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Chapter 78: A Long Night

The Vytal Tournament had concluded for the evening, though the festival would continue long into the night and early hours of the morning; Winter Schnee having accommodated for this by charting several flights from the settlement city of Freiheit back to Atlas Academy over the course of the night for the students. Felix Xiao Long however had no such intentions; he had rushed into the stadium's on site medical facility the moment Team NEON's battle wit Team GORE had ended, the Nikosi contingent close behind him with Syneffo at the fore as she frantically made her way towards where her brother lay. Ether and Olivine had already been present when Felix arrived and along with the medical staff had assured the visitors who simply refused to be denied access; the couple assuring them that both Nyanza and Helios were fine; the bushy-tailed Faunus while heavily bruised and in great pain after his fight against Onyx Ursabane was eventually able to stand albeit requiring an arm around someone's shoulders to keep his balance, fortunately Razzmatazz of Team GRAY arrived and took to the task whilst peppering his cheeks with kisses. Helios had been simply exhausted beyond comprehension, and had been utterly unable to deal with the overwhelming enthusiasm his people were ready to greet him with. Felix had rushed to the redheads' side and aid, offering to get Helios back to the Academy safely as he was clearly in no condition to celebrate with his people just yet; leading to the pairs current situation of making their way through the stadiums' expansive parking lot which was now notably emptier than it was when Team FADE had arrived

"You really were great out there" Felix beamed, tightening the grip he had around his boyfriends' waist "Levitating half the battlefield and then throwing Carcharodon into the floor, that was….cinematic" Helios leaned into the Lion Faunus a little more, cheeks colouring at the praise heaped upon him

"You were incredible, the way you ended the match will be the stuff of legends" he replied with clear pride and adoration. The conversation paused slightly as they reached the Killer-Bee, though Helios was forced to speak out as Felix placed the keys in the ignition of his powerful muscle car.

"There are laws within the Kingdoms about drinking and driving yes?….Felix I can smell Nikosi liquor on your breath"

"Yeah your people kept putting drinks in my hand" Felix admitted with a shrug as he turned the keys and brought the Killer-Bees' engine purring into life "Don't worry, I'm not gonna drive….I just know that you'll keep quiet about being cold so I'm turning the heat on" with that he slipped back out of the drivers' seat and opened the rear door of the car, gently pulling Helios down onto the back seat with him.

"So are we staying here tonight?" Helios murmured as he tiredly wrapped himself around the smaller man

"Until I sober up" Felix answered, leaning up to kiss Helios's lips tenderly before gently poking his golden armour which was still spattered and stained with the tar from the battlefield, several dents and scratches marring its' gleaming surface

"That can't be comfortable" Felix's smile turned mischievous as he grew daring "Let me help you out of it" Helios cocked his head in confusion, too exhausted from his battle too fully process the suggestion until Felix was kissing along his jawline whilst fumbling with the clasps of the armour adorning his chest, as the Faunus's sharp teeth grazed eagerly along his neck the warrior took charge and hastily unfastened his armour, hoisting both it and the form fitting tank-top beneath it over his head and, with some difficulty depositing them in the passenger seat where they would be out of the way

"Now, where were we?" feeling Helios cup his chin and pull him up into a lingering kiss elicited a sound from Felix that somewhere between a groan and a whine as he ran his hands along the sculpted muscles of Helios's now bare chest and abdomen

"Yeah I think this is where we left on" Felix eventually panted out breathlessly as they parted, a soft gasp escaping him as Helios nipped at his neck; the Faunus responded by slithering off of the back seat and trailing kisses down Helios's scarred and tattooed skin, hands resting on his thighs

"Oum I love you" he whispered between kisses, Helios's body stiffened at those words; the red-head had heard Felix say them before and had been too caught off-guard too give them they response they deserved; something that despite his exhaustion and the distraction of the Faunus's lips and hands he would not allow to happen again

"I love you too Felix" he panted out, head rolling back and fingers curling in the mane of dirty blonde curls on the Lion Faunus's head as he unfastened Helios's pants. Hearing the words made Felix pause for a moment before redoubling his efforts with gusto while at the same time taking Helios's hand out of his hair and lacing his fingers' through the redheads while his free hand tugged and the waistband of Helios's boxers

"Are you sure?" Helios asked with some uncertainty, the idea of them being caught or Felix not being comfortable were at the forefront of his mind until he suddenly felt the lion Faunus's tongue teasing him before Felix slowly took as much of him in his mouth as he could manage; deep navy blue eyes looking up at him lovingly; at that point Helios's eyes rolled back and he found himself unable to think about much of anything. The only sounds filling the car were grunts and gasps of pleasure, the creaking of the back seat as Helios's hips bucked and the vibration of Felix's scroll which went unanswered; the Lion Faunus utterly unaware of the fact Corvid was calling him, his focus entirely devoted to bringing Helios closer to the edge of release until the redheads' entire body finally seemed to tighten and Felix bobbed his head with greater enthusiasm and took Helios's entire length in his mouth as he climaxed; desperate to make this a memorable night for reasons other than just their hard fought victories.

