Auria's first indication her plan had worked was when she rolled over and saw the clock read 930. Weiss normally woke strictly at 600, ate at 630, ran through her morning routine, then began lessons for the next ten hours. It was a very good thing her plan had worked. Now she wouldn't have to put up with any sort of abuse from either Mister Gelé or that little rat Gisbert. The wedding wasn't supposed to be for another six months according to Weiss' memories, but he wasn't a pleasant person.
Gisbert seemed every bit an Atlassian upper-class man as far as Auria could see. He was self-absorbed, sef-important, narrow-minded, uncultured, uncouth, racist, sexist, merciless, and every bit as unpleasant as Mister Gelé.
In short, he was the perfect man to carry on the SDC's policies as they existed under Mister Gelé.
Granted, Atlassian inheritance could be…messy and Winter would have to fight tooth and nail to gain her proper place. She at least had the backing of the military and its man held two council seats, so even the most die-hard business partners would be hard pressed to stand against the formidable woman.
Auria went into Weiss' bathroom and glanced at the ingredients in her shampoos and other toiletries. She couldn't help but frown. She hadn't heard of even a quarter of the these ingredients. She knew Serila…er, Remnant, was more industrialised than Koiria, but this was… All of these synthetic materials would probably cause her serious issue. She didn't know what most of them did. Then again…
She searched Weiss' memories, blinking and msiling when she found what she wanted. A swing back out to the main room found a notebook with a bunch of shorthand notes in it. It was all Weiss' notes on what each ingredient in her various toiletries did. Thankfully, she had Weiss' memories to translate the shorthand.
She settled at her desk and started flipping through the pages. Hopefully she wouldn't have any major reaction to the synthetic materials… She didn't want anything to give her act away…
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Eventually, the sound of the door opening made her look up. A stout, balding man with a mustache walked in. "Oh, Miss Schnee, I thought you'd be ready by now. But something terrible has happened: your father was found dead this morning! The house has been in an uproar since then!"
Auria had to suppress her desire to grin wickedly. So she had been successful. Not that she'd doubted she would be if it was always nice to have the effects confirmed.
All she could do was bow her head and look down. "Oh, that's awful to hear… I apologise for not being ready though… Once nobody came this morning, I kind of got lazy…" It was already 1030. Hard to believe she'd been studying that notebook for so long. Some of those ingredients did have her worried, though… She'd need to have turi sneak her the supplies she normally used under cover of night. SHe really couldn't stand to use the stuff from this world. She'd have to pretend to shower until Turi could bring her what she needed. Hopefully she'd get that tonight.
"Well, you need to get ready for the day. You can't look so unkempt."
"Yes—of course, Klein. I'll see myself ready as quickly as I can." With it being so 'late' in the day, it at least absolved her from showering. She'd washed her hair the day before so she didn't really need to today.
The man left her room and she went into Weiss' walk-in closet. None of these dresses were her style at all. They were minimalist compared to the day wear of the Misum nobility. She was so used to voluminous skirts that required being picked up. Petticoats, bloomers, corsets, and more. Human fashion was so minimalist that she couldn't begin to wrap her mind around it. Plus, the stupid standard of women needing to be covered head to toe… Atlas was such a hellhole in comparison to even the Misum court.
She eventually settled on a lavender, knee-length dress with opaque, white tights. The tights were so itchy but she couldn't be seen scratching, lest she give herself away. And the cloth was so uncomfortably thick too… But it made sense with Atlas' cold climate. Still, she already missed her own wardrobe. She had several more decades before she could go back home… This was going to be an absolute nightmare.
At least she didn't have to put up with abuse from either Gisbert or Mister Gelé as long as she was here.
Thankfully, with what little she knew about Winter, she didn't have to worry about being betrothed again even if Atlassian society might demand it.
Klein led her downstairs to the main foyer. Whitley could be seen sobbing in the corner. Her heart went out to the boy even if he was objectively wrong. Mister Gelé was nothing but a snake and she was sure he'd get his just desserts from Melanthios. Oh, the force of death was never happy when it came to abuse of any sort.
Winter stood in the middle of the foyer with a giant of a man—General Ironwood, she presumed. When she saw Auria, she walked over. The fae offered a polite curtsy. "Good morning, sister. What brings you here to the manor?" She honestly wasn't sure how to act. Weiss' emotions on the man were conflicted at best. She sought his approval and wanted his love but a cool distance remained between them. She really only thought of him as 'President Jacques' even if she called him 'Father' to his face.
