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  Editor and Beta Reader: LoneStar, SurvivorSAM, Reiter

  “You’re fired!”

  “No, I quit!”

  The door smmed shut behind her, and Weiss seethed as she stomped away from the stupid store, tearing away the frilly accessories in her hair before throwing them in the nearest dumpster.

  How dare they! To expect her to do such things?

  She had been job hunting all day and nearly all stores, restaurants, companies, and any business that Weiss was confident working in told her the same thing.

  She was overqualified.

  The first company Weiss stopped in was a construction contractor. They needed someone for heavy lifting, and she offered to use her glyphs to speed up the work. It turned out it was illegal to use Huntsmen abilities for such work in Vale without a Huntsman license, or at least a student license.

  It was utter hogwash!

  Her second stop was a restaurant, who told her she looked high maintenance, whatever the hell that meant.

  Her third stop cimed she looked too straight-ced. What did having her shoes double-knotted have to do with working in a wyer’s office?!

  Her fourth stop was at a bar that cimed she had a scowling face (she did not! Her face was perfectly cute, and she spent countless hours in the mirror practicing her smile!)

  Some cad even told her she had a resting bitch face! Weiss was certainly not a bitch, and the scoundrel deserved that sp to the face.

  Yet the most common reason to refuse hiring her was simple. Why hire some educated Atlesian who will expect fair wages when there are a million refugees, with even better credentials, willing to work for nickels?

  Finally, after eight hours of trying to find a job in the commercial district, she finally found a pce that hired her on the spot.

  A Maid Cafe.

  From the job description, it was supposed to be a simple cafe catering to the more well-off caste of society, with the waitresses dressing as maids. True, the uniforms had a bit too low a cut with an emphasis on the cleavage and shoulders, yet her dress was considered cssy enough for her to work in.

  Weiss thought it was a poor man’s attempt to get a feel for the rich man’s world, yet she did not care.

  The pay was good, great even! ￡15 an hour, plus tips? She would be capable of making enough to cover another week of rent if she worked extra hard.

  Too bad it all turned out to be a hoax, and there was a reason the sleazy harlot who hired her, Madame Green, had leered at her intensely before taking her in. While the cafe still operated like a regur eatery at the front, it was a damned brothel in the back!

  That bastard got what he deserved when he tried to feel her up; breaking his wrist was the least she managed to do before she was surrounded by what she realized were pimps.

  No wonder they had such security, the lowlifes were probably with the mob. If she had not fred her aura threateningly and froze a daring thug’s arm for touching her, they would have certainly held her captive.

  Who knew what they would have forced her to do then?

  Weiss shuddered at the thought, which made her even angrier as she ripped off the st of the stupid accessories they attached to her dress before turning to the cafe. She was so tempted to bst it to bits, and she could certainly do it even without Myrtenaster. Her dress had Ice Dust weaved into it, and she could access it at any time, even faster than using Myrtenaster. A few propulsion glyphs on the debris and other random things strewn in the alley, and she could turn that building into icy rubble!

  But no, there were innocent girls inside who were already downtrodden as it was…and was it worth it to waste her precious Dust reserves over that?

  But the owner still did not pay her for the three hours of work she did, so…

  Feeling a vein popping on her forehead, Weiss growled as she fought the urge to drown the alley in an iceberg.

  With a wave of her hand, she created a propulsion glyph and aimed carefully at where that sleazy woman’s office was before casting another one inside her projectile of choice; the same dumpster she had thrown her uniform in. It was full of food waste and refuse; perfect ammunition!

  With another glyph, this one a flotation one that lifted the dumpster a few feet in the air, Weiss kicked it towards the first glyph.

  The rge and stinky metal contraption was propelled through the air, letting loose its contents until it crashed through the wall and into the office. In hindsight, Weiss grimaced, as that could very well have killed anyone inside.

  It was still worth it.

  The effect was as glorious as it was messy, and the screeching of that bitch was music to her ears as she angrily looked out of her destroyed office. Weiss snorted into the most undylike ughter she could muster as the woman’s heavily make-up face had food refuse all over her, and her green hair had yellow gunk flowing down her face.

  “What’s wrong, Nancy? You’re looking a little Green.”

  It was not the most articute of taunts, but Weiss was beyond caring at the moment, simply grinning as the brothel madame screeched at the thugs coming out of the backdoor to check the noise.

  “What the fuck are you limpdicks waiting for? I want that bitch tied up and squealing in my dungeon YESTERDAY!”

  Remembering Ruby’s advice, Weiss hightailed it out of there, with the thugs in hot pursuit. This was supposed to be a well-off part of the commercial district, at least, it looked like so with its quaint streets and niche stores. Yet, as she noticed the ck of police presence, perhaps it was not as prosperous as it seemed.

  Or maybe it was the te hour.

  Weiss could not remember how long or how far she had run. The thugs were persistent, and she was tired. Once she turned into an alley, she quickly used a propulsion glyph to shoot up to the roofs and continued running and jumping from one rooftop to the next. Within minutes, she felt safe enough to take a break.

  “Ugh, what a mess.” She nded on an expansive roof where half of it was a garden of sorts with neatly trimmed trees and bushes. The other half was dedicated to a nding pad for bullheads, yet she found none at the moment.

  Finding no one around, the runaway heiress couldn't help but rest on a bench.

  She was tired, hungry, and worried about her future. It was only her first day in Vale, and things were not going well at all. At least the chase got her heart pumping and her blood rushing. Yet it was all worth being away from her control freak of a father.

