Dear potential reader:

Please know that the characters appearing in this tale are not mine. Those from RWBY belong to Roosterteeth while those from Kim Possible belong to the mouse-eared empire. This story is not intended to generate profit and was written solely for the enjoyment of writing and hopefully, your enjoyment in reading. This is a sequel to my earlier work, "To Find Your Way Home." With the legalities taken care of, please enjoy...

"So, what's wrong with you?" Yang demanded of Ron, as the shoreline to Solitas faded into view ahead of them. "You were all mopey when you first came up here, then you perked up a little, and now you're all quiet and brooding again."

Weiss was about to snap at her friend to give her other friend some slack, but realized that Ron was just going to have to start dealing with things without her help. Besides, Yang wasn't being mean; just showing concern in her typical, blunt manner.

"Just thinking," Ron mumbled.

"And you can't do it and talk at the same time?"

"You can't, either," Ron pointed out. "You've just convinced yourself that you can."

For just a moment, Yang's eyes flashed red and Weiss dropped a hand to her rapier. An airship in flight was a bad place to have a brawl between two heavy-hitters like Yang and Ron; but then the blonde girl's eyes returned to their normal lilac and a she broke out into a huge smile.

"Nice shot," she complimented the young man. "But what has you thinking so much that you can't join the conversation?"

"I was just thinking about all of the things that I don't know about this world," he answered. "Things that are so obvious to you that you don't think about them, but have me completely lost."

"Like what?" Weiss asked.

"Like how people here get their last names," Ron pointed out. "Yang has her father's last name, Ruby has her mother's. With Weiss, all three siblings and the husband have taken the mother's last name but with Jaune, he, his sisters and his mother all have their father's...just like Blake's family."

"Different cultures," Weiss shrugged. "Atlas used to be a very regimented society."

"Used to be?" Yang snorted.

"We're still regimented," Weiss sniffed at her. "But nowhere near as bad as we used to be. Anyway, back during the time of the Great War, every person had a rank. It didn't matter if you were a civilian, government employee, or a soldier, you had an official rank. The custom was that when two people married, the lower ranking person took the higher ranking person's last name. The children also took this name. Our marriage traditions are a throwback. Although there aren't any official ranks for families, the upper classes maintain them on an informal basis. Since the Schnee Family is very prestigious, my father took the Schnee name."

"In Vale, we aren't big on marriages," Yang told them. "People get together, have kids, and are expected to raise them. Daughters get the mother's name and sons get the father's."

"But you have your father's name," Ron pointed out.

"My mother abandoned me," there was a slight strain to Yang's voice, but it was clear that she had made progress in coming to grips with the situation. "By Vale custom, she forfeited the right to pass on her name, so I'm a Xiao Long and proud of it."

"But, isn't Jaune from Vale?" Ron asked her.

"He's not from Vale City," Yang told him. "But from a town that's still in the kingdom. They have some slightly different customs in some of these towns."

"So that explains why all of his family took his father's name?"

"That, and the man's a huntsman," Yang told her. "That's one of the customs a lot of Remnant has, when a huntsman or huntress marries someone who isn't a hunter, their name gets passed on."

"I need you three to head back to the passenger compartment," the pilot told the three. "We're coming into our final approach."

"Will there be an ambulance standing by?" Weiss asked him.

"We've made the arrangements," he replied. "Please buckle in, it's our policy."

"That was kind of cool," Yang remarked, as they followed the crew's instructions. "I didn't realize that discussing social customs could make the time go by."

"Amazing," Weiss quipped. "Yang actually finds sharing knowledge...other than how to deliver blows and win fights...interesting."

"Hey!" Yang growled, but her lilac eyes betrayed that she wasn't really angry. "Just because I don't often go for deep thoughts, doesn't mean that I can't."

The three young people snickered at the exchange as they buckled in. The very efficient air traffic control system over Atlas had been tipped off that the Schnee Heiress was bringing in very important cargo, so they were quickly on the ground.

"General Ironwood?" Weiss addressed the dozing man. "We're in Atlas. Paramedics are coming in to take you to the Academy Medical Center. If you want, we'll ride with you."

"I don't need the emotional support," he murmured back to her.

"But you're vulnerable," Weiss countered. "If someone; some enemy of Atlas, were to learn of this trip, they could try to attack you. We'll stay with you until you're safely on academy grounds."

"It's embarrassing to admit that I need such protection," Ironwood sighed. A pair of Atlas medics showed up and started to shift the general to a gurney.

"No way!" Weiss looked to see Yang arguing with another medic.

"Miss, it's procedure," the man argued with the blonde.

"I don't care!" She snapped back. "I do not need a gurney. In fact, I'm not even going to a medical center until my arm has been repaired!"

"But we can't take your arm without the rest of you," the medic protested. "It's procedure. And since you're a patient that's missing a limb, you have to be on a gurney."

