They returned about an hour later. In the interim time, the freezer for the birds' food had arrived and sat outside the garage. The three of them moved it into place and put the frozen quali into it. "We'll get started on feeding them tomorrow, okay, Winter?" Qrow looked down at her and she nodded. "It'll be kinda gory, but what else do you expect from feeding birds of prey? They're hunters."

"Very well." She wasn't looking forward to goring the poor quail, but there wasn't much she could do about it in the end. She didn't want to disappoint Dove or Kiyay. Dove had entrusted her with the bird and she wanted to give him the best life possible. And if that meant learning to process their food, then she would. She had faced greater challenges in her life than a little bit of blood and gore. She would give Kiyay the best life possible. She would not let him down and be a lazy hunting partner. The heat at this time of year really was her main obstacle… If they could get permission to hunt that land, they would be golden. They could easily start learning to hunt.

With that done, she headed back upstairs and stretched out on the bed. It was about four so she had about two hours until she had to meet with Sarah and her mother. She would need to bring Hylocereus with her as well as Mono. Mono wasn't her bird, but she was steady and would do well to show Sarah's mother that raptors weren't vicious animals that would harm her daughter. Mono was so incredibly gentle that she would hopefully be able to sway the woman. Such a large falcon could even be handled without gloves. Granted, gloves were mainly for the bird's comfort as she'd learned in the book. They really did nothing to protect the wearer from harm. A golden eagle could easily punch through even the thickest of hide gloves.

She looked out the window and saw Kiyay sitting there. She let him in and picked him up, settling him on the bed with her. At least he was still here for her… She would be beside herself if she ever lost him. That day would come eventually, but she didn't want to think about it. She kissed his head and settled against the headboard. Now what to do with the time until she left for Sarah's? She did have research into mental health laws to continue, but she might get too absorbed in that. She really could not run the risk of getting too distracted.

She looked at the bird next to her. Well, that was also an option.

She opened the laptop and booted up the AI. "What can I help you with, Winter?"

"Can you help me with working on Kiyay's language?"

α

A timer went off at about five fifteen and Winter sighed. Working with Kiyay to learn his language was proving quite difficult. She could hear the correspondence with Branwae, but none of it was sticking yet. It was hard to work in a language so completely foreign to her. Branwae didn't sound like a language to her, it was so foreign. She would get it in time, but it was going to take a lot of it. She really didn't want to shirk her duties as a falconer, so she would work on this. Kiyay at least seemed to be picking up the Valian a lot easier than she was picking up his language.

And to think this language could be turned into whistles… She would never learn Branwae enough to be able to do that. She just knew it. She wasn't sure if she'd even be able to learn the language period with how foreign it was.

BUt with the alarm going off, she stood up and kissed Kiyay's head before turning him back outside. SHe attached Hylocereus to her waist and nodded. It really felt strange to have it on when not in uniform. But she would never wear the uniform again. It was a nasty realisation that made her breath catch in her chest. But she pushed it down and headed downstairs.

She could see Qrow and the girls sitting at the table, chatting away. Despite everything, she heard them laugh. Well, at least it seemed like some of the gloom and doom had worn off to some degree. She wasn't sure how Yang was feeling, but it seemed like being around Qrow had lifted her mood to some degree. That was good. No child should have to bear so much weight on their shoulders. It was so entirely unfair to ask a child to bear so much.

Qrow turned to face her when he no doubt sensed her. "Hey, snowy. Heading off to go talk to your friend?"

Winter nodded. "Yes. I'm not sure when I'll be back. It'll still probably need my dinner portion later." She didn't really expect Sarah's mother to feed her a full aura user portion. It would leave her hungry so she would need the normal portion she ate each night. It was so many extra calories though… She really didn't need that much extra food when she wasn't training.

"See ya later, then. By the way, Taiyang got extra keys." Qrow stood up and handed a couple of keys on a keyring to her. Each had a plastic circle around the head of the key. "Green's for the front door, blue's for back."

"Thank you." She would need these while she was here on Patch. It was odd to be going out like this, though… She'd never been over to somebody's residence when it wasn't purely business. It was mostly business but not entirely. How did people live like this? How could people not be busy all the time? She missed having her job to take up the majority of the day. This sitting around thing wasn't good for her mentallly.