Atlesian Specialist Donner stood beside Chiffon, her fellow Specialist and superior by virtue of his seniority and rank of first mate aboard the Gespenst. The two of them stood in the briefing room of the vessel; before them sat Gangrel Slate the Bear Faunus steepled his hands and peered at them with Amber eyes silently exuding an aura of cold, barely restrained fury

"Sir?" Donner dared to attract her commanders' attention, straightening her back and standing at attention as she did so

"They fucking played us! They played us and we fell for it" Gangrel barked out furiously, the trembling rage in his voice enough to make the two veteran Specialists he addressed flinch. There was no need to specify whom was being discussed

"They saw Team GORE and knew that we'd be waiting for them here" Gangrel took a deep breath, Atlesian steel claws of his cybernetic limb sinking through the surface of his table "They let us wait and while we were focused on the tournament they hit everywhere else; Kafsi reported that the Cult of Taurus attacked our decoy Poly-Tech shipment….my niece was there"

"She okay Captain?" Chiffon asked, bracing himself for the worst possible news; he was aware of Corvid Xiao Long due to Gangrel's amusement at the fact his niece had declined the offer of a place within the Specialists given by General Winter Schnee; talented as the young woman was the fact remained that the New White Fang's elite killers were horrific in the extreme

"Aye she's alive….a couple dozen soldiers and police officers died there though" Gangrel informed them, clearly finding it emotionally taxing "The White Fang also launched an estimated three dozen or so attacks across the Kingdom with a combined total of of over one hundred of fifty casualties. While we've been sat here watching the Vytal Tournament wondering if they were gonna put in an appearance they've bombed four museums, raided and burned down factories and warehouses, attacked Dust shipments and assassinated high ranking police officers, several potential informants and several Faunus who were vocal about not supporting them AND JUST TO FINISH THEIR NIGHT ON A FUCKING HIGH NOTE THEY DID A DRIVE BY SHOOTING ON MY DAD'S GAS STATION!" Gangrel had risen to his feet during his furious tirade and upon delivering the final revelation his fist collided with the table which promptly collapsed

"Fuck" Donner breathed out, fully aware of Bjorn Slate's return to leadership of the Atlas branch of the Coalition and how great a victory it would be for the White Fang to have murdered two successive people to hold the position in such a short period of time, to say nothing for the effect it would have on Gangrel

"Is your old man safe?" Chiffon asked quietly, he'd met Bjorn at Gangrel and Weiss's wedding and remembered him as a decent man

"Yeah, yeah he's fine" Gangrel sighed, managing to regain some of his composure "He was out at the time and has a security detail with him at all times. The kid on guard duty is in the hospital though….they'll live but they're a mess. This needs to stop" there was a pregnant pause before Chiffon, deeply concerned by seeing Gangrel so clearly unsettled, croaked out

"Orders sir?" Gangrel gave a low rumbling growl as he considered the question before answering.

"Donner, begin co-ordinating intelligence gathering teams around each of the White Fangs' targets, search parties, security cameras, police interrogations; I need all of it-"

"Aye sir" Donner saluted before turning on her heel and leaving

"Chiffon you have the bridge. I trust your judgement regarding any Specialist vessels seeking new orders. See that the assets we borrowed from Matte are returned and when Kafsi arrives tell her to wait for debriefing; I have to report to the General"

"Aye sir" Chiffon half-turned before pausing "We'll bury these bastards Gang, just a matter of time" Gangrel nodded silently before watching his fellow Specialist leave; taking several moments to attempt to further compose himself before kicking the remains of the table out of view and opening a video call

"Winter" he nodded as his superior came into view, the utter disregard of rank and protocol between them an accepted part of their professional relationship.

"I assume you've seen the same reports I have?" Winter wasted no time with preamble "Suffice to say that I am understandably concerned by tonight's events"

"The Specialists are already mobilising" Gangrel assured her "I understand that Kafsi will be bringing prisoners from the mission you assigned her to; I'll have them processed and begin questioning within the next twenty four hours….Am I cleared for information regarding the Eldritch situation?"

"We will be moving to apprehend him. I will alert you if any of your assets are required" Winter answered simply though Gangrel knew that he would be privy to a full report on the matter as soon as the General had written and filed it.

