RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)
I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.
I am making no money from this.
Chapter 59: Silver Lining
The first sensation Eagle felt as she regained consciousness was pain, it came in various shades and degrees but was an all consuming thing that demanded her attention. She kept her eyes closed as her nose was assaulted by a distinctly medical smell while trying to force her mind to form coherent thoughts despite the drowsiness, nausea and incessant throbbing behind her eyes; her entire body ached and she felt several stabbing pains in her chest as she inhaled, her right arm was a mess of unpleasant sensations, stabbing aching pains and what could best be described as an itch on the inside of the limb. It took a few moments for her to recall what had happened and as her stomach lurched at the memory of plummeting towards the ground her eyes flew open, the ceiling of what could only be the medical wing of Atlas Academy coming into focus. Her awakening had obviously not gone unnoticed as a familiar voice began to sing, though it sounded as though the singer were on the verge of laughter
"-Take! These broken wings and learn to fly again, learn to live so free! When we hear-"
"Oum damn it Corey!" a voice than clearly belonged to Felix snapped before speaking more gently to Eagle herself "Nice to see you're awake….you're an idiot though, you know that right?" Eagle's only response was a long wordless groan before attempting to push herself into a sitting position, an endeavour that required several attempts as she realised her right arm was in a cast and sling which explained the discomfort the limb was causing her. She was greeted by both Felix and Corvid Xiao Long as well as Arctus and Diamond, all of whom seemed to have been there for several hours and slept little judging by the bags under their eyes
"How bad is it?" she asked, bracing herself for the worst
"The 'You jumped off the roof' kinda bad" Diamond snorted "Broken arm, a few cracked ribs, broken nose and you're basically one big bruise….nothing too serious though, they've got you pumped full of painkillers and Aura stimulant" Eagle noted that the medication easily accounted for the wooziness she was suffering from
"The nurse must know some of your family" Arctus added "Heard her muttering about 'Typical Arc' amounts of Aura" Eagle chuckled at this, only to end up wincing at the pain that lanced through her ribs in response
"I'm okay, I'm okay" she managed to cough out upon seeing Felix move to help her; instead the Lion Faunus reached behind him and produced something that had been hidden from view, a familiar and absurdly oversized stuffed Ursa
"You're still gonna be in here tonight, thought you might want Mr. Pancakes, and the book you left open on your bed"
"Thanks Fluffy" Eagle beamed, her partner merely looked down at her with a bemused yet clearly exasperated expression
"So do you want to tell us why you took an amateur skydiving class, emphasis on amateur"
"It's my Semblance" Eagle huffed
"What, hardcore snow angels?" Corvid snorted, grinning almost ear to ear
"No" Eagle sighed, realizing that Felix had in fact not seen any of her successful transformations and would thus have been unable to spoil the surprise for her team-mates, leaning back on her pillows she explained "I unlocked my Semblance with Qrow yesterday….I can fly, I turn into a bird like he does-"
"Holy Oum that's awesome!" Felix gasped
"I know right!" Eagle beamed, crimson eyes lighting up with excitement "I wanted to show Hellion….but I uh, I couldn't do it….is that weird?"
"Dude no, you're fine" Diamond assured her "Nobody controls their Semblance perfectly as soon as they unlock it. I fell off walls and ceilings all the time when I first learned how to use mine, I had pretty much permanent motion sickness and vertigo for the first month or two"
"There's still things my Mum and Aunt Winter can do with the Schnee Semblance that I can't" Arctus added, the admissions from her friends gradually putting Eagle's fears that she was abnormal or her Semblance was somehow broken to rest; seeing the worry slowly leaving her face Corvid decided to contribute
"Seriously Fluffy is the only person I know who managed to master their Semblance early on and that's only because our parents made him practice for hours at a time every day until he did because of how dangerous it could be" Felix nodded silently in agreement, unable to get a word in before Corvid gave Eagle a wink and a cheeky smile "So, you were showing off for the same girl you're giving extra tutoring to? You've got it bad Eagle….you could say you 'fell' for her" Eagle let out another wordless groan with a key difference being that this time she was not the only person to do so this time; Corvid merely smirked in satisfaction at the reception her pun received while Eagle looked around and realised that there was someone missing, the very person she had been hoping to impress when she leapt from the roof of the academy
"Hey guys, do any of you know where Hellion is?" she asked, trying to keep the disappointed tone out of her voice, though the glances her friends gave her made it clear she was unsuccessful.
