Chapter Text
Sitting stiffly in the hard seats of the Academy hall with other students, she waits for the General to appear. The hall is pristine white with accents of blue, grand spacious with ceilings high as the one in the manor. All first year students were instructed to come here at five o’clock sharp in the late night without any apologies. Going without an ample amount of sleep isn’t an issue for her, she has spent so much time in the past awake in the quiet of the night as she guided her sister with the way of the sword, but with the hall just half full, Winter realises that maybe it's not normal to be able to function on 3 hours a sleep a day.
Only one person was here earlier than herself. The only Faunus in the entire group of first years with dark shaggy hair sits with rigid posture, tail swaying slowly behind him. His eyes are wide with caution, he’s forcing himself to stay awake even in the process. She pities him.
She curls her fingers around her sword, attached magnetically to her side, thumbing the grooves on the hilt. Her grandfather had forged the sword of her with utmost precision. His final words to her were that a Schnee has no use for such barbaric methods when we have our glyphs as he handed her the blade. He fell ill not soon afterward.
Hearing the sounds of boots thudding against the floor, she tears herself away from others weapons and to the stage which General Ironwood is making his way up towards. He’s tightening his tie with gloved hands when there’s a loud slam, hall doors flung open as a pair are down gasping for air, hands on knees. A tall blonde woman with a green scarf and a woman with blue hair who Winter easily identifies as the disinherited heir of the Marigold family. Whispering apologies, the duo sit down on the nearest seats possible as they take long deep breaths in, trying to conceal their clear exhaustion.
The General is amused by this, a small smile upon his face as he grips the edge of his lectern with chest forward. Closing his eyes, he takes a moment for himself before beginning to speak.
“Thank you all for arriving here on time as requested yesterday. You’ll all be pleased to hear that you’ve passed the first stage of initiation at Atlas Academy, as everyone else who is not present in this hall have been disqualified from the process.” Murmurs begin from the floor again, energy only bustling once there’s worthy gossip to talk about. She spots the pair who made a late entry give each other a little high five, by no doubt glad that they made the cut. The General raises his hand and silence washes over the hall once more. He has a tight smile when he begins again.
“At eleven-hundred hours, you will all be given assigned partners using data procured from the initial entry exam. You and your partner will work together for the rest of the time here at Atlas Academy and it is not possible for there to be any changes unless it is extenuating circumstances.” She relaxes a little at this, hands unclenching from the fact that whoever she’ll be paired with for the rest of the time here they’ll at least be competent and be at a similar level to herself. If she’s lucky, they’ll understand that Winter isn’t here for amicable conversations and bonding but to simply fulfil the role she’s expected to do. Schnees do not fail . Making unnecessary bonds will add further risk to her career here, nor does she want her father knowing and analysing the history of any counterparts that she acquaints.
“From there on, there will be a double battle between other pairs. Teams will be made according to rank and how well you perform in these assessments.” That puts her off a little, another thing that she must excel at. She knows that her father would be deeply disappointed and possibly angered at the fact that he is ‘paying good money for you to go to a school that teaches such Neanderthal methods’, for her to not be the top scoring student.
“You are all at liberty to do what you please until then. Breakfast will be served in the mess hall at seven hundred hours. Report to the training grounds at 11 sharp, else you will meet the similar fate as everyone else who isn't here has. Dismissed.”
Chairs scrape against the cold floor and everyone leaves the hall in a hurry most likely to catch as much sleep as possible before they are tested. She isn’t sure what to do for the next couple of hours, she’s fully awake, any sort of nutrition won't be available until 7 o’clock and it's not possible to practice her swordwork, there are other people in the temporary dormitory she was assigned to. In the end, she supposes that she could take inventory of the dust she’s brought with her, as if she isn’t the heir to the Schnee Dust Company and it’s practically impossible for her to not have more than an ample supply of it.