  Suddenly, Weiss jumped to her feet at the sight of Jacques Schnee gring down at her from above, only to scoff at her fidgeting. It was a massive screen attached to one of the buildings that had a news channel on with subtitles. For a moment, she feared her father had taken to the news to announce her disappearance before rexing.

  It was just another interview about the treatment of faunus in the SDC’s mines.

  Weiss checked the time, finding it eleven in the evening. She sighed loudly, id her head on the back of the bench, and ignored her father’s blown-up image in favor of staring at the shattered moon watching her from above.

  Its light was weak, and she could barely see a star in the sky, unlike in Ats where she could always see the consteltions and the auroras. She never appreciated them enough, and now, all she could see in the Valean skies was darkness and the tall buildings that threatened to suffocate her with their custrophobic designs.

  Weiss frowned as she noticed dark shadows dashing quickly along the rooftops but rexed when she recognized them.

  It wasn't the first time Weiss had seen huntsmen coming and going in the busy city. Many of them could travel by roof jumping like she just did. Perhaps she should start emuting them more, it was more convenient considering the crowded streets. It would save her on transportation expenses as well.

  Even at night, the City of Vale never slept. Car horns beeped, police sirens bred, and stores were open with barkers and criers showcasing their goods. The sound of thousands of people walking and talking below her echoed the noise of the millions of people in the streets. Whatever building she was on, it was bring loud music and many people talking at the same time.

  Weiss wanted to close her eyes and ignore it all. To pretend she was back home together with her family; whole and complete. No SDC, no huntsmen, no politics - maybe go on a camping trip? Or whatever families did when they gathered.

  It was a sad thought that she did not even know how families normally acted around each other.

  She blew a loose strand of her hair from her face as she raised her hand to the moon, imagining it within her grasp. Would her family forever be cursed to be like that, rge and bright to everyone who looks from afar yet fractured into a thousand pieces?

  “I didn't realize we had a visitor.”

  Weiss flinched horribly as she jumped from the bench to find an older Mistralian girl staring curiously from a doorway. She had long, straight bck hair and green almond-shaped eyes set on an impassive face. She looked to be in her te teens or early twenties, but Weiss had discovered it was nearly impossible to tell the ages of Mistralians - they could be twenty or forty for all she knew. Dressed in a stylish white dress that had Weiss nod in approval, the taller girl tapped her foot impatiently as she held a tray of food.

  “Well? This is private property. May I help you?”

  “Oh, uhm. I'm so sorry; I didn't mean to intrude.” Weiss thanked her lucky stars her mother had diligently taught her all those courtesy lessons on how to deal with foreigners - she kept both arms to her sides and bowed with her head lowered, but her eyes subtly inspected the girl.

  She did not miss the bded heels of the girl's white boots, nor the toned legs and subtle hints of an aura user. Weiss did not have a chance to use her identification glyph, but there was no need. Pale and unblemished skin without a single scar, combined with the way the girl carried herself - there was no doubt she was an aura user. One who had aura from a young age as well.

  Aura did not wipe away old scars once unlocked.

  Another thing was her dress. At first gnce, it just looked stylish but Weiss could see the telltale signs of Dust weaving. Considering the color, it was probably Ice Dust, just like her own dress.

  Weiss was far too tired to get into fights, especially without her weapon. Besides, she was in the wrong, and she had no issue admitting that.

  The older girl gazed at her with a frosty expression before nodding and setting her tray on a table.

  “At least you're polite. Who are you?”

  “Weiss Schnee.”

  “I see,” the girl sat on a chair next to the table and id one leg over the other, with her arms resting on her knee. “My name is Menie Machite. I did not expect to stumble on such a high-profile personage during my lunch break. You are a long way from home, Miss Schnee.”

  “… Sorry about that. I was uh…having a walk?” She straightened her back and held her elbow as she awkwardly stared at a rose bush.

  “So you had a walk…up the walls and to the rooftop.” Menie nodded again, and Weiss grimaced - it was the mest excuse she could devise. “That is the mest excuse I have ever heard.”

  “Hey, it started as a walk… then a jog, then maybe a run.” The more she talked, the more Menie narrowed her eyes until Weiss was fed up. “Okay, I was running away from some thugs! Happy now?”

  “Not particurly.” Menie shrugged as she grabbed a sandwich from a pte. The sight had Weiss’ stomach rumbling - she hadn't eaten a thing since that ice cream in the morning.

  The dark-haired girl noticed her gaze and hesitantly offered her one, “Hungry? Come have a seat.”

  She looked warily at the girl’s extended hand, and Weiss finally realized that Menie felt just as awkward and uncertain as she was.

  That nearly had her burst out ughing, but instead, nodded swiftly and joined the older girl at the table.

  She could not afford to refuse free food, after all.

  “Thank you, that is very kind of you.” Weiss smiled at the girl and waited for her nod before grabbing a smoked salmon sandwich.

  It tasted heavenly after her long day.

  “Don't mention it.” Menie looked sideways as she chewed on her own sandwich, “My sister made too much anyway.”

  “That is still very kind of you to offer food to a stranger.” And she truly meant it. Weiss did not expect such kindness from someone she only met and whom she was trespassing on her property. Maybe Valeans weren’t so bad after all?

  “I'm sure you would do the same in my pce.”

