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 60: Hostility

It was mid-week and classes had ended for the day, meaning that Cinnabar Blaine was currently in the dorm assigned to Team CNBR for their time in Atlas; currently he was clad in the black pants of his uniform and a tight fitting white tank-top while his shirt, tie and jacket lay in a discarded heap on his bed. The amber eyed, acne scarred but otherwise handsome teen stalked agitatedly around the dorm in a manner resembling a caged animal, his team-mates eyeing him with worried faces as his own expression darkened with every sentence that came from the speaker on the other end of the Scroll; eventually Cinnabar's patience seemed to expire and he snapped

"Look I don't care how you do it, just fix it!" without waiting for an answer he collapsed the device and hurled it across the room where it impacted against the wall with a concerning crack

"FUCK!" he spat as he continued his furious pacing, only halting when caught sight of his reflection in the window and leaned against the windowsill to examine himself more carefully, letting out another annoyed sound as he did so

"You okay?" the speaker was Rainy Zise, a small young woman with naturally died hair which had been dyed blonde at the tips, pale brown skin and almond shaped, whiskey coloured eyes

"Do I fucking look okay?" Cinnabar demanded, Rainy gave her dismissive hand gesture and returned to the assignment that she been distracted from by her team leaders' anger while the rooms' other occupant visibly flinched. Cinnabar considered his partner Nitro Smoke to be something of a contradiction; the boy was easily six foot tall with a powerful if slightly portly frame with a waxy ill looking complexion and wide protuberant eyes that gave him the look of being perpetually nervous and despite his clear and undeniable skill at decimating Grimm by the score he was also, at least as far as Cinnabar could tell, an utterly weak willed sycophant. Cinnabar disregarded his team-mates and returned his focus to his own reflection as he considered just how much antagonising Arctus Slate had cost him; first of all his face was a bruised and battered mess courtesy of Team CLIR, when Corvid Xiao Long had approached him in the mess hall she had whispered in his ear that she had warned him and she wanted him in the ring, Cinnabar had taken the only course of action that made sense and allowed himself to be led to what he had thought would be a one on one fight in the gym, instead he had been set upon by Corvid, her partner with the lilac hair and his boyfriend with the Vaccuan accent, the three of them flooring Cinnabar and unleashing a flurry of kicks, punches and stamps to his head and chest until the fourth member of Team CLIR had used her Semblance of telekinesis to break up the brawl, leaving their victim with a split lip and eyebrow, a broken nose and a countless purple and yellow bruises that were yet to fade even with the help of Aura. From there Cinnabar's problems had only worsened as one of the students who had witnessed his taunting of Arctus Slate had, despite General Schnee's edicts regarding the media, managed to record part of the scene and send it to at least one Mistrali news outlet leading to several opinion pieces which while almost entirely devoid of facts had managed to paint a damning picture of him as nothing but a school-yard bully; prompting him to spend a sizeable portion of today performing damage limitation first with his mother who had called him angrily stating that she had raised him better than this and most recently with his agent who had told him that several of his sponsors were giving serious consideration to severing all ties with him and that unless he gave a performance worthy of Pyrrha Nikos in the Vytal Tournament his career as a professional fighter would be in serious jeopardy.

"Still throwing a tantrum then Sin?" an irritable voice growled from behind him and Cinnabar scowled in response, he hadn't heard the shower stop or the bathroom door opening to announce the arrival of the final member of Team CNBR, Bracken Thorn

"Fuck off" Cinnabar growled, in no mood to think of a more elegant reply. While Rainy was too kind hearted to seek out an argument and Nitro was too easily intimidated, Bracken took no prisoners and tolerated no nonsense from her team leader; exceptionally tall with a slender, athletic build she easily matched Cinnabar in height and her short spiky black hair from which her Faunus attribute of a pair of bat ears sprouted, and piercing emerald coloured eyes, usually highlighted by dark make up, combined with a ubiquitous scowl which was further accentuated by a pair of protruding fangs gave her a somewhat unfriendly appearance. Her personality was the product of a harsh upbringing, her parents had been Atlesian refugees to Mistral; Faunus with no ties to the White Fang who had soon learned upon settling in one of the smaller settlements that the icy Kingdom they had left was not the only one in which racism found a home. Under normal circumstances Cinnabar and Bracken were surprisingly good friends, both of them happy to have at least one other person on their team who could pick up the slack, currently neither of them were willing to deal with the others' attitude.

