Chapter 8
Days turned to weeks as Willow continued to live in Sharlayan. If she wasn't studying the job stone she had her nose in a book, be it for studying or relaxation. She studied books of history, various types of research, and fantasy with equal due diligence, constantly fascinated in all the ways this world was different from her home.
The more time she spent practicing her magic or studying in a book, the less time she spent with a bottle of wine in her hand. She still drank, of that there was no doubt, but her daily intake of alcohol had slowly subsided from a bottle a day to at least half a bottle, and usually only right before bed.
The alcohol helped her sleep comfortably, as without it she was beginning to have sleep terrors that would keep her awake at night. Terrors of her home being destroyed, of the faunus destroying everything she had ever worked to build, of her husband looming over her to use her for his own ends, and of her old life having come to a sudden and abrupt end.
Some nights she would awaken and desperately wish she could return to her home right then and there, to make things right, to fix what had been broken, to stand up to the man who had taken everything away from her…
…And other nights she hoped that she would never return, that the life she had left behind was better off without her. That her children didn't need her, that that world didn't need her. Perhaps it was better to stay on Hydalean till the end of her days.
No matter how her dreams ended, if it was a terror, she would reach for her wine and drown her sorrows in them until she could go back to sleep. Fortunately for her body she was so accustomed to alcohol that she rarely ever felt hungover, though it was a blessing built upon the curse of alcoholism she had gifted to herself.
After a few weeks of practice and study Willow had decided to lounge about in the Leveilleur manor, reading one of the many books about Eorzea's flora and fauna when there was a stepping of feet that drew her attention.
It wasn't at all uncommon for people to be meandering about the manor, seeing as it was often visited by servants of all sorts to cook and to clean, but on this particular day it was Ameliance who deigned to visit her.
"Good morning Miss Schnee, I see you are doing well," Ameliance offered a comforting smile as she approached, though her words gave Willow pause to roll her eyes.
"I've told you before Ameliance, you may call me Willow. There is no need to be so formal." She was, after all, the guest in their house, not the other way around. If anyone was supposed to be formal it was her, though if some guest came into her home and drank her nearly out of wine she'd have a conniption.
"I just want you to be comfortable is all," Ameliance smiled reassuringly, stepping over to the table where Willow was reading and sitting down at one of the open chairs. It was an open secret at this point that Ameliance was far more devious than she let on, but that gentle appearance of hers was enough to constantly make Willow lower her guard.
Women like her were incredibly dangerous and not to be trifled with.
"I assure you I have been most comfortable," Willow emphasized by turning the page of her book, "you all have been far more courteous to me than I ever would have been to you in my home world and for that I cannot thank you enough."
"Is that so?" Ameliance asked curiously with a tile of her head, "you do so rarely speak of your life back home. Why is that?"
Willow scoffed at the notion, rather disliking the turn the conversation was taking. She had spoken with her and her husband enough about her home world for them to believe that she was from another world entirely, but beyond that she had come to find talking about herself and her life far too depressing to get into.
"What's there to speak of? I'd rather not dwell on it at this point." Willow had a hint of a growl to her voice, the memories of her past life starting to make her angry.
"...I ask because when you arrived here you sought to return to your life," Ameliance asked kindly, folding her hands together on the table to give Willow a sympathetic look, "be it to return to your old life or to see your children again… But you seem to have changed recently. You seem more focused on making a place for yourself in this world more than returning. Could you tell me why that is?"
Willow's fingers tightened around the edges of her book, truly disliking this conversation now. She HAD been looking for ways to return to her world and had been for the last several weeks, but the longer the weeks had gone the more she had been leaving the research up to Forchenault alone. She was too busy with her aether practice and her studies of Hydalean history to truly worry about returning to her home.
…And of course, the night terrors had been reminding her of just wait awaited her back home. A cold, empty room where all she did was read and drink, a loveless marriage by a ruthless man who took everything from her, and children whom she loved but wanted nothing to do with her.
