Weiss happily skipped down the abandoned hallways of Schnee manor, a small stuffed Beowolf she had named 'Lucious', whose hand she held tight, dragging lightly along the floor behind her. Through the grand, ornate windows of the manor Remnant's shattered moon shone directly into the eastern halls, reflecting its rays off the cold white marble that made up most of the manor and illuminating the way for her as she strode carelessly across the floor – humming to herself softly, and imaging herself to be far from the cold and dark of Atlas' winter. Instead, she was off an adventure with her valiant familiar in the wilds of some unknown land. She was just like the princesses in the stories, sure to find her happy ending as the queen of some far-off realm.
This was Weiss' favorite part of the day, because the manor was nearly always empty this late at night. Her family were asleep in their beds, and the staff had all gone home for the day. She had taken joy in leaving her uncomfortable shoes in her room, something she would never do during the daylight when she ran the risk of running into her sister, or worse, her father. It wasn't proper to run about the house without shoes, but it felt nice to feel the cool, slightly slippery marble under her feet as she trotted along, and the soft padding of her socks kept her footsteps from disturbing the peace of the empty hallways.
She knew that most other children would be afraid out here alone in the dark, but not Weiss. She was happiest in this temporarily abandoned world – free to go, and do, as she pleased. It was a rare freedom she could experience, and a stark contrast to the daily life of a Schnee. Lucious also needed to see the world outside of her bedroom (he was so sad and lonely for most of the day!) but she was strictly forbidden from carrying him around the house during the day.
As she rounded a corner into the main hallway, her peaceful adventures were interrupted as a sound met her ears. At the far end of the hall, opposite the great glass windows that overlooked the gardens, she could see that the door to her father's office remained slightly ajar, an orange glow corrupting the pure white light of the moon on the floor – and she could make out the dull sound of voices – raised voices – drifting like leaves in the wind down the hall.
She stopped for a moment and ducked carefully around the corner. This happened sometimes – her father would have visitors until late in the evening, usually business partners whose name she didn't know or care to know. She could nearly always slip by undetected though, and after listening for a few moments she was convinced that whatever was being discussed, it should hold their attention for long enough for her to sneak by.
"Come on Lucious," she whispered to the Beowolf, "we'll have to sneak past the guards to rescue our fair prince! But be careful, we can't make a sound, or they'll find us!" – she giggled to herself and gave the stuffed creature a hug.
With more care than before she slipped around the corner, the bottom of the white dress she slept in brushing the floor as she kept herself low to the ground. With as much care as possible she rounded the decorative vases placed on ornate pedestals between the windows, careful not to unintentionally bump into one of the valuable relics. She slowed her speed to a crawl as she passed the danger zone – the area just outside of her father's office, and the most likely point at which she would be seen or heard.
Her legs were ready to leap if it seemed as though his meeting was ending. She had found that it was better to try to run than to be guaranteed to be caught. She was directly across from the door when someone spoke:
"Jaques, the girl presents a significant problem. She's a risk to our investment, and she's a risk to our livelihood – surely you must see that!" Weiss paused at the raised voice – she couldn't place the voice, but it was rare that she could tell one of her father's visitors from another. They were all the same to her – unpleasant men in suits that demanded his time, and usually (and hopefully) paid her little to no mind, yet this voice tugged at her in a way she didn't understand, and she momentarily debated getting closer to hear what was being discussed.
"She's just a child, Alexey, what harm could she possibly do? We don't know she's one of Ozpin's little thralls, and if she is, she's too young to avoid slipping up. If she does, we'll deal with her then." Her father.
Weiss winced but managed to avoid gasping out loud as the sound of something being thrown against the wall rumbled through the empty hallway.
"Alexey, if you're going to throw things, I'll have to ask you to leave. Willow will give me hell if her beauty sleep is disturbed again" Her father said calmly, but followed the comment with a sarcastic laugh.
"Dammit Jaques" the other voice hissed, "you can't gamble our work away in pursuit of another one of your little flings. Get rid of the girl and get on with it!" Weiss could hear her father make an indignant sound.
She stepped closer to the door cautiously, taking extra care to set her feet down as softly as possible.