Winter let out a sigh. "With Mister Gelé gone, I'm the only member of the family fit to take over the business. You're still too young yet, Weiss. Those vipers from the board will try to gain some sympathy and power otherwise." She could only imagine what the board would try to do. Her knowledge of human politics were limited to Weiss' memories. But she'd spent enough time in court to understand the power struggle a power vacuum could lead to. It was never a fun time and she didn't admire Winter having to deal with it. "I assume you have no arguments with me taking your place?"
Auria offered a brilliant smile and shook her head. "Not at all, Winter! I know I'm not prepared for the difficulties of running the company." She'd keep her nose out of the politics. She could handle fae politics but human ones? Weiss only had three years of learning when it came to them. She did not want have the proper knowledge to navigate what Winter was getting into.
It didn't mean she couldn't cause trouble when and where she could, though. If she could help Winter at any point, she would.
"Weiss, I would like you meet General Ironwood. General Ironwood, my little sister, Weiss." Winter motioned between the pair of them and Auria offered another curtsy.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, sir." She continued to smile, her tone mild but still a bit perky. The man glanced at Winter. Damn it, could he sense something was up? Weiss had never met the man before so could he possibly know something was off? She was probably being too chipper for the passing of her own father. But Winter seemed entirely nonplussed by the entire thing outside of the politics she was about to enter. Her soul read completely annoyed, though there was an undercurrent of grief. It was tied in relation to her sister, not her father. Humans were such open books in comparison to fae…
"Likewise, Miss Schnee. Colonel Schnee has spoken of you quite often." She definitely felt confusion in his soul. He was onto her. But how? Weiss didn't really interact with people too much from her memories.
Oh.
That was probably the problem. Weiss was such a passive little doll that this behavior was out of character for her. But she'd already committed so she couldn't go changing on a dime. She had to stick with what she'd set.
"Really? I'm so glad." She smiled warmly at Winter who offered a faint one in return. She could feel Winter's soul twisting tightly and could practically hear her thoughts: But you're not my sister. No, she wasn't. And she wasn't used to being in the little sister role either. Turi was her younger sister, though they had spent some decades apart due to Turi's stupid elopement with that human. How could any noble fae run away and have children so young with a human?!
Ah, that brought up a question. "WInter, will I be able to use the library?" She wasn't sure if Willow's side would have family records. Turi had told her hat the Schnees were basically peasants in the time she'd been there. Mine workers. Hard laborers, not…this. Of course, she knew a bit thanks ot Weiss' memories, but she wanted to get to the bottom of the family lineage.
"Yes—of course, Weiss. And you don't have to attend lessons any further if you don't want to." Oh good… She wouldn't have to sit through that drivel. She was no doubt much smarter than most if not all of those teachers thanks to her age. She'd had all sorts of lessons since her youngest years, so she could outperform most humans. She could at least call on Weiss' knowledge of dust to complete the full illusion. It'd take her time to fully integrate that knowledge, but she at least had it when it was needed.
"Weiss, Whitley, how about we get you some breakfast?" Winter looked at both of them and Auria nodded. Yeah, that did sound good. She was already beyond her usual breakfast time.
"Okay, Winter." She started to follow her 'sister' to the family's private dining room where breakfast awaied. Auria couldn't help but freeze a bit.
There was honest-to-gods meat on the plate. She could tell the difference to their native fruits immediately due to the difference in energy. It still held a small part of the animal's soul in it. It was a massively different energy to what fruits and veggies felt like. Tuir was okay eating meat, but Auria had never touched the stuff in her life. She felt sick even looking at the loss of life in front of her. And there was no telling what it'd do to her digestive system if she ate it.
"Is something wrong, Weiss?"
"Can I speak to you for a moment, Winter?" The woman pulled Auria to the side and she spoke in a hushed whisper. "I can't eat meat! Fae don't do that! We have fruits and vegetables that mimic meat. I'm going to get sick if I eat that!" she hissed. They hadn't thought through every aspect of this. But that was what happened when a change had to happen so quickly. Not every little avenue cold be analysed. But this… This was something else. It'd give her away entirely. She'd have to figure out something with magic especially since Whitley was right there.
Winter frowned then blinked. "Ah, here's an idea. You've learned about vegetarianism by overhearing servants and were interested in it. Now that Mister Gelé is gone, you plan to make that change a permanent part of your diet. Do you have her scroll?" Auria nodded and pulled it out of her pocket. "You researched it on your own and decided to investigate the change with no restrictions on you."
"That's brilliant." She paused for a moment. "What's 'vegetarian,' though?" THere were going to be so many human words that she'd need to learn. Hopefully Winter wouldn't mind helping her out when she needed it. Thankfully, she could chalk most of it up to Weiss' incredibly sheltered upbringing.