A crowd has formed in the area by the door, slugglishy moving forwards much to her annoyance even though she didn’t have anything better to do. As she shuffles her feet forwards towards the door in time with everyone else, she catches eyes with Marigold and gives a small nod in acknowledgment and then sees the tall blonde woman by her side again. She’s looking at Winter with such scrutiny it nearly puts herself off the spot, the intensity of her gaze making WInter notice that she has purple eyes, a warm welcome to the cold blue she faces every day in the Manor as they leave the room. Her gaze only falls when Marigold pokes her on the shoulder and beckons her to go with her somewhere. With one final look, a smirk and a nod that makes Winter stop in her tracks,the woman whips round the spot and goes running off down a corridor with Marigold.
She’s left confused in the middle of the doorway, creating a blockage until someone shouts that she’s in the way and she hurriedly moves into the Academy corridors and towards her dormitory. The actions of that woman with the blond hair has her baffled, unsure of what a wink and a nod of the head means. Is it a way for her to get herself closer to Winter so that she would be able to exploit her fully using the Schnee wealth? Or was it some new form of interaction and greeting that young people have today that she doesn’t know with the limited interactions with anyone near her age.
Confusion sweeps her mind as she enters her dorm and she’s beckoned with an empty room aside from her belongings in the bottom bunk in the left of the room. Everyone else had been eliminated from the process, none of them believing the memo they received on the scrolls, that it would be 3:30 in the afternoon not the morning. A twinge of pity and nothing else for them, since they proved that they would not be suitable to dwell within the Academy walls.
Using the remaining space of her room, she spread out her items a little from the cramped position they were in previously. Dust vials are lined up on the shelf in alphabetical order instead of being locked away in a box, her sword placed by two joined bedside tables with maintenance oil, a small pile of hardback books on the opposite lower bunk. A small soft toy that Weiss gave to her as she left sits in the corner of the bed, hollow plastic eyes stare back at her as she sets it down. For a split second, she considers tucking it into bed but casts the ridiculous thought away. She is nearly turning eighteen, she had no time for childish pleasantries like that anymore, let alone have them in the first place
Everything else stays in the suitcase. What should be an 8 man dorm is a room for herself until the teams are chosen. The General had offered to give Winter a private room that would ‘suit to her needs’, but she politely declined, not wanting to receive anything that would put herself in advantage or others at a disadvantage. He was hard to argue against, but they settled for a large shared dorm that has two bathrooms as she could at least receive some luxury. No one to share the luxury with though.
She lies in her bed with arms splayed out, not bothered to go under the covers. Weiss and Whitley would be fast asleep right now along with their mother. Her father may be in some different continent, negotiating trades and acquisitions that would benefit the company. Talks that eventually she would do in the future.
Sleep doesn’t welcome her, there’s no point in trying to read the books that she’s read during the journey here, there’s no space for her to practice her swordwork with the limited space she has with two bunk beds that cover half of the room. If the blade hit the woodwork, the metal would get ruined and she doesn’t know if she is able to access a forge this early on. If the bed was just adjacent to the one she is in, it'd be more than enough space to swing her sword.
Realisation hits, she can move the bunk across the room. It would probably wake anyone up who’s on the floor below her, but with the boredom she’s dealing with she couldn’t care any less. After some exasperation at the heaviness of the bunks, she reties her hair in a quick ponytail to get ready.
Picking up her sword in her right hand, she sets an alarm on her scroll for half past six in her other as she prepares herself with some drills to practice. Nothing too taxing that she would be tired by the duo fights as it's only a refreshment on forms, but enough to keep her prepared. Swinging her sword, Winter lets herself get lost in the feeling of moving together with her sword that slices through the air easily and gracefully. Like she does each time she trains, the burdening thought of responsibility escapes from the clutches of her mind and is replaced with the high of comfort.
