AN: This is very heavy Weiss and Winter chapter. It's like… 85% dream sequence crap… Idk, if I wanted an exact number I'd divided the number of italics words by the actual words but I'm too damn lazy for that and it's not important enough lol. Anyway, I touched on the relationship they had with Team STRQ too. My current goal is to clear up some of the questions that people have and some of the information I feel we should have by now. Oh yeah, Lightforge: Requiem started. I mentioned that last chapter. Enjoy!
ooOOoo
Per potentiam ad magica album magicae nigrae et benedictionem
Voco Impius Mater immundus corde
hanc obligationem novam lunam decrescit in
Hmmhmmhmm… Something interesting is happening again…
Et liberate puero isto dabo pacem ei
Ut det vobis dimittere
Interesting indeed.
Again? Who were these voices? It felt like one was trying to break through and the other was just amused at the moment… That voice was cold. It felt like something unrecognizable and demented, but there was a familiarity with it. She felt as though maybe she had heard it once before. A bright flash seared into her sight. Why was everything was so bright?… She raised a pale hand to block the shining light from her eyes and tried to focus on her hand, but the more she squinted the more a searing pain permeated through her left eye.
Rolling to her side, she covered the eye with the hand on its matching side and shut her eyes in pain. Grunting, she slowly lifted it away and opened the single left eye. Whatever had happened left her vision very blurred and she couldn't recall anything past the raging headache as her eyes battled for dominance over her vision. Once again, she pressed her hand to the afflicted eye and fumed at it.
"Hey! Come on!" A small voice whined from behind her, a little ways away. "You promiiiiised!" What?
Ignoring the pain, she finished rolling over and focused her eye on the small girl in a white dress. In front of her, stood a teenage girl with her arms crossed and a small group of adults. Aside from a man clad in sunny dressings, the rest of them stuck to a rather grayscale fashion. The only splashes of color among them were the two children hiding behind the women – a sunny blonde and a girl with dark hair that turned red.
"You tried so hard, didn't you, Weiss?" A familiar hand lightly pressed against her shoulder and Weiss' breath hitched as she slowly turned to face the ethereal figured garbed in a white hooded cloak. The back of Weiss' eyes stung and she looked away in shame.
"… Not hard enough…" The woman patiently waited for her to continue. "I still failed in the end… I couldn't help you and I wasn't able to protect Ruby… Why…" Weiss' growled through clenched teeth and her fists began to shake. "Why did you have to die, Summer?!" She looked back to the woman, but found herself to be alone in a sea of darkness. Ah, maybe this was what they talked about with death. Last time hadn't really been like this. Last time, there was pain, so much pain, but maybe it was the presence of others that had comforted her. Maybe this time, she was calling back old memories to comfort her as she sank into the depths.
You terrestrial beings are so sentimental… You were so much better last time – so much greedier. This is disappointing.
What the hell was up with this voice in her head? A small bubble escaped from her mouth and floated toward a beam of moonlight, tinted red by her blood as it fused with the ocean's murky water. It was a shame that she was in the ocean. Between the salt and water, she found herself completely paralyzed as large blurs floated by just outside the range of her sight. Purification typically called for the use of a saline-type solution, and seawater in this magnitude was overkill, but at least everything was calm now. She was herself again - no longer controlled by that rage or the hunger that was burning so deeply inside her… Or maybe this whole experience was some sort of metaphor just how fleeting those feelings were…
No, she felt something else now – hurt, betrayal, sadness unlike any other she had ever known, but most of all, regret for being hopeful. She had let Summer down, and now Ruby. She had revealed the darkness she feared in herself and lost to it… Another shadow flitted by just beyond the outskirts of the moonlight that permeated the shallows.
Oh, that was right. Some sort of large predator had been sighted in the water recently and night was typically when predators hunted the water's depths, right? She should know. Technically, she was one of those predators, regardless of her body's disposition towards the Light. Be that as it may, her current state would not permit a feasible defense against it. She just couldn't catch a break today… All this power she had attained – why was she so fucking useless?!
"Because you have love, dear." What? Tender fingertips turned her face back to the soft features and loving smile of Ruby's mother. "Love is a great power that often comes with great cost," she lamented. "I know this all too well." Another bubble escaped her mouth as Weiss tried to speak but no sound came out… Oh, this was some sort of strange hallucination. "Am I though?"
