wanderer's lullaby

Winter’s head bobbed slightly as she stepped off the airship. Too much travel. Far too early in the morning. She had not calculated the fact she needed to sleep into this… She could usually function on her normally truncated sleep. But not after a week of running around like a headless chicken. It was 4 AM in Atlas. It was midnight in Vale. But still, Qrow waited for her on the tarmac with that ever-gentle smile. He held his arms open for her. SHe hesitated. It had been a week since they’d seen each other. Had he really missed her? They still were more or less strangers… But it had been…quiet in her apartment. Coco had been there and Summer had driven her up the wall between herself and that damnable AI. She wrapped her arms around him too, closing her eyes. That warmth she always felt while being like this consumed her once again. What was it with this…? She still had no idea what it was. Thankfully, he let go and stepped back after a moment. “I know I promised ya Patch, but I’d rather not disturb Taiyang and the girls so late. You okay with staying at Persia’s till tomorrow?” She shook her head. “No. I’d rather not disturb them either.” Plus she was tired. So very tired. She wanted to curl up and sleep after that. It was the longest trip she’d ever taken period, let alone…alone. The two twins helped her gather her luggage and into the living room. After Raven and the old woman skittered off, Qrow pulled something out of her pocket and gave it to her. “Huh?” The shape was odd and oblong with a velcro strap over the back. She felt like she’d seen them before but she couldn’t place it. “It goes over your eyes so light doesn’t get in. I know you’re an early riser, but for today at least, if you can, sleep as late as you want. You’ve had a stressful week. Let your mind and body calm. I also got you a couple tinctures that should hopefully help you sleep. You’ll probably be anxious about sleeping in an unfamiliar place. That much was true. Qrow had easy access to her now and she still couldn’t shake that fear… No matter how much Summer reassured her. She could only see herself as a wife and that carried all of the appointed duties with it… He led her upstairs to a cozy room with a day bed, desk, and chair. This…was fairly comfortable but…she still feared. Where would he be staying in relation to her? Did the door have a lock? Would she have to— “Winter, calm down, I know me saying it’ll be okay won’t help, but the last thing you need right now is a panic attack. Breathe for a moment and relax.” Right… She was working herself up again. She wanted to sleep so getting high off adrenaline wouldn’t aid in that. “You’re right. I was foolish to let my anxieties get the better of me. Now about those tinctures.” She forced her breathing to slow as she listened to him explain. Various herbal remedies for other things that plagued her. Thankfully she did have Summer to help keep her down, though the woman’s energy waned. She had been too stressed the past week so she’d had to rely on her abilities. The following night would be even worsesince she didn’t know Taiyang. Summer thad tried to explain.But her mind rejected it. No man other than the general would be kind to women. Yes, she’d read what she could of the books. It simply didn’t make any sense to her how any nation could function like Vale… “Snowy.” The nickname made her blink and she looked at Qrow. “I’ll re-explain in the morning when you aren’t so distracted, okay?” His tone was gentle though she couldn’t stop herself from flushing. She wasn’t one to space out so badly. Then again, there were so many unknowns. And Taiyang was one of them. He put a couple of the small bottles in her hand as softly as he could. “Take these and get some sleep, okay? Take care of yourself, pelase.” With that, he left and close the door behind him. She stood there in silence. Yeah, going to bed sounded good… She changed into her nightgown from the overnight bag, then let her hair down. It almost felt like she shouldn’t recognise the person in the mirror. She was now effectively exiled from Atlas, never to return. She was a wife now. A wife in an alien world she’d likely never fully comprehend. Who…Who was she now? She had been the heiress to the SDC then a military officer. She had been General Ironwood’s personal aide. She had been a Special Operative. She had known who she was for all her life and now this… Tears welled int her eyes and she dropped to her knees. The tincture bottles dropped quietly onto the carpet as she gripped the sides of her head. Why…Why was she worrying about this now? She should have been in bed drifting off to sleep. But no. Her mind hated her. She hated herself . Gelé had still won in the end. No matter her best attempts at fighting, her loudest attempts at screaming… She had still lost. She’d proven him right.Women would inevitably be put in their place. She was still a wife at an absurdly young age despite her best attempts. Nobody respected her anymore. Everything she’d fought and worked so hard for… Useless in the end. She barely contained another heart-rending wail as she dropped fully onto the carpet. She could hear it. That line that haunted her so much. In hisvoice. “You’re just a stupid, silly little girl. What could you possibly know?” Jacques had burned it into her psyche from such a young