"I"ll be off now. Ein, could you help me find where I need to go?" The dog raised his head before hefting himself to his feet and nodded.

Winter slipped her glove on when they got outside. "Mono!" She raised her fist and it took only a moment for a streak of white to land. The bird twisted her head from side to side, obviously confused. She really hadn't explained anything to the bird. She did feel bad about that that, but there wasn't much she could do about it now. All she needed was for Mono to be herself. She could probably walk without the glove but it would be more comfortable for both of them. She had no doubt about it.

"Lead the way." She looked down at Ein and told him the address. He nodded and started plodding through the forest.

Somehow it was even more humid than it'd been a few days ago. What a mess. She was going to be drenched in sweat by time she got to Sarah's. She really felt like she would never get used to this oppressive Valian heat…

α

It was a while later that Winter and her companions arrived at the house. She cast Mono to a nearby tree while Ein opted to lay down on the step. Laying on concrete couldn't be comfortable, but it was his choice where he laid. She also tucked the glove back into the falconry bag, not wanting to give away too much.

With that done, she knocked on the door. It took only a minute for a familiar figure to answer. "Well, good evening, Miss Winter! Why don't you come on in?" Sarah smiled widely though she did look down at Ein. "He can come in too! We ain't had a dog for a few months, but we still have old Baryon's bed." Ein stood up and nodded, following Winter into the house.

It was a homey abode. Family pictures lay scattered across the walls. Small shelves containing knicknacks lay strew across the house. It felt lived in but not in a bad way. It wasn't messy or anything of the like. The family had obviously lived there for a while. It was nothing like her old, barren apartment where it felt like nobody had lived there.

Brandon sat on the couch, looking through a book. He looked up long enough to wave but he went back to it after that. Winter offered a nod of the head to acknowledge him. He didn't seem keen on talking which was fine with her. She still didn't like to talk to men that weren't the general.

"Can I get you something to drink? You look mighty tired." Sarah looked at Winter who nodded.

"Some ice water would be appreciated if you could." She couldn't even deny she was tired. She was exhausted by walking through the sticky heat with a large bird. She settled in one of the chairs and started stretching her arm out. She knew how to carry Mono properly, but she didn't have those muscles built out at all. It was going to take a while get used to holding a bird like that.

Sarah came back a couple of minutes later with a glass of ice water for Winter and a bowl for Ein. Winter breathed a sigh of relief as he felt her insides starting to cool down. Part of her was tempted to pour the glass over her head for how hot she was. But that would be incredibly strange and potentially off putting to her hosts. She really was dying from the excess humidity. She was not looking forward to the walk back. At least this house also had air conditioning so she'd cool down much faster.

She was silent until she finished the glass. "Thank you." She had sorely needed that. It was over half an hour's walk to the house and in that humidity… She was not looking forward to spending time outside hunting with Kiyay. Hopefully it would cool down in due time. Winter wasn't her favorite season despite her name, but it was better than this oppressive heat. It would at least be milder than Atlassian winters which would be a plus.

"It's no problem, Miss Winter. If you need some more, let me know and I can bring the pitcher out." She was seriously considering it. She was so thirsty after that long walk. She really was not used to walking like that.

"If you wouldn't mind." She really did need more water. After a few minutes, her glasses was refilled and she had emptied it yet again.

"Did you bring…?" Sarah's voice was quiet and Winter tilted her head before placing what she meant. She pointed out the window to the tree where Mono roosted. Granted, the foliage was so thick it was nearly impossible to see her. She didn't want to give away the bird. Sarah's mother was in the kitchen but it would be so easy to overhear. She felt self-conscious about bringing Hylocereus but it was for a good reason.

