Present...
"Weiss, you have no idea how nice it is to see you-"
Before Winter could finish the sentence, Weiss reeled her in for a hug. It was sudden. So abrupt that Winter didn't know what to do. For a moment, she only stood there and wondered if this was real.
The arms around her told her this was real. The way Weiss held her tightly was full of love and adoration. As Winter processed it, she leaned into the embrace.
Despite all the years of being drilled by the military, Winter was still the same sister Weiss remembered and loved. Fondly, Winter returned the embrace and melted into her. Warmth sprouted between the siblings as they held the hug for a bit, not wanting to let go.
It'd been so long. So long it was criminal.
Due to the confined room, the siblings were isolated. Winter was able to hug her like this because there were no windows or security in this room. In front of her colleagues, Winter had to put on a facade, but behind closed doors was a different story.
Winter tightened her grip, cherishing every second. The last time she heard from her sister was a written letter. Before news broke that Weiss had been missing. Winter spent countless hours wondering what happened to her.
But to have her jump on board… to have her come right to her… was a dream come true.
"I've been worried sick," Winter breathed as she set her chin atop her sister's head. "There are posters of you everywhere. They say you're missing."
"I am missing in Atlas, I suppose," Weiss admitted, slowly pulling away to meet her gaze. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to worry you."
"You boob," Winter faintly scolded, which earned a light smile. "You must tell me. What did he do?"
Of course, Winter knew there was far more to the story than the media let on. And there was no way she'd get the full story from her father. Only the siblings truly knew what it was like to live with such a horrible man.
Avoiding a direct answer, Weiss reassured. "I'm okay now."
For a moment, Winter found that hard to believe. Then again, her sister wasn't dead. She had to do something right when she escaped her father. When Weiss turned away to avoid her overbearing gaze, Winter noticed the scar over her eye.
Tenderly, Winter tilted her cheek to get a better look. "Did he give you that scar?"
"Indirectly," Weiss answered as she recalled the armor. "He made me fight that armor. I won, but at a cost."
"He threatened to take your rapier, didn't he?" Winter asked, which earned a nod. "A low blow."
"Indeed," Weiss agreed and wanted to switch the conversation back to her. "Enough about me, how have you been?"
"How have I been?" Winter asked in exasperation, thinking her sister was crazy for asking that. Weiss was the one that'd swarmed the news recently. "How have you been? Where did you go after you escaped? How did you even find me?"
While Weiss wanted to know how everything was going with her sister, she understood why she had so many questions. For now, she can fill her in and later they could catch up.
"After running away, I joined my friends on the sea," Weiss said. "It's hard for father to find me when I'm everywhere."
"Clever," Winter commented while perplexed. "Life on the sea, you say?"
"About that…." Weiss mumbled, clearly hesitant to inform her. "I'm technically a pirate."
"Weiss."
"Not my best life choice, I know," Weiss said before she could be scolded. "I can explain!"
Not amused, Winter crossed her arms. "Please, go on."
"They're not like other pirates," Weiss quickly said. "They don't even look like pirates! They're really good people. They helped me escape father and gave me a life I never thought imaginable. I can explore the world with them. It's liberating."
Frustrated, Winter pinched the bridge of her nose. Of all the things her little sister could become…
"How are you so troublesome all the time?"
"One of us has to be," Weiss shrugged.
After playfully rolling her eyes, Winter lightly slapped her shoulder. They simply smiled at each other for a moment.
"I wish I could've seen father's face when he noticed you were gone," Winter mentioned.
"You should've seen his face when he saw you were gone," Weiss replied. "I've never seen him so mad."
"I bet he was even madder when you left. His last child."
Together, they laughed.
"Perhaps steam came out of his ears," Weiss said between giggles.
"He probably looked like a tomato with a mustache," Winter added.
It was about time both of them escaped him. Since Winter was older than Weiss, she was able to leave much sooner. Running away had never crossed her mind since she always had her eye on the military.
After Winter stopped giggling, she held her gaze with her sister. She repeated the question that'd previously been avoided.
"What was the last straw for you?"
What made Weiss snap? It was everything. She was trapped in a life she didn't care for. In a life she didn't care to live. Briefly, she recalled the sharp blade against her wrist. How close she was to ending it. Her face noticeably darkened.
"I was pushed to the edge, but my friends saved me," Weiss simply said, not wanting to get into the details. "The pirates I spoke of, they're my true friends. Family."
While Winter was glad to hear the last part, she felt guilty. "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you. I left you all alone with him."
"I could handle it to a point," Weiss tried to reassure. "I'm not as strong as you."
"Nonsense," Winter easily replied. "You're one of the strongest people I've ever met. And I'm in the military."
That earned a light chuckle.
"I owe your crew my gratitude," Winter commented, feeling a great debt. "Tell me about them-"
A few loud stomps rumbled the entire ship. Seems like some of them still needed to work on their landing strategy.
"Now's your chance," Weiss said knowingly.
