Chapter 2: Lost in a Familiar Land

When Weiss had first announced her intention to attend Beacon Academy to the Schnee household, it had been like a spark hitting dry kindling. Between Father's stringent objections and Mother's melodrama, it had been a miracle that she'd actually been allowed to enroll at the school. It was for that reason that Weiss had been prepared for the worst when she'd returned home for the end of semester break.

Counter to all of Weiss's expectations, however, her arrival at the Schnee mansion had been so low-key that it had practically been a nonevent. Mother had greeted her briefly before returning to her beloved garden and her drink. Father and Whitley had been nowhere to be seen.

Weiss supposed that she should be grateful that the drama she'd been expecting hadn't materialized, but she couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. As domineering as Father could be and as neglectful as Mother was, Weiss had never stopped believing that deep down her parents cared for her. Such apathy at her return was distressing.

Weiss's first stop now that she was back home was to her bedroom to direct the staff in unpacking her luggage. Her room was exactly how she'd left it, but after a semester of living in a dorm, it felt far bigger than she remembered. It wasn't just because the room actually was several times larger than her dorm room, but the fact that her three teammates were distinctly absent. Weiss would've thought that finally having some peace and quiet again would've been refreshing, but all it did was make her feel lonely.

After dismissing the staff and taking some time to settle in, Weiss found herself with a distinct lack of things to do. Without any classes, homework, or pending exams, she had quite the surplus of time. She eventually decided to go on a walking tour of the mansion to alleviate her boredom.

As Weiss wandered the mansion's hallways, she couldn't help but feel odd and out of place. There was so much space in the mansion, with its endless corridors and arched ceilings, but it was empty and quiet. It seemed Weiss had grown accustomed to the throngs of student that populated Beacon's campus without even realizing it.

Weiss paused in front of a window and looked out. It was a beautiful day outside. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, and the northern latitudes of Atlas produced wonderfully temperate summers. Weiss could see the trees gently swaying in the wind. However, the comforting sunlight and soft breezes were powerless to enter the man-made sanctum of the Schnee mansion. The world on Weiss's side of the glass was cold and still.

Weiss idly wondered what her teammates were doing right now. Blake had mentioned that she was going to stay with a friend, and Yang and Ruby were no doubt back home on Patch Island with their father. Weiss wondered if they suspected that she was jealous of them. She doubted it, just like she doubted they realized how much she'd been thinking about them since the semester had ended.

Yang in particular had occupied Weiss's thoughts a great deal. It had taken Weiss a while to fully appreciate what had happened on that rooftop the night they'd found Blake. Yang, despite the argument they'd had earlier, had been concerned enough about her to take the time to seek her out and offer her comfort. It seemed like such a simple gesture, but no one had ever done anything like that for Weiss before, especially not without any thought of reward.

Weiss had acquired many colleagues, cohorts, lackeys, sycophants, and even would-be suitors in her scant eighteen years of navigating the circles of high society. But never before Ruby, Blake, and Yang had she had any actual friends. She hadn't even really known what friends were. Maybe that's why the revelation about Blake's past had felt like such a bitter betrayal to her.

Weiss knew what Father would say if he could've heard her thoughts at the moment. "A Schnee does not have friends. Only people seeking to leech off our success." He'd told her as much many times. Weiss used to believe him, but now she wasn't so sure. She wasn't sure about a great number of things these days, particularly the nature of the faunus. As tempting as it was to follow Yang's suggestion and discuss it with Father, Weiss already knew exactly how that conversation would go.

Weiss turned away from the window and started walking back toward her room. Reminiscing about her friends wasn't going to make the time pass any faster. Perhaps she could get a head start on next semester's reading.

Up ahead, Weiss saw Klein, the mansion's butler, walk around the corner. Klein's face lit up and his eyes turned a brilliant shade of blue when he spotted Weiss. "Ah! Miss Schnee!" he said as he approached. "It's so very good to see you! I'm terribly sorry that I wasn't able to greet you when you arrived. I was detained you see."

"It's quite alright," Weiss said. "It's nice that someone is pleased to see me. Father hasn't so much as said hello."

"Ah. Speaking of your father. He's instructed me to summon you to his office," Klein said.

"Did he say what he wanted?" Weiss asked.

"Not precisely. But I was given the impression it was a matter of great importance," Klein said. "Perhaps he merely wishes to say hello to his daughter."

