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calliecat93 · 3 years

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I don’t think it’s incorrect to say that Cinder Fall is one of the most divisive characters in the series. From my experience, she was liked well enough in Volumes 1-4, and people were interested in her character. But as time went on with her getting less focus, any focus being on her just wanting to power, much of her original threat level slowly going down, and just so many questions going unanswered, people began to turn on her. Last volume was when interest seemed to get reignited, and it had people asking one question: were we finally on our way to getting a Cinder Fall backstory? Well my friends, the clock has struck. The spell has broken, and it’s time to see Cinder as she truly is.

Overview

Remember when the volume began with us seeing a young Cinder scrubbing floors? Well we get that again, but this time with much more detail. We see Cinder living on a farm, scrubbing floors and being bullied by other children. It’s not clear if she’s in an orphanage or a slave, but regardless we hear a woman say that she’ll take her. We cut to a city and Cinder is before a glamorous hotel, being led inside by her new stepmother. She’s lead to the back, also meeting her new stepsisters which if you’re familiar with Cinderella, you can already tell where this is going. Indeed, Cinder is forced to clean, serve guests, be given barely any food, and bullied by her stepsisters. She even resorts to eating the meals meant for guests just because she’s starving that badly. We also briefly get a new song that I... think is being sung by Casey? I couldn’t fully tell, but it is the definition of belittling and mockery.

During all of this, one individual has noticed what’s going on, a Huntsman named Rhodes. One day when particularly frustrated, Cinder sees him showing others a sword he acquired. Her stepsisters come in, trailing mud in a deliberate attempt to make Cinder’s life harder. She snaps, her Scorch Touch Semblance essentially causing her to turn her brush into a smoke bomb. As a result, her stepmother activates a shock collar that Cinder already put on, her abuse now evolving into physical torture. Having had enough, Cinder steals Rhodes sword and hides in I assume some kind of cellar. Rhodes finds her, but offers to train her to be a Huntress so that when she’s of age, she can enter a Huntsman Academy and have a better life. After all, killing her stepfamily won’t end her suffering.

Over what looks like years, Cinder receives training whenever Rhodes returns to the hotel, and she becomes a very strong fighter. But she still has to undergo the abuse for at least years. Regardless, she’s growing closer to her goal and Rhodes even gives her his sword. Unfortunately, one day, the stepsisters inform their mother that Cinder has a weapon. By the time Rhodes returns, hours have gone by and the hotel seems empty. But it isn’t long before he enters the cellar, finding the stepsisters dead and Cinder having as hold of her stepmother. The electrocution does nothing as Cinder simply snaps her neck, killing her. Cinder is relieved, having gotten rid of her abusers and now having her freedom. But to her shock Rhodes not only disapproves, but pulls his weapons, seeming to intending to turn her in. Cinder is shocked, then enraged as they fight. In the end, Cinder kills Rhodes and he merely pats her head before falling dead to the ground. Cinder rips the shock collar off and looks out the window, crying but also smiling as she is now free.

We cut to the present with Cinder waking up, Emerald having brought her back to Monstra. Cinder is very much not happy even as Emerald tries to explain how she had been hurt. Mercury comes in, saying that it’s pointless and again telling Emerald that Cinder does not care. Cinder orders them out... but Mercury isn’t there to obey her anymore. He reveals that Salem has plans for him, and thus he’s now higher up just as he wanted in Volume 6. This, he no longer follows Cinder, and she loses one more person she once had control over. They’ve been summoned to the bridge for something big. Mercury leaves with Emerald soon following, leaving Cinder sitting alone.

Meanwhile, Oz is trying to convince Oscar to let him take over to give the kid a break from the beatings. But Oscar has a suggestion. While they are there, why not use Salem’s own tactics against her? She uses her agents to sew the seeds of division among her enemies... so why can’t they dot he same with her allies? Hazel comes in, asking for the password once more. Ozpin now takes over, enraging Hazel. But when Oz asks why he’s even working for Salem when he’s fully aware of what she’s done, the brute says that there’s no point to fighting her. He knows what she can do. She will win. It’s foolish to go against her, and due to Oz countless young lives have been lost for what he deems a hopeless cause. But Oz points out that someone had to try and is about to reveal what’ll happen if the Relics are united to show just how bad the stakes are, when Salem enters to call everyone to the bridge.

All of Salem’s current agents are there, though Emerald and Neo are noticeably more to the side. Watts has contacted Tyrian to report his hacking efforts, which causes Salem to turn to Cinder. She causes the Grimm Arm to send Cinder into a wave of pain, just as she was forced into under her stepmother. But suddenly, Salem says that Cinder’s current actions are her fault, and the pain stops. She says that she denied Cinder what she wanted after all that she endured, so she allows Cinder to take the Winter Maiden powers from Penny, whether she or her Hound gets there first. or now, Cinder and Tyrian are to get Watts as Salem launches her attack. IDK if i’s Oscar or Oz begging them not to as they’ll be sealing their own doom, but Salem merely says that it’s too late.