Chewing on buttered toast, through her scroll she checks the stock market, refreshing the page as the time nears 8. Her training went longer than anticipated and so she’s down in the mess hall later than she would have wanted but there’s ample supply of toast and butter to not be bothered. She can hear a couple of whispers, look it’s Winter Schnee, the heir to the SDC and she seems to uptight and oi watch it you- . Someone crashes into her side and she drops her scroll in surprise, toast landing buttered side down onto her lap as she falls off her seat. She’s on the floor with someone else who’s got shaggy hair and a tail; it’s the boy who was earlier than her to the introductory meeting in the hall. His hair is messed up more than usual, clothes skewed and the collar of his t-shirt looks like it's been pulled on, fabric distorted.
It doesn't take long for the boy to gather himself, jumping up from the floor and begins to apologise profusely to Winter with fear in his eyes that turns into terror when interrupted by a burly figure with dark hair that’s slicked back with gel. He’s shouting at the Faunus, something about how it's all your fault that you crashed into Winter Schnee, how could you even think about doing that. The boy tries to reason how the other person had pushed them but it makes them angrier and they begin to shout. By this point, Winter’s recollected herself together, removing the toast from her clothes as she stood with a small wobble.
It's eerily quiet in the mess hall, only some clutter of utensils and hushed whispers echoing through the room. The burly one begins to step backwards, hands waving in front of him as he tries to explain himself that it's not my fault it's that deranged animal’s fault I didn’t do anything wrong okay . She cringes at the crude terms he uses against the Faunus, who visibly shrinks at the word as he gives hushed apologies to Winter. She stands silently with a glare until he scampers away with a final apology that's directed at her and not the Faunus.
Chatter fills the hall once again, moments discussed eagerly amongst counterparts until a new topic is found to gossip about. With a sigh, she sits down back at her seat, picking up her scroll from the floor and thankfully it isn’t damaged. The boy stands awkwardly next to her until he realises that it’s okay for him to sit down next to her and eat some breakfast. She doesn’t question anything, annoyed that the market had opened before she had disposed of the inconvenience.
Winter learns that he’s called Marrow, he’s a Faunus from Mantle and that he’s grateful for what she did. She’s not sure why he is though, she didn’t do anything to help him.
Even though his mug once filled with coffee is empty and the pancakes are gone from his plate, he continues to sit with Winter who now looks at morning articles. Nothing of particular importance.
He continues to sit there, tail lightly wagging as he sips on his second cup of coffee. She’s long finished with her food and the time is nearly half nine but is unable to do anything too hasty with Marrow stuck to her side like glue. Its only when she stands up and begins to leave that he says something.
“Can I come with you?” It's asked carefully, eyes hopeful. She’s about to say no since its a ridiculous question but she realises he’s holding his tail still, or maybe up. She thinks back of how he was thrown into her without any care, how the perpetrator had only apologised to her and accused Marrow of being the reason why she was on the floor, how he kept on apologising and how terrified he looked as he did so. She chooses differently and says yes for the sake of his safety. He’s elated, smiles across his face as he thanks her, tail wagging freely without any restriction.
He doesn’t do a lot, sitting quietly on the spare bunk in her room, watching her practice her swordsmanship, the hum of the sabre accompanying the comfortable silence. He falls asleep, probably exhausted from waking up so early, snoring softly on the bed as sweat begins to drip from her face. It’s then she realises that she likes Marrow and wakes him from his slumber before 11, finding herself wanting him to do well in the Academy. She shakes him awake half an hour before having freshly showered from her training, hair damp and changed into fresh clothes. He thanks her repeatedly, that he owes him one and that he’s forever in her debt. Winter finds it unnecessary but it doesn't stop her from smiling.
They stand in the training grounds with everyone else who was in the hall, backs straight eyes forward and weapons by their side. The grounds are peculiar, illuminated by neon lights that highlight the dark paint that covers the walls of the area. It’s so different from the clinical appearance of the Academy, more daunting and enticing, egging students to engage in combat and train their abilities. It's a customisable room, as blocks float across the room and arrange themselves at a tap of a finger. The modern technology makes it trademark Atlesian but aside from that it’s completely foreign.