Weiss gave Klein a small smile. She'd always appreciated his optimism, even if she didn't share it. "Thank you, Klein," she said. "I'd better go see what he wants."

"Of course, Ma'am." Klein bowed. "And let me say, welcome home!"

Weiss took a rather circuitous route to Father's office. Nothing good ever came from speaking with him in there. Weiss would have rather face down a pack of beowolves alone if she'd had a choice.

Inevitably, Weiss's feet carried her to her father's office. She paused just outside the door, trying to get her nerves under control. When she'd felt that she'd calmed herself down sufficiently, she opened the door and stepped inside.

Those privileged few who were lucky enough to receive a private audience with the great Jacques Schnee in his personal office were always surprised by how small it was, relatively speaking. His office at the Schnee Dust Company's world headquarters was far grander in size and scope, but it was a sterile space, lacking any personal touches. This office was different. It was here that Jacques presented himself as the man he wished to be seen as.

Awards for Jacques's business achievements, trophies from hunts in exotic lands, and framed news articles singing his praises littered the shelves and walls of the office. Each item was carefully curated to proclaim his greatness. There was nowhere a visitor could turn without being reminded of the extraordinary qualities of Jacques Schnee.

At the moment, Jacques himself was completely absorbed by the paperwork in front of him. Weiss knew better from experience than to interrupt him. She simply walked up to his desk and waited for him to be ready for her.

Jacques stayed silent for a few minutes more as his eyes darted back and forth across the page he was reading. Then without looking up, he said, "I understand you've gotten caught up in some trouble at that school of yours."

Weiss knew there were any number of things that Father could be referring too, but she decided it was best not to tip her hand. She said, "I'm not sure what you're talking about, Father. My academic record is exemplary."

"I'm not speaking about your academics," Jacques said. "I'm speaking about the White Fang."

Weiss felt a brief pang of alarm. Her first thought was about Blake and her past. Surely Father hadn't found out about that. Weiss calmly said, "There was some White Fang activity in Vale, but that's hardly surprising. We already know they operate in all four kingdoms."

"There's been far more than 'some activity'. Dust robberies have skyrocketed," Jacques said. He looked up at Weiss for the first time. "And according to this police report, you were involved in a confrontation with White Fang operatives."

Weiss was shocked. Father's reach was vast, but for him to have acquired a report from the Vale Police Department so quickly was still impressive. Weiss quickly realized that Father must have had people monitoring the CCT network for her name to pop up in certain databases. He'd done the exact same thing to Winter when she'd enrolled at Atlas Academy. It was disappointing but hardly surprising.

Weiss said, "I witnessed a confrontation. That's all."

"What were you able to learn?" Jacques asked.

"Nothing that's not in the report, I'm sure," Weiss said. "The White Fang were there to steal a large shipment of Dust."

Jacques's eyes narrowed. "Is that really it?"

"Yes, Father," Weiss said.

Jacques's lips twisted into a small frown, and Weiss's stomach involuntarily tied itself into a knot. Father outwardly displaying his displeasure was a bad sign. Jacques stood and walk out from around his desk. He stopped in front of a photo hanging on the wall. It was of himself and Weiss's grandfather. Weiss knew the photo well. It had been taken the day Grandfather had handed control of the Schnee Dust Company over to Father.

Staring at the photo, Jacques said, "Softer methods of dealing with the White Fang have proved ineffective. More direct confrontation will be necessary soon. When you told me you were going to a school for huntsmen, in Vale nonetheless, I tolerated it because I thought such training might be of use to the Company. But if you were unable to investigate or intervene in a White Fang operation unfolding before you, I'm left to wonder what that school has been teaching you."

The full weight of Father's words was not lost on Weiss. He was thinking about pulling her out of Beacon. The very thought horrified Weiss. She knew that she needed to tread very carefully. Her plans for her future were on the line.

Weiss said, "Beacon is training me to fight the grimm. They're a far greater threat to humanity than the White Fang."

"That's debatable," Jacques said. "And that's what the military is for."

"I'm sure Headmaster Ozpin would disagree," Weiss said.

"Then he's a fool," Jacques said.

"Maybe so, but the Company's publicity department was quick to capitalize on my enrollment at Beacon," Weiss said. "It would look bad in the eyes of the public for me to withdraw, especially now that I'm a star pupil."

