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Chapter 06: Best Foot Forward
The night following Team MARZ and their fellow first years' had been awkward for the four teens to say the least, a suddenly charged and oppressively tense atmosphere between them even managing to dampen spirits and sully the thrill that the moment of their supposed victory and success should have held.
They had made their way to their new dormitory, finding their luggage and new school uniforms already waiting for them in a room that by most standards would have been considered large but with four separate beds along with corresponding closets and drawers taking much of the available space was left feeling small, something which was highlighted by the bare walls painted in a neutral tone that gave the dormitory an impersonal and unmistakable air of being somewhere temporary and transient, not truly belonging to those inhabiting much it like a hotel room.
Or perhaps a jail cell if one were feeling particularly ungenerous.
It had been mid-evening by the time the newly minted team had arrived with the late summer sun already well and truly setting though somehow only making the air more dry and stifling as it did so and as such any attempts to decorate and organise the dorm had been delayed, along with any attempts to address the official leadership of Team MARZ or simply get to know one another in any setting outside of an immediate battle for survival against the Creatures of Grimm. Regalia had of course, in something that Athena-Jade sensed would become something of a trend for the Racoon Faunus remained enthusiastic and chipper about the situation in an effort to power through the tension with sheer force of will whilst Zirconia had remained largely silent seemingly due to nothing more than her own natural inclinations and Astra had looked visibly uncomfortable, something that Athena would admit, at least to herself that she took no small amount of bitter pleasure from. Eventually the Bear Faunus had decided to sleep, reasoning that an early night would be advisable before the first day of class especially after the initiation and assuring herself that things would make more sense in the morning; sleep had not come easily however as the insufferable heat combined with the sound of other students moving furniture elsewhere in the dorms had conspired against and when she finally had managed to drift off she had found herself plagued by the same nightmares that had bothered her the previous night.
The morning of the first day of class had therefore felt like it had come far too soon, Athena-Jade's mind sluggish and slow to accept the new reality as it was dragged into wakefulness despite all of her previous enthusiasm and excitement to attend Breaktide Academy, a situation made worse by the fact that every member of Team MARZ had somehow neglected to set an alarm before sleeping and had only woken up in time for classes by chance, a chance that was made even slimmer by the amount of time that Astra spent taking up the bathroom to properly style their hair and apply their usual striking make-up.
A state of affairs that Athena had been thoroughly lambasting them for the entire time as they walked towards the mess hall.
"Alright, alright I'm sorry; I completely forgot about it I know-"
"I'm just saying it seems like something a team leader should have taken care of" Athena sniped in a sickly sweet tone that did nothing to mask the intent beneath it "I mean if you're gonna be the one in charge then you should at least pretend to know what you're doing, you're making the rest of us look bad-"
"Alright Athena I get it!" Astra snapped as they strode into the mess hall whilst trying to ignore the alarmed glances that Regalia and Zirconia were giving the two of them, already growing aggravated with their team-mate and supposed friends' attitude though they were thankful that their suddenly raised voice did not stand out too much against the dull buzz of conversation, scraping chairs and cooking food that filled the spacious cafeteria; revealing that whilst they were running later Team MARZ would by no means be the last students to leave and would likely still make it to their first class with time to spare as long as they didn't take too long.
Gratefully breathing in the smell of frying bacon Astra departed in search of a tray before joining the line, leaving their team-mates to either follow or find a seat as they cut through the crowds of student Hunters clad in the same uniform as Astra and their team-mates; namely a simple white shirt worn with a dull yet eye-catching bronze coloured which featured the emblem of Breaktide Academy worn with a two piece suit consisting of a lightweight and surprisingly comfortable black blazer jacket with a bronze coloured pocket over the left breast where the academies' insignia was displayed once again and either a pair of simple black slacks or pencil skirt which reached to roughly the knee. Astra had already popped the collar of their jacket and their tie hung loosely around their neck, currently they wore a pair of pants but had already decided that they would ask for the skirts for the sake of variety, Regalia who had followed her partner wore her uniform as though she were expecting to be photographed at any minute in a clear effort to make a good impression on the Professors with not a single thread or strand of hair out of place save for the fact her goggles were still pushed up onto her forehead and the absence of her tie which she had entirely forgone after struggling with it and simply giving up; Zirconia had chosen to wear a pair of her apparently specially made shorts with zippers running along the side of the legs beneath her skirt to accommodate her prosthetic legs whilst Athena-Jade wore pants and cut an admittedly impressive figure with her jacket already slung over one shoulder and her sleeves rolled up.
Before Astra could reach the food that would go at least some way to improving their morning a familiar voice caught their attention and brought a faint smile to their face
"Yo Astra" Wolfram sauntered into view with his team at his back, giving Regalia a silent nod of acknowledgement that was notably lacking in the same enthusiasm "I knocked on your door got no answer, I was gonna ask if you wanted to sit with us"
"I was probably in the bathroom, didn't hear it" Astra answered honestly
"And the rich kid obviously needs a butler to answer the door for her" Diabla snorted, all present being caught a little off-guard by her once again seeming to single out Athena
"We were running late, my fault" Astra stated flatly, eyes narrowed as they locked with Diabla's in a silent challenge; whatever terms they might currently be on Astra had no intention of allowing their team-mates to be insulted so frequently or casually and was more than a little relieved by both Regalia's presence beside them even as Laser mirrored the action and more so Ursinia who stepped between the two of them, acting as the voice of reason even before speaking though her distinctive country drawl managed to dispel whatever tension remained.
"Well we've already eaten and class is gonna start soon"
"Yeah she's right" Wolfram conceded with a sigh, looking mildly amused at the interaction "Could've done with another hour in bed but oh well, I'll save you guys a seat?"
"Yeah cool, we'll catch up" Astra nodded brightly, watching Team WULF depart and breathing out a slow sigh of relief that the situation had resolved itself without devolving to open conflict.
"So does Athena just have that affect on everyone?" Regalia asked quietly "I mean she seemed really cool yesterday but she's just been cranky all morning"
"She is cool" Astra assured their partner, deciding that it wasn't their place to give the specifics of what they thought the Bear Faunus's problem was and simply adding "They've just got something on their mind….I don't know what Diabla's issue is; other than they're maybe from opposite sides of Atlas"
"Oh, turf war? Like the Barks and the Jet-Blacks?" Regalia asked, causing Astra to give the Racoon Faunus a sideways glance as the two of them finally joined the line to be served, a soft chuckle escaping the Deer Faunus as they noted
"I think that movie is older than my parents, that's the reference you're gonna go with….And no, not turf war"
"Heh it's a cool movie" Regalia shrugged "I've seen it a few times"
"Whatever" Astra shook their head as a thought occurred to them "You think you can use your Semblance to get us to class a little faster?….I can't remember what floor everything's on"
"Sure"
"Oh thank Oum" the leader of Team MARZ breathed out, glad that something was finally going to plan "If we're late for our first class Athena might actually try and stage a mutiny"
Regalia Russet had known that attending Breaktide Academy was going to be different to anything that she had experienced before but the truth of that statement was driven home for her during her first lesson, a Grimm studies class taught by none other than the legendary Ruby Rose herself.