"She was here all night" Felix assured her "She climbed down the walls and carried you inside"
"Then Uncle Qrow turned up" Corvid noted with a shake of the head "Apparently he's staying nearby"
"Did he say something to her?" Eagle demanded
"Warned her that your Mum is gonna be on the way and that the two of them running into each other might be a problem" Corvid explained. Eagle remained silent for a while with no idea how to respond after a moment something occurred to her
"So where's Qrow….and my Mum?"
"Uncle Qrow went to meet her at the main entrance" Felix answered "She called him and didn't sound happy a few hours ago….I think he's trying to avoid an argument in front of you"
"Okay" Eagle sighed, a little disheartened at the news that her parents would most likely be on bad terms the first time she was with both of them at once before quickly searching for the silver lining that she assured herself was there
"Hey the rest of you can meet my Mum then" she smiled
"Sweet" Corvid grinned
"Corey she's not gonna let you in Poly-Techs' labs" Felix teased good naturedly
"Let me dream Fluffy" she shot back, a moment later the smile slipped from her face as the sound of a furious raised voice delivering a tirade reached their ears, drawing closer with each passing second
"That sounds like them" Felix noted
"Yeah" Eagle sighed as it became obvious that it was indeed her mother delivering a lecture about responsible testing procedures and proper safety while Qrow gave tense, restrained single word replies.
"Sounds like Aunt Winter whenever Uncle Whitley does something dumb" Arctus noted, earning himself a gentle elbow in the ribs from Diamond
"Yeah" Corvid grinned, her expression an unmistakable precursor to one of her puns "It's kinda ironic that she wants to 'Murder' him right?" when Eagle's parents opened entered the medical facility they found themselves silenced as they were met with a chorus of resigned groans from Team FADE.
The laboratory located in a section of Poly-Techs' research facility designated above top secret and accessible to less than a dozen individuals within the entirety of the company was dimly lit, the primary source of light being countless banks of displays and blinking lights mounted around screens and control panels; lending the laboratory a sinister air which went unnoticed by its' sole occupant, Doctor Ozymandias Eldritch. The scientist moved around the darkened workspace in a manner that truly showed off precisely who and what he was; while still not as adept as manipulating the powers of the Wizard as his predecessor Oscar Pine and most certainly not as capable as Ozpin had been Ozymandias still vanished and reappeared at will or seemed to be in several places at once for brief moments, all feats accomplished through subtle manipulations of the flow of time much like his ability to move between the Hive Cities of Atlas and the settlements that were slowly being overtaken by the White Fang out in the tundra with far less difficulty than one would expect. The sight of the silver haired and bespectacled man utilizing his powers would have been deeply unsettling to anyone unfortunate enough to have witnessed it, clouds comprised of ethereal green light roiled around his body while the irises of his eyes shone with an acid green glow behind his glasses and the sound of his ramblings echoed unnaturally around the room, this demented muttering seemed to speed up and slow down like a record playing at the wrong speed, though the words were still clearly discernable
"Work you blasted thing, work, yes, yes, yes YES!" the machine his sinister attentions were focused on was a cylindrical reinforced Atlesian steel container, large enough for perhaps a dozen people to comfortably stand in and encased in countless layers of specialised coating made of a matte black material, its' inner workings completely hidden though the pale green glow of Eco-Dust could seen emanating from within the countless pipes and cables attached to the main body, whatever was taking place inside the prototype containment unit was obviously taking a lot of power as the entire assembly vibrated and hummed, electricity arcing dangerously across its' surface, much to Ozymandias's pleasure his experiment was responsible for the failure of several other experiments as power was diverted away from the rest of the facility, exactly as planned.
