"Ms. Schnee, you have a visitor."
"A visitor? Who is it?" Responding in a somewhat drowsy tone, Weiss questions who would be visiting her at this early hour, Nurse Amaranth standing beside the door she had just entered.
"A boy by the name of Oscar Pine. He looks to have some things for you, but I told him I'd ask if you wanted to accept visitors so early." Hearing that Oscar has come to visit, Weiss nods, gaze following Amaranth as she steps out of the room, the figure of Oscar entering a minute later.
"Hey, um… Weiss, good morning." Oscar says in greeting, Weiss unable to hold back a smile as she waves him over.
"I certainly wasn't expecting any visitors, much less you, Oscar. I thought General Ironwood wasn't wanting to let it out that I'm here…" Weiss murmurs before thinking to herself for a few moments, Although he doesn't seem like the type to hold back info from those who need it…
"He told me and the rest about what happened, we… All saw the news report. Suffice to say no one is particularly happy about what your father is doing." Oscar gently sets a bundle down on the side table by the bed before looking to Weiss again, her gaze falling towards the items. "I brought you some clothes, and your elastics, we thought it would be a good idea if you were able to wear more than just the Atlas issue outfits, and… Well, I'm sure elastics are better than headgear all the time."
"You're telling me…" She idly comments while looking through the selections of clothes, everything consisting of comfortable casual outfits, including her black cat onesie pajamas. "I appreciate the visit, Oscar, I've… Not been able to learn about much of anything while here. I'm avoiding the news as much as possible, if I were to look at it I'm sure I'd not be all that happy…"
"General Ironwood and your sister don't want me to tell you anything about what's happening, they want you to get better, and feel that… Keeping you out of the loop, at least for now, is the best course of action." Weiss fails to hold back a huffed sigh as she regards Oscar's words, Oscar unable to resist chuckling a little before resting a hand on her shoulder.
"I… Suppose that's for the best… I'd ask what you've all been up to, but I doubt there's anything you can tell me." Falling silent, her thoughts trail off towards Penny, gaze sinking away from Oscar for a few moments. Penny… I hope you're okay, maybe you can come visit. I suppose I should ask…
"How has everyone been?" Speaking again after a short few moments of silence, she decides to inquire about the wellbeing of her friends, assuming it's at least one topic she can be told about. "How has… Penny been? Have you seen her at all?"
"Things aren't so great, Weiss. With everything that has been happening, especially this fast, everyone's been under stress. Ruby, Yang, Blake, they're holding together, but… I don't think I've ever seen them this unhappy. As for Penny…" Oscar trails off as he gets lost in thought, Weiss clearing her throat after a little to gather his attention again. "Oh, um, right, sorry… We haven't seen Penny for a while now, since… Before the day you were brought here, I think. I'm sure she's okay, Ironwood just has her somewhere for her safety."
"I see… That's understandable… At any rate, I'm just glad things aren't going… As poorly as I was expecting, honestly. I appreciate you coming to visit, Oscar, it's really nice to see you." As she falls quiet, Weiss swaps out her headgear for two elastics, opening and closing her mouth a few times to test the fit. "Mhh…"
"It's nice to see you as well Weiss, I'll let everyone know how you're doing, I'm sure you'll have visitors again soon." Oscar hugs Weiss as he speaks, Weiss gladly reciprocating the embrace, then waves bye to her as he steps out of the room. Once Oscar is gone Weiss changes out of her gown and into a simple outfit, jeans, a long sleeved shirt, and ankle socks, then settles into some movie watching until Ms. Amaranth enters a few hours later.
"Good afternoon Ms. Schnee, are you ready for your appointment with Dr. Youngwood?" The kindly nurse asks, Weiss nodding before shifting her legs off the bed and moving herself into the wheelchair, Muffin being brought along this time. In a slightly better mood than before her first appointment, she embraces her friend as she's pushed along, gaze once more drifting across the childishly decorated therapy room once she's wheeled inside.
"Hello again Weiss, I see you brought a friend this time." Brindle greets Weiss as she moves herself onto the couch like before, Weiss nodding before squeezing Muffin close.
"This is, err… Muffin, my mom gave her to me when I was very little, so she… Means a lot to me." Pausing for a few moments, Weiss glances down towards Muffin, thinking A better time… Better memories…
"Oh? I'm delighted to hear that, everyone deserves to have a friend they're close to, even if said friend is soft and made of plush. Now… What would you like to talk about today, Weiss?" Brindle's question is met with a slight frown and an averted gaze, Weiss silently mulling over a decision before speaking.
