Chapter 4

It was a beautiful night, as I thought. Say what you will about Solitas and the snow, this frozen continent was the only place in Remnant where you could see the famed Nordlys. Slow undulating waves of coloured lights dancing across the night canvas, and on calm nights with soft snow and bereft of wind, it was like a scene out of a fairy tale.

I thought about it, even tried emulating the shimmering light with my own Semblance. I was getting the hang of it, a faint curtain of light in the palm of my hand. It wasn't quite the same, of course, but it was the closest I could get to its imitation, and it'd be a part of Atlas I'd bring home with me, back to Vale.

Home. Now there was a strange word. I let it bounce around in my head, trying to remember exactly what it looked like. Life before Beacon was a hazy mess, and the days after Beacon weren't much better either. I've little fondness for the frozen north, for all the years I've spent here. I thought about Beacon, and the dorm room we shared; was that the closest I had to a home?

"Something on your mind?" Weiss asked, breaking me out of my reverie.

"Nothing, much." I took a sip of the tea, a sweet scent of apples filling my nostrils. "This is pretty good, I gotta say."

"Isn't it? Had it imported all the way from Vale – you don't see many selections of tea produced locally here in Atlas, which is a shame."

I murmured an agreement. Looks like it was the opposite for her, bringing a piece of Vale back to her family manor half a world away, a little drop of humility in a pool of opulence. Weiss' study was no less lavish than the rest of her family manor, though dark polished wood took centre stage, bookshelves lining the walls, lit by sconces with blue lights.

It was immaculate, spotless. Almost clinical, except for hints of her personal touch, like framed group photos, one of her team, and one with all of us squeezed tight to fit in the limited camera scope. It was taken on the graduation day of our third year in Beacon, I believe, judging by the poorly concealed bags under our eyes, caked head to toe in dried mud and filth.

We all looked terrible, and that made me chuckle.

"What's so funny?" Weiss asked. I pointed at the photo, and she joined in as we shared a good laugh in fond remembrance. Well, fond now, though it was anything but then. "Ah yes, our final assessments in the third year. Pyrrha tried, bless her heart, but I remember being quite mad at her that day."

"You and the rest of us, I think," I piped in. "She did get us on the right path in the end. All's well that ends well, isn't that how it goes?"

"Our room stank for days afterwards though," Weiss said. "My sister came all the way to attend our graduation, and she was constantly giving me these silent, judgemental looks."

"At least she was tactful enough to keep quiet – Iris pretty much told us we smelled like shit," I grinned.

"I was honestly dreading coming back for our fourth year," Weiss admitted sheepishly. "I seriously considered having a separate dorm built just so I didn't have to go back to our old room."

"Wish you did – having our own bedrooms might've been a huge upgrade," I lamented. "You wouldn't believe how loud Ren snored at nights. I think at one point Ruby was considering smothering him with a pillow." I didn't feel the need to mention that I offered to help.

"You think that's bad – Blake talked constantly in her sleep. It was quite funny at first, but it got old, fast," Weiss said. "Really, it's the quiet ones you have to be aware of."

Didn't I know it. Nora once said it was their way of letting out everything they didn't, or couldn't, say out loud. Yang said it was their revenge for constantly being talked over by the louder members of the party. Victim of self-introspection, Yang was not.

Then again, was I any better? Or worse? I wallowed in self-pity for the better part of the first year, a part of my life I'm not proud of, looking back on it. I came a long way since then, or at least, I hope I did. The pity parties were a thing of the past, and I wasn't planning on handing out the invitations again anytime soon. But who's to say something equally ugly and shameful barged its way in and made itself comfortable?

"Lien for your thoughts?"

"This tea is really good, and I'm thinking, since you've been so generous, maybe I should send some more from Vale when I get back," I said.

Weiss scoffed. "With your whole five liens you have in your bank account?"

"Five liens and twenty-three cents, actually," I grumbled in reply. "I wish I didn't tell you that."

"I did offer to provide you with some financial allowances, if you recall," Weiss pointed out. "And every time you turned down the offer."

"I didn't want handouts." I shook my head. "Besides, you've already helped me out a lot anyway, you and your sister both. If you didn't, my stay in Atlas would've been much shorter."

