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Chapter 08: Friendly Fire
For Team MARZ the fractious and faltering attempts to find any kind of cohesion that had marked their beginnings had gone on to largely set the tone for the remainder of the first week as students of Breaktide Academy.
Her conversation with Zirconia in the campus's outdoor training area had been brief yet it had felt poignant somehow and since then there had been a slight, but undeniable shift in Athena-Jade's behaviour. The Bear Faunus was by no means ready to accept defeat in regards to the leadership of Team MARZ, nor was she ready to make amends with Astra however her attitude had been markedly less belligerent during classes on Wednesday and Thursday, instead during lessons which along with those that the new students had already experienced had included a basic first-aid and medical training course taught in part by the academies' own medical staff when their presence was not required elsewhere and a Professor when it was, a class covering various aspects of survival in all environments which had been added to the curriculum by Headmistress Adel who had the sense to realise that many of her students hailed from cities and would struggle to fend off the Creatures of Grimm in their native habitat and even a class on law as Hunters both hailed from and operating in multiple Kingdoms whose laws did not always align with one another Athena-Jade had simply disregarded Astra entirely and instead focused on her studies to the exclusion of all else, continuing onwards in her efforts to be the best Huntress she could be and prove her abilities to herself and everyone else come what may.
Whilst outside of class Athena had avoided her team-mates with almost the same dedication for the last two days, spending time in the dormitory which even now remained undecorated solely when she needed to sleep and either training or exploring the campus largely alone. She had of course contacted her family, informing both her parents and siblings of roughly what had happened during and since the initiation though she had done so with as much faux cheer as she could muster and kept her own feelings regarding it to herself, certain that despite her convictions her parents would admonish her for her behaviour. Coral had naturally video-called her adoptive sister and urged Athena to introduce her new friends, pincers clacking in excitement as she did so yet Athena had managed to largely redirect her attentions with discussions about the Crab Faunus's own life in Atlas and the occasional brief, stilted interaction with Zirconia whom the Bear Faunus had noticed seemed to be practising with her violin, studying or simply brooding alone increasingly in sight of her which gave Athena the rather odd feeling of being approached hesitantly as one might a feral or stray animal.
Astra had made no such attempts to approach her and were her mind more functional at that moment Athena might have noted that she had no right to be surprised when the sound of the dormitory door slamming closed jolted her awake.
"Huh-wait-what?" the worlds left her in a slurred and incoherent jumble as she dragged herself out from beneath her covers and pulled herself into an upright but slouched position, rubbing bleary eyes as her mind and senses began to make sense of the fact that she was no longer asleep. Slowly she noted that there were metallic, yet light footsteps coming from the bathroom and whilst the air was humid and even more warm than the uncomfortable climate of Menagerie could account for the sound of the shower running was absent, which suggested that Zirconia would be leaving the bathroom in a matter of moments though there was no sign of Astra or Regalia anywhere, scanning the room she saw that their bags and belongs were also absent though before she could grumble about this fact to herself the bathroom door opened and Zirconia stepped into view from a cloud of steam which, likely due to the Grasshopper Faunus's own demeanour put Athena in mind of some silent ninja emerging after deploying a smoke bomb.
"Our first lesson is a double combat class, it would make sense to dress accordingly and change into our uniforms later" Zirconia noted quietly as she strode into view and Athena noted that her partner was indeed sporting the outfit she had been wearing when the two had first met, including the cape like scarf which covered the lower half of her face and made her mood and intentions even more difficult to guess at. After a moments' pause, brain still not truly cooperating Athena rose sluggishly from the bed and searched for own combat attire, the loose tank-top she slept in already pulled halfway over her head and revealing powerful back and shoulder muscles as spoke up, voicing a thought as soon as it occurred to her
"Did anyone try and wake me up or…." she trailed off
"I think Regalia did as soon as Astra woke us" Zirconia answered "You tired to say something and hid under the covers….do you not sleep well?" Athena hastily turned her attention elsewhere at that question and was quietly thankful that her partner had turned away from her as she undressed whilst making her way towards the shower, nightmares that had become more frequent than they had been for years had indeed continued to bother her every night since her arrival to Menagerie and she could only assume that her own mental state had played a large part in that condition however she had no intention of explaining that to Zirconia, the two of them may have exchanged a handful of words and avoided further arguments over the last few days but they were hardly close enough to exchange trauma and secrets so instead the shorter but muscular of the two Faunus focused on another part f the answer she had been given.
"Wait, you're telling me that Regalia tried to wake me because Astra specifically didn't, even though they woke everyone else?"
"That would seem to be the case" Zirconia rasped out, servos of her mechanical limbs whining almost inaudibly as she shifted her weight in preparation for Athena's inevitable furious outburst, seeing her partner brace herself in such a way however caused the Bear Faunus to pause for just long enough to take a single steadying breath before responding
"They're an ass-hole, it's not news" she scoffed with a small shrug before taking another step towards the bathroom and waiting shower whilst forcing herself to ignore the stinging sense of hurt and betrayal that had remained with her since Team MARZ's formation rising to the surface again, a feeling that Zirconia clearly believed tat Athena had no right to.
"You expected them to keep trying to help you forever, even when you've directly told them you don't want it? Everyone's patience has its' limits" Athena very nearly lost control of her temper there and then, the wooden bathroom door creaking ominously in her grasp until she forced her emotions under some sort of control as she had no intention of arguing with the person she realised with a pang of sadness was, despite how strained their relationship was the closest thing to a friend she had at Breaktide Academy
"Look I'm not gonna argue with you while I'm running late and I'm half naked" she gestured vaguely at the clothes she held in he folded arms which were currently covering her chest in lieu of a towel "But I'll say this, I might not have been the best team-mate….but this still proves I should have been leader; I wouldn't have given up so easily" the answer sounded half-hearted even to herself and Athena quickly stepped into the bathroom and closed the door behind her before Zirconia could retort with what the Bear Faunus expected to be one of her sporadic bursts of cuttingly accurate assessment, what came from the other side of the door was instead a sigh that managed to convey more emotion than much of the insectoid Faunus's speech before she spoke.
"I'll save you a seat in the mess hall" and with that Zirconia left, Athena stepped into the shower and tried to ignore the crushing weight of loneliness as she realised just how far she had alienated herself from her team-mates and fellow students.
The comfortable and spacious staff room of Breaktide Academy was filled with the usual buzz of activity and quiet conversation that tended to precede the days' lessons when Headmistress Coco Adel entered, flanked on either said by her team-mates whom she had gone on to share her life with, Deputy Headmistress Velvet Scarlatina and student counsellor Yatsuhashi Daichi.
"Look alive! And good morning" the second half of the greeting was delivered with a soft chuckle and was far more genuine than the commanding bark that she marched into the room issuing, earning a round of laughter and 'Good mornings' from the assembled veteran Hunters whom she would always struggle to consider as her employees. Those who lived within the campus's walls such as the remaining members of Team CFVY themselves and those who lived elsewhere within the city of Port Alistair alike had eaten breakfast with their own families though the daily meeting over coffee and perhaps a second, lighter helping of breakfast was a tradition amongst the faculty both for the morale it built and sense of community that it fostered as well as for practical reasons as it offered the staff to discuss any developments among either the student body or the island Kingdom of Menagerie at large in a more informal and relaxed setting than if an official staff meeting had been called to order; a discussion that Coco began with her usual directness
"So, first week of the new semester is almost over" she peered over the rim of her ubiquitous sunglasses and scanned her assembled staff "Do we have any issues that need to be discussed?"
