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I am making no money from this.

Chapter 124: The Last Summer

Diamond Sustrai-Black's fingers danced lightly and carefully across the strings of her bass guitar as she sat at the edge of her bed, this was her old guitar, the one that her parents had bought her for her thirteenth birthday after months of pestering and its' body was littered with faded and peeling stickers of various bands' logos; the guitar that Arctus had bought her for her eighteenth birthday was still in Team FADE's dorm at Halo Academy where she had been forced to leave it upon returning to Mistral. Her movements were delicate enough that the instrument barely made a sound which Diamond was comfortable with, she had awoken early with a t-shirt that had once belonged to Arctus plastered to her by a cold sweat and rather than wake the Bear Faunus who had remained asleep with his arms around her she had gently extricated herself from him and used the instrument both to calm herself and try once again to grow accustomed to the cybernetic arm which connected to the remains of her left shoulder.

A task she was struggling with.

She could still feel her own arm and it ached and itched, driving her to desperation which left her glaring at the unpainted steel limb that replaced it irritably; her father had assured her that everything she was going through was perfectly normal considering the circumstances and had done everything in his power to support her, both Felix and his mother Yang had suggested several salves and ointments to soothe the irritation where her flesh met Atlesian steel and Arctus's father Gangrel had sent her a supply of a substance that limited the heat conduction of the robotic limb, making it noticeably more comfortable to wear whilst Arctus himself had been her rock and her expression softened as she thought about how much moral support he had given her since they had left New Vale even as he struggled with his own demons.

None of it quite made up for the fact that her new arm, as advanced and well made as it was simply lacked any and all muscle memory, a fact which presented itself as the fingers of her left hand simply refused to move fast enough and play the notes she wanted to.

"For fuck's sake!" she snapped, a sudden spike of anger sending to her feet and about to throw the instrument across the room until she head sheets being kicked aside behind her

"Hey" Arctus's sleepy voice calmed her enough that she returned to her sitting position on the edge of the bed and merely laid the instrument on the floor beside her

"Sorry, didn't mean to wake you" Diamond sighed, her low and husky voice suddenly fragile

"It's okay, I like listening to you play….you okay?" his voice was barely above a whisper and Diamond felt his breath against the back of her neck as he positioned himself behind her and began to gently massage her shoulders, something he had done for her whenever he sensed that the pain was becoming more pronounced.

"Yeah, hang on" Diamond sighed unconvincingly before she removed the t-shirt that she had slept in and allowing Arctus's hands better access to her tense and tight muscles, slowly she felt herself relaxing and her anger slipping away as a contented sound escaped her only for Arctus to come an abrupt halt. Diamond turned and glanced over her right shoulder with a silent question only to find Arctus staring at the scar that ran diagonally across her back that had been left by the member of the Cult of Taurus who called themselves Delta, another token from another bloody and catastrophic battle; a moment later she leaned back into him and felt the Faunus's muscular chest against her back as he gently trailed kisses along her shoulder and wrapped his arms around her waist. Diamond felt his fingers lace through those of her cybernetic hand and squeeze softly just as his kisses reached her neck and caused her breath to audibly hitch, Diamond's mood shifted suddenly once again she found herself and she found herself acting on her feelings before her conscious mind could fully register what she was doing. Arctus let out a surprised noise that could best be described as a squawk as he was pushed back down onto the bed and was then quickly silenced as Diamond all but threw herself on top of him, cupping his cheeks and kissing him hungrily as she pressed her body against his and after a few seconds the Bear Faunus's still sleep addled mind, or at the very least the more primal parts of it managed to process what was happening and he was kissing her back in earnest, his hands roaming across her body until she let out a low moan that coincided with a roll of her hips that made the bed creak.

Then the sound of a radio being turned to a volume loud enough to drown them out made them both freeze, the sound of barely audible grumbling beneath the news commentator confirming beyond any shadow of a doubt that either Mercury or Emerald were still in the apartment

"Oh my Oum" Diamond whispered against Arctus's lips before giving into a fit of giggles that were muffled as she buried her face in his shoulder; Arctus for his part looked terrified as he tried to weigh up the probability of his girlfriends' father throwing him off of the roof of the building. It took only a moment for the faint laughter to die down and the pair to simply make themselves comfortable holding one another.

Then Arctus saw Diamond's expression change and realised a second later that she was tracing his scars, the line of discoloured tissue which stood out against his pale flesh running from his left shoulder diagonally across his torso to his left hip and the newer scar that bisected it still somewhat reddened and inflamed, a horizontal line that had been neatly cut into his stomach and had been the source of several nightmares for him over the recent weeks

"We could have lost each other so many times" his voice was reduced to a croaking mumble by the sudden dryness of his mouth "But I promise I'm not going anywhere"

"Me neither Big Guy" Diamond's promise was punctuated by her wrapping herself around him and holding him as close as possible without it becoming painful; her words were hushed as she added "Is it selfish that I really don't want to help today? I know I got hurt but I can still help and plenty of people are in worse-"

"Dee….no" Arctus murmured softly before pressing his lips against her forehead. Though the trauma, both physical and mental that the pair had been subjected to had brought an end to the vague plans of finding temporary jobs over the summer that they'd had Diamond had still felt compelled to throw herself into the various charities that Emerald operated with gusto at every available opportunity; to Arctus she was simply awe inspiring and as he ran his hands through her silvery hair he gently positioned her head so that he could look her in the eyes

"You are the most amazingly selfless person I have ever met and taking a day off, on our summer vacation after everything that happened is in no way selfish" he kissed her briefly "And even if it was, be selfish….you can't help everybody else if you don't help yourself first"

"Said every billionaire as they lined their pockets" Diamond snorted, sticking her tongue out Arctus before pulling the sheets back over them and resting against him once again.

