Chapter 32: This Will Be the Day

"The mounting allegations have prompted officials to send inspectors to other Schnee Dust Company facilities," Lisa Lavender's image said from the console on Weiss's desk. "In many cases, inspectors have reportedly been denied access. When we reached out to the Company for comment, Weiss Schnee, the SDC director of public relations, said, quote, 'The Schnee Dust Company has nothing to hide from the people of Atlas or any other kingdom.'"

Weiss was watching Lisa Lavender's news report in her office at the Company's headquarters. It never failed to amaze her how adept the media was at picking out a single sentence from her press briefings in order to metaphorically put words in her mouth. However, for once Weiss was pleased with the line they'd chosen. It was the first time that Weiss could recall that she and the press weren't working at cross purposes. It was just too bad the press didn't know that.

Truth be told, Weiss had been yearning to lay the Company's secrets bare before the world, but that would have to wait. She was walking an extremely fine line right now between what was in the best interest of the Company and what was in the best interest of the Company's owners. It wouldn't do for her to be dismissed from her position before she'd had a chance to fix everything. Even as it was she'd gotten a number of angry calls from several of her fellow directors regarding her promise of public transparency. It had been her great pleasure to feign ignorance of the Company's crimes and listen to their perpetrators verbally trip over themselves trying to justify their actions.

Lisa Lavender said, "The Dust markets have continued to fluctuate wildly amidst fears of coming shortages. We will have more on this story as it develops."

Weiss pressed a button, and the image of Lisa Lavender vanished. It seemed that events had finally been set in motion. It had actually been several months since the incident at Creek Basin Mine, but the public had only just recently learned about what had happened there. The mine's remote location had made the story relatively easy to cover up, and the powers that be at the Schnee Dust Company had gone to great lengths to do just that. Unfortunately for them, about a week ago someone had tipped off the press. The proverbial cat had been let out of the bag, and there was no getting it back in now.

Weiss's father had been furious when the story had broken, and he knew the only way it could have gotten out was if there was a traitor in the ranks of the Schnee Dust Company. Finding and plugging the source of the leak had become his obsession, much to the displeasure of the Company's other executives. They were far more concerned about salvaging the Company's reputation, something that Jacques didn't seem to care about in the least. Weiss wished her father luck in his hunt, but she knew it wouldn't do him any good. After all, she'd covered her tracks quite well. She knew she had to be on his list of suspects, but there was no way he'd be able to prove anything.

Suddenly, the door to Weiss's office began to open. A smile crossed Weiss's face. There was only one person who Rosalie would let in without asking first—especially with the Company in such a state of upheaval—and that person was Ruby. Sure enough, a moment later Ruby walked through the door and shut it behind her.

"Wow," Ruby said as she strolled toward Weiss. "Everyone around here is acting like the sky is falling."

"It might as well be as far as most of them are concerned," Weiss said. "The Company hasn't faced a crisis like this since its founding. But in the end it will be for the best."

"It's too bad it took something like Fennec trying to kill a bunch of people for all this to happen," Ruby said.

"It is unfortunate," Weiss agreed. "However, I'm starting to wonder if anything less would have done the trick. For all their faults, the White Fang were right about one thing. Change like this doesn't come easily, or gently. But it's long overdue."

"So what happens next?" Ruby asked.

Weiss tapped a few buttons on her desk's console. Her schedule appeared on its screen. "After a great deal of coercing, the board of directors has 'requested' that I speak with them. My meeting with them will take place two days from now. Plenty of time for them to sweat it out while the Company's stock price plummets."

"Isn't the stock price dropping bad for you too?" Ruby asked.

"Yes…" Weiss said. These last few days she'd tried very hard not to think about just how much money she was losing, in the short term at least. "Fortunately, I hold more than just Schnee Company stock. I decided to diversify my portfolio years ago. Not all of the board members have had the same foresight."

"What are you going to tell them?" Ruby asked.

"That I have a plan to save the Company," Weiss said. "By admitting our wrongdoings, publicly apologizing for them, and vowing to take steps to correct how we treat our faunus workforce."

"Will they go for it?" Ruby asked.

"Not at all," Weiss said. "Not at first anyway. But once they get over their shock and horror, they'll realize there's no one else they can turn to. Even if Father has a plan of his own, which I'm sure he doesn't, he's far too preoccupied by his witch hunt to bail the company out."

