An argument between Clover and Qrow is the last thing Marrow expects to be greeted by when he makes his way into the mess hall for breakfast, but that is the exact situation he finds himself walking in on. His steps falter, too confused by the sight to register what they're saying to each other. Vine, Elm, and Harriet stand gathered near the wall, watching in uncomfortable silence as the two men bicker. He wonders why they aren't trying to stop them, but when he takes a single step forward, Qrow's eyes snap to him. His gaze burns with such intensity that Marrow holds his breath. It feels like Qrow will skin him alive if he makes the wrong move. When a remark from Clover draws Qrow's attention back to their argument, Marrow lets himself breathe again.
Who knew Qrow could be that terrifying?
Elm motioning to him is reason enough for Marrow to scurry away from them.
"Do I want to know?" Marrow asks quietly.
"Qrow's been chugging coffee like it's the end of the world," Elm answers. "Seems like he's not all there today."
"One way of putting it," Harriet grumbles.
Clover reaches out in an attempt to grab the mug from Qrow, only for the man to sidestep him.
"Try to take this from me and I'll break your hand," Qrow growls.
"You shouldn't be drinking this much coffee. It isn't good for you," Clover says.
"Oh, it's not good for me." Qrow scoffs. "Like I care."
"Have you even slept?"
"Sleep doesn't exist."
Judging from his expression, Clover expected that kind of answer. His voice wavers when he says, "You realize I can't let you go on the mission like this, right?"
"Yeah? Who's gonna stop me? You?" Red eyes ablaze, Qrow stands straight, glaring at Clover with contempt. "'If you think you can, we'll go a round."
The threat causes Clover to freeze, his mouth hanging open and his eyes wide in disbelief. Marrow has never seen the Ace Ops leader this scared, let alone by an ally. The weight of his own words dawns on Qrow as he shifts his gaze away before he turns his back to Clover. He throws his head back to chug the entirety of his mug and then slams it down on the counter. Clover flinches at the sound, his hand moving to Kingfisher on instinct. When he looks down, he realizes the position of his hand and moves it away from his weapon.
Marrow can see Clover forcing himself to relax, breathing in and out through his nose. How close had they been to watching a brawl?
"If you're going to go on the mission, you should at least eat something," Clover says softly.
"I'm not hungry," Qrow mutters.
Having had enough of Clover's lectures, Qrow stuffs his hands into his pockets and makes for the door. Clover follows him, reaching a hand out towards him but preventing himself from making contact, instead letting his hand hover a few inches away from Qrow's shoulder.
"Qrow."
"I said I'm not hungry."
"Please, Qrow."
Qrow comes to an abrupt stop, forcing Clover to jerk his hand back to avoid touching him. Behind them, the door opens in time for Qrow's nieces and their friends to hear him snap at Clover with an agitated "Would you just fuck off?" that leaves them all looking quite confused. Just their luck that the group would walk in right then. The world has a strange sense of humor, Marrow muses, though the luck duo don't share his opinion, if the way they both stiffen is any indication.
"What's going on?" Ruby asks quietly.
Qrow says nothing. He simply walks past them with his head down, ignoring Ruby and Yang's attempts to talk to him.
The reaction is immediate. Yang whirls around to glare at Clover, her eyes igniting with rage. "What the hell did you say to him?"
Thankfully, Ruby is a bit calmer than her sister. "What happened?"
Clover takes in a deep breath, sliding a hand down his face, then exhales heavily. He moves his hand back up to pinch the bridge of his nose. "Your uncle drank seven cups of coffee back-to-back, then refused to eat anything."
Yang's expression softens only a bit. "Wait, what?"
"He made it sound like he hadn't slept at all," Marrow adds. "He said "sleep doesn't exist" when he was arguing with Clover."
Ruby's shoulders droop. "Please tell me he's not going on a mission."
"Well, he kind of threatened Clover after being told he couldn't go. And considering the look on his face when he said it, I think he meant it."
"So you're letting him go?" Yang asks with a hiss as she glares at Clover again. The man looks away. "You should've insisted!"
