CHAPTER 3: WINTER IS COMING

Remnant, System Unknown

Kingdom of Atlas

Schnee Family Manor

April 22nd, 56 AGW

Jacque Schnee, ever since taking over as CEO of the Schnee Dust Company, had become more busy than he had ever been. Naturally, with all of the duties he had taken into his hands, he had far less time to be social than in previous years. Right now, he could only afford time to see among the most important people relating to the SDC. That being said, he could always appreciate and respect those who came from humble beginnings to become the next big thing. That was why he had arranged for this meeting. It was an extremely promising prospect for Schnee family name, short-term and long-term.

Anthony Edward Stark, the head of the newly-created Stark Industries, was paying a visit today. The man had already made a name for himself as a weapons developer and quite a crafty one at that. He had gone from a nobody to an almost overnight celebrity. Jacque's insiders in Vale informed him that the Council of Vale had been acquiring newly-created weapons recently and all traces came back to the name Stark. There was a lot going on here and the Schnee head's business instinct told him that he was sitting on a potential goldmine of opportunity.

"Sir, Mister Stark has arrived." The butler Klein spoke. "Shall I see him in?"

"Please do." Jacque nodded. "I need to be sure that this meeting goes well. Make whatever arrangements that are necessary."

Jacque had eyes and ears everywhere that mattered. As the head of the SDC, he needed to always be on the lookout for new partners and this one was potentially his greatest prospect yet. Remnant was always in need of any kind of weapon to fight off the Grimm. Huntsmen weren't nearly enough in numbers to fight the abominations. Consequently, it fell to the armies of the world to pick up the slack. Jacque had already made deals with the Atlas Military to supply them with dust in all forms that they requested.

What made this different was that unlike weapons that were currently on the market, these were revolutionary in design. It was cutting-edge technology that could destroy the Grimm in such large numbers that more land untouched by human hands could be claimed and used. That along was enough reason to chance the risk involved.

Cinching the deal would be another matter though. Those same eyes and ears that informed him about Stark Industries also informed him about how Tony Stark was anything but a typical businessman. Playing by the rules wasn't going to work. The man was said to be unusual, unorthodox, and did not take well to authority. If all of this was true, then this was going to be quite an interesting talk. Jacque had run some rehearsed lines as well as practiced his mannerisms, whatever he felt was necessary to make a good first impression. It was strange that he was now fussing over how he presented himself when normally it was people meeting him who concerned themselves with how they looked around him. It was a change of pace and a bit of an annoyance.

The doors opened and in came the man in question. The first thing that Jacque took note of was his age. The man couldn't be much older than twenty or so. That instantly intrigued the SDC head. Usually, men in their early twenties were considered to be all energy and passion and no discipline and control. The second thing to note was his dress code. He wore more conservative colors for his suit and his tie was also colored conservatively, but his dress shirt was red. He wore a pair of sunglasses and a glance at his wrist saw him wearing a Dustin Watch, a namebrand watch. This contrast of traditional and flamboyant spoke to a high level of confidence and self-assurance; he understood the rules of dressing, but chose to blend between tradition and personal style.

"Jacque Schnee, Chairman and CEO of the Schnee Dust Company." The Stark head was the first to approach and offer a hand. "It's not everyday that you get to meet one of the most powerful men in Atlas."

"And it's not everyday that I get to meet the new face of weapons development on Remnant." The Schnee head said in reply and shook the hand. "I expect great things."

"Great things? I don't do great things. I do explosive things." The black-haired man shook his head. "I'll make the Grimm explode into dust, I'll make the crowd explode into applause, I'll even explode the SDC's profit roof."

"Then we're speaking the same language." Jacque professed, his respect growing. "This way, we can speak more in the conference room."

It took them a few minutes to get the private conference room located near Jacque's office. It had enough room to sit down all executive members of the SDC and there was more than enough space to accommodate standing bodies as well. Refreshments and some snacks were already set out. As both took a seat, the younger man took the time to sample the snacks. He seemed pleased.

"I've never had Atlesian snacks before." Tony explained. "Interesting flavor."

"They're the finest that money can buy." Jacque replied.

