Winter looked down at her four-legged companion with a sigh, rubbing the side of her head. Yet another aura breed she couldn't understand, but at least she could sort of communicate with him. Ein, though? Who named their dog after a number? Atlassian counting didn't strike her at something Yang or Ruby would know how to do.

There was one thing she wanted to ask. "Do you hate me as much as your handlers?" Aura breeds took on aspects of their handlers. Surely he would hate her as much as Yang did.

To her surprise, the dog shook his head and grumbled something she couldn't understand. But his speech sounded a bit like the aura breeds in the Special Operatives. "…Was Atlassian your personal bas language?" His ears pricked and he looked up at her before nodding. It would make learning to understand him easier for her. That was odd, though… Why was Atlasian his base when Yang and Ruby were his handlers? He was obviously an older dog too. Maybe he was somebody else's and they had received him from another? But why?

More mysteries that would likely never be solved.

Not that it was her place to know anyway.

At least she had one potential friend in the house.

The rest of the way through the forest was quiet and she approached the grocery store. A glance at her scroll revealed ten to seven. A little late by her standards but still more than enough time to show she was serious about working. She frankly wanted to be curled up in bed, but she wouldn't let her emotions win.

She knocked on the door despite the sign reading 'closed.' "Hello?" Would they have heard the knock alone? She still didn't know how to interact with these people. It was so hard to be an outsider… Even in Atlas, she'd been one. How was she supposed to fit in with these people that had known each other all their lives?

The bell dinged and the door opened, a woman standing there. "Well hello there, honey. I assume you're Winter?" The woman was thin and lanky but her face was round and her her eyes held a certain warmth she'd never seen in the upper class. What was it with Valian and that warmth? Why was Atlas so bereft of it?

"Yes, ma'am. Are you Trina?" She couldn't be too sure, but it seemed like a logical leap. Though she might be hired help… Hopefully she wouldn't make a complete ass of herself by asking a simple question.

"Come in, come in! Yes, I am Trina. Jeb's my husband who mainly runs the store. I do most the financial part while he deals with the customers." The woman ushered Winter into the shop and she looked around. A couple of teenagers (though younger than herself, she guessed) already started moving boxes around the store. Was she really so late? Then again, they did live much closer than the Xiao Long household… It made sense.

One of the boys walked over and she recognised that look in his eyes. Before he could say anything, she flatly fold him, "I'm married. To Qrow Branwen." The boy's mouth snapped shut instantly and he scurried off. She normally wouldn't act like that but she did not have the patience for it. Yes, she was more than conventionally attractive. But she did not have the time to deal with a boy hitting on her while she tried to work. Maybe she ought to reconsider the ring… Even a simple band would keep most people off her back.

Trina's soft chuckle made her glance at her. "Don't mind Tom too much. He's a good, hardworking boy but he's easily distracted by pretty girls. That'll keep him off your back. He's lookin' to get married despite his young age." Did these people have any aspirations to move beyond this village? It seemed like people in small villages like this rarely had larger plans for their lives. How sad… Not knowing there was more to life than a small, preset pathway.

"So I see. Where would you like me to begin?" Trina gave her directions of where to start and she didn't waste any time. She did find herself in the company of a girl who seemed a few years younger. She was quite short, though—maybe 5'4". She definitely would not be able to reach the top shelf without assistance. Thankfully, Winter would be able to in her stead.

The other girl offered her a sheepish smile to Winter alone with a hasty curtsy. "Good evening, ma'am. I'm Sarah. Miss Trina told us we'd have new help tonight. What's your name?" Inane small talk to fill the time. Her favorite thing. But she couldn't be rude to these people. They all knew each other so one bad interaction might mean she could lose her spot here.

"Good evening, Miss Sarah. M— I'm Winter Schnee. It's nice to meet you too." Softer tone, lower voice, gaze slightly averted, softer body language… Letting go of Major Schnee around anybody that wasn't Coco, Weiss, or the general wouldn't be easy.

Wait.

The general.

Running through the conversions, she realised his request was at nine Vale time. "Just a moment, please." Sarah stared at her, wide eyed, as she strode away and back to Trina. Low, soft tone. SHe tried to remind herself of that. The abrupt change had obviously shocked Sarah. "Ma'am, I hate to ask this, but could I take a quick call at nine? It hopefully shouldn't take too long. It's…with my father back in Atlas." It…wasn't really a lie in her eyes. The general was more of a father than Gelé had ever been. She didn't want to complicate matters more than necessary.

