Someone asked me about the upload schedule. I will try my very best to post a chapter every day, but like I said before school is destroying me so there may be a couple of days where I go silent. Hope that answers your question!

I edited this very sleep-deprived, I'll go over this again later tonight to make sure everything is in order.

She stayed inside the wooden house for another 2 days before Violet deemed her well enough to help out with chores. Weiss spent most of her time in bed, sleeping off the dull aches left by her disastrous crash and fight-not that she had anything else to do.

On the 3rd morning, after Violet rebandaged her shoulder and back, she sent her off to the bathroom with a fresh set of clothes.

"I'll need help gathering extra supplies for dinner." She had told her before Weiss closed the bathroom door. "My only rule is that you don't bring that sword with us. I will not have you swinging that thing around while you're recovering."

"But…what if I need it?" Weiss protested, confused. Didn't Violet worry about running into Grimm in the wild?

"Why would you need a rapier to pull plants out of the ground?"

"The Grimm-"

"We will not be venturing far," Violet explained. "The most threatening thing you'll see is a curious squirrel."

"But what if something goes wrong?"

Like a homicidal ex-friend wanting to cut her head off.

"My senses are much sharper than your own, Weiss. If I smell something off I'll be right over to help you." Violet turned her back on her before she had any more chances to protest. "Or I could leave you at home again. I'm sure Ash wouldn't mind doing the foraging for me today."

Weiss didn't like the idea of waltzing out in the wild completely unarmed, but it sounded a lot better than being bedridden for another day.

"Okay. No sword." She said reluctantly.

"Good." Violet's wolf ears perked up. "I'll have breakfast ready soon, you better wash up."

Weiss cringed when she saw herself in the mirror. One side of her face was still sporting a nasty blotch of purple from where he punched her, and a red streak across her cheek remained where Adam's sword grazed past her face.

Adam.

She had the sudden urge to collide her fist into the tiny mirror at the mere thought of what he did to her—to her classmates and friends.

'And he has the audacity to come up with lies to excuse his actions!' Weiss glared furiously at her reflection as if it were Adam standing in front of her.

'I hate him.' The thought buried an unseen knife into her heart, further agitating her already burning rage.

'I hate that it hurts to hate him.'

With a huff, she quickly fixed up her ponytail and changed into the clean, blue robe. After a small breakfast, Violet led her through the village and into the forest to begin gathering herbs. Weiss was grateful only a small handful of children and the occasional villager was out during that time of day; it made it more comfortable for her to walk out in the open.

After showing her which types of plants to look out for, Violet sent Weiss off to forage alone near the village border while she ventured further into the wilderness.

"Return to the house once your basket is full." Violet had instructed her. "If you get lost, feel free to ask the neighbours for help."

Weiss had a feeling the neighbours wouldn't want anything to do with her, but she forced a smile and nodded.

Despite Violet's earlier reassurances, Weiss was still a bit reluctant to be left alone by her own devices in the wilderness, but after an hour of peace had passed, she found herself comforted by the gentle sounds of nature.

The forest wasn't so bad when she didn't have to run away from a pack of deranged White Fang members. It was almost relaxing to take in the fresh morning air and brush her hands against cold dewdrops. The monotonous motions of pulling herbs out from the ground also helped to soothe her mind from her current predicament. By midday, she was unusually calm considering her circumstances.

Weiss rolled her shoulder experimentally, wincing at the tightness still present in the limb. She guessed another day or two should heal the worst of the damage. Her back was still uncomfortably sore, but she could at least move without much trouble.

She was ready to pack up her basket of herbs for the day when she heard someone approach. It was a subtle shift in the grass that she would've missed had she completely trusted the safety of the forest.

She twisted around, blood going cold at the sight of him right behind her. His sword was already drawn, pointed straight at her heart.

Weiss instinctively reached for her sword, cursing when her hand met thin air. She immediately regretted letting Violet talk her into leaving her rapier behind.

"Using the Faunus as a shield. That's low, even for you." He spoke to her like she'd just kicked a puppy in front of him.

"You're in no position to lecture me about morality." She answered coolly despite her racing heartbeat.

