This Author's Note will be quite long, which is fitting because the chapter, too, is quite long. The longest chapter I've ever written, even, clocking in at just over ten thousand words. I doubt any other chapter in this story will reach that length again. In any case, this chapter is very important, and I think it will also be very divisive, probably as much as the next chapter and chapter 26. Aside from changing a bit about Atlas itself, I've made absolutely massive changes to one character in particular: Jacques Schnee. See, the events in this chapter involving him were among the first I came up with when I started work on this story three years ago, when Jacques hadn't been revealed yet (Volume 3 wasn't even out). Because of that, everything you know about Jacques, more or less, is wrong. He's Weiss's father and his name is Jacques. Those are all the resemblances both incarnations of him have. In this story, he is Nicholas's son, and his appearance and personality are vastly different from the show, because I never liked his canon portrayal at all. I only kept the name because I hate coming up with them. Also, Whitley doesn't exist in this story. Some people will hate that. I get that. I don't like such enormous canon defilement either, generally. But then, I've already changed Mistral a lot, now Atlas as well, so it makes sense that some characters would be different too. In spite of these changes, I still hope you enjoy the chapter, which really is a very important one. Please let me know your thoughts on it, and enjoy!

Chapter Sixteen: Frozen Hope Rekindled

"Edelweiss Agnes Schnee!"

Oh no. I knew that voice, and right at that moment, it was the absolute last voice I wanted to hear. Worse than being my father's voice, this voice belonged to none other than Mrs. Mohn Blumenfeld, a woman who had been in the employ of my family since before I was even born, and who had an almost pathological tendency to always call me by my full name, something not even my parents did.

I forced a friendly smile and turned around. She'd barely changed in the years I hadn't seen her. She was still short, and fat. She wore the same plain, white dress she'd worn for as long as I'd known her. Her hair was dyed black and tied into a bun, and her eyes were a dark blue, and somehow simultaneously kind and critical of whatever she happened to be looking at.

"Mrs. Blumenfeld, how nice to see…"

"It's been far too long since I heard from you, Edelweiss Agnes," she interrupted me sternly.

She looked me up and down and I heard Ruby snicker, "Edelweiss?"

I shot her an annoyed look and hissed, "If any of you ever call me that, I will use you to practice my sword techniques."

"I'm sure Ruby would like that," Yang said innocently.

I felt the blood rushing to my face at that remark. "That doesn't even make sense, you halfwit!"

Sadly, I didn't get the chance to throttle Yang, since Mrs. Blumenfeld, who had ignored our little exchange entirely, spoke up again. "Well, at least you seem to be well fed. A bit too well, perhaps."

She was still inspecting me as she said this, and I bit back an indignant response. Mrs. Blumenfeld was a good person and always had been, but she was somehow able to be more tactless than Yang.

"In any event, Edelweiss Agnes…" Again with the full name. I'd never known why she felt the need to that, especially the inclusion of my middle name. "…your father will be most pleased that you have returned to Atlas."

My blood ran cold when she mentioned my father. Even now, talking to someone so closely involved with my family, I still had no intention of visiting my old home. The very thought of being in that marble prison made uncomfortable to my core.

"I…I'm not here to visit," I said shakily. I straightened my back. "We're here on official business from Beacon. I'm afraid we simply haven't time to…"

"But you must, Edelweiss Agnes!" Mrs. Blumenfeld interrupted. "Your father was very angry with you when you left, but I'm certain he'll want to see you."

It was only now that she seemed to really notice Ruby and the others. "I'm sure he'll also be very interested in meeting your little friends."

Said 'little friends' shared some confused glances at being addressed like that, but Ruby quickly recovered and held out her hand. "Hi, I'm Ruby Rose! I'm Weiss's partner at Beacon and I'm also…"

"The team captain!" I interrupted, with a warning glance at Ruby.

If my family was going to know I had a girlfriend, I'd rather tell them myself. Ruby seemed confused and, to my shame, a bit hurt by my interruption, but she nodded and said, "Yeah, the team captain."

Her voice was flat, which made my insides squirm worse than they already did. Didn't she realize why I interrupted her? Yang shot me a look that was so cold she might as well have used ice Dust, but gave a friendly smile to Mrs. Blumenfeld when she introduced herself. Blake kept her expression carefully neutral, both towards me and Mrs. Blumenfeld.

"Well, Edelweiss Agnes, I cannot accept you not visiting home while you are here. I shall notify your father immediately, and then we will go home together," she said.

"No, I…"

"That sounds lovely, Mrs. Blumenfeld!" Ruby interjected.

Was she just being spiteful now? Surely she knew how much I dreaded going home. I tried to catch her eyes, but she pointedly ignored me. Mrs. Blumenfeld gave Ruby a curious look, and then she pulled out her scroll and walked a short distance away while as she looked for my father's number.

Meanwhile, Yang rounded on me. "You have about three seconds to tell me why you want to keep your relationship with Ruby a secret, Edelweiss," she said menacingly.

Fortunately, anger came to my defense. "Have you noticed what kind of person Mrs. Blumenfeld is?! If it's all the same to you, I'd rather tell that to my father myself. Look, just because no one we've met thus far sees a problem in my relationship with Ruby doesn't mean that he won't. You don't know what he's like!" I shouted hysterically. "Once, he may have been kind and caring, but that side of him is long gone. I'm an asset to him, a pawn to be used as he sees fit, and I don't know if the word 'heir' means something to you, but it's going to be a bit difficult if I'm with a girl, don't you think?!"

I shifted my gaze from Yang, who looked a bit conflicted, to Ruby, who looked downright horrified. "Weiss, I'm sorry I said yes to Mrs. Blumenfeld but I was angry because I thought you didn't want your family to know about us and…"

I held up a hand. "It's okay," I said. The sight of her like that calmed me down a bit. "It wasn't my brightest move, I admit…but I really, really would have liked to avoid this situation." I sighed and stepped closer to Ruby, who still looked guilty. I brought my face close to hers. "Don't worry about me not wanting to be your girlfriend, or me not wanting people to know, or anything of the sort. You mean the world to me, but I need to be able to tell people that in my own time, especially my family."

