Marrow's tail hung limply behind him as he kept his hands wrapped firmly around the guardrail of his personal balcony. The faunus had said nothing for several minutes, and Weiss had remained silent as well while standing at his side. Marrow had on several layers and a heavy quilt draped over his shoulders, while Weiss kept a small sigil with a flame elevated in midair just beyond the rail to provide additional warmth. The pair of them simply stared into the fire for a while, both trying to think of anything to say that could ease the uncomfortable tension in the air.
"…Marrow…" Weiss began, only to heave a sigh and shake her head. "I know it doesn't count for much, but I am so, so sorry that you have to deal with this. It isn't fair to you at all."
"It's not your fault," Marrow reassured as he stared into the fire. "Clover ultimately agreed to Jacques' terms- not you. Even then, I don't really blame him. It's for the greater good. I'll do what I have to do to maintain our access to those dust mines and get Jacques the win, no matter how much I hate it."
"And I'll stand by your side, the entire way," Weiss reaffirmed with a resolute nod. "I promise you. If you're being made to suffer beneath my father's bootheel, I'll make him suffer by making it abundantly clear that you and I are closer than I'll ever be to him and his so-called 'legacy.'"
Marrow allowed himself the ghost of a smile, and finally turned his attention over to Weiss.
"I won't say no to that. It's been nice, having someone to talk to regularly. It's lonely up here in Atlas, even being a part of a team," Marrow admitted as he shook his head once again. "Hopefully we can run some jobs together down in Mantle, once your team gets started."
"Hopefully we can," Weiss agreed. "We really should get to know each other in a professional setting as well, you know. We've actually been ordered to take an Ace with us when visiting Robyn Hill and her crew, so perhaps…"
Marrow sucked in a tense breath and bit his lower lip.
"…yeah, about that, actually… it's already been decided that Harriet is going to be going with you and Sun for those talks. Clover made the call behind closed doors, and now that I have to shill for Jacques, it's probably for the best. Robyn can get… kinda nasty when dealing with people who don't support her every move…"
"…oh," Weiss replied, her disappointment clear in her voice. "Oh, I… see. Well, there are still volunteer jobs we could partner up for, provided Clover isn't actively trying to keep us apart for getting too friendly."
"I don't think he is," Marrow considered as he turned and leaned backward into the railing. "Jaune, Corsac, and I spoke about that possibility. At first, I thought the team compositions were targeted to keep you and I apart, but Corsac brought up some good points against that line of thinking. Corsac picked up on a lot of things, actually… things that I'm guessing he's shared with you, by now."
"Actually… Corsac and I haven't really talked much at all," Weiss denied as she dispelled her glyph. "I'd like to get to know him better, but… there's tension there, much like there once was with Ilia. Perhaps someday soon…"
"Right, right," Marrow acknowledged as he pushed himself off the railing. "Best not to wait too long with anything, especially these days. Who knows how long we really have…"
"Don't be so glum," Weiss chided softly as she followed Marrow back into his penthouse. "There are some positives to focus on, after all. Are you feeling any warmer?"
"I'm alright, now," Marrow confirmed as he unwrapped the quilt from around his shoulders and tossed it onto the couch. "I don't feel great for a lot of reasons, but I do feel warm, at least. Part of that is thanks to you and Ilia."
"My pleasure," Weiss offered. "You've done a lot for us, and for your team. It's clear to me just how much you care, even if the other Aces don't. It's high time someone started caring for you when you need it, too."
"They care," Marrow said defensively as he deposited himself upon the couch. "They just have a funny way of showing it, sometimes. Especially Harriet."
"Hm," Weiss considered before feeling a vibration in her pocket. She jumped in response, as did Marrow. The two looked at each other before pulling out their scrolls at the same time, both devices still buzzing intermittently. "Group text…?"
"Seems like it," Marrow agreed as he swiped at his scroll. "To both of our teams at once, though? This can't be good…"
"Don't jinx it," Weiss warned as she looked down at the growing message chain.
Sun Wukong, 9:23pm
Ilia and I just apprehended a member of the White Fang on the streets of Atlas. We need to meet up and all talk to General Ironwood as a group ASAP. Please respond.
Clover Ebi, 9:23pm
Harriet and I are already in his office. We'll let him know you're on your way.
Elm Ederne, 9:23pm
On my way.
Winter Schnee, 9:23pm
En route.
