Auria touched down at the spot that Weiss' most recent memory had directed her toward. Typical Blake, being in the wilds of the human world… What was so fascinating about humans and Faunus anyway? They were so prone to violence and maltreatment of others. She really didn't understand the Lider desire to protect them… They destroyed and ravaged so much that it was infuriating.

Unfortunately, it didn't take too long for her to come across somebody. Several hounds bayed and ran over though they looked confused. Shit, these were awakened hounds. She lifted a finger to her lips. "Don't tell anybody," she whispered. "I'm Weiss, okay?" The dogs looked at each other before giving small nods. She was so glad humans couldn't smell like animals could. Otherwise this whole charade would be over within a minute.

"Weiss, where have you been?" A man on a bay stallion rode over, lightly tapping the animal with a whip. She wanted to bristle at the disgusting implement, but she didn't. She looked down and grip the reins.

"I-I'm sorry… I don't know what came over me… I missed riding so much…" Gods, this was going to be infuriating. She was not some meek little doll like Weiss was. But she had to keep up the charade at least for a little while… She could call Weiss once she was certain that Mister Gelé was tucked nicely in bed…for the last time in his life. She knew what waited for her once she got back to Schnee manor.

That man would never terrorise his children or the world again.

The company would go to the rightful heir: Winter. She would have control of the SDC and move it in the right direction. She might be nothing compared to the old family, from what little Weiss knew, but it was still better than the horrors Gelé had inflicted on his children.

The man, Gisbert, grabbed her wrist then Sonan's reins. "Honestly, I never took you as one to run away! You should be ashamed of yourself! We've all been worried sick the past few hours!" She tensed under his grip and wanted to strike him down right then. Nobody touched her like that, let alone grabbed her.

Sonan also tensed but she laid a hand on his neck. No, they couldn't go nuts. She felt awful for having that horrible bit in his mouth, but there was no choice. Any major changes would tip them off to what was going on.

Oh well. He wouldn't survive the night either.

Now Winter would be free of anybody to take over the company. At least as far as she was able to prevent. Winter would have to deal with the vipers that would try to pull the wool over her eyes. There wasn't anything she could do to help the woman. She didn't understand human politics well enough to try to help. She could probably at least try to deal with the whelp while Winter was preoccupied with the vipers.

All she could do was incline her head down as Gisbert tied the reins to his saddle. Sonana balked but she kept her hand on his neck. She transferred her soul intention down to him. I know it hurts, but you have to bear with it. We'll be free of this in the morning. Both this idiot and the sick bastard will be dead come morning. She really hated this, but she only needed to keep up the charade for a while.

I really don't like this, Auria. But I'll trust you… the gelding whimpered. She could only imagine how much that bit had to hurt for a horse that had never had one in before. Sitting sidesaddle was not comfortable when she was so used to sitting astride.

All she could do now was wait to arrive back to Schnee manor, and then kill the rat bastard that would try to break her.

ƒ

It took the better part of an hour and a half to get back to Schnee manor. The ride took roughly forty-five minutes back until they reached a horse trailer, then a car ride back to another car. Then an airship back up to ATlas.

This was already so suffocating. She was used to cracking jokes, snarking, and generally being a rabble rouser.

But no. She had to remain silent like a good little Atlassian doll. How could anybody live like this?! She'd had her voice taken away from her. Thankfully, this wouldn't be too long. She could easily pul on the heartstrings of the other kingdoms and talk about her horrible father had taken her voice and forced her into silence. SHe didn't know enough about the other kingdoms to be certain on that, though… Hopefully Winter would be able to help her with that.

A servant ushered her to the door and Mister Gelé waited as well. His arms folded behind his back. She could feel the rage broiling off him even though he looked calm.

And that rage was directed at her.

He put a hand on her shoulder and he gripped hard enough she flinched. He was surprisingly strong for somebody without an activated soul or seemingly didn't work out. "It's nice to see you safe, Weiss." His tone was cool and completely devoid of all emotion. Were she Weiss, that would have scared her to no end.

So she flinched, gaze averting. "I"m sorry, Father… I don't know what came over me." Time to start pleading for him to not beat her. She knew he'd probably come up to her room later. It was always better to draw things out.

Too bad he wouldn't have the energy.

"There, there. It's okay to make mistakes sometimes," he practically purred. Bullshit and she knew it. Any small mistake was punished. Trying to escape would be punished severely and she knew it. But he had to put up a face around the staff.

"Okay. Thank you."

"Now get up to your room and get changed." She nodded and she found her way up to Weiss' room. She heard the sound of the mechanism lock on the door. So it was true she was locked in from the outside…

A deterrent for any human but she had magic. Getting out wouldn't be too hard. Basic tumblers and pins really were nothing too difficult for her ty bypass.

She changed out of the riding habit and settled in the chair at the desk. This place was nothing like her family's manors. Love and warmth permeated the homes, but this place felt absolutely sterile. Everything was either white or a very pale, pastel shade. It was all stuff that was hard to upkeep and would show dirt easily. This man really was a massive hole with his head shoved far up there.

