Note: Thanks for the feedback! I'll try and improve the fights for you guys but other than that, I'm glad you seem to enjoy it.
Okay, begin!
So far, a year has gone by and thank the gods no one has learned that his child is an abomination. An entire damn year of nothing but fear in the back of his mind. Jacques Schnee, afraid. What a load of garbage. Before his second born ever leaves her room, Willow makes sure that the girl's tail is hidden in her clothing. Speaking of his wife, she decided to name the cause of all of his worries Weiss. The name means "white," a color associated with purity... which she is anything but. His second born is a disgusting animal and nothing but a headache. If his hair wasn't already the color of snow, she would have surely turned it that way. What did he ever do to deserve this? As if on cue, Klein opens the doors to the library, carrying a tray with a mug of coffee on one hand and holding the hand of little Weiss Schnee with the other.
"My apologies, sir, but she was just dying to see her father." explains the butler.
Jacques sighs in an annoyed fashion before motioning Klein to come forwards.
"Daddy!" the young Weiss shouts happily as she runs up grabs onto her father's leg.
Klein lets out a small chuckle at the scene before setting down his boss' coffee.
"You two don't get a lot of time together, it's nice to see her still have such a strong connection to you, sir." he states.
"Well, I'm a busy man." Jacques replies devoid of emotion as he looks down to Weiss as she stares at him with a joyous expression.
"Very true, sir. Is there anything else that you would like to request of me?"
"Yes, I would like you to take Weiss and entertain her in my stead."
"Sir?"
"As I said, I am a busy man, and I would like what little free time I have to myself... and Weiss is far too young to even grasp the concept of learning." 'Not that I would even consider letting the mutt prepare to take over the company. Her kind doesn't even deserve the privilege of being in my household in the slightest.'
"Very well... Come along, Ms. Schnee." Klein says reluctantly as he once again holds out his hand for Weiss to take.
"But Daddy..." the little wolf begins.
"Is in the middle of something. You may see him later."
"Oh... okay."
Weiss walks over and grabs the butler's hand before the two begin to depart from the room. The heiress looks back to her father in the hopes of at least a smile, but she doesn't even get that as Jacques Schnee continues to read his book with no trace of emotion on his face. Weiss' eyes begin to tear up just a little as she looks down at the floor in front of her.
Present Day...
Blue eyes flicker open groggily to find her face pressed down on some kind of silver surface that's cold to the touch. Metal? The white-haired girl slowly picks her head up from the surface. Yep, it's a metal table. ...Wait a minute. She was on a rooftop just a second ago, why is she sleeping against a table? After a moment of thinking, the girl remembers her encounter with the caped individuals, becoming completely awakened by the memory. The girl looks around frantically at her surroundings: one overhead light, dark gray walls, a large mirror built into one of said walls, one empty metal chair facing her on the other side of the table, and a locked metal door. Unaware of what her situation exactly is, the girl darts up out of her chair, resulting in her hitting her hands against the bottom of the table. That's when she feels the cold carbon steel around her wrists. She lifts up her hands to find herself locked in a pair of handcuffs. The thief's eyes expand even wider at the sight and she desperately tries to remove the offending item via striving to pull her hands apart, hitting the chain links against the top of the chair, that she apparently slept in, repeatedly, and even going as far as attempting to bite the cuffs off.
All the while, she remains unaware of the three individuals watching her through the one-way glass.
"When did she wake up?" questions the blonde-haired huntress from earlier that night, Glynda Goodwitch, after a few minutes of watching the girl.
"About one minute before you both walked in here. You only missed the beginning of this little fit by a few seconds." the posted guard replies.
It's at this point that the white-haired prisoner gives up her struggle and sits against one of the walls with her face buried in her knees, wrapping her tail around her feet.
"Personally, I don't even see why you want to speak with the kid. All these Faunus are criminals in one way or the other; so I don't understand why individuals of your statures would even bother with this interrogation of such a low level scum." the guard continues.