"Dork" Arctus flashed her a toothy smile as he used her customary retort against her "We'll save Remnant together….But tomorrow, or at least in a few hours" Diamond laughed gently, her earlier anger at herself forgotten as she mumbled into Arctus's chest

"Oum I love you"

Corvid Xiao Long had, in a move that had come as something of a shock to her family decided to pack away her old and familiar flight suits and now sported a new outfit, though the change could hardly be considered a drastic one. Her new outfit consisted of a pair of practical and armour plated black boots which reached almost to her knees and pale grey pants with several pockets with the yellow scarf that had once belonged to Yang that had become faded over the years now worn around her waist as a belt. She wore a simple blank tank-top with a lightweight harness fitted over her torso allowing her to carry more supplies, a sleeveless jacket of the same grey as her pants which she wore with a popped collar featured yet more pockets whilst her dark brown hair remained tied back in a ponytail that now reached between her shoulder blades and the eyepatch she still wore over her cybernetic left eye combined with the trio of scars across her face gave her a distinctly grizzled appearance despite the fact that she was only twenty-two.

In truth there was no deep seated reason behind the change, she had merely decided that it was time to update her look now that she had officially left Halo Academy, especially considering that Team CLIR's first mission would take them to Menagerie where it would be far too hot for her flight suits.

Felix thought that she simply looked cool as he watched her work for a moment before making his way across the back yard of the Xiao Long family home towards the clearing that lay behind it where Corvid was currently admiring her work as she stared at the Bull-Head that Team CLIR had all pitched in to buy and Rusty had named 'Old Unreliable' it had initially been a civilian model, intended for haulage if the collapsed winch and clamps folded around its' landing gear were any indication though a pair of high calibre machine guns had been fitted to its nose since Corvid had been working on it and the considerable amount of damage that had been done to it by the Grimm had been repaired, though the mismatched panels of various coloured metals gave the craft a noticeably ramshackle appearance.

"Hey Corey!" the Lion Faunus called out to his sister as he hopped over the wooden fence around the edge of the property with ease. Felix too sported a new outfit, the darker colours he had worn during his Third Year at Halo Academy having been replaced by a simple white t-shirt and faded, pale and ripped jeans both of which were littered with a plethora of patches and badges displaying various peace signs and rainbow flags, his footwear was his usual simple high-topped sneakers and the harness, fitted with several extra pockets which held Hack and Slash was in its' usual place across his body though currently the weapons themselves were absent; he also wore lightweight but durable armour plating over his forearms, knees and the knuckles of a pair of fingerless gloves which Helios had despairingly declared to be a less than half-hearted attempt at protection. Felix's mane of dirty blonde curls had been allowed to grow out once again until it reached his shoulders although it was cut shorter around the sides and tied back into a single mass of curls. As he made his way over to where Corvid stood his cybernetic tail swished contentedly with its' new golden paint-job adorning its' upper half glinting in the sunlight, it also now sported a fluffy yellow bobble which Corvid had placed there to mimic the tuft of fur at the end of Felix's original tail. Felix was also slightly more muscular than he had already been and carried himself with a confidence that went before the teenage bravado he had once possessed.

Corvid caught sight of her brother and was briefly caught off guard by just how much he seemed to have grown up, not that it would stop her from teasing.

"Well look who finally decided to get out of bed and lend a hand" she "Provided you're not still exhausted…..Helios cop a feel-ix this morning did he?"

"Fuck off" the Lion Faunus shot back, cheeks colouring as his thoughts were instantly driven towards the events of a few hours previous and the weight of Helios's body pressing against his, making the Lion Faunus gasp and sweat as he was pushed into the mattress-

"Remnant to Fluffy" Corvid sighed with a roll of her stormy grey eye as she repeated the question that her brother had been too distracted to hear "Is Heely working all day?"

"I mean the job takes as long as it takes, so maybe" Felix shrugged as he tried to ignore the sudden embarrassment which made him flush redder still and struggle to meet Corvid's gaze. Helios was spending the summer living with the Xiao Long family and was currently working with Nyanza, the two of them earning Lien by helping Sun with the task of keeping the islands' Grimm population at bay; a job which was almost a tradition for Felix and Corvid though the elder Xiao Long sibling no longer had time and Felix had been spending a considerable amount of his time on the mainland earning Lien of his own by both allowing Poly-Tech to continue running tests and experiments on his tail and how it affected his Semblance and working alongside other older students such as Ether and Olivine of Team NEON and Team SNST from the year below Team FADE in several escort and security missions in and around the capital city where rules regarding student Hunters and the missions they could take had been relaxed somewhat in light of the recent attack.

There had also been funerals to attend for recently deceased students, many of whom Felix knew and considered friends but he refused to think about that at the moment.

"So what's actually left to do with it?" Felix asked gesturing towards Team CLIR's Bull-Head "You're leaving it a bit late" the unspoken knowledge that Corvid would be leaving Patch and New Vale in just a few days and that neither of them knew when she would return hanging in the air for a moment

"Practically it's fine; all the systems have been triple checked" Corvid assured him before laughing at her own self consciousness as she added "Look, Team CLIR are travelling to Menagerie with Aunt Ruby and Aunt Penny, we're docking on the same airship and….I mean come on, you've seen Aunt Penny's ride, I can't dock this next to it I'll make her look bad by association!"

"Oh my Oum you're an idiot" Felix laughed as he playfully shoved his sister "Corey no-one cares, you're a freshly graduated Huntress with more experience than most people who've served for ten years, a Vytal Tournament star and you've got the coolest weapon ever…..Your first ride is supposed to be a junker, I'm just the exception"

"It's still Killer Bee-yond me why Blake and Yang thought buying you that was a good idea" Corvid chuckled as she remembered Felix's first car which had been anything but junk.

"We're proud of you Corey y'know that right?" her brothers' voice was suddenly gentle "You're gonna be amazing in Menagerie"

"Thanks" Corvid wrapped an arm loosely around is shoulders for a brief hug "But you're still not getting any of the stuff I don't take with me" Felix merely rolled his deep blue eyes at his sisters' evasions and joking before she finally got slightly more serious

"Okay so basically all that's left to do is make Old Unreliable look presentable" she reached into Bull-Head itself and pulled out several tins of paint and a sketchbook which she promptly opened and showed to Felix "I've got a few ideas?"