'He's going to kill me.' Chanted over and over in her head.

"If you come quietly I might consider letting you die painlessly."

"Oh, how noble of you. I bet you must feel proud of yourself for painlessly murdering innocent victims."

His sword was on her throat once more. She had barely caught him moving towards her. Weiss pushed down the awful memories of Yang's mutilation and bravely tilted her head up.

'I hope my face haunts you to your grave, you heartless bastard.' She stared directly into his monstrous mask.

"You have no right to lecture me when you Schnees willingly condone the murder and torture of thousands of my people!" He snapped. "You should be grateful I only cut off that blondie's arm."

The flames of her anger numbed her fear and pushed her to take a dangerous step towards him. She felt the edge of his blade dig slightly into her neck, no doubt drawing blood.

"Making up accusations about me and my family won't justify your actions!"

"If you think I'm lying you're even more brain dead than I thought!"

"I'll admit, our company has some dodgy employment standards! You have every right to get angry at that, but to go as far as to accuse us of torture is going too far!

"In the meantime, while you're busy spouting out excuses for justifying your crimes, maybe you should look in the mirror and reassess your life choices! You're nothing but a heartless murderer who bullies humans for no reason!"

To her surprise, he withdrew both his sword and himself from her personal bubble. She rubbed her neck gingerly, relieved that her head was still safely attached to the rest of her.

"I almost want to keep you alive." He laughed coldly. "The shit you spout is even more entertaining than what our prisoners say!"

"I'd rather die than to be your prisoner!"

"That can be arranged as well." His sword lit up with a dangerous crimson light.

Weiss jumped in surprise when a bullet suddenly shot out from her left and ricocheted off his blade.

"My next shot won't miss." Violet approached him with a single gun drawn.

Weiss' heart dropped when she recalled the last time someone tried to interfere with one of his fights. Faunus or not, she had a feeling he wouldn't take kindly to someone jumping in to fight on her behalf.

"Violet, y-you need to run!" She pleaded. Memories of Yang's mutilation flash through her head, leaving her heart racing.

"Don't worry about me, Weiss. I refuse to let my guest be in harm's way." She assured her calmly.

"Guest? Do you have any idea who you house in your village?!" Adam snapped at her, yet not even his yelling seemed to affect Violet in any way.

"I'm well aware of Miss Schnee's background."

"And you still want to house this piece of shit?!"

Violet's eyes narrowed. "Who I welcome in my home is none of your business."

The slight shift in Adam's foot pushed Weiss into action immediately. She leapt in front of Violet, arms spread wide open, and glared back at him.

For a split second, she had thought he seemed almost surprised by what she did.

"S-she has nothing to do with it." She tried to speak as calmly as she could. "I'm the one you want. Don't hurt her."

His blade and hair flared to life with a dangerous red light, yet he made no move to attack her like she expected him to. For a tense moment, neither of them made a move.

To her surprise, it was Violet who shoved her aside. "Don't try to be the hero, Weiss." Violet stepped in front of her and pointed her gun at Adam. "I fear no man."

That snapped Adam out of whatever daze he was stuck in. He looked just about ready to cut them both in half, wounding his sword back for a fatal swing. Yet, despite the terrifying scowl on his face, Adam made no move to hurt Violet. And Violet seemed perfectly calm despite the rising tension.

"Next time, I won't hesitate to draw blood. If you dare to defy me again, woman, I'll dispose of you too." He stepped back and sheathed his sword, but Violet refused to withdraw her weapon.

They watched as he retreated into the thick of the forest. Violet only lowered her gun once he was completely out of sight.

"I apologize, Weiss. I miscalculated the safety of the forest."

"It's fine." Weiss still felt weak to her knees at the near-death experience.

"Come, let's go back." Violet slipped the gun back into her robe before picking up the basket of herbs on the ground.

Weiss quietly followed her back, head spinning. Now that he tracked her down to the village, there was no way she could stay. Especially not after his threat. She'd have to leave before sundown at the latest. He was no doubt gathering troops to invade now.

The village was bustling with activity when they returned, yet the moment she stepped into view it felt like the entire world went still.

