Chapter 15

-[Wynne]-

His amusement knew no bounds at the shocked look on Weiss' face. Her cry of shock got the attention of her roommates who peeled out.

"Weiss? Who is…?!" A short dark haired girl who he recognized as Ruby spoke, freezing in shock as she laid eyes on him.

A busty blonde haired girl soon followed after, almost gaining stars in her eyes.

"As much as I'm enjoying the attention, I'd appreciate it if we moved this inside." Wynne said, looking around the hallways to confirm that it was still empty.

He let himself be pulled as Weiss quickly dragged him into the room, closing the door.

"What are you doing here?! When did you even get here?! You're supposed to be in Atlas!" Weiss fired off question after question, slapping his arm with each question.

"Hey one question at a time!" He said, getting her to stop. "You're even more fierce than when you left."

He ruffled her hair causing her to give a look of complaint but she didn't actively remove his hand.

"Awww…" Yang said from behind Weiss, causing the girl to almost growl.

As she turned to berate her, she caught sight of Ruby with a star struck expression on her face, her eyes almost shining.

"Right, introductions." Weiss said, coughing into her hand.

Yang looked a bit confused. "But we already know-"

"Shush you!" Weiss interrupted her. "Now everyone, this is Wynne, my brother."

"Older brother." Wynne added.

"Twins, we're the same age." Weiss countered. "Anyways, this is Yang." She said, gesturing to the blonde girl.

"Hello~" the girl said in a flirty tone.

"Hello to you too." He replied, pointedly ignoring the tone.

"This is her sister, Ruby." Weiss said, gesturing to the petite young girl who shot forward.

"I can't believe this is happening! I'm such a huge fan!" She squealed before realizing what she was doing, forcing herself to calm down. "I mean uhh…Hey?"

"And this is Blake." Weiss quickly introduced the last teammate who had been silent so far.

"Nice to meet you." He said, politely.

"Yeah, nice." He noticed the slight narrowing of her eyes which she tried to hide but didn't point it out.

It wasn't the first time that Jacques' reputation had tainted others' view on him and it wouldn't be the last.

"Blake, don't be rude!" Weiss admonished.

Wynne chuckled in genuine amusement. "Don't worry about it. No need to be so stiff." He honestly didn't care.

"You still haven't explained what you're doing here." Weiss said, immediately turning to him.

He shrugged nonchalantly. "Is it a crime to want to see my younger sister?"

"We're twins!" As Weiss struggled to come up with a dignified response, her teammates looked on in surprise.

"Wow. I've never seen her like this." Yang muttered.

"It's like she's a whole different person." Ruby agreed, nodding her head.

"I heard that!" Weiss interjected.

Leaning on the wall, Wynne looked around the room, the chaotic arrangement feeling a bit nostalgic.

"I talked to your headmaster so you're free of classes for the rest of the day. I say we go out for a meal in the city." Wynne suggested.

"Just Weiss or all of us?" Yang asked.

"Technically the offer extends to all of you, if you're willing to come along." Wynne said.

"Of course we want to come along." Ruby said excitedly.

Wynne turned to Weiss who had a curious look on her face. "Lead the way." He said as the siblings exited the room with the other three in tow.

"Something's different about you." Weiss muttered loud enough for him to hear, causing him to turn to her. "You're more…free, and happy."

She furrowed her brows. "What happened after I left Atlas?" She asked.

Wynne sighed, already seeing the question coming a mile away. "It's a bit complicated. In simpler terms, we came to a deal."

"What kind of deal?" Weiss asked.

"One where he doesn't win at all. It was either he gave me the company or he would watch it burn to the ground from a prison cell." Wynne said simply, a shocked look appearing on his sister's face.

"I spent a while gathering evidence on all the immoral activities of our…father. I can tell you that he deserves worse than being locked up in a room in the manor." He said, pulling up his scroll. "You can take a peek at it if you don't believe me."

That seemed to snap her out of her stupor as she shook her head. "No no that's not what I meant. It's just a lot to process at once."

"Take your time." He said, ruffling her hair affectionately.

Before she could retort, Yang poked her head between them. "So Wynne, what's it like being all rich and hot?"

"Hey! We were in the middle of a private conversation here!" Weiss complained.

Wynne laughed at that. "It's not as fun as you would think, really."

"Oooh, do tell." Yang said, pulling up beside him to Weiss' irritation.

"My day's usually filled with paperwork, studying and ignoring a few unwanted calls. There's barely any time for myself." He admitted truthfully.

Ruby was suddenly in front of him. "I heard that you created Huntsman Legends on your own. Is that true?" She asked.

"I don't mean to brag but yes. Well technically, Weiss helped out. She's the one who sang all the soundtracks." Wynne casually revealed, causing them to pause and turn to Weiss in shock.

The girl had a smug look on her face.

"That's your voice?!" Yang asked.

"Why didn't you tell us?!" Ruby followed up with another question.

"What about the faunus?" Blake asked, cutting through the jovial mood. "There are still rumors about the SDC's questionable labor force. Are they true?"

They had stopped at the entrance of the school, an awkward silence reigning. Wynne, however, wasn't bothered by it.

"That depends on which rumors you mean. While I admit that my father treated the faunus unfairly, I have been working to rectify that. The faunus among our staff are now paid the same as every other staff." He said. "Those who sustained injuries during their tenure are being taken care of by the SDC."

He was decisive but not evil. The difference between human and faunus was of no importance to him.

"If you don't believe me, there's really nothing I can do to convince you." He said. 'Not that I'm really bothered.'

He obviously kept the latter part unsaid.

"Okay…Why don't we find an airship and get down to Vale?" Ruby suggested, noticing the growing awkwardness.

"I'll take care of that." Wynne said as a large glyph appeared below their feet, rising and teleporting them away.

-[Schnee Manor]-

The doorbell rang loudly as a white haired woman stood at the door.

Not long later, the door opened by a man in a butler outfit. "Miss Schnee, it's a pleasure to see you again." The man said, not sounding particularly surprised.

The white haired woman on the other hand suddenly felt alert at the fact that her arrival was expected.

As the man led her in, she was led to her former room.

"This isn't necessary. I know my way around my own home." Winter said.

"On the contrary, Master Wynne is away and gave me strict orders that you were to be confined to your quarters until he returns." The man said, alarming her.

"Where did he go?" She tried to inquire.

The man shook his head. "I can't say."

The feeling of dread Winter felt suddenly increased. His supposed prediction of her arrival already raised several flags in her mind.

Just how much had Wynne changed in the time that she left?