age—his most common criticism of her. And… She was. Just a stupid, silly little girl, thinking she could ever be anything more than a wife. She’d thought she could take over the SDC and lead it. She had just a few more years but then this… She couldn’t do it. What point was there in— A soft chittering broke her attention and she blinked. That was the same tone she was used to but… The warmth helped bring her back to her senses and she forced herself to sit up. Mono chittered incessantly as she nudged Winter’s hand. She didn’t see Qrow anywhere, though. The bird had most definitely notbeen in in the room when she’d arrived. I tipped Rae off and she got her. I know it’s not Kiyay, but I think you’d rather have him not freaking out. Summer’s voice sounded absolutely exhaustedin her head. Her gaze averted from the general direction. “I…” What was she supposed to say ? She’d had a breakdown out of absolutely nowhere. All she’d done was look in the mirror and, suddenly, Gelé had hold of her all over again. She would never be free, it felt like. He had shaped her into exactlywhat he wanted—for good and ill. She was a stupid, silly little girl… Hey, I know you’re terrified of Raven, but I’ve about reached the limit of what I can do for you at night. She can put you to sleep like I do. Would you like her do that for you? Summer’s tone somehow surpassed the softest, gentlest one Qrow had ever used with her. How was that even possible? He was always as kind to her as the general had been…and even more understanding too… Her head swam and she croaked out a “please.” She was overwhelmed and wanted to sleep. Nothing felt more welcoming than the sweet embrace of darkness right then. Too many emotions, so many conflicting. How could anybodysee strength in this? She sat Mono to the side and staggered over to the best. The plastic packaging on the eye mask fought against her until a soft knock came at the door. “Come in.” She was too tired to even be afraid of Raven tonight. Plus, she had swapped to Valian clothing and lacked her sword. She wasn’t quite as scary now. She looked…normal. “It’ll be quick and easy. I promise. Do you want to put the eye mask on yourself or should I pull it down after you go to sleep?” THe first option made her eyes flyopen and she sighed. “Second option it is, then.” The woman’s hand rested on her forehead. Though rough and calloused, she could sense the same warmth from it that Qrow and Dove had. Why did the Branwens have something that basically all Atlassians lacked? She had— It took only a minute for her to fall under.

Ω

The door to Winter’s room closed and Qrow pulled his hand off his eyes. “What’s up with her?” He’d heard her wail a few minutes before, but there wasn’t anything he could do at the moment. He had to rely on his sister to take care of Winter. He wanted to himself, of course, but with as freaked out as he was…it felt like the worst possible option. “Seems like some sort of anxiety breakdown over her identity. It was a little hard to pin down with as haywire as her emotions were, though.And some overwhelming feeling of dread and resignation toward her father.” Raven sighed, a hand resting on her cheek. His own hand formed into a fist and it took every bit of self-control he had to not punch the damn wall. Damn it! He was trying his best to help her, not make things worse ! That wail had been one of the worst things he’d ever heard in his life. She had so much pent-up grief… And he’s forced more of it on her by making her move to Vale. How much of a sick bastard washe? Raven took his balled hand between both of her and shook her head. “You know that’s not true, Qrow. You are trying to help her. She’ll have more opportunity here in Vale than she everdid in Atlas. It’ll be rough for a while, but it should hopefully get better.” “Tch.” He pulled away from his sister and stalked to the back yard. Once again, the stars blotted out no thanks to the light-polluted sky. What else was he supposedto think about what he’d done? He’d probably been too nasty in his decision making. Maybe that hacker girl would’ve had some sort of solution… He should’ve checked with her first. And now he had to deal with the repercussions and so did Winter. She was the one that would suffer until she was able to get back on her feet. And he’d have to be distant for the next few weeks until the damn paperwork got finished. He really should’ve thought this through more but he hadn’t. “I really am the worst…and I don’t even have my Semblance anymore.” “That’s not true and you know it, you idiot” came the muffled reply from his pocket. And of courseSummer would butt in where she wasn’t wanted. As always. And she’d called Raven bad during the STRQ era. Not that she was any better now. “Couldn’t you be quiet this once?” He pulled his scroll out of his pocket, greeted by a chibi who offered a peace sign. Typical AI behavior. It really got mileage out of the Summer grin. It was somuch snarkier than Summer had been… “Nope, and you know it. Now go talk to your sister. You can start getting help if you want it, Qrow. Your Semblance isn’t stopping it anymore.” “Like I want to talk to my sister.” He’d never heard anything more ridiculous in his life! Want to talk to Ravenof all people! She wouldn’t know subtlety if it bit her on the ankle. She was still the same as growing up, though. Why