Weiss became distinctly aware of the parents hurrying to grab their children to take them back inside, and of the nasty scowls directed at her. No matter where she looked, she met hostile eyes, like she were some kind of animal on display.

She wished there was some way to turn completely invisible; to hide away from the scrutinizing eyes studying her every move.

Violet, as if sensing her discomfort, quickened her pace. Weiss eagerly followed her lead. Weiss happily entered the privacy of Violet's house, breathing a sigh of relief when that wooden door separated her from them.

"Your neck has been hurt," Violet said gently.

"Oh, it's okay." Weiss smiled weakly.

"Even the smallest of cuts can cause a debilitating infection." Violet gestured to the bathroom. Weiss obediently followed her inside.

After washing the small cut with a warm cloth and covering it with a bandaid, Weiss quickly retreated to her room to pack.

Luckily she didn't have too many things to load up. She reluctantly changed back into her old dress despite the dozens of new holes in the fabric and left her new robes folded on the bed. Violet was busy arranging all their herbs on the counter when she emerged from the room. She perked her head up and gave her a funny look.

"You're not ready to leave. There's still much healing to do."

"I can't stay." She said bluntly. "He's going to end up hurting everyone here."

"No, he won't. It was an empty threat."

"Y-you don't know him like I do! I-I saw him—!" She couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence.

She felt like she'd just been drenched in ice water.

Violet finally abandoned the herbs and led Weiss to the couch to sit. Even as she lit the fireplace for her, Weiss felt frozen to the bone.

"I-I can't see him hurting more people…" she whimpered.

A burning blade. A severed hand. A protective embrace.

Weiss was blinded by the familiar urge to hit or break something. She clenched her teeth and opted to glare furiously at the fire crackling in the hearth.

Violet sat beside her and took her hand. Weiss held onto it tightly, taking in as much of her warmth as she could.

"Have you wondered how this village came to be?" Violet asked gently.

Weiss couldn't see how that was relevant to their current situation, but she welcomed the change in subject.

"I-I guess I never gave it much thought." She confessed.

"Today, many come here as an escape from the hardships of human maltreatment. It's one of the only places in the world where we aren't looked at like vermin whenever we leave our homes." Violet's gaze pierced her like a blade. "I'm sure you know what I'm talking about."

The world went deathly still.

Weiss recalled the villagers' eyes locking onto her like a target; like a silent challenge for her to make even one mistake in their presence. It was exactly how she used to view passing Faunuses on the streets, in the malls—anywhere.

A crushing weight was beginning to settle on her chest.

"6 years ago, we came here as refugees."

That was news to Weiss. She couldn't remember any major conflicts that would result in Faunus refugees.

"What were you running from?" She asked.

"The Schnee Dust Company."

Violet's answer made her nauseous. A part of her wanted to defend the little honour her family had left, but another part clung to Adam's profound change in character.

Was he telling her the truth? Was her family hurting the Faunus as he claimed?

'No. We have unfair working practices, but we'd never do anything awful to our employees! He's just trying to mess with you!' Yet, she couldn't shake off the chilling doubt still lingering at the back of her mind.

"The villagers here don't hate you just because you're human, Weiss, they hate you for everything you represent. Our people, my family, suffered greatly under your mining business.

"I've seen children lose limbs during excavations, physical assaults on our elders, and other unspeakable forms of abuse-"

"That can't be! I know that we aren't always ethical with our employment, but to go as far as to abuse the Faunus? I refuse to believe it!"

Father was a bad person but he wasn't a heartless monster—unlike Adam who cut Yang's arm off, who helped destroy Beacon; who held her when no one else would, who was there when she was alone and gave her hope.

A rage she hadn't felt since she exploded at Blake consumed her. Weiss yanked her hand from Violet's and furiously played with the Dust compartment on her sword.

"Everyone here would tell you the same thing, Weiss." Violet countered coolly.

"I've been learning about our family business since I was 4, I would know if something this serious was going on!" She snapped hotly.

Violet didn't seem the slightest bit bothered by her outburst. "Are you insisting our stories are a lie?"

