Chapter Text
Winter’s first reaction to her sister’s vague scroll message informing her that she would be missing the Southern Vale Valley Wine Train tour was of concern; they had been going annually since Weiss was of legal age, and for five years it had been the only constant time the girls had seen each other in person. It was also completely out of Weiss’ character to cancel the night of, and Winter had counted at least three grammatical errors in the message.
The shot of concern was quickly chased by a cocktail of cold fury, annoyance, and betrayal when Winter left her hotel at 1:16 in the morning for Weiss’ Vale vacation condo, only to discover that her little sister was not in danger but merely intoxicated and sleeping with some girl she had matched with on a dating app.
“I didn’t mean to drink soooooooo much, Winterrrr.” A robe was haphazardly draped over half her body as Weiss slurred a drunk’s apology through the crack of the condo door, avoiding her older sister’s glacial glare. “I was suuuuuuper nervous because this girl is sooooo pretty and smart and you won’t believe what she can do with her tou-“
Winter had heard enough at that point and promptly pulled the door shut, her inebriated sibling’s wailing apologies becoming quieter and harder to decipher as she stormed down the hall and into the elevator.
Despite the anger keeping her up most of the night and the meaning behind the trip officially ruined, Winter wasn’t going to let Weiss’ poor choices stop her from having a good time; spending quality time and catching up with her sister was the primary reason she always looked forward to this annual trip, but not the only one. This Wine Train tour in particular was able to match and rise above Winter’s exquisite tastes and expectations each time, even if she had to pull some strings in the beginning to upgrade and customize the highest package the company offered.
The next day at a quarter to eleven, Winter was relaxing in her private cart’s luxurious lounge as she swirled a South Valesian Malbec- aged eight years, it was intriguingly electric-purple in color with an explosive nose of dark chocolate and incredibly rich notes of deep plum, wild blueberries, and roasted coffee. The midpalate was a touch hollow, though Winter chalked that up to her glass being directly poured from the bottle.
She had asked to start off with a strong, unique wine; Winter was glad that something was going right that weekend. The young woman was gently interrupted by one of the two wine attendants that occupied the deluxe train cart, who gave a warm smile and asked how the first sample ranked.
“Lovely start to the day Gwen, I’m pleased as always with your selections. I would very much enjoy a decanted sample later this evening, if you could prepare that for me.” Winter gave a short pause, the thought of Weiss upsetting their special excursion for a one night stand stirring up another rush of vexation.
“On second thought- prepare enough for two separate glasses if you would be so kind. Today I’m mourning the loss of my trust and faith in my sister.” She spoke bitter words with a wry, sardonic tone so the staff wouldn’t fear she was upset at them, and Gwen gave a small nod as the other attendant immediately began the task.
“It’s our pleasure, Miss Schnee. We are terribly sorry that your sister was unable to join us this weekend. I believe you two usually stayed on the train throughout the day, but we would like to extend access to the tours of the Wineries to you. We know you enjoy your privacy and it is completely up to you- however I personally would hate for you to have a less than remarkable time today, and the regular tour is fairly small this weekend.”
Winter couldn’t help but smile; SVVWT was truly the best of the best in all criteria. She did take a moment to mull the offer over; Gwen’s observation was correct in that the Schnee sisters never bothered with the standard package of going out to the vineyards themselves. It could be a nice alternative to stewing in bitter emotions with no-one to strike up a conversation.
“That actually sounds very nice, I would love to. Thank you for the kind gesture, you didn’t have to offer.” Winter replied, but Gwen was quick to counter.
“All our guests are greatly cherished Miss Schnee, and you’ve been so kind to us in the past. It’s the least we could do. We will be arriving at Tukson Vines winery in about half an hour, and Nolan behind us will escort you out to the rest of the group when we get to the station.”
“Excellent. I do hope the company is paying the staff well; you and Nolan are impeccable as always. And if not-“ Winter pulled out two checks she had made in advance, handing them to a flushed Gwen.
“And as usual Miss Schnee you are far too kind. We are extremely grateful for your benevolent patronage.” The blushing girl insisted, giving a small curtsy as she headed towards the back of the cart near the other attendant. Winter gave a soft chuckle, and then stirred her Malbec a little more as her vision went to the rolling hills of amber crops outside her window.
Weiss was foolish to abandon me for a moment of lust.