Weiss and Blake visited the family doctor the very next day. While the woman was one of the best in Atlas, even she had reservations about the procedure. Not because it couldn't be done, but because she had never expected such a request from Weiss Schnee. The implications were staggering, and rightly so.
"Well, I'll admit, I'm surprised. What you're asking of me, one might say it's a bit of news." The elderly woman replied slowly. "Unfortunately, humans and Faunus conceiving…" The aging woman pulled off her glasses, cleaned them, and put them back on. "Well, that can sometimes be a bit difficult, especially between women."
Weiss rolled her eyes. "Midori, please, just speak bluntly." This woman had delivered her. Had guided her through many a personal topic. A trusted ally, in a world of mistrust and anxiety. When Weiss had been ill, Midori had been there. When Weiss struggled with her semblance, Midori had been there. Finally, when Weiss had it puberty, Midori had seen to that side of her medical care as well. At this point, there was nothing the woman had not seen or heard. "It's easier if you're to the point."
"You'll forgive me, Weiss. Such problems stem from having overseen your care ever since you were an infant." The woman laughed. "Though, I'm afraid my predicament still stands. I'm more than willing to treat Blake's wounds, and standard medical care is one thing. However, I have never treated a pregnant Faunus in my life." She peered at Blake then. "Your womb might look the same, but, I'd question the fundamentals. I can't begin to guess at what might be a natural gestation. I wouldn't even be able to comment on whether or not a growing fetus appears healthy."
"No, of course not." Blake said with a small little smirk that maintained an air of bitterness. "Why would you? I'm the first Faunus that's ever stepped foot into your office."
"Well, that's not entirely true. You're just the first that I haven't had to sneak in from outside." The doctor wrote down a name on a piece of paper along with a number. She then stapled a business card to it. She leaned forward, handing it to Blake. "This is a personal friend of mine. A specialist in the field when it comes to cases like yours. I'd suggest giving him a call."
"Oobleck!?" Blake nearly coughed out a lung.
"You've got to be kidding me." Weiss plucked the piece of paper. Sure enough, it was. "He's a teacher at Beacon…a history teacher."
"He's a scientist, dearie." Midori said with just a small smile. "He dabbles with history, sure, and has several PH.D's in the field. That I do not deny, but that is not his only qualification."
"With all due respect to his intellect…the man is a bit of a spaz." Blake murmured, still a bit shocked.
"Ruby's a spaz, he's something else entirely." Weiss replied coolly before sighing. "I'd hardly consider him to be a medical professional of any accord. Are you sure you'd truly suggest him?"
The woman merely laughed gently. "There is a reason that Beacon Academy sits as the authority over Vale. All of the staff are pioneers that continually deepen their wealth of knowledge. I've corresponded with all of them, in one form or another."
"True…but the constant traveling back and forth would strain Blake, wouldn't it?"
"That I do not know the extent of." Midori replied evenly. "It might be something to discuss with him. Yours is a high profile case, Weiss, you'd be naive to believe it wouldn't hit the press. Having a medical staff you can trust comes first and foremost. When it comes to a relationship such as yours, Beacon is the most progressive place there is. When it comes to dust in the medical field, Bartholomew Oobleck sits as one of the leading authorities on the topic. The two go hand in hand."
Blake wasn't the only pragmatist in the marriage. Weiss was no slouch, and her intellect was something that they shared. Wordplay and cunning had been what first forged their bond. Both of them had tongues like knives, should they choose to be insipid. More often than not, however, that keen intellect was used for other ventures.
"It's worth the consideration." Weiss finally said as she turned to Blake. "What harm could a phone call do?"
"What harm couldn't it do?" Blake responded.
And with this, Weiss sighed. "Indeed…"
They'd gone home that afternoon a bit deflated, but no less determined to become parents. A few small roadblocks were expected. Weiss had a meetings at the corporate office she couldn't avoid. Blake had insisted on following to oversee security protocols. It already had been a bad day when Yang had been chased out of the nearest broom closet. Why Yang had set her sights on one of the pretty little janitors, Weiss could not fathom. She didn't want to.