Meanwhile, the Ace-Ops are less than happy about Watts and now having to go after what Elm says is junk, causing Winter to more or less tell them to shut up. Marrow catches a comms transmission and upon putting it on speaker, finds that it’s Jaune trying to warn someone about the Grimm River. They land before the three, who are heading for Mantle on the repaired hoverbike. When Jaune tries to explain, Harriet is more interested in finding Penny and again blames them for the situation. before she can continue though, the river... well... shoots up. To Atlas. It launches several Grimm, and they destroy the Hard Light Shield Generators. Our heroes, the Ace-Ops, Ironwood, and even the people in the Crater can only watch in horror as the shields go down. Salem gives the order, and Monstra unleashes a horde of various Grimm as the chapter ends.

Review

As I said in the intro, many have been waiting for a Cinder backstory for a long, long time. The lack of one and a definite motivation has been one of the biggest criticisms against Cinder for years now. Before we begin, I should talk about my opinion of Cinder. As I do with Ruby, I have always found Cinder an interesting character. For all the things people complained about her, like her lack of motivation, thirst for power, her declining threat level, it only made me more interested. Why? Because there’s always just enough small things to get my attention. Her hatred of Ruby for making her feel weak, getting angry whenever someone like Watts spoke back at her, even burning him in Volume 5 for getting after her changing the invasion plans. How she seems borderline obsessed with power and being in control, becoming more and more unhinged whenever she loses it. After being the puppet-master for he first three volumes, watching as we slowly learn that she is just another’s puppet and her quest for power always had me asking why she was like this.

At long last, we have the answer. Now to be honest... most of this went exactly as I expected since I knew that she was a Cinderella expy. She had an abusive guardian. Abusive stepsisters. She was abused, treated as a slave, and generally miserable. But unlike Cinderella, who always remained kind and loving in spite of her stepfamily’s torment, Cinder was angry, spiteful, and did break. Heck considering her previous living conditions, maybe she was sold as a slave, The only thing I didn’t expect was for her to have a prince/godmother figure in Rhodes, someone who gave her a chance to eventually attain a better life. But sadly, it ended with her snapping and killing both her abusers and the only person to show her kindness. Cinder got her freedom, but also sealed herself to a miserable life.

Now there’s already been some arguments about this. Everyone agrees that the stepfamily sucks, but how much fault does Rhodes hold? I think that he had good intentioned, but there’s the fact that ultimately he left Cinder to continue to be abused despite fully well knowing about it. Now I get why some go ‘just take her’, but that would have plenty of it’s own issues like him being accused of kidnapping, endangering an innocent girl, etc. Ultimately I think that Rhodes was a decent guy who did what he thought he could do to give Cinder a chance at a better life under the circumstances. She just had to endure the abuse for a few years as her inspiration did, then she could walk free. But sadly, that didn’t happen. Rhodes made a mistake in not at least stepping up to demand Cinder be treated better, maybe event threatening to inform someone higher up about it and endangering the business. But he didn’t, and this along with drawing his weapons' against Cinder sealed his demise. It’s sad, but with how hurt Cinder was and after the abuse she suffered, I understand why she did it. It wasn’t the right thing to do, but it’s understandable. Her stepfamily deserved it though, no argument there.

But putting all of our attention on Cinder now, this answered/confirmed everything that I had suspected for years. Why does Cinder hate Atlas/the elite? Because she was abused by them. Why does she hate Huntsmen? Because one betrayed her. Why is she so obsessed with power? Because it’s what, in her mind, gave her freedom. Why does she want control? Because she was never allowed to have it. It’s why she burned Watts in Volume 5, he tried to overpower her and she wasn’t going to take it. It’s why she loses it every time she loses a chance at the Maiden power, because it further reminds her of how weak and powerless she once was and never wants to be again. Heck it’s why she wants Ruby dead and even fears her, because she has a power that by it’s nature makes her powerless as Volume 3 proved, which was the first true time we saw Cinder get defeated. Just as she killed the one thing left in her way at that, she got brought right back down to that powerless girl beaten by everyone around her. Isn’t re-analyzing everything after big reveals fun?!

Everything makes sense, and we can now see how everything clicks. When we met Cinder, she was confident and in control of everything, and we didn’t question it as we knew virtually nothing back then. But as we learned about Salem, the true stakes, and the history of Remnant, the more we saw Cinder’s position slip. Every time she has gone after a Maiden past Amber, she failed. She’s failed at pretty much everything and her only success, getting The Lamp, was only because of Neo. So her anger and her grip has slipped more and more as the fact that she isn’t as powerful as she believed keeps hitting her and bringing her back to that barn/hotel. And now? Mercury has walked out on her in favor of Salem, and at this point I won’t be surprised if Neo walks and Emerald is eventually driven away. Cinder just can’t accept love and affection, having either never received it or in her eyes, those who did betrayed her. And unless she does come to understand these concepts and that people like Emerald are willing to care about her, she will be left all alone.

But the saddest part? At least with the deaths, it at least looked like Cinder could at least begin her life anew. But... she didn’t. Here’s one of my gripes with the chapter, us not seeing how she joined Salem. What happened after the deaths? Did she run away? Did she get arrested and escape? How did she meet Salem? What got Salem to take her in? I was hoping to get these answers to both know why Cinder is where she is and see more of how Salem brings people into her fold, but sadly we didn’t. That being said, we’ve seen enough to see how Cinder is just where she had previously been. She’s serving another for a goal that is not her own. She feels in control because it’s allowing her to get the power that she thinks will give her freedom. But it isn’t, and Salem occasionally showing her favor as she did here are why Cinder keeps falling back in line. Cinder escaped one abusive situation, but only ended up in another one and either doesn’t realize it or is in deep denial over it.

