Chapter Text
“I’m just saying, dear, you owe it to yourself.” Kali sighed, taking a sip of her tea. “You don’t deserve to rot away here in a prison of your own.”
Willow huffed defeatedly, bringing her own cup to her lips. Despite the July heat bearing down on them over one of Schnee Manor’s many patios, the matriarch of the estate felt cold. Anxiety, even outright fear, was gripping her muscles at the discussion she was having with her old friend, one she knew Kali was correct about. Willow defensively pulled her silk summer wrap further around her bare shoulders over her flowy sundress and turned her head so that her sunhat hid her eyes. Having no response worth giving, she grabbed a couple crackers and cheese slices off the tray on their table and bit into them together. She could feel Kali’s eyes on her, not letting her off the hook, so Willow simply gave a small, wordless shrug.
“What, you don’t think you deserve it?” Kali baited. Willow offered another shrug, quicker this time, which was likely more telling about her feelings. Kali reached a hand across the table and laid it on Willow’s shoulder. “He emotionally abused you, dear. For twenty-eight years, he kept you under lock and key. Anyone in their right mind would understand why you had to cope the way you did.” Willow couldn’t stop a weepy sniff from coming out, but quickly covered her mouth to obscure the pained frown. Kali stroked her shoulder as she continued. “But he’s where he belongs, for good now. And you’ve done so, SO well in righting your own ship. Keep the sails open and chart your own course!”
Flashes of the last two years blinked in Willow’s mind. Jacques coming home and tearing through the house, ripping up papers and throwing them into various fireplaces without any explanation as to why. The police showing up and locking him in handcuffs, leaving Willow behind in a dark manor with staff she barely knew the names of anymore. The weeks that followed of unrestrained wine consumption, half celebratory, half in panic and terror. Klein, her head of staff, driving her to the hospital for alcohol poisoning. The visceral shame of checking herself into rehab. That all had been the downward half of the valley that was her single life, but thankfully, Willow had found her way to the other side and begun the upswing. Her divorce with Jacques had been finalized, and she would always remember her trembling hands holding the signed papers and taking what felt like her first breath in decades. She had earned her first milestone sobriety badge for a month sober, and then another, and another, now proudly carrying a one year badge. Most importantly to Willow, however, had been reconnecting with her children. Winter, Weiss, and Whitley all had their own lives outside of the city of Atlas, but plenty of long phone conversations had allowed them to slowly come back together as a family. All three had even returned home for the holidays this past year, which had truly been the greatest weekend of Willow’s life.
However, despite the upswing her life had taken, Willow couldn’t let herself forget where she had fallen to. Jacques was a bastard, deep down she knew that, so she gave herself some grace for being a bad wife. But to have failed so miserably as a mother…in her eyes, everything she had gained recently was far and above what she deserved to reap. Therefore, when Kali had started dropping hints a few months ago that Willow should get herself back out there and find someone to spend her time with, the idea had felt like the most selfish suggestion in the world. It was only through Kali’s continued insistence and support that Willow had begun to come around to the idea that perhaps she was allowed to have a little companionship in her life. That was only the first hurdle, however. The very idea of putting herself out there, at her age and with the baggage she carried, was mortifying.
“Kali…I just don’t see how it would ever lead to anything.” Willow sighed. “It’s not as if the dating pool at our age is the same size it was when we were young, and then add on top of it…everything that’s happened that I’m still working through. I would feel like a burden on them.”
“First of all, who said you had to find someone our age?” Kali countered, raising an eye. “Find yourself some young stud with stamina, I say.” Willow wrinkled her nose at the idea.
“I’m not going to be anyone’s…sugar mommy, if that’s what you’re suggesting.” She groaned, making Kali choke on her tea with laughter.
“No!” Kali chortled. “I’m not saying anything like that! I’m just saying your selection doesn’t have to be so narrow. And second of all, you don’t just lead a first date with your baggage. You spend time getting to know each other and building a bond. Then, if you see each other enough, hopefully you reach a place where your partner wants to know about the weights you carry and they want to help you bear them.”