She hadn't expected it to involve sitting still for so long.
Team MARZ had fortunately arrived on time despite their late start to the morning and Wolfram had, as promised saved seats for them, not that there was any particular shortage of places to sit in the lecture hall with rows of ascending seats arranged in a semicircle before a stage so large that it gave the classroom the feel of being some kind of colosseum and was clearly intended for more than simply projecting presentations. Team WULF had, in a move that even with her limited and second-hand experiences of a school environment still seemed entirely fitting for them made themselves comfortable towards the back of the classroom where they would be able to talk amongst themselves if they so chose.
Currently however all conversation had ceased.
Professor Rose had begun the class with a brief introduction, followed by displaying images and clips of videos from the previous days' initiation, revealing that they had all been more closely observed than they had realised and allowing each of them to see what their classmates had encountered, which had led to a wave of muttered congratulations and the occasional high-five or fist bump between members of newly formed teams at which point Professor Rose had stated that she intended to get a more thorough understanding of the level that her new students operated at by testing them against some of the Creatures of Grimm that their classmates had encountered by they had not in single combat without the use of their weapons, this had naturally led to a round of confused and excited whispers about the advisability of brining a live Grimm into the classroom which the caped veteran Huntress before them had dispelled with a laugh, noting that things had progressed a little since her own days at Beacon Academy where she had been taught by Professor Port before displaying both the reason for the excessive size of the stage on which she stood and just how much state of the art technology had been grated into every inch of Breaktide Academy as she activated a simulation which combined hard-light generators, swarms of nanobots and an adaptive artificial intelligence to create a replica of the Winged Buffalo Grimm that Astra and Regalia herself had encountered which the leader of Team VNTA whom the Racoon Faunus was not yet acquainted had defeated handily.
Seeing their own efforts so easily matched had naturally led to Astra being the next to volunteer themselves and Regalia watched as her partner weaved around the assaults of a replica Deathstalker.
"Think they'll beat your time with it?" Regalia asked, the Racoon Faunus had found herself seated between Athena-Jade and Astra and now that the Deer Faunus was absent she had an unobstructed view of Wolfram who had been on Astra's other side; the leader of Team WULF glowered at her for a moment before seeming to accept that insult or offence was meant and twirled a pen between his fingers for a few moments before giving a snort and a grin
"Without their guns, nah not a chance" Wolfram watched as Astra ducked under a swiping pincer before seizing the limb and using it as leverage to throw the faux Grimm aside "They're not doing bad though, it's definitely built like a bigger Grimm"
"Wonder what those nanobots are worth though….there's gotta be a way to-"
"Laser I swear if you tell me that you're thinking of stealing from the academy and making me an accomplice because now I know about it I will fucking end you" the young man who still cut an imposing figure despite his armour and weapons being absent growled at his more rangy looking team-mate, only for Ursinia to intercede with a rattle of her stinger that could only be taken as a warning whilst Diabla treated her team to a collective aloof, yet clearly annoyed glare. Seeing that Team WULF were preoccupied but glad that any lingering hostilities between herself and Wolfram seemed to have abated Regalia turned her focus to her own team for a moment and saw that Zirconia was perched that the end of the row of seats a few spaces away where she had more room to accommodate her prosthetic and distinctly insectoid legs and was busy writing frantically whilst Athena-Jade was slouched low in her seat, also writing yet far more sporadically and wearing a look of pure annoyance as she did so.
"What're you thinking?" the Racoon Faunus asked, hands rubbing together nervously as she tried to break the ice with the team-mate whose mood seemed to have rapidly soured since Team MARZ's formation
"That Astra hasn't got a clue what they're doing" the Bear Faunus sighed and shook her head disdainfully and muttered under her breath "Don't keep throwing it for Oum's sake, you're just tiring yourself out and not hurting-Why are you jumping on its' back, it's back is armoured go low you idiot"
"I think they're just trying to avoid the tail and claws" Regalia noted
"And putting themselves on the defensive against something that's not gonna get tired and just keep attacking-oh for, go for the legs and flip it or the eyes" Athena grumbled, her follow up comment catching Regalia off-guard and revealing perhaps more than the ivory-haired young woman had intended "I would have had this dealt with two minutes ago"
"Anyone can talk rich kid, most people can't back it up" Diabla's broad accent taunted every syllable dripping with sneering contempt, revealing that Athena's comments had not gone unheard. Athena turned to offer a retort that would no doubt be scathing and Zirconia made no effort to step in and try and control her partner, which meant that the task instead fell to Regalia who placed her hands on the shorter girls absurdly broad shoulders and physically turned her back towards the ongoing class to both remind her that they were being watched by Professor Rose and to highlight the fact that Astra seemed to have figured out what Athena had been saying as they used the simulated Grimm's many segmented limbs to hurl it onto its' side before delivered an Aura-fuelled blow to its' exposed weak point and ending the fight.
"Finally" Athena muttered. Regalia shifted in her seat and watched as Astra made their way back to their seat, using the fact that Professor Rose had not yet begun speaking again to try and figure out how her experience of being a student Hunter had already gone so vastly differently to what she had expected; granted her experience with full time or formal education was almost none existent and entirely second hand and so much of what the next few years would hold was something she had no frame of reference for beyond works of fiction however there was a more fundamental matter that she was unsure how to address, namely that every team of Hunters she had heard of seemed to have formed a close bond almost instantly whilst Team MARZ were entirely lacking in that regard. Zirconia seemed entirely uninterested in being friends with any of her team-mates and in fact Regalia was not sure if the two had even directly exchanged words yet, her current physical distance almost an extension of the way she carried herself whilst Athena-Jade and Astra were both undoubtedly nice people who would, under other circumstances most likely have been exceptional team-mates yet as it was the sudden animosity on the Bear Faunus's part had managed to fundamentally shift something in the burgeoning teams' dynamics, which Astra had responded to by interacting more with the leader of Team WULF than their own team.
Leaving Regalia a little unsure of where she fit and with the shocking and uncomfortable realisation that fighting giant monsters might have been the easy part.
"Hey, you okay?" Astra asked, breaking their partner from her musings as they deposited themselves in their seat and sprawled out to make themselves comfortable whilst also reaching over their partner to bump fists with Wolfram who gave a silent nod of recognition "Damn that was more of a workout than I expected"
"I'm okay, you were cool down there….we were rooting for you….kinda" Regalia nodded whilst deciding to try and foster a sense of unity amongst her new friends, Astra glanced from Athena-Jade and Zirconia back to the Racoon Faunus before arching an eyebrow quizzically and speaking again.
