"I can see the Schnee Manor!" Yang yelled, pointing to the large, grand mansion standing about a mile away, "You think she's ready for us in there? That place looks like a maze!"
The group all stood in the semi-crowded street way, staring at Weiss' home. The snow had thickened a little, but was still relatively light. It was rather beautiful, really, but right now the group cared little about it. They needed to pick up Weiss and then get to the top of Atlas Academy, fight the guardian, break into the vault, and then get the Relic.
"She'll be ready," Jaune said with determination, "She's always ready. And besides, she sounded ready when I told her to get ready right away. You know how punctual she can be."
"How do we get there?" Nora asked, marveling at its grandness. Yang snickered and pointed to a wooden sign that stood within view, tall and brightly painted with several locations, as well as how many miles away it was.
"Gee, I dunno," she joked, "Maybe by following the directions on this so-hard-to-see sign that's literally right next to us?"
Nora gave Yang an unamused look and put a hand on her hip.
"Don't lecture me," she said sternly. Yang, Ren, Blake, and Oscar all laughed, while Qrow and Jaune carefully studied the sign for instructions on the route there. he chance of them arriving without instructions wasn't too slim, but they didn't want to end up lost and wasting time.
"Alrighty, guys," Jaune said after a few moments, "It looks like if we take the bus to Clove Street, then we should get there in less than twenty minuets. Otherwise, it might take us a whole forty-five to walk."
"So the bus, then," Yang said. Qrow nodded.
"Yup," he said, almost sounding bored, "And then we walk some more. You kids better be ready to put your stealth skills into use...'Cause if you don't have any, you aren't going to allow us into that Academy. Class is probably in session, too."
"Well, isn't that convenient!" Yang said with a large amount of cheerfulness.
"You don't need to rub it in, Firecracker," Qrow muttered, shaking his head and turning to continue the group forward. Yang raised a brow and put a hand on her hip, her lavender eyes looking questioningly at Qrow.
"No, I mean it," she said, "It means that there won't be any students randomly walking around and stuff. They'll all be in class."
Qrow shook his head again.
"I know that," he answered bitterly, "But that's when the security is at its highest level of precaution. When the defenders of the world in training are busy in class. Atlas isn't like Beacon; they have security for almost everything."
"Talk about obnoxious!" Nora said, crossing her arms. Ren and Yang nodded in agreement.
"Makes sense," Blake said, shrugging, "I mean, it is Atlas, one of the most uptight, disciplined kingdoms of the four."
"Okay, guys, enough discussion," Jaune said, beginning to walk forward, "We need to hurry. Weiss could have some sort of regal even going on or something that she needs to avoid in order to get to us, so we can't keep her waiting for forever!"
The others nodded, some a bit annoyed at Jaune's strictness, but obliged and were soon following him to the nearest bus station.
"Weiss," Jaune said, looking up at the mansion in the distance, "I hope you're almost ready up there."
"Alright, I made it!" Weiss breathed, sighing with relief as she stood by the window that overlooked the east side of the entrance. The wall that separated Atlas' property from Schnee property was a little high, but the other side could be seen from Weiss' view, and it wasn't even the highest point of that wall.
As the distance of the wall increased to the west, it got higher and higher until it joined into the main Schnee gate, which was guarded by Schnee security. But where Weiss was expecting her friends to appear was only guarded by a few lower security members wandering around, hardly paying attention at all.
Now that I thin about it, a lot of the people Father hires don't usual do their work as well they could unless they get high wage.
Shrugging, she glanced down at her sword, lifting it up and examining the dials. She checked through each one, somewhat surprised that each slot in the dial was almost completely full of each kind of dust she had stored. Had Winter refilled it? Or had she refilled it before leaving?
"Oh, whatever," she muttered to herself, lowering her sword and keeping her eyes pealed for any sign of her friends. It had only been about three days since they had departed from her, but it had felt like an eternity. Life without her friends took forever to pass by.
An eager, energetic excitment coursed through her at the thought of seeing her friends again. She would get to leave this hellish place, see the people who were like a real family to her, and then she'd probably never have to leave this place again. A smile blossomed on her lips and slowly grew as images of her friends' faces flashed through her head. It became the widest when Jaune's face made an appearance.
Maybe I can explain to Jaune how I feel now. Maybe he'd like that, especially since he was head over heals for me at Beacon.
A larger smile, a determined one, crossed her face at that thought. Maybe he was more open than she thought; maybe the two of them really could happen. It wasn't exactly an impossible thing, either. Almost likely.
It was nearly half an hour later when she realized that she hadn't. been paying attention to the window. She gasped and quickly turned her gaze back to the clear glass panes next to her, relieved to see no sign of them. It wouldn't take them a few minutes to get here from wherever they were, but it wouldn't take them forever. She just hoped they were doing alright for travel...
