Wisteria marched through the too-clean corridor, passing uniformed nurses and closed doors, eyes scanning the numbers painted above them before dismissing them. It was an effort to avoid scowling as the familiar scent of antiseptic, bleach and metal filled her nostrils.
She hated hospitals. Too similar to the clinic that had served as her unwilling home for three years. Both places always filled with the sounds of injured patients and overworked, uncaring doctors. That infuriatingly sterile scent that brought morgues to mind didn't help matters either.
It was no surprise then that she avoided them as much as possible, and for someone as wealthy as her, with a medically trained butler on call in the manor, it wasn't even that difficult.
Which was why she'd never stepped into one after leaving the clinic. But circumstances forced her hand. She could get medics to come to her, but she couldn't do the same for patients.
Her face tightened with worry at finding the number she searched on a door larger than the others. She halted right in front of it, took a second to control her expression, and knocked.
"Come in," a muffled voice said from within the hospital room.
Wisteria recognized the owner, but frowned at the dullness of the voice. Before the patient could notice her hesitation, she opened the door.
The room was spacious in a way one wouldn't normally expect in a hospital. There was a single window in the far wall, closed to keep the frigid Atlesian air out. The late afternoon sun cast the interior in a soft glow, aided by a few lamps on the ceiling. To Wisteria's right, a strict, middle-aged woman sat on a chair with perfect posture, hands resting on her lap and blonde hair done in a single bun behind her head. The woman bowed her head slightly to Wisteria after a single moment of recognition. The Schnee ignored the greeting, eyes drawn to the other person in the room who lay on a hospital bed by the window, lower body hidden by thick white sheets.
Julia turned her head slightly, showing only her profile, throwing Wisteria a disinterested gaze with a single eye before focusing her attention back to the wall-mounted television in front of her bed.
Wisteria picked up a chair nearby and carried it beside the bed, sitting in silence beside her friend, patiently turning her attention to the television as well. Julia would talk when she was ready; Wisteria's job was to be there to hear it.
On the television, Atlas's four council members sat at a curved table while a tall, black-haired man wearing a crisp military uniform stood facing the table. Constant flashes illuminated everyone on screen as people beside the cameraman took photographs of the occasion. One of the seated councilmen, a gray-haired woman and the current Headmaster of Atlas Academy, spoke into a microphone.
…the Council hereby appoints General Ironwood as the new head of Atlas's Military. Please take your seat among the Council, General.
The uniformed man moved around the table as the flashes intensified, stopping behind the empty seat in the middle of the table. He gave each seated councilman a nod before taking his seat and pulling the nearby microphone resting on top of the table closer.
The council will be taking questions now, Ironwood said into the microphone.
The scene on screen broke into near-immediate chaos as reporters spoke over one another, fighting to get their questions heard, causing the newly appointed general to scowl. The man tapped his microphone until the shouting reporters quieted down, glaring at them all the while. He pointed at someone off-screen.
Kyle Reed from Mantle's Tribune, a man's gruff voice came from somewhere to the cameraman's left. General, is your appointment a direct consequence of the terrorist attack on the Schnee gala five days ago?
General Ironwood interlaced the fingers of his hands on top of the table, facial expression calm as if he'd already expected the question.
General Grant's retirement had been planned for a while. The position of Commander-in-Chief of Atlas's Military isn't something that can be decided and implemented in a few days. The timing is just a coincidence. He pointed at someone off-screen again.
Julia snorted at the general's claim. Wisteria could only agree with the sentiment. The old general's retirement could very well have been in the works, but she doubted it had been scheduled this soon.
Ana Coral from Atlas Daily, a woman's firm voice this time. General, the White Fang has claimed to have no connection to the people behind this attack, despite the attackers all being Faunus. What is Atlas's stance on the matter?
At the mention of the attack, Julia gripped the sheets over her legs with trembling fists. Wisteria threw her friend a worried look, raising her hand as if to take the blonde's hand into her own, but thought better of it and let her arm drop.