"You didn't take any notes all lesson?" Regalia cocked her head at that, suddenly concerned that some very crucial part of formal education had gone unexplained to her and quickly responded with the only thing that came to mind, woefully inarticulate though it as
"Wait, what?"
The Grimm Studies lecture with Professor Rose had effectively set the standard for much of Team MARZ's first day of class and the four of them had continued to struggle to try and make their strained and odd dynamic work, each in their own way and some with notably less effort than others.
Following that lesson the First Years had proceeded to a history class taught by an ancient, wizened and grandmotherly yet still impossibly stern looking Owl Faunus who had once been the head librarian of Shade Academy of Vaccuo, retiring only to take up the position at Breaktide with the aim of living out the rest of her days imparting knowledge and watching as the once ruined Faunus homeland was rebuilt before her eyes, Athena and Astra had both proven themselves to more than capable here owing to their closeness to certain prominent figures within recent history though of the two of them it was clear that the Bear Faunus had something of advantage which only seemed to spur her competitiveness.
After a short break there had been a General Academic Studies class spanning a double period, something added to the academies' curriculum as Professor Adel clearly felt that the Hunters' she sent out into Remnant should know more than just wage war against the Creatures of Grimm and other such threats; the lesson itself was taught by a man who had in fact never been a Hunter and had instead taught high-school students for most of his career though his joking aside that learning life skills was crucial as taxes were a more dangerous foe than the Grimm had gone over rather well and the knowledge that the class was sometimes covered by Penny Rose whose own lessons were an elective that was unavailable to First Years was something the students found exciting. Once again Athena-Jade had excelled, though here her efforts had seemed a little less obnoxious to her team-mates; especially Regalia who had been grateful beyond words for the Bear Faunus's assistance as she struggled with academic ideas that were almost entirely new to her until finally, after what had seemed like an age of struggling they had gone to lunch and been allowed a too-brief reprieve before entering their final lesson of the day.
A double period combat class taught by Professor Arslan Altan.
The dark skinned, platinum blonde woman clad in loose fitting clothes that granted her unrestricted movement and adorned with countless beads that appeared at first glance to be simply decorative but were in fact miniature Dust based explosives had addressed the First Year students before her after they each changed into their combat attire and presented themselves in the sizeable classroom she presided over, one which resembled a gladiatorial arena even more than Professor Rose's had and explained that she, like Ruby wished to see first hand how her students fared and to that end members of that end she would have pairs of students face off against one another under a variation of tournament rules wherein they would be fight with Aura but without weapons or Semblances to test their own innate skill; in a further twist Professor Altan had then announced that each pair of combatants would be drawn from the same team.
Currently Wolfram Ironside was facing off against Laser Greenback whilst the small crowd cheered, Astra being one of the most vocal amongst them.
"COME ON WOLFRAM YOU'VE GOT THIS!" the exclamation coincided with Laser managing to lean back and avoid a vicious right hook that would almost certainly have loosened teeth by mere inches only for Wolfram to follow up with a reverse spinning elbow from his left arm that stuck the scrawny and sickly looking boy in the nose and sent him staggering backwards; as mismatched as the fight seemed however Laser did not give up and instead made a show of performing some needlessly complicated piece of footwork, posturing with much the same dramatic flair that he had show with his katana during initiation before snapping off a front kick that struck and crumpled Wolfram's knee, staggering the leader of Team WULF and allowing Laser to follow up with a wild but painful looking over-handed right which was quickly capitalised on as the yellow-haired teen leapt onto Wolfram's back, driving a fist between his shoulder-blades and then securing a forearm beneath the taller boys' chin for a choke-hold
"Come on shake him loose, shake him loose!" Astra called out, paying no attention at all to the bemused looks that the half of Team WULF still present, or their own partner were giving them as they discussed the match between themselves; the Deer Faunus was too engrossed in the sparring match itself especially as Wolfram managed to break free of Laser's grasp by first driving an elbow into his ribs and then sending his skull crashing back into his opponents already reddened nose and leaving Laser with watering eyes and discombobulated for just long enough for Wolfram to deliver an uppercut whose dull thud of an impact echoed through the classroom and caused more than one viewer to give a sympathetic wince. From there it was a mere formality, Laser continued to fight and put up what would in fairness be described as a spirited and determinedly unyielding defence but he was simply outclassed and overpowered by Wolfram who delivered one crushing blow after another until his opponents' legs wobbled and gave out from beneath him and Professor Altan stepped in to declare the match concluded.
"Laser Greenback's Aura has been knocked into the red! The winner of this sparring match is Wolfram Ironside; though it was a good first effort by both of you" Arslan nodded to both of her students and those seated closest to the front of the arena like classroom caught the ghost of a smile on her lips as Wolfram hoisted his battered and clearly dizzy team-mate onto his feat and held his fist in the air like a referee declaring the winner of a boxing match
"Yeah Wolfram, nice-"
"WILL YOU SHUT THE HELL UP!" the venom laced and snapping demand came from Athena-Jade and silenced not only Astra but everyone around them as well. The Deer Faunus gave several confused and shocked blinks as they tried to process what had just happened before glancing around to see the reaction of their team and classmates; Team WULF, including Wolfram and Laser who had been making their way back to their seats were simply watching and waiting to see what happened next, Zirconia almost expectedly appeared entirely distant from the situation and make no effort to acknowledge that it was happening at all whilst Regalia's eyes darted frantically between her two team-mates as her hands rubbed nervously together; other members of the class had taken notice and Astra realised that there was no way to simply ignore the comment and maintain any sort of standing and so they retorted
"What the hell is your problem Athena?"
"My problem is our supposed team leader is acting like a groupie for another team" the Bear Faunus spat derisively, her usual cultured Upper Atlesian tones being tinged with something broader and gruffer "You got the job so take it seriously, this is just embarrassing-"
"Oh fuck off, this is nothing to do with how I'm doing and we both know it!" Astra shot back, temper flaring and knuckles cracking audibly as they glowered at the team-mate that they had initially though they would be the closest to, Athena's shoulders rolled back and wicked claws began to slide from their hidden resting places within her fingers as a low, rumbling growl escaped her
"Astra, Athena you should probably calm down" it was unsurprisingly Regalia who spoke up, the Raccoon Faunus placing a hand on each of her new friends shoulders only for the Bear Faunus to round on her
"Stay out of it!"
"Hey don't talk to her like that, this is between-"
"GUYS!" Regalia barked, voice booming over the sound of the argument and when Astra and Athena turned to face her with demanding glares she simply pointed towards Professor Altan and realised that their Combat Instructor had not only seen and likely heard them she was regarding the pair with silent disapproval, arms folded across her chest and head cocking slowly to the side before she spoke, voice frosty enough to send chills through those who heard it.