"Grow up Sin, it's about time somebody pulled you up on your attitude" she snapped

"Oh so that's why you three decided to get second helpings at breakfast and leave me to fight Team CLIR on my own?" he shot back furiously as he stomped towards her "Come on you wanna have this conversation, let's have it!"

"Sin calm down" Nitro sighed meekly, flinching away even as he spoke

"What? Shut up you spineless-" Cinnabar's tirade was cut short as he felt the sting of Bracken's backhanded slap connecting with his already bruised cheek

"LOOK AT YOURSELF RIGHT NOW!" Bracken screamed in his face, taking a shuddering breath before continuing more quietly "You've been a mess since we came here, where did our Team Leader go?"

"Where did my team go?" Cinnabar shot back "Cos I got jumped and you just sat there and let it happen!"

"You had that coming!" the air seemed to leave the room with Bracken's reply, the atmosphere becoming noticeably colder "Let's not sugar coat it Sin, you've turned into everything they're calling you. Messing with the rich kid was funny the first time but you've got a problem-"
"Of course I've got a fucking problem!" Cinnabar fought the urge to punch a wall out of frustration "What am I supposed to watch him walking around with my girl and smile about it?"

"She's not your girl any more. Cope" Bracken's staggering bluntness once again left Cinnabar speechless for a moment and when he spoke again it was as if the will to fight had left him

"I loved her….I still love her-"

"And it's sad, it hurts and you're gonna have to grow the fuck up and deal with it" Bracken snapped "'Cos if you ever gave a fuck about her you've got a weird way of showing it"

"I just….Fuck this I'm going for a drive I can't deal with this shit"

"Whatever Sin" Cinnabar seemed not to hear her as he grabbed his weapon from the rack that Team CNBR shared and slung it over his shoulder before yanking the door of the dorm open and setting off towards of the campus garage. For a while the dorm was silent until Rainy spoke up

"Think he'll stop picking on Diamond's new boyfriend?" Rainy asked "I mean Diamond's cool, she doesn't deserve the hassle" Bracken simply shrugged as she pulled out her own assignment that she had been saving until after she refreshed herself with a shower; unsurprised that the remaining members of Team CNBR were suddenly my vocal now that their leader was absent

"If he doesn't I might just kick his ass myself"

Arctus was clad in an outfit far more pedestrian than the highly stylised and personalised military uniform that served as his combat gear; instead he was dressed in a pair of grey sweatpants he usually wore in the gym and a black hoodie whose hood failed to wholly conceal his face even when pulled low due to his somewhat snout like features. The reasoning behind Arctus's current outfit was a simple one, he didn't want to attract any more attention from the media than he already had; between the articles regarding the press intruding upon his and Diamond's date and the subsequent fracas with Cinnabar which had caused it's own bevy of speculation from people who had no stake or business in the matter the Bear Faunus had almost grown sick of the Kingdom he called home; more than once on his journey from the Bull-Head terminal, whose hangar was built into the side of the mountain which housed Atlas's Capital, he thought he'd seen the same car following, unremarkable save for its' tinted windows.

"Oum's sake" Arctus almost whined under his breath as a new possibility occurred to him; he was leaving the Prime Promenade and heading firmly in the direction of Upper Atlas, something that no matter what social progress had been made was still odd for a Faunus and his current attire only served to make him even more conspicuous, the exact opposite of his intention. With the realisation that he may be inadvertently be attracting even more unwanted attention fresh in his mind he let out a quiet sigh of relief as his destination came into view; in the space between the shopping district proper and the beginnings of Upper Atlas's residential areas was a small and unassuming boutique whose proprietors' name was displayed above the door in elegant lettering, the business did not need to advertise its' existence as it catered to a select clientele and despite what his friends may think even Arctus could not simply walk in without a prior appointment despite the fact that this was the establishment from which he had purchased every outfit he had worn to a formal event ever since he was a toddler either clutching Weiss's hand or riding on Gangrel's shoulders. He found himself grinning slightly as he pressed the buzzer to be allowed entry, a moment later he was rewarded with a slight crackling of static preceding an irritable and somewhat scratchy voice

"Who is it?"

