Anywhere

Winter squinted against the harsh light before she froze. The sun was up? But she always woke before the sun was up! She was late for— Winter, calm down. Coco got you two days off, remember? Today’s the second day That voice— “Summer?” So that all hadn’t been some crazy dream and she wasn’t clinically insane…or all the stress from the previous day had completely snapped her. She didn’t feel insane… But, then again, did anybody ever feellike it when they were? They probably didn’t. Yup. But seriously, you can calm down. You don’t have to worry. It’s about nine thirty right now. Qrow got up a little bit ago and started on breakfast. Food… Her stomach bot twisted and growled at the idea. She’d never gone so long without eating. Even at her worst, she forced herself to eat something.But, right now, it felt like she’d probably wretch up whatever went into her stomach. Holy Father. She closed her eyes. At this rate, she’d barely survive work tomorrow. There was no way she’d survive the events. It’d be an unwinnable battle… Tears misted over her eyes until she felt a nudge on her leg. Kiyay? Qrow brought him here after you laid down. Before you freak out, all he did was open the door then let him in. He just cracked it then Kiyay walked in. Winter sighed and nodded. She wouldscare but…it did feel like she could trust Summer. The woman was clearly beholden to nobody but herself. The way the AI spoke and acted was in line with what little she’d seen of the woman herself. She shifted and held her arm out to Kiyay. He looked at her for a moment before stepping up. His talons poked into her. Surprisingly, though, he was extremely gentle. Plus, it took only a moment for her to move him up to her lap them wrap her arms around him. She didn’t want to leave her room today. How weak was she that she couldn’t face reality? A Schnee neverran away. They faced the consequences of their actions. They didn’t bury their heads in the sands. But she couldn’t bring herself to leave. All she felt like she could do was curl up and sleep. And having Kiyay by her side felt like the best thing in the world right now. The warmth from another being… She hadn’t such unconditional companionship since she’d last seen her sister… Oh Weiss… How was she ever supposed to save her if she broke down from one dayof severe strain? She needed to withstand those events…but how? She had nothing left to give. The soft knock came on her door and she tensed, eyes wide. A gentle hand on her shoulder made her look at the empty air where she was sure Summer floated. Relax. It’s just Qrow, probably bringing you breakfast so you can rest. She blinked. The general had done the same for her for a while. She’d been too afraid to leave her room save for the bathroom for the first week with him. Why would anybody else dothat? She sat Kiyay to the side, retrieving the tray. A grimace crossed her tray at the eviscerated…something on a plate. Definitely for Kiyay. And a note…? Hey Winter, I’ll try to leave you alone for the day. It’s not too hard to see you’re not feeling the best. Not that I can blame you since I’m pretty battered myself. I just have two things. First: What time is the Ace Ops meeting? Could you write it next to this paragraph? Second… There’s an idea I had. Maybe we can discuss it before the meeting? Please rest first, though. I know I can’t ask for your absolute best, but I want you some level of recovered. Come out when you’re ready. Rest well, Qrow Winter blinked at the message and looked at Summer. “Any idea what it could be?” An idea? For what? Maybe away to keep her safer at the parties? Nope. I can usually predict Qrow, but in this case, I really don’t know. With that, she looked at the sleeping computer. “Youhave to know.” It seemed like the AI knew everything about Qrow. There wa sno way he hadn’t talked to it about whatever scheme this was. “You’re right, but I ain’t tellin’.” The figure folded its hands behind its head. Winter sighed. How infuriating. She hated being in the dark and it wouldn’t be particularly restful if she had thishanging over her head on top of anything else… This was justwonderful on what was supposed to be her day of rest. Even Tuesdays were crapshoots to get off because of how the military was. She jotted the time down on the note before sliding it back under the door. She then ate the tiny amount of eggs and toast on the tray sitting it outside the door. Kiyay chittered at her and she curled up around him. Within a few more moments, silence rolled over her like a blanket and she knew no more.

α

Light, breathy sounds and insistent nudging made her groan. What was that bird doing? Even with the language barrier, he ought to know she needed to sleep. He should be able to read at least thatmuch… It was already two? Had the time passed so quickly? She felt like she’d barely been out for a second… She really did have nothing left to give… But it did make sense she needed to talk to Qrow. She really didn’t want to but it sounded important. Afternoon was better than right before the meeting. It’d give her time to mull over what he wanted her to consider. After a quick change, she found herself seated at the table with Kiyay, sitting in her lap. Qrow passed back and forth with his hands clasped behind his back. What was stressing him out so much? She could swear she saw him going totally grey in front of her. This…really didn’t bode well. Even Mono looked ill at ease on the other end of the table. She wasn’t as fluffed up as Kiyay, her wings close to her body. She did not appreciate the sudden feeling of dread that crept over her. If even the animalswere nervous… She saw him take in a deep breath before he looked at her. “I know you’re tired and like things straight, so I’ll cut to the chase. We both know Gelé’s trying to get you married off…so what if…” He rubbed the back of his neck. Her eyes widened and her insides turned to ice. He wasn’t going to… “…we cut him off at the pass and… Well. I married you instead?” Her arms wrapped mechanically around Kiyay and tears sprang to her eyes. No… How could he suggest…? He had to know what that would mean for her, right? He always seemed to know everything… Gelé wanted her to lose everything and now he was suggesting she willinglywalk into it. No… “Can I have some time to think?” Her barely found voice cracked. No… Why…? She… “Yeah, go ahead. Once you’ve calmed down, we can talk about it more.” “Thank you.” She stood up, legs fighting her every step of the way. She’d gained at least three hundred pounds. He’d cast some sort of spell on her to make her feel heavier. Yes, that was it. A spell. He was some sort of wizard that knew how to make people feel heavier than they actually were. She put Kiyay down then sprawled out on her bed. The silence of staring at the white ceiling felt deafening. He wanted her to give up everything. He wanted to take full control of her life. She’d become his little sex doll and forever lose all autonomy. Everything she’d worked so hard for would be gone. She’d never see James again. Or Weiss. The tears rolled down the sides of her face. No. She could lose her men, her autonomy, her house, the general, her virginity… What she lost didn’t matter. But Weiss… If she lost it all, so would her sister. Her sweet, precious, gentle little sister… Weiss deserved so much better than the fate she herself couldn’t escape… Weiss would break the first time a man laid a hand on her like that… She was far too sensitive survive marriage… Even their own mother, once a fighter, had ultimately been broken. She’d fought so hard, but it hadn’t mattered in the end. She’d fall down the hole of a traditional Atlassian wife…