had she pushed him away? “Yes, you do, Qrow. Now go do that.” The AI folded its arms, giving him a library-esque look. He would…but not about this . He was the worst, no ifs, ands, or buts about it. All of this had been the worstidea. Nobody could convince him otherwise. He headed back into the house. Raven nursed a cup in her hands, head downcast. Had he upset— No, her aura didn’t read that. Regret… Daughter… Yang. But why? Didn’t she want nothing to do with her? He settled next to and rested a hand on her shoulder. “It’s not too late, you know. You can still be in her life.” What a fucking roleswap. He’d though the’d be talking to her about something, but not this. She was so close to Yang… It must hurt so badly… Her aura withdrew at the statement and she shook her head. “It is, Qrow. She hates me. I know that better than anybody . She hates me. It’s too late at this point.T here’s nothing I can do to change it.” Yeah, this was more of the Raven he’d seen in the final days of STRQ. She was still hurting even so many years later… How could she have notturned him? His heart constricted unlike it had since twelve years prior. He didn’t understand. “Rae, is it too much for Unu to love me despite being branded a traitor by the tribe?” The question made grip the mug fractionally tighter. He sighed and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. His heart twisted again. He’d missed her so much. Even as much as she wore on his nerves, she was still his twin sister, mother to his blood niece. He loved her somuch. “No, but she didn’t abandon her child months after she was born, then watch that child grow up at a distance.” Her voice didn’t even reach a whisper. Her regret hit him like a tsunami, mingled with grief and self-hatred. How deep did this go? How long had it been eating at her? Years from the sheer depthof the emotional swell. “What happened to you all of those years ago? Please, talk to me. I still love you. I never stopped.” Somehow, it felt like a lock had come undone and she started bawling. He wrapped both arms around her, letting her cry herself out. It took around twenty minutes until she lay in his arms, hiccuping as she clung to him. The sorrow in her aura subsided, replaced by a faint glow that had been missing for so long: desire to be with him. And he missed being around her. “Please don’t leave again, Raven… I’ve missed you somuch.” His own voice cracked as he held her close. After this past week together, it felt like it’d never changed, like she’d never been away. It hadn’t been perfect, but it was the most whole he’d been since Summer had died. He missed her so desperately. “But the tribe—” “Will be fine without you. Unu ran it by herself for a long time. She’s no spring chicken anymore, but she can handle raising the next chieftain. Ciane’s family still has descendants, right?” Maybe there was something in his aunt’s line that could take over once the time was right. The chieftain’s bloodline would continue even if Ciane and Dove weren’t technically related… “…I…did adopt a little girl… Remember when MeMe was gone a fair bit for several months? That was her helping me with Coya… I needed more help with psychology and she was better than I was. But she’s still so young…” Raven sniffled and sat up. He could feel her heart drop through the floor. So she had another kid in the tribe, huh? Made sense, at least...The child could inherit matrilineal and patrilineal lines from parents. They were still considered blood despite having no relation. The bloodline directly from Dove was still perceived as such by the tribe. “It’s up to you in that case, Raven.” It was up to her which daughter she ultimately left behind. No matter what, both parties would be traumatised… Yang would have to deal with her birth mother coming back or Coya losing the mother she’d come to love over the years… Or she could continue on as she had and further traumatise her biological daughter… No matter what, she would lose and trauma would happen. “I’ll need to talk to Unu…” Qrow nodded and gave her a squeeze before letting her up. “Go talk to everyone and decide what’s best. I’ll be here waiting for you.” “Thank you.” She disappeared through a portal and he slumped in the chair. What…Whatever the fuck he’d been expecting to talk to her about, it sure hadn’t been that . He wouldn’t hold out hope entirely, but maybe she’d come back… Winter was terrified of her for no good reason… Hopefully he could help her see his sister wasn’t someone to fear… He wanted his sister back so badly. It would be rough on Yang, but if she could persuade her to listen, it’d be soworth it. Raven had so much love to give… Even if she could be nosy as hell. He kicked back some of the tea in his flask, sighing. “What I wouldn’t give for some whiskey right now…” His longing gaze fell on Persia’s booze cabinet. It was locked, but she’d give him the key if he asked. But he’d made his promise to Celaecyal and himself. No more for Winter’s sake. Even if he were the worst, he wouldn’t give in for a daily basis. He hauled himself to his feet and flopped down on his best, staring listlessly at the ceiling. Now if only he could fall asleep…

α