It was a few minutes later when a woman walked out of the kitchen, drying her hands on a towel. "I hope you can forgive my rudeness in not greeting you, Miss Schnee. I'm Alyssa Harmon, Sarah's mother. She said you had something you wanted to talk to me about…?" Her tone was a little wary. She could hardly blame her. It was strange to hose an outsider most likely. She wasn't a threat to the woman but the saber at her side likely didn't inspire confidence. She wasn't about to hurt her, though.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Harmon. Yes, I do have a few things I would like to talk to you about." Right, not so formal or aggressive. It was so hard to not act like this. It was how she'd acted all her life. She really had. Gelé's attempt to control her had failed in many ways. She was perfect in spite of him, not because of him. "It would probably be better to talk about them after dinner, though. Both things involve demonstrations. You can finish cooking first. Does that sound okay?"

Alyssa was silent for a moment before nodding. "All right. That sounds fine." The woman offered a strained smile. "Dinner will be done in about ten minutes." With that, the woman ducked back into the kitchen.

Winter sighed. She was clearly not putting the woman at ease. She was trying but her status as an outsider likely wasn't helping anything. She was too formal for Valians, it seemed. Would she really have to soften herself even further for them? She was already compromising so much. She needed to be professional at all times in Atlas. But apparently not in Vale. How could anybody be informal? She really didn't know how to cope with all of this change. She was doing her best, but it just wasn't enough.

She could see Sarah practically vibrating with excitement. She couldn't exactly blame her. Gaining freedom was a big deal and she could only imagine how exciting this was for her. Hopefully Winter could convince Alyssa to let Sarah be able to go off the island. It was sat the girl had no larger plans than to get married. She couldn't imagine living such a small life that her only goal was to get married. Of course, she was married now herself, but it wasn't something she'd wanted out of life. But she couldn't exactly get out of the marriage anytime soon due to needing citizenship and all of that over stuff. Plus, she was keen to learn to hunt the birds and she wouldn't pass that up. Kiyay had become an incredibly important part of her life in such a short time. She really did want to give him the best life possible.

After about ten minutes, Alyssa came back into the room. "Dinner's ready." She paused. "I wasn't sure how much to make for you, Miss Schnee. I hope it's enough."

"Don't worry so much. Whatever you made is fine." She wouldn't put too much on the woman. It was already asking a lot to host an aura user and stranger in such a small community. She would take whatever she got without complaint. She would already be asking a lot out of the woman by taking her daughter out of her sight when she'd already lost a son to gang violence.

Winter brought the pitcher and glass with her to the table, settling down after the family took their seats. There was noticeably another chair at the table, though it was empty. Whose chair was she sitting in: the father's or the brother's? She didn't want to broach the topic because she'd already upset Sarah by stumbling into those areas unintentionally. Poking further would be a crime against decency in general.

"So, Miss Schnee, what brings you to Patch of all places?" The question from Alyssa took her a bit off guard but it wasn't surprising. Anybody that padi attention to anything would be curious. Her marriage wouldn't make headlines in Vale like it would in Atlas. Vale simply seemed to not care when it came to marriage…

"I retired from the military and an acquaintance brought me to stay here with his family until I can find my own place. It'll be a few months until my work visa goes through." A half truth but she just couldn't (and didn't want to) admit the whole truth. She remained ashamed of everything. A marriage of convenience… How did she explain that to anybody outside of Atlas? How could she explain how sick Gelé was in the head to strangers? They wouldn't understand all the intricacies of Atlassian culture. There was simply no way.

"I see… What made you retire? I know you were one of General Ironwood's personal aides, so what would bring you to Vale?"

"That…is a bit personal." She kept her tone light and gentle. She really didn't want to answer that. Hopefully the woman would understand. She knew about her being an aide though. Not a lot of people outside of Atlas knew that, or so it seemed. How would she know if not keeping for keeping up with Atlas military news?

"Oh, forgive me. I really shouldn't be poking my nose where it shouldn't belong. My husband actually served in the Atlas armed forces for a few years as a foreign national. I do keep up with Atlas military news when it appears in the Valian side of things." Winter raised her eyebrows at that. So she knew a bit about the military. That drastically worked in her favor since it would give credence to her abilities. Her former position as major would hopefully go some way in helping convince the woman she would be able to protect Sarah.

"What was his rank? Perhaps I knew him."

