Weiss stepped out of the shower and reached for a fresh towel from atop the marble sink. She ran the material up and over her body as she stood behind the frosted glass, her mind racing with thoughts. So much had gone on in such a short time that her head was practically spinning. Without an anchor, Weiss wasn't sure what she would have done, or if she would have been able to do anything at all beyond deferring to Sun for instructions. Thankfully, she had a rock to lean upon.

As she wrapped herself in the towel and stepped out of the shower to grab another, a small bottle on the countertop caught her attention. Upon closer inspection, she found an amber liquid within, secured by an oblong black stopper. Weiss removed the top and brought the tiny flask up to her nose, where a welcome smell assaulted her senses. It was a scent that she had grown used to over the weeks, and one that she had taken to cuddling up against. The aroma made her chest feel light, helped to clear her mind, and refocused her thoughts as though it was some sort of magic tincture.

She knew right then that Marrow had to know.

After setting the cologne back down onto the countertop and twisting it closed, Weiss carefully wrapped her damp hair within the second towel. With a few deep breaths, she steeled herself and stepped out into the main room of the suite. The scent of Marrow still lingering in her nostrils was quickly replaced by that of sizzling bacon, and for the first time in her life, Weiss found herself slightly upset with it.

"Feeling more awake?" Marrow teased from the kitchenette.

"Feeling… better all around," Weiss corrected as she sat atop a stool before the breakfast bar. "Much better, actually. Thank you for letting me sleep in a bit. I'm sorry that I was a bit of a mess last night…"

"And I'm sorry for forcing you to confront Whitley," Marrow returned with an apologetic look over his shoulder as he tended to the frying pan.

"You shouldn't be," Weiss consoled as she admired the faunus' bare back muscles as they trailed down to his pajama pants. The sight of his gently wagging tail brought her a smirk, and she leaned forward slightly to fold her arms atop the table. "It had to be done. I suppose it's… better late than never, especially now that we may in fact be staring down 'never' as it lingers outside of Solitas…"

"Don't think like that," Marrow chided. "We've gotta stay positive… or at least, as positive as we can be. Amity's nearing completion, and after this week, the election will be over and done with. Besides… we've still got that party you mentioned last night. That's something to look forward to."

"…is it really even a feasible idea?" Weiss questioned. "After all of our ups and downs with Ironwood and the Aces, I… don't know if doing something so brazen is wise."

"I think nothing could be wiser, honestly," Marrow offered as he turned and slid a stacked plate toward Weiss. "All I'd change is doing it the night before the night before the election- we don't want to show up to such an important day while totally out of it and absolutely-not-hungover, considering you're all too young."

"Thank you… and absolutely not," Weiss agreed. "But still… even pitching the idea after everything seems…"

"Let me pitch it," Marrow insisted as he handed over some silverware. "I've got ways of talking people into things."

"You talked me into a relationship," Weiss joked as she began to cut at the stack of pancakes.

"I'm sorry- who talked who into a relationship?" Marrow asked with a smirk as he leaned on the opposite side of the tabletop.

"Can't talk. Eating," Weiss sang as she took a mouthful of pancake.

Marrow just rolled his eyes and cupped his chin with his hand.

"Uh-huh. Speaking of… we don't have to talk about last night if you don't want to. I'm not going to ask you to tell me the details. I get that it's personal, a-"

"We're…" Weiss interrupted. The next words caught in her throat, as though the pancake had never quite made it to its destination. Through a concerted effort, she managed to swallow the lump in her throat and force herself to speak. "We're going to therapy, Marrow. The three of us. We have issues that we don't have the resources to solve on our own…"

"That's… great," Marrow praised, sounding surprised. "But you sound almost disappointed…"

"Not disappointed," Weiss considered. "More… well… embarrassed."

Marrow gently took Weiss' free hand and began to rub at her knuckles.

"You shouldn't be. I have a therapist, you know. No one worth anything will judge you for it… and not everyone has to know, either. You get to choose who you tell, and why. I'll support you no matter what you choose."

"Thank you," Weiss offered as she flattened out her hand for Marrow. "I suppose I'm just so used to being independent and standing alone that finally giving in and starting to lean on people feels… desperate."

"Giving in isn't how you should think of it," Marrow warned. "You're still independent- you're just no longer alone. Knowing when you need help is a skill and knowing who to go to for that help is another one. Both need to be trained."

"I know I need you," Weiss admitted. "And… I know Whitley needs me. I'm doing this for both of us, as well as Winter."

"Then your heart's in the right place," Marrow praised. "A-"

The sound of two scrolls vibrating at the same time caused Weiss and Marrow both to jump in reaction. Without hesitation, Marrow pulled his hand back from Weiss' and grabbed his scroll off the kitchen counter.

"Both at once… that can't be good," Weiss grumbled.

"No, probably not," Marrow agreed. "It's General Ironwood…"

"I was afraid of that. What's going on?"

Marrow let out a groan as he rubbed at his forehead. The faunus' tail drooped and stopped wagging, leading Weiss to sit up a bit straighter.

"Marrow…?"

"Now, of all times…" Marrow muttered. "It's…"

"Pirates?" Jaune asked, his eyes wide as he repeated General Ironwood's words. "Like… yo-ho-ho, black flag, swab the poopdeck, cannon-firing pirates?"

