RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Chapter 10: Flashpoint

Team MARZ had spent the latter half of their weekend finally making their dormitory look and feel like something of a home or at least a base of operations rather than the bland, Spartan and almost entirely unfurnished space that it had been prior and the results were plain to see.

The first and most obvious choice was the additional space that had been created by using Athena-Jade's glyphs to lift two of the individual beds up and onto the remaining pair to create a pair of bunk beds for each par of partners with drawers and closets positioned in such a way as to be unobtrusive whilst a television, Astra's old games console and a stereo with an impressive set of speakers had been added and formed something of a focal point of the dorm in the centre of the rear wall with the speakers provided by Laser Greenback, though exactly where the Vaccuan had found them on such short notice was likely best left unspecified. Astra and Regalia's visit to the campus workshop had yielded results in the form of a newly made shared weapons rack which each of Team MARZ's weapons were currently locked in whilst their various toolboxes were stored beneath them and above the rack a small series of shelves and storage bins were filled with screws, nuts, bolts, sealant and other odds and ends that might be used for the kind of quick and easy repairs or routine checks that didn't require a visit to the workshop. Unsure of whether repainting the wall was technically allowed the four teens had instead chosen to decorate the wall with a tasteful amount of posters though this was currently a work in progress as none of them had made their way into Port Alistair to purchase any, what did adorn one of the walls however were several blueprints and diagrams pertaining to weapons and Creatures of Grimm along with a sizeable cork noticeboard which had been suggested by Zirconia so that the four of them could remain organised and leave rotas for chores or lists of assignments to be completed.

All in all the difference to the dormitory was as drastic as each member of Team MARZ hoped that the differences in their own performance and interactions would be, though this still did little prevent the unintelligible grumbling that escaped Athena-Jade as she was awoken by a blaring alarm and peered, blearily around the room from beneath the almost den-like pile of blankets that she instinctively buried herself beneath every night only to wake up uncomfortably hot in the morning.

"Someone turn it off" the Bear Faunus slurred, flailing a pale, muscular arm and swatting at empty air in a feeble attempt to find Astra's Scroll which was almost certainly responsible for the noise. A moment later Athena retracted the arm with a muffled yelp as a dark shape came hurtling downwards mere inches away from the limb; it took her sleep-addled mind a moment to process the sight that greeted her though when she did a toothy grin found its' way on to her face and dimpled her cheeks at the sight of Zirconia Shadowmoon in her nightclothes crouched on the dormitory floor after flinging herself out of the top bunk and landing on one knee with a palm against the floor to balance.

"Hops" Athena chuckled, the grogginess quickly leaving her "Did you just get out of bed with a hero landing?"

"Well, start as you mean to go on" the Grasshopper Faunus noted dryly, giving a silent nod of greeting to Regalia whom Athena realised a moment later was already awake and dressed, the Racoon Faunus showered in the evenings and was currently checking her weapon, Dust and the bag she had filled with textbooks; returning Zirconia's nod as she gestured towards Sunriser Cain in a silent offer to get the Grasshopper Faunus's things ready for her whilst she showered. The unspoken question in Athena's mind of where Astra was found an answer a moment later as the Deer Faunus stepped out of the bathroom in a billowing cloud of steam; once again waking up earlier than their team-mates in order to claim the shower first and ensure that both their fiery red Mohawk and winged, dark eyeliner were immaculate, Zirconia slipped passed them so that she could shower and change with some degree of privacy whilst Astra's gaze turned towards Athena who finally began to extricate herself from the mass of covers she had remained buried beneath

"Oh good you're awake….I thought we might have to drag you" there was something hidden behind the jovial, joking tone that Athena almost wished that she couldn't detect; an uncertainty and private worry that the obvious attempt at a joke might provoke an argument which the Bear Faunus realised with a pang of guilt was an entirely reasonable fear considering her behaviour the previous week. Deciding to put paid to those concerns she simply responded in kind, grinning as she offered a retort

"I'd tell you to lift with your legs but you clearly skip leg day, nice skirt though" she gestured at the uniform that her leader was currently wearing, Astra having clearly followed up on their intentions to acquire more than what they had each been provide with at some point over the weekend.

"That was uncalled for" Astra replied though the outrage on their face was obviously entirely feigned for comedic effect and they quickly added "I'm not taking advice from someone whose bed-head just looks like their normal style-"

"Now listen here-" Athena sat bolt upright in the bunk, making to leap out of the bed only to hit her head against the bunk above her with an audible crack which served only to leave Astra and Regalia in hysterics whilst the Bear Faunus pouted with her arms folded across her chest.

"Oh my gosh you guys are total dweebs….how did I think you were all cool?" Regalia asked as she struggled to compose herself.

"We've gotta keep the mystery, I'll ask Zirconia how she does it" Athena replied with a snort "Also, dweebs? Seriously?….My Mum wants her insults back"

"Okay, time to be serious now" Astra managed to breathe out after steadying themselves "We shouldn't be running late for class even if you're the last one out of the dorm….you want us to save you a seat in class?"

"Yeah" Athena nodded, once again left feeling guilty as she noted that her sitting with her own team should not have been a question, though her thoughts quickly changed track as something else occurred to her "You guys aren't going to the mess hall first?"

"Not sure" Astra shrugged "I know breakfast is important and all but first class is Grimm Studies….I don't wanna get a gut punch from one of Professor Rose's training simulations right after I've eaten"

"Okay that makes sense" Athena admitted only for her stomach to give a low, rumbling growl a moment later

"We'll get you something to eat on the way" Astra chuckled with a shake of their head and with a final wave from Regalia as she slid out of the door Athena was left alone in the dormitory whilst Zirconia showered in the next room. It took a monumental effort for the ivory haired teen to not simply flop back onto her bunk as the climate of Menagerie continued to make sleep more scarce than she would have liked though reconciling with her team-mates and overcoming what had felt like the insurmountable problem of Team MARZ as a whole had coincided with the nightmares that had plagued her since leaving Atlas becoming less frequent.

A sigh escaped Athena as she rose from her bunk and stretched, her belongings were already in order and so instead she dropped to the floor and began a steady stream of push-ups while she waited for Zirconia to vacate the bathroom whilst allowing her mind to wander as she did so.

Her efforts to become the best Hunter that she could possibly be and ensure that she measured up to the legacy of her family had not changed, though her attitude and approach certainly had and the young woman promised herself that she would see to it that Team MARZ were a success; there was a great deal of work to be done however and no matter how readily her team-mates had forgiven her Athena knew that much of that was her own doing yet there was a glimmer of hope to found, things were certainly better than they had been and that first step was important.

Athena allowed herself a smile through clenched teeth at that, only to fall flat on her face a moment later as Zirconia stepped silently out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel and the Bear Faunus tried to cover her eyes mid push-up.


"Heads up!" Regalia called out a fraction of a second before the harpoon component of Apex Scavenger tore through the air and hurtled towards Astra from behind, the Deer Faunus moving with almost preternatural speed and ability as they adjusted their stance and footing whilst tilting their head to the side a fraction and allowing the spiked projectile to slip between the side of their skull and the rough surface of their antler before coming to a sudden halt as it was impaled in the gut of a towering Ursa Major whose massive form was made even more remarkable by the jagged spires of bone rising from its' armoured carapace.

"Nice shot" Astra noted with a grin, weaving around the cable that was now pulled taut and resting dangerously close to their own head whilst in the same motion readying the blade of Buckshot Ares; a moment later Regalia, who remained behind her partner acted on some private signal that was more a sense of intuition between the two of them and retracted the harpoon with the intention of reeling the Grimm towards on incoming blow from Astra that would end the battle. The Ursa was not a true Creature of Grimm however and rather than jet black with bone armour its' form was the rippling and shimmering silvery colour of the countless nanobots that had swarmed together to form it, the construct faintly glowing a pale blue as hard-light Dust gave cohesion to the shape and the difference between a real monster and the illusion that Professor Rose had created for training became clear as Regalia's harpoon was ripped free with little, if any resistance and the Ursa only staggered forward a single step before letting out a synthetic and oddly processed and modulated roar as it swung a massive paw at Astra who quickly rolled aside.