I quickly kissed her, silently lamenting that we didn't get many chances to do even that, and then stepped back just in time to see Mrs. Blumenfeld approaching us again. Had she seen the kiss? I was beginning to get nervous again. To my unending relief, however, she didn't say anything about it. Since I was sure she'd have immediately given her opinion if she'd noticed, I relaxed the tiniest bit.

I furiously hoped she'd say that my father was unavailable and that we'd be unable to visit, but of course I wasn't that lucky. "Good news, Edelweiss Agnes," Mrs. Blumenfeld began, "When your father heard you were in Atlas he immediately cleared out his schedule for the rest of the day. He told me to take you and your friends home at once, so if you'll follow me…"

With leaden feet, I began to walk after her. My friends followed me. I saw Ruby giving me an apologetic look, so I smiled at her to reassure her, even though I didn't feel like smiling at all.


The monorail silently moved over the city. I looked outside without really paying attention. It wasn't like I didn't know this route, anyway. I knew that the large building we were now moving past, with a peak that rose above all the buildings around it, contained a vast number of technological research labs, both civilian and military. Most projects in it were funded mainly by the Schnee Dust Company. The smaller building on the other side of the monorail, which was squat and unassuming, was a storage room for just about every mechanical part under the sun, shipping all over Remnant. The next building we passed had an odd, asymmetrical shape. It was an art museum, erected to memorialize the Great War. Neither its owner nor its generous financial benefactor, the SDC, mentioned that it was Mantle who decided that individuality was to be stamped out. Next was a small park, placed there solely to put some green into an otherwise bleak city. The plants were protected from the cold by an intricate system of heat sources and fire Dust in the earth.

There was a reason that the monorail went past all these significant buildings. Throughout the city, the railed public transport had been set up to showcase all the marvels of engineering Atlas had to offer. The more mundane buildings like houses and general stores, while reachable by buses, weren't part of the scenic trip that most tourists went for. Tactically, the docks were only reachable by monorail, as was the airport, thus forcing newcomers to the city to see at least some signs of Atlas's prowess.

As a child, I'd thought it was great. That Atlas was the most modern, most beautiful, safest city in Remnant. Now, all I really saw was showboating and arrogance, a trait which I'd come to realize was also visible in many of Atlas's residents, including myself. But I'd learned that even this gleaming city had its seedy underbelly, no matter how much everyone, my father most of all, tried to hide it.

I glanced over at my friends, who were all awestruck by the many buildings they were seeing, while Mrs. Blumenfeld was explaining some of the buildings to them. I knew I should've been the one to do that, but my mind was preoccupied by the fact that I was about to see my father for the first time in what felt like years.

As we got ever closer to the compound, I felt my mouth go dry and my heart speed up. Suddenly, Ruby was next to me. "It'll be okay, Weiss. Trust me," she said softly.

I nodded, but didn't reply. Through the front window of the monorail, I could see it. The vast estate of my family, with at its heart the massive, white mansion. Despite the rows upon rows of green hedges, bright white gravel paths and exquisitely crafted fountains arranged in orderly lines along the main driveway, it felt intimidating to look at, as if its pleasant look was nothing but a veneer, ready to crumble away and show the amorphous dark blob it was underneath.

"That is your home?!" Yang said incredulously. "All of Patch would fit inside of that!"

"It feels wrong," Blake said, but she didn't elaborate because Mrs. Blumenfeld was with us. Not that she had to; I knew exactly why this visit wasn't exactly something she wanted to do either. Yet another thing I had in common with her.

The monorail soundlessly slid into the station. The fact alone that our house had its own, dedicated monorail station made me a bit embarrassed, more so because it really was nothing more than a statement of wealth. My father never used it, and of our personnel only Mrs. Blumenfeld did because she enjoyed the sights of the city. Needless to say, the five of us were the only ones getting off the monorail at the station.

The platform was impeccably clean. The trashcans were empty. The vending machines were full. It was all designed to be inviting, but the obvious lack of use of anything there made it uncanny instead. We descended a gleaming escalator and exited the station, to immediately be greeted by the massive and intricate wrought-iron gate that sealed off the compound from the rest of the world. Behind it stretched the driveway flanked by the fountains. The gate itself was flanked by a hedge which surrounded the compound. The black spikes rising from the hedge were the only indication that there was a fence hidden within it.

Two men clad in black suits and light blue ties stood in front of the gate. They wore sunglasses and earpieces to complete the standard security look. With the rising threat of the White Fang, my father employed a private security force to guard the estate. I figured that General Ironwood probably refused to lend him any soldiers for the job. As the high commander of the Atlesian military and the Headmaster of its academy, General Ironwood was likely the one person in Atlas who was entirely unintimidated by my father's wealth.

These guards were probably only out here to escort us, however, since I knew that along the circumference of the compound there were machine gun turrets hidden in the hedge, which could safely be operated from within the security building. They stood at attention as we walked closer to them.

"Good day, Miss Schnee. Your father has dispatched us to escort you and your associates inside. If you would be so kind to hand over your weapons, please," one of the men said.

I knew Yang wanted to argue, so I quickly held up my hand to silence her. "Surely father does not believe that my friends or I would seek to cause harm to him or the estate? As Huntresses, we must be ready to fight at a moment's notice. I must therefore respectfully decline your request to hand over our weapons," I said.

The security looked conflicted. He didn't want to disobey my father, but if he implied that he thought my father's heir was going to cause trouble, he might lose his job as well. "Miss Schnee, your father expressly requested us to…"

"Then I shall explain the situation to him myself," I said with a confidence I didn't feel, "Now, I believe you were told to escort us to him?"

The security guard shot a pleading look at Mrs. Blumenfeld, but I knew that for all her lack of tact she wasn't dumb. She wasn't going to interfere in a battle of wills between me and my father if she could help it.