"Oh, no, you wouldn't. It was before the kids were born, over twenty years ago. He never got very high in the ranks because it was only a couple of years. He hasn't done anything as impressive as you becoming a major so young and joining the Special Operatives. He was simply a normal man in a normal rank." Alyssa sighed, obviously reminiscing about those days. But she did know about Winters history and ranking. That certainly worked in her favor. She was glad for that. It meant she had much less work to do in general.

"I see. He sounds like a hard worker." It wasn't everyday a foreign national joined the Atlas armed forces. It was a high bar to entry. It was generally only Altassians that joined… So he would have needed to learn the language. If he wasn't born in an Atlassian household, he would have needed to learn it later in life, whether that be as a teenager or adult, it was an impressive effort for a job if that was why he'd learned it.

"Did he learn Atlassian for the job?" She was really curious. She only spoke Valian aside from Atlassian because she'd been raised bilingual. It was too important of a skill for her to not have in Gelé's eyes. A wife that couldn't entertain guests was useless. Most businessmen spoke the language. She just wished she'd learned more languages to make understanding the animals easier. But there wasn't much she could do about it now.

"Alvin was quit the hard worker. Real salt-of-the-earth man. Good with his hands and real family man. He was more of a city boy so he had more opportunities than I did. Grew up in the main heart of Vale. He lived in Atlas for those few years to help build up a reserve of money to get our family start since I wanted to be off for a few years to spend with the kids." Alyssa sighed again and Winter nodded. It was so beyond strange to see a woman miss her husband. She'd never seen anything like this before. How was she supposed to respond? She really didn't understand these family dynamics. Why did she miss her husband? Men did nothing but terrorise their wives and rape them. She knew that to be fact.

"I see. I'm sorry for your loss." What else was she supposed to say? She'd never met a family dynamic like this before. She really was at a complete loss of what to say. People weren't supposed to act like this! Fathers were supposed to own their daughters and husbands their wives! But this family didn't follow that. How was she supposed to react to all of this…?

"Thank you. It's been real lonely since Alvin died. I'm glad Sarah's found a friend." Alyssa practically beamed at Winter. Friend… Right. She wasn't a friend to anybody. She had work relationships, Weiss, and the general and that was it. She didn't have friends. People only ever wanted something from her. Well, Coco was her friend but that was a weird exception. Outside of that, she didn't have friends. Even Sarah wanted something out of her and would continue to want things out of her.

"She's a nice girl." That was about all she could say. Sarah was nice and inquisitive about the world. She really needed goals outside of marriage. How could her world be so small? There were universities out there that would educate her, so why limit herself to marriage and children? Small communities created such small minds. "What do you do for a living, Mrs. Harmon?"

"Oh, I'm a seamstress in the city. I do alterations and such. It's not a lot, but it's enough to get by." A traditional feminine job. Was there really nothing else she could do? This was Vale, a land that supposed prided itself on equality. But, so far, she'd only met people with small worlds. How could they not take advantage of the opportunities in front of them? She didn't understand how and why they limited themselves so much. Brandon was by far the most ambitious person she'd met here on this island. She didn't really count Yang and Ruby since they were kind of outsiders in their own community. Plus, they'd grown up around ambitious people even if those people had been absent a good chunk of their lives. "Is there a job you're hoping to get here in Vale, Miss Schnee?"

Winter pursed her lips. "I need to explore my options." She really didn't know what sort of job would be a good fit for her. She was still young yet and she had a lot of options open after she got her citizenship. Would she pursue further education or go straight into the workforce? She wasn't sure. Her scope of what women could do was also extremely narrow. She could still hardly believe there were women lawyers in Vale…

"Well, if you need help with anything, let me know and I'll see what I can do to help, ya hear? You're helping Sarah out, so I'll see if I can return the favor." Alyssa smiled and Winter gav ea faint nod.

"Unfortunately, I have time before I can legally work…" She was working illegally at this point though the amount she made was minimal at best. At least she'd start to earn more once she started working at the bakery on Friday. It was a lot to do but she had done far more for the Atlas military. She would have to do some more research into the option she wanted to pursue. But if she could use the public sympathy to gain access to her baby sister, it would be more than worth it.

"Of course, Miss Schnee. Do you have any idea of what field you might like to go into?"