"It's working, IT'S WORKING!" Ozymandias cackled gleefully, his voice coming from all directions as he appeared to be in a dozen different locations around the laboratory taking scores of readings and making minute adjustments to the parameters, his manic laughter finally subsiding until it was nothing but a fit of giggling that remained incongruous to his usual persona, the light and crackling energies of the Wizard dissipating as he brought the lights back on
"Merlot you degenerate imbecile of a hack" he chuckled to himself with a fond smile "Artificial Grimm indeed, you sickening wretch. This, now this is the future" Ozymandias's smile twisted into something feral and monstrous at the thought of the man who could once have been considered his contemporary, Merlot had gone into hiding long before the fruits of his insane labours had been delivered to Atlesian citizens in the form of 'Project Hexxus' during the war, his artificial Grimm hive ravaging almost an entire city before being stopped, despite the lies in the history books, by the combined efforts of the military, Hunters and the White Fang; Ozymandias had perused Merlot's research and dismissed it as a perversion of nature fuelled by wishful thinking, before promptly breaking Merlot's neck and spine and casting his body into the sea where it would could be devoured by true Grimm. Ozymandias however recognised the current project entrusted to Antonia by the upper echelons of the Atlesian military for what it was, an opportunity to create one of the missing pieces of his puzzle; a containment unit designed to pacify Grimm for study with the intended subject being a sentient Grimm, one capable of controlling scores or hundreds of other monsters, a different path to Merlot but with the same end result.
"A paradigm shift is coming" Ozymandias whispered excitedly to himself, unable to mask his elation at the thought of the Grimm becoming a force that could be controlled by those with the knowledge and the technology; both assets he had an abundance of, as well as a vision that far exceeded whatever petty uses the humans or Faunus would inevitably find if they were not restrained; most likely weapons of war or a cheap replacement for the Hunters. He soon found himself forced to mask his emotions with a jovial facade as his Scroll began to ring with a tone that indicated a video call, meaning it could only be coming from one person
"Afternoon Toni, is the emergency taken care of?" he asked, pouring concern into his words
"It is" Antonia sighed "Eagle was injured at the academy, nothing lasting or that will even really slow her down thank Oum"
"She is her mothers' daughter after all, glad to hear that she's okay" Oz noted wryly and watched the smile creep across her tired face, exactly as predicted "Will you be visiting the lab today?"
"I have meetings to attend to unfortunately" Antonia lamented "I'm sure you can work without me for one day Oz" her tone was teasing, a relatively recent development in their conversations as banter slowly morphed into flirting with each dinner date they shared.
"I can indeed, however I feel like we're close to a breakthrough on 'Project Snare' it was working for a few seconds before we had a power surge….I can shelf the project until you're available?"
"Nonsense" Antonia answered bluntly, tone becoming business like at the mention of the code name pertaining to the containment unit "I will make myself available, if our theories on what General Schnee intends to use this for are correct it's our top priority"
"Thank you" Oz nodded, doing his best to appear humble while at the same time calculating the easiest way to hide his results and mask the source of the power surge he had caused
"We're on the brink of something great here Oz" Antonia sighed almost wistfully before ending the call
"If only you knew" he snorted, his reasoning for allowing Antonia to believe she was the one to make the essential breakthrough when she inevitably did so was twofold; firstly he did have a certain fondness for the woman, it was good to have someone who was if not an equal at least a competent follower who could keep up with at least one of his trains of thought; more practically it kept suspicion away from him, if he outshone Antonia she would check his notes and research and various other things that he would rather keep hidden until the perfect moment, after all there was plenty more to be obtained from the company built on the legacy of Geppetto Polendina before he was done.
But he was getting ahead of himself, that was for another time.
Arctus and Diamond's one year anniversary fell on the following Tuesday, causing both of them to agree to celebrate the milestone over the weekend instead and allow themselves a little more freedom to enjoy themselves. The first obstacle to this plan had been getting reservations for where Arctus planned to take Diamond to dinner, though he had eventually managed to wrangle one for the Sunday evening; the second was that both of them had slept little since leaving Eagle's room in Atlas's medical wing where the blonde herself remained, albeit surrounded by friends and with frequent calls from her many relatives. Their plans for the evening included going to say a band that Diamond loved and had introduced Arctus to perform live, he hadn't told her that the tickets he'd managed to procure included a backstage pass and was eager to see the look on her face when she realised; currently however they were enjoying their meal in one of Atlas's most famous up market restaurants. The Borealis while accessible from the interior of Atlas's capital Hive City it was actually located on the outside of the snow capped the mountain inhabiting what had once been a military observatory and research outpost but had since been turned into something grandiose and opulent; the proprietors of the business using the location to commodify the truly breathtaking view of Atlas's sky at night, including the phenomenon after which it was named, a sight which the majority of the Kingdoms' citizens rarely, if ever saw
