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Chapter 46: A Day Off

The first week of term had finally ended, lessons had been consistently arduous as both the complexity and sheer volume of what was expected of the students increased to levels that left the teens exhausted as they struggled to adapt to their new routines and workload; the matter was only exacerbated with the arrival of Team GORE whose mere presence seemed to be a challenge to overcome, both Felix and Raffia having earned detentions for an altercation which almost came to blows outside of a classroom before mercifully being broken up by Carcharodon. The all Faunus teams' lack of prior exposure to a school environment or any form of authority which did not rely on the threat of violence resulted in them being a highly disruptive element of any class they were in; Hellion being seemingly willing to learn but prone to furious outbursts when struggling, Onyx being genuinely interested in some subjects but also being loud, boisterous and unused to being expected to sit relatively idle for extended amounts of time, Carcharodon had made his disinterest and disdain apparent though was happy to simply ignore the lesson taking place as long as he wasn't challenged, Raffia however seemed to delight in making a nuisance of himself at the expensive of the other students, which prompted Carcharodon to reign in his smaller team-mate the only way he knew how, which in turn caused more problems. Within the space of a week Team GORE had managed to secure a position of being universally disliked by both the students and staff of Halo Academy, which was arguably something they took great pride in. The majority of the rest of the students were happy to be finally have some time off to relax, indulge themselves and hopefully be free of stress; caused by their classmates or otherwise, chief among them were Team FADE who were currently lounging in their dorm as they decided what to do with their Saturday

"I'm seeing what Corey is up to" Felix yawned as he put the book he was reading aside and opened his Scroll "Anyone wanna hang out?" he cast his eyes around the room and upon leaning over the edge of his bunk saw that Eagle was watching footage of old Vytal Tournament matches on her own Scroll

"Sure" she answered distractedly, obviously engrossed in the match between Team RWBY and Team SSSN; Felix merely committed the image of a much younger Sun Wukong being ejected from the arena by Blake and resolved to ask his mothers about the match when he next saw them. Diamond and Arctus were currently sharing a pair of earphones, her head resting against his shoulder; Felix assumed for a moment that they had both dozed off until Diamond seemed to sense his eyes on them

"We're heading to a gig tonight so we're busy"

"Oh yeah, have fun" Felix shrugged, checking his Scroll impatiently

"Actually I was thinking of heading out soon anyway" Arctus added, opening his eyes and meeting Diamond's questioning expression "I was gonna head over to Aunt Missy and Uncle Rover's place and see the baby, you wanna come?"

"Sure" Diamond grinned "May as well just head to the gig from there, maybe get something to eat on the way-" at that point Felix mentally tuned the pair of them out; he could freely admit that the two of them were great together but he found himself occasionally growing mildly annoyed, something the blond steadfastly refused to attribute to jealousy following his begrudging acceptance of his feelings towards Helios, a matter he was yet to bring up for discussion with anyone. The sound of his Scroll buzzing with an incoming message got his attention and he quickly read his sister's reply with a grin which exposes his overgrown canines forming on his face, leaning over the edge of his bunk he tapped the side of the bedpost to get Eagle's attention

"Hey Team CLIR are heading into the city in about an hour, apparently there's a mall that got trashed when a Grimm burrowed up through it in the breach that's reopening"

"That sounds fun" Eagle beamed "I haven't really seen how the city looks since the breach"

"It's not pretty but it's getting there, me and Corey worked with Lux's family a few times over the summer" both blondes' shared a look, while neither of them were native to the city it was home to both of them and the speed with which it was recovering was inspiring

"I might have to leave early though" Eagle warned him "I need to be back here tonight, I promised I was going to study with Hellion" Eagle had told her friends' that the Dragonfly Faunus had asked her for a favour but had decided that the fact she couldn't read or write was something to be kept private. Felix's expression darkened at the reminder

"Still don't like the idea Eagle" he raised his hands defensively sensing that she was about to object "It's your decision to make, but if you want I'll come back with you so you're not on your own with them?"

