nothing I guess.
“Would you do me the honor of going to the dance with me?”