"...You would have no interest in my life story Ameliance, of that I can assure you," Willow answered aggressively, flipping the page of her book despite not having finished with it just in need of something for her hands to do, "it is not a tale anyone would care about."
"I think you underestimate my interest," Ameliance said simply, keeping her comforting smile going, "I would rather like to get to know you more all the same."
Willow practically slammed her book shut, before placing it on the table, a hard look on her face.
"Fine. You want to know the truth about my life?" Willow answered with a shaky growl, angry not at Ameliance for asking, but at herself for the truth of it all. "The truth is that I'm a washed up hazbin failure of a business woman. My father was brilliant, far more brilliant than I ever was, and created a company that literally changed the world, literally not only improved the lives of every person on the planet but changed combat and warfare forever. He figured out how to manufacture and distribute dust and built a multi-billion dollar company out of it." Willow scoffed, sitting back in her chair and crossing her arms, glaring down at the floor.
"And while he was doing that I married a man who claimed to love me, only for him to cheat and rob and backstab me. He convinced my father to let him run the company when he became ill, and then proceeded to cut me out of everything. Cut me out of the business, out of my family, out of everything! I gave him three children and from the very start he had only ever married me to steal the business my father was supposed to leave to me!" She practically spat the words out, long hidden resentment and anger bubbling to the surface. She couldn't even look Ameliance in the face as she spoke.
"Divorcing him was out of the question because it would leave everything my father ever left me in his hands. My children grew up to hate me and all fighting my 'husband' did was make everything worse. Angering him, making him get physical, it wasn't worth the pain or the suffering." Willow squeezed her arms as she tried to rebuild walls that were crumbling around her "So I shut myself off from the world. I locked myself in my room and I drank my sorrows away. I can't exist without drinking. It's too painful. It's too… Cold."
Willow shivered in place, holding herself in a hug as the anger and sorrow all bubbled up and over again.
That was the home she had been taken from, the home she had been whisked away from to come to this world instead. And it was only dawning on her each and every day how much she actually preferred being in this world, how much… Happier she had been day by day.
Maybe that didn't seem very happy compared to everyone around her, but it was more than she'd been back home. The alcohol helped numb the remaining pain but it was also a constant reminder of who she was back there.
The more she lived with Ameliance, the more she saw this world, the more she realized…
…How could she have let herself get to that point? Get to the point where she had let her whole life fall apart, let her family hate her, let that man take everything from her?
In a way, coming the Sharlyan had been a clean slate. A chance for her to start anew. And all she'd done so far was try to run away from it.
Willow nearly jumped out of her skin as she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder, turning to look at Ameliance who was smiling down at her with sympathy. Part of it angered Willow, for how dare she try to offer comfort on a matter she didn't understand…
…But another part made her feel some modicum of comfort. That if there was anyone in this world who might be able to understand her pain…
…It was Ameliance.
"The life you left sounds so difficult Willow, I'm sorry you had to go through all of that," Ameliance spoke comfortingly, her voice soft and tender, "but that life cannot hurt you while you are here. And, if anything, should we find a way for you to return to your world, Fourchenault and I would be willing to help you reclaim what is yours."
Willow let out a scoffing laugh at that suggestion.
"What's the point of doing that? A strange woman whose life is a mess comes into your home and you offer her all the comfort and help in the world. What possible reason could you have for doing all that?" Willow growled, looking away from Ameliance.
"...Because you are our friend, Willow." Ameliance said simply.
The word stopped Willow in her tracks. A word that seemed so distant, so foreign to her that she could barely wrap her mind around it.
She hadn't had 'friends' since her school days, since Jacques had entered her life. She had become so isolated and alone thanks to him that she had forgotten that other people could form bonds with each other.
Even more than that, she hadn't thought they had been getting close enough to consider themselves friends.
"We… We are?" Willow asked hesitantly, confused, turning to look at Ameliance in disbelief.
"You didn't think we were offering you a home out of the sheer kindness in our hearts, did you?" Ameliance chuckled, patting Willow's shoulder before returning to sitting at the table next to her.
