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I am making no money from this.
Chapter 21: Movie Night
Felix took his seat near the back of the lecture hall, Professor Bronzewing thankfully not seeming to notice or care that several students had arrived on the cusp of tardiness. Leaning forwards he reached down into the row in front to give Nyanza Angora a fistbump and greet the rest of Team NEON before something occurred to him; Eagle was nowhere to be seen. Arctus and Diamond were to his left sharing a textbook which had so many additional notes added in the margins in both of their handwriting it was hard to tell whose book it had originally been, but his partner was absent which was odd considering she'd been with them at lunch which had just ended.
"Today's lesson will pertain to-" Dove Bronzewing stopped as the door to his lecture hall opened, there was a rumour among the students that he refused to allow the janitors to fix the creaking door for the sole reason that he used it to catch out students sneaking into class after he'd begun his lesson.
"Today's lesson is apparently less important than whatever gossiping kept you, Miss Arc, Miss Tsuyu, Miss Murus join your teams and take your seats. I'll overlook this only once" Felix watched as his partner shuffled towards them, head and down and blushing profusely with her hands in the pockets of her uniform
"Where did you vanish to?" he asked quietly
"Don't wanna talk about it" she mumbled back
"Now, where were we" Professor Bronzewing, as usual, didn't need to raise his voice for it to carry and cut through any conversations that had started during the pause in his lecture "Ah yes, today's lesson will pertain to lancers, Mal-Lingua and the various other species of Grimm capable of using parts of their anatomy as grappling hooks or similar-"
"So like the Dungeon-Master from initiation then?" Olivine sighed with a roll of her lavender eyes. "It'd be nice to have a lesson on something before we fight it" Felix personally agreed with the diminutive Huntresses' assessment of the lesson, though he didn't join in the muffled snickering of two of her team-mates. Helios may have remained silent, a picture of mental discipline but the Lion Faunus spotted his hand twitching towards the flask of Nikosi brewed liquor he kept in his bag when it wasn't hidden in his armour; Ether Arashi's silent laughter ended when his grip around his girlfriends' waist tightened and Felix quickly turned his attention elsewhere when he saw his hand trail down her thigh, well aware of the pairs' habit of pushing the limit of what was an acceptable display of affection.
"Why are Team AQUA giving us death glares?" Diamond's voice demanded his attention, he turned to her and Arctus and found that his cousin was at least making some effort to pay attention to the class, jotting additional notes into his textbook that he would happily lend to the team if there was an assignment. The Lion Faunus turned his gaze in the direction that Diamond indicated and saw that it was at least partially true, at least one member of Team AQUA was staring directly at where they sat while wearing a truly furious expression. Quartz Murus, five foot ten with a deep indigo coloured pixie cut and prominent biceps that bulged against the confines of her sleeves, earned from wielding her weapon of choice, a monstrous two handed halberd which doubled as a crossbow. Felix silently mouthed something to her which Yang Xiao Long would have refused to believe came from her son's mouth, Quartz's only response was to flip him off before draping her arm over her team leader and partners' shoulder as she turned around. Felix turned to Eagle, surmising that Quartz's attitude had been connected to whatever had made her late
"Eagle, what happened?" she seemed to sink into her seat at the question, instinctively reaching for her hood to pull it over her face in embarrassment only to find it absent. Felix didn't repeat himself, merely waited patiently for his partner to talk to him
"Okay so you know how Aqua is actually really, really bad with Dust?" Felix nodded, the Frog Faunus's penchant for mishaps in their Dust handling classes was something of a running joke with the first years. "Well I saw her on her own on the way to class so I went to talk to her, I asked her if she wants to borrow my notes sometime or if she wants to study together"
"Wait, you practically went and asked her out? Nice" Felix was stunned, whatever had happened at the nightclub the previous weekend had given Eagle a spring in her step and apparently a lot more confidence. Then something seemed to click in his mind
"Oh….Oh shit"
"Yeah, Aqua and Quartz are dating again, that's why Aqua was on her own, she was waiting for her. Quartz showed up behind me right as I was asking her….she didn't even say anything just stared at me until I left, I think she wants to kill me-and all of you guys are jerks" her nervous chattering was cut off and replaced by a pout as she saw that several of her friends were trying not to alert Professor Bronzewing to their lack of interest in his lesson while at the same time silently laughing at her expense
"You may now begin your assignments. I want them completed before you depart for your second mission of the year….and yes you may work in groups, apparently you'll need it" Bronzewing's glower towards the pair of teams situated at the back of the class making it painfully obvious they hadn't been as subtle as they thought
"Well I'm not working with Ether, he's gonna have sticky fingers" Nyanza drawled with an exaggerated wink
"Fuck you" Olivine spat, suspiciously breathlessly. The feline Faunus merely snorted and turned to face Eagle "So you tried to flirt with someone who's taken. Chin up, shit happens and I don't know if you've noticed but this place is full of hot girls" the freckled blonde cracked a small smile, Nyanza's carefree perspective apparently being exactly what she needed to hear
"Trust me I've noticed" she mumbled, her barely audible words starting another round of laughter.
