Chapter 190: Charlatan part 1

In the entire world there were only two things that truly terrified Weiss Schnee. The first was dying as nothing more than the daughter of Jacques Schnee. To stay as a Schnee in the SDC and never become her own person like her sister had before her. She was hated enough by plenty of the faunus community as it was, that any time she left the confines of Beacon she had to be on edge for fear of a rogue White Fang coming out of the woodworks to do to her what they'd done to many of her families associates. That fear only grew stronger when she was alone, without her team. Normally she'd be able to hide the nervousness when they were around, or when any of her guards were like back in Atlas, but here in Beacon, she was truly alone and the amount of eyes she could feel on her only made her stomach churn evermore uncomfortably.

The second fear though, it was something much more ingrained. Much more… personal. She feared her father. As the CEO of the SDC he was as cold as ice, as calculating as a supercomputer and as manipulative as a god. Something he saw himself as.

Stood beneath the regal brickwork of the Charlatan, a chique Atlesian restaurant withing the heart of Vale, Weiss clenched her hand over her heart and let her breath tremble heavily. Simultaneously hardening herself to show not an ounce of her trepidation for the worry that her father may latch onto it like a lamprey and begin sucking away at her will.

Stood outside the Charlatan was a boy dressed in a fine pair of black pants and an elegant burgundy blouse with black bowtie and golden buttons to accentuate him. His narrow eyes and wide smile inviting as he took the names of all the elegantly dressed madams and monsieurs. Glancing down to her own dress, Weiss found it quite fitting, elegant in white and blue gradients that halted at her ankles with a of delicate crystalline heels on her feet. Lifting a hand to her hair she stroked it, fixing any frays that may have been there and double checked the small snowflake shaped ice-dust earrings hanging from her ears.

She didn't often dress up to such a degree. The main times she did being at her recitals or at the frequent balls her father would hold for the high rungs of Atlases economy and now, to meet her father here. Through a few quick searches on the CCTS she discovered this was a fine dinning establishment and a five dustflake establishment that catered only to the highest of the high. Coming in her usual dress would be tantamount to political suicide considering the amount of paparazzi she spotted around. Many of such snapping her picture with batted breaths undoubtedly ready to use them in some slanderous piece of which she could only worry about.

"Good evening madame Schnee," the maire d' spoke with a kindly voice. "It is our pleasure to welcome you to the Charlatan. Monsieur Schnee has already arrived, if you will follow me, I shall lead you to him." After waiting for Weiss to give an affirming nod, the maitre d' spun on heel and lead her with feathery steps towards a staircase far at the back of the hall where many men and women were dining on duck liver pate and what smelt like cucumber foam. Raising up a set of dark red wooden steps, Weiss soon found herself atop a floor overlooking the lower hall. It was relatively empty though the people she could see here were all the one percent of Vale. Council men, military generals even a few stars here and there. By her count there were only twelve or so people including their plus ones. Her father making up another of those numbers and with herself, bringing that to thirteen.

Her father seated himself by the railing, he leaned back into a mahogany chair with legs crossed and fingers locked together over his lap. His head down and eyes closed but upon her stepping one foot closer, his head inched higher and overbearing blue eyes locked onto her, sending spikes of cold sweat down her spine.

She gulped as her rose his hand to his thick white moustache and moulded it into a finer point on each end. His lips completely hidden beneath the fur. He dressed as he always did in a finely crafted white suit created by the elitist of tailors in all of remnant. Beneath the double-breasted blazer, a dark blue blouse was accentuated by a hex patterned tie and to strike out against all of the white on his him, a bright red handkerchief was stuffed neatly into his left breast pocket. He was as perfectly groomed as Weiss remembered, though the irritancy in his eyes was utterly terrifying to her. He just exuded the 'I am here because you screwed up' type of aura.

"Shall I take your coat madame Schnee?" without even a thought, Weiss allowed the maitre d' to peel from her, her coat and made swift movements away as Weiss came to seat herself across from her father. Legs together, hands on lap and trying her utmost to meet his eyes but unable to do so.

