Save the world? Fuck that, I want to make money! (RWBY SI) ch 54

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Two figures were around a fire. The first one was sleeping peacefully, snoring in fact. Such was her pleasure at the act she slept like she was on a feather-pillow bed and not a cot. Her partner on the other hand stood closer, his eyes cautiously looking out into the distance. They were in a small barn long since abandoned and now overtaken by nature. They had been travelling together headed West when the world stopped making sense. Mistrali against Mistrali, all for what? Lie Ren knew the reason was taxes for the city and independence for the towns. He did not care to go too deeply into it for he wasn't particularly attached to his homeland much like his travel partner, Nora Valkyrie. If anything, the hostilities breaking out gave both of them even more reason to leave.

They wanted to be Huntsmen, both for heroisms sake but also as a means to support themselves. Ren and Nora did not know anything else other than the skills they had which was beating the schnozz out of the enemy, if Nora had her colorful way of saying things. Haven was honestly a good location but they couldn't afford the tuition and frankly, it was in the worst city on the planet. Solitas Academy was in a much more attractive place but the cost of living was atrocious. Nora did not like sand so Shade was out of the equation.

That only left Beacon.

As far as Ren knew, Beacon was prestigious and its curriculum fantastic. Graduates of Beacon tended to be sought after more by certain companies and if there's anything that Ren and Nora could use, that was a stable place to grow in. The two of them were orphans and as poor as a dried up oasis in a desert. There had been rumours circulating that the Princess of Mistral was recruiting people to join her army in a bid to retake control of Mistral but Ren did not see himself as a military man in anyway and Nora was too...Nora too be an effective soldier.

And so, being a Huntsman it was.

Ren's thoughts paused as a crash echoed in the distance. In a flash, he rushed to cover the fire they had going on. It died with a sizzle and just in time as well. Gunshots echoed way too close for comfort for Ren. The repeated and rapid shots quickly informed him that it was coming from Buzzsaws but from which side, he did not know.

"Huh? What?" Nora suddenly snorted as she went awake. "Renny?"

Ren quickly brought a finger up to his lips, urging Nora to stay quiet. Quickly, the orange-haired girl nodded. "Benemies?" she whispered.

"It's enemies, Nora," Ren corrected her. "And yes, soldiers. Let's not attract them to us, alright?"

It was more for the fighter's sake than theirs. The last time someone tried to rob them, Nora had sent them flying with her hammer. Where they landed up, he did now know.

"Awww," Nora complained. She turned over. "You're lucky I'm sleepy, Mister."

"Lucky," Ren said sarcastically as the staccato song of Buzzsaw fire continued.

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"Come on, hurry up, we need to move," Her mother's voice was quick, demanding. Normally, she was a calmer sort of woman but the current situation now was less than calm. Thanks to their connections among the higher levels of government, her family was made aware of a decision currently being decided in the halls of government. That decision calling for the commissioning of Huntsmen to fight the rebels down in the south.

Pyrrha Nikos and her family had a long tradition of service. In their home, there were books and statues of heroes that fought for the old Empire. It was natural to assume that their family would go and be enthusiastic about the idea of once more fighting for Mistral. However, her father was not a fan of sending anyone in their blood to fight and die for a bunch of soft corrupt eunuchs. He too wasn't a fan of letting her budding Tournament career go to waste fighting a fop's war. If the Council bemoaned the loss of their power to a faunus woman, they ought to fight for it themselves.

And thus, the Nikos patriarch began the quiet moving of their assets from Mistral towards somewhere else. There was a choice between Vale and Solitas. Pyrrha had no say in it since it was him and her mother that decided where to go but she'd like to go towards Vale. She had no ill-will towards Solitas truthfully. She thought it was a wonderful place that sparked with brilliance and invention every two seconds of the day. But she was already familiar with Solitas, having visited Argus in the North of Mistral a few times. It was not the actual Kingdom per se but it was close enough she knew what to expect. Vale however?

Vale was unknown to her.

And apparently, they had good fighters and tournaments there she could enter.