"What?!" It made sense if she thought about it. "Yes… you're only saying things that I know- responding to my thoughts."
"Oh, I see," Summer smiled quirkily. "What if I did something you couldn't possibly know?"
"I'd still be hallucinating." The woman frowned at the vampire's response. "My mind would be playing tricks on me."
"I see…" Just beyond Summer, another shadow danced past her as she unsnapped her cloak. The youthful woman wrapped it around Weiss' shoulders and pulled her close.
What an impossible woman… I grow tired of these dreams, Weiss…
"Weiss, don't listen to her!" Wait, Summer could hear that voice too? Should this be something a dream would know? It was, right? "You can't possibly be okay with things as they are… Not everyone is lucky enough to get a second chance. If I will ask one thing of you, don't let our deaths be in vain, Weiss! I believe in all of you girls!" An incredible force latched onto Weiss' arm, dragging her away from Summer. "Weiss!" Summer reached out to her. "Talk to your father! Make your decision!"
Do not interfere, woman!
"Summer!" Weiss stretched her arm out as far as she could, but Summer only became an increasingly distant mirage. "Don't leave me! I'm scared!" Several unknown shapes latched onto her, dragging her down, down, down, and deeper into the darkness. She tried to fight but she was useless against the sheer force.
"Are you now?" Two black claws grasped her face, jerking her body into a still motion. A porcelain-like face was thrust directly in front of her own, staring back at her with a toothy grin and hollow black eyes, paired with red irises. A burning sensation radiated from where the claws punctured her skin, painting red webs of veins as it spread through her and choked her silent screams. "The last we met, you were so filled with fear…" Almost like windows, the horrifying eyes reflected an image of Weiss as she lay dying in the streets three years ago. "Let me remind you what it is you truly fear."
ooOOoo
"Aaaaaaaaaah!" Winter collapsed with a loud thud onto the wooden planks that made up the porch. Clenching at her chest, she heaved deep breaths and flipped onto her back. What the hell was this? It felt like liquid fire was travelling through her veins. She knew that Lightforge and Darkforge had difficulty existing within the same body, but Schnees were different. She punched a fist into the side of the cabin as she cursed herself. What had she done wrong? Weiss didn't have these problems and The Council had used Rose blood in the past to create their own twisted versions of Circadians!
"Winter?" Heavy footsteps ran through the inside of the house.
"No…" This girl needed to get away from her. She wouldn't be able to stop herself if something happened. The Schnee's head reared back and she grew faint. The last thing she remembered was the creaking of the front door and bare feet standing in front of her before everything went dark. "Get… away…"
"Weiss!" Shoving the three year old to the ground, Winter jumped to catch a slightly younger blonde as she fell from the air. "What the hell is wrong with you?!"
… Wow, where did I learn to talk like that?
"Yang hit me!" The toddler argued and tears formed in her eyes.
"Did you do something to her?" The blonde clung to Winter, causing her to shift her balance.
"No," Weiss sniffled. "I didn't do anything! Yang just doesn't like me!" Yang stuck her tongue out at Weiss.
"Don't antagonize her!" The older Schnee sister lectured Yang. "She can't control herself and I'll get in trouble for it!" The young Schnee looked mortified at her sister's words and withdrew into herself. Winter supposed she should feel bad, but she just didn't. Not when this could have cost Winter the things she worked so hard for. Why did she have to take Weiss everywhere?!
While she didn't know what happened, it had been a good thing Winter had walked in when she did. Yang had been suspended extremely high up in the air. Born eight months apart, the two got along like a house on fire. Befitting of their cold bloodline, Weiss was a January baby while Yang was the very spirit of the blazing summer month she had been born. Despite their youth and lack of knowledge on the subject, the two were a budding example of the strained relationship between the Branwen and Schnee families.
Either way, Beacon's Rose, the team leader of STRQ, had somehow convinced the famed Telltale Heart to take Winter on as a pupil – a feat she was quite proud of. No matter the family history, it didn't change that Raven Branwen was the greatest swordswoman to come from Vale City, if not the whole continent, and she idolized the woman and all her feats. Winter even had posters of the woman, magazine articles, and had memorized the results of every mission Team STRQ had been on. The whole damn team was top notch and she had the privilege to personally know Beacon's Rose, the Telltale Heart, the ScareQrow, and the Burning Priest… even if that was mostly thanks to her last name… But ultimately it had been that childish team leader of Raven's who really convinced the warrior woman to take her on and she wasn't about to let Weiss cost her that!