"Have Iris, Lux or Rusty agreed to these?" Felix asked conversationally as he took in the various ideas his sister had put on paper, each of them an eclectic mix of vibrant colours that spectacularly clashed with one another and yet somehow managed to look coherent; Corvid merely shot him a sly smile and shrugged

"I paid for the paint, it's my call" Felix decided that he couldn't argue with her logic and gave her a grin that displayed his overlong canines

"Bright yellow it is"

Eagle Arc had kept herself occupied over the summer and made a respectable amount of Lien by working several odd jobs. Her skills as a Huntress were simply surplus to requirements in a village as small as the one she called home, a single Huntress who had moved to New Hope with her family after Eagle's grandparents had retired oversaw the village and protected it from the occasional Grimm that wandered in its' direction but in a farming village there was always work to be done for someone who was mechanically inclined and Eagle had been repairing various tractors and combine harvesters as well as helping with routine maintenance on the villages' admittedly limited automated defences.

Currently it was mid afternoon and Eagle was admiring herself in the mirror after a shower, she had spent that morning finishing off a job that had taken her several days and had been made slightly awkward by the fact that the farmer paying her was the father of one of her old school-yard bullies; what surprised Eagle however was firstly how differently those girls who had once tormented her for her appearance and interests acted around her now and secondly how little she cared.

Eagle Arc would soon start her final year as a student Hunter and as she needed no-ones' approval, she thought she was pretty cool and that was that.

Her outfit had changed little but the small differences only served to make her look more imposing, a task which her demeanour would always make difficult; her navy blue jeans with faded knees were tucked into a pair of her usual heavy and reliable combat boots and were held up by a pair of belts crossed over each other which also supported the sheath which held her black-bladed sword that she had once slung across her back. She wore a tank-top though it was entirely hidden by the recently repainted and pristine white armour covering her chest and shoulders, the leather jacket with the Arc family emblem gracing its' back that one of her Aunts had bought for her the previous year had been ripped in the attack on New Vale and in response Eagle had simply removed the sleeves entirely, leaving her powerful arms on display whilst stopping the armour on her upper arms from rubbing uncomfortably by wrapping a bandanna around each of her prominent biceps beneath the straps, they were a shade of green that Eagle noted in her more sentimental moments was almost the exact same as Hellion's eyes. Her armour continued down her left forearm, the heavy plating connected by an exoskeleton designed to compensate for Sentinel's weight and use the admittedly heavy automaton with ease whilst her right forearm was now bare and sported a tattoo done in the style of the tribes of Anima, using the traditional methods and depicting the three headed Grimm which had threatened to lay waste New Vales' defences. Her golden yellow hair had grown a little and was no longer the spiky undercut she'd worn until the summer, the back and sides had been sheared away almost to nothing once again though now her hair was slicked back with a single braid running along the right side of her skull, as she reached for the pair of heavily tinted sunglasses on her dresser and slid them into place Eagle was unable to stop herself from smiling broadly and humming to herself as she made her way out of her bedroom and downstairs.

"Oh someone looks nice, going anywhere special?" the voice of Antonia Arc greeted her and made Eagle smile even wider even as a pink tinge coloured her freckled cheeks; Eagle's mother had left the head office and management of Poly-Tech to a group of trusted and thoroughly vetted individuals who each made daily reports to her whilst she spent the summer in New Vale where she had been personally overseeing repairs to several Poly-Tech assets and subsidiaries as well as several other classified tasks which Eagle knew to include repairs of the cities' defences and Halo Academy itself as well as personally taking responsibility for Qrow's ongoing treatment which would necessitate her expertise in robotics to some degree, all in all whilst Antonia had returned to her home town she was no less busy than she had been in Alas though Eagle could hardly fault her mother in this instance, New Vale had been dealt a heavy blow and it was the duty of those who could help to do so.

"You think?" Eagle asked "The sleeveless leather jacket isn't too much?"

"Hunters have an entirely different definition of too much, your father wore a cape" Antonia chuckled "Bedsides I'm sure Hellion likes it"

"Muuuum" Eagle hid her face behind her hands as she dragged the word out, her supposed coolness vanishing in an instant as her face became scarlet "How is Dad anyway? Have you seen him today? Is he still living in that house? He needs to be somewhere where….Sorry I'm rambling" she caught herself as her words began to take on their customary chattering and rapid-fire pace

"Don't apologise for having questions" Antonia answered her quickly "Qrow is fine, he's sorry that he's been preoccupied all summer but his….home computer is invaluable and he's been using it to co-ordinate the relief effort, there are still small packs of Grimm lurking inside the city and people trying to find their families. He's throwing himself into the job….Don't give me that look young lady"

"I'm wearing sunglasses you can't even see what look I'm giving you" Eagle countered "But yeah I'm giving you a look, because energy drinks and coffee so strong it strips paint aren't the same as actually sleeping" Antonia found herself laughing at the comment before being hit with a pang of sadness as she realised that she had been present for far less of her daughters' life than she would have liked and that watching her grow into the young woman in front of her was a privilege that she had wasted.

"I saw him this morning, I'm working on something that will help him get his mobility back" Antonia assured her softly "As for the house, he isn't selling it he says he spent too much Lien and he'd rather just give it to you or any of his other family than get rid of it-"

"But he-"

"He has got some new living arrangements in order" Antonia cut off Eagle's argument before it could start "And the loss of the use of his legs has hindered him less than you'd think; stairs are hardly a problem to someone who can fly" Eagle sighed and admitted defeat on the issue, all she wanted was for her father to be happy and cared for but she knew that his own personality would be a hindrance in that regard.

"Just tell him I asked him to take care of himself please" Eagle asked as she prepared to leave

"I will….Be sure to bring Hellion over before I leave for Atlas" Antonia's face became a mischievous smile that looked odd on her face "I like seeing how jumpy your Uncle Flax gets around her"

"Oh my gosh you're terrible" Eagle laughed before whistling, the sound calling Sentinel who had been recharging in the living room to her and soon after Eagle departed with an eager smile on her face

She had a date to get to.

