wanderer's lullaby

Winter followed Ein through the forest to town and to the general store. She entered and was directed to where she'd be stocking tonight. Sarah joined her and the girl smiled brightly. "So how was the craft show for you, Miss Winter? Didja enjoy it? Didja?" The girl smiled brightly at her, eyes bright. "It was a...different experience for me, but not a bad one." Saying she 'enjoyed' anything would be too much of a stretch for certain. She really had no joy in life. She did enjoy being around the birds, but she only got to do that when allowed to. With it being when it was in the year, getting out to hunt after driver's ed was gonna be hard. The sunset times weren't as egregious as Atlas' but they were still proving to be rather early. She had a feeling she'd really only get out to hunt on the weekends at least until they moved into the house... Though she supposed she could talk with Raven about letting her come out with her. She was going to need to get used to the woman regardless of anything... They would be living together. "I'm glad you enjoyed it! Are there any craft types you might've wanted to learn? I only know how to make jewelry myself, but I know plenty of people in the crafting community! Most would be more than willin' to teach ya if ya wanted to learn." Sarah was incredibly eager and Winter felt awkward. She hadn't really discerned between different types. There was definitely a lot of jewelry which she wasn't interested in... But things like crochet and knitting? She didn't even know the difference. She just couldn't imagine herself doing anything like that. "Not...particularly, no. Perhaps I'll look into it on my own." She didn't want to promise the girl anything and get her hopes up. That would just be cruel. She wasn't really a crafty person. She knew how to do embroidery and other types of needlework since she'd been forced to learn them to be a 'proper' Atlassian lady. Of course, it did come in handy when needing to mend her uniforms, but that was about all the mileage she got out of it. Though she had noticed cross stitching and such there too... The larger pieces commanded quite large prices which shocked her. She never knew that needlework could even be sold, really... "Well, all right then... I'm glad you did find at least something to buy. Craft shows are all about fun! Nobody's a professional. Well, most of us aren't. We're just hobbyists trying to sell our wares. I do have an online store... If you know any sort of craft work, you could sell it online." Huh, her embroidery might be able to make her money. She really hadn't considered that. She was definitely good at it due to how much time she'd been forced to sit there and do it... It was one of the few things she'd had to do in her room when locked in at Schnee manor and she couldn't risk sneaking out to the library for a book or two to read. "I do embroidery." She didn't necessarily enjoy it, though. She knew Weiss found it fun since it was an escape. All focus went onto the piece in front of them and nowhere else. Well, unless you were Winter... Her focus was basically everywhere at all times. She couldn't allow herself to drop her guard for even a moment, lest Gele waltz into her room and start beating her again. No, she couldn't allow that at all. So she only focused as much as was necessary. "Oh, that sounds like fun! Do you know how to make any picture you see or do you just follow templates?" Sarah certainly was enthusiastic about all of this, but there was no reason to deter the girl from talking about it. She didn't want to seem like someone that would rain on somebody's parade simply because she thought it was a shallow topic. Unless it was in Atlassian upper-class parties. The conversation there was so mind-numbingly stupid. "I learned to be able to follow any picture I saw in due time. It's been a few years since I've done it, though." She would be a bit rusty since her time in the military hadn't allowed her much free rein over her schedule. She had to follow everything in a regimented way or else she could get written up. She could not afford to be written up, lest she lose her position and her potential to save Weiss... Not everything was General Ironwood's jurisdiction. "Well, after you get back in practice, maybe you could teach me?" She looked so enthusiastic. She really didn't understand the concept of 'fun' as Sarah did. Life was just dull and dark for her. She hated how trapped she felt... But there wasn't much she could do about it until she took her driver's test and got her license. This was all such a mess. "I'll need to get supplies first, then practice again." Following a couple of templates would probably be enough to reignite those old instincts and knowledge. But she would need to find proper materials first... She wasn't even sure where to look for them. Were there even stores that sold them...? She knew that basically everything got delivered to Schnee manor and she rarely got to leave her apartment unless she called up a driver. She frowned as the realisation hit her that her life in the military when not on duty wasn't that much different from Schnee manor... She had stayed tucked away in her apartment and that hadn't changed even now. "All right then! Hopefully you'll do it real fast so I can start learning! Being able to take commissions for somethin' like that would be nice." Sarah sighed a bit, her face dreamy. Commissions, huh? Well, that was definitely something she could do in due time. Though she'd probably have to keep her prices low until she got established... She didn't know much about the independent craft market, but it just seemed reasonable that people wouldn't be able to command high prices unless they were really established. Why go for something high priced when you could get lower priced for possibly the same quality? Guh, what a mess... But it would give her something to do while stuck in the house. "Are...there stores for this sort of thing?" She felt silly for asking what was probably a basic-ass