Weiss shuffled around in her bed. The sound of the sheets fluttering —while relaxing, also helped her note her situation. Still, she had no reason to wake up. No morning training, no parties to prepare for. Winter said something about leaving early for military business so there was no one in the mansion who would come to wake her. And her parents weren't present to host or join any parties for her to be involved in.

As her thoughts wandered in the previous day, she began to comprehend that she wasn't alone in the room. She turned over and gradually pried her eyes open, which were covered in sleep Dust. Her gaze scanned the floor on her left, but she had trouble finding Bella lying on the floor.

With no other way to satisfy her curiosity, she started the process of readying to leave the bed. First, she began to warm herself with Aura. While under the blanket it was beginning to be uncomfortably warm, the moment she left the bed she would freeze all over, so it was just to balance out the change.

Having readied herself, she threw the blanket away and rose to her feet. Her mind was still behind and it took a few seconds before she was in her entirety —awake.

She looked below her where Bella laid on the ground.

Or should've.

It took a good five seconds for her to realize that, yes, the sleeping bag was empty. Her face showed nothing but tiredness at the moment, but her mind raced through possibilities of why it was empty.

Maybe she's in the washroom? She began to take steps towards said room's door and opened it. There was no one inside, but she still stayed to do her usual morning routine. After finishing tying her hair and brushing her teeth, she walked out into the hallway outside her room still in her pyjamas.

It was as quiet as she imagined. She walked further down the hallway and glanced into every other hall she passed but she still didn't catch a glimpse of anyone, including Bella.

Or maybe she went outside? It was as possible as the previous guesses, but something began to feel wrong. The sudden disappearance had him worried. Bella was sweating just before she went to sleep and now was presumably wandering around outside or somewhere else inside? That didn't feel like something Bella would do. Even she had ended up outside, she would have surely come back already, right?

Something got her out of her head. A sound to be precise. The creak echoed even beyond where she stood at the moment, and if she heard right, then it had come from the unused doors that lead into the courtyard. No one ever used them and only the inexperienced maids ever opened it, but even they learned quickly to avoid them. That meant there weren't many who would use them.

It immediately rose her hopes as she took ever faster steps towards the sound. But as she walked down the stairs, she also heard footsteps —multiple pairs of footsteps.

They sounded uncanny in the pristine and formal environment that The Schnee Manor was. The staff was specially trained to not make any sound as to not have their steps echo the halls and so was every resident. Everyone walked with careful steps and ones you couldn't even hear approaching you.

This made her stop in her tracks and instead retrace her steps back to the second floor. She now only acted by what her body thought to be right, as her mind was still busy figuring out what was even happening.

"Spread out! We only have what little time our intelligence team bought us, so get moving! We don't want to deal with two Huntresses on top of the target! And remember, we need her alive."

The order didn't come from too far away. And now her careful steps turned into a run up the grand staircase. Panic was a hard thing to control. She had no idea of who was downstairs, but she had to do a good guess, then they were after her.

"Someone's up the stairs! A and B team, go after them!"

She gritted her teeth. This was bad. She had no weapon, no Dust or even a proper outfit to fight in. The only thing she could fight with was her Semblance, which she could only use for defence.

But there was little choice, the steps were only a little behind her. As she took the last step and reached the second floor, she took made use of the advantage of being ahead of the ones chasing her and filled the steps with Glyphs, which had the unique property of being frictionless, thus leading the first masked individuals to slip and knock over anyone directly behind them. The rest of the group opted to open fire instead of trying to advance. The bullets hit the wall behind her she even heard glass shattering, and only one hit her in the arm, causing her to cry out in pain.

"The Schnee's up here!"

This is really, really bad! If she were to go off what she had heard, there was a sizable group after her and only her. And now everyone was going to be after her.

I need a weapon. They'll get me eventually if I just run around. Weiss used the delay caused by the Glyphs to get a head start in a run to her room.

The Glyphs are probably already done, so they'll begin shooting any moment. I'll defend with Glyphs and then grab Myrtenaster and beat these thugs… It was easier said than done. Reacting to bullets was hard, even more so when having her back turned.

She listened and soon heard the first shot. NOW! She generated a Glyph and it shattered just in the nick of time as it stopped the bullet, or at least slow it enough to make it non-lethal. She was lucky the distance was enough that she could hear the bullets before impact. Otherwise, she would have to guess half-hazardously when to put down a shield.

Her feet kept moving even while she stayed vigilant for any sound. Another bullet was launched and another one blocked.

Weiss kept her eyes on the door ahead and created Glyph next to it to create some cover as she pulled the door open. The shots ceased and The Glyph remained intact as she ran inside and went to grab her rapier next to her bed.

But an attention-seeking cough caught her off-guard. It was so surprising and mocking in its tone that it angered Weiss just from hearing it, but the cocking of a gun made her more afraid than angry.

"I suggest you don't move. Keeping you alive is beneficial for both of us, but knocking you out will hurt only you."

The feminine voice sounded half-sarcastic and the other half being heartless logic. The same she heard not too long ago.

"As of now, you're a hostage of The White Fang." The person informed her. "And it will stay that way until we get what we want."

"You called, General?"

James Ironwood turned his head off the files on his computer and onto the person entering his office.