Winter groaned a bit as she rolled over, curling into a ball. No she didn’t want to wake up… It was still dar— Oh, right. But still… She pulled the pillow over her head as she listened to the sounds of feet downstairs. What time was it? It felt like she’d only been asleep for a moment. But if people were active downstairs…it was either morning or else everyone had severe insomnia except her. The latter seemed ridiculous, but who knew… She was up, though. Aside for that one day, she never fell asleep again. She was up as long as she needed to be. Today would be like that hopefully. She did notappreciate being asleep unnecessarily. She rolled onto her back, blinking when she saw the room dark. Huh? But shouldn’t be— Black-out curtains. The sunshine around them was minimal but significant enough she knew better. It was time to get herself together and go downstairs. She’d normally chide herself for sleeping late. After the long flight and breakdown, though even she had to admit the long night of sleep refreshing. She’d been doing somuch paperwork over the past week. The earliest she’d been to bed that week had been about 130. She was utterly exhausted so letting her body fully recoup was important. After pulling her back back into a bun, she made her way down to the kitchen.Raven looked at her scroll while drinking from a mug, and Qrow nursed his own mug—coffee, from the glimpse she’d gotten—as she scanned over paperwork. The never-ending grind of paperwork… She did not envy him. The old woman was nowhere to be seen. How odd. THen again, she did have a garden that probably took up time in the mornings and evenings. Winter settled at the end of the table, Qrow putting his coffee down as she did so. “Morning, snowy. Anything I can make for ya in particular?” His tone was a bit higher and warmer than normal. He sure was chipper this morning. It seemed…out of character for him with hw sullen he normally was. What was his— No, Winter. Benefit of the doubt. Much harder to remember when she hadn’t seen him for a week. They’d talked about the paperwork stuff but that didn’t really count for conversation. “Anything’s fine, really. Once you’ve gotten used to MREs, anything is palatable.” Well, unless it was spicy,b ut that wasn’t exactly a worry in Atlas. Even shehad to admit their food repository…lacked after having a couple of Qrow’s and Elm’s meals. Even familiar dishes with some added spices brought light to yet another droll aspect of Atlassian life. “Mind some flavors of the world? I could make you a central Mistrali breakfast.” He grinned broadly. Her eyebrows arched. What…in the hell? He seemed…so…chipper. What was going on with him? Yes, he liked to joke around, but for him, he was bouncing off the walls. What could have happened between her arrival and waking up that resulted in…this? “I need to open up my palate some more so that’s fine.” She needed to expand her horizons and this would be a good way to do that. Dove had shown her just how tiny it was. She would notallow herself to continued down this path of ignorance. She was in Vale now and had the best opportunity to learn about this world as far as she could tell. And she was notgoing to waste if is he could help it. She glanced at Raven who continued running through her scroll, bored as she could be. What was she doing ? She had unfettered access to the CCTS. How could anybody be bored was that? Then again, she was learning how different things were. Maybe she didfind the CCTS boring. Of course, the woman did look up and shrugged, making Winter tense. “Looking at houses while my brother deals with paperwork. NOthing too interesting. Though you’ll get to used to me. I’ll be moving in with you once the house is bought.” WInter’s insides turned to ice as she turned desperately to look at Qrow. What? But didn’t she live with the tribe?! How had that changed so suddenly?! “Easy, snowy. My sister might be annoyingly nosy, but she won’t hurt you. Would I be letting her anywhere nearyou if I thought she would?” Winter sighed and shook her head. “No, I suppose not.” She remembered what Kiroro had said. He was a protector by nature. He wasn’t one to let others get hurt if he could— Oh. His Semblance. He’d commented on how he didn’t want to repeat what had happened to Summer. So this had been for herbenefit too…? It almost felt like what the general had done for her… He’d always bent over backwards to make sure she was comfortable and felt cared for while in his care… Why would Qrow go so far as to get such a big part of himself sealed away for her benefit? She sounded like a broken record with as many times as she’d thought something didn’t make sense. She was already so overwhelmed by everything.S he wasn’t even sure she’d meet with May and Joanna this week… She was reeling so badly and she’d not even left Persia’s house yet. Qrow sat the meal in front of her and smiled down at her. “Eat up, snowy. Just take a good chunk of today to rest, then I’ll take ya to Patch this afternoon once my nieces get outta school, okay? I think you’ll like them. Yang can be stubborn and hardheaded, sure, but she’s got a good heart and loves people. Ruby’s pretty shy and will be slow to warm normally. But if you get her started on weapons, she won’t shut up.” He chuckled while Winter dug in. Children… She did not deal well with them. The only child she had anyexperience with was Weiss… How was she supposed to deal with his nieces? “Though…there is one thing to note with Ruby which might make things…difficult