Marrow has an interesting boomerang/gun hybrid that fascinates her but never enough to have a gun. This time, Marigold and her friend aren't late, arriving comfortably 10 minutes earlier than requested to not repeat last time's events. Ironwood stands above in a balcony with his chest forward and hands crossed behind his back. The moment it turns 11, he speaks and his voice is broadcasted into the room, directing individuals with their future partners. Marigold who now goes by May is with the blonde woman, Robyn Hill is her name. As she watches the two give each other a high five Robyn’s eyes catch her own and gives a wink with a smirk. With a furrowed brow, Winter turns away and faces the General, listening for the next pairing.
It’s Winter Schnee and… Marrow Amin. Hushed voices fill the room, but Marrow takes no notice and gives her a bright grin, says how she won't be able to get rid of him so easily or something like that. She waves a hand away at him, rolling her eyes and that’s a ridiculous notion but nonetheless is fine with the selection.
The general finishes announcing the final partners and a large screen to their left shows the respective matches that they will be facing. They're given thirty minutes to discuss tactics until the round of matches, which WInter is participating in. She learns that Marrow's semblance is useful, rendering individuals frozen until he faces away from them. The only drawback is that he’s only strong enough to do it with one person at a time, so it's risky depending on it at the very start. She in turn explains her Semblance to him, how she can use glyphs, unwilling to reveal the power of her geist just yet. Similarly to Marrow's semblance, summoning takes time and it’s unwise to depend on it too much. They devise a plan that focuses on Winter acting as a support most of the time with Marrow using her glyphs, he can cover her if things get tight.
It works out for nearly all of their matches, beating their opponents swiftly and smoothly and without much resistance. In a rare occasion where Marrow uses his semblance to allow Winter to defeat the final opponent, it’s satisfying to easily defeat someone.
The last round of matches are happening now and they’re up against Hill and Marigold. She still wears a smirk that begins to irritate Winter, not understanding what is so funny about the situation and why Hill is so focused on her. There’s a signal from the referee that the match has begun and the two disappear from sight immediately. They're both left bewildered, its impossible for anything to move so quickly that they disappear, scanning the arena to spot them. Marrow yelps as he dodges a bolt from a crossbow, then disappears altogether.
At this point Winter has no idea what is going on but it seems like one of their semblances involves invisibility. Gripping her sabre in her hand, she presses down onto the trigger and lets her secondary blade fall into her other. She was hoping not to reveal this in the preliminary matches that determine partners, but she cannot fail now after a perfect streak of wins. She flickers her eye back and forth from the screen that shows aura and sees that Marrows is dropping quickly but has managed to knock down the others aura down by an ample amount.
He comes out of a supposed invisibility field with a torn sleeve, panting. He points towards the vicinity where he appeared from, and gives a quick report on individual skills. Marigold seemed to be the one holding the field, unable to fight as much as Hill during the ambush but is still strong with an axe that ‘probably turns into a gun’. An axe swings towards him and he ducks low to avoid it, turning his back to Winter as he once again readies himself to any sudden appearances or disappearances.
They walk in circles and crouched low until the invisibility drops and Marigold is in front of her, wielding a heavy looking double bladed axe. Winter leaps in the air as Marigold takes a heavy swing that clips her shoulder and uses her dust reserves to fire ice shards at her, hoping that at best it would freeze her in place. Marigold manages to dodge the majority of the attack but does bear some damage that hits her lower body, making her trip over. Infusing gravity dust into a glyph, she holds Marigold down into place before placing a finishing blow.
On the large screen it shows that Marigold's aura levels are low enough to have her eliminated from continuing the match, but so has Marrows. He's crouched over on the floor and wheezing, hand on his chest with his weapon thrown aside. Hill twirls a bolt in her hand before loading it into her crossbow and aims at her. Winter does her best to avoid the flying projectile, but it hits the same spot where Marigold got her and she winces in pain as her aura flickers, dangerously close to being eliminated.
