The Schnee Black Sheep
Chapter 25: Heist Part 2 – Acceptance and Regret
A hooded figure stepped off of a bulkhead far from the mistral boarder. Falling deep into the trees and disappearing in the dark shadow cast by the forest. Not long after the figure dropped, a case attached to a long heavy rope soon followed, having been dropped by an unseen soldier. Within a few seconds that same soldier started to winch the case back up to the bulkhead. Once the crate had been loaded, the soldier turned to the pilot and gave a thumb up, signalling that the cases contents had been delivered. The pilot then spoke into his headset.
"General Ironwood Sir, the Myth is in the field!" Static came over the headset before the piolet was answered.
"Good… Good."
"Permission to speak freely Sir!"
"Granted."
"Is this really the best idea, he's just a kid?"
"True… But at least with Myth, things will be quick and as painless as possible."
"Yes Sir! My apologies Sir!"
"None needed Ruin. You have every right to know about your old partners predicament."
"Thank you Sir!"
"Stop calling me Sir! You're retired after all and this is only a favour."
"Well when the great Winter Schnee asked us personally to ensure that we got the job done quickly… How could we turn her down?"
"True. Very true Ruin."
The transmission disconnected and the pilot moved the bulkhead away from the drop zone and back to the military outpost. The man known as Ruin, had full faith that 'Myth' would get the job done exactly like the General had said. Quickly and painlessly.
"What?" Blake asked wide eyed and confused. Apparently even with enhanced hearing she had somehow managed to misinterpreted what Coal had just said…
"It would basically be a date after all." Coal shrugged. "I mean, that is what people do on dates after all isn't it?"
"You are really asking me on a date?" Blake questioned again not believing for a moment that he was being serious. Coal rolled his eyes as he stood up and strode over to the Faunus who was still sitting upright in the bed after a peaceful night's sleep and looked into her bright amber eyes and asked.
"Blake, once we have what we came on this mission for, will you go on a date with me?" Coal asked with a slight smile. Blake stared back into his obsidian eyes for a long time before she gave an answer.
"No…" She muttered, though internally, when Coal had first asked her subconscious wanted to say yes immediately.
"Okay…" Coal said half heartily but still kept his smile to show he wasn't that upset by the fact.
"I mean… I don't know, your dying aren't you so, why?" Blake asked confused. Perhaps Coal was just after a pity date or something along those lines. Yet, Blake would never believe that for a second. Sure, he could be manipulative when necessary but she doubted he would be that extreme. Maybe he was lying and wasn't actually dying to begin with? Blake needed to be sure of all of those little details before she could think about changing her mind.
"Sure, I'm dying." Coal shrugged as he pondered for an answer. "I'm just tired of dodging around and denying something which, if what's been happening lately is any indication, is that there might be something between you and me."
"How do I even know your telling me the truth?" Blake questioned as she tried to ignore the fact that yes there might be something between them. "Are you really dying or are you just trying to swindle me into a pity date?" Coal took a small step back and turned away from the Faunus, lifting his shirt over his head and showing Blake his bare back. Blake tried to protest before she quickly cut herself off at the sight. Coal's back was a sickly green colour with dead skin peeling off around the location of his brand which at present moment, could be seen as a light burn scar between his shoulders. Not only that, but Blake could also see dark veins pulsing around the brand, by that indication alone Blake could tell that his heart rate was slower than normal. Coal also reached into his pocket and pulled out his scroll and tossed it over his shoulder at the Faunus who caught it easily, thankful for the distraction before she realised what she was now looking at. His aura reserves were slowly decreasing.
59%
58%
57%
"Is that enough evidence for you?" Coal said emotionlessly as he pulled the shirt back over his head and took the scroll back from a shocked Blake who was trying to wrap her head around the entire ordeal. She was brought from her thoughts as Coal continued. "I would never ask pity from anyone. You really want to know why I never said anything? It's because I don't want any of it. I'd rather take this to the grave not telling a single person than have everyone change the way they look at me because of this shitty situation."
"But your dying!" Blake protested in a yell. "You still should have told someone!" She continued to yell her eyes fill with both fear and pity.
"Don't look at me like that Blake." Coal said in a growl and his eyes narrowed in anger. "Of all the people I wanted to tell, you were at the top of that list because I thought that you would never look at me like that."
"So, I'm not allowed to worry about you!"
"No. You're not."
"You selfish asshole!" Blake said as she got right up in the humans face. "When will you stop acting on your own and let me help you!"