Her thoughts were interrupted by the sudden sound of glass shattering, followed by a loud thump. The two sounds were more of an echo than the actual sound itself, meaning that it was likely a bit of a walk from where she was right now, but it rose her concern immediately.
"K-Klein?" she called, hurrying quickly through the hallway towards where she had heard the sound coming from, "Klein, is that you? Are you okay?"
Thoughts of the butler falling and possibly hitting his head filler her mind and concerned her. There had been an instance once, when Weiss had only been about 14, where Klein, carrying several heavy trays, had slipped and fallen down the stairs, getting knocked out from a strike to the head. She had found him, terrified, and had tried to drag him half across the Manor.
Of course, he had been fine afterwards, but now that he was a little older, it worried her to think of another incident like that. She very much hoped that he was alright, if it was him.
But after a few moments, she reached the cause of her concern, making her freeze in her tracks and stand woodenly in her spot as she stared at the woman on the floor, a shattered wine bottle sitting on a pool of bright red liquor beside her.
"Hey! Give it back to me!" Nora yelled as she reached for Magnhild, which was in rocket launcher form, from Yang's hands. The bus was so crowded, the people standing didn't even have to hold onto the handles that dangled from the ceiling due to the amount of people practically crushing them from all around.
Almost no one could move very well amidst the warm, humid atmosphere of bodies crowding around, so when Nora tried to grab her weapon from Yang's playful dangling, she could hardly do so and failed after a few fitful attempts.
Yang was about to pull her arm out of the wall of people that she had been using as a defense from Nora, only to find that it was stuck. Frustrated, she pulled her arm as hard as she could, uncomfortable with the fact that her wrist was right in some sweaty guy's warm, wet, and putrid armpit.
She continued pulling, only to have her arm yanked out of its place and her elbow to smack into a random person behind her. Apologizing quickly to the lady she had accidentally inflicted pain on, she looked back to find her bionic arm sticking out from between the guy's armpit.
"Ugh!" she yelled, trying to draw backwards, only to have her back smack into someone directly behind her, on the same seat. She frowned and reached for it, only to have a big pregnant woman to shift in front of her and get in her way, unintentionally. Yang tried to stand, but then bumped her head roughly on a tall person's hard, bony chin.
He looked very upset, and glared down at her with his blazing orange eyes. Yang laughed nervously and apologized to him as well, feeling even angrier at the fact that she was now temporarily armless again and her arm was stuck in some guy's sweaty armpit. She let out a frustrated groan and let it pass.
"Hey, Qrow," Oscar said, standing squished between Qrow and Blake, "What's the status of the person you feel like is following us? Have you seen them yet? Do you think they could possibly be on this bus?"
Qrow just mumbled something and then looked at Oscar.
"Nope," he answered, "I find it weird, though, how I haven't really heard or even really felt like I was being watched anymore since we neared the mansion. Sometimes I wonder if I was just paranoid or something. It's happened before."
Oscar nodded.
"Let's just hope that's what was all. If it's something more serious, then I hope we don't have to send someone back bleeding...or worse."
Qrow chuckled.
"You've got some thinking, kid," he said, elbowing him as much as he could manage with his limited moving ability, "Although I know it isn't our job to kill anybody, sometimes we need to get our hands dirty, even if it's not on purpose."
Oscar's eyes widened.
"Wait, what?" he said, suddenly sounding like a child again, "You've...killed someone before? Is that even legal?'
"Woah, kid," Qrow said, raising a brow but smirking, "Since when did the old you suddenly come alive again? I thought you grew up." He chuckled again and shook his head, looking somewhat happy for some reason.
"I...did," Oscar said slowly, confused, "It's just..." He sighed and hung his head, shaking it. "I don't know."
Qrow just fuzzed the top of Oscar's brown hair and smiled. "Don't worry 'bout it, kid. Sometimes even I get those bouts. Just not as much as I wish I did. Being an adult is no fun...although, it is nice to run into a cute girl sometimes..."
"Hey, Jaune!" Blake called through the sea of people, "What are we going to do if Weiss isn't ready to go on time?"
Jaune frowned.
"I don't know," he called back, "But let's just hope not. As long as she's waiting for us right now, we'll be fine. I'll explain the rest of the plan once this awful bus ride is over, okay?"
Blake nodded a silent affirmation and tried to ignore how hard it was to breath in there.
"M-Mother?" Weiss squeaked, startled. Her mother lay on the floor, her eyes barely open and a look of defeat on her face. Her gaze didn't even look up to her daughter as she sat there, staring straight ahead of her. Her pale skin held a faint bluish tint, moist with sweat. She almost looked dead.