"Why?"

"It's procedure."

"Procedure's wrong!" Yang snapped at him. Weiss left the general's side and sought to diffuse the situation.

"Look at me!" Yang continued to berate the hapless medic. Making sure that there was clear space behind her, she executed a backwards handspring. "Can someone who needs a gurney do this?"

"Miss, it's..."

"Procedure," Weiss interrupted. "Yang, you've never been to Atlas before. We look at procedure the way some villagers look at religion. Once it's in writing, you must obey."

The medic looked distinctly insulted by that. Strangely, General Ironwood, who had overheard, smirked.

"I don't care," Yang growled. "I'm not getting on a gurney! I'm perfectly capable of walking!"

Weiss sighed. Yang had been the big sister of Team RWBY, always ready to stand up for the other members. Unfortunately, she was also the most enthusiastic and right now that enthusiasm, backed up by her bruised dignity and instinct to defend her own pride, meant trouble. While Weiss had been the team's intellectual, Blake had been the most practical. Right now, Weiss was being forced into trying to be the reasonable one.

"Do you want this man to lose his job, just because of you?" Weiss asked.

"No..." Yang appeared a little less stubborn.

"Well, he could get fired if he doesn't follow his instructions," Weiss exaggerated just a little. "But maybe we can find a compromise." She looked at the medic. "Does your procedure say that the patient must be brought in on a gurney? Is there another alternative?"

"Wheelchair," the man answered. "She can be conveyed by a wheelchair or gurney. When I was informed that she was missing an arm, I assumed that she would need a gurney."

"Does the procedure actually say that she has to be on the form of conveyance?" Weiss pressed.

Confused, the medic pulled out his scroll and checked. "No," he admitted. "Just conveyed via either one."

"Fine!" Weiss declared. "We'll put the arm on the gurney and let her push it into the medical facility. As long as Yang shows up via the gurney, she's meeting your procedure."

"That's ridiculous!" Both Yang and the medic told her. The two gave each other an odd look, surprised to be agreeing.

"But it meets procedure," Weiss rolled her eyes. "It appears that the medical establishment hasn't come to grips with detached cybernetic arms."

"I'll include that in my report," the medic told her. Then, with a smirk, he added, "that's also procedure."

As the general was wheeled out of the airship, Yang pulled her arm out of her bag and placed it gently on the rolling bed. She then rolled her eyes as the medic carefully strapped the disconnected appendage down, explaining that this was also procedure. Finally, with Yang helping to push the cart, they were free to leave the aircraft and load onto the ambulance.

The ambulance ride was also awkward. In the end, Weiss accompanied General Ironwood in the back, along with one attendant and Yang's arm. Yang and Ron climbed into the front with the other attendant. As much as the general tried to remain stoic, he couldn't help but smirk every time he looked to the other bed and saw the arm strapped in. Weiss could only roll her eyes, wondering at the levels of absurdity to which bureaucratic nonsense, combined with unreasoning stubbornness, could reach. Fortunately, when they reached the Academy Medical Center, they encountered a doctor who was able to buck procedure without too much risk to his career.

"Ah, Miss Schnee," he noted. "Please rest assured that we will take excellent care of the general and your friends."

"Friends?" Yang asked, as a team showed up to hustle General Ironwood off to begin his treatment.

"Yes," Weiss told her. "First of all, those transducers are custom made for every person. While the one from your arm served to keep General Ironwood alive, it may not work with you again."

"It was used for a different purpose, with a different set of brain waves," the doctor informed the blonde. "We'll need to run some tests on you, so that we can create one. This one should be even more responsive to your commands."

"Okay," she shrugged. "When do we start?"

"We have a diagnostics chamber standing by at this moment."

Another man picked up her arm and gestured for her to follow. After sharing a nod with Weiss, she accompanied the man.

"And as for you and Rufus," Weiss now addressed Ron. "Full medical examinations."

"But I've already been through them!" Ron protested.

"That was before your aura-inflicted injuries," Weiss pointed out. "While the doctors back at Mistral are good, I'd prefer it if you saw one here in Atlas. You're special to me."

Ron's eyes flew wide.

"Of course," he nodded.

"That, and I need the evidence to present to my board of directors, and during a press conference." Weiss admitted. "We need to prove that you're not a robot, and that you're from someplace else. The best way to take care of this is another, in depth medical check up. Since you and Rufus like to stick together, I have arranged for a veterinarian to be in the examination room, to do a checkup on Rufus.

"Vet...ugh!" The naked rat squeaked from Ron's shoulder.

"Doctors aren't much better," Ron answered.

"But it's necessary!" Weiss insisted. "Do you want people to think you're a robot?"

"All because your brother made some suggestions?" Ron asked her. "That's not right!"

"It isn't," Weiss agreed. "But ridiculous accusations sometimes require ridiculous measures to counter; but don't worry, we'll come up with a way to get even with him. Maybe you can even use some Earth-style revenge that he won't expect."