Honestly, it’s just... sad. I feel legit bad for Cinder. Her life was awful, and she either never got a say in it or when she did, made the wrong choice. Now does this justify anything that she has done? No. She still killed Pyrrha. She still killed Vernal. She still killed innocent people, like that Mistral girl just so she could steal her stuff. She caused Penny’s first death. She caused the Grimm attack that killed who knows how many people in Vale. She was perfectly willing to kill an elderly woman just for her powers. And as Jaune said in Volume 5, always with a sick smirk on her face. There is a LOOOT of blood on her hands and as bad as I feel for her, nothing justifies the horrible things that she has done. The only way that I can see her at least begin a redemption arc is to both start to understand the concept of people caring as well as realize just what horrible things she’s done. If Emerald and Neo turn on her as Mercury has, that could be what does it, or has her double down. I have been pretty against Cinder being redeemed because of her lack of remorse, but I have been convinced that it’s plausible. It’s all going to depend on the execution. But in the end, whether she change or stick to the path she’s on now, she ultimately has my pity.

Okay, that’s enough on Cinder for now. Let’s now talk about Oscar and Oz. And just like in Chapter 4, seeing Oscar so battered and even a little bloody is... rough. Hell, Oz trying to convince Oscar to let him take over to give the kid a break with Oscar refusing is... yeah. But I do like how Oscar brings up a very good point. Salem’s power comes form her causing division. Using her pawns to go out and place doubt into other’s minds. And it works... so why can’t they do the same? Place doubt into the minds of Salem’s agents. We as the audience know fully well that not everyone is on board. Hazel is a hypocrite, but essentially serves Salem as he sees fighting her as hopeless and thus directs the hate onto Oz since that’s someone he can harm. Neo hates being there, Emerald is scared, and despite his promotion Mercury is as terrified as Emerald is and we can see he does still care about her. Even Cinder we see could turn if she ever realized that she’s in no better a place she was as before. Only Tyrian is really full-heartedly loyal. There are cracks within Salem’s ranks, and Oscar has an open chance to shatter it.

But he’s gonna have to act fast. So... that River, huh? Yep, it was meant for Atlas. It’s a cunning move. But this makes Ironwood’s actions even more cruelly ironic. Imagine that he stayed in Mantle. Chances are, the forces would have been out in the tundra. There is a good possibility that they could have discovered the River sooner. Even with them not knowing about it turning into a geyser, they could have at least prepared for something or come up with a defense. It shows just how poor Ironwood’s decision truly was and even if he had shot Atlas upward, all it would have done was delay the inevitable. Worse, he’s sent his best soldiers to the tundra to find Penny. Even if they do, Watts will have control and Ironwood’s own temper allowed that. Ironwood okayed right into Salem’s hands, and he has sealed Atlas’ doom. Oh he won’t go down without a fight, for that I’m certain. But I get the feeling that it’s gonna be too late.

Chapter Stats

Favorite Character: Cinder Fall Favorite Scene: Cinder and Salem interaction near the end Least Favorite Scene: Mmm... Cinder being electrocuted was hard to watch Favorite Voice Actor: Jessica Nigri (Cinder) Favorite Animation: Cinder vs Rhodes Rating: 8/10

Final Thoughts

So far, this is my least favorite chapter of the volume. Not because it was bad, it just feels... incomplete. There are still several pieces with Cinder that I feel are missing, mainly how she came under Salem. But that may be an answer for another day. I also feel like they should have done this sooner, especially since after how long it’s been and Cinder doing worse and worse things, it’s harder for me to feel 100% bad for her, but I get they may not have had a choice. What we did get, however, was more than enough to answer the many questions regarding Cinder that we’ve had for eight volumes now. We know understand why she is how she is, and even how she could begin to turn it around. But that’s still a choice that only she can make. The wait was very much worth it, and add to two new songs (one being by Casey’s band OK Goodnight, yay!), Oscar showing his development, us seeing the cracks in the villains mindsets, and of course the ending taking us right back to the stakes of this volume. One more to go until the mid-season break folks, and knowing this show, they’re gonna ensure that we wait in agony.

#rwby #rwby reviews #rwby8 #rwby spoilers #rwby musings #callie reviews

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mackinmacki · 5 years

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Short Cool Woman in a Black Dress

Rating: K+

Word Count: 5997

Summary: Weiss is an undercover detective, exploring the seedy underbelly of speakeasies and bootlegging during Prohibition. While working, she hears a beautiful voice coming from the prettiest woman she's ever seen. Job performance may slack during those times.

Pairing: White Rose

Notes: This is for day three of White Rose Week. Topic: Breathless

Link: (FFN) | (AO3)

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Another drink down. Weiss hated the taste, but she wouldn't let it show. The men and women around her didn't need to pretend, though. They likely wouldn't be in the bootlegging business if it wasn't for their own personal enjoyment of the substance. Though alcohol had been banned from sale for several years now, speakeasies like these kept popping up left and right. For every one the government shut down, it felt like two more would pop up in their place. It was like fighting an intoxicated hydra. That's why she was there, though: to try and put a stop to their illegal activities.

