Trying to appear friendly, the random girl with black hair waved.

Klein stood there, trying to process why this random person was in the hallway. Why she was so interested in getting into his boss' study room. One of the more pressing questions in his mind was how she slipped past security and remained unseen until he glanced behind himself on a whim.

Before the butler could speak or ask any questions, the girl in uniform rapidly approached him. Since this girl was in a school uniform that matched Weiss', he didn't feel threatened. Rather, the opposite.

Obviously, she had to be here for a reason.

His thoughts were confirmed when she spoke.

"Do not be alarmed, I'm Weiss' friend," Blake said softly, keeping her voice low. "Please be quiet. I don't want Weiss to hear us somehow."

"W-why are you here?" Klein couldn't swallow the stammer. "Who are you? How'd you get passed security?"

"I figured you'd have lots of questions, but that has to wait," Blake replied evenly. Instead of giving him a direct reply, Blake glanced over her shoulder at the double doors. "Can you please tell me how to get into that room?"

From the question, Klein was taken aback. This girl wanted to get into his boss' office? Despite the millions of questions swirling in his mind, he cleared his head. Something told him there was nothing to fear. This black-haired girl was trying to keep calm. There was only worry was present in those soft amber pools. She also claimed to be one of Weiss' friends. Not to mention, the uniform definitely helped ease his nerves. These things told him that she wasn't lying.

This girl was clearly on a mission. From what he could tell, there was no stopping her. Not even trespassing and breaking the law. She was willing to risk jail time for Weiss.

"You want to get in Master Jacques' study?" Klein asked in exasperation.

"Yes."

From that, the shorter man adorned a mischievous grin. His eyes flashed red for a moment. "Pardon me, I'll tell you only if you answer one of my questions."

After a heavy sigh, Blake replied. "What is it?"

"Were you the one Weiss smiled at when she received the text?"

That question caught Blake totally off guard. She was clearly taken aback as her lips parted slightly, trying to process her thoughts before speaking. All that came out was a mumbled. "Huh?"

It was obvious that she had no clue what he was referring to. When Klein saw his Snowflake smile in the garden, he was reminded of Willow. A true angel. Anyone who protected that smile was good in his book.

Since this wasn't the girl that originally sent the text, he waved it off. Maybe one day he could meet the girl Weiss was talking so fondly to.

"Nevermind, forget it," Klein dismissed with the wave of his hand. "I can tell you're Sno- Weiss' friend. From the looks of it, you want to help her."

"Yeah," the faunus nodded. She tried to be as curt as possible. She felt rude in doing so, but she really had to get in that room.

It was a good thing that those doors were soundproof. This way, Weiss couldn't hear Blake conversing with the butler.

Without hesitation, Klein pointed to an air vent on the side of the wall. It was just to the right of the massive double doors. This was a small detail Blake missed as she cursed herself.

Of course there's a way in right there, Blake thought. If only I'd seen it sooner.

Since Mr. Schnee was fond of the cold, it didn't surprise Klein when he had it installed just for his office.

"That vent leads directly to his study," Klein informed softly and wiggled his mustache. "Try not to be heard or seen this time."

Blake wanted nothing more than to question the butler's unexpected helpfulness, but she was on a time crunch. She had to see Weiss as soon as possible. Especially if her and her father were alone in that room. That might be where everything takes place. Behind closed doors. She had to break them open.

"Thank you," the faunus breathed. "Please don't tell your Snowflake that I was here."

Klein lightly chuckled from that. "Naturally, Ms.-?"

"Blake."

"Blake," Klein repeated. "It's nice to meet one of Weiss' trusted friends. Although, do try not to trespass again."

Since the two had a playful banter going on, the faunus felt comfortable enough to roll her eyes. "It was an accident."

After Blake turned on her heel, Klein whispered. "Good luck."

Touched that Weiss had such caring friends, the trustworthy butler pretended he didn't see a thing. He retreated to another room to resume dusting a few bookshelves. After that, he had a chicken in the oven to check on. Good thing he had other things to distract him.

When Blake knew for sure that Klein, she summoned a shadow clone to give her a boost to check the air vent. When she jumped, she realized there were screws in place over the cover. Of course there were. It seemed like there was an obstacle at every turn. This kept getting more difficult.

Determined, the faunus summoned multiple clones that stacked on top of each other like a human tower. When the shadows were in place, the real Blake climbed on top of all of them before reaching the top. With a smirk, the sly faunus yanked out a screw driver from her skirt pocket.