Winter abandons strategy and charges blindly forward, holding her swords in her hands and she hopes that Hill retreats from the sudden attack. Instead, Hill uses the blades of her crossbow to block an attack before swinging a punch towards her. Whilst Winter grabs onto her, she blocks the punch with the other blade in her left arm, but loses balance in the process, bringing Hill down in the process.
They clutter on the floor with a thump, Winter braces herself for the impact and hopes to the brothers that it's not enough to take out her aura any lower. She tries to pry her body off the floor but something is holding her down, heavy weight on her midsection and her arms are being held down. Hill is on top of her, squeezing her wrists until she drops her weapons and rendering her defenceless. She still has the same grin Winter sees her with all the time and it's then she speaks for the first time.
“Like what you see?”
And she does. Hill is pretty, annoyingly so, hair tied up in a ponytail leaving behind bangs to frame her face. Violet eyes nearly glow in the dark shadows and her teeth gleam, her skin looks smooth, soft and touchable.
Hill brings a hand to her face as if she’s going to cup her cheek but only pulls it hard, Winter yelps from the unexpected move. The referee calls that the match is over, Robyn Hill and May Marigold are victorious.
As Hill climbs off her, Winter lies on the floor dumbfounded by what had just happened. She ruined her perfect win streak because she was too busy admiring Hill’s looks. The finishing blow is a pinch . She could have done anything to push her off, yes her arms were held down but she still had the rest of her body to use, legs to kick with and a semblance to utilise. She stays there until Marrow taps her lightly on the leg, mentioning how it's time for dinner and that the results will be announced afterwards. Repeating the final moments of the battle over in her head once more, she peels herself off the floor and takes Marrow's hand to help her up. Her shoulder stings, but it's nothing that her aura won't be able to heal.
They leave the training grounds to be greeted by Hill and Marigold, the latter wearing a scowl so strong it makes Marrow take a step back whilst Winter steels herself for whatever the disowned heir has to say.
But it's Hill who speaks up instead, good match and wish we can do that again and I’m Robyn by the way , with a smile that throws Winter off like all the times she’s interacted with her.
Winter thanks her but notes cooly how she should be on her way Miss Hill and she shall see her later. Hill chuckles at the formal way her names are spoken, but leaves with a small wave as Marigold drags her away to what Winter assumes towards the mess hall. She watches her ponytail sway side to side until Marrow reminds her that he’s hungry and he doesn’t want to miss out on any food.
She’d rather go for a shower to wash herself of all the sweat and tells Marrow to go on without her, that she’ll be there soon. He disagrees, how they should be together for the reason that they’re partners, and they shouldn’t be doing things separately so early on in their Academy life and that he’ll wait in the dormitory with her. She tries her best to argue that it isn’t necessary but gives in after seeing the look on his face that reminds her of Whitley when he wants pancakes for breakfast.
Marrow gives a little cheer and walks with a small bounce to the mess hall as Winter sees to her shoulder which still hurts, Marigold hadn’t even hit her properly with the axe and yet it still was a nuisance to her.
As she enters the mess hall with Marrow, she can see that people are staring at them, whispering into each other's ears and even having the gall to point. She’s not sure what's wrong, is there something ridiculous painted on her back or Marrows? Her clothes were fine, aside from a little tear from where Marigold had got her and her hair is in a presentable state. Marrow, aside from his messy hair, is also looking adequate, nothing off. He’s unusually quiet as he heaps his plates with vegetables and meat, drizzling it all in a heavy coating of gravy. His tail is still, eyes dart around as he goes to reach for cake. He nearly drops it after someone shoves into him, a couple of loose greens fall onto the floor. She hears them say words that pierces him, crawls under his skin, gnawing away at him from the insides.
With a ducked head, he moves to an empty table in the corner, secluded from everyone else. Winter follows him quickly before giving a curt nod to Hill, who gives a quick thumbs up in reply.
She sets her tray down quietly as she sits opposite to Marrow who's inspecting his carrot far too intently for it to be normal. He stabs it with a fork before taking small bites, sliding it about in the gravy whilst doing so. He rests his elbow on the table and his sleeve is dangerously close to getting dirtied, so Winter pulls his arm down and away.
