Chapter 8: Meetings
Disclaimer: I own nothing but my original characters and works; all other characters and worlds belong to their respective owners. I'm just playing with them.
Betad by Marethyu, Priapus, Mike God of Lore, Beans, Old man of the mountain
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Chapter 08: Meetings
– Qrow Branwen –
Yang had spilled the beans when she came home, and he wished he could say he was surprised that she'd gone behind everyone's backs to meet Raven, but he really wasn't. Yang was not a patient girl, and when an opportunity presented itself, of course, she jumped on the chance to meet her mom.
Yang was still hiding something; he'd been in this business for far too long to buy her shitty excuses and knew his sister too well. Raven's offer to train Yang and Ruby during the break made him paranoid as fuck, and while he wouldn't stop Yang from accepting, he was damn well going with Yang if she went to the tribe.
The fact that Raven was pissed over Taiyang moving on was both surprising and yet entirely in character. Raven didn't love Tai but still got pissy that he'd dared move on from her, even if Qrow could admit that Tai moved on fast.
Hearing from Yang that Raven basically said she didn't love him and had no desire to see him again had been hard on Tai, but neither of the men was particularly surprised by Raven's words, even if they'd had to pry them out of Yang.
Still, Raven had changed. He did not doubt that Raven was manipulating Yang, trying to turn her away from Ozpin if Qrow had read his niece right, and that was worrying. The Raven he knew was not manipulative. She was a cold-hearted bitch, but she was very up-front about it. She didn't do deception, seeing it as something for weaklings; this was out of character for her, and that worried him. Raven getting smarter was a grim concept. She was dangerous enough without getting some new tricks.
But that wasn't what brought him to Vale, as he looked up at the closed club, the giant sign labelling the building 'Lux'. Far larger and grander than the usual dive bars he preferred, but for once, he wasn't here to drink.
His son was alive, and Raven knew it. Raven, of all people, knew how devastated he had been when Willow's baby had been 'stillborn'. Sure, he didn't love Willow, it had been a drunken liaison, but he had always sworn he'd be a better father than his own was, and having his first and only son die in childbirth had convinced him that his own Semblance had killed his child, something his own shitty father hadn't even managed.
It had destroyed him, and if it wasn't for Taiyang and Summer, it might have killed him as he'd listened to some dark thoughts. Raven had just told him to man up and stop the brooding, loving sister that she was, seeing his depression as nothing but a sign of his weakness.
Even after he had recovered, he'd kept everyone at arm's reach, even Tai, Summer and the girls. He didn't want to risk their lives by being around too much, fearful he'd kill them like he had his son.
When Ozpin told him that he suspected Shiro to be that child, he'd convinced himself that either Ozpin was jumping to conclusions or that Raven hadn't known the truth, even if she'd hired him as a courier. He'd looked into Shiro himself and found no real connection to the tribe beyond delivering them goods as part of his job as a smuggler, his criminal contacts proving that while Shiro was a damn good smuggler, he was just a smuggler. He didn't do anything more serious than occasionally smuggling drugs and weapons.
But no, Yang had proven that the sliver of trust he'd given his sister was entirely misplaced. Raven had known Shiro was alive for years and never once told him. Was she sitting there, laughing at his depression, knowing that Shiro was alive and well?
For all their differences, he'd never wanted to hurt Raven. Not until now, that is. Genuine rage filled him at the idea of Raven knowingly leaving him in the dark about this. It sounded like she'd known for years. Shiro had started his smuggling when he was younger than Ruby, and the Branwen Tribe were old customers. He could have met his son years ago, but Raven decided it would be better not to bother telling him, or Shiro for that matter. He'd had to stop himself from heading back to the Tribe to try and kill Raven himself, not least of which was because he wasn't convinced he could actually beat the sociopathic bitch.
Entering the club, he got some attention from the workers who were still preparing for the grand opening, given that he was clearly not supposed to be here.
"Hey, I'm looking for the owner, Shiro?" Qrow said, making the closest man give him a searching look. The man, a large bull faunus, spoke into a radio for a moment before nodding.
"He's upstairs, just through those doors, then take the elevator to the top floor. Can't miss his office," the man replied, going back to work. Qrow gave him a grateful nod and followed his directions.
Reaching the door to the office, he paused before knocking. He was used to just walking in wherever he went, but he didn't want to make a bad first impression with the son he'd not been around for. Shiro was twenty-one; that was twenty-one long years without parents because he'd let himself get tricked.