  They ate in silence for a few minutes before Menie served her a cup of hot green tea. It helped to wash down the food, and Weiss found herself rexing into her chair.

  “So where's your entourage, Princess? I highly doubt the heiress of the SDC would be walking around the streets of Vale with nothing but the clothes on her back.”

  “… You don't need to worry about that.”

  “I dunno, having the famed Ats operatives blowing up the front door for a rescue is not how I would want my shift to end.”

  “How do you know about that?” Weiss looked warily as the other girl drained her tea before pulling out a pack of thin cigarettes. “How did you even know I am the heiress of the SDC? There are many Schnees all over the pce, It's not a particurly rare name.”

  She was on the edge of her seat, ready to spring away at a moment’s notice. Not many people knew the specifics of her family; her father preferred to hog all the attention, which, for good or bad, assured her a modicum of a private life. For some random girl in Vale of all pces to know about not just her but Ats’s operatives? This was no normal girl; she most likely had connections to unscrupulous people.

  Ugh, what had she gotten herself into?

  The young woman leisurely tapped her pack and let a stick out. She pulled it with her lips before offering her one. Weiss firmly shook her head; she had never smoked in her life, and she did not pn to.

  Menie shrugged before lighting the cigarette with an ornate lighter, “There is only one Weiss Schnee in Ats, and with Winter Schnee’s position in the Ats Military, it made sense that you would be the heiress.” Weiss watched as the older girl took a deep drag from the cigarette before blowing out the smoke. “It helps that you didn’t deny it earlier.”

  “Fair enough,” She tried to calm her jittering nerves with a sip from her tea, but only the dregs were left. Weiss gritted her teeth as the frustration she had bottled up for weeks boiled inside her and burst out like a dam, “I ran away from home.”

  “…Oh.” Menie took another drag, but her impassive face turned to her with interest, “You seem like you need to vent a bit. I’m told I’m a good listener, so feel free to talk about it if you like.”

  She knew this was a bad idea - talking to a stranger about such private matters. Matters that could get her family and their company in trouble. Heavens, if what she suspected about the girl being connected to the mafia, then this was definitely a bad idea.

  Weiss knew that many would love to use her as a tool to get payback on her father; he was just that charming of a man. Yet, she never felt threatened, nor was she ever in danger of kidnapping or assassination that she knew of. Nevertheless, the tales of what may happen to her if she let her guard down had stuck in her mind since she was a child. It was part of the reason she was trained so extensively to be a Huntress.

  She knew the smart thing to do was to keep quiet, thank the girl for the meal, and excuse herself.

  Yet, Weiss still found herself pouring her heart out to the patient girl. From her father breaking his promise, to her worry about the future of the SDC, to the weakness she felt and the apathy pguing Ats society, to how she had to sneak away from her home like some fugitive, and finally to the events of the day.

  Before she knew it, Weiss was pacing in front of the table as she let it all out.

  Menie, already on her second cigarette, really was a good listener. She remained silent yet focused as Weiss talked, only asking for crification regarding that pig at the port authority and the secret brothel. It felt great to talk about it, even if it left her heaving and tired, but Weiss could feel a weight being lifted off her shoulders.

  “That’s a lot to take in, but I think I understand what your main concerns are. Here,” Menie offered her a cigarette again, but Weiss looked hesitant. “You look like you need one.”

  “Smoking is not good for you.” Yet, Weiss could not tear her gaze away from the innocent-looking stick.

  “You have your aura unlocked; you don’t have to worry about side effects like regur people.”

  She would not deny being curious. Her father smoked cigars, and she had seen her mother smoking simir-looking thin cigarettes. Her father taught her and her siblings to avoid smoking like it was drugs, and even then, most narcotics were legal to consume anyway. Weiss suspected it was just another way for Father to control her; something foolish like girls shouldn’t smoke but could always drink wine in one of his private events.

  The hypocrisy!

  A small rebellious part of her mind told Weiss to do it, just to spite her father - so he could see his perfect little daughter being disobedient and uncouth. A gnce at the still running screen where her father spoke drivel about the SDC’s treatment of faunus being baseless accusations had Weiss grit her teeth.

  That part won.

  “… Just the one, then.” She grabbed a stick and pced it in her mouth. Its texture was weird, and had an herb-like taste.

  Weiss lowered her head as Menie raised her lighter, “For first-timers, don’t take a deep–”

  She fell into a coughing fit as the smoldering smoke entered her lungs. It took her a moment before she was able to breathe again, and looked at the cigarette in disgust, “Why would anyone inhale such vile poison?”

  “You’re not supposed to take it to your lungs,” Menie smirked as she inhaled the smoking stick, bringing the wick down to the middle before blowing a rge smoke cloud out. “Breathe it, but don’t inhale it; keep it in your mouth for a second, then blow it out again. The nicotine is already in your bloodstream without actively taking it to your lungs. Only amateurs and heavy smokers take it fully to the lungs.”

  Still looking at the cigarette warily, Weiss was tempted to throw it away, but she was not a quitter! Taking a smaller breath and doing as Menie recommended, it flowed easier this time. There was still a burn from the tobacco, but it was a pleasant one. Blowing out the smoke, she found herself staring at it idly as the wind picked it up and dispersed it, leaving an acrid smell behind.

  They continued to smoke in silence, Weiss standing next to the still-seated girl. “Feel better?”

  “Slightly, I certainly feel calmer.” And more clear-headed, she added inwardly. “I don’t think I like smoking, though. It leaves a bad smell.”