It was true. If it wasn't for major Schnee pulling strings and Weiss greasing palms with liens I would've been kicked out of Solitas a long time ago, and that's if they were being generous. Didn't matter I was Iris Arc the Venator's only living kin. Fuck, I didn't even have a proper visa.

"We had the means, and we wanted to, so why not?" Weiss said with a shrug. "Our sisters were colleagues, and both our teams were pretty close in Beacon - makes sense for friends to help each other out."

"Exactly, being friends should be about give and take. So far, I've been given a lot, but haven't really done much output in comparison."

"There's no need to keep a tally, save that for businesses and politics." There was a frown marring her face as she set down her cup. "And trust me, I get more than my fair share of both. More than I care to, anyway."

"I don't doubt it," I said. "How about this, then? Rather than keeping scores, it'll be me just doing something nice as a way of saying thanks."

"Stubborn, aren't you?" Weiss said with a wan smile. "That part of you hasn't changed, I see."

"Could say the same about you," I said, grinning. "Your old age is starting to show, though. I mean, look at all those wrinkles."

"You know, it's quite unbecoming of a gentleman to comment on a lady's appearance," Weiss countered. "Explains why you're still single, I suppose."

"Ouch." I poured myself another cup, and reached for a biscuit. "Guess I'll remain a single pringle for the rest of my days, then. I'll have to start taking up knitting."

"I'm sure you'll find the time," Weiss said. "On second thought, maybe not, not if Ruby has something to say about it."

"Huh?"

Weiss let out a sigh of what I took as exasperation. "Never mind. That's not up for me to tell. Speaking of which, looks like you've made your decision."

It took me a second to realise what she was talking about. "Major Schnee must've told you about the offer." When Weiss nodded, I continued, "Yeah, it was generous of her to make that kind of offer, but, well, I don't think military's exactly for me."

"Military is quite a different beast from Hunters, for all that some of their duties overlap," Weiss agreed. "There are pros and cons for both professions, like everything else. Winter's neither the first, nor will she be the last to change careers."

"Like yourself, for example," I pointed out.

She seemed to deflate a little then. "Someone had to take over the family business, and Winter made it rather clear she had no intention of being the next CEO."

There was a bit of steel in her voice at the last part, staring daggers into her cup. I bit down questions that lingered on my lips, lest I end up being on the receiving end of her steely gaze. Suffice to say, it seems like sibling troubles are the latest trend these days; either they're dead, or they're not dead but causing headaches, one way or another.

"Things were a lot simpler back in our academy days," I opined instead. "Exams were the worst things to ever happen, and the latest gossips were mostly about who shagged and cheated on who."

"Simpler for you, maybe," Weiss scoffed. "I remember doing a lot of organising and nagging because some people just didn't take their coursework seriously enough."

"Ah." That took me back down the memory lane again – Weiss was pretty much the self-appointed Team Mom for Winterbournes, and by extension, us Regalities, from day one. Her main tasks usually involved making sure Nora did her homework, Blake doing her share of cleaning, and scolding Pyrrha for being far too nice and accommodating for her own good.

As for us, Ruby's lackadaisical approach to leadership meant she was on the receiving end of Weiss' nagging often, and making sure Yang ate her vegetables. Only Ren and I were mostly spared, though in my case, Weiss saw me little more than a nuisance who ate up so much of Pyrrha's time.

And now, here we were, drinking tea and reminiscing the old days. Funny how things change over time.

"Speaking of which, have you heard from your teammates?"

"We haven't really been a team for years – you know I had to take over my father's position soon after graduation, and it's been keeping me busy," Weiss said wistfully. "Last I heard, Nora went to Mistral with Ren and Pyrrha as per Ozpin's request. What they're doing there, they couldn't say, something about the details being confidential. They seem to be doing okay, despite all that's been happening there."

"Grimm problems?"

"There're always problems with Grimm. But no, this one's more internal, if that's the right way to call it. Rather than me telling you, look into it yourself. I'll give you access to internet tomorrow."

"Thanks." Back in the roof of the world, it's easy to forget the rest of the world's continuing its turn. Looks like I've got quite a bit of catching up to do.

"As for Blake," Weiss paused, and I could see the troubled look on her face. "Honestly, I have no idea. I know she's always been the secretive type, but last we spoke was, gods, years ago. I think she lost her original scroll, since my calls and messages always hit a dead end. Nora and Pyrrha haven't heard anything from Blake either, and they don't know where she's disappeared off to."