Fucking Jacques, it had to be. Jacques was scared of what a bastard would do to his little Dust kingdom and had switched Shiro for a body double. He doubted Jacques had the balls to kill a baby. Otherwise, Shiro wouldn't have made it this far, but someone that rich could probably get a dead baby that had been stillborn and bribed the doctors to swap them. Neither he nor Willow had been in the right emotional state to question the doctors; why would they?
As someone called for him to enter, he opened the door with uncharacteristic nerves as he stepped inside. The young man inside paused the music that had been playing, some pop-shit that sounded like something Yang would listen to, turning to him with a curious look.
Leaning against a fancy desk, the well-dressed man, boy really, gave him a once over as Qrow did the same. White hair and icy blue eyes immediately made him think of Willow, and even Shiro's outfit reminded him of the Schnee. Dressed in a pair of smart black trousers and a white shirt, Shiro didn't at all look like him at first glance.
Only, the hair was a little too messy, and his features were not quite as soft as a normal Schnee, as the Branwen blood made itself known. The more he looked at Shiro, the more he saw himself under the elegance.
"Qrow, right? I take it Yang spoke to you?" Shiro asked, his tone sounding utterly calm as he crossed his arms.
"She did, and yeah, that's me," Qrow admitted, a little lost for words as Shiro rubbed his chin.
"I have to admit, I have no idea how to approach this. A decade ago, I'd have been thrilled, or maybe just angry, to learn I'm not an orphan, but now?" Shiro asked, shrugging. "I'm a little old for tearful reunions, plus this just had to happen the week before my grand opening when I'm overrun with work," Shiro snorted. "Either way, it's nice to meet you. Yang told me a decent amount about you; Raven did, too."
"How much of Raven's was just insults?" Qrow snorted, making him laugh.
"'A pathetic, spineless drunk'. I think that was the nicest thing she said about you," Shiro replied, his tone flat as his lips twitched. "But I figured she didn't like you when I learned she'd decided not to bother informing us about our relationship for years."
"Yeah, I'll be having words with her about that one. I'm not gonna lie; I don't know how to approach this either. I ain't exactly the fatherly figure," Qrow admitted.
"Well, I would like to get to know the family that Raven just dropped on me after all this time; just don't expect me to call you Dad," Shiro snorted. "Want a drink?"
"Damn right I do; I'm too sober for this," Qrow admitted, watching Shiro get two glasses and some expensive whiskey. It was better stuff than he usually drank; his job didn't pay that well. "Don't worry, I'm not here to mess with your life, but finding out my son was still alive came as one hell of a shock."
"I get that. I honestly can't figure out why Raven brought it up after not mentioning that she was my aunt for years. I met her when I was fourteen, and she says she suspected from the start," Shiro admitted, passing him a glass as Qrow snorted. "If she'd revealed that she was my Aunt back then? Honestly, she could have had me eating out of her palm. Why wait for so long? What does she get out of this?"
"Trying to predict Raven is a mistake. Trust me, I tried that for years. It didn't work, and I'm her twin brother," Qrow grumbled. "She does what she wants and never explains herself to anyone. Did she ever try to bring you into her little tribe?"
"No. In all the time we've known each other, it's been pure business. At most, I spent the night with the tribe on occasion after a delivery, but I was gone in the morning. She never tried to get me to stay with them or even hinted that she was my aunt," Shiro explained, and Qrow just ran a hand through his hair. Fucking Raven, what was she up to? "Yang has been pushing me to go to Patch after the Grand Opening. Apparently, Ruby is excited to have a new cousin."
"Yeah, sounds like her. You should go up and meet Tai when you're free. Rubes is a good girl, a little weapon-mad and shy, but she's sweet. You've already met her, right? You're the one who gave her that drone thing," Qrow asked, making him nod.
"Ruby helped me design the combat model of my drone, so I gave her the old recon model since I was gonna scrap it, and she seemed to like it," Shiro agreed with a shrug. "Weird that I stumbled into both my cousins by dumb luck; I wonder if Raven would have ever said anything if I hadn't happened to meet Yang and recognised her as Raven's daughter?"
"I honestly don't know; I don't get what she got out of keeping things secret to begin with," Qrow replied, frowning as he took a swig of the expensive whiskey. "So, a nightclub?"
"I have a lot of connections from my courier days and saw an opportunity to move into the clubbing scene. Figured it was time I settle down and move into a more administrative position," Shiro admitted, and Qrow paused.
