Chapter Two: No Safe Haven

Vale Safe Zone, After the Silver Explosion

Weiss opened her eyes, an empty, gray sky above her. She took in her surroundings: no sign of the tower, no sign of Ruby- she was no longer in Beacon.

"Ruby?" she asked immediately, looking frantically around for her partner. She attempted immediately to stand, only to find herself unsteady, even in her heels, and stumbled… right into the arms of her sister, Winter, standing vigil.

"Easy," Winter suggested. "You were unconscious for a few hours: the blast knocked you out."

"Blast?" Weiss repeated, taking in her surroundings. There were a few other people wandering in the distance, Atlas soldiers marching in lockstep patrols even further beyond them. It was the dead of night, but every building was lit, every store open and tending to patrons and refugees alike. In her peripheral vision Weiss could make out several other individuals lining the ground in cots, just like the one she sprang from: including Yang, still out. Weiss wriggled her way out of Winter's hands and rushed to her teammate's side, scanning the area in every direction for either of the other AWOL two.

"Where are Ruby and Blake?" Weiss inquired, still looking down at Yang.

"After your ill-advised misadventure, your partner was taken by Qrow Branwen," Winter answered. "She is safe, and in the custody of her family."

"And Blake?" Weiss pressed.

"I don't know," Winter replied. "Some of your allies are meandering nearby- they may know." She stepped over to Weiss and placed a hand on her younger sister's shoulder; affectionate but very firm. "However, there will be time for that later. Now that you're conscious, I'd like to have you examined as soon as a medic becomes available."

"There's no time for that now!" Weiss snapped. "I had a full headcount just… just a little while ago, and now one of my friends is missing. That isn't something I'm inclined –or even able- to ignore!"

Winter tightened her grip. "Weiss-"

"Please, Winter," Weiss requested, "I just need to know she's alright. Once I see her, once I've had a word with her –once I've chewed her out for making me worry- then I'll see whoever it is you want me to see."

"You shouldn't agree to my terms so easily," Winter suggested. "The medic was just the start of it."

"What else, then?" Weiss asked, squirming in Winter's grasp in the general direction of… wherever she thought Blake might've gone, really.

"You've been recalled," Winter told her, speaking slowly and clearly. "Father's on his way to collect you."

Weiss froze in her tracks.

After an eternity of a moment, she asked: "Father's coming here?"

"As soon as the Vytal Festival feed was cut, he summoned his personal ship and his retainers," Winter explained. "He called me from the plane; he'll be here in half a day."

"And he told you to keep an eye on me, no doubt," Weiss grumbled.

"He wasn't so kind," Winter assured her sister. "He told me to bind you in the stockade until he got there. He seemed very clear on the fact he couldn't trust you to wait for him."

"Well, he's right about that," Weiss flatly agreed, before inclining her head to look back at Winter. "Can he trust you?"

Winter finally relaxed her grip on Weiss's shoulder. "Unfortunately for him, I have other military duties to attend to, and I made that very clear to him. I've already used up all the personal time General Ironwood has allowed me waiting for you here."

Weiss turned to face her sister at last. "So you won't stop me?"

"Stop you from doing what?" Winter asked, playing coy.

Weiss frowned. "If Blake's… if she's not here, then-"

Winter raised a hand. "I expect I'll see you shortly and we'll find you in perfect health. Then I'll find space in the temporary barracks for you to rest, and then we'll see Father together when he arrives."

It wasn't a command, but a clear expectation. And vague enough in the details to be plausible. There was a deadline, but more than enough time to be back in place and stick to the script when Father asked.

Weiss took a moment to hug her sister, tightly, but only briefly. She gave her one last look and then headed off in search of any of her friends. Winter watched her sister's retreating back but could not bear to look at even that.

Not with knowing what Weiss would find.

"She's gone?!" Weiss exploded, knocking Sun over with the force of her voice.

Once he managed back to his feet, Sun was very kind in restraining himself. "When the guards changed shifts, she slipped out. I wanted to call to her, I wanted to tell her to stay… but, I made a call. I let her go."