"I'm a little concerned that the news about people going missing in the wasteland was on TV last night, had the families of the Hunters that were with them been informed?" a voice noted with no small amount of bitterness in it and Coco's turned swiftly towards the speaker, Ruby Rose herself whose scarred features were hard and remaining her silver eye filled with not anger, but a deep pain whilst her cybernetic eye rapidly shifted and adjusted even as were wife gently squeezed her hand beside her
"They had" it was Velvet who answered before Coco had chance "And none of us are happy Ruby, I know exactly how you're feeling….We came here, built these settlements and an academy and we still can't promise the people of Menagerie safety the moment they're outside of the walls, we should be better"
"The news will cause unrest" Penny noted quietly, the androids' mind racing as she analysed the situation with all the dispassionate pragmatism of the Atlesian military machine and all the heart-wrenching human emotion of the person she truly was "Not just for those peoples' families but for all of the settlements and it will draw the Grimm"
"I've already spoken with the councilman for Port Alistair and the cities' defences will be put on high alert, there hasn't been a full Council meeting but my word carries enough weight that the other major settlements will follow suit. The city will be protected"
"Which is good news considering this is the first year that one of our students hasn't caused a traffic accident in the first week" the glib and almost bored comment came from Reese Chloris and managed to instantly break through the undercurrent of tension that had been building like gathering storm clouds in the room, the Dust Professor was currently lounging between Arslan Altan and Nadir Shiko of Team ABRN whilst Bolin Hori was currently elsewhere, making final preparations before leading a team of third year students into the wasteland to perform reconnaissance on an area intended for a field trip for younger students. Team ABRN, similar to Coco, Velvet and Yatsuhashi were in a polyamorous relationship and it had been Coco's pleasure to offer all of them positions at her academy as well as inform them that there were no legal barriers to having such relationships acknowledged on Menagerie; the four veteran Hunters had gratefully accepted the offer and relocated from Mistral only a few years after their own child had graduated from Haven Academy.
"Never thought I'd see the day" Yatsuhashi noted, that the quiet behemoth of a man had chimed in being the final straw and sending a wave of laughter through the staffroom "How are our returning students doing?"
"Largely acceptable" Arslan noted, though a little tersely before adding "Some of them clearly haven't trained as they should have over the summer, though those that braved Vaccuo for the Vytal Tournament last year have certainly made adequate improvements; the teachers at Shade Academy are capable….though not to my standards"
"Nobody is up to your standards" Velvet noted with a snort, choosing not to mention that she herself had bested Arslan in single combat the first time they had faced one another in their own Vytal Tournament
"The kids are doing fine, they've all grown so much and all the new relationships that started while they were away and all the new crushes are adorable" Ruby chimed in with a gentle smile, her previous worries forgotten for the moment "Were we all that innocent and awkward once?"
"Yes" Coco stated bluntly, giving Ruby and Penny a pointed look that the legendary Huntress could admit her fifteen year old self would have buckled under "What about the new students, how're they settling in?"
"Mostly okay from what I can tell" it was Reese Chloris who spoke again, her voice more thoughtful now
"Mostly?" Coco asked, bracing herself for the worst as she kept what Velvet had told her about a certain new team in mind, her worries being all but confirmed when Reese gave a look that was both apologetic and imploring to Ruby, silently beseeching the Grimm Studies Professor to speak on her behalf.
"There're some worries about Team MARZ" Ruby, taking a moment to choose her words carefully before pressing on "Individually they're all more than capable and on paper should make a solid team….the problem is, well there's no way around it they just don't seem to mesh-"
"I think it's a little more that one of them doesn't want to mesh-" Reese noted only to fall silent under the look Ruby gave her
"Ah" Coco breathed out, nodding in understanding "And that's why you haven't involved yourself"
"I can't get involved in an argument with Weiss's daughter and Yang's star student and pretend to be fair and objective, it's gonna look biased whatever I do"
"I understand" Coco nodded again "But at the same time I'm not Ozpin, I'm not going to leave a struggling team leader to fend for themselves and hope for the best; things like this need to be addressed early on before they can become the kind of problem that gets people killed. Yatsu-"
"I have some free slots this weekend" the student counsellor nodded "I'll make myself available to any member of Team MARZ you think needs my services"
"Thank you" the headmistress breathed out, aware that she was now addressing her team-mate and life partner in a way that was much more fitting of a professional role and still unsure if she liked that change in herself "Team MARZ and Team WULF brought down a Cankerlotl during their initiation, they surprised all of us….they shouldn't have taken a step backwards like this"
"Well their first lesson today is a double period with me" Arslan spoke up, her voice low and almost menacing as her eyes flashed; were Reese not sprawled half way across her lap she would have made a truly frightening figure.
"Tradition does demand that we save something especially educational for the end of the first week to remind our First Years of how much they have to learn" she continued "Perhaps I can force Team MARZ to remember the teamwork that got them where they are" with that Arslan rose to her feet, keeping a stoic mask in place as she pretended not to see the way that many of her colleagues winced and shuddered, especially those like Ruby Rose who had been called upon at the end of their own first week as as student to be the victim of a traditional and entirely sanctioned hazing ritual of sorts.
Whether or not it was the intended lesson the First Year students were about to learn something valuable.
Despite her relatively late start to the morning Athena-Jade, along with Zirconia had managed to make it to their first lesson of the day on time; a feat that had been helped by the fact that Professor Altan had left a note on the entrance to her colosseum like lecture hall that had instructed her students to make their way to the larger and more open training area towards the rear of the campus which the Bear Faunus already knew the way to by virtue of having worked out their alone only days ago. Whilst making their way towards the rear of the Academies' sizeable grounds, morning sun beating down on them from the moment they stepped outside of the main building Athena and Zirconia had found Astra and Regalia and the four members of Team MARZ had taken seats the ascending stands of the outdoor arena together, Athena had for the moment at least chosen to put a halt to her sniping and undermining of her supposed leaders' authority meaning that, whilst the atmosphere between them was far from pleasant or welcoming there were at least no open hostilities and instead Team MARZ collectively gazed down at the centre of the slightly raised, tournament sized ring as Professor Altan strode into view; each of them certain that something important was about to happen.
Professor Arslan Altan stared up at them in turn and a tight smirk crossed her features.
"Good morning students!" she called out, not truly expecting them to call back to her as a group of younger children might but being pleasantly surprised when a few of them did; her expression remained one that any sensible person subjected to it would find outright menacing as she strode into the centre of the large, circular and currently flat arena in slow and deliberate steps; Arslan silently typed a series of commands into a tablet as she walked, bringing the caches of nanobots and other similarly useful features of the arena whirring into life as she did so but not deploying them yet, waiting instead for the perfect moment to reveal them.
"This is the end of your first week as students at Breaktide Academy and your performance thus far has been….acceptable" she continued, voice still booming to ensure that every word was heard and features still pulled into a smirk "There is a tradition amongst the academies however, one intended to humble incoming students and ensure that the victories of your initiation don't lead to a degree of overconfidence that will cause disaster. Headmistress Adel is an alumni of Beacon Academy and at Beacon it was custom for the first week of the year to conclude with single combat between members of a First Year team and an older team in turn to show how much you still have to learn….I am not an alumni of Beacon, I was trained at the Haven Academy of Mistral and I believe I can provide something much more entertaining"
With that Arslan stepped forwards and activated activated the training arena.
The ground narrowly avoided her yet the Combat Instructor made it appear utterly effortless as the floor rose up behind her in a series of concentric circular levels that formed a tower which rose to roughly the same height as the uppermost point of the raised rows of seats, the lowest levels were wide enough that combatants would be able to engage one another without difficult and though the lip of each step was at roughly chest height any of the students would likely be able to leap onto each consecutive level without trouble however as they reached the summit of the newly formed tower they would likely find themselves struggling for balance, especially as streams of nanobots swarmed over the pristine surfaces of the tower to form an almost entirely randomised network of slopes, overhangs and jutting yet likely treacherous handholds. Each of the First Year students watched this development unfold with a sense of surprise that slowly gave way to roiling, tension and dread as a single red flag emerged from the uppermost layer of the tower and fluttered in the breeze, giving the students a vague idea of what was about to be demanded of them.