He was well aware of Shiro's criminal activities, but it would be hypocritical of him to judge Shiro for doing what he had to do to survive and realistically, his crimes were very minor.
The pragmatist in him saw Shiro as another potential criminal contact as Shiro's influence grew, well aware that his son was in the process of forming his own gang. He might be fighting on the side of good now, but his upbringing in the Branwen tribe had left him with a far greater tolerance for criminal dealings. It was what made him such a good agent for Ozpin.
"You've done well for yourself, better than most 'orphans'," Qrow praised, making Shiro smile slightly. He knew he was just making small talk at this point, but he was not really sure what else to talk about.
"What can I say? I'm ambitious," Shiro replied with a proud smile. "Maybe it's my Schnee blood."
"Heh, maybe. I sent Willow a message; she took your 'death' badly and deserves to know you're still alive," Qrow pointed out, making Shiro nod. "Honestly, we haven't spoken since just after you were born; I don't know how she's going to take it."
"Should be interesting; gotta admit, your side of the family is more approachable than the Schnee family. It's certainly helped explain some things," Shiro admitted with a frown. "A few weeks back, I was being followed by some private eye. I ditched him and had a friend follow the money trail. Jacques has been keeping an eye on me."
Qrow frowned, but he wasn't surprised that Jacques hadn't just forgotten Shiro existed. Would the posh bastard try to have Shiro killed if he felt threatened?
"I mean, you're technically the heir of the SDC since Winter abdicated her position," Qrow pointed out, watching Shiro's eyes narrow in thought. He could see the ambition and greed in them.
"Somehow, I doubt Jacques is thrilled by the idea of a bastard slipping in and replacing Weiss," Shiro snorted. "That's going to be trouble, but I can handle it."
Shiro seemed sure of himself, but Qrow made a note to keep an eye on Jacques himself. He didn't find out his son was alive just for that smarmy bastard to kill him to try and cling to his power and reputation.
Their conversation moved to safer topics, talking about Ruby, Yang and Tai, and he took it as a good sign that Shiro seemed interested in his family. He also asked about the Branwen tribe, but Qrow warned him away from them.
Fortunately, Shiro's criminal connections meant that he knew far more about Raven than Yang did and was well aware of the danger she represented. He wasn't some naive child, blind to her sociopathy just because she was his Aunt.
Excusing himself as Shiro got called by his men to help set something up, he left with a small smile on his face. Shiro was a serious kid who took himself just as seriously, but he was doing well for himself. He was oddly proud of Shiro; he sure as fuck wouldn't have been able to open a business at Shiro's age.
Heading out into the town, he chuckled as he took one last look at the grand nightclub.
– Shiro Eis –
Qrow was a teacher in Patch and a rather famous Huntsman, given his years of experience. Still, I get the feeling I'm missing something when it comes to my dear old dad. Yang mentioned that he travels constantly, even sometimes missing entire terms at Signal because he was too busy, back before he 'retired'.
Shaking my head, I return to work, reviewing the last details for the grand opening. Things really did happen at the most inconvenient time possible, but I can't deny that I'm curious.
The Schnee family is the richest in the world, and it's not even close. I am technically the heir of that immense wealth, thanks to Winter having left the family to become a Specialist. Obviously, at the end of the day, it comes down to Willow Schnee; she could disown me and put a stop to that… but then why does Jacques still keep an eye on me?
He's scared I'd find out that I was a Schnee, that Willow would realise her eldest son wasn't as dead as she thought. Which means he's worried Willow will legitimise me, worried enough to kill me? Maybe even Willow herself? I don't know.
Willow Schnee is rarely seen in public and is known for being a drunk. Qrow said she took my 'death' badly, and her public appearances stopped shortly after I was born. I would rather Qrow had not taken it upon himself to tell her that I'm alive because he may have just triggered Jacques into action, depending on how subtle he was, and Yang's stories about him don't give me a great hope that he was careful to make sure Jacques didn't find out that Willow knows I'm alive.
Running a hand through my hair with a frown, I shake my head and get back to work. Euphoria sales are skyrocketing, the hype for Lux is reaching the highs I want, and almost everything is lined up. I've arranged for several minor celebrities to attend, including the Invincible Girl and D.Va from Mistral since they're in Vale to attend Beacon. They're both pros from the Mistral tournament scene, and while D.Va seems excited about things, Pyrrha is definitely less enthusiastic, but her agent has already agreed on her behalf.