  “It is an expensive hobby as well.” Menie gazed at her, and Weiss stifled the urge to shift on her feet as the other girl’s emerald eyes seemed to inspect her from head to toe. “So you are in need of a job.”

  “Yes, are you offering one?”

  “Depends; we run the club downstairs, and you’re pretty enough to easily make big bucks working the tables on tips alone, but what talents do you have? I already know you’re a spoiled princess who grew up with a silver spoon, but surely, there are some things you learned that are of use?”

  “Hey, I am not a spoiled princess! I had to train diligently in order to be accepted into a Huntsman academy.” Weiss bit on her cigarette as she gred at the girl, “I can fight with the best of them and am very talented with glyphs.”

  “While that is useful, and definitely impressive, we are not in need of any enforcers. Besides, it would not do well on your record if you are caught roughing up a drunk customer or a rival gang.”

  “Oh? So you run a gang here?” Weiss had suspected since no aura users would be satisfied with a normal life - that feeling of power would drive one to desire more, especially at such a young age. “Should I need to worry about getting kidnapped and held for ransom?”

  Her tone was light and joking, yet the idea had always been in the back of her mind. Estranged or not, Jacques Schnee would be honor-bound, what little of it he had left anyway, to save her and pay whatever ransom demanded.

  “Nah, you’re too high-maintenance.”

  She flinched. Again with that term!

  “Besides, even if we manage to capture you and your father pays the ransom, there is no way we would ever be safe from the SDC. I would rather not have the richest and most powerful corporation in the world sending huntsmen and assassins after my pretty arse.” Menie blew out a cloud of smoke as she smirked lightly. “Much safer to deal in barely legal drugs and racketeering.”

  Weiss stifled a snort, not sure if it was from amusement or not, and opted to take another drag of her smoke. They silently gazed at each other while their respective cigarettes slowly dwindled, allowing ashes to fall on the ground.

  “… Singing.”

  “Pardon?”

  “You asked if I have a talent aside from fighting. I doubt you would be interested in intellectual or administrative matters, so - singing. I can sing.”

  “Show me.”

  Weiss took a deep drag of the cigarette, finishing it and dousing it in the ashtray before coughing lightly. “What song would you like to hear?”

  “Whatever you are comfortable with.”

  Unsure of what to sing, Weiss looked around for any inspiration. The first thing that came to mind was some of the Atlesian cssics, popur with the nobility and the wealthy, but she did not think Menie was looking for that.

  Suddenly, her eyes fell on a small fountain, with its clear waters reflecting the shattered moon above like a mirror. Before she knew it, she was standing over it, staring at the reflection of the broken moon hanging lonely in the starless sky.

  Mirror, tell me something,

  Tell me who's the loneliest of all?

  Mirror, tell me something,

  Tell me who's the loneliest of all?

  Fear of what's inside of me;

  Tell me, can a heart be turned to stone?

  Mirror, mirror, what's behind you?

  Save me from the things I see!

  I can keep it from the world,

  Why won't you let me hide from me?

  Mirror, mirror, tell me something,

  Who's the loneliest of all?

  I'm the loneliest of all.

  Her voice was huskier than normal, probably from smoking, but she thought she did well. Weiss flinched at the sound of cpping, noticing there were two of them.

  Turning around, she found a giant of a man cpping along with the still seated Menie. The older girl was smiling, genuinely so, unlike her earlier smirks or quips, and her eyes seemed to be shining.

  Weiss had eyes only for the newcomer. Tall and powerfully built, the man was clearly Mistralian. He wore a bartender’s outfit consisting of a bck vest over a white dress shirt, a red tie, bck gloves, and bck dress pants. She noticed some sort of rge shotgun strapped to his back and the same signs of an aura user.

  “Bravo, bravo. When Menie texted me to come to the roof, I didn’t know what to expect.” The man looked annoyingly at the seated girl. “Here I am, expecting a fight or a sordid rendezvous, and instead, I am treated to such an exquisite performance.”

  “She can be our main attraction during our more leisurely nights.” Menie stood up, approached her, and held her hands before leading her back to whom she assumed was her boss. “What do you think, Weiss? Care to perform to a rger audience? I’m sure Junior here will pay you handsomely.”

  “Name’s Hei Xiong, but people call me Junior.” The man inspected her, not unlike how Menie did earlier, but Weiss stood straight and tall - or as tall as she could, compared to a man whom she could barely reach his midriff. “I doubt she would be able to sing anything popur with the youth these days. What song was that anyway?”

  “…I just came up with it on the fly.”

  Junior gawked while Menie’s eyes widened. “Impressive. How confident are you in memorizing new songs?”

  “Very. Why do you ask?” Weiss folded her arms and looked inquisitively at the man, “Are you offering me a job?”

  “Yes, I dare say, I am offering you a job. How does ￡200 sound? My club usually pys disco and synth trash, but I still reserve a couple of hours in the evening for proper singers. Unfortunately, it’s hard to find good singers these days.”

  ￡200? And for a couple of hours of work?

  “I’ll do it!”

  “Good, you can also work the tables during downtime, but I’ll only pay ￡20 an hour, and I get half of any tips.”

  “Hey, you will not leech off my girls.” Menie spped the man’s arm, “She keeps all her tips.”

  “B-But, I share whatever I get in the tip jar! And those are my tips.”

  “Of course you do, and you should. Who do you think brings those customers in the first pce?”