"And if Quartz gives you any shit we'll make whatever happens to her look like an accident" Felix gave his partner a playful nudge
"Hey" Arctus interjected "Me and Dee Dee-"
"Dude stop calling me that"
"-Me and Diamond were gonna go see a movie tonight, you wanna come with? Make it a whole team thing?" Eagle grinned, silently grateful for the offer but she could see the apprehensive look on Diamond's face and could easily discern why, the pair of them had been even close than before recently and though they weren't calling going to the movies tonight a date that hadn't discouraged the teasing from their friends in the slightest
"No thanks" she shook her head, grin shifting into a cheeky smirk as her next words poured out of her mouth faster than she could stop them "I don't think anyone could forget about couples when you two are sat nearby" there was a moment of deathly silence as the rest of the group needed a moment to process what had just been said, then several more to accept that it was Eagle who had said it. Then Felix doubled over in hysterical laugher
"Oh my Oum, where did that come from?" he demanded as he struggled to breathe
"Still" Helios's low voice cut into the conversation "I doubt there antics will ever be as bad as these two" he jerked his thumb in the direction of his team-mates who were steadfastly ignoring him
"Got an idea" Felix leaned forward, finally managing to compose himself "If those two are going out why don't we hang out? Have a movie night of our own"
"Yes" Eagle almost squealed with enthusiasm, she honestly loved that under his tough exterior her partner enjoyed blanket forts and Volt Disney classics as much as she did
"Okay, but we've gotta watch some of the classics though" Nyanza grinned before motioning to Helios "He doesn't get pop culture, seriously I've quoted so many films and got nothing….it's honestly kinda creepy" the Scarlet haired warrior visibly struggled against the urge to cuff his partner around the back of the head
"I'll come….on the condition that you actually pull your weight on this assignment" his tone was that of a long suffering parent, willing to try anything at this point to get the miscreant he'd been partnered with to focus.
"Deal"
"You two have fun tonight" Felix gave Arctus and Diamond an exaggerated teasing wink, his team-mates merely rolling their eyes. Arctus deciding to have the last laugh
"Hey Fluffy, see all these notes that I took for you while you weren't paying attention?" he held up his copy of 'Fantastic Grimm and how to kill them' by Peter Port for Felix to see, before simply throwing it in his bag
"Way too far" Felix griped, well aware that the tables had turned and he was now the butt of the joke, even Helios was unable to keep a small smile from tugging at his lips. Felix returned the faint smile as he turned his attention to his own textbook and finally made a start on his classwork.
Felix and Eagle were currently poring over Arctus's copy of their Grimm Studies textbook after classes for the day had finished, the Bear Faunus having finally relented and allowing his cousin to look at his notes. Arctus and Diamond had recently left the dormitory to catch a flight into the city below and weren't expected to return for several hours. Felix found his attention taken away from the assignment that was mercifully proving less difficult then Professor Bronzewing had made it seem by the sound of his Scroll vibrating from its' position nearby, plugged into a wall socket to charge; grabbing it he saw that there was a text message from his sister, informing him that Team CLIR were doing fine
"It's Corey" he told Eagle, noticing that his partner was watching him "Says the mission's going well….Still wish that she'd told me that Team CLIR were shipping out on Monday"
"She just didn't want you to worry" Eagle assured him
"Kinda makes things worse, we used to tell each other everything" he grumbled before shrugging and setting his assignment off to one side "Fuck it, Helios and Nyanza are gonna be here-" he was cut off by a knock at the door.
"Spooky" Eagle grinned
"I'm telling you that's some kind of side effect of Nyanza's Semblance" Felix muttered as he rose to his feet and opened the door, revealing that it was indeed Helios and Nyanza outside. The former wearing most of his golden armour despite them having had no combat classes that day
"Okay are your armour and uniform the only outfits you own?" the question was out of Felix's mouth faster than he could stop himself; Helios merely looked at him as if it were an odd question
"I have my training clothes as well….that's all I need"
"Ya see what I'm working with here!" Nyanza exclaimed.
"Helios, erm you're probably gonna be really uncomfortable wearing armour for movie night" Eagle tried to be diplomatic, but her incredulity showed; even she took her armour off in her dorm and could usually be found in her pyjamas with a hoodie thrown over them. Felix merely shook his head and chuckled before making his way over to the wardrobe he and Arctus shared, realising his clothes would probably be far too small for Helios he picked out a tank top and pair of sweatpants belonging to his cousin, reasoning that he probably wouldn't miss them and casually threw them to the armoured teen
"Change into those and get comfy"
"Thank you" Helios made to step into the bathroom to change, at which point Nyanza sidled over to Felix wearing a grin that could only be described as 'shit-eating'
"So Bronzewing threw Mal-Lingua into that assignment to be an ass-hole and we all know it right?"