"That doesn't sound like Blake," I said, though what did I know about Blake, really? We had passing acquaintanceship at best, and what I knew of her were mostly through personal observation and accounts from other Winterbournes.

"She did have a habit of coming and going without so much as a warning," Weiss admitted. "But she always came back, and if there was something really bothering her, she did open up to us. Granted, that was once in a blue moon, but still."

"Hope she's doing fine, wherever she is," I said. "If we hear anything, we'll let you guys know."

"I hope so too. And thanks."

It was a rather awkward silence we fell into, neither of us sure what to say to fill in the gaps. At least, it felt like it on my part. Weiss seemed content enough, letting the conversation trail off there.

The grandfather clocked chimed then. Midnight already – couldn't believe it's been hours since we started talking, and all because I wanted to grab a glass of water before hitting the sack.

"There's more work to be done, so I'll be turning in for the night. You get some sleep, too."

"I will," I said with a nod. "Weiss?"

"Yes?"

"I know I said it already, but, hell, thanks. For helping me out."

There was a faint hint of smile on her lips. "Any time. In exchange, perhaps you could do me a favour."

"Yeah, of course," I said without a moment of hesitation.

"Look after your friends," came the reply. "Help Ruby get your team back together, and stay together. Don't end up like us."

"Weiss, I…"

"Sleep well, Jaune," Weiss concluded, and her door quietly clicked shut.

I stood there for a few moments longer, setting the empty cup down. "Good night, Weiss," I muttered, gently closing the office door behind me.

oOoOo

I spent the next day lazing about in the Schnee family's vast library, making myself comfortable in the reading nook next to a window, offering a nice view of the courtyard outside. Weather here wasn't as mercurial as it was up north, so it was a nice sunny day. Still cold, of course.

Ruby dragged Weiss out for some sightseeing in the city, the latter putting up minimal resistance before acquiescing. They invited me along, too, but I chose to decline, thinking they needed some girls' time alone. Ruby wanted to hang out with Weiss, and I dare say the feeling was mutual, however much the latter tried to hide it. The two leaders were good friends back in the academy, their rocky start notwithstanding. They probably had a lot of catching up to do, and I was loathe to get in between them, even if they both asked me to join them.

Besides, I had my own sort of catching up to do, as well.

"-growing in size, the protesters are gathering outside municipal offices, venting their frustrations at the council and the military for continued noise disturbance. The council's response has been, considered by some, indifferent and detached, which has only fanned the growing fires. Thankfully, no violent actions have been taken yet, though the police forces have been dispatched to act as deterrents. Furthermore-"

Of course it had to be in Atlesian. Obvious, I know, Atlas news in Atlesian, who would've thought? But at least in Vale, not all their news were covered in Velsh – in fact, a great deal of TV channels and news stations spoke and used captions in Common. Was that simply due to the fact that Vale was, in a way, centre of Remnant, hence the need for wider inclusion? Maybe Atlesians were more insular than other cultures, about as warm as the continent they lived in. Fuck if I knew.

"Recent statistics are showing increasing number of visa and citizenship applications. Immigration Offices are currently swamped with never-ending stacks of paperwork, and current projections show nothing but upward trend. Already there are signs of house shortages, and the competition for the remaining few are getting fiercer with each passing day. Tensions are high in the crowded compounds where so many displaced struggles to make ends meet, and there are even accusations of racial prejudice as many Faunus refugees expressed their anger at what they perceived as disproportionate distribution of foods, medical supplies, and other essentials directed to Human refugees. Councillor Sleet has made statements earlier this week, refuting the claims of favouritism, though many are still unconvinced-"

Another fatuous example of this whole obtuse racial discrimination shit. Even while the world was burning and the Grimm clawing at their doors, people would always find the time and energy to fight among themselves, time and energy that could instead be directed at the real threat. And by 'people' I meant both Humans and Faunus, of course. Equality was always an oft-discussed topic, though like most ideals espoused by the masses, little actual effort was made to bring it closer to reality. Even so, the Faunus didn't always get the short end of the stick – sometimes they grabbed said stick and beat their oppressors with it.