"Okay, new plan!" they called out "Distract it for me"

"Got it!" Regalia replied without hesitation, moving backwards and to the right to create as much space as possible between herself and whatever her partner intended before shifting Apex Scavenger into its' shotgun form and blasting a chunk from the shoulder of the faux-Ursa which promptly dropped onto all fours and let out another warped and mangled roar as it charged towards her, the damage to its' forelimb slowing it far less than the Racoon Faunus would have expected.

Astra had already sprung into motion however.

Regalia raced herself and shifted her weapon into its' long-handled pickaxe of a melee form as a precaution but sensed that the battle was already over as her partner charged towards the edge of the arena that formed the focal point of the Grimm Studies lecture hall and leapt into the air whilst at the same time shifting Buckshot Ares into its' twin shield form and holding their forearms out in front of their body; the pale red of Astra's own hard-light shield flickered into life and as it interacted with the protective shielding around the arena the Deer Faunus was flung backwards like a missile, spinning and reorienting themselves as they hurtled through the air before finally striking the nanobot Grimm construct a moment before it could reach Regalia.

Tearing the faux-Ursa in half at the torso and landing in a crouch, the effect only partially lessened by the fact that Astra staggered a single step.

"Very well executed!" Professor Ruby Rose's voice rose above the sound of the forcefield being deactivated and carried to the very back of the lecture hall where Athena and Zirconia were still seated, Astra having naturally chosen seats close to where Team WULF were sat.

"I just wish my Semblance was more reliable" Regalia shrugged "I tried to figure out how to beat it and it was just telling me to break the hard-light emitters or control nodes for the nanobots….I think that's cheating though?"

"Yeah well at least you've got a Semblance to fall back on" Astra noted, any trace of bitterness lost beneath their amusement at the look on Professor Rose's face, Ruby looked positively affronted at Regalia's idea meaning that it would certainly be classed as cheating.

"Relying on one thing in the field too much can be dangerous" she continued speaking to the rest of the First Year students as much as Astra and Regalia "Adaptability and the ability to change or scrap a plan on the fly is important, as is using your surroundings to your advantage, thank you for that Astra….Granted these demonstrations are limited in scope but they're an effective way to make sure you understand the principles that are being discussed before we move on to more in depth or real world scenarios, you can return to your seats"

"Thank you Professor Rose" Astra nodded and a moment later they and Regalia were ascending through the rows of seats, basking in the quiet feeling of victory and enjoying the quiet nods of approval from many of their classmates whom the Deer Faunus was a little annoyed at themselves for not knowing by name yet until finally they reached their own seats

"That was sick, living cannonball with a hard-light shield; you took a classic and made it better" Wolfram noted, voice low and appreciative as he bumped his knuckles against there's and Astra couldn't help but preen at the praise for a moment before taking their place in their seat between Regalia and Athena-Jade.

"I took notes, I'll let you copy them later" the Bear Faunus murmured quietly, a look of clear uncertainty furrowing her brow as she debated whether her relationship with her team-mates had improved enough for her to offer critiques for a moment before adding "Professor Rose is right, you were really quick to recover and you work well as a team, the differences in your weapons and styles lets the two of you control the pace, range and direction of a fight but you play for the crowd too much….just because there's people watching doesn't mean you should treat it like a tournament match, Regalia reeling in the Grimm would work against a real Grimm but Astra letting her shoot passed you like that was stupid….sorry"

"No, it's a fair point" the Deer Faunus admitted as they raised a palm to cut off the apology, rueful smile on their face as they added "And I'll admit I wanted to put a show on, this is what we take notes on each other for; by the way I didn't get chance to mention it before I got called up but uh….make sure your laces are tied properly the next time you use glyphs and the rocket on your hammer together; you're great in a one on one fight but losing your footing could get anyone around you hurt"

"But on the other hand watching you trip over your own feet was hilarious" Diabla's low and gruff voice sneered up at them from the row of seats in front and sightly below where Team WULF sat, Athena's knuckles popped audibly and both Astra and Athena reached out and clamped down of her shoulders, both aware of just how physically strong she was though the pale and ivory haired woman gave no verbal response, the matter instead being halted by Wolfram's steel grey eyes narrowing in his team-mates' direction as he mouthed a silent warning. The lesson continued onwards without incident for a while longer in relative quiet as both Team MARZ and Team WULF watched members of another First Year team undertake a similar practical demonstration; Grimm Studies classes had thus far followed something of a formula set by the legendary Huntress who taught the subject with time being split between lectures and discussions regarding the monsters that they were training to defend Remnant from and practical applications of those lectures in a live but controlled environment. A variation on that theme came as the latest pair of students to face down a facsimile of a larger Grimm completed the exercise, albeit in Astra's mind with far less flair than Team MARZ's efforts however, with Professor Rose taking centre stage on the raised podium that doubled as a training ground and activating the screens and projectors that lined the walls rather than calling up another pair of students.

"We're running a little short on time today" Ruby began "And once again I'd like to say that I'm happy with the improvements that I'm already seeing in each of you. I would also like to apologise to anyone who feels like we're covering old ground that you covered prior to enrolling at Breaktide Academy-"

"I mean I didn't wanna mention it" Astra muttered under their breath, promptly being elbowed in the ribs by Athena for the comment

"That is because I wanted to ensure that all of you had the basics thoroughly covered before we progress onto larger and more complex creatures and scenarios" Ruby continued, paying no attention to any shenanigans occurring at the back of her classroom "The learning curve will be steep but manageable, however I'm happy to announce that in three weeks time, to mark one month as students I will be taking any and all First Years that I deem ready into the wastelands for a field trip"

"Hardly a prime tourist destination is it?" Zirconia murmured, rasping voice so quiet that her comment almost went unheard; Athena however did hear the comment and struggled not to burst out laughing, biting down on her own knuckle to silence herself as she was caught off-guard by the biting sarcasm that she was beginning to realise lay just beneath the surface of the Grasshopper Faunus's stoic demeanour; Regalia however was far more enthusiastic at the prospect and her hand was in the air a moment later, the lean and muscular Racoon Faunus almost injuring Laser Greenback as she leaped onto the back of his seat to stand taller and ensure that she could be seen

"Yes Miss Russet?" Ruby intoned, clearly attempting to sound authoritative even as she struggled to maintain a neutral expression.

"Where in the wasteland? I mean that's a lot of ground and there's a lot of different Grimm in different places, we should probably focus on being prepared for what we're actually gonna-"

"I promise you I have taken that into account and planned my lessons accordingly" Ruby noted, perhaps a little more tersely than she would have liked and Regalia's jaw snapped shut as she slipped back into her seat with a bashful expression; Professor Rose however paid no mind to this and simply answered the initial question "The field trip will be to an area of the wastelands that nature has managed to reclaim with minimal help from the Kingdoms' reclamation efforts, the Yongheng Plains…..I assume that you're familiar with them?" the fact that Regalia let out what could only be called a squeal of utter delight and practically vibrated in her seat with excitement at the news was answer enough

"My clan have traded with settlements near there but I haven't been in years" she whispered excitedly to her team-mates who were giving her quizzical, if amused looks before any of them could respond however the bell signalling the end of the lesson rang out and the various students immediately began gathering their belongings and making their way for the exit, Team MARZ being no exception.

"Move" Diabla's voice sneered once again as the lean and athletic young woman used her shoulder to drive Athena aside and this time the Bear Faunus's temper was almost too fiery for her to control, her hand reaching out for the taller but perhaps less muscular girls' neck to drag her back and demand an explanation being halted only by Astra seizing her wrist and turning to Wolfram

"Do we have any idea what her problem is?" they demanded, clearly annoyed at the situation but trying not to take it out on their fellow team leader.

"Honey she's got more than one" Ursinia sighed which Wolfram merely grunted in agreement with whilst Laser, Diabla's partner merely sighed

"She's getting on everyone's nerves" Wolfram snorted "If she wasn't on my team I'd tell you to beat her ass" with that Team MARZ and the majority of Team WULF left the classroom, Athena giving Astra a silent thumbs up to answer the equally unspoken question of whether she was okay, privately the Bear Faunus found herself musing that thus far today was indisputably a far better experience than the entirety of her first week yet Diabla Fuego remained a problem and a mystery that she had no answer for.

