"I hear the train a-comin'; it's rolling round the bend—"
I had a metal mug in my hand that I used to rattle the bars of my fancy jail cell.
It wasn't just a fancy jail cell, but it was a fancy jail cell on this cool type of aircraft. Hell, this thing is more advanced than what we had back on Earth.
It's really weird how their technology here is so advanced in some places but so primitive in others.
"-- And I haven't seen the sunshine since I don't know when—" I continued to sing as I hit the bars with my metal mug some more.
The sound reverberated through the corridor.
This place wasn't very soundproof.
And there was someone outside my cage, glaring at me.
I hit the bars a little bit harder.
"Will you cease that already!" The woman hissed, snatching the mug from my hand through the bars.
"Rude." I pointed out.
Her eye twitched.
She had been standing there listening to my amazing singing and performance for a good thirty minutes now, I think.
I took out another mug from my ring when she wasn't looking and started again. "I'm stuck in Folsom Prison, and time keeps dragging on. But that train keeps a-rolling on down to San Antone."
"Where did you get that!?" She all but screeched at me.
I paused, looking at her and then at my metal mug, almost an exact copy of the one she was holding. "The store? Are you stupid?"
Her eye twitched again.
"When I was just a—"
"Stop singing!" She demanded. "You will behave quietly."
"You look familiar; have we met before?" I gave her a scrutinizing look.
She pursed her lips. "If we had met before, you would have been arrested far sooner."
"Oooh, someone's confident." I liked it, though. "Well, Miss Confident, do you have a name?"
She stood up just a tad straighter. "I am Specialist Schnee of the Atlas Military."
"Specialist in what?" I asked.
"What?" She seemed confused.
"Your title is 'specialist'; what are you specialized in?"
"It's my rank." She frowned slightly.
"That's…lame." I hummed.
"Thankfully, the naming conventions of the Atlas's military ranks are not dictated by your sense of aesthetics." She drawled. "And if you must know, the Rank is derived from the specialized combat training we received in accordance with military regulations combined with Hunter training."
"Ah, Military Huntsman, got it." I shot her a thumbs up.
She scowled but didn't correct me.
If the shoe fits.
"That is a significantly trivialized summary of my duties." She crossed her arms.
"Hey, don't get mad at me; I support the concept. I'm still kind of confused as to why no other kingdoms haven't built up their militaries. You would think that they'd be more keen on having a trained and regulated military force instead of relying on a handful of 'Huntsmen' that don't really listen to orders."
I was being honest.
And my time during the Fae War just sort of reinforced my opinion, I think. I mean, I think Huntsman has a place; there are plenty of people who want to 'help' but don't do well under a rigid structure like in the military.
More power to them; let them wander around, act like heroes, kill Grimm, blah blah.
But there are governments that have no real actual military and have to rely on these same people for everything.
It's just…..well, it's rather illogical in my opinion.
But then again, this world had its own history, and if things turned out this way and have been like this for so long, it must have been for a reason.
Specialist Schnee was looking at me strangely.
"Oh, Schnee!" I snapped my fingers. "Like the Schnee Dust company?"
Her lips twitched, like she was doing her best to keep a scowl away, and I knew I had hit the nail on the head.
"The same Schnee Dust Company where I wandered into one of their mining camps where they had literal slaves working under them." I reiterated.
There are few things that piss me off more than slavery.
Her lips thinned. "I am unaffiliated with the Schnee Dust company as a member of the Atlas Military."
"Oof, I can practically feel the daddy issues from here." I was…fairly sure the head of the company was her dad? I vaguely recall the head of the company being a man, so I put two and two together. "Don't worry, you're in good company here when it comes to people with father issues."
"Yes, I feel reassured that a wanted criminal is sympathizing with me." She deadpanned.
"Question." I raised a finger. "Are you single?"
Her eyebrow immediately shot up, and she scrunched her nose. "That is a highly inappropriate question; you would do well to keep such future ones to yourself. Criminal."
