"Our resolve is cold as ice. We shall not waver, we shall not hesitate."
O clock, o clock on the wall...when the fuck will this meeting be over?
That was the most occurring thought to Weiss as she sat in the room with the board of directors. They'd been droning on about her finances and the quarterly reports for something like the past hour and a half. Normally, she'd pay rapt attention, but for the life of her, she just couldn't today.
Was it because she hadn't had her coffee in the morning right before her strict exercise regimen? Was it because she didn't let off any excess energy by practicing her mother's assignment? Because she hadn't sang today, like she normally did?
Perhaps it was because of the news that her oh so lovely sister Winter, (and god, if those words didn't make her want to shove a purse down her throat) would be arriving sometime next week. It meant, of course, that the 28-year-old would be scrutinizing every single thing about her little sister and Weiss would be walking on eggshells the entire time, careful to do everything like father had taught them. How ironic was it that the daughter and second heiress of one of the world's top PMC/security companies felt like she had no security in this family? If there was a god, she had a sick sense of humor.
She'd been born with everything she could ever hope for. Money, fame, great genes, talent. What more could she want? What else could the daughter of two of the richest people in the known world, who profited off a company that saved more lives than modern medicine and the Hunters of old combined need in her 23-year-old life?
"Ms. Schnee!"
Weiss's eyes flitted over to her far right. An older, portly man, with the thickest mustache she'd ever seen, leveled a glare at her. The board knew to show their respect towards their boss's daughter when he was around, but once he was out of sight lines, they treated her like one of those Faunus who worked in the Dust mines.
Not that she was to know about any of that, of course.
"Yes, Mr...Haddick?"
"It is pronounced Had-dock," the fat man spat. "And we were wondering if you perhaps had any thoughts on our new Dust crystal line we're set to reveal in two months? This is the one we're trying to market to a more...feminine audience."
She groaned internally. "Well, for starters, I don't think you should focus on the 'feminine audience' specifically. You should just include more women in your marketing, be inclusive. Or have you forgotten who began this empire?"
Weiss wasn't sure if mustaches could convey emotions, but Haddock's had to have thinned immensely as his lips flattened. "And need I remind you, little girl, that we've been doing more for the Schnee name in this room for the past 30 years than you have doing your little tricks in the park with your mother?"
"Watch yourself, Ha-dick," Weiss rose from her seat slowly. "You know how powerful my mother is. How many tricks do you think she's...taught..." Her eyes drifted to the skyline behind him. There was a black orb next to the moon, swirling...what was-
KRA-KOW!
"EVERYBODY DOWN!" she shouted.
She heard the explosion faster than she saw it. Through the walls of the boardroom, it came out muted, but she knew through plenty of movies that it was nothing to scoff at. The ground shook everything off the tables. The glass cracked. She only had one shot at this.
As the glass broke completely, Weiss jumped on top of the table and threw her hands out. She heard the sound of crunching, but couldn't bring herself to look. It was only until the shaking stopped and the rattling of glass ceased that she forced herself to open her eyes.
"It...it worked," she muttered to herself in shock. Her hands glowed white as the dome of ice slowly receded away. Most astonishing of all was how she didn't feel exhaustion at all. A dome of half this size just for herself always left her feeling like she ran three marathons without stopping, but with this, there was no exhaustion at all.
"Is everyone alright?" she asked, though she didn't look at anyone for confirmation. She was still stuck on that orb in the sky, those black shadows emerging out of it. What was it? Who caused it? And why did the thrill of its mystery excite her?
"If you'll excuse me, gentlemen," Weiss dusted off her skirt before walking calmly out of the room. "I have some tricks to use."
Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee fortune. Next in line to run the Schnee Security Corporation and youngest daughter of two. 23 years old. As of today, the one thing she had wanted for the past 5 years had come to her. It was something money couldn't buy, a thing that batting her eyelashes at daddy wouldn't make come faster.
Freedom.