Eventually, the guard seemed to resign himself to his fate and stood up straight again. "Very well then. If you would all follow me, please."

He made a gesture at his colleague, who took a small remote from the pocket of his jacket and pressed a button. The gate began to swing open and I looked back at my friends. Yang still looked bewildered by the sheer size of compound. Ruby looked excited; her eyes gleamed in wonder as she tried to take everything in. She looked absolutely adorable. Blake, on the other hand, looked exactly as apprehensive as I felt. She was about to enter the home of someone she'd loathed for a large part of her life, and while I didn't loathe my father, I certainly didn't particularly want to see him either. She saw me looking at her and I gave her an apologetic look, to which she slowly shook her head, replying to my look with the faintest of smiles.

I didn't know why, but knowing that Blake no longer blamed me for what my father did, and in turn, knowing for myself that the prejudice I'd built up around Faunus had fallen away ever since we'd found out about Blake's past, made me feel better about coming back to this place, however marginally. It made me realize that I wasn't the same person I'd been when I left anymore. Lastly, Mrs. Blumenfeld wore her normal, inscrutable expression.

We began walking after the guards and as we walked down the driveway, memories of my youth came back to me. I recalled how I'd once, in a fit of anger, had frozen all the fountains when I'd gotten my hands on some ice Dust. Winter had scolded me for it, but my father had actually laughed about it. It was probably one of the last things I'd seen him laugh about, before everything went wrong. From down on the ground, the manor seemed even more impressive than it had done from the monorail. The white walls rose up like a sheer cliff, with gleaming windows spaced at exact intervals alongside the walls. Next to the huge manor, I now saw the security building, which in itself would dwarf a normal house but which looked insignificant next to the manor.

"Man, couldn't we have taken a car to your front door?" Yang asked.

"My father likes it when visitors who aren't business partners walk down the driveway. It's one of the ways he tries to intimidate people," I said.

"Why would he do that?" Ruby asked. "I mean, those people aren't his enemies, are they?"

I shook my head. "No, but my father always assumes the worst. He'll do anything he feels could give him a psychological edge even before he's met them. Of course, when someone is here on business they can just drive up to the front door in their limousines. It wouldn't do to make someone he needs walk that whole distance."

"Who would even come here other than business partners?" Yang asked.

I gave her a guilty look. "Mostly people who come here to petition against his business practices, both Faunus and Humans. He has little sympathy for them and so he will do anything to show them their insignificance. From what I've gathered, it's pretty effective."

Blake looked positively murderous at that, but she said nothing. I hoped that she'd be able to hold herself back when we met my father.

"So…" Ruby said hesitantly, "Is your mother here as well?"

I didn't respond immediately. Whenever I thought about my family, it was usually about Winter or my father. My mother…

"She doesn't live here anymore. My parents divorced quite a while ago. She still lives in Atlas, though," I said.

While that was true, I also hadn't spoken to her in ages. That wasn't because I feared it, though. It was simply because I, to my shame, had no idea where she actually lived. I knew it was in Atlas, but nobody I'd talked to seemed willing to tell me, probably on my father's orders. Just another reason why I didn't want to talk to him. What kind of father keeps their children away from their mother?

I couldn't really ruminate any further, though, as we finally arrived at the heavy mahogany doors, the only exterior part of the mansion which wasn't bright white. The two security guards opened the door and we entered the entrance hall.

Immediately, I felt the chill of the stones around me. The entrance hall felt as big as a cathedral. Along the walls were mahogany doors, each placed exactly opposite another to preserve the symmetry of the hall. The floor was gleaming marble, as were the two staircases leading to the balcony from where my father could look down upon his guests.

To my surprise, he wasn't standing there yet. It was only after the security guards had left that a door on the balcony opened and my father entered. He stood exactly in the middle of the balcony. The light from the windows behind him framed him in shadow, making it slightly more difficult to see his face. As with the driveway, this was another way to unnerve guests.

I knew him well enough to easily see his face, though. He was tall, imposing. On physique alone he might match General Ironwood. His blue eyes were hard and cold, his clean shaven, lined face looked old before its time. His white hair was impeccably groomed. He wore a white suit and white tie, as he usually did.

"So," his deep voice echoed impressively off the cold marble and it was all I could do not to flinch, "The prodigal daughter returns."

"I am many things, but wasteful is not one of them," I said in a tone I hoped could pass for defiant.

"Your cheek certainly hasn't diminished while you were away."

His voice was devoid of any inflection, but from the words alone I knew he wasn't pleased. I wasn't even certain why I reacted with that particular answer. Perhaps all the time I'd spent correcting Ruby on the meanings of words had ingrained it into me so deeply I couldn't stop anymore. He slowly began to descend the stairs on our left. I thought that if he'd somehow figure out a way to split himself into two people for the purpose of symmetry, he would. He slowly strode over to us and glanced at my friends, who all remained silent.

My father looked at Mrs. Blumenfeld. "Thank you for bringing my daughter to me, Mohn. You may go," he said.

Mrs. Blumenfeld gave a respectful bow and left through one of the doors.

"My name is Jacques Schnee, president of the Schnee Dust Company," my father said. "You, I take it, are Weiss's teammates at Beacon. Come with me."

Without another word, he turned around and began to walk to the door on the far left of the entrance hall, the one I knew led to the lounge area. Nervously, we followed him. The hallway he led us through had the same marble floor and white walls as the entrance hall. The walls were decorated with portraits of long-dead family members. We soon entered into a large, brightly lit room. The left wall had a massive, mahogany bookcase filled to the brim with books about Dust, business, and Dust business. Directly in front of us was a mahogany table on which lay a thick book, surrounded by ditto chairs. The inside wall of the room had two doors, one of which was the one through which we'd just entered, and the other led to a narrow staircase, ending up directly opposite my father's office, one floor higher. Next to the door was a fireplace, around which a white leather couch and two large seats covered in the same kind of white leather were placed.