"I'm a little concerned that Corvid was anywhere near that and I wasn't informed-"

"Slate do not make me remind you of rank!" Winter snapped forcefully before swiftly stifling the emotions behind the outburst "It was an unintentional convergence of two unrelated operations; you know damn well I wouldn't have had her anywhere near that, promising as she is…..What's happening Gangrel, these terrorist scum are making us look like amateurs and fools?" the greying Faunus let out a slow breath, broad and muscular shoulders sagging as he gave an answer

"I've been fighting Adam" the admission gave Winter a pause and she raised her eyebrow silently bidding that Gangrel explain "I think on some level we all have. We don't know who this High Commander is, they don't use her name and we've never seen her face. All we know is she's a Ram Faunus who sees Adam's way of thinking almost as a religious doctrine as well as a political stance, she's styled herself as the second coming….I think we've all defaulted to assuming that she'll act like Adam in the absence of any more reliable information"

"I see" Winter said slowly

"This using our own plans against us and misdirection is something I don't recognise from the White Fang play book" Gangrel admitted "When I was a member of Adam's Fang we would have sprung the trap on purpose and used the fact that we escaped as part of our next recruitment drive"

"Suffice to say that this new High Commander is a more intelligent leader" Winter noted dryly, Gangrel merely shrugged and made no intentions to justify his actions as an angry and impoverished teenager.

"Continue normal operations" Winter instructed "Keep me informed of any developments but if the White Fang members Kafsi captured provide any actionable information then you have free reign to use any means you see fit up to and including the destruction of an entire settlement" the frankness with which Winter told him that the Kingdom of Atlas would happily allow him to kill thousands of its' own citizens as long as he provided results sent a chill up Gangrel's spine; the Bear Faunus knew however that the fact he had such a reaction was a large part of the reason Winter had promoted him to his position, he would never repeat the mistakes of the past and abuse the hellish powers that the Kingdom of Atlas allowed him to wield.

"Understood….It won't come to that" Gangrel assured her, and more importantly himself. Sensing that this conversation was coming to a close he added "There is also the other matter, tangentially connected to the White Fang"

"I'd argue that it's a little more than tangential" Winter countered as her eyes narrowed "I will break no laws or protocol for this Gangrel, but I can express my support and insist that processes be expedited"

"Thank-"

"However I will only do so if and when I am asked to by my sister. This is a matter that she needs to be aware of-"

"Obviously" Gangrel snorted, making no effort to hide his annoyance as he questioned exactly what kind of man Winter thought he was "I have no intention of going ahead with this if there are any doubts from the family, Weiss or the kids"

The world seemed to fade away into nothing but background noise as Qrow stared at the image attached to the message he had received from Ruby; mouth slightly agape as he tried to understand how he could possibly have been unaware of the information he was seeing and what it meant the future of his efforts to protect Remnant.

"Qrow? Qrow are you still there old chap?" the somewhat inebriated ramblings of his old friend intruded upon the veteran Hunters' thoughts and Qrow dragged his eyes away from the Scroll to face Bartholomew Oobleck

"What?"

"I was asking, outside of your niece and nephew who would you wager on reaching the final singles round of the tournament. This fine fellow here argues that the Nikos boy while talented has been too linear in his approach thus far" Oobleck drunkenly waved in the general direction of the bartender with whom he had been conversing. Hearing the name of the red-headed student whom Felix was apparently dating seemed to focus Qrow's mind and he lurched away from the bar and unfolded his weapon to use as a cane, inadvertently causing more of a stir than he'd meant to when the blade of Harbinger parted the crowds in front of him

"Sorry Barty I'll catch up later; got something I need to take care of quickly" he growled out, words only slightly slurred by the whiskey he'd been drinking since the conclusion of the tournament matches for the evening.

"Oh, well….goodnight" Qrow barely heard his old friend as he lumbered out of the bar that he had found himself in, the cold and fresh night air hit him like a solid object and he took several grateful gulps and blinking until he found focus and clarity before setting off in search of the Nikos clan. He had some inkling of where to find them based on his many missions on the continent of Anima over the years he was familiar with, if not the tribe personally, then at least their reputation as being one of the few tribes who would actively deal with the Mistrali government and be able to set up temporary encampments close to settlements without incident, with that in mind he made his way through streets which grew emptier as he distanced himself from the bulk of the Vytal Festival until he reached a moment where the fading noise of the ongoing revelry behind him was lost beneath the noise ahead, just beyond the perimeter wall of Freiheit.

"But did they lock you out?" Qrow murmured to himself, searching for the nearest gate before committing to using his avian form to clear the cities' defences. Seeing that there was indeed a nearby gate, currently guarded by a small unit of perhaps a dozen older model Atlesian Knights and a pair of automated sentry guns to deter any creatures of Grimm that may draw close; Qrow paid them no mind and simply stalked passed them and towards the Nikosi tents which were exposed, owing to the lack of natural resources in tundra with which to craft the defences the Nikosi utilised. The tents were centred around a roaring campfire which lit the forms of several figures around it, their movements and body language alerted Qrow to the fact that he had been seen and as a group of Nikosi rose to their feet and strode purposefully towards him, the grizzled Huntsman quickly collapsed the scythe he had been using to support his weight and hold his hands out in a widely understood non-threatening gesture