The more things changed the more they stayed the same and Athena-Jade's only course of action was to convince herself that Diabla was simply not worth her concern.


Lessons had continued to go well for Team MARZ, the four of them not truly being given a chance to work as a team as such but still interacting with a level of harmony that had been absent during their first week together, during the history lesson that had followed Professor Rose's Combat Class taught as always by the elderly but still formidable Owl Faunus who had once served as head librarian of Shade Academy both Athena and Astra had naturally shone and been at the forefront once again though both Zirconia had and Regalia had contributed and offered unexpected insights and viewpoints on the subjects being discussed, the former simply citing that her own prior studies and education had covered a variety of sources intended more for civilians whilst Regalia, openly announcing her nomad heritage to the class had explained that due to her people being travellers and Menagerie being populated by people from all across Remnant she had heard a great many stories all from different perspectives.

After a brief break Team MARZ had joined their classmates in a double period of General Academic Studies which, whilst far less interactive and lacking entirely in a practical element had still allowed the four of them to continue building the sense of camaraderie that each of them could admit, even if only to themselves they had been missing and were rapidly coming to enjoy. After two hours of copying one another's notes however they had been allowed to leave and had elected to return to their dorm in order to change into their combat attire and reload their weapons before their final lesson of the day lest they be called upon by Professor Altan.

Which was why they were late to the mess hall, entering just as Team WULF were about to leave.

"Hey Wolfram" Astra called out, raising a hand in greeting as a bright smile that Athena would likely have described as 'goofy' if she were feeling uncharitable spread across their face which the taller, more muscular and rugged looking teen met with a small smile of their own

"Hey, we're just heading to the dorm to get changed for combat class; see you there"

"And yet again you're in my way rich kid" Diabla seemed to come from nowhere, in one instant Wolfram and Astra were making brief small-talk with Laser skulking on the periphery and Ursinia looming over her partner and almost everyone else nearby and then a moment later Athena was slammed into the door frame and the air was forced from her lungs by a flash of molten orange which partially obscured the sight of a tight, drawn features pulled into a scowl, buzz-cut hair with a distinctive orange streak, blazing orange eyes accentuated by a thin and curving scar that ran along her right cheekbone.

Diabla had used her Semblance to swat her Athena aside and the Bear Faunus's vision was filled with a red haze, previous efforts to shrug of the harassment from her classmate being drowned out beneath the dull buzz of rage that clouded her thoughts.

"Get the fuck back here!" Athena spat as she stalked after her adversary out of the mess hall and into the corridor which led to it, any and all sense of decorum that an Upper Atlesian education had managed to instil in her forgotten as her sizeable shoulders rolled back and black, razor sharp claws slid from the tips of her fingers whilst her face contorted into a truly hateful snarl as she reached Diabla who gave no more reaction than a lazy half turn, some scathing comment no doubt on the tip of her tongue only to fall silent as Athena seized her by the front of her uniforms' blazer, claws tearing into the fabric as she slammed the taller girl into the nearest wall.

"What the hell is-" Athena once again found herself gasping for air as Diabla's arms reached up between Athena's and forced her to relinquish her grip by knocking them aside before delivering a punishing kick to the gut.

"I've been hoping you'd give me a justification for this, I'm gonna enjoy-"

"You're going to apologise and walk away" a profound and total silence fell over the hallway that was otherwise mercifully empty as both Diabla and Athena realised that the rest of their respective teams had raced after them to stop the altercation from getting out of hand. It was Zirconia who had spoken and her words had been delivered with an assured firmness and sense of finality and certainty that was leant weight by the presence of Sunriser Cain in its melee form being pressed against Diabla's neck; the belligerent young woman turned to face this latest development with her eyes holding a fury that words could barely describe yet whether it was that the Grasshopper Faunus in full combat attire with her weapon at the ready cut a figure so intimidating that even Diabla was cowed by her presence or the fact that behind her Laser, Ursinia, Wolfram, Astra and Regalia all looked ready to leap into the fray and she couldn't say with any degree of certainty if her own team-mates would be helping her or not the result was the same, Diabla lowered her fists though her expression remained just as furious.

"I swear I will-"

"Athena no!" Astra bodily flung themselves in front of the Bear Faunus as she brought her arm back, anger that had gotten the better of her sending her lurching forwards to deliver an uncoordinated but forceful punch that her team leader halted before it could shatter the restrained Diabla's nose.

"Diabla darlin' I don't know what your problem with this here lady is but you can't keep acting like this" Ursinia shook her head in disapproval as she spoke in a motherly tone that would likely have buckled the resolve of a lesser subject.

"I don't care what your problem is" Wolfram snorted as he stepped between the two would be combatants and the members of Team MARZ currently holding them apart "Slate, you ever try and swing for one of my team while they're being held back again and I'll put you in the ground myself. Diabla I'm gonna make this clear as I possibly can, I don't care what your problem with Athena is, I don't care if it's personal, if it's an Atlas thing or whatever; we're putting a stop to this today one way or another and I don't wanna hear about it afterwards. Are we clear?"

"What have you got in mind?" is was Astra that spoke, their voice filled with sudden concern as they turned to face Wolfram despite their best efforts to mask it and appear just as effortlessly commanding and certain as their fellow team leader.

"We let 'em fight it out and get it out of their system" Wolfram sighed, running a hand through smokey blue hair before adding "I actually read through the rules about disciplinarians and stuff, I was honestly expecting to be the one in trouble for starting a fight by now but apparently we can call for a sanctioned sparring match to settle grievances but it has to be approved by Professor Altan".

"Well we've got her class next, so let's go and get it arranged Astra grinned, sea green eyes hardening as they looked passed Wolfram to Diabla and added "Personally I can't wait to see AJ knock sense into you"

"Then let's make it a doubles match" the suggestion came from the nasal and reedy voice of Laser Greenback, the wiry and lithe young man stepping close with an exaggerated swagger and shrug, brushing messy and bright yellow hair from their eyes as they added "I mean it's the easiest way to make sure neither of 'em kill each other and hey, Diabla's still my partner….so what then Astra, you in?"

"I think it would be more fitting for me to be Athena's Partner since I am her partner" Zirconia's raspy yet clipped and erudite tones interjected.

"Right so we're settled then?" Wolfram raised his voice, all but barking the question out as an order to ensure the situation didn't spiral out of control "Diabla and Laser are gonna fight Athena and Zirconia, we just need to get Professor Altan to approve it. Now come on, we need to get changed and actually get to class" with that Team WULF departed, Wolfram offering a look that might have been an attempt at appearing apologetic to Astra whilst Ursinia murmured that there were no hard feelings.

Silence reigned in the hallway for a few tense moments, broken eventually by other students leaving the mess hall and squeezing passed Team MARZ, clearly aware that something of some importance had happened if not the specifics

"So….are you actually gonna fight her?" Regalia asked, wringing her hands together and clearly concerned whilst at the same time evidently trying not to sound too excited by the prospect.

"Well I don't have much of a choice now do I?" Athena grumbled "Thanks for that Astra"

"I'm sorry I-"

"Don't" the Bear Faunus raised a hand "I don't want to be angry at you right now Astra but don't ever speak for me and sign me up for something like this again"

"I'm sorry" Astra repeated "It's just….Look, I've dealt with bullies before and you've gotta speak to 'em in a way they understand and look like bothering you is gonna be more trouble than it's worth"

"I get that" that Athena ground out, the words that followed being almost painful to speak out loud "But I'm not actually sure if I can beat her"

"We will find a way" Zirconia stated simply, as though it were already a foregone conclusion.

"She's right….come on, let's go to class" Astra breathed out, leading a thoroughly dejected Team MARZ onwards before perking up as a sudden hopeful thought occurred to them "Besides, Professor Altan probably won't even allow it anyway"


Professor Altan had, much to Athena-Jade's dismay allowed the sparring match to proceed.

