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Chapter 22: The Thick Of It
With an absence of any more leads to follow and the only monsters left to hunt in the wastelands of Menagerie being formidable but ultimately lying outside of his goals Carmesi Hueso, Komodo Dragon Faunus and Professional Huntsman who currently took orders from a benefactor whose goals lay quite outside of the narrow scope of what his peers would deem acceptable had finally reunited with Grapeshot.
Leaving the tattered, harrowed and thoroughly traumatised remnants of the troupe of criminals that had accompanied him behind, most of whom were mercenaries or simple thieves and thugs formerly under the employ of the late Persian Green the fearsome and imposing reptilian Faunus had prowled through bleak streets of Blackwater Cove, the coastal city located on the opposite side of the island Kingdom from Port Alistair and in many ways serving as a dark and twisted reflection of it until he had returned to the lodgings that the pair of them had taken up, though Carmesi had spent little time in. Whilst travelling the pair had often slept and operated from the extremes of either a simple tent surrounded by traps and early warning systems to keep the monsters at bay or else a luxury hotel befitting of their status as well paid professionals, which had left the small apartment above a closed shop that had in fact never been more than a simple ruse, replete with dingy furnishings and questionable décor which had been provided to them by a landlord listed amongst Persian Green's contacts who asked very few questions something of an oddity; yet it was here that Carmesi had returned to find Grapeshot waiting for him with a pot of the best tea that he could find in this uncivilised place and the sort of smile that set his younger companion on edge.
It was the kind of expression that meant something the Major deemed exciting had been brought to his attention.
"Where did you get this footage?" Carmesi asked quietly, hellish red eyes narrowing as his brow furrowed in concern whilst he watched a video of Creatures of Grimm laying waste to a small convoy of light vehicles, the monsters in question being a pack of Beowolves though the thing that led them paid little more than lip service to that description, having two many limbs, a single eye and what appeared to be an artillery piece sprouting from its' back where it was nestled between splayed wide bone arches.
"One of the local clans ran afoul of the Grimm" Grapeshot murmured, twirling his moustache as he noted that it was odd to call the nomad clans local or native when they had only laid claim to the island of Menagerie and its' wasteland within the last few decades, well within his own lifetime; such musing were unimportant and quickly forgotten however.
"A handful of them escaped, not to say they fled but rather they did their duty and raised the alarm" he continued "The clan were a good sort and they sent word to the settlements in the area, many of them have employed Hunters, which is how word reached me"
"I see" Carmesi rumbled as he considered the matter, noting that the good standing within the Hunter community along with the contacts, information and opportunities that it afforded him were likely why Grapeshot had been approached by their benefactor, though there other things currently on the Faunus's mind "So what is you're thinking? It's clearly smart-"
"It's the very same Grimm we encountered in the wastes" Grapeshot beamed happily "I'm telling you old chap, what you see here is none other than the Alpha Geist we've been looking for….and I'd wager that it's eaten the Alpha Beowolf that I was hoping to settle my old score with, this is capital news!"
"That's a big claim to make" Carmesi growled, examining the grisly footage of the monster at work once again.
"Hogwash old chap!" Grapeshot laughed jovially, positively brimming with excitement at his theory "Why just look at it, the extra upper limbs, the vestigial rags….by Jove how else do you explain it having a cannon, the very same one it was letting fly at us with!"
"It's strange, I'll give you that" Carmesi conceded
"It's all the proof we need is what it is my boy" Grapeshot harrumphed "And I daresay that our benefactor will agree with it….ah that must be him now" the gentlemanly old Hunter found himself distracted by his scroll, or rather his secondary scroll that was used solely for conversing with their shadowy benefactor through secure channels beginning to ring with a jaunty and upbeat tone that seemed unbearably at odds with the situation in Carmesi's eyes however it was quickly answered the video being filled with the distorted and unidentifiable black form who spoke with a modulated voice that the benefactor always used when contacting Grapeshot.
"I've reviewed the footage you sent….though I am willing to admit that my own experience in the field is wanting in comparison to your own, it would seem that you've done well and located the target Major"
"It was only a matter of time" Grapeshot replied, allowing himself a modicum of self-satisfaction before returning to business "And now that we know what the beast is doing and that it's changed its' appearance again we can be about our business, once the shipment you sent arrives the game will be afoot-"
"The shipment should have already arrived" the benefactor stated, something icy creeping into his purposefully distorted words "It was shipped through Port Alistair for safety reasons, a hard-light based containment unit based on the information provided about how the Grimm was captured previously….members of your new forces assured me that the package had arrived"
"I assure that I have received no such communique from Port Alistair" Grapeshot huffed, trying not to seem utterly enraged at his honesty and character being called into question despite the way his face coloured until Carmesi interrupted with a rumbling snarl
"Then we've been robbed….we should have just killed all of these scumbags and kept the robots for heavy lifting" his hands twitched towards his weapons as thoughts of violent retribution filled his mind "I can be in Port Alistair within a day at most, I'll track them down and I'll have answers-"
"Do not be hasty" the shadowy form of the benefactor insisted, cutting off the younger man's fury before it could build into something terrible "The device can be improved upon, I'm willing to take this setback as an opportunity and put some of my recent acquisitions to use-"
"What do you need us to do?" Carmesi asked with a glower, forgetting himself for a moment and taking charge despite Grapeshot's presence though the older man seemed willing to allow it for the moment, the benefactor seemed pensive, or as much as a formless and featureless shadow could before finally answering.
"By all means Carmesi, return to Port Alistair. Learn what became of our associates there and rally them if you can, we will likely have need of them in the future" the shadowy figure paused, likely turning to face Grapeshot though that remained unseen "Major, if you would be so kind as to locate the specimen-"
"With pleasure sir-"
"However you are not to engage it directly" the benefactor insisted forcefully "You are simply to track and observe, other Hunters know of the existence of this Grimm and you are to ensure that it remains alive until it can be captured"
"Fighting my fellow Hunter to spare a Grimm" Grapeshot looked repulsed by the idea but ultimately growled in annoyance before sighing and nodding "It's a jolly bad show and I'll be cast as a scoundrel for good reason if this ever comes to light….But I'll do it"
"Good….my goals will require sacrifice Major but I would not ask you to make them unduly, this is an important undertaking"
"Understood" Grapeshot said simply, privately wishing that he could fathom what these unknowable goals might be so that he might reconcile his actions with a purpose that went beyond simple lien, something that would earn him the legacy that he sought; Carmesi for his part merely let out a wordless growl which indicated that he would very much like to get moving, results as always being of paramount importance as he conducted himself with a zeal suggesting that he knew rather more than he let on. After a moment the benefactor spoke again, addressing the pair with a sense of finality before ending the call.
"You both have your instructions. Good hunting"
Grimm studies classes with Professor Ruby Rose were often a spectacle, not only due to the fame of the woman teaching them, though was impossible to overstate and was doubtless a factor which drew many of Breaktide Academies' students to study there rather than at any of the other academies but also because of Ruby's bombastic and charismatic approach to teaching along with the hands-on and exciting way she sought to impart knowledge onto her students, ensuring that each of them understood the practical applications and reasoning behind each of her lessons.
So when Ruby Rose declared that she had something special planned for one of her lessons it left expectations understandably high, though Team MARZ, those currently being subjected to what Ruby had devised would be hard pressed to deny that she had delivered.
A simulation that left blood thundering in their ears and hearts hammering in their chests as though it were a real mission.