"I wish to speak with leader of the Nikosi" Qrow spoke slowly and clearly as the small group reached him, at their head a tall and imposing woman wearing the pelt of a truly gargantuan bear as a cloak and clad in highly ornate and stylised armour. Half a dozen men and women silently moved into position almost surrounding Qrow but none stepping directly behind him, a clear indication that he was free to turn and leave at any time. As a second wave of Nikosi drew close Qrow caught a glimpse of the girl with silver eyes carrying an axe in each hand, he was forced to turn his attention to the woman clad in artificially blackened furs as she lowered her hood to reveal vibrant green eyes, braids of scarlet hair and a golden crown

"Then your wish is granted outsider, speak" it quickly dawned on Qrow that he had simply acted on instinct and had no real idea of how he intended to convince the Nikosi that one of their number would be vital in the ongoing war against the Grimm; as such he gave an honest reply

"I'm interested in the Nikosi girl with the silver eyes-" the response was instant, before Qrow could make any attempt to explain he found spears levelled against his gut and throat, their owners ready to skewer him for so much as breathing out of turn whilst the other warriors of the tribe readied swords, axes, war-hammers and flails whilst Kataigida Nikos simply stared at him with cold fury etched into every line of her face

"Speak more carefully" she warned, evidently barely restraining herself "Lest I have the tongue removed from you're mouth as a final lesson before you die"

"What I meant to say" Qrow corrected, maintaining the open handed gesture and remaining as still as possible "Is that I see her great potential as a warrior and I believe I could be of some assistance training her; forgive me I meant no disrespect"

"You disrespect us even now" one of the Nikosi warriors grunted "What do you have to teach her, old fool?"

"Calm yourself Pagos" Kataigida ordered, eyes never leaving Qrow "Outsider I will give you one further chance to explain your seeking us out, then I will decide whether or not you pose a threat to my daughter and my people" Qrow could sense that whatever control he may have had in this conversation was long since gone and his life was entirely at the mercy of the leader of the Nikosi; as such he quickly spoke again and desperately hoped that the path of honesty that he had committed to was the right one

"My name is Qrow Branwen; I am a former Huntsman and I fought alongside Pyrrha Nikos at the fall of Beacon….that I was unable to sacrifice myself in her place is one of my greatest regrets" the mutterings between the tribe was unmissable and it was clear from the curious looks he was being given that their opinions of him had changed, Qrow pressed on "I trust that your people have heard of the Huntress Ruby Rose, the Red Reaper, the Silver Eyed Warrior, the hero of Remnant….she has many titles, she's also my niece. I wish to train your daughter because I believe that she has vast potential that, with all due respect you haven't fully realised" Kataigida's expression darkened

"Syneffo leave"

"Mother I-"

"Leave" the older Nikosi repeated forcefully "Nkri, Louloudi see my daughter back to her tent. Fotia, Aima kill this man if he moves. Pagos lead a search of the area in case he brought others"

"I did not" Qrow assured her quietly. Syneffo stepped close and spoke into his ear, her voice a low and menacing whisper

"My people remember the old ways and the old stories, I am aware of the powers you believe my daughter to have. I will tell you now that she has shown no signs of them and you may believe me or not; but believe this Qrow Branwen I will not see my children dragged into the same conspiracies that claimed my cousins life and if you attempt to lure them away from their place and their people I will inflict such horrors upon you that you will wish it were still the warlord Tyrian who held sway over the Anima tribes"

"Your word is final" Qrow bowed his head respectfully "I don't want to coerce anyone to fight or break up any families. If your daughter ever does harness her powers and you want her to be trained in how to use them then I can ask Ruby to-"

"WHO GOES THERE?" the furious voice of a Nikosi sentry demanded

"Um hi, I was just looked for someone, Qrow Branwen….Oh hey Dad, I saw Mister Oobleck at the festival and he said you just wandered off this way so I came looking because he was kinda worried about you and-Oh hey you guys are Helios's family, hi, he did great tonight-"
"You know this child?" Kataigida demanded, Qrow's crimson eyes widened in panic as he realised that Eagle could very easily be seen as an accomplice of his

"My daughter" he answered frantically "A student and a friend of your sons', she's Felix Xiao Long's partner" Kataigida raised a hand and the sound of weapons being lowered filled the air

"Take your daughter and leave Qrow Branwen" the grizzled old Hunter did so, grateful that he hadn't found himself skewered. Looping an arm through Eagle's he gently led her back through the gates of Freiheit

"Come on, let's put some distance between us and them"

"Oh my gosh what was that about?" Eagle demanded, freckled features marred by deep concern

"A business proposal they took offence to" Qrow grunted, not wanting to involve his daughter any further than she already was "The past keeps coming back to bite us all" Eagle frowned for a moment before deciding that she would not have a night at a festival with her Dad ruined by one interaction and promptly began an offensive of infectious cheer and enthusiasm that she would maintain for as long as it took.

