A/N: I confess, this is probably going to be hot garbage (from an editing standpoint, at any rate), but as I haven't posted anything else in several months, I have to get the ball rolling again, even if I'm sleep deprived and in the throes of a caffeine crash.

Contrast

Venting her anger on the crowd of empty headed fools was cathartic. Her father's reaction was significantly less so.

"Let go of me!" Weiss protested, trying to pull away from his grip.

Jacques refused to relent. "You're embarrassing the family!"

"I said let go!"

She was about to jerk away when the doors to the ballroom suddenly burst open. Ruby and Yang's uncle, dressed as casually as ever, his weapon slung across his back surveyed the guests, silently judging them all, and glared at Jacques, as if willing the CEO to spontaneously combust.

Ironwood's eyes were wide as he recognized the party-crasher. "Qrow?"

Without a word, Qrow stormed across the floor, the other guests wisely getting out of his way, and scooped up Weiss in his arms, Sparta-kicked Jacques into the buffet table, then took off running out the door with the heiress.

Jacques sputtered in impotent and indignant rage. "Branwen, get back here with my daughter!"

"She's my daughter now, bitch!" Qrow shouted, smashing his way back out.

Dead silence reigned over the room as the storm departed from their presence, flabbergasted at what had just transpired. No one said a word, even as Ironwood followed them out at a more sedate pace, waving a hand as he left the room.

"Thanks for the party, Jacques," he said, suddenly lighter than before.

In the utter silence, everyone could almost make out a barely restrained chuckle from the general.

[DitP]

Weiss sat up, bleary-eyed as her conscious mind slowly whirred up and ran over the events of her dream.

"Whaaa…?"

[DitP]

A cup of coffee helped banish the vestiges of that odd dream without too much effort, though there was precious little to distract her from it. Everyone else was either still abed, training in the yard, or doing chores.

Out on the front porch, Weiss stared at her scroll, Winter's contact information pulled up and her thumb hovering above the call button.

Did her sister know?

Screwing her eyes shut, she tapped the button. Winter was her sister regardless.

The ringtone sounded three times before the recipient answered, voice cool and cautious.

"Specialist Schnee speaking."

"Um…hey, Winter? It's me."

A thump on the other end as Winter presumably dropped her scroll and scooped it back up. "Weiss?! Where are you? Are you safe?"

"In Haven, looking for you. And yes, all things considered."

"I- Aside from the Argus garrison, there's no Atlesian military presence in Mistral. Or anywhere else for that matter. Weiss, we pulled out almost two months ago."

"A fact I didn't learn until after I had escaped the house. I wasn't exactly in a position to watch the news."

Weiss heard Winter open and close her mouth, gobsmacked. "Do you need me to come get you?"

"I think I'm better off where I am right now. I'd rather not be anywhere near Jacques if I can help it."

A brief silence on the other end, then, "Weiss…?"

"Yes, Winter?"

"You never call father by his given name. What happened?"

"Oh, I was disinherited for embarrassing him in public and back-sassing him in private. He then locked me in my room, so I found a way to break out. Like I said, I was trying to find you in Haven after I escaped, but it seems we missed each other."

"I'm sorry, Weiss. Is there anyone with you? Anyone you can trust? I might have to go AWOL, but if you need me to, I will come get you."

Weiss's eyes widened as glanced over to Ruby and Yang. "Most of my team is here, along with some of our friends," she replied. "We'll be traveling together for the foreseeable future. I appreciate the offer, nonetheless."

"Is there anything I can do to help in the meantime?"

"I lost my briefcase during the trip. I have enough money to handle the basics, but probably not enough to cover all the things I lost."

"Dare I ask why?"

"Lancets attacked my transport out of Atlas before we got to Mistral. We made a fairly hard landing, but a lot of the cargo didn't make it, my things included." She had no intention of going over the details of that over scroll call.

Thankfully, either Winter didn't notice or, more likely, didn't press for said details.

"Consider it covered," she said. "I'll talk with General Ironwood and see if we can arrange something for you in the future. Stay safe, sister."

"Same to you, Winter. I love you."

"I love you, too, Weiss."

Hanging up, Weiss slumped against the wall, pressing her scroll against her forehead for a moment.

Jaune poked his head out, wearing an apron over his usual clothes. "How are you feeling?"

Weiss sighed. "I don't know. I'm still…processing everything."

"Ah."

"What are you doing here, anyway?"

"Need to get out of the house for a bit. Qrow said to keep to a group whenever we go out, and he mentioned you might be making a trip into town."

