Chapter 40: Lessons

There was a tingling sensation across her arms and legs. Weiss' eyelids felt like they weighed several tons. There was an ache throughout her skull and spine. She opened her mouth, feeling her stiff jaw loosen and her chapped lips against her teeth. Fighting with all of her might, she pried her eyes open, only to wince and shut them again when the bright light hit them. She readied herself, then slowly opened her eyes again. Bright sunlight shone in from her left. Above her were translucent white bed curtains and an ornate marble ceiling. She recognized the pattern on it, but in her daze could not recall where from.

Weiss groaned as she shifted. Her whole body felt like it was coming out of paralysis, as feeling slowly returned to her fingers and toes. She could begin to feel the texture of blankets and bedsheets on her skin. All across her body. She became more alert when she realized she was naked. Strength was still returning to her limbs and body, so she could not sit up yet, but she began to worry. She was lying naked in a bed after having been unconscious. The situation looked bad.

Weiss strained, as if forcing her strength to come back. She felt her arms press into the soft mattress, and soon she was rising up into a sitting position. She struggled to move her arms and legs for a few more moments, then slowly was able to move them about. She sat up completely, using her left arm to hold the sheets over her chest. She blinked her tired eyes and looked around the room.

She knew where she was. It was a place she knew well. White tile floors, tall white walls with a blue border, a giant window to her left with thin white curtains, with bookshelves and portraits adorning the walls. This was her private bedroom. Her private bedroom at Schnee Manor in Atlas. Her home.

Grateful she was not waking up in some brothel or strange house, but still confused nonetheless, Weiss willed herself to spin out of the bed and rise from laying down. Her legs wobbled underneath her, but she took a deep breath and steadied herself. She held a baby blue blanket over her front, covering her exposed chest, the slightest bit relieved to notice she still had underwear on. As she rose, she glanced down at her hand, where Ruby had stabbed. There was a red line where the damage had been done, with what looked like small black stitching running through it. It was only then she noted the few other parts of her skin that were covered: wrappings around her left leg, and large bandages placed over her stomach, ribs, shoulder, and back. Not giving it much thought, Weiss, still clutching the blanket, limped forward. She almost fell at first, but quickly stepped forward and caught herself. The smooth tile was cold, but soothing on her dry bare feet. She took another step forward, more carefully this time.

As she was taking a third step, the large door on the far side of the room suddenly clicked. Weiss gasped, still not sure who would emerge. She almost threw herself back onto the bed, but instead froze in apprehension.

The door opened to reveal a man. A familiar man. He was dressed in a white shirt and black vest with the Schnee family emblem emblazoned on it. The sunlight shone off the top of his balding head, and Weiss could see his large, fuzzy mustache twitch as his light brown eyes locked onto her.

"Klein…" Weiss muttered, finally recognizing her butler.

"Oh!" he suddenly exclaimed, startling Weiss. She jumped only slightly, but just enough to make her lose her balance. She began to wobble and tilt. Klein dropped the teacup he had in his hand, making it shatter into crystalline fragments and splash dark liquid onto the tile floor. He ran like a shot to Weiss' side, reaching out his arms as Weiss fell. She landed in his arms, mere inches from the ground.

"You shouldn't be up and about yet, Miss Schnee," the man said in a soft tone.

"Klein…" Weiss huffed, breathing heavily. "What… what happened?" she panted.

Klein positioned his arms under Weiss' back and legs. With a grunt, he lifted her whole body up, blanket still on top of her, and carried her the few feet back to the bed to lay her down.

"Let's get you resting again," he said. "Then I'll explain."

"How much fucking longer do we have to wait?" Tyrian asked.

"They'll be here soon, and with food and medicine," Hazel replied.

"Soon," Tyrian said, rolling his eyes. "Soon. Soon. That's all I hear is 'soon'. We're all going to end up starving to death by the time 'soon' arrives."

Hazel did not want to argue. He did not like to show weakness, but he was tired and hungry as well. He looked at all the people crowded on the shoreline. They were tired and frustrated as well. They deserved better.

That was when he heard a noise out to sea. He glanced put, shielding his eyes from the midday sun above. There was a vessel fast approaching. It was a large ship, looking like one of Lord Ozpin's military vessels. Hazel was worried for a moment, until he saw a different symbol painted on the side: the symbol of the Crown.

"Tyrian, 'soon' is here," he remarked, standing up. Tyrian glanced out to sea, saw the ship, and jumped to his feet.

There was a clamoring as more people saw the ship approach. Some readied weapons in preparation for any tricks or traps, and others cleared the beach to give the ship a place to dock.

It was a giant ship, all a dark grey metal. It was very tall and very loud, causing some of the crowd (especially the Faunus with large animal ears) to cover their ears. It settled to a stop just off the shore, kicking up waves that splashed the beach.

There was a loud clang, and a ramp fell from the front of the ship. Suspended by chains, it was lowered onto the beach quickly. The armed fighters approached to make sure the people exiting were not Huntsmen or Huntresses.