"Definitely" both Eagle and Felix nodded, the chameleon Grimm with a barbed tongue was vastly more advanced than anything that the first years had tackled in the class thus far and it was an obvious ploy of their teachers' part to see who was willing to go the extra mile
"Well turns out Helios and his tribe come across 'em at least a few times a year, they're native to forests around Mistral's capital" the feline paused for a moment, pale green eyes glinting with mischief before he delivered the punchline "Lucky me right?" Felix inhaled slowly, knuckles cracking before turning and calling into the bathroom
"Hey Helios next time you feel like killing your partner, do me a favour and actually do it" the Lion Faunus missed whatever insult his old friend hurled at him in response, distracted by the fact that Helios hadn't actually closed the bathroom door properly behind him and was currently giving anyone who cared to look a full view of his obscenely muscled back and shoulders and the intricate tattoos and variety of scars that covered it while he changed into the tank top. Felix quickly turned away lest he be caught acting like some sort of peeping tom.
"Gladly" the Mistrali laughed as he left the bathroom, smoothing out the borrowed clothes as he did so. Helios may have been three inches shorter than Arctus but he filled out the fabric with sheer muscle mass "Shall I take my armour back to Team NEON's dorm now or?"
"I've got it" Eagle smiled brightly as she gently rapped on her shield, causing Sentinel to shift into droid form whirring and beeping "Fetch" Eagle pointed towards the bathroom and the automaton trundled off, moments later the sound of metal on metal assured them that it had found the armour
"That is impressive" Helios admitted "Almost as well trained as my hounds"
"Dog people" Nyanza muttered grimly under his breath before turning to the pair of blondes whose dorm he was currently in "So what're we watching first then? Please no kids films Felix….Or Michael Beige explosion porn"
"Okay first of all fuck you" Felix sighed "Second of all fuck your lack of appreciation for the classics"
"Quentin Tangerine'o is one of the greats" the alabaster furred Faunus asserted bluntly
"If you're pretentious" Felix shot back with a snort
"Guys, guys" Eagle stepped in, well accustomed to these scenes due to bickering between her aunts at family gatherings "I'm sure we'll find something we can all agree on….Nyanza have you got any old horror movies? If we're trying to catch Helios up on pop culture they seem like a good place to start since everything else seems to reference them"
"Now that sounds like a plan, Friday the fourteenth?" Nyanza smirked
"Leather-Face?" Felix offered "I'll get the popcorn ready"
"Awesome, Nyanza wanna help me show Helios how to make a blanket fort?"
"Can do" he quickly turned to his long time friends' retreating back "Salty popcorn fluffy! Saltier than you are when I thrash you on Street Brawler! None of that buttery crap" Helios and Eagle shared a look, vibrant green eyes meeting deep crimson
"Is it always like this in here?" Eagle merely giggled in response
"Oh you haven't seen anything yet" the scarlet haired warrior cracked a smile
"In Anima we settle most disputes by combat….this makes a nice change, as much fun as knocking their heads together would be"
The cinema Diamond and Arctus had initially intended to visit had been closed for refurbishment when the pair had arrived, leading them to a much smaller venue situated towards the bottom of one of the sprawling tower complexes of the hive like capital of New Vale. The neighbourhood seemed thoroughly disreputable, every dimly lit side street seemed to be home to an empty oil drum being used to burn anything flammable. Arctus, being from a far more affluent part of his native Kingdom couldn't help but be a little uneasy; something that Diamond picked up on and couldn't help but tease him about a little, the silver haired Huntresses only concern was the apparent lack of fire alarms that the trash fires indicated.
Eventually they reached the cinema and purchased tickets to the movie Diamond had been eager to see for weeks and were currently making themselves comfortable on the back row which they had to themselves while the trailers that preceded their screening continued to play.
"You didn't have to buy my ticket for me big guy" Diamond noted as she brushed hair away from her eyes. She'd let it down for a change, locks that were usually tied back reaching below her shoulders and now she was regretting the decision
"Yeah but I wanted to" Arctus shrugged "You look really nice tonight by the way" he added a moment later causing his partner to perform a slight double take and a soft smile to form on her face; ever since Eagle's birthday Arctus had been throwing little compliments into conversations with her, never failing to make Diamond's cheeks colour; leaving her wondering when she went from having a reputation as a bad-ass to blushing like a school girl with a crush. Then she realised that that was exactly what she was.