Marrow Amin, 9:24pm
Weiss and I are headed there now. Stay safe, everyone.
"…this is your fault," Weiss teased with a grim smirk. "I told you not to jinx it."
Marrow rolled his eyes and rose from the couch into a stretch.
"Yeah, yeah. Let's not keep the others waiting. This sounds serious. We haven't seen many Fang in Mantle, let alone Atlas," he explained. "They must be up to something to risk exposing themselves all the way up here."
"I have a bad feeling it has to do with their new High Leader, and whatever orders she left her lackeys before heading to Kuo Kuana," Weiss offered as she led the way out into the halls.
"Better or worse than Adam Taurus being at the helm?" Marrow asked as he moved to walk at Weiss' side.
"I… I don't know how to answer that, honestly," Weiss admitted as she pulled her vibrating scroll out once again. "Corsac confirmed. Still nothing from Yang and Jaune. That's… odd. Extremely odd."
"We could swing by your team's rooms?" Marrow offered as he tilted his head. "This seems like it could be a big deal."
"Yes. Let's," Weiss confirmed. "After all, they're just on the other side of the lobby…"
The pair picked up the pace slightly as they moved through the central lobby and entered the following hallway. Neither Weiss nor Marrow said anything as they moved through the halls, each considering the possibilities of what Sun and Ilia could have discovered. As they hurriedly approached the first of the borrowed suites, Weiss flashed her license against the scanner and the metallic door slid off to the side. Upon entering the room, she stopped immediately, causing Marrow to run into her gently from behind and touch his hands lightly to her hips as her face erupted into a sweltering blush.
The main couch was in total disarray, with its throw pillows scattered all about the general area. One was balanced precariously upon the coffee table, while another had some sort of stain and had been discarded onto the floor. Just below the unstable pillow was Yang's pants, which appeared to have been hastily deposited in a wrinkled heap upon the floor. Jaune's breastplate was leaned up against the side of the couch, and his shirt was messily draped over the armrest. Various other articles of clothing were strewn about the carpet in a trail to Yang's bedroom door, where a violet thong was hanging from the doorknob. Both Weiss and Marrow stared at the garments in total silence for almost a full minute before the faunus cleared his throat.
"Let's… how about we leave them to it, and fill them in later?"
"Yes," Weiss agreed quickly. "Yes, I do believe that would be the best approach…"
Sun held a hand to his forehead, his tail swishing rapidly behind him as he stood in the center of General Ironwood's circular office. Despite his efforts to rub at the aching flesh, his headache had only intensified as he walked his assembled colleagues through the situation to the best of his ability.
"This is what she does," Sun continued as he shook his head. "She gets her hooks in people, abuses her connections, and just… she's a manipulator. She could be trying to manipulate us again, but if she isn't, and she's really in a bind working as a double agent against Salem… what are we even supposed to do with this? What can we do? She did try to get Weiss killed, but she was a double agent for us against the Fang, and I don't know if we could have brought Adam down without her. We don't really know what we're up against. No matter whether Cinnamon is trying to make amends or not… she does."
A chorus of maddening silence was the only reply for a while, and Sun found the predictable response all the more frustrating. He looked up to General Ironwood expectantly and stuffed his hands in his pockets, hoping for any possible nugget of wisdom. Instead, the man simply furrowed his brows and kept his fingers steepled in front of his mouth for an uncomfortable period of time. Just as Sun began to think he might literally throw his hands up in frustration, General Ironwood lowered his own and spoke in a calm and collected tone.
"…Miss Amitola. Mr. Albain," he began. "I would like to hear your honest thoughts on this woman. What little information we have that hasn't come directly from your team is rudimentary, and the two of you would know her better than anyone else in this room. What are your instincts telling you upon hearing this news?"
Corsac stepped forward, his hands clasped behind himself as he moved to stand next to Sun in the center of the floor.
"In truth… I am torn."
Ilia gave the man a look as though he had grown an additional head, and she walked forward to stand at Sun's other side, forming a semicircle facing General Ironwood's desk.
"She threw you out of a helicopter into the ocean," Ilia reminded. "How exactly can you be torn?"
