I was ready to rant and rave, and even my inner voice -
I'M WEISS SCHNEE, YOU MORON! -
Was ready to rant and rave!
"That's enough! Stop torturing me!"
That hysterical imbecile freaked and ran off somewhere backstage, once again yelling at his lead singer partner for being in his way.
The door slammed - this thing left us. Fuck, how the mood lightened in a second, I didn't expect it even.
I praised the girl lead singer non stop, she really caught the spirit from the very first reading of the play, and besides, she did not mess up the emotions, unlike this moronic weenie.
Everyone, including even the vaguely familiar faunus, a stagehand, breathed freely and eased up.
In the end, without this fucker they won't be able to continue. He's the main diva here, no question.
"Well, it's a break then,"
The director sighed and shrugged his shoulders while I looked at him like a person who is ready to dissect someone's rib cage.
That's it... They're not scared at all, damn it. Schnee's name doesn't mean anything here, so nobody gives a shit about my wishes. And this dude, Aurus Brun, the one who ran away in his hysteria because of being vanilla and because of his probable drug addiction, spoiled air here extremely thoroughly.
Of course, Jacques Gele was implicitly to blame for everything. Somehow it has already become so common in all the vastness of Remnant, and it was somehow even kosher to blame him for all the injustices of the world. But in this case, we tried to get rid of the dubious honor of performing at gatherings of the local beau monde with songs that did not express us much anymore - Mirror, mirror somehow I was not able to perform with serious face, and the good eighty percent of professional performance is emotional coloring. I didn't want to get emotionally colored by the old Weiss, so I tried to avoid possible performances by hook or by crook.
Anyway, due to the fact that I thought I am inside some kind of anime story, I tried to remember those I watched or at least glimpsed, but I gained memories with musical covers of the soundtracks of those animes from YouTube, some eighties and nineties rock, some old movies and also some food recipes. There was also a lot of almost unnecessary information from school days, like physics and chemistry, but I was clearly not an enthusiast in the past - I was absolutely not drawn to reinvent the wheel when everything around was running on Dust.
And what is there to invent?
Nitroglycerin - they used, smokeless gunpowder - they used, ammonia and formaldehyde were also discovered here, because explosive sugar was also here, meaning hexogen. But for some reason, calling it explosive sugar smacked me with a feeling of rightful causticity. I do not know what it was for, that feeling, but I preferred not to argue with the subconscious, hoping for the discovery of memories, of course. The only thing that wasn't there was nuclear power, but I wasn't hired to open this Pandora's box here.
Why Pandora and why the box?
The devil knows.
Well, at least we figured out what devil is.
Well. Both I and the voice in my head, we were ready to rant and rave, right. And all because the father of this body, the ill-fated asshole, reacted on our excuse - summed up as "I have a personal project, therefore I will not be able to participate in your circus with me as a tiger jumping over a burning hula hoop" - by asking about the essence of this very project.
I lied, of course, because I couldn't tell him about my upcoming bracers, a new tailed girlfriend and trips to Atlas music clubs to get acquainted with the local underground for further determining of what to do. In a sense that I needed to understand what the people, who would go to a concert or wind up watching on Youtube of my very first world, were listening to now - I remembered that Youtube was there, that's for sure.
I was also actively looking for connections for a variety of scenarios, starting with the search for ways to make money on Weiss' knowledge on Dust, continuing with a possible way to make money with musical talents, and ending with espionage games with criminals, including the search for the White Fang.
I was being undoubtedly and continuously dissuaded from the latter by a self-proclaimed specialist in relations with faunus, namingly Mei, but I only joked at her concerns and asked her to contribute. I couldn't wait to talk to the indoctrinated kids, because it was necessary to know how to counteract this indoctrination.
In general terms, I understood without a doubt that it was worth trying to promote faunus in the media, to give the opportunity for fulfillment and for getting rich, but no matter what anyone says, it is politics that governs the economy, and not vice versa. And, of course, to begin with, I needed to figure out exactly how to act so that I wouldn't get recognised when I express my curiosity - it would be fraught with unnecessary adventures. I was getting used to not being Weiss Schnee twenty-four seven, and that's how the personality of Aisling Schwartz got created, both for strolls with Mei and for other things - the hood and antiglare aviators saved from recognition by random fans and, well, the lack of Schnee symbols was of course the cherry on top.