"Alexey, I'd request that you not try to tell me how to manage my company. Under my leadership Schnee Dust's growth has expanded tenfold – which in turn has become additional resources for our little project." There was the slightest sense of irritation in her father's voice as he continued, "If I say we bring the girl in, we bring her in. Besides, can you imagine how the Vale media will respond to having one of their own in a supposed position of power in the world's most powerful company? The press attention itself will generate enough revenue to offset the risk of the girl finding out more than she should know."
As much as her mind told her to keep moving down the hall, something drew Weiss towards the office. Her heart pounded in her chest as she leaned against the wall outside the door, now able to see the sliver of the room visible through the tiny gap between the wall and the door. She pushed the door carefully to reveal more of the room, and luckily, the door opened without protest.
Weiss slowly peered inside the room, her eyes quickly adjusting to the contrast of the well-lit room. She looked down at Lucious and pulled him in close, hugging him against her chest.
Her father sat in a large brown leather armchair, at an angle facing away from the door and towards the back of the office. Weiss could see a glass of a dark amber liquid in the hand he had settled on the armrest of his chair.
The other man had his back turned to both the door and her father, his hands resting on the bar as though steadying himself. Even at this distance, she could see a slight quiver that the man was fighting back.
"I won't let Ozpin stop this, Jaques," The man said with a dangerous calm, his back still to Weiss' father," the world watches Atlas jealously, the Faunus lick their wounds, just waiting for their moment to sink a dagger in us, and the Grimm are knocking at our door every day." The man Alexey turned to face Jaques at this point, reveling himself to Weiss for the first time.
He was a tall man with a presence that far exceeded his already muscular physique, an appearance that contrasted heavily with the usual business types that found their way into Schnee manor. He wore no suit, just a pair of denim pants and a ratty, generic brown sweater that couldn't possibly have kept him warm in the Atlesian winter. With his unkempt hair and messy appearance, he didn't look like the type of man Weiss' father ever allowed into their home, much less his office for a private meeting, and something about the way he moved, and the weight that each motion carried unnerved her. So much so that she considered turning and returning to her room. Instead, she willed herself to be brave, and remained at the door peering in.
The man Alexey approached her father, who remained seated.
"The world needs new leadership Jaques, and not from the fools who would abandon us to our fates while they're safe in their ivory towers, but from those of us strong enough to do what's right."
She saw her father nod. Alexey took another step forward.
"And that means keeping Ozpin out of our business. "He continued, so softly that Weiss had to hold her breath to make it out, "I'll do whatever it takes to make sure that happens, Jaques."
The man stopped just short of her father's armchair, and as he did, Jaques stood to meet him.
"The project is safe, Alexey. Only you and I know the keys." Jaques reached up and put a hand on the other man's shoulder, causing Alexey to look down at the ground, "but if you ever threaten me in my own home again, it may be you who suddenly finds yourself lost in the tundra."
She was certain her father couldn't see it, but as Alexey raised his eyes again, a red spark seemed to flash across them, and the man standing before Jaques suddenly felt much larger.
He stared into her father's eyes for a moment with an unreadable look before reaching up and removing Jaques' hand from his shoulder.
"Perhaps you should reconsider," he whispered, and Weiss could see the same red spark flash across his eyes. Her father didn't seem to notice a thing, and instead gave a thoughtful 'hmm' as his arm dropped to his side.
A few moments passed before he spoke.
"Perhaps you're right after all Alexey. Maybe it is time to send her running home to Vale. Schnee Dust shouldn't lower itself to hiring graduates of a third-rate school for press alone. It was a mistake. One that I'll see corrected."
Jaques turned and returned to the bar to fill his glass once again, and Weiss saw Alexey's eyes flash once more:
"No Jaques, if she's already learned something, sending her home just means she'll get the chance to report to Ozpin. You know what needs to be done."
A few moments passed before she saw her father nod.
"Then I believe our business here is done." Alexey said, and he quickly walked to an unattended chair and picked up a thick black coat resting on its back. Striding toward the door, Weiss panicked, and as quietly as possible sprinted back down the hall towards the way she had originally come from, gripping Lucious' arm as tightly as possible to keep from dropping him.
"Have a good evening, Alexey," she could hear her father say as she rounded the corner at the far end of the hall. She paused, momentarily, to peek around the corner, and saw Alexey calmly push open the door to the office, and then walk down the hallway, away from her and towards the main entrance to the manor, his undampened footsteps echoing throughout the silent halls.
She waited, and a few moments later her father left the office, stopping and sighing outside the door, before continuing the same way Alexey had left – likely destined for the great master bedroom at the far wing of their home.