He looks distraught by what she’s done and she tries her best to defend herself, unsure of what went wrong. Your clothes would have got ruined.
Smiling at that, he thanks her and devours another carrot before fully indulging into his meal. It's shocking to her how he can eat so much with such vigour but she doesn't question it, happily eating her shepherd's pie.
Marrow amazingly, but unsurprisingly finished with his meal before her and takes the moment to ask questions about her that are far too invasive for the first proper meal together.
“Why are you being so nice to me?” he asks with a cocked head that’s propped up against his arm. He plays with the gravy with a knife in his other hand, eyes not meeting her own. She can see that his tail isn’t moving as quickly as she hopes, swaying softly behind him. She shrugs, is it not polite to treat everyone equally?
“I have no reason to be hostile towards you.”
“Sorry, just cause, you know, you’re a Schnee.” She stops eating and grips her cutlery, mouth frowning as she slowly sets them down. She tells herself that the tabloids are always wrong, that father sets a bad image, that her father isn’t even a real Schnee.
“The reputation of my father’s company is well deserved. But that shouldn’t be applied to me or anyone else in the family.” Marrow gives another apology and before asking more general questions. She learns a lot about him in one sitting, he likes video games even thought he only owns two (she never had the time for just trivial activities), enjoys a good mug of coffee and doesn't understand why people are so picky over which kinds of bean (she vehemently disagrees, tea is better), has no idea how he managed to get into Atlas Academy but is grateful (she has every idea how she did), glad that he’s met someone as open minded as her (she’s glad that he doesn't pry too much into her life).
They return to their room with only an hour left before the General announces the teams, she rushes into the shower to rid herself of the sticky feeling of sweat. Marrow chuckles at how desperate she is but agrees a quick spray would be nice and is glad of the second bathroom in the room.
General Ironwood is on the stage once again, announcing teams with their ranking and leader. It's shown randomly, so no one really knows the ranking of their team until it's announced. Winter sighs with relief as it is revealed that her team is ranked first, even with the slip up she had against Hill. They’re with two strangers that Winter doesn't know who gives Marrow displeased looks that frustrate her beyond words. One is a girl with short buzz cut brown hair that wields a sword like Winter but has the capability of turning into a rifle, named Rin Park. The other has platinum blonde hair, similar to Hill’s, that's slicked back with a ridiculous amount of gel and has no visible weapons, possibly a brawler. They’re introduced as Alex Omar. Winter is ironically the leader for team WARM, and the introductory ceremony ends there. The General gives a final note that all details have been sent to their scrolls such as dorm rooms and timetable and should all rest up for the forthcoming beginning of the academic year in two days.
She’s helping Marrow move his belongings to their new room after his insistence that they are partners, and partners should do things together, when she again bumps into Hill. She begins to wonder if she’s doing it on purpose to rile her up, rub it into her face how she beat Winter Schnee and all the glory that comes with it. Winter only raises an eyebrow at her arrival, a look of what do you want scrawled on her face as she walks alongside with Marrow.
Congratulations are given, praise for the high achievement. This is all normal, no infuriating look on her face, no side comments that would render her speechless, it would be completely fine if it isn’t for how pretty Hill is. No, hot is more suitable to describe her as she leans against the wall in a tank top and sweatpants, exposing her toned arms to the world that Winter stares at a moment too long for it to go unnoticed. Hill wets her lips, tongue flicking out before disappearing again.
“Shame we’re not in the same team. You’d be a real asset y’know”.
She feels heat creeping up her neck for some unknown reason. Rubbing the back of her neck with her palm, she gives a bashful thanks and says the same out of politeness, unsure of what else to say without embarrassing herself further. Marrow quietly laughs and Winter elbows him to be quiet, only egging him on further.