"I know you'll win them over," Ruby said. "I just wish there was something more I could do."

"We'll both be extremely busy soon enough," Weiss said. "Once the board comes around, you and I are going to be spending a lot of time touring the Company's facilities. I plan on personally seeing to it that the Company pays more than lip service to the notion of faunus rights. And I'll need my bodyguard with me. Just in case someone has an objection they wish to make known through violence."

"That'd sure be dumb," Ruby said. "You could probably beat up anyone who tries to hurt you now, even without my help."

"Perhaps," Weiss said, although she was secretly enjoying Ruby's praise. "But don't think that means you can get lax while on duty as my bodyguard. I expect nothing but excellence from my employees."

"I know," Ruby said with a smile. She tapped her foot on the floor a few times. Then, completely changing the subject, she asked, "So have you heard anything from Yang and Blake yet?"

"Not yet," Weiss said. "I'm sure they'll report in soon."

"I kind of wish I'd gone with them," Ruby said.

"It wasn't anything they couldn't handle," Weiss reassured Ruby.

"I'm not worried about that," Ruby said. "It just feels like I should've been there to help them finish what we started."

"Being part of a team means that you don't always get to do everything yourself," Weiss said. "I'm sure you'll get used to it. Besides, you have other responsibilities to attend to."

"Yeah, as your bodyguard," Ruby said. "I guess it's not so bad having the best job in the world."

"Not to disagree with you. But…I was thinking more about your responsibilities as my girlfriend," Weiss said.

"Oh," Ruby said. Then understanding dawned on her face. "Oh! Well that too!"

Before Weiss could think better of it, she none too subtly took in an eyeful of Ruby's figure. Then she gave Ruby her best come-hither look and beckoned her closer.

Surprise filled Ruby's eyes, but she didn't hesitate for long. A grin spread across her face, and she closed the short distance between herself and Weiss.

Ruby leaned in for a kiss. Her lips were hovering an inch above Weiss's when the office's intercom suddenly buzzed. Ruby paused, but Weiss wasn't about to have any of that. She placed her hands on the back of Ruby's head and pulled her in the rest of the way.

An electric sensation went racing through Weiss the moment her lips met Ruby's. Beyond the simple pleasure of kissing Ruby, it was the danger that excited Weiss, the danger of getting caught there in her office in a compromising position. It wasn't the first time Weiss had felt such a thrill. She didn't particularly like her apparent love of tempting fate, but there was no denying the feelings that taking such risks inspired in her. It was one of the many things she'd discovered about herself recently.

Weiss continued to kiss Ruby until her intercom buzzed a second time. When it did, she abruptly pushed Ruby back and hit the button to answer.

"Yes?" Weiss asked nonchalantly, like she hadn't just been making out with her girlfriend.

"There's a call for you, Miss Schnee," Rosalie's voice said over the intercom.

"If it's the board, tell them I will be more than happy to answer all of their questions at our meeting. Not before," Weiss said.

"It's no one from the board," Rosalie said. "It's your sister."

Weiss instantly felt herself tense up. She wondered for a moment why Winter would be calling, but the answer was obvious. There was no way Winter hadn't seen the news coverage about the Company's mistreatment of its workers. It was the very thing that she'd tried to warn Weiss about years ago. Had she called to gloat? Had she called to rub Weiss's shortcomings in her face?

"Tell…tell her…." Weiss hesitated.

"Weiss…" Ruby said softly.

Weiss sighed. She recognized the tone of Ruby's voice. "Hold on one moment, Rosalie," she said. Then she closed the intercom.

"Weiss, she's your sister," Ruby said.

"It's not that simple," Weiss said.

"Why not?" Ruby asked.

"Because…." Weiss trailed off when she found herself unable to come up with an adequate answer to Ruby's question.

Ruby said, "I'm sure she just wants to talk to you."

Weiss closed her eyes. Things with Winter were never as straightforward as Ruby obviously supposed. However, Weiss began to wonder if maybe they were this time. It had been so long since she and Winter had talked. Did she really even know her anymore? And given recent events, wouldn't it be nice to have at least one member of the Family that she wasn't estranged from?

