Days passed by.
A blur of them, if Yang had anything to say about it. It was hard watching Sun and Ruby pack up and leave. It didn't matter if it was for a vacation or not. Yang hated watching Ruby come and go. Then again, it was such a typical sight, even if not a little unnerving because Ruby didn't end up taking her weapon. Not even as an emotional crutch. Loathe though Yang was to admit it, Ruby probably couldn't stand to look at her scythe. Knowing just how far out of reach it was, it made sense.
Yang struggled with the concept. Absentmindedly, her fingers grazed her own precious weapon. The loss of it, the lack of ability to use it as she saw fit…well, that was rather terrifying, and Yang dared not linger on that prospect. It made her gut twist and turn in sickening ways. So, instead of thinking as a huntress, she reverted to thinking as a family woman…
Honestly, that was admittedly worse in some respects.
A Schnee limo carried the two young lovers off to the airport. Yang wondered if Zhu fathomed the nature of such a trip. What it would mean for him…then again, Yang bit back a curse. Never mind Zhu. What did this mean for Sun and Ruby? Were they going off to mate? Would she end up being an aunt to Zhu?
That was not a comforting thought, and it made her cringe. She wished she knew more about the specifics of Faunus mating habits...
Keeping busy was her only method of escape. Preparation for another formal party was in full swing, but this one was made up of a much different sort of client. The sort looking to specialize in weapons trade. People of militant pursuits. This event was not aimed at the friends and family of the SDC, but rather extended to a much larger, much more deadly clientele. Of course, as always, they would pull out all the stops and make the night unforgettable.
Unfortunately, Yang's loneliness made worse by Blake and Weiss.
They were fully enjoying the fact that there were no small ears to listen corrupt. It was amazing just what sort of mischief the couple could get up to. To say that Yang stayed clear of the home office was an understatement. She also avoided going anywhere near their bedroom at night…and if she thought that the panties under the dining room table incident was bad, she had no words for a shredded bra she found discarded in the couple's personal sitting area.
Blake wasn't even in heat, and their togetherness was getting ridiculous, even by Yang's standards…and she had to admit, even she had quite the demanding libido.
"What in the hell happened to you?" Yang finally found the nerve to ask, as a satisfied looking Weiss tapped away at her keyboard at the corporate office.
"I beg your pardon?" Weiss asked, concealer effortlessly but obviously protecting the truths that marked up pale skin. Someone who didn't know Weiss, would never know.
"Oh, don't give me that." Yang, however, knew the signs. Of that dainty thumb brushing ever so gently along the make-up in a way Weiss only did when it was hiding something. "I'm just asking because I'm worried. Blake's been more than a little well...Blakey...recently."
"Ah, I see, well, you don't have to worry. I found it quite enjoyable."
"Yeah, no shit. She must have gotten into you good." Yang said knowingly. Weiss refused to wear too much make-up because of her fare features. Any more than the lightest of additions, and she claimed she looked like a clown. "So, wanna dish?"
"Obviously not." Weiss replied, clearing her throat. "I assume of you have the time to ask about that, everything I need you to do down in security has been taken care of."
"More or less." Yang agreed with an upraised eyebrow. "The new dust rounds are clear for commercial use…should rip right through any Grimm…So, uh, is Blake in one of her weird moods or something? Normally you aren't all scratched up like that."
"Expect such activities to happen more often before it lessens." Weiss said offhandedly. "She's just entered into her third trimester, and so she's been marking the entire house as her territory."
"And I suppose that includes you?" Yang said with a smirk, wagging her eyebrow as Weiss waved her off.
"Don't be perverse." Weiss said as she began to shut down useless applications. "It does end up including me…and perhaps to a lesser degree you too. I caught Blake purring against your door the other day…something about clearing up any trace of outsiders."
"Ah, well, I had Yastu come hang out…sooo." Yang shrugged.
Weiss nodded, she suspected as much. "Anyway, I ended up calling Coco, wondering if it was normal for Blake to be like this. From what I understand, Velvet's been equally demanding. Don't be surprised if Blake starts getting possessive, apparently too many maids in the house can make her decided to claim what is indisputably hers…and she does consider you family."