As a member of the highest authority in the region of Atlas, agent Weiss Schnee had been sent undercover into the belly of the beast. She was tasked with finding the epicenter of these illegal businesses and shut them down permanently. The more lushes they threw behind bars, the better. Of course, going undercover meant she needed to blend in with the sorts of rapscallions she would be consorting with. Unfortunately, she'd never acquired the taste for whiskey that her mother had. Still, she needed to down the foul substance and ignore the fire burning in her throat. Such vile swill. She was shocked that anyone would willingly put a bottle with it between their lips.

It would be bad enough if this was the first time she'd experienced this, but she'd been undercover in this area for two weeks now. She'd had enough alcohol to last her a lifetime, but it was starting to become worth it. Her no-nonsense attitude had ingratiated her with some of the bartenders, and slowly but surely she'd ended up sitting at the tables of more important people. Specifically, some of the runners and financiers. Their identities stayed locked in her mind until she was able to get home and jot them down. By now, she had quite a lot of juicy information to hand over to the authorities. Still, she wasn't done yet. Not after just two weeks.

Though these were all criminals who deserved to be thrown in the slammer, they were just small potatoes. There were bigger fish to fry, and these metaphors were kind of making her hungry. She slapped her hand on the table and ordered a basket of fries, which was seconded and then third...ed by others around the table. Err, anyway, these were just two-bit thugs compared to the true financiers hiding in the shadows. She had yet to meet any of them in person, but she knew they existed. It was part of her briefing when she'd initially been given her assignment. They were bootleggers and fixers, which were actually some of the more tame things they'd been accused of. No matter the risk, she wasn't willing to leave until she'd nailed those scumbags.

"Look lively, boys and girls! The entertainer's here!" Weiss quirked an eyebrow, having been in the process of getting out of her seat to leave. There wasn't any new information being passed around the table, and she didn't like to stay in these bars any longer than her job required her to. However, the promise of an entertainer was new. She had her doubts that whatever 'entertainment' was coming up on stage would help her in any way with her investigation, but it was enough to put her butt back in her seat. Might as well see what was going to happen.

From behind the scarlet curtain came a young woman with a microphone in her hand. Her silver eyes glowed beneath the dim lights that hung over the stage, making Weiss feel as if she was being pulled into a thermometer. The temperature was certainly rising in the room, so that at least made sense. She brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes, walking confidently towards the middle of the stage. Each step was followed closely by Weiss, who was glad she had sat down before her appearance. Otherwise she would've crashed down to the ground in shock and looked like a complete idiot.

Whoever this woman was, she was absolutely stunning. Her body was hugged so perfectly in a little black dress, looking as if it had been tailor-made just for her. She could hardly believe that someone as beautiful as her would even take a second glance at a ragtag place like this. What circumstances must have befallen this young lady to make her come in here to entertain layabouts like these? At the same time, she felt incredibly lucky that she had, for she was completely smitten. She tried to make herself appear impassive about the whole situation, but she had a feeling she was failing.

When she started to sing, Weiss knew she could not appear impassive. No way, no how. With her short, fluffy-looking hair, the woman looked like one of those flappers that her father always railed against as destroyers of the decency women once had. However, her voice didn't sound like that of a carefree tart. She sounded like an angel who had descended down from the Heavens to grace these poor heathen ears with her song. It was a voice that would've knocked her right off her feet if she'd been standing. The fries she'd ordered were dropped in front of her, but she didn't even notice them. All of her attention was focused on this incredible woman.

Her singing was so captivating that time passed by without her noticing. More people slipped into the speakeasy to have a drink and take in the show, but she was too distracted to think about working information out of them. As far as she was concerned, nobody else in the bar existed. Every seat was empty, and this woman was performing for her personally. This was her own private concert, and she was willing to scream for encore after encore.

Sadly, it had to end at some point. Before she was ready for the woman to go, she was waving to the audience and disappearing behind the same curtain she'd come out from. The stage was now empty, and Weiss felt the same way. She kept staring at the curtain, concentrating hard on the spot where she had disappeared. Maybe if she stared long enough, she'd come back out and sing again. That, of course, did not happen, and she finally stopped looking when she realized that she must've looked really stupid.

Looking down at the table, she finally realized that her fries had been brought to her. When had that happened? With a longing sigh, she picked up one and ate it, immediately sticking her tongue out in disgust. 'Ugh, they're cold.'

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Over the next week, she spent more time in that particular speakeasy than any others. She was supposed to be working her way up the ladder to schmooze with the bigwigs who ran these operations, but that no longer felt like her primary goal. As much as she tried to concentrate on her job, she always found herself tapping her fingers on the table, her eyes glancing towards the stage as she impatiently waited for the mysterious singer to show up. When she didn't, she was inevitably disappointed. However, when she did show up, then her thoughts were consumed by nothing but her for the rest of her night. This ended up making her a complete waste at her job.

