Bargaining

The Games We Play

Bargaining

​

We made a quick stop by the White Fang's base to let make copies of the information we'd gathered and to let things blow over in the city. Given how quickly everything had happened, my grandmother was probably still busy dealing with everything that was happening and there was probably a lot of fuss over what I'd done with Weiss, so we stayed put for a few hours and discussed a few things about our new mission—ways to contact one another, who to trust, what to tell the others, etc. After enough time had gone by to let things calm down a touch, Raven made a door and we went to have a talk.

The portal opened near the Roma estate, just out of sight of the property itself. I strode out of it confidently and let my awareness expand, flooding through the trees and across the carefully trimmed lawn. All around me, I felt life, nearly everywhere in the forest but much rarer in my grandmother's house—which made it easy to find what I was looking for using the largest signs as a reference point. I didn't sense Cynosarges anywhere in the house, but Hugo and Enzo stood watch by the front door of the house. In the southwest corner of the house, I ruffled Gou's ears with a carefully controlled breeze as he perked up in response to my presence, but the majority of my focus went to my grandmother in her office, where she was drumming her fingers quietly on the wood of her desk as she watched something on her scroll.

Without moving my lips, I spoke to her.

"I'm home, Grandmother," I whispered into her ear. She jerked in place once before tilting her head slightly as if to better listen to me, fingers stopping their motions instantly. She opened her mouth to speak, but I interrupted her before she could begin. "And Raven's with me."

And just like that, she closed her mouth with a click. I saw her lips twitch once as if to say something anyway, but she understood what I was saying—that Raven could be watching as we spoke and that so long as she was here, we both need to be careful about what came out of our mouths.

Thankfully, I didn't need a mouth to speak. I could use Levant to form words and make sure I wasn't overheard, whispering into ears without so much as twitching. Even when I was walking right next to her, I could speak without giving anything away.

"There's a lot I need to tell you, but we'll have to talk fast; a lot of this probably isn't going to make much sense because of that, but I need you to bear with me. First of all, this is what's happened since we last saw each other—the White Fang found out that Weiss Schnee was being housed in Atlas, probably because some guard didn't understand the gravity of the situation. My power alerted me to what was going on just in time and I managed to reach her before anyone else did, but Raven was already spying on her. You can probably imagine how problematic that made things, but I managed to wing it with some help from Pathfinder and divert her attention. You see, Weiss's mother had given her a necklace before passing on and inside was a recorded message and a password that I managed to access because it turned out to be part of my quest and I convinced Raven it was more valuable than Weiss' life."

Because I was essentially speaking with my thoughts, I didn't have to stop for breath, but I paused for a moment to let that sink in before continuing.

"And, well…maybe it kind of was. You see, Weiss mother had recorded a lot of confidential information for her daughters. I haven't had time to go over it all and see everything inside of it, but…we know about Dust, Grandmother. We saw the Schnee company reports, the Council transcripts, the forecasts, everything. I'm pretty sure you know what I'm talking about already, but just in case you don't…Dust is running out. I read enough to be sure of that, though the reports I saw were pretty old; you might have seen something more recently that said otherwise. As is, though, it was a pretty alarming discovery for both of us, but I like to think I handled it pretty well; I told Raven about what we discovered with Naraka and about our plans to learn as much as we can from Babel. I showed her Naraka to confirm it and she and I agreed to work together to find a solution. Now here's where things get tricky."

My Grandmother looked like she was getting a migraine listening to me talk, but there wasn't time to slow things down.

"She agreed to work with me and she believes I'm working with you, so you and I need to start working together right now. I'm at the edge of your property, disguised as Jian Bing, and as far as Raven is concerned, we're close allies. I'm supposed to go up and make sure there are no problems between you and Raven, but odds are good that she'll be watching us the whole time and we only have a short time to make up…everything. If there's anything you need to tell me or need to know, say so while you have the chance because I need to come up now."

My grandmother took a deep breath.

"We need to stop letting you wander off alone," She said before going silent for a moment before growling something to herself. "Okay. Okay. We don't have a lot of time, but we can handle this. I'm…as ready as I'll ever be; I suppose I'll follow your lead since you know what's happening. Just…"

She exhaled slowly, shaking her head. I understood anyway.

I lifted a hand, back in my body beside Raven.

"Wait here," I said. "It'll only take a minute."

Raven looked up at my grandmother's house, face masked once more. She was silent as I kept walking, not saying a word until I was almost out of sight.

