Weiss had trouble sleeping after her father forced her to return home from Beacon. The combination of the still air in the manor, worries about what had become of her teammates and lack of activity meant that she had spent most of the nights since her arrival back in Atlas staring into darkness.

The moment she heard her window creak open Weiss rolled to the side and out of her bed. She reflexively groped for Myrtenaster in the dark, but her weapon was resting secured in its case. Her bed was now in the way, preventing her from seeing the window, but she could clearly hear a click of shoes on marble as someone entered her bedroom.

Her door was unlocked; she could try to escape. It was a safer course of action than trying to retrieve Myrtenaster and fending off whoever the intruder was. Her thoughts on her options were interrupted by the buzzing of her Scroll. With her father preferring to relay messages through Klein and the CCTS still down, there was no one who would contact her, especially not at this late hour. Before she could get back to planning her escape, the Scroll flew through the air and landed on her chest. She picked it up and looked at the screen. The message only read Get up. When Weiss did not get up, another message saying the same arrived.

She was unarmed and the intruder knew where she was. Getting up would at least let her know who she was dealing with. Weiss stood up with her Scroll in hand, ready to throw it at the intruder. The moonlight coming in through the window only let her make out some of the details, but it was enough. It was the mute girl from Torchwick's gang, the one Yang had fought on the train what seemed like years ago. Her umbrella looked a bit worn, but just as deadly as before and she was smirking at the helpless Weiss.

Her Scroll buzzed. Hello, Princess. Did I wake you up?

Weiss glared at her. "Why are you here?"

The mute girl made an annoyed face and started typing something on her own non-descript Scroll. If Weiss thought she would be distracted by this, she was wrong. The entire time she was slowly writing, she kept an eye on Weiss, watching for any sudden movement. Finally, she was done and Weiss' scroll buzzed a second later. Revenge for Roman. Cinder's dead and I couldn't get to the red girl before she disappeared so I figured you're my best bet. Hope you don't mind.

"I had nothing to do with his death," snapped Weiss.

Another buzz. Silly. I'm not taking revenge on you. The girl smiled at Weiss and if Weiss didn't know she was a hardened criminal, she would find her smile charming. Weiss knew and so it just looked sinister.

"Do you have a less irritating way of talking to people," said Weiss while continuing to glare at the intruder.

Her Scroll emitted a series of buzzes as the girl sent her reply one letter at a time. N… O… P… E. The buzzes continued. S… O… R… R… Y… S… W… E… E… T… H… E… A… R… T. Weiss had to suppress an urge to throw her Scroll into the girl's face.

"What do you really want?" Weiss asked.

Just your company for a bit. Life's been boring lately, don't you think? Weiss continued to glare at her. Her expression must have showed that she didn't buy anything the girl was saying, since the girl typed another message and sent it. I'm not here to hurt you if that's what's worrying you.

The girl sat down on Weiss' bed and patted the spot next to her. When Weiss didn't move, another message arrived on her Scroll. The sooner you cooperate, the sooner I'll leave.

Weiss sighed and walked over to sit down next to the girl. "Does this have a point when you can't even talk to me?" she complained.

The girl raised an eyebrow and smiled. She set her umbrella aside, but it did not seem like there would be much point in fighting back without Myrtenaster which was still resting in its case. Both of the girl's eyes were on Weiss as she typed another message. You're bored cooped up in here. I can help you pass the time.

"You said you're here for revenge and now you want to keep me company?" Weiss rolled her eyes at the girl and her insufferable smirk.

Try me. was the simple response that appeared on Weiss' scroll.

"It's not like I have a choice," replied Weiss.

The girls smiled, patted Weiss' hand and then got up to rummage in Weiss' closet. In the current situation, Weiss couldn't feel too annoyed at this invasion of privacy. Besides, the majority of her belongings were gifts from father's business partners, long-forgotten prospective suitors, or obligatory presents from family members. Except for Myrtenaster there was very little Weiss owned that she actually cared for. More importantly, this gave her a chance to get her weapon while the girl was distracted. She rolled to the other side of her bed, hoping that the slight rustle of fabric wouldn't arouse suspicion.