Somehow though, it was turning out that Raven was focusing more on Weiss than her now and Winter had been pawned off on the flighty Summer Rose , otherwise known as Beacon's Rose. To say that her newfound teacher was a disappointment was a bit of an understatement. The dark and often moody Raven was strict and articulate, while that scatterbrained woman in white was clumsy and airheaded. How the hell did this make sense?! Weiss was a child! Summer's personality was better suited to a three year old better than the success Winter aimed for. Weiss wasn't even old enough to lift a sword! How did either of them benefit from this mismatched training?!
Even if Weiss was a prodigy and born with an exceptional affinity for Lightforge, Winter had still worked her hardest to become proficient. While Weiss had seemingly mastered it from birth, Winter had just recently become able to manifest platforms, though holding them for extended periods proved to be draining. Still, if it came down to Lightforge, it wouldn't have made sense for Raven to take either child on as a student. Lightforge was utter poison for the Faunus woman. In that sense, Summer made more sense as a "teacher", though Winter used the term loosely.
"What's going on here?" Speaking of Raven, her idol walked into the room with a curious look at the situation.
"Mama!" Yang reached out with grabby hands, taking Winter with her. Raven caught the two girls, taking the squirming child out of Winter's arms and lifted the fallen girl back into a standing position.
"I will never understand why it is you get so excited to see me?" The dark haired woman winced as Yang attempted to kiss her cheek, but instead attached herself to Raven's rounded cheek bones like a slobbering lamprey. "Ugh, you're going to give me a hickey on my face."
"Oh, don't be such a sour puss!" A giddy voice came from behind her. "I would be honored to get a face hickey from our little Yang. She just loves her Mama sooooooo much!" A red-to black haired woman in a white cloak with bright silver eyes stepped out from behind Raven and leaned her head affectionately on the shoulder Yang was in. "Maybe even more than me," she added and stuck her tongue out. Beneath her cloak, something stirred in the woman's arms and mewled, exciting Yang.
"Ruuuuby!" Yang bounced around and Raven put her down. "Baaabyyyyy!"
"Be a good girl and find somewhere for us to sit and you can hold her!" Yang nodded her head viciously and started looking for a patch of grass to sit. Wind rustled leaves and Yang tugged on Summer's cloak as she pointed to the large oak tree that sat in the middle of their training grounds. "Go sit over there and I'll be right over!" The blonde hurried off, sitting impatiently and kicking her legs excitedly.
"She gets so excited for no reason," Raven said more out of amusement than anything. It was rare that Winter saw a smile on her teacher's face, but she didn't really know the Raven that Team STRQ did. This woman was very different from her strict teacher and she only came out when Summer or the "STRQ children", as people called them, were around. "Someone has to be some kind of an adult for them."
"Oh, and that's you?" Summer said slyly.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Raven huffed at her. "Ah, stop it! What are you doing?"
"You have something on your face," Summer patted at her face with her cloak. "Stop squirming so I can get it off! You're worse than Yang!"
"Aaa-aah," Raven fought at first but stopped, blushing as Summer cleaned the previous evidence of child from her cheek. "Thanks."
"You're welcome," Summer finished wiping and let her hand linger a moment longer, slowly trailing away. Finding its way to Summer's, Raven placed her hand over Summer's and pressed it closer, tracing her thumb along the back of Summer's hand as they cast soft gazes into each other's eyes. This was a rare moment for Winter to witness, especially between the two women. There was nothing like this in the Schnee home – only hatred and coldness. The only love that she and her sister knew was their mother's, and even that was a rare treat.
Something like this, their father condemned, labeling the two STRQ women as travesties and Summer a "waste of a good woman". The only good was that they had served their purpose and produced results, whatever that meant. As for the relationship of STRQ, Winter found it quite confusing. These two looked at each the way moms and dads did in movies, but Tai was the dad. They didn't really look at him quite the same way as they did each other, but there was something akin to that emotion there. STRQ was truly an enigma to her.
"Mooooooooom!" Yang called out impatiently. "Over heeeeeeeeere!"