Winter shook her head. "Not really. All I've known is the military for the past several years. Mister Branwen said a lot of places would be willing to have me but I'm not sure what to do." She was lost, loathe as she was to admit it. She didn't want a low-skill job like retail or a traditionally feminine like nurse or teacher. But she didn't have much education when it came down to it. She'd stopped learning at fifteen unless one counted military protocol. She didn't have a diploma or anything equivalent. And Mister Gelé would hold her transcripts hostage. She had no real qualifications for anything.

She frowned. How could she get a job with no qualifications? She'd have to ask Qrow about it.

"What's wrong, Miss Schnee? Maybe I can help you." Alyssa looked at Winter who pursed her lips together. No, she couldn't ask her about it. How would people react if they learned she had no qualifications? She wasn't going to allow anybody to take advantage of her like that. She couldn't risk it getting out.

"It's something I'll have to ask Mister Branwen about, but thank you for your concern." She tried to keep her tone as soft and gentle as she could to take away any sting. She just couldn't let anybody know. She had no qualifications for anything when it came down to it. She had skills for sure, but didn't places look for qualifications? All she'd be able to get right now would be some menial job that wouldn't put her full range of skills to use. Fast food and retail weren't appealing to her. What could she do to bridge that gap?

Damn it, this was another way for Gelé to control her. Private tutors and homeschooling meant he knew exactly what she was learning. And, if she left, he was under no obligation to give up her transcripts. In that regard, she had played right into his hands when she left. Would there be any way to get some sort of qualifications here in Vale?

"All right. Well, if there's anything I can do to help, lemme know and I'll do what I can." Alyssa smiled again. Plus, if she let the woman help, she'd be under obligation to help her with something too. She couldn't be under obligation to anybody. She couldn't. They would try to squeeze something out of her. She had nothing to offer right now, but they would try. She knew it. People always wanted something from Schnees. At this point, she was worse off than this single mother since she couldn't even buy much. She had to live a stipend from the general and the little pocket money she made from her illegal here on Patch.

The future looked grim for her. She had no qualifications for a good job. She was reliant on her husband despite her best attempts to be independent. She was completely stuck with seemingly no way out. Even the general had said she would have more opportunity in Vale. He was wrong. She hated to admit it but he was wrong. She was restricted as much in Vale as in Atlas though for completely different reasons. She would be trapped in the house for the rest of her life. Getting married had been the death sentence she'd always feared. About the only possible out she could see was to become a Huntress. But she had a very long wait until the next Beacon year started. It was far too late to try to enroll now…

"So what did you come here for?" Alyssa did pick at her food a bit, leaving Winter to shift uncomfortably. Yeah, they'd made pleasantries long enough. She felt awkward about this. She was digging into trauma here. The woman had lost her middle son and Winter was asking her to open to possibly doing the same with her youngest. She couldn't believe how uncomfortable she felt. She'd never backed down from a challenge, not even Mister Gelé at his worst. But this woman with no aura, Semblance, or combat training was the one to make her second guess herself.

Winter let out a breath. "It's for two reasons, Mrs. Harmon, though they're connected to each other. The first is to ask if Sarah can go out into the city with me. The second is if you'd let me take her with me to volunteer with some birds of prey." It was so hard to not slip back into her usual modes and methods of speech. But being more casual was important here. That would make her unapproachable and cold. She had to show some form of sympathy toward the woman. She had to bed approachable like she was for her men.

Predictably, the woman looked shaken and she glanced at her daughter. "Sarah, I already made it clear! You'r enot to go out into the city unless I drive you! And birds of prey?! That sounds like a recipe for disaster! You'll get hurt!"

"But Maw," Sarah protested. "I'm only a year and a half from bein' an adult! I get why you don't want me goin' into the city, but you can't baby me forever! All I'm askin' is if Miss Winter goes with me. You already know she seems to have some downright impressive military background. It wouldn't be so dangerous if I was with her. Right? Miss Winter, who trained you again?"

Winter sighed internally. This was about what she had expected when they did eventually broach the topic. "If you know a bit about the Atlas military, then you know about the Ace Operatives, right, Mrs. Hamron?" The woman gave a reluctant nod. "I entered the military at fifteen. General Ironwood and the Ace Operatives trained me before I went into—" Shit, she didn't know the Valian equivalent. "—Um. The basic training they give to anybody entering the military." Damn it.

