[IC Inbox for Cerealia]

[heiroglyphs]

Thank you for calling.

You have reached the voice mail box of Weiss Schnee. My humblest apologies, but I am presently unavailable.

Please leave a brief message and I will get back to you as soon as-- wait Ruby no!

[ Beep! ]

Comments

[corona]

Yeah. [ This line of conversation is a little sickening but it's making her feel loads better. She's less tense now as she looks to Weiss. ] I... saw a few people at the carnival like that. People who - didn't know what to do? Or maybe they did but it wasn't happening in their brains like you said...

How do you guys do it? You've... been doing it since you were so young and -

Don't the adults -- Don't the people in your lives care that you're killing yourselves for their sake?

[ shots fired ! ]

[heiroglyphs]

We do it because we have to. If no person was willing to stand up against the Grimm, then soon enough there wouldn't be any people left. I think its safe to say that many of us would have different career paths if it weren't for that, though.

[Maybe not Ruby. She could never be anything but a weapon nut.]

And as for the people... of course they care. Some of them don't want us to do what we do, others respect our bravery and wish us the best.

Besides, it's not like they're just throwing us students to the lions. We handle smaller threats as a learning experience while the real Huntsmen and Huntresses do the real protecting. But... some day that's going to be us, and we need to be ready for it.

[corona]

Is that why you do it? To protect people?

[ Put her way: ]

Is that your dream, Weiss?

[heiroglyphs]

It's... part of it, at least.

[Maybe not even the most important part, to be honest.]

My family has caused the people of my world a lot of grief. I don't want that to be all people think of when they hear my name.

[corona]

Your family? [ That's - not entirely surprising given what Weiss said about needing to distance herself from her father, but... Rapunzel had thought monsters - Grimm - were the worst oft her world's trouble. ]

What has your family done that... you feel obligated to atone for?

[heiroglyphs]

Exploiting people for cheap labor, running smaller companies and shops out of business, cornering the market and selling Dust at inflated prices.

[Most of which is probably going right over Rapunzel's head, she realizes.]

I met a guy a tournament, not long before I came here. He was from the same continent as me, and just hearing my name made him angry. It turned out his family owned a small Dust shop that went out of business because my family undercut them.

[corona]

[ Rapunzel narrows her eyes. ]

How long have you known about things like that?

[heiroglyphs]

Too long, but there's nothing I could do about it. I have no control over what my father does with our family's company.

For a long time, I just accepted it as part of who I was. That people were going to hate me.

Eventually I decided to go to Beacon and become a Huntress. Maybe they'll hate me forever, but at least like this I can make a positive difference in people's lives.

[corona]

But -- [ And narrow further. ] That's not why you wanted to be a Huntress. Is it, Weiss. You knew what your family was doing long before you made the decision to leave.

[ Projecting?


Only a tiny bit. ]

What made you leave? You personally? You don't just spend all your time living with something horrible and - and act like nothing happened afterwards. What happened to feeling suffocated at home?

[heiroglyphs]

Don't you think it's a little late to be delving into my family life?

[She leans back against the couch, crossing her arms.]

[corona]

Well. There's never going to be a right time of day for it. [ Automatically looking up for a clock and, finding none immediately, going for the CereVice instead. ] I didn't choose now to have nightmares, after all.

[heiroglyphs]

[Wow, Rapunzel. She just hasn't bought one yet gosh.]

You know, most people would take that as a sign they shouldn't ask.

[Sigh, no getting around it, is there?]

My family is... complicated.

[corona]

[ Cooly, but not cruelly: ] So is mine. I barely even have one. [ Then, relenting some, she adds ] That's... how we got here, remember? Family semblance...

[heiroglyphs]

Yeah, I guess you're right. My family was just... very controlling. They care about me, sure, but there were always expectations I had to meet. Training, studying, meeting people. I'm not even sure I ever really got to be a kid.

[corona]

But that was all... [ choosing her words very carefully here ] to protect people from the Grimm, right? To protect people in general? Or - that's what they told you it was for?

[heiroglyphs]

No, they weren't training me to be a Huntress. They were just training me to be a Schnee.

My family prides itself on being strong, smart... overall better than everyone. I needed to know everything and everyone.

[corona]

But...

[ This seems to be what triggers Rapunzel turning and leaning in so she can reach out, confusion and hurt on Weiss's behalf just slightly screwing up usually smooth features. ]

Why?

[heiroglyphs]

Tradition, pedigree, I don't know.

[She leans away from Rapunzel out of instinct. It's not anything personal, she's just always had an aversion towards people, especially being intimate with people.]

The point is, that's what a Schnee is, so that's what I was raised to be.

[corona]

[ This time only her head turns. ]

I see.

And -- [ The hovering hands drop easily into her lap. What's interesting to her is that this isn't the first time she's seen someone sort of unconsciously drawing away - either in other people or in herself. It's a little embarrassing to see on someone as ordinarily placid as Weiss, like watching a person spill soup on themselves when they think no one's around, and Rapunzel herself instinctively wants to go back in time and stop whomever hurt Weiss from doing it. Just so the contact doesn't have to be so painful. ]

What if you couldn't do it? What if you failed, or... or you decided you didn't want to do it anymore? What would happen if you were to get tired and quit - do something else? [ questioning, but calm ]

...What are the consequences of not being the Schnee you're supposed to be?

[heiroglyphs]

[It would be a long fight against a lot of very dangerous people.]

I don't know. I never allowed myself to fail that way.

[There were days where she would be disappointed in herself, but she never let down her family. Whether that is a testament to her dedication or her father's patience is a question for another time.]

[corona]

I thought you said your family was wrong. That you were trying to undo what they'd done, trying to stop them--

[heiroglyphs]

And I will. One day, I'll inherit the Schnee Dust Company and set everything right.

Until then, it's protecting the people.

[corona]

[ Oh. She

she wants to - ]

Change... things from the inside?

[heiroglyphs]

That's the plan.

[She gives a little smile.]

[corona]

[ .... And now she's narrowing her eyes. ]

What does that have to do with being a huntress? Why do you need to go to monster killing school in order to stop your family?