Weiss felt Ruby's hand slide across her shoulders, spreading a warm sensation as it went. "Alright," she said, opening her eyes. "I'll speak with her."

Ruby's whole face lit up, but she visibly held back her excitement. "Do you want me to leave?" she asked.

"No," Weiss said. "Father knows about my girlfriend. Why shouldn't Winter?"

"You mean I don't have to pretend in front of her?" Ruby asked, sounding even more delighted.

"I've never kept secrets from Winter before, and I'm certainly not about to start now," Weiss said. "If she wants me back in her life she'll have to accept me as I am."

"I'm sure she will," Ruby said with a smile.

"Maybe," Weiss said, although Ruby's optimism was starting to rub off on her.

"I love you, Weiss," Ruby said.

"I love you too," Weiss said. "And Ruby? Thank you."

Weiss hit the button on the intercom. She said, "Rosalie, tell General Schnee…. Tell Winter that I'll take her call."

There was a noticeable pause on the other end of the intercom. Weiss wouldn't have been surprised if Rosalie needed a moment to pick her jaw up off the floor. But then Rosalie calmly and professionally said, "Of course, Miss Schnee."

Ruby's hand was still resting on Weiss's shoulder. Weiss reached up and took it in her own.

The console on Weiss's desk lit up, and a face, hardened by war but still unmistakably familiar, filled the screen.

"Sister," Weiss said. "It's…been a long time."

The wind rushed past Yang, and the open road stretched out before her. She gunned the throttle on her new motorcycle. Its engine roared loudly. Blake was seated behind Yang on the motorcycle with her arms wrapped around her. She tightened her grip as the bike picked up speed. Yang grinned, enjoying the sensation. It was moments like these that made life worth living.

Yang was enjoying herself so much that she'd almost forgotten that she and Blake were technically on the clock. Out of all the improbable things that had happened to her since she'd left her tribe, becoming gainfully, and legally, employed had perhaps been the most unlikely of all. Yet there she and Blake were, employees of the Schnee Dust Company. Yang had a regular paycheck and everything now to prove it. She was even paying taxes, although she didn't see what good that did anyone. However, Weiss had insisted that it was the right thing to do.

The motorcycle Yang was riding had been one of the first things she'd purchased with her newfound income. She'd thought it was the closest thing to happiness that money could buy, but Blake had quickly proven her wrong. Blake had enlisted Weiss's help to track down the owner of the cabin that she and Yang had hidden out in for so many weeks on end. It had taken some doing, but Blake and Yang were now the rightful owners of the property. In the weeks that had followed, they had patched up the hole in the wall left behind by Yang and Ilia's little scuffle, and they'd even bought a second chair. The cabin was their home now, and Yang absolutely loved it. She was pretty sure that Blake did too, seeing as it had been her idea in the first place.

Up ahead, Yang spotted a break in the endless procession of pine trees that lined both sides of the road. A trading post quickly came into view, one of many that dotted the roads leading to and from Atlas. It was the only sign of civilization that Yang had seen for miles, and if Weiss's information was any good, it was Yang and Blake's destination.

Yang slowed as the trading post drew near. She guided her motorcycle into the station's parking lot, past a row of fuel pumps, and came to a stop next to the post's sizable convenience store. Then she turned off her bike's engine and pushed its kickstand into place with the heel of her boot.

Yang reached up and pulled the motorcycle helmet she'd been wearing off her head. Like her bike, it was also new, as was the rest of her outfit. Both she and Blake had recently gotten new clothes, ones that didn't mark them as an ex-bandit and a former member of the White Fang. They were proper, upstanding citizens now, as much as the notion made Yang laugh, and they were dressed the part.

Yang had on a brown, short-sleeved jacket over a low-cut orange top, a thick scarf that looped all the way around her neck, and a new pair of riding boots. She hadn't completely given up on her old look however. Her hair was still in a thick braid, and her dad's old bandanna was still tied to her leg just below her left knee.

Yang glanced over her shoulder. Blake had taken off her own helmet and was shaking out her hair. Her helmet had been custom-made to accommodate her ears, and Yang thought it looked incredibly cute. Then again, Yang thought just about anything Blake wore looked cute. The outfit Blake had on today, however, went right past cute and straight into dangerously sexy, at least as far as Yang was concerned. Blake was wearing a long-tailed, white jacket over a black crop top with an intricate series of straps, black slacks, and a tall pair of boots that came all the way up to her thighs. It was the boots in particular that made Yang's eyes linger.