"She threw me out of a helicopter into the ocean because I made an attempt on your life, and aided Adam Taurus despite his clear descent into selfish vengeance over the good of the White Fang," Corsac reminded. "Her own selfish vengeance was only enacted because there was an opportunity with minimal risk. Cinnamon only makes overt moves when she can see the entire board, and the pieces are arranged to her liking. To reach out to us, especially after making an attempt on Weiss' life, as well as mine… something has gone very wrong. The threat may well be from Salem herself, if I am understanding who and what Salem is correctly. Adam Taurus did indeed bow to this Cinder Fall woman. I was there when such deals were made… so Yuma's story holds water."
Ilia made a frustrated noise and balled a fist, her skin involuntarily adopting an almost rusty shade.
"Not only that, but… I know… some of why she's so hellbent on going after the Schnee family…"
"Do tell," Winter chimed in from her position standing opposite Clover, beside Ironwood's desk. "I would very much like to have the reason we are even considering aiding someone who has painted a target upon Weiss."
Ilia muttered a string of curses beneath her breath and folded her arms across her chest.
"…she grew up in Rust."
"…Rust?" Sun asked as he raised a brow.
"It's a… I guess you could call in a shanty town, outside of the Mantle border wall," Ilia explained. "Her dad contracted dust lung working in the S.D.C. mines, and as I'm sure most of you know, Schnee Pharmaceuticals is the only source of the pills to manage it. They don't come cheap, especially for an uninsured faunus whose only income came from working the mines. Cinnamon was too young for an actual job to help pay for the pills, so she… turned to prostitution in a desperate effort to keep her dad alive. Oftentimes, in your mansion, with your father's investors," Ilia finished with a steely gaze at Winter.
Winter sucked in a deep breath through her nose and clenched her fists, which she quickly moved behind her back and out of view. Ilia could see their reflections trembling in the glass panels behind Ironwood's desk, as well as Weiss holding her hand up to her mouth with a horrified expression.
"…Schnee," Ironwood said calmly. "If you need a moment to yourself…"
"I-I'll… be fine," Weiss reassured as she lowered her hand, looking to be on the verge of tears. "I'll try to keep it together. This is too important to let my personal feelings get in the way. My apologies, General…"
"…I was actually talking to your sister," Ironwood replied as he cast a sidelong glance to Winter, whose mask of neutrality was quickly giving way to a furious expression.
Without a word, Winter stomped her way toward the door and exited the office, leaving the room in an uncomfortable silence. Harriet kept her arms folded, looking just as enraged as she had since before the meeting had even begun. Clover and Elm both appeared deeply uncomfortable, as did Sun, whose tail had seemed to gain a mind of its own. Corsac remained silent as ever, and Marrow gently slipped his hand into Weiss', earning a tight squeeze for his efforts. Ilia ran a hand through her hair and let out a heavy sigh, well aware that all eyes were upon her.
"Guys… I know I should've said something sooner, but it seemed… really, really messed up to go there when she and I were on speaking terms. Ever since she made an attempt on Weiss, I've considered just spilling it all, but a sad, stupid part of me has always been hoping she'd come around. Cin and I were friends, or at least, I thought we were. I didn't have many friends in the Fang, and in the grand scheme of things, the reasons why she hates the Schnee family didn't seem all that relevant… until now. If she's willing to offer an olive branch and work with two of them, then maybe Corsac is right, as much as I hate to admit it. Maybe she is desperate."
"For what it's worth… I was unaware of Cinnamon's past," Corsac added. "It isn't something she chooses to share with just anyone."
"…way to make me feel more conflicted," Ilia mumbled to herself as she turned her eyes to the floor.
"Alright," Clover chimed in. "I'll be the callous one, to save everyone else here the trouble- at the end of the day, what happened to her in the past can't directly determine our approach with her right now. It can, however, inform the decision as to how much faith we put into Yuma's words, and it sounds like the decision would have to rest with you and your team, Sun. You know Cinnamon- we don't."
The sound of clacking heels echoed across the polished floor as Weiss joined the semicircle and nodded to Sun.
"…I'll follow your lead, Sun, but on a personal note? Pending an opportunity to speak with her, once it is safe to do so… I'm willing to try to forgive. I'm seeing more and more the lengths that the faunus have to go to in order to simply survive up here, and to an extent… I don't blame her for what she did to me. I'm ready to set it aside and focus upon Salem."
"I'm not," Sun said quickly. "Not yet. I will work with her to bring Salem's agents down, but when that's over… lines need to be drawn."
"I'm with Sun," Ilia added. "Completely."
