He watched the snowflakes drift outside his window. Sitting in his office, day after day, hour after hour, he had tried various methods to try to calm himself, to empty his mind. Today was no truely special occasion, he simply needed to decompress from the stress of his job. He had the fire-place lit, and a warm cup of coffee steaming behind him as he watched the snowflakes.

He had learned to appreciate solitude. After all he could count on the number of his employees and business partner that didn't sneer at him when he wasn't looking on one hand. And as for everyone outside his company, well he just had to hope that people didn't recognize his face from the news when he stepped out of his limo.

A sound caught his attention from behind him, so he swiveled his chair to see the door ajar, and muffled footsteps and whispers from behind it.

"Winter? Weiss?" He called out. Sure enough he saw their crystal blue eyes peek out from beside the door. "What are you two doing there?"

"We're waiting for you to finish work." Winter answered him dutifully, clutching her teddy-bear. Her father glanced at the clock on his desk, and saw that it was far past their bedtime, something he remarked upon.

"What about you two? Shouldn't you be asleep by now?"

"We didn't want to sleep until we knew you were finished working." Weiss explained.

"And why's that?"

"Well, because if we don't make sure you've finished working, you'll work all night, and then you won't get any sleep." Weiss continued.

"And then you'll be cranky." Winter added.

Their father sighed. While that hadn't been his plan, he couldn't fault his daughters for having unfounded worries. "Don't you two worry, I've already finished."

"Then why are you still here, and not in bed with Mommy?" Winter asked.

"I… I just wanted to rest a while."

"You can rest in bed can't you?" Weiss quipped, holding her own stuffed teddy close to her chest.

Their father sighed again. Arguing with his daughters was a lot like arguing with their mother, it never got him anywhere. "I have an idea. How about you two stay here in my office with me until I've finished? That way you can make sure I leave, and I can have some company? I can even ask one of the servants to bring you some hot chocolate. Does that sound good?"

Weiss nodded enthusiastically. Winter was more reserved but followed her sister's lead. They two came over to his desk, and their father hoisted the two five-year-olds onto his lap, and he requested the two girls some drinks on the intercom.

Soon enough one of the servants carried them in, and they went to watching the snowflakes. Weiss tried to down her hot chocolate immediately, and just as immediately regretted it, almost burning her tongue. Winter was more reserved and carefully blew on hers before taking cautious sips. She looked up at her father, lost in thought as he stared at the weather outside. "Is everything okay Daddy?" She asked.

"Of course Winter." He told her.

"Because you have a worried look on your face."

"I do?"

Winter nodded. "Like… whenever you watch the news."

"It's okay darling." He said. "It's just work is all."

"Well what is it about work then?" Winter asked, unrelenting.

He sighed. How could he possibly explain every minute thing that weighed on his mind to his young daughter? Truthfully he was worried about the standards of his company sliding again. Despite a number of public image gaffes over recent years, the company was doing well, even beginning to exceed the growth and profits from when his father was still in control, if just barely. However he'd been getting reports that the standards he'd set for the mining workers were becoming lax in their performance. He was having difficulty deciding how to approach that problem. Faunus Rights Groups were agitating more and more, if his company was straying from the path he had tried to set for it, well it seemed that bad publicity was something he could never get enough of.

"Daddy!" Winter cried, bringing her father back from being lost in thought.

"Yes?"

"Daddy, I was asking you what's it that work has you worried about?"

"You should answer her Daddy." Weiss said, clutching her teddy close. "She won't stop asking until you do."

"Fine, fine." He swore, they took way too much after their mother. "It's… well I'm worried about whether or not all my employees are following all the rules." He tried.

"Okay." Winter said. "What are you going to do about it?"

"I don't know Winter." He sighed.

"Why don't you just check up on them?" Weiss asked.

"Check up on them?"

"Go to where they are." Weiss said. "If Mommy doesn't think we're brushing our teeth, she checks our toothbrushes and toothpaste."

"Yeah, maybe you can do something like that!" Winter proposed.

Their father blinked a few times. "Have you been brushing your teeth often enough?"

"..." The two girls looked at each other. "...maybe." They said together.