"How can you help me?"
"I can… I…"
"Exactly." Coal sighed as he returned to his seat against the wall on the opposite side of the room, still smiling slightly as he locked eyes with the Faunus, seeing the regret in her eyes. "That bothers you doesn't it."
"Of course it does!" Blake screamed. "Your dying! A person that I care about is going to die!"
"Ha! No I won't." Coal laughed getting a weird look from Blake. "I have a promise to keep to my sister so I refuse to die."
"Coal it is not that simple."
"Yes it is."
"No it isn't!"
"Is to."
"Coal for fuck sake will you take this seriously for two seconds! Please." Blake screamed once more. Coals smiled vanished from his face as he become serious.
"I've taken this serious since the day that it was put in me Blake." He spoke in a serious tone. One which Blake had heard very little of but the authority his tone held spoke volumes. He had spent far too much time with soldiers to speak in that tone at his age. "I'm scared. Honestly that is the truth. I am terrified I will never see my sisters again, that I will never be able to go home… I've been scared my whole life wondering when I would find out exactly when I could die. Now that I know, I at least have some form of closure." Coal finished. Blake slowly walked over and sat beside him as he slowly came to accept what he had just said. It appears that she wasn't the only one burying feelings.
"It's okay to be scared Coal." Blake assured as she bumped her shoulder against his.
"I know that… But if I'm scared then what kind of example does that set for Weiss?"
"I don't think that it would matter much." Blake assured once more.
"Winter isn't scared of anything." Coal muttered.
"You really look up to your sister don't you?" Blake asked smiling, it was refreshing to see that Coal had a sensitive side. Coal gave no verbal confirmation but a quick nod informed Blake of everything she needed to know. "You talk about her a lot, what's she like?"
"Badass swordswoman with a short fuse." Coal smirked as he remembered something. "When we were kids, Winter would sit Weiss and I down and watch crappy films all night long. Weiss would bring the popcorn, I'd bring some form of sugary drink and Winter would pick the film. I miss movie night… Oh yeah, this one time when we were on a mission this guy on our squad tried hitting on her, he ended up with a new codename after that."
"What happened?" Blake asked half curious at the story, but more so that he would return back to his childish self. She regretted doubting the human's intentions earlier.
"How do you think he got the name Ruin?" Blake shrugged waiting for Coal to answer. "He got sent flying through this old stone tower during the mission because he slapped Winters ass." Coal laughed. "Ruined a perfectly good outpost and attracted a lot of attention from nearby Grimm, needless to say the mission was ruined as well."
"So that's where the name comes from." Blake giggled. Thankful she had found a distraction for them both.
"Yeah… Bastard had a serious drinking problem as well." Coal said as he reached for his backpack and pulled out a can of beer.
"Your one to talk."
"Please, at least I drink mine by the can and not by the six-pack." Coal smirked before the can was snatched away from him. Coal made to protest before Blake cut him off.
"Okay, I've thought about it and maybe I will take you up on that date." She announced. Coal instantly shut up as the Faunus looked as though she had more to say, a lot more. "But if we find that maybe there is something between us then we are going to need to make some ground rules."
"Seems fair." Coal shrugged. Being new to this kind of situation he figured that it was best to let the Faunus lead.
"First of all, no one finds out about this until we at least figure out what 'this' is." Blake said as she pointed between the two.
"That's reasonable. I can keep secrets." Coal shrugged, both he and his inner demons agreeing to the term
"So I've realised." Blake deadpanned. "Secondly, we are not going to have sex right away."
"Understandable." Coal shrugged once more once again his inner demons agreeing to the rule. "I have a no sex before marriage policy anyway." Blake raised an eyebrow at the boys policy, she didn't like how honest he sounded. Damn the smut!
"Thirdly. You're going to stop drinking."
"I guess I can cut down…"
"No, you're going to stop all together." Blake instructed. Coals face scrunched up as he started inwardly debating over the rule. "That is what you have a problem with?" Blake protested in annoyance, she figured the rule against sex would have been the bigger problem like iwht any other male in the world. Then again, she forgot about the fact that Coal was probably a virgin despite his perverted tendencies. More than once she had found his playboy magazines lying around his room and she had even seen him and Jaune trading them like Pokémon cards.