"I'm not going to be on my own, we're gonna be in the library" Eagle pointed out "Thanks for offering but it'll be fine"

"Okay" Felix shrugged before springing off of his bunk and landing deftly "Oh and I call dibs on the shower"

"OH COME ON!" the outcry came everyone present in unison, the amount of time the Lion Faunus spent on his hair was something of a running joke amongst most of the students Team FADE shared classes with as it had made him late for first period on more than one occasion

"Shall I just text Corey and let her know you'll be late then?" Arctus teased, the banter and joking between them seeming to wash away the stress of the week, even as Felix flipped his cousin off and locked the bathroom door behind him.

Light filtered through the small gap in the curtains, casting the dormitory in an artificial gloom despite the glaring sun outside. While the dorms of a typical team became a home to the students inhabiting it relatively soon, with the layout and decoration becoming distinctly indicative of the personality and tastes of the students of the residents by way of posters, the contents of bookshelves and assorted other trinkets which decorated it. Team GORE's dormitory was a stark contrast, the room was Spartan and bare of any identifying features save for the weapons stand which had been dragged closer to the beds in an effort to ensure that the weapons themselves were in easy reach at all times, all four beds had been pushed together in a corner of the room. Before the extermination of the Frost River tribe by Hunters in Anima and the murder of the majority of the Shadow Cadre by the Cult of Taurus in Atlas it was common for their people to simply huddle together for warmth or comfort as they slept due to space being limited on the ships they called home, it was a practice Team GORE had continued without a thought though it had done little to make sleep any easier to find for the team who were plagued by a pervading sense of uneasiness caused by both their current surroundings and the lack of the familiar comforting feeling of the movement of a ship around them. Team GORE themselves were currently awake, having made the transition from their predominantly nocturnal lifestyle with no shortage of complaints. Onyx closed the book he was struggling with and cast it aside, managing to land it on the pile of textbooks they shared with a thud which prompted a loud shriek of displeasure from Marauder

"No luck?" Hellion asked

"None" the Puma Faunus growled, greenish yellow eyes narrowing as he glowered at the discarded book as though it had insulted him. Onyx was the member of the Shadow Cadre most fluent in the common tongue of the Kingdoms which could be considered damning with faint praise when one remembered that while every member was able to speak it none of the others could read it at all, he had been attempting to expand his vocabulary by using a Grimm Studies textbook under the impression that if he could identify the various parts of Grimm anatomy being labelled and discussed he be able to discern some context. So far it had proven fruitless

"If you want to learn I'm sure Eagle would teach you as well" the Dragonfly Faunus suggested as she soothed Marauder before simply opening the bedroom window and allowing her pet to fly free, safe in the knowledge that he would return

"I'll blind myself and read nothing before I ask a Hunter for help" Onyx snarled "I might drink with city dwellers from time to time but there has to be a line somewhere"

"Besides" Raffia chimed in while still semi distracted with polishing his new swords, weapons he considered spoils of battle and to the surprise of everyone he had been allowed by the Atlas specialists to keep "You don't actually expect us to believe that reading is what you're interested in" Hellion glared while Onyx doubled over roaring with laughter

"True, the only language Hellion wants to become more fluent in is body language!" finding Hellion's baleful stare turned on him only sent him further into hysterics "Don't look at me like that, there's nothing to be ashamed of….the women here are works of art"

"Not just the women" Raffia muttered under his breath

"Found anyone to your taste?" Onyx enquired, the Axolotl Faunus's bisexuality was known and accepted without question amongst his people

"Tastes? You've seen him eat raw fish, why would he be any more picky with this?" Hellion teased

"Fair" Onyx shrugged before rising to his feet and affixing the several plates of crude makeshift armour he wore over his clothes, before he could make to leave Carcharodon strode into the room having been in the bathroom previously

"Going somewhere?" his rasping voice held no accusation but a little concern

"To train" Onyx shrugged "I get to pit myself against Hunters every day, why would I not take advantage. Besides, some of the women wear these things they call yoga pants-"

"You're a degenerate" the Shark Faunus sighed, Onyx's only response was a gruff chuckle as he left

"If you don't have anything planned then I'm leaving for the day" Raffia stated suddenly

"Where?"