"…I abstain," Corsac offered. "I can see both perspectives, but I will follow orders, regardless. I trust this team more than I trust her, and so, that is all I can offer."
"Then we move to support her if and when she reaches out again, and glean what intel we can in the meantime," Ironwood confirmed. "But for the moment, there's a far bigger issue at hand. Arthur Watts- you're certain?"
"Yeah," Sun answered. "I'm certain. He said Arthur Watts, some kind of tech semblance, and that he's on a mission to raise hell in Mantle."
"Sir, Mantle's security is extremely outdated," Elm said hesitantly. "And with the election…"
"I know," Ironwood acknowledged as he rubbed at his temples. "Trust me, I know. With the preparations for Amity colosseum, the Hope initiative, Ozpin's apparent death, the Vytal festival security, reinforcing our air fleet, field testing the paladins, and working to automate as much of our defense force as possible, it's slipped from my attention for too long. We need to focus heavily on Mantle, immediately. Sun, that means I'll be drafting a mandatory training schedule for you and yours, as well as scheduled patrols with and without the Aces down on the ground."
"Yes, Sir," Sun answered. "We'll take care of it. We won't let you down."
"I know you won't," Ironwood acknowledged. "And I do mean that. We'll need to have another discussion in the coming days, specifically about Arthur Watts once I speak to Pietro about his time working for Atlesian R&D and gather all of the relevant information. For now… rest up, and mentally prepare yourselves. This road just became more treacherous, and we were already dealing with one that few would dare to travel."
"…before you all go," Harriet interrupted as she closed her eyes and walked to stand where Winter had once taken up position beside Ironwood's desk, "may I… say something?"
Ironwood nodded and swept out a hand in invitation, causing Harriet to step forward as she looked over the assembled teens and her three fellow operatives.
"I know… I've already said this to most of you, or some variation of it, but I'm sorry. The mission was almost compromised because of my actions, specifically not having faith in Yang's combat abilities. By trying to overcompensate for her, I caused a dust explosion that could have gotten several people killed earlier today, and if not for Clover's insistence that I stay… I would have walked, tonight. Marrow and Elm… you deserve a better teammate. Sun, Ilia, Weiss, and Corsac? I'm… going to try to open up a little more and make more of an effort to get to know you. That's all."
"I'm happy to hear exactly half of that," Elm encouraged as she stepped up to Harriet and put a hand upon the smaller woman's shoulder. "Personally, I think we could learn a lot from these kids, but I also think you need to ease up on yourself a bit. We all make mistakes. Serious ones, too."
"And our offer to be there for you still stands," Weiss added with a nod. "All of you. Some members from both sides have already begun to spend quite a bit of time together, after all…"
"Weiss is right," Marrow confirmed as his tail finally began to wag softly once again. "We can be a cut above and still feel like an Academy team. I really don't see why not, and I've been pushing for that since I signed on…"
"You have," Clover agreed. "We've had our moments of camaraderie, but they need to become more frequent. Stress kills, and we're about to face a lot more of it. We'll be working together much more often, but I also want to see all four of us bonding together more frequently, both within the Ace Ops, and our new guests. That's an order."
"There is no shame in starting slow," Corsac advised. "I, too, am merely beginning the process of 'branching out' in terms of interpersonal relationships, but I do not regret it."
"…yeah. I'll keep that in mind," Harriet acknowledged as she brushed Elm's massive hand from her shoulder. "Again- sorry, everyone. I'm not saying I'll be up for tea parties and gossip, but I will… try."
"And in situations like these, trying is all we can do," Ironwood offered. "Now, with that concluded, my orders for you stand- rest. All of you, Aces included. We'll be meeting again soon enough, and for the four of you, Jaune, and Yang, your careers as professional huntsmen and huntresses are about to begin in earnest. Mantle has a lot of jobs to offer."
"And we'll handle 'em all," Sun said with a grin as he pounded a fist into his other palm. "Alright, team- a new chapter starts now."
Author's Note:
Sun is objectively wrong- a new chapter will start next week, not now.
I went back and forth for a long time on whether or not Ilia should spill Cin's backstory before now. She alluded to knowing more than she let on as far back as the arc when she was in the hospital, but it made more sense to me to have her keep it in. Now, however, Ilia's at her breaking point and barely functioning. I'm sure that won't lead to anything disastrous. Also the chapter is called "Coming Together" because there's a big meeting going on! It certainly has nothing to do with Jaune and Yang...
-RD