Winter looked at the general as he pulled out his scroll. He dialed Qrow's contact and they waited with bated breath. Would he be able to pick up? She wasn't sure if she wanted to talk to him or not. She had never seen eye to eye with him. He'd heckled her the first time they'd met. She hadn't even done anything to him either; she'd only been working her desk job as one of the general's personal aides. She'd only been sitting behind a desk, minding her own business when he'd come in and started heckling her.

"Hello?" The question crackled over the line and Winter tensed. "What the fuck do you want, Jimmy? Don't you bother me enough while I'm in Atlas? Now ya go and bug me when I'm supposed to be relaxing?" Winter heard the distinct sound of sloshing and could only imagine him pulling form his flask. Why did the general think this drunkard was a trustworthy source to help her while she was in Vale?

"I was hoping you could help Winter and—"

"Oh, like I want anything to do with that haughty bitch." Winter tensed at his words but a glance from the general kept her in place. She didn't want anything to do with this drunkard! He was one of the least trustworthy people she knew! There was no reasoning with somebody so selfish! She could make better headway with a brick wall!

"Mister… Qrow… I am admittedly reluctant to ask for your help—" She heard him scoff. "—but I'm taking on the entirety of the SDC by myself. I'll be moving to Vale in a couple of days. I have two little siblings that will need help adjusting to such a…starkly different society. I need somebody to help them. Will you please help me?" It tore her pride to admit all of this. She wanted to curl up and die due to how pathetic she sounded.

It took several minutes for a response to come. "I doubt your siblings would want to be around me. I'll see if I can get my nieces over there. They'll probably be of more use than me." Winter blinked at that. It was that easy? She'd never seen him bend or bow whenever he was in Atlas. He was supposed to be one of the most unreasonable people on the face of the planet! Why was he being so reasonable now?!

"Well… My siblings need to know to defend themselves. Weiss already does have some combat training, but Whitley has none. You're the best Hunter on the planet, so I'd feel better if they learned from somebody of your caliber." Well, she wasn't sure about Auria and combat experience… Did fae fight? She really knew nothing about their culture or abilities. What was it like to be a fae…? She wished she could go be with Weiss… But she couldn't rely on a fae to take her spot and lead the company correctly.

Plus, she'd miss Coco if she left.

This was so very difficult to deal with.

She heard a haggard sigh from the other end of the line. "What's in it for me? And don't say money. I don't have SDC money but I could buy a 250k house and still have plenty left over. I could probably buy your entire alcohol collection and still have plenty left over." She heard the sloshing of his flask again and sighed.

"A roof over your head and some of the best chefs in the world preparing your food. And I suppose some of the finest alcohols in the planet." She couldn't quite hide the disgust in her tone. Alcohol did nothing but destroy. It destroyed minds, bodies, and relationships. But if he wanted to access the liquor stores, she had no use for them. He might as well get something out of this, she supposed…

"Eh, if I'm gonna be in your place with Yang and Ruby, I won't need the booze." Wait, what…? He didn't want the liquor? But why? It flew in the face of everything she knew about him. Didn't he want to be plastered every waking moment? This was getting more confusing by the second.

"I won't use the liquor and I don't see myself holding any events. It'll be free for your use if you so want it." She could only handle alcohol if it was used in cooking and baking. She could sometimes force a half glass champagne down, but the acrid flavor of the spirits cut to her very core. She really could not stand the stuff. How anybody liked it was beyond her.

"Eh, I'll have to skip this time. Mind giving me the address?" Winter told him before speaking again.

"Don't go quite yet; let me tell the staff you're coming with your nieces. It'll give them time to prepare rooms for you." It was basic courtesy to let the staff in order. She'd barely decided on all of this, so things weren't in order. The rooms would probably be ready by evening at least… Though they could also wait until the following day…

"I'll need to tell Yang and Ruby anyway. Need to let them get ready, so we'll prolly head over sometime tomorrow." He paused. "Do you mind if they bring their dog? He's a corgi so he won't take up too much space. He is dark, though, so his fur will show up on your furniture and clothing."