The most difficult part, if anything!
That, no one could argue...
In the end this was the result of my lies to my father. After the extremely productive weekend I had to go to the local opera house and communicate with all sorts of famous pedigreed cocks... More precisely, with one particular cock. No, this idiot wasn't about being rusty while singing, we were in Atlas, marching competition and all that, and they teach well here, but still the all over population is many times smaller than on Earth.
There was, of course, the honored head of the local branch of this glorious musical psychiatric ward, Lugo Gron, but this man was old, highly respected and was definitely not going to reminisce his old days as the main antagonist.
It was enough that he is going to edit and stage this slushy guano of my making.
My father pulled his strings and arranged a conversation for me, and nothing but a conversation, but for the kids my age such a level of simple access would be like walking on foot to the local broken moon. Besides, Mr. Gron knew for sure that if he did stage this crap, then they would have advertising, and helluva support from the PR staff of my father. And yes, those guys honestly salivated at the recording of that skirmish with the captain of the White Fang - and as a result, all this time the situation has been lazily dragged through the press, both by assorted newspapers and by the pitiful number of talk shows and news channels that were available on a civilized Remnant. Only Vale, Atlas and Mistral were really interested, and Vacuo is Vacuo. People there don't give a shit what's going on in their country, why would they talk about Weiss Schnee?
If we were to return to task on hand, well, yes, previous Weiss was quite a genius girl by the standards of the kids of her age, she wrote music by herself, could make orchestrations even, I also kind of remembered that I was capable of music track creation - I earned my first emancipation money with it at some point, I think.
But only the presence of such an irreplaceable - and he did not miss the opportunity to emphasize it - father gave us the opportunity to achieve the creation of an adaptation of the Phantom of the Opera. And I could thank such a wonderful memory of Weiss for the idea itself - I dreamed of a melody, and in the end I remembered all the two and a half hours and the accompanying covers, which I probably looked through. And I definitely wasn't going to do anything like that, much less ask my father. I was just humming the melody stuck in my head to myself at breakfast while I was finishing the omelet. Whitley stopped chewing because he almost choked with laughter and started teasing me. And then my father decided to stop ordinary human interactions between siblings and asked the question that actually made him join us at breakfast.
In the Schnee mansion, family breakfasts were quite out of favor, as it turned out.
So I blurted it out. All about a personal project, and then about the Phantom of the Opera. Because this damn melody couldn't let me go since the previous day! I didn't really like this story, but apparently the previous Me watched and listened to a bunch of very diverse crap, even if he didn't like it.
Well, why didn't I, being so resourceful, watched this shit I got into?! And it was definitely some kind of anime, because there are cat-fox-bunny girls and boys, and other faunus, of course, but for some reason I had my inner feeling - it wasn't the first time I was present in a world that someone had popularized. Details avoided me, yes, but I preferred to trust the rightful sense. Otherwise, I'm gonna go crazy completely, yeah.
I rubbed my face and glanced around.
The dancers quietly giggled and occasionally burst out laughing in the corner closest to me, but I won't be caught dead with these ladies. And the young girl who played Christine was tiredly rubbing her temples. Her name was Eirene Gaynor, and the only thing I knew is that she's from Argus. Since it had to be adapted to the local custom of colors, she played not Christine, but Candida, may Weber forgive me. Like, was that the name of the original author of this action, if I remember correctly?
In general, this memory of ours was an odd thing.
I frowned and took a closer look at the vaguely familiar faunus. He was familiar not because I've been marinating here for five days, in this cesspool, no, I see him for the first time on this beautiful Saturday. He clearly works on weekends, which is odd in itself. He's probably studying, but with such a complexion, he could be a specialist-huntsman. Of the faunus features, he had eyes that were noticeably illuminated even in the semi-darkness and protruding canines, for sure he could also release claws, but you can't check those without showing curiosity.
Hm... In the semi-darkness...
I know him from... the club? He performed there!
And he's doing awesome rock, the qualities of which we've been trying to give to that arrogant mannered asshat all this time?
Is it just me, or am I getting lucky for the first time?
Hey, asshole, what do you mean?! You were lucky when you got into my body, you idiot!
