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Marrow glanced up and down the street for at least the seventh time before adjusting his disguise- a long coat to hide his tail, a beanie pulled down over his ears, and dark clothing, partially to blend in with the rest of Mantle, and partially because it was as far away from the pristine whites of his uniform he could get. With a strained inhale of breath, he raised his fist and rapped his knuckles against the door.
After a few tense moments, the door swung open to reveal Ruby, tired and covered in healing bruises and scratches. The moment she saw Marrow, she snapped awake, reaching for Crescent Rose strapped to her back.
“Wait!” he cried, holding up his hands. She flinched, as if expected him to use his semblance, but when it didn’t come, she slowly lowered her hand away from her weapon, her face still tight with suspicion. “Please. I need to talk to you. All of you.”
“And why should we trust you?” Marrow looked past Ruby to Jaune, meeting his eyes for a second before his gaze slides away, to the worn carpet of the kids’ safe house.
“I know you have no reason to,” Marrow said. “But please, just give me a chance.”
Slowly, so as not to startle them, he unhooks Fetch from his belt and holds it out to them. Ruby looks down at it, then back up at him, before she grabs it, holding it gingerly as if she expected it to blow up. She nodded and stepped back to let him in.
“Okay,” she said.
She led him inside, down a dim hallway into a larger room, functioning as a kitchen/living room/bedroom. Bedrolls were scattered across the floor, a small heater in the middle of the room to provide warmth to the nine young Huntresses and Huntsmen and the two old people sheltered inside. When Ruby walked in, followed by Marrow, all nine occupants of the room whipped around to face them.
“What’s he doing here?” Yang demanded, rising to her feet, the rest of them following suit.
“He says he has to talk to us,” Ruby said. “So, I think we should give him a chance. Besides, if he’s told Ironwood where we are, we’ll have to fight anyway.”
She held up Fetch, still holding it as if it would burst into flames, and one by one, everyone else nodded. The tension in the air was still thick enough to cut with a knife, but Marrow supposed he deserved that. He took a steadying breath, trying to figure out how to say what he needed to, before he decided to just go for it.
“Ironwood wants Penny back,” he said. “He’s going to kill her to transfer the maiden powers to Winter.”
“What?” He wasn’t sure who said it- maybe several of them, but Penny remained silent, staring down at her hands.
“The rest of you, there’s still warrants out for your arrest but if you’re caught?” Marrow’s voice broke on the last word and he turned to look at Jaune, whose stony expression had crumbled into one of horror. “I can’t let that happen.”
“Marrow,” Jaune murmured, taking a step closer.
“The others, they keep saying that following our orders is the right thing to do, but this?” Marrow shakes his head. “It’s not right. At least, it shouldn’t be.”
“Are you going back?” Blake asked softly.
Could he? After he watched Harriet try to kill Ruby? After hearing Ironwood give the order to abandon Mantle, to kill Penny? Jaune must have seen the indecision on his face because he slipped his hand into Marrow’s, giving it a gentle squeeze.
“Ya know, being a fugitive isn’t all that bad,” he said. “Not with friends like these.”
Marrow looked over at him, a little surprised, before his tail starts to wag underneath his coat.
“I suppose not,” he said. He rushed forward and buried his face in Jaune’s shoulder, balling his fists into the material of his shirt to hide their shaking. “I’m so sorry.”
“I know,” Jaune said. “I forgive you. You’re here now, and that’s what’s important.”