"As my daughter, I expect you to present yourself with dignity, Weiss." he spoke, accentuating her name with a slight hiss. "Not whatever that embarrassing display was. As the heiress of the Schnee Dust Company, you are to never show weakness. If you make a mistake, you own up to it and you hold yourself with pride. You do not hang your head. You do not stutter. You do not look around like a pathetic little lamb seeking its mother's tit to suckle on."

"I-I… ahem. I know father." she quickly corrected herself, her hands clenching together as a waiter came to introduce himself and brought along a bottle of mistalian water dust aged wine and poured out two glasses for them before leaving the bottle in a cooler by the table.

"Do you? Because if you did. This mess wouldn't have happened, and I wouldn't need to be here. And yet, here I am. Here to ensure you at least can show yourself in public and to save your reputation."

She gulped, unable to say anything.

"Two point fifty-one million. That is how much I had to pay, to have any recordings of your little outburst erased. Blackmail Weiss. I had to pay brats, children. To save you. I even had to pay an extra two hundred thousand to ensure all potential copies of the recordings were destroyed. And as I'm sure you know, the chances I have found all of them, is low. Therefore, I have had to hire yet another team to scour the internet for this outburst of yours and remove them piece, by, piece. You are lucky the media at large hasn't gotten their hands on this. It would ruin the SDC's reputation.

Her eyes watered and she began to struggle to swallow. Her head eternally cast downwards, not given even a single chance to even speak up for herself as her father went silent. Just in time as well as their waiter brought the first part of their meal, the digestif and the aperitif. Her father pinched the small ham wrapped caviar, threw it into his mouth and chewed. The noises of which echoed loudly in her ears, the popping of the caviar louder than anything making her tremble at everyone.

"People are questioning this whole excursion of yours Weiss. They believe you are betraying Atlas for this backwater stain of a land. Tell me, after what you've done, why should I allow this little gallivanting to continue? Your tutors are ready for your return at any moment. Ready to ensure you are prepared to take over the SDC in the future."

Weiss slowly lifted her head, mouth opening to say something but all that could come out was a squeak as she saw her fathers piercing eyes burrow into her soul. "I can't…" she mumbled, dropping her head to pick at the aperitif.

"What was that? Speak up like a normal person and not like some ingratiated street urchin."

She steeled herself with a deep breath and nodded, "I can't. I have a team and I won't abandon them."

Jacques brow rose and a scowl took his expression, "well, you abandoned your family. You can abandon your team. I will give you one more chance Weiss. If I find anything that embarrasses me or the SDC, I will have you dragged by the throat back to Atlas where you will, retake your position as the SDC's heir. Am I understood?" he left no room for resistance, no room for denial. No room for Weiss to even have a choice.

"Yes fath-"

Before her words could escape, the lights suddenly went off lurching the room into darkness. The surprised echoes of the guests travelled about, and the voice of the maître d' could be heard from below. Just barely, but loud enough for Weiss to hear him speaking with another waiter to go check on the fuses and for another to get the dust lamps.

Their footsteps scurried about until yet again the maître d's voice resounded. "Excuse me, please stop. This establishment has certain dress requirements. I ask you to leave and return when in the proper state of attire." glancing down, Weiss could see just barely silhouetted in the dark a boy. Clad in a black asymmetrical jacket and red accentuations across the hem and as the undershirt. His hair cut short and painted in reds and black. And though small from this distance, she could see what looked like horns pushing out from his forehead. Though, as she squinted to focus on him, she realized his forehead itself was hidden behind a white upper face mask with a few red markings.

He kept walking, ignoring the maître d', "excuse me sir! please do stop or I will be forced to call for your removal-" in the split of a second, the boys body twisted, his hand shooting to his waist to grip the handle of a sword and ripped it from its scabbard and slashed it towards the Maitre d', sending him reeling backwards.

"Lock it up!" the boy called out an in ran upwards of a dozen white masked fauni individuals. One of which dragged chains behind themselves to wrap around and lock the doors while the others went about collecting all the guests. Turning onto the maitre d' whose pants had been soiled, the boy questioned in a cold voice. "I'd advise you tell me where the Schnee's are before I make this more painful than it has to be."