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I am making no money from this.
Chapter 57: Explosive Reaction
Felix muffled a yawn behind his palm as he continued to pay scant attention to the droning of the professor. Currently the second year students were in history class and the most charitable description one could give the teacher was the one provided by Eagle 'He's just not Uncle Lie' Professor Beige was positively ancient, bald and slightly hunched by his advanced age with skin that was both wrinkled and somewhat papery in appearance. As Felix understood it Professor Beige had never been a Huntsman himself but had retired from his job as part of a military sponsored 'Sanitation team' whose role was to make former war zones habitable again and taken the teaching position at the end of the war against Salem while already in his fifties, after seeing how much of Atlas's history could be lost in the conflict.
While committed to his job and possessing first had experience from a different perspective to that of another Hunter the fact remained that Professor Beige was sorely lacking in charisma and utterly failed to engage with his students; as such his lecture about the events leading up to the conflict, specifically the fortieth biennial Vytal Festival and Tournament in Vale had simply served as a springboard for several conversations between cliques of students.
To Felix's right Eagle had finally given up and was currently sharing a comic with Diamond, the series she had been using as a teaching aid for Hellion apparently being one that the silver haired Mistrali had enjoyed as a child and was nostalgic for; Arctus was making a valiant attempt at listening and taking notes but it was clear his heart wasn't in it. To Felix's left Team GRAY, led by his fellow native of Patch Grease Thunderbird were discussing which teams they thought they would be able to beat in the upcoming Vytal Tournament and Felix fought the urge to join in and torment them. A few rows ahead Onyx seemed to be relishing the attention a young woman Felix believed was a student of Shade Academy was paying to his Faunus trait of padded palms and fingers, the rest of Team GORE were watching this with expressions that ranged between amused and faintly disgusted. Felix subconsciously found himself seeking out Helios, though he was at least honest enough with himself to admit why; eventually he found the redhead seated to his right and close to the front of the lecture hall, clearly having decided to be as close to the Professor whose voice failed to carry as possible in order to take notes, a decision he was regretting if his ever darkening expression was anything to go by
"What the fuck?" Felix mouthed to himself almost silently, Helios was a notably dedicated and hard working student, a driving force responsible for his team-mates good grades and seeing him so visibly angry at a teacher, silently seething with rage was enough to make Felix sit up a little straighter and actually listen to Professor Beige's lecture
"-while it is impossible to say with any degree of certainty due to a lack of any available records and those involved being deceased, thus unavailable to provide testimony; whatever her loyalties and intentions may have been it is clear that Pyrrha Nikos's attempted murder of Penny Polendina during the Vytal Tournament was used as a signal to begin what became known as the Battle of Beacon, a misnomer given that it spanned-"
"Oh no" Diamond mouthed silently from beside Felix; her own expression suddenly inexplicably nervous, a moment later Helios erupted
"I WILL HEAR NO MORE OF THIS!" he bellowed as he rose to his feet, hands slamming against his desk with enough force to crack its' surface "YOU WILL NOT STAND THERE AND CAST ASPERSIONS ABOUT MY FAMILY!"
"Ah, Mister Helios" Professor Beige's tone and cadence remained unchanged, as if the furious outburst had been anticipated, which was admittedly the most impressive thing the man had done thus far
"I am prepared to accept that this is a subject you will struggle to deal with objectively due to your closeness to it" he sighed "However in this field objectivity is key, history is facts and facts exist independent of our feelings towards them"
"I don't want excuses, I want an apology or-
"Professor!" Felix called out, cutting over Helios whom the Lion Faunus was almost certain was about to demand single combat with the teacher
"Yes Mister Xiao Long?" Professor Beige raised an eyebrow, as if considering expecting similar objections; Felix however grinned as he delivered what was in his mind a perfect rebuttal
"By that logic testimonies from those directly involved would be useless because they would be unable to be objective"
"I fail to see-"
"You said available testimonies, I'm guessing a lot of stuff is classified" Felix's grin widened to comical proportions as he delivered the punchline "But Penny Polendina is my aunt, I can literally call her right now if you want? She'll tell you that what happened wasn't Pyrrha's fault, then you can give Helios that apology….You want me to call her? Come on do it for academia"
"I suppose that would change matters" Professor Beige answered slowly "But her original testimony was most likely classified for a reason and I don't find it pertinent to-" he was cut off by Helios rising to his feet and marching out of the lecture hall, fists clenched and white knuckled, his green eyes blazing with barely restrained rage. As the door slammed behind him the professor tried to regain his place in his preplanned lecture though many of the students were paying even less attention than before; glancing at Team FADE and muttering to themselves
"Arctus can I borrow your notes for this later?"