"No! I-I don't know!" She scratched the back of her neck irritatingly.

She wanted to get up and go for a long run. The cosy little house was beginning to grow suffocating.

"I want to show you something." Violet rose from the couch. She didn't wait for her to catch up.

Weiss numbly followed her into the bathroom.

"What I'm about to show you isn't to upset you," Violet explained, pulling her long hair to one side. "I just want you to see what I speak of."

Violet turned her back towards her and began undoing her robe. Weiss was about to protest when the fabric slid off her shoulders. It took her a second to fully register what she was seeing at first, but once she did Weiss felt sick to her stomach.

Weiss pushed Violet aside to hurl whatever content was left into the toilet. Every inch of her was crawling with disgust.

On Violet's shoulder blade, near the site where her left arm was completely severed, were the words 'SDC' burned permanently onto her body. The surrounding skin was clumpy and redder than the rest of her body. Not even the faded White Fang tattoo on top of it seemed to be able to mask the heinous brand.

'He was right.'

Weiss collapsed weakly onto the floor by the time her stomach had finally settled itself. Hot tears were burning her eyes while chills ran up and down her spine.

She barely registered the glass of warm water held in front of her.

"It'll help you feel better." Violet smiled.

Though her robes now covered that horrible mark, Weiss could still see it as clear as day.

Weiss shakily accepted the glass and took a couple of feeble sips from it.

"Can you stand up?"

"Honestly? No." She breathed.

Violet sat down beside her, not saying another word. That's where they stayed for the next half hour, with only muffled voices of the other villagers to fill in the space between them.

"Why?" Weiss finally spoke. She couldn't bring herself to even look at Violet. "Why did you help me?"

"You were a girl in distress."

"My family did this to you!" She shivered. "T-to everyone here."

To him.

She wondered if he had the same scar somewhere on his body. Had he been marked when they were still friends? Was he alone when it happened?

"O-oh gods, I'm so sorry!" She nearly dropped the glass had Violet not caught it in time.

"Your relative did this to me. Not you."

"It makes no difference! I-I'm a Schnee! Y-you'll have to live the rest of your life with that on your back!"

"Yet, you were willing to beg a Faunus for help while your family would have turned their noses up at my aid. You volunteered to help me with my chores and even tried to protect me from your attacker." Violet laid a warm hand on her shoulder. "You are not your father, your uncle, or any of the people who supported the torture of my people."

"It doesn't make it right." She cried.

"No. But we cannot control who we are born to."

"D-does everyone here also…" she swallowed the lump at the back of her throat.

"Most of the adults, yes," Violet confirmed softly. "Our children are the ones free from the mark, most of them anyway. Many have been shielded by the influences of humans, but that doesn't mean they are immune to the consequences of human hatred."

"They can never leave," Weiss whispered bitterly.

Not without facing the full wrath of the world like their parents.

"Indeed," Violet confirmed somberly. "I fear they may never see the world if things continue like this."

"I-I still don't understand one thing. Why are you so nice to humans? You married a human man for gods' sake! You should hate us! Y-you should've left me in the forest to die!"

If Weiss was in her position, she would've abandoned her without a second thought.

"I believe that not humans are bad. Just as not Faunuses are good." Violet answered simply. "Ash was also an injured traveller I stumbled upon in the forest. I used to think as you'd just described, but when someone's life hinges on my hands, I couldn't do it.

"If I'd abandoned him that night, I would've been no different than the humans who turned a blind eye on us. I also wouldn't have such a loving husband today." She added that last part with a playful giggle.

"Of course, not everyone agrees with me. There are still some who will never accept humans. They have every right to hate humans till the day they die, just as I have every right to give them a second chance and forgive."

"But don't you want revenge?" Weiss asked.

"Once upon a time." Violet shrugged. "Perhaps you are too young to understand, but getting revenge hardly benefits anyone. Look what good the White Fang has done with their mission to 'get even'.

"Killing humans will never bring my parents back. Torturing innocent human families will never give my arm back. It will only leave more broken families and excuses to label us as criminals. I want to heal, Weiss, not fight. I am tired."

