wanderer's lullaby

Winter groaned as her eyes opened through darkness greeted her. She pulled the eye mask off, squinting against the harsh morning sun. It was bizarre to not be awake before the sun rose. She’d get used to it in time, but it’d take a bit for her to adjust. She hadn’t fallen asleep until nearly two when Summer had mercifully stepped in. She knew she couldn’t rely on her anymore after tonight. She’d have to hope and pray the melatonin and various tinctures Qrow had bought her would also work. Shaking herself, she stood up and smile when she saw Kiyay. It was nice to be able to greet him when waking up. She’d missed him horribly in the time they’d been apart. However, seeing Mono outside the window made her heart drop a bit. She opened it and Mono fluttered in, starting to preen Kiyay through excited chitters. She really did need to cal QRow about getting some of those perches for the room… After a quick shower, she found herself in the kitchen. Her body beggedher for food and so she turned her attention to the fridge. A note addressed to her in Yang’s handwriting? Well, the little girl was consistent if nothing else… All meals were premade, pre-portioned, and frozen… An interesting way to handle it but she could see the merits. Though spending the better part of a single day cooking did notappeal to her. But if it worked for their family, who was she to judge? At least she didn’t have to be alone in the house with that man… The unbidden thought made her shudder and she tried to shake it away. Hopefully that wouldn’t happen… Hopefully that wouldn’t happen… She would neverleave the room if that were the case. But if he were a trained Huntsman, that door would do nothing to stop him… I know you don’t trust men, but do you really think I would have fallen for someone that had ill intents at heart? Or Raven would’ve had a kid with a foul human being like that that ? Winter sighed heavily at Summer’s too-constant intrusions. She couldn’t even have her own mind to herself anymore… It was beyondinfuriating. “With the way you described Taiyang last night, it seems possible,” she observed clinically. The woman had described him as a neglectful parent at absolute best. He up and abandoned the two girls he had supposed loved. What else was she supposed to think? He sounded like the best-case scenario for any man: one who simply left his family to their own devices and didn’t interfere. He wasn’t always like that… While Ruby was also born of bad decisions, Taiyang, at one time, was a warm man with a lot of love to give. We were a pretty complimentary pair that balanced each other out. He was a Huntsman that did bounty missions at times, but he really wasn’t the type to hurt others unnecessarily. And he’s so broken up over losing me he wouldn’t dream of touching another woman…let alone another man’s wife.Right, a sweet, sensitive man… She remained skeptical that they existed, but Qrow seemed to prove her wrong at every turn. She still didn’t trust him, of course. But he at least made genuine attempts to care about her. But it could also still be all some giant ruse. She could never discount that. And now that she was in Vale, she’d have to be more vigilant than ever. She knew how the snakes in Atlas slithered, but the patterns would be different here in Vale. It was going to take her foreverto learn the new patterns of this bizarre culture. Getting off that…you aren’t trapped in the house, Winter. “Huh?” She looked up from her breakfast at that . How was she not trapped in the house? She couldn’t drive and the city was too large to feasibly walk anywhere. She was going to go madbeing stuck in this house. The city has fairly good public transport. If you go to the ferryhouse, you can buy a yearly pass for about two hundred fifty lien. Student annual passes are fifty but …” She wasn’t exactly a student. Two fifty was a steep price at the moment, but if it’d get her off the island, it’d be well worth the money. The fare had been cheap the previous day (three lien and a petalen) but that would add up quickly if she went out daily or even every other day. The fare two ways would be over eighteen hundred annually… She could notafford that at the moment. “What about outside of Patch?” If the city’s infrastructure was as good as Summer said, then she could hopefully figure it out.She didn’t want to be stuck on this island long enough to go insane. Yes, she still needed to work with Kiyay to understand him, but she could do that in the evenings. There are buses and trains. Trains are mostly for the longer distances while buses cover the shorter routes in the city. There are certain commuter passes you can get. You can ask my AI about it after breakfast. I don’t know all of that off the top of my head since I could drive.She could feel the noncommittal shrug from Summer. Yeah, it wasn’t on her to know all of the ins and outs of systems she’d never used in life. It would be…nice to get away from the house and not sit around all the time. SHe’d already