Winter returned to the house and let Mono go before entering. All was relatively quiet. It wasn't so late in the day that everyone would be in bed, but with everything that had happened over the past little while, she didn't blame everyone for being holed up. It at least gave her some space to breathed. She really did need to get on that research anyway. She was having so much trouble sleeping and it would probably only get worse with her handing control over to Kali and Sienna. She really didn't know what would happen to Weiss if she let someone else take over everything. But she couldn't leave Weiss in Schnee manor for the next five years.

She sighed and popped dinner in the microwave. Her life really was a mess at this point. It was all waiting. Waiting on the house. Waiting on the jobs. Waiting on paperwork. Waiting on cases. She hated waiting. She really did. She had always been the type to do. But everything was out of her hands for now. All she could do now was wait. She really did have this. But it wasn't Atlas where she knew the system and how to exploit them to speed everything along. She was completely at the mercy of the Valian system and all she could do was hope they would take mercy on her.

The microwave dinged and she settled at the table. She blinked when she saw Qrow leaning against the doorframe into the kitchen. "Do you need something from me, Mister Branwen?" She shifted a bit. Did she do something wrong? Had she upset him by taking Mono for some reason? She thought she was pretty free to interact with the birds as she saw fit. Unless he didn't want her showing them to others for some reason? Had she broken some tribal taboo or something? She really wasn't trying to do anything to upset him…

He shook his head. "Calm down, snowy. You're gonna give me whiplash from how much you're worrying. Relax a bit. You're fine. I just felt your aura from the living room and wanted to check on you. You okay?" He settled at the table with her and she sighed. She couldn't hide anything from him. It was absolutely infuriating to not have her thoughts to herself anymore. But she did have a lot on her mind.

And, oh, right…

She shook her head with a sigh. "I'm worried about so many things. This waiting… I'm not used to it. I'm so used to being able to handle everything myself. Handing it off to others…" She shook her head again. She did not like this waiting. It went against everything she had carved out over the past several years. "The house, citizenship, visas, and all of that… It doesn't sit right with me." She had so much power as a major. She could effect change and make sure things got done. Now she was a powerless woman, no better than when she'd been in Schnee manor. She was completely helpless and trapped in this house. It really felt no different than Schnee manor.

"I also realised something while I was out. I don't have any official school certifications. What does that mean if I want to pursue education here in Vale?" That still bothered her. "Mister Gelé will hold my records and transcripts hostage. I don' thave anything like a high school diploma for jobs or transcripts for when I can apply for jobs." She sighed. "Is here anything I can do for that?" She hated being so vulnerable, but she needed to give him the benefit of the doubt. Plus, he usually had some sort of answer. The military didn't ask questions about education history but she was pretty sure most employers would. She really needed something to bridge the gap for what Mister Gelé was holding hostage.

Qrow dragged his fingers through his scruff stubble. "Well, there is the GED program. It serves as a replacement for a high school diploma. Dunno a lot about it, but we have someone that can pull up info on it." He pulled out his scroll and looked down at at it. "Hey, moonflower…"

"Already on it. I already know one question and the answer is no. You don't have to be a Valian citizen to qualify for a GED." The AI's rang out voice with that. Well, that was good. It was something she could do without needing to wait for citizenship or an education visa to go through. They fell into a Q&A about logistics surrounding it for a little while until Winter nodded slowly. Four parts, no cost, no citizenship, none of that needed. She would probably be fine on the math and science parts but the social studies and language arts parts would be where she'd need to spend her time. It wasn't like she understood how the Valian government worked. Thankfully, Summer had old homeschool material for the girls, so that would be a good starting place.

"All right. Thank you for the information." She finished up eating and put the dishes in the dishwasher. All of that information was incredibly helpful. As long as she passed, she wouldn't really need transcripts. Though having those would be nice if she could get them. But there was no way she'd be able to get them from Mister Gelé. She wanted them but that would be a losing battle and she knew it. She had to stick with what little she could find in Vale and take advantage of it. A GED might not be as good as a diploma, but it was better than absolutely nothing period. Maybe she could even get into a university if she got the GED… Maybe things wouldn't weren't as bleak as she had thought. This definitely opened up a lot of avenues in her favor. She was glad that she had some options open to her now. Maybe Vale would open up to her more once she had her GED and citizenship. Maybe this wasn't the death sentence she thought it was.