A drip of water splashed into the kitchen sink outside with a soft plunk.

"I…I don't know how to respond to that." Weiss admitted. "I know I wouldn't be able to do that if I were you."

She would want to hurt her abusers, make them feel the pain she felt or worse. Just like all the White Fang members.

Like him.

'What did they do to you?' She shivered at her unanswered question.

"Don't think of me as an angel. I was very tempted to leave you in that forest to rot. It would've been justice for what happened to my relatives."

"But you didn't."

"And I don't regret it." Violet smiled. "You are still young and still learning. I believe youths like you are our key to a brighter future."

"Not all of us," Weiss recalled Adam's merciless wrath. She wondered if the boy she once knew even existed beneath that fury; or had the flames completely consumed him?

"He wasn't always like that," Violet said as if reading her mind. "He used to be a quiet, cute little boy. It breaks my heart to see him like this."

Weiss had to do a double-take. She could barely believe what she just heard. "Y-you know Adam?" She whispered; heart racing.

"Of course. He was one of the few kids the former White Fang rescued. He was tiny for his age, even I was surprised he survived the gruelling journey to safety."

Weiss was tempted to ask about him. Had he already lost his heart when he was rescued? Or was he still that kind boy she befriended?

"Sienna took a liking to him. Must've seen the value of moulding a broken mind as young as his." Violet scrunched her face in disgust at the mention of the current leader's name. "He lived in our community for a while until Sienna officially took him under her wing to train. She was unfit to look after a kid like him, at least that's what I thought."

"What do you mean?" Weiss found herself tensing at Violet's ominous description of the mysterious White Fang leader.

'What do you mean by a broken mind like his?' She swallowed, feeling her nausea return with a vengeance.

"Adam was not like the other children who survived the journey here. He was a strange boy. Despite all that he faced, he never openly slandered the young Schnee heiress' name despite all that her family did to him. This was very different from his mentor who had very strong opinions about the Schnees and justice.

"There was a bizarre rumour that he was close to the little heiress. No one believed it, of course, a Schnee would never be caught dead befriending a Faunus, but even the most unbelievable rumours are based in some strand of truth."

Violet glanced over at her with a knowing look. "I wonder what that truth is."

Shivers crawled down Weiss' spine.

"He still cared about me–oh gods." Her vision was completely blurred with tears at this point.

After their final meeting, Weiss spent every waking moment learning about the crimes committed by the Faunus. There was some reluctance on her part, but she'd be fooling herself if she didn't admit it was easy to believe the information fed to her. After all, data and statistics couldn't lie—at least that's what she used to believe.

Yet he didn't even speak an awful word about her—for a while anyway. It only made the recent events more bitter and cold.

"What happened to him?" She finally voiced the question haunting her ever since she first laid eyes on him again.

How did he go from not speaking a bad word about her to wanting to kill her? What did her family do to him after that night? What happened to the Adam she knew?

"I'm sure the new White Fang leader or Adam himself could give you more details. His story is not mine to tell." Violet answered. "Now do you understand why I'm confident he will not strike us?"

"I-I don't know. He didn't show mercy to the last person who tried to challenge him." Weiss warned. "He could be too far gone."

Her own words cut her like knives. Though she knew this the moment he cut off Yang's arm, it now left her heart heavy.

"Perhaps, but I don't think so. Not yet anyway." Violet gently patted Weiss' back. "I pray for his sake, he will remember his heart."

"And if he doesn't?"

For the first time since they began the heavy conversation, Violet seemed visibly exhausted.

"Then force is the only way to stop him from continuing this cycle."

Weiss was suddenly very aware of the weight of her sword strapped to her side. It weighed her down like chains.

"Now, won't you be a dear and get dressed into something more comfortable for lunch?" Violet asked in a lighter tone.

"O-Okay."

That night, she laid in bed with her rapier right by her, jumping at every little noise until amber sunlight poured in from the window.

Despite her restless paranoia, Adam never came back to attack the village.

Ngl this was one of the more difficult chapters to write. There's a few more of those coming up so that's gonna be fun :)