Banner by bushtuckapenguin

Hesperades Hall, the seat of the Atlas Council, was a masterpiece of art and engineering. The great hall that made up the base of the building was built around an immense tower that rose up to the Council's private meeting room, and the Chairwoman's quarters above that. As he waited for the Council session to end, Lieutenant General Ambrose Pontus felt like he was in hostile territory. As a member of the Atlas military, and a direct subordinate of General Ironwood, he was distrusted by the civilian government, who had been gaining more and more power in the past few years. The Chairwoman herself, Lady Dawn Lumina, was the main reason for this. Her charisma, intelligence, and resonance with the people of Atlas had allowed her to raise the Council up from a nearly vestigial entity to a force which could actually stand up to Atlas Academy, even if it lacked the same kind of power that the other councils did.

Lady Lumina was the reason for his visit, in a sense. As the elevators opened and the Council emerged, he saw her. She was a woman of moderate height, with copper-colored skin and auburn hair. Her eyes shone gold, and her smile almost made you forget that she was a politician. Behind her stood the person who he had come to see. Ambrose was a tall man at 6'6", but even so, Lady Lumina's bodyguard towered over him. Nerina Pontus. His daughter.

When she saw him, she turned to Lady Lumina, and said something that he couldn't hear. The lady responded, and Nerina left her side to speak with her father. She wore her usual blue armor, but as she approached she removed her helmet, revealing a head of long red hair, which she had inherited from her late mother. She smiled, and pulled him into a hug. "Father! I wasn't told you would be here!" She released him. "Does General Ironwood wish to relay information to the Council?"

"Actually, dear, I came to see you. I never get to see you anymore." Ever since she had entered the Council's service six months prior, she had been busy around the clock. "I'm impressed by your devotion to her Ladyship, but you need to take a break. It's lonely back home without my little girl."

She looked a bit guilty. "I'm sorry, father. It's just that Lady Lumina has been experiencing greater difficulties recently. I've never had the time."

He frowned. "Well, I can understand that. But it's one thing to have no time for your family, and quite another to have no time for yourself. Doctor Ferrous tells me that you've stopped coming to him."

"I feel fine. If I start having problems, I'll go see him."

"You know that's not how it works, honey. Are you at least taking your medication?"

"Yes father." 

He looked at her closely. "Nerina," he said, "there's something you're not telling me."

She blushed. "I swear, I've been taking it every day. One pill in the morning, one in the evening, just like Doctor Ferrous instructed me." 

"And you haven't had another incident?"

"No, of course not! I'd tell you immediately, or Lady Lumina would. Regardless, you'll know if... you know." She seemed very uncomfortable, and quickly changed the subject. "How are the newest batch of recruits?"

Ambrose knew that if she didn't want to talk about something, he wasn't going to be able to force it out of her. Some days, when she was a girl, he'd be lucky to get a word out of her. "Team CAPE are working well together. I have to say, though, I am surprised that Kajida chose to enroll in the Special Operatives division, rather than R&D. She's quite the mechanical genius." Team CAPE were recent Atlas graduates, and like most teams who collectively decided to join the military, Ambrose was in charge of training them to work as a unit.

She smiled. "That's good to hear. Tell Alon and Eurwen that I said hello." She looked over her shoulder. "I really should get going. Her Ladyship has to make an appointment with Maria Schnee in half an hour."

"Alright, sweetie. Just promise me you'll check in with Doctor Ferrous soon. For me, if not for yourself."

She looked hesitant, but nodded, and then turned and walked towards her charge, who was chatting idly with Councilman Pike. Ambrose sighed. Sometimes she could be a bit too selfless for her own good.