Gangrel Slate had foolishly anticipated a passable amount of free time upon resigning from his position as head of the Specialist Branch, he realised now that it was never to be although he could admit to himself that he likely wouldn't even know what to do with any more free time if it were available to him; he was at least spending more time with his family and that was what was important to him. Weiss and Whitley were both currently at Schnee Dust Companies' head office, the attack on new Vale having predictably increasing their workloads which left the greying and grizzled Bear Faunus to look after Athena-Jade and Coral whilst also attending to the condensed but still considerable amount of work that needed to be completed before he could officially take up his new role as combat instructor at Atlas Academy such as getting qualifications in order, planning lessons and a mountain of other paperwork.

He had also been spending plenty of time training a now ten year old Athena-Jade and had been filled with pride at just how fast she was mastering the basics of various styles of hand to hand combat, in only a few short years she would begin attending the Atlesian Cadets in preparation for her time at one of the Hunter Academies. He had also been helping Coral with the seemingly unfair amount of homework that she had been asked to complete over the summer, though the amount of work required of his adopted daughter made more sense when one considered the fact that she was being moved ahead in her classes, the Crab Faunus had progressed from being an easily scared, easily angered and antisocial child to being well liked amongst her classmates and something of a child prodigy whose intellect and abilities were finally being a chance to develop and who had a keen interest in Dust, firing questions at Whitley almost non-stop whenever he was available; although Gangrel noted that moving Coral ahead would put her in the same classes as Athena-Jade and he found himself pitying the teacher that had to deal with them both.

Today however he had expressly given the two girls a day free of training and homework, reasoning that they needed time to simply be children and as he rubbed eyes that were beginning to itch he decided that he needed a brief break as well; the sight of a small package addressed to Arctus that had been delivered earlier that day by a terrified looking driver reminding Gangrel of just how much he missed his oldest child and on a whim he pulled out his Scroll and called out to his daughters who were in a nearby room

"I'm gonna try and call Arctus if anyone wants to talk to him?" his words had the desired result and within seconds Athena-Jade skidded into the room after almost removing the door from its' hinges with Coral close behind her. Gangrel chuckled to himself and began the video call, only having to wait a few moments before it was answered

"Hey Dad, what's up?" Arctus greeted him before catching sight of his sisters "Hey squirts"

"Hey Diamond" Athena pointedly ignored her brother in response and then stuck her tongue out at him whilst Coral glowered at the term of endearment. Gangrel took a moment to appreciate just how much his son had grown, it was hard to believe that the young man on the screen who sat beside the partner whom they were deeply in love with had once been small enough for Gangrel to cradle one handed until he fell asleep, the thought left the elder Faunus wondering exactly where the time had gone.

Arctus's current attire was an interesting blend of the Atlesian military utilitarianism that he usually favoured and Mistrali street fashion that was clearly something which Diamond had suggested, a pair of white pants with dozens of pouches pockets and small holsters picked out in black were tucked into the pair of armoured black boots whose tops were rolled over. He wore jet black tactical armour intended to prevent stabbings under a lightweight and breathable jacket which hung open bright white in colour and with a collar which protruded over the sleeveless black tailcoat like jacket that he wore over it, which sporting several more pouches and pockets on the chest to store the excessive amount of Dust Arctus tended to carry with him as well as featuring a harness for his weapon; his snowy white hair had a ruffled and windswept look to it; Gangrel bit back a comment about how son looked as though he could have been modelling for the brand he was wearing as he somehow sensed the younger Faunus wouldn't appreciate it.

Diamond's outfit was notably more subdued than others she usually wore; black jeans with armoured knee-pads and green sneakers with a belt littered with ammunition pouches slung worn over a green sash which trailed down her right leg, a simple grey hoodie unzipped just enough to reveal the diamond necklace Arctus had bought for her with a black bandolier as wide as her palm slung over it diagonally across her chest to hold her weapon and her Dust filled rounds with lightweight black tactical armour encasing her left arm and a black leather glove covering her left hand; her silvery had grown long enough to reach the middle of her back as was tied into a single ponytail whilst her bangs were kept from falling in front of her eyes by a black bandanna worn like a headband; her ears had been pierced several more times and now each sported half a dozen small rings in black and silver whilst her diamond nose piercing glittered in the afternoon sun; the young woman might have been smiling but Gangrel understood well enough from the glove she wore that she wasn't merely protecting her cybernetic arm, she was keeping it out of sight so that she didn't have to look at it.

"Just called to let you know a package came for you" Gangrel answered his sons' initial question "Thought I'd see how you were both doing"

"I'm good….thanks for asking" Diamond flashed Gangrel a smile "That spray to stop the heat transfer really helped….Atlas tech was really not built to be used somewhere this hot and humid"

"Neither were Atlesians if the way Arctus is sweating is anything to go on" Gangrel snorted

"Hey Dad, can you post that package to the academy…..It's something for the tournament" Arctus asked, wearing an oddly cagey expression which Gangrel decided not to press him on; even if he had wanted to the opportunity was taken from him by Athena's sudden interjection

"I can't wait to see you on TV again it's gonna be awesome! Team FADE are gonna win the whole tournament right?"

"Of course" Arctus gave her a toothy grin and Diamond nodded with a small smirk

"I can't wait til you come home again, can it be next summer already" the younger Faunus gave an exaggerated sigh which brought an incredibly guilty look to her brothers' face.

"AJ, this is my last year at Halo….I might have a mission straight after I graduate; I don't actually know what's gonna happen over the summer and-"

"You're not coming home?" Athena's voice was utterly heartbroken and dejected

"I'm gonna come home I just don't know when-"

"YOU'RE COMING HOME NEXT SUMMER YOU ASS-HOLE!" Coral's furious voice and the way gestured a rapidly clacking pincer at the screen as though she were pointing a finger at chest were enough to silence all dissent "We're a family! And that means I know where your room is and if you make my sister upset I'm gonna trash all your stuff!" Athena-Jade and Arctus both wore stunned expressions at their adopted sisters' outburst whilst Gangrel and Diamond seemed to be struggling not to double over laughing until eventually the silver haired sniper turned to her partner

"You heard the lady, after we finish classes you're going back to Atlas"

"You wanna come with me? I think Coral might actually hurt me if I go alone" at this both Coral and Athena finally cracked and began laughing, Gangrel noticed Diamond show something on her Scroll to Arctus and presumed that it was the time

"Got places to be?"

