"That's impossible." Weiss spoke up flatly, shattering the momentary silence of the room.

"It may very well be some sort of hoax, but as of now, all evidence points to them." Ozpin rebuttled.

"Well, it shouldn't." Weiss coldly replied. "Not only is it impossible. It makes no sense. My father and his personal colleagues on the board of directors of the Schnee Dust Company are the only ones with that password. All of them also despise the Faunus like...like I used to." she paused out of guilt, trying not to look at Blake. "Point being, if they found out one of their own were aiding a terrorist plot, not only that but one involving the White Fang, my father would go ballistic." She stood up from her seat, planting her hands firmly on Professor Ozpin's desk. "If it's one of them, Ironwood better hope he's absolutely sure that this evidence is true."

"He assured me himself that this news has been varified." Ozpin answered, not even blinking at the sudden level of seriousness the diminutive heiress to a possibly corrupt business had brought on. "And I should also let you know this information is highly classified as well."

"You can count on us to keep our mouths shut." Yang nodded while her sister made a zippering motion on her's.

"We will certainly hold you all to that, Miss Xiao Long." Goodwitch spoke up, the sorceress dawning a stern expression. "I don't think I need to remind you releasing classified information will not only result in expulsion, but can also have you under military arrest."

"Uhh, yeah. That's why I said we won't tell anyone." Yang shrugged, unaware if her instructor got the message or not.

"Speaking of which, why are you telling us?" Ruby asked.

Ozpin took another sip from his mug and sighed after swallowing the bitter coffee inside. "As you all know, first year students don't begin going on missions until their second semester here. For second through fourth years, their graduation from that freshman year qualifies them as amateur Huntsmen or Huntresses. We keep them on campus for their studies of course, but at the same time, they're able to partake in missions under supervision of a seasoned Huntsman whenever needed."

Ruby's eyes instantly lit up with excitement. She hadn't been on a full-fledged mission outside of Vale in over a year. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?" she squeaked out of eagerness.

With a nod, Ozpin continued. "I'm assigning you to a special mission that will take you up north to Atlas City. You and your Huntsman will be under disguise of helping the SDC test new equipment, a program Wilheim Schnee put into effect not too long ago. During your stay, keep an eye out for anything suspicious. If needed, assist in any issues that may arise." he explained, briefing them on their task.

"Your instructors have already been notified, and all aspects of this mission will go towards your marks in combat-related classes as extra credit for the time you miss them." Goodwitch added as she sent the last of the e-mails to their respective teachers.

Ruby and Yang were the first to react, exchanging a high-five while Ruby gave a squeal of excitement, before it came to a screeching hault as a thought crossed through her head. "Wait, what about Thorn and Zwei? Who'll watch them while we're gone?"

"Don't worry about that. We have another team that's putting one of our newest programs at Beacon to the test." Ozpin smiled, showing the second year team something on his Scroll. Blake happened to be the first to react to it.

"We have that now?" she asked in surprise.


"Y-You can't be serious!" Jaune stuttered as Goodwitch lead Ruby and Team JNPR into what was an old office that used to be full of physical copies of old files before renovations occured and moved them to another building. What replaced it seemed like the background of a daytime children's show painted on the wall. It was carpeted with a thick shaggy rug and scattered with padded furniture such as a toybox and a couch in front of a desk. Sitting at said desk was yet another familiar face.

"Welcome to Beacon Daycare!" Velvet smiled as she turned to face the new arrivals, her cheery expression then masked with surprise as the second in command of Beacon Academy marched into the room ahead of them. "Oh! Professor Goodwitch! W-What can I do to help you?" she stammered.

"Nothing's the matter, Miss Scarlatina. I'm just dropping off your volunteers for the time being." Glynda nodded, gesturing to the four somewhat confused members of JNPR as they entered the room ahead of Ruby and her son. "As well as one of your first customers."

"Oh, hiya, Velvet!" Ruby smiled gladly as the rabbit Faunus walked up to them.

"There's the Rose's little Thorn!" Velvet cooed as she got a closer look at Ruby's infant son. "You dropping him off as you go to class?" she assumed.

"Actually, Professor Goodwitch here said you could watch him while my team's away on mission." Ruby clarified.