"Be careful with her," She whispered, apparently just taking it for granted that I could here. Which I could, in fairness. "There's a reason so many people are afraid of the big, bad wolf. Watch your back."

"There seems little point in that when I have you to watch it for me," I replied, speaking into her ear. She didn't react, at least not that I could see, but felt the weight of her attention settle about me and left her with a chuckle.

I checked the area quickly to make sure the coast was clear before walking up to the front door like I owned the place. I gave Hugo and Enzo a glance and they open the door without a word, letting me in. Inside…I knew it was just my imagination, but the mansion seemed different now. Maybe it was just that I was usually with others while here, but I don't think that was it. Whatever it was though, walking through it now…there sure were a lot of rooms for a house that was so empty. As I walked, muffling my footsteps with Levant, it was almost like I was inside Naraka again.

And then I reached my grandmother's office.

"Come in," She said as I knocked and I slid the door open silently as I slipped through. My grandmother glanced up from what she was writing, flickering up to my face as she put her pen down. "Jian. I didn't expect to see you again so soon."

"Neither did I, Jeanne," I replied, leaning against the chair in front of her desk. "But something came up. I take it you're already aware of some of it?"

"Of course," She answered. "There was quite a stir over what you did to the Schnee Heiress and I got drawn into it; it's all over the news now. I assume there was a point to that?"

"Naturally," I said, lifting the flash drive and making a show of looking at it. "Did you know that the late Mrs. Schnee left a message behind for her children?"

She watched me silently for a moment, thumb brushing against the pen that now laid flat on her desk, as if ready to snatch it up and stab somebody at a moment's notice.

"No," She said at last. "What type of message was it, to interest you so much?"

"Oh, it was quite interesting. It was a key, of sorts—to something the Schnee Dust Company has hidden for a long, long time." I tossed the flash drive into the air absently before catching it once more, masked face turning towards my grandmother. "Of course, you probably already know, don't you Jeanne? About Dust."

She watched me warily for a moment, silent and still—until I chuckled quietly.

"It's okay," I smiled. "I'm not mad. I'm surprised you'd keep such a thing hidden from me, but no matter—I have good news!"

"Is that so?" My grandmother murmured, drumming her fingers again.

"It is," I insisted. "A friend has decided to join us in our efforts."

"'A friend,'" She repeated, brow furrowing slightly as if surprised I had any. "Anyone I know?"

"Actually, yes," I answered. "I believe you're familiar with Raven Branwen?"

My grandmother went still, eyes intent on my face.

"We've met," She said.

"Good, good," I clapped softly. "Then I take it her involvement won't be an issue? You brought Cynosarges in on this matter, so it seemed only fair."

She continued to watch me for a long moment before giving a slight—microscopic, really—nod.

"Very well," She said. "If you vouch for her."

"I do," I answered with a smile. "Raven?"

A portal swirled to life behind me but I steadfastly refused to turn and look at it. As such, I saw the very real tension go into my grandmother when Raven entered. Everything up until now may have been an act, but the way she reacted to this…there was no doubt about it. She was honestly worried. Maybe even afraid. But was it for herself? Or for me?

"Now, I know you two have had your differences," I continued. "But I'm glad you're both able to put them aside in the face of necessity. Raven here even went out of her way to find your daughter, Jeanne, and volunteered to see her safely home."

"As soon as we're done here," Raven murmured, just a step behind me, eyes focused intently on my grandmother—just as my grandmother's were focused on her.

I spread a hand, smiling beneath my mask as I finally took a seat, relaxed amidst the tension.

"Then let's finish quickly," I said, gesturing graciously. "Since she must be worried. Raven has offered her aid in our search for Babel—and with her help, I foresee us accomplishing a great deal. After we're done searching through the library's records, it may become necessary to search the ruins themselves; if you would be so kind as to compile a list of known locations, that will give us a good starting point. That won't be a problem, will it?"

My grandmother's eyes went from me to Raven and back again before she shook her head slowly.

"No," She said. "It won't be an issue. I take it that what we discussed concerning the White Fang remains true?"

"Of course." I smiled. "I simply wanted to make you aware of recent developments—I believe in the value of communication, you see. I'll be going then—unless you need anything?"

"No," She said quietly. "We can always talk later, after all."

"Until then," I rose, bowing ever so slightly. "Goodbye, Jeanne."

Levant, standing invisibly behind her, leaned forward ever so slightly and whispered into her ear.

"I'll be home soon, Grandmother, and I'll make sure mom gets back safely, too. I'm sorry for all of this." She said in my voice, the words not carrying past my grandmother's ears. She didn't react to them, though, simply watching me as I followed Raven back through her portal.