"Well, I've had better, but that's a story for another time. Anway, to business. I'm pretty sure I've got an idea for what you want out of this, so don't bother explaining it to me. You'd probably bore me with the details. I'll say my piece."

"...very well. Go on."

Already this was shaping up to be perhaps the most abnormal and somewhat insulting meeting ever. Few men in the world had the capacity to talk to Jacque Schnee and come out on top, but already Tony Stark was taking control of the conversation. It wasn't exactly a great place to be, but the Schnee CEO kept his cool and brushed aside his temporary ire in favor of lending an ear.

Tony eyed him critically before speaking. "As you might be already aware, Stark Industries is currently looking to use the A.G.E. to bring about a new era of weapons technology unlike any the world has ever seen. We're talking about the ability to wipe out Grimm in the thousands, tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands."

"So I surmised from your demonstration." Jacque nodded his head. "I also noted that you require a very specific type of dust to power your weapons. That sort of precision is not easy to come by unless the dust utilized is refined perfectly, hence part of the reason why you came to me."

"Give the man a prize, you got it in one shot." Tony replied with clapping. "And it's connected to the most important reason that I'm here."

"And that is?" Jacque asked.

"Now this is something you'll love." Tony smirked. "What if I told you that I could provide you with a power source that will effectively cut your energy costs by the millions and even the billions?"

Jacque raised an eyebrow. "I am willing to listen to you given what you have done already, but I am not one to deal in things that are not tangible."

"Oh, don't worry. I'm not making this up. I have actual blueprints." Tony pulled out his scroll and lit up the 3D display. "Check it out."

Jacque gazed at the holographic screen and began to read its contents. By no means was he a master scientist, but being a part of the SDC had given him a competent understanding of the more technical side of his company. His eyes darted left and right, his curiosity increasing by the second. Not only were these ideas and concepts possible, but they could essentially cut down on dust consumption in their own processes to near-zero point. That was more than just being more efficient. That would change the game entirely.

"I will say that this is a most intriguing prospect." Jacque kept his voice level. "But I find it hard to believe that in exchange for such revolutionary technology, you simply want dust sent to you."

"I've been called many things in my life. Stupid is not one of them." Tony placed his hands on the table and adopted a mildly serious look. "So here's what I'm after. If I give you these blueprints, Stark Industries will get first priority to any dust type for the purpose of weaponized implementation. The other thing I want is a direct line to all the top people that you know in Atlas and everywhere else in the world."

Again, Jacque found himself trying to piece together what exactly was the end game for Tony Stark. Normally, when it came to business deals, there were only a few things that people wanted: raw materials, capital, land, human resources, intellectual property rights, the list could go on. The first part of the deal made sense. Dust was typical and necessary. The second part involving a direct line to top-tier clients and business partners and such was not the norm.

"Your offer is... strange." The SDC head sat back in his chair.

The Stark head shrugged his shoulders. "It's what I do. It's not my style to always play by the books."

Strange indeed.

Iron Man - - - RWBY

Remnant, System Unknown

Kingdom of Atlas

Polendina Laboratory

April 23rd, 56 AGW

"Mister Stark, it's a pleasure to meet a fellow scientist. The A.G.E. system is a source of must interest in our corner of Remnant."

"Same to you, Doctor Polendina. Your research in robotics is unparalleled. I'm a big fan of yours. I was hoping we'd be able to compare notes."

Pietro Polendina was rather surprised that Tony Stark wanted to meet him, but all the same, it was a welcome change of pace. His research for the Atlesian Military was rewarding, there was no denying that, but the chance to meet other scientists, regardless of their field of study, always was fun. The exchange of knowledge was just so fascinating that he become like a child in a candy story.

"So I take it you looked into the file I sent you?" Tony asked a question. "See anything that might help you?"

"Actually, this is more than I expected." Pietro pulled up his scroll. "This sort of AI research is... almost incomprehensible. I almost didn't believe it myself until I followed your instructions and created a simple AI to start."

"And you did all of this programming in the span of less than two days?" Tony let his enthusiasm show. "That's actually remarkable. You mind showing me?"