Yang offered a small smile at that. "That explains Velvet…when Yatsu came by, he did get a few more texts on his scroll than normal."
"Speaking of that…" Weiss said, knowing she had several from Blake. She had answered the first twenty, but then as they began to flood in, she had put the scroll on silent, checking in with her older sister periodically, to be sure Blake was alright. "I'm just glad Winter is happy enough to keep an eye on Blake. Otherwise, I don't know what I'd do, now that Ruby's not around." She rubbed her eyes tiredly. "I know she insisted it would only be a few weeks, but Blake seems to expect they'll be gone longer."
"Yeah…" Yang said, scratching the back of her neck uncomfortably. "I'm kind of thinking that, too."
Weiss spared her a glance. "You don't sound too pleased."
"I'm just…coming to terms with everything." Yang finally shrugged, forcing a smile. It was sad, but accepting. "Guess she really doesn't need me anymore, does she."
Weiss looked up from the scroll in her hand, cocking her head to the side. "That's without a doubt, the absolute stupidest thing I've ever heard you say." Weiss replied, completely dumbfounded. Of course Ruby needed Yang. She would always need Yang in some capacity or another. "Now unless you want me to sit here and lecture you on all of the reasons you are so inherently wrong, you'll go get my coat and see to the final preparation so that we can leave for the day."
Yang barked a sardonic laugh, pitying Weiss. The woman might have been the head of the SDC, but her father still managed to terrorize everything in his path on bad days. "I had to be the bearer of bad news, but your dad is still skulking around in the main offices barking at every employee he passes…he's already bitten my head off twice today, I don't think I'll be civil a third time."
Weiss wasn't particularly shocked. "Yes, well, can't say it's not expected."
"Told ya he would shit a brick." Yang smirked, but then it fell. "Anything I can do?"
"No, he'll get over it."
"Or he won't, and he'll continue to be an asshole." Yang told her, the pointedness of the statement strangely free of Yang's usual contempt for the man. "Look, I get that you pissed him off. Is that really an excuse to go around shouting at the receptionists?"
"Not that I condone his behavior, but there were several clerical errors that needed fixing today." Weiss told her, a bit of her own disapproval dripping into her voice. The hard authority that needed to come from a corporate leader. "My father is a stickler for perfection, and his long time employees know this. Today was not the sort of day to make those kinds of mistakes...they were very disruptive to everyone, myself included."
"Yeah, well, he was still a butthead. Could have done without acting like a total jackass."
"According to you, Yang, when isn't he?" Weiss returned.
"Yeah, okay fine...but how about he yell at you, and not the rest of us." Yang proposed. "Not all of this silent treatment crap."
"I'm allowing that, because it's far better than bringing our fight home. I don't want to expose Blake to any outside stress."
"Yeah, well he's not home...and that's the stupid part. I just can't believe he moved into the largest guest house…what does one man need with a six bedroom home! You have a three bedroom one on the other side of the premises."
"We also have a single bedroom penthouse located at the top of this building. My father has a desire for opulence, however, and the six bedroom one is the nicest. I'm just going along with it, even if he is being ridiculous." Weiss agreed as she stood from her desk. "He didn't raise his hand to me even though he clearly wanted to. I assume moving into the guest house for the time being is his way of trying to cool off, even if it isn't working."
"Well, what's done is done." Yang shrugged. "He can't be mad about it forever."
"No, I suppose not." Weiss agreed loftily. "He can still try, though."
As the tension between father and daughter ran high, and with the ball just a short time away, Weiss wasn't home as often as Blake would like.
It was unavoidable though, and Blake knew she had to keep herself busy as well. She paced around thoughtfully, as she considered her nesting area. It was as good a distraction as any. Winter was poised outside the newly installed door that Yang had helped put in last week. It was a dutch style door, meaning that it could be opened up halfway from the top, allowing for a full view into the room.
The bottom half of the door always remained closed while Blake was inside, and it was fully closed when she was not. Even this routine would become common place once the cubs met the world.
"So, you do this often?" Winter said in hopes of staving off boredom.