Ruby looks at the door with a frown. "Should we go talk to him?"
"Probably not a good idea right now. He's pretty riled up. I think he just needs to let out some steam." Marrow offers his best smile. "Don't worry, we'll keep a close eye on him."
Yang lets out an annoyed groan.
Ruby regards him for a quiet moment before nodding. "...Okay. Thank you." She pauses, then puts her hands on her hips. "But after you guys get back, I'm gonna give him an earful!"
Is there anything he can do to help ease their worry? He rubs the back of his neck, thinking of the possibilities. When it comes to Qrow's lack of sleep, there's nothing he can personally do (short of knocking the man out, which Marrow does not want to even attempt), but he can try to solve the problem of Qrow not eating.
"If you want, I can try to get him to eat before we leave," Marrow says. "Maybe he'll be willing to try something small?"
"I'd appreciate it."
"I mean, if you can," Yang grumbles as she folds her arms.
Though he wants to assure them he will, he knows it would be a lie. "I'll give it my best shot," he says instead. He looks at Clover. "Is it alright if I go on ahead, sir?"
Clover sighs. "Go on."
Marrow is quick to gather a handful of biscuits and hurry out of the mess hall.
Just as he thought, Qrow is in the hangar, though not quite where he initially guessed. Instead of being in or near their assigned transport, Marrow finds him huddled in the corner of the room, sitting atop one of the shipment crates. As he approaches, Qrow narrows his eyes, a silent warning for Marrow to tread lightly. Marrow hops up onto the corner of the crate, sitting close enough for Qrow to be within arm's reach while giving the man breathing room.
"I'm not staying here," Qrow growls.
Marrow can't stop the nervous laugh from slipping out. "Trust me, I'm not going to even try to stop you from going. Though, if you don't mind me asking... Why?"
"Because I don't want to."
"Fair enough."
Wish he would actually answer me, Marrow thinks, but at least Qrow is willing to respond. He looks down at the biscuits and then holds one out towards Qrow. A scowl twists Qrow's face as he stares at the offered food.
"Your nieces were pretty worried about you," Marrow says.
Qrow snorts. "Trying to guilt trip me, huh?"
"If it gets you to eat." The joke deepens Qrow's scowl. Marrow should have seen that coming. "Look, I know you're angry at Clover, but he is right. Having nothing in your stomach isn't good. You don't have to eat if you don't want to, obviously, but you need to have some food to fuel yourself if you plan to fight."
He wonders if he has managed to make Qrow even angrier when the biscuit is finally taken from his hand. As Qrow begins to eat, Marrow stuffs one into his own mouth to hide his smile. A well-earned victory, he must say. The smile gets harder to hide when Qrow accepts a second one, though he manages by turning away under the guise of coughing into his sleeve. A third is declined, but he is more than satisfied with getting Qrow to eat two. Better than nothing, after all.
They are still sitting there when the teams begin to filter into the hangar. He notices Ruby and Yang linger, so he gives them a thumbs up to confirm his success. Though the worry lingers on their faces, they both smile at him gratefully. When her team starts to board their transport, Ruby waves at Qrow, who returns the gesture with significantly less enthusiasm. It doesn't seem to bother Ruby. If anything, she seems happy to have been acknowledged. Once the Ace Ops walk in, Marrow jumps down and waits for Qrow to join him. He chooses to ignore the vulgar words Qrow mutters under his breath as they move to join their teammates.
Clover leans close to him. "So?"
"Two biscuits," Marrow whispers.
"...That's good."
"Feel any better?"
Clover doesn't answer.
No, then. Not that Marrow can really blame him.
Qrow is quiet during the ride, but it isn't the uncomfortable kind, to Marrow's relief. He doesn't seem to be too bothered by them engaging in their usual banter, and even cracks a small smile when Elm teases Harriet. Clover relaxes a bit at the sight, though he remains on edge. There are Manticores gathered at their landing spot when they arrive, and so they jump into action quickly. The creatures are dispatched with ease, but Marrow notices the way Clover keeps a careful eye on Qrow. The lack of sleep isn't affecting his fighting prowess in any substantial way, from what Marrow can tell, besides being a bit slower than usual.