For a moment, a look of fiendish glee passed over Ron's face, followed by an expression of terror.

"What is it?" Weiss demanded.

"Something I can do," Ron grumbled. "I never wanted to bring this horror to an unsuspecting planet, but I may have to."

"What horror?"

"Something that got locked into my mind," Ron told her, his face going pale. "Something that I cannot forget, no matter how much I want to."

"Is it worse than a bomb that can destroy a city in the blink of and eye?" Weiss gasped. "Worse than weapons that can punch through aura?"

"It's debatable," Ron sighed. "I survived it...barely."

"Err...perhaps we should start," one of the doctors interrupted his memories.

Flinching, and with a hard look at Weiss, Ron set Rufus on one shoulder and followed the staff members to yet another room. Left alone for the moment, Weiss found an empty waiting room and started to work on her scroll. She contacted every member of the Schnee Dust Company Board of Directors, informing them that there would be a meeting the following morning. Afterwards, she called her mother.

Although the older Schnee was a little disappointed that her daughter hadn't called right away, she was somewhat mollified by the fact that Weiss had taken care of her other details first, freeing her up to spend more time in conversation. Einsam Schnee was overjoyed to hear that her younger daughter was back in Atlas, and would be bringing Ron and a member of Team RWBY to stay in the mansion for at least a couple of weeks. Weiss reminded herself that her mother was very lonely; and would be once again after she dealt with the latest crisis and returned to Beacon.

Weiss requested that her mother arrange for Whitley to return home as soon as possible, then Yang showed up, forcing the heiress to bid her mother a reluctant goodbye. She assured the older woman that the three, with a pet, would be in the mansion yet that night before hanging up.

"Oh, you will be staying with me tonight," Weiss informed the taller girl.

"I was kind of hoping for that," Yang admitted. "I'm wondering about your mansion, since you seemed to like hanging at my cabin so much."

"It was the company," Weiss admitted. "I'm only beginning to realize how much the people in a house can either turn it into a home, or a prison."

"Hey, those are some pretty deep thoughts, and things are going to get serious enough in the next few days," Yang protested. "Let's try to keep it light."

"Sure," Weiss nodded. "How did the exam go?"

"I can't really tell," Yang admitted. "They used some tools that I didn't recognize to take some readings that I really didn't understand. They said that they had to fabricate new transducers, and that would take a few days."

"So, no pain with the examination?"

"Nope," Yang grinned. "They didn't even mess with my hair, so there wasn't any pain for them, either. So when do I get to see this mansion of yours?"

"As soon as Ron gets out of his exam," Weiss told her. "And we get an update on General Ironwood."

She had no more mentioned the Earth man when he appeared, a scowl on his face and followed by a surprisingly sheepish looking doctor. Rufus rode on Ron's shoulder, patting the side of his head in a conciliatory, supportive manner.

"I assure you, all of this was part of the complete, medical exam that Miss Schnee requested," the doctor was explaining.

"I don't believe you had to do that to prove I wasn't a robot," the blonde grumbled back.

"But we had to be objective," the doctor protested. "The only way to prove that you aren't mechanical, and be unbiased about it, was to perform a general examination! If we only performed the scans, someone could have insisted that your structure was made of carbon fiber, and not metal. Believe me, there was no vindictiveness to this, it was strictly..."

"Procedure," Ron growled. "I'm starting to see Yang's point of view."

"Straight up!" Yang agreed with him.

"At any rate, it's over," the doctor told the small group. "You are all free to go. The lab results will be finished by tomorrow morning."

"And what will they tell us?" Weiss asked him.

"I can't tell you before they are finished," the doctor told her. "That would go..."

"Against procedure," Weiss sighed. "Very well, I'll contact Kline. By the time he gets here, we should have a chance to check on General Ironwood."

Weiss was disappointed in this, as the medical personnel refused to allow her to see the headmaster. She wasn't related to him, nor was she one of his subordinates, in either the military or the academy. Even her family name failed to force a concession. Because she couldn't come up with a plausible reason why she needed to see him, she wasn't allowed to see him. It was procedure.

However, one staff member violated procedure just a little and informed her that the general was in no immediate danger, but it might take a couple of days to get replacement transducers prepared to handle basic motor functions, and perhaps weeks before such devices capable of supporting the movements of a trained hunstman, could be fabricated and calibrated to take care of all of his mechanical functions. As she led her two friends out of the hospital, Weiss realized that the staffer had probably bent procedure as much to get rid of her as to be kindly. She filed this little snippet in the back of her mind, considering that sometimes it was more effective to be irritating than proper.

Kline was, as always, supremely efficient. He was waiting for the trio...four if you counted Rufus...with one of the family's best vehicles when they emerged from the building. Weiss couldn't help but give the man a grateful hug.