Ilia rolled her eyes and let out a huff as she folded her arms across her chest.

"Don't be a dumbass. No actual modern pirate is that overt. These are clandestine smugglers, and they've probably been watching and waiting for us to get complacent this entire time."

"And get complacent we did," General Ironwood agreed as he shook his head. "Miss Amitola is correct."

"There were several 'pirate' divisions within the White Fang," Corsac added in a neutral tone. "Perhaps it could be one of them? We know the Fang has a presence here, and Cinnamon could be retaliating."

"Unlikely," Clover declared. "Pirates have been a problem in Solitas for longer than I've been alive. This is nothing new, and they tend not to serve any sort of master, going by the few we've caught."

"Pirates are indeed a major problem here," Weiss agreed. "In fact, that's one of the only reasons my father allowed me to begin down the road of becoming a huntress at all- defending our dust shipments from rogues. I'm honestly surprised that they haven't been a problem before now."

"Yeah, there's a reason for that," Harriet spat. She was tapping her foot impatiently as she kept her arms crossed. Her usual frown had deepened into a scowl, and she glared hatefully at the rotating deep blue holographic image of a transport aircraft that had manifested within the office. "They stopped raiding cargo vessels as soon as Robyn Hill announced her candidacy. If you ask me, the connection is clear- she's in bed with them, or she's one of them."

"You think Robyn Hill is a pirate?" Sun asked for clarification. "And the attacks stopped to help clean up her image?"

"Those are serious accusations to be throwing around, Bree," Winter scolded as she gave the shorter woman a stern look. "We can't make judgments or enact justice based solely upon assumptions."

Elm heaved a sigh, drawing Winter's attention away from her colleague.

"While that may be true, some sort of connection is clear, even if it is one-sided. Dealing with Robyn and finding out what she knows, if anything, should be on our agenda for the day."

"An agenda that I have a feeling is about to get jam-packed," Yang deadpanned. "So, what? Send a crew to try to get some info out of Robyn, and the rest to protect the remaining dust transport vessels? Or do we need some people investigating the crash site of the one that was raided overnight? What about checking the signal towers to see if that transmission from Vacuo was legit? And finishing Dr. Polendina's remaining androids?"

"Miss Xiao Long," General Ironwood replied. His voice was full of authority, and he looked less than amused. "One step at a time. There is far too much going on right now to spread ourselves so thin, and Amity needs to remain our priority, as it would have even in lieu of last night's attack. We are so close to reestablishing communications within Remnant…"

Sun swallowed hard, knowing just how dangerous it was to poke the beast in front of him.

"…then is now the time to use the lamp, on either Robyn or Vacuo?"

General Ironwood exhaled forcefully and made his way around the desk to sit behind it. The man put his elbows upon the surface and his head in his hands as he closed his eyes.

"…usage of a Relic is not to be taken lightly. Even in making the suggestion yesterday, I had no intention to use it without much more consideration. These artifacts hold unimaginable power, and so many situations could be solved in an instant through their use. There are ways around every problem. There is no inescapable situation when the right people are put in the right places to handle the right jobs. Now is not the time to utilize the lamp."

"So are we just waiting until Salem comes knocking at our door?" Yang pressed. "What are you going to ask it then? 'How can I make her go away?' 'What's Salem's weakness?' What if it's too late by the time you finally decide t-"

"Enough."

The metal fist pounding on the table with the statement was enough to make several people jump, Yang included. General Ironwood gave her a frosty glare, his scowl growing more defined.

"Ozpin entrusted me with guarding the Staff of Creation, and you entrusted me with the Lamp of Knowledge. You've said several times that this problem is out of your depth, and now that pressure is coming on, you're all starting to fold. Ask your questions as you will… but when you are given answers followed by orders, follow them. Otherwise, I can and will cut you loose. Rogue elements at the eleventh hour may be enough to bring us down, and only one of us has commanded Atlas through multiple wartime situations. It isn't you. Ebi."

"Sir," Clover replied as he turned to face his superior.

"Divide the squads as before. You, Wukong, and Schnee are to deal with Robyn Hill and get her cooperation by any means necessary. If she is connected to this, we need to capitalize on that opportunity and use it to sink her in the election. Marrow- take your crew to the crash site and see what you can find. Everyone else- training and patrols as usual. Report anything out of the ordinary. Those are your orders. Any who fail to follow them will be dealing with me personally tonight. Dismissed."

Yang wanted so badly to protest, but thought better of it as she watched Harriet move for the door. Without a word, the blonde followed her mentor out into the hallway. One by one, the Ace Ops made their way out of the room until only Sun was left standing before General Ironwood. The young faunus locked eyes with the man for a few seconds, and that was all it took.

"…you used to be a thief," General Ironwood stated matter-of-factly.

"…yeah," Sun agreed, suddenly feeling uncomfortable about where the conversation was going. "I was…"

"…bring me anything incriminating about Robyn Hill. I don't care how you do it, but I need hard evidence, if such a thing exists. You have a big day ahead of you. Best of luck."

"…I'm going to need it…" Sun nodded as he turned and left the office.

Author's Note:

Oh, what a lovely day.

-RD