After getting the suitcases and delivering them to each of the rooms the guests will stay in, Blake went to the kitchen hall.

"Hey, mom?"

"Yes dear?"

Kali Belladonna, much older cat-Faunus, same specimen as Blake, turned from stoves and microwaves.

"The guests are here and dad asked them to join us for dinner," Blake blanched.

"I take it you're not a fan?" Kali smirked at her daughter's apparent discomfort.

"Not really."

"Give it time, Blake," Kali assured her and turned back to her tasks. "I've heard the newest CEO has given some Atlesian oligarchs a run for their money."

"Doubtful."

"Blaaake..." Kali's larger cat-ears flicked in Blake's direction as if chiding her. "Diplomacy is key in modern day. Please remember that."

"Sure," Blake shrugged the lesson off to Kali's chagrin. "Need help with anything?"

"I just got done delivering dishes. Time to put some food on them."

"On it."


"Weiss," Ruby was unusually serious. "You know this is not smart, right?"

"Elaborate?"

"This is not home turf for either of us," Ruby started pacing. "SDC did a lot of damage to this island, you said so yourself. So it's not out of question that there might be some bad guys here that will hurt you."

The two were in what was designated to be Weiss's room with the CEO sitting behind a small desk and tending to her hair.

"I know which is why I brought you along, remember?"

"Weiss-"

"Ruby, chill," Weiss used the more down to earth slang, taking off her jacket and straightening her shirt and loosening her collar. "I did not bring you here so that you could second-guess yourself and by extension, doubt me. Are you doubting my decision?"

"What! No!" Ruby flailed her arms like a child. "I trust you wholeheartedly."

"Then trust yourself," Weiss simply said. "Now, let's get ready for that dinner, shall we?"

"Yeah… okay," Ruby sighed in defeat, taking off her own jacket. "Cannot imagine how you go through these meetings. It's a nightmare."

"Every nightmare holds a shred of hope."

"Since when did you get so philosophical?"

"Since you two fell in my lap."

"Uh-huh."

A knock on the door distracted them from their banter, not waiting for the answer, the door opened and Blake peeked in.

"Dinner's ready."

With that curt message, the Faunus went back out and waited for the two to come out, leading them down the stairs.


"Hello there!" Kali strutted to the pair who walked in with her daughter at the front. "My name is Kali Belladonna, I'm the mother of this sourpuss over here."

"Mom!" Blake hissed and facepalmed. Ruby giggled before catching herself. Weiss and Kali did not seem to mind, if their somewhat mean grins are anything to go by.

"Good day, my name is Weiss and this is Ruby," Weiss pushed Ruby to be shoulder to shoulder with herself.

"Hello," Ruby waved, eyes not quite meeting with Kali's whose eyes widened before her large cat-ears lowered slightly.

"You sure a quite pretty young girl," Kali ushered her to the table. "Come on, let's get some food in you."

"Is she always like this with younger kids?" Weiss whispered to Blake who just nodded.

"She probably thinks there's a lot on her mind," Blake told her.

"Oh?"

"Mhm, let's sit down."

Blake pointed the chair next's to Ruby's which was to the left of Kali's. Weiss sat down opposite of Blake and it wasn't long before Ghira joined them.

"I'm sorry for the delay," Ghira massaged his temples, his suit unbuttoned. "Had to make few calls and they were long."

"Other officials, I presume?" Weiss bowed in greetings.

"Indeed," woefully confirmed the man. "They were very thorough in their questioning."

"Which I assume felt more like interrogation," Weiss smiled in sympathy.

"Mhm," Ghira sat down to Blake's left and now it was like this: Weiss and Ruby in opposites to Blake and Ghira with Kali sitting in the middle.

Kali opened up a cast-iron kazan and put the food on the dishes, handing a plate to each one at the table. Weiss looked at the presented food and took a quiet sniff.

"Is this curry?"

"Yes it is," Kali happily nodded. "It's one of my favorites."

"I haven't eaten curry in so long," Weiss commented with Ruby nodding in solidarity.

"I thought you weren't short on cuisines?" Blake raised an eyebrow and Weiss let the hidden jab slide.

"Curry isn't exactly mainstay in Atlas which is as North as you can get," Weiss waved a spoon in Blake's direction. "There are few local shops with dedicated cultural kitchens but not enough for eastern or western foods to be widely popular."

"Sounds like sad existence."

"We manage."

"Now then," Ghira handed Blake her instruments. "Let's dig in."

"Thank you for the meal," Ruby put her palms together before starting quickly consuming the rice.

The Belladonna family looked at the girl in surprise as Weiss smirked and mimicked Ruby's manners, then started eating her own dish. For some time the dining hall was quite safe for clinging of chopsticks, forks and knives.

"Miss Schnee?"

"Yes, mrs Belladonna?"