Weiss considered returning to her room, but her feet suddenly seemed to work on their own, leading her towards the now dark room.
She paused at the door and listened, but the footsteps from the two men had faded far into the distance. She pushed the door open just wide enough to squeeze inside.
She reached up and flipped the switch for the light, illuminating the room once again with the soft, warm lamps that her father was fond of. She could tell he hadn't organized before leaving the office this evening - papers were strewn about on his desk, and he had left his still full glass sitting on the arm of his chair. It was unusual behavior for him, to leave things in such disarray.
Even through the disorganization of the room, something caught her eye. A lone object on the table in front of her father's chair that appeared to be a dossier with several pages hanging slightly outside its grasp.
Weiss approached, sneaking a glance back towards the door, and against her better judgement, carefully opened the folder. On top of the pile was a picture of a women with black hair and a warm, sweet smile. Weiss smiled looking at the image. She looked nice! She stared at the image for a few moments, before she moved onto the second page in the file. As she went to read the words at the top though, her vision began to swim, and the words on the page seemed to blur in front of her until they were illegible.
"Sweet girl," a voice said, and Weiss dropped the papers on the pile, before slamming it shut and spinning around, her back against the hard wood of the table.
Her heart raced as she looked up, up, up and into the eyes of the man Alexey, who watched her impassively.
"You're a curious one, aren't you?" he asked in a cold tone that caused Weiss to gulp and she quickly looked away, refusing to meet his eyes.
Alexey kneeled in front of her, causing Weiss' heart to race, and she briefly considered running, but before she had the chance, Alexey reached out, gently gripping Lucious. Initially Weiss resisted, but as she caught the man's eyes, she felt the will to fight disappear, and when he pulled at the toy again Weiss gave it up without contest. He considered the stuffed Grimm for a few moments before looking back up at her.
"Brave, too, to keep such a beast at your side." He said quietly.
Weiss nodded, although she could feel the beginnings of tears forming at the edges of her eyes.
"His name is Lucious." she started, "He's my friend. He protects me." As much as she tried to hide it, her voice came out shaky as she fought off tears.
Weiss wiped her eyes on her sleeve and sniffled.
"Lucious," Alexey said quietly, staring at the stuffed animal. He tilted his head slightly and then smiled a smile that didn't seem to reach his eyes, "let's see what he thinks about all this, shall we?" and Alexey handed the stuffed animal back to her.
"What do you mean?" she asked, and Alexey responded with a small smile and a nod of the head towards the toy.
When Weiss looked down, however, the soft plushy toy had disappeared. In its place was a very small, but very real Beowolf that growled, and then bit into her exposed arm, its needle-like teeth sinking deep into her wrist.
Weiss screamed and flung her arm away to get rid of the creature, which was forced to release her arm, and went skidding across the floor before it turned and growled again, small teeth gnashing angrily as it charged her again.
Screaming again as the Beowolf approached, Weiss fell backwards in shock, pushing herself across the floor away from the monster as it ran towards her. As it sprinted forward, it began to grow larger and larger, until it reached the height of a normal Grimm, towering over her. Its red eyes locked onto her, and it dove for her with jaws open.
"Lucious!" With a sob, Weiss threw up her arms in a futile attempt to protect herself and waited for the feeling of the teeth sinking into her, but the feeling never came. Instead, she could feel the warm breath of the monster as it growled slightly, its jaws inches away from her. A drop of saliva fell onto her leg, causing her to sob again.
Alexey calmly stepped forward and put his hand softly on the Beowolf's back. As he did, the creature stepped back, licking its chops.
"Please..." Weiss said between tears, wrapping her arms around her legs and hugging them close.
Kneeling again, Alexey spoke:
"Treat this as a lesson, dear girl. You never know what may be hiding in your closet, "he said, wiping away one of her tears as she continued to cower against the wall, "those that seem like friends might not be so kind, once they see their chance to stick the dagger in your back."
Weiss whimpered as she tried to will herself to become a part of the wall, but otherwise gave no response.
Alexey sighed, stood, and turned to leave. Weiss relaxed as he stepped away, and the Beowolf trotted after him. As he approached the door though, Alexey stopped once more, and gently tapped the Beowolf's back again. Without warning, it lunged for Weiss once more, and she screamed as the beast's jaws closed around her.