for you.” His good-humored smile shrank. “Issues? I’ll try not to impede on their lives toomuch…” What could it be? She hadn’t even met the girl yet… Hopefully they could coexist peacefully the time she was there. “Hey, Summer, mind helpin’ out?” He pulled his scroll out and an audio clip played. It was obviously the voice a child, but it went so fast Winter couldn’t keep up. She’d rarely heard native Valian speakers but that girl would have a promising career as an auctioneer if she wanted. “Yeah, you can see the issue. Ruby’s a sweetheart, but if you aren’t highly attuned to Valian, you have basically no hope with understanding her.” Winter’s heart sank at that. “I see.” She didn’t want to make a fool of herself or make anybody feel bad if she could help it. But this…would be an issue. She’d only ever interacted with people who learned for business matters. She was okay with the old woman, Raven, and Summer, but they spoke at a reasonable pace. Dove obviously had her issues, but she was more than adequate. How was she supposed to this…? She legitimately didn’t have an answer. “You’re forgetting how useful Summer is, though.” Qrow pointed to his scroll and she blinked. They had mentioned getting her a burner… And if the AI could transcribe in relative real time… It wouldsolve the issue. “That…would be welcome. I don’t want to upset your niece if at all possible. They…are my family now too…” Which meant… She looked at Raven who kept scrolling, nonplussed. Damn it. She wouldhave to get used to her. She wanted nothing to do with the woman, but there was no escape. Maybe she could teach her about the birds or something… “Yeah, Bury’s super sensitive and easily hurt. And Yang’s pretty quick to anger if it involves her little sister. So I’ll explain your issues with Valian so she knows.” Great, a little girl quick to anger was the last thing she needed. She could already hear doors slamming and raised voice in her head. She really would notdo well in this environment. Culture clashes would happen and impede communication. Then all of this… Maybe she was better off staying with the old woman and Qrow… But then she wouldn’t be able to see Kiyay until they moved. A frown etched itself on her face as she considered. Qrow hadn’t given her any choice this time… He always did otherwise. But there were more aspects to consider and she wanted to be near her bird… “All right.” She sighed, picking at her meal. This felt like a dangerous gamble. His nieces sounded like they’d be so hard for her to get along with… She didn’t want to upset them but it felt inevitable. The onlything winning her over was the bird… “How about I go pick the burner up. Wanna pay me half again or consider it a welcome gift to Vale? Or a belated wedding gift?” He snorted and she sighed again. Financial dependency was something she wanted to avoid but in this case… “Consider it a gift, I suppose.” She was tired and upset. Couldn’t he have told her about this a little sooner? It was a lot to take in and she’d be meeting them that day. She could’ve had sometime to prep herself instead of having it dropped into her lap like this. But that was also life. Change was unfortunately inevitable and there wasn’t much she could do about it. She’d adapted and overcome countless tasks Gelé had set up for her… She’d just have to do that here too. Qrow smiled and nodded at her. “There ya go, snow. Chin up and keep moving forward. Things are hard now but they’ll get better soon enough.” She’d been afraid in Atlas and it’d been manageable… At least until Qrow had come into her life. She was doing her best but it just wasn’t good enough anymore it felt like…

α

A knock came on Winter’s door and she blinked. “Who is it?” Probably no Qrow. Even she had to admit it didn’t feel like. The only time he’d done this was when she’d been resting the one day. Then again… She barely knew him. Could she really make the deduction so soon? “It’s me.” Her heart jumped into her throat again when Raven’s voice reached her ears. W-What did she want? She gripped the book a bit tighter. That woman would rip her apart if given the chance! She’d heard rumors about the tribe even in Atlas and— Winter, relax. Rae won’t rip you limb from limb. She isn’t anymore inherently violent from the next average Hunter. Chill. Plus what did you learn form me and Dove? She could practically feelSummer tapping her foot impatiently. Right. Winter sighed and rose to her feet, unlocking the door. She glanced down at Raven who offered her a warm, wide smile much like her mother and brother. She let the woman in and they both sat down. “I’m sorry about bothering you when you’re still settling in, but this request is too important to ignore. Her eyebrows shoot up. A request? She couldn’t have been a little more graceful with it? But she could at least hear her out. “Go on.” This world was new and she didn’t want to rock the boat too much. Raven ran a hand through her hair. “I need you to not mention me around the girls. Yang’s my biological daughter and Ruby is MeMe’s. It’s a long story I can’t and don’t want to get into. I know I’ll have to talk to Yang eventually, but I’d prefer to have it be on my terms. Hopefully this isn’t toomuch to ask.” So a deadbeat parent that had abandoned her child, all the same as Willow. There were far too many of thosein the world. Basically, the