The lesson was taking place in the academies' outdoor training area which offered a greater range of possibilities owing to its' simple size and more comprehensive and adaptable supply of nanobots and hard-light emitters, turning what would otherwise have been an open and bare arena into a passable imitation of a ruined street taken from some smaller settlement; replica Grimm whose bodies shimmered and flickered unnaturally as sudden movements caused the illusions of their existence to falter stalked between equally hollow and false buildings which glowed with flames that thankfully lacked any heat and produced no smoke all whilst an iron grey overhead filled with clouds that threatened rain served only to lend an air of the dramatic to the proceedings. Team MARZ had found themselves in the centre of the arena where the four of them were gathered around a collection of people wearing hi-visibility vests emblazoned with the word 'Civilian', these people were largely drawn from the administration, canteen and other parts of the academies' staff and were being well compensated for their role in helping train the students. The exercise was seemingly simple, nominally all Team MARZ had to do was defend their assigned civilians until an alarm sounded, signalling that an imagined extraction had arrived.
Though Ruby wanted to see just how her students reacted to pressure and defeat and had planned several surprises
"Evac should be here any second!" Regalia called down to her team-mates from where she had taken up a vantage point on the roof of one of the simulated buildings, the nanobots were fortunately strong enough to hold her though they were also the reason that her Semblance had become unreliable as any attempt to search for answers within the simulation would only direct her to the control nodes for the nanobots, which she had already been warned would lead to a disqualification.
"AJ, Zirconia keep those shields up a little longer!" Astra called out, voice rising above the sawing roar of their own weapons as they opened fire into a pack of faux Grimm which melted into the ground as the nanobots that made them were deactivated whilst equally false buildings simply recovered from the damage and reformed. Athena's glyphs and the walls of hard-light that Zirconia could produce were capable of covering a far larger area than Astra's own shields and so the two of them had taken up a defensive roll whilst also corralling Grimm into Astra's path, allowing the Deer Faunus to go on the offensive and whittle down their numbers and prevent the team from being overrun.
"There's a bigger Beowolf on the periphery, possibly an Alpha" Zirconia declared, rasping voice as quiet as ever and the only indication of any stress she might be under coming in the form of a slight straining of her words.
"Damn it" Astra snarled through clenched teeth, taking note of the complication but ultimately concluding that it was unimportant; the goal was to win a defensive battle and they would be successful in just a few moments.
"Astra heads up!" Regalia's voice sounded out from above again, this time with more urgency and Astra quickly turned their eyes skyward for a moment to see a projection of an aircraft nearing them, showing just how much effort Ruby had put into this simulation.
Before promptly showing off one of the twists she had added to the scenario.
"OH COME ON!" Astra yelled, through in truth the exclamation of indignant rage could have come from any of Team MARZ as the fake aircraft was snatched from the sky by the bladed quills of a Nevermore made of hard-light which tore through its' wings and sent it careening to the ground where it vanished into fragments of flickering light.
"Now what are we supposed to do?" Athena demanded furiously, even as she lowered her glyphs for just long enough to aim and fire her laser into the Nevermore. Astra emptied their weapons into the tide of Replica Grimm before them earned themselves a moment to both reload and gather their thoughts, trying to reason out exactly what their teacher expected of them.
"Professor Rose never said that the evac would be at the actual landing zone!" they called out, hastily forming the bones of a plan "Regalia stay up top and find another extraction point! AJ, Zirconia get those people through the streets-"
"What're you gonna do?" the snowy haired Bear Faunus demanded.
"I'm gonna take that Alpha down!" Astra declared, readying the blades and guns of Buckshot Ares and turning their attention away from the pack of mindless, shimmering facsimiles before them and instead darting through simulations of ruined streets in order to hunt down what, at least in their mind seemed to be the key to victory; Astra's vision seemed to narrow and focus as much as their thoughts as they honed in on the simulation of an Alpha Beowolf and the Deer Faunus leapt with a yell of vindication as they prepared to deliver a fatal blow to the beast leading the packs, cleaving its' skull from its' body and sending those that followed it into disarray and create enough of an opening for a victory to be secured.
Only for the Grimm to vanish a moment before the blow could land and the voice of Professor Rose to echo through the training area.
"End simulation, Team MARZ are unsuccessful!"
"WHAT?" Astra bellowed in furious confusion, sea-green eyes scanning their surroundings even as they began to dissipate; entire streets vanishing as the minute robots and projections that made them were recalled until the only thing left to see was Athena-Jade and Zirconia, surrounded by simulated Beowolves, one of which had broken through their ranks and managed to pin a member of the crowd of civilians to the ground.
"I'm sorry" Zirconia shook her head in open dejection at herself "It managed to get around the edge of my defences, I couldn't attack it without leaving others open" Astra took several deep breaths to keep their temper under control even as it threatened to reach its' breaking point at the perceived injustice of the situation; before the Deer Faunus could give any words of encouragement or consolation to their team-mates a blur of rapidly approaching motion caught their eye.
"Go back to the stands, I'll deal with this" they ground out, watching as Athena-Jade and Zirconia found where Regalia had been deposited by the vanishing scenery and left the expansive arena before turning to face Professor Rose herself, just as she appeared in a shower of petals.
"That was a good attempt until the very end-"
"You mean when you started cheating?" Astra demanded, weapons collapsing as they folded their arms across their chest, speaking with an insolent anger that left them the moment Ruby's remaining silver eye hardened.
"You were placed in a training scenario designed to mirror real-world conditions. I didn't cheat, I made sure you understood that sometimes your transport doesn't arrive" Ruby's tone was harsh at first before she exhaled slowly and let the sting of the accusation fade "As I said, you were doing well until the end when you decided to break away from your objective-"
"I was trying to take out the Alpha" Astra snapped, still struggle to keep a sense of self control.
"Elimination of Grimm is always a secondary objective when civilian safety is on the line; it's a matter of priorities" Ruby noted, as gently as she could only to frown in annoyance as Astra rolled their eyes and gave an overblown, dramatic huff
"I was taking out the Alpha to create an opening, make the other Grimm do something stupid….maybe even draw them back onto me"
"I see" Ruby murmured, cybernetic eye whirring as she considered her next words for several moments before clearly deciding to tackle the matter head on "Astra there has been a slip in Team MARZ's performances ever since the aircraft incident-"
"I'm fine" Astra snapped, the answer coming far too quickly for Ruby's liking.
"I know that between the crash and your first mission you've had to deal with more than a student should be expected to and I know that having to be rescued on your first mission is not the way you wanted it to go" Ruby noted "There is no shame in it taking a toll on you and Counsellor Daichi, or any other member of staff is always willing to talk….we would much rather you talk than have you put yourself at risk because you think you have something to prove"
"I….thank you" Astra muttered through clenched teeth "And I'll fix it, I'll get Team MARZ back to where we should be" without waiting for a reply they turned and walked away; swallowing a lump in their throat as Ruby's comment about their needing to be rescued opened a wound to the teens' pride that they had not been aware of until that moment and caused them to doubt the course of action that they and their friends had started down.
Astra quickly shook those thoughts out of their head with a bitter grimace, they still felt cheated and couldn't help but wonder if perhaps the Professors would have had better chances of finding the criminals operating in Port Alistair if they had devoted their efforts to that rather than finding new ways to rob their students of a fairly earned win. Pushing those thoughts aside they made their way back to where the rest of Team MARZ had congregated and convinced themselves that it didn't matter.
