Emerald remained atop the mattress in her cell, not having moved since the scroll call ended. Minutes had passed as she watched Marrow anxiously pace, his tail drooped and yet still gently twitching from side to side. After enough time spent observing his frantic movements, she spoke more to break the silence than anything else.

"…so, not that I would normally care at all with any other couple," Emerald began with a frown as Marrow stopped and turned to face her, "but I've got to admit, I'm curious- you and Weiss Schnee? How the hell did that happen? I was at Beacon with her for a while, and she was just as openly racist as you'd expect a member of her family to be. Not trying to stir shit- just genuinely asking how it happened."

"For someone so insistent that they aren't trying to stir shit, you sure have a way of asking questions that could absolutely cause problems," Marrow pointed out with an annoyed twitch of his nose as he moved a bit closer to the cell. "I haven't seen any of that from Weiss in her time here. If anything, she's been a bit overly concerned with letting it be known that she doesn't see us as lesser, which isn't really a bad thing. I'm going to assume she grew out of that attitude with a little perspective, probably from working so closely with Blake and Ilia."

"Yeah, maybe," Emerald said noncommittally as she crossed her legs and let her foot bounce idly. "Seems like all the people I knew from Beacon have changed a lot over the past year or so. Gods, they pushed so hard to be friends with me for so long that a few of them almost succeeded, back then. Part of me wishes I'd let them win me over."

"And the other part of you?" Marrow probed as he folded his arms across his chest.

"…is wondering if I'm joining the losing side," Emerald admitted. "It's not that I think you and yours are incapable- I've just seen what Salem can do, and what she has done to people I've called friends and allies before."

"Alright, I think I'm going to start ignoring you now," Marrow announced as he turned away with a sigh. "Nothing personal, but you're not making our situation any easier to deal with."

It was Emerald's turn to sigh as she allowed herself to lay back atop the mattress to stare up at the ceiling.

"…sorry. I swear I'm not doing it intentionally. I tend to start talking when I'm nervous, and I haven't exactly been in an atmosphere full of positive people for several years, now. Or… ever."

"It's alright," Marrow reassured with a roll of his eyes. "For now, though, let's just… drop it. Either talk about something other than the war, or just not talk at all while we wait for Weiss to get here… at which point talking about the war is back on, since she said we may need you."

Emerald furrowed her brows as she continued to look at the ceiling tiles.

"And I can't exactly say no, since I'm in no position to bargain. That's… odd. Ironwood doesn't seem like the type of guy to change his mind so quickly."

"He isn't," Marrow confirmed. "Which means the idea didn't come from him… and I don't yet know what was said upstairs that made him agree to bringing you back onto the table."

"Shit," Emerald cursed as she pulled a leg inward and rested the sole of her foot atop the mattress. "Alright, I'm with you, now- topic change. Tell me about Ilia."

"Ilia?" Marrow questioned as he walked over to the wall and leaned back against it. "What about her?"

"Just… I don't know, what are your impressions of her, I guess?" Emerald said vaguely. "When we were digging through Robyn's HQ, she started getting a little… flirty. Is she like that with everyone?"

"Flirty," Marrow repeated with a raised brow. "I mean, she's very outspoken and doesn't really seem to have a filter, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised. I wouldn't say she's flirty with all the other women, so there might be something to it. Not all of the Aces are a fan of her, but I see her as a valuable member of Sun's team. She keeps us all honest, she's a skilled fighter, and she's… been through a lot. Being up here hasn't been easy for her, but she soldiers through and keeps her chin up. You two might have a bit in common, from what little I know about you. Might be worth exploring, if and when there's time."

"Yeah, I guess. That sort of thing hasn't been on my mind for… ever?" Emerald realized. "I'll keep it in the back of my mind for the future. Did you and Weiss get together partially because of the stress of all that's going on?"

Marrow's tail stopped swinging for a moment as he considered the question in silence. Emerald's head turned in his direction as she waited for a response, and he couldn't help but return her stare.

"You know… maybe the circumstances physically brought us together, which might not have happened otherwise, but… I think I'm honestly going to say no," Marrow said thoughtfully. "I think had we spent enough time together in any other situation, things would've worked out similarly. I've had a few relationships in the past, some of which lasted quite a while. This one feels different. It's not really something I can explain."

"Oh, gods," Emerald replied as she stuck her tongue out in disgust and looked away. "What, you two are in love already?"

"Without a doubt," Marrow answered with a grin. "Well, now I know how to torture you, if I get such an order."

"Just hook my nipples to a car battery instead," Emerald said in disgust. "I'd rather deal with that."

"Hey, you never know- you could find l-"

"Not listening," Emerald interrupted. "Not at all."

"Well, you're either off the hook or extremely unlucky," Marrow warned as the door to the room slid open to reveal Weiss. Marrow immediately pushed off the wall and jogged over to meet her. Upon seeing the girl's worried expression, he raised a hand to cup her cheek as he wrapped the other around her waist. "What's going on?"

"It's…" Weiss began as she eyed Emerald's cell, where the girl was transitioning to sitting up, "…Marrow, I don't even know where to begin. The details of what just went on in what order almost don't even matter, but… I-I…"

"Slow it down," Marrow advised before softly planting his lips upon Weiss' forehead. "Take your time…"

Weiss closed her eyes and took in a deep breath and slow exhale. Without any other ceremony, she pulled back and looked up into Marrow's eyes.