It had been made clear however, from the moment that it had been requested that it was to be considered a form of punishment, something that the Atlesian couldn't help but think was a little barbaric. Rather than allow those with the grievance and their partners to face off against each other as part of the combat lesson itself Arslan had ordered Teams MARZ and WULF to take seats as far away from one another as possible and forbade them from interacting with one another whilst also taking care not to call upon any of those who wished to fight during the lesson to ensure that there were no unfair advantages. Once the lesson had ended Arslan had ordered Teams MARZ and WULF to stay behind, stating that the fight would occur there and then with no preparation time and eating into their free time; further to this Athena realised with no small amount of displeasure that word had already spread through the student body and Professor Altan's arena like classroom was filled with not only her own classmates but older students including Team BASL and even Fox Scarlatina, whom had clearly rushed from their own school as fast as possible to see what was about to unfold.

As the protective forcefield flickered into life around the arena Athena-Jade mused to herself that this might just be the universe delivering justice for her actions towards Astra the previous week.

"We did better than anyone expected us to against the Second Years….we can beat them" Zirconia's voice forced Athena to focus and the ear Faunus turned briefly towards her partner whose lower face was once again obscured from view though her mismatched eyes were hard and gleaming as she warily regarded Diabla and Laser who stood opposite them, the wiry Vaccuan looking uncomfortable at the situation that he had allowed himself to be dragged into even as he readied Permadeath whilst his partner looked as she always did, barely controlled fury seeping into every part of her as Peace and Quiet were deployed in their gauntlet form, armour plates sliding over her knuckles.

"Got any ideas for how we're gonna win this?" Athena asked quietly and more hopeful and desperate than she would have liked.

"Laser is….a variable" Zirconia admitted and Athena realised that she was right, the smallest and in many ways least remarkable member of Team WULF had given away far less in the few times he had sparred in front of the class than his demeanour might have suggested

"As for Diabla" the reserved and calculating young woman continued "From what we've seen she relies on an all out offensive, we need to play defensively and stop her from building momentum"

"Sounds like a-

"BEGIN!" Professor Altan's voice boomed throughout the lecture hall she presided over and Athena-Jade found herself almost deafened and utterly disoriented by the sheer scope of the outpouring of noise from the crowd as Diabla, exactly as expected came hurtling directly towards the shorter girl with clear and malicious intent.

'Ice! Hard-light!' the digital and synthetic voice issuing from Sunriser Cain sounded out as Zirconia appeared in front of Athena in an instant, performing a graceful pirouette with the weapon in her hand sweeping out in a wide arc and unleashing twin torrents of Dust which first formed a single, curved sheet of hexagonal, translucent cyan hard-light panels in front of the two of them which a secondary barrier of dense, jagged ice erupted outwards. Impressive as the technique was the blazing orange light which was diffused somewhat as it shone through the blockade made it clear that Diabla was still on her collision course and intended to simply charge through Zirconia's defence rather than leap over it.

"Use your Semblance!" Athena called out "I've got an idea" there was a moment of brief hesitation from Zirconia where it seemed as though she might argue, as though the idea of using her Semblance in battle again was uncomfortable yet the moment passed and within seconds the Grasshopper Faunus's eyes had faded to abyssal darkness and Athena was subjected for the first time to the total sensory deprivation of Phantasmagoria; it was off-putting and her keen Faunus senses instinctively strained yet found nothing until she forced herself to concentrate again, taking a handful of glossy, glistening black Gravity Dust crystal from one of her pockets feeding the mineral into a series of glyphs that she put in place on the very edge of the veil of impenetrable darkness that Zirconia had created.

Diabla tore her way into Zirconia's defences in an eruption of light and concussive force that was almost blinding in its' intensity, the enraged fighter having shattered the ice and hard-light with ease only for her next blow to connect with the surface of Athena's glyph and send her ricocheting backwards as the Dust it had been infused with took effect, as she was sent crashing back through frozen debris both Athena and Zirconia prepared to shift their weapons into their ranged forms and end the fight quickly only for a hailstorm of bullets to rip into the ground at their feet, courtesy of Laser who had simply flitted around the outer edge of the arena and waited for an opportune moment to strike.

"I'll handle him" Zirconia declared, Athena seeing the ghost of a smile crinkling her features even beneath her scarf "I think I can draw him into a sword fight" with that the Grasshopper Faunus went bounding towards her opponent on cybernetic limbs, leaving Athena to grasp Mould-Breaker in its' hammer form and pick out Diabla in the remains of the shattered ice wall.

The sight that greeted her was admittedly frightening.

Diabla had deployed the blade mounted into her left gauntlet, the one she dubbed 'Quiet' as landed in a crouch by using the blade to tear a trench into the arena floor as she used it to stop herself and as fierce orange eyes locked with pale sapphire the two young woman knew that there could only be one course of action and charged at one another. Athena readied her weapon, rearing back and waiting until the last possible moment to bring the thruster mounted into the head of the hammer to life, pale green Dust giving it a haunting glow that left a contrail of light streaming after her as she swung with all of her might yet at the same instant Diabla launched her own attack, her right fist enveloped in its' armoured gauntlet and burning with the light of a dying star as she once activated the Semblance she had called 'Overachiever'

The two blows connected with each other and for a single, endless moment everything ceased to exist.

When reality reasserted itself Athena felt as though she'd been struck by a train, the force against the head of Mould-Breaker had robbed her momentum in such a way that she had collided with the shaft of the weapon with enough force to leave a visible dent in the armour covering her torso and both of her arms throbbing with pain before the weapon was torn from her grasp as she was flung across the arena like a rag-doll into the forcefield wall and finally staggering several paces for landing in a crumpled heap on the ground with her Aura flickering around her but ultimately holding steady.

Her ears were ringing and the cheers of the crowd only made things worse yet the Bear Faunus sucked in a painful breath and forced herself to stand and legs that seemed unwilling to obey, seeing in her periphery that Zirconia had indeed managed to bait Laser into a battle on her own terms before seeing that Diabla was already on her feet, her right Gauntlet, the one named Peace scorched and blackened and the arm being clutched close to her body as she gingerly tried to move her fingers only to wince in pain.

"Not bad" Athena crowed "But can you do it again?" Diabla's eyes flashed but the taller woman regained enough composure to glance down and see Mould-Breaker laying at her feet where it had been wrested from its' owners' grasp and with a cruel smirk she kicked the weapon away with such force that Athena was certain that it would need to be repaired.

Deciding that such an insult would not stand the Faunus charged again.

Diabla shifted her weight and braced herself as Athena charged at her, clearly intending to meet the attack head on and overwhelm it through sheer force alone as if it were some vital point which she needed to prove to herself, however when her opponent created one of her ubiquitous glyphs and positioned it horizontally directly ahead she shifted her stance to allow a better defence against the aerial and likely acrobatic kick that would be aimed at her head a moment later; Athena revealed her ruse by dropping low to the ground and slide-tackling Diabla's legs to send her toppling forward and her face smashing into the glowing surface of the glyph.

"Cute" Diabla snarled, thin trickle of blood dripping from her mouth as she flung herself backwards to launch her counter attack and Athena, who had been preparing to return to her feet by unleashing exactly the kind of flurry of kicks her opponent had anticipated was instead forced off-balance and reeling by a vicious backhanded left which saw the blade of Quiet whistling so close to her face that it cut into the fabric of the band-aid currently placed on the bridge of Athena's nose, for the Faunus time seemed to slow to a crawl and her heartbeat thundered in her head whilst her stomach lurched with sudden panic; Diabla however was entirely unbothered by such things and Athena's world exploded into pain a moment later as her opponent first delivered a kick to the inside of her right knee which crumpled her and sent her face falling into the path of a Semblance fuelled haymaker that flung her across the arena.

'Fire! Lightning!' the crackle of flames and a dull droning buzz filled Athena-Jade's ears and uncomfortable heat washed over her as she struggled to shake of the daze that the last blow had left her in before finally she was pulled to her feet by Zirconia who then pressed Mould-Breaker into her hands, Diabla's blow having caused the Bear Faunus to land near her weapon.

"Thought you were dealing with Laser?" Athena managed to ask, words coming as barely coherent muffle and each syllable sending waves of pain pulsing out from her jaw through her entire skull as the flames of the attack her partner had clearly launched to halt Diabla subsided and revealed that both members of Team WULF were still very much active and in play.

