White Sheep

Chapter 30

Here we go.

Beta: College Fool

Cover Art: Kegi Springfield

Chapter 30 - Off to Lamb

Winter tried to be kind towards her sister's boyfriend, she really did. She tried to keep her thoughts positive as she watched him spar with Qrow, but it was hard. Maybe that was because he'd taken her sister's innocence, and although Winter preferred to imagine they hadn't gone that far, there were still other forms of innocence he'd tainted. It could have been that which turned her against him, or it could have been the lack of sleep and the bright, morning light that burned through her retinas.

Or it could have been the crippling hangover. It was hard to tell, really.

Now she remembered why she didn't normally drink, except for the odd glass at some social event or military gala. It wasn't that she lost control of herself or couldn't handle it, for her discipline held strict either way. It was just that her body made sure she regretted it come the morning. The fact that Qrow, despite imbibing far more than her, looked as fresh as a daisy only made it worse – and made her want to wring his neck. Qrow, or Jaune Arc. She wasn't feeling particularly picky.

He was just so... aggravating and weak. Both of them with the former, and Arc with the latter, naturally. Whatever she might say about Qrow Branwen – and there was a lot to say – but she wouldn't have called him weak. Arc, or Jaune as she tried to force herself to refer to him as, was as skilled as a sack of potatoes, and posed about the same risk to Qrow's long-term health.

Not everyone falls in love for reasons of strength, the logical part of her mind pointed out. If Weiss cared for such things, there were plenty of strong and influential suitors for her back home. She'd turned them all down however, much to Winter's not-so-secret pleasure. Once she'd joined the Atlas military, and father made Weiss his official heir, Winter had worried her sister might be swallowed by his machinations. To her joy, Weiss had proven more robust than that.

But this was far too much! What if her relationship here was a form of rebellion? Weiss had already defied their father by doing this, and then chose to dye her hair bright green – white hair which defined her as a Schnee. The twin acts, and now a relationship with a young man of no particular standing or ability.

Winter didn't want to question Weiss' feelings, but... well, she was questioning them. She bit her lip and wondered if that made her a bad sister. Probably, but it didn't make the thoughts go away. Instead, she tried to think of his good points – things she might be able to appreciate in him as her sister's partner.

...

Well... he was trying to get stronger by training with Qrow. That had to mean something, right? He was also okay-looking, she supposed. He was polite and spoke well. And... uh... probably other things. Maybe.

Maybe I need to get to know him better. If this continues, I'm only going to end up upsetting Weiss. Decision made, and with a little nod to herself, Winter subtly edged closer, enough so as to hear the muffled conversation and instruction between the two. From what she could see, Qrow was goading him in and using variations of the same move on him each time. It honestly looking like he was trying to enrage the blonde, but the younger man wasn't having it, and seemed patient enough to take the humiliation without complaint.

"So," Qrow said, "I hear you picked up a girlfriend."

Damn that man. What was he doing?

"You mean Weiss? Um, yeah, I did. Well, it was more like she picked me up."