"I'm being paged," Summer chuckled and pulled her hand away, though Raven offered resistance, stopping Summer partially and pressing her hand to her lips. The taller woman held her hand until the end as Summer walked away. "Weiss, you can come too. What are you doing all the way over there? Don't be shy." Summer flashed a look at the little Schnee and took her hand, walking her to the tree with her.
I wish I had understood just how important this moment was to the future and everything Raven told me next. She loved that woman so much more than she even let on.
"So, what happened?" Raven's voice was a bit softer than usual and it caught Winter off guard. "Between Weiss and Yang." Winter looked down as she recalled what Weiss was doing.
"I walked in after, but Weiss said Yang hit her," Winter lamented. "Weiss thought that it was okay to suspend her in the air." Raven blinked at her a few times and cocked her head.
"Sometimes I forget that you Schnee are so big on articulation," the dark haired woman shook herself back to her senses and pushed her fingertips through her hairline. "I forget I'm talking to children."
"Oh, um, thank you…"
"That's not a compliment," Raven mumbled to herself. "You kids should be able to be kids." This was also rare. With both their fathers at the helm of two of the four Beacon Bloodlines, she knew Raven grew up under just as much scrutiny and expectation, so the last thing Winter expected was sympathy. "You should also be nicer to your sister. You're going to need her."
"Why?" Winter sneered at the mention of her sister. Of course they couldn't go a single conversation without praising her. "There's something wrong with her."
"There's nothing wrong with your sister," Raven spat out causing Winter to jump. "She's just different."
"Well, when are you going to tell me what it is?!" The two glared at each other, neither backing down on this subject.
"When you can learn to look at her with love," Raven scolded. "Rather than the fear you so openly display."
"F-fear?!" Winter glanced over at Weiss, who was somehow managing to get along with Yang long enough to play with Summer and the baby. What was she talking about? "I'm not afraid of Weiss!"
"Maybe I was wrong, you really are a stupid kid," Raven muttered to herself, cutting Winter deeply with her words. "You look at your sister, your own flesh and blood, with the same eyes that humans look at Faunus, at Weres, at Vampires… the way they all looked at my brother and I. That is fear, Winter, and fear is what undoes people, not just humans."
I was also too stubborn to admit the truth. Pride is really a hell of a thing for Schnees, huh?
"Summer isn't that good of a teacher," Winter complained. "Why am I with her now?"
"Excuse me?"
"Summer isn't-" Raven raised a hand.
"I heard you, child. I'm just having a hard time understanding where you found the audacity to say that," Raven glared at her. "Summer is one of the most patient and understanding people out there."
"She's too silly to teach anything!" Winter shot back. "I don't understand what I'm supposed to learn from her! I use a sword, she doesn't."
"I use Darkforge, you don't," Raven countered. "How does that make me any different?"
"Because I'm actually learning things from you," Winter crossed her arms. "I could learn Lightforge-related things from her, but she leaves me on my own with that! She'd rather spend more time baking cookies and tending to everyone else's needs! What am I supposed to learn from a retired housewife that plays video games with kids all day? Sometimes, she gets a phone call or takes me to see Oscar with her, but I just play secretary."
"I'm surprised you know what that is, but I'm sure your father has one too many of those," Raven deadpanned and Winter gave her a curious look. "N-nevermind, that's one thing you are too young to understand."
Well, she wasn't wrong about that… That's how the third Schnee came about after all…
"Look, it's not like I'm not going to be working with you anymore," Raven scratched the back of her head. "It's more that we're switching things up because of the roles you two are going to fill. Weiss is extremely important and so are Yang and Ruby. It's important that we establish relationships with Weiss with everyone now, rather than later, before the lines blur. I can tell you this now; Weiss will grow up to connect more with beings of Darkforge than Light. She needs to know acceptance and it has to be family. I suspect Jacques doesn't exactly shower either of you with love?"
"Y-yes, he does!"
No, he didn't… but he hated Weiss… and truthfully, I only acted that way because of him…
"Whatever you gotta' tell yourself, kid." Raven looked at her skeptically and rolled her eyes. "Just… give it a shot. She idolizes you and you need to work on that before she learns to hate you. As for Summer, think of things like this. Who do you think keeps Team STRQ running?"
"Oh, that's easy! Headmaster Oscar!" Raven frowned at the sound of the name.