"Oh how the tables have turned" she dead panned "It wasn't long ago I could leave you with an adorable goofy smile on your face saying something like that, now look at me" Arctus couldn't help but laugh at that
"Hey, you were the one who kissed me" he pointed out, still somewhat stunned that it had happened even days later. Diamond's eyes narrowed and she shook her head vehemently
"Nah, that doesn't count" seeing the Bear Faunus's expression change she nudged him gently "We'd both had too much to drunk. If something happens between us I want to be able to remember it clearly afterwards" this brought a wide toothy grin to Arctus's face that Diamond returned, the pair of them not breaking eye contact and neither realising that they'd begun to instinctively lean forwards towards the other until the moment was ruined by the distorted brass and low warping bass note that accompanied the action scene of a trailer promoting a comic book movie
"You ever realise just how much you hate trailers?" Diamond laughed
"Yeah" Arctus nodded, giving the trailer a few moments of his attention before turning back to Diamond "It actually look decent though" Diamond merely rolled her eyes before removing the oversized tub of popcorn they were sharing from the armrest between them, lifting the armrest and nuzzling into her partner. The movie theatre may have been warm, but he was warmer
"I used to read that comic when I was what….nine maybe. It's super cliché dude" Arctus paused for a moment, internally daring himself to say the words that came next
"Yeah but some clichés aren't bad, they're classics for a reason. Like this one-" he trailed off with a yawn and a stretch which Diamond realised was forced when he used it as an excuse to wrap an arm around her.
"You are such a dork" she gasped out as she doubled over with laughter before resting her head on his shoulder and stealing a handful of popcorn as the final trailer ended "Seriously, dude, you don't have to try that hard if you wanna hug me" Arctus chose to say anything in response as the movie was starting. Instead he tightened his arm around her and gently intertwined his fingers with those of her free hand; utterly unable to fight the butterflies in his stomach.
The credits of the movie began to scroll, prompting Eagle, who had been engrossed in the horror classic to extricate herself from the mass of blankets and pillows she and her friends were encased in to search for the remote control.
"I haven't seen that since my Aunt Daisy let me stay up late with her and watch it years ago" she admitted, Nyanza was the only one to reply
"Same, I think it was my Dad I watched it with though" hearing no response from either Felix or Helios Eagle turned around to face, hands flying to her mouth in a desperate attempt to muffle the squeal that escaped her at the sight. Helios, being native to Mistral had bundled himself in more blankets than the rest of them to stave off the winter cold and at some point during the course of the evening fallen asleep leaned against the bed frame. Felix had also drifted off to sleep and had unconsciously nuzzled into the larger Hunters' chest and shoulder, Helios's head resting on top of his.
"Oh I'll be using this as dirt on 'em for a long time" Nyanza snickered as he caught sight of his partner and long time friend in what could be considered something of a compromising position.
"No you won't" Eagle insisted firmly "It's super cute, look at them….do you think I could move Helios's blankets to get Felix under them as well" at this point Nyanza tried desperately to suppress a laugh for fear of waking them up
"Wait….do you think they like each other or something?" Eagle's pout in lieu of an answer was all the confirmation he needed "Okay no. I don't know how you haven't noticed this but Fluffy always latches onto the warmest thing nearby when he's sleeping. I think it's something to do with his Semblance. Seriously a few of the other kids at Signal pranked him at a sleepover once by having him hug a toaster right before it popped the toast out" It was Eagle's turn to fight hysterics now, the mental image leaving her with tears of laughter streaming down her face. Thoughts of how cute their respective team leaders were being pushed from her mind as she realised that she only had Nyanza for company
"So now what do you wanna do?" the pale Faunus looked thoughtful for a few moments before answering
"Did Fluffy bring his Game Station?"
"I brought mine" Eagle answered with a grin as she indicated to the collection of games stored on the shelf below the DVDs in a corner of the room. She'd never had a lot, if any friends in her home town of 'New-Hope' located just beyond the walls of New Vale and the console had provided her countless hours of escape from boredom and loneliness before she'd designed and built Sentinel.
"A new challenger" Nyanza's stage whispered remark being familiar to Eagle as it was one of the many recognisable catchphrases in a game she thought herself reasonably good at.
"I actually have Street Brawler Four" she told him, his grin turned mischievous as he watched her plug the console into the television and search for the game in question
"You've never played against someone like me before" he assured her. Eagle muted the volume out of courtesy to those currently sleeping and rolled her crimson eyes at her opponents' confidence, knowing that he was alluding to his Semblance she retorted with some pre-game trash talk of her own
"Maybe, but luck only gets you so far against skill" Nyanza was left blinking in surprise as he took the proffered controller
"See that sounds like something Felix would say and I've beaten him more times than I can count….that's why I keep a tally" undeterred Eagle opened the character select screen and quickly selected one of her mains, a character that if rumours were true had been based in part on her own grandmother. After some quiet deliberation Nyanza chose a character that made Eagle roll her eyes again
"Of course you're a Pyro main" she sighed, the character was allegedly based in equal parts on Pyrrha Nikos and Cinder Fall; something that had led to the game being highly controversial upon its' initial release
"Until that DLC with Yang Xiao Long in it comes out" after that there was silence between them as the match started, Eagle cracking her fingers in a display that would have made her grandmother grimace and warn her about arthritis while Nyanza's eyes began to glow faintly as he discreetly triggered his Semblance, something that most of his friends insisted was cheating. As soon as the words 'Round One! Fight!' flashed across the screen the room was filled with the quiet clicking of the controllers' buttons and almost palpable tension that lasted for almost a minute
"And I'm still unbeaten" Nyanza gave a satisfied smirk as Eagle's avatar on the screen collapsed to the ground, defeated
"We're not finished" Eagle answered tersely, eyes never leaving the screen as the second round started. This time she played much more aggressively, grinning savagely at her opponents muttered curses as he struggled to keep up until eventually Eagle took the round.