"Mother, are you alright?" Weiss continued, kneeling down next to her and turning her over. Willow's face was just as flushed as before, but a large pink mark in the shape of a handprint was on her left cheek. It was very vibrant, that mark, and she knew immediately what had likely happened.
"Mother, did Father-"
"Yes," Willow answered flatly, her voice a mix of anger, boredom, and exasperation, all mingled together with the effect of intoxication, "Now shut up and don't touch me."
Weiss felt a wave of emotional pain wash through her and stab her heart. Her eyes widened and she held back the threatening tears that tried to make their way into her eyes.
"But Mother, we need to get you back to your room," Weiss said quickly, taking hold of her mother's arm and beginning to stand on her feet. Halfway through, she was jerked back to her knees as her mother yanked her arm from Weiss' grasp.
"I said, don't touch me!" Willow snapped, still lacking any real emotion from her voice, "Now go back and have a good time with your best friend-os or whatever."
"No," Weiss said firmly, grabbing her mother's wrist and, with much effort, pulling her to her feet, "We're bringing you back to your room and getting you some help. I'm not leaving you like this."
"Oh, so you care?" Willow said with mock surprise, "What a delight!" She broke out into some more forced, sarcastic laughter as she leaned heavily on her daughter's shoulder, "Now that's something I've been missing for a lifetime!"
Her face suddenly sobered and she tried to step away from Weiss, staggering dangerously on her weak, shaking legs and the fact that the whole world around her was spinning. But she nearly fell over again and was quickly stabled by Weiss' shoulder.
"I know, I know," Weiss soothed, feeling the tears fill up in her eyes now, "Don't worry. I've felt it too. And so has Winter, remember? All those long years in the military by herself?"
Willow nodded her head slowly as if she were a toddler learning from its mother.
"Yes," she said, her voice slurred and hollow, "And you never got any playmates. How awful."
Weiss blinked as the tears fell, rolling down her cheeks and dripping off her chin. Memories slowly filed through her mind at her mother's words, and she tried to brush them off, wishing her mother didn't have to bring these things up so many times, especially when she was drunk.
"Yes, how awful," Weiss said, slowly walking with her mother in the direction of her room, "But it's all better now, remember? I have friends in Beacon, and I'm going to see them again. Isn't that great? I'm going to be happy now!"
Willow nodded her head in a slow, heavy motion, a wobbly, delirious smile on her face. "How wonderful," she mumbled, now sounding like she wasn't even present anymore. Her eyes slowly began to close, but quickly shot open again as she remembered something.
"Please don't tell your father that she kissed him!" she burst out frantically, a surprisingly begging look in her tired blue eyes, "He would kill me...And you would have no mother again."
Weiss was almost scared by this sudden act from her mother. And what in Remnant did she mean by 'you would have no mother again'?!
"Now I can breath!" Nora gasped as they were nearly shoved out of the bus by the wave of people exiting, "That was terrible!"
"I'd say!" Yang agreed, reattaching her arm back into its place, "Now my arm smells like old sweaty armpit." She wrinkled her nose at her arm and bent down, trying to wipe it off and clean it in the snow.
Blake and Nora giggled, while Yang stuck her tongue out at them and Jaune and Oscar continued discussing the plans before they were going to tell the others. Qrow just continued keeping watch all around them for anything that they should be wary of.
"Okay, guys, listen up," Jaune said, interrupting their lively, silly conversation of the bus ride, "Here's the plan. We're all going to head over to the mansion, which you can all see from here, very close, and we'll walk casually by the wall as if we're just headed for the mail station in the direction. Then we'll-"
"Wait, hold up," Nora cut in, holding up a finger, "Do you mean, 'mail' station, or 'male' station, cuz I don't really see a difference."
Jaune slapped his forehead, growing impatient.
"Nora, if there ins't a difference, then please don't interrupt me with it," he said, trying to sound patient, "And why would you think like that? I'm clearly talking about a place where they deliver mail and stuff."
Nora shrugged. "Okay! Move along, please."
Jaune rolled his eyes and continued on with his plan.
"Alright, so then, right when we're by the east entrance, we'll wait for Weiss to show up in one of the windows. Then we'll get ready in case any security try to stop us or anything. They'll obviously try to stop Weiss once she comes out from the window, so we'll be there to defend her.
"Then she'll come out and in case any security is trying to stop us still and things get messy, Oscar'll just turn us all invisible and we'll make our hasty getaway. After that, we'll hurry to the Academy, get to the top, fight the guardian or whatever, break open the Vault, grab the Relic, and hurry back to Maria's house."
He finished with a clap of his hands.
"Any questions?" he asked, seeming a mix between determined, eager, and focused.
"Uh, yeah," Yang said, "How are we going to go all the way back to Maria's house with a glowing, obviously magical relic thingy in our hands? Won't that attract people or something?"