"While that is technically true, he gives orders to the person who is. I could give a shit less what he wants," Raven muttered irritably. "The reality is that it's Summer. She follows him and we follow her. Without her, STRQ would have scattered to the wind long ago."
"But that doesn't make sense," Winter frowned. "You're all so much stronger than her."
"But strong people need strong leadership," Raven stated matter-of-factly. "Summer is just as strong as us in other ways and one of those is that she is the glue of this team. We're loyal to her, not the Schnee or Oscar's causes. At the end of the day, Summer is assigned those missions that you "play secretary" for and we are the tools she uses to get them done… She isn't being lazy, Winter. She's trying to teach you leadership and that sometimes it's the smaller things that go on behind the scenes that keep things running," Raven said in an exasperated manner. There really wasn't a way she could break it down more. "Sure, when push comes to shove, you still need to be able to handle yourself, but Weiss and Yang will offer plenty of offensive power when the time comes. If Ruby is anything like Summer or Tai, she'll bring plenty to the table too, but Summer says that she wants to imprint Weiss and Ruby on each other. I think that's dangerous but Summer feels strongly about this… So I want my own countermeasure, Winter, and that's you. You're suited to this and you need to establish this sort of relationship with Weiss while she still idolizes her big sister… Fix things and learn to love her, Winter."
But I failed and I couldn't fix things this time… She didn't follow me or Ruby and she chose the worst kind of person's path… I learned to love her, but I was too late… I had to do what was necessary.
ooOOoo
Clink clink clink. What was that God awful sound… Clink clink clink clink. Holy shit, it was driving her nuts. Almost expecting to see someone, the vampire's eyes fluttered open, but there was no one in the room. Off in another room, the sound clinked again and water rushed into something with a metal-like droll to it… Penny must have been cooking something. When she was waking, she often forgot that she wasn't human anymore. The extra sensitivity made her think that things were closer than they were, but in this case, she was hit with the distinct taste of blood as a reminder of just what she was.
Shifting into a sitting position, something tugged on her arm and rustled above her. Connected to her was an IV with red liquid. With her eyes, she traced the tubing up to a hastily prepared blood bag duct taped to the ceiling. Well… Penny certainly emphasized the A in creativity. The vampire wiped at her eyes and looked at the clock on her nightstand. Wow, it was already afternoon. It had been hours since she passed out, but it was odd. She wasn't in any pain. Sitting atop the clock, the icy familiar she had created lifted a wing and rubbed its beak, as if to scratch itself.
Clink clink… clink clink clink… That's what that sound was! Winter glared at the obnoxious creature and grabbed for it, but it saw her coming and jumped out of the way.
Bouncing around, it chirped at her in an upset manner before hastily taking off. It turned to look back at her, chirping as if it wanted to argue, but was cut short as it ran into the doorframe and fell to the ground in a dizzy heap. Propping itself up with its wings, it shook itself back to its senses and glared back at her as if to say it was her fault. She let out a small laugh and it squawked once more as if it were offended by her. What a strange little creature Penny had turned it into.
Disconnecting the IV from her arm, Winter stood up, feeling a little woozy at first. After regaining her bearings, she clambered her way to the kitchen, grasping the doorway to heave herself forward as she went. Stopping at the entryway to the kitchen, Winter smirked to herself and leaned into it. Taking a moment to appreciate the innocent girl she had somehow come to have in her possession, she looked over her. The giddy red-head was drinking a glass of orange juice and taking bites out of a sandwich when Polly landed on her shoulder. It pecked playfully at her ear and Penny swatted a bit as she laughed. Turning around, her eyes lit up as she realized Winter was awake, but Winter frowned at a piece of gauze pressed into Penny's arm.
"Penny…" Winter's voice held a tone like a disappointed parent. Penny looked at the gauze and grimaced to herself before finishing off her orange juice.
"Well, I'm glad it worked!" Penny scratched her head nervously.
"Why do I taste blood?" Winter's eyes narrowed at her suspiciously.
"…" Penny's silence said it all, but Winter was a woman of words and actions, not silence. "L-look, I know you must be disgusted by the idea of consuming my blood, but it was an emergency. I started to prepare a bag but it wasn't fast enough, so I fed you enough to calm you down and then did the bag."