The refugee part didn't surprise me much. It's a harsh world out there, worse still for those living beyond the great walls of the major cities. Death becomes an expected guest in every household, its welcoming gift an hourglass. Displacement is just one of several very possible outcomes when Lord Fate plays with his dice. When your life threads will snap, only the Norns could tell.

Still, the number was greater than usual. Whether the news was doing what they were wont to do, making mountains out of ant mounds, I couldn't say. Still, no smoke without fire. And if what Winter Schnee told me about the military being stretched thin was true, then hell, maybe there was some merit to this figure. If Atlas, a nation with Remnant's most formidable army was struggling with Grimm, I could only imagine how the other nations were faring.

I dug deeper, the answer succinctly summarised in a single word; badly. The 23rd parallel that cut Sanus in twain and the border forts on either side no longer appeared on the map, and the southern part of Vale was greyed out, black crosses over where towns and military bases should've been.

Western half of Sanus had comparatively little marks, but that wasn't anything new – they were the kind to suffer in silence, though whether their hands were spurned or if they reached out for help at all is up for debate. In any case, Vacuo never had the population to feel their sudden loss as keenly as other nations.

Across the Windswept Sea, I saw the affliction of black crosses spread across Anima like plague, lanterns symbolising Mistral snuffed out in multiple locations, several in prominent port towns and cities. Various travel restrictions were in place, warning notifications for both outside and inside walled cities. In short, tourism industry was being fucked over by Grimm and opportunistic brigands.

'This just in: two northern ranges overrun by Grimm. General Ironwood has made a statement, reassuring the public that his best operatives are making their sweeps, while remaining outposts would receive further reinforcements, and increase vigilance to ensure this tragedy is not repeated-'

'-another explosion, with twenty confirmed deaths and fifty-seven injured, unknown number of people went missing. Mistral Police Department experts suspect involvement of the terrorist Yin, though no evidence has yet surfaced to confirm suspicions-'

'-recent statistics showed yet another disheartening downward trend in population size, as more and more concerned citizens are leaving in search of greener pastures, unharried by threat of another Grimm attack. Looks like it'll be another quiet day in Midgard, folks…'

How did that line go? 'From Ghoulies and Ghoosties, long-legged Beasties, and Things that go Bump in the Night.' It ended with a plea for the gods to deliver us. Except the gods could no longer look under the bed or search the closet for us. No, now we'd have to do the looking and the searching by ourselves.

And by the looks of it, we were doing a shit job at it.

Bloody hell. What on earth was this world coming to?

oOoOo

We spent another day in Weiss' manor, eating the food of the rich and the wines of the privileged. Well, mostly for the former for me, and the latter for Ruby. We enjoyed every remaining minute of the amenities only the filthy rich could afford, and I was sorry to leave that soft poster bed on the morning of our departure. I doubted any bed I'd sleep in in the future would pale in comparison.

Our initial plan was to fly on a commercial airship, economy seats. Neither of us had enough liens to buy anything more than a loaf of a bread, so we'd have to rely on Weiss yet again to get our sorry arses to Vale, only, she offered us her private jet and a pilot instead. "It'll be much faster," was her reasoning, "and you won't have to sit next to strangers."

"Yeah, but…" Ruby trailed off. How much did a private jet cost, again? And for a round trip, as well. Free food and rooms were one thing, but a private airship? We have to draw the line somewhere, and this one went far past the mark.

"It's also much faster, too. Fast enough to outfly any Grimm in the area, not that there'd be many of them there anyway," Weiss added. That was true enough, I supposed – oceans were one place where Grimm seldom made their appearances. I guess most species of Grimm preferred having their feet firmly planted on land, just as much as I did.

"Yeah, that's good and all, but…" For all that we've talked about not keeping tallies, I could feel the weights the size of an airship added to her end of the already full scale, and the overwhelming difference was uncomfortable to acknowledge.

"You realise," Weiss huffed in annoyance, "commercial flights can take anywhere between ten to twelve hours, right? Let that sink in, Jaune. Ten to twelve hours."

I did let it sink in, and decided pride was easier to swallow than vomit. I could also reason that it'd be best to not keep Ozpin waiting, and to see Yang again sooner, but at the end of the day, I just didn't want to needlessly suffer from motion sickness longer than I had to.