Not that she minded too much, though. Her badge came second to her falling in love with this complete stranger. It was silly for her to feel that way: to even invoke the word 'love' for a person she only knew for her looks and her voice. Ah, but the heart never really listened to the brain all that often. Her sister had once told her that, but she'd paid no heed to it until now. Those looks and that voice... they were better than anyone else on this planet, she was sure of it. And maybe it was in her head, but she was sure that one time, when she had winked at the crowd, she had specifically winked at her.

A week after she'd first laid eyes on her silver-eyed seductress, she was expecting nothing more than what happened every day she saw this woman. She would come on stage, sing for a crowd that certainly didn't deserve her, then leave with a wave, as if she'd never been there at all. Today was different, though. When she was finished singing, she didn't go back into the curtain from whence she came. Instead, she set down the mic on stage and stepped onto the dirty floor. She started walking forward, past table after table. Her eyes seemed to be focused on one particular table... the one Weiss was sitting at.

That immediately sent her heart into panic mode. Her brain soon followed suit, and she nearly jumped right out of her chair and beat it to the bathroom to hide. However, if she did that, then the singer might think that she was responsible for her quick exit. Which she would've been, but not for the reasons she may think. Therefore, she stayed sitting, her muscles locking up on her as she made a good impression of a statue.

"Careful with that broad, Whitey." She flinched at the sound of someone speaking in her ear, turning to look in the face of her 'compatriot' Chip-Tooth Charlie. They called him that on account of his chipped tooth. Go figure. "I see you makin' eyes at her, but be warned. She knows where it's at. Don't get too attached, bud." Well, that was ominously vague. Weiss didn't have much time to ruminate on that advice when 'the broad' came over to the table, a little sway to her hips that emptied Weiss's mind.

"Heya, fellas! Havin' a good time?" Everybody gave their assent except for Weiss, who found that her vocal chords didn't want to work properly. Really, anything in that area of her body had just completely shut down. Staring at the beauty before her was suffocating her in the best possible way. This person was so damn unbelievable that they had completely taken her breath away, and she didn't even know her name. She had to know it, though. The unknown was killing her, with the whole 'suffocation' thing and all.

"What's your name?" She blurted out her question, with the rest of the table chuckling at her. Shrinking in her seat, she scowled in embarrassment, but the singer didn't appear to be laughing at her. She had such a good-natured smile on her face that once again, Weiss couldn't believe that she would be spending her time here. The more she was falling for this woman, the more she had worried about that fact. Being here was at the very least being complicit with illegal activities. Even if she wasn't running or mixing herself, she could still get a slap on the wrist. She didn't want any legal repercussions falling upon her. Not on her watch.

"My name's Ruby Rose. And may I ask yours?" Ohh, she asked it so sweetly. Her speaking voice was high-pitched but unbelievably adorable. It sent her heart racing, and she was sure everyone at the table could hear it. They were all staring at her, knowing grins on their faces. Those stupid buffoons weren't stupid enough to ignore her obvious feelings for Ruby Rose. Stupid gay heart making her feel this way.

"Uh, Whitey Morton." She internally cringed at the fake name she was forced to give her. There was no way she could go undercover using her actual name, even more so when her family name was very well known. She'd come up with the Whitey Morton moniker to avoid suspicion, and thankfully it had seemed to work. Nobody had questioned her or put any theories out there that she was related in any way to the Schnees. She didn't want this goddess upon the Earth to know her as Whitey Morton, two-bit boozerunner. She wanted her to know her as Weiss Schnee, rich heiress who was very much wanting to take her out on a Sunday stroll. Nobody went out on Sunday strolls with gals like Whitey Morton.

"Well, glad to finally speak to you, Ms. Morton." Ruby winked at her, and Weiss was sure her heart had stopped. Her eyes actually widened for a moment, afraid that a mere wink from this woman had sent her into cardiac arrest. What a way to go, huh? After a few seconds of not being dead, she tried to resume her normal air of coolness. From the way Ruby was looking at her, she had a feeling that it wasn't working.

"Cripes! It's the feds!" Weiss reluctantly broke eye contact with Ruby to look over towards the front, where the doorman was rushing towards the center of the room. He was wild-eyed, like a jack-in-the-box about to pop out at any second. "Beat it, cats! The cops are here!" No sooner had he said that when the sound of sirens outside could be heard. He hadn't been kidding: the cops really were there.

Immediately a panic set in. Patrons toppled over chairs in their haste to get up and escape through the back door. There was only one exit, however, which meant a lot of crowding. People who had just been drinking together were shoving each other out of the way in an attempt to get down the hallway first. Weiss's table quickly dispersed, and by the time she got herself on her feet, her fellow small-timers had already fled. Without thinking, she rushed around the table, grabbed Ruby's hand, and pulled her towards the exit.

"Ah, wait! Ms. Morton!" Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the bartender shutting cabinets in a vain attempt to hide the truth before he too made a break for it. She couldn't believe the police were already raiding this place, though. Her report hadn't even been completed yet! They were jumping the gun too early. If the bigshots got wind of what happened, they might go underground for awhile. Then she'd have to wait a very long time to get another shot at them. She cursed her luck under her breath while she headed for the exit.