As for entertainment, I've hired a semi-famous DJ and with the help of my AI and Sombra, I got my hands on a rather infamous band called K/DA. They were on hiatus until recently, but a record label still effectively owned them due to a rather brutal contract they signed when they were just getting started.
They've been mired in controversy, including rumours of them being responsible for the death of their former manager since they were a Huntsman team before they moved into the music industry, and they took a hiatus after his death to wait for the chaos to die down.
Sombra dug up some dirt on the owner of the record label. My AI found every little loophole and obscure law I could use, and together, we bullied the owner into trading them to my new record label as my first talent, using the grand opening to announce their return since they still have a lot of fans.
I'm demolishing my own funds, having too many expenses and only Euphoria for income. The construction of the new apartment block has begun, and my construction drones are making good time, but it's going to take a while before that pays itself off. Lux has to go well, or I'm going to be in an unpleasant place financially. It wouldn't be an unrecoverable position, but would still be a massive setback.
Getting a message that my guests have arrived, I tell the men to send them up, glad that Qrow didn't hang around any longer since I have an actual meeting to attend to.
"Gotta admit, brat, this is a nice place," Junior says as he enters the lounge, the twins behind him.
"Far nicer than Junior's dinky little club," Melanie adds. "Smells better, too."
"Oi, I like my club," Junior grumbles, taking the seat I gesture to as I sit myself. "Have to admit, even I didn't see this coming, the club… the gang. Got bored of smuggling?"
Junior's words aren't as casual as they sound, making me smile as the twins stand at either side of him.
"I was always meant for more; I'm just moving into a more administrative position," I explain, making him snort. "I'm looking for ways to continue my smuggling trade, but that's not why you're here."
"Then why am I here, kid?" Junior asks, arms crossed with a raised eyebrow.
"Because I'm making my own gang, and I want to make sure that things are still nice and peaceful between us. You tolerate the lesser gangs forming in Vale, but I plan to grow far larger than any of them, and I don't want to step on the Xiong Family's toes," I admit, watching him straighten up.
"You've already stomped on some toes, Shiro. The Syndicate, you know about them?" Junior asks, making me nod.
"I didn't know until after I took down the Brotherhood and their little slavery ring, but they were being funded and supported by the Syndicate," I agree, making him nod with a scowl. "But then again, most of the Brotherhood didn't know they had a sponsor either."
"They're bastards, spreading throughout every Kingdom far too fast. Spider has been waging war against them. When I sent you to drop those packages off with Lil Miss Malachite, I was sending her weapons to help her take them on, but frankly, Spider is losing," Junior admits, making me lean back. I see the way the twins react at the mention that their mother is losing the fight against this new gang. Spider has been one of the strongest gangs in Mistral for ages, but the Syndicate is new. Lil Miss should have shut the Syndicate down hard, which is something she has done for plenty of gangs that have grown big enough to become rivals. She's losing control of the Mistralian underworld.
"Lil Miss can't handle them? That's… concerning," I admit, rubbing my chin.
"Yeah. Even I didn't know the Syndicate was supporting the Brotherhood, it made me do some research. They've got their fingers in a lot of pies, trying to sink their claws into Vale and Vacuo," Junior explains. "I don't even know who leads them, but they've gathered dozens of gangs under their control, and you've disrupted their plans for Vale."
"If they didn't want their plans disrupted, they should have entrusted them to more reliable people than those incompetent goons," I counter with a shrug, making him snort. "I'll make preparations for them making a move, but right now, it's you I'm more worried about. I know how far your connections go; you could make things far more difficult for me getting started."
"Heh, glad you realise that brat," Junior laughs. The Xiong Family has a heavy focus on the information trade; everything else is secondary. Junior owns dozens of clubs scattered worldwide (except for Mistral, due to an agreement with Lil Miss), and he uses them as fronts for his information broker trade. He has a lot of influence over the local police and a fuck-ton of blackmail that he could use to make every step of my growth harder. "So, why should I let a rival grow in my backyard? Just because Melaine is sweet on you and I like you a bit doesn't mean I'm eager for a new rival. Do you think I haven't noticed all those little businesses you have been making? Record labels, housing, construction companies, you've been a busy boy."