"Sure"
"Sweet" with that Felix rose and left the lecture hall as briskly as he could without breaking into a jog, his ears strained as he listened for Helios's thundering footsteps but he could hear no trace of him and was instead reduced to guessing which way the redhead would have gone at each turn; eventually though Felix's persistence and luck were rewarded as he found Helios slumped against a wall in an otherwise empty corridor, head in his hands and taking deep breaths in what seemed to be a futile attempt to calm himself
"Wanna talk about it?" Felix asked as he sat beside him
"Not really" Helios grunted running his hands through his spiky hair in frustration, the two remained silent for a moment before the redhead spoke again, seemingly unable to contain his ire "It's not the first time I've heard people say Pyrrha Nikos tried to kill your aunt intentionally….usually muttering cowards or drunks in the settlements my people pass through, they say it's proof that the tribes are savages, weather she was raised by the Nikosi or not"
"That's messed up man" Felix shook his head in disgust "Trust me, nobody here thinks that"
"With my position among my people I feel like it falls to me to defend the honour of the Nikosi. I just hate the assumptions, these people can't even tell one tribe from another-"
"You're all just the bogeyman and they don't need or want to know more than that" Felix finished, swishing his golden fur covered tail in front of Helios in answer to his confused expression before resting the appendage on the redheads' lap "Yeah I get it man….racism is still a thing; hell last year I had a gun pulled on me because someone thought I was working with Team GORE, their whole point was that we're both cat Faunus so we must know each other"
"I….it's just….thank you for being here" Helios murmured slowly evidently calming down; the two of them sat in peaceful silence until something made Felix jerk bolt upright
"Are you stroking my tail?" he demanded, slightly incredulous and unused to the sensation
"Sorry, I didn't mean anything by it" Helios answered "I'll stop"
"It's fine" Felix shrugged, eyes slowly closing as Helios resumed the treatment and leaning against the wall; having his tail stroked and gently scratched was surprisingly relaxing. though before he could fully settle into the experience the bell signalling the end of the lesson sounded within moments doors opened and a press of bodies moved around them the majority of the crowds paying no mind to a pair of students only slightly blocking the corridor and simply moved around them, as the last stragglers made their way passed Helios turned to Felix
"Are you going to our next lesson?"
"Are you?"
"No" Helios answered after considering for a few seconds "I'm not sure I'll react well to everyone staring at me right now"
"No nice way to say this Heely" Felix chuckled, the words leaving him faster than he could prevent them "But you're gonna have a hard to being inconspicuous looking the way you do"
"Now I understand how you and Nyanza are such good friends" Helios breathed out with a content smile "Thank you….Fluffy" hearing the affectionate way Helios used the nickname was enough to make the Lion Faunus rest his head on the taller teens shoulder and a few moments later Helios reached down and laced his fingers through Felix's loosely holding his hand. Neither of them were exactly sure how long they remained like that and as they sat their peacefully neither of them heard Nyanza approach, the bushy tailed Feline using his Semblance and inexhaustible luck to speed up the process of finding them. He took one look at his old friend and his partner and silently retreated, forcing himself not to cackle like a madman, though gleeful muttering about how it was about time and a certain betting pool still escaped him.
After lessons had ended for the day Diamond had stated, in a manner reminiscent of Felix, that she was going to the gym to work off some stress, naturally her partner had offered to accompany and spot for her while she used the weight bench; Arctus had left his notes from the days' lessons on Felix's bed for his cousin to copy at his leisure and was now watching while Diamond lifted weights that while not quite as monumental as Felix or Eagle's were still impressive for her. As she did so she managed to explain what troubling her, her words coming through a series of grunts of exertion
"You know how my parents were….how they started the war on the wrong side" Arctus nodded and as Diamond raised the bar again she continued "My mum was….involved in….What happened with Pyrrha Nikos
"Oh" Arctus gasped "Oh shit"
"Yeah" Diamond agreed as she replaced the bar for a moment and motioned for Arctus to pass her water bottle "I don't know if I should tell him" the Bear Faunus remained silent, taking a few moments to choose his words carefully
"Do you want my opinion?" when Diamond nodded he sighed and continued "I don't think you should, I honestly don't think it would do anything but cause problems for everyone"
"How do you figure?" Diamond asked, her clear trepidation making it apparent that she could see the potential for disaster, even if she couldn't articulate exactly how it would play out
"Look as much as we like Helios….he wouldn't take the news lying down, I think he'd tell his people; you remember what he was like with Felix at first" Arctus ran a hand through his hair "Your Mum does charity work, I can't imagine Mistral giving her funding if one the Anima tribes march into the capital demanding blood, if her funding gets cut people are gonna go hungry at the very least….I know how much family means to Helios but the fact is he never met Pyrrha Nikos, she's an ideal he tries to live up to and as ruthless as it sounds his feelings aren't worth trading actual living people's lives for"
"Damn" Diamond muttered more than a little bitterly before laying flat on the weight bench and started another set "You're right….I just hate having to worry about politics and things like that, I just wanna do the right thing and not make it complicated y'know?"