"You needed help" Zirconia answered simply "Fighting them individually wasn't a good idea….we might work better as a team" Athena studied her opponents' for a moment and saw that whatever fight Zirconia and Laser had engaged in had clearly taken a toll on the boy as he favoured his right leg and was currently using the butt of Permadeath in its' machine-gun form to support his weight whilst Diabla was hunched over and gasping for breath with her orange Aura flickering around her, the repeated use of her Semblance to such an extent having taxed her and as she regarded Athena and Zirconia in turn it was clear that she was coming to a similar realisation

"Laser!" she turned and all-but barked to her partner "Whatever your Semblance is, use it now!"

"Sorry….I can't do that" the Vaccuan answered, vivid eyes downcast as he shook his head to which his partners' response was a furious exclamation

"FINE! I'll handle it myself!" an instant later Diabla was in motion and Athena's eyes widened as she saw the blinding glow of her opponents' Semblance extend from her fists to shining through the fabric of her clothing as it travelled up her arms and caused her eyes to shine with unnatural light, making it abundantly clear that the incoming attack was intended to be a decisive, finishing blow that was worth risking everything for.

"Hops, get clear!" Athena yelled, all pain and dizziness forgotten as she shoved Zirconia aside and hastily transformed Mould-Breaker into its' ranged form, aiming the laser cannon squarely at Diabla's chest only to pause; the image of her partners' smoking and unconscious form collapsing to the ground only days prior halting her for the fraction of a second that Diabla needed to close the distance between them and rear her fist back.

Athena squeezed the trigger in blind panic, Diabla's fist struck the barrel of the weapon and forced it downwards, the stream of ethereal green light surged into the ground between them rather than its' intended target and Athena lost consciousness in the resulting blast for a few seconds.

When she recovered, blinking spots and starlight from her eyes whilst her hearing was distant and echoing she eventually managed to piece together enough of reality to draw conclusions; Zirconia and Laser were stood stock stiff and wearing expressions of wide-eyed fright, the fact that Professor Altan had strode into the arena made it clear that the shielding had been lowered thereby ending the match prematurely. A pained groan to her side caused Athena to glance and her eyes to widen at the sight of Diabla, her adversary was burned, bloodied, bruised and clearly in a great deal of pain yet impossibly, despite it all her Aura remained flickering around her.

Meaning that whilst the match had received no official conclusion or ruling, it was clear that Team WULF would be considered the victors.

"Hey, you're okay, you're fine" it was Astra's voice, less distant now that pulled her mind into focus as they, with Regalia's help pulled the Bear Faunus to her feet and the motion shook Zirconia to her senses, the Grasshopper retrieving and presented Mould-Breaker to Athena who, despite her possible concussion was pleased to see that the weapon didn't seem to be too badly damaged and could likely be fully repaired within a day.

Any sense of relief was quickly halted by Professor Altan striding between the two thoroughly mauled combatants and fixing them with a stern, icy glare.

"This match is over. Any hostilities between you are also over, there will be no more fighting in the halls" she turned her focus solely on Diabla and hoisted her student into the air, single-handed by the scruff of her neck as if she weighed nothing at all "No more instigating of said fights and no more harassment of your fellow students, physical, verbal or otherwise or the consequences will be far more severe. I trust that I am making myself clear"

"Yes Professor" Diabla ground out, looking as though she would very much like to argue the point in a display of truly galling willpower

"Good" Arslan set Diabla down before gesturing to the gathered crowd and former combatants "Now all of, you get out of my classroom"

"Come on, let's go" Astra whispered in Athena's ear, trying to manoeuvrer her away in an effort which the rest of Team MARZ quickly joined only for Athena to slip free of Astra's grip and lean into Zirconia

"I'm blaming you for this" she mumbled at her team leader "At least partly, this was yours and Wolfram's idea….next time you can be the ones to fight instead of signing me up for things"

"Sorry" Astra sighed weakly "If it's any consolation I thought you could've had that, I didn't realise just how tough Diabla is"

"What is her major malfunction?" Regalia asked "I mean do we even know why she doesn't like you? I mean I don't think there's anyone I dislike enough to run at a laser just so I can punch them one more time" the comment got an admittedly well deserved chuckle before Athena answered.

"I don't know and honestly I don't care, for now it's over because I think Professor Altan might actually fight us herself if there's any more problems….just do me a favour and keep Astra out of the Dorm" she paused and considered her words, realising how they might sound and adding "Sorry, I just….I need to lie down, my head's spinning"

"I don't think that's a good idea" Zirconia noted quietly "I think you should see a doctor, you don't want to fall asleep with a concussion" Athena let out a groan and with that unpleasant thought Team MARZ departed.


"So to be clear, you approved of a sanctioned sparring match between first year students to; in your mind prevent a case of bullying or a more serious brawl happening….and now your classroom is going to be closed for maintenance for the next few days" Coco sighed, removing her sunglasses and massaging the bridge of her nose between her fingers whilst Arslan Altan stood before her, almost at attention despite the Headmistresses' assurances that this was not a formal discussion after recounting what had transpired between the First Year students. The pair had met in the staffroom and were joined by Velvet and Yatsuhashi alongside Ruby and Penny who had been preparing to leave the campus for the day when Arslan had entered the room. Coco let out another sigh and replaced her glasses before offered an opinion shared by her members of staff

"It is too early in the year to be dealing with this"

"It does seem that interpersonal rivalries and confrontations are occurring at an above average rate" Penny mused aloud, almost certainly verifying those statistics for her own reference even as she spoke.

"And it is concerning that Team MARZ, Athena-Jade Slate specifically was once again in the thick of-"

"Not a fair comparison" Ruby's cybernetic eye whirred softly as she fixed her gaze on Yatsuhashi who had spoken "By the sounds of things Fuego has had it out for her"

"Which we should have taken into account and planned for" the giant of a man nodded in acceptance and understanding "Looking at her transcripts and records well….we should have seen something like this coming"

"You're right" Coco nodded "But we're here now and the situation was dealt with"

"If that's what we're calling it" Velvet folded her arms over her chest and tapped a foot in annoyance, eyes hardening as she restated what had been something of a point of contention and a disagreement with Coco, no matter how much the two loved each other

"Settling possible bullying by making the victim fight their bully is counterproductive, it does nothing useful. I didn't like it when I had to fight Team CRDL at Beacon, I don't like it now and I'm never going to like it Coco, it's something we should-"

"Velvet with all due respect you need to stop coddling the students" Arslan interjected, paying no mind to the audible intake of breath from several sources or the way the temperature in the room dropped by several degrees and Coco shot her a truly baleful glare

"All of you do, you look at the students and see your own children staring back at you….it's understandable, in some ways it's commendable but it isn't what they need" the Mistrali warrior continued "Ranger, my own child has actually managed to become a Hunter, yours are either too young or chose other paths, take it from me that our students have power that terrify those we protect and we are teaching them to defend Remnant from monsters and the worst of humanity, anything but the strictest discipline will see them grow spoiled and unsuitable to wield the strength they have, a mistake that was nearly made with Ranger-"

"That's got nothing to do with what we're talking about here-" Velvet interrupted hotly

"And forging them in anything other than fire will make them too weak to be Hunters" Arslan finished, hands on her hips and almost daring anyone present to disagree "I don't condone bullying Velvet but if a student won't defend themselves here then they're not going to last against the Grimm, better we weed them out before they get themselves killed-"

"Which is why we have transcripts and initiations" Ruby noted coldly

"We are getting way off topic here" Coco said simply, trying to refocus her staff on practical and productive matters rather than the intricacies and logic of Arslan's world-view, one shaped by an upbringing in the most rural and secluded outskirts of Mistral's territories that brought her into regular contact with the wandering warrior tribes of Anima.