The plan to take matters into their own hands was already in motion anyway.
"I still think you got cheated" Wolfram gave a disparaging snort as they double checked measurements on a series of blueprints that they were working on.
"I still don't wanna talk about it….It'll just get me angry" Astra sighed.
"So get angry, you've got every right to be" their fellow team leader shrugged, paying less attention to Astra than they normally would as the pair worked side by side, albeit on different projects, with Wolfram's planned modifications to his weapon being more involved that Astra's routine maintenance. The pair, and therefore naturally their teams and fellow first year students were currently using the academies' workshop during a lesson provided over by Deputy Headmistress, Professor Velvet Scarlatina which would under normal circumstances provide the pair ample opportunity to talk to one another as the Rabbit Faunus and the chief engineer with who she shared this particular part of the campus were both more than happy to allow their students to prioritise their own work and take responsibility for themselves whilst the considerable amount of noise being generated provided cover for any conversations that those involved did not want to be shared. Currently however Astra and Wolfram were exchanging no more than a few words at a time and Wolfram's steel-grey eyes flashed with a rare uncertainty which he fought to keep from manifesting as anger, instead allowing a writhing, sinking feeling to take root in his gut with each furtive glance he cast at the Deer Faunus beside him; it had admittedly been less than a week since their attempt at a first date had ended in a catastrophic failure however the awkwardness that had appeared between the two of them as each privately tried to figure out their relationship whilst at the same time trying to maintain what it had been previously was beginning to grate at Wolfram's nerves and he decided there and then, as Astra remained quiet and another attempt at conversation threatened to fizzle out that he would stand it no longer.
Wolfram just hoped that he could manage at least a rough approximation of tact, for once in his life.
"Astra look, I get if you don't wanna talk about this here but….are we okay?"
"Huh?" Astra turned away from where one half of Buckshot Ares lay on a workbench with its' cowling removed to expose inner workings and simply stared at Wolfram as if seeing him for the first time before their eyes widened and a hand flew to their mouth "Oh wait, you think this is about….no, no-"
"I mean I kinda did" Wolfram managed to answer without sounding as though her were grumbling "I mean if you wanna just go back to how things were then-"
"No" Astra repeated, quiet but vehement "No….I mean the date idea was great, things just went really, really wrong. We should definitely try again sometime"
"Really?" Wolfram's voice was softer than he could remember hearing it and he fought the urge to look away, clear his throat and swiftly impose a sense of stoic control over himself; his resolve crumpling only moments later as Astra, in a move that the Deer Faunus considered to be somewhat brazen wiped the oil from one of their hands and reached over to give Wolfram's a reassuring squeeze. The gesture left them both with slightly flushed cheeks, especially given the public setting yet Astra pushed on and finally spoke.
"Yeah, I've just been busy" they paused, face scrunching up for a moment as a thought occurred to them "Okay that sounds bad….I mean, you know what we were talking about a few days ago….About the people Regalia met at the docks"
"Uh huh" Wolfram looked around surreptitiously, showing rare caution as he took note of Astra's hesitance and understood the reasons for it; scanning the workshop briefly he saw that Professor Scarlatina was currently talking animatedly to Athena-Jade Slate, from what Wolfram understood Professor Scarlatina was an old friend of her parents, her father especially though it was still more likely that their current discussion pertained to some potential or hypothetical improvements to the Bear Faunus's weapon. Elsewhere in the vast and impossibly well stocked workshop, which included its' own forgers and fabrication facilities the burly old chief engineer was being helped by Regalia, the Racoon Faunus likely earning herself some additional lien or perhaps a favour in the form of first access to incoming parts and supplies by helping repair or service some of the cranes, lathes and other, more complex machines.
"Well I've been thinking about it, about how we could find them" Astra continued, some fiery sense of purpose and vindicated drive steadily creeping into their voice "And I've got a few ideas about how we might be able to find something, but nothing concrete-"
"Well Team WULF are in" Wolfram assured them without hesitation.
"Awesome, if we have to go to plan B then we can cover more ground if there's more of us" Astra's smile was almost predatory.
"What's plan A?" Wolfram asked, overcome with the sudden feeling that he might have gotten into something out of his depth.
"Zirconia is working on it now, AJ and Regalia are keeping eyes off her" the Deer Faunus's explained and their fellow team leader almost choked on air at that before quickly seeking out the Grasshopper Faunus so he could see what she could possibly need such a ruse for, only to find her at the Deputy Headmistresses' laptop, a computer that students often used in order to log out parts that they had used or check the status of incoming orders; Wolfram's eyes widened to an almost comical degree however as he realised that this was not what Zirconia was doing.
"Holy shit, she's gonna hack a Professors laptop in the middle of class?" he demanded in a disbelieving whisper.
"Well maybe not hack, she's good with computers but we don't have the time….she's just gonna have a look through all the recent files and see if we can find out what it was that the people at the docks were shipping"
"Damn….they do say it's always the quiet ones; no wonder she was distracted in Professor Rose's class" Wolfram murmured, taking a moment to adjust their own assessments of Zirconia Shadowmoon accordingly, the often unknowable young woman clearly had skills that he had never suspected and was far more than just the capable fighter with a penchant for brooding and the dramatic that he had expected.
"Yeah and if she can find some answers that gives us a starting point" Astra nodded, matching Wolfram's hushed tones "And if not we'll just have to do some legwork and find these ass-holes by process of elimination"
"How do you know all this?" Wolfram asked, quietly marvelling at this unseen side of Astra "I mean I know you've always got a plan but this is different….this is like super-spy stuff"
"I guess if you live in a city with a lot of crime you just learn to figure these things out" Astra mumbled, ruined their momentarily suave image with a sudden bashfulness "Besides, my half brother was adopted by 'the' Blake Belladonna….I've gotta pick up something right?"
"I guess" Wolfram grinned "So when are we doing this, the weekend?"
"Tonight. Right after classes" Astra answered without hesitation.
"Are you sure?" Wolfram asked cautiously, knowing that Astra lacked the same sense of volatility that he often suffered from but at the same time not wanting to question the word of a fellow leader so directly and instead adding "I mean I know you're usually ahead with assignments and stuff but if you fall behind on studying because of this then the Professors are gonna ask questions"
"Yeah well" Astra shrugged, face morphing into a bitter scowl as their tone became the closest thing to a mocking parody of Ruby Rose they could manage "It's a matter of priorities" Wolfram paused at that, jaw hanging loose and vacant as he processed the comment and the scathing tone behind it, whilst he had not heard the prior conversation between Astra and the Grimm Studies Professor he could still guess at what had been said, given the context and a moment later he found himself letting out a dull, barely believing chuckle.
"Holy shit, you really are angry at getting cheated" steel grey eyes shone in the overhead light with sudden mirth "You should do it more often….the 'take no shit' attitude looks good on you"
Upon hearing that Astra promptly lost their newly accumulated and supposed coolness as their cheeks turned a shade of red that was comparable to their dyed and fiery Mohawk.
With lessons having concluded for the day the Professors and other staff of Breaktide Academy, despite knowing that they would still have other duties to perform, had still been preparing and frankly looking forward to going home and enjoying an evening of relaxation with friends, family, pets or simply a good book however for certain members of staff, as was becoming an uncomfortably regular theme that was not to be.