"Yes, of course. Right this way." Pietro gestured. "Please watch your step. I haven't had the time to properly organize my tools and equipment."

"I get it. My lab doesn't look any better." Tony chuckled with his words. "It's actually the best kind of place for me."

Indeed the lab was anything but organized. To any normal man, this mess would be nearly incomprehensible, but when one made their own messes, one often knew where to find things in the mess. Parts from disassembled weapons, parts from disassembled machinery, tools and their accessories scattered in random place, parts that had no business being where they were, the entire place was in need of some organization.

"So as I said, I immediately got to work when you provided me with the groundwork. The theoretical literature was enough to convince me." Pietro stepped in front of a table and cleared the mess before opening up a hologram. "As of right now, it responds to all of my commands at will and has been helping me with accelerating calculations and programming."

"There's a lot more that it can do." Mister Stark began by pulling up his scroll and displaying some additional coding. "Here, if you use this coding, you'll be able to turn this thing from a virtual intelligence into something more akin to a true and complete artificial intelligence."

Both men watched as their codings came together and began to synthesize into something far more complex. The process was mesmerizing to their eyes. It took all but a mere few seconds for their works to overlap and fuse together into something much more complex. Once it was done, the main hologram had visually formed into a green ball of flowing information and the creation of a new program was complete.

"Scan for human life." The black-haired man commanded.

"Scanning now." It was only a moment later when the scan was complete. "Two humans in the room. Subject in closest proximity identified as Anthony Edward Stark, born May 29th, 35 AGW."

"Goddammit, Oz." Tony huffed a bit at the spoken information. "One of these days, I swear I'll shock your hands frozen."

Pietro heard his fellow engineer but instead chose to ignore it in favor of continuing to observe the newly-created artificial intelligence as it continued its report.

"Subject second-closest in proximity is Pietro Penny Polendina, born March 17th, 20 AGW."

"Impressive." Pietro stroked his beard. "How did you figure this out?"

"A little something called biomechanical engineering. My main fields are robotics and physics, but I've always found interesting ways for tech and man to mix and mash. I like to call it the melting pot of science. A little of this and a little of that."

"Amazing. I've been to all corners of Remnant search for scientific breakthroughs and never have I come up anything so revolutionary. I can only imagine what could result if this was in civilian life.

The applications for artificial intelligence were vast. Hacking, coding, calculations, and these were just a few of the possibilities. With technology growing with the years, there was an increasing demand for processing power and efficiency. Certainly, operating systems and programs were functioning just fine, but with AI's, the technological game itself might just change on levels so drastic that maybe even the world itself would feel the impact. All of these thoughts were mere speculation and with no precedence for comparison, these conjectures were worthless. Still, it was food for thought.

"As much as I'd like to go all Star Wars on this world, I'd like to perfect what we've got right now." Tony gave a pat to the shoulder. "No hard feelings, just looking to play my cards right."

"I… understand, and you're right." Pietro nodded his head in agreement, although he had slight disappointment in his tone. "I just haven't been this excited since my doctorate years."

"We'll get there eventually, doc." Tony assured him. "For now, I've got a proposal for you, not business-related mind you."

"I have no reason to say no." Pietro made eye contact. "Go on."

"Normally, I'd have done this sort of thing myself, but I need an extra pair of eyes helping me along." Tony looked more than slightly peeved. "I'm used to developing tech along my own guidelines. My weapons tech was done as a rush job, not really my best work."

"You need someone with more intimate information and details about dust-oriented weapons." Pietr summed it up. "I'm more than willing to provide for it, but I'm surprised that you don't have a mind for dust.

"I've never really been sold on relying on dust. Sure, it's got its uses, but I don't always want to line good old Jacque Schnee's pockets anymore that I have."

Pietro nodded. "I see."

"Yeah." Tony affirmed. "But enough about the SDC. Can you help me? I'll pay you for your trouble."

"Your offer is tempting, but with all the projects that I'm working on for the Atlas military, I'm not sure how soon I can get to this." Pietro sighed quite loudly as he leaned against the work table. "Believe me, a chance to work on developing an artificial intelligence isn't lost on me, but I did sign a contract and I always honor my contracts."