Then again, that difference can determine life or death depending on the enemy. It's a good thing they are dealing with average Grimm today.
"Marrow," Clover says.
"Yeah?"
"Did he say anything to you before we left?"
"Not much. Just that he didn't want to stay."
For a long moment, Clover says nothing, staring at the rocky crags in the distance. He breathes out heavily through his nose. "Of course not."
Marrow wants to ask for clarification, but Clover turns to the others and shouts, "Alright, team, let's move!"
Unusual for Clover to cut off a conversation like that. Marrow folds his arms and frowns as he follows his teammates. Qrow takes up the rear, lingering behind them by a good few feet. To Marrow, it seems that Qrow wants to be here just as much as he wants to be in Atlas—not at all. He must see it as the better option, though, seeing how angry the thought of staying behind made him.
"Are we sure that Griffon flock even exists?" Harriet asks. "It was all rumors. No actual evidence."
"Better to investigate and find nothing than ignore it and risk it being true," Vine points out.
Harriet glares at him until Elm slaps her on the back. "Come on, Hare, you know he's right!"
"The last thing we need is for a shipment to be ambushed and impede progress on the communications tower," Clover says. "The sooner we can finish it, the better."
As Harriet mutters under her breath, Elm takes the opportunity to start teasing her again. Marrow would find it funny if it weren't for the thoughts bouncing around in his head. What is going on between Clover and Qrow? He would ask Qrow, but he has a feeling the man wouldn't take too kindly to him poking his nose where it doesn't belong. Then there's Clover, who was all too keen on bringing their conversation to an end before Marrow could even try to ask. He doubts their spat in the mess hall was the first between them, having seen the way Clover reacted.
Which leads him to the question of why Qrow is being antagonistic towards Clover. They had grown fairly close during their rather short partnership, so what changed? It has to be on Qrow's end. Clover just isn't the type.
Or is he? Maybe Marrow doesn't know Clover as well as he thinks.
He runs a hand through his hair.
"Not seeing much of anything," Harriet grumbles.
Clover is unamused when he turns to her. "We haven't gone that far."
His mood is going to match Qrow's soon, Marrow thinks dismally.
Harriet quirks an eyebrow at him. She chooses to remain silent.
"Still, you'd think we'd have spotted something by now," Elm says.
Harriet huffs. "Not if they aren't real."
"Harriet," Clover warns.
There is a soft laugh behind them, barely audible, and Marrow turns to see Qrow look away while pressing a hand against his mouth. While Harriet sneers at him, Clover's expression is conflicted, as if he can't decide how to react. Marrow feels the same; it is good to see Qrow finding some level of enjoyment out of this, but his shifting mood is a bit concerning.
Harriet is five seconds away from lunging at Qrow when a series of screeches fill the air.
Startled, the group turns and finds themselves staring at a rather large mass of black shapes in the sky.
An entire flock of Griffons.
Elm laughs. "I guess they are real!"
Harriet groans.
"They came out of nowhere," Marrow says.
His gaze is focused solely on the beasts when he hears a sound akin to the ruffling of feathers. There is nothing behind him when he turns, but a shadow passing over him makes him raise his head. Above the flock is none other than Qrow, dropping out of a cloud with his weapon pointed downward.
"How did he get all the way up there?"
"What the hell?" Harriet whispers.
Harbinger slams into one of the Griffons, the blade running clean through its throat. Qrow rips his scythe free and pushes off the monster before it vanishes, launching himself at the next one. The tip digs into the beast's side, the momentum carrying him forward and carving its body in half. He drops down onto a third and hacks its head off in one smooth swing.
Marrow has seen Qrow fight, but he can't help being impressed by the level of skill required for what is essentially mid-air combat, especially when done with such ease. He is so captivated that it takes Clover shouting at him to fight for him to finally move.