"Oh, wait." I held my hands up. "I didn't mean for me; as cliche as it sounds, I was asking for a friend."
Is it weird that I think that she and Sasaki together would be a great couple?
I remember him talking about his ideal type when we went fishing together. She checks a lot of his boxes from what I recall.
She opened her mouth slightly and shook her head. "My relationship status is not any of your concern."
"Well, I guess I'll go back to singing then—"
"I do not do blind dates." She immediately interjected.
For some reason, I got the feeling she didn't want to hear me sing anymore, and she chose the lesser of two evils.
I think I should feel offended.
"Hang on, I got a picture." I took out my scroll, where I had a bunch of saved pictures. "This is Sasaki Kojirou."
She was humoring me, I could tell, but there was a subtle perk in her eyes as she looked at the picture; maybe I could call it curiosity.
She evaluated it for several moments.
"I don't date criminals." She finally said.
"Well, he's not a criminal." I pointed out.
"He is associated with you; that makes him a criminal's accomplice." She retorted.
"Rude." I pointed out again. "By that logic, I think your sister is a criminal then."
"Excuse me?" She froze slightly.
"Weiss Schnee, she's your sister, right?" I remember her when I met the other kids in Pyrrha's year. Rin also fought her because she had an attitude. "I met her and spent time in her presence, so by your logic, she's also a criminal. I shall wait for her to share a cell with me."
"My sister is not a criminal." She said coldly.
"How convenient that a supposed 'accomplice' status only applies to people you don't know." I hummed. "Is he at least your type?"
She looked at me flatly before rubbing the bridge of her nose. "I do not have a type."
"Everyone has a type." I responded. "For me, I like strong women. Of course, I should add I like beautiful women too, but I think everyone wants their partner to be good-looking. Confidence is important as well. But I doubt you want to hear me keep going on about this."
She let out a long sigh. "If I answer, will you drop this line of questioning?"
I shrugged. "I don't want to make you uncomfortable about it; if you don't like it, then I won't bring it up again."
I was trying to see if she was interested, not trying to pressure her into anything.
She took a deep breath and regained her stoic demeanor. "I do not find him dislikable in appearance. However, I do not care for good looks as much as their character."
"Well, I could add that he's the good sort, you know, honorable, kind." He should still be in Skyrim right now, right? "Oh, and he's probably the best swordsman in the world."
She rolled her eyes at the first part, but from the second part, she let out a scoff. "I find that highly unlikely."
"Oh, it's true." Even Artoria recognizes his swordsmanship as superior, and that should say something.
"Do you have any idea how many people claim such nonsense?" She gave a skeptical look. "By what measurement can you claim that sort of ridiculous notion if you haven't met every single person wielding a sword?"
"You sound offended."
"As someone who wields a sword, of course I would be offended by claims that someone is superior to all others." She let out a harrumph.
"Well, I suppose I could invite him over and you could evaluate him yourself." I offered with a cheeky smile.
Her aloof expression changed, and it seemed like she realized what I was doing, but she didn't immediately reject me.
Someone has their own pride, huh?
I was about to keep going, but I heard people coming down the hallway.
It was Ozpin, his assistant, Miss Goodwitch, and someone whom I hadn't actually met in person but recognized from pictures.
In fact, Roman had a dartboard with his face on it.
That was General Ironwood, head of the Atlas Military.
"General!" Specialist Schnee immediately shifted into proper posture and offered a salute.
"At ease, specialist." He said authoritatively as he approached my cell.
"James, what's the point in keeping him locked in a cell like this? He can leave whenever he wants. We both know what his Semblance is." The teacher gave him a rather tired look.
I blinked because I found myself agreeing. "She has a point."
They do know that I had a 'space semblance,' among other oddities—magic. They would know that I can just leave whenever I want, right?
What was the purpose of putting me in a cell?
"Of course, that's why I had Winter distract him while we figured out what to do with him." General Ironwood said plainly.