  Weiss smiled awkwardly at the banter between the two, as well as the almost petunt way Junior protested to Menie. She was not sure who the boss was anymore.

  “Ugh, alright, alright. Calling me a leech when you are the ones freeloading under my roof.” Another sp to the arm ceased Junior’s grumbling. “What was your name again?”

  “Weiss Schnee.”

  Her new employer froze, his eyes wide, as he stared at her dumbstruck before turning to the smirking Menie. “HUH?!”

  Weiss yawned heavily as she sat on the ferry on her way back to the Wayward Mermaid. It had been a really long night, and her new employers had suggested she go home and come in the evening for her first shift. She disagreed and worked as a waitress for the rest of the night, getting shadowed by Menie’s sister, Miltia.

  The twins were identical, yet their personalities couldn’t be more different.

  Menie had an arrogance about her that stemmed from her intelligence and knowledge of the world. Miltia was far more soft-spoken and polite, easily following Junior’s orders and helping her learn the ropes. Between the two sisters, Menie was clearly the leader, while Miltia the follower.

  Still, she only broke eight gsses and did not get into a single fight!

  It was a surprise how all the club goers looked at her warily. Turns out the twins had a reputation for not tolerating mischief, and people naturally assumed she was on the same level as them.

  A subtle usage of her analyze glyph told her that the twins had less aura than her…combined. Junior, after he calmed down and was assured the SDC wouldn’t come knocking on his door with a huntsmen team or two, also had less than her, but that did not mean she could underestimate them. As her sister would say, it was not how much aura you had but what you did with it that mattered.

  Besides, Weiss came from a long line of heroes and huntsmen; her grandfather was a famous adventurer and war hero even. It’s only natural that she would have more aura than normal people. Not to say the twins were normal, but their aura levels were still respectably high, just not to her level.

  Only Ruby and Yang were on her level in Vale so far, with the blonde nearly equal to her, but that was to be expected from well-bred huntresses in training.

  Regardless, Junior was fair in his pay: a hundred lien for five hours of work plus her tips, which were another twenty lien…which she had to pay back for breaking those gsses. Still, it's not bad for her first-ever job.

  Weiss yawned again and checked the time: nearly six. The sun was slowly rising behind her, and Weiss leaned on the open-air ferry’s railing.

  Naturally, it was packed, for Vale never slept. There were many people returning from their night shifts to the residential districts. Weiss watched her fellow passengers; some were nodding off, others were talking to their families on their scrolls, and one was even greeting his son, who had just woken up and showing off a present he brought.

  Humans, Faunus, men, women, kids her age and younger…everyone had their roles and lives. Tiny cogs in the vast machine that was Vale. Weiss shook her head and yawned again; sleepy thoughts were weird.

  She idly listened to the news on her scroll, a habit she had started since her escape - Weiss always had this Grimm’s shadow chasing her; that her father would swallow his pride and call for a manhunt after her. Thankfully, the news was just the same boring topics repyed from yesterday.

  Mayor Thorne talked about recovering from the war and promised the citizens that his top priority was stopping the inflow of refugees - something about sending them to a pce called Celdic.

  As they approached the dock, they passed by her hotel, and Weiss raised an eyebrow as she found her neighbor still fishing. He obviously caught some, judging by the grill he had next to him with a few skewered fish on it.

  The man looked up from his line and noticed her looking at him. She was barely close enough to notice his dark blue eyes and deep bags under them. His lips were pursed as if he were whistling a tone, yet he waved a hand zily when he noticed her.

  Weiss waved back, then suddenly felt a chill crawl down her spine as those dark blue eyes shined for a moment. Before she could understand what was happening, another boat passed the other way, probably ferrying early risers for their morning shifts. By the time the boat was gone, the fisherman was staring back at his line with a serene smile.

  Shaking her head, Weiss bmed the morning breeze for that sudden chill. She fought back the urge to nap and waited for the ferry to dock before exiting with the mass of people. None seemed to come close to her, and she attributed it to her aura naturally acting as a repellent and deterrent; people would not realize why, but they would subconsciously shy away from huntsmen and other aura users to an extent.

  Within a few minutes, Weiss was back at the hotel, finding the same woman from yesterday sitting with her legs on her heavy desk while smoking. “Oh, you’re alive. Tsk, what a drag.”

  “Excuse me?” Weiss gred at the woman despite her exhaustion; Becky, she thought her name was. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Eh, you dropped your stuff and disappeared for the whole day and only now are coming back. Thought I hit the jackpot.” Becky pulled on her cigarette before blowing a cloud of noxious fumes - it was far more pungent than Menie’s cigarette pack. “If you didn’t show up in another hour, I would have pawned your shit and hit it big.”

  “Sorry to disappoint, but I’m not that easy to get rid of.”

  “Clearly. Well? Gonna stay for another day?”

  “Yes, the price hasn’t gone up, has it?” She stared warily at the woman, who had grinned cattily at her as she moved her cigarette from one side of her mouth to the other with her tongue.

  “It did, but I’ll give you a break since you haven’t actually used the room. I’m such a generous gal, eh?”

  “Very,” Weiss withdrew her wallet and counted out ￡100; there went her night’s worth of work. “Here, how much would it be tomorrow?”

  “￡120.”

  Weiss hid a grimace, excluding the ￡500 in the bank, she only had ￡212 on her person. She was lucky Junior was so generous and allowed her a free meal before leaving the club, but Weiss would still need to worry about food expenses. Hopefully, she would have earned enough tonight for a few more days.