"To the city….this place is unnatural, nothing this size should fly" Carcharodon nodded in understanding, he was himself far from comfortable with the notion of a hovering campus

"Take your weapons, these people haven't tried to stab us in the back yet but give them no opportunity" Raffia nodded in understanding this time as he slunk out of the door leaving Hellion and Carcharodon alone, she noticed that his skin was still damp and deduced that he had probably been soaking in a freezing shower; Carcharodon would submerge himself in frigid waters as often as possible it was something that his allies attributed to him being an aquatic Faunus but he seemed to take it to its' extreme, though it could just be that New Vale's summer was far too hot in comparison to their homeland.

"Our first weekend as students" Hellion noted with a wry smile "How do you plan on spending it?" Carcharodon snorted at the idea of them being mere students before answering

"Meditating, I need clarity….I want to be as far away from these people in spirit as I can possibly reach"

"I was going to make some more knives for in the workshop but I can stay if you want?" Carcharodon's lips curled upwards so slightly many people wouldn't have noticed, his genuine smile were far more subtle than the display of fangs he gave when facing down opponents

"Go, have your fun….just be careful if you meet this 'Eagle' alone" Hellion merely snorted in reply

"I don't think she's capable of deception at all" the blonde had already proven on more than one occasion that she didn't sneak and scheme

"She's not the only Hunter here. We're in a dangerous place right now Hellion, remember that" Carcharodon's expression hardened "Remember who we are. We are the Shadow Cadre not 'Team GORE' or any other fiction they create to lure us in….I only agreed to the Atlesians terms so that they would spare your lives, but remember that we are the last of our people and our way of life can die even if we don't"

"Car" Hellion gave him a concerned glance "You're doing everything you can to lead us and Mizu would be proud of you but allow yourself to rest, not everyone is trying to betray you" Carcharodon remained silent, no longer meeting her eyes as he seemed to fold in himself. Sensing that the conversation was over Hellion left for the workshop, the amount and quality of the tools and raw materials had left both her and Onyx in wide eyed wonder the first time they'd seen the place and she wanted to experiment. As the dormitory door closed behind her Carcharodon sighed, breathing out a reply to her final comment.

"Yes they are. They always are"

Felix and Eagle had joined Team CLIR and their exploration of the expansive metropolis that was New Vale had gone on for hours before they finally made their way into the food court of the mall they had originally planned to see the grand reopening of; the city was so vast that even keeping to the commercial districts there was still more than they could hope to see in one day, though they had found plenty of evidence of the battle that they themselves had participated in, in the form gouges and craters in streets yet to be filled, walls pockmarked with bullet holes and the various claw marks of the Grimm and the various businesses whose premises remained vacant whether due to ongoing repairs or the unfortunate fate of the proprietors. Currently the six teens were full of junk food and in search of something to occupy their time, a suitable distraction presenting itself in the form of a neon display which demanded attention and brought a confident smile to Felix's face as he turned to his sister

"Hey Corey, you wanna get thrashed on Street Brawler?" he nodded to the arcade he'd spotted and Corvid gave him a disbelieving snort

"Fluffy I'm gonna treat you like a picket fence….cos you're gonna get whitewashed" Felix took a deep breath and forced himself not to smile at the admittedly funny one liner, Corvid needed no encouragement

"Yeah but you're forgetting, I have Eagle" he pointed at his partner who merely shrugged

"I mean I've beaten Nyanza a couple times-"

"What?" Corvid looked somewhere between impressed and morally outraged "You beat that walking cheat code? HOW?"

"Now hold on a minute" Rusty drawled "If Fluffy over here-"
"Don't call me that"

"If Felix over here" the third year corrected "Wants to bring his partner into it, well it seems we've got ourselves a little team rivalry going on"

"We're missing half our team!" Felix objected as the made their way towards the arcade, an unspoken agreement on their destination having been reached

"Should of thought about that kid" Iris laughed as she flexed the fingers of her golden cybernetic left arm

"Okay fine but we're not playing for money" the Lion Faunus shrugged

"For money….Oum what is wrong with you Patch kids?" Lux demanded, Corvid's sarcastic response being drowned out by the cacophony that washed over them as they entered the venue; it took them all a few seconds to adjust to the noise of the various games drowning out the club music being played over the arcade's P.A system and the darkness which was only broken by the lights of the various machines, causing Corvid to nearly collide with a small child and only just manage to prevent herself from swearing in time, much to the amusement of her friends

