Weiss drew in a long, slow breath, her shoulders rising with the motion before she exhaled and let them sink. The thought of pressing the intercom beside the door for a third time crossed her mind, though she didn't want to seem desperate. Both of her previous attempts had resulted in no response at all, and her attempted texts had also been left on "Read." Slowly, Weiss raised her hand and allowed her finger to hover just over the red button mounted below the speaker, only for a voice from down the hall to make her jump in surprise.
"Marrow isn't in, this morning- he… got called away for a few hours."
Weiss turned her head to see Clover fast approaching, a tablet cradled in one of his arms.
"He was…?" Weiss asked as she cast one last forlorn glance at Marrow's door before turning her attention over to Clover. "What ever for?"
"Well… Jacques, actually," Clover replied with a frown. "He made a call to General Ironwood first thing in the morning, demanding that Marrow be sent over to the Schnee manor to review his obligations in advertising for the election campaign."
"…oh," Weiss said with a dejected look as she scrunched her face and turned her attention down to the carpet of the hallway. "But… why wouldn't he tell me?"
"You know exactly why," Clover said, earning Weiss' attention once again. "Had you known, you would've gone with him, and your entire day would've been ruined. That's Marrow, for you- always taking one for the team."
"That is Marrow…" Weiss agreed as she shook her head. With a slight bow of her head, she moved to walk past Clover, feeling rather annoyed. "Thank you, Mr. Ebi. I suppose I'll just… head to the training room to occupy myself, until we receive orders."
"Actually, if you wouldn't mind…"
Weiss stopped, turning in place to regard Clover with a look of confusion.
"…could we… talk? Just you and me," Clover clarified as he opened his arms to appear as nonthreatening as possible. "I think it's time that we talk a little bit about your relationship with Marrow, and there's something else that I think you should know."
Weiss let out a nearly imperceptible grunt at the suggestion and turned her head slightly to the side to avoid Clover's gaze.
"It's not as though I could say 'no' without causing a problem…" Weiss accused.
"I think you might be misunderstanding," Clover said calmly as he softened his expression even further. "It's nothing negative. I just think it's high time that you and I discuss a few things. I have tea."
Weiss rolled her eyes and let out a sigh before moving to walk at Clover's side.
"If you insist. My apologies, but I… I'm going through a lot right now, and Marrow has been…" Weiss hesitated, searching for an apt description of how she felt about the faunus. "…comforting."
"It's comforting for him, too," Clover offered as the pair made their way to a bend in the hall.
"…is it?" Weiss asked, her curiosity piqued.
"Marrow… is a bit of a fish out of water," Clover said carefully as he approached a door at the end of the hall and swiped his I.D. card. "Even though he's been with us for a while, now, the team dynamics aren't what they used to be. Everything's a little too cold for his liking, and his attempts at bringing us all back together again have only pushed some of us farther away. It's not his fault at all, but… it's the truth. He's a victim of circumstance, in more ways than one. As Aces, we don't particularly… 'get out' much, in terms of interacting with other people. Having you here and so interested in him has been a blessing."
"I'm not…" Weiss began, her face breaking out into a hot blush. "…I'm a little interested in him."
"Just a little?" Clover asked with a smirk over his shoulder as he stepped through the open doorway.
"…that's my business, and mine alone," Weiss replied before moving into the suite.
The layout of the living space was identical to Marrow's penthouse, though far more organized. All of the furniture was at precise angles, the floor was clearly maintained and pristine, and the décor was a coordinated blend of eggshell and powder blue. The couch was covered in throw pillows, and long, flowing curtains were tied back to allow sunlight into the main room through the glass balcony doors.
"Not here to attack you, or him- far from it," Clover offered as he made his way to the kitchenette. "I'm only a hardass on the field. I'm hoping you'll find me to be a fairly normal, tolerable guy off of it."
"You're hoping?" Weiss asked as she inclined her head in curiosity. "And why is that?"
"Well… to put it plainly, because I'm dating your sister," Clover said as he turned away from Weiss to go about preparing tea.
