Carry You

Weiss followed Sayaka’s directions back from her room where she saw Blake was waiting. “Oh, there you are. I was wondering where you were.” Weiss shifted uncomfortably. There was no accusation in Blake’s tone or anything, but she still felt awkward about it. She really wasn’t trying to make life hard on Blake. “I was helping Lilyana with morning feeding.” Should she not have done that? Kali and Blake said she wasn’t a prisoner but it felt like she should have stayed in her room. She had plenty of books to read. Or maybe she should have visited the library to get some books then come back. She honestly probably should’ve just stayed in her room. It was safer and the Belladonnas wouldn’t worry over her. “Huh. She must have gotten late start this morning. She’s usually more prompt with it.” Blake shrugged. “Oh well.” She did look Weiss in the eye. “I can see it in your face. You aren’t a prisoner in this house, Weiss. You’re free to do as you please. I just wasn’t expecting you to be gone was all. If you want to help Lilyana before breakfast, you’re more than welcome to.” Weiss nodded a bit. “Okay.” She couldn’t help but feel self-conscious. She wasn’t used to being allowed free rein of the manor. President Jacques had made sure she was under supervision at all times. If she wasn’t being supervised, she was locked in her room. She essentially was prisoner in Schne manor. But that was how life was for her. She had never been allowed this level of freedom before. She wasn’t complaining about it, but it was stuff like this that left her feeling like it was wrong to actually take advantage of her. “Anyway, we should head down to breakfast in about ten minutes. The guests will start arriving before then but we don’t have to be down there immediately. But before then…” Blake waved Weiss back into her room. The both settled on Weiss’ bed and Blake offered her hand to Weiss. “Since I didn’t do it last night, I feel like I should explain nonbinary to you now.” “I…was confused by that.” No point in denying it. She didn’t understand how somebody could have he or she pronouns. Weren’t people one or the other? That sort of mindset would have gotten the person kicked out of Atlassian society. She still remembered some vague whisperings of a Marigold that thought he was a woman trapped in a man’s body. She didn’t know how much about the situation since it had passed long before she’d entered polite society. Blake gently explained how gender and sex were different as well as how gender could be a spectrum. Weiss was quiet while Blake talked. It all sounded extremely far fetched to her. People were wha they were born as in her experience. Men were men and women were women. But she had already seen how two women could love one another which made her think. “I don’t know if I believe it yet, but if gender is a spectrum…would sexuality be one too…?” She really didn’t believe it yet, but it seemed like the two could go hand in hand. She had no scientific backing for any of this. Maybe she should have stayed and read the GRSM book. In what little of the introduction she’d managed to read, there were footnotes for scientific papers… But she wouldn’t be able to access those papers here in fae land… Blake nodded. “People can be attracted to any combination of genders. Some people may be attracted to all genders. Some two. Some one. Some none. It’ll all be covered in this book.” She picked up the book Weiss had been reading beforehand. “I wish there was some way for me to access the papers in the footnotes…” She always liked to see the sources for herself. She had enough scientific knowhow to be able to understand the technical jargon on at least dust-related papers. But she had never really ventured into anthropology and sociology like those studies were. “Well, we can probably contact Auria and then see if she can pass it onto somebody.” Blake’s ears twitched slightly. Weiss frowned. Trying to get all of those studies printed off would be a nightmare. It’d take so much paper and something might get misplaced along the way. It wouldn’t be such a big deal if she had her scroll since she could read on that. “Maybe I’ll talk to Winter to see if she could get me a tablet… Though…you don’t have electricity. How could I charge something like that?” She had a lot to dig through and she doubted that one charge would last that long. She didn’t use her scroll heavily, so that could last quite a while on a single charge. But when she had possibly hundreds of hours of reading ahead of her… “Oh, that’s no problem. We have people that can convert devices like that to function on magic.It might take a few days, but some fae are fairly savvy with human technologies.” Something told her she should have figure that out. Oh, right. The digital clock. She already had a converted device in her possession. Why shouldn’t they be allowed to convert other devices? It only made perfect sense. “Is there any way to connect from here to the CCTS?” If thatwas possible, it would save her a lot of headaches. She wouldn’t have to have Winter hire somebody to dig through all the studies. She could do it herself. “Good question. I know we can connect pearls across worlds, but those rely on soul bonds, not any sort of technology like your devices. I’ll have to ask. But we should probably start heading down from breakfast.” Blake stood and offered her hand to Weiss. Weiss hesitated before taking it. It still felt so dangerous to trust somebody. The Belladonnas didn’t have anything to gain from deceiving her, but still… The law might