"I will try." Was all Coal managed to say after a full minute of council with his inner demons. Crimson didn't care and shrugged it off with ease, Wrythe aligned with the Faunus however Cobalt out right refused to accept those terms. Damn them all to the fiery pits of hell. "But if that's a rule then I'm making a rule that when we are alone together, the bow comes off."
"What?" Blake asked in protest and confusion at the weird request. "Why?"
"Because if I'm going to date you, then I date all of you Blake. Ears as well." Coal stated as if it was obvious. Blake just looked at him even more confused.
"They don't bother you?" She asked in an unusual timid tone as she cast her eyes downward. While she realised that he accepted that she was a Faunus she just couldn't see him actually liking her cat like features at all.
"Nah." Coal said as he reached up and untied the bow. "They cute." He said as he started to scratch behind the cat ears, getting a rather loud purr from the Faunus. "As is that." He chuckled before needing to dodge an incoming slap from the girl. It had taken a while but finally he was getting used to predicting them.
"Not. Funny." Blake muttered narrowing her eyes at the boy as he started to tie the bow around his left hand and wrist like it was a makeshift bandage. "I'm not getting that back, am I?"
"Nope." Coal smirked. Blake rolled her eyes smiling also, it was a good thing she had brought a spare. "Oh, and one more thing… Don't tell Weiss I'm dying."
"You haven't even told Weiss?" Blake questioned surprised that she had found out before the boy's twin.
"Nope and she isn't going to find out either." Coal said as he narrowed his eyes at Blake daring her to betray him. Coal let out a rather loud and long yawn and headed to the now empty bed having decided to take a quick nap. Apparently not sleeping for over 48 hours had some not so great side effects such as the lack of coming up with excuses and lies. Who knew.
"Err… What are you doing?" Blake asked as he flopped down on the bed fully clothed.
"Going to take a quick nap…" Coal yawned. "I'll be up in a few hours. Once I'm awake, we will go and raid the Octavian's house and check the bastard's personal terminal."
"And then?"
"Then we go out." Coal said after letting out another long yawn. "Work comes before pleasure…" He trailed off falling into a deep sleep. Blake sighed not really knowing what to do with herself while the boy slept. Good thing she had brought a book to pass some time.
"…target located…"
"Understood. When you have a shot… Take it."
"…affirmative…"
(8 hours later)
"Ugh… We really need to fix that reflex of yours!" Blake protested annoyingly as she and Coal walked through the forest leading up to the Octavian's estate in the late afternoon daylight. They were once more wearing their stealth outfits and Blake had replaced the bow wrapped around Coal's hand with a spare one which now hide her ears once more.
"I said I'm sorry!" Coal argued back as apologetically as he could. He had lost count how many times he had apologised for his reflex acting up while he slept and he almost shot at Blake once more… He really needed to stop sleeping with weapons nearby.
"This relationship isn't going to work if I constantly have to edge around you!"
"Well do you have any bright ideas? I'm open to suggestions."
"Have you tried therapy?"
"I've had therapy for the last five years Blake, truth be told… It only made it worse. Damn doctors."
"I don't really see another way of curing it other than finding what triggers it." Blake summarised as the came face to face with a cliff wall. "Err… Did you get us lost again?"
"That was one time!" Coal protested once more. Seriously the Faunus wouldn't let up on him today.
"More like three…" Blake mumbled just loud enough for Coal to hear.
"Anyway!" Coal continued as he stepped forward and pushed on a rock that was sticking out from the wall. Suddenly a secret door swung open in the cliff face, revealing a narrow hallway lit by torches. "Yes! It still works."
"Do I even want to know how you knew about this?" Blake asked raising an eyebrow.
"Would you get mad if I said that I spent a few weeks here after my engagement was announced?"
"Why would that make me mad?"
"Because for some reason, mentioning that crazy chick ticks you off." Coal shrugged as he walked into the narrow passageway, Blake following close behind.
As the two walked further and further into the dimly lit passageway, Coal pulled the leather glove over his right hand and flicked his wrist, expelling a small amount of fire dust over the glove and igniting it, creating a makeshift torch with his hand.
"That doesn't hurt?" Blake questioned looking at the flaming hand.
"Nah, I made this thing to basically absorb mass temperature changes. How do you think I'm able to hold freezing ice with no issues?"
"Noted." Blake hummed as they walked further until coal suddenly stopped in his tracks and she bumped into him. "What the hell Coal? Why did you suddenly stop?"
"Err…"
"What's wrong?" Blake said as she peered round the side of him. She couldn't see anything except for the boy's fear stricken face. "Coal…" She questioned as she noticed that dangling just in front of his face, was a spider about the size of her thumbnail.