When Gangrel Slate finally returned to Schnee Manor, abusing his authority somewhat by allowing himself to do so at all, it was already the early hours of the morning though in the icy Kingdom of Atlas the sun would still not rise for at least another six hours regardless of the time of year and the temperature still hovered around freezing each night. He had shed his weapons and the stark white coat whose decorations informed all who saw him of his rank and many military accomplishments and distinctions, leaving them in the hallway whilst tiredly noting that the collapsible hand-cannon 'Breaker' which he had inherited from his late partner Perdu 'Squish' Callow was in need of a servicing. Making his way through the manor with the silent footfalls of a trained killer a small smile crossed his face at the sight of Scruff, the ageing mastiff that the family had adopted when Arctus had found it wandering without a collar and refused to part with the stray; currently the dogs' hind legs kicked as it slept though Gangrel soon found his attention distracted by the thin beam of light visible around a door frame in the distance

"Oum damn it AJ, not tonight" he grumbled under his breath before prowling towards the kitchen, fully expecting to catch his daughter who seemed to have no understanding of the concept of bedtime in the process of making herself a late night snack or glass of chocolate milk; opening the door he was pleasantly surprised to find that this what not the case

"If you were hoping to catch Athena-Jade she would have just hidden under the table; I heard you coming and so would she" Weiss noted as she greeted him

"How?" Gangrel asked, somewhat concerned that he may be losing his touch; those concerns faded away when took in the sight of his wife, still clad in the business suit she wore to work with the jacket draped across the back of the chair she was sitting in as she chewed on a sandwich she had made

"Long night for you as well?" he enquired as he leaned against the counter beside her and rubbed at his own bleary eyes

"I've pulled so many all nighters lately that time has lost all meaning to me" Weiss replied dryly before putting her midnight snack down for a moment to let her ivory out of its' signature offset ponytail and cascade down her back as she worked a crick out of her neck. Gangrel quietly moved behind her and began to massage her shoulders

"What's wrong?" Weiss murmured as she leaned back into him, feeling the hulking Faunus's tension radiating off of him "I can tell something's bothering you"

"White Fang hit everything they could get their hands on tonight….Corvid's team had a run in with them-"

"Oh my Oum!" Weiss's entire body became rigid as terror at the idea of the terrorists getting their hands on her niece washed over her

"She's okay" Gangrel assured her "One of my best was on site. I spoke to Blake on the way home, she knows, she's beyond pissed but she knows….they tried a hit on my Dad thank Oum he was out-"

"Tell him to pack what he needs and come here" Weiss answered sternly "Get him out of Lower Atlas and have him stay with us for a while where it's safe" Weiss had grown to love her father in law dearly, the man was supportive, caring and generally everything that Jacques Schnee had either failed or never attempted to be.

"Will do babe, though whether he takes the offer or not is anyone's guess" Gangrel gave a resigned sigh, the offer for Bjorn Slate to return to Schnee Manor had been open since the day he had left but the older Faunus was set in his ways and was frankly uncomfortable around so much luxury.

"There's something else" he admitted "It can wait until tomorrow if you want but we do need to talk about it"

"Go ahead" Weiss offered, unsure as to what could be troubling Gangrel beyond the White Fang putting his loved ones' in danger once again. The kitchen was filled with a tense silence for a moment as Gangrel found the resolve to ask the question he felt that he needed to

"Weiss, have you ever thought about us having another kid?" Weiss's first response to almost fall comically from her chair as she coughed and sputtered, choking on thin air as she heard her husbands' words. Her second response, after taking a second to compose herself was to turn and treat Gangrel to a sly and impossibly seductive smile as she wrapped her arms around his waist

"Y'know….if you wanted us to go to bed, you could have just asked" the Faunus gently brushed her hair, a low rumbling growl escaping him as he gave serious consideration to her incredibly appealing offer

"Tempting" he admitted, gently cupping her chin and pulling her up into a slow and gentle kiss "But I meant adoption….Coral Scylla, the kid the White Fang used as bait in their attack on Poly-Tech. I've had reports back from one of my operatives tonight and while I'm not sure I'm convinced that she's probably an orphan or as good as and I don't want her to end up in an orphanage, I don't want to just use this kid for any information that she might have and then dump her in the system when she's no more use"

"So you want to bring her here?" Weiss asked, eyes hardening "Here, where our children live"

"Weiss she's six" Gangrel countered "She's a six year old girl who grew up with the kind of parents who would give their only child to the White Fang to use as a front line soldier….she deserves better, any kid deserves better than that"

"What if they did something to her?" Weiss asked, clearly cautious and hesitant towards the idea "You know that there's no depths that these people won't sink to….what if she has, I don't know a bomb or something planted in her" she tuned away, suddenly afraid that she sounded foolish or worse still, that prejudices that she thought she'd long since moved passed were rising to the surface. Gangrel's next words served as both reassurance that this was not the case but also a horrifying reminder of exactly how cruel the new White Fang were willing to be