"Mister Slate, A" Arctus answered" there was a brief pause and when the voice on the other end of the intercom spoke again their tone was decidedly warmer

"Arctus, it's been too long darling" the last word stretched to an almost comical degree "Come in, come in" with that the locks holding the door in place, which were surprisingly advanced, unfastened and Arctus stepped inside for his suit fitting with renowned tailor and designer, Edna Mauve.

"What is this you are wearing? What is this? It is a hobo suit" Edna chattered frantically as she came into view from a back room where many of her custom orders were hidden from prying eyes.

"This is why Ruby Rose doesn't shop here" Arctus snorted

"It's in the past, I never look back darling it distracts from the now" Edna waved him off before muttering under her breath "I stand by what I said, a wedding is a wedding….no capes" She continued to rant under her breath about arguably the most famous Huntress on Remnants' alleged lack of taste as she led Arctus behind a screen where measurements and fitting would take place. Edna Mauve herself was a tiny woman, barely reaching four feet tall with a harsh gaze framed by thick rimmed glasses. As Arctus stood on a small stool placed in the centre of the secluded room Edna in turn stepped onto a taller stool and reached for a tape measure with which she promptly began measuring across his shoulders

"I see that your old measurements are out of date and for goodness sake boy stop tensing to make your muscles look bigger, the suit won't fit right"

"Alright, alright" the Bear Faunus sighed as he relaxed his shoulders, allowing Edna to get a more accurate measurement

"You disappoint me Arctus, when you told me you needed a fitting as soon as possible I thought you might have finally outgrown your urge to dress up like your father and were coming for a real uniform….Instead you want a tuxedo, how pedestrian"

"Oh I'm sorry I thought making suits is what you did for a living" Arctus shot back snidely, he knew better than to take Edna's comments to heart but was also not above giving a few back

"Pah, catering to pretty boys and stick insect models….I design for gods!" Edna posed dramatically as she spoke

"Maybe one day" Arctus chuckled, Edna Mauve was indeed the premier source for tactical garments for Atlesian Hunters with sizeable incomes and was far more reputable than those establishment that catered to the freelancers

"In the meantime" Arctus worked out a crick in his neck "Atlas Academy is hosting a dance for the students competing in the Vytal Tournament and I need a new suit" Edna nodded silently as she drew out a notepad and began scribbling frantically and began firing questions in a tone that was both excitable and somehow businesslike

"Tell me Mister Slate is this a formal event or a social affair"

"Social" Arctus answered after some deliberation, from what he'd heard through gossip from older students the dance may start out as formal but they without fail became less so as the night progressed

"And is this for day or evening wear"

"Evening"

"And what style?"

"Mistrali" Arctus answered, again taking a moment to think and seemingly surprising Edna with his answer which was a departure from his usual

"How many buttons?" Edna had now moved from notes to rough sketches, her pencil moving at blinding speed

"Two"

"And the trousers?"

"Tapered"

"How about the lining?"

"Tactical" Edna's pencil stopped and the diminutive woman treated him to a particular piercing gaze

"Silly boy, you watch too many action movies" Edna pondered for a moment, a smile of ludicrous proportions forming on her face as she murmured to herself "Although I most certainly could….a possibility for another time, I have something for you" Edna hopped down from her stool, casting her notebook aside but keeping the tape measure to hand as she rummaged through draws

"I hear you have yourself a girlfriend now"

"Didn't think you read those articles" Arctus grumbled

"I wouldn't use them to line my poodles litter tray" Edna assured him with a haughty huff "A Huntress by the name of Coco Adel made an appointment recently, your name came up in conversation, she and her partner took your team for a training Mission yes?….here it is" Edna retrieved a narrow rectangular case coated in black leather and fastened with a polished silver clap; Arctus's pale blue eyes widened in shock as he opened the case

"I can't take this" he stammered out?