On the screen, General Ironwood furrowed his brow. We are currently searching for any terrorists still at large within the kingdom. Of those directly involved in the attack five days ago, none were captured alive. However, we have identified a few of the bodies and connected them to the White Fang through footage of past events. With that in mind, considering the White Fang's goals and the likely target of the attack, we can only consider the group's claims of innocence suspect.
Have there been any attempts to reach out to Sienna Khan for further explanation?
Ironwood's face went flat at the question. His voice, when he spoke, sounded rehearsed. Atlas doesn't deal with terrorists.
He pointed at someone else.
Sirius Amber from Mistral Times, a man's nasal voice somewhere to the camera's right. General, what actions is the Atlas Council planning to take in answer to the mounting violence from the Faunus?
On the hospital bed, Julia leaned her upper body forward at the question.
On the screen, Ironwood leaned back in his chair while raising a single eyebrow. Generalisation is a dangerous thing, Mr. Amber. It's important to remember that only a small portion of the Faunus population is a member of the White Fang. Many of our Faunus citizens are law-abiding people who contribute to society with their honest labor. The Council is, of course, worried about the White Fang's most recent actions, but we can't blame all Faunus because of the actions of a few—
The television's screen cracked into spiderweb fractures as the thrown controller hit it, the image of the council session disappearing as the device stopped working.
Julia's shoulders went up and down as she took ragged breaths, her right arm remained extended for a moment longer before falling to the bed.
"I shouldn't blame the Faunus?" She said, voice trembling with barely restrained fury. "Then who should I blame? Who!?"
Wisteria closed her eyes at Julia's words. She swallowed the knot tightening her throat and strangled the pity trying to take root in her heart. Julia had always been a proud one. Pity would only hurt her more.
"There is only one way to find out," Wisteria said, causing Julia to go very still. "We find out the truth about who was behind this ourselves."
"We…?" Julia asked, voice tinted with incredulity. The blonde turned her head, finally facing Wisteria and letting the shorter girl see her face in full.
Wisteria was lucky. She had seen her friend's face after the attack, giving her time to prepare herself. Which is why she didn't flinch at facing the ruin that was the left side of her friend's face.
Julia's left eye was glued shut, the surrounding skin melted into a single patch of blackened ruin. The burn stretched from where her eyebrow used to be to her jaw, narrowly missing her nose and lips. Some type of transparent cream covered most of it, making the gruesome injury gleam from reflected light.
"We?" Julia continued, voice rising. "What could we possibly do, Wisteria!? You can't even choose what you wear half the time! And I'm no better, look!"
The blonde grabbed the covers over her legs and threw them aside, showing what lay underneath. Metal braces surrounded both legs, forcing them straight. Pins and wires went into the leg, piercing flesh to fix the bone shards within into their correct positions. The ghastly appearance only worsened by the burns present on both legs, nowhere near as severe as the ones on her face, but more than enough to leave scars behind.
"Finding out who did this? I can't even leave this bed!"
Exhausted from the tirade, the young woman let upper body fall back onto the bed. For a while she stared at the ceiling in silence.
"I'd just gotten engaged, you know? I was planning to tell you after the party."
Julia covered her single eye with her right hand.
"I hated it. My father decided it for me because of our family's situation. The man was already married once and has children older than me. I hated it!"
Tears ran down her face.
"He came to visit yesterday together with my father. My fifty-year-old fiancé took one look at my face and called off the engagement," Julia sobbed. "A man three times my age wants nothing to do with me."
Wisteria got up from her chair, sat on the bed beside Julia and carefully pulled the crying woman into her arms.
Words couldn't reach Julia now, so actions would have to do. Wisteria's earlier offer hadn't been made on a whim; she was going to find out the truth about this whole mess.
And then she was going to make sure the one behind it paid for every tear her friend had shed.
***
The early afternoon sunlight shone down on Wisteria through the office's single window, illuminating the pointlessly large desk she sat behind. A desk made even larger by how little sat on top of it. A keyboard, a monitor and a mouse. That was it. Wisteria understood why she'd been given such a meaninglessly large office, but the sixteen-year-old couldn't help but find it amusing in a tired way.
