Zhu was a persistent child, smart as could be, but equally headstrong. The battle of the armband continued, and so far, he was winning. Sun was at the edge of his rope, trying to grapple his child into some manner of respect for Faunus culture. Unfortunately Zhu knew more about human practices than Faunus ones, and his little mind struggled to fit into the two societies at once. Blake understood that struggle all too well from her own upbringing, and didn't let it worry her when Zhu went on the offensive.

For his part, Zhu tried to come to terms with this very strong scent pervading his daily life. It was on his father, it was on Ruby, it was on him…and that was the problem. He didn't want it to be on him, and he did everything in his power to avoid it. He had already chewed two silk armbands to shreds, and he was doing a very good job of gnawing on the third.

Puffing out his chest and making a show of his newly battered prize, he made a point of proving just how much he didn't want it. Eventually satisfied, he ended up leaving it on the floor, forgotten. Catching sight of Yang, he scampered over to her, and to Weiss.

"I keep telling you, tan his hide when he does that." Sun said, rubbing his eyes.

"And I keep telling you, give it time." The cat Faunus was entitled to discipline Zhu for disobeying her command. She just didn't see a reason to. "Sun, it's fine, really. He's not triggering me."

"Which I still don't understand." The man said, his tail curling his leg.

"You don't have to understand my reasoning, you just have to obey." Blake told him. "Maybe if you're not here, he'll be more apt to keep that armband on."

"Damn it…" Sun gritted his teeth.

"Oh, stop worrying about it." Blake said, shooing him out the door. "Ruby's waiting in her room, and you both deserve this, so go have a good time."

Sun left reluctantly, knowing that Zhu was in good care. Blake went back over to relax in the sitting area, taking a small measure of comfort that Weiss and Yang decided not to go to Atlas. There was only so much Weiss could do remotely from Vale, but after Blake's dietary change, Weiss didn't ant to leave. She didn't feel comfortable doing so. She decided her next few meetings would be taken via video call only.

This displeased her father, who was forced to come up with excuses. It was a point of contention that had father and daughter fighting behind closed doors. They were arguing at that moment in fact, though Blake had no idea what it was about this time. Weiss closed the chatroom with him in it, if only so that she wouldn't upset her wife. Oobleck had demanded a stress free environment, so that's what she would provide.

"Zhu's chasing the cat again…" Weiss noticed, her voice a cool monotone from her place behind her scroll, still hard at work.

"I know." Blake was all too pleased about that, actually. "If Yang won't keep it in her room, then it had better find a place to hide."

"The cat will be fine." Yang said from her spot on the floor. She examined the newest little armband that was left forgotten. Zhu had recently discovered yanking on the strings pulled it loose. "So, how long does it take to get kids to wear something like this?"

"I'm not sure…" Blake shrugged. "I'm not overly concerned about where he plasters his scent. Besides anyone with half a nose can smell that he's just a little guy, the lingering diaper cream speaks for itself." She got up to go retrieve the band, and then, to retrieve Zhu. "Alright, let's try this again." She tied it gently.

It was no sooner that little feet met the floor once more, that the armband came off again.

"Zhu - ten, Blake - zero." Yang yawned. "You sure you're the queen of the jungle around here?"

"This is a delicate matter." Blake chided. "He's used to a much more human upbringing. I want to let him enjoy that blissful ignorance while he can. It won't last forever."

"Ah..."

Blake sighed. "He'll start to realize he's different soon enough, and when he does, I don't want it to be because I forced him into it."

"Hmm. Well, if you say so." Yang chewed on that thought. "It's not that different, is it?"

Blake also had to think about it. There were differences, but it wasn't all black and white. "It can be. In the White Fang, babies wore in armbands hours after they were born. You also need to figure, Velvet bands her children with my scent before they're a week old. It's so much different for Zhu." It was a good difference, but one that just wouldn't last. "He knows more humans than he does Faunus…I'd imagine this is probably very difficult."

Yang considered, fingers reaching out brushing over the fabric. Then, much to everyone's surprise, a little hand reached out and grabbed it, pulling it out of Yang's gentle grip with a scowl. Chest puffed out, tail poised aggressively, fur standing on end. Zhu stomped off then, hiding the armband under the sofa before running off to play.

"So, that was a thing…" Though, a good one or not, Yang wasn't sure. "A very, very…strange…thing."