Jaune and Nora did double takes as that news reached their ears. "Wait, so they get to leave the kingdom..." Jaune started.

"...While we're stuck here babysitting?" Nora finished, disappointment and envy clouding over her thoughts.

"You two should consider this as important as the mission RWBY is about to embark on. Your help here is not only going towards your Home Ec marks, but will help you learn off-the-battlefield skills if you ever raise your own families." Goodwitch explained. "You will take over Miss Scarlatina's duties during her class periods, as well as help around here while she attends to the children under our care."

"And dogs too!" Yang announced as she lead Zwei inside, the Corgi barking happily as all his friends gathered around him.

"To be honest, I didn't even know we had this added to Beacon." Ren finally spoke up, as well as said what everyone else was thinking.

"After the events of last school year, as well as some Huntsmen having children of their own too young for school and in need of supervision, Ozpin reached out to the committee to start a boarding program here for those children to be watched over while their parents are away." Goodwitch explained, gesturing to Thorn as Ruby placed him down to play with a plush rabbit as an example.

Almost as if on cue, another figure entered the modified office, talking rather loudly into her Scroll that was tucked between her shoulder and cheek as she carried another familiar face in along with her. "No, Mom. The flight can't wait five minutes while I drop Emre off at home." Marron argued with the Arc matriarch via the phone line. "Because it's at least fifty miles off the path we're flying, and jet fuel doesn't grow on trees! ...Wait, they really have those in Vacuo? Wow...Look, I promise next time, you can watch him, but right now, I gotta go. Love you." she finished as she hung up, looking around the room and grinning as her blue eyes locked onto a matching pair with the same color hair as her. "There's my little bro! How ya doing, Jauney?"

"Marron? What brings you and Emre here to Beacon again?" Jaune asked as he stepped forward to face the second oldest of his seven sisters, who happened to stand just two inches taller than him.

"Ah, you know; can't bring a baby into a battlefield now, can I?" she shrugged, letting her now toddler-sized son, Emre Irons, to explore the new surroundings of the overnight daycare.

"My sister here can protest to that." Yang boasted, gesturing to Thorn as he began cuddling the plush rabbit he had found.

Marron furrowed her brow at the young Faunus before shifting them to the diminutive brunette who carried him. "You're Ruby Rose? That little girl who stopped Cinder Fall?" she asked.

"Ehehe, sort of..." Ruby blushed, not exactly sure how to handle the praise.

"Hey, no need for embarrassment. A lot of the Huntsmen I work with were really impressed with the fact a teenage mom was able to thwart a terrorism plot. Nice work!" Marron nodded, shaking Ruby's hand, the reaper still barely holding on as she gingerly returned the gesture.

"Wow, t-thanks." Ruby stuttered, before getting to the topic on hand. "So you're off on a mission of your own?"

"It's actually a good case of circumstance you're here right now, Mrs Arc." Goodwitch spoke up. "Marron here will be supervising Team RWBY on their upcoming mission."

"May Monty have mercy on your souls." Jaune joked.

"Ah, shut up, Jaune. You know your girlfriends here are gonna be just fine under my watch while we're away." Marron teased back, ruffling her younger brother's hair while the Rose-Xiao Long sisters just awkwardly laughed. Pyrrha seemed to be the only one not even smirking at the obvious ploy to embarrass the knight. "Either way, we shouldn't be taking too long. Our flight outta here leaves in forty-five minutes." she said, turning to the two sisters.

"Yeah, Rubes. We should probably get ready. Weiss and Blake probably already-huh?" Yang stopped herself as she noticed her younger sister now kneeling in front of her pet dog and son, trembling slightly.

"Y-you two will be good for your uncles and aunts in JNPR, right? A-and Miss Scarlatina too?" Ruby whimpered as she craned her head down and kissed her son's forehead. This wasn't the first time she had left Zwei in the care of another for an extended period of time, but it was the first for her to do so with her month-old child.

"Okay, Ruby. No time to be sad. You'll see them again in a few days..." Yang said, trying to cheer her sister up.