"Mommy also says that if you want something done right you should do it yourself." Weiss also said, still trying to be helpful.

"When has she said that?" Their father asked.

"Last month." She answered. "To Grey. She said she needed to get rid of a- of a- Winter, what was the word that Mommy used?"

"Paparazzi." Winter recited proudly.

"Get rid of one of those, and when Grey couldn't do it, she said 'if you want something done right, you got to do it yourself', so she grabbed her sword, and went outside, and she came back with a big smile on her face." Weiss said.

Their father blinked a few times at that story, not entirely sure what his response would be. He sighed again. "I'll consider it girls." He said that to help them rest their minds. With as much as he had to worry about, he couldn't let do to have his own daughters worry for him as well.

As they sat there watching the snowflakes fall down into the night though, the CEO of the Schnee Dust Company did consider his daughters suggestions. Since he took control of the company he had been tackling its issues from the top down. As much of the corruption he had rooted out, and as many reforms he made however, it did seem it did little for the bottom line. And there was nothing that would be lost if he changed his approach. His mind whirred on this problem as time went by until he absentmindedly noticed that both of his girls had fallen asleep in his lap.

Seeing them contentedly doze temporarily banished all thoughts in his head. He carefully picked them up in his arms, heavy though they were, and carried them and their teddies all their way to their bedroom, and gently tucked them to sleep.

He considered for a moment revisiting his office before deciding to himself that he'd done enough work, and needed his sleep, and made his way into his own bedroom where his sleeping wife had kicked off most of the covers and joined her.

The CEO of the SDC spent the next week coordinating with his secretary Hazel and his business partner Mr. Marley over a spontaneous check-up of the seven key Dust Mines. Mr. Marley took to it quite enthusiastically, believing that it could help alleviate the pressure of the various Faunus Rights Groups that heckled the SDC at every turn.

"I swear things have changed at the company." Mr. Marley muttered, enjoying some of the Tea that Gray was serving him.

"Since I took over?" The CEO asked.

"No." Mr. Marley muttered some more, putting his cup down. "I mean since I first joined. Long time ago. Make no mistake, this company always had its fair share of skeletons in its closet, metaphorical skeletons of course, but there was an air of class." He paused to add some more sugar to his drink. "When your higher-ups told you to jump, you jumped, least if you wanted to be paid that week. Now though, the very fact that we have to perform these check-ups, it's simply shameful." Mr. Marley sighed. "If only men like us could be everywhere?"

"Men like us?"

"Responsible men." Mr. Marley elaborated. "There's a reason you and I are the ones who hold the jobs of our foremen in our hands, and not the other way around."

"I came into this position because my father worked himself to death."

"A tragic death." Mr. Marley said. "Despite people's reservations of your father, I don't think he did enough to entail such an early death. Poor man never got to meet his beautiful grandchildren. But no Herr Schnee, you did more than simply come into this position."

"I did?" He decided to have one of the tiny sandwiches Gray had left out for them.

"You did. See, if a lesser man had simply come into your position as CEO, he would have sat idle. He would have let me and the board have the run of the place while he was content to sit back, take his paycheck, and relax in his palace. Maybe play golf on sundays. You chose not to do that Herr Schnee. You chose what was perhaps the most difficult path possible, and stubbornly fought your way through it. And continue to do so. For that you'll always have my admiration."

"You can stop now Mr. Marley, I'm not giving you a pay-raise."

Mr. Marley chuckled at that.

"Young Master?" Gray said as he entered the room.

"Yes Gray?"

"Your wife would like to chat with you alone."

"Reina's back from her free-climbing lessons already?" Gray nodded.

"Go to your wife Herr Schnee." Mr. Marley told him. "I'll be here enjoying this excellent tea prepared by your servant."

He acquiesced. Gray led him only a short way where Reina stood, her arms crossed, and her expression looking like the one she took whenever she lectured Weiss and Winter.

"Yes Reina?" She didn't respond to him. "Is something wrong?"

"I'm trying to think of a response." Reina said to him.

"Am I in trouble?"

