disclaimer: that took a while.

an: but! not as long as it could have, and not as long as last time.

disclaimer: i suppose that's true. what happened this time?

an: for the delay? disco elysium. for the release? persona 3 reload.

disclaimer: taking advantage of release day hype for a franchise, are we?

an: what can i say? when on ffn, post when the posters do. anyway, i think you and i have dallied enough, haven't we?

disclaimer: huh, usually i'm the one who points that out... RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth, and Persona is owned by Atlus. the author of this fanfic owns neither.

Schnee Manor
20 July 80 PB
9:17 PM

Weiss sang for an hour. And after having to fight an Arma Gigas and rush from one end of the increasingly-poorly-named Schnee Manor to the other, her patience was feeling every second of it. She had enough to smile politely for the set of photos her father insisted she be in, for PR's sake, but that was about all she could stand. Once that was done, she was free to her own devices - after politely accepting the glass of wine all but forced upon her.

She quickly excused herself and, after vainly trying to find someone to talk to, found a relatively secluded place to sit and people-watch, on the off chance she spotted someone who did warrant a conversation with. Pietro Polendina was her usual choice, but the CEO and chief engineer of Polendina Heavy Industries hadn't been seen in public for weeks. Only his frequent social media updates kept anyone from worrying. There were other businesslords present, but the ones she had the energy to talk to wouldn't have come within ten kilometers of her father, and she was in no mood to share oxygen with those that would.

Ironwood, almost halfway across the room, stood with her sister at his side, chatting with someone in a military uniform. While his animosity to her father was no secret, unlike Robyn Hill he could stand to be in the same room as her father if it was for Winter's sake. Especially if it was for Winter's sake.

Winter herself was, as usual, even more stiff and militaristic in her bearing than Ironwood himself. The only part of her uniform that wasn't completely textbook was on her face. A Mask of Rebellion in the form of a South Mistralian theater mask, covering half of her face in a snarling blue grimace. A Mask of Rebellion, let alone on an Atlesian soldier, was unusual enough, but it also covered the lower half, which was often considered a sign that the user still felt restrained in some way.

Even with the mask, a stranger would probably assume she was just a typical joyless Atlesian soldier, but Weiss could tell she simply wanted to leave. Weiss took a sip of her wine, unable to blame her elder sister.

And speaking of wine, she thought as her eyes drifted to her mother. Willow Schnee, original heiress to the Schnee fortune and its second CEO before she stepped down to let her husband take control, was sitting in a secluded corner behind the stone dais on which the piano rested, mostly hidden from casual view in a comfortable chair with a table next to it. She had a full glass in her hand, and a half-empty bottle of some Vacuan red on the table, with two empty brothers beside it. Klein stood to her left with a tray of sushi.

It had been three years since a single drop of alcohol had passed from his hand to hers.

Weiss stood up and made her decision. Finishing the last of her wine, she handed the glass off to a nearby butler as Ironwood's conversation ended. The two began to drift towards the piano, and Weiss intercepted them about two thirds of the way there.

"General Ironwood," she said, "Winter."

"Miss Schnee," the general said with a nod. A frown flashed across his face before vanishing under a mask of politeness as he searched for a way to put his thoughts about the evening's previous events in a polite way.

"I saw your fight," he decides. "I was impressed. Most Persona users your age wouldn't have adapted so quickly to an Awakening."

Weiss nodded, as did her sister. Winter certainly hadn't, but then, Awakening a Persona via a Mask was a notoriously bloody affair. Years of living at the peak of high society prevented the middle Schnee from reacting any more than that.

"It's a shame you won't be attending Atlas Academy, but I'm not going to even try and convince you." He paused. "What Arcana is it, by the way?"