I found my mouth opening.
I've been bamboozled!
No wonder she was playing along with my nonsense!
Has my weakness been discovered so easily!?
Specialist Schnee shot me a deliberate look, and she noticed my own surprise at the turn of events, and she had a subtle but very obvious smug smile on her face.
Well played, Specialist Schnee.
"Winter, you're dismissed. Go socialize; I know you've been wanting to meet your sister since we've arrived." The General told her.
"Thank you, General!" She saluted again before departing.
This is easily one of my top 10 most devastating betrayals of all time. I thought we had a connection here, a budding friendship!
But now, I know, she was just using me.
"Mr. Schweinorg." Ozpin looked at me; he had his signature coffee mug in his hand, looking a bit tired. "May I ask, why are you in a cell?"
I blinked at him. "Because a bunch of robots pointed guns at me."
He let out a sigh. "I mean, why did you allow yourself to be 'arrested'?"
"We…" I scratched my head. "I didn't really want to cause you any trouble after you've been nice enough to let me come and go as I please. If I 'resisted,' I'm sure those robots would have tried to arrest me forcibly. And then, I'd either have to break them or run away, and they'd probably chase. And then it becomes a whole mess."
Ozpin looked at General Ironwood. "Anything you want to add, James?"
"What do you want me to say, Ozpin? That my knights were doing their jobs?" He asked back, rhetorically.
"He's not wrong." I pointed out.
"Mr. Schweinorg, are you defending the man responsible for arresting you?" Ozpin raised an eyebrow.
"I'm just saying, it's a logical sequence of events." I responded.
General Ironwood looked very vindicated.
"Though, I suppose I do owe a bit of a response for the whole 'being a woman' thing." I shot him a glare just as well.
He cleared his throat. "It was a logical theory."
"Can we not right now?" Professor Goodwitch sighed. "I'm already pulling my hair out planning the Vytal Festival; I don't need this right now."
"Question." I raised my hand. "Why was I arrested in the first place? I'm fairly sure Roman successfully bribed the right people to sweep away my wanted status in Vale."
Ozpin rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Mr. Schweinorg. Please don't admit to illegal activities in the presence of the Atlas Military."
"...and?" I ignored his 'advice.'
Ozpin took off his glasses, wiping them with a cloth. "The Kingdoms generally share the status of criminals or warrants between each other. In this instance, it was simply an oversight that no one thought about, for we didn't anticipate your sudden arrival."
"Ah." I nodded in understanding. "Well, all's well that ends well!"
"I still say we should keep him locked up, Oz." Ironwood grunted. "I've been wanting to test my special holding cells."
"And I've told you, James, they won't work." Ozpin shook his head. "You still haven't been able to account for Magic."
"Shit, I'm down to help. Sounds like fun." I offered.
Ironwood's eyes lit up as he looked at Ozpin.
Ozpin let out a long sigh. "Perhaps after we're done with the Festival. Please remember why you parked your large airship at my school in the first place, James."
Ironwood cleared his throat. "Of course." He walked up to my cell door and entered a code and scanned his handprint. "Officially, Atlas doesn't have the authority to arrest a Vale citizen within Vale borders if they don't have an…active request for arrest."
"Bet." I took my hat out and put it on my head. "Anyways, I'm going to go see Pyrrha." I opened a portal and left the cell without ever stepping out.
[Line Break]
You know, it's my second time being arrested and put in 'holding.'
I wonder if this will become a habit?
It makes me feel wistful, if anything.
In my youth, I would have simply destroyed—maybe stolen—all those robots and run from the law! But now, I'm so responsible and mature that I let them arrest me so I can settle things peacefully!
Yup.
I am the epitome of maturity.
Though, there is now the question.
How the fuck do I find Pyrrha?
I took out my scroll; I had a lot of missed messages. Most of them were in fact from Pyrrha and…. I think I had a few drunken messages from Qrow?
That's awkward.
I think he mistook me for someone else, based on the contents.