"I'm trying to decide that." She answered him. "Gray tells me that you are going to be leaving for work?" Her husband sighed. "Tell me the truth Tinsel."

It hadn't crossed his mind what his wife would think of this venture. "I was planning to do some personal check-ups over the mines. You don't have to worry about me, the SDC Militia is much better trained and armed today."

"That had crossed my mind." Reina said. "But that's not all that I'm worried about."

"Okay."

Reina sighed this time. "It's just… you promised me that you'd put family before work."

"And I am." Her husband said, confused. "It's just that I wanted to make sure this was done right. You've been paying attention from the news like I have. Our company, our family is getting more pressure than ever. Reina, remember how people treated me when we were in school together? I don't want that for our daughters. For people to recognize them because of all the bad things our company does."

"You honestly forgot." Reina remarked, a bit of her usual mirth back in her voice.

"Forgot?" He reviewed in his head all the important dates he could remember. He eliminated the holidays and the girls' birthdays. There were no other plans he had made prior where there?

"Birthday." Reina supplied. "Yours."

"Mine?" Realization slowly took him. He sank into a nearby chair feeling like an idiot. Reina took her place besides him, a smile back on her face.

"You've been really worked up, haven't you?" Reina asked, to which he nodded. "I just… I just don't understand why it is you want to go. I remember about what you told me when you were young, and you went to the mines with your father. I don't understand why it is you want to go there yourself, you can send Mr. Marley, why not him?"

He took a few moments to gather his words. It was something he had hoped to face on his own. Just as always though, Reina was there to insure that never happened. "I feel inept Reina. Like all the good I've done is to just bang my head against the wall. Even when I make progress, it never feels… tangible. I've been at this for years. Either nothing changes, or I make change and nobody acknowledges it. I want to be there myself, to see it with my own eyes. And… I think a part of me wants to confront the worst in my company. Confront what I couldn't back when I was a child."

"... do you think it might be because you weren't there for the Grimm Massacre four years ago?" Reina asked.

He tried to dissuade her from that notion, but she cut him off. "Reina-"

"No. I get it. You've always wanted to be the good guy. And I've just cooped you up with me."

"Reina you just wanted me to be a good father."

"I know. And you are. Partially thanks to me I think. You made a good choice. But… it's just sometimes I don't stop to think what the consequences of good choices are." Reina sighed and leaned her head against her husband's chest. Then she snapped to attention back with the exuberance she normally exerted, which for normal people was the same amount of energy people had after their sixteenth cup of coffee. "I have a compromise!"

"... go on." He said, not wishing to try to get in her way.

"We go." Reina said. "We all go."

"Reina-"

"The whole family! You, me, Weiss and Winter. And Gray. You go do your business stuff, and we'll be there to make sure you still have fun. Plus, it's a vacation! Or at least a field-trip. The girls should really travel more, if Winter is going to be a Policewoman-Soldier-Huntress-Archaeologist-Teacher-Actress-Scientist-Writer, and Weiss is going take over the company." She always switched who was going to be what every time she opened her mouth.

"Reina-"

"It's been decided!" She declared. "I'll start packing!" By which she met she'll start Gray packing, as she ran out the door hollering his name.

The CEO of the SDC meanwhile slid back more into his chair. While draining, it was somewhat reassuring that no-matter what turn his life took, Reina never changed, and would always be able drag him somewhere he didn't want to.

The girls cheered when they heard the news of a field-trip. Really they were just happy to get a day-off from their lessons. Everything was packed while their father did his boring business on the phone. Their Daddy tried to convince them that it would be very boring, but their Mommy insisted otherwise, and they had long-ago learned to take her word over his. Plus it was important for them to see their Daddy's work if one of them was going to take over one day (they hadn't found out which one of them would yet).

The day came soon enough. They took a ride on the family's private jet, something the girls felt didn't happen nearly enough. The trip was fun enough and it wasn't too long until they reached their destination.

