RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)
I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.
I am making no money from this.
Chapter 07: Persistence
Astra had awoken early on the second morning of classes at Breaktide Academy, rising as the seemingly perpetually glaring and blistering sun first began to venture above the jumbled and mismatched skyline of Menagerie's capital city with the sole driving intention of making this day better than the last and showing to both their team-mates, Athena-Jade especially and also themselves that their position as team leader was earned and deserved.
The Deer Faunus had firstly, quietly entered the bathroom and taken the opportunity to both shower and attend to their hair and customary make up which to Astra felt even more like some manner of warpaint than it did when applied immediately before a fight, doing so at such an unsociable hour to ensure that any of his team-mates who had not showered the previous evening would have enough time to do so now and taking a much colder shower than they would have liked to ensure that there was enough hot water for them all. Once showered and dressed Astra's plans to become a better leader had truly begun, starting with an alarm they had set the previous evening blaring from a speaker that they had produced from luggage they were yet to unpack and connected to their Scroll.
"Okay team it's go time! Classes are in two hours so that gives us plenty of time!" Astra declared loudly and clearly as they surveyed their team-mates rousing slowly from their bunks; Regalia slept in a hunched and balled up position with her bushy tail tucked close against her body as though taking up as little space as possible were entirely second nature to her and this realisation caused Astra to realise with a start that they had nothing more than guesses and assumptions about where their partner was actually from, yet before this could be pondered any further Regalia had hopped from her bed, awake and alert at a moments' notice which was equally suggestive and springing passed Astra towards the bathroom with all of her natural peppy vigour whilst clad in a faded and oversized t-shirt that was almost threadbare with a pair of shorts peeking from beneath it.
"Good morning" she smiled brightly, taking a towel and a bag of toiletries with her as she claimed the bathroom, or at least the shower for herself and as she disappeared from view Astra's attention drifted back towards the remaining half of their team; Zirconia was rising slowly from her bed though seemed to be moving with less fluid grace than usual and it took the leader of Team MARZ only a moment to understand why, the Grasshopper Faunus's mechanical legs may have needed no external power supply and only rare services or recharging but they did seem to come to life a moment after Zirconia herself and is largely taciturn young woman slipped out from under her sheets her cybernetics remained lifeless and connected with the carpeted floor with a muffled thud as they were pulled from the uncomfortable looking sprawl that they had rested in before finally whirring faintly to life as their owner gently massaged the point where metal and flesh riddled with old scars met below the hem of the thin black nightgown she slept in. Astra saw that their team-mate found the sensation discomforting and could not imagine sleeping with the prosthetics attached was easy, something their antlers gave them an understanding of yet they remained silent despite the temptation to ask her about it and offer any kind of assistance they could; not feeling confident that their intrusion into Zirconia's business would be welcome or appreciated even if they were well meaning. Presently the Zirconia found her feet and made her way into the bathroom to change, likely having showered the previous evening.
And then there was Athena-Jade.
Seeing that the Bear Faunus was still in her bunk, covers pulled up over her Astra made their way over and sat down beside her; the way that the entirety of her form seemed to coil and tighten as if ready for an attack confirming, not that there was any real doubt that she was awake.
"Come on let's go" Astra insisted, though more gently than their previous enthusiastic bellow taking a calculated risk by placing a hand on where they assumed Athena's shoulder to be and stifling a laugh as the old adage about poking sleeping bears occurred to them.
"Your Scroll had fallen off of your bed, I plugged it in for you so it should've charged at least a little and I didn't want to go through your stuff so you'll have to grab your own toolbox and weapon but I've sorted out the books we're all gonna need for today" the Deer Faunus continued, words leaving them at a machine gun pace as they picked nervously at their blazer even though a faux confidence began to fill their voice, hoping that Athena-Jade would at least be willing to give them a fair chance at leading "I would have brought everyone a coffee or something but I don't know how you take them and we didn't really talk yesterday after….well, no hard feelings about-"
"Do you ever stop talking?" the groggy growl that issued from beneath Athena's blanket was a demand filled with irritable scorn and an instant later a pale palm and sharp clawed fingers were thrust into view as Athena conjured one of her glyphs, using it to fling Astra from her bed with force roughly equal to a strong shove before the covers were ripped away forcefully and Athena herself finally came into view. The bear Faunus fixed Astra, who had quickly recovered and found their footing before glancing at his team-mate, seeing that her recently shorn hair was messy though not in the deliberately affected way she wore it and instead simply looked bedraggled whilst her eyes were bleary and surrounded by dark rings which stood out against her ghostly pale skin; Astra was reminded of Athena-Jade's screaming nightmares from only days ago and surmised that she was still finding proper rest elusive yet was unable to keep the question that spilled from their lips at bay
"What the hell is your problem?" they demanded angrily
"First thing in the morning and you're already annoying and pestering me" Athena
"I'm waking you up because we've got class, y'know the thing you were complaining at me for not doing yesterday" Astra shot back, fists clenching and unclenching reflexively before taking a moment to take a deep breath and force their anger back down, when they spoke again their voice was soft and wavered slightly "I'm trying here AJ, I really am trying to be leader this team needs….can you at least try and work with me?"
"I don't need to be led, not by you" Athena-Jade's expression had faltered for a moment as some trace of emotion crossed yet by the time she spoke her frown was secured in place and her sapphire blue eyes were hard. Astra was overwhelmed by the urge to both yell and argue and at the same time utterly deflated as the utter pointlessness of such an action became clear and found their shoulders sagging as they let out a sigh before hoisting their book bag onto one shoulder and striding towards the door.
"We've got class" they repeated, voice filled with weary, grim resolve "So get ready, I'll be waiting for the three of you outside" with that Astra exited the dorm and leaned against the wall of the corridor outside, massaging the points where their antlers grew from their skull tenderly as the lingering headache from the previous afternoons' sparring match with Athena-Jade began to combine with the fresh headache that she was already giving them though as the bedroom door began to close slowly behind them on a simple mechanism that prevented it from slamming the leader of Team MARZ caught a glimpse of movement before pointedly averting their eyes as Athena-Jade finally climbed out of bed in a state of mild undress.