"How has mother been doing?" She asked him, as he helped load their personal baggage into the trunk.

"She has been frightfully lonely, and anxious," Kline told her. "However, she has kept away from the bottle. She took a greater interest in the running of the company, but I daresay that she doesn't have the determination that you do."

"Some might call it stubbornness," Yang commented, as the three young people loaded themselves into the vehicle.

"Hush!" Weiss ordered.

"In more private moments, she lamented the fact that she had just reunited with her youngest daughter in time for her family to be sundered again," Kline continued. "However, she has started to establish some contacts among the peer families, inviting such over for a spot of tea and conversation, and accepting similar invitations."

"Good," Weiss nodded. "I don't want her to be alone."

"She will be overjoyed to see you safely back home," Kline informed her, as he slid behind the wheel. "And is delighted to have some company. She says that things were much livelier when Master Stoppable was present."

"If she thinks I livened the place up, wait until she meets Yang!" Ron told him.

"Hey!" Yang elbowed him in the ribs.

"Try to keep things under control for today," Weiss begged the two blondes. "Mother deserves a little peace and quiet."

"If I understand the situation, she's had too much peace and quiet," Yang countered. "But, if you think I'm too much for her to handle, I'll go easy on her."

"Thank you," however, Weiss didn't fully trust her friend to keep under control. "By the way, Ron, what bothered you so much about the check-up?"

Ron just mumbled into his hand.

"Okay, with your aura-contusions, the blood work wouldn't have been pleasant," Weiss tried to commiserate with him.

Ron mumbled a little more.

"Maybe it was the reflex checks," Yang suggested. "I hate it when they hit my knee and make me kick."

Ron mumbled some more.

"Was it the lights in your eyes?" Weiss asked. "Or the things they stick in your ears?"

"Maybe it was the hearing check," Yang suggested. "Or the tongue depressor tasted bad."

"I'm not saying," Ron finally snapped at the two of them. "I just never thought that anyone under forty would have to go through that in a doctor's office."

Kline promptly flinched while Yang tittered. Weiss, whose relationship with her father was much more distant than Yang's, didn't understand the reference but Ron didn't appear to feel like elaborating further. Fortunately for Weiss, it was only minutes later that they pulled onto the estate to find her mother waiting for them at the driveway.

Much like the meeting back in Haven, when Weiss was the only one who noted that Headmaster Lionheart wasn't at the head of the table, neither of her friends found her mother's actions to be unusual. They didn't understand the central role that propriety, that procedure, played in the lives of upper-class Atlesians. Her mother should have waited in her study, in the garden, or several other places that would generate the appearance of the older woman calmly awaiting the younger to present herself. The fact that she wasn't willing to wait to see her younger daughter spoke volumes of her concern.

The fact that Weiss couldn't care less about the potential scandal said something profound about how much she had grown.

Weiss didn't wait for Kline to let her out...she didn't even wait for the vehicle to come to a complete stop. As soon as the car slowed enough to be marginally safe, she jumped out and rushed to hug her mother. Despite the fact that her mother was taller than her, Weiss was struck by how frail she seemed to be.

"I'm so happy to have you back," Einsam whispered onto the top of her head. "The news was filled with...terrible things, and then Whitley..."

"We'll deal with him soon enough," Weiss whispered back. "But for right now, it's good to be back."

"Oh, how silly of me," Einsam reluctantly disengaged herself from her daughter and considered the two other young people, who were standing rather awkwardly while observing the reunion. "You must be Yang Xiao Long," Einsam addressed Yang. "Weiss has told me a great deal about you."

"Hey, don't believe everything she said!" Yang smiled broadly. "We had our issues when we first met."

"I have no doubt," Einsam smiled at the tall young woman. "She claims that you were always very protective of your teammates. I appreciate that you sought to protect her."

"Well...I am a big sister," Yang actually blushed. "It sort of goes with the territory."

"As for you, Mr. Stoppable," Einsam approached the young man and pulled him into a hug. "Thank you so much for bringing my daughter back to me."

"We're teammates," Ron told her, awkwardly returning her embrace. "We have each other's backs."

"So I understand," Einsam released him. "But I appreciate it, nonetheless. Now, the three of you are probably tired and hungry. Why don't we see to that, right now?"

Einsam's eyes widened when Rufus burst from Ron's pocket, scrambled up to perch on his shoulder, rubbed his belly and declared, "food!"

"Ah, this must be Rufus," the elder Schnee managed to maintain her composure. "I've also heard about you."

To Weiss' bemusement, Rufus traced a reasonably graceful bow while squeaking something that sounded like 'thank you'. Her mother was charmed.

"I'm sure that you and Unscharf will get along famously," Einsam Schnee assured the hairless rodent. "But all of you must be tired and famished after traveling all the way from Mistral and delivering the General to the medical center. Kline will see you to your rooms, then we'll meet in the dining room to talk over a meal."