She sighed, laying back on her wide and expansive bed. While they never really were poor, her tournament wins had been substantial enough to add towards the family fund. Pyrrha was more than happy to give her earnings to her family as it did support them only as long as she had her own share to spend on whatever caught her fancy. Well...she didn't find anything yet. But that rocket launch however...

She wasn't just the rising Invincible Girl who only thought of fighting and winning. She also had hobbies too. And she had to admit, the idea of going into space was something that caught her fancy. And so, Pyrrha Nikos took out her scroll and clicked on it. To her delight, the livestream of Remnant was still on.

And so, she clicked on it.

And bright green eyes beheld a pale blue dot floating in the void.....

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She was there.

Then, she wasn't.

Her opponent braced himself for the killing blow, his shield and sword raised in preparation. Then, he felt danger coming at him from the side. He turned on his heels and he fell on one knee to take her. The cat faunus leapt at him, pistol-whip leaping to attack. In her haste to attack him, she left an opening that he saw. As she neared, he made to stab at her with his sword...only to stab at the air.

"What?" his eyes nearly bulged. Behind him, a cold voice whispered. "You're already dead,"

The man paused, feeling the cold metal of Gambol Shroud against his neck. He let out a breath and dropped his sword and shield, raising his hands up into the air. "Yield," he said simply. Gambol Shroud was remove swiftly and Ghira Belladonna went up to his feet.

"What's the matter, dad? Can't keep up?" Blake Belladonna cracked a small grin. Ghira turned around and rolled his eyes.

"When you get to my age, Blake, you will understand that you won't be as quick as you usually were," grumbled the Panther faunus as he wiped away the dust off his body. Both Belladonnas were at the Training Grounds of his mansion to train. Sure, Ghira was a political idealist and pacifist. But he did not shy away from defending himself and his people when it came down to it. Besides, the Atlesi-no, Solitan doctors had advised him to rest for a few months at first then afterwards, he could move freely again. Ghira felt strong enough that he could go and lay a few punches. And what better way than to do that with exercise?

"Oh, don't believe your father, Blake," a new voice purred as twin-sets of bamboo doors opened. Kali Belladonna entered with a tray, two glasses of cold iced tea waiting to be consumed by father and daughter. "He has his energy when he had to use it," she ended with a wink. Ghira could only flush and clear his throat.

"I did not need to know that," Blake insisted, looking away. Kali laughed musically, coming close and setting the tray on a nearby table.

"You'll get it when you have someone of your own. Now, come and get a drink before you take a shower inside," Kali said, patting to the refreshments she bought. Blake quickly marched up to the offered glass and after muttering thanks under her breath, drank from it. She bowed lowly as she then retreated away from her parents. She paused, turning around to give them one last look before vanishing.

Kali watched her daughter walk away and as Blake left, sighed. Ghira noticed this and took a chair. He placed it next to her and sat down. Even if he was sitting down, he still towered over his wife. "What's wrong, my love?" Ghira asked softly.

Kali tore away her sight from the open door back to her husband. "It's Blake, Ghira. If she isn't eating or training, she's isolated herself to her room. I'm...I'm worried." She walked up to him, her hand placed against his chest. "You've noticed it, haven't you?"

Ghira listened to his wife's complaint and glanced up. A particular growth jutted out towards the heavens. That growth being the Kuo Kuana Cross Continental Tower, a concession that their family had won for essentially signing off the execution of John Brown and his associates. While the city had enjoyed it and new business had sprung from the smoother communications that allowed it uninterrupted access to the outside world, it was private mark on the Belladonna family. Brown was a hero to the faunus. A human who had fought for their liberation even before there was a White Fang and the Belladonnas had essentially sold him off for Menagerie to gain prosperity. It was that sentiment that had briefly won Sienna Khan control of the island the Faunus won for themselves before his return sent her scurrying away with her more extreme followers. Back to his daughter however...he knew what his wife was talking about.