Now, the exit wasn't exactly cut and dry. The hallway everybody had raced down led to two separate paths. She already knew from sneaking around the joint that the left side led to a dead end door, so she yanked Ruby to the right. There were several doors on the right side, but one was for the bathroom and the other was a storage closet. As for the third one, it may have looked like a regular junk room on the inside, but hidden behind an unassuming shelf was a near-invisible trapdoor that led into a small tunnel. That tunnel, in turn led into the building next door: an enabler whom she had hoped to pin as well. Now those plans were scuttled for the moment.

The sound of the door bursting open reached her ears, letting her know that there wasn't a lot of time left. They could filter into the hall at any moment, and the two of them needed to make themselves scarce. Particularly Ruby. Though she could eventually pull up the proof of who she was, she had no idea about Ruby's past. She could've been a criminal mastermind for all she knew, or she could've been an innocent girl thrown in over her head. Either way, she wanted to make sure she specifically got out of there safely.

The door to the room with the trapdoor was already open, so she didn't need to waste any time opening it. Obviously the escaping patrons didn't bother with closing it back up, but she didn't have time to do it either. Besides, she knew the bartender would be on her trail, and he'd likely do it. If they didn't catch him, anyway. She hurried to the corner of the room, where the trapdoor had also been left open. Secrecy knew no bounds with these people, clearly.

"I didn't know this was here." Ruby gazed in amazement at the trapdoor, but she didn't have much time to admire its existence. Weiss was already pulling her down, and she had to do it herself or end up falling down. They went through the tunnel without a sound, having to crawl to actually get through it. While she'd known it existed, Weiss had never gone through it herself. She could only hope that the cops didn't know of it yet and had someone on the other side.

Pushing open the door on the other side, she breathed a sigh of relief when she was met with an empty room. She helped Ruby out of the tunnel and took her hand again, still focused on getting the two of them out of there safely. The store they had entered had a back door, which the patrons of the bar could all escape from without gaining the notice of the cops. If they'd all gone out the front door, then the jig would surely be up. Through the back, and nobody would be the wiser. That's where the two of them headed.

She never came to the bar in a car, trusting herself on her feet more than the time it would take to start up her vehicle. Plus, she didn't want anyone to find her in the same car when she was in her regular life. If they put two and two together, then her cover would be completely blown. There would be times when she'd need a car for her missions, but for this one, they were walking. And they kept walking until there was enough distance between themselves and the bar. Only then did Weiss realize that she'd been holding Ruby's hand the entire time.

"We should be safe now." She let go of Ruby's hand, a light blush on her cheeks. "But we should keep going, just in case they start looking around the area." Ruby nodded, looking a lot meeker than the more confident young lady that had approached her at the table. This must've been her first time experiencing something like this, so she was naturally deferring to Weiss, who appeared to know what she was doing. At least a walk would allow her a chance to breathe and figure out what she was going to do next. "So what's a pretty lady like yourself singing in a place like that?"

"I needed money for my family, and not many great working environments hire people without higher education." She laughed quietly, and Weiss turned just in time to see a slight blush on her face. It made her heart skip a beat seeing Ruby's cheeks turn pink, and she wondered if it was her 'pretty lady' comment that had done that. "It was either that or work as a secretary at some business. That's not really my thing, you know?"

"Well, a job as a secretary would be safer. Singing in a place like that is way beneath someone like you, plus you could get arrested at any moment. Your family wouldn't get much use out of your money if you were behind bars." She had a feeling that she could put Ruby on the path of the straight and narrow. Not that she'd been doing anything illegal, but the kind of pressure a place like that could put on someone like her would be immense. She needed to be in a better environment, where she didn't have to worry about the cops busting in.

"Yeah, but I don't think I'd feel very comfortable in that environment. My sister worked as a secretary after high school and... well, it wasn't really for her." She laughed awkwardly, clearly holding something back that she didn't want to say out loud. That instantly got Weiss's detective senses tingling, but she refused to pursue it any further. She figured trying to find out if Ruby had something to hide concerning her family wasn't going to get her in her good graces. These were the kind of things she could find out later. Right now, she wanted to know more about the lady herself.

"If you're hellbent on singing, then perhaps there's a different place you could use your talents. I know of a nice place that could always use a lovely voice like yours for enhanced ambiance. I'll pull a few strings here or there and I'm sure they can find a spot for you." She smiled to herself, rather proud of the way she had already thought of a solution to Ruby's problems. As long as her last name was still Schnee, she always had some clout when it came to her family's businesses and the businesses that were aligned with them. Even if she wasn't exactly daddy's little girl anymore, she hadn't been booted out of the family yet. There were still advantages there.

"Well, uh, that's mighty kind of you." Ruby blushed further, embarrassed by the compliments Weiss kept offhandedly giving her. Honestly, Weiss wasn't even sure how she could say those things without turning into a stuttering mess. She figured it was likely because she was in work mode, and she had a better grip on herself in those moments than in her private life. Not that her private life involved a lot of pretty singers in it. "But if I may ask, how can you pull those kinds of strings? Are you, uh..." She fiddled with her hands, unable to look at Weiss anymore. "Are you with the mob?" She whispered her question, looking left and right in case there was anyone who could hear her.