Jaune rolled his eyes.
"Um, are you forgetting that we can probably just change its size?" he answered, "We could make it a small little thing that we could tuck away with our weapons. If fact, I could probably just hide it in my sheath or something in case it's glowing and just hold my sword."
The group all nodded to each other, and with no further questions, they continued on, hoping that Weiss was watching right now.
"What?" Weiss asked, confused, "Who kissed him? What do you mean?"
Willow's growing sense of panic increased highly and she stood up straight, taking herself off of Weiss' support and throwing both hands onto her daughter's shoulders, so hard it made a hitting sound. She stared into Weiss' eyes, a blazing fire of fear and urgency in her icy blue eyes, and took a deep breath.
"That woman kissed him and they went into his bedroom after the party and they-"
Weiss suddenly remembered what Willow was talking about, though, the feeling of high confusion still heavily remained.
"I know, I know," Weiss cut in quickly, hushing her mother, "I was there, don't worry, I already know. But that wasn't your fault, it's okay! It's all okay, don't worry about it."
"No, no it's not!" Willow cried, the heat-wrenching emotion in her voice making the tears spilling down Weiss' face increase in speed, "If he finds out that you and me know, he'll beat me again! You don't understand!"
Weiss was full-blown crying now, feeling completely helpless as to why her mother was saying what she was saying. She wanted to help her mother, and to see her like this, saying these things while being so heavily drunk, made her feel terrible. It was very hard to bear.
"But he doesn't care about what you know of feel," Weiss sobbed, wishing her mother was gripping her shoulder's so tightly and crying so furiously now, "What are you talking about? I don't understand! I don't understand..."
Willow's eyes widened and she suddenly pulled Weiss into her arms, shoving her head up against her chest in an uncomfortable, but loving hug. A hug full of exasperation and hurt and all the sorrows of living with what they were. It was a hug far overdue, and as to why it was happening now, neither had any idea.
But it happened, and soon enough, Willow and Weiss both stood in that hallway, sobbing uncontrollably with each other. Weiss felt bad for her mother and herself, and for a million other things she couldn't even specify. Willow was sobbing out of her amplified emotions for how life was for her.
The fights with Jacques; the constant absence of her daughters, the only people who seemed to share in her pain to some extent; the long, pointless hours spent drinking in her room when life was death; the moments when she questioned her existence, over and over again.
She was stuck in this endless loop of death, repeating over day as if it were the same, only with very minor and subtle changes sometimes. The days still passed; she still got older, but it was as if time didn't exist anymore. And if she tried to kill herself, well, she knew Jacques would probably do something to the children or stop her somehow, like he always did.
Weiss looked up at her mess of a mother, face red from emotion and alcohol, hair messed up from the neglect of care, clothes wrinkled and stained with wine, and tears spilling down her cheeks and smearing her poorly applied makeup that she sometimes wore for no reason in particular.
"I-I'm sorry, Mother," Weiss whispered, unsure as to what exactly she was saying it for, "I'm sorry."
Willow stopped sobbing and looked into her daughter's eyes, her gaze surprising focused for a drunk person.
"Me too," she answered, her voice soft and low. She slumped to her knees, then slid onto her bottom, her legs bent around her thighs. Her face had molded into a numb, cold expression, and her hands sitting limply in front of her knees.
"I'm sorry I couldn't be the mother you deserved to have."
Weiss looked up at that sentence, surprised and confused. Her mother had more fresh tears running down her face as she stared with wide eyes at the floor. She bent over a little, hoping to make eye contact, but Willow just stared into nothingness as she continued on with her words.
"I'm sorry I never spent enough time with you...with Winter, with Whitley. Even your father didn't get enough attention from me as he technically should've had, not like he deserved it. But I still could've had, and I didn't."
Weiss felt her heart start to beat harder, her emotions beginning to rise up again after her tiny break, and she tried to understand why her mother had all of the sudden began confessing all of this just now.
"And now there's no turning back," Willow continued, shaking her head from side to side ever so slightly and closing her eyes, "I can't just...go back and spend time with all of you, not in the way I should. None of you are children anymore, and me and your father aren't in love anymore."
Weiss blinked.
"Wait, but I thought he only married you for the family name-"
"He did," Willow interrupted sternly, her voice mildly raised and filled with anger, "But I didn't just marry him because I wanted to end up dying by suicide, with no one left who loved me or even cared if I died. He had to flatter me first, obviously. I was in love with him."
"You-you're going to actually try and kill yourself?" Weiss choked, more tears running down her face, "But...I though you gave up on that! And I care...I just haven't exactly, well, I just haven't been able to express it...sort of."