"Well, you made the wrong call!" Weiss snapped, before gradually composing herself. "Fine. In which direction did she proceed?"

"Weiss-" Sun began, but was abruptly cut off.

"Which. Direction?"

"She went back towards Beacon," Sun answered simply. "Right back into that nest of Grimm."

"Thank you," Weiss said curtly, before turning away.

"Weiss," Sun interjected, "I don't know why she's doing this or where she's going, but we're all moving somewhere. My team's already heading back to Mistral, and most of the other tournament participants have left."

"Are you coming to a point?" Weiss asked harshly. "I'm losing valuable time with this conversation."

"My point is, Blake is better at going into hiding than we are," Sun told her. "She can make it through that mess of Grimm and find somewhere to hunker down. If you follow her into that mess, you may not be able to say the same."

His words were born of concern. She couldn't fault his intentions, regardless of his poor judgment.

"Thank you for your concern," Weiss answered politely, "but if one of your teammates were unaccounted for, would you wait behind a high wall for them to come back?"

Sun didn't take long to think. "No, I wouldn't. But none of my teammates can do what she does. She doesn't need saving."

"You're right, she doesn't need me," Weiss conceded. "I need her. And she needs to honor her word."

Weiss took off towards the southern border of the Vale safe zone without another word, running until she found the two Atlesian soldiers manning a checkpoint on the way out.

"Excuse me, miss," one soldier began, raising a hand to quell Weiss's charge, but she very quickly raised her scroll to show them identification.

"Gentlemen, my name is Weiss Schnee," she told them. "I'm here on official business of the Schnee Dust Corporation to recover our missing… personnel and escort them back to the Safe Zone."

The first soldier looked over her credentials. "Um, miss, we have strict orders not to allow any citizens past this checkpoint without-"

"Without the express permission of General Ironwood, I assume?" Weiss finished for him. "Well, unfortunately, the General is far too busy at the moment to personally approve every request. I'm afraid you'll have to take my word for it."

"Miss, with all due respect, what are you trying to pull?" the second soldier asked. "Why would the general send a little girl –a non-military little girl- out of the Safe Zone?"

Playing it kind had not produced the desired result.

"Soldier, I understand your concerns," Weiss said, her voice becoming lower with each word, before leaning forward, closer to both men. "But I'm afraid you've overstepped. I am not your commanding officer… but I am the heiress of the Schnee Dust Corporation, and I will not be spoken to like that."

Weiss put it on a little stronger, aggressively stepping forward. "If you want to challenge my claim, then by all means, call in to the command center and ask for General Ironwood. I'm sure he won't mind you bothering him about bureaucratic procedure."

The second soldier abruptly lost his confidence and snark. "Well, uh-"

"If you insist on wasting my time, then perhaps you'd like to compose a full report on this matter?" Weiss continued.

"Uh, no, really, that's okay…"

"Good, then we agree. I'll be gone only briefly, and I expect you both to be more cooperative upon my return," Weiss stepped to the border, walking past the two soldiers, waiting for one to try and stop her… hoping she wouldn't need to harm innocent men just trying to keep citizens safe.

"Y-yes, ma'am," the first soldier stuttered.

Weiss nodded and stepped forward, the guards both looking away when she glanced back their way.

"You really think she had proper clearance?" the second one asked of his colleague.

"Call Ironwood and find out. I ain't risking latrine duty again," the first guard replied.

Her ruse apparently successful, Weiss stepped past the city towards the dense forest and the ruins of Beacon in the distance.

Blake had a substantial head start, but if there were Grimm impeding the path, Blake would use up time and energy avoiding them, drawing on her aura and requiring time to rest. Weiss would have no such impediment. She would cut through any Grimm in her path and bring Blake back, if she had to be dragged kicking and screaming.

As her Father would do to Weiss in a few short hours. She unconsciously reached up to her left eye, feeling the faint indentation of her scar… her father's parting gift.

She put him out of her mind. Finding Blake and reuniting her team: that was what mattered. That was all that mattered.

The snow angel stepped into the dark forest, searching for a lost soul to bring home.