have forbidden arranged marriages, but it still felt so dangerous. Her life in Atlas told her people only wanted her tor what she could offer them… Sayaka flew to her shoulder and they headed down to breakfast. She recognised the dutchesses Valera but the rest were still difficult to place. She settled next to Blake and didn’t really pay attention to much else. She wished Valerie were here. Sure, she didn’t really know her, but she could at least talk to her about falconry. She didn’t understand the first ting about these fae topics. Religion, politics, serfs, crop yields… It was all so beyond her. It was a relatively turgid affair for her. Blake tried to get her involved in the discussions a few times, but she didn’t know what to say. The topics were beyond her. She really felt out of place there. After she and Blake were released, Blake sighed. “You should at least attemptto talk, Weiss. It’s pretty rude not to.” Weiss sighed. “I don’t know how to engage in fae discussions…” None of them understood. She could do mindless smalltalk for hours, but this wasn’t that. These were pretty deep discussions on topics she hadn’t the faintest idea of. It was only her third full day in Koiria. How could anybody expect her to talk about religion when she had only just learned polytheism and female divinity were a thing? She wasn’t like the changelings that had been raised here. “I suppose that is a valid point. Would you like to maybe meet some other changelings today?” Weiss blinked at the offer. It might be interesting, but at the same time… “I’m not sure how much I’d get out of it. I wasn’t raised here like they were.” How much could she get out of people that weren’t like minded? None of them would’ve gone through the horrors that were Atlassian upper-class society. They didn’t understand what it was to be confused by a new society. Fae society was strange and alien to her. She really didn’t know how to adapt to any of this. Plus, how many of the would have fae blood lie her? If she pursued magic, she would outlive all of those changelings by a wide margin. She still wasn’t sure sold on the idea, but she would consider it. “I suppose that’s a good point, but could it really do any harm? There are some relatively affluent families with changelings. You could use some more friends and it’ll be a great chance for you to start networking. You have no base in the fae world, so building up a group of people to have in your future will be important. Having connections in Serlia is crucial, no?” Weiss folded her arms as she pondered. Having connections would be good… She needed to build up her skill repertoire so she could one day find work. She really didn’t have any skills that could be immediately transferred to any field. “I suppose you’re right. And if I taken on magic, I can befriend the fae children too.” She wasn’t too fond of the idea of befriending people as it was far too easy to be used and manipulated. But she knew she needed to network. She could live off the Belladonnas for the rest of her life most likely, but she’d prefer to make her own way in the world if possible. That would take her time, of course…. Learning enough about fae society to function in it was going to take time. “Yeah, that is true. Most fae children may not be willing to befriend you depending on age, though. Under about a hundred fifty is probably the oldest they’ll go. The main exception will be our meal guests.” Weiss frowned at Blake’s words. “It’s just your age… You’re seen as young and immature. Nobody in the age bracket for working has time for immature people.” She nodded though the frown remained etched on her face. That sadly made sense. She wouldn’t have had time for anybody more immature than she was… She was too busy for that… “That does make some sense. The discrepancy between fae and humans really is stark.” She really hated how different they were. Then again, she hated Faunus. They were nothing but liars, thieves, and murderers. They’d caused so much damage to the SDC. How anybody could stand up to them was beyond her. She really didn’t understand it. “I think most families with changelings take them on because their children have grown. Humans are but a blip for fae. Raising a short-lived child is full of grief, but it allows them to raise another child without having to invest their full lives into it.” Weiss blinked and looked at Blake. That was a strange way to look at things. Still, it did lead to an interesting question. “Where do they find the changeling replacements if they don’t give up their own children?” There were so many logistics about this that she didn’t understand. Changelings were such a strange idea for her. How could people kidnap and replace the child of another so simply and easily? She was pretty sure there would be problems with Auria taking her identity. What those issues were, she really didn’t know. She didn’t know enough about fae in general to understand. Plus, how did they deem it morally okay to simply take another person’s child…? Blake shifted a bit. “I’d…really rather we discuss something else. How was morning feeding with Lilyana?” Weiss sighed. SHe wished to learn more about changelings, but she couldn’t really force Blake to discuss anything she didn’t want to talk about. Maybe she could find it in the library… For a while, they talked about her falconry stuff until Blake changed the subject. “Anyway, about meeting the other changelings… I know there’s a group that meets on Lerir each week. I’ve seen them a few times and inquired about what was going on. But I