The horses fell into a trot as they peeled out of the unicorn forest. The air became uncomfortably sticky, humid, and stagnant. She wasn't sure if she would ever really ride in here by herself. It was so uncomfortably hot. How did these fae deal with this on a consistent basis? At least the house was nice and cool…

She glanced at Dorosi again, the wolf keeping pace with the horses. She still wasn't entirely sure what to do about that. The wolf was a massive but she could see an inherent gentleness to him.

However, she could sense Neige's apprehension. His movements were a little jerky and he kept one ear trained on Dorosi. Would she feel different in the future? She was curious but she was still afraid. The entire thing had felt abrupt and she hadn't had only time to consider both sides of the argument. She hated making such big decisions without any time to consider. She'd never been forced into something so big before… Neige had made the decision to come here for her. Even Beacon hadn't been her choice… Winter had gotten her accepted there somehow.

She heard Dorosi yawn then the young wolf looked up at her. "So what's your story. Weiss? How did the Belladonnas end up with a late arriving changeling?" He seemed to have genuine concern. She looked away, though, gripping the reins tighter. She really wasn't supposed to talk about things like that. And talking about that around Blake would only open her to harm down the way. She could so easily turn anything against her. She'd had it happen too many times to count in Atlas. People would eventually try to turn her weakness against her. Blake had said Misum were agents of chaos so she could only imagine the damage they could cause to her if given the chance.

She heard a small whine from Dorosi and she saw his ears droop over. Apparently she'd upset him too… "I ran away from home." She guessed she could offer that much… It still felt like too much. Giving up anything opened her to harm. Blake did ta least know that much, so it wasn't like she was giving her anything to attack her with in the future.

The wolf looked at her, obviously knowing there was more to her story. Still, she refused to say anything more. Trusting people—even animals—that she didn't know wasn't going to happen, at least when it came to her emotions. That would end in disaster. Blake could understand Dorosi, so it'd be easy enough for them to conspire together to take her down if they wanted to.

So she fell silent as Blake led the way back to the manor through the sticky air.

§

They were silent for some time until she noticed Blake looking away. "By the way, Weiss, I'm sorry for being so harsh with you." Weiss felt herself tense and she looked at Blake, eyes narrowed. What was her game here? Apologies were such an incipit way to manipulate somebody. She would be indebted to her if she accepted the apology. There was no way in the Holy Father's name she would accept it. She really couldn't do it. She needed to get out of this by any means possible.

Blake sighed, her ears drooping over. "I'm serious. I'm sorry. It's because I'm scared for you and my family. Fae are so picky about manners. This is already going to be a pretty big scandal for my family. I don't want things to get any worse." Typical upper class, it felt like. Everyone was obsessed with image.

Of course.

Blake's goal was to manipulate her to fit her into the image of her family.

She'd finally figured out her game.

But what was she supposed to do with her knowledge? And she had to admit she knew that she knew that she had to learn the fae manners so that she could blend into society more… She doubted she would ever really fit into fae society. The manners were so opposite of what she'd learned in Atlas… Would she ever have a place here?

Then again, maybe the Belladonna family needed another daughter that way she could be married off. That seemed likely. Make her learn the fae manners then marry her off to the highest bidder. Yes, that had to be it. It absolutely had to be. That was the family's goal with her. She didn't doubt it at all .

She heard Blake sigh again and she nudged her horse out of the trot and into a walk. "That's not our goal at all, Weiss. I won't get married until I'm two hundred at least . I'm only fifteen, soon to be sixteen. I'm still considered a little girl, no more than an infant due to my lack of life experience. My parents didn't have any claim over you either. They'll be your legal guardians, but with your age, you'll be allowed to do what you want. Humans are considered of age at sixteen in this realm."

"Do you have the laws that say that?" Her walls went up. She couldn't take anything Blake said at face value because it sounded too good to be true.

And if it did, it definitely was.

She'd only believe it if she saw the writing for herself. There had to be robust laws for changelings from how Blake talked. They were a special class of citizen and there were usually special laws that governed minorities. She'd had an entire unit in social studies about how Faunus were governed in Atlas. They were filthy animals that deserved the harsh rules that kept them in their place.

"My family has the volumes on the laws regarding changelings, yes. We can probably pick you up your own volumes you if you want to mark the books up." Blake's ears remained drooped over. Weiss could sense she was trying Blake's patience despite her not snapping.