"To keep it short, somebody who doesn't consume certain animal products. Vegan is somebody who consumes absolutely no animals products or byproducts. Do…you consume any?" Winter's eyebrow raised.
Auria nodded. "Yeah, we eat milk, cheese, eggs, and other dairy. It's from goats, though; not cows. They're a little less environmentally destructive than cows." They needed dairy products for baking and cooking, so they couldn't be entirely without it. But they never really ate the animals after they died. The bodies were given back to the land or to the other races for eating. Fae almost never touched the flesh of animals unless they practiced falconry. There were occasionally fae who ate meat but they were very rare…and usually falconers. Hunting nor slaughter was not a necessary part of fae life.
"Lacto-ovo vegetarian then… I"ll inform the cooks." Auria nodded at Winter's words then went to the table and sat down. Whitley moved his food around his plate, not eating, but he stiffened as soon as Winter entered. He forced a bite down his throat before spluttering. He clearly didn't want to eat.
Winter put a hand on his shoulder. "If you aren't hungry, you don't have to force yourself to eat. There won't be any punishment for it." She saw Whitley look up at Winter, confusion pouring off his soul. The poor boy had never had anybody show him legitimate kindness to him, had he? Weiss had only learned about his existence a few years ago and they'd always been at each other's throats. How was she supposed to convincingly do a full 180 on Weiss' behavior? It was clearly the case of him being another victim of Atlas' horrible systems…
"Are you sure? Father would—"
"He's not here. It's my rules now, Whitley." Winter's tone was gentle yet firm, just enough for him to know she wouldn't be budging. He looked down and nodded, wrapping his arms around himself. "And we'll be removing that lock from your door. Only you can lock it once I'm done."
The two continued to talk but Auria turned her attention to the food.
Bland.
Horribly, irrevocably, disastrously bland!
How could anybody live on this sort of food?! She wanted to spit it out, but she had to force it down her throat.
She already missed her own. She wanted to leave so badly, but she couldn't. Maybe she could fake her death in a year or so when things were more settled.
She would not be able to survive here for too long. The food was horrible, the people were… She didn't even have the words to describe how horribly messed up Atlas was.
Winter would be going to Vale in a month. Maybe if she could hold on that long, things would get better. Or maybe she could convince Winter to leave early. SHe had known Atlas would be bad, but she hadn't expected this.
Oh gods, how was she going to survive?
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Once breakfast finished, Auria pulled Winter to the side again. "What's up with this bland-ass food?! How can you guys eat this on a daily basis?!" Seriously, it really was bad enough she wanted to 'die!' She really did! Food was so important to culture and the lack of spices told her Atlas lacked almost any of it! Mantle had forged trade routes with Mistral ages ago for the spice trade, but they apparently didn't use those old trade routes. Seriously, Atlas was so fucked up!
Winter pursed her lips. "I've expanded my own diet out thanks to going to other kingdoms with the military, so my pallet has grown by a fair amount. I suppose I can tell the cooks to try new combinations for you and Whitley. We will be going to Vale, no question about it. Expanding my siblings' taste is good since Vale is very much a cultural melting pot…" Cultural…? What did that mean? Gods, there were so many concepts that she needed to learn. Again, she could at least easily chalk that up to Weiss' sheltered upbringing when it came to interacting with outsiders…
"Also, we'll need to keep everything fresh for me. I looked at Weiss' shampoo and was floored by the amount of synthetic ingredients. I won't be able to eat anything processed." Processed food was pretty much a staple in Atlas from what little she could gather. But with Weiss being upper class, she got the best of the best, so that meant minimal processed foods.
"Thankfully, that won't be too much of an issue. Mister Gelé payed for the finest ingredients to often be imported and to always get from Atlas' growing houses. You won't have to endure being sick for weeks like I was when I had to get used to processed foods." Auria winced. So much in this world would make her sick or break out into rashes if she wasn't careful. She was already a little itchy from whatever detergents this world used. She hadn't really been able to think any of this through…
"That's definitely good. I don't want to get sick when I have so much to learn." She'd be spending a lot of time in the library to learn the physics of a globe world. It really was a strange leap when Koiria was completely flat. Her biggest concern was learning solar time. Until then, she had Weiss' scroll. Her own pearl wouldn't offer any help on time. "Anyway, I'm off to the—"
Winter held up a key on a chain. "Until we can get the locksmith in, here's the key to your room. I don't want you trapped in there. The house is yours to have free rein of." Oh goodie. Her eyes glinted. She could easily get out but this made it all the easier. Now she wouldn't have to waste magic on those asinine locks.