Professor Altan's twisted smile only widened as she continued with her scripted revelations
"Helping me educate you today will be former Vytal Tournament competitors and members of second year Team BASL!" at her cue a pair of figures emerged, slipping out the shadowy reccesses of the circular arena and drawing close to Professor Altan until they flanked her; exuding quiet confidence and an Aura of utter control as they peered up at the younger students
"These are Basil Underbrush" Arslan gestured to the student at her right, a young man in his late teens with a build and height that could best be described as above average in all respects, a Fox Faunus with a bushy tail whose colouration was matched perfectly by the coppery hair that was cut shorn at the sides with a combed over parting and fair skin that the Menagerie sun had covered with prominent freckles. Basil wore creamy white slacks and a matching shirt complemented by well polished shoes an ornate belt and holster which gave no hint at the design of the weapon within; over his shirt was a forest green tie worn loosely and a smoking jacket with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows as if the wearer had already assessed exactly how much effort the task before them would take and prepared accordingly.
"And his partner Sooty Blackpool" Professor Altan gestured to the second student, shorter perhaps a little more stocky and more tanned than their partner Sooty Blackpool had immaculately styled wavy blonde hair and dark eyes with a single black-tipped and bear-like ear peeked from beneath both her hair and the hat they wore. The Bear Faunus was clad in outfit that could only be described as resembling some sort of stage magician yet geared for combat, a black top hat managing too not look out of place when combined with a sleeveless black tailcoat, grey shirt with a red bow tie around their neck whilst their glossy black leggings were complemented with a black skirt with red and white detailing and stylish and heavy black thigh-high boots whilst their weapon was collapsed and concealed across their back. The two Second Year students gazed up at the first years and Sooty tipped their hat whilst Basil winked with a dazzling green eye before the two of them turned and began to scale the tower that the arena had become, taking up positions as Professor Altan addressed her class once again.
"As I'm sure that you are intelligent enough to guess the objective of this test is to capture the flag that is being defended by the Second Years, it will be a team of four against the two of them simply to make it sporting and give the First Year team something of a chance" Arslan paused and even without the gift of Faunus senses she could hear the dull drone of muttering between the students as they processed exactly what she had said, some of them being understandably insulted by the perceived slight on their abilities whilst others were visibly tense and calculating the probability of their success should they be called upon.
"The key to this exercise is teamwork" Arslan's voice cut through the chatter once again "There will be no victory in attempting to seek glory alone and anything other than a concerted and cooperative effort will end in failure, am I understood? Good, with that being said our first team to attempt the challenge will be….Team MARZ!"
"Hey, don't worry about this; you've got it" Wolfram's voice cut into the dull, buzzing haze that Astra's thoughts had become as panicked cynicism and attempts to form a strategy chased one another and collided within their mind at a dizzying pace. Team MARZ had made their way downwards through the stands and were on the verge of reaching the ground and the arena when the interruption had come, Astra pausing for a moment with Regalia beside them and Athena-Jade and Zirconia behind them as the Deer Faunus turned to face their fellow team leader who, along with the rest of Team WULF had taken seats towards the front of the colosseum like seating in order to see the imminent action up close, managing a weak smile that never quite reached their sea-green eyes in response to the confidence that Wolfram showed in them only for an annoyed huff from behind them to intrude upon the moment
"Will you focus on the job for two minutes instead of-"
"AJ just shut up for once" Astra snapped icily, voice firm despite the fact it was not raised and the pair locked eyes with their partners both awkwardly preparing to intervene if the situation called for it whilst painfully aware of the eyes of not only their classmates but Professor Altan on them; Astra for their part had grown tired of attempting to appeal to Athena's better nature especially in a situation such as this, the most challenging task they had faced since the initiation itself and possibly an even greater opponent than the Cankerlotl. Team MARZ took a few more steps forward as Astra led them, popping his collar and deploying Buckshot Ares whilst at the same time, in a display of cunning using the sound of shifting mechanisms to keep their opponents whose hearing was likely as keen as their own from hearing.
"These guys were in last years' tournament but I can't remember their match, I don't suppose anyone remembers their weapons or Semblances?"
"I didn't see it" Regalia admitted
"Neither did I" Zirconia murmured from behind her cape
"I think I caught the end of it, they went out in the doubles….I don't think I saw either of their Semblances" Athena ground out, clearly annoyed at what she saw as a failing on her part and attempting to correct it "It's fine, I've got this. Those steps aren't gonna be a problem for me, just give me cover fire and I'll glyph my way to the top-"
"Too obvious, they'll see it coming….Everyone knows the Schnee family Semblance" Astra countered with a shake of the head
"Got any better ideas or are we just standing here like idiots?" Athena answered, visibly bristling
"I can look for a way around them" Regalia offered, tapping at the side of her head to indicate the use of her Semblance
"Teamwork is important" Zirconia noted quietly "That's why Professor Altan chose us….she's making an example"
"Exactly" Astra sighed, having come to the same conclusion on the way towards the arena
"Well do we have a better idea or are we just standing here?" Athena snarled, anger only growing more intense as Astra held up a hand to silence her.
"I'm working on it….Teamwork is gonna be important for them as well and we outnumber them" they mused quietly, brow furrowing as they tried to come up with a plan that equalled what they had managed during their initiation only to give way to a small smile as the way forward occurred to them
"Okay what we're gonna do is keep on their toes and keep redirecting their attention, force them to split up and take their eyes off of that flag" Astra began "They'll probably expect us to work as partners so here's what I'm thinking, AJ you and Regalia take one side and Zirconia and I take the other; AJ you're famous and they know at least some of what you can do so they're gonna hone in on you first so go on the defensive but keep pushing forwards-"
"And then you go for the other side and win" Athena surmised
"No, then Zirconia hops up the tower while I give her cover fire" Astra countered, too excited by their own plan to truly care about the biting tone of the interruption "And then, when they think that they know what our plan is and focus on the two of us you and Regalia go for the flag, between your glyphs, Regalia's Semblance and harpoon we should be able to split their focus more than they can react to….AJ look I get that you want to be the one leading this, but I need you to work with me here" the way the Deer Faunus's tone dropped to something quiet, desperate and almost pleading stopped any argument that Athena might have had and the Bear Faunus looked at the leader of Team MARZ as if seeing them for the first time, turning every aspect of the plan over in her mind and realising that this was what had impressed the Headmistress, Astra's ability to plan and use the skills of everyone around them to spectacular effect despite having no Semblance of their own; slowly and awkwardly Athena rubbed the back of her head, undercut hair bristling against her palm as she nodded
"Okay, let's do this.
"We won't let you down Astra" Regalia beamed, bushy tail conveying her sudden eagerness as the Racoon Faunus lowered her goggles and readied Apex Scavenger in its' close combat form. Zirconia merely gave a silent nod of agreement and Team MARZ finally stepped into the arena, Athena-Jade readying Mould-Breaker in its' hammer form and Zirconia pulling Sunriser Cain from its' holster. Professor Arslan Altan regarded them as they reached her on the ground, the lowest step of the concentric tower at her back and each of Team MARZ gave a brief glance up at the students who would be their opponents before meeting her stern gaze, forcing their shared sense of sudden determination to not gutter out like a flickering candle as they did so.