"It would seem that we have our next volunteers" a hushed chorus of whispers passed through the class which no doubt included several bets being made on the outcome of the match yet Astra and Athena heard none of them, instead simply locking eyes as they both rose to their feet and shed their jackets whilst maintaining their glares, the same furious challenge issuing from each of them.
"Get in the ring"
Once in the arena at the front of the classroom and painfully aware of their peers eyes on them Astra found themselves decidedly lacking in their fiery determination from only moments ago yet it was clear that it was far too late to back out of the situation they had found themselves in. They had removed their leather jacket and now wore only their sleeveless black gi fastened by a red belt whilst Athena had shed both her sleeveless and wide-collared jacket and the lightweight armoured vest beneath it, leaving her in just her denims shorts and a white tank-top that showed off her impressively muscular form. The Bear Faunus stood facing them at the opposite side of the circular arena denoted on the sizeable stage around which the seats were arranged, the outline also marking the boundaries of the forcefield that could be put in place during training sessions involving live ammunition and as the two combatants met each others' gaze, sapphire boring into sea-green with frightening intensity Professor Arslan stepped between them and cleared her throat to get the students' attention.
"The rules are once again simple, there are no weapons and no Semblances are to be used in this fight, I want a nice, clean and fair match. Winner is decided by Aura depletion, ring-out or submission although I reserve the right to intervene and end a match if I feel the need. Are we clear?"
"Yes Professor Arslan" the pair chorused
"Good" the Mistrali Huntress nodded before adding in a murmur meant only for the two of them "Perhaps this will be a good way for the two of you to clear the air and take the first step towards working through whatever issues you have with one another….Begin!" the comment from Professor Altan caught Astra off-guard for a moment and then as the words sunk into the Mohawk-sporting teens' mind they couldn't help but give a confident smirk, the idea of a school where settling grievances with physical altercations was a welcome change and something that the Deer Faunus felt they had the clear upper hand in; Athena-Jade was certainly a capable fighter but Astra regarded her and quickly decided that her private education had almost certainly not prepared her for a proper brawl and her lack of height and reach was a disadvantage that she would be unable to overcome without her Semblance.
Then Athena-Jade's first haymaker landed square on Astra's jaw and nearly knocked them out of the ring
"Do better!" she sneered as she followed the heavy-handed blow with a spinning hook kick thrown from her left leg which Astra stepped back and narrowly avoided before using their greater reach to drop into a crouch and attempt to take her legs out from beneath her with a spinning sweep; Athena expertly avoided this by carrying her momentum into an acrobatic butterfly flip which sent her body sailing over the attack and as she landed she sprung forwards and threw a powerful uppercut which struck nothing but air yet still served its' purpose of keeping her opponent at bay.
With the first exchange thrown and the fight moved closer to the centre of the arena the two Faunus circled each other, searching for any sign of weakness that might serve as an opening and finding none until after several tense seconds that seemed to stretch out for an eternity Astra took the initiative and launched themselves forward to deliver a punishing pair of leaping front kicks that were seamlessly followed by a right-legged roundhouse kick only for Athena-Jade to block all three blows with her forearms and so, letting out a sound of pure annoyance Astra threw a left hook at her face which saw the shorter Faunus begin counter-attacking more directly; using her height to step into Astra's guard and weave around the punch whilst also getting her own left hand behind their neck and from there she pulled Deer Faunus down and forwards whilst at the same time driving a knee up into their gut, with Astra winded and clearly in pain Athena quickly capitalised and shoved them back before launching a roundhouse kick from her left leg which her opponent attempted to deflect with their antlers only for it to be ruthlessly followed up by a cartwheeling motion that saw Athena's right heel crash into their jaw and send them crashing to the ground.
"That it?" Athena demanded "That all you've got?" from their position on the hard floor, ears ringing, still gasping for breath and face suddenly burning and stinging with the force of a blow that would almost certainly leave it swollen and bruised Astra silently seethed for a split second before the fiery, righteous anger returned to them in full force and the Deer Faunus sprung to their feet again without a word; first rolling onto their hands and knees and lashing out with a back-kick to keep Athena at bay before hurling themselves at her with a wild backhand that served as the perfect ruse to close the distance before headbutting the Bear Faunus and driving their antlers into her face with a resounding crack.
"You're really this bitter about it?" Astra demanded, punctuating their words by deflecting Athena's savage swipe at their face and delivering a side kick to the chest that sent her skidding backwards.
"Shut up!" Athena snapped forcing Astra onto the defensive once again as she closed the distance between them with a flying knee that was followed immediately by spinning left elbow and a right hook before she sacrificed her momentum for the element of surprise and threw her entire body downwards and into an arcing sweep that ended with her entire body inverted and balanced on one hand as she kicked at the Deer Faunus's skull.
"No, you need to listen!" Astra spat as the axe-kick aimed at the Bear Faunus missed by a hairs' breadth and shook the ground around them both, Athena flung herself back to her feet but Astra was on her again in an instant with a palm strike to the face
"I get it now, you're pissed off at me 'cos I get made team leader and you wanted that spot" Astra continued, the words panted out in a series of ragged gasps as the two of them blocked and exchanged blows in a dizzying flurry of motion "Y'know what the funny thing is AJ? I didn't even want it! I would have been happy for you if you'd been team leader and wouldn't have questioned it….But do ya think maybe this is the reason you weren't?"
"BE QUIET!" Athena-Jade's roaring voice echoed through the classroom almost as much bone-rattling impact of her attack as she ducked around Astra's punches before taking their shoulders and leaping up to knee them in the face with devastating results. Astra staggered back, cross-eyed and with legs that seemed unwilling to support them and it was clear to the entire class that the sparring match was effectively over yet Athena was by no means finished and continued her assault with an upwards elbow to the chin followed by a blow to the gut that all but crumpled her team leader entirely as she fell and finally simply tacking them to the ground and straddling their prone form.
"You don't know anything about me Astra!" the furious declaration was punctuated with a left hook
"I wanted to make team leader, to show people that I'm not just relying on my name and family!" a right hook knocked Astra face to the side
"But I would have forced myself to be okay with it!" another left hook left Astra' Aura visibly flickering
"If I was beaten by someone who deserved it!" an elbow strike to the cheek landed with a worrying crack
"But you? You didn't even want it! You're a nervous wreck trying to be big and scary! You're not capable of-" she fell silent as Astra managed to wrestle one arm free of the mount it was trapped beneath and block an oncoming blow; the two of them struggled for a moment before the pale-skinned young woman decided that her point had been made and the fight had gone on long enough. Leaping aside she delivered a swift kick to Astra's gut before the could rise, leaving them floored sputtering and in clear pain before reaching down to seize their Antlers and in a display that she knew her father would have openly disapproved of for its' undertones proceeded to drag Astra to the edge of the arena by their antlers and physically swing and throw them out of bounds.