I never thought that I would feel guilty because of my own inner voice.
I AM WEISS SCHNEE!
Yes, yes, we've been through this before. But how to approach it...
What's complicated here...
Indeed.
I caught his accidental glance - but let's remember the wonderful wisdom of that turtle that there are no accidents. He did cast such glances at me every five minutes, and I reasonably assumed that it was a concern in my last name from the only faunus on set. Well, let's get acquainted, then, curiosity killed the cat and all that.
I grinned in anticipation and purposefully walked towards this... substitute for imbecile number one.
The faunus turned pale and backed away, and their curious glances crossed at me.
"Master Gron, I think I know who will be our understudy while our hysterical diva is soaking in a barrel of wine, or whatever he's doing there, I never checked."
"Miss Weiss," Lugo started worriedly, breaking the deathly silence, "he's after all..."
"Well, yes, surely a performer with such a range is not found on the side of the road, of course, and he probably has other obligations, but we shouldn't tolerate this diva indefinitely, am I right?"
The faunus eyes got round like saucers, and he stopped backing away.
The people around depressurized their mouths, but so far their dirty business of gossip was moving slowly, ear-whisperingly. Though I was not deceived - after the end of the workday those whispers would be punched to the heights of the communication tower.
"Miss Weiss?" Lugo seemed obviously interested. "Do you know this faunus?"
I ignored the stupid question and addressed the big guy directly. A head and a half taller than me, wow! Yes, it's time I get used to it, but it's hard.
"Did you memorize the first duet?"
"Yes, of course, you've repeated it, like, twenty times at least, but where do you..."
"It doesn't matter."
I turned to the lead singer and held out my palm to her.
"Eirene, you were perfect, don't think about the words of that jerk and just sing. We'll figure it out later."
Lugo looked at all this and frowned, but I waited for the woman to shake my hand, then clapped once, wished good luck and jumped down into the auditorium.
Everybody were concentrating on the rehearsal again, so nothing prevented me from opening the scroll and, I admit, not without a grin, clicking on the recording.
"We can start."
Lugo sighed and put his hands on his hips, concentrating on the faunus, who was obviously unfamiliar to him.
He will look for mistakes, yes, but I remembered how this guy rocked, and therefore I hoped that he did not simply get a random job at the opera, I hoped that it was not just an accident, and again, I hoped that I got lucky, and it wasn't some fluke.
Both Lugo and I couldn't hold our breaths when these two put the Royal Atlas Hall on fire for the very first time.
Then I decided for myself that I would help his name, whatever it was, to resound.
He gifted me a piece of the past, even though I've always hated that damn musical.
***
I looked around with curiosity through the tiny but well-equipped recording studio and idly reflected.
This guy, Blaze, definitely purposefully found out what he could please me with, and I knew exactly who he had this information from. I was somehow even pleased - I had a very specific idea who could've told him. Mei was first of all my friend, second of all the girl with whom I felt good in bed and, well, on other relatively comfortable surfaces for sex. And therefore she was the only one who knew that I needed such a wonderful place away from the controlling hands of my idiot father. It was a minus, certainly, that for this place it was necessary to go down to the old Mantle. But this matter has become easier since I lured the entire staff, which had any additional body parts, to my side. Plus - Klein stubbornly pretended not to notice anything.
Either he stitched a bug into me when I was a kid, or it's one of the two. This man is too competent to simply let his ward go, and he is definitely at Alfred's level as a butler.
The thing I need now is to remember who Alfred is. I've been trying for weeks.
But now I can say with confidence that I can cook!
It is I who know how to cook, and you are my schizo. When are you going to shut up?
When you realize that I am Weiss Schnee, and not you, you idiot!
Ultimately, when I was leaving today using the staff entrance, it was Klein who saw me off. I didn't even expect that I'd have to do it today, but the initiative of my new friends made me to adjust.
Though I brushed it off at the time and didn't think that Blaze Ermine would decide to repay somehow, I still haven't done that much so far. The surname of this faunus was literally ermine, which was logical, given that ermines are mustelids, like wolverines. And for some reason, the appearance of this faunus made this comparison with wolverine pop up. I initially thought that he was felidae, but after the introduction I caught vague images when my logic produced the Ermine-Mustelids-Wolverine chain.