"Makes sense, especially for a Hunter" Arctus nodded
"Exactly" Diamond grunted as she lifted the weights "At least the Grimm are a problem with a straightforward solution….just shoot 'em until they vanish" Arctus cracked a small smile and continued to spot for his partner until the sound of splintering wood and raucous laughter erupted from the opposite corner of the gym and Arctus's stomach dropped at the sight of Cinnabar Blaine, surrounded by his team-mates and the remains of a wooden training dummy, of the kind with multiple arms at various heights, laying in two broken halves on the ground near his feet. So far none of Team CNBR seemed to have noticed Arctus and Diamond were there due to the size of the gym, though Arctus found himself distracted from his task of spotting for Diamond and instead watching Cinnabar resume training when one of his team brought him a new dummy; the sinking sensation in Arctus's stomach only worsened with each strike the older student landed, Cinnabar was incredibly strong and fast with flawless technique leaving Arctus grudgingly impressed and more importantly a little frightened of the idea of further altercations.
A few minutes later another distraction came in the form of a sudden hush falling over the gym, the Atlas students who were able to do so stopping what they were doing and saluting out of habit, Headmistress and General Winter Schnee had entered and was making her way deliberately towards Arctus who gave her a quick salute himself
"Aunt Winter" his toothy grin widened and the stoic facade his aunt wore was lowered for just a moment as she returned the smile
"I was hoping to have a conversation with you, in private if possible?"
"I'll meet you back at our dorm" Diamond offered, recognising that Winter was giving an order despite wording it as a request
"Okay" Arctus smiled, leaning down to give her a quick peck on the cheek before following after Winter whose approach had, whether intentionally or not, draw attention to himself and Diamond and alerted Team CNBR to their presence
"Hey Dee-Dee, if you want a real work out then you know where my dorm is right? Work those hips!" Cinnabar called, his team-mates obviously finding the catcalling hilarious; Winter however did not and before Arctus could take a step back in their direction she had turned towards them
"Mister Blaine, detention for a week. There will be no harassment in my Academy" the moment Winter had turned back around to continue out of the gym with Arctus Cinnabar gave a growl of irritation and launched a spinning heel kick that reduced the training dummy to ruined splinters. Winter didn't bother turning around this time
"A month of detentions Mister Blaine and I presume I can send the bill of the damaged equipment to your agent? Do reign in your temper, it's embarrassing to see Remnant's defenders throwing a tantrum" the entrance to the gym closed behind them as the room seemed to burst into unified laughter
"So what's wrong Aunt Winter?" Arctus asked, Winter simply beckoned him along a deserted corridor and upon finding that it was indeed devoid of life allowed the persona she adopted while dealing with anyone who was not family or a crew-mate aboard her flagship to fall away
"Perhaps I just wanted to see my nephew" she chortled as she reached up to ruffle his hair "But since the imbecile made a spectacle of himself I suppose we shouldn't talk around the subject; Cinnabar Blaine"
"Right" Arctus sighed, realising where the conversation "Did Dad put you up to this?"
"Gangrel couldn't put me up to anything if he tried" Winter answered bluntly as she withdrew her Scroll and opened a folder containing several images "Now, let's talk about Cinnabar Blaine and his relationship with your partner" Arctus looked at the photos, a younger Diamond ringside cheering on a younger Cinnabar in Mistral's under seventeen tournaments
"Nothing I didn't already know" he shrugged "They started dating when Diamond was fourteen and broke up when she decided to study in New Vale. Having an ex isn't a crime"
"Obviously" Winter replied "But with Vytal Tournament drawing closer you need to remember that the Atlesian media will enjoy inventing a narrative wholesale….and we both know who gave you a black eye Arctus"
"So what are you getting at?" the Bear Faunus huffed as he slouched against the wall, the bruising around his face had mostly faded though it was entirely possible that word had reached his Aunt through various sources
"The Schnee family name will always attract media attention and you are a Schnee who will be competing against Atlas, your partner and girlfriend was previously in a relationship with a moderately famous Mistrali tournament fighter. The personal attacks are coming Arctus, I just want you to know that I'm here for you; and your partner….she seems to have made a positive impression on the family, or your sister at the very least" Arctus couldn't help but laugh at that, Weiss had sent him a photo of Athena-Jade with her hair cut and styled to imitate Diamond's usual style; Diamond herself had squealed at the cuteness upon being shown the picture.
