Ilia stiffened and cracked her neck to one side. She hated that everything Sun had told her about his feelings and conversation with Marrow made perfect sense to her. She also hated that in some ways, she felt similarly about Operation Snowfall, though she would never say it out loud.
What she hated the most was Sun's suggested solution, and the fact that he could still be so criminally naïve.
"Look… I get it," Ilia said in a slow, calm voice as she leaned against the wall of the dimly-lit alleyway. She kept her tone soft but firm, as though she was explaining to a particularly stupid child why licking an electrical dust crystal was probably not a great idea. "But this may well be the dumbest plan you've ever come up with, and as your little sis, it's my job to knock you upside the head and tell you so. What the fuck, Sun?"
"I know, I know," Sun said as he raised his hands in a gesture of surrender. "I know it's dumb, and I kinda want you to talk me out of it… but I also kinda want you to help me find a solution, instead. There's gotta be a way to get to her and talk this through. After all, we're going to try to rescue her from Salem, right? We've gotta take a risk at some point."
"But a risk like this?" Ilia asked, her voice full of disbelief. "If this Arthur Watts asshole is as good with tech as we've heard, this idea puts her in danger. If Ironwood intercepts the communication or the Aces get wind of it, we're setting ourselves up to be accused of treason. There are so many ways this could go wrong…"
"Well…" Sun began, his tail twitching nervously behind himself. "I mean… it's all going to go wrong eventually, isn't it? The second Salem comes to Atlas, shit hits the fan and all plans go out the window. I could… maybe I could make Ironwood understand. Maybe I can talk to him and explain why we need to do this now."
"Yeah, and maybe he'll throw you in a cell and put the rest of us on watch," Ilia countered.
"He won't," Sun asserted. "He wouldn't. Especially when we're going along with his plan for Fria. We'll… it'll all work out. It always does."
"Oh, good. Complacency and trusting fate," Ilia mocked. "That won't backfire at all. Gods damn it, Sun… there's no talking you out of this, is there? Turn off your scrolls."
Sun blinked, suddenly feeling incredibly nervous. Despite the foreboding feeling, he pulled out both his personal scroll and the one given to him by General Ironwood.
"Uh… why?" he asked as he turned both devices off.
"Because I'm going to make the call for you," Ilia answered simply as she withdrew her personal scroll from her pocket.
"Ilia, d-" Sun began, reaching out his hand. The dial tone was already ringing through the alleyway by the time he stepped forward, and immediately afterward, a generic prompt to leave a message recited itself.
"You know who this is," Ilia said into the device in a forceful tone while holding up her free hand to stop Sun's advance. "We need to talk. Tomorrow night, where it all began. Time of second watch rotation."
Sun paled as he watched Ilia turn her scroll off and slip it back into her pants.
"…what did you just do?"
"Set myself up to take the fall if this all goes tits up," Ilia answered with a shrug before folding her arms across her chest. "You're our leader, and you're my bro. I've been the voice of dissent and the most likely to make a move like this. It only makes sense for me to be the one."
"That doesn't mean you should put your ass on the line because I'm an idiot!" Sun whined. "Ilia, y-"
"Wouldn't be the first time," Ilia said with a smirk. "Besides… I love you, and I can't help you with what you're going through. You want to talk to her because you want to understand how to come to terms with doing horrible things for good reasons, right? Let me let you in on a little secret, Sun- I never did."
Sun paused, the sounds of nearby traffic filtering into the alleyway and filling the silence.
"What do you mean…?"
"I always knew what I was doing in the Fang was wrong… and I wasn't doing it for any righteous cause other than vengeance," Ilia admitted as she leaned back into the wall. "I just didn't care. My personal revenge quest was more important than all the pain we were causing. I just… never really admitted that to myself until we went down into the mines. I can't help but think the Schnee dynasty had a similar thought process. What makes me any better than their leaders?"
"Don't say that," Sun warned as he closed the distance to Ilia. "You have nothing in common with Jacques, or Weiss' grandfather, or whichever dead Schnee may have taken the S.D.C. down the path they're on now. You're a good person, Ilia. You're just… hurt."
"I wish I could believe that," Ilia muttered as she allowed Sun to scoop her into a hug. "So… I'm gonna take steps from here on to let myself believe it. It's time to make some changes, and if you need to talk to Cinnamon and get her perspective to try to understand how this all works, then I'll come with you. We'll risk it together… because I think I want to talk to her, too. After the shit she pulled back in Argus, I thought she was a monster, but… if she really gave up everything to protect our people to the point of stepping down as high leader and pretending to serve Salem… then we may be dealing with someone totally different from who I thought they were."
"…wouldn't be the first time," Sun repeated with a smirk as he rested his chin atop Ilia's head. "But I still think we should warn Ironwood as to what we're doing. I've got a good feeling about it. I think."
Ilia took a deep breath and exhaled into Sun's chest.
"Fine. But if we're going all-in… then we shouldn't just talk to her. We should try to get her out of Salem's grasp, now, and cripple whatever plan Watts is brewing. Let's not waste this opening, assuming she shows up. We might not get another one."
"Then I guess we're making our move," Sun considered as he finally broke free of the embrace. "This is… kinda scary. Ironwood did warn me to ask him before we took matters into our own hands again…"
"Ironwood also told us we need every advantage we can get, and that we're headed for a potentially unwinnable battle," Ilia reminded. "Worst case scenario is that he shuts us down, we have another argument, and Cinnamon is left high and dry and has to wriggle her way out of another situation. Kinda like what she did to us when she threw Adam into that helicopter."