  “Very well. Is there anything else I should be aware of?”

  Becky counted the money purposely, folded it, and shoved it down her cleavage. “Breakfast is in an hour and sts until ten. Ten Lien for an all-you-can-eat buffet.”

  “Oh, what sort of food?”

  “Aside from cereal and simir junk? Kidney beans, bck beans, fava beans, red beans, baked beans, fried beans, refried beans, white beans, chickpeas, peas, lentils, some bread and cheese, sausages, eggs. Oh, and a lot of fish.”

  Weiss was far too tired to banter with the woman who had a far too wide a grin. Bread, beans, and fish were a staple of Valean cuisine due to how easily it grew in the agriculture district and how safe and abundant the rivers were.

  “I’m sure that sounds delectable, but I will have to pass. Please, don’t bother waking me up for it.”

  “Your loss. Sleep tight, Princess.” Becky took a drag from her cigarette, and Weiss took her leave. She could have sworn the woman tried to call for her again, but she was just too exhausted.

  Weiss stumbled down the hall to her room. The family living next to her was awake, but she noticed the father was taking his two kids somewhere. Thankfully, it seemed she would get some sleep. Opening the door to her room, the heiress to the SDC was too tired to even shower. She took off the tiara holding her hair, barely got out of her smelly outfit that was in dire need of a wash, and colpsed on the bed in her underwear.

  .

  .

  .

  She jerked awake to a loud explosion. Weiss groggily stumbled out of her bed at the sound of shouting, screaming, and shattered gss. She fumbled, searching for her weapon, only to remember it was in her case. Weiss’s eyes flew wildly around the room, falling on the cheap clock on the wall telling her it was not even ten in the morning. She tried to search for Myrtenaster's case, but the sound of rushing footsteps outside forced her to act.

  Hurrying out of her room, she found several people running away from the lobby, and Weiss barely managed to grab the mother living next door.

  “What’s happening?”

  “Some gang members are causing trouble! They threw a bomb at the entrance, and Miss Becky sent us away from the dining area.” The woman was on the verge of panic but seemed to notice something about her. “You have aura, right? You must help her! She’s holding them off on her own, but she doesn’t have aura.”

  Even as she said that, Weiss heard the sound of curses and gunfire, but most importantly, a familiar grating voice bring out from a megaphone.

  “I KNOW YOU’RE IN THERE, YOU SNOWY BITCH! GET OUT HERE BEFORE I FILL THE WHOLE PLACE WITH CORPSES!!”

  How the devil did that harlot know she was here?

  “Go, I will do what I can.” The woman nodded and ran down the hallway. Weiss was about to go back to her room to properly dress and find her sword, but a pained scream from the lobby stopped her. Scowling and feeling responsible for bringing that maniac here, she dashed the opposite way everyone was running.

  Weiss stopped right before the entrance to the lobby to cast a mirror glyph on her left eye and expanded it into a tube to reach around the corner, allowing her to safely inspect the pce. A slight adjustment to the parameters of the glyph formu allowed her to fix the distortion and teral inversion effects, and now she had a periscope made from aura. Definitely impractical, as she could feel the drain on her reserves the longer she had it active, yet still nifty in emergencies.

  The lobby was a mess, but not as bad as she feared. The doors were blown apart, but the bomb was either low-yield or, as she noticed a dark spot on the ground and the many shards of shattered gss, most likely a fshbang. Becky was hidden behind her rge overturned desk, which was riddled with bullet holes, yet strangely it appeared to be heavily reinforced, for none of them had pierced through.

  “Fucking cocksucking pieces of shit. Eat lead, bitches!”

  The woman held her two pistols, which she fired from the sides of the desk, but her head and ears were bleeding. Casting another mirror glyph above her, then yet another glyph on her periscope to zoom to it, Weiss got a better understanding of Becky’s status.

  Looking at the reflection, it appeared Becky did not come out as unscathed as she thought. Her left leg was bleeding from a shard of gss that was still stuck in it. She continued to cuss up a storm, but Weiss could barely understand her; she must have ruptured her eardrums from the fshbang.

  Outside the door were the attackers. Weiss could see the enraged visage of Nancy Green standing behind two thugs holding ballistic shields, still screaming abuse through a megaphone as she called for her head. The aspiring huntress grimaced as she realized why she was so pissed; her face was a scarred mess, and she had one of her eyes in a medical patch.

  Did she really hurt her that badly?

  About twenty or so thugs were hiding behind crates and cars as they fired pistols and submachine guns at the lobby—those that she could see, anyway. Most of them were chasing away the dockworkers from the next dock over, who came to check the disturbance. Weiss bit her lips when she discovered many corpses strewn on the ground; fishermen, dockworkers… she shook her head, now wasn't the time.

  Focusing further away, she spied several pontoon boats docked nearby, with more thugs manning them. They were too far for her to get a closer look, and Weiss focused more on the more important danger.

  “WEISS SCHNEE! DID YOU REALLY THINK YOU COULD GET AWAY WITH SCARRING MY BEAUTIFUL FACE AND LIVE?! COME OUT BEFORE MY BOYS BOMB THIS SHITHOLE TO ASHES!!”

  Beautiful? Weiss scoffed; the old hag might have been average-looking thirty years ago, but now the combination of old age, her garish green hair, and bad makeup made her look grotesque on the best of days.

