Marrow had a choice to make, torn between his orders and what his heart screamed at him- that this wasn’t right.
“You grew up with Winter as your sister,” Marrow corrected. Try as he might, Marrow could never be Winter; the perfect Atlesian Special Operative, able to set his own feelings aside in favor of the bigger picture. Marrow lost himself in the small details- the lives he tried so hard to save, the people he wanted to protect.
His team could turn their gazes to saving Remnant, they could lose a battle to win a war, but all Marrow could think of were the countless people still trapped in Mantle, family and friends and strangers. All those lives, snuffed out under the oncoming darkness.
Marrow had a choice to make, frozen for a moment as Weiss spun and planted Myrtenaster into the floor, her glyphs spinning to life beneath her.
Marrow made his choice, and he could only pray that he did not choose wrong.
“I’m not going to fight you,” he said. “When I chose to become a Huntsman, I never expected any of this, but I knew it wouldn’t be easy. I knew I might die. If I have to die defending Mantle tonight, then I will. There are people down there, and as much as I want to trust the General, that I want to believe that what he’s doing is the best course of action …”
Fetch clatters to the ground, somehow deafening to Marrow’s ears, even over the sounds of fighting behind him, Weiss’s glyphs forming before him. Like a condemnation.
Treason. This was treason, but Marrow’s voice comes out clear, strong, despite the frantic pounding of his heart, the voice in his head that sounds suspiciously like Clover, urging him to trust Ironwood, that it will all be alright.
“I’m not leaving them. They trusted us, and they had no choice to be a sacrifice for the greater good. Fight me if you want, Weiss, but Mantle is my home. I would rather fight our real enemy, than you.”
"You don't know anything about what growing up with Winter was like." Weiss was practically growling, eyes narrowed and full of fury. How dare he correct her on her own family situation-- How dare he assume that growing up with Winter wasn't having equal parts sister and machine.
She felt her hand shake as she tightened her grip on the hilt of Myrtenaster. She felt herself losing her temper, and with a quick, yet deep breath, she steadied herself. Weiss Schnee was not a brute, she was a tactful, graceful fighter. She was adept and mid-summon when she heard the sound of mental clattering on the floor.
At first, Weiss braced for impact. Her eyes shut as she focused her aura, hoping to block the hit without expending a terrible amount of it.
But the hit never came. The sound of metal rang out and nothing followed. Her semblance whirred in the background, like white noise from a fan. For a moment, things were nearly quiet, and Weiss opened her eyes in surprise.
"Marrow, I-" Weiss paused-- she'd let him talk. No need to cut him off. This wasn't usual battle banter, this was a surrender. This was the white flag on the battlefield-- a lone soldier losing account of what he was fighting for, only to find a cause much more worthy.
She was at a loss. Was this all a trick? Admittedly, she wasn't sure. She couldn't tell.
No, she couldn't tell at all.
Silently, she lifted Myrtenaster from the ground. A two finger point shrunk the summon down to size, and on her command, the knight moved to retrieve Fetch. Weiss knew better than to get close to an enemy but... Marrow seemed genuine. He spoke of saving Mantle, a cause Weiss could get behind. Her family name now carried the burden of Mantle's misfortune, and Weiss couldn't help but wonder in pasing why Marrow didn't blame her too.
Blinking once, twice, Weiss focused again. Her summon shimmered close by, Fetch in hand. Marrow in front of her. His will to fight was not gone, but... directed in a place much better. He was right-- why were they fighting amongst themselves? Mantle was suffering.
Weiss sighed, moving forward through the ice stalagmite's formed earlier in the battle. She hooked Myrtenaster to her side, looked up at Marrow, and extended her hand to him.
"We have to be working together," She said, a small smile forming on her lips. "I'm not going to ask you to fight by our side, against the other Ace Operatives, but... know the invitation to join us after all of this is open. I think we could do some real good out there, together."
stormborns
2087
izzy806
romaincrisis
gracieabrams
tangentwithtanner
