Blake marched through the bustling streets of Atlas, shivering from the autumn morning's chill. She was bundled up for the weather, including a hat to cover her cat ears, but there always seemed to be a chill she couldn't quite shake. Or maybe it was just her; she'd been in Atlas when in the heart of winter when she was still part of the White Fang and it hadn't seemed this cold.

Okay, yeah, it was probably her. This whole situation made her uneasy. After the Atlas government had publicly announced that it was opening peace talks with the White Fang and bringing its laws regarding Faunus rights into line with those of the other kingdoms, her father had asked her to come with him to Atlas as part of the Menagerie delegation. "You have a unique perspective, Blake. You were part of the White Fang not that long ago; you know what's on their minds, and how they think." Blake had scowled at him but agreed.

This morning her father didn't need her for anything, and she was tired of sitting around the townhouse provided by the Atlas government, so she was wandering the streets of Atlas, doing some window shopping, gauging the mood of the people around her. Everyone seemed to be in a good mood, and the shops she'd gone into with her ears uncovered had been welcoming. Blake had even gone so far as to step into a high-end lingerie store; the only awkwardness had been when the clerk asked if she had any Faunus features that weren't visible and needed to be accommodated and even that had been handled tactfully.

She blushed at the thought of the lacy underthings nestled in the bag hanging from her left hand. What had possessed her to buy those today? It wasn't as if she had anyone to wear things like that for. The last person she'd wanted to dress herself up for had been Adam, and he hadn't appreciated it when she did. "We don't need to put ourselves on display for each other Blake; we know who and what we are." Asshole.

Adam Taurus wasn't even part of the White Fang anymore, at least not officially. Sienna Khan had put a price on his head after he'd tried to assassinate her for agreeing to send a delegation to speak with the Atlas government. Blake honestly didn't think Sienna Khan was negotiating in good faith and had told her father so. "I think she's playing some sort of game as well, Blake, but we have to give her the benefit of the doubt and at least pretend to believe her. Too many Faunus agree with them, at least a little, not to give them a voice in the proceedings."

Blake's stomach growled at her a bit, and she remembered that she'd forgotten to eat before leaving this morning. She started looking around for somewhere to eat; someplace that didn't look like the sort of place you needed a reservation for, and definitely not fast food.

She stepped through the doors of a small cafe. On a first impression, it looked good. The place was worn, but not dirty, like a comfortable pair of boots that have been well cared for. It was about half-full, so not crowded but not deserted either. A familiar-looking white-haired young woman wearing black slacks and a light blue blouse greeted her. "Good morning, and welcome to Tukson's Cafe. Table for one?"

"Yes, please." The woman led her to a small table up by the window and handed her a menu. "This morning's special is a razor crab omelet that's very good, I recommend it."

"Did your boss tell you to say that.."—Blake's eyes drifted towards the woman's name-tag—"Weiss?"

Weiss's smile became a bit stiff, and she shook her head. "No. The owner asks all the staff to be acquainted with our entire menu, including the special of the day. 'Don't recommend what you haven't tasted' he says."

"Okay. I'll try that, and some chai tea if you have it?"

"We do, but with the omelet, I'd recommend green tea instead. I think it would go better."

Blake agreed, and Weiss went to put in the order, returning briefly with the tea. "It won't be long for your omelet. Anything else?"

"What's that song that's playing? I'd swear I've heard it before."

Weiss froze. The cat-eared woman's question had come out of nowhere. "What song? We're not playing any music?"

"Then were you humming something? I'd swear I hear music."

"I don't hum, ma'am." She had without knowing it sometimes as a child, but years of vocal training had broken her of the habit, making her very conscious of every noise she made. Although now that the other woman mentioned it, Weiss could hear something. It was grand, orchestral even, but faint, on the edge of hearing. "I do hear something though. Let me see if I can figure out where it's coming from." She wandered off, searching out the origin of the sound, and returned shortly with Blake's omelet and and a croissant. "It's you."

Blake looked up. "Excuse me?"

"I said, it's coming from you. I didn't hear it until you walked in, and it gets stronger the nearer to you that I get."

"But I'm not humming or making any noise!" A possibility tickled on the edge of Blake's mind, but she dismissed it. There was no way that was responsible for this, and she didn't believe in it anyway. Not after what had happened with Adam. "I"m sorry."

"No, the fault is mine. Enjoy your meal."

Blake lingered over her tea and omelet. Weiss had been right; the omelet was delicious and went far better with the green tea than it would with the chai. And the music was definitely not her imagination. Blake paid attention to the song as Weiss came and went in the restaurant, and the music swelled when Weiss drew nearer, gaining more nuance.

Then something fell into place, and Blake suddenly knew where she recognized Weiss from. Weiss was Weiss Schnee, former heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, and currently estranged from her father. Nobody knew what the break was about, only that Weiss had dropped off the Atlas social scene and not been seen for some time.

And that's when the other thing that had been dancing around the edge of Blake's mind fell into place. What she was hearing wasn't music, not like you'd normally think of it. What she was hearing was soulsong, and she was hearing it from Weiss Schnee.

Oh hell.