"The most important question I have to ask is do you think that either Athena-Jade Slate or Diabla Fuego pose a danger to themselves, one another or their classmates, we can work things out from there"

"No" Arslan answered after a moment of deliberation "Whilst the matter isn't truly resolved and honestly I doubt it could be so easily considering Fuego's history I don't think they'll do any more than snipe at each other now….they both know what it will cost them"

"It's almost a shame that the rest of their teams get on so well" Ruby mused almost mournfully "They could just try and ignore each other but with the team leaders being friends it's going to be difficult"

"Fortunately the team leaders should be able to keep this from happening again" Velvet noted "Although I think we should have Ironside watched….I haven't had any complaints but something about the way he talks to his team worries me" there was a ripple of assent that passed through the gathered teachers, none of them wanting to make baseless accusations about one of their own students but each of them having noted that Wolfram's strong leadership in the field might translate negatively in other circumstances.

"Noted" Coco nodded, willing to concede that much at least "Anything else"

"I'm not a teacher so I'm not sure it's my place to say" Yatsuhashi began, letting out a sigh and almost bracing themselves before adding "But are we certain that Teams MARZ or WULF should be allowed to participate in the upcoming field trip?"

"I don't think they require more punishment than what they did to each other" Arslan snorted

"It's a practical matter" the towering man said simply "Being at each others' throats or glaring daggers in the halls is one thing, all that anger at each other in the wasteland….they risk bringing packs of Grimm down on themselves"

"That they are perfectly capable of dealing with" Arslan countered, showing once again that whilst she was strict she had a tremendous deal of faith in her students' abilities.

"Though I do see Yatsuhashi's reasoning" Penny admitted.

"We have three weeks until then" Coco interjected "A final decision can be made at a later date, in the meantime Ruby, Arslan your subjects are the ones that have the most bearing on the subject and you see the most of the First Years answer me honestly; do you think that Team MARZ and Team WULF should be allowed to take part?"

"I think that the Team MARZ we saw in class today was completely different to what we saw last week" Ruby answered proudly and without hesitation "I think both teams are a little rough around the edges but so were Team RWBY, so were Team CFVY….I think that if they can continue the way they did today, sparring match notwithstanding then we have nothing to worry about"

"I agree with Ruby" Arslan nodded "In fact I might go further and say that those teams are the ones who would benefit from the field trip and exposure to the Grimm the most-"

"Oh for Oum's sake" Velvet hissed through clenched teeth, clearly at her wits end until Arslan explained herself.

"Working together the eight of them brought down a Grimm that you yourselves though was beyond their scope, petty drama and nonsense has caused problems….perhaps being taken back out into the wastes and reminded of when they were at their best will do them good. Like I said, forge Hunters in fire; it builds character and bonds between people"

"Thank you Arslan" Coco breathed out tersely "Okay, we'll have a more thorough discussion tomorrow morning and a review of the situation nearer to the time. Yatsu if you could be a dear and remind the first year students of where your office is, we don't have infinite training areas for them to break after all"

"See you tomorrow Coco" Ruby agreed, she and Penny leaving the staffroom with Arslan close behind them leaving the three surviving members of Team CFVY alone in a heavy silence for a moment, Velvet letting out a slow breath whilst her rabbit ears, the right being reduced in height where it had been severed in battle against Adam Taurus flopping in front of her face in an expression of exasperation and annoyance

"Am I crazy?" she demanded "Am I the only one who thinks that we shouldn't be treating our school like a meat grinder?"

"No" Coco assured her "Arslan has her points, she gets results and I can see where she's coming from a lot of the time even if I don't entirely agree with her….she wants to prepare the students but this isn't Beacon and none of the crap that happened there is gonna fly here. We let students get in the ring and scrap to clear the air enough to work things out, not instead of it; I'll have to make things more clear and make sure that all of the staff and faculty are on the same page about that"

"Thank you" the Rabbit Faunus sighed, both Coco and Yatsuhashi pulling her into gentle embraces from opposite sides and allowing her to melt into the touch.

"For what it's worth" Coco murmured "I think those kids are gonna be fine"


"Darlin' you need to either go to medical and get that looked at properly or stop griping about it….you did that to yourself; why in tarnation would you punch a hammer?" Ursinia drawled in open amusement before turning her attention away from Diabla who had let out a barely audible hiss of pain upon trying to pick up a pen with her swollen and discoloured right hand and back to Laser whom she used her Semblance on again, wiping a sheen of sweat from her brow with the back of her hand as using her abilities several times in quick succession began to leave her feeling drained.

"How's that feel?" the Scorpion Faunus asked stepping back and allowing the blonde teen to stand up and put some weight on the leg that had been left stiff and sore after a particularly nasty blow from Zirconia Shadowmoon.

"Well I can walk on it" Laser noted, taking a few experimental and cautious steps before sitting down again

"And you're gonna regret not going to medical in the morning" Ursinia sighed "I keep telling y'all I'm not healing you, I'm just letting you ignore it and if you don't start learning after you get your hides tanned then I'm gonna have to stop fixing ya up….now, that being said I'm gonna go get me something to eat" the sound of the door closing behind her seemed to echo and ring out far louder than it had any business to and marked the beginning of a heavy tension where both Laser and Diabla seemed content to look anywhere but at one another however after only a few minutes, though truthfully it felt longer the furtive glances cast in each others' direction could no longer be ignored and Laser finally let out a sigh that could have been of a sound of resignation or a defeat before speaking.

"So are we just not gonna talk about what happened today-"

"I won, despite your best efforts to sabotage that" Diabla sneered, voice laced with venom as she glared down at her partner from her bunk "Why the hell didn't you use you Semblance when I told you to if you know what it is?"

"First off I-" Laser's voice wavered as their commitment to the argument faltered, he had intended to rage at Diabla and tell her in no uncertain terms that he was her partner and not a subordinate but instead he simply plucked the acid green visor from where it rested on in his head and cast it aside whilst sprawling out on his bunk with another sigh escaping him

"I don't like my Semblance" he admitted quietly "Between you and me if you saw it I think you'd think less of me"

"I couldn't possibly think-"

"Not funny Diabla!" the Vaccuan snapped, all too aware of the fact that his partner may not have been joking at all "That's not what we're talking about, what the hell is your problem with Athena Slate? I'm your partner and I'm trying to help you, do you really wanna get yourself expelled over this after everything 'cos that's what's gonna happen!"

"This wasn't even my first choice of Academy anyway" Diabla snorted, body language all-but screaming defensiveness as she hunched in on herself and looked pointedly away whilst murmuring what had come to feel like a mantra "I didn't come here to make friends, I don't need your help and I don't want it" Laser almost physically flinched at that, his mind raced as the practical and ruthless part of himself, the part that was a product of the Vaccuan Overspill and the cut-throat and merciless way of life within it reasoned that he should simply accept his partners' wishes and cut his losses in regards to her whilst another part of him; the part fostered by those who had done their best to raise him in the absence of his parents and instil some sense of right and wrong or compassion into him argued that he could not do so in good conscience, the fates of those who tried to brave the Overspill alone were rarely pleasant after all.

It was the latter part that had driven him to become a Hunter and the part of him that won out as he slunk from his own bunk and hoisted himself up to sit beside Diabla.

"You might not want any help but trust me when I tell you you're gonna need it" he stated as firmly as his nasally whine of a voice would allow "And that's not a bad thing or any kind of shot at your abilities"

"I'm not gonna rely on people" Diabla answered, cold and obstinate as ever yet there was something in her burning orange gaze that wavered and despite her best efforts to remain stoic and distant she felt the cracks beginning to from in the persona she wore as armour, the pressure upon her almost driving her to confide in her partner and tell him exactly where she had come from and what she had given up already but she quickly shook her head as if trying to fling the perceived weakness loose and ensure that she remained in control of her emotions, with the exception of the anger that seemed to be entirely beyond her grasp.

"Fine" Laser threw up his hands in despair "I can't force you to talk and I can't force you to stop being so fucking stupid but please Diabla, please don't throw something away that you've worked hard for; I can't stand watching things go to waste like that"

"You're right" the words seemed as though they were torn, unwillingly from Diabla's throat and accompanied by another hiss of pain as she tried to clench a blackened, bruised and swollen hand into a fist

"Excuse me" Laser feigned total non-comprehension, his usual joking and playful demeanour sliding effortlessly into place "I mean I heard you, I just wanna hear it again….maybe get it writing so I can have it framed and-"

"Laser shut up" his partner said bluntly "You're right, I did work too hard to have what little I got back for it taken away from me by anyone, especially not for some little snot-nosed Atlesian brat who spent a weak crying over not getting her own way"

"Now I'm getting the feeling here" Laser tried his best to sound as though he wasn't crowing or gloating, lest Diabla simply throw off of her bunk "That you might just be projecting here, maybe just a teensy little bit….you ever wanna talk about what's really bothering you then-"

"Then I'll borrow your sword and take my own tongue out" Diabla answered, though another crack in her proverbial armour could be seen in the form of the slightest upward turn at the corners of her mouth.