But mark books up…? Why would she ever do anything like that?! Books were sacred! To mark up any text would be sacrilege! She wouldn't mind having her own copies, though. Not having to worry about giving the books back would be nice. Plus, translating the fae legalese would give her something to do for several days to weeks, possibly months. She had no idea how to fill her time without the daily ten hours of lessons…

"I would appreciate having my own copies."

"Also, would you like some journals when we go?" That perked her up and she nodded.

"That would be nice too. I'll be making a lot of notes on various books." She needed space to write stuff down. Journals would be great. Well, notebooks. She didn't journal. Journaling would be an easy way to take advantage of her. Putting her thoughts down anywhere could lead to people reading them and then using them against her later on. How anybody could keep journals of their own thoughts made no sense to her. She at least had her own shorthand which made it impossible for anybody but her to read.

She frowned as something hit her. "How exactly does the earring work?" The little piece of jewelry bounced as they trotted along. It felt odd because she never wore anything so long or dangly. Some of her earrings from home hang but not so much. President Jacques would have had her head if she saw her wearing this…and without a matching pair.

"We refer to them as universal translators, but they aren't really. It's a group of many spells put together by multiple people that understand the many different languages of Koiria and how they work. Some human languages are present, but those are reserved for the nobility So if a language isn't in the group of spells then nobody can understand it." That definitely made her feel better. It meant she could have her shorthand and nobody would understand it. It would be hers and hers alone. Nobody would be able to pry into her deepest thoughts for what notes she took on whatever she read. Granted the president always checked her school notes… Would they want to do that here?

Privacy didn't exist in Schnee manor. Everything belonged to the president.

"Okay." Still, it was good to know that she could have some privacy… But she was still a child so she would have to bend to the whims of Blake's parents. It wasn't any child's place to tell adults what to do. She was just shy of being an adult on Remnant, but she was still property. She belonged to her father until marriage then she belonged to her husband… She hated it, but it was how things were in Atlas… She'd never known freedom especially when her being trapped by the fae now…

"And, Weiss?" SHe looked at Blake, head tilted. "…People loving the same gender here is totally normal and accepted. The reason I got so upset is because you were offending the dutchesses. We'll get you a special ring that can shield your thoughts from everyone—even me. No more worries about offending people or causing scandal by your thoughts alone." Blake smiled and Weiss gave a small nod. Having her mind back to herself would be very nice.

"But how can two people of the same gender be together?" She couldn't shake that no matter how hard she tried. It felt like it went against the very foundations of nature. Women and women and men and men couldn't have children together. Though she had clearly seen that the two dutchesses had children… It didn't make sense to her. Family was about passing on the bloodline… How could they possibly pass on the blood between the same gender?

"People are born that way. In the same way I have cat ears and you have white hair…it's a part of who they are. They didn't choose it. Trying to suppress it is extremely harmful and often leads to suicide. So we let people love and marry whoever they want—within reason. No marriages or arranged because matching up somebody's sexuality—"

"You what?!" She gripped Neige's reins wide. No arranged marriages?! She knew places like Vale didn't rely on them, but for there to be none of that in the nobility?! How did they function?! People needed to stay within families! How did society not collapse in on itself without arranging marriages?! She seriously couldn't understand it.

"We don't arrange marriages. It used to be common in the past, but it isn't anymore. And we're talking over a hundred thousand years ago… We don't understand how harmful forcing someone into a mixed-orientation marriage could hurt people. With fae having relatively low birth rates but long lifespans, we need everyone we can get. And if people were killing themselves…" Blake frowned. Weiss…supposed that it did make sense. Low birthrates with a high death rate would result in massive population decline. But still… It went against everything she knew. Atlas operated completely on arranged marriages for the upper class… How something comparable to the Atlassian upper clas function so differently… She really could not wrap her mind around it.

"What about children and continuing the bloodline?"

Blake shrugged. "Not a worry. Magic can take care of it. It's easier for two women than two men, though. Men need a surrogate to carry their children. Usually serfs are willing to do it since they get such good treatment if they carry noble children. It's not a big deal to family lines." Weiss sighed and rubbed one of her cheeks. Magic was going to take forever to get used to. It didn't make any sense completely conflicted with science. Men and men… Women and women… It went against everything she knew.