"This round decides it" she informed the feline as he stared at the screen in disbelief for a few moments before composing himself. Then they returned to their virtual combat, focusing as if their lives depended on it, health bars being depleted one small victory at a time as they countered and planned around one another, until-
"NAH THIS IS BULLSHIT!" Nyanza exclaimed, dropping his controller and gesturing wildly at the screen as Eagle's avatar posed victoriously. A wordless grunt from behind them caused the competitive pair to turn and face Helios who had been inadvertently awoken by the commotion
"What's happening?" he slurred out, rubbing his eyes
"Nothing" Nyanza answered hurriedly, Eagle stuck her tongue out childishly
"He just met an opponent that needs more than luck to beat" Helios groggily glanced at his partner, then at the screen before giving Eagle an approving nod
"Good. Keep beating him, he might learn something" with that he made himself comfortable again, taking care not to disturb Felix who had somehow managed to remain sleeping. Nyanza wordlessly gesticulated furiously at his partner who was now paying him no mind, before turning back to Eagle
"You see what I have to put up with!" the freckled blonde merely giggled, shaking her head in faux disdain
"So, wanna try your luck again?"
"Oh I will end you" as they began the process of character selection once more neither of them noticed Helios shifting behind them, gently repositioning his blankets so that they covered Felix as well.
Rhodium Torchwick had been laying low for weeks now, the raid on his warehouse had cost him more than money; though the financial losses were insult enough as far as the gangster was concerned. His reputation, carved into the collective psyche of New Vale's criminal underworld with a mixture of violence, ambition, finesse and panache had been tarnished and that was something that couldn't be allowed to stand. Walking through the claustrophobic streets he grew up on, situated inside of one of the many tower complexes; close to the ground where the dregs of New Vale's society seemed to congregate he eventually found his car where he left it; the two seater sports car, imported from Mistral and painted a deep metallic magenta that matched the colour of his own Aura, with glistening chromed after market wheels which reflected the lights of the complex which were beginning to dim as the night went on. He raised an eyebrow when he found his car surrounded by a group of half a dozen children who couldn't have been older than ten years old. Their ill fitting and well worn clothing, probably second hand, combined with their malnourished faces and hard eyes, the eyes of children who learned far too young that the world didn't care about them marked them out clearly as natives to this part of New Vale's underbelly
"The fuck do you want?" he growled out, giving them the same treatment he would've received in their place. One of the group stepped forwards, an obvious ringleader
"Ten Lien each mister, for looking after your car for you"
"Looking after my car" Rhodium couldn't help the small grin forming on his face, he might tell some of his younger employees to keep an eye out for this kid, he had guts.
"We didn't slash your tires" the boy added, producing a miniscule pocket knife that the gangster honestly doubted could have punctured the rubber; he laughed nonetheless as he reached into his pocket
"Fine, fine. Take this" he handed over a stack of notes, far more than they'd demanded. Initiative and ruthlessness like that were traits to be encouraged after all, watching the children leave he climbed into his vehicle and reclined in the comfortable leather interior, starting the engine and connecting his Scroll to the stereo but not driving; simply thinking for a few moments. Removing his hat, another designer fedora to replace the one he'd used as a medium for his Semblance in his escape from the law, he lay the item on top of the sub-machine gun he'd left on the passenger seat in place of his more recognisable cane before regarding his reflection in the mirror set into the sun-visor. He'd been in this part of New Vale specifically to visit a jeweller that he'd placed a custom order with. He couldn't let the rumour that he'd had his teeth punched out by a student gain any traction, especially since it was true and as such his teeth were now covered by golden, diamond encrusted fangs; leaving the missing and broken teeth covered.
"Nice" Rhodium murmured to himself before his train of thought was directed back towards the events that had led him to needing to purchase a grill. His expression soured as he thought of the almost fifty thousand in cash he'd lost along with an amount of drugs and Eco-Dust whose value he winced at every time he thought of and to make matters worse he'd had no word from the mysterious Atlesian supplier known to him as 'Dunwitch'. His knuckles whitened when his fists clenched at the thought of the Hunters who'd had the sheer gall to shake him down for information, over an Oum damned truck of all things. He had to change his current playlist and take several deep breaths when he thought about the fact that a Narc had managed to infiltrate his organisation and gain prominence.