It already seemed as though it was going to be another long day but finally it seemed that all four members of Team MARZ might finally be on the same page to some extent and Astra set their jaw and forced themselves to see that limited and meagre development and progress.
There was hope for Team MARZ after all.
Fortunately for Zirconia Shadowmoon her mind was not so sluggish and unwilling to cooperate in the mornings as her mechanical insectoid limbs had been; she knew beyond any reasonable doubt that the cybernetics were not defective as they had been given a thorough examination and tuning to ensure that even the most minute issues with balance, delay or undue power loss whilst in operation was corrected by a veritable team of specialists whilst Zirconia herself had treated to an equally rigorous battery of vaccinations as her cautious, arguably paranoid and yet certainly well-meaning and caring guardian did their best to assure themselves that nothing would be left to chance and that Zirconia's new life away from the home she had been raised in went according to plan.
The thought left Zirconia with a slight pang of homesickness which the Grasshopper Faunus quickly forced herself to ignore, shifting her weight in her seat and turning her face from any of her new team-mates that might glance her way whilst rubbing her mismatched pale orange and pink eyes for a moment and finding the fact that the academies' uniform left her face and expression plain to see, inscrutable as it often was more than a little irksome.
A moment later she had focused and returned her attention to the matter at hand.
Once again for the First Year students and as was expected considering the nature of the Hunter academies the first lesson of the day was a Grimm Studies class taught by Professor and legendary hero Ruby Rose though in contrast to the previous morning this was a double period, more than half of which had elapsed already. Professor Rose had used the first period of lesson to conduct a seminar on the instinctive predatory behaviour of the Grimm and its' manifestations as various methods of pack hunting and degree of shared thought across several of the more common varieties of monster; the detail oriented lecture and presentation being far more intensive than the previous days' lesson and sending an unspoken message to the First Years' that their training and education had truly begun, for the second period of the double lesson however Professor Rose had once again defaulted to practical demonstrations and hands-on learning by activating the hard-light and nanobot projectors situated around the arena like stage that her lecture hall was built around to first manifest a pack of several dozen Beowolves and implement her own lessons with blinding speed and ruthless efficiency before offering her students the opportunity to try for themselves.
That Athena-Jade had been on her feet with a hand raised a moment later seemed almost a foregone conclusion.
"She's really good" Regalia noted, leaning forward in her seat and practically over the empty chair in front of her before letting out a cheer "Go Athena!"
"Funny how she gets to use her weapon for this" Astra noted, a hint of mostly fake annoyance colouring their tone as they glanced up from hastily scribbled notes that would likely be shared with the Racoon Faunus beside them as Regalia seemed entirely alien to the concept of studying as their classes thus far had shown.
"Heh don't be grumpy, you've gotta root for your team" she nudged Astra playfully and as the Deer Faunus gave a half-hearted cheer for the Bear Faunus who would likely have shown no such generosity whilst Regalia turned to Zirconia, purple eyes bright and cheery "She's your partner, you've gotta give her some support"
"I think Athena will take care of herself with or without us cheering on the sidelines" with that the Grasshopper Faunus returned her focus to her partner just in time to see her kick one shimmering facsimile of a Beowolf back and twirl Mould-Breaker in its' hammer form to goad the monsters, predicting their attack and timing her next blow perfectly to tear through three bodies at once before carrying her momentum into a spin that saw her rip through an attacker than had predictably attempted to pounce at her back. A cheer went up and Professor Rose both thanked and congratulated Athena though Zirconia paid little mind to that and immediately began taking more notes in a hurried yet looping and flowing script that whilst pleasant to look at was largely illegible to anyone but herself which she continued until the sound of footsteps and breathing that was heavy but less laboured than one might expect announced Athena-Jade's return to Team MARZ.
"I hope you were all taking notes on that" the Bear Faunus noted and Zirconia found herself impressed at how the comment seemed to be delivered with two entirely contradictory tones and meanings at the same time, for Regalia it was clearly intended to be a gentle reminder of what was expected and perhaps a little friendly competition whilst to Astra it was clearly a venom-laced and sneering challenge; Zirconia noticed that Athena had paid her no mind at all and avoided speaking to her partner even as she clambered around her to return to her seat.
"Whatever AJ, next person is stepping up" Astra replied with a shrug, refusing to rise to the bait no matter how much everything about their body language made it clear that they wanted to and never ceasing taking notes as the lesson continued.
Zirconia tried to follow the example her new team leader was setting but found her thoughts wandering away from the lesson and towards her team-mates despite her best efforts.
Regalia was perhaps the easiest of her new team to assess despite the near total lack of interaction between them, Zirconia would concede that as exuberant, uncouth and occasionally unaware as her rough and ready ally may sometimes be the Racoon Faunus was also determined, highly capable and eager to learn and improve herself further as well as being committed to the admirable, if unlikely goal of Team MARZ being friends; Zirconia considered for a moment before admitting that she would likely have no real issues with such a friendship and that the only complication was an apparent lack of common ground between them as anyone who built their own jetbike from scrap metal almost certainly came from an entirely different world to herself.
From there her mismatched eyes moved to Astra and she regarded her team leader quietly but intently for a moment; the Mohawk sporting Deer Faunus was still something of an enigma to Zirconia; on the one hand it was clear that they were entirely out of their depth and had been attempting to mask a total lack of self belief and abject panic with displays of swaggering bravado just as overblown as their hair and combat attire yet on the other hand it was undoubtedly their planning and sudden bravery that had seen Team MARZ and Team WULF to victory against the Cankerlotl. To Zirconia it seemed that Astra could be capable of more than even they suspected but only if they began to believe and grow into the role they had been given, an outcome that the Grasshopper Faunus remained uncertain of yet she resigned herself to following Astra's lead and giving them a fair chance as a leader, if not exactly as a friend not simply because it had been demanded of her but because even now Astra was clearly trying their best.