"And ruin the resale value on the parts? I think not" her partner gasped "So….are we cool, are you good, am I gonna have to stop Wolfram from throwing you through a wall….'cos I hate to say it but I think our leader has you on his shit list right now"

"We're good….I'll avoid the rich kid as much as I can, just don't invite her in here with the rest of her team; I at least want to be able to sleep in peace" Diabla finally conceded, which Laser could accept as progress even if an apology was notable in its' absence.

"And maybe it's not about her" she admitted with a slow breath "But she's still everything I hate all wrapped up into one annoying package" there was clearly a lot left to be unpacked there but Laser seemed to sense that his partner had reached the limit of how much she was willing to reveal about herself tonight and simply found himself hoping that she would honour her promises and perhaps open up more to the people around her as time went on.

He had a sneaking suspicion that there might actually be a likeable person somewhere under all of that sullen anger.


The campus garage was once again filled with the clanging sound of mechanical tinkering as Regalia and Astra neared the completion of their work on Clunker the custom jetbike.

After practically carrying Athena despite her protestations and assisting Zirconia to the medical wing of the academy so that they could be given an examination and any treatment required by Nurse Kintsugi the Bear Faunus and her partner had returned to the dormitory, with Athena being given a cocktail of Aura stimulants which had accelerated her recovery to the point where she could safely sleep off the rest of her, thankfully minor injuries. With Athena resting and Zirconia studying as she kept a watchful eye on her partner Astra had and Regalia had felt, if not exactly forced then certainly encouraged to leave their room for a while and the Deer Faunus had initially intended to seek out solitude and spend the remainder of their evening processing exactly what had happened and where they had gone wrong during the day, once again seeing their own actions as a cause or contributing factor to a member of Team MARZ being harmed and wanting desperately to learn from their mistakes, before their thoughts could spiral in a downward trajectory towards total misery Regalia had simply thrust a toolbox into her partner and team leader's hands and stated that with their help she could, at least in theory have her prized possession up and running by the end of the day.

A goal that was soon reached and celebrated by the throaty roar of an engine.

"Yippee Kai Yay" Regalia's grin was almost feral as the rumble of Clunker being brought to life travelled through the kickstand of the jetbike that was yet to begin truly hovering and reverberated through the ground even as it echoed through the rapidly cooling air; the somewhat manic look in her pale purple eyes was hidden by the lenses of heavy goggles that were once again covering her face, upon hearing the mechanical snarl of the vehicle which put the sounds made by the Grimm facsimiles used by Professor Rose to shame Astra's face contorted into an odd sort of approving grimace, the kind of expression one might expect in a particularly seedy illicit rave however a distraction soon came in the sound of a new, yet familiar voice

"Nice, where did you get the anti-gravity system for that?" Wolfram Ironside asked conversationally as the strode into view from a dark recess of the garage

"Um, hi" Regalia gave an audible gulp "Main chunk of it is an old salvaged Bull-head wing wired up to a proper set of control and the stabilisers are patched together from a few different places" the Racoon Faunus explained, clearly happy to be discussing the jetbike that was clearly both the culmination of years of hard work and something that she had a connection to on par with those any Hunter had with their weapons yet at the same time also clearly nervous which Astra felt that they could understand, even if it was a sentiment that they did not share; the human did after all have a particularly striking, if menacing look about with the spikes adorning both his armour and the leather collar around his gorget gleaming in the same overhead lights that cast deep shadows on his sharp, almost raptorial features.

"Hey Wolfram" Astra gave them a lazy wave "You okay?"

"Yeah and it was you that I was looking for really, I figured you'd both be down here" he nodded, expression becoming grim as he added "We need to talk"

"O-okay?" now Astra felt the same mild panic that clearly seeped into Regalia yet they were entirely unable to explain why.

"Look you're cool, I like you….but this shit with Slate and Diabla can't carry on like it has been. Diabla's been out of line all week and with the way she was talking to my Mum I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that's a her problem" Wolfram sighed as his expression darkened a fraction "But Slate tried to punch one of my team in the face while she was being held back, that shit isn't funny and I didn't need you trying to aggravate her further when I was trying to work it out"

"So, now what?" Astra asked, suddenly unable to meet Wolfram's steely grey eyes and glancing around in time to see Regalia to reach for a discarded wrench, gesturing to her in a way that they hoped would not be detected by their fellow team leader before Wolfram answered.

"I don't want a problem" he shrugged simply, some of the intensity that had been radiating out from the young man dissipating as his body relaxed "I just feel like we need to be clear and direct about this, I know Diabla has her issues and she started it and I don't want to have to beat a friend up over someone who was in the wrong but she is my team-mate and I've gotta do my job as a leader here, you get that"

"Then make sure she knows that" Astra answered, trying to keep their voice even and rolling their shoulders back; still unsure of where this situation might go but not wanting to force into a direction that anyone would regret "A lot things could have been handled better today but AJ isn't the problem here, keep Diabla away from her and I think everything's fine" the silence seemed to crackle with an electric energy that threatened to spill over into something more until eventually Wolfram's face split in a lopsided, feral smile and a harsh, barking laugh escaped him.

"Well look at you" he breathed out, stalking closer to Astra until he was close enough to reach out and cup a cheek gently "I don't know what training you did over the weekend but it looks like it worked, if you'd brought this energy last week you wouldn't have had any problems with Team MARZ in the first place….I think it suits you"

"So are you gonna talk to Diabla?" it was Regalia that spoke, her low voice breaking a sense of mounting tension and the wrench still in her hand, though not obviously poised to strike.

"Yeah" Wolfram nodded, gaze only turning away from Astra a fraction "I like hanging out with your team but at the same time I don't want completely push her out of the picture, she's Team WULF regardless so we're gonna have to work something out….We can all be cool with each other, just gotta keep those two apart; at least until Diabla actually decides to explain what her fucking deal is"

"Okay, cool….cool" Astra nodded, suddenly dry-mouthed and breathless. A moment later Wolfram seemed to realise that his hand was still on Astra's cheek, the vague and half-formed ideas about subtle intimidation that he'd had when he'd placed it there having fizzled away into nothing

"Anyway, I'll catch you guys later" he pulled the hand away as nonchalantly as he could, adding "I'm gonna go see if Laser's managed to make any headway on that thick outer shell of hers"

"Yeah, later" Astra mumbled watching as Wolfram retreated towards the exit from the garage which led into the main building of the campus, staring in vacant silence after him until Regalia's voice returned their focus to the present.

"Okay, I know he said that there's no hard feelings about what happened before initiation….but that guy still kinda scares the crap out of me" she admitted, finally depositing the wrench back into the toolbox and hastily gathering the rest of her belongings.

"I think he means well, just struggles to show it" Astra observed, absently brushing the cheek Wolfram had grabbed before brushing the spikes of their Mohawk "Besides he's cool….I mean you've gotta admit he's a bad-ass right?"

The look Regalia gave her partner made it clear that she was questioning their sanity.

"Anyway" Astra changed the subject, gesturing at Clunker "Wanna take it for a spin, make sure we've worked all the bugs out?"

"Sure" the Racoon Faunus's smile threatened to fall off of the sides of her face with how wide it became "Hop on, we'll go find somewhere with better food than the mess hall….if we bring food back for AJ when she wakes up then she might not be so mad at you getting her into a fight"

"I like the way you think" Astra chuckled as they clambered onto the back of the jetbike and held on tightly, stomach suddenly plummeting as they remembered the only time that they had actually seen the vehicle in motion.

The Deer Faunus's panicked yells echoed off of the garage walls seconds later.