"I take it you're ready?" she asked, the faintest hint of amusement in her tone
"Yeah, sorry for the wait" Astra shrugged as though this were nothing of consequence, adjusting their bright red leather jacket before adding "Just wanted to have a plan before we started so we're not rushing in blind"
"Understandable and commendable, you may begin on my signal" Professor Altan nodded before striding away from Team MARZ and towards the outer edge of the arena where she engaged an entirely transparent hard-light forcefield that flickered and rippled into life to prevent any stray shots from ripping into the rest of the First Year students in the stands.
"BEGIN!" with the order given Team MARZ leapt into motion.
Astra was sprinting to the right and leaping onto the first of the ascending layers of the tower in an instant, aiming to slip out of sight so that the members of Team BASL were forced to split up in order to defend their objective as they rushed onwards and quickly scrabbled up onto the next, slightly narrower but still manageable level a rush of movement overhead alerted them to Zirconia who had used the impressive strength of her mechanical and insectoid legs to simply launch herself skywards and get ahead of Astra in a single arcing bound.
"Okay that's impressive" the Deer Faunus breathed out as they took the Grasshopper Faunus's proffered hand and was pulled up onto yet another ascending layer of the tower, before a response could be given the sound of combat and weapons firing reached their ears and it became clear that Athena-Jade and Regalia were fighting someone, Zirconia's body language gave the faintest of hints at her intentions before she spoke; shoulders tensing and stance shifting subtly conveying what her hidden face would not
"Should we continue the plan?"
"AJ knows what she's doing" Astra answered, understanding their most taciturn team-mates' concern for her partner "Besides, she's got Regalia with her….we keep to the plan but be ready to split up if the situation-"
"NO NEED KIDS!" the declaration came with an explosion of light and a shock-wave of air being forced outwards as Sooty Blackpool appeared between them, sending them both staggering as a shower of ephemeral embers fell about the Bear Faunus who tipped their top-hat in a comically overblown greeting like confetti made of pure Aura, revealing that their appearance was the work of a particularly gaudy teleportation Semblance.
"Okay this changes things slightly" Astra admitted "But not enough to matter" they added with a feral grin before deploying the blades of their arm-mounted weapons and hoping that Zirconia would understand their unspoken signal to charge; fortunately she did so, shifting Sunriser Cain into its' melee configuration as she went and Sooty Blackpool was forced to draw their own weapon to defend against half of Team MARZ, said weapon being a midnight black quarter staff with brilliant white tips which gave it the appearance of being some stage magicians' wand, albeit far larger and as the blonde Faunus twirled the weapons portions of its' white tips folded away to reveal rotating Dust chambers not unlike those of Zirconia's weapon.
'Fire! Lighting!' Sunriser Cain announced as the roguish insectoid fell upon her opponent with a downward slash, blazing flames wreathed with crackling arcs of electricity following in the wake of her movement only for the blow to be halted by the shaft of Sooty's staff
"And I thought magic words would have been too much" the Bear Faunus chuckled and Astra thought they saw they faintest flicker of anger on Zirconia's face as they drew close and prepared to launch an attack from Sooty's blind spot; in the Mohawk-sporting teens' mind it would be a beautiful strike, a leaping spinning heel kick to the skull followed by a slash to the legs with one half of Buckshot Ares and then a strike to face with the flat side of the other.
Sooty reacted before any of this could happen.
The Second Year student showcased their experience with ruthless efficiency, first clutching their weapon in one hand before striking Zirconia firmly in the face with the other then taking their weapon and driving one of its' flat ends into her thigh, a little way above the knee and activating Dust crystals in both ends of the staff, Gravity Dust threw the already staggered Grasshopper Faunus to the ground and almost over the lip of the layer of the tower the three of them fought on whilst at the same time adding momentum to the blow as Sooty swung the other end of the weapon, which now flashed and spat with cyan bolts of power into Astra's gut as they threw their kick. Winded and struggling to regain their balance and momentum Astra was aware that Sooty had teleported again, now standing behind them and to the left the Bear Faunus prepared to bring their weapon down onto the back of Astra's head like a club and rather than turn and attempt to block with their antlers in a show of open defiance Astra simply leapt and rolled aside.
Which was proven to be the correct choice as gunfire filled the air.
"Go, take the flag!" Zirconia's voice rasped and cracked with the force of her yell as she aimed her absurdly long-barrelled pistol and unleashed a barrage of shots at Sooty who in turn left both of their opponents stunned by their ability to simply deflect each Dust powered bullet in turn with a staff that had become an indistinct blur of darkness with its' speed. Astra considered for a moment before deciding that they would not leave a team-mate behind and slammed their forearms together in front of their face and torso, Buckshot Ares shifting into their sleek shield forms with the hard-light emitters in their centres activating as they charged; turning the leader of Team MARZ into a living battering ram.
Sooty teleported again.
"GET DOWN!" Astra bellowed to Zirconia, anticipating the older Faunus's move and planning ahead. The moment Sooty appeared behind where the Grasshopper Faunus had stood, clearly intending to deliver a punishing blow to the spine they were once again engulfed in a barrage of gunfire, though this time it was from the twin mini-guns slung under Astra's forearms and even though Sooty's rippling Aura ultimately held firm Astra allowed themselves a small measure of smug pleasure as the top hat was blown from their opponents head.
Sooty responded to the indignity with overwhelming force
"Be careful" Zirconia warned as the blonde Faunus vanished in a burst of fading embers of light once again; Astra's guns fell silent and she placed herself ahead of them, the two facing back to back in an effort to fend off the inevitable attack wherever it came from which was swiftly proven fruitless as Sooty appeared first behind Astra to sweep at their legs and then drive an Ice-Dust imbued tip of their staff into Zirconia's hand to both block her incoming strike and also freeze her hand to the edge of the wall formed by the step up to the next level of the tower.
"Hey! Exit stage left ass-hole!" Astra's frantic yell was enough to distract Sooty from delivering a follow-up blow to the pinned Zirconia and instead they met the Deer Faunus's charge with one of their own which fundamentally overpowered them, Astra was reduced to simply retreating until their back was against a curved wall and using their shields to block as much of the onslaught that came from all angles as they could and lash out with their blades or a daring spinning kick whenever they sensed an opening. Eventually Astra's defences were overwhelmed and they hit the ground with a thud as their legs were swept from under them; Sooty planting their Dust staff against the younger students' chest and preparing to freeze Astra to the ground even as they clutched they weapon and struggled
"Y'know, all this is for show right?" the older student noted, a warmer and more gentle expression than those Astra and Zirconia had been treated to thus far on their face "It's just training and for what it's worth you did better than we expected….But now I'm gonna go help Basil finish this off and take out your friends-"
"No you're not" Zirconia's voice was ragged with the effort it took her rip her arm and weapon free off the ice it had been trapped in with a single, painful movement before staring down Sooty Blackpool with mismatched eyes that blazed with hitherto unseen intensity that was only added to by the sight of her hair, a tied back mass of raven black spikes and a curtain that fell over one eye streaming dramatically in the breeze
"You haven't beaten us yet"
"Pretty sure I have but okay I'll humour you" Sooty answered, managing to seem utterly unflappable.
"Your Semblance needs line of sight to work" Zirconia stated flatly and Astra, even as they continued to struggle against Sooty's weapon managed to be impressed at his team-mates' deduction as Sooty's sudden tension made it clear that she was correct, which Astra quickly realised meant that they needed to act fast
"Zirconia whatever you're gonna do, do it now!" they called out as they gripped Sooty's weapon with one hand and reached up to seize their wrist with the other, hopefully holding them in place, thus encouraged Zirconia herself spoke to Astra directly
"I didn't use it in the canyon as the Cankerlotl was too large and there were too many of us, but this is my Semblance" with that she shifted her weight and visibly braced herself; Astra watched as the pink and orange of his most reclusive team-mates' eyes didn't so much fade away as it was consumed by a total darkness whilst at the same time the temperature began to drop around the three combatant, air swirling rapidly as it took an a biting chill that was entirely out of place in the late summer morning; the swirling winds began to howl as they picked up speed until finally reality itself seemed to crack and tear at the seams with darkness leaking out to surround Zirconia, Astra and Sooty alike in a dome of pitch darkness barely more than a dozen feet across.