"Okay I'll give you this one, it really is a great view" Diamond admitted with a soft smile "We don't get anything like this in Mistral" outside the entirety of the side of the mountain the Borealis was built into could be seen while snow swirled beneath them, away from the harsh utilitarianism of its' settlements Atlas's geography was beautiful in a way that could best be described as brutal, yet majestic; Arctus saw none of it, his attention utterly consumed by the smile on Diamond's face which in their year of dating had never once failed to make his heart skip a beat. The moment ended too soon, interrupted by a nervous and apologetic waiter who appeared distinctly ruffled
"Sir, Miss; the chef assures me that your desert will be ready momentarily-"
"It's no problem dude" Diamond assured him, her relaxed manner and utter lack of pretence delightfully at odd with the restaurants' usual patrons
"However there is another….issue that I have been asked to bring to your attention" Arctus gulped, for a brief moment that notion that his card might be declined occurred to him until the waiter elaborated, the reality turning out to be far worse "The press have decided to make a scene and we don't have enough door staff on hand to escort them all away"
"The press?" Diamond's eyebrows vanished behind her silvery bangs in confusion; the teens were dining on an upper floor balcony and her words were punctuated by a commotion at the entrance below as a mass of bodies tried to gain entry to the restaurant, cameras and microphones clearly visible in the fray
"No seriously, the press?" Diamond demanded "What the hell, we're not even doing anything"
"Miss, you understand that Mr Slate is considered something of a celebrity in Atlas and through your association with him you are quite well known as well, you're also a pair of Hunters competing in the Vytal Tournament; I imagine a few of the 'news' outlets would go to such lengths to get your first interview" the utter distaste in the waiters' voice was enough for Diamond to decide that she liked the man and would definitely be tipping; she made this decision at the same moment the first of the reporters to slip inside hollered up to Arctus
"WOULD YOU LIKE TO RESPOND TO CLAIMS THAT YOUR LOYALTY TO ATLAS IS QUESTIONABLE?"
"ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS?" Diamond demanded furiously as she shot to her feet, cherry red eyes flashing dangerously
"Come on Dee, let's go" Arctus sighed, turning to the waiter and adding "Tell the chef to cancel dessert, or if it's already made it can go to whoever removes these reporters….I'm sorry for being the cause of the disturbance"
"MR SLATE WOULD YOU LIKE TO COMMENT ON THE POSSIBILITY OF FACING YOUR PARTNERS' EX BOYFRIEND IN THE UPCOMING TOURNAMENT? THE PEOPLE ARE DYING TO KNOW!"
"The people are dying to know how much Henry Marigold pays you to stalk teenagers, and if you do it for free on your days off!" Arctus shot back venously as he recognised the journalist hurling questions as one who worked for the Marigold media empire, people his parents had always assured him were parasites
"Come on then, let's go" Diamond breathed out, glowering at the press as she stalked towards the stairs leading to the ground floor and exit
"Miss Sustrai, we have a back door we would be happy to allow you to leave without any more unwanted attention-"
"No need, we're not doing anything wrong. If I'm leaving that I'm walking out the front door, coming Big Guy?"
"One sec" Arctus quickly paid for the meal on his card and joined her, making out several familiar yet unwelcome faces in the mob of journalists and attendant camera crews, the same faces could be seen at every formal, social or charity event desperately grasping for a story that would be sensational enough to distract their audiences away from issues that actually affected them.
"On the bright side we've got plenty of time to get to the gig" Diamond shrugged as she took her hand in his, the moment ruined by the same obnoxiously loud journalist shouting at Arctus once again
"MR SLATE! WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO LEAVE ATLAS, KNOWING THAT YOU WOULD END UP FIGHTING AGAINST STUDENTS OF YOUR OWN AUNTS' ACADEMY?"
"Mainly so I didn't have to deal with this every time I left campus" Arctus growled before flinging up a pair of Glyphs, one of either side of himself and Diamond, both rotating at an impressive speed which blocked the pair from view and made photographing them near impossible
"Think they'll follow us to the gig?" Diamond asked as they stepped outside, only to find a distinct lack of taxis waiting to take them to the venue
"Not likely, remember that mission I went on with my Dad over the summer?"