Willow huffed at Kali’s explanation. She knew her friend wasn’t trying to be condescending, but at the same time, how was she supposed to know that?? Willow’s only experience being “on the market” as an adult was a whirlwind romance with Jacques, back when they both were barely old enough to be called adults. Back when he actually put effort into charming her and saying all the right things.
“I just…I quite frankly have no clue how to even go about dating.” Willow admitted, shaking her head. “And it’s not as if there’s a way to practice it without actually doing it.”
“Says who?” Kali cut in. Willow paused, waiting for the rest of the explanation. And then, as if it was the simplest, clearest answer, Kali shrugged and gave the very last suggestion Willow was expecting.
“Hire an escort.”
Willow’s jaw dropped and she found herself at a true loss for words. The idea was like an extra cog in her brain’s clock, gridlocking all the other cogs and causing a full halt to the entire system. Kali watched her squirm, clearly enjoying the moment a bit more than Willow appreciated, until the stunned Schnee found a way to form words.
“I…am NOT…h-hiring a sex worker j-just to practice dating!!” She sputtered.
“Willow, dear, they’re not sex workers!” Kali huffed. “They are, quite literally, professional boyfriends or girlfriends. You pay them to accompany you for an evening, they show you a wonderful time, and that is all that needs to happen.”
“B-But people…do have sex with them, correct?” Willow asked.
“Sometimes, yes.” Kali nodded. “But what happens between two consenting adults is their business. The transaction is for the time and company, nothing more.”
“Well…still…” Willow mumbled, folding her arms. “How do you know so much about this, anyway?”
“A friend of mine runs an escort business. And I’ve partook in some of her employees’ company myself.” Kali mused, sipping her tea. “Wonderful evenings, all of them.”
“You-?!” Willow gasped, more surprised than offended. “B-But, Ghira…”
“Was out of town and knew about it.” Kali hummed.
“Did…did you…” Willow stuttered, unable to finish the question. She didn’t have to, as a faint twinkle of mischief blinked in Kali’s eye.
“Like I said…wonderful evenings, all of them.” She giggled.
“Kali!” Willow hissed, actually managing a laugh at the juicy gossip. Kali shrugged her shoulders with a smile and finished her tea.
“But listen, you can trust me when I say that they will not judge you and that they will ensure that you have a wonderful evening. And if you feel awkward about paying for a date, just think of it like hiring a tutor! As I said, they are professional significant others, who better to learn from?”
“Well…I suppose that’s true…” Willow conceded, shocked at her own sudden openness to the idea. “But…goodness, I would just be too nervous with some young man I’ve never met bringing me around town.”
“Well…” Kali began, clearly picking her words carefully. “Now, hear me out on this, but for the sake of making it not feel like a date…you could hire a female escort.” Willow balked, expecting her brain to reject the idea…but it didn’t. In fact, she felt her nerves almost calm and she was able to take softer breaths.
“I…I could do that, I suppose.” She carefully acquiesced. “It…it would just be like a ladies’ night.”
“Yes!” Kali cheered, clapping her hands and beaming. Willow had barely let out a blushing smile before Kali had whipped her scroll out of her clutch and began punching in numbers.
“Kali?” Willow asked. “What are you doing, what’s happening?” The faunus woman didn’t answer, only holding her scroll out between them once she had finished dialing and had set the device to speaker mode. Willow’s stomach shot into her throat as she heard a ring sound out from the scroll and instantly all of the fear was back. Kali wasn’t going to let her wait and change her mind; this was evidently happening now. On instinct, Willow began to shake her head no, only for Kali to smile back and her and nod yes until there was a click of the call connecting.
“Kali, hello!”
“Hi, Glynda, how are you today?”
“Oh, just fine, I suppose. And you?”
“I’m doing wonderful, thank you. Listen, the reason I’m calling is I have a friend who may be interested in hiring someone for an evening.”
“Oh, spectacular! Is there someone in particular you have in mind?”
“A young woman. My friend is trying to get back on the dating scene and just needs to get some experience going out with someone.”
“Wonderful, wonderful. When is your friend wanting to meet?”