question about crafting. But she just...didn't know. Atlas had really hampered her ability to function. Without Gele's blessing, she hadn't been able to take driver's ed. She was still a minor and he'd still been her legal guardian. It was only the stalemate between him and the general that had stopped her from being taken back to Schnee manor. She had been seen as a loss anyway, so he'd given her up without too much fight. He knew perfectly well she'd be hampered even once she hit the age of majority due to how Atlassian laws worked. Sarah blinked and nodded. "Well, yeah. There are a couple big crafting chains that you could go to... You'll just have to look them up." Maybe she could make a day trip tomorrow... She felt so trapped. She had yet to go on public transit which was going to be difficult, but she needed to get out and about by herself. Though... She didn't have money on her. She wasn't sure if they took cards. And with her still having an Atlassian card... Guh. It was too late to go to the bank at this point. She really needed to see about switching her accounts over to Valian ones. She needed to go to the Atlassian enclave which had her bank so she wouldn't suffer international fees. She supposed she'd just have to make a day out of that by itself. But she'd need Persia or Opal or somebody to take her since it was well across the city from Patch. She could only imagine how long it'd take to get there even with the trains... "Thank you." She wondered if large online retailers would ship to Patch... That would be the easiest way to handle it. Though being there, in person to pick the materials for the first time, would be nice. She wondered if anybody would be willing to take her to the bank then to the craft store. Or vice versa. She just... She knew public transit was a thing, but driving would be so much faster. And she still needed more file folder boxes for Summer's dust work. Guh, so much to do and so few hours in a day. "No problem!" Sarah smiled warmly. "Just let me know when you feel like you could handle teaching me." "I will." From there, Sarah chattered about her online shop to Winter who just listened, seeing no need to interrupt. The rest of the time wound down and she returned to the house where Qrow was sitting on the couch. "Do you think you could arrange for somebody to pick me up and take me to a craft store and then the bank? I need to switch all my accounts to Valian..." That was probably going to be an all-day affair. So yeah, going to the craft store first would probably be the best idea. She could get there early, look around a little bit, then head to the bank where she would have to deal with headache upon headache. She had been so caught up in her worry for everything else that she hadn't thought to do this when she'd been in Atlas. Though with how Atlas was, it probably would've been much harder to actually do that than when she was in Vale... And she hadn't known any Valian banks. "Do you have any recommendations for Valian banks?" "Eh? I've only ever used one so that's the one I'd recommend." He shrugged. He gave her the name of the bank and she nodded. "Thank you." She wasn't sure if this would work out well or not, but it was the best she could do without spending a week researching which would be the best fit for her. She probably ought to research banks but she just didn't feel like it. If it was good enough for Hunters, it would probably be good enough for a civilian. Guh, she couldn't believe she was a civilian now... If she wanted to be a Huntress, she'd have to go through Beacon and that wouldn't happen until next year. It was too late in the year to transfer in. The year started in June, so they were almost done with the first trimester. She would definitely have to wait... But by that point, she would definitely have her siblings in her custody, so she couldn't just leave them. Guh, so many different issues to worry about. So many moving pieces. And so much out of it out of her control... "I wish I could help ya a bit more, but yeah, I can arrange someone to take ya to the bank. It won't be Persia or Opal most likely; I feel like I've already used up a lot of their kindness. I have a lot of contacts around the city that'll help with transportation at least. I'll set ya up with Becky. Sound good?" Winter nodded a bit. "All right." As long as it wasn't a man. Being alone with a man in a car that wasn't Qrow or the general would definitely result in tragedy. She couldn't risk anything by being around a man unattended. She just... She hadn't seen any proof that Valian men were any different from Atlassian. Qrow was an exception, not a rule. She couldn't rely on the people around him to not hurt her. She still shuddered to think about spending time around Taiyang... At least the man stayed out of everyone's ways from what she'd seen in the time she'd been here. Yeah. She still couldn't trust even him. At least Summer's room had a lock on it. Though, for a Hunter, a standard lock wasn't hard to break through... "I'll talk to her in a lil bit. Anything else you wanted before heading up to bed for the night?" She shook her head. "No. Thank you though." She dipped her head to him, then withdrew to Summer's room. She got ready for the night and sighed as she sat at the computer. Life was so horribly dull right now... She was bored out of her ever-loving skull. Life in the military could be predictable, but she at least didn't feel like she was trapped in one room without much variation. She didn't feel safe in the house and so she just stayed up in Summer's room. She at least had a decently sized library, but even so... It was really hard to not feel like she was trapped. She couldn't wait to get started on the falconry stuff... Being able to go out and be in nature... That wasn't something she was used to, but it sounded a hell of a lot better than this. You can just call Raven if you want to go out following driver's ed. Or, well, talk to her. I'm sure she'd be willing to take you out. I wish she could