"Oh my Oum Corey, we have cousins that age-" Felix found himself silenced by her waving him off in a theatrical display

"I know!" she gasped "Come on let's go get some coins and figure out what you're losing at first" still chuckling the group followed her towards a machine in a far corner of the arcade which would convert Lien notes into coins. Sequestered away in the quiet corner of the arcade the change machine occupied where patrons could use it without being distracted by the ambient noise was something that brought a broad smile to Rusty's face

"Babe no" Lux sighed as he caught sight of the expression on his boyfriends' face

"Darling, hold my hat" Rusty chuckled as he removed his Stetson and made his way over to the Dance Dance Revolution game which was still a display of flashing lights and thumping music even when not in use "I'm fixin' to have some fun, anyone reckon they can keep up?" both Iris and Corvid shook their heads, Felix was unsure what made him grab the railing that ran around the perimeter of the games dance floor and haul himself over

"Yeah sure why not" Rusty merely ginned, Felix in turn rolled his shoulder back confidently and took his place as the game started

"Film this, film it now" Corvid insisted and Eagle gladly obliged her, soon reduced to fits of silent laughter as both Rusty and Felix moved to the rhythm while at the same time desperately trying to distract each other enough to make a mistake

"Come on Rusty!" Lux cheered, Iris soon joined in the vocal support and Eagle felt a need to give Felix some moral support though before she could begin cheering in earnest she felt Corvid's hand on her shoulder, turning to face her she saw the older girl gesture for her to follow her. Without questioning she allowed Corvid to lead her away, the moment they were out of earshot of their friends Eagle found herself pulled into a hug crushing hug that forced the air from her lungs, Corvid's shorter stature meaning her chin was roughly level with Eagle's shoulder

"I just wanted to make sure you're okay" she explained seeing the blonde's utterly baffled expression "I know you've had a lot to deal with and I know you and Felix were on bad terms for a while….just know that everything going on with our….my family, it's not gonna change anything with us, we're still cool okay?"

"Thank you" Eagle quickly pulled her back in for another hug, she looked up to Corvid; the shorter Huntress was effortlessly confident and charismatic, a highly capable fighter, leader and strategist and had a weapon that never ceased amaze

"You're always gonna be Fluffy's adorable friend who has no idea how to flirt with cute girls" Corvid gave her a playful nudge "But if y'know you wanted to get to know the family a bit more that'll be cool as well"

"That really means a lot" Eagle struggled to swallow the lump in her throat "I'm still not sure what's going on with everything-"

"Hey what's going on?" the moment was cut short by the arrival of Felix and the remainder of Team CLIR, both the Lion Faunus and Rusty looking thoroughly exhausted suggested that their impromptu dance off had gotten highly competitive. Corvid merely sighed

"Fluffy, Cowboy….Do-si-don't interrupt"

"It's fine, we were just looking for the Street Brawler game" Eagle shrugged, Felix's expression making it clear that he didn't believe that for a moment but was happy to drop the subject

"Okay cool, let me catch my breath and I'll take winner….Hey Eagle what time are you planning on heading back?" she quickly checked the time before responding

"I can stay for a couple more hours"

"Okay I'll head back with you, I'm gonna head to the gym….wanna get some more training in before qualifiers for the tournament start"

"Sure and the fact that certain redheads practically live in the gym outside of class has nothing to do with it" Corvid teased

"Sis" he sighed in response, expression crumpling "Drop it" Corvid immediately became concerned but knew that her chances of getting Felix to open up in front of her team were non-existent, however she could wait and simply pushed through the sudden awkwardness with her usual ease

"Okay fine, come on then let's see if I can beat by record for consecutive wins" and with that boastful assumption the banter resumed and everything seemed to return to normal.