"Okay then" Headmistress Coco Adel breathed out "Let's cut to the chase" gathered around her, in the staffroom rather than the formal and imposing setting of her office where matters such as disciplinary procedures and other matters of importance were settled were Velvet and Yatsuhashi, whose presences were a given in such circumstances alongside Ruby Rose, who had been the one to request this meeting and her wife, though Coco suspected that Penny was there simply to provide additional moral support for Ruby and because the two of them would be returning home together anyway and finally, for reasons that Coco could broadly guess Arslan Altan. It was, almost entirely predictably Ruby who broke the silence
"I'm concerned about the condition and behaviour of Team MARZ"
"Funny you should mention that" Velvet noted with a slight smile which held no warmth, catching both Ruby and Penny off-guard with the unexpected comment before gesturing for them to continue.
"After their first mission and recent events there's been a sudden and notable dip in their performances, as if they're all distracted….I tried to speak to Astra in class and suggest speaking to Yatsu, although because of the circumstances I'm not sure if they took it onboard; I wanted to know if anyone else has noticed anything, Arslan your class is probably a first year favourite?" Ruby trailed off, trying to prevent her words from carrying a sense of hopelessness.
"I haven't….Team MARZ have been sparring at their usual level, perhaps even higher"
"A focus on combat with others rather than the Grimm, certainly telling" Yatsuhashi mused in a quiet and soft spoken murmur "Neither Astra Mars not their team-mates have reached out to me"
"Yeah well" Velvet stretched and cracked her back "Not as telling as the fact that Zirconia Shadowmoon tried to get passed the encryption on my laptop during class today….I'm almost impressed at her guts"
"She did what?" Coco demanded, the revelation knocking the wind out of her for a moment though she quickly recovered and removed her customary sunglasses to reveal eyes that were hard and gleaming
"She didn't find anything" Velvet assured her calmly "But it wasn't a bad attempt at all, if she had time and privacy she might have done it-"
"What was she looking for?" Ruby asked, feeling as though she could already guess what the answer would be and taking no joy at all from the sense of vindication that came with Velvet's next words.
"It looks like she was trying to find out what the group that Russet, Greenback and Red encountered were smuggling"
"Understandable in a way" Penny noted, causing all eyes to turn toward her with the seemingly odd statement before giving context to it "Her friend put herself at risk, I think it's only natural for the students to want to know exactly what they risked themselves for….However, I think it would be wise to assume that this was an attempt t do more than satisfy their curiosity"
"Team MARZ want to throw themselves into the thick of things" Ruby sighed "And I'd be the biggest hypocrite on Remnant if I told them not to"
"Whilst I doubt that Shadowmoon instigated this that would be a safe assumption" Yatsuhashi nodded, expression thoughtful before adding "What I know of Mars and my meetings with Slate both suggest that they will see this as a challenge and a chance to prove themselves….As for Russet, I don't want to generalise at all but members of the nomad clans tend to rely on their own sense of justice above the Kingdoms' authority"
"So" Velvet sighed, her rabbit ear that wasn't a ragged stump flopping forward "How are we handling this Coco?"
"The answer is simple" Arslan interjected with a disparaging snort "Expel them all"
"Excuse me?" Penny demanded, utterly gobsmacked by the suggestion.
"They tried to steal classified documents from a member of staff" Arslan spat "If it was any other team this wouldn't even be a question!"
"Are you accusing us of favouritism to the point that we would put people in danger?" Ruby asked, tone lowering to something dangerous
"Are you expecting me to ignore it?" the taller woman demanded incredulously "Do you call staff meetings for every student that struggles in your lessons and then look for alternatives to discipline?….Skulking around stealing from staff-"
"Your personal feelings are clouding your judgement" Penny interrupted, tone icy which along the accusation of hypocrisy brought Arslan to a standstill "I understand that Emerald Sustrai and Mercury Black posed as Haven students and that those who saw them as class-mates wish to protect the honour of their academy….they have paid their debts several times over and the idea that Zirconia Shadowmoon is a traitor within our ranks is laughable. Shadowmoon is no Cinder Fall, I would know, I fought Cinder Fall when she infiltrated the CCT"
"That's enough" Coco's voice was tired, exasperated and yet ultimately firm though not without a degree of admiration for the android, challenged Arslan so directly was something that not many had the courage to do.
"Expulsion is off the table, for the simple reason that it wouldn't be effective" she continued "Between them Slate and Shadowmoon have the funds to stay on the island indefinitely and Russet is a native; the only thing expelling them would do is make it harder for us to keep an eye on them and possibly remove Mars from the equation, something I don't want to do as their leadership is impressive"
"So what do we do?" Velvet asked the pertinent question again.
"I don't care what anyone thinks, I don't agree with throwing them in harms' way or letting them get themselves involved in trying to find the Grimm smugglers" Ruby added bluntly.
"We don't have concrete proof that they've actually taken any actions yet" Yatsuhashi noted "Perhaps it would be better to try and direct their attention rather than discourage it"
"You mean use them as unofficial agents?" Penny asked
"They're Hunters, they're determined, strong willed….Don't know when to quit; hell that's why they've made it this far" Coco gave a slight shrug "Maybe Yatsu's onto something, Ozpin used Team RWBY as scouts when you were first years, Qrow keeps an eye out for students that would make good agents, so does the whole Atlas faculty….maybe we should just give Team MARZ the tools and backup to do what they're going to do regardless"
"That's a big decision to be making this early in their careers" Ruby countered, the suggestion causing her to balk.
"Agreed" Coco relented before turning to Arslan "I can usually rely on you to be straight with me….do you think Team MARZ have the potential?"
"My opinion will always be that Hunters should be forged in fire and that Team MARZ have the initiative and willpower to seek that fire out themselves" the Mistrali Huntress answered, pursing her lips before continuing "Each of them is capable individually and as a unit they've become one of the most promising teams of their class, closing the distance with Team WULF easily. That being said whether or not they're ready for the kind of responsibility you're talking about remains to be seen. Furthermore it's a moot point, they've overstepped a boundary today and what you're discussing sound too much like rewarding that"
"Fair" Coco nodded, thinking to herself for a moment "So in short, Yatsu I want you to reach out to each of Team MARZ and offer your services….nothing untoward, just make sure that this isn't a case of a cry for help being missed. Velvet, we'll work on updating out security since Shadowmoon seems so eager to test it. Ruby I'll have the other Professors keep an eye on Team MARZ in their classes….In the meantime, we should probably all think about how we could more effectively identify students we want to earmark for extra training without making it apparent that that's what we're doing. Everyone okay with that? It was obvious that more than one member of staff present was fighting the urge to audibly groan at the mention of more work eating into their limited free time, though hold back they they did as the importance of the matter was plain to see; Ruby however could not help but give a slightly sarcastic edge to her reply.
"Sensational"
Despite the often told jokes about its' airless and blistering climate the island Kingdom of Menagerie did experience rain and when rain fell it did so in extreme quantities, as was proven by the flashes of lightning that cracked open the iron-coloured and rapidly dimming sky whilst the still uncomfortably warm air was filled with an endless deluge of lashing sheets of rain that soaked all subjected to it to the bone in an instant.
Giving Team MARZ a collectively bedraggled and worse for wear look whilst making each of them privately wish that they had delayed their expedition into Port Alistair by at least a single day.
"I'm starting to think that this might have been a bad idea" Astra admitted as they tried in vain to brush water away from their eyes as it continued to fall in torrents.