"Thank you." She slipped it around her neck. Though she still missed the starlings. She'd long grown past the need for one, but she tended to keep one around for the sake of it. This house felt so empty without animals running around everywhere. She was so far removed from her horse too… How did these people cope with being so far from mature?
"Do you think there's any chance we could leave for Vale early?" She didn't want to be stuck in this house with nowhere else to go. Granted, it wasn't like she knew much about Vale… All Weiss knew was that it was a place of hedonism and insecurities. Auria was pretty sure it was all lies. Atlas seemed to run strictly on propaganda to keep its citizens in line and complacent.
"Unfortunately not. I'll be pushing things as is. I suppose I could send you and Whitley ahead but I'd rather be there to help both of you to adapt. Vale is…a lot to handle when coming from Atlas. Plus, I wouldn't know where to put you two." WInter frowned and Auria sighed. She really wouldn't survive on this floating sheet of metal for too long. A month felt like an eternity. It was so far from nature… She could feel her soul screaming to get back home already. "…I suppose I can try to arrange leaving in the next few days."
Auria brightened up and hugged Winter. "Thanks!" She was looking forward to getting off this floating death trap. Hopefully Vale would allow her to be closer to nature. It'd still be a big city; she knew that much. She'd have to go study maps of the city to determine what she could and couldn't do there.
Winter stiffened a bit but put a hand on her shoulder. "The trade off is that I won't really be around… I'll have to attend virtual meetings with the higher ups into the night. I do have a friend in Vale but she's at Beacon…" The woman frowned. "I'll have to find someone to help you and Whitley adapt…"
"Thankfully, I probably won't have as hard a time adapting as him. Misum culture can be quite unpredictable." She smiled and winked at Winter. Yeah, Msium culture was quite strict in its own ways, but it wasn't as bad as Atlas. It could be absolutely chaotic due to how Misum acted.
"The only thing is that there is an event tomorrow we'll all be expected to attend." Auria froze at that before grinning. Okay, so her tenure in Atlas wouldn't be as long as she expected. But she couldn't do it. She couldn't deal with this absolutely oppressive culture. She wouldn't mess with things and people as much as she thought.
But she'd at least get one night to go out with a bang. They'd see the 'new' Weiss and and quiver in fear for what women could do. It would be a night those stupid humans would never forget.
"All right. I'll be sure to be there. I'm going to the library now." She bowed and headed off toward her destination. Oh, tomorrow would be fun…
Winter headed back to Mister Gelé's office and settled down at the desk, pressing her fingers into her temples. This really was a nightmare. Weiss wasn't here anymore and this fae was extremely high maintenance. No meat, no processed foods, nothing that would be considered normal by average standards. What would she do for shampoo and other toiletries if the amount of synthetic ingredients was so shocking? Would she really be able to las in this world long term? It didn't seem likely.
"Is something wrong, Winter?" James asked from his chair. He sat across from her at the desk.
This office was so disgusting. Gelé worshiped himself like he was a god. A few false platitudes toward his wife and child sat around, but they bore false emotions. Overwhelmingly everything was about himself.
It had only ever been about him. His family had never mattered beyond what they could do for his finances. And once they didn't, he threw them out. Just like he had done with her and Willow…
"It's…a lot to handle, s—"
"Winter, what have I said about that?"
She let out a breath slowly. No calling him sir in private. It was hard to break habits. Plus, she actually respected him. He had done so much for her over the past several years… How could she not want to show him the respect he so obviously deserved?
She rested her head in her hand. He wouldn't believe her if she told him. It was entirely unbelievable. He'd have her committed to an institution if she told the truth. She had little doubt about that. She wasn't sure if Auria would willingly help back her up if needed. "It's a lot to deal with." Damn it all, she wanted to address him properly so badly. It always took so much self control to not call him sir.
"Stop lying to me. I know there's something more going on here and I suspect it has something to do with Weiss." He kept his tone gentle, but her heart still froze in her chest. He knew her too well. Weiss was her everything and her reason for living. With her gone, what would she do…? She had no personal reason to keep fighting. She had no connection with Whitley. What was she supposed to do?
"I… You won't believe if I tell you." She sounded certifiably insane. Fairies. They belonged in mythology, not Remnant! She had read tales of changelings but they were all in mythology. This wasn't supposed to happen in their modern world!