"Take?" Edna raised an eyebrow "Silly boy you can buy, I'll add it to your order….it's a little pricey but it will be worth it no?" Arctus stared at the item in the case for a few seconds before nodding in agreement

"Okay, sure" Edna's smile widened as she resumed taking the Bear Faunus's measurements

"Good, now that that's settled we can get to the serious work….You will leave here looking presentable darling"

The city levels of Atlas's Capital city of Eisenstadt Prime closest to the actual surface of the snow covered ground were home to countless warehouses and factories, many of which had been vacant for a prolonged period of time as their owners had relocated to either the other cities or the settlements beyond them in search of cheaper running running costs; new business had been slow to move in even as Atlas's economy recovered owing to urban regeneration often being overlooked by the Kingdoms' ruling council in favour of more glamorous projects. It was against this backdrop of inner city decay and deprivation that Alpha, leader of the Cult Of Taurus moved through a crowd of Faunus who identities were concealed by the unadorned gunmetal grey masks of White Fang initiates; these people were not yet active members of the cause merely people who claimed to believe in it, mainly angry young man desperate for any opportunity to change the situations they had been born to. While the High Leader intended to deliver them a better world as she did all Faunus she also understood that these Faunus had lived their whole lives under the sway of the humans' Kingdom meaning that if any attempt at outright treachery were ever to be made they would be likely be the culprits, as such she had ordered her shadowy right hand to seek out any prospective recruits who may be simply weak willed or worse yet actively conspiring against them like the late Neon Katt had been. Alpha had replaced her customary red visored, white mask for one identical to the rest of the crowd and the gauntlets which formed her weapons had been removed from her forearms, Gamma was similarly disguised as a lower ranking individual and keeping track of the comings and goings of the crowd while acting as security, Delta was situated across the road from the officially empty warehouse using their Semblance to deflect attention while aiming their sniper rifle through a window poised to fire at the first sign of trouble; Beta stood on the makeshift stage which the crowd were focused on with his head lowered respectfully as he stood at the right hand of the individual drawing the gaze of several hundred low ranking grunts and their prospective comrades, Celeste Lupus. The Ram Faunus stood in her full power armour and mask with Wilt hanging from her hip, the glossy and metallic surfaces reflecting the glow of the hastily installed lighting rig overhead; she appeared as the avenging warrior of the Faunus that she wished to be perceived as and when she stepped forwards clutching a microphone the dull buzz of gossip permeating the venue instantly faded away, Alpha dropped to one knee and was quickly followed by those present who had already been initiated while those new to the White Fang took a moment longer; prompting the Lionfish Faunus to entertain thoughts of teaching them proper respect as the multicoloured poisonous spines intertwined with her raven locks stood on end with anger

"Rise" Celeste spoke in a hushed tone yet Alpha felt that it would have carried throughout the venue like a freezing draft even without the microphone in her hand, as the crowd returned to their feet the High Commander spoke again

"It pleases me to see so many new faces present, with each new member the cause grows and eventually we will be too great to oppose" Celeste nodded to a figure towards the front of the crowd, the insectoid Faunus who led the faction of the White Fang operating within Eisenstadt Prime "I offer my gratitude to those who make this possible, you continue to do Taurus's work even after your destruction of the humans' blasphemous 'Museum' sullied his name" there was some excited chattering among the newcomers as they received confirmation to what they suspected while the White Fang initiates cheered until Celeste raised a hand to silence them; privately Alpha relished the opportunity to watch the High Commander address the rank and file, it never failed to leave her inspired

"But we must do more, each Faunus owes it to those like Adam Taurus who came before us and fought! We owe it to our ancestors who would weep if they saw what has become of Menagerie! We owe it to our brothers and sisters being extorted by the Kingdom of Atlas and each of you owes it to yourself to fight for a future free of oppression!" as her speech grew in intensity the usual cheers could be heard as her inescapable charisma took hold of the audience "The humans made it clear that that they have no intention of ever living peacefully with us when they destroyed their own city rather than allow us to live there. When Faunus ventured out into the tundra to take charge of their own fate those same humans then claimed ownership of all land and extorted the Faunus into submission! This is why I say there can be no peace, there can be no coexistence or compromise! Our people will only be free of the humans when there are no humans left!" the crowd was vocal but divided, some of the Faunus present were obviously unsure if this was what they had signed up for and Alpha assured herself that they would be dealt with; the majority however loudly showed their support for the cause until the High Commander continued