been going mad for the past week when she was arranging things. “I”ll definitely have to check it out.” Though…she had never used buses or trains before. Even thatfelt a bit overwhelming… But she wouldn’t let it defeat her. She was an independent-minded woman. She would notbe forced to rely on others unless absolutely necessary. They had at least gotten her wireless earbuds and a burner scroll though she hadn’t fussed with either of them quite yet. She finished up breakfast and washed the dishes, then opened the laptop. The AI gave a grin and wave.” It’s been a hot minute since we last talked. What’s up?” Annoying thing, but it would be her saving grace until she got to grips with everything. There were so many challenges she hadn’t realised would exist until she encountered them… She explained her needs and the AI helped her sort through various options and understand procedures for the next two hours. It didn’t seem like it’d be too hard in theory especially with all of the apps to help keep her en route. “Do you know how to ride a bike?” the AI asked and she tilted her head. “Bike?” It was first word she’d not been able to figure out what it meant based on context. She probably knew it in Atlassian but not Valian. The AI brought up a picture and she blinked. “Ah—no. I’ve seen people ride them around bases, but I’ve never been on one myself.” She’d also seen them used frequently in Mantle. They were quite the popular mode of transportation among the lower classes who couldn’t regularly afford bus fare. It had to be freezing, but the activity would also help them warm up a bit. She’d never much considered it viable transportation for herself, but she could start to see where the AI was going with this. Until she could get a license, it would help her cover longer distances. “Well, Yang could probably help teach— What happened?” Of course, her expression changed from contemplative to dour. SHe explained and the AI sighed. “I didn’t think Yang’s issues were that bad… To outright attack you like that… I’m sorry.” Yeah, she hadn’t expected it either. SHe’d really rather not encounter the little girl again if she could help it. Meal times would hopefully be the only time they crossed paths. But her instincts told her that wouldn’t go to fruitions. “Yes, it was quite upsetting… Is there anyone else that might be able to help?” Hopefully the answer wouldn’t be… “Taiyang, but I’m not going to suggest you ask him, all things considered. Though…Qrow and Raven didlearn while they were at Beacon. Maybe Raven could try. She’s quite the good teacher now that she’s headed the tribe for a while.” That made her sigh too. She really wasn’t going to be able to avoid the woman. She had hoped to for a while longer, but that wasn’t going to happen. She didn’t want to delay Qrow’s paperwork, so she would have to rely on her. But… She frowned. “I don’t own a bike nor do I think I can afford a good-quality one.” She’d managed to put about twenty-five thousand away into savings. But parking her ship for a year had taken quite a bit of that. SHe’d have to pay for the various commuter passes which was already proving expensive. She at least didn’t have to pay utilities or food while here, but still. She couldn’t afford to spend several hundred to several thousand on a bike. She’d probably get her money’s worth, but even still… She had to be careful about not spending too much right now. It was a lot of money for most people, but she knew how quickly money could vanish. Especially without any income coming in. Star getting to know the people of Patch. This is a small village. If you can get Qrow to vouch for you, you can work for them and they’ll pay you under the table. It wouldn’t be much, likely below minimum wage, but it’ll be something. That…would land the people in the world of trouble if the government learned. She was notsupposed to hold a job without a work visa. But it did sound appealing. She worked hard and nobody would be able to say so otherwise. How could she be so willing to flagrantly break the law? It wasn’t even an unjust law like so many in Atlas. But she needed something to do and some source of income… Did the government even careabout the tiny village? Most wouldn’t even with it being so close to the main city… “But Qrow has to deal with the paperwork…” She frowned again. She didn’t want to interrupt him so unnecessarily. Granted, she wasn’t fond of the idea of being paid below minimum wage… That was the sort of thing Gelé did. But could she really expect fair compensation when they’d be breaking the law? It was a fair point to consider. Ask Raven. Even though she hadn’t lived here for a while— “Would the villagers not possibly pass that onto Yang and Ruby? Surely they’d be excited to see an old friend and such idle gossip would pass to the girls.” She reallywas trying to be sensitive to not mentioning Raven to Yang. It was best to let the woman do it on her own terms. With as small as the upper class was, something like that would easily make