"My husband here told me of your proposition whilst your were inspecting your rooms," Kali started. "I understand the idea was met with some resistance."

"It was," Weiss shrugged casually. "Nothing to be concerned about. They will see in time that this will benefit both of us rather than one of us."

"Will they try and block it?" Ghira asked.

"Not likely. SDC might have had a change in leadership but I don't intend to waste the intimidation factor of our company."

"Intimidation for whom, exactly?" Blake rose an eyebrow, ears at attention.

"Not the Faunus," Weiss met her gaze. "Hopefully."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Ruby, Kali and Ghira stopped eating and looked at the two.

"Exactly that," Weiss was unflappable. "I am very much aware of how Faunus of Menagerie look at humans of Atlas. I do not intend to be as lenient to those who treat my offer as trash or disrespect any future human workers should there be any."

"That will antagonize those easily irritable," Blake squinted, her chopsticks laid forgotten.

"Which is stupid, if you ask me. Why would they willingly reject a much better and fairer offer than the one my father tricked you into?"

"She's got a point, Blake," Ghira said and went back to eating. "But your point is also valid. There are some stubborn and proud people here."

Both girls went back to eating as they mulled over the Chieftain's words. Ruby, making sure no further spat would happen also proceeded to chow down with Kali gently chastising her of the manners. That was not fun, Ruby decided and really did not envy her friend who has to negotiate deals in such environments. Of course not every situation was like this but her case was made.

Blake, for her part, was ever so slightly conflicted. This Schnee girl did not even try to hide the agenda this deal came with. It wasn't a bad agenda per se, so there was that. The thing with the 'disrespect to the future possible human workers' rubbed her the wrong way though. Does that mean Schnee wanted to send over humans to work in the mines alongside her kin? No, that'd be too unseemly for man, right?

After finishing their dinner, the party split with Ruby and Weiss going back to their rooms while Kali and Blake stayed behind to clean up. Ghira went straight back to his office. Blake furiously scrubbed the plates as if washing away the thoughts of the past few hours.

"Blake, dear, you're drifting off again," Kali nudged her daughter. "I swear you're too much like your father sometimes. Always have to be thinking about something."

"Uh, that's exactly what I'm trying not to do right now, mom," Blake shot her mother unamused glance.

"Well you're failing badly at it."

"Gee thanks, mom."

Kali laughed and kept cleaning, sending off the younger cat-Faunus, relieving her of any duties for the rest of the day. Walking out of the house to clear her head, Blake noticed familiar chameleon Faunus sitting on the bench on the corner of the house, staring at her Scroll.

"Ilia?"

"Mmm?" Ilia pocketed away the device. "What's up?"

"I thought I said you were free to do whatever?"

"Yeah well," the ponytailed girl looked at the house. "Thought you might need some help, just in case."

"Ilia," Blake exhaled. "Nothing would go wrong in our house."

"Sure about that?"

"Mhm."

"If this was the case," Ilia crossed her arms, eyes hardening and spots on her cheeks coloring blood-red. "This Schnee gal would not have brought her little human weapon along."

Blake pinched the bridge of her nose, "She's right to be wary."

"Damn right she is."

"Ilia," Blake's frown softened. "You have to let it go."

"Nope, not a chance in hell."

"Ilia-"

"No," Ilia cut her off before looking over Blake's shoulder. "Oh, there's Adam. Sorry, gotta bug out."

Not waiting for a reply, the chameleon Faunus strutted past Blake and joined up with Adam who merely nodded in Blake's direction. Sighing, Blake decided to walk around town to clear her head.


"Mr. Belladonna?"

"Yes, miss Schnee?" Ghira put down his pen as Weiss closed the door behind her.

"I would like to visit the mines."

"Oh," Ghira had to do a double-take. "Are you certain?"

"Wouldn't ask you if I wasn't."

"We weren't able to clean up properly in time," Ghira admitted.

"All the better," Weiss nodded to herself. "That way I can assess the state of worker force and the mine itself."

"… Understood, miss Schnee. When would you like to go?"

"Right now. Preferably without your daughter," Weiss's bluntness hit like a whiplash. "She's a bit of a hazard to my psyche, if you don't mind me being frank."

"She has that effect on most people," Ghira laughed. "In that regard she did not take after me or her mother."

"Charming."

The dry sarcasm was not a good sign so Ghira decided to switch gears, "She's going to replace me one day, miss Schnee. It's in best interest for you both to be at least on amiable terms."

"I can be civil. Have little hope for her though."

Deciding not to engage in futile battle, Ghira shifted to his computer and sent the message to the overseer of the main mine. Receiving affirmative in response, the panther Faunus sighed.

"The shift overseer will be expecting you in about an hour."

"Thank you," Weiss turned around and exited the office.


More dialogue. Yay.