"She isn't. We checked" seeing the appalled look on Weiss's face he continued, evidently disturbed by the necessity of such actions himself "When my ships doctor gave her a medical exam he x-rayed her and checked for a tracker. No trackers', no bombs and from what the psychologist she's been seeing can tell there are no signs of psycho-conditioning. Personally I think it's more due to the Fang having time constraints or limited resources than the idea not occurring to them, they definitely thought of it….she's not a sleeper agent, just a little girl that ran away when she saw the grown-ups start murdering everyone they could get their hands on" Weiss chewed at her lip as maternal instincts and concern for this child she'd never met battled with the unshakeable desire to see her own family protected. After several moments in deep thought and silence she stared at her husband intently

"Gangrel answer me one question" she didn't have to ask for his honesty, she knew she would receive it without question, seeing him nod she asked "Do you think this girl, Coral….could she pose a threat to our children?" Gangrel remained silent and Weiss could almost see his thought process played out on his face as hypothetical scenarios chased each other around in his mind before he finally spoke

"No"

"Okay" Weiss sighed "I'm not going to make a decision here and now, I can't because it's not just our choice to make. You're asking us to give Arctus and Athena-Jade another sibling, I want them to know about this and be okay with it-"

"Of course" Gangrel nodded

"Good….I also want to meet her in person" Gangrel nodded again, returning to thought once more before answering

"I'm pretty sure I can work something out that'll work for everyone"

It had been the early hours of the morning when Felix and Helios had returned to Atlas Academy; first waiting for the Lion Faunus to be deemed sober enough to make the journey had delayed them and then the simple fact that the Killer-Bee, while a truly spectacular example of what a muscle car and a Huntsman's personal vehicle ought to be, was utterly unable to compete with the airships that the majority of the students had returned to campus aboard in terms of sheer speed. Thus they had arrived back to the campus several hours after their team-mates and though they had enjoyed a trip that had alternated between peaceful and contented silences, conversations about anything and everything and singing along to songs on the radio they had been suitably punished for their tardiness upon making to return to Team FADE's dorm and being forced to retreat alternating between muffled giggling and silent mortification at the unmistakable sound of a bed creaking and Arctus's grunts, almost drowned out by Diamond's extremely vocal ecstasy. The pair had naturally made their way to Team NEON's dormitory only to find it similarly unavailable to them, though not so obviously; it seemed as though Razzmatazz of Team GRAY whom had been helping Nyanza stand after Team NEON's bout in the doubles round had elected to stay the night and if the faint noises that could be heard from the other side of the dormitory door were any indication the bushy-tailed feline was intent on making the Huntress with vibrant pink hair know exactly how appreciated she was.

Following this had been a protracted effort where the two of them searched for somewhere to sleep, an endeavour that Felix noted he would probably find far more funny the next morning when he had slept, eaten and his entire body didn't ache so much. Eventually they found themselves in a secluded area of the library, reasoning that they were unlikely to be disturbed too early in the morning on the Saturday following tournament matches, skills that Felix had learned from Corvid allowing them to gain access; it was at that point that the Lion Faunus had finally checked his Scroll and learned of Team CLIR's skirmish with the Cult of Taurus and despite contacting his sister and being assured that everyone was, if not strictly 'okay', then suffering from only minimal injuries with the exception of Iris's ruined cybernetic arm Felix had been panicked and utterly unable to rest until Helios had pulled him close and gently stroked his hair until they both drifted off to sleep, Felix's head on Helios's lap. They were still in a rough facsimile on this position when they were both awoken by the sound of Helios's Scroll

"Arctus I swear to Oum if that's your sister I'm hiding everything she owns" Felix grumbled, utterly confused and disoriented by being dragged unceremoniously from his sleep. Helios was far more coherent, his people slept in shifts and the habit of staying awake when nobody else was willing to was hard to break; the need to be ready at a moments' notice had been ingrained into him since childhood.

"I an assure you that it isn't" he gave an amused chuckle as Felix pulled himself into an upright position and rubbed sleep from his eyes whilst Helios grabbed his Scroll and answered the incoming video call; vibrant green eyes widening in surprise at the sight of Syneffo staring back at him

"When did you get a Scroll?" he asked

"Five minutes ago, that's not what's important right now" Helios took a moment to truly take in his sisters' appearance; the way she constantly looked over her shoulder, the focus in her silver eyes, the uncharacteristic fidgeting disguised as shifting her weight in-case of attack and he was suddenly deeply concerned, there was no sign of a struggle which precluded his initial concerns that the Nikosi had been attacked and prompted him to ask simply

"Syneffo what's going on….what have you done?"

