Notes: Not a lot going on in this chapter. It's set a bit here and a bit there, but mostly before either has worked out their feelings for each other. On another note, Sunday's chapter makes me feel like a monster. It's going to be one of those those "what?" kind of moments.
Hanisu93- Thank you for reviewing. I too think they are super cute together and am glad you are excited. You're review brought a smile to my face.
Letters
Letters. At every town, she sent two letters. One was to Winter and the other was to her husband. She couldn't be sure that anyone got them, but she sent them anyway. At the post office, she'd wait to see if anyone had sent her something.
At first, she had been dying to hear back from her sister. She'd wait with hope for a letter to be given back to her. Her growing smile would fade when she noted it was only Ironwood replying back. He would inform her that he was well and glad she was alright. It was formal and distant, but it made her feel better all the same. She didn't know when the letters tone shifted. It must have been when she been bold, and sad enough, to tell him how she truly felt.
'I want to do my grandfather proud. I want to make people hear my name and trust me rather than being disgusted by what it holds. I wondered if I can do that. I thought I could, but now I'm not so sure.' Weiss wrote one night. 'Do you think it's possible to rewrite an imagine that's so tainted?'
'Weiss, I know that you've fallen from the path you were raised to be on and I know that you never wanted anything more than to do justice to her namesake. But as you said in you past letters, your father isn't a Schnee. He doesn't have the right to speak for your name and you shouldn't worry about what he's done to it. I know that in time you'll prove to the world that the Schnee name means honorable and trustworthy. I have faith in you.' He had written her back.
She had been so touched by his words, that she broke down crying. He had faith in her. He understood the importance of her name and why she cared so deeply that she'd never change it. He supported her quest to restore its purity.
There was one letter enclosed with a picture. It was of a much younger James and a group of people clearly older than him. Most notably, there was an older woman with pink and black hair. She wore a bright smile that reached her ears.
Weiss turned the photo around to read a note. Aunt Blaze and Uncles... The year and names were too faded to read. She quickly read the letter to find that James had sent her it for a reason. There was a small map too.
'When I was younger, I had family in the area. There should be a water fall near by. I marked it in the map. It was behind a wall of vines. I thought a photo of the secret pass would hope you find it.'
"Hey guys." Weiss called out to them as she read the letter. "I think there's a spring near by. We should check it out."
"How do you know that?" Yang questioned.
"Someone in the last town gave me a map." Weiss lied. "Maybe, we should see if it's a real place. It'll be nice to relax and take a bath."
"She does have a point." Ruby frowned. "We are starting to smell."
"And I did buy a new swimsuit." Yang recalled. "It's worth find.
'It was beautiful.' Weiss wrote later that night. 'The picture helped out a lot. It seems that the vines are still covering the path. I didn't know you had such a big family either, nor that you had a tattoo. I thought you had a very small family since I've only seen Delphi and she never talks about anyone but you.' She signed off with the next town she'd be hitting in their tour to help the poorer areas of world.
She was shocked by the formality of his next letter. It was far too short and lacked any emotion.
Ms. Schnee,
I would gladly like you to keep that photo to yourself. The only family I have is my cousin, Delphi, and she does not need to be bothered with any questions dealing with our family members. Nor should you bother anyone else with this business. They aren't here and that's all you need to know. Please, keep this to yourself at all cost and be safe.
General J. Ironwood
Did that mean that everyone in the picture was dead? Had she opened up some wound that she hadn't known about? And why was he always calling her Ms Schnee? She was his wife. He should be calling her Mrs. Schnee.
Dear James,
I apologize if you found offense in my last letter. I was just curious as to your familial background. After all, they would be my family too and I would be remiss to not know a signal one of them. It had not crossed my mind to question your cousin about this matter. I know that she had seem dark days and I would never, knowingly, put her through that again. She may be your cousin, but to me she's like a second older sister.
I do hope to see you soon and that I haven't opened painful memories. Also, I think I found something that could very useful to you, but understand that the attached documents are for a company I'm helping to set up. I will not allow you to take advantage of them. And all dealings with them will be going through me.
Mrs. Schnee
Mrs. Schnee,
I have seen the documents and must say that the military would be very interested in this. I understand the need to keep things secret. As your husband, I will send you private funds to aid this development. Do with it as you see fit and I trust that you will not need more of me. As General, I will see if I can get you a meeting with the Council.
I am sure they would love to depend less on your father going forward. I look forward to seeing how far you can go with this company.
General J. Ironwood
Weiss bit her lip as she read the letter over. This was the first letter that he had called her Mrs and for some odd reason she felt over joyed by it. It filled her with warmth and excitement. She opened her small lock box and placed the message inside with the rest. She paused as she wondered when was the last time she sent a letter to Winter.
"Oh, well." Weiss shrugged. "I'll send her something next week when I send James his weekly letter."