Hill takes the moment to leave, giving a wave and a wink to her before she turns and leaves in the opposite direction of their dorm room. A shame WInter says, it would be useful to have someone as capable as Hill to be nearby incase of emergencies. Marrow howls in laughter, hand on his belly as he bends over, letting his old suitcase fall over onto the floor. He stays in a crouched position for a couple of minutes as he tries to speak through his laughing spell, oh my god- you- Robyn Hill? Man, this is going to be fun . She doesn't understand what he’s implying and insists that he should get himself together as there isn’t long before curfew. Sure, sure he replies as he wipes a tear away and gives her a hearty pat on the back before marching towards their dorm with determination.
Rin sits cross legged on the top bunk reading a book and Alex is busy arranging his array of skincare products onto the shelves when they enter the room. It's noticeably smaller than the one she had shared with Marrow, but thankfully he doesn't comment on it and instead claims the top bunk. They give him a tight lipped smile before resuming their activities. Winter doesn’t have enough belongings to unpack and so she helps Marrow, who has more books than clothes in his bag (I’ll grow out of my clothes, but not books). It's cumbersome work but it's comforting to let herself fall into a routine of handing books to Marrow, who places it into the bookshelves that are closest to them. Once they run out of space, he begins piling them onto the floor even though there is an entire empty row which neither Rin or Alex use. She asks if it's alright for Marrow to use the shelves, and they give a hesitant yes after their eyes wander back and forth between them. Still, the books lay neatly stacked on the floor afterwards.
It's around eleven when everyone finishes unpacking, Alex brandishes a bottle of vodka for a game of truths. She rolls her eyes but joins in, trusting herself not to drink any. He digs out four shot glasses and passes filled glasses around. She sets her glass down to the side, happy to not indulge herself into it and listens to the questions Alex and Rin ask around. What’s your semblance? When’s your birthday? Fucked anyone? Do you find Ironwood hot? Winter recoils at that question, fathoming how anyone could find a middle aged army General to be attractive.
They learn a little about each other, Rin is from a small town in the vast continent of Anima, Alex has always lived in the riches of Atlas but they’re ‘not too rich’. Rin likes all kinds of sheep, having cared for them as a child on their farm, Alex, like Winter, knows how to fence but favours his fists when fighting.
“How did you get into the Academy?” The question is clearly directed at Marrow, Rin waits with crossed arms. Marrow downs his shot before replying calmly with a stormy expression.
“I have a human uncle. He managed to convince the board members of some combat schools that I have some ‘raw talent’,” he says, curling his fingers to signify the inverted commas. “I was good enough that they couldn’t ignore me and got a recommendation for the Academy, even though I’m a Faunus.”
“Right, yeah. Sure okay.” Winter frowns, unhappy with the disbelief Rin has of Marrow being here of his own merit. “But really, how did you do it?”
“Asking that many questions is rude” Winter leans back into her bed, head resting on the mattress.
“What would you know of getting things through hard effort, Schnee?” Rin bites back, alcohol settling in. Alex tells her to shut up, that she’s drunk and she’s being rude. Still, she doesn’t relent. “Go on Schnee, tell us. Least the dog gave an explanation, even if it is fake.”
Anger boils in her, curdling away and eating the insides, bubbling as it reaches higher and higher. She restrains herself from doing anything physical, but her tone is icy and without any mercy.
“Never call Marrow that again. He is a Faunus, not a dog. Do you understand?” Rin nods back weakly, terrified of the woman who stands in front of her. “I came here against my father’s wishes. I had fencing lessons as a child that enabled me to secretly apply to a combat school. From there I honed my duelling skills. I applied secretly to the Atlas as well as Haven as a backup. The General accepted me because of my skill and not my name.” Rin blearly mutters okay and says that she’s going to get ready for bed. Wobbling towards the bathroom, she gives Marrow a glare before slamming the door shut. They hear the hiss of water from the taps, elsewise it's silent in the room.