"Who all is coming?"

"Ren and Nora."

"Right." She could handle that. Smoothing out her clothes, she drew up to full height, frowning at the growing height disparity between her and virtually all of her peers. "If it's all the same to you, I would like to revise my wardrobe."

[DitP]

It was a pleasant afternoon, walking from store to store. After the first half-dozen, she accepted she wasn't going to find anything quite to her liking. The dress she had worn on her flight out of Atlas was nice for formal events, less suitable for treks across the countryside. The clothes the Branwen tribe provided were comfortable, but not necessarily her style.

She was willing to admit that her sense of fashion would have to take a hit for functionality's sake. Thankfully, Mistral wasn't lacking in variety, even for Hunters going out into the field. A collection of garments she had gathered were draped over Jaune's arms as she continued to rummage through the aisles.

"Sorry," she apologized, as a coat joined the rest of the articles. "I'm trying to get this over with in as few trips as possible."

"Don't worry," he answered, with a slightly laugh. "I'm used to being used a pack-mule. And this is nothing compared to what my sisters would try to pull off."

Weiss looked up from her selection. "Don't you have a dozen sisters? Did they really make you carry everything?"

"Seven, yes. And no, I wasn't always the pack-mule. We'd draw straws or play rock-paper-scissors. Sometimes it was doled out as a punishment, or got traded for other chores. Or dad would make sure we carried our own stuff." Shifting the growing collection on his arms, Jaune glanced over to Weiss. "Speaking of dads, I would have thought your dad would have come along."

"He said he wanted to give me some time to work out how I felt, and didn't want to impose, and I think he's trying to make sure Yang and Ruby aren't crowding either."

Jaune smirked, wryly shaking his head. "Weird to think he's your dad. I remember him showing up at Beacon."

"You and me, both," Weiss replied, sardonically, then began making her way to the changing booth. "Jaune? You get along with your family, right?"

Jaune looked at her, eyebrow raised. "Why are you asking?"

"My own family situation is kind of crazy. I'd ask my team, but since they're also part of said family, I was wanting to get some perspective on what's supposed to be…normal."

"Hm…my sisters used me as a doll at times." He hefted the collection of clothes over the door. "And I think my dad's advice got me into trouble rather than helped."

Weiss barely refrained from snorting when recalling the blond's flirting attempts. "That's not exactly a positive sign, Jaune."

"It isn't all bad. They taught me to cook, dance. There were stories by the fireplace, pillow forts, snack raids in the middle of the night with my sisters. We use to go on these camping trips across the countryside. Even here in Anima. Dad taught us all trapping, fishing, and other field skills. Mom taught us how to fix a car and fix clothes."

"That sounds…nice." Idyllic, really. There were all sorts of walls each Schnee had erected that asking for help was an impossibility. "How is your family, Jaune? If you don't mind my asking, that is."

Unseen to Weiss, Jaune's expression closed off and he turned away. "Don't know. I haven't talked to them since I left for Beacon. My parents weren't big on me going to Beacon in the first place."

Weiss stopped, staring at the place Jaune was standing sentry. "I was still talking to Jacques during that time," she said. "Not much, mind you, but I'm still contacting my family after all that happened. You have no excuse. Call them."

"But-?"

She popped up from behind the barrier, placing a finger to his lips, shooting him a look that brooked no argument. Noting their proximity and her own state of dress, Weiss hastily dismissed the glyph and stepped back, clearing her throat.

"If they really care about you," she said, "I think they'd like to hear from you, even if only to know you're still alive."

Jaune was quiet for a while, then, "Right," he answered absently, "Okay."

Letting the blond handle his call, Weiss continued trying on outfits until she had something that would work within her budget, and stepped out of the changing booth with some final adjustments and gathered up her intended purchases.

A red, long-sleeved blouse with a black string tie, white combat skirt held up with a brown leather belt with pouches to hold her gear, black leggings, a white, double-breasted overcoat, and brown, knee-high boots and matching gloves. Completing the ensemble was a red scarf with a white snowflake design on the end.

Looking around for her companions, she pride and embarrassment surged in equal measure when she saw Jaune blushing, Nora elbowing her team leader in the ribs.

A/N: Weiss' outfit takes cues from the outfit Rin loans to Saber in Fate/Stay Night, mixing it with her Snowpea outfit.

As per usual, if you have any questions, comments, or concerns, let me know with a PM or review. Constructive criticism is always appreciated.

Until next time. Winterman Out.