WHat was she supposed to do here? From Weiss' memories, she knew basically all the texts in the room were scientific in nature. Nothing was entertainment oriented. She didn't mind the scientific texts—she was a brain specialist, after all—but it was all dust related. Nothing biologically related. This not was going to be long and boring… At least this was the only night she'd have to endure it.

Then again, it wouldn't be too hard to get out to the library… Mister Gelé would already be feeling a bit tired so he'd be retiring for the evening soon enough.

She raised her hands and hid herself from view. It wasn't too hard to fool the camera she'd caught sight out either and casually waltzed down to the library. Now where was everything…? It was one thing Weiss didn't have many memories of. She was only allowed in certain sections of it. Oh well. It'd be a good way to spend a few hours…

ƒ

By time Auria got back, it was after eleven. She'd spent more time in the library than planned. Plus, there was no natural light in the library which made it hard to calculate celestial time. And Serlia—right, Remnant —was a globe, not a flat disk. Things moved far differently here than on Koiria. She'd have to rely on human timekeeping devices until she learned the physics of the planet…

Looked like she'd be making another trip down to the library for some physics books in the near future. Damn it all; she hadn't completely thought ahead in this. How obnoxious.

A soft noise from one of the bookshelves caught her attention. That was probably Weiss' scroll… She swiped the object out of its hiding place in a hollowed-out book. "Hello? Is this Winter?" A stupid thing to ask when Winter was the only contact in there.

"Oh, thank the Holy Father. You're okay, Weiss—"

"Sorry to interrupt you, but I'm not your sister." She spoke lowly so it wouldn't be on the camera. The amount of surveillance here was so obnoxious. She let the glamor on her voice down before she spoke again. Her voice was considerably lower than Weiss'. "You'll want to start planning to take over the SDC, Winter… Mister Gelé won't survive the night. I cursed him to have a brain hemorrhage." Not a pleasant way to go, but it was her speciality. The idiot betrothed to Weiss would die from unknown causes. His heart would simply fail despite being so young.

Nothing came for several minutes until she felt eyes on her from several shelves up. She zapped a few books and found a camera. Was this bastard so sick he put cameras in his children's rooms? Something about that didn't track in her mind. He was sick but it didn't feel like he'd go that far.

"…How did you find that?" Winter's tone was breathless and low. So she had some knowledge about it.."

"Us fae are very sensitive to security." She knew about the short meeting with Winter. There really was no point in hiding it. Blake had outed them to her.

She looked up at the camera and dropped the glamor completely, then waved up to it.

"That Faunus really was telling the truth… You aren't Weiss." Her voice cracked and she was pretty sure the woman was crying. She couldn't relate too much. Yeah, she was separated from her family, she but she still had her pearl to talk to them. Plus, it wouldn't be forever. A few decades until her 'death' then she'd be free to return. She'd have centuries, possibly millennia when she got back to them. This woman had only those decades with her sister and they'd been ripped away.

She put the glamor back on, finding the too-small dress highly uncomfortable. "…So Mister Gelé is going to die tomorrow. What about Weiss' betrothed?" She certainly bounced back quickly, didn't she? It was a fair question. Weiss didn't want to admit it to herself, but she never would've taken over the SDC. Atlas was patriarchal. The only reason she was needed was to produce babies to continue the line. She never stood a chance of becoming the first female head of the SDC.

"He'll be dead too. Can't risk him causing a ruckus while you take over. I know you'll still have plenty of vipers to deal with, but it'll be one less obstacle for you to deal with. I can't help on the politics side, but I can at least help with your family. What are your plans going to be for the next month or so?" Unfortunately, she'd have to go through her own culture shock. If Winter wanted to go to any other kingdom, she wouldn't have any knowledge of them.

"For the next month or so, I'll stay in Atlas, then probably move to Vale. I had planned to start Weiss at Beacon next year… If you want to, you can go, but I won't force you. I would appreciate help with my family, though… My mother will have to spend a long time in rehabilitation…" Oh right, the Schnees did have a mother. She was so seldom in Weiss' memories that she didn't really register her presence.

Aria smiled slyly. "Oh, I can help with that… I'm a specialist in rearranging neurotransmitters in the brain to help with things like severe depression and other disorders. I still have a lot to learn—I'm only about two hundred—but I should be able to at least break the initial fog that clings to her." She couldn't go so far as to fully break addiction. That was another field entirely. But she could at least let her know what was happening. The brain was so complex and even though there were specialists like her, extended treatments were still required. And people that didn't want help sometimes couldn't be helped… "She'll still need that time in rehabilitation, though."

"I would appreciate it if you could help her with even that much. How do you plan to help my brother?" That…was a good question.

"Not sure quite this minute. I'll need time to get to know him first. All I have are Weiss' memories to go off of. I'd like to see him for myself first." And Weiss' memories were tainted with anger and disgust at her little brother. They didn't paint a flattering picture of him, but there had to be more to him than simply a clone of Gelé.