It was slowly going downhill from there. Blake wouldn't let Yang forget about her job title any time soon. Hoping to save herself from any more yelling, she'd affixed herself to being a simple errand girl for Weiss, hoping to avoid Blake's cold and angry glare.
"Think she'll try to rip my head off if I step foot out there again?"
"Blake's nose is sensitive, we both know this. If you kept your hands to yourself, you wouldn't have this problem." Weiss replied, already feeling the stress of the afternoon settle over her. "It's bad enough you amp up her temper at night when you chase the maids around. I really have no desire to open up that door to see her fuming on the other side during the day too."
"Then, if I were you, I wouldn't open that door." Yang grinned as she snagged a piece of fruit out of one of the desk drawers. "So, what the heck is all of this for, anyway?"
"Shipping information…"
"Looks like a bunch of messy graphs to me."
"These are the raw stats, Yang, of course they're messy." She had the already prepared demonstration opened up on her computer already, but it never hurt to be precise. Her new accounting department were still under her careful and steady eye. She didn't dare assume that she had done away with all of the corruption in her company yet. Not as her father sat on the board of directors, a position given to him out of corporate diplomacy and good faith. "Go make some tea, would you…and make sure Blake's has that little something extra."
"Say no more." Yang said, giving an offhanded salute as she made her way out the door.
Weiss was given a reprieve from Yang's antics long enough that she closed down the accounting documents and opened up a search regarding the famous Bartholomew Oobleck. His studies were numerous, his accreditations even more so. He was young for his intellect, and his position among Remnant's most noteworthy people stood without question. His name archived among other giants in the academic world.
"Sooo, you're really considering Oobleck, huh?" Yang said thoughtfully when she brought in the afternoon tea. "Kind of a shocker, really."
"Well, not exactly...not yet...but perhaps." Weiss said as she thanked Yang offhandedly. "It makes good sense, honestly. Vale is the most liberal of the major world powers at this time. It's maintained that title since before we were born. Ozpin is eccentric, we know that firsthand. He would hire likeminded people, something else we know firsthand."
"Yeah…but Oobleck?" Yang just couldn't fathom it. "Talk about awkward."
Weiss contented herself with the paperwork on her desk, not even bothering to look up. "Peach has a rather firm background in herbal medicine, and dabbles in the field botany. It stands to reason that if she would teach at Beacon, a man like Oobleck would as well. Besides, can you think of any other place where there's such a high concentration of interspecies relationships? The campus was covered in them, even if we didn't speak about it openly."
A knock came to the door, and Yang eyed Weiss. "Err..."
"Go ahead." The white haired woman sighed. "Open it."
On the other side stood a particularly flustered Blake, eyes dilated and left ear flicking madly. "Yang…" She hissed. "What in the hell is this?"
"Uh…Weiss?" Yang said backing up worriedly. "I uh, think she found the stash…"
"Obviously, you buffoon." Either way, it was time for some damage control. Walking over to her irate wife, she gently took the vial of catnip from her. "Yang, retrieve our lunch."
"Oh, lunch…yeah…sure lunch…" Yang didn't need to be told twice. She made a quick escape before Blake could get even more livid.
"Now I know why that tea's been tasting so good at night." Blake muttered, glaring daggers at Weiss. "You two have been spiking it again."
"With the way you've been getting migraines?" Weiss retorted. "Yes, Blake I have. I will continue to do so."
"I don't need catnip to get by!"
"Of course you don't." Weiss said as she placed the vial very carefully onto her desk. "Just as I don't require muscle relaxers for my bad back. Just because you can endure the pain, doesn't mean you should."
"Your case is different from mine. You're is a battle injury. Mine just happens naturally."