"A few days? I'll never make it!" Ruby bawled as she was carefully dragged out, Thorn more confused what that was about than upset his mom was going somewhere without him. Zwei didn't seem to mind either as he found a comfy spot on the carpet next to the couch and plopped down upon it to take a nap.

"Good luck!" Pyrrha called to them as they left, just a long whine from Ruby being the reply.

"Um, is she gonna be alright?" Velvet asked aloud, still hearing Ruby uncontrollably sobbing from down the hall.

"She'll get over it. Every mom's like this when they leave their baby alone for the first time." Marron shrugged as she knelt down to say goodbye to her own son. "Be a good boy while Mommy's away, and play nice with the others." she started before Professor Goodwitch started dragging her out. "Hey! Glynda!"

"We still need to go over the briefing with you as well, Mrs Arc." the sorceress stated flatly.

"B-but I didn't finish my goodbye!" she whined as she was tugged out the door, leaving the five young adults, two small children and a sleeping corgi to their own devices.

"Bye bye, Mama!" Emre waved as his mom was forcibly removed from the day care.

"Well, now that that's over with, we can begin getting them situated." Velvet smiled, clasping her hands together.

Team JNPR looked down on the children before looking between themselves. "It's just taking care of children. We've done it before with Emre; how hard can it be with two?" Jaune asked aloud. As if on cue, Thorn's lip began to quiver. Before long, the tiny Faunus started bawling uncontrollably.

"I'm going to say 'very'." Ren answered.


Meanwhile, in Team RWBY's dorm room, Weiss and Blake had already began packing a single bag each for the upcoming mission. It had been the first time since the new year at Beacon Academy began that the star team of their class, quite possibly the whole student body, would be departing their room to go out on a mission.

It was a different dorm than last year. Not only did the second year student dorms happen to have more space than the first year rooms, but they came with a built in kitchenette in one corner with a small electric stove, sink and miniature fridge, as well as a small bathroom with a small shower stall for more privacy than the public restroom showers in the freshman dorms. Also, because of certain circumstances, the large closet present inside it was converted into a small nursery for Thorn, complete with his crib and a small changing table made out of a low hanging shelf already built into the former storage space. Instead of a closet, the Huntress team were given a duo of drawers that each half of the team shared, Ruby and Weiss sharing a bunk bed and drawer on the left side of the room and Blake and Yang sharing the one on the right. Blake was just going through one of her own and packing an extra set of clothes and ammunition for Gambol Shroud while Weiss stopped as she found something on the bottom of her drawer where she kept her nightgown and undergarments that made her look longingly at it. What she held was a folded photo of her family from when she was very young. Her father sat in the middle of them all with a slight smirk on his face with a tiny two-year old Weiss sitting on his lap, grinning happily at the camera. On either side of them stood her sister and mother, the mother of the two heiresses standing leisurely above her husband as she seemingly forced a smile. Winter had her hands folded over her chest and seemed jealous of the toddler version of her younger sister that she got to sit in her father's lap over her.

"Hey, Weiss. Do you happen to have any of that Elemental Dust ammunition you can spare?" The raven-haired girl asked, only for her query to be met by silence. "Weiss?" she asked again, this time, succeeding in gaining the heiress' attention.

"Hmm? Oh. I don't believe I have anymore." Weiss said, quickly stowing the photograph back under her pile of socks and unmentionables.

"It's fine. The SDC should have all the ammunition we need anyway for our 'testing'." Blake shrugged, dismissing the care towards her packing and back to her comrade. "Are you okay? You seem preoccupied about something."

"It's nothing, Blake." Weiss lied, trying to focus more on packing her items she'd need for the mission in an immaculately white backpack she got as a birthday gift sometime after Vale's occupation from Coco.

"Weiss, the last time somebody said it was nothing to worry about, Ruby ended up pregnant." Blake deadpanned, not believing her friend at all.

"Well, in my case, it really isn't anything to concern yourself with, Belladonna!" Weiss snapped, then surprising herself with her own outburst. "I-I'm sorry..." she quickly apologized, wringing her hands with a nervousness that was way out of character for somebody like herself.

"Now it sounds like something I should be concerned about." Blake said, putting her backpack down and turning to Weiss. "Out with it."