My father took a seat in one of the chairs, and gestured at us to sit with him. I sat down on the chair opposite my father, as far away from him as I could get, while my friends sat down on the couch, Ruby making sure she had the spot closest to me, Blake sat next to her, and Yang sat closest to my father. For a moment nobody spoke.

"Now then. Why don't you introduce yourselves?" my father began the conversation. Though he phrased it like a question, the tone made clear that it was unmistakably an order.

Yang was the first to respond. "My name is Yang Xiao Long. Like you said earlier, I'm one of Weiss's teammates."

"What was your previous education before attending Beacon?" my father asked. It was almost like he was interrogating a prospective suitor for me. Which, I supposed, was going to be a bit ironic when he got to Ruby.

"I'm from Patch. I studied at Signal before I went to Beacon," Yang replied.

My father nodded slowly and looked at Blake, who fiercely looked into his eyes when she spoke. "My name is Blake Belladonna." If my father recognized the name at all, he didn't show it. "I'm Yang's partner at Beacon, and before I went there I lived outside of the kingdoms." The implication was obvious, and I really wasn't certain if it was a smart move for Blake to openly state that.

My father, however, remained stone-faced. Without saying anything to Blake, he turned to Ruby. I saw Blake's eyes narrow a bit.

"I'm Ruby Rose, sir. I'm the team captain of Team RWBY. I'm Yang's sister, and Weiss's partner. At Beacon, I mean. Yes."

She shot me a sideways glance. I could almost feel how nervous she was.

"Team captain," my father said. I felt a horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach. "And Weiss's partner, to boot. How would you say her performance in the team is?"

Ruby sat up straight. "She's excellent…I mean, her performance is excellent. In the team. Not as...I mean…um…"

She was growing redder with every word, and, I knew, digging herself deeper. Eventually, she ended her stammering with a soft, "Sir."

My father kept his eyes on her for a long time. "I'll take that to mean Weiss is doing well, then," he said. Ruby nodded fervently.

At long last, my father now turned to me. "You are not your team's leader. Why is that?"

"Because Ruby is a natural at it," I said. Ruby's eyes widened. Yang smiled thinly. "Her gift for battle is obvious. Her optimism is inspiring. She has grown tremendously since being given the role." I shot her a glance and smiled at her. "I'd follow her anywhere and gladly trust her with my life."

Silence fell over us once again. I knew my father wouldn't like to her that his daughter would defer to someone who seemed so inept. I wondered how he would respond to this. Without warning, my father stood up. He looked at me.

"Weiss, come with me. I wish to speak with you in private." He shot a disdainful look at my friends. "I shall have Mohn bring you something to drink. We won't be long."

With that, he strode towards the door closest to the fireplace and beckoned me to follow him. I looked at my friends, who seemed ready to jump to my defense, and slowly shook my head. I'd known from the start he would do this. I knew he'd want to separate me from my friends so he could drop his mask and apply more pressure to me.

I followed my father, up the narrow staircase which, in contrast to the ornate marble ones in the entrance hall, was made out of solid steel. We emerged in an upstairs hallway. A blue carpet lay down its length, covering most of the marble floor underneath. We entered into the room opposite the stairwell, and for the first time since I'd left home I was back in my father's office. Unlike most other rooms in the mansion, there were no windows here. A blue carpet rolled directly towards the massive desk in the back, behind which hung a large portrait of my father. Bookcases lined both walls. My father sat down in the enormous leather chair behind the desk, and gestured for me to take a seat in one of the smaller, less comfortable ones in front of it. I sat down and looked at him.

Now, for the first time since arriving here, his face began to show emotion. That emotion, of course, was anger.

"Belladonna," he said through gritted teeth. "You are in a team with the daughter of that animal?!"

I thought of Blake's parents and how kind they'd been to us, and my anger flared up to match my father's. "How dare you call him an animal?! After everything you've done to the Faunus, after every shady deal you've ever made, you still have the audacity to…"

"Silence! Have you forgotten, perhaps, what they have done to us?! Have you forgotten how many executives, colleagues, and family members we have lost to those savages?! I will not have my daughter fraternizing with scum like them!"

He had stood up when he started shouting, both hands on his desk. He towered over me and while I felt adrenaline rushing through me, I didn't back down.

"The Belladonnas have nothing to do with that! Ghira stepped down exactly because he did not condone what the organization he had created had resorted to. When we arrived there with nothing but the clothes on our backs, they took us in. They didn't care from what family I came. They saw that Blake and her friends needed help and they provided it without hesitation, and yet you presume to tell me they are the enemy?!" I angrily blinked away the tears that were forming in my eyes. "What happened to you?! You used to be kind, and caring. You used to care about more than money and influence. You used to be my father…"

I turned my head away. My eyes still stung, but I forcefully bit back the storm of emotions I felt. I didn't want to give him the satisfaction of seeing my tears. Not this time.

Then, something I hadn't expected happened. My father sat back down with a sigh, and with that sigh, all of the anger seemed to fade away from him. He looked beaten now, ancient. His eyes were blank, expressionless, but not in the same intimidating way he'd been earlier.

"Has it really come to this, Jacques?" he asked. He spoke as if he no longer realized I was there. "Has it now gotten to the point where you've alienated the last person who might have cared?"

I blinked a couple of times. I'd never seen my father like this. "Father?" I said, uncertain.

He looked at me. In his eyes was nothing but sadness. Where had this broken man come from? It seemed so surreal that the man who had been shouting angrily at me not minutes before, was now looking burnt out and hopeless.

"Am I, still?" he asked.

Was this about my outburst? Did he infer from that that I no longer saw him as my father?

"Of course," I said. I wasn't sure if that was the right thing to say, but I had no idea what else I could do.

He shook his head. "I was under the impression I'd just disabused you of that notion," he said wearily.

"Father, what's going on?" I asked.

My father sat up straighter. "Look at me," he said scathingly. "Look at what I am, Weiss, and you tell me what's going on. You were pretty astute in your observations just now, and I'd wager you a have a few more to make."

"I…" What was he getting at, here?