The ever present tension affects their teamwork. While Elm and Vine are still on beat, Clover is distracted by his concern for Qrow, and Harriet's annoyance at the unlucky man has her vision pigeonholed by anger, which leaves Marrow to fumble around them. If not for Qrow keeping the attention of a fair portion of the Griffons, the fight would be much more annoying than it already is.
He spares a quick glance at Qrow, only to see a larger Griffon dive towards him.
"Qrow!"
The warning causes Qrow to spin around just in time for the creature to slam into him. He blocks its talons with the handle of Harbinger, but the force knocks him off and sends him plummeting.
The Griffons swarm him.
A shot rings out from Harbinger, the force helping propel the scythe forward so that Qrow can swing it in a wide arc. The blade cuts through multiple Griffons and shrouds Qrow in a thick plume of black smoke. Another crashes into the ground, sending a mass of snow up into the air. Qrow falls into it, and for a moment, Marrow wonders if he hit the ground. His worries are abated when Qrow rolls out of the snow cloud and comes to a stop on his knees, propping himself up with one hand.
The few remaining Griffons are swiftly dealt with, and the group gathers near Qrow. Clover offers a hand and earns a frown in response, but Qrow does end up allowing Clover to help him to his feet.
"That was amazing!" Marrow exclaims before blushing and clearing his throat. "I mean, that was pretty good."
Harriet scoffs.
"Got something to say?" Qrow asks her.
Rather than answer, she glowers at him.
The way Qrow is holding himself, his entire body tensed, reminds Marrow of a spring ready to snap. His mind drifts to the argument in the mess hall and to the image of Qrow's furious face. There had been no hesitation from Qrow when he threatened Clover, even if he had felt guilty afterwards, and all Clover had done was express concern for him. Though Marrow may not know Qrow very well, he is relatively certain that Qrow likes Clover. If he was willing to go that far with someone he is usually on friendly terms with, who knows how far he might go with a person he actively dislikes.
With that in mind, Marrow decides it would be in the best interest of everybody to avoid a fight.
"How did you even do that?" Marrow asks. "One minute you were behind me, and the next you were dropping from the sky like a meteor."
He is genuinely curious, even if he is trying to distract Qrow.
"I have my ways."
What kind of response is that? Is he always this cryptic when asked a question? "So it's a secret."
"Something like that."
"Oh, please," Harriet mutters.
A subtle twitch of Qrow's eye tells Marrow he is close to snapping. He tilts his head enough to glare at Harriet from the corner of his eye.
"If you've got a problem with me then say so, pint size."
That raises her hackles. She steps forward and shoves Marrow out of the way to stand in front of Qrow. "You want to repeat that?"
A chill runs up Marrow's spine. "Hey now, let's not—"
Qrow snorts. "You hard of hearing?"
Oh, no. Marrow's attempt at preventing a fight may be leading to one instead. This isn't what he wanted at all!
"Look, jackass, I don't know what your problem is and I don't care," Harriet growls as she jabs a finger into his chest, "but whatever it is, you better get it sorted out."
Snarling, Qrow smacks her hand away. "Don't touch me."
Harriet narrows her eyes. "Or what?"
It is a challenge, a dare for Qrow to make a move. Marrow is at a loss for words. Why is Harriet trying to rile up Qrow like this? Even with her speed, Marrow has a feeling that Qrow could win a fight against her if he really wanted to. What does she hope to prove? He glances at Elm and Vine, but they are just as confused as he is.
"Harriet!" Clover snaps. He steps between the two, pushing Harriet back with a rough shove. "That's enough."
His interruption causes her to stare at him incredulously. "Are you seriously defending his attitude?"
"You're one to talk with that huge fucking ego of yours," Qrow says.
"I don't have an ego, you son of a—" Harriet tries to step around Clover to get to Qrow, but Clover grabs her by the shoulder, causing her to cut herself off.
"Don't," Clover says, doing his best to keep her away from Qrow.
"What is with you?" Harriet hisses. "Ever since this bullshit started you've been obsessed with him. All you do now is make excuses for him. Why?"
"Do you consider showing concern for an ally to be an obsession?" Clover asks, his voice low in a way Marrow has never heard before.