"Every day, for at least a little while." Golden eyes shifted to the door, reflexively checking to make sure Winter was not standing in the room. Weiss had warned her sister thoroughly on the topic beforehand, but that didn't keep her own small trickles of paranoia in check. "I have to, if I want to keep the room ready for the cubs."
"I see." She schooled her face into perfect neutrality, but that wasn't to say she wasn't interested. "If you want help, I could-"
"No! No-no-no." Blake said quickly ears flattening back. "You…just no…stay there." She breathed, forcing herself to calm down. Winter was not as reckless as Yang and Ruby. There was no need to make a point. Winter wouldn't go traipsing around where she wasn't invited. "It's...um...not ready for others yet."
The white haired woman raised a brow, a small smile playing on her lips. "Alright." She replied, as Blake turned back to her repetitive scent marking, fluffing of bedding, and examining baby apparel. It was after that, when Blake pulled out a rather large box of hygienic supplies and several tiny plastic bottles. "May I inquire what you're doing now?"
Blake nodded briefly, indulging the human curiosity. She certainly wouldn't begrudge the woman a few simple questions. "I ordered extra products, and now I'm dividing them up. If anyone wants to be in this room when I go into labor, they'll need to shower and scrub themselves down in my products beforehand. No one's coming through that door unless they're free of any contaminating scent."
"And the box of clothes?" Winter asked.
"Also part of keeping the area as pure of scent as possible. Everyone coming in here gave me a change of clothes that they don't mind possibly getting dirty. I washed them in my laundry detergent, and marked them properly. After that, I sealed them for freshness. The only one who doesn't need to follow those rules is Weiss. This is her domain too, after all. Whatever scents she brings are her choice…"
"How many people do you plan to have in here?" Winter then asked.
"Immediate family will be allowed to come in…unless there's a problem, then Oobleck or your family doctor will step in." Blake flicked her gaze up to Winter. "You can be in here too, if you want…so long as you follow the same rules as everyone else. Bare feet or socks only, shower with my products before entering, wear clothes that I've washed, and marked with my scent."
"It doesn't bother you to have such a…large audience, while being in a compromised position?" Winter asked honestly. "I was under the impression Faunus didn't approve of…well, I suppose what would be considered conventional methods for humans."
"Conventional? Oh, you must mean hospitals." Blake hummed a bit in thought. "Some Faunus use them, and other times it can't be avoided. I was a nested offspring, and so I know the comfort a nest can bring."
"A nested offspring…it's just uncanny, is all. I never thought you'd be one to use such terms." Winter murmured offhandedly, brushing away the thought.
Blake was perplexed at first. "Well, it is a nest…" Blake replied, with a timid smirk. "Anyway, Yang and Ruby are harmless to the cubs. Sun will be in here, but that's more to keep Weiss calm. He delivered his own child during a nested birth." She looked around the room and sighed. "You share blood with them, and I believe Weiss will need all the moral support she can get..so if you wanted to, you may."
Winter latched onto one key detail. "You'll be having a man in here who isn't a doctor?"
"I know what you're thinking, but Sun's hardly a threat to my dignity…or what little I assume I'll have at that point…" Blake only smiled kindly at the horrified expression. "He's in the early stages of courtship with Ruby, so I don't mind him being in the room…"
Winter seemed to think on this. "It would probably be a comfort to Weiss if I were here, considering our father most certainly won't be…that and I'm not entirely sure I like the idea of men loitering around, experience or not." She paused then, coming to a conclusion. "Very well, so long as you don't mind, I'll collect suitable garments for you to amend as you see fit."
It would have been easier to tell Weiss that they couldn't make it...but Pyrrha couldn't find it in herself to declined the request. Work was work, after all, and the girls did like to travel. It was a win-win.
A loud crash, followed by a fit of giggles, made Pyrrha look up from one of her books. She half expected her daughters to be upended from the log they played on, but it was Nora who had fallen into the woodpile that Ren and chopped and stored. Smiling to herself, she went back to reading, only half listening to the childlike banter of her twins. What she thought to be a peaceful afternoon turned to be anything but that.
She felt her hammock shift in an attempt to draw her attention once more. Her daughters were looking at her expectantly. "Yes?" She asked as she marked her page closed the tome in question.