"I'm going against mothers' orders right now because I feel that I have to" she held her head high in defiance, the gesture undercut somewhat by Felix's snort and sleepy mumbling

"Yay for teenage rebellion….can ya do it later though?"

"Where….where are you two?" Syneffo asked, suddenly seeming to notice that her brother and his boyfriend had been sleeping somewhere clearly not intending for sleeping

"That's not what's important right now" Helios turned her own words against her before reporting "What have you done….where are you?"

"Outside of the settlements' walls, I sipped passed our sentries and acquired a Scroll-"

"How?"

"Doesn't matter right now" Syneffo waved Helios's concerns aside "Mother has been hiding us….from me-"

"What on Remnant are you talking about Syneffo" Helios growled"

"A Huntsman came to us after the tournament, a man by the name of Qrow" she continued over the sound of Felix's furious muttered cursing "He believes that my silver eyes make me special, some sort of natural weapon against the Grimm….Mother knew and did nothing but this Hunter wants to help me unlock and harness this power-"

"And am I right in assuming" Helios sighed, sensing the direction this conversation was heading "That our mother has forbidden this and you want me to interfere"

"I want you to do your duty to your people!" Syneffo snapped

"Excuse-" Helios's tone was low and dangerous, the redhead suddenly furious at the implication though his sister simply cut across him

"It is your duty to keep the Nikosi strong, if what Qrow Branwen says is true then you owe to your people to help me unlock these powers….One of us has to protect the tribe while you study behind a Kingdoms' walls-"
"Never" Helios hissed, tone forceful enough for Felix to almost recoil away from him in surprise "Take that tone with me again, child….go back to the camp"

"Not until you promise to help me"

"Syneffo-"
"No Helios, if you can be sent to New Vale to train then so can I….either help me or I will do this alone; serving our people does not mean blindly following our mother!"

"I'll speak with her" Helios sighed "I promise nothing else, now go back to camp"

"Fine….and thank you" with that Syneffo ended the call and silence reigned between Felix and Helios before the blonde nuzzled into his boyfriend and noted with a smile

"She's an amateur, I could've convinced Corey to help me break the rules in half the time it took her" Helios's expression softened as he leaned his head against the wall and let out a slow breath

"Fluffy, I giving serious consideration to murdering your great-uncle" Felix let out a bitter chuckle

"Not if I do it first"

"Know this human, if you were behind this I will personally flay you alive before an audience!"

"I would prefer that not be the case, I just bought a fresh bottle of moisturiser" Ozymandias Eldritch replied, making absolutely no effort to hide his disdain and amusement at the apoplectic rage that had left Celeste Lupus, High Commander of the White Fang near incoherent and wildly unreasonable. Through the transmission Ozymandias heard the sound of Wilt being drawn and turned to face the screen, at least allowing the Faunus the pretence of having his full attention for a moment; Celeste stood in the armour she had taken from a dead Specialist and carrying the sword of a dead terrorist whilst standing before him, an act she was only capable of performing due to his aid and yet she still glared furiously at him from behind her mask, posturing as though she had power.

"Dozens of my people were killed or captured on your misinformation human" she spat venomously "You WILL explain yourself"

"It appears as though Atlas placed more suspicion on me than even I realised….most likely the whole thing was a trap aimed to apprehend us both" the treasonous scientist explained in his usual jovial tone as he adjusted his glasses "That being the case I must draw this conversation to a close, our continued partnership would be very much hindered by my incarceration or death"

"Our communication channels?" Celeste demanded

"Will be dark for some time, understandably" Ozymandias answered calmly "Our standing arrangements regarding resources will continue as well as possible and I shall re-establish contact as soon as I am able"

"If you have betrayed me-"
"You will do what precisely?" Ozymandias huffed with clear exasperation "Thanks to your peoples' inability to avoid capture my position within Poly-Tech, life, freedom and everything else you could possibly have used to blackmail me have already been jeopardized and thus far I have precious little to show in return for the aid I have given your organisation….do attempt to do better next time"

"HOW DARE-" Celeste's tirade went unheard as Ozymandias simply ended the call, discreetly activating the powers of the Wizard; though in the lifeless and dingy surroundings of his apartment dwelling it would be all but impossible to tell his perception of time was altered and each second stretched out for what felt like an hour; the sole purpose of which was to give him more time to adjust his schemes. Ozymandias cast his eyes around the apartment and saw nothing of strategic value that could not be replaced, sentimental value was utterly beyond the man and had been since the voice that accompanied the powers he wielded began whispering in his mind. The apartment would have to be destroyed before the authorities arrived; though a small smile, far for sinister than his usual grandfatherly expressions formed on his face and was given a truly haunting appearance as the light from his eyes cast unnatural shadows. The sacrifice had proven worth it in the long run after all as tonight, in the moments before Celeste had contacted him he had learned that the mission he had sent her followers on would be fruitless; the almost mythical 'Toy-Box' facility in which Poly-Tech stored countless secrets and experiments was not located in the settlement of Geheimnis, but Ozymandias now knew for certain where to find it.