Blake was a bit surprised, but took it as a good sign. Zhu might not want it, but he also didn't seem to want Yang to have it, either. It might just be the first breakthrough they'd had, and Blake wasn't about to squander it. Instead, she let Zhu have his small victory. "Well, if he doesn't want you to have it, don't touch it. It's his prize, leave it be."

"So, why are we saddled with babysitting?" Yang asked, chin tucked neatly into her palm.

"Sun's getting ready to go on another mission." Weiss explained distractedly. "He wanted some alone time with Ruby before his flight left."

"Great…wonderful, just what I wanted to hear…thanks Weiss."

"Don't ask me questions you don't want the answers for."

"Are you okay, Yang?" Blake asked, seeing the mildly disturbed blonde get lost in the woven floor pattern on the carpet.

"I swore to myself I wouldn't hover over Ruby...or annoy the crap out of her." Yang began, realizing just how bitter she sounded. "It's just, I can't wrap my head around this. One second, she's slaying Grimm, and going on her little adventures. Then, like out of nowhere…this happens." Yang wanted to just go with the flow, accept things as they were, but then again, this wasn't so simple a predicament. Seeing Zhu only solidified that. "I really do hope she's on birth control."

Blake cocked her head to the side. "Does she believe in that sort of thing?"

Yang watched as Zhu ran around the sofa and into the kitchen. She didn't answer that, too busy watching a child that she had always jokingly called a nephew. If things kept going, it'd be the real thing, and Yang wasn't quite so sure she was ready for that, either.

"Yang…is she?" Blake asked again.

"It's not really a thing people worry about in Patch." She explained. "Not a lot of that kind of trouble to get into. It's a quiet, communal place. Summer Rose was against it, our father is too." Yang had no idea what Ruby thought about it. Her little sister wasn't inclined to talk too deeply with Yang about the subject. She could only hope for the best. "Then again, is that really such a surprise? We're siblings for a reason."

"Yang, stop worrying." Weiss replied. "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

"Zhu's a handful as it is." Yang said offhandedly.

"And we all know where he gets it from." Weiss told her.

"Eh, he's at that age, is what I mean." Yang, was used to watching for trouble out of the corner of her eye. She had him in her sights, even when she didn't look it. "Ruby was all sorts of piss-n-vinegar too. Uncle Qrow called her a little hell spawn when she learned how to walk. With the way dad tells it, the reason I'm always called firecracker was because I was the same." The old memories were hardly something Yang needed to dwell on, fond as they were. "Anyway, I think it's less a genetics thing, and more about testing boundaries."

"And on that note, time to try again." Blake caught the little boy again, trying to get the band on him once more. It had become something of a game, and Blake intended on winning one of these days.

"Zhu - eleven, Blake - zero." Yang, ever the scorekeeper announced. "I give it two more weeks before he realizes he can rip off more of his clothes."

Weiss lifted her gaze. "I do hope you're being crass…"

"All kids have a nudist stage." Yang laughed then. "You probably did too, and you just don't remember it."

"I most certainly did not!"

"Yeah, Weiss, you keep thinking that…"

The red meat seemed to settle better than her other meals, even if it had been only a small bowl of it from time to time. It tasted strangely good in a way that scrambled beef normally didn't. She was starting to enjoy the taste of medium-rare meals. Liking it in a primal way that made her realize, she was starting to crave it. Her diet was primarily meat now, with only a sparse few veggies on the side. Gran was slowly but surely getting ignored entirely.

It just didn't appeal to her senses the way that beef did.

The nausea was more manageable, but it did seem to come in waves. Normally right before a meal, right after, and just after waking up in the morning. Now if only she wasn't feeling so exhausted, she would be better off. Her fatigue was annoying her though, and she was beginning to feel so weak without her aura. That wasn't the end of her slowly mounting list of grievances, either.

"Ah, shit…" She hissed, the sound pained and defeated.

Weiss had just barely cupped her breast, and had only very lightly caressed it with her thumb, nail dragging across a pertly tipped nipple. "What is it? What happened?"

"They're just tender…that's all." Blake sighed, having a feeling she had just thoroughly killed whatever impassioned mood Weiss happened to be in.

"Are you sure it's not something more serious?" Weiss asked, blue eyes still colored deeply in worry.

"Mm." Blake nodded. "I'm sure. Sorry Weiss, I guess I just didn't think even something as gentle as that would bother me."

"No, don't worry." Weiss assured, before Blake flipped their positions so that Weiss was lying flat on her back.