"Not at all." Mister Gelé would've minded, but she didn't. As long as it didn't get all over everything… She didn't want her own personal clothes covered in dog hair. But it'd be entirely unfair to make them leave their dog behind. As long as it didn't mess the house up entirely, it would be fine. "So long as it doesn't mess in the house or cause destruction."

"Nah, not a worry. Zwei's an aura breed." That did make things easier, at least… Aura breeds were so much better than normal animals from what she'd seen… Not that she had extensive experience with either side…

"Also, I would suggest pulling your nieces out of school if possible. I'll be bringing some of the finest teachers with me…or at least finding replacements in Vale." Then again, most of Whitley and Weiss' teachers only spoke Atlassian as far as she knew. Winter and her siblings had been brought up bilingual, so they'd be able to learn in Valian too. For now, she'd keep Whitley's tutors with him on a virtual call. They could probably use an attitude adjustment. Ten hours a day was not necessary… Most schools only went seven to eight hours per day. Private tutoring probably also didn't need as much. It was just a way to keep Weiss and Whitley quiet while shoveling as much propaganda down their throats as possible.

"You sure? Yang can drive her and Ruby to Signal everyday." Yang drove? Winter didn't even have her own license and stuck to the private drivers that James offered her.

"The education they'll get form private tutors will far outstrip any public education they can receive. What sort of school is Signal?"

"Combat school. They still study basics like math 'n shit, but it's more focused on preparing them to be Huntresses." Hm. She'd have to assess where each girl was, then find teachers based on their levels. They could miss out on some time, but they'd make up for it in the private tutoring. Plus, Qrow could be their combat instructor.

"We'll assess where they are through standard tests, then I'll find teachers based on their levels. It may be a few weeks—"

"Actually, I can handle the teacher search, so don't worry our pretty little head." She gripped the arms of the chair and gritted her teeth. Apparently, he was still going to be the infuriating man he'd always been… She wanted to protest but he probably did have better networking than she did when it came to Vale. Plus, she already had so much on her plate. As loathe as she was to admit it, he was probably better at handling this than she was.

"Very well. I do hope you'll do background checks and other methods of verification." She could not risk her family's safety. No way, no how. Her family was her primary concern even if she wasn't related to Auria… The fae deserved to feel as safe as she possibly could. ANd making sure the teachers were sound would go a long way in make sure the house was safe.

"Yeah, I'll make sure I have others vouch for 'em in stuff. I have my own ways of making sure that people are who they say they are. Can your siblings really understand Valian, though?"

"Yes. We were all brought up bilingual. Valian is too important a language for people of our standing to not learn." As far as she was aware, basically all of the Atlassian upper class was bilingual… THe teachers mostly weren't but they were middle class, not upper class.

Well. She hoped Auria spoke Valian. There was no way of verifying until they got to vale or she asked her… She hoped and prayed the fae wouldn't be completely stranded… But, then again, would she ask to leave if she didn't know the language? Gods, it was so hard to know things sometimes.

"All right then. Anything else you needed from me, Ice Queen?" Infuriating man. But she kept a level head.

"No. That's about it. If I need anything else, I'll let the general know and he'll call you."

"Talk to ya later, then." The line clicked off and Winter dropped her head into her hands. Why was he like this? Why was he so deadset on heckling her even when she was asking for help? And why was he willing to help in the first place? Qrow made absolutely no sense. He was as obtuse as people came, a ball of living contradictions. How could anybody rely on him?

And now she had to put an immense amount of trust into him. She was trusting him with Whitley's education. Gods, how was she supposed to do that? But she'd already be strapped for time as was. She really didn't have the time to spend weeks vouching for private tutors herself.

James rested a hand on her shoulder. She sighed. "I understand your worries. He's…really inconsistent and infuriating. But he almost always pulls through on all his missions. I don't doubt he'll pull through here."