Which left Athena-Jade
Zirconia found it odd that she had been spared any of the same scorn and vitriol that her partner seemed to have in spades for anyone who annoyed or challenged her but quickly reasoned that it was simply because she lacked any of the history with Athena that Astra had. She was troubled however as she tried to reconcile her initial assessments of the Bear Faunus as a driven and capable fighter and the way she had seemed eager to make friends in Hammerfall Canyon with her behaviour since then, that of a mean-spirited and brutish bully.
"Gonna work or just stare into space all day?" Athena-Jade's grunt broke Zirconia from her musings and she quickly realised that she had been silently observing for far too long and that the next student to face Professor Rose's imitation Grimm was already locked in battle; she considered offering an explanation of some sort before deciding against it and silently focusing on the lesson once again, chancing a glance at her partners' notes as she did so and being caught by surprise once again.
Athena's notes were detailed and simply immaculate.
Even granting that the Atlesian was a product of the finest education money could buy Zirconia was impressed by the detail in Athena's cramped and hastily scribbled but still neat writings, detailing not only what Professor Rose had taught but also noting her own first hand experience from only moments ago and also positing questions about the disparities between the programmed behaviour of hard-light and nanobot constructs and the true Creatures of Grimm with reminders to herself to enquire with the Professor whenever possible. Once again Zirconia was forced to reassess her partner, this obvious intelligence and insight adding another layer to the puzzle that was Athena-Jade slate and whilst the Grasshopper Faunus remained unsure if it was wise to consider her new team-mate a friend or truthfully if Athena would even accept such an offer of friendship at this juncture, what was clear however that there was clearly much more to Athena than met the eye.
Something which made Zirconia cautiously optimistic.
It seemed to the First Year students that Tuesdays would be somewhat more subdued affairs than Mondays, simply by virtue of there being no Combat Class scheduled; instead following their double period of Grimm Studies with Professor Rose the still fledgling teams had taken a brief break before their third and fourth periods, another double lesson which in this case was held within the forge and workshop of Breaktide Academy which was truly impressive sight to behold and was rivalled only by similar facilities within the other academies; for two hours the First Year students had been allowed to work largely without interruption from Deputy Headmistress Professor Scarlatina who oversaw the lesson or her assistant, the chief engineer and forge-master of the academy; a burly old Faunus with a grizzled demeanour to match their leathery and weathered exterior who nonetheless offered his services in anyway he could as the students spent the double period maintaining and servicing their weapons, or devising possible modifications and upgrades to them which more than one of their number had noted was an intelligent bit of scheduling that allowed them to repair any damage sustained in Grimm studies lessons immediately. Team MARZ had spent much of the lesson in relatively peaceful silence, each of them thoroughly engrossed in their own tasks like those around them with the only possible argument between Astra and Athena-Jade coming in the form of mild bickering over the amount of space each of them took up or carelessness being spilled, both of which were quickly overshadowed by the brief commotion of Team WULF collectively intervening as Laser Greenback was backhanded directly in the face by a fellow student after being caught attempting to pilfer tools and a spool of copper wiring from their toolkit.
After the engineering class had been lunch, Team MARZ and Team WULF sharing a table and having a largely peaceful break despite the tension between some of their members, a respite which had passed far too quickly for Astra's tastes before they had departed for their final lesson of they day, a double period of Dust Studies; essentially a specified field of physics and chemistry with more advanced elements that bordered on alchemy all of which were explained by Professor, former Huntress, former extreme sports prodigy and former nightclub owner Reese Chloris.
To Astra the lesson was insufferable.
They were not an imbecile or incapable in the subject but it was not their favourite lesson by any stretch of the imagination despite what one might assume based on the hard-light shields of Buckshot Ares; Astra preferred hands on work with trial and error as valuable teachers however Professor Chloris expected impossible heaps of data an equations to be completed both before and after each use of one of her precisely catalogued and admittedly exceptionally high quality Dust crystals. The Deer Faunus might not have found the lesson so tiresome or have been left feeling so inadequate by it if the relationships between Team MARZ had not been so strained, as it was the sight of Athena-Jade not only clearly outperforming them but also letting Regalia use her notes for reference made their eye twitch a little; trying their best to keep the sigh that escaped their lips from becoming a comically overblown thing Astra supposed that Athena being the most proficient student in the class when it came to the use and understanding of Dust was to be expected considering that her family had been providing the substance to much of Remnant for generations and the private education she had received had once again given her an advantage, however that knowledge did little to help.
"Oum damn it" Astra muttered, glancing first over at Zirconia whom they noticed Athena seemed to have said nothing to all day, the taciturn and unsociable Grasshopper Faunus was working with a speed that proved she had at least an adequate understanding of the subject and as Astra turned their gaze back to the notes they had crossed out and started over more than once they considered asking her for help before dismissing the idea; a moment later another idea occurred to them which they hastily put into motion
"Nothing else for it" they breathed out with the sudden sense of conviction that had overtaken them as they assaulted a group of burglars only days prior, gathering up their notes they strolled over to where Athena and Regalia were working and prepared to ask the Bear Faunus for her help and concede that in this matter she vastly outclassed them and they would be happy to follow her lead, a small grin tugged at their lips as they dared to hope that this might be what began to repair their relationship and upon reaching her Astra reached out and tapped her shoulder.
At which point disaster struck.
Astra had not seen the Fire Dust crystal that Athena-Jade was holding in a pair of tongs, a large fist sized chunk of gleaming scarlet mineral that slipped free of her grip at the contact and clattered against the table with an impact that sent a chilling wave of panic through the laboratory
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING YOU ABSOLUTE IDIOT?" Athena demanded furiously, throwing up a series of glyphs around the crystal in an effort to siphon away its' destructive force whilst Regalia leapt towards the nearest fire extinguisher, clearing the distance in a single bound however the crystal remained as it was an after several tense seconds that felt far longer Astra let out a slow and shaky breath before holding their hands up apologetically
"Sorry" they began "I didn't see the crystal you were working with, I just wanted to ask you for help because-"
"No" Athena cut them off with a dismissive wave of her now empty hand "Regalia needed help with the equations and format, you clearly just don't know what you're doing and I'm not gonna waste my time or put everyone else here at risk by letting you loose with Dust" Astra was left stunned and in all honestly more than a little hurt by the open scorn and contempt from his team-mate, realising as they stared at her that a day of trying to be a better leader and friend had been for nothing as Athena simply wasn't willing to be convinced
"That's a little harsh" Regalia noted as she rejoined her team-mates "It's not like they meant to do anything-"
"Then you teach them, over there somewhere out of my way" Athena growled back before turning her attention back to her work, the reply snuffing out the quiet sense of thankful relief that Regalia's support had given Astra and replacing it with a sudden fury.