"I… I kind of assumed you were only keeping me around for scientific interest," Willow grumbled, looking away from Ameliance with a faint blush on her face. The notion of someone caring about her was far too foreign for her to willingly accept just yet.
"Well, yes, I cannot deny that at first that was how this arrangement began," Ameliance said with a confirming nod, lacing her fingers together again and offering a comforting smile, "but you've been so honest and eager about learning about our world that it's become fun to see you grow. From practicing your aether manipulation to eagerly reading more of our books… You could tone down a little on the wine drinking, but I think you'd be someone I could see myself being a good friend to, if you'd be willing."
Willow opened her mouth to respond, the words getting stuck in her throat. Ameliance really wanted to be friends? That… that seemed so unlikely her brain refused to believe the words she'd just heard.
"What… What possible use could you have for a friend like me?" Willow mirthlessly chuckled at the idea, the thoughts of how useless and worthless she was going through her head.
"...In Sharlayan there is a bit of an old tradition," Ameliance spoke nostalgically as she reached over and pulled the book Willow had been reading closer to herself, "where two students of the Studium would share a single book and then write a paper on it. They would then share the paper with each other, discuss and debate their points, and in the end combine their points to come to a shared conclusion. A tradition that started decades ago as a means of cementing the friendship and bonds between classmates, forming into life-long bonds that would be for the betterment of Sharlayan."
Ameliance opened the book, flipping through the pages and just glancing over the pictures and words.
"Though you may not come from our world, your interest in it has grown so much that you read about it every single day. There is nothing I would enjoy more than picking your mind on your thoughts of our world, on how it differs from yours, and that we could share our ideas and beliefs and come to conclusions that might make not just Hydalean a better place to live, but your home as well."
Ameliance closed the book and turned to Willow with her ever present warm smile, one that to Willow, felt like it was beginning to finally melt the ice that had formed around her heart almost two decades ago.
"And above all else… I think you could use a friend," Ameliance chuckled at that, "in this world it's no good to live your life alone, locked in a room. Having people you can rely on is how you go on living. So what do you say Willow, would you like to formally be friends?"
Willow just stared at Ameliance for several moments, still processing everything she had said. This woman…
…This woman truly was far more devious than any man she had ever met. There was a lingering part of her cold, hurt heart that told her not to trust this strange woman, not to open herself up to being hurt the way Jacques had hurt her.
…But another part of her heart wanted Ameliance to be speaking the truth, that everything she had seen and heard about this woman had left her willing to believe that she had only the best of intentions for those around her.
Two mothers who could use a good friend around their age, how more unlikely could it get?
It made Willow laugh. A genuine, deep, hearty laugh from deep within her. It was so silly, so absurd, a notion she had long forgotten and had given up so many years ago.
A friend?
Very well then.
"Alright Ameliance, I think you're making a terrible mistake and this day will come back to haunt you," Willow smirked, smiling smugly at Ameliance, "but I'm willing to accept your proposal of friendship. It may become useful to me in the end, after all."
This time it was Ameliance's turn to laugh. Willow's turn to a more 'serious' tone made the matter all the funnier. Willow held absolutely no cards in this game and the notion that she had anything to lose was such a farcical bluff that she couldn't help but laugh.
"Oh very well then, I suppose I will have no choice but to accept this alliance of friendship between us," Ameliance said with her own devious smirk in return. She put her hand on the book Willow had been reading and looked at the woman with a devious look in her eye, "and as my first act as your official friend… Would you like to know a secret?"
"A secret?" Willow raised an eyebrow curiously, smirking all the way. "What kind of secret could you possibly have to share with me?"
"Well," Ameliance spoke with a smirk, flipping through the pages of the book to stop "the fauna in this book? You can do more than simply read about them."
This caught Willow's attention.
"Oh? Do tell."
The caribou let out a loud, wailing cry into the air, not one of pain or fear, but one of communication to its fellows across the field.