Her bare feet touched the cold floor and Weiss shivered. Myrtenaster's case was only two or three steps away, but Weiss had little confidence in her ability to move silently. She was no Blake. The girl did not seem to notice and Weiss made it safely to the case. The click of the case opening was enough to alert the intruder, but it was too late at that point.

Weiss whirled around, Myrtenaster in hand. The multi-colored intruder had noticed her, but she did not seem alarmed. She was still smiling confidently as she held a small chest set in her hands. It was an old gift from Weiss' father: the white pieces were made from real Goliath ivory while the black ones were carved from Nevermore feathers. Weiss always had her suspicions about the gift, but it was studying for Beacon's entrance exams that made her realize just how foolish and expensive it was. A Hunter had to collect the materials from Grimm while keeping the creatures alive to prevent the pieces from dissolving along with the rest of the corpse.

The girl assumed a mock expression of shock and put the chess set aside. In a blink of an eye she disappeared and reappeared with her deadly umbrella in one hand and Scroll in the other. Weiss' scroll, left behind on the bed, buzzed and the girl mimed an exasperated sigh then pushed it towards Weiss with her weapon. Weiss kept watching the girl while she picked up her Scroll. I'm not here to harm you. Let's both put the weapons away.

"You first," was Weiss' reply.

The girl wrote the next message more slowly, since she had to work with only one hand and the wait made Weiss feel irritation towards the intruder. Weren't her father and brother enough to deal with? Did she really have to be targeted inside her own bedroom by criminals who had followed her all the way from Vale?

You count to three and we'll both drop them at once. Weiss nodded and started counting. She didn't trust the girl, but she had her glyphs to get Myrtenaster back in a pinch and going along with her seemed like the fastest way of getting her out of Weiss' room without having to explain anything to Father or Klein.

On the count of three both Myrtenaster and the girl's umbrella clattered to the ground. The sound was unpleasantly loud and it seemed like it echoed in Weiss' oversized bedroom. With the both of them disarmed again the girl sent yet another message to Weiss. How about we sit down and play some chess to get to know each other better? You take a piece and I'll answer a question and the other way around. Whoever wins can make one request.

"You don't seem like a chess player," observed Weiss. She wasn't a very good player herself, but if she could win, she could ask the girl to leave her alone. That was assuming she would keep her word, of course.

We all have hidden depths. Even you, I hope. The girl's near-constant smirk was making Weiss angry, but she knew that that was what the girl wanted. She wanted to beat the girl at he own game, but chess wasn't one of her strong suits and if she let herself get carried away, she wouldn't be able to concentrate on the game.

"Fine," she said, "I'll play, but you'll leave me alone for good if I win."

You'll jinx your chances if you make your request before the game. The girl continued smirking even as she was setting up the pieces. The moonlight coming from outside was enough to show the board and the pieces in stark monochrome.

The white pieces were set up on Weiss' side of the board. You don't seem like the person to play against type. Instead of replying, Weiss made her move. The pieces felt unpleasant to touch and Weiss immediately wished that she could wash her hands even though there didn't seem to be any dirt on them. Was there really anyone who would prefer playing chess with pieces of still-living Grimm?

She hadn't played chess in a long time, but she remembered one simple trick that Winter had shown her years ago. She advanced the pawn in front of her king, the moved out her queen. If the girl wasn't good, she could get this all over in two more moves.

Weiss didn't even watch the black side's moves as she impatiently put her bishop into position. When she noticed her mistake, it was already too late. The black knight had taken her queen.

Is this your first time playing? was the girl's mocking question. Weiss shook her head. "No," she admitted in an ashamed whisper.

Weiss tried to focus on the game. Her attempt at ending it quickly failed miserably and now she was at a disadvantage, but the game was far from lost. A mere pawn was her first trophy, but it was a start. The game stopped for a moment as Weiss pondered what she should ask the girl.

She finally settled on "What's your name?"

Neopolitan, but most people call me Neo. That simplified things. Neo was a lot more distinctive than 'girl' or 'that girl'. Not that Weiss planned on letting Neo occupy her thoughts any more than strictly necessary.

