Their sleeping car was built for comfort, it came with two bunk beds and a dining table cushioned between two plush couches. A large window looked out to the passing landscape, casting natural light onto their polished wood table. The best feature was the private bathroom which also came with a shower. Had Weiss not seen the news about the recent business leaks, she would've taken more time to relish in their sleeping arrangements.
After boarding the train and settling into their private sleeping car, the first thing she did was call Winter. Adam didn't think the White Fang was responsible, no matter what the reports were speculating. Weiss thought the only way to know for sure was if they asked someone on the inside.
Winter didn't pick up. Weiss assumed she was busy with the new developments at work and left a message. She let Adam take the shower first as she waited for Winter to call back.
Her calls remained unanswered.
Winter had never ignored her calls like this before. Even if she was busy, she'd always leave a message letting Weiss know she'll be in touch.
Her sister's out-of-character behaviour made her even more anxious to hear back from her. Had Adam not convinced her to step away and enjoy a hot shower, she would've stayed glued to the couch all night.
"Are there any new updates?" she asked as soon as she stepped out of the bathroom. The train felt colder now that she was in her sleepwear.
"No. I don't think we'll hear anything else tonight," Adam answered, pocketing his Scroll. "I read your old man is running in the upcoming election, though."
Weiss thought he was joking, but when the punchline never came, a tense pain ballooned in the back of her head.
"Ugh. I don't want to think about that right now," she groaned, collapsing beside him at the table.
She picked up her Scroll, hoping to see a missed call notification from Winter. Nothing except the time greeted her when the screen turned on.
Why wasn't she picking up? Did something happen to her?
Weiss called Winter one more time, twirling a strand of loose hair as the ringer played in her ear. The sound of Winter's voicemail message made her throw her Scroll down with a huff. She hoped Winter was mistaking her new number as spam. It was the only reason she could think of that explained why she was ignoring her.
"I'm sure your sister's just asleep," Adam said. "Isn't it the middle of the night over in Atlas?"
"Oh yeah," she blushed, completely forgetting the difference in time zones. "It feels like forever since I've been back."
"Are you feeling homesick?"
"No." She snorted. "If it weren't for my sister, I wouldn't care about Atlas."
"Still, I'm surprised you don't miss the rich lifestyle. It must be easier than camping in the forest all the time."
"I'd rather be in the wilderness than stuck in a mansion. Plus, it's nice to spend time somewhere warm."
"Fair enough. Every time Sienna makes me go to Atlas for a mission, the weather is always miserable."
"She makes you go back there?" There was no possible way Sienna was ignorant of his past. Why would she force him to revisit a place that caused his family so much pain?
"I don't mind." He shrugged when he saw the expression on her face. "My dad was from Atlas, so going back reminds me of him."
"O-oh, I never knew that." She fiddled with the end of her nightgown.
What was his dad's life like before the SDC? Did he have any surviving family on Atlas, or did her family completely wipe out his relatives?
"Do you ever miss Atlas because of him?" she asked gently.
"Sometimes, but it's also difficult to stay for too long. I guess it's good Sienna lets me leave whenever I want.
"I also don't mind being in Mistral. My mom grew up in Mistral's countryside with her extended relatives. Even though I usually work in Vale, I'm happy to be stationed in Mistral from time to time too."
"Do you know where the rest of her family is?"
"I've tried tracking them down, but I can never find anything. It's the same situation with my dad. I've tried looking for his family, but there's nothing left of them. I only know he lived in Mantle for some time before...they took him and his brothers."
He looked at the passing forest for a moment, lost in thought.
"They never told me if we have family outside the Mines," he breathed. "I'm not complaining, though. At least I know where to go to feel closer to them."
Hearing all this made her wonder if Sienna had purposefully asked him to work in Atlas and Mistral. Was this some roundabout way to keep him connected to his family? Weiss had trouble believing Sienna could be so thoughtful, especially when she didn't hesitate to hurt him, but it felt like too much of a coincidence.
"Thank you for telling me this, Adam. I don't know what to say."