Her new position in the company's hierarchy, as attention-grabbing as it was, came with its own perks. It wouldn't do for the heiress to the SDC to be relegated to a tiny cubicle after all. So it was that Wisteria found herself getting a new, much bigger, office shortly after getting used to the shared space she and the other junior inspectors occupied.
Wisteria was glad for the change, and she suspected her coworkers were as well. They hadn't spent too long together—an inspector's work often kept them away from the office—but she couldn't help but notice how any conversation among the others coincidentally died whenever she arrived for work.
The increased privacy of having her own office also made certain tasks much simpler.
Wisteria leaned back in her office chair, eyes scanning the email she'd just received on her personal account.
Miss Schnee, I regret to inform you of my failure to carry out your task. Except for rumors within the Faunus community about well-armed outsiders present in Mantle recently, I have nothing else to report.
Wisteria scowled, the disappointing contents of the email made more bitter by the similar answers she'd received from the other two private investigators she'd hired. Was there no one in the kingdom capable of finding out the truth? She'd considered hiring a Faunus for the job, since they would have better contacts in the community, but there was simply none she could trust not to warn her quarry of the ongoing hunt instead of doing their jobs.
She got up from her chair and walked to the window, looking down at Atlas twenty floors below. Her office faced the entrance courtyard, giving her a clear view of the constant stream of people going in and out of the building. At this time of day it was barely a trickle, but at certain times, such as the beginning and end of working hours, it was more like a river.
Wisteria looked up at the rarity that was a clear Atlesian sky and pondered the situation. A week after her visit to Julia and she had nothing to show for it. Just yesterday the Council had thrown their hands in the air and put the attack on the White Fang's ledger, but she wasn't convinced. Sure, the attack had been a colossal failure, with Julia being by far the most injured in it, but surely if it had been the White Fang they would have boasted about it instead of denying involvement, no? Failure or not, the group behind it still managed to infiltrate Atlas and strike at its elite in a place they judged absolutely safe. And yet, the White Fang categorically denied any involvement. Though they hadn't explained their past connection to the attackers either, which made the Council's job of finding a scapegoat all too easy.
Her father leaning into the Council so hard that they were forced to carry out searches among the Faunus population in Mantle hadn't helped matters either. Tensions between Atlas and Mantle always simmered; having a group of armed Atlas soldiers descending to harry the already resentful Faunus just added insult to injury. She was surprised it hadn't turned to violence. The new General's doing or just a lucky coincidence?
But still, where could she go from here?
Wisteria sighed and rested her forehead on the window's cold glass, hoping the temperature would soothe her overworked mind.
Three soft knocks on her door had her turning away from the window, rubbing her forehead in an attempt to do away with any marks.
"Enter."
The wooden door opened, revealing a woman in her forties with long brown hair done in a low ponytail. Secretary Johanna. Her boss's right-hand woman and someone she'd gotten closely acquainted with while learning from the Director.
"Hello Wisteria," the woman said in a neutral tone of voice. "The director would like to see you."
Wisteria's eyes narrowed. "Did she give you a time?"
"Now."
Well then. "I'll be right there."
The woman nodded and left, leaving the door open behind her.
Wisteria crossed her arms and tapped her foot. What could the old woman want with her so suddenly?
After a moment of contemplation, she shrugged and made her way out of the office. She might as well find out from the woman herself.
Wisteria strode through the familiar corridors leading to the Director's office, her low heels making almost no noise on the laminated floor. Before long, she found herself nearing the double doors leading to her boss's lair. Johanna sat behind a counter, eyes scanning the monitor in front of her. She looked up at Wisteria's approach and pressed a button the Schnee knew sat on the older woman's desk beside her keyboard. The right-side door swung open.
Samantha Stone's office was a completely different beast when compared to her last boss's. While Blackwood's office was elegant in an understated way, with everything always in its proper place, Samantha's was organized chaos.