There was little fanfare or cheering at this victory as her new classmates seemed to be collectively taken aback by the sheer ferocity of it and Athena was acutely aware of Professor Altan giving her a stern glare; she quickly forced down the pangs of guilt and told herself that she had done the right thing, that it had been necessary to make her point so excessively or it would not be heeded at all, a point of view that became easier to convince herself of as she cast her eyes towards Astra who was still struggling to rise. Without waiting for the match be officially called she stalked away and paused as she passed the official leader of Team MARZ to deliver one last barb, one that left a taste in her mouth and a cold weight in her gut even as she uttered it
"Y'know what….I'm really glad we didn't end up as partners"
It was a small mercy that Combat Class had been the last lesson of the day, Astra doubted they could have taken the stares and muttering directed at them and their team for much longer.
Once their sparring match had ended Astra and Athena had naturally been forced to return to their seats and watch and take notes as the remainder of the class took place though there was no chance for discussion or reconciliation of any kind as the moment she reached her team-mates Athena-Jade had simply gathered up her belongings and relocated herself to another seat on the other side of the lecture hall with her partner making no effort to halt or reason with her; the move a clear and undeniable display that she did not consider herself part of any team that Astra led.
From there the atmosphere between Team MARZ had grown steadily more frosty and fragile with every twinge of pain from Astra's bruised face and hushed remark from the other First Years that reached their ears, Regalia had made a valiant effort to search for some silver lining to the situation however the Racoon Faunus's attempts to remain upbeat had only managed to irk Astra further and despite knowing that their partner deserved better the leader of Team MARZ had stormed away from the classroom the moment the lesson had ended, only to be caught in the corridors leading back to the First Year dorms by Wolfram who suggested that Astra hang out with Team WULF, the offer mercifully feeling less like a show of pity and more like a genuine offer of friendship which Astra was grateful for.
Which was how they had come to find themselves on a bunk belonging to one of Team WULF with Ursinia cupped their cheeks as she used her Semblance.
"Now remember, I'm not a doctor and I aint actually fixing anything here I'm just taking the edge off of it for ya" the Scorpion Faunus reminded as she pulled her hands away and Astra gingerly touched their face, noting their cheek was still puffy and much of their face would likely still be bruised after the sparring match with Athena-Jade though thankfully those bruises would fade quickly due to their unlocked Aura.
"Thanks" they managed a weak smile before casting their eyes around the dormitory and taking in just how different it looked from Team MARZ's living space which were yet to be personalised or decorated at all, the four beds being stacked into two bunk-beds which had been arranged in a right angle towards the rear right corner of the wall whilst wardrobes and drawers had been moved to the opposite side of the dormitory to create an open space with a television already being set up and a series of spare plug sockets in place so that all of Team WULF could charge the new Scrolls that they had been supplied with at the same time whilst toolboxes and other paraphernalia suggested work in personalising the place that was still to be done.
Astra struggled to force down a sudden sense of jealousy and something painfully akin to shame as they realised that this was the dormitory of a team that had found its' stride and an easy sense of familiarity in precisely the way that Astra themselves had hoped for yet objectively failed to deliver; swallowing thickly they noted to Ursinia who, along with Laser was one of the only two members of Team WULF currently present.
"You guys worked quick" they noted "Ever think about starting up a painting and decorating firm if Hunting Grimm doesn't work out?"
"We'd get noise complaints if the way Diabla was airing her lungs at us last night is anything to go by" Ursinia noted with a laugh before waving a hand in Laser's direction "Though I can't really blame here, this varmint would have held the whole place together with a lick and prayer and sold the screws for scrap metal"
"I just don't like wasting anything I can sell or reuse later" the reediest and perpetually shifty looking member of Team WULF noted, Vaccuan twang coming to the fore along with something nasal as he spoke and gave a non-committal shrug, as he did so he continued to work and with his angular and stylised glasses removed Astra followed Laser's gaze towards the boys' new Scroll which he was in the process of dismantling
"What're you doing?" the Deer Faunus asked before they could stop themselves
"Reskinning it" Laser answered happily, holding up a chunk of the same translucent green material that comprised the stock of his weapon, something that would have been at home on a handheld games console "I like the retro look….besides, I wanna see if it's bugged or traced in case I ever need to lose it"
Astra was almost grateful when the dormitory door opened as it meant that they wouldn't have to process what that answer might mean.
"Dinner is served….Laser consider this me apologising for kicking the stuffing out of you" Wolfram declared with a barking laugh and the distinct mishmash of accents that marked him out as a native to Menagerie as he and Diabla entered the dorm, both laden with well stacked trays of food.
"Ah yes, an apology in the form of food I could have gone and got myself for free" Laser dead-panned whilst quickly, but meticulously moving the small tools and electronics littering their bunk aside.
"I know right and I didn't even tell you that your name is one I'd expect to see tattooed on someone's lower back and then crossed out with another name under it" the biting retort earned a faux offended gasp from Laser which Wolfram ignored in favour of turning to Astra "How's your face?"
"Right now not as bad as it probably looks" they answered with a shrug "Thanks for letting me hang out here"
"It's cool, you're cool" Wolfram replied, making themselves comfortable on their bunk and offering an aside as they tucked into their food "I mean I know you're good against Grimm, we all saw that yesterday but damn I'd wanna lay low if took a beating like that as well, Athena's got hands" there were murmurs of assent from most of Team WULF at this, though Astra noted that Diabla remained silent
"Looks like that was a tad more than friendly sparring" Ursinia noted conversationally "Got yourself a bad box with your team?"
"I think me and AJ were both kinda working on the assumption that she'd be the leader when we said we'd look for each other" Astra admitted "And AJ's taking it hard-"
"So she's throwing her weight around and trying to cause problems to get what she wants" Diabla snorted, every word laced with vitriol "Yeah sounds about right considering who she is" Astra visibly bristled, clearly ready to defend their team-mate even despite their obvious issues with one another yet something; possibly a looming sense of defeat sapped the Deer Faunus's energy to do so and instead they merely shrugged and rose to their feet
"Y'know what, I'm gonna leave….Wolfram we'll hang out some other time" a moment later they had left and the silence in Team WULF's dormitory was almost profound as Wolfram took a moment to force their immediate reaction under some semblance of control before grinding out a furious demand through clenched teeth
"You wanna tell me what the hell that was Diabla?"