"Totally understand." Tony placed his hands in his pocket and contemplated the man opposite of him. "I'm not asking you to put down your commitments. Here's the deal, I'm going to be in town for a bit. We can work on it as we go. Hell, even when I leave Atlas, we can still coordinate our efforts whenever possible."

"Didn't you just say that you didn't want this getting out in public?" Pietro raised his head in perplexion. "Anything on the CCTS can be intercepted by anyone."

"Oh, no, no, no." Tony laughed and shook his head as if that suggestion was utterly stupid. "No way would I ever send sensitive stuff through those glorified rockets stuck to the ground. No, what I'm imagining is a private communications link where we can send data secretly and nobody besides us can access it."

"I'm assuming that this line will be based upon different hardware and software than what exists?" Pietro raised an eyebrow.

"Naturally. We'll call it our little secret. Actually, before we iron out any details, have you," Tony gestured around the room, "got anything here that might be recording or witnessing or hearing whatever we're doing?"

"Absolutely not." Pietro shook his head confidently. "One of the conditions for me working for the Atlesian Military is that I retain my autonomy. I might be contracted with them, but what goes on in here stays in here."

"Then we're speaking the same language." A smile graced the younger man's features. "Let's see what wonderful madness we can make together."

In the line of scientific work, keeping secrets was a very complex matter. In some instances, transparency was critical to the integrity and success of a project while in other cases, secrecy would save the lives of tens of thousands. Doctor Polendina couldn't say what exactly he had gotten himself into. His instincts told him that it wasn't anything evil or immoral, but because Mister Stark seemed focused on secrecy above all else, there had to be a pretty dire consequence that might result if this got into the wrong hands. Naturally, this stoke the fire of curiosity even further.

Genius and madness can often be two sides of the same coin. Pietro Polendina nodded at Tony Stark, but also considered his thoughts. Let us hope you fall into the former category.

RWBY - - - Iron Man

Remnant, System Unknown

Kingdom of Atlas

Atlas Academy

April 25th, 56 AGW

Captain James Ironwood had a most interesting objective today. Many in the Atlesian armed forces might not consider this to be interesting, but James considered this to be a very critical step for the Atlesian Armed Forces. If things went well, then the future of Atlas could very well be assured. All of this was riding upon this meeting with one very important person.

Anthony Edward Stark, born May 29th, 35 years after the Great War. Strangely enough, that was all that his profile had to offer. The only other worthy thing to note was that he had recently presented the Council of Vale with an irresistible weapon to fight back against the Grimm. It was a scant profile to say the least. Ironwood wondered...

Atlas prided itself on its technological advantages and anything that shifted the balance of power in the world was worthy of note. Yes, the kingdoms of the world had vowed to never again fight a war that would divided them and leave them vulnerable to Grimm, but nothing was absolute. Preventative measures needed to be taken for self-preservation. That was why finding out about this man that had suddenly come out of nowhere was on a priority list.

Atlesian intelligence made it very clear that Tony Stark had lots of value, so the fact that a private meeting was first proposed by said man in question had the brass promptly accepting. Why they weren't going to negotiate themselves, Ironwood wasn't quite sure, but nevertheless he endeavored to do his best to see this through. He would do his duty as a soldier and do what he was told. No matter how little he was going in with, he didn't plan to fail.

James checked the time on his watch. One more minute before the appointed time of meeting and he was right where they needed to be to meet.

"Captain James Ironwood." A voice to his left said. "A pleasure."

The first thing that caught the military man's attention was how immaculate the weapons developer was dressed. Not a wrinkle to be found on his suit and not a hair out of place. His eyes were hidden by a pair of shades.

"Mister Stark." James held his hand out. "Likewise. You're early."

"Can't be too early when it comes to dealing with clients." Tony addressed with an air of cool confidence. "Now then, I take it you've got a place we can talk?"

Thankfully, Atlas Academy was kind enough to offer one of its private conference rooms and Ironwood navigated both himself and his guest through the halls until they entered the meeting room.