Weiss let out a defeated sigh as she faced her Faunus partner. "It's just...I'm not really looking forward to seeing my family again." she began to explain. "You remember last year? When we found out you were part of the White Fang?" Weiss asked, Blake not even needing to nod to showcase her remembrance. "You also sort of saw how my family reacts to not just the White Fang, but Faunus as a whole."

Blake squinted at those words. "You don't need to remind me how your dad thinks of people like me or some of our friends." she deadpanned.

"I know, but I still worry about how he'd react if he found out not only my teammate, but one of my three very best friends was one." Weiss explained. "Growing up, he kind of drilled it into me and my sister's heads that Faunus are scum, lowlife savages that deserve all the hate they get. Meeting them face to face, people like you, Sun, Velvet, Mei, even Adam helped change my opinion. Even my sister sort of lightened up when her team leader from when she attended Beacon was a Faunus." She smirked somewhat as she thought of some of the happier memories with Blake and the others she shared. It vanished as she got back on track towards her point. "My dad, however, can't be swayed so easily. With the time he was brought up in, and the White Fang constantly attacking his company, he despises all Faunus with a deep-seated hatred stronger than Yang's distaste for having her hair cut."

That actually made Blake gulp. She knew the Schnee family wasn't particularly fond of Faunuskind, but full on scorn wasn't her expectation.

"It's what drove my mom away from him. All his anger towards how the White Fang were ruining the reputation of his company, robbing shipments, killing executives...He never struck her or my sister or me, but it got to a point where she couldn't take him being so angry all the time. She left him after I turned six. I've only seen her three times since then. It doesn't hold a candle to what the rest of you had to go through, your mom dying while having you and Ruby's during a mission..." she trailed off, not needing to explain any further how hard it was for her to explain her family to someone else. "Don't even get me started on my older sister."

"You always struck me as the older sister of your family." Blake commented in surprise.

"I wish." Weiss scoffed. "She and I are the exact polar opposites of Ruby and Yang's bond. She always had a dislike for me since I was born, as if she was envious that I was more of a daddy's girl when I was her age than she was. Even when I tried to do something nice for her, it was met with her bitchy attitude and complete disregard for the fact I actually was trying to do a kind thing for her. There was one time I accidently spilled juice on her favorite gala dress and she got angry at me for it. I tried making it up to her by making her an apology bracelet, but she just screamed at me to go away and broke it in her hand right in front of me." Weiss ranted.

Now it was becoming clear to Blake why Weiss was so adamant that Yang was doing such a great job being by Ruby's side the day Thorn was born, despite the blonde brawler having doubts of her actions. Experiencing the sisterly bond the Rose-Xiao Long girls shared made Weiss feel not exactly envious of the fact she and her sister didn't get along, but more so as if she had missed out on the opportunities to fix that type of relationship. "Wow...I'm sorry I pushed the envelope there." Blake apologized, not meaning for Weiss to go into that detail of her family history like that.

Weiss gave another exasperated sigh before replying. "No, it's fine. I should have gotten that off my chest a long time ago." she admitted. "Just promise me one thing: keep your real self as hidden as you normally do." she asked. Blake almost looked offended by Weiss asking her to do such a thing, but after considering the fact she already wore her bow around enough, despite most of Beacon knowing who she really was now, plus she'd be going to one of the most Faunus-insensitive places in all of Remnant, she nodded.

"You don't need to worry about that." Blake smiled knowingly. "But what about you? There's no denying we'll be around your family alot during this assignment."

"I'll be okay as long as nothing can provoke me." Weiss answered.

"And if they're guilty if what Ironwood found was true?" Blake asked.

Weiss looked down, clenching her hands at the thought of her own family backing a terrorist plot that potentially threatened the whole world. She didn't get to give her answer, as the sound of somebody barging into the room drive their attention to the exit door to the hallway slamming open against the desk it sat next to. In walked Yang as she held Ruby by her collar and makeshift scarf, the younger looking distraught over something. "What're you two lazybones doing standing around?" Yang teased. "We gotta finish getting ready!"