He sighed once more. "When I look at you, I can still see the way you were when you were younger. Parents aren't supposed to have favorites. I did, and you were. Where Winter took to the decorum of our station immediately, you did not. You remained, through everything, true to who you were."

I recalled the conversation I had with Qrow back on Patch, before we left on our mission. He'd said essentially the same thing.

"Everything went wrong when the White Fang…" His look hardened when he said the name, "…began to cause trouble. I'm no warrior. I'm a businessman. All I'm good at is doing business, and in business strong and weak are more subtle than they are on a battlefield. If I wanted to be strong in my field of expertise, I had to make sure I used every advantage. I created a mask, not unlike the ones the White Fang used. My mask was indifference. Murder, injustice, shady constructions…nothing penetrated my mask."

He smiled ruefully. "I should have realized, even then, that creating such a mask would have consequences. I didn't. I distanced myself wholly from what I did while I wore the mask, and so it struck me right in my core when Nicholas was murdered."

He gritted his teeth and my blood ran cold. Nicholas was my uncle's name, as well as my grandfather's.

"I'd never, even for a second, realized that, mask or no, I was still Jacques Schnee. I was well-known, and so were my relatives. My solution was cunning, or so I told myself. I would simply distance myself from those close to me, and that would keep them safe." He shook his head in derision. "How foolish, how childish, it was of me to think even for a second that it would work. And then Noel was killed. His head was left at our doorstep."

Vaguely, I recalled that morning. Horrible screams from downstairs, Mrs. Blumenfeld who had come upstairs, ashen-faced, telling us that we'd leave through the back door that day, that the front door needed repainting.

My father continued his story. "I didn't know what to do. Things kept getting worse. And every day when I came home from work and took off the mask, I exploded at everyone around me, because I was afraid one of you would be next. In time, I drove your mother away. I drove Winter into Ironwood's army, which was the absolute last place I wanted her to go. And then you suddenly wanted to become a Huntress. I didn't care about the Grimm. For me, our problems lay solely with the Faunus. The Grimm had never been a concern for me, personally, outside of military Dust sales being a golden market. The thought that my own daughter would fight them was, in my eyes, ludicrous. You were to be my heir, and fighting Grimm hardly befits the president of a large company."

"Grandpa Nicholas did, though," I said.

My father snorted. "My father was a hero. He was inspiring and strong. I wasn't. Nicholas was, but he felt his duty lay in the defense of the people, much like you do now. That was another reason I didn't want you to go. I'd seen what the White Fang had done to Nicholas. I felt that keeping you here would keep you safe, and at the same time further our family's aims. But you left, and with you gone my bitterness was all I had left. And now, with you here…I could have made amends. I could have admitted that, maybe, I was wrong. But instead, I retained my mask. I tried to unnerve your friends, and when I saw the weakness your team leader exhibited, I capitalized just like I would have done had it been a business deal instead."

"Ruby isn't weak," I said, feeling a bit of my anger returning now.

My father held up his hands. "I don't know how she fights. I told you, I'm a businessman and nothing more. Hearing you defend someone who I considered weak was another blow to me, I will admit. From my frame of reference, your time at Beacon had made you friendly to our enemies, and subservient to someone unworthy."

He saw that I wanted to interrupt him again, and he cut me off. "I know. She isn't unworthy or weak. She couldn't be, if you've fallen for her."

I felt like he'd nailed me to my chair with a spike. How could he possibly know…?!

He smirked. "Mohn told me. She guessed when you cut off whatever it was she was going to say when she introduced herself, and she saw you kiss her shortly after."

So, Mrs. Blumenfeld had seen me. "So…what now?" I asked fearfully, fully expecting his rage to return.

"Now? I suppose that now, you will continue whatever mission it is you and your teammates are on," he said.

I looked at him with wide eyes and he cocked his head. "Wait. Did you expect that to be an issue with me?"

And then he laughed. The same laugh he used to laugh when everything was still normal. When our family hadn't fallen apart yet. When he'd still been the kind man I looked up to.

"Weiss, I would never judge you for being in love with a girl. I only judge the person, and I've already proven to be terrible at that, these days."

"But…I'm your heir, aren't I? Or…was…or…"

He nodded. "And? There are ways for two women to have a child, if it comes to that. But I do hope that is a long way off," he said.

My head was reeling. All this time, I had thought that my relationship with Ruby would have been a big problem for him because of his drive to pass on the Schnee name. But for my father to casually say that it didn't bother him…It felt like a weight was lifted from my shoulders. The dread I'd felt ever since I became Ruby's girlfriend, the fear that I'd one day have to tell my father, was entirely gone.

"Weiss." My father's voice brought me back to the present. "I have made a lot of mistakes. Many of those, I can never rectify. But right now, I'm asking you, no, begging you…to give me one more chance as your father. To not deny me the final tie I have to my family. To allow me to be the man I should have been. To, for once, be brave, like Nicholas, and Winter, and you. To…"

I didn't let him finish. I got up, walked around the desk and threw my arms around him. After a moment of stunned silence, he returned the embrace. I don't know how long I held on. It could have been seconds, or days, or weeks. Just the thought that I was hugging the man I had thought gone forever, fully overtaken by the mask he'd created for himself. Eventually, I did break the embrace and looked into my father's eyes, and saw that they were glistening. I knew mine were as well.

"If you want to make amends," I said, "There will be things you need to change. For one thing, your appalling treatment of laborers in the Dust mines must stop."

He nodded slowly.

"Cut off the ties you have with any criminals. If need be, report them all to General Ironwood." He winced. "I know, you and the General don't get along. But he isn't a bad man, from what Ruby tells me. I'm sure he'll listen, if you're honest with him."

He sighed deeply, but nodded his assent. I had the feeling that a weight hadn't just been lifted from my shoulders, but from his as well.

"Lastly," I said, sterner than before, and he looked up curiously, "I want you to talk to my friends. Really talk to them. Especially Blake and Ruby. Show them the Jacques Schnee without the mask. Show me that everything you just said was true."