"This is a Hunter Academy not an outreach program for people who can't handle it" she sneered "I don't like the Atlesian rich kid but I'm not gonna run group counselling sessions for people who're scared to stand up to her" the silence once again hung heavy in the air as Wolfram, Laser and Ursinia regarded their new team-mate with collective surprise and steadily mounting disdain until finally the Scorpion Faunus who had already found herself slipping into the role of being her teams' voice of reason spoke up with typical country drawl and particular turn of phrase
"Darlin' you really are all down but nine when it comes to making friends aren't ya?" Diabla made no effort to make eye contact and countered with a shrug as she opened one of her textbooks and began reading.
"I never said I was here to make friends"
Athena-Jade had first stormed and thundered through the hallways and corridors of Breaktide Academy after classes had ended, still wearing her uniform and with white-knuckled balled fists stuffed into her pockets as she glared at any who crossed her path with such innate ferocity that even older students stepped aside to avoid her until finally the Bear Faunus had calmed herself enough to return to her teams' dormitory, though she was by no means entirely at peace.
Upon returning to the dorm Athena-Jade had found that it was entirely empty and after regarding the bare and still undecorated space with the luggage of the rooms' new occupants still plainly visible with a sense of annoyed sadness and almost loneliness the Bear Faunus had decided to clear her mind further and use the privacy to take a long, hot shower and was currently re-entering the main area of the dormitory wreathed in billowing steam and wrapped in a towel that was quickly replaced with a comfortable pair of sweatpants and baggy t-shirt bearing the logo of the academy.
The dorm was still empty and silent and Athena-Jade realised that she had no idea where her team were.
Astra was something she simply refused to consider, the sense of betrayal and outright anger made any thoughts regarding the Deer Faunus irrational and bitter and despite knowing that she had likely taken things too far already Athena could not bring herself to regret her decisions; she could not imagine any scenario in which attempting to demand that she be made the leader of Team MARZ the way her mother had once demanded of Professor Ozpin would ever go well or that Professor Adel would even deign to hear Athena's concerns yet the fact remained in Athena's mind that she was simply better suited to the task and those two facts led to the inescapable conclusion that she would have to simply take control by asserting herself as the superior leader, fighter, strategist and all around Hunter.
From there Athena-Jade's thoughts moved to Regalia and the stocky and powerful young woman sagged to the point of collapsing as she considered her treatment of the Racoon Faunus towards the end of the day and realised that she had been unacceptably mean-spirited and hostile to Astra's partner who in contrast had treated her with nothing but optimistic kindness; Athena would have sought her out an apologised but had no way of finding her and no idea where she might be, the mess hall or the student garage where her damaged jetbike was stored were distinct possibilities but she could also be with Astra and thought thought alone gave Athena pause.
Almost as soon as her thoughts turned to her own partner the Bear Faunus, used to the biting and merciless cold of Atlas though she was felt a shiver pass through her with a breeze that grew ever colder as the sun set over the island Kingdom of Menagerie which informed Athena that the window had been flung wide open, grumbling to herself she crossed the currently cramped room by hopping over her team-mates' beds in order to close it only to pause as the sound of a violin playing a sombre and haunting melody reached her ears and understanding came to her with a roll of the eyes and a shake of the head.
"Of course, because she wasn't broody and bad-ass enough already" Athena-Jade muttered to herself before hoisting herself onto the window ledge and, using a series of glowing glyphs that she hopped between with practised ease swiftly made her way all the way onto roof of the segment of the Academy which Team MARZ's dormitory was housed in; taking a moment to peer down at the massive campus with its' blend of architectures and the various walkways and bridges spanning between its' various rising towers and be quietly thankful that growing up in the echelons of Upper Atlas had robbed any sense of vertigo that she may once have had before finally turning to Zirconia who sat in on the roof in a slightly odd hunched and squatting position to accommodate her mechanical and irregularly shaped legs with an ornate and elegant looking violin tucked under her chin which she continued to play, giving no inclination that she had noticed Athena-Jade's arrival though it was impossible to believe that she hadn't
"Hey Hops, I didn't know you played….Mum tried to get me to take piano classes as a kid but it really didn't take, always thought about learning to play drums one day though" the Bear Faunus noted conversationally as she sat beside her partner whose only response was a single quiet but drawn out sigh as the distraction caused her to misplay a note
"Sorry" Athena added quickly "Hey how come you came up here, I don't think anybody would have minded you practising in the dorm, you're pretty good…." she found herself trailing off as Zirconia remained silent, clearly trying her best to continue ignoring her partner though the sudden tension in her limbs slowly began to take a toll on her abilities and the frown that crossed her delicate features was plain to see without her cape covering the lower half of her face; seeing the Grasshopper so obviously irked by Athena-Jade's mere presence sparked a sudden anger in the snowy haired girl who decided that whilst she would have understood or expected this treatment from her other team-mates she had done nothing to earn it from the raven haired girl before her.
"Hey! What's your problem?" she demanded, fighting the temptation to simply seize the neck of the instrument and force Zirconia to pay attention though she ceased playing regardless and treated Athena to a truly disparaging look of disappointment before averting her mismatched eyes
"Do you really need to ask?" she finally answered quietly and though her tone was gentle it still managed to make Athena wince.
"Okay so maybe I went a little too hard on Astra, fine whatever" she forced the words out with a shrug, still resolute in her choices "But I'm doing what's best for the team and it would have been nice to have my partner backing me"
"No you're not" Zirconia answered quietly yet bluntly and in a tone that made it clear that there was no further debate or discussion to be had on the matter in her mind
"And what the hell would you know?" Athena demanded "You've barely spoken to any of us and act like you don't even want to be here….I bet you think I'm just some spoiled rich kid who wants something because it's important; I've trained every day for over ten years to get to this point, I've seen and done stuff okay. Astra was sitting in a cell before getting on their flight here, between the two of us I'm the one who should be-"
"I didn't say any of that. You did" Zirconia cut across her, an unexpected amount of force in her soft and refined voice before she added "I know what I've seen, what anyone could see; that you didn't like a decision and instead of trying to understand why it was made decided to throw a tantrum about it, exactly like a spoiled child….In the canyon I thought you were capable, certainly determined and possibly a good partner; clearly I was wrong" with that Zirconia rose to her feet, taking her violin with her and hopping over the edge of the roof as if it were no more than slight dip and with the jacket of her uniform fanning out dramatically as her cape would have been if she had been wearing it.
Leaving a numb and silent Athena in her wake.
