Weiss felt the beginning of a headache twitch behind her eyes. She'd been sitting at this elongated table for the last two hours while an array of businessmen across from her made bad jokes about golf, their servants, and in some cases their wives. Said wives sat beside her in a row, occasionally offering a quiet titter at the punchline of their husbands jokes. Other than Weiss, only a single other woman hadn't uttered a sound since thanking the servant who pushed in her chair.
Weiss glanced down at the silver watch she'd adorned for the occasion with a mix of disgust and despair. The watch had been given to her as what she liked to think of as a consolation gift from her father when she'd returned home the previous day, and it told her she still had another two hours and an equal number of courses before she could politely leave the company of the boring people around her.
"So then I tell her, I'm not your gardener! I'm your layer!" The men all laughed heartily at the punchline. A few of the wives joined in but Weiss kept her silence. Not because she'd been ignoring the joke, though that wasn't for lack of trying, but because she simply found it tasteless in comparison to the things she liked to laugh with her team about.
"You've been awfully quiet, Weiss. Is everything alright?" A man asked her, snapping her head out of the clouds.
"I'm terribly sorry." Weiss bowed her head in response. "I believe I'm just a bit under the weather today. But thank you for the concern."
Weiss almost couldn't believe how simply she'd come up with the response. Maybe it was because the man who'd asked was one she'd known since before she could talk. He was always nice to her, even if he wasn't always welcome in her father's presence.
"I'm sorry to hear that, but I think we all want to know what you think of your big day tomorrow." His statement was met with a few nods from the other businessmen and Weiss noticed their wives were watching her as well. Her father was sitting at the head of the table watching her with his steely gaze, daring her to make a mistake. Thankfully her stepmother had chosen to avoid this practice dinner altogether.
"I am… unfortunately at a loss for words to describe my thoughts." She started diplomatically. "I suppose you could say I am slightly nervous."
A round of laughs echoed from around the table at the supposed joke Weiss had made. Even the wives were smiling at her in a way that made her want to rip their faces off. Except the one at the end who had still to utter a sound.
"Well, I suppose that is expected. Marriage is a big step after all." From here the talk returned to stocks and politics as Weiss once again was removed from the spotlight.
Weiss glanced around quickly and waved for a waiter. She wiped her hands on the napkin she had on her lap before placing it on the edge of the table and rising, the summoned waiter pulling her chair back as she stood while excusing herself quietly to those around her. She walked quickly, the only thing on her mind was the boiling frustration that she couldn't show to the others in that room. She found herself outside the back of the hall where they were having the dinner and proceeded to walk into the nearby trees. When she judged she was far enough away, she found a solid looking tree and let loose a punch that would have made Yang proud as the skin on her knuckles ripped away a piece of the unfortunate tree's bark.
If she was being rational, she would have stopped there. She had already cut her hand and blood was slowly oozing out of the wound as her aura worked to heal. Her next punch with her other hand ripped even more of the bark away and the yell Weiss let out made her feel good. Even the pain helped her feel as if she were doing something right.
She kept punching in the same spots over and over as she let out all the anger that seemed to be constantly bubbling under the surface for the past few days. The tree slowly soaked up the blood her fists left behind and after a few more hits, Weiss wound up and put all her strength behind what she knew was going to be her last punch.
A loud cracking noise echoed around her as she felt the bones in her hand break. The dent in the wood she'd left, a permanent reminder of how hard she'd hit the undeserving plant as her aura worked to repair the fractured bone. Weiss stood there panting as she caught her breath and tried desperately not to cry and ruin her makeup.
"Hey there little duck." A quiet voice spoke from behind her. Weiss spun to find Winter standing before her in an outfit she knew wasn't her choice. "Come here."
Winter approached and pulled Weiss into a hug that Weiss returned quickly, trying not to let her blood stain the white of the dress. It lasted for a long time as she felt her aura finish it's work.
"How did you find me?" Weiss asked, knowing if Winter could find her, other people could have as well. Something that didn't sit right with the heiress.
"I'm sure you noticed Penelope at the table. She owed me a favor." Winter replied gently. "How are you holding up?"
"Better now." Weiss stepped out of the embrace and looked down at her dress. Small flecks of red were visible even in the dying light that showed where her blood had splashed back from her fight with the tree. "Father is going to kill me if I return like this, though."
"I've already taken care of it." Winter replied. "Let's go back to my place and you can relax. It'll be a big day tomorrow, and you'll need your sleep."
Weiss nodded in thanks as she wiped a tear from her face, knowing her makeup would likely be ruined. She followed Winter around the side of the hall to the parking lot. Weiss looked around at all the excessively expensive cars. Most of them were made to be ridiculously over powered and overpriced, while never once meeting the potential they offered. Winter stopped in front of one of the few simple economical vehicles in the lot. Smooth curves weren't anything like the jagged edges on the others, but it looked reliable.
"Driving always helps me relax, so I wanted you to give it a try." Winter held out her keys for Weiss.
"Are you sure?" Weiss was hesitant. On a second glance, she realized the car was old. Most likely older than she was.
"It's safe, don't worry." Winter tossed the keys making Weiss catch them. "Now let's go before they realize you aren't actually ill."
"Right." Weiss nodded and they both took their places in the car.
Weiss did everything she remembered about driving the few times she'd been taught by her tutors before Beacon, and quickly realized the car was much more sluggish than the sports car her father had insisted she used to learn.
It wasn't long before Weiss pulled out onto the highway and started speeding up, but Winter surprised her with a smack on her shoulder.
"Come on, you can do better than that!" Winter laughed. "She might not look or feel like much, but that's only until you put that petal down!"
Weiss watched as another car passed her and sighed. She just wanted to get home. She followed her sister's advice and floored the gas, surprised that the roar of the motor was louder than she thought it would be.
The car shot forward, gluing her to the back of her seat as Winter laughed. Within seconds, they were passing the cars that had just passed them and Weiss was thankful that there was no speed limit on this road. More surprising still was the sports car that they passed who's motor spoke of extreme stress at keeping up the speed it was.
"What did you do to this thing?" Weiss asked happily as the task at hand flushed everything else from her mind. She didn't dare look away from the road but her peripherals were full of dark blurs as they rocketed down the highway.
"A friend of mine really knows motors. This thing can out-race and out-last everything dear father has in his garage." Winter said with an air of smugness.
"It might not be pretty, but this is amazing!" Weiss felt herself smile as she pushed the car even faster. The scenery flew by in a whirlwind of colors as she felt the motor shift into the next gear. The speedometer was an old dial that had long ago been maxed out with the needle stopped at the upper end of the gauge. "Ruby would love this!"
"I thought you might like it. That's why it's part one of your surprise." Weiss took her foot all the way off the gas as she felt a sudden nervousness grip her. She slowed to a more appropriate speed and relaxed as she finished the last five minutes of the drive to Winter's home. Not another word was spoken the rest of the trip as she contemplated exactly what her surprise meant.