It had been under his nose for years and the fact gave him a reason to laugh as he began to flit around the apartment, appearing in multiple places at once as he wiped hard-drives, destroyed physical copies and pouring highly flammable accelerant on everything in sight.

Authors Notes:

So last chapter of the year (Although I may write something unrelated to FADE since I've got a week off of work)
Here's wishing all my readers a merry whatever you celebrate and a happy new year; I hope 2019 goes well for all of you.
We're rapidly approaching the endgame of Vol.6 and Year 02 now and that will become even more apparent in the next couple of chapters.

Anyway let's summarise shall we:
Helios was fine, scuffed up, bruised and exhausted to the point of blackout but fine….Nyanza could barely stand after the kicking Onyx handed out but meh, ya win some ya lose some.
Okay so I've never written an MLM NSFW scene before and full disclosure I am straight but I thought if the straight couples get 'em and Eagle and Hellion get to be all over each other then I'd be out of order if I didn't give Battle-Cat their due; I hope I did it justice.
Gang is beyond pissed right now.
Celeste is smarter than Atlas anticipated, she said a couple of chapters ago that she wouldn't walk into the obvious trap.
It should say something that both Winter and Gang are their wits end with things right now; realistically the prisoners Kafsi managed to capture are the only real victory they've had against them so far and even that was paid for in blood.
Seriously both canon Adam and Adam the way I portrayed him in Downward Spiral would have sprung the trap on purpose and we all know it.
Winter just told Gangrel he can blow up a city if he needs to as long as its' not one of the Hive Cities and the Council will be fine with it….Let that sink in.
Gangrel and Winter were both at the destruction of Eisenstadt Siebte, they won't go down that road.
Oobleck most definitely still gambles on the matches….He's probably texting Port every five minutes and having a running scoreboard.
Qrow using his scythe as a walking stick is great until he's in a crowded room.
That moment when you're drunk and the cold air hits you….iconic.
Could have made a better first impression there Qrow "I'm interested in your underage daughter" is a good way to get yourself skewered.
Qrow meant what he said about regretting that he couldn't have died in Pyrrha's place.
Kataigida isn't gonna become a villain, she's just trying to protect her daughter from a shadow war that's already gotten members of her family killed..
Also if you read Downward Spiral you'll get just how deep of a threat "I'll make you wish Tyrian was still in charge" is.
The only reason nobody died is because Eagle is a friend of Helios's and….well she's genuinely just too adorable to want to start a fight with.
Coming home from work to a dog must be great.
Weiss was probably just fucking with Gangrel there lol.
Blake knows about the White Fang taking a shot at Corvid….Blake who is one of the best at sneaking in and out of places.
Weiss's reaction was classic.
The horrifying thing is that Weiss's concerns about the White Fang planting a bomb or tracker in Coral aren't unfounded.
So Coral and Athena-Jade are gonna meet, this'll be fun.
And that's what Felix and Helios get for turning up in the early hours of the morning….Diamond deserved good dick and she got it lol.
Corvid definitely taught Felix to pick locks.
If you don't Felix flipped his shit upon hearing about Team CLIR getting into a fight with the White Fang then you're wrong.
Yay for teenage rebellion.
Felix using every swear word he knows when he hears Qrow's name made me chuckle.
Syneffo just wants to do right by her people and make herself the best version of herself she can be.
Felix could definitely have got Corvid to help him.
Oz isn't even pretending to give a single fuck about Celeste's threats any more.
He has a point, now that he knows Atlas are coming for him Celeste has nothing to hold over him except for physical violence which considering what he is….well it would be interesting to watch at least.
Yes he burned down the entire apartment complex just to destroy his own place.
I'm sure you can guess where the actual Toy-Box is….and if not, well we'll be going there next chapter anyway.

Thank you to SumoSnipe, iSassenach, Ferrous and Garthraxxus for their reviews on the last chapter.
Yeah Syneffo was stated to have silver eyes since her first introduction.
I mean Felix may or may not know exactly what Ruby can do; also people have weird eye colours in Remnant, hell Corey's are gunmetal grey; unless you know what to look for you'll miss it.
Yeah the last time they brought Raffia in they had to burn his arms off at the elbow with a weapon that he now has and even then it cost a Specialist an arm.
Onyx will be laughing about that in the morning.
Yeah Car is an emotional mess at this point.
Chiffon will be around in the finale battle but I have plans for who gets who in terms of the Cult….rest assured though, we'll be getting some more Chiffon & Donner next chapter.
Tense conversation confirmed lol.
I'd like to think the last of Nyanza's luck helped Helios land that shot.
Eh you'd be surprised how tough Helios is, the match was on a Friday….give him a weekend off and he'll be good.

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