General Ironwood stared down at the digital rendition of Sun's smiling face for a moment before slowly bringing his gaze upward to see the exact opposite. The blond faunus looked absolutely devastated as he kept his eyes on the floor, and several of his companions wore similar expressions.
"…Mr. Wukong," the general began in a tone laced with ice, "I would highly suggest you reconsider holding out the device that I gifted to you as though it were something poisonous. If you do insist that I take it after listening to what I'm about to say, then you will no longer be welcome in this academy, and you will have failed in your duties as a huntsman."
"Sun," Weiss pled as she stepped forward to stand next to him. "Look at me."
With great hesitance, Sun pulled his scroll halfway back toward himself and raised his eyes to meet Weiss'. He was shocked to find no remorse at all within her gaze. Instead, there was a silent determination strong enough to momentarily frighten him.
"We have come too far to turn back now," Weiss insisted. "We've watched friends die, innocents be lost to grimm, and we've all made great personal sacrifices to be here right now. Yes, planning out Fria's death is horrible and regrettable… but it is also unavoidable. She is in no state to fight, and Salem will prioritize her as a target- that is just a matter of time. From what Harriet and Winter have told us alone, her quality of life isn't something she would want to begin with. She's making the choice to pass the Maiden's power on to someone who can carry on that legacy safely. This is Fria's way of continuing to fight for Remnant, and we have no right to deny her."
"That is a big assumption," Jaune replied as he shook his head. "I agree with the first part of what you said, but… we've been here before, or at least, I've been here. When she went up to Beacon Tower, Pyrrha knew she wasn't coming back, and she felt like she had to go. Like there was no other option. The events surrounding the Vytal festival wore her down mentally to the point that she… she thought that there was no other way. She acted in desperation. We could be missing something. We c-"
"And what other way, exactly, would you propose?" General Ironwood interrupted, his voice authoritative and callous. "Do you think we haven't considered every option in the years that Fria has been in our custody? Do you believe that Lieutenant Schnee and I explored euthanasia as our first option? Is that the path you believe any of the people in this room would take, given the presence of any other?"
Jaune simply stared at General Ironwood for a moment, his mouth hanging open as he tried to figure out what to say. Only a small gurgle escaped him before he closed it again, feeling incredibly stupid.
"I… n-no, I don't think you would, I just… I don't want us to lose sight of what's important…"
"And we haven't," Clover reassured. "These are conversations we've had. Conversations that have occurred more than once, before any of you were even academy students. The General isn't coming down on you like this because of what you believe about the situation- it's because of the implications you're tying to all of us."
"I don't like it either," Elm jumped in as she remained facing the glass. "But when it comes down to the life of one woman against all of the lives Salem would willingly end to reach her? The answer is obvious. We've held off on transferring the Winter Maiden's power safely for as long as we could. To hold off much longer would be negligent in our duty of protecting Solitas. It has to be done before Salem makes her move."
"Any member of the Aces would sacrifice themself in a similar situation," Marrow added with a cautious look in Weiss' direction. "I know it's uncomfortable, and I like it probably least of all out of any Atlesian in this room, but… that's the job. I think, if you look back, you'll find it's a job you've already done several times over. How many people have died as a direct result of decisions you've made in an attempt to help people? At the fall of Beacon, how many were you not fast enough to save? You can't let that weigh on you or assign personal blame. You did the best you could in a horrible situation, just as we are now. That's what matters at the end of the day."
"But…" Sun started as he finally looked up at General Ironwood, only to fail to find anything convincing to follow up with that hadn't already been said. He noticed that the man's natural fist was clenched at his side, and his jaw was set tightly. With all the effort he could muster, Sun resisted the urge to blink as he addressed his superior with the truth. "…what if… I don't want to be the kind of person who makes that kind of decision?"
Heavy footfalls echoed throughout the room as General Ironwood approached the faunus. The larger man only stopped when barely three feet were left between them.
"Do you think I want to be the kind of person that I am now?" General Ironwood asked. "Recruiting academy students and binding them to a plot like this in a secret war against an enemy we may be unable to defeat? Running an academy and military simultaneously while juggling the interests of two cities at each others' throats? The last line of defense for two relics, constantly being asked to be reasonable and consider the sensitivities of you and yours? I have news for you, Sun Wukong. News that you may like, if you take it to heart. All of this- Operation Snowfall, how the election is handled, our defense against Salem, what happens to the relics? Those decisions do not fall to you- they fall squarely upon my shoulders. It is my job to pull the proverbial trigger on everything you find uncomfortable about this situation, and my job to live with the associated guilt afterward. Your job is much simpler- you either need to grow up and provide support where you can, or get the hell out of my way. So, that being said- choose."
Sun wasn't sure when he had started shaking, or why he felt so infinitely small under the other man's scrutiny. He was filled with several conflicting emotions, but the one at the forefront was a heavy, painful regret.
"I… I-I…" Sun tried, beginning to panic. "I'm… sorry."
"…meaning?" General Ironwood pressed as his voice became more forceful.
"Meaning…" Sun repeated before trailing off momentarily. As he spoke again, he sounded utterly defeated. "Meaning… you're right. All of you are. I'll help, a-and I'll try to get Yang back on board. And… I never should've… I-I feel sick…"
"Not a single day has gone by since the fall of Beacon that I haven't," General Ironwood replied, his tone remaining aggressive. "You'll get used to it. Amin. Take care of him. Do what you need to in order to get him back on his feet."