Harriet stiffens.
Clover ignores her reaction and continues. "If the roles were switched, do you think Qrow would be right to be upset? What about Elm, Vine, or Marrow? Would you accuse me of being obsessed if they were struggling?"
"I..."
Her voice trails off into silence. She squeezes her hands into fists and looks away. Clover regards her with disappointment, then shifts his gaze to Qrow. Marrow expects Clover to lecture Qrow as well, but he doesn't. The silent stare is a strong enough message for Qrow to take a few steps back.
"If we need to, we'll discuss this further when we return," Clover says to Harriet.
"That won't be necessary, sir," Harriet mutters. "I understand."
"Do you?"
Irritation flashes across Harriet's face at his doubt, but she simply says, "Yes, sir, I do."
Though he is unconvinced, Clover seems willing to drop the subject. Good. The last thing Marrow wants is to keep standing out in the cold while watching his teammates squabble over nothing. At this point, he doesn't even care why Harriet decided to act like that towards Qrow, because it was a stupid decision regardless of the reason. He just wants to get out of here as soon as possible.
Right as the thought crosses his mind, the ground shudders.
"Does anyone else feel that?"
Vine presses his hands together. "A small earthquake, perhaps?"
"Gonna have to add that to the report," Elm says.
The faint cracking of ice reaches Marrow's ears. He frowns, shifting his head as he tries to focus on it. The sound grows louder with each passing second, and as it does, the shaking begins to increase. Dread settles on his shoulders, the fur on his tail standing on end.
There is danger beneath their feet.
As if to confirm his fears, Qrow says, "That's not an earthquake."
Snow and ice explode upwards in a burst of white, and from it springs forth a giant Centinel. More dig their way up until nearly a dozen surround the group of fighters.
"More giant Centinels?!" Harriet growls.
Marrow lets out a soft whine. "Why are there so many?"
Sickles of white bone break through the ground in front of him. A hand wrenches him back in time to avoid the blades as they swing downward and stab into the ice. The Cenitaur pulls its thick, bloated body from the hole, letting out an ear-piercing screech once its sickly green abdomen is freed. Beady orange eyes lock onto Marrow, acid dripping from its maw.
"This shouldn't..."
It is a mere whisper, but Marrow's close proximity to Qrow allows him to hear it with clarity. He looks over his shoulder at Qrow. Seeing the perturbed expression on the man's face makes Marrow feel nervous.
He is given no time to process it as Qrow all but throws him to the side.
Acid sprays across the ground where they stood, turning the snow into a disgusting slurry and melting through ice and rock. While Qrow leaps at the Cenitaur, the others spring into action to take on the Centinels. Marrow scrambles to his feet to avoid being swallowed by a Centinel, barely dodging the mandibles that snap at him. Translucent hands grab hold of it, preventing it from making a second attempt. As Vine holds it in place, Elm slams her hammer down onto its back, smashing it into the ground, and then shatters its skull with a second hit. She gives him a thumbs up, then motions to Vine when another one attacks them.
A third rises up behind him. Marrow whirls around and shouts, "Stay!"
The Centinel freezes a foot away from him, its mouth opened wide. He readies Fetch.
A tail slams into his side before he can attack. He is sent sliding across the ice, his weapon skidding away from him. Wincing, he pushes himself back up. Just as he gets to his feet, the freed Centinel dives at him, leaving him just enough time to dodge out of the way. As it burrows into the ice, the other lunges at him. He grabs hold of Fetch and ducks under the monster, presses his rifle against it, and fires. The shot blows a hole into it, but it isn't enough to kill it.
Tremors alert him to the position of the beast below him, and he staggers back as it resurfaces. Of course it would position itself on his other side. When he moves, they move to keep him between them.
To his relief, Harriet pops up behind the uninjured Centinel and grabs it by the tail. She drags it back and throws it, then nods to Marrow and dashes off to go kill it.
He wastes no time in unloading his rifle into the Centinel in front of him, continuing to fire until it finally collapses.
When it hits the ground, the ice shifts.