itself known… She heard Summer sigh. …You’re right. It’d get back to them in no time at all. Taiyang is probably your best bet. I really don’t want to push you into a situation so triggering but… That made Winter freeze and tears welled into her eyes. She couldn’t be with a man like that… Being with Qrow those few days had been bad enough. It wouldn’t be long but a few moments was all it needed for something to go wrong. A walk or even a car ride to the village could be more than enough time to attack her. She couldn’t risk it. Qrow had no interest in sex with her, but she could never assume that with any man. Especially if he hadn’t been with a woman for years ifTaiyang’s loyalty to Summer held true. But she doubted that… Men were primal beasts that sough only what they wanted. They could apply logic to it, but greed was their ultimate defining factor. …Honestly, you’re better off interrupting Qrow for the hour or so it’d take to deal with this. I know you don’t want to. But with as triggered as you are even from the idea of Taiyang being with you…Winter looked down at that, but gave a defeated nod. She couldn’t trust a man. She barely gave Qrow the benefit of the doubt. And foreign men were such unknowns… “I really do hate to, but you’re right.” If Summer were here, she could vouch for her, but there really wasn’t anything they could do based on that. Even if they cohabbed, it would get back to the girls too. But the village inhabitants would likely think her mocking the dead woman. There was no other way around this but Qrow. “Do you think I should do it now or wait?” That one’s up to you, Winter. You can sit around and not do much or figure out how to earn a little bit of money while you’re here . Yeah, she could sit around or be busy. She doubted they’d let her work full days but even a few hours would be nice… She really couldn’t standsitting with her thumbs up her ass. As she pulled out her scroll, she blinked when she saw an unread text from James. She hadn’t checked it today because she’d worked everything out before she’d left. Harriet still had yet to get her in contact with her friends. But for the general to contact her so late when she’d been asleep… Why had he been up? Call me at 1700 Atlas time tonight. She blinked. How strange. He’d rarely left such abrupt messages for her like that before. He was brief but rarely ever that short with her. Then again, he wasbusy. She set the alarm so she wouldn’t forget then texted Qrow. Are you free for a little while? No immediate response came so she turned her attention back to Summer. “Is there anything to read here?” The house had to have at least one bookcase. Summer was verycerebral. Not having anything to read would have driven her up the wall. The room’s bookcase didn’t really count because it was mostly binders and composition notebooks. The books she could make out seemed to be music theory or compilation of songs. The room right next to Ruby’s is my study.Winter poked her head out of the room and her gaze settled on the promised door. Hesitantly, she walked in and flipped the light on, honestly amazing at the amount of books. It didn’t match the Schnee library but that was an unfair comparison. Nothing could compare to the wealth of their family. Most upper-class houses had impressive libraries… “It’s quite the impressive collection.” You won’t be able to read large parts of it unfortunately. Not that I’m barring you from it. You don’t speak a lot of the languages I did.That was entirely fair. She could probably start to learn some while she waited for her work visa… It’d give her a challenge and expand her skill pool considerably. Plus, it’d make her look even better to potential employers… She’d have to write a resume eventually, so she’d prefer to look as good as possible. She picked her way through the various sections until she landed in Valian history. Wait… Memoirs written by women ? That was a thing women could do ? Then again, what did Atlassian women have tosay? Few of them ever reached lofty heights like she had. Most were simply stay-at-home mothers, trapped in marriages they may not have necessarily asked for. She picked up a couple of the books and settled into the comfortable reading area near the fireplace. This would be nice in the winter, assuming she was still there when it was cold…

α