Instead, a large burly man in a suit stepped out. He ran a finger under his nose and sniffed the salty air, then headed down the ramp. He was followed by two teenage girls, one dressed in red and the other in white. Hazel and Tyrian hurried to the end of the ramp to greet them.

"You the ones in charge here?" the man said in a deep voice.

Hazel nodded. "Yes. I am Hazel Rainart. This is my friend Tyrian Callows."

The man reached the end of the ramp and extended his hand. "Just call me Junior, everyone does."

Hazel took the man's hand and shook it. "I can't thank you enough for coming."

Junior shrugged. "Thank Carmine and Bertilak. They here?"

Hazel shook his head. "I'm afraid they are no longer with us."

Junior sighed. "That's a shame. Still, I guess the Crown and the Resistance are in this together now." He glanced at the large crowd of former Haven inmates. "Where are you all headed now?"

"Vale," Tyrian replied.

Junior raised an eyebrow. "Why the hell would you want to go to Vale?"

"Our colleagues are there," Hazel explained. "We need to join with them."

Junior nodded. "Oh yeah, now I remember. We had to help them out while we were undercover in the Golden Monkey's gang. Their leader's a tall woman with an eyepatch, right?"

"Sounds like Cinder," Tyrian said.

"Well, go ahead and get aboard," Junior said, motioning towards the ship. We've got some food and medicine if you need it. It will be quite a few days at sea before we reach Sanus."

Tyrian groaned. "Great," he said. "More waiting."

Klein slowly unwrapped Weiss' leg, careful to not jostle it. The white bandages shifted down, revealing bruised skin and a stitched-up, scabbing wound. Weiss shifted in her seated position, keeping the blankets pulled up.

"I was coming to Vale to check on you," Klein explained. "We had gotten a message from Lord Ozpin's people that you were no longer in a position of authority. The rest of the staff cleared out quickly, but I hopped in the airship and headed for Vale. It seems I arrived just in time. You were badly injured, crawling out of Beacon like that. I tried to get you medical treatment right there in Vale, but everywhere I tried to go, they were under orders from Lord Ozpin not to treat you. So I did the only thing I could think of and flew you back here to Atlas."

Weiss stared at him for a moment, wincing as he applied medicine to her leg. She cleared her hoarse throat. "The long flight back to Atlas…" she wheezed, her lips dry and thirsty, "… and you treating me… how long have I been out?"

Klein sighed. "About a week. You've only been briefly waking up to drink water, but I don't think you remember those times. You also sustained a nasty concussion. I was fearing the worst until you woke up."

Weiss nodded. "What else?" she asked.

Klein began wrapping her leg with fresh bandages. "Aside from the concussion? Bruised rib, sprained ankle, broken nose, chipped tooth, black eye, and a nasty amount of gashes, abrasions, and lacerations. Looks like you even have bite marks on your shoulder, neck, and back. What happened to you, Miss Schnee?"

Weiss sighed, shuddering at the end of the exhale. "I… I…" she stuttered, "I… failed Lord Ozpin. He… let the Reaper torture me."

It was Klein's turn to be afraid. "The Reaper?" he asked. "That serial killer? The one who killed all those families? All those children?"

"The same," Weiss huffed. "She's working for Lord Ozpin now."

"You should be glad you're alive at all," Klein remarked, finishing securing the bandages around Weiss' leg. He looked up at her and motioned towards her chest. "Could you lower the blankets? I need to check the stab wound there."

Weiss' pale skin turned a light shade of red as she fussed and pulled the blanket higher.

Klein rolled his eyes. "Please, Miss Schnee," he said, annoyed. "I used to diaper your bottom; it's nothing I haven't seen before."

Weiss huffed, but realized she was being silly and cooperated. She dropped the blankets down, revealing her bare chest and stomach. Klein's eyes only focused on the square bandage over her top right rib and gently went in to remove it and begin replacing it.

Weiss lowered her eyes. "It… it's actually worse than just me getting hurt," she said. "What you heard about me is true. Lord Ozpin seized everything owned by the Schnee Dust Company. Everything my family has worked and died for… is gone. He won't even let the Schnee name remain."

Klein was silent as he processed what Weiss had just said. He finished tending to the wound on her chest.

"Lie down, and roll onto your left side," he said softly. "I need to look at the gashes on your back."

Weiss obeyed, but could not help but question him. "Klein, do you understand what I just said? I have nothing. We have nothing. I'm not even your boss anymore."

"Do you have to be, for me to care about you?" Klein asked in a stern voice.

Weiss' face wore an expression of confusion. "I thought so. Why else would you take care of me, unless it were your job?"

"Was it your job to love Winter? Or your mother?" Klein asked.

Weiss felt a chill go through her. "Well, no, but we were family. I appreciate you, Klein. You've always been there for me. But what allegiance to you owe to me?"

Klein sighed again. "Miss Schnee, this world is dark and cruel sometimes. There are people in it that have no care for those around them, and only serve or lead out of duty. But there are plenty more, including me, that do it for something more than that. And even at your darkest moments, I had hoped you would know that."

Weiss felt her eye water. "I'm sorry, Klein."