"I already have," Willow whispered, "And you don't need to express anything for me. I'm a terrible woman and a terrible mother. If there's anything you should do, kill your father for me and save your freedom and your brother's."
Weiss, still confused and even more frantic to keep her mother from taking her life, held up her hands, racking her brain for something to do, something to say that could change her mother's mind.
"W-what do you mean, you already did?!" she stammered, "And it's okay! I forgive you for-for whatever it is you think you need forgiveness for! None of this is your fault; it's all Father's! Just please don't leave...I know I don't see you and such, but...but you're my family. I don't hate you."
Willow gave a tired, unenthusiastic, drunk laugh and shook her head.
"Trying to play huntress, huh?" she said after she had finished her bout, "No, no, it's okay. I know you don't hate me, honey, but I hate myself, Jacques hates me, and I hate the world, so there isn't much going for me here anymore. My good days are over, now I'm in hell, so I might as well get myself out of here."
Weiss shook her head and felt another hot stream of tears pouring down her face.
"But Mother," she cried, clasping her hand and holding it tightly, "I just feel like...well, I just don't want you to die!"
"Why not?" Willow asked, her eyes not even on her.
"I don't know!" Weiss shouted, her words echoing through the hallway and traveling through every room in sight. A long, haunting silence followed, and before she knew it she was sobbing again and her mother was shaking very hard. Weiss looked up after a few more moments, trying to calm down, and noticed her mother's movement.
"M-Mother?" she asked, her eyes going wide as she took hold of both of Willow's hands, with were now vibrating violently. Willow looked up from her hands and locked eyes with her daughter, glassy eyed and almost distant looking. Her breathing had also quickened, and was now really starting to scare her.
"Tell your sister what I told you," Willow said, giving her a weak, dreary smile, "And your brother, because I think he might not say anything about it. He's a nice little jerk, Whitely. Was always a cranky baby."
She started laughing again, but sounded a lot less energetic and just weak and delirious, which was even scarier.
Weiss felt a state of panic beginning to fill her and her heart rate increased. She held her mother's wrists tighter, her eyes wide with fear, and shook them, wondering what else to do. She had no idea what was happening, but this was terrifying.
"Mother, what's wrong?" she asked quickly, her voice getting louder with each word she said, "Stop shaking like that! Are you okay? Mother, please talk to me! Mother!"
Willow chuckled and then looked up at the sky, smiling another big, dreamy smile before standing effortfully to her feet, despite Weiss' tight grip. She looked at the window and roughly punched the glass, shattering it and allowing a large hole to appear. A cold draft blew in from the opening and she laughed again.
"Sorry, Jacques, dear!" she yelled drunkly at the window as she staggered backwards, "I hope I didn't waste some of your lien! Don't mind me, though, because I didn't accidentally cut my hand at all!"
Weiss stood up and tried to steady her mother and sit her down, but Willow continued to shout, her voice echoing through the halls. A slow but steady stream of blood began to flow from her cut fist, dripping onto the blue carpet and creating little purple drops.
"Mother, you need to calm down!" Weiss pleaded, pulling at Willow, "Please!"
"This wall sure is something," Blake commented as they passed alongside its strong stone exterior, "It must've been rebuilt recently to look this good and new. Otherwise, I'd be fairly impressed at how they must maintain it."
The others nodded, pondering its fairly royal appearance and how smooth it was. To think that Weiss lived there wasn't surprising, it was just something else. The thought of anyone they knew living there was a little foreign, so it wasn't much different when they imagined Weiss living there. The colors of the place even matched her.
They noticed a few of the security guards wondering around a small distance away, giving them a few glances, but nothing more.
"As long as we keep walking," Jaune said to the other's, his voice low, "I think we're good. Just keep looking at the mail station ahead of us, if you can see it right over there. We need to make our stop very quick and subtle."
He turned to Oscar, who was staring at the path they were walking on.
"Be ready to turn us all invisible if need be," he whispered. Oscar looked up and nodded at Jaune, returning his gaze back to the ground below. He was worried about Ruby. At least she wasn't by herself and she had Maria's kind hand over her, but Ruby had been pretty sick when he left. He was highly concerned about her and his babies.
Hopefully her aura protects them as much as it can, and hopefully this illness isn't so bad it would damage Ruby at all. I swear, if anything were to happen to her, I'd freak...
"This is it," Jaune said, just loud enough for the others to hear, "We're just about there. I think I saw someone in the window just over there, and I'm pretty sure it was her."
The others all looked eagerly up at the window, hoping more than ever right now that Weiss was actually standing right there, focussing very hard on them, if she could see them.
C'mon, Weiss! Jaune willed as they neared the spot, We need you to be ready!
Weiss turned and saw Klein hurrying through the hallway in front of them, holding a kitchen towel and a shiny silver goblet he must have been in the process of drying. He looked very worried at the scene in front of him.