And then there was silence.
"You won't be able to teleport out of this and you don't have room to manoeuvrer in a space this small" Zirconia declared, voice strained by the toll that maintaining her Semblance was currently taking on her, Astra managed to use their opponents' momentary distraction to throw them aside and leap to their feet
"Stay on the defensive, I've got this" they murmured to their team-mate; realising that the task of besting Sooty Blackpool would fall to them alone and noting, with no small amount of pride in their own abilities that now that it was a more fair fight it was not an impossible proposition. Sooty for their part simply stared, mouth agape at the impassible veil of darkness that had surrounded them, straining their keen Faunus senses in an effort to see, hear or smell anything of the outside world but finding themselves unable and eventually turning to face Zirconia wearing an expression of total loss as they uttered the only words they could think of
"Kid what the fuck?"
Athena-Jade and Regalia had initially made rapid progress and scaled several layers of the tower in a matter of moments as the ivory haired Faunus used her glyphs to propel both herself and Regalia upwards at an impressive velocity, reasoning to herself that if Astra's admittedly passable plan was to rely on feints then those feints should at least be convincing. Their ascent had soon been halted however and the pair had been sent crashing to the ground, with Athena slipping down a nanobot-made slope onto a different level of the tower to Regalia as both of her active glyphs had been shattered in the same instant with well placed gunshots when Basil Underbrush entered the fray.
Athena was forced to admit that the Fox Faunus was a devastatingly capable marksman.
"Okay look it was this or a history class…..and I'm starting to think history would have been more fun" Basil chuckled as Regalia's latest attempt to scale the tower was halted, the Fox Faunus aiming one of his weapons; a pair of heavy and cumbersome yet ornate pistols with curved axe blades resting beneath their magazines and for some reason the word 'Boom' engraved into each of their barrels at the overhand that the Raccoon Faunus had clambered onto and blasting it apart in a shower of disintegrating metallic slivers. Regalia toppled backwards and fell down several levels of the tower in a series of thumping, rolling impacts before finally using the pickaxe blade of Apex Scavenger to bring herself to a halt and seeing this Athena-Jade rushed into battle, leaping up onto the layer of the tower intent on either defeating Basil or at least keeping him at bay long enough for Regalia to recover.
"Well now it's fun!" the coppery haired Fox Faunus exclaimed with a laugh as Athena hoisted herself upwards with the use of a glyph and carried her momentum into a low spinning sweep that Basil simply back-flipped over, with Mould-Breaker in hand in its' hammer form the younger, smaller and less experienced Faunus followed her attack up by springing to her feet and in the same motion launching herself at Basil again first with one of the leaping, cartwheeling kicks she often favoured and then with a flying knee aimed squarely at her opponents' chest before finally swinging Mould-Breaker at his skull; the head of the weapon blurring into nothingness as the Dust based propulsion system it sported was activated. Basil managed to avoid each of these attacks in turn and Mould Breaker tore into the surface of the nearest wall formed by a step onto the next level of the tower in a shower of rubble and twisted metal though it was a narrow thing and Athena couldn't help but smirk at the brief look of panic on her opponents' face.
"Is it still fun?" she demanded, only for Basil to reveal just how unearned her confidence was by first leaping onto the shaft of Mould-Breaker and delivering a vicious kick to Athena's face that sent her reeling before somersaulting forwards and twirling his pistols in his hands to bring the axe blades fitted to them crashing down onto Athena's hands and leave Aura flickering in his wake as she tried to retrieve the weapon she had been forced to drop. From there Basil delivered a spinning kick that pushed Athena-Jade backwards though whilst the Bear Faunus was unarmed she was far from beaten and prepared to charge again only to be halted as Basil aimed at fired both pistols at her chest
"Boom" the word was delivered with a taunting edge and Athena was flung backwards, the Dust round living her Aura flickering around her entire body and smashing the air from her lungs as she came rolling to a stop; experienced with Dust as she was she couldn't think of any concoction that would have had such devastating results with a single shot and quickly realised that the Fox Faunus must have possessed a Semblance which amplified the effects in some way. Scowling, breathless and with every muscle in her body screaming in protest she forced herself to her feet once more, throwing up a glyph on instinct alone only for it to explode into fragment a moment later, a second glyph meeting the same fate as Basil strode towards her with his pistols barking and a look of utter unconcerned calm on his face. Athena struggled to think of a way out of her current predicament, there was room to fight but her own preferred styles both with and without her weapon were not suited to this terrain and as tempting as the idea was she knew that realistically an all out assault and heroic charge would only see her thrown over the side of the tower and defeated.
Then Regalia reminded both combatants of her presence as she rejoined the battle.
"COME ON AND SLAM, WELCOME TO THE JAM" the Racoon Faunus called out, leaving both Athena and Basil utterly nonplussed until the harpoon of Apex Scavenger ensnared Basil's ankle and dragged them over the side of the tower level he had been stood on, directly into the grasp of Regalia herself who had used a small nanobot-made wall below to leap upwards and drive her forearm into her opponents' throat. Athena watched as Basil attempted to regain their footing and was left staring in amazement as the Fox Faunus's attempt to hack at Regalia's face was countered by the Racoon Faunus weaving under the attack, wrapping her arms around his waist and completely foregoing her weapon in favour of performing a wrestling move on him.
"But of all the movies to-" the Bear Faunus's bemused mutterings were cut off by Regalia herself calling up to her
"GO, GET THE FLAG!" Athena immediately focused and sprinted to retrieve Mould-Breaker before using a series of glyphs as springboards to launch herself several dozen feet in a matter of seconds, finding her footing on a much higher level of the tower and halting as a thought occurred to her; whatever had happened to Astra's plan there had been no word from either them or Zirconia yet their own opponent had not made an appearance and so the Bear Faunus prowled around the edge of the tower, weapon at the ready as she searched for any sign of the rest of team MARZ; hoping silently that Regalia could keep Basil contained or at least distracted for a few moments longer.
And then she saw it.
A midnight black dome or half-sphere perhaps a few dozen feet across whose surface whirled and writhed like windswept water yet met made no sound, a completely impassible thing that her keen Faunus senses could not penetrate. Athena didn't know for certain what the thing was but it seemed almost certain that it was the work of some Semblance, likely intended to trap or act as a shield and she considered the rippling darkness a moment longer before her eyes widened as she saw Sooty Blackpool's attire, both black and in the style of some magician or trickster in her minds' eye. Without hesitation or further consideration Athena shifted Mould-Breaker into its' laser cannon form, bracing herself and holding the under-slung weapon firm as she fired from the hip; a beam of jade crackling jade green light lancing out and tearing into the impenetrable darkness and scourging it away in a matter of moments.
Revealing Athena's mistake.
"What? No!" she gasped as the shadows subsided and she was treated to the sight of Zirconia with her Aura, an almost incandescent and sparkling thing, rippling and flickering before finally shattering entirely as smoke billowed from her form where Mould-Breakers' discharge had struck her; the Grasshopper Faunus staggered and stumbled before finally toppling over the edge of the section of tower that she, Astra and Sooty had been stood on and landed painfully without Aura to absorb the impact in a crumpled heap. The thud seemed to jerk the world back into motion and Athena watched as Astra abandoned their objective entirely to leap down after Zirconia and ensure she was unharmed whilst a piercing whistle alerted all students to the fact that Professor Altan had lowered the protective shielding around the tower and was calling an immediate end to the training scenario yet the Bear Faunus herself remained silent, wide-eyed and unmoving with bile rising in her throat as she tried make sense of the inescapable reality of the situation.