They were going to one of the Seven Key Mines of the Schnee Dust Company. The oldest and most profitable in the Company. Each of them held onto their Mother's hand as they alighted onto the tarmac, only snow and wasteland visible for miles save for the occasional guard-post for the SDC Militia. This was Grimm Territory after all, but they were unafraid because they knew that should anything happen to them their Mommy would take her sword and defend them. A limousine soon arrived, and Gray, along some other servants, unloaded their luggage into the back, and they piled in.

Weiss and Winter each took a spot by the window and watched the featureless landscape pass by. Daddy was still trying to do some business, and Mommy was trying to either stop him or annoy him. Daddy had a very worried look on his face, but they didn't stop to think about that since he looked like that so often. Some people said their Daddy's face was hard to understand since he had that cool scar, but Weiss and Winter believed that most people just weren't trying enough.

Soon enough they got to the mining town, a sparse area inhabited only by security checkpoints, ramshackle shacks made to resist the cold, and dull grey office buildings. A little bit beyond the edge they could see the massive quarry where Dust was extracted from the raw earth, giant machines built to dig it out looming over.

"Not the most attractive of vacation spots." Their mother remarked, peering out the window with them.

"I tried to tell you." Their father said. He sighed. He did that alot. "You and Grey can try to make yourselves comfortable here, and try to have some fun with the girls, I'll be looking for the foremen. Go over the mines policies."

"Psst girls-" Their mother whispered at them. Oh right, that was their cue.

The two bounded from their seat, and gave their father a big hug, burying their faces into this thick jacket. "Good luck at work Daddy!" The two of them told him.

"Um- thank you girls." He said, gently hugging them back. He then stepped out of the limo, and waved them goodbye.

"Herr Schnee!" The foreman cried, both shocked and terrified at his employer's presence. "Wh-what are you doing down here?"

"My job." He replied, looking at the man's office. The foremans employer was not terribly pleased at the progress he was making. The foreman was nowhere to be found at the main office building during his work hours, and instead he had to be directed to his place of residence, a mansion of palatial decadence. He was currently looking over his office with a careful eye. He had seen enough board members using company funds for personal items and activities.

"Of course Sir, and it is not my place to quibble with you over that, but it's just that it seems we received no indication of your arrival here, otherwise I would have greeted you personally!" The foreman said, wasting no time in groveling.

"This is a surprise inspection." He explained. "One I and Mr. Marley are conducting personally. In order to make sure that things are running properly, and if they are not, then proper supervision will be put in place."

He had found being intimidating was much easier than he could have imagined. He was a far cry from the young man who cowered in fear at school for reprisals from other angry young men. His scar helped, casting his face in a permanent scowl. But it seemed most of all it was his position. As CEO he had more power than some petty kings. He even owned a private army after all. And it was actually very easy to convert that power into fear when you had control over someone's rather impressive paycheck.

"I understand Herr Schnee. I make no excuses." The foreman told him.

Most people thought of foremans as rough and tumble sorts. Ready to crack a whip at any moment. What was infront of him was decidedly less impressive. A reed of a man in a suit more expensive than its make warranted. Of course anyone tangentially related to the SDC would have expected as such, it had become a tradition of sorts for the foreman of the mines to style themselves as Barons over the mine, the town, and its facilities. Still though, the humility was welcome.

"In that case, I expect you to accompany me while I inspect the facilities. We will start with the Offices, where you should be presently, then through the living quarters for the staff and workers, then the processing facilities and the mines."

"Understood." The foreman said standing up. He picked up a jacket that was once again more expensive than it should have been, and was made to to double the size of his appearance. With that they began the tour.

The mines weren't so much mines, as they were small cities. One day long ago, they may have been simple mines, with only sparse holdings for the workers, but as the company grew, so did they. It was host to a variety of facilities, buildings, and people.

Beginning at the main office building. Built none too differently than headquarters building in Atlas, if much more modest in scale. There wasn't much activity there at the moment, as the workers there were largely concerned with paperwork and business calls. And as far as everyone present today was concerned, today was another slow day of no importance.

Together they went over files and papers insuring that the money being directed to them was going where it was supposed to, and by all accounts aside from a few typo's it was. The foreman was pressed about the hiring quota's to insure that a certain number of Faunus were being hired into the office buildings (one of his more unpopular reforms), and the foreman reluctantly admitted that was an area they were being lax in.