"Have a seat." James said. "I think you should go first. Considering that you're supplying Vale with weapons, it's somewhat surprising that you've extended this-"

"Yeah, about that." The Stark CEO interrupted. "You see, I developed a specific weapon for Vale… as in it was made specifically for them and no one else."

"Can you… explain?" James was confused. "Mister Stark-"

"And you can call me Tony Stark." The man removed his shades. "Or Tony if you're feeling lazy. I don't care. Mister Stark can get kind of stuffy sometimes."

"Alright then." James relaxed his posture. "Would you care to explain?"

"The missile I put together for Vale was a crunch job, but I made that missile with Vale in mind. The kingdom relies on natural defenses to stave off the Grimm, right? I figured I'd developed a weapon that respected the environment and left little to no damage. That's why I haven't sold it to any other kingdom."

"So… you would be willing to make weapons for other kingdoms?"

"Provided you're willing to pay for it, be my guest. This stuff isn't cheap by any measure and I'm one man. I'm good at what I do, but I need a stellar team behind me. That's why I'm doing hopscotch from kingdom to kingdom. Finding talent isn't as easy as it sounds."

"I see."

Captain Ironwood carefully processed what he had heard so far. While he was in no position to be making decisions that would affect the fighting efforts of the Atlesian Military, his mind was already running through many different scenarios. How would weapons built for specific kingdoms shift dynamics between kingdoms? How would politics work? Ties, treaties, accords, pacts, so many external variables.

If there was one thing that history had taught him, it was that all events in history had built up to what the world was today. Just as this peace was a part of history, so too was the Great War that had preceded the peace. The fact that nations around the world maintained a fighting force of some kind, whether it be a militia, huntsmen, or militaries, there existed a fighting spirit in all individuals. As long as that spirit remained, so too did the capacity for conflict, battle, and war. The only thing to do was pray to the Gods that there would not be another war between nations. A second Great War might just do them all in.

"I know what you're thinking, Ironwood, and I've taken that into account." Tony seemed to be able to pick up on what he was considering. "All this talk about War and Peace can actually be boiled down to a simple little thing that can be called M.A.D.."

"M.A.D.?" James questioned.

"It stands for Mutually Assured Destruction." Tony's eyes flickered a hint of something that was alien. "Basically, the threat that each nation is capable of destroying each other keeps them from pulling the trigger. War and Peace, right?"

"That is true." James wasn't sure he understood, but he agreed nonetheless. "And you're certain the danger can be marginalized?"

"For a time, maybe. I won't pretend that the danger will just poof out of existence. It won't, but on the other hand, all of these weapons and talks are behind closed doors. I spill some secrets to you, you're not going to tell anyone, are you?"

"I may be required to if my superiors so wish it."

"Then omit a few parts. There's no harm in keeping a few secrets for yourself. Everyone's got their own hidden treasure chest."

"I'm not sure you understand, Mister Stark. If my superiors wish me to tell them everything, I must."

"Then think about it like this. How the weapons relate to other kingdoms doesn't really matter in this case because they aren't related. You're here to talk weapons development for Atlas and I'm happy to give me expertise. The weapons aren't related, so there's no reason to say anymore than you have to. Also, since Stark Industries isn't a publicly-traded company, we can sort out the details before I go public."

"It sounds like you've already got your plan laid out."

"That's the name of the business game, Tin Man."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Sorry. Movie reference, you wouldn't get it. Old movie."

"Ah."

What an odd man. It was quite fortuitous that James had a somewhat lax personality. Being part of this outfit entailed that one have a tough skin and be immune to jokes, taunts, and jeering. That being said, an association with something as soft as tin didn't sit well with him. The reference that he did not understand did not help.

"So, with all of that out of way, we can finally talk about what you really want to hear." Tony held out his scroll. "I'd like to introduce you to the Kronos defense system."

Tossing the device on the table, the 3D hologram fired up and displayed schematics for a multi-missile battery. The captain was able to understanding at least some of the concepts involved. Atlas's citizens generally had a better grasp of technology and science than any other nation in the world. What amazed him was how seamless that such an integration into the military would be if it was implemented. This felt just a little too perfect.