Winter blinked when her scroll went off a few hours later. Sorry for taking so long, snowy. Want to call or text? She tucked some hair behind he ear. Call if it’s okay. It’ll be better than trying to text. I’m free right now if you are. Until she got a work visa, she’d mostly be stuck int his stupid house. If only she could drive or at least had a bike… She was already going mad without anything to do but read… Mercifully, her scroll rang a moment later. “Hey, snowy; what’s up?” Hearing his voice was almost a relief after her interactions with Yang. It really had hadn’t been thatlong since she’d last seen him… She outlined what she and Summer had talked about. She really could notstand being cooped up in this damn house for more than a few days. Hopefully he wouldn’t think she was rushing into everything… SHe’d always been busy in her life so this having nothing to do… Even Schnee manor had seen her constantly busy. The only time she rested had been sleep. “Well, I was hoping you’d stay there for a couple days before jumping headfirst into things. But you are the type to not take sitting around easily. I can swing by in a bit to talk to the people of Patch with you. Though if you want a bike, we could prolly go shopping tomorrow. I know you don’t want to be financially reliant on me and I respect that. I know the people on Patch and they’ll letcha work. You can pay me back for it over time. No interest or anything needed. Sound good?” Winter tapped her chin as she considered the offer. It felt too good to be true which meant it probably was. Nobody offered something like that without somesort of— She caught sight of Summer who shook her head vehemently. Benefit of the doubt, Winter.She sighed internally before nodding. She got the message. It still felt too good to be true. Money lending wasn’t done lightly in Atlas even between families or individuals. Why should she expect any different on that front? “All right. I can pay you back slowly.” How much of her paycheck would he want? Then again, there was no way to know how much she’d earn in general… She didn’t even know the minimum wage in Vale… Hopefully the people wouldn’t scam her too badly. Where would she even work? The small village wouldn’t likely see much business for how tiny it was. Would her help even technically be needed? “When you do get paid, I’ll leave it up to you how much you’ll give me back. I trust you.” She could practically hear the smile in his voice. What? Why? Why did he trust her especially with something as important as this? Yes, they were married.But they were still as good as strangers. This man continued to baffle and frustrate her. “Very well.” Depending on the amount she earned, twenty to thirty percent would be good...S he’d just need to keep track of it all. Not hard to do at least. “Gimme about twenty minutes then we can go and talk to ‘em, okay?” “All right. I’ll see you then.” The call clicked off and she sighed, burying her face in her hands. She hated interrupting him, but she couldn’t be alone with Taiyang. He would know the villagers better most likely. But she couldn’t risk anything. All she had left to lose were her mind and body. And she wasn’t willing to risk either of them. She would if it meant saving Weiss, but not under any other circumstance. Hopefully she would neverbe alone in the house with the man. But she couldn’t guarantee it. The girls had their own lives to lead, likely outside the house. And if that left Taiyang behind… She shoved the thoughts out of her mind and headed outside, smiling when she saw two familiar figures in the trees. The two birds had their heads tucked under their wings. To be as carefree as they were… It must have been such a joy. A joy she would sadly never know. She was human and had to work hard everyday of her life. If only she could be as free as the birds in the trees. The songbirds on the feeders didn’t seem perturbed by their presence int he slightest… However, as she settled in a chair, Kiyay woke and perched on the arm. He bowed his head and she started petting it. This…was quite nice. Aside from the sticky heat. How did Yang and the others live in this on the daily? She could feel the perspiration on the back of her neck already… But she’d simply have to get used to the heat. She would beliving in Vale for the foreseeable future… Would she ever move back to Atlas…? That was a good question, one she didn’t have the answer to. Even if she did divorce Qrow, the stigmas would follow her until the day she died. Plus… Her attention settled on Kiyay. There was no telling when he’d die. She would have to leave him if she ever went back to Atlas. He wouldn’t do well in the city as Qrow had brought up… And she had already taken leaving him hard before. How much worse would it be after she learned to care for and understand him…? The bird chittered quietly as she fell into her thoughts, absently petting him. Eventually, though a portal opening made her head raise and Qrow lifted a hand. “Hey, snowy. Ready to head to the village?” She stood and smoothed her dress out, giving a small nod. “Yes.” There wasn’t much more to say at the moment. She had at least put her slightly more rugged ankle booties on over her normal flats or heels. She was beggingfor a twisted ankle if she wore something like that. She could practically feelQrow searching for something to talk about. Even if people weren’t her thing, he was uncharacteristically antsy. “So how is the house search going?” That was pretty safe. Relevant to what he was doing, gave her insight to what progress he made, and she could hopefully keep things up for a little while… “Eh, not too great. Rae’s gonna be joining us, so I’m gonna need at