"So what're my options?" Arctus asked
"You could convince Team FADE as a whole to transfer to Atlas and be welcomed as a returning hero" Winter grinned knowing it was an option her would never take "Or you could talk to my brother, I'm sure Whitley could teach you how to control the incoming media circus if you asked him to"
"Can I just focus on studying and training?" Arctus asked with clear exasperation "I mean it's not even guaranteed that Team FADE and CLIR are gonna fight each other….Oum I hate all the conniving and scheming, it's why I didn't study here in the first place"
"Of course, that's honestly the answer I was as hoping for" Winter nodded, giving her nephew a reassuring smile "I was hoping you wouldn't stoop to Whitley's antics. You will certainly be able to avoid the press while at the academy, they'd be prosecuted if they set foot here and students are 'discouraged' from leaking stories to them"
"Thanks"
"You're welcome, I wanted to have this conversation with you before I left for my ship. You'll most likely see Weiss before I do so tell her I send my regards, and give Athena-Jade a hug for me" Winter pulled Arctus into a loose hug which he happily returned
"Will do; say hi to Matte for me" Commander Matte Skye was the admiral of Winter's fleet and her former first mate, they were equal in standing to Arctus's own father and despite the appearances that were maintained for the public it was common knowledge that Matte and Winter were very much an item.
"Oh and Arctus" Winter gave him a grin that was rare in its' mischievousness "If you do find yourself competing against Atlesian students don't take it to heart if I seem to be cheering for them, I am their Headmistress after all"
While Diamond and Arctus had departed for the gym after their classes had ended for the day, Eagle had sought out Felix who had been absent since leaving the history class which had been the penultimate lesson and informed him that they had a somewhat more distant destination they needed to reach; her mother had asked to meet her in the capital.
"I still can't believe you missed a lesson just to hold hands with Helios" Eagle chastised him as they made their way through the still crowded streets of Eisenstadt Prime "It's irresponsible….really, really, really cute but still irresponsible" she had been teasing and supporting her partner in equal measure for the duration of the flight from Atlas Academy and showed no signs of stopping
"Am I really being called out by someone who sleeps with a stuffed Ursa?"
"You leave Mister Pancakes out of this!" Eagle gave a gasp of feigned offence before the two of them burst into peals of laughter which gradually trailed off as they caught their first real glimpse of their destination, the Atlesian Museum of Military History
"Damn" Felix noted bluntly, struggling to find a more fitting response to the grandiose building. Located several layers of the Hive City above the Prime Promenade put the museum firmly in upper Atlas and while the surrounding area was limited to a height of two stories by the roof of the city level, the city itself seemed to have been sculpted around the museum allowing to reach a height far greater than the buildings around it; it was constructed with pale chalky white stone and gleaming Atlesian steel, its' entrance flanked by a pair of ancient war machines from the Kingdom of Mantle mounted on plinths and through the large windows through which the outlines of exhibits could be seen it was apparent that several armed guards were on patrol.
"I know right!" Eagle almost squealed as she began walking noticeably faster "I wanted to come here over the weekend but we didn't really have time, I mean we've barely got time now, it closes in an hour or two and I could spend at least a day in here; I've wanted to visit this place for ages and-" the blonde's signature hyperactive rambling was brought to a halt as she saw someone unmistakably familiar stood off to the side of the entrance; a moment later Eagle had grabbed Felix and was all but dragging him along
"Mum, hey Mum!" she called out before she reached Antonia, the older Arc woman seemed to have regained the air of quiet control that had been absent since her return to Atlas; the bags under her eyes while present were a little less pronounced and she looked notably less dishevelled dressed in a smart business jacket over a soft high necked sweatshirt and comfortable jeans
"Hello Eagle, how've you been?" her eyes honed in on Felix, or more specifically his tail "I take it this is your partner, you didn't mention that they were a Faunus"
"Should she have?" Felix growled, suddenly defensive. Eagle seemed unsure which of them to reproach first, a situation that ended when Antonia Arc seemed to realise her faux pas
"You're right I'm sorry, it shouldn't be an issue. It isn't an issue" she seemed unable to make eye contact with the Lion Faunus "I cannot stand ignorant bigotry, yet I find myself wary after the….incident in New Vale"
"Shit" Felix muttered under his breath "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything"
"Hey, hey it's okay, everyone is okay" Eagle assured them both, eager for her mother and best friend to get along "So are we heading inside? There're so many cool things on display here and we won't be able to see all of them"
"Actually" Antonia answered with a smile as she and Felix followed Eagle inside "I was discussing seeing you again with Oz over dinner, he suggested that I simply offer to pay the museum to stay open a little later tonight; we're by no means poor after all and I sent emails to the local colleges to alert any history students of the fact"
"Oh my Oum thank you, letting the colleges know was really thoughtful as well-" Eagle stopped dead in her tracks as something occurred to her "Wait, Oz? As Doctor Eldritch? You were having dinner together?"