"That's entirely fair. I'll be quite pulling double duty as the general's assistant and—"

"Uh, Winter. The SDC supplies the military with most of its dust." Weiss knew that much at least. "Three words: conflict. Of. Interest. You'll have to resign as General Ironwood's assistant if you want to head the SDC." She might not know much about human politics, but conflicts of interest were never good. Plus, how much time would it require to try to pull double duty as a colonel and the SDC president? If both were human full time, that meant at least eighty hours a week… Winter would burn out in no time flat.

That earned another bout of silence for several moments. "I appreciate the help with my family. Do you have anything else to say? Although…what is your name?"

"You can call me Auria." That was her given name, not her soul name. If she really wanted to cause damage to this family, she could. She knew everybody's names. Humans didn't have soul names, only given names. She was a very typical Misum, but she didn't want to screw over every human she met. She was here for a reason and she knew better than to go overboard. Those two deaths were a bit suspicious but nobody could prove anything. Humans didn't know how to look for traces of fae magic anymore, so it only looked like natural causes.

"Have a good night, Auria." The receiver clicked off and she put the scroll away. Well, time to go deal with Willow…

ƒ

The lack of starlings was already getting to Auria. Weiss didn't fully know her way around the manor, having always been carted between her room and only a few others for her studies. Trying to find Willow's room was a nightmare without a guide. This place was a labyrinthine as any of the manor homes her family owned. It was the only place Weiss had ever known yet she barely knew her way around.

She definitely would not have survived had she tried to put up the charade for even a few days.

Eventually, though, the strong scent of wine caught her attention as did a staff member, carrying a tray full of several bottles. She followed him and slipped in behind him.

Willow sat on a balcony, completely immune to the chilly night air. She gazed up at the shattered moon. Dissociation rolled off her soul in droves. The poor woman was completely and utterly broken. The scars ran deep into her soul, wounds that had never healed or anything. All she could do was try to numb the pain of reality and not much else. She had no help nor support…

Well, at least that wouldn't last for too much longer.

After the staff left, Auria dropped the spell then poked the woman's back. She didn't respond at first, but after several moments, she shook her head then looked at the bottle in her hand before tossing it. Confusion, anger, revulsion, and self-hatred permeated every aspect of her being. She looked around, surprise coloring her face when she saw Auria. "Weiss…? What are you doing here? It's late. You should— Wait. How did you get here in the first place? And why am I thinking so clearly? I haven't been this sober since I was pregnant with Whitley…"

"This is going to sound insane, but I'm not Weiss. She's in the fae realm now, being taken care of by a very lovely Lider family. I'm Auria, her changeling." She smiled and lifted the glamor on her face and hair, enough to prove her point. Somehow the woman looked more contemplative than surprised. Huh, apparently there were still some humans that were knowledgeable in the way of the fae.

"Interesting. I can't say I expected the fae to intercede here… But why am I sober?"

"Unfortunately, it will only last a few hours. I'm not skilled enough in the ways of the brain to completely break addiction. All I can do is push it back for a short time. I mostly want to let you know your husband will die by time morning comes. You'll be free to live your life unimpeded once you can break free of your addiction. Winter will be handling the SDC once morning comes." She really wished she could do more for the woman, but she was a specialist in another field. It also took a good four or five centuries to truly understand the brain chemistry for addiction. She knew just enough that she could do this much.

Willow looked at her, incredulous. "You expect me to believe that? I've been trapped in this house for the past twenty-odd years. I'll die here from the booze and sleeping pills." She looked at a small bottle on the table next to her. She couldn't blame for for not believing, but at the same time…

"A fae takes the place of your daughter and you don't believe she wouldn't murder that monster? Humans make us out to be the monsters but you guys are in our eyes." She hopped up on the balcony's banister, then wrapped her arms around herself. Atlas was so much colder than Koiria was. And this was summer when it was at its warmest. How much colder was it going to be in the winter? She shuddered to think. But if Vale was warmer, she certainly wouldn't complain.

"I can't blame you. Atlas is a cesspool of the worst of humanity. Rape and abuse are the norm while racism runs rampant. I was a fool to believe I had escaped it." Willow also wrapped her arms around herself and sighed. "Are you sure he's going to die? After twenty years here, I can't believe it… He feels untouchable…"

"I understand. It's like trying to believe a little girl like me could take down the king and queen. But humans and Faunus are extremely vulnerable to our magic. They have no protections unlike other fae, banshees, or unicorns. You'll have to live with the horrors of what you've been through. But I sense a resilient heart in you. You aren't the type to give up without a fight, aren't you?" If she was a fighter, she wouldn't have reacted so strongly to the sobering up. She would've delved straight back to the bottle. But she'd perked up and been disgusted with herself. That meant she could eventually return to a sound piece of mind.

"I guess I'll have to see tomorrow, huh?" Willow gave a wry smile and Auria returned with a sad one of her own. There was no changing somebody's mind once it was made up. But, hopefully, this meeting could inspire hope in her. "Why don't you go to bed? You aren't dressed for this weather."

"Yeah, I am getting tired…" Casting two spells to end lives wasn't easy on the magic reserves. Neither was passing into somebody's psyche like that. "My reserves are in the yellow. I hope you enjoy your couple hours of lucidity." She waved to Willow, then vanished from sight. Yeah, it was late and she would have a very long day tomorrow…