least four bedrooms on a fairly large property. I know I’m gonna need to pay a premium price tag but…” He sighed and buried his hands in his pockets. She really didn’t envy his task. Not that she could even afford to help pay right now… “It’s the property that’s the main issue. Lots of rich people have bigger houses for sale right now. But non so far are on large properties or have land for sale close to them. You need a lot of land to fly large falcons like gyrs and peregrines. Plus, Rae’ll want to bring her horse out there so we need land for that…” He sighed again and she nodded. “That does sound troublesome. Horses require space and so do the birds. I can’t imagine how frustrating it must be.” She really couldn’t. She’d never been of want for house before. She’d probably have to house hunt for herself at some point in the future, but for now… Though…something did hit her. “Have you mentioned who your wife is to your agent?” That got a strange look out of him. It was some cross of incredulous and taken aback. “No. Why would I? I didn’t marry you so I could sling your name around everywhere I went for special privileges.” Thatmade her blink and look up at him. Was this some sort of ruse? Anybody would use her name like that, men least— Right. Benefit of the doubt. “You might find that using my name will open up more avenues there.” She didn’t want to suggest it, but something told her it might not hurt here. Things held back from market for some reason might open up to them if the sellers knew a Schnee was interested. Right people were allabout connections, so having even a loose or passing connection with a Schnee would be tempting. Even if she held no claim to anything related to the SDC. Yet. “Are you sure? I really don’t want to be abusing your name for my own personal benefit.” That she did appreciate, but in this case, it was far too potentially advantageous. There was money involved and people wanted money. “Go ahead. I really don’t mind this time. It will be our home for the foreseeable future.” She wasn’t sure she’d ever call anywhere ‘home’ if she were honest. She had no attachments to anyone or anything outside of the general and Weiss. And she still had manyyears until she’d see her sister again… She wasn’t sure of the next time she’d see the general either… Even Atlas wasn’t ‘home’ because she’d never felt welcome there… “All right. If you say so… I wouldn’t mind having more options in this case… Sorry it has to come at your expense though.” She shrugged. It was a necessary evil of her standing. People liked money or power at the moment. Even if she didn’t have money or power at the moment, the illusion of it would help them. Too bad she’d lost everything and now had a much harder fight when she took over the SDC. “So how are Mono and Kiyay doing with you and the girls so far?” “Okay. Though I heard their dog barking last night and saw it was Mono. I didn’t think she cared, though.” She had vaguely heard the chittering last night, but it hadn’t been her worry the previous night. She’d simpled tried to block things out until she could try to sleep. Even if that happened until late into the night. Kiyay seemed to not care about the girls, but she also hadn’t seen him with them yet… How would the two girls handle the birds when they actually learned about them…? “Ein’s a pretty good boy, so I don’t blame him for barking like that. Seeing a giant raptor hanging around like that couldn’t have been easy.” No, it couldn’t have… The birds were pretty massive and intimidating to anybody unfamiliar with them. It was amazing to watch them fly. She hoped she’d be able to do that again in the near future… Oh right. “Do you still have the perches for them that were in my apartment? I think they could benefit from having some around the house.” They were likely to only be in her room, but if she did take them anywhere else in the house, it’d be useful to have them there. They could stand on tables and such, but having designated perches likely wasn’t a horrible thing. “Yeah, I do. I’ve been modifying them to have to have astroturf on them first. It’s fake grass stuff. My falconry buddies use it for perches to help reduce the risk of something called bumblefoot. I mostly have ‘em done. I just didn’t think to bring ‘em over yet. I can help set ‘em up after we’re done in the village.” Winter nodded at his words, glad he still had them. It would be nice to have the dedicated areas for the birds should they be inside. “Do you think there’s anything we can do about the bedroom window? I’d rather not run up the energy bill if possible.” The birds should be free to come and go as they wanted… Night wasn’t too big of an issue since they couldn’t see, but if it were day or evening, letting them be able to choose would be nice. Aura breeds were a specialty market but there were still tons of products for such markets. Only a minority of Hunters used them. But the men who used aura breeds in her company could still by products for them… What existed for