Ruby seemed more comfortable taking Weiss up on her offer. If she felt self-conscious about it, she certainly didn't let it show. Then again, I don't think pride had as firm a grip on her as it did on me. Suppose that was the difference between her and I.

Weiss didn't keep her private airship on her properties, despite having plenty enough empty space to store it. Instead, it was kept aside near the airport, frequently maintained by team of engineers. That meant a drive through the city, which afforded us a nice view of the central city, including a growing crowd holding placards and blocking traffic. Horns blared angrily from all sides, though the protesters refused to budge.

"Minor inconvenience, but no matter." Weiss gestured at the driver, and the limousine turned around, following alternate routes unobstructed by the disgruntled populace.

"What was all that about?" Ruby asked, craning her neck to see several police vehicles driving past us, towards the growing mob, sirens blaring.

"Residents from outer quadrants," Weiss explained. "They've been doing this for a while now. They usually stick close to the council hall, but looks like they've changed locations, for whatever reason."

"Are they the protesters from the news?" I asked. "Something about noise complaints?"

"The very same. The 'noise' they're referring to is the sound of defence turrets going off," said Weiss. "What with Grimm getting bolder and prowling closer to the walls, it's not surprising the guns would see more frequent use as of late."

"Must be pretty big guns, if people could hear that," said Ruby. "Or do they live that close to the wall?"

"Bit of both, actually. The guns aren't necessarily large, and while they are loud, they also cause a fair bit of tremors," Weiss explained. "There are noise reducing barriers in place, but it doesn't seem to be doing much good, by the looks of it."

"And they live right next to the walls?" I asked, brow raised. "Is that even safe?"

"Not right next to them," Weiss corrected. "But close enough, obviously. And no, it's not, but for some people there's no other places they could move to, considering they can't afford to move elsewhere. Residential areas in inner quadrants can reach ridiculous amount in rateable values, not to mention there's nowhere near enough houses to meet the demands."

So, even cities like Atlas had its own take on districts by wealth. While I'd hesitate to use the term 'slum', that part of the city was probably its equivalent here. It would be a lot cheaper, living near the outer layers, considering they'd be among the first to die if the walls were breached. If, and maybe when.

It's like the real estate agents say, it's all about 'location, location, location.'

"So, the guns keep them safe, but in so doing, they keep the very people they're trying to keep safe from having decent sleep," Ruby summarised with a frown.

No, not everyone – only some people, likely those of lower socioeconomic status. I didn't point it out though. Wasn't really my place to, anyway.

"And it's not like the wall garrison could stop the guns either," Weiss pointed out. "If they did, there would still be people protesting, just different ones."

"Damned if you do, damned if you don't," I said. No wonder the powers that be weren't too keen on tackling this dilemma. Regardless of what choice they made, they'd still have people pissed off. I guess from a strictly objective perspective, safety of everyone within the city outweighed the need for sleep for comparatively few. Then again, it was easy to be impartial when you weren't the one getting short changed. Justice had a very different meaning depending on which side of the scale you stood on.

We eventually reached the airport, driving straight into where the airship sat, all fuelled up and ready for departure. Ruby didn't have much to pack, and everything I owned could fit in a backpack with room to spare. No fiendishly soul-sapping airport security measures to endure, which was always a plus.

"Take care, both of you," Weiss said, hugging us in turn. "Would that you could've stayed longer, but duty calls."

Ruby sighed. "I know, it sucks. Next time, let's carve out like a week or two and just chill."

"Come and visit us when you can," I said, before adding, "hopefully we'll have a place to call our own by then."

"And if you can't, we're happy to come and visit," Ruby finished, making me shudder internally. Ten to twelve hours. Weiss was good enough of a friend for me to visit on occasions, but not close enough for me to endure long flights any more than necessary.

"I'll try. No promises though." There was that tired smile again. She watched us board, and remained there still even as the ship took to the air, waving at us.

It hit me then. I was really leaving Atlas. I was leaving Solitas, and the frozen north I've given five years of my life to. There was an emotional cocktail brewing in my mind, and I wasn't quite sure how to process it. The aircraft began to rock gently, and it felt like my insides were doing the same, and that kept me distracted from my thoughts.

"Doing okay, Jaune?" Ruby asked me some time into the flight.