"Of course," Weiss assured her mother, who was capable of more formality now that she had seen her daughter alive and well. "If Ronald will be in his previous suite, there's only Yang to settle in."

"I've taken the liberty of placing her in Winter's former quarters," Einsam replied. "Be a dear and assist Kline."

"My pleasure."

"Hey! Nobody's hauling my bag for me!" Yang snapped, grabbing the aforementioned backpack from the scandalized servant. "I've had enough of people thinking I need a wheelchair...or that I can't carry my own luggage!"

"Please humor her," Weiss instructed Kline. "She's had a hard collision with bureaucratic procedure, and she needs to let off some steam."

Yang had come to the conclusion that she was far from home, figuratively as well as literally. She had been raised in the economic middle class; sure, they lived in a cabin that her father had built himself, but it was a very large and luxurious cabin...for Patch. The Schnee Family Mansion was on an entire different level, as well as on a different continent. The suite she was currently standing in was roughly the square footage of the first floor of her home and she didn't know what to do. When you plan on crossing Anima on a motorcycle, you pack light, so it only took her about two minutes to unpack and another one to check out the space that would be her home for however long it took for her arm to be repaired.

She didn't know where the dining room was, nor did she know if her hostess would expect her to dress up a little for the meal. Of course, that wasn't really a consideration as she didn't have anything anywhere near formal with her. While she usually wouldn't let it bother her; she was who she was and wasn't about to change for anyone, she didn't want to put Weiss in an awkward situation with her mother. Fortunately, her friend showed up quickly, rescuing her from the twin conundrums of wondering what to wear for dinner and not knowing where to go for the meal.

"I've sort of forced my mother to open her eyes a little," Weiss assured her. "By having Ron, Flynt and Neon in the area, she's started to realize that not everyone lives the upper class lifestyle...and that not everyone wants to. What you're wearing now will be fine, but get ready to have a tailor take your measurements tomorrow, mother likes dressing people up."

"Did Flynt and Neon get the tailor treatment?" Yang asked, falling into step next to her shorter friend.

"No, but Ron did," Weiss rolled her eyes a little. "Mother's taken a liking to him and likes him to dress well."

"Oh?" Yang couldn't hide her smirk. "Is it because she thinks he's cute, or because the two of you look good together?"

"Yang! I have enough of with mother trying to push me towards him! Don't you start, as well!"

"Why should I?" Yang continued to smirk. "The two of you seem to be doing it, yourselves." The mocking expression left her face as she continued, "he told me about your...almost moment...back in Mistral. He seemed to feel guilty about it."

"He shouldn't," Weiss sighed. "It was as much my idea as his but...I'm kind of glad that we were interrupted."

"Why?" Yang showed honest curiosity. "If the two of you feel that way about each other..."

"It's...complicated," Weiss told her. "And Whitley's little stunt isn't helping matters. There's enough attention on me the way it is, and having Ron admit that he's from outside Remnant isn't going to make things any easier. If the word got out that we were...something more than friends...things could get even more difficult."

"Since when do you worry about what people think about you?" Yang asked her. "You've always been about making your own life."

"Since I realized how much influence the Schnee Dust Company has over Atlas," Weiss told her. "And since I realized how much harm it can do if the wrong person is running it."

That seemed to dampen Yang's mood a little. However, it didn't take long for her sense of humor to reassert itself.

"Were you exactly thinking that way when you and Ron nearly..."

"Yang!" Weiss snapped at her friend. "This isn't the place to bring it up!"

"Actually, there could be some interesting things to be learned from this," Yang smirked. "I thought you were all about academics and exploring new frontiers!"

"Yang..."

"I mean, did you get to the point of learning if he's equipped the way he needs to be?" Yang tried, unsuccessfully, to keep the smile off her face.

Weiss merely glared at her.

"Hey, as far as we know, gender body shapes could be reversed on Earth," the blonde snorted. "As well as the terms 'girl' and 'boy'. For all we know, he's the female of the species...or maybe you know better." Yang smiled widely. "Did you get to the point where you can tell me for sure that he's...anatomically compatible?"

Weiss continued to glare.

"Oh, didn't even get to the doubles round?" She shook her head in mock sympathy. "Well, was the behavior at least familiar? He didn't do anything wild, like handstands or something like that, did he?"

"That's about enough of this!" Weiss snapped at her friend.

"But seriously," Yang protested, although her expression was anything but serious. "Normal...mating habits...could be very different on Earth. There's a lot of variety when it comes down to the deed, so why should the normal method be the same between the two worlds?"

"That's actually interesting," Weiss admitted. "Almost as interesting as it is embarrassing to talk about when we're just about to walk into the dining room, where my mother is waiting."

