Here's chapter 27 everyone.
Winter sighed while working on some papers. The specialist placed them down and took her scroll out to see her mother was calling. "Hmm, why is mother calling me?" She answered her scroll and turned on the video to see her mom. "Mother, I'm surprised you called. Is everything okay at home?"
"Everything is fine, Winter. I was just calling to check on you. How have you been?" Kristall inquired.
"I'm doing just fine, mother. In fact, it seems that General Ironwood is thinking about promoting me further, though I'll be honest, working as a specialist is a field I'd rather stay with." Winter explained.
Kristall smiled. "That's good, sweetie. I know I say this a lot, and you're most likely sick of me repeating myself, but I'm just so proud of you."
"Thank you, mother. I appreci-." Winter was cut off.
"Winter, it's just us two speaking. You know that. So please speak to me in the way you want to, and not in the way he taught you." Kristall requested.
Winter was taken aback, but understood that her mother was only trying to help her. "Mom, I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to…relive that. I guess it's just ingrained into my head." Winter sighed. "I wish I could help Weiss with that too."
Kristall noticed Winter's reaction to her talking about Weiss. "Sweetie, have you spoken to your sister yet? I know you've been busy, but maybe hearing what she's been up to can prove that she isn't about to let herself be influenced by your father."
"Mom, you know that concern is one that is justified by Weiss' outlook on a lot of things. I've told you about when were younger." Winter reminded.
"This may not be true with every single person on Remnant, but time can change a person, Winter. Your father may have had some influence on a few things in her life, but going to Beacon was her choice." Kristall reminded.
"I know it was, mom." Winter let out a smile at a certain memory. "Father wasn't in a happy mood that day. His face was priceless."
Kristall giggled to herself. "It was indeed a sight to take in. I still think it would be a good idea to call her soon. I have a feeling she would like to hear from her big sister."
Winter nodded. "If you really think so, I suppose it could be good to see if she's made any friends. Would you like me to tell her anything in particular? From you of course."
"Just let her know that I love her and I'll call her this weekend. I know how Weiss can be sometimes, so bombarding her with constant calls may annoy her." Kristall chuckled.
"Mom, you say that she'd enjoy hearing from me, but you know she'd love to hear from you as well." Winter stated.
"Yes, but I spoke to her not too long ago. And remember that I said I'll be giving her a call this weekend. Now then…" Kristall looked over at the door. "Make sure you tell her to continue doing what she can. Her life at Beacon was her choice, and I want that kind of life to continue for her."
"I doubt my words would help in that regard, mom." Winter said.
"Either way, I want you to talk to her about it." Kristall looked over at the door again. "I should go, sweetie. Now may be a good time to call her."
"Okay, mom. I love you." Winter said.
"I love you too, sweetie." Kristall ended the call.
Winter got up and left her scroll on the table. She walked over to a drawer in her room so she could retrieve something special to her. Winter grabbed a small book from the drawer and smiled. "I wonder if she still uses hers as well." Winter walked back over and placed the small book on her table.
I've written so many names down in this book. If Weiss is still using hers, I wonder how many names she's written down.
Winter sat down and picked her scroll back up, dialing Weiss' number and waiting on her to answer.
After a few moments, she heard her sister. "Winter? Y-You called…I wasn't expecting you to call me."
"Well I wanted to know how you were doing. Are you eating properly? Have you taken up any hobbies? Are you making new friends?" Winter asked.
"O-Oh…um, well the food is okay. I don't really have…hobbies, but I've made friends." Weiss said.
"That's very good to hear, Weiss. And how have you been feeling about Beacon so far?" Winter inquired.
"It's…definitely not what I expected, but that isn't a bad thing. I've come to enjoy being out of Atlas…though…" Weiss couldn't continue.
Winter waited a few moments, but knew her sister wasn't gonna continue. "Weiss? You hesitated there. What's wrong?"
"I…didn't become leader of the team I'm on. I'm sorry, Winter…All the training we did…no…no, I can't say that. Ruby may be younger, but…I have faith that she'll prove herself." Weiss said.