  Her mind whirred for a pn of action, and soon, she figured out the best distraction.

  Catching Becky’s eye, Weiss tried to call out to her but the woman merely screamed furiously at her. Grinding her teeth, Weiss motioned for her to cover her, and thankfully the woman understood, though judging by her furious gre, Weiss would probably not be able to renew her room today.

  Just as Becky started firing out of the door, Weiss created a speaker glyph right beside the bitch’s ear; she grimaced as her aura dropped to three-quarters from recklessly creating it so far away from her.

  Girding herself, Weiss charging out of the lobby even as she shouted into a mic glyph. “Should have id off the foundation, Nancy. I didn't know we were auditioning for a circus clown role today!”

  It was not her most articute of taunts, yet it did the job as her thugs covered their ears at the sudden scream that caused any nearby gss to shatter. Instantly, Weiss created dozens of gravity glyphs under their feet, causing their knees to buckle, and so did her aura - using what amounted to a disabling skill on nearly forty men plunged her aura down to a third. It would not hold for long, but hopefully long enough for her to capture that bitch.

  Creating a haste glyph on herself followed by a propulsion glyph, Weiss near instantaneously appeared in front of the harlot, her feet banced on her shield toting protectors' shoulders.

  The wide and shocked eye of the old hag had Weiss grinning as she held out her hand, aiming to grab her by the throat… Only to suddenly see darkness and for pain to erupt in her nose.

  For a heartbeat, Weiss felt like she was suspended in midair, before getting propelled several dozen feet, through the crowd of thugs, and crashing back through the hotel's entrance. She rolled several times through the broken gss on the ground, her aura shattering once she finally stopped.

  Pain. All her body was screaming in pain. Her head was in pain, she couldn't breathe and felt blood flowing from her crushed nose. Her teeth rattled, her jaw ached, her neck felt like it nearly broke, and she must have sprained her arm - or even broke it!

  Yet, she managed to breathe through her clenched teeth and open her eyes, allowing tears of agony to flow down her cheek.

  Just what in Remnant had hit her?!

  There was distortion in front of Nancy Green, right where Weiss was standing a second ago. Suddenly, a man appeared, his outstretched leg lowering to the ground. Weiss moaned in pain, but even through the concussion she knew she was suffering, she could guess what had happened.

  The man was a huntsman, or at least an aura user, and had some sort of stealth sembnce. He was dressed in combat fatigues, and wore a mask and sungsses. A burst of ughter from the harlot had Weiss moan again at the grating sound.

  “Heh, nearly gave me a fright there, girlie. Good thing I keep a couple of huntsmen dropouts on payroll.” Nancy Green was breathing heavily as she recovered her wits and gred at her with her one good eye bulging manically, “You’re gonna pay for what you did to me, bitch. I have a sex dungeon with your name carved into it. I will take great pleasure in carving my name on your pretty little face right after I have all my men fuck you silly! I don’t give a fuck if your Daddy owns all of Ats, nobody fucks with me and gets away with it, NOBODY!!”

  Weiss tried to stand, but every bone in her body protested. Her aura was shattered, and she had nothing to protect herself with. Myrtenaster was still in its case, and she was dressed in nothing but a tattered bra and panties. If she at least had her Dust-weaved dress, she could have used the Ice to fight back.

  Regardless, she needed to move, there was no way she would allow those scum to catch her. None could help her; a gnce behind her showed Becky trying to stand, but her leg gave out, and she groaned in pain.

  Weiss doubted the police would do anything; if they hadn’t shown up after so much gunfire, then they probably would not bother in the first pce.

  Forcing her body to stand, the Schnee heiress leaned painfully on a toppled chair as she gred at the hag, even as blood poured from her forehead and the many shards of gss stuck to her skin. There was no way she would go down without a fight. She might not have aura, and barely a few hours of sleep, but Weiss Schnee would never bow down to scum, not when she was so close to earning her way to Beacon.

  Especially to some freak with a vile taste for fashion.

  “What are you waiting for? Grab her, and let’s go, you useless fucks.” The aura user gnced at his employer, but it was the thugs who moved towards her, their leers and grins told her enough of what awaited her if she was caught.

  Just as she was about to drag herself back inside, everyone froze as a sudden pressure filled the harbor, followed by an irritated sigh coming from behind her, causing her to slowly turn and gawk.

  “And I had finally managed to fall asleep…”

  A figure walked out of the hallway to the rooms, passing by Becky, who gawked at him in shock.

  It was a young man with messy blonde hair that reached his neck, a scruffy beard, and an exhausted pair of blue eyes. Familiar blue eyes that Weiss realized she had seen just this morning, fishing from the balcony next to hers.

  The strangest thing about the man’s appearance was what he was wearing. It was a full-body pajamas with a white bunny face on the front. Weiss would have ughed if not for the pain and the terrible situation she was in.

  Turning to the thugs, they looked fbbergasted at the sight of the man, though Weiss thought something was wrong with their frozen state as if they could barely breathe. Focusing on her meager senses, Weiss nearly choked at the sheer amount of bloodlust and malice coming from the aura drowning the area.

  Speaking of, the blonde man gazed at everyone on the dock; his heavy eyes seemed to cause whomever it fell on to stiffen and sweat profusely.

  Finally, they reached hers as he stood right next to her, and the exhausted eyes seemed to turn to stone, yet the vicious feeling to his aura softened to a soothing caress akin to a soft breeze.