The dropped Fire Dust crystal jumped as their fist impacted against the workbench with a thud
"I'm getting really sick of your attitude AJ" they hissed out through clenched teeth, still trying to keep the conversation private "I didn't do anything wrong, none of us did. You want to be angry then fine, but it's entirely your problem 'cos I'm done-"
"Do I look like I care" Athena shot back bluntly with a snort "You were the one that wanted to tag along and partner up with me in the first place, I never needed or wanted you on my team Astra" there was a sharp intake of breath from Regalia like that and a brief flicker of emotion across Athena's face as she realised that she had crossed some unspoken line, Astra's eyes narrowed and they stepped into the shorter but more powerfully built Faunus's space heedless of their fellow students around them or the almost certain outcome of the fight that they were about to start.
Fortunately the situation was brought to an end before either of them could land a blow.
"Enough. Both of you" the stern and uncompromising voice came from Professor Chloris, whose vibrant and outlandish appearance even when wearing a lab-coat stood at odds with the firmness of her tone as she gestured from each of them to either side of the laboratory "Slate, finish your work over there and make a start on clean up. Mars, Russet come with me I'll go over your work myself and see where you're struggling"
"Yes Professor" Athena nodded before doing as instructed, discipline and habit taking over and preventing her from arguing the point yet not keeping her from giving one last baleful glare in Astra's direction; the Deer Faunus took note of the glance and felt something inside them crumble, resolve and determination failing as they realising that despite their promises to Felix and previous eagerness to try as many times as they needed to there was simply no way to forge a functional team out of the members they had been given, Zirconia was uninterested and Athena hated them.
Team MARZ was a lost cause.
After the final lesson of the day had concluded Team WULF had lingered in the corridor at the behest of their leader.
"Think they're getting chewed out by the teacher?" Laser piped up suddenly, breaking the easy silence that had lasted for a few moments only for Wolfram to let out an amused snort as he shook his head
"If they were then you would be as well, she definitely saw you fudging the numbers when you were taking crystals even if you did change them back" Laser shrugged in acceptance of that notion and lounged languidly against the wall with a hunched and skulking posture that only added to the guilty and shifty air that pervaded around the Vaccuan, Wolfram couldn't help but notice that whilst the uniform of Breaktide Academy only added to the appearance of most of his team; both himself and Diabla cutting striking and imposing figures whilst Ursinia certainly wore the attire well but could not quite manage the same effect simply due to the warmth and charm that she radiated on Laser it had the opposite effect, the shirt, tie and blazer standing on contrast with with his messy, spidery and sickly yellow hair and the oddly shaped neon green visor resting atop his head and giving the uniform the feeling of a costume worn by someone who would never find it comfortable; the fact that the uniform was clearly a size too large for the person wearing it was certainly a factor though the reason for Laser's choice in attire was soon revealed as something gleamed in the light of the corridor and Ursinia lashed out with blinding speed and wrestled him into submission with practised ease before plucking the offending item out from where it had been tucked into his socks
A stolen Dust crystal.
"Are you serious?" Wolfram demanded in a voice that was low and dangerous, drawing an audible gulp of fear from Laser as the remaining trio of Team WULF loomed over him.
"I say we hand him over to the Professors" Diabla suggested, treating her partner to a look that was equal parts contempt and cold calculation "If they expel him it saves us the trouble of dealing with him"
"Let's not be hasty about going caterwauling to teachers" Ursinia interjected, tail stinger twitching slightly as she did so before turning her attention back to her cornered team-mate "Laser I don't wanna write you off as a bad egg darlin' but you can't keep this up-"
"First question" Wolfram growled out taking the Dust crystal "Who did you steal this from?"
"One of Team VNTA" Laser admitted, unable to keep a sly grin from his features and upon hearing that the leader of Team WULF processed for a moment before sighing
"After they caught you stealing from them already in the workshop?" a gruff chuckle escaped him and he leaned close to Laser's face "You win some you lose some, I'll let this one go but if they figure out you stole from them and come looking for you then you're on your own and if I see you using our dorm to stash anything else you've stolen I'm putting it in lost and found, got that?"
"Got it" Laser nodded
"Great now that's settled can we get moving?" Diabla demanded irritably "What're we even doing here?"
"Well I was waiting for Astra" Wolfram answered, matching his antisocial team-mates' biting and mocking tone "I honestly didn't expect you to stick around….but if you're staying then do me a favour and learn to play nice"
"They do look like they could use a friend" Ursinia noted, tone made solemn by the thought of the fractures in Team MARZ that were plain for any outsider to see; Diabla for her part remained silent with her jaw working as she struggled to find a retort or even a solid reason for why she had waited along with the rest of her team when Wolfram had not specifically asked her to yet before she could find an answer she was spared any potential embarrassment by the sound of the laboratory door opening and Wolfram greeting Astra
"We were planning on heading to the mess hall, you coming with?" the more burly of the two team leaders asked
"You guys waited for me?" Astra asked, mildly surprised before turning and calling into the classroom "Hey Regalia I'm getting something to eat, catch up when you're done!" with that the five teens were on the move with the Deer Faunus dropping into place beside Wolfram feeling much more comfortable, welcome and at home then they did with their own team and in all honesty more peaceful without the ever-present responsibility of of leadership.