"…what?" Weiss said as she blinked several times. "But… Winter has never…"
"It was a conscious decision that we made together," Clover began to explain as he set a pot of water on to boil. "General Ironwood didn't know for months, and the rest of the Aces, even longer than that. We've been seeing each other for two years, now."
"Two years?" Weiss repeated incredulously. "Why would either of you keep it a secret for so long?"
"Several reasons, and most of them are even good," Clover joked as he turned around to face Weiss and leaned back into the kitchen countertop while setting down his tablet. "Public perception is a big one- we'd be all over every headline, and our every move would be scrutinized, if people knew. Right now, the only people aware are the inner circle up here, and your family. Now… you know, too."
"But why would Winter keep it from me for so long?" Weiss replied, beginning to get upset as she approached the breakfast bar. "I would like to be aware that she's seeing someone before the two of you are suddenly married. Two years is a long time."
"It is… and that moment may be coming sooner than later," Clover warned. "You'd have to ask her. I'd only be guessing, and I don't want to put words in her mouth. Winter has clear reasons for everything she does."
"And did you discuss informing me with her, first?" Weiss asked, her tone carrying a hint of annoyance.
"I did," Clover clarified. "She asked that I spend some time with you and talk to you about Marrow."
Weiss pinched the bridge of her nose, rubbing along the cartilage.
"And why isn't she having this discussion with me? Or with both of us?"
Clover shifted a bit, bracing his palms onto the countertop behind himself as he pulled a face that Weiss had never seen before. It reminded her somewhat of the face that Winter would make before breaking bad news to her, and Weiss had learned early on to take it very seriously.
"Winter… has an obligation," Clover said slowly. "The sort of obligation beyond her normal duties, which takes up a lot of her time and is extremely classified. I'm lucky if I see her three times in a week."
"Oh…" Weiss replied as she straightened a bit. "Is it… something negatively affecting her?"
"…it might be," Clover said cryptically. "It's a burden unlike any other in Atlas, both physically and mentally. She was carefully selected to play a role for General Ironwood that no one else among us was willing to even consider. He asked two of the Aces if they would consider becoming candidates, and they both outright refused."
"I distinctly remember you saying that this conversation wasn't going to be something negative," Weiss accused. "If it's a job that even the Aces turned down…"
"It's not like that," Clover tried as he shook his head. "It could end up being something very good, but… we just don't know. Winter's been dedicating a lot of time to her work and taking it incredibly seriously. I'm sure you and yours will know soon, but until that time… please don't judge her too harshly for being so unavailable and distant. We both know her, and her tendency to bury herself in her work."
Weiss propped her elbows up on the countertop before her and folded her arms with a sigh.
"Yes, I suppose we do. I just can't believe she's been seeing someone for so long without telling me, and that the two of you are that close. You're planning on proposing, is what I'm getting from what you said earlier?"
Clover turned away as the tea kettle began to whistle and busied himself with pouring out fresh cups of boiling water to steep.
"I was originally going to do it months ago, but then… we found out about Jacques' intent for the election. I figured I'd put it off until after that, since Winter's dealing with so much stress. She is not happy about his bid for the council seat. I'm sure you know."
"Oh, I do," Weiss confirmed. "The one time we've spoken alone since I came to Atlas, she made it very clear how she feels… and also very clear that he needs to win. I'm choosing to support that notion against my gut feeling, just like she is."
"And if you ask me, that's because you're committed to the greater good, no matter the cost," Clover observed. "Just like your sister. Just like Marrow."
Weiss' lips pulled into a subtle pout, and she brought her braid around to play with the end of it.
"…I knew we'd circle back to him, somehow…"
"I think you're good for each other, if that wasn't already clear," Clover stated. "If there's something going on between you, I support it completely."
"Clover…" Weiss began as she suddenly stopped touching her hair, "I… please, give us some space? I appreciate your encouragement, but I'm new to that entire world, and Marrow doesn't want to rush things. We're moving at a pace that we're comfortable with, and if things progress beyond professional… friendship… it will happen naturally."
"Professional friendship, huh?" Clover repeated with an amused quirk of his brow.