Looking away from Penny, she held her arm out in front of her, squeezing her hand and turning her arm over. A lot of the damage had gone away and she wondered about testing the Lightforge again. She needed to know her limits if she were going to get practical use out of it… but it might be best to wait until she fully healed. This was good though. It was a step in the right direction – a step toward finally being rid of him. She would finally be free of this curse!
Winter's strange silence had started to get to Penny though. She knew she had overstepped her boundaries by feeding Winter, especially from herself, but she didn't realize it meant she would be this upset. The deafening silence continued as Winter looked over her arm and Penny felt an overwhelming anxiety, accompanied by a stinging in the back of her eyes. At first glance, most would have thought that she was truly a captive, but Penny had been electing not to leave.
Maybe at first, she had, but Penny had grown accustomed to Winter's presence. She had so many mannerisms that were similar to her father before her parents split up, and it probably helped that she knew him. Penny wasn't stupid. She knew that Winter's respect for her father was what gave Penny a special place in Winter's world… It was also why Winter was so disgusted by what Penny had done. There were few things Winter held sacred anymore, but that large bounty of admiration the woman held for Ironwood transcended all other things. Head hanging low, Penny scooted her seat back and began to leave the kitchen.
"…not disgusting…"
"What?" Unsure of what Winter had mumbled, or if it was even directed at her, Penny turned around and fought back her tears for a moment.
"You are not meant to be cattle," Winter put her hand down and looked directly at her. The oldest of the Schnee children had a rather frank way with words when she had been offended. "That's not what I want my relationship with Jim's daughter to be. I want us to be friends, not for me to keep you hidden away as some sort of backup food supply. That's why I don't want your blood – not because you're disgusting. I've never said that to you. Who put that in your head?" The younger girl shifted uncomfortably and sat back down, rubbing her thighs together.
"Adam's associates say things like that when they are here," Penny began, quickly adding to it. "So I thought I should perform my duty so that I would be useful to you! So that maybe you would keep protecting me… unlike Dad…" Winter's eyes focused on Penny's own green orbs and the younger of the two became mesmerized by the older's. There was something different today… Something that almost seemed more human about the normally distant Winter.
"You should be thankful that you are Jim's daughter," Winter drummed her fingers on the table in an irritated fashion.
"I wish that I wasn't!" Penny cried back. "He left and I was alone! That man wasn't there to save me but you were!"
"I would have left you without a second thought, had you been anyone else's child," Winter stated calmly. "My only reasoning is that you are Jim's daughter and that man cared about very little else other than the safety of his daughter." Penny looked down again and Winter tsk'd to herself. Why was it that she was so poor at these sorts of conversations? She supposed she should give some sort of comfort. "While that is why I saved you that does not mean that you haven't grown on me… You remind me of my little brother, though he became the bane of my existence." Winter hummed to herself as she tapped the table once more. "I wonder what I did in a past life to have wound up with such troublesome siblings."
"Oh, it's been a really long time since I've heard anything about Whitley," Penny perked up at the sound of his name. "I had heard he was in boarding school."
"That's correct," Winter mused. "Father sent him off not long before my death. Father seems to think this was a decision that saved his only remaining child and I'm certain that Whitley enjoys this."
"You must miss him, though," Penny said gently, causing Winter to clench her fists. "Weiss too… Winter?" At the mention of Weiss' name, tears began to stream down Winter's face and she buried her face in her hands. "What's wrong?" Penny tried to touch her but Winter didn't seem to want that.
"Don't! I don't deserve forgiveness. I've done something terrible," Winter's muffled voice came from her hands. "If I could go back, knowing what I know now, I would change everything."
"Winter…" If she wouldn't look at her, Penny would at least try to smile through her voice. "With The Council, chances are things were put in motion even before this all started." This earned a slight chuckle from Winter.
"You're almost as naïve as that Rose girl," Winter said between breathes. "I'd have to say you're far more perceptive though."
"Well, as you like to say, I am Jim's daughter," Penny teased. "… Do you want to talk about what happened?" So many emotions splayed across Winter's face when she looked up, successfully capturing Penny's interest once more.
"I practically raised Weiss. I spent so much time with her, and as her big sister, I was supposed to be the one she always went to and the one who protected her, right?" Winter seemed like a small child at this moment and Penny nodded. "So why couldn't I protect her from herself?"