The Bear Faunus hadn't expected such a dismissal from her new partner to sting so much, they were hardly close after all and the mysterious Grasshopper Faunus had given no indication at all that she had any intention of seeing Athena as a friend yet still her comments had come as a blow and so the short but broad-shouldered young woman sat hunched on the roof and hugged her knees as she re-evaluated her positions and ideas. After an amount of time that she had not thought to measure and with the evening air growing cooler around her Athena made to withdraw her Scroll and contact her family, particularly Coral as her adoptive sisters' opinion was not only one that the Bear Faunus valued and respected highly but would also likely be given with understanding yet without any kind of hesitation; that idea faded away as Athena realised that the Scroll she had pulled from her pocket was in fact the new one provided by the Academy and not her personal device which was still in the dormitory. Looking at the contacts list of the new Scroll which was entirely empty after Athena had failed to take her team-mates' details seemed to serve as something of an omen for her and provided a sense of bitter clarity which only made her sapphire eyes narrow and brow furrow as she set herself a new goal.
She was in her mind still the better choice for leader however she had clearly, if inadvertently pushed her would-be allies away and with that in mind Athena-Jade Slate simply resigned herself to being the best Huntress that she could be.
With or without Team MARZ.
After leaving Team WULF's dormitory Astra Mars had wandered the hallways of the academy though in doing so had not encountered any of their own team thus far, the Deer Faunus had a few inklings as to where Regalia might be found if she were not in the dormitory yet thus far had been unable to bring themselves to go and look for her and was frankly unsure of what they would say even if they did find her.
Astra was, in all honesty unsure exactly where and how things had gone so wrong.
The Deer Faunus had instead wandered sullenly until finally finding a secluded, or at least currently unoccupied spot towards the rear of the campus beyond the main building and within its' expansive grounds which overlooked an outdoor training area and several structures made of Atlesian steel which they assumed housed the academies' aerial transports when they were not stored on landing pads along with other similar large pieces of equipment. Whilst here they had sent a series of brief text messages to their parents, assuring both of them that they were well and informing them of their position of team leader whilst hopefully managing to keep any traces of their current problems from being noticed as Astra felt that their parents were likely worrying about them more than they would have liked already. From there a few text messages to former classmates from Signal Academy had been sent and replies received and it was at that point, with the sun slowly beginning to dip below the horizon that Astra had realised that there was someone that they could call; their parents lacked the perspective to understand the situation and calling Yang Xiao Long now that they were no longer her student felt like crossing some boundary but there was a mid-point so strikingly obvious that the teen was left stunned that it had taken so long to see it.
Felix Xiao Long, their half brother and leader of Team FADE.
"Come on come on pick up" they murmured insistently at their new Scroll until finally its' screen flickered away from the dialling display to show the image of a man in his late twenties who bore unmistakable similarities to Astra themselves; the same lean and athletic build offset somewhat by a slightly less remarkable height, though the older Faunus was broader shouldered and slightly taller if one overlooked Astra's antlers and Mohawk, his eyes were a deeper and darker shade of blue though the two shared the same light brown, almost beige and hard to describe, somewhat ambiguous skin-tone which the older Faunus had decorated with several tattoos. Though his hair had the same thick and curly texture as Astra's when it was styled into its' signature dyed Mohawk it was a vastly different colour, a bright but dirty shade of blonde as opposed to auburn whose near untameable mass had often been described as a mane but was currently tied back into a loose ponytail or bun. Most notably however the two siblings were different kinds of Faunus, with Felix being a lion Faunus sporting prominent canine teeth which peeked below his upper lip and a tail swishing behind him which had been severed in battle years ago and replaced with a gold-painted cybernetic that paired well with a mechanical right forearm to replace what he had lost in the final battle against Salem herself.
"Hey kid, thought you were gonna call when you finished your initiation" Felix noted, though there was a distinct lack of any annoyance and instead the comment was simple brotherly teasing.
"Sorry Fluffy" Astra sighed, using the nickname for their half brother that only those closest to him had the privileged of "The initiation really took it out of me y'know, ended up just crashing pretty much straight after"
"I get that" Felix laughed "Welcome to being a Hunter, aches and pains are gonna be your new best friends and you're gonna forget what sleep feels like when you start getting regular missions"
"Are you busy right now?" Astra asked carefully, suddenly aware of just how tired their brother seemed and realising that the background of the call was clearly their quarters aboard the ship 'Nemesis Kharybdis' which Team FADE, along with many of their closest friends lived and used as a mobile base of operations
"Well Team FADE took on a mission but we're still in the recon and searching for clues part of it so I'm not expecting to get called up for a fight any time soon" the Lion Faunus answered with an annoyed huff, running his hands through his blonde curls
"Somebody and I have no idea who, but they must be well connected and a special kind of crazy tried to smuggle Grimm into Neo Vale by ferry"
"Holy shit" Astra breathed out in disbelief
"Exactly" Felix sighed "Ship didn't even make it to port; they'd tried to freeze the Grimm with Ice Dust for transport, it didn't work and the Grimm got loose on the ship; no survivors….Do me a favour and don't repeat this, it's being kept quiet for obvious reasons"
"Yeah, yeah I get that" Astra nodded, still taken aback though Felix pushed the conversation forwards.
"So come on, initiation, how'd it go, what did you take out….gimme the biggest Grimm"
"A Cankerlotl, my team and another team" Astra managed a small smile at that "And my Team is named Team MARZ"
"Wait…." Felix trailed off, blue eyes widening as the realisation dawned on him and he let out a wordless cheer before adding "Proud of you kid, you'll have to introduce me to your team some time"
"I mean you already know AJ" Astra shrugged
"You and AJ are on the same team?" Felix's smile only widened "Yo hang on I've gotta tell Arctus about this, he'll love-wait….Astra what on you telling me….come on what's bothering you?" the Lion Faunus's tone changed drastically as he realised that Astra was giving the situation none of the enthusiasm that he felt it deserved.
"AJ's pissed at me" Astra admitted with a sigh, before gesturing at their still reddened face "She wanted to make team leader, before I got the job I even told that I'd be happy being on her team and following her lead….things got a little bit heated….who am I kidding she beat my ass in a sparring match today"
"Damn" Felix's voice dropped to a whisper, the Lion Faunus taking a moment to consider his options; clearly and visibly displeased with his cousins' behaviour and treatment of his sibling but forcing him to weigh up the pros and cons of interceding himself before finally adding "You want me to get Arctus to talk to her? She'll listen to her big brother"
"No" Astra answered vehemently whilst shaking his head "Even if she doesn't kill me in my sleep with that hammer of hers for going behind her back, if I can't handle this myself then she's right about me and I shouldn't-"
"No, knowing when to call for help and what you can and can't do yourself is a skill a leader needs to learn before it gets them and the people they're leading killed" Felix answered firmly, voice softening a little as he regarded Astra "So what're you gonna do?"
"I don't know" the younger Faunus admitted "How did you get your team to trust you and, well like you?"
"It was never really an issue like that" Felix admitted, rubbing the back of his head with his mechanical right hand; clearly wishing he had something more helpful to say "Me and Arctus knew each other almost our whole lives and he didn't wanna lead, Eagle is, well let's be honest Eagle is just the happiest person I've ever met and Diamond is just chill and I like to think that I haven't given them too many reasons to doubt me over the years"
"Then that's where I'll start" Astra murmured "The initiation was one thing, but I didn't hit the ground running today….think maybe Athena will come around if I show her that I'm a capable leader?"