"Well, we're not… we're not just colleagues, it's…" Weiss tried, getting flustered.
"There's more to it," Clover finished for her. "Good. He deserves that, and I'm glad you can give it to him. Marrow has tried so hard to bring us all back together, and it's just… Harriet wanted none of it until very recently, Elm keeps him at arm's length, and I'm… I would say I'm too busy to just 'hang out' and be his 'bro', but I know that it's just an excuse. It's not easy, trusting someone new who came in to replace a friend. Not that I don't trust him, b-"
"I believe I understand," Weiss interrupted. "Something… happened to the one that Marrow replaced, didn't it?"
Clover took a deep breath, once again turning away to finish preparing tea.
"Vine… was killed in action. I don't want to go into detail, other than the fact that I'm only leading the Aces in his stead because I was there with him and fought to bring his body back to HQ, at great personal risk. He was a mentor, and really, almost a father figure, to all of us. He never really told us much about himself, but he was always there to listen whenever we needed someone. Vine knew us better than we knew ourselves and made moves to bring the three of us together as an unstoppable team. Seeing him fall so easily, so randomly, when we all thought he was invincible… none of us want to get overly attached to Marrow. None of us feel ready to go through that again, and if it's me, Harriet, or Elm that go next… none of us want to put that burden of guilt and longing on him, either."
"Clover…" Weiss said softly as she walked into the kitchenette. "You can't live like that. You can't just cut yourself off from trusting others, or allowing yourself to grow close to anyone…"
"I have Winter," Clover reminded as he turned back to Weiss, stone-faced and holding out a cup of tea.
"…and who does Elm have? What about Harriet?" Weiss pressed as she ignored the beverage and met his eyes.
"Harriet insists that she's fine on her own, loudly, and often," Clover explained. "Elm… keeps her cards close to the chest, and Marrow is often left out in the cold, because of all that. I know the answer to all three should be 'me,' and that's something that I need to work on. Seeing you and the rest of Sun's crew has been a reminder of that. Your team is how we used to be, when Vine was alive. Since then, we've… drifted."
"Then try," Weiss insisted as she finally accepted her cup of tea. "After we lost a dear friend in Pyrrha, my team from Beacon split up. We thought we would never see each other again, and those months were some of the longest of my life. Having them back, even if only for a while, and having Sun, Yang, Jaune, Ilia… and now, even Corsac, makes every day a little easier. If I'd continued to simply wander on my own, I don't know where I'd be right now… but I wouldn't be in a good place, mentally. Try to be there for your team as more than just a leader. Promise me, as my soon-to-be brother-in-law."
"You've got it," Clover agreed as he raised his cup. "Promise me you won't let any concerns of 'professionalism' get in the way of your relationship with Marrow? You've got my blessing to go down whatever road you'd like together. After all, Winter has changed my life for the better, and we didn't expect to wind up sharing more than a workplace. Maybe the same could happen to you."
Weiss rolled her eyes and clinked her mug to Clover's before taking a slow drink and watching him do the same.
"Speaking of Pyrrha… may I ask you something?" Weiss said as Clover brought his mug back down to chest level.
"…of course. I don't know all of the details of what happened at Beacon, but I've seen… enough. I'll answer, as best I can," Clover answered, giving Weiss his full attention.
"…when you said that two Aces refused the 'job' that Winter is doing now… it was Harriet and Elm, wasn't it? Marrow wouldn't be given that offer while being so green, perhaps, but… I don't think that's the reason. Was the offer made because they're women?"
Clover declined to answer at first, instead taking a long, slow sip of his tea.
"…that's correct. I would appreciate it if you waited for General Ironwood and Winter to decide to bring your group in on what's going on behind the scenes before you share that information. I'm only confirming it because I can see the gears turning, and I think you're arriving at the right conclusion…"
Weiss nodded, staring down into her warped reflection within her tea.
"…I'm terrified that I am, and what that might mean for Winter…"
Author's Note:
Next time- some Styx exploration and a side trip to Menagerie. Soon, we'll be getting into the 'hunter jobs in Mantle' mini-arc… and then, the election…
-RD