Kali paused to look at Willow, waiting for an answer. The petrified woman gulped, feeling obscenely hot under the collar, and gave a helpless shrug. Kali kept her eyes on Willow but leaned back to her scroll to answer.
“Could you have someone for tomorrow night?”
Willow’s eyes swelled in horror, but she kept quiet. As much as she wanted off this ride, her trust in Kali kept her from slapping the scroll out of her hands.
“It looks like Yang is free, have you met her before?”
“I don’t believe so, what’s she like?”
“Charming, carefree, likes to keep things fun.”
Kali raised her eyebrow in a wordless request for confirmation. Willow felt like she was being squeezed through an impossibly tight space, but seeing how much Kali was helping her, she didn’t want to feel entirely helpless. Swallowing, Willow pursed her lips and nodded.
“She’s perfect, Glynda.”
“Okay! Who should I tell her she is meeting and where?”
Kali once again paused for direction. Willow felt herself settling in with the fact that this was happening, and her only play seemed to be to step forward into it rather than back away. Clearing her throat, she finally spoke up with a light waver in her voice.
“Um, hello, Ms. Glynda. M-My name is Willow, I am, er…the person she will be meeting. If she could come to Schnee Manor, perhaps around six o’clock, I have a car that could take us where we need to go.”
“Hello Willow, it’s a pleasure to meet you. Yes, I can have Yang meet you there!”
“Thank you, I l-look forward to it. Um, one last thing…” Willow trailed off, feeling a mountain of embarrassment crash over her at what she wanted to ask. Kali reached out and took her hand, offering a small encouraging smile. Willow tried to return it, took a breath, and continued. “A-As Kali said, I, erm…I don’t have a lot of experience with d-dating. Is…is there any chance that Ms. Yang would be able to…suggest things for us to do? I am of course happy to cover the cost of our evening, but…I-I’m afraid I’m not well versed in how to go about having a date.”
“Oh, of course, Willow! I’m sure Yang can come up with plenty of ideas, she knows this city like the back of her hand.”
“Th-Thank you! That would be a weight off my chest.”
“No problem! Now, we can go over the expenses…”
Glynda walked Willow through the expenses and payment process, and also gave her some general guidelines and disclosures for what was and was not allowed during the date. Willow did her best to retain all the information, but her mind was like a river that had burst a dam. She also explained to Glynda about her sobriety and how locales that revolved around alcohol, such as bars, may be a bit restrictive for her. Thankfully, Kali was there to give her hand some reassuring squeezes and keep her grounded. When everything had been covered, Glynda gave them a warm goodbye and Kali hung up the call. Willow immediately melted back into her chair and began to breathe erratically.
“I’m so, so proud of you, Willow.” Kali consoled. “You’re taking the first step, and it’s not easy to do.” Willow could only nod, closing her eyes and trying to steady her breath. She felt like she had just been blindsided by a speeding car, and desperately wanted her head to stop spinning so that she could start preparing for whatever was to come the next night.
***
Willow quickly found out that no amount of preparation would allow her to feel ready for her “date”. The day after her tea with Kali, the day of her…whatever this was going to be, Willow decided to give herself a little extra time than normal to doll herself up. After all, this was supposed to be practice for a real date. She showered, cleaned her teeth, brushed her hair, painted gloss on her nails, tried on a few different dresses, eventually decided on a simple midnight blue one, picked out matching shoes, did her makeup, changed her mind and switched her dress to a long, flowy, ice-blue one, changed her shoes again to match the new dress, and chose her jewelry. Feeling as put together as she thought was achievable, Willow walked into the sitting room just off the main entrance hall and checked the grandfather clock to see how long it was until Yang’s 6pm arrival.
It was currently 10:32am.
Willow groaned and sank into an armchair, rubbing at her temples to try and calm down.
“Something bothering you, Ms. Schnee?” Asked a kindly yet professional voice. Willow felt her chest loosen, even just a little, at the sound of Klein’s voice and she let herself smile nervously. She looked up into her head of staff’s eyes, currently in their natural auburn color. He was standing out in the hall, turned as if he had not intended to stop but had caught sight of Willow’s crumpled form.