Diamond needed every ounce of self control she could muster to resist the urge to squeal at the sight in front of her, Arctus was cradling his cousin against his chest with one arm while sat on the sofa in Rover and Artemis Tan's living room. Tuscan who already seemed to have grown an absurd amount over the summer was stretching stubby arms to grab at Arctus's fingers while staring at the world around her with wide eyed wonder, her head was now covered in a sparse layer of dark hair that it was already clear would grow to be curly; Arctus gently tickled the baby's ribs and she let out a burbling sound of amusement that couldn't quite be called a laugh while her legs and tail twitched. Seeing this display Diamond's resolve broke and an audible 'Awww' escaped her

"I know" Rover chuckled softly from his position beside Arctus "I still can't believe I helped make something so amazing"

"You sound like my Dad when Athena was born" Arctus snorted

"Yeah well, I saw him when you were born" Rover countered with a grin "I mean your Dad is tough as nails, I swear I've seen him kill an Ursa with a headbutt before….soon as he saw you that went out the window, there should be pictures"

"I think Mum has 'em safe somewhere"

"Oh I have got to see pictures of you as a baby" Diamond laughed

"He was actually nervous as hell the whole way through Weiss's pregnancy" Rover added, stroking his beard absent-mindedly "I mean I know Atlas has changed but this only a couple years after the war, he was bringing a Faunus kid into famously racist Upper Atlas, he was fresh out the Specialist training program and serving on someone else's ship, didn't have his own command and was kinda living on Schnee money for a bit, he knew was gonna be away a lot….honestly he was scared of hurting you, I mean that Cybernetic was made specially for combat and he's a strong guy"

"That's dumb as f- it's just dumb" Arctus corrected himself despite the unlikelihood of Tuscan at less than three months old would be influenced by bad language "So Dad's busy at lot, I get that, it's not like he's absent and seriously he was bothered about money?"

"It was more of him wanting to set an example" Artemis explained, the interjection announcing her presence as she entered the room stretching and yawning; having been taking a nap until that point while Rover watched their daughter "He didn't want his kids to see him taking handouts" Artemis gently took Tuscan from Arctus and carried her over to an empty chair to be fed, Arctus averting his eyes and turned to Rover

"Hey you were in the Vytal Tournament twice, got any tips?"

"I mean your dad had Squish pick fights with people so we could see what everyone's Semblance was but I'm not encouraging that" Rover chuckled

"I mean Felix would probably do it" Diamond noted

"Just train constantly, take notes on people especially some of the older students if you can; honestly I think the most important thing for any team is to know each others' strengths and weaknesses or you won't get past the first round" Artemis added to which Rover nodded and thought for a moment before considering

"Honestly I don't think us giving you any specific tips beyond that would help. From what I've seen Team GRAP and FADE have very different compositions and approaches. Don't take this the wrong way but you're more of a blunt tool"

"I mean that sounds kinda harsh" Diamond objected, Rover leaned forward and explained

"Okay you've got the girl with the tank shield, correct me if I'm wrong but she tends to deploy that thing and either just run in or hang back and cover it" neither Arctus of Diamond disagreed, though both thought he was selling Eagle short with the summation "Arctus you've got your Mum's Semblance but in the nicest way possible you don't use it as effectively as she does-"

"I'm working on that"

"Good" Rover nodded "Diamond, you tend to use your Semblance to get a better angle and that's probably the most tactical part of Team FADE's approach, I mean Felix is all out attack. The overwhelming force approach can be really good in a tournament if you land some big hits early and if it works for you then stick to it"

"So how did you guys handle things?" Diamond asked

"Break 'em apart piece by piece" Artemis answered with an unusual savagery "Squish could turn invisible but I could track his Aura as well as anyone taking cover. Throw in Rover's speed and Gang teleporting if you ended up against Team GRAP you got cut off from back up and swamped"

"We'll have to see if Eagle can find the footage of your old matches" Arctus noted

"Definitely" Rover agreed "Send it to your Dad as well"

"Forget Gang send it to me" Artemis laughed as she gently burped Tuscan "I wanna see how in shape I was then"

"You still look amazing babe" her husband assured her

"Oh my Oum you two are sweet" Diamond grinned, seeing a couple that were so obviously still in love with her reminded her of her parents and was heart warming to watch

"Hey Aunt Missy can I have her back?" Arctus asked having grown quite comfortable with his baby cousin

