Chapter 86
Did I feel bad about ordering the death of Weiss's father or just having someone killed in general? Honestly not at all. For one it's not like I took a knife to the man and tore him apart. It was almost like watching a movie in how it was such a distant event. To say nothing about how the man was an utter scumbag which also affected my care of the situation.
Not even ten damn minutes later as I was relaxing at my door with Weiss's head in my lap, I heard her scroll loudly ring and as she took it, she raised an eyebrow in response to the text message she got. "Hmm? My big sister needs me to go to the CCT to take an international call. Jake, you want to come and meet my sister in a video call?" She asked and I nodded with a weak smile as I knew all too well what this call was to be about.
"I wonder if Winter somehow heard we were dating and wanted to grill me on it Hehe." Weiss giggled conspiratorially as she obviously imagined lording over the fact that she actually had snagged a guy in comparison to Winter who was so career-driven in the Atlas military.
So, we walked out of our dorms and went to the CCT tower of Beacon, which would allow us to make international calls as Remnant with its dependence on Dust was completely incapable of creating satellites that could make international calls as they even couldn't launch the satellites into orbit.
Huh, maybe I could take a note out of Elon's book and have YoRHa create a cell service with their space station acting as the hub tower in orbit, and with that, we could more easily monitor people's calls and while still providing a one-of-a-kind service for Remnant as we create the equivalent of Starlink without Elon's ego messing with it.
"So, what's your sister like? Actually, what's your family like in general?" I asked as the subject never really came up as Weiss for good reason as other than her sister, I knew she didn't much care for the rest of her family.
"Oh, my older sister Winter is just... Wonderful, she is almost perfect in whatever she does, she has a strong poise and is always confident in whatever she is doing!" Weiss gushed about her older sister before her infectious smile died as she began speaking about her brother. "My brother Whitely... Well, he always looked up to my father and tried to emulate him in all ways for good or bad."
Weiss coughed as she shook her head. "Not that my younger brother is a bad person or anything, but he is trying to become a carbon copy of my father which isn't a good thing honestly," Weiss muttered at the end before giving me a weak smile. " I rather not talk about my parents if that's alright?" She more asked than she stated and I understood and merely nodded in agreement.
"I understand kind of. I mean I am an orphan of sorts with how I have gotten to where I am, so talking about family can be messy when you haven't parted on the best terms." I spoke as I wasn't at all sure with the time differences between worlds that for all I knew between the worlds I had been to, a couple of centuries could have easily passed back on my original Earth.
Weiss squeezed my hand in solidarity, and I wondered if she was thinking about how she was all but an orphan herself with how her parents didn't give one whit about her basically how her mother was a complete alcoholic that hid in her private rooms to do literally nothing but chug expensive booze. Or her father who only married into the Schnee family for the money and power within the largest Dust supplier in the world.
We then got a room in the CCT tower and Weiss began putting in Winter's contact information and dialed the number as it were, with a ringing noise filling the room as the tower began dialing Winter's number.
A crackle of noise broke through the calling dial and then a holographic video similar to our scrolls projected in front of us as Winter Schnee herself appeared in a likewise barren CCT room.
Winter Schnee did look quite similar to her younger sister Weiss with some differences such as her being solid like six or eight inches taller than her little sister and even if she was wearing a thick winter Atlas uniform it was apparent, that she was more curvaceous than her more petite little sister.
But Winter did not have the core of kindness and adorable tsundere exterior that Weiss had. At her core she had her love of Weiss and other than that, all I could see within her was the concept of duty to Atlas.
"Weiss it's good to see you again in fair health... May I ask who the young man beside you is? And why he is here?" Winter spoke genially but it was apparent that she was confused at my presence. Because in the end there was still a numerical gender divide as was seen in most of the Beacon participants being girls and just births in general being slanted towards girls in general.
"Ah my apologies Winter... Ahem, this is Jake Bariss my partner and team leader here in Beacon." Weiss spoke before she blushed and took a deep breath. "Also, he is my boyfriend and intended as he has impregnated me after our copulations... Suprise Winter!" Weiss said with a weak cheer as Winter's face completely froze and began twitching as she held in whatever freak out, she was having mentally.
"I see... Well like Atlas Academy I know Beacon especially has facilities to take care of you and it won't hurt your studies as a huntress until the last couple of months when you will need to stop fighting." Winter muttered to herself as she brushed a hand over her face. "But maybe it's fate." As Weiss went to question Winter what she meant Winter lost all her brevity as she solemnly spoke.
"Weiss, I needed to speak with you due to an incident that happened earlier today. While Father's personal bullhead was flying from Mantle back into Atlas air space it had a fatal malfunction, and its engines blew up, causing the Bullhead to crash with Father not surviving the event." Winter spoke clinically obviously hiding her own feelings as I literally couldn't see a hint of emotion in terms of great sadness at her father dying.
Weiss's hand within my own shuddered and she sighed nodding. "I see... Was his Bullhead sabotaged by the White Fang or something?" Weiss asked as she swallowed down any sadness and asked the more pressing question as it wouldn't be the first time a cousin or member of the Schnee corporation board had gotten killed by sabotage.
"We cannot outrule such an event but in either case, I have been discharged from the military by order of General Ironwood himself... Weiss, I am sorry, but the board of directors will not accept you as the heir taking control of the company at the age of seventeen. So, in order to preserve the company and prevent it from collapsing due to board members fighting over who becomes CEO and possibly harming the world as Schnee dust accounts for sixty percent of all dust used in the world I am almost literally being forced to become the CEO." Winter explained to her sister who wilted at hearing her title as heir basically being stripped away.
"And Mother couldn't take over temporarily?" Weiss asked before she shook her head. "Forget that I asked. I imagine what she is doing is the same as she has been doing for years." Weiss sighed as she looked at Winter. "So where does that leave me, big sister?" She finally asked.
Winter coughed and she closed her eyes for a moment as she gathered her thoughts obviously before she began to speak. "Weiss, I suggest for your own safety if in case Father's passing wasn't a natural failing of his Bullhead that you should stay and Vale and just complete your Beacon education rather than run here to Atlas as it projected with the death of Father the White Fang will focus their operations here in Atlas."
"I am not stealing the company from you Weiss." Winter made sure to press as she leaned forward to Weiss on the other end of our video. "I am merely a placeholder if you desire. Just you need to be well into your twenties like I am before the Board will trust you will the most powerful company in the world." Winter spoke and Weiss nodded in understanding.
"Alright, Winter... It's ok. I love you and I am actually very happy here in Vale with Jake and my team. You know we even got Pyrrha Nikos on our team. It's like a dream and of course not needing to wear subarctic clothes if I want to get a breath of fresh air is always most pleasant." Weiss said trying to shift the topic as it was plain to both sisters that talking about the company and their father's death was going to get nowhere and only cause anguish.
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