She had just shot her partner.
For Astra much of the rest of Friday had passed by in a blur of surging emotions that they struggled to grapple with in any meaningful way.
Team MARZ had been given the option to excuse themselves from lessons and Astra had naturally taken this opportunity, rushing to the medical wing of the campus the moment nurse Kintsugi had deemed it appropriate and being informed by the head of the academies' medical staff that Zirconia had suffered no lasting injuries and that her Aura would recover entirely of its' own accord and without stimulants within a matter of hours; the nurse had been gentle and understanding as she explained this though had also been open in decrying the annual hazing process that the Professors insisted upon as the sort of lunacy that would see a student critically injured one day. After declining an offer for something to calm their evidently rattled nerves Astra had spoken with Zirconia herself, she was bruised where she had fallen and a small amount of gauze was visible beneath the gown she had been given in the place Athena-Jade's attack had struck her; whilst she was as taciturn as always Astra couldn't help but detect a change in her demeanour and feel that she felt more withdrawn and shaken than simply aloof however she had assured them that she was fine and that Astra would be better served by returning to class where she would possibly rejoin them later.
Upon leaving the medical wing Astra had made their way to the mess hall to meet with Regalia, finding it filled with students all of whom the Deer Faunus felt were pointing and whispering behind their back; the news of what had happened in Combat Class has certainly spread throughout the entire student body and Astra was unable to ignore the weight of their own shame and the judgement they could sense being levelled at them, as such the leader of Team MARZ had made their excuses and left. Regalia had offered to use her Semblance to track down Athena-Jade as the Bear Faunus had remained unseen since the incident itself but Astra had asked her to instead attend the rest of their classes for the day, ensuring that the Raccoon Faunus whose background, whatever it may have been had obviously precluded certain academic skill was comfortable with the task of taking notes for the entire team until Zirconia returned; Astra would find Athena personally.
In truth they had been honest when they made the claim but Astra had quickly found their determination wavering.
It had been easy to march and storm through the hallways of Breaktide Academy, still wearing combat gear and with weapons still adorning their forearms and convince themselves that they would air all of their grievances with the errant Bear Faunus the moment they found her however that confidence began to falter and the blazing white-hot anger that had fuelled it along with it each time Astra tried to plan out exactly what they would say he saw Athena only for no answers to come, eventually and after well over an hour of methodical searching Astra had come to the conclusion that Athena was either on the move to avoid being found, had been ordered to present herself to one of the Professors' offices or was simply in Team MARZ's dormitory yet the Deer Faunus had found themselves unable to find the conviction to confront her and instead they had made their way to the library, seeking the refuge of peace and quiet as they sequestered themselves in a quiet and secluded corner of the vast space in order to think.
It was here that Regalia Russet had found them, hours later with Team WULF in tow.
"Hey Astra!" Regalia's hands flew to her mouth a moment later as she realised that she had spoken too loudly whilst beside her Wolfram Ironside brought a palm to his face in a display that left a weak grin tugging at Astra's lips beside themselves. Behind the pair stood the rest of Team WULF, Ursinia and Laser perusing the shelves likely in search of something they would need for an assignment whilst Diabla simply looked bored and sullen with her customary scowl in place.
"Hey" Astra managed to croak out eventually "Did Zirconia make it back to classes?"
"Uh huh" Regalia nodded happily "She turned up for last period and asked where you an Athena were, I thought you were looking for her?"
"Couldn't find her" Astra shrugged, entire body seeming to crumple "Needed some time to think-"
"Hey, you did fine out there….I mean we didn't do much better" Wolfram noted, the admission of the latter part of their sentence being muttered through gritted teeth as it were painful to give, even as a condolence to a friend.
"Professor Altan had you guys go after us?" Astra demanded "After what happened?"
"Against the other half of Team BASL so we didn't know what to expect" Laser noted, clearly unhappy that the preparedness he prided himself on had been undercut "Wasn't a good time, climbing spikes don't do too well on a wall lined with nanobots"
"We were outgunned and outclassed from the start" Diabla snarled, knuckles audibly popping and as they gave her a second glance Astra noted that the belligerent Atlesian was clearly favouring her left leg and sported several bruises that Aura was steadily healing
"Yeah well that might be 'cos teamwork doesn't just mean that you and Wolfram charge straight at 'em like a pair-"
"It's called a spearhead and it's a valid military strategy" Diabla snapped only for Wolfram to wave off both of their concerns before turning back to Astra, massaging a tightly wrapped left arm that had clearly been rendered sore and aching after the use of Berserker in its' hand cannon mode.
"Anyway I came to see if you're coming out tonight….First weekend in the Capital of Menagerie, come on you can't tell me you wanna spend it here beating yourself up over it?"
"I dunno man" Astra sighed, entirely unable to generate any more enthusiasm
"Yeah will neither did I but I'm still getting ordered to come" Diabla snorted, arms folding across her chest "Besides, it's not like you were the one to shoot-"
"Diabla go do something useful" Wolfram cut her off, entire body stiffening and tensing as he spoke
"Look I'm sorry about her" he whispered to Astra as he watched Ursinia and Laser lead Diabla away "I don't know what her deal is but I think that was her 'trying' to be nice….But look my Mum wants to meet my team, so we're gonna head into the city and get tickets for the flight and then maybe get something to eat and try a few bars, you coming?" Astra paused, giving serious consideration to what in truth was an enticing offer before slowly shaking their head
"Maybe next time"
"Okay, cool" with that Wolfram turned and meandered away, leaving Astra and Regalia alone in the corner where the Deer Faunus had hidden themselves away.
"You should go with 'em" Astra mumbled dejectedly "You'll have fun, make some friends"
"I'm with a friend right now" Regalia answered brightly, expression becoming more serious and concerned as she added "Are you okay?"
"It was my plan" the answer was forced through gritted teeth after a drawn out pause filled with tense deliberation "It was my idea for us to split up and try and bait Team BASL out when I didn't know their Semblances, I shouldn't have taken a risk like that until I was sure we'd be able to handle it. I couldn't handle it, Zirconia used her Semblance so Athena couldn't see what was happening and she tried to help us….She's right about me Regalia I shouldn't be leading Team MARZ, she had to come and save me and that nearly got Zirconia hurt or worse-"
"It's not your fault" Regalia stated with as much force as she dared without breaking the quiet that hung over the library
"Of course it is" Astra sighed irritably "I took the lead, I made the plan-"
"And we nearly won, Athena could have grabbed the flag but didn't" Regalia countered, bushy tail standing upright behind her as her pale purple eyes grew hard "We nearly won even though we were never supposed to" there was something so utterly forceful and certain behind those words that the fight was knocked out of Astra by their intensity, massaging the points where their antlers met their skull they cocked their head and tried to understand eventually meeting their partners' gaze
"What do you mean?"
"I mean Professor Altan was cheating" Regalia slouched, pouting and clearly unhappy at the information she was given "When Athena was fighting Basil I tried to use my Semblance to look for another way, there just wasn't one….I don't think we were supposed to win, I think even if your plan had worked she would have changed the rules….where I come from cheats are the same as thieves and we don't take kindly" there was certainly more behind that statement that Astra wanted to know and understand yet before they could ask they found themselves privately replaying the speech that Professor Altan had given before instructing Team MARZ to enter the arena along with the satisfied smugness that it had been delivered with that forced them to conclude that their partner was correct.