"I appreciate you listening. I usually talk about them much, so it's a nice change of pace."
"Well, if you ever want to share more stories about your family, I'll be happy to listen."
She's only spoken to his mother once and seen his father from a distance, but they both seemed like such nice people. She'd love to know more about his family and the people he grew up with.
"Thanks, Weiss." Her stomach did flips when he clasped his hand over her knee, giving it a tight squeeze before letting go. Her heart continued to race long after he retreated from her space.
The dark wall of trees outside parted as their train passed over a grand river. Moonlight danced on the water's surface, twinkling like the stars she learned to love on her long journey.
The lull in their conversation made Weiss realize how tired she was. After a full day's worth of walking, she was ready to pass out on a real bed for once. Sitting in her pyjamas while the train rocked her back and forth wasn't making it any easier to stay awake.
"You should sleep," Adam suggested when she yawned.
"Not yet. I want to stay up a bit longer," she protested despite the heaviness in her eyes. The allure of a nice soft bed sounded more and more appealing.
"You look half-awake. We can talk again in the morning."
"But it'll be our last full night travelling together. I don't want to spend it asleep."
"My point still stands. It's not like I'm going anywhere."
"It's not the same, Adam. Conversations hit differently at night. I want to make tonight memorable."
"You're impossibly sentimental." He looked at her with a smile. For a second, she forgot how exhausted she was.
The moon glowed behind him, outlining his figure with an ethereal white light. The fiery red in his hair and clothes popped out from the wash of cool light, demanding her full undivided attention. His gentle smile and the bright glint in his eye all mixed perfectly together to keep her transfixed on him.
He was so handsome.
Weiss nearly gasped.
His fine sense of fashion and elegant fighting style was always evident to her, but to think of him as handsome? She'd never thought of any of her guy friends as handsome before. Then again, she's only ever made friends with a handful of guys.
She was most definitely overthinking this. Friends can appreciate each other's looks without being weird.
If Sapphire didn't make such a weird comment about them, she wouldn't feel so bizarre about admiring his looks. It wasn't her fault she was friends with someone with immaculate taste in fashion.
"You're staring, Weiss."
"A-am I?" She took a keen interest in staring at the table - mortified he caught her ogling him like an idiot again.
"Got something you want to say?" he pressed on, sounding more amused than ever.
"N-no." She curled the ends of her loose hair around her fingers.
"You're garbage at lying."
"I-I know, Violet made that clear to me already." She hoped the mention of Violet would somehow change the subject.
"Something bothering that pretty little head of yours?"
Weiss pretended the heat in her cheeks was from embarrassment and not because he called her pretty. It was only a figure of speech.
Still, a part of her wondered how he saw her. Was she pretty in his eyes or was she average? Would he be honest if she asked–
What the hell was she even thinking?
"Seriously, are you alright?" The amusement was gone from his voice.
"I-I think you're right. Sleep deprivation is making me a bit loopy and–" She lost her train of thought when Adam caught her by the hand.
She'd held his hand plenty of times in the past, but tonight his touch sent an electric jolt up her arm.
"If you're feeling sick, I need to know."
She swallowed as he pulled the glove off his free hand with his teeth. Weiss wasn't feeling feverish, but now she wasn't so sure. She lowered her head when he pressed his palm on her forehead, it was warm against her skin. The quiet sigh of relief assured her she wasn't sick again.
"Is something else bothering you?" he asked. The tone of his voice was so soft, it made her guilty for worrying him.
"No," she said to her lap. "I-I was only saying that being sleep deprived is making me space out a bit."
She could feel him staring at her. Weiss knew she was only making it worse for herself by staying quiet, but the truth wasn't going to make it any better.
His hand retreated from her forehead and cradled the side of her face. Every thought melted under the warmth bursting from her chest as he tilted her head up to look at him.
Aquamarine.
She finally identified what the blue in his eye reminded her of. It was as clear and stunning as an aquamarine gemstone. How could someone have such a beautiful eye colour? Her heart beat faster and faster the longer she lost herself in his gaze. She wanted to say something to end the silence, but his stare alone rendered her speechless.
