RWBY: Remnant's Blond Bard

Chapter 17

The Schnee manor became increasingly busy toward the night of the gala, with more and more people coming onto site to help set up one of the many larger halls of the manor with flowers, tables, and audio equipment. Caterers came in their hundreds to plan elaborate meals and buffets, while some fifty waiters and waitresses were taken on and uniformed in crisp white waistcoats over pale blue shirts.

Jaune was swept into it both as an extension of Willow's newfound involvement and also by Weiss, in terms of making sure the audio was done perfectly. They were forced into several sound tests, with Weiss constantly moderating his volume to make sure he was loud enough but not too loud. At those times, Jaune practiced "aiming" his Bardic Music by using it on Willow, and sure enough she remained in an ecstatic mood while no one else seemed effected.

His experiment had worked.

Jacques' experiment had worked too, for all that he was very wrong about what was going on between his wife and the musician hired by the family. In fairness, it was hard to imagine anyone's music being so good it could evoke such a change in Willow, whereas a new romance with a torrid affair absolutely could. Either way, the master of the house was pleased, especially since Willow was practically forcing him out of arrangements for the gala and doing it all herself. He got to retreat to his office, and only checked in every few hours to make sure she hadn't gotten into her wine.

Not a drop had passed her lips all day.

While everything was set up, he made sure to take a few photos of himself on stage to send to Nora, Ren and Pyrrha later, and to his family after. He even managed to convince Weiss to pose for a selfie, and she was willing to do so even if her smile was very fake. A gorgeous, friendly, celebrity smile that made her look like she wanted nothing other than to be in that picture at his side.

"This looks so fake."

"You'll have to get used to it if you're going to perform on stage," said Weiss, pulling away with an irritated frown. It wasn't aimed at him specifically, more at the world at large and all the work that had to be done to make the stage set up just right. "It isn't physically or emotionally possible to smile genuinely when you have hundreds or thousands of people wanting to meet you and shake your hand for four hours straight."

"Is that from autograph sessions?" Weiss hummed in response. "I think Pyrrha said the same thing."

Weiss' head twitched. "Pyrrha? Pyrrha Nikos? You know her?"

"Well, yeah. Didn't your mom tell you all she found me at Pyrrha's charity tournament?"

"Of course she did but I assumed you were just hired help!" Weiss sounded annoyed at him now. "Are you saying you're more than that!?"

The way she asked that had him feeling self-conscious all of a sudden, so his answer was less than confident. "I mean, I like to think we're friends."

"You are or you aren't. What makes you think you are?"

"Well, we exchange texts often. She was dragged out to a fashion shoot yesterday and didn't feel it because she had a cramp from training the day before. I told her to tell them to reschedule but she never does. I think she feels she'd be a burden if she did." He noticed Weiss' shock and continued. "And when I was last in Argus, she came over to my sister's place and I played some guitar for her in my room—"