Yang took the hint and shut her mouth...but didn't remove her smirk, as she followed her friend through a door and into the dining room. Yang immediately noted that the table, which dominated the room, could easily seat a dozen people. Einsam sat at the head of the table, with Ron at her left side. To Yang's amusement, Rufus sat on the table to Ron's left.

"I'll sit next to my mother," Weiss whispered to her friend. "You sit next to me."

"Right," Yang nodded, wondering if manners would take all of the enjoyment out of the meal. Einsam gave Ron a questioning look then, with the look of someone who had almost forgot something, the young man sprang to his feet.

Yep, it was looking like the room had a serious case of the manners.

"Weiss, and Yang," Einsam greeted them, with a pleasant voice. "So good of you to make it. Young Mr. Stoppable here is a young man, and could use some refueling."

"He's not the only one," Yang quipped, deciding to test just how formal the setting was going to be.

"That's good to hear," Einsam smiled at her newest guest. "It has been far too long since I've had three young people to dine with."

Yang smiled back, then had another idea. She acted like she was sitting then, as Ron settled towards his chair, she sprang back to her feet. Ron scrambled to change directions, managing to get back to his feet with only moderate stumbling.

"Gotcha!" She smirked at the boy. Weiss looked horrified while Einsam struggled to restrain a laugh.

"I must remember that," the older woman giggled at Yang. With a self-satisfied smirk, Yang took her seat for real, winking first at Ron, who waited until she was fully seated before sitting, and then at Weiss, who was still looking slightly shocked.

Fortunately for Weiss' nerves, Kline appeared with a trolley and served a salad course as well as a choice of beverages. While the heiress was still a little jumpy for her friend, Yang proved to be graceful and reasonably polite while handling her silverware, even with only her left hand. Kline proved to be a truly capable butler, in that he didn't bat an eye while serving a naked mole rat. Rufus took one look at the silverware, rolled his eyes, and proceeded to eat in a manner befitting a rodent.

"Please don't let me make you uneasy," Einsam addressed Yang. "I wished to have a meal with my daughter and her friends. The goal is to dine and get to know you, not to impress each other with our manners."

"Thanks," Yang replied. (Weiss was relieved that she swallowed her mouthful of food before speaking.) "I really appreciate you putting me up while my arm gets worked on."

"It's my pleasure," Einsam assured her. "In fact, you are doing me a favor. I was uneasy when Weiss chose to attend Beacon Academy; I had the usual prejudices against another kingdom and didn't like the idea of my daughter being so far away. However, I see now that she gained a great benefit far beyond combat training. She was forced out of the world she had known, to see others' point of view. She now sees the world as it is, not through the lens of the family wealth and privilege."

"Not only that, but she brought others to this mansion," Einsam continued. "After knocking me out of my self-pitying bout of alcoholism, she forced my eyes open, at least a little bit. I enjoyed speaking with Ron, Flynt and Neon. I look forward to speaking with you, and gaining an ever wider perspective on the world. Now, my own son has raised allegations that Mr. Stoppable is really a robot. Weiss, Mr. Stoppable, I would like you to answer the allegations to me, so that I'm not caught by surprise again."

Ron and Weiss shared an uncomfortable glance.

"If you can't say..." Einsam began.

"No!" Weiss interrupted. "You're my mother! This is your house! You have the right to know!" She took a deep breath, exchanged a nod with Ron, then plunged into the story. "Ron's not a robot, he's from a different world..."

Einsam looked on, somewhat dumbfounded and somewhat amused, as Weiss explained Ron's situation to her. The younger Schnee also explained about the 'nuke' that destroyed most of the Atlesian Airfleet, and their successful efforts to locate and destroy the other two. She then explained about the firearms that had also been shipped to Remnant. However, she left out Ron's semblance and the night when they nearly...

"So, you are a huntsman of sorts on your world," Einsam remarked to her guest, as Kline reappeared to clean up the salad plates and set out soup bowls and sandwiches.

"That's as good of a description as any," Ron told her. "Our societies are a lot different than Remnant's."

"I imagine so," she murmured in return. "So, what are we to do about this situation."

"I had Ron undergo yet another medical exam today," Weiss explained.

"A very, very thorough one," Ron interrupted.

"Tomorrow, I'll meet with the board of directors and discuss this," Weiss told her mother, with a glare at Ron. "I will also call a press conference. I'll be up front and honest, taking away Whitley's ammunition. After that, I'll deal with him."

"I will have the final say in how we deal with Whitley," Einsam firmly told her daughter. "However, I believe that we will be somewhat under siege here, once you hold your press conference. We must make preparations."

"Such as?" Weiss prompted, as the five continued to dine.

"For one thing, you will have our publicist with you when you discuss the matter with the board," Einsam told her. "She will be able to prepare a proper response to the numerous reporters who will want statements. I will also hire a couple of additional guards, so that the three of you do not need to chase the more aggressive reporters off of the property. Finally, I shall work with Kline to make sure that our foodstuffs and other consumables are well stocked before you make the public statement. Some out there may try to disguise themselves as delivery employees and attempt to gain access to our home."