That, or he was hitting on me.
But I didn't catch that vibe from him. As flattering as it would be, I don't really swing that way.
Well, bro code.
Embarrassing things that happen while drunk stay private.
Unless it's funny.
I feel kind of bad, though. A lot of these messages are from Pyrrha saying how she knows I won't see them for a while, but she still updates me. There are a bunch of pictures, or just random things she talks about.
Just as I was pondering that, I got a message from Headmaster Ozpin, telling me to go to the cafeteria.
Well, I think I remembered where that was?
Beacon Campus was rather large, but the cafeteria was sort of in the…middle? Near the elevator that went up to the headmaster's office.
Funnily, no one really bats an eye at my presence.
The Vytal Festival was coming up, based on what I knew. It was a big event; all the kingdoms have their academy students fight in a tournament style to show off, blah blah. But it means that everyone has to travel somewhere for the tournament.
And it's apparently being hosted at Beacon this year, so 'outsiders' have been rolling in recently.
It was neat.
It made me almost nostalgic for school too.
Almost.
There were good parts, despite how much I hated everything.
Hmm, was I feeling envious? It's a rather human emotion, I suppose. Envious of something I never got to have?
Sometimes, I wonder, what would have happened if things had been different? I don't think I would change anything based on how I am now, at risk of losing anything. But, I guess it's a romantic daydream despite my desire to keep the life I have now.
But I digress.
My nostalgia could only distract me for so long, and I believe I found the cafeteria.
I pushed the doors open, and there were a few people inside. Beacon was a large school; there were bound to be people here at nearly all hours of the day.
But I found my target immediately.
I furrowed my brow when I noticed Specialist Schnee was here too, apparently beating me in timing, but I ignored that for now because I was discovered.
"Will!"
A red-headed missile shot at me, and I opened my arms. "Hey Red." I smiled happily, taking her into a big hug. "It's been a while."
"I didn't know you were coming!" She said excitedly.
Huh, she really is a lot like Jeanne. I've noticed quite a few similarities in both mannerisms and behavior.
"It's hard to do a surprise if the person knows about it." I pulled on her cheeks.
She puffed up cutely. "That's not what I meant! I…."
"I know, I missed you too, Red." I gave her another hug.
Pyrrha never had very many friends; I already knew that. Her whole 'identity' as a champion, and a mascot, and basically a celebrity made it difficult to connect with other people.
"Look at you, did you get taller? You're going to get taller than me at this point. Have you been eating? Have you been eating too much?" I playfully pinched her side.
"Are you implying that I'm fat!?" She let out a squeak.
"No, no…" I trailed off. "I would never imply something like that…."
"Don't say it like that!" She hit my shoulder. "That's exactly what you're implying! I'm not fat! Do you have any idea how much I train and work out?"
I let out a chuckle, holding my hands up as she hit my shoulder a few more times. It got her out of her initial mood, and she brightened up again.
"Maybe you're the one who got fat." She let out a huff, putting her hands on her hips. "And you do look taller."
I took my hat off, putting it on her head as I sort of measured myself against her. "Huh, maybe I have gotten slightly taller."
She giggled as she adjusted the hat on her head. "You're not denying you got fat, huh?"
"Listen, that just means there's more of me to love." I swung my hips in an exaggerated manner. "More cushion for the pushin."
"Brothers!" She went bright red. "Don't say something like that!" She said as she covered her face. "I can't believe you would say that in public."
"Listen, Pyrrha—" I put my arm around her shoulders. " -- You're going to need to learn sooner or later that I have no shame."
She let out a groan.
"Accept it, Pyrrha. You're stuck with me. This is what the rest of your life is going to be like. At the most inappropriate times, I'm going to say or do something that makes you question your life choices." I said with full sincerity.
"That's already happened." She deadpanned.
I raised an eyebrow. "Is that sarcasm? That's not allowed, you cinnamon bun." I pulled on her ponytail.
"Stooooop!" She whined.