"Klein!" Weiss shouted, relieved, "Hurry! I don't know what she's doing and-and...just hurry!" More tears flowed down her face and joined the droplets of her mother's blood on the carpet.
"I'm coming, Miss Schnee, Mrs. Schnee!" Klein answered back, nearly arriving at the scene, "I'm coming! Don't worry!"
Willow didn't even seem to notice the butler puffing towards them, and she gave one last look at Weiss and then the window before her eyes suddenly rolled into her head and she fell backwards, her back smacking onto the floor.
Weiss screamed upon reflex as her mother lay there, eyes shut and an ugly look on her red face as blood dripped from her first onto the carpet. Klein skidded to a halt beside them and leaned over placing two fingers on Willow's neck in a quick, formal, but urgent manner.
"Her heart rate is dangerously high, Miss Schnee," Klein informed her with hurriedness in his voice, "Come quickly; we must hurry to the nurse at once."
He scooped up the drunk, unconscious woman and clambered his way down the hallway with surprising speed for his structure and the weight he was carrying. Weiss rushed after him, forgetting everything but what her mother had told her just before.
Is this what she meant by killing herself?! But-But how? What is happening right now?!
As Weiss ran alongside Klein, she stared at her mother's face, unsure if she was afraid of her dying or just startled by the suddenness of this event. Watching anyone die or go insane, friend or foe, scared Weiss, so she really didn't know what she was feeling about Willow.
Then she looked up at Klein, who's eyes were light brown, focused ahead with some kind of calm urgency that she had always admired about him. It seemed like in any situation, he knew what to do. He was almost like a father to her, or an uncle, in some sense.
"H-hang in there, Mother," Weiss murmured, looking back down at her mother, who bounced slightly in Klein's arms as the duo ran as fast as they could through the hallways.
After a minute or so, they arrived at the nurse's ward, where three nurse's immediately greeted them. They had heard the commotion approaching from the corridors and had hurried out to see what it was. Seeing Willow Schnee unconscious was all they needed to see in order to take action at once.
The three nurses grabbed Willow from Klein's arms and hurried away into the tending room, laying her on the bed and quickly setting up everything they needed for tests and caregiving. Klein looked softly at Weiss, a knowing look on his face, and carefully lead her from the ward, his hand on her back.
When they were standing outside of it, the sounds of medical commotion very audible from the inside, neither of them said a word. They both just stared at the entrance to the nurse's ward, watching as a nurse carrying something ran occasionally past.
Weiss felt as if she had a million different thoughts and feelings rambling inside her head all at the same time, and also as if her mind was completely blank at the moment. The abruptness of it all and the thought of actually having someone in her family die, someone that shared in her pain, was a confusing feeling.
Her stomach tied into a knot as she tried to digest the concept. Her heart raced, her hands trembled, and her knees shook. Her forehead was damp with sweat and then, she suddenly felt very sad. She wasn't even entirely sure what the main reason for that sadness was, but it was there, crashed over her like a wave.
Klein patiently watched the entrance to the ward, wondering what Weiss thought of all of it. Maybe she wouldn't really care, or maybe she would be deviated. One thing, he knew, she wouldn't feel, was glad. He knew she didn't hate her mother like she did her father, and the effect of loosing her mother varied.
But suddenly, he was nearly knocked over by Weiss, who had jumped into his arms and threw her arms around his neck. Burying her head in her shoulder, she began to silently cry. There weren't a large amount of tears, but the small amount that was there tickled Klein's neck.
Closing his eyes, he returned her hug, knowing that Weiss really needed it. Slowly, he unembraced her and they returned back to their original stances, standing next to each other once again.
"Do you think she'l be okay?" Weiss asked after a few moments, breaking the silence that had been laying in the air. Klein sighed and shook his head, his hands folded formally behind his back.
"I'm not sure," he answered softly, "I've seen her bad, but never this bad. I fear her condition is more than just a product of intoxication."
Weiss blinked and her eyes held more concern.
"Like what?" she asked timidly. Klein shook his head.
"I don't know," he answered. The two of them looked at each other, a hopelessness seeming to hovering in between both people. After a crazy flurry of loud calls of instruction, carts being wheeled here and there, and general organized chaos, Klein and Weiss were met by a different nurse holding a clipboard.
"W-what's wrong with her?" Weiss stammered after she founder her breath again, "Is sh-she okay?"
The nurse looked down, unclear as to if she was looking at her clipboard or hanging her head in negatively. Then she looked back up at them, a sober look on her face. Weiss felt her breath get sucked away at the woman's soberness.
"We don't think so," the nurse said, "As for what seems to be causing her condition, we have a decent idea. Would you care to hear it, or would you rather leave that for us to report to Mr. Schnee?"