"She will carry that memory for as long as she lives," Ghira muttered. He glanced down to where Kali was touching and found her holding her palm against a scar, one of many he had. "Perhaps we should go and hire a therapist for her?"

"A therapist?" Kali mouthed. She then shook her head. "That should be a last resort, Ghira. We're her family. We should talk to her first before hiring a stranger."

"Perhaps....later at dinner then?" Ghira offered. Kali nodded then smiled as she produced a towel.

"Later," she agreed. "Now have a towel to wipe yourself. You're stinky."

As the Matriarch and Patriarch laughed among themselves, Blake had found her way to a shower. There, she undid her clothes and sat in silence as the warm water hit her from above. Her long hair was free, wet. And...she clutched a single hand against her chest.

She could still remember the fire, the searing flames...the blood and exhaustion that crept up her body. Her father almost died because of her, shielding her body when that bomb went off when they went to Solitas. Her father almost died. Because of her.

She needed to be strong. And not just strong but also smart too. It was in the privacy of her room she studied all there could be about statecraft. How to be a good ruler, how to be a better fighter. Sienna Khan was a traitor to the White Fang, occupying a position that she had no right to be in and taking away a whole section of traitors to be her followers. She saw it when their family returned to Menagerie after they had recovered from their wounds, how she gave orders as if they were dead. Statecraft was something she could learn from books and from watching her father rule.

She needed to be a better warrior. A fighter to not just protect her family but also her people as well. Sienna Khan's traitors were ready to come to blows to defend her. Blake couldn't do anything at that time, weak and injured as she was.

And so, she needed to fight. And to learn.

Not in Solitas. The idea of coming there gave her nightmares even now. Not Mistral either, it was in the midst of civil war and Sienna Khan made her home there. That just left Vacuo and Vale. Shade Academy in Vacuo sounded like a good idea, it was prestigious and the headmaster there was renowned. That only left Beacon...

Now that sounded better. Beacon was in the middle of everything so if her family wanted to visit her, they could always drop by. Plus, there was that new government, the Fleur. If she was going to help her family, she would need to actually learn how to lead. What better place to earn her spurs than going to Vale?

She should tell her parents as soon as possible...

Perhaps at dinner.

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​Music flowed freely from a pair of violins and cellos. Light shone from the silver chandelier as well as the candelabras on the dining table. On said table was a veritable feast for most folk; fish dishes that smelt of lemon, garlic, and other herbs. Breads with a shining golden brown, one could see their reflection mirrored. Fruits from all corners of Remnant, either prepared freshly or on wonderful parfaits. For the Schnee Household however, this was simpler fare compared to what was usually prepared. 

At the head of the table, an imposing chair was set. On it, the Schnee snowflake. Such was its design it resembled a miniature throne. It was commissioned by her former husband to show his place as the Patriarch of the Schnee Household, officially. Unofficially, it was a plain statement of how much control he had over their family. Not anymore however. With his passing, control had slipped back to her. Temporarily of course. She was just keeping the seat warm until Weiss was ready. 

​"How was work, Mother?" Weiss asked, cutting into her dinner. 

"It was satisfactory," Willow Schnee answered with a smile. Without her husband and his floozies, running the SDC had been smoother now. Her smile strained for a second as she considered whether or not to continue on. "There will be a few things I will have to discuss with you afterwards, Weiss."

Some matters ought not to be discussed on the dinner table after all. And besides, Whitley was there too, fascinated with his meal. 

With her busy schedule, Willow had found it a struggle to balance work and returning home to her children. But with the absence of a father, she found it necessary to be involved in their lives. She had promised that her children were going to grow with love and love she was going to give. 

"Of course, Mother," Weiss nodded, catching on to what was unsaid. Despite the fact that she was still very young girl at fifteen, she was already showing intelligence that would only get sharper in time. A part of Willow felt pained to involve her daughter with matters of company but she was going to be heir once she reached her majority. She had to be ready. 

"On other matters, has Winter messaged you recently?" Willow asked, curious. She and her eldest still spoke but sparsely. Not really a surprise considering how she had never cultivated a deep relationship with her, an error she was not going to repeat with her younger siblings. 