Weiss was determined to take Neo's queen and even the odds, but Neo proved to be elusive. Neither one of them made much progress in the next dozen moves and the middle of the board was becoming crowded. It was Neo who slipped up first and Weiss' knight was able to take a bishop. It wasn't the queen, but she was making progress.

She was waiting for Neo's move, but it wasn't coming. It was her turn to ask a question, she remembered and racked her brain for something to ask about. There wasn't much that she was curious about concerning Neo. "What do you want with me?"

Like I said: revenge. But we could also be friends if you'd like. Neo's smirk shifted into a smile that looked genuine, but Weiss knew better than to trust someone like her. "I don't think so."

With how crowded the board was, it didn't take long from an opportunity to present itself. Neo pushed a pawn forward where one of Weiss' could take it. It would end up as an exchange, but Weiss felt like it was one worth making. More space on the board seemed to be one of the rare things both Neo and herself wanted.

The only issue was what question to ask Neo. Maybe that was Neo's plan: to stop Weiss from taking pieces with this ridiculous question and answer bit. Neo was waiting for her question with a relaxed look on her face. She wasn't smirking and she didn't look deep in thought over the game. Perhaps Weiss could use the question to take Neo's mind further away from the game. "What do you think about me?"

Neo smiled at the question, but then she turned away letting Weiss look at her profile while she was slowly writing a message on her Scroll. Pretty, handy with a weapon, hates to lose, light sleeper, nice figure and should wear nightgowns that are a little less transparent.

Weiss felt her face grow hot when she read the end of the message, but one quick look reassured her that her nightgown was not see-through. Neo was back to her smirking self and when Weiss followed her gaze, she found out that Neo was looking at her chest. She ignored this provocation and waited for Neo to take her pawn.

Neo did and her question soon followed. Are you a virgin?

Weiss stared at the screen. Nothing in her life had prepared her for a criminal breaking into her bedroom and asking questions like this. In a way, it was her fault for agreeing to the game, but she was a Schnee and Schnees always kept their word or at least they should. "Yes," she answered. Unlike some other people, she had spent the bulk of her time at Beacon studying.

Neo smiled and Weiss couldn't help but see a predatory glint in her eyes. "If you win and make a request like that, I'm not going to do it," said Weiss.

Don't worry. I already know what I'm going to ask for. Neo's expression when she sent that message was less than reassuring, but Weiss was too far gone to just back out now. She could always try fighting if Neo won the game.

Snow started to fall outside while Weiss thought about her next move. She had only just now fully realized that the questions were just as important to the outcome of the match as the pieces on board. If she could manage to avoid losing any more pieces, Neo would not have a chance to rattle her with more personal questions.

She switched her strategy to preserving her own pieces rather than taking Neo's. For a few more moves her new approach worked, but just as she placed her rook down on the board to retreat from a threat, Weiss realized that its new position was just as threatened.

The look of triumph on Neo's face was almost unbearable. Luckily for Weiss, the light snowfall was becoming a snowstorm as heavy clouds hid the moon away and she could now barely see Neo's face. Even though the room was almost completely dark now, the board and pieces carved from Grimm bodies glowed with unnatural light.

Weiss steeled herself for another rude personal question, but it wasn't coming. Neo instead cupped her chin in her hand as if she was thinking about it. Her face was hidden in the deep shadows leaving far too much to the imagination. Are you in love with the Red girl? she asked finally.

This was a personal question, but not one Weiss had any difficulties answering. She shook her head. "No," she answered without offering any more details. Barring Ruby's own issues with romance in general, there was the fact that the younger girl could be exhausting to be around just as a friend and a roommate. Weiss couldn't even imagine what a more intimate relationship would be like.

Neo's reaction to the answer was hidden by darkness, but Weiss imagined that she was pleased. Whatever she came here to do had to do with Ruby and Weiss wasn't about to let Neo hurt her, even if she wasn't able to go help Ruby directly.

The game continued, but Weiss' concentration seemed to be permanently lost. She had to have been too preoccupied with figuring out just how Neo wanted to take revenge on Ruby that she wasn't paying attention to the game. The wind picked up outside and its howling could be heard through the closed windows. Weiss took a moment to look at the windows and that was enough to make her careless and lose another pawn.