"Well you're dressed up like you're going somewhere and she's just been fed, so you might wanna wait or there's a good chance of you getting puked on"

"Actually we should probably head out" Diamond suggested "We were gonna get something to eat before the gig and I kinda wanted to see the local support acts"

"Thinks it's Ether's band?" Arctus asked, Diamond shook her head with a grin

"If it was we'd know about it" Arctus conceded the point with a shrug before giving his Aunt a hug and crouching down to gently kiss Tuscan's forehead; the baby kindly deciding not to vomit all over him

"Have fun and give me a call if you miss the last flight to the academy, I'll probably be up all night anyway and I'll be able to get you a ride"

"Thanks" both Arctus and Diamond answered in tandem before exiting the apartment, Rover turned to his wife with a mischievous smile; since Arctus had taken a few photos with Tuscan to send to his family in Atlas the Husky Faunus decided turnabout was fair play

"So how about I tell Weiss and Gang how great those too are together"

"Don't interfere" Artemis chided gently "Weiss hasn't met her in person yet and the only time Gang's spoken to her was while Arctus was in intensive care-"

"That shouldn't have happened" Rover winced every time he thought about Arctus's pale and lifeless form in the hospital, Gangrel was one his oldest friends and he'd promised to look out for his son while he was in New Vale only to fail. Artemis saw the guilt on his face and immediately stepped closer

"Hey, none of that. I just meant let the kids have this, it's cute….kinda reminds me of when we started dating"

"Really" Rover smirked "We'll have to ask them if they spent a year dicking around first as well" Artemis merely rolled her mismatched eyes while her husband wrapped his arms around her waist. Rover, holding the love of his life while their daughter stared at the ever present green glow cast by the Aura regulator in his chest wagged his furry tail in utter contentment. Despite everything that life had throw at him he was happy.

Eagle and Felix had parted ways as they entered Halo Academy through the towering double doors of its' main entrance, Eagle assuring her partner once again that she would let him know if anything unexpected happened. While the Lion Faunus had made his way to their dormitory to change before heading to the gym she had made her way towards the library where Diamond had already been waiting for her. Eagle had taken her to a quiet corner of the vast facility and began with the most basic elements of teaching the Dragonfly Faunus to read in the common language of the Kingdoms, the alphabet; she had been pleasantly surprised to learn that while Hellion's education had been downright negligent in some regards she was by no means unintelligent and possessed a focus and will to learn that was surprising, one of the first thing she had done was create a key to connect letters with their respective glyphs in the language the Frost River wrote in; it wasn't an exact fit, for instance Hellion's native tongue didn't have the letters 'C' or 'X' and sounds like 'Sh' 'Ch' and 'Th' had their own respective glyphs. Unfortunately they had been asked as politely as the librarian could manage to leave after Hellion's first attempt to spell her own name had been incorrect, the resulting curses being loud enough to distract several final year students studying nearby. Rather than cut the tutoring session short the pair had searched for a comfortable spot on the outside of the campus, eventually deciding on the bleachers of the outdoor arena which was surprisingly not being used; the night air was pleasantly warm and Eagle had long since lost track of time

"I think if someone tried to force ham and green eggs on me this many times I would hurt them" Hellion noted causing Eagle to double over howling with laughter, utterly failing to notice the way the Dragonfly Faunus's wings fluttered in response to her reaction

"Okay, okay yeah I think it's safe to say you understood that line" Eagle finally managed to gasp out "Think you can read the next one?"

"Of course I can little canary" Hellion gave her a confident smirk and a wink that caused the blondes' freckled cheeks to darken but before she could follow through they were interrupted by a piercing screech from above them; Eagle looked up and scanned the night sky to no avail while Hellion simply held out her left arm

"You won't find him" she noted matter-of-factly, being proven correct when Marauder swooped silently into view and landed on the armoured bracer she wore on the outstretched limb, causing Eagle to jump a little more than she'd admit. Hellion gently stroked bird of prey as it preened itself, mercifully he hadn't brought any dead animals back to her this time. After a few moments she realised that Eagle was staring at Marauder with some interest