  Suddenly, a distortion appeared behind the blonde man, and Weiss tried to scream to watch out but could only let out a pained rasp as she watched a muzzle fsh materialize next to his head.

  Only, it did nothing… The bullet seemed to hit an invisible barrier right before the blonde’s temple. The young man finally turned away from her, slowly raised his hand, and flicked the suspended bullet back to where it came from.

  A pained groan caused the huntsman to lose control of his sembnce and reappear as he dropped a destroyed pistol, only for the blonde to grab his throat and lift him like he was a sack of potatoes…before smming him face-first into the ground, shattering his shades and then grinding his face into the ground that was full of broken gss until his aura shattered…then a few more times for good measure.

  The huntsman's screams of agony were muffled as the grotesque sound of skin being fyed by hot concrete and shattered gss resounded on the dock - all while the young man stared impassively as he tortured the man as if it were a completely normal phenomenon, like checking his scroll.

  Finally, the blonde man stopped when the huntsman dropout’s screams turned to wet gurgles. He lifted him back up, and Weiss was gd her stomach was empty as she stared at the brutalized face of her attacker. The entire left side of the man's face was a gory mess; One of the eyes was mush with gss stuck inside it, and half his teeth were chipped or missing.

  Yet he still breathed… her savior threw the huntsmen like a sack of garbage at the nearest dumpster before, suddenly, he had a scroll in his hand, dialed a number, and brought it to his ear.

  “Hello. Yeah, it’s me, Jaune Arc. Yes. Some injured. Of course, I don’t need help. Might kill some fools, though. Yeah, well, can’t make any promises, so better hurry. Alright, then, bye.”

  Weiss’s eyes widened when she heard the man’s name, idly wondering if he was the same Jaune Arc of Arcade. A cousin she had never met but heard rumors about - sequestered in the mountains by his overbearing mother before his grandfather unlocked his aura. She was more surprised by how casual he was about stating he would kill someone.

  And how Weiss was totally fine with it as she remembered the pain in her limbs.

  The man stored his scroll somewhere before kneeling next to her.

  “You look like shit.”

  Weiss groaned and dearly wanted to rebuke the rude boy but suddenly, Arc pced his palm on her head, and she felt incredible warmth and energy coursing through her. Her shattered aura miraculously returned to full, and all her injuries started healing. The gss stuck in her skin was blown away from her aura as her skin knitted itself without leaving a single mark. Even her broken arm set itself with a painful gasp, while her crushed nose wiggled back into pce and she could breathe easily through it.

  “What the–”

  “Nice bra, cousin. I didn't think our first meeting would go like this. Sit back and rex; I'll handle the rest.” Arc grinned, causing Weiss to feel strangely endeared, before blushing madly as she covered her chest.

  Maybe she shouldn't have worn pin white underwear.

  A hoodie appeared from nowhere, and Arc dropped it in her hands. Weiss stared at the dark hoodie with a dark bunny head stitched on, that was rge enough to cover her knees. Not wanting to be half naked any more than necessary, the Schnee heiress quickly put it on, noticing how warm it was.

  Jaune Arc then turned around and popped his neck as he gred at the thugs again. “Alright, fools. You have ruined the best, and only, sleep I’ve had in the past four weeks. Y’all look irredeemable as fuck, especially you circus freak, but I'll still give you a chance. We can do this the easy way or the hard way. All of you, drop your weapons and get on your knees, and I promise not to hurt you…much.”

  Hesitation gripped the thugs who were still frozen at the sheer amount of aura Jaune Arc exuded and flooded the harbor with.

  At least until Nancy grabbed her megaphone and angrily shouted, “WHAT ARE YOU IDIOTS WAITING FOR? IT’S ONLY ONE PUNK, SO GET’EM. AND FRANZ! GET YOUR LAZY ASS OFF THE BOAT.”

  Weiss had eyes only for Jaune Arc as he popped his knuckles and gnced at the surrounding thugs. Her cousin grinned manically at a rge armored man carrying a machine gun as he hurried from the boats.

  “~The hard way then~”

  Beep-beep, what was that? Did someone miss their dose of RIP AND TEAR?

  Weiss overreacts, fucks around, and finds out. I know the temptation to throw a dumpster through your boss’s office is sorely tempting when they fire you, but please - don't do it.

  To that same boss who had a dumpster thrown through their walls…don't overreact, you might just piss off the st person you want to annoy.

  Note that Ats operatives are not the Ace operatives.

  For anyone who whines about Weiss picking up smoking, I already made it clear that this world has normalized recreational drugs. Smoking is nothing compared to the poison that is alcohol yet I see binge-drinking over-glorified in stories (I myself am guilty of that.)

  Btw, the song is the one from the White Trailer. Considering I basically deleted the events of that trailer, I figured it would be tasteful to keep the song alive somehow. It helps that it suited the setting perfectly!

  Finally, let's discuss the elephant in the room; Aura defense.

  How the aura defense mechanism works in this story is a mix of passive and active defense. Weiss had about a third of her aura left, 500/1521 which is very impressive for a 17 year old, and did not perceive the attack coming from an aura infused kick. That said kick was also coming from a huntsman (even a dropout) is not to be underestimated.

  Such a kick would crush rocks and dent steel yet all it did to Weiss was break her nose, give her a concussion, then send her flying through a dozen humans before crashing into the gss littered ground. Only then did her aura shatter, and yes, injuries can still be sustained through Aura if the damage is high enough.