"Hardly. I'm..." She bit her tongue, almost giving her identity away to this complete stranger. Was she really so strung along by a pretty girl who winked at her one time? ... Yes. Yes she was. With a sigh, she knew that she was going to give away the game. It made sense, though. How else was she going to explain how she could get her a job with a Schnee affiliate? There was no coincidence on Earth that could explain it. "Alright, look, I'm going to tell you something, but you have to promise that you won't tell anyone what I'm going to tell you." Could she trust this woman? Honestly, probably not, but dammit, she was going to do it. Stupid, stupid heart...

"Oh God, you are part of the mob..."

"I'm not part of the mob!" Weiss sighed deeply and rubbed her temples. This was obviously going to be more difficult than she initially thought. "My name's not actually Whitey Morton. It's Weiss Schnee. Yes, that Schnee. I've been undercover in this area for a couple weeks now, trying to get intel on these speakeasies that have been cropping up. Which is why you can't tell anyone what I just told you." She whirled around and stared down Ruby, who jumped as she nearly ran into her. "It's imperative that I remain undiscovered so I can continue doing my job." She searched Ruby's eyes, hoping against hope that she wasn't going to turn around and tell people right away.

"Okay, so you're Weiss Schnee, of the Schnee family, and not Whitey Morton?" Weiss nodded. "And you're not a random drunk at the bar, but a cop?" Again, Weiss nodded. "Okay, so you're a narc- Uh, an officer of the law." She gulped at the sour look on Weiss's face, feeling as if she was shrinking down to the ground. "I, uh... Why, though? Why would you help me get a different job? I'm not rich or important. I don't understand."

"I..." She didn't really understand it either. The only explanation that came to mind was because she had fallen for Ruby and wanted to do something overly nice to impress her. She didn't like that explanation, though, and she chose to forcibly repress it in her mind. "Well, it's... because I feel bad that you have to spend all your time in that bar when you deserve so much more. Like I said, a voice like yours deserves to be heard by people more refined than Chip-Tooth Charlie. Being in there is illegal as well, and I don't want you to get in trouble with the law when you've done nothing wrong."

"Well..." Ruby bit her lower lip, thinking on the offer being presented to her. It was a bit vague, since she didn't know where she was going to be working. There were quite a few Schnee properties, and she didn't even know if Weiss could deliver. Then again, if she was a Schnee, then she'd definitely have pull in these matters. It'd probably get her better pay too, though she didn't know what kind of money she'd be making. It'd be better than singing in underground bars too. Was she really in a position to reject such an offer? "... Okay, I accept."

"Excellent!" Weiss beamed as she squeezed Ruby's hand again, looking at her with pure joy. Having Ruby work at one of her father's companies meant multiple things. She was going to keep her from getting arrested one day, for one. She could also have her in an easy location to reach, so that she could see her whenever she wanted. Unfortunately, her ears would no longer be gifted by that lovely voice whenever she was undercover, but that scene at the bar probably irrevocably hurt her mission there anyway. Besides, getting to stay in one of the Schnee businesses, kick up her feet, and listen to Ruby sing without worrying about the cops busted in was an even better substitute. "Now, we should go our separate ways for now. I will go and find a job for you right away. You should meet me at the La Blanca coffeeshop tomorrow morning at ten. We can discuss the details of your future employment there."

"Okay. Thank you." Ruby didn't know what else to say. Her mind was still swirling trying to take this all in. Everything about her life had been swept up in a whirlwind within the last twenty or so minutes. She'd never had anyone looking out for her like this that wasn't her immediate family. It made her suspicious, but at the same time, she felt like she could trust Weiss. She wasn't sure what exactly was so trustworthy about her, but it was making her agree to take whatever job was being offered to her. Maybe it was because she had just helped her escape the cops back there, even if she was one herself. Or it could've been the way she'd always looked at her every time she got on stage to perform. So focused, so wanting...

Shaking her head, Ruby walked back towards the car, where her car was still parked. Now she just had to avoid the cops on her way home. What fun.

———————————————————————————————————–

Several weeks later, Weiss walked into the office in her finest suit. She only broke out this particular suit for special occasions, and this qualified for that. Thankfully, the surprise raid on that speakeasy hadn't set her too far back, and she had ended up taking down one of the big bosses of the city's underground alcohol distribution. There was still work to be done, but it was a big deal nonetheless. At the office, she was going to be congratulated by the DA, and she wouldn't say no to the recognition. It was sure to propel her career even farther

"I must say, that was a fantastic job, Weiss." The DA shook her hand hard, pumping it up and down. He always did have a lot of energy, something that their line of work hadn't stamped out yet. "These streets are a little bit safer thanks to your work."

"Thank you, sir. I was just doing my job." She smiled, feeling that the praise was worth nearly getting her arm taken off. There was one person whom she wanted to hear praise her above all others, though. As far as she knew, Ruby had kept her word to not tell anyone about her undercover work, and she'd taken to her new job pretty well too. She'd gotten her a gig as the singer at a nearby hotel that the Schnees owned. Her singing was good enough to get her signed on the spot, and it hadn't hurt that she had Weiss vouching for her as well.

It had become routine for Weiss to stop at the hotel whenever she had time off that aligned with when Ruby was going to be singing. She'd sit down and listen to that beautiful voice, then spend time with Ruby afterwards. They would take about lots of different things, though Weiss wasn't always so forthcoming about her own job. She'd already risked a lot telling Ruby that she was an undercover agent. Saying too much more would probably get her in front of a committee. She was also pretty quiet when it came to her family life, but everything else was fair game.