"She stitched us up!" Astra was on their feet, fists clenched and the eyes of the entire library on them "And Zirconia-"
"Hey, hey, hey" Regalia flung themselves in front of Astra before they could do anything ill-advised "She's a Professor, she knows what she's doing right? She's got her job for a reason?….I don't like what she did but I don't think she would have let anything happen to any of us, don't do something that might get you in trouble"
"Fine" Astra ground out, taking several deep breaths to steady themselves "You're right….and thanks"
"It's what friends are for right?" Regalia smiled, the uncertainty of the statement a depressing thing to heart
"Wanna go get something to eat?" Astra offered "Then we can go and use the workshop to try and fix some of the busted parts on your bike; I've helped put plenty of cars back together with my Dad….shame I don't know which car is Professor Altan's, I'd key it while we're in the parking lot" Regalia chuckled and followed her partner out of the library, hoping that they were joking about that last comment.
Athena-Jade had spent much of the day hidden away from her team-mates, along with the rest of the world as a whole following the disaster that had been Team MARZ's combat class.
After excusing herself from classes for the duration of the day she had retreated to her dormitory and showered, scrubbing until her skin was reddened as if she were attempting to remove some unseen stain or taint from herself, from there she had curled into a tight ball on her bunk and buried herself beneath her covers with no regard at all for the stifling heat as she ignored the text messages that Coral had sent her between classes at her private school in Upper Atlas; the ivory haired Faunus replaying the lesson in her mind over and over and fighting the urge to retch each time the image of Zirconia collapsing with her sparkling Aura shattering around her flashed across her mind. Eventually however Athena had forced herself to move again, as the days' lessons drew to a close and it seemed inevitable that the rest of Team MARZ would return soon the Bear Faunus had thrown on a pair of sweatpants and left the dorm, wandering the hallways and grounds with no real destination in mind despite the way her racing and troubled mind pushed her onwards at a rapid pace until a distraction had presented itself in the form of a text message from the campus administration, opening the message and pointedly ignoring the unopened messages from her team-mates had revealed that she had that an appointment with student counsellor Daichi had been made for her the following morning and that her attendance was mandatory; seeing that the message was signed and authorised by Professor Adel had been the blow that finally crushed whatever fight Athena still had left in her and sent her retreating back to Team MARZ's dorm, ready to face her team-mates' anger before her possible expulsion.
Only to find it empty once again as she slunk through the door.
"Where are you guys?" she muttered under her breath, absently rubbing at the shortest parts of her undercut in an effort to distract herself from the feeling of her hands trembling and the way her stomach lurched with every step. She swept her gaze across the dorm for a few moments as if she expected Astra, Regalia or Zirconia to appear at any moment and found herself struck by just how bare and frankly depressing the room was; she hadn't seen any of the other students' living areas to compare them and the dorm was smaller than her bedroom at Schnee Manor but based on her brothers' descriptions from his own time as a student and snippets she had heard from her father about his own students as well as simple common Athena felt that the room should have more character and its' current grey and desolate state was a visual reflection of the dysfunctional state of Team MARZ.
A dysfunctional state that she had only added to.
Athena was mercifully given a distraction from own thoughts before they could grow too morose in the form of a violin being played expertly somewhere above her and the Bear Faunus's pale, rounded features were pulled into a weak smile that could easily have been described as a grim rictus of determination as she realised that her partner had once again taken up residence on the roof to practice. In a matter of seconds the Bear Faunus had crossed the dormitory and clambered out of the window that had been left open, using a series of glyphs to reach the roof of tower in which the dorms were located; other similar towers rising up around her with the stained-glass and domed roof of the largest of all reaching above whilst all around was an exquisite view of Port Alistair with the sun beginning to set in the distance yet Athena saw none of this, instead her attention was focused on the lone figure before her, dressed in a relatively plain and casual but still obviously expensive black dress in place of her combat attire or uniform.
"Hey….I'm sorry if I'm interrupting" Athena mumbled as she stepped onto the roof "In fact I'm sorry in-"
"Your band-aids are missing?" Zirconia noted as she stopped playing and brushed hair from her eyes to peer closely at Athena, stopping the Bear Faunus in her tracks as she tried to process the completely unexpected observation.
"Uh yeah" she managed, feeling that she was rambling as she added "I just wear 'em out of habit, I used to get my nose knocked out of joint pretty regularly when I was sparring so I kept one on all the time and made it part of the look"
"I think we were trained very differently" Zirconia noted quietly, eyes suddenly downcast "Much of my own education was done alone, or at least without other students, just myself and the tutors that my….guardian paid for. I know that I am not the easiest person to work alongside, I don't have much experience of working as part of a team-"
"What? No!" Athena interjected forcefully as she realised what was happening "You don't apologise to me, what the hell Hops I shot you! I came here to apologise to you for being such an idiot….I've been an ass-hole to you all week and right when I thought I was gonna finally do something right and be a leader or at least a better partner I nearly killed you!" the words echoed out into the silence and Athena stared at her partner, shaking and with eyes suddenly watery and stinging
"I'm not so easily killed" Zirconia noted lightly, the way that her eyes darted towards her own mechanical limbs for the briefest of moments being the thing that finally broke the floodgates and left a single, choked and strangled sob escaping from Athena as her entire body sagged and buckled
"I'm sorry" she wiped her eyes with the back of her fist and tired desperately to master herself once again "I just saw that giant shadow thing around you and thought that it was the Second Year….I'm just-I didn't think, I'm such a mess"
"I'm sorry" Zirconia rasped out, voice so quiet that only a Faunus could have heard it before raising a hand to keep Athena from interrupting "As I said I'm not used to working in a team and I'll try to communicate better….you're my partner and you didn't know what my Semblance was because I never explained it to you, neither did Astra"
"What….was that?" Athena asked slowly, carefully and almost certain that she was crossing some boundary in this new, tentative and fragile dynamic that was being forged; a Semblance was after all the manifestation of an aspect of ones' soul and as such a very personal thing that questioning so bluntly and directly could be seen as rude. Zirconia had no such qualms however and took a squatting position that her cybernetic legs made more comfortable than sitting, violin still in her hands.
"I call it 'Phantasmagoria'" the Grasshopper Faunus explained quietly "It's not much of a shield, it's actually harder to get out of it than it is to get in so it works more like a trap….It's effectively a completely blank space that I create around myself, the inside and outside can't see, hear of affect each other that's why I used it to stop Sooty from teleporting….unfortunately I can't make it big enough to trap some of the bigger Grimm"
"That's…." Athena paused to consider her words carefully, her voice still shaky and hoarse "-really useful actually"
"Thank you"
"Is there anything I can get you?" Athena asked, equal parts hopeful and cautious "Painkillers or-"
"Athena, I'm fine; you broke my Aura and nothing else and even that was because I had already been fighting" Athena was left in utter silence by the statement, the Bear Faunus aware enough to know that if the comment had come from anyone else she might have taken offence at what could be seen as a challenge or outright rejection of her abilities, yet from Zirconia who whilst blunt in her mannerisms had done nothing more than try and be approachable despite Athena's behaviour it felt like a straightforward appraisal of the situation and she was left even more stunned as she realised that it was likely entirely accurate, that out of the two of them Zirconia might just be the more capable. Unaware of, or more likely tactfully ignoring the way her partner sunk into a sitting position, powerful and bulky shoulders sagging as she rested her head in her hands Zirconia took up her violin once again and her mismatched eyes slowly drifted closed as she began to play; the melody one that her classical purist of a tutor had not taught her and would likely be displeased at her attempting, though she was interrupted in short order by a surprised sputter that escaped Athena
"Wait, I know that tune!" the shorter and more muscular of the two young women declared, giving into a fit of laughter which left her sapphire blue eyes sparkling as she added "I used to watch that show when I was a kid….I don't believe it, the mysterious bad-ass of the team who was too cool to even tell me her name….is a nerd who watches anime?"