"We thought you might be getting given a warning" Wolfram noted with a grin "Since you and Athena nearly got it cracking in class" Diabla rolled her fiery orange eyes at that but thankfully fought the urge to mutter anything under her breath whilst Astra simply shook their head
"Nah, me and Regalia needed a hand with some of the equations" they admitted freely "Blueprints and technical drawings I can work with, algebra is just punishment"
"Aint that the truth, there's no good reason to be mixing maths with the alphabet" Ursinia drawled, her comment getting a round of laughter
"Yeah well I thought we'd hang back and wait for you, since half of your team didn't" Wolfram noted with a shrug that was mirrored by Astra as they remained silent, habitually toying with their Mohawk for a moment before letting out an almost mournfully bitter sigh and deciding to give voice to their doubts
"I don't know if team is even the right word" there was a beat of silence as each of Team WULF turned towards them "I mean maybe I'm not the best leader but between AJ and Zirconia who am I even supposed to be leading anyway? It's been two days and MARZ is dead in the water"
"Well if you move out of the dorms I'll take the TV-" Laser was silenced by a half-playful cuff around the back of the head from Wolfram before each of Team WULF began trying to console the Deer Faunus that their leader had taken an interest in.
What none of them noticed however that behind them Regalia had left the laboratory and had been racing to catch up with them, only to come to a halt in dejected silence upon hearing Astra's assessment.
It had been only a few hours since classes had ended at Breaktide Academy and a considerable portion of that time had passed by in a morose and listless blur for Regalia Russet.
Hearing her team leader and supposed friend disregard her entirely in their bleak appraisal of the status of Team MARZ as they had departed for the mess hall with another team had robbed Regalia of any appetite of her own that she might have had and left her wandering the corridors alone, miserable and with no end goal for her Semblance to direct her towards; no amount of telling herself that she had only known these people for a few days and that the sense of rejection should not sting so much seemed to make any difference to the lonesome Racoon Faunus who instead found herself scouring each of the painfully limited interactions that she had managed with her team-mates in search of a mistake she had made or something she should have done differently but ultimately finding none. To Regalia the loneliness was an almost physically oppressive thing, cold and heavy around her and where she may have had few people if any that could be said to truly understand her previously there had always been someone she could at least talk to whilst sense of utter detachment from everyone around her at Breaktide was something else entirely that left her beginning to wonder if she had made a mistake.
She was not naive enough to expect life at the academy to be like one of the many movies she had watched whilst travelling with her people but still she felt certain that her time as a student was not supposed to be like this.
Eventually such bleak thoughts had cleared enough for the Racoon Faunus to focus on a course of action, something that whilst it would not fix her current problems would no doubt make her feel at least marginally better and with that goal in mind she had returned briefly to the dormitory to change, exchanging no words with Zirconia as her quiet and distant team-mate was clearly preoccupied before gathering tools that she had not deemed necessary for the maintenance of her weapon Apex Scavenger or the Dust studies class and departing for the parking lot adjacent to the main body of the campus.
It was high time she began repairing Clunker, her jetbike that had been damaged in the journey across the barren wastelands that separated Menagerie's settlements.
Which was how Regalia came to be in said garage surrounded by sheets that were now oil-stained and strewn with damaged parts that had been removed, the largest of which was a dented and torn curved sheet of metal that formed part of the vehicles' lightly armoured exterior whilst Regalia herself leaned into the mechanical innards of the unique and specially made jetbike with her goggles lowered over her eyes and tools in hand working diligently until a crackling spark and a plume of black, stinking smoke came gushing from the damaged portion of Clunker as the Faunus pulled herself clear with her nose wrinkled in disgust at the smell and wiping at her face with the back of a dirtied hand, leaving her brown skin smudged. Lifting her goggles she stared down at the prize she had retreated with, another damaged component; this one likely the source of much of the problems and clearly ruined beyond repair.
"Aww nuts" she sighed upon realising that finding an exact replacement for the component would be unlikely considering the countless different sources she had acquired parts from to build Clunker in the first place.
"Oh that's not gonna be cheap to fix….still I think I've got a spare bracket that size" the assessment of the mangled piece of machinery she held came from a distinctly nasal voice with a subdued Vaccuan twang that could only have belonged to Laser Greenback and Regalia turned just in time to catch a metallic bracket with nuts and bolts already in place that was plucked from a hidden pocket and tossed to her, noting that it was indeed the correct size to attach a replacement part when she eventually found one before turning her attention towards Laser and the towering form of Ursinia Red beside him, the Scorpion Faunus using the tail to tip her hat in recognition.
"Hey, thanks" Regalia managed to mumble out weakly
"You didn't catch up and Astra was wondering where you were so we offered to come and look" Ursinia explained
"You didn't answer your Scroll so we were gonna check the mess hall in case you got there after we left and were waiting for us to come back, I kinda had to make a strategic exit though on account of some people who don't know I borrowed their stuff being around then while we were taking a detour I remembered the jetbike that you nearly hit Wolfram with was kinda beat up….oh and that was classic by the way, he's not even mad at it any more" Laser added, words falling from his mouth and his body language lively and animated as his chatted as though the two of them were friends although as she took in the wiry and shifty boys' words only two things stood out to her
"You didn't steal this did you?" she gestured to the small, easily replaceable bracket that Laser had thrown to her before adding "I don't use stolen parts, it's bad karma" Laser seemed taken aback at that, head cocking in an exaggerated display as the heard Regalia's accent, something distantly related to his own and shrugged
"Didn't expect to hear someone quoting the old codes here of all places" he laughed "Nah, pretty sure that was part of a trade I made for parts a while back and never needed"
"Okay" Regalia nodded before taking a moment to prepare herself and ask a question she wasn't entirely sure she wanted an answer to "Was Astra really wondering about me or are you just saying that to make me feel better?"
"Of course they were, now why on Remnant would you go and say something like that?" Ursinia asked in confusion "Did you two have a fight?"
