After that day, Jack managed to sneak out of the mansion several times and satiate his desire. The media had developed a name for his murders, based on the way he would leave each body. Each killing was performed with a different weapon, due to his semblance letting him use basically whatever he wanted, but he left each murder was left artistically. Thus, the media had given the murderer the moniker "The Artist of Death."
It'd been six years since that first killing and now Jack was twelve years old. Weiss also had her aura unlocked when she was six and had since been training with Winter, which was where Jack was. He was sitting in the yard on a bench, reading a book quietly while he looked up occasionally to watch where Winter and Weiss were training.
He'd trained with them as well at first, but he hardly needed it and after a certain point the instructor decided there wasn't much to teach him and let him do what he wanted. That worked perfectly for Jack, as he never was one for a straight-up fight in the first place like those in this world preferred. Planning was always his main method of combat and he would do everything in his power to turn the environment and situation to his advantage long before he was ever forced into a straight-up fight.
Winter and Weiss were sparring with each other, although it was more like Winter was guiding Weiss. Their four-year age gap meant that Winter simply had a longer reach and was much better trained, so there wasn't much of a shot Weiss would beat her at the moment.
Winter was 14 now, and her bearing had only grown more poised as she aged. She'd taken to tying her hair up in a bun, with bangs framing her face. She gave off an air of elegance that suited the heir to the Schnee Dust Company.
Weiss meanwhile, was just about to turn ten years old and had her hair hanging loosely down her shoulders. Her face was still rounded and childish, whereas Winter's had begun to take on a more mature look as her face became more angular.
Winter made sure to show Weiss where she was leaving herself open when she attacked, and eventually, they called it a day and turned toward him.
"I know you don't have to train with us, but it wouldn't hurt to help teach Weiss," Winter suggested as the duo came over. Jack handed them both water bottles he'd had waiting next to him and they sat on either side of him.
"You don't have to do that if it's a bother," Weiss said, although her true emotions were laid bare for Jack.
It'd built up slowly, but Jacques' influence had led to Weiss being much less willing to ask for help. She seemed to feel like any time she wanted something from her siblings or parents, she was being a bother. It was rooted in the times that she'd gone to see their father, only to have him berate her for interrupting an important business call or his work.
"It would be a delight to teach you. Unfortunately, the way I fight is ill-suited for one such as yourself."
Weiss' forehead wrinkled as she listened to him speak. "You could've just said no. One of these days we're going to make you talk like a normal person and not some person from a hundred years ago."
"Me and Mom have been trying, we just can't seem to get him to stop," Winter said, laughing at his side as she put an arm around his shoulder affectionately.
Jack still wasn't quite used to having siblings, nor how pure their emotions seemed to be at the moment. The only familial affection he'd known in his past life had been fake, and to have people seem to love him the same way that his mother had loved his father before felt like it could only be false to him. He chalked it up to the fact they were children, and it would change in the future like it always did. His father never displayed any true affection to him, much like he expected, and his mother seemed to, even if he assumed it was because she looked at him like an extension of his father.
As the children had grown older, Jacques had begun to hide his true feelings less and less. Before, where he'd chide them lightly if they did something wrong, now he no longer held back. The man seemed to have less and less patience with dealing with children in general, and it seemed to have the most pronounced effect on Weiss.
'I wonder how splendid his fear would look,' Jack mused idly.
"Your 10th birthday is in a week Weiss, you excited?" Winter asked.
Weiss shuffled her feet as she sat, trying to keep the smile off her face. "Yes, I hope father can make it. He's been really busy recently."
"I'm sure he will make time," Jack said, the lie slipping off his tongue easily. He wouldn't put it past Jacques to miss something like his youngest daughter's 10th birthday.
Weiss was the only one of his children who still saw him in a positive light at all. Jack had never cared for the man, so his actions did not affect him. Winter had been forced to deal with his more negative traits earlier than he or Weiss due to her being the heir. She had played spectator to several meetings the man took place in, and had seen the businessman behind the loose facade he put on around them when they were younger.
"Well then, since your birthday is coming up we need to find you a gift," Winter said, taking Weiss' attention from thoughts of their father.
"You don't have to go through all the trouble."
Jack grinned, closing the book that had been sitting open in his hand. "No, she's right. We should make the trip into town and see what we can find."
It was still early afternoon, so they had plenty of daylight left to go into the city. Winter was old enough that Willow felt comfortable letting them go into town with her as their guardian. They all had their aura active, and they were aware Jack was a capable combatant, even if they had no idea that he had his semblance active or what he was truly capable of.
"Everyone go get changed and showered and we'll head out," Winter said, getting up, while Jack and Weiss quickly followed suit. Weiss tried to stay composed, but Jack could easily see how excited she was at the thought of an outing with her two siblings. She quickly ran off to get changed, but Winter hung back and waited for a moment to let her leave.
"It will crush her if he doesn't show up," Winter said seriously.
"She will need to learn who that man truly is eventually, maybe her birthday will be that time," Jack said, although he couldn't help but feel an odd emotion. He didn't know what it was, and that left him even more confused as he tried to figure out why he felt this way at the thought of Weiss' disappointment.
Winter sighed, reluctantly nodding her head. "I just don't want to see her like that."
"Then hopefully that man will decide to be an adequate father." They both thought those words were hollow, but neither continued that line of thought as they went to get ready for the outing.
