Chapter Text
"No, Doc Lavender, I'm perfectly fine, really! Look, I can move my legs and everything!"
"Yo, that's great Arc-man, but I can't let you leave until I run some aura diagnostics, mmkay?"
"And how long's that going to take?"
"'Bout half an hour-ish."
Ah, so that's why he's still in there. I suppose excessive aura depletion can be pretty dangerous if left unchecked…
Jaune sighed.
"Let's get this over with, then."
Having been standing outside the door for far longer than was probably necessary, Weiss finally decided to announce her presence with a few dainty knocks.
"Hm? Who's there?" Lavender's sing-song voice asked.
"Weiss Schnee. I'm here to see Jaune, if that's okay?"
"Oh, come right in!" Jaune exclaimed happily. "It'll be nice to have someone to talk to while I’ve got this darn thing on me."
"Hey!"
"I'm talking about the machine."
"Sure you were, Arc-man."
The infirmary was a comforting universal constant for Weiss; while other things in Beacon were always changing, the place where people went to patch up their boo-boos was the same monochrome mess it had always been...as was Doc Lavender, though this thought was somewhat less comforting. It was still the weekend and, given that most students went to Vale in their free time or just got into various non-threatening comedy antics, it was no surprise that Jaune and Doc Lavender were the only ones present. There were still quite a few chairs strewn around, though; perhaps Mister Arc had entertained some guests not long ago?
"Hey, Weiss!" Jaune greeted happily. "Take a seat, if you like. Plenty of 'em since the rest of JNPR dropped by."
Lavender looked between the two students as Weiss sat down in Pyrrha's former seat, her bright eyes calculating away.
"White Knight…?" she whispered mysteriously.
"Huh?"
"Nothing, Arc-man, nothing at all. I'mma pop out to get some more hot chocolate. Want a drink, Schnee?"
"Some coffee would be best, if you have any."
"Yeah, yeah, no problemo. I guess I'll just leave you two to talk..."
Lavender slipped over to the door, sending over an exaggerated wink.
"Alone."
A faint cackling could be heard as the nutty doctor made her getaway. Weiss, for her part, wasn't exactly pleased.
"I suppose she's been following those rumours floating around. Pah."
"Rumours?"
"Oh, right...you've been stuck in this bed for a while, haven't you? How to put this…?" Weiss paused, averting her eyes. "Let's just say that, when a boy and a girl go off on a secret mission together, certain types of people can take that the wrong way."
Jaune turned a cherry red.
"A-ah. I'm surprised Pyrrha didn't mention it when she came over."
"Hmph. As if someone like her would put stock into something so ridiculous. People have even come up to me, unsolicited I might add, and asked if we were dating! I denied it, of course, but this little grapevine seems determined to keep growing. I'd ask that you try and curb it where you can...once you're out of the infirmary, at least."
"Sure, that shouldn't be too hard. I mean, it's not like I haven't been through this before. Rumour has it that Pyrrha and I have been dating for years. And we're married. And have a child...possibly three?"
"You can't be serious!"
"I wish I was joking. I swear, two people can't be friends these days without everyone taking it the wrong way. It might be harmless if it didn’t hurt people’s feelings, but it kinda…does. A lot.”
There was a short pause.
"So...that's the ADT?" Weiss asked finally.
"The what?"
"Aura Diagnostics Tool. The device on your arm."
"Oh, right! Well, I hope that's what it is. Otherwise I'm more than a little worried that this is sucking out my soul or something."
It was a deceptively simple-looking bit of machinery. From what Weiss could tell, it was affixed to Jaune's arm through a tight black strap, with several silvery wires coming out either side of the backlit screen. It was roughly the size of a scroll, if a little chunkier in terms of depth, and the monitor displayed some kind of medical model of Jaune's body, a pale sphere blinking in his chest.
"Does it hurt?"
"Nah, just feels a little tingly. Apparently she needs to check if my regeneration rate's back to normal before I leave, which I guess kinda makes sense. Don't want to find out something's wrong when I'm in the middle of fighting an Ursa or something, y'know?"
"Mmhm. She's a little odd, but Doctor Lavender seems to know what she's talking about…for medicine, at least."
"Did she do a check up on you when you got back?"
Weiss nodded.
"And she said you were fine?"
"Tired and a little bruised here and there, but otherwise healthy, yes."
"That's good to hear, at least…but uh, mind if I ask you something? Something about the manor?"
Weiss glanced to the door and set her ears to listen, but Lavender still seemed to be away.