"Hmph, the public. It never fails to disgust me how quickly they forget everything the Family and the Company has given them," Jacques said. "Very well. But I will expect better from you."

"Yes, Father," Weiss said. She let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding in.

After such a close call, Weiss was eager to escape the office. Father hadn't precisely dismissed her yet, but their conversation seemed to have reached its end. "If you'll excuse me," Weiss said as she turned to leave.

Jacques suddenly reached out and roughly grabbed Weiss's arm. Weiss froze and the blood in her veins turned to ice. For one horrible moment, she was six years old again, cowering on the floor before Father after he'd slapped her across the face. Touch was an instrument of discipline for Father, and he wielded it with great effectiveness.

"One last thing," Jacques said.

"Yes, Father?" Weiss asked, trying to stay calm.

"You are the heiress of the Schnee Dust Company. As you have correctly pointed out, how you are seen reflects on the Company, for good or for ill. As such, I expect you to be presentable in public at all times," Jacques said. His steely gaze turned to Weiss and his eyes locked on her hair.

Father had never approved of Weiss wearing her hair in a side tale, and Weiss knew it. That was precisely the reason she did it.

Jacques's hand released Weiss's arm, but his touch lingered. Weiss reached up, trying to keep her hands steady, and pulled out her tiara. Her hair fell loose. She gathered in up into a proper ponytail and re-secured it with her tiara.

Jacques smiled, although it didn't reach his eyes. "That's better. You are dismissed."

"Thank you, Father," Weiss said. She gave a slight bow.

Weiss held her head as high as she could and walked out of the office. When she'd shut the door behind her, however, she slumped against the wall. Her arm was still tingling where Father had grabbed her. She almost wondered if he'd bruised her, although the idea was ridiculous. Her aura was more than sufficient to protect her against something like that. If only it could protect her emotionally as well.

It seemed that Weiss's absence had done nothing to soften Father's attitude toward her. She'd forgotten how intense he could be when he wanted something from her, and today what he'd wanted was a solution to the White Fang problem. If Weiss had interpreted what he'd said correctly, he was on the brink of forming a private army to resolve the issue once and for all. It could only mean that White Fang attacks had intensified over all of Remnant, not just in Vale.

Weiss still didn't understand what the Company had done to warrant such reprisals by the White Fang. Not too long ago, she would have assumed that the White Fang were simply evil, little better than the grimm themselves. But if someone like Blake had been among their number, surely that wasn't the case. Maybe Yang had been right, after a fashion at least. Maybe it was time to find out what exactly the Company had done to the faunus.

Weiss stood up straight again. There was a console in the library that she could use to find out what she wanted to know. Her mind made up, she started heading for the library. It was time to find out the truth.

Hours later Weiss finally resigned herself to the fact that the truth was not so easy to come by. She'd absolutely buried herself in the private records of the Schnee Dust Company. Even now, more of them were scrolling past her eyes on the console in front of her. Literally any piece of information that she could ask for was at her fingertips, but there were few answers to be found. There was no single event that Weiss could point to as justification for the White Fang's crimes, only tantalizing hints. It seemed that the world was not as cut and dry as Yang supposed after all.

Weiss leaned back in her chair and rubbed her tired eyes. The one thing the Company's records had made abundantly clear was that it employed a great number of faunus, more in fact than was legally required. Weiss had come across many an archived puff piece from the media at large exalting the Company as a great employer of disadvantaged minorities.

Weiss had noted, however, that nowhere did it say just how those minorities were employed. She'd had to run the numbers herself and had discovered that the overwhelming majority of faunus working for the Company performed manual labor. The pay rates for those positions weren't great, but they were above the legal minimums.

Weiss had to admit that her family's wealth made her concept of what a Lien was worth a bit hazy. She'd made several purchases last semester she'd considered routine that had made her teammates go bugged eyed when they'd found out the cost. Furthermore, Weiss acknowledged that manual labor was a completely alien concept to her, but the Schnee Dust Company was first and foremost a mining company. There was no getting around the fact that manual labor would be involved.

The long and short of it was that the Company wasn't doing anything wrong, at least not on paper. But Weiss couldn't help but feel there was a sinister pattern lurking in the files she'd read. Everything was worded so clinically and impersonally. Countless studies had been done and hundreds of policies had been implemented all in the name of extracting the most labor from the Company's workforce at the lowest cost. It all made good business sense of course, but it completely disregarded the human, and faunus, element.