Shit.
It makes sense that it would be unstable. That Centinel must have destroyed most of it when it was digging around. Having a huge body drop onto it happened to be the last straw.
He could try to run, but as he slowly slides his foot forward, it creaks. If he can't even do that, walking across it is out of the question. The only option he has is to call out to Harriet, since she would (probably) be fast enough to grab him and get off the ice shelf before it breaks. At least he hopes she can, because the cracking is getting worse at a rather alarming rate.
"Harriet!"
She turns to him.
The ice shatters.
He can feel the moment he starts to fall, his sense of gravity disrupted by the loss of his footing. The pounding of his heart is so loud in his ears that he can barely hear Harriet scream his name. She is sprinting towards him, her hand reaching out to him, when she hits a slick patch of ice that causes her to stumble. It is the line of Kingfisher wrapping around her waist that keeps her from falling with him. Her panicked face as she is dragged backwards is the last thing he sees before he drops.
Ice and snow rain down around him.
The only thought he can manage is, Oh.
A small black blur amongst the white catches his eye, and then he watches Qrow appear from out of nowhere. One arm wraps around Marrow's midsection while the other swings Harbinger. The scythe digs into the ice wall, leaving a deep gouge and bringing their descent to a sudden, harsh stop. There is a loud snap, followed by Qrow letting out a pained grunt.
It takes a few seconds for the fact that Marrow is no longer falling to settle in.
He makes the mistake of looking down to see how high up they are. With wide eyes, he stares at the crashing waves below and swallows. Even if he hadn't expended any Aura, a fall that far into freezing waters could have been fatal.
He looks back at Qrow, who keeps his gaze firmly on his weapon.
That Qrow managed to catch him at all is mind-boggling.
Voice shaking, he says, "Thank you."
Qrow doesn't respond. Now that Marrow is looking more closely, he can see the tension in Qrow's jaw as he clenches it.
Concerned, he does his best to give Qrow a quick look-over. It's a bit hard to tell, but Marrow thinks Qrow's shoulder is dislocated.
Dislocations may not be major injuries, but Marrow knows they can hurt quite a bit. Having to hold both of them like this is bound to make it worse.
Ice cracks, causing Harbinger to slide down an inch. Marrow shudders, and Qrow tightens his grip.
Marrow doesn't realize he's muttering under his breath until Qrow hisses through gritted teeth, "We're not going to fall."
He promptly snaps his mouth shut. Better to focus on getting his erratic breathing under control so he can avoid saying anything else.
They hang there for what feels like an eternity when the sounds of fighting fade into silence. Relief floods through him at the sight of the others gathering around the cliff edge.
"You guys okay?" Elm shouts.
"We're alive!" Marrow replies.
Elm laughs. "Good to hear! Clover radioed the pilot. They should be swinging around soon!"
Soon turns out to be no more than a minute. Marrow offers a silent thanks to the powers-that-be when the transport appears and moves to hover beside them.
Clover opens the door with haste, a frantic look on his face that eases only a fraction upon seeing them. He reaches out and grabs Marrow's hand to help pull him inside. He has no chance to do the same with Qrow. Before Clover can even turn back, Qrow plants his feet against the ice wall and shoves off, pulling Harbinger free at the same time. He lands behind Clover. Once he puts Harbinger away, he presses a hand against his left shoulder and rolls it with a frown.
"Are the two of you alright?" Clover asks.
Marrow wants to mention Qrow's shoulder, but Qrow interrupts him by muttering, "Fine."
"Thought we were going to lose you in the water," Clover says as he turns to Marrow. "After I pulled Harriet back, I went to throw Kingfisher again, only for Qrow to run past me and disappear over the edge." He looks back at Qrow with a forced smile. "Sometimes I think you're trying to give me a heart attack."
Qrow rolls his eyes. "Quit exaggerating."
Clover looks a bit surprised, but his smile shifts to a more genuine one, even with the underlying worry.
"Oh, I see. You want to give me one."
"You're too young to be worrying about heart attacks," Qrow replies.