"You say that so confidently…" She had no trust in Qrow. He had never done anything to show her he could be trusted with anything, let alone sensitive matters. Why was he so…everything? She absolutely hated everything about him! He was the worst! But she didn't have much choice. She needed to delegate at least some of her duties to other people…and finding teachers was one of them…

ƒ

Auria soon found she couldn't sit still. The physics books lay in front of her, but she felt restless. She was so used to having her own lessons for about five or six hours everyday. She had studies that would take her all day, but it wasn't the same. She was used to socialising with her classmates, laughing, joking, and having a social life. The lack of any warmth from other Misum or life in general weighed on her already.

She missed the horses and pegasi. She missed the dogs. She missed the cats. She missed the starlings. She missed her parents and little sister. How did Atlas survive when it was so bereft of warmth? How did people live without the closeness of family?

She saw Weiss' thoughts and how sadly paranoid they were. And she wasn't necessarily wrong in them either. Everyone was out to get the SDC's weath. And they'd be out to get a piece of the pie. Both Winter and 'Weiss' were eligible bachelorettes. Winter was the head of the SDC. Everyone would want a piece of her. And with Gisbert dead, it opened 'Weiss' up to potential suitors again. Atlas had no bounds so she would definitely be hit on the following night. Hopefully Winter wouldn't organise any parties… She wasn't sure how many Atlassian-style events she could handle. One would probably be more than enough for her.

She would have had fun messing with the upper class to some degree, but too much of it would definitely wear her down.

She wanted to go outside. But there were no fields or forests to frolic in. Riding horses was an event in Atlas, not something to do casually. She was so used to having a mid-morning, post-breakfast flight on her pegasus… SHe was so restless. How was she supposed to adapt to a new routine so quickly? Things had been relatively stable for her for the past fifty years!

She tapped her chin. Well, the manor was hers now for the few days she was here. Plus, she had promised Winter she'd help with the family… Maybe she should check on Willow. The temporary sobering would have worn off by now. Had anybody checked on her or was she simply forgotten by anyone that wasn't her wine butler? It was hard to know things when Weiss' life was so limited. Her entire life was the sum total of about five rooms in the manor.

With that, she slipped out of the library and made her way to Willow's room. The woman sat in a chair near the balcony, sloshing a bottle of wine in her hand. The atmosphere in the room was…depressing to say the very least. The woman had completely had the fighting spirit beaten—and raped—out of her. People only had so much in them before they gave up. Even the strongest could only last so long before they reached their limit.

"Willow?" Auria kept her voice quiet, trying to not disturb things too much.

The sloshing of the bottle stopped and the woman turned to look at her. "W-Weiss? N-No… You're that…" She hiccuped and pulled from the bottle. "What're you doin' here? Shouldn' you be in l-lessons?" She was glad Willow was sitting down. She would've hated seeing how unsteady she was on her feet. This…was one of the saddest displays she'd ever seen. Humans truly were monsters far greater than the Grimm or even their leader… Of course, the nobility abused their serfs which led to its own suffering and problems. It was why people like her specialised in trauma: to help serfs be better off mentally and emotionally. She wouldn't really be able to help Willow, though… She'd have to leave that to the doctors of this world.

"Did nobody tell you Jacques is dead?"

"Nobody…doesn't tell me nothin'…" Willow pulled from the bottle again. So she was forgotten… How sad…

"Well, your husband is dead. We'll be heading to Vale in a few days." How had even Winter forgotten about Willow? She seemed to be the type of person that would be on top of everything. She'd thought about her siblings but not her own mother. How could somebody forget about a parent? Then again, Weiss didn't exactly have many memories of Willow in the first place…

"Right, right…" The sarcasm wasn't lost on her. The woman didn't believe her.

She walked over and touched her shoulder, making Willow shake her head. "Gods damn it… This transition isn't fun." She gave Auria a bit of a withering glance before sighing again. "So he's really dead?"