Well, Discovery was my favorite channel!
And we both read encyclopedia as children. Maybe that's the point. I also like something like that, if it's about the grimm. Leisure should be informative!
Leisure should be leisure. And don't spoil the mood! I never had the courage to go visit the defence wall unaccounted, to look at them with my own eyes and decide whether I would continue this foolishness with monster hunting.
You know perfectly well that Klein only covers for us as long as he thinks we're acting like an adult and not like an idiot. You didn't come back drunk or under substances, and the young love that he quietly sighed at our back, is a so–so excuse if he realizes that you put my body in danger!
This is our shared body, even if I'm somehow wrong, and she's not my schizo, but real Weiss Schnee. Anyways, the general premise is clear. And I just have to remember why this wall around Mantle reminds me of some other Wall…
If the wall that we remembered would've been in Mantle, then Atlas wouldn't be flying now.
That's fair.
Blaze kept looking at me with the annoying smile of a man who is sure that I am on the verge of jumping with joy. Mei next to him was suppressing giggles all this time while I was getting gradually impressed by the variety of presented electronic instrument replacements. The electric current was also achieved here with the help of Dust, which is not at all surprising.
Though any decent person would be simply obliged to at least treat me to coffee after I arranged for him to be a backup performer of the main role in a future bestseller. Of course, no one could immediately put a newly found talent on the main role, especially in an industry where the Schnee name is just a money bag for sponsorship, and not a real force. It's as if some bank sponsoring figure skating competitions in my past world decided to tell the jury who to put tens on. It just didn't work that way.
Lugo, without any doubt, was impressed, but he was not going to cancel the contract with Aurus. That's just it, the beauty of being the only spare for the role of the antagonist, without whom the whole performance simply will not take place — is the possibility that the main performer will once again have his relapse of imbecility.
I also considered the option in which I invove my Sister Winter, and her acquaintances from Law Enforcement search the jerk and find illegal substances in his possession, but I am already shamefully wallowing in nepotism. I think, I could manage on my own.
In general, it was a bit awkward, because while I was looking around, as if I'm here to buy it, the rest of the audience stared at me in surprise. They clearly had not been warned in advance about my visit. Two faunus, one conventional human, but each of them gave away the training by their physique, all three were guys, and all three were in the middle of rehearsal before our arrival. All of them were familiar with Mei, because they nodded at her, and in the case of the human guy, he even waved drumsticks with a cheery smile - before he noticed me. I was quite aware of why she hadn't brought me together with them before.
On the wall farthest from the entrance was an old poster of the White Fang, the one that was before Sienna Khan. Their symbol with claw marks has become punishable on the territory of Atlas, unlike the one my eyes were glued to for almost a minute now.
But still few people would use it just as a simple decoration.
"Well, I think we have a deal!"
I took off Winter's old coat, it allowed me not to attract much attention to myself, but at the same time did not shift into the category of disguising myself as Aisling Schwartz, and threw it on the back of the couch that stood right at the entrance.
Worlds change, but the couch for a successful life in the record studio does not.
"And if you guys don't mind, let's get to business. Everything suits me, but there's not much time. If I don't get home by morning, the butler will sound the alarm. Let's start with the cover of your now favorite song and go through the rest of the content that suits you in my opinion. Is the plan clear, Wolverine?"
And is it racism if we are just positively flattened by the fact that we called someone Wolverine?
I wouldn't know, but I think he liked it. And he behaved quite proper even in an extremely uncomfortable situation for him - under the gaze of everyone around him, and under the contemptuous attention of Aurus, who had to try to copy, and then, though like pulling teeth, he managed it. I think this guy would mind only if I start calling him mouse, but it would be for a completely different reason...
Blaze clapped his hands and rubbed them eloquently in anticipation, laughing on purpose like a cartoon villain right after. It was obviously not the first time he'd behaved like this, because Mei irritably poked him in the ribs with her finger and wanted to say something even, but the only conventional human in this room drew attention to himself by hitting a hi-hat and a bass drum at the same time. And then he put me in a stupor by turning his face to Mei and asking a question, and in a very uncharacteristic way for any non-faunus at that!
"Sister, what's that supposed to mean? What is the Schnee doing here?"