"Is there anything else you wanted to talk about, Mister Branwen?" She leaned against the counter and looked at him. She didn't want to walk out on him if there was more he wanted to talk to her more. It would be incredibly rude.

"Not really. I wanted to check in with you since you were so down. But you have a new light in your soul which is great." He smiled. "Though I did take the opportunity to start rummaging up some links for you." Her scroll pinged and she saw a text from him. Government links about the Atlassian Protection Placement Program. "It should help get you started on your decision if you want to go for citizenship through marriage."

She blinked at that. He really didn't need to do that. She could probably pull all of this info with the AI's help. Still… It did save her some time. "Thank you, Mister Branwen." She really didn't need help, but it would be rude to turn him down. Plus, they were all government links, not from third-party sites. It was a good place to start for sure. She would get the AI's help when she started delving into it. But her main concern right now was making sure the mental health professionals wouldn't open her secrets if she did decide to go for nightmare blockers.

"Oh, right, have you been taking those tinctures I picked up for you?" She froze at the unexpected question. She hadn't thought about them since he'd first tried to explain about them. Would he be angry she was wasting his money by not taking them? She really didn't know how to handle this…

"It's all right, snowy. Want me to go over them with you again?" His tone remained as gentle as ever and she let tout a breath. Right, benefit of the doubt. He had to get angry at her even once. Still, it seemed like an inevitability. Nobody could be calm and gentle all the time. She had seen the general get angry more than once.

"I suppose." If they might offer a reprieve from the restless nights, it was worth a shot. She was still so uncomfortable with all of this.

They headed up to Summer's room and she pulled out the small brown bottles where they had lain in one of her bags where she'd packed them. She sat on the bed while Qrow explained what each one was for. It was a bit of information, but she'd had more thrown at her in the military. It wasn't hard to memorise eight little bottles. "By the way, if you want to try some OTC sleep aides, lemme know and I'll see if I can find some things at the store."

"O…TC?"

Qrow blinked. "Right. Over the counter. Stuff you can buy at the store without a prescription. Those might be worth a shot at least short term." Oh. She had seen stuff like that at base stores. She had never invested in anything like that before.

"It might be worth a shot." Especially since she was pretty sure she was about to not really be sleeping. She was so very worried about Weiss now. She wanted her little sister to be safe. She'd lost everything upon marrying Qrow including her little sister's security. All she could do for Weiss was send texts and call on rare occasions where it felt like they wouldn't be caught. Weiss, oh Weiss… She deserved so much better than living at Schnee manor.

"I'll see what I can rummage up tomorrow then. Have a good night, snowy." He closed the door on the way out.

With that done, Winter laid back on the bed and sighed. What a mess. She was wrapped up in some random girl's life and she was going to get her involved with birds of prey. She would see this through because she had promised. The girl really deserved more and a brighter future than just getting married and having children. No woman should be subject to that as their ultimate future. Women could be so much more than just mothers and wives. People like Sienna Khan, Summer Rose, Raven Branwen, and Robyn Hill proved that. Not to mention everything she had accomplished herself. She was one of the first high-ranking female officers in Atlassian history.

Still… At least she had some hope in Vale now. She thought only recourse was life as a Huntress, but with the GED a possibility, it opened up more avenues for her. She was so glad for that.

But what would she do with it? That was the main question. Should she go straight into the workforce or go for higher education? Maybe going into Beacon wouldn't be a bad idea either. It was a pretty good school from what she knew. Maybe not as good as Atlas, but still good. She didn't know. She really didn't. It would take her time to get her GED. But with that on the table, it almost felt like she had too many choices. She had plenty of people to vouch for her when it came to letters of recommendation and all of that. She had a ton of of potential in jobs and school… What would she even do? What exactly did universities offer?

She opened the laptop and sent the links to the AI. "Need me to research the Placement Program?"

"Yes, please. Also, could you look into university admissions and programs? I'm looking here in Vale, of course."

The AI gave a thumbs up. "Though, the city or the kingdom? It mostly depends on the program you want to go into. Any ideas?"

Winter hesitated before shaking her head. She didn't know what she might want to go into. "Not really. And the city, please." She didn't really know what would go into a program or area of study. She didn't have anything she was passionate about. Though would that really matter if she did manage to take over the SDC? "Business maybe?" It'd help her look good if she did have some degrees in business. She had been educated in it at Schnee manor, but if she made it apparent she had dedicated herself to leading well, then that would go a long way in looking good with the public.