"I fucking hate cops" he spat to nobody in particular before deciding he needed to do something, he needed to calm down. Angry people made stupid mistakes and he was well aware that there were already rumours about his capabilities. He ruled out going to a nightclub instantly, knowing that it would most likely end in a fight, he eventually dismissed going to visit his mother who still lived in his childhood home, refusing the money he routinely tried to give her to buy a house in a nicer neighbourhood; she'd only ask him when he was going to get a real job and make something of himself. Sighing softly he finally began driving, with no regard for traffic laws as his tires screeched; deciding on a whim that he was going to go and see a movie.
Arctus and Diamond exited the movie theatre side by side, his arm around her shoulders and hers around his waist as they began the trek towards the nearest Bull-Head terminal. The silver haired sniper gazing around her, the streets they were currently making their way through were lower in the hive city than she'd ever explored before and in some ways reminded her of the Mistrali cities of Doupeng-He Bishou and Anquan-Jia she'd grown up in, in others they were a vast departure and she vocalised some of her thoughts as they walked
"New Vale looks really cool from the outside but this….who'd wanna live like this? It's like being trapped underground" she gestured at the roof of the level they were currently on, a little over two stories tall; the roof itself was coated with graffiti and several of the overhead lights, which were now dimmed to their lowest setting for the evening were broken and flickering.
"It's based on Atlas's hive cities, they actually are partially underground" Arctus answered, pausing for a moment "Still, Atlas isn't as bleak as it used to be. They removed the divide after the war"
"The divide?"
"Literal segregation" the Bear Faunus growled "Solid Atlesian steel blast doors that could be closed to cut off any movement between Upper Atlas and Lower Atlas. Like the security walls Vale has between districts but a lot more messed up" Diamond's eyes widened at that, she knew a little Atlesian history but it wasn't a large part of the syllabus in Mistrali schools
"Dude, that is messed up" she breathed out "I thought I'd seen some rough places but at least we're not caged in back home. When I moved to the capital I loved the view, my apartment is near the top floor so you can see almost the whole city and the stars"
"Sounds nice" Arctus said with a warm smile, holding her a little closer as he noticed that she was shivering slightly "If you want a view you should see the night sky in Atlas….It's on honestly a shame that most of the Kingdom lives in the hive cities, some people go their whole lives without seeing the best view in Remnant when it's right above them"
"I'll have to come to your place sometime and see it" Diamond grinned. The conversation faded into peaceful silence that was soon replaced by the dull repetitive thud of music being played obnoxiously loud from a car stereo. The pedestrians, of which there still a fair amount, all turned to the source of the noise; a small sports car with a magenta paint job and glistening chrome wheels which rolled by much slower than it needed to, as if the driver were trying to be seen by as many people as possible. The windows were tinted meaning that Arctus was unable to see the man driving crane their head staring after him in disbelief. His and Diamond's fist indication that something was wrong was when they heard someone call out from behind them
"HEY KIDS! REMEMBER ME?" they turned just in time to see Rhodium Torchwick stepping out of the sports car, sub-machine gun in hand and aimed in their direction. Then the air was filled with screams and gunfire as the mobster began shooting.
"I don't have my sword!" Arctus exclaimed as he threw up a Glyph that spanned almost the entire width of the street, Dust infused rounds ricocheting off of its' surface "Get up onto the ceiling he won't be able to thread shots through the gap with that gun"
"I don't have my weapon! You can't bring them into movie theatres in Mistral!" Diamond answered, clearly uneasy with the situation.
"We've gotta get this away from people, when he reloads I'm dropping this glyph. Start running I'll be right behind you!"
"Are you sure-"
"Now!" Rhodium's extended magazine had finally been depleted and the redhead ejected it from his weapon withdrawing another from within his coat and reloading with practised ease. Arctus's oversized Glyph shattered into countless glowing fragments as a much smaller copy manifested in his palm; without taking the time to aim he hurled the rotating Glyph at Rhodium's face. The mobster managed to side step out of the way, only for the Glyph to shatter the drivers' side window and crash through the wind-shield of his car as it exited. Arctus had already turned and began sprinting after his partner and missed the display of emotions on his aggressors' face, momentary relief followed by stunned disbelief and unfettered rage
"YOU SON OF A BITCH!" the bellow was punctuated by more gunfire which Arctus was only spared from due to the fact Diamond had grabbed his hand and pulled him around a corner
"We need to get out of here!" she panted out without slowing down. The roar of an engine informed them that Rhodium had returned to his vehicle and would not be far behind. "We need to get towards the bridge to the next complex!"