The office was larger than Blackwood's, but it didn't seem so at first glance thanks to how crowded it was. Three large desks sat against different walls, leaving only the office's exit and a corridor in the middle of the room unblocked. Samantha herself sat at the far wall, leaning back on her expensive chair, legs crossed and feet resting on top of the desk, most of her face hidden behind a book.
Wisteria sighed at the familiar sight. Part of her wondered if the infernal woman acted like that all the time or only in front of her, but the rest of her knew better. Samantha Stone was the type of old woman so set in her ways that the idea of acting any other manner didn't even register in her aged mind.
Why doesn't father get rid of her? It's not like she's a shareholder. Or one of his mindless lackeys.
Wisteria made her way to the woman's desk, ignoring the piles of books and files to her right threatening to break the desk under them, as well as the assortment of dust crystals and the two guns on top of the table to her left.
Wisteria was just about to call the old woman from her leisurely read when she caught the title of the book. She couldn't help the twitch in her eye.
Ninjas of Love, really?
"Oh, the creepy brat is here," the shameless old woman said, eyes peering at Wisteria above the top of her book.
"I'm not the one with questionable reading material during business hours. When waiting to meet an underage subordinate, no less."
Samantha gave her a blank look for a moment, then burst out laughing. "The questionable parts are where the fun is!" She tossed the book away carelessly, crossing her fingers behind her head, an amused smile settling on her lips. "But I didn't call you here to discuss my taste in entertainment. No, I called you here because a little birdy told me someone's been digging into who's behind the attack the other day."
Wisteria's spine stiffened. Ice spread through her veins as she narrowed her eyes at the sitting woman, the familiar urge to wipe that smile from her boss's face rising within her.
How did she find out?
The investigators? Unlikely. They're all seasoned professionals whose entire business depends on their discretion. If it came out that they had leaked a client's identity and goals, no one would ever hire them again.
But then how? Wait, don't tell me—
"Did you bug my office?" Wisteria asked, incredulity and anger rising in her voice with every word.
Samantha scoffed. "I'm the head of Internal Affairs, brat. I've bugged everyone's offices."
Wisteria crossed her arms and scowled. "Lie. There's no way my father would allow you that much power."
The old woman shrugged. "Ask him later if you don't believe it. But enough about me. Let's talk about your little investigation instead."
"This is a personal matter," Wisteria said, voice filled with ice. "I have nothing I wish to tell you about it."
"Personal, huh?" Samantha's face lost all traces of amusement as she studied Wisteria from behind narrowed eyes. "Yeah, I can see it."
The woman grabbed a brown folder that rested on top of her desk and threw it at Wisteria. She grabbed it out of the air and, after throwing a questionable glance at her superior, opened it, eyes widening as she read some of the information within.
This!?
"I reached out to some old contacts from my time in the military," Samantha said, as if it was nothing special. "Managed to get what they found out about the attack. Not that crap they sold to the public. What they really know about it."
Wisteria stopped her reading to study the woman before her. "...And the price for this information is?"
The woman smirked. "A favor. One that I'll call in the future."
The most troublesome thing of all.
"I hope you're not expecting a blank check."
"No, just something of similar value."
Wisteria tapped her fingers on the envelope for a moment as her mind worked through the possibilities. "Fine, I'll take it. But don't think I've forgotten about you bugging everyone's offices."
As an answer, Samantha picked up her abandoned book again and began reading it while making a shooing motion at Wisteria with her other hand.
The Schnee suppressed her annoyance and left her boss's office; a question branded into her mind.
Samantha… just who are you? And what are you playing at?
The entrance hall of Schnee Manor was a balm to Wisteria's tired body after two days away from Atlas in the middle of Winter. She handed her outdoor coat to the maid waiting by the entrance, once more glad for the perks of being ultra-rich. It was only thanks to a risky flight through horrible weather and fading sunlight that she made it back this soon, a reckless risk some would say, but she was on the clock… in more ways than one.