"Hardly." Weiss could only shake her head. "Blake, I'm human. I don't proclaim to understand every little thing you go through on any given day. That being said, I'm not stupid, nor am I blind. Once every six months or so, you go through about two weeks of absolute hell. You've got a headache now, I can tell."
"But catnip?!"
"It's not like it's illegal." Weiss replied. "Catnip is a sanctioned recreational substance here in Atlas."
Blake just growled under her breath. "I still don't like thinking that I'm so weak that I need catnip to get by."
Weiss licked her lips, raising a single eyebrow. With a breath that dictated her occasionally imperious attitude, she looked Blake up and down. It was only a matter of time. Twelve more days, roughly, that Blake would have to endure the sights and sounds of everyone around her. Twelve more days that Weiss she would have to endure Blake's slightly aggressive midnight overtures.
"And when your head is throbbing to the point of no return?" Weiss asked, her words heated with exasperation. "When you can't even keep food down, and even the barest light makes you dizzy, what then?"
"I'll nap, just like I always do."
"Blake…" Weiss decided to be blunt about it, yanking the collar of her blazer to the side. Her shoulders were covered in welts. Her back marked up with scratches. "This is what happens when good sense leaves you…not that I mind, but it does beg the question of whether or not something should be done about it."
"I completely tranced out again last night, didn't I?" Blake asked, realizing that she'd lost control of herself yet again. A rather common occurrence during this time of year.
"Oh don't look so guilty." Weiss replied, setting her clothing back to the way it belonged. "It's enjoyable at the time. Besides, I'm a huntress too. I'm hardly defenseless, or innocent in the matter."
"Even so…I don't mean to get aggressive." Blake murmured shyly. It still bothered her, instinct or not.
Weiss gave Blake something of a look. Nothing quite to the level of scathing, but, nothing that hinted at amusement. A long ago argument surrounding this very topic surfaced during spring of their first year of marriage. An argument that resulted in Blake being pinned against the wall rather forcefully by a black glyph.
"If I were a Faunus, would we even be having this conversation?!" An enraged Weiss had asked, not only partially naked, but covered in bites and scratches.
"Well…no…but, you aren't one, and I shouldn't have done this to you."
"Is it normal?"
"Wha-"
"Yes or no?"
"I don't…I mean…It's complicated…"
"You are a complete ignoramus! That's what you are." The shouting at the time had cut to the core of the matter so swiftly that Blake had been rendered speechless. Not something easily achieved by anyone, especially not Weiss. "I'm your wife, first and foremost. Human or not. If I cannot rise to the occasion, then what kind of spouse would I be?"
Looking back, Blake had been a bit idiotic to hide the fact that her desires spiked during particular times of the year. Weiss truly didn't mind, at least not usually. They were both huntress with strong aura. Blake knew she couldn't actually hurt Weiss, at least not with merely just her teeth and bare hands. Besides that, Weiss loved her. Hiding those types of things was just flat out destructive in this first place.
…in retrospect, it was probably equally destructive to try to ignore her Faunus heritage outright. "I'm sorry Weiss..."
"One more sorry out of you, and I'll bend you over this desk and show you what aggressive really is." Weiss replied without dely. Her icy eyes caught the shiver that trembled its way down Blake's back. Blake wanted her to, no question about it. "Now sit down and try to relax a bit. If I don't get this paperwork done I'm going to have to stay late. I know how much you don't want that, and frankly, I don't either." Then, her voice softened ever so gently. "And for my peace of mind, if nothing else...drink that tea."
AYangThang: Early update, don't worry, you're still getting one tomorrow as well, that hasn't changed. Inspiration struck hard though, and I wanted to use it to my advantage. Hope you liked it. See you all tomorrow...and those of you currently affected by the hurricane and super storms around various areas of the world...or with those of you with loved ones facing them, I hope all goes well and that everyone stays safe. My thoughts are with you at this time.