I didn't trust myself not to let anything other than words out of my mouth, so I opted for a minute shake of my head. Even that was enough to cause my visions to spin. I remember lying down, eyes squeezed shut in vain attempts to force myself to sleep. I felt Ruby's hand on my back, and that helped a little, I think, since the next when I came to, some time has passed. Ruby sat on the opposite side, huddled up under her wine-red cloak, fast asleep with a thin trail of drool down the corner of her lip.

A quick glance, and I could see we weren't in any danger of crashing into the ocean any time soon, which was a nice change of pace. My nausea was mostly gone, and I leaned back on my seat, a warm touch of the sunlight on my face. Out the window, I saw nothing but blue in all directions, the Sea of Edda stretching infinitely beneath us. The cloud-filled grey skies of Atlas were receding behind us, and through its grasp I saw the clear blue sky, the day star at its peak.

Ruby stirred awake then with a grimace, pulling the hood further down her eyes. She groped for the blind blindly, letting out a sound of frustration until I reached in to help.

"Thank you," she groaned, relieved. "Felt like my eyes were burning for a second. Damn sun."

"It's not that bad," I said, looking upward. The sun was at its zenith, encircled in a halo, flanked by two bright spots of light at symmetrical angles, almost like two lesser stars closely orbiting the sun.

"Wow." I've read about these phenomena before. When the universe took up a paintbrush, the end result was always a sight to behold, it seemed.

"Yeah, it's a pretty shade of blue, huh?"

I blinked. "What? The sun?"

"The sun? No, silly peanut– I was talking about the sea." I caught glimpse of a raised brow under her hood. "How can you even stare directly at the sun, anyway? Should you even?"

"Been doing it for years – never caused any problems for my eyes," I said with a shrug. "Wait, so you can't see that?"

"See what? Jaune, it's too bright for me to see anything up there."

Huh. This was new.

"Anyway, forget about the sun – check out the sea," Ruby said, her face relaxing. "It looks and feels so different from up here than seeing it from a beach."

"I see what you mean," I said. "Maybe because there's so many more things in the background when you're at a beach, so the actual ocean kinda gets sidelined."

"Like sand, and people walking around mostly naked," Ruby offered with a cheeky grin.

"Pervert," I coughed.

"Pot, kettle," Ruby riposted.

"Touché. Setting that aside, what's the plan, exactly, when we land in Vale?"

"We'll find Yang first – last we talked, she was back in Patch," Ruby said. "Apparently she's been working as a teacher there, in Signal academy."

That… sounded weird. "Yang? A teacher? Seriously?"

"Tell me about it – when she told me I thought she was pulling my leg. But I asked my dad and he said the same thing too, so her story checks out."

"That doesn't sound like Yang we know- knew," I said, recalling the conversation the three of us – Ren, Yang, and I – had back in the ruins of Mountain Glenn. Adventurous spirit was part of what set her on the path of a Hunter, so a career as an instructor in a fairly obscure combat academy seemed like a last option for her.

"That's what I thought, too. Didn't give me a straight answer when I asked her, either," Ruby said, a tad morose. "Honestly, I think she's upset – with me, maybe. When we get back, I want to get a moment so she and I could talk, clear all the bad air between us and all that."

"What if she doesn't want to?" I asked. "Agree to teaming up again, I mean."

"Let's cross that bridge when we get to it," Ruby replied, her voice uncertain. "If she wants to go her own way, I'll respect her wishes. But I really, really hope she stays."

I hoped so too. I doubted she'd say no, but it has been years. Who's to say things haven't changed during that time?

A great swathe of clouds billowed across the sky then, blocking out the sun. As the light faded, I felt the gnawing of motion sickness returning with renewed vigour. I heard Ruby rise from her seat, padding across the length of the airship to find more vomit bags and cool water.

"Oh Jaune," Ruby cooed as she rubbed my back like earlier. "We really can't take you anywhere, can we?"

"Fuck no," I grunted in response. She placed an open bag in front of me, in case another projectile was locked and loaded, ready for expulsion.

"It'll be fine. Just another hour or so, and we'll be right-"

My stomach heaved, and the bag was empty no longer. Another hour or so before landfall? I thought it couldn't get any worse, then I realised we initially offered to take the slower, longer flight. Ten to twelve hours.

Bit of an exaggeration, but I'd prefer someone cutting off my arm and putting me out of my misery, thank you very much.

Fuck me, did I hate flying.