"Yeah why….holy Oum" Diamond gasped as Arctus summoned a construct in the form of the Valknjoggr that he had aided in the destruction of, glowing pearly white and shrunken down enough to fit in the street, though still large enough to make following impossible
"Come on" Diamond pulled Arctus along gently and triggered her own Semblance, the physical contact allowing the Bear Faunus to follow her as she warped the dimensions and forces acting on her surroundings as she ran along a wall; by the time Arctus's construct had failed due to the distance between him and it and the energy involved in maintaining its' cohesion the pair had managed to put some distance between themselves and the grasping vultures that comprised Atlas's tabloid media
"So is this what you imagined dating me would be like" Arctus snorted, his obvious embarrassment and displeasure with the situation still obvious beneath the teasing tone
"Dork" Diamond laughed, nudging him playfully as the two of them remained stood on the ceiling of the Hive level unhindered by trivialities such as gravity "Come on, let's go find a ride" they had barely taken a dozen steps before Arctus's Scroll vibrated and he retrieved the device from his pocket, momentarily taken aback by the identity of the video caller before answering
"Really Arctus, a fancy dinner date and you didn't even bother with a fake name? Have I taught you nothing" the pale, angular and bearded face of Whitley Schnee greeted him as the sardonic faux lecture began
"Hey Uncle Whitley" Arctus breathed out, noting that his mothers' younger brother sported noticeably red eyes and slurred his words ever so slightly, conditions which were usually a precursor to Whitley engaging in drunken antics that would find their way to the front page of the same gossip rags now desperate to find a story pertaining to Arctus and Diamond
"So heard you got mobbed by the press on your date, the owner of the Borealis looks out for me….call this a late birthday present" Whitley gave a conspiratorial wink and raised a bottle of vodka into view
"What're you gonna do?" Arctus sighed, almost scared of the answer
"I'm gonna upstage you, should keep you off the front page" Whitely smirked, pale blue eyes glinting with drunken mischief "You kids have fun now" with that the call ended
"So that's Whitley Schnee" Diamond noted conversationally "What do you think he's gonna do?"
"Well the last time he decided to run interference he used a private aquarium as a water park while dressed as what was meant to be a penguin Grimm"
"Oh my Oum that's amazing" Diamond cackled gleefully, laughing so hard she nearly lost control of her Semblance and sent them both tumbling to the ground "Wanna see if we can find what he's up to after the gig?" she asked as she regained her balance
"Honestly, I would rather never know the specifics" Arctus answered blankly, his dead-pan delivery sending Diamond into peals of laughter again as they made their way towards the centre of Atlas in search of a taxi so they could continue to enjoy their anniversary.
Darkness had fallen over Atlas several hours before it could fairly be considered evening and the beds of the medical wing were surprisingly comfortable, in an odd contrast with what appeared to be a culture of minimalist utilitarianism within Atlas; yet Eagle Arc still found herself unable to sleep even as the digital clock on her Scroll informed her that midnight had passed a few minutes ago. An unusually irritable huff escaped her as she tried to turn the page of the high fantasy novel she was reading, which turned out to be a more difficult task to perform than expected with her dominant arm still rendered unusable, trying to keep her Scroll in place so that she could continue to use its' light to read only made things more difficult and eventually a decidedly un-Eagle-like stream of muttered curses escaped the freckled blonde as the book slipped from between her fingers and pain shot through her still aching chest as she struggled to catch it
"This sucks" she huffed as she slouched in a manner that could only be described as sulking. She was unsure how long she remained like that, silently fuming at her own hampered mobility before she heard something that made her sit a little more upright; a sharp rapping at the window
"Huh?" she muttered under her breath, the odd idea that someone was throwing stones at the window despite it being several stories above ground occurred to her only to be dismissed as she heard the tapping again, short rhythmic series of sounds that were unmistakably intended to get the attention of anyone inside the room. Eagle rose to her feet and slid on the pair of fluffy slippers that she'd asked to be brought from Team FADE's dorm so that she wouldn't have to walk barefoot on the cold floor before shuffling across the room towards the window where she came to a halt, eyes widening in happy surprise at the sight of a glossy black feathered bird with glowing red eyes. She quickly threw the window open, instantly shivering as the freezing air found its' way into the room where Eagle's hospital gown provided little protection; her eyes followed the familiar birds' flight into the medical wing and onto her bed as a bright smile crept across her face, a moment later the bird had vanished in a flash of crimson Aura as its' true form was revealed
"Hey kiddo, thank Oum they gave you your own room or this could have been awkward" Qrow Branwen greeted her as he produced a book that Eagle recognised as being written by the same author as her current novel
"Hey Qrow" Eagle beamed as she made her way back to her bed and sat down beside him "What're you doing back here?"