He just nodded solemnly and moved to get up, but it was that moment I thought of something else.

"Wait, there's one more thing."

He looked at me, waiting.

"I want to know where mother lives," I said softly.

Ever since she left I'd only had minimal contact with her because my father had always prevented it. But now…maybe I'd finally get the chance to see her again.

"I'll give you the address," my father replied.

He sounded resigned, as if he'd still rather not acquiesce to that particular request, but I wasn't about to give him grief over that, especially now. We walked back downstairs in silence. When we entered the lounge room again, the others were having an animated discussion about what I presumed to be a game, but it instantly fell silent when they saw me and my father come in.

As soon as Ruby noticed my face, which was probably still a bit tear-stained, she immediately got to her feet.

"Weiss?"

I saw the worry in her eyes, saw that she was trying to think of something to say, but couldn't because she wasn't sure exactly what was wrong. I smiled and walked to her, feeling lighter than ever before. Without caring that Blake and Yang and my father were in the room with me, I walked over to her, wrapped my arms around her, and kissed her. She tensed up for just a moment, caught off guard, but then returned the embrace, returned the kiss. It was much like the kiss we'd shared in the forest, en route to Menagerie. The same wave of pinpricks washed over me, just like it had then. When we finally parted, she was blushing furiously, and looked both elated and a bit confused. Both Yang and Blake were just staring, wide eyed. I turned around and saw my father smiling warmly, a smile I could return and which felt even better because of how unlikely it was. I sat down on my chair again like nothing had happened, and my father took his place again as well.

My friends still looked at him a bit apprehensively, but he seemingly expected that and gave no real notice of it. His look became serious again when he looked at Blake. "Miss Belladonna," he said. "I have caused you and your family a lot of grief. The serial escalation of my conflict with the Faunus has led me to things I deeply regret." His face hardened, just a bit. "I will not pretend to forgive those who have murdered my family members and colleagues. To do so would be a stain on their memories…but I also cannot continue to place the blame solely on the Faunus as I have been doing. I know, and in my heart have always known, that many Faunus desire nothing more than peace and equality. In my anger, I refused them that. For what it's worth, coming from a man you rightly despise…I pledge to improve circumstances for the Faunus, and for the many Humans I mistreat as well. If there is something I can do to prove myself in your eyes, name it, and I will do it."

Blake blinked rapidly, so bewildered she didn't immediately respond. Then, she recovered. "Forgive me, but I have a hard time believing you. Years of negotiations and violence without any changes, and now you suddenly want to cooperate? If you want to prove your good intentions, then I suggest you contact my father on Menagerie. I'm sure there are several things he can think of where your wealth and connections will come in handy. As for me…well…Weiss seems to have regained her trust in you. I want to believe that she's right to do so. But at this moment, no, I can't trust you entirely, not yet. I've seen very skillful manipulation in my life, and there is no doubt that you are a natural at it."

I couldn't blame Blake for her reaction. Everything she had said was true, after all. Had my father still been wearing his mask, he would have taken the challenge head on, but now he simply bowed his head and said, "I will seek contact with Ghira Belladonna this very afternoon. I do not expect you to trust me yet. Were I in your position, I would be hesitant as well. But for now, let me at least thank you for trusting Weiss enough to even consider trusting me."

Blake nodded once, slowly, then shot me a glance. I replied with a faint smile.

My father now turned to face Ruby, who was still beet-red. "Miss Rose," he began, and she immediately sat up as straight as she could. "First, let me apologize for giving you a hard time earlier. Mohn told me that she believed you and Weiss to be in a relationship…" Ruby stiffened at that, "…and because of that, I wished to check if you were strong enough." He smiled flatly. "I did so by checking only for the kind of strength that I possess: interpersonal communication."

Ruby looked blank, and I said, "It means he only checked your social skills."

Ruby nodded, but kept looking at my father. "It was wrong of me to do so. There are many different kinds of strength, as Weiss averred earlier, before I spoke to her in private. I think I saw a glimpse of your kind of strength when we entered the room just now. When you saw Weiss, you immediately focused on her, tried to assess what she needed and how you could provide it. It demonstrates your aptitude for leadership, as I believe you would have responded that way for each of your teammates. It's a quality of which I possess very little. I'm very glad that Weiss saw what I did not, and I wish you the best of fortune together."

For a second, Ruby was stunned, but then she smiled widely. "Thank you very much, Mr. Schnee. I'll take good care of Weiss…and I know she will do the same for me."

Now, there was no hesitation or fear in her voice anymore, something my father seemed to notice as well, because he raised one eyebrow at me. I replied with a smirk.

When my father spoke again, he addressed all of us. "As you may have noticed, the conversation I just had with Weiss changed my demeanor somewhat."

"Understatement of the century, right there…" Yang muttered.

"I'll leave the details of that story to Weiss, but for now…I believe that the four of you are in Atlas on official business. If you are allowed to say anything about it, I'd be very interested in hearing it. I might be able to offer aid."

The four of us exchanged glances. We could use our cover story…or we could tell the truth. After a short moment, Ruby looked at me and said, "It's up to you, Weiss."

I looked at Yang and Blake, to see if they agreed with what Ruby said, and each nodded their assent, Blake a bit hesitantly. I took a deep breath…and then told my father the truth.


When I finished the story, my father nodded gravely. "I see. I have met Bluefield before. There was no love lost between us, but I do believe that he would, indeed, be able to help. He seems to know a lot of what happens in Atlas, including a lot of things some would say he has no business knowing. In any event, I will not do anything that may jeopardize his willingness to help. I'll be happy to lend my assistance, should you need it, but I think it would be prudent for me not to interfere just yet."

"Do you think he'd refuse to help us if he knew you were helping us?" Blake asked rather sharply. The words 'because that's what you would do' were heavily implied.