"Yeah but it's your bad idea….So still probably workable?" Regalia noted, the attempt at a cheery pep-talk coming off as more than a little patronising and mocking, given the circumstances. Team MARZ had ventured into Port Alistair almost as soon as lessons had ended, stopping only to change into clothes that were somewhat more suitable for the weather which, in Regalia's case was simply a hoodie and sweatpants bearing Breaktide Academies' logo that would hopefully dry out relatively quickly whilst Zirconia, in a move that head earned her no small amount of friendly teasing had produced a stylish and classy looking umbrella which she and Athena were currently huddling under. Astra however had no such look and whilst they wore similar attire to their partner, though their clothes were unmarked the Deer Faunus's antlers made wearing a hood impossible and the Mohawk was currently a slowly collapsing and increasingly undefined mess of hair whose fiery red dye would likely need to be reapplied.
"Might have been my idea….But I should have gone with Wolfram" Astra smirked, spreading their arms wide and welcoming the teasing that they had surely opened themselves up to with that comment.
"Yeah but if we mix up the teams then someone is gonna have to work with Diabla" Athena noted slightly "Would you wish her on anyone?"
"She been giving you a hard time again?" Astra asked cautiously, allowing their focus to drift from the main objective for a moment.
"Just her attitude in general" Athena the Bear Faunus answered quickly, eyes darting away from her team leader before Astra could spot any sign of her dishonesty as she was yet to divulge just how close to violence her most recent confrontation with Diabla had come. Astra themselves merely accepted the comment without question and returned their focus to the matter at hand, namely the large industrial estate on the outskirts of what could be reasonably considered inner city Port Alistair, a location that could be commuted to both from the centre of the Capital and also from the more middle class areas beyond it. The particular building that Astra had led Team MARZ to was part of a massive series of interconnected warehouses which were all owned by the same company who emblem Athena-Jade was well acquainted with, though whilst the Bear Faunus was curious about Astra's reasoning it was Zirconia who asked the obvious question; with Regalia simply happy to involved in something like a stakeout, no matter how much of a let down it turned out to be.
"Astra" the Grasshopper Faunus asked quietly "Why are we watching a Dust wholesaler as if you expect something to happen?"
"Because I guessed that getting anything useful from professor Scarlatina's laptop was a long shot and did some planning ahead" they answered, assuring her that they didn't blame her for the failure of the initial plan "If we don't know what was in that case that the biker chick was carrying then we have to go on what we do know"
"That they need Dust?" Regalia asked, nonplussed "Everybody needs Dust"
"They were using Ice Dust to grab Grimm at the Desert Claw, lots of Ice Dust" Astra reminded them "They've gotta be getting it from somewhere, we know they're working in Port Alistair. This place has a big contract with the SDC, they supply Ice Dust to most of the big supermarkets on the island-"
"So you think that the people we're looking for set up a shell company?" Zirconia asked, mismatched eyes shining with sudden comprehension
"Either that or they've got people on the inside writing stock off and getting it out of the building" Astra shrugged "I heard of people doing similar stuff in Neo Vale….never saw it first hand"
"I would honestly never have thought of that" Athena-Jade admitted quietly and though the sting of being passed over for a leadership role had long since faded she still forced to confront, if only for a moment the fact that the comfort she had been raised in meant that her less fortunate team-mates had a wealth of experience in areas that she would likely never truly understand.
Those thoughts were halted instantly by the sound of a throat being cleared, which caused Athena along with Team MARZ as a whole to turn her head and see the last of a burst of rose petals dispersing, with two figures standing amongst them.
"Aunt Ruby, Aunt Penny!" Athena beamed, always happy to see the two women outside of the academy.
"Great" Astra fought to keep a sneer out of their tone, their anger at Ruby still not entirely forgotten though the look Athena gave them; suddenly incandescent with silent fury at anyone treating her Aunts with less than utmost respect was enough to silence the Deer Faunus.
"Salutations" Penny treated the four teens to a wave and a bright smile that remained sunny despite the rain plastering coppery hair to her face.
"Astra" Ruby took care to give Athena a brief hug as she closed the distance between herself and the Deer Faunus "It's good that we found you….I wanted to apologise for what happened in class today. I understand that you feel you were cheated, that wasn't my intention at all, the aim was to ensure that my students understand the realities of a rescue mission can change at a moments' notice and that you have to be ready to adapt to them….However, in hindsight the use of Alpha Grimm and a downed aircraft in the scenario was tactless considering what you've been through-"
"It's fine" Astra shrugged, eyes downcast and not meeting Ruby's "Really, it's...whatever-"
"Astra, you and your team have proven yourselves to be more than capable and none of you should feel you have to prove yourselves outside of what's asked of you" Penny interjected "Which is why we're here to insist that you stop what you're doing"
"Heh, we were just looking for-"
"Regalia, may I suggest not insulting our intelligence" Ruby interrupted the Racoon Faunus with a voice that was too sweet to be trusted, an unmistakable warning and a challenge all in one that sent chills down Athena's spine; as caring as her Aunt Ruby was there were times when she was simply not to be tested.
"My class is an elective and covers the less discussed aspects of Hunter training, such as espionage, logistics and data analysis relating to information gathering and covert operations" Penny began, her voice losing some of its' usual cheer as she slipped into something that older students of Breaktide Academy might recognise from her lectures "Your plan was understandable based on the information that your had available to you though there were certain logical missteps….I would argue first of all Astra, that a cross-Kingdom smuggling operation would either source the Ice Dust from outside of Menagerie entirely or from the airship docks, airships do require an exceptional amount of coolant after all"
"I think she's got you there Astra" Regalia nodded along eagerly, seeing the suddenly irrefutable logic.
"You also brought along three people who were directly involved in the attempt to apprehend a member of the criminal organisation in question, as well as being present at the Desert Fang yourself….and AJ is very recognisable anywhere on Remnant"
"Don't I know it" the Bear Faunus mumbled irritably.
"Which is how we knew you were here" Ruby added, remaining eye twinkling with mirth "As much potential as you have, you don't know Menagerie as well as you think you do Astra….the automation in my house requires a lot of coolant to run, we buy wholesale from this warehouse and well, with AJ, Penny and I all being recognisable faces when the people in the loading bays see my niece and her friends hanging around outside eventually someone's going to call me and ask if I sent you to pick up an order for me"
"Oh crap" Athena-Jade mouthed out suddenly "I'm sorry if I caused any-"
"You didn't" Ruby assured her calmly "But I'm going to have to order the four of you to return to the academy….you're gonna make yourselves ill standing out here in the rain"
"Okay fine" Astra answered dully
"You got it" Athena chirped, always eager to please her favourite aunts whilst Regalia and Zirconia were, even after studying under them for months now, still a little awed by the legendary Huntresses when in such close proximity to them and followed the instruction without hesitation or question. Team MARZ turned and walked away from their attempt to find out anything they could about those running the smuggling ring and other heinous activities on the island and as they did so it was Athena who spoke up first.
"I feel like an idiot, I can't believe we thought we could just go under their radar and not get caught"
"It does seem like wishful thinking in retrospect" Zirconia noted thoughtfully, expression unreadable as always "Especially given what your Aunt Penny teaches"
"Yeah but we're not in trouble so we can try again if we want to right?" Regalia asked, almost hopefully and whilst the Bear and Grasshopper Faunus gave her looks that made it clear that her faculties were currently being called into question Astra merely nodded and smirked
"Right" they murmured simply, eyes gleaming as they thought to themselves. The Deer Faunus conceded that they might be reading too much into it but something about the situation simply felt wrong to them, perhaps it was the way that they had only been told to cease their current actions after a Professor of subterfuge and ungentlemanly tactics had explained the flaws in their plan and suggested improvements that led Astra to think that maybe, just maybe they were not truly being told to stop at all.