"We're simply two colleagues who enjoyed a meal together, and plan to do so again" Antonia answered tonelessly, though her face gave her away as she was unable to prevent the smile that tugged at the corners of her mouth
"Mum that's great to hear" Eagle beamed, not fooled by her mothers' answer for a moment
"Thank you" she paused for a moment, reading signs directing patrons of the museum to different exhibits "So tell me how did your last mission go, also I think the exhibit dedicated to the Salem conflict would be a good place to visit first; they actually have a White Fang tank from the battle at the bio-domes where your Aunt Victoria and Uncle Jaune fought….I think it may actually be one that Vicky destroyed herself"
"Cool" Eagle gasped as they neared an elevator that would take them towards their destination. As the three of them made their way through the museum Felix found himself feeling like something of a third wheel, any hostility between Eagle and her mother that may have lingered since the summer was gone and the two of them chatted animatedly with only brief input from the Lion Faunus as they entered the exhibit dedicated to a conflict that was still within living memory, the aforementioned tank clearly visible nearby. Felix's attention however was drawn to something else entirely
"Holy Oum" he mouthed out almost silently as he stopped to look at the katana whose crimson blade had been broken cleanly in half in a glass display case; a small card beneath the stand supporting the weapons proclaiming it to be;
'Wilt: one of two weapons wielded by terrorist and leader of the White Fang, Adam Taurus' the Lion Faunus was unable to wholly explain the mix of emotions that came over him while looking at the display, this was the sword that had taken his mothers' arm.
"It's a convincing fake, but a fake nonetheless" an unfamiliar voice noted conversationally beside him and Felix jumped, unaware that anyone had approached. He was confronted with the sight of a white haired and magenta eyed Ram Faunus with horns which curled around her temples, the woman whom Felix guessed to be in her late twenties or early thirties was confined to a wheelchair which glided over the tiled floor of the museum silently.
"Fake?" Felix raised an incredulous eyebrow "You're sure?"
"The real Wilt could withstand Adam Taurus's Semblance which tore Atlas's most dangerous war machines apart in a single strike. This blade is broken therefore it's a fake, the real Wilt would have withstood whatever happened to this"
"Have you mentioned it to the museum?" Felix asked, finding himself oddly invested
"History is written by winners and the image of Adam Taurus's broken sword being put on display is too powerful to be hindered by trivialities like facts" the Ram Faunus noted, her tone amused but with an unmistakable edge "Besides, we're only Faunus-"
"Ah Miss Lupus" Antonia's voice called out, her and Eagle having noticed that Felix was no longer with them and doubled back with some embarrassment "I take it you've recently left your treatment session with Doctor Eldritch"
"Indeed, he mentioned that the museum would be open late this evening and I do have an interest in the history of my people; as I was discussing with Mister…." she trailed off looking at Felix expectantly
"Xiao Long" Felix answered "Felix Xiao Long"
"Ah" Celeste's eyes took on an almost predatory gleam "Could you be related to Blake Xiao Long, formerly Belladonna?"
"You know my Mum?"
"I'm sure all Faunus know of her" Celeste answered "And as much as I would love to discuss our shared history I must be going, transport to the outer settlements isn't the most reliable"
"Uh yeah sure, goodbye" Felix murmured, waiting until the Ram Faunus had entered an elevator to turn to Antonia Arc "Who was that?"
"Celeste Lupus, one of Oz's projects is to build a new line of Faunus specific prosthetics and cybernetics. Celeste's is one of the test subjects, she's making progress and eventually she won't need that chair any more"
"Cool" Felix nodded, not quite able to suppress the shiver then ran down his spine "Is she always that fucking creepy?"