"This kind of fluid assimilation is excellent, perfect even." James began. "If I didn't know any better-"

"You don't know better." Tony countered with a master poker face. "I didn't do anything illegal. I just put two and two together. It's actually quite easy to figure out how a military operates based on public records."

"Really?" James crossed his arms. "You expect me to believe that you just happened to know our current way of doing things based on past knowledge that is not always accurate?"

Tony removed his shades and gave a dead-eye stare to which James mimicked. Both men would not back down from their points and their eyes met in a staring contest. A few seconds passed before the former let a snort out followed by a slow smile.

"You don't approve?"

"No, I don't, but it's not up to me what happens with this whole thing. It's up to the brass. I'm simply the liaison between the Atlas Military and Stark Industries."

"Let me give you a little piece of advice about myself. Whenever someone has secrets to keep, I tend to find out about them. Secrets mean a dark side, and I don't trust anyone that doesn't have a dark side. Call me old-fashioned."

"Disrespectful might be more appropriate."

"Now you're getting it, Tin Man."

James Ironwood pinched the bridge of his nose.

Iron Man - - - RWBY

Remnant, System Unknown

Kingdom of Atlas

Schnee Family Manor

April 26th, 56 AGW

Tony had to admit that Jacque Schnee, despite his rather uptight and pompous attitude, knew how to throw an extravagant party. The SDC head had invited him to this high-profile event following their meeting. This extension signalled a successful first impression and the genius inventor was more than happy to attend. There were more than a few people that he wanted to talk to. From industry leaders to celebrities to legends. Not everyone would serve to help Stark Industries, but knowing and connecting with these people mattered.

Much like the host of this party, many of these people belonged to the snotty crowd. Not that the young Stark couldn't understand this mentality; he was guilty of acting the way they did on more than one occasion, but even he could only take so much. At least he liked to think he was more affable to a normal person than these high-strung fakers. Well, for all of his complaints, there were some thing he could take advantage of.

Impressing these sorts of people was what he had trained himself do from a young age. Getting himself dialed into a conversation and getting things going his way was as easy as breathing. Already, he had made an impression on several big wigs as well as a few people on his level. There was also one or two that came up to him and those were just as simple to deal with. More than a few had tried to be condescending to him and the proper response to such a tone was to playfully acknowledge it and throw that smugness back. It was funny to watch some faces deflate or flare up in anger when he proved to be a stone wall and not a piece of paper.

After mixing and mingling for a time, Tony grabbed a wine glass from one of the passing waiters and stood aside and watched the various men and women in the ballroom do their thing. Watching wasn't nearly as fun as doing, but he could certainly get some entertainment value. Additionally, not that anyone here was aware, but he had listened into more than a few private conversations to gleam some juicy details that might come in handy in the future. It haven't been his intention to get in on words not meant for him, but it was too late to take back the things he had heard.

"Mister Stark, correct?" A woman's voice came from his left side.

The twenty-one year-old rotated his head slightly to indicate that he had heard the woman, but he didn't make eye contact with whoever had called out to him. He didn't recognize the voice.

"Who wants to know?" Tony didn't even glance.

"Willow Schnee." A soft voice it was. "You've met my husband."

Hearing the name Schnee, his head turned fully to meet the woman in question. One look at her and it was instantly clear that she was very much a lady born into wealth without knowing anything else, the same life that he had. She was dressed in a very conservative white dress meant to show everyone that she was a cut above them all. At the same time, it accentuated her beauty. One look at her perfect face and there was no doubt that she was attractive all around. There wasn't even a need to do a once-over of her. She was perfect.

"Hmm." Tony gave her an inquisitive look in the eye. "Shouldn't you be with Jacque right now? I would think he'd have you around while he's greeting his guests."

"My husband can be quite animated and absorbed in his discussions with his partners and clients." Willow lowered her head to stare at the ground. "I find myself least useful in such instances."

That was the instance that gave the young man a pause. The way the Schnee maiden spoke of Jacque felt off. Already his mind had run a list of possibilities. No, he wouldn't ask about it. It was far too early to come to the wrong conclusion, so he changed the subject.