"Spider…" Coal whimpered.
"No freaking way…" Blake said disbelievingly, smirking behind him. "You are scared of a little spider." She stated more than asked stifling a giggle. Coal stood frozen in place not taking his eyes away from the horrific, deadly creature as to make sure that it didn't get any closer. Blake couldn't contain herself any longer as she let out the quiet laughter that she had been trying to keep down. "Of all the things… You can't swim and your scared of spiders. HA-HA is there anything else I should know about?"
"I'm mildly allergic to dogs…" he muttered as he hugged the wall and edged slowly around the spider.
"Pffft." Blake had to stifle another giggle. It was refreshing to see Coal in such a passive manor despite everything that was currently happening to him. She stared at his back for a long while as they continued to walk through the stone hallway lit by the boys flaming hand. "Coal?"
"What is it Blake?"
"How can you act like nothing is wrong?" Blake asked as she caught up with him quickly. "Not that I want to keep bringing it up or anything but are you really okay? You are dying but you seem to be taking this thing… Rather well."
"You think that this would change me?" Coal questioned back as he looked over his shoulder at the Faunus.
"No… Yes… I don't know."
"Blake I've had this stuff in me for years. I've come to terms with the fact that I'm basically a walking time bomb, the only thing that actually scares me is not seeing the people I care about anymore. Like I said earlier."
"We will find a way to cure you." Blake assured confidently as she locked eyes with the boys, smiling.
"I know." Coal said smiling back as he stopped under a ladder leading up to a hatch. "You ready?" He asked looking up at the hatch and pulling up the scarf around his neck.
"Are you?" Blake asked as she mirrored his action.
"Nope…" Coal sighed shaking his head, extinguishing the flame around his hand before he started climbing. Blake figured that by the heavy sigh that he made that he was not looking forward to entering this ex fiancée's home again. Not that she was interested in his previous arrangement, she was curious in exactly why he was actively against the whole thing. Orchid was a beautiful young woman and a wealthy heiress after all.
Coal popped his head through the open hatch having assure that the coast was clear and proceeded to continue to pull himself up and out of the meter by meter gap in the floor ensuring that he didn't hit his head against the bed that hid the trap door. Blake soon followed after him and had to lie beside the boy in order to not hit her head also.
"Cramped isn't it?" Blake questioned in a whisper. Smirking at the boy whilst simultaneously invading his space bubble.
"Not the time for jokes Blake." Coal whispered back, surprising Blake by the seriousness of his tone. "I do not want to spend more time here than necessary!"
"What are you afraid of? Orchid is back at Beacon."
"That isn't what bothers me…" Coal said as he checked the room before crawling out of the space. Blake crawled out of the space also, confused by the boy's tone, before realisation hit her like blue shell in Mario cart… She and Coal stood up in a room which was outfitted for one purpose only.
"What. The. Fuck." Blake uttered in complete shock. Finally realising why Coal actively avoided the Octavian heiress.
"Erase this image from your mind." Coal growled as he swiftly and quietly made his way over to the double doors and eased one open, peering through the gap in order to check if anyone was around.
"Coal, what the fuck?"
"Not now Blake."
"COAL!" Blake growled harshly.
"What do you want me to say Blake?" Coal said as he fixed his eyes on the girl in irritation. "Orchid has a particular taste."
"I don't think designing her bedroom to be a BDSM sex dungeon counts as 'a particular taste'." Blake growled in mock impression. Damn rich families, they always had weird tastes.
"Technically…"
"Oh I'm sure I don't want to hear this…"
"Technically this is what she called the honeymoon suite."
…
"Yeah, I did not want to know that." Blake deadpanned.
"Then don't ask!" Coal sighed as he crept into the hallway and started to navigate his way around the mansion. Blake followed at his heels wondering how he was so sure of where he was going seeing as how he had gotten them lost on the way here through the forest and also got himself turned around at Beacon numerous times on a daily basis. Then again, he did actively try and avoid the creepy girl that was his ex-fiancée so if he was ever going to remember anything, it was the ins and outs of her own home so that he had plenty of escape routes. Blake was broken from her thoughts when she heard the sound of humming coming from the boy in front of her.
"Is that the mission impossible tune?" Blake asked in annoyance.
"No!" Coal whispered back insulted by the question. "I'm not that cliché… Its pink panther. We really need to have you watch a film or two."