"You can be honest with me," he said in complete seriousness.
The scent of pine surrounded her, tempting her to draw closer to him. She didn't think her pulse could spike any further until he ran his thumb over the back of her hand.
"I-I think you should smile more!" she exclaimed out of sheer panic. Her heart dropped when he went still beside her.
Oh gods, she made it weird for both of them.
In a poor attempt to fix her mistake, she added, "it's not that you only look good when you're smiling. You're fine as is. I'm just saying you have a very nice smile. It makes you look um…y-you look really good."
Weiss ripped away from him when his grip on her loosened. With a poor excuse of feeling exhausted, she threw herself into bed and hid beneath her blanket.
She was so stupid. Of all the dumb things she's ever done, this took the number one spot. It was even possible she upset him. She had no right to compliment his looks after what Uncle did to him.
"For what it's worth," she heard him say beyond the protective cover of her blanket. "I think you should wear your hair down more. You look lovely like this."
Weiss sheepishly poked her head up from beneath her blanket. He was looking out their window, his figure still washed in silver light. Feeling too scared to approach him again, she ducked beneath the blanket and pretended to sleep.
Weiss was the first to wake up the next morning. She checked her Scroll for missed calls but found nothing. She tried to call Winter again but to no avail.
Maybe Winter needed to shut off her Scroll for a mission, but Weiss couldn't rest easy without knowing for sure. She rolled out of bed, dragging her sheets with her to the dining table. There, she went through all the latest news pouring out of Atlas, occasionally stopping to attempt another call with Winter.
"You're up early," Adam said when he finally got out of bed.
"Just doing some early morning reading," Weiss said, blushing when he slumped into the seat across from her.
His hair was messy and his dishevelled clothes revealed more of his bare chest. The angry scar on his face stopped her eyes from lingering on him for too long. She cleared her throat, looking back down at her Scroll.
"I've been looking at the news." Weiss set her Scroll down so he could catch a peek at what she was reading. "There's been some new developments."
The authorities' raid proved successful, rescuing hundreds of Faunus victims late last night. According to the reports, someone had ambushed the site before authorities arrived, rendering most suspects immobile. There was further evidence to prove that whoever did this also took the time to help nurse some of the injured victims. Despite this, no one could describe who was responsible for this as they concealed their identities thoroughly.
Faces and names of all guilty parties spread internationally like wildfire. Audio and video clips, gathered from the leaks were easily accessible from the web. Journalists worldwide competed to share intel from the leaked documents. Atlas Military has promised to launch an investigation immediately.
It was surprising Father wasn't affected by the crime. The only information about Father was about his recent involvement in politics. She read through half his campaign before stopping, feeling far too disturbed to imagine someone like him getting more power.
"Atlas Military thinks the White Fang may be involved." She pointed to the latest article on the news site. "Some people are claiming this is all a conspiracy. They think 'Faunus terrorists' are trying to tear down reputable Human businesses with lies."
What disturbed her most was the thousands of comments voicing their support for the conspiracy angle. Even with victims and evidence presented, they still framed the Faunus as enemies.
"There's no way this is the White Fang," Adam debunked the story without hesitation. "They wouldn't waste their time sharing information like this."
She didn't know what to think. If Atlas authorities claim it was the White Fang, there had to be a good reason for them to draw such a conclusion. They must know something that the public doesn't. Weiss wished more than anything for Winter to answer her calls. Either Winter blocked her new number or something big was going down in Atlas.
"I might head down to Mantle after this," Adam said. "I'm curious to see what's going on over there."
Weiss stared at her lap to hide her frown. She knew it was inevitable that they'd have to discuss what he'll do next. It didn't make hearing about his departure from her any easier to hear. Would he stay if she asked him to?
"Are you sure it'll be safe in Atlas? What if someone recognizes you?" she asked instead.
"I can take care of myself. Besides, it's not like you'll need me looking after you anymore."
"Don't put it like that. You make it sound like I've outgrown you." She fidgeted with her Scroll. "You know…you could always stay with me."