Willow couldn't help but stare in amazement at the herd. A veritable field of fuzzy, four legged, hooved creatures with massive antlers walking around in a field that was veritably underground! Complete with an artificial sun above their heads mimicking day and night!
"Labyrinthos is Sharlyan's worst kept secret," Ameliance laughed, a titer to her voice as she put a hand up to her mouth, "everyone knows it exists but typically only those who are with the Studium ever get to step within its walls."
Willow just continued to stare at the creatures, unable to believe she was seeing them in person. Above their heads flew some large dragonflies, larger than she'd ever seen, seeking out the local water supply behind the caribou. In the distance she could see large, bison-like creatures though far woolier than the ones she knew of back in her world.
There weren't just creatures she was familiar with either, there were creatures that looked so alien she couldn't believe they were real.
Floating orbs of water or living swirling mini-tornadoes, floating ethereal beings that looked more like ghosts than animals. Giant mushrooms with frog-like bodies that hopped around, birds of all shapes and sizes wandering around and building nests, and even what looked like humanoid vegetables walking around like little people.
So many of these fantastical creatures she had read about in her studies, and many many more she hadn't even known existed, all living together in seeming harmony beneath the feet of all of Sharlayan! It was unthinkable!
"Ho- How is all of this possible?" Willow asked, dumbfounded and confused, unable to put into words just how incredible it all was.
"A lot of math, science, and aether," Ameliance chuckled, turning to walk and motioning for Willow to follow her. "As you might guess, it's quite dangerous to go out into the world and study the various living creatures of Hydalean out in their natural habitat. So, to solve this problem, the Studium created this space so that not only could we keep living specimen here, but we re-created the various environments in which they live so that they could most comfortably be themselves."
"It's like a zoo… But more… Open…" Willow spoke with wonder and awe as she followed behind Ameliance as they approached a building in a more settled area, researching clearly milling about just outside of it.
"A zoo isn't a bad way of describing," Ameliance said with a nod, "though we tend to think of it more as a nature preserve. After all, we want the animals here to live and to thrive, not just be studied."
Willow was still taking everything in when there was the sound of a crash, drawing everyone attention to see a man on the ground, surrounded by bags, boxes, and a broken crate.
"Hey! You need to be more careful with all of that!" Another man spoke up, approaching the man on the ground, "if you damage any of the cargo it's on our heads!"
The taller man berating the man on the ground had skin that was immensely dark, nearly matching the dark black hair on top of his head. He wore a green tunic over dark pants and long brown boots, but what Willow noticed more than any other detail-
-Was the large black bunny ears sticking out from the top of his head.
Willow stiffened upon seeing the man, images of blood thirsty faunus filling her mind. Faunus who wanted her dead, her business burned to the ground, and every last part of her legacy erased from existence.
Of course she had learned a little bit more about the races of man on Hydalean, how they weren't the same as the faunus back in her world. There were three races in particular that were similar to the faunus she knew of; the miqo'te, the hrothgar, and the viera. And given this man's rabbit ears, he was likely a viera.
"S-Sorry boss, I didn't mean to- I-I'll get this cleaned up." The hyur on the ground mumbled under his breath, immediately beginning to clean up the mess he had created. The dark viera simply sighed, shaking his head.
"Honestly, for your sake I hope nothing is broken. The value of these relics is too great. If something is broken you'll be lucky to only lose your job." The viera spoke plainly, clearly not in an antagonistic manner but one of warning. The hyur seemed to understand, doubling his effort to fix his mistakes.
"Hm. You know… If you're curious about learning more about our world…" Ameliance pondered for a moment, tapping a finger to the side of her head. Willow looked at Ameliance confusedly, unsure of what the woman was thinking. It was then that Ameliance lifted her hand into the air and called out to the man, "Erenville! Could you come here a moment?"
The viera perked up at the sound of his name, turning to see Ameliance waving to him. He nodded his head and stepped over, leaving the hyur on the ground looking devastated, clearly thinking he was about to be in deep trouble.