"We will follow the plan laid out by the great Adam Taurus! Seize the means of production and separate the human oppressors from their resources, from there we will take the Kingdom and recreate the grand vision of New Menagerie and expand outwards until Faunus race reigns supreme" the call to action was answered by thunderous cheers and applause that Alpha was certain would not go unnoticed, it seemed that Celeste was aware of this as well as she swiftly followed up with her coup de grace

"Yet we need decisive action! Until now the Kingdom of Atlas has denied our existence and declared our cause a dead one even as they send assassins to kill me! This is why I am came here, in search of warriors who will accompany me on a mission to deliver a message that cannot be denied! The plans are already underway, who wishes to stand beside when the fang draws blood!" the warehouse seemed to shake under the cacophony of cheers and applause and Alpha watched with reverence as Celeste Lupus promised to reforge a broken world into something better.

Evening had most definitely passed into night when Arctus made his way towards the nearest Bull-Head terminal which would take him back to Atlas Academy, the fitting had gone on longer than Arctus had expected which most likely said more about his expectations than Edna Mauve's mastery of her craft, his suit would be sent to the academy when it was finished leaving Arctus unburdened as he traversed through the divide between Upper and Lower Atlas, now a mere gradient in the quality of the neighbourhoods than a physical barrier that could be closed. The Prime Promenade had closed for the evening which meant the thoroughfare Arctus had used to make the trip was now also closed, forcing him to take a longer route; the Hive City was organised in a fairly simple to understand fashion with each level equating to two stories, at least until one reached the subterranean depths of Lower Atlas where entire apartment complexes existed within almost forgotten catacombs, pedestrians and vehicles alike with the exception of heavy freight could make their way between levels through countless spiralling roads and walkways with junctions that branched off into the cities' many districts.

"Okay what time is it" Arctus muttered to himself as he reached one of these winding roads that would take him within walking distance of his destination in good time, if he took a shortcut. The spiral roads were fitted with guard rails that while high enough to stop someone from tripping and falling to their death could easily be climbed, revealing the height and depth of the Hive City in the form of a sheer drop whose bottom remained unseen. Arctus considered the idea of hauling himself over the railing and using his Semblance to lower himself the half a dozen or so city layers he needed to travel; it was something his mother had forbidden him in strict terms from trying when he was younger but he reasoned that he was far more proficient in his abilities than he had been then, it was also technically illegal but he was sure that plenty of people with Semblances that enabled them to jumped the barriers; 'Besides' his subconscious sounding oddly like Felix for a moment 'It's not like anyone's watching' with the decision made Arctus gripped the top of the barrier with both hands and began hauling himself onto it, before he could do so the sound of a vehicle approaching the otherwise quiet thoroughfare caught his attention and he hopped back down, as he did so he turned and was less surprised than one would expect to see the same nondescript car with tinted windows from earlier racing towards him at considerable speed

"No interviews" Arctus called out irritably, his expression changing to one of wide eyed fear as the car accelerated and the driver seemed to adjust their course specifically for a collision. Arctus had a split second to throw up the strongest Glyph he could muster without the aid of Dust before the car hit him. The results were immediate and violent, the front of the car buckled and collapsed on contact with the glowing surface of the Glyph while the driver was hidden from view by the airbag exploding outwards while the wind-shield was reduced to an opaque web of fractures; Arctus saw none of this as he was hurled backwards by the kinetic energy he had been unable to wholly redirect, pain shooting through his back and shoulders as he was sent crashing through the barrier he had intended to climb over, then he was plummeting downwards.

"Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit!" he screamed, arms flailing wildly until he managed to regain some self control and withdraw a small silver of glossy, almost reflective black crystal; the miniscule shard of Gravity Dust he had on his person allowed him to create a Glyph to break his fall and haul himself over the nearest barrier, back onto solid ground

"What the hell was, holy Oum….holy Oum" the Bear Faunus gasped out as he rose to his feet from the crouch he had landed in, legs shaking and heart hammering in his chest as he tried to discern where exactly he was. No sooner had he realised that he was in Lower Atlas, a run down part of the city several levels below his original destination than the sound of several speeding cars racing towards him reached his ears

"Of you've gotta kidding me!" Arctus exclaimed as he saw civilians struggle to flee out of the path of the half a dozen cars that mounted curbs and changed lanes at breakneck speed, swerving in and out of traffic; leading them was the car that Arctus had halted, smoke spewing it from beneath its' crumpled hood and its' windscreen kicked out to allow the driver to see, more concerning however was the Faunus in passenger seat; a masked individual wearing a sleeveless white jacket and aiming an automatic weapon squarely at Arctus, the Bear Faunus quickly realised that each of the other vehicles racing towards him was similarly crewed and he did the only thing that seemed reasonable, he bolted

"GET OUT OF THE WAY!" he bellowed as ran down the nearest street, gesturing wildly to panicked pedestrians until his Aura visibly rippled as a bullet impacted against his shoulder causing him to wince and stagger for a moment as he ran, stopping as he took a sharp turn down a corner to throw a Glyph behind him and buy a few more seconds. He repeated this process several times, his consciousness narrowed to the simple need to escape, he was alone, unarmed and wasn't carrying enough Dust to use his Semblance to anything close to its' full potential. This was not like being chased by Rhodium Torchwick, without Diamond to watch his back the situation felt far more urgent and each burning sting of pain from a bullet failing to pierce his Aura only cemented the dread in his mind. The next turn Arctus took almost proved fatal as he sprinted directly into the path of an oncoming car whose drivers' reflexes were fast enough to allow them to almost drift around him before screeching to a halt with smoking tires. The car was an unmistakably gaudy thing, a two seater sports car that was all rounded and streamlined edges, its' deep coppery paint accentuated with a smoky and translucent black carbon fibre hood, its' over sized wheel arches filled with glossy black rims picked out with chrome detailing; while the windows were tinted to such a degree that the driver couldn't be seen from outside Arctus could still have ascertained their identity if he had thought to look at the obviously personalised license plate, Mistrali in origin which read 'BL4IN3'

"I'm gonna break your fucking teeth rich boy" the familiar voice was soon followed by the equally familiar form of Cinnabar Blaine, unmissable with his man-bun, distinctive hand tattoos and angry amber coloured eyes; as he leapt from the drivers seat of his car he reached for something that had been laid across the passengers' side and Arctus allowed himself to hope as he realised it was his fellow students' weapon

"There's White Fang coming!" Arctus shouted as the sound of his pursuers engines and screeching tires drew closer "Half a dozen cars all armed!"

"What the fuck are you-" Cinnabar trailed off as he caught sight of the first car and the armed Faunus leaning out of the passengers' side window

"Okay rich boy" he grinned "I've got this" he gripped his still sheathed weapon which from the shape of its' sheath Arctus guessed was some kind of sword, seemingly a wide bladed, angular and flat edged falchion. Rather than draw his sword Cinnabar gripped the bottom of the sheath in one hand and adjusted the hilt of the weapon with the other causing the whole thing to change shape with a whirring of gears and satisfying mechanical click, forming a shotgun clearly intended for targets much larger and more durable than a simple car

"Say hello to Chernobog-Ultra" Cinnabar sneered as he aimed and fired at the nearest of the White Fangs' cars with a booming report, glass and steel being torn apart by the blast which is the noises coming from the car were any indication, had grievously wounded the passenger. A second shot ripped the rear door of another car apart as its' driver swerved to avoid a worse fate. It was as if they acted on some unseen signal, or perhaps they simply lacked the nerve to face an armed opponent but before Cinnabar could take a third shot all six cars raced passed them, a few stray bullets pattering against the teens Aura and shattering nearby windows before they sped around a corner and out of view. There were a few moments of silence as both Arctus and Cinnabar struggled with utter disbelief at the events they had just been party to; the sound of rapidly approaching police sirens bringing them both to their senses, Cinnabar a little faster

"Where's Diamond?"