"Yang?" Blake asked. "Is something wrong?"

"Nope," Yang said, suddenly realizing that she was staring. "I just like looking at you."

A light blush dusted Blake's cheeks. She smiled at Yang.

Yang swung her leg over her bike and stood. She glanced at the convenience store. "Time to go do our job," she said as if it was any great burden. "I still can't believe we're getting paid for this."

Blake stood as well. "I'd say we should thank Weiss. But I think she's just as happy for the work we do as we are to have it."

"Yeah she is!" Yang said. "We're the best, after all."

Blake chuckled, but she didn't disagree.

Yang and Blake walked into the convenience store. There wasn't anything particularly special to be seen inside, just row after row of shelves that were crammed full of anything and everything a traveler might need. Yang found it funny that their target would be hiding out someplace so mundane, but according to Weiss, the trading post's newest employee was the exact person they were looking for. Yang supposed everyone needed to eat, regardless of whatever grand aspirations they might have. And this place was certainly out of the way. Yang would never have thought to look for a wanted criminal here.

Blake said, "We should split up. We don't want our target to get away."

"Good idea," Yang said. "I promised Ruby we'd have a party when we got back to Atlas. I'd hate to show up empty-handed."

"Is it a private party?" Blake asked. "Or can anyone attend?"

"Not anyone. But you're definitely invited," Yang said. "And maybe afterward, you and I can have our own party."

"Is that a promise?" Blake asked.

"You bet it is," Yang said. She leaned in and gave Blake a quick kiss on the cheek. "I love you, Blake."

"I love you too, Yang," Blake said.

Yang and Blake both headed off in opposite directions. Yang started walking past the ends of the aisles that ran along one side of the store. She looked down each one as she passed. Despite Weiss's impeccable track record, there was no guarantee that their target was actually here, but Yang started getting excited all the same. Bounty hunting had turned out to be a lot like banditry. There was the same thrill that Yang had used to enjoy of closing in on an unsuspecting mark. The only real difference, as near as Yang could tell, was that the authorities wouldn't frown as much on her new line of work.

Yang continued to walk, but then she stopped in her tracks. She spotted a man halfway down one of the aisles. He was obviously an employee there at the trading post, and he was kneeling down, restocking one of the lower shelves. He wasn't facing Yang, and he had on a drab, gray hoodie with the hood up and over his head. But despite all that, Yang still recognized him. She'd recognize him anywhere.

Yang had to laugh at the man's pathetic attempt at disguising himself. Even if she hadn't known that he had an extra set of ears on top of his head, there were two suspicious bumps underneath his hood. It would've been like if Blake had tried to hide her cat ears by wearing a big bow. Who would be clueless enough to fall for something like that?

Yang started strolling down the aisle as casually as could be. She paused a few feet away from the man and crossed her arms. He hadn't noticed her presence yet.

Yang's lips curled into an evil grin. She said, "Hello. Fennec."

Underneath the man's hood his ears twitched. He slowly turned toward Yang, and when he did, his face drained of color.

Fennec stood, his mouth agape. There was fear in his eyes. He took a few steps backward, but the sound of heels clicking on the tiled floor behind him made him stop and look over his shoulder.

Past Fennec, Yang saw Blake walking down the far end of the aisle with her hand resting on the hilt of her sword. Fennec was trapped, and he clearly knew it. His last avenue of escape was cut off. This was the end of the line for him.

Yang cracked her knuckles and started to close in on Fennec. There was no doubt about it; right now life was good.

It was hard for Yang to believe that not so long ago she'd been lost, a stranger in her own tribe, afraid to take that first step out into the larger world. But it was that very step that had set the rest of her life in motion. She'd found Blake, she'd been united with her long-lost sister, and she'd even made friends with the heiress to one of the largest companies in the world. Yang couldn't explain why, but she finally felt that things were exactly the way they were supposed to be.

Author's Note: And it's done! For now at least. There still a lot of this AU to potentially explore, and there are many characters that I didn't have time to check in on. The possibility for a future sequel definitely exists. But for now I'm just happy to have been able to finish this story. It's easily been the biggest writing project I've ever undertaken, fanfiction or otherwise.