Alex gives some sort of apology to Winter and says that it was a bad idea to start drinking on the first night at the Academy. She shakes her head, sighing as she wraps her head around the events of the night. Announcing that she needs air, she slips out of the room and walks down the corridor, away from her teammates and the prejudice that festers in there. If she could, she would go train with her sword, get lost in the feeling of moving in forms with such precision she needs to block out the outside world to concentrate. But her sword is locked away in a locker on the ground floors and she’s walking the corridors of the Academy past curfew on the first night. It's a good thing she’s wearing slippers or the entire corridor would be awake to the sound of her stomping through the grounds.
She steps out to the balcony that has a view of the city lights and Mantle down below it. Even though it's only September, the air bites into her skin, her thin sleepwear not giving adequate protection against the harsh winds of Solitas. Everything is unfamiliar here, there’s no one she can go to and be with without question. Weiss and Whitley sit in the cold confines of the manor alone, Klein can only do so much for them. Mother became more and more distant ever since a large argument she had with father and Winter’s departure from the house wouldn’t have stopped it. She just hopes that Weiss gets a scroll soon so that she can check that herself and Whitley are safe, safe from the hands of her father until she returns to the manor for the holidays.
Draping her arms over the railing, she hangs her head low and takes in deep breaths, taking in the cold air. It’s immature of her to lose her temper so easily like that and she drafts apologies she could give to each member of her team for her irresponsible behaviour. She’s only just finished her draft for Alex when she hears footsteps behind her. She shakes her head and stands straight, ready to face the consequences of being caught past curfew. Marrow gives a little laugh before telling her to loosen up, it’s only me as he join her by the balcony edge.
Even though Winter’s lived in the city of Atlas, the view never ceases to amaze her. The towering skyscrapers that light up the cityscape, warm lights down from Mantle serving a contrast from the cold blue hue of Atlas. She can see the Manor shrouded in rare greenery in the far distance, so close yet so far away. She misses the trees from the gardens, even if they were being cultivated through artificial means, misses running her hands through the leaves, misses Whitley asking what kind of flower is this . She’ll search for a greenhouse tomorrow, determined to explore the greens in the Academy.
Marrow comments on the beauty of the Atlesian nightscape and thanks her for what she did in the dormitory. Like last time, she’s not sure why he’s thankful, she didn't do anything particularly that helped him nor did she reprimand Rin for being racist but for asking too many questions. After seeing the look on his face, she realises she said all of that out loud. Face burning, she turns away from him, humiliation fills her.
“You might be the only person in this Academy who doesn't hate me for being a Faunus. For now, that’s enough for me.”
They return to the dorms soon afterwards, tip-toeing in the shadows of the corridors, both don't want a detention first thing at the Academy for their own respective reasons. They slip into their room quietly, the door clicks behind them softly. Rin appears to have gone to bed early, covers pulled over her head. Alex is awake on their bed slapping products onto his face. They give a small hi to both, or one of them and resumes his activities. Marrow takes first dibs of the bathroom and rushes off, locking the door behind him.
Winter finds some paper and a pen and begins to write the events of the past 24 hours, eager to contact her siblings.
Dear Weiss and Whitley,
I have arrived in the Academy safely and I've been made team leader. The food is nice here, but not as nice as Klein’s cooking we get sometimes. My partner is called Marrow and he’s reliable, a little cheeky at times. He’s a capable fighter, I think you would take a liking to his light nature once you get to know him. I’ve been made team leader of WARM (ironic, isn’t it?) which was nothing but expected. We start classes soon, hopefully they are informative and interesting but regardless I shall inform you of all that I learn.
How are you doing? I hope you’re not causing Klein too much grief without my supervision. I hope mother is talking to you, and you’re listening well to father’s wishes.
Write back soon,
Your sister, Winter.
The letter is shorter than she’d like it to be, but she can't risk mentioning that Marrow is a Faunus. She stops herself from telling them about Hill and her mysterious nature, there’s no need to tell them about something she doesn’t understand yet. She folds the letter away and makes a mental note to post it tomorrow first thing in the morning, before breakfast. Tucking herself into bed, she flips the switch of her bedside lamp and lies still, waiting for sleep to come to her.