don’t know how to find where they are.” Blake sighed, her ears drooping over before the perked back up. “Oh, right; the Yama family has a changeling and I think she’s around your age. My mother should be able to call them. Let’s go talk to her.” Blake stood and offered Weiss her hand. Weiss hesitated before taking it and standing. Even something like that could easily be taken as weakness and used. They headed out of Weiss’ room to a room with large double doors that had an intimidating knocker. Blake used it and Kali poked her head out a moment later. “Oh, Blake, Weiss. Is there something I can do for you?” Blake explained quickly and Kali nodded, her ears twitching slightly. “Oh yes—the Yama family does have a changeling. I’ll call them and see where the group is. Please, come in.” They went in the room and Weiss was blown away. Even for all the opulence Schnee manor held, it paled in comparison to this room. It was easily three times larger than her own room had been. Murals encrusted in gems and precious metals lined the walls. They were absolutely beautiful. The bedframe was a strange, bright blue wood that had deeper veins of navy blue in it. It was absolutely beautiful. “Wow…” Kali smiled and looked at her. “This room is pretty impressive, isn’t it? I honestly find it far too opulent for my tastes, but it’s what I inherited. The bedframe is a bit much too…” She looked both annoyed and amused somehow. “Please, sit down.” She motioned to some chairs where she and Blake settled down. Kali pulled her pearl out and Weiss didn’t really follow the half conversation that ensued for the next fifteen or so minutes. She saw the woman close the device and she smiled at them. “Okay, sso, the Yama family has a changeling and they meet up wit a small group each Lerir about three thirty. Some are a lot older, some are a lot younger, but some of them are right around your age, Weiss. It might be a good fit for you.” She smiled and Weiss nodded. “Okay.” She still wasn’t entirely sure about this. Meeting humans that had grown up in Koiria would be hard in and of itself. SHe hadn’t grown up here and she would probably mess something up. She’d already upset the dutchesses Varela so it was bound to happen with people again. She really didn’t want to do that. She hated seeing people upset… It didn’t feel good. Though something unrelated hit her. “Do I really have to follow you guys when you go to the Misum court? I’m having a hard enough time adapting to the Lider court… It’s going to be hard for me to learn a whole new culture twice…” She didn’t want to seem ungrateful for what the Belladonnas had done by rescuing her. But adapting to one court was proving hard enough. She really didn’t think she had it in her to learn a whole new culture a second time. SHe might get established here then have it all ripped away. “If I do make friends or at least acquaintances… Won’t take me away from them hurt them…? It’s really not fair to them.” Kali blinked and tilted her head. “I suppose that’s a fair point. We’ve done it for decades, so we don’t really think about it. Blake’s used to it. But humans do adapt to change less readily than fae do… It’s something we should discuss at some point. I’ll need a bit of time to think on it if that’s okay?” Kali looked at Weiss who gave a small nod. “That’s fine.” She was a guest here and she didn’t want to impede on their lives. From what she understood, the Belladonnas were a unique family due to the cross-racial romance. Blake was no doubt used to traveling between the two courts due to having done it all her life. But Weiss had never really left Schnee manor too much. Having her life upheaved every three months to move would be hard. She might have to move to different locations in the Lider court, but that’d be less disruptive than changing courts for six months out of the year. “Anyway, the day is yours. I’d suggest maybe arriving early to meet with the other changelings about half an hour to forty-five minutes beforehand. Other than that, you can do what you want with the day.” Kali smiled and Weiss nodded a bit. SHe wasn’t really sure what she wanted to do. Then again, there was the library. Only Holy Father knew what would be held in those hallowed halls. She really did need a day to spend time there. She was raring to get at it. She really did love reading so much. With that done, Blake and Weiss left the room. “So what are your plans for the rest of the day until then?” She saw Blake’s ears twitch slightly. It seemed like there was some sort of rhyme or reason behind that… She would have to pay attention to see if she could figure it out. Granted, people weren’t her strong point. Trying to figure out something like that would probably be hard. “I think I might just spend it in the library.” Yeah, that felt like her best option. Reading would help her learn more about the world and uncover things she didn’t know in general. Even though everything looked medieval, the fae were incredibly advanced. It was crazy to think they were thisadvanced for how primitive they appeared on the surface. Oh… She could go visit Neige today too. She really was glad to have unfettered access to him. “All right. If I can’t find you around the meeting time, I’ll call you. Sound good?” Weiss nodded. “Sounds good. I’ll see you later.” She looked at Sayaka. “Mind leading me to the library?” With that done, they headed away from Blake and deeper into the manor. She was really looking forward to this. She had never had unfettered access to books before… It was a dream come true for her.