"…so this is the most passive-aggressive eye for an eye situation ever," Sun joked. "I'm sure she'll figure it out. Maybe we'll get lucky, and she deals with Watts for us after your message gets intercepted."
"Maybe," Ilia agreed. "For now… well… fuck it. Let's go see Ironwood together. I'm in deep now, too. Might as well keep following your lead, monkey boy."
Sun rolled his shoulders and turned toward the entrance of the alley with a sigh. He offered a hand to Ilia, which the smaller faunus took in a firm grip.
"Honestly… would you have it any other way?"
"…fuck no," Ilia answered as the pair began walking.
For the first time in years, Winter actually felt nervous. No amount of military training or mental preparation would be useful in her predicament. Every scenario she constructed within her mind always led to the same outcome- total failure and a nasty vulnerability that she absolutely deserved. The only advantage she had going in was her partner, and even then, she couldn't help but feel that Weiss wasn't at all prepared either.
"…what do we even say?" Winter asked in a low voice, half expecting no answer. "I literally can't remember the last time Whitley and I exchanged more than a few words in passing…"
"You're asking me?" Weiss replied as she looked up at her sister while they walked side by side. "Truth be told, you've probably spoken to him more in the last two years than I have. We barely talked at all during my brief return to Atlas, and ever since… nothing at all. The only reason this is happening is because Marrow jumped in to force us back together."
"You say that almost as though you resent him for it," Winter suggested with a bit of a sidelong smirk as the pair continued down the sidewalk.
"No, not at all," Weiss clarified immediately. "I just… this is one of those responsibilities I'd rather avoid for as long as possible. I know I need to do this, but…"
"Weiss," Winter said firmly as the pair rounded the corner of a city block, neon signs overhead lighting their way. "You're an adult woman, and that kind of thinking is childish. I'm just as guilty as you are, and maybe more so. I've been using work as an excuse to disassociate from our family entirely, on account of Jacques being who he is. Unfortunately, that also cost me my relationship with Whitley and you. It's high time to make this right… especially considering the amount of time we have to do so is becoming less and less clear."
"You're right," Weiss acknowledged, well aware of the whiny quality within her voice. "It's a conversation my team has been having often, lately. We're less than a week to this election, and we've no idea how long until Salem strikes… if she strikes here at all."
"We'll know, if she tries," Winter reassured. "We have signal towers erected all around Solitas capable of detecting incoming threats, and if she's arrogant enough to come through Argus, we'll have word from the port immediately. That gives us a few days' warning at least, while they hold her off."
"That's good," Weiss said with a sigh of relief. "Even so… I suppose having our affairs all sorted before the inevitable will be of some comfort. There are so many loose ends, so much to do…"
"Weiss," Winter interrupted to get her sister's attention once again. "You need to slow down and consider how to best use what time you have right now. Spending it worrying about how much there is to do only wastes time that you could be spending with people who matter to you. It's a lesson I needed to learn as well, and one that's incredibly important for you in these circumstances. I learned it from Clover."
Weiss crossed the street alongside her sister, well aware of the fact that several people upon the sidewalks and within their vehicles were staring at them.
"It sounds like the two of you are a good fit for each other," Weiss said. "I've always been proud of your commitment to your career and how far you've risen after breaking away from our family, but… I never really considered whether or not your mental and emotional health were compromised because of it. Not until mine were by everything my team has been through…"
"Which is why you fell into Marrow's arms," Winter finished for her sister. "He's a good man, and I'm happy for you."
"…thank you," Weiss replied, unable to stop her furious blush. She kept her eyes on the sidewalk ahead and the well-lit advertisements scattered about on billboards and signs. "He's… something else. I had a crush on a boy from Haven for a while back at Beacon, but it wasn't serious. It wasn't like this. I've never really thought about having a lasting relationship in the far future, but now, that's one of the things I'm personally fighting for. He's been wonderful."
"That's one of my goals, as well," Winter agreed. "Well… to an extent. I'd like to think that this all ends with a glorious victory, restoring honor to the Schnee name, and Clover and I retiring to a nice little cottage in the countryside of Anima… but who am I kidding? He and I will be fighting for Atlas side by side until we can no longer stand without canes."
Weiss offered her sister a sad smile and shook her head.
"You would… and honestly, I have a feeling that should things continue to work out, Marrow and I will follow in your footsteps. With everything I've seen, I can't just sit on the sidelines. We have too much work to do… and I intend to spend my time doing it, with him."
"Interesting phrasing," Winter observed as she led Weiss up to the fenced in seating area of an upscale outdoor café.
"Hm?"
"Nothing. Nothing at all…"
From one of the tables near the center of the outdoor arrangement, a barely recognizable boy stood up. Whitley's eyes were covered by large sunglasses, and he wore a black suit quite unfitting for a Schnee. With a quick wave, he beckoned his sisters through the gap in the fencing and to his table, which was otherwise unoccupied.
"You actually came…" Whitley observed, keeping his sunglasses on and eyes hidden. Though he tried to keep his facial expression neutral, the corner of his mouth twitched as he looked over Winter. "Both of you…"
"We have a lot to discuss," Weiss said in a low voice. "But… perhaps we should get a table inside. A private booth, if at all possible."
Whitley stiffened and looked around outside of the perimeter, where several pedestrians had gathered to take photos of the siblings.
"It may be too late for that, given that you arrived in your combat uniforms… but let's go. There's a lot I need to say..."
Author's Note:
Next week- Sun and Ilia confront Ironwood, and the Schneeblings get their resolution.
Or do they…
-RD