"Uh yeah, we're meeting a few of Diamond's friends tonight" Arctus answered sheepishly, slightly worried that the brevity of the call might upset his sisters further

"Sorry to cut things short, we'll call tomorrow?" Diamond offered

"Sure, you two have fun" Gangrel nodded, giving his daughters a chance to say their goodbyes before ending the call. The girls immediately made to leave the room with Coral wearing a determined expression as she tried to simply march away from the trouble she knew she was in

"Not so fast" Gangrel sighed as he gently placed a hand on her shoulder "We need to talk about your language and threatening-"

"But he was upsetting AJ!" the Crab Faunus pleaded "He was being an….A butt"

"But you can't threaten to smash his things….that'll just make him want to stay away more, you can't bully people into doing what you want. For one thing it's mean and for another they'll eventually just do the opposite to be mean back" Gangrel met her gaze until he was sure that she understood; he knew that simply punishing Coral would do more harm than good and would reinforce the exact way of thinking that he was trying to dissuade her from, her early childhood with the New White Fang had taught her that power and fear ruled all and allowances had to be made in order to undo that

"Okay" she mumbled eventually "I'm sorry"

"Okay, then we'll forget about it this once" Gangrel let her go and shook his head as he let out a small chuckle, in some way his adopted child was the one most like him and Arctus's face had indeed been a funny sight. The Bear Faunus then turned his attention to the package for his son, he had begun sweating the moment it was mentioned and had been strangely suspicious when it was mentioned

"So are you lying to me or your partner kid?" Gangrel murmured to himself as he held the package in one hand, it was far too small to be a Dust order and Arctus's weapon needed no ammunition. He fought the instinct born of decades working for the Specialist Branch to open the package and uncover the secret; he had promised Weiss before Arctus was born that their would be no such abuses of trust in their home, he was a Specialist at work, a husband and a father at home and there would be no overlap between them. Gangrel did however look at the sender and his amber eyes suddenly widened, the small package suddenly made sense and he quickly decided that he and Weiss would speak to their son together at the first opportunity.

The summer had not been going well for Nyanza Angora; to such an extent that Helios had accompanied his partner on a small assignment delegated to him by Sun Wukong solely because he worried that the feline Faunus's emotional state might be enough to attract more creatures of Grimm than he could overcome alone.

The first blow had come when he had first arrived on Patch to find that as a consequence of the attacks on the mainland his mother had lost her job, his father was fortunately still employed and working a considerable amount of overtime however and Nyanza had made enough money through the sponsorship deal he had with Adi-Dazzler sportswear to care for his families' finances for some time. In a cruel but almost predictable twist of fate that same sponsorship deal had ended a few weeks ago, the company having informed Nyanza that with a new Vytal Tournament fast approaching they had to be on the lookout for a new face of the brand, though they would be happy to work with him once again if he continued to be a fan favourite. The third blow had been heartbreaking for him, Razzmatazz of Team GRAY and Shade Academy with whom he had been in a long distance relationship had broken things off with him, stating that she just simply didn't feel as strongly about the relationship as he did.

As such Nyanza had been throwing himself at every available piece of work on the island, whilst he was still only a student and was not technically qualified the laws were often skirted on Patch, owing to the fact that the Kingdom had never budgeted to employ more Hunters as the fishing town grew into a small city; which had led to Sun Wukong asking both Helios and Nyanza to venture into the woods and deal with a suspected pack of Beowolves whilst he attended to other matters in the city.

"It's going go be a long day if you don't talk" Helios mused "It seems the impossible has happened and I've finally grown accustomed to it"

"You can go home if you want" Nyanza replied sullenly, his blunt and uncaring answer enough to stun his partner and team leader for a moment. Helios's golden armour had changed, his chest plate was missing entirely and its' absence revealed a simple black vest whilst pieces of thick and yet ornate armour encasing his arms; much of the golden suit and the surface of his shield had been damaged in the battle in New Vale and the temporary blockade which had since been lifted had prevented him from having a fresh supply of the metal it was constructed from sent so he had simply melted down a large piece of it to repair the rest; it had been symbolic for him in an admittedly painful way. His deep scarlet hair had grown longer, though it was still worn in spikes it was now sicked back almost like quills and he had allowed a light stubble to cover his chin and jawline which Felix admitted he liked very much.

"No I can't and I wouldn't if I could" he countered softly "You need someone with you"

"Heely as much as I love you like a brother you're not the person I wanna be talking to right not" Nyanza's chuckle was bitter and watery, showing just how fragile his composure was.

"I understand that" Helios nodded "And what would you say if she was here?"

"I don't know, there's nothing to say anyway…..she just doesn't feel the same, I can't luck my way out of that man" he wiped his eyes and a sniffling whimper escaped him before he spoke again "What the fuck am I even crying for? We buried Team PSTL last week and I didn't cry like this, what the hell is wrong with-" he fell silent as Helios gently placed one hand on his shoulder and brought the other to his own lips, his sword and shield appearing in his hands a moment later; drawn faster than the eye could see.

"Where?" Nyanza's voice was barely louder than breath as his long barrelled pistols were slid from their holsters and his bushy-furred tail stood erect behind him as he panned the weapon across the trees and foliage that surrounded them.

"All around us" no sooner had the words left Helios's lips than the Grimm that had been prowling around them unseen burst into movement; a dozen Beowolves rushing forwards in a semi-circle which almost surrounded the pair.

Helios's Semblance rippled the air as gravity was reduced and as the pouncing monsters fell in slow motion Nyanza raised his weapons and began snapping off shots with ruthless efficiency, none of his usual showman ship in the form of hitting multiple targets with each round or firing at impossible angles was present, instead he merely left a hole between the eyes of each creature of Grimm.