"I prefer books."
"Yeah… But still. Maybe then you would understand half of the things I say." Coal said as he opened another set of double doors into an extremely large office like room, complete with ceiling high bookshelves and a large mahogany desk with a single terminal sitting on it. "Keep an eye out while I hack this thing." Coal ordered as he glided across the wooden floors and started typing away. Blake scoffed just loud enough for him to hear and kept a watchful eye on the hallway leading up to the office through a crack in the barely open door. "What?"
"Nothing."
"Okay I may be new to this whole, dating thing, but that was not nothing." Coal said rolling his eyes as he located the only encrypted set of files on the whole network.
"I said it's nothing." Blake irritably growled back trying to keep her voice as quiet as she could.
"Okay then." Coal shrugged as he continued on trying to open the files, counting down in his head.
3
2
1
"I just think it's funny how..."
"There is it." Coal smirked as he cracked the file's encryption key right when he expected too, having not heard the Faunus speaking to him.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
"Huh… Oh right sorry, I was kind distracted by my own awesomeness at being a badass spy." Coal smirked like a small child as he looked through the data. Blake glared at the distracted boy who didn't notice her gaze. Coal's face became increasingly neutral as he continued to look through the amount of data in silence before he finally spoke once more. "Well fuck nuggets…"
"What?" Blake questioned at his annoyed tone.
"It's all porn…" Coal deadpanned, scrolling thought the data once more to double check he hadn't missed anything. "It's all fucking porn!" He growled in complete annoyance.
"Seriously?" Blake questioned again, smirking in victory as she realised she was right when she said that he could have been wrong over the entire situation.
"More BDSM to be precise… And this is not the time for an 'I told you so' Blake." Coal grumbled.
"I wasn't going to say that." Blake said, forcing down a laugh as that was actually precicly what she was going to say. "I was going to say something along the lines of rich families and disturbing tastes."
"I agree…" Coal said as he rubbed his eyes.
"Then what does that say about yours and Weiss' tastes?" Blake questioned with an amused smirk.
"I do not want that mental image…" Coal sighed. "Let's just get out of here." He muttered in defeat as he fell a step behind Blake who took point on the return journey.
"I told you so." Blake smirked in victory as Coal dropped down from the ladder back in the passageway. Coal remained silent as they wandered through the dimly lit passageway and back out into the fading daylight above the trees. They continued to walk in silence before Blake nudged his shoulder with her own, breaking the complete silence around them and the trees. "Cheer up Fluffles. Can't win them all."
"I know." Coal huffed looking above the trees. "But it would have been nice to complete phase two…"
"Huh?"
"Oh right. I have this plan to eradicate the White Fang. Phase two was supposed to be cutting their supply chain but that's now down the drain."
"Well… Why don't you come along with us on a mission." Blake hummed thinking back to how Weiss was so adamant about involving her twin from the start.
"Huh?"
"Team RWBY is going on an unofficial mission to find out some information about the White Fang and their partners. If you want…"
"I'll pass."
"But why?"
"One reason. It's a team RWBY mission. Ruby could use the experience and I'd only get in the way." Coal shrugged. "And in hindsight, you were probably right about being nicer to Ruby about the whole she killed me thing. When your mission succeeds, I'll apologise to her formally."
"That is reasonable." Blake smiled at him getting a smile back.
"Besides…" Coal said happily as he placed both hands behind his head in comfort. "We still have a date to…" He trailed off as he started to fall forward uncontrollably. Blake made to catch him before she herself started to feel dizzy and started falling also. Both teens hit the ground within seconds of each other, Blake completely out cold whereas Coal still remained somewhat conscious as he lifted his blurred gaze to see a figure looming over him, carrying an absurdly large, jet black sniper rifle. Neither he or Blake had heard the shot but Coal knew that there had been two bullets fired from that rifle. The fact there were two targets meant that only two shots were needed and his old squad mate had a knack for being quiet, if not completely silent. "Fuck you too… Myth…" He managed to get out as he fell unconscious, remembering the feeling of his squad mate and the tranquillisers that they used against him in the past. He had forgotten one of the most important lessons that he had been taught when he had first met the person known as Myth. Be wary or complete silence, it is usually deadly.
"…target apprehended…" Muttered the figure in almost complete silence.
