The Bird and the Snowflake

It was an old night at the kingdom and city of Atlas. Flakes of snow still fell from the sky, almost like drops of rain during the season of wet. The season of Winter had arrived, meaning roofs and streets were covered in heaps of snow while the interior of every building was lit and held heat to warm the occupants inside. During this time of the year, it was considered by many to be a holiday for celebration, though for various reasons. Most people spend their holiday with their family to connect more with them and appreciate what they have. Others use it as an excuse to party and have fun with those around them. However, some people, especially those of the higher social class, often spend their holiday amongst others of similar wealth to boast about their own accomplishments and money. And to top it all of, their parties were normally done at places of high class, often either a really expensive penthouse or a private mansion.

One of those rich penthouse parties held a young girl with white hair alone on a balcony. 11-year-old Weiss Schnee took in the sight of the city while she contemplated her life at the moment. Nothing had been the same since her older sister left for Atlas Academy. Her mother and father more frequently fought amongst each other. It was because of that, Willow Schnee often isolates herself from everything outside her room and her father has prohibited her from fulfilling her dream to become a Huntsman. She didn't have any friends to convey with as they were often vague and cared too much about each other's lifestyle.

Tonight, Weiss had just finished a private recital that her father set up to show off his daughter's singing capabilities to his 'friends' and business partners. Winter was unable to make it and her own mother paid little attention to her own daughter. To make matters worse, almost all credit for her performance was given to her own father, Jacques Schnee.

At first, she was furious at the man. All her hard work and effort put into her performance to impress him and he had used it to benefit his own notoriety. She wanted to yell at him, throw over a couple of tables in frustration, and moreover, to punch him square in the face with all her anger. Soon, that rage turned into sorrow at the realization. There was nothing she could ever do about it. He had control over all her actions and reputation. He had both money and power of the Schnee Dust Company name. All she could do was stand there and be his bird that was locked in a cage.

The young girl looked over the edge of the city, yearning for her older sister to return and protect her or the chance of freedom to come one day. But deep down, she knew, that it was never going to happe-

"Uh, Miss. Are you alright?"

The sudden voice spooked Weiss from her thoughts. She quickly looked behind her to only see the inside of the party that's still ongoing. Yet, there was no sign of life that could've possibly said that. Maybe I was just hallucinating-

"Up here, ma'am"

Weiss looked up towards the rooftop behind to see a girl dressed in an odd-looking outfit while crouched onto the edge. Her outfit consisted of a sort of black leotard covered by different red armor parts. On her face was a domino mask that masked the identity of the wearer and the color of her eyes behind lenses of white. She also wore a long black cloak with a hood attached to the collar. The outfit would've been considered intimidating if it weren't for the bright green 'pixie' boots she wore that detract from the entire ensemble.

She smiled when Weiss' gaze reached the boots. Without much of an effort, the oddly dressed girl flipped herself off the roof, flying and twirling through the air, before balancing herself onto the railing of the balcony and facing the heiress.

Seeing the girl up close, it came as a surprise to Weiss to find that the girl was not only shorter than her but also a year or two younger. She knew that Huntresses-in-training are capable of doing something similar, but at that young of an age?

The hooded girl easily saw the impressed look on her face. "It's the boots, isn't it? You're amazed that someone like me can pull off such an amazing look."

For the first time in a long time, the heiress giggled at the exaggeration this oddly-dressed girl gave. "Actually, I think it detracts from your costume. It makes you look silly."

"You call it silly, I call it fashionable." This caused the giggles from the girl to become laughter, causing the Girl Wonder to pout. "Laugh all you want, I think it looks cool."

As the laughter continued, the Girl Wonder couldn't help but chuckle then laugh as well. Before long, the laughter died down and both girls were left with the sound of the cold wind, which now begged the question.

"Are you not cold under all of that? Your costume seems compacted, yet you don't look cold." The heiress asked.

"That's because there's a heater under the armored plates," The Girl wonder pointed out each individual piece before covering herself in the cloak. "And the cloak itself actually helps hold my own body heat for warmth. Oh, and before I forget..."

Before Weiss could say anything, the Girl Wonder side-flipped off the railing and landed on her feet in front of the heiress. She brought out her hand towards Weiss in a friendly and open manner.

"I'm Robin"

The White Schnee was shocked at the gesture. She couldn't detect any fake tone in the girl's voice and her actions seemed genuine. There was no ulterior motive, no incentive, just...an authentic handshake. She felt...happy...almost relieved. And so, with joy, she shook the hand.

"Weiss, Weiss Schnee."

And for the first time, Oum knows how long, Weiss Schnee genuinely smiled from her heart, and her heart grew three sizes that night.

Author Note: And here is the short omake during Ruby's Robin years. To be clear, Dick Grayson started as Robin at the age of 8, so it wouldn't be too bad if Ruby started at a similar age. More omakes will be made (One specifically about a specific Titan *Wink Wink*) and the next chapter would follow the Initiation in the Emerald Forest. I'm unsure when exactly Chapter 4 would be posted but, it will come out in early January. If you have any ideas on which characters should be added, please write in the reviews. Until then, thank you all for the followers, favorites, and reviews. Please continue so because I really appreciate it. Late Christmas to all and have a Happy New Year!

I do not own any of the characters. All characters and names used are owned by either Rooster Teeth and Detective Comics (DC)