birds? “I’ll see what my buddies recommend. I know modern falconry practices, but I don’t know the specialty market and products for them.” He shrugged and raised his hands. Hopefully there would be somethingto help resolve the issue. These birds were used to flying free. Keeping them cooped up inside simply felt cruel to her. But she couldn’t stand being outside being outside too long in this heat either… She’d have to get used to it, though. If she wanted to learn to ride a bike or handle the birds, she had little choice but to adapt quickly and without complaint. After that, they fell silent for a while. The silence felt strange as she was so used to conversing with him. But it wasn’t unwelcome. Silence ruled over most of her life in Atlas. It seemed like that wouldn’t change too much here either… Yang didn’t want her interacting and she probably wouldn’t be able to really interact with Ruby due to her speech… Once again, she was basically alone save for her own mind… Though Coco would check in on her to the best of her ability and Summer refused to give her any sort of breathing space… She didn’t need other people. She had gotten this far mostly by herself on her own merits. They reached the village and Winter’s eyes widened a little bit. Mantle was on the ocean so she’d seen it plenty of times. But something about this little hamlet captivated her. It was really adorable for lack of a better word. A handful of building lined the dirt streets. She could see a bakery, the school, grocer, and some other necessities. It was nothing crazy but she could almost say she liked it. It would be here for the few months it took to close on the house then she’d be gone. There would be no point in getting attached. They approached the grocery store first. A bell dinged overhead and an old man looked up from the book he was reading. He seemed about middle age, though perhaps a bit older for the grey hair and beard. “Well, hello, Qrow! It’s been a long minute since we last saw you! Here to see your nieces… Though, they are in school right now. Here to round out your flasks then?” The man gave a hearty chuckle while Qrow rubbed the back of his neck. Yeah, this did have to be awkward for him. “Heya, Jeb. Is the missus around? I actually came to introduce my wife around the village. But I gave up the bottle, so I won’t need any of that anymore.” His tone was a little strained and Winter moved a little closer to him. He wouldn’t leave her alone with this man, right? He couldn’t possibly… Though if there was something Qrow might have needed… The man, Jeb, squinted at her then looked at Qrow. “Never took you to be the type to be interested in youngins, Qrow.” His face went red and he spluttered. “I-It… The circumstances were extenuating! It isn’t what it looks like, I swear!” Jeb’s expression remained doubtful but he moved on. “Trina’s out in the city, so you won’t be able to talk to her for a couplea hours. Is there anything I can do for you in the meanwhile?” Qrow raised his hand to her shoulder level but stopped, casting her a glance. She looked away and he lowered it. It seemed like it had been instinct for him, but he’d managed to catch himself. How could anybody be so naturally affectionate? He still confused her to this moment over it. “This is my wife, Winter Schnee. She moved to Vale yesterday. I was wondering if you and Trina might be willing to let her help you stock the evenings you get new stuff in.” Stocking… It was more than a step down from her illustrious military career, but if it could get her a little bit of money… She wasn’t above helping with menial labor despite her status. Jeb’s eyebrows shot up and he rubbed his stubbled chin. “A Schnee? Helping with stocking? Don’t seem like what they’d be doing up in that fancy floating city.” She sighed internally. This was about what she expected. People had predetermined images of her and what she was willing to do. They may not wanther help. Was there even a point in this…? Should she speak up for herself? She glanced at Qrow who gave her an almost imperceptible nod. “If I can speak for myself, sir…” She kept her tone soft and demure. She hated it, but using her usual authoritative tone likely wouldn’t endear her. “Most would consider a career in the military far below me too. I had to go through…” She couldn’t think of the term in Valian. What was it? “Boot camp,” Qrow added gently. Ah, right… She shot him a grateful glance before continuing. “Boot camp with people from the lowest rungs of society. Most of the people there were from Mantle. It…was eye opening as was being a leader. I’ve helped personally make sure all of my men’s backpacks and supplies were provided. I helped count the meals and portioning myself. Stocking a store won’t be so different in some regards…” She could see the doubt in Jeb’s face. She wasn’t lying. She alwayspersonally made sure her men were provided for. She always counted the MREs to ensure they weren’t being shortchanged. There was no ‘beneath’ her in her mind. If