Ozpin doesn't say a word and just continues to watch the girl attempting to hide away from the world. He won't show it as to stay on the authorities' good side, but he can't stand persons such as the security officer to his right. Some people can be so small minded that it's painful. The only thing that they are doing is fueling the flames of frustration and revenge. Beacon's headmaster then narrows his eyes at the cuffs around the girl's wrists. The metal device may as well have become a part of her bone with it digging into her skin the way it is. How can he tell if she's wearing long sleeves? Because her shirt's cuffs weren't red when he first saw his employee carry the girl inside the building. This is the kind of attitude and treatment that caused the White Fang to turn into what they are now.
"Remove the cuffs." Ozpin orders.
"What?" questions the guard. "And let the freak...?"
"Remove them."
The guard grumbles underneath his breath as he removes the keys from his pocket and heads for the cell door.
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Glynda asks.
"Glynda," Ozpin interrupts. "look at her. The cuffs of her shirt are stained red. She's in pain."
The combat instructor turns her head back to the girl and her eyes widen when she spots the blood seeping through the thief's turtleneck. Shortly after she finally takes note of the wounds, the guard grabs the faunus girl's arm and pulls her up off the ground as she tries to break free of his grasp. Glynda turns to storm inside the room when the guard finally removes the cuffs, throwing the girl to the ground afterward; however, she is stopped in her tracks by Ozpin's cane stuck out in front of her, blocking her path.
"But...!" the headmaster's assistant begins.
"I don't like what just occurred any more than you do, however, we cannot afford to antagonize the police force. We have enough problems right now. Now, if he were beating her... that would be another case entirely. But for now, let this one act slide." Ozpin interrupts while having never removed his eyes from the glass, making Glynda grumble to herself and turn back to the two-way mirror.
"There." the guard says in an annoyed fashion upon his return.
"Good, you may go now." Ozpin replies with his eyes still focused on the girl who has gone back to her prior position.
"Eh? But I'm the guard, my orders..." said guard stops mid sentence when he realizes two things. One: the headmaster of Beacon won't even look in his direction, he's being completely ignored. Two: Ozpin does have a pretty good amount of the authority within the police force... meaning that the old man could fire him then and there and even his sergeant wouldn't be able to do anything about it. The guard doesn't say another word and turns to leave the room, placing the door keys on the table by the door.
"Repulsive." Glynda states in regard to the officer.
"Indeed," agrees Ozpin. "but at least they all aren't like that. Now, as for the girl..."
"You're not seriously thinking of letting her join the school, are you? You already accepted Taiyang and Summer's daughter two years early, and now you're going to try to get this girl to join as well? She's a thief. We don't even know who she is nor where she came from, and yet you're willing to allow her into Beacon? Just like that?"
"Part of what you just said is one of the reasons that I want her at my school. There are no records of this child anywhere. No fingerprints, no date of birth, no name, nothing at all. You know the threat we are facing, Glynda, and we need to figure out whether or not she is a part of it. I'm going to speak with her and if I can trace her back to our enemy, she will be locked up; if not, I will offer her a place at Beacon."
"But what if you can't figure out if she really is a danger or not?"
"Then she will still be invited. After all, it would be a lot easier to keep an eye on her that way."
"The same could be said if she remained here."
"True, but you must consider what would happen to her if she were to extend her stay at where she is now. Humans and faunus are on the worst terms that they have been since the war, and considering how a majority of the guards and prisoners are human, and many likely racist as the man who was here only moments ago... you know what will eventually transpire. She'll die."
Glynda turns her attention back to the possibly crying girl on the other side of the two-way mirror. The headmaster is right, it's not uncommon for faunus prisoners to wind up dead from anywhere within a few days of their capture to the day of their release.
"However, as of right now, I don't believe her to be of any threat at all."
"What makes you so sure?"
"Well, if you will follow me, I believe that I can show you."
The headmaster doesn't say another word as he turns and walks past his assistant and to the iron door, picking up the keys that the guard had left behind.