With that, she fell silent and pondered what Blake had told her.

§

They eventually returned to the manor and Weiss handed Neige off to the stablehand. SHe could definitely feel the long ride, so she drank a bit of the ambrosia water. It had such a heavenly flavor… It was cool, clear, and held a slight bit of sweetness to it. It helped soothed the aches and exhaustion that came from the long ride.

But she could definitely feel the hunger now. The fruit really had been a snack with as much energy as she required. The sun was heading toward the horizon a bit but there seemed to be plenty of time left in the day.

Blake approached and held her hand out. "Come on; let's head to town!" Weiss nodded awkwardly and moved to follow Blake.

"Okay."

Blake continued to held her hand out but when Weiss refused it, she dropped it. She led the way back inside the manor to a small room. The tiles in the center formed a red circle with a console off to the side. Blake put her hand on the console and invited Weiss over. "We don't travel by foot or horse over long distances; we teleport. Once you're more rounded in fae manners, we'll get you your own teleport bracelets: one for the Lider court and one for the Misum court. Until then, we'll have you travel with one of us." Weiss nodded a bit. The Atlas military would love to have the ability to teleport like this… They would make use of it, probably to invade the other kingdoms and start an all-out war…

"By the way, is there anything you really need?"

"Um… Do you have time-keeping devices by any chance?" She wasn't sure if this society was advanced enough for that or not. But if they'd been around for over a hundred thousand years…how hadn't they proceeded beyond this medieval technology? Certainly they could use the natural resources available to them to grow their populations out? She didn't really understand.

"Of course we do. Most don't use them, though… We're taught how to calculate solar time at a young age. We don't really need them. But we can pick you some up for your room." Blake smiled warmly and Weiss nodded. She was glad they could keep track of time… It was maddening to not have any way to know what time it was…

"I have some unicorn hairs from Dydre, so I can probably trade those in for reduce price at the watch maker's." Unicorn hairs? What properties could they possibly have for timekeeping? This world made no sense at all. She really didn't like the lack of logic here. Magic was so nonsensical and the properties of this world were so frustrating! First fae, then pegasi, then purple horses, and then unicorns! How did this world survive its own nonsense!

"Take us to town, please." Blake put her hand on the console and, a moment later, they were outside. People in all colors milled about, talking and going about their business. She noticed most of them had amber eyes while those with red eyes tended to slink into the corner. They were also dressed in mostly what appeared to be long shirts and pants…

Oh. Oh Holy Father!

She was in public with pants on!

"Blake, we should've changed before we came," Weiss hissed at her, trying to not draw unwanted attention to themselves. If Blake wanted to talk about scandal, this would certainly cause one. No self-respecting Atlassian woman would have done this!

Blake tilted her head. "What? I mean, yeah, women usually wear dresses, but that's hardly scandal worthy." Hardy—! How could she say that?! No self-respecting woman should be caught dead in pants publicly! How did she not see what the problem was?! It made no sense!

"Let's go to the jeweler first… I think getting the shielding ring is most important." Weiss nodded her agreement. Yeah, she'd rather not have people continuing to read her thoughts. Plus, she'd already gotten in trouble for simply thinking… Granted, that wasn't so different from Schnee manor in ways… A lady wasn't supposed to have opinions or speak them to her husband, father, or other men. To do so incurred wrath and punishment. It wasn't a woman's place to speak up and try to guide the men in her life. She was to follow and that was all.

Granted, it didn't take long for Weiss to notice the sights, sounds, and smells of the town. It looked like a quaint little village. The scent of baked goods seemed to waft from every direction which was attested to by the numerous bakeries they passed. She wanted to stop and look but they had a mission to accomplish. Plus, getting Blake into more trouble wasn't she was keen to do…

After about ten minutes, they reached as hop simply called 'jeweler' on the sign. A bell clanged as they walked in and Blake offered a bow to the man behind the counter. It didn't take them long to find a ring that fit on Weiss' ring finger, though Blake did glance at the engagement ring. "What's that for? It looks like you haven't taken it off since yesterday."

Weiss looked away and twisted it. She really didn't want to say, especially not with some random stranger in the room.

"It looks like an engagement or wedding ring. A very common token in human cultures at the moment," the jeweler put in. Weiss wanted to wither and die. Why did he know about them?!