"Bluefield despises me," my father said simply, "He may accept Weiss because your father vouched for her, but there is no way he would offer aid if he knows I am doing likewise. He does not forgive easily, and I fear I have never given him any reason to believe he should. His hatred of me is such that he would likely dispute me if I told him the world was round, and I would respond exactly the same way. Your meeting him…angers me greatly, but for Weiss's sake, for the sake of the promises I made to her, and to you, Miss Belladonna, I will set my feelings aside. Make no mistake, while Bluefield will most likely be able to help, he hates Humans as much as any White Fang militant. The difference is that he is capable of seeing the greater good, and that is why he opposes this Adam, and the violent faction of the White Fang. He does not believe that continuous violence will lead to a better world, but he shouldn't be provoked." He looked at all of us in turn, finally ending up with his eyes on me. "The mission you're on is dangerous. To be quite honest, I'm not sure what your Headmaster was thinking when he sent the four of you on it. But considering it led to our reconciliation, I'm not complaining that he did." His look became more intense. "But don't get yourself killed. I don't care if the world goes down in flames, as long as you don't get yourself killed."

I smiled. I'd never expected to hear my father openly say something like that. "We'll be fine. The four of us can handle anything," I said confidently, and I saw Ruby smiling brightly when I did.

We said our goodbyes, and I promised my father I'd visit as soon as our mission was over. When we were at the front door, Mrs. Blumenfeld came to say goodbye as well.

"Edelweiss Agnes," she began, and I winced. She had to be doing this on purpose. "Next time, don't wait such a long time before coming to visit." She glanced at Ruby. "Perhaps you and your girlfriend could spend some time here over the next holidays."

Both Ruby and I blushed, but I smiled and nodded. "That would be great. Take good care of father, Mrs. Blumenfeld," I said.

"Of course."

We went outside and began walking down the long driveway again. "Maybe we should have asked your father for a ride to the gate," Yang said jokingly.

"We could have, but he probably would have charged you for the fuel," I replied.

"So Weiss, what's next?" Ruby asked.

I gave her a questioning look. "What do you mean?"

"Well, your father gave you your mom's address, right? Do you want to visit her first, or go to Mr. Bluefield first?" she clarified.

I considered for a moment. I hadn't seen my mother in person in years. Even my last phone call with her was many months ago. But could I really delay our mission more than I already had done with this detour?

"I think we should see Mr. Bluefield first," I said reluctantly. "We'll go and visit my mother afterwards."

Ruby nodded. "Alright. Then let's go save the world," she said, striking a heroic pose.

"You're always so dramatic, Rubes," Yang said teasingly.

"Yes, but you're supposed to be dramatic at moments like this," Ruby said, as if that was obvious.

I only partially listened to the argument that followed. I was mostly lost in thought, and still feeling the same lightness I'd been feeling ever since my father said he was okay with Ruby and me being together.


We took the monorail again to get us to the other side of the city. This time I did point out landmarks and special buildings to my friends, and it felt like only seconds had passed when we arrived at our stop. This part of the city was heavily involved in military research. No other kingdom put so much time and money into developing their standing army as Atlas did. As far as I knew, it was General Ironwood's intention to someday create a fully automated army, to minimize human casualties in our struggle against the Grimm. And, though no one generally said it out loud, to minimize Atlesian casualties in the event of another global war.

It didn't seem likely to happen, but General Ironwood wanted to be prepared for anything. It wasn't surprising that he did, either, because half his body was bionic. While the injuries themselves came from the Grimm, they had only been able to cause them because a man the General had trusted had turned on him. He'd been a spy for the very bandit tribe they had been hunting. The General had wiped out the entire tribe, but used so much of his Aura during the fight that he was unable to fight off the horde of Grimm attracted to the battle. He only survived because Winter and the soldiers under her command had arrived in time to save his life. It was then he had her transferred to his personal service. Ever since then, the General had been less than trusting of people.

As I guided us through the streets, past many military laboratories and surplus stores, I wondered if that traumatic event had also been the reason he had gone against Headmaster Ozpin's wishes and brought his army to Vale for the Vytal Festival.

We rounded a corner into a narrow street. It wasn't as bright and shiny as the rest of the district, but neither was it a dilapidated alley. A sign with dark blue neon letters advertised 'Bluefield Repair and Parts' in front of one of the larger buildings in the street.

"Well, there it is," I said rather unnecessarily.

We approached the building and entered through the large garage door. Inside, the air smelled of various kinds of oil and Dust. Several vehicles in different stages of dismantlement were directly in front of us, and to the sides in dedicated booths. Tool racks and chests were spread throughout the workshop.

One young man was digging around in a car engine. When he noticed us from the corner of his eyes he looked up. He was wearing blue coveralls and a matching blue cap, from beneath which came two red fox ears. His eyes were a deep golden color.

"Good afternoon, ladies," he said, smiling politely. "Can I help you?"

Blake stepped forward. "We have an appointment here with Mr. Bluefield," she said. "Is he in?"

The boy cocked his head. "With the boss himself? What did you break, an airship?"

Blake shook her head. "We're not here to get anything repaired. My name's Blake Belladonna, Ghira's daughter."

The boy frowned as he seemingly tried to recall where he'd heard the name before. "Oh! Kuo Kuana's chieftain, right? Alright, I'll go and get him." He pointed at a door farther back in the garage. "Why don't you take a seat in the reception area, and I'll send the boss to you."

We entered the door the boy had pointed out and sat down in the red leather seats in front of the currently unmanned reception desk. On one wall were cross sections of engine components. Another wall was adorned with many different certificates. After just a few moments of waiting, a door in the back of the reception area opened and a huge man came in.

He had a heavily tanned skin and instead of hair, he had two massive, swept back horns. His chest was so wide I was amazed he'd even managed to get through the door. His eyes were dark, and set deep into his face, giving him something of a perpetual scowl. Despite that, he smiled when he greeted Blake.

"Blake! It's been a long time. Last time I saw you, you almost fit in the palm of my hand." His voice was so deep I could almost feel my chest vibrating as he spoke. "I don't suppose you remember that, though," he went on.

Blake shook her head. "No, I'm afraid not," she said.