"Didn't feel like I apologised enough this morning" he sighed
"You don't have to, you didn't push me off a….well that specific roof anyway" Eagle snorted, Qrow chuckling slightly
"So have you had any other visits today? I though Corey might have dropped by again for a midnight visit like she would have for Fluffy"
"They both dropped by after dinner with some food from the canteen because hospital food sucks" Eagle grinned, Hellion visited me as well" she felt her cheeks colouring at the admission and was utterly unable to prevent the smile forming on her face
"The girl you were showing off for?" Qrow gave her a knowing look which only caused her to blush a deeper shade of scarlet before adding "The one from the Frost River tribe?"
"You disapprove?" Eagle asked, immediately frowning a little
"I am too old and I've seen too much to question what makes people happy" Qrow shook his head "I'm definitely concerned and I think that your mother is going to need to have things explained to her very carefully"
"I know" Eagle whispered "Team GORE, her people….they were so angry and desperate when they did what they did, they were grieving. Hellion is so much more than that"
"Just be careful kiddo and not just because the girl you're sweet on is who she is, getting hurt is never fun"
"Can we change the subject?" Eagle asked "There isn't even anything going on with me and Hellion right now anyway, so it's kinda pointless"
"Sure, anything you wanna talk about?"
"Our Semblance….my Semblance, is it always gonna be always so hard to control?" her tone was anxious, worried about what the answer could be
"No, eventually changing and flying will be so easy for you that you won't even need to think about it" Qrow assured her "And I'm gonna be in Atlas for a while so if you want we can keep training together, there's a lot of fun to be had with what we can do"
"Has the famous Qrow Branwen got some stories to tell" Eagle noted with a sly grin
"Qrow Branwen is famous because of some of those stories….and some of them I'll tell you when you're older" he teased in response
"Come on!" Eagle pouted
"I mean when Team STRQ were in Atlas competing in the Vytal Tournament me Raven and Tai used mine and Raven's Semblance as part of scheme to smuggle booze onto campus and sell it, then Summer found out and shut us down" he smiled fondly at the memory, the stabbing pain of loss that came with thinking about Raven or Summer was one he had come to terms with.
"Now that sounds like something Corvid or Felix would do" Eagle laughed before something occurred to her "How come you're in Atlas for so long? The tournament isn't for months"
"Now that's classified information" Qrow gave her a conspiratorial wink "It does involve the tournament but I can't say any more than that….Winter would actually kill me if she found out I told someone"
"I can't wait to see, it sounds cool" Eagle beamed
"I just came to see if you were doing okay" Qrow told her "I can stay and chat if you want, or do you want to try and get some sleep before lessons tomorrow?" as much as Eagle tried to be responsible, her dedication to her work and punctuality were noteworthy she found herself completely unable to pass up on the opportunity to get to know her father more
"I can sleep through first period"
"That was practically my slogan on Mondays" Qrow snorted as he ruffled her hair playfully.
The next morning came around all too quickly for the three quarters of Team FADE who had slept little the previous evening, Eagle from her late night talk with Qrow and Arctus and Diamond from their date which had seen them returning to campus in the early hours of the morning with their ears still ringing from the gig they had attended. The Bear Faunus was awake enough to be observant however and noticed a few odd glances directed at him and amused mutterings between students wearing grey and white Atlas uniforms as he joined his team at the table they were sharing with Team NEON, a decision that had naturally been made by Felix though nobody was complaining. Eagle was perking up somewhat under the influence of caffeine and leaned over to glance at the magazine Olivine was reading while Ether asked Diamond about the bands she and Arctus had heard last night, the bear Faunus watched Nyanza dig through his rucksack with a tired yet bemused smile, mentally timing how long it took the bushy tailed feline to ask him for some last minute help on an assignment; though he never got chance as a mocking and regrettably familiar voice called out to him from behind
"Hey Slate! Hey rich boy! Running out of the place because of the press really bro? Wow you know how to show a girl a good time….Dee-Dee what do you see in this jackass?" Arctus turned slowly in his chair knowing what sight would greet him, Cinnabar Blaine stood on a table to draw the most possible attention and cutting an admittedly imposing figure in his Haven Academy uniform as he held up his Scroll whose screen displayed on article from one of the various media outlets whose journalists had interrupted Arctus and Diamond's date. The students gathered in the canteen erupted into laughter at the spectacle, Cinnabar's own team chief among them while several others moved aside and cleared the way in case a fight broke out while the amber eyed and acne scarred third year fixed Arctus with a cocky smirk, almost daring him to confront him before pulling up another article from the same source
"I guess it runs in your family though, I mean your uncle is-" Cinnabar halted mid sentence and hopped down from the table cracking his knuckles as Arctus rose to his feet and squared his shoulders
"Dude no" Diamond grabbed Arctus's wrist gently pulling him back
"He's a big boy he can make his own mind up" Cinnabar sneered
"Dude what the fuck is your problem?" Diamond spat "Can your fragile little ego not handle the fact we're not together any more?" there were a few laughs and 'oohs' from the gathered crowd before the mass of bodies parted like a wave, revealing four students who were easily identifiable to Team FADE. It was decidedly odd that when Team CLIR grabbed Cinnabar Blaine by the shoulders, Corvid whispering something in his ear before marching him out of the canteen none of the other members of Team CNBR felt a need to intervene and merely watched events unfold with expressions which varied from concern to mild annoyance.