She came prepared. She didn't know what tools she'd need for this mission, so she brought all. This included a few knives, bobby pins, rope, a slingshot, and food- courtesy of Ruby. The slingshot was Yang's bright idea.

Luckily, it didn't take long to unscrew the pesky cover. After she finished, she carefully popped off the top. Gently, she handed the top piece to the clone below her, who passed it along until it made it to the bottom safely without a sound. By the end, it rested against the wall on the marble floor.

After that, Blake pulled her body into the vent. She made some noise as she landed on the steel surface. There was enough wiggle room as she smiled triumphantly. For a moment, she was worried she wouldn't fit.

Finally. A break.

With a flick of her finger, she recalled her clones and began to crawl forward. There was only one way to go as she acted as the very air within.

It didn't take long to hear yelling in the distance. It sounded like a whiney man's voice. Definitely Weiss' father. This compelled Blake to squirm faster. Her body didn't generate much noise thanks to years of perfected stealth.

There was more shouting as Blake approached a the end of the narrow tunnel.

Sounds like it's something about the company.

There was another sheet of the air vent that led into the room that she could hide behind. She had a front row seat as she watched carefully through the multiple beams that skewered her view a little. But it was good enough. Better than expected.

As she watched, Blake made sure her heart was rhythmic and her breathing was soft. Golden pools pierced through the air vent cover as she studied the scene.

The room was vast. In fact, there was another air vent across the room at the same level. Aside from that, there were more bookshelves than she could count. A chandelier that was too tacky for her tastes. And several pictures of a young boy, who she concluded was Whitley.

Most importantly, Weiss was there. She was standing in front of her father, although a large desk separated the two and acted as a barrier. The man's voice rose again and Blake noticed that her friend visibly tensed.

This caused Blake to swallow a worried whimper.

Okay, arrogant, jerk of a father. Saw that coming. Stop yelling at her!

When Mr. Schnee was done with his rant about the family business, he leaned over the desk in a seething rage. He looked like he was boiling red.

Unable to bite her tongue, Weiss tipped him over the edge.

"I have done nothing but fight to uphold the honor of my family name. A name that youmarried into!"

A resounding slap sound rang out. This was followed by a gasp.

"Agh!"

Blake watched in horror as the fire burning inside fueled her. The man's hand was still in the air, and Weiss was frozen in place as her head remained at an angle from the smack.

As dead silence lingered, Blake grit her teeth and her fingers curled into the chilly steel surface.

If Yang saw that- oh- Blake didn't even want to think about it. She'd undoubtedly break his neck right then and there.

Instead of letting the emotions overrun her, Blake forced herself to remain calm as hatred for the man seeped in her entire being. It took all her willpower to not bust out of this cramped vent and drop full force on the jackass. A hard kick to the balls or face would be ideal. Yang's way of snapping his neck would be best.

"This behavior of yours has gotten out of hand," Jacques said in a calm tone. A stark contrast to how he spoke before the slap. "You couldn't possibly understand the lengths I've gone to in order to keep this family where it is."

It didn't take long for Weiss to recover as a hand went to her cheek. Like nothing happened, Weiss faced her father as a red mark formed. "The Schnee family legacy isn't yours to lead. It's mine," the priestess placed a hand over her heart in emphasis.

Silently, Blake cheered her on. Weiss didn't back down even after a forceful slap. There was that signature defiance shining through.

Unable to cope with his daughter's defiance, Jacques roared as an intimidation tactic. "You sound just like that woman."

The mention of her caused Weiss' lips to turn upward in a small smile.

Willow… Blake realized.

"That's the nicest thing you've ever said to me," Weiss breathed.

As Weiss turned on her heel to leave, Jacques called after her.

"I'm sure Whitley will enjoy his title as heir."

From that comment, amber eyes widened. Did Weiss just lose her title?

Since Weiss' father always had the last word, she simply let the door shut.

Blake was left in the vent, trying to process what just happened.

"Then I said, yeah it's the new school uniform!"

"No way!" Yang gasped in disbelief. "He didn't actually…?"

"Yep!" Taiyang beamed with a grin. "He wore a skirt to school the next day!"

The family bursted into giggles. On the couch across from Tai and Yang was Ruby and Blake. The former had Zwei resting in her lap as the television blared in the background.

It'd been several minutes since Blake returned home from her mission. Since then, her family ate because they waited for her arrival. Then they relaxed in the living room. Since Taiyang was present, Blake didn't want to mention any details of Weiss' home life until they were alone. Something Ruby and Yang completely understood.