It was only two weeks after getting the dossier from Samantha that Wisteria finally finished her preparations for tracking down those responsible for the attack. It couldn't be helped. Even as an inspector, she couldn't just show up at any facility whenever she wanted. Well… she could, but that path led to questions she'd rather not have to answer.
She wanted nothing more than to close herself in her workshop and get to work on the ritual… but family called. The ritual would have to wait a few hours.
Wisteria marched through the manor's halls at a brisk pace, passing by a few servants carrying trays. A quick question to one of them let her know of her destination. She considered a detour to her bedroom to freshen up, but she was late enough as it was. She called for a maid in passing and handed the servant her sword and sheathe with instructions to drop them in her room.
Her destination turned out to be a smaller room than she expected, but a moment's thought had her nodding her head in understanding. With the attack being so recent, her father wouldn't want too many people in the manor.
Despite herself, her mind goes to a specific individual who won't be present, despite how she should have been. With Winter no longer the heiress, Atlas Academy was less tolerating of her absences, top of the class or not, so she was unlikely to make an appearance tonight. The thought of her older sister finally having to face some of the issues others dealt with for their whole lives brought a smile to her face. It was about time.
She reached her destination without issues and opened the door with no hesitation. Pink welcomed her, making her narrow her eyes and vow vengeance on whoever chose the decoration.
The spacious room had been completely changed for the occasion. A look around revealed no sign of the standard white walls of the manor, only pink wallpaper with some green here and there. The ceiling was half covered by colorful balloons, and there was a suspicious amount of confetti on the ground near the walls. An enormous table dominated the middle of the room, covered in pastries, sweets, jars of juice and, in the middle, a giant cake, already missing a quarter of it. Two numbered candles stuck out of the cake, forming the number ten.
Before she could find her family among the group of people in the room, most of them well-dressed children, someone noticed her.
"Wis!"
Wisteria barely had time to face her charging sister before she was hugged around the waist, much to her surprise. Since when had Weiss become so open with her affection? Not that she was against it…
Wisteria leaned down and hugged her younger sister around the shoulders, enjoying the little girl's warmth after the trek through the snow, noticing the girl's pink dress, no doubt the cause of the decoration.
"Happy birthday, Weiss," she whispered in the girl's ear. "I'll deliver your present later, ok?"
"Mmm," Weiss nodded before tilting her head upwards to face Wisteria with a displeased expression. "You're cold. And late."
Wisteria masked her laugh with a cough. "Sorry. The flight took longer than planned, but I still made it, no?"
Weiss smiled up at her, but Wisteria couldn't help but find that her sister was acting a little odd. Before she could put her finger on what it was, however, the girl let her go and went back among the children, leaving Wisteria to her thoughts.
Is there something going on with Weiss? She didn't say anything during training a few days ago…
Wisteria shook her head. Now was not the time to figure it out. She was here to celebrate her sister's birthday and spend some time with her family. Well, the two members she liked at least.
She made her way around the room, saying her greetings to the guests present, mothers and sisters of the invited children mostly, all the while thanking her luck that birthdays were usually female-dominated. She did not need to deal with another single gentleman finding her eyes distinctive just now.
While making the rounds, she caught sight of Whitley among a group of boys, talking animatedly about something. He was the center of the group, the other boys naturally orbiting around him. It seemed she didn't need to worry about her little brother being socially awkward. Good.
She caught his eye from a distance and waved, getting a big smile in return from the young boy. Part of her wanted to coo at how adorable he looked in his little suit, but she doubted he would approve of being doted on in front of his friends, so she held herself back. For now.
In a corner of the room, her mother entertained a group of the most distinguished ladies present, looking a little overdressed in a white dress with more cleavage than Wisteria expected from her at a kid's party. Was her mother having a midlife crisis? She was at that age…
The woman in question caught her eye from a distance and called her with a gesture.
Time to turn half my brain off.
"Ah, if it isn't little Wisteria," a familiar old lady wearing a beige dress, Madam Gray, called out to her as she approached. "I was wondering where you were!"