Author's Notes:

Okay I'm gonna come out and say it, this chapter feels weird to me from a pacing and narrative standpoint but it might just be because I know what my plans are.
This could have easily been two chapters, it feels in some ways like a lot happened here but at the same time like nothing happened here because I didn't actually resolve the driving issue of the chapter.
That's because I wasn't trying to….AJ and Diabla's issues are actually going to come to a head around the mid-point of Vol.2.
Basically I have more things to establish and set up that will affect and define vast swathes of the entirety of the story in the back half of Vol.1 and this school drama isn't one of them, so this chapter is basically my way of organically taking that thread and pausing it in a way that lets me pick it up again later without it looking like I forgot because there just isn't time or a place for it at the moment.

That being said, let's summarise shall we?:
So the dorm is finally looking inhabited, which is a visual representation of the team actually being somewhat functional.
No amount of discipline or private education is ever gonna make AJ like mornings and no amount of humidity will stop her sleeping in a blanket fort.
Zirconia getting out of bed with a hero landing because she's a simultaneously a dork and the coolest person in the room occurred to me and demanded to be written.
Honestly the main purpose of this whole scene is to be a contrast against their first day and how they were interacting then, things still need work but there's really no comparison.
Also, Weiss had "Dolt" in FADE: Legacy Diamond had "Dork"….With Regalia quoting movies and having outdated slang I feel like "Dweeb" works and she's gonna be the team member with a signature insult.
Athena-Jade was raised to be a respectful young lady….No matter how many ways she's fucked that up so far she will still eat floorboards to avert her eyes if needs be.
I feel like starting with the action and then working back to build context around it is one of my trademarks at this point.
The plan was have Regalia harpoon it and drag it into Astra and if it was a real Grimm it might've worked.
A shield as a melee weapon….there's another character doing that but it'll be a Vol.3 reveal; right now though it's one of Astra's trademarks, they did it against the Cankerlotl as well.
Further proof that Regalia's Semblance isn't infallible, it's like Google Maps….the route it suggests might not actually be feasible.
Again, this scene is more to show the steady improvement of relations between members of Team MARZ; it might feel like filler but honestly if you want believable character interactions with characters whose relationship wasn't already predefined then you have to build it from the ground up and that involves the small moments away from the plot as well.
And here's Diabla right on cue….although she's right, watching AJ stumble a rocket-hammer attack because of her laces is definitely funny.
Yeah nobody is muttering funny shit under their breath in Ruby's class and not catching AJ's elbow.
Zirconia being sarcastic under all that broody silence wasn't planned but it just worked.
Also, field trip chapter coming up because it's that time of the school year and tradition demands it and yes Regalia knowing the area because of her people is going to be relevant.
Yeah Diabla has managed to get on pretty much everyone's bad side at this point, also AJ will continue to use the Weiss thumbs up.
Semblance use takes it beyond school drama and bullying, at that point AJ is in the right to go after, that was just straight up assault.
Zirconia, wasn't sure if she wanted AJ as a friend but once the decision was made she is ride or die….Compare that to Diabla; ultimately Wolfram will back his team no matter what but the fact of the matter is she's put herself in a position where she potentially has nobody to rely on.
Sanctioned sparring matches are a thing that I had in the first story in this series and I personally don't think that it's a stretch; if Pyrrha was allowed to fight all of Team CRDL to get JNPR into the Vytal tournament then I think that students are allowed to take it to the ring to settle a problem. Following on from that, this is the obligatory "I don't condone solving all of your personal problems with violence"….But sometimes it honestly does help to get all the bad will and tension out of a situation before you try and fix things.
Laser's morally reprehensible on several levels, but he did back his partner.
See Astra is, from my (And let's be honest almost everybody else's) experience right about violence being the only thing that bullies respond to but at the same time AJ is more than entitled to be pissed at them for the way they signed her up, even if they are team leader that wasn't Astra's call to make.
"She won't allow it" into "She allowed it" is honestly one of my favourite kinds of scene transition.
Athena-Jade Slate is famous and Team MARZ have already made an impression, of course people came to see this fight.
Laser being chatty as hell but giving away a lot less than people first realise is one of this interesting character traits I came up with as I was writing him.
Okay that initial combo from Athena and Zirconia was a fun one, using Phantasmagoria to cover glyphs.
I might have named Diabla's Semblance in Author's notes but I don't think I've done it in the chapter itself before.
That moment where the two blows connected was cinematic and you know it.
I was originally planning on having Diabla saw into the shaft of Mould-Breaker with the blade on Quiet but I'm gonna save something as serious as a weapon break for later in the story.
Okay smashing Diabla's face into the glyph was nasty, but the thing is second guessing herself and not fighting the way she usually does is what cost AJ the fight, if she'd have stuck to the hammer-dance capoeira she might've won.
Ah the mystery of Laser's Semblance….file it under "Vol.2".
Can you really blame Athena for doubting her decision there?
Arslan don't play.
Yeah I'm not a medical professional but do not sleep off a concussion.
See unlike Beacon these Professors are actually pro-active in addressing problems between the students.
Yeah, you don't know what Diabla's issues are but it's something the staff do know about which suggests it would have been on her transcripts.
Velvet's position is more than understandable, however I'm gonna pre-empt the Arslan hate here and say that I feel like her point does have some merit even if her execution is off and that she is also a product of a different system to the former Beacon students; she also has a unique perspective as Team ABRN's kid is the only one to actually become a Hunter.
After Cardin Velvet's bully senses are cranked up to eleven and Wolfram gives her bad vibes.
I feel like Yatsuhashi has a valid point, but I think that Arslan despite her sternness is right and actually has the most faith and trust in her students, she's also right about the fact that they did their best work when faced with real danger.
Yeah Team CFVY are not Professor Oobleck, if one of their students put a hand up and said that they were facing racial discrimination it would be dealt with swiftly.
Ursinia once again holding the one braincell Team WULF share.
Laser and Diabla….you'd think they're the mystery duo of the story, but then there's Zirconia.
"This wasn't even my first choice of Academy anyway" the most revealing thing she's said so far.
So if it's not clear at this point then I'll just say it, all of Diabla's issues are not about Athena, it's more a question of who hurt her and what went wrong in her life to leave her this angry at the world….Also notable that the only thing that got through to her was a comment about how hard she's worked.
So that's AJ and Diabla put on pause for a few chapters and we'll come back to it next volume.
Clunker is back in action.
If you've been to an illegal rave, especially a British one then you know the exact face Astra just pulled.
I don't know exactly how well I conveyed it here but I feel like in universe Wolfram is a scary guy; like he's cool but he's just one of those people you know instantly has a hair trigger, the thing is that he wasn't really going for intimidation here just directness.
Regalia doesn't play, she remembers the first time she met this guy.
Fortunately though Astra might have some confidence issues in regards to leadership but this is still the same Faunus that stopped a burglary.
Oh the fucking tension between these two team leaders and they're both oblivious as hell.
"If we bring food back for AJ when she wakes up then she might not be so mad at you getting her into a fight" - Regalia Russet, super genius.

Thank you to SumoSnipe, Funlander and MajorBrony95 for their reviews on the last chapter.
Yay teamwork indeed.
Oh you have no idea how on point you are with the Jawa comment….wait til you see 'em, Jawas were indeed one of my major inspirations.
Out of that pair Regalia is the brains, Laser is just a little thief.
Nah, Diabla has a large portion of chips on her shoulder but she's not connected to Celeste's White Fang faction in FADE, they're gone completely and besides Diabla is human; she comes from the Mantle free cities, one of the settlements that basically broke away from Atlas but aren't quite a Kingdom in their own right yet.
Regalia's references aren't really fourth wall breaks, it's more that versions of pop culture exist within Remnant; will "Spruce Willis" in Vol.1 and the fact that the DJs at the Vol.2 dance were literally just Daft Punk (Also, there was an Aliens reference in Vol.8).
Little Fox is on an ego trip for several reasons, the most obvious being that he can literally tell an entire Academy full of Hunters to take theit shoes off when they're in his house.
I mean no parent is ever 100% honest about their own mistakes, they'd quickly find themselves with no room to talk about anything.
But the thing is beating the stuffing out of Diabla would do absolutely nothing to change her attitude.

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