"Felix sit down!" Eagle snapped as Felix almost predictably made to follow after Corvid and presumably lend his considerable skill at fist-fighting to whatever form of punishment she chose to dispense "Where were all the teachers?" she added with some dismay as Helios gently guided the Lion Faunus back into his seat, much as Diamond was doing with Arctus.
"They only intervene if things start getting out of hand….it's a military academy, being able to fight and knowing when not to are encouraged. Basically the only rule is don't get caught, my Dad uses it to pick out potential candidates for the Specialist Branch" Arctus informed her. Eagle, whose right arm was still held in place by a sling stared in shocked silence at the idea of a school allowing its' students to settle their differences in such a fashion for a few moments before shaking her head and began the inglorious task of grappling with a fork full of scrambled eggs left handed. Around them the crowd of other students dissipated, either returning to their seats or making their way to their first class of the day and leaving Teams FADE and NEON to eat in relative peace. No sooner had an aura of normalcy settled over the seconds years, the adrenaline rush brought on by the threat of violence slowly leaving them, than it was shattered
"NO ANIMALS IN THE MESS HALL!" one of the cooks bellowed furiously as the source of their ire screeched angrily and landed at the table teams FADE and NEON shared
"Pretty sure it's for you" Felix grinned at Eagle whose cheeks were suddenly reddening at the sigh of Hellion Eudialyte's bird of prey, Marauder; or more specifically what the raptor which was now preening itself proudly had deposited on the table
"Oh my Oum that's so cute" Olivine cooed at the sight of the bouquet of incredibly colourful flowers, to which an envelope was attached. Eagle whipped around in her seat, wincing a little as her injured arm twinged in response. A moment later she located Hellion herself, the Dragonfly Faunus watching her with an expression that was both hopeful and perhaps a little anxious
"Gonna open the letter dude?" Diamond asked, prompting Eagle to do so almost frantically and withdraw a single sheet of paper from within, the writing upon which made her eyes widen in disbelief
"She's asking me to the dance" she squeaked, cheeks colouring to a ludicrous degree
"Well go say yes then" Nyanza urged her, warily eyeing Marauder who was in turn eyeing the Faunus's breakfast with some interest
"Yeah….um, right" Eagle stammered, suddenly discombobulated as she rose from her seat and took the flowers; eager to tell Hellion that she would indeed love to go to the dance with her, Marauder taking to the air once more and following.
"So, that was the cutest thing ever" Felix noted conversationally, his tone masking the nerves he felt and the sudden dryness of his mouth as he took a slow breath and prepared to ask a question he'd been waiting for an opportune moment for "But hey Heely, I don't have anything that flashy on hand right now but….do you wanna go to the dance, y'know together?" the table fell silent, Helios's vivid green eyes met Felix's navy blue and for a moment Felix saw confusion on the redheads' face and worried that he was going to be rejected; however none of the times he'd imagined this moment in his mind prepared him for the answer Helios gave him
"I thought we already were?" whether it was the answer itself or the note of confusion in his tone the effect was instant; the rest of the teens gathered around the table burst out laughing with the exception of Nyanza who went a step further and cheered
"LADIES AND GENTS IT FINALLY HAPPENED, I WANT MY WINNINGS!"
Authors Notes:
So that was the cutest thing ever, as promised the first third/quarter of Vol.5 has been nice and fluffy, now the darkness is going to seep back in.
Also my new job isn't hindering my writing schedule at all, I'm still writing a scene every night and honestly it's so good to have some regular, secure and well paying work again….I've missed being in a factory more than you'd believe.