"Apology accepted," he said. "You can roll back over now, but do it gently, and try to sit up a bit; it will help your rib heal better."

Weiss slowly and gently adjusted herself back into a seated position, pulling the blankets back up, if for no other reason than to keep herself warm.

"Klein… what should I do?" she asked. "Without the company… I'm just a lap dog."

"It sounds to me," Klein said, putting his medical equipment back into a large black bag, "that you don't have much reason to go along with Lord Ozpin anymore."

Weiss' eyes widened. "Are you seriously suggesting I betray him? After what he did to me just for failing him? And what about you? He'll be coming for Schnee Manor next. I don't want you to suffer for my mistakes."

Klein raised an eyebrow as his mustache twitched. "Then are you ready to enact the Snowfall Protocol, and be done with it?" he asked seriously.

Weiss relaxed her tense muscles. "No, I don't want to go that far… at least not yet… but Lord Ozpin will summon me back soon. He won't care if I'm not done healing. When he does that, will I be able to live up to his expectations? I don't even have a reason to keep fighting on."

Klein stood up and pushed the stool he had been sitting on underneath the ornate bed. "Then you need to find a reason. Whether that reason has anything to do with Lord Ozpin is up to you. But I want you to ask yourself what really matters to the Schnee name: what they built, or what they did."

Weiss watched as Klein turned and headed for the door. "Get some rest," he said, "and sleep on it. Whatever you choose to do, whoever you choose to be, I'll support you."

Weiss slid down into an upright laying position, resting her head on the pillow beneath her. She looked up at the ceiling.

"Thank you, Klein," she said loud enough for him to hear.

Salem's hand glowed with purple energy, with various other swirls of color dancing around it. She swung it, chopping through the air. Cinder's hand was glowing with ethereal fire, which she used to block Salem's attack. She felt their energies clash, causing a burst of white as the two hands made contact. Cinder could feel the power behind Salem's swing, and felt her arm tremble a bit.

"A good block," Salem said, "if you were just blocking my strike." She pulled her hand back. "If you're going to use magic, you need to learn how to take a hit from it as well. Ozma will be attacking with more than a powered-up hand, and unlike me, he won't pull punches." Cinder nodded as she pulled her hand back as well.

Salem continued. "Think of it like when you learned to cast magic. To use magic, you had to believe it was real, believe that you could do it. When taking a magical blow, you need to understand that it will be harder than what you're used to. It's not just a punch anymore. And the bigger-scale spells will be even more powerful."

Cinder nodded again, then readied a fighting stance. Just as Salem's hands began glowing again, she heard a noise. It was a loud growling, coming from Cinder.

Salem laughed aloud as her hands returned to normal. "I think we should take a break."

Cinder was embarrassed, but cracked a small smile. "I'm okay," she insisted. "Let's keep going."

Salem shook her head. "Cinder, I can hear your stomach from a mile away. Besides, we've done enough for the day."

Cinder reluctantly dropped her stance and stood straight. She and Salem walked side-by-side back towards the building.

Salem eyed Cinder. "Have you eaten at all today?"

Cinder shrugged. "About half a can of beans for breakfast," she said. "I'm okay though."

Salem put her hand on Cinder's shoulder. "Magic can't do everything, Cinder. And the power of your magic is heavily influenced by how healthy you are. The physical, the mental, and the mystical are closely connected. Don't overwork yourself."

"Okay, I get it," Cinder said, putting her arms behind her head with a smile.

"I also want you to grow up big and strong," Salem teased.

Cinder gave Salem a small shove. "Oh, give me a break!" she huffed. "You sound like when I was a kid."

"Well, it's still true," Salem replied with a shrug. "You need to stay healthy and pretty if you want the boys to notice you."

"Oh for gods' sake," Cinder moaned, burying her face in her hands. "Please, stop."

At this point, Salem was having too much fun seeing Cinder's reactions to hold back. "You eat your veggies and all the boys will think you're the bees' knees."

"I don't want to be the 'bee's knees', Salem," Cinder said back, her voice muffled from still being in her hands.

"How about that Adam? He seems to like you," Salem chortled.

"Oh gods," Cinder said, finally dropping her hands and running across the field towards the hideout. "I'm running away now! I'm not listening anymore!"

Salem laughed as she followed Cinder inside.

Up on a rooftop, there was a sinister chuckle. The one holding the binoculars watched as the two women entered an abandoned building. She did not recognize one of them, but the other one was definitely Cinder Fall. The one that got away.

"Is it them?" Velvet asked.

"Sure is," Coco replied. She lowered her binoculars. "I'll bet they're all holed up in there."

"Then let's gas them and bag them," Velvet said.

"Not yet," Coco replied. "The Crown may be around, and I don't know who the tall pale lady is." She paused. "Call in the others."

Velvet stomped her foot. "No! That bounty's ours, Coco!"

Coco turned to face her. "I'd rather split the bounty then lose it. We caught them off guard before; they'll be ready for us now. Strength in numbers and all that crap."

Velvet sighed. "Do we really have to?"

Coco nodded. "Yes. Make the call, Vel. We'll move in when everyone gets here."