"Boot camp?" Alyssa tilted her head. Winter felt her cheeks flushing. Damn it, what a time to slip up on translation.

"Yes, that. They trained me before I went into boot camp. Warrant Officer Bree helped me build Hylocereus, my saber. Warrant Officer Ebi was in charge of my general fitness. They trained me well. I was head of the Special Operatives before my…retirement. I may not have been an Ace Operative, but I was close enough. I'm one of the best the Atlas military had to offer despite my young age. I can protect your daughter." She rested her hand on Hylocereus' hilt. "I can spar with your son if it would make you feel better." She was simply presenting her case. She had been slacking on her training, but it wasn't like she had gone rusty yet. So much of her record was public in the news papers so it could all easily be backed up.

Alyssa sighed. "I did once see a demonstration of the Ace Ops. They were so plum talented compared to my husband… They weren't even in the same league. And if you were trained by them and the general himself… Who am I to doubt your abilities? I doubt even Brandon would be able to keep up."

Alyssa looked down, squeezing her hands together. "But birds of prey? Couldn't that really hurt her? Their talons are so sharp…"

"There are some micron falcons and a micro owl at the rescue. We can probably have it setup where she only works with them. Plus, I doubt they're going to trust new volunteers with their eagle." Winter saw the alarm on Alyssa's face. "Larger birds can actually be quite gentle, though, if they're trained right. I'm working with some large falcons one of my acquaintance's mother trained. I can take you to meet Mono after dinner." She hoped she could win the woman over. Working with birds of prey was amazing. But, again, it wasn't like she expected the people at Star of Hope to put Duri on Sarah's fist first thing.

"Oh, I don't know about all of that, Miss Schnee. An eagle? Large falcons? This all seems awful dangerous." She couldn't entirely blame Alyssa. Mono and Kiyay had unnerved her when she'd first seen them. Those falcons were quite intimidating. Even she had to admit to it. But she had seen how gentle and loving the birds could be. Kiyay was a serious emotional support for her now. She wouldn't be coping so well without him.

"Again, I doubt she would be working with Duri right away. There are some aplomado falcons at the rescue that we can probably have her start with. While I am learning to hunt large falcons with myself, that doesn't translate to me wanting Sarah to learn with them." She really needed to convince Alyssa there wasn't any major risk to Sarah. The aplomados could potentially nip and scratch with their talons, but they couldn't punch clear through a hand like Duri or the gyrfalcons could.

She opened her scroll and showed a picture of an aplomado with a falconer. "See? Micro falcons. I doubt they can cause much damage even as aura breeds." Alyssa still looked doubtful. Hopefully meeting Mono would help change her mind. She really wanted Sarah to be able to get out of the house and off this island.

Oh, right.

"By the way, Mrs. Harmon, do you know anything about Team STRQ?" That…was probably a good thing to bring up.

Alyssa blinked. "A bit. Why do you ask? I know they lived in a house on the middle of the island and were considered the best Hunter team in history. Why do you bring that up?"

"Well, I'm staying with the remnants of the team. Raven Branwen agreed to come volunteer with me. She led the Branwen tribe over in central Mistral fo over a decade now and grew up there. She was a member of STRQ—the R if it wasn't obvious. WOuld it help you to know she would be with us while in the city?" Of course, things weren't so cut and dry as that, but maybe it would help. Raven wouldn't always be with them, but if it brought Alyssa solace…

"That…would help. I never really knew STRQ personally, but everyone of the older generation on the island at least knows of them. The Branwen twins and especially Summer Rose were crazy good warriors with almost supernatural abilities… Everyone knew not to cross them. Nice people apparently, but real fierce fighters…" Alyssa looked spooked again. Well, that was effective to some degree. "If a member of Team STRQ is with you, I feel like there would be nothing to worry about. But them birds still worry me…" Everyone was wrapping up eating so Winter nodded to herself.

"Would you like to meet Mono? She's a large gyrfalcon, but she was raised by…Qrow and Raven's mother." Damn it, it was so hard to not address them as she usually did. But she had to remain as casual as possible for these people.