Next were the living quarters. The setup was standard, an enclave of standard or above-standard housing grouped together towards the offices where the Human employee's lived, surrounded by a line of SDC Militia guard towers between them and the housing for the Faunus workers, supbar slums. The foreman repeatedly insisted that the money being sent for renovations was going into the housing areas, each of the houses were being supplied with heat, water, electricity, and the like. Internally he did want to think there was an improvement to the area compared to his memories as a child, but externally he refused to relent on the Foreman. At the very least he did see that they had bothered to make sure the roads in the area were maintained, but he suspected that had been done in the name of efficiency, rather than decency. Currently the slums were deserted, likely every able body was working in the mines. As for the barracks for the SDC Militia, he could see no expense had been spared, security camera's on every corner, state of the art check-points, readily maintained armor and weapons.

He questioned the foreman on the seeming preference given to the Militia, and he mumbled something, referencing the Grimm attacks that occurred some years ago, and the increase amount of crime and vandalism occurring. Not a good sign, since trying to convince anyone important in his company that more funds should be given to the conditions of their mine workers, rather than the conditions of their armored soldiers was staunchly resisted by the 'need for safety'.

After that they began making their way towards the mine. Just on the lip of the quarry was the transportation hub. A massive trainstation and fuel depot meant to secure and transport the Dust across the continent. Lined with more SDC militia at their posts. Nearby there was also a bus-depot, made to transport the workers from their homes to their places of business. Nearby were the factories were the Dust was given preliminary processing, largely to make it less volatile for transport, but also to completely process it for local use and distribution for nearby settlements. As they inspected it, the SDC CEO found that the safety regulations at least were up to standards. The last thing they needed was for a processing facility to have a catastrophic meltdown.

Lastly there was the mine itself. The foreman had been nervously sweating the entire time. They made their way down the quarry in the Foremans personal car, but as they drove down, the CEO saw a large congregation just outside the entrance to the mine. As they came closer it became clearer that the workers were protesting, carrying aloft various picket fences with the emblems of Faunus Rights Groups on them.

When they reached the bottom of the quarry, they stepped outside, and an SDC militia came over to them. "Sir! The workers have been striking, we were trying to reach you."

"Cadet." The CEO called. The Militiaman turned and straightened up considerably upon recognizing him. "What are their grievances?"

"G-Grievances sir?"

"What is it that has them so upset." He explained.

"Oh, right. Um. Well. I'm not entirely sure. I think they want they usual stuff. Better wages, better job quality."

"I see. Cadet, collect a full list of their grievances, and return it to me so that I may address them. The foreman and I will be inspecting the mine, have it ready for me when I return."

"Understood sir!"

"Dismissed." With that the Cadet went running off. He had to admit, that was just a little bit fun. But back on to business, together with the Foreman they inspected the premises. The nearby office buildings were according to regulation, no surprise there. But from there they had to inspect the mine proper. The foreman insisted on bringing a few Militiamen with them, the man himself clearly never having gotten this close to the operation, a first for both of them. He relented, figuring at least they could carry some extra flashlights with them.

Inside the tunnels were exactly as you'd expect. Dark. And cold, even colder than it was outside in the wasteland, where there was at least the benefit of the sun. The tunnels seemed properly supported however, and there was proper lighting. Though thankfully he didn't show, the SDC CEO was slowly beginning to realize that he was an expert on finances, economy, and the like, not the logistics of mining operations in and of themselves. He couldn't really tell just by looking at the tunnels what was good, and what was not. The foreman himself seemed likewise, trying to make a show to make it seem all was in order, but not too much of a show for fear his employer might call him out on it. Still though, as he thought about it, the inspections would still likely prove useful. If not for solely giving a good show of tightening of the reigns, it seemed, early though it may be, that his bottom up-approach had more promise than his previous top-down approach. He may not know the logistics of mining, but since it seemed the foreman was being cooperative enough (he had been expecting a lot of resistance) then perhaps it would be easy to find someone willing to work with him who did. And if nothing else the protest outside would give him exactly what it was his workers wanted.