It felt as though they were being challenged to be better, a challenge that Astra would happily rise to.
Whilst Team MARZ had undertaken their own, admittedly failed reconnaissance mission of a possible supply line that the criminals they sought might be using Team WULF had, at the behest of Wolfram undertaken their own efforts though Wolfram's approach to information gathering had been more direct and frankly exactly the sort of thing one might have expected from him and his team.
Team WULF had been skulking in dive bars.
It had been several hours and easily as many disreputable taverns now and as the four teens trudged and, despite their attempts to deny it stumbled through the rain-slicked streets it was undeniable that the several drinks that each of them had consumed, allegedly for the sake of blending in and nothing more were beginning to take their toll on them to various degrees. Wolfram, far from a novice in the realm of alcohol after so many nights spent acting a fool with other, equally bored local youths in his home village was beginning to fell the onset of the familiar numbness in his extremities and lips that told him that he was getting close to the point of making bad decisions. Laser, balancing his own misspent albeit far bleaker formative years against his simple lack of comparative mass was in a similar condition whilst Ursinia, in a display that managed to gall but not surprise Wolfram seemed to be barely bothered by the drink at all. The most surprising part of Team WULF's current state of affairs came from Diabla Fuego who, despite her harsh and gruff nature was apparently something of a lightweight in regards to alcohol, though Wolfram noted even through the fuzziness garbling his thoughts that he could not recall her actually drinking around him before.
The mysteries of of his most private and efficient, if unfortunately difficult to work with team-mate were set aside for the moment however as Team WULF came upon their next target.
"Well gosh darn, that's gotta be the place" Ursinia drawled, a barely noticeable hiccup confirming that she was in fact beginning to feel the effects of several drinks.
"Are those….are those saloon doors? Is this one of those fake Vaccuan bars?" Laser almost devolved into a fit of inconsolable giggles at the incongruous lunacy of the place.
"Yeah this is it" Wolfram confirmed "The Rattlesnake Inn….I heard this place is one of the spots where a ton of illegal shit goes down, so Laser you'll be right at home" the bar in question was small, though the noise emanating from within it spoke of a lively and bustling, if not precisely welcoming atmosphere whilst its' exterior had the appearance of faded glory despite how relatively recently the buildings' construction must have been; its' sign and fascia black with golden lettering which were both already heavily weathered and faded. Diabla was unimpressed.
"You said that about the last four" she snorted, slurring her words "Can we just make this the last one please?" Wolfram rounded on her, partially surprised to hear her use the word please though more primarily concerned with her constant trashing of his ideas and negativity towards what was, undeniably a good cause. Before he could respond however Ursinia planted herself between them.
"Come on, let's do this" the Scorpion Faunus jabbed her tail meaningfully in the direction of the entrance and after a quick nod of agreement from Wolfram Team WULF began moving again and a moment later they had passed the lone, scowling and tattooed security guard and stepped inside the Rattlesnake Inn where they were immediately confronted by an oppressively warm, humid and smoke filled atmosphere that stank of cigarettes, ale and a mixture of cheap colognes worn in dizzying quantities. It took only a few moments for the teens' to push their way through the crowd, Ursinia's sheer size combining with the imposing and fearsome appearances of the rest of Team WULF to ensure that any who might wish to confront them for barging their way to the bar quickly reconsidered the idea. Once he reached the bar Wolfram did not have to wait long before he was approached by a barmaid whose appearance conveyed warmth and commanding presence in equal measure, exactly the kind of aura one would need to exude to preside over the crowd that the inn attracted.
"What can I get you?" she asked in a voice whose Vaccuan accent was subtly different to Laser's and ragged after years of shouting to be heard.
"Four pints of larger please" Wolfram answered, producing the lien but no identification since it had not been asked for before leaning a little closer as he lowered his voice "And I'm not sure if I'm in the right place-"
"Then you're probably not honey" the barmaid assured him
"But I was told to come to 'the bar' a friend of a friend told me that 'the redhead' is hiring again" Wolfram waited with baited breath, fighting the urge to visibly tense up and prepare to throw the first punch as the barmaid seemed to consider the subtle inflection on certain words before nodding in silence and pouring out the drinks that had been asked for and taking the proffered lien.
"Wait here, I'll see if anyone can help you on your way" the barmaid vanished from view and there was barely a beat of silence before Diabla made her opinion known.
"That was seriously your best effort?" she demanded, scorn dripping from every inebriated syllable "She's gonna come back here with security….you may as well have just told her that we're cops"
"Do you want to talk to the next one, since you can do better?" Wolfram demanded, voice rising a little more than he intended.
"I don't want to do this at all!" Diabla shot back, matching his raised tone.
"What the fuck is your problem?"
"My problem?" Diabla snapped furiously "Is that you're dragging us to all this dumps to get us all involved in something that isn't our problem!"
"Of course it's our problem!" Wolfram barked, either unaware of uncaring of how his team-mates were trying to calm him down as eyes began to turn towards the argument "If these guys are who-"
"Don't pretend this isn't for selfish reasons!" Diabla yelled, fist glowing faintly as it slammed into the bar with enough force to spill drinks "You're doing this 'cos you want to show off to Astra-"
"If you don't want to be here" Wolfram's voice dropped, low and menacing as he stepped closer to Diabla; her comment managing to get under his skin effortlessly "Then I'm not forcing you to be"
"Guys" Laser warned, eyes darting rapidly between Wolfram and Diabla whose own furious gazes were locked, each daring the other to make the first move until finally Diabla snorted and broke the eye contact.
"Whatever" with that she turned and marched back through the crowds towards the exit, leaving the rest of Team WULF behind her and with a wordless growl Wolfram made to lunge after her only to be halted by both Laser who placed himself between them, shaking his head silently whilst not meeting his team leaders' gaze as he chose to defend his partner and also Ursinia who placed a hand of Wolfram's shoulder and began turning his attention back towards the reason they had come to the Rattlesnake Inn.
"Partner….the barmaid's coming back, and she's not alone" Wolfram's addled brain lurched into gear at that and he forced himself to disregard the eyes watching him on all sides after his spat with his team-mate had drawn their attention. In truth he had not been expecting his ruse to work at all, he had simply felt a need to lend some sort of aid to Astra's efforts and had done the best he could with the information he had at his disposal, information which included a description of the redhead biker that Regalia had chased away from the docks and as Wolfram saw the person that the barmaid was leading towards him the fug of alcohol began to clear as adrenaline set in.
"Shit" Laser hissed, confirming his suspicions.
"Well, this is definitely a turn up for the books….the loose ends all tied themselves into a bow and delivered themselves to me. No clan-rat today?" The woman who spoke was tall, with an athletic build a little too broad and powerful to be called slender, not that she would complain and was complemented by an outfit far more flattering than the black overalls she had been wearing when Ursinia and Laser had encountered her last; her face had a pinched, almost malnourished look about it, complete with a complexion that managed to look sickly and unwell despite the climate of Menagerie, freckled by the sun yet not tanned at all though she still managed to convey a certain sneering contempt and aura of confidence whilst her deep crimson hair was currently tied back into a loose bun with a few strands falling in front of her dark green eyes.
She had not given her name to these teens but to those who knew her she was Rowan Oralie, well respected criminal across Menagerie's major settlements.