she needed to do something, then she’d do it. Jeb rubbed his chin, studying her. “I suppose we could see how she does. We get stock in every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday night ‘bout seven. It’ll take about three hours to stock the whole store. Do ya s’pose twelve lien an hour is fair?” She didn’t even know what the minimum wage was. That’d be about a hundred lien a week. Not much, but something was better than nothing. “Yes, that sounds fair, sir. Thank you very much.” She gave a polite curtsy and Jeb smiled. “Right pretty and polite one she is, Qrow. You’re a lucky man.” That made Qrow splutter again. Winter felt her own cheeks heat up. Jeb didn’t know the first thing about her. She was hard headed, cold, and unrelenting, not ‘pretty and polite.’ He wouldn’t be so kind or willing to hear her out if she’d been Major Schnee. “A-Anyway, thanks, Jeb. We have other people to meet, so we should move on.” With that out of the way, they stepped out of the story. Qrow sighed. “Sorry about that, Winter. We’re probably going to get similar response with the age gap and if you act like that around them.” She couldn’t help but cringe internally at that. “It isn’t your fault… I defaulted to Atlassian lady because I doubt Major Schnee would be welcomed by these small villagers.” She’d learned that townies like these tended to not take kindly to anybody trying to assert dominance over them. She’d been out to a couple small villages before. Aside from the aide the military provided, they obviously weren’t welcome. They’d been disaster relief in the wake of such terrible natural disasters. They were low-risk operations so the general had let her go on them. It was valuable experience now. “True. Some Atlassian upper-class woman coming in here and lording over them would make them shut down. You really are clever, snowy.” He gave a goofy grin which brought a bit of heat to her cheeks. Why as she blushing?! There was no need for it! “It’s simply reading the situation. Atlas taught me when to act and how to do it.” Hopefully the townies wouldn’t think her formality would be overwhelming… She couldn’t leave it behind so easily with how it’d been drilled into her… All she could do was try to temper it to a level where it wasn’t too overbearing. “Anyway, I’ll introduce you to the baker next since I think that’ll be another good place for you once you get over the jetlag. It’ll be an early start to the day, but that doesn’t mean much to you.” Winter shook her head. She always got up early until arriving in Vale. She was usually up by about four thirty, five and go into the office by six or six thirty. She could not be caught sitting on her laurels by her men. They needed her and she refusedto not be there before them. They headed to the bakery and a slightly rounded woman slipped out to behind the counter. “Oh, Qrow, darling; it’s good to see you again! It’s been too long! Would you like a treat for the girls?” “Hey, Alexis. Actually…” Another awkward round of introductions ensued. Winter couldn’t help but feel mortified. And they had more introductions to go, too… What a nightmare… She was going to die before the day was out… Alexis tapped her chin as she considered Qrow’s words. “So you want her to work for me in the mornings. Do you have any experience in the kitchen, Winter?” That was a fair question. It was counterintuitive to think of a Schnee in a kitchen. “I have about two years of experience with cooking though less so with baking, ma’am. General Ironwood made sure I knew how to cook and W… Elm Ederne of the Ace Ops also helped me learn. Despite my lack of experience, I’m quite the hard worker. I’ll do my best to learn quickly.” Her hand folded behind her back as she fell into ‘at ease’ move instinctively. It felt like she was talking to the general or a higher-ranked officer. “I was promoted to personal aide to General Ironwood a little over a year ago. I had almost no prior combat training or experience before I left Schnee manor two or so years ago, ma’am.” The Valians wouldn’t understand the Atlas military but hopefully the context would help sell the fact she was capable of learning quickly and wouldn’t slack if the woman chose to accept her. She realised he mistake as the woman looked put off. She’d probably taken it as Winter slinging around her credentials. “What Winter was trying to say was she rose through the Atlas military based on her own merits. Ji… Ironwood accepted her into the military despite how she was raised. She was a Special Operative before she, ah, retired.” There was no way to put that easily without explaining the whole ordeal. And she’d rather it stay private if at all possible. “I see. Well, if that’s true, I’ll take her. We can start her off at ten lien then move up to fifteen if she proves herself. Though…she just moved up to Vale, right?” The woman was still clearly put off but she was trying. Winter really had botched this meeting up. She’d done the one thingshe’d said she wouldn’t do. “Yes, ma’am. I