"No" Regalia grumbled "But since Athena-Jade decided she wants to fight and argue with Astra they've decided that the whole team isn't worth the work"
"Oh darlin' you heard all that?" Ursinia mouthed out quietly, country drawl reduced to a gasp as she was suddenly put in the awkward position of wanting to console someone who was visibly upset but also not wishing to speak for someone else, eventually she simply rested a hand on Regalia's shoulder and adopted a slightly firmer, yet warm tone
"Now I'm sure they didn't mean anything by it, they're just having a rough time is all; I'm darn sure they appreciate having you in their corner….In fact come on, we'll go talk to 'em right now"
"Let's get these parts cleaned away first" Laser noted pointedly "You can't just leave good parts lying around, there's people like me here"
"Gosh darn it you're insufferable" Ursinia sighed
"Then don't suffer, enjoy me for the treasure that I am"
"Varmint it won't be because you're a treasure when you get yourself buried" the retort drew a mocking faux gasp from Laser and Regalia couldn't help but laugh at the rapport between them as Laser waggled an eyebrow, the two of them had been team-mates for only two days and had already established something that felt as though it might be a comedy double act with how different the hulking, rural Faunus and the human teen who clearly hailed from some crime-ridden cesspit of a city evidently were.
As the three of them began securing and cleaning the various parts of Regalia's jetbike, the Racoon Faunus allowing Laser to help himself to any of the damaged components he thought he could repurpose the Racoon Faunus realised that it was this kind of ready and easy friendship that she had been looking for.
Whilst Ursinia and Laser had departed to search for Regalia Astra had made themselves comfortable alongside Wolfram in Team WULF's dormitory and periodically attempted to call their partner only to once again go unanswered and they began to suspect that the Racoon Faunus had left her scroll behind somewhere.
The two team leaders were currently alone as Diabla had left the dormitory shortly after the rest of the dormitories' inhabitants, spending the first few hours after returning from the mess hall reading ahead in one of her textbooks before taking a gym bag and declaring that she wanted to work out for a few hours and would probably not be back until late that evening, her departure being a brief topic of conversation between Astra and Wolfram as it struck them both as odd though the latter was forced to conclude that as difficult as his team-mate could be her drive and dedication were impressive, indeed she seemingly had devoted every fibre of her being not dedicated towards her odd anger towards Athena-Jade Slate to becoming the most capable Huntress she could possibly be.
That conversation had quickly moved onto other subjects however and from there the two team leaders had both attempted to follow Diabla's example and make read ahead so that their lessons for the rest of the week might not tax them so thoroughly or catch them off guard, neither of them had the requisite self-discipline after such a mentally draining day however and currently the television was going unheard as the news broadcast moved on from the subject of the latest string of regrettable but not unprecedented disappearances between the settlements of Menagerie, the story drowned out by the sound of screamed vocals, rapid drums and the kind of guitar solo that seemed to require multiple pairs of hands
"This is awesome!" Wolfram raised his voice a little to be heard, clearly appreciative "Who did you say these guys were?"
"Kraken-Force" Astra answered "My half brothers' adopted sister got me into them, says this song is basically the unofficial theme song for Hunters everywhere"
"She sounds pretty bad ass"
"Oh you have no idea" the Deer Faunus chuckled darkly, unable to keep a slight note of awe from their voice at the mere mention of Atlesian Specialist Corvid Xiao Long who had left a distinct impression on them in the relatively few times they had met. Wolfram looked as though he wanted to question that information and though Astra would happily have talked with him for hours they caught the way his steely grey eyes narrowed and peered over Astra's shoulder, prompting the Deer Faunus to turn and catch sight of the dormitory door opening revealing Laser and a mildly disgruntled looking Ursinia flanking Regalia
"Partner have a little bit of common courtesy and common sense why don't ya and turn that music down?" she delivered the words in a tone that was far too sweet to be trusted and tapped her foot expectantly causing Wolfram to bristle at the notion of being given instructions in his own space before he forced himself to remember that he shared this dormitory and that there were other students living on all sides at which point he did as Ursinia had told rather than asked, as this was happening Astra paid a minimal amount of attention to the way Laser grinned at that sight of his fierce and relentless team leader being brought to heel before focusing on Regalia who shuffled nervously and wrung her hands with her bushy tail erect behind her in what the Deer Faunus was beginning to recognise as a sign of discomfort or agitation
"You good?" they asked and their partner took a moment to answer, Astra remaining silent and giving her time to choose her words and after a several seconds of chewing her lip and fidgeting in a display that made her seem far smaller than her chiselled and muscular form truly was she spoke.
"Why do you not like me?" she finally demanded, sensing that Astra was about to interrupt and powering onwards before they could "You didn't want to be partners in the canyon, you just wanted to use my Semblance to go and find Athena. You want to give up on Team MARZ after two days because she's angry that you got to be team leader instead of her….I just wanted to be your friend and I don't know what I did wrong, it's not fair Astra" the quiet that fell over Team WULF's dormitory was not a true silence as both music and the television could still be heard however it didn't need to be, the weight of the accusation and realising the undeniable truth of it left Astra sitting with their head hung low in shame.
"I'm sorry" they mumbled "I really don't know what else to say other than that-"
"Well that's a piss poor apology if you ask me" Ursinia snorted as moved her towering frame into her own bunk"
"Not your business Ursinia" Wolfram pointed out, clearly with no intention of having another teams' dirty laundry aired in his dormitory
"No she's right" Astra sighed, accepting that they at least owed their partner a proper explanation of behaviour that they now saw was unfair "I've known AJ since I was kid, I've got an older brother who was adopted so we didn't meet until he was way older and I'm sure you can all figure out who it is when I say he's on the same team of Hunters as AJ's brother"
"Woah" Laser murmured as he made the connection and realised just how well connected Astra truly was.
"Yeah" the Deer Faunus continued "So me and Athena are kinda distantly related, maybe….it gets confusing; so when we saw each other here we agreed we were gonna try and partner up and she told me she was trying to make the team leader spot and the thing is I told her that I was okay with that, that I would have followed her lead and now she pretty much hates my guts….I'm sorry I've been in my own head Regalia but I promise it was nothing against you, I'm just stuck in a situation I never asked for and I don't know what to do….honestly, I hate even saying this out loud but I feel like you're the only person on Team MARZ I can rely on and I've been taking it for granted"
Regalia listened and took the explanation in, nodding animatedly before replying
"I'm used to working as a team, I'm used to having to get along with people and I thought one of the best things about coming to Breaktide would be getting to meet some cool new people….it sucks about Athena but for what it's worth I think you're doing okay….just don't forget the rest of your team, partner?"