"Ruby? Is that the name of your leader?" Winter guessed.
"Yes. She was the first person I met while here at Beacon. I wasn't exactly sure how she was going to be…since there has been some…issues, but in the end, I trust her enough to not blow up anything else." Weiss explained.
"Blowing up anything else? Weiss…that implies she blew something up. Is there something you aren't telling me?" Winter questioned.
Weiss sighed. "Well…when I met her, I may have shook a bottle of dust in her face…which she reacted to it by sneezing and blowing us up."
Winter blinked a few times at that, since she was in shock at how something like that could happen. "And how did you forget to keep the dust bottle tightly sealed?"
"I-It wasn't my fault! I…the suitcases were thrown around when Ruby fell onto them, so I'm sure the bottles were-." Weiss was cut off.
"Weiss, relax. I wasn't trying to blame you. Anyways, is there anything else at Beacon that you've enjoyed like the classes, the training…the people?" Winter inquired.
Weiss was blushing when she heard her sister ask about the people, since she wanted to say one thing, but she didn't know how to do it. "U-Um…well…there is this one person who I…um, enjoy being around a lot."
"Really? Well who is this person?" Winter asked, and was surprised to hear her sister was close to someone.
"H-Her name is Velvet…She's a second year here at Beacon." Weiss answered.
"Okay, so how did you meet this person?" Winter asked.
Weiss' blush reddened. "That's a long story, but in short, we ran into each other in the hall. It took some time, but we ended up talking more and more with each other. That's about it."
"Is there anything else you'd like to tell me about this Velvet?" Winter asked.
"S-She's a Faunus…" Weiss replied.
Winter was in complete shock at that point, since she thought her sister was already tainted too much by their father's prejudice ways. "You…Okay then, well that's good to hear, Weiss. I'll be honest, I wasn't expecting that."
"I know. Could you not tell father about this? I would rather him not know." Weiss requested.
"He won't, but remember that you shouldn't keep it a secret for long. You should stand up to him sometimes, Weiss. He can't control who you're friends with." Winter reminded, trying her best to get through to her little sister.
"I'd rather not discuss that right now, Winter. I have more on my mind to worry about… now…is there something else you'd like to talk about? Actually…I would like to know how you're doing as a specialist. It's always been interesting to me." Weiss said.
Winter knew about how her little sister would be excited to hear from her, but with how she left Atlas, she wasn't expecting the same sort of reaction. "My position as a specialist here isn't all the interesting, Weiss."
"Oh…well then how are you? You must have a lot of work to do over there." Weiss said.
"Yes, there usually is a lot of work, but nothing I can't handle. Paper work is probably the worst part of it…Anyways. I was getting off topic here. Weiss, have you had any doubts about Beacon? And I don't mean the leadership position. I want to know if you'll truly stay the four years necessary to earn the title of huntress." Winter questioned.
"I have no reason to quit now, Winter…Did…Did father make you ask me that?" Weiss asked.
"Father can't make me do anything, Weiss. I asked because I want to know how serious this is to you. Just hearing that you wanted to go to Beacon made me proud of you, but I want that to continue. Don't let anything discourage you, Weiss." Winter advised.
"Winter…what is this about? You call out of nowhere and ask me about whether I'll really commit to becoming a huntress…Are you telling me the truth about father not asking you to-?" Weiss was interrupted.
"Why would I ever to do something like that for him? And why would he even ask me to in the first place, Weiss?" Winter questioned, but it was clear that Weiss wasn't gonna answer. "See. You can't answer that. You can't be afraid of him."
"I'm not afraid of him…He's…just got a lot to say is all." Weiss said in a saddened tone.
Winter sighed. "He does, but don't let that change how you're feeling about Beacon, or even this Velvet. Do you remember the day dad told you about mother's injury?"
Weiss took a breath. "I do…I don't think I'll ever forget that day."