entire upper class was comprised of deadbeats. She’d been raised by a contingent of nannies and other caretakers though Gelé had been around more than most…if for all the wrong reasons. “I’ll do my best not to. I am usually fairly vigilant but with so much going on…” She couldn’t entirely guarantee it but she could do her best to oblige. “It isn’t my place to go putting my nose into your family business. THis is between you and them as you stated.” She’d had enough family drama to last for multiple lifetimes. She heard about so much at those parties and it was mind numbing. Plus, her own family had enough abuse and arguments to last centuries. Arguments she’d have to resolve once she took over the SDC. “Thanks, Winter; I appreciate it. If you flub up, that’s fine. It’ll put be on the back foot for approach, but I’ve gotten myself out of farworse scrapes.” Raven raised a hand, then rose and left. What an odd interaction… Half siblings were exceedingly rare in the upper class but not unheard of. Usually an older man died and a woman still of childbearing age would be married again. Or there’d be bastard children born out of wedlock and then scandal broke out. …She would not miss the Atlassian drama while here in Vale. That was something she could do without entirely. Though she would have to get back to it when she took over the SDC. Part of her wished she could abandon the plan with so much change having happened but she couldn’t. It was her only chance at saving her little sister. Plus, Gelé might drop his guard with her ‘out of the way’ for so long… Something to keep an eye on the future until she could act… She opened the book again and let the thoughts flow away. Now she wasn’t the time to worry about any of that… She had the immediate issue of understanding transgender people to the best of her ability…

α

It was a few hours later when another knock came at her door and she sighed. “Who is it?” She was trying to read… Could be people reallynot see she wanted to be left alone? A door closed usually meant that outside of Schnee manor. “I have some things for you, dearie. I brought some cookies and other things that might interest you.” The old woman. Of course the cookies enticed her and she sighed as she let her in. A massive tote bag hung off her arm, bulging with books. What…? As if she didn’t have enough to deal with right now. Persia opened the container and Winter did take a few, starting to munch on them. Still warm… Why were these so intoxicating? She didn’t even have a sweet tooth! But they got her every time. Why? Ugh, so much that didn’t make sense. Persia sat the bulging tote on the floor. “Those are for you when you get a chance, dearie. With how Atlas is, I figure you haven’t had too much chance to learn outside of their propaganda. And I can only imagine how much more restricted it was with that swinein charge of most of it.” Winter couldn’t help but snort at that. Swine was still too kind for Gelé. At least they were a valuable food source. Gelé offered nothing but sorrow and oppression to all below him. “You would be correct in your assessment. These books have been…eye opening for me.” She could admit that much without giving anything away. Atlas was a dysfunctional hellscape. People inside had blinders on to the world. She could see how small her world was and didn’t want ignorance to stop her from anything. So what was the old woman offering her…? It was incredibly gracious to offer her things from her own collection… She could only imagine how expansive it was, given her age… “I think they’re books you’ll find enlightening. All I ask is you take good care of them. Most of them are rather old and rare, some of them older than even your company.” Winter blinked and stared at that. What— Books over eighty years old? Why would she trust her with such delicate pieces of history? Anything produced outside of Atlas wouldn’t be bias free but… “Thank you. I’ll treat them well.” “I have one suggestion.” Winter canted her head to the side. She could at least hear the woman out. “Wait until you’re past the initial culture shock. If you think leaving Atlas is bad, wait until you see how much they fabricate. Thatwill rock your world.” She looked at where she could sense Summer and sighed. “Most of my foundations have already been quite shaken, I assure you. But I’ll keep it under advisory.” Even she could admit there was only so much foundation shaking one could take at a time. She was having somany of her cores rocked now. She’d had it done when she’d left Schnee manor too. She was already overloaded as was. Adding more onto that wasn’t something she wanted to learn, but the books weren’t going anywhere. She probably wouldn’t be leaving Patch much, though… So many things to consider. “Thank you. I went through a culture shock after losing my whole tribe in the war and I moved here to Vale. And I did a lot of traveling as a soldier and Huntress. Seeing those poor Faunus in those camps…” Faunus? Camps? She wanted to pick the old woman’s brain, but that distant, glassy look… Some dissociation. Coco had helped her learn a fair bit more about PTSD over the week too. Now was notthe time to be asking. “Yes, it is…a lot, but I’m as prepared as anybody can be, I suppose.” Especially on such short notice. She’d ended up with more than one headache over the week how much she’d crammed in… What a nightmare. “Anyway, we’ll be getting ready to leave in a few hours, so why don’t you start getting situated?” The old woman offered a heavy smile before leaving. Winter stared after her. Now that she thought about it…wasn’t this her first time interacting with somebody over middle age? Well, she had interacted with Persia before, but now that she had time to consider it… Nicholas had died before Willow and Gelé married. It wasn’t like she knew her grandfather and she hadn’t seen much mention of his wife in the journals she managed to sneak out of the vault… She shrugged and finished the cookies, turning back to her book. Her suitcases were still downstairs. It wasn’t like it’d taken her long to get around when the time came…