Weiss was caught off guard by that. In the rush and busyness after her match, she hadn't bothered to check, and with all Mass-Production Personas being the same Arcana (Fool), she hadn't remembered to check. She slipped a pistol-type Evoker from a leg holster, opened the chamber, and sprinkled a bit of Evocation Dust onto her palm before resealing the chamber and reholstering the device. She put a bit of Aura into it, and a blue-and-white card appeared in her hand.

The card depicted a beautiful woman on a winged throne of silver. Twelve stars orbited her head, with some partially hidden by a silver crown. In one hand was a scepter, in the other a shield. On the shield, a black eagle flies with wings upraised on a white field, bearing an axe in one talon and the symbol of Venus in the other.

Die Herrscherin it read on the bottom, with the Old North Mistrali number III at the top.

Winter's hand went to her chin. "Interesting. The same as mine, and mother's."

Weiss's head snapped up. "W-Mother had a Persona?"

Her elder sister's face darkened a fraction. "Had, yes. She became unable to summon even with a gun-type Evoker years ago. It was a Navigation-type, and never strong enough for her to be a Huntress. Certainly never on the level of grandfather's."

That did not come as a surprise, in either manner. Weiss had never even heard of her mother having a Persona, whereas Nicholas Schnee's legend relied as much on Odin, his Persona, as Gungnir, his weapon.

The conversation quickly moved away from Willow Schnee, thanks in part to Ironwood. He regaled them both with a humorous tale from when he was but a lowly lieutenant, and of his first meeting with Nicholas. True, it involved a whole herd of Nokken, but any story involving Grimm that didn't result in any serious injuries typically mutated into a farce after a few years. The three were all laughing by the end of it, even if Winter's was more a puff through the nose. The story was a long one, though, and though Weiss felt a bit revitalized by it, she still didn't think she could spend much longer on her feet.

Neither, it seemed, could anyone else. The party was still going, but Weiss didn't think it'd last another ten minutes before her father declared it a night. Ironwood excused himself, and Winter left shortly afterward, apologizing that while she was indeed proud of Weiss's success, she didn't want to stay near Jacques Schnee any longer than necessary.

Looking back over to where her mother sat, she noticed that the bottles were now all empty, and Klein's plate of sushi had turned to a dessert tray. As Weiss approached the two, she realized that Willow's cluster of bottles were not all empty - there was a half-empty bottle of bourbon that Klein was occasionally staring daggers at, and as she approached, she spotted a mostly full bottle of cognac. Her eyes widened as she made out the label. What was her mother doing with a bottle of a century and a half old Grande Champagne cognac? That was the sort of thing kept in the climate-controlled safe in the sub basement, along with the other things even her father couldn't justify showing off to just any of his nouveau riche associates.

More shocking still was that there was now a second chair next to her mother's table, and two small snifters. She turned to meet her mother's eyes, a question on her lips. It took a moment for Willow to realize she was being watched, and another for the decision to face her daughter to penetrate the sea of ethanol her brain was floating in and reach her neck muscles. Before she could talk, however, Klein spoke up.

"Ah, young Miss Schnee!" he said with a smile that was only marginally forced. "I must say, while I didn't approve of the fight, you did an excellent…"

His voice trailed off as he noticed the long scar across Weiss's left eye. Her hand started to reach for it, and Willow finally noticed enough to frown at the scar.

"I… my Aura was very low by the time I got it, and it didn't heal completely."

"Do you intend to keep it, then? It wouldn't be terribly difficult to remove a scar like that, with the right Semblance."

Weiss shook her head. "I'm a Huntress now, not some South Mistral porcelain doll. I'm not going to go to someone with a healing Semblance just because of a scar that didn't even damage my eye."

Klein was about to comment on that when his Scroll vibrated. Years of practice allowed him to pull it out and open it one-handed without the tray in his hand so much as tilting. His smile vanished as he read, and he sighed, pocketing it with the same expertise. "Terribly sorry Miss Schnee, Madam Schnee, but there is a problem in the kitchen, one of the ovens. If you'll excuse me," he said with a slight bow. Both Schnees nodded, and he was off.