"You got it partner" Astra managed a weak laugh "And thanks for being so understanding"
"Heh, what're friends for" she gave a tired but bright smile, the idea that her newfound but fractured team might finally begin to heal and function as intended giving her too much hope to ignore no matter how much she might try to temper it with realism. As pleasant as the moment was however it soon came to an end as Wolfram interjected with a roll of his eyes and a playful but still biting tone
"Alright, alright we're all best buddies now but will you do something about that oil that you're dripping on the carpet before Laser tries suck it out and sell it"
"Gear oil or motor oil?" the wiry Vaccuan asked, clearly joking but being buffeted by pillows thrown in his direction all the same which consequently dissolved any remaining tension.
Athena-Jade had not waited for her team-mates after the last lesson of the day had ended, instead she had finished the aspect of the cleaning and decontamination work that Professor Chloris had instructed her to attend to the moment the final bell of the day rang and stalked away as fast as her short but powerful legs would carry her. From there she had returned only briefly to the dormitory to change, clean any remaining Dust residue from herself and collect her gym clothes, water bottle and a fresh towel which were still in a suitcase rather than her gym bag as she, like her team-mates was yet to properly unpack before departing for the campus gym where she intended to make up for the lack of any physically taxing classes by working her muscles until their burning forced her mind away from her other problems; she had after all vowed to herself that she would be the best she could be with or without her team and it was time to make a start.
She had spent several hours in the gym, first warming up and then pushing herself beyond what she usually attempted with various free weights and weight machines whilst all the while hearing her fathers' voice reprimanding her in the back of her mind for doing so without a spotter and allowing hasty decision made in anger to put her at risk of an entirely preventable accident; with limbs leaden and aching and breathing coming in short and ragged gasps whilst a sheen of sweat clung to her porcelain white skin the young Bear Faunus had finally relinquished the weights to a waiting older student however she had not been content with this and had moved onto a heavy punchbag, gathering a small crowd of vocally impressed observers as she unleashed one acrobatic flurry of spinning and some cases inverted punches, kick, knees and elbow strikes to her target.
Before Athena could enjoy this fact however she had spotted Diabla Fuego in the assembled crowd.
She had debated simply challenging her fellow First Year student to a sparring match there and then to settle whatever animosity Diabla had imagined existed between them before being forced to abandon the idea as the toned and fierce girl had started her own workout, after attempting to focus and train a while longer Athena finally abandoned the gym, Diabla's presence adding to the unwanted thoughts that distracted her despite her best efforts. Eventually she had made her way towards the rear of the campus where a sizeable outdoor training area had served as an adequate track to jog around before Athena began a final set of exercises that were partly a proper cool-down routine and partly an assortment of anything she felt like adding for good measure; it was in the midst of this routine, the sun finally setting over Port Alistair and replacing airless, choking heat of Menagerie with a sudden chill and bringing lights around the campus flickering into life that Athena-Jade realised that she was being watched.
"Okay who's there?" she demanded, round cheeks flushed with her exertion and voice weaker and more breathy than she would have liked as she dropped from the overhead railing that she had been using as a pull-up bar, words misting in front of her in the suddenly frigid evening air; her already troubled mind raced and keen Faunus senses strained, in Atlas such an intrusion would likely have come from the press who would have regretted their decision to pry in short order however the idea of reporters sneaking into the grounds of a Hunter academy unhindered was laughable, Athena wondered for a moment if Diabla had followed her and intended to finally explain the reason for her hostility or if it was Astra, the Deer Faunus deciding to take payback for the previous days' sparring match in a display of whatever violent streak had recently seen them spending a night in a jail cell.
It was none of these and Athena felt the aching tension in her shoulders and clenched fists subside, though not entirely as Zirconia stepped out a nearby shadow with such silent and fluid grace it was though part of the darkness had simply peeled away of its' own accord.
"What is it?" Athena growled, sapphire blue eyes narrowed as they bored into mismatched pink and orange, in truth she had no desire to argue with the partner but found the Grasshopper Faunus almost impossible to read and after everything that had happened since classes had begun it was easy for her to convince herself that combative defensiveness was the safest option.
"I knew you planned on training and when you weren't in the gym I assumed you'd be here….I brought you a sweatshirt, it gets colder than I expected at night"
"I'm from Atlas I don't get cold" Athena answered bluntly, pointedly ignoring the goosebumps beginning to cover her arms "So is this your idea of a peace offering and an apology?"
"I have nothing to apologise for" Zirconia's quiet, cultured and faintly rasping voice cut through whatever momentum the Bear Faunus had been hoping to build "I said what I needed to, nothing more"
"Whatever Hops" Athena muttered, finding it harder to cling with her anger as she took the proffered sweatshirt, a simple grey garment bearing the emblem of Breaktide Academy and felt the faintest pangs of guilt for her behaviour as another voice in the back of her mind, one that sounded very much like her adoptive sister noted that she had been acting like a child.
"I didn't come to fight, I came to tell you that Astra and Regalia are watching a movie with Team WULF and won't be returning to the dormitory for some time so you can come back without worrying-"
"I'm not scared of Astra!" the furious answer was echoing in the air faster than Athena could stop herself
"I never said-"
"Why do you care?" Athena spat angrily "Drop the whole 'too cool and mysterious for the rest of us' routine and just tell me what your deal is Zirconia, you don't think I should lead Team MARZ but you don't even want to be part of it anyway so why does it matter?"
"Because like you told me in the canyon" Zirconia rolled her mismatched eyes and Athena was forced to bite back her rage at the gesture "We're partners, this isn't negotiable and I would prefer it if my partner didn't freeze to death to prove a point to herself"
With that Zirconia turned and walked away, vanishing into the darkness without a trace.
"How does she make that look so damn cool" Athena muttered, musing aloud as she realised that once again her partner had delivered a decisive last word before departing, her mind lingered on Zirconia for a moment before her thoughts expanded outwards to the topic of their brief discussion and then the overall state of affairs she had found herself in.
Which left Athena wondering where exactly things had gone so wrong.