"Well, that's a shame." Tony looked away from her to stare at Jack Frost working his magic on some of his guests. "I was hoping that he could introduce me to your father. I've heard great things about Nicholas Schnee. I've always admired men who were self-made."

"I imagine that my father would take a liking to you as well see as you're self-made as well." Willow complimented him. "I regret to say that he's not present. Perhaps another time you may get your chance."

"What, are you saying you can't fill in for him?" Tony returned his attention back to her, his face still neutral. "Surely, you know a few things."

"I'm afraid that I don't possess the same gifts and drive that my father had." Her admittance came forward. "He was always so occupied with every aspect of the SDC that he scantly had time to teach me everything he knew."

"Should you really be telling me this?" He raised an eye at her. "I mean, imagine if I were a scumbag opportunist. If the wrong people knew..."

"It is hardly a secret and it does not matter." Willow sighed as she gazed at her spouse. "Jacque is filling in the role just fine. Everyone flocks to him as a result."

"Nobody pays any attention to you?" Tony decided to play ball and see where it would get him. "Are we sure their eyes are working right? What's not to like about you?"

"That's very kind of you, Mister Stark." Willow smiled slightly at his words.

He had been expecting her to rebuke him with a sort of cold show of thanks, yet instead he received a slight blush of the face and a bit of bashfulness. So apparently, she didn't get this sort of treatment much. There were a few implications behind that realization. His daredevil side tried to push him to go further while his rational side implored him to not do anything that would cause a breakdown in his relationship with the SDC. It was a terse battle which resulted in the latter eventually winning out.

"If you'll excuse me, I think I've honed in on my next target." Tony excused himself with a small bow and he raised his eyes to gaze at her own for a brief second. The effect was instant as she held her gaze with a look that signalled he had her full attention.

He didn't spare her another glance as he departed and searched for another client to speak with. He didn't need see to know that she was still watching his back. He had a sixth sense for this sort of thing. Even if he hadn't let his playboy ways dictate his words, he still grinned at bit at what he had done. Yes, there was danger involved here, but it was thrilling.

And what was life without a little thrill?

This chapter was pretty interesting to write and somewhat challenging at the same time. Incorporating some light aspects of my college knowledge in business management was kind of fun, but getting these interactions down was the most challenging. Often times, I'm resorting to pacing around my room and playing the conversations out verbally. In any case, the dialogue is a work in progress, but I will get better.

The next order of business is the poll I put on my profile page that asked you the readers to select the four characters that will be the children of our very own Tony Stark. I will say that with the results I'm getting now, we're going to have problems. There are ties in the top four spots and I can't have that. If you haven't voted for your top four, then do so. You readers won't get another chance to affect the story like this. If you have voted, now's your chance to tell me why you think certain characters should be the children of Iron Man.

Oh, and for those of you who say that this shouldn't happen, it's going to happen so no amount of persuasion is going to change my mind. It's not that I don't feel for the reasons given to me, but in case you forgot, this is a non-canon story and I've already caused considerable changes in the story by simply making Tony appear on Remnant, so providing canon reasons to not have things happen is kind of pointless in my eyes. It's better that you play along and vote for your favorite characters or explain to me why certain characters work better than others.

The other thing I want to point out is that in regards to the characterization of Willow Schnee, I need to clarify and make sure you all understand a few things. We know very little about Weiss, Winter, and Whitley's mother. I know that everyone calls her Willow, but it hasn't been confirmed in the canon to be her name. Also, based on what we know about her from canon, she's a drunk and she's been in a loveless marriage for some twenty-plus years. I'm inclined to believe that at first, she was in love with Jacque but slowly grew disheartened when she began to see him day to day and notice his behavior. Right now, how I portray her reflects a time when she's still in love with Jacque, but still not fully aware of his true reasons for marrying her.

Anyway, thank you all for your patience. Reviews are most appreciated as this is a work in progress that I want very much to succeed and any help I can get is appreciated.

I hope you all enjoyed reading this chapter.

"Vision without action is merely a dream. Action without vision just passes the time. Vision with action can change the world."

Joel A. Barker