"I suppose…" Alyssa didn't really sound to enthused or ready. But with her misgivings, Winter didn't expect anything less.

With that, they all filed out the front door. Winter took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. She actually did trust the bird but it didn't mean this was any less nerve wracking.

She held her ungloved fist up. She could practically sense Alyssa's alarm despite not seeing her. "Mono!" She tapped her fist. Within a moment, the bird swooped down and landed on Winter's fist. She could feel the full power of the bird's potentially crushing talons on her bare skin. And they were definitely sharp. Yet they didn't pierce skin. Mono held on just enough so that she didn't lose balance. It was a bit uncomfortable to have a gyrfalcon on without a glove, but it wasn't so bad she felt the need to pull it out.

She turned to the Harmon family. "See? I can handle her without need of a glove." Mono was incredibly well trained. Probably unreasonably so. She was calm, collected, and gentle. She probably wouldn't trust any other large bird aside from Kiyay to sit on her hand ungloved. Even so, this was a powerful demonstration…

"She is quite beautiful…" Even Alyssa obviously couldn't deny the power in birds of prey. How often was it one got to be so close to such a powerful animal? Winter didn't believe the average person would be able to resist the pure magnetism of a raptor. Plus, Mono was almost pure white. How often was it that one got to see a pure white bird like this?

"This is mono, one of the Branwen tribe birds. I'm going to learn to hunt with her mate, Kiyay. Mono is more steady than he is, so I opted to bring her instead." Winter sat Mono down on a nearby chair arm. The bird tilted her head as she looked around. Her eyes were calm and her feathers remained fluffed up. She really would be a wonderful show bird if they could train her up to be in front of larger crowds. She couldn't believe how steady and gentle the bird was.

"Please, Maw? If I'm workin' with little birds, I won't likely get hurt. I ain't askin' to do anythin' with huntin' or whatever. I jus' wanna work with them." Winter looked over and saw Sarah looking at her mother with wide, large eyes. Winter was glad she didn't have to ask anybody's permission to do anything. She was a pretty independent adult and had been for close to three yeas now. She was reliant on Qrow at the moment, but she'd hopefully gain independence soon. She really missed having her own cash flow and being able to go where she wanted.

"Well, I suppose. But I don't want you workin' with those big birds unless I give you permission, ya hear?" Sarah hugged Alyssa with a large smile on her face.

"Thanks, Maw!"

"Would you like to see Mono fly?" It was a simple offer but she figured she could give a little demonstration. It wasn't hunting by any means but seeing a large falcon fly so close wasn't an everyday experience for most people. Thankfully, they had a decent amount of space to work with. The neighbors were a fair bit away.

She could practically hear Sarah squeal. "It's real amazin', Maw! I got to see it and it's real fantastic!"

"Well, I suppose." Winter took the glove out of her bag and put it on. Mono looked up at Winter and rouse, ruffling her fathers. Fly free was Winter's intent. The falcon bobbed her head before Winter tossed her into the air. The falcon wheeled around into the air, high enough for it to be kind of hard to see her. However, Winter could still keep an eye on her band backed up, holding her fist up. Mono pulled her wings in and dove like a missile but pulled up at the last second before landing on Winter's first. The bird roused again, looking at Alyssa and Sarah.

"Well, that was dern amazing. I ain't never seen anything like it before…" Alyssa admitted.

Winter almost smiled for herself. "They are powerful predators and amazing to watch." She hoped she would never get tired of watching the falcons fly. It was an amazing sight and a major privilege to get to work with them. Sadly, Sarah would only get to work with micro falcons but that was still more than most people. Although, from what she'd read, micro falcons and hawks could be harder to work with than larger ones tin some regards…

"Now how about some dessert?" Alyssa smiled, obviously in a much better mood now. Winter felt better that she wasn't so worked up.

"That does sound good." She settled Mono on the chair and took her glove off, following the Harmons back inside. She settled at the table and Alyssa served up some cake.

"But you dun mentioned an eagle, Miss Schnee?" Alyssa looked baffled at that.