"Like I said, I was always meant for more," I say with a small smile. "I'll stay out of the information trade; any information I do happen upon, I'll sell to you. I'll sell Euphoria through your clubs, though in smaller amounts than I do at Lux, with you keeping thirty percent of the profits," I start, watching Junior carefully. He can pretend otherwise, but he knows Euphoria is a major seller, and better yet, it's legal in Vale, and he knows I'm looking at getting it legalised in other Kingdoms. "I'm going to be moving into a more automated smuggling process, and I'll continue to ship your goods at a discounted price, and finally… this."
Pulling out a case, I unlock it and open it up as I place it on the desk between us, Junior's eyes being drawn to the purple vials inside.
"A new designer drug?" Junior asks, picking one of the vials up and examining it. "Since when were you a chemist?"
"I have many talents; you just only ever saw my ability to hide things," I say with a smirk. "Well, Melanie's seen some of my other talents, but she just wants me for my body."
"Oh, shut the fuck up," Melanie scoffs, Miltia giggling slightly. "You aren't that good."
"That's not what you said to me~" Miltia teases, making Melanie flush as they start squabbling.
"This is Shimmer, my latest masterpiece. Euphoria is good, don't get me wrong, but it's only good for giving people a high. Shimmer is far more useful," I say, examining the purple vials with a proud smile. "It's a… performance-enhancing drug, to put it very lightly. It boosts Aura, enhances strength and speed, and even grants a small healing factor. It is extremely addictive, with some rather unpleasant withdrawal effects, but I'll be pushing it out to Huntsmen who could use a little extra kick on their noble mission before long. Any gang with access to this would have a considerable advantage over their competition."
Junior doesn't respond for a moment, examining the vial with a thoughtful look.
"And you're the only person who knows how to make it," Junior says, making me nod. The Game insists that nobody will be able to reverse-engineer my work, and I believe it. Shimmer is harder to make than Euphoria, and the ingredients are rare and expensive, but it is a game-changer. He can't hide his interest as much as he tries to act impassive. Not with the Syndicate pushing into his turf.
"Fine, let's talk details," Junior finally says, making me smile. I don't like that I'm in a position where I have to deal with him, but if I end up in a war with the Xiong Family, it will be a pyrrhic victory at best. I need to prepare for the Syndicate to wage war against me, even if it is by proxy, so I can't afford to deal with the Xiong Family at the same time as well.
– Hei 'Junior' Xiong –
There was something different about Shiro. Shiro's Semblance had always been extremely damn useful, but if Shiro's Semblance was his little smuggling trick, then what the fuck had he done to the Grimm?
He was the best information dealer in the world, so footage of Shiro testing his armour in the Emerald Forest had naturally found its way into his hands. Now, Shiro was making several wonder drugs and drones with no professional training in chemistry or mechanics.
Shiro was either a genius who put those eggheads in Atlas to shame, or something very weird was going on. The real question was how could he and the Xiong Family benefit from Shiro's weirdness?
Shiro was a good kid, reliable and talented, which was why he'd sponsored Shiro as he'd been growing into the professional smuggler that he had become. He had two choices, really. Crush Shiro right now, or make an alliance with him so Shiro's growth would increase his own power and wealth. In truth, he was satisfied with where his family currently was, and he didn't want to spread further beyond keeping his control of the information trade and Vale.
If the Syndicate weren't trying to muscle into his business, he'd have taken care of Shiro right now, even if Melanie would pout over him. He wouldn't kill Shiro, just shut down his operations and force him into the Xiong Family.
Instead, Shiro could be a tool to put a stop to these newcomers that were causing such a stir in the underworld, he decided, glancing at the Shimmer vials. As they came to an agreement over the numbers for Shimmer and Euphoria sales, Shiro paused.
"Oh, one last thing. I want the twins," Shiro said, the cocky little shit, making Junior pause.
"Why?" Junior asked, not shutting it down immediately.
"I need managers for the Lux, and they're wasted playing bouncer and handling things at your club," Shiro said, somewhat teasing as Junior snorted. He liked how small his club was; it was a front, after all. "Miltia and Melanie have experience handling clubs, and I trust them."
Junior paused, sharing a look with the pair. Shiro wasn't naive; he knew they were still connected with Spider. He had made frequent deliveries to Lil Miss, after all. It would let both him and Lil Miss keep an eye on Shiro, and Shiro knew this. Melanie nodded, and he turned back with a scoff.
"Fine, take them. Saves me getting nagged by the crybabies every day," Junior scoffed. "You can decide the details with them. They're big girls, and I don't have to hold their hands."