Then the Alpha of the pack burst out of the trees to Nyanza's right, snarling as it lunged at the Faunus and made to clamp its' jaws around his forearm; fortune was on Nyanza's side however as he found himself pulled aside a moment before the blow could land by Helios who swiftly spun around his partner and brought the edge of his shield crashing into the monsters' skull, flinging them several feet away.

"Two of us and one Beowolf, should be easy enough" Nyanza noted as he shifted his weapons into their tonfa forms. Helios's nodded silently as he shifted his weight and raised his sword and prepared to charge, secure in the knowledge that Nyanza would give him cover fire. Then a golden blur ripped through the tree and a mere fraction of a second later the Grimms' headless body collapsed to the ground as Felix stood over it, Hack and Slash in his hands.

"You know I'm not giving you a cut of the pay for that?" Nyanza noted after taking a moment to process what had just happened.

"I know, just wanted to hang out; me and Corey got her Bull-Head painted up….besides I've barely seen you all summer" Nyanza considered half a dozen excuses or apologies and quickly dismissed each idea before eventually swallowing a lump in his throat and simply wrapping an arm around each of his best friends' shoulders

"Thanks guys; having you two around, it means a lot" his customary cocky smirk slid back into place as the three of them made their out of the woods and quickly added

"But if you're gonna be a cute couple you can both piss off"

The Lightning Bug rolled to a stop within New Vale's commercial docks and a moment after the purr of its' engine was silenced Eagle clambered out of the vehicle and withdrew Sentinel from the passenger side seat, the droid unfurled itself from its' dormant shield state and chirped animatedly as he trundled along behind her. Eagle made her way through a gathered crowd of dockworkers and sailors, several of whom she was on speaking terms with owing to how often she had frequented these docks over the summer though none of them acknowledged her presence as she weaved between them and gently pushed them aside.

The lone ship in the distance fighting a monstrous serpentine Grimm was naturally capturing their attention and Eagle frantically opened her Scroll and used the zoom function of its' camera to get a better view of the situation.

The Grimm appeared upon closer inspection to be a gargantuan and armoured moray eel, its' skeletal and cavernous maw lined with jagged fangs and home to a second mouth which burst forth of an a slimy, obsidian muscular appendage. Spines, fins and armour plates made of bone lined the back of the things' massive body as it circled around the Nemesis Kharybdis at frightening speed.

Team GORE had based themselves at the docks over the summer and had made it their responsibility to aid New Vale's defences by ensuring that any amphibious or aquatic Grimm drawn to the city by the residual negative emotions and psychic backlash of the battle barely two months ago were halted in their tracks and the monster currently before them was simply another days' work for the seafaring Faunus.

"Be careful, be careful" Eagle almost chanted under her breath as she watched the battle unfold, the weapons of the Nemesis Kharybdis were undeniably powerful and had torn long and deep gouges into the Grimm yet still it persisted, its' furious diving and snapping attacks at the vessel kept at bay by Hellion's Dust infused knives which left the monsters' skull wreathed in fire and lightning each time it passed whilst Carcharodon barked orders to Onyx and Raffia.

Suddenly Eagle realised that Team GORE knew exactly what they were doing.

Raffia was the helmsman of the Nemesis Kharybdis and very few things would ever make the Axolotl Faunus abandon his position during a battle. Eagle watched as the plan was sprung a moment later, Onyx sprinting across the deck of the ship clutching what looked to be a spare anchor that was secured somewhere below deck, as he reached the railings around the prow he leapt into the air and used the cannon component of his battleaxe to fire a Gravity Dust shell and hurl himself across the sea and land on the eel Grimm, burying the anchor in one of its' eye sockets.

Then Raffia unsheathed his swords and combined them into their laser weapon form, waiting until until Onyx had used the chain of the anchor as a zip-line to return to the deck before he fired; when he did the beam of purging light ripped a hole through the skull of the monster and the glowing remains of the spare anchor fell into the sea as the beast died.

Eagle cheered along the rest of the gathered crowd of Team GORE's vessel returned to the dock some time later, the Faunus themselves coming into view soon after to the sound of thunderous applause. The change that had overcome the four of them was impossible to overstate, they were no longer the group of raiders playing the roles of Hunters out of necessity but had seemingly embraced the admiration that being heroes to their fellow sailors and the people of New Vale had earned them, and if not then they had certainly appreciated the Lien that had come with the role; Team GORE had not been so well compensated for their work in their lives and it showed in the new outfits that each of them wore.

Raffia put Eagle in the mind of the pirates in some fictional tale as he slid down the chain of his ships' anchor and landed in a low, almost mocking bow. The scar above and below his left eye was barely visible beneath the tribal tattoos that covered that side of his face which had been extended by Hellion over the summer and whose twisting and intricate design now resembled a half of a skull, which he had explained proudly was a symbol of his mastery over death. He still wore the pirate hat that Felix had given to him as a joke, though now it was paired with a flaming red twin-tailed coat with golden buttons which hung open to display the scabbards that held his swords. He wore white breeches and black boots which reached his calves and a white shirt with a black waistcoat adorned with several golden chains over it; his new dapper appearance and status amongst those local to this part of the city had allowed him to catch the eye of dozens of men and women over the summer if rumours were to be believed.

Onyx was a lumbering slab of muscle as always, his height and physique complemented by a black double breasted jacket with a grey fur collar and gunmetal armour affixed to his chest and arms, his axe slung across his back as always, his pants and boots were simple but were held up by far more belts than was strictly necessary and was a choice that Raffia had made several ill-received joke about, mostly implying that the belts were to help him 'keep it in his pants while Corvid is on missions' his shaggy and messy black hair had been tied back into a single bun, the whiskers that grew beneath his nose had been trimmed and the scraggly, patchy stubble that had once littered his cheeks had grown into a full beard.

Carcharodon's change was, almost predictably less drastic; the same black garb and light armour as ever though he had at least acquired a new set of said armour and a few new tattoos could be seen on the grey-tinged flesh of his arms; most notably however was that he had discarded his old and tattered cloak, replacing it with a sleeveless robe like garment of midnight black which reached almost to the ground and whose hood naturally sat low over his face; the whole thing billowed dramatically behind him as he strobe towards the gathered crowd, removing the helmet crowned with five shark-like fins and engraved with the glyphs of his people that served as the crown of the Frost River tribe.