The excitement in Weiss's eyes increased. "She has!" she gushed, acting more like a young girl now instead of an heiress. "She said that she saw the launch of the Sea Dragon with her own eyes! It was so loud and shiny, it was like an actual dragon!" 

"Is that so?" Willow gasped in surprise, more an act. She knew details about the Sea Dragon rather than most people, the fuel for the rocket having been gained from negotiation between herself and Gerard Wayland when he was the CEO. He had framed it in a way of the SDC restoring its shattered reputation by aiding Royal and Imperial in a grand scientific endeavour. The money he also offered also helped in convincing her. 

As well as other things. 

Wine. A scarlet night at the Opera. White lace and cherries....

​Her thighs shivered. 

This was not a betrayal of her husband. It did not count when there simply was no trust. 

"Indeed!" Weiss puffed up in pride. "She's also told me that she's found a boyfriend!" Weiss grandly declared before she realized what she had just said. Her mouth hung open as her hand reached out to cover herself. "Don't tell her I told you, Mother!" Weiss begged. 

Willow laughed, a hearty one. She already knew about it, what mother would not know about what their children were doing? "I shan't, Weiss. You have my word," Willow winked, making Weiss sigh in relief. 

​She and Alexander tried their best to be discrete but the two young ones were inexperienced in that sort of thing. Gossip columns had already taken pictures of them tenderly looking at each other or holding hands when no one was looking. It was really only gonna be a matter of time until both her family and Gerard's had to announce that both of their scions were seeing each other. Of course, with the attention on them, Willow and Gerard could resume their affair in peace and quiet. 

​Did she feel bad about using Winter as a scapegoat to cover for her own love affair? A little bit. Would she apologize?

Absolutely not. 

Weiss on the other hand felt mortified that she had revealed what her sister told her in confidence. She felt guilt at that but...no one else was going to know. Next time, she was going to have to keep her mouth quiet. Be more like Winter, dignified and graceful. 

After dinner, Whitley was escorted away into his room for bedtime. A growing young boy had to get his nap time after all. But for her, she had no such time to rest. Not when her mother wanted to discuss something with her. What had once been her father's office had now become her mother's. It felt less oppressive than what it used to be, what with his portraits getting removed and the entire thing getting renovated alongside most of the house. Her mother was fond of a floral office design and it reflected what with the new plants that dotted her office. It felt refreshing, what with the lavender by the windows. 

Her mother had sat behind the desk, her face scrunched in conflict. Most likely struggling how to word what she wanted to say. Weiss took her place across the desk, her hands at rest, waiting for her mother to speak. After some struggle, her mother began. 

"We are getting reports of SDC shipments getting attacked," Willow revealed. It was best to just say it simply without sugar-coating it. she decided. 

Weiss gasped. They were getting attacked? "Where?" she quickly demanded, her composure breaking. 

"We've suffered attacks in Mistral and Vale. Our trains and delivery trucks are getting ambushed," Willow sighed. "We've chalked it up to bandits at first but with the rise of attacks, we are certain that our the company is getting targeted."

​"And our people? Are they alright?" Weiss asked quietly, thinking about their drivers and other personnel. Willow briefly smiled at this, approving of her daughter's greatest concern. 

"They have not been harmed," Willow revealed. "They've suffered some injuries but no one has died, thankfully." 

"Who would do this, Mother? We're not...the company is not doing what Father did. Why?" Weiss asked, cocking her head. She was confused and befuddled. 

"No one has claimed responsibility yet but our employees are claiming that the ones who attacked them were both faunus and humans wearing red," Willow said, recalling the incident reports. "The board believes that the likeliest culprit of this are the Red Fang, in Mistral."

"Faunus are doing this? Why?" Weiss asked again, her eyes narrowing.

"Not the White Fang, Weiss," Willow repeated herself. "The Red Fang under Sienna Khan. She broke away from the White Fang to form her own group. The White Fang have denounced her." 