"Whoa," Yang commented. "I thought Weiss was the smart one! That's some fast thinking."

"I've been Schnee for far longer than Weiss," Einsam offered the young woman a slight smile. "I know how to handle public scrutiny."

"Maybe we should let Dr. Physiker know about this," Ron suggested. "She might be able to make an official statement from the Academy."

"Perhaps that's for the best," Einsam agreed. "But could you entertain Miss Xiao Long for a time? The formal gardens are lovely in the evening and I haven't seen my daughter for too long."

"Of course," Ron got to his feet, followed by Yang. The two excused themselves, allowing the Schnee women to speak in private.

Once the two blondes left the dining room, Ron took a few minutes to send Dr. Physiker a text.

"Why don't you just call?" Yang asked him, while admiring some of the artwork to be found in the hallways.

"I don't want to disturb her if she's working," Ron told her, finishing his text.

"Working, at this time of night?"

"You've never been around science types, have you," he grinned. "When they start working, time doesn't really exist for them."

"But still, won't a call be quicker?"

"I don't want to disturb a scientist," he answered, now leading the way to the formal gardens. "Especially a physicist."

"Why a physicist?"

"If they jump during an experiment, things can make a boom...and I mean a very, very big boom."

Yang snorted a laugh and followed his lead, but took her time to take in the wealth on display. The sun was lowering to the west, casting long shadows over the estate's formal gardens, when Ron led Yang out to them.

"It's peaceful here," Yang commented. "At least for now. Come the day after tomorrow, that fence is going to be lined with reporters. Anyone here is going to have so many questions shouted at them that they won't be able to tell them apart."

"And when whomever is out here decides not to answer the same question a dozen times, the reporters will say that they're being evasive." Ron added.

"Are you sure you're not from Remnant?" Yang gave him a playful punch in the arm. "You sure sound like you know the drill."

"I guess sleaze reporters are the same everywhere," Ron shrugged. "And the Schnee family is going through this because Weiss was kind enough to take me in."

"Don't feel guilty about that," Yang told him. "You were with her to take out those two bombs, you saved her from that goliath in Kuchinashi. Any trouble the reporters cause them, you've already paid the family back a dozen times over...but it isn't about keeping score. She's my teammate and my friend, but it's pretty obvious that the two of you are good for each other."

Ron sighed slightly.

"Hey, no feeling guilty," in the growing darkness, Ron failed to catch Yang's momentary smirk. "The two of you are kind of sweet on each other, it's really nice."

Ron grimaced.

Hey, you've both told me about the almost moment," Yang pointed out. "And you both feel guilty about it. I don't understand why, there wasn't any harm done...and I don't think that any harm could have been done."

Ron just looked at her.

"Look, can I ask you a personal question?"

"Considering what I went through today," Ron mumbled. "And what I'm going to go through the day after tomorrow, I don't think you can ask anything too personal."

"Have you developed your receiving pouch yet?"

Ron looked at her with a completely confused expression.

"Look, I know it's personal, but we're teammates, so we should be able to discuss things like this." Yang paused, dramatically. "You're very fit, and I understand that fit guys develop it later than huskier guys. It's nothing to be embarrassed about."

"I'm don't have a clue what you're talking about," Ron admitted.

"Your receiving pouch," Yang rolled her eyes. "You know, what Weiss' ovipositor would have slid into if the two of you hadn't been interrupted."

"What!?"

"You have to be kidding me!" Yang shouted at him. "Don't you know where babies come from?"

"Of course!"

"So you know they come from your receiving pouch," she explained, with exaggerated patience. "After a girl deposits the egg there with her ovipositor. Maybe you have a different term on Earth."

"Wait a minute," Ron's face showed horrified realization. "You mean on Remnant, the men get pregnant?"

"You mean they don't on Earth?" Yang's jaw hung open in shock. "How does it work on Earth?"

"Man injects sperm into woman," Ron sounded almost stunned. "Sperm may or may not meet egg. If so, fertilized egg implants in the woman's uterus...nine months later, she gives birth."

"That's not the way it works here," Yang told him. "Woman injects egg into man's receiving pouch, where it's fertilized. Nine months later, baby emerges." She paused for a moment. "Maybe it is just as well that you got interrupted; that would have turned awkward in a hurry."

"Uh...yeah," Ron looked almost sick. "I...think I'm going to have to have a word with Weiss about this."

"Wait until after she deals with the press," Yang suggested. "She has enough on her plate without learning that a guy she's getting sweet on isn't...compatible."

"Right," Ron agreed. "Um, have you seen what happened to Rufus?"

"No, but I'll help you look for him," Yang turned quickly, so Ron couldn't see the impish grin that she just couldn't keep from her face.