Neo's question was puzzling. Would you believe me if I told you I won't harm Red for my revenge?

Neo left her Scroll's scree bib after she sent the message and its glow illuminated her face enough for Weiss to be able to study her expression. She was smiling and her pink and brown eyes were looking straight at Weiss. At that moment, she didn't really look like a hardened criminal.

"Right now I would, I think," said Weiss. When Neo wasn't smirking and waving a weaponized umbrella around, she looked just like an ordinary pretty girl you'd see around town. Her fashion sense was a little bit on the extravagant side, but it was sound enough and Weiss was much more forgiving of unorthodox dress sense than her father.

Weiss' answer must have caused Neo to start thinking about something else, since her moves got a bit careless. Not careless enough to let Weiss take any of her pieces, but enough that an uneasy balance dominated the board. Weiss was just about to finally make her counterattack when Neo took one of her knights. Was Neo just pretending to be distracted to lure Weiss into a trap? Do you hate your father?

The question made it clear that Neo had investigated Weiss beforehand. One of the few things she and her father had wholeheartedly agreed on was that the strained nature of their relationship should be kept private. For a moment, Weiss considered lying, but that would be against the deal she had made with Neo. No one would ever know. Except for Weiss and that was enough to stop her. If she was going to end up spending the rest of her days all alone, Weiss would prefer to be a person she wouldn't have to be ashamed of.

"Hate is a strong word," said Weiss, "but we disagree on a great deal of things."

Neo nodded as if Weiss had just confirmed something to her. She had to have been thinking about something else, since her very first move after the pause left one of her pawns defenseless. It was a meager prize, but Weiss took it.

"Why me? There has to be a better target," she asked Neo. Yang, for example. She was wounded badly and wasn't living in a manor house fortified against White Fang attacks.

The answer was long in coming. Whether it was because Neo needed time to think or because she wanted to unnerve Weiss by the long wait, Weiss didn't know. Red cares about you. And you're pretty.

"Flattery will get you nowhere," Weiss deadpanned almost immediately.

It's true though.

This time Weiss did not let her concentration waver. She knew that she was losing, but she also knew that she could still catch up. The loss of her queen was a blow, but Weiss was confident that now that she knew Neo's tricks, she could make a plan.

First of all, she needed to confound Neo. She moved one of her pawns to an exposed position, but Neo did not take the bait. Weiss moved another one, but Neo still refused to take advantage. It was obvious that Weiss' trap was not working, but she kept exposing her pawns. Eventually Neo would be forced to bite and take one.

At last, Neo took a pawn. Even though she would have to answer a question now, Weiss felt a sense of triumph wash over her. She hoped that Neo could see her face in the dark room, so that she'd know she had played right into Weiss' hands. However, Neo started smirking again as she wrote a question on her Scroll. Would you want a rematch?

"No," replied Weiss flatly then added, "Because you're going to lose."

Neo's smirk turned even more insufferable and she took Weiss' second rook.

All of Weiss' carefully prepared plans for a counterattack collapsed in an instant, but she managed to keep her expression calm. Neo was running out of questions to ask, Weiss was sure of that.

Are you afraid? Neo asked. Definitely running out.

"No," replied Weiss. Even if she lost, she had Myrtenaster within easy reach and the manor was well guarded. Neo would probably escape, but that was not an issue. If she tried something like this again, Weiss would be ready.

Weiss' side of the board was now getting dangerously empty and Neo pressed her advantage mercilessly. Her pieces were constantly moving forward leaving Weiss with little space to maneuver. Defeat was inevitable, but Weiss was still searching the board for a chance to delay it. She couldn't find one, but Neo's bishop was unguarded. Weiss took it. If she had to lose, she was going to do so while asking the last question of the game.

Neo didn't have any outward reaction as Weiss took the piece. There had to be a way to shake that smug calmness off her face and Weiss had to find it. She had managed to get the last word; now she had to figure out how to make use of it. The reason Neo came after Weiss had to do with Ruby. From what little they had managed to tell each other during the battle of Beacon before Ruby fell unconscious and Weiss was dragged away by her father, Ruby had fought Neo and Roman Torchwick and Torchwick did not survive. For a criminal like Neo to go to such lengths to avenge an associate seemed strange. There had to be another reason.