Eagle barely even registered their presence, her gaze slipping passed them and seeking out the final member of the team. Hellion's left forearm was encased in armour as always to serve as a perch for Marauder and she wore a creamy white jacket and matching pants which contrasted starkly with her brown skin and a harness around her torso which left the several dozen knives she carried plainly visible with several more strapped to her thighs, beneath the unfastened jacket was a shirt which hugged her figure well despite several buttons being unfastened and her deep violet coloured hair cascaded over her back, with several braids trailing over her shoulders and decorated with beads and small golden ties. Her wings, which protruded from slits in the back of her jacket twitched imperceptibly as Eagle rushed towards her and the Dragonfly Faunus flashed her a mischievous smile before sidestepping the blondes' attempt to pull her into a hug, instead catching her arm and pulling her into a spin and dipping her as though they were dancing before kissing her fiercely in full of the crowd who burst into cheers and wolf-whistles at the display.

"I missed you too little canary" Hellion purred into her ear and Eagle's cheeks flushed, though it didn't stop her from throwing her arms around her girlfriend's waist and holding her close. After a moment Eagle removed her sunglasses and rested her forehead against Hellion's, the two of them remaining pressed against one another

"I hate not being able to see you when you're at sea" Eagle mumbled before adding "But when you're home it's like seeing you for the first time and I get to fall in love with you all over again"

"When did you become so smooth?" Hellion grinned, her own cheeks darkening at the comment

"I have no idea" Eagle admitted, the two of them managing to maintain eye contact with one another before laughing. Eagle slipped her hands into Hellion's and gave her a bright smile

"So, I hope your team won't miss you….Because it's date night!" and with that the two of them made their way from the docks, Eagle smiling brightly and feeling as though she were showing off just by being with Hellion.

Night had fallen and the broken moon hung overhead, the pale light it reflected barely filtering through the canopy of dead trees; instead the swamplands were illuminated solely by the fiery glow cast by the eyes of the Grimm and several miniscule monsters, barely larger than a persons' thumb and resembling fireflies which hovered in the air and whose tails gave off an unexpectedly bright light.

Salem had been forced to admit that even with Pantheon at her side she was in no position to bring New Vale to its' knees just yet and had instead retreated from the city, with the Spawning Pit within what had once been the Exclusion Zone destroyed the amount of Grimm she could call upon within its' walls was limited; instead she had retreated to a base of operations that Pantheon had made for themselves before being captured and kept comatose by Halo Academy. The former artificial island that had housed several people was entirely covered in Grimm matter which formed thick tendrils anchoring the floating mass in place; the root system like structure expanding out across the surface of the river which ran through the swamp and forming a network of solid bridges and walkways whilst the cauldron like Spawning Pits formed by thin layers of flesh filled with primordial ooze draped between dead trees were being slowly reinforced, the trees being splintered and broken apart from within as jagged masses of deep violet crystal burst from them whilst the curved spires of bone, each several dozen feet in height which grew around the edge of Pantheon's lair had become wider and were now wreathed in thorns and bramble made of Grimm tissue which reached out and interlocked with each other to form the beginnings of walls.

At the centre of it all was Salem, Pantheon's throne having been reshaped to accommodate her, the mother of Grimm, cross legged and with eyes closed as she worked. Her mere presence had accelerated the growth and development of the Spawning Pit; some combination of the Wizard's powers and her own bending the surrounding Grimm tissue to her will at a frightening rate and spawning a new creature every minute, these monsters born already submitting themselves to her will and without the initial cannibalistic fury of their kind; Pantheon had made do with a nest whilst Salem envisioned a fortress. Her primary task however was a far more difficult one even if it seemingly required her to do nothing more than meditate in silence; the hive mind once shared by all Grimm had been shattered and disjointed by the backlash of her being ripped from the material plane and repairing piece by piece through sheer force of psychic might was an excruciating effort that would take her a decade to complete even with her new abilities.

Presently those efforts were interrupted by the sound of powerful wings beating overhead.

"My child" she cooed as Pantheon swooped low and stooped down on a single knee to bow to her, sinking the trident-head of Flesh-Seeker into the living tissue that made up the ground beneath his feet as he did so. Once she would have been furious at the interruption during a task so important but during her exile from reality, even more so than during her long war against Ozpin Salem had learned the value of patience; she would reunite all of her children one day and they would feast on the flesh of those who stood against her but in the meantime there were other tasks to attend to.

"You have news?" she asked softly, Pantheon nodded with a primal growl of annoyance before giving their answer

"Fifteen Nevermore were lost trying to fly over New Vale and an Abyss-Worm was slain off the coast of the city, we've been unable to bolster those Grimm still within the city" Salem processed the information and contemplated for several moments, she knew that she would need a physical presence within New Vale for her plans to have any hope of succeeding and that the groups of Grimm that had been left behind to skulk through the lowest reaches of the sprawling metropolis were slowly but surely being whittled away.

Eventually she chuckled darkly

"Take a hunting party and search out any other packs of your siblings and Spawning Pits in secluded places where the Kingdoms haven't fortified, remain unseen" she gave Pantheon a cruel smile "As for our efforts within New Vale itself….I have a plan"

"As you wish my Queen" Pantheon rose to their full, intimidating height and retrieved their weapon before taking to the air once again. Salem merely shifted her weight on her new throne and turned her attention towards one of the many Spawning Pits at her disposal and began to craft something special.

Authors Notes:

So, I took a break in writing but no breaks in posting welcome to Vol.10 and the final quarter of this story….Jesus it feels weird actually acknowledging that; I don't even know what I'm gonna do with my time once I'm finished.
It's a great time for the RWBY fandom, Vol.7 is shaping up to be pretty damn great and I won't say any more than that for the sake of not spoiling people.
This chapter mainly felt like "The new outfits" chapter but y'know what that's honestly fine with me because it's the first chapter of the final year, this is the perfect chance to show off just how cool and bad-ass everyone's become.