Hearing them banter like this makes it hard for Marrow to believe they were at each other's throats this morning. The way they can go from butting heads to playful teasing is confusing.
Like an old married couple. A thought Marrow will never speak aloud.
Clover glances down towards the water and chuckles.
"Looks like you got lucky, Marrow."
Curious, Marrow steps forward to look. There, lodged into a piece of ice floating in the water, is Fetch. He lets out a mixture of a sigh and a laugh. Building a new one would be fairly easy, but he wouldn't want to, so knowing it hadn't been lost at the bottom of the ocean is nice. The pilot doesn't complain when asked to lower the transport, and Marrow wastes no time in grabbing Fetch. As soon as it is freed from the ice, he practically hugs it to his chest.
"Good grief," Qrow mutters.
Marrow pouts. "Wouldn't you feel the same if it was Harbinger?"
He can't help but feel a bit smug when Qrow looks away. Thought so.
Once the transport returns to solid ground, Clover leans out and motions for the other Ace Ops to board. As they do, Elm grins at Qrow.
"Jumping over the edge like that? You are something else!" Elm says with a loud laugh as she claps her hand onto his shoulder.
A small wince from Qrow catches Vine's attention. "Are you injured, Qrow?"
Marrow isn't going to let him brush off the injury again. "He pulled his shoulder out of socket when he caught me."
The scowl is expected, but he is willing to face Qrow's wrath just this once if needed. Clover places a tentative hand on Qrow's shoulder, and though Qrow tenses, he doesn't move. Taking the silence as permission, Clover grabs Qrow's lower arm and yanks it hard. The pop is even louder than when it dislocated. When it causes Qrow to flinch, Clover looks at him apologetically. Qrow rolls his shoulder again to test it, eyeing Clover with his lips pressed tightly together as he does.
Marrow notices the way Harriet turns away, her eyes downcast.
"I'm sorry," Harriet grumbles.
Surprise flits across Qrow's face for only a moment, so brief that Marrow wonders if he imagined it. His expression quickly settles into indifference.
"I'm not."
She whips her head around to glare at him, but he ignores her and takes his seat with a poorly hidden smirk. Clover lets out a sigh and shakes his head.
Marrow zones out for most of the ride, too tired and frazzled to even listen to the idle chatter of the others, let alone join in. His mind wanders to Qrow's reaction to the Cenitaur. It had certainly been a surprise to all of them, but there must be more to it than that for it to have left Qrow disturbed. Why else would he have muttered those words? Does Qrow know something no one else does? Maybe Marrow is overthinking it, putting too much importance on what will amount to nothing.
But what if it is important?
He is so lost in his thoughts that he doesn't notice their approach to Atlas. It isn't until he feels a jab in his ribs that he realizes they are almost home. None of them are surprised to see they are the last to arrive, considering how long it took to kill all those Grimm.
The moment the team disembarks, Ruby makes a beeline for him, followed by her sister.
"How did it go?" Ruby asks.
"Uh, well..."
"Did something happen?"
"I fell off a cliff."
Ruby stares at him.
"Okay, wait, let me start from the beginning."
As Marrow explains the fight, he finds himself doing so with enthusiasm. From Qrow appearing out of thin air in the sky to how easily he performed mid-air combat, he details it all. He then goes on to describe the encounter with the Cenitaur and Centinels, describing how Qrow leapt into action to face the Cenitaur on his own and how he later jumped off the cliff without a second thought to catch Marrow. They listen intently, but while Yang is only somewhat interested, Ruby is enraptured.
"I don't think we've ever seen him do anything like that," Ruby murmurs.
"We've definitely watched him pull off some crazy moves in the air, but not that." She folds her arms and raises her head. "He's always hiding stuff from us."
It takes a bit too long for Marrow to realize that she is joking. Ruby giggles.
"I can understand now why Clover wasn't thrilled at the idea of fighting him," Marrow admits, rubbing his neck. "Doesn't help he's got a pretty intimidating glare."
Ruby blinks. "Huh?"
"Before you guys got to the mess hall this morning, Qrow was..." Marrow hisses. "Let's just say he looked like he was gonna snap someone's neck."