Auria nodded. "Apologies. I know transitioning from drunk to sober via spell is rough. But yes, Jacques is really dead. Winter's taking over the SDC as we talk. She has an uphill battle to fight and I won't be involved at all. Again, I can't keep you sober permanently but until the spell wears off…" It was so much easier to talk to people when they were sober. There would be no getting through to Willow so long as she was plastered.

"It's hard to believe he's dead… He felt so invincible to me…" Tears welled in Willow's eyes. Auria couldn't really blame her. Nobody could take on the king and queen, so she really did understand. SHe could never take them on especially when she was so young. The king and queen were thousands of years old with powers she couldn't even begin to imagine. The finest education in all of history and defenses she couldn't even know.

"Well, he's gone now, though you do have your own struggles head…" Auria placed her hand on Willow's shoulder. How hard would it be to adapt to freedom after so long in captivity? She couldn't even imagine. Most of her life had likely been in this room. Poor Weiss was probably having an even harder time than Willow would. Her whole life had been nothing but captivity. How hard would it be to go from isolation to total freedom? She couldn't even begin to imagine that either.

"Can I ask something of you?" Auria blinked and looked down at Willow.

"What is it?" She would do anything within her power to help the family. She had a lot of power, but with her guise, she could only do so much.

Willow gripped Auria's hand weakly. "Don't forget about Whitley. He doesn't deserve coldness and lack of love. He's a victim the same way Weiss and Winter are. He needs kindness too."

She petted Willow's head gently. "I won't forget about him. I promised Winter I would help the family to the best of my ability." She would be kind to him, once she figured out a reason to do so. She needed an excuse for her behavior to flip so drastically. Weiss had completely given up nearly all hope of being free. She rarely ever stood up against Gelé. How could she explain her 'newly found' strength to Atlas? This really was a miserable nightmare…

She wasn't sure if she trust Whitley with her secret or not yet. If Willow said anything while drunk, they'd take as the ramblings of a broken woman. She could trust Winter too.

Then again, with Atlas' culture, if Whitley did try to tell anybody, he'd be seen as a lunatic. Atlas was weirdly religious yet the most advanced of all the kingdoms to Weiss' knowledge. It didn't make much sense to her how those weren't mutually exclusive at least in the case of Serlia. Humans made no sense to her on the whole…

Eh, it'd be easier to tell Whitley. She had proof to back it up. Plus, it was a lot easier to build a new relationship than to try to repair one that had been broken from more or less the start. The pair hadn't had a single positive interaction as far as she could see from Weiss' memories.

"I promise I'll be here for him, Willow." He was only a child… He could hopefully be turned around. He was so young. He was only a baby by fae standards. She couldn't—and wouldn't—give up on him so easily. He deserved kindness too especially when he had never known true, unconditional love. She wasn't aware of any fae that hadn't known love from at least one source, so it was strange to think that an entire nation almost completely bereft of love and warmth. Maybe she ought to go check on him… Had Winter had the time or ability to truly comfort him?

"Thank you, Auria. I appreciate it." With that, the woman tipped her wine bottle back again and drank. Apparently even the short time she'd been sober was too much.

With that done, Auria withdrew from the room and shut the door. Now she had to go find the little boy…

ƒ

Once again, Auria found herself missing the starlings. These manors often didn't have maps, so trying to navigate without help was a nightmare. Fae kept the starlings around for a very good reason. Maybe she could convince Winter to start keeping for that reason? It might be a tall proposition, though. The woman seemed resistant to most types of change or help. It'd be one thing if Weiss was here, but she wasn't. Weiss could probably convince Winter to do almost anything.

She kept her hand on the wall, trying to locate Whitley's soul through it. She could probably ask the staff, but she needed to figure this place out herself. At least it would only be a few days… SHe wouldn't have to endure this for too long.