I don't know what it is about her that makes me want to bully her, but I can't stop myself.
Her bulliable levels are off the chart.
The only one that can equal her is Jeanne.
I always think this, but Pyrrha really could pass as my family member. The shade of red hair matches really well, and it's hard to find someone who has it so close.
"Now, I believe I told you I expected a certain number of new friends the next time we met." I gave her a stern look.
She puffed her cheeks up, and I had to resist the urge to pull on them again.
[Line Break]
Pyrrha all but dragged me over to the table she was sitting at with her friends.
"Hey Ruby, it's been a while." I greeted the first of the group.
Ruby's eyes lit up; mouth full, she smiled and waved back at me.
"If I recall, Blake—" I pointed to the black-haired girl. "Then Yang and Weiss." I named all of them, but there were a few missing from teams Rainbow and Raspberry.
And lastly.
"And Specialist Schnee, fancy seeing you here." I added.
The specialist gave me a glare.
Awkward.
"Yo, Pyrrah's totally-not-brother." Yang casually gave me a greeting back.
"We're not related, Yang." Pyrrha said sternly.
"Listen, girl, you're not fooling anyone with that hair." Yang snorted.
Honestly, it's really believable.
Blake was…a quieter girl; she waved politely. Well, we weren't really friends, so I took it as it was intended.
Weiss pursed her lips.
"Miss Nikos, I should advise you to choose who you acquaint yourself with more carefully." Specialist Schnee's tone carried a hint of sternness to it, like she was giving a warning. "It wouldn't do well for your image if you're found to be associated with criminals."
"Remind me again, whose family had slaves working in the mines?" I casually retorted.
"Oh, that's an oof." Yang commented.
"Yang, stop encouraging insults towards my family." Weiss scowled. "Such accusations are unsubstantiated."
"I literally have pictures." I retorted.
But Weiss just scowled deeper.
"Weiss, don't hide your head in the sand." Her sister said calmly. "It's a known fact that happened now."
I blinked because I didn't expect her to be so open about it.
Seems like neither did the others.
"S-sister?" Weiss looked at her in confusion.
"Yes?" Winter looked back.
"I mean, aren't you…?"
"Offended?" Winter finished for her. "Why would I be offended? It's a factual statement, and despite my dislike towards the criminal, he is not wrong."
"You're admitting that the Schnee Dust company was using Faunus slave labor!?" Blake all but shouted in astonishment.
"Yes? Is there a problem?" Winter asked her. "Is it because of my family name? I assure you, I had no hand in such deplorable conditions and practices. I condemn what happened fully."
Blake held her mouth open for some reason. "B-but you're a Schnee?"
"Yes, that is also correct. I understand your prejudice considering that you're a Faunus, but I assure you that I do not agree with the crimes committed against those people." Winter kept her tone polite and to the point still.
There was a moment, then Weiss opened her mouth. "What do you mean, Faunus?"
"I-I'm not—!?" Blake also panicked.
Winter blinked. "...was it supposed to be a secret? Your bow on your head was twitching noticeably." She pointed out. "Oh, you said your name was Belladonna, yes? You wouldn't happen to be the daughter of the leaders of Menagerie?"
Blake looked like she wanted to run away.
Weiss was looking like she was having an existential crisis.
And this was some of the best entertainment I've had in a while.
It was like watching a live TV drama.
I wish I had some popcorn.
"You're a Faunus!?" Weiss raised her voice.
"Did you seriously not know?" Even Yang spoke up.
"You knew too!?" Weiss's eyes widened.
"Even Ruby knew." Yang nudged her sister.
"Uh…yeah? Like she said, we've seen it twitch a bunch of times. I thought it was just a fashion thing, like my cape." Ruby pulled her cape up defensively.
"Um… I knew too…?" Pyrrha awkwardly held her hand up.
"I noticed the first time we met." I admitted.
Blake also hung her mouth open.
"All this time, I've been living with a Faunus, and no one told me!?" Weiss's face went bright red.