Before, she'd worried that her affections for Ruby were misplaced. They didn't even know each other: they just happened to be in the same bar at the same time. As they continued to learn more about each other, her worries dissipated. Ruby was a really nice person to talk to. Somewhat excitable, but a really genuine and nice woman. Growing up, she dealt with a lot of lying and double talk. It was expected of her, even encouraged, and she'd never felt comfortable with it. She'd just fallen into it because it was what was expected of her within her family. Getting to talk with Ruby was like a breath of fresh air, though. She wanted to do this more.

So naturally, she headed right for the hotel as soon as she was done at the office. She had a bit of time before Ruby went on stage, but she had to see her and tell her the good news. Or at least the decent news. She was brimming with excitement, which was a rarity for her. Growing up, she'd always felt compelled to keep her emotions under wraps. Showing too much was beneath her, and that mindset was still with her to this day. Sometimes she couldn't contain herself, though. Knowing that she had someone like Ruby to tell this to, who would be legitimately happy for her success, was a big reason for that.

When she got to the hotel, it was about the time where Ruby would be getting ready in the employees' quarters. Weiss headed right for it, opening the door and walking inside. Several waitstaff stared at her in surprise, as nobody ever saw her walk among the help like this. She gave them a nod of acknowledgement, which was further surprising. Alas, she didn't have time for chit-chat. There was one specific employee that she was searching for.

It didn't take long to find her. She was sitting in the back, already turning around before Weiss had approached her. It helped that she'd shown up in the mirror she'd been looking at. "Weiss? What are you doing here?" She stood up, only to nearly lose her balance when Weiss hugged her. An overt show of affection in front of the other staff? That was new. "I haven't even gone on stage yet." She awkwardly put her arms around Weiss, confused as to what had brought this on.

"I stopped one of those big bootleggers I was talking about, Ruby." She dropped her voice to a whisper, not wanting anyone else to get word on what her work really entailed. "The DA congratulated me today, and I really think this is going to help me get promoted." She had a big, genuine smile on her face, which surprised Ruby. Getting to know Weiss had shown that smiles were not easy to come by. She'd learned to tell which were genuine and which were forced, and this was no doubt a legitimate one. It made her seem so much more approachable, and undeniably cute as well.

"That's great, Weiss! Congratulations!" Ruby smiled just as brightly, hugging Weiss again with more excitement. She knew how important this had been to Weiss, and how frustrated she'd been that the local police had scuttled her plans. It seemed to have all gone well in the end, though, which was awesome. They pulled away from the hug, their hands still on each other's arms. And then Weiss leaned forward and kissed Ruby, making her hands drop like a shot.

"I just had to rush straight here and tell you! You're the one person who cares the most, and-" She stopped, as if the words had suddenly been yanked from her mouth. With reddening cheeks, Ruby watched as Weiss just stared at her blankly. She was worried for a moment that she was having a medical emergency, but then she suddenly came back to life. Her cheeks went just as red as Ruby's, but it was much more apparent due to her ghost-pale skin. "I, uh..." She stammered out, dropping her arms lifelessly at her sides. "Did I just kiss you?"

"Um..." Ruby slowly brought her fingers up to her lips, touching them to feel the tingling chill. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure you did." She laughed, but her embarrassment was still evident. Both of theirs were. That had definitely not been planned nor expected. At the same time, it had felt really nice. The tingling sensation was an incredible buzz that one couldn't get in the bowels of a sleazy speakeasy. "And I, uh... I would be alright with you doing it again."

"Really?" Weiss's eyes widened, wondering if she'd heard that right. Ruby nodded her head shyly, silently backing up her prior statement. Well, if she was so willing... Weiss closed her eyes and leaned back in, kissing Ruby again. This time she was aware of her actions, and kept their lips locked longer to better enjoy it. She felt like she could get drunk off the taste of Ruby's lips, and that was one Prohibition she could no longer abide by. If only they could do this forever...

Alas, Ruby had a show to put on, and it wasn't the one they were conducting right in front of the other staff. They both broke away from the kiss at the same time, their cheeks remaining flushed with embarrassment, but also excitement. There was definitely something there between the two of them now. They just needed to figure out together what exactly it was. For now, though, there was still that job Ruby had.

"You'd better get on stage, Ruby." Weiss pulled away from her, still smiling. "I'll see you after the show." She started to walk away, then stopped and looked over her shoulder. "Maybe you can come over to my place afterwards and we can celebrate a bit more properly." Then she turned around and walked out of the room, ignoring the stares from the rest of the staff as she walked past. As for Ruby, she just stared after her, completely slackjawed. She kept staring at the door as it closed, until she finally remembered she was supposed to be doing something.

"Crap, I gotta go sing!" She ran from the vanity, hustling over to the door. Halfway there, she skidded to a stop and ran right back. "Forgot the microphone..." She held it tight as she ran back again towards the door. It wasn't that she ever sandbagged it with her singing, but she knew that there was extra incentive to do well today. With a smile, she left the room and headed for the lounge area of the hotel. Her special audience was waiting.

#White Rose Week #RWBY #White Rose #Ruby Rose #Weiss Schnee #my writing

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