"Until then," She said as the door closed behind us.

XxXXxX

The Games We Play

Bargaining​

The rest of the day passed quickly. The simple fact of the matter was that there just wasn't a lot we could do until we had more information. Once my grandmother had finished arranging things, we'd be able to start checking things out, but for now all that was left was to finish sketching out the basics—we'd talked a bit about who else to involve, agreed to keep things quiet for now, and then pretty much decided to go our separate ways after giving each other a few ways to contact one another. Raven left through her portal and I through Naraka and that had pretty much been that. My quest, 'The Dogs of Mistral,' had declared itself complete and I'd received my received my reward, for what little it amounted to after all the levels I'd gained in the course of the mission itself.

That was fine, though. I was pretty used to the fact that doing quests wasn't the best way to grind—and that hadn't been the point to begin with. No, compared to everything else that had happened, to everything I learned, it was almost unimportant. I was…honestly, I still wasn't sure how I felt about everything that had happened, but I supposed I was content enough with the results. Rather than 'grinding,' I felt like I'd made 'progress.'

There was only one thing left to do, which was why I was here. I waited in front of my grandmother's house, sitting on the steps beneath the night sky with Gou and Autumn at my side. Hugo and Enzo stayed nearby, though they went into the house as night began to fall—I wasn't sure if they stayed here full time or if they switched off with someone else eventually, but whenever I checked in on them, they were awake and on guard. My grandmother was still in her office, though I noticed her looking out the window frequently—we'd spoken briefly upon my return, but when I'd asked to delay things for a while, she'd conceded, understanding what I was requesting from her. I wasn't really worried about what she'd say when we finally did talk, given that we'd both had to do our best with what we'd been given, but I'd put her in an awkward position and I understood that. Really, though, I didn't think she was too upset with the results; she might give me a mild scolding over a few things, but all told, it probably wasn't anything to get too worried about.

And even if that wasn't the case, this was more important. I believed Raven, but that didn't change the fact that I needed to be here to see it.

The sun had nearly set when my mother came home. Her clothes were dirty, stained, and torn, as if she'd spent the last few days in the wilderness—and maybe she had. I could see Raven just opening a portal under her while she slept and dumping her off in the woods somewhere; getting rid of her problems by tossing them through a portal or something along those lines. I wasn't sure exactly what happened between them, wasn't sure I even wanted to ask, but…

It didn't really matter as long as she came back.

"Welcome home, Mom," I greeted, elbows on my knees. Gou reacted with enough excitement for the both of us, bouncing in place as internally puppy forces tried to pull him in every direction. I looked her over with quiet concern, checking her HP and MP as I made sure she was okay, but beyond looking roughed up and generally filthy, she seemed pretty much the same as when I'd last seen her—that is, except for one thing.

The Earth, My Anvil

LV89

Isabella Arc

She looked at me silently as she climbed the stairs, the expression on her face tired, but she didn't say a word until she was just a few steps below me.

"I guess I missed your match," She said at last, sighing as she leaned her forehead against the pommel of her sword. "I'm sorry, Jaune."

"It's okay," I shook my head. "In the end, I decided not to compete."

"Oh?" She asked, eyebrows furrowing as she looked me over.

I shrugged a shoulder absently as I rose and went to her side, placing a hand on her shoulder. A few quick heals took the bite out of whatever exhaustion she must have felt—enough so that she began brushing herself off and frown at me like her thoughts were coming together.

"Something came up," I said, facing that consideration fully. "I think I've had enough excitement for one trip, anyway."

She raised a hand to my face as she looked me over, her eyes worried.

"What happened?"

I sighed.

"All sorts of things, Mom," I said, scratching my head with a finger. "Enough that…I don't even know, really. Thing were kind of a mess there for a bit and…I don't want to bother you when you just got back and haven't even eaten yet. You'll probably get a headache, like Grandmother did."

"I'm fine," She said, before frowning suddenly. "Where is she, anyway?"

I jerked my head back at one of the windows above us. I could feel her there, through my powers, watching her daughter's return without making a sound. After a moment, she let the curtains fall back into place and returned to her desk silently.

"She wanted to speak to you when you got back," I said. "Said she'd fill you in."

"Did she now?" Mom glanced up at the window and frowned slightly before shaking her head in annoyance. "She can wait. What happened to you, Jaune? Are you okay?"