Blake awoke with a splitting head ache and in a very unfamiliar place. She sat up slowly finding herself lying on top a bed of a room where she had no memory of how she got there. She remembered going to the Octavian's estate, seeing that terrifying room, finding absolutely nothing linking the family to the White Fang, and then leaving… How did she end up here again?
"It's about time you woke up." Said a voice from her left side. Blake turned to see a person she had not expected to see again since she had first seen him when Coal had been assigned his team. General Ironwood.
"What happened?" Blake asked confused. "Where am I? Where's Coal?"
"In order, you and Coal were tranquilized in order to bring you both here, my airship." Ironwood informed as he opened the door. "Coal is this way." Ironwood said as he lead the Faunus down the corridor and into another room. Blake grew confused as when they entered the small square room, Coal was nowhere to be seen. There was in fact a woman standing looking through a glass window with a bright clear light shining through illuminating her face which held a very concerned and worried expression. Blake assumed that from her appearance and how much she resembled an older, more mature version of Weiss that the woman was possibly the twin's older sister Winter. Ironwood stepped up to the window, standing alongside Winter and looked through with a neutral face saying nothing. His action prompted Blake to do the same as she stepped up beside him and also looked through the window, audibly gasping at the sight.
"They just started." Ironwood stated in a neutral tone, his eyes not leaving their place, he rather he watch through the window than address the girl further.
"What are they doing?" Blake questioned in utter shock as she watched on in horror as a team of surgeons set to work. Lying face down on an operating table, his face sticking through a gap and out of view of the Fauns, was Coal completely naked and hooked up to many different monitors which indicated many different numbers and bodily conditions. The surgeons, decked out in light blue hospital scrubs, faces covered by masks, started cutting into his upper back, where his mark was located.
"They are opening him up, to remove the dust." Ironwood stated in a neutral tone once more, showing no emotion towards the situation, more to convince himself than others, as he recalled the conversation he had moments ago with the boy who had awoken from his knocked-out state earlier than planned.
"What the fuck Ironarse!" Coal said as he reared back a fist and socked the general square in the jaw. Ironwood just took the punch and kept his composure as best he could as the enraged teen went to punch him again. "This is not your decision to make! Why did you tell Winter, why did you get her involved!" Coal shouted as he punched the General again.
"I'm not giving you a choice anymore Executioner." Ironwood stated in a hollow tone. He was then cut off from speaking any further by his subordinate, Winter Schnee.
"Valiant please." She begged her younger brother to calm down. "I won't let you throw your life away, you need this operation soon before it becomes too late!" Coal held his fist back, desperately wanting to punch his superior some more for not only being knocked out in the one way that left him with the worst hangover that he could physically remember, but for also telling his older sister about his condition and for interrupting his time with the Faunus. The last part pissed him off the most as he realised that the General was being a massive cock block at the moment.
"Fine." Coal said as he lowered his fist and looked towards his older sister. "But only because you asked nicely Frostbite…" He whimpered more than said as he fell to his knees in defeat. He just couldn't disobey his sister when she asked something of him. His breathing quickened and the very thought of what he was about to undergo sunk in. The feeling that everything might just stop right here and end when he had so many regrets, so many questions and more than anything else, a chance with Blake.
"Hey, you'll be fine." Winter assured as she crouched down and wrapped her younger brother in a caring hug, which he returned.
"Frostbite…" Coal whimpered burying his head into his sisters shoulders forcing himself to not show any fear. "I'm sorry for being so difficult…"
"Hey, hey…" Winter shushed. "Don't start saying sorry now."
"Do me a favour."
"Sure, anything."
"If the worst happens…"
"That won't happen." Winter argued back with more force than she meant.
"If the worst happens, make sure Weiss is okay. Don't leave her alone. Not after last time." Coal begged.
"Of course."
"And another thing… Tell Blake that I might be a little, or a lot, late."
"Late for what exactly?" Winter questioned though she didn't exactly know who this Blake person was.
"She'll know what it means." Coal muttered. Winter felt him shaking uncontrollably as she lifted them both from the ground and walked him towards the door and towards what could be his final moments. Coal stopped him and his sister in the doorway as he took a final glance back at the General and muttered just loud enough for the old man to hear.
"Hey Ironar… Ironwood. Thanks for… Thanks for everything you've done for me, and my sisters." Coal said in a soft and quiet voice as he forced himself to not back out of his sister's request. Tightening his fist so that his nails dug into his palm, drawing a small trickle of blood. He cast one final look back at the General and recalled the memories that he had shared with his old mentor. "Thank you… Dad."