The snow-white wolf faunus visibly flinches when the sound of the metallic door unlocking reaches her ears. She doesn't look up as it opens, nor when it closes once again. Her face stays buried in her knees as the sound of footsteps and some kind of metal device hitting the floor every other step echoes throughout the room. She's awaits the harsh sound of voices being raised and the feel of the metallic device, some kind of staff by the sound, against her body... but it never comes. The noise just stops and no pain is ever received. Nor is there yelling. The only audible sound to her is her own quiet breathing. Trying to figure out what in the world is going on, the girl slowly raises her head and spots the blonde woman from earlier standing next to an older man that's sitting in the chair opposite of where she was not to long ago.
"Come on," Ozpin says. "we aren't going to hurt you."
The young thief looks back and fourth between the two with skepticism. Usually when she hears that line, it's spoken with some form of malice, but his voice... actually sounds soft. Like he means what he's actually saying. That... hasn't happened in a long time.
"Come. Sit." Beacon's headmaster requests again.
The girl just stares at him for a few moments longer before slowly removing herself from the floor. It takes her another moment before she begins to move in the two adults' direction with her head faced down to the floor and one hand resting atop the other vertically in front of her.
"Now, can you tell me your name?" questions Ozpin a few seconds after the scarred girl finally sits down in the chair across from him.
The girl remains silent and keeps her gaze downward.
"Well then... how about I just call you Weiss?"
This comment sparks a reaction out of the thief, making her eyes grow wide and forcing her head to jerk up and face the older man.
"After all, I can't keep on calling you "girl," now can I?" Ozpin continues, pretending not to notice what just happened. "So, Weiss, where did you learn to do this?" he questions as Glynda turns her scroll around to face the teen, showing her battle with Ruby.
"I-Ice Wolf." the white-haired faunus replies weakly.
"Pardon?"
"Ice Wolf name is Ice Wolf," she announces more clearly. "not Wei... Wei..."
"Weiss."
"Yeah, that."
"Very well then, Ms. Wolf, where did you learn to fight like this?"
"... Ice Wolf is self-taught."
"You taught yourself to fight?" Glynda questions, not believing the answer.
"Ice Wolf live on streets, had to learn to survive. No one is going to teach faunus to defend themself."
"I assume no one taught you to speak properly either?"
"No, Ice Wolf left for dead at young age."
"What age was that?" asks Ozpin.
"Ice Wolf remember someone once saying she was five shortly before incident."
"But children know how to speak correctly for the most part by then." Glynda argues.
"Her change of speech may be due to the trauma of the event." Ozpin informs his assistant before continuing to speak with the blue-eyed thief. "How old are you now?"
"Ice Wolf... don't really know. Been a while since abandonment." the girl replies.
"Hmmm..." Ozpin noises thoughtfully as he folds his hands, resting his elbows on the table before resting his chin on his hands. "How did you unlock your semblance?"
"What with all the question? You not have thing better to do than waist time with freak?"
"Can you please answer the question?"
"Fine. Ice Wolf jump off roof once, shiny thing appear below her and stop her from falling to death. Happy?"
"Interesting. The "shiny thing" is called a glyph, Ms. Wolf. Tell me, what exactly were you doing jumping off of a rooftop?"
"Ice Wolf...no want to be on Remnant anymore... not last time she try either. Most recent being when Ice Wolf get caught."
Glynda gasps in shock at the news and Ozpin just continues to look at the girl knowingly. With the life... well, lives, he keeps on having to go through, he can relate with wanting to just finally leave the world. That's how once of his previous lives actually ended, because he wanted out; but alas, he's forever cursed to walk the face of Remnant.
"Well, I suppose that it's a good thing that you unlocked it when you did." the headmaster states, causing the girl to look at him in surprise.
A good thing? A human thinks that a faunus failing to kill themself is a good thing? However, before the wolf girl can ask why he would even care whether she lives or not, the next question that the grey-haired man asks confuses the faunus girl even more.
"What do you think of the Schnee family?"
Why would he ask that? Of everything else that he could have asked her, he asks about what she thinks of the Schnees? But deciding that she needs to give an answer, because he apparently won't stop asking until she does, she says: "Those word no belong in same sentence. Schnee and family do not mix. Like saying bread is toaster. Just because the latter is assumed to be with former, it not always associated."
