Upon a cold stage, a doll danced and sang mechanically. All of her movements followed the predictable patterns that were expected of her. Not a single limb could afford to deviate from the rigid choreography instilled in its gears, lest the doll lose her beauty and therefore her purpose.
As Weiss completed her act, she felt great pride overcoming her. The girls' ears barely registered the ovation from the audience; there were only two people capable of truly judging her performance: herself and her father. But she was sure that this time, this time she had definitely been flawless: she had even managed to complete the ballet section in perfect rhythm without stumbling or dragging. Turning upwards toward the stands, Weiss awaited expectantly to be finally rewarded with the proud expression of a paternal figure.
Instead, she was met with them: those distant, bitter eyes that conveyed nothing but contempt and rejection. Among the cheering members of the Atlas elite, Weiss was overwhelmed by anxiety and all the voices in the room merged into a horrible, unbearable white noise that only drowned her further in her misery. What had she done wrong? Where was the mistake? If she wasn't even capable of perceiving it, did that mean she had just never been good enough in the first place?
As the curtain slowly descended in front of the stage, the princess and heiress of the Schnee Dust Empire was not smiling, she was not glad. Trembling and bracing herself for a torment she couldn't escape, Weiss' eyes became cloudy with tears as she played the routine back again and again in her mind, searching frantically for an imperfection. Then, clenching her fists with all her strength and gritting her teeth, the girl couldn't help but allow some of her frustration to leak through her quivering lips:
"Is it... not enough? Is it still... NOT ENOUGH?!"
xx
Weiss Schnee was born with no function to serve in the world.
When she was young, the girl was taught that she belonged to a prestigious and powerful family and that it was her responsibility to meet incredibly high standards so that, one day, she too would grow to be valuable and appreciated. Thus, if her mother spent most of the time taking long 'naps' in the garden instead of playing with her, it was surely because she was still not good enough. If her father got angry when she asked him to read a bed time story and hit her, it was surely because she had done something wrong. If her beloved sister suddenly left and never sent any letters home, it was surely because she had somehow failed her.
Weiss' tutors and peers only reinforced the idea that she had to excel in every aspect. A Schnee must be a top student; a Schnee must be an example of class and elegance; a Schnee must be strong and decisive. Through great effort, Weiss had almost mastered the persona that she was meant to portray in society. The girl turned herself into the model princess: competent, intelligent, graceful, dignified and a bit arrogant toward others, even when she didn't really want to be. Unfortunately, the more she managed to meet expectations, the more people shoved Weiss away. Some put her on a pedestal and treated her as a concept more than a human being; others were jealous and dismissive of her "pompous" attitude and resented her for being privileged and unlikable. Though she was sometimes confused by these negative outcomes, Weiss maintained the firm belief that, with enough effort, she would finally achieve the validation and acceptance she desired.
There was only one major flaw that the girl could find in herself; the only gear that was not quite in place. Although it was unbecoming for a member of the elite like her, Weiss enjoyed singing as a hobby. She hadn't trained this talent under the tutelage of a master, like she had done every other skill. Instead, Weiss sang simply because she felt like it, because she enjoyed it... which was the reason why it also made her feel incredibly guilty. She was sure that, due to the lack of formal practice, her voice was bound to be terrible and her pitch insufferable. If anyone were to listen to her, they would have likely been utterly repulsed. Therefore, the princess only allowed herself to sing in complete privacy, usually in her own room, where she found the activity to be soothing and fun.