"Madam Gray, Mother, ladies, good evening."
The gaggle of rich women greeted her in turn, though some gave her odd looks as they did it.
"You've chosen quite the interesting attire," one woman, a middle-aged blonde, spoke from the side.
"Ah," Wisteria said while looking down at her travelling clothes. Boots, thick pants, and a turtleneck. All of it in her favorite black and red. "You'll have to forgive me for the choice of clothing. I just returned from a business trip and didn't want to keep my sister waiting any longer."
"Oh, I heard about that!" Madam Gray said. "They put you to work under that old workhorse, Samantha, haven't they?"
That was certainly one way to call her boss. "Yes, Director Samantha took me under her wing some months ago. It's been an… interesting experience."
"Ah, that brings me back!" The old lady continued with a distant look in her eyes, making Wisteria wonder how much of what she'd just said Madam Gray had heard. "Nicholas Schnee, Samantha Stone and my Andrew, the three people at the beating heart of the SDC in its infancy. My, how those three shone back then. Only her left now, I suppose."
That ridiculous old lady has been on the SDC for that long? "I didn't know she was from my grandfather's era."
Wisteria waited for Madam Gray to respond, but the lady seemed lost in her memories, so the sixteen-year-old turned her head to the other person present who would know about it.
Her mother smiled, face softening as if she herself was remembering happier times. "I suppose that never came up, but yes, Samantha was one of father's most trusted people. Whenever he went into the wild to search for a new mine, it was Samantha who made sure he always came back in one piece."
So the old fossil has been in the company for that long... No wonder she can get away with so much nonsense. If she doesn't have a few dozen lockers filled with other people's skeletons, I'll eat my boots.
From there the conversation drifted, as it always did on occasions like these. Though unlike what had happened at the official parties she'd attended lately, most of it was harmless, focusing on what each of the women's children were up to. And if there was a focus on young men around her age and their achievements, Wisteria was more than happy to smile and nod while letting every word go in one ear and out the other.
While helping her mother entertain the guests, she couldn't help but notice how the other woman kept glancing at the wall-mounted clock, but who was she waiting—oh. Her father was nowhere to be seen. She knew this party felt more tolerable than usual.
"Excuse me, ladies," her mother said all of a sudden. "I need to check up on something. Wisteria, see to our guests, yes?"
Wisteria could only watch in mute annoyance as her mother left the room, leaving her to their guests tender mercies.
"So," the blonde from earlier began. "Is there anyone special in your life, Wisteria?"
Ugh. Could you be any blunter?
What followed was an interrogation session disguised as gossip and teasing, as the pack of older women subtly, and not so subtly, inquired about her dating life, preferences, and intentions for the future.
It was impressive how each party since she became the heiress made her more empathetic towards Winter. It kind of pissed her off.
After the women finally gave up on getting anything useful out of Wisteria, she finally had the time to look around the room. Whitley was easy enough to find, still talking with his friends, though she could tell from his body language the eight-year-old was feeling the strain. How long had this party been going on again?
A glance at the clock caused Wisteria to widen her eyes. Her mother had been gone for twenty minutes already? Just what was she doing?
Her brow furrowed as she failed to find Weiss no matter where she looked around the too-pink room.
"Excuse me, ladies, I need to check on something for a moment."
Not caring how it looked for all the Schnee adults to abandon their guests, she quickly interrogated one of the servants around the room, finding out her sister had taken her leave soon after their mother, claiming she needed to go to the bathroom.
A coincidence…?
Wisteria closed the door to the party hall behind her and marched through the corridors to the nearest female bathroom, eyes narrowing at finding it empty.
Duty and curiosity warred within her for a moment, with the latter winning by a landslide. She blamed her poor conversation partners.
She entered inside one of the cubicles and closed the partition behind her, hiding her from the sight of anyone entering the bathroom.
She pulled the thin chain around her neck, hidden under her collar, revealing a small golden locket. The small metal case clicked open, showing two small gems hiding inside.