"I tried…I tried getting you to relax, but your growing hatred for the people who hurt mom…it started showing, even back then. I worry about you more than ever. Since you have a place to live that isn't Atlas. And you have people that you call friends…Just keep his opinions to himself. In fact…don't even think about him at all." Winter suggested.
"That isn't the way, Winter. He's still our father…I don't care if he has little opinion of my choices…I still love him because he's family." Weiss stated.
Winter looked out the window, taking in what Weiss had just said to her. "Yes, he is family, but you can't let him drive your choices in the wrong direction. Keep that in mind, sister." Winter heard a knock on the door, and General Ironwood walked in. "Give me a second, Weiss. Sir, I didn't know you were showing up today."
"It wasn't exactly planned, Winter. We have some trouble with your father's company. It seems some dust has gone missing in his quarry, and since you are a Schnee, I believe you'll be perfect in dealing with this situation." Ironwood explained.
Winter sighed. "I try getting away from the company, and now it seems that I'm being dragged back in. Okay, sir. I'll prepare my things."
"No rush, Winter. You're being sent over there in two weeks. It seems your father only requested for assistance after his own team handles this. Of course, that's what I expected of him. No offense." Ironwood said.
Winter scoffed. "None taken, honestly."
"Right, well I'll have more details on this when your father decides to actually speak with me. Good day." Ironwood left the room and Winter sighed.
"Winter? Is everything alright?" Weiss asked while still on the scroll.
"Huh? Oh, Ironwood has assigned me to see what has happened in father's quarry." Winter said, and remained silent for a few moments to let that sink in. "I was chosen for an obvious reason, though I'm unsure of what I'll be involved with there."
"Something…happened in the quarry? Was anyone hurt?" Weiss asked.
"Ironwood didn't give me the full details yet, but at the moment it is just some missing dust. The quarry is usually guarded, so I can only assume that it was someone on the inside. Of course, that remains to be seen." Winter said.
Weiss nodded. "Alright, well I hope things get resolved with that. I don't feel the need to speak to father about that, but knowing him, he may try to call me again for…" Weiss hated herself for bringing that up.
"What? He called you once already?" Winter asked.
"Y-Yes…he did. It was to check on my performance at Beacon…and a reminder of how I shouldn't let my guard down around Faunus." Weiss sadly explained.
Winter shook her head. "I see. Okay, enough about him. I think the next time we speak, we should try avoiding that topic as much as we can."
"Agreed…And…Winter. Thank you for calling me. It was really good to hear from you…I miss you." Weiss admitted.
"As do I, little sister, but I know you won't need me over there. You're making friends and beginning to go down the path you chose. Never lose that path." Winter advised. "I love you. And mother said she'll give you a call this weekend, so be ready to speak with her."
"I will, Winter. I love you too." Weiss ended the call.
Winter sighed in relief, since she felt the talk she had with Weiss really helped. "And now to see what this missing dust is all about."
Weiss smiled and put her scroll in her bag that she kept behind her back. The heiress was sitting on her bed, since she wanted to take a nap after her sparring match with Blake. It ended up in a draw, so they were both pretty exhausted.
I still can't believe how things have turned out…and mother. She's going to call this weekend…maybe…I should tell her. I should've told Winter…maybe I can call her back.
Blake interrupted her thoughts when she walked into the dorm. "Oh, I forgot you came back to the dorm, Weiss….Are you okay? You're just sitting there."
Weiss sighed. "No offense, but I doubt you'd care about what's bothering me."
"And how would you know-?" Blake was cut off.
"It has something to do with my family…you know…the one you don't like." Weiss explained, with a bit of venom in her voice, since she still wasn't happy with how Blake was so against her family name.
Blake sighed and sat across from the heiress on her own bed. "Listen, the first day wasn't exactly something I could say was necessary of me to do. And I know you didn't like when I brought up your family that one time when we spoke in the hall."
"Where are you going with this?" Weiss questioned.