Blake buried her nose into the nape of her wife's neck. The one night she wasn't feeling like she was about to keel over, was the one night that she had to screw up the moment. She got the feeling that this wasn't just a rare occurrence. Her breasts were becoming tender due to all of the hormones flooding her system. It was so frustrating. Weiss was always an all too willing participant, but it was rare that she actively instigated the more sexual side of their relationship.

Stress had an occasionally bad habit of squashing her libido.

Blake felt guilty, as she mentally berated herself. "Weiss, I don't think I can handle a lot of touching tonight, but I can always-" She kissed the thumb that was now pressing to her lips.

"If you're not up for it, I won't force you." Weiss said as she replaced that thumb with her lips. A simple, meaningful kiss. Not too deep, slow and unhurried.

A purr worked its way up from deep within, a long sought relaxation sagging every bone in her body. She melted into that all too careful caress.

"I was worried you might think that I was holding back." Weiss admitted when the kiss finally ebbed away. "I'm still gone a lot more than I would like to be. I don't want you to worry. I don't want you to have a doubt in your mind about what bed I'm going to every night, even when I'm away in Atlas for business."

"That's a silly thing to think." Blake snuggled into Weiss, arms wrapping around her, wincing only slightly when he bare breasts made uncomfortable friction against the sheets.

"I should be here…not Ruby." Weiss said guiltily. "It should be me looking after you."

"You are looking after me. You always do. Even when you're all the way in Atlas, I hear you hounding Ruby whenever she makes her report. You're driving her absolutely crazy about every little detail. Then you call me, and you start worrying all over again." Blake shook her head. Weiss was as attentive a lover as she could be. "When Yang starts up, I know you drive her crazy too."

"Well someone ought to." Weiss replied in earnest. "She's driving herself crazy enough as it is."

Blake knew part of that was true. What was even more distracting, however, was that she had a beautiful woman lying in her bed. A woman that was currently denying her rare spark of passion for Blake's sake, and that simply wouldn't do. She wanted her lover in her arms, the sounds she made were always so perfect to Blake's ears. The way Weiss let them slip out delicately into the air. Blake's ear flicked in temptation. She licked her lips, and let her palms grip her wife's hips.

"You want me…" Blake said softly, a small rumble of a purr showing satisfaction in that. "I know you do…" She kissed the nape of pale flesh, nipped before following through with another kiss.

"Blake, gods, don't tease me."

"Who says I'm teasing?" Another kiss. Softer, lacking heat, offering only comfort. "You're my mate, it's my pleasure to please you." And there was an inherent truth in that. Overtures aside, Blake instinctually wanted Weiss to be happy. She had a need and desire that transcended the passion. It was instinct to see to the needs of her family, plain and simple. "I want you…"

Blake woke up sore, but more than just a little satisfied when she glanced at herself in the mirror. Her back was aching in all the right ways, red tracks where nails had bit into her skin. It was rare that Weiss left marks like that, but when she did, Blake preened about it for hours. Weiss wasn't Faunus, these rare treats of aggressive passion were as close to staking a claim as a human would ever get.

There was something inherently sexy about that. Something that made her day brighter, even as she came to a somewhat annoying conclusion.

Blake had finally decided, her bladder hated her. Tending the call of nature more often was something that would only get worse as time went on. That still didn't stop her from rolling her eyes every time the urge struck her. It was disruptive, even if nothing else. Also, she hadn't gained any weight yet, which was bothering her as she sat back down and got comfortable.

She stuffed another spoon full of ground hamburger into her mouth, chewing thoughtfully. She had her nose pressed to the book she was about to read from before.

"Well, this one isn't being any help." Blake said as she closed the reference material with a frown.

Weiss paused mid-sip of coffee. Setting her mug down, she turned the cover to face Blake. "Well, I would hope not. You're reading Yang's veterinary encyclopedia…"

Golden eyes zeroed in on the title, one dark eyebrow twitching in aggravation. "I thought that highlighted paragraph was a little strange...excuse me a moment…" She replied standing up, book in hand as she went to go smack the blonde in question. "Yang, you ass, where's my book…"

"If ya want it, ya better come and get it."

"Yang, that's disgusting…"

"Oh, come on now, you wouldn't be saying that if Weiss was the one doing this…"

"If you don't pull that book out of your bra right now, I will, and you won't like it…"

"Gunna have to hit me harder than that, Blakey…you're like a powder puff without your sembl-Ow! Not the hair. NOT THE HAIR!"

"You know," Ruby noted quietly, looking up to see the two partners engaged in a war of flying books and hair pulling. "One day, they're going to kill each other."