"Felix!" Eagle gasped, hands covering her mouth "It's true but that doesn't mean you should just say it"
Diamond kissed and gently nipped at Arctus's neck and collarbone while she lazily traced the scar running diagonally along his chest, her breathing slowly returning to normal in the afterglow of an intense make out session that had begun in the shower and ended on the bed; sharing a room with two other people meant that privacy was at a premium and neither of them were willing to waste the rare opportunities they were given. Eventually Diamond made to roll off of her boyfriend in search of clothes only for Arctus to gently reach out and grab her wrist, pulling her back down onto the bed and into his embrace
"Seriously?" she breathed out, her breath hitching as his lips found a sensitive spot on her neck
"Why not?" Diamond could almost feel his smirk against her skin with the answer "Eagle and Felix won't be back for hours"
"I know but still" Diamond almost giggled as the Bear Faunus continued to tease her, eventually playfully pushing him away; she found herself frowning at her reaction when he propped himself against the headboard and let an an audible sigh
"Okay fine"
"What's up with you?" she demanded, suddenly annoyed
"Nothing….It's dumb" Arctus sighed, turning away in something close to embarrassment "Don't worry about it"
"And now I'm worrying" Diamond retorted with a snort, returning to the bed and getting comfortable as she sat beside him "What's wrong?"
"It's…." Arctus trailed off for a moment seemingly unable to find words "I just don't know how to word this without sounding like an ass-hole and I swear I don't want to sound like I'm pressuring you into anything"
"Talk to me Big Guy" Diamond was fairly certain she could deduce what he wanted to say, but still wanted him to be the one to say it "Come on Arctus it's me, you know we can talk about anything" the coaxing seemed to have an effect as Arctus leaned forward, still not quite able to meet her eyes
"Okay so we've been dating for a while now….Is there a reason we've never had sex? I mean if it's something to do with me having no experience-"
"Dude no" Diamond held a hand up to silence him before cupping his chin with and kissing him briefly on the lips "Just answer me this; are we having this conversation because of what Cinnabar said in gym?"
"I mean kinda" Arctus mumbled
"Okay first of all" Diamond sighed "The relationship I had with Sin does not have anything to do with our relationship, at all. I loved him once, we broke up and now he's a dick"
"Agreed"
"As for why we haven't, I promise it's nothing to do with any inadequacies you've managed to convince yourself you have….There just hasn't been a moment where it felt right"
"How do you mean?" Arctus asked as he took Diamond's hand in his, before answering she wrapped his arm around her shoulders and worked her way beneath the sheets as the Atlesian climate made its' presence known
"I mean I don't want our first time to be something we feel like we have to do just because we've got the dorm to ourselves for an hour" she shrugged and snuggled into Arctus a little closer "I just want our first time to be special; it's for us, not anybody else"
"Okay, I understand" Arctus smiled, kissing the top of her head "And I'm sorry if I was-"
"Dude it's okay" Diamond assured him "We need to be able to talk about this" the two of them remained in easy, comfortable silence resting against each other until Diamond's Scroll buzzed as it received a text message, reaching over and opening the device she scanned the contents of the message and turned to Arctus
"It's from Razz" she informed him, Arctus liked her Diamond's old friend well enough; even if her excitability made her a little tiring to be around "Team GRAY and Team NEON are having a Street Brawler Four tournament, she wants to know if we're coming?"
"Do you want to?" Arctus asked already preparing to climb out of the bunk the two of them shared only to be halted by Diamond who wrapped her arms around his shoulder, resulting in his face being drawn close to hers while leaning over her.
"Nah" both of them spoke in unison before tumbling back down onto the bed.
Raffia trailed behind Onyx as the pair made their way through streets that were almost completely deserted, making the two Faunus stand out more than they already would as they made their way into what was decidedly upper Atlas.