α

As four thirty rolled around, Persia’s car pulled out of th garage. Winter took the chance to look around the city as they went this time. Compared to Atlas city, it was dirty but not nearly quite as much as Mantle. She understood the city didn’t have the same facilities as Atlas but it never failed to make her ill. Vale at least didn’t have trash overflowing into the streets like so many places in Mantle did. Atlas was practically sterile as far as cities went. This felt like a happy medium as the two went so she wasn’t too upset about it. Every facet of the city pulsed with a life completely devoid in Atlas, but more than present in Mantle. Itw as beyond strange to her eye to see Faunus walking so comfortably among humans. She’d read in the history and culture book that Faunus were always relatively welcome among humans and treated well instead of the slavery that had been so pervasive in Mantle and Mistral for centuries. She did start for a moment, though, causing Qrow to chuckle. “Ad get your panties in a twist or something, snowy?” She shot him a withering glare before shaking her head. “Women in suits…” She never thought she’d see the day outside of the very limited context where women were basically forced into. She wore a suit when needed, but that was a bit rare. Yet now that she had her eyes open to it… She saw the ads for women lawyers and just suited women dotting the crowds. It felt like a bizarre wonderland. Valian culture would have its downsides, of course, but for now, she’d let herself pretend to be some magical haven where she would never have to worry. Eventually, they reached a ferry and found themselves pulling onto a small island. So this was Patch… She saw one small, sheltered village among the trees on the shoreline and that was it. Wait. Shouldn’t they be going to the— “The house is more toward the center of the island. A bit more vulnerable to Grimm, yeah, but the ones here are newborn pipsqueaks. Summer taught ‘em real good not to come near the house.” He grinned and chuckled again, making her sigh. Yeah, he was definitely in a very chipper mood today. Compared to how down he’d been in Atlas, this was a pretty noticeable shift… Was thiswhat being in Vale meant to him? If so, it might alone make it worth the move here… “So I see.” Winter turned her attention ack to the window as they passed through the forest. So this was what a real forest was like… Dove’s representation of it was spot on, but it wasn’t too surprising; this was a woman that spent most of her time inone. She was looking forward to exploring the grounds more. They pulled into the driveway a short time after that. Qrow opened the car door for her and she surveyed the area. A small, modest house with a beautiful garden, carefully kept. It was surprisingly quiet. It wasn’t the same sterility as Schnee manor, though, and reminded her of the horseback ride. This would be a nice place to spend her time, assuming she could deal with the heat. Qrow tapped out a specific rhythm and it took only a moment for a little blonde girl and one that looked nigh identical to Summer to launch themselves at him. “Uncle Qrow!” The blonde laughed loudly while the smaller girl giggled almost inaudibly. “Heya kiddos!” Qrow picked both of them up, a bright smile like Winter had only seen on Weiss during her weekly visits blossomed on his face. How odd. She’d seen him smile but not like this before. It was…nice, though. Seeing this new side to him… There was no manipulation there, simply pure joy and love on his face. “Won’t be able to stay too long today, but I’ll be closer to Vale from now on. Hopefully I can see you girls more.” His tone dipped a bit, eyes a little distant. Why wouldn’t he be able to see them too much? “Aww, but you usually stay for the evening. Why can’t you stay this time? Though you don’t smell like booze for once.” The blonde—Yang, she presumed—wrinkled her nose and Qrow rubbed the back of his neck. She knew the scent of alcohol so young? How sad. But with as aggressive as Qrow’s drinking was… He ruffled her hair and she leaned into his touch, a giant smile on her face. That…looked similar to how— No, she was imagining it. “Yeah, I gave up on the bottle. No more drinking for me ‘cept once a year. Only tea in my flasks from now on.” She still wasn’t confident he hadn’t drank in the past week but if it were true, she’d be impressed. Once a year, though? So she’d still have to put up with him drinking unfortunately. But that was far more tolerable than all the time… “Think you can help me get Winter’s stuff up to the