"I-I…." Blake shuddered, and her eyes darted to the door. "
"Weiss, behave yourself; you are far too old to be throwing a tantrum." Winter scolded her.
"But Sister, she's a Faunus—"
"Weiss." Winter said a bit more sternly. "Stop behaving like our father. Why is it a problem if she's a faunus?"
"Because she's—"
"And she's a Schnee!" Blake even pointed at Weiss too, as if to the two of them, it made some sort of sense. "And you're a Schnee! Why are you okay with it?"
Winter shook her head and let out a sigh. "I am an Atlassian Specialist, part of the Atlas Military. At least a quarter of the military's personnel are Faunus. The teams I operate with have Faunus members for whom I trust my life to on a monthly basis."
It was kind of funny how that shut both of them up.
"You're my sister's friend and schoolmate; I'm more than happy to answer any questions or concerns you may have about these…delicate subjects, Miss Belladonna." Winter added with just further seemed to throw them for a loop.
"I think you broke them." Yang poked at Blake.
"Well, it's what happens when your worldview gets shattered." I hummed.
I could catch the gist of it.
Weiss was probably kind of racist here, or at least had an unconscious fear of Faunus? Considering who her father is, I could imagine that she gets constantly harassed and has been harassed or even targeted by Faunus throughout her life.
And on the flip side, Blake here is a Faunus who was on the opposite side and had some strong beliefs towards the Schnee name.
Ironically, they apparently had a good relationship as classmates through this point.
Blake getting 'proven wrong,' and Winter, whom I could imagine Weiss sort of looks up to, telling her she's wrong.
"By the way, Pyrrha, where's everyone else?" I ignored the awkward and tense atmosphere.
"Oh, um…. Rufus was going into the city to buy some supplies. Ren and Nora also went into the city; that was definitely not for a date." She replied, sounding like she was certainly quoting them on the last part.
"Wait!" Ruby smacked the table, earning everyone's attention. "You said that Blake's parents are the leaders of Menagerie!? Does that mean Blake is a princess!?"
There was a moment of silence as they stared at Ruby, then at Blake.
Even Weiss seemed to unconsciously want an answer to that question.
"The kingdoms have dissolved the royalty system from the previous era." Winter responded. "However, considering that Menagerie doesn't operate off the same agreements and systems, and her father carries the title of 'Chieftain,' I suppose that would not be an inaccurate address."
"...princess Blake." Yang whispered.
"Yang…" Blake said in a low voice.
"Princess Blake!" Ruby threw her hands up.
"Nice to meet you, Princess Blake." Pyrrha joined in.
And I was proud of her.
She was certainly not this…confident in social situations when she first joined Beacon.
Blake covered her face with her hands as they continued to tease her.
And funnily, I could sort of see Weiss's shoulders relax as her lips twitched a little, as if holding back a smile.
I swat at Pyrrha's ponytail from under my hat. "If you're not busy with anything, is there something you want to do, Red? Anywhere you want to go? My time right now is all yours."
"Anything?" Pyrrha perked up.
"Well…mostly anything. If you want to take a day trip to another kingdom or something with me, you would probably have to ask Ozpin for permission." I told her.
I saw Yang perk up. "Hot damn, your Semblance lets you just bounce all the way to another kingdom?"
They all seemed to pick up on that.
Did they not realize how vast my 'semblance' was until now? Or, did I ever talk about it in detail?
"I can go anywhere in the world." I confirmed.
"And that's in the hands of a criminal." Winter drawled.
"Allegedly." I added, but that just earned a flat look.
"Then…can we spar?" Pyrrha asked, her eyes practically sparkling.
"Really? That's what you want?"
She just nodded happily.
I wanted to sigh, but then I remembered that they were at a combat school.
Fine, but only because you're adorable.
[Line Break]
A/N
If you want to read 10 chapters ahead or support me, visit my p.a.t.r.e.o.n.c.o.m / astoryforone
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