"You'd be surprised by what I'll believe, Winter. Plus, I know you. You wouldn't spin some crazy story for the sake of it." He offered her a smile and she sighed. Reluctantly, she gave up all the information. She sounded insane and she knew it. But she'd seen Weiss with that heterochromatic Faunus and watched as Weiss morphed into Auria and back again. Plus, she had seen how 'Weiss' behaved this morning. It was too bubbly and bouncy. And then everything with the food… There was no way around it.
James fell quiet for a little while until he nodded slowly. "I believe you." Winter's head snapped up and her eyes widened. What?! It was that simple?! "I thought something seemed off about her from how you've described her. She seemed too…upbeat especially for what's happened."
"You believe me…?" She really couldn't get past this. It was certifiably insane. She could have been committed to an asylum for this! "How can you believe me so easily?"
"Let's leave it at I have my own secrets about the esoteric side of the world. I didn't know about the fae, but there are other things I know about." He sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. She knew he had his secrets but so much that he'd believe her about fae or fairies and changelings so easily… What exactly did he know? She knew she would never get those answers out of him. It wasn't like she needed to know those things anyway.
"I see… Yes, this is what has me stressed out. Weiss is in the fae realm now and I may never see her again." Tears welled in her eyes and she buried her face in her hands. Her little sister was gone… She'd lost everything. Weiss was her world. What was she supposed to do? She'd lead the SDC and that had always been her endgoal…but for the reason of freeing Weiss. It felt so hollow without being able to hold the little girl she'd fought so long and hard for.
She felt a hand on her shoulder and she looked up at him. "I understand why you're so upset. I won't tell you not to grieve. But you still have reason to keep going. You have a little brother and mother to depend on you. You have an entire company to reshape. Please don't give up. You're still young. You have so much ahead of you." She leaned against him, drinking in the warmth. He was so much more of a father than Gelé had ever been. She loved and respected him so much for his guidance and compassion.
"I-I'll try…" That was the most she could promise. She felt like she'd had the rug completely pulled out from under her. Weiss… She wanted her little sister back but she did have things to fight for…
She wiped away her tears and sighed. "I…promised Auria that we'd leave for Vale in a few days…" It was going to be an absolute nightmare. The SDC at least had a vacation home in Vale that she knew of. She'd never been there before, but she'd once overheard Mister Gelé speak of it. She'd prefer to stay somewhere smaller, though… Maybe she could have Coco help her find a rental after they arrived. Or a smaller house to buy. She didn't feel comfortable in these large manors anymore. She was used to staying in the general's quarters or her own various apartments through the world on different military bases.
"So soon? I was hoping I'd be able to help you through this more."
"I know. I was hoping for more time too. But she obviously isn't doing well here. It'd be unfair to keep her here. Though it would be equally unfair to completely uproot Whitley…" She sighed. There was no winning here and she knew it. But a fresh start for Whitley might be best too… Then again, who wouldn't want to take advantage of the SDC in this vulnerable time? Whitley would have to be careful about who he spoke to. She had a feeling she wouldn't need to worry about Auria too much. She had the look in her eye that she knew how to handle people.
"Do what you feel is best, Winter." He gently ran a hand over her head. Honestly, she wanted to be out of Atlas as soon as possible herself… She hated the damnable kingdom and everything it stood for. She wouldn't complain too much about going to Vale earlier than planned. It unfortunately meant far more work for her and less time with Whitley and Auria.
"By the way, would you happen to have any trustworthy contacts in Vale that might be able to help me with some things…?" She would need real estate among other things…S he mostly needed somebody to help with Whitley and maybe Auria… If she could have somebody to help them adapt that wouldn't take advantage of them…
The heavy sigh indicated one person. One person that she didn't want anything to do with.
She pressed her fingers to her temples. "You've got to be kidding me." Not Qrow. Why him? How was he a trustworthy person in the general's eyes? All he did was drink and heckle her and shout at the general. That seemed the complete opposite of trustworthy.
"There's nobody that knows Vale better than Qrow. Plus, I believe he has two nieces that may be able to help as well." Fantastic… Absolutely fantastic… She'd have to put up with that drunk bastard. If he had nieces that might be around Whitley's age, that'd be fantastic. Then again, could she really trust anybody to—
Qrow hated the SDC. She doubted he'd try to take advantage of her. But those nieces were a worry… They might still try to hurt Whitley or take advantage of him. He was probably about as naive as Weiss had been if not moreso. He was still her little brother… Even if they didn't know each other, she still didn't want him to suffer.
She let out a breath. "I suppose we can try to talk to him…" They probably wouldn't get anywhere. This was Qrow Branwen they were talking about. He was one of the most unreasonable men she'd ever met.
And she had met far too many of those over her life, more than she could count.
"Let's get this over with." No point in pussyfooting around.