"Mrs. Leveillure, to what do we owe the pleasure of your visit?" Erenville asked, stepping up to greet her, before he turned to look at Willow curiously, tilting his head. "And who may this be? The estranged guest we've been hearing rumors about?"
"W-What?" Willow stuttered, almost taking a step back in hesitation at the word. They'd been talking about her? Behind her back?
Images of red, gleaming, angry faunus eyes filled her mind, a chill running down her spine, fear gripping her breath.
Was this man meaning to harm her? To kill her? Was she safe right?
As Willow's mind raced and panicked, Ameliance spoke up calmly and kindly, "yes, this is the very same. Mrs Willow Schnee, a visitor from another world staying with us in our manor."
"My goodness," Erenville spoke with a tilt of his head, seeing Willow's face seemingly growing pale, "she doesn't seem to be fairing well. Are you not accustomed to our air?"
"O-Oh! N-No, it's nothing like that!" Willow spoke rapidly, a shake of her head, trying to calm her beating heart.
'This isn't a faunus, these people are nothing like the faunus, nothing like the white fang' she repeated over and over in her mind, taking deep calming breaths to try and slow her heart rate. No matter how similar they may look to the people who caused her so much pain and trauma she couldn't let herself fall victim to comparing the two.
"Ahem, my apologies," Willow cleared her throat, giving herself a small bow in Erenville's direction, "It's as Ameliance says. It's very nice to meet you, um…" Willow had just heard his name but in her panic it had slipped her mind entirely.
"Erenville," the man said again in an understanding tone, "and I must say, the rumors about you are quite fascinating. Is it true that you come from another world?"
"Oh, uh, yes, yes that is true." Willow said, straightening herself up and forcing herself to look Erenville in the face. She had to overcome the inherent fear in her mind, she knew that, and one of the only ways she could think to do that was to confront it head on. "I was- I was whisked away here against my will and the Leveillure's have been gracious enough to host me."
"Interesting. Very interesting." Erenville spoke, putting a hand up to his chin in thought. "Oh the treasures one could glean from a whole other world…"
"Pardon?" Willow asked a little confused, a tilt to her head.
"Ah, let me explain," Ameliance offered with a smile, "Erenville here is a gleaner. He travels the world for us and brings back artifacts, seeds, even creatures if possible. His job is essential to keeping Labyrinthos running efficiently."
"It's a difficult job, but someone has to do it," Erenville said with a nod. "My friend over there is a new hire, hence why I needed to correct his actions. Artifacts we find can sometimes be tremendously fragile, so it's important as a gleaner not to drop our cargo, both for preservation and future study."
"I-I see…" Willow responded, rather curious at this profession. Someone who went around the world studying and collecting artifacts? That sounded…
…Almost fun.
Ameliance got a sparkle in her eye, looking at Willow with a grin on her face.
"Willow, would you like to learn more about gleaners from Erenville?" Ameliance casually offered, clearly knowing what she was doing. Willow glanced over at Ameliance, a little shocked, yet… The offer was appealing. Sure, Erenville's status as a viera still shook her at her core, but if she got to know him better and learn more about the world at the same time…
…Perhaps she could start to feel like she was finally finding her place in this world.
"Well… If Erenville doesn't mind…" Willow offered hesitantly, glancing over towards the man, uncertain of how he might feel or react to this news.
"Hm. I am willing to teach, but we've been particularly busy lately," Erenville muttered, "I don't suppose the Studium might be willing to hire another extra hand if my time is going to be taken up teaching her about our ways?"
"I don't see why not," Ameliance offered with a smile, "I'll see to it myself that you get an extra hand or two to make up for the difference. After all, helping out Willow and learning more about her will be invaluable to our cause."
"Of that, I have to agree," Erenville said with a nod and smile. "It will be a pleasure working with you Mrs. Schnee."
"Uhm, y-you as well," Willow offered in return, forcing a smile on her face.
As if life hadn't already been interesting enough for her, it was about to change once again.
For better or for worse she couldn't say, but she hoped it was for the better, because more than anything…
…She wanted to learn as much as she could about the world of Hydalean.