Trina blinked but nodded. "Go ahead and take it, honey. It sounds like it's important. Don't take too long on it, though, you hear?"

Winter nodded and curtsied. "Yes, ma'am." It was James, so it probably wouldn't take more than ten minutes. Their conversations rarely went over that. She felt bad having to step out, but if he'd left her a text, then it was incredibly important.

She slipped back to Sarah who stared at her with saucer eyes. "How did you did that?"

"Do what?" She tilted her head to the side slightly. She'd only slipped back into Major Schnee for a moment. She…hadn't meant to in the first place. Holding up this soft act was maddening. It was what she'd fought to not be her whole life. Softness had no place in her life before now… She hadn't been broken like her unfortunate little sister…

"Switch your personality so quick like. You were soft one minute then acted like you was in charge the next." Winter internally flinched. It really was that noticeable, wasn't it? THen again, she was suppressing everyone other natural instincts to interact with these people. How was she supposed to do that without occasionally flipping like a switch? She'd never acted like this before in her life. She refused to bend or break, but that was biting her in the ass now.

"Old habit. I was in the Atlas military for a few years until recently." Sharing like this was hard, but it was a broad generalisation. It wasn't information that was hidden, though, and could easily be looked up. It seemed like a lot of people knew she was military with her reputation preceding her…

"Think ya could teach me to be that confident and in charge? I-I could use some more of it…" The girl looked down, fidgeting with the hem of her blouse. Winter sighed internally. People always wanted something from her. She couldn't escape it. The request was innocent enough, but one request could turn into two and they often became far more demanding as time went on.

"I…don't think I can. My confidence has been built since I was a child." Something told her this girl hadn't known much hardship in her life. Her own confidence had been built through the adversity of attacks from all sides. Gelé had tried to control and break her much like the military had tried to. She resisted both and refused to bow to anything if she could avoid it. Unfortunately, Gelé had still won in the end…

Sarah looked down and Winter sighed. "I…do apologise. I've gone through…a lot in my life." She'd leave it there. She was already uncomfortably close to her past which she didn't want to explore. She couldn't exactly break the girl down and rebuild her like she had with her men. This wasn't the Atlas military…not that she wanted it to be.

"It's not your fault; I guess I got ahead of myself. Men find confidence attractive. Ain't nobody found me attractive yet…" Seriously, did these people have nothing better to focus on that appearance and marriage? Despite being so diametrically opposed to the Atlassian upper class, they rang so similar… THen again, fitting in was important in these small communities… "Even the Xiao Long girl gets more attention than me and she ain't even developed yet." Okay, creepy… But the way she spoke about Yang…

"…I guess I might have one suggestion. Have you tried acting confident?" Sarah blinked and looked at her.

"Acting? No. Why would I?"

"You'd be surprised how far it can take you." She tucked her hair behind her ear as she placed bottles and boxes on shelves. They could talk but they were here for a job. She wouldn't let herself get distracted from the task at hand.

"Really? I never would've thought…"

Winter nodded. "I've seen people transform from nervous wrecks to extremely confident simply by acting like the way they believe in themselves. You don't have to go crazy with it either. Hold your head high and straighten your spine when your walk. That will probably help." It was a simple, easy way to build confidence and she'd seen it work in the past. She'd seen women in her unit transform from Weiss' level of destroyed to much more confident simply from that one small change. It didn't work for everybody, but it wasn't a bad place to start. She didn't advocate for changing oneself unless wanted. This was wanted, so she didn't mind offering the tip.

"It can be as simple as that?" Sarah looked hopeful. Winter didn't want to destroy the girl's glee, but she needed to be honest.

"It may not work, but try anyway. And be patient. It won't be an overnight change." The girl was also riddled with acne but baby steps. Winter had rarely struggled with it in her own life, but she had access to top-of-the-line products. It was one of the few things she refused to compromise on. They were pricey but she knew how to make them last a very long time. Most people tended to overuse product, she'd seen.

"It can't hurt to try, though." Sarah smiled brightly, a surge of energy raring from her. What must it be like to get enjoyment and glee out of wanting men to be attracted to you…? So many women in the upper class simply sought attention from potential mates. They had no greater ambitions in life. What must it be like to have nothing outside of a singular goal in life?

With that, Sarah mercifully fell silent and Winter focused on the task at hand. The pair rotated around the store until she glanced at the clock and saw it strike just before nine. "I'll be back soon," she whispered, slipping out of the store. Ein had fallen asleep and his snores carried across the sleepy village.

She took her scroll out and dialed the general's number. It rang a few times before he answered. "Good evening, Winter. I won't be able to talk long, but I did have something I wanted to say."