Just because he helped her get to Mistral City, doesn't mean this had to be goodbye.
"I don't think that's a good idea, Weiss. I doubt blondie will appreciate it much."
"Her name's Yang. And our team leader, Ruby, would let you join us. Once she understands your circumstances, I'm sure she'll welcome you."
"I appreciate the offer, but I don't think I'm ready for that kind of thing yet," he turned her down politely. "Hanging out with Tanner is one thing, but working with a bunch of Humans still feels…weird."
She expected him to say something like this. Still, a part of her had hoped he'd continue travelling with her. After everything they've been through, it didn't feel right to part ways so soon. Or maybe she was the only one who felt that way.
"If you ever change your mind, you're always welcome to join us. I'd be happy to have you," she added the last part more quietly than intended.
"I'll be sure to keep that in mind."
They arrived at their destination early that evening. When Adam was in the bathroom, she snuck an extra roll of cash into his coat pocket. After seeing his reaction to her expensive gift, she didn't think he'd accept money out of the blue. It was the least she could do to help make his travels a bit easier.
They left the train together. Weiss didn't bother with her disguise, but she kept the scarf loosely around her neck.
"I'll walk you halfway," he offered once they left the station. Weiss happily agreed.
The train station stood at the very heart of the bustling market space. Faunus and Humans flooded the busy night market, squishing them side by side as they pushed through the street. Despite colourful vendors and performers lighting the streets, the crowd gave off unusually tense energy. Humans and Faunus glanced over their shoulders everywhere they went. A few store vendors and parents side-eyed them, along with other travellers, as they passed. Some even raised their swords and rifles whenever they walked by a Faunus.
At first, she thought the large crowd was simply overwhelming her, but when Adam made similar observations, she couldn't stop noticing it.
"They might be anxious after the whole Beacon mess," she speculated.
"It's been months. They would've been over the worst of it by now," he disagreed. "I'll ask around and update you."
They stopped at the heart of the market. Dozens of visitors walked to and fro around them, blissfully ignorant of the heavyweight on her chest.
"It's not forever," he said as if reading her mind. "You can always message me using your Scroll. I'll respond whenever I can."
"I know. It's just hard after everything," she confessed.
"You've survived fine without me. You can do it again," he tried to reassure her.
"Technically, I always had you around…" Even at the start of her journey, he was following her from a distance.
"I didn't do much during those first couple of weeks. You took care of yourself for the most part. Be careful if you get into a fight with Sienna, though. Her Semblance amplifies all her attacks after your Aura shatters."
"That means you need to stay extra vigilant too. I'm never going to forgive you if you get careless and something bad happens."
"I can take care of myself. Stop overthinking–"
"I'm not overthinking. You're not invincible, Adam. She broke your Aura once…who says she can't do it again?"
If he was travelling alone from now on, he'd have no one to watch his back. Something bad could happen to him without her ever knowing.
"I'll be careful next time." He placed a hand on her shoulder. "If you're so worried, I can give you a call every day."
"You don't have to go that far." She snorted. "Send me a short text every few days to let me know how you're doing."
"Okay."
"Even if it's a minor injury, let me know. I don't want you to face that kind of thing alone anymore."
"Fine."
"And if you need help at any time, call me. Even if it's in the middle of the night and you only need to talk, I don't mind. If it's an emergency, send me your coordinates. I can't promise I'll get to you right away, but I'll find a way–!"
The bustling crowd faded away when he kissed her forehead.
At first, Weiss was certain she was dreaming. At any second, she would wake up and find herself still curled in bed on the train. But that moment never came, not even when he crushed her with a hug.
Weiss closed her eyes, wrapping her arms around him, and savoured the moment like it was her last.
She memorized the warmth of his body, the feel of his arms around her, and the fresh smell of pine that reminded her so much of the quiet nights they shared in the forest.
"Thank you," Adam whispered.
"That should be my line," she breathed.
Weiss knew something was wrong when Haven Academy came into view. A group of young Hunters and Huntresses fought with hooded White Fang agents outside the school gates.
