"Where's Weiss?"

From the question, she gulped another sip from the glass bottle. She sat in a leather chair and watched the petals sway in the breeze. The question left a bad taste in her mouth, not the stench of alcohol.

"I told you, Jacques. I don't know. Even if I did know, I wouldn't tell you."

A scowl tore onto Jacques' face from her attitude. He received that response dozens of times. He figured that she'd tell him eventually.

"You need to tell me, Willow," Jacques growled in frustration. "She's your daughter."

"Precisely," Willow replied as she tapped the glass bottle with her long, manicured nails. "We both know what'll happen when you find her. Why would I give up my last daughter?"

Since the death of her oldest daughter, Willow hadn't been the same. She turned to alcohol as a coping mechanism to overwhelming depression.

From the question, Jacques gestured to the entire garden and the mansion behind her. "I gave you everything and this is how you repay me?"

Before answering, Willow took a swig for another sip. "The only thing I cared about that you gave me was our three children. You've taken one. You're about to take another. And you turned the last into a monster like you."

That caused Jacques to slap her on the cheek. A loud thud rang out. Willow's face seemed to be permanently red, but she only glared at him.

Jacques defended his son. "That 'monster' does exactly as he's told. Unlike Winter and Weiss."

Willow scoffed and crossed her arms. "Whitley killed a man at your last rendezvous. Unprovoked. And yet you fawn over him," she glared daggers through him and sent him a challenging smirk. "I hope Weiss is thriving. And I hope that you never find her."

Jacques scowled and sat next to her on the spacious chair. "Weiss was perfect for my gang, aside from her ideals. She could've taken over one day. A little longer and she would be like Whitley. Absolutely perfect."

"The only thing your gang does is cause harm," Willow retorted and took another sip.

"My gang pays the bills and offers this luxurious lifestyle," Jacques replied knowingly. "How ungrateful can you be? What, do you want me to open another trade route between Atlas and Mistral? That would only alert the pigs!"

After a heavy sigh, Willow used a tired voice. "Jacques, I don't care how you run your operations. I only ask that you spare Weiss. "

"No chance. You leave The Dusts, you die. Those are the rules. Winter wasn't an exception and Weiss isn't, either."

"Listen to yourself," Willow scowled and breathed through grit teeth from how cruel he could be. "I left and you did nothing. Do the same for Weiss."

"That's different," Jacques replied and grabbed the bottle, taking a sip. "You left to care for our children. And look how that turned out. Most of them ended up like you."

Willow frowned and her husband coughed. There was no use arguing with him. He wouldn't change his mind.

"Ugh, this is awful," Jacques commented and handed the bottle back to her. "What is it?"

"Merlot," Willow answered with dead eyes as she grasped it.

She didn't even remember why she was in the garden. It lost its beauty years ago.

Quietly, Jacques stared at a bright green tree before his eyes settled on his wife. "I know you've been sabotaging my attempts at finding her. Glitching computers, delayed trade routes, malfunctioning security cameras?"

From the revelation, Willow almost smiled. Almost. Nothing made her feel better than getting on his nerves.

"Good, that saves me the trouble of lying to you," Willow said, which earned a glare. "Listen carefully, Jacques. I will never forgive you for what you did to Winter. Tread lightly if you truly go after Weiss."

Irritated, Jacques stood. "Are you threatening me? Do you think that's wise?"

With his resources, Willow could be disappeared in a finger snap. But she knew better. She knew him. He wouldn't do that to her. Willow was his only weakness, after all. Despite their crumbling marriage, she was constantly with him. Jacques had grown used to her presence.

Willow stood in front of him with icy eyes that matched his own. "I will protect Weiss to my last breath. I couldn't be there for Winter, but I will be there for Weiss."

"Oh, please," Jacques replied, not fazed in the slightest as his voice lowered. "You're helpless. You can't do anything."

Strongly, Willow poked his chest. "I'm not as clueless as you think, Mister all-powerful Gang Leader."

Jacques swatted her hand away. "You're mocking me now?!"

"That's the least you deserve!"

"You insufferable twat-"

A new voice interrupted their argument. It was their son, who lingered by the door.

"I have a-"

Simultaneously, Willow and Jacques shouted. "Not now, Whitley!"

From the yells, Whitley shrank back to the door and retreated inside.

"See what you did?!" Jacques shouted down to her.

"You did the same thing!" Willow exclaimed and grabbed the bottle, walking away. "Forget you. Nice talk."

"Yeah, nice talk!" Jacques yelled after her.

Angrily, Willow slammed the door shut. Cold air pricked her skin as she ventured through the mansion. A few flights of stairs later, she was in Weiss' room. It was full of plants that withered without her presence.

For the last few weeks, Willow examined her room for any traces or hints as to where Weiss would go. She left none behind, which relieved her mother, but she was still worried beyond comprehension. She stared at the world map on the wall.

There was solace in knowing her daughter was somewhere. In the world of Remnant.

That really narrowed it down.

Tucked away in the corner of her room, Weiss curled into a blanket to protect herself from the cold.

There was a comforting warmth, but a shiver slithered down her spine.

Weiss decided to ignore the sudden chill and stared at the small laptop screen. Her computer ran slower than a snail sometimes. She couldn't be too frustrated since it was cheap and clearly on its last legs.

Meticulously, Weiss slid the USB into the side of the laptop. At the top of the screen, the browser allowed her to fiddle with the secure VPN and select a new location.

The USB was worth the price, Weiss thought. But I can't use this computer forever. I need a new one soon. Maybe a new phone, too.

Using any device for too long might prove to be a fatal mistake. Her father was an expert at tracking people and items. That's how she learned her tech-savviness. She refused to be several steps behind her father. She learned from the best, and now she had to be the best. Her life depended on it.

Weiss decided to start with the local news. She had to stay on her toes and truly feel like she belonged in Vale. While she felt like she belonged, the local news could prove vital to staying connected.

It was more out of boredom than anything, but she found a crucial piece of information. An image of a familiar face popped up and her light blonde eyebrows rose in surprise.

Mercury Black was shot dead, Weiss read the article. That's the guy who tried to take my purse.

Interested, Weiss continued to examine the article. It was vague. So vague she wondered why it was published in the first place.

He was killed by an unknown assailant, Weiss deduced. That's typically how gangs execute former members. Maybe he tried to leave?

The screen light reflected off her pupils and she frowned.

He might've suffered the fate that awaits me.

After grappling with the thought, Weiss clicked out of the article. She didn't want to think about that right now. She had to make Winter happy by living her best life while she could. To prolong her restarted life, she typed a phrase into the search bar.

Many results of her father popped up.

A mugshot stood at the top of the list, but that was over a decade ago. He did a little time then got off scot-free because he had all the money in the world. After that, he stayed underground and conducted his operations in secret. More stealthily. He learned from his past mistakes.

Weiss bit her lip as she scoured the articles. The latest news about him was about a year ago. This wasn't good. He'd been quiet. That made her anxious. This made it harder for her to check his whereabouts. This was definitely part of his strategy, and it was working.

After a sigh, Weiss closed the laptop and thought about her house in Argus. What she left behind. Her brother. Although she didn't miss him at all. Her mother. Although she was an alcoholic, she at least cared for her.

I hope mother is safe.

Lyrics used from Redo: "But this time, I'll protect you, I swear… with my life."

Stay dandy,

~Toto