Marrow Amin stood at the edge of the airfield, leaning on the railing and looking down at the clouds beneath Atlas. An ominous shade of flickering red and orange shone up from the city of Mantle far below, and many of the clouds shielding the view of the city itself were unnaturally dark. The sky was ominous, giving off the feeling of a sea full of fire, blood, and death. Somewhere beneath, though, was a city clinging to life. A city that needed him, and all those who would volunteer to follow his lead.
"…I sincerely hope that drone footage is indicative of what's going on down there at large," Weiss said warily as she rubbed a hand against the spot on Marrow's back between his shoulders. "I'm sure you'll handle it either way, but… please. Please call for help from Raven the second things get overwhelming. Mantle needs you, but so do I."
"You have my word," Marrow agreed as he looked down at the shorter huntress and gave her a sad little smirk. "I'm coming back up, sooner than later. Once we retake the city, I plan on letting someone else take over for the operation in Argus. Maybe delegate it to Kali and Ilia. Apparently those two have history."
"It seems so," Weiss replied as she tugged Marrow to turn toward her so she could wrap him in a hug. "I'll be monitoring you from the mansion, along with a few volunteers and my mother. Anything more you need- especially caches of dust- you let me know immediately. I want to help and get this done, so we can… make the most of what time we have before the final push."
"I will," Marrow reassured. "We have a plan. You really, really don't need to worry…"
"Yes, she does," came a familiar voice from behind the couple. "It's a partner's job to worry and obsess against all logic. It helps keep the bond strong."
Medulla Amin stood with her hands clasped in front of her long, colorful dress, a pink sari wrapped around her upper body. The woman was a fair bit taller than Weiss, looking down upon the girl with a warm smile before turning her eyes up to her son. Without another word, she offered a hand to the Ace Operative, and he took it before pulling her into a hug.
"…you're right. I'll take care of myself down there, for both of you."
"You'd better," Medulla warned as she stood on her tiptoes to better embrace Marrow. "She's clearly eager to spend more time with you once this operation is complete."
Weiss gave Medulla an uneasy grin and nod, only for the woman to break away from Marrow and pull her into a hug as well.
"Where are your husband and the rest of the family, if I may ask?"
"Akash is busy taking care of them back in Marrow's room," the woman explained as she squeezed Weiss tightly enough to be almost painful. "I came to see him off on behalf of all of us. The younger ones are… being a bit of a handful, without the structure of school and such. A few of them love it, others don't. We've been busy, the past few days."
"I can imagine," Marrow lamented. "I'll do what I can, once I get b-"
"You'll tend to Weiss once you get back," Medulla ordered as she broke away and jabbed a finger into the center of Marrow's chest. "Her every need. Leave our family to your father and I, and prioritize settling down, young man. It's high time that you focus on your own happiness, and I can already see that it comes from hers. The two of you need time to explore and strengthen your relationship, especially with what seems to be ahead."
"…yes ma'am," Marrow relented with a smile.
"…'explore'?" Weiss asked uneasily.
"Don't," Marrow warned. "She's… a-anyway, I need to get going. Can I trust you two to check in with each other while I'm gone, and keep things somewhat in order with the families?"
"Of course," Weiss encouraged. "I'll make sure to keep in touch with your family while monitoring mine. Keep your focus on the mission… and occasionally think about what you're coming home to afterward, if you would."
"Will do," Marrow replied with a nod before giving the others a quick salute. "See you both soon."
The pair of women watched as Marrow jogged off toward the crowd of people filing into various aircraft all around the field. Weiss let out a sigh as her partner slowly disappeared into the group, leaving her full of mixed feelings.
"…taking care of family sounds like a full-time job," Weiss said wistfully as she took out her scroll to check the time. "I wish you nothing but success in the coming days."
"And you as well," Medulla returned with a small bow before beginning to walk across the airfield and gesturing for Weiss to follow. "It certainly isn't easy, but I'm sure you'll find in time that it's worth it. Juggling work and the household was a struggle, but things are a bit easier now that Akash and I are both mostly retired. That being said, we've both been itching for something else to do with all of our time, especially now. It would be nice to have something to keep our minds off of Marrow's situation, and I wish we could help the overall war effort in some small way."
Weiss kept pace, a hand on Myrtenaster at her side as she went while looking over the various units of troops.
"Well… what exactly did the two of you do for work, before all this?"
"Akash worked as a professor at a college down in Mantle, teaching coding and other tech-related classes," Medulla explained. "I worked as a couples' counselor and sex therapist."
Weiss very nearly tripped mid-stride, barely managing to save herself as she gave the older woman an embarrassed look.
"O-oh? That's… that's, erm… wonderful. That explains a lot, actually…"
"Does it?" Medulla asked, clearly enjoying the reaction as she kept her attention focused ahead. "Like what?"