Even now she firmly believed that the title of team leader should have been hers and Astra's performance in their sparring match and overall leadership, such as it was of Team MARZ only reinforced that opinion and the Bear Faunus felt that it would be impossible to respect or accept the decision against her until she could understand it however such understanding would likely only come from a confrontation with Headmistress Adel, something that she had no intention of attempting; leaving Athena forced, in her mind at least to either swallow her pride and self respect or continue her path of effectively working alone and remaining a member of her team in name only.
Neither option appealed to her.
"Damn it" she sighed in utter defeat, a shiver that was not entirely caused by the cold passing through her as she did so and convincing her that it was perhaps time to retreat into the campus, though she was unsure if she would return to the dorm just yet.
Without thought she slipped on the sweatshirt that Zirconia had given her before making her way inside.
Author's Notes:
Oh the teenage angst and high-school drama is strong with this chapter, the urge to throw in an "And the prom's tomorrow" like somewhere was real.
I apologise if this felt like a filler chapter or if the pacing has felt a little wonky, this is first volume of the story and we won't be meeting the overarching villains of the first years arc until the end of it (Although I have been dropping little hints and teases) and this part of the story is meant to establish and contextualise the relationships between characters moving forward.
I promise we'll move out of this awkward stage in a couple more chapters though, they're still only on day two of class.
But anyway, let's summarise shall we?:
Astra's trying, they're trying so hard that they're taking cold showers on purpose.
I promise we will get to the truth about where Regalia is from this volume, everything about Zirconia might take a little longer to unpack.
Yang in Vol.7 showed that people with cybernetics in RWBY sleep with them still attached.
Yeah sleeping in a bed designed for humans when you have big old antlers or robotic bug legs is gonna be tricky to figure out.
Okay, in Athena-Jade's defence if classes start at nine and we live in the same building and you wake me up at seven and immediately start talking at me I'll be pissed as well, especially if I've been sleeping as little as she had.
This is actually the first time we've had a scene from Zirconia's point of view and it was tricky to figure out how much I could give away, I had to strike a balance between showing that there's a person under all of that brooding coolness and also keeping things close to my chest for reveals later.
What I did give away/imply is that her 'Guardian' (not parent) has the funding and connections to have Zirconia's legs examined by teams of experts and is very protective of her.
Regalia clearly isn't dumb, she just doesn't know how to study due to a lack of a classroom education.
AJ's still pissed at Astra and is giving Zirconia the cold shoulder.
I knew I wanted to cover how Zirconia sees the rest of Team MARZ here but funnily enough the analytical way she went about it actually added something to her own character, I think I unconsciously wrote the first hints of it in the canyon when Athena-Jade was getting angry with her but under all that aloof bad-ass demeanour Zirconia is kinda socially awkward and trying to figure out how to interact with people…..Just like every other member of this team, they're all awkward in their own ways.
As out of order as AJ is, she isn't exactly wrong in her assessment of her own abilities; she is good at this.
At this point I should just write down the class schedule for the First Years' so I've got it to refer to.
I'm adding a lot of Faunus to the background staff of Breaktide Academy.
As someone who's worked in factories and workshops, spilling oil on someone's stuff can either be a laugh or the start of a fight depending on the mood the person was already in.
Of course Laser tried to steal copper wiring.
I think a few of us have been in classes where we felt like Astra.
Of course Weiss Schnee's kids are gonna be top of the Dust class.
The fact that Chapter 01 was only a few days ago in universe and everything that's happened since has probably left Astra's head spinning.
Oof, they were ready to swallow their pride and ask for help and use that as the start of making amends….only for it to go wrong like that.
Okay Athena was definitely way out of pocket there, too far.
So Team WULF are secondary characters and I'm trying to make sure they don't steal the spotlight away from Team MARZ but I also do want to flesh them out over the first year arcs because of plans I have, besides showing what they're up to is a great way to transition between scenes.
Ursinia is a country girl, she's wrestled things bigger than Laser.
Diabla showing how ruthless she's willing to be whilst Wolfram shows off what they're leadership style is in contrast to Astra's.
Diabla realising that nobody was actually forcing her to hang around and she's been there voluntarily the whole time was funny in my head, mild platonic Tsundere moment.
"There's no good reason to be mixing maths with the alphabet" did she lie though?
Poor Regalia, she just wanted friends.
I dropped a couple more hints about Regalia's background, including that whilst she clearly lived on Menagerie before coming to Breaktide her accent is still pretty close to Vaccuan and she knows at least a version of the code of honour that Vaccuan thieves supposedly follow.
Of course Ursinia wants to try and fix things, that the part of her that manifested that Semblance of hers.
Also Ursinia and Laser just being an odd couple type comedy duo is conceptually brilliant.
Literally all Diabla does is study, train and sneer at the only other First Year from Atlas.
Disappearances between the settlements, the mission Felix mentioned Team FADE taking on last chapter….there's definitely things happening in the wider world.
Kraken-Force…..You all know exactly what I'm paying homage to and the guitar solo is exactly the one you think it is.
Shout-out to Corvid Xiao Long, long time fan of power metal, FADE: Legacy readers how're you feeling?
Y'know what Regalia's right and she's right to call Astra on their shit.
Astra didn't even have to name drop Team FADE for people to figure out that they're related to some very famous people.
Shout out to Wolfram and their total lack of emotional depth in that situation.
AJ gets a crowd because a) she's famous and b) Capoeira done well is a spectacle.
"Whatever animosity Diabla had imagined existed between them" there's that Upper Atlas arrogance.
Menagerie being colder than you'd think at night just makes sense.
Damn AJ, lack of sleep is making you paranoid.
Athena-Jade is really not in a good place and I think the fact that she unravels this quickly when a plan comes apart is a big part of why she isn't the leader of Team MARZ.
Well she took the sweatshirt and still thinks Zirconia is cool, so that's something.
Thank you to SumoSnipe and Funlander for their reviews on the last chapter.
Nope, she's just channelling the worst parts of Weiss and Gangrel….remember their first sparring match?
Hops is having a phase and making it work for her okay?
No real Creatures of Grimm were harmed in the making of this chapter, only nanobot/hard-light constructs used for training purposes.
As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.