"And your weapon," Ozpin continues, motioning with his hand for Glynda to pull up a picture of said item. "looks strikingly similar in appearance to a rapier that went missing from a Schnee warehouse four years ago... and the only way inside is with a memorized security code as it is near impossible to break in seeing as how the roof and walls are made up of an almost indestructible stone. So, Ms. Wolf, how ever did you get in there?"
"Ice Wolf... knew code."
"Last question." with this statement, Ozpin's voice had turned deathly serious. "What are your thoughts on humanity? Not just the humans, but the faunus as well?"
"Humans hate faunus. Faunus hate humans. Only know a few who not treat Ice Wolf like trash, so some good Ice Wolf suppose. Ice Wolf not hate either of them... just no have a lot of trust because of experience. You are actually longest discussion Ice Wolf had with anyone in long time."
Satisfied with the answers given, the headmaster of Beacon Academy leans back in his chair and remains silent for a few moments.
"Glynda," he begins. "this child is not a threat to us."
"Threat?" the wolf-girl questions.
Leaning back over the table, Ozpin adds: "However, you are a threat to your father, Ms. Schnee."
At the statement, the both the girl and Glynda's eyes practically jump out of their skulls... albeit for different reasons. For the former, it's out of sheer horror; and for the latter, it's of utter shock.
"Ozpin, you're not seriously saying that this girl is...?" Glynda begins to question.
"Weiss Schnee, yes." Ozpin interrupts.
"How...?"
"I will explain in a moment." the headmaster announces before turning back to the girl sitting in front of him with her face pointed at the floor once again. "You are Weiss Schnne, are you not?"
The room becomes eerily silent for nearly a minute before the faunus in question answers: "... What gave away?"
"Many factors. To begin, your appearance of blue eyes and white hair is the trademark of the Schnee family. Then when I questioned as to whether or not I may call you 'Weiss,' you sprung up your head pretty quickly and objected to the name shortly after... even having difficulty saying the name, yourself. After that, you mentioned living on the streets after being abandoned at the age of five... the same age when little Weiss Schnee was supposedly murdered by the White Fang. Your semblance of creating ice-like glyphs is the hereditary semblance of the Schnee family. You were absolutely certain in your statement about the words 'Schnee' and 'family' not belonging together within the same sentence. Finally, you know the codes used by the SDC and were able to successfully infiltrate one of their warehouses and 'obtain' Willow Schnee's former weapon without getting caught or even alerting any guards... as if you knew when and where each of their shifts took place."
The room grows silent once more until the girl, now revealed to be the youngest daughter of Jacques Schnee, says one simple word with a shaky voice: "Oh..."
Catching the tone, Ozpin adds: "If you are afraid that we are turning you in to your father, you have nothing to worry about. He will never know that you're here."
With that said, Weiss looks back up to the headmaster with a few tears forming in her eyes and silent ones on her cheeks. Is he really going to say nothing? He's not going to make her go back? That's why she's crying. She was so scared of going back to her father... what he would do to her, but this man is saying that he will keep her a secret from him. She hasn't been this happy in years. So now, what were once tears created by terror, are now tears of joy.
"What?" his assistant questions in surprise. "You don't want to go public with this? That man needs to be put on trial for what he did! Leaving a five-year-old to fend for herself! He needs a kick in the d...!"
"That's enough, Glynda." Ozpin states with a hand raised. "Yes, Jacques Schnee is a terrible person and deserves all of that and more... but if she does not want her identity revealed, we shall not do so. I think she deserves to have at least one wish granted, do you not?"
Glynda stands in silent anger at her boss' incompetence until she looks into the eyes of the girl. Seeing the fear inside those ice-blue orbs of the child calms her down and she finally understands why she wouldn't want to be revealed to be alive. Glynda has no idea as to the kind of hell that Weiss has experienced, what she's been through. Jacques could just buy or threaten his way out of a trial with the power that he holds... then he would come for his daughter. Glynda releases a sigh and lets her shoulders drop a small amount before nodding in agreement with Ozpin.
"Good." Ozpin states. "Now that that's settled, I have another question I'd like to ask."