Willow smiled up at her daughter, then picked up a snifter and gestured at the chair next to her. "Come, sit, sit," she said, as Weiss did so. Before she could so much as open her mouth to protest, Willow lifted the cognac bottle and poured them both a finger or so.

"Zum Wohl," Willow said, raising the little glass and gently swirling it around before sipping.

"Zum Wohl," Weiss replied. She raised her own glass, took a wary sniff, then sipped. She was surprised by how little it burned as it went down. True, it was definitely stronger than the wine, but were it not for the eye-searing price, she could imagine herself sipping it regularly in a few years' time, perhaps after graduation.

"I bought that bottle when your sister was born," her mother said wistfully as she stared into the reddish liquid in her glass. "Jacques didn't approve. Even then, you could have bought an airyacht for the lien it cost. It's the sort of thing I've had to savor myself, so I've spread it out. I first opened it when Winter graduated Alsius, then again when she graduated Atlas, and once more when she gained her officer's commission." Another sip. "This will be the fourth time I've ever tasted it."

She stared down at her glass, then lifted it in a toast again. "To Beacon Academy," she said.

"To Beacon Academy," Weiss echoed, and then they both emptied their glasses. For a moment, it seemed that Willow was going to pour another for herself, but seeing the frown on Weiss's face, she replaced the diamond-capped cork.

Unsure what exactly to say next, Weiss decided to say nothing, and simply sat with her mother in companionable silence for the rest of the evening. Neither realized how late it had gotten until Weiss spotted a robovac trundling across the floor. She turned her head and saw her mother had fallen into a light doze.

Seriously… Weiss gently shook her mother awake, then helped her up and to her bedroom. She froze as they passed the master bedroom, where her father slept. There was no sound, not even the obnoxious snoring that Winter had once commented offhandedly on, so she continued onwards to her mother's private bedroom, a few doors down. By this point Willow was standing on her own, and as Weiss started to shut the door, she held it open.

"Promise me something, Weiss," she said, her eyes locking on her daughter's despite her drunkenness. "Promise me you'll- you'll try and stay safe, at Beacon."

Weiss raised an eyebrow and put a hand to her hip. "It's a Huntsman Academy, mother. I'm not exactly training for a desk job."

Willow's stare did not waver.

Finally, Weiss relented with a sigh. "I promise not to do anything… needlessly dangerous."

That seemed good enough for Willow, as she nodded and slowly shut the door. Weiss heard a yawn on the other side, and felt one of her own beginning to build. Maybe it was the alcohol, maybe it was the late hour, but she thought she heard the sound of steel striking steel from deep within her head, and then everything…

Slowed…

Down…

I am Thou, Thou art I…
Thou hast forged a New Bond…

It shall be thy Sword, bringing promised
Victory against the WORLD that chains you…

With the birth of the TEMPERANCE Arcana,
Your heart shall be steeled against the darkness,
And r̸̹͐͌̈́̑ȇ̸̡̲͔̫̔̐͜͠ầ̶̟̕͝ͅd̷̡̧̤̤͘ỉ̸͉̎ȅ̵͎̲̪̈́͝d̸̲̫̞̐ ̶̰͙͂f̴͈̺̫̠͕͐o̸̫̐̄͆̓͗r̷̖̳̬̗̍̏̏̔̕ ̷̡̛̓͝a̸̡̧̟̠̦̿͝ ̵̪̳̻̣͌̆̒̔͝N̴̙̜͆͗͆͝ͅé̷͖̋̓̎w̶̰̘̿̕ ̷̗̱̂̄P̴͎̦̖͚̊͂̌̈͝ǫ̴̜̈͌ẘ̴̨͉̬̼͗͑̃͠e̸̹͕̱̫͆̋̌͜r̶̖͐͆̂͠…

Die Mäßigkeit Rank I!

…and then came right back at its normal pace, leaving Weiss with a single thought.

What the fuck was that?