It didn't take long for Weiss to take down the group of intruders. After ensuring the group of students was okay, she asked them what happened.
"We don't know. W-we were studying in the library when the White Fang started breaking into campus," one of the girls answered her.
"O-one of the visiting Huntsmen offered to help lead the fight," another student added.
That's all Weiss needed to hear.
"If you don't feel safe facing the White Fang, leave and call for help. It's not cowardly to save your life." She noticed three of the young teens meekly backing away from the larger group. "You three go and get extra help! The rest of you, come with me!"
The school was nothing like Beacon. It was smaller, its courtyard surrounded by walls. As far as she could tell, the entire school was at war. Injured students lay amongst the bodies of their peers and enemies. Teachers either protected the injured or went after the White Fang agents.
Weiss spotted Jaune fighting amid the chaos alongside a group of students. Even from a distance, she could still identify the chained weapon flying through the air.
"Listen!" She turned to address the students. "Go as a team and help the injured outside! Don't fight unless you need to, understand?"
The kids were still shaking but nodded. They hurried together to the nearest injured student as a group. Once Weiss was sure they could protect themselves, she made a mad dash towards Jaune.
With the help of her Glyphs and a pinch of Light Blue Dust, she crashed the fight with an icy flurry, sending the inexperienced fighters flying. Sienna, however, dodged her storm flawlessly.
"Weiss!" Jaune cried out in relief.
"Sorry I'm late," she answered shortly. "Where's Ruby and the others?"
"They're fighting Cinder inside." His answer sprung more questions than answers, but she put them on hold as Sienna's chained weapon clashed with her sword.
"You!" Sienna growled.
"You know this lady?!" Jaune exclaimed.
"It's a long story." She had no idea how to explain this later, but that would be a problem to consider after she survived the fight.
Sienna lunged at her. Even with Jaune helping her to deflect some of the hits, she found it difficult to keep up with Sienna. They were both so wrapped up in avoiding Sienna's attacks, they neglected the White Fang agents around them.
Weiss caught movement out of the corner of her eye. She deflected Sienna's blade before turning to parry a nameless grunt's sword. She struck her opponent swiftly, disarming them in time to duck beneath Sienna's weapon.
Jaune wasn't so lucky. A White Fang agent snuck up on his right, catching him off guard with a strike to the side. Weiss made the first mistake of taking her eyes off Sienna. She paid for it dearly when Sienna's blade smashed into her chest, knocking the wind out of her.
Sienna didn't let her go after that. Blow after blow she took until her Aura flickered. A painful kick to the gut left her groaning on the ground.
"I'm going to enjoy cutting you up, Princess."
Weiss switched to her White Dust, hoping she could conjure a strong enough wind current to buy her some extra time.
"No!" Jaune threw himself in front of Weiss, but his efforts proved futile as Sienna threw him aside with a single flick of her whip.
"You want to protect scum, little boy?" she mocked him. "Then let me teach you what happens when you side with a Schnee."
With a flick of a wrist, Sienna dislodged a short blade at his neck.
Gunshot roared.
Sienna's blade jerked to the side last second from a well-aimed bullet. A curtain of black stood between them and Sienna.
"So the rumours were right." Adam positioned himself in front of Jaune, making it impossible for Sienna to lay a finger on him.
Sienna pulled her weapon back into her hand. "I didn't think you'd let another Human enslave you. You're more pathetic than I thought."
"I'll back down if you leave her alone."
Sienna redirected her gaze towards Weiss. Adam charged at Sienna before she had the chance to attack. He relied more on his rifle this time, using it to keep a healthy gap between himself and Sienna.
Flashes of his previous fight sent her heart racing. She attempted to get up and help, only to crumble back to the ground when a sharp pain shot up her side.
"That was way too close," Jaune breathed shakily beside her. "W-who is that?"
"An old friend of mine." She winced as her side flared with pain again.
That jerked Jaune out of his daze. "Oh crap, let me heal you!"