"You can't make all of Weiss' choices for her, Winter," Penny cocked her head, still not having enough information to make a complete judgment. "Weiss is her own person."
"Was…" Past tense?
"What do you mean was?" Mind racing a mile a minute, Penny felt like she was starting to put some things together. This was going to be painful. "Winter, why were you hurt so badly?"
"I…" Winter tried to make the motions to speak but she couldn't summon the words. Penny took her hand and gave her a reassuring squeeze.
"I won't judge you as long as you're honest." … But words made it real…
"I…" Winter searched Penny's eyes for any sign of a lie, but they weren't there. "I attempted to kill Ruby today." She could see the anger and concern welling up in Penny's eyes at the mention of her best friend. "I bit her to gain a power that Weiss has and Weiss lost to her own darkness tonight. The damage is because I have no control over this power and became careless with it."
"You can't kill Ruby," Penny's grip was tightening. "You can't! She's my best friend."
"Ruby is a danger to this world!" Winter cried back. "In the hands of The Council, they can create a nearly limitless source of vampires that can walk during the daylight and possibly even use Lightforge - a power that Weiss has had since birth and still had!" Penny wanted to argue back, but somehow she couldn't help but feel that her reasons were selfish. "Imagine a world where Ruby is milked for blood every day so that vampires can create an army that walks in the daylight! Imagine living in fear every waking moment, rather being unable to escape into the light."
"… What happened to Weiss, then?" Penny loosened her grip, though hardened her eyes. "Winter, what else happened?"
"…" Why was this girl so damn good at reading her? Winter opened her mouth and had to force the words through her pipes. "I killed my baby sister… She lost herself…."
Penny's eyes grew wide at this admission. The amount of pain Winter must have felt must have been overwhelming and it was just now starting to hit her because Penny kept forcing her to deal with it. She knew what Winter would have done. She would have put up a false face the entire fight and in front of her lackeys, but here, she would fall apart the longer she spent thinking about it… So Winter usually kept herself busy from task to task. Winter did bad things – she knew this. Terrible, terrible things beyond reprehensible and Penny somewhat grounded her by disputing them. Someone had to act as a conscience and that was probably why Penny stayed. True, she didn't want to go home, but there had to be something human salvageable in Winter – even if it didn't appear until she was on her deathbed.
"Let me follow you."
"What?" Winter pulled away from her incredulously. "Did you not just hear what I said? I killed my sister and I tried to kill your best friend! Hate me like a normal person would!"
"But you know I'm not normal, Winter," Penny said flatly. "You have no problem telling me so every day."
"This is different!" Winter argued back. "You don't have to kill people to survive or to achieve your goals!"
"No, but I could learn," Penny said adamantly. "To do… bad… things." She spat out the word 'bad' like a rotten piece of fruit.
"You can't even say it like you mean it," Winter pointed out. "How am I supposed to believe that?"
"Well, fine! Maybe I can't hurt people well," Penny huffed. "But I want to help you. I know I'm human, but I can be useful if you'll let me support you!..." Penny twiddled her fingers around. "Someone has to be on your side… To tell you that you're not wrong…"
"But I am," Winter shook her head. "I'm willingly doing the wrong things in order to do the right ones and I have no intention to change that."
"Then I'll support your intentions!" Penny shouted out and Polly tweeted with her.
"I can't even take you seriously with that ridiculous bird… Ow!" Polly flew around Winter pecking at her relentlessly. "I can end you in seconds!" The bird flapped in shock and hid in Penny's short Venetian curls.
"Hahaha, Polly, Winter's all talk! She won't hurt you!" Penny rubbed a finger along Polly's crystalline beak and caught a glimpse of what she had seen earlier. She knew what it was that seemed so human now. Seeing herself reflected in Winter's crystal blue eyes, Penny smiled. That domineering red no longer dyed her eyes the color of blood. In this moment, Winter had never looked more like a proper Schnee.
ooOOoo
AN: I mentioned in the opening AN that I am trying to answer questions that have been posed. I'm going to try to iron out some details as I go. Over the next few chapters, you'll get a bunch of answers. This segment that we're on is essentially things being put together. Weiss is back and will return to being an active character very shortly, but I'd like you guys to get a grasp of what's going on behind the scenes! I did feel that Winter's feeling toward Weiss felt a little baseless.