This story is now my most popular work on Ao3, surpassing 'The Downward Spiral' in number of Kudos.
There's a couple chapters to go before the dance which will be the official first date for both ships but consider this Battle-cat and Tamagotchi confirmed….I can hear the shippers squealing from here.
So anyway, let's summarise:
Have some Corvid, I feel like we haven't had enough of Team CLIR lately, also headcanon that Corvid can sing surprisingly well.
Anyone who has ever had an arm in a cast….I fell your pain.
Arcs have an obscenely large Aura pool to draw on, its' a hereditary thing.
So yeah, Eagle's Semblance is patchy not because of any Dues ex Machina nonsense, but because that's how things work in universe (As evidenced by Weiss struggling with summoning in Vol.2 and Ruby in Yang's character short).
Hellion stayed by Eagle's bed with Team FADE and Corvid.
Yeah as much as Qrow and Antonia both love Eagle they are not people that work well together.
Corvid puns….How I've missed them.
See now I'm outright showing Ozymandias's powers off, not just letting him drop hints.
I like the idea that when Oz uses his powers he looks and sounds like he's out of sync with everything around him, like one of the Reverse Flashes.
Yes the Dr. Frankenstein vibe was deliberate.
So in the Downward Spiral Merlot's research led to 'Project Hexxus' which is what actually destroyed Eisenstadt Siebte, the city Team FADE & GORE had their mission in, and where Celeste was born and her base is above.
And there we have it, Ozymandias is planning on taking a machine designed to pacify sentient Grimm (Like Phobos) and turning it to his own ends….and if you think you know what those ends are then oh boy you've got a surprise coming.
Oh yeah, he knows exactly how to play Antonia.
And the ominous aside about Geppetto Polendina's legacy….third year, I'll say nothing else.
I don't know where the idea of Atlas having a fancy restaurant that used to be an observatory came from but it works and I like it.
Yeah, Arctus and Diamond were going to have to deal with the media at some point.
Henry Marigold, or shitty Neptune to give him his proper name; in the Downward Spiral his family run a media empire and Weiss punched him in the throat.
Remember the Valknjoggr from early Vol.4? Good, cos I might have some fun with summoning it at full size.
Feels like we haven't really seen enough of Diamond's Semblance lately either.
Uncle Whitley, antics incarnate….and yes we'll be seeing more of him.
Seriously a broken arm is horrible….luckily she'll be able to use it in a couple days because of Aura accelerated healing.
Eagle's fluffy slippers are canon now, feel free to vote on the colour.
"Well that specific roof anyway" Eagle Arc everyone, I love how much you love her.
Qrow will support Eagle's crush on Hellion, he just has some concerns that are pretty legitimate.
Imagine the luck on Summer's face when she found out Team _TRQ were smuggling.
I'm sure the people who read The Downward Spiral can figure out why Qrow is gonna be around for the tournament.
I can see Arctus as the guy everyone goes to for notes and help, not just Felix' not even because he's much smarter than everyone else but because he will definitely have his work ready on time every time.
Cinnabar is still a jealous prick and a playground bully, but we'll get more of him over the next couple chapters.
Yeah Corvid is gonna break his face, here's the thing as much as we all love Corey she is no saint. She does odd jobs for morally questionable people like the Scavenger Guild and as capable in a fist fight as Felix is, Corey is still the one that nobody on Patch ever dared mess with; I can imagine that she was honestly a little bit of a bully herself before left the island.
In Downward Spiral Beacon actually allowed students to have referred fights to settle problems, in canon the teachers do nothing about open bullying and racist abuse; Atlas goes one further and specifically looks for students who can break rules without getting caught and shortlists them for black ops units.
That's what Hellion was working on, she specifically wanted to ask Eagle out by letter because Eagle taught her to read and write….is that not the cutest thing ever.
And boom, just like that: Double barrelled shipping action.
Was Helios's reaction not perfect though?
Thank you to SumoSnipe, Araniladin, ShadowAlex2000, FleetOfWarships, Bulletproof Vanguard, Funlander and TigerRose for their reviews on the last chapter.
I wouldn't call it villains flirting, I can't imagine Celeste would ever consider a human as a possibility.
Yes the riding was done on bikes you pervert lol.
I mean "Throw people off high things and see what happens" is literally initiation.
Here you go, more cute shit for all your cute shit needs.
As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.