"I've raised him from a hatchling" Hellion explained "He was a gift from the elders of my tribe when I first realised that my I can see through the eyes of other animals….They said that he was to be my eyes and I would be theirs" Eagle looked from Marauder to Hellion and realised that bird was far more than a mere pet, their connection was an intrinsic part of her identity

"Sorry you had to go for so long without him" she murmured knowing first hand how difficult the isolation the Faunus had been kept in had been for her, seemingly sensing that it was being discussed the raptor turned its' attention to Eagle and the blonde in turn realised that much like sentinel Marauder had a distinct personality of his owner

"Hey, um…." she trailed off, suddenly overcome with shyness she'd thought she'd overcome "Can I pet him?"

"You can certainly try" Hellion chuckled "He's an ill-tempered beast when he wants to be and his claws are sharp" Eagle nodded to indicate that she understood but would try anyway before holding out her left arm the way Hellion had, Marauder cocked his head before hopping from his current perch and carrying himself over to Eagle with a single flap of his powerful wings; he weighed far more than Eagle had expected and his talons dug into her flesh through the sleeve of her hoodie but that was inconsequential in comparison to the sudden swell of pride she felt

"Well" Hellion almost purred "It looks like my eyes like what they see" Eagle felt the heat rising in her cheeks, a fact only made worse by the fact that she knew that the Faunus's superior eyesight would allow Hellion to see the effect her words had on her; thankfully she decided to take pity

"I should probably go little canary, Onyx and Raffia have been left to their own devices long enough to wreak havoc; someone should check on them"

"Oh, okay sure" Eagle stammered as Hellion rose to her feet, Marauder leaping up onto her shoulder "Just keep practising and let me know when you want to study together again" Hellion nodded in understanding and Eagle sighed as she watched her leave, she was exceedingly pretty but after a few moments the blonde found herself staring at her Scroll in apprehensive silence. There had been a matter she'd been thinking over all week, her brief conversation with Corvid earlier helping her make her decision and while teaching Hellion had been a welcome distraction it was now time to act, with that in mind she dialled and waited for a familiar voice to answer

"Eagle, Eagle are you okay?" the tired voice of Antonia Arc enquired with some trepidation

"Yeah I'm okay. I just needed to talk to you about something"

"The situation with your….with Qrow?" the older woman surmised "I didn't mean for us to end the summer on such bad terms, but if you just-"

"Mum listen" Eagle interrupted her and mustered every ounce of the confidence she'd developed since arriving at Halo Academy "I love you but I didn't call you to apologise or to ask you for permission. I just wanted to tell you this myself instead of you hearing it from someone else in the family. I want to get know Qrow better" Antonia remained silent for an amount of time that seemed to stretch on for longer than Eagle thought possible, eventually she managed to force out a response

"I see" taking several deep breaths she continued "I understand and while I stand by the choices I made, even if I could stop you from doing this I wouldn't"

"Mum I just want you to know that I still love you but this is something I need to do"

"No I understand and I love you too" an awkward silence spanned between them and Eagle was quietly thankful this call was audio only, eventually Antonia's voice came through the speaker "Anyway, I'm sure you have other things to be doing with your Saturday night. Tell you Grandparents I said hi" before Eagle could reply the call ended. She slumped back in her seat and let out a long slow breath; there was no doubt that her mother was more bothered by the idea of Eagle contacting Qrow than she let on but it had gone far better than she had been mentally preparing herself for and she'd been spared the emotional strain of another argument. Now there was just the small matter of actually asking Felix if he could help her arrange a meeting with Qrow and the incredible amount of nerves the idea filled her with.

Authors' Notes:

Okay this one was more of a filler/character building chapter and we're gonna have a few of those this volume due to us having to establish the new dynamic between certain characters, mainly The Shadow Cadre/Team GORE and everyone else as well as re-establish the setting when we head to Atlas which will be happening towards the end of this volume, so the pacing might be a little hard to figure out but hopefully I can write it in a way that isn't jarring.
Also to any of my readers sitting finals or any other type of exams, good luck and if you've read this far go study as soon as you're finished leaving a review.