And on that note let's summarise shall we:
I really don't have enough scenes of Diamond just chilling and playing bass, also how great do you think it was for Merc and Em to be able to give their daughter a normal and happy childhood.
Diamond is honestly lucky in a way that amputations are as common as they are in her line of work, at least she's got a support network of people that understand.
Would a robot arm have muscle memory? I don't think it would.
Diamond has always been the calm one of Team FADE, she's been completely unshakeable through everything; that's why I wanted to show her struggling with the loss of her arm and have her moods all over the place, read this scene again and watch how fast it changed.
Diamond lives in an apartment, with her parents…..Not even nearly enough privacy for that.
Yeah Arctus is having PTSD nightmares again as well.
Of course Diamond threw herself into charity work and kept herself busy to avoid thinking about things.
New look for Corvid, not a massive change but she's wearing Yang's old scarf as a belt again.
Team CLIR's Bull-Head is basically one of the ones Roman had in canon Vol.1 moving shipping containers.
So Felix's new look, his 'Dark Felix' look from third Year is gone; it's basically his First Year look with some extra armour plating for practicality to highlight that he's back to his old self but he's grown since then….Also how are we feeling about Felix with tied back hair, anyone thirsty yet, I know what y'all are like?
Corvid put a fluffy bobble on his tail, because of course she did.
Yes Felix has been getting regularly dicked down.
So the Patch kids have all had jobs and stuff over the summer….Team FADE are all twenty-One now.
Of course Corvid wants to spray paint Old Unreliable until it looks like it was designed by a mantis shrimp.
Good for Eagle needing no approval and giving no fucks.
She's doing Jaune's old crossed over belts thing.
I love that Eagle's idea of cool is basically 50s bad-boy, sunglasses, slicked back hair and a leather jacket….Also I showed a lesbian mutual on Tumblr Eagle's new hair and the response was "Oh daaaaaaamn" so I think I got something right.
Yes she's got a Hydrakken tattoo on her arm as well.
Antonia won't be played again, she's got a dozen people all snitching on each other to her.
No body guessed what Qrow's new living arrangements are yet.
Of course Flax is jumpy around Hellion, remember First Year? He does.
Free time as a teacher Gang? You should know better.
So AJ is a little brawler and Coral is a gifted child, good for them.
I feel like Gangrel sometimes and I'm not even a parent, my younger brother is ten years younger than me and I was not mentally prepared to have him complaining about taxes.
Of course Arctus's new outfit has some Mistrali style that Diamond suggested in it, the jacket with the tails is based on Ren's Vol.4-6 coat, the roll-top boots are actually based on a pair of Tims I used to have and the stab-vest needs no explanation really; the boy's not getting opened up like that again….I read the first year arc again recently and added the windswept hair because Diamond said it looked good on him.
Diamond still looks cool as hell and she never was one of the more Vibrant Hunters but it's obvious that the battle of New Vale took a toll on her, hence the armour and the leather glove to hide her arm.
As someone who used to build and test zero emission motors for a living, I can definitely see how Mistral and Vaccuo would cause problems for cybernetics.
Coral is having no bullshit or excuses, none at all.
I think Gangrel handled that teachable moment well.
I feel like it's reasonable for Gangrel who was basically the head of an intelligence agency to have developed some bad habits regarding other peoples' privacy which he acknowledges and works on.
So, let's see who can guess what was in the box.
I feel like Nyanza's situation in the story is an ongoing reflection of how my life is going as I write and we'll leave that discussion there.
Helios's armour doesn't have the chest plate any more…..melting it down was a practical choice, as well as a cultural one because there are only certain metals he's willing to work with, it was also symbolic; since he's not really part of the Nikosi tribe any more. He has ties to his past but his heart isn't in it any more.
So, Helios has a slight beard/stubble now how do we feel about that?
Yeah one of the other Fourth Year teams are dead.
Beowolves for a pair of students heading into Fourth Year? Lightwork.
Of course Felix was gonna show up, he lives near those woods.
Moray Eel/sea serpent, your welcome. It's called an Abyss Worm Pantheon mentioned it at the end of the chapter.
Alexa play "Fucked with an anchor" by Alestorm
Team GORE are privateers now and they're looking much better for it.
Of course Raffia has gone full pirate swagger with it, but hey it's getting him laid which can only be a good thing….Also yeah, Raffia has been canonically bisexual since first year it just rarely ever comes up in conversation because he's never really been likeable.
I really wish I could draw because I want to sketch out the characters new looks, especially Raffia's new, extended facial tat.
Onyx has finally grown his scraggly stubble into a beard and has finally sorted his hair out; also re-reading first year reminded me that he actually has whiskers instead of a moustache, everyone always forgets it focuses on the toe-beans.
You just know Onyx threw Raffia overboard for that joke.
Carcharodon was never going to wear a colourful outfit was he.
Cyberpet shippers, I hope you enjoyed the little moment there 'cos honestly I had writing it.
So Salem is recovering the Hive Mind, although that's a problem for a later date….in the meantime she's taken Pantheon's base over and is turning it into a fortress.
New Vale's outer perimeter is still defended and Salem has a plan that needs eyes and ears on the inside.
She has a plan….be afraid, because I'll warn you now it's gonna get a little bit body horror next chapter.

Thank you to SumoSnipe, Funlander and Ferrous for their reviews on the last chapter.
I mean you could put Nickel's core in a teddy but that'd just piss her off and the story becomes "Five nights at Penny's"
As for Fawn, repercussions are pretty much never gonna happen….everyone she's killed the police wanted dead anyway, as for her going vigilante; if she did it wouldn't be the kind of thing you want. This isn't Batman, this isn't even Punisher shooting up the mob, this is an authoritarian with a badge and a gun shooting up low level street punks and ruling by fear.
Yeah Ozymandias is dead now.
Salem definitely wants payback and she's got some nifty new tricks now….you'll see one of them in a few chapters.
As for seeing Corona again….Epilogue.

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