Weiss and Klein exchanged glances before Klein answered quietly,
"Yes, we will hear it."
The nurse nodded and glanced at her clipboard, her grave expression growing slightly as she re-read what was written out in the results.
"Well," she began, "She is very, very drunk, and it seems that the severity of her intoxication is taking its toll on her health. Several of her physical receptors and reflexes have been impaired, her body tempurature had dropped dangerously low, and she is starting to fall into a coma."
Weiss gasped, holding her hand to her mouth.
Mother...
"We're afraid her coma will not last very long," the nurse went on, "And not in a good way. It seems her coma will be short lived before she...well, before she passes. It should be a calm death, but if she wakes up beforehand, it will not be pleasant."
Klein gently patted Weiss' back, knowing what was coming.
"But aside of her severe intoxication, there has been something else that we have detected, something that was not hard to find."
"What?" Weiss asked, her voice very quiet.
"Drug overdose."
"Do you see her?" Ren asked, looking over at Jaune.
Jaune looked up at the window he had thought he'd seen her in. To his shock, he saw no one. Weiss wasn't standing there, waiting for them. A hot, prickling sensation went down his back at that moment, and he suddenly felt a horrible feeling that something was about to go very wrong.
"Jaune?" Nora said, confused as to why her leader wasn't answering Ren, "What's wrong."
Jaune swallowed nervously, his hands beginning to tremble and sweat building up on his palms. He looked over the group, who were all looking expectantly at him, and shook his head, dead serious. They all seemed to inwardly panic for a moment before taking a look at the window themselves.
"Guys..," Yang said, glancing over at a pair of security guards who were staring at them, "I think we kinda need to like, get moving or something because there's some guards looking at us."
Jaune looked backwards, spotting the guards, and felt another prickling sensation.
Weiss, where are you?!
"Can anyone see her in any of the other windows?" Jaune asked quickly, starting to really panic now. The others were quick to start looking, and their rapid efforts were also noticed by the guards, who slowly pulled out their scrolls and notified the other wing of security to keep an eye on the possibly suspicious "visitors" walking past.
"I don't see her!" Nora said, worried, "Where do you think she is?"
"I dunno," Yang said, also feeling the high tension of things rising, "But if she doesn't come, we need to get out here, quick."
Qrow frowned and squinted, looking through the windows. Hearing the others' panicked squabbling, he rolled his eyes and jumped up into the air, transforming in a small burst of feathers into a crow. Flying easily over the gate, he inwardly grinned as the group watched him fly away, eyes wide with realization.
He glided up to the windows, looking in through the clear glass. He flew by each and every window that she could possibly be in twice, checking every detail in the hallway for any sign of her. To his surprise, he saw that one of the windows had a hole smashed in it, tiny remnants of blood on it, along with a few drops on the carpet.
Flying back to the group, he transformed once again, landing on his feet.
"We need to get outa here," he panted, "I don't know where Weiss is, but there's blood by the window and a hole's smashed in it. The guards noticed our idleness and their calling us suspicious. If we keep moving, we should be fine. If we come back, they won't let us pass without a valid explanation."
They all exchanged glances, panicked and afraid.
"Um, what?" Jaune asked. Hearing the words "Weiss" and "blood" in the same sentence was not something he wanted to hear. If she was hurt for some reason, someone was going to get a beating from him. And that someone would be the one who hurt her, and they would pay full price for it.
"It's what I saw," Qrow said, his face and tone matching in severity, "Now we need to either leave and just get the Relic without her, or smash in their, get through security, and then grab her somehow."
"Well, there's really no point in risking so much just for her assistance," Blake reasoned, "We might just be able to get it ourselves."
"But Weiss could be hurt!" Yang protested, her eyes threatening to go red, "We can't just leave her wherever she is if she's in danger!"
"That's an if, Yang," Oscar answered, looking hard at the window, "It sure is suspicious, but we can't risk anything for something we aren't completely sure of. Regret is common when people rush to conclusions and then take action."
Qrow frowned at the sight of four more security guards, all looking right at them with suspicious looks on their faces. He glanced at the group, then at the window, then back at the security guards again.
"They're onto us," he muttered, just loud enough for the group to hear, "We need to leave, now."
Jaune sighed heavily and shook his head. Why didn't any plan they make every work? There was always something! Never had they ever gone through with something without opposition.
"Let's get going," he said, feeling defeated.
"Gosh, dang it!" Yang cursed, her eyes now bright red, "Why do we always mess up?!"
Jaune glanced back at the guards and then quickly began to lead the group away, watching the partially smashed window the entire time.
Oh, Weiss, please tell me that you're okay and that isn't your blood on that window!