As for what he gathered in the mines, it seemed most of the digging was done by machines, with the miners making ancillary tunnels to find the Dust, with most of the work appearing to be extracting, transporting, and maintenance. Everything appeared to be in order, and the risks were as minimized as they could be in the business.

Soon enough they returned to the surface where the protests had yet to die down. At the office the cadet was waiting besides the foreman's car. "Well I believe that concludes our business for the day."

"I see." The foreman muttered. "Herr Schnee, it has been a pleasure working with you." He said resigned.

"Wait." He said. The man clearly had decided he was fired, but considering his humility and cooperation, something he rarely encountered, he decided to reassure the man. "From what I've seen today you have been doing an… adequate job in your posting. I will expect more from you soon. More effort, more attention to detail, and more punctuality."

It dawned on the man the intent of his employer's words, and vigor soon returned to him. He enthusiastically grabbed his hand to shake it. "I understand sir! I will do my best from here on out! I shall personally see to the need of each and every employee! I shall inspect everything myself! You won't regret this!"

"Good."

Out of words to say, the foreman simply smiled and bowed, and returned to his car. Exiting likewise, the SDC CEO was surprised to see his own limousine waiting just outside with his wife waiting inside. Seeing him, she opened the door and leapt out alongside his two daughters.

"There you are Tinsel!" She cried embracing into him. "We decided to pick you up after your business stuff, isn't that right girls?"

"Yes!" The two cried.

"That's very thoughtful of you." He said. He was thankful that today seemed to be going well. A good sign.

"We finished unpacking." Reina explained. "And we had Grey drive us here."

"Reina, we're probably going to fly out again tomorrow, or the day after, there was no need to unpack."

"Says you." Reina quipped. "Besides, gives us something to do."

He sighed. "Fine, fine. We can go relax for the rest of the day, I'll make plans later."

"Don't worry, I've already thought of ten things for us to do before you have to do go do something important and boring again." Reina said, holding her husband's hand. "Now then-"

An explosion occurred. Just behind them. The foremans car was now nothing more than a flaming pile of steel and rubber. The Militiaman who he had talked to earlier about the protest was now on the ground, his blood spilling onto the dirt and ice. The entire quarry hushed, the protestors now no longer protesting or trying to garner the attention of the Militamen, who wasted only a second before rushing towards the sound, one or two of them having the mind to try to disperse the crowd. Herr Schnee and his family cowered, he and his wife grabbed their daughters for safety, too surprised to know how to feel at the moment.

Then a second explosion, much closer, the sound and the force knocking the family back. The Schnee's limousine was now roaring ablaze.

"Grey." Reina realized. Wasting no time she gave Winter to her husband and rushed in. Not even daunted by the flames, she grabbed the flaming metal that was once the car door, wrenching it open as flames licked and brushed at her arm, alighting on to her dress and jacket, catching a flame on them until it was open. The Militamen hurried after her, trying to pull her back, but with her vigor she beat them back until they started helping. She pulled at Grey, fire all over him, black and red with blood and soot, he cried agonizingly and pathetically. Together with the Militamen Reina brought Grey out of the flaming wreck, and some feet back. Ignoring her own fresh burns, she took off her jacket, beating it upon Grey to extinguish the flames on it and him, the Militiaman patting down the both of them to try to help.

Weiss and Winter clung to their father refusing to look, as he sat there himself transfixed by what had occurred. It seemed an eternity as he watched everything unfold, until some of the Militiamen picked him and his daughters up, and brought them into the office. One with a higher rank said some words that would be expected of him in the situation, trying to take control, assess what had happened, and try to prevent more of it from happening, but he was deaf to it.

Reina and Grey were brought in, Grey put to rest on a table. A limb of his was missing, one of his arms, now bleeding profusely. Reina now covered in fresh burns tore at her dress that had once been showcased on a model in Mistral some months back, and tried to put it to use as some bandages on Grey, who was continuously moaning. He was almost unrecognizable. A caricature of suffering.

For his part, the man at the center of this just stroked the backs of his daughters, trying to keep them somewhat more calm than him.