The AI shook its head but said nothing. "Anyway, I'll do some research for you. You should get some sleep." It wasn't even eight thirty yet. But still… Maybe going to bed early wouldn't be a horrible idea.

She changed into her pajamas and took the tinctures (which were bitter and gross) then curled up under the covers. She pulled them and the pillow over her head to block out the computer's light.

α

930.

1042.

1228.

She kept tossing and turning. She would lightly drift off then jerk awake. She recalled a vague sense of impending doom. Whether it was a nightmare or not, she couldn't be sure.

She stared hopelessly at the ceiling while the computer fan hummed quietly on the desk. Holy Father ,w hat was she supposed to do until morning? Plus, she had work that night. She didn't want to be so exhausted she couldn't make it, but part of her was so afraid for Weiss. All she wanted was her baby sister to be safe. But that would be yet to be seen. She had yet to talk to Kali and Sienna about things. Would they really be crazy enough to pick up a nearly impossible case? She doubted it. Nobody would risk taking on Gelé when their necks were on the line. Plus, Winter couldn't pay them. Even all of her savings wouldn't cover the sorts of legal fees any lawyer would ask for. She really was shit out of luck when it came to her sister.

She swiped the laptop off the desk and laid back down on the bed. The AI had tucked itself into bed but she saw tabs still popping up in the windows it had opened. A single movement of the wake up, though. "Winter, it's late. Shouldn't you be asleep?" It looked up at the top of the computer screen. "Would you mind turning on the light? It's pitch black. I can't see your face."

She turned on the light and sighed. "Yes, I should. I can't sleep. I'm worried about my sister." It was hard enough to sleep but with Weiss added to her plate of stress, how could somebody expect her to sleep? She was probably having nightmares but she couldn't remember them. She was perfectly fine with not remembering crushing nightmares. It made it perfectly possible for her to continue functioning.

"Ah, yeah, that would do it. You really need some psychiatric help. All of this stress isn't good for anybody. I rarely slept due to anxiety and stuff when I was alive. Not fun." The AI sighed. Well, it was Summer than hadn't slept, not the AI. But she got what it was getting at. "I know you don't trust people, but mental health is a pretty tightly regulated field here in Vale. If anybody sold your information, they would be kicked out of the field. Their license would be taken and they wouldn't be able to practice ever again." The AI folded its arms and sat down on the taskbar.

"They could still get a pay off large enough to live comfortably for the rest of their life." They really needed only once before being kicked out of the field. She really didn't trust this but…

She would keep suffering until she did something. Should she really risk someone ratting her out for the sake of sleep? She was definitely feeling the effects of not getting enough. Things would only get worse if she didn't get some kind of help and she already knew that. What a mess. The risks felt too high, but the general toll it would take on her would also be at risk. It really was a no-win situation.

A web page popped up on the computer. A psychiatrist named Ramone? "What's this?" She really didn't understand. Why was the AI showing her this?

"She's someone we went to Beacon with. She knows all of the crazy stuff that STRQ did. She's incredibly trustworthy. Considering that stuff isn't all over the media, she hasn't blabbed about it. She wouldn't tell anybody about your issues, Winter." The AI smiles at her and she pursed her lips together. Nobody had explained what all of this 'crazy stuff' was. All she knew was the twins could turn into birds. That was all. What more was beyond it? She couldn't really understand the gravity of the information if it wasn't shared with her. She thought she was relatively trustworthy. Yes, she understood need-to-know information, but it wouldn't make it any less frustrating.

But still, she really did need the medication. Her time was growing short. She could feel it. It wouldn't take too much longer for her to start breaking down and sleeping during the day. Assuming she could sleep at all.

Damn it, she really couldn't have any other choice.

She sent a text to Qrow to tell him to set her up with the woman. She assumed it was the same person that he had mentioned earlier yesterday.

Hopefully he couldn't force her to see anybody else. She did almost definitely reach the criteria for hysteria. Well. She probably fully classified. She was basically unable to function normally which was more or less the definition as far as she knew. He had said that only major emergencies could have interventions, but she didn't entirely trust it.

"…Are there any government sites on hysteria?" She saw the AI cringe but it brought it up a new window. A government site popped up. It looked like an FAQ.