room, firecracker?” Yang made a bit of a face but nodded. “Yeah.” It didn’t take much more prodding for the little girl to get into the trunk and extract a few bags. Winter also helped, though the little girl looked up ather for a few moments. She said nor gave anything away as the four of them got all of her bags into Summer’s room. It was…dirtier then expected. Books lay strewn about in piles on the floor, dust speckled the air, clothes lay haphazardly on the floor… Summer had been dead for a long time. WHy did it look like she had only been in yesterday? Thankfully, Winter didn’t have toomuch stuff so it only took up a small part of the room. “Uncle Qrow isn’t she a little…young for you? I mean she doesn’t look thatmuch older than me.” Qrow sputtered, face red, from the question. Winter’s own cheeks heated and she looked away. W-Where had that come from?! Did she not know the circumstances behind all of this?! It wasn’t because of age; it had been the only recourse given the circumstances! “I… The situation was a lot more complicated and there wasn’t much other choice! I’ll explain when you’re older. I promise!” She could practically feelhim glance over at her desperately. She couldn’t offer him anything! Why was he looking to her?! “He…is correct. The situation was beyond what either of us could control. The details are best saved for when you’re—” “Don’t treat me like I’m a little kid! I’m a Grade Five aura user and you knowthat!” Winter tensed at the sudden outburst, causing Qrow to step between Winter and Yang. Winter, of course, tensed and she gripped the bedsheets. She’d been warned of Yang’s temper but it didn’t make it any easier to deal with. She wanted to curl up and scream herself. “All right; I’ll explain laterwhen Ruby’s not around. Now why don’t both of you give me hugs and I’ll see you around?” Yang gripped the hem of her shirt but nodded. Both little girls hugged him though Ruby gripped his hand. “Wanna see me out to the car?” She nodded and he glanced at Winter. “I’ll see you later too. I’m just a call away if you need anything, okay?” She nodded softly, glancing down at her hands. “Okay, though…” She got into the overnight bag and offered him his cape back. He blinked then smiled, taking it back. “Thanks for taking care of it, snowy. I’ll see you soon.” He put his hand on her head, making her tense a little. But even she could tell it was an affectionate gesture. He promised to not lay a hand on her head without asking first, but she could let it go this one time. With that, he and Ruby headed out of the room. It left her and Yang alone, but even she could sense the shift in the little girl. Her hands clenched and her expression darkened considerably. Winter’s own hands balled. She knew that body language all too well. She’d done somethingto piss the little girl off and prepared for the shouting. “I don’t know who you think you are, trying to steal my Uncle Qrow like this. Let me make something perfectly clear: just because you’re an adult doesn’t mean we’re gonna listen to you. Ruby and I can handle everything ourselves. We don’t need anything from you, so don’t get your pretty little head concerned about anything.We’re fine . Keep your mouth shut and we’ll get along justfine.” Winter’s expression blanked as she startled from the way Yang spoke. That…was Yang’s pression of her? Trying to steal Qrow from them somehow? Where did thatcome from? Why hadn’t— Right. She was a child and around Weiss’ age, it seemed Though she was far more mature than Weiss had everonce shown. Yang narrowed her eyes and left the room, leaving the dumbfounded woman in silence. What? Where? Why? Whatwas that all about? Hey Winter, mind if I cohab for a moment?The request startled her more but she shook her head. She was too numb and still trying to process what the hell had just happened. Though she was glad to have Summer’s support for once. Maybe she could clear this up once she had calmed down. Winter felt her body get up and go over to the falconry bag, though she blinked when she saw a brand new glove in there. What…? Summer slipped it on and threw the window open, letting out a shrill whistle. It took only a moment for a familiar white shape to land on the windowsill then hop onto the glove. He chittered rapidly while she smiled, settling in a nearby chair. I figured you could use a friendly face after that scare. Summer’s amusement bled out though Winter ignored it. She ran her hand over Kiyay’s head, happy to have him back. It was like seeing Coco again for the first time in a long time. And she wouldn’t have to stay separated from him for such a long time again. She sat there with him for a while, basking in his presence. It was sonice to see him again. Though…she did notice the long strips of leather around his ankles had been replaced by wider bits of leather with eyelets through the back. She could probably ask Qrow about it later. However, she did look over at Summer a bit later. She could see the slight indent on the bed where she sat. “What was Yang’s issue? I haven’t done anythingto her. Was that retaliation for not being told why Qrow and I got married?” It didn't make any sense. She seemed like a pretty joyful child, so why the sudden shift? Summer made herself faintly visible and shook her head. Not at all. It has to do with her relationship with adults in general…