"What?" Arctus panted out, still struggling to catch his breath and clutching at his side

"Diamond. Where is she, did you get separated?" the third year demanded frantically

"She's back at Atlas" Arctus had a moment to take stock of the situation and hastily swallow his pride enough to ask "Are you heading back there? I need a ride" Cinnabar slung his weapon over his shoulder and paused for a moment, considering what in his mind was an opportunity to start afresh and possibly make amends, something Bracken would no doubt call him 'Being the bigger man'. He promptly decided against it and left Arctus sprawled on the ground with a punch to the kidneys that the Bear Faunus hadn't even seen before it connected.

"I don't do handouts" he chuckled as he climbed back into his car and started the engine, secure in the knowledge that in all likelihood whatever the police did to the rich kid wouldn't be 'too' bad.

Elsewhere in Lower Eisenstadt Prime, in an equally disreputable neighbourhood to that which Arctus had been chased through by the White Fang Celeste Lupus reclined in a comfortable leather chair that she was giving serious thought to having brought back to Tartarus for her quarters. Her current surrounding seemed almost absurdly at odds with her station and the mystique that surrounded her, a mid-ranking member of the local cell of the White Fang which had formerly gone by a different name before being brought into the fold, owned a small furniture store which while financially was barely keeping afloat still proved useful due to having an apartment above it that was officially being used as a storeroom; Celeste had gratefully taken the offer of a place to stay where there were no cameras present.

"What news?" the Ram Faunus asked, not bothering to turn to face the door which had creaked almost inaudibly as it opened

"Good and bad" Alpha answered with some hesitance as she stepped into the unlit apartment, Beta looming over her shoulder as he followed behind her, eyes glinting in the gloom

"Then let's start with the bad news shall we?" Celeste raised an eyebrow beneath the mask she was yet to remove despite the strain her power armour was beginning to place on her body which was still unused to simple tasks like walking. Alpha nodded to her subordinate who stepped forward and spoke in a surprisingly mellow, cultured voice

"Members of the cell who were unable to attend your speech tonight spotted the eldest child of Weiss Schnee and the traitor Gangrel Slate and took matters into their own hands….Resulting in several of their number sustaining minor injuries, one requiring urgent medical attention and what we believe will be an increased police presence in the area; while also failing to kill or capture the….abomination" the Snow Leopard almost shuddered in revulsion at the mere thought of a Faunus that would forsake the White Fang and breed with a Schnee of all humans.

"I see" Celeste answered

"Should they be punished?" Alpha enquired, unable to keep the eagerness out of her smoky, sultry voice "They failed to deliver, they acted without authority, they put our cause at risk-"

"They saw an opportunity and they took it, all things they considered I would question their loyalty if they had not" Celeste waved the Lionfish Faunus's obvious with to enact retribution aside "I spoke tonight about sending a message that cannot be ignored and they would certainly have delivered that had they succeeded….regardless, dessert without a cherry on top is still dessert. There will be other opportunities to punish those that have deserted and disgraced our people and you will play a part in them"

"Thank you High Commander" Alpha bowed her head, voice breathy

"Now, you said you had good news?"

"Indeed" Alpha straightened out and gestured behind her "Downstairs….we caught them"

"Take me to them" Celeste growled, her tone immediately fierce. Both members of the Cult of Taurus turned and led their leader down the stairs into equally dimly lit furniture store below, their eyes untroubled by the darkness. Upon entering Celeste immediately found what her most devoted followers considered to be good news; Delta was currently covering every available surface in waterproof plastic sheets and had a bag of cleaning supplies on hand for after the 'situation' was resolved, in the centre of the Spider Faunus's workspace was a sturdy wooden chair, tied to which was a gagged and bloodied Faunus, their heritage discernable by the severed tail, canine in nature which lay on one of Delta's sheets. Hearing their arrival the Spider Faunus turned their many eyes towards Celeste before bowing and offering an explanation

"This one is a traitor….took their mask of during and your speech, encouraged others to follow as he left….some followed, Gamma is getting rid of their bodies. Thought you'd want this one alive"

"You're correct. You've done well; all of you" Celeste assured her followers before stepping towards the mutilated prisoner who whimpered through their gag; the sound going unheard as Wilt was unsheathed with a scraping of metal that set nerves on edge.