Winter nodded. "Duri is a golden eagle. He seems pretty gentle like Mono from what little I got to see him." She couldn't entirely back it up, but the look in his eyes was very similar to Mono's. Very calm, collected, and reserved. She was looking forward to working with him despite her initial misgivings.

"I still don't want my daughter working with him or your birds. And if she goes into town, I expect at least you to be with her like promised." Alyssa's voice was firm and left no room for argument.

"I own't let you down." She didn't feel intimidated on taking the girl out into the city. It was far safer than Mantle by statistics. Crimes and deaths still happened in Vale, but it was statistically pretty rare for somebody not involved in the crime world. At least she had gotten through to the woman. Parents really could be their child's worst enemy—fathers in particular. At least she didn't have to reason with the father. It probably wouldn't have gone over so well. Though with him being former Atlas military, who knew… People outside of Atlas seemed so unreasonable in general. She was really still not a fan of how emotionally driven Valians were. Emotions made people weak and open to manipulation…

"Do you have any idea when you'll be volunteering there?"

Winter shook her head. "I'm not sure when I'll start. I need to get a handle on public transit and my bike first." Once she had a handle on things was probably when she'd start. That bike was the first step, though. It'd let her cover more distance in a shorter time than simply walking. They'd at least gotten her some sort of hybrid model that could handle both the tougher terrain Patch had to offer as well as the city roads. Hopefully she could figure it all out in a reasonable amount of time. "Once I do, though, I'll be doing the evening meal at the rescue."

Alyssa nodded. "So I see. But feedin' birds of prey? That sounds a bit dangerous…" This woman was absolutely paranoid. She needed to let her guard down a bit. It wasn't like the birds would snap Sarah in half or eat her face off.

"I have yet to feed Mono and Kiyay but I don't think there's anything to worry about, Mrs. Harmon. Like I said before, we can probably set it up where she's only working with the micro falcons. They're small not not liable to do much damage." After holding Mono ungloved, she could really feel the power in the bird's talons. It was a testament to being top predators. But the micro falcons wouldn't have that sort of power. They wouldn't be taking down down bucks like the Branwen's gyrfalcons did according to Qrow.

"Well, all right. How big are these bids again?" WInter held up the photo from her scroll. Aplomados were tiny. They were called micro falcons for a reason. They could hunt but they weren't going after larger game like rabbits and squirrels, let alone deer. "That does look okay…"

"There may be nips from beaks and nicks from talons, but they're not about to punch through somebody's hand." She had stumbled across a video of a master-class falconer describing when an eagle had punched through his hand. It had resulted in some pretty interactions and him almost losing the arm. It was a terrifying prospect, but Mono and Kiyay were well trained. She didn't expect any footing from them.

Of course, that made Alyssa look about ready to faint. "Again, we will have her focus on the micro falcons and probably the little owl at the rescue. We won't let her interact with anything larger." Winter did feel a little bit bad working the woman up so much, but there was inherent risk in working with any animal. "Plus, there are dogs and cats there. She can play with them too."

Alyssa seemed to calm down a little at that. "I'd feel better if she was spending time with them too…" Even dogs and cats carried risks. Dogs could bite and cats could scratch and bite. But most people didn't think about that when bringing a new pet into their home. Still, these were aura breeds, so they were far less likely to cause damage to anybody.

"Well, we can play with them while we're there." She wasn't sure how to do that though. Her only experience around gos were military working dogs. Bomb sniffers and actual combat-trained dogs, meant to work alongside their handlers in battle. She did see them play with their handlers sometimes, but she wasn't sure how to play the games herself. And cats were a completely mystery to her in general…

With that, they were all about finished up. Alyssa put all the dishes in the dishwasher. "Well, Miss Schnee, if you ever want to visit, don't be a stranger, ya hear? We love havin' guests here on Patch." The woman smiled and Winter offered a polite one in return. She didn't want to seem rude. Smiling was hard, though. She really only did it for Weiss and Coco.

"All right. I'll see you later then." She headed to the front door. "Ein, let's go." The dog hefted himself to his paws.

Outside, Winter put her glove on and tapped her fist. "Mono!" The bird landed and they set off back into the forest. She would definitely consider that a mission accomplished and a deed well done.