It hadn't been easy for Rufus to remain calm and polite during the meal. Certainly, the food was great and he was hungry, but the conversation about political and social maneuvering just didn't interest him. He had a larger block of cheese to gnaw down to size; the rats that had been associating with Ron!

In his heart, he just couldn't blame his big friend; Ron was just too friendly and trusting. He didn't realize how conniving rodents could be, how they could take advantage of a human's naivety. Well, as soon as he got clear of this dinner engagement, there were rats in the mansion who were going to get a piece of his mind, delivered with the skill of a Mystical Monkey Power charged, naked warrior. It was a relief when the elder human and her daughter left to talk politics, leaving him to go outside with his human and the golden-haired one.

Once in the formal gardens, he slipped quickly away from the two humans, following his nose along the scent trails. His ire grew by the second. There were rodents on Earth that lived as parasites, devouring the food that humans produced and living in their homes, even going so far as to damage their unwitting hosts' structures and other possessions. That was the sort of thing that gave all rodents a bad name and Rufus had worked long and hard to change rodent attitudes wherever he went. He understood that one rat couldn't change the world, but he made sure that rodent-kind lived up to its obligation in his little corner of it. Now, it looked like he was faced with the same situation on Remnant.

Well, there was no time like the present to deal with things.

He followed his a scent trail to a moderately cleverly hidden entrance into the mansion's wall. Once inside, he scrambled through a series of tunnels, the scent of rat growing more powerful by the moment. Soon, he came upon what he suspected would be the first of many local rats that he would encounter that night.

The rat wasn't completely lazy, Rufus admitted, and it had some grasp of proper etiquette. It was larger than him, and demonstrated its size by turning broadside to the invader and arching its back. Rufus had seen this display dozens of times before, by larger and more rugged rats than the doe now in front of him. The naked mole rat simply kept his course and speed, showing no reaction to the hostile reception. The resident rodent lunged at him, her teeth bared.

Rufus ducked to his left and caught the attacker's right fore-paw in a wrist-lock. Twisting the limb, he executed a hip-toss that sent the doe tumbling into a wall. Dazed, she shook her head to gain her equilibrium while Rufus waited, patiently, for her to regain her wits. As soon as she did, she lunged at him again. As much as Rufus had to admire her spunk, he wasn't about to become distracted. Her attack was classic, a lunge with her incisors while trying to seize him with her front paws; but he had dealt with these so many times before. He caught her lower jaw and drove a double kick into her belly. The air flew out of the Atlesian rat's lungs and she dropped into a furry, shuddering heap. Rufus gave her no time to recover, putting her into a hammerlock and chittering instructions into her ear. Her eyes flew wide...at least wide for a rat...and she struggled a bit but then gave up and nodded. Rufus released the hammerlock and grabbed her tail, allowing her to lead him further into the tunnels within the Schnee walls while keeping a tight grip on her. Soon, they reached his destination.

Rufus didn't know the name of the rat who was counting peanuts in a large warren, but immediately knew that this was this section's alpha. He also knew that this was the rat that Ron had befriended; the rat that regularly interacted with the Schnee matron. Rufus released the doe as the buck in front of him reared up to its full height, displaying that it was considerably larger than he was.

Rufus was not impressed.

The alpha, who Rufus now recalled was known as Unscharf, lunged at him, mouth wide and incisors closing...only to drive himself right into Rufus' suplex. The naked mole rat gave his opponent credit; he didn't stay down long. He scrambled to his paws and lunged again, this time catching an elbow strike to the side of the head. Dazed, he let loose a piercing squeal. In response, four large buck's emerged from side tunnels.

Rufus was content with this, it would save time.

He had a few moments to note that while the oncoming rats were brave, they weren't trained to fight as a team. That would be among the first things to address, and addressing that would be easier once he delivered a few, painful lessons. Rufus was busy for the next few minutes; not only did he have to contend with four opponents that were larger than him, he wanted to avoid inflicting too much damage. He had identified this band as the mischief with the most potential to live up to the standards he was going to enforce.

In the end, the rats had never faced a rodent that had studied at a ninja school, much less one that was channeling mystical monkey power. They also seemed incapable of grasping that fact that the size of the rat in the fight wasn't as important as the amount of fight in the rat...at least at first. In the end, the four enforcers were sprawled around the den, sporting painful, humiliating, but not serious injuries. More importantly, all six rats were now looking at him with the clear understanding that he was now calling the shots.

First mission accomplished!

With a few squeaks and gestures, he ordered the six rats to gather the entire mischief outside, in the shadow of the mansion. It was time to judge the size of the group, so he could judge the requests he would have to have Ron pass on to Kline. After that, some basic drilling and outlining what he expected of the unofficial residents of the mansion.

It was time to turn this mischief of rats into something the Schnees could be proud of.

My thanks to Joe Stoppinghem for his beta reading.