BEFORE THE QUESTIONS GET ASKED: Yes, Weiss was involved with Ruby's very early life pretty much all the way until Summer/Tai died. Why she vanished and Ruby does not remember her occurs during that segment. What she DOES remember of Weiss she associates with memories of Winter because they looked so similar. Ruby is currently 16 and was 6 when Tai/Summer were killed. Weiss is 3 years older than Ruby, Yang is 2.25 years older, and Winter is 8 years older.
Also, Lightforge: Requiem is a thing now. The kinda' cool thing is that I've been able to iron out some details a bit more through working out the STRQ storyline. Why things are certain ways and I have something solid to base things off. I've also been able to tie some arcs back and forth and make them reference each between both stories! It's been kinda' fun! So, I'll probably alternate releases.
As the author, I'm aware of the background, but as readers, I know the lack of info can be very confusing. If you have any questions you would like to add, please let me know in the Reviews. I will try my best to touch on them as I go. I would genuinely like to know what questions you guys have so that I can answer as much as I can appropriate to the chapters!
SPELL TRANSLATION: (This is what I put into Google Translate. I rearranged it a few times as well. If there is a better way to write it, please do tell!)
By the power of the magic black and the blessing of the magic white
I call the Unholy Mother, the impure heart
This binding wanes under the new moon
Free this child and give her peace
I grant you release
Questions that will be getting answered definitely:
Can we finally understand wtf Forge/Holy/Unholy/Rose Curse is? (This one is going to suck breaking down. I'll do it through conversation, but I will also do a small bit on it in an AN.)
What makes Yang and Ruby so important? Especially Yang. Is Yang Faunus at all?
What's actually going on with Weiss? What was STRQ teaching her?
Why did Raven leave? (It's a bit more than Yang being afraid.)
Wtf just happened with that Salem appearance at the end of this chapter and htf does that tie in?
Who was casting that spell?
Is Ozpin good or bad? How does he relate to Oscar? If Ozpin/Glynda are vampires, how could they also walk in daylight? Why do Oscar/Ozpin care so much about Weiss? Why doesn't Ozpin treat her with traditional protocol?
Will Neptune and Jaune ever get cut breaks? If I brought Weiss back, what does that mean for Neptune?
Ausprey is the Originator. Who tf is he and how did he get everyone cursed? (Hint: He cut a deal with Salem and fucked over four families in particular.)
Why is Weiss not particularly recognized by anyone? Also, if she was involved in Ruby/Yang's young lives, why don't they remember her? Is Weiss a creeper/stalker?
Reviewer Response:
Nakfyre: Always glad to see your name up here! I kinda' think of this series as my baby when it comes to writing it. I want it to come out right haha.'
GrnDrgnzrd: Hahaha, I still have plans for Neptune. Personally, I have a hard time killing off characters (for those who same my AN when I decided NOT to kill Winter off and made plans for her…. -_- ugh, her death was supposed to be a major plot point too and then I completely changed it on a whim that's worked out so much better). Imagine how I'm gonna' feel in Requiem when it comes time to kill off Tai/Summer? I'm gonna' spend all this time writing them and then kill 'em off. Well, at least Raven takes it harder than I will lol. Anyway, Neptune's existence is to showcase how mortality works in the vampire world. He is the only vampire character who we currently know who turns him, why, some background about his change, and returns to being human once his connection to her is severed. He has been under the impression that once Weiss returns to being human, he will also… which isn't me foreshadowing anything incredibly suspicious AT ALL… .
Kinigget: Is your SN a Monty Python & the Holy Grail reference? If so, that's so awesome! I'm glad you're enjoying it so far! I'm aiming to do something that either hasn't been done before or is atypical of vampire stories. Unfortunately, I may have bitten off more than I can chew and built this giant ass story and world to work with. My pacing is very off and I may have presented too much too soon, so I am trying to correct this and balance giving you guys information! I am confident that most people's theories are wrong. I'm sure that some of you guys have ideas of what's going on, but there's some stuff I'm confident you guys won't see coming. The irony though is that the information has already been handed out, but was packaged as a lie. I actually kind of excited to see how many people will go back to be like HTF DID I MISS THIS! like the comments when people realized that Hive was Weiss lol. Weiss has a bit of a lot of bullshit going right now.