"All you can do is try" Felix answered "And I'm always here if you need to talk"
"Thanks" Astra nodded, a more genuine smile coming to their face "But I'm gonna go, I can already feel that it's gonna be a long day again tomorrow"
"Stay safe kid" with that the video call ended and Astra was alone with their thoughts once again, plans formulating in their mind detailing how they would not only live up to the image of themselves that they tried to convey for others but also make that image and new reality something that the rest of Team MARZ could rally behind.
Today had gone badly, but there was always tomorrow and the day after that and as many more days as it took.
Author's Notes:
So, that was the first day at Breaktide Academy; did it go the way you were expecting?
Also, I want to acknowledge that there is a clear difference in tone here between the early chapters of Downward Spiral and FADE: Legacy and that it's my plan for the early chapters/first few volumes of this story to feature more interpersonal relationships and development before we jump into massive overarching plot….Not to say that there isn't going to be an overarching plot during the first few volumes however, in fact I actually sowed seeds for it in this very chapter.
So be ready for this story to start off, not quite as slice of life as RWBY Vol.1 & 2 were but perhaps a little more in that direction.
But anyway, let's summarise shall we?:
Well shit, not off to a good start are they?
Readers of FADE, I'm gonna try my best to differentiate Regalia from Eagle although I'm aware that at the moment they do have some similarities.
Athena-Jade's nightmares will be something that gets brought up eventually.
Oh AJ is giving it the younger sibling 'Teasing with malicious intent' routine, get ready.
The school uniform is basically what most UK schools have their students wear (Although oddly enough mine didn't, we had jumpers instead of blazers) and yes Astra will alternate between both uniforms.
Now there's not gonna be a Vytal Tournament arc til second yea but I can already hear people wanting AJ in a suit.
Yeah Diabla being snotty about Athena is gonna be a constant thing.
"Barks and the Jet-Blacks?" yes that was a sharks and the jets/West Side Story reference.
I'll be honest I don't like the way some of the scene transitions went in this chapter but there really wasn't any filler to add that would have made sense.
So a little more in terms of hints and clues about Regalia, she's got a second-hand jacket, her outfit includes heavy duty goggles and very little experience of regular teen/adolescent interactions and no formal schooling, yet at the same time she's clearly a skilled engineer considering she built a jetbike out of scrap and all of her references are outdated.
Ruby as a teacher is a fun concept and I will show her classes in more detail another time.
Yeah, Ruby isn't gonna bring live Grimm into class even if she has got one of her silver eyes left; there's easier ways to teach now.
Well on the bright side Wolfram and Regalia can at least have a civil conversation.
Regalia doing the racoon hand-rub thing as a nervous gesture is one of my more genius moments.
Athena is out her drinking that haterade by the gallon...but at the same time her points are good ones.
Regalia's spoken to Zirconia but Zirconia has pretty much ignored her thus far.
I decided to set the tone and give an overview of the classes and yes, I think there's gotta be a general studies class at the academies in some form or another.
So no Penny classes just yet, also note that as much of a dick as she's being with Astra AJ was still willing to help Regalia and basically tutor her.
Arslan's combat classes were always gonna be some Spartan training shit and I've already got plans for more.
Laser has that Vaccuan dirty fighting down to an art.
Astra is a try-hard desperate to look cooler, meaner and more confident that they actually are and also a pansexual disaster; so naturally they're a fan of Wolfram.
"My problem is our supposed team leader is acting like a groupie for another team" I mean look, AJ is pissed off because she already decided she's going to be pissed and wants to be annoyed at Astra, but she's kinda got a point.
Also the idea that her voice is normally something like received pronunciation but gets steadily more Yorkshire as she gets angrier just works….I might have her call someone a Bastard and channel the spirit of Sean Bean.
Of course it was gonna end this way, of course Arslan was gonna tell them to come and fight it out.
It was at that moment Astra knew, they fucked up.
The funny thing is that Astra's initial assessment there was a fair one, from an outside perspective it wouldn't be unreasonable to assume that they have an advantage.
Basically this fight is Karate Vs Capoeira but with anime physics, inspired by re-watching some Cobra Kai fight scenes and Capoeira training sessions again.
Ah the joys of having way too much talking in a fight scene.
If you've ever seen anything to do with Capoeira then you know about that handstand kick, when it's done properly it's a work of art.
Yeah AJ went way too far there, some of what she said needed to be said but that was not the way to do it and going for the antlers, that's disrespectful.
All I'm gonna say is we should probably keep track of how many times Astra has left his team behind already.
Yeah Ursinia is a country girl and uses that kind of dialect and turn of phrase, Laser is Vaccuan and in other stories in this series I've established that certain parts of Vaccuo have a Southern drawl; so I've given him that but less pronounced to differentiate the two, he's from the city and as far from a country boy as you can be.
Of course he made his Scroll retro and debugged it.
The jokes about Laser's name are gonna keep coming.
Diabla is absolutely that bitch, take every antisocial tendency of Vol.1 Blake and Weiss and you still have less than half of Diabla.
Not being heavy handed with the symbolism and metaphor here at all.
Also yeah, AJ is being dumb right now but nobody is dumb enough and try doing what Weiss did with Coco.
"Of course, because she wasn't broody and bad-ass enough already" I mean this sums it up, Zirconia Shadowmoon plays violin to herself on the roof at night.
Shout out to Zirconia for deciding that she was just not dealing with this shit today.
Oof, just let AJ expose her own insecurities and then called her out on it.
Yes the empty contact list on the Scroll is more symbolism lol.
Everyone's being broody today.
And here's something for long time readers; a member of Team FADE. If you're starting the series with this story I'm sure you can infer it but Felix is both Astra's half brother and the leader of the title team in a previous story.
I was tempted to make this an audio only call but actually having the two siblings both visible so that we compare the family resemblance was something I couldn't pass up.
Note down everything Felix said about the attempt to smuggle live Grimm, spoiler alert but it's not throwaway dialogue.
There is no way Astra's pride would survive having to get AJ's older brother involved in their issues.
Astra is getting ready to go full power of friendship.
Thank you to SumoSnipe and Funlander for their reviews on the last chapter.
The reaction that people have had to the Cankerlotl has been great, I've loved how much you've all enjoyed it.
AJ showing here that she gets her boneheaded tendencies from both of her parents and compresses them down into her five foot tall frame.
You can't have eight teenagers with superpowers and not have some interpersonal issues.
Laser is that character archetype I have one of in every generation of RWBY OCs, first Squish and then Raffia.
As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.