"Easy now" Ursinia spoke slowly, painfully aware of the murmurings passing through the crowd of onlookers that were now stepping back as though the expected violence to erupt at any moment "This doesn't have to go south-"
"Oh I think we both know that it does, bug" the older but shorter woman chuckled darkly before reaching into the flattering, sleeveless leather jacket she was currently wearing only for Laser to rush forward and make to tackle her before she could produce whatever weapon she was carrying.
From there a flurry of motion occurred in only a few seconds.
Wolfram saw Laser crumple to the ground as his attempt to tackle the redhead woman was countered by her grasping his head and slamming it into the surface of the bar, following up by breaking a bottle across the base of his neck; an instant later Wolfram was in motion only to be forced back just as easily, whilst he managed to block an attempt to stab at his neck with the now broken bottle and smash the improvised weapon to the point of uselessness his opponent followed up with a kick to the gut that sent him toppling down onto dirty floorboards and by the time he had managed to pull himself upright the young man felt his blood turn to ice in his veins as he was confronted with the sight of his partner staring down the barrel of the handgun that their attacker had finally managed to draw.
Only for help to arrive from an unexpected quarter.
"LICENSED HUNTER! EVERYBODY GO ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS!" a rumbling command boomed though the air and at the mere mention of the man's profession several of those who frequented the Rattlesnake Inn set about making themselves scarce, finishing drinks and leaving the building whilst Rowan Oralie was unable to do so owing to the powerful hand clamped around her wrist, twisting her arm until he was forced to drop her weapon, a hand that belonged to a bearded man with hellish red eyes and a pair of vicious looking bladed weapons, a Komodo Dragon Faunus with sharp teeth and scaled skin.
"Now" Carmesi Hueso ground out as he surveyed Ursinia, Laser and Wolfram who were all now checking one another for injury "I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that you're all first year Breaktide Students and that you're all friends with Team MARZ?"
"Yes sir" Ursinia nodded, the notion of lying never crossing her mind.
"And after that little spat you had with your friend earlier I think I can guess why you're here" Carmesi allowed himself a chuckle "Go home, go back to the academy and get your friend checked out for a concussion….Tell Astra that I like their gumption, but they can consider this over now"
"You've got it" Wolfram nodded, taking Ursinia and Laser with him as he hastily left the Rattlesnake Inn; whilst the idea of staying and getting whatever answers he could crossed his mind nothing about the reptilian Faunus currently crushing his attackers' arm in his grip as though it were the easiest thing the world suggested that defiance would be tolerated; in truth Wolfram saw the same unyielding and demanding demeanour that he often sought to exude except in this instance it was several orders of magnitude more intense.
Once the students had left Carmesi turning his attention back to Rowan, his grip switching from her arm to her throat in the blink of an eye and lifting her from the ground without effort.
"I was sent here to find out if you'd died" the snarled, teeth bared and his entire being radiating menace "I was hoping you had, one less scumbag I have to work with….But since you're here and still breathing, why don't you explain to me how you managed to mess up so badly and what happened to the package you were supposed to deliver?"
Rowan began to explain frantically and with none of her previous sneering, understanding implicitly that her life depended on it.
Professor Arslan Altan, alumni of Haven Academy of Mistral and former leader of Team ABRN did not, by and large enjoy taking her work home with her, however there were certain instances where either duty demanded sacrifice or a matter simply would not leave her at peace until was attended to and rectified.
The matter of Team MARZ was certainly the latter.
It was nearing midnight and Arslan was already lamenting the tiredness she would be forced to endure the following day however she made no effort to remove herself from the office in the house that had become home to Team ABRN and the loving family that the four of them had become. The office was a space that blended professional and personal achievements together perfectly, photographs of Team ABRN as students, the four of them at the grand opening of the nightclub that Reese had operated for several years and several showing the life of Ranger Altan, the child that Arslan had carried and that the four of them had raised together were offset by shelves and filing cabinets filled with paperwork whilst a cabinet directly behind Arslan was filled with her own trophies from tournaments she had fought in and those Reese had earned as a professional hover-boarder shone in the dimmed lights; the scent of a fresh cup of tea that Nadir had brewed for her causing Arslan's heavy eyes to droop slowly, her usual steely and imposing persona having been discarded the moment she crossed the threshold of her home.
"Are you coming to bed?" it was Bolin, Ranger's biological father though none of Team ABRN made any distinction in that regard who spoke, knuckles rapping gently against the door as he opened it whilst leaning casually against the frame and brushing silky hair from his eyes in a way that he knew that Arslan had always adored.
"Hoping to get me in bed before Nadir and Reese can join us….which one of them fell asleep on the sofa tonight?" her attempt at a seductive purr was slightly offset by the yawn she struggled to muffle.
"Reese" Bolin admitted with a chuckle "She's out cold in the living room….But that uh, wasn't why I was asking. We haven't seen you all night, are you planning on sleeping?"
"I suppose I should" Arslan accepted, grateful for the concern and for someone willing to question her judgement when it needed to be done
"Problem students?" Bolin asked, striding into the office and leaning over the desk whilst cocking his head so that he could more easily read the disjointed scribblings that passed as Arslan's notes, one of very few shortcomings that she had ever found in her own abilities as a Hunter being her ability to form a working, long term plan; such things were more Nadir's speciality.
"The problem is they want to run before they can walk" Arslan allowed herself a smile.
"And you're not happy about it?" Bolin arched an eyebrow "Usually you're eager to let them push themselves as far as they can" the two shared a knowing look as they both recalled several incidents during Ranger's childhood where differing parenting styles had clashed with some interesting results that the family could fortunately laugh about in hindsight.
"I want them to push themselves, I want them to spread their wings" Arslan managed a lopsided smirk "However, despite the attitude I occasionally have whilst teaching them, I don't want them to die in the attempt"
"And the fact that that's a very real possibility makes things complicated" her partner, in all things nodded "Am I right to assume that this involves things you can't discuss in detail?"
"It does" Arslan nodded, running a hand through platinum blonde hair and cursing Coco Adel in private for ever swearing her to such a degree of secrecy about the private matters of the academy, knowing that the Mistrali warrior was so honour bound that the thought of divulging secrets, even to her own family once her word had been given was anathema to her.
"So give me the broad strokes" Arslan considered deflecting, possibly with an innuendo that would, in all likelihood lead to flirting that would in turn see the pair in the bedroom and joined by Nadir and Reese in short order however instead she focused, through a supreme effort of will, though the sigh she let out was a wistful one.
"A group of students have tried to take on organised crime and Coco and Ruby, likely wanting to vicariously relive their own glory days….no that's not fair" Arslan stopped herself short and thought better of the biting comment "They see potential in this team and want to prep them for extra training, however they want to do it in such a way that the nobody, even the students themselves realises it's happening, to prevent accusations of favouritism and to stop this team of students from taking it as license to continue overstepping their bounds"
"I see" Bolin murmured slowly "Is there anything stopping you from providing this additional training to the other students, at least initially?"
"Only their own limitations" Arslan noted bluntly
"Then why bother with the secrecy" Bolin asked "If organised crime is so easy to find then other students will know about it….simply tell the truth and tell the students that the curriculum has been adjusted to account for recent developments"
"That's…." Arslan trailed off, jaw hanging slack for a moment as the simplicity of the situation struck her. Eventually she simply reached forwards, cupping Bolin's cheeks and kissed him on the lips.
"I take it that I'm on to something?"