"That way!" Arctus pointed ahead, only for Diamond to drag him around another corner. The reason became apparent as Rhodium's car became visible out of the corner of his eye, gaining on them dangerously
"Keep changing directions, it buys us a couple seconds every time" Diamond explained frantically as the two of them ran through streets which frightened civilians were doing their best to escape from; the screeching of tires informing them that Rhodium wasn't far behind. A glass bus shelter seemed to explode under the salvo of bullets that tore through it as the gangster slowed down for just long enough to lean out of the remains of his drivers' side window and open fire. Arctus covered his eyes with one arm while instinctively trying to shield his partners' body with his own. The fragments that hit them were rendered ineffective by their Auras but the Bear Faunus was too panicked to appreciate that fact
"Come on this way!" Diamond insisted, neon signs overhead informed them that they were close to their destination. The sound of the car approaching them informed them that Rhodium was closer. Diamond made to push herself as fast as her Aura fuelled muscles would allow, only to be slowed by Arctus, who when she turned to face him, was rummaging through his pockets while slowing to a jog. Eventually pulling a single loose Gravity Dust crystal, the glistening obsidian shard barely longer than his pinkie finger and most likely a leftover fragment from Professor Peach's class. Diamond gave him an incredulous glare while urging him to run faster as the magenta sports car came into view once more. Arctus met her glare with a suddenly confident smirk as they ducked around the next corner, the wall being riddled with bullets a moment later
"Hey Dee, remember that knife your Dad gave you in case you started dating anyone?"
"Yeah why?"
"Do you have it?" Diamond skidded to a halt and crouched, reaching inside of her high-top sneakers and producing the ornate butterfly knife
"Yeah, what's the plan?" she managed to pant out between laboured breaths as she clutched her side. Dread setting in as Rhodium's car rounded the corner. Arctus took the knife in his left hand and flicked out the blade while simultaneously crushing the Dust crystal in his right
"We've got one shot at this so be ready to run" the breathed out, trying desperately to steady himself as the car began to slow down, evidently Rhodium was intending to open fire again. A Glyph formed in the Bear Faunus's palm, the same pitch black as the Dust crystal that it was infused with and far smaller than his usual Glyphs, a compressed momentum Glyph. Arctus held Diamond's knife against the surface of the its' surface and took aim, the moment the gun toting redhead began to emerge from the window Arctus fired, the projectile shooting forwards at incredible speeds and connecting with the front of the car with a screech of metal on metal and shattering fibreglass as the hood and grill seemed to partially collapse under the attack, thick black smoke issuing from the mangled front end of the car
"NOW GO!" he yelled turning to race after Diamond the moment that he saw he'd been successful. The pair of them bolted towards the bridge between tower complexes, the four lane road coming into view surrounded by signs detailing weight limits and barring freight vehicles from traversing came into view and Arctus allowed himself a small measure of relief
"What now?" Diamond didn't answer verbally, instead she ran towards the wall and promptly hauled herself over it in a manoeuvre that would have meant death for most people. Arctus followed suit and manifested a Glyph beneath himself to prevent plummeting several stories to the ground, looking towards the building he'd just left he saw Diamond stood horizontally on its' surface, her Semblance holding her in place
"I think we made it Big Guy" she panted out; Arctus's reply momentarily halted as a sound reached his ears
"Sirens" he noted, his suspicions confirmed as several armoured police cars and vans sped from the adjacent tower complex into the one they'd just escaped from; meaning Rhodium would be too preoccupied to give chase "Holy Oum we made it….That was like something from the Warriors"
"You've seen that movie?" Diamond asked with a raised eyebrow "Dude the old gangster flicks are classics, we should do this again" the pair of them shared a look, with a little difficulty due to the differences in their position; maintaining eye contact for a brief moment before breaking down into hysterical laughter.
"Hey" Diamond got her partners' attention "Your Glyphs flickering" Arctus gave the platform he was balancing on a once over, both of them realising the problem at the same time.
"You overdid it with that shield back there, come here" Diamond held her hand out and the Bear Faunus took it, becoming subject to the effects of her Semblance as he did so
"Whoa" he breathed out gently as the world seemed to shift around him, the ground below and the sky seeming to become opposite ends of a tunnel formed by the tower complexes of the city "Does it always feel like that?"
"Like the world revolves around me, yeah" Diamond admitted with a grin as she held onto him, her Semblance would only allow him to bend the laws of physics while they were touching. Arctus's arms found their way around her waist and she rest her head on his shoulder while they caught their breath in silence for a few moments, trying to process what had just happened.
"Think we're gonna make the last Bull-Head?" Arctus asked eventually
"Maybe if we run for it" Diamond mumbled into his jacket, making no effort to move, instead looking up, her cherry red eyes meeting his pale sapphire; a nervous expression crossing his face before he managed to speak
"Diamond….can I kiss you?" she could feel his heart hammering in his chest and smiled her arms wrapping around his shoulders
"You don't even need to ask Big Guy" she leaned up, her Semblance being maintained by just the tips of her toes "But it's really sweet that you did" with no more to be said their lips met, the first kiss being slow, gentle and tender; followed by a second more intense kiss, his limited experience evident, though neither of them cared in the slightest as Diamond's hands cupped his cheeks as he ran his hands through her hair until they broke apart, both wearing unusually bashful smiles. The moment between them was ruined by someone leaning from an apartment window several stories below hollering up at them
"GET A ROOM YA CRAZY KIDS! YOU HUNTERS CAN'T JUST MAKE OUT IN BARS LIKE NORMAL PEOPLE?" Diamond rolled her eyes and flipped the old man off before turning to Arctus and grinning
"Apparently there was one last cliché left tonight. Come on, let's go home" with that she leaned forward and planted one last kiss on his lips, leaving him trailing behind her feeling like the luckiest man alive despite the fact he'd been shot at only minutes earlier.