"Fight with us." Robin said.
"Absolutely not." Pyrrha said, as she brushed the little girl's bangs out of her face.
"Why not?" Astrid inquired.
"Well, the training ring is probably muddy from the rain yesterday." Pyrrha said slowly, as she patted her lap. It certainly wasn't easy fitting all three of them into the hammock like it was last year, but it was still doable.
"That will be perfect. We can use that as a tactile disadvantage." Astrid said excitedly.
"I think you mean tactical, sweetheart." Pyrrha corrected. "And yes, it is that…it's also dangerous for unseasoned fighters to practice on slippery terrain."
"And goopy when you fall!" The younger twin added.
"It's also that too." Pyrrha conceded, praying that Robin wouldn't go play in the mess of mud and puddles that were slow to dry. "Why don't we play a game instead?" Pyrrha offered, but they wouldn't take the bait.
"We wanna fight." Robin said, tugging on the red spaghetti strap shirt Pyrrha had decided to wear that day. "We got to get really good before we go back to Atlas."
"Oh really?" Pyrrha asked, skeptically.
"Yes, really." Astrid nodded. "We have to get stronger."
"I see. Well, strength is one of a huntresses many admirable qualities." She knew those tiny little smirks anywhere. They were the self-conscious sort, obviously inherited, or at least mimic from their father. Jaune always sported such an expression when he was timidly trying to skirt his was around an issue. "Why is Atlas suddenly so important?"
"For training. Failing to practices shows…umm…" Astrid looked over to Robin. Both of the sisters struggling to recall the sage advice. "What was it again?"
"It's...I uh...oh yeah." It dawned on Robin first. "Aunt Weiss says it shows a lack of effort."
"That was it. You're right." Astrid nodded, clearing her throat to begin again. "Failing to practice shows a lack of effort, and to be huntresses, you have to put effort into everything you do."
"Aunt Weiss said that?" Pyrrha said, giving them both one of her more disapproving glances. It certainly sounded like Weiss, but the glacial woman wasn't normally interested in meddling in the affairs of others. She certainly knew how Pyrrha felt about the girls learning combat training, and keeping them safe from the views of the elite.
"Aunt Nora says it too." Robin added.
"No. She says to give everything our all." Astrid corrected, wagging a finger.
"It's the same thing." Robin said, grabbing her sister's wagging appendage.
"Is not." Astrid grabbed Robin's arm.
"Is too." Robin gripped her sister's, and yanked.
"Not, not, not." Astrid did the same in reply.
Pyrrha sighed, observing the tiny sibling rivalry. Astrid was a little more restless than normal. The rough and tumble Robin wanted an excuse to be that way. "That is most certainly enough of that." Pyrrha said softly to let her exasperation show through, her own hand resting atop the strange tug of war. "Arguing will hardly make you stronger. In fact, it would make you weaker."
"Aunt Weiss told us to get stronger, or she won't let us train with her." Robin said then. "You got to be a hunter. I wanna be a hunter too!"
And in that angry shout, Pyrrha once again found the defiance that terrified her so much. The frustration of wanting something so badly her daughter could taste it. The desperation of wanting it so badly, she would even raise her voice to people…something neither of her girls felt the urge to do very often. In fact, that was what worried Pyrrha the most.
The only time she had ever defied her parents, was when she left for Beacon to be a huntress. Outside of their loving yet stern control, and away from under their thumb.
Pyrrha knew that for now, anyway, she could put her foot down on the subject. Though, if she did that, they would continue to badger her, or worse yet, they'd push back. Arc blood ran strong too, especially in Robin. Worst still, they might go ask Nora…and Nora certainly would train them no matter what Pyrrha wanted. Being an orphan tempered Nora's desire to make sure the children could fight for themselves…
...a noble, if not lonely logic, if one took the time to truly think about it...
"Alright…" Pyrrha sighed, already inwardly hating herself for allowing this. "I'll let you join me in training, but I'm not going to fight you with my weapons. Go get dressed in your gym clothes, and I'll start you on hand to hand combat…I'll leave your swordplay skills to Weiss."