Weiss wasn't sure what he meant until she felt his Aura merge with her own.
"You never told me you had such a badass friend!" he exclaimed, watching the heated fight between Adam and Sienna.
"It's complicated."
Two White Fang grunts charged at Jaune from behind. She summoned a Beowolf to intercept before they could land a hit.
"We need to move," Weiss told him.
Jaune helped her back up to her feet. They both ducked when Sienna's chained blade flew at their heads, nearly hitting one of the students fighting alongside them in the back.
"She's crazy with that thing!" Jaune complained. "Is there a way we can cut it off?!"
Weiss hadn't thought about that. With how fast Sienna threw her chained blade around, it would be impossible to break it in half.
Unless she found a way to freeze it in place.
Her Light Blue Dust was almost out. She would only have one shot at doing this.
"I have an idea," she told Jaune. "Can you and the students cover me?"
"You bet."
She nodded in thanks and circled closer to Adam and Sienna's fight. Weiss pivoted herself behind Sienna before switching to her Blue Dust and firing a blue crescent wave at her. As expected, Sienna was able to hear the incoming attack and intercepted it with a single wave of her whip.
"You want me so badly?" Weiss lowered her sword and smirked despite her racing heart. "Come and get me."
Adam charged after Sienna as she lunged at Weiss. She summoned her White Glyphs and bolted, jumping right over White Fang grunts who were being intercepted by Jaune and the other student fighters.
She winced when one of Sienna's dislodged blades skim past her leg. Despite the pain, she refused to look back or slow down. Weiss summoned more Glyphs than she ever had before, practically flying around the battlefield with the speed she was going.
Her heart quickened when she heard Sienna's whip close in. Weiss threw herself to the side at the very last minute. Her shoulder burned as she collided with the ground, but it was worth it when Sienna's blade lodged into the concrete.
"Frostbite!" Weiss exclaimed.
She dislodged the Light Blue Dust compartment from her sword and threw it at Sienna's weapon. The Dust compartment broke on impact, encasing the wet whip in an icy cloud, and leaving the chained blade completely frozen.
Sienna pulled the chain back, only managing a small crack in the ice imprisoning her weapon. Adam jumped in, Semblance blazing, severing the ice-coated chain with a single swing.
"Never try to do that again!" he snapped at her.
"I told you the cute nicknames were helpful." She scrambled to her feet.
"You fucking bitch!" Sienna threw her weapon's handle onto the ground. "I'm going to rip you limb from limb!"
"I'd like to see you try," Adam challenged coolly.
"You want to lay your life down for a worthless human?" Sienna cracked her knuckles. "Fine. We're better off without a traitor anyway."
A blinding white light made a hush fall on the courtyard. Airships filled with Faunus hovered over the battlefield. From the way they dressed, it looked like they'd been picked up from a tropical vacation. Weiss couldn't tell if this was Sienna's idea of backup or if someone messed up the coordinates to their family vacation house.
"It's over, Sienna!" Blake's voice ripped into the battlefield like a razor blade.
Blake and Sun drop from one of the airships alongside a man and woman who bore a striking resemblance to Blake. Adam cursed, hiding his blade beneath his coat and checking to ensure his hood was still up.
Sienna's eyes darted between the airships before they landed on Weiss once again.
"It's not over." Sienna mouthed to Weiss. She pulled out a tiny black device from somewhere in her pockets and pressed down. The battlefield erupted in chaos. Quite literally.
Adam shielded her with a protective embrace when the surrounding buildings blew up in flames. She clung tightly to him, scared he'd get blown away in the chaos. White Fang agents made a mad dash to the crude exits created by the explosions.
When she heard Adam curse a second time, she looked back at where Sienna was standing, all she could see now was black smoke.
"I'm going to look for her," Adam whispered to Weiss. He ripped out of her arms and into the chaos before she could stop him.
Thanks to RokenDarkly, StarStream2005, Gleaming Onyx, CMDR Quillon, LiteralWhiteTrash, a Guest reader, and Able and Table for the reviews!
We're getting close to it. But what is it?
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