"I'm the same as always," I smiled, absently checking to make sure there were no unwanted observers. "No need to worry about me. But…it feels mean to pile stuff onto you before you even walk through the door, but I guess its better for you to hear it from me then see it on the news or something. I won't ask you about your mission or what happened, but I take it you're aware that the White Fang's been active in Mistral

She looked at me with a complete and utter lack of surprise which I took as an 'of course.'

"Well…things got a little wild. I'm still not entirely sure about everything that happened and there were a lot of questions left unanswered when all was said and done, but I had to make an appearance when things got…well, when things started to get bad. I'm not sure how much you knew or how much is safe to tell you even now, but the White Fang found out that Weiss Schnee was in Mistral—"

I paused for a minute to look at her but she still didn't look surprised. That…answered a few questions and raised even more.

"—And I had to interfere," I continued. "In the process, though, I…well, we came across some really dangerous information."

My mother frowned at that, the concern in her eyes deepening.

"What kind of information?" She asked. "And what do you mean when you say it might not be safe?"

I looked at her silently for a moment, tilting my head before nodding as I came to a decision.

"I mean that I really don't know what some people might do if they somehow find out you know—but if you really want to, I'll tell you anyway," I said. "It's big, though. 'Internationally kept secret' big. The Councils—all of the Councils, unanimously—agreed to keep it hidden when they found out about it…and so did my partner in the White Fang, the Schnee Dust Company, and God knows who else. I don't know who all is aware of this, but…it's a list of really, really powerful people and with what's at stake, they might be willing to do some extreme things to keep it hidden."

"You're saying you shouldn't tell me," She stated.

I shrugged.

"I don't really know, honestly," I said. "But it's not really my place to decide what's best for you, is it Mom? That's why I'm letting you choose. It's not the type of secret that should be spread around easily, and it's not really a truth you'd be happy knowing, either. Whether you knowing would help matters, though…well, I'm not sure. But I trust you and I respect you, so I'll let you decide for yourself."

She looked me up and down slowly before closing her eyes.

"What did they get you wrapped up in, Jaune?" She murmured before leaning her forehead against mine. I noticed belatedly that I'd gotten taller than her at some point during the last few months. "I didn't mean for you to get involved in all this…"

I shrugged again.

"Its fine," I said, not wanting her to worry but fully aware that she would no matter what I did. "It was nothing I couldn't handle."

"It's not a matter of what you can and cannot handle," She said, opening her eyes to meet mine. "You've gotten even stronger while I was away, haven't you?"

"A little bit, I guess," I replied, smiling slightly. "Like I said, a lot happened."

She nodded slightly, the motion pushing my own head back.

"Did you manage to get your Wisdom over ninety?" She asked.

"Over a hundred," I answered. "I'm level forty-six now, Mom. I can even see your level now."

"Level forty—" She began incredulously before stopping herself. "I assume there's a story there, too, but we'll put there aside for the time being. But since you're so wise now, why don't I ask you for advice? What do you think, Jaune? Should you tell me?"

I considered that for a moment before smiling at her.

"I don't think it makes a lot of difference either way, honestly," I told her. "I think you'll be worried, but everything will be okay—because I'll make sure of it. I just wanted you to know what's at stake before you got involved in this. If you really want to, though, it might not be a bad idea to speak to Grandmother or Ozpin."

"Or Ozpin," She repeated. "What does he have to do with this?"

"I'm not sure, to be honest, but we figure he probably knows or at least suspects," I snorted. "I talked to Grandmother about it and she said it might be a good idea to bring him in on things even if he doesn't, a least to a degree. So I guess I'll talk to him later? If you're not sure, I guess you could ask him if he thinks you should know."

Mom exhaled slowly, shaking her head as she looking up at the darkening sky.

"What a mess," She said. "This whole damn trip has been…"

She sighed again before looking back at me and giving me a slight smile.

"How about you let me get some sleep first and then decide, okay?"

"Okay," I nodded, returning her smile. "I'm glad you're okay, Mom."

"Me, too," She patted my cheek and let her shoulder's sag. "I should go talk to her now, I suppose. Get this over with."

It wasn't hard to guess what she meant, so I nodded and followed her as she walked back to the house. But…

"What do we do now?" I asked. "What with everything getting…"

I gestured vaguely.

"I'll need to talk to some people," She said. "Just to make sure of some stuff. I assume you'll want to say something to your friends, too, right?"

I nodded and she smiled up at the sky again.

"After we do that, though…these…these last few days in Mistral really helped me remember something. Something I…something I guess I let myself forget. Something simple but so important." She said before turning her head to look my way. "Why I fucking left. Let's go home, Jaune."

XxXXxX​