"Oh."
"He's in a bit of a better mood. I think. I mean, he laughed at Harriet getting reprimanded. That's gotta count for something, right?"
Yang snorts. "What did Harriet get yelled at for?"
"Being an ass to Qrow."
Purple eyes flash red. "What."
"Hey, it's been handled. Clover made it clear he wasn't going to tolerate that kind of behavior from her."
"She better hope she doesn't say anything else to him," Yang grumbles, flexing her hands.
Ruby grabs her sister's arm with a small smile. "Let's go bug him about it."
Yang stares at her for a moment before chuckling. "Alright. See you later, Marrow."
The duo dash off, two heat-seeking missiles aimed straight at Qrow. Marrow watches them pester their uncle with amusement, noting the slight smile trying to make its way onto the sullen man's face. He is ready to leave when Clover catches his eye. The Ace Ops leader stands off to the side with his arms folded, trying and failing to keep his expression neutral as he watches Qrow. Unable to quell both his concern and curiosity, Marrow approaches him. Clover doesn't look at him, but he does raise a hand in acknowledgment.
"What's wrong?"
Uncertainty flickers in Clover's eyes, as if he doesn't want to tell Marrow. He shifts his feet.
"I can't decide if today has been an improvement or not."
Marrow tilts his head to the side. "What do you mean?"
"The General spoke to Qrow yesterday about the hangar incident." Marrow raises both of his eyebrows as Clover continues. "He was silent for the entire duration of our mission. From what Ruby and Yang said, he even refused to speak to them after we returned."
"It was that bad?" When Clover nods, Marrow looks at Qrow. "Why'd he get so upset?"
Clover shakes his head. "We still don't know. He refuses to explain."
"Do you think it has anything to do with him not sleeping?"
"It could."
"If it does, that would mean the General is part of the cause, wouldn't it?" Not a particularly pleasant thought.
There is a small twitch in Clover's hand, his fingers curling inward. Though he doesn't provide a verbal response, the tension in his shoulders tells Marrow all he needs to know. Apprehension makes his chest tight. What has Ironwood done to warrant doubt from Clover of all people? The man who would follow every order given to him without hesitation?
"Clover..."
"I can't be sure yet," Clover says, focusing on Qrow once again. "Until I have the necessary information, all I can do is speculate, and that helps no one."
"Is there anything we can do to help figure this out? I mean, it wouldn't be good to let this keep going."
"The only one who could give us the answers we need is Qrow."
Which means they've reached a dead end before they've even begun. No wonder Clover is on edge. "And he's not willing to talk. Right. So what should we do?"
"I don't have an answer to that yet." Clover lowers his gaze, tapping a finger against his bicep. "Even asking him causes him to further distance himself, but what else can be done? Do we leave him to deal with this alone and risk him getting worse? Or do we push the subject and take the chance he may shut himself off completely?"
"You've been thinking about this a lot, huh?"
"It's been on my mind."
This, unfortunately, is a much more complicated matter that can't be resolved by convincing Qrow to eat. Having no experience with situations like this, Marrow isn't sure he can help. Qrow is a tight-lipped man, and if he isn't willing to talk to his own family about his issues, he definitely isn't going to open up to someone who isn't close to him.
"Maybe tell him you understand why he doesn't want to, but you'll listen when he's ready? If he knows you won't pester him about it, he might be a bit more willing to come talk to you."
The edge of Clover's mouth pulls downwards and then straightens. He is clearly fighting not to let his expression reflect his mood. He closes his eyes and lets his arms drop.
"You should get some rest," Clover says.
Though Marrow is tempted to deny it, he can tell Clover no longer wants to continue the conversation, and he doesn't want to add to the man's stress.
Still, as he watches Clover begin to walk away, he can't help but be worried about the look on Clover's face.
"Are you...planning something?"
It's nothing more than a hunch, but as Clover hesitates, Marrow is certain he's right.
"Have a good day, Marrow."
He isn't going to get a real answer it seems.
"You too, sir."