Mr. Bluefield shrugged. "Ah, it doesn't matter. Let's get to business, shall we? Adam is…"

"Hey, are we invisible?" Yang interjected angrily.

I agreed with her indignation; Mr. Bluefield hadn't so much as bothered to look at us yet. Now, though, he gave Yang a look that was so withering I'm amazed she didn't flinch at it.

"Are you deaf? No? Then I'm sure you'll hear everything you need to hear, Human. Ghira will have told you who I am, and I don't care whatsoever who you are."

He turned back to Blake and prepared to resume his story, but stopped when he saw the look on her face. "You could show my friends some courtesy," she said softly.

Bluefield made a non-committal motion with his head. "Hardly relevant to our conversation," he said.

"It's relevant to me," Blake said stonily.

Bluefield sighed. "Very well, then." He kept his look neutral, but when he looked at Ruby, Yang, and me, he still radiated contempt. "I'm Nyati Bluefield. As you will have noticed, I am a mechanic, and there is no doubt that I am the best at what I do. I also have many, many contacts in places Humans daren't venture." He paused for a moment. "I still don't care who you are. Ghira asked me to help, and since he's my friend I will do so. Beyond the information I'll give you now, however, you're on your own."

Blake sighed and gave the rest of us an apologetic look. The fact that she felt she had to apologize for Bluefield's behavior annoyed me far more than his abrasive attitude.

"So if there will be no more interruptions," Bluefield said with a glare at Yang, who coldly returned his look but said nothing, "I'll get down to business."

He waited for a moment, and when we all remained silent he began his story. "Adam wasn't fooling around when he wanted you to go to Vacuo. Over the last couple of months, White Fang presence in the area has been increasing sharply. From what I've heard, many old bases are being revived. Whatever it is they're planning there, it's going to be fierce. More so because Redhorn is in command there. He's vicious in a way I can't even describe. That's likely why he and Adam get along so well. Or well, get along so well for now. I don't think they'd be able to work together forever. But each still believes they have uses for the other, so for the time being they work together. Vacuo, however, isn't the immediate issue."

He fell silent for a moment and I looked at my friends. At that moment, all of us were probably thinking the same thing: that we were glad we hadn't gone to Vacuo. If we had, we would have likely walked straight into a trap. I turned my attention back to the present when Bluefield resumed his story.

"The White Fang here in Atlas have also been restless for some time. I'm not entirely sure why, but they seem to have fewer pieces of stolen equipment here than they have in the other three kingdoms. My guess is that the Atlesian military would be too efficient at taking down older models of their own technology, while the other kingdoms would not be. In any event, in recent years there have been attempts to build settlements outside the walls again. While they would be within close distance to the city proper, these settlements are at risk from an attack by either the White Fang or the Grimm."

"Wait, isn't Atlas too cold for Grimm?" I asked.

Bluefield wasn't happy with the interruption, but he did deign to answer my question. "It used to be, yes. When the city was first built, the climate was so hostile barely anything could live here. Further north that still holds true. But here in the city, and along large areas of the coast, Dust has been used to influence the climate to make it more appealing to Humans and Faunus who wish to live here. It's still cold, but many Grimm are more than strong enough to deal with this sort of cold now. The Atlesian military keeps them away, but with settlements outside of the walls, they'll be at risk just the same. Not many have been built yet, but there are a few villages scattered along the coast. One of them, Northern Star, has been coming up in White Fang communications many times of late. Northern Star was the first village to have been built outside the walls in decades. It is a symbol of pride for Atlas that it even exists, especially since the failed settlement at Mountain Glenn discouraged other extramural attempts at building villages. If, somehow, it would be destroyed, the consequences would be dire as people would lose faith in the military, in Atlas itself. I've warned the council, but like the rest of Remnant they've got their eye on the Vytal Festival now that it's finally begun. Ironwood fully believes the finals to be their target and it's blinded him to all else. In any case, that is all the information I can give you. I don't know what the White Fang's plans with Northern Star are. They're just competent enough to keep that hidden. All I know, and most of what they keep repeating, says something along the lines of a 'guide' coming to Northern Star soon. I'm sure that's code, but…you know what it means, don't you?" he asked, noticing all our faces darken when he mentioned the Guide.

Blake shook her head. "Not entirely. But whatever it is, you're probably right about Northern Star being important."

Bluefield nodded slowly. "Right. Then I'll trust you and your…friends…to handle it, Blake. Whatever they're doing, stop them. For all of our sakes."

"We'll do what we can. Thank you very much for your time. Have a good day. Oh," she added as an afterthought, "My father sends his regards."

We got up and turned around. When I stepped out of the office, I still felt Bluefield's dark, angry eyes burning in my back.

We walked back to the front of the workshop, where we saw the fox-eared boy again. "Everything go alright?" he asked, looking at our dour faces with a hint of worry in his eyes.

Blake gave him a faint smile. "Yeah, we just have a lot to take in. Thanks for the help," she said.

The boy tipped his hat as we walked by. I hoped he would one day take over the workshop from Bluefield; he seemed like a much nicer person than his boss.

When we were outside again, Yang asked, "Well, off to Northern Star, then?"

"Not yet," Ruby replied with a smile. "There's something else we need to do before going there." She looked at me. "We need to visit Weiss's mom."

And that's it. Believe it or not, my original intention was to put the visit in this chapter as well, but I felt that would be pushing it a bit too far. It does mean the next chapter will also likely be a bit longer, but it shouldn't be anywhere close to this one. Some points: Nyati is Swahili for buffalo. Not very original, but hey. Weiss's dropping of 'Mr.' in the narration is intentional. She didn't feel the need to be courteous to him anymore because of the way he treated her and her friends. And now, she's going to see her mother again for the first time in years. Honestly, I'm in a bit of a bind, ending the chapter here, but it was getting out of hand. I'll deal with it next time, and again, please let me know your thoughts. I'm honestly okay with any criticism you may have. I might not follow it to the letter in following chapters, but I will still keep it in mind, regardless. I hope to see you next time!