"Sir," Marrow said with a nod before he walked over to Sun and put an arm around the other faunus' shoulders. "Come on. You need water, rest, and time. Let's go."
"But…" Sun began again, only for Marrow to shake his head.
"No. You have nothing to gain by staying here. Don't resist."
Sun let out a defeated groan as Marrow walked him to the exit and out of the office, the door sealing automatically behind them.
"…would anyone else like to voice their concerns regarding the work ahead of us?" General Ironwood asked icily as he returned to his desk and stood before it.
"…I'm sorry, too," Jaune offered. "I know that probably doesn't mean anything, but… I don't envy you. Either of you," he added with a meaningful look at Winter. "I'll do what I can to help out, too, but I think I should go. I might be able to get through to Yang…"
General Ironwood simply nodded, and Jaune left the room with an awkward, shallow bow. Corsac turned his head to watch the young man leave, and then shifted his attention toward the front of the room.
"…I personally have nothing at all to add, other than the notion that I will continue to work alongside you, so long as you will have me. May I?"
"Dismissed," General Ironwood confirmed, only for the faunus to leave at a brisk pace.
Weiss chanced a look over at Ilia, who was still incredibly pale. The faunus' eyes were filled with tears that threatened to spill forward, though she managed to keep them in. Without a word, Weiss closed the distance and pulled the girl into a tight hug, which Ilia returned with even greater force. Weiss rubbed at Ilia's shoulder as she felt her own dampen. Their contact was brief, and Ilia was the first to pull away as she said a single word under her breath.
"…fuck."
"…that is a pretty concise summary of the situation, yes," Clover deadpanned. "Are you going to be alright, going forward?"
"It's not about that," Ilia replied as she wiped at her eyes with her hand. "Though I do… have a question. I'm staying on board and keeping up the fight, if you need to know that first."
General Ironwood clasped his hands behind himself and gave the small girl an appreciative nod.
"Shoot."
"…you could have dressed Sun down even harder," Ilia pointed out. "The shot was right there and easy to take- he's forgiven and worked alongside Corsac and I, and his moral compass is all sorts of fucked up because now he has to personally condone killing an innocent. The things the White Fang has done can't be ignored, especially when playing moral chicken in a situation like this. You had every right to call him out for being naïve and tiptoeing around that uncomfortable truth, so… why didn't you?"
"Because it wasn't necessary," General Ironwood answered. "He already knows, deep down. Even if he hasn't actively realized it yet… he knows. You and Corsac are far from innocent, but then again, who is? Every lesser evil on Remnant would be welcome through our doors if they were willing to stand against Salem. The situation is that desperate, and anyone who would protest that notion is a shortsighted fool."
"I… think I get it, now," Ilia said slowly. "I think I've started to realize a lot of things over the past few weeks. I've done unforgivable things while wearing Adam's colors, but it always felt so… hollow. I trusted his words and I believed in his cause, but somehow… I always knew that none of what we were doing was right. None of it would ever amount to anything substantial. Upon arriving here, I didn't trust you or believe your words at all. But… your actions say it all. Even the desperation somehow helped me see that what you're doing is… it's real. You're trying, when so few others would…"
"We're not hiding anything," Winter chimed in. "The reward for loyalty to the inner circle of Atlas is honesty. Whether or not you see such a thing as beneficial is entirely up to you, but the transparency will always be there. I suspect that in the White Fang, the opposite was true."
"…correct," Ilia acknowledged. "And I do appreciate it. I'm still working through a lot of personal shit, but I understand when sacrifices need to be made. I'll have your backs."
"And we will have yours, in turn," General Ironwood reassured. "Go and get some rest."
"Actually… I would rather get something done, right now," Ilia offered. "I need to keep myself busy when I'm feeling like shit. What was originally on the docket, before all of this fell to pieces?"
Elm turned around from her place at the window, one of her brows raised. She offered the faunus a smile and made a beckoning motion as she headed for the door.
"…come. I've got a job we can run."
The door slid shut for a final time as Elm and Ilia disappeared through it, leaving only the general, Weiss, Winter, and Clover in the circular office.
"So… all this time?" Weiss asked, her eyes on Winter.
"…years," Winter confirmed. "So much of my inability to be there, or even speak to you was… this. There's a chance that if Fria heard your voice over a scroll, or potentially even learned your name…"
"I understand," Weiss replied. "You're doing what you have to do… and now, so am I. This is what the Schnee name should stand for. Duty. Reliability. Leadership in circumstances where others would shy away."
"One day, it might," Clover considered. "Until then, though- we appreciate your service."
"We do," General Ironwood confirmed. "I'm glad to see that Winter's dedication to the cause rubbed off on you over the years."
"It certainly did. I refuse to turn my back on the righteous path, no matter how hard it may become," Weiss confirmed as she pulled out her vibrating scroll. "Oh… now, of all times…"
"What is it?" Winter asked.
"It's… Whitley," Weiss answered as she kept her eyes glued to the screen. "Marrow set up a meeting between us to discuss the future of our family. I… agreed to meet with him and try to patch over old wounds."
"And he wants to meet now?" Winter asked, only to receive a nod. She looked over to General Ironwood, who mimicked Weiss' motion. "Well… in that case, let's go."
Weiss blinked in surprise as Winter approached.
"You… you're coming with me?"
"If redefining our family name is the goal," Winter began, "then what better time than right now?"
Author's Note:
We are never getting to this fucking election.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAa
-RD