The nurse's answer was almost blurted out, flatly and yet said with a wince. Weiss felt like facepalming herself with Myrtenaster. Of course it had been drug overdose! That's what Willow had meant by killing herself. And without spilling a drop of blood in the process. Well, somewhat.
"So...she doesn't have long?" Weiss finished, her eyes void of the tears she had expected. The nurse answered her with a simple nod, a sorry look on her face. Weiss just nodded and turned around, wrapping her arms around herself and wondering what to do next.
Looking up at the long hallways in front of her, she debated between staying and seeing if Willow would say anything before she died or going back to where she had been before, doing what she was doing.
Wait, what was I doing before? I was waiting for...
Weiss' eyes widened and a sudden realization shot through her. The group! The mission! They were probably waiting for her, and if they had come right after she had rushed with Klein to the nurse's ward, then they were possibly dealing with security or something.
"K-Klein!" Weiss suddenly shouted, whipping around and locking eyes with the butler.
"What is it, Miss Schnee?" he asked, worried, "Are you alright?"
"I-I need to go!" she cried, glancing back at the hallway, then at Klein again, "Remember? The plan? I have to go-now; tell Winter I had to leave for mission purposes and if Father asks, tell him you have no idea!"
She began running backwards, her eyes still on Klein.
"Thank you so much for everything you've been doing! You're a big help and I'll miss you really bad! Goodbye, Klein!"
And without a second thought or glance, she turned around and bolted through the hallway, summoning several speed glyphs below and in front of her in a perfect row. Her speed increased and she flew through the corridors, the wind she was producing wiping her ponytail wildly behind her.
Soon enough, the window she had been standing by earlier, waiting for them, appeared in view. She was going far too fast to slow down at the moment, and then, just barely in sight, she saw the group walking towards a post office near the edge of the Manor. They were leaving, without her.
She could see the security guards carefully watching them go, and then, just as she was about to blur past the window, she shut her eyes, turned, skidding on her heels, and smashed through the window in a spray of glass that rained down onto the ground below. When she opened her eyes, she saw the ground far below, the guards staring wide eyed at her, and then the fact that she was flying forward towards the wall.
Summoning a row of black glyphs in front of her, she fell through them, her momentum decreasing, and then she formed a white glyph in front of the black ones she had fell through, landing on it. Forming another glyph behind her, she flipped off the glyph she was standing on and then boosted herself off the next on, rocketing towards the group.
In an instant, she realized that the group was just about right in front of her, and before she could stop herself, she bowled right through the group, knocking several of them over and ending up with nearly the whole group in one big, groaning heap. But that heap didn't last long before Weiss leaped back onto her feet, dazed, and began making a mad run for the post office.
"Oscar, now!" Jaune shouted, his voice cracking as he screamed the command. Oscar nodded briefly before his hands quickly glowed bright green and the whole group was emersed in the glow. Soon after, they all vanished from view, and joined Weiss in dashing for the office.
They heard several shouts from behind them, but they ignored them as they ran as fast as they could.
"We shouldn't go in the mail station!" Qrow yelled, "We should just head into the woods!"
"Got it!" Jaune shouted back. It was a little odd to hear each other's voices right by one another, and yet not be able to see them, but hear their steps and breathing, their panting and the sounds of their weapons clanging and such as they ran.
The trees were right in front of them, and the sounds of the guards seemed faded...
"Um, guys?!" Nora called, "I-I think they're driving after us!"
They all looked behind them at the small security vehicles now speeding after them, the SDC emblem painted on the sides of them. A large cloud of dust and snow blew out from under them as they followed them, closer and closer.
"Gosh, dang it!" Yang shouted.
"They can't even see us!" Ren yelled, "Do we need to worry?"
"No!" Oscar answered loudly, his voice calm and out of breath, "We just need to get into the forest and stay still. They won't be able to see us, and if we're quiet, they won't be able to hear us, either. They'll leave soon enough!"
"If you say so, Captain!" Nora answered, sounding a mix between excited and frantic.
Oooooh boy! Writing this chapter was exciting, to say the least. I know it's VERY long, over 8,000 words long, so I hope none of you really mind. It would be longer, but I decided to stop it right here and finish this part of it in chapter 23.
Answering my lovely, loyal guest who posts the super nice reviews: Nope, until the babies are born, I strongly encourage the continuation of name-sending. HUGE thanks to DavidQrowWashington, Haxorus knight, and the two guests who have all sent in names. All names that have been sent and (hopefully) will be sent have been put into consideration and are currently in a list. (Yes, I actually have decided on one of them...at least for now, hehe.)
Quick note, everyone on board, we are (I think) about halfway done with the story! Thank you ALL for the reviews, favs, and follows.
Thanks for reading and tune in for more chapters!