Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction based on multiple existing anime/manga series. The characters and settings used in this story belong to their respective owners and creators, and no copyright infringement is intended. This story is purely for entertainment purposes and is not intended to infringe upon any existing intellectual property. I do not own any of the original works that inspired this fanfiction, and I fully support the original creators and their works.
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Disc: HrPrTeam
-Story Start-
Alex's immediate refusal to help the purple-haired scammer hadn't seemed to be a surprise to anyone present.
His team gave him a momentary look, which he recognized as Violet kept quiet strangely.
He hazarded a guess, "Will helping her help you out? Is that what you're telling me?" At that, he specifically looked at Weiss.
Weiss folded her hands. "Not really. I'm only trying to help out a friend of mine, and trying to do this." She turned her head to look at Violet's sheepish grin, still not a word leaving her lips. "The right way, not her way." Her gaze returned to Alex.
"I don't see why I should help her." He shrugged.
"We're asking this as a favor, Alex. Please help us out?" Ruby pleaded, her hands pressed together in front of him.
He turned his head to glance at Pyrrha, who nodded calmly. "I'm not exactly pleased about it either. We wouldn't have asked you if it didn't involve you." She stated with a conflicted smile.
"Involve me?" He repeated, to which the scammer finally stepped forward.
"We're getting nowhere, now are we?" A thin line crossed her face. "Honesty and getting straight to the point is what works with this guy, didn't you say so, Weiss?"
She nodded in agreement, to which Violet nodded as well. "Look, I'm only going about this, this way out of respect for my friendship with Weiss. To be honest, it'd been far more pleasant if she wasn't your teammate, creating rather unpleasant circumstances for me to work with."
"I'm not following." Alex deadpanned.
"Surely you've encountered people investigating you, at least once thus far?" She inquired.
"What's your point?" Alex tilted his head.
He mused that Weiss or the others told her about that private investigator in Vale who follows him around when he's visiting the city.
"Just listen, and you'll get it." She chastised with a wave of her hand and continued her scammy lecture. "Anyone without a brain has at least taken note of you. Anyone with half a brain has started investigating you... and anyone with a brain is trying to win you over."
He took a moment to process her insinuation.
'I'd expect that kind of thing to happen in the future; now feels a bit premature.'
[Even without recognizing Excalibur, you are still incomprehensibly powerful compared to them.]
He's gotten the first two, though the third part - winning him over had yet to come.
'Wait...'
"Was seducing me your attempt at winning me over-"
"Yes-" Violet replied immediately before Weiss shut her up.
"Not really. If Violet truly wanted to seduce you, she wouldn't have been so... amateurish. She'd have been more coquettish and patient."
"How would you know?" Alex immediately asked.
"We've had similar education." She answered simply, as if that held the entire truth of the matter.
"I see..."
Weiss continued, "Listen, she's trying to make it look like she's winning you over. Making a big showing of her attempt. She's not truly set out on trying to seduce you."
"The point?"
"Point is, there are eyes and ears of my dear employer among the Atlas Students and even beyond, who knows?" Violet answered, adding. "I'm not some cheap harlot, but I have no choice but to obey the orders given to me... and provide some fruitful results."
At her admission, Ruby and the others nodded repeatedly.
"Your employer?" Alex inquired.
Visible bitterness seeped from Weiss's tone. "My father. Jacques Schnee."
"If this was his attempt to win me over, he's not doing very well." He turned to Weiss. "Is the cat out of the bag?"
She answered indifferently. "My funds being dry? Yes, I've discussed this with Pyrrha and Ruby. All of you don't have to worry." She smiled strongly.
At her statement, Violet's breath hitched for only an instant, but she kept a composed expression. He wasn't sure what that was about exactly.
She immediately returned attention to herself. "Look, my orders weren't strictly to win you over, but to also provide you a gift of gratitude for having dealt with Torchwick and his band of Faunus thieves. SDC stock was at real jeopardy in Vale."
"That gift's in my room. I would have brought it, but these three convinced me that'd only make me seem more suspicious."
"Nah, if it's a gift, then it's a gift; you can't invoke a favor from me with that." He voiced his logic, not veiling the avarice in his stoic expression.
"That's not how gifts work in politics." Weiss chastised.
"Then it's not a gift if a favor is attached," Alex stated with finality.
Violet coughed into her fist, stopping the argument between Weiss and Alex. "Anyway, the information gathered about you has, strangely, not included a seduction attempt just yet-" She peculiarly started moving to his prized coffee machine, "So, I wanted to attempt new avenues in winning you over-" Her hand glided across the pristine device only to pause at Alex's interruption.
"Don't touch that."
"Now, this was included in the information~" She admitted with a giggle as she heeded the warning.
Alex wasn't so convinced. "What would you have done if it worked?"
"Ah? If it worked?" She hummed for a moment, having not considered that option, seemingly. "Umm, I'd have probably stopped you just when you took it off-" She added, "Just being mindful because we've got young company~."