"Doubtful…" Weiss popped the last bit of scone into her mouth. Brushing two fingers and a thumb upon a napkin to clear them of the evidence. "If Blake really wanted to murder Yang, she would have done it long before now. Besides, as angry as she might seem about your sister's pranks, I think she appreciates the ability to blow off a little steam every now and then. The rigmarole of the elite never really tickled her fancy."

"But...she married you…"

"A fact that never ceases to amaze me, Ruby, I assure you." Weiss ignored the early morning pandemonium. She returned back to her research, which, admittedly, was a book on human pregnancy. There just wasn't a lot of reference materials for cat Faunus, and Weiss started looking elsewhere. When Blake returned to her chair yet again, sought after book in hand, Weiss only smiled. "I see you won that battle…"

"This is what happens when Yang gets bored." Blake said, still slightly aggravated as she looked to the younger sibling. "Ruby, maybe you two should see if any of our friends are in the area. Go bar hopping or something."

"Nu-uh…nothing doing." Yang said. "I'm not leaving you here unattended."

"Well, it's not as if I can go with you." Blake said. "You're bored, Yang, I can tell…go out, have some fun."

"Maybe she's right, Yang. I could use a chance to go to the shop. My sweetheart isn't as sharp as she used to be." Ruby said then, the gears already turning in her head. "Maybe give her a good cleaning, and a polish…have a few training runs…yeah…"

"Just take Yang with you." Blake begged. "If this cabin fever keeps up, the next thing we know, she's going to do the can-can across the floor singing show tunes."

"I only did that once…"

"And I will never let you live it down." The Faunus replied, golden eyes softening. "Yang, please. You know I like my alone time. I just can't seem to get any of it anywhere. Weiss will be here, it's not like I'll be unprotected if something were to happen…"

Yang bit her lip. "You're asking the wrong person."

"Weiss, tell her she can go." Blake asked, her voice edging on desperate. Ruby and Yang were like family to her, she loved them both dearly, but this hotel room wasn't like the manor in Atlas. Blake didn't have her usual hiding places, and she was starting to feel over watched, and overwhelmed.

Weiss looked up to see the unspoken plea lingering in Blake's eyes. She then looked up to Yang, who, as Blake had accused, wasn't used to sitting around. Yang probably was slowly losing her mind between working too hard, and having nothing fun to do. "You and Ruby can both have the day off to do whatever you want. It's as Blake said, I'll be here."

"Later on then." Yang replied, grabbing her own bowl of cereal. "Weiss, do me a huge favort though. Get the book worm to lay off the baby crap for a day."

"I'm researching." Blake said, her eyes glued to the pages.

"You're obsessing." Yang reiterated.

Weiss leaned over, pointing to a page that she found. "Here, Blake, look at this. It says here that losing weight is also fairly normal for women with bad morning sickness…and you stopped losing weight once we changed up your diet…if you give it some time, you'll probably start to gain like normal. Also, see this, about caloric intake?"

"I still don't know if I believe that." Blake murmured, another spoonful of food slipping behind her lips.

Yang was dumbfounded. "You're both a few chips shy of a god-damned cookie…gimmie that!" She ripped the book out of Weiss's hand, flinging it over her shoulder as it hit the wall with a satisfying slap, and an even more gratifying thump to the floor. "As I was saying, lay off the baby crap. You've got to stop freaking out over every little thing."

Blake glared. "I'm not freaking…"

"Obsessing then."

"I'm not." Blake protested. "I'm just…curious."

"Then ask around." Yang said with a roll of her lilac eyes. "Velvet's been knocked up enough times with multiples to know that basics, call her. She might not know everything, but this whole weight problem should be something she's got some sort of perspective on."

Blake considered it. "I just might do that, but first, I'm going to call Oobleck."

"You always call Oobleck." Ruby protested from her spot at the table, shoveling down sugary cereal like it was going out of production. "Call me crazy, but every time you call him, he tells you not to worry. Maybe this time, just wait and see."

"I'm not sure…" Blake said, folding her hands in her lap.

"Oobleck told you before, try to trust your instinct." Ruby poured more food into her bowl. This was her third helping of the cavity inducing sugar meal. She talked over the clinking of the little grains against the glass bottom. "And before you try and deny it, I heard him tell you not to second guess yourself…something about your own inherited instincts…so just try to have a nice relaxing day..."

"You're right, Ruby..." Blake said slowly, forcing herself to close her chosen media. "Fine, no more baby books...for today. I make no promises after that."