"Oh. You can get rid of it if you want to. You're not betrothed anymore. That'll be your choice should you ever make it, Schnee." Blake smiled and Weiss hesitated.

"Really?" She wasn't…? Right, fae realm. She wasn't bound to Atlas anymore… She'd miss her sister so much though… Hopefully she'd be able to see her again…

Blake nodded and Weiss hesitated before taking the ring off. "What should I do with it…?" She didn't want to wear the detestable thing. She didn't even want to look at it. It was yet another thing that marked her as property in Atlas. She would have been Gisbert's to do with as he wanted… She could hardly believe she had narrowly escaped that fat… And she wouldn't have to have children she didn't want…

"I'll appraise and buy it off of you. I know plenty of customers that would enjoy a one-of-a-kind piece from the human world." Weiss blinked at that.

"You'll give me money? But won't your family take it?" She looked at Blake who shook her head.

"It'll be yours to do with as you please. We won't take it from you. You are on my family's credit, though, so you can buy what you want." That felt far too good to be true. They were letting her have unfettered access to their funds? No way. No family would let a child have uncontrolled access to money. She didn't even understand what things were worth. She'd never been allowed in a store in her life before now.

Thankfully, it did seem like the shielding worked since Blake didn't react at all. She handed the engagement ring to the jeweler who looked it over for several minutes. "White gold, flawless sapphires, and even flawless diamonds… Yes, I believe I can offer you a hundred golds and sixty silvers for it. Does that sound like a fair price?"

Weiss went to speak but she heard a noise of disapproval from blake. "We both know you'll get at least three fifty golds for such an extravagant piece. Make it one fifty golds and we'll call it good." From there, the two kept tossing prices out, Blake's higher than the jeweler's. She eventually talked him up to one twenty golds and eighty silvers.

He handed Weiss a small leather pouch. It felt light, not like it was laden with precious metals. "Cutthroat as always, young Belladonna. Well met," the jeweler said. Blake grinned from ear to ear.

"I should still have gotten more for that, but you always drive a hard bargain. Let's go, Schnee." With that, they headed out the door and Weiss looked at Blake.

"What was that about?" She'd never seen anything like that before. Once again, it made no sense to her. Blake was a child and the jeweler was a man about middle age… And Blake was a woman at that. How had she gotten any respect in those circumstances? Women were always ignored no matter how good a point they had to make was. She'd learned that well enough by now. Plus, weren't prices for goods fixed? How had she convinced him to give her more?

"Oh, a little bit of haggling. Both Lider and Misum love a good haggle. People buying things off you will offer a low price so they can sell it for more profit. And if you're buying, they'll usually try to sell high to make more off you. So learning the actual value of goods is going to be important for your survival here. The only places you don't haggle are sit-down restaurants and often animals—especially awakened birds. But if it's a street vendor—" Blake motioned to a woman with a cart on a nearby corner. "—prepare to haggle. I'll handle that while we're here in town." That…was going to be extremely trying… She didn't even know the value of goods on Remnant, let alone here in the fae realm. How was she supposed to learn? If she had the money to spend, why not spend it? She didn't even really understand how much she had from selling the ring. She knew gold and silver were expensive but that was it. Money didn't mean anything to her when she'd never spent anything before.

"Would you like to visit the Name Holder or the watchmaker next?" Wait… Blake was giving her a choice? She didn't really know…

Well, the Name Holder was extremely important. She'd chosen her soul name and taking care of that seemed to be a high priority… She wished she had some more context and understanding of what the Name Holder was like and what that entailed… Having somebody mess with her soul sounded terrifying…

She also wanted to know what time it was now. Though that would involve watching Blake haggle again… Voices hadn't been raised, but the conflict scared her. How was she supposed to survive learning to haggle in the coming months and years? Plus, what if she offended or upset somebody so they yelled at her? She really didn't like that thought.

She dithered for several minutes until she sighed. "I guess we can go see the Name Holder." It felt completely dehumanising to be referred to by simply her last name. It didn't feel any different form when the president referred to as 'my daughter' and not by her name… She was his property, but it didn't make it any easier to accept…

"Right this way then." Blake motioned for Weiss to follow. Swallowing hard, she followed her. What would this hold? Would she walk out the same person that had entered? She had no idea. This felt like one of the most paramount moments of her life…