"Oh my," a smarmy voice suddenly said from behind Weiss. "What are you doing alone in the library, dear Sister?"

Weiss jumped in alarm. She turned in her chair and saw Whitley standing there. His eyes were as cold as ever, and it seemed he had finally perfected his vaguely condescending smile.

"What do you want, Whitley?" Weiss asked. She was frustrated with herself for not noticing her brother sneaking up on her. Then again, he'd always had a talent for skulking around unnoticed.

Whitley said, "Why I just wanted to welcome my sister home. I'm rather disappointed you didn't come find me. After all, it's been month's since we've spoken."

"I assumed you weren't interested in talking," Weiss said. "You weren't there to greet me when I arrived home."

"Oh, my apologies," Whitley said. "But I've been quite busy as of late. Father has finally taken an interest in me."

Weiss rolled her eyes. Whitley's forgotten-youngest-child stick had gotten old years ago. Weiss said, "Father has always taken an interest in you."

"Not like this," Whitley said. "Since you've betrayed him for Beacon, much like Winter did for Atlas Academy, it seems that I've become the favored son. But then again, I am the only son."

"I didn't betray Father!" Weiss said. "Neither did Winter."

"That's not how Father sees it," Whitley said. "You'd best be careful, Sister. The Schnee Family may have a new heir apparent soon."

"Don't be so droll," Weiss said.

"It's just a friendly warning. What you do with it is none of my concern," Whitley said. His eyes slyly glided over to the console in front of Weiss. He clucked his tongue and said, "My, my. This is a surprise. You know Father has forbidden us from delving into the Company's records without his guidance. What has happened to my perfect sister?"

Weiss hit the button to close the files she'd been looking at. Whitley was right that Father wouldn't be pleased if he found out about this. She sighed wearily and asked, "What do you want?"

"Are you attempting to buy my silence?" Whitley asked with mock surprise. "That strange, foreign school really has corrupted you."

"Shut up," Weiss said.

"There's my old sister," Whitley said. "As it happens, I don't want anything from you. What's one secret among siblings."

"How generous of you," Weiss said sarcastically.

"But I would be careful, dear Sister, of the secrets you keep. The right secret in the wrong ear has the power to topple kingdoms and end lives," Whitley said. He turned and started walking away. As he left, he said over his shoulder, "Do make sure you join us for dinner. I hear the chef is preparing your favorite."

Weiss watched Whitley closely until he had left the library. When he had gone, she closed her eyes and hung her head. Not one thing had changed about the Schnee mansion or its residents since she'd left, but everything was different. Every corner of the house was lonely. Every conversation was a minefield to tiptoe through. The very air itself was smothering. Weiss dearly wanted to be back at Beacon where she could feel free again. She wanted to have friends to talk to that she didn't need to watch her every word with. Most of all, she wanted Yang to somehow materialize out of nowhere at this very moment and make her feel better.

It was another two weeks until Beacon's classes resumed, and Weiss was afraid that they were going to be the longest two weeks of her life.

Author's Note: It's time for a little confession. I had considered not posting this story. The reason was that as Volume 4 has gone on, Weiss's plot line has turned out to be very, very similar to stuff I was planning on writing in this story. I came up with my ideas before I saw them in the show, but I still didn't want to just rehash what actual RWBY was doing.

For point of reference, as of this posting Volume 4 is up to Chapter 9: Two Steps Forward and One Step Back. But when I wrote the first draft of this chapter, all we knew about Weiss in Volume 4 was that she was going to sing a benefit concert.

I decided to go ahead and keep working on this story for two reason. Firstly, there's more to it than just Weiss dealing with her family. Secondly, I'll be able to explore that conflict in more depth than the actual show. So yes, you will see a lot of similar themes in Volume 4 and this story, but with any luck, you'll also see a whole lot more.

And speaking of Volume 4, I'm live blogging it over on tumblr (electronicyarn). Come watch me lament about how Rooster Teeth is stealing my ideas!

As always, I welcome constructive criticism. Please feel free to leave a review. And if you like what you've read, taking the time to favorite and/or follow really helps me out. You can also find me on tumblr (electronicyarn) if you want to send me a message or be notified of updates.