She could ask about it, but that wasn't going to get a rise out of Neo. A few more seconds of thought gave her the question she was looking for. "Were you in love with Torchwick?" she asked.

Neo opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something then closed it again. Despite knowing that Neo's next move was going to put her into checkmate, Weiss couldn't help but feel like she won. She had managed to get under Neo's skin even if the criminal did everything she could to avoid letting Weiss see that. But Weiss knew and she knew that Neo knew that Weiss knew.

She had to wait for the answer for some time. Neo took her time writing her response. It looked as if she erased what she had written several times before finally looking over the message, smirking and adding a few extra words at the end. Roman was like my father. So no, in case you think I'm some sort of a freak. Besides, I prefer girls.

Was the last sentence supposed to disturb Weiss? It wasn't as if she was a sheltered child. She had seen enough men and women who immediately abandoned their spouse at a party to join someone of their own sex. No one would make fuss about it as long as proper decorum was observed. And she had spent time at Beacon, a place full of teenagers out of parental supervision often for the first time and eager to figure out what they wanted. If Neo wanted to freak her out, she'd have to try much harder than that.

"I didn't want to stereotype, but the pink hair could be a clue," said Weiss, trying to sound as disinterested as possible.

Neo just smirked and moved her queen to checkmate Weiss' king. "You win," acknowledged Weiss.

Myrtenaster was in easy reach. If Neo crossed the line with her request, she was ready. The beep from her scroll told her that it was time. Take your clothes off.

Her first instinct was to reach for Myrtenaster and show Neo that she went too far. She soon realized that if she did that, it would mean letting Neo win. That addition to her last answer had to be leading into this. Weiss wasn't about to let Neo know that she had made her afraid and made her break her word. One of those would be tolerable. Both would be too much.

Weiss nodded and stood up from the table with Neo following her example. She forced herself to forget that Neo was there as she slowly started to remove her nightgown. It was slightly transparent, but Weiss was almost painfully aware that her bare skin was now exposed. A chill ran over her skin following the fabric as it slid over her body.

Defiance took hold of her as the nightgown fell down to the floor. Let Neo look. Weiss had nothing to be ashamed of. All the scars she had, she got because she was trying to be a Hunter. If anything, she should be proud of them.

There was a strange lack of reaction from Neo. At this point Weiss expected her Scroll to be ablaze with mocking and teasing messages. Instead, there was silence. Weiss looked to see what Neo was doing only to find her turned away. A wave of anger came over her. How dare she humiliate her like this and then not even look?

"Neo?" asked Weiss, realizing a split second later that this was the first time she had called her by name.

Neo slowly turned around and Weiss through she saw tears glistening on her cheeks. She bowed her head to Weiss and then started writing on her Scroll. You're beautiful. I'm sorry. I'll be going now.

Weiss felt her face grow hot again. Some boys had told her she was beautiful before, but this was different. Neo's tear-stricken face seemed more sincere that Weiss would think her capable of.

Without giving Weiss time to respond, Neo collected her umbrella and headed to the balcony door. A gust of freezing wind and snow entered the bedroom as she opened it and Weiss shivered. Seeing Neo in the doorway, outlined against the raging snowstorm made Weiss feel sorry for the girl. Weiss was a Huntress. It was her job to protect humanity from the world, even if some people didn't really deserve protecting.

"You can stay the night," she called after Neo, "My bed is large enough for four people at least."

Neo closed the door. That's not a proposition, is it?

"I'm afraid not," said Weiss. She realized that she was still naked and started to gather and put her nightgown back on in a hurry.

When she was finished, she saw Neo standing in front of her. All traces of the remorseful Neo were gone now and she was once again wearing an expression of immense self-satisfaction. You'd better lay your sword between us, or I can't guarantee I won't try giving into temptation.

Weiss smiled at the suggestion and did as Neo said. Just in case.

Later that night, Weiss' Scroll buzzed. Thank you. Good night.

"Good night," she said to the darkness.