"Since when had you gotten so crass, Violet?" Weiss shook her head helplessly.
"Hey! I'm not young!" Ruby protested.
"Sweet as sugar." She giggled at Ruby's pout, and Violet returned to the topic at hand. "After refusing you, I'd have learned something new and useful, I suppose, then maybe used that to wrap you around my finger, who knows?"
"...Sure, so what do you want from me now?"
"Oh, little ol me?" She shrugged. "I'm not too keen on this job, but as I said, no choice- I'm just going to keep blatantly doing what I did before."
Weiss admitted, "And we want you to be... cordial with that." She didn't seem too happy about it, as she stated with folded arms.
"As in, let her try and scam me?" Alex pointed out with a deadpan.
""Yes/Unfortunately/Pretty much."" His teammates had announced their betrayal.
"Again, why? And not a favor to her part." He pointed sharply at the innocent expression of Violet. "What did this scammer say to convince you?"
He could smell the scam from the 'no choice' aspect of her supposed assigned duty.
At his words, a genuinely sympathetic look crossed the features of his teammates.
Violet answered with a more somber expression, "I told them the truth. That I have no choice. My father is sick and I-" Her words were interrupted by Alex raising his palm.
"No, no, no. No sad backstory. I can smell this from a mile away."
"Alex..." Ruby pouted sadly.
He sighed, a palm resting on his forehead to fight back a migraine. "Look, hand me your scroll and I'll talk with that Jacques fellow; he wasn't doing so well before, now he's-"
"What do you think that would result in?" Violet asked, a sad smile crossing her features.
Clicking his tongue, he added. "Okay, face to face-"
Weiss, at his idea, gained an incredulous look. "An ineffective solution. And what? Will you travel all the way to Atlas just for that?"
Yeah, he might get lost if he tried to run there, and the prior issue still stands...
Weiss leaned in, "I'm not asking for you to do anything incredibly difficult or proactive... just... endure her approaches and attempts, that is all. She promised us not to go too far; all she has to do is be showy, and I'll feed her information you'll allow me to."
"This is my family bothering you, and I deeply apologize for it. And I ask this as a favor from you that I will repay; I promise."
"So please... help my friend; it'll mean the world to me." She pleaded, a small smile on her face.
Took in her look for a moment; those azure eyes of hers were softer, weaker than he had ever seen them.
For a moment, he felt like he was missing a vital piece of the picture, but he trusted his friend's eyes.
Ruby's repeated nods and Pyrrha's uncomfortable smile clued him in to their agreement.
Turning to look at Violet, she seemed to have a grim, thin line crossing her face, her head lowered.
"Well played, scammer." Alex could only admit with an agonized sigh. He rose from his comfortable seat on his sofa to step towards her.
His eyes locked into hers as he voiced sternly. "Overdo it, and I'm tossing you across the room, or wherever else you try and scam me."
"Alex!" Ruby called out in chastisement.
Violet met his gaze, though a hint of sweat trickled down her face. "I'd rather not be the recipient of that; my Aura's not unlocked, you see; I might just die~."
"Then let's both keep it moderate." He sighed as he walked past her and decided to make another coffee to calm his nerves.
At that, the thick and uncomfortable atmosphere lightened considerably, as relief seemed to cross everyone's features at present.
...
"I thought I was gonna die," Violet admitted quietly as the coffee machine hissed amid a momentary quietude.
"Shoo, scammer. You're unwelcome." Alex gave his final say before the brazen girl nodded quietly and scurried off.
The door was closed with an audible thud, leaving RAWP in complete silence.
And the momentary comfort seemed to dissipate
...
"Are you angry, Alex?" Ruby asked bluntly, as the other girls stood beside one quietly with slight apprehension.
"A bit, yes." He admitted after turning around with a freshly brewed cup of coffee.
They solemnly took in his words as he continued. "Look, like it or not, I can't and won't be helping out every sad case. Everyone's got a story."
Pointing a finger at them, he added. "But if it's people I like or to help other people as a favor to those that I am fond of, that's no issue, so I'll set this precedent here."
"Don't overstep yourselves and try to play me."
"T-That's not what we were trying to do-" Ruby protested immediately as Pyrrha and Weiss gained a distressed frown.
"I know. Just letting you know that this type of thing-" He gestured towards the door where Violet left, "Can't be something that repeats itself over and over again."
"Other than that? We're cool."
"Alex, I wouldn't have involved you if it did not concern you-"
"I know, sheesh, relax. Don't get over defensive. I'm just setting a line; we've all got a right to that." He admitted casually.
"Sorr-" Ruby began, almost instinctively.
"No apology needed. Relax, I'm fine now, as long as you understand. I'll keep my end of the agreement and help you guys out, as a favor."
The quiet around them quickly set in, the awkwardness fading with Alex's admission and the passage of time, as they continued their day-to-day business.
To Be Continued!