arrived yesterday. Could we perhaps wait until next Friday for me to start?” Her body needed to adjust to the time change first. Hopefully it didn’t come across as uppity defiance this time… “That sounds good, dear. Dealing with time change isn’t easy. I went on vacation to Mistral once; going to and from was one of the hardest things!” She smiled and laughed warmly. Winter blinked. It seemed like she’d rebounded from the mistake… “Thank you.” Winter curtsied and the woman offered her a warm smile. Well, hopefully she wouldn’t botch anything else up… She knew how gossip bot around close communities. All she could do was pray that her botched introduction didn’t completely screw her over. They left the bakery and hit up a few more buildings. The people seemed kind enough though a little wary of the newcomer. She tried to keep her military manner in check as much as possible. It was hard. These people didn’t understand how all-consuming the process of joining the military was. Combine that with Schnee manor and all she knew was cold formality. By time they finished the school bell chimed and Qrow looked at her. “Mind if I see the girls back to the house? I hadn’t meant to take this long but it’s how things fell.” He shrugged. A couple hundred people was still a lot and introducting her to as many of them as possible was important. Gossip spread so fast when people didn’t didn’t have much to do. Small minds needed small entertainment. She normally didn’t care how people saw her, but in a small town like this… She needed to abide by image and not come across the wrong way. “No, I don’t mind, Qrow.” She wasn’t looking forward to interacting with Yang again, but she couldn’t avoid it. Plus, they were family now no matter how much either of them disliked it. “Did something happen between you and the girls yesterday, Winter?” She blinked at the question and looked away. How was she supposed to answer that? She didn’t want him to get the wrong impression of his nieces… He knew them better than she did. She was an interloper in their lives. It was justified Yang was frustrated. “Yang wasn’t too happy with me being there. It was no big deal, though.” Her voice was quiet but she could imagine her aura gave away than she let on. “…You know, I’ve had a feeling somethin’s been goin’ on that house they don’t want me to know about. Think you could keep an eye on them and tell me if you see anything unusual, snowy?” She blinked and looked up at him. ‘Something’ going on in the house? What could it— Ruby and I can handle everything ourselves. We don’t need anything from you. And what Summer had told her… She knew exactlywhat was happening, but she couldn’t outright tell him. That was too much information too soon. “I might have an idea, but can I tell you tomorrow?” It’d let her get everything lined up so she could hopefully fool his aura sensing. Was that possible though? Then again, Raven and Qrow had managed to hide their abuse from Dove until it was too late. And Yang had managed to hide from Qrow. She had to be very careful… “Yeah, it’ll prolly be better anyway.” He pointed to the schoolhouse where kids ran out. She spotted Yang’s vivid hair among the crowd, standing outside. She saw the little girl blink when she noticed Qrow. She trotted over and smiled at him. “Hey, Uncle Qrow. What are you doing out here today? You’ve never been here when we get out from school like this.” “I was introducing Winter to some of the villagers.” The little girl made a face but nodded. It wasn’t her fault… She never askedfor this… She hadn’t asked to be born to an abusive family that would marry her off for profit… She hadn’t asked for any of it. She couldn’t even apologise because she hadn’t done anything wrong. Maybe she should talk to Qrow about moving her to Persia since it wouldn’t stress the girls out. “Snowy.” He spoke gently and extended his hand to her. She looked away. What was she supposed to do? No matter where she ended up, she was an inconvenience at best. She didn’t want to leave Kiyay but she was an outsider here. The villagers didn’t know her, the girls didn’t want her, she didn’t know about Taiyang… She probably would’ve been better off staying in Atlas and try to eke out a living there. Qrow said there would be more opportunities here. But she was an outsider. She felt even more trapped now than she had in Atlas… Ruby walked up and Qrow picked her up, glancing at Winter. “Let’s head back to the house.” Winter nodded numbly, completely ignorant to the world. How was Vale any better than Atlas? She was trapped by the shackles of bureaucracy. Nothing was free and open to her by her understanding. She was trapped on this tiny island with no escape until they got the house. After they got back, she headed up to the room. She buried herself in the pillow and wept silently. They hadn't foiled Gelé like they thought. She was still trapped. She’d be trapped forever. Was there even a point to this arrangement when it shackled her even more than her life in Atlas?