help with driving you around, but my driving kinda turned her and Qrow off to it. One of my lesser times was I rolled a car four times in a row and kept going. Summer's voice rang in her mind and she looked over where she sensed the woman. Rolled over...? She wasn't going to ask. It was never wise to question Summer Rose. She had learned that. She was probably better off not knowing why the car had rolled like that. "I know I need to get used to her, but she's terrifying to me." Winter sighed and put her head down on the desk. She looked wild and fierce which wasn't what Winter was used to in...anybody. Even the Huntsman she talked to weren't as wild as Raven looked. She looked a bit more groomed now that she wore normal clothes, but seeing her in her tribe clothes had definitely left an impression on Winter. Regardless, her hair still hung wildly around her shoulders and that sword of hers didn't do her any favors. She could only imagine what Raven was capable of combat wise. Yeah, she's got a hell of a lot of combat experience. I'm not sure who would be able to take the other out: Qrow or Raven. They've both continued to grow since my death but in different ways. Either way, they are some of the strongest combatants on the planet. You should see them fight together; it's something else. I'm sure they'd still be incredibly in sync after so much time apart. Winter shivered at the idea. She knew Qrow was more than capable of hurting her in ways he at least didn't want to do. She could only imagine Raven's strength as well. The Branwen tribe had become known to even her, if tangentially. She really wasn't sure how to handle any of this... She knew she needed to spar since she hadn't been keeping up on her combat abilities. So much had happened since arriving in Vale. She was struggling to adapt, so her combat had really fallen to the wayside. "I should probably ask her to be my sparring partner." Qrow was busy during the day with his new job, so yeah, he was out. And they would be in driver's ed for a couple hours after school let out for him. By time he was let out, it was starting to get a little dark. Though she really did want to get in on the falconry stuff... She wanted to see Kiyay and Mono fly together and take down their prey. Though she should be feeding them off the fist too... She missed him so much. Prolly not a terrible idea. I mean Dove and some of the seniors in the tribe can still kick Raven's ass, so there are still people stronger than her. I've seen it with my own eyes. She supposed that did make sense. they were older by twenty, thirty years than Raven. If they kept up on their training which only made sense for their lifestyle, they would be able to outpace Qrow and Raven. She wondered what would happen if one of those people left the tribe and became a Hunter. That would be absolutely insane... "I know I need to get used to it, but it's hard to get past how she looks." Winter, she's a hyperactive puppy dog. She's about as threatening as one most the time. She only fights when it's necessary. She's basically all bark and no bite. She sensed Summer shake her head. Hyperactive puppy dog? That did remind her of Pechicha too... The dog was at the lake house with Raven, but she ought to be bonding with her. That would be her falconry dog. She really ought to spend an hour or two per day there. She'd learn the lay of the land, get used to taking down prey, and bond with Pechicha. It still felt strange the dog had no idea what stairs were... ""It's just hard to get past everything." She sighed again. She was trying, but she just could not get past how intense Raven was. The woman really could take Winter down without trying. She couldn't get past that. That was what scared her the most. But hyperactive puppy dog? She didn't really understand what that meant. Raven is incredibly enthusiastic. That's what it means. She's nosy and very energetic. I guess it doesn't make any sense to you since you've never really been around animals. Well, you're seeing Ein and Kiyay, but that's it. They're pretty calm. Most puppies are rambunctious and hyper. Small dogs especially have a rap for being super active and yappy by barking at a lot of things. Well, that's usually just bad training... I digress, though. She really just wants to be your friend and be incredibly nosy toward you and always have her nose in every aspect of your life. She's toned down a fair bit since she left, but even so... She remains nosy and bright. You should've seen how she was during the Beacon days. She would shoot off five minutes before we even realised she had a thought in her mind. Qrow and I were 120% of her impulse control and it still wasn't enough. Summer laughed, the air lifting a fair bit as well. She could sense the sheer amusement through the woman's Semblance. What must it be like to have that much energy? Even Ruby and Yang didn't have that much energy and they were kids. Yang was sharp and focused while Ruby was incredibly quiet but intense in her own way. The girl was way too interested in weaponry. It was crazy to see just how intense she was for a child so young. But she was incredibly withdrawn and low on being verbal. And then she spoke in those long, winding, fast sentences that made it really difficult for Winter to understand what she was saying. She really didn't like spending time around Ruby... It pushed her translation abilities to the very edge and she could only handle so much. "I see..." What else could she say to that? She knew she needed to get over herself and just spend time with Raven. That was the only thing that would help her get over her fear. Pushing through was always the best solution in her eyes. She never knew any other way. She wasn't one used to piecemealing it. It was all or nothing. She yawned and looked at the time "I should probably sleep." Yeah. She took her meds and closed the laptop's screen, then turned off the lights and went to bed. She fell into a bit of an uneasy sleep, not wanting anything to do with the following day.