Her brows furrowed as she passed an area in what seemed to be an older wing of the house. It was wallpapered over, but there was definitely a void behind the wall. It looked nondescript, completely natural. But there was definitely something back there. SHe looked around and saw nobody and couldn't sense any security. So she pressed into the wall and phased through.

Pitch darkness greeted her and she coughed from the amount of dust she'd kicked up. She could barely breathe! There was also barely any room to move in here. It was basically just enough for one person to step in and not much else.

She raised her hand, softly light emitting from it. Nothing but boxes. They went up to the ceiling! What was so important about this that they had to be hidden away? She'd investigate if she could, but there was no space to pull any of the boxes down. Plus, they were so tightly packed she was afraid that moving them might cause issues. This room was small but it was packed tightly.

She leaned in closer to one of the boxes and saw dates. Something about this was time sensitive… But the dates old, some forty, sixty years ago. What did it mean?

Without any answers, she phased through the wall again. She took a few pictures, then sent them to Winter along with a message: Found a hidden room. Check it out when you get a chance.

With that done, she did find a staff member. It was taking too long by herself. She got directions to go to Whitley's room and knocked on the door when she got there. "Whitley…?"

"Go away!" She heard something hit the door and she could only assume it was a hardcover book. Yeesh, he was an angry boy. Then again, he was probably expecting his sister to come heckle him. They hadn't had a single kind interaction as far as she could find in Weiss' memories. And she was Weiss now.

Taking a breath, she opened the door regardless. Something came flying at her head. A simple spell stopped it in midair. Another book and a thick dust journal at that. He really did not want her coming in.

Of course, Whitley stared at the floating book and his wide eyes settled on her. "What?" His soul churned in confusion and shock. Had he ever been exposed to what humans could do with their souls? She wouldn't be surprised if she hadn't been since she was pretty sure he was more sheltered than even Weiss had been.

"Oh, just a little spell to protect myself. Nobody wants to get pelted in the head with a thick dust journal." Was violence the only language these people understood half the time? Then again, Weiss had gotten beaten almost on the daily… She wasn't sure about Whitley, though. For all she knew, Jacques had treated him differently than his daughters.

"Spell…? What are you talking about, Weiss? Has Father's death driven you so mad you believe in magic all of a sudden?" His tone was incredulous, not believing in the slightest. She smiled and brought the tome over to her. It slid through the air as if on rails and she picked it up. She couldn't blame him for not believing, but she had more than enough proof on her side. She had wanted to reveal it on her own terms. He'd forced her hand, though.

She walked over to his desk and sat the large tome down. "I'm not your sister, Whitley. I'm a fae, fairy, farfolk… Whatever term you want to use. I'm her changeling. She's in the fae realm for the rest of her life."

He looked at her tapping his pencil against the desk. "Apparently Father's death has driven you mad. If you believe that… Now if you don't mind, I have studies to keep up on." Despite his words, she sensed his sorry. It went to the very center of his soul. He really had loved Jacques despite the conditionality of how he had been raised. Weiss was at least a little more aware, but she still had a bond with the man.

Auria hopped up on his desk and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Whitley, it's okay. You don't have to hold things up alone anymore. I know you don't believe me, but would Weiss ever act or speak like this?" She spoke gently and ran a hand through his hair. It was so hard for humans to let go sometimes from what she understood. Atlas shunned emotion as weakness. Nothing could have been further from truth though… Emotions could over so much if the environment was right.

His emotions buckled and she heard him hold back a noise. "You're mad… You've gone absolutely insane…" It was more of a mumble than anything else. He really wasn't having an easy time staying composed. She could hardly relate. She'd lost patients before, but they weren't really friends or anything… She'd never lost a family member before, unless one counted Turi leaving for the time she had…

She petted his head tenderly. "It's okay. Let go. It's okay to be said. Let yourself feel for once." She started to hum a lullaby and it didn't take much after that for him to start sobbing. He buried his face in her lap. She continued petting his head and hummed. Poor boy… He'd never had anybody show him true, unconditional love before. She would see that changed starting now…