She scanned the page, her head tilting slightly to the side. Vale didn't even recognise hysteria as a real mental illness? It was seen as an outmoded way to control women? There were more than a few scientifically studies on the page spanning over a century. She would have thought hysteria was a popular diagnosis. She'd seen more than one woman pulled from active service on grounds of hysteria. It was quite prevalent in Atlas from what she'd seen. But if this was true, she could see why Atlas kept it on the books. Anything to control women would be used. They were supposed to be kept home with the children and not much else.

At least she seemed to be escaping that. Qrow really did seem to want to help her. If he wanted ot keep her at home, he wouldn't have brought up the GED program. She wasn't sure if there was an equivalent program in Atlas. At least she could get those qualifications she needed for jobs now…

"Do you want me to wake Qrow up?" the AI asked. Winter shook her head. Meeting a man in the middle of the night would be a surefire way to trigger her and she knew it. It was going to be a long night for her though.

"No. Maybe you could help me with looking at college admissions? I need something to occupy my time." She knew it would likely only wear her out more, but she really wasn't going to sleep and she knew it. She hadn't been sleeping well since she'd arrived in Vale, but it had finally hit the point of no return. Raven did have those abilities though… Maybe she ought to get over herself and ask as a holdover until she could get some prescriptions… But trusting the woman would be another matter entirely.

"All right. Maybe you should look over the other majors instead of just business, Winter. You might find something that piques your interest. You're smart and could probably do anything you set your mind to."

Winter shook her head. "I have to take over the SDC. If I don't, Mister Gelé will continue to run it into the ground. My sister is too young and fragile to take over." Weiss would be eaten alive by the board and Atlas' culture if she ever took over. Winter was perfection and could lead the company into a new golden era if given a chance. She would have to really research Nicholas' old policies and figure out how to modernise them, but it'd be worth it. The first thing she'd do would be give all workers a living wage, not only the human ones. Faunus deserved to live as much as humans did. She really believed that.

The AI sighed but nodded. "Well, there are a number of schools in the city with excellent business programs…"

α

Winter eventually found her head bobbing as the AI spoke. A few hours had passed and she found herself exhausted. The general lack of sleep was catching up to her but she didn't want to face the nightmares again. She mercifully didn't remember them but her body did. She was tense at the idea of sleep. It was too much. But she needed it.

"Winter…" The AI sounded concerned. "And don't try to give me that 'fine' bullshit. You obviously aren't."

She sighed. What was she supposed to do? She couldn't sleep but she also couldn't stay awake. Raven was about the only recourse she had at this point, but it was the middle of the night. Would she be okay being woken up this time of night? "Do you think Raven would be willing to help me?" She really needed a good night's sleep.

The AI nodded. "Don't worry too much. Raven's used to being woken up and doing sentry duty. Being awake for a few minutes won't be too big of a deal for her. Qrow could put you to sleep but he wouldn't be able to keep the nightmares back." She wouldn't want him to do it anyway. A man in the room she was staying in… She doubted even the strongest advanced aura user would be able to keep her down in that case.

She headed downstairs and saw the twins asleep: Qrow on the obviously too-small couch and Raven in the chair. She started to creep across the floor but she saw both of them shift. Raven's eyes opened and Qrow rolled over. Damn it, she hadn't meant to wake both of them up.

Qrow sat up. "Hey, snowy. What's…" He stifled a yawn.

"I apologise for waking both of you. I only meant to ask Raven a question." This was a disaster. She hadn't meant to wake Qrow up too. She'd been so quiet! How had both of them heard her?!

"We were taught to be light sleepers starting about ten. Not much can get past us," Raven explained. That made sense, she supposed. "So what did you want? You can go back to sleep, Qrow." He laid back down with his back to them without complaint.

"Could you possibly put me to sleep with nightmare blocking?" She felt so pathetic. Gelé had his hands around her throat even now. By having Weiss, he had Winter on a short leash whether or not he knew it. She hated this. She wanted to curl up and die for how much he still controlled her. His conditioning had been so absolute it continued even now…and she may never get over it… Tears stung at the corners of her eyes but she forced them back. Now wasn't the time or place to get teary eyed when she was trying to get back to sleep.

"Yeah, sure; it's no problem." Raven smiled and got out of the chair. They headed upstairs and Winter laid down. She could feel herself tensing. This really was pathetic. She ought to be able to fall asleep by herself. How awful was she that she couldn't even do basic bodily functions by herself? "Now you'll feel a sharp manipulation of aura near your head, then you'll be asleep. All right?"

"Okay…" She felt so pathetic. But a sharp—?

Darkness took her.