"Ah, Winter. It's good to see in person for a change."

"You too General." Despite being a top operative of Atlas, she hardly ever got into direct contact with the general. Rather, it meant the opposite. A fighter of her strength was widely needed to either defend Mantle or attack a high concentration of Grimm near the two population centres.

"Before we get into business, may I ask how young Weiss is doing?"

"She's been well, sir. Weiss has even her first friend. But sadly Bella has now fallen ill." It was truly a blessing that Weiss had gotten her Summoning to work and summon her. The girl was completely detached from any social hierarchy and held zero expectations of Weiss. She had wished that going to Beacon would grant Weiss the chance to form bonds with her partner or classmates, but now it will not only act that purpose, but it'll also give a place for Bella and Weiss to deepen their relationship in the heat of combat. It was how she herself came to form most connections and friendships if you could call them that. As her name told, her attitude sometimes was a bit too cold, especially during military operations. No one ever knew how to approach her or simply feared her.

"A friend?" Ironwood released a small laugh, but not an insulting one. "That's good to hear. Although I didn't expect her to find one before getting to Beacon."

"I had the same thoughts. Bella's appearance was something no one foresaw, but it has been a pleasant surprise for once." The last words were said more grimly, no pun intended.

Ironwood knew what Winter was referring to. So he opted to guide the conversation in a different direction. "So how did Weiss come to meet her first friend. With how you're framing it, it sounds like something out of a novel."

Winter nodded analogy. Bella's appearance sounded so unbelievable that saying that it was simply a story would be more acceptable. "Actually, they didn't meet in the way you might think. From what I've been able to gather, she was born in Weiss' attempt to summon an Avatar, but instead, Bella appeared in the circle."

"And she has a mind of her own?" Winter nodded. "That does sound like something that would only happen in a fairy tale. From what I've read, the Summoning Glyph is only supposed to form Avatars of defeated foes..." The Generals eyes turned away from Winter.

Winter immediately held out her hand. "No, I don't think it's that. I reassure you that Weiss has not killed anyone. How the Summoning happened as it did is still a mystery to all of us."

Ironwood released the air he had been holding. "That's good. Now, I think it's time we move onto more relevant topics. As you've—"

Before James could explain further, Winter's Scroll lit up and began to emit a sound too loud to ignore.

"May I?" James nodded to the question. The number had not called her, so she didn't know what to expect. "Hello, this is Winter Schnee you're calling."

"Oh, it's good you picked up. I feared you may haven't been able to answer, but now I'm relieved that you did."

"Do you have something important for me? I'm actually quite busy at the moment."

"Yes, I do." The voice replied. Something about how the words were said sent a shiver down her spine. "I assume the life of Weiss Schnee is quite important to you?"

The jump from confused to furious and scared was so sudden she even herself noted it, if only unconsciously. "Dare I ask why you're bringing this up?"

"Good, right to business. It's because her life is in my hand at the moment."

"You…" She would've punched the person if they were talking in person, but luckily its digital form prevented that form from happening. "What do you want?" It didn't need to be spelt more clearly that this was a hostage situation. And one that included Weiss.

"It's not as simple as the money we want. After all, we're The White Fang. And I find that the most efficient method to spark chance is a good threat. We will keep her until we get what we want."

Winter had nothing to say. She could shout how angry she was or cry for her sister to be released, but that would only make Weiss a more valuable hostage.

"Winter." James had stood from his chair and held out his hand. She handed the Scroll over to The General and hoped that he had a solution of some kind for the situation.

"This is James Ironwood speaking. I have heard your claims, but I require solid evidence that Weiss Schnee is alive before we can negotiate."

It was one of the more terrifying perks James held. The ability to stay calm under pressure. When compared to herself, James outdid the army's finest by at least twofold. A calm mind was the key to being able to lead, and that included being able to make harsh decisions when no one else could.

She couldn't hear or figure what was being said, but Ironwood put down the Scroll on the table shortly after as it projected an image.

It was presumably a live video and showed a woman with long golden hair and a pair of ears of the same colour on top of her head. A mask hid her face and showed her affiliation in an instance.

And most importantly behind her, beyond a glass sat her sister, who sat inside the decorated room with her knees blocking her face.

"And don't worry." The voice could be now heard by both beside the table. "I'll keep her comfortable as long as you get things done, General."

And in an instance, the call ended. Leaving Winter in an emotional state somewhere in between anger, sadness, guilt, and fear.

James put a hand on both her shoulder and shook her awake.

"I know words won't help much at the moment, but I swear I will get your sister out of this alive." The supporting face of James did quickly turn downcast. "How long it will take to get her back is a question I can't answer…"

"What is it they want?" She knew that to solve the situation, the terms would have to be met.

James Ironwoods hardened face met her question.

"They want Faunus to be treated fairly. That was their request."

If she had previously still held the hope of seeing her sister, then the slightest hope was crushed the moment words left The General's lips.

AN.

I hope you're having a relaxing weekend. I sure am.

This chapter has gone through multiple drafts and I finally got the final one done and edited. (Some mistakes might remain.)

And don't worry, there's going to be lots of Bella in the following chapters. This worked as a build-up chapter, so the hard part's over and I can get to writing everything this set-up.

I'll release this now before I go to sleep, so any responses will come with some delay.