Both girls argued back, pointing out that if he did his job better, they wouldn't need to complain to him, but it faded quickly as Melanie started negotiating with her boyfriend over her wages and time off, with Miltia mostly just going along with whatever Melanie demanded.
Shiro could handle the twins, but just because he was dating Melanie, it wouldn't stop the twins from reporting on him to both Junior and Lil Miss. Shiro had just invited two spies to come and help him run his business, and he doubted it was naivety on Shiro's part.
It would be interesting to see how this went.
– Roman Torchwick –
Breaking into Shiro's fancy mansion wasn't hard, despite the advanced security and the fucking drones. He was the best thief in the world, after all. As Shiro returned home, he lounged on Shiro's couch with a carefree smile, noticing how unsurprised Shiro seemed to be as he walked into the room.
"Hey, brat… can't help but think you've got something of mine," Roman said, twirling his cane as he stood up. "It's about this short, doesn't talk much and likes stabbing people. Sound familiar?"
"I wondered when you'd show up," Shiro admitted, utterly calm as he gestured for Roman to follow him to the elevator. "You want your pet assassin back then?
"No hard feelings, brat; I did send her to spy on you, after all. I'm honestly impressed you managed to catch her, but I need her back from wherever you stuffed her," Roman admitted with a carefree grin as they entered the elevator.
Without Shiro pressing anything, it went down further than the buttons claimed as it opened up, and Shiro walked into the prison he had under his mansion. In the only occupied cell, Neo pouted in just her underwear, arms crossed as she glared at the pair, Roman immediately bursting out laughing at the sight of her.
She was obviously unharmed, and she wouldn't be so calm if Shiro had tried anything, so the sight of Neo trapped in the cell was just highly amusing. The only thing that seemed hurt was Neo's pride. Neo waved her hands, seeming frustrated as she tried to communicate without her Semblance, a heavy collar around her neck.
"Care to tell me how a brat like you managed to take down Neo? She might be a little dumb, but I'm pretty sure she could kill you ten times over," Roman taunted. "Let her out, and we'll call it even."
"Oh, I caught her like this," Shiro said, smiling as a forcefield formed around Roman, his eyes widening as he saw gas start to flood the cylindrical forcefield, trying to hold his breath. Neo facepalmed, shaking her head as Roman felt his eyes grow heavy. "As for freeing her? Well, we can talk about that when you wake up."
Motherfucker-
Falling to the floor, he passed out as he cursed the smug prick.
— Bonus Scene — Willow Schnee
Her hangover pounded her skull as she read the message for the fifteenth time. Someone she'd never thought she'd hear from again had sent Klein a message to pass on to her, and a part of her wondered if she was still drunk as she read the words again.
Her son was alive.
Her throbbing mind raced, the painkillers doing little to help stop the pain. Jacques. It had to be. If this Shiro was truly her son, then it was because Jacques had stolen him away and tricked her. Rage flooded her, but she calmed herself quickly.
Jacques rarely paid attention to her anymore, used to her spending her days getting drunk in their home; that would be his downfall. While she could legally destroy him, she wasn't naive enough to think that Jacques would go down without a fight if she tried to divorce him.
He might even try to kill her and, worse, Shiro if he felt threatened. She needed to use her admittedly extremely rusty talents. If Jacques truly had stolen away her baby and sent him to some orphanage in Mantle, she would see him dead for it, but she needed to be careful.
Jacques was extremely well-connected; he had endless resources and wealth, and he had no doubt planned for this to happen eventually since he couldn't risk just hoping that she never found out. No, she needed to be discreet about how she went about this.
Looking at the picture Qrow had sent, she stroked it gently as she looked at the handsome young man with his bright-white hair and pale blue eyes. Her son, a Schnee, had grown up in poverty in Mantle because of Jacques' wounded pride. She'd missed his entire life; he was a full-grown man now.
Shiro…
All she needed was for Jacques to not realise she knew, just for a little while.
– Weiss Schnee –
Staring at the picture of the owner of the Lux, she blinked in confusion. He looked so much like a male Winter, and his age made her heart pound. She had an older brother, something she had only discovered recently, one who had passed away in childbirth, allegedly.
Maybe it was a coincidence, but staring at the picture of Shiro Eis, a very Schnee name when she had it translated, she couldn't shake the feeling that he was her brother. How? She didn't know, but she had to be sure.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
DarkWolfShiro
DarkWolfShiro Author’s Note: Roman is a little too cocky sometimes.
Written: 11/07/2024
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