Authors Notes:
I had a LOT of fun writing this chapter, just putting it out there….Also, the overjoyed squealing that I'm sure I can actually hear from where I am; same.
Also the Vol.2 arc might be shorter than the previous one, but then again chapter size seems to have roughly doubled so hey.
Now Let's summarise:
Arctus and Diamond share textbooks so the can aggregate their notes, I think adding little touches like that into your writing is what makes your characters feel more like real people….Also it's kinda sweet.
Helios still gets shit-faced in lessons.
Okay so two of the background characters are a Frog Faunus based on Froppy and a butch lesbian with a pixie cut that uses a halberd/crossbow, and they're dating….I think we all know that if this were an actual show instead of fan fiction they'd be the most popular recurring background characters.
Okay poor Eagle, that went badly. On the plus side though, that kiss from Iris last chapter clearly got the desired effect; Eagle actually managed to talk to a cute girl.
Nyanza is a lovable dick.
Fantastic Grimm and how to kill them is a reference I will not get bored of making.
Team CLIR are elsewhere, we'll see them next chapter.
The scene with Helios only having the clothes he strictly needs because a) It kinda highlights the difference in cultures, he's from a nomadic tribe so having a lot of stuff is probably not a good idea. b) Felix's reaction.
Sentinel is both best weapon and best dog. Also I mentioned it in I think chapter 10 but Helios has two dogs back home….they're called Milo and Akuo.
Quentin Tangerine'o. I have no shame.
Eagle is Team Mum. Give Eagle a break.
Does the "Oh how the tables have turned" line count as another instance of Diamond 'Almost' breaking the fourth wall.
Yes, yes I just had the moment ruined by the inception noise. I have no soul.
Battle Cat: Eagle ships it.
Yang Xiao Long is a DLC in a Street Fighter homage, you know exactly why.
Also yeah, beat 'em games in Remnant would definitely feature Hunters.
Eagle and Nyanza being friends is great, she just managed to get through to him in a way that Helios hasn't managed to and shown him that his Semblance can't be the only thing he relies on, without making it seem like a personal attack. Nyanza's 'weaponised fuck it' attitude is great for helping with shyness and insecurities; also Nyanza is an old friend of Felix's and both of their partners will hook up later on in this story.
Rhodium's car is just as needlessly extra as his Dad's personality was.
Also, Rhodium has a nice car, Felix has a nice car. Coincidence? I think not.
The scene with the kids was actually an homage to a British Gangster film called "The Long Good Friday" which I was reminded of on Halloween because some little shits actually tried to shake me down for sweets on my way home from work.
He has a grill, because of course he does.
I think this scene actually solidified a lot of how I'm going to write Rhodium for me, it gave him a real character.
I've noticed that I've subconsciously been writing Arctus to have a lot of pride in Atlas, seriously listen to the way he talks about home.
Diamond knows the golden rule of surviving being shot at "Run serpentine"
I don't imagine that was quite what Mercury Black imagined happening when he gave his daughter a knife in case she started dating someone.
"Like something from the Warriors" is an in joke with myself….because yes I do that. I was actually seriously having the chapter end on a cliffhanger with Rhodium's "Hey kids" line and then have the next chapter involve Arctus and Diamond fighting their way through several street gangs that Rhodium enlisted as an homage to the Warriors.
Brief explanation of what Diamond's Semblance looks and feel like from her perspective. To everyone else it looks like she's running on walls and ceilings, to her it's like everything rotates around her and the surface she's running on becomes the floor.
NOW THAT WAS DIAMOND DUST'S FIRST 'OFFICIAL' KISS.
Thank you to FleetOfWarships, ShadowWolf, Arkanes Shippou, TigerRose, Ferrous, ShadowAlex2000, FluffyFirefly, Araniladin and SumoSnipe for their reviews on the last chapter.
Shout out to ShadowWolf for posting the 100th review on FF dot Net.
Phobos will only get worse.
I have something in mind for the twins that I may move forward to the end of Vol.3 rather than at some point in one of the later years.
Yay for all things Diamond Dust.
"So strong it's probably Felix's type" Yang Xiao Long finger guns is all I have response to that.
"You are a complete ass-hole. I love this" is quite possibly the best review I have ever received.
You call it cruelty, I call it giving you at least a little of what you want.
I have end game ships for all of Team FADE in mind.
Everyone wants Felix to be a bottom for some reason.
Nora has no concept of subtle. (Even though she's actually sneakier than people give her credit for).
The guy in the club….I was imagining it being a Gucci belt, you know it would be.
As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.