"I can't guarantee I'll have an answer for you, but ask what you will."
"Then…what happened on the top floor?"
"Well, we defeated Alice, the manor collapsed, my favourite outfit got covered in black goo…"
"No, I mean before I arrived."
Weiss cast her mind back to her time with the reflection, shivering at the thought.
"Nothing. Nothing at all," she spat out hastily.
"Uh huh," Jaune said dubiously. "So there wasn't an eldritch mirror up there trying to consume your aura?"
"What?! Who told you that?!"
"Bianca. She called it the Mirror of Suits. Sound familiar?"
"What's it to you?"
"I just...thought you might want to talk about it, that's all. Maybe get some stuff off of your chest?"
"And I'm telling you this because...?"
"Because I'm your friend, and I'm not going to judge you no matter what you say. That, and the only other person you could really speak to would be Spade, since you've kept what happened at the manor a secret and all."
Weiss sighed. Cardin may have reformed somewhat since his bullying days, but she was fairly sure his empathy was still rather stunted...certainly in comparison to Jaune's, anyway.
"You don't have to tell me, though-"
"Look, just shut up, alright?"
Jaune stopped mid-sentence, using his free hand to very literally shut his mouth.
"...it told me I was becoming like my father."
Jaune and his floppy flannel shirt motioned for Weiss to continue.
"Okay...you know I'm the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, right?"
"And your father's the CEO?"
"Mmhm. He took over from my grandfather, the man who set up the company originally. He's pretty much the terror of the business world, manipulating laws and contracts to suit his own needs and wielding his empire like a battering ram to crush any hope of opposition. In essence, he's as self-interested as they come."
"But-"
"I'm not finished! Throughout my life he's been relentlessly pushing me to work harder, to think like him, to be him. He wanted nothing less than a perfect daughter, and I, in my foolishness, wanted nothing more than to have a loving father. It's not like I've lost that desire, but...I've realised that it's impossible. I'm not sure he's even capable of love. I just…"
Weiss sighed again.
"I'm afraid that it's too late to turn back. When he threatened to pull my funding, leaving my friends behind, I took the decision, going back on the plans I'd made just so I wouldn't lose the only people I'd really cared about...but it was born from selfishness. I didn't do it because they would miss me, but because I'd miss them! He...he's succeeded. I'm becoming him, and there's nothing I can do to stop it..."
"Weiss…"
The heiress began to sob softly.
"Weiss!"
"...what?"
"Listen to me, okay? Do you want to know what makes you different from your father?"
Weiss remained silent.
"It's that you’re aware of it. People have flaws. Maybe you're born with them, maybe you're raised to have them. Point is, you become a better person by understanding and overcoming your flaws! Yeah, okay, maybe you were selfish, so what? Do you think your dad thinks the same thing when he crushes some small business so he can make a few extra lien?"
"...no."
"Exactly! You're not becoming your father, Weiss...you're becoming you!"
Jaune rapped a fist against his chest.
"And there's no one on Remnant who could convince me to say otherwise, alright?"
"...you're a dork sometimes, Jaune," Weiss said, smiling.
"Well someone's got to be! Jaune Arc, friendly neighbourhood dork...at your service, m'lady."
Weiss chuckled.
"Then I'll be sure to tell my friends in case they're in dire need of a dork. You could even make...a business out of it…"
Jaune blinked.
"Uh, Weiss? ...you're not serious, are you?"
"What? No, you dolt! Well, not about that, anyway...but if I set up my own business, completely separate from my father's…"
"He wouldn't be able to threaten your finances anymore?"
"Exactly! I mean, I could build my own business empire...except with equality, and fair treatment...maybe some snazzy outfits...yes, yes, it's perfect! You're a genius, Jaune!"
"I’m pretty sure no one’s said that before.”
"No, really! Meet me in my room tomorrow; bring your team along if you like. We've got a lot of work to do!"
And with that, Weiss shot off like a particularly expensive rocket, whooshing past Lavender as she tried to gingerly step through the doorway.
"Hey what about your-"
ZOOM
"-coffee?"
Lavender glanced over to Jaune.
"Did ya say somethin’, Arc-man?"
Jaune shook his head, motioning for the cup to be placed on his bedside table.
You know, Weiss, this is the sort of stuff that starts rumours. Still, I don't see the harm in going along with her, especially if it helps with the whole ‘Mirror of Suits’ thing.
He took a sip of the coffee, wincing at its strength.
Capitalism ho, I guess?