"I… Anything I want to talk about?" Brindle nods after Weiss falls silent, the brace faced teen taking a deep breath before looking up at her therapist. "… I… Suppose I wouldn't mind talking about my family a bit…" Seeing Brindle waiting patiently, silently, a calm smile on her face, she can't help but chuckle slightly, finding it to be familiar. She reminds me of Winter…
"So… Err… I'm not sure where to start, so I guess I'll just… Talk about when I was younger, before… Everything." Pausing for a few moments to gauge Brindle's reaction, no change in expression noticeable, she takes another deep breath, then pulls Muffin tight to her chest. "Everything changed around when I turned ten. Before then, well… It wasn't the best, I can't say I have too many happy memories from my childhood. I think… My best memory is receiving Muffin on my sixth birthday…"
"Happy birthday Weiss!" The voices of Winter, Willow, and Klein happily say to Weiss, the scrawny now six year old dressed in a lovely dress with a party hat secured atop her head. "Go ahead and make a wish darling." Nodding to Willow, she blows out the candles on her cane after a few moments of decision making, eyes fluttering open after she does. "What did you wish for?" Winter asks curiously, Weiss looking to her sister with a bright, crooked smile.
"I wished for a friend!" Weiss happily says, Willow and Klein unable to resist chuckling at how cute she's being. Cake is served up and enjoyed by all, and then comes time for gifts, Weiss receiving all manner of things, from clothing, to art supplies, toys, and even sweets made by Klein, Willow handing her a rather large box after she's opened everything else.
"Go ahead and open it darling, this is a gift from me." Willow softly says while watching her daughter, Weiss rather eagerly opening the box to reveal a huge grey tabby cat plush, nearly three feet tall, with fake fur that proves to be immensely soft. Weiss almost immediately pulls the plush into a firm hug, bright laughter escaping as she embraces the warm feline.
"Thank you mama! I love her!" Weiss exclaims before nosing into her new friend's fur, the plush cat being tugged back after a bit before she's looked over. "I think I'm gonna call her… Muffin!" Willow hums for a few moments before nodding, then gently tousles Weiss's hair.
"Muffin? I think that's a splendid name for her. Happy birthday, my darling, I'm happy we could celebrate with you. Please excuse me." Willow gets up and slips out of the dining room, a rather heated argument muffled by the mostly closed doors, the voice of Jacques notable
As Weiss finishes talking about the positive aspects of said memory, a fond smile on her face, she squeezes Muffin again, gaze focusing on Brindle after a few moments. "That was… One of the last times I remember mom being truly happy. Father wasn't happy that I was given Muffin, or that I was being treated like the child I was, and not as his potential future heiress, his… Treatment of me and my siblings got worse after that."
"I see. Your father sounds like a cruel man, it's always unfortunate that people like him exist and torment those who don't deserve it. I'm happy to hear that you at least have some happy memories of your childhood, especially regarding your friend there, I hope she can continue to make you more positive memories." Weiss nods along as Brindle speaks, finding herself surprisingly calm in contrast to what she had expected.
"I… I know she will, I've taken good care of her, and she's taken care of me, that's… All that is important." Weiss glances up towards the clock after trailing off, Brindle following her lead, the two regarding just how much time has passed.
"I feel this was a very productive session, I know opening up about things can be heard, so I'm very proud of you Weiss. I'll let Ms. Amaranth know you're ready to go back to your room, and I'll schedule the next time we'll meet. Until then, take care." Weiss again nods before saying goodbye to Brindle, a slight wave being given before she diverts her attention to Muffin. That went… Really well, Muffin. I think we can do this…
"I… I can't believe what I'm seeing. How did you get this footage, Winter?" General Ironwood asks his second in command, the steely specialist pressing pause on her scroll before responding.
"Apparently, my mother has hidden cameras all across the Schnee Manor, and has been recording the actions of my father for years. She has footage of his interactions with Arthur Watts, with Weiss and Whitley, with herself, this is just a small amount of what she has saved." Winter begins to explain, gaze pouring over the still frame of Jacques and Watts talking, looking to be in high spirits. "I was only able to be given this much during the last time I visited, she told me that if there was a way to ensure the safety of her and Whitley, she'd be able to give me the rest."
"Thank you for informing me, Winter. With this, I can definitively link Arthur and Jacques to the doctored footage, it'll go a long way towards clearing the names of Weiss and Penny, and I believe I'll be able to issue a warrant for the arrest of Jacques as well. I don't know what he's up to, or why, but we finally have a chance to put a stop to it, to make things right for everyone." Winter nods as her superior speaks, finding herself quite pleased with the idea of arresting Jacques and bringing him to justice for his crimes.
"How long until we can proceed? I surmise it'll take time to get the warrant, but at the very least we can prepare to come forward with this information." James thinks to himself for a few moments before responding to Winter, a slight smile noticeable on his face.
"Perhaps two weeks at the longest, maybe sooner depending on how things go. As a huntress and a specialist with the Atlesian Military, you do have the authority to arrest Jacques, but I want to go through the proper channels, make sure he can't spin this to paint himself as the victim." He says, slight amusement being found in Winter's sly grin.
"Believe me, sir, once we release the footage and present the report regarding our findings, there's no way father will be able to make himself out to be a victim of any sort."