"The election is off. Ironwood's going to make an announcement tomorrow, and we're evacuating Mantle as best we can. Everyone who can get up to Atlas within a strict time limit will be moved here. The rest… they're being left to fend for themselves, assuming the invasion starts."

Marrow's tail stopped moving entirely, and the silence in the room became deafening as he and Weiss merely stared into each other's eyes. It was his turn to take a deep breath, and he swallowed hard as he finally blinked.

"…until we can get back down there and evacuate more, right?" Marrow asked. "Or is he planning to…"

"We're taking Atlas out of range," Weiss confirmed. "Straight up, beyond Salem's reach. To protect the staff, lamp, Harriet, and ourselves. Ironwood wants to save as many as he can, but once it's no longer safe… it's over, on the ground. We're all meeting again at dawn, when the plan will be finalized. Emerald… you're coming with us and being placed on a squad to help with evacuation."

"Then what's the endgame?" Emerald asked. "Just… hide? Live out our lives up in the clouds, pretending the world beneath us isn't fucked?"

"Seems to be," Weiss acknowledged.

"This isn't over," Marrow resolved, an unfamiliar edge in his voice as he took a step back from Weiss. "I'm going to talk to him."

"Marrow… he…" Weiss said apprehensively.

"It doesn't have to be alone," the faunus clarified. "It doesn't have to be now, either, but… I'm not letting this stand. I get it. I understand that this seems like the best we can do… but I don't believe it is. We can refine the plan. Make it better. I'm not naïve enough to think we can save everyone, but this…"

"I know, and I feel the same way," Weiss agreed as she closed the distance once again. "But we need to be careful. We need to discuss this as a team, and all get on the same page before we say anything. He almost shot Sun for speaking up."

A full-body shiver passed through Marrow as he closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Will we even have another opportunity like that before it's too late?" Marrow asked.

"…no," Emerald answered as the door opened once again. "No, we won't…"

General Ironwood's boots echoed loudly within the cavernous chamber as his eyes locked upon the couple before him. Marrow turned to face the man fully, his jaw clenched as he balled a fist at his side.

Blake was neither sure when nor how she had managed to fall asleep, but she awoke with a panicked flail all the same.

"Gah! What's going on!?" Neptune whined from beside her, only to fall off the side of the bed with a loud thump. "Ow!"

Blake's heart raced as her scroll continued to vibrate noisily against the wooden surface of the nightstand. She sat up in bed and looked over the side to find Neptune rubbing at his nose while flat on his back on the floor.

"Sorry! I didn't mean… someone's calling one of us…?"

"Huh?" Neptune asked, his voice slightly distorted through his fingers. "But the signal's been all screwed up…"

Blake fumbled her hand around the nightstand and pulled the buzzing device to herself to look at the screen. The number displayed was unknown to her, and so, she put the device on speakerphone before sliding her legs over the edge of the bed and holding it out in front of herself.

"Hello…?"

"Blake Belladonna?" a somewhat familiar feminine voice that the faunus couldn't quite place asked. "This is Coco Adel, from Team CFVY. Where are you?"

Blake blinked several times as Neptune sat up and lowered his hand to reveal his reddened nose.

"…Coco? What?"

"What?" Blake echoed before she could stop herself. "But… aren't you in Sanus? I'm at a farm somewhere outside of Argus. How am I talking to you right now?"

"Long, long story," Coco answered. "I'm here with Qrow, Taiyang, and Neopolitan… which is also a long story. We've got a small camp near Argus, and you need to get here immediately. Ruby's squad found Raven, and she's going to warp us to Atlas in the morning, but Argus is also on the verge of falling. Salem might already be here, and Atlas is next in line. Pack your shit and get here. We… oh, fuck!"

Blake's eyes widened as the line went dead shortly after the unmistakable sound of a beowulf's roar.

"Coco?" Blake asked, though she knew there would be no response. "Shit!"

"Call back!" Neptune instructed as he got to his feet and hurried to the wall to turn on the lights.

Blake blinked several times as the sudden transition affected her vision. All the same, she tapped furiously at the screen to redial the number. The other line rang for several seconds without an answer. With a nervous swallow, the faunus moved her thumb across the screen to end the call and stood up off the bed.

"…we have to find Daisuke, gather our things, and go."

"Yeah," Neptune agreed. "Yeah, I'll… I'll head out and start up the snowmobiles."

"Do that," Blake said with a nod as she pocketed her scroll and grabbed Gambol Shroud from its place beside the bed. "I'll meet you outside, with or without Miss Malachite."

Neptune gave a quick salute before rushing out the door and down the steps. Blake double-checked the room and moved to follow him before she stopped in place as a thought occurred to her. With a trembling hand, she pulled out her scroll once again and navigated to her contacts. Neptune, Daisuke, Coco, and Qrow all had signal. Blake's heart sank as name after name was still marked Out of Range, and she didn't expect anything to change by the time she reached "S". As she saw Sun's portrait with no signal, she couldn't help but still feel disappointed.

"…I'm coming, Sun. Hang on just a little longer," Blake said to herself as she put her scroll back into her pocket and ran out of the room.

Author's Note:

Blake exists! She's not just an urban legend!

-RD