So what's next in the immediate future? Well first I get on the other side of the massive deadline that's still looming over me at work. Once that's taken care of I'll finally have time to get to my long-promised 100 follower special over on tumblr. If you happen to be one of those followers, keep an eye out for more info coming later this month.

Now some of you may have noticed that all the chapter titles in this story (except this last one) were plays on lyrics from the various RWBY soundtracks. And if you hadn't noticed, well now you know! Just for fun I've included a master list at the bottom of this author's note with precisely which lyrics each title came from. In some cases I had to dig really deep to find something that would match the theme of the chapter, so I doubt anyone recognized them all. I certainly wouldn't have!

And in lieu of my usual end-of-chapter blurb, I want to say that if you've really enjoyed this story and feel like sending some support my way, I have a ko-fi page over at ko-fi dot com slash electronicyarn. Your generosity is appreciated, and your readership even more so! Thank you everyone!

Chapter Title List:

1 – Tarnished Gold – "Yellow beauty burns gold" – Red Like Roses – Vol. 1
2 – Black the Rising Beast – "Black the beast descends from shadows" – Red Like Roses – Vol. 1
3 – The Royal Privilege – "Burdened by a royal test" – Red Like Roses – Vol. 1
4 – Red Like Scattered Rose Petals – "Red like roses fills my dreams" – Red Like Roses – Vol. 1
5 – Time to Say Hello – "Now it's time to say goodbye" – Time to Say Goodbye – Vol. 2
6 – All the Things They Said Weren't Good – "All the things they said were good" – Sacrifice – Vol. 2
7 – A New Life – "Born with no life" – From Shadows – Vol. 1
8 – Every Dream is Born – "Every dream dies" – I May Fall – Vol. 1
9 – Out of Subjugation – "Into subjugation" – From Shadows – Vol. 1
10 – Mirror, Mirror, What's Before You? – "Mirror, mirror, what's behind you?" – Mirror, Mirror – Vol. 1
11 – Eyes Shut Tight – "My eyes are open wide" – Armed and Ready – Vol. 4
12 – Unarmed and Unprepared – "'Cause I'm armed and ready" – Armed and Ready – Vol. 4
13 – Past Mistakes Not Repeated – "My past mistakes repeated" – All That Matters – Vol. 5
14 – Never Closer – "Always closer to the emptiness and sadness" – Red Like Roses Part II – Vol. 1
15 – Like Night Follows Day – "I'll follow you like morning follows night" – Like Morning Follows Night – Vol. 4
16 – Bridges Left to Burn – "No bridges left to burn anymore" – Time to Say Goodbye – Vol. 2
17 – Beware the Darkness Fading – "Beware as the light is fading" – This Will Be the Day – Vol. 1
18 – A Night When All Hearts Will Be Mended – "There's a day when all hearts will be broken" – I May Fall – Vol. 1
19 – No Place to Rest – "And brings me to the place you rest" – Red Like Roses – Vol. 1
20 – Good Luck Charm – "I'm your bad luck charm" – Bad Luck Charm – Vol. 4
21 – The Truth Will Appear – "And all the truth will disappear" – Die – Vol. 2
22 – All That Never Mattered – "And that's all that matters somehow" – All That Matters – Vol. 5
23 – A Garden of Despair – "We could live inside a garden of ecstasy" – Bmblb – Vol. 4
24 – Extinguish – "You'll watch me ignite" – Ignite – Vol. 5
25 – The Lowest Hour – "Prepare for your finest hour" – This Will Be the Day – Vol. 1
26 – A Place Where Everyone Knows – "If you meet me there, no one will know" – Bmblb – Vol. 4
27 – Unsurrendered Pride – "Surrender your pride" – All Things Must Die – Vol. 5
28 – A Point Where it Balances – "There's a point where it tips" – Time to Say Goodbye – Vol. 2
29 – With No Doubt – "With a doubt in our minds" – Time to Say Goodbye – Vol. 2
30 – Legends Gather – "Legends scatter" – This Will Be the Day – Vol. 1
31 – Heroes in the End – "There'll be no hero in the end who will rise above" – When It Falls – Vol. 3
32 – This Will Be the Day – "This will be the day we've waited for" – This Will Be the Day – Vol. 1