Wisteria took a deep breath.
"Anfang."
She trembled a little as fire seared her back, but managed to suppress the grimace trying to twist her features.
Wisteria raised the locket and pressed one of the gems—a ruby—to her forehead, resting it against her skin as if it were a third eye.
"Verwandte finden."
Magic energy rushed through her body, converging on the ruby on her forehead. Her vision deepened.
She didn't go blind; quite the opposite. The closest thing she could think of was x-ray vision, just instead of seeing through objects, it was more like certain objects glowed in her vision no matter what obstacles lay in between. Here, the objects were her relatives.
In the distance, somewhere near her father's office, three red stars glowed. Two almost side by side, and another nearby. Father, mother, and Weiss.
After a look at the party to confirm Whitley was still there, she ended the spell, putting away the locket.
The walk to her father's office wasn't a long one. On arrival, she found frustration and amusement growing within her as she caught Weiss eavesdropping on their parents in the same spot she'd done the same some months ago, around the next corner down the hallway.
Of all the things to copy from me, did it have to be this?
She huffed and was just about to join her sister when her mother's voice, piercing through the wall between them, halted her in her tracks.
"Then why begin this family if you won't even go to your daughter's birthday? Why marry me at all!?"
Wisteria's eyes went to her sister, eerily still in her hiding place against the wall.
Damn it, I need to get her out of here. Someone her age shouldn't listen to this!
Wisteria hurried her pace, almost breaking into a run. Weiss audibly gasped at finally noticing her approach.
"For the company!" Her father's shout reached her, clear as a polished dagger. "I married you for the company! Are you truly so stupid you never noticed!?"
Wisteria froze mid-step. Not at the words themselves; she'd put that much together years ago. But at the fact he'd openly admitted to it. Her father always pretended to be better than he was, so why take off the mask now?
The sound of someone running away at full speed reached her through the corner. Weiss was gone, no doubt fleeing to her room in tears.
At the soundtrack of her father and mother screaming at one another with ever-increasing volume, Wisteria hesitated, a scowl on her face. Should she go after Weiss now, or send the guests away from the manor first? She wanted nothing more than to go after Weiss immediately… but she couldn't abandon Whitley. Worst case, her little brother could end up following them here. There was only one of her; she couldn't console two siblings at the same time.
Of all the days for Winter to be playing hooky!
Wisteria grimaced, turned her back on her screaming parents and stormed back to the party. Weiss would have to wait for a while. She could only hope the girl would still be awake by the time she got there.
The sight that welcomed her back at the party hall made her glad of her decision. The adults had broken into several whispering groups, no doubt wondering what was going on, while her eight-year-old brother looked about ready to burst into tears at the glances he was getting as the only Schnee present, teary eyes wandering all around the room.
She marched through the room and only stopped when she had him in a side hug against her hip.
"Hello everyone!" She said to the room, gathering everyone's attention. "Please forgive me and my mother for our temporary absence. I'm afraid our birthday girl came down with a case of the flu and is stuck in bed. I'm sorry for how sudden it is, but we'll have to cut the celebration short."
Wisteria kept Whitley close by her as the guests stopped by to say their goodbyes and well wishes to her sister, well aware of the curious glances her brother kept throwing her way. He was a good boy, though, so he only spoke after the last guest left.
"Sis, is Weiss going to be all right?"
Wisteria looked down at him, eyes widening in surprise, then remembered the excuse she'd just given to the guests.
"She's hurting right now, but she's a strong girl; she'll recover. But you know what? There's one thing you can do to help," she said while raising a single finger.
"Me?"
Wisteria nodded, brushing a lock of Whitley's white hair away from his forehead. "Yes, you. Tomorrow morning, the first time you see her, I need you to run to her and give her a big hug. Can you do that?"
Whitley blinked a few times, fixed his face with a brave expression and nodded gravely, as if hugging his two years older sister was a great task.
Wisteria leaned down, and before the little boy could react, planted a kiss on his brow.