"I'm trying to explain that there are still some things…no, that's a lie. There are a lot of things that I'm not happy with concerning your father's choices. He's caused a lot of-." Blake stopped when she saw Weiss lower her head.
"I know, okay. Why do you think I decided on attending Beacon instead of Atlas? I don't like what he does either, but I can't exactly stop him, so I wanted to get away from him." Weiss stated.
"Is…that your reason for wanting to become a huntress?" Blake inquired.
Weiss raised her head back up as soon as she heard that. "No! I want to be a huntress to show people that a Schnee shouldn't be judged based on our name alone. That…and when I saw my own sister choose to become a huntress, it inspired me. I could be out there helping people, instead of having a job in my father's company."
Blake didn't think she'd see that side of Weiss. "I…don't know what to say."
"Well, don't say sorry for one. I get why you said those things, but just think about the people you're talking about. And I don't mean me. My sister is against how my father runs things, and my mother…she never deserves the hate our family receives." Weiss felt her heart beating a little faster.
Blake looked away for a moment. "Yes, you're right about that. I do know about…well, what happened." Blake looked back at the heiress. "I'm sorry it did happen. I was young when I heard about it, since it was on the news, so back then, it was a little confusing." Blake left out the part that she had the old White Fang providing for her.
"I didn't find out the truth immediately." Weiss frowned, and then heard a knock on the door. "I'll go get it." Weiss got up and opened the door, revealing Coco and Velvet. The rabbit Faunus was using her crutches and being supported by Coco. "V-Velvet? Coco?"
Velvet smiled. "I know you're worried about me walking, but I can't stay in bed forever."
Coco chuckled. "When I asked her where she wanted to go, I had to think about what I asked, since it was pretty obvious of who she wanted to see first."
Weiss did her best to not blush. "Come in." She stepped inside to let the two in the room. "Do you want to sit, or lay down on my bed?"
Coco helped Velvet over to Weiss' bed. "I feel like it would be better to try and sit. Lying down on a bed all day isn't exactly a good thing, no matter how nice it may feel to be lazy." Velvet said and looked over at Blake. "Oh. Hey, Blake."
"Hey, Velvet. How's your leg feeling?" Blake inquired.
"I'm feeling a lot better now. I should be able to remove the cast by next week." Velvet said.
"Thank goodness for aura, huh, Vel?" Coco remarked.
Velvet nodded. "So, do you both have any plans today?"
"We've sparred already, so I decided on resting up, but I don't need to anymore. Maybe we can go outside, if you're okay with that." Weiss suggested.
Velvet knew where Weiss wanted to go. "I'd love that. Um, Coco…Blake, is it okay if we ditch you guys for a bit? I don't mean to sound rude, but-."
Coco chuckled. "Relax, Vel. We get it, right, Blake?"
Blake nodded. "Go on. I'm honestly just staying here in the dorm to take a break myself. Oh, and Coco, Yang told me about you both. I'm sorry for having to ask all those questions that day."
"It's all good, Blake. You had a good reason to ask." Coco said.
Weiss wrapped an arm around Velvet to help her stand up. "Are you sure you'll be able to go outside like this? We can just-."
"I'll be fine, Weiss. And besides, I really would like to get some fresh air." Velvet said.
Coco walked over and opened the door for the two. "Have fun, you two."
Weiss and Velvet walked out of the room, with Velvet making sure to keep her one foot from touching the ground. The heiress was instantly feeling a lot better from how she talked about her family with Blake, and her talk with Winter. Velvet being around her was the reason of course. And Weiss would make sure to be that kind of person for Velvet as well.
A few things were answered here, and now something new has been brought up. If anything, how did you guys feel about Winter in this one? The way she was written. Was it bad, good, okay?
To JJ- It felt like a good point to have those two get together, so I'm glad you're ready to see their date. And I also can't wait to have Velvet's mom show up. Also, that part with Ruby was probably my favorite part to write in all honesty.
I hoped you all enjoyed chapter 27. Remember, reviews are welcomed, but not required. See you all in chapter 28.