----
The trio of siblings wandered the streets of Atlas, going into whatever store caught Weiss' eye as they searched for a present for each of them to get her. Winter and Jack walked quietly next to each other, engaging with Weiss when she turned to them, but were content to follow her lead.
"Oh, let's go in there," Weiss said, pointing to a blacksmith's shop.
"A rather interesting choice for a young lady," Jack commented.
Weiss pouted, turning to him with watery eyes. "You think so?"
A grin was her answer as Jack walked forward and took her hand. "But I think it suits you rather well. Let's see if we can find you a good weapon."
Winter followed the two of them as they made their way into the store. Weiss quickly grew excited and began browsing the different weapons that were on display. Jack had never been all that interested in weapons in this life, his semblance meaning it was better that he didn't have one specialized method, but he had gone about secretly acquiring a set of ten knives.
In this world, people typically created weapons called mecha-shift weapons. Any melee weapon would usually have a ranged method of attack as well, whether it was a sword capable of shooting bullets or a scythe with a rifle in the handle. It was a novelty for him, even if he didn't have all that much personal interest.
Weiss made a beeline for the rapiers, having already begun learning to fight with one. Winter chose to wield a single sword that concealed another within it, focusing on a fencing fighting style where she used the main sword to fight while using the secondary sword as a parrying dagger.
"That one looks quite good," Winter said, striding over to Weiss and talking to her quietly about the different weapons on display. Jack broke away from them and made his way over to the counter where the owner of the shop was. He was a rather lean older man, although his frame hid his true strength. He was leaning back in his chair, sipping a drink idly as he watched Jack approach him.
"Hello, I was wondering if you do modifications," Jack asked.
"Depends on what you want," the man said, his voice soft despite having a rather gruff appearance.
Jack had been putting some thought into what weapon would be the most suitable gift for Weiss, and he had an idea he wanted to float by the owner. The two of them talked for some time, the blacksmith giving his idea some consideration before eventually agreeing that it was doable.
Jack made his way back over to the duo and found that Weiss had found a white rapier that she liked. She excitedly showed him it while Winter smiled looking at the two.
"Well then, I've got a surprise for you. I'll go ahead and pay, but you'll have to wait till your party to have it."
Weiss pouted cutely before she agreed, while Jack made his way back to the counter with Winter. Weiss continued to look around the store in the meantime while the two finished the purchase.
"If you want to pay for the rapier, I'll pay to have it modified. The owner and I have agreed to some modifications that I thought would be suitable for Weiss," Jack suggested.
Winter had an intrigued look as she considered him. "Oh, what did you come up with?"
"You'll just have to wait until the party to see," Jack said, giving her a toothy grin.
The two quickly paid for the rapier and modifications. Each Schnee child got a sizeable allowance, and neither was all that liberal with their spending. Jack had been saving a large amount of money for a rainy day, setting it aside secretly. Winter herself just didn't have much she wanted to purchase, so neither was hurting for Lien.
The rest of their shopping trip passed by quietly as the trio enjoyed the sights. They stopped for food and continued to walk around until the sun began to set. Winter and Jack did their best to cater to Weiss, simply allowing the younger girl to go wherever she wanted as the two followed her. Unknowingly, Jack had a fond smile on his face the entire time, enjoying the emotions he was unaware of.
When they got back into the car that they had called to pick them up, Weiss had exhausted herself. She lay between Jack and Winter, her head resting in Jack's lap while she curled up in a ball with her legs sprawled across Winter. It was a rather unbecoming sight for a young lady of the Schnee family, and Jacques would certainly take exception to it, not that anyone in that car cared.
"This was a nice day," Winter said.
Jack thought for a moment, idly stroking Weiss' hair as she nuzzled into his hand unconsciously. "I suppose it was."
Winter considered him for a moment. "You know Jack, I've started to notice you're pretty bad at verbalizing your emotions."
"I've been told that, yes," Jack agreed, thinking back to the last words Hlokk had spoken to him.
'Wow, you can't even show sadness at a time like this. You really are such a pitiable person.'
"Quite a pity, don't you think," Jack said.
"I don't think so," Winter disagreed. "I don't really get why you're like that, but you've been that way as long as I can remember. All it means is we have to keep doing stuff like this, so you can get used to it."
The car fell silent as Jack took in her words. That warm emotion he didn't understand bubbled up again, and he once again cursed his inability to see his own emotions. The emotions he could see from Winter reminded him so much of Heracles. That bright feeling, almost warm in how it embraced his vision. It didn't offer him the pleasure that seeing the fear of a person he killed did. Instead, it more felt like an emotion he appreciated like a piece of art. It was something he wanted to preserve for as long as possible, not the fleeting enjoyment he felt with fear.
The trio eventually made it back to the mansion, and Jack picked up Weiss to carry her to her bed. Winter went off to find their mother, giving him a brief hug and kissing Weiss on the forehead as she left.
Once he made it to Weiss' room, he set her down lightly into bed, tucking her under the covers. He moved to pull back, but she reached up and grabbed the hem of his shirt tightly.
"Don't leave, I don't want it to end," she mumbled quietly.
Jack hesitated for a moment before he sighed lightly and took off his shoes and socks. Crawling into bed next to Weiss, she quickly snuggled into his chest and hugged him tightly once he was under the covers. Jack wrapped his arm around her as he lay on his back and stared at the ceiling.
As he lay there, his younger sister embracing him, he was lost. Winter's words echoed in his mind, and yet he couldn't help but lament his own inability to comphrened.
'Quite the pitiable person indeed.'