"Sis!" The boy flinched back, rubbing his forehead as if she'd pinched him there.
She allowed herself a small laugh, enjoying the moment for what it was before summoning a maid to take her brother to his bedroom—after ordering the servant to avoid her father's office on the way.
Wisteria saw the little boy off with a wave and a whispered 'good night', gave a few instructions to the remaining servants, and took off to her sister's bedroom.
She hurried her feet, the knot in her stomach growing tighter with each step.
Just outside her sister's bedroom, she stopped, straining her hearing. There, almost too low for her to catch, was a little girl's hiccup. Weiss was still awake.
The back of her fist thudded against the wooden door twice. "Weiss, it's me."
"Go away!"
Wisteria sighed at how raspy her sister's voice sounded. She must have cried herself hoarse. Wisteria considered for a moment forcing the door open, but no. Things were spiraling out of control enough for her sister as it was.
"Hmm, I can't do that, but tell you what. I'll be sitting just outside, so if you feel like talking to someone, I'll be just by the door, okay?"
With her piece said, Wisteria sat with her back to the door and waited.
Time passed. Wisteria fished her scroll out of a pocket in her pants, wincing at the time reflected on the screen. There's no way she was carrying out that ritual tonight, was she?
"Wis?" Weiss's question from the other side of the door was a whisper, almost as if afraid of getting an answer.
"I'm here."
A beat of silence.
"What Father said to Mom, was it true?"
Damn you, Jacques Schnee. Damn you to whatever this hellhole of a planet has for damnation!
"...Yes."
The sharp intake of air mixed with a sob from behind the door was a knife to Wisteria's heart, but there was no room for lies here, not after what Weiss had heard. Not considering what would happen to their family from tomorrow onwards.
"What's going to happen?" Weiss asked after a moment of silence, her voice somehow sounding even more broken than before.
Wisteria softly hit the door with the back of her skull in a steady rhythm. How to explain to a ten-year-old what a dead marriage looked like? It wasn't like she was an expert on the matter!
"I can't be sure, Weiss, but father and mother will still be around… just not together."
She'd checked the marriage contract between her parents long ago. As long as they were married, Jacques held control of the company, his children after him. But never Willow. And good luck to her mother getting a divorce. Jacques controlled the bank accounts. No money, no lawyer worth a damn for one Willow Schnee.
What happened between her mother and grandfather for him to hand over the reins to someone else like that? Wisteria couldn't understand how the woman showed no hint of grievance toward the man after something like that. It made no sense.
"Wis?"
"Yes?"
"Will you be still around?"
"Yes, Weiss, I'm not going anywhere. Neither will Whitley," Wisteria let out a resigned sigh, "or Winter."
The door opened behind Wisteria. She turned around, coming face to face with a puffy-eyed Weiss still wearing the party's pink dress, all ruffled now.
"You promise?"
Wisteria got onto one knee, coming face to face with her sister, a soft smile on her lips. "Yes, I promise you."
She reached out her arms to Weiss, who sniffed and dove into the hug.
Wisteria held her sister tight, whispering in the child's ear. "No matter what happens in the future, if you or Whitley ever need me, I'll drop everything and come running, you hear me?"
"Un," Weiss nodded while sniffling against Wisteria's neck.
The older Schnee hooked one arm on the back of the younger's knees and lifted the child, straightening to her full height.
"Now let's get you to bed. It's getting late."
"Wis, can you stay?"
Wisteria chuckled. "Sure."
She got her sister out of the shoes and party dress, then took off her own boots and pants. After turning off her scroll's alarm, she got into the bed with Weiss, grateful that even the kids got double beds.
Wisteria smiled as her sister nestled against her, forehead to chest and hands grabbing her turtleneck, almost as if afraid Wisteria was going to flee in the middle of the night.
She forced herself to stay awake until Weiss's breathing evened out, only then letting herself relax.
The last thing showing up in a haze on her mind before she fell into slumber was a memory of Winter and her sleeping together when they were kids, so long ago.