The Thorns are too protective of her to stay on the Howling Thorn. Interested to see them, Winter stepped outside with her sister trailing behind. Before the guards could swarm the new arrivals, Winter yelled.
"Stand down!"
Confused but obedient, the guards returned to their original posts.
The last thing Winter expected was three girls. Her sister was right, they didn't look like pirates at all. What warmed Winter's heart was when their eyes landed on Weiss. They lit up like stars in the night. They seemed innocent enough.
However, there was an older man next to them who wore a frown. From seeing him, Winter's face warped to an automatic scowl.
Winter blinked.
Qrow blinked.
"You!" Winter pointed accusingly. "What're you doing here?!"
Qrow groaned loudly. "Why's she here? James is bad enough, but you too?"
Utterly baffled, Weiss stared at them. "You two know each other?"
Ignoring her question, Winter seethed. "I will not give you my gratitude, you swine!"
"Keep it, I don't want it," Qrow retorted, then looked confused. "Wait, why would I get it?"
Bewildered, Blake asked. "Care to fill us in?"
Casually, Qrow smirked. "All you need to know is that she can't resist me."
Trying not to react from the comment, Winter looked to her sister. "You didn't tell me this old man was with you."
They knew exactly how to get under each other's skin. Winter, probably more so.
"I'm not old!" Qrow shouted.
Yang stared at him as she did the math in her head. "Aren't you like, forty or something? That's middle-aged at least."
Completely betrayed, Qrow shouted. "Whose side are you on?!"
Mocking surrender, Yang's hands flew up. "I'm just statin' facts."
Confidently, Winter poised her rapier at the pirate. "Prepare yourself, Qrow!"
From the promise of a fight, Ruby shouted. "Kick her butt, uncle Qrow!"
"Teach him manners, Winter!"
"Hm," Qrow scoffed and crossed his arms to mock the eldest Schnee. "I don't need a warning."
Effectively triggered, Winter shot off to him like a rocket. Before she crashed into Qrow, three was a deep shout.
"Schnee!"
In midair, the colonel halted and hesitantly glanced behind her shoulder. None other than General Ironwood stood before them. The man looked like he was part cyborg, yet remained human.
All around, the guards scattered. Probably to make preparations to dock.
"Oh greeeeeat," Qrow droned. "Still a buzzkill."
Quietly, Ruby whispered into Yang's ear. "Who's that?"
"Beats me."
"Nice to see you too, Qrow," Ironwood said, keeping a neutral tone. "Why are you on my ship?"
"Please, pardon them," Winter chimed as she glanced at the four girls. "Except him."
Qrow rolled his eyes. "Feelin' the love."
Unamused, Ironwood only stared at the arrivals. They didn't seem like a threat. Colonel Schnee let them remain on board for a reason.
"If you're going to blame anyone, blame me," Weiss stepped forward. "I was here first. They only followed because they were worried."
From noting her appearance, Ironwood was surprised. The last thing he was expecting to see in Vacuo was Winter's younger sister. The missing Schnee heiress.
"The youngest Schnee," Ironwood addressed. "You're causing your father havoc, you know."
Not bothered by that, Weiss crossed her arms. "Good."
"It's my duty to bring you back home," Ironwood mentioned.
That caused Weiss to take a step back as Winter stood in front of her. The rest of the Thorns glared at the general.
"I won't, however," Ironwood finished.
Thinking there was a catch, Ruby asked. "Why not?"
"First of all, I don't like him," Ironwood said with a smirk, which earned grins. "Secondly, I have a favor to ask of you pirates."
Not liking the sound of that, Yang asked in suspicion. "What?"
"As you know, the military doesn't meddle in pirate affairs," Ironwood stated. "However, that doesn't work vice versa."
Curious, Ruby asked. "What pirates do you want us to fight?"
"The Khans," Ironwood simply said, which earned perplexed expressions. "I won't use my resources to take Weiss back to Atlas if you kill Sienna Khan and her right-hand - Adam Taurus."
"What?!" Yang blurted. "We've been trying to do that for years!"
"You've never been this close," Ironwood informed knowingly. To elaborate, he continued. "The Khans keep stealing from us. For some reason, their activity have risen recently. Our expert resources reveal that the Khans hideout is close by."
Eagerly, Yang popped her knuckles. "Welp, we've been waiting all this time to find her. This is a good a chance as any."
That's all Blake needed to hear to be on board.
Ruby's eyes twinkled from the opportunity. "We can finally avenge them?"
In frustration, Qrow crossed his arms. "What else do we get? They're dangerous."
"Obviously, there will also be a reward for their deaths," Ironwood informed.
"How much are we talkin'?"
"Half a million each," Ironwood said darkly. "If you were one of my men, I'd have you start looking now."
"If I was one of your men, I'd shoot myself."
Woooow this was written right before volume 7, chapter 2 was released. Such hug bugs. Ironwood and Qrow love each other so much hahaha.
Stay dandy,
~Toto