“Oh, it’s nothing, Klein.” She sighed. “Well, it should be nothing.”
“Well, it would seem to me that if something should be nothing, that would suggest that it is not nothing.” Klein tittered, turning and stepping into the sitting room. “Would you care to talk about it?”
“I wouldn’t even know what to say.” Willow admitted as Klein sat next to her, offering a strong shoulder to lean on. “This isn’t even…any sort of romantic outing. Why am I anxious?”
“Well, because it is a step towards future romance, an area of your life that has been most unkind to you, I’m afraid.” Klein consoled. “It is only natural that you feel anxious.” Willow only offered a small nod in response, agreeing with the logic but unable to shake the tension in her chest. She felt Klein tighten next to her and looked up to see his eyes turn a deep crimson. As he spoke, his voice came out rough and gravelly. “For what that bastard did to you…he’s lucky he’s somewhere I can’t get.”
“I appreciate your candor, but it’s really not necessary.” Willow sighed, patting Klein’s shoulder. “I need to put it behind me if I am going to take these steps forward.” Klein blinked several times as his eyes softened to a light pink. His posture softened as he seemed to withdraw into himself slightly.
“Oh, o-of course, Ms. Schnee.” He stuttered as his cheeks flushed with color. “I just simply…ahem…wish to help in any way that I can. You, well, y-you mean a great deal to me.”
“And you to me, Klein.” Willow smiled. Klein’s smile broadened and his irises shone bright yellow. Seeing him light up brought some of the weight off of Willow’s chest and she found it easier to take a breath. “Do you think you could find a way to keep me busy for…about seven hours?”
“Well, of course, madame!” Klein exclaimed with glee. “Let us raid the pantry for ingredients to bake cookies for the staff!” He stood from the sofa with excitement and held a hand out to Willow. As she accepted it and let Klein pull her to standing, she looked down at her full get up.
“Perhaps I should change first.”
***
The seconds seemed to tick by once every minute or so as Willow sat on the same sofa she had collapsed on earlier, now staring at the clock that read 5:56pm. The baking session with Klein had been a wonderful stress reliever and had helped her get through the day without having any sort of panic meltdown. Afterwards she had, once again, changed her outfit to a snow white sundress with a soft, black cut off jacket to keep her arms warm as the evening went on. A simple white clutch purse was resting against her bouncing knee and black heels were set in front of her feet. Willow closed her eyes and took a deep breath in through her nose, eventually opening her mouth and exhaling slowly. This would be good for her…she didn’t want to rot away in this house with just Klein and the staff anymore, as pleasant as they were. She wanted to get out and see Atlas again! She wanted to meet someone who could show her what romance really looked like. And tonight, this Yang woman would be the one to help her start along the path.
Riiiiiinnnggg!!!
The doorbell called out through the entrance hall and Willow immediately snapped to attention. She felt the fear and unease shoot back into her heart as she watched Klein step towards the large double doors. He turned to give her a reassuring nod before pulling one open to speak with the visitor. Swallowing, Willow reached down and clumsily slipped the heels onto her feet. Grabbing her clutch, she did her best to steel her heart as she walked towards the front door. Klein stopped his conversation with the newcomer as he saw Willow approaching. She put on as much of a smile as she could manage as Klein stood aside and let Willow take his place at the door. Standing on the stoop was a young woman of impressive build; tall, broad shoulders, muscles everywhere you looked. As if her evident strength wasn’t enough, she also boasted impressive curves along her hips and chest. A lion’s mane of thick, shimmering golden hair spilled down her back. She was, in a word, gorgeous. Her outfit was clearly chosen to show off her beauty; she was wearing a sharp yellow dress shirt with the top few buttons undone. Black suspenders ran over her shoulders and hugged her chest together, clipping onto the hem of her black pleated dress pants. She wore very similar black heels to Willow, putting her perhaps an inch or two taller than the Schnee matriarch. Tying the look together was a violet ascot around her neck, the color matching her vibrant eyes. The young woman flashed a brilliant smile and extended her hand.
“Nice to meet you, Willow. I’m Yang.”