Weiss took a sharp inhale through her nose and cleared her throat, doing her best to regain her composure as she looked over at Medulla.
"W-well, the… therapy aspect of it. Marrow is so diplomatic, caring, and understanding of everyone's feelings… I'm sure he got that from you. He's been a wonderful and patient partner, even in times when I didn't necessarily deserve it."
"Excellent to hear," Medulla praised as she clasped her hands behind herself and continued to walk. "And otherwise? He's clearly taking care of you emotionally. What about sexually? He is making sure you always cum first, yes?"
To her credit, Weiss managed to remain upright at the question, her platformed boots clacking along the concrete as she kept pace. Her heart was hammering in her chest as she, too, opted to keep her gaze dead ahead.
"I-I… he…"
"Come, Weiss," Medulla encouraged, her tone warm and comforting. "If you can't talk to a licensed professional, who can you talk to about the realities of your budding relationship? I do still book appointments from time to time, you know. Anything you tell me is confidential, even from Marrow. My services are free to you, as a favor to an honorary family member."
Weiss took another deep breath, letting it out with a loaded sigh.
"Very well. He's… incredible, though we only just very recently started… exploring that aspect of our relationship. Always a gentleman, and… yes. Yes, he does make sure of that. But could we please talk about something else, for the moment? I'm not saying we table that discussion forever or that I'm uninterested in discussing some things, I just… I wasn't mentally prepared for this right now, and it's quite overwhelming, especially considering we're talking about your son."
"Of course," Medulla said with a wave of her hand. "Forgive me, dear. I have very little filter, particularly when it comes to ensuring that people are getting what they need and deserve out of intimacy. The things I've talked about openly with my family likely aren't the norm."
"Think nothing of it," Weiss reassured with a forced smile. Suddenly, an idea came to her, and she momentarily stopped walking. "You know… Mrs. Amin, I think I might have a plan to keep you and your family occupied."
"Is that so?" Medulla asked as she came to a halt. "Do tell."
"Speaking of uncomfortable things… why not bring the Amin family to the Schnee mansion?" Weiss suggested. "You and your husband could help me monitor things on the ground along with the older children, while my butler, Klein, could temporarily teach the others. He homeschooled me and both of my siblings, after all. I'm sure he's itching for something to do as well."
"…with the added bonus of driving Jacques Schnee up the wall by inviting an entire clan of faunus to occupy his mansion," Medulla considered with a devilish smirk. "Weiss, I'm beginning to like you more and more every time I see you…"
Marrow fired off a burst of bullets from his assault rifle, bringing down yet another small airborne grimm as the cargo plane continued to descend at a steady pace. The air around Frostflow Park was discolored by the soot and fire all around, giving the atmosphere an eerie ambience that almost made it look like the sky was bleeding. Down on the ground, things weren't much better- most of the grass was blackened or burned away entirely, and fallen, scorched trees littered the area that was once full of vibrant flowers, hedges, and fountains. Mantle at large looked very much like a warzone, but the sight did nothing to deter the faunus or his companion as they came within ten feet of landing.
"Let's get out there!" Marrow suggested as he leapt from the open hatch on the side of the plane, landing into a roll and immediately aiming his weapon to scan the nearby area. There was a pack of grimm in the distance, but nothing in the immediate area of the landing zone. "Clear!"
Elm touched down into the charred grass next to her faunus comrade, slamming her hammer into the dirt as she did so. After hoisting it up over her shoulder with a grunt, she gave the man a quick nod.
"Tactical sweep of the area surrounding the central fountain?"
Marrow looked over toward the stone structure, finding it crawling with grimm goo and floating bone. Without hesitation, the man drew a crimson dust crystal from a holster upon his waist and slammed it into a socket on the side of his weapon, causing the barrel to begin glowing an angry red. The faunus opened fire on the liquid, igniting the surface and sending a trail of fire all around the ring of what had previously been water.
"You got it. We'll make sure this area's relatively safe and then get to building," the faunus ordered as the cargo plane finally touched down a few feet away.
Atlesian drones and Academy volunteers began filing out of the aircraft, each holding their weapons at the ready. Within seconds, the central area of the park was flooded with military presence and the sounds of gunfire as various squads started to fan out and look for targets.
"Barely any grimm overhead," Marrow observed as he looked up at the sky. "Salem really has pulled out of Mantle. What is she doing?"
"A question for later," Elm insisted. "Shall we make a wager on who can kill more grimm in the park while our automatons get to building us a new HQ?"
Marrow rolled his eyes at the suggestion, but popped the fire dust crystal out of his assault rifle and did a quick check of the mechanisms all the same.
"…you know, I almost beat you when I first joined up. Don't expect a repeat of last time."
"I don't," Elm reassured. "I expect to win by a larger margin now. Let's go!"
Author's Note:
A little Sun & Sanus next time.
-RD