"That's fine, s…" Was it okay for her to address him as sir anymore? He wasn't her boss any longer. Then again, he still remained in a high position compared to a civilian… Holy Father, she was a civilian now again. It hadn't hit her until now. But she shoved the thoughts aside to speak again. "I am at work right now. Miss Trina gave me permission to take your call. I promised her it wouldn't take too long."

"You've found work in Vale already? That's promising to hear. But now isn't the time for small talk. I wanted to let you know I can offer you about five thousand a month. Twenty-five hundred per two weeks. Well…how much work have you found?" He really was too kind. He was offering her money out of his own pocket when he didn't need to.

"It's…really not much. Stocking nine hours a week then I'll be helping with the bakery in the mornings after I've adjusted to the time change." It wasn't a lot lien but it was something. But she'd still only have a couple hundred to spend each week once she got the bakery job. Not that she was the type to spend frivolously. No, she was too frugal for that. But she needed some to spend for her forays around the city and to place what Qrow would spend on her for the bike…

"Yeah, that really isn't much. If you want, I can put in a good word for your work visa. I think I can make the government see they're missing out by not having you work. I'm guessing you're getting paid under the table?" The question made her freeze but she relaxed after a moment. This was General Ironwood. He protected her. He wasn't about to do something that would get her in trouble.

"Yeah, I am. Qrow introduced me to the people of Patch. The grocery store owner and baker were willing to let me work for them." If her visa time could get shortened, she'd really appreciate it. This sitting around wasn't good for her. She'd already had two breakdowns in Vale. More time sitting around was not welcome. She really couldn't accept this sort of tedious boredom too long.

She heard the general mutter something before he spoke again. "Well, I'm glad he's helping you. I should probably let you go so you can get back to work. I'll be in Vale as soon as possible to see you."

Her heart clenched at the reminder but she nodded. "I look forward to it," she murmured, trying to hold back the teas. It would be months, though… He couldn't be pulled away from the field. She knew this mission was too important for him to abandon.

"Have a good evening, Winter."

"You too, sir." Her voice remained soft, vision blurry as the call clicked off. She wiped the tears away and got herself under control before going back inside. The rest of the hour was quiet for her though she could sense Sarah wanting to know why she'd stepped out. But the girl had the good sense not to ask.

The walk back to the house was likewise quiet, Ein remaining on Guard. But the Grimm didn't make themselves known. Which was good because she hadn't thought to bring Hylocereus.

The house was quiet, Ruby and Taiyang having retired for the night. It was odd to be in a quiet house again, though it was a different type of quiet. The sounds of the night sang quietly in the background, easing the sense of loneliness that still silence which clung to her cobwebbed mind in the shadows of Schnee manor.

She put Taiyang's keys down and slipped out of the house. A large clearing opened up above her and she frowned. The stars looked pale and feeble in comparison to what she'd seen in the Branwen territory. No wonder Qrow made the comment he had when they'd first met. The unpolluted sky was a truly breathtaking thing. And that might be the only time she saw it… Even on Patch, she couldn't escape the touch of man on the environment…

What must it have bene like to grow up in such an unpolluted environment? All she had known her entire life was manmade. This really was her first time interfacing with nature in such a way. The air made her clothes cling to her skin, though. She wouldn't mind spending more time outside if not for that. The heat was nearly unbearable for her…and this wasn't even the worst of summer. It was in its waning days and fall would soon be upon them.

The earlier sunsets were a surprise, though. She was so used to it not being dark until well after nine. That gave him so much less time to be out and about. If she stayed in the city, it wouldn't be a big deal. But the ferry had finite operating hours and the sun set so much earlier. There were so many limitations on her life now… If she could learn to drive, it'd make things so much easier. Qrow didn't know how and she couldn't trust Taiyang enough to be alone with him in the car…

She sighed. She probably out to swallow her fear and allow him to teach her things. I'd make life so much easier in the long term… He could help her with certain skills while she waited on Qrow to finish the paperwork… Plus, she had to figure out how to bond with the girls… Would turning to Taiyang hurt her chances with them? She wanted to learn to drive soon rather than later… Having a bike as a secondary mode of transport wasn't bad either.

She raised her hand to the sky, a feeble breath escaping her lips. So many things to consider without any answers. She really didn't understand how to live life without rigid structure… And she couldn't work full time until her visa got approved… Maybe Qrow might have some ideas…

She got up and headed back inside, curling up on the bed. Day two in Vale was complete but she felt as empty as ever.