Naturally, Ruby and Yang wanted to question her about what happened since Blake was gone for a few hours. It took a little long than they thought it would. However, it was also important to act like things were alright in front of their father.

Taiyang couldn't stop laughing. "Some people still call him 'kilt' to this day!"

Ruby rolled her eyes. "And you wonder why he gives you dirty looks."

Taiyang crossed his arms. "He should really get over it. It was decades ago! Everytime he sees me, it looks like he wants to kilt me."

"Dammit!" Yang exclaimed in exasperation. Her sudden shout was so loud it caused Zwei to bark. "I just thought'a that one!"

"Beat you… to the punch!" Taiyang happily chirped as he held out a fist.

Giddily, Yang fist bumped him.

"Uh," Ruby heavily groaned. "Stop. Can't you go one conversation without making a stupid pun?"

Yang looked taken aback by that. "Have you not lived with us for sixteen years?"

Ruby whined and put her head in her hands. "I'll never be immune."

Usually, this was the part when Blake comforted her grumbling girlfriend. However, Blake remained stiff on the sofa. This whole time, she'd been quiet. Normally, she chipped in on conversations here and there. Truthfully, she couldn't get that scene out of her head. Her worst fears were confirmed.

The faunus was acting different and isolated herself from the conversation, which really worried Ruby and Yang. What exactly happened to make her like this?

While her family laughed from something Tai said, Blake's stomach twisted in a knot. She felt like she'd be sick. Seeing her family so carefree like this made her heart ache. After what she witnessed in the Schnee residence, she realized how good she had it.

Sensing Blake wasn't herself, Yang chimed in. "I think I'm done for the night, Dad. I'm headin' up."

"Bored you already, huh?" Taiyang asked with a light smile. "Alright. Have fun."

Taking that as her chance, Blake stood to follow her up the staircase. Anxiety overflowed as she thought about what to say to them. It was time to finally talk. Not wanting to be left behind, Ruby quickly followed.

"Seeya in the morning, Dad!" Ruby called down.

From that, Tai shrugged. It seems his daughters had other things to do. "If ya want a snack later, let me know!"

Multiple hums of acknowledgement.

Tai was left with the television and dog. Casually, he stretched his hands above his head as he gazed at the panting corgi that was sprawled out on the sofa. "Looks like they left us, huh?"

A timid bark.

In silence, the three veered to the left and headed into Blake's room like they were on a mission. After the door shut, they took their seats at the table. Both Ruby and Yang leaned in, expectant.

Blake was left to frown as she replayed the scene in her head.

"What happened?" came Yang's worried and stern voice.

The faunus folded her hands stiffly in her lap and dipped her head. "Listen, Yang, Ruby. You need to follow what I say next. No matter what, understand?"

Immediately, the sisters perked up.

"Of course, Blake," Ruby replied softly.

Yang nodded in agreement. "Yeah, okay. What is it?"

"I'm not going to tell you what I saw," Blake finished with a frown.

The sisters were clearly taken aback by that. Before either could speak up, Blake continued.

"Yet."

"But why?" Ruby asked, curious. "Wasn't the whole point of this to know what's going on? For all of us to help?"

Before Blake could speak, Yang nodded in agreement with her sister. "You're gonna make us wait longer?" she didn't sound happy. At all.

"I need to talk with Weiss first," Blake explained slowly. "After, I'll let you guys know, alright? I feel like it's the right thing to do first."

Fondly, Ruby held her hand that was still in her lap. "Yeah, okay," she breathed. "I trust you."

Yang was clearly frustrated, so Blake explained herself. "This is something I feel would be better if it was one-on-one. Rather than trap her in a corner."

Ruby and Yang shared worried glances.

"I'll trust you," the blonde smiled timidly. "As long as you tell us what happened eventually."

Ruby nodded in agreement. "Let us know how the talk goes, okay? You can explain what you saw when you see fit."

Worriedly, Blake met their glances. Just like that, all her anxieties flushed away as her girlfriend and friend smiled at her. It seemed Blake worried for nothing. She should've known that they were logical, rational people. Sometimes she forgot that they viewed her as a dependable person.

Blake nodded with affirmation, her own small smile formed.

"I'll let you know soon."

The chapter is titled after Amalee's song Here. "Within this world if you wish to live another day, you must disguise as a flower that will captivate. 'You, I want to believe.'"

This refers to Ruby and Yang trusting Blake's course of action.

Stay dandy,

~Toto