"We're lost" the Axolotl Faunus hissed irritably
"We're not lost, we're exploring" Onyx answered, his words slurred by the considerable amount of alcohol he'd consumed over the course of the evening
"We're not here to explore" Raffia snapped, growing steadily more angry
"That's exactly what we're here for and the first place we explored yielded no results" the Puma Faunus gave a drunken grin "Trust me" Raffia begrundgingly did as requested and continued following. The two of them had been making regular visits to the capital since Team GORE had returned from their mission, their goal was to learn the whereabouts of the Scavenger Guild or at least find someone who could serve as a contact between them; thus far they had little to show for their efforts despite the ease with which Onyx navigated the sea of crime, debauchery and machismo that permeated the countless dive bars which served as the home of Atlas's underbelly. The closest thing to actionable information they'd managed to find were the semi coherent ramblings Onyx had coaxed out of a drunkard with a questionable smell who had seemed to find remaining upright a challenge; those ramblings had informed them that the Scavenger Guild in Atlas were well paying but woefully infrequent employers who offered no retaining fees to those whose muscle and dubious skills they required and that they only ever ventured into the lower reaches of the Hive city when they needed to recruit, Onyx had been undeterred by this and had pressed the man on where to find the elusive antiques and weapons pedlars, pointing out that they must have a property somewhere to store their wares and conduct business with their more discerning and reputable clients; the talkative drunk had laughed in response and wafted his stinking breath at the Puma Faunus while doing so before answering that they sometimes rented out offices 'Up town' for entertaining their buyers, prompting Onyx to all but drag Raffia out of the bar and set off in search of the Scavenger Guild in more affluent surroundings.
"Perhaps we should turn back?" Raffia offered
"Scared?" Onyx snorted
"Of these cowards?" Raffia shot back, offended at the suggestion "Never, I want the Scavenger Guild to suffer but Carcharodon told us not to draw suspicion, if we miss the flight back to Atlas Academy then the General will begin to suspect-"
"She will suspect nothing" the Puma Faunus waved him off "If we're questioned I'll answer that we came to the city because there was a woman I wanted to spend some time with and we lost track of time, easy enough to do while distracted….you were with me because she had a friend" Raffia let out an annoyed hiss at his team-mates' joking tone before he realised that anyone even remotely familiar with Onyx Ursabane and the antics he tended to partake in would likely have no reason to doubt such a story; as the realisation sunk in a cruel and comically wide smile split his face
"Then let's go" with his faith in their mission restored Raffia seemed to find boundless energy and Onyx was reduced to trailing behind letting out drunk and raucous laughter as the smaller Faunus insisted that he hurry up
"And where exactly are you eager to get to" Onyx laughed "We're looking for them, we don't know where they are yet….besides, we have no weapons"
"If we find them I'll kill them with my bare hands" Raffia insisted, the fact that they had decided against carrying their admittedly distinctive weapons with them after they drawn countless glances on their first expedition into Lower Atlas evidently not concerning him in the least. The two of them continued through the streets of Upper Atlas, in search of a clue which they were both certain they would recognise when they saw it eventually coming to a halt in front of building that was clearly of some importance given that the city itself seemed to have been sculpted around in and a pair of war machines were mounted on plinths, flanking its' entrance
"I'll never understand how the Kingdoms manage to produce such weapons" Raffia murmured as he took in the sight of the museum which had closed for the night without knowing what it was "They don't have the heart to be warriors"
"Exactly" Onyx grunted "They don't want to fight so they make machines to do it for them….like their metal men" the pair shared a look and shook their heads at the memory of their experiences with Atlesian built robots; for machines built specifically for combat the automatons had been underwhelming opponents to say the least. Onyx cast his eyes around their surroundings, searching for anything that would indicate where they should go and was about to speak bur found himself cut off
BOOM!
A large chunk of the building was ripped away as an explosion ripped it apart from the inside, flames and debris bursting from the resulting hole; Onyx and Raffia instinctively lunged aside and covered their sensitive eyes only to find the rest of their enhanced senses assaulted, smoke clogged their noses and high pitched alarms screeched futile warnings and within the space of a minute sirens could be heard drawing close
"We should flee!" Raffia urged
"No" Onyx shook his head "We had nothing to do with this and the General will vouch for us, no sense in making ourselves look guilty" Raffia begrudgingly conceded the point and the two of them returned to their feet, before they could take in the full extent of the damage that had been done to the museum an armoured transport, its' roof fitted with flashing lights an a piercing siren screeched to a halt behind them and several people could be heard disembarking; Onyx and Raffia turned to face half a dozen police officers wearing full riot gear, weapons already drawn
"We're students from New Vale, we saw everything-"
"ON YOUR KNEES FLEABAGS! GET YOUR HANDS BEHIND YOUR HEAD AND DON'T MOVE!" one of the officers cut Onyx off, waving his weapon in a way that suggested panic and a lack of self control could override whatever training the man had received at any moment; glancing at each other Raffia and Onyx complied, though the Puma Faunus muttered to his comrade as his did so
"I'm going to break that ones' jaw before sunrise"
Authors Notes:
There you go, some more cute shit and some foreshadowing/set up that needed to be done.
Also…..the next chapter's gonna be even cuter.