"Terrorists," Weiss whispered. What else could they be? 

​Willow could agree with that sentiment considering their more radical members had assassinated her husband after all. But so far, no high ranking SDC member had been killed or kidnapped save for him. If she did not know it, they were moderating themselves to hijacking SDC shipments. She could guess what they would use those for. With Mistral no longer sending supplies, the southern Mistralis were likely stealing what they could not purchase. It was madness to Willow as she was still more than happy to let them purchase from the SDC but not a single Kingdom had recognized Sienna Khan's budding nation. 

So attacking her convoys it was. 

"What are we going to do, mother?" Wiess then asked, cutting to the heart of it.

"What would you do?" Willow countered, interested in what Weiss would do. Her daughter's eyes widened before she paused to collect herself. After some thinking, she replied. 

"We could increase security to our shipments but that would raise expenses, not profitable in the long run," Weiss said and thought aloud. "We cannot stop selling Dust, that would deny our customers what they need and again, cut into our profits. We could charter other companies to transport our products for us as a security measure but we'd just be giving our hard earned profits to someone else..." 

She glanced away, seeing the fireplace in her mother's study. She imagined the pipes up the chimney that fed the smoke out into the air. 

"Mother...where did the attacks occur for Vale and Mistral?" Weiss suddenly asked. 

​"The Mistrali attacks occurred on the roads and rail," Willow revealed, recalling the reports. "As for Vale, the same has happened but to a lesser degree, a truck here and there." 

​"I do not think the Mistrali Government would support us since they're...fighting a war," Weiss mumbled, the idea of it was incomprehensible and uncomfortable. "Could we ask the military to help protect our rail? We are still an important asset for the Kingdom and I do not think President Rider would be happy about the Kingdom losing assets." Her eyes widened. "It would also provide a challenge to the raiders too. If they attack, they also risk the wrath of the Kingdom." 

"I will bring your suggestion to the Board," Willow promised. That idea had merit, considering how important the SDC was still not just to the Kingdom but also to the world. Sure, the company had been downsized massively compared to its original incarnation but it still held the more important and profitable routes around the world, a choice slice Willow and the board selected for themselves. Despite that, they still remained absurdly rich. 

"We could construct pipelines too, Mother," Weiss suggested, remembering the pipes from earlier. "The expenses could just be relegated to protection and maintenance instead of wholesale using rail and delivery trucks. Efficient, I feel." 

"I will bring that suggestion to the board as well," Willow promised. So far, Weiss was showing that she had a good head on her shoulders. It was only a matter of developing it further. 

"The problem remains with our attackers," Weiss muttered. "Have they sent demands of us?" 

"So far, none yet. Until then, we have to assume they are raiding our lines to supply their towns with dust. President Rider hasn't recognized the Khan's confederation of towns so we can't legally do business with them. The Red Fang I can guess are doing their best of their situation." Willow shook her head.

"It's unneeded and wasteful," sniffed Weiss. "We could have happily sold them what they needed. Why are the Mistralis fighting even?" 

"Because, Weiss, their southern towns do not feel any allegiance towards their government after the Mistrali Council abandoned them to the bandits which ruined them years ago," Willow explained. She had looked into this conflict as well and if she were from such towns who suffered greatly from the Bandit Clans that plagued them for years, she too would be angry as well. "Now that the bandits are gone, the Mistrali Council is coming back in pretending they did something when the Khan and Brown did the actual work." 

Weiss hated this. She wasn't a fan of the Mistali Council, aware of how morally bankrupt and corrupt they were. But they were the government. The Khan and Brown were terrorists and radicals...but they had thrown off the bandits which had haunted the people. But in the end, this was not her fight nor did she fell the SDC should involve themselves. It simply would just be wasteful of life and resources to enter a war that was not their problem. "I hope it ends soon," Weiss sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose. 

"I hope so as well, Weiss," Willow agreed. 

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A/N: Something a bit more slice of life before the timeskip. The timeskip is going to head directly into Vol 1 of canon. But its going to be a bit different compared to how yall remember it.