"I've spent too long with people who do too much plotting and sneaking and politics" Arslan sighed "Oum I miss missions with just the four of us"
"Well there's a bed that the four of us can share if you'd like to join us" Bolin's pointed comment was delivered with a wink that made Arslan feel as though she were eighteen again, though once again her commitment to duty took precedence.
"Soon, I still need to provide a solid answer to the problem" she murmured, words trailing off as an answer came to her "I have it….I'll have to run the details by Coco and have it brought forward, we normally only conduct head to head training events towards the end of the year….Oh but Ruby will love this, the drama of it alone will sell it; she loves being involved in the students lives-"
"Ars, come one" Bolin chucked before stepping around the desk and doing something that only a handful of other people would either dare to try or survive attempting, he plucked Arslan Altan, former prizefighter out of her seat and carried her bridal style away from her work as he knew that left to her own devices she would still be planning and working when the sun rose in just a few short hours.
The fit of laughter that escaped her was enough to wake Reese and Nadir and, just as Arslan the four members of Team ABRN found themselves in bed together in short order; at which point any thoughts of students and head to head training exercises were the furthest possible thing from Arslan's mind.
Author's Notes:
So, this chapter is a weird one for me and it's hard to describe why.
It was supposed to be a filler chapter with just enough plot to justify its' own existence, yet whilst writing it I feel like it slowly morphed into a turning point of sorts wherein the plot itself recognised Team MARZ as the main characters….the strange part is that at no point did the actual plan for the chapter change, it was just the feel it took on.
However I feel like this does create possibilities moving forward to do more interesting things with plot conveniences already half set up.
Also, I don't have an exact chapter count but we're roughly a quarter of the way through Vol.02
But anyway, let's summarise shall we?:
Only the slightest tease about what the benefactor might be planning in that intro.
The idea of grand master-plans being hatched in somewhere like a one bedroom apartment or the back corner of a McDonald's is just funny to me.
And that's obviously the footage from the end of the last chapter.
Grapeshot's reaction to the Hell-Hound was fun to write.
And now they know that 'someone' is still looking for them, although the heroes obviously don't know that Carmesi and Grapeshot are the villains yet.
….The benefactor has recent acquisitions, make of that what you will.
So Grapeshot does have at least some scruples and Carmesi actively hates having work with career criminals.
This whole set piece of a class was almost supposed to be a placeholder and yet it feels like how it affected Astra controlled the direction of the chapter.
So it's obvious why Astra is pissed, but the fact of the matter is they failed because they moved away from the actual objective; they weren't supposed to be fighting an Alpha, they were supposed to be handling an evac.
Ruby identified a problem and managed to attribute it to completely the wrong thing.
Of course Wolfram is the first to side with Astra over the Professors.
Wolfram's finally making those upgrades to his weapon, we'll see 'em soon.
I mean a plane crash is definitely one way to make a date awkward.
Talking about feelings helps, even if you are both dorks.
So yeah, Zirconia can hack computers….the mystery bad-ass routine continues.
Oh Astra is a petty little bitch today.
These teachers actually do their job and notice things about the students.
Ruby really doesn't have any room to talk.
I mean, in any ordinary school Arslan would not have been wrong….and let's be honest she's right in her assertion that no other team could get away with what Team MARZ does.
Penny is right in bringing up that most Haven Academy students will never let go of the fact that the Fall of Beacon and Vale was orchestrated by people infiltrating their academy….but bringing it up in public like that was a low blow.
"Zirconia Shadowmoon is a traitor within our ranks is laughable"
Coco's right, expelling Team MARZ wouldn't get them off of Menagerie and so it wouldn't actually stop them.
So this is the moment where Team MARZ become 'officially' main characters in-universe, this is the point where a clear line of succession from team STRQ to RWBY, to FADE to MARZ is created.
The absolute downpour is just a case of me integrating what's going on in my life at the time….fun fact, getting you satellite hit by lightning costs a few hundred to fix.
Poor Astra, they can't really wear hoodies.
Astra did say that they'd have to do some legwork and their idea is pretty solid at first glance, take what you know and extrapolate what you can.
Ruby Rose, master of the dramatic entrance.
You do not disrespect AJ's aunts in front of her, not even slightly.
"Regalia, may I suggest not insulting our intelligence" Regalia, we all love you dear but this is the time to be quiet.
And now we get to see what Penny teaches and why she's great at it; fun fact Qrow and Penny teach the same subject.
And that's how Ruby and Penny found Team MARZ here when they couldn't do it in the wastelands before...either that or they have access to security cameras like Qrow does.
Of course Astra guessed what was going on.
Team WULF doing their best 'Yang and Neptune in Vol.02' impression.
Atlas army cadet Diabla can't drink and gets squeamish about butchering her own food.
Of course the shady bar has saloon doors.
I mean as crazy as it looks on first glance Wolfram's plan really wasn't that dumb, Ursinia and Laser handed over the goons to the police so the redhead needed a new crew, why not act like you're looking for work and see if you can meet her that way?
I mean Diabla is a prick for leaving her team….but at the same time, is she exactly wrong? Wolfram would definitely have rolled up on anybody who put hands on any member of Team WULF but this is also definitely about helping Astra.
Rowan Oralie, the redhead.
Calling Ursinia 'Bug'….because Clan-rat just wasn't bigoted enough.
Team WULF are good, but drunk and missing a member against someone with more experience, they lose.
Carmesi did say that he was coming to Port Alistair to find Rowan.
He hasn't met Team WULF before but he can work out the connection.
I like the idea that Wolfram sees Carmesi as "Me but turned up to eleven".
And now we have three villains, all working for the benefactor….although I'll be honest Rowan is fairly disposable.
Arslan and Team ABRN's home life was fun to delve into.
Yes these grown adults with an adult child still fuck, because life doesn't stop at twenty-three.
Arslan absolutely let Ranger try all kinds of dangerous shit when they were growing up.
Okay Arslan's shot at Ruby was uncalled for but maybe has a little grain of truth to it somewhere.
Yay Bolin, coming up with a simple solution by virtue of not being part of any massive conspiracies.
Honestly with how bad-ass she is anyone managing to make Arslan blush is just gold.
And now we have hints of a 'Head to head' training scenario which may or may not draw a little from MHA….and also Team ABRN fucking like rabbits, enjoy.
Thank you to SumoSnipe, Funlander and MajorBrony95 for their reviews on the last chapter.
Of course yeah, I remember Angel but I was literally a kid when it and Buffy were both on….Still not the most randomly sideways connection, no more strange than "Buggy with the Bear"
On a related note I might give AJ/Zirconia a more 'Official' ship name like 'Moonbeam'….'Cos Shadowmoon is Zirconia's last name and Athena-Jade has a big ol' laser.
The ramp was made of old discarded plot armour.
Those officers were doing much the same thing as Bolin was to Arslan this chapter, making her feel eighteen again….but in the worst possible way for them.
Do or do not, there is no try….Also, why haven't I given that line to Regalia yet?
I'm not sure if "The Thing" is the most apt horror movie analogy for the Hell-Hound, but it's definitely one I'm not gonna complain about.
Of course, the point where the heroes strike out on their own had to come eventually.
I imagine that the nomads get much the same treatment that Irish traveller communities get in the UK.
Well Menagerie is a Kingdom with at least two big cities on it, but yeah Port Alistair and Blackwater Cove are not big cities by the standars of other Kingdoms.
Phobos didn't return in the epilogue of FADE, that was Pantheon...and no comment.
As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.