Now let's summarise:
Team GORE integrating into a school environment was always going to be a struggle, the quick description of how they act gives a little insight into their individual mindsets but don't worry it won't all be done 'off screen'.
The Team RWBY vs Team SSSN fight is actually a callback to the Downward Spiral, it was basically my love letter to anime, Blake beat Sun by ring out when she stole his gun-chucks and did the Death the Kid 'Pull the triggers with your pinky fingers' trick.
Felix is definitely gonna be grumpy about other people being cute around him now he's figured out he's got a crush.
Felix being protective is not exactly unwarranted.
And yes has Yang's level of dedication to his hair, it's a running joke that I don't trot out too often.
I think the contrast between Team GORE's dorm and other teams' is a nice touch and helps give them a distinct feel of their own, also the whole huddling together for warmth while they sleep thing; at full size the Shadow Cadre was about three dozen people so it was probably a lot more effective.
Also yes the used to specialise in night attacks, most of the times we saw them in first year was either at night or early morning.
Onyx is trying, then again he's always been a people person.
The Shadow Cadre/Team GORE having that banter between themselves gives me life, also I'll address their sexualities here. It hasn't been mentioned yet but Carcharodon is ace, Onyx is straight, Raffia is Bi and Hellion is a lesbian.
Onyx and Hellion are the only two members of the Shadow Cadre to make their own weapons, they must have been like kids in a sweets shop when they saw Halo's workshop.
Carcharodon is honestly more than a little broken on the inside, he's got the weight of being the leader of the last of his people on his shoulders and he's trying to juggle keeping them alive with the desire for revenge and keeping their cultural identity as in tact as possible while dealing with the fact his paranoia is justified, so far everyone has stabbed his people in the back at some point.
The return of the Puns.
I just loved the idea that even Corvid 'Stubborn refusal to be beaten incarnate' Xiao Long can't beat Nyanza on a video game, but Eagle can because she's just that good.
Rusty canonically has moves. If you've seen the Teen Titans vs The Justice League animated movie I was imagining the dance off between Damien Wayne and Beast Boy.
Corvid practically adopting Eagle is A++
Oops, Corvid may have teased a little too hard there.
Let's be honest half of my readers were Diamond when they read that.
In Downward Spiral Gangrel Slate did in fact kill an Ursa with a headbutt but now I think about it it was actually Artemis that saw him do it, which implies that she either told Rover and he forgot or that Gangrel did it more than once.
Okay the conversation about Gangrel being nervous about being a parent before Arctus was born is due to a conversation with one of my readers, OwleryBlue and I wanted to work it into the story.
Felix would definitely pick fights with people so he can see everyone's Semblance.
The explanation of the differences between Team GRAP and Team FADE were pretty spot on, Team GRAP were more manoeuvrable and focused on harrying targets, Team FADE are pretty much a solid wall of pain; this is also a little hint of what to expect.
Rover is gonna be up all night because he's a good father and actually takes turns to feed the baby.
Okay so about the Frost river tribe, their language doesn't have the letter C or X so Onyx's name in his native language would be Onyks and C is split between S K and a separate glyph for 'Ch' which is how Carcharodon's name works….Also works for 'Nikos', don't worry I had it figured out.
I'm just gonna say that Hellion messed up her own name because it doesn't have the double L spelling in her native tongue.
Yes, that reference was exactly what you thought it was.
Well Hellion's pet likes Eagle, that's a good start.
So that happened, Eagle's gonna get to know Qrow.

Thank you to SumoSnipe, Araniladin, Unstoppable Cyborg, FleetOfWarships, TigerRose, Arkanes Shippou, Ferrous and ShadowAlex2000 for their reviews on the last chapter.
Nora only brings Popcorn on Fridays.
I love making my readers emotional.
I don't have any real shipping plans for Nyanza to be honest.
Hellion is actually shorter than Eagle but only by an inch or two.
Glad people liked the fight between Onyx and Helios, it's about time someone gave him a real challenge.
I think Felix having a crush on Helios is a little different because Helios hasn't tried to kidnap anyone, but Felix knows Eagle is capable and he'll trust her judgement.
The reaction to The Shadow Cadre becoming Team GORE is honestly hilarious to me because I have literally been planning this since the first chapter of Vol.1, they're here to stay.

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.