"Ice Wolf thought you already asked final question." Weiss says with narrowed eyes.
"I meant that was the last interrogation question, this is of much nicer means." The faunus says nothing in reply so the headmaster sees this as his cue to continue. "Do you know what Beacon Academy is?"
"Place teenagers go learn to fight if Ice Wolf correct. Heard about it few times."
"Basically. My school teaches young men and women such as yourself to hone their skills to become keepers of the peace in the world that we live in."
"Your?"
"Ah, yes. I haven't properly introduced myself, have I? My name is Professor Ozpin, I am the headmaster of Beacon Academy. So, Weiss, would you like to attend my school and improve your knowledge, as well as capabilities on the battlefield for the greater good of the world?"
"What the world ever done for Ice Wolf? Beside, would Ice Wolf not be recognized?"
"It is doubtful that anyone would make the same connections that I did... seeing as how everyone believes you to be dead. No one goes looking for the deceased, Weiss. No one will even consider you to possibly be at Beacon. Furthermore, white hair and blue eyes are not exclusive to your family tree; and even though your semblance is the same as the other Schnees'... semblances are not always hereditary. After all, imagine how many different ones there are in the world anyway, the originality has to die at some point. Finally, your weapon will not be a problem as most people aren't even aware that your mother ever owned a weapon, and your father likely never bothered to even pay attention to what it looks like... seeing as how you've been using it for four years now. As for your first question, I cannot truly answer. Only you know what Remnant has put you through. However, I am aware that you know what it's like to be pushed to the side and have your face spat in. The world is a cruel place, but do you enjoy knowing that you aren't the only one being treated like that? This is your opportunity to do something about it. You can have an impact, to change the way that things are so no one else has to endure the suffering that you have. So, do you except my proposition?"
Weiss turns what she's been told over in her head a few times before finally speaking. "Prahbo… prabo…?"
"My offer." explains Ozpin.
"... What catch?"
"The catch, is that you must do your best to pass your classes and to follow the school rules. Aside from that, there is nothing. I will arrange for your living expenses, textbooks, and anything else that you require seeing as how you cannot pay for yourself. Of course, we will need to forge some fake documents and an ID for you as well. But not to worry, nothing will even contain the word 'Schnee' without your consent."
If Weiss accepts, she gets free food, shelter, and protection. If she declines, she'll likely be left here... which would not go well at all. With an somewhat fearful tone, she says: "Ice Wolf... agree."
"Very good. Glynda, please make the arrangements for Weiss to exit the building without having security on her tail."
The headmistress doesn't say a word and exits the room to do as requested. When she's gone, Ozpin turns back to the second-born Schnee who once again has tears falling from her face.
"Why?" she questions. "Why being so nice? Why you care?"
"Because," replies Ozpin. "you have been through a lot of pain and have nowhere to go. Although... now that Glynda is gone, there is one more thing that I would like to ask if it's alright with you."
The white-haired faunus turns her head to the side as if to say "huh?"
"If what I believe to be correct really is the case, I doubt that I could stop her from straight up murdering your father." The headmaster doesn't get a reply from the girl in front of him so he continues. "You weren't just abandoned by your father, were you?"
"... How you keep doing that?" Weiss questions.
"I've been alive a very long time, Weiss, and in that time... it becomes very easy to read an individual like a book from just their eyes. So... your father hurt you in some way, didn't he?"
Weiss says nothing but responds by nodding her head and pointing to the scar over her eye.
"Anything else?" Ozpin asks with concern.
Once again, no words escape the faunus' lips. However, this time she stands. She turns her back to the headmaster and just starts to lift up her shirt when the headmaster speaks again.
"You do not have to show me." he states, making Weiss pull what little of her shirt that came up back down. "You have scars on your back as well." Ozpin understands.
The wolf-girl turns back around and nods in response. Beacon's headmaster then leans back in his chair and closes his eyes for a moment. He knows that Jacques Schnee isn't the most pleasant individual... but this? Beating his own daughter likely for just being a faunus? It's an unspeakable act that can never be redeemed.