"Did the fact my weapon announces my attacks not give you any clues at all?" Zirconia countered in a flat deadpan which left Athena in absolute hysterics, as her loud and raucous laughter began to die down Zirconia prepared to play once again, high cheek-boned features pulled into a slight smile that faded only slightly as the next interruption came
"Hey Hops….did we just become friends?" the question caught her off-guard and Zirconia paused unintentionally for a moment before answering in a rasping murmur that almost went unheard
"I think so, I'd like that" with that she began to play and Athena was content to listen and appreciate, her regrets and worries beginning to seem more distant as she did so.
Author's Notes:
So, that's the first week of classes complete and the first ray of sunshine poking out.
Let's see if it carries on shall we….Chapter nine will actually be the midpoint of Vol.01 and it's something that was actually envisioned as more of a filler chapter but as I put more meat on the bones it became a chapter where characters will get developed and interactions/relationships will be established and solidified a little more.
But anyway, let's summarise shall we?:
So AJ didn't have an off-screen change of heart, it's more a matter of anger fizzling out because you can't really keep a temper going for days at a time.
I'm enjoying detailing the actual training that the Hunters undergo, in earlier stories in the Spiral-Verse some of these classes were actually optional lessons for older students but it's interesting to see what changes Coco has put in place in the running of her own Academy.
Of course Coral wants to meet Athena-Jade's team.
The idea of Zirconia approaching AJ with treats like she's a stray cat is in my head now.
Yeah Astra has basically written AJ off at this point and honestly, can you blame them?
We will tackle AJ's nightmares eventually, although if you've read FADE: Legacy I'm sure you can guess at which childhood trauma it is.
"I should have been leader; I wouldn't have given up so easily" stubbornness isn't a plan though is it?
The team briefings in a morning are where you find out if the people you're working with are dickheads or not.
Ruby bringing up the missing Hunters, that's two chapters in a row they've been mentioned, which means it's gonna be plot relevant.
I also wanted to mention things other than the Grimm that live in the wastelands but it didn't fit the flow of the conversation so I'll mention it next chapter.
Penny is absolutely a person, with lots of personal feelings….but she also does have an understanding of the Atlesian approach to war.
Coco has a seat on the Council by virtue of being the head of the Academy, she hasn't gone the Ironwood route of taking two.
Little insight into how and when Team ABRN were recruited, also a little throwback to FADE in mentioning Ranger Altan.
And another throwback to Downward Spiral in mentioning the Velvet Vs Arslan/Team CFVY vs Team ABRN fight.
"Were we all that innocent and awkward once?" - Coco looks into the camera like she's in the Office.
Of course Team MARZ have been singled out as the problem team that needs to be worked on, the Professors aren't incapable.
Now if you've read the Downward Spiral and FADE: Legacy then you knew that a fight with some older students was coming because it's a tradition that I've made for myself and worked into my lore as something that the academies all do as a hazing ritual.
I imagine Arslan as an absolute taskmaster and 'Acceptable' is probably the best compliment you're gonna get for your whole first year.
Yeah the outdoor arena that Astra and Athena have both hung out in after class is basically a slightly scaled down Amity arena, it can do a lot of stuff, including a tower for capture the flag.
Okay so I don't normally make OC teams with a running theme or even really use allusions the way RWBY canon does….that being said, I'm sure some British readers are wishing they could strangle me through the screen as each of the members of Team BASL are based on puppets from classic kids TV shows.
Basil Underbrush is obviously based on Basil Brush, hence being a Fox Faunus and having handguns with "Boom" engraved on each of them, also his Semblance is basically Coco's canon Semblance so there's that. Sooty Blackpool is based on Sooty from Sooty & Sweep with Blackpool being the city where the show was filmed, they're non-binary because nobody can ever remember what gender Sooty was supposed to be and their magic wand/quarterstaff and magician outfit is an homage to Sooty's magic wand…..I think one of the other members has to be a Potato loving Badger Faunus.
I had to specifically state that none of Team MARZ knew Team BASL's Semblances because otherwise it's an obvious plot-hole since they were on TV.
Yeah Team MARZ aren't stupid they know they've got problems as a team and they know that Arslan is making a point.
Astra's plan was solid and this was the moment where, whether or not she can admit to herself Athena 'Gets it' and realises that Astra might actually be a good leader.
Line of sight teleportation Semblance, good for making an entrance and being plot convenient….funny thing is, Athena might have actually handled this fight better if they'd been able to switch opponents.
Of course Astra was gonna try and block with their antlers.
I wanted to show that Astra and Zirconia are both highly capable, but at the same time just completely outmatched...And also yeah, the second years aren't dicks they were just putting a show on.
I've known all along what Zirconia's Semblance is I just waiting until now to show it off, she doesn't send you to the shadow realm, she is the shadow realm.
I don't care how much experience you've got or how cool you are, if AJ swings a rocket hammer at you then you're going to look concerned.
Yes Basil jumping onto Mould-Breaker and basically doing a reverse version of AJ and Zirconia's combo move was deliberate.
Regalia quoting and referencing old movies, sometimes out of context is gonna be a thing; I'm making it a thing….But also, the Space Jam theme whilst pulling someone into an aerial close-line is beautiful.
Well the chapter is called friendly fire, I'm sure you realised what was gonna happen before it did.
Zirconia is fine.
Yeah Astra has been trying to convince themselves they're actually capable and actually a bad-ass since chapter one and everything else is posturing, really hard pretend that everyone isn't talking about you behind your back after that.
Regalia does not understand libraries.
Yeah Team WULF lost as well and admitting that does damage to Wolfram's pride.
Diabla has zero tact, like none at all.
We will actually see more of Port Alistair but not for a few more chapters, I have something planned for a filler chapter/mini-boss.
Little hint about Regalia's upbringing, another one….But more importantly yeah, Arslan was absolutely rigging the game, the training session was a Kobayashi Maru.
Yeah Astra's pissed, they already knew that Team MARZ were being made an example of, but finding out that it was fixed and they never had a chance is different.
Regalia and Astra bonding over mechanics.
Oh yeah Athena was absolutely a mess after that and it was definitely the mental kick in the ass she needed to adjust her attitude.
Let's be real that trip to the student counsellor is needed.
In which the dorm continues to be a visual metaphor for the state of Team MARZ as a whole.
You thought I'd forgotten about the band-aids AJ wears as a fashion statement?
So once again, Zirconia had private tutors and a guardian although she had to pause before using the word, she's clearly well off but was also trained alone….Rich, sheltered and secluded.
Yes what happened to Zirconia's legs will be explained, but not for a while….It's actually kinda plot relevant (And also ties back to FADE: Legacy).
Zirconia's Semblance is Phantasmagoria….And it's basically a sensory deprivation tank, it's complete isolation made manifest (And also a manifestation of something else, but that is a big spoiler for second year).
Damn, Hops basically just said "You're not that good" to AJ and got away with it.
Of course Zirconia is a total dork under all of that brooding lone hero persona, of course she is….And that was actually an exchange that I'd had planned since before chapter one.
Thank you to SumoSnipe for their review on the last chapter.
Well one or both of your guesses about Regalia was right but I'm not gonna give you anything more than that.
The idea of Zirconia styling herself on a romanticised version of Blake is great…..Funnily enough the Aizawa/Original Kamen Rider scarf/cape could either be seen as based on Ruby or the crossover comic version of Batman.
Murphy and I will have to settle out of court at this rate.
As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.