"What's the matter with Ruby?" Blake asked, looking down at the brunette who sat upon the floor, staring longingly at a picture on her Scroll taken of when they first brought Thorn out of the hospital, Zwei sniffing the bundle of blankets he was in as Ruby knelt down to introduce the two. "My babies..." she whimpered. "Ah." she simply stated as her answer was given for her by Ruby.

"C'mon and cheer up, sis! We get to go on missions again now! Start packing already!" Yang encouraged as she dove into her drawer, gathering up a pile of clothes and supplies in a heaping pile in her arms and shoving them unceremoniously into a backpack. Ruby sighed as she depressingly complied and went to gathering her own supplies.

"She's right. We should finish up and meet up with out Huntsman." Weiss commented, returning to her drawer and gathering her combat skirt and blouse to change into out of her academy uniform.

Blake took a moment to watch Weiss with a concerned expression before returning to her preparations. Before long, all bags were packed, all the Huntresses were dressed in their combat clothing, and all weapons had been prepped for use. With a simultaneous nod, they slid their backpacks onto their shoulders and left their dorm, locking the door on their way out.


And the mission begins!

Now, I hope you enjoyed it and I don't think I'll be posting as many author's notes at the end of the chapters as I did in SI, but an issue has come to my attention that I can't let slide due to the fact I think how ridiculous it is.

Recently, I've become an admin for a fanpage dedicated to Ruby on Facebook. While in a private chat with the other admins, one brought to my attention that people are planning to boycott RWBY altogether due to the fact Vic Mignogna was cast as Uncle Qrow's voice actor. Personally, I've never really majorly watch anime, so I had to ask why they wouldn't want a seasoned anime voice actor to be part of RWBY. I don't think you need to imagine my surprise when I got the answer that he is accused of being homophobic and involved in pedophilia.

Confused because, once again, I don't watch alot of anime, I did a little research. I came across what they were talking about after doing some Google searching. Apparently, the man is accused of being homophobic due to the fact he doesn't autograph anyone who asks him to sign homoromantic fan art, and the fact he is a pedophile due to the fact his career in anime portrays some of his characters doing odd or inappropriate things with younger female characters. There is even a petition being issued to Funimation to take him off the English dub cast of Free!, which I can assume is an anime that showcases homosexual content.

If these accusations are true, then it's a shame. However, this evidence is all circumstantial. To quote a TV Tropes comment about his homophobia, "Mignogna plays several "hot bishonen" male characters that yaoi fangirls love to make do weird things. Mignogna said that he did not think that the characters that he played were gay. Girls got pissed and started a cult against him." In our current society where homosexual partnerships are a hot topic across the globe, it's very easy for something one person says to be taken out of context. He may have meant he studied these characters during working on the shows they were in, and their actions don't strike him as something a gay person would do. Besides, the internet has a history of creating all sorts of romantic and erotic material that portrays both homo and hetero relationships for literally anything. In other words, Rule 34.

And a pedophile? I looked up some of the material that accuses him of it. It's all his characters' actions (And when I say all, I don't actually mean every character he's voiced. Don't get confused on me.) that could explain it. Do we blame people who portray the Ku Klux Klan or Adolf Hitler in media for being white supremacists? Do we accuse people who voiced terrorists in cartoons like American Dad or South Park for being extremists?

I'd like to point out a moment in an episode of Family Guy where Brian is petitioning gay marriage to become legal in Quahog, but Lois is unsure of signing it. In the episode, she admits that she holds no grudge against homosexuals, but doesn't understand why she wouldn't want to sign the petition. Maybe Vic is like Lois in that sense. He doesn't think that it's wrong, but he's just unsure of it. If he is such a homophobe, why would he take an offer to voice a character in Free! that may very well turn out to be gay? Innocent until proven guilty is the point here people. And if you're one of those people who do plan on boycotting a great show like RWBY for such a reason, well that's your opinion, but ask yourself this: Do I really want to give up a show I like just because someone who works on it may turn out to be an asshole? If that's the case it is with all works of media, I'm surprised everything people like Mel Gibson, Charlie Sheen or Paris Hilton have ever worked on hasn't been boycotted.

I'm sorry. That rant went way longer than I expected. I just find it stupid that people actually plan to give up watching RWBY just because of these accusations. What's your take on it? Tell me in the comments and I'll see you lads and lasses around.