The doctor was an odd man. He was overflowing with energy and as he stood in front of Winter she noticed that he was practically vibrating in place. It was exhausting just to be in his presence. His round spectacles were firmly fixed over his eyes and he kept darting from limb to limb to diagnose.
"It appears that you have considerable bruising and a couple cuts but you appear to be fine. You are not concussed nor are any bone broken." He spoke so quickly that Winter could hardly keep up. He moved on to inspect Weiss in the same way. When finished, he stood and had a solemn face.
"I am afraid that you have a serious case of…" He pushed his glasses up his nose., "ADORABLENESS!" Winter let out an audible sigh of relief and Weiss giggled. The doctor nodded with a smile then moved on to the next group.
Once he finished his examination and Tai was finished handing out clothes then the faunus children we dismissed to change and wash up before supper. They hurried down noisily, rejoicing in the prospect of food and clothes even as simple as they were. After they were down Tai approached Winter and Weiss.
"I really hope you don't mind but I could really use your help. I would really appreciate is Weiss could go down and help Ruby hand out cleaning cloths and wash buckets." He asked politely.
"Of course, we will head right down." Winter agreed. Tai rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.
"Actually Winter, I need you to stay up here. Since Qrow has decided to sulk - I mean - 'help with dinner' I need you to help me set up the tables." He smiled awkwardly.
Winter agreed hesitantly but agreed nonetheless. She sent Weiss down to help Ruby and followed Tai as he walked to the edge of the ship. He pulled several lengths of rope from a hook on the side. He then walked over to the middle of the ship and began to pull at some loose boards. Winter rushed to his side to help and the managed to lift a 4 foot by 12 foot board. She ran to the other side and helped lift it and turn it so that it wouldn't sink back into place. Tai grabbed the ropes and moved to the far side of the table.
"This is the bit that Qrow usually helps with, but hopefully I can manage. Just be ready to catch this end." Tai said and threw the looped end over a beam above them. It took a few tried but he succeeded. They tied the end and began to raise it and Winter gasped as she saw dozens of crates with the Schnee Dust Company logo on it.
"What is this?" Winter questioned angrily.
"Seats?" Tai offered weakly.
"Please tell me that these are not full of raw dust." Winter groaned. Tai sneezed in response and she put her head in her hands.
"And you have children sit on them to eat their dinner?" Winter asked incredulously.
"Only until we get to Mistral. It's the only way we can afford to feed so many kids." Tai promised. Winter sighed.
"I suppose, but surely there must be a safer way." She said as they tied and raised the other end of the table. Tai shrugged and they set out the "chairs."
Yang appeared shortly after with Qrow in tow, both holding a towering stack of bowls. Qrow avoided her gaze and focused firmly on setting the table. Yang went back down to add finishing touches to her soup and Qrow followed. Winter rolled her eyes and caught Tai doing the same.
"What is his problem?" Winter asked. Tai shrugged.
"How much time you got? He has a lot of issues. I think his current issue is that you 'stole' his favorite shirt, and you kicked his ass in front of me and the girls. He wasn't raised in a normal society so he doesn't know how to handle people. He seems to be fine with kids though." Tai explained.
"Well, I suppose that explains why your pirate crew is mostly children." Winter reasoned.
"Ha, pirates. We aren't pirates, we're a family. Look I love my daughters but they wouldn't be much help on a pirate crew. They're too nice. Well, Ruby is at least." Tai said, winking as Yang re-emerged. She stuck her tongue out at her father.
"Oh, so Qrow is your… I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to…" Winter sputtered and blushed.
"My what? Oh, no no no, nothing like that. He's my Brother-in-Law. It's a long story, but he's still just family." Tai explained, flustered. "Don't worry, you're not the first person to assume."
"Right." Winter blushed profusely and excused herself to help Yang fill bowls.
The children began to emerge from below deck as the smell of the stew wafted down to them. Many of them were eager to eat and even the masked girl drooled at the scent of the fish stew. They took their seats and Weiss and Ruby emerged at the end of the pack. They seemed to be getting along fairly well, though Weiss was still uncomfortable with how warm and affectionate the younger girl was.
Tai offered Winter the seat to his left and she accepted with a smile. As far as captors go, he and his girls were quite nice. The warmth that they emmenated was more than she had known her whole life long. Yang took her seat beside Tai and Ruby sat across from him with Weiss sitting on her right. Qrow sighed and scowled at Tai and took the seat beside Ruby and diagonal from Winter.
As they ate dinner there was a lot of excited chatter amongst the children and adults alike. Winter listened in silence and enjoyed the food, which was surprisingly good. Of course it had been several hours since her last meal. Winter leaned forward to address the chef.
"Yang, how old are you?" Winter asked.
"Almost 15. Why?" Yang asked skeptically, used to being treated as a child when people learn her true age.
"You are a wonderful cook. I wasn't expecting such quality from someone so young." Winter complimented. Yang blushed and thanked her.
"Thank you. I learned from the best cook in all of Remnant. I've been cooking for the ship for the past 5 years." Yang beamed with pride. Tai patted her back proudly and kissed her head. "And you always do such a great job kiddo. I know she'd be proud."
Winter sat and ate the rest of meal quietly. The others seemed to do the same. The children were still chattering enough that there was no awkward silence. Her earlier suspicions were all but confirmed. The girls had lost their mother. It broke her heart. Her mother was not much of one, but there are still fond memories. She may have been drunk, but she was at least there.
"Thank you for saving us." Weiss blurted out as the tension rose.
"Yes thank you, although it was rather unexpected." Winter agreed. "How did you know? Our father was always very private with his abuse."
"We have our sources." Ruby smiled and winked at her uncle who smiled slightly.
As dinner comes to an end the kids head downstairs with Ruby in tow to show them each their bunks. The sun was low in the sky and the stars were coming out. It had been a long time since she had been able to see stars, the spotlights of the mines and twinklers of the city made sure of that. Winter helped gather the dishes. She was always raised to be a gracious guest, one thing her father did alright.
After the dishes were cleaned, the dust stowed and the table put away, Winter made her way to the front of the boat. She was exhausted beyond belief but she still couldn't believe it. She was free. It wasn't the most ideal situation but she was free. She had Weiss by her side and they were sailing towards a new life together. She wondered if she could convince people that Weiss was her daughter, they had a sizeable age difference so it wouldn't be too hard. People don't usually ask widows questions. Where would she live? What money would she have? Winter looked down at her jewelry. Surely she could sell it for a reasonable sum.
She could work too. They could rent a house and save up for the future. Weiss would be able to go to a normal school and make friends like a child should. She would be able to find love the normal way and Maybe she would meet someone and fall in love. Maybe she would find a career that filled her with passion. Anything could happen, their slate was as clear as the night sky. The stars twinkled in the sky, singing her a lullaby with their light. Winter smiled and let her mind drift.
She rested against the railing looking up at the stars, dreaming of a new life until she was actually dreaming. A crow flew over and pecked at her but she didn't stir. He nudged her slightly and she started sliding to one side. He caught her before she could fall and strong hands carried her to her bed. She was none the wise, but Tai shot him a knowing look that he chose to ignore.