"Your crimes are serious and undeniable. Your defence or justification is irrelevant….your sentence is clear" she pressed the tip of the crimson blade against the prisoners' chest "So many times the great Adam Taurus suffered at the hands of traitors….It can never be allowed to happen again, examples must be made" Celeste quickly made a decision and pulled the blade away from her victims' chest, pausing just long enough for hope to show on their expression; then the blade flashed out in a wide arc, blood spattering the plastic sheets as the deserters' severed head fell to the ground. Celeste turned on her heel and returned to her accommodations for the evening, pausing only to give a final order to Alpha

"Have his head displayed somewhere public. Traitors must know the cost of their actions"

Authors Notes:

Whoo, another week, another chapter, I'm now another year older and the smell of motor oil is now permanently soaked into my hands with my new job which I'm loving; I've already made my new Foreman spray hot coffee out of his nose…..but that's not what your here for.
I told you the cuteness of the first four chapters of Vol.5 was going to be absent (Although there's more of that coming)
I think RWBY Rare-pair week 2018 is coming soon, I planned to participate again this year but I'm honestly not sure if I'll be able to….we'll see.

But anyway let's summarise:
I feel like this scene gives Cinnabar a little character, even if that character is a total dick.
So now we know who the other members of Team CNBR are, Cinnabar, Nitro, Bracken, Rainy.
Here's the thing, as much as my readers seem to love Corey; she associates with criminals, loots/'salvages' whatever she damn well pleases and while Felix can break teeth she was the one that everybody on Patch was a little scared of….Corvid Xiao Long was probably a bully at some point.
…..I feel like Bracken is going to somehow develop a following of fans lol.
I feel like it's obvious but needed to stated that the rest of Team CNBR knew Diamond for at least a year of her and Cinnabar's relationship.
Fame is a double edged sword, which Arctus and Cinnabar are both getting shanked with.
Edna Mauve….you read everything she said in the voice didn't you.
Yes you read that right, Edna Mauve told Ruby Rose "No capes!"
I also wasn't above sneaking in another reference, the exchange about the particulars of the suit was taken from John Wick 2; hence Edna's comment about him watching too many movies when he said "Tactical" lining.
And history repeats itself, poverty leads to desperation which makes people ripe for megalomaniacs like Adam or Celeste to swoop in and offer them a better future.
Also Celeste is probably a little smarter than Adam, she at least learned from his mistakes.
Notice that Celeste doesn't actually lie to her people either, she just interprets the truth in a way that suits her world view.
"The plans are already underway" ominous indeed.
Hopping the guard rail in Atlas is probably like trying to cross a motorway in terms of legality and sensibility.
No Aura? Can't fight? No problem….hit 'em with a car.
Yeah in a Hive City with Diamond helping him he could have gotten out of that a lot easier.
Cinnabar's car was based on both the black and orange Nissan from Tokyo Drift (A 350Z or 370Z if I remember rightly) and some of the BMW i8s with two tone paint jobs on display at a car dealership I pass on the commute to work.
Of course he has a personalised license plate.
Cinnabar may be a dick, but he's still a hunter….I feel like that was a missed opportunity with Team CRDL in canon.
We also get to see what his weapon is, sword/heavy duty ranged weapon….actually similar to Arctus.
Arctus is on the Cult of Taurus's shit list just for the fact he exists; I mean he is living proof of the flaw in their ideology.
I feel like this is another instance of Celeste playing smarter than Adam, by his crazier stages Adam would definitely have punished people for failure.
And that is the first time we've actually seen Celeste do her own dirty work on screen.

Thank you to SumoSnipe, Araniladin, Funlander, FleetOfWarships, iSassenach, ShadowAlex2000, ShadowWolf and TigerRose for their reviews on the last chapter.
All hail Thunder-chicken.
I imagine Eagle's fluffy slippers as bright yellow now.
Indeed it finally happened.
Well look who figured out what Qrow's gonna be doing.

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