Anyway not much to add this week, so let's summarise shall we:
"Professor Beige" so boring I couldn't even be bothered to make his name a pun or reference, he just gets to be the most pointless colour….also yeah, imagine having this guy after getting history lessons from Ren for a year.
Seriously, he led the clean up crews getting rid of White Fang booby traps in Lower Atlas after the war; the sad part is could actually be a really good teacher.
You know it's bad when even Eagle just gives up.
Dread Pirate Toe-Beans has admirers.
Atlas being what it is there's no way they would ever see what happened to Penny as anything other than a direct attack on Atlas and its' Hunters on Pyrrha's part.
You know damn well Helios would have demanded single combat with the teacher.
Beige was expecting Felix to get up and argue in defence of Yang's actions (Remember Downward Spiral differed from canon in that Yang actually beat the shit out of Mercury after the match ended).
"Come on do it for academia" is now in the top five Felix quotes.
Helios has grown up with a lot of weight on his shoulders and the idea that the racism towards the tribes he heard growing up is a parallel to the racism towards Faunus Felix experienced just seems to make sense.
"You're all just the bogeyman and they don't need or want to know more than that" If this sounds like right wing politics the good, it was meant to.
Remember when the Scavenger Guild thought Felix and Onyx 'Must' know each other.
THEY WERE HOLDING HANDS LIKE FILTHY PERVERTS….To all of you Battle-Cat shippers I say: You're welcome.
Nyanza used Pay Day, it's super effective.
Yeah Diamond can lift, she's the slim one of her team, but when that Team includes Felix, Eagle and Arctus then that's not really saying much.
Yeah, you get why Diamond looked worried in class now.
It might leave a foul taste in your mouth but Arctus has got a point there, telling Helios the truth does more harm than good….I'll be honest it's not a plot point I'm gonna do much with, I was using it more as a way to get to the Battle-Cat scene than anything else.
Yeah Cinnabar, as much of a dick as he is, is really good at what he does and Arctus is honestly a little scared of him….it's gonna make the tournament interesting.
I love that Arctus gave the salute, both both he and Winter obviously know that it's just to keep up appearances.
The skin-crawling sensation every time I write Cinnabar continues.
Winter is taking none of anybodies' shit.
You wanted more Winter and you got more Winter, someone had to tell Arctus that fact of the matter is now he's back in Atlas he is going to be under scrutiny and the media are going to make his life difficult.
Arctus and Diamond have the same reaction to having to deal with any form of politics.
Battle-Cat: Eagle ships it.
Mister Pancakes is now the canon name of Eagle's stuffed Ursa, thank you SumoSnipe.
Antonia is still a little fucked up after being kidnapped, she doesn't mean to be jumpy around Faunus but she is.
Remember, Eagle's Mum is rich. She gave Eagle ten grand as a birthday present, she is more than capable of paying a museum to stay open late then inviting all the local college kids to come for free.
Oh dear, Antonia enjoyed dinner with Oz….oh dear, oh dear, oh dear.
If you read The Downward Spiral then you remember Victoria Arc just tearing Adam's tanks apart like they were paper.
Celeste was telling the truth, she has the real Wilt the one on display was a replica.
She's also right about the reason why the fake sword was put on display.
Well now Celeste knows who Felix is, that can't be good for Felix.
That whole ineraction was loosely based on the museum scene with Killmonger in Black Panther; I feel that if Felix had given his last name Celsete would have most likely tried to recruit him.
Yeah Cinnabar managed to get in Arctus's feelings; knowing that the guy who punched him the face and he's scared of has actually had sex with his girlfriend before is gonna mess with your head a little no matter how illogical you tell yourself it is.
I kinda feel that Diamond is better at talking about these kind of things just because Emerald and Mercury went out of their way to ensure that she knew she could talk to them about anything free of judgement.
You know damn well that Team GORE were going to go looking for the Scavenger Guild.
Onyx's alibi would have worked as well.
Remember how Carcharodon specifically said not to attack the Scavenger Guild straight away….well we can see exactly what Raffia thinks of that order.
Yes that was the same museum from earlier; I'll just come out and confirm it now, the White Fang blew up the exhibit with the fake Wilt just for daring to use Adam Taurus's.
And some things in Atlas will never change, like police racism.
Thank you to SumoSnipe, Araniladin, ShadowAlex2000, iSassenach, Funlander, TigerRose and Ferrous for their reviews on the last chapter.
I'm glad everyone enjoyed the